Chapter 72: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
"Wait, wait, we can't start the fight yet!"
"Uh, Peter?!" Mantis yells, hanging on desperately as the chainsaw-limbed Nomu thrashed around the narrow hall, making it hard for any of the guardians to get close. "I don't think this thing is willing to wait!"
"Well, you're going to have to figure something out!" Peter's mouth thins as he goes through the songs of his music player with furious and heroic swipes. "We can't finish until I find the perfect song, you know that! Just avoid the chainsaws!"
"Really, avoid the chainsaws?!" Rocket responds sarcastically with a laugh, shrugging. "You know what? I'm really glad you said something, because I was getting ready to just jump head first into the next one that came my way!" He activates a trap that blows the Nomu's foot off, but it regenerates it almost immediately. "Shit! What'd they make this flatnard of anyway?!"
"Do not jump into the chainsaws, little rodent!" Drax advises through a strained breath as he holds a couple of the Nomu's arms down, keeping away from blades. "Your body is too weak, fragile, and plushy! You would surely be diced up into many pieces!"
"Who you callin' plushy?!"
"I am Groot."
"Now don't you get started either!"
"Actually, now that I think upon it, the many sliced up pieces of your body would be welcomed if they were heat up and put into a stew of some kind-"
"Drax!" Gamora admonishes, using her sword to deflect multiple chainsaws before jumping back to Peter. "This thing's regeneration is making anything we throw at it useless, and the hall is too narrow for us to actually fight. We need a new plan!"
Peter snaps his fingers. "You're absolutely right! Drax, get over here!"
Waiting until Groot had firmly taken his place in holding down some of the Nomu's chainsaws, Drax jogs over. "Yeah, Quill?"
"Okay, really important." He shows Drax his music player. "What song do you think I should play?" Behind them, Gamora waves her arms in disbelief, and Drax rubs his chin. "Because you see, a lot of these- woah man, you okay?"
Drax looks up, confused. "Huh?"
"Okay, you're back to normal," Peter chuckles nervously. "You looked like you wanted to skin me alive there for a second."
"Don't be ridiculous, Quill."
"Thanks, I-"
"Your skin would never make for a good trophy. It is so oily and plain," Drax elaborates. "And lacks any kind of durability. Not to mention yours specifically comes with random spots of acne and certain areas of rash that would be unsightly to guests."
"Okay, I get it now-"
"And we have not even reached the grotesque area in which you call your face-"
"Thanks, buddy." Peter pats him on the shoulder. "Forget I asked. You looked pretty pissed off when I did."
"Ah, no offense was intended by my look, Quill," Drax clarifies. "And I must apologize. My late wife often told me I have a very angry thinking face."
"Oh… well if that's what it was-"
"I must also apologize for any other effects my contemplative scowl may have thrust onto you." At Peter's perplexed look, Drax helps him understand. "For you see, my late wife would often compliment my thinking looks on the arousal it brought her-"
"Thank you, Drax!"
"No way!"
"No way! Yes way!"
Izuku and Twice take a step back from one another, lowering their weapons. "You can really make clones?!" They both ask at the same time again, pointing at one another.
"I've never met anyone like me before…" Izuku murmurs, looking Twice up and down. Behind him, several of his clones materialize, also in shock. "And your clones…" He eyes the sludge melting off of his dagger. "They're physical!"
"That's not fair!"
"What a ripoff!"
"Planning a heist to steal your scepter back."
Izuku calms his clones down, while Twice does the exact opposite. "You're okay with cloning yourself?!" He peers at Izuku, before doing the same to Two. "How can you be sure you're the real one-" He pokes Izuku and Two at the same time, his finger going through the clone. "They're not real?! I could've really used that when all my clones tied me up and started stabbing each other!!"
Izuku sweatdrops, looking back nervously at his clones. "That's uh- that's wow. You guys wouldn't do that to me…would you?"
The flat stares the copies of himself give him don't exactly fill Izuku with confidence. "We regularly tie Nine up and throw him off buildings. We constantly slit Six's throat to keep him away from you. And we've all 'killed' one another at least once, what do you think?" Ten deadpans.
"Uh…" Four pats his shoulder. "No worries, dude. If it helps, only a couple of us would try to stab you. The rest would protect you."
"Oooooh! Clone civil war!"
"NO!"
"So…" Izuku reigns in the conversation once more, looking back at Twice. "I have so many questions about your quirk! Does that happen every time you clone yourself? Can you clone anyone and have their quirks? Does it work on mutants? Is there a range limit? Do you control your clones? Wait, wait, how do you clone someone in the first place? I saw you have measuring tape built into your gauntlets, so I assume it has something to do with that? Would it work on me? My powers are magic, so if you think I let you measure and clone me, he'd have my powers-"
"Midoriya!" Izuku winces when Yaomomo calls out to him, while Jiro keeps Dabi's flames back. The urge to avoid her creeps up on him again, but in a fight against villains, he couldn't let his feelings about her seeing his blue side affect him. Without Izuku's magic, the Nomu chases Bakugo around in the sky. "While I applaud your use of non-violence to talk down your adversary, we could sorely use your assistance in finishing this fight!"
"Okay, one second!" He holds a finger up, telling his vice-rep to wait a moment.
"Yeah, hold on a freaking second!" Twice adds, looking between Izuku and his clones. "No, I don't clone myself. Are you crazy?! This kid has a one way ticket to cuckoo town if you ask me!"
Izuku blinks. Four leans over. "Something tells me he's had his ticket for a long time," he whispers.
The son of Loki nods. "I couldn't agree more with the fragmented part of my brain that literally manifested itself into reality because I could neither deal with my loneliness or my emotions growing up." The rest of the clones nod along.
"It's why I wear this!" Twice pulls on his mask before quickly flattening it against his face. "It's so I don't split apart-"
"Twice!!" This time, it's Dabi who calls out to them. "You wanna talk to that kid, we can just kidnap him too. But I could really use some of those clones right about now!"
"I decide when I use my quirk, not you!" Twice retorts. "It's one of the few parts about my quirk I have control over and makes me feel slightly less CRAZY!" He takes a step closer to Izuku. "I can't split apart again! I might've killed the real me last time! Who knows what might happen this time! Do you know what it feels like to see your face again and again and feel nothing but pain?!" He glances back at Izuku's clones. "Who am I kidding, talking to a kid about something like this? You don't know-"
"Growing up…" Izuku starts in a low voice, gaining Twice's attention once more. "If too many of my clones appeared at once and started acting on their emotions, it would overload me. I couldn't see. I couldn't think-"
"You can't breathe," Twice finishes in awe. "Because in a sea of you-"
"You lose track of yourself," Izuku grimaces. "And the only way to find you again is through pain."
"Yes! YES! That! Exactly that!" Twice moves his arms excitedly. "Finally someone who understands! I guess I can forgive you for stealing my cloning schtick!" His arms drop. "How come you don't gotta wear a mask?…"
Izuku responds with an honest shrug and a sheepish grin. "I don't know? All I know is that they stopped once I started making friends."
"Oh!" Twice perks up. "Well then, maybe I'll start to feel better soon too! I think I'm making friends with the rest of the League! Like Dabi!"
