The meeting point that Momo had designated was a partially collapsed section near the entrance of the mountain zone. The area provided good visibility of the central plaza while offering enough coverage to remain hidden from any wandering villains.
"This should work," she whispered to herself while scanning the surroundings. "Everyone should be able to find this location easily."
A massive explosion of ice erupted to her right. Shoto Todoroki emerged from the frozen landscape with his expression as stoic as ever. Behind him remained a trail of villains encased in thick ice formations. Some were frozen to the neck while others were completely immobilized in crystalline prisons.
"Yaoyorozu," Shoto recognized with a brief nod. "I see you arrived safely."
"Todoroki!" Momo's relief was evident. "Thank God. Did you run into many villains?"
"About twelve," Shoto responded casually. "They were not particularly skilled. Most relied on brute force with minimal tactical awareness."
Before Momo could respond, another explosion rocked the area. This one was orange and violent, accompanied by a familiar battle cry.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!"
Bakugo Katsuki burst through a cloud of smoke with his palms still sparking from residual explosions. Behind him, at least seven villains lay scattered and groaning. One was trapped halfway in a concrete wall. Another hung from a metal beam, unconscious and emitting a bit of smoke.
"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE?!" Bakugo roared at the defeated villains. "PATHETIC EXTRAS!"
"Bakugo!" Momo called out. "Over here!"
Bakugo's red eyes snapped toward them. He landed with another small explosion, his usual aggressive scowl firmly in place.
"Tch. You two made it," he grunted. "I was hoping for more of a challenge."
"How many did you fight?" Shoto asked with slight curiosity.
"Who's counting?" Bakugo responded with disdain. "Enough to make it interesting for about three minutes."
Kirishima arrived next with his hardened skin gradually returning to normal. His uniform was torn in several places and he had a cut over his eyebrow, though he was smiling widely.
"Guys! You are all okay!" Kirishima's relief was genuine. "Man, those villains were no joke. I had to go into total defense mode twice!"
"But you made it," Momo smiled. "That is what matters."
Sero, Ojiro, Sato, and Koda appeared together from the ruins zone. They looked quite battered, with Sero's tape partially depleted and Sato breathing heavily from the excessive use of his Sugar Rush.
"We stayed together after the initial scattering," Sero explained quickly. "We fought our way through the ruins zone. There were at least fifteen villains there."
"Sato handled most of the heavy lifting," Ojiro added, his tail twitching from residual tension. "Literally."
Sato simply gave a tired thumbs up, too exhausted to speak.
Kaminari and Jiro emerged from behind a broken pillar. Kaminari looked slightly fried with his hair messier than usual, while Jiro kept one of her earphone jacks extended defensively.
"Don't even ask," Kaminari groaned. "I might have overdone it with the voltage back there."
"You definitely overdid it," Jiro corrected naturally. "But it worked. We took down six villains before they knew what hit them."
Momo did a quick count. Most of Class 1 A was present now. The main group fighting in the central plaza with the teachers was obvious from the sounds of combat echoing through the facility.
"We should move to help them," Momo began, her tactical mind already formulating a plan.
"DON'T GIVE ME ORDERS PONYTAIL GIRL," Bakugo interrupted.
"Wait," Shoto raised a hand. "We need to assess the situation first. Charging in blind will only create more problems for the teachers."
"Since when are you the careful type, Half and Half?"
"Since I learned how to use my brain," Shoto responded coldly. "You should try it sometime."
Bakugo's palms sparked dangerously.
"What did you say?!"
"Stop it, both of you," Momo stepped between them. "This is not the time for internal conflicts."
Before the argument could escalate further, a massive explosion shook the entire facility. It came from the landslide zone, powerful enough that everyone felt the shockwave ripple through the air.
"What the hell was that?!" Kirishima shouted.
Green lightning crackled in the distance.
"It can't be," Kaminari whispered. "Is that...?"
A figure shot through the debris at incredible speed. Villains who tried to intercept her were tossed aside like leaves in a hurricane. The green sparks intensified with every movement.
CRASH.
The figure tore through a group of villains, sending them flying in different directions. A villain with a mutation Quirk that gave him skin as hard as rock tried to tackle the approaching blur.
Grave error.
The figure pivoted smoothly and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick powered by green energy. The supposedly indestructible skin of the villain cracked and he fell instantly.
"Whoever that is, they are incredibly strong!" Sero exclaimed.
The figure was closing in now. The green lightning made it difficult to distinguish details. Another villain, this one with a fire based Quirk, launched a torrent of flames directly at the approaching student.
The figure did not even slow down. She dodged the flames with practiced skill, closed the distance in an instant, and delivered an upward palm strike that lifted the villain completely off the ground. He slammed against a wall and did not get back up.
"That fighting style," Ojiro murmured, his martial arts training allowing him to recognize the techniques. "Those are martial arts moves. Combined with that power..."
