Chapter 84: You Have Got to Be Shitting Me Part 2
Hirona shakes her head, trying to get her vision back. Wait, she blacked out? What happened?
She remembers her and the rest of her team trying to get away from a dragon, Ryukyu, in their armored truck… Compress was driving, Kraven was trying to shoot her down with his minigun, Toga and Spinner were keeping Twice stable, and-
Oh! She gave Mustard drones from Kraven's stash that Compress brought! He used his illusions to confuse Ryukyu and let them get away. It also tricked a certain blue-haired hero student that was flying with Ryukyu, which relieved Hirona greatly. She doesn't think she can face her right now…
After that, they saw a man standing in the middle of the road who…
That's right! The man slapped his hands on the street and the next thing Hirona knew, their truck was flipping!
Her vision returns, and she sees most of the rest of the former league groaning inside the truck while Toga pulls her out to safety. "Thanks," she rasps, the blonde gently lowering her to the ground. Toga makes to go back in, but Hirona stops her by grabbing her arm. She uses her quirk to create platforms under the rest of the villains and float them out. "Alright, anyone dead?" she questions after getting everyone out. "Sound off."
"I'm dead inside!"
"Well, Twice is okay at least."
"What do we have here?" Hirona glares at the sound of the taunting voice and slowly gets up to her feet, wiping some blood off of her forehead as she faces their attacker. Overhaul stares down his nose at them like they're the bugs under his shoes. Behind him, other Yakuza keep their guns ready. "Oh, I know. Gentlemen, I present to you the fearsome League of Villains." His men snicker.
"Hey, that's not our name anymore!" Twice tries to stand. "Yeah! If you're gonna insult us, you might as well get our name right- ack!" He grunts in pain, falling back down. The accident had re-aggravated his gunshot wound and hurt his leg. Compress and Toga go to him, with the former expanding some medical supplies from his marbles.
Glancing back at how battered their group is makes Hirona's decision easier. "We're not here to fight. We just want to escape the heroes, same as you."
"So she speaks." Overhaul tilts his head back. "Hirona Shigaraki. Apprentice to the Demon King and Princess of the Underworld," he sneers.
Hirona grits her teeth at the nickname. "You know me?"
"Yes, but don't think that makes you special," he scolds her like a child. "I went to great lengths to study All for One and his organizations. It was because of him that no other criminal enterprises could flourish, afterall."
"Then why don't you go and take it out on him?" Hirona asks, irritated. "In case you missed the news, we don't work for him anymore."
"As if anyone could escape the fallout of Kamino," Overhaul scoffs. "Or that it was your kidnapping of a hero child that caused it." Hirona winces. "I lost a few properties that night, and that goes double for my men. So unless you plan to compensate me…" he flexes his hands.
Toga gets up, knives ready, but Hirona waves at her to back down. "You can't seriously want to do this with the heroes closing in on us?" she questions in disbelief.
"They might not be as close as you think." One of the Yakuza hands Overhaul a phone, which he checks briefly before throwing it back. "It bodes well to have a few cops on the payroll, feeding me their plans while confusing the heroes with misinformation." His men begin to cock their guns. "I do want to thank you for being here before you die. It saves me the trouble of having to hunt you down later."
Hirona can't help the little smile that tugs on her lips. "You know nothing about hunting. But I know someone who does."
Overhaul screams as he's stabbed from behind, a laser-tipped electric spear piercing through his chest. The yakuza all yell in surprise, pointing their guns back and forth between the former League in front of them and Kraven behind.
As if on reflex, Overhaul slaps his body, using his quirk to both fully heal and free himself from the Hunter's weapon. He bends over, gasping for air, while Kraven doesn't make another move. Most of the yakuza have their guns trained on him.
"I don't know if I have ever seen prey that heals itself so quickly," Kraven comments, seemingly unbothered by how close to death he is. He grins. "I will enjoy seeing you ensnared in my traps. It is rare for someone to survive more than one."
Overhaul looks up, fury in his eyes as he wipes sweat from his brow. "You should've gone for the head." The yakuza boss stands fully. "I never would have thought the legendary Russian Hunter was suicidal."
"Interesting. Because I could tell you were naive from the moment I laid eyes on you." Kraven keeps his spear trained on Overhaul's face. "When hunting groups, it is important to know how the rest of the pack will react to your presence. It was almost absurdly easy to deduce your men would run the moment you were slain."
As if to prove his point, a few of the yakuza shift in their spots and fiddle with their guns. A couple even take a step back. Kraven glances around him. "Even now, they are hesitant to attack."
"But I'm not," a voice says from above.
Toga sniffs the air, hissing. "I smell ash and burnt flesh."
Kraven and Overhaul peer up to find Dabi above them. He stands on the roof of a small store and has his palm raised, his blue fire licking his fingertips. "In fact, I'll just cremate all of you."
"Today just keeps getting more and more interesting," Overhaul comments in the same way someone would as if the weather had changed. "I can't say you were one of the people I experimented on, however. I wouldn't have left you in such a crude state."
"How comforting," Dabi drawls. "But this isn't about you. It's about them." He motions his head to the former League. "We have some unfinished business, so sorry, but you're just collateral damage," he apologizes without sounding the least bit apologetic.