"Absolutely not!" The fire-user shouts back.
"It's a work in progress."
"The hell it is!"
"We become closer every day."
"I would not hesitate to burn you alive with these kids!"
"I think you still have a ways to go with him," Izuku chuckles. "But if I could maybe convince you to turn yourself in?…"
"I don't like you enough to go to jail, kid."
"Worth a shot!" The demigod sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "But if you can't become friends with Dabi, try someone else! I thought Toga and Mr. Compress were nice when they w-weren't trying t-to k-kill me."
Twice hums, crossing his arms and poking his chin. "That's not half bad…I know Toga seemed really nice…"
"Midoriya!" Yaomomo yells for him again. "I think you've had more than sufficient time! Now please! Come help us!"
"Coming!" Izuku takes a step but stops. "Think about what I said with the friends. Imagine what you could do if you could clone yourself! Since they'd have your quirk, your clones would be able to clone themselves too and with them, you could create an army of an endless number of you! Just try not to look so sad when you do? That'd be one depressing parade-"
"Midoriya!!! Stop giving the villains tips on how to improve their quirks and let's finish this!"
"Finally!" Peter hits play on his music player. "This song should work."
"Wha- what are you doing?!" Dabi asks. After picking up his music player, Shoto began dancing in front of him, popping and locking just as Peter had shown him.
"Dancing," Shoto replies, matter-of-fact.
This does not aid Dabi's confusion. "Who the fuck dances in the middle of a giant battle?!"
"I do. Evidently." Shoto transitions into a brief recreation of 'The Robot' dance move. "It seems Peter was right in its effectiveness as a distraction."
"What are you- what the hell?!"
Dabi screeches in anger as, with his focus on the boy, he didn't notice Midoriya waving his hand, turning Bakugo into Dabi and Dabi into Bakugo. It confuses the winged Nomu momentarily before it redirects its fury onto Dabi. The look of perplexity and fear the villain gives Bakugo's face, Shoto will admit, is amusing.
Dabi fires a torrent of fire at them, before redirecting his attention to the Nomu, angrily cursing the creature for being so stupid. Out of the corner of his eye, Shoto spots Twice creating more clones to help his companion. He and the girls react at once, throwing attacks at the villain to stop him.
But the fire Dabi had sent their way first melts Shoto's ice and forces Jiro and Yaoyorozu to back off. He tries to fire his own wave of flames at Twice, but he's smarter than Shoto gave him credit for, creating a copy of Shigaraki who protects him from their attacks.
No. This was their best shot to save the Spirit Tree. And though his mind rings in theories about how Midoriya and Twice could be long lost cousins, Shoto ignores it. For now. Instead, he pulls on everything Peter had taught him over the past couple of days, involuntarily swinging his elemental gun around.
He doesn't realize when the indicator on the back of the weapon turns green. Shoto lifts it and pulls the trigger. But instead of feeling the pull of his quirk, he feels something… different. A different kind of pull. A very light and freeing type of pull.
From the gun, a gale of wind erupts, surprising practically everyone. Twice isn't ready, and he and his clones pay the price, getting blown off the building's roof.
Dabi whirls around to face him but, as if the gun is fully attuned with his thoughts, Shoto turns and fires two shots at the fire villain, encasing his hands in ice. A third shot in the form of an ice beam knocks him back for good as finally, Shoto is allowed to stamp down with his right foot, covering the Spirit Tree and putting out the fire.
Cosmo jumps in her seat. "Stupendous work, kids! With the power back, I can begin working on getting the Guardians free!"
"No need, Cosmo."
Peter smirks, slowly lowering his hand from his ear. "I think someone is way ahead of you on that." In front of him, the security wall to the prison opens. Their freedom is only a few meters away. Next to him, the rest of the Guardians slowly match his smirk, facing the Nomu. He flips to a particular song on his music player, hitting play . "Time to face the music, asshole."
Drax shouts a cry of battle, charging the chainsaw Nomu head-on. Groot extends his arm at the same time, splitting it off into enough branches to hold the Nomu's numerous chainsaws back. Rocket shoots a probe that splits apart, attaching devices to each chainsaw, shutting them down from spinning.
The Nomu roars in defiance, unable to defend itself as Drax tackles its midsection. "I will shove it out of this facility with my incredible strength!" True to his word, Drax does exactly that. He shoves the Nomu the length of the hall and out of the prison.
"At least you didn't brag about it or anything," Peter remarks to Drax sarcastically.
"Of course! In addition to my remarkable strength, I am also extraordinarily humble!"
Peter shakes his head, not being able to help his smile. "Alright, Guardians. We have to take a page from Cosmo's homeland and spread our ass kicking equally across the station, so let's finish this up."
Groot roars and forces the Nomu's appendages to the ground. Rocket runs around the creature as fast as he can, drilling and trapping each arm to the ground while disabling all of the chainsaws. Drax and Gamora use their blades to pin the monster's legs. And finally, Mantis keeps her hands on its head, keeping the Nomu as tempered as possible so it couldn't fight with all of its strength.
Peter stalks up, stamping his foot down on the Nomu's head. "I think this is the part where I say my witty one-liner. But you can't understand me so…" He charges up his elemental gun, the indicator turning red. He then puts his headphones next to its ears. "I hope the song isn't too on the nose."
The hook of the song singing Burn baby, burn! is heard before Peter shoots molten hot plasma onto the Nomu's brain, melting it and burning away any chance for the monster to heal itself. The Nomu's screech is only brief before it becomes still.
Peter sighs, stepping back. "That was good, right? Not too in your face with that one, was it?"
"Oh no, Quill." Rocket rolls his eyes. "You are the king of subtlety."
"Nonsense!" Drax disagrees. "I see no crown on his misshapen head!"
Gamora pats his shoulder as she stands next to him. "Yeah, that was terrible. But so very you. So it fits." She looks around. "We should split up to help the kids. And did we ever figure out who opened that door if it wasn't Cosmo?
"We can figure that out later." Peter presses a button on his helmet, having it cover his face. His rocket boots slowly lift him into the air. "Ass kicking now! Questions later!"
As the Guardians split up and leave, from the shadows, Toga steps forward with a prison keycard she had lifted from one of the Xandarian soldiers. "Whoops. My hand slipped."
Compress nods at her, stepping forward. "Well done."
Peter hits play on the next song as he flies through Knowhere. "Let's try this one !"
No matter what they do, neither Fumikage nor Kendo can land a hit on Taskmaster, the mercenary diving, blocking, and weaving effortlessly through the pair's attacks as the three of them fought through the Collector's museum. "Please. Is this all you have to offer? Your attacks are not even worth imitating."
"Copy this!" Fumikage shouts as Taskmaster grabs his fist mid-punch. From inside him, Dark Shadow roars as the quirk flies at the villain, ready to tear his armor off with his enlarged claws.
"I have better things to do." Taskmaster drops a concussion grenade, disorienting everyone around him. Kendo is helpless as he grabs her by the ponytail and forces her face down into his armored knee, a sickening crunch letting them all know her nose is broken.
