Chapter 19: Self-Control In An Out-Of-Control World
Midoriya watched his classmates huddle together as more villains came rushing out of the portal, and quite honestly, he couldn't blame them. An unnatural aura flooded the building, one that demanded he run and hide, cowering with his life until this invasion was over. He remained rooted to his spot, caught between quivering with fear and moving forward. He had to escape this feeling, or else he'd be utterly useless when the time came for him to help.
"Thirteen… and Eraserhead, is it…"
The voice sounded so posh and elegant, but the teen had no idea where it was coming from, until he noticed the portal morph into a shapeless being, with two bright yellow eyes that seemed to pierce through to his very soul.
"According to the staff schedule I received the other day… All Might is supposed to be here…" the misty man continued.
Staff schedule? When did the villains receive a staff schedule? Then it dawned on him. The break in. The blue haired villain's decay quirk. These two incidents were connected. That break in was an organized attempt to steal a staff schedule for this very moment. This wasn't some random ambush, this attack was neatly planned and assembled. And anything with a plan certainly had an end goal, so what was the goal here?
"Of course." Aizawa seemed to pick up on the villain's words as well. "That whole incident was this scum's doing…"
Hearing his teacher's voice made him realize what had gotten him so anxious earlier, and the boy took a few rushed steps forward before his mind could make him back out. Gami floated up with him, unsure of what to do otherwise. His fingers mindlessly pulled at the ends of his gloves.
He had never been so eager to take them off before.
"Where is he…?"
That voice shook him to his core as he watched the blue haired villain bring his head up. Seeing the slight movements of the hands covering his body nearly made him sick again. Though, his analytical brain couldn't help but pick up on the fact that this villain sounded very young, maybe around his early twenties. It seemed odd that someone so young was wrapped up in something so grotesque.
"We've come all this way," the man rambled, "and brought so many playmates…"
Even though he was likely speaking at normal volume, Midoriya could hear each and every word as if he was right next to him. The emphasis, the raspiness, the childish nature hiding behind his sinister tone, all of it.
"All Might… the symbol of peace…" It now sounded like the villain was growing angry, which partially confused him, though he couldn't even register it under his layers of fear. "Is he here…?"
Why was he repeating himself? Because even Midoriya could confidently say that All Might was not here. And that fact terrified him.
"I wonder if some dead kids will bring him here?"
That seemed to have knocked the sense into all of class 1-A. These villains were not playing around. They meant business, and if they had to kill some children to reach their end goal, by all means they would.
The teen felt a bead of sweat run down his face. He, of all people, knew that the blue haired man truly had no problem with killing a child if that would at least wound the pride of the number one hero. Asui's death played in his mind like a broken tape recorder, and he unconsciously reached for his cheek to make sure it was still in one piece.
The rest of his class seemed to still be in disbelief, not that he could blame them.
"Villains?!"
"No way!!"
"What villains would be dumb enough to sneak into a school for heroes?!"
Thankfully, some of his more level headed peers jumped into action.
"Sensei!" Yaoyorozu called out, taking a hesitant step forward, "Aren't there intruder sensors?"
"Yes, of course there are…!" Thirteen responded back, preparing to open up the tips of their gloves.
Todoroki walked calmly over to the edge of the platform, looking over the plaza at the numerous villains. "Are they only here, or also at the main building? Either way, if the sensors aren't working… it has to be one of their quirks that's doing it."
Listening to both of his classmates approach the situation rationally gave Midoriya the confidence to do the same. He stepped forward, preparing to summon his scythe at a moment's notice.
"This place is far from campus," he started, gesturing to the USJ building, "and they picked a time when there'd be few people here…"
The candy cane boy seemed to catch onto what he was saying. "So they are likely not as dumb as they seem."
He nodded as his mentor stood proudly beside him, though no one could tell. "They must have an objective, because this is a well-coordinated sneak attack."
However, Aizawa had heard enough. "Thirteen! Begin evacuation and try calling the school! One of these villains must be jamming the sensors. There's a good chance one of their electric types is causing the interference."
The teacher turned to the blond hair boy with the black streak in his hair. "Kaminari, try using your quirk to signal for help."
Well, this wasn't really how Midoriya had envisioned learning the names of his classmates…
"Got it!" he replied, moving hastily to his headset attached to his costume.
Eraserhead nodded and moved towards the stairs that connected the entrance to the central plaza. Seeing his teacher get ready to leave sparked something in the normally reserved boy, something fearful, as if all the confidence from before had disappeared.
"But Aizawa-sensei!" the teen cried out, "You can't fight them all alone!!"
Realized how strange that sounded, he moved quickly to rephrase, the image of the man's face being beaten into the floor resurfacing in his mind.
"Against that many, you can't nullify all their quirks! As Eraserhead, your fighting style revolves around Erasure and a quick binding capture. Head on battle isn't-"
"No good hero is a one trick pony, Problem Child," he interrupted the boy's rambling, "Thirteen, take care of them."
And with that, the underground hero lept from the top of the stairs, his capture weapon drawn out and ready in his hands. Midoriya wanted to go after him, the sound of bones breaking echoing in his skull, but he hesitated. Something in the back of his head told him to just watch as see how the pro handled this himself.
He watched with obvious anxiety as a group of presumably long ranged villains crowded around the bottom, laughing to themselves. They aimed their quirks at the falling hero, ready to annihilate him, their morbid smiles still lingering on their faces.
But their faces soon turned sour as the villains lowered their arms. The boy felt his own smirk forming on his face as he witnessed Aizawa capture weapon wrap around the front two. They couldn't use their quirks. They hadn't realized just what hero they were facing yet.
Aizawa yanked back on his scarf, and the two villains caught in it were thrown towards each other, their skulls crashing together. The crack was audible, even from so far away, and made the boy internally wince. He watched his teacher land promptly afterwards, his weapon pooling back to him. The villains seemed to realize who he was after that, as two mutant quirk users loomed over to him. Erasure didn't work on mutant type quirks, leaving the hero at an immediate disadvantage against these next two villains.
And yet, the pro didn't falter in the slightest, leaping right into combat. Midoriya watched in awe as his homeroom teacher punched one of the burly men straight in the face, bringing a sickening crunch into the air. He wrapped his scarf around the legs of the falling villain and ducked as another mutant user punched the air where he just was. The ragged hero pulled on his capture weapon, sending the man he just punched crashing into the other, essentially taking them both down in one hit.