"Just try it!" Hirona raises her arm as well. "The second I see any fire, I'm creating a shield to block it."
Overhaul hums. "Perhaps a better strategy would have been to attack us while you still held the element of surprise?" he almost innocently asks Dabi. The mocking is heavily implied.
The scarred-man responds by shaking his head. "There would've been no point." He side-eyes Hirona. "I know her. And I know she would have reacted with her quirk before I killed anyone important. Plus, we wouldn't have been able to do this."
'We?!'
There's a shout of surprise behind them, and Hirona whirls around. "No!"
Mustard struggles in vain as Daken pins him face-down on the ground, keeping his hand pressed against the back of the boy's neck. Toga charges, but Daken's words stop her. "Any more sudden moves and I skewer him." Toga shakes in outrage but reluctantly backs down.
"You fiend!" Compress snarls.
Overhaul laughs at the spectacle. "Once again, you were out-played, princess. And because of your incompetence, your entire League will be wiped out." It's only the years of being forced to withstand All for One's insults that keep Hirona from attacking the man outright. "Unless anyone else would like to join us first!" he yells rhetorically.
Or at least, it was supposed to be rhetorical.
He is answered by the sound of footsteps over broken cement. All the villains turn and from the dust, Wolfram confidently strides out, his white coat whipping in the wind behind him and his right hand half-raised. "I hope I'm not intruding."
Overhaul scoffs. "It would seem the universe has an annoying sense of humor today."
"Who is that?" Daken asks out loud to no one in particular.
"Wait…" Hirona squints. "I know you! All for One told us about you after we took over I-Island!"
Wolfram inclines his head. "It is a great honor that All for One, the only one capable of curing the quirkless plague once and for all, spoke my name."
"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew what he said!" Dabi barks out a laugh. "We heard all about what you did on I-Island! How Ultron made you his obedient dog in seconds!"
Anger flashes across Wolfram's face, but he schools it quickly. "I would like to see any of you do better." He fixes his coat, pulling it more roughly than necessary with his free hand. "I have no quarrel with any of you and wish to pass."
"And why should we let you?" Dabi challenges.
Wolfram looks up. "Because of my insurance policy. It was meant for the heroes once my car was destroyed, but will do nicely here."
Hirona looks up with everyone else and inhales sharply when she sees what Wolfram is holding up with his hand. Cars. At least a half-dozen of them ready to drop on them in a moment's notice. "Does that satisfy you?" Wolfram questions a little cheekily.
"Well, it would seem we are all at an impasse," Overhaul chuckles. Kraven's spear looms next to his head. He looks around. "My moles cannot keep the heroes and police running around in circles forever. They will come for us all, and it will be shortly. With that in mind… who wishes to make the first move?"
Hirona tsks, keeping one hand in front of her to protect Kraven and the other behind for Mustard. "Just try it," Daken grins maliciously, pushing Mustard's head harder into the ground and making the boy groan. Toga bares her fangs.
Kraven glances at the yakuza around him. A few keep their guns on him while the others point theirs at every other villain. Dabi licks his lips, raising a second arm. Overhaul flexes his hands. Wolfram digs his feet into the dirt.
Then, Hirona's head twitches. Overhaul notices. "I knew you would be the first to break. So young and rash with something to prove."
"I do, but not to you." She turns her head so he can see the comm in her ear. "And I'd like to thank you all for talking so much. It let our other member catch up to us."
Everyone's question on who she's talking about is answered when a gunshot rings out, striking Daken in the head.
"Sniper!!" one of the yakuza cries out in alarm.
From the top of a nearby tower, Nagant smirks.
"Finally!" Toga leaps at Daken as he staggers back in shock, tackling him off of Mustard and stabbing him repeatedly.
"No!" Dabi jumps down and ducks behind a pillar just as another gunshot hits the spot he was at. Once he's safe, he unleashes a torrent of fire at everyone around him.
Just as she promised, Hirona protects Kraven, and subsequently Overhaul, with her quirk. The Hunter shifts, preparing to thrust his spear into the yakuza's head but Kurono, who had been lurking in the shadows, leaps out to protect his boss.
Unfortunately, sneaking up on Kraven isn't that easy. Without looking, he reaches into his fur coat with his free hand and hurls a throwing axe at the incoming yakuza. Kurono moves just enough to avoid death but not enough to dodge the axe. It lodges itself deeply in the man's shoulder and sends him screaming in terrible pain to the ground.
Kurono served his purpose however, distracting the Hunter just enough so Overhaul can get his hand on the spear, destroying it. Kraven wouldn't get a second chance as the remaining yakuza's gunfire forces him to retreat.
Wolfram drops his hand, and the cars above all the villains start to fall. Both Yakuza and former League members descend on the metal manipulator, but he's ready. "Dictator!" His partner, who exits an alley, controls several cops with his quirk and orders them to open fire, causing the other villains to break off their attack.
Nagant fires again and Dabi's cover isn't enough to protect him as the bullet curves around the pillar and hits him in the knee, dropping him like a sack of potatoes and stopping his fire.
Overhaul heals himself just as the first of the falling cars reaches them. He puts his hands up and as soon as a car touches his fingertips, he overhauls it. Hirona will admit, she'd be impressed with how insanely fast his reaction time is if it isn't for the fact that she is currently using her quirk to slice through any cars that get close to her.
