Chapter 21: "I'm gonna send you straight to hell, Handjob."
Even at a distance, he was able to get a grasp on the situation. All Might had arrived and started trying to kick the Brain Bastard's ass, key word being, "try." He must've had some sort of Quirk that was dampening his attacks, so he went for a roundabout method, a suplex to quite literally put the freak six feet under. Unfortunately it seems the Misty Mook was a step ahead of him, as the moment the Brain Bastard would've hit the dirt, Misty Mook opened a Warp Gate that Brain Bastard went right through completely unharmed, and had managed to trap All Might in the process. He was using the burnt sausages it called fingers to dig into All Might's sides, almost certainly agitating his injury. He was gonna need to act now or All Might would be screwed.
"DIIIE!" With the aid of his Quirk, Katsuki was able to launch himself right at the Misty Mook. As he flew through the air, he planted a hand against the metal collar Misty Mook was wearing and fired another explosion that disrupted his concentration, while using his other arm at an angle to fire an explosion that sent them both straight to the ground. Katsuki grinned as he kept the Misty Mook pinned right in place.
"Dammit, more brats are butting in…" Muttered Handjob, scratching at his neck in agitation. He then quickly sidestepped right before Shitty Hair could take him out with a jab from a hardened hand. At the same time, a thin layer of frost covered the ground before the right half of Brain Bastard's body suddenly froze over.
"So I heard scum like you are here to kill All Might, is that right?" Asked the Half n' Half Bastard, "As if people like you could ever hope for a snowball's chance in hell to accomplish something like that…"
Dumb Hair quickly jumped away from Handjob, who took a swipe at him. "Damn, almost had him…" He muttered.
"Tch, gotta work on your speed a bit it seems Shitty Hair." Snarked Katsuki. Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed Misty Mook begin to move, so he fired off a couple small explosions, which made the villain hiss in pain before returning to staying still. "That's right Fog Face, you stay niiice and still. I noticed this nifty little guard on your neck and realized that there might be a bit more substance to ya than you were lettin' on, and it seems I was right on the money. Now if you don't wanna be turbo nuclear blasted to fucking Narnia, I'd suggest you don't try anything funny."
"Could you try to sound a little less villainous?" Asked Shitty Hair with a nervous chuckle, to which Katsuki responded with a graceful raising of his middle finger. He turned his head when he heard the sound of grunting, and saw that All Might had finally broken free from the Brain Bastard's hold on him. "'Bout time. Now the only one we're missing from this party is Deku, surprised the damn need is draggin' his feet like this. At this rate he's gonna miss watching you lay the smack down on these bozos."
"Yeah, where the heck is everyone else? Were you alone Todoroki?" Asked Dumb Hair, Icyhot then nodded his head in response.
All Might let out a shaky breath as he held his sigh while looking down at the ground. Katsuki raised his eyebrow at that, noticing that something felt off about the number one Hero's smile now. His confusion only continued to grow when Handjob started laughing. "So, you're 'Deku's' friend, is that right? Well then, by all means All Might, why don't you tell the little firecracker what became of the green haired hero hopeful?" He said snidely.
"The fuck's got you giddy, giggles?" Snapped Katsuki.
"Young Midoriya, as well as Mr. Aizawa and Thirteen, are in critical condition right now."Said All Might solemnly.
Katsuki's second eyebrow rose to meet the first. "What?"
"Wait, what? Midobro is hurt?" Asked Dumb Hair.
All Might nodded. "From what your classmates told me, before I could arrive, he was forced to fight off that monster on his own, and their leader employed dirty tactics to allow his monster to claim victory."
"Where?" Asked Katsuki.
"Eh?"
"Where the hell is Deku now?" Asked Katsuki, his tone disturbingly calm.
"He's… at the top of those stairs, being looked after by the others, Young Bakugou, are you al-?" As soon as All Might answered his question, Katsuki began tuning him out.
"Kirishima, get over here." Katsuki beckoned his redhead classmate towards him.
"Bakubro, what're you-?" Kirishima stopped talking when Katsuki raised a hand towards him, his palm glowing and sizzling.
"Keep this bastard in place, I'll be right back. If any of the villains so much as twitch a finger, I want you to eviscerate the Misty Mook, capiche?" Kirishima seemed to tell that there was little room for argument, so he simply crouched down and placed a hardened hand on the villain's metal collar. Katsuki then stood up, took a step back, turned to face the stairs, and fired explosions from his palms with enough force to launch himself to the top of the staircase. During his flight, he noticed a crater in the stairs, and was willing to hazard a guess as to what had been used to make that dent in the ground.
"Gah, what the hell!?" Exclaimed one of the others when he landed. "Wait, Bakugou!?"
"Where is he?" Asked Katsuki, barely paying him any mind.
"Where is…?" Asked Raccoon Eyes in confusion.
"Bakuchan, ribbit."
His head turned so quickly that his neck nearly snapped. He saw them, Round Face and Tsu both crouching on the ground, Deku's body floating and being held close by Round Face. He walked towards them, crouching down to be closer, before reaching out and placing two fingers against Izu- Deku's neck. He had to hold back the urge to breathe a sigh of relief when he found a pulse.
"He protected us, ribbit." Said Tsu. Katsuki turned to look at her. "Mineta and I, that Shigaraki guy tried to attack us, but Midoriya managed to fight him off, ribbit. Then he fought that monster so we could carry Aizawa-Sensei to safety. He only lost when that guy told his monster to ignore him and attack us instead, he used his own body to protect us, and now look at him, ribbit."
"That brave fuckin' dumbass." Katsuki was actually surprised to hear someone speak those words at the exact same time as him, especially since the someone in question was fuckin' Round Face of all people. Katsuki took a deep breath in through his nose, before exhaling. "Take care of him for me."
"Like you fucking need to tell me to do that." Said Uraraka quietly. "Keep a look out for its Quirks. It's strong as All Might and can heal itself."
Katsuki nodded his head before standing up and turning around. "Bakuchan." Hearing Tsu's voice made him pause. "Please don't die, ribbit." He didn't say anything, simply nodding his head in response, before launching himself back into the plaza with an explosion.
"Honestly young Bakugou, I would've preferred if you'd stayed up there. Then again I suppose that wouldn't be in your character, now would it?" Said All Might with a sigh. "I'm still going to have to ask you to stay back and not get involved in this… fight…" All Might trailed off when he noticed the expression on Katsuki's face.
The upper half of his face, save for his eyes, was obscured in shadow. The disturbing part was that he seemed so… calm, rather out of character for the explosive boy. "I'm gonna send you straight to hell, Handjob." He said, his tone as unnaturally calm as his face.
Handjob gave an amused scoff. "Damn brat, not exactly all that Heroic soundi-" Katsuki didn't let him finish that thought as he suddenly launched himself at an almost impossibly fast speed using his explosions. Next thing Handjob knew, Katsuki was right in his face and about to blow him away. "Sh-shit, Nomu!" He cried out, actually sounding fearful for once.