The figure finally burst into the meeting area. Her momentum was too great to stop immediately. The person tried to brake with her feet skidding over the concrete, but the remaining speed sent her rolling forward.
CRASH.
Debris flew into the air as the figure collided with a pile of broken concrete and twisted metal. Dust and small stones rained down, completely obscuring whoever had arrived so dramatically. The green lightning finally dissipated, leaving only the settling dust and the sound of coughing.
"Cough... cough... okay," a clearly female voice gasped from within the cloud of debris. "That landing could have been better."
The dust began to settle. Everyone stared intently, trying to make out who had just made such a spectacular entrance.
"Heavens," Kaminari whispered. "Please tell me you all saw that entrance because it was amazing."
The figure rose slowly, shaking concrete dust from her suit. As the air cleared, the person became visible.
It was Inko Midoriya.
Her green hair was messy and pointing in strange angles from the static electricity generated by One For All. Her hero suit was torn in several places and she had minor scratches on her arms and face. She coughed again, waving her hand to clear the remaining dust around her.
"Ugh," Inko grimaced. "Why is there so much dust everywhere?"
A deathly silence greeted her words. Everyone just stared.
"Midoriya?!" Momo finally found her voice. "Was that you?!"
Inko blinked, appearing to notice the group for the first time. Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment.
"Oh! Everyone! You are safe!" Her relief was genuine. "I was worried when we were separated. Iida told me this would be the meeting point."
"Safe?" Kirishima's eye twitched. "You just tore through the landslide zone like a missile and you are asking if WE are safe?!"
"Well... yes?" Inko tilted her head. "It seemed like everyone was fighting together. Teamwork is important in these situations."
Kaminari could not help himself.
"Man, I am not going to lie," he smiled widely. "That entrance was absolutely staggering. The way you demolished those villains? The green lightning? The explosion of debris? A perfect ten out of ten, I would watch it again."
"Kaminari!" Jiro elbowed him. "Read the room!"
"What? I am just saying what everyone is thinking!"
Shoto studied Inko with his heterochromatic eyes. The power she had just displayed was extraordinary.
"Midoriya," Shoto said carefully. "How did you defeat all those villains?"
Inko's expression became more serious. Her embarrassment faded as she remembered the last few minutes.
Fifteen Minutes Earlier – Landslide ZoneInko had landed hard in the landslide zone, her body rolling down a steep slope of loose rocks and dirt. The world spun around her as she fell, barely managing to protect her head with her arms.
When she finally stopped, she was at the bottom of a rocky valley. Her entire body ached from the impact. She pushed herself up slowly, evaluating her surroundings.
Villains. At least twenty of them were scattered across the zone. They had clearly been waiting for the students to arrive, their expressions eager and malicious.
"Well, well," one of them, a tall man with a mutation Quirk that gave him scorpion characteristics, smiled wickedly. "Looks like we have a student all by herself. This is going to be easy."
Inko's mind raced. She was alone in hostile territory surrounded by villains who had no qualms about hurting or killing students. Fear threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced it back by remembering all the martial arts training she had undergone to control One For All.
"You do not have to do this," Inko tried diplomacy first, her voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "Surrender now and the heroes will be more merciful."
The scorpion villain laughed.
"Cute. Very cute, kid." He cracked his knuckles, the chitinous exoskeleton of his arms gleaming. "But we have orders. No survivors."
That settled it.
Inko took a deep breath, centered herself, and activated One For All at five percent. Green lightning crackled around her body.
The first villain charged. He was fast for someone his size. His scorpion tail lashed forward with the venomous stinger aimed at Inko's chest.
Inko stepped aside. She grabbed the villain's tail in the middle of the attack, pivoted her body, and used the opponent's own momentum against him.
WHAM.
The villain flew over her shoulder and collided with two of his companions. All three fell in a tangled heap.
"She has some skill!" another villain shouted. "Do not underestimate her!"
Five villains attacked simultaneously from different angles. Inko's eyes tracked them all, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to process multiple threats at once.
Inko jumped straight up, increasing One For All to eight percent. The surge of power launched her several meters into the air. The five villains collided with each other where she had been standing just a moment before.
While in the air, Inko spun her body and launched a devastating axe kick downward. Her heel, powered by One For All, struck the ground with explosive force.
BOOM.
The impact created a small crater and sent a shockwave outward. The five villains who had just collided were thrown back by the force, crashing into the rocky terrain.
"Ten percent," Inko whispered to herself. She could feel One For All responding to her determination. "I can handle ten percent."
The power surged. The green sparks intensified around her body.
A villain with a fire Quirk launched a stream of flames toward her. Inko did not dodge. Instead, she charged directly into the fire, using Full Cowling to protect her body from the worst of the heat. The flames washed over her aura of One For All, unable to penetrate the protective energy.
She burst through the cloud of fire with her fist already in motion. The blow connected with the fire villain's jaw with a satisfying crunch.
