Chapter 6 - The Tide of War
4 Years Earlier.
The darkened back alleys of Tokyo were mostly abandoned, especially now that some strange space object had come crashing into one of the building, taking a good chunk off the side, and smashing into the dumpsters. A tall man, dressed in a dark Valentino suit approached, adjusting his tie slightly. He leaned heavily on a cane, despite not appearing that old, and his face was covered by a strange breathing device of some sort. No one was around to see much of anything, his many Quirks not picking up any nearby life signs.
"My my, exactly as my contact predicted." He muttered, his face turning into a twisted smile. "I didn't expect you to show up here, however?"
Out of the burning wreckage, a shifting, shimmering mass of silver rolled out of the flames of the wreck, carefully avoiding everything. Flecks of red appeared in it's body, resembling crimson drops of blood in the silver mixture. It headed towards him, as the man carefully approached, as if knowing what this thing was capable of.
"I think you'll be fine with us." He stated, as he held out his arm. "I will need you soon."
The slime leaped forward, about to merge into his arm, and from there into the rest of his body, before the creature was locked in mid-air by an unseen force.
"Air manipulation is a difficult Quirk, but it works for the job at hand." The man remarked, as an assistant appeared behind him, carefully positioning a cylinder of some sort, before the creature was forced into it. "But I need you stored away for the moment."
The Cylinder hissed as the air was completely purified and all contaminants removed. A pure holding cell, to keep the Symbiote inside of. The man held it up for a moment, before disappearing from sight.
"I need you, and your kind, but not for me." The man remarked. "You are to wait. Tomura simply isn't ready."
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Aizawa stood in front of the class, mentally preparing himself for the day ahead. Taking care of the students was difficult enough for a man of his disposition, but having to work with All Might was going to make things more hectic.
'He's the biggest kid here.' Aizawa thought to himself, as the class got seated.
He looked at Izuku from the corner of his eye, his hair covering up much of his face, making it difficult for anyone else to see him and where he was looking. Izuku had shown himself a strong classmate, but that Quirk of his still bothered him. What was it? And how had two figures, if they were separate, shown up in the same general city area, within a few months of each other.
And were they separate?
'Perhaps Jet's user got his organs eaten from the inside out.' Aizawa thought. 'I couldn't imagine a more fitting fate.'
He banished the thoughts from his mind, focusing ahead on the task at hand, before holding up a card for the class to see. "Alright class, today, All Might, myself and a third Hero will be overseeing your training in a new field."
The card showed the words rescue as he spoke. "It's Disaster Relief, First-Aid and fires and flood."
The class began to talk among themselves in excitement. Aizawa simply glared at them, silencing them all in an instant, before he cleared his throat. "I'm not finished."
He clicked a button in his hand, the uniform racks popping out from the wall beside him. "As many of your costumes are either heavily damaged, or ill-suited for the task, you're free to just wear your gym uniforms."
"Sorry Izuku." Venom muttered in genuine remorse.
"The location is remote." He continued, before pointing outside. "We'll be taking a bus there. So be ready in the next 15 minutes."
Izuku chose his gym uniform over his still ruined custom. It didn't matter either way. Venom would cover up everything anyway. He could've gone in his Pajamas and it wouldn't change anything. Venom was, however, in a foul mood. Or a fouler one then usual.
"Rescue missions." Venom growled with...venom in his voice. "This is disgusting. And beneath us."
"A hero's gotta be able to do everything." Izuku muttered, trying to be as quiet as possible. "Perhaps you could learn to like apply it to combat or something."
"Hey Izuku man, I get Venom talks a lot, but careful how you do it." Kirishima said behind him, dressed in his strange, practically shirtless costume. "Too much out loud will make you look nuts."
"Yeah sorry. He sounds like he's always with me all the time." Izuku said nervously. "Like, out with me, I mean."
He continued on towards the bus, as Venom's head appeared from his shoulder. "I hope something fun happens."
"Relax, it's only boring if you let it be boring." Izuku remarked, trying to get his Symbiote to go along with the school schedules cleanly enough.
"Fortune cookie nonsense." Venom grumbled.
Izuku wanted to remark how that might be a tad racist, conflating Japanese and Chinese sensibilities, but stopped himself. Venom probably just saw humans as one massive form. Race meant nothing to him. Just potential hosts and meals.
"Alright everyone, we are going to organize our seating arrangements by student number!" Iida announced, cutting off his thoughts. "Let's do this quickly and efficiently!"
Venom turned to Izuku, taken aback slightly. "He's quite energetic today."
"Yeah, he's gone into full overdrive." Kirishima remarked, crossing his arms in front of himself.
Venom seemed surprised at first that someone in class had replied to his remarks, but merely bobbed his head slightly. Uraraka walked behind them, in her costume as well, before looking at Izuku oddly.
"Is your costume still damaged?" She asked.
"Yeah, not that it matter when you have Venom here." He said, gesturing to the miniature alien head by him.
"If you light me on fire again I'm eating your liver." Venom threatened, as Izuku gave him a playful smack on the head.
The class filed in, only to find the bus was not structured like the traditional ones Iida had planned. He clenched his teeth in agitation, and sat down on the first seat, holding his head in his hands, as the rest of the class filed in.
"All my planning, for nothing!" He said gloomily.
Mina sat down beside him, patting him on the back. "It's all good Iida. You tried!"
Izuku was seated next to another student, Tsuyu. She wasn't exactly emotive, but perhaps that had something to do with her frog-like abilities and features. They sat down for a moment, no one saying anything, as the bus started up and drove off to the secret facility. Small gossip broke out among the various students. As turn after turn was made by the bus, she placed her finger on her chin.
"You know, I always speak my mind about most things, Midoriya." She commented out of the blue, as Izuku looked to her in surprise.
"Oh, is that so Asui?" Izuku replied, uncertain of where this was going.
"Just call me Tsu." She suggested.
"Oh..alright." He said.
"That Quirk of yours, it's very similar to that Vigilante, Jet that was all over the news a while back." Tsuyu commented.
Izuku stiffened slightly, before Venom shifted around his neck and back slightly, sounding like he was hissing into his ear.
"Don't act stupid, Deku." He snarled in a low voice.
"People have said that. A lot actually." Izuku said. Though Venom shifted nervously, he didn't even notice Aizawa looking at him with a curious gaze. "I'm sure it's a coincidence."
Luckily for him and his poor lying skills, Kirishima spoke up for him. "Y'know, they might be similar, but Venom's a cool dude. Even during that one battle, he didn't even go for the head."
"Would've liked to." Venom muttered in Izuku's head, causing him to shutter slightly.
"A Quirk like that though, that will be prime Hero material." Kirishima stated with a smile. "You'll be like Gang Orca and Godzillo, big scary dude with badass fighting ability and a flashy Quirk."
He held up his arm, before it hardened with a sharp click, gaining a rock-like exterior. "Wish mine was as flashy. Hard to do much with a Hardening Quirk."
"I wouldn't be so negative, I think that's a great Quirk." Izuku replied with a smile.