Though it wasn't exactly the best situation, the boy couldn't help but stare in amazement at the skills of his favorite hero. The mob of villains surrounding Aizawa seemed to now be hesitant to attack him after that display of power and cunningness, and Midoriya really couldn't blame them. He too would be intimidated knowing he would have to fight against such a pro. However, in his wonder, the teen didn't notice the blue haired villain's increasingly escalating annoyance.
"He can truly hold his own, even when outnumbered…"
That did make him feel a bit embarrassed at doubting the man in the first place.
"This is no time for analysis!" Iida finally yelled at him, "Hurry up and evacuate!!"
Evacuate? Could they possibly evacuate? Would the villains truly let them get away after all their work and planning? Surely not, but Midoriya rushed over to his classmates anyway, prepared to fight against potential danger. Despite his newly growing determination, the fear in the back of his mind remained like an unwelcome parasite.
The misty villain from earlier suddenly appeared blocking the exit out of the building. He had moved so quickly, the boy had almost missed it. His fog-like tendrils loomed over the group of children, fading into wisps at the end. His form didn't seem solid, making him wonder how to best fight him if the time came, since he didn't think his DT would work.
"I won't allow that." the portal villain stated firmly, unafraid as he stared down Thirteen. His classmates took a step back in fear as Aizawa looked back. The underground pro seemed anxious about the villain, but was too preoccupied fighting his own horde of enemies.
Then, the man's voice changed back to the posh tone he had heard earlier, "Greetings. We are the League of Villains."
The League of Villains? How organized was this attack truly, to have a group name and all? Midoriya had the sinking feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time he would hear of this group.
"Izu, I do not like this."
He couldn't help but agree, but there wasn't much he could do in the moment. There was also no way he'd run off for his own safety and leave his friends and peers behind. Especially not Asui, who was in more danger than anyone had truly realized.
"Forgive our audacity." The more this man spoke, the more uncomfortable the teen became. By the tone of his voice, it didn't sound like he was a villain at all. Something in his gut told him that there was something off about this misty man, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "But today, we've come here to U.A. high school, to this bastion of heroism…"
Here it was, their end goal. Hopefully this would finally satiate his curiosity of what their purpose behind this invasion was. Of the purpose behind Aizawa and Asui's possible deaths.
"…to end the life of All Might, the symbol of peace."
What? These villains… wanted to kill All Might? If Midoriya was one of his unfortunately clueless classmates, he would be dumbfounded on how these villains even thought they could achieve something so impossible, but he had some traumatizing insight into their forces. And that hideous bird monster from before, he was sure that was their key to executing this plan.
Still, the statement sent chills down his spine, leaving him wanting to curl into himself. Something about so calmly declaring a murder plot made his mouth run dry. The mix of suffocating fear and a desire to protect clashed so violently in his blood, he thought his veins might explode.
The portal villain kept talking, as if his previous statement was completely normal, "We were under the impression that All Might would be here today, but it seems his schedule was revised? Well, no matter…"
The mist suddenly surrounded the class, encircling them and preventing their escape.
"My role remains unchanged."
Bakugo and Kirishima jumped at the villain abruptly, aiming their quirks right at his wispy form. What were they doing? The villain was obviously not solid, their attacks would go right through him, leaving them extremely vulnerable. But he couldn't pull them back now, the two had already launched themselves in the air. Fearing the absolute worst, he whipped out his scythe instinctively, ready to defend his classmates from a potential counterattack.
The two landed seemingly direct hits on the purple tinted man, Bakugo's violent explosion making Gami shrink back. Kirishima had landed a hardened blow right at the villain's side. The mist tore itself apart from the forces, scattering in all directions.
"Not if we end you first," the explosive blond growled, holding up his still steaming gauntlet.
"Betcha didn't see that coming!!" the red head cried, still raising his hardened arm.
But just as the teen expected, the mist pulled itself back together to form the villain again, his piercing yellow eyes shifting back into their correct spots.
"That was close," he wavered calmly, "Though students you may be, you are the best of the best."
Close? Midoriya had thought the villain to not be solid from what he had observed, but that statement wouldn't make sense then. Unless…
"Get back!" Thirteen yelled, "Both of you!!"
The mist embraced the class again, but the boy had realized a stark contrast this time. The fog was more aggressive this time, moving right towards him and the others instead of simply around them. Then it clicked in his fear ridden brain.
This man had a warping quirk.
He was going to warp everyone.
Quickly, he jumped back into the crowd, making his scythe disappear. He couldn't get separated from Asui, because if he did, there was a chance he'd miss the time to intervene. He couldn't let her die. He wouldn't let her die.
Gami tried to follow his successor back into the crowd, but his transparent form proved detrimental. The wisps of purple mist were traveling through him like rushes of sharp air. He couldn't let himself lose the boy.
As the villain's quirk engulfed everyone, Midoriya could feel himself getting sucked into a portal, just as he expected. He couldn't see his mentor in all of the chaos, but his main focus was on Asui right now. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Iida grabbing Sato and Uraraka and another teen with a multi limb quirk shielding Ashido and the black haired tape boy. He sighed in relief, knowing at least those six would not be warped. But his relief was short lived as the sickening feeling of being swallowed into the earth surrounded him.
When the portal released him, the teen had to close his eyes due to the rush of air. The vortex had opened in the sky for him, and he was falling directly into what looked to be the flood zone. In the brief moments before he hit the water, he also noticed the ghost wasn't with him.
He plunged into the ice cold water, the shock hitting him like a truck. He quickly switched gears however, getting ready to fight. It was likely that the misty man had separated everyone so they could be picked off by the numerous villains all around the building. He was likely not alone in these waters.
"There you are…"
The boy turned around as fast as he could in the water, only to be met with a man with a shark-like mutant quirk. His mouth was wide, filled to the brim with jagged teeth. He had a large fin protruding from his head and two bright eyes the size of marbles.
The villain opened his mouth, giving the teen a look at just how many teeth he had. "It's nothing personal, kid, but say goodbye!"
He couldn't swing his scythe around underwater like this, the drag would make it impossible to counter fast enough. But he also wasn't comfortable with taking off his glove to disintegrate the villain. Running out of time, he prepared to use his scythe to block, hoping he could shove it into the villain's gaping mouth before it could chomp down on him.
The shark villain's head was then swiftly stomped to the side, leaving him stunned and immobile. Looking up, he found Asui to be his savior. A rush of emotions flooded him as he realized they were transported to the same zone, but he had no time to process any of them as the frog girl wrapped her tongue around his waist and shot back up to the surface.
