The beginning is just starting...
The awe still hung in the air. All the teens stared at the broken window. Then Clark caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
"You've got to be shitting me."
His friends, hearing his voice, also began to notice that several monsters lying on the ground had started to rise up.
"Damn! This isn't over yet!" exclaimed Diana. "We need to get out of here while protecting Wayne and Kent!" She looked back at the hole in the window and had a spark of realization. "Jordan!" she called out to the brunette. "Use your Quirk to fly out of here and find help!"
The green-clad teen was apprehensive. "But, I can't just leave you all here! My Quirk can help fight these things," he argued.
"We still don't know if anyone on the outside even knows what's going on here!" Diana shot back, "This is our chance! Just go now!"
"Argue later! Fight now!" Wally cried. The four teens then realized they had been encircled and some things had already jumped into the air about to pounce on them.
"Oh no, guys!" Clark shouted in a panic. Then he registered that a shadow was growing over him. He looked forward and saw a creature about to come down on him, but he couldn't move. His body was just too stiff with.
"Kent!" The teen saw to his side Bruce reaching out towards him. His friend, despite his broken body, managed to run and launch himself at him. Whether Bruce intended to push or grab Clark out of the way would never be known.
At the moment, the lockdown front doors burst out of their frame. Red feathers flew out of the dust cloud and struck all the attacking creatures. They were then flown into the walls of the single room floor. Bruce fell face-first with a grunt.
"Hey, isn't that...?" Wally trailed off.
"So sorry everyone!" a woman's voice called out.
"We were off duty, so we're a little late," a man said.
"The rest of U.A.'s staff had to head to a separate crisis," said a different man.
The dust then cleared.
"But we've brought more than enough reinforcements."
Diana, Hal, and Wally's faces lit up when they saw the three heroes at the front of the group.
"Miss America! Atom! Hourman!" Hal said.
"Sensei!" Wally called out as he excitedly waved his hands over his head.
"Everyone! Split up and find the students! Search every floor of the W. A. T. C. H. Tower!" Miss America ordered.
"Right!"
Don and Hank could only stare as the shark monster bit deeper into Arthur's thigh. The blonde gritted his own sharp teeth and desperately beat his fists on the thing's snout, but all that did was cause it to bite down harder. The water was so thick with blood, and Arthur was becoming dangerously pale.
Then something ran past the brothers and dove into the water. It then swam to and jetted out at the shark creature. As it delivered an uppercut that forced the thing to release Arthur, the siblings could see that the figure was what looked like a humanoid gray seal in a blue wetsuit.
"You two alright?" a woman asked as she crouched next to them. She was wearing a sailor uniform and blue fin ornaments on her ears. "It's okay now. I'm Sirius, and that's my boss Selkie. We're going to get you all out of here."
Hank spoke up. "Curry... he's lost so much blood. Please save him!"
"We have to hurry Sirius," Selkie said as he swam to the deck, Arthur secured in his arms. The blonde's eyes were unfocused, and his breathing was shallow. "He's going into hemorrhagic shock. We've got to move now!"
Death Arms and Ryukyu were shocked. They had arrived on the Tempest Floor to find a lone student unconscious on the ground. Surrounding him was blood, diluted and spread out by the artificial rainwater. A check over showed that the boy's injuries weren't too serious so the source of the blood must have been the sliced up bodies of creatures littering the ground. However, that wasn't what stunned the two heroes. It was that approximately a block of the faux city had been demolished. As they eyed the rubble and the carnage, the Punching Hero and Dragoon Hero turned to each other before glancing at the teen Death Arms held.
"Did this kid... do all this?" he asked. His fellow hero couldn't answer.
Endeavor scorched another creature to a crisp.
"Endeavor! I've found him!" Backdraft called out. The firefighter hero sprayed water over some flames and rushed over to a certain spot. He morphed some water into hands and gently lifted the unconscious blonde up.
"How is he?" the No. 2 hero asked as he approached.
"Not good. He has no injuries, but he's suffering from heatstroke. We need to get him cooled down and fast!"
Nathaniel limped while carrying Oliver on his back. His classmate had landed on his head and was instantly knocked out. He didn't come out unscathed as a slab of concrete had fallen on his ankle.
The teen glanced over his shoulder to see several flyers heading towards them. "Great..." he groaned. He readjusted his grip on Oliver and freed one hand to fire radiation.
Then all the flyers fell to the ground, blue threads wrapped around their wings. Nathaniel lowered his hand in confusion and turned to a voice.
"Your friend is hurt," Best Jeanist said as he kept a grip on the creatures. "Let's get you both medical attention.
Mari's teeth almost broke through the bone. Her claws gripped onto the rocky face of the mountain while her other hand held onto Greg's arm. In her panic, she had accessed falcon talons again and managed to grab before he fell too far, but now they were both stuck with creatures ready to attack them.
