Chapter 85: You Have Got to Be Shitting Me Part 3
"Yoshinaga, get away from here!"
Crows fly away in fright as Izuku conjures a dagger, not daring to take his eyes off Overhaul. He can't afford to look away. He can't afford to see how his blade shakes in his hand, Izuku barely able to grip it. He can't look at his leg not supporting his weight or the blood still dripping off him. No, he only has eyes for Overhaul.
Which makes it worse when the demigod has no chance of dodging the trail of spikes the villain launches at him. He barely gets Yoshinaga out of the way, before pain like he's never felt explodes from his stomach. Izuku gasps, spitting up blood. He doesn't need to look down to know one of the spikes had stabbed him almost straight through his midsection.
He tries to talk, but it's impossible. His mouth is full of blood, his mind is swimming, and he sees stars in his vision. Every nerve in his body feels like it's on fire. Any tiny movement feels like a knife digging deeper into him, twisting and tearing up his insides. Morbidly, he wonders if this is retribution for all the people he stabbed.
With no control left, Izuku falls. He can't stop Yoshinaga from running back over, desperately trying to pull him away. Just like he can't stop the pool of blood forming underneath him or Overhaul from coming into his vision, standing over him.
"Don't look so pitiful," Overhaul growls, anger radiating off him. "Do you believe after all the hardship you put me through, after you stole what was mine, and the disrespect you brought to my organization, I would be merciful enough to simply let you die?"
The anger in the villain's voice slowly tapers off as he realizes he has full control of the situation. Izuku can tell by the look in his eyes. He can't fight back at all, and Overhaul knows it. As the wrath leaves him, excitement and anticipation almost seem to overwhelm Overhaul.
"You can feel it, can't you?" he asks, treating Izuku no longer as an enemy, but as an experiment. Overhaul bends down. "Your body shutting down as you fade? Your organs failing one by one? Losing control of your breathing?" Izuku hyperventilates. "Your arms and legs will refuse to listen to the commands of your brain, rebelling against you. As if they know it's the brain's fault you're in this situation."
Izuku's trembling hand barely manages to get his phone out of his pocket, clicking on Ochako's emergency contact. He doesn't know if he's calling for help, or if he just wants to send her one last message. It doesn't matter because he's shaking so much from the pain, he drops it.
"Are you feeling cold yet, Midoriya?" Overhaul leers over him.
In response, Yoshinaga hugs him close, trying to provide him warmth but if Izuku could talk, he'd tell him no. It's so far the one thing Overhaul has been wrong about. But he gets no satisfaction from it. He always feels cold. For the first time in his life, his body feels warm.
Overhaul places his hand on Izuku's chest, and he flinches. It's as if the man's touch alone causes pain. "Your pulse is slowing. Tell me, Midoriya, have you ever held a beating heart and watched it slow to a stop? Felt it still in your hand?"
Izuku gives the man the best glare he can manage, imagining exactly whose heart Overhaul is talking about.
"You're so angry." Overhaul relishes every word. "Even through the threat of death, you want me to know how much you hate me. Eri's doing I assume?" Izuku's eyes narrow. "I'm not sure what she told you, but you know how children can be. They love to… exaggerate."
The villain places a hand on Izuku's cheek, and the teen feels the most excruciatingly painful sensation he thinks he's ever experienced. He wouldn't even know where to begin in describing it, besides calling it wrong.
Despite that, when it's over, it feels like he can breathe a bit easier. He looks down at his body and sees the spike gone and his stomach mostly healed. Although the rest of his injuries remain.
Overhaul removes his hand. "This wouldn't be much of a conversation if you couldn't speak."
Oh, Overhaul wants him to talk? He'll talk. "Exaggerate?" He's hoarse and coughs a bit, but Izuku keeps going. "Is that what Eri did?!" His voice gets louder as he goes on. "You tortured her! Over and over, day after day! Because of you, all Eri knew about the world was that it was dark and painful, and you call that an exaggeration?!"
"The fact that you are so gauche about it tells me she did exaggerate," Overhaul replies as if he's a teacher scolding his young student. The villain lifts his hand, flexing it. "I was not hurting Eri for the fun of it. I took no joy from it nor did it make me smile. I was hurting her for the betterment of humankind." Izuku thought he was mad before, but he can feel his anger rising with every word the villain says.
The Yakuza clenches his fist. "We are the product of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, and what do we have to show for it? A plague we call quirks. One that has infected you, me, all of us. Even worse, it has filled your minds with the fantasy of playing heroes and villains, but I know better. I know I can cure the sickness. You call it torture, but I call it necessary! I would rip Eri apart a thousand, no, a million times more if that's what it took to make us normal again! And I would be more of a hero than any of you pretenders could ever dream!!"
Izuku can hardly believe his ears. He's so shocked he can't even bring himself to yell. His clones yell and argue over Overhaul's words in the back of his head. "You… you're justifying torture… you spent years hurting her… and for what? Your own sick belief that people need to be fixed? To be made into what you call normal?!"
Overhaul's response is calm. "I am not justifying anything. I don't need to. Eri belongs to me and I can do whatever I see fit to her."
He's so angry it hurts. Literally. He can feel his heart pounding through his chest, pumping blood faster and faster throughout his body but in turn, making him bleed out faster. He'd try to relax a little, but his clones' constant arguing doesn't help. His head hurts so much! All of his emotions are bubbling up and down, and it feels like he has no control! He needs to calm down!
But every second he stares at Overhaul's smug face, it makes it that much harder. The anger Izuku was feeling before boils over, as if someone tried covering a volcano, and all of that pressure is ready to explode.
"I want to stab you!"
