"IZUKU, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
Tenya from the ground echoed Himiko's shock and horror, "Midoriya?! No, you need to run away! Get away now!"
Stain, keeping a firm grip on his sword, turned to see who this new person was. Another child, if Himiko and Tenya know him, thought Stain. However, when he looked, he was momentarily surprised. The name hadn't been familiar but he knew the face.
"The boy chosen by All Might, huh?"
Izuku had been so focused on stopping Stain's sword that he hadn't noticed how bad things were. Now that he had the chance, he felt his insides twist. He saw Tenya lying on the ground with a knife sticking out of his arm. And when Himiko turned to yell at him, Izuku finally saw the deep cut that ran down her face. Horror and rage intermixed as Izuku pulled the heaviest thing he could see, a dumpster, and hurled it at Stain.
Stain pulled on his sword and was able to break it free of Izuku's hold just in time to leap up and bounce off the rocketing dumpster. Before he touched back down, Izuku refocused his Quirk on him and shoved. In a bright flash of green, Stain was launched backwards several yards. Twisting in the air, he was just able to land on his feet, digging the steel spikes on his boots into the ground to come to a stop and leaving long gashes in the concrete.
Himiko, now no longer in danger of getting killed, pushed herself off the wall and rushed over to Izuku, "Izuku, you can't be here! You-!"
"Toga, you're hurt!" Izuku, ignoring Himiko's words, focused on her injury. Reaching for a pouch on his belt, he immediately began looking for his first aid but Himiko slapped his hands away.
"Don't worry about me, worry about yourself! You need to leave now!"
Izuku blinked, at a loss, "Wha?"
"YOU BOTH DO!" Tenya screamed, "Please! I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me!"
"Izuku, that's fucking Mr. Stain! He will rip you apart! Get out of here now!"
"Run!"
"It's too dangerous!"
"This has nothing to do with you!"
"You don't need to be here! Leave!"
Tenya and Himiko's loud objections startled Izuku, but not for long. After all, nothing they were saying made sense. It was too dumb, "I'm not going anywhere! You expect me to just leave when my friends are hurt and in danger?!"
Both injured parties were stunned to silence and taking his chance, Izuku pulled out a fresh folded up pressure bandage. Gently, Izuku cupped Himiko's left cheek with one hand and as carefully as he could pressed the bandage against Himiko's cut eye with his other hand, "I will never abandon my friends, no matter what."
Himiko, to her credit, didn't start to gush over how Izuku was touching her. That didn't mean that Izuku's kindness wasn't affecting her at all. She was pretty sure her heart had skipped a couple of beats.
"Midoriya, please. This is my fight. My business. It was my brother Stain hurt. You have nothing to do with this," Tenya continued to plead from the ground.
Taking Himiko's hand, he pressed it against the bandage. Then he turned, walking calmly until he put himself between Tenya and Stain - who had been watching Izuku closely.
"Iida, I told you: if things get to be too much, don't forget you have your friends. And besides, even if you say this isn't my business, Heroes stick their noses into other peoples business all the time to save them. At least, that's what All Might says. So please don't worry about all of that - either of you. Because I'm here now, and I'm not going to leave no matter what you say."
Tenya was left speechless, while Himiko felt her heart thunder in her chest. The uplifting moment though was soured when Stan started to chuckle, "I see. I see now."
Izuku looked up and stared Stain down. The villain now had a wide, twisted grin and was nodding to himself, "It's not just your strength, is it? I can see now why you have both their attention. Why All Might took you under his wing andwhy Shigaraki wants you dead. Impressive."
Shigaraki?! So he is working with the League?
"You're saying all the right things. 'I came to save you,' it has a good ring to it. However, you're naive. My purpose in this world is to kill the fakes that call themselves 'heroes.' That means these three here? They have to die. You child," Izuku gulped when Stain's eyes zeroed in on him. The madness behind them making his red eyes practically glow with murderous intent, "if you choose to interfere then know this: if you are weak, then you'll be slaughtered like the rest of the trash. So tell me boy, what will you do?"
Izuku felt his blood go cold as a chill spread throughout his body. He had faced the villains at the USJ, stared up into the uncaring face of a monster before it almost killed him. He had even thrown himself at the League of Villains leader, but there was something different about Stain. What scared Izuku - what truly scared him - was that the intensity and dedication to a cause he felt from Stain, they reminded him of how All Might talked about being a hero. But it was those experiences - it was those moments of staring death in the face - that kept Izuku from freezing up. He was scared, but not scared enough not to do what he did best: plan and think.
Iida hasn't moved from that spot since I got here. Stain must have him held by his Quirk. If it was just him I might be able to carry him while we make a run for it but… Izuku glanced over at the slumped hero Native. He could see he was breathing, but he was unconscious and losing blood. I don't know if I can carry both of them while keeping them from becoming targets. He has all those knives like Toga has...Trying to stop them if he throws them, or move them away if Stain tries to attack them… Plus, I'm under a time limit. If One for All kicks in during the fight I have no idea what will happen… No. That doesn't matter. Focus on what you do know. I can't carry both, and if Toga tries to carry one of them, she'll be a sitting duck. Running isn't an option but a fight...
Turning himself to the side, Izuku reached into his belt and pulled out his phone. With his body turned and with his cape obscuring Stain view he began typing on his phone. Behind him, Himiko saw what he was doing, and he hoped she would understand. They didn't have to win the fight, they just had to buy some time until help arrived.
"Midoriya, please…"
Izuku shook his head, "Iida, when this is over. You and I are going to have to talk because I have a lot to say to you… but for now I'll leave it for later."
With his phone slipped back into his pocket, his quick mass text sent, Izuku took up a fighting stance, "Stain. I'm not running away. You're not going to hurt anyone else."
"Don't let him cut you," Himiko said as she walked up behind Izuku. With the bandage now tied around her head, she was ready for round two, "If he licks your blood, you'll be paralyzed."
Izuku blinked, wondering how she knew that before glancing at her, eyeing the blood soaked into her costume and drying on her cheek and neck, "Then shouldn't you-"
"He likes to lick it off his sword or knife. I kicked the one he used to cut me away so he'll have to lick me up close," Himiko flipped a knife in her hand, "And if he tries I'm going to gut him." Leaning in, Himiko whispered, "His Quirk has a max time limit of eight minuets. Blood types play a part so Tenya might be able to get up soon. Once he's up…"
"We grab the other hero and we run," Izuku said as his Quirk flared to life.
Himiko screamed as she dashed forward, knives pointed right for Stain's chest. Stain rushed forward as well, sword pulled back and ready to cut Himiko down, when his movements came to a jolted halt. Izuku had grabbed his sword again. With his attack halted, Himiko darted in. Stain immediately let go of his sword and switched to his knives, startling Izuku with how quickly he changed his tactics.
Steel met steel in a shower of sparks as Stain deflected Himiko's attack. Out of the corners of his eye he saw the two knives he held suddenly glow green, along with the knives he still had hanging on his side. Izuku yanked those away but was shocked when he didn't feel any resistance from the ones Stain had been holding. Stain, simply let go of both, launching his empty hands out and grabbing the knives Himiko was holding, ripping them free.
Himiko brought up her bracer to block the first swing from Stain, which shattered the remaining blades she had on her arm. The force of the blow made Himiko start to backpedal but Stain stayed with her, ready to drive the knives right through her.
Izuku didn't give him the chance. Closing the gap, Izuku leapt forward and drove his fist right into Stain's face. Stain stumbled back while Izuku hit the ground and rolled back to his feet. Stain, however, was already righted and on the attack.
"Not enough!"