Well that, and Overhaul using his quirk to combine himself with a car.
When Overhaul emerges again, he is covered in differently colored misshapen metals, making his very skin seem jagged and with car parts sticking out of his body at random points. One of Nagant's bullets hits him in the head, but it doesn't even scratch his metal skin.
With a metallic roar, he launches several metal tendrils at Hirona, who creates a giant energy disc in front of her that slices up all of the wires before they can reach her or any of her teammates. With a wave her hands, she sends her disc back at Overhaul, but he bats it with ease.
When another bullet bounces off him, Hirona backs up a few steps, reaching up for her comm. "Nagant, wait, I have an idea!" Exhaust pipes at Overhaul's feet roar, and he leaps at her. The teen villain jumps away, relating her plan to her sniper.
The next bullet that hits Overhaul doesn't bounce off, but sticks. He eyes it like an annoying bug, but then it explodes, igniting him. "Thermite bullet!" Hirona happily informs the screaming Yakuza. She chucks another energy disc at Overhaul who, like last time, tries to bat it away, but he roars when he manages to leave a deep gash in his arm instead. "Perfect for heating up metal and making it soft." She readies another disc, smirking. "Not bad for a princess, huh?"
"Did someone say metal?" Overhaul finds Wolfram lifting him off his feet. "How convenient." Overhaul tries to fight back, but Wolfram uses his quirk to bend his limbs at his leisure, cracking both metal and bones alike. Dabi recovers and tries to scorch everyone with fire yet again, forcing Wolfram to throw Overhaul away and dodge.
He grunts in annoyance when a bullet bounces off his helmet. "Pedestrian." He raises his hand. "You would dare fire bullets at the master of-" the next bullet flies straight through his hand and he screams.
Nagant smirks, reloading. "My bullets aren't made of metal, dumbass."
Nagant fires again at Wolfram's body, but before it can reach him, Dictator has one of the officers under his control jump in the way of the shot. Wolfram nods in thanks to his companion. "Open fire on them!" He points to the former League. But just as Dictator is about to order his cops, he bellows in pain.
Toga flips off his back from where she had stabbed the villain, subsequently freeing the cops from his control. Wolfram is incensed. "No!" Before she can retreat back into the shadows, Toga yelps as she's lifted into the air by all of the metal she carries in her knives and syringes.
The blonde is forced to hold her own arm back as Wolfram attempts to stab her with her own knife. And while her enhanced strength keeps the blade at bay for the moment, it's still slowly approaching her neck.
That is, until Wolfram screams in anguish. The Magneto-stan is forced to retreat when Kraven catches his arm in a bear trap, the spikes tearing through his muscle and bone like a hot knife through I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.
He backs away with Dictator, and Toga falls straight into Kraven's arms, catching her like a princess. She swoons, wrapping her arms around his neck. "My hero…" The Hunter raises an eyebrow and unceremoniously drops her. "Hey!"
"Nagant!" Hirona calls over comms while her team runs back to her. "Nagant? We haven't heard a shot in a while, are you okay?"
"Peachy. But I won't be able to give you cover for a bit."
"And by the way, you guys are going to be getting some company soon," Nagant finishes, keeping her rifle locked on Snipe, who does the same with his own guns and stands across the rooftop from her.
"Care to make this easy, darlin'?" He asks genuinely. "I'd rather not 'ave ta hurt ya. I'm a big fan, an' I think that'd hurt mah chance at an autograph."
Nagant elevates her gun higher. "Try to take me in and all you'll get is a bullet. I can sign it for you after, though."
"No thanks. I got ah lidl gal waitin' for me back home that'd rather I didn't get hurt."
"Awww, what's that?" Kamala looks over Eri's shoulder to see what she's coloring.
"It's Mister Snipe!" she proudly declares, grabbing a brown crayon to color his cape. "When dad or Mido are busy, he's always watched me since I got here! And I think he deserves a thank you!"
"That's so sweet-"
"He also lets me eat sweets whenever I want!"
Kamala burst out laughing. "There's the real reason."
Hirona peers over her shoulder, eyes widening when she sees the rest of the villains start to come out of their hiding places. They realize Nagant is no longer firing too. And they all only have eyes for the former League. "They'll all be coming for us now."
"That's what you wanted, right kid?" Hirona is perplexed, but Nagant continues before she can ask. "When you're at the top, you're the one everyone's gunning for. Better get used to it."
Nagant's right. And if they want to make it out of this, what happens next is on her. "Toga!" The vampiric girl jumps in front of her. "You're strong enough to lift our truck up, yeah?" She nods confidently. "Good, get on that. If we're lucky, maybe it still runs. Compress, respirators!"
Mustard looks around, confused, as the master thief hands out the facewear from his marbles. "Why are we-"
"Because you're gonna fill this place with gas so we can get away," Hirona responds simply.
Mustard looks alarmed. "This whole place?! I've never put out that much gas before! And it's highly refined, so there's no telling if your masks will even work-"
Hirona puts a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "It'll be alright."
Kraven hums in agreement. "The masks are mine. Believe me, they have withstood much worse than whatever your quirk may output."