Yoshinaga seems surprised at his declaration but he can hardly says she disagrees by the look on her face. Rather than upset, Overhaul seems pleased with Izuku's declaration. "I've never met anyone so- so twisted! So proud of the terrible things he's done! I just- I just want to stab you! Over and over! Make you feel just the tiniest bit of the pain she felt! And just when you think it's over, I want to give Eri the knife and let her have a turn! Show her the monster that's haunted her for her entire life isn't a monster at all, but a man! A man that bleeds and can be hurt! That she has the power to do that!"
To the demigod's outrage, that just makes Overhaul's smile grow. He can feel the blood pouring out of him even faster, but Izuku finds he doesn't care as much. Even as his head hurts more and more, the voices growing louder. "I don't care how reckless it is, or how hurt I'll be! You're going to pay for what you did!! And when you do, I am going to cut that mask off so I can see your face when you know you've lost! When you realize you can't hurt Eri anymore! When you realize you'll never see her again! And when you realize you aren't a hero!"
Overhaul's smirk doesn't falter. "That wasn't very heroic, young one. But thank you for proving my point, Midoriya." His voice grows more sinister. "You are all just pretending! You never cared about actual justice!"
Izuku's rage explodes inside his head. After everything he's done, how can Overhaul think he has any say in-
"We could dispense real justice, if that's what he wants." Izuku jumps. Some of his anger turns into dread as he hears clone Six's voice rise above the others in his head. "You're so angry, but you won't tell Overhaul what you truly want to do to him."
"Go away!"
"According to dad and Uncle Thor, it's bound to happen eventually. So why not get it over with?"
"I won't! Not like this!"
"Stop fighting and just say it. Admit that one small part of you, deep deep down, wants it."
"Stop!
"Izuku."
"No!"
"Izuku."
"No!"
"Izuku!"
"I don't want to kill him!!" Izuku screams into his mind as loud as he can. Despite not saying anything, he pants, now feeling almost as mentally drained as he is physically.
"If that's true then answer me this…" the clone snickers. "Why am I here?"
Izuku blinks and he can't hear his clones anymore, their conversation having only lasted seconds. Overhaul watches him curiously, before sighing. "I must admit, I am disappointed," he admits nonchalantly. "I had hoped to be the one to make you suffer the most once we met, but I cannot do much more without killing you, sadly."
He exhales in disappointment, looking at his hand. "No matter, once you return with me to our hideout, healing your wounds will be a simple task. And then I can get what I want." He taps his phone a few times and places it to his ear. "Nemoto, I have sent you my location. Make your way to me at once."
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Izuku yells. He tries again in vain to get Yoshinaga to run, but the girl still stubbornly refuses to let go of his arm.
"Stripping you of your defiance is going to be an amusing exercise."
"Torture me all you want! I'll never tell you where Eri is!"
That actually gets Overhaul to pause for a moment. Even if it is just so the villain can laugh. "How naive. You believe I would need to torture you for that information? No no, all that will take is a single question from one of my associates." Izuku gulps, hoping that's just a bluff. "No, I'm afraid the torture would be just for me."
"I won't let you!"
"Yoshinaga, no!" The little girl slips away and runs straight at Overhaul, fists raised. "Don't-!" The Yakuza raises his hand, and Izuku screams at him to stop-
Nothing. Overhaul does nothing but watch amusedly as Yoshinaga hits him over and over. "Leave him alone you big meanie!"
Izuku doesn't dare to breathe as the villain looks back at him. "I'm guessing her attitude is also your handiwork?" The trickster can't bring himself to answer. "How unfortunate. That will make what's about to happen even more your fault." He lowers his hand.
"Don't!" Izuku finds his voice, even as choked up as it is. "Don't kill her." He tries not to beg, but it doesn't work.
"Again with the naivety," Overhaul scolds him. "I am more than capable of causing this little girl great anguish without killing her." He grins. "We both know I have plenty of experience in that area."
Earlier, Overhaul had lied. Hurting Eri had put a smile on his face.
"Maybe… but I know something you don't have experience in." Overhaul halts for just a second, curious about where the boy is going. Izuku still hasn't moved, but it has been some time since Overhaul touched him. "Dealing with tricksters."
Overhaul roars as he realizes too late he has been talking to a clone of Izuku. The real one appears in front of him and, with a flick of his dagger, slices his hand clean off. "Why you-!" The green-haired boy hugs Yoshinaga close and, using the last of his strength, rips an energy blast from his other hand so powerful that it blasts both hero student and villain to different sides of the street. Izuku uses his own body to take the brunt of the fall, protecting Yoshinaga.
After the pair are done tumbling across the road, he pushes her away. "You need to go."
"But-"
"I can't fight him and protect you." Izuku props himself up on his elbow, barely able to do even that. Behind them, Overhaul shrieks in both pain and anger at being tricked, healing his arm. The teen gives her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I'll be a-alright."
Yoshinaga starts to cry. "I-I-"
"Do not worry. I'll protect him."
Izuku tilts his head up in surprise when someone lands on the ground beside them. "Todoroki?!"
Hirona throws one of her exploding spheres at the advancing Silver Clan force and runs away. She creates a platform under her to get higher into the air. "Guys!" she yells over comms. "I'm at Attin Trust Bank! Rendezvous here so we can-"
Hirona is kicked in the back, hard, and sent sprawling back to the ground. She rolls to her feet, moving her hand and in an instant, she has an energy disc centimeters from the neck of a ninja standing in front of her. Which is about how close her attacker's sword is from her face.
She groans internally. All for One told her about these guys.
"What the hell do-"
"Silence, whelp!" A high-pitched and snake-like voice hisses from behind the mask. Hirona glares as the ninja observes her for a few seconds. "Are you really the one we seek? The one whose aroma reeks of rebirth? The girl whose resurrection was allowed by the Beast?"