"Damn it! She is too strong!" someone yelled. "Use your Quirks! Everyone!"
The remaining villains activated their Quirks simultaneously. Earth manipulation, metal generation, size enhancement, speed boosters... a dozen different powers activated at once.
Inko's mind processed everything in a fraction of a second.
Inko spotted a villain with a cement manipulation Quirk creating a massive rock to throw at her. She waited until the last possible second and then dodged to the side. The rock flew past and smashed directly into three villains who had been trying to flank her.
"Watch where you throw that!"
"I am sorry! She moved!"
Inko took advantage of the opening. She flowed through the group of villains, blending perfectly with the power of One For All. A palm strike here, a sweep there, a precisely aimed elbow when the opportunity presented itself.
A villain with enhanced strength grabbed her from behind, wrapping his massive arms around her torso.
"I've got you, brat!"
Inko did not panic. She relaxed in his grip for a moment, then channeled One For All through her entire body. The surge of power was explosive and immediate.
"Full Cowling!"
Green lightning detonated outward. The villain's grip shattered instantly as he was blown back by sheer brute force. He crashed through a rock formation and did not rise again.
Five villains remained. They looked at each other nervously, clearly reconsidering their life choices.
"To hell with this!" One of them turned to run. "That girl is a monster!"
Inko could not let them escape. If they regrouped with other villains, they could threaten her classmates or the teachers.
She lunged forward, increasing One For All for a brief burst. The acceleration was incredible. She crossed the distance between herself and the fleeing villains in less than a second.
Her hand shot out, grabbing the neck of the nearest villain. She spun, using her momentum to hurl him into his partner. Both fell hard.
The remaining three tried to fight. One had a blade projection Quirk and attacked her with desperate ferocity. Inko blocked the first strike with her forearm, the blades scraping against her aura of One For All without penetrating it. She grabbed his wrist, twisted sharply, and delivered a knee to the abdomen that folded him in half.
The last two attacked together. Inko's response was automatic. She ducked under a wild swing, delivered a sharp elbow to the ribs of one attacker, then spun and caught the second with a roundhouse kick to the head.
Both collapsed.
Silence fell over the landslide zone. Twenty villains lay scattered and defeated around Inko. She was breathing heavily, her body trembling slightly from the adrenaline crash and the sustained use of One For All.
"I did it," she whispered to herself. "I actually did it."
Suddenly Iida arrived, gave her the information about the meeting point, and left. Through the dust and debris, she could see the central plaza in the distance. The sounds of combat echoed in the facility. Her classmates and teachers were still fighting.
Without hesitation, Inko activated Full Cowling again and launched herself toward the meeting point. She needed to regroup with everyone else. Together, they could turn the tide of this invasion.
Present – Meeting Point"Twenty villains," Inko finished her explanation. "They were coordinated, but their strategy fell apart once I broke their formation."
The group looked at her in various states of shock and awe.
"You defeated twenty villains by yourself," Kirishima repeated slowly. "That is not just manly. It is legendary."
"It was necessary," Inko responded simply. "I could not let them threaten anyone else."
Bakugo's expression was complicated.
"Tch. Show off," he muttered.
Momo stepped forward, her leadership instincts taking over.
"Everyone, we have to focus. The main battle is happening in the central plaza. We should—"
A distant explosion interrupted her. All eyes turned toward the plaza. Even from that distance, they could see what was happening. The massive creature was in combat against their teachers and several classmates.
Inko's eyes narrowed as she focused on the scene. Her vision, enhanced by One For All, allowed her to make out details the others could not. She could see Ren using telekinesis, Midnight wielding her whip, Aizawa's capture weapon in motion, and what looked like Mina's acid covering the ground.
But it was the creature that drew her attention. That thing was monstrous. Everything about it screamed danger at a level she had never encountered before.
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Frustration and helplessness fought within her chest.
I am not strong enough, she thought bitterly. Even with One For All, I cannot face something like that and win.
The realization hurt. All the progress she had made... and she was still not ready for this level of threat.
"We have to move," Shoto's voice was cold. "Our classmates need support."
"Agreed," Momo nodded. "Todoroki, Bakugo, you two will be our main offensive force. Everyone else will provide support and coverage. We move together and watch each other's backs. Understood?"
"It is about damn time we got into the real fight!" Bakugo smiled viciously.
"Midoriya," Shoto turned to Inko. "Your power makes you one of our strongest combatants. Are you able to keep fighting?"
Inko looked at her hands. She had two broken fingers. Her body ached from the impacts and the falls in the landslide zone. But none of that mattered now.
"I can fight," she said firmly. "Let's go help everyone."
*******
Author's Note:
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Power Stone Challenge!
Unfortunately, we were just shy of our goal last week, but don't worry! I'm back with a new, more achievable challenge.
The Goal: If we hit 800 Power Stones this week, I will immediately release 3 bonus chapters this Sunday to kick off the new week!
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Thank you all for the incredible support. Let's hit that goal!