Katsuki heard the sound of ice shattering and flesh tearing, and looked to his left to see the monster that'd hurt Izu- Deku leaping at him with only an arm and a leg, yet still moving ridiculously fast. Katsuki used his explosions to quickly reorient himself mid air so that he was upside down, just barely missing the monster's punch. He then wrapped his legs around its arm and pulled himself upwards before clapping the Brain Bastard's ears and firing his Quirk off, causing it to become disoriented with its eardrums blown.
He then released his legs' grip on its arm and launched himself away from the monster, glaring as he saw it awkwardly wobble with an arm and a leg before its limbs quickly regrew. Right, Round Face mentioned regeneration. "Holy Crap…" He heard Dumb Hair say behind him. "That was manly as hell Bakubro!"
"Damn All Might, your brat just tried to kill me, the hell're you teaching these kids?" Asked Handjob with a shake of his head. "Then again, if it's a Hero performing acts of violence, who cares right? That really pisses me off! We both act violent, but some of us are viewed better than others, 'you're good, we're evil.'" The villain could help but let out a humorless laugh. "Kill the red brat, Nomu." The monster obediently charged Dumb Hair. Crap, Handjob had been stalling until Brain Bastard's ears would grow back, and he's way faster with both of his legs.
"Oooh Shit!" Cried Kirishima as he activated his Quirk, but Katsuki knew that even being as durable as a rock wouldn't be enough to keep him from crumbling under this thing's fists. Thankfully All Might figured that out too, as he quickly grabbed the student and threw him to the side before tanking the hit himself. Katsuki's brows rose a little when he saw that the punch carried enough force to actually make All Might alive a couple dozen feet backwards. He also noticed that his skin was starting to release steam, the telltale sign his Quirk wasn't gonna be able to hold out much longer. Damn.
"Haha, anything to protect a comrade, Symbol of Peace?" Mocked Handjob. "But honestly, we both know that at the end of the day, you're just a tool of violence, something I plan to prove to the world when I kill you."
"Hmph, what a load of hooey." Replied All Might as he shook his arms a little to loosen them up after that blow. "You're just messing around and we both know it."
Handjob laughed again. "Oops, y'got me." He admitted. Katsuki could tell there was a demented smile under that creepy hand mask of his.
"It's Four against Three, we can take them." Said Icyhot, giving a glare to the villains as he watched Misty Mook return to Handjob's side, having gotten free after Brain Bastard hit All Might.
"Yeah, no way in hell we're gonna let you guys win!" Declared Shitty Hair, who'd finally managed to catch back up to the group after being thrown by All Might. His Quirk made his landing easier on him, though the same couldn't be said for the patch of ground he landed on.
"No, I'm going to have to ask the three of you to stand back." Said All Might, holding a hand towards them.
"With all due respect, sir, you would not have lasted had we not stepped in." Said Half n' Half drily.
"And I do appreciate the save, Young Todoroki," Replied All Might with a shake of his head, "but with this monster's dual Quirks and regained freedom of movement, I don't want you to risk yourselves. That attack young Kirishima nearly took made it clear that this thing doesn't know the meaning of 'restraint.' Don't worry boys, I'm about to show you what it looks like when a Pro Hero gets serious."
"Nomu, Kurogiri, kill him." Said Handjob, "I'll take care of the brats. Let's clear this level and go home." He then started charging towards Dumb Hair and Icyhot, who hardened his arms and began generating ice around his right foot in preparation.
"I will stop these villains, because I am…"Declared All Might, as Bakugou suddenly felt an intense amount of pressure emanating from the man. "The World's Symbol of Peace and Justice!" He then took off like a bullet, so fast that it made Handjob freeze in his tracks in surprise. Brain Bastard charged in turn, letting out a screech as its fist clashed with All Might's, creating a shockwave that sent Handjob flying backwards. Katsuki and the others had to adjust their footing to just narrowly avoid being blasted as well.
"Weren't you listening!?" Said Handjob in frustration. "One of his powers is Shock Absorption!"
"Yeah, what about it!?" Replied All Might with a grin as he threw another punch, and another. And another and another and another and another. A barrage of punches so fast that Katsuki lost track of their fists, as their became nothing but speeding blurs. "You said its Quirk was Shock Absorption, not Nullification, that means there's a limit to what it can take right!? If this big guy was made to handle me firing off at One Hundred Percent of my power, then I'll just go beyond that and force it to surrender!"
Katsuki stared, feeling awestruck at the display. He saw that All Might was injured, and he realized that the man had long since burnt out his timer for the day, but even so he was giving it his all. He could tell each one of his punches weren't random either, they were targeted, and firing off at more power than he'd seen the number one pull off in a long time. Moreover, this speed was creating such intense shockwaves that it was making it impossible for Handjob and Misty Mook to interfere.
"A real Hero… will always find a way for Justice to prevail!" Declared All Might as he grappled Brain Bastard midair and tossed it to the ground with enough force to make to form a crater before bouncing. All Might then landed next to the monster and charged up a devastating punch. "Now for a lesson, you may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean, 'Go Beyond! Plus ULLLTRAAA!'" He then smashed Brain Bastard so hard the thing wound up blasting off through the roof like it was a damn rocket.
The students could only stare. It was Shitty Hair who was the first to speak. "That was like the finishing move in a video game… he punched the shock absorption straight out of him…"
Katsuki turned his head, and he could hear the faint cheering of Deku's friends at the top of the stairs. Looks like they got to see the tail end of All Might's show. "Heh… guess I am slowing down…"Coughed All Might, steam coming from his body at an increasingly speedy rate as blood trickled from his mouth and side. "Back in my heyday, I could've knocked that guy out in just five punches." He then brought his fist to his chest. "But today it took over three hundred of those mighty blows."
"Dammit…" Snarled Handjob. "Dammit dammit dammit! You damn cheater, ALL MIGHT!" He was practically shrieking as he clawed at his neck with his hands, to the point that Katsuki could see the flesh becoming red and raw. "'You've weakened?!' Could've fooled me! You blasted my Nomu away like he was a fucking member of Team Rocket! Did… did he lie to me…?!"
"Well… what now, villains? Will you continue to fight even without your weapon?" Asked All Might, continuing to stand his ground. But Katsuki knew a facade when he saw one, the man was spent, he was just trying to bluff them. "Weren't you going to 'clear this level and go home?' Bring it on, punks!"
"If only we had Nomu… if only we had Nomu…!" Bemoaned Handjob.
"Calm yourself, Tomura Shigaraki…" Chided Misty Mook. "Look closely, it's clear that the Symbol of Peace did not walk from that clash unscathed. In truth this might be the greatest chance we will ever get."
Katsuki saw the corners of All Might's mouth twitch at that. Crap, they'd seen through the bluff! "You're right…" Said Handjob, his hands falling to his sides as he seemed to calm down a little. "We can do this… the final boss is right there… even if we lost most of our party members, we can still make this all worth it if we make one last gamble…"
"All Might, you take care of these clowns, we'll go help the others!" Called Dumb Hair as he tried to sort of drag Half n' Half away with him, achieving rather positive results given the very clear difference in muscles between the two.
