Chapter 18: "Well shit, that can't be good."
"Before anything else," Said Aizawa as he fixed a tired gaze on Izuku as he pressed a button, causing a monitor to appear that showed footage of a hallway, with one of the walls having an arm shaped hole in it, with cracks spreading out, showing further damage. "Midoriya, I can appreciate you looking out for a classmate's wellbeing, but please try to avoid damaging school property. In the future. Being careless when in combat can ruin a hero's career if he breaks the wrong thing."
Izuku's face became one of mild embarrassment. "I'll… keep that in mind." He said, looking away from the teacher and trying to not pay the feeling of everyone looking at him any mind.
Aizawa let out a sigh as he turned the monitor off. "Now then, it'd be illogical to allow the incident from this morning to obstruct your studies, especially now that your class representatives have been elected." He explained. "And Especially since this lesson is to be an important one, headed by a three man team including All Might, myself, and a third faculty member that you'll all meet today."
"What is the lesson for today?" Asked Sero with a raised hand.
Aizawa responded by pulling up a card. Izuku squinted to read it. In big, bold, and colorful letters was the word, "RESCUE." "Today you're all going to learn how to be the Hero that the people need you to be. Day one was the trial of applying your Quirks in basic exercises, yesterday was applying your Quirks in the Battle Trial, and today we'll be doing the trial of Rescue."
"Do you think he just keeps a stack of those somewhere ready for whatever lesson he has planned?"
Between that question, and Kacchan scoffing and grumbling the word, "boring" under his breath, Izuku had to bite his lip to avoid laughing.
"'Rescue Trial… yeesh, I get the feeling this one's gonna be a lot harder than yesterday." Said Kaminari.
"Totally!" Agreed Ashido.
"Aw c'mon guys, we came here to learn how to be Heroes! And a Heroes first duty is saving people! This oughta be our manliest lesson yet!" Exclaimed Kirishima.
"A water environment would be perfect for me, ribbit, so I hope I can see what the flood rescue training will look like." Commented Asui, before looking at Kacchan. "Though I guess that kind of scenario would be a real struggle for you, huh Bakuchan?"
"Hah?!" Asked Kacchan, turning to give Asui the stink eye. "That a challenge or something, Tsu!?"
"Ribbit, no, just an observation. I doubt explosions and water go together pretty well."
"Tch, well they don't!" He declared, loudly explaining, "Water washes the sweat I need to make my explosions away, and if I'm cold it gets harder to produce that sweat!"
"Wait, sweat?" Asked Kirishima, looking at Kacchan in confusion.
"Kacchan's Quirk could technically be classified as a mutation," Explained Izuku, "His palms secrete a special type of sweat that's similar to nitroglycerin, and then he can detonate it at will. It's really useful too since that means the longer a fight against him drags out, the more of a sweat he builds up, and the bigger his explosions." He then turned to look at Kacchan. "I'm suspecting those gauntlets of yours are also designed to be extra warm and store sweat for an even bigger explosion."
Kacchan scoffed. "Got it one, nerd."
"As interesting as this is," Said Aizawa, cutting into the conversation as he opened the specialized wall holding their costumes, "We're burning daylight, you can continue discussing costume inspirations on the bus. Not all of your costumes might be fitting for these environments at first, so I'd advise bringing a change of P.E. clothes just in case."
Once everyone was changed, they made their way outside to the bus that was waiting for them. Iida immediately decided to lean into his new position as the class's sort of tertiary leader and began directing everyone to enter the bus in rows of two based on their seating order.
"I really hope he doesn't let his newfound power as a class head go to his, well, head." Said Yaoyorozu.
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Said Izuku with a weak smile. "He's a stickler for rules but he means well and cares about the wellbeing of others, this morning can attest to that."
"You're someone who cares for others too of course, Midoriya." Countered Yaoyorozu. "After all, while you may not have been the one to stop the panicking crowd, you were the one who was able to ensure Hagakure's safety and prevent her from getting trampled in the commotion."
"I just didn't want one of my fr- classmates to get hurt." Replied Izuku.
"Ever the modest one, Midoriya. Ever the modest one."
"Oi, Class Sect! Give it a rest!" Called Sero, causing Iida to take a break from barking orders. Sero, who was standing in the entrance of the bus, pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards the inside of the bus. "This thing isn't structured like a regular school bus anyways, so let's just get in and get goin'."
Iida stood there, silently staring at Sero.
"Gosh… darn it…" Izuku patted his friend on the back, as Iida simply sat there, his face in his lap and his fists trembling on his knees.
"Don't be like that Iida, I think we all appreciated the effort." Said Izuku in as nice of a voice as he could manage.
"No we didn't, that shit was obnoxious." Commented Kacchan.
Izuku gave his rival a flat look as Iida's body went slack, the boy transitioning from frustrated to just sulking now. "Most of us appreciated the effort."
"There there," Said Sero with a grin, "I'm sure there'll be plenty of more opportunities for you to lecture us on rules in the future."
Iida sighed before sitting up straight and adjusting his glasses. "Thank you Midoriya, Sero. Your words do make me feel a little bit better."
That made the two boys chuckle, happy to make Iida feel better. Izuku then noticed that Asui was staring at him. "Uh, is there something on my face, Asui?" He asked.
"Oh damn, are we getting a third one?"
"Wouldn't it be a fourth? He seemed to have held that invisible one very close to him during the mess this morning."
"Eh, I dunno guys, pretty sure Miss Froggy is more buddy buddy with the human firework than she is with Izuku."
"You can just call me Tsu, ribbit." Replied the frog girl. "I'm a very blunt person, Midoriya, so I'm going to just come out and say what's been on my mind. Your Quirk is really similar to All Might's isn't it?" Izuku's eyes widened a little at that, the bus going silent at the abrupt accusation. Kacchan was staring at Izuku and Asui, waiting for one of them to say something. Even Todoroki seemed interested in this conversation and he only seemed to interact with them when it was absolutely necessary.
"Oh."
"Well shit, that can't be good."
"I mean, I guess?" Said Izuku with a shrug. "Our Quirks both enhance our strength but that seems to be where the similarities stop and end. All Might's Quirk seems to have a lot of visual differences from mine. Mine makes me glow and can hurt me if I'm careless with its usage. Comparing our Quirks is honestly in the same vein as saying you and Koda have similar Quirks because they're both animal based."
Asui let out a hum. "I guess that's fair, ribbit. Forget what I said then." She replied.
