Chapter 60: USJ - Rally
All Might always smiles.
That was what Nana had taught him. No matter how scared or worried he was, if he wanted people to look up to him - if he wanted to bring peace to Japan, he should always smile. To assure people that He Was There, and that everything would be okay.
It wasn't always easy, but after forty years, Toshinori would like to think he had gotten good at hiding his own emotions with a smile.
Less than a minute had passed since the League of Villains showed up, and Toshinori already felt the weight of his smile. Today may very well be the hardest day in his entire career. He wanted nothing more to frown, to scowl, to curse All For One.
But he wouldn't, because he was All Might. And those children - all of them - were counting on him.
And most of all, Izuku and Ochako deserved his support. After all they have been through - he would not let them down. He would succeed where his past selves had failed.
As he watched, he saw the largest of the three Nomu step out of the portal and immediately charge toward Eraserhead. While the other two were unfamiliar, this one at least matched the description that those two had given him: the Anti-Symbol of Peace. With Super Strength, Super-Regeneration, and Shock-Absorption, the hulking corpse was turned into a creature designed with a single goal in mind: to kill All Might.
He didn't want to think what it could do to someone like Eraserhead.
Surging forward, All Might wrapped his arms around his fellow hero and dashed away, carrying him safely out of the raging Nomu's path. Turning his head slightly, he saw the creature had continued forward and slammed into a concrete dividing barrier, destroying part of it.
"Thanks for the save," Aizawa said.
"Of course," Toshinori replied. "What happened back there?"
Aizawa let out a faint growl. "Oboro. The kids didn't tell me Kurogiri was Oboro."
"Surely if they knew they would have told-"
"I know," Aizawa cut off the hero. "That's why I'm so angry." Refusing to elaborate further, Aizawa once again loosened his capture scarf. "C'mon, we have a job to do."
As Toshinori watched, he saw green and pink streaks come flying out of the sky, landing in front of the two Shigarakis. Moments later, the remaining two Nomu appeared in front of them, and he saw his successors squaring up as they prepared to fight. Clenching his fist, Toshinori nodded his head. "Yes we do. I will handle this Nomu. You help the children."
Turning, Toshinori saw that the Nomu had already recovered and was staring at him. Not bothering to wait, Toshinori charged.
"I'm impressed that UA has such strong students," Homura said from her position behind the two Nomu. "It's best if we strangle that potential now before it has a chance to take root."
The two Nomu suddenly seemed to come alive as they both entered a crude combat stance.
"Izu-"
"I know" Izuku clenched his fists as he watched the two Nomu.
"We have more important matters to attend to, but hopefully, you'll provide suitable entertainment to our minions."
"We've got to deal with the true end boss," Tomura added as he flexed his hand.
Without warning, the female nomu's legs both twisted and distended, turning into thick, fleshy tendrils reminiscent of Blackwhip that launched themselves toward the students. Izuku felt Ochako wrap her arms around him as she took off, the pair forming a pink-and-green comet as they launched toward the ceiling.
"Do you have a plan?" Ochako asked.
Izuku watched as the other Nomu spread its wings and flew at them, its accelerated state fast enough to close the distance. "If you increase this Nomu's gravity you can immobilize it, but-"
"-but if I do that I'm locked into heavy gravity, and we can't just launch the original into orbit," Ochako finished the sentence for him.
"Mhm." Izuku bobbed his head.
Landing on the ceiling, Ochako activated Smokescreen, covering their landing point in a dense purple fog before kicking off and sending the two racing downward toward the central plaza.
As they emerged from the cloud, Izuku saw just how close the Winged Nomu was. As if sensing their presence, he pulled back his hand, giving Izuku a clear view of the massive talons that replaced his fingertips. Time seemed to slow down as he called upon Blackwhip, the tendrils extending almost too slowly as they sought to intercept the hand.
No! I won't let you hurt Ochako!
Anger surging through Izuku, Blackwhip exploded forward, catching the winged Nomu and throwing it upward. Time seemed to resume as he heard the loud crash from above.
"Are you okay?" Ochako asked once again.
"I don't think I can use Blackwhip on anything but the Nomu," Izuku admitted.
"Mmm," Ochako hummed as they descended. "Good thing we need to take out a few Nomu then, huh?"
Izuku dared a glance at his girlfriend's face and saw her sly smile as she eyed him. Smiling back, he gave her the faintest of nods. "You're right!"
Looking up at the quickly approaching floor, Izuku saw the mass of tendrils that were part of the Female Nomu as they shivered in anticipation of the approaching heroes. Looking for the source, he noticed that the upper half of the creature remained solid - she had only transformed her legs; her torso and arms remained solid.
Does that mean…
Getting an idea, Izuku launched Blackwhip at the Female Nomu. As his tendrils wrapped around the creature's arms Ochako flipped them over, ensuring they would land the ground upright. Using the motion to his advantage, Izuku managed to lift the Female Nomu off the ground, causing the tendrils to retract slightly in her confusion and giving them a place to land.
"Ocha, keep going!" Izuku said as he wrestled with the Nomu, her tendrils clawing at Blackwhip in an attempt to fight back.
The pair landed only to immediately shoot back into the sky. With one final tug, Izuku pulled the Female Nomu upward, knocking her off balance as she toppled back to the ground with a dull crash.
It wasn't enough to stop her, but it gave Izuku vital information. Looking upward, he saw the Winged Nomu flying in as Ochako pulled her fist back, black stars blinking along her arm as she poured One For All into her arm.
"My turn!" Ochako shouted as she twisted in midair. Shifting to one side, Izuku used his weight to assist Ochako as she threw her punch. "Gravity Hammer!"
The energy around her fist exploded in a shower of black lights as the Nomu's claw collapsed upon itself. Bone and muscle shattered under the force of Ochako's blow as the arm itself was pushed back, twisted into an odd angle. The force of the blow was enough to knock the Nomu off course, sending it careening off to the side.
As they continued their ascent, Izuku looked down to survey the situation. As he feared, the blow was a temporary setback as Super Regeneration had already gone to work repairing the damage as the creature regained its balance. As Izuku watched, suddenly it clicked in his mind.
Neither of these Nomu have Shock Absorption!
Sure, Super Regeneration made them durable, and their quirks made them extremely tricky to handle. But without the ability to absorb kinetic force, that gave Izuku and Ochako a lot more options.
With his lips turning upward, Izuku turned to his girlfriend.
"Ochako, I have a plan!"
"Die!" Bakugo roared as he sent a villain flying into a wall with an explosion.
Behind him, Aika was being attacked by a lanky man with purplish skin. The man reeled back before swinging a wicked-looking sword at her.
Quirk, don't fail me now!
Increasing her song's intensity, Aika crossed her arms in an 'x' pattern and blocked the sword. The weapon dug into the soft fabric of her costume, but her costume - and arms - held. Seeing the surprise on the villain's face, a cheeky grin filled Aika's face as she reached out and wrapped her arm around the sword.
I knew it! This is nothing compared to Kyoka's weapon!
She saw the look of surprise on the villain's face as she pulled him forward, only to slam an elbow into his stomach, sending him to the ground.
"So Manly!" Eijiro shouted as he faced off against a large lizard-mutant that gave him a dragon-like appearance. Not wanting to be outdone, he let the mutant clamp down on his arm, teeth failing to penetrate his skin as he brought a knee up and slammed it into his foe's stomach. The villain let go and staggered back, giving Eijiro a chance to catch him in a bull rush, slamming him into a wall and knocking him out.
"Tch," Bakugo sneered as the three had a break in the action. "They really thought a bunch of extras like these would be enough to stop us?"
"I think they underestimated us," Aika agreed, rubbing the back of her head.
"Still-" Kirishima looked at the eight unconscious villains. "There's so many of them, if they were able to catch us off-guard. Or if we didn't all fall through that portal together…"
"You're right!" Aika exclaimed. "I hope everyone else is okay!"
Looking around, she noticed she couldn't see any of the other zones. She was, however, able to see the central plaza. There she saw the telltale pink-and-green comet of IzuOcha as it bounced between the floor and ceiling.
"That can't be good!"
"What can't be?"
Aika pointed at the central plaza. "Mido and Raka went to help All Might. I don't know what's going on, but I've seen them in training enough. They're trying to evade something."
"Woah." Eijiro tried to follow the blur. "Do you think they can actually help?"
"Of course Deku and Round Face would try and jump in," Katsuki grumbled. "Thinking they could help All Might. Of course they're in trouble!"