She grabs at her bleeding face, backing up, while Taskmaster casually reaches for a pistol on his belt, raising it up, but one of Fumikage's crescent darts knocks the gun out of his hand before he can fire. "Not a bad throw. Especially while disoriented." Taskmaster does a backflip, driving his foot into Fumikage's neck as he lands.
It's like every nerve the bird boy has is set on fire at once, his legs giving out from under him as Taskmaster takes him down, the mercenary looming over him. The emotionless mask that hides his face promises no mercy. "But ultimately pointless." He attaches two pieces of a gun together from his belt, assembling a rifle that he quickly loads with a magazine.
With Dark Shadow still disoriented from the grenade, Fumikage can only look up with wide eyes as Taskmaster aims the rifle. Khonshu's words echo in his head. Without a full moon, he doesn't have his full power, making him vulnerable to bullets once more. He grits his teeth. There's nothing he wants more than to not be shot again-
"I won't allow you!"
A purple aura surrounds Taskmaster, and the gun is ripped from his hands telepathically by none other than Yanagi, who had not run as Fumikage had specifically requested!
And he couldn't be more grateful to her that she hadn't.
Taskmaster scoffs. "Neat trick, but it's going to take a lot more to-"
Yanagi's eyes narrow as the gun cocks, opening fire on Taskmaster, forcing him to retreat behind the nearest well as she empties the machine gun.
"Woah…" Dark Shadow manages to get out first, feeling better. "Yanagi, that was sick!!"
To her credit, Yanagi merely nods. "Thank Snipe, for he is the one that helped me accomplish such a task."
"That was still awesome! Wasn't that awesome, Fumi?!"
"I- uh," Fumikage clears his throat, getting back up. "Yes, thank you, Yanagi. That was impressive, if not unexpected."
She nods again. "If we are to be effective heroes, we should be disciplined in several areas of study, should we not? Afterall, even darkness comes in a range of shades."
Dark Shadow huffs in laughter as Fumikage can't seem to come up with anything to say, his beak hanging open, which only adds to the quirk's laughter. Thankfully, he's saved.
"No no, I'm alright, thanks for asking! Really! Just had my face smashed in, but have never felt better!" Kendo chuckles as a very apologetic Dark Shadow helps her to her feet. He brings her back over to his partner and Yanagi just as Taskmaster re-emerges, destroying his gun with his energy sword. The teens ready themselves again as Yanagi makes several items throughout the museum float up in the air.
Using stacks of dirt to keep the rubble stable, Peter waves the civilians out of the bar and to the nearest underground shelter. "Quill, hey Quill! You guys need any help out there! You know I'm good with my quack-fu!"
Peter snorts, letting Howard Duckson out before making sure there was no one left. "I think we'll live. But helping you does wipe out my debt. Unless of course you wanna stay out here."
Howard wipes rubble off his suit, shaking his tail at the audacity. "You listen here-!" An explosion nearby makes the duck jump. "That sounds great to me! Bye!"
Laughing as Howard waddles off, Peter picks up his music player again. "This outta be good ."
She-Venom jumps, spinning in mid-air to avoid-
"Wait, wait, wait!" Peter scrolls down. "Wrong song. This is the one I wanted !"
She-Venom jumps, spinning in mid-air to avoid the lasers from Kraven's weapons. She stomps his foot as she lands, having tendrils come up from the floor and drag the Hunter to his knees, before enlarging her fist and smashing him in the face.
But before She-Venom can continue her onslaught, several robot dogs attack her, but they don't stand a chance. She creates a large blade and slices through most of them easily, before grabbing the last dog by its upper and lower jaw and tearing it in half from there.
"Beautiful! Stunning!" She-Venom roars at the compliments, leaping at Kraven once more, but he blocks her claws with an energy shield. Then, he douses the hero student and symbiote in flames from a flamethrower on his gauntlet.
She-Venom screams in agony as she falls back down, writhing in pain. "Yes, did you not believe I hadn't studied you, parasite? That I had not learned your-"
The flames suddenly stop as his gauntlet is smothered in black goo. Kraven turns around to find several of Setsuna's body parts floating behind and firing tendrils at him. He spins his spear in front of him to block them. But when he senses She-Venom behind him, he hits a button on his belt and covers the mass of goo in another electrified net.
As quick as he can, he unhooks a rifle from his side, aims down, and fires. Only then did he realize his was mistaken. What had attacked him was Setsuna's midsection. Or better, what had distracted him. If She-Venom growling right next to his face is any indication. "Clever girl."
Creating several spikes from her body, Kraven cries out as he's stabbed in the leg and shoulder, backing up. She-Venom presses her advantage more, destroying his gauntlets and rifle now that she has a chance. "Fine, parasite!" Kraven readies his spear and extends a shield from his belt. "I prefer it this way anyway!"
The Hunter and She-Venom collide, and although he blocks her first few attacks, she quickly adapts. Webbing up his legs, She-Venom yanks Kraven off of his feet and swings him mercilessly into a few walls and pillars, before tossing him in the air and trapping him mid-air in a web of goo.
She-Venom hops up to him and grabs Kraven by the collar, punching him in the head over and over. "I. Won't. Let. You. Touch. Him!!" With every word, a new punch connects, before Kraven is able to detonate a flash bang, blinding She-Venom, and freeing himself.
A dozen drones surround the hero student, pelting her with machine gun fire. She-Venom is able to shield herself, absorbing the bullets until, with a shout of pain, she unleashes the bullets in all directions with incredible force. They tear through the drones and many of Kraven's leftover traps.
When She-Venom lowers her shields, she isn't prepared for Kraven to be in her face, bringing his spear down and stabbing her in the head. Setsuna falls, screaming in pain as Kraven twists his spear, digging it into the ground. "Yes," Kraven purrs through his blood-soaked and bruised face. "Thank you, young one. You've given me everything I hoped for."
"Be careful…" Setsuna says through ragged breaths. "What you wish for!" She detaches her head from her body and hammers Kraven in the chest. He falls back and She-Venom rips the spear out of her head, throwing it away as the wounds heal.
Again, Setsuna raises both of her hands and brings both of her fists down on Kraven, but he dodges, getting under her and uppercutting She-Venom. He brings her jaw down on his knee, breaking it. He leaps back, leaving a couple of bombs that blow the teen's legs off.
Kraven grabs his spear and chucks it at She-Venom, but she regenerates, dodging the throw and taking Kraven down to the ground by his neck. He grunts, but grins up at her anyway. "Thank you for respecting me." Setsuna spots the detonator in his hand too late, and he presses it, setting off several fires around them.
She-Venom screams, falling to the ground. Both Setsuna and Venom's cries of pain shift from blending together to not. The symbiote threatens to separate from her as the damage becomes too much. Kraven limps over, using his spear as a cane. "As I said earlier… I studied your parasite. And learned all of its weaknesses." The fires roar around them. "I am not some neanderthal who goes into a hunt without a plan."
His nose twitches as a raindrop hits it. Then another. And another. And another. "What-" Kraven looks up in disbelief as suddenly, a thunderstorm forms over them inside of the hangar , drenching them in rain and putting out the fires. "What sorcery is this?"