"Dammit!" she swore.
Suddenly a large surge of earth swept the things above them away.
"You two! Are either of you injured?" a voice underneath them called out. The teens looked down to see four people with similar cat-themed costumes.
"No ma'am! We're just really freaked out!" Greg answered.
"Understandable," the woman in pink said. She turned to the green-haired lady. "Ragdoll, are there any other students on the floor?"
Ragdoll shook her head. "No, I can confirm these are the only two, Mandalay," she responded.
Mandalay nodded and looked back up at the teens. "Don't worry, we'll get you down! Just wait a little longer!"
Red feathers whizzed by Shayera and struck all the flyers in front of her. She blinked in confusion.
"Hey, nice to see another bird of a feather. Let me handle the rest, okay?" With that Hawks fired more feathers at the creatures. Shayera looked down to see another hero dealing with the non-flying monsters. She quickly flew down to him.
"You're Ingenium, right? Are you fast?" Shayera asked. The pro hero turned to the redhead. "Well, yes. Why-?"
"Please! One of my classmates is badly injured, and she needs medical aid right now!"
The Turbo Hero straightened up. "Where is she?"
Vic held the unconscious Helena close to him. He had been backed up against the canyon wall as creatures closed in on them. He readied himself for a final stand.
"Lacquered Chains Prison!"
Large branches sprouted from the side and completely ensnared the creatures. Vic turned to see the pro hero Kamui Woods.
"Alright, kid, let's get you both out of here. You both need medical attention."
Vic followed the hero's line of sight to see he had badly skinned his shin.
Must have happened in the ambush I lost my hat in.
Mount Lady peeked through the hole in one of the tower's top floors. The inside looked to be a vast forest environment. She angled her head to look down a bit and gasped. She quickly and carefully widened the hole enough to fit her hand through it. The hero gently cradled the unconscious hero in her hands. Mount Lady almost gagged when she saw his left arm ended in a stump.
"Everyone, I've got a serious injury here!" she called down to the paramedics showing up.
Bruce watched as the creatures were all secured. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He had done nothing. He had gotten beaten up and could only watch as his friend hurt himself fighting a monster.
Clark...
Bruce gritted his teeth harder. Clark had gotten hurt because of him. Because he distracted him with that stupid argument, Clark didn't notice the monster behind him. Because he couldn't do anything against the monster, Clark had broken his arm defeating it. He felt... so useless.
"Kent... I'm sorry." The other teen looked at him in confusion.
Clark stared at his friend then wearily smiled. "No, you're wrong." Bruce looked at him in confusion. "You helped me get through this ordeal by encouraging and reassuring me in your own way. And you did fight alongside me, too. Plus, I should be sorry. I should've respected your opinions." He continued to smile at Bruce who slowly returned it.
"Let's not fight like that again... okay?" Bruce said.
Clark nodded. "Mm! Agree!"
Meanwhile, Miss America observed the capturing of the creatures and sighed. "How did this happen?"
Hourman walked up next to her. "The villains completely blindsides us. I only hope the students and Dr. Mid-nite are relatively safe."
Then the emergency stairs door burst open.
"Have an ambulance ready! He's going into shock from blood loss!" Selkie exclaimed. He held a student in his arms while his sidekick followed closely with two more students in tow.
Soon more heroes followed and more injuries were called out.
"He's overheated and severely dehydrated! He needs fluids now!" Backdraft shouted.
"The student had likely suffered head trauma!" Ryukyu reported, Death Arms close behind.
"Heavy bruising on the ribs!" Mandalay said. Her teammate, Tiger, allowed the injured boy to lean on him.
"I've got a grade-three concussion and a potentially broken ankle," Best Jeanist said as he helped a student carry another.
"She's suffered multiple lacerations to the head and possible trauma!" Ingenium shouted as he ran in with a girl in his arms.
"Unconscious from the head injury and severe laceration to leg!" Kamui Wood carried one student while the other leaned on him for support.
Miss America and Hourman stared in horror. "Oh no..." the former whispered.
"You guys!" The two turned to see Atom running to them. "They found Dr. Mid-Nite. He..." the hero hesitated then continued, "He was unconscious and... missing half of his arm."
Miss America cringed before regaining her composure. "Make sure the ambulances are ready to receive the injured! Have them prepared to handle head injuries, blood loss, and dehydration!"
Atom nodded and ran back outside. Miss America sighed. "Hopefully Mid-Nite's injury is the only one of such severity."
J'onn, Hal, and Wally watched as the heroes escorted and carried their classmates to the front entrance.
Hal swallowed hard. "Some of those injuries look really bad..."