They broke the water's surface and Midoriya found himself flung onto the ship that was floating in the center. He landed with a rough splat, but overall could not complain. Getting up promptly, he noticed a third student, Mineta, at her side. He seemed to mumble something, to which the aquatic girl wrapped him up with her tongue and flung him even more violently onto the ship. He visibly flinched at the change in behavior, not having to wonder for too long what the grape boy must have said.
Asui herself scaled the side of the ship and upon reaching the edge, hoisted herself over. Her form was dripping with obvious water at first, but the teen realized there likely was some nervous sweat hiding in plain sight.
"Thanks Tsu," he said gratefully, helping her onto the boat.
"No problem," she replied, "but we seem to be in some trouble."
"Yeah." The boy's mind shot into overdrive, collecting all of the information he had deduced over the course of the evolving situation. "They knew our schedule, which means the media rush yesterday was their doing as a means to sneak into the school. They've been waiting for this chance, and they've prepared for it well."
Mineta still seemed to be in a state of ignorance. "But, but there's no way they could ever kill All Might! He'll thrash 'em once he gets here!!" The short boy mimicked some punches of the number one hero.
"Mineta, they must have figured out a way to kill him," she stated bluntly, "Otherwise, why come here just to get beaten?"
Midoriya flinched at her words, not because of their harshness, but because they resurfaced the memory of Aizawa getting his face pounded into the earth by that one beast. He needed to get his classmates out of this zone and to safety, especially Asui. Only then, would he feel completely comfortable leaving them to help Aizawa.
"I wouldn't put it past them," she continued, not realizing her affect on the grape boy, "That one guy promised to kill us too, after all."
That brought up another vision from his premonition, one of Asui getting her face disintegrated by that very same villain she was speaking of. He quickly shook himself out of the spiral he was headed in, knowing he didn't have Gami to help ground him if he fell in.
Speaking of his mentor, where was he? The ghost practically never left his side unless the teen asked him to. He felt a bit more vulnerable than usual without the spirit beside him, but he couldn't let that show now. He had priorities after all
"Who says we can even hold out until All Might gets here?" Asui was still rambling. "Even when he does show up… who says he won't be killed?"
Glancing at Mineta's horrified face, Midoriya felt it was time for him to step in. "Tsu, we can't think like that. Sure, it all seems overwhelming at once, but we need to break it down into pieces. And right now, our top priority is getting out of this zone alive and preferably uninjured."
His classmate nodded. "You're right. Let's focus on that."
There was a sudden, harsh tug on his arm. "M-M-M-Midoriya!!"
Said boy recoiled harshly out of the grip, trying to shake his head out of the buzzing that he experienced whenever he was touched. Thankfully, his mind was more preoccupied with the imminent danger his classmates' lives were in, so he was able to switch focuses rather easily.
"What?" The word still came out rather harshly, but Mineta was too paralyzed with fear to notice.
"There's a whole school of them!!" He cried wimpily.
Rushing over to the side of the boat, he leaned over, only to confirm Mineta's claim. Sure enough, there were at least a dozen villains that popped out of the water, surrounding the boat in an intimidating circle. He couldn't see them all, but most of the villains seemed to have a water related quirk, fitting for the environment.
But still, something rang oddly within his overactive mind and his focus went back to the villain's objective. He knew they had figured a way to kill All Might, with the gigantic bird monster as the likely weapon, but what struck him was why? Why kill the number one hero, with a plan as organized as this? Sure, he stood against villains, against evil, so did one of the probable leaders behind this invasion have a grudge against him because of that? But even then, it seemed like a petty reason. Their motives behind this had to be more specific than that. But no amount of racking could make the boy magically obtain the answer to his pondering.
He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, saving it for later. "He's right. We're surrounded."
"That's certainly not good…" Asui croaked, "Got any ideas?"
Midoriya looked back down at the water. "Not off the top of my head, but we'll just have to come up with one. After all…"
He thought back to all his other peers that were likely warped to other areas of the building. He thought of their possible struggles, their anxiety, their similar sense of fear. He had to push forwards, if not for himself, than for his classmates in front of him, for his classmates fighting all around the building. If they could do it, so could he.
"We have a fight to win!!"
If the situation wasn't so dire, Gami would have slapped himself, his frantic form floating around the front entrance. He had managed to do the one thing he shouldn't have, the one thing he was supposed to be focused on. He had only lost sight of him for a single second, but apparently that was all that was necessary.
His successor was nowhere to be found.
So were most of the students, actually. Only six kids remained at the front entrance, the rest gone thanks to the mist-like villain. And while Gami wasn't too caught up on quirks and the like, he still was fairly observant. It wasn't too difficult to figure out that the posh man had a portal quirk, especially after seeing the blue-haired man climb out of his shapeless body. It would also explain how everyone had disappeared so quickly.
But knowing that didn't exactly help the ghost in any way. If fact, it likely put him at more of a disadvantage than anything. Knowing the man's quirk just made him realize that no matter what he did, he would have been separated from Midoriya anyway. He couldn't have followed the boy even if he tried, all because of his form.
His transparent form left him completely unable to interact with any objects other than souls and his successor. He couldn't touch the mist. Even if he had caught up to the teen in time, he wouldn't have been able to follow him through the portal. He would just pass right through and not be warped at all.
And now, he was stuck at the front entrance while his friend was likely fighting for his own wellbeing as well as the lives of his classmates.
What should he do? The most obvious answer would be to search for his successor, but that could take a while, depending on how good his luck was. He could stay here and try to help, but there really wasn't much he could do here either, especially since no one could see or hear him.
"Where is everyone?!" The spirit heard Iida cry out. "Can we confirm their locations?"
"They've been scattered." Unlike Midoriya, the man paid attention to names and faces, so he knew the child currently yelling was named Shoji, a student with some sort of multi limb quirk, though he wasn't sure the specifics. "But they're all still in the facility."
Still in the facility? That at least meant the boy wasn't too far away, which was a huge relief. He watched as Shoji seemed to sprout sets of eyes and ears of the ends on his extra limbs. That's how the student must have known his classmates' location. Truly a strange quirk indeed.
But he couldn't focus on that right now. No, he had to come to a decision, either stay here or find Midoriya. Again, the choice should have seemed obvious, but still the specter was torn. If he left now to find the boy, he wouldn't really have much information to present to him once they were reunited. But if he stayed, he'd at least be able to tell him of the conditions of some of his classmates.