"Looks like you didn't plan for everything!" Kraven can't believe it when he spots Kaminari, still littered with injuries and bleeding, who uses Thunderstrike to sit up.
"To have the will to continue…" Kraven can't finish before Setsuna uses one of the scaffoldings from the upper part of the hangar to smack the Hunter into the air. She fires two tendrils at pillars on either side of her and slingshots at Kraven. Covering her legs in goo, she plants both of her feet onto his chest mid-air in a devastating double kick that flings Kraven into the hangar's blast doors. His body crumples the metal on impact, trapping him.
She-Venom lands in front of him, baring her teeth once more. Kraven opens one eye and laughs, blood dripping out of his mouth. "The hunt doesn't end until one of us is dead."
Breathing quickly, Setsuna puts both of her fists together, forming a giant sledge hammer. With an angry shout, she swings it, smacking Kraven so hard that it topples the blast doors. Again, he's sent careening through the air of Knowhere.
Kraven back flips and lands perfectly across from Setsuna, taking out a knife. He's still eager to continue the fight. But the Hunter is halted when a platoon of Xandarian soldiers cross their path and open fire on the villain.
Kraven fixes his gaze onto her, clearly communicating that she'd see him again, before he retreated into the shadows.
Setsuna lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "The- the hangar is ours again. Send the pilots." She can barely get her words out over the comms through her fatigue. Venom slips back inside her as she limps back to Kaminari, arriving just in time to catch him before he can fall again. "I- I totally had him right where I wanted at the end there, dude." Setsuna's chuckle turns into a cough. "Totally didn't need you."
"I know." Kaminari grins through the pain, not minding as she gingerly moves his head onto her lap to use as a pillow. "It was my bad. I got jealous. No guy should make you that submissive but me."
Setsuna giggles, tickling him lightly, being careful of his cuts. Around them, Xandarian pilots rush to their fighters, taking off to start fighting off the drones. "Let me guess. You missed most of that fight?"
"Actually, I woke up when you went full Venom."
"Oh? What'd you think?"
"…I think something else awoke inside me if we're being honest." Setsuna and Kaminari laugh, holding each other as medics and a few of their friends rush to them.
"Our fighters have engaged the drones!" Cosmo calls out over the radio, working the security system as quick as her paws and powers would let her. "Uraraka, there is no need for you to fight them off anymore."
"I got her!"
"I can't believe I haven't used this one yet." Peter laughs, shaking his head at the song .
"What are you doing out here?!" Ochako screams, fogging up her spacesuit. Izuku waves excitedly, cartwheeling uncontrollably outside of the space station.
"I came to get you! Wanna help me and Kacchan fly around on a Nomu and attack villains?"
"No, I mean what are you doing out here? In space?! With no spacesuit?!"
"I'm a demigod! I can survive out here with no protection!" He winces a bit, slowing down his waving. "At least for a little bit!"
Ochako shakes her head, using her suit's propulsion system to glide over to her boyfriend and hang onto him. "You know you don't need to go this far to impress me, yeah?"
"No, yeah I know!… You're still getting that jewelry made from stars." Izuku mumbles the last part.
"What was that?!"
"Nothing!!"
Ochako begins to glide them back to the entrance hatch to the station. "C'mon! I'll get us back before you hurt yourself even more."
"I'm fine! I just wish you had a bigger helmet." Ochako gives him a quizzical look. "Because then we could maybe share it." Izuku's blush seems to glow even brighter in space. "I told you I'd be more open, and if I'm being honest… I've kinda sorta daydreamed about kissing you in space."
That's enough to make Ochako stop, looking back at him. Her blush marks steadily become darker. "You- you- stop that!"
"Stop what?"
"Stop suggesting amazing things all of the time and give me time to catch up!!"
"HEY!!" Faces still red, the couple turn. Bakugo bangs on the door of the hatch. "Stop being weird and LET'S GO!! We got more idiots to pick up!"
Izuku and Ochako are met by Drax when they get back inside the station. Ochako takes off her space suit as quick as she can. But just as they both think their blushes have gone down, Drax speaks. "I enjoyed watching the two of you express your love for each other through the weightlessness of space. It reminds me of how my late wife and I also fell in love."
The blushes return full force, with Izuku and Ochako turning away from each other at the mention of 'love.' "Is- is that so?" Izuku stutters, trying to move the conversation forward.
"Why yes! You see, we were shoved naked from a cliff in a Katathian mating ritual-"
Before they work together to send the villains packing, Izuku and Ochako work together to get Drax to stop talking.
Taskmaster has to stay constantly moving on his feet. Between Tokoyami and Kendo's relentless attacks, Yanagi had been using her quirk to toss anything she could lift inside the museum at the mercenary.
He dodges a crescent dart. Kicks Kendo away. Ducks a Nova helmet. Grabs a Yaka arrow before it can pierce him. Bashes away a cube. Slices through some book and an amulet with his sword. Shoots a staff, a blade, and some jar with a frog in it.
A crash above them interrupts their fight, and Taskmaster can't do anything to stop Izuku from floating in and turning him into a perfect replica of Bakugo. One that the winged Nomu gleefully attacks. "What the fu-"
Gamora gives Peter a thumbs up as she helps Iida and Kamakiri subdue Spinner. He returns it from where he floats in the air by his rocket shoes. "Always knew you were a great teacher, babe!"
"Considering how much she's had to teach you in the bedroom, it's no surprise here-"
"I'm feeding you to the next one of the Nomu things we find!" Peter shouts at Rocket over the comma.
"I don't think I'm the only one!" Gamora yells back at him with a smirk. "I saw how you look at the kid with two-colored hair! Didn't realize we were in the adoption market!"
"That- no, I was just helping the kid out!"
"Ha! Oh, Peter Quill, what a terrible father you'd make."
"Thanks for the confidence, Drax," Peter replies dryly.
"Look at the bright side, Quill. The boy may die today. Then it won't matter."
"I…" Peter shakes his head, picking a new song that now is the right time for. "I'm going to go find the kid -"
"Do I even want to ask?"
Midoriya smiles innocently at Shota as his student slowly spins in the air above him. Behind him, the winged Nomu he brought with him tears through the control room, attacking the villains his magical student had transformed into copies of the kids. "I cannot teleport you now, Shigaraki!" Kurogiri calls over their comms. "The heroes, with the help of the green-haired boy, are tricking our Nomu into attacking us."
Midoriya shakes his head. "Probably not, Sensei."
Unfortunately, one particular crash sends debris knocking into Shota and he stumbles, blinking in surprise. During the split second Kurogir is allowed to use his quirk once more, he uses it to teleport the winged Nomu away.
"I'll go bring it back!" Bakugo blasts out of the room before anyone can disagree, and while Midoriya tries the same trick on the black Nomu they had been fighting, it doesn't work.
Shota wraps Midoriya and Uraraka in his capture tape, pulling them away as Mirio and Amajiki rush forward to meet the Nomu once again. "POWEEEEEEER!" Mirio screams, socking the monster in the face.