From all over the alley Izuku pulled trash, bins - anything and everything - and hurled it at Stain to slow him down. The Hero Killer wasn't slowed. He easily dodged or cut through everything in his path. Leaping around, knives a whirlwind of death, he broke through the debris field and was practically on top of Izuku. Only a few short feet separated them now - more than close enough for Stain to cut Izuku down. Izuku focused on the knives, but Stain tightened his grip and wrenched them free before Izuku could do anything. Izuku kept backing up but Stain was just too fast. His arms were a blur and were going to strike before Izuku could retreat away.
"LIKE HELL!"
Himiko may not have had her blades, but she would be damned before she let Stain hurt Izuku. Her syringes may have been destroyed but the lines of clear tubing were still perfectly good to act as a snare. The clear tubing wrapped around Stain's upper arms and chest which Himiko pulled tight, using her foot against his back to give herself extra leverage, "IZUKU, HIT HIM!"
Izuku didn't have to be told twice.
Reaching into multiple pouches on his belt, Izuku pulled out handfuls of marble sized ball bearings. Each round piece of steel glowed as he focused on them, quickly turning into little green suns as he put all he could into his next attack.
"DELAWARE! SMA-!"
Izuku's scream was cut short, strangled in his throat by a pain he had never felt before. A pain so intense, he would have thought his head had been split in two. He had had bad headaches before from overusing his Quirk. This though, this put everything before to shame. Izuku's aura crackled then flashed. For an instant the whole alley was filled with bright green light before it was snuffed out. Blood sprayed from his nose and all the air was driven out of his lungs, as his body convulsed from the sudden pain and dropped to the ground. Breath haggard and body twitching, Izuku's mind was lost in a fog of pain, lost to the rest of the world.
For a brief moment, no one reacted, too startled and confused as to what had just happened. Himiko, face sprayed with blood droplets, looked down at Izuku's twitching form, "Izu-!?"
WAM!
Stain recovered first and drove his heel into Himiko's stomach, knocking her backwards to the ground and freeing himself. Cutting away the last few tubs holding him, Stain looked down at Izuku, watching him carefully and unsure of what was going on. One second, he was about to be on the wrong end of a devastating attack. Now? Now he was looking down at Izuku as the boy held his head and writhed in obvious, excruciating pain, the cause of which escaped Stain completely.
"MR. STAIN, WHAT DID YOU DO TO IZUKU?!"
The panic and terror in Himiko's voice made him turn to look at Himiko. To see genuine fear in her eyes as she looked from Izuku to him was a surprise. It didn't change anything that needed to be done, but it was still a surprise to see that kind humanity coming from her, "This is not my doing, Toga."
Himiko snarled, "If you touch him I swear I'll rip you apart!" She was ready to keep screaming but she stopped, her eyes widening in horror. She wasn't the only one to have been sprayed with Izuku's blood. Stain was covered in it too, which he was very much aware of. With his thumb, Stain wiped some of the blood off his cheek and licked it off. Izuku's body immediately stopped convulsing as his Quirk took hold, paralyzing Izuku, but the pained expression on his face made it clear he was not doing any better.
Then Stain moved and that was all it took to send Himiko into a blind rage.
Screaming, Himiko launched herself at Stain, gray sludge engulfing her body as she attacked Stain again and again. Stain whirled around and drove both knives into the gray mass but it didn't stop Himiko from body slamming into him, driving them both past where Izuku lay. Stain yanked the knives back, ready to attack again, but leapt back as a malformed black arm slammed into the ground where he had been, shattering the concrete and exploding the arm into a gooey mess.
Attacking before her Nomu transformation was completed was stupid. Using it at all except for escaping was stupid. The damned monster was too naturally strong for her to hold it together whenever she attacked. But here and now, stupidity didn't matter to Himiko. She was getting Stain away from Izuku.
Even if it killed her.
Himiko kept up her attack, throwing her body at Stain even as he hacked away the transformation before it was finished. She was reforming the parts as fast as Stain damaged them, and the force and suicidal nature of her attack drove Stain back. The ground cracked underneath each of her swings, and her feet turned to goo while digging grooves into the concrete.
Stain lept backwards, rolling against the ground, giving himself a few seconds as Himiko pushed her mess of a form after him. She was focused on her goal: push Stain back. No matter what.
Push.
Stain.
Back.
She was so focused though, she didn't see what Stain had picked up as he rolled on the ground.
Himiko pulled her almost fully-formed Nomu legs in and jumped after Stain, fists raised high in the air to smash them down on his head. As she sailed through the air, Stain whipped around and drove his sword right through the center of the gray malformed Nomu mass.
He kept his sword up so that he suspended Himiko in the air, and slowly the gray sludge poured onto the ground, falling away from Himiko's body until only she was left and Stain could see he had hit his mark:
His sword pierced right through Himiko's chest and out her back.
Blood trickled out of Himiko's mouth as she looked down at herself. The sword has pierced her right underneath her sternum. Breathing was excruciating, with the sword easily going through a lung. While it missed her heart, that wasn't going to matter in the end. She knew her lung was slowly filling with blood and once he pulled the sword out she would either die by drowning in her own blood or she would just bleed out. No matter what, she was going to die. She knew it, and when she looked back up at Stain, she could see he knew it too.
"Before you die, Toga, I'll tell you this so you can begin your journey to hell with a peace of mind," Stain's face was neutral as he spoke, "While you and the other two fake heroes will die tonight. The boy," Stain looked down at Izuku, "I will let live. There is a spark there that is worth letting grow."
Izuku's going to… live…?
There was nothing else she could do. Death was coming for her and there was nothing else for her to do except to accept it and hope that she would bleed out instead of drowning from her lungs filling with-!
A shadow flickered over Stain. He hadn't noticed, still looking down at Izuku. It could have been anything. A bird flying overhead, a cloud; so many different things could have made that shadow, none of which would save her or anyone else in the alley. Stain turned back to Himiko and lowered her so her feet touched the ground. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he prepared to pull his sword out of her chest. In less than a second, Himiko was going to die, but something drove her to reach up and grab the sword. Holding it in place. It wasn't like she would be able to put up much of a fight but for a few seconds she would make sure she would stay alive and Stain would be left focused on her. And not whatever that shadow might have been.
Toga gripped the sword tighter while Stain growled in annoyance. His grip on her shoulder tightened and he prepared to yank his sword free, when suddenly something pink dropped from the sky and slammed feet into Stain's face with a drop kick. Stain was driven back by the sudden attack, letting go of his sword in the process. Himiko, her legs unable to keep her up, tumbled to the ground but at the last moment she was pulled up into the air. Himiko's vision was darkening around the edges and the pain in her chest made it hard to focus but she could feel herself being held. Pressed against someone's body protectively.
A soft but firm body.
Looking up, Himiko focused on the face of her savior, wondering who else besides Izuku would take the risk of going into a dark alley for her sake. Who else besides Izuku would want to save someone like her? Then she saw who it was and Himiko felt her world flip on its head, "O-Ochako?"
Ochako, face twisted in a snarl screamed, "STAY AWAY FROM HER, YOU MONSTER!"
"Uraraka! Move, now!"
Himiko, clawing her way back to full consciousness, recognized the other voice as Shouto, while Ochako moved to the side and a blast of fire roared down the alley towards Stain. Stain recovered and lept to the side to avoid the attack.
"Tch, more children."
A chirp came from Ochako's belt at the same time as a muffled ring came from Shouto's. Ochako recognized it as the unique ringtone she had given Izuku's number. Normally, given the situation, she would have waited to answer it but the fact that Shouto was also getting a call made her curious. Pulling out her phone, Ochako glanced over the message.
It's just… GPS map coordinates? What?
Looking over at Shouto, Ochako showed him the message which Shouto mirrored from his phone, "It's here in Hosu. Are him and All Might in the city, too?"
