Chapter 10: USJ Part 2: Going Beyond

Tsuzuru bit back a whine as she soared over the USJ grounds, clinging to Aizawa as much for comfort as to protect him. None of her three components had ever been this high up before, especially not due to their own power. The fact that she'd managed such a feat with a single leap didn't help matters. Under better circumstances, she might have found it interesting, maybe even fun.

But a quick glance down at all the criminals below, even if they were unconscious, pretty much sucked any potential joy out of the situation. She may have managed to incapacitate the main threats (possibly permanently in the case of Nomu, and, no, she refused to think about that at the moment), but there were still dozens of villains throughout the facility, and her classmates were scattered all over the place. Not to mention that she'd managed to personally insult the leader of the invasion, and if Shigaraki and Kurogiri managed to get out of their sticky situation…

Tsuzuru shuddered. No, they weren't out of danger yet. Not even close.

She was able to relax slightly when, as they started to descend, she could see the flashes of Katsuki's explosions drawing closer, the building's entrance growing larger. She spotted a small crowd of people just behind him, two facing down the stairway with him, the others surrounding the shredded, prone form of Thirteen.

Tsuzuru gulped. Nope. Not out of danger. Not even in the same time zone.

As they neared the ground, she shifted her body to get her feet under her. She tried to angle herself properly, lifting her tongue and arms up so that Aizawa wouldn't get jolted too bad in the landing. When her feet hit the ground, she could feel the stonework crack, drawing everyone's attention.

She'd come in from such a high angle that none of them saw her coming until she'd landed right between the two groups. Shoji and Ochako jolted in surprise, the latter letting out a yelp even as she moved protectively in front of Thirteen. From the other side, Sero and Mina had similar reactions, their attention on the stairway broken as they turned their heads around.

But Tsuzuru barely noticed them. Her focus was put solely on Katsuki, who had whipped his whole body around the moment she touched down, a fierce scowl on his lips as he took aim with his gauntlets.

Tsuzuru wasted no time, having half-way expected this. She threw her hands in the air, waving them back and forth as she moved Aizawa behind herself with her tongue. "Wait, Kacchan! Don't shoot!"

Katsuki faulted in his movements, both at the nickname and at his targets appearance. "Frog Face? Wait…" He squinted at her for a moment, his eyes darting over her features before widening. He lowered his arms. "Deku?"

"Uh… well," She let out a nervous laugh as she lowered her arms, giving her head a small shake so-as to jostle the purple orbs hanging from her bangs. "You're two-for-three, Kacchan."

Confusion colored Katsuki's features. "Two-for… wait, that's… Grape Stain!?" He practically screeched. "How the hell do you look like the Grape Stain and-"

"Bakugo, look out!"

Katsuki jerked back around at Sero's panicked call, just in time to see a villain whose head took up their entire torso jump over the tape-boy's attack.

"Bye-bye, brats!" The villain yelled, both his arms raised to give an overhead slam to Katsuki's head…

Only to find both of Katsuki's gauntlets pointed right at his face.

"Get lost!"

The villain gave a girlish scream as he was enveloped in Katsuki's explosion, his charred body rolling down the stairs like a bowling ball, inadvertently knocking over some more of the approaching villains.

Seeing them, Katsuki growled, taking aim once again as Mina and Sero backed him up, throwing acid and launching sticky tape between blasts.

Seeing that they had the situation in hand for the moment, Tsuzuru let out a sigh of relief. She moved Aizawa back up so she could help him walk. The fact that he hadn't said a word since they'd escaped Shigaraki was starting to worry her.

She half-walked, half-carried Aizawa next to Thirteen. Ochako appeared at her side in an instant, helping to hold their teacher so Tsuzuru could unwrap her tongue from around his waist. The two of them then helped him lie down next to Thirteen as gently as they could, careful not to touch his many injuries.

"Are you, okay, sir?" Tsuzuru asked gently, trying to ignore the streams of blood trickling down their teacher's face.

Aizawa blinked a few times, his black eyes hazy. "I'll live…" He muttered quietly. He fixed Tsuzuru with a sharp look that wasn't quite a glare. "That was reckless."

Tsuzuru ducked her head sheepishly. "I know, sir. But I couldn't just let him… let you…" She trailed off, unsure how to finish. She knew he wasn't wrong, but she wasn't going to apologize for saving him.

Aizawa seemed to understand her conflict, merely offering a weak nod. He slumped a little in place, his eyes slipping shut. Tsuzuru and Ochako nearly panicked before they noticed that the man's breathing was still steady, he had simply passed out from exhaustion.

"So…" Ochako said slowly as they looked Aizawa over. "Izuchako has a new sister?"

Tsuzuru blinked at her in confusion, before her lips quirked up in a small smile. "I guess you can look at it like that," She said with a giggle. "And a brother, too. He fused with Minoru first, making Izoru. Then when we found Aizawa, we got attacked, Izoru grabbed Tsu and…" She gave a sheepish shrug. "Here I am. Name's Tsuzuru."

Shoji, who was monitoring USJ with his many-eyed limbs, turned his head in surprise. "Midoriya can fuse with more than one person at a time?"

"Since when is that a thing!?" Katsuki called back in between explosions.

"You think you're surprised, Kacchan?" Tsuzuru retorted as she stood up, throwing her arms out. "How do you think I fe- gah!"

To the shock of everyone, Tsuzuru suddenly clutched her stomach, her face scrunching up in pain. She let out a light hiss, clenching her teeth. "No…" She shuddered. "Not now…"

"Tsuzuru! What's-?" Ochako stopped in her rush to help Tsuzuru when the Fusion's body suddenly lit up with green and violet light. Her body fizzed at the edges, momentarily looking like the outlines of three people overlaying each other. Then the light suddenly cut off, revealing Tsuzuru gasping for breath as she fell to her knees.

"Deku!" Katsuki shouted, his eyes going wide as he watched her fall. He took a half-step back as if to go to her, before swinging back around to blast at another nearing villain. "Goddammit! Just die already, you shrimps!" He hit a hidden button on each of his gauntlets, causing all eight barrels between them to fire at once. A feral, satisfied grin formed on his lips as all the villains were engulfed in a massive fireball, blasting them down the stairs and clearing the entryway.

"And stay down this time, assholes!" He then turned on his heel, shouting a quick command to Shoji. "Limbs, keep your eyes on those morons. Tell me if they try to climb back up again."

Shoji raised a brow at the apparent nickname, but nodded nonetheless as Katsuki