"That's not-" Aika protested.
Katsuki cut her off with a pair of explosions as he launched himself forward, his companions forgotten. "Don't worry, All Might, I'm coming! I'll show you- I'll show you what I can do!"
I'll show you I'm not behind Deku, or Round Face, or that annoying Idol, or anyone!
"Should we go after him?" Kirishima asked.
"Of course!" Aika said, only to suddenly hear someone singing behind her.
Eijiro seemed to catch it too and activated his quirk just in time to intercept the attack that was aimed for Aika. He stumbled into her as he took two bolts of energy to the chest, their force enough to move him despite his Hardening preventing actual damage.
Turning around, she saw a girl who couldn't be much older than her, with long lavender hair and a long, flowing maroon dress. In her hands were what appeared to be a pair of crossbows made out of energy, but they faded as she stopped singing.
"Tch, guess that was too weak. Next time you won't get so lucky!"
The girl changed her song, and a large oversized bow began to form in her hands. From around her, Aika and Kirishima saw another half-dozen villains emerge from the ruins.
"Go, I'll watch your back!" Kirishima shouted.
"What? No!" Aika countered.
"They're your friends in the central plaza," Kirishima explained. "Let me protect you so you can protect them!"
Determination filling Aika's face, she stepped forward to stand alongside Eijiro, dropping into a combat stance. "No. Mido and Raka told me to keep everyone safe. I'm not leaving without you."
Eijiro gave his companion a fierce grin. "Fine then, let's hurry it up so we can go meet up with your friends."
"Right!" Aika turned back toward the new villains and started a new song.
With an angry grimace on her face, the girl fired her bow at the pair.
"Too slow!" Kyoka announced as she blocked a villain's pipe with her sword. Plugging her ear jack into the amplifier on her ankle, she fired a Heartbeat Blast and knocked him back. She followed up her attack by hitting him with the flat of her sword, sending him to the ground.
"I'm impressed," Momo said as she swung her own staff out, knocking a villain off their feet. Spinning her weapon before sending it downward, she landed a solid blow to their head, knocking them out.
"Hey, this is actually pretty nice!" Denki announced as he smacked a villain with the staff. As he did so, he sent a wave of electricity through it, shocking the villain and stunning him.
"I can't believe you didn't think of that," Kyoka snarked.
"That's not fair!" Denki replied. "I didn't have some fancy second year to help me with support gear like you did!"
"I guess that's true," Kyoka replied lazily as she fired another Heartbeat Blast, causing a villain to fall to his knees as he covered his ears. Not giving him a chance to recover she responded with a swift kick, sending him flying.
As he hit the ground, Kyoka looked to see how the others were doing. Like her, Momo had taken down five of the villains, while Denki took down a mere two by himself.
"Man, how am I so far behind," Denki asked as he looked at the two girls. "You both have training and gear, and I make myself dumb if I use my quirk too much."
"That just means your quirk counselor sucked," Kyoka said.
"Whatya mean?" Denki asked.
Kyoka lifted her collar slightly to reveal the suppressor resting on the back of her neck. "I'm sensitive to loud noises, so I had this built to keep my ears safe when I need to. I'm sure UA's counselor and support staff could come up with something to help! Also-" She jabbed a finger out to the metal staff in his arms. "Didn't you just figure something out?"
Denki looked at the staff in his hands and then back at Kyoka before his face lit up. "You're right!"
Kyoka was about to continue when she heard a loud crash. Looking toward the central plaza, she saw a pink and green comet with smoke billowing behind it. "Those two…"
"What's happening?" Momo asked as she followed Kyoka's gaze.
"The class reps are helping the teacher," Kyoka said.
Denki's jaw fell as he watched the comet streaking through the sky. "We really were screwed in the battle trial, weren't we?"
Kyoka rolled her eyes. "Yes. I'm glad you finally figured that out."
"What should we do?"
"We should help the others," Momo said, turning to Kyoka. "You can track where the rest of our class is with your hearing, can't you?"
Kyoka nodded. "It'll take a bit to filter out the noise, but yeah, I can."
Momo gestured toward the group on the ground. "The others might not be so lucky. We should try to rescue as many of our classmates as we can and regroup. If All Might can't handle what's going on in the middle…" Her face soured. She turned toward Denki. "Do you want me to make you anything else?"
"N-no!" Denki said quickly, shaking his head as he held out the staff. "This is perfect for right now!"
Kyoka watched the fight in the center as she fought a war with herself. On one hand, she wanted to run to aid her friends. But on the other hand, Momo was right - even more than she knew. With the crazy quirk Izuku and Ochako shared, if they weren't enough to back up All Might… she shuddered involuntarily.
Besides, they asked her to watch out for their classmates.
"You'd better win this," Kyoka said before she turned toward her classmates. "Alright, let's go find our classmates." She pointed her sword at the ground. "Right after we deal with this ambush."
As she spoke, half a dozen holes opened in the ground, revealing a second wave of villains ready to attack the students.
The three students tightened their grip on their weapons and charged.
"Stay behind me," Shoto ordered as he sent a wave of ice down the street, freezing several villains in place and turning the rain-slicked pavement into a hazard.
"And let you get yourself killed?" Himiko asked as she threw a knife.
"What are you?" Shoto asked, turning in surprise only to hear a villain cry out in pain from an alleyway.
"Did you expect to seriously just freeze the whole area?" Himiko asked as she charged the villain, tackling him to the ground.
She was actually surprised at how easily the villain gave up. While he struggled to free himself, she had a harder time sparring against her friends - let alone facing Izuku or Ochako! Once he began to relent she pulled capture tape out of a hidden pocket. With practiced ease, she bound his arms and legs before inspecting the knife wound. Satisfied that the villain didn't need immediate first aid, she finally stood up.
"That was inefficient," Shoto pointed out.
"At least I didn't take out one of my classmates," Himiko snarked back.
"What are you-" Shoto cut himself off when he saw what Himiko meant.
"C-cold, kero." Tsuyu wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered from the cold of the nearby glacier Shoto had created.
Shoto stepped toward his classmate. "You don't do well in the cold, do you?"
"N-no," Tsu said.
"It would be best if you took her and left then," Shoto said as he turned toward Himiko.
"And what are you going to do?" Himiko asked, narrowing her eyes at her classmate.
"Stop these villains," Shoto retorted as he sent another wave of ice out, sealing another alleyway shut. "And then figure out their true plan."
Himiko opened her mouth and promptly shut it. She knew what was going on, but telling him would lead to more questions that she didn't want to subject Izuku to. Finally deciding on an answer, she spoke. "We should stick together-" She shot a sideways glance to her miserable classmate. "-that means letting us handle the villains."
"I don't think-"
"I don't care what you think!" Himiko snapped at her classmate, pointing a knife at him. "You did this during the battle trial and look at what happened!"
"Hmph." Shoto hooked a finger around his chin. "I see. You and your brother really take after each other."
"Of course," Himiko grumbled. "I've learned a lot from Izu. You should too."
Walking over to her classmate, Himiko wrapped herself around Tsuyu. "Come on, let's get you someplace warmer."
As she started walking, Himiko saw the telltale green-and-pink energy trail that showed Izuku and Ochako going all out in the central plaza…
…and the handful of villains that stood in the middle of the street blocking them.
"I can help, kero," Tsuyu said as she pulled away from Himiko.
Giving the frog girl a slight smile, Himiko pulled a pair of knives out. "Let's show Todoroki what we can do."
We're coming!
Chapter 61: USJ - Counterattack
"So what do we do?" Ochako asked.
"There's three Nomu," Izuku began. "The original Nomu, the Female Nomu, and the Winged Nomu. These two new ones don't have Shock Absorption the way the original does!"
"Oh." Ochako's face lit up in understanding.
"Yeah!" Izuku exclaimed as he looked around before indicating a direction. "We need to get to the original Nomu. You're our best shot for getting rid of it quickly."
"That'd be nice," Ochako said as she spotted the Winged Nomu making a new beeline toward them. "If these two would give us a break!"
Taking his turn, Izuku activated Blackwhip. Dozens of thick black tendrils shot out from his hand as they wrapped around the creature before he wrenched it upward, causing it to crash into the ceiling. At least his anger's making it easy to shift these Nomu, even if it's only a temporary solution.
