Chapter Ten
Unnatural Disaster
"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!" A woman screamed from the top of a skyscraper. A villain scaled the building with reckless abandon with his quirk, which transformed his mustache into several large tentacles. Grasping the victim in one appendage, he laughed maniacally as he climbed higher and higher.
"HA HA HA HAH! SORRY LITTLE LADY, NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW! FOR I, I AM KNOWN AS-"
"CALIFORNIA…SMAAAASH!"
In an incredible feat of strength and agility, All Might struck the villain down from above and caught the woman, who the villain let go of in surprise.
"BUT I DIDN'T FINISH YEEEEET!" The ultimately unnamed villain yelled as he descended, both in height and into unconsciousness. Within seconds, everyone was safely on the ground, the villain apprehended.
"STAY SAFE EVERYONE! I'D STAY LONGER, BUT I'M AFRAID I AM LATE! THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPP-"
BOOOM!
"AAAAH! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!"
"Ah shit," All Might cursed to himself. "Not a second to waste out here!" He solved yet another crisis on his way to work, arriving seconds before Mt Lady and Kamui Woods could even react before leaping away. It just wasn't in his nature to leave someone in need.
"HEEEELP!"
No matter how late he becomes. His time as a hero each day was shrinking further and further since passing his power along. He was reaching his limit, no doubt.
"Alright," He thought to himself. "Last one, then straight to UA. No more stops." He sped to the next crime in process…
Only it wasn't quite a villain.
People ran through the streets to escape the large creature. Dark blue energy whipped through the area, tossing cars and tearing through signs and buildings. All Might didn't recognize it, but it was clearly on a mindless rampage. The mass of energy materialized into a solid form, revealing purple outlines and large frightening eyes and fangs. A incorporeal lion snarled at the approaching hero, crushed the concrete in its wake.
"ALRIGHT, YOU…WHATEVER YOU ARE! TIME TO TAKE A NAP FOR A WHILE!"
The lion sneered at the number one hero, breathing in deeply, then roared. Negative energy cascaded through the street, forcing Toshinori into a block as every pane of glass shattered at once.
"I SEE YOU'RE NOT GOING WITHOUT A FIGHT!" He did his best, but for the first time in years, All Might actually shivered in fear. Shivered!
"RIGHT, NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT! TEXAS…"
xXx
Later…
"What do you mean you overdid it?" Aizawa asked in irritation.
Currently, the underground hero finally got his class loaded onto the bus to the USJ (which took way longer than it should have) and were running late. Aizawa glared down the road as he pressed the phone into his ear. "You do realize you actually have to be around to teach if you're going to be a teacher here, right?" He listened a bit longer before sighing. "Fine, we should manage then. Get it together soon."
He put his phone away and kept driving, largely ignoring the sounds of rambunctiousness behind him. While some students napped or kept to themselves, many chatted about today's hero training.
Which somehow had to do with rescue.
"This is so exciting!" Uraraka raved. "Rescue training sounds way more fun than battle anyway."
"Says the girl who hits harder than anyone." Asui croaked. The two girls had become fast friends over the last week, and were practically inseparable. "Can I ask you something, Ochaco?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Isn't your power kinda like All Might's?" She asked innocently. Uraraka's breath hitched at the question, but she had prepared for this.
"I guess," she waved off. "But I'm nowhere close to thatlevel of power. And All Might can't control gravity, can he?"
"No, no one's really sure what his quirk is." Midoriya answered, his fanboy side showing. "Some kind of super strength of course, but there's no official name for it. Your quirk is amazing though, Uraraka!"
"Thanks Deku!" She beamed. "You're way more powerful than me though."
"Oh, I don't know about that, heh," he deflected. Kirishima jumped in next to him.
"Yeah, man! You're way too powerful! It's like you got four quirks at once!" Midoriya seemed to cringe a bit at that, but the redhead had already moved on, hardening his entire arm into stone. "Way more flashy than mine. I mean, it's tough and good in a fight, but I probably won't win any popularity contests."
"You're kidding right?" Midoriya disagreed. "You're like the perfect shield! I can't increase my defense at all, nor am I strong on my own. You'll go extremely far with that!"
"Thanks man! So…how does your quirk work anyway?" he asked.
"Well, it's actually a bit simpler than you would think." Midoriya explained (lied). "It's actually a specialized form of telekinesis that only works on the four classical elements. Air, water, earth, and fire. It takes a lot of focus to use, though."
"My quirk is the perfect combo of powerful and stylish, fu fu." Aoyama said, speaking to no one in particular. Mina was quick to answer regardless. "Yeah, but it's kinda hard to fight with a tummy ache, right hun?"
The sparkle dimmed just a bit as Aoyama side eyed his classmate. Kirishima was still talking about quirks.
"If there's anyone here who is definitely gonna go big, it's Bakugo and Todoroki, though!" Bakugo glared at the mention of his name, but ignored the praise. Todoroki, one seat behind him, was asleep.
"Yeah, but Bakugo's too angry to be popular." Asui said bluntly. Midoriya braced himself for the coming noise.
"THE HELL YOU SAY? I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"
"You see?" Asui deadpanned. Kaminari joined in with a laugh.
"Yeah like, we only just met you dude. But your personality's pretty much flaming hot shit mixed with garbage."
"YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THE DAY YOU APPLIED TO THIS SCHOOL, YOU LOSER! I'LL KILL YOU, BASTARD!"
Midoriya almost laughed to himself at the absurdity. The one who had tormented him for so long was getting teased by everyone else. Bakugo only got more enraged at the lackluster reaction from his classmates.
"Ugh, such a vulgar conversation…" Yaoyorozu said with a hand over her mouth. "Midoriya, if I may, where is your costume? Was it too damaged from the battle training?"
"Yeah." Midoriya looked down at his standard gym clothes. "It just needed adjustments too. It was actually restricting me too much in actual battle. The cape might be a bit much."
"Was it for decoration or actual flight? I thought I saw some structure in it."
"There was. But it took too long to put together and just ended up torn." He shrugged at the failure. "Maybe a small glider would be better."
"Hmm…what about a wingsuit instead?" She suggested. "With your power over air currents, you could fly a little easier that way."
