Chapter 21: USJ: Track 3 - End with a Bang
- MUSUTAFU, POLICE DEPARTMENT -
Toshinori let out a heavy sigh as he sat alone in Tsukauchi's office. He and the detective, along with several small-time Heroes, had managed to rescue the hostages with minor issues. Two Heroes had minor injuries, though a few nights of bed rest would do wonders for them. None of the hostages were hurt, which was a miracle in itself and something Toshinori was thankful for.
He did chuckle at the memory of the little girl who managed to defeat the leader of the villainous group. She was pulled from her mother's arms as a human shield, only to have the girl use her Quirk which gave her a myriad of abilities based on her emotions. First, the Villain was drenched by a torrent of tears. Then when the little girl realized what the Villain did, she got angry.
And then burst into flames.
And while the Villain was too worried about cooling off from his sudden steaming, the little girl finished him off with a swift kick to his unmentionables.
Apparently, stubbornness can be considered an emotion in this regard. And that emotion essentially turned the girl into both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. And that made her kick something to fear.
Needless to say, the situation was handled, and now Toshinori was resting up and handling some of the after-action reports that were required for a Hero operation.
"I always hate having to do these." The emaciated Hero grumbled, finishing up another page in the seemingly endless amount of paperwork.
"Hey, at least you don't have to fill them out as much as I do," Tsukauchi said as he entered the office. He made his way over to his desk, handing a cup of tea to the blonde Hero, who accepted it gratefully and joined him in finishing up their paperwork.
"No, I just now have to grade work on top of my paperwork." Toshinori jokingly shot back.
Tsukauchi gave him a dry chuckle and the two focused on the work ahead of them. After a brief stint of silence, the detective decided to make small talk.
"So, Toshi? How is teaching working out for you?" He asked.
Toshinori set down his finished paperwork and looked at his friend. "It's... Different, to say the least." The No. 1 Hero replied. He went quiet again as he began to think about his short time as a teacher. "Granted, it has only really been two lessons, but I think I have a handle on things. The first years are all good kids and I can't wait to see them become fine Heroes."
Tsukauchi nodded along, happy to hear that Toshinori was taking his new role seriously. Before he could continue the conversation, Toshinori's phone rang. The blonde Hero pulled the phone out of his pocket, eyes widening as he saw who the caller was.
"Uh-oh... I forgot to inform Nezu that the operation just finished." Tsukauchi struggled to hold back a chuckle when he saw Toshinori's knee begin to shake. "Sorry Tsukauchi, I better answer this. Otherwise, I'm in for a lecture when I get back to the campus."
"It's fine, Toshinori. We're pretty much done here anyway." The detective replied.
Toshinori gave him an appreciative nod and answered his phone. "Nezu, sorry about the late response. Detective Tsukauchi and I wer-"
"All Might, get to the USJ, NOW! Young Iida just crashed through the campus doors to inform us of a Villain attack! We are already under lockdown and mobilizing but I need you back ASAP!" The chimera ordered tensely. Toshinori could hear the mixture of fear and anger in his voice. Nezu was pissed. An unknown predator had just invaded his territory.
Toshinori rose from his chair, knocking it down as his Quirk began to run through his body. His emaciated form shifted to showcase his impressive musculature. He tightened his grip on his phone, the ever-present smile on his face now forming into a grim frown. "I'm on my way..."
All Might turned to Tsukauchi, sharing the dire news he just received. "Tsukauchi, I need you and the police to head to U.A.! There is a Villain attack at the USJ and my students must be fighting for their lives!"
The detective was quick to stand up, already putting on his coat and making his way to the door. "Go! We'll meet you and the other Heroes there!"
All Might sped through the building, and as soon as he exited, he leaped into the air, causing a large gust of wind and a delayed sonic boom to follow in his wake.
As he soared through the air, the No. 1 Hero began to curse his luck and the fact he wasn't there for his students. 'It doesn't matter! I will be there for them now! Just hold on everyone!'
All Might was just happy he still had time before his limit was reached. If he needed to push it just to arrive even a second sooner, then he would take the opportunity to do it.
- USJ CENTRAL PLAZA -
Aizawa deftly dodged the attack of a Villain who sought to sneak attack him as he focused on knocking out another in front of him. The tired Hero wasted no time in dismantling the would-be attack with ease, already moving on to the next Villain.
What had been several long minutes seemed to drag on to what felt like hours. He was glad that he lived by the advice he gave Izuku a year ago.
Better to be the one that outlasts everyone else in a fight. His personal fighting style was a testament to that. Dodges, counters, misdirection, separating Villains, and swift, calculated strikes. Each move was near surgical as he took down each and every Villain around him.
His edge was not just his Quirk which kept the Villains on their toes, it was the simple addition to his goggles brought on by his No. 1 Problem Child. Built-in sensors detected how long he had kept his eyes open and released a small number of eye drops that would hydrate them enough to keep the effects of his Quirk active. He still needed to blink, and the amount of drops he had was finite, but in this situation, he was glad Izuku thought up such a simple idea as it kept him in the fight for much longer.
"32 seconds..."
While Aizawa was deep into his fight, Shigaraki kept his eyes trained on the Hero, studying his every move.
"17 seconds..."
Every detail was taken into account by the young Villain leader.
"26 seconds..."
But he couldn't nail down the pattern he was looking for. He had limited knowledge of Eraser Head and his Quirk, but that has been thrown out the window. When he noticed the Underground Hero maintained the use of his Quirk, nothing was set in stone. Where the time of his Quirk dropping would decrease, it would suddenly reset or take longer than he figured.
And it was starting to annoy him.
"I hate when Heroes live up to their hype. And now it seems like Eraser Head has a hidden ability... or some sort of rare item equipped." The shaggy-haired Villain grumbled. "Guess I need to force an action to get an observation."
As Aizawa continued to dismantle the remaining Villains, Shigaraki dashed into the fray, beelining straight for the Underground Hero. He was swift enough to close the distance to Aizawa, his hand extended out to grab him from behind. Before the Villain could touch him, the tired Hero quickly reacted, turning around to face Shigaraki.
Undeterred, the villainous leader lashed out with a series of punches and grabs, his mad, red eyes never leaving Aizawa's form. Aizawa kept his Quirk active, doing all he could to limit the Villain's options. The two battled on, each one studying the other, trying to find the most opportune moment to strike and turn the tables around. Each block or deflection added to Shigaraki's ire, as it steadily rose as Aizawa maintained his Quirk the several times he landed a grab in order to decay the Hero.
To his dismay, Aizawa was gaining ground. His training and experience tipped the scales in his favor. With a well-placed kick, he sent Shigaraki tumbling across the ground and jumped back to gain some distance. Finally, with a moment to himself, he released his Quirk and blinked in rapid succession, grimacing as the reserves in his goggles finally depleted.
'Shit. I need to end this fight now.' Aizawa surveyed the field. Shigaraki was just now getting up, with the rest of the Villain's subordinates still down. 'Then there's that thing.' His eyes trailed over to the mass of muscle that had yet to move. Every time he looked at him, his instincts screamed of danger. His thoughts were cut off when Shigaraki spoke up.
"I would like to say I'm surprised. A Hero, performing a government-sanctioned beat down. Is that the only thing that makes you different from me?" His lone, visible eye narrowed. "That you get permission to brutally hurt someone like me?"