Looking down, Ochako surveyed the situation. The two Shigarakis had their attention split between them and All Might while Kurogiri was nowhere to be found. Not that that meant much. Meanwhile, Aizawa was trying to deal with a group of villains that had managed to regroup after the heros' initial strike. The Winged Nomu was seconds away from recovery, and below them the Female Nomu floated menacingly, its lower half spread out into a sea of black tendrils hovering protectively around its masters.
"Think we have to worry about the second Nomu if we help our teachers?" Ochako asked.
"Maybe," Izuku admitted. "But without Kurogiri it may be inclined to defend them."
"Let's hope so."
Calculating the necessary change in direction, Ochako fired off one of her grappling hooks, feeling the sudden pull as it wrapped around a support beam. Pulling herself along, she adjusted their descent to assist their teachers.
As they approached Aizawa's position, the pair worked together, shifting their weight to flip themselves upright. With precision born of practice, they slammed into the ground, knocking several nearby villains down from the force of impact. The pair went to work, bouncing back and forth to knock out as many villains as they could while Aizawa handled the rest.
Despite them making short work of the villains, it still cost them precious seconds that they didn't have, and before they knew it, the Winged Nomu was descending toward the three of them.
"Well that answers that," Ochako said as she looked skyward. Trusting Izuku, she took off, aiming herself toward the Nomu. "You're persistent, I'll give you that!"
The Nomu tried to lash out, its claws inches away from Ochako as she twisted in midair to dodge the attack. Once she was above the creature, she pressed a free hand against her arm, massively increasing her own gravity. She felt the equipment in her suit shifting to account for the gravitational change as her upward momentum halted and she began falling toward the Earth.
She felt a fierce grin on her face as the Nomu ascended to meet her; she extended her leg, hitting the creature with an axe kick. The weight of her body combined with One For All's power shattered bone and sinew, collapsing the Nomu's shoulder and sending a shockwave that dislocated one of the wings. From her vantage point, the Nomu began falling to the Earth, only to once again get cocooned by black tendrils that dragged it all the way to the ground.
Continuing downward, Ochako went for the killing blow. Extending her leg out, she landed a diving kick on the now-grounded Nomu, driving it into the ground. With practiced ease, she pressed her fingers together, restoring her gravity as she kicked off of the creature and backflipped out of the newly-formed crater.
"That didn't stop it?" Aizawa asked in disbelief.
"No," Izuku replied, turning toward his teacher. "Their durability and regeneration are incredible, and the one All Might is facing…" Izuku glanced toward the hero.
Aizawa let out a long suffering sigh. "And of course there's that third as well."
"We need to deal with the one All Might is facing," Izuku said.
"What makes that one different?"
"These two don't have Shock Absorption," Izuku stated matter-of-factly.
"I get it." Aizawa surveyed the scene around them. "And Oboro's out there causing trouble…"
"Oboro?" Ochako asked quizzically as she landed.
"Nevermind," Aizawa dismissed the question. "I guess I shouldn't have left All Might alone after all."
"It helped," Ochako said helpfully. "There's a lot less villains to stop us now!"
"Good point." Aizawa let out a loud sigh. "Let's go save Japan's top hero."
"And stay down!" Kyoka smacked the flat of her blade against the side of her current opponent's head, sending him to the ground.
"That's it for round two," Momo said as she looked around. "Jiro, is there anyone else waiting for us?"
Kneeling, Kyoka stuck one of her earjacks into the ground and closed her eyes. After a moment, she shook her head. "No, this zone is clear."
"What about the others?" Denki asked.
Kyoka shot her classmate a glare. "I'm working on it!" Closing her eyes again, she reached out and began to check the nearby zones. She didn't need her enhanced hearing to hear Aika's singing to the north of them… along with someone else who had a song-based quirk? What were the odds?
"They deserve each other," Kyoka snarked as she decided that her friend didn't need help - they went through similar training, after all! She then turned her attention south, to the Mountain Zone. "Shit."
"What's wrong?" Momo asked, concerned by Kyoka's tone.
"Ojiro and Hagakure are up there." Kyoka pointed toward the zone. "And they're surrounded."
"How many are there?" Denki asked.
"Probably a dozen still standing." Kyoka stood up and looked at her classmates. "We don't have time to waste."
Momo hesitated for only a moment before she bobbed her head. "Let's go help them."
The three carefully ascended to the top of the zone where they quickly found the emergency scaffolding connecting the two zones together. Taking the lead, Kyoka cautiously crossed into the Mountain Zone, her jacks at the ready in case they were spotted.
"Crap!" Denki exclaimed as he came up behind her.
From their vantage point, they saw Mashirao and Toru surrounded by ten villains still. While there were several lying unconscious by their feet, the two students were still pressed back-to-back, slowly spinning in a circle as they waited for their next opponent.
"We've gotta do something!" Denki continued.
"Of course, idiot," Kyoka hissed. "But we need to be careful! We don't want to do anything that'll get our classmates hurt!"
Denki looked down at his own hands, watching electricity dance along the pole as he felt himself reflexively discharging energy. Getting an idea, he spun around to Momo. "Can you make some sort of metal or- or steel! darts?"
"Of course I can," Momo replied as she reached for her book. "What's your plan?"
"If we can get metal close to the bad guys, I can direct my electricity at them!" Denki explained proudly as he held up the rod and repeated his fidgeting motion. "Then we can take them all out from a distance!"
"Huh, so you can think of good ideas." Kyoka smirked at him.
"Hey!" Denki exclaimed. "I'm not that dumb! I just short-circuit myself out if I overuse my quirk!"
"I'm kidding," Kyoka sighed. "How can we help?"
Once she found the information she was looking for, Momo dropped the book; it quickly fell back into place against her side. Holding out her hands, she concentrated and activated her quirk. Soon a pair of metal darts dropped to the ground, followed by two more, until a dozen were sitting on the ground.
Gathering them up, the three quickly descended, finding a large rock to hide behind. From there, they were easily able to spread the darts out, using their classmates as a distraction.
"You're up chargebolt," Kyoka said.
"All right!" Denki hyped himself up before stepping out from behind the rock. "Hey guys, don't worry 'cause the cavalry's arrived!"
"How'd we miss him?" one of the villains asked as several turned to face the new threat.
"I'd say it's a skill issue," Denki retorted casually as he pointed the steel rod toward them. "Now I'd like to introduce you to my newest technique, Shock Net!"
Activating his quirk, Denki shot tens of thousands of volts of electricity down the rod. As it reached the end of the rod, the electricity jumped in every direction, finding the metal of the electrical darts before leaping to each of the villains. They cried out in pain and surprise from the surprise attack, paralyzed from the electric shock before they all fell over unconscious.
"It actually worked!" Kyoka exclaimed as she stepped out behind the rock. "Good job." She patted Denki on the back, and he gave her a dopey smile.
"Thaaanks," Denki said sluggishly. "But my head still feels funny."
"At least you didn't burn yourself out." Kyoka smirked. "Come on, we'll keep you safe."
Meanwhile, Momo jogged toward her classmates. "How are you two doing?"
"Better, now that you're here!" Toru exclaimed.
"We were able to hold them off, but we didn't know how much longer we could do so," Mashirao confessed. "While individually they were quite weak, their numbers were proving to be a problem."
"I agree." Momo nodded. "Fortunately, Kaminari was able to solve that problem."
"So what should we do now?" Toru asked.
As she guided Denki toward the others, Kyoka looked toward the middle. "Let's see if we can help the others out."
Having had time to warm up, Tsuyu was showing how dangerous a combatant she could be as she kicked a woman with long snake-like hair, sending her flying. As she landed, she saw a skinny man with razor blades extending out of his wrists charging her.
"Why don't you take on someone your own size?" Himiko asked as she stepped in front of the man, parrying the razors with her own knives.
"How can you get away with using knives?" the man complained. "That's all I have! And you get to use them and you've still got your quirk!"
"Then you need to get more creative!" Himiko countered as she delivered a knee to the man's chest, causing him to double over. "It's the person behind the quirk that matters!"
Himiko followed up with a swift kick to the man's legs, sending him to the ground. She was getting ready to give him another kick when she felt her classmate's hand on her arm. "He's down, kero."
"Oh." Himiko looked down to see the man's eyes were closed. "I guess I kicked him harder than I thought."
"The path is clear. We should get moving."
"Looks like Shoto listened at least," Himiko said as she sheathed her daggers.
As if summoned by saying his name, Shoto trotted over to them. "Midoriya, Asui, wait."
"I said to call me Tsu, kero."