"Bakugou, are you coming?" Asked Icyhot flatly as he continued to be dragged along. Katsuki ignored him as he flexed his fingers a few times, knowing that the villains were about to pounce and he was going to have to step in. Whatever these Extras weren't exactly on the same level as Brain Bastard, he could take them no problem.
"This is for what you did to my Nomu, All Might!" Shouted Handjob as he lunged. Katsuki prepared to launch himself with his explosions, but the sound of gunshots ringing out through the U.S.J. made him pause. Handjob flinched back and cried out in pain as bullets suddenly tore through his left hand and thigh, making him stagger back.
The students' heads turned towards the entrance as a booming voice rang out. "Apologies for the wait everyone! Secretary of Class 1A, Tenya Iida, reporting for duty!" Shouted Glasses, standing at the top of the steps alongside the rest of UA's faculty. Snipe, who'd had his sights on Handjob, quickly aimed towards the mountain zone and fired a couple shots before the rest of the teachers quickly leapt into the fray. In short order they managed to smash through and wrangle up the remaining villains in the U.S.J, saving the other scattered students in the process.
Snipe turned to shoot Handjob again, but Misty Mook was faster, surrounding his leader and warping the bullets away. "A shame, it seems we'll have to depart."
"No way I'm letting you go!" There was suddenly a powerful wind that began pulling everyone towards the top of the stairs. Thirteen, with the support of Tape Face and Raccoon Eyes, was going in to try and capture Misty Mook one last time.
"Too little too late…" The villain responded as his misty body seemed to get smaller and smaller.
From inside, Handjob's creepy face could be seen. "This isn't over… All Might…!" He declared, his voice practically dripping with contempt as he vanished.
Katsuki let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in before turning his attention to All Might. The steam was doing a good job obscuring him, but he knew the man would change back any second, so he decided to act fast. He walked over and grabbed Dumb Hair and Icyhot's wrists and began to drag them towards the entrance. "Let's go dickheads, don't wanna impede the pros."
"You're pulling too hard." Said Half n' Half in a voice that sounded more akin to discomfort than annoyance.
"Then walk faster dammit." Retorted Katsuki flatly. He spared a quick glance over his shoulder to see a scrawny arm giving him a thumbs up. Satisfied with his course of action, Katsuki practically manhandled the other two boys all the way up the stairs.
Once at the top, the other two boys were able to see the state that their classmate and homeroom teacher was in. Round Face used her Quirk to remove the gravity of Deku and the injured teachers, in order to make moving the three into an ambulance a much less arduous ordeal. She was forced to release their Quirk once they were loaded up though, as she couldn't go with them to Recovery Girl's office. She argued against the authorities on this, but some gentle persuasion from Glasses and Tsu eventually got her to relent. All Katsuki could do was quietly stare as his rival was loaded up and taken away. The thing that managed to break his concentration and get him to remember to blink was the feeling of a hand gripping his. "He'll be ok, ribbit." Said Tsu calmly.
"Tch, I know that." He responded, pretending to be completely confident and unbothered, as if he wasn't currently squeezing the frog girl's hand.
"I saw some of your moves out there, ribbit." Said Tsu. "You were pretty cool out there. Good job not dying after all."
"Like there was any doubt I wasn't going to kick their asses."
"Nope, ribbit, not a doubt to be had."
"Wheyyy…"
Katsuki looked at Dunce Face, who seemed to be making an even dumber expression than usual. "Hell's wrong with him?"
"Jamming Whey here overshot his Quirk when fighting off the villains, totally scrambled his brain." Said Earlobes with an eyeroll, despite having one of his arms resting around her shoulders for support. "Idiot nearly gave us a heart attack when he let that villain grab him."
"Now Jirou, we can't blame Kaminari," Said Ponytail, who was supporting his other arm, "after all, we already knew in advance the drawbacks of his Quirk when we let him use that attack, we were the ones foolish enough to drop our guards and not expect there to be a villain who would be unaffected by his Quirk."
Earlobes scoffed. "Yeah, well blaming him sure feels easier." She replied. "I mean, if the teachers hadn't shown up when they had, then…"
"Wheeey." Dunce Face seemed to squeeze the arm around her shoulders a little tighter as he gave a thumbs up.
When she looked towards him, she couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth twitch up a little. "Heh, geez, really hard to stay upset when you make goofy faces like this, you know." She said.
"Oh ho ho…" Laughed Sparkles. "That endeavor was truly perilous, I bet you're all curious as to what happened to moi?"
"A bit yeah." Said Invisibitch, placing a gloved finger against her chin, miming a thoughtful expression.
"Well…" Said Sparkles, a proud look on his face. "It's… a secret!"
Invisibitch seemed to just stare at him for a moment before saying, "Well I wound up in Todoroki's area. Dude's crazy strong, he iced all the villains in no time. Now I feel for Ojiro and Ashido getting their butts handed to them during the trials." She continued to talk with Sparkles, who'd try to make the conversation about him every so often, which she'd indulge for a second before returning the topic to its original course.
"Hm… interesting… very interesting…" Said Raccoon Eyes, having a hand on her chin as she watched them all talk amongst themselves.
"Got something you wanna share with the class, pinky?" Asked Katsuki drily.
"Oh nothing, just how absolutely adorable you guys loo-" Said Raccoon Eyes, only to be cut off by Dumb Hair.
"Ah leave 'em be Ashido, we've all had a rough day." He said tiredly as he practically started dragging her away by the back of her shirt.
"No fair!" Whined Raccoon eyes with a pout. "Let me have my fun, horn buddy!"
"Hear that Class Sect?" Said Tape Face as he nudged his elbow. "You saved the day, getting the teacher here. Would've been up the creek with no paddle without you."
Glasses let out a sigh as he adjusted his glasses. "Yes… yes, you're right, Sero. Your words do… lessen the feeling of guilt that comes from running away while my classmates were in peril. Though the fact that I was too slow to prevent Midoriya from being injured will likely weigh on me for some time."
"Deku's gonna be fine." Said Round Face confidently. "We're all gonna be fine, I think."
Katsuki couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. "Yeah… I can definitely agree with you there, Uraraka." He said calmly.
There was a brief moment of peace and quiet for the students, who had all just survived the most harrowing experience of their lives.
"Did you just call me 'Uraraka?'" And then Round Face had to ruin it.
"Oh gee look, I think that guy wants to talk to us about something important now, let's fucking go do that now." Said Katsuki as he started storming off. Tsu, who was still holding his hand, followed him while his dumbass classmates all laughed behind him.
Chapter 22: "Oh… Hi Hatsume."
"Hatsume, what are you still doing here?" Huh, that sounded like Mashima-Sensei. Mei wondered for a second what he could want right now? She then lost interest in that wonder and went back to working on her current baby.
Oh right, she should probably say something to him, right? "Hey Sensei." There, that should work.
Mikamoto-Sensei then sighed. Drats, guess that wasn't enough, maybe he'd still drop it anyways and let her keep working? "Hatsume, the school closed early today." He said.
"Why though?" She asked as she gave her blueprints another look, her Quirk enhanced eyes letting her see every small detail of the design.