Midoriya and Uraraka are more than a match for Magne, which leaves Shota with his most important job. Keeping his quirk on Kurogiri. The portal user is remarkably calm despite the chaos around them as Shota wraps him up in his capture weapon. "That is twice now you have failed to protect your students from us. And while your efforts to combat us are admirable, you do know the saying about the third time, don't you?"
"I don't believe in relying on luck or destiny to achieve my goals. I make it happen on my own."
"You cannot resolve every problem in the world by your own sheer force of will." Something nips at the back of Shota's mind because of Kurogiri's words. His goggles suddenly feel just a little tighter. "It is foolish to not understand there will always be forces outside of your control."
Shota's not proud of it, but he tightens the capture weapon. He's not even sure if the mist man can actually feel it. "There is no one that understands that more than me."
"Ah, so you are one who stresses over the little details, then?"
"Like that's hard to figure out." Shota uses the corner of his eyes to check on the other fights. Magne's quirk seems to have caught Midoriya and Uraraka off guard at first, but they have her nearly beaten and are looking to help the others with the Nomu. Shota needs to figure out something quick. But all his attempts to knock Kurogiri out have failed.
"Then how about this? Because of how observant you are, you are prone to overthink things."
Shota's glare hardens as memories of the worst day of his life fill his mind. The day he heard similar words from an old friend. "A problem from my youth that no longer concerns me." He means that. But Shota's overactive mind starts to turn. Everything Kurogiri had said. It sounded familiar. And the problem is that he knows exactly where he heard it from, but will not allow himself to admit it.
"Making portals…" Shota doesn't know why he's saying what he is. "Requires quick judgment. A virtue, most would consider. Always ready to make the next move-"
"Without hesitation." Kurogiri surprises both himself and Shota by finishing the statement. His yellow misty eyes unknowingly meet red through Shota's goggles. "I have heard these words before but cannot recall…" The villain shakes his head. "Who are you?"
Shota wants to ask him the same thing.
"Eraserhead!" The Nomu manages to injure Amajiki, which leads to Mirio not paying attention and getting slammed into the other students. Roaring, the thin black monster leaps at Shota. Shit, he let himself get distracted. Stupid rookie mistake. What does he-
A bright light appears in the corner of his vision, and the Nomu screams in rage and pain as a powerful beam of light hits it in the face, forcing it back. Shota only knows one person that has that power.
"Aoyama! I told you to stay with Cosmo!"
"If you can excuse my crass behavior, mon professeur!" Aoyama wears an uncharacteristically determined expression on his face. "But I thought, what is one more betrayal among the many I have already given you!"
Everytime the Nomu moves, Aoyama blasts a new body part with his quirk. He grabs his stomach, breathing through the pain. "And if this be the last time I am allowed to shine, then so be it!" With his yell, he launches a beam more powerful than any he has before.
The Nomu grabs a desk to block the attack, and in the seconds Aoyama takes to pause, the creature chucks it at the student, knocking him down. When the blond tries to stand on his wobbly legs, the Nomu is there, backhanding him like a fly into the wall.
Aoyama cries out as he's stuck to the wall. Blood dirties his hair and face, one of his eyes shut. "It seems…" He looks up at the Nomu staring down at him with hate. "This really was my last chance to twinkle."
"We will not let it be your last!" Tokoyami crashes in from above with Kendo and Yanagi behind him. Dark Shadow slams the Nomu down, and Tokoyami and Kendo bring down their reinforced fists onto its brain. "For what is darkness if there is no light?!"
Yanagi takes its footing out from under it with various objects she had brought from the Collector's museum with her. Nova's helmet rolls next to Aoyama.
"Apologies. It became a little damaged in battle." Shoto can barely look Peter in the eye as he lifts the damaged music player.
"That's awesome!" For not the first time, Shoto looks at Peter, surprised by his response. "That just means your player is building character. Along with you. Trust me, kid. Dirt just equals experiences that you'd never trade for anything." He plays a new song on his own player.
With a yell, Hirona launches two explosive spheres at Nejire from both of her hands, before attempting to escape with Tenko. Slight miscalculation on her part. Hirona can float on platforms at a slow speed. Nejire can actually fly. And is pretty good at it.
Evidenced by the blue-haired girl easily dodging her attack and flying over to the villain and her captive. She moves to fly Tenko away. "I don't think so!" Hirona expands the platform under her brother, encasing him in a shield and drops him back to the ground. She does the same to herself when Nejire flies toward her.
Hirona keeps her shield up as Nejire flies all around her, blasting her with her quirk from different angles and spots in an attempt to get through, but the villain leader's quirk easily holds against the slow moving spirals, so the hero student tries a new play.
Flying back to Tenko, Nejire holds her breath and sticks her tongue out in concentration. She hasn't tried this very often, but now is as good a time as any. With some effort, she creates a large enough spiral under Tenko that could carry both him and the shield protecting him, meaning she could get him away from here.
"No!" Hirona cries out in alarm, dropping her shield and preparing to whisk an energy disk at Nejire to get her away.
Just like the hero wanted.
Faster than Hirona could ever predict, Nejire rockets back toward her, getting a hold of her wrist in a vice-like grip. "No more shields to protect you now!"
"Let go of me!" Hirona tries desperately to shake the other girl off, but it's no use.
"You're not getting rid of me that easy!" Nejire's bubbly voice had never contained so much certainty.
Some of Hirona's force-field energy leaks down her arm, the barrier pulsating in power as she charges up a powerful blaster bolt. The blue sphere flowed brighter and brighter as it slowly grew in size. "Don't make me do this!" Hirona swings her arm back.
"You're the only one making you do anything!" Nejire counters. "And you can stop anytime!" She creates a few spirals at Hirona's feet and ruins her balance just enough that when the teen villain throws her projectile, it's wildly off target, flying harmlessly into the air.
"No, I can't!!" Hirona twists her hand, creating a small barrier mid-air in the path of the blaster bolt, bouncing the attack straight back at Nejire. The blue-haired girl quickly flies up into the air to avoid it again, still keeping Hirona in her grip, but her opponent creates another barrier to bounce the bolt off of, sending it once again at the hero student.
With no other options, Nejire lets go of Hirona. The other girl creates a platform to catch herself, while Nejire lowers both of her hands and uses her spirals to finally destroy the blaster bolt.
Unfortunately, that's just what Hirona needed. Nejire gasps as a small force-field forms around her head, cutting her off from oxygen. Unable to breathe or concentrate, the hero student's quirk disappears, and she begins to fall back down to the ground.
"You're not going to die!" A platform catches Nejire before she can hit the ground, slowly lowering her the rest of the way to the ground. Hirona appears in Nejire's line of sight as she continues inhaling desperately for any oxygen.
"You're not gonna die!" Hirona repeats, sounding panicked, looking Nejire over. "Sorry! I-I just didn't know what else to do! Don't worry, you should pass out any second! I…" She looks like she wants to do anything but leave it like this. Hirona shakes her head anyway. "Sorry, I gotta go!"
Hirona runs back to Tenko to whisk them both away again. But behind her, through immense pain, a swimming head, and rapidly darkening vision, Nejire stomps the ground, getting to one knee.
