Chapter 70: We're Not Gonna Take It
There are many places where Izuku's head could be right now. It could be going over the massive battle taking place around him as invading space fighters bomb the ground underneath them, taking whatever defenses and people they could along with it.
Or he could be thinking about the fact that one of his biggest secrets was just revealed to two people he had never expected to find out. Iida, who is currently doing his best impression of a human blue screen, and another member of the League of Villains. Izuku's mind should be swimming with all the possible consequences this action could have.
But really, the teenage demigod has his priorities elsewhere.
Mainly how hot Ochako looked while punching someone out.
His slow desensitization to both violence and having his life put in danger because of attacking villains will be put on a long list of his mental issues but admittedly, it won't be very high.
"Holy woah," Izuku comments intelligently, moving forward towards his girlfriend, peering down at Mustard's unconscious body, before looking back up at Ochako, completely forgetting his surroundings for a moment. "Nice punch."
"I had a good teacher," Ochako rubs the back of her head, her blush marks becoming just a little darker. She gasps as Izuku gently takes her hand, turning it over to look at the bumps on her fingertips, before gliding his thumb across her palm, taking a deep breath. "Izuku?" Ochako asks, worried.
"Sorry," Izuku responds automatically, apologizing for whatever he's doing seems to be becoming routine. But this time, it isn't about a prank. "I just- I just wanted to make sure it was really you." Without another word, the pair pull each other into a hug, holding one another tight.
While Izuku needed a moment to get over what he saw in Mustard's visions, unbeknownst to him, having another villain attack start and then immediately losing sight of her boyfriend didn't exactly help Ochako's own mental state. Not to mention the things Mustard made her see to keep her distracted. So, maybe, they each needed that hug just a little more than the other realized.
After a few seconds, the couple separated, forcing themselves to let go. "I'll explain later," they say at the same time, causing a nice little laugh to ripple between them. Even if it could only make them feel better in that moment, it's enough.
Neither teen notices Mr. Compress looking back and forth between them. "I'd say you finally obtained your answer about who Uraraka was referring to the last time you both spoke, Himiko."
His remark seems to reboot Iida, whose arms begin chopping at such a high rate of speed that only someone like Quicksilver could keep up with them. "Midoriya! While I do my best to remain calm and collected during high-pressure situations," a snide comment about Hosu passes through Izuku's head, but he knows when to hold his snark and save them for later, "I must demand answers on what is happening immediately! Your illusions seemed to indicate these individuals were villains working alongside Mustard, but they are not?!"
"No, they're still totally villains. Don't you know that most villains help their enemy off the ground before mercilessly beating on them?" Izuku shrugs, motioning his head to Toga and Compress.
Okay, he can't keep all of his snark back. And the son of Loki would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying Iida's confusion just a little.
"Midoriya! Now is not the time for sass!"
"I agree! I'm just great at multitasking." Instead of responding, Iida just chooses to continue glaring hotly at Izuku. The green-haired boy's smirk grows, noticing where his friend's hand is going. "Your sword is totally telling you to stab me right now, isn't it?"
Iida's hand shakes as his grip tightens over his blade's hilt. "…Among many other things, yes."
"See? Taking your mind off the attack, sassing you, and helping you ignore the dark thoughts your Ebony Blade is giving you." Izuku taps his head. "Multitasking."
Whether or not Iida would've stabbed him, the world may never know. And by that Izuku means he's going to try to goad him again later. He wishes he could continue now but any restraint Toga had left in her system is gone as she squeals and jumps toward-
"Ochako!" His girlfriend lets out a tiny squeak as Toga hugs her tight, lifting the other girl off her feet and swinging her back and forth with a strength most wouldn't guess she has. "It's so good to see you again! I've missed you so much! Did you miss me?! Did you ever tell that boy you liked him?! Oh, please, please tell me you did-"
"H-have we met?!" Ochako gets out as Toga swings her around, right before letting out a tiny yelp as the blonde suddenly drops her.
"You don't…" Toga looks up at the brunette, eyes wide and sad. "You don't remember me?…"
Izuku is almost jealous that she looks like a better sad cat than he does when he actually turns into the animal. But that doesn't stop his own slight confusion from setting in. "Wait, wait, you guys have met?" Izuku looks back and forth between the two girls. "I didn't even tell Ochako about you guys until our date at the mall, which wasn't even a month ago!"
"We did!" Toga confirms with a stubborn nod before turning back to Ochako. "Don't you remember? We had that amazing talk about love and crushes when you were being stupid about what to do with that boy?"
Ochako stares at the girl in front of her, who grins in anticipation, trying to will her brain to remember anything about Toga that she could. But all she kept getting in return was what Izuku had told her at the mall. And none of that explained how they could've possibly met. Afterall, Ochako hadn't had much free time since the trip to I-Island and then-
And then it clicks. What Toga had said.
"But we're talking about love and crushes!"
She remembers.
The Sports Festival.
Back when Ochako had first admitted to herself that she was crushing on the cute freckled boy who kept too much on the inside. She had been walking around, lost in thought, when-
"I know that look! You like someone, don't you?"
But wait, the person who had stopped her looked nothing like Toga! How-
"Himiko." Mr Compress walks up, shaking his head and putting his hand on the girl's head to calm her, even if it is only slightly. "I understand that you're excited, but do try to remember that you were using your quirk at the time."