"That's…a way better idea!" Midoriya said, aghast. "I think I read in…uh, somewhere that you could theoretically fly with just a wingsuit if the air is with you. And if I can control the air, that couldbeenoughtosustainflightIbetterputarequestintothesupportcourseand…"
Though the rest was gibberish to anyone else, Momo sat at rapt attention, jotting down notes at rapid speed, faster than Izuku could talk. The more they worked together, the more Yaoyorozu realized just how smart Midoriya actually was, despite the plain appearance.
"We're almost there," Aizawa called from the front. "Settle down and get ready."
"Right!"
xXx
Miles elsewhere, underground…
"Is it time yet?" A raspy voice asked in the dark.
"Soon, Tomura. In just a few minutes, we will enact the plan."
"Good…just can't wait…and All Might will be there?"
"Yes, we double checked. And our insider confirmed it."
"Excellent. I want his head on a platter already…"
xXx
"Welcome students, to my personal playground!" A voice called from a puffy white spacesuit. The astronaut met the class from their bus, leading to a huge superdome! The entire thing was enclosed to contain any environment they wished. And it was run by none other than…
"It's Thirteen! They're like my favorite rescue hero!" Uraraka fangirled. And she didn't fangirl much. Midoriya was there right alongside her, equally fangirling and writing in-person notes. Momo dropped sweat at the class rep's behavior.
"Settle down everyone," Thirteen caught their attention. "As I'm sure you know, today's training is dedicated to rescue. Rescue from what you ask? Absolutely everything!" They gestured to the superdome behind them. "Follow me!" The large class follows the heroes into the building and immediately were shocked at the sight.
"As you can see," Thirteen continued. "This facility can hold almost every environment you can think of. We have the Landslide Zone!"
They all looked down to the aforementioned zone, seeing a fake town toppled by a landslide.
"The Flood Zone!" A cruise ship sitting in the middle of a huge lake.
"The Conflagration Zone!" This zone was a blazing city, enclosed by a second inner dome.
"The Mountain Zone!" An honest to god mountain erected in the middle of the facility.
"The Collapsed Zone!" An urban city crumbling at every corner.
"The Downpour Zone!" Another enclosed city entrenched in a constant rainstorm.
"I built this place myself! I call it…" Thirteen announced. "The Unforeseen Simulation Joint! Aka, the USJ!"
At that moment, every student thought the exact same thing:
"Just like Universal Studios Japan."
Midoriya looked around, brimming with excitement. This place… it was perfect! His bending could apply in every single scenario! Even in the fire zone and flood zone! He was truly in his element, so to speak.
"I assume you know about…" Aizawa asked Thirteen quietly. Thirteen quickly nodded.
"He said he should make an appearance at the end. That time limit must be killer."
"The height of irrationality, apparently, is as tall as that man." Aizawa grumbled. "We should be ok with just the two of us. Please continue."
"Of course," they answered. "I have just a couple points I would like to share with you all! Actually, three…maybe four? Anyway," the class dropped sweat at the hero's scatteredness.
"My quirk, as you may know, is known as Black Hole." They held up a hand, gesturing to the cap containing their fingers. "With the twitch of my finger, I can suck in anything that comes my way and turn it to dust. No matter how big, or what it is, nothing can stand up to my power."
"Yeah!" Uraraka interrupted. "And you've used it to save hundreds of lives, right?"
"Yes," they responded grimly. "But my quirk can take lives just as easily." The class went dead silent at the tone.
"At the end of the day, my power could wipe out the very thing I'm sworn to protect. The lives of the people I'm saving depends on my ability to control my quirk. Some of you are very powerful, some more than others. And now that you've used your power to fight, you must learn how to use it to save.
Most students nodded solemnly at their words. Tokoyami and Todoroki were among them, having very dangerous quirks themselves. Midoriya nodded fiercely, eager to control his own power to the best of his ability.
Bakugo listened out of respect, but honestly couldn't think of a way his quirk would stop a burning building, other than wiping it off the face of the earth. Didn't matter in his mind, he was built for fighting anyway. Simple as that.
Uraraka grew more serious, remembering what All Might had told her about Thirteen. How long they spent learning control so they could use their quirk safely. This was a testament to this fact.
"Thank you all for listening, now let's move on shall we?" Thirteen finished with a small bow. The class politely clapped as Aizawa stepped up.
"Right let's…"
Shiver
Out of nowhere, the hairs on Izuku's neck stood up on end. Though it wasn't perfect, he could feel the air displace somewhere. Somewhere downstairs…
Nearly a second later, purple smoke began to billow down in the plaza ahead, forming a circle in midair. Several identical circles formed on each side, creating a wall of holes in reality. Jirou noticed as Aizawa turned, peering down.
"Is that part of the-"
"DOWN! GET DOWN!" Midoriya yelled, rolling to the ground and thrusting his fist forward. A misshapen wall of concrete brust forward, concealing the entire group!
CRAAACK!
PEW-BOOOOOM!
The very next second it was formed, it was blown apart by the barrage of attacks from the portals. Everyone had taken cover from the sudden defense and were covered in debris from the attack. But alive they were.
"What the hell?" Sato yelled. "Is this part of the training?"
"GET BACK!" Aizawa snapped, freezing the entire class into place. The normally lazy voice of their Sensei had shifted, taking on the sharpness of a Pro. He activated his quirk, peering over the destroyed barrier, down to the portals.
The first one to step out was a lanky, malnourished man with light blue hair. Most disturbingly, gray hands gripped his form on all sides, including over his face. More invaders came through the portals, criminals of all shapes and sizes. A clear firing squad of every kind stepped through, having destroyed the barrier Midoriya erected. If he hadn't done so, they'd all be hurt or worse.
Good thing they can't fire again, thanks to Erasure. But they were getting closer.
"This is real! Those are villains!" He snapped. He lowered his goggles to his eyes, concealing his power.
"Villains? Real ones?" Hagacure cried. Uraraka winced from the assault, having been scratched with debris but otherwise alright. "Deku, we should…Deku?" She looked at the boy next to her, still knelt down from his move.
But he didn't respond.
"Deku?" Uraraka grabbed him, trying to get his attention. "Deku!"