"The difference is that you're delusional," Aizawa answered. "You led an invasion, attacked myself and my students, and expect me to see some similarities between us because I fought back?"
Shigaraki lazily shrugged. "Worth a shot."
Aizawa grits his teeth in frustration and readied himself. "Well, it doesn't matter. You will be taken down, and then the leftovers will think twice when their leader is down for the count."
A chill ran up Aizawa's spine as Shigaraki began to chuckle at his words. "You think I'm the defeat condition for this? No, no. Let me introduce you to our real MVP."
It happened in a blur. One second the bird-like, muscular villain was at the fountain and the next he was in front of Aizawa, pulling back an arm, ready for a punch. Aizawa quickly activated his Quirk, hoping that the apparent speed and strength the villain had was due to its Quirk. Those hopes were dashed when he tried to block the punch, only to feel one of his arms break and the other go numb at the force behind the strike, sending him rolling across the ground.
The Underground Hero writhed in pain, unaware that three of his students, Sero, Tsuyu, and Kaminari, arrived at the banks of the plaza in time to watch their instructor being taken down so quickly. And the unspoken horror at how the muscular Villain just seemed to stand over Aizawa, watching over his downed form, not moving another inch.
"H-holy shit..." Sero said in fear.
Tsuyu croaked, doing her best to hide in the water, her eyes sitting just above the surface.
Kaminari's pupils shrank at the brutal punch delivered to the Underground Hero. "Aizawa-sensei…" Was all he could mutter at the sight of the man who was all but unstoppable mere moments ago.
The hulking Villain just stood over Aizawa as he struggled to stand back up. The man managed to prop himself up on his strained arm, barely able to do so as pain shot through his body as his broken arm hung limply. Aizawa looked up at his adversary with wary eyes, doing his best to formulate either a plan or to figure out the behemoth's Quirk.
'That strength and speed are something else. This thing would even give All Might some trouble.' Aizawa was broken from his thoughts as Shigaraki drew near his downed form.
"Damn, I was at least expecting you to stay at a mini-boss level for a bit longer." The shaggy-haired Villain said, disappointment laced in his words. He stopped several feet from the Hero, tilting his head as he studied him. "I guess my Nomu is just too OP." He shrugged. "Then again, he is the key to completing this quest. With All Might as the final boss, we made sure to level Nomu up appropriately."
Shigaraki snapped his fingers and pointed at Aizawa. Nomu's arms twitched and suddenly lashed out, its large hand grabbing Aizawa's head, threatening to crush it like a grape. The Underground Hero cried out in pain as the Nomu pulled him up.
"As you probably noticed, Nomu's strength isn't his Quirk. He's just built that way. No, he has other ways to deal with the No. 1 Hero." The red-eyed Villain said tauntingly. "Maybe you just need a demonstration. Nomu..." The hulking Villain tilted its head ever so slightly at being addressed. "Show him how strong you are. But don't break him."
Aizawa could feel the smile behind that command. But what followed was unimaginable pain. The Nomu slammed his face into the tiled ground, causing his goggles to break and cracks to form on impact. Blood began to pour out of his mouth, each grunt being followed by a spray of the crimson liquid. Aizawa could feel the Nomu's fingers gripping tighter, the large extremities crushing his skull, his eye sockets crumbling under the pressure.
The Underground Hero caught sight of Sero, Tsuyu, and Kaminari during the beatdown. He forced himself to show no reaction, not wanting Shigaraki or the Nomu to take notice of them. Aizawa wanted them to escape, to get to safety. But they were just frozen at the sight of his defeat.
As Shigaraki found twisted pleasure in his Nomu's work, a mass of purple and black smoke appeared next to him. The smokey wisps took the form of Kurogiri, who was worse for wear when compared to the start of the invasion. His brace had several scorch marks, as well as several areas that were melted away. His clothes were in better shape, only having some scuffs and tears in them.
Shigaraki noticed that the warping Villain actually stumbled after his emergence, warranting a curious look from the shaggy-haired Villain. "What the hell happened to you?"
Kurogiri's eyes seemed to dart away from Shigaraki's gaze, unwilling to explain his failure. He took a moment to breathe and spoke up, "I'm sorry, Shigaraki. These Hero students are much more skilled than we thought. The group at the entrance escaped my warp gates, and managed to overpower me while helping one of their own escape."
Aizawa noted the still silence in the air. He could see anger build up in Shigaraki through his impaired vision. A part of him wanted to smirk knowing that their plans had a wrench thrown into them.
"Say that again, Kurogiri," Shigaraki muttered.
"One of the students managed to escape. Soon, the other Heroes will arrive." Kurogiri bowed at Shigaraki, his tone apologetic. "I am sorry for my failure, Tomura."
Shigaraki went quiet once more. Slowly, he raised his arms, bringing his hands to his neck, and began to scratch at it. His manic emotions bled into his voice as he addressed the misty Villain, "Kurogiri, you..." His scratching sped up, leaving trails of red marks along his neck and chin line. "If you weren't our warp gate, I would've dusted your ass."
He suddenly stopped, a moment of clarity calming him down. He spoke in a low and eerily calm tone, "Mission failed, it seems. We'll just have to get him next time. We aren't equipped to handle a bunch of pros." He turned to face Kurogiri. "Looks like we need to retreat. But that would just make the next mission harder to pull off."
In the water, the trio of Hero students felt hope swelling in their chests, though a hint of doubt still lingered.
Sero spoke in a hushed whisper, "Do you think they'll actually leave?"
"Kero I don't know. This guy seems unhinged kero kero." Tsuyu responded.
"Guys... I think he's looking at us..." Warned Kaminari.
What Shigaraki said next sent shivers down their spines. "Might as well go for a speedrun." The shaggy-haired Villain bolted at the trio of students, clearing the distance between them at a surprising speed. "AND SEE HOW MANY TRASH MOBS I CAN KILL BEFORE THE TIME LIMIT ENDS!"
Tsuyu was stunned, unable to react as Shigaraki extended his hand out towards her face. Fear gripped her heart as she watched him inch closer and closer, his fingers about to graze her face. And would have if a sudden explosion hadn't knocked him off his feet and away from the trio. The preserved hand that covered his face was knocked off and clattered against the ground away from his downed form.
"FROG FACE, GET YOUR DAMN HEAD IN THE GAME!" The brash voice of Bakugo yelled out.
"Shigaraki!" Kurogiri cried out in surprise. He watched as his leader tumbled away, smoke billowing from his body. The misty Villain turned to the Nomu, expecting to see it retaliate against the ash-blonde bomber, only to see a rabbit-themed verdette cut off the arm holding on to the injured Underground Hero.
The Nomu stumbled back, crying out in pain as it grabbed at the stump of its now missing arm, Izuku held onto his sensei and blinked next to the others. Izuku felt the drain hit him at having to teleport himself and Aizawa away, but that wasn't his focus. He turned to the others while Bakugo kept an eye on the Villains.
"Sero, Tsu, Kaminari! You three need to get Aizawa out of here and back up with the others at the entrance. We'll cover you!" He barked out the order.
"Midoriya! What are you doing!?" Aizawa bellowed out, fighting back against the pain as he looked at his student in concern.