"I was?" Toga puts a finger to her cheek. "Are you sure?" She thinks about it for another second, tapping her finger. "Oh, I remember now!" Toga exclaims before pushing her hair into Ochako's face. "That's why you don't remember me! The girl I had become that day had pink hair!"
The pink-haired woman from the Sports Festival…
"Maybe there is…one boy…"
"I knew it! Oh! I knew it, I knew it!! But why'd you look so upset earlier? This is a good thing!"
Ochako lifts a weak finger. "The person I talked to about how I was feeling… was you?"
"How can that be selfish, I'm putting my own feelings aside so we can both focus on being heroes!"
"By taking the choice out of his hands! And robbing yourself and him of something that could be great! Did you ever stop to think this could inspire you?!"
"Inspire?"
"Yeah! I'm willing to bet it makes you wanna be like that person, right? Use that! Use each other to inspire yourselves to be better! Love isn't a distraction, it's a gift!"
Another realization clicks in Ochako's brain, her head whipping up to Mr. Compress. "Wait! If the woman was Toga, then that means-"
"And what did I tell you about running off?" Behind the woman, a plain-looking man with brown curly hair in a black trench coat and dress shirt appears. "I must apologize, dear future hero, if my companion here has bothered you." He gives her a bow with a flourish.
"You're the man who came and got her after!" Ochako shouts, looking at the villains with wide eyes. A part of her had always wanted to thank the random woman she had met for the advice she gave her that day. It had been a big early push for Ochako and her eventual confession. Who knows how long it would've taken her to say anything without it.
"Guilty as charged." Mr. Compress gives her the same bow with a flourish as he had that day.
"Yay, she remembers!" Toga cheers, pulling her into another bone-crushing hug. "Okay! I have to know! That boy you loved-" Toga giggles at how red Ochako becomes, not noticing how equally flushed Izuku is behind them. She lowers her voice. "I saw that hug, girl. Please tell me you stopped being stupid and told him how you feel, right? Right?!"
Ochako bites her lip, still being grateful to Toga she offers a weak nod, eliciting a squeal from the other girl. "See?! I knew you could do it! I knew it! Now…" Ochako feels herself go cold, as if a predator is gaining the upper hand on her. "Are you going to admit who we both know it is, or do we have to do this.. the hard way." She inhaled deeply through her nose, yellow eyes focusing on her. "Please say the hard way."
There isn't even time for Ochako to debate in her head what the hard way could possibly mean as her eyes flick over to Izuku at the blonde's question, causing Toga's thin yellow eyes to narrow even further as she zeroes in on Izuku, who goes from looking both slightly amused and confused to terrified.
"Compress." Izuku takes a step behind the man, hanging onto his arm. "I'm gonna need you to turn me into a marble. Like now."
"Let me consider my options," Compress says as if he totally hadn't already made up his mind. Toga straightens in front of them, head tilting, eyes not blinking. "No matter whom I choose, the loser will attempt to stab me. Hmm…"
"Compress! I need an answer! Right now would be-!" Izuku yells as Compress' suit suddenly becomes intangible, just like Ochako had seen Mirio do with his quirk, causing the verdant to crash onto the ground.
"Apologies, Midoriya." Compress stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets. "But given that Himiko will have plenty of more opportunities to stab me than you in the coming months, I must choose her this time."
"…You suck," is the last thing Izuku gets out before Toga wraps him up from behind and hoists him into the air, swinging him around much like she had done with Ochako.
"Izukuuuuuuu! I'm so happy for you! It made me so sad every time Compress told me all you had were your clones to talk to and that we couldn't come see you, but now you have Ochako and she has you and- oh, there's so much warmth and love when you look into each other's eyes! Wait, did you teach her to fight too?! I bet you stabbed her a lot when you did! I bet her blood was such a pretty sight-"
"Himiko," Compress cuts through the teen's blabber, waving his empty hand as a marble appears from nowhere. With another wave, the marble is gone, replaced by a red juice box that he tosses to his ward.
"Ooooooh! How do you always know when I'm thirsty?!" Toga stops suddenly, dropping Izuku, who shouts in protest as his face hits the ground, allowing her to catch and suck on her juice ravenously. "Mmm," she moans as she drinks. "Of course…" Toga lazily tilts her head towards Ochako. "I always get a bit thirsty when Izuku is around…"
Several emotions flash across Ochako's face in an instant before it sets on a glare, the brunette trying to get the message across to Toga with just a look. 'Don't touch what isn't yours.'
But much to her annoyance, the blonde merely giggles. "Keep looking at me like that Ochako, and I'll start feeling thirsty around you too." Toga's giggles become a full blown laugh at the flabbergasted look the gravity user gives her in response.
"Those marbles…" With Toga calmed down, Iida makes himself known again, fixing his glasses as he stares at Mr. Compress. "They are the same ones Midoriya has carried around with him all year, aren't they?"
"I'm surprised no one asked why I randomly carried marbles around in my pocket dimension," Izuku laughs, juggling a few with one hand while conjuring a couple of cell phones in his other hand. "Or why I own two phones. I never exactly tried to hide it."
"We learned very quickly not to ask questions about some things," Ochako deadpans, causing Izuku to laugh even more.
Iida nods along. "As someone who has spent a large portion of his life around the affluent, it was normal to see those around with multiple phones." He cups his chin. "If you don't mind me asking…" No one misses how his eyes scan over Compress and Toga. "For my clarification, you're not villains? Which would imply you have known Midoriya since before your time with the League?"