Hirona has no idea what she's talking about, but the Ninja doesn't explain further, leaping into the air, sword raised. Hirona raises a shield, but before her attacker can reach her, she's hit by an attack and sent careening down the alley, no longer moving when she hits the pavement. But Hirona doesn't care about that. She cares about the energy blast that just hit the ninja.
The spiral energy blast.
Hirona gulps and nervously looks up, wincing when she sees Nejire floating above her, a fierce glare on her face. The teen villain tries to back up, but she only gets a step before her back hits the alley wall. Nejire slowly floats down, her hand raised with another blast ready to fire.
Hirona eyes it warily. "I guess I'd deserve that, huh?"
"You guess?!" Hirona winces at the sharpness of Nejire's voice. "You attacked the training camp, kidnapped Shimura, and strangled me?!" As she lists all of the villain's misdeeds, Nejire slowly drifts to the ground, counting with her fingers. "And you know what else?!" She lifts her hand and Hirona flinches, closing her eyes and bracing for another attack.
Which is why she's shocked when instead of being blasted off of her feet, Hirona feels Nejire hugging her. Her eyes shoot open and her face feels so hot, she's convinced she's going to pass out any second.
'Well if this is the last thing I feel before passing out, that wouldn't be so bad- WHY do I keep thinking like this around her?!'
But just as quickly as she realizes the hero student is hugging her, Nejire is letting go and backing up to give her space. "Sorry." She rubs the back of her head, looking away with a little blush of her own. "After Kamino, I'm just glad you're okay."
Hirona's mouth opens and closes like a fish, unable to respond. Mainly because she's also realizing Nejire hugged her wearing her hero suit. Her very, ahem,form-fitting hero suit that she should stop looking at before Nejire realizes she's staring. She wipes some blood from her nose and finds her words. "Wait, you're not mad?"
"Oh no, I'm really mad."
That finally drains all of the red from Hirona's face. "What?! But you just hugged me?!" she yells, waving her arms so frantically, that she's at risk of flying.
"I know!" Nejire puffs her cheeks in frustration. "It's because you're so confusing!" The blue-haired girl throws her arms down. "I want to be mad at you! I wanna yell and scream but- but I don't know how! I've been mad at villains before, sure, but that was easy! I'd just hit them with my quirk and then they'd be like, 'curse you Nejire-chan! You foiled me again!' You know, if it isn't the first time I beat them up. And after I'd stick my tongue out at them, but with you, I was ready to blast you with my quirk but- but then you didn't even try to defend yourself and made me feel bad!"
Hirona looks away. "Sorry…" She shrugs. "Like I said, I had it coming…"
Nejire gives her a funny look before taking a breath, speaking again at an almost normal volume. "So, I thought that since we've already done the whole yelling and fighting thing that maybe this time… we could try something different?"
Hirona gathers her courage to look back at her. "Okay, if you're alright with that. And for what it's worth… I didn't want to fight you again either."
"Oh good, we're finally on the same page!" Nejire cheers happily.
"Yeah…" Hirona replies awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "About that at least." She pauses. "So, is this the part where you try to convince me to turn myself in again?"
"Will you?"
"Nope."
"Then I won't be doing that either!" Nejire snorts, stifling her laughter at Hirona's discombobulation. "I have a friend named Tamaki who I have to talk into doing a ton of things! He's been teaching me how to tell when someone won't change their mind." Hirona slowly nods in understanding. "But that doesn't mean I'm giving up! You can ask him, once I set my mind to something, there's no stopping me! Unless I get distracted. Then it might stop me for a little bit. But I always go back!"
It's Hirona's turn to snort. "I believe you." The girls stand in a not so uncomfortable silence for a few seconds until Hirona clears her throat again. "And for the record, I-I'm sorry for strangling you. Even back then, I didn't really want to fight you and just wanted it to end.
"Oh, and!" Hirona gestures to the torn-up city block around them. "All of this! It wasn't me! Or us- my team I mean! It was like this when we got here!" She cringes at how bad that sounds but Nejire giggles. "We didn't attack the city, kidnap anyone, take hostages, or any of that! We, uh, might've done a little jailbreak but that's it, I swear! And no one really got hurt." In the distance behind her, a member of the CRC screams as he's flung off a building, landing with a definitive splat! onto the ground. "Mostly."
Hirona shakes her head. "The point is… you were right. Everyone was. Without even realizing it, I was trying to be like All for One, because it's all I knew. It's really all I've ever known. Hell, I can barely remember what my own family looks like. But now… I'm trying to change. Do things differently. And I'm not exactly sure where that's gonna take me… but it's a start. And I hope it's enough for you too."
It falls silent again as Nejire bites her lip in thought. "I heard about what you did at Kamino." Hirona holds her breath. "So… I think it's a start. And maybe one day, you can become the villain I root for."
Hirona has no chance at hiding her thrill from the other teen's approval, smiling more brightly than she has in a long time. Nejire finds she loves seeing her like that.
After calming down a bit from her high, Hirona looks around. "What do we do now? We're still sorta in the middle of a battlefield? My team is on the way, and you probably shouldn't be here when they arrive. I'm not sure how some of them will react to you…"
Nejire nods, humming in agreement. "Yeah, I don't think most of the pro heroes would be happy with me if they saw us talking. I think I could get Ryukyu to understand though! Hopefully, before she'd tear you up with her giant claws!" Excuse Hirona if that doesn't make her feel better. "But I should go anyway and help." She pulls a piece of paper out from one of the gauntlets on her wrists and holds it out for her. Hirona is caught so off-guard, she doesn't notice the new blush forming on Nejire's cheeks. "Here."