Her muscles burn in protest as she lifts herself back to her feet, barely keeping her balance. Memories of middle school flashes in her mind. Of her younger self forced to sit in the back of the classroom, thousands of questions filling her mind, but the young girl forced herself to stay silent, choking on her need to speak and get to know all of those around her.
After meeting Mirio and Tamaki, Nejire felt like she had found her voice again. And that it really was as important as everyone's around her, even if that did make her a bit strange! Nejire realized that she didn't need to talk less most of the time, she just needed to learn to give others their turn!
From then on, if she had something to say, she said it. Not letting anyone, including herself, keep her silent. And right now, she still has things to say to Hirona, and she is going to say them whether the other girl wants to hear them or not! With her passion fueling her, Nejire lifts her arms and fires a powerful double spiral at Hirona's back.
Not expecting the attack, the teen villain turns around but can't put a shield up in time as she's hit, being blasted straight off her feet and hitting the dirt hard with an audible groan.
It was difficult but it did the trick! Hirona's barrier breaks and Nejire inhales air like it's going out of style, before racing back to her opponent. All Hirona has time to do is tap her communicator before Nejire has her arms locked behind her back, pinning the teen villain on her stomach as the other girl sits on her back. "It's over!"
Hirona struggles and squirms, kicking her legs in an attempt to get herself free, but she can't escape the pin. "No! Nagant! Hey, Nagant!" she screams into her comms. "Do you read me?!"
Nagant taps her ear. "One second, kid. Trying to kill an annoying little-" her eye narrows through her scope, "bug!" She fires the curving bullet just as Sero swings around the mining pillar.
"Oh, shit!" With new and improved reflexes, he tapes up a nearby mining droid and drags it down, blocking the bullet.
"Dammit!" Nagant reloads and fires again, but Sero is already out of her sight. Shaking her head, Nagant plants a sonar bullet in the area to cover her blind spot and loads again, looking for the pesky kid.
"Hellooooooo!" Speaking of pesky kids. "Nagant! Are you still there?! Where are you? I could really use your help over here!"
"Funny, I was just about to say that I could use your platforms right about now," Nagant replies with a smile. "At least it'd get me away from this rotting brain matter I'm stepping in." Securing her foot in the squishy white substance that made up several tall pillars around her, she hits one of the dirt mining pillars with an explosive round, destroying it and forcing the bots to take the metal they had mined to the collection ship hovering above.
"Seriously, Nagant, I-"
One of her sonar bullets makes her senses go crazy and Nagant spins, firing at Sero, who had tried to jump down onto her from behind. But the tape user had prepared, tugging on a stretch of tape to yank himself out of the way. He immediately fires another strand of tape, wrapping Nagant up and sticking her gun to her side.
"Ooooh, that's embarrassing," Sero mocks, landing in front of her crouched down. "Hope no one caught that on tape!" He leans back on his hands and double kicks the sniper in the gut, sending the villain sprawling. "Get it? Because you're caught on tape, but I mean I hope no one filmed that happening-"
Nagant doesn't know what's making her groan more. The pain in her stomach or this kid talking. Thankfully, she doesn't have to decide as she sees a bot flying by in the shape of a large table, using a pinpoint laser to cut through mineral it had placed against itself.
Rolling off the tower of brain matter, Nagant lands on the droid and kicks the mineral out of the way. She uses its laser to free herself from her tape prison. Then, she takes aim at the collection ship above, firing an explosive bullet right into one of its engines. The resulting explosion knocks the ship out of air, spilling all of its metal content beneath it.
And right on top of Sero. Who screams and protects his head as he's buried under thousands of pounds of mined material that shake the ground as they tumble, covering the entire area in a thick fog of dust. Nodding to herself, Nagant moves to walk away but stops when she hears a noise of pain.
"You can't be serious." But sure enough, after walking past a few piles of metal and fanning some of the dust out of her face, she finds Sero. He's covered in new bruises, gashes, and cuts, not to mention coughing up a storm, but very much alive. "You're still alive," Nagant states with an attitude of someone who had stepped on a roach several times but still finds it living. "Guess you're made outta something stronger than tape to survive that."
"Nagant!"
"Ugh. Yes, your majesty? I, Lady Nagant, am at your service."
"Now is not the time for jokes!" Hirona shakes and wrestles with Nejire so much that her comm falls out of her ear in front of her, allowing both girls to hear the other villain. She still can't get Nejire off of her. "I'm still here with Hado and-"
"Oh good, you two finally got to talking. Well, we have extra rooms if she ever wants to spend the night and- oh, how silly of me. I'd imagine she'd want to stay in your room."
Hirona stops squirming, red very quickly spreading across her cheeks. Escaping is now a much lower priority. Nejire looks confused. "S-shut up, Nagant! It's nothing about that! I'm calling you because I need help! I have Hado on top of me-"
"Wow. That's forward of her. But I suppose you'd need that with how thick-headed you are."
Nejire's grip loosens a little. She looks back and forth between herself, Hirona, and the comm. "What…" Some red dusts her cheeks as it hits her. "Oh! Wait, is she saying-"
"No!" Hirona cuts her off, still yelling hysterically at Nagant. "Not that either!! Okay, let me back up a little. You see, what had happened was that I was choking Hado when-"
"Kinky."
"NAGANT!" Hirona screams in embarrassment, the teen at the end of her patience. On top of her, Nejire is sitting up much straighter. Her face ablaze at the implications. Although, the way she's sitting is the straightest thing going through her mind right now.
"Relax, kid. I know you're alright. From what you've told me, I don't have to worry about that Hado girl hurting you too bad. I'm done here anyway. I'll make my way over to you or Kurogiri so we can get out of here."
Reassured and finally realizing that Nejire's grip had loosened quite a bit, Hirona takes advantage of the other girl being distracted to throw her off. She runs back to Tenko.
Shaking many new thoughts from her head, Nejire gets back to her feet as quick as she can. "No!" In a desperate move, she tries to hit Hirona again with a double spiral attack, but the teen villain is ready this time, raising her force-field and blocking the strike.
Nejire huffs and steps closer. "Sorry about this!" She twists her hands, readying her next blast. "Full charge, output level: fifty!" Nejire's spirals build up in the palms of her hands. "Spiraling Surge!!" A massive wave of spirals bursts from Nejire's hands and collides with Hirona's shield, spilling over the top of it. Hirona cries out, raising both of her arms to keep her force-field just barely up.
"Stop running!" Nejire yells through the effort of keeping her quirk going. "We can help you!"
Hirona's arms begin to shake, but she plants her feet, fighting through it. "Stop pretending like I need some hero to save me!"
Yellow surges of Nejire's spirals battle against the unmoving blue of Hirona's force-field as the colors mix and surround both fighters. It bathes them as neither is willing to give up a centimeter. Each girl holds their ground, hoping to prove something.
But even with how bright their quirks are making it, Nejire's big blue eyes are still able to connect with Hirona's dark brown through the light show. "If you don't want to be saved…then why does it look like you're always asking for help?"
In that moment, Hirona becomes the first to take a step back, shocked by the words. So much so that she loses control of her quirk, pumping too much power into her force-field and overloading it. Before either girl can react, an explosion of their combined power rocks their battlefield, launching the pair backwards.