"Why do you think we were at the Sports Festival in the first place?!" Toga sucks happily on her juice box. "We almost never get to see Izuku in person so we just had to go! We got to go outside and be in the sun - well no, I can't be in the sun - but we got to watch from the shade as Izuku stabbed the other kids and- oooooh!"
Toga is distracted when Compress tosses Izuku another juice box, quickly handing it to her while taking the old one. "Speaking of that, I didn't know you guys actually went to the festival? I thought we decided it was too dangerous?"
"You decided that." Compress tilts his head. "But as I said, our record of not listening to you remains unblemished. Nevertheless, it was good practice for Himiko to act normally in a crowd as well as brush up on the thievery tactics I have now taught you both-"
"-Thievery you wouldn't need if you guys would just accept my money…" Izuku grumbles, crossing his arms.
"-And I do admit," Compress continues through the interruption, "while we did have one hiccup…"
"Is something wrong?" Inko asks Loki, but he continues to stare at the strangers he's grabbed onto. The woman looks more agitated by the second.
"Nothing is wrong, dear," he responds to her, before turning back to the two would-be thieves he had caught. "You can keep the money if you wish. I would like the wallet back, however. Some of the documents in there are a pain to replace. I'm sure you understand."
"The afternoon went without a hitch," Compress finishes explaining to Izuku before turning back to Iida. "But to directly answer your inquiry, yes, Himiko and I have known Midoriya for quite a few years, and well before joining the league. I would elaborate further but I don't believe we have the time-"
"I'll do it!" Toga zips in front of Iida as Compress and Izuku move to stop her. She takes a very deep breath and-
A six-year old Himiko watches with tears in her eyes as her mother is given a hefty briefcase filled with money, only turning to give her daughter one last look of disgust before walking back into the house, completely ignoring Himiko's cries for help as the men in suits place her in chains and drag her away.
The good news is that Himiko's cell is about the same size her room used to be. The bad news is that she's starving. Oh, there's a guard coming! Maybe he'll have foo-
Himiko wails in pain as various doctors and scientists poke and prod her with too many instruments for her to count.
She's stabbed.
Has portions of her body sliced off.
Burned.
Blinded.
Gagged.
All without warning or rest. Himiko thrashes around, but the metal table's straps keep her in place, giving her an unobstructed view as her own blood pools out of her and onto the ground.
Back in her cell, Himiko sniffles, bringing her knees to her chest, trying to ignore the serpent thing with a ton of heads staring at her from the wall. Suddenly, there's a whistle. In the cell across from hers, an injured man with curly brown hair gives her a small smile and a wave.
Himiko just tilts her head at him, confused. The man lifts his arm, pulling up on his torn sleeve, before making a playing card appear from nowhere. Himiko's. Jaw. Drops. With another flick, the card is gone. Her face is against the glass. Another flick. Now there's two?!
She's back on the table. Oh, look. They've added drowning to their routine.
"Atsu…" Himiko whines. She stands with Mr. Compress in the shade during the one hour of outside time they're allotted each week. "I- I can't…"
"The pain you feel from the sun is getting worse everyday, is it not?" he asks, kneeling in front of her. Himiko hesitates, but nods. "That proves you need more than they're willing to give you. Here. While you can. I know you're hungry."
He holds his hand out, and Himiko tries to resist, she really does, but her stomach lurches and the next thing she knows, she's sinking her fangs into the back of his hand, drinking his blood.
It's been years. Himiko lost count a long time ago. Of both the years and how many times she's been on the table. But today, she's awoken to shouts and destruction. Compress stands protectively over her. "Himiko! I don't know what is happening but we must make our escape while we have the chance!"
Japan's streets are cold. Food is scarce. People pretend not to notice them. It's a million times better than where they were.
Himiko and Compress stay on the move and hidden. They know the people they ran from are looking for them.
Stuffing her face with fresh food, Himiko looks up at Compress, who types on the computer of the Internet cafe. "I'm not complaining, but how'd you get so much money so fast?"
Compress finishes his message. "Some hero fanboy online calling himself the trickster is paying a ton for any information about any heroes he can get. We just became his best clients."
Compress types rapidly on the computer. The hero he and Himiko had been spying on for the trickster had taken her. He needed help, hoping the young man would call the police. The boy had other ideas.
Himiko is slammed into the ground, a boot stamping on her back causing her to cough up blood. "Listen," she croaks, "you can kick the shit out of me all you want, but can you at least take your sunglasses off? I mean, it's night time! Who wears them at night?!"
The shing of a sword cuts her off, appearing in her vision as the dark-skinned man wearing a black trenchcoat glares down at her. "Name's Blade, kid." He raises the sword. "And it's the last name you'll ever know, vampire."
"No!" There's a crash and Himiko gasps as Compress and a green-haired boy she had never met before jump down towards them to-
Toga's backstory speedrun comes to an end when Compress catches up to her, shoving the straw of her juice box back into her mouth. "Apologies once again, she's a bit excitable at the moment, but will calm down momentarily."
"I…I…" Iida's mouth continues to move with no sound coming out. "That was a lot to take in… and I have several many questions!"
"Ah, I know that must have seemed like a lot," Compress recognizes, "but while Himiko did skip over plenty of details… that was pretty much the crux of how we came to know Midoriya."
Compress checks a pocket watch that he keeps in his coat pocket. "As much fun as it's been standing here asking questions, we are running low on time Midoriya, and Kurogiri will be checking in for our whereabouts momentarily, so we need you three to follow us! Quickly!" He turns Mustard into a marble and takes off running down a nearby path toward another above-ground entrance to Knowhere's tunnel system, with Izuku, Ochako, Iida, and Toga in hot pursuit.