Hirona tilts her head, confused, but takes the paper anyway, unfolding it. She gasps when she sees what's on it, nearly dropping the treasure. "This- this is-"
"My phone number! Yeah!" Nejire confirms. "You see, I know I can only convince Tamaki to come out of his house because he trusts me! And why does he trust me? Because we talk all the time! Well, mostly me, but he likes it that way! Sooo I thought maybe if we talked more…" she trails off, her voice almost becoming a whisper. "We could learn to trust each other?"
"Yes!" Hirona answers a little too quickly. "I mean, um, yeah, t-that sounds great. I-" She relaxes herself a little to look up and give Nejire a smile. "I'd like that." The pair stare at one another for a moment, before looking away at the same time, each missing the other blushing again. "I'd give you my number too…" Hirona begins hesitantly. "But I'm sorta always switching phones a lot because…"
"Villain?" Nejire asks with a little giggle.
"Yeah," Hirona chuckles. "But I'll text you!" She looks back at the number, almost like she can't believe what she's holding. "Oh and Kraven, don't kill her," she adds off-handedly.
Nejire yelps in surprise, flying back into the air when she realizes Kraven had snuck up on her and was about to put the girl's head in a bear trap. "Are you sure?" he asks.
"I am."
He looks back and forth between the girls, noticing the little bit of red still on their faces. "Wait… you two aren't like the Spider boy and cat girl, are you?"
Before Hirona can ask what he means, she's grabbed from behind. "What do you have there?" Toga asks, looking over her shoulder at the paper with a very teasing grin on her face.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say it's a certain girl's number…" Nagant looks just like Toga, leaning over Hirona's other shoulder. Behind them, Mustard just looks confused.
"You guuuuuys!" Hirona whines, before looking up at Nejire pitifully. "You should go."
Nejire nods, giving her a little wave. But before she can go, a wave of gunshots nearby catches everyone's attention.
"No one had been able to get in contact with you for some time," Shoto explains, kneeling down and doing a quick scan of both Midoriya's and Yoshinaga's injuries. "And knowing how reckless you usually are-" the demigod looks embarrassed, "we feared the worst, so I volunteered to investigate." He nods and puts his hand on Izuku's neck, wrapping it in ice to help keep him cool before standing.
He taps his comms. "I've located Midoriya. He is with a civilian and badly injured." He pauses. "Yes, I'm hardly surprised either, everyone. I'm sending my location now for rendezvous and extraction."
Midoriya opens his mouth to argue, to tell him to just take Yoshinaga, but a frosty look from Shoto shuts him down immediately. "One of my best friends is so injured, he cannot even stand under his own power currently. So, if he tries to resist our help, I plan to drag him off of this street kicking and screaming if I have to. Does he understand?"
When Midoriya seems conflicted, Shoto adds, "unless…" he tilts his head. "You don't trust your friends?"
It is an underhanded tactic, Shoto knows that. But his friend is bleeding out, and the villain behind them could attack any second. So if he has to play dirty to get Midoriya to safety, he won't hesitate. For Midoriya's part, he looks like he can't decide if seeing how easily his friends can manipulate him is horrifying or exciting.
Finally, the green-haired boy nods, and Shoto rewards him with a small smile and says, "thank you."
"That boy is not going anywhere-!" Shoto shuts Overhaul up by stamping his foot and covering the villain's side of the street in a large mound of ice. But before he can even think he has victory, the ice explodes, and Overhaul counters by sending a wave of ice spikes back at him.
"Stay back!" Shoto draws his guns, and he focuses on condensing his fire into the firearm, like Peter had taught him. With that, he fires a narrow beam of flames from the weapon. Something he could never accomplish with just his hands. The beam destroys the ice and slices through Overhaul's hip with ease.
The villain is in so much pain he can't even bear to make a sound but heals himself quickly with his quirk. Howling in rage, he attempts to destroy the entire street, and Shoto along with it. He lifts Midoriya and Yoshinaga to safety on ice pillars.
Overhaul's move may have worked on him before, but he is much more mobile than he used to be. From below, Overhaul glares up at Shoto as the teen floats in the air thanks to his rocket-powered hover shoes. His new red trench coat with blue accents blows in the wind. To be safe, he draws his second gun and presses on the device in his non-comm ear, expanding it into a new helmet that fits comfortably over his head.
It's just in time too. Overhaul creates a pillar from the ground, lifting him high into the air. From it, the villain attacks Todoroki with several maneuverable spikes. Flicking his guns into rapid-fire mode, Shoto flies through the air, spinning and weaving as he shoots down spike after spike that gets close to him with blaster bolts.
He knows Peter told him not to get too reliant on the aim-assist feature in his helmet, but he feels this situation is an exception.
Seeing no end in sight for spikes, Shoto switches strategies. He flies down to the pillar supporting Overhaul and, using a bit of plasma his guns can produce, he topples the structure. Overhaul remains calm as he falls, reaching out for the falling debris around him to help cushion his fall. Shoto flicks his guns again and just before Overhaul can hit the ground, he hits the man with a large gale of wind.
He hoped to blast the villain far enough away to where he couldn't harm any more of his friends, but Overhaul was ready. Using the debris around him, the Yakuza creates an armor of cement for himself and drops the rest of the way to the ground, too heavy to be blown away.
Shoto grunts in frustration, trying to increase the power of his attack, but it isn't enough. Overhaul is just too heavy for him alone. Even worse, he can see the villain slowly lifting his arms, powering through the winds. Shoto braces himself for-
"NEED SOME HELP?!"
Suddenly, what feels like a mini hurricane collides with Overhaul, driving his arms back down. Shoto glances next to him, surprised to see Inasa attacking the villain as well. The other boy keeping the pressure on with gales much stronger than he could ever produce gives Shoto an idea.