"Kid?" Nagant taps her comm again. "Kid, where'd you go-"
"Bitch!"
Nagant is taken by surprise when Kitty phases from inside the rubble that kept Sero trapped, punching the sniper straight in the face. "You little-" Nagant holds her face while lifting her rifle, but the teen vanishes with the villain's leg in hand.
Applying her ability to become intangible to Nagant, Kitty pulls her neck deep into the ground and lets go, leaving Nagant trapped while jumping out unharmed. "Not bad," she chuckles to a relieved Sero, easily phasing him out of the rubble. Nagant tries in vain to free herself behind them. "Your reflexes were even better than in training."
"Thanks, I guess I h-had a pretty good teacher." Sero rubs the back of his head, turning a bit red.
"Also not bad." She smiles at him. "But your quips can use some work."
"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Kitty gives him a look. He sighs, defeated. "Help me…please."
"Don't worry. I know some people."
"They're not the only new arrivals."
Shota's eyes widen from behind his goggles as a hurt but still very much moving Taskmaster lands in front of Kurogiri, cutting the portal user free of his capture weapon. Behind them, Bakugo arrives as well with the winged Nomu in tow.
Taskmaster drops a tablet into the mist man's hands. "This operation has gone to absolute shit. We've lost the element of surprise, but Shigaraki has the Shimura boy. I have all of the League member's locations loaded onto that. Teleport us to the Cortex and let's get the hell out of here! Now!"
"No-" Shota lunges forward, but Taskmaster sets off a flashbang, causing him to blink and deactivate his quirk. By the time Shota can see again, Kurogiri had quickly portaled away all of the villains except for the Nomu.
"Wait, Shimura?" Kendo looks around. "Isn't that-"
"Tenko!" Tsu gasps.
"Mirio…" Shota sees Mirio and Midoriya share a look. He isn't sure he's seen his trickster student look so desperate or pleading in his life, but whatever wordless conversation the pair have ends. Understanding forms on Mirio's face, as does a pit at the bottom of Shota's stomach.
Mirio gives Midoriya a bright smile. "Go! Rescue your friend!" Amajiki shakes himself off, helping Aoyama off the wall. "We'll handle big, tall, and ugly here! Go!"
"Wait-" Midoriya is gone with Uraraka, Tokoyami, Yanagi, and Kendo atop the Nomu with Bakugo leading the way.
Hirona looks up, her vision groggy. Nejire limps toward her, still determined. "I'll get her…you guys get Tenko outta here!" she commands, the words nearly causing her to stumble over. Out of the corner of her eye, Hirona sees Tsu being dropped off by another green-haired girl with black tendrils.
Shit. Hirona tries to get up, to put a shield around her brother. But she has no more strength left, falling as soon as she lifts herself up even a little. She can't lose him… not after everything she has done here…
Thankfully for her, Hirona doesn't have to worry as a portal opens up beneath her and Tenko, swallowing them to the sound of Tsu's horrified ribbit.
Suddenly, before his son can continue gutting him, Logan's wrists heal and he stabs Daken through the throat. Unprepared for such a brutal attack, Daken chokes as Wolverine jumps back to his feet, clawing at his midsection, yelling like a wounded animal as he forces Daken into a back wall, claws raised.
Ten-year-old Akihiro limps home after enduring another day of beatings. It's night now, and he hopes the servants would help tend to his wounds, but they never do. Not unless his father is home. Instead, they say, "the medicines are in the bath upstairs, you can clean yourself up there, Daken."
The name had quickly spread through the town.
Daken laughs through the blood and pain. "Look at you. You willingly stab your son in the throat, you take things that aren't yours, and you murder, but they still all cheer for you and call you a hero! A teacher! A good guy! What a lie. At least I don't go around pretending to be something I'm not."
Akihiro sits in the living room with his mother, hoping to spend time with her, but she leaves.
"A mongrel, is that it?" Logan asks between breaths. "Is that how you see yourself?"
Adults watch on as the town's children beat down Akihiro once again, chanting that awful name. They do nothing.
"You talk about wanting to fix us, old man," Daken replies. "What? You want me to love you? Why don't you give me some of that fatherly advice you owe me and answer me this. How can anyone love anything when they hate themselves?"
The beatings have stopped for twelve-year old Akihiro. He wishes they hadn't. His powers have started to manifest, and he can't control his pheromones, causing everyone's emotions to go crazy around him. They all think he's cursed. Including his mother.
In Logan's stunned state, he doesn't stop Daken from stabbing him with both hands through his stomach, lifting his father up and throwing him back down on the ground, but Wolverine kicks him roughly, shoving him off. Daken can't even fully get back on his feet before Logan is tackling him once again.
Akihiro peers around the corner to eavesdrop on his adoptive parents. "I'm sorry," his mother repeats over and over as his father holds her. "I've tried. I really have. But that boy. He just isn't mine. And I can't love him."
Tears begin to fall from Akihiro's eyes.
"But…" his mother begins again. "I don't need to." She takes his father's hand. "We have been blessed. Truly this time." She smiles genuinely. "I'm pregnant."
Logan stabs Daken through the chest with both of his claws, pinning him to the ground. "How do you love someone when you hate yourself?" he repeats with a growl. "Take it from someone with some goddamn experience. You love them by realizing you don't want them to ever feel like you do."
The new baby barely stirs in its crab, sleeping peacefully. Above it, thirteen-year old Akihiro stares down at his new brother.
No, not his brother, but a threat. A threat to everything he has. He had already stolen his new mother's love. What else would he steal? His father's affection? His place in the household? His whole life?! No… he won't let that happen… Akihiro glares down at the child.
Daken sits up, ignoring his father's claws digging into him more. "Then I guess that's my problem." He stabs Logan in both sides of his ribs. "I want everyone to feel just like me!" He curls both of his legs in and plants his feet on Wolverine's chest, pushing him off, both mutants' claws being ripped out of one another and spilling more blood all over the ground.
Akihiro's adoptive father drags him deep into the woods behind their house, spinning the boy around so he could see the man's panicked face. "Akihiro," he whispers with effort. "What…" he swallows. "What did you do?"
The teen looks up from his blood-soaked hands, a small smile spreading across his face. "Now, she'll have no choice but to love me." Father and son turn around to the sound of shrieking as his mother barrels toward them, a rifle in her hands.
Logan grabs his side as it heals, grimacing at his torn and blood-soaked clothes. "Why would you want everyone to feel like you?"
Daken sheaths his claws, running a hand through his Mohawk, staining it with blood. "Because at least then, no one would pretend to be something they're not."
Akihiro can only lie in the fetal position as his mother brings the butt of the rifle down on top of him, over and over. "You ungrateful vermin! Insolent boy! Waste of life!" His mother kept the curses coming as she continued beating him. "You are vile! Evil! You- you- how could you, Daken?!"
The beatings stop and Akihiro looks up, only to find the rifle pointed at his face. He panics.
"And what are we?" Daken extends his claws once again. "We're animals."
Akihiro screams, and just as his mother moves to pull the trigger, he attempts to shove her away. But through his panic, he feels something else. Pain, radiating from his wrist and knuckles as, for the first time, claws jut out of his knuckles.