Izuku only gave him a determined look in return. "Making sure my coursemates and sensei make it out of here. We overheard them say one of us escaped. If I had to guess, probably Iida, meaning we just need to hold out for reinforcements."
"Midoriya, you can't beat that thing!" Aizawa tried to reason with his student, but he recognized the look in Izuku's eyes. He just didn't want the verdette to risk everything trying to save everyone.
"There's no time to argue!" Izuku looked away from Aizawa and back at the other three. "Just get him out of here!"
Aizawa couldn't find the strength to argue anymore. His injuries finally caught up to him as his body gave way. "Midoriya... Don't hold back." He passed out in the verdette's arms, the last thought of his before slipping away into unconsciousness was the hope that his students would be okay.
"Deku... Those extras need to get the fuck out of here! NOW!" Bakugo said, pulling Izuku's attention away from the others.
The group of Hero students watched as the Nomu's body began to bubble. Its dark blood dripped from its wound as the layers upon layers of muscle reformed. Soon its skin followed suit, covering the remade arm as it flexed and curled its fingers, the Nomu seemingly checking to see if its body was still in working condition.
Izuku gulped at the sight. His mind began to race as he studied the regeneration of the Nomu in front of him.
"Hey, Nerd. What's going on in your head?" Bakugo asked, never taking his eyes off of the Nomu. Even Bakugo felt unsure of their odds at the sight of something regrowing an entire limb in mere seconds.
"Seems like a hyper regeneration Quirk. I don't see any immediate drawbacks if it's acting like nothing happened," Izuku explained his initial observations.
"Great... A fucking super healer." The ash-blonde grumbled out.
Izuku nodded his head in agreement. Even if he had the ability to heal without any major issues, he was still limited with just two recoveries. This Nomu just seemed like something else. "That just means there's a limit to how much and how fast it can heal."
He was surprised when the Nomu just stood there, its glassy eyes focusing on him and Bakugo as if waiting for a command. He and the ash-blonde tensed when they heard the muttering of Shigaraki as the Villain rose to his feet.
"You three, go. Now!" Izuku said one last time.
His three coursemates reluctantly agreed, Sero and Kaminari picking up Aizawa's body and carrying him away. Tsuyu gave Izuku and Bakugo one last look before joining the other two on their way to the entrance.
"It's no good... It's no good... It's no good..." Shigaraki chanted quietly as he stood up. His hands covered his face, trying to hide away from everyone's sight as he moved over to the discarded hand to pick it up. "I-I'm sorry, Father..."
The shaggy-haired Villain dropped to his knees and placed the hand back over his face. His breathing began to stabilize when he felt the comforting grip around his head. He continued to speak into the air, "That bastard hit me with a sneak attack. It's not my fault..."
Shigaraki grew quiet again. His shifting demeanor caused Izuku and Bakugo to be on edge. "So, this is what they are teaching to Heroes nowadays. Every one of them is just a violent thug. One almost blew me up. And the other literally disarmed my Nomu."
Shigaraki turned his head to look over his shoulder, his visible red eye exuding madness as he stared down Izuku and Bakugo. "If they want to play rough, then we'll play rough. Let's see if we can't cause them to suffer a debuff. Maybe hopelessness. Break their spirits and all that."
"Nomu! Kill those three mobs!" Shigaraki commanded.
The Nomu heeded its master's command and rushed the three retreating students. Kaminari looked behind him in fear as the Nomu clasped its hands together and raised them above its head. The blonde clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the blow to land.
In a split second, ice erupted from the ground, forming a barrier between Kaminari and the Nomu. As the ice shattered upon impact, another wave emerged and began to freeze the Nomu in place, its legs stuck to the ground as it thrashed around.
Tsuyu already began to feel the effects of Todoroki's ice, her body undergoing torpor which was evident as she addressed their coursemate, "T-t-thanks, T-T-Todoroki."
"Hn." Todoroki simply nodded, not really focusing on them, instead narrowing his cold eyes on the thrashing Nomu still trapped by the ice.
Tsuyu's eyes widened as she looked past Todoroki and the Nomu. "Izuku! Behind you!"
Shigaraki cursed the frog-girl as he was almost upon Izuku and Bakugo, taking advantage of their momentary distraction to attack the two Hero students. He thrust his palm out, only to have it slam into a green barrier. He grinned underneath the hand covering his face, expecting the barrier to break apart as his Quirk activated.
Izuku's smirk caused Shigaraki to growl in frustration. He put his other hand on the barrier, pushing his Quirk to break down the shield between him and the two Hero students. All that happened was a series of ripples flowing out from where his hands were connected.
As the barrier dropped, he had to dodge the sudden retaliation of Bakugo, who wasted no time in trying to take down Shigaraki. The shaggy-haired man jumped back with each blast, each minor shockwave forcing him to stumble and almost lose his footing. Bakugo had cleared the distance and primed another blast, one that would land a hit on the villainous leader.
"Nomu!" At his master's call, the Nomu freed himself from Todoroki's ice at the cost of its legs. It used its arms to propel itself in between Shigaraki and Bakugo, roaring as it did so. Bakugo slammed his palm into the Nomu's chest, undeterred by its arrival and using this chance to injure the hulking beast further.
Heat built up from his Quirk, sweat already igniting at his spark. "DIE!" Bakugo let out a bark as he released a blast from his hand. His eyes widened in shock as the Nomu wasn't even knocked back, his skin only showing the barest hint of damage from the heat of the explosion.
Bakugo felt a tug as green energy enveloped his body, pulling him back in time to narrowly dodge the Nomu as it swiped its hand at the ash-blonde. As he was still airborne, Bakugo used his Quirk to propel himself back to Izuku as Todoroki moved up to join them.
"That fucker can tank a blast, point-blank. It didn't even move when it happened." Bakugo growled out.
"It must be able to withstand excessive force of some kind," Todoroki added. He spared a glance to the ash-blonde and asked him a question, "Did you at least burn it?"
Bakugo clicked his tongue at the bicolor-haired Ice user. "Of course I fucking did. The damn thing probably healed it by now."
Todoroki's brows raised at that new information. "It can heal?"
"Just watch, Frostbitch." Bakugo simply answered, directing their attention to the Nomu as it was recovering from its wounds.
Izuku paid close attention to it now. It had to regrow its legs, as well as heal the burn Bakugo gave it. The legs reformed with little to no issue, showcasing its extreme regenerative capabilities. The burn, however, did not heal immediately. The Nomu scratched and tore away at the burned skin, reopening the wound in order to heal properly.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Izuku saw Shinso and Kyoka hiding in the treeline. He began to form a plan when Shigaraki spoke up. "So, we have a bomber, an ice mage, and a damn hacker in this PvP session." The shaggy-haired Villain tilted his head as he stared down the trio of Hero students. "Even if you enable cheats, you won't beat my Nomu. He was created specifically to solo All Might, after all."
At the lack of reaction from the trio, Shigaraki chuckled. "Huh... I figured that would get at least something out of you trash mobs."
"It would be something else if those who followed you didn't already spill the details of your flawed plan," Todoroki replied with little emotion.