"Indeed." Venom remarked, appearing out of his host's body. "It's not too different from when I modify my molecular structure around Deku's body to enhance our strength and hitting power."
"Well, thanks Ven." Kirishima said, shrugging slightly. "I guess that does make sense. We even both some manly fangs on us too."
"As far as flash and strength, none are as dazzling as my laser." Aoyama remarked.
Mina put a hand on his shoulder, smiling a bit. "Yeah, but it's kinda lame if you gives you a tummy ache, sweetie."
Kirishima rubbed his chin, nodding to himself, while Aoyama looked like he had been kicked in the shin, Eijoru's confidence seemingly restored, while Aoyama's had been deflated. Venom seemed to consider his words for a moment, as Izuku leaned back to relax in his seat, before shooting Venom a mental message.
'What's with the emotional support?" He asked, taken aback by how nice he was. "Did Bakugou almost burning you alive soften you up?"
"No. I mean, I did once think of us as destined for greater things and all, but...their abilities are rather useful." Venom remarked defensively. "Many of them are quite powerful. I would almost be tempted to take one of them as a host."
'Why stick with me then?' Izuku thought, slightly nervous at Venom's tone. Venom had explained his kind evolve by connecting with hosts. In 48 hours, he added their strength and abilities to his own, and then carried it on when he bonded to other hosts.
So why had Venom stuck with a Quirkless weakling all these years?
"You're an easy host. The first one of a species is always the most useful." Venom explained simply. "The others would be harder for me to get into."
Izuku had a feeling Venom was lying again, but didn't want to push the issue with him. Kirishima put one of his boots over his knee, as he looked out at the back of the bus. "Yeah, if anyone here has flashy Quirks, it's Todoroki and Bakugou."
The red and white haired boy was busy napping in the back seat, while Bakugou looked as though he wanted to say something, but decided not to. Tsuyu, however, was not as tacit.
"Yeah, but he's always angry so he'll never be that popular." She stated.
Bakugou bolted up, eyes focused in rage, as Aizawa watched him wearily. "What did you say?! I'll kick your ass!"
"You see?" Tsuyu said, pointing to him, and giving a small smile, making Izuku wonder if her serious, stoic facade was a constant thing.
"You know, we've only just met you, so it's kinda telling we can all tell your personality is flaming garbage mixed with crap." Denki remarked with a wry smile.
"You'll all regret the day you ever applied here!" Bakugou shouted in impotent rage, as many of them chuckled at his empty threats.
'Bakugou's getting bullied while I'm the popular one.' Izuku thought, shaking his head in shock. 'I can't even comprehend how weird UA is!'
Momo meanwhile placed hand over her mouth, shaking her head slightly. "This conversation is so disgusting."
"Yeah, but it's kinda fun though." Uraraka said with a broad smile.
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They arrived at the facility not long after, a large, domed structure that resembled an observatory of some sort, with a large dish and built into the side of a mountain or hillside of some sort. It stood above the rode, and if one were to make the trek up the step hill or to the top of it's dome, you could see the whole city stretched before you, and much of the country side.
"We ought to climb up there one night, when there's no one watching." Venom suggested, as Izuku nodded in silent agreement.
The group was herded in by Aizawa, who brought up the rear, as they huddled in through the massive doors. The place before them was huge, a great cavernous area filled with a great plaza and fountain, overhead lights that dominated the ceiling to keep it lite at all times, a flooded area with a large boot, a rocky area with a quarry and canyon, and a fiery city area. It was an amazing how much detail and work had gone into it.
Standing before them was a hero in a bulky, body obscuring suit of some sort, most of their frame hidden under the thick white padding, and a large white helmet with a black glass dome across the top, and two white eyes, eerily similar to Venom's own, though less jagged and savage in appearance. Aizawa walked past his class, and up to the astronaut-looking hero.
"That's Thirteen! I'm a huge fan of hers." Uraraka whispered excitedly.
"Yeah, she's a specialized rescue hero." Izuku remarked with a grin. "She's really good."
"What's Major Tom doing here?" Venom asked, almost coming out of Izuku's body to look himself, before Izuku stopped him.
'Knock it off.' He thought sternly.
Aizawa kept his back to the class, looking over the place as he spoke to Thirteen. "Where's All Might?"
"He couldn't make it, he's tied up with a hostage crisis." She answered. "He'll try and show up at the end."
"That man is the height of irresponsibility." Aizawa grumbled, before gesturing slightly with his head. "See the kid in the gym uniform, green hair?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm worried about his Quirk, keep an eye on him." Aizawa asked, before turning around and raising his voice. "Let's get started."
"Indeed. As you all know, you have some great Quirks, but can be highly dangerous at times." Thirteen stated, holding up her left hand. "My Quirk, Blackhole, can be used to help people, but is extremely dangerous and can potentially kill people in the wrong hands."
"Why is Major Tom giving us a lecture?" Venom grumbled in irritation.
'It's Thirteen.' Izuku thought in annoyance. 'And quit listening to David Bowie, you're chewing through my phone's memory.'
"Whatever." Venom hissed.
"You're training under Aizawa and All Might has shown you what you can work on, and I hope you're training here at USJ will let you see other applications for your Quirk." She finished, nodding to Aizawa.
As he was about to gesture for them to come forward and get ready, Izuku stiffened, every hair on his body standing on end, as his feet locked up. Kirishima and Iida gave him odd looks, as Venom manifested from his back, a piercing sensation going through their head.
"We need to leave." The Alien Symbiote warned. "Right now!"
"What is your Quirk doing Midoriya?" Aizawa asked, irritated. "We don't have time for games. Just because it doesn't involve fighting..."
"What do you mean Venom?" Izuku asked, knowing what that sensation meant, as a swirling mass of black and purple appeared in the fountain plaza below.
Aizawa turned, looking surprised for once, taken aback as the swirling mass strengthened and expanded outwards, like a blackened cloud, that was pulled open by a pale, bony hand pulling it open to reveal an equally pale face, covered in a gray, half-rotted hand, leaving only his red, focused eyes visible form under his strange mask. The figure stepped forward, similar rotted hands attached to his arms and neck. Other figures stepped out, some mutated into inhuman forms, others still vaguely human, but with the rough features and build expected for low level gang members and thugs.
The Hand-covered figure, despite his smaller size, seemed to be the leader of the group. Beside him stepped a massive figure stepped out beside him. It was massive, standing as tall as All Might, with pure, night black skin, a bird-like face, and serrated teeth in it's massive maw, and large, unblinking eyes jammed into it's head, and right above them, an exposed brain left in the open air. It wore only pants, the rest of it's body covered in red, aching scars, and, if one looked close, one could see puss of some kind leaking from the wounds, giving the creature a strangely luminescent appearance.
It stopped at the silent command of the first man, as the portal reformed and reshaped itself into a ghostly figure that loomed over all of them.
"Are these bots? I thought this was rescue?" Kirishima asked in confusion, stepping forward, before Izuku's arm snapped up without meaning to, tentacles snapping outwards to pull him back.