He changes the modes on his guns again and fires a beam of ice from the right firearm, covering Overhaul in a layer of frost.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Inasa questions, thankfully not letting up his assault. "THAT'LL JUST MAKE HIM HEAVIER!"
Shoto lifts his left gun. "A redo." The last time he did this, it was by accident, and he lost the fight because of it. This time, he'd use it and win. "I'm cooling down your air." He pulls the trigger and unleashes a torrent of fire. "So I can heat it up again."
When the fire hits, the explosion is massive, the boom reverberating through the different battlefields and momentarily distracting everyone involved. It destroys the area immediately around it with ease and blasts Shoto and Inasa back down to the ground, both boys crying out when they hit. Anything not bolted down, including nearby cars, are sent flying. Any windows that happen to still be intact are destroyed.
But most importantly, Overhaul is gone.
Inasa wheezes heavily as he gingerly picks himself up. "Think that got him?"
Shoto leans up, wincing a little. "Unlikely. I saw him heal himself pretty thoroughly when I first arrived. We should go and subdue him before he gets the chance." He goes to get up but stops when Inasa offers him a hand instead.
Shoto hesitates, mostly from shock given how much the other boy seemed to hate him during the second part of the exam, but accepts the help, letting Inasa pull him to his feet.
"YEAH! Let's get that son of a-"
"Nice work, kiddos!" They get ready to chase but are interrupted. Snipe waves at them from down the street with Midnight, both heroes running in the direction Overhaul had been sent. "Gitty up back to your friends! We'll get 'em!"
Not wanting to go against his sensei's warning, Shoto listens, heading back to Midoriya and Yoshinaga. It doesn't matter anyway; it is their safety he cares about most.
He grabs Midoriya and waits until the teen gives him the go-ahead to pull him on his feet, the trickster groaning loudly as he does so. Inasa picks up Yoshinaga, who receives an okay from Midoriya that it's alright, while Shoto puts his arm around his friend. He provides the half-frost giant with a steady stream of ice as they begin their walk.
"We should fly," Inasa suggests. "Staying on the ground leaves us open to ambush by more villains." Yoshinaga buries herself deeper into his arms.
"I agree but…" Shoto shakes his head. "We don't know how severe Midoriya's injuries are. Flying may worsen his condition." He doesn't notice the strange look Inasa gives him for how considerate he's being.
"Not if we finish stabilizing him first!" Shoto looks up and feels relief wash over him as Yaoyorozu and Jiro run over to them with Tenko trailing just behind. Yaoyorozu stops just in front of him, getting a good look at Midoriya. "Oh my gods, how do you always manage to-" she sighs in frustration. "Help me lay him down."
"I didn't ask for this," Midoriya mutters.
"No, and you also did not call anyone to assist you," Yaoyorozu replies curtly. Midoriya pouts but ultimately doesn't respond.
The black-haired girl creates a pillow for Midoriya's head before laying him on his side and kneeling down, making various medical supplies. "I believe if I stop the bleeding and brace his arm and leg, he should be stable enough to-"
She lifts his sweatshirt up and cringes. "M-Midoriya! What did you do?!"
"What?" He does his best to shrug while lying down. "I got stabbed and had to stop the bleeding. You act like this is the first time I've frozen my blood before."
"Yes, but you've never done it while it was still inside your body!"
"How bad can it be? That's where the blood belongs anyway!"
Looking one more word away from suffocating Midoriya with the pillow she made for him, Yaoyorozu creates extra supplies. "You could have easily damaged your internal organs." As per usual, she sighs again while around Midoriya. "I'll have to wrap his midsection as well. Tenko, can you help me keep him still?"
"Sure." He gets on his knees on the opposite side of Midoriya.
As Yaoyorozu begins to treat Midoriya, to no one's surprise, she takes advantage of him being immobilized to lecture. "As the Class Representative, you should really strive harder to set a better example for the others." Midoriya groans. Whether it's from the pain or the reprimand is unclear. "We both know how upset you would be if one of them did this to themselves."
"Yeah…" Midoriya admits. "But we have you to be the serious one! It's what lets me be the fun one, so our class gets the best of both worlds!"
"I can be the fun one!" Midoriya and Tenko both balk at the idea. "I- I can be!" Yaoyorozu argues. She turns behind her. "Tell them I can be fun!"
"Yes, very fun," Shoto agrees immediately. Inasa stares at him, flummoxed that the son of Endeavor is taking the time to reassure someone else's feelings.
"Pffft, they know," Jiro rolls her eyes. "They're just trying to get under your skin. Right guys?" She punches her palm, her jacks rising threateningly.
Midoriya and Tenko quickly turn away.
"Yeah, totally! So fun!"
"The funnest, even!"
Midoriya reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his phone. "Hey Tenko, can you text Ochako for me and let her know I'm okay? She'd probably be pretty worried if she heard that radio call."
"Yeah, I got it."
"So how did you find us?" Todoroki asks Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Tenko. "We weren't at the location I initially pinged."
"We saw you up in the air right before that huge explosion," Tenko answers. "Was that you guys?"
Shoto hums the affirmative. "I recreated the final attack between Midoriya and I during the Sports Festival."
"We were afraid of that." Done with Midoriya, Yaoyorozu slowly stands, her hair covering her eyes. Shoto barely has any time to wonder what's going on, before she turns her glare on him. "What were you thinking, causing that explosion?! While there was thankfully no one else nearby, look at your injuries! They could have easily been so much worse!"
If Shoto wants any help from Jiro, he is sorely mistaken. She's glaring at him too. "Dude, you ended up in the hospital last time that happened! And that was without the whole falling from way up in the air thing!"
"I…" Shoto finds himself on his back foot, unsure of what to say to the pair of upset girls.