The red-eyed Villain twitched at that. "Those damn F-Tiers. To think that they gave up to a bunch of wannabe Heroes." He picked up a piece of rubble near him, careful not to place his pinky onto it. "Doesn't matter. Still have time to dust some mobs before the real Heroes show up." Shigaraki then closed his hand on the rubble, causing it to crumble at his touch.
"So... Let's start round two," Shigaraki said, narrowing his lone, visible eye. "Nomu, crush them."
Izuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki tensed up, ready to spring into action as soon as the Nomu moved.
Sero and Kaminari carefully carried Aizawa's unconscious form up the stairs to the entrance, Tsuyu following right behind them. They had passed by the beaten and bruised bodies of the Villains who tried to take the entrance, wondering at what had happened here as nobody was left unscathed.
"We're almost there!" Sero huffed out. Kaminari let out a cheer and the two young men picked up speed as they crested the top of the stairway, Tsuyu hot on their trail.
The three were met by the surprised, but elated, looks of their coursemates. Ochaco and Mina rushed over to check on Tsuyu, while Sato and Momo went over to see Sero and Kaminari. Sato gently took Aizawa from the pair, letting the two Hero students catch their breath. Aoyama kept an eye on the stairs, his eyes going back and forth between them and the plaza.
"I'm glad to see you three are alright," Momo said in relief. "Koda arrived just before you two. He said Todoroki escorted him from the Windstorm Zone to the stairs but left shortly after."
Sero and Kaminari saw Koda next to Thirteen, the shy teen doing his best to calm down while keeping the injured Hero company. Ayano joined the group as Sero started to give the Vice-Rep more details, "We just saw him at the plaza. He gave us cover while we were escaping with Aizawa-sensei. Him, Midoriya, and Bakugo are still down there."
Momo clasped her hands together, bringing them to her chest in worry at the news. "Izuku's down there? Is he alright? What about Shoka?"
Kaminari raised his hands to help calm the onyx-eyed heiress down. "The three of them are working together to buy us time. I don't know about Shoka, I just know Izuku and Bakugo saved our asses together, so they must have come from the same zone. We haven't seen Shoka or the others. Sorry."
Momo tensed up as he finished, her eyes darting over to the plaza as she watched the ensuing fight between Izuku, the others, and the remaining Villains.
'Please, don't do anything reckless, Izuku.'
The air chilled as Todoroki summoned another ice wall in front of them, blocking the Nomu's attack. It gave way easily from the force of the punch, but it slowed it down enough for Bakugo to use it to his advantage.
The ash-blonde bomber grabbed a chunk of ice the Nomu broke in its attack and pressed it up against its body. He had to fight against the cold as it worked against his Quirk, the frozen chunk nearly negating his sweat from its unnatural chill. Despite it all, a spark formed in his palms, the building explosion primed for release.
"Improvised move! Shrapnel Grenade!" Bakugo yelled as the ice exploded outward, smaller chunks flying out and burying themselves into the Nomu's body. The attack elicited a screech of pain from the hulking Villain as it flailed its arms in reckless abandon. Before Bakugo was struck by a wild appendage, Izuku Blinked in front of him and managed to pull off a counter with Resolute, causing the stunned Villain to stumble back.
Before the three could capitalize on their success, Kurogiri summoned several warp gates, blocking their charge at the Nomu.
"Kurogiri." Shigaraki addressed his companion. "Don't get in the way. The Nomu can take them down by itself."
"But Shigaraki, we ne-" Kurogiri tried to reason with his leader, only to be cut off.
"Don't interfere." The shaggy-haired Villain simply reiterated before looking back at the trio of Hero students.
As the portals faded, Izuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki watched as the Nomu had already begun to recover from Bakugo's attack. The hulking Villain trained its empty eyes onto the group, not moving an inch until Shigaraki told it to do so.
"This would seem to be an exercise in futility," Todoroki stated with little emotion,
"Fuck off, Iceman. If you want to puss out then go ahead. I'm not gonna let this fucker win." Bakugo retorted, his agitation growing by the second.
Izuku stepped forward, giving a small signal to Shinso, hoping he would notice it. He gave it a few seconds before speaking up, "It doesn't matter. We can't let that Villain get past us. We won't be able to overpower it though."
Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance, struggling to speak as his words spilled out, "Then what do you have in mind, Nerd?"
Izuku spared Bakugo a glance before refocusing on the Nomu. "That thing, the Nomu, has a hyper regenerative Quirk. No matter what damage we do, it will heal. So, if we can't overpower the Nomu, then we have to overclock its Quirk. All regeneration and healing Quirks have limits."
"Hmph. Right. Do enough damage to force its Quirk to fail." Bakugo said, understanding Izuku's plan.
"Yeah. It should tire itself if we push its regeneration far enough. We just might be able to do some lasting damage to it or even slow it down to where the healing won't be as effective. Maybe even enough for it to be dusted." Izuku explained. The verdette spared a glance at the treeline, doing his best to make sure it wasn't obvious to the Villains.
Bakugo and Todoroki raised an eyebrow at that final bit, unsure what Izuku meant but chose to ignore it. Before they could plan any further, Shigaraki ran out of patience.
"Nomu. Have fun." With those words, the Nomu rushed forward at blinding speeds. Izuku had used Resolute, creating a dome around him and his partners, hoping to cause another counter. The Nomu was just too fast for him to nail the timing, choosing to maintain a barrier rather than risk failing a counter.
The Nomu pounded away at the barrier, the green field of energy holding strong for a few seconds before cracks began to form along the dome. Each strike sounded like thunder as it hammered away at the barrier, alerting all to what was happening. Izuku felt the strain as the barrier began to wane, Bakugo and Todoroki growing tense and ready to react when the barrier fell. It didn't take long as the green energy protecting the trio shattered before their eyes.
Izuku gripped his head, hissing in pain at the backlash caused by his barrier's destruction. Bakugo, in a sudden moment, was quick to grab the verdette and pulled him back, using his free hand to generate explosions to get clear of the Nomu. Todoroki froze the Nomu's legs once more to slow it down. The Nomu wasted no time in freeing itself, tearing off its legs as it clawed its way to them, the monster's body swiftly rebuilding its lost limbs by the second.
Before the Nomu could attack Todoroki, a voice was heard, coming closer to the battlers at a rapid pace.
"HEADS UP!"
A fist collided with the Nomu's face. While the damage was mitigated, the force knocked the Nomu back, far enough away for the trio to catch their breath. Susukichi hunched over, his arms brought up into a guard as he looked at Shigaraki and his Nomu.
"IZZY!" Izuku turned around to see Shoka and Tokoyami running over to them, worry apparent on his girlfriend's face.
"Shoka?" The verdette muttered in confusion.
He felt the slender ravenette grab both sides of his face, pulling him close to hers. "What do you think you're doing, you dummy!?" She asked, her lips forming into a pout.
"Perhaps you two should resolve your lover's quarrel at a better time," Tokoyami stated.
Shoka glanced over her shoulder, giving the raven-headed young man a glare before huffing. She shot Izuku a look as she helped pick him up. "Fine. But still, you are gonna tell me why you decided you had to face that thing."
Izuku nodded, not really wanting to face her anger at the moment. He figured it would be better to wait for both her and Momo to call him out later. For now, he had to make sure they would survive to do so.
He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if either of them got hurt.