"Class 1A was attacked by Villains. Three teachers and a student were sent to Recovery Girl's office." Explained Moto-Sensei.
That… actually made her pause. Class 1A… 1A… why did that sound familiar to her for some reason? She knew they were a first year Heroics Class, but what about that class specifically stuck out to her? "That's… a shame. I hope they get better soon." She said as she pulled a pencil out to take a couple notes on her findings.
Murata-Sensei sighed again before saying, "The injured student was Midoriya."
SNAP
Mei's eyes slowly moved down to the two halves of the pencil that she was holding. She then held her hand over her work table and released her grip, allowing the broken pencil to fall. "I'll be back later, Maijima-Sensei." She said calmly before booking it out the door and down the hallway.
Power Loader watched her go before shaking his head. "It's the other way…" He mumbled to himself under his breath. Well, she'd figure it out eventually. Thankfully this gave him the chance to close up the workshop now. He'd be sure to give her her things once she came back.
"He went this way! Get him!" He adjusted the part of his coat covering his face as he continued to run through the building, hearing the sounds of villains closing in behind him. He then gently pressed a hand against his side, giving a content nod as the file he had stored within a special pocket in his jacket remained in place. Losing that would make this whole ordeal all for naught.
Crap, he could hear the sound of approaching footsteps, they were coming. After looking around, he saw a solution.
When the doors busted open, the gaggle of grunts looked around the room, guns in hand as they tried to find him. He resisted the urge to chuckle to himself about the fact that his gambit paid off, instead opting to release a giant smokescreen that descended onto the goons, leaving them clamoring in confusion as they suddenly became unable to see. He descended on them from the bar he'd been hanging from and busted their heads together with little difficulty. He was well experienced fighting in near blind conditions after all, while they were not.
With that wrapped up, he quickly made it outside of the warehouse these guys had been using as their base. His sole mistake was breathing a sigh of relief and dropping his guard just a little too early. This mistake quickly came around to bite him when he heard the click of a gun behind him. With another sigh, this one being of defeat, he slowly raised his hands and turned around to see that there was one last grunt, now holding him at him point, and he knew that if he tried using his Quirk now, he'd be munching on a lead sandwich way before it could do anything substantial.
Thankfully he didn't have to do anything, as suddenly a black tendril coated in orange energy wrapped around the goon's gun, pulling it towards and smacking him in the face with enough force before a massive fist came down on the back of his head, sending him to the ground.
The owner of the fist in question let out a hearty laugh. "Well damn, I guess it's a good thing you invited me out like this after all, I totally just saved your bacon there, Gaen."
The undercover Hero Gaen, real name En Tayutai sighed and shook his head before saying, "I appreciate the rescue, Lariat."
The large man gave him a grin. "Hey, it's what Heroes do."
"Well then? Is that all you had to offer, Hero?" Asked the Demon that disguised itself in human flesh. En groaned in pain as he was held by the face, he could feel the man tugging, trying to rip his Quirk from him, the one Daigoro had left in his care. He couldn't allow that…
"You want our Quirk you damn monster…?" He growled out as All for One continued to run his mouth like he always did, you'd think the man would've learned better in the eighty plus years he'd been alive. He reared his arm back and fired up as much power within One for All that he could muster before pulling an unexpected move: jamming his hand straight into the villain's mouth. Going off the surprised look in his eyes, he wasn't expecting this one. "Then you can choke on it!" He then started producing as much smoke as he could, concentrating all of it to come out of his arm, maximizing the output through using One for All.
He couldn't help but feel some satisfaction as he saw a genuine look of fear flash across the Demon's face, and the sight of some smoke coming out of his nose told him that he probably wouldn't last if he could just keep this up a little while longer.
Unfortunately he couldn't do that, as All for One suddenly reared his arm back and launched En into the air, before swiping at him with his other arm. Next thing he knew, he was falling towards the ground while being unable to feel his legs or his right hand. He grunted in pain as he hit the ground and rolled a few times.
"Woah, what the hell!? Wait, Gaen, the hell're you doing here? The hell happened to you!?" He barely was able to keep one eye open as he looked towards the source of that voice. Black hair and a black bodysuit, yellow gloves, and white boots and a cape… oh, it was that hero who'd been making a name for herself in recent years… Nimbus was it? They'd crossed paths a few times if he remembered correctly. Ugh… hard to think while he was losing blood so quickly…
"Hey… I'm gonna have to ask a really big favor of you…" He said weakly, reaching up and plucking a couple clumps of hair from his head.
"Say no more, I'm getting you to the hospital Asap!"Said Nimbus as she crouched down to pick him up, but En simply shook his head.
"Don't bother, my time is up. I'm going to need you to take my Quirk." He said.
That seemed to confuse her, not that he could really blame her. "Take your Quirk? The hell does that mean?!"
"One for All, a Quirk that can be passed from one person to the next. Ingest my DNA, and you'll become the Seventh User in the battle against All for One, a vile demon of a man that has the power to steal Quirks…" He said, doing his best to avoid shivering. He was starting to feel cold.
"But that's… that's all…" He couldn't blame her for being a bit hesitant, he sure as hell wasn't proud for forcing this burden onto her.
"Please, Lariat trusted this to me, I can't fail those who came before me. As a fellow Hero you know this is something we both need to do." He said, mustering the most determined look onto his face that he could. "So hurry, and eat this!"
After a beat of silence, Nimbus donned a determined look of her own as she took the strands of hair and shoved it into her mouth before swallowing. En tiredly let his body go slack as he quickly felt himself becoming fainter. "Now hurry, I don't know how long that last attack will hold All for One off, you'd best be as far away from here as possible by the time he gets his head on straight."
"Right…" Said Nimbus, as she turned to leave, she quickly looked at him over her shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
He gave her a weak smile, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. But thank you, I have faith that you'll make for a stupendous Seventh." With a nod, Nimbus took off running before leaping into the air and seemingly flying away.
Despite everything, he couldn't help but smile. Despite everything, he had no regrets. He did his best, as a Hero and as a successor. One for All didn't die with him, so he could at least hold his head high as he moved on into the next world.
And with that, the Underground Hero Gaen died…
…
And a couple hours later, Sixth would awaken to the warm welcomes of Fifth and the other vestiges within One for All…
Izuku's eyes opened. He was back here again, the meeting room for him and the vestiges. "Welcome back, Izuku." Said First with a smile.
Izuku couldn't help but meet the smile with his own. Wait, he could smile? He quickly brought his right hand, the only other part of his body that was presently corporeal in this realm, up to his face. After a few seconds of feeling around his face and head, he confirmed that the majority of it was in fact now physical here. Though some of his hair was still kind of smoky, that didn't feel particularly impeding. "It's good to be back." He said.
"I don't know if I can quite agree with that, given the circumstances of how you came here." Pointed out Fifth.
"Circums…" Izuku was confused by what he meant, then his eyes widened as he remembered what had caused him to fall unconscious in the first place. "Oh no oh no oh no, I've gotta wake up, everyone-"
"Will be fine, Izuku." Said Seventh calmly. "After all, Toshinori managed to arrive in time to protect everyone."