"Well, we're waiting," Yaoyorozu demands. Jiro taps her foot.
Shoto clears his throat. Not really because he needs to, but just to make any sort of sound. "You see… at the time…" he can feel his face heating up in nervousness. "Midoriya?" he suddenly calls out. "Uraraka and Eri are often upset with you for similar reasons." He gulps as the girls take a step closer. "How do you handle it?"
"I'm doing it now."
Shoto glances over. "All you're doing is lying in the fetal position."
"I said I'm doing it."
"Midoriya, I could really use some assistance."
He does not like the grin on the trickster's face. "Hey, speaking of Ochako and Eri, do you remember what you did when I asked for your help when they were mad at me after our match?"
"Please, I need help."
Midoriya turns away. "No, I don't think I will."
"You're different." Out of everyone, Inasa is the one to save Shoto. The Shiketsu student watches him with a bewildered expression. "From when we first met." Him entering the conversation at least distracts Yaoyorozu and Jiro. While Shoto tries hard, he can't recall where the other hero student would know him from. It must show on his face, because Inasa helps him out. "The recommendation exam. I'm not surprised you don't remember."
Shoto's eyes widen a little in realization. "I see." It's his turn to shock Inasa by bowing to him. "Then I apologize. I have learned my old attitude towards heroics and my peers wasn't right, and I have been working to better myself." He straightens. "And while I don't have much experience yet," he smiles at the rest of his classmates standing around him. "I think I'm doing a good job so far."
Inasa can hardly pick his jaw off the ground. "WOW! It's like you're a totally different person! I barely recognize you!" He laughs madly. "Are you sure you're not an imposter?!"
"I don't think so… Midoriya?" Todoroki addresses him again as Tenko hoists the green-haired boy off the ground. "Would I know if I was possessed, brainwashed, or replaced in some way?"
"Depends on who did it!"
"Could you check? Also, may I borrow a knife?"
Without hesitation, Midoriya procures one from his jacket. "Sure!"
Yaoyorozu grabs him. "Midoriya, no!"
Jiro gets in front of Shoto. "Why do you want a knife?"
"To stab Inasa."
"WHAT! WHY?!"
Shoto shrugs. "I would like us to become friends. And after Midoriya stabbed me, he became my closest friend. I have seen the method work on several of our classmates, so it seems like a good approach."
Midoriya smiles, bumping Yaoyorozu with his elbow. "See? And you said I wasn't a good influence."
"Wait!!" A gust of wind blows through the group as Inasa gets their attention again. "What about your other friends?! You didn't stab them, yeah?"
Shoto cups his chin, contemplating. "I suppose you're right. But I also had the advantage of surviving several villain encounters and multiple run-ins with murderous robots with them as well." He peers back at the group. "And I wouldn't have wanted anyone else there."
"Aw, dude." Jiro punches his arm lightly, and Yaoyorozu smiles, touched. Shoto is getting that strange feeling again. His heart is beating rapidly, and he's feeling lighter than usual. Not to mention the twinge of excitement in his chest. Why does making those two happy feel so different than with his other friends?
"Did you still want that knife?"
"No, Midoriya, he does not!"
"You know Todoroki, if you really want to solidify your friendships with Yaoyorozu and Jiro, you should probably stab them just in case-"
"Don't encourage this, Tenko!"
As they continue to argue, Inasa cracks a smile, laughing. "You all are kinda crazy and I love it!"
"Heh, an escort mission I didn't actually mind for once." Tenko jokes, helping a few police officers take Midoriya over to paramedics. After getting back past the cops' perimeter, their group decided to split once again to help more people.
Yaoyorozu made sure Tenko knew she was close by if they ran into any more trouble. But, turns out, she didn't need to worry. Maybe the universe decided Midoriya had enough punishment for the day, because after getting Yoshinaga back to her grateful dads, he and his demigod friend hadn't run into any villains the rest of the way.
"Thanks. And sorry you had to do this…" Midoriya laughs nervously.
"You helped save me after I was kidnapped; it was literally the least I could do," Tenko replies deadpan. Midoriya goes red, as if the guy had somehow forgotten he'd done that. "Besides, you can make it up to me by not banning my main again when we play Hero Rivals tonight."
"Noooo," Izuku whines. "Don't say again! I still have PTSD from the last time you played as Winter Soldier-"
"We'll take it from here," one of the police officers interrupts them without being rude, lifting Midoriya away from Tenko. He motions his head at two paramedics running over with a stretcher.
Tenko nods at his friend, giving his shoulder a reaffirming squeeze, before using Blackwhip to pull himself to the top of a nearby building. Glancing behind him, he feels relieved to see a few more cop cars pull up as the paramedics wheel Midoriya over to a nearby ambulance. They place a mask over his face, and the injured boy falls unconscious, alleviating his pain. Yeah, he's going to be fine.
Tapping his comms, Tenko takes off running across rooftops. "Tenko here, side quest complete. I'm ready to- oh." He stops, feeling something weird in his pocket. "Hold on." He had reached for his phone but had completely forgotten he still has Midoriya's.
Hoping to get back before the ambulance leaves, Tenko races back. He knows the news of Midoriya's injury will spread fast, and people, especially his parents, will worry if they can't get in contact with him. So hopefully, he can-
Bang!
Tenko loses all air in his lungs, sliding to a stop as a gunshot penetrates the air. Has something happened?! Jumping over the last alley and hoping he's not too late, Tenko looks down from the rooftop at where Midoriya is supposed to be, his HUD enhancing his vision to see- "shit!"
A paramedic lies dead on the ground, a bullet in her head. Her partner tries to run, but one of the cops shoots him too before he can make it far.