Shigaraki began to scratch at his neck again, recognizing Susukichi was one of his last-minute recruits. "You... What the hell do you think you're doing? Did you just betray the team?"
Susukichi laughed, causing Shigaraki's irritation to grow immensely. "What's-a matter? Ya mad, bro?" The large blonde slammed hands together and gave the shaggy-haired Villain a sharp-toothed grin. "Listen ya disc, this was just a textbook swindle! I was never on your team. I was on my team."
"NOMU! Kill that team-switching bastard!" Shigaraki roared.
The Nomu was quick to respond, slamming a fist into Susukichi. The large blonde grunted in pain, feeling his bones rattle from the strike. Susukichi wasted no time in hitting the Nomu in return, only to find his attacks did next to nothing. It didn't stop him from trying though.
"No wonder this fucker switched teams. He's a fucking idiot..." Shigaraki said. "I thought you remembered our demonstration. My Nomu has Shock Absorption. Your punches won't do a thing to him."
Izuku took in the new information. With the arrival of Shoka, Tokoyami, and the surprise appearance of Susukichi, he was starting to see a chance at victory.
They would just need to take it.
"Shoka, you and Tokoyami need to keep Shigaraki and Kurogiri busy. Careful with Shigaraki. His Quirk is similar to Ochaco's in activation, he needs to touch something with all five fingers on his hand. If he does, he causes whatever he touches to rapidly decay." Izuku stated. Shoka and Tokoyami took in his words, nodding along grimly as they understood him. "He can't affect energy, so Dark Shadow might have an advantage against him by not being fully physical."
"Then Dark Shadow and I shall battle the master of decay," Tokoyami said, Dark Shadow voicing their shared opinion with their anchor.
"I guess that means you, the Pomeranian, and Frostsicle will face Big Bird?" Shoka asked. Bakugo growled at the nickname Shoka used, while Todoroki barely reacted to her words.
"Us and, Susukichi, you said?" Izuku asked for clarification.
"Yeah. An old friend from Shibuya. His Quirk amplifies his strength, speed, and durability for a time. He is running at max so he has time to spare." The gray-eyed ravenette explained.
"Got it." Izuku turned to face the ash-blonde bomber, sparing a glance at his gauntlets. "Bakugo, those gauntlets do what I think they do, right?"
Bakugo lightly huffed. "Of course they fucking do."
Izuku closed his eyes, taking a second to breathe deeply. His eyes shot open, his emerald irises beginning to shine as Ego hummed with power. "Then let's do this!"
In the treeline at the outskirts of the plaza, Kyoka lowered her jacks and turned to look at Shinso. "You got all that?"
Shinso simply nodded. "Yeah. Let's just hope we can get to that point."
Shigaraki watched the battle between the two giants with minor enjoyment. It wouldn't take long for the Nomu to finish off the traitor, and then they could refocus on the trash Hero mobs he still needed to kill. This whole mission had been screwed over by inconveniences left and right, and it pissed the Decay user right off.
"Nomu, hurry up and finish him off!" He called out in growing boredom.
The Nomu simply roared out and sped up its strikes. Susukichi cried out in discomfort as the Nomu began to push him back, not leaving him an opening to throw a hit of his own. The muscular blonde clicked his tongue in annoyance, only to feel a fist in his gut, knocking the wind out of him.
"F-fuck. The thing hits a lot harder than the demo." Susukichi groaned in pain.
The Nomu's roar shook him of his thoughts. The hulking Villain rushed Susukichi again and released a flurry of punches upon his form. The blonde could only block as many strikes as he could, his Quirk starting to drain away to mitigate the damage dealt to him. Susukichi took a gamble and countered a punch with his own, his tattoos emanating a bright light as he reinforced his body. The resulting shockwave knocked away the dust and debris of the area around the two giants, with Susukichi's hat being blown away as well.
The Nomu lashed out with its other arm, aiming to grab the blonde in front of it, only to be blocked again by Susukichi. It was a battle of two unstoppable forces, any ground Susukichi gained was easily taken back by the Nomu. And when the Nomu pushed back against the blonde, Susukichi would dig in his heels, stopping the Nomu's advancement.
As the stalemate continued, Izuku Blinked in between the two. He began to feel his energy combine Excalibur and Pyre together, forming his first Psychronization.
"Excaliburn!"
With a howl, Izuku began his attack, slashing away at the Nomu. The hulking beast managed to dodge the strike to its head but wasn't as lucky when Izuku managed to cut off an arm, the flaming blade cauterizing the wound immediately. The Nomu's self-preservation instincts kicked in, making it jump back to escape the verdette's attack, only to lose a leg when Susukichi pulled it back in.
Shigaraki watched on as the Hero students and the turncoat fought his Nomu. He began to scratch his neck in frustration at the thought that they were actually doing damage to his weapon.
"Damn them." He muttered as blood trickled from his neck. "First the hacker, now the traitor. I'm getting tired of cheaters ruining this session. Kurogiri…"
"Yes, Shigaraki?" The misty Villain responded.
"If they want to start a team battle, then let's even the odds." The shaggy-haired Villain explained, his voice dripping with anger.
"Of course." As Kurogiri readied himself, he was struck by a clawed hand as it scraped against his already damaged brace. He cried out in pain as the swipe was followed up by a kick from Shoka, who pushed herself off of the ground and rocketed at Kurogiri, the force knocking him into the air.
"God damn trash mobs!" Shigaraki roared. He turned to attack Shoka, only to be stopped by Dark Shadow who knocked him away with ease. Shigaraki dropped to a knee, holding his stomach as it twisted in pain at the hit. His hate-filled eye peered through the gaps of the hand gripping his face and looked at the pair of Hero students who had chosen to interfere.
"You shall do well to remember that you are clearly outnumbered, Villain," Tokoyami stated with confidence.
"And outmatched, obviously. Shoulda ranked up a few more times before stomping around on our turf." Shoka added with a smirk.
Shigaraki saw red as he fumed. Nothing mattered anymore except killing the wannabe Heroes who got in his way.
Izuku felt a spark of energy leave his body, a faint green ball of light emerging from his form and transferring into Susukichi. The muscular blonde grinned savagely as he felt a small boost of energy and moved to capitalize on it. As the Nomu struggled to free itself from his grasp, Susukichi slammed his free fist into the Nomu's face repeatedly, each strike stronger than the last. At the height of his combo, Susukichi lifted the Nomu into the air, and slammed it into the ground, burying it headfirst into the newly formed crater. Susukichi smiled at his work as the spark of energy left his body, transferring to someone else.
As the Nomu struggled to pull itself out of its hole, Susukichi addressed Izuku. "So, Shoka tells me you're pretty smart. What's the play?"
An enormous wave of ice erupted in front of them, encasing the Nomu as it struggled to free itself from another prison. Todoroki slowly walked up to the pair, feeling energized as he did. Izuku took note of the wisps of green energy flowing from his body while he answered Susukichi, "Do damage. We need to overclock its healing factor if we want to win. You're our tank, doing what you can to either slow it down or keep its attention on you. Todoroki, Bakugo, and I will work on DPS."