"But to fill this place with-"
Hirona throws him a mask. "We trust you. Question is, do you trust us?"
The boy looks around him, uneasy at first, but all he sees is people who have faith in him. So with a smile, he puts his respirator on. "Yeah, I do."
"We did it! We all passed!! Plus…"
"ULTRA!!"
Class 1-A cheers outside the testing arena as Shota looks on, absolutely not burying his face into his scarf to hide how proud he is. After everything that's happened recently, Nezu was right. The class needed a win. Even if they did it in their own… unique way.
"Which are you more proud of?" Mic walks off the bus set to take them back to UA. "The kids passing, or them humiliating everyone else while they did it?"
Shota stares at him. "Yes," he answers flatly, and Mic snickers. "What are you doing here?"
Mic lowers his voice, which brings it down to about normal speaking level. "You heard about all of those villains fighting in the streets?" Shota nods. "They're getting close to here, and figured you wouldn't mind the backup if something went wrong on the drive home."
Shota hums his appreciation. "You really think our luck is that bad?"
"Yeah. Especially since the guy who doesn't believe in luck is hoping he gets lucky."
"Shota wants to get lucky?!" The underground hero shudders, and Mic laughs as Emi saunters up to them. "Well I can certainly think of one way I can help-"
"What do you want?" Shota cuts in, desperately not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence. He gives Mic the stink-eye for having the time of his life and barely containing his laughter.
Emi smiles, holding up her hands. "I come in peace. I just wanted to say congratulations! Your kids, they really- uh, they-" she hesitates. "They slaughtered the rest of us."
"Told you."
"Yeah…" she sighs, pretending to be sad, before running up and grabbing his arm. "But that's okay! Because now, in accordance with our wager-"
"We didn't bet."
"-I have to babysit our daughter this weekend!"
"This I gotta see-"
"Shut up, Hizashi." Shota pulls his arm out of Emi's grip. "Again, there was no bet. And even if there was, I'd make you babysit problem child." To make his point, he cranes his head toward his class, where Midoriya chases Yaoyorozu around with a knife.
"They're just being kids, Shota."
"You're only saying that because you don't think he will actually stab her."
"Maybe," Emi admits. "Does that mean you've realized how much you like the kid?"
"Don't be absurd."
"You'd only give him a nickname if you really liked him." Shota narrows his eyes at her, but Emi just beams back.
"Ochako!" The kids' antics pull their attention again, and they see Midoriya hanging upside down, while Yaoyorozu congratulates Uraraka on a job well done. "How could you?! Whatever Yaomomo's paying you to hang me, I'll double it!"
"Triple," Yaoyorozu counters.
"Quadruple!" Uraraka does not seem to mind the direction they're headed in. "We both know I have deeper pockets than you!"
"I have never seen a limit to my mother's wealth," Yaoyorozu threatens. "Even so, I have the assistance of investors if I need." Kaminari waves at his cousin.
"No!"
"You know what, I'd take that bet," Emi giggles. "Babysitting that kid looks like a fun time."
"She can babysit both Izuku and Eri! I mean, they are brother and sister." One of Midoriya's clones appears next to all three adults, smiling brightly.
Shota sighs so deeply, even Mic looks momentarily concerned, before the underground hero acknowledges the newest addition to their conversation. "This talk is for adults only, clone Thirteen."
The duplicate gasps. "You recognized me?!"
"No." Shota wipes away his excitement with a single word. "It was an easy deduction to make considering who I'm speaking to."
Emi looks back and forth between the clone and Midoriya, who's still upside down. "Wait, so they're brothers?"
"He's a clone, a part of problem child's quirk. He-" Shota groans into his hand. "Just don't ask."
"We're easy to explain!" Clone Thirteen insists. "Izuku is bad with his emotions, so he made us! Like me! I'm all about love because he, well, didn't get much of it growing up."
"They just never have an issue with outing the kid's dirty laundry, do they?" Mic whispers.
"Never," Shota confirms.
Emi kneels down. She starts to place her hands on the clone's shoulder but stops herself. "No one gave him love?! Well, Midoriya seems like a sweet kid, and since he's Eri's sister, that makes him my son too-"
"It does not!"
"Don't say that about your son, Shota."
"Emi!"
She cackles at his expense. "Oh c'mon, just look at us! Green hair, love to laugh, and getting under your skin? We're practically related already!" Shota fumes while Emi looks back at the clone. "So, who do I have to punch for hurting him?!" She slams her fist into her palm.
"Oh wait, he's doing better!" Clone Thirteen stops her. "He has Ochako now."
"The ninja girl who nearly threw that other girl into the sun for flirting with her boyfriend?" The clone nods happily. Emi swoons. "That's so sweet. And it feels like I have a kindred spirit."
"What does that mean?" Shota raises an eyebrow. Emi continues to smile at him. "You didn't… Joke, you didn't beat any woman who had an interest in me, did you?"
"Noooooo!" she denies. "I'd never do that. If I lost you fair and square, that's fair game. I only chased off the girls that were trying to use you to get their grades up or something like that." Shota softens. She really did that for him?
Emi laughs softly. "To be honest, there was a while there where I thought I'd lose you to Hizashi."
"That would've never happened."