Shoto stopped in front of them, seemingly ignoring the frog girl's statement. "While you were dealing with them, I decided to interrogate one of the villains I had dealt with. It turns out they're trying to kill All Might."
"How?" Tsuyu asked. If Himiko wasn't so perceptive, she would have missed the faintest hint of disbelief in her classmate's tone.
"They have these creatures called Nomu," Shoto elaborated. "They are some sort of bioweapon designed to take All Might head on. And win."
"And one wasn't enough?" Himiko asked, wanting to skip ahead to new information.
"Apparently there were comments about hidden mid-bosses. So they brought plans B and C along as well." Shoto stared at Himiko. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"You'd have to ask my brother." Himiko feigned ignorance but turned away. "If they weren't lying to you that means he's in serious trouble."
"Hmm," Shoto mused. "I agree. With that many threats, it would be best if we evened the odds."
Tsuyu looked between her classmates, seeing the resolve in their eyes. While she may not have the training that those two did, she wasn't about to back down - how could she face her siblings if she did? "We should hurry, kero."
"Yeah, let's go!"
Path clear, the three continued out into the open plaza.
Aika felt a dull pain as the sonic bolt hit her, the pressure enough to send her sliding backwards. It was only due to her training and quick reflexes that she caught herself and managed to remain upright.
"Argh, why won't you just go down?"
"Shizu's too manly to break that easily!" Kirishima slammed his fists together. "Her song is unbreakable!"
"We'll see about that," the woman growled. "My song will stop at nothing to destroy this corrupt system."
Her reply was enough to give Aika pause. Taking a chance, she stopped singing to speak to the woman. "What do you mean, destroy the corrupt system?"
"You heard me!" the woman replied. "Heroes, villains. They're labels we give to people so they have an excuse to fight. To stoke conflict." She leveled a finger accusingly at Aika. "If we destroy the whole Hero system, we can end conflict in Japan!"
"That doesn't make any sense!" Aika exclaimed. "Nobody is that powerful!"
"Homura is. She has the ambition, and she's been given the tools to do it."
"You're deluding yourself!"
"No more than you are!" the woman countered. "You say you want to be a hero and protect people. But all you're doing is perpetuating the cycle of violence! Nothing will change!"
"That's-" Aika cut herself off.
Izuku and Ochako found that out first hand! And they're fighting to stop it. And they-
-they asked me to help!
"You're wrong!" Aika said definitively. "My song is meant to help people, to give them hope! Because that's what it means to be a hero."
The woman scoffed at her. "Fine, I'll take you down just like the others. Maybe once you see how weak your song really is, you'll change your mind!"
As the woman started singing, a crossbow seemed to form in her hand as it began to launch an endless barrage of bolts towards Aika. She raised her arms and began to sing, but she was worried she made a mistake - that her quirk wouldn't activate in time.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone.
"I may not be able to sing, but I can still protect those around me," Eijiro said as he held up his arms, absorbing the bolts. With each blow, Aika watched him get slowly pushed back, but he refused to wield.
"Thanks for the save!" Aika grinned at him. "Ready to take this woman down?"
"Ready whenever you are."
Filled with newfound resolve, Aika locked eyes with the woman and began to sing.
Kirishima risked a quick glance at her, and she nodded her head, holding three fingers out. Silently, she counted down to zero, before the pair scattered, breaking in different directions as they charged toward the pack of villains.
I'll show you my resolve!
All Might leaped backwards, giving himself some precious space.
It bought him half a second before the Nomu was once again on him.
"I see, this is the tactical prowess of Homura," All Might said as he blocked the blow. From the briefing, he remembered that Tomura used the creature more as a blunt instrument, trying to win through sheer brute force. While Homura used the creature more subtly, treating it like an inevitable force that would eventually win as long as he didn't have a chance to recover.
He shuddered to think how it would be to face the creature with his injury.
I could take it out, but then I risk burning through my embers even further. All Might thought to himself. And that would mean…
The menacing smile of All For One played in his head, just as clear as that fateful day six years ago.
All Might didn't have time to finish that thought as the creature tried to grab him, his massive claws pressing against his side.
"I see, you seek to use my injury against me!" All MIght's smile tightened. "How unfortunate for you."
Wrapping his arms around the creature, All Might lifted the massive creature and suplexed it, slamming its head into the ground with enough force to bury it in the concrete.
He estimated that it bought him five seconds of breathing room.
As All Might waited for the Nomu to free himself, he heard two familiar voices as his successors came up behind him.
"All Might!" Izuku called out. "We're here to help!"
"What?" All Might exclaimed.
"This one is designed to handle All Might's quirk," Ochako explained. "Not mine."
"The others are strong, but they aren't purpose-built to counter you," Izuku quickly added. "If the three of us take care of this one…"
All Might's smile brightened. "I understand."
Before Izuku could continue, the pavement cracked and shattered. The Nomu rose back up to its full height, its demeanor serving as a reminder of how little the move slowed him down. Not wanting to give the creature a chance, Izuku had already summoned Blackwhip, dozens of tentacles wrapped around the creature and fighting to hold it into place. All Might watched as Ochako surged forward, a hand pressing against the exposed skin and removing the creature's gravity.
"All Might!" Izuku shouted.
"My turn!" All Might roared. Surging forward, he once again wrapped his arms around the creature before throwing it toward the ceiling. He watched as the creature punched a hole through the ceiling, sailing away from the USJ.
"Very good," Tomura clapped. "You've defeated the phase one boss and exposed your strengths."
Not wanting to give his opponents an opening, All Might charged forward, only to see a inky black portal appear in front of him with black tentacles surging forth. He felt one wrap around his hand and immediately knew what was going on. Not wanting to take a risk, he wrenched his hand free before hopping backward.
"So you know how dangerous Kurogiri's portals are, too," Homura mused. "Very perceptive of you."
"It wasn't hard to figure out when you have your pet acting like a kraken," All Might lied.
"Very true, perhaps I underestimated you. Or perhaps your injury isn't slowing you down as much as we hoped it would be," the woman said coyly.
All Might was about to retort when they heard the sound of the doors slamming open. There at the entrance stood the draconic form of Ryukyu, who along with the towering form of Mt. Lady had pulled the doors open. Behind them stood Sir Nighteye, Fat Gum, and Kamui Woods along with a dozen other local heroes and UA staff members.
"I guess we're done playing around," Tomura said with annoyance in his voice.
"Unfortunately this means we'll have to skip phase two and go right to phase three. A shame, I like my dramatic build up," Homura added.
As the heroes and students in the central plaza watched, Homura touched the Female Nomu, and it suddenly became wrapped in an orange glow, its tendrils suddenly twitching even faster than they previously did. The Winged Nomu was next, landing beside her and allowing her to touch it before it too became wrapped in an orange glow. Finally, Tomura offered his hand, and she reciprocated with a high five, causing him to be wrapped in the same glow.
"Let's end this, heroes."
Chapter 62: USJ - Climax
"Eraser-" All Might began.
"On it," Aizawa cut off the hero, activating his quirk.
Suddenly the menacing orange glow around the villains disappeared.
"They have a dispeller!" Tomura said.
"I see that," Homura said with annoyance in her voice. "Apparently he can dispel my buffs even after I hand them out." She let out a huff as she crossed her arms. "At least now we know."
"Don't worry, I got the frame data," Tomura said as he flexed his hands. "You're just going to have to stay out of Line of Sight."
All Might took a step forward. "You've lost! Reinforcements are here and your master plan failed."
"Has it?" Homura asked.
"Just because the enrage timer's run out doesn't mean we've lost," Tomura added. "Unfortunately for you, we're very good at winning under those conditions."
Without further warning, a smokey portal appeared in front of Tomura, and he dashed through, appearing inches in front of Eraserhead. While he was too close to use his capture weapon, the hero's reflexes were enough to disable the villain's quirk, so that when Tomura's hand touched his chest, nothing happened.
"Too slow," Shota said before he brought a knee up, knocking the wind out of Tomura. He was prepared to follow up with a finishing blow only to be knocked aside by Izuku. "What are you-"
Aizawa understood what was going on a moment later when he saw the Winged Nomu crashing into the space he previously occupied.
"Kurogiri is a lot more creative here," Izuku muttered quietly. "Homura's using him well."
"I've noticed," Shota said dryly. "Can this go any worse?"
Izuku laughed nervously.
Once Izuku had saved their teacher, Ochako sprung into action. The Nomu swiped uselessly at the air where Eraserhead previously stood, only to have a pink comet collide with it, sending it crashing to the ground where it slid across the plaza.