As he finished, the Nomu shattered the ice, freeing itself as it tore at its cauterized flesh. Its finger dug into the mangled skin, ripping and tearing away as its Regeneration Quirk started to heal its wounds and reform its lost limbs. Todoroki sent another wave of ice at the Nomu, sharp pillars erupting from the crystalline trail, piercing the Nomu who roared out in pain as it broke away the ice.
The spark of energy flew from Todoroki and into Bakugo, who flew into the fray, wasting no time in attacking the hulking Villain. The ash-blonde released a devastating barrage of blasts upon the beast, each one burning the Villain down to its exposed muscles, shooting the shattered chunks of ice further into the Nomu.
The Nomu, in a desperate attempt to escape the pain, flailed around. One arm struck at Bakugo, knocking the ash-blonde away, giving Nomu time to recover. It healed, albeit slower than normal, if only slightly. It focused its dead eyes on the others, choosing a target at random. It charged at Izuku, the verdette standing at the ready. Before the Nomu could even attack, it could feel a biting frost enveloping its body, slowing it down as its body forced itself to heal.
With its speed reduced, Izuku could land the counter with Resolute, effectively knocking the Nomu back in a stun. The verdette felt the spark of energy build up once more and acted, switching out Buster Shot with Scratch Rhapsody. His hands danced along the resonating discs, building up to a crescendo. At the moment the Nomu recovered from the stun effect of Resolute, Izuku Blinked in front of the hulking Villain and clapped his hands right in its face as the spark of energy amplified his sound wave.
The built-up sound and energy tore through the Nomu's eardrums, disorienting it while forcing its body to focus on another thing to heal. The Nomu brought its hands to the sides of its head, trying to block out any more noise as the ringing grew louder, its head beginning to ache while its vision became blurry. The Nomu roared and screeched, its volume reaching higher volumes as it couldn't hear itself. It began to attack anything around it with reckless abandon, not caring who or what it struck out at.
Izuku quickly moved out of the hulking Villain's path, his breathing becoming haggard as his earlier battle began to catch up to him, compounded by pushing his Quirk's limits further and further.
Susukichi took advantage, using his unhindered speed and strength to weave through the chaotic attacks of the Nomu as the spark of energy once again transferred over to him, boosting his Quirk further. Each time it missed; he punished the hulking beast with a powerful punch. The Nomu brought its hands together, raising them up for a double overhead axe strike. Before it could move, Susukichi lunged at the beast and with a mighty yell, tossed the Nomu up into the air.
"Sparky! Your move!" He called out to Bakugo.
"Fuck off, meathead!" The ash-blonde retorted, blasting himself into the air as he chased after the damaged Nomu. He held out a hand, heat building up in his palms as he primed a powerful explosion.
"DIE FUCKER!" His attack was boosted by both the spark and his rage, the explosion launching the Nomu further up into the air. Only to be constantly harassed by Bakugo, who repeated the process over and over, each time blasting the Nomu into the air, almost all the way to the roof of the dome. At the peak of its rise, the Nomu was pulled back down to the earth, the unrelenting force of gravity increasing its speed.
Bakugo appeared above it, holding out his left arm as the other was ready to pull the pin from his gauntlet. The ash-blonde roared as a powerful explosion launched the Nomu like a cannonball, its body crashing into the ground. Thick cracks expanded out from the crater formed from its body, rubble, and debris kicking up into the air.
The Nomu writhed around, smoke wafting from its charred body. Its healing had slowed down drastically, doing its best to return its body to a battle-ready state.
The ash-blonde controlled his descent as he returned to the ground. His arms stung, hands twitching as he was feeling the backlash of his Quirk. He pushed down the stinging pain, watching as Izuku appeared to engage the Nomu.
Izuku leaped into the air with several spikes of ice trailing after him, courtesy of Todoroki. Izuku howled, using Orbit to impale the ice into the Nomu and effectively pinning him to the ground. Izuku Blinked back to Bakugo, grabbing him and blinking away once more to give the two some distance. As the two reappeared next to Todoroki, Izuku switched out Scratch Rhapsody with Buster-Shot and turned his head to address Todoroki.
"Todoroki! Flash freeze it! Make it as cold as possible!" Izuku called out in a hurry. Ego acted, spreading the spark of energy among the three Hero students, giving them the final edge to overcome their foe.
Todoroki didn't answer but did as asked. Despite the biting cold of frost wrapping around his body, he pushed his Quirk to the limit, being boosted by the shared spark, and created a glacier that entrapped the Nomu within a crystalline prison.
Izuku wasted no time in following up. He Psychronized Orbit and Buster-Shot, shooting out a series of energy balls that surrounded the ice that lingered in the air. As he struggled to keep his hold on his Psychs, he shot Bakugo a look.
One that the ash-blonde begrudgingly returned. Bakugo lifted his right arm, the gauntlet primed and ready to release another powerful explosion. He pulled the pin, and all hell broke loose.
The cold air became superheated, resulting in Bakugo's explosion to create an even bigger explosion which was compounded by Izuku's Psychs. The result shook the USJ, the shockwave creating a deafening blast as dust and debris were launched everywhere.
Izuku, with the last of his strength, created a barrier to protect himself and the others. The barrier barely held itself together as Izuku felt the backlash immediately. Susukichi brought himself down to his knees, doing his best to let the blast roll over his body. Shoka and Tokoyami were far enough away while dealing with Shigaraki and Kurogiri and only had to use their Quirks to dig in their heels.
Smoke blanketed the area. All eyes were on the plaza. Izuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki breathed heavily as their bodies started to feel exhaustion, each of them gasping for whatever air they could take in. Susukichi couldn't help but smirk at the sight, almost breaking out into laughter at the win they managed to pull off.
Shigaraki could only stare dumbly at where his Nomu was. His body shook in anticipation, waiting to see the fate of his monster.
For what seemed like hours, the smoke finally began to dissipate. A large crater now existed in the middle of the plaza, while the fate of the Nomu was still unknown. Rubble and debris littered the crater, either painted by scorch marks or crimson blood.
Everyone watched with bated breath as the smoke cleared to reveal a heavily damaged Nomu. The hulking Villain was missing several limbs, and burns marked every part of its body. The beast's breathing was haggard, whimpering in pain as its body could barely heal itself.
Shigaraki couldn't believe it. "No..." He took a tentative step closer. "No no no!" He scratched his neck in a frenzy at the turn of events that unfolded before him. "NO NO NO NO NO! Fucking cheaters! HACKERS!"
"Shigaraki, please, calm down!" Kurogiri pleaded with his leader, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"My Nomu was supposed to kill All Might. The doctor said it would be easy!" The manic Villain looked at the trio who defeated his Nomu. "But those cheaters managed to beat him! They aren't even bosses! Just trash mobs that were meant to die!"
"SHigArAKI!"
"SHUT UP KUROGI-" In his rage, Shigaraki answered the wrong call.
Shinso appeared from the tree line, his voice carrying as much authority as it could as he commanded the Villain. "Shigaraki! Dust your Nomu!"
Shigaraki didn't move from the spot, his body twitching in place despite Shinso's control. The indigoette clicked his tongue before trying again, "SHIGARAKI! USE YOUR QUIRK AND DUST YOUR NOMU!"
At those words, Shigaraki calmly walked into the crater and made his way to the writhing Nomu. Kurogiri tried to snap his leader out of whatever had him under control, only to be knocked to the ground and held in place by Shoka.