"On the topic of your Quirk, you've definitely got the perfect kind for being in the top ten." Said Kirishima. "With something so manly and flashy, every fight you get in is sure to be one heck of a show, especially once you get access to higher percentages." He then hardened one of his arms. "Can't quite say the same thing about mine, kinda plain right?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Kirishima." Retorted Izuku. "A Quirk like yours is perfect for being a hero. You can become an unbreakable wall that will protect allies and innocents from danger, and I imagine being punched by you wouldn't exactly tickle." He summoned one of his notebooks to his hands and then pulled out a pen. "Have you ever tried hardening your hardened skin for a second time? And how long can you maintain your Quirk? Can the period be extended with training? Can-"
Dumb hair let out a nervous chuckle while Katsuki rolled his eyes at Deku's ramblings. Once the nerd got the ball rolling it was damn near impossible to get him to shut it. "Well, Midoribro isn't the only one who's a double whammy of flashy and powerful, right Bakubro?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow at him. "You and Todoroki are also both have super manly Quirks."
"My Navel Laser is also both mighty and magnifique." Commented Glitter Boy with a sparkling smile.
"Yeah, as long as you don't push to hard and make a mess of your guts by accident." Joked Raccoon Eyes. Katsuki didn't know it was possible to glare at someone while still smiling. Honestly he was a little impressed.
"Yeah, what you said about Kacchan and Todoroki is true, but the tradeoff is that their personalities suck." Snickered Dunce Face.
"The hell you say about me Dunce Face!?" Snapped Katsuki angrily.
"Well, since we have begun to socialize, you've made it clear that your personality is about as pleasant as a turd steamed in sewage." Explained Kaminari in a very mockingly posh tone.
"Quit speakin' in fancy gibberish! It makes you sound like an even bigger fuckin' moron!" Shouted Katsuki.
"Honestly, such a foul conversation." Said Ponytail as she shook her head.
"Speak for yourself, I think this is hilarious!" Laughed Round Face.
"We're here, so look sharp now." Called Hobo-Sensei from the front.
"Yes sir." Responded most of the class, though Katsuki noticed that Deku still had his nose in that notebook of his, so he reached over and smacked the back of his head to quickly return him to the real world.
The sight before Class 1A was a spectacular one. The place had to have been the size of an amusement park, with at least half a dozen different areas to visit. "There's a flood zone, a landslide zone, conflagration zone, so on and so forth." Explained a woman dressed in a space suit. "Every disaster you could possibly imagine really, I designed and had this place built myself. Welcome Heroic First Years, to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! But you can just call it the U.S.J!"
"Oh. So it's just like Universal Studios Japan. Do you think they gave the OK to have this be built?"
"Do you think they were willing to go against a menace like Nedzu and try to oppose it being built?"
"Fair."
"Omigosh! It's The Space Hero: Thirteen!" Exclaimed Ochako happily as she grabbed Izuku's arm and began shaking him back and forth. "She's the greatest! A gentle hero who specializes in rescues! She's my favorite!"
"Th… that's niiice Ochakooo…!" Said Izuku as she continued to shake him.
"Geez, didn't realize the earthquake training had already begun."
"Hey, look at the teachers, something seems to be up."
Through the shaking, Izuku managed to narrow his eyes as Aizawa and Thirteen discussed something. He noticed her holding up three fingers. As someone in the know, he was able to deduce the meaning. 'Yagi-Sensei must've burnt through his timeline for the day already.'
"That irresponsible dumbass."
"Hey! Watch what you say about Toshinori!"
"He has a responsibility to these kids! What good is it gonna do for him to waste time handling issues that a hundred other people could solve if he winds up unable to handle the things that he's meant to do!?"
"Alright class," Izuku silently thanked Thirteen for the unintentional rescue, her voice both managing to calm Ochako down enough to make the shaking cease, as well as distract him from Second and Seventh's argument. "Before we start, there's two points I need to go over. Or three. Maybe four…?"
"Focus." Said Aizawa drily.
"Right." Said Thirteen, coughing into her fist before holding up her hand. "As I'm sure the majority of you are aware, my Quirk is known as Blackhole."
"It gives you the power to suck matter into your fingertips and tear it to tiny pieces, perfect for clearing debris and rescuing civilians, right?" Asked Izuku as he wrote down in a notebook covered in planets.
"Indeed, my Quirk is very useful for rescuing people." Replied Thirteen, her tone then becoming very serious as she said, "But it could easily be used to kill."
"Oh? Well this is interesting…"
"I'll spare the squeamish ones amongst you and avoid going into details, but you can probably imagine what would happen if I turned my Quirk on a living person." Explained Thirteen. "And I run the risk of this happening every time I use my Quirk to say, destroy debris trapping someone's leg. It's thanks to years of training that I'm able to target the debris and leave the civilian unharmed. Our Superhero Society puts heavy limits on Quirk Usage, so just like villains, most of you have little practice when it comes to using your Quirks in high stakes scenarios. That's what the U.S.J. is for, to teach each and everyone one of you how to save lives with the abilities you've been blessed with. Thank you for listening to me speak." The pro gave the students a bow and they in turn applauded her speech.
"Great, now then, to start… with…" Aizawa began to say something, but he trailed off and turned his head towards the center of the U.S.J. Izuku followed his gaze, his eyes widening when he saw it.
A strange black mist portal had appeared, and out of it stepped a strange looking man with pale blue hair, his costume consisting of loose black clothing and several severed hands decorating his arms and head. More portals began appearing as more villains stepped through.
"Everyone stay back!" Barked Aizawa, causing a few students to flinch a little. "Huddle up and don't move! Thirteen, keep them safe!"
"What the heck is that Sensei? More robots like from the entrance exam?" Asked Kirishima.
"No, that's wrong." Said Izuku as he continued to stare. "I think those are villains. Like, genuine villains with ill intent."
"Midoriya's right." Said Aizawa as he pulled his goggles over his eyes. "So stay put and let us deal with this."
"What kinda villains would be insane enough to attack a Hero Academy?" Wondered Satou.
"Thirteen, shouldn't there be sensors for intruders?!" Asked Yaoyorozu worriedly.
"There are! They should've gone off by now!" Relief the Pro Hero as she looked around.
"Are they only here or at the main building?" Wondered Todoroki aloud as he approached the front of the group, looking down upon the villains crowding beneath them. "This place is far from the campus, and they made sure to arrive at a time when there wouldn't be too many people here. They clearly aren't as dumb as their costumes make them look. They have an objective, and they've done some serious coordination to make sure it's pulled off."
"Listen up students." Said Aizawa, bringing everyone's attention back to him as he stepped forward, his capture scarf and hair beginning to float, signifying the activation of his Quirk. "Thirteen's going to be in charge of evacuating you back to the school. Kaminari, I want you to use your Quirk and gear to attempt contacting the school. I'll deal with the villains in the meantime."
"Aizawa, you can't fight off this many villains on your own." Argued Izuku. "Your fighting style is focused on one on one, using Erasure to throw your opponents off and then capturing them. There's no way you'll be able to fight off this many of them alone."
"Then let this be a lesson, Midoriya." Said Aizawa without meeting the boy's gaze, "No Hero is a One-Trick Pony. Take care of them, Thirteen."
He then leapt into the fray, and Izuku got a bird's eye view of watching the teacher go to town on the villains, using his goggles so they couldn't tell which of them was being Erased and even having countermeasures to the villains his Quirk was useless against.