Midoriya barely heard her, keeping his eyes trained on an incoming villain. For everyone else, he looked like a big ugly bruiser, with his pitch black and red skin, exposed brain and bird-like features. But deep inside, Midoriya felt every inch of his skin crawl at the sight. As if something inside of him detested the creature before him.
UNNATURAL.
"Alarm system…it should have gone off already. They must be blocking it somehow." Aizawa said. "Kaminari, use your quirk to radio the school if you can."
"Yes sir!"
"Thirteen, I leave the students to you."
In no time at all, Aizawa had already jumped down, swinging on his scarf to engage. Though the shooters tried to fire again, they failed thanks to Erasure and were quickly knocked out. Only killing seemed to be the hero's limit as he tore through the mob, dispatching them one by one. A kick to the face here, an elbow to the jugular there, he just didn't stop. Eventually the mob got wise, keeping their distance to avoid immediate defeat. The Hand Villain and Bird Brute stayed in the plaza, watching the fight unfold.
"But where's the smoke villain?" He thought to himself.
Meanwhile, the class ran towards the exit, save for two.
"Deku! Can you hear me?" Uraraka shook the boy. "Deku!"
The Avatar jerked from his stupor. "Huh? What? What's happening?"
"We have to leave now!" Uraraka tugged him to his feet. "They're coming this way!"
"R-Right!" They followed the class back to the door, using their quirks and bending respectively to catch up.
"What about Aizawa-Sensei?" he asked as they ran.
"Trust him!" Thirteen answered. "He's got this! You kids need to escape!"
"But he can't hold them off for long! Eraserhead specializes in sneak attacks! Not brawls!"
"We're just gonna have to have faith, Midoriya!" Iida snapped. "Let's move!"
"Not so fast."
More smoke billowed, blocking their way as yellow glowing eyes towered above them.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that. Hmm?" The villain seemed confused. "Wasn't All Might supposed to be with you? I double checked the schedule…"
"The schedule?" Uraraka asked. "He knows the class schedule?" Thirteen put themselves ahead of the class, shielding them from the danger as Aizawa fought on the other side.
"I won't allow you to harm my students!" Thirteen yelled, popping the cap off their index finger.
"Tisk, Tisk hero," The smoke mocked. "Introductions are needed. I am Kurogiri. And we are the League of Villains. My job here is very simple, so try not to make things complicated."
"What is it you want with us?" Thirteen asked, trying to buy time.
"Oh, it's very simple. It doesn't even require you to die, really. All we want," he elaborated. "Is the head of All Might."
Uraraka froze in fright. All Might? They were after All Might?
"Now then, beg-"
BOOOOOM!
"HAH!" Bakugo mocked. "Like you numskulls could ever kill All Might!" Both he and Kirishima had rushed in to strike, with an explosion and a hardened fist. Both hit thin air, concealed by smoke.
"No! Get back!" Thirteen yelled.
"That was close. How rude of you brats. Now…" The smoke grew bigger, surrounding everyone.
"BEGONE!"
Before anyone could react, the smoke billowed through the group, obscuring their sight as they lost footing. They were being transported! Uraraka guarded, expecting a strike from nowhere…
xXx
"Crap…really overdid it this time…"
Meanwhile, All Might was deflated in the break room, nursing an injury from his latest fight. That creature took a lot out of him, and even landed a strike on his old injury through sheer luck. He did punch it into nothingness, but it didn't go down easy. What even was it?
"Pull a muscle there, old buddy?" Snipe walked in, pouring coffee as he passed.
"Ah, just a flesh wound. I'm fine. Just worn out." Toshinori answered between breaths. Snipe took a seat in front of the Number One Hero, pouring him a cup from his kettle.
"Oh, no thanks. I barely have a stomach anyway."
Snipe shrugged, taking both cups back. "Suit y'self." He lifted his gasmask briefly to sip the black brew, no sugar or cream. Total madman. "Didn't you have class today?"
"Yeah, but there's no way I'm going now," Toshinori grunted. "Used up all my time for today. I have about 5 seconds of power right now. I'll try and make an appearance at the end, but I'm stuck for now."
"Hmm, I get you're the number one an' all, but couldn't you just…not do field work for a while?" Snipe suggested. All Might spat blood a bit as he chuckled.
"Sorry, don't have it in me to stop. Besides, could you ignore a cry for help?"
"Eh, fair point." Snipe conceded. "...what if you taught as you are?"
"Beg pardon?" All Might thought he misheard. Snipe clarified.
"Just teach as you. As Mr. Yagi."
"Pfffsshhh, shit…" All Might spat blood again. "Can't do that either, they may begin to connect the dots. Besides, how could I teach heroics like this?"
"Dunno, just give it some thought." Snipe suggested.
…
"I'll take that coffee now, I think."
"Atta boy."
xXx
"WAAAA!" Midoriya careened through the portal, instantly getting hit with a heatwave from the conflagration below. He immediately flipped and slowed his fall, using airbending the float on the rising thermals.
"The Conflagration Zone! He can use portals!" He hollered. He looked down, spotting someone falling with him! "Hang on!" He kicked through the air, shooting fire from his fists to catch up. It was Ojiro! He was heading straight to the ground! Thinking quickly, Izuku drop-kicked a blast of air to intercept him, flinging him towards a railing! Ojiro caught it by the tip of his tail, stopping the fall.
"Thanks!" He called from his position. The Avatar gave a wave as he landed, rolling to the ground in a kneel.
"Perfect landing," He thought proudly. He looked around in the inferno. "Ok, it's just a training area. We can get out if we head one direction-"
BAM!
The Avatar flinched at the crash behind him. Something had fallen! Wait, no…someone!
"Hey! You ok?" Midoriya rushed over, soon joined by Ojiro to the newly made crater. Kirishima popped out a second later, cragged, but unscathed.
"Man, that was a drop! Anyone else would have died!" Eijiou lamented.
"You ok? Nothing broken?" Ojiro asked quickly.
"Oh yeah, I jump off buildings all the time! Not a pro-WATCH OUT!"
CRACK! BOOOM!
Flaming debris crashed on top of them, exploding in sparks and smoke! A couple seconds later, the earthen tent Midoriya formed withdrew, leaving the trio unharmed.
"That was close. It's too dangerous here, we have to go now!" Midoriya called over the flames. "Can you guys stand?"
