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…
"Who are you, baldy?" Suzaku called out, his voice loud enough to reach the villains standing several meters away.
Stain's eyes narrowed, his hands inching toward the daggers sheathed at his belt.
But before he could draw them, Shigaraki placed a casual hand on his shoulder.
"Now, now… there's no need to kill anyone, is there, Stain-senpai?"
A vein throbbed on Stain's forehead, but after a tense pause, he closed his eyes and exhaled calmly.
"Yes."
With that single word, he resumed standing still, glaring coldly at Suzaku.
Seeing him settle down, Shigaraki chuckled under his breath.
He turned back to Suzaku, a smirk creeping from beneath the hand covering his face.
"It's been a while, brat… well, not really, it's only been a few days."
Suzaku tilted his head. "Do I know you?"
"Still as brazen as ever…" Shigaraki muttered, his smirk faltering slightly.
Before Suzaku could answer, Mandalay stepped forward, shielding the students behind her.
"Who are you people? What's your objective?!"
"Wouldn't it be stupid of us to just tell you?" Shigaraki scoffed.
To everyone's shock, a small portal opened beside him. He reached into it, and another hand emerged—passing him a marble.
Mandalay's eyes widened. She whipped her head toward the direction Tiger had been flung. A portal was closing there… and the robust hero was gone.
"You—!"
Her gaze snapped back to the villains. The one dressed like a magician—by his villain name, Mr. Compress—was handing Shigaraki the marble containing Aizawa. Two marbles now.
Tiger and Aizawa—both trapped in his palm.
"Huh… that was easier than expected. Is this really all Pro Heroes amount to? One ambush, and already two of them are ours. I almost want to laugh." Shigaraki mocked, idly tossing the marbles in his hand, smugness radiating from his voice.
Mandalay's fists clenched as rage clouded her mind. She looked ready to lunge at the villains, but stopped herself once reason kicked in.
She was a rescue-specialist. Fighting wasn't her strong suit. Even if she could hold her own, the group before her was far beyond her capabilities.
Her best option was to stay with the students and protect them.
Not that it meant much. These villains had already crushed Tiger in one blow—what chance did she stand?
If they attacked, she'd be powerless.
'But why aren't they?' Mandalay narrowed her eyes.
Two heroes down, and one of them was Aizawa. That was a huge blow to their overall strength… Yet the villains hadn't advanced. Instead, They were keeping their distance.
Why?
As her mind raced, the villain with the burn marks all over his body—Dabi—stepped forward from the rear, a faint frown on his face as he scanned their surroundings.
"Strange. I made sure to leave a massive fire burning before regrouping… so where is it?"
"Your fire was pathetic, so it was probably blown out by a breeze!" mocked the villain in black-and-white spandex beside him. Then his tone shifted, serious and respectful, contrasting with his previous tone. "Maybe one of the heroes here is hiding incredible power and put it out while we were away. Your flames are no joke, you're strong after all."
"Were the clones you made of me faulty, Twice?" Dabi asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes, my apologies, my ability is lacking!" The villain— or rather Twice—bowed stiffly at a 90° angle, only to immediately flip him off. "Don't be stupid—my clones are flawless! If anyone's weak here, it's you!"
Dabi ignored him, his gaze fixed on the group ahead.
"Oi, Shigaraki. Anyone here capable of putting out a fire that size in minutes?"
The gray-haired youth scowled but answered. "As far as I know… no."
His eyes swept over the students and Mandalay, narrowing, before he let out a sneer.
"But they aren't the only players anymore, are they? That guy's here too." His hand scratched at his neck, his voice sharp. "Last time we met, he had all sorts of abilities. Who knows if one of them can put out that fire of yours?"
"He sounds like trouble," Dabi muttered lazily, eyes glancing around.
Shigaraki too glanced around warily, his eyes flicking to the Nomu.
"Stay alert."
The monster didn't respond or even move, but Shigaraki didn't seem to care. He stepped forward instead.
"Now, I'm still not convinced we can handle that guy properly, so… let's cut to the chase." His gaze locked on Suzaku, cold light gleaming in his eyes. "Last time, I swore I'd kill you. But you're lucky, brat—my Sensei seems to have taken an interest in you. He thinks you'd make a fine addition to us. So here's the deal, you come with us—"
He raised the two marbles in his hand.
"Or we'll just settle for these Pro Heroes instead. Pretty good deal, don't you think?"
Every eye turned to Suzaku as whispers spread through the students.
"They want Suzaku?!"
"Why him?"
"Damn it, the teachers…"
"Don't listen to them, Suzaku! We'll fight if we have to!"
"Are we even strong enough? Tiger-san went down in one hit…"
Mandalay shot Suzaku a quick glance, then glared back at the villains.
"What are you planning to do with him?! "
"Don't butt in."
A voice rang out as a new portal opened—this time right beside Mandalay. A hand shot out from it.