"No you don't," Ochako declared as she landed on the ground in front of the Nomu, ready to continue the fight.
She knew she couldn't stop the creature with brute force: despite all of its power, her control of One For All wasn't strong enough to overload super-regeneration yet. But she didn't need to. She just needed to keep it out of the fight - and away from Homura.
Unfortunately, this version of her nemesis seemed to wield Kurogiri with every bit of skill that she remembered. Which was only made worse this time because she had significantly more resources than a single Nomu and Kurogiri.
The good news was that it wasn't just her and All Might this time. Izuku was there, and Ryukyu, and all of her friends… They were all fighting right now.
It filled her with a nostalgic sense of warmth. One she hasn't felt since…
"Uraraka." Ryukyu came slamming down beside her student as she returned to her human form. "What happened?"
"We don't know," Ochako admitted. "But it doesn't matter. We've gotta win, right?"
"Hmph." The hero gave her a ghost of a smile. "You're right."
As the student and teacher turned toward the oncoming Nomu, Ochako felt One For All crackling to life underneath her skin, as if it responded to her new resolve.
Seeing the other teachers and heroes spreading out to help the heroes, All Might turned his attention back to the two Shigarakis - and the final Nomu.
If only he knew where Kurogiri was!
Looking over, he saw Aizawa take a moment to put drops in his eyes to keep them open for as long as he could. And standing next to him was Izuku. Locking eyes with his green-haired successor, he gave the teen a thumb's up. Izuku responded with a shaky smile of his own.
He then turned his attention toward Tomura and charged.
"What is he doing?" Shota complained as he saw All Might disappear in a flash.
"Giving us an opening," Izuku said as he wrapped himself in Full Cowling. "Let's go."
As Izuku raced forward, he saw the black portal open as once again All Might was wrapped in tendrils. This time rather than run away All Might held his ground, allowing the appendages to wrap around him as they fought to pull him through the portal.
"Go, Midoriya!"
Leaping over the portal, Izuku launched himself at Tomura, landing a kick that sent him flying. Not wanting to let him go, he landed and launched himself forward, determined to restrain his cousin before Aizawa blinked.
"Got you!" Izuku said as he caught Tomura.
"Are you sure that's a good idea," Tomura asked, grinning menacingly, "when the debuff timer is about to run out?"
Izuku looked over and saw Aizawa's eyes starting to close.
The Winged Nomu let out a ferocious howl as it charged the two, its claws swiping wildly in an attempt to hit them.
Acting with years of training, Ryukyu shifted to her dragon form and caught the creature, her claws wrapping around its arms as she fought a battle of strength to hold it in place.
"Whatever your plan is, act fast," the hero called.
Ochako bobbed her head and charged, preparing to touch the creature and activate Zero Gravity…
…When a sudden explosion rocked the creature, nearly blasting its head off.
"I knew it!" Baukgo yelled as he continued skyward from behind the winged Nomu. "You can't handle something like this. Let me show you how it's done!"
At the apex of his jump, Bakugo fired another explosion behind him, launching himself down toward the Nomu.
However, he failed to notice one important detail. The initial explosion also threw Ryukyu off balance.
With a defiant roar, the creature tore its arms free from the grip of the hero and lashed out. Time seemed to slow as Ochako raised her arm and fired a cable to pull her classmate to safety. The cable moved far too slowly compared to the Nomu, and Ochako had to watch in horror as the creature's claws tore into Bakugo's arm and leg, tearing flesh and exposing bone.
"No!" Ochako yelled as she saw her cable wrap around her classmate. Letting her training take over, she pulled him toward her, launching herself forward to catch him midair before landing on the other side of the creature.
"Damn it, what the hell is that thing!" Katsuki said weakly as he gripped his arm.
"Stay here," Ochako said as she gently set him on the ground. Looking up, she saw heroes already making their way toward them. "Help will be here soon."
"What the hell do you think you're gonna do against that?"
"I'm gonna stop it."
Wrapping herself in One For All, Ochako charged at the Nomu. She saw its claws coming for her, but Ryukyu managed to recover, grabbing the creature's claws.
"Why don't you take on someone your own size?" the heroine roared as she gave her student an opening.
Landing next to her mentor, Ochako reeled back and threw a punch at the Nomu's side. As her fist traveled, she opened it at the last second, swiftly transitioning to a palm strike. She felt her quirk activate as she made the connection, removing the creature's gravity. At the same time, the One For All-powered strike did its job and sent the Nomu flying, causing it to crash into a building.
Not wasting any time, Ochako launched herself toward the abandoned building, releasing her quirk in midair and freeing herself to use it a second time. Landing on one of the upper floors, Ochako pressed all ten digits to the floor of the building, increasing its gravity.
She felt her stomach rolling under the efforts, but the groan of metal and crack of concrete let her know she was doing her job as the already-damaged building collapsed under its own weight. With a satisfied smile, Ochako launched herself out a window, landing on the ground as she watched the building collapse.
Izuku fought against Tomura, his rage and grief overriding his sense of self until that fateful moment when his opponent managed to lay a hand on him. He couldn't do anything but watch helplessly as One For All raged, like a brilliant light sparking in defiance as his arm crumbled to dust…
In a brief moment of panic, Izuku shoved Tomura away from him, refusing to give the villain an opening.
He made a promise to so many people that he would come home.
Tomura's arm stretched out menacingly as he fell backward, only for a black portal to open up beneath him. As he watched, he saw his cousin crash into the ground next to Homura and slowly stand up.
"Shit," Izuku swore as he watched the woman reach out. And once again, Tomura began to glow with an orange aura.
The Nomu Woman's liquid-like tendrils fought to pull All Might through the portals; however, it took only a moment for him to figure out the relative strength of the tendrils and reach a stalemate with the creature. He knew that he was their real target and hoped that the few seconds he bought was enough.
He felt his smile widen as he saw Izuku use the opening to grab Tomura, carting him skyward.
However, his brief moment of elation was fleeting.
Without warning, he suddenly saw an orange glow reappear around the tendrils, and he felt himself pulled forward. His years of training were enough to keep him from stumbling into the portal, but it was far closer than he would have liked.
"Eraser-"
"I can't see her," Aizawa shouted as he moved; his eyes scanned the battlefield for Homura.
All Might was so focused on trying to keep the Nomu restrained that he almost missed the second orange blur as it charged towards him. Knowing that getting touched was likely a death sentence, he pulled himself free, freeing the Nomu Woman as he dodged Tomura's touch.
"Damn it, he's faster than we thought," Tomura complained. He watched his ultimate target flee halfway across the plaza. "Very well then, how about I get rid of the annoying debuffer in the meantime."
He knew he only had one shot to hit All Might before Eraserhead Erased his quirk, but at the speed he was moving, he didn't need his quirk to take down the hero. Turning, he saw Eraserhead's hair was raised in his 'tell' that he had activated his quirk.
"Yes, I think it's time to deal with the debuffer."
Tomura charged, closing the distance in less than a second as he threw what he thought was a lethal punch. Unfortunately, that was enough time to prepare for him, and he felt his fist hit the hero's signature binding cloth, which tightened around him before slamming him into the ground.
Tomura didn't waste any time getting back up and charging again. The hero raised his arm to block, but it wasn't enough. As Tomura's fist hit his foe's elbow, he felt the bone crack from the speed of the impact. Throwing another wild punch, he felt the elbow shatter completely, his arm going limp at his side.
The hero was annoyingly persistent in not letting pain slow him down and hopped backwards, giving him some breathing room as he attempted to use his capture scarf a second time. Laughing at the hero's vain effort, Tomura easily dodged the scarf-
-only to find himself suddenly frozen to the ground.
"You got him!" Himiko cheered as she saw Shoto's wave of ice trap the villain.
"Sometimes the brute force approach does work," Shoto said flatly as he walked toward his teacher.
"Damn it," Tomura hissed, "you're not supposed to be here! Where's the minions to help with the mid-bosses?!"
"We've taken care of two of them," Izuku said as he landed next to his cousin, already pulling out capture tape to restrain him. "And now we only have one left."
Shoto turned and saw what Izuku was talking about - a mere ten meters away, there was an area filled with a mixture of black fog and orange-and-black tendrils.
"It's over," All Might said as he approached the mass. "Your final Nomu isn't enough to-"
"Give my brother back!" They heard Homura shriek from inside the shadows.
Suddenly and without warning, they saw the mass of tendrils reform into spikes and explode outward.