Ochako's eyes snapped back down to the map, Deku's here?! But why just send this? Is he checking in on us? But he doesn't know we're here… And why not an actual message…? Unless he can't send one.
"Shouto! Girl! Don't look at your phones right no- HEY! Where are you going?! Shouto?!"
Ochako turned and rushed away as fast as she could, flat-out ignoring Endeavor's calls. Shouto followed after her but yelled back to his father, "An alleyway near 4-2-10 Ekou Street! I'll trust you to handle the main threat from here. Once you do, come to the address immediately! I'm sure you'll be able to resolve this crisis quickly! I think a friend of ours just sent out an SOS!"
Ochako ran, driving herself forward until Endeavor was long behind her. With each step she tried to figure out what the text meant. Checking the GPS against a live map of the city, it was somewhat close to one of the attacks but still far enough away that she was sure it didn't involve it. It was also away from the other two Nomu.
So what could have forced Izuku to send out a call for help like this? If it's not a Nomu then what else could it be?
A cold dread gripped Ochako's heart. The Nomu were the current threat, the obvious threat, but not the threat that brought heroes from around the country to this city.
Ochako looked down at Himiko, not able to hide the horror in her eyes, "Toga…"
Shouto rushed to Ochako's side, gritting his teeth as he saw Tenya lying on the ground and Native slumped against a wall, "Uraraka, give her to me!"
"Todoroki?" Ochako glanced over at Shouto while she also scanned over the alley, trying to assess the whole situation.
"I can cool her down to slow the bleeding! Hurry!"
Ochako passed Himiko over and finally got a good look at the alley behind them. A hero she didn't recognize was motionless against a wall. Tenya was on the ground for some reason, alive but distressed, "How… how are you here?"
As Shouto knelt down with her and put his right hand over Himiko's wound began to quickly cool her off, Ochako answered, "We got Deku's text. It was just GPS coordinates though… Where is…?" Ochako's voice died when she finally saw who she had come for: Izuku, lying face down on the ground, not moving, "D-deku?"
"He's alive!" Tenya called out, "But something happened to him. His Quirk… did something. Then Stain used his Quirk on him like us. We're paralized! It should wear off soon but we don't know when."
Shouto winced, "So we have four people who can't move… And even when they can, Midoriya looks completely out of it." Ochako looked at Izuku, seeing his face scrunched up in pain, dead to the rest of the world. Even if the effect was lifted on him, he was not in any shape to run. "And," Shouto continued, "I don't want to move Toga while she… while she's like this. So what do we do?"
"None of you are going anywhere. I will not leave until my task is done," Stain said, drawing his knives up, "and the fake heroes are dead."
Ochako's mind raced. Moving Himiko was out of the question, even if Ochako floated her, any kind of sudden jolt could be fatal. Even if they left Himiko, which was not an option, and she was able to float the rest she did not want to turn her back on this villain while she tried. That left her with only one choice, since running was not realistic for them now. Turning to face Stain, Ochako felt the horror and terror she had felt seeing her friends hurt evaporate as a blaze of rage filled her. This man had hurt the people close to her and he was going to pay, "Todoroki, if you stay with Toga, can you still attack?"
Shouto turned away from Himiko and looked down the alley at Stain, "Yes."
Crouching into her fighting stance, Ochako readied herself to fight, drawing on everything she learned under Miruko to pull out the rage inside of her. To use it to fuel her, to empower her. "Then cover me!" Ochako screamed as she launched herself at Stain.
Running at full speed, Ochako quickly closed the distance between them. Stain crouched, knives raised to cut Ochako down as he leapt at her. Ochako quickly pressed her fingers against herself and jumped up and over Stain's attack. A blast of fire followed her and Stain sidestepped out of the way, then turned to look over at Shouto, snarling. He took one step towards him, but that was all. Ochako's momentum carried her behind Stain, where she landed on the ground and attacked Stain's exposed back. Stain twisted around and slashed at Ochako. Ochako brought up a bracer just in time for Stain to bury his knife into the hardened pink plastic. Pulling the knife back, Stain was startled as not only was the knife stuck, but he ended up pulling Ochako off the ground.
Ochako had been held to the ground only by the gyro's in her suit and hadn't deactivated her Quirk. She was still weightless, so when Stain tried to pull his knife back, he had pulled Ochako into him. Using the closed distance to her advantage, Ochako reached out, her hand closing in on Stain's face to float him. Stain though had seen Ochako use her Quirk on herself as she had soared over him. He saw the distinct pads on her fingers, and moved his head out of the way, making sure she couldn't touch him.
Missing him with her hand, Ochako followed her attack up by driving her knee into his chest and swinging her arm to the side, slamming her bracer into the side of Stain's head before she kicked off his and sailed away and landed on the side of the nearby wall. Stain chased after her while Ochako raised up her arm and pointed her hand at him. Clenching her fist, she aimed down her bracer. The bracer that didn't just look like her mentor Gunhead's, but mimicked his Gatling Quirk. With a sharp crack, Ochako fired a rubber bullet right into Stain's chest.
With the solid hit, Ochako kicked off the wall and right for Stain. However, Stain was not stunned for anywhere near as long as Ochako had hoped or expected. With his free hand, Stain grabbed the knife handle sticking out of Ochako's bracer and used it to twist and slam Ochako down onto the ground. The impact made her hack and cough as air was knocked out of her. Raising his oher knife in the air, Stain sliced at Ochako. A pillar of ice crossed between them and the knife struck it instead of Ochako.
Ochako pointed her hand up and fired several more shots at Stain but the villain dodged them. With some distance between the two, Shouto sent another blast of fire down the alley but missed. Ochako did use the moment Stain's attention was off her to close the gap and slam into him. Up close she drove her palm into his chin then followed that strike with an elbow into his stomach. Stain swung his knife, which Ochako blocked with a bracer and gasped as a large chunk was cut off. Not letting herself be too distracted, Ochako pivoted on her heel and prepared to kick Stain but Shouto worried that Stain was too close to Ochako and sent out another pillar of ice between them. Stain used the ice as a platform and leapt away so Ochako's attack missed.
"Todoroki! Use more fire! The ice is just getting in my way!"
Shouto frowned, "But Uraraka, I don't want to burn you!"
Any other time she would be grateful for the concern but if she wanted to live, she was going to have to take the chance, "It's fine! Torch the whole alle -URK!"
Stain, while Ochako had been distracted, leapt at Ochako and drove the spikes on his boot into her visor. The metal spike pierced the clear material and with his new solid footing, Stain drove Ochako's head into the ground. Ochako' eyes watering from the strike, seethed up at Stain. Shouto, following Ochako's request, blasted the whole alley with fire. Stain ripped his boot free and jumped back.
Avoiding the worst of the blast. Ochako, now freshly singed as well, scrambled to her feet and chased after him. Her costume gave her some protection so she took full advantage of it. She let loose a series of punches, kicks and anything else she could think of as she fought, but Stain batted her away. The only reason he hadn't cut her yet was Shouto's fire giving her cover. But even with that extra protection Ochako was not able to get her fingers close to him.
As the fight went on, it was becoming more and more obvious to Ochako that the fire was giving her less and less protection. More and more gashes were appearing in her bracers. Pretty soon it wasn't going to be hardened plastic that got cut. One other terrifying thing Ochako began to notice as well: Stain fought in a way disturbingly similar to Himiko, except he wasn't holding back.
Driving her feet into the ground, Ochako got ready to launch herself at Stain again but then everything changed as Izuku's voice ripped through the alleyway.
"I SAID STOP IT!"
Owwww…
Second after excruciating second, the painful fog that clouded Izuku's mind began to lift. Before he couldn't even remember what he had been doing before collapsing. Now, as his mind slowly refocused, Izuku tried to collect himself.