"Well shit, man's actually holding his own."
"Hmph, my opinion on him as a teacher hasn't changed, but I'll give credit where it's due, he makes for an effective Hero."
'It looks like he can handle himself, a part of me wants to help but I get the feeling that I'd just be a distraction for him at this point more than anything else.' Thought Izuku.
"C'mon Deku, we need to get going!" Called Ochako from the crowd.
"Midoriya! Please do not dawdle!" Called Iida. "As Class President, you should set an example for your classmates in times of crisis!"
"Right, I'm coming." Said Izuku as he began jogging to catch up.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that."
The entire group came to an abrupt halt as the villain made of black mist appeared before him.
"Wait, how did he…?"
'He's a warper. He must've teleported past Aizawa while he was fighting the villains.' Thought Izuku, staring at the villain with wide eyes.
"Greetings, students of UA, we are the League of Villains." Continued the Villain. "Forgive our audacity, but we have arrived at this bastion of heroism for a single goal: to end the life of All Might, the Symbol of Peace."
"Damn, half and half was right, these guys mean business."
"We were under the impression that he would be here at this time, was the schedule perhaps changed?" He wondered aloud. "Regardless, my role remains unchanged, prepare to meet your end."
"I won't let you hurt our students!" Declared Thirteen as she aimed her hand at the Villain, activating her Quirk.
Some of the Villain's misty body was drawn towards the Heroine, but that's when Izuku noticed something, a ball of black mist appearing behind her. Realizing the intention, Izuku tried to dash forward and warn his teacher. "Thirteen, don't! It's a trap!"
"Eh!?" Unfortunately it was too little too late. Perhaps if the pro was more experienced with combat she might've noticed the trap, but she was one who focused primarily on rescue and thus lacked the same battle instincts as someone like All Might, and had failed to notice the Warp Gate appearing behind her until the back of her suit, and body, were already being torn through by her own Quirk. "Augh!" She cried out in pain, her Quirk deactivating as she collapsed to the floor, blood leaking from her suit.
"THIRTEEN!" Ochako cried out in anguish as her favorite hero collapsed to the floor.
'Shit!' Izuku thought, he quickly looked amongst his classmates, trying to decide what the next course of action should be. "Shouji! Protect Thirteen! Yaoyorozu! See if you can create first aid materials for her!"
"Right!" Said his classmates. But before they could move, a loud shout halted them in their tracks.
"DIIIE!" Roared Kacchan as he leapt at the Villain, his hand crackling with an explosion. By his side was Kirishima, swinging a hardened fist at the villain.
To Izuku's dismay, their attacks moved right through the villain.
"So he doesn't just create Warp Gates with the smoke surrounding his body, his body is the smoke."
"A commendable effort, I admire your bravery."Said the Villain. "As a sign of respect, I shall share the name of the one who will send you to your deaths. My name is Kurogiri. Now then, I am going to scatter you across this facility, prepare to meet your end at the hands and Quirks of my comrades. Farewell, fledgling Heroes."
The villain's misty body expanded and began to surround the students. Before everything could be enveloped in black, two students were able to act.
Shouji leapt forward, grabbing his two closest classmates to him, Ashido and Sero, and then threw them down next to Thirteen on the ground before using his arms like a tent to cover all three of them and anchor himself to the ground.
At the same time, Izuku was able to reach his hands out to the two closest to him, Iida and Ochako. He placed a hand on each of their chests and pushed them backwards, just barely moving them out of the Villain's range.
"Deku!?"
"Midoriya!"
"Iida!" Izuku shouted as the black mist began to engulf him. "As class president I'm ordering you! Get out of here and alert the faculty of the situation! I'm leaving everything to y-!"
And then, he was gone.
Chapter 19: "Checkmate guys."
Cold.
Cold Cold Cold!
Oh god the water was so god damn cold!
Just his luck he'd be spat out by Kurogiri's Warp Gate head first into the flood zone. Izuku paddled his arms as he attempted to reorient himself and start swimming upwards. He didn't have time to hold his breath before taking the plunge and his lungs were already starting to feel tight. 'Alright, where was this relative to the central area? I need to get back to the others as soon as possible. If these guys really plan to go after Yagi-Sensei, I need to be there to put a stop to them.'
"You really plan on fighting villains, boy?"
"I think you're forgetting the day All Might met this little nutcase, he charged headfirst into a flaming alleyway to try and save his friend despite being Quirkless."
"I wish I could forget a sight that stupid."
"Hey, it's the reason we're here now."
"That's my point!"
'You're not exactly making it easy for me to focus.'
"You should probably focus on the sound of the Jaws Theme. Check your two o'clock."
'Eh?'
"Found you…" Oh. It was a villain.
Oh shit, it was a villain! Some kind of humanoid shark mutant. Izuku couldn't help but wonder if those goggles were a necessity or simply there for aesthetic purposes.
"Don't get distracted, or you're gonna get your face chewed off."
"Assuming you don't drown first at this rate."
"It's nuthin' personal kid… but get ready to say goodbye!" He gurgled as he swam towards Izuku, his jaw unhinging and stretching to the point that it was larger than Izuku's entire head.
Crap, Izuku was at a disadvantage here, he had no practice fighting underwater, and that inexperience was really hindering him now, all he could do was charge One for All up to Nine Percent and hope the resistance from the water wouldn't soften the blow to the point of uselessness.
"Goodbye, ribbit." Or, alternatively, Asui could come to the rescue. Diving into the water and planting both feet into the villain's head before using his face like a springboard to leap out of the water while simultaneously wrapping her tongue around Izuku's body to pull him out alongside her.
"Thanks for the assist, Asui." Said Izuku as he finished squeezing the water out of his cowl before reattaching it to his face guard. He then ran a hand through his hair to try and shake out some of the water.
"I told you to call me 'Tsu,' ribbit." Replied Asui flatly.
"I'll call you 'Tsu' if you'd like." Said Mineta with a cheeky grin.
"No thank you." She replied without looking at him, making Mineta hang his head in disappointment.
"Alright, let's see if I understand this situation correctly." Said Izuku as he wiped some water from his face. Unfortunately he forgot to take his gloves off, leading to his face getting even wetter. He made a face but otherwise continued speaking unimpeded. "They know our schedule, odds are that the media rush this morning was caused by them, using it as an opportunity to get that schedule. With a warper in their ranks such a thing probably wouldn't be too difficult to achieve with a large enough distraction. Todoroki was right, they planned for this kind of thing, and they planned well."
"But wait, there's no way they'd be able to kill someone like All Might, right?" Asked Mineta. "I mean, he's All Might for crying out loud!"
"Maybe they figured out a way to kill him, ribbit?" Suggested Asui, causing Mineta to flinch. "If they've thought this attack ahead, they must have a plan, they wouldn't just come here to lose, ribbit."