Izuku didn't have time to process what he just heard as he saw the spikes coming directly towards him - and Tomura. Despite everything, he didn't want to see his cousin die. Letting his instincts take over, he stepped in front of the villain and summoned One For All, feeling the sharp spikes as they impacted against him.
Behind him, Shoto had summoned an Ice Wall, protecting himself as well as Himiko and their teacher. He stared impassively through the prism as he watched All Might make his final move.
Refusing to be phased by the attack, All Might charged forward, the attack barely slowing him down as he wound up a punch.
"California Smash!"
Releasing his punch at the edge of the bubble, he watched as the smoke was blasted away to reveal Homura, Kurogiri, and the Nomu Woman. The Nomu looked like she was missing the lower half of her body thanks to the attack as she held herself upright on the ground. Unfortunately, All Might could tell that would be short lived as she was already beginning to regrow her lower half.
And Homura had lost all of her previous composure, staring daggers at All Might.
"Why won't you just die?!" she screamed. She looked like she was ready to charge All Might herself and take him on but was stopped when Kurogiri touched her shoulder.
"We must go. We've already lost."
"But Tomura-"
"I'll retrieve him."
"Very well." Homura seemed to regain her composure slightly. "Save as many as you can."
Seeing the black portal appear, All Might charged only to feel the Nomu Woman slam into him. While she wasn't a threat, the moment's distraction was enough for Homura to enter the portal and disappear.
Take this! Aika threw a leaping punch at her opponent.
Her eyes going wide, her opponent leaped out of the way, allowing one of her companions - a large, muscular man wearing a skullcap and mask that hid his entire face except for his eyebrows. Raising her arms, Aika blocked the first attack.
This guy's strong, but I've had to deal with Mido and Raka's attacks! He's got nothing on them.
Several swift punches and one well-timed elbow later and her opponent was down for the count. She began looking for her true opponent when she heard a loud crash and felt the ground beneath her feet rumbling. She hoped that wasn't a bad thing.
"Holy crap! Uraraka just dropped a building on a villain!" Kirishima exclaimed from behind her.
Ok. Good thing! Aika clenched her fists tightly. And if Raka's fighting that hard, I can't lose here either!
"What kind of heroes are we up against?!" the woman exclaimed.
"We're class 1-A!" Aika exclaimed. "And we won't lose to the likes of you!"
Charging forward, Aika activated her quirk as the woman fired another sonic bolt at her. She crossed her arms and felt the impact, but refused to slow down! Pushing onward, she finally made it inside the girl's range and threw a punch.
"Aaah!" the woman cried out as she raised her own arm to block. She appeared to have some martial arts training, but her technique was crude and slow compared to the people Aika had been training against, and soon, she stumbled backward, falling on her butt.
Standing over her, Aika knew she should finish the job - that she had seconds to knock her out before another villain was on top of her.
But…
There was something about the woman's song that bothered her.
Taking a risk, Aika stopped singing.
"Your song's beautiful," Aika said.
"What?" the woman asked in disbelief. "What are you, stupid?"
Aika shook her head. "No! You've got a wonderful song. I've heard it here! You shouldn't waste it on destruction!"
"What do you know," the girl asked bitterly.
"I don't know a lot," Aika admitted. "But one thing I know is music!"
The woman on the ground gave her an angry scowl. "Well then, let me open your eyes."
Aika's eyes went wide as she saw the woman had a grenade in her hands. When did she get that?! She began to sing, hoping her quirk would come up in time.
Then she felt the wave of heat as the grenade detonated, its explosion sending her flying where she landed on her back.
"Oww…"
"Shizu!" Despite the ringing in her ears, she saw Kirishima standing in front of her, standing defiantly against their opponents.
"You're so naive, it's laughable," the woman said as she stood up. "Open your damn eyes."
"I-" Aika coughed. "If believing in people makes me naive, then I'll keep my eyes shut!"
The woman scowled and looked ready to attack when a cloudy portal opened up next to her.
"Tsukiko, it's time to go," a voice called out from the other side of the portal.
"Grr, fine." The woman lowered her hands and turned away.
Thinking fast, Aika pushed herself to her feet. "Aika!"
"What?" The woman froze, her gaze turning toward her opponents.
"Your name's Tsukiko, right? Well I'm Aika! Aika Shizu!"
"I don't care," the woman spat.
"But I do! I won't stop believing in people." Akia threw her hand out defiantly. "And I will stop you!"
"Fine! I can't wait until I crush you," Tsukiko replied before she ran through the portal.
Aika watched as the portal closed behind the woman, leaving a waft of smoke behind before that too disappeared. Quickly scanning the battlefield, she saw all of the remaining villains had fled, leaving the unconscious villains behind. In the distance, she heard heroes shouting as they moved to help. But she didn't understand why everything was starting to feel so hazy and far away.
"That was so-" Kirishima started as he turned around, just in time to see Aika collapse on the ground.
Returning as quickly as she could, she saw Ryukyu hovering over Bakugo as an Ectoplasm clone approached. Spotting the first aid kit in the clone's hands, she dashed forward, taking it from him.
"There's still fighting in the ruins," Ochako mumbled out. "We can handle it from here."
The clone looked like it was about to protest until Ryukyu gave him a look and a single nod. Deciding not to argue, he left. Not bothering to watch him go, Ochako knelt next to her mentor, already opening the kit and pulling out gauze and salve.
"He'll live," Ryukyu said as she took the supplies. "The scars are gonna be bad though."
"Why did he have to attack the Nomu…" Ochako cursed under her breath.
"He was trying to be a hero, just like you were," Ryukyu said softly. "He wanted to help."
Ochako scoffed. "Some help - he's been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since class started."
"Sounds like some heroes I know. Japan's already got Endeavor after all." Ryukyu smirked as she returned to working. "Weren't you the ones talking about thousands of pillars?"
Ochako laughed. "I didn't think we were that desperate." Letting out a resigned sigh, she watched the hero working. "What do you need me to do?"
"Apply pressure here," the hero indicated his freshly-wrapped arm wounds. Shifting position, Ochako took her mentor's place and began to apply pressure while Ryukyu began to wrap his legs.
As she stared at Bakugo's pale face, Ochako frowned.
I'll never forgive you for what you've done. But Ryukyu's right. Japan needs all the heroes it can get.
Will you actually step up when it really matters?
Izuku slowly lowered his arms, feeling the pain in his shoulders and legs from where the spikes hit him. Thankfully his costume took the brunt of it. Fortunately for him, his gauntlets and boots were designed to contain One For All's destructive power, and biological spikes weren't enough to compete.
Turning around, his eyes widened as he saw a black portal appear on the ground underneath Tomura - they were trying to escape! Taking a risk, he threw a single Blackwhip tendril, catching his cousin's legs and pulling him away from the portal.
"Ow- what are you-" Tomura complained before he slammed into the ground.
Worried, Izuku hurried over to assess the damage. He could've really hurt him! As he knelt, he saw that the villain's legs were fine. He had done it! It wasn't much, but for one moment, he managed to get Blackwhip under control.
Unfortunately, they only captured one of their targets, and Izuku couldn't help but mull over Homura's words…
She was Tomura's sister.
He had another cousin.
Chapter 63: USJ - Aftermath
As the other heroes spread out and secured the other zones, All Might continued to wrestle with the Nomu Woman. Given final orders, the creature thoughtlessly continued its attack on All Might, fleshy tentacles assaulting the hero relentlessly.
However, without the threat of Kurogiri tearing him in half, the hero was able to easily handle the creature.
It took several minutes, but soon enough the Nomu stopped moving, simply laying on the ground while All Might stood triumphantly over it. Once the hero was satisfied that the creature was docile, he turned his attention to the rest of the USJ.
It had been three minutes since the heroes had arrived. That was all the time it took for them to completely retake control of the building. All of the villains in the facility had either surrendered or been defeated, and now it was simply a matter of rounding them up for the police that should be arriving soon.
At least, rounding up the villains who hadn't escaped.
All Might returned his attention to an empty space in the plaza. A space that had, minutes before, been occupied by Homura Shigaraki.
Nana's granddaughter.
How had he missed so much? First the fact that Nana - the woman he looked up to, had not one, but two children.
And their children - Nana's grandchildren were doomed to face each other on opposite sides of the conflict orchestrated by All For One.
He failed all of them.