"I apologize, I realize you said no more questions!" Iida says, easily keeping up with Compress. "But did you say vampire?!"
"Pseudo-vampire!" Toga corrects, finishing her second juice box and tossing it over her shoulder, flashing Iida her red fangs. "All the powers of a vampire, none of the drawbacks!" She licks her teeth. "Woo! Thanks for the blood, I was starving! Now I feel like myself again!"
"Some of the drawbacks!" Compress shouts back. "Lest I remind you of the last time you tried to walk in the sun?!"
Toga sticks her tongue out at him. "But did I die?!"
"Himiko!"
The blonde shrugs sheepishly to the other teens. "It just hurts a lot, okay? Compress usually turns me into a marble before we go out!"
"Excuse me!" Despite the overall seriousness of the situation, Ochako can't help but snort as Iida chops his hands through the air as he runs. "But did you mention that you survive off blood?! The hero in me must ask where and how you obtain it!"
"That'd be me!" Izuku answers. "I bought a blood donation center with a fake company! Hospitals get the blood they need for transfusions, and Toga gets as much as she needs to not attack anyone!" Ochako nods along with one of the things her boyfriend had already told her. Apparently, even his dad knows about it, confronting him about it after their date at the mall, but Izuku says he wasn't in trouble so hopefully everything is okay.
"Speaking of you!" Uh-oh, Iida is starting to use his lecturer voice. "You lied to us, Midoriya!" Iida accuses. "When our group of friends went to the mall, we specifically brought up vampires when we were talking in the restaurant, and Todoroki asked you if you had had any encounters with any, and you said no!"
"Did I?" Izuku replies. Ochako will not say how much she loves it when Izuku gets that proud grin on his face- wait, why is Toga looking at him like that? She better not be looking at him in any way! "Did I say no, Iida? Or did I just redirect the conversation without actually answering?"
Iida thinks back for a moment, before his mouth goes agape, staring at Ochako with wide eyes as if she'd have any more of an explanation. She can only offer an apologetic shrug. "He does it more than you think! Like back after the USJ, and Monoma kept saying he talks to villains? Izuku would only ever say he wasn't the traitor, not that he didn't talk to villains!" Yeah, Iida's face right now matches hers when her boyfriend had mentioned that little detail!
"Here we are!" Compress leads them to a building the size of a trailer, even down to how rundown it looks. Contrary to its looks however, the entrance is still protected by a state of the art lock. "This is the control room for this area, it should allow you to contact your classmates and teachers to formulate a plan."
"How do we get in though?" Ochako asks, studying the screen pad next to the lock. "We don't have a code."
"Maybe my sword will be able to cut through it?" Iida offers.
Izuku shakes his head. "Peter told us about these. If you try to force your way in, they self-destruct."
"Not to worry, children," Compress reassures them, reaching into his pockets once more. "For, as usual, I thought ahead. You see, to make our entry into this base, we needed some answers from a few of Knowhere's captive pilots. Kraven took them into another room to question them and once he was done, he asked to dispose of them."
Compress pulls out two marbles and places them on the ground in front of them. "Shigaraki disagreed, suggesting we keep them prisoner. I intervened, promising to take care of them my own way." He backs away from the marbles. "To Kraven, I implied that I ended their lives. However, as a magician, he should have known to check under my sleeves."
He snaps his fingers and the marbles explode, revealing the two pilots taking ragged breaths. They were injured, but alive. "Gentlemen," Compress greets. "As I have promised, I have returned you to Knowhere safe and sound. Now if you'd be so kind as to fulfill your end of the bargain."
The first pilot mumbles 'thanks,' not even sparing their odd group a second glance before entering the code on the door, grabbing his fellow pilot, and making their escape.
Tenko rolls as he hits the top of the moving Maglev, the empty train screeching down the tracks, circling around the area he and his sister had started their fight. He uses a few tendrils of Blackwhip to stabilize himself while above him, Hirona floats toward him atop one of her platforms.
"No place to go!" Hirona screams over the wind, before dropping exploding sphere after sphere on him as if she's a bomber plane. The gamer takes off running down the Maglev as best he can, losing his footing every few seconds as a new concussive blast shakes both the carts and the tracks underneath.
He looks up after one particularly violent shake, and his face drops as he witnesses a sphere headed right for him. So, Tenko follows his instinct.
He jumps off the moving train.
The good news is he dodged the attack. The bad news is his repulsor boots still don't work and he's currently falling to his death. But Tenko has a lifetime of focusing on the good to avoid playing games on tilt. (Unless there's lag or his opponent cheated.) And right now, the good is at least no one he knows, especially Tsu, just saw what he did.
"I have successfully restored the cameras to young Shimura's area and- oh." Cosmo's ears droop as they all witness Tenko jumping off of the train. "Has he had that recklessness since birth, or did some of Peter's rub off on him?"
"A combination of himself, having All Might as a teacher, and Midoriya as a friend," Aizawa deadpans with a strained sigh.
"Holy crap! Tsu!" Kitty turns around. "Did you see-"
"Ribbit." As always, Tsu's face remains neutral as she watches the screen, but no one can deny how they suddenly felt the temperature in the room drop. And while they would usually be worried about Tsu falling asleep because of the cold, instincts told anyone trying to inch closer to her to stay away.