"That's not all," Said Izuku, "I mean, we've got a more immediate concern beyond All Might's life being at risk. It's pretty clear that the villains want us dead too, and with numbers like that there's no guarantee we can hold out long enough for Iida to get help."
"Especially since that fool already burnt through his time limit, so he won't be able to help us even if the blue blur makes it to the main campus."
Shit, Izuku had forgotten about that. This situation was becoming increasingly dire by the minute.
"Uh… Midoriya…?" Izuku felt Mineta tug on the sleeve of his costume. Confused, he looked down at his classmate, then in the direction he was pointing. His eyes widened when he saw what, or rather who, was in the water. Villains. It wasn't just the one that attacked him that was in the water. "There's a whole school of them!"
Crap. So many villains, all with Quirks clearly suited for aquatic combat.
Wait…
"Guys, something seems wrong here, right?" Asked Izuku.
"What do you mean Midoriya, ribbit?" Asked Asui.
"Ok, walk with me here." Said Izuku. "Clearly they knew we were going to be here, as the invasion started moments after our arrival. And clearly they knew about the layout of the U.S.J, given the fact that the flood zone is currently flooding with aquatic villains."
"Yeah, your point?" Asked Mineta.
"So why did they send Asu- Tsu, here?" Asked Izuku.
"Huh?" They seemed confused now.
"A- Tsu said it herself, she's a master of aquatic terrain, meanwhile someone like Kacchan would have a miserable time fighting here. So why is she here and not somewhere like the conflagration zone?" Asked Izuku. After a beat of silence, he said, "It's because they don't know what our Quirks are. That's how we win, the fact that they're all hiding in the water supports my theory. One of them already got kicked in the face, I doubt the rest of them want to test their luck."
"You want to fight these guys, are you insane!?" Demanded Mineta. "What the heck do you expect us to do? What the heck am I supposed to do!? Sure Asui can move in the water like they can, and you have your fancy ass super Quirk, but my Quirk sucks absolute balls! Literally! I'm just gonna be dead weight, so you should all just- OW, FUCK!" Mineta clutched his forehead after being flicked by Izuku for the second day in a row.
Izuku then sighed and crouched down before putting his hands on Mineta's shoulders. "Mineta, you're not dead weight and you're not useless. In fact, your Quirk is amazing and so are you for being able to master it. You'd have to be in order for you to get into UA's Hero Course, right?"
Mineta seemed to pause at that. "W-well yeah, but-"
"Then as your class president, I'm going to have to ask you to not talk about yourself like that anymore." Said Izuku. Suddenly his head jerked up a bit. The villains were getting restless, and they still needed a game plan. Then, as he remembered who he was standing in front of, inspiration came to him. "In fact, it's thanks to you that I think I just figured out how we're getting out of here." That seemed to grab the interest of his classmates, so he started explaining his plan.
Meanwhile…
"DIIIE!" Katsuki roared as he blasted another villain away. He then took a deep breath as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.
"Watch your back!" Shitty Hair's warning allowed Katsuki to blast a villain coming from his right side without even looking.
The villain staggered a few times, before a hardened knuckle sent him onto his ass.
"That the last of 'em?" Asked Dumb Hair as he moved his arms and did a few stretches with them to loosen up.
"These clowns were weak." Scoffed Katsuki as he shook one of his hands, getting a feel for how much sweat he had stored up still.
"C'mon, the others are still in danger, let's get a move on!" Exclaimed Shitty Hair. Katsuki rolled his eyes at how frantic he was being. "If we were dropped here, then everyone else must be as well, and they're facing off against villains like this too. We gotta help 'em!"
Katsuki gave him a tired look over his shoulder. "You idiot, if they're against clowns like this, the Deku, Tsu, and the rest of those extras are gonna be fine." He said, he then fixed his glare in the direction of the plaza. "Besides, if you were listening to Deku, then Four-Eyes should already be working on calling the cavalry, so they'll be fine. I'm more interested in give the smoking bastard a taste of my explosions."
"Yeah but-"
"That guy's probably the only way the villains can get in or out. They'll need him when things go to shit." Katsuki then suddenly fired off an explosion behind him. Dumb Hair's eyes slowly moved to where he attacked, and saw a villain holding a knife stagger before falling over. "You wanna piss off to search a place as big as this to find people who don't need your help, then by all means. I'm gonna focus on what's actually important: beating the villains."
"Y'know, I've seen it before, but I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that you're not just a raging berserker." Laughed Shitty Hair. "You're actually pretty darn calm and methodical, huh?"
"Up yours Hair-for-Brains!" Snapped Katsuki as he flipped him off, making the redhead laugh.
"Alright man, you've won me over. Let's get to the plaza and kick some ass!" He declared while punching his hardened fists together.
Katsuki scoffed, but didn't protest as the two took off.
"Watch your left bolt for brains!"
"Uwa!" Cried Kaminari as Jirou just barely pulled him away from a villain trying to take his head off.
He stumbled a few times before tripping, falling headfirst into Momo's chest.
She quickly grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. "Are you alright Kaminari?" She asked.
"Eheheh…" Rather than answering, Kaminari simply gave a weak laugh as he had a dopey expression on his face.
"Oi, quit dicking around and focus Pikachu!" Snapped Jirou as she smacked the back of Kaminari's head with the hilt of the katana Momo has created for her with her Quirk.
"Ow! Hey! Look, look at her! Don't act like you wouldn't have reacted the same if you were in my position!" He countered. Jirou glared at him before glancing at Momo for a few seconds.
Her face started to turn red before she quickly turned around. "Fair. But still! Keep your head in the game and off her chest dammit!" She shouted.
"What's going on here?" Momo felt kind of lost.
"Don't worry about it." Said Kaminari with a weak chuckle. Then his expression became fearful. "Oh shit." He then grabbed her wrist and pulled, barely getting her clear of another villain's attack.
"Dammit this is a mess! Can't you use your Quirk to fry a couple of these clowns!?" Demanded Jirou.
"Weren't you listening when I explained my Quirk earlier this week?!" Countered Kaminari as he ducked his head. "I'm not Todoroki! I can't control where my Quirk goes, all I can do is shoot it out! I don't wanna hurt you guys!" He then jerked a thumb towards his headset. "I'm trying to contact the school but unfortunately we still have that jammer running around."
"Would a weapon that conducts electricity be to your liking?" Asked Momo as she created and pulled a weapon from her stomach before handing it to Kaminari.
"Eh?" Kaminari took the weapon, which was shaped more or less like a baseball bat. He sparked his Quirk up and it caused the entire thing to become electrified. He smirked before saying, "this is perfect, thanks for the assist Yaomomo!" He then swung it into the stomach of a villain. The impact knocked the wind out of him, before he used his Quirk to fry them and knock them onto their butt.
Jirou let out a tired groan. "We aren't gonna last much longer like this." She said. She then turned to Momo. "Hey, I have an idea."