All Might knew what kind of man All For One was. As soon as he got back from America, he should have checked to see if she had any living relatives. If he had known-
This isn't your fault. A voice spoke in his head. All Might swore it sounded like Nana - or perhaps it was Inko's voice? You are not the same Toshi that failed Izuku and Ochako - that failed Tenko and Hana. You've been doing your best to make things right. And your work isn't done yet.
Pulled out of his thoughts, All Might blinked as he turned toward Izuku. He saw the boy working with grim purpose as he wrapped Tenko's hands with capture tape, carefully binding his cousin's fingers so he couldn't use Decay.
"You're right Nana," All Might said to no one in particular. "I may have failed you in the past. But perhaps… perhaps it is not too late to help Tomura - no - to help Tenko and Hana."
"This isn't fair," Tomura complained as he tried to flex his fingers. "How did you know how to neutralize my quirk! Did you buy a strategy guide?"
"My girl- best friend has a five point contact quirk," Izuku said, dodging the real answer as he finished binding Tomura's hands together.
"Not fair," Tomura grumbled as Izuku pulled him up to a standing position. "We had everything planned out. We even brought extras to handle the secret mid-bosses and you still won!"
"Aren't there games where you lose in the tutorial?" Izuku asked curiously.
"Of course," Tomura said. "But then you wake up to find out it was all a dream - or that you've been rescued and the real game is about to begin."
Izuku shuddered at the delight in Tomura's voice. "Well none of that is going to happen here. This is reality, and you're going to jail."
Tomura let out a frustrated sigh. "This isn't how it was supposed to happen!"
"How do you think we feel?" Izuku shot an annoyed glance at the villain. "We came here to learn how to be heroes! To learn how to save people! And you turned it into a battlefield!"
"Heroes? Saving people?" Tomura laughed. "Then where were you fifteen years ago?"
Izuku found his anger quashed at his cousin's words. "Fifteen years ago?"
"Yes." Tomura sneered at Izuku. "You may act all noble, but when it really mattered, it wasn't a hero who saved us. It was a villain."
"What are you talking about?" Izuku asked, dumbfounded.
"Of course you wouldn't get it," Tomura sighed. "That's why we decided to strike today. To prove that nobody is safe - that it's all a lie. Perpetuated by All Might and those who support him."
"That's- that's not true!" Izuku insisted.
"Midoriya," Aizawa cut him off. "I know what you're trying to do. But right now's not the time." His glare told Izuku all he needed to know.
There will be time later.
Izuku sighed. "Yes sensei."
"Good. Your classmates are being led outside where there are paramedics waiting. Take your sister and Todoroki and meet up with the rest of 1-A." He turned his attention to the other nearby students. "And get yourselves checked out."
"But I wasn't harmed," Shoto stated.
"Doesn't matter." Aizawa shot an icy glare at his student. "Nezu's orders. If any of you suffered so much as a scratch, he wants to know about it."
Shoto closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. "Very well." Opening them, he turned toward Izuku. "Shall we go?"
"Yeah," Izuku said softly before turning to his sister. "Himi?" Giving her a questioning glance, he offered her one of his hands, which she readily took. "Are you hurt?" Izuku asked softly.
Himiko shook her head, but the pressure he felt as she squeezed his hand told him all he needed to know. "Todoroki almost got Tsu hurt," she grumbled as she shot their classmate a sideways glance.
Izuku sighed and squeezed her hand. "I'll try working on him. But what about you?"
"I'm…" Himiko paused. "Not looking forward to sleeping tonight."
"Want to invite Song over?" Izuku asked.
"If I can convince her." Himiko's face lit up at the mention of her girlfriend.
"I'm pretty sure we won't have school tomorrow…" Izuku explained.
"Thanks, Izu." Himiko smiled at her brother before her eyes began to probe him. "And what about you?"
"M-me?" Izuku blinked in surprise. "I'm okay!"
"Are you really?" Himiko's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah," Izuku lied as he pulled his gaze away from Himiko's face. "I just need to- Ochako!"
Himiko and Shoto's heads both twisted around at the sound of Izuku's voice, and they saw their classmate walking into the central plaza. Ochako's helmet was in her hands, her suit stained with a lot of blood. Ryukyu walked alongside her, holding someone.
Hearing Izuku, her head snapped up, and their gazes met. Even from the distance, she seemed to understand his question and shook her head before tilting it. Izuku's gaze followed her direction and that's when he recognized who the hero was holding.
"Kach- Bakugo's hurt!" Izuku said before pulling his hand free and rushing toward the trio. He heard Shoto and Himiko following him, but his attention was focused on their classmate.
"Stay back," Ryukyu ordered the approaching students. "He's stable, but in rough shape. We need to get him to the medics as quickly as possible."
"R-right," Izuku said, letting the hero pass before he fell in line next to Ochako. "What happened?"
"Nomu," Ochako replied, grim-faced. "We had it under control, but then he came out of nowhere and attacked the damned thing!"
"Oh no…" Izuku looked at Katsuki's pale face and felt a pang of guilt in his chest.
"Izuku," Ochako said softly. "This isn't your fault."
"Why would this be Midoriya's fault?" Shoto asked as he looked between the pair.
"Izu and Bakugo have a history," Himiko said darkly as she looked at Katsuki. Normally the scent of blood on Ochako would get her excited. But knowing whose it was only made it smell sour to her. Himiko opened her mouth to continue, but Ochako cut her off.
"Was anyone else hurt?" Ochako asked desperately.
"We don't know," Izuku said. "We were heading outside to find out ourselves."
"Let's get going then," Ochako urged them.
The four turned to follow Ryukyu when they heard another voice from behind them.
"Guys!" Eijiro called out from behind them. "Wait up! Shizu's hurt!"
They froze before three of them quickly spun around and saw Eijiro rushing toward them. Behind him was a clone of the hero Ectoplasm, holding a very familiar figure in his arms.
"What happened?" Shoto asked before the others recovered.
"She- she was so manly!" Ejiro stopped in front of them. "She tried to reach out to one of the villains only for- they had a grenade!"
"What?"
"Seriously?"
"Her quirk wasn't up, was it?" Izuku asked as he pieced together what happened.
"I thought she made it in time!" Ejiro said. "She looked a little worse for wear but nothing serious until she just collapsed!"
"Her quirk is strong, but it might not be enough to fully stop that much force," Izuku admitted.
"That's two classmates…" Ochako said sadly.
Izuku held his girlfriend's hand tightly, trying to silently reassure her. "Hopefully everyone else is okay?"
"Yeah." Ochako forced a smile to her face. "Let's go make sure!"
Bobbing their heads in agreement, the group of students followed the heroes out of the USJ, each silently hoping that they weren't in for any more rude surprises.
When the group made it outside, they were relieved to see that the rest of their classmates had already assembled. Even better, they discovered the rest of their classmates were standing. Many looked exhausted, and there were more than a few bandages to go around, but they were okay.
"I guess we got the worst news out of the way already," Ochako murmured as they approached their classmates.
"Yeah." Izuku nodded before turning to the other three. "Okay, let's go get-"
"Aika!" Kyoka shouted as she came running. She took one look at her unconscious friend in the hero's arms before she turned and darted over to her friends. "What happened to her?!"
Ochako quietly gestured to Eijiro, and he repeated the story to the purple-haired girl.
"I'm sorry Jiro, if I was only faster-" Eijiro started.
"No." Kyoka shook her head and gave the redhead a wobbly smile. "That sounds just like something she'd do. It's not your fault the villains stooped that low." She balled her fists as dark shadows filled her eyes. "If I get my hands on that woman…"
"I'll be right there with you," Eijiro promised. "We'll bring them to justice, for Shizu's sake!"
"Yeah," Kyoka said, unable to work up the same enthusiasm. "For Shizu…"
"You know how stubborn she is. There's no way she's going to stop at her debut," Ochako said as she tried to cheer her friend up.
"You're right. On that note…" Kyoka suddenly spun around and looked at Izuku and Ochako. "Excuse me, I need to borrow our class reps for a minute."
"Y-you three get checked out by the medics, we'll catch up," Izuku said nervously to Shoto, Himiko, and Eijrio.
"There's no way I'm missing this," Himiko replied.
"Now I am curious," Shoto admitted as he stared hard at Izuku.
"No way frosty." Kyoka turned to glare at Shoto, her ear jacks already raised menacingly. "This is friends only business."
"They've got a history," Eijiro placed a hand on Shoto's arm. "Let 'em go."
"Hmph, fine." Shoto turned away from the group. "I believe I owe Asui an apology anyway."
