Chapter 21: Gathering
Kaminari-kun was captured because of me... Midoriya knelt on the ground, defeated, staring blankly at the stone slab. I failed him... I betrayed his trust...
"Midoriya-chan, pull yourself together." Tsuyu gently shook Midoriya's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "This isn't your fault. None of us could have known an enemy was still hiding here..."
"Hey, don't look so down. I never said I was going to kill him," the man on the speaker said, sounding a little exasperated. "How are you supposed to cooperate with me and rescue your friend if you're like this?"
The light returned to Midoriya's eyes. "You mean—!"
The man didn't answer directly, only saying, "There is a receiver on the large rock in front of you. Do you see it?"
With Tsuyu's help, Midoriya stood up and walked to the stone slab. A single-ear headset lay on top of it, its long antenna pointing right at him.
It was Denki Kaminari's earpiece.
"Put it on," the man commanded.
Midoriya's hand trembled as he picked up the headset. An image of Kaminari's goofy, short-circuited face flashed through his mind. He took a deep breath, put it on, and said calmly, "What's next?"
With a crackle, the broadcast that had been covering the entire USJ was cut off. A voice now came through Midoriya's earpiece.
"Now, only you can hear me. Don't tell that frog next to you what I'm saying."
"Midoriya-chan, are you okay?" Tsuyu asked, looking at him with concern.
Midoriya gave a slight shake of his head and asked the man, "What do you want me to do to get you to release Kaminari? His life isn't that important to you, is it?"
"Correct. It's so much easier talking to a smart person," the man said with a light chuckle. He continued, "You've probably figured it out already. All I want is a chance to leave. But from what I understand, you can't leave U.A. without an access pass, right?"
"...So that's why you've been waiting here for an opportunity."
Just as the enemy's cold calculation sent a chill down Midoriya's spine, a sudden hurricane-force wind tore through the area, blasting them with countless bits of dust and debris.
"Midoriya-chan!" Tsuyu reacted instantly. The moment she felt the wind, she leaped into a small alleyway and shot her tongue out, wrapping it around the still-exposed Midoriya and pulling him to safety.
The two of them clung tightly to a window frame to avoid being swept away by the powerful gust. A few seconds later, the wind began to die down. Before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, a series of continuous explosions erupted from the direction the wind had come from.
What is happening!?
Midoriya's first instinct was to run toward the sound, but a sharp yell from the man in his ear stopped him. "Don't go over there!"
"Do you know what's happening!?" Midoriya demanded of the unknown enemy.
"Oh, that's just my partner," the man replied nonchalantly. "But I'm different from him. He just wants to have a good old-fashioned brawl. I just want to get out of this hellhole." After a second's pause, he added, "By the way, I can give you a little tip. He's captured one of your friends, too."
Besides Kaminari, another classmate was captured...? Midoriya fell silent, at a complete loss for what to do.
Kaminari's fate was unknown, and now a new enemy had appeared over there—an enemy whose power, judging by the incredible wind pressure, was on a whole other level.
"Tsuyu-chan, can I ask you to go check on the situation over there? There's something I need to take care of alone," Midoriya said, lifting his head, his decision made. "Kaminari needs me to rescue him."
"Ashido! I almost hit him!" Yuga Aoyama glared at Mina Ashido. "It's all your fault for insisting on coating the cannonball with your acid!"
"How is that my fault!? The enemy was just too fast!" Mina knew she had probably messed up, but she still tried to defend herself. "If the cannonball had hit him, the corrosive acid would have burned his skin and made him let go of Todoroki-kun!"
"Stop arguing. That was just a feint. It's okay that it failed," Momo said, her expression grim as she watched the enemy. "Besides, he's already spotted us."
After hearing the broadcast, Momo had instantly realized that a remnant of the League of Villains was still in the area and that Midoriya was in a precarious situation. Her first thought was to go get the teachers, but then she remembered what Yoshikage Kira had done during the first attack.
We have to find our classmates. That was Momo Yaoyorozu's conclusion.
After that, she had rushed to the scene, announcing the presence of her group to their embattled classmates, which also served as a warning to the enemy.
"You... you almost hurt me..." The man looked around, then walked to a half-buried rock. He wound up and—as if kicking a soccer ball—sent the rock flying out of the ground. It shot towards Momo's group like a meteor. "This is for that last attack!"
"AAAAAHHH—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
Seeing the rock hurtling toward him, Yuga Aoyama screamed, stumbled backward, and fell to the ground, watching helplessly as the rock grew larger and larger in his vision.
Just as he was imagining his own brains splattering, a dark figure flashed out from the side. A black monster emerged from a cloak and charged the rock.
"Aoyama-san! Please do not dishonor the cape you wear, which is the same color as my own!" Fumikage Tokoyami pulled Aoyama to his feet, his eyes fixed on the incoming projectile. "Stand up and witness our power!"
The rock and Dark Shadow collided. With a shriek from Dark Shadow, the rock shattered into pieces. Before Aoyama could even feel relieved, a person-sized chunk of the broken rock was still flying toward them.
"Don't forget about us!"
Just as Aoyama was about to scream again, a red figure stepped in front of them, meeting the rock head-on and absorbing its force with his own body. It was Eijiro Kirishima!
Kirishima crossed his arms and, with a roar, shattered the rock into four pieces. The fragments lost their momentum and tumbled harmlessly into the crater.
Kirishima turned, giving Aoyama a thumbs-up and a grin. "Aoyama! That was a close one with your shot earlier!"
Aoyama's eyes, behind his glasses, turned red. "Kirishima! Tokoyami!" he said, his voice thick with emotion.
"Hahaha! Hahaha!" The large man didn't seem disappointed that his attack had been nullified. In fact, he looked almost relieved. He gave an exaggerated shrug and laughed heartily. "Yes! That's it! Show me what you've got, future heroes!"
"So everyone's here..." A smirk played on Katsuki Bakugo's lips. "I could have taken them down by myself, but since you're all here, go ahead and do what you can!"
Bakugo then continued to shout, "You hear me, Iida!? Go find that damn Deku! Don't let him die for some stupid reason!"
"If that's the case... alright." Seeing his classmates gathering, Iida gave a solemn nod, accepting Bakugo's proposal. He turned, moved to a flat area, and the turbines in his Engines began to spin as he prepared to accelerate. With his speed, he was the most suitable person to go find Midoriya.
"Iida-kun, I'm going too!" Uraraka grabbed Iida's hand, her expression serious. "I want to help Midoriya-kun!"
"Then I'll go as well. I don't think I'd be much use here anyway..." Jiro stood on Iida's other side.
They may not be curvy, but they're still girls... Mineta's eyes darted back and forth. He also raised his hand. "Iida, I'm going too! The two of us together are invincible!"
Today, I, Minoru Mineta, will finally fulfill my dream of riding a motorcycle with a girl!
Two of them!
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