"Load the kid up!" The senior officer orders while one of his subordinates handcuffs a helpless Midoriya to the stretcher and pushes him into the ambulance. "You two." He points to another pair of officers. "Take the bodies back into the villain zone and light 'em up!" He tosses them a lighter. "Make it seem like that Dabi guy did it."
"Couldn't they still tell they were shot?" another cop asks.
The man giving commands rolls his eyes. "Probably, but with the mess of bodies the coroners will get after today, ain't none of them will be looking too closely." He whistles, making a circular motion with his finger. "Now let's go! If we want our bonus, we gotta get the brat to Overhaul before he leaves."
"Sergeant!" Tenko had been careless, too stunned by what he was seeing to properly hide himself. And now, he has been spotted. One of the officers points directly at him. "Witness!"
"Kill him! I'll take the kid!" The lead officer jumps into the ambulance, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Tenko with a decision to make.
How does he handle this real life QuickTime event? He has maybe seconds to stop the ambulance before it takes off, and six cops standing in his way, guns raised. Logically, to beat this, he needs both speed and reflexes. And while he's always been fast, he would've never been fast enough to save Midoriya before.
But now he is.
Surprisingly, unlike a lot of his classmates, he hadn't changed his costume much before the exam, besides the typical swapping of materials for higher quality ones. Like Midoriya, he likes the simpler look.
The biggest change is whereas before, he only kept Stark tech on his hands and feet. He now has additional armor that runs up both his arms and legs that can expand or collapse from his belt. Not that you could tell by looking at him, as he still keeps all the improvements hidden under his jacket and pants.
They found the extra armor necessary if he wanted to access more of One for All without hurting himself.
Closing his eyes and focusing, Tenko draws on the well of power deep inside him, letting it flow over every part of his body until it has evenly distributed its power. When he opens his eyes again, dark red lightning surrounds his body.
He taps his comms again. "Yaoyorozu, come gank my location as soon as you can. I got corrupt cops!"
The officers open fire.
"One for All: Lag Switch! Ten percent!" In an instant, Tenko is in the air, directly above the corrupt cops. The ambulance roars to life, but four Blackwhip tendrils flatten all of the tires at once. Tenko nods, excited at seeing his armor on his arms automatically adapt to the quirk.
With his friend not going anywhere, Tenko uses One for All to ricochet around all six cops, dodging their gunfire and knocking most of them out with ease. Just like he had hoped, none of them even realize what's happening before it's too late.
As if they are lagging.
'Thanks Midoriya.'
The last cop remaining tries separately to reload after having already unloaded his clip, but Tenko never gives him that chance. An armored leg crashes into his stomach as the blue-haired boy shouts. "Los Santos Smash!!"
The officer is sent careening through the ambulance doors, destroying them. Tenko hastily follows him in but is forced to stand down when he gets inside.
The Sergeant has his gun pointed at Midoriya's head. "That's enough!!" he commands, his voice shaking a little. "Now listen here, you're gonna do as I say, when I say, got it?"
Tenko hates campers. But, unfortunately for the cop, he had a few mods installed recently. He raises his hands, as if to surrender, but what the officer doesn't see is Tenko's HUD locking onto him. This isn't something he'd ever try on his own, but with this aimbot…
When his HUD gives him the go-ahead, Tenko fires a Blackwhip tendril from his armor, grabbing and yanking the gun from the cop's hand and decaying it. Before he can react, Tenko punches the man across the face, feeling a satisfying crack as he does so, and knocks him out.
Checking on Midoriya, Tenko relaxes when he sees he's fine, just knocked out still. "If they can camp, so can I." Tenko rolls him out. "How about I stick with you until you're at the hospital?"
"That was impressive." Tenko smiles when he catches Banjo giving him a thumbs up. "Keep up the good work! You're getting better every day, kid!"
He fades away, but his approval keeps Tenko smiling as he makes sure Midoriya isn't bleeding anywhere new, decaying the handcuffs off of him. Banjo is right, he is getting better every day. Because even though he can still hear that voice inside him that tells him he doesn't deserve One for All, every day it gets just a tiny bit quieter. Tenko sighs, leaning over to rest for a second.
"I agree!" Yaoyorozu arrives and makes sure Tenko is okay. "How about we escort Midoriya together? You seem pretty fatigued." She looks around, confused, before shrugging and handcuffing the unconscious officers.
Tenko is about to thank her, but his HUD suddenly alerts him to more people around the corner. "Someone's here!" One for All comes back to life around him as Yaoyorozu pulls one of her energy blades to see- well he was right, they are villains. Just not the ones he expected to see.
"That's new," Hirona comments on his new quirk. Surprised doesn't even begin to cover it as he sees his sister and most of the former League come around the corner, staring at him.
Even more surprising is seeing Hado floating above them, seemingly not in any danger. "We heard gunshots!" She flies right up into his face, checking all three hero students in rapid succession. "Is everyone okay?! What happened?! Why are- was he shot?!"
Yaoyorozu assures her Midoriya is- well he's not fine, but he wasn't shot. But for Tenko, unlike Hado, he doesn't even know where to begin with his questions, but he doesn't get the chance to ask.
"Izuku is covered in blood!!" Tenko jumps, not knowing when or how Toga got so close to him. The blonde stares at his friend like he's a rare piece of meat, practically drooling. "Wow… do you think he'd mind if I- ow! Hey!"
Toga tries to swat Compress away, but he picks her up by the back of her jacket like a cat. "Come, now is not the time."
"But he's never looked better!"
"SINNERS!!!"
They all jump this time from Ghost Rider's loud proclamation. The hero stands on a flaming Silver armored truck that barrels toward a group of fighting Silvers and Yakuza. "So many that deserve to be punished!!"