"But All Might's time limit was already burnt out for the day, how's he going to be able to fight off that monster Nomu?!" Asked Izuku, his expression clearly fearful.
Seventh couldn't help but chuckle. "This is Toshinori we're talking about, he'll find a way. I think we're both well aware how good that boy is when it comes to going beyond his limits." She replied before pointing towards Eighth. "The fact that this one still isn't all here is proof that he's still alive and giving the fight everything he's got."
Izuku looked towards Eighth, who gave him a thumbs up and did his best to smile at him with his eyes. Izuku couldn't help but sigh and smile at him in return. "Alright, I suppose you all would know better than most what he's capable of. If you're choosing to have faith in him then I suppose I have no choice but to do the same."
"Wonderful." Said First. "With that taken care of, I suppose we should move on to the main topics of discussion now."
"And that would be?" Asked Izuku.
"Well I suppose the first would be what you, or rather we, did." Said Sixth as he uncurled himself from the ball he had been sitting on the chair in before pointing towards Izuku, then himself.
After taking a couple seconds to connect the dots, Izuku remembered what he was referring to. "Smokescreen!"
"A little slow today aren'cha kid?" Joked Fifth, much to Izuku's embarrassment.
"Given that he just 'woke up' in here after getting slammed into the ground so hard that it made him black out, I can hardly blame him for being a bit off center." Noted Fourth, which Fifth simply shrugged off with little care.
"Sixth was able to share his own thoughts and feelings on the ordeal, but I wanted to get your perspective to see if it was possible to figure out how exactly this happened." Explained First.
"I mean, what's there to explain?" Asked Fifth. "Our living selves' Quirks are just as alive within One for All as we are."
"Yeah, but how did Izuku tap into that? And how do we replicate it with the other Quirks?" Asked First.
"The Quirk Singularity Theory." Everyone's attention turned towards Izuku, surprised by what he said.
"Come again?" Asked First, tilting his head in confusion.
"It's a theory I've read about online." Explained Izuku. "I think you've all spent enough time with me to know how much of a… Quirk nerd I am."
"'S puttin' it lightly." Said Fifth drily.
"Sixth, smack him for me would you?" Requested Seventh without breaking her line of sight with Izuku. Sixth quietly reached over and swatted at Fifth a couple times, who used one of his arms as a shield.
"Screw you both." He said in annoyance.
"Go screw yourself, now quit screwing around." Replied Seventh. "Please continue, Izuku."
"Right…" Said Izuku with a nervous laugh. It sometimes was easy to forget that these were All Might's predecessors. "Anyways, the general overview of the theory is that Quirks will continue to evolve and become more disastrous with each generation. We're already seeing the effects with some Fourth and Fifth generation users like the Pro Heroes Endeavor and Mt. Lady. They could cause absolute havoc if they turned their powers onto civilians, or even if they weren't trained professionals and wound up using their powers recklessly. It's like Thirteen said, Quirks can be used to kill just as if not more easily than they can be used to save."
"Is there a point to this lecture, or are you simply trying to impress us with how much of a nerd you are?" Asked Second drily, actually deciding to take his nose out of the corner he'd been sticking it in since Izuku woke up and took the time to address him.
Izuku gave him a flat look before sighing. "My point is that I think One for All might be hitting the hypothesized singularity, just at a much faster rate." He explained, before sticking his hand out, pointing at First, then at Second, then Third, and continuing from one user to the next as he spoke, "One for All is a Quirk that's been passed down through generations. It might not be the most normal or traditional example, but we could be looking at what is essentially the world's first ninth generation Quirk. Or at the very least a seventh generation one since Yagi-Sensei and I were both Quirkless and technically didn't contribute anything to the Quirk itself."
"Well I wouldn't say that." Said Seventh, cutting Izuku off. "After all, Toshinori wielded the Quirk for a good thirty years as a pro Hero, which certainly contributed to the stockpiled power within it, and now you've managed to awaken the dormant Quirks, something none of your predecessors have done, not even All Might."
"Yeah, don't sell yourself short, kid." Said Fifth. "I may have poked some fun at ya for being a nerd but I'd say that having a Quirk loving nerd like you brought into the fold could be exactly what we need."
Izuku, not one who was accustomed to praise yet, despite his classmates singing his quite often, gave a weak chuckle to his predecessors as he reached up and scratched the back of his head. "Th-thanks you guys."
"Well, we have one half of the mystery solved," Said Fourth, bringing a hand up to his chin, "But we still need to figure out what the catalyst for tapping into these Quirks is. It's clear that most of the Quirks are still asleep, considering that Danger Sense is a passive one and has yet to actually do anything, despite the fact that Izuku's done a very poor job staying out of danger."
Izuku flinched a little at that. He couldn't exactly say anything in defense to that statement after all, so he instead opted to think. He thought back to the moment of Smokescreen's awakening. He thought about all the feelings that had coursed through him in those few seconds of terror. As he saw Aizawa-Sensei bleeding out while pinned under Nomu, as he saw Shigaraki reaching out with his creepy fingers, planning to use his Quirk to kill Tsu and Mineta. Of how, more than anything else, he desired a way to save them. His eyes widened as he realized something, he wasn't the only one who had felt that way in that moment. "Desire." He said simply.
"Eh?" It seems his unprompted and unexplained speaking up confused the others.
Izuku turned his attention to Sixth. "Sixth, when Smokescreen was used for the first time, how did you feel? What did you want more than anything else at that very moment?" He asked.
Sixth blinked at him in surprise before thinking back to that moment. "I… wanted to save your teacher." He said. "I wanted to have the chance to speak to him, even if indirectly, and share my apologies for the things about him."
"So you could say that in that moment your greatest desire was to save Aizawa-Sensei?" Asked Izuku.
"I… sure?" Replied Sixth uncertainly.
Izuku realized that he was losing everyone, so he decided to get to the point. "In that moment, Sixth and I were of a shared mind, with a shared desire. We both wanted to save Aizawa-Sensei, as well as everyone else. Which, I suppose, isn't out of character for a pro Hero and a Hero in training." He explained, that last part earning a scoff from Second or Third, though Izuku was too focused to pay them much mind. "Of course, it's not like I could easily reach Aizawa-Sensei at that moment, with Shigaraki closing in on us and about to kill my friends, we were in a desperate situation, needing some sort of gambit that could tip the scales in our favor. And conveniently enough, Smokescreen was exactly the kind of Quirk that could help in that situation, confusing Shigaraki enough to let me land a hit that could get him away from us and distract the villains long enough to grab Aizawa-Sensei."
"So, not unlike when a shot of adrenaline can force a person to push past their limits?" Asked Fourth.
"Exactly. I think it was a combination of those factors that brought out Smokescreen." Replied Izuku, nodding his head as he started listing things off on his fingers. "A shared desire between myself and Sixth, coupled with being stuck in a do or die scenario that Smokescreen could serve as the thing that sparked a resonance within One for All and brought the Quirk forth."