"Yeah, we're good!" Ojiro replied. "Let's go!"
"There they are! Get em!" They whipped their heads around. Villains were closing in from all directions! One villain was on top of a building, levitating flaming debris and throwing it at them! As more debris fell their way, Midoriya sent a blast of focused air through it to strike the villain, while dissipating the attack in the process.
But they weren't done yet! Three villains dashed towards them, quirks activated for close combat!
"GET BACK!" Midoriya roared. He took a low stand and moved in circles, drawing the surrounding flames into a blazing barrier, augmenting it as he went. Two villains backed off, avoiding the flames. One ran straight through, unaffected.
"Time to die, kiddos!" The villain was covered head to toe with red bricks, protecting him from the heat.
"He he, this kid's got nothing on me!" He thought, raising a fist. "His fire quirk won't stand a chance against-"
But instead of dodging or running, Izuku rushed straight in and punched him in the gut! Striking straight through the bricks!
"OOOF!" The villain doubled over. "THE FUCK?"
"KIRISHIMA!" Izuku roared.
"RIGHT! HRAAH!" Eijiro hardened, engaging the stunned criminal. More villains otherwise immune to fire made their way through the fire wall, only to get pummeled by the heroes in training. Izuku held back, keeping his focus on his firebending while occasionally chipping in to fight with air and earthbending.
Ojiro, though outwardly ordinary, was a master at martial arts. He practically danced through his enemies, striking in key points to swiftly dispatch his foes. Kirishima, though less refined, as a force to be reckoned with. No matter what he was hit with, he hit back three fold! They made quick work of their opponents.
"What's going on in there?" One villain demanded outside the spiraling flames, their vision obscured. "Are we winning?"
"Of course!" Another answered. "No way we'll lose to a bunch of kids!"
While the criminals bickered, Izuku shot up on an earthen tower to look down on them, maintaining the fiery barrier. Using earthbending, he dragged the rocks and stray brick off the buildings, sending them flying towards the enemy in a volley!
While they attempted to defend from the onslaught of rocks, Kirishima dashed through the flames in a surprise attack, clotheslining two villains and knocking out another. They were victorious!
The flame wall died out, revealing Ojiro standing among half a dozen unconscious villains. Midoriya hopped down gracefully, sweating a storm from the exertion and heat.
"YEAH! HELL YEAH! Showed you assholes!" Kirishima celebrated.
"That was amazing!" Midoriya panted. "We wouldn't have had it without you. Either of you!"
"You're kidding right? You're the one with the firepower!" Ojiro countered.
"Yeah, but it takes…work…" Izuku stumbled, but was caught by Kirishima.
"Bro! You ok?"
"Yeah…it's just hot, one sec." Izuku stood as firmly as he could and thrust his fists together, creating a wind current around himself. "Ok…I'm OK. But we need to find the exit if we want to survive today."
"How do we do that?" Kirishima asked. "I mean, we could be anywhere in this place. It's not like there's a sign or anything."
"Hmm…on sec." Izuku knelt down, cracking his knuckles. Without warning, he slammed his hands into the pavement, cracking it with power. He kept his eyes closed, feeling for vibrations.
After a few seconds…
"The front door's no good," He reported. "It's been blocked off with something I can't identify, so I can't bend it away. Our best bet is to find a wall and force our way through."
"Ok! I like that plan!" Kirishima grinned, sparking his fists together.
"Wait," Ojiro interjected. "How far can you sense? Can you tell what's going on outside?"
"Yeah, hold on…" Izuku deepened his hands, creating more cracks.
"...I think that's Aizawa-Sensei out there. He's still fighting, but I think he's slowing down."
"What about everyone else?" Ojiro asked.
xXx
Meanwhile…
"Everyone is in the facility…" Shoji reported. He, Sero, Sato, Mina, Iida, Uraraka and Thirteen were spared from the mist villain's quirk. Kurogiri blocked the exit, enlarging his amorphous gas body.
"Everyone was scattered to different parts of the USJ," he continued, stretching his Dupli-arms to look in all directions. "They're being attacked by villains, but most everyone is fighting, fending them off."
"Any idea where Deku is?" Uraraka asked.
"No…I can't see him. But I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is." Shoji said with surety.
"Good, now stand back," Thirteen ordered, pointing their finger at the villain. "Iida, you're the fastest among us. I have one mission for you." They pointed their other finger past the villain, towards the door. "You have to get outside the USJ and warn the faculty of the attack. The alarm should have sounded by now, so they must be jamming it somehow."
"Wait, but I can't just leave you all!" Iida protested. "It would be shameful to-"
"Go Iida, we got this!" Sato interrupted.
"Yeah, leave it to us!" Uraraka tensed, activating One-for-All. The rest of the students prepared to fight behind Thirteen.
"How foolish can you be?" Kurogiri taunted. "Forming your plan of attack in front of your opponent!"
"It won't matter!" Thirteen snapped. They thrust their finger towards the mass of dark smoke, activating their quirk. All at once, a powerful vacuum erupted from their fingertip, sucking in the villain's mass.
"BLACK HOLE!"
"Hrgh…how annoying…" Kurogiri struggled against the powerful technique, doing his best to keep his form. Thirteen turned back briefly.
"Iida! Go! NOW!"
"Ye-yessir!" Iida jumped into action, firing off at superhuman speeds. Kurogiri caught a glimpse of the hero-in-training, but was too preoccupied to stop him.
"It seems I must handle you first, hero." He growled. Thirteen grimaced under their mask.
"Why isn't this working? He should be sucked up by now…" he thought. They didn't notice the purple swirl forming behind them. Or the portal Kurogiri had formed to catch the vacuum.
"Your specialty is rescue, isn't it? It shows. No battlefield awareness." The very vacuum Thirteen used to stop the villain attacked them from behind! The spacesuit tore from the destructive power.
"NO!" Uraraka cried, glowing with pink sparks. In the blink of an eye, she kicked Thirteen out of the way of their own attack. Her costume ripped some from the vacuum, destroying her leg bracers and one of her sleeves, but she came out unscathed.
She glared fiercely at the villain. "Mina! Sero! Check on Thirteen! Smokey's mine." She dashed forward, dragging her palms on the ground as she sped forward.