"Stay back." Aizawa commanded, his voice far angrier then they were used to, as he placed his goggles over his eyes. "Those are real villains. This is a real attack!"
"Thirteen, can you contact the school?" Aizawa asked.
"No, I can't raise anyone outside." She reported.
"They might be jamming our signals." Aizawa remarked, readjusting his scarf, as he got ready for the fight ahead. "Kaminari, you try."
Kaminari placed a hand onto his ear piece, clicking it on twice, as static meet his ears. "Nothing sir."
"We're cut off." Aizawa remarked, already making plans on how best to take down every single one of these villains for his students, and coordinate with Thirteen.
The ghostly man looked closely at them, his thin yellow eyes studying them coldly, before he spoke.
"I see only Eraserhead and Thirteen." He reported in a deep, booming voice.
"Oh? Where is All Might? I brought so many friends, so eager to play with him." The Hand-covered one asked, his voice a raspy tone barely above a whisper. "I wonder if a body count of kids will bring him out?"
"Shouldn't there be sensors active in this facility?" Momo asked, looking around as the lights seemed to dim.
"Yes, here and at the main campus, but if they're blocking our communication, same probably goes for sensors." Thirteen replied, voice tense now.
"I'll try to hold them off as long as I can, make sure they get to the exit." Aizawa ordered sternly.
"But sir, you can't! You're specialized for quick capture and binding. Groups will..." Izuku began, before Aizawa glanced at him from over his shoulder.
"I appreciate the concern Midoriya, but hero's always have more then one trick up their sleeve." Aizawa remarked, as he jumped down onto the plaza below, heading straight towards the gathered mass of thugs below.
"I know All Might and Thirteen, but whose this jackass?" One of the thugs asked, his fingers ending in gun barrels. "Ah, doesn't matter, shooting squad, get in position and take aim!"
He raised his fingers, as two others got in position, but as his fingers activated, all that came was a dry clicking sound.
"What, where did my bullets go?" One of them asked, dumbfounded.
Aizawa didn't even respond, sending out his cloth at the speed of light and wrapping around their waists, before tossing them upwards, and slamming them face-first into each other, then releasing them to fall in a pile ontop of their third peer.
"Stay back you idiots, that's Eraserhead!" One of the thugs shouted, sounding slightly fearful. "He can erase your Quirk just by looking at you."
A massive, four-armed brute, his body appearing to be made of jagged rock of black and yellow color appeared, flexing his arms with excitement.
"Bet you can't to a heteromorphic type like me!" He taunted, barreling at Aizawa, his four arms raised for a fight.
Aizawa was within arm's reach in a second, hardly wasting any time, and on him in the blink of an eye, slamming a punch into the man's rocky face, before swiping out with his leg and taking the mutated human off his feet. The man was tossed aside over Aizawa's shoulder, and landed in a pile behind him.
"You're right, I can't." He muttered wryly. "Any other gutter punks want to try?"
"Ugh, the worst thing about heroes is when they live up to all the hype." Shigaraki remarked, scratching his neck with an outstretched finger. "Even with all these numbers, we're not making a dent."
He wished his master would've given him that special gift he had held onto for so long.
"Amazing, just look at him go!" One of the students remarked.
"This is no time to analyze and cheer him on, we have to move!" iida commanded, stiffly gesturing to the exits.
Izuku barely had time to even comprehend what Iida had said, before the massive form of the shadowy, ghostly figure loomed over him and the rest of the class.
"Greetings heroes, forgive our audacity, but we of the League of Villains have come to this bastion of heroics for one simple reason," The figure greeted, his mass shifting to encircle them. "To kill the vaunted Symbol of Peace, All Might."
He shifted his 'head' around, as Venom appeared, gelling and covering up Izuku's body, and readying his claws. Kurogiri stopped to stare at him for a moment, before he returned to analyzing the crowd, not wanting to give anything he knew away.
"But he appears to not be here." He finished, the area around them howling like a massive storm overhead. "This changes nothing in our mission."
Izuku shuddered slightly, as Venom raised his fists into a fighting stance, stepping in front of Uraraka reflexively, before two figures jumped out from the crowd, rushing at the ghostly figure before anyone could react. Kirishima and Bakugou both charged Kurogiri, Kirishima hardening both arms up, as sparks fizzled from Bakugou's finger tips. Kirishima jumped and slashed outwards, as Bakugou unleashed a massive explosion where the guy's face should've been, dissipating his body like a cloud.
Before anyone could celebrate, the figure just as quickly reformed himself, looking as though he had taken no damage at all.
"Very impressive, exactly as expected from the top school of heroics." Kurogiri declared, his eyes narrowed in determination. "I'll just have to deal with you all first."
His body extended outwards all around, buffets of wind almost blowing them off their feet, as his voice strengthened and grew louder, like a roaring tornado right on top of them.
"Writhe in terror, and suffocate before our might!" He declared, Venom roaring, and struggling as darkened tentacles wrapped around him and plucked him away, as the shadowy mass of Kurogiri obscured everything around them.
He struggled for a moment, blind, before a tunnel of light opened before him. Venom almost blinked in surprise, before seeing the water churning below him. He prepared himself, as he hit the water, sending a funnel of it upwards, as he expertly maneuvered himself around the water. Venom looked around for a moment, before speaking.
"Deku, you ok?" He asked.
"Yeah, are we in the Flood Zone?" He responded, turning his head to and fro.
Venom nodded their head, as he pulled back his lips in a growl, and began heading to the surface. "We should try and regroup with the others. While I'm no fish, I can survive well in this..."
He stopped again, growling and turning in the water, as a Shark-like figure appeared before him, hands ending in webbed claws, and his surreal human-like eyes hidden behind diving goggles. The Shark-man opened his cavernous mouth, revealing double rows of sharpened fangs. Venom raised his clawed hands quickly ready for battle, before a green and black blur jumped out of nowhere, smashing into the side of the Shark-Man's head, and Tsuyu looked up at him, opening her mouth for her tongue to spring out, wrap around Venom's muscled middle, and jumping away and out of the water.
"See ya." The Shark gurgled out from his injured mouth.
"See ya." Tsuyu repeated back, as she dashed out of the way.
Tsuyu's tongue breached the surface, as Venom receded back into Izuku's body, making a lighter load for their partner, as she gently set him down on the large yacht before them. As Tsuyu retracted her tongue back into her mouth, Mineta was held onto Tsuyu's side.
"You know for a frog, you got pretty big boobs Tsu." Mineta said, brushing his head against one of the boobs in her jumpsuit.
She clenched her teeth, before constricting her tongue around his body, as he gasped for breath, before tossing him onto the boat, Mineta yelping in pain. Tsuyu jumped onto the side of the ship, scampering upwards quickly, before jumping onto the boat.
"Thanks Tsuyu." Izuku managed, as Venom appeared from his shoulder. "Indeed, we are on your debt, Tsuyu Asui."