Once Momo heard Jirou out, she nodded her head. "That's certainly doable, just make some room for me to work." She replied.
"Gotcha. Oi! Pikachu! Keep 'em off us would ya!?" She called.
"Huh!?" Said Kaminari as he scrambled out of the way of a villain trying to take his head off.
Jirou quickly connected her jacks to the amps in her boots and used them to blast the villains with her heartbeat, throwing them off balance enough for Kaminari to smack a few of them away. "All clear Yaomomo!" She shouted.
Kaminari stared in confusion as a large blanket suddenly came out of Momo's back and covered her and Jirou. "Haha, fuck is this? Cowering under a blankie together kids?" Mocked one of the villains.
"It's a one hundred millimeter thick insulation sheet, perfect for shielding two people from their ally's indiscriminate electric attacks." Explained Momo. "Do it Kaminari."
Kaminari blinked before a grin appeared on his face. "Sick." He looked at the villains who all tried to charge him. "Checkmate guys."
The entire Mountain Zone then lit up like a lighthouse.
"Ora!" Shouted Rikido as he busted a pair of heads together, finishing off the last of the villains. He let out a few coughs. "God, it's hard to breathe with all this smoke." He complained. "You good Koda?" From his nearby hiding spot, his rock headed classmate gave a thumbs up. "Right, stay close, we should be able to get out of here now." He groaned and put a hand on his head. He'd probably used too much sugar, things were starting to get a bit woozy for him.
He flinched when he felt something grab his hand, before relaxing a little when he realized it was just Koda. He gently tugged and pointed to the direction they were gonna go. "Thanks buddy." He said, deciding to leave the directions to his friend for now.
Koda gave him another thumbs up before the pair departed.
"Vanquish them, Dark Shadow!" Ordered Tokoyami.
"WRYYY!" Screeched Dark Shadow as she attacked and smashed her way through the villains. Mashirao stuck to Tokoyami's back, dealing with any villains that tried to sneak up on him and attack his blind spots while Dark Shadow dealt with the further away enemies.
"Your assistance is appreciated." Said Tokoyami without looking towards his ally.
"Guess we make for a pretty good team." Commented Mashirao as he used his tail to smack away another approaching villain.
"Indeed, this stormy area allows my other half to fight with all her might, though this can lead to her rushing recklessly, meaning defense is harder to handle." Explained Tokoyami, ignoring the background noise of terrified screaming.
"She's certainly… a personality." Commented Mashirao with a weak chuckle as he watched the dentist Quirk work. "I'm glad she's having fun at least?"
"I'm havin' the time of my life!" Cackled Dark Shadow.
"Nonlethal means only, Dark Shadow!" Snapped Tokoyami with a glare.
"Yeah yeah, don't get your feathers in a bunch Fumi." She muttered as she tossed a villain over her shoulder(?) instead of twisting his head off like he was a doll. Mashirao let out a weak chuckle, his respect for Tokoyami rising as he watched him somehow manage to keep a grip on his Quirk's metaphorical leash even in these circumstances.
"Watch your left." Tokoyami's comment barely gave Mashirao enough time to beat back another swiftly approaching villain.
He shook his head a little, Mashirao deciding that he needed to get his head back in the game. The pair continued fighting their way through the downpour section together.
"You heard what Deku said, right Iida?" Asked Uraraka quietly as she flexed her fingers. The two of them, alongside Ashido, Sero, and Shouji, were the only ones left at the entrance to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. It was thanks to Midoriya and Shouji's quick thinking that a quarter of their class had managed to remain here.
"Even so, I cannot simply just abandon-" Tenya tried to argue, but Sero cut him off.
"Don't be an idiot Class Sect!" The sound of their laidback classmate shouting made Tenya turn to look at him in surprise. "The Prez gave you an order, and he had faith in your speed that you'd be able to call for help. We're relying on you here!"
"Sero's right, Iida!" Shouted Ashido. "Now get your rear into gear and start running!"
"Everyone…" Tenya looked at his four present classmates, each of them putting their faith in him, as well as their teacher who was currently bleeding out on the ground. Thirteen would almost certainly die here if he failed to get help in time. After chewing on his lip, he let out a sound of frustration as he fired up his Quirk before sprinting towards the entrance.
"Explaining your plan in front of your enemy. I cannot decide if you are confident or just foolish." Said Kurogiri as he moved to intercept Tenya, his eyes widened as he saw a warpgate begin to form. "Regardless, it would be quite misfortune if you called upon your teachers, so I shall be sending you far away from them now."
Internally Tenya began to panic, at this speed and distance from the villain, there was no way for him to be able to avoid being captured. Thankfully like the hero in training he was, his classmate Shouji was able to save the day. He wrapped his six webbed arms around the smokey villain, trapping him and his warpgate in his embrace. "Go Iida! Don't slow down no matter what!" He shouted using one of his hand-mouths.
Kurogiri let out a grunt of frustration. "I won't let you!" However he didn't get very far before he suddenly felt himself being overtaken by a feeling of weightlessness.
His head turned to see Uraraka grabbing the metal collar around his neck, a manic grin of desperation on her face. "Thought so, if a bastard like you's wearing something like this, then there's a body to remove the gravity from after all!" She shouted.
Then something stuck to Kurogiri. Sero grinned as he began to spin on his heel, a strand of tape connecting his elbow to Kurogiri collar to his elbow. "And now I can put some distance between you and Emergency Exit!" He shouted, sporting a grin of his own under that helmet of his as he launched the villain into the air. "Have a nice flight, you won't be Mist!" Once the villain was sent flying, Sero had to shield his head from being smacked by Ashido. "Hey, hey, that was hilarious!"
Over his shoulder, Tenya watched his friends give their all in order to let him escape. As he made it through the door, all he could think to himself was, 'Thank you, everyone, I won't let your efforts be in vain!' He then kicked his Quirk to the highest gear he could maintain before sprinting to the main campus as fast as his armored legs could take him.
"Let's do this!" Shouted Izuku as he put a foot and his hands on the edge of the "sinking" ship before practically leapfrogging into the air.
"The hell is that kid…?" Wondered one of the aquatic villains.
Another barked out a laugh. "Kid must've realized it was useless and is just offering himself up to die first."
"Delaware…" Izuku curled the middle finger of his left hand and put it under his thumb before charging one hundred percent of One for All through it, he then aimed his hand at the water. "SMAAASH!" And then he flicked his finger.
That boosted finger flick, dubbed the Delaware Smash, created a mighty burst of air so strong it punched a hole in the middle of the water. The villains all cried out in shock as they then began to get sucked into the hole as the water they were in began moving to fill the space.
That was step one of Izuku's plan, now it came for step two, as Asui leaped into the air to join Izuku, wrapping her tongue around Izuku's torso to pull him alongside her while carrying Mineta under her arm.