"So what you're saying," Said Fifth, "Is that in order to use our Quirks, you'll have to leap head first into types of danger that will require our Quirks to pull your ass out of the fire?"
"I mean…" Said Izuku, averting his eyes in embarrassment.
"Yeah, no, vetoing that course of action, all in favor?"
"Aye." Said the other vestiges who were participating in the conversation. Eighth even raised his hand, since he couldn't actually voice his opinion. This little bout of teasing actually managed to make a couple of them chuckle, including Izuku.
"Well, I doubt Izuku's going to have to look for trouble." Said First, a grim expression on his face. "With All for One being confirmed to still be out there, I'm sure trouble will find its way to him in due time."
There was silence amongst the users of One for All, First's reminder of the true direness of their situation bringing the mood down exponentially and immediately. It was Seventh who managed to salvage it, "Then I suppose we'll just need to train Izuku to be ready." When everyone turned to her for clarification, she gladly elaborated. "I mean, in a dark void like this, with over half a dozen experienced adults, I doubt there'd be much better conditions for helping Izuku learn about how our Quirks work and allow him to overcome the mental gymnastics that that'll entail. Even if his awakening to those powers is far off, it's better to be prepared for it."
"Honestly fair enough, yeah." Said Fifth. "I mean, imagine if he'd wound up using Black Whip first without any time to learn its mechanics? With One for All boosting it he probably could've obliterated both the handyman and his friends in an instant."
"How's Izuku going to train?" Asked Fourth. "Most of his body isn't even here."
"Our bodies are though," Countered Seventh as she stood up before doing a small jump and making herself float. "Until there's enough of him here to do the training personally, we can demonstrate and explain our Quirks to him. I'm sure he'd be delighted to learn all about our powers."
All the others had to do was look at Izuku and see how his eyes were practically sparkling to know that Seventh's words were absolutely correct.
"Tch, you can count us out." Said Third, continuing to stare at his wall.
"Agreed, I doubt we'd ever be willing to see eye to eye with this brat, and I sure as hell don't want him anywhere near my Quirk." Said Second.
"Well you two can continue to sit there and brood like the angsty losers you are, those of us who actually want to get shit done are gonna be over here helping the kid out." Said Fifth as he flipped the pair off. The fact that they didn't react seemed to just make him even more annoyed.
Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at Fifth's antics before smiling at those amongst his predecessors who had stood up to help him. "Alright then, let's get to work." Of course, it was at that moment that-
-he was woken up by the sound of a door slamming open so hard it practically made the room reverberate. It was loud and forceful enough to make Izuku sit up in the bed he was laying in. In his half awake state, it took his brain a couple seconds to realize that he was still injured, and that moving like that very much hurt. "Ow…" He said under his breath, slowly lifting his decent arm up to touch his chest. He could feel bandages wrapped around his body in various places. After taking a few seconds to get a feel for his injuries, his eyes moved towards the room's entrance, and he was quite surprised to see who was standing there, staring at him.
"Oh… Hi Hatsume."
Chapter 23: "Oh wow, she's really upset."
"Oh… Hi Hatsume." Of all the things Izuku thought he'd wake up to today, Hatsume slamming open the door to Recovery Girl's Office with enough force to make the room practically reverberate was not one of them. "What brings you here?"
Hatsume looked around, tapping her foot a bit while wiggling her fingers at her sides. For once she wasn't smiling either, her expression coming the closest Izuku had ever seen her be to 'distressed.'
"Sensei told me that your class was attacked by villains." She said, still looking around. "When I found out that you were hurt, I dropped what I was doing and came as quick as I could."
Wait, what?
"Holy shit, are your ears deceiving me, or did Mei 'what are social cues?' Hatsume just admit that she actually took a break from what she was working on to come check on someone?"
'Geez, when you put it like that you make her sound like some kind of anti-social jerk.' Replied Izuku. The silence was very telling. 'FIFTH!' Sighing mentally, he turned his attention back to Hatsume. "W-well, Hatsume, as you can see, I'm fine."
Hatsume turned her head, finally facing him directly. She pursed her lips together before walking towards him, and once she was at his bedside, she gripped the blanket covering most of his body and pulled it away, letting her get a much better look at the extent of Izuku's injuries.
His right leg and left arm were both in casts, as well at his right hand being wrapped up in bandages. An IV was connected to his right arm, which also had bandages covering the majority of it, only leaving an opening for the aforementioned IV. He was shirtless, which let her also get a good look at the various bandages covering his chest. "How did this happen?"
Izuku was silent for a moment before explaining, "The villains had a monster, they called it a Nomu. Its strength was on par with All Might, even without a Quirk, instead it somehow had two other Quirks, granting it self healing and shock absorption." Hatsume seemed shocked at the revelation of a monster with these kinds of abilities. "They said that it had been 'created' to kill All Might, a statement that carried very horrific implications. It seriously injured Aizawa-Sensei, and I had to make the call to have two of my friends carry him to safety while I fought it."
"And it… did this to you?" Asked Hatsume, looking his injured body over.
Izuku nodded. "I held it off for a bit, but ultimately the villain giving it orders outsmarted me. Had to break my leg with my Quirk so I could get to the others in time to protect them." He explained. "After that it basically treated me like a ragdoll. If All Might hadn't shown up when he did, it probably would've killed me and then the others." He gave her a weak smile. "Guess I'm still too weak, huh?"
"No!" Izuku actually flinched a little as she shouted. "No no no! I- it's my fault! If I had just done a better job creating support gear- maybe- maybe you wouldn't be here right now!"
"Oh wow, she's really upset."
She wasn't the only one. "Hatsume, this is hardly your fault!" He argued. "I was the one who was too weak to win against that monster!"
"And I'm the one who supplied you with support gear that couldn't protect you!" She argued back.
"I'm the one who acted carelessly and got injured!"
"You weren't careless! You were protecting people! You saved people! That's what you do! That's who you are!"
"And I was only able to fight because I had your babies protecting my hands!"
"But they weren't enough to protect your hands! Look, your left one is broken!"
"Because I had to recklessly push my Quirk too far and broke one of my fingers!"
"Yeah, well then I'm just gonna have to invent a baby that'll be even better than these shoddy failures that couldn't protect your arms!"
"And I'll have to become ever better at using my Quirk so that I won't have to run the risk of accidentally damaging your babies!"
"FINE!"
"FINE!"
The pair were left breathing heavily after that little shouting match. Hatsume looked at his injuries one last time before turning around. "I have work to do, I'll see you around, Izuku." She said before making her way to the door.
"Hatsu-" Izuku tried to say something, but he was cut off by the sound of the door slamming behind Hatsume.
On the other side of the door, Hatsume stood there in silence, her back pressed against the door. She then abruptly brought her hands up to her head, her fingers running through her pink dreadlocks as she let out a shout of pure frustration. This wasn't how she wanted this to go at all! Granted she had no idea how she planned for this conversation to go, but still this was hardly it! After she was finished with her little freak out session and had made a complete and total mess of her hair, she took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. She needed to calm down, freaking out like this wasn't going to get anything done. She had work to do, and she needed to get started right awa-!