"No problem, but call me Tsu." She remarked, as she climbed onto the boat, before hunkering down on all fours, in a very frog-like stance.
Venom looked out at the gentle waves of water, before turning to Izuku. "What now Deku?"
"I'm not sure." He muttered, looking around, as he got to one knee, hiding out of sight of anyone who would be swimming there. "But they apparently had our schedule and knew All Might should've been here."
"But why come here?" Mineta asked, sounding like he was trying to control himself despite his terror. "All Might'll show up and smash them all in no time."
"Mineta," Tsu began, looking to their dwarven classmate. "They came here with a plan of action. They wouldn't come here just to be beaten. That smoke-like guy almost killed us as well. We should focus on not getting killed ourselves, or tortured to death."
Izuku placed his hand on his chin, as he began to mutter to himself, before Venom growled slightly. "If they came to fight, Izuku and I will give them much to regret!"
"Don't get arrogant, we need to figure why they came first." Izuku cautioned, still looking down at his feet. "They had to have a reason. Why come here to kill the Symbol of Peace? They have to have a reason behind it."
"He's been the biggest destroyer of villains the world has ever seen." Venom hissed, shaking his serpentine body slightly. "What other reason is there?"
Izuku nodded slightly, as he stood tall, looking out at the gathering Aquatic Quirk users before them.
"Whatever their reason, we have one job to do." Izuku declared. "We have to fight like hell to win."
"What are you saying?" Mineta yelped. "You're not making sense. If they can kill All Might, what chance do we have? We should find somewhere to hide and wait for UA to come get us!"
"Mineta, are you sure, this whole hero thing, is the right fit for you?" Tsuyu asked, sounding like she was trying to fight back irritation from bleeding into her voice.
"I concur." Venom growled, fixing Mineta with a hateful glare, before leaning in and whispering to Izuku. "We could just eat him if worse comes to worse. I doubt even his parents would miss him."
"No." Izuku said simply, blinking at the cold attitude from Venom, as Mineta looked to them in anger.
"Listen, I know my Quirk..." He began, before Izuku held up a hand to stop him.
"Hold on, we need to think this out." Izuku ordered.
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As they were busy trying to survive the onslaught of various Aquatic Quirk users coming for them in the flood zone, the rest of the class, what hadn't been scattered across the various biomes, was back at the front gates, completely uncertain and unsure of what to do, as Kurogiri loomed over them. Most of the students had essentially locked up, unsure of even what to think right now in the face of such a serious Villain threat, especially with some of their top fighters scattered and them not knowing where to look.
Thirteen unclicked one of her finger capsules silently, as Kurogiri billowed around them, silently studying them, his inhuman face inscrutable. Her Quirk would activate soon, but this wasn't the full scale of her plan.
"Iida, head for the emergency exit and head back to the school," Thirteen commanded slowly, sounding as though she grinting her teeth. "Warn anyone you can."
"But, as Class President, I cannot abandon my peers!" Iida said, stiff as a board.
"This isn't the time, so think of it this way." Thirteen remarked. "A hero is often supposed to use their Quirk to help in anyway he can, even without combat."
"Iida, we'll be fine here." Uraraka counseled gently "You're the fastest of us. If anyone can bring the teachers back, it's you."
"Touching and inspiring, young heroes." Kurogiri said deadpan, before chuckling to himself. "But you are fools to speak your plans in front of me."
"Oh, I don't intend to let you defeat us so easily." Thirteen declared, pointing her finger at him, as massive torrent of air issued forth, beginning to drag everything in front of her towards her, including Kurogiri himself.
"Iida, move!" Thirteen ordered, as Kurogiri struggled against the powerful pull.
He would've cursed himself for not taking into account her abilities, but centered himself. Shigaraki, everything considered, needed him to complete this mission, and this would be easy enough to handle.
Thirteen was no combat-oriented hero compared to Aizawa, and dealing with her would be easier then most other Pros. As Iida turned to run for the exit, Kurogiri opened a portal within his twirling mass of a body, and opened directly in front of Thirteen, before quickly opening another portal directly behind her.
"Your abilities are laudable, but you are not a combat hero, Thirteen." Kurogiri declared, as the blackhole within her finger rapidly tore apart her back and shredded much of the suit.
Within seconds, terrible, terrible damage had been done to Thirteen'd body, as she closed the cap on her suit's finger, and collapsed in front of Kurogiri, as he reshifted his mass back to normal, before turning to Iida's fleeing form. One down, one to go. He swirled and headed straight towards the Hero-Student, cutting through the air like a shark through the water. Iida continued to struggle against the locking mechanisms on the doors.
"You're next!" Kurogiri declared, as he focused on him. So focused in fact, was the shadowy, cloud-like figure, that he didn't notice one of the other students jumping towards him.
The largest student, Shouji, jumped at him, creating a large variety of hands and limbs, trying to wrap around Kurogiri's neck. He barely had time to smother Kurogiri, before the ghostly figure collapsed in on himself, and teleported a few feet away, heading towards Iida, unperturbed.
He barely had time to react, before two hands had latched onto his neck brace, and he found himself weightless for a moment.
"What is this?!" He demanded, surprised and enraged, as Uraraka dropped away, giving Iida a thumbs up.
"Alright Iida, you're good!" Ochako declared, as Iida finally opened the doors, and gave a thumbs up to the class.
"I will return!" He declared, running off and out the front gates, eyes focused dead ahead the whole way.
Kurogiri shifted around in midair, trying to shake off the weightless feeling that had overtake his body, before opening a portal and collapsing in upon himself, disappearing in an instant. He would need to report this soon.
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Back at the yacht, things were not getting better. Growing impatient, one of the thugs had tried to smash the boat apart to lure them out, and the boat was cracking and crumbling in upon itself. Even without the other thugs, it would not take a genius to realize they didn't have long to formulate a plan of action. Venom, finally growing irritated with Mineta's whining, and Izuku's muttering, grumbled, as he overtook Izuku's body, and stood over them.
"Is that the Jet Vigilante?!" One of the Thugs shouted in fright. "What is he doing here?!"
"Relax you idiots, it's just a kid with the same Quirk!" Another shouted. "He won't be as experienced or as vicious as him."
"Listen closely." Venom ordered, gesturing towards the center of the waters. "I will try and land there, and use my tendrils to wrap them up. You will jump away with Mineta."
"I'm not sure you can survive so many Venom, ribbit." Tsuyu remarked, placing a finger on her chin.
"Hopefully I can capture enough then." Venom remarked, grinning.
He jumped away, and went for a dive, smashing into the water's surface with a splash, as the villains all turned to each other in surprise, before rushing towards where Venom had landed within the waters. He waited effortlessly, hardly caring about the water or even seemingly effected the different environment.
"Are you sure you've got this?" Izuku shouted, terrified as the various fish-mutants rushed at them.
Venom grinned to himself, as tendrils extended from his hands. "No, but I got tired of waiting, and wanted some sea food."