Her eyes widened, instincts flaring, body tensing to dodge—
But she was too slow.
"Crap—!"
She shut her eyes, bracing for the strike—
–Tack–
And yet, nothing came.
Her eyes snapped open, confused.
And the first thing she saw was that Suzaku had seized the intruding wrist, stopping the arm cold before it could reach her.
–Crack–
"Agh!"
On the villains' side, Mr. Compress groaned as he felt his arm's bones groaning on the other side of the portal, struggling as Suzaku tightened his grip and made his bones creak harder.
No matter how he pulled, the boy's hand didn't budge.
"Let's keep our hands to ourselves," Suzaku said evenly. Then, with perfect timing, he released him. The sudden shift in force sent Compress stumbling backward as his hand finally slipped out of the portal.
Shigaraki eyed his fallen ally before turning back to Suzaku, sneering in amusement.
"Sorry about that… So, what do you say, brat? I'm giving you quite the opportunity here."
"Opportunity?" Suzaku tilted his head.
"If you come with us, we won't have to kill you."
"I see. That's quite the opportunity." Suzaku stroked his chin sagely. "But here's the thing—you guys kind of suck, and I've got a reputation to maintain. So… I'm not really sure."
"You think I'm playing?" Shigaraki growled, his tone losing all humor.
"You're kind of a clown… so maybe?" Suzaku shrugged.
A vein pulsed on Shigaraki's forehead.
Dabi stepped forward with a faint sneer, throwing Shigaraki an amused glance.
"So this is the kid we are supposed to bring with us? He's kind of annoying."
Shigaraki exhaled sharply, ignoring Dabi, then spoke to Suzaku again.
"Is that so? Too bad. Guess we'll have to settle for these two then." He dangled the marbles in his hand. "Maybe we'll use them for entertainment when we're bored. Or turn them into Nomus. Their Quirks are valuable, after all… Honestly, I don't even get why Sensei wants you when we already have Eraser Head here. His Quirk will make a fine addition to our collection."
This time, Suzaku fell silent.
"Those bastards…!" Tetsutetsu clicked his tongue, fists trembling with fury.
The rest of the students weren't looking much better.
Some looked on the verge of dashing at the villains, while others looked between them and Suzaku, confusedly.
On her side, Itsuka grimaced, glancing over her shoulder at the path behind them. Her eyes caught the faint shimmer of Hagakure's clothes floating at the back of the group.
'If it's her then…' An idea popped into her mind.
She couldn't reach her since they were too far away, and she didn't want the villains to notice her making a move, but—
"Kosei… tell the others to pass the voice and tell Hagakure-san to slip away and bring Vlad-sensei. As we are right now, we don't stand a chance."
Kosei blinked, surprised, his gaze flicking to the invisible girl and then back at Itsuka.
"Are you sure? Even if she's invisible… can she really escape without being noticed?"
"That's…" Itsuka hesitated, her expression tightening.
She had the best chances, yes… but were those chances even high?
"And if she does bring Vlad-sensei, and he gets captured too—then what?" Kosei pressed.
Itsuka grit her teeth, at a loss for words.
From the corner of his eye, Suzaku watched them quietly.
–Sigh…–
He let out a long breath, then turned back to Shigaraki, his eyes narrowing.
"If I go with you, what happens to those two?" He signaled to the marbles.
The question brought gasps and glares from everyone around.
Shigaraki's brows lifted, surprised by the sudden shift.
"I don't know… maybe we'll bring them along. Why?"
Suzaku's eyes narrowed.
"Leave them here, and I'll go with you."
"Oi, Suzaku, what the hell are you thinking?!"
"Are you crazy?!"
Mandalay moved in front of him again, glaring sternly.
"Don't give in to their demands, kid."
But she didn't expect Suzaku to shove her aside, his gaze never leaving Shigaraki's.
"So?"
The redhead and the grayhead's stares clashed like a silent battle of wills that dragged for nearly a minute.
Finally, Shigaraki scoffed and extended his hand in a fake welcome.
"As you wish. But first, come here. We'll release your teachers once we step into the portals."
"And how do I know you won't trick me?" Suzaku pressed.
"Come on, do we look that untrustworthy?" Shigaraki chuckled darkly.
Suzaku didn't answer. If this were any other teenager, the choice would be hopeless. Even if he complied, there was the chance they wouldn't abide by their word and would still drag the teachers along with him.
Not to mention entering a villain's den. Doing that would be the end of any other teenager.
But he wasn't just any teenager, was he?
A smile tugged at his lips as he closed his eyes.
"No. I guess you do not."
With that, he started walking toward the villains.
But before he could complete his first step, a strong grip clamped down on his shoulder.
"Oi, Suzaku! Where do you think you're going?!" Tetsutetsu barked, fury in his voice.
Suzaku gave him a brief glance.