There's a sniffle beside him. Shota doesn't want to look, but he knows the man won't stop until he does. So he turns his head to see Mic with his hand on his chest, face filled with mock-hurt. "Shota… how could you? I thought we had something special!"
"I am not doing this with you again!"
"You can have my man over my dead body, Emi!"
"If that's what it takes, Hizashi!"
Shots facepalms, and his two friends howl with laughter.
"Oh man, my dad is freaking out," Kaminari laughs, looking down at his phone. All of the kids are in the process of sending pictures of their new provisional licenses to their parents.
"Oh no…" Midoriya looks worried. "My dad says mom flooded the apartment again… he's had to pay for repairs so many times…"
Tenko smiles as All Might blows up his phone, even getting the rare compliment from Gran Torino.
Jiro laughs at her parents' response, before looking to Yaoyorozu. "You get anything?"
She hums. "Oh yes, my mother is quite proud. I imagine she'll want to celebrate tonight. What about you, Todoroki?" He looks intently at his phone. "Todoroki?"
He looks up, startled. "Oh, apologies. What did you say?"
"That's alright, we were just wondering if Endeavor has responded yet?" He stares at her. "You did tell your father you passed the test, yes?"
He blinks, and his eyes flicker back and forth from his phone. "…Yes, I suppose I did."
"Quill! Your son has messaged you!"
"He's not my son, Drax!" Peter shakes his head, tapping a key on the computer to open his phone messages. His annoyance at his friend immediately melts away when he sees the picture, smiling and typing a response.
An explosion nearby catches the attention of all the students and teachers. "Everyone, get on the bus now," Shota announces.
"Sensei, there are villains nearby?" Jiro holds up the news app on her phone. The rest of the class checks the news as well.
"Yes, and the pro heroes are handling it. Now let's go." Shota motions for them to move, but none of them do. He has a sinking feeling.
It deepens when Midoriya raises his hand. "There are people who need help?"
"Midoriya…"
The green-haired menace looks down at his provisional license. "Sensei, these are active now, yeah?" One by one, the other kids glance down at their licenses, starting to pick the cases holding their hero suits back up.
Shota pinches the bridge of his nose. "You all want to go, don't you?"
"Yes, sensei!" they all shout.
He shakes his head, taking his cell phone out. Emi smirks at him. Damn her. She knows he's torn between not wanting to let them go and admiring their bravery. They don't have to go. They don't need to go. No one expects them to go. It's just the right thing to do.
"Fine, because I know none of you will let this go, I'll confirm you are not needed." He puts the phone to his ear. "Tsukauchi? How is our response going?" He listens.
"It's bad out here, Aizawa! Really bad! We could use all the help we can get! We're doing everything we can to hold the villains back, but I've lost count of the amount of people that need rescuing! Officers, government officials, people commuting to work, the CRC, not to mention-"
"Hold on," Shota stops him. "What do you mean the CRC needs to be rescued?"
"Uh…" Tsukauchi looks out at the bloodbath in front of him. "All of the villains were originally fighting each other, but then the CRC showed up and…"
A group of CRC members scream as Overhaul creates spikes underneath them, killing them all painfully. Two of the cultists try to attack him from behind, but with unexpected speed, he grabs the first one by the face, overhauling his body into a spear through the man's shrieking, and uses him to stab his partner through the stomach. He watches them fall with no remorse. "Filth."
Dabi can't stop laughing while incinerating any CRC member he can find. Daken looks happier the more blood his body is covered in. Wolfram, unable to move much because of his injury, keeps any discarded Silver Clan or police gun he can find above his head, opening fire on any cultists in range.
On the top of a nearby building, even Hirona uses a circular barrier to shove another group of the zealots over the side to their deaths, before flipping the shield over and throwing it at a CRC goon that gets too close to Nagant, slicing her clean in half longways.
"Damn, that's cold," Nagant observes, entertained. She snipes another cultist right in the head. "I thought we were supposed to be killing less?"
Hirona scowls at the new group of villains charging the roof to avenge their comrades. "These weirdos don't count."
On the side of the building they're on top of, Spinner runs across the windows, particularly enjoying himself. He leaps off and drives his swords into the hearts of two cultists on the ground. A third tries to run away, but Spinner gashes him in the leg before he can escape.
The cultist drops hard. "None of you have any idea who you've made an enemy of today," he pants as Spinner stands over him. "Those who support us will never stand for this! You're dead, Snouter! Do you hear me!? You and all of your cold-blooded freak friends-!"
Spinner brings his sword down on the man's neck, watching as he gurgles his last few breaths of life. "How's that for cold-blooded?"
Tsukauchi checks his radio. "Safe to say, I'm waiting for backup, Aizawa. So if you got anyone willing to come in, bring them."
"…Fine. Every time I think we've made some progress on the Clan, even more crawl out. Before I go, any leads on where the CRC has been getting their funds from?"
"Oh yeah, we actually found them." The detective pulls out his notebook. "Some overseas company called the Hope Yards Development and Relocation Association. We're trying to get a look at their books, but we've hit a wall so far."
"Got it, thanks."
