The vault's sterile lights flickered as Wolfram's wall gleamed, forged from the vault's metal ground, blue electrical sparks crackling around his hand as he deflected my bullets with ease. His smirk was venomous, eyes glinting with smug certainty.
"You're out of your depth, kid," he sneered, slamming his hand against the wall.
As soon as his hand touched the wall of the vault room, blue sparks flaring as it twisted into a writhing mass of spikes that surged toward me and Izuku, aiming to pin us like bugs. It wasn't really that easy to dodge because no matter how hard I tried, those damn metal things somehow managed to grab me and pin me to the wall. Izuku wasn't doing much better either, even though he used Full Cowl to jump and throw attacks and dodge things, he was pinned just like me right now...
His Metal Manipulation Quirk was a goddamn nightmare in this steel cage of a vault, as every surface was his weapon, bending to his touch. It's going to be quite a struggle...
Once everything was in order, he burst out laughing and ordered Samuel - yep, that blond pig - in an extremely annoying manner.
"Hand over the device, Sam," he barked, his hand still glowing as he kept us pinned. "Unless you want these kids turned into scrap."
Samuel, the spineless assistant, stumbled forward, his glasses fogged with sweat. "I—I don't have a choice, David," he stammered, clutching the Quirk Amplification Device's case. "You betrayed our research! This project should not have been frozen so easily IF IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT!" His voice cracked, but he handed the case toward Wolfram, trembling like a leaf.
"Told you, doc. Your buddy's a rat." I snorted, my voice dripping with disdain despite the metal tightening around my arms.
David's face fell, betrayal cutting deeper than any bullet. But before Sam could fully hand over the case, Wolfram's smirk twisted into something colder. He raised his gun and fired. Sam screamed, collapsing as blood bloomed across his chest. "W-Wolfram, no! This wasn't the deal!" he gasped, clawing at the floor.
Wolfram's laugh was ice. "This is the deal now, Sam."
He aimed again, but David lunged, stopped the bullet for him. The bullet tore into David's shoulder, and he crumpled with a grunt, blood soaking his vest. Melissa screamed, rushing to her dad's side, her hands shaking as she pressed them to the wound.
"Dad, no!"
Wolfram shoved Melissa aside, sending her sprawling. "You're done, Shield," he growled, looming over David. "You're a criminal now, forever. Your little stunt ends here."
He grabbed David's collar, yanking him up, and slammed him against the wall, knocking him out cold. The metal floor rippled, forming cuffs to bind David's wrists. Wolfram's eyes flicked to me, narrowing. "And you, little brat, you know too much. Time to shut you up."
Melissa scrambled to her feet, tears streaming down her face. "Please, stop! Don't hurt them!" she begged, but Wolfram's smirk only widened.
"Hurt them? I'm just cleaning up David's mess," he said, summoned a metal spear aimed at my chest.
I grinned, my mouth moving before my brain could catch up. "Some cleanup crew you are, fuck face. What's a third-rate thug like you gonna do without All For One spoon-feeding you this shit? You didn't earn anything, you were just let in the door. A fucking puppet with a shiny toy." My words hit like a slap, and Wolfram's face twisted with rage, the blue sparks around his hand flaring brighter.
"You little...!" he roared, the metal around my arms tightening, creeping toward my throat like a noose. I could barely breathe, my vision blurring, but I caught Izuku's movement in the corner of my eye.
He'd used my taunting to buy time, his Full Cowl blazing as he broke free from the metal tendrils. With a shout, he launched forward, tackling Wolfram and knocking the spear off course. It grazed Melissa's arm instead of impaling her, and she yelped, stumbling back.
Izuku's gauntlet glowed, his fist slamming into Wolfram's side with a 30% Detroit Smash. The impact sent Wolfram skidding, the metal noose around me loosening just enough.
Now's my chance.
I touched the steel binding my arms, my Matter Manipulation Quirk humming as I transmuted it into fine sand, the grains slipping through my fingers. Free, I backed off, catching my breath and watching Izuku go to work. His green lightning crackled, punches raining down as Wolfram struggled to reform his metal defenses.
Melissa dragged her dad to safety, her face pale but determined. Sam was still crawling, whimpering, blood pooling beneath him. Traitor got what he deserved. Wolfram, now pissed beyond reason, summoned a storm of metal shards, forcing Izuku to dodge and weave. The kid was holding his own, just like in Two Heroes.
My job wasn't to steal his spotlight, it was to make sure he got it in the right way.
I stayed low, my eyes scanning the vault. The device case lay abandoned near Sam, and I could've grabbed it, but that wasn't the play.
As Izuku landed another hit, Wolfram roared, blue sparks flaring as he formed a massive metal hammer. I didn't stick around to watch the encore. "You've got this, kid," I muttered under my breath, sprinting for the stairs. Plus, the rooftop was my next stop.
Time for the last dance....
...
Izuku exploded off the vault wall, his Full Cowl glowing like a green comet as he cocked his arm back for a Detroit Smash. The air crackled with his power, his face set in that determined grit I'd come to admire—and envy a little. He was all heart, charging Wolfram like the villain was just another obstacle on his path to being the next Symbol of Peace. But Wolfram wasn't some chump; he slapped his hand against the floor, blue sparks dancing around his fingers as the metal tiles surged upward in a twisting mass, forming a colossal barrier that swallowed Izuku's punch with a deafening boom. The impact shook the room, dust raining from the ceiling, but the wall held, forcing Izuku to skid back, his gauntlet smoking.