"Sorry, pal."
Before Tetsutetsu could react, Suzaku drove his fist backward into his face.
-Clang!-
It wasn't a devastating blow, but strong enough to stagger him several steps.
And with Tetsutetsu knocked back momentarily, Suzaku kept moving.
The students and Mandalay looked ready to rush him too—until the Nomu stepped forward, a towering wall that blocked their path.
Suzaku paused, eyes flicking to the creature, making sure it wasn't going to strike them. Then, when it indeed stood there, simply blocking the way, he resumed his walk, unfazed.
At last, he stopped in front of Shigaraki. The villain's lips curled into a sly grin.
"Honestly, I don't know what Sensei sees in you. I'd rather kill you right here."
"Same here," Suzaku replied calmly. "But I'm curious too."
Shigaraki sneered and snapped his fingers.
"Kurogiri."
The misty villain gave a silent nod, and a massive portal opened behind the group. One by one, the villains stepped through—until only Shigaraki, Suzaku, Mr. Compress, and the Nomu remained.
Right after, two smaller portals appeared. One beneath Shigaraki's clenched hand, the other above the students.
With a flick, he released the marbles, making them fall into the portal and then fall into the students' midst, startling everyone.
"Let them go, Compress," Shigaraki commanded.
Mr. Compress nodded, and with a pop, the two marbles exploded, and both Pro Heroes reappeared, dazed but safe.
"There you go. Safe and sound." Shigaraki gave Suzaku an amused look.
Suzaku gave a faint nod.
Shigaraki studied him intently. He half-expected Suzaku to try escaping now. That was also why the Nomu stood between him and the students, not only prepared to block anyone from interfering, but also ready to pounce upon the redhead the moment he tried getting away.
But instead, Suzaku turned his back on that option and simply walked toward the portal.
Before entering, though, he raised an eyebrow at Shigaraki.
"Well? Let's go."
Shigaraki let out a low laugh. Whether the kid realized he didn't have a way out—or was simply that brazen and didn't care about following them—it didn't matter. Either way, it worked for them.
He gestured to Compress, and the three of them moved to the portal.
"Suzuki-kun, wait!"
"Suzaku, stop!"
"The senseis are back—you don't need to—"
"Where are you going?!"
"Damn it, Suzuki, stop right now!"
The cries echoed behind him—classmates, Tetsutetsu, even the shaken but furious voice of Aizawa.
"Suzaku!"
Even Itsuka's voice.
But he ignored them.
Compress vanished into the mist first.
Suzaku followed second, but just before stepping fully inside, he turned back. His eyes swept over the group—friends, classmates, teachers—all staring at him in shock and disbelief.
'They look so worried, it honestly bugs me a little…'
Suzaku snorted faintly at the sight of his classmates' despair—their frantic attempts to push past the Nomu, all in vain.
Then he turned back toward the portal, a cold light gleaming in his eyes.
'But I couldn't just let this opportunity slip, could I? They handed me the chance I was waiting for.'
He began sinking into the mist, his red eyes shining for one last time before being completely swallowed by the darkness of the portal.
'The chance to cut them down at the root—once and for all.'
His mouth's corners lifted faintly.
And then, he was gone.
Shigaraki followed, clicking his fingers as he vanished into the portal too.
The Nomu reacted instantly. With a single, sweeping motion, it shoved the students who tried to break through, sending them sprawling helplessly to the ground.
Then, it began walking back to the portal.
Aizawa, however, had managed to slip past. He was currently sprinting, eyes bloodshot as he was about to reach the portal—
"Can't afford to get distracted, Eraser Head."
The voice came from behind.
Shigaraki's voice.
Aizawa spun around, his eyes widening as he spotted the gray-haired villain—already reaching for one of the unconscious students at the back.
Without hesitation, Aizawa veered, racing to intercept.
But before he could close the distance, Shigaraki stepped into the mist once more, slipping away.
And with him, both the portals sealed shut. The Nomu vanished with them.
Silence fell.
Aizawa stood there, frozen, his gaze locked on the empty air where the gateway had been. His frown deepened by the second.
Then his head snapped to the side, searching for the captured villains—Magne and Spinner.
Gone.
As was Suzaku.
"Shit."
...
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: Hopefully, nothing felt wrong in this chapter. I don't know why, but something feels slightly off.
Like always, though, it might just be my paranoia.
Also, I have a new ff, in case you want to check it out.
And before you mention the Fairy Tail one, this one has more chapters, so it means I'm a bit more invested.
Fairy Tail is a bit too chaotic in its events, so I guess it discourages me passively from resuming it.
This new one's from MHA too, mostly because the idea was too good to do in another series, and because it's the world I'm most familiar with right now.
The name's My Hero Academia: Aura Farming. Hopefully, that sounds interesting enough.
There's a system, though, in case you don't like those.)