Shota sighs yet again, hanging up. "Listen up!" The students stand at attention. "You will be going out in a strictly rescue-only policy. No engaging with villains unless absolutely necessary. And you will listen to any and all commands heroes give you when they give them to you, am I clear?"
"Yes, sensei!"
Emi bumps him. "You softie."
Shota buries his face in his scarf again.
Izuku presses himself up against the wall as he makes his way through the office building. It's almost creepy how muffled the outside sounds of battle are in here, but he doesn't have time to think about that. He's on a mission. According to Aizawa, one of the villain groups is keeping hostages up here.
He turns invisible and sneaks his way to the middle of the floor. It's at that moment he's glad no one can hear him while he's hiding his presence, or else he would have alerted the four Hand ninjas with his shocked gasp. He's read about these guys!
They're a criminal organization with ties all around the world. People rumored their members could live forever, thanks to the blessings of 'The Beast' they believe in. While Izuku doesn't quite believe that, he does believe the other thing he's heard: how skilled they're supposed to be.
The trickster can take no chances with these guys. Especially when there are people to save. Thankfully, the intel was right about there being five or less of them.
A little nervously, he fidgets with the long green and gold coat he wears over a white sweatshirt, with a hood that's naturally pulled up, lined with yellow on the inside. He also wears a red belt and shoes, along with blue baggy cargo pants and fingerless gloves. And finally, to complete his look, he keeps pink-tinted goggles on his head.
His dad was always the one who pressured him to wear the more fancy outfits. Now that Izuku is making more of his own decisions, he's decided he likes it more casual. Well, as casual as someone can be when they're carrying a bunch of extra knives just in case they get cut off from magic again.
That, and the Viking horn he keeps strapped across his body. He smiles as he flicks the cover off.
"What is this?" Izuku asks, holding up the strange horn his father gave him.
"A source of a great many pranks," Loki chuckles fondly. "I bestow it upon you with the understanding you will never divulge its secret to your uncle or cousin. Believe me, my personal wellbeing is at stake."
"Okay…" Izuku replies, confused, still staring at his dad for further explanation.
"I used to give that to your uncle and wager that even he, Thor, so famous for emptying barrels and barrels of alcohol, could not empty its contents." Loki grins. "And he never could. And how it used to frustrate him so."
Izuku asks the obvious. "How?"
"The original owner of that horn blessed it with an interesting power." Loki sighs, hanging the horn off Izuku's side. "I know I have been… conflicted about the use of your Frost Giant abilities, to say the least. But as it seems, you have inherited my arrogance and wish to carve your own path. And you have given me no choice but to respect that."
He pats the horn. "The reason your Uncle could never empty the horn's contents is because it directly replenishes itself with Midgard's oceans."
Izuku's jaw drops, staring down at the horn. "You mean-"
"It is all the water you will ever need."
Izuku reappears, surprising the ninjas. But before they can react, he freezes all their feet to the ground and whips ice shards at their heads. Two are knocked out, but the other two escape. The first ninja charges Izuku immediately, swinging his sword down on him.
But the demigod blocks it with an ice shield, freezing the sword in place and not allowing his opponent to dislodge it. But the ninja thinks quickly on his feet, spinning around and kicking the shield, bashing Izuku back.
Having barely regained his footing, Izuku uses his ice to slide under the ninja's next attack, taking his feet out from under him. The ninja tries to flip back on his feet but slips on the ice and falls back down, allowing Izuku to nail him in the face with a spinning kick. The ninja grabs his head in pain, but before he can get back up, Loki's son covers his fist in ice and punches him in the side of the face, knocking him out.
The last ninja runs, so Izuku tries to freeze him in place, but he escapes with some sort of heat quirk. "Crap, c'mon there's only one left!" He chases the ninja around the corner-
Only to find himself staring down a very long hallway.
A hallway that has several doors on both sides, the first of which opens up, letting Hand ninjas pour out into the narrow corridor.
"Okay… way more than one." He's going to have a talk later with whoever his teacher got his intel from.
"Help!"
"Hello!"
"We're in here!"
But that doesn't matter right now; he can hear the hostages calling for help from inside the rooms. He takes a step into the hallway but cries out in pain, reeling back. It's hot! He coats his foot with ice and looks back up. At the end of the hall, he sees the ninja he had originally been chasing, his hands glowing orange and red. He's probably heating up the hall so Izuku can't use his ice!
And unfortunately, it's probably going to work. He won't be able to use his ice. For attacking at least. Covering his whole body in ice, Izuku steps back into the hallway, and he can immediately feel the ice start to sizzle and melt away, causing steam to rise.
Importantly though, it's keeping him cool. Or at least, cool enough. Sure, he'll have to constantly keep ice flowing over his body, severely limiting its other uses and taking up a chunk of his concentration, but that doesn't matter. Not when there's people to save.
Izuku takes another step, getting used to the temperature, before running straight into the hallway. He can do this! His Uncle Logan used to know a guy who did fights like these all the time! And he was blind! How hard can it be?
The first ninja meets him head-on, trying to stab him with his sword. But it goes through air as he attacks the clone, the real Izuku jumps off the wall and appears in the air next to him, kneeing the man in the face.
The strike brings both of them to the ground and Izuku rolls under the next ninja's swipe. He whirls around on his knees and slices the ninja in the back of her knee before kicking her in the same spot.