The villains all turn their guns on the Rider, unleashing a storm of bullets onto him, but the flaming skull doesn't even pretend to be bothered. After a minute, when all anyone can hear is the sound of clicking from empty guns, Ghost Rider pulls a burning minigun out from beneath him.
"My turn."
The villains scream as the Rider blazes them with a firestorm of bullets. Just a single touch from one of his projectiles causes each of them to burn from the inside out, incinerating them on the spot. But Ghost Rider still makes sure they suffer, every villain crying out in torment as they're hit.
Kurogiri materializes next to his companions. "I believe that is a sign we should leave. I have already returned Stain to the safe house." Kurogiri explains, creating a new portal. "The rest of you should follow."
Hirona looks back at Tenko, as if she can't decide what to say. Tenko understands. There's a lot he wants to say too, but there isn't time. She folds up a paper in her hand and settles with, "glad your legs are healed."
She waves the rest of her team through the portal, making carefully sure that Mustard and Spinner leave. While there's a lot more they should talk about, Tenko decides that he has time for one thing. "I'm glad you're alright, Hana."
Hirona stops before stepping through the portal, looking back at him with a face full of mixed emotions. Before Tenko can try to figure out what she's feeling, someone else cuts in.
"Hana?" Hirona gasps a little, staring up with wide eyes at Hado. "Did he call you Hana?" the blue-haired girl asks hesitantly. "Is that… is that your real name?"
Hirona looks more conflicted than Tenko has ever seen his sister before. "It- it's…" she shakes a little. "It's the person I used to be. But she's long gone, and I hate it when people use that name." She walks up to the portal but pauses, glancing up at Hado. "At least, I usually do." She leaves, the portal vanishing behind her.
"Dammit," Hawks growls, watching Taskmaster speed away in a truck with the data they had rightfully stolen. He'd love to give chase, but with barely any feathers left, and an injured Nighteye in his arms, the bird hero has no choice but to concede and cut his losses.
Better to lose the battle than put their war in jeopardy. Especially when it comes to almost losing the one person he can trust. They just couldn't have predicted Taskmaster having several bombs already planted in the street outside of the HPSC building. Hawks can at least take solace in knowing all of the villains already battling had cleared out the place of civilians.
He hopes so anyhow.
Using what's left of his feathers to land on a building rooftop, he places Nighteye down, careful not to touch any of his burns, and scans the area for help. But unfortunately, he isn't the only one needing help.
"Master, I strongly suggest we make our retreat!" Nemoto urges. "I already have a car being brought to us. We should leave!"
"No!" Overhaul barks as if the very thought offends him. "We are so close!" The pair trudge through the destroyed streets. Long gone is his calm demeanor. His eyes are wild, like a wild animal trapped in a corner. Or like the man who was so close to getting Eri back, but he let it slip through his fingers!
"But sir, the Rider approaches! And if he catches us-"
"The Midoriya boy is still nearby! I will not leave without him! He is the key to getting Eri back!" His voice trembles. "And he owes me years of his pain and suffering after what he's put me through!"
"But Ghost Rider-!"
"Wipe that cowardice out of your voice! It is disgraceful! We still have-" Overhaul notices the two heroes charging them just in time. Snipe fires on the Yakuza as Overhaul creates a wall between them, shielding them from the bullets.
"That won't save you from this!" Midnight tears her sleeve, smothering the area in her gas.
"Please," Overhaul scoffs. He first uses his quirk to seal his mask to his face, before grabbing an injured crow that had limped too close to them. Fusing himself with the bird, sleek black wings emerge from Overhaul's back and with them, he propels himself over Midnight's gas, diving at the hero with his hand outstretched.
She jumps back, not letting Overhaul grab her. He goes to slap the ground, but before he can, Midnight's whip ties his hands together. He screams in frustration as the R-rated hero wrenches his arms up, not allowing him to touch anything.
Snipe takes advantage of his confinement, opening fire on the Yakuza, but Overhaul's wings propel him up, dodging the bullets. He uses Midnight's whip against her, tugging hard as he flies up and bringing her with him.
"Nemuri!" Snipe calls out. Well, if he wants her back, Overhaul will oblige him. He spins mid-air, swinging Midnight right into her comrade. Both heroes hit the ground dazed. Overhaul gets ready to finish them off, but their fight has attracted the attention of another hero.
"KAI CHISAKI!!" Ghost Rider roars, the empty sockets of his skull turning towards them. Behind him, the fire that burns the trees seems to grow in anticipation. "Your sins stench the air the most!!" He incinerates more Yakuza with his Hellfire. The rest of the villains around him start to surrender. "Your suffering will not be quick and now, I know exactly where you are!!"
"Sir!" Nemoto squeaks.
Overhaul tsks. "Bastard…" He flies back over to Nemoto. "It seems we have run out of time." He reaches out to him. "Come. Let's find that car you called." Nemoto extends his hand as well, but when he does, Overhaul surprises him by suddenly grasping his arm tightly. "But before we do… I believe you need a reminder of who's in charge."
"Wait, sir no-!"
The Yakuza boss ignores his pleas as he overhauls him out of existence, before reconstructing him, but when he does, something strange happens.
On the roof, Hawks takes off his visor to make sure he's seeing things clearly. "No way… Nighteye!" He yells for his barely conscious friend to open his eyes. "Look!" He helps the other hero turn his head. "Today might not have been a waste."
Overhaul tilts his head, his mind running a million miles a minute, because after he had reassembled Nemoto perfectly and returned him back to his original physical state, Nemoto had not returned. Instead, a Skrull cowers at his feet. "What do we have here?…"
Nighteye leans up to get a better look. "Overhaul's quirk can reveal the Skrulls?"
Back in her office, the president of the HPSC drops her phone as she receives the update.
"You've got to be shitting me."