I was… with All Might? No, that was earlier. He was taking me to… somewhere to do… something…
Izuku frowned at the vagueness of his memory. He wasn't sure why but he knew, he knew, he had to do better than that. And he had to do it quickly. Something had his heart racing, his breath huffing and puffing too fast for his body to even use the air. It wouldn't take much for him to have a panic attack.
Or maybe he already was having one.
Focus… Think it through. You were with All Might for… training but then left because…
A bright light blinded Izuku, cutting through his swirling vision and making him close his eyes before he was blasted in the face with a great heat.
Fire… fire… THE EXPLOSION! There was an attack. Nomu. A Nomu was attacking. All Might must have… told me to run. No, not run… I was supposed to stay back… Run… Run… I was running though… Why did I run away? I wouldn't have left like that unless… I was… looking… for…
The pain in Izuku's head hadn't lifted but the fog clouding it did, evaporated in an instant as everything came flooding back.
IIDA! STAIN! I came here because Iida was looking for Stain! I was fighting him when my Quirk… Wait! Wait! TOGA!
Izuku tried to move, but was shocked to discover he couldn't move his body at all.
No, no, no! He must have parayzled me when I was out! But what happened to-!
Another blast of light and heat hit Izuku in the face. While he couldn't turn his head, He was able to move his eyes. Looking up he stared dumbly at Shouto as the boy sent a blast of fire off into the distance.
Todoroki? But when did he get here? How did he get… My text?! He must have gotten my text. I mass sent it because I couldn't tell if I had selected All Might so I wanted to be safe but… I didn't expect this! I didn't mean to drag him here… Why is he kneeling? He doesn't seem hurt at least, and he must be attacking Stain with that fire, but he's distracted… Why?
The sound of a fight reached Izuku's ears and he winced, Toga must still be up and fighting. So Todoroki must be trying to avoid hitting her. But kneeling like that… why? Maybe he's protecting some-?
Shouto twisted around and slammed his right hand onto the ground, launching pillars of ice down the alleyway. When he did, Izuku finally saw why Shouto was kneeling like he was. Leaning up against the building, slumped to her side and covered in frost, Izuku finally got a good look at Himiko.
And the sword sticking out of her chest.
Izuku's world twisted in on itself as the sheer horror of what he was seeing crushed him. He had failed. He had failed and Himiko was paying the price. All Might had warned him against using his Quirk today and he had done it anyway. He had been so stupid to run off on his own, he should have grabbed another hero. All Might was fighting the Nomu but he could have pulled Gran Torino and told him what he was afraid of. Even if it had been a long shot at the time he should have said something. But no, he hadn't, and in the middle of a fight his Quirk had backfired so hard it had knocked him off his feet. Himiko must have protected him and now she was dying.
It's all my fault.
It was his fault he hadn't brought anyone with him so Tenya was going to die.
It was his fault he hadn't listened to All Might and tried to fight so Himiko was going to die.
It was his fault he hadn't been more careful with who got his text message so Shouto was going to die.
It's all my fault… I… I deserve to di-
"Todoroki! Use more fire! The ice is just getting in my way!"
Izuku's eyes snapped open.
No...
"But Uraraka, I don't want to burn you!"
No, no, no!
Horror. Sheer merciless horror filled Izuku. His heart froze and his world, all twisted up from seeing Himiko, was ripped out from under him.
"It's fine! Torch the whole alle -URK!"
Izuku stained his eyes upward, trying desperately to see who was fighting Stain. Desperate to see for himself that it wasn't Ochako. That he hadn't brought her here too. At the very edge of his vision she was a distinct pink boot skid across the ground.
It was Ochako.
She was here.
And she was fighting Stain.
Uraraka's going to die.
Please no.
Uraraka's going to die!
No, no, no.
Uraraka's going to-!
NO!
Even as the weight of his failure threatened to drag him down, Izuku fought back, clawing his way out of the dark abyss that tried to consume him. He couldn't die here. He wouldn't die here. He still had too much to do. He was not going to let his friend keep getting hurt in front of him.
He was not going to let Himiko die because of him. She was going to get to a doctor and she was going to be alright. She was going to be just fine and he was going to make sure he donated all the blood she could ever want and do everything he could to bring her back to her smiling and scarily exotic, friendly self. Tenya was going to be alright. He'd go back to being the stiff class rep he and everyone else called their friend. Even after the two had words like he had promised. He was not going to let Shouto leave without profusely apologizing for bringing him into such a dangerous situation.
And Ochako. There was not a power on this earth, heaven, or hell that was going to keep him from making damnedsure that Ochako got out of this alive and well.
His heart screamed as emotions filled him. Raw, untamed emotion rushed in to replace the fear and horror that had once been there. They beat back his despair and replaced it with determination. He was going to save her. He was going to save them all. But while his heart and soul were ready to fight, his body would not listen. He was still under the effect of Stain's Quirk. His body couldn't do anything. But it was like he had told Katsuki back at the Sports Festival, My Quirk doesn't come from my body. It's from my mind!
Izuku looked deep within himself and reached for his power. He reached for the pool of power that All Might had taught him he had had after his year of training. He knew he would have to pull everything he had from it to win, but it would be enough. It had to be enough.
Izuku didn't find the pool.
He found an ocean.
A vast raging ocean, whipped up into a frenzy by a terrifying storm.
It was power, raw endless power, that Izuku had never felt before, never dreamed of before. To suddenly feel this left him stunned, but only for a moment. Now he knew why his Quirk had abruptly backfired. It all made sense.
One for All.
All Might had said he wasn't sure what One for All would do to him and his Quirk. All this power getting pushed through his head, which he wasn't prepared for. It was no wonder he got knocked out. But now he could feel it. He understood what he was going to have to deal with as he tried to pull all this power out.
So without hesitation, Izuku dived head first into the raging ocean that was One for All.
Himiko knew she was in trouble. She knew it. Not being able to feel her legs was a dead giveaway. So was the katana sticking out of her chest and back. The only thing she didn't know was if it was the sword that was causing it, or Shouto encapsulating her in ice to slow down her blood loss. If it was the ice, then she should be fine. If not, well, she didn't want to think about that right at the moment.
Too many other things were going on. Shouto was trying to save her life while throwing fireballs that didn't end up hitting Ochako by mistake. Ochako was fighting for her life using every trick she had ever learned from her time before coming to U.A. and whatever it was she learned during her internship to keep herself alive. She was fighting like a woman possessed and it was keeping her alive, but only just. She had also been very lucky her bracers were so thick, or the knife sticking out of it would have been stuck in her actual arms, or she'd be missing the limbs all together.
Tenya was still on the ground, desperately telling everyone to run away, but that opportunity was long, long gone. Maybe Shouto could make a run for it. He might even be able to carry someone with him and escape with the time Ochako could buy, but that would mean everyone else would die. His fire was giving Ochako enough of an opportunity to fight back but once that stopped she would be killed. His ice was keeping Himiko alive but running away with her was all but impossible with her injury. He wouldn't be able to carry Tenya fast enough because of the armor he wore, so he would have to be left behind too. That left only one person that could be saved.
Izuku.
A part of Himiko wanted Shouto to do just that, forget everyone else and save Izuku. Even if Stain had said he would spare him, Himiko didn't want to take the chance of Stain changing his mind. Saving Izuku felt so right to her, the boy she loved had to make it out of here. At the same time, though, she didn't want her friends to die. She didn't want to die.
Everything was shit, and if she was being honest, odds were they were all going to die anyway, no matter what. With the attack happening in the city, there were no pros coming to save them this time. They were dead.
"Stop… it…"
Himiko blinked at the voice.