"Hatsume!" She flinched as she suddenly felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her back before she could take off down the hall.
She recognized the feel of these muscles all too well. "I…zuku…?" She said uncertainly.
"Please don't go…" Said Izuku quietly. "I'm sorry for shouting, I didn't mean to upset you. I just… didn't want you to blame yourself either."
"You…" Said Hatsume, leaning her head back so that the back of her head was touching Izuku's forehead. "That's no fair. You're injured, you should be resting in that bed, yet here you are pushing yourself for someone else's sake. You never stop, do you?"
"Nope, never." Said Izuku with a weak chuckle. "Here, let's… try this again. Let's talk, without any shouting or self blaming, ok?"
Hatsume took a deep breath. "I will if you will."
"Deal."
And so, the two talked, calmly. Izuku gave her a brief recap of what would go on to be known as "the U.S.J. Incident," explaining his theory that the commotion from this morning was more than likely a ploy by the so called "League of Villains," to get their hands on a schedule to find out when All Might and a class of students would be away from the Main Campus long enough for them to launch an assault.
Thankfully, though, the teamwork of Izuku's class allowed most of the class to come away unhurt and he and the injured teachers were able to be taken to Recovery Girl as soon as possible.
Izuku just hoped everyone was ok. Afterwards, Hatsume had him bring out a notebook for her to write down in. Despite his confusion, Izuku complied.
(Hatsume was still curious about how he pulled that thing from nowhere, all he had on at the moment were some pants, but she was too focused on her current goal to pay the inquiry mind for too long.)
She got to work, asking Izuku rapid fire questions about how he'd fought and the new tricks he'd learned in the process, learning that he somehow managed to develop the ability to produce smoke from his skin as a sort of sub-ability of his Quirk was certainly fascinating, as well as the fact that he was apparently able to raise the limit of his Quirk an entire four percent in such a short span of time was also nothing short of spectacular. She knew to herself that she'd found an absolute perfect partner when it came to making her babies.
Once she was done, she showed Izuku the first draft of her newest babies. A pair of gloves that were similar to Izuku's first set, but much longer so that they could cover and guard more of his arms, as well as a special piece around his wrists that would serve to enhance and focus the wind pressure created using his new "Delaware Smash" technique, as well as a way for him to store and shoot out the smoke from his new, "Smokescreen" ability like a sort of… smoke gun? She shrugged at that last part, wasn't entirely sure how much usage it might actually get, but she still figured she should try to include it.
Her second baby was a special pair of boots that he could put on that would act as armor for his feet, enhancing the power of his kicks while mitigating kickback from his Quirk.
Izuku's eyes were practically sparkling at the designs and the prospects of this new gear. "Hatsume these look perfect!" He exclaimed happily as he looked over the notes and the design.
Hearing her partner in engineering sing her praise certainly was an ego boost for the girl, making her put her hands on her hips and proudly puff out her chest, her manic grin returning to her face. "But of course! Would you expect anything less from my babies?"
Izuku smiled up at her, "Well, it seems no matter how high I set my expectations, you always find a way to go beyond them anyways." He admitted.
Hatsume then took the notebook back and carefully tore out the pages that her new notes and designs were on, taking care not to damage them in the process. "Well then, I'd better get to work!" She declared as she stood up. "Gotta make sure these babies are ready for testing by the time you're ready to suit back up after all!" She then quickly made her way out the door.
Once on the other side of the door, she took a moment to stare at the design of her babies, specifically the gloves. While these were certainly an improvement over the previous pair, she still held doubts. There wasn't a chance in hell that they'd be able to withstand punches from someone like All Might, if Izuku fought the same kind of opponent again and wasn't careful, it's entirely possible that history could repeat itself. But she was Mei Hatsume! One way or another she'd find the missing piece of the puzzle and make the perfect babies for Izuku. She was sure of it. She then quickly took off down the hallway back to her classroom, she had work to do after all.
(Much to her disappointment though, Maijima-Sensei refused to let her back in, having already gathered up her belongings while she was away before sending her home.)
Izuku blinked as he watched her go, unable to help but smile, the girl really was a force of nature wasn't she?
"You have great friends, don't you my boy?"
"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE!?" Izuku practically shrieked in fear at the sound of his mentor's voice.
Yagi-Sensei let out a chuckle as he pulled on the divider curtain that had kept him hidden from view, letting Izuku see that his mentor was just in as rough of shape as he was, perhaps even more.
"Was this clown just sitting there for all of that?"
"I mean, at least he was decent enough to keep quiet and let those two have their moment. It's not like Izuku can ever get any privacy anymore now that we're here."
"Yes, but we have the ability to avert our ears and eyes, All Might meanwhile does not."
"Well… yeah, but…"
Izuku sighed as Seventh failed to come up with a proper argument. "How're you feeling, Yagi-Sensei?"
Yagi-Sensei let out a tired exhale as he let his head fall back onto his pillow. "I feel like I lowered my time limit again after that scrap with that monster." He admitted. "I'll probably be lucky to even get an hour of time as All Might each day going forward. Gonna make teaching a real pain."
Izuku frowned at that. "I'm sorry Sensei, if only I hadn't-"
"Oh don't you start." Said Yagi-Sensei as he shook his head. "You did your best, kid. Aizawa and your classmates survived thanks to you, maybe if I'd been a bit faster I could've actually arrived before you were injured."
"I…" Izuku said before trailing off. He then sighed and laid his head back down on his own pillow, "Do not feel like doing a second round of back and forth self blame."
Yagi-Sensei couldn't help but let out a weak laugh at that, followed by some coughing.
After a good twenty seconds of the pair simply sitting in silence, Izuku spoke up, "It seems I inherited more than just our predecessors' spirits."
"Eh?" Asked Yagi-Sensei, turning his head towards the boy and raising his eyebrow in confusion.
"It seems One for All's hit a, for the lack of a better term, singularity. Being passed from one person to the next over the last centuries and then some has turned it into a sort of… theoretical ninth generation Quirk." Explained Izuku, holding up and staring at his right hand before flexing it a couple times. "It seems it's housing copies of their Quirks as well, I can use Sixth's Smokescreen now, the same one that was used by the Underground Hero Gaen."
"Actually, I think your version might be even stronger. You're able to output way more smoke at once than En ever could, even when it was boosted by One for All."
"Sixth thinks it might be even stronger than Gaen's actually." Izuku relayed what Sixth said to Yagi-Sensei. "I guess that makes sense, actually. Even if you were never using them yourself, all of their Quirks have still been inside One for All as it's grown over the years, like how a single exercise can train multiple muscles at once."
"So wait, you're telling me you essentially have seven Quirks now?" Asked Yagi-Sensei, his voice sounding almost fearful as his gaze moved downwards towards Izuku's leg.
Izuku failed to notice as he switched into his analysis mode though, "Yes but actually no. See, Fourth pointed out that his Quirk is a passive one that's technically always turned on, but it's yet to do anything. I haven't been able to tap into other powers like Seventh's Float or Fifth's Black Whip. Second and Third still won't tell me their Quirks either." Izuku definitely wasn't sulking when he said that, no siree. "After some speculation and recollection, we came to the conclusion that a few requirements are necessary in order to awaken one of One for All's 'sub-Quirks.' Sixth and I managed to meet those requirements when Shigaraki nearly got his hands on Tsu- Asui and Mineta."