Many forget, frogs are predators too. And this one was about to go on a hunt to smack some sense into a certain gamer boy.
"I-I've never felt her that angry before," Sero gulps in a whisper to Kitty. "Hell, I've never felt her angry before, period… it's terrifying." Several people nod, agreeing with him.
Remembering a couple of things he saw Sero and Tokage practicing, and he has to face it, he's been looking to her for help with Blackwhip since I-Island, Tenko shoots a tendril back at the train and uses his momentum to help reel himself back up to the Maglev's roof.
"Why won't you just give up already?!" Hirona redoubles her efforts of bombing the train but again, Tenko makes use of jumping off the train to dodge her concussive blasts, before using Blackwhip to bring himself back repeatedly.
A few fighters even attempt to help her by shooting at him as they fly by, but Tenko takes advantage, wrapping up a pair of ships and flinging them back to Hirona. But the villain is unfazed, simply making a giant-sized energy disc in front of her that cuts each of the ships in half right before they can reach her, causing the two halves to fly by her on either side.
It's after his third time jumping off the train that Tenko notices a change he can make in his attack strategy. Jumping off the train for a fourth time, Tenko whisks out Blackwhip, but instead of returning to the roof, he hurls himself through one of the train's windows, using a quick repulsor blasts to break it instead of using his own body.
It still doesn't help the pain he feels when he lands back inside the Maglev in a mess of tables and chairs. He's bruised, out of breath, and bleeding from more places than he cares to check right now but at least, for the moment, he's protected from Hirona's onslaught.
And when he says a moment, he means it. Because in the next moment, one of her energy discs slices through the train's ceiling, before his sister uses a couple of extra force-fields to tear away what's left, exposing the Maglev's inside to the wind and harsh elements of outside.
He gazes up, his hair being blown in every direction, as Hirona reels her arm back, sphere in hand. Acting on instinct again, before she can throw her next projectile, Tenko uses Blackwhip to pull the villain's platform out from under her.
Hirona screams, not ready for the tactic, barely able to make a bubble shield just in time as she impacts the inside of the train next to him.
There's a brief pause as they both try to catch their breaths. "You asked why I won't give up?" Tenko stumbles a bit as he gets back to his feet, while Hirona gets back on one knee.
"Shut up…"
"Even with how many criticals you roll against me?"
His sister clenches her teeth. "Shut. Up."
Tenko exhales, letting his head drop, before looking back up at her from behind his hair. "Because you're the only family I have left." A wave of grief and regret wash over the decay-user. Years of it. So much so that Tenko's scared it might overwhelm him, but at the last second, he keeps control.
Still, the mourning remains, wishing for what could've been. And it feels no stronger than when he stares at Hirona, whose arms are shaking as she keeps her head down, face hidden.
His wish for her to look up is immediately dashed when she does, her face contorted in rage. "No. Stop saying stuff like that! You don't mean it! You can't! So, stop messing with me!!" The last part comes out as a screech as Hirona pounds both her fists onto the train floor at the same time, letting out a powerful wave of force-field energy.
The rails below the Maglev groan, and both teens' eyes widen as the sound of metal snapping tears through the air. Hirona's unintentional unleashing of her quirk had destroyed what was left of the train's system, sending the entire thing off the tracks.
Before gravity can leave him, Tenko leaps at Hirona, tackling her over the edge and sending the pair sprawling to the deadly concrete below together. "What the hell are you doing?!" She tries to pull him off, but Tenko has always known her weakness.
She sucks at concentration checks, constantly rolling low numbers. And there's no way between him, the fact they are free falling through the air, and spinning in every direction, that she is going to be able to make anything complicated with her quirk.
Tenko's proven right when a few seconds later, with the ground fast approaching, she creates a bubble shield around the both of them. Using the opportunity, he covers parts of himself with Blackwhip again and charges his taser glove. "No getting away this time!"
He sets off the electrical charge on the both of them just as Hirona creates a second smaller barrier in front of herself. They hit the ground at fatal speeds, the bubble shield that protected them from death exploding. Through a combination of a surge of electricity and concussive force, the two siblings are launched across the field until they each roll to a stop, both unmoving as smoke trails off of them.
"My brother knows as well?!" Iida exclaims, the lights finally starting to turn on in the control center. "You told him?"
Izuku shakes his head. "It's pretty hard to keep secrets around the Rider." The demigod cringes a bit. "Plus he kinda sorta heard me on the phone arguing with Toga at the hospital after Hosu, which didn't exactly help…"
"Yes, yes, we are well aware of your objections to us joining the League." Compress studies the League screen in front of them as it comes to life. "But after having to hear how you endured life or death situations at both the USJ and Hosu, both of which we could have assisted with, Himiko and I could no longer sit idly by."
"Yeah, some help we've been," Toga scoffs, kicking over one of the shelves, before looking over at Izuku and Ochako with a pout. "Sorry, we didn't know about the attack until we got to I-Island, and my phone didn't work there or on the spaceship, so I couldn't send you a warning text!"
"Be careful next time with your phone. I feel as if Shigaraki may have gotten a little suspicious over how much you were using it." Compress exhales. "But I'm sorry as well. In a last ditch effort to prevent the attack, I set off one of the security alarms in the control room in an attempt to get us caught, but Taskmaster and Shigaraki found a way around it."
"No, it's okay!" Izuku is quick to reassure him. "Just the fact that you're here risking your lives is more than enough! And now, we're going to be able to find the rest of our friends and save their lives because of you! So, thank you…I'm glad you're here."