"Nuh-uh. No interference, Mister Mist." The slender ravenette said. She pressed her claws into Kurogiri's brace, eliciting a cry of pain from the Villain as she did so.
Shigaraki's blank eye looked at the Nomu. His body robotically moved closer, his hand held out. At his touch, the Nomu began to crumble and decay, its overtaxed Quirk not being able to heal fast enough to fight back against Shigaraki's Quirk. As the hulking Villain suffered more pain, it lashed out, unintentionally hitting Shigaraki and freeing the red-eyed man from Shinso's control.
Shigaraki's senses returned to him in time to see the Nomu crumble away, leaving nothing but dust where it lay. His rage could barely be contained as he stared down the trio that fought his name with unfiltered hatred in his eyes. In a moment of clarity, he focused on Izuku.
"You..." The shaggy-haired Villain growled out. "You ruined EVERYTHING!"
Shigaraki rushed Izuku, the verdette too tired to able to move, let alone react to the attack. Shoka watched in fear as Shigaraki got closer and closer to her boyfriend. Her shift in focus gave Kurogiri a chance to free himself from under her, the misty Villain warping away in an instant.
Shigaraki had a twisted smile on his face as his hand reached out for Izuku. Before his fingers could graze the verdette, a gunshot rang out through the building and Shigaraki screamed in pain as his pinky was shot clean off. He jerked it back, clutching his injured hand tightly to his chest as he threw a tantrum.
Izuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki slowly turned around to see the arrival of their instructors, with All Might leading them.
"WE ARE HERE FOR OUR STUDENTS!"
Shigaraki seethed with anger at the arrival of his target. "NOOO! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE EARLIER! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE!"
Kurogiri emerged behind Shigaraki, concern evident in his voice, "Shigaraki, we need to retreat. We have lost this fight." He didn't give time for Shigaraki to argue, his body expanding and enveloping them both.
"YOU WON'T ESCAPE!" All Might roared out as he leaped from the entrance down to the destroyed plaza. He wasn't fast enough, as Kurogiri and Shigaraki managed to escape. In his frustration, All Might slammed his fist into the ground, causing the earth to shake from his anger.
Nezu began to coordinate his teachers and the police who arrived across the USJ to locate the remaining Villains and their unaccounted students. Cementoss had led a group of officers to the Fire Zone, located a passed-out Kirishima being carried by a scuffed-up Shoji exiting the miniature dome as Toru followed after. No matter where they went in the facility, the Heroes and police were surprised by the fact that nearly all villains were taken down by the Hero students, who only suffered minor damage or Quirk exhaustion.
It was a testament to how hard their students fought against the odds.
As that happened, All Might was focused on Izuku. The verdette was struggling to remain standing as the Hero walked up to him. He noticed that Bakugo and Todoroki were in a similar state, all three looking ready to drop at a moment's notice.
"We... We did it, All Might." The No. 1 Hero focused on Izuku as he talked. The verdette took another breath before continuing. "We held out. Long enough for you to get here. Everyone's safe, right?"
All Might's strained smile softened at Izuku's own, the No. 1 Hero feeling the warmth and courage behind the simple gesture. "Yes, young Midoriya. Everyone is fine, thanks to you three."
"Good..." With that, Izuku finally succumbed to his exhaustion, the blonde Hero quickly rushing over to catch the verdette as he collapsed. All Might saw Bakugo drop to his knees, doing his best to stay awake but even he knew he would pass out as well. Todoroki wasn't much better, the bicolor-haired young man shivering as his body began to feel the early effects of frostbite.
"IZZY!" All Might turned around and saw Shoka running over to him to check on the verdette in his arms.
He crouched down, gently lowering Izuku and allowing Shoka to take him into her arms. He gave the young woman space, taking several steps back as he surveyed the destruction around them. The plaza was completely trashed. The fountain that was the centerpiece was gone. The crater IZuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki created now engulfed most of the area, nearly reaching the Flooded Zone. Trees were uprooted from the blast as large scorch marks marred the crater's edge.
All Might's hands clenched. 'I should have been here sooner.' The Pro Hero berated himself. He took a breath to calm down, not wanting to fall into a rabbit hole of should haves and could haves.
All Might turned to look at Izuku once more. The verdette had a proud and serene smile on his face, one that All Might couldn't help but mirror. 'You all did so well. You were all true heroes today. Especially you, young Midoriya.' His thoughts were broken by the arrival of Momo along with several more instructors.
Momo made her way over to Shoka and the resting form of Izuku. She dropped down to her knees, taking one of his hands into hers while Shoka cradled his body. "How is he? He isn't too hurt, is he?" The busty heiress asked her girlfriend.
Shoka closed her eyes, letting out a huff before giving Momo a small smirk, "Yeah. Just tired. I seriously doubt you missed it, but he decided to do something reckless."
Momo gave Izuku's hand a squeeze as she returned Shoka's smirk with a soft smile of her own. "Sounds like him. I have no doubt he was trying to make sure all of us would be safe." Momo looked up, her onyx eyes looking into Shoka's gray eyes. "How are you holding up, Shoka?"
Shoka grew quiet as she played with Izuku's green locks. "Better than anyone else." She looked up, her eyes landing on Susukichi as he was being escorted away by Ayano and several officers, the dark-haired woman speaking to him. "Ran into an old friend and he helped out me and Tokoyami. What about you?"
Momo looked down, unable to find the right words to use. She felt a hand on her arm, giving it a squeeze, and saw Shoka look at her in concern. Momo sniffed, putting on a brave face as she recounted her side of the attack. "I... I am handling it as best as I can. We... Thirteen was injured, but we managed to overtake the warping Villain. But after that..."
The Yaoyorozu heiress took a moment to collect herself. "We had to hold off a Villain attack. It was easy enough, with all of us working together. I'm just... I'm still on edge, Shoka."
The slender ravenette gave Momo's arm another comforting squeeze. Momo gave her a thankful smile as Shoka spoke, "Hey. No bad thoughts. From what I can see," Shoka stopped and directed Momo's attention to the stairs as Villains were still being taken by officers, "you kicked some major ass up there. So, what are you?"
Momo looked rather sheepish, blushing at the words Shoka expected her to say. "I am a badass." She said in a very quiet tone.
"Sorry, didn't catch that." The slender ravenette leaned in, turning her head ever so slightly.
"I'm a badass," Momo answered louder, her lips curling into an amused smile.
"Damn straight. Izzy would agree... At least once he wakes up he will." Shoka said while refocusing on running her fingers through Izuku's hair.
Momo cupped the verdette's cheek, her thumb gently tracing over his freckles. The two ravenettes were in their own little world, ignoring everything around them as they focused on Izuku. Several minutes had passed when Midnight walked up to them, speaking softly to get their attention. "Ladies, we need to get you all back to the campus. Recovery Girl needs to run check-ups on you all, and Midoriya needs to be under observation tonight. You two can visit him once Recovery Girl gives you the all-clear, okay?"
The two nodded at Midnight's words, hesitant to leave Izuku but complied nonetheless. Shoka and Momo gave the verdette a quick kiss on his cheeks, not missing his smile seemingly growing wider as if he recognized them doing so. They moved out of the way for several paramedics, letting them load Izuku up on a stretcher and make their way out of the facility.