He wiped his left hand behind him, then his right in front of him, lashing out, and striking at several of the thugs, before wiping around and jumping out of the water, spinning in midair as his tendrils wrapped around themselves, and coiled around the thugs, leaving them immobilized. As he did so, Tsuyu had jumped away from the crumbling remains of the boat, Mineta in tow, as the remaining Aquatic thugs turned and saw them leaving.
"Don't let them get away!" Their leader shouted, as several jumped out to try and give chase.
Mineta, seeing the approaching thugs, began tearing off the balls from his head and throwing them with all his might at the thugs, and though each hit was enough to put them down or knock them out, each one did knock them out of the sky abit, and sent them careening into each other as they tried to avoid every sphere he threw, often only succeeding in knocking into a team with one attached, and sticking them both together, as they fell back into the water.
Though he was bleeding from the scalp by time it was over, Mineta had done what Venom thought impossible, made himself useful. The symbiote jumped into the air, following after them, as the duo landed in the shallow ends of the pool. He turned to normal, retreating into Izuku's body, before emerging from his shoulder.
"I must admit, you're more useful then I thought." Venom muttered to Mineta. "That was quite a useful strategy to clear them out."
"Yeah, I had a good poop this morning they're going no where." Mineta said unabashedly.
Venom merely sighed to himself, shaking his serpentine body. "Don't make me regret complimenting you, dwarf."
The group hunkered down near the water's edge to watch Aizawa at work. He was knocking out thug after thug that got within his reach, or the reach of his scarf, and although he was obviously getting tired out, the thugs still hadn't been able to damage or even scratch him since the fight started. The leader watched for a moment, before running at the lone hero, hand readied.
"Final boss."
"First it was 30 seconds, then 25, then 23 seconds," Shigaraki muttered, as Aizawa's scarf flew at him, he moved to the side slightly and caught it in his fist, and, as expected, nothing happened, as he kept running. "Then 20, now 17 seconds."
Aizawa slammed the back of his fist into Shigaraki's chest, as the villain pushed inwards, and grabbed Aizawa's elbow in his crusted hand.
"I found your tell, it's your hair." Shigaraki whispered excitedly, like a child figuring out a video game puzzle. "It goes up whenever you use your Quirk."
As if on cue, Aizawa's hair went down, the clothing around his elbow turned gray, then flaked off, followed by his skin, rapidly cracking and falling apart as the muscle underneath became exposed to the air, red and raw. Aizawa grunted in pain, but kicked Shigaraki away. Two more villains tried to tackle him, one stabbing him in the shoulder, only for him to throw his hips out and toss the one latched to his back into the second one, and turning back to Shigaraki.
"By the way, I am not the final boss." Shigaraki stated, as a massive shadow appeared over Aizawa, who turned in surprise to see the barely human form of the beast Shigaraki had brought with him.
It reached out, and, with beyond human speed, and Aizawa's slowed, tired reflexes, it didn't take long for blood to fly into the air, along with his broken goggles.
The creature quickly overpowered him, throwing him to the ground with no effort, and getting on top of him holding his right arm in one hand. It didn't even feel like it was trying that hard and he already felt completely immobilized.
"This is Nomu, the Bioengineered Anti-Symbol of Peace." Shigaraki stated, as it snapped Aizawa's arm with a wet, bone-chillling crack. "It's true your Quirk is dangerous, against lone thugs, but against someone like Nomu, you might as well be a Quirkless child trying to take him head on."
'I thought I neutralized his Quirk.' Aizawa thought through the horrific pain screaming up his arm. 'Which means he's this strong without it.'
Nomu lifted up it's other arm, and slammed it down with enough force to leave a crater under it, as the other arm snapped and bent at an unnatural angle. The creature's grinning face glared down at him emptily, as it held them there. Within a moment, a black and purple swirling mass appeared, before expanding out into the form of the Smoke-like villain. Kurogiri gave Aizawa a sideways glance, studying him for a moment, before Shigaraki interrupted him.
"What is it?" Shigaraki asked impatiently, not wanting his fun interrupted.
"I took care of the hero Thirteen, but one of her students escaped." He reported. "it couldn't be helped."
"Damn it Kurogiri." Shigaraki hissed, as he scratched at his neck. "if you weren't our ticket outta here, I'd reduce you to dust."
"I'm certain you would." Kurogiri muttered dryly. "What is our plan going forward?"
"We can't take all the heroes on with this small force, especially with so many scattered." Shigaraki remarked, before catching sight of the students near the pool, as a smile came to his face. "So let's kill some kids, really rub it in All Might's wounds."
Izuku and everyone locked up, shaking in terror as Shigaraki's hand loomed over Tsuyu's face. His fingers touched as she looked on in terror. Shigaraki looked down at her for a moment, before sighing and turning back to Aizawa, his head barely held up, blood running down his face as his eyes burned red, both from his damage and the activation of his Quirk. He grunted in pain, as Shigaraki sighed.
"You really are so cool." Tomoura sighed, turning back and giving a quick hand signal to Nomu, who smashed his head into the concrete with a growl, the ground immediately splintering and shattering from the force of the impact, the ground and water shaking ever so slightly even near Tsuyu and Izuku's position.
Shigaraki lifted his hand up again, preparing to disintegrate her again. "Alright, let's try this again. This time, we're making this a bloodbath."
"No! Let her go!" Izuku shouted, Venom's mass and tendrils wrappings around his right fist, enlarging and empowering it further, as he swung at Shigaraki.
Before he could even get close to the Villain, the Nomu had placed itself between Izuku and Shigaraki. The creature's abdomen bending slightly inwards from the impact with a gut-twisting, wet crunch. Despite this, Nomu did not react at all. Shigaraki looked at him in surprise, standing from Tsuyu to glare at Izuku.
"You, you've got the same power as that Jet guy from a few months back." Shigaraki remarked, leaning in closer, right by Nomu's shoulder. "You've got a Symbiote….from Klyntar right?"
Izuku shuddered in shock at his words, turning to look up at him. "...What…?"
"Nothing, it's nothing you need to worry about." Shigaraki remarked, before gesturing to the creature. "Nomu, break him."
The Nomu grabbed Izuku by the right arm, crushing it instantly in it's hand. Izuku screamed in agony, as Mineta and Tsuyu jumped back in terror, before the creature released his damaged hand, and swung his open palm into Izuku's body, swatting him like a fly, and sending him flying yards away into the waters behind them, blood rising to the top.
"Kurogiri, if we have any water teams left, send them to get his body." Shigaraki remarked, turning away. "We might need that thing in the future."
Izuku's broken body floated down to the bottom of the waters, the darkened waters turned crimson by his blood. His leg was twisted like a smashed up pipe that had been crushed by a head-on car crash. His arm was crumbled like a can, bones sticking out as two of his fingers twitched. Two long white ribs and broke off and sliced through his flesh, the bone sticking out of the uniform, what was left of it at least. His left eye remained open, blood rising all around him, his blood, vision barely focused, as blackened mass spread across his body.