Then came step three, as with a piercing scream, Mineta began throwing his Pop Off balls into the hole as it sucked the villains in. "You're a crazy bastard Midoriya!" He screamed, "But damn if you aren't inspiring! Now suck on my balls you VILLAAAINS!"
Izuku let a pained grin cross his face as things worked out exactly as plan, the vortex he created sucking the villains in while Mineta's Quirk stuck them all together and trapped them. "Looks like that's the first hurdle cleared, ribbit." Said Asui as she carried them as far as she could from the villains. "Good job you two."
Mineta sniffled a little, blood leaking from his scalp and onto his face while Izuku did his best to ignore the pain in his finger.
"A crazy plan, but an effective one."
"I'll admit, a single finger is definitely an improvement over three limbs."
"Never gonna let that go, are you Second?"
"Never."
With an unceremonious splash, the trio fell into the water. Izuku decided to leave getting to shore to the swimming expert and simply focused his breathing so he could do his best to isolate and block out the pain in his finger. He decided to spare his hand a glance, making a face at the state it, or rather the glove he was wearing, was in. The material that'd been around his middle finger hadn't survived his Quirk at a hundred percent.
'If we survive this, Hatsume's gonna have my hide for breaking one of her babies.' He thought to himself tiredly.
Chapter 20: "Cue the Latin choir!"
Cold.
Cold Cold Cold!
Tooru was starting to think Midoriya had a point, she really needed to upgrade her costume at some point, because running around with almost no clothing while there was ice everywhere was miserable!
Sure, having Todoroki here to ice the villains and let her avoid the fighting was nice and all, even if she was fairly certain he'd failed to notice she was even there, but their Quirks were just not compatible.
She was really starting to feel for Ojiro when the guy got taken out by Todoroki almost immediately in the battle trial. If she ever fought this guy she'd be screwed.
Thank god for her gloves and boots otherwise she might have actually be contesting with hypothermia. Oh well, looks like Todoroki got whatever information he wanted from the villains, because he just took off towards the central area for the U.S.J.
If he wants to fight that circus then more power to him, she knows when she's outclassed, being sneaky is her thing, not brawling.
Maybe Midoriya could help her get better at that though.
She couldn't help but wonder, how was he doing right now…?
Izuku could only stare, a sickening sinking feeling in his stomach caused him to grip the edge of the flood zone as he remained in the water, his hands refusing to let go for fear that the feeling would drag him to the bottom of the pool for good.
It seemed that Asui and Mineta were experiencing similar feelings, as all three of them remained rooted in place as they stared helplessly at the scene in front of them.
Aizawa's face was being pressed into the ground, blood pooling from somewhere on his body, Izuku couldn't tell where given the giant monster that was trapping him in place, using one massive arm to keep pushing his face down while the other held his right arm, the limb limp and broken in its grasp.
"Canceling out Quirks is a pretty cool trick, Eraserhead." Rasped the villain, his voice sounding like he'd never had a drop of water in his life, "But against someone as naturally strong as Nomu, you might as well be Quirkless." Izuku winced as the monster, Nomu, slammed Aizawa's face into the ground with enough force to create a small crater.
"Damn… what now Midoriya…?" Asked Mineta as the trio continued to stare.
Izuku wasn't sure what to say. It was well known by this point on how… complicated his feelings were when it came to Aizawa, given the kind of week it'd been for them all thusfar. Izuku's mental image of the concept of a teacher and a hero had been at odds with each other his entire time here. It was only thanks to a lack of directly negative experiences with the other teachers that Izuku was able to push down the negative association he had with the concept of teachers and focus on their positives as heroes instead. Aizawa was the obvious outlier here. "I…"
"Guys look, ribbit." Asui pulled their attention back to the scene in front of them.
"Tomura Shigaraki…" It was Kurogiri, he had returned to his leaders side. His words then caught up to Izuku's brain.
"Did that motherfucker just call him 'Shigaraki?'"
"No way, there's not a chance in hell, All Might turned that bastard's face into ground beef."
"Popped his head like a very disgusting zit."
'Did All for One leave behind a son before All Might defeated him?' Wondered Izuku.
"There's no way a man as self centered as my brother would ever do that. He's too in love with himself to ever get with someone and way too paranoid of someone inheriting his Quirk to have a child."
"One of the students escaped, he's making his way to the main campus to call for reinforcements as we speak." Explained Kurogiri. Hearing that brought some relief to Izuku. He knew putting his faith in Iida had been the right call.
"What?" Shigaraki practically snarled. He reached up and began scratching at his neck, the thing looks absolutely scarred and raw, so that must be a habit of his noted Izuku. "If you weren't our escape route I'd dust you here and now." With a scoff, the man stood up and began walking towards Kurogiri. "It can't be helped, we only have one Nomu here, there's no way he can take on the entire faculty. Let's get out of here."
"Wait, what?" Asked Izuku.
"They're leaving, ribbit?" Asui was equally confused.
"Oh thank god, we're saved." Said Mineta, holding onto Asui happily. The other two students looked down at the boy, the fact that he wasn't touching anywhere inappropriate was the only reason they let the hug continue.
"I've got a bad feeling Midoriya." Said Asui.
Izuku nodded his head. "Yeah, to go through all this trouble and then just leave on a whim, what's going through his head?"
"Perhaps he's just a sore loser?" Suggested Mineta. "Or some sorta perfectionist who jumps ship the moment things don't go as planned?"
"Yeah, maybe, but…" Izuku trailed off. 'Damn, we can't let them get away. We'll be in trouble if guys like this are allowed to roam free.'
"But first…" Said Shigaraki as he stepped into Kurogiri, before suddenly appearing in front of the three kids. "Let's leave the Symbol of Peace the parting gift of departed kids, just to wound his pride."
In that moment, it felt like time ground to a halt for Izuku. He stared in shock as he saw the villain's hand move, aimed straight at Asui's face. In his mind, he could almost see it, the mental image of his friend's corpse. He wasn't sure what his Quirk was, but he could tell that a touch from him would mean death.
Izuku was afraid. Afraid of losing those around him. Afraid of someone like Tsu dying because he was too slow to act. Of Aizawa dying for their sakes before he could make things right with him.
Sixth was having similar feelings. He was a hero after all, and he could respect someone who was willing to put his life on the line to save others. Especially a fellow Underground Hero like Eraserhead who was fighting out of his element but going beyond even so. He knew the man had never heard a single negative word from the vestige of the late Underground Hero, but he still wanted the chance to apologize for the things he'd said about him nonetheless.
Izuku and Sixth both shared a common thought, a common desire, 'I want to save them!"
And through that desire, a resonance occurred.
A large cloud of purple smoke suddenly exploded from Izuku's skin all at once, making the villain pause in confusion. "What the hell!?"
"SMAAASH!" Rather than an answer, all Tomura Shigaraki received was a powered punch that sent him flying backwards and straight through Kurogiri portal, before continuing to fly through the air.