Just in time for Daken, as he shoves her away, to leave several deep slices across her chest.
Ferocity comes in the form of Daken yelling as he jumps high into the air, looking to bring his claws down on Wolverine, but the older hero leans out of the way, leaving him to stab the ground instead.
Logan tries to take advantage, but Daken backhands him with his claws across the face, wrenching his other hand out of the ground to face his father. Wolverine reels his arm back but Daken's faster, taking another quick swipe across his face. Shouting in frustration, Logan stabs at his son twice in succession, the younger mutant ducking the first attack and grabbing Wolverine's arm with the second, retaliating with a savage cut across his midsection.
Daken twists Logan's arm all of the way around, not stopping until the Adamantium inside the bones forces him, and pounds on his father's shoulder, dislocating it and driving the older man down to one knee. "I didn't ask for any of this!!" Daken stabs Logan in the back, eliciting a satisfying cry of pain.
"I didn't ask for you to leave me with nothing!" Logan tries to counter attack with his other hand, but Daken stabs him through the hand, and then using Wolverine's own claws, stabs the old man through his chest again, producing another scream. "I didn't ask for you to still be taking everything from me!!"
Daken jerks his claws out of Logan's hand, holding it. "I never had a choice."
"You do now." Daken pauses mid-attack at Wolverine's ragged words. "Maybe you didn't have a choice then." Logan looks up at him, blood dripping from his mouth. "But you do now."
He coughs as Daken lowers his hand. "Kid, what you're not getting is that your pain, your wants, your needs, they don't mean a damn thing." Daken tilts his head. Evidently, this isn't what he expected to hear from his father. "Nothin' does. Yeah, you and I got some fancy healing, but we're not immortal. All this shit between us? It's just one little blip in time and then that's it. You and I? Dead and buried. And we don't get a second chance.
"You're the one who chooses to keep everything between us a goddamn mess. I've been fighting my whole life and I'm ready to fight even harder to fix things with you, but if you keep choosing to let it be like this with us, then fine. So be it. Keep blaming me for your mom's death. We'll fight over it. We'll fight that way for however long it takes until you decide you wanna change things. And when you do, I'll be right here like always." He wipes his mouth. "Because that's my choice."
Daken trembles as his adoptive father sobs, holding the rifle up to the boy's chest. His mother lay dead in a pool of her blood behind them. Daken can't even bring himself to look down at his new claws, stained in blood, looking up at his father instead, waiting to see what he'd decide.
With one last wail of sorrow, the man drops to his knees. "I can't do it…" His sad eyes look into Daken's one last time, before he puts the gun under his chin and fires.
Daken says nothing for least a minute, looking anywhere but at Logan. "Your choice, huh?" He scoffs. "You seem proud, but you don't even know why you're making it. You think all this anger I feel, all my hate, is because you let my biological mother die? You think I'd go this far for her? I barely knew her!"
He retightens his hold on Logan. "No, it's much more than that! And I'll make sure you understand before you die."
Daken stops as numerous portals open around the cortex, and Kurogiri drops most of the League off onto the teleportation platform while portaling Logan away. Some are more beaten than others, the kids putting up more of a fight than they had expected.
"We're out of here," Taskmaster declares, walking over to the control panel and activating it.
Hirona looks around, supported by Nagant, who keeps both her and Tenko in her arms. "We're not…all here," she croaks out, barely keeping herself conscious.
"Either some of us lose or we all lose." Taskmaster hits a few buttons, the cortex humming louder and louder.
Compress and Toga glance at one another, before the former reaches for Tenko. "Shigaraki, perhaps it would ease your burden if I could turn the boy into a marble to make traveling easier-"
"He doesn't leave my sight until we're back!" Hirona's burst of energy leaves no room for argument. They hear a roar above them. The winged Nomu dives for the Cortex. Tsu and Nejire fly beside them, just as fast. "Taskmaster…"
"Kacchan, help me! They'll reach him fastest!" Izuku and Bakugo jump off the Nomu and with their combined explosion and energy blast, launch Nejire and Tsu down at the villains.
"Taskmaster!" Hirona cries out in alarm, seeing Nejire's eyes aimed straight at her. In her arms, Tenko stirs awake, his red eyes meeting Tsu's as she dives down to him as fast as she can. "Whatever you're doing, do it faster!"
"Almost there!" Taskmaster lifts a switch, and the Cortex activates.
"No!" Nejire focuses as much power as she has left into her feet, flying as fast as she can. "Almost in range!"
Tsu blinks, swearing for a moment that time is slowing down. She keeps her eyes on Tenko as they race to free him. 'Please! Please reach him!'
Hirona tries to make a shield but is too tired, and Nagant can't lift her arm. Taskmaster takes out a gun to shoot at the girls, but a well-placed throwing knife from Izuku impales his hand. Magne moves to block them with her magnet, but Toga accidentally steps in her way, tripping up the other villain.
The cortex hums louder.
Dabi aims high with two clones of himself, trying to burn the two hero students out of the air, but Nejire flies around the flames with practiced ease. "We're in range! Do it!"
Tsu doesn't waste anymore time, whipping her tongue forward with a crack! And launching it faster than she had ever before at Tenko. She can do this! She can reach him!
The Cortex continues to hum louder.
Fifteen meters.
Ten meters.
Almost there! Tsu can practically feel the coffee and energy drink Tenko had that morning.
A light comes on the control panel of the Cortex.
Five meters.
She's got him!!
"Done!!" Taskmaster lifts a switch.
"Sorry…" Tenko mouths before a mechanical click goes off, causing him to disappear just before Tsu's tongue can grab him, as the League are teleported back to Earth.
Tsu lands and doesn't even bother to try to do it safely, rolling harshly on the ground and becoming covered in Daken and Logan's blood. "Tsu!" Nejire lands much more graciously, the older girl sliding to the frog teen and helping her up to her knees. "Hey? Are you alright?" All Tsu does is stare at the spot Tenko had been. Now empty. "Right…dummy question…sorry…" Nejire sniffles, trying not to focus on her own feelings of failure and just makes sure Tsu is okay.
"Tsu! Did you-" Izuku runs over to his friend but stops when he sees that no, there is no Tenko there. "He's- he's gone..." He drops the knives in his hand and falls to his knees as well. "He's really…" Ochako hugs him from behind as he starts to hyperventilate, not even bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Hey," Nejire clears her throat to try and stop her voice from cracking. "Hey, this isn't o-over! We'll find him and get him back! I promise! As soon as we get back I'll fly over the whole country if I have too! He'll be back before you know it! Right, Midoriya? Tsu?"
She looks at her frog friend. She can't see Tsu's face as she had ducked down, facing the floor, covering herself. "Tsu? Did you hear me?" Nejire prompts.
When Tsu talks, her voice sounds like a dam holding in an ocean of emotions. "I know… I'm fine…" Tears begin to fall below her.
"Tsu…" Nejire can barely hold back her own tears.
"It's okay. R-r-ribbit. Didn't you guys know? Frogs like the rainy season." She leans over into Nejire's arms and lets the dam burst open, crying until there is nothing left.