"Foolish girl, attacking me head-on," Kurogiri formed another portal to defend, but Uraraka flipped over the towering villain. As she landed behind him, she brought down a mighty kick to the cement.
"Meteor Shatter!" She struck the ground, which erupted from the force and its own weightlessness. Kurogiri was stunned by the impromptu attack. Several rocks and stones hit his true body, clanging against his metal brace.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" he asked seriously. Though he was surprised, the weightless rocks didn't do much damage. But she smiled as she knelt into a running position.
"Nope."
In a dash of light, she blinked forward, kicking the villain square in the chest with a 7% strike! Kurogiri went tumbling, rolling to the torn apart ground.
"Just needed to find you first." She recalled Bakugo and Kirishima's first strike, how she saw a glimpse of metal under the smoke. "Earlier, you said 'that was close', as if they almost hit you. Which means you have a physical body, don't you?"
"Heh…lucky shot, child." Kurogiri laughed. He looked to the giant doors to the USJ. Iida managed to get away while he was occupied. "It seems we're at an impasse. Till next time." With that, he exploded in smoke again, obscuring her vision. She dashed forward again, but struck air. The smoke cleared, with no villain in sight.
"Gone…" Uraraka sighed from exhaustion. "That took a lot out of me." She jogged over to Thirteen, who's suit was being patched up by Sero. He used his tape quirk to strap them back together. Mina kept them talking as best as she could.
"How are they?" She briskly asked. Thirteen was awake, having only been slightly hurt by the directed attack.
"I'll be ok, thanks to you." Thirteen complimented. "You did good, kid."
"It was nothing…" She looked back to the front doors. "Iida made it out. The rest of the teachers should be here soon."
"Guys! I need help!" Uraraka snapped up, looking down to the plaza stairs. It was Asui!
"Tsu! You're ok!"
"Yep, but he's just about cooked." She said dryly, gesturing to her fellow student. She was half-carrying Kaminari, who had the dumbest look on his face she had ever seen. But otherwise, they were both fine.
"What happened?" Sero asked, taking the boy from Asui.
"We were both dropped in the flood zone. We got to the ship and Kaminari zapped the villains in the water. It was kinda quick, actually." She commented.
"Wheeeeeeeyyy…" Kaminari gurgled.
"Wait…they sent you and Kaminari to the flood zone? And you beat them?" Thirteen said between breaths. Asui nodded. "Ribbit."
"Then…that could only mean one thing…" Thirteen theorized.
xXx
Meanwhile, in the conflagration zone…
"They don't know our quirks," Midoriya called over the roar of the flames. He, Kirishima and Ojiro ran through the fire and smoke, taking out stray villains as they went. "If they did, they would never have sent Kirishima here! Or me, for that matter!" He swung his fist to the side, tackling a villain with a mini landslide, and kept running.
"That makes sense!" Kirishima agreed. "If they knew my quirk, they'd want me to be in the flood zone or something! I'd sink like a rock."
"Exactly! We can use that!"
"Guys! I see the wall!" Ojiro yelled, swinging from building to building. "1 o'clock!"
The three of them stopped at the thick metal wall. Kirishima gave an experimental punch, which barely dented it.
"That's strong," he commented, shaking his wrist. "Midoriya, can you control metal?"
Midoriya frowned. "I've never done it, but metal is basically earth, so I think it's possible." He took his horse stance and felt the cold wall. He reached with his seismic sense…
He punched!
CLANG!
"OW!" Midoriya yelped. "Guess not…"
"Too advanced for now…" he thought. Ojiro looked around at the inferno, thinking carefully.
"Midoriya, what if you melted the wall? With enough fire, I'll bet we can get out that way!" he suggested. Midoriya shook his head.
"I don't have enough firepower for that," he touched the wall again. "This place is built to keep fire in! My fire's just not hot enough on my…own…" He looked at their surroundings. "But…there may be enough fire here to condense! Then I could weld it away! But…" he looked at his hand. "Every time I try firebending that way, I burn myself. And we may need to keep fighting later."
"Actually, I was thinking about that," Ojiro interjected. "I noticed that you use a lot of martial arts with your quirk. That true?"
"Yeah, it just really augments my be-my quirk. Why?"
"Well, when you use fire with martial arts, your form is actually a little off. Can I show you?" Ojiro positioned Midoriya into his firebending stance. "You're a little unbalanced there, move your foot more forward. Stretch that out…" Midoriya listened carefully, absorbing as much info as he could.
"Now, I'm obviously not a fire user, but if you're trying to funnel fire with that form, I'd have it go under your arm here, then condense here, then fire there." Ojiro instructed.
"Okay…I'll try it! Both of you stand back." Both boys backed up, Kirishima hardening for extra safety. Midoriya breathed deeply, stoking his inner fire. "Here goes…" He dropped into his improved stance and reached out, calling the surrounding flames to him. The blaze responded, the tongues of flame reaching Midoriya. He immediately spun, forming the fire into a circle around him. The fire grew in heat and brightness as it spun around him, augmenting from the Avatar's own fire. The circle became hotter…and hotter! It even started to spark different colors. Midoriya kept his form, breathing in and out in intervals with his eyes closed in concentration. Eventually, the halo of fire around him was more intense than the entire zone! Midoriya stopped his movement, opening his eyes. He swept his arms up, drawing and curling the fire to a single point. But instead of forming outside his fist, he seemed to absorb the flames into his limb and into his gut. With perfect form, he punched with his other arm!
FWOOOOOOOOOOOSSSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHHHHH!
The fire erupted from his fist, barely contained in a single whote-hot bolt! It crashed against the metal, flowing up the sheen surface in its release. Midoriya maintained the stream of fire, holding his stance despite the powerful force.
Outside the dome, a single point in the wall glowed red and began to smoke! The red spot grew larger and brighter…until…
BWOOOOOSSSSHHH!
Fire exploded from the wall! The extreme heat carved a person-sized hole in the blackened metal, causing a gigantic fireball on the other side! As the smoke and fire billowed out of the dome, the three students tumbled their way out, coughing and hacking up a storm. Midoriya collapsed to the ground from the exertion. And excitement! That was the most powerful firebending he's ever done!
"Nice one, cough!" Ojiro congratulated. "We need to get moving. Help our classmates however we can!"