"Tomura Shigaraki!" Called Kurogiri as he watched his leader fly into the air. With a sound of frustration, he then turned his attention towards the monster pinning Aizawa down. "Nomu! Catch him!"
The monster reacted immediately, releasing Aizawa and leaving him to continue bleeding out on the ground before running and leaping into the air to catch Shigaraki faster than nearly anyone's eyes could track.Izuku was able to see it though, and he was able to use that to his advantage as he immediately started moving, charging One for All through his entire body as he rushed towards his downed teacher, picking him up into his arms.
"Mi… doriya…" Wheezed Aizawa through his internal (and external) bleeding as well as his broken, well, everything.
"I'd ask if you're alright, sir, but I feel like that question would be a bit illogical at this point." Izuku muttered flatly. Aizawa let out a bloody scoff, guess the man wasn't in much of a joking mood.
"Midoriya!" Izuku turned his head to see Mineta and Tsu jogging and hopping towards him.
"The fuck was that!?" Demanded Mineta, still looking at Izuku with a shocked expression.
"Eh?" Izuku blinked at him.
"You're smoking, ribbit. Literally." Said Tsu, pointing at him.
Izuku looked down at his arm to see that he still had the purple smoke coming off his body, albeit much more slowly than when he used it to distract Shigaraki.
"Smokescreen. This kid just used Sixth's Quirk!"
"How is this possible, First?"
"I'm not entirely sure. It's possible that One for All has somehow managed to achieve a new stage of evolution. Perhaps we vestiges hold more than just the memories of the previous vessels, but their Quirks as well."
"How're you feeling, Sixth?"
"I feel… odd, like I've been asleep for so long but have just woken up. Just like Izuku, I wanted to do something, anything to save them. Both Aizawa and his friends. It seems that wish brought En's Quirk out."
"I suppose it's a Quirk Awakening of sorts." Izuku decided to (falsely) explain. "I've only had access to my Quirk for a short period, so perhaps there are still unexplored avenues to it."
"FUUUCK, MY RIBS!" Shigaraki's shouts of enraged pain halted Izuku's pondering. "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL THAT GREEN HAIRED BRAT!"
"Damn." Said Izuku, frowning before turning his attention towards his two friends. He then began handing Aizawa to them. "I'm going to need you two to take Aizawa to the entrance, I'll keep the villains busy."
There was a beat of silence before Mineta practically exploded. "I know I've said this already, but I guess it bears repeating, ARE YOU INSANE!?"
"You can't really expect us to leave you here to fend for yourself, ribbit?" Tsu was in a state of similar disbelief.
"Guys, I think he's made it pretty clear which of us he has it out for." Said Izuku, his voice calm even as a nervous sweat ran down the side of his face. "I can either hold them off here and let you guys get away or try to protect you while you're carrying Aizawa. Between the two, only one of those options puts all of us in danger."
"You can't…" Wheezed Aizawa weakly, "fight that thing, that thing is on par with All Might, and its strength isn't even the product of a Quirk. I refuse to let you fight it."
Izuku looked towards his teacher as he handed him off to Tsu, who reluctantly took him into her arms, struggling for a moment as she tried her best to balance herself with his long figure throwing her off. He then gave the teacher a smile as he reached behind his head. "I appreciate your concern, but it'll be fine Aizawa-Sensei," He said before pulling his cowl over his face, "Because I Am Here."
"RIP HIM TO PIECES NOMU!" Screeched Shigaraki angrily. His monstrous companion screeched as well as it suddenly rushed towards the quartet.
"Midoriya, no, don't do this!" Shouted Aizawa using his one good arm to send his capture scarf towards the boy in a desperate attempt to keep him from rushing to his death, but Izuku was faster.
The monster and the heir to the Number One Hero's Quirk rushed each other, a cloud of purple smoke eruption from Izuku's body as he clashed with the Nomu.
At first it looked like, at a distance, that Nomu's right fist had simply collided with Izuku's left, but in truth it was hardly that accurate.
Right before their fists connected, Izuku tilted his upper body to the right just enough so that rather than the fist meeting with, and subsequently obliterating, his head, it instead grazed his left cheek. At the speed it was going it still was fast enough to rub his flesh raw though, as it would turn red a few seconds from now. Izuku's own fist meanwhile, collided with Nomu's beaked face causing the thing to twist in a way that more than certainly meant a broken neck. It swayed a few times before falling flat on its ass.
A pained chuckle came from Shigaraki's direction, causing Izuku to take his eyes off the fallen monster. "Damn kid, you went straight for the kill against my Nomu, even punched it in a way that it's Shock Absorption Quirk would barely do anything to protect it. Not too bad, though I guess we can't exactly call it 'heroic' either, can we?." Said Shigaraki, one hand of his stomach in the spot Izuku had hit him, taking care not to accidentally destroy the fabric of his shirt by having one finger lifted up and away from his stomach as he held it. "I'd be impressed if I wasn't so dead set on killing you now."
"While I'm not one for agreeing with the child killing madman, even I've gotta admit that I'm impressed by your ruthlessness there kid."
'Don't be.' Izuku replied calmly. "Can't kill something that's not really alive."
"Eh?"
"Oh? Something you figured out?" Asked Shigaraki in annoyance.
"It moves only when it's ordered, it's inhumanly strong even without the assistance of a Quirk, and it continually maintains that blank look on its face no matter what." Explained Izuku, gesturing towards Nomu with his uninjured hand. "Couple that with the way you refer to it more like a weapon or a belonging than you would as an ally like the way you do with Kurogiri, and it's safe to assume this Nomu here isn't a sentient creature. Perhaps it breathes and bleeds, but there's nothing going on inside that exposed brain of his. Trust me, I felt nothing but pity for this poor creature's existence, hence why I decided to put it out of its misery."
Shigaraki stared in silence for a few moments before laughing. "You're a smart one, kid. But there's one mistake you made."
"And what's that?" Asked Izuku.
"Not considering the fact that an artificial creature like Nomu could potentially be carrying multiple Quirks."
What?
"Watch your right!"
Fourth's warning was the only reason Izuku was able to move in time, leaning backwards fast and far enough for him to avoid Nomu's fist, though he was now the one falling on his ass as a result. Nomu reared its other fist back and swung it down towards Izuku, who quickly rolled to his left to get out of the way before getting onto his feet. His eyes widened as he then actually saw Nomu, standing there with its head still twisted at a disturbing angle. Then with a loud, disgusting crack, its head snapped back into place.
"No fucking way…"
"It can't be…"
"Well shit, I guess that confirms it."
"Indeed, a monster with multiple Quirks can only mean one thing…"
Izuku grit his teeth as First spoke the worst sentence he'd heard in a long time.
"All for One is still alive."
"Now then, I think it's time for this boss fight's second phase, wouldn't you agree?" Said Shigaraki with a vile laugh. "Cue the Latin choir!"
"Fuckin' nerd."