Besides, maybe Shoji would pick up on where his successor was.
Turning around swiftly, Gami watched as the mass of purple mist slithered over from one side of the entrance area to the other, a rush of chills passing through him as well. The blob congregated near a corner away from the entrance doors, writhing and pooling like a puppeted set of spider legs. The villain's face then emerged from the center of the mass, sprouting up as if it were an uncurling snake.
"Physical attacks are just no good. He just warps away!!" Sero, a student with a tape-like quirk, exclaimed, "This guy's quirk is just too tough to handle!"
Gami thought about his statement for a minute. That didn't really make too much sense. If physical attacks truly didn't affect the villain, why would he bother to warp away? Sure his misty form didn't seem solid, but if that were the case, he wouldn't have to move away from physical attacks at all. Something just wasn't adding up here, but the ghost couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The transparent man remained by the crowd of students, standing behind pro hero Thirteen. Despite the hero's height, he still managed to loom over him, giving the spaceman a slightly intimidating presence. If only the villain could see him, that'd surely spook him. Maybe not enough to leave, but at least to make him hesitant on attacking this group of children.
Unfortunately, no one could see him here, and his presence was practically ignored. Thirteen shifted over to face Iida, who was standing next to them. The boy looked uninjured, but his expression screamed anxiousness and hesitance, even through his signature square glasses.
"Class president?" The hero used his title to address him, to which Gami found a bit weird, but otherwise paid it no mind.
Even through his fear, Iida still snapped to attention at the call. "Yes?!"
"You job," Thirteen started, their voice remaining as serious as even, "is to run back to the school and report on what's happening."
Gami watched the strict boy flinch at the command, and move to refute. Times like this the ghost desperately wished he could at least be heard by others. Iida was likely the class's only shot at getting help, as his speed gave him the best chance at escaping. But the boy's headstrong personality and sense of responsibility wouldn't let him just leave. The spirit swiped his hands at him, attempting to drag him to the door, but alas he just went right through.
The pro must have also sensed his hesitance, because they continued explaining, "The alarms haven't sounded, and the phones aren't working. The alarm system uses infrared tech, but the fact that it hasn't activated even though Aizawa-san is down there nullifying quirks means whoever is interfering has hidden themselves well. You heading back is now our best option!"
The ghostly man's attention was torn on whether to focus on the currently heating conversation in front of him or the now rising villain in the corner.
"The class president can't very well abandon his class!" Iida still seemed shook by the hero's words, unsure of what to do.
"He said go!" Sato yelled as he shoved the armored student, his plump lips curling with each word, "There are alarms on the outside, which means that these guys must only be causing trouble in here!"
Sero seemed to catch onto what Sato was attempting to do. "So if you make it out, they can't follow you! Shake off that mist man with that speed of yours!"
Thirteen squatted down slightly, hands jutted out and prepared to move at a moment's notice. Their back was now facing the class president, but still, their words rang as if they were standing right beside him.
"Please use your quirk… to save us all!!"
Uraraka now shifted to stand next to her lunch buddy, her fists curled and a determined look now growing on her face. Ashido followed her, and together the two of them sent Iida a quick nod.
"Just like in the cafeteria," she reminded him, "We can provide all the support you need!!"
Iida clenched his fingers, his nails digging into the skin of his palm. During the incident at the cafeteria, it was Midoriya who truly came up with the plan. Sure, he was the one to execute it and calm everyone down, but it wasn't really his doing. His growing confidence faltered as he started to doubt his ability to carry out what everyone was begging him to. He wasn't even a true leader. What was he doing up on the stand like this?
Gami could tell the spiral of self doubt that the rule abiding teen was currently falling into. It was a situation he often found his successor in, and he often found himself helping to talk him through it. He knew how crushing and demoralising doubt could become, but right now, on the battlefield, this would only end in disaster.
So in a desperate, frenzied attempt to provoke some sort of reaction, the man reached his hands out for Iida shoulders, and squeezed his hands as tightly as he could.
"Do not let this situation stir doubt in your abilities, take it as a chance to prove your worth," the specter cried out, nearly yelling despite the lack of noise around him, "Prove to all that they have made the right choice for a class president! For a leader!!"
Something rang true in Iida's head despite his ever increasing lack of confidence. It didn't matter whether he thought himself as worthy for the position he was currently in, that didn't change the fact that he was still in that very position. He was class president, whether he believed he deserved it or not, and right now, his class was relying on him to get help. He would show to everyone that their trust had not been misplaced.
The boy thought back to the cafeteria incident, where Midoriya had engineered the plan he executed. He had been lucky enough to avoid the portal meant for him, as well as rescue Uraraka and Sato, but Midoriya wasn't. His introverted, yet considerate friend was lost somewhere in this very building, fighting for his life along with the majority of his classmates. Every second he wasted as class president would be another second Midoriya fought, another opportunity to be injured, another chance for something even more dreadful to happen.
Midoriya had given him this position, and this was his opportunity to show his friend that he could handle it. That he could be the pillar of a leader that was necessary, not only now, but in the future as well.
Iida couldn't believe he had wasted so much time wallowing in self doubt. If the situation wasn't so dire, he would have chuckled at his immaturity. But thanks to his mind's pep talk, his confidence had been reimbursed. It felt almost like his brain was gripping his shoulders, coaching him back towards the task at hand, but he quickly attributed the feeling to stress and tense muscles.
"Aside from the fact you have no hope…" Everyone's attention turned to the villain, who's ever fluctuating form loomed over them from the corner. "What sort of fool discusses strategy in earshot of the enemy?"
But Thirteen continued their brave front, opening up their gloves to use their quirk. "It hardly matters if you overheard. You can't stop us!!"
It all happened in a split second, not even Gami had the time to process what had occurred before him. The space hero activated their deadly quirk in the misty man's direction, preparing to swallow the fog entirely, but the villain was one step ahead. The ghost watched in horror as the man morphed his body into another portal, creating the exit right behind Thirteen. At first, the spirit was just as caught off guard as the rest of the students, but he quickly realized the villain's intentions.
He could barely process the anguished cries of the students around him, his own focus centered on the evolving horror before his eyes. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Gami watched Thirteen get torn apart by their own quirk, the portals working against them. The back of the spacesuit was ripped to shreds, the vortex behind consuming the hero like a ravaging mouth. It didn't take too long for Thirteen to slump over, but it felt like ages to all who were experiencing it from the outside.