"Uh…guys? I don't think they need the help." Kirishima said plainly, pointing out the landslide zone. Midoriya looked up. The entire landslide zone was covered in a thick sheet of ice and the collapsed zone was completely torn apart and smoking. As he sensed before, Aizawa was fighting his way through the plaza.
But this was different now.
"Guys…look down there…" Midoriya whispered. The others looked out to the plaza. Their teacher had finished with the mob and was engaging the boss!
"Let's get down there," Midoriya suggested. "If he needs help, we should be there to back him up."
"Hold on, we're just students!" Ojiro pointed out. "We can't stand up to them. We should leave this to Sensei…"
"And leave him to die if things go south?" Kirishima asked. "No way, man! I'm with you, Midoriya."
Ojiro seemed like he wanted to argue, but sighed. "Well, we got this far."
They hesitantly crept closer from their position, peeking out from the edge of the plaza to watch.
"Looks like Sensei is handling Handy-man," Kirishima muttered. "We're almost through this!"
"Not quite," Midoriya shot down. "Eraserhead is amazing, but not even he can manage this long in an all-out brawl. And that…thing hasn't moved all this time."
It was true. The dark bird-headed villain hadn't moved the entire attack, simply observing the entire battle.
"Could he be the real boss then?"
"...no. Look at it." Midoriya said, a note of disgust tainting his normally cheery tone. The monster was looking in two different directions and wasn't even looking at Eraserhead and Handy-man's fight. Almost like…
"That thing's braindead." Midoriya put together. "Or at least heavily sedated. It's definitely not calling the shots around here." He looked closer at the fight. Eraserhead was aggressively throwing punches and kicks, even lashing out with his scarf, his long hair standing on end with his quirk. The villain was quicker than lightning though, expertly dodging every attack but not countering. Almost like he's waiting for something.
The two clashed, grappling with each other. Midoriya could hear the villain speak, just barely thanks to his sense in the air.
"You're slowing down Eraser…not work too hard, you might just fall apart!"
At his words, the villain decayed Aizawa's elbow with his quirk! Aizawa's hair had gone down in that split second, but flared back up as Erasure activated again. The villain kept talking.
"You hide behind those goggles to hide your quirk, but you have a different tell, you know." he said, his voice scraping like gravel. "Your hair. It floats when you use that cheat of a power. Too bad for you…" He snapped his fingers. Aizawa looked around, seeing a large form behind him.
"I'm not the final boss."
CRACK!
xXx
"You can't head down there, Uraraka!" Thirteen insisted, now supported by Mina and Sato. "You'll die!"
"But Aizawa-Sensei's in trouble!" Uraraka snapped back. While the events below unfolded, the group up by the entrance watched and prayed for Eraserhead's victory. But chances were looking slim now. "And we don't know when backup will arrive! We might be too late!" She charged up her power, turning herself weightless. "I have to do what I can!"
BWOOOOSH!
"Eh?" She jumped high into the air, speeding across the entire dome, but found a pink tongue around her waist! "What on-WHAAA!" Asui got dragged along for the ride, but stuck herself to a building as they flew by! Asui tugged hard, which brought the weightless inheritor back to earth through an open window. Uraraka landed in a heap, spitting her own hair out of her mouth.
"Why did you do that!" She raged. They seemed to be in the collapsed zone now. "We need to help Sensei!"
"And get killed immediately?" Asui asked calmly, upside down from out the window. Uraraka opened her mouth, then closed it again. Asui continued. "If we rush in without a plan, we only get taken out before we can blink."
"Wait, we? You mean…"
Asui blinked. "Ribbit? Of course I'm coming. We are both heroes, you know." She looked down from their perch on the collapsed highrise. "That said, we shouldn't waltz in carelessly either. Then everybody dies." She looked back down to Uraraka. "Did you notice who else is down there?"
"Huh? Who…" She peered down from their new angle. Down by the plaza were…!
"Deku! Ojiro and Kirishima too! What are they doing down there?" She exclaimed.
"Probably the same thing we're trying to do," Asui guessed. "But unless we can beat that brute, we don't stand a chance."
Ochaco grit her teeth. There was no way to do this by themselves! And there was no way to contact Deku safely! How were they going to win?
BOOOM!
"DIE! DIE! DIE! HAHAHAHA!"
The building trembled with the sudden explosions, snapping both girls out of their planning. Bakugo burst his way into the room, expecting more villains. He was practically dripping in explosive sweat, but didn't have a scratch on him. He lowered his arms when he realized it was them.
"Oh it's you. Get lost already." He said snarkily. Uraraka lept right at him, covering his mouth in the process.
"WHAT THE FU-MMPH!" She could feel him try to rip her off him, but 5% One-for-All was just a bit stronger.
"Shhh!" She whispered quickly. "Aizawa-Sensei's pinned and Deku's down there!"
That got his attention.
"HMMPH?" He yelled through her hand. He seriously considered biting the girl, but she let go before he could decide. "Get the fuck off me already!" They got up and walked to the window, seeing the scene again.
"Dammit!" Bakugo growled. "Bastard's gonna rush in like an idiot! I just know it!"
"How do you know that?" Asui asked.
"Because I know…because shut the fuck up, that's why!" He snapped. "Wait…down there! You see that?"
They looked down. A purple swirl appeared next to the Hand villain!
"Kurogiri!" Uraraka whispered.
xXx
The Avatar stared in horror as the brute pinned their teacher to the ground, cracking the concrete with his might. Aizawa struggled against the creature, but couldn't match his insurmountable strength. He even managed to erase its quirk, but didn't decrease its natural strength one bit.
"I'm sure I erased his quirk…I think this guy's as strong as All Might!" Aizawa desperately thought. His arm snapped under the creature's grip, leaving it useless.
"Erasure's a cool quirk, but it's little more than a party trick." The Hands villain taunted. "Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is the bioengineered Nomu. In the face of real power, you might as well be a quirkless child!"
Midoriya's grip on the plaza ledge shook in fear. What can he do? What could he do? He could try and send a rock at the monster, but he might hit Eraserhead. He could attack Handy, but then the monster could kill Eraserhead anyway! There was a water source from the flood zone, on the other side of the plaza. Maybe he could freeze them all? Could the boss decay ice? Would the monster just break out? Would he be fast enough? Could he set fire to its brain?