"No… More…"
It was Izuku's voice. Turning her head, she knew what she was going to see. Izuku, lying face down on the ground, watching horrified as Ochako did everything she could to survive.
That wasn't what she saw though. Izuku looked enraged, his face twisted into a snarl as he tried to force his body up, but she knew it wouldn't work. Himiko opened her mouth to tell him to calm down, that it was going to be okay - even if it was a lie - but stopped when something happened. Izuku's body began to shimmer as it was surrounded by the green glow of his Quirk, but as the glow grew brighter and brighter it began to change.
Across Izuku's body a deep red color seeped into his aura and spread out over him. As the color of his aura changed, so did Izuku's eyes. The vibrant green they normally were when he used his Quirk was now a glowing red, an angry color that along with his rage-filled face gave Izuku a feral look. His aura writhed and flickered like an inferno and the crest on his head began to spark and crackle. Then to Himiko's amazement, Izuku's body started to twitch.
Then he jolted.
Then he rose up, like a marionette having its strings pulled. His boot toes just barely scraped against the ground and his body hunched over, with one shoulder held higher than the other. His head, tilted to the side, glared straight down the alley. It took Himiko a second before she realized that Izuku was holding himself up by his costume with his Quirk.
That was the last rational thought she had about Izuku and his Quirk, because what happened next was beyond anything she could explain.
"I SAID STOP IT!" Izuku's voice ripped through the alley, filled with a power that none had heard since he had held down those villains at the USJ.
Ochako's head whipped around as her eyes went wide, "Deku?!"
Stain looked over as well, shocked to see Izuku already up, "How? It's too soo-!"
Stain stopped talking when Izuku glared right at him and his red aura began to spread as he used his Quirk to grab everything around him. Izuku focused on everything he could, acting on raw emotions and not thinking of the consequences. He expanded his reach out further and further until the road underneath him and the sides of the buildings glowed red. Only small patches around his friends remained free of his Quirk. They would be safe from what came next. Stain, on the other hand…
"DELAWARE!"
It hadn't registered with most of them what was about to happen. Except for Stain, as he rushed over to Ochako's side, aiming for the small patch of safety she was in. He only just made it behind her, but was still in the red.
"SMAAAAAAAASH!"
With a roar the whole alley shook and ripped apart. The sides of the buildings were torn off while the road was ripped from the ground as Izuku threw the whole alleyway at Stain.
Tenya watched from the ground with wide eyes while Shouto instinctively used his body to shield the wounded Himiko, but he didn't need to. No debris came close to them. While the world tore itself apart they were left completely unharmed. Ochako was also left completely unharmed while rock, concrete and everything else went rocketing by. She stared at Izuku in horrified awe, until she was startled when a hand grabbed her arm.
Turning, Ochako gasped as Stain grabbed onto her, his arm the only part of himself he had been able to move into her patch of unbroken alley. He was left dangling in midair as the road underneath him lifted up and rushed away from out under his own feet. Ochako was the only lifeline he had to keep himself from getting blown away. Now either he would pull himself to safety or they would both get carried away.
Tenya wouldn't let either of those things happen.
He could feel his body was able to move again. In that split instant he moved. He gripped the knife in his arm pinning him down, then screamed as he yanked it out. Tossing it aside, his engines roared to life.
"Recipro Burst!"
Exploding forward, Tenya quickly flew through the debris field and rocketed towards Ochako, dodging most of the attack and letting his armor take the rest. Tenya landed right next to Ochako, then pivoted on one leg to drive a kick into Stain's side, "Unhand my friend!"
Tenya's attack worked and Stain was driven back and swept up in Izuku's attack, carried away into the main road of the city with the rest of the alley chunks.
Izuku watched Stain get swept away and snarled. The Hero Killer leapt from one chunk of building and road to another, calling on years and years of experience to desperately keep himself from getting smashed and buried by Izuku's attack even as he got carried through the ripped open alley and out into the main road of the city.
Izuku was not going to stand by and let that continue, though. As the last of his attack passed him by, Izuku ripped the road he was on up and let it carry him after Stain. As Izuku flew through the air, he could feel his body begin to return to normal. Landing on the flying chunk, Izuku zeroed in on Stain and focused on one goal:
Driving his fist into this monster and ending this fight.
As he did, his aura began to fade, replaced with deep red lines of energy that began to criss-cross over his legs and right arm.
Stain hurled himself through the flying rubble, scrambling for dear life. He had been taken completely off guard by the power Izuku had. At this point continuing the fight was pointless. Izuku's attack had lit up the sky and the damage would attract heroes from around the city. Around him, he noticed the rubble began to stop glowing and begin to fall back to earth.
The boy's power must have run out!
The attack was ending, so now was the time to escape. All he had to do was make it out of the falling rubble. He was already at the edge. Only a few more leap and he would be free and -
DANGER!
Every instinct in Stain's body and mind screamed at him. Instincts he had grown over the years. Instincts that had kept him alive for longer than he should be. They were screaming at him that death was near. Looking up, Stain immediately knew why.
Izuku was over him, riding a large chunk of concrete down as he fell towards him. Crouched, his legs crackled with red energy as he got ready to spring forward, his right arm pulled back and fist clenched tight. The same red energy criss-crossed through the limb.
DEATH!
Izuku's costume around his legs, right arm and hand shredded as he kicked off the concrete. The force of his leap caused the concrete slab and all the debris falling behind him to explode into pieces, "DETROIT!"
DODGE!
Stain threw himself to the side, not caring if it was into falling rubble. The chunks of concrete were much safer than what was coming.
"SMAAAAAAASH!"
Izuku brought his fist down, and the empty street exploded.
"LOOK OUT! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!"
A hero screamed as he dove for cover. A white, lanky Nomu slammed into the battlefield, his arms swatting heroes out of its way. All Might swore under his breath as he blocked a strike from the Black Nomu, "Of course one of the others shows up."
"I'll take care of this one! Focus on that black one," Gran Torino yelled as he jetted up into the air, then slammed himself down into the White Nomu's back. The ground underneath it cracked as it was crushed into the ground. Gran Torino smirked, "Not as tough as your frie-"
The White Nomu screamed and suddenly bulked up to over three times its original size. Gran Torino leapt away while the White Nomu opened its mouth and a mass of tendrils shot out to grab him.
Crap! Not good!
"HEY, NOT BAD OLD TIMER!" Gran Torino glanced up at the new voice as Miruko plummeted down from the sky, "BUT LET ME SHOW YOU A REAL KICK! LUNA FALL!"
Miruko drove her heel into the White Nomu's head, smashing it into the ground and creating a crater in the concrete as well as a gory mess of the White Nomu's head. After admiring her handiwork, Miruko turned to look at the Nomu locked in combat with All Might, "So that's mine dealt with and Hawks is after the flying one. I guess the black one is the last."
"I see, so All Might is already here," another new voice joined the group. This one, though, sounded much more annoyed than the other. Miruko and Gran Torino turned to watch Endeavor run onto the scene, not happy to find All Might there, "I won't let you hog the glory tonight, All Might."
Miruko rolled her eyes but stopped when she noticed that neither Shouto or Ochako was with him.
Where the hell are the kids? Did he drop them off somewher-!
BOOM!
The ground shook violently as the sound of an explosion ripped through the city. Several heroes dove for the ground while All Might threw the Black Nomu into the side of a building and looked in the direction of the blast. A huge dust cloud had been kicked up and was reaching high into the sky. A sick feeling grew in his gut.
"What in the world?"
Miruko frowned, "Another Nomu attack?"
"That winged one you said Hawks was going after?" Gran Torino asked.
Miruko shook her head, "It flew off in the other direction."
Endeavor looked at the rising dust cloud silently before his eyes widened, "That's the direction Shouto and the girl ran off to."