He acted purely on instinct, floating over hastily to the pro's fallen form. He naturally moved to touch the hero, but his hands went right through. Stil, the close proximity allowed the ghost to see that the spaceman was shaking, meaning they was still alive. The shallow, labored breathing coming from them reassured him, even if it was only slightly.
Gami swiveled his head over to look at Iida. The boy needed to run immediately, or the slight opportunity from Thirteen's defeat would go to waste.
Sato seemed to get the same idea, shouting intently at the class president. "Iida, he told you to run!!"
The strict teen needed only a single glance at the fallen hero to realize what hesitance was capable of, and he took off, activating his engines and dashing for the exit. It should have been an easy run, but the misty man's reaction time was far quicker than the students accounted for. The villain's head snapped backwards, his bright yellow eyes refocusing on his new target.
"My dear, scattered children…" his voice moved along with his swirling form, the wisps from his eyes mixing together with the fog like they were being blended.
The villain warped himself in the blink of an eye, creating a portal right in Iida's path. Due to his increasing speed, the student was helpless to change his direction, only able to display pain and shock on his face at the sudden development.They were counting on him, the entire class was counting on him. He couldn't fail now.
"It would hardly be for our benefit if you called for help," the villain finished, his voice echoing from the depths of the now open vortex.
The ghost's face turned to one of mortification. If Iida was teleported, there would be almost no chance of alerting the rest of the heroes. The students would be forced to fight for their lives, along with the two teachers. But what could he do? He was even more helpless than the rescue hero right now, unable to even interact with the world around him.
The class president braked slightly, attempting to dodge the portal, but before he could stop all the way, Shoji lunged at the mist, capturing it with his limbs. Iida stumbled, but quickly changed course and headed for the exit again.
"Go!!" the multi limbed student yelled, but the strict boy was already on it, rushing down his original path towards the exit.
Gami couldn't sit idle anymore, his nonexistent heart thumping with a mix of desperation and fear. He flew towards the shut door that Iida was running towards, the purple mist trailing them both. The spirit could hear him curse as he noticed the doors were locked in some manner. He arrived at the set of doors just as the villain was finally catching up to the student, but he wasn't sure what exactly to do. The doors had no obvious set of controls that he could mess with, but that didn't pose too much of an issue. This was one of the few times where he was thankful for his intangibility as he shoved his hands into the wall, searching for something. He stuck his head into the wall afterwards, hoping to get a better bearing of what he was dealing with.
Hearing some commotion behind him, the ghost peeked his head out of the wall. Out of the corner of eye, he could make out Uraraka frantically dashing towards Iida. His ears picked up the shocked cry of Ashido, who was now kneeling next to Thirteen's body. There was so much going on, Gami could barely keep his eyes focused on the task at hand. He was afraid, a feeling that was alien to him. He was afraid for his successor, afraid for Iida and for Uraraka, afraid for Aizawa who was fighting alone against an army. But the fear gave him the warped motivation to do anything he possibly could to help. And so in a desperate, frenzied attempt to do something, the specter let out an anguished yell and ripped his hands from the wall.
He noticed that the misty villain was now floating, meaning that Uraraka had touched him with her quirk somehow. Sero had attached a piece of his tape to what looked to be the man's neckpiece, and was now parading the villain like a balloon. And while this would obviously be a sign of relief, Gami couldn't focus on anything of the sort over the damn pain in his hands.
He didn't have to even look down to know his hands were shaking. It was almost as if they were being impaled over and over again, the slight pricks collecting to become an overly agonising feeling. He clutched them close to his chest, hoping that would stop the constant throbbing. If he had blood running through his imaginary veins, he was sure it would be all over himself and the floor by now.
A sudden blur zoomed past his form, and the ghost craned his head to confirm what it was. He was certain it was Iida, but all that was past him was the closed door. If the student kept running, he'd only crash into the shut metal. But he heard no sound, no crash, no bang. He moved his gaze over to the exit, wondering just exactly what he would see
The entrance doors were somehow separated by a small gap, to which Gami could see Iida using his hands to pry open. The boy only needed to push the doors open a bit more before he could squeeze himself through and take off towards the main campus. The villain audibly cursed from behind him, but there was nothing he could do as the student had already left the premise of the building. The sigh of relief from the remaining students was evident, knowing help would be on the way soon.
But one factor gnawed at the spirit. How did the entrance doors open in the first place? They were already open when Iida reached them, so he didn't pry them all the way. So if it wasn't the class president, how then?
Looking over to the wall beside the doors, he quickly found his answer.
The area he had been sticking his hands into moments early was now completely blown apart, bits of metal and wires hanging out of the broken panels. There was more debris on the floor surrounding it, but most of the damage was still inside the wall, hidden by the poorly lit space. There were small sparks, but nothing worthy of potentially starting a fire, thankfully. But, one question quickly led to another.
Had he done that? Was he the cause of the damage in front of him? But even if that was so, he couldn't even begin to understand how, the pain in his hands overwhelming his thoughts.
The pain in his hands…
When his hands were in the wall, he was sure that they were transparent. After all, he couldn't actually feel any of the wires his fingers were passing through. But now, the wall was blown open and his fingers trembling uncontrollably. Shakily putting the pieces together, he pressed his hands against the wall, on one of the undamaged panels.
Just as he thought, his fingers were stopped by the metal, a cool chill rushing through his bones. He had made contact with the wall. He was currently solid.
Then, that could only mean he had turned solid as he was ripping his hands from the wall. He had ripped his hands from the wall, and the wall along with him, destroying the mechanics behind the locked door. That's why his hands ached so bad, they had turned solid while inside another solid, plus he forcefully pulled them out of that solid afterward.
He was the cause of this, but it made him more relieved than he could have possibly felt in that moment. He had done something useful, and now, help was on its way. He was so filled with gratefulness, the spirit almost broke down in tears.
But, he held in the dam, focusing his attention back to the next task at hand. The villain had grumbled something at Iida's escape, but left the rest of the students alone. Figuring he wasn't planning on hurting them, the ghost made a judgement call to leave the entrance area. He still needed to find his successor, and make sure the boy was alright. Thirteen was hurt, but stable, and the rest of the kids could take care of him.
So Gami left, floating away to begin searching the different zones. He had lost the boy once, sure…
But he would never make that same mistake again.