She yells, falling to her knees as Izuku jumps up. Two more ninjas charge him, forcing the demigod to conjure his daggers to block their swords, but the first ninja lands a swift kick to Izuku's chest, knocking him back. Before the green-haired boy can recover, the other ninja hands him a solid right hook to his cheek for his troubles.
He winces a bit from the pain. "Ha! My girlfriend hits harder than you!" He reels his hand back and hits both ninjas with an energy blast, sending them sprawling back. With a brief glance back, he flings a throwing knife at the ninja on her knees behind him, hitting her shoulder and knocking her to the ground.
The two ninjas he had energy blasted recover and, like the trickster had hoped, are angry about his little girlfriend comment. The first one recklessly lunges at him, which Izuku sidesteps. "Here, can you hold this for a second?" The man shrieks in pain when Izuku stabs him through the hand and drives his dagger into the wall, keeping him pinned up against it.
He picks up the ninja's dropped sword and uses it to disarm his next opponent and shove her back. He follows that up by running up to her and jumping into the air. In a flash of green, he shapeshifts into a kangaroo and uses his two powerful legs to kick the ninja halfway into the wall, lodging her inside. She doesn't try to get out.
Then, Izuku bashes the ninja he has pinned in the side of the head with his powerful tail, smashing him against the wall and knocking him out. After shifting back into himself, he wrenches his dagger out of his hand, causing blood to fly across the ground, and the man's body crumples. Izuku flings the door to the first office open, and the hostages inside scream.
"It's okay!" He puts his hands up to show them he means no harm. "I'm a hero student named Mischief! I was sent here to rescue you. Don't worry, I have everything under control-" a ninja wraps his arm around Izuku's neck from behind. "…I almost have everything under control," he chokes out.
"Go!" He yells as the ninja pulls him back. The hostages run away, and the good thing is the other Hand soldier is too distracted by Izuku to chase after them. The bad thing is when the ninja takes out a sai and tries to stab the teen in the gut, he's able to dodge but still gets stabbed in the side.
Izuku shouts in pain, kicking the ninja back and stabbing the one holding him in the knee. The man lets him go, and the demigod wastes no time. Grabbing the dagger in the man's knee, he twists it and pushes it forward. The bones inside make a terrible and deep crunching sound as Izuku pops the man's kneecap off. The ninja screams as he collapses, holding onto his leg. Izuku doesn't bother knocking him out, he knows he isn't getting back up.
The ninja who stabbed him draws another sai and attacks. Izuku dodges the first swipe and grabs the man's arm to stop the second. But the ninja was ready for that, dropping the sai from his trapped hand into his free one, and slashing the hero student down the leg. Izuku screams, and the ninja finishes by delivering a strong spin kick to the teen's head, bashing him to the ground.
The world is spinning; Izuku can taste blood and he isn't sure where his other dagger is. All he does know is that his opponent is approaching him, bloody sai in his hand, to finish the job.
Without any other options, Izuku takes a few rapid breaths, before yelling and yanking the blade in his side out. He cries out but still manages to concentrate just enough to throw it at the incoming ninja, hitting him over the head with the handle, before knocking him out with an energy blast.
Izuku drops to his knees, gasping for air. The fighting, the hits he's taken, and constantly having to cover himself in ice are starting to take their toll. He places a trembling hand over his wound and looks at it. It's covered in blood. In fact, he can feel his costume getting soaked as his blood drips on the ground.
"Oh man, Ochako and Eri will kill me if I die," he jokes to himself, chuckling before wincing in pain. "Even laughing hurts…" With more effort than he'd like to admit, he pulls himself to his feet, finds his daggers, and opens the second door to the hostages. Suddenly, a ninja hidden inside attacks him.
Izuku swipes with his dagger twice, but the ninja dodges both strikes before kicking him right in his stab wound. The teen shrieks in pain and stumbles, but he still manages to sweep his opponent off his feet. Right as the ninja hits the ground, Izuku backflips off the wall behind him and crashes his knee down on the man's head. He's not getting back up either.
The son of Loki coughs, his head swimming as he rolls onto all fours, trying to get his senses back. He barely even registers the hostages of the second room running away. Only one more door to go. He places a hand over his wound and braces himself.
Squeezing his eyes shut in vain to stop the tears, Izuku freezes the blood inside his open wound to seal it. He's unable to stop his pitiful wail of agony as it feels like someone is using a serrated knife to dig out his skin from the inside.
But he stopped the bleeding. That's what's important. Letting out a shaky breath, he tries to stand, before falling back on his knees and puking.
The last door flings open, and Izuku wipes his mouth, using what he has left in the tank to hit the first ninja with an energy blast, pushing her back into a wall. The rest of the ninjas run out seconds later and barrel towards the teen, who to them, looks confused.
The green-haired boy barely has any time to dodge a sword slash to his neck, before the ninja switches his stance and runs his blade through the boy's thigh. Izuku screams, and the Hand ninja realizes too late he's been tricked.
The illusion of Izuku fades, and the ninja looks on in horror to realize he had just stabbed another Hand soldier by mistake. A throwing knife impales him in the hand, and the ninja yells in shock when Izuku materializes in front of him, kicking the man's knee out with a sickening crack.