"Yeah!" Ochako picks up where he left off, staring at Toga. "You've already helped us in a bunch of ways before we even knew you! Like- like without you, I don't if I would've ever…" she gestures weakly between her and Izuku, and Toga's mood switches on a dime, crushing Ochako in another hug.
"Ooooh you're welcome! Anytime! I-" Toga stops suddenly, asking her next question a lot more tamely. "Does this mean we're friends?"
Ochako is taken aback by how quietly Toga asks, especially given how loud she'd been in both of their meetings. But Toga is risking her life to try to keep Izuku, and by extension their whole class, safe. What other answer can there possibly be besides- "Yeah," Ochako nods. "I'd like that. A-and since Izuku gave you permission to use his given name, I suppose you can use mine too- urk!"
"You're the best, Ochako! I knew it, I knew it! I never thought Izuku would have competition for my heart but here you are!" Toga chants while swinging the gravity girl around again as if she had used her quirk on herself.
"For the record, I never gave her permission to use my name," Izuku deadpans. "And wait, what did you say about your heart-?" He yelps as Toga pulls him into the hug too.
"Oh, don't worry Izuku, there's room for both of you!" She giggles, throwing the pair around like rag dolls before eyeing up Iida. "You look worried. Need a hug too?"
"I'm quite alright, thank you-" Iida gets to experience Toga's vampiric strength first hand as she yanks him into the hug too, laughing and enjoying the embrace before letting the hero students go.
"I- right." Iida clears his throat, fixing his glasses and parts of his clothing. "But if I may just ask one final question, and I mean no offense by this, but presuming you know where the League's secret base is, why did you not report it to the police?"
Compress and Toga look at each other just as the map and locations of all the other control rooms around Knowhere appear on the screen behind them. They answer at the same time.
"We did."
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice." Naomasa Tsukauchi removes his hat, wiping the sweat from his brow. "But we've had a huge break in the League of Villains case, and one I think you should absolutely know about."
He tosses his notepad onto the desk, his boss leaning back in the chair, eyeing the book with a raised eyebrow. "An address? To their base, I presume. And you got this from?…"
"Anonymous tip." Naomasa can't keep the frustration out of his tone. "And it's not just that." He points to the second page. "Look at this. Detailed info on every single new recruit the League has obtained. Future dates and times for meetings along with who will be there. Times certain members are at the base. Committed crimes they've overheard. This person gave us everything. Need I continue? Do you know what this means?"
His boss narrows his eyes at him, and Naomasa gulps, backing up a half step. "I mean, of course you know what it means. It's obvious. There's a traitor in the group. What do we do?"
"What do we do?" the boss repeats, amused. "Nothing."
"I don't understand?" Naomasa questions, genuinely confused. "The League has a traitor who's willing to give them all up. All for One's operation could be next. Isn't this why you had me take the detective's place a couple of months ago? So we could snuff this kind of stuff out?"
"You are…half right." Loki leans forward, silent in thought for a moment. "You are right in that you are here to help protect the League from the authorities. Such as what you did when Nejire Hado reported her interaction with Shigaraki at the mall. I commend your work. But first and foremost, you are to report your findings to me, and await orders from there."
"But what about All for One?" Naomasa's tone becomes a little desperate. "If the traitor reveals his plans and operation, our entire network of Skrulls could be in jeopardy. My brethren would be in grave danger."
"And how do you propose we move against this traitor when we don't even know who it is?" Naomasa's mouth snaps shut at Loki's rebuttal. "Exactly. Ensure that all information regarding the League is sent to you from all departments and do not make a move until I tell you. Now go." Naomasa looks like there's more he wants to say, but chooses wisely and leaves.
Loki allows a couple of minutes to pass, before picking up the book and breaking into a proud, wide smile, a sincere laugh breaking through his demeanor as he reads over the page. "Well done, Izuku, well done." He drops the book, looking more excited than ever. "Alright, son. Game on."
With no real answer as to why the police never moved on the tip Compress and Toga gave them, Iida scans the map of Knowhere. "If any of our friends did make it to one of these control rooms, we have no way of knowing. And there are far too many to go one at a time. Any ideas?"
He glances over at Izuku, who has a guilty look written plainly over his face. "Midoriya?"
"…Okay, one last confession for now," the green-haired boy says, breaking at the first possible confrontation while smiling sheepishly. Behind him, Compress opens one of his marbles to reveal a tablet. "Remember those good luck marbles I asked you all to carry on you at the mall?" Iida nods. "They were also, possibly, maybe , small tracking devices just in case we got separated during a villain attack again."
"Mido-"
"I know, I know! But find our friends now, organize our plan of attack, lecture me later! Compress?"
"I found them!"
Izuku hits the button, selecting the control room where he sees one of their marble locators. "Hello? Hello! This is Izuku Midoriya, can you read me?"
"Midoriya?" Cosmo's response comes back full of static.
"You are a dumbass." Hirona moves her arms and legs as she stands back up, making sure she has full movement of her extremities, her voice a little hoarse. "I mean, what were you thinking?! Tasing both of us while we were up in the air?!"
"I couldn't figure out another way to try and knock you out." Tenko wobbles a little but eventually, after using most of the strength he has left, finds himself standing as well, shaking the last bit of smoke off of him. "And I thought that was my best chance."
"You could've knocked both of us out and gotten us killed!" Hirona emphasizes. "Hey, just so you remember, Shimura, in the real world, you only get one life with no do-over!"