"But at least they found everyone," Wally said though there was still unease in his voice.
"Come one, we should help our friends evacuate," said J'onn.
Diana was ahead of him and already running towards Clark and Bruce.
"Wayne! Kent!"
Both boys looked at her. "Prince! I'm glad you're safe," Clark said.
"Yes, I'm-" Bruce cut himself off when he noticed that the creature knocked away earlier by Hawks was stirring. Its mouth opened and an elongated sharp-tipped tongue shot out, heading towards Clark.
"Kent!" Bruce and Diana screamed.
Everything happened so fast. Clark braced for the pain then felt something shove against him, pushing him to the ground. He felt the warm spray of blood on his face. He stared at the tongue that had pierced through Bruce's left side. Bruce stood shakily in front of him, red pouring from the corners of his mouth.
"... A hero... protects others... no matter what..." he said weakly. Bruce's voice was wet and rough.
Diana leaped into the air and brought her foot down on the thing's neck. There was a sickening "SNAP!", and its head fell to the side. The tongue fell from the wound, and Bruce began to fall to the side. Clark quickly crawled over and caught him before he hit the ground.
Diana rushed over and kneeled beside them. Everyone just stood stunned from what they just witnessed.
"Hurry, get him to a hospital!" Clark screamed. He looked up, tears welling in his eyes. "Please, don't let him die!"
Tsukauchi was preparing to leave the scene at the USJ. He had made sure that all the students, minus one who broke his legs, were accounted for. He informed them of their teachers' conditions and left Sansa in charge so he could lead an investigation of U.A.'s grounds. Then one officer informed him the shocking news. Another U.A. class had been attacked. And this one had a high chance of casualties.
Tsukauchi hated to be the bearer of bad news but Nezu needed to know.
"Principal!" The rodent-like critter looked up at him. "Is something wrong, detective?"
Tsukauchi's eyes were downcast. "Principal... there was a separate attack at the W. A. T. C. H. Tower." Midnight and Snipe, who were at Nezu's sides, gasped. Nezu was silent. "Were there any injuries?" he asked.
Tsukauchi somberly nodded. "Twelve total: eleven students and their teacher. Some... are in the ICU."
The Class 1-A students heard everything.
"The... ICU? Isn't that... for life-threatening injuries?" Ochaco asked frightfully.
"The class that rode with us? They were attacked, too?" asked Sero.
"So many were injured..." Tenya said.
"Could it be... because All Might came to save us instead of them?" Mineta asked.
No one answered. A melancholy air just formed over them.
Shota could hear faint beeping. He could also feel something on his face. He struggled to open his eyes. He barely cracked them open when white light blinded him. He groaned and tried turning his head away.
"Shota? Shota!" Hizashi's worried face came into view. "Oh thank God! You're awake!" he exclaimed.
"H-Hizashi...?" What was the Voice Hero doing here? He wasn't scheduled at the USJ.
... The... USJ...
Aizawa almost shot right up had Hizashi not placed his hand on his chest.
"Hey! Whoa, whoa! It's okay, Shota! You're okay!" the blonde said. "You're in the hospital."
"The students! Hizashi, how are my students!?" Aizawa frantically asked. HIs friend gave him a reassuring smile. "They're all safe. The only injury was Midoriya who broke his legs. Thirteen is also fine, too."
Shota began calming down. His class was safe. His colleague was safe. Everyone was- Then he remembered, and his panic returned.
"Hizashi, the class that rode with us! Class 0-JL! Did anything happen to them?"
The blonde's smile dropped, and he became somber.
Oh no...
"Class 0-JL... was also attacked. Dr. Mid-Nite and eleven students were injured. They were all brought to this hospital."
"Wayne! Was Wayne injured?"
Hizashi looked at him sadly. "... Yes. He-"
Aizawa threw off the blanket and swung his legs off the bed.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Yamada exclaimed. He rushed to push his friend back down to the bed.
"I have to see him! I have to see Wayne!"
"Shota! Please calm down!"
Bruce slowly opened his eyes. His entire body felt sore. He grunted and propped himself up on his elbows. The blanket fell from his chest, letting him see that his torso was wrapped in bandages up until his armpits. He felt more bandages on his head and face.
"Oh, you're awake." Bruce turned to see a young woman in a nurse uniform.
"Where... am I?" His voice sounded so tired.
"You're in the hospital. You just had surgery four hours ago."
"Surgery...?"
"Yes. You should get some more rest. Do you want anything to drink or eat?"
Before Bruce could answer, a male's voice cut in. "Hey, Kobayashi! You need to come with me to Eraserhead's room! He's freaking out!" a male nurse exclaimed.
"Oh dear! What's wrong?"
"Not sure. He woke up and started screaming for a someone named "Wayne"."