"I'm sorry Midoriya, I shouldn't have let you get this injured. I am a terrible Symbiote." Venom's voice said in a conciliatory tone. "I failed you the first time...but let's make up for it in the second round."
Izuku's eyes focused as he took a deep, shaky breath, as Venom's form snapped and slipped over his own.
With a growl, Venom kicked up his feet, and headed to the surface.
\\\\\\\\\\\
"What are we to do against the other students?" Kurogiri asked, hovering over Shigaraki.
"Oh, right." He said, turning to the Nomu. "Crush those ones too..."
His voice stopped as he saw a blackened form heading for them, much larger then any of their Aquatic Teams, and rising from the same spot as where they had dumped Izuku.
"Nomu, to me." Shigaraki ordered, as the creature quickly lumbered to stand over it's master. The ground cracked and crumbled beneath the creature, as it looked at the waters.
"What is it, Tomoura Shigaraki?" Kurogiri asked, before seeing the blackened shape. "That's not one of ours."
"I know Kurogiri." He remarked, clawing at his neck.
Venom burst from the water, liquid dripping down his form and glistening in the light as he stomped his left foot down, standing in front of his two classmates, his eyes narrowed as he growled and prepared for battle, his claws flexing as he prepared to fight. He lowered a hand to jam Izuku's two exposed ribs back into his body with a wet crack, as his long tongue dangled from his maw.
"Nomu, do your thing." Shigaraki said, pointing to Venom.
"You two, get Aizawa and head for the exit." Venom ordered quickly.
Nomu stomped his own foot, the ground vibrating like an earthquake, as he clenched his fists and roared. The two stood there for a moment, sizing each other up for a moment, before Venom roared, a disgusting sound, a mixture of a human yell of pure rage, mixed with an animalistic, inhuman roar of fury and hunger. The Nomu roared back, before the two charged each other.
The two moved with inhuman speed, Nomu's every step shattering and pulverizing the ground. Venom bounded forward on all fours, clawing apart the ground with every small leap he made, and, as they got close, jumping forward, and landing fist first into Nomu's face. The creature barely reacted, growling before trying to swing a hook into Venom's head. The Symbiote merely brought up his other arm, blocking the earth shattering strike. The sound of crunching bones echoed, as his feet dug deeply into the ground, before his other hand reach out and gouged into Nomu's side, the claw shredding through the thick muscled flesh and blackened skin and tearing out a chunk of his innards, blood spraying across Venom's front, as the engineered beast staggered back. Venom jumped, and slammed a kick into Nomu's face, sending him end over end.
The creature flew, end over end and came to a stop as, it's blood dripped from Venom's chest and face, Venom's long tongue slipping from between his fangs to slowly lick up the ichor from himself, as his permanent grin widened.
"Foul, but I'm not picky for snacks." Venom hissed, slowly stepping towards him. "It took a lot of energy to heal my host. This one will make a good feast."
Nomu charged, jumping upwards, the ground rumbling again, as it threw both arms overhead and swung downwards at Venom. The Symbiote merely rushed in, tackling the creature, and driving him into the ground. The Nomu roared in rage, as Venom slammed a punch into it's stomach, before driving more into it, as though to crush Nomu's guts, and through to the other side. He pulled back his left for another strike into the Nomu, before it snatched his arm in it's beefy palm, crushed it, and threw him away. Venom flew away into one of the large hills nearby, heading into the canyon zone.
Dust and dirt was thrown into the air from the force of the impact, as Nomu slowly stood up, Shigaraki watching with interest.
"Do you believe that killed him?" Kurogiri asked, sounding as though he already knew the answer.
"If what we were told is right," Shigaraki remarked. "It's gonna take more then that to knock out that guy's HP."
As if cue, Venom leaped from the hill, and slammed down onto the ground, the arm Nomu had grabbed filling out again and back into it's original state, as he snapped his jaws at Nomu and Shigaraki's direction. Without wasting anytime, the Nomu barreled at him again, hands ready to tear him to shreds as Venom roared, charging at the creature as well. The two meet, a shockwave of air sent pulsing outwards as the two struggled against each other, trying to overwhelm the other.
"Izuku, he's too strong for us." Venom reported, as he shoved Nomu back and gave him a strong kick to the side of his face, knocking him to the ground. "What next?"
The Nomu stood up, roaring again, as it charged. Venom's right arm snapped up, a tentacle of night black mass shooting out, wrapping around Nomu's head, and swinging down, sending him straight into the ground. The Nomu attempted to stand up, before Venom swung another kick upwards and sent him flying further back.
"If we can't overpower him, try removing his limbs." Izuku suggested, sounding like he was sick from the suggestion. "I don't like it, but I don't think he's human so..."
"I see, human life is less important to you." Venom remarked, charging at the downed Nomu.
"That's not what I meant and you know it." Izuku barked in anger.
"Alright, I'll take off an arm and leg." Venom said, licking his lips. "They're not brains, but they'll go good with the scrawny hand guy's guts."
The Nomu stood up, swinging it's right hand outwards, and trying to wrap them around Venom's head. The Symbiote reshifted and feinted to the left, grabbing Nomu's wrist, before swinging at it's shoulder with it's claw, and, after a struggle, tearing the limb completely off. Red-brown blood splattered across the fields and Venom's body, as the creature stumbled from his injuries. Without wasting a second, Venom dropped the limb, before grabbing the leg on the same side, and tearing it off. The Nomu fell, struggling and screaming in inhuman rage, it's blood drenching the fields.
"Now, let's eat, before I start going after those intestines of yours, Deku." Venom hissed, snapping his jaws down on the Nomu's thigh, and tearing off flesh. "It tastes...tainted, but this will do."
Venom quickly tore into the rest of the Nomu's limb, before long, leaving nothing but picked-clean, white bones on the ground. It turned, as the Nomu's eyes rolled around for a moment, before focusing on him.
"You think we only gave him strength, Symbiote?" Shigaraki taunted. "You're about to see something that can regenerate like you can. We designed him to kill All Might, and you're nowhere near his level."
"What do you know about us?" Venom asked slowly, before noticing something. The gauge he had made in the Nomu's side was gone.
Red muscle fibbers and tissues burst from the creature's shoulder, spreading and wrapping around, until they formed the barest semblance of an arm, as it's leg followed suit. Blackened fibbers spread across, like a growing pool of liquid, as the creature's arm and leg were soon restored to their proper form, scars and all, but none the worse for ware.
"You thought we'd come here unprepared?" Shigaraki taunted with a laugh. "Shock absorption for the attacks, regeneration for anything to counter that, and super strength and speed to counter those as well. You're beaten, Symbiote."
"Then Nomu's just a never ending buffet!" Venom hissed, grinning at the mutated beast, before charging again.
The Nomu ran as well, obviously still trying to get used to his new limb, before Venom stopped. The Nomu swung a fist at his head, only for the Symbiote to create a shield form it's right hand, stopping the attacks from hitting him, before his other arm snapped out, grabbing the Nomu's other arm, and yanking it off balance. As the creature staggered, Venom dispersed the shield and lunged forward, his jaws snapping around the Nomu's throat and tearing out, the thick, slime-like blood bursting outwards, as the Nomu stepped backwards, holding it's wound.