"How can we possibly fight, you dumbass?!" Mineta screeched, sweat running down his face, "These guys might even be tough enough to kill All Might!!"
Midoriya ignored the jab in favor of leaning back over the railing to take another peek at the waters below.
"Our only hope is to hide somewhere until the U.A. heroes come to rescue us!!" the panicked boy continued, not caring if the villains below hear his cries.
However, the green haired teen wasn't paying attention, mumbling his thoughts to himself, "Those guys down there… most of them are clearly suited for aquatic combat…"
But his muttering was loud enough for the other two students to pick up on, with Mineta getting more aggravated by the short whispers. "Stop ignoring my point!!"
"So the ringleaders must have recruited their teams knowing about USJ's different environments." Asui however, picked up on his thought process right away.
Midoriya nodded. "Exactly! Their intel must have told them that much at least. But, with all their careful planning, one odd point sticks out."
The frog girl tilted her head in confusion, while the short grape boy continued to grow more annoyed. In response, the teen gestured towards his female classmate.
"Tsu, they zapped you…" he explained, remembering to address her by her nickname, "into the flood zone."
But to his dismay, neither of the two teens seemed to understand what he was trying to point out, both giving his deadpan looks. The lack of response made the boy falter, wondering if he should have just kept his mouth shut in the first place.
"What I'm saying," he began to clarify, "is that they must not know about our quirks."
That particular comment made Asui's head snap up as she pointed one of her gloved fingers to the conflagration area in the distance. "If they'd known about me having frog powers… they'd have dropped me into that fiery area."
"It's exactly because they don't know about our quirks that their strategy was to overwhelm us with numbers," Midoriya added, "And we can use that to our advantage."
Unfortunately, none of the teen's words seemed to reassure Mineta, who looked more panicked than ever. Sweat dripped down his face and mixed with the beginnings of his tears as his teeth audibly clattered.
Asui, on the other hand, remained with her neutral facade, her face showing little emotion in general. She brushed a lock of her damp hair from her eyes, looking towards the water.
"Well," she started, "I can jump really high… and stick to walls."
Realizing she was explaining her quirk, he quickly began memorizing her words.
"My tongue can stretch to a maximum of 20 meters. Also, I can spit up my stomach to clean it," the girl continued, letting her tongue fall from her lips, "and secrete a poisonous fluid, but it really just stings a little."
Mineta seemed to perk up at her last statement, which sent a small chill down his own spine. Ignoring the disgust that swept through his veins, he nodded towards his classmate in confirmation.
"Those last two aren't that useful." Asui started to backtrack, maybe out of self doubt, but that didn't seem like her from the few moments he had gotten to interact with her. "Just forget about them."
"No, no, no," he tried to reassure her, "You're really strong… I underestimated you."
Taking a deep breath, he lifted up his own gloved hands, curling his fingers ever so slightly.
"My quirk…" he began, "allows me to decay anything I touch. I can also summon a scythe to fight with, which can also decay what it cuts. By decaying the air with a slash, I can make large explosions too…"
Midoriya figured that was a simple enough explanation to satisfy his classmates, and Mineta sensed that it was his turn to go next, mostly because he was the only one left. He pulled off one of his purple hair balls and squished it against the boat. He began patting it gently, and his hand was bounced off.
"It's really sticky. If I'm feeling good, it'll stick there all day," the short student explained, referring to his hair ball, "A new one'll grow in the old one's place, but if I take too many, I'll start bleeding. They'll also bounce off my own body without sticking to me."
The quiet teen nodded, mumbling lightly while trying to put together this new information. Asui stared blankly at the other boy, not even attempting to break eye contact with him. Mineta stared back, uncomfortableness rising within him. Tears pooled in his eyes before he bursted.
"Like I said, we just gotta wait to be rescued!!" he cried, "My quirk is terrible for fighting multiple opponents!!"
Startled, Midoriya jumped up from his squatted position, shaking his head. "N-not at all. It's a great quirk. We just have to think on how to make use of it…"
Then, the boat began rocking, making the three students grip the railing to peer over. The villains were becoming antsy and one with a strange looking mutant quirk turned to another, who he couldn't see due to the slight waves crashing around him.
"I'm getting bored over here." Midoriya could hear the mutant villain say to the person floating next to him. "Finish this already, huh?"
When he watched the adjacent villain nod, he knew the worst was yet to come.
"Get down!" he yelled to his classmates, who all quickly ducked behind the lower portion of the railing. Just as they did, he could hear explosions from all around him, as the boat shook violently. Chunks of rubble and debris flew in every direction as he watched a piece of the boat split in two only a few feet away from his hiding form.
"What's going on?" Asui croaked, using her sticky fingers to cling onto the railing wall.
Curiously, Mineta poked his head out from below the railing, lasting not even a second before ducking back down while trembling heavily.
"Fingers!" he cried horrifyingly, "He's shooting fingers at us!! I'm gonna puke!!"
Something terrifying clicked in Midoriya's head once he registered that word. The explosions around him soon began to fade into nothing as his eyes grew heavy. The world drowned into silence, with nothing left but the echoing of his own, pressing thoughts.
He wasn't an idiot, nor was he stupid. And denial certainly didn't turn him into one. He knew. He knew the second Mineta even started to utter that word, and he sure as hell didn't need him to finish. He had forgotten, though. He had let that slip from his mind since his first day at U.A., and he could admit that regrettably. But he had known all along, all he had needed was this one single spark to completely burst his stability into flames.
This bastard. This bastard had a certain finger rocket quirk, one that he could recognize all too well. The damage, the debris, the smoke, he just knew. It was him. This was the bastard.
This was the fucker who had crushed Ishihara in his own home.
A single question rang throughout his head.
How?
The villain had been restrained after the incident. That was the whole reason the ambulance was late in the first place. He was supposed to be locked up, in jail, somewhere away from here. So how? How did he keep finding his way back into Midoriya's life, when he so desperately wanted him gone? This man had ruined the life of someone he truly learned to care about, someone who truly cared about him. Was he back for more? After all this time, was he truly back for more? Was he that desperate to taste his heartbreak again?