He drops to a knee, and the demigod grabs him. The ninja behind him, who was stabbed in the thigh, tries to intervene, but Izuku back kicks the hilt of the sword, driving it even deeper into her thigh, and she shrieks, dropping to the floor. Izuku knocks the ninja in his grasp out with a knee to the side of the head.
The last three ninjas, including the one with the heat quirk, bunch together, so Izuku turns invisible. Reappearing behind the first one, he slashes his back and turns to his next two opponents, but he underestimates how quickly the first ninja can recover. He gives the hero student a taste of his own medicine by attacking him from behind.
Izuku tries to block, but the heat ninja grabs his arm, causing the half frost giant searing pain and forcing him to take the full brunt of the sword slash to his arm. The ninjas don't even allow him the decency of screaming, kicking him in the chest and sending him stumbling back first. Izuku blocks a couple of their stabs, but another solid kick to the chest throws him back.
His back is against a wall. Both literally and figuratively. He's bleeding in more places than he cares to count, he can barely lift his daggers, and he's doing all that he can just to keep his ice flowing over him so he doesn't burn up, meaning most of his magic is out of play.
He thinks he has enough stamina left for a couple of more energy blasts, but he should save those for when he gets out of this building. Assuming he's alive of course. His options are limited, but when he catches sight of his blood dropping on the floor, he gets a new idea.
If he's out of options, then he'll just have to create more.
In a flash, Izuku uses what's left of his magic to shift himself into an octopus hanging on the wall. The ninjas seem bewildered by the tactic, but the Octo-Izu leaps from the wall and makes his intentions clear, spraying ink all over their faces.
The ninjas yell out in protest as Izuku shifts back, freezing the ink on their faces before they can wipe it off, blinding them. Then, freezing all of his own blood that had conveniently spilled over the floor, Izuku infuses the frozen blood with an energy blast attack. The demigod then forms his concoction into a ball, putting more and more pressure on it until-
He launches it at the ninjas, and with an immense intensity, the ice explodes, blowing the ninjas into the ceiling and knocking them out before they fall back down.
With all of the villains defeated and his energy sapped, Izuku drags himself to the door. "You're safe… you can leave…" he tries to shout, but his voice is barely above speaking level. e falls against a wall, sliding down to the ground.
The hostages gasp when they see the carnage in the hall, but they don't let that stop them from leaving. Izuku keeps his head down, trying to stop the encroaching darkness from taking him. There are still more people to save…
"Midoriya?!" He feels someone kneel next to him, putting a hand on his back. "There- there's so much blood…"
Izuku cracks open his eyes. Red hair, black leather wings, a tail… "Yoshinaga?…" he asks in disbelief, remembering the elementary school girl he had saved from bullies back when he was in middle school. "What are you doing here? You need-" he groans when he tries to sit up. "You need to get out of here."
"But- but-" tears well up in her eyes, and her wings flap in indignation. "You're hurt!"
It hurts, but Izuku still laughs softly, craning his head to the more than dozen unconscious ninjas littering the hallway. "You should see the other guys."
Yoshinaga pouts. "That's not funny!" She wraps her hands and tail around his waist and tries to lift him up, even using her wings to try and generate lift.
"Stop, you don't have to-"
"You helped me, so I'm going to help you!" she declares stubbornly. "No ifs, ands, or buts!"
Izuku sighs but smiles anyway. "I guess I don't have a choice." He braces his hand against the wall, and with Yoshinaga's help, gets himself back to his feet. "Okay, let's get you to the doctors so they can make sure you're okay and help find your parents."
"But what about you?!"
The pair slowly make their way out of the building. "This?" Izuku gestures to himself. "Nah, it's just a scratch."
"You're bleeding all over the place!"
"I've had worse."
"Midoriyaaaa! That doesn't make me feel better!"
He chuckles, trying not to let any of the pain show on his face. "You're very brave for staying behind to help me."
"I learned from the best."
The green-haired boy shakes his head fondly. "I also heard from a certain explosive boy that you were very brave during the attack on Hosu."
She looks away, embarrassed at his praise. "I didn't really do anything…"
"Sometimes, that's the bravest thing you can do." After a while, the pair make it outside, and Izuku walks her back to the police line. "Now when we get back, I want you to-"
"You!" A voice filled with rage pierces the air.
Izuku stops, pushing Yoshinaga behind him, and turns around to see a man he doesn't recognize doing everything in his power to kill him with his look alone. Then, Izuku looks closer, and his eyes widen, jaw dropping.
He may not know the man, but he knows all about the plague mask he's wearing. Another little girl he knows constantly sees it in her nightmares.
The man narrows his eyes. "It is you, isn't it? Izuku Midoriya. The runner-up from the Sports Festival. The same festival where he used his knives and tricks to take what he wanted, even if it wasn't his. Just like you did to me."
Slowly, Izuku's mouth closes, forming a thin line as his eyes harden. He stands up straight, patting Yoshinaga to let him go. The demigod stares directly into the eyes of the man ahead of him, the trembling over his body no longer coming from pain, but from fury and hate.
The man's wrath can be heard in every word he utters. "You're the one who took Eri from me!"
Izuku matches him tone for tone. "And you're Overhaul!"