Nomu attacked again, though this time Izuku was ready to meet him head on. He knew that he couldn't just win this fight by punching his opponent into submission, Nomu's super strength already made it tough and those Shock Absorption Regeneration Quirks of his only made him go from dangerous to downright bullshit.
Thankfully, Izuku had some boons of his own to level the playing field.
First: One for All. While he obviously wasn't ready to trade blows with All Might yet, he was still proficient in using his Quirk and could at the very least match Nomu's pace, even if he was a little slower.
Second: Smokescreen. While Izuku wasn't entirely sure of the mechanism behind the Quirk's activation, he was still using it and he could figure out the specifics later when he wasn't fighting for his life. Surrounding himself in with his Quirk limited Nomu's vision, making it harder for him to land hits on Izuku.
Third: Izuku was smarter. Obviously. Nomu was literally a braindead killing machine that could only follow orders, so Izuku just had to fight smarter, not harder, to keep up with this thing. And with Smokescreen obscuring their battle, Shigaraki couldn't direct it either.
Izuku figured out the pattern to handling this, "boss fight," rather quickly. If he couldn't hurt the Nomu, he'd just outlast it. Rather than attack the Nomu, he opted to dodge and deflect his attacks. The Nomu throws a punch, Izuku punches the arm to redirect it and make it just barely miss him. In the back of his mind, he could hear the vestiges talking amongst themselves.
"What in the world…?"
"What's wrong First?"
"Can't you feel it? Izuku's output is increasing! And his body is keeping up!"
Izuku then realized that even with his Quirk, Nomu still had weak points, for example, any part of his body that was lacking in muscle. Like his knees!
The next time Nomu threw a punch, Izuku found his opening. "Missouri… SMASH!" Shouted Izuku, chopping the monster's arm to throw it off balance using its own momentum. He then lifted one of his legs so that his knee was practically touching his chest. "And then… ARIZONA SMASH!" He shouted, kicking down. The strike buckled the Nomu's knee, causing it to fall even further forwards.
Izuku inhaled sharply through his nose. 'One for All… Thirteen Percent…' He then shouted aloud, "WYOMING SMASH!" He brought his arms up and linked his hands together before spiking Nomu in the head, sending it down with enough force to dissipate most of the smoke surrounding them.
"How is this possible? Up until this point he could only handle nine percent."
"I'm not entirely sure, I think you of all people realize that this boy is defying the logic of One for All. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say, it's evolving…"
"Damn it…" Growled Shigaraki. "How the hell is Nomu losing against some brat!? Master said he would be the perfect tool to kill All Might! But instead He's just getting his shit kicked in by some wannabe fanboy who's copying his moves!" Shigaraki was clearly frustrated, if the way he was scratching at his neck was any indication.
"Shall I intervene?" Asked Kurogiri.
"No…" Said Shigaraki. "If this unit is such trash that it can't handle some punk then I'd rather let it get obliterated. Best not to keep our trump cards close for now until we can upgrade our equipment for round two…" His eyes then wandered over to the two hero students who were fleeing up the steps, slowed by having to carry their injured teacher who'd since blacked out by this point. "Though, if what I can understand about this rookie is true, I might have an idea. Nomu! Forget the green one! Take out the other ones!"
"What!?" Exclaimed Izuku as the Nomu suddenly darted away. "Get back here you!" He shouted as he chased after it.
His eyes widened as he saw it close in on his friends and Aizawa-Sensei. 'Crap crap crap crap!' He shouted internally.
"Omigod we're gonna die we'regonnadie!" Screeched Mineta fearfully as the Nomu got closer and closer.
'DAMMIT, ALL OR NOTHING!' Izuku screamed at himself. As his right foot planted in the ground, her charge one hundred percent of One for All into his right leg, and leapt.
At the same time, the Nomu reached the others, its fist rearing back. Right before he could obliterate them, Izuku's body slammed into his friends, the force of which launched them all to the top of the stairs, where they surprised and were subsequently caught by their classmates. Izuku was barely able to bring his arms up into an X shape to shield his chest before the fist made impact.
It was a devastating blow. Izuku's left arm bones were completely snapped, and the right were almost certainly fractured. Not to mention the punch sent him downwards with enough force to leave a small crater in the stairs. To add insult to literal injury, using One for All shattered his right leg, so he wouldn't even be able to move anymore.
Izuku was seeing stars, his ears were ringing, his body hurt all over, and he could hear Shigaraki laughing. "Too bad Player Two, looks like you lose!"
Izuku's body twitched, his left arm and right leg were useless, but he still had his remaining two limbs. If he could just move… maybe…
He made a pained noise as he was suddenly lifted up by the front of his costume. The Nomu was such a muscled beast that it could pick him up single-handedly without breaking a sweat.
"DEKU!"
"Oh no you don't, ribbit!"
"Put me down Tsu, I'm gonna send that freak into the stratosphere!"
"We're inside, and that thing'll rip you limb from limb before you could ever even touch it!"
"Dammit I don't care, I'm not letting that thing kill my friend!"
"Ocha… ko…" Wheezed Izuku weakly, recognizing the sound of his friend's voice, even as he felt his consciousness fading.
"Still though," Said Shigaraki in a thoughtful tone, "before I have Nomu quite literally punch your ticket, I figure I'd ask the username of my first ever P.K, you get what I mean?"
What, was he asking for his name? Honestly, Izuku could barely understand this guy through all the gamer jargon, and the concussion wasn't helping either. Still, in his delirious state, a single name came to his mind as he reached his, well he couldn't call it 'good,' so let's just call it his 'better arm' instead. He reached his better arm up, gripped the Nomu's hand and said the only name that could come to his mind while in this state, "De… ku…"
He then charged One for All at thirteen percent before bending the Nomu's thumb backwards and using his good leg to kick it in the chest. These two actions managed to break its grip on him and propel him away from the monster. As Izuku flew through the air, he heard voices behind him shouting.
"Sero!"
"On it!"
Izuku then felt something attach to his back before yanking him downwards.
"I got him, I got him!"
When he landed, rather than feeling the cold hard ground, he felt a familiar, warm embrace, coupled with an equally familiar feeling of weightlessness.
"Deku? Deku!? Speak to me dammit Izuku!"
Izuku opened his mouth in a weak attempt to say something in spite of his energy being completely drained away, but then the screech of the Nomu caught his attention. He saw the monster leap into the air and was now falling right towards them.
"Of crap oh crap oh crap, we're all gonna die!"
"Nebraskaaa… SMAAASH!"
With a mighty roar, came a powerful cyclone of air that slammed into the Nomu and sent it flying backwards, causing it to land in the center of the U.S.J. next to its master. Even as the corners of his vision began to go dark, Izuku found comfort in the sight of All Might's massive back, as the number one Hero now stood between them and the villains.
"You did well my boy." Said All Might softly, looking at his successor over his shoulder, before reaching up and ripping off his tie while speaking up to address 1A as a whole. "Now, have no fear students. For I Am Here!"