Chapter 26: The Rainbow Squad
"Why... This is impossible..." Midoriya stared at the masked man in shock. "Aren't you supposed to be a special instructor hired by the school...?"
"It seems you still don't believe me. You're still clinging to your theory that I'm an 'actor'," the man said with a light laugh, pressing the button again. "In that case, I'll just keep destroying things until you do."
On the monitor, another building instantly collapsed into a pile of rubble, kicking up another cloud of dust. Several surveillance cameras were damaged in the collapse, causing a few of the small screens in the top-right corner to dissolve into gray static.
Although Midoriya wasn't face-to-face with the enemy in the earthquake zone, he was now certain that the man was his idol, All Might.
As a die-hard All Might fan who had spent so much time with him, the "enemy's" occasional tics—the hands on the hips, the booming laugh—were all incredibly familiar to Midoriya. He could imagine that boisterous, smiling face even behind the mask.
Does that mean... the man in front of me is a real villain? The thought suddenly surged through Midoriya's mind. All Might is the fake villain, and this man is a real one. It's not an impossibility...
BOOM—
At that moment, the main screen switched to Bakugo's perspective. The camera shook violently. Bakugo's eyes were fixed on the enemy, his breathing heavy and ragged. The sound of collapsing buildings grew clearer, as if the destruction was getting closer and closer.
"Stop it! I believe you're an enemy!" Midoriya couldn't bear the silence any longer. He glared at the masked man. "Don't do this anymore!"
"Oh?" The man's finger, which was about to press the button, paused. He tossed the remote into the air, caught it, and slipped it into his pocket. He sounded a little disappointed. "I've planted bombs throughout the entire earthquake zone, you know. You don't want me to detonate a few more?"
Is this guy a madman? Planting bombs across the entire area?
Midoriya couldn't tell if he was bluffing. The only thing he could be sure of was that the man in front of him was dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
His face grim, Midoriya turned his gaze back to the large screen. He suddenly noticed a few figures appearing in the corners of several screens. The cameras were shaking, as if they were on the move.
"That's Uraraka and the others!"
Midoriya instantly recognized Iida's white hero costume. Watching the ship grow larger and larger in another camera's view, Midoriya had a very bad feeling.
Don't tell me... they're coming to the Flood Zone?
"Iida, you're an expert driver! Can't you keep this thing steady!?" Mineta was plastered to Iida's chest, his face flattened by the intense wind pressure. He no longer looked like a grape, but more like a purplish-red eggplant.
A muffled, helpless-sounding voice came from the vents of Iida's helmet. "Even I have never tried running while this overloaded!"
At that moment, Iida was cradling the purple Mineta to his chest, with the all-black Jiro and the pink Uraraka hanging off his left and right sides, respectively. Perched on his head was the green Tsuyu. Combined with his own white suit, they looked exactly like a fully-combined, five-ranger Sentai team.
Uraraka had used her "Zero Gravity" Quirk on Tsuyu, and Mineta's grapes were connecting her webbed feet to Iida's shoulders. So while it looked like she was squatting on his shoulders, she was actually floating above his head like a Stand. Even with her on him, Iida couldn't feel any of her weight.
"Tsuyu-chan, is this the way Midoriya went?"
Iida's team had already run out of the earthquake zone and had reached the central plaza. The thought of the enemy who had suddenly appeared near the hot springs still made Iida's heart pound with fear.
Last time, it was Mr. Aizawa and the others who had held off the numerous enemies. This time, it was Bakugo who was holding off the enemy for him. Against even a single enemy, all he could do was run...
Yes, although he was temporarily leaving the battlefield to rescue Kaminari and Midoriya, in his heart, he felt like he was running away. Running away, again and again.
"If I'm not mistaken, Midoriya should have boarded that ship," Tsuyu said, standing up on Iida's shoulders and looking towards the ship in the center of the Flood Zone.
Although Tsuyu hadn't seen where Midoriya had gone, she knew for a fact that the ship had been destroyed. It was impossible for it to be floating there, perfectly intact.
That was the biggest anomaly.
Minoru Mineta opened his eyes, took one look, and agreed with Tsuyu's guess. "That's right! Midoriya is definitely on that ship!"
As a direct participant in that battle, he remembered using the grapes from his head to bind all the villains together. His scalp had even bled back then!
"In that case..." Iida looked at Jiro. "Could I ask you to go and call the school for help? The enemy probably hasn't blocked the signal this time. You should be able to contact the outside world using the public phone at the main gate."
"Iida, wouldn't it be faster if you went?" Jiro didn't mind. She was happy to contribute by being the messenger, but she still had her doubts.
"Because..." Iida looked at the ship. "I don't want to run away anymore."
Jiro respected his decision. She skated off, leaving Uraraka, Iida, Mineta, and Tsuyu behind.
"Iida, I understand that you want to fight the enemy head-on... After all, I'm always the one being rescued," Tsuyu said, walking to the water's edge. She turned to look at Iida, stuck her tongue out, and said calmly, "But, with that heavy hero costume, you're not exactly suited for aquatic combat, are you?"
"..." Iida fell silent.
"..." Mineta fell silent.
"...Tsuyu-chan, don't say that!" Uraraka waved her hands frantically. "Iida can use my Quirk! He can float in the air first, and then once he's on the ship, it'll be his stage to shine!"
"...My stage?" Iida looked down at his own hands. He knew that the moment his "Engines" touched water, they would stall. Even if he used "Zero Gravity" to get on the ship, his Quirk would be of no advantage in the narrow rooms inside.
"All this time... the arrogant one wasn't Bakugo. It was me..."
Iida turned and chased after Jiro. "Jiro-san! Let me be the one to call for help!"
"What's with him?" Jiro asked, skating back with a bewildered expression.
Uraraka gave a wry smile. "Maybe he's finally had a breakthrough?"
"Was it because I was too blunt?" Tsuyu pointed at herself sadly. "I know I speak my mind, and sometimes I step on people's toes without realizing it..."
"That's his own issue, Iida's. Just let him sort it out himself. Don't you worry about it, Tsuyu-chan," Uraraka said, quickly comforting her.
Uraraka knew a little about Iida's situation. He had an older brother whom he greatly admired, a very popular Pro Hero. He was always striving to be like his brother, which is why he was so strict with himself and often got hung up on minor details.
"Hehehe... Is this heaven?" Mineta stared at Tsuyu's curvaceous figure in her tight hero costume, drool trickling from his mouth. "That third wheel Iida is gone, and now it's just me, alone with three girls... Hehehe..."
Yes, the same Mineta who had been shouting about his invincible team-up with Iida moments ago had already thrown that title to the wind.
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