Midoriya was muttering at top speed as he thought about the possibilities, but he was running out of both options and time. Ojiro and Kirishima were struck silent, equally horrified at the scene.
His train of thought was broken as Kurogiri appeared from a portal behind his compatriot. "Shigaraki. We have a problem."
"Hmm? What is it?" Midoriya's mind went into overdrive. A distraction? Could he strike now?
"One of the brats was able to escape the facility. Backup is certainly on its way. We must make our escape." Kurogiri reported. All three students were floored by the news. Would the villains just leave? Just like that?
Shigaraki didn't take the news nearly as well. He slowly lost his cool, scratching his neck like it owed him money, heaving heavily from stress. "Kuro…giri…if you weren't our ride out of here…I'd turn you to dust!"
"No time. We have minutes, maybe." Kurogiri insisted, but Shigaraki wasn't listening.
"All this planning…all this patience…and he never even showed? A waste! A total…"
Suddenly, the villain stopped scratching, calming down. Almost dejectedly, he spoke up.
"Let's go then, I've had enough of this place."
Midoriya couldn't believe his ears! They were really leaving! Relief washed over him as he looked to the others. They were gonna be ok!
"But first,"
Izuku's neck hairs stood on end, feeling displaced air. The moment he turned, Shigaraki was right there, his hand outstretched.
"Let's leave All Might a few parting gifts."
As Shigaraki reached for Kirishima's head, Midoriya could've sworn he saw the future: Kirishima cracking and being reduced to dust in the villain's touch. What he did to Aizawa's elbow was about to hit his face! All five fingers connected with the redhead's skin.
But nothing happened!
…
"You really are so cool," Shigaraki whispered. "Eraserhead."
Despite the pain, the agony Aizawa was feeling at that very moment, the Pro Hero had managed to activate his quirk on Shigaraki at that very moment, stopping the decay before it could occur! In response, Nomu brought the hero's head up and slammed it deeper into the concrete.
"Good, now that that's taken care of-"
BWOOOOOOOOOOSSHHH!
The moment Midoriya snapped out of his shock, wordlessly, he struck Shigaraki with a powerful blast of air! The villain went flying, but was easily caught by Nomu, who abandoned the broken hero.
"You two get Sensei!" Midoriya shouted. "I'll hold them off!" He air-jumped up to the plaza, revealing himself fully.
"But-" Ojiro tried to argue, but Midoriya shouted back, his eyes glowing for a split second, his voice splitting into three.
"GO!"
Ojiro and Kirishima dashed for Aizawa at once, drawing Nomu's attention. But Midoriya earned it back with a quick water whip to the face.
"Eyes on me!" He yelled, his voice breaking slightly in fear. "Let's see what you got!" Kirishima looked back at the Avatar, egging on the brutish villain.
"Shit, we can't leave Midoriya to fight alone!" Kirishima protested. "He'll get pulverized!"
"I know, but we have to trust him and get Aizawa out of here! Priorite the rescue!" Ojiro recited, remembering Hero Ethics class. Weird thing to think about in a crisis, but what can you do? "C'mon! Help me pick him up!"
Kirishima was torn. Midoriya was there, standing his ground against an unbeatable foe, alone! But, he was doing it so Aizawa would get out alive. Which depended on him!
"Dammit, why does he have to be so cool?" Kirishima complained with tears in his eyes. "So freaking manly!" The two boys grabbed Aizawa, heaving him onto Eijiro's back. "Kick his ass, Midoriya!"
"Got it! Now go!" Midoriya snapped. Nomu stood still, focused on the green-headed student. Midoriya wasted no time, dropping into earthbending and sending a volley of large boulders at his foe, kicking and punching like a Kung-Fu master. Nomu didn't bother to block, taking the rocks head on with no damage.
"Impossible…two quirks?" Shigaraki snarled. "No…three. Rocks, water, wind…just who are you, brat?"
The Avatar switched tactics, running side to side with airbending to confuse the target. He lept up to the creature's side and slashed with a blade of air. The slash struck true, putting a large gash on Nomu's shoulder, but it closed and healed the moment it was made.
"What?" Midoriya thought in shock. "Just what is this thing's quirk?"
"Seriously? HAHAHAHA!" Shigaraki was in hysterics over the boy's actions. "Looks like someone was hero-fever. Too bad you can't back it up! NOMU!"
Before Midoriya could even look back at his opponent, Nomu grabbed him harshly by the face, picking the boy up. Midoriya grappled desperately with the monster's arm, but couldn't break free. He shot fire from his fists to stun his foe, but the beast didn't even flinch as his face was roasted.
"This is it!" Midoriya thought. "I'm gonna die!"
Nomu seemed to grin with his huge beak as he began to clench his fist. Midoriya felt the growing pressure, hitting him with a headache from hell.
"It'll do more than that!" he yelled internally. "He'll crush my skull! I have to do something!"
Thinking quickly, he drew the water he used earlier from the ground and froze it, forming a spike, and thrust it into Nomu's eye. Nomu didn't stop, despite the destroyed organ.
"C'mon! Something has to work!" In his panic, he didn't even think to do this, especially to a living thing, but he had no choice. Before, losing consciousness, he bent the ice out of Nomu's eye, flung into a huge arc, and sliced down!
SHINK!
The pressure stopped! He took a huge breath as he fell to the ground. The arm that held him was completely severed from the condensed slice of water! Nomu seemed confused as to why the boy survived, but he didn't have time to figure out why. With a huge breath, he kicked with both feet and engulfed the beast in flames!
FWOOOOSSSHH!
With Nomu distracted, Midoriya stumbled back, getting as far away from this monster as he could. But he didn't get far.
"You brat! You really think you stand a chance? You're not the only one with multiple quirks!" Shigaraki raged, forgetting about leaving. Nomu waved away the flames and grew a new arm! Just like that!
"Nomu here has regeneration and shock absorption! You'll have to do better than that!" he cackled. "Nomu, again! Quicker this time!"