Venom then lunged forward, striking at the Nomu's sides, just below it's ribs, and ribbing outwards, shredded hunks of flesh torn right from it's body as the creature swung a defensive uppercut, slamming into Venom's chest. The Symbiote roared in pain, before another, open-handed strike, was swung, sending him to the ground. Venom struggled to get up, before the Nomu swung both fists down, smashing him into the ground. Again and again, the creature tried to crush Venom, putting him into the ground, and leaving a massive Venom-shaped crater there.
Izuku groaned, as Venom struggled to get up. "Is this what it's like to be hit by All Might?"
Venom fell back down, groaning in pain. "I think so."
The Nomu stood over him, ready to keep going, before Shigaraki signaled for him to step away.
"That was a good warm up Nomu, but we need you for All Might." Shigaraki commanded, as the mutated human stepped away. "Kurogiri, warp him away. We'll need him in one piece for...home."
Shigaraki approached, before Venom tore himself free and grabbed him by the throat before either of his companions could react. Shigaraki struggled in vein against the monumental strength of Venom, as the creature growled at him.
"Eyes...Lungs...Pancreases." Venom listed off, looking at each one, in detail, licking his fangs. "So many snacks, so little time."
Shigaraki grabbed the offending limb, as Venom looked at it in confusion. The slimy texture of his arm at first did nothing, as he prepared to tighten the grip enough to make Shigaraki pop, before the Symbiote's arm grew drier, losing it's luster, then turning a dry gray, and beginning to flake off. The Symbiote dropped him immediately, as he looked at his limb in confusion.
"How did he damage us?" Venom growled in surprise, before the Nomu turned and barreled at him again.
Venom created a tendril of biomass from one hand, wrapping around the Nomu's face, and crushing it, before creating another tendril, and wrapping around his legs. The creature struggled to pry them off, as Venom whipped him upwards, slamming him into the ground repeatedly, turning to find some new area of earth to crush with Nomu, as though he was determined at all costs to leave nothing un-smashed and pulverized by Nomu's body.
Finally, satisfied with the attack, Venom turned on his heel, and swung outwards, sending the Nomu flying away and into the sea zone. A massive splash signaled Nomu's landing as Venom turned his head to the skies and roared, freezing the blood of everyone that heard. He lumbered towards Shigaraki, baring his teeth in rage.
"We are not done with you yet." Venom growled in rage. "You almost killed my host. And how do you know about my...origin?"
Shigaraki was busy, not actually listening to what Venom was saying of course. He was more busy clawing at his neck, to the point even Venom was concerned he'd tear the skin off. Of course, Venom didn't want to lose any meat before he got in on him. Just as Venom was about to approach the young man, his tongue sticking out of his maw, and dripping with green slime, the doors were bashed open, and there stood All Might, dressed in his dress shirt and pants, glaring down at Shigaraki.
"I happened to encounter Iida on my jog to school, and he told me of what was going down here." All Might declared, his indignation evident. "I must say, I'm impressed by the audacity. But this little game is over."
Shigaraki froze where he stood, as Kurogiri warped in next to him.
"Our forces are still scattered, and the Nomu will take time to get to the surface and heal." Kurogiri reported to him. "What should we do Tomoura Shigarki?"
"Get us out of here." He commanded simply, eyes still locked on All Might. "Leave the thugs to distract him."
"What of the Symbiote?" Kurogiri asked, as his form enveloped Shigaraki's own.
"We'll deal with him in time, just get us out of here."
Venom wanted to pursue them, but had burned up most of his energy fighting Nomu. Just one step, and he'd have to start breaking down Izuku's organs for food, something he was taking pains to avoid now more then ever. He simply watched as Shigaraki disappeared into the portal, glaring back at Venom.
"You'll pay in blood for denying me the kill." Shigaraki declared, as he and Kurogiri vanished without a trace. "All Might will fall! I will be the one to do it!"
Venom watched the portal swirl and wrap around itself, like a maelstrom, before vanishing in the blink of an eye. He looked around, as All Might rushed down the stairs, through a crowd of thugs just standing up from their beating from Aizawa, and beat them down again. He stopped in front of Tsuyu and Mineta, to gently take Aizawa's crumbled form in his massive arms, as Venom bounded to him.
"There is a villain, bio-engineered." Venom hissed. "We beat him down and threw him in the waters there."
"Bioengineered?" All Might asked, a bit surprised at the word choice.
"Probably as strong as you." Venom explained. "I only beat him through luck. If you go near there, be careful."
"My colleagues will show up, with the police, to deal with it soon." All Might said, as he shepherded all of the gathering students out of the USJ facility. "Is Young Midoriya well?"
Venom peeled away and vanished beneath Izuku's body, Although there were slight bags under his eyes, he looked none the worse for wear.
"Alright, good." All Might said, relieved, with a nod. "Do you know anything about what they wanted."
"They specifically built Nomu to kill you." Venom hissed, as he shifted and appeared from Izuku's shoulder. "The one covered in hands..."
"Hands?" It had been hard to tell from where he was what he was wearing, and the villain had disappeared before he could get there.
"Hands." Izuku and Venom affirmed at the same time with a nod. "He was focused especially on killing you. Freaked when we took Nomu out of the picture."
"I see." All Might replied, scratching his chin, as he carefully cradled his broken colleague. "Thank you for what you did. That was very brave of you. Both of you."
Izuku nodded, silent as they exited the building, and waited out front of the police and paramedics to arrive.
All Might placed Aizawa gently on the grass, and gestured for two other students to watch him and Thirteen.
"There are still some left in there." He remarked, his growing into a mighty boom as he spoke on. "They won't be for long, because I am Here!"
He rushed back inside, as the students watched in awe. This gave him time to both clear out any villains left, and to think about what Venom and Izuku had told him.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Shigaraki stumbled out of the portal, followed by Kurogiri, now in a more humanoid form, and dressed in a dress shirt, slacks, and vest. Shigaraki was silent for a moment as he sat at one of the bar stools, head low and as he groaned to himself. The large computer screen to their left flickered to life, as the words "SOUND ONLY" flashed across it.
"Tomoura Shigaraki, are you well?" The calm, cool voice of his teacher sounded.
"We didn't even get to fight All Might!" Shigaraki shouted in rage. "We only took out their two useless teachers!"
"Shigaraki, calm down. Tell me what happened from the beginning." His master spoke, still even and controlled.
"Some stupid brat with a Symbiote defeated Nomu."
"What?! Nomu?!" His master's personal doctor, Dr. Ujiko snapped. "How could this be, after all the work we put into him!"
"Describe the Symbiote." All for One stated, still focused on his student, and the most important details of the story.
"Black, like the Jet guy." Shigaraki snarled. "He threw Nomu into a pool or something."