"Kind of ironic coming from someone on their second life." Tenko wipes a bit of blood off his face as his legs begin to quiver harder, his vision darkening around the edges. "Even if you won't use your do-over."
Hirona lets out a laugh of disbelief. "What? You think all of this," she gestures to the destruction around them, "would've still happened if I had never died?!"
"No." Tenko tries to take a step but nearly falls over. A weird buzzing in his head is slowly spreading through his entire body. "I just think it's funny you talked about hating what All for One did to you," it's getting harder to talk, "and yet, you keep choosing all of the same things as he would in your skill tree."
It takes a moment for what Tenko means to actually click for Hirona. "You- I am nothing like him!" she roars, unintentionally letting off an energy blast around her that nearly knocks Tenko back over. He's starting to feel cold.
"Look around," he croaks. "You're saying his quest would play out differently?" And Hirona does peer around her. Screams pierce the air as Knowhere's residents run from their life, their cries for help being drowned out by the sounds of fighters raining death down upon them creating plumes of fire that consume anything and… anyone in its path.
"Is this really what you want, Hana?"
"You think this is what I want?" Hirona asks incredulously, turning back to her brother, the fire only growing behind her. "What? You think the big bad villain dreams of this every night while I laugh maniacally in my lair? Do you expect me to monologue about my entire plan now? Well, news flash, Shimura, as much as some might want, life doesn't work like the movies!"
She marches up to him. "I don't want this! I want to be free! That's it. That's all I want. I just want to be free of him. Is that…" her voice lowers to a whisper. "Is that too much to ask?"
Tenko's breathing is a ragged wheeze at this point, with each breath sounding like a pained labor. But despite the pain, he manages to lift his head to look his sister in the eye.
"If you keep going down this path… you'll never be free of him."
With no more strength left, Tenko finally succumbs to his injuries and collapses, losing consciousness before his body hits the ground in a heap.
Left alone, Hirona's breathing quickens as she begins to hyperventilate, grabbing her head in frustration, pulling on her hair. Screaming, she creates a sphere, but right before throwing it down at Tenko, she throws it away instead, panting as she attempts to get a hold of herself.
Sniffling a little and wiping her face, she puts her hand up to her ear. "Kurogiri, I'm done here. Portal me and Shimura back to the control room." She waits a few seconds but nothing happens. "Kurogiri, it's Hirona, I'm done, send a portal." Another few seconds pass with nothing happening. "Kurogiri? Hello?"
"I must send my apologies, Shigaraki…" Kurogiri says as he stares into Aizawa's red eyes, the hero's control room team having just broken into the room. "It may be a moment before I can retrieve you…"
"What?" Hirona questions sharply. "What do you mean? And where am I supposed to go while-"
"You aren't going anywhere."
It's Hirona's heart that quickens now, dread now shocking all of her nerves like her brother's taser as she realizes who it is. "None of our intel said you'd be here." She wants to do anything but look up and confirm what she heard, but given no other option, Hirona peers up just as Nejire Hado lands on the ground in front of her.
"Go! We'll hold it off!" Toga screams as she and Compress stand in between the rest of the teens and a pale-green Nomu with four eyes.
"But-" Izuku hesitates, turning back into himself after having unsuccessfully tried to turn into Shigaraki and command the creature.
"You need to go help your teachers with your plan if you want to get out of here!" Toga reiterates. "Go! Beat the League! Get really bloody! Come back and let me lick it off you-"
"Himiko!"
"I mean byyyyyyyye!"
Iida's mouth thins. "I am unsure if I'm comfortable leaving them-"
Toga roars, ripping a chunk of the Nomu's stomach out that she then uses as a step to jump above the creature. While it's distracted, Compress turns one of the Nomu's arms into a marble, cutting it clean off. He calls for Toga, throwing the marble into the air, expanding it back into the arm just as the blonde reaches it, who then uses it to promptly bludgeon the Nomu's brain in from above.
Iida clears his throat. "Yes, I think they'll manage. Let's go!"
Setsuna screams after entering the hangar. She runs towards the middle, the task of taking the area back from the villains already sent to the back of her mind as her own eyes confirm what she had seen on the cameras. Sliding to her knees, Setsuna cradles a bloody Denki in her arms, his body littered in cuts. "K-Kaminari, what happened- why aren't you healing-"
"One of my comrades acquired a pair of Muramasa blades for himself before our trip here." Setsuna cranes her head up to see Kraven smirking down at her from one of the many catwalks above the hangar. "Aesthetic and sharp swords with one nasty side effect." He relishes the next thing he says. "It negates healing factors."
He hits a button on his gauntlet, sealing all of the doors to the hangar; the telltale signs of several weapons and traps activating follows. "Tell me, symbiote and host, how does it feel to go from Hunter to Hunted?"
"Seriously?! You could help!"
"No, you're doing great, and looking great too, keep going!" Peter gives Gamora a thumbs up as he leans back against the wall of the prison, taking a bite of an apple. Drax does the same next to him.
Gamora ducks a prisoner's attack and socks him in the face, sending him crashing to the floor. "What are you even doing?"
"Helping Rocket work on his doohickey to get us out of here if they can't restore the power to the station." He lazily gestures with his foot to the named Raccoon and Groot huddled over some box with wires and cords sticking out in every direction.
"Yeah, okay, hand me a Torque Wrench, will ya Quill?"
"Here you go, buddy."
"…That's an Allen Wrench, no."