Nomu rushed forward, reaching to grab Midoriya again…
But he was gone! Midoriya dashed backwards, avoiding the grapple as fast as wind. Nomu couldn't blink even if he had the brain capacity to do so. His eyes, although still functional, were burned from the improvised dropkick of fire. Since one eye was destroyed by that ice spike, it couldn't heal after being casturized. Midoriya hadn't disappeared, Nomu had missed!
As for Midoriya, he shook off the pain and focused, looking between his three foes.
"I'll have to be careful with Kurogiri's teleportation and Shigaraki's decay, but it looks like they're letting the Nomu handle things for now. Which means it's expendable to them." He thought rapidly. He took a quick glance at Shigaraki, who was keeping away from the fight. "Got it!"
He sped forward again, taking a large leap over Nomu as it punched forward and shot fire at its back. He might have been hit, if the beast could see properly. He rolled and ran, speeding away before the monster counterattacked. Nomu's back blistered from the fire, but didn't seem to be regenerating as fast.
A fact that was not lost on the Avatar. Nomu rushed at him faster than you could blink, but like a leaf in the wind, Midoriya spinned into a twister to dodge the left hook, sending an arc of fire from his foot to slash the beast. He got his shoulder, which also failed to heal from the heat. He landed and sent a large fireball in a punch! It sizzled towards the Nomu…
But a portal enveloped it!
"There!" Midoriya predicted. He knew that Kurogiri would eventually do that after enough hits. The fireball was redirected from above to smite the Avatar, who felt the heat coming. As if he had choreographed it, he bent into a stance and caught the fire, redirecting it!
Only he wasn't aiming at Nomu. He was aiming for Shigaraki!
FWOOOOSH!
But alas, the attack struck Nomu anyway, who had rushed in to defend his master. Smoke and burn tissue spread over the monster's arms in his block.
"How clever…" Shigaraki hissed. "Not very non-lethal by the looks of it…you sure you're here to be a hero?"
Midoriya narrowed his eyes as he stood firm, his teeth grit together in a grim smile. His enemies were all together now! Although his knees shook with fear, he raised his hands with open palms.
"I'm more than a hero," he said, hoping he sounded brave. "I'm a guardian. A peacemaker…" As he spoke, a long shadow hung over the villains. "I am the Avatar. And you're just another threat."
Kurogiri looked up at the source of the shadow. "Shigaraki! Look out!"
Midoriya smirked. "So maybe chill, ok?" He swung his arms down!
FWOOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHH!
All three villains were doused in the huge wave that towered from the flood zone. They were knocked off their feet from the torrent, caught in the floating whirlpool! Midoriya kept it going, moving gracefully to maintain his bending. As long as he kept it up, they wouldn't be able to break out and escape when the pros arrived. At least that was the idea.
Not many realize it, but rushing water is one of the strongest forces of nature out there. Over a hundred deaths per year are due to mere riptides. Sure, rocks and air can hit you hard and fire can burn, but water can't be blocked like a rock can, nor can it be dispelled like air or fire. It is an overwhelming force that not even the strongest men alive can just swim out of.
This move…it needed a name! Midoriya thought for a moment…
"WATERBENDING: UNDERTOW PRISON!" he yelled. Nomu could be seen within the waves of the Prison, fighting with all its strength to break through. But no matter how strong you were, no leverage means no power. From what little information Izuku had about Shigaraki's quirk, he deduced (guessed) that Decay wouldn't work on liquid water, nor could Kurogiri's gaseous portals form when mixed in water.
But he couldn't keep it up forever.
BANG!
From across the plaza, the giant front doors were slammed open like they were nothing, a giant of a man stepping in. All across the facility, his presence could be felt, inspiring hope in some and fear in others.
And he wasn't smiling.
"Do not worry, children. You're safe now." The blond hero was a blur, taking out every spare villain in sight in a single sprint. He even chopped one villain to the back of the neck, saving Yaoyorozu and Jirou from being shocked by his quirk. His normally smiling face contorted into rage as he tore off the tie from his yellow suit.
"BECAUSE I AM HERE!"
From atop of the Collapsed Zone, Uraraka and Asui cried in joy at the sight of their teacher. Even Bakugo let go of his tension, sighing with relief despite the danger. Everyone near the entrance was ecstatic in their own rights. All Might was here! They were saved!
But they weren't there yet.
"All…Might…help!" Midoriya gasped in his effort. All Might was on the scene in a flash, inspecting the primordial prison in an instant.
"The villain…in there…has shock absorption…I can't…hold him down…much longer…" he managed to say between movements. All Might immediately understood.
"GOT IT. HOW MANY ARE IN THERE?"
"Three. One can teleport with gas…the other can decay things…with his hands…" Midoriya reported. All Might searched through the waves. He saw a dark form in the whirling orb, but nothing else.
"Wait, did the kid say teleport?"
ZOOOOOM!
Shigaraki was knocked back by All Might's kickback as he carried Midoriya, almost as fast as sound. Midoriya hadn't noticed, but Kurogiri could form his portals underwater. And did. Giving Shigaraki an opening to grab Midoriya. And he almost succeeded.
Shigaraki, sopping wet, gazed down at the hand that was knocked off his face. He picked it up before the incoming waves washed it away. Since Midoriya was no longer bending, the Prison dropped to the ground, erupting in every direction. All Might stood firm against the flow, holding an exhausted Avatar as a large black body slapped against the concrete. Nomu sat up, spewing several gallons of water like it was nothing.
"You did well, young man." All Might said quietly. "You should never have been put in this position, but I'm proud nonetheless. Are you still able to control air?"
"Yeah…I think so!" Midoriya said firmly.
"Good, then hang on tight!"
"...eh?"
With a herculean heave, All Might threw his student towards the entrance! Akin to throwing a paper airplane!
"WHAAAAAT?" Midoriya screamed as he careened away. All Might nodded in satisfaction. Easiest rescue he's ever pulled off.
"NOW THEN. I'M FEELING GENEROUS TODAY, SO I'LL GIVE YOU THIS CHANCE." The Number One Hero pointed at the villains. "SURRENDER. I ADVISE YOU TO DO SO WHILE I'M FEELING CHARITABLE."
Shigaraki was breathing deeply, yet rapidly as he placed the lost hand over his face. "Sorry, Father…" He grinned behind his disturbing mask. "Master was right…"
Red eyes glinted with absolute malice. "You are getting weaker."