Miruko's ears twitched violently as she whirled around, "Wait? What?! What do you mean 'ran off?!' Where the fuck is Uraraka?"
"They got a text. The girl took off like a bat out of hell and Shouto followed after her. Said they had a friend in trouble."
"A text from a friend that made her…"
All Might and Gran Torino looked at each other then scanned the area in alarm. All Might's eyes went wide when he realized he couldn't see Izuku anywhere. Gran Torino, seeing the same thing, ripped out his phone, "…Crap. That call from earlier. It was from Midoriya. It's a GPS location that's…" Gran Torino looked back to the dust cloud, "Don't tell me the kid used..."
"Torino! Go now!"
Torino took off immediately while the other two heroes were startled by All Might's scream, "Miruko, please go as well! You too, Endeavor! They may be in grave danger!"
Endeavor frowned questingly at the panicked All Might but he got his answer as to why immediately, "The Nomu's aren't the only threat in the city!"
Miruko bounded away, her legs cracking the concrete with every kick as she propelled herself towards the dust cloud. Endeavor pulled up the rear of the group, running behind as fast as he could.
Damn it, runt! Miruko screamed in her head, Don't you fucking dare be dead! Should have just kept you strapped to my back the whole fucking night! Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT!
Tomura frowned, "One of the Nomus just got killed. That bunny girl smashed its head like a watermelon. I know Sensei said these were weaker than the one before but what the hell. That was too-!"
BOOM!
The roof of the building Tomura and Shigaraki were standing on shook violently and both were thrown to the ground. After he was sure the building wasn't going to collapse, Tomura scrambled to his feet, "Hey. Hey, hey, hey!" Tomura screamed, "What the hell was that?!"
"I'm not sure," Kurogiri said looking down at the destroyed area, "But that was where Stain was."
Tomura clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Don't tell me the bastard went and got himself killed by a hero. I wanted to be the one to do it."
Grabbing the binoculars he had dropped, Tomura scanned the street. For several seconds he didn't say anything. He just kept looking. Then with his free hand, he started to scratch at his neck. Violently. The longer he looked the harder he scratched. Concerned, Kurogiri finally asked, "Shigaraki? What is it?"
"It's the brat."
"'Brat?'"
"The green fucking brat! He's in the center of all that fucking damage! What the hell, did he grab a power up item since the last time?"
Kurogiri took the binoculars from Tomura and looked, "You think the boy… did all that?"
"AHH! What the hell!? He must have some kind of cheat code!"
"There must be some explanation." Of course, Kurogiri didn't have one, unfortunately.
"He's right in the center of it. It must have been him… but he looked hurt. Whatever he did hurt himself a lot."
"I wonder where Stain is. I don't see him down there."
"I don't care about that bastard! I want that brat!" Tomura was ready to burst.
"Shall I take us down there?"
Tomura calmed down instantly, "Are you stupid? We go down there, it's going to be a fight for sure. And I'm injured… Hey. I have an idea."
"Oh my god," Ochako stared in absolute shock at the scene before her. What remained of the alley was a ripped open path out into what was left of a main city road, which was now little more than a huge crater. Buildings all around were missing glass from having all their windows shattered to dust and cars were blown far away or had been thrown into the closed and empty business buildings.
"Midoriya… did this?" Tenya, his helmet taken off and one hand applying pressure to his stab wound, looked at the scene before him, "He's never… this kind of power… He punched and then…"
Shouto, still kneeling next to Himiko, shook his head, "That kind of power… it's almost like All Might's."
Like… All Might's…
Ochako flinched. The pieces were there for her to put together to find an answer to exactly what had just happened but she was still in too much shock to be able to do it.
Himiko weakly looked at everything, then at everyone. Through chattering teeth she was barely able to whisper, "Where's… Izuku?"
Shouto heard and snapped his head up, "We need to find Midoriya!"
Find Deku...? DEKU!
Ochako snapped back to reality and bolted, "Deku!"
Running into the ruined street, Ochako scanned the area. Everything was broken and blown away. Piles of rubble from both of Izuku's attacks were collected at the base of the buildings. Ochako shuddered at the thought that Izuku might be buried there.
"Deku!" Ochako called out, hating how the silence made her voice echo.
"Midoriya! Answer us please!" Shouto scanned the area as well, head turning constantly as he tried to find his friend.
"U… ura… aka… Ii… da…"
The voice was faint, the two only able to hear it because of how disturbingly quiet the street was. They turned around and watched as a black and green gloved hand reached up from a large crater in the center and weakly gripped the edge of the broken road.
Ochako scrambled over, feeling relief wash over her, only for those feelings to be dashed when she reached the edge of the crater and reached down to help Izuku out.
Oh god.
Izuku had dragged himself up the crater sides, but how he was able to, Ochako had no idea. The image before her brought back the horrific memories she had of the USJ incident. Izuku was once again bashed and broken in such a horrible way. His legs were broken, twisted around at the knee on one leg and the shin on the other. The skin was a deep purple and pulled taut. His right arm was again absolutely destroyed, more a piece of meat than a body part, but it was his hand that was even worse. The skin was shredded around his fingers and knuckles. While the damage to his body was horrific, it was what she saw on his head and face that sent real fear into her heart. His nose was bleeding, a lot but it wasn't the only part of him that was. Blood dribbled out from his ears and the whites of his eyes were glossy and red, blood leaking from his eyes like bloody tears.
It's what Izuku did next that broke Ochako's heart. He looked over at Tenya, who was just as shocked at his injuries as her, then locked eyes with Ochako and sighed in relief, "You're… both okay… I'm so glad." Turning his head, he looked towards where Himiko was still being cooled off by Shouto, "We… we have to call an ambulance. Toga… she's… she's… She has to... get to a doctor."
"YES! Immediately!" Tenya said as he started desperately looking for his phone.
He's only worried about everyone else. He can barely speak, he's in so much pain but he doesn't care.
Kneeling, Ochako was able to get Izuku out of the hole easily enough and lay him down on the mostly flat road, but every hiss from him as she did might as well have been a scream. He was fighting his own pain so much, just for everyone else's sake. Ochako didn't even bother to hide the tears she had.
"I'm… sorry… Urar… aka. I didn't… mean for this…" Izuku took a shuddering breath. With every word he began to tense up as dread and fear replaced the adrenaline he had only moments before, "I wasn't able... to keep my promise… Again. I'm… I'm just… the worst frie-"
"No." Ochako was not going to let him finish that sentence. She could feel him getting upset, and in his condition that would only make things worse for him. She had to keep him calm. So Ochako folded her legs under her and gently rested his head on her lap as carefully as she could. She could see the damage to his body. She had no idea the kind of damage Izuku had suffered to his head. All she knew was that she had never seen him bleed from his ear and eyes as well as his nose. She knew it was bad, just not how bad. With his head nestled, Ochako began stroking his cheek and looked him right in the eye. She couldn't stop her tears and she couldn't make his pain go away, but she could open her heart and reject his fears, replacing them with all the kindness she had. "Deku, don't even think that. You're a good person. You're a good friend. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. So please, please don't talk about yourself like that. Okay? We'll… we'll talk and figure this all out. You're stuck with me, remember. I'm not leaving you. I'm with you, now and always."
Izuku hummed as Ochako's words helped soothe his fears. His body began to relax and he turned his head to the side, so that more of his cheek made contact with Ochako's hand. Ochako sighed in relief, happy that she was able to keep Izuku calm. "Everything is going to be okay. Iida will get in contact with someone and we'll get Toga and you to a hospital. Then tomorrow this will all be a distant memor-"
The rubble at the far end of the street rattled and shifted and everything came to a stop as everyone looked. A large chunk rumbled, then fell off the pile and tumbled to the street below. A hand reached out of the debris as Stain clawed himself free. Bloodied, battered and beaten horribly but still very much alive, Stain looked down at Izuku for a brief moment before he fell out of the hole he had dug and down to the ground. Then he laid unmoving on the cold, shattered concrete and asphalt.