"Melissa, I'll save your dad!" Izuku shouted over the din, his voice steady but laced with that raw desperation—the kind that made him push harder when everything was falling apart. "But you need to get to the control room and free everyone else!"
Melissa's eyes went wide, her face pale under the flickering lights. She clutched her torn dress, glancing at her dad - still slumped against the wall, blood seeping from his shoulder - then nodded, steeling herself. "I'm trusting you, Izuku!" She bolted for the exit, her pogo stick forgotten in the chaos, disappearing through the vault door just as Wolfram's smirk twisted into rage.
Izuku didn't hesitate. He kicked off the wall, his speed a blur as he vaulted over the barriers, landing in front of the mercenaries. "You're not getting past me!" he roared, his gauntlet sparking as he smashed through their ranks, sending them sprawling. Wolfram growled, his hand glowing as he ripped metal columns from the floor, hurling them at Izuku. "Don't get cocky, kid!" he snapped, the columns crashing down like meteors.
Izuku dodged, his Full Cowl pushing his reflexes to the limit. "I'm not here to play games!" he shouted, buying time for Melissa to reach the control room.
After a short while, the tower's security was coming back online, loosening Wolfram's grip on I-Island. But the bastard wasn't done. With a sneer, he grabbed the unconscious David, metal cuffs still binding his wrists, and dragged him toward the rooftop exit.
"This isn't over," he muttered, signaling his hacker to prep the helicopter.
Izuku's eyes narrowed, and he broke free from the metal barrage, sprinting after Wolfram furiously.
On the rooftop helipad, the chopper's blades were already spinning, kicking up wind that howled across the tower. Wolfram dragged David toward it, his hand glowing as he formed a massive iron pillar to crush Izuku, who'd chased him up. "What, here to save the guy who caused all this?" Wolfram taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "Your precious professor's a criminal, kid."
Izuku's jaw clenched, his Full Cowl flaring brighter. "I'm here to save him, not judge him!" he shot back, dodging the pillar with a burst of speed. "That's what heroes do!" He weaved through a storm of metal spikes, each one narrowly missing as he closed the distance. "I'll save everyone, even the professor!"
Wolfram laughed, raising his gun to David's head. "Heroes," he spat. "So easy to play." He fired a warning shot, the bullet grazing David's temple, drawing blood. Izuku froze, his eyes wide with fear for the professor. That moment of hesitation cost him - Wolfram's hand glowed, and three massive steel columns shot up, slamming together to trap Izuku in a crushing vice. He grunted, struggling against the metal, his gauntlet sparking but unable to break free.
Wolfram boarded the helicopter, tossing David inside like a ragdoll. "Fly!" he barked at the pilot, the chopper lifting off.
I think it's better for me to do it now than wait for All Might...
I crouched behind a vent on the rooftop, my tactical slingshot loaded with a wax-coated nitroglycerin ball - armored for extra punch.
Plan "Last Pawn Sacrifice" time. My goal wasn't to save David - that was Izuku's job. Mine was to make sure Wolfram didn't get that device, even if it meant torching everyone on that chopper. If I can't have them, no one can...
As the helicopter climbed, barely 100 meters up, I fired. The nitroglycerin ball hit the tail rotor, exploding in a fireball that sent the chopper spinning. Shrapnel rained down, and screams echoed from inside. Izuku, freed from the columns by sheer willpower, ran up and grabbed my collar and screamed. "Ryuga, what did you do?!" he shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief. "You could've killed them all!"
I stood, my face cold. "I don't do things without a plan, Midoriya," I said, voice flat. "Hope's never late."
Before he could argue, a blur of red, white, and blue shot up the tower - All Might, moving like a goddamn missile. He leaped, smashing into the burning chopper mid-air, ripping David from the wreckage and landing back on the helipad in one fluid motion. The helicopter plummeted, exploding in a fiery wreck below.
All Might set David down, his massive frame towering as he turned to Izuku.
"Young Midoriya, you've done well!" he boomed, his smile radiant despite the chaos.
Then his eyes flicked to me, sharp and wary, like he could see right through my bullshit, then in a flash, he was in my face, his massive hand gripping my collar, lifting me off the ground. "What was that, Onodera?!" he roared, his voice booming. "You endangered lives—innocent or not! Explain yourself!"
It's rare to see someone who always acts like he's great and perfect like All Might has a "human" side like this.
To be honest, I'm too lazy to argue with this guy. Partly because I'm wrong, but...
Wait...
Damn it, I think I made the wrong move. How the hell can I cooperate with the Shield father and son after I almost killed David earlier?
This is really difficult...
But there's a silver lining in the bad luck, David, who had just woken up and was untied earlier, immediately shouted to stop All Might:
"All Might, put that boy down. This isn't you!"
"But he almost killed you, Dave!!!!"
Hearing this, David paused, but then realized something and continued:
"That's what he had to do, Toshi. And I've already paid the price for my mistake."
"Hey, I know this is morally important, but NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO..."
Before I could finish, that damn guy, who was probably still alive after the helicopter crash and had gotten the Quirk amplifier, gave All Might a flying iron pole that sent him flying to the side and knocked me down.
Now things were even worse than before...