Bruce stared at him in shock.
"Aizawa-sensei...?" He then could hear the screams. In the distance, Aizawa's voice shouted his name.
"Wayne! I have to see him! Wayne!"
"Sensei!" Bruce jumped out of bed and ran out the door.
"Hey! You shouldn't be up running around!" the man exclaimed. He tried to grab the teen, but Bruce squirmed and slipped out from under his arms. He continued running to his teacher's voice. He slid to a stop at an open door. Bruce saw Present Mic and a doctor trying to hold Aizawa down.
"Please! I have to see Wayne! Just let me check on him!" the hero screamed.
"Aizawa-sensei! It's okay! I'm right here!" Bruce exclaimed as he ran up to the side of his teacher's bed.
Shota's eyes widened, and he immediately stiffened.
"It's okay, Sensei! I'm fine, see?"
"Wayne..." the hero murmured. Then his eyes trailed down lower and stopped dead.
"Sensei?" Bruce then noticed Present Mic and the doctor were also staring in shock. So Bruce looked down, too. His struggle from earlier had loosened the bandages.
There was a large X-shaped scar on his left side. The intersection was directly on his waist, and it spanned on the front and back of his ribs and hip. Its reddish purple color stood out against his pale skin.
"Oh," was all Bruce could say.
Shigaraki Tomaru sat at the bar, irritated. The plan to kill All Might had failed. They had lost Nomu and were utterly defeated by the Symbol of Peace and those students. Especially that green-haired brat...
"Dammit..." he hissed.
"Tomaru."
The villain quickly looked to the screen that displayed "SOUND ONLY".
"Yes, Master?"
"We were able to get surveillance footage from the W. A. T. C. H. Tower. It would appear that the Prototype Nomu was defeated in a similar fashion as Nomu."
"What!?" Shigaraki stood up so fast that stool clattered to the floor. The wounds from the gunshots in his legs stung but didn't distract him. "How is that possible!? He was also made to counter All Might! The only reason he wasn't brought along was that the deformations would have hampered him!"
"It would appear that we underestimated all these children. One managed to defeat the Prototype Nomu on his own."
A video was pulled up. There was no sound, but Shigaraki and Kurogiri could clearly see the Nomu being punched out of the Tower by a student.
"Another brat like All Might?" Shigaraki hissed as he scratched at his neck.
"Yes. However, that isn't what caught my attention." Another video played before pausing and zooming in on another teen.
"This child here. He is actually quite famous. He is the CEO of the Wayne Enterprise: Bruce Wayne."
Shigaraki stared at the image of the teen. "What's important about him, Master? He's just a rich brat. Nothing else special."
"That's where it becomes intriguing, Tomura. He was able to fight Nomus on his own without particular power. As though he is almost Quirkless."
Shigaraki stopped scratching. "Quirkless?" He stared intently at the image now. "Hmm... an interesting new player has entered the game..."
Tsukauchi walked into the nurse's office and warmly greeted All Might. The green-haired student had at first been worried about the hero's true form being seen but the blonde reassured him.
"Tsukauchi, how are the students? Are Eraserhead and Thirteen alright?"
The detective smiled at his friend. Always thinking of others. "Besides this boy here, all students left with light injuries. Eraserhead and Thirteen are in stable conditions." Tsukauchi's smile fell.
"All Might, sorry but I feel you should know..." The No. 1 hero and student both looked back at him.
"There was a separate attack on Class 0-JL... it ended with more serious injuries to students and the teacher."
All Might's eyes widened as did Izuku's.
"No... no..." All Might murmured as he downcasted his eyes.
The detective quickly tried reassuring his friend. "But all the injured made it to the hospital in time and are expected to make a full recovery." The hero's expression remained crestfallen.
"I wasn't there to save them..." he murmured. He brought a hand to cover his mouth.
Izuku's mind went to Bruce and the short conversation they had in the hall about All Might. He remembered how the other teen seemed to get angry when Deku had said All Might could save everyone.
Could this be why...?
Bruce sat in his bed and watched as the sky changed with the setting sun. There was a knock on his door.
"Come in."
It opened and Diana, Clark, Hal, J'onn, Shayera, and Wally walked in. Clark's arm and leg are in casts, and he had a crutch. They all smiled awkwardly, minus J'onn, though he did nervously scratch his left cheek. Bruce smiled awkwardly back.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," they replied.
We never would have expected a real fight so soon. We experienced first hand the world of pro heroes. Some of us left with scars. Some of us left with regrets. But we all left with the knowledge and fear of how dangerous the path of heroes is. We survived and showed the villains we were strong.
There was no doubt in my mind: we were all going to be great heroes.
Thank you for reading Boku no Hero League. Plus Ultra.