For those of 1-A who were still conscious, the bus ride back to campus was a quiet affair. No one really had the words for what happened. There was just a silent understanding between them that they had survived their first major battle as heroes.
And that it wouldn't be their last.
- U.A. CONFERENCE ROOM -
Inside the major conference room at U.A., the air was tense, to say the least. None of the teachers wanted to have this talk, but it was necessary. In the room was the major faculty of U.A.: Nezu, Midnight, Present Mic, Power Loader, Vlad King, Ectoplasm, Hound Dog, Cementoss, and All Might in his emaciated state.
Nezu sat in the middle, his paws brought together tightly as he looked down at the reports. The sound of the door opening caught all their attention. Ayano entered the room, followed by Detective Tsukauchi. The two made their way to the middle of the room and stood ready to give their report.
Nezu gave them a nod. "Ms. Kamachi, Detective Tsukauchi. What do we know?"
"To begin, we have the names of the main leader of the attack, as well as their means of infiltration. Shigaraki is the name of the leader. According to testimony from Shinso and Jiro, his Quirk causes any material he touches to decay. It is safe to assume he was the cause of the incident at the gate on Monday." Ayano explained. "We found a finger, shot clean off thanks to Snipe."
"I have already taken the finger into evidence to see if we can find anything on record. I hope to have something for you by tomorrow, at the latest." Tsukauchi added.
She continued when she saw everyone was following along. "For how they infiltrated the campus, we have the individual known as Kurogiri to thank. His Quirk allows him to create warp gates, with his body being a living one. It was through him that Thirteen was injured, and the majority of 1-A was scattered and left to deal with a multitude of Villains throughout the facility."
"How did they bypass our all-clear systems?" Power Loader asked. It irked him that something he helped design with Nezu was easily subverted at the potential cost of their students' lives.
"Unclear for now. We believe one of the Villains that was arrested had a Quirk that interfered with signals." The dark-haired woman turned to Tsukauchi. "Any headway on that matter, detective?"
He gave her a nod and went through his tablet, bringing up the file he had ready. "Yes. We have identified the perpetrator on that end. Miyashita Michi. Quirk, Jammer. Several counts of larceny and grand larceny. He had escaped parole not too long ago and we lost track of him not long after. We believe he was either in hiding or was picked up before joining this assault."
Midnight leaned in, bringing up the next point of interest, "And how did something like this get organized? Even if most of these Villains were small-timers, it would be difficult to get them all together for a purpose like this."
Ayano let out a heavy sigh, worried about the next part since it pertained to Susukichi. "According to Susuki Kaichi, a call to action was spread out through normal channels of the underworld. He thinks it was set up by a man who has quite the reputation to help pull something like this together. Susuki believes that this individual did so at the behest of Shigaraki, as when he arrived at the meeting site, Shigaraki and Kurogiri, along with the creature known as Nomu, were the only ones there."
"And how can we trust his word for it?" Came the question for the gruff Vlad King.
Detective Tsukauchi stepped up, willing to answer the Hero's question. "Susuki has been cooperative with the police. Answering all of our questions and filled in the gaps where he could. Each of his answers rang true with my Quirk, and with testimony from Ms. Sakurane and Mr. Tokoyami, we are giving him some leeway. The fact he joined specifically to protect Sakurane and later risked his life to help defeat the Nomu has helped his case."
The answer placated the Blood Hero, who gave the two a nod and leaned back into his chair. Ectoplasm brought up the next point. "From Susuki's testimony, this Shigaraki was the leader of this attack? Did any other students get a better understanding of him?"
"According to Ms. Jiro, Ms. Sakurane, Mr. Shinso, and Mr. Tokoyami, who had engaged the Villain, Shigaraki treated this whole thing like a game. His lingo, from what they heard, to his mannerisms paints the picture of a gamer. I would say we should wait for Aizawa's recovery, or at least until Mr. Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki wake up as they interacted with him the most." Tsukauchi answered.
"According to Sakurane, Shigaraki seemed to fixate on Midoriya near the end. His last desperate attack was directed at him specifically." Ayano added.
Toshinori narrowed his eyes at that, not happy with the implications and potential threats Izuku could possibly face now that a villain had essentially branded him his arch-enemy.
"Speaking of, how are Sho, Thirteen, and our little listeners?" Mic asked, his energetic voice low and missing its usual pep.
Nezu pulled up the reports from Recovery Girl that she said could be shared. "Aizawa has a broken arm, another arm severely sprained and fractured, and several compound fractures in his skull with damage to his orbital sockets. It's a miracle he hasn't suffered any major brain damage."
"As for Thirteen, Recovery Girl assures me that she will make a full and early recovery. Thanks to the quick actions of young Aoyama, she could have been in a much worse state due to her Quirk being used against her. She walked away with several lacerations along her back, with some of the muscles being damaged."
His fur bristled as he finally came to his students. "As for 1-A, five of them are recovering from Quirk exhaustion, with young Midoriya and Kirishima suffering the most. Both are under observation in the meantime. Young Bakugo has strained his arms from firing multiple high-powered explosions on top of that, Todoroki is suffering from early frostbite but will easily recover. Young Iida pushed his limits just to warn us of the attack, but suffered minor lacerations when he crashed through the lobby."
"Thankfully, the others are suffering from minor issues. Young Shoji and Kagakure are dehydrated. Young Shinso is suffering from migraines while young Jiro needs to rest her ears. Everyone else is fine, physically, at least."
There was a growl coming from Hound Dog. "Nezu. I request that each and every student of 1-A have mandatory meetings with me regarding this attack. This is non-negotiable."
"I agree, Inui. Once everyone in 1-A is able to do so, we will schedule their times to come and see you. We will put a hold on classes for the rest of the week to allow them time to recover. Any disagreements?" Nezu looked around the room, giving his staff time to bring up anything else they felt was important. As no one else spoke up, he needed the meeting. "This meeting is adjourned."
- U.A. INFIRMARY -
Izuku groaned, his eyes fluttering open slowly. He felt a weight on both of his sides, his hands struggling to free themselves. The verdette shook off his grogginess and saw the forms of his two ravenettes laying their heads on his body as they leaned onto the hospital bed.
Izuku slowly pulled his hands out from under them, careful not to disturb either Shoka or Momo and gently ran his hands through their hair as he caressed them. He fell into a peaceful trance as time slowly ticked away. After a while, he took their hands into his own and smiled as the two young women interlocked their fingers with his.
Momo was the first to awaken, her eyes widening at Izuku's smile. Tears formed as she quickly leaned in and embraced the verdette tightly, cutting him off before he could even speak. He felt her body shake against his, wet tears dripping onto his shoulder. Izuku wrapped his arm around her, pulling the ravenette closer to him as her body began to relax.
As Momo let her tears flow, Shoka opened her gray eyes and stared into Izuku's emerald ones. She pulled his hand to her cheek and started to bury it into his palm. He slowly pulled her into an embrace as well, the three lovers laying down in the bed as the quiet air lulled them all into a calm silence.
Izuku pulled them closer, placed a kiss on their foreheads, and fell back into his bed. Shoka and Momo leaned further into him, the warmth of their bodies soothing each of them as they lay there, without saying a word.