Tenya, hand raised in mid-dial, looked shocked beyond words, "Didn't… didn't you hit him, Midoriya?"
Izuku, held protectively by Ochako, started to shake his head but stopped as the simple movement made him dizzy and sick, "He… jumped out of… the way. I hit the road… I saw him get thrown away…"
Ochako glanced down at Izuku's shredded hand and felt her stomach twist.
But if he had hit Stain directly…
The thought made her sick. She knew, despite the massive amount of damage, Izuku hadn't attacked Stain with the intent to kill. That just wasn't who Izuku was, but he couldhave killed him. It was a disturbing thought. Not that Stain would be dead but what that death would have done to Izuku.
At least we avoid that.
"We should tie him up…" Ochako started to say but trailed off as Tenya made his way over to where Stain lay. Tenya stood over Stain's body and suddenly Ochako wasn't sure that Stain ending up dead wasn't going to be an outcome tonight.
"Iida?"
Tenya stared down speaking softly but with a cold edge that sent a chill down Ochako's spine, "I came here to kill him, to make him pay for what he did to my brother."
Ochako had no words. In the back of her mind, she could hear Miruko's words of advice echoing.
When facing your enemy, don't hesitate.
Ochako could help but wonder, if she wasn't so focused on tending to Izuku, so focused on keeping him calm with kind words and gentle touches - if she was in a different mind set, like Tenya - what would she do, standing where he was?
"I…" Izuku started, "I… have some… capture gear…"
With his working left arm he tugged at a pouch on his harness but was too weak to open it. For a moment, no one moved or said anything. Tenya turned to look back at Izuku and Ochako, then glanced down the ruined alley at Shouto and Himiko, "I came here to get revenge… and look at what I wrought. Midoriya, you said you had gear to hold him?"
Ochako answered for him as both she and Izuku sighed in relief, "It's in a pouch here."
"Iida!" Shouto called, "Toga says… you want me to say all of that?" A curt shuddering nod from Himiko was his answer, "…Toga says… um… 'If you want to use your fucking brain for the first time in the past few days, make sure to search Mr. Stain for hidden knives when you tie him up.' He apparently likes to keep some small folding ones hidden in his wrist wrappings."
"RUUUUUUNT!"
Miruko crashed more so than landed into the destroyed street. Ears folded back, she was ready to fight her way to Ochako if she had to. She scanned the battlefield and almost did a double take when she saw Ochako, still sitting with Izuku's head in her lap, looking back at her in shock, "Miruko?!"
Runt's okay?!
Miruko's mind came to a clunky, shuddering halt as she tried to quickly reevaluate the situation.
Holes in visor. Costumes scorched up in places. Knife sticking out of her wrist things. Whole place is destroyed. That's the green kid and he looks like shit. Stain's tied up over there… Wait, WHAT?!
Miruko snapped her head around and and her jaw dropped, "What the fuck?! What the hell did you do, runt?!"
Ochako blinked up at Miruko, not expecting the sudden questions. Though in hindsight, she probably should have. So flummoxed was Ochako that she just said the first thing that popped into her head, "I didn't hesitate."
Miruko's eye twitched before she walked over, leaned down and grabbed Ochako's head between her hands to press her forehead against Ochako's, "Runt, I'm proud of you but we are going to have a looong talk later."
CRASH!
While Miruko made Ochako feel better and horrified at the same time, Gran Torino landed and made a beeline for Izuku, "Kid! Of all the stupid…! What did All Might and I tell you! And you… Is that Stain?!"
Izuku waved weakly with his left hand, "Hi… Gran Torino." Noticing Ochako's slightly confused look, he explained, "He's All Might's old teacher."
"Oh."
Gran Torino looked at Izuku's ruined limbs and shook his head, "Kid, how are you not screaming right now?"
"Um it... doesn't really... hurt?" Which was a lie. Honestly, on a scale of Nomu slaps, this was easily two of them. At least last time he had the advantage of having half his head caved in. Now he wasn't so lucky. Still, he wasn't going to admit he was in pain. No need to make them worry more than necessary.
Would be nice if I just blacked out right about now...
Ochako, Gran Torino and even Miruko looked down at Izuku in various stages of disbelief. Gran Torino then noticed the disturbing amount of blood dripping from Izuku's nose, eyes and ears, "Or maybe you got too much of your brain draining out of your head."
Before Izuku could come up with a response, the group was interrupted a third time.
"SHOUTOOOOOOOO!"
Endeavor rushed into the area, head turning every way as he looked for his son, "Shouto, where are… what in god's name happened here?! Is that Stain?!"
"Everyone, please!" Tenya walked over to the growing group of heroes, "I know you must have questions but we must focus on the real issues first!"
Tenya was in full-on class rep mode and for his friends it was a welcome sight to see, "There are several injured people here and I have been unable to contact anyone by phone. All the lines are busy, I assume because of the Nomu attacks. If you have ways of getting help, I implore you to use them. While myself, Uraraka, and Todoroki only suffered minor injuries, we have one professional hero, Native, who is injured and unconscious. Two students are in critical condition. Midoriya is severely injured with possible brain damage and Toga…" Tenya turned to look down the remains of the alley where Shouto was still kneeling next to Himiko to keep her cooled down, "…Toga is in critical condition. Todoroki has been able to slow the bleeding by cooling her down and having her enter an almost cryogenic state but she has suffered horrific internal injuries and… Stain cut out her eye."
The three pro heroes turned to follow Tenya's gaze. Miruko hissed at the sight, while Gran Torino swore under his breath. Endeavor's eyes went from Shouto, noting the slight build up of frost on his body, to Himiko and the frozen sword in her chest. He stomped over to the two, hand brought up to his ear to activate his little communicator, "Burnin, do you read me? Do you have a fix on my location… Yes the block where the last explosion went off. Good. Listen to me. I need medical teams, now. We have injured students. Two are in critical condition. I need trauma teams. One has a massive stab wound in her chest. It's through and through. Bleeding is being slowed by dropping her core body temperature but we can't rely on this for much longer. And send a security detail as well… Stain is in custody, make sure to send that out over the public lines too. That'll make everyone move faster. ETA? Good."
Endeavor took his hand off his head and glanced down, "They are less than five minutes out. Shouto, do you need me to heat you up?"
Shouto kept his face focused on Himiko, "No. I can hold out until then."
Endeavor grunted, "Fine."
"You're a very proficient hero," Shouto said after a few seconds, "Iida's been trying to get through for help ever since we tied Stain up. You got us help immediately."
Endeavor simply said, "There is a reason I got where I am, boy."
"I know."
Weakly, Himiko opened her eyes to look at the two and wished she had the strength to tell them off for having a nice father-son moment while she was laying in a ruined alley, getting turned into a popsicle to stop the sword in her chest from killing her.
While Gran Torino went with Tenya to make sure Stain's bindings were secure, Miruko walked down the alley to check on the other hero on site, Native. As she went, a soft bird chirped from her phone, a special ringtone she had given to an especially annoying hero, and made her groan. Pulling out the phone, she pressed it to her ear as she knelt down to check on Native and the bandages he had wrapped around his wounds, "This had better be good Hawks. Tell me you got the damned Nomu, already."
"It got away."
Miruko went rigid, "It what? How did you let that happen?"
"A black portal just opened up and swallowed it, then vanished."