"Jet...Venom." Sensei remarked to himself. "It's fortunate you got out of there."
"What's the point, we lost everything." Shigaraki muttered to himself.
"I can assume the thugs are gone, but they're disposable muscle anyway." All for One remarked, before sighing to himself. "And the loss of Nomu is a set back, but as long as you and Kurogiri are here, we can still work with this."
"How?"
"We only failed under that cheap, cliched League of Villains name and not our true identities." Ujiko stated. "They won't know who hit them. Not the real ones."
"You must simply find stronger troops." Sensei declared. "This fodder approach won't work against a Symbiote, even one like Venom."
"Take all the time you need, I must remain hidden in the shadows for now." His master advised. "Next time, the world will know the terror you represent Shigaraki, I know it."
The Video feed shut off, as Shigaraki and Kurogiri were left alone and in silence within the abandoned bar.
All for One, meanwhile, at his secret location, sat back in the shadows, stroking his chin in silence for a moment.
"Should I unhook Riot from his tube?"Ujiko asked. "You want the two together, right master?"
"No, save it for later." All for One replied. "We must let Tomoura Shigaraki figure things out for himself, for now, and work this out on his own."
"If you say so master." Ujiko remarked.
All for One sat back in the shadows, turning slightly to watch the writhing, silver-red form of Riot within the specialized tube, struggling to be free.
"Doctor, send in another bum. Riot's getting hungry." All For One ordered.
\\\\\\\\\
It took three days after the event for class to begin to return to a feeling of normalcy. Although everyone escaped with only minor scraps and bruises, with the exception of Kaminari, who many worried had fried his brain during the fight, it was a rather uneasy atmosphere after the fact. Even though few had seen it in person, the class was amazed at hearing Izuku take on the biggest, baddest villain and lived to tell about it.
Still, the class notably lost of that energy they had before when the year had started. It would be a slow and hard process to get back to where they were before. Venom seemed far more cheerful then usual, probably on account of his finally having gotten a good, bloody fight that he had hungered for. Ever since then, while Izuku thought over everything he had seen, Venom was a bit more silent. A day after the attack, Izuku was called in by Detective Naomasa.
After their greetings, and learning the Detective was part of All Might's inner circle, Izuku went over everything he had done and seen from them, Venom chipping in to provide details as well. The room they found themselves in was comfy, with a small plant in the corner, a snack fridge and a round table, but not much else. The early morning sun was just beginning to rise from above the hills, the two having come in early to get the interview done before class started.
"So did it talk at all during the fight?" Naomasa asked.
"No, simple roars and growls." Venom reported, as he hung from Izuku's shoulder.
"And this Shigaraki, based on what some of the other students said, reacted like a child to Nomu's loss, correct?"
"Yes, compulsively scratching himself." Izuku said with a nod, thinking back to it. "He seemed to think killing All Might was his thing, and didn't want anyone in the way."
"Interesting." Naomasa muttered to himself, stroking his chin. "We don't have any records of him or his getaway guy, so I'll tell you what the teachers told me. Keep your eyes open for anything."
Naomasa stood up, grabbing his beat up old hat. "You took out his prize, and almost took him out, he'll want you if he ever gets the opening."
The Detective and Izuku both left the interview room within UA, before heading off their own separate ways. Naomasa was bothered by some of what had occurred. Even the Heroes at UA, with all their resources, and the investigation teams he had, couldn't find a thing on this "Shigaraki". There was a Shigaraki family from before the rise of Quirks, but they had no records showing any children.
'He probably picked the name at random, and went form there.' He thought, placing his hat back on his head. 'But why the cover? He was so proud of himself and his toy, why not give his real name and really hammer in how he outsmarted the heroes?'
There was also the fact that, he was still bothered by Izuku's Quirk. He and Aizawa had both agreed something was off about how similar they were, but the whole thing just didn't seem right. The Lethal Protector fought nothing like Izuku and Venom. Of course, the students hadn't seen anything regarding Venom devouring Nomu's limbs, so that left Naomasa with only half the picture.
'Once Aizawa recovers, we'll have to look into this kid closer.' He thought, as he left the building.
Izuku and Venom both headed off to their class, as Izuku rubbed his eyes slightly. Even getting to bed early and all had not helped him with the fact he had to get up so early to do the interview.
"Let me help with that." Venom's voice responded from within him, as he felt a sudden jolt of energy spike through his body. "Just playing with the chemicals to keep you awake."
"Why did we have to do this before school, and not after?" Izuku grumbled in irritation.
"Perhaps he's busy, but I agree." Venom replied. "Messing with your sleep is especially dangerous for us, given the chemicals and all."
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, confused.
"It's complicated." Venom remarked. "But if any part of your body is thrown off balance, it effects me too."
Izuku turned and entered the classroom, several of the students jumping slightly at his appearance, before sitting back down and returning to normal.
"So jumpy, after I pretty much pulverized that Nomu freak." Venom growled. "You'd think they'd be grateful for our bravery."
'You only were able to bash him up a little.' Izuku mentally corrected. 'And I'd be jumpy after all that too.'
"Bah, anymore thugs show up, and I'll eat them for snacks." Venom grumbled.
Izuku shook his head slightly as he took his seat. A moment later, Iida came running, stopping in front of the class, his body straight and alert.
"Everyone! Class is about to start, take your seats at once!" He shouted to the room.
"Uh, we're sitting already." Sato remarked. "In fact you're the only one standing."
Iida took his seat, grumbling in frustration, his shoulders hunched as he cursed himself for not following his own rules. A moment later, Aizawa marched in, to the surprise of all, covered from head to neck in bandages, and his arms completely wrapped up.
"Mr. Aizawa, should you be here?" Mina squeaked in surprise.
"I'm well enough to walk, so I'll manage." Aizawa replied dryly. "Besides, more important things need to be done."
He activated his capture scarf, wrapping it around the chair and pulling it in. Everyone let out a small "ooh" as they watched in wonder as it reset back to normal around his neck, and he took his seat, letting out a small sigh of relief.
"Anyway, the school will be having the upcoming UA festival in two weeks time." He stated, looking around the room, despite the bandages over his eyes. "This is the chance to show what you've got and really start making an impression on the pros."
"But, soon after the villain attack?" Mineta gulped. "Isn't that dangerous."
"Security will be more stringent then before, and more Pros will be called in to guard the place." Aizawa replied. "The staff agrees it will be good to have a little competition to take your minds off what happened a few days ago."
"This is where we get to battle the other classes, correct?" Venom asked Izuku within his head, squirming around in his chest.
'Yeah, the top winners usually get the best heroes to intern with and all.' Izuku replied.
"Good, another series of battles!" Venom bobbed within him, almost like a child jumping for joy. "This will be fun."
'Haven't you had enough fighting?' Izuku asked, tiredly.
"No. You can never have enough." Venom replied, seemingly confused by his pensive attitude and passive behavior. "Tell me you don't have fun smashing up challengers?"
Izuku fell silent, as he listened to what Aizawa had to say regarding the rest of the festival.