"This one?"
"Lug Wrench, no!"
"Definitely this one!"
"That's a Pipe Wrench!" Rocket throws the tool down in frustration. "How the hell can you not tell the difference?!"
"I'm sorry, but my dad was a bit busy being a planet-sized man whore to teach me about Earth tools!"
"Here we go, using your daddy as an excuse-"
"Anyone else think this place might be contaminated with Vormirean Pox?" Peter asks suddenly. Mantis stops forcing prisoners to sleep to raise her hand. A few of the prisoners next to Gamora stop their assault to raise their hands as well.
Drax clears his throat. "I do have a mild itching sensation now that you mention it."
"Yeah. I get that," Peter nods along, looking back down at Rocket. "'Cause I got a real pain in my ass here-"
"Please, your ass isn't in pain, it's jealous of your mouth for all the shit that comes out of it-"
"Seriously, you can tell me, you're the reason god created the middle finger, aren't you?"
"GUYS!" Gamora grabs their attention, having taken care of the rest of the prisoners during their fight. "Shut the hell up and listen." Peter and Rocket tilt their heads, listening as they hear what sounds like a bunch of small engines headed towards them. "What-"
They don't have long to wonder as around the corner, a Nomu carrying half a dozen chainsaws stalks toward them, the blades of its chainsaws cutting the ground and walls as it begins to charge them.
"Please tell me you're going to help with this one." Gamora readies her sword.
"I don't know." Peter stretches his back. "You gonna actually thank me the next time I blast the goon sneaking up behind you in the face?"
"I knew he was there!"
"I know, but it's nice to be acknowledged every now and then."
"THANK YOU!" Gamora points her sword at the Nomu. "Now can we talk about this after we kill that thing and save the kids?"
"Please, did you see those kids these past few days?" Peter snaps on his headphones. "I'm more worried about whoever was stupid enough to attack us. They might have taken the station back by the time we get outta here." He hits play on his cassette player.
Shoto stomps his foot down, sending a wave of ice at the burning Spirit Tree, but a torrent of blue fire destroys it before it can reach its destination. Jiro grabs him from the side, forcing him out of the way as she uses her sound waves to disrupt the flames. Yaomomo fires a taser at the scarred villain responsible, but another wave of fire destroys the prongs before they can reach him.
Dabi laughs manically, two more copies of himself appearing from behind the kids as Twice waves happily at them.
Shoto, Jiro, and Yaomomo nod at one another, pressing their backs up against one another and lowering into fighting stances. They're not afraid.
Fumikage yells at Yanagi to get back, his Moon Knight armor wrapping him in its cold embrace. He uses one of his new Truncheons to block Taskmaster's sword, the mercenary having found their group trying to sneak through the Collector's museum.
Kendo attempts to bring her large fist down on him from above but Taskmaster dodges at the last second, throwing her fist into Fumikage instead.
The two students shake off the mistake quickly however, stepping forward with determined looks to fight.
Swinging above, Sero tells them he'll get Kitty the rest of the way to prison so she can free the Guardians, but a bullet destroys his tape, sending him tumbling through one of the glass cases.
Nagant waves as she fires again, forcing Sero to duck for cover behind a wall with Kitty. He hyperventilates momentarily before Kitty touches his arm, getting his attention and helping him breath slowly through his nose and put his mouth.
Once calm, they both get up, wincing at the sound of another gunshot, but far from letting that deter them.
Daken laughs hysterically as he and Logan clash claws at the Cortex, having waited far too long to have his moment with the old man. They swing their claws at one another again and-
The Ebony Blade scratches harshly against Spinner's Muramasa blade, the ancient weapon resonating both anger at another so willing to defy it and excitement at a proper challenge.
Spinner keeps his glare leveled at Tenya, the pair disengaging. But before the villain can reset his stance, Tenya's quirk roars to life, practically teleporting him in front of Spinner. He's able to raise his swords just in time to block the Ebony Blade once again but can do nothing to stop the devastating kick that smacks him on the side of the head after.
Ochako jumps back, floating through the air as one does when they're outside in space. She bangs her arms together and fires another pair of rings at the next fighter approaching, destroying it.
The explosion threatens to send her sprawling through endless darkness forever but the tether secured to her dark blue spacesuit saves her, reeling her back in.
Ochako puts another two rings under her feet to help with her balance before creating double link chains across both of her arms with the rest of her rings, whirling around extra quickly to become space's deadliest spinning top as she destroys another half dozen ships almost instantly. Cosmo screams through her comm that she deserves extra treats tonight.
Izuku yells joyfully, having the time of his life as he holds tightly onto Bakugo's back, the other teen using controlled explosions from his feet to fly them through the air looking for-
The screech lets them know the winged Nomu they had been tasked with taking out sees them first. Sure enough, the creature aborts its attempt to pick up another Xandarian soldier, choosing to meet its new challenger in the air head-on as it cries out in fury, flying straight towards them.
Bakugo's grin becomes practically feral, the blond shifting course and blasting straight for the Nomu, never one to back down to a challenge. Izuku leans back a bit, balancing on his knees as he conjures his dagger. His own grin scarily close to Bakugo's. This is going to be awesome.
Setsuna stares up at Kraven, baring her fangs as she lowers Denki back down. Her symbiote envelops every part of her body, covering more of her at once than ever before as it slowly creeps up her neck, starting to wrap around her face.
Her and Venom's thoughts align perfectly when they speak. "You villains just fucked up big time."