If that was the case, then this villain was certainly stupid, unlike himself. Did he think he'd let him get away with the same kind of stunt again? Did he think he could run off with another life like he did all that time ago? He had managed to slip from his grasp once, but that was because he was unprepared. The opportunity hadn't presented itself to the teen, and by the time he had reached the crushed house of his dead friend, the villain had been long carted off. But he had foolishly shown up again, his greed getting the best of him. And now, the universe had graced him with a single opportunity. A single chance to grasp his vengeance by the throat and squeeze the life out of it until it was no more. He would clutch his chance so tight, it would turn blue out of asphyxiation. DT would pool at his fingertips and disintegrate it into submission, and he would enjoy watching the bits flake off and scatter into the wind. The warm blood would run down his hands and drip onto the floor, decorating his clothes like permanent ink.
And he would enjoy it, because the universe had given him this chance.
But, just as quickly as it had come, the thought removed itself from his head, a slight shaking rumbling through his shoulders. It felt as if his head finally broke the surface of the sludge it was drowning in, allowing a rush of fresh air into his lungs. He could breathe. He could breathe again.
What was he thinking?
"Izu…? Izu, please…! Say something!"
The sound of explosions rushed back into his ears as his eyes settled back down on the image of the splitting ship. He felt his back digging uncomfortably against the cold, metal railing as the black spots finally faded from his vision. As his sight refocused, he could make out Asui and Mineta squatting above him. Remembering the urgency of the situation he was currently in, he jumped up onto his feet, clutching his head into his hands.
"Midori, are you alright?" The frog girl cocked her head, tapping her foot nervously, "You've been mumbling for some time."
Looking around quickly, he noted the boat was still afloat, which was relieving in a sense. How could he have let himself get so sidetrack, and by a thought so villainous?
"I'm so sorry." He hoped to the universe and above that his classmates couldn't make out what he was saying. But as he turned to Mineta, his hope was completely shattered.
The short boy was trembling violently, hiding behind Asui's lean figure. He was making terrified eye contact with him, as if he was afraid to let him out of his sight. That crushed any confidence he had left, leaving him wanting to sink along with the boat.
He didn't want to look at his peer's expression anymore, so he turned his head away, finding his mentor in his sight instead. He was surprised the ghost found him as quickly as he did, but he wasn't complaining. The man looked eager to say something, but held his comments back. That was right. They still had a fight to win.
Asui seemed to think the same way. "Look, Midori. We can talk about what you said later, but right now, we need a plan."
That was fair. He needed to put his feelings aside, however intense they may be. Besides, he didn't really want to focus on what had just transpired earlier. It made him feel sick, to think revenge had run through his thoughts, and even sicker that he had actually considered it as if it were a viable option.
"Alright," he agreed, "I have an idea."
He motioned for them to huddle in closer, and they did, although not without some hesitation. He hushed his voice down to a whisper to explain his thoughts, unaware of the dwindling patience of the villains in the water below. Mineta didn't seem to get the memo, though, or maybe he was still too shaken from what happened earlier, because he continued to cry out louder, making bold accusations about how his plan wouldn't work out.
The boat rumbled violently again, and that's when Midoriya knew they had to act. Nodding to his classmates, he approached the edge of railing alone, his thoughts racing through the remaining fragments of his broken mind. Finally seeing that the boy was by himself, Gami rushed over, his patience being pushed to the limits.
"Izu, what happened? Please… you had me extremely worried."
The teen didn't bother to look at his mentor, but he huffed something under his breath.
"I saw him, and I almost did something awful."
The ghost looked even more confused after that, but he paid him no mind. The ship wouldn't float another 20 seconds, and he needed to act now. He had a mission, and that was to protect Asui.
He could grill himself over this later.
Even still, he couldn't get rid of all his anger. Nothing he could do in the moment would calm him down. But maybe that wasn't too bad of a thing. Anger was an everyday emotion, even if he himself didn't feel it all that often. He just needed to let it out in a healthy way, something that would be beneficial to the situation. He could be angry and he could help at the same time. It was simply a delicate balance, but if that's what it took for the two to coexist, he would make it work.
Midoriya lifted his right foot to step on the railing, the iron soles from his boots digging into the damaged metal. He looked back over to his peers anxiously, but Asui was already in position, with Mienta clutched under her arm. She sent him a quick nod and turned away.
He was angry, but that wasn't all he was. He was nervous, afraid, tense, all the possible negative outcomes rushing through his head. But even through all of that, he was determined. Sure, he was angry, but that wouldn't define him right now. So he let his fury simmer right below his fingertips as he gripped his hands onto the railing as well.
As empowering as anger felt, it really wasn't his kind of emotion. He'd rather leave this type of thing to Bakugo.
"GO TO HELL!!"
The boy leaped off the boat, letting loose his rage in a mangled, beast-like expression. The smug faces of the villains below him didn't aid his efforts to calm down, merely feeding into his fury. But he wouldn't let it overtake him. Channeling his anger, he summoned his scythe mid-jump, and swung down as hard as he could, screaming all the way.
The air audibly ripped apart at the slash, the force behind it so intense, it sent him flying back upwards. And yet, all he could do was search for the man with that damned quirk. He didn't know what the villain looked like, and no one fired back at him, too preoccupied with fighting off the gigantic whirlpool that had just formed in the middle of the flood zone. Even so, the few seconds more he had in the air let him step back, and finally breathe. He was so overwhelmed by everything: the attack, his emotions, the constant breathing of death down his neck. So being up in the air like this, finally away from it all, it was relieving in a sense.
And finally, his anger was gone, replaced by an accepting smile that now adorned his face. He couldn't help the few tears that escaped from his eyes, but the air around him quickly blew them away before anyone could notice.
Right after he made the blast with his weapon, Asui jumped from the boat, wrapping Midoriya's waist with her tongue. Mineta, who was still under her arm, began hurling his sticky balls down towards the spiralling water. They were quickly swept up in the current and entrapped every villain that was waiting for them below, globbing them up in one sticky mass.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Mineta sobbed, his fat tears dribbling down his cheeks heavily along with his snot.
It was amazing, how two people in the same situation could cry so genuinely, for such drastically different reasons.
Midoriya felt a hand grabbing the back of his gym uniform, but assumed that was Asui pulling him closer as they flew through the air. He wasn't facing forward, so he couldn't see where they were landing, but he did get a wonderful view of all the villains piled up in the center of the artificial lake. He was too far to see any of their distinguishing features, though. Was that truly a bad thing? He had no idea.
The three landed right by the edge of the flood zone, hitting the water with a deafening splash. Well, the splash itself wasn't that loud, but combined with the uncomfortable silence that enveloped the students had made it ring in their ears.