"So your classmates know of this new ability of yours?" Asked Yagi-Sensei, who now seemed concerned for entirely new reasons.
"Yeah." Replied Izuku with a nod. "Though since they know about how my Quirk 'came in late,' I was able to simply explain this Awakening as an 'unexplored avenue' of my Quirk."
"Smart. And believable coming from someone who's become known for his knowledge on Quirks." Replied Yagi-Sensei.
"Guess there were benefits to being born Quirkless." Replied Izuku drily.
Yagi-Sensei only felt a little guilty for laughing at that since he knew the boy clearly meant it in jest, though he knew that that fact was still a sore topic for them both. "So, do you have any plans for getting your other 'Sub-Quirks' to awaken?"
"Not presently, they said I'm not allowed to throw myself into Do or Die scenarios where their Quirks would be applicable." Replied Izuku, a statement that made Yagi-Sensei cough violently. Izuku waited until he was done before continuing, "Besides, if All for One's really still out there, then I'm sure danger will find its way to me, one way or another."
Yagi-Sensei let out a sigh that made him sound as old as he really was. "So, you realized it too then?" He asked.
"The villains' leader was named 'Shigaraki,' and that Nomu had two Quirks, the others were pretty quick to put two and two together to make four."
Yagi-Sensei brought a hand up to rub his face. "I'm sorry my boy, I've unwittingly dragged you into a century long war that I thought I was finished."
"In your defense, Sensei, the vestiges did show me the memory of you popping All for One's head like the ugly zit that it was."
That earned Izuku a hearty laugh from his teacher, followed by some violent coughing. "God it hurts to laugh right now." Said the man tiredly. He then took a deep breath before saying, "well then, I'll just have to make the most of what I've got left with One for All before the embers burn out completely. I promise not to let a mistake like this happen again."
Izuku gave the man a weak chuckle, "I suppose I'll have to hold you to that then, Yagi-Sensei."
"Pardon me, hope I'm not interrupting any touching moments." Izuku flinched in surprise as the door opened and an unknown man walked in. "Hey there All Might, it's been a while."
Yagi-Sensei sat up in surprise at the man's sudden arrival, quickly wiping the blood from his lips and chin. "Tsukauchi! I didn't know you were here!"
Izuku looked at the man, then at Yagi-Sensei. "Er, friend of yours, sir?"
Yagi-Sensei nodded his head at his successor. "Indeed, 'why' you might be asking? Because this man is my favorite detective on the force, good ol' Naomasa Tsukauchi!"
Detective Tsukauchi let out a laugh, "Quite the odd intro, All Might, thanks for that."
"I see, it'd certainly be useful for your secret identity to have a man on the inside of the police force, he must be something special if you revealed your secret to him." Said Izuku.
"Right, yeah, that's how it happened."
"Ahahaha… yes, you're absolutely right my boy, I definitely didn't reveal my secret to Tsukauchi by complete accident, no siree." Yagi-Sensei said awkwardly. He then coughed into his fist. "Backstories for another time, there are more pressing matters at hand, right Tsukauchi?"
Izuku and Yagi-Sensei spoke with the detective for a period, exchanging information about what they knew in regards to the attack as well as the other students and teachers. Thankfully, while their injuries were heavy, Aizawa-Sensei and Thirteen were both confirmed by Recovery Girl that they'd make a full recovery, given time to heal from their injuries. Moreover, beyond some bruising from catching the occasional stray from a villain, none of the other students were hurt, though a fair share of them had most likely been scared within an inch of their lives and would need to take a visit or three to Hound Dog to sort through their issues.
However they could do that once they came back to the school at the start of next week, as UA had decided it'd be best to close its doors for Thursday and Friday in order to let the students take the time to recover both physically and mentally before coming back and resuming their studies on Monday.
The next four days flew by, Izuku using that period to spend time with his mother, while occasionally texting his friends, recounting and talking about their experiences fighting for their lives and how they'd felt through it all.
Not everyone was willing to discuss how they felt, but Izuku was still happy to hear how some of his classmates had felt and was glad he could help them air their feelings out and be there to reassure them. He was no therapist, but he figured it would still be good to be there for the others who were willing to talk to him about how they'd felt.
Quelling Iida's guilt about leaving everyone to fend for themselves by reminding him that he was acting on Izuku's orders.
He listened to Yaoyorozu and Jirou both separately vent about how scared they'd been when Kaminari had been grabbed by the villain, reminding them that Kaminari was fine, he hadn't been hurt, the teachers had saved him, and that stressing over 'what-ifs' would only make them feel awful.
Ojiro discussed how useless he felt fighting in the downpour zone, feeling like Tokoyami did all the work. When he listened to him discuss how things actually played out, he reminded Ojiro that through that fight, Tokoyami trusted Ojiro to have his back and allow him to focus on offense, and that he was only able to fight so well because he trusted in Ojiro's capabilities.
It was his discussion with Kacchan that wound up ending in him comforting Izuku. He felt the need to apologize to Kacchan. Apologize for losing that is. Kacchan's response hit harder than he expected it to.
-
Kacchan: The hell're you talking about, nerd?
Kacchan: You're the Hero who's meant to SAVE everyone, remember? I'm the one who kicks villain ass.
Kacchan: None of the others were hurt, so as far as I'm concerned, you WON.
-
Izuku had actually teared up at that. He had to hold his phone over his head to avoid drenching it in his tears. Once he collected himself, he managed to actually respond.
-
Deku: Thanks Kacchan.
Kacchan: WHATEVER
Kacchan: Damn Nerd.
Deku: :)
Kacchan: *middle finger emoji*
-
"How Tsundere. It's very familiar..."
Izuku couldn't help but laugh, First wasn't exactly wrong after all…
Soon enough, the four days came to an end and Izuku returned to UA.
After Iida tried to direct everyone to their seats, failing to realize that they'd beaten him to the punch and he was currently the only one still standing, much to his embarrassment, everyone's heads turned to the sound of the door opening and were surprised to see who walked in.
"Morning class." The students were barely able to make out the sound of their teacher's voice through the bandages wrapped around his face and head, making him look less like a teacher and more like a mummy that had arisen from the dead.
"Glad to see you doing well Sensei!" Said Iida.
"You call that 'doing well!?'" Asked Ochako incredulously.
"Worrying for my welfare is far from logical students," Replied the pro drily as he wobbled to the front of the class before turning to address them, "Especially since your battle is far from over."
That seemed to scare some of the class, who began whispering amongst themselves, afraid at the prospect of fighting more villains or something. Then, Aizawa-Sensei chose to actually elaborate, "The UA Sports Festival is fast approaching."
Izuku actually wound up letting his head fall forward and smack against his desk. That was so ordinary! Did he have to scare them like that!?
"Have you met this guy? Of course he did…"