Izuku felt relief wash over him as he saw the other two students back off; he looked at Kyoka and swallowed nervously. "Lead the way."
A few minutes later, Jiro had pulled her friends to the side of the USJ, still within sight of the heroes but far enough away that they could have a conversation. After using her quirk to check and make sure they were alone, she spun and faced Izuku and Ochako.
"Ok, what the hell happened?"
"We're not sure," Izuku admitted as he looked at Ochako. "The plan was for Aizawa and All Might to disable Kurogiri while we evacuated, and then the heroes would have swept through the USJ."
"Kurogiri?"
"The villain who was creating those black warp portals," Ochako explained. "He did the same thing in the past - trying to scatter our class, I mean."
"Clearly that didn't work, and now Aika's- Aika's-" Kyoka felt the tears coming. "I trusted you!"
"We're sorry," Ochako apologized.
"This was supposed to be it. We were supposed to end the League here, and stop the nightmare-" Izuku said, his voice heavily laced with guilt. "Instead two people got injured… and Homura escaped with Kurogiri…"
Himiko looked at the three and felt her insides twisting. This was so unlike them! After everything they've faced, this is what caused them to crumble? She wasn't having any of it.
"Will you three cut it out!" Himiko yelled, causing the three to jump.
"Himi-" Izuku's head whipped up to look at his sister.
"Where's the Izu that was willing to face me down that stormy night?" Himiko asked before she turned to the girls. "Where's the Chako who's ready to take on the whole world to help someone? Where's the Kyoka who's tired of keeping the rest of us in line?"
"I don't think you get to ask that," Kyoka grumbled as she rubbed her eyes.
"You're right," Himiko agreed. "I should be causing you to roll your eyes and threatening to stab me."
"Himi's right," Ochako said with a wet chuckle. Forcing a smile to her face, she looked at her friend. "Ectoplasm said Aika's stable. I'm sure she'll pull through. And you heard what Kirishima said."
"Yeah… She doesn't always succeed, but she tries. That's gotta count for something," Kyoka said fondly. She turned to her friends and gave them a shaky smile. "I'm sorry I snapped. It's been a stressful day."
"For all of us," Ochako agreed as she gave her boyfriend a worried glance. "We've been on edge all week waiting for this attack to happen. Nezu insisted we keep the operation secret because he's worried that the League might have a spy in class… and after today I think he might be onto something."
"Someone in our class is working for the league?!" Himiko asked in horror.
Ochako winced as she looked at the other girl. "We don't know if they are doing it willingly or not. But the villains we saw today… and the Nomu…"
"It was more than we were expecting," Izuku finally spoke. "A lot more."
"It was like someone saw our performance at the Battle Trials, huh?" Kyoka asked.
"That's what we get for showing off," Himiko grumbled. "What about that Tomura guy that we captured?"
"He was the primary leader of the league in my timeline…" Izuku answered softly, "...and my cousin. We thought he was going to be the leader here. But…"
"But he wasn't alone," Ochako said. "Homura was with him. She was the leader of the league in my timeline."
"She was the one who got away," Himiko said. "I don't get it. How could both be here?"
"We don't know," Ochako said. "We knew things were jumbled together from our two timelines but- this was the first time we've dealt with a situation like this."
"I think I know why," Izuku said as he turned to Himiko. "Remember what Homura said? Tomura was her brother."
Ochako gasped as her head whipped around. "Homura's- she's Nana's granddaughter?!"
"Yeah," Izuku said quietly. "Which means she's also my cousin."
Ochako wrapped her boyfriend in a hug. "Izu I'm- if I had known-"
"I know Ocha." Izuku hugged back. "It's not your fault. I just wish I found out another way…"
"For those of us who don't have all the context, what does that mean?" Kyoka asked.
The couple separated and turned towards their friend. "There's an ancient evil hiding in Japan - the ancient rival to One For All," Ochako said. "He was the real objective of today - we were supposed to capture his successor and cut off his access to a teleportation quirk. That way we could force him out of hiding. Then we could have stopped - everything that happened to our class in the future."
"But somehow in this timeline he had two successors," Izuku continued. "Which means that whatever event happened that caused him to choose one or the other was different, and he found both of them instead."
"Well," Kyoka sighed, "since Aika isn't here to ask the dumb question, I guess I'll do it. Do you think it has to do with whatever happened to send both of you back?"
"Probably," Izuku admitted. "We'll need to talk to Second. After we… tell Nana." Izuku swallowed as his resolve evaporated again.
"Don't worry Izu." Ochako held his hand tightly. "I'll be right there with you tonight."
"I know," Izuku said warmly as he struggled to muster up resolve. "Thank you."
Turning her attention back to Kyoka, Ochako continued. "Second's quirk is the one that sent us back. I don't know if he'll have any idea what happened, but it's better than nothing." She let out a loud sigh. "In the meantime, I think we need to get back to our classmates."
As one, the four of them saw the rest of their classmates still being treated by the medics. Kyoka then turned back to her friends. "I want to see how Aika's doing. I just- wish I could do more for her. She may be a handful, but she deserves better than this."
"No need to apologize." Izuku offered her a reassuring smile. "We'll let you know what we find out?"
"Thanks." Kyoka gave them a crooked smile before she took off.
Ochako pulled away from Izuku and gave him a warm look. "Ready to do our duties as Class Reps?"
"I think so," Izuku said. "Hopefully when we're done we can talk to All Might and see what he learned."
"I'm sure you'll be the first to know," Ochako giggled. "Come on, let's go."
The four walked back to their classmates before finally getting checked out. After Izuku and Ochako were patched up, the two separated and checked on their classmates.
The sixteen who were standing upright, at least.
As Ochako moved from classmate to classmate, her eyes kept drifting over to her boyfriend. She was worried about him - the knowledge about Homura was hitting him a lot harder than he was letting on. Once they were finally free, she was going to have to kidnap him to talk about it.
It took far longer to deal with the police and visiting heroes than he would have liked, but eventually Nezu was finally free. Gathering together a select group of heroes and teachers, he entered the USJ.
"This is my fault," Shota said as soon as they were alone inside the building. "If I didn't hesitate when I did…" He clenched his fists. "Or if I told those kids - either of them - who Kurogiri really was."
"That is not your fault," Nezu pointed out. "As for that information, we unfortunately cannot plan for a contingency such as time travel with certainty."
"You're going to try though, aren't you," Thirteen said, more a statement than a question.
"Indeed," Nezu replied. "It will be an interesting challenge! But that is a topic for another day. For now we need to focus on the events of the day. Sir Nighteye?"
Mirai stepped forward and folded his hands behind his back. "After talking with the police and reviewing the statements of the students, we have arrested 82 villains today, on top of capturing the three Nomu. As per the information we have received from those children, the Nomu are being moved in secret to a medical facility to undergo further examination. In addition, we have captured Tomura Shigaraki, whom we have identified as Tenko Shimura."
The hero let out a sigh before he continued. "That is the good news. However, the operation was not a total success. We have failed to capture the villain known as Kurogiri, who has been positively identified as Oboro Shirakumo. In addition, we haven't captured the previously unexpected villain Homura Shigaraki or Hana Shimura. From the student's reports about twenty villains also managed to escape, many of which seemed to have a personal connection with Homura."
"They weren't all hired thugs," Ryukyu said. "This means this League of Villains is already forming."
"That is my assessment as well," Nezu agreed. "And it also confirms my suspicion that one of the students in 1-A may be feeding information to All For One. Why else would they send such overwhelming force to the USJ compared to the previous incidents?"
"I'll start watching the kids," Shota said with a resigned sigh. "Hopefully they'll slip up and we can catch them."
"I have a few ideas we can discuss later, as well," Nezu replied.
"With Kurogiri still loose, that means we are no closer to finding All For One," Toshinori said, a hint of frustration bleeding into his voice.
"Indeed," Nezu said. "And with this major ripple we can no longer trust any of the information those two have provided us."
"We're essentially flying blind," Mirai said.
"Ironic for you to say that," Ryukyu said. "Although we still have a few advantages left, don't we?" She turned toward Toshinori.
"Indeed we do," Toshinori agreed. "We have young Tenko. If we can somehow reach him, perhaps there is still a chance we can stop All For One before he causes too much trouble."
"I certainly hope so," Nezu agreed before looking up to Japan's number one hero. "Do you think you can do it?"
Toshinori flashed his signature smile as he looked down at the principal. "Yes. For my successors' sake, I will succeed."