The teen wasn't sure what to say, if anything at all. He wasn't even sure what exactly his classmates heard in the first place. He hoped it wasn't anything too damning, because if it was, he wasn't sure words would be able to repair anything.
He noticed a sharp pressure on his right shoulder, but recognized its ice cold touch as Gami's. He didn't make any auditory acknowledgement, but he couldn't help but visibly soften, to which the ghost observed.
Asui's blunt personality allowed her to break the silence first. "Midori, you said some concerning things while you were spaced out on us earlier."
He didn't even care what exactly they heard anymore, now wanting to be wiped off the face of the earth. Deep in his conscience, he felt the urge to fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness, not caring how hard of a hit his limited pride took.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, hoping that would be enough to express how genuinely guilty he felt.
Mineta didn't look convinced, but his female classmate simply nodded her head.
"And I believe you," she replied, "but you still need to explain yourself."
He flinched at the strength in her tone. He wasn't expecting Asui to be intimidating, but her words made him want to curl into himself. But she had a point, he needed to explain his actions, however uncomfortable they may have been.
"I recognized someone… a quirk, I mean." The words came out shakily, fumbling at the tip of his tongue like marbles rolling out of his mouth. "I really didn't mean to… I just-"
"Got angry?" Asui finished with a questioning tone, tilting her head slightly.
Midoriya nodded, confirming her assumption. "Someone I cared about… he isn't here, b-because o...of-"
The girl placed her gloved hand on his arm, signalling that he didn't have to finish. Surprisingly, the touch didn't bother him as much as it would have in the past, more worried about holding in his sobs. Now was definitely not the time or place to cry, as emotionally wrecked as he was.
"It's alright. I think I get it now," she spoke softly, a sharp contrast to her usual tone.
The spirit understood as well, after hearing that last part, and moved to run his fingers through the boy's hair. He was starting to regret not trying to find his successor earlier, considering how much he missed upon arriving. He felt unnaturally guilty, having left him to spiral alone, especially in the face of the villain that had done so much damage.
"Revenge is not an easy choice to pass up," the frog girl added, "I underestimated your strength."
He smiled at her words and wiped any remnants of tears in his eyes with his own gloved hand. "Thank you…"
Asui then looked over to Mineta, who had distanced himself from the other two. Now that he was looking, he noticed his tears were lightly tinted red, probably blood from the drawback of his quirk. She elbowed him sharply and he cried out.
"Fine, fine!" he wailed pitifully, turning towards the green haired teen, "Just don't do that again. It was really scary."
While he was thankful to have his classmates' forgiveness, the grape boy's words stirred something uncomfortable in his stomach. He didn't want to come off as scary or unnerving, that was the exact opposite of the image he wanted. He already saw his own power as dangerous and uncontrollable, but he didn't want others to view him the same way. All he desired was to be a hero, to help others and restore peace. But he couldn't do any of that if people saw him in fear.
The three approached the very edge of the water, resting their tired arms along the ground. Even from their distance, they could all make out Aizawa fighting against the horde of villains surrounding him.
"So, what should we do now?" Asui asked, looking over to Midoriya.
"Well, for now, calling for help is our priority," he explained, suddenly remembering his main goal of keeping his classmate alive, "If possible, we should follow the shoreline and make for the exit, avoiding the plaza altogether."
She had died right here in the water by the plaza's edge. The last thing he wanted was to keep them in that very spot.
"Makes sense," she agreed, "Looks like Aizawa-sensei is drawing a large number of them to the plaza."
The teen hummed. He couldn't deny his worry for his homeroom teacher, but what was he supposed to do? Right now, his focus was protecting Asui from the morbid end he had witnessed in his vision. But a lot still plagued his mind. They still needed to call the main campus for help, and he still needed to help Eraserhead against the horrific bird monster he had seen earlier.
"You do not need to worry yourself with calling for help." Gami could sense his successor's nervousness, and finally decided to share the little information he had. "I was able to assist Iida in escaping the premises. Help is already on its way."
He nearly responded out loud in his relief, but managed to restrain his voice in his throat. At least now, he didn't have to hold out for much longer. He could also now prioritize Asui and Aizawa's well being.
He did catch the strange wordplay of his mentor, though. Assist? What exactly could Gami have done in the first place? His solidity wasn't really a factor he could readily control. He would have to question the ghost later, after all, there were many more important things he needed to focus on right now.
"Don't tell me you're actually considering interfering, Midoriya?" Mineta questioned snarkily, "Because that's just stupid!"
He hadn't realized he had been spacing out for so long. It must have looked like he was debating on whether to help their teacher, which wasn't a complete lie.
"N-no, I think we should get to safety first." His main priority was to protect Asui, he couldn't let that slip from his mind. But the three of them couldn't help but stand there and watch Aizawa fight against dozens upon dozens of villains.
Then, the boy recognized the blue haired villain with the decay quirk step forward. A familiar rush of fear swamped over him, and yet, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
The two engaged in combat and steadily grew closer to the edge of the plaza as a result. Midoriya could begin to hear the man's voice. He was counting down. Counting down the seconds between Eraserhead's quirk.
He watched in utter horror as the villain disintegrated his teacher's elbow, the skin flaking off into the wind. He could believe he himself had thought about doing the same to that villain before. What kind of sick hero was he? Could he even begin to call himself that?
Aizawa punched him away, the man rolling off further from the edge of the plaza. The pro fought off a few more stray villains, even with his injury, and turned back towards the young adult. He couldn't see the villain's mouth with that disgusting severed hand covering it, but judging solely off his movements, he guessed the blue haired man was talking. Based on the childish personality he had displayed earlier, it was likely he was taunting the hero.
There was a quick flash, so fast, not even Gami could make out what it was. It all had happened so quickly, none of the students even had a chance to process what had unfolded before their very eyes. They were simply left at the edge of the flood zone in complete and utter shock.
Aizawa was pinned down by the hideous beast Midoriya had seen in his premonition. His face was buried into the earth, and his goggles in pieces around him. One of the monster's hands was holding the hero down by his back with uncomfortable force. And the other, was twisting the pro's now broken arm behind him at a sharp and unnatural angle.
Even through that revolting hand on his face, the boy could feel his smirk burn into his eyes, the giddy expression absolutely sickening. The villain had walked closer in the time Aizawa was restrained, and now the teens could hear his chilling voice loud and clear.
"Meet the anti-symbol of peace."
He laughed, a repulsive and terrifying laugh.
"The bioengineered… Nomu."