Miruko rubbed her nose and groaned, "Great. And I guess you've been flying around the city looking for it. Look, we have a situation here. We got-"
"No, I mean it just happened."
"Huh? Wait, as in just now?"
"Yes. This explains how the Nomu were able to start an attack in the city without any warning. The League's Kurogiri must be in the city, too."
"So they cut their losses and pulled that one out? I killed mine and I'm sure All Might must have that other one taken care of."
The silence on Hawks end made the hairs on Miruko's ears stand up on end, "What is it?"
"It could be a retreat but… until we know for sure, I've got a bad feeling there's something else at play. Listen, I'm on my way to regroup with my team. Be on your guard.
Hawks hung up and Miruko put her phone away with a frown. Now her animal instincts were starting to scream at her and she suddenly didn't like how open and exposed their group was. Especially with so many injured, "...Shit."
Standing up, she was about to go grab Endeavor to give him an update when a scream ripped through the night air.
"IT'S A PORTAL!"
"NOMU!"
"MIDORIYA! URARAKA! LOOK OUT!"
The heroes had finally arrived, and medical teams were on the way. So Ochako felt, for the first time, that she could finally breathe. And with that new fresh breath, she spent it humming softly to Izuku to keep him calm and to try and help keep his mind off the pain he must be in.
Off to the side, Gran Torino put his phone away, "Just got word from All Might. He's dealt with the other Nomu and is going to be on his way."
"That's… good," Izuku said with a forced smile. While Ochako was doing a great job helping him, it was getting harder to ignore just how much pain he was in, both in his body and from the throbbing behind his eyes. Everything was blurry and he had been more than a little disturbed when Ochako had whipped his face clean of most of his blood. He was used to having to clean his nose. Eyes and ears? That was a new one.
"I think… I think I would like to go to sleep now…"
Gran Torino smiled, "Don't you worry. I'm sure the medics will have something to help take the edge off before Recovery Girl has a go at you."
"...Put me back in the hole please."
"Deku!" Ochako admonished Izuku curtly while Gran Torino laughed.
"At least… I'm going to close my eyes… That way I won't have to keep looking at the sky spin and go all dark."
"Yeah, your brain must be really fried, kid." Gran Torino looked up where Izuku was looking, "The sky aint… What the?"
When Gran Torino looked up, he was shocked to see the sky had gone dark and was twisted in on itself. Or at least it was in a specific spot. The moment Gran Torino realized what he was looking at, a pale, yellow, winged body had already shot out of it.
"IT'S A PORTAL!" Gran Torino yelled, getting everyone's attention.
Endeavor turned and sneered, "NOMU!"
Raising his hands, he let loose a blast of fire right at the Winged Nomu but missed as the monster twisted and entered a nose dive - right for Izuku and Ochako. Tenya saw it coming, "It's going for- MIDORIYA! URARAKA! LOOK OUT!"
Ochako, in that split second, froze in shock. She had just started to think they were safe, that the worst was over, and now a Nomu was plummeting right towards her. She couldn't move. But Izuku could.
Desperation and complete fear fueled him as he twisted around onto his stomach, clenching his teeth as he fought to keep himself from blacking out, and shoved Ochako away using his good left arm. Ochako tumbled backward only a few feet, but it was enough. The Nomu twisted around so that it's feet were pointed down and crashed into Izuku. One of its talons slammed into Izuku's good arm, breaking it with an audible snap.
The Nomu grabbed Izuku with its talons and spread its wings.
Miruko launched herself from the alley.
Gran Torino rocketed as he tried to cover the distance.
Tenya rushed, hand outreached as he tried to grab Izuku.
The three were fast, but too far away. The Nomu was already in the air by the time they made it to the spot it had landed. They had been too far but Ochako, snapped out of her daze from hearing Izuku scream, had only been a few feet away. Ochako leapt, putting all the strength she had into her legs, and propelled herself for the Nomu. She was just able to grab onto a leg as it took off.
She could hear the horrified shouts from everyone below, and maybe one or two 'don't burn the kids,' but she wasn't focused on any of that. All she cared about was not letting his monster take Izuku away. Hanging on for dear life, Ochako looked at Izuku, his face twisted in agony, then up to where the Nomu was flying. Right for the black portal it had flown out of.
"NO YOU DON'T!"
Ochako knew if they went through that portal, they were dead. Izuku would be dead and she would be damned before she let that happen. Pressing her fingers into the Nomu's leg and herself, Ochako ripped its gravity away. Using the effect of her gyros, Ochako swung her legs out and sent the three tumbling through the sky and sailing past the portal. Ochako didn't have a chance to feel good about her victory though. The Nomu screeched and began flapping its wings. While its gravity was gone and it was getting pulled around by Ochako, the Nomu was able to reorient itself and stay airborne.
Damn it! With those wings it doesn't matter if I take it's gravity or not. I need to try and grab one. That'll-
"URK!" Ochako's train of thought was violently cut off as the Nomu reached a long arm down and grabbed her by the neck. The Nomu ripped her off its leg, held her up at eye level, then brought its other hand up so that it could strangle her with both hands.
Izuku hung limply underneath and screamed for it to let her go. His arms and legs were broken and useless, making it impossible to strike the Nomu. His head hurt so much now that he couldn't focus, couldn't find the power to use his Psychokinesis. All he could do was watch as Ochako fought for her life, watch as Ochako tried to pull the Nomu's hands off her throat.
Watch and scream.
Scream.
Scream.
Scream.
And scream until his throat burned.
Ochako hacked and coughed as she dug her fingers between her neck and the Nomu's hands, pulling as hard as she could. The monster was strong. Maybe not like the one back at USJ, but it was strong. Ochako's muscles strained as she pulled. At the same time, she swung her legs up and kicked the Nomu right in the face.
I'm not going to lose!
She kicked it again, making it screech - whether in pain or anger, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was both. Whatever it was, the Nomu was not going to let her do it again. As Ochako wound back for another kick, the Nomu extended its long arms out, still holding tight on her neck. Spittle and foam sprayed from Ochako's mouth as she desperately tried to take a breath, but it was next to impossible. She was able to prevent herself from having her neck snapped but the force on her neck was starting to make her vision go dark.
You're! Not! Taking! Deku!
Ochako thought about trying to fire one of her rubber bullets into the Nomu's face but she did not want to let go of its hands. She couldn't kick it's face but she swung up her legs to try and kick its arms. But the angle was bad, so she had almost no force behind her swinging kick. She swore the bones in her fingers were starting to break and the muscles in her arms were going to tear, but she didn't stop.
She wouldn't stop.
She could hear Izuku screaming below. As long as she was alive, she was not going to lose him. With air she didn't think she had in her lungs, Ocahko roared and pulled and was able to get the Nomu's grip to loosen enough so she could get one last breath. Then the hands snapped back around her neck as the Nomu screeched back at her.
Do something! Deku's counting on you! Do… something…
Her vision was getting too dark to see. She could feel herself slipping. Her strength was beginning to give. All she could do was stare back at the Nomu in defiance, even as it faded into blackness.
Blacker.
Black.
...
Light.
A bright light, unbelievable heat and a roar slammed into Ochako. The light was so bright that it pierced her darkening vision. The heat sizzled the sweat, blood and spit off her body while making her skin prickle. The roar was not a sound anything living could make, it was something more.It was elemental. Then the Nomu's hands loosened and Ochako ripped herself free and took a deep breath, wincing at the air burning in her lungs. But it was air. Opening her eyes, Ochako stared in wonder as a giant pillar of fire shot up into the sky, enveloping the Nomu save for its arms at the elbows.
Endeavor?! Todoroki?!
Her mind tried to come to terms with what she was seeing, tried to think who it was that had made it up to them and saved them, but neither of the fire users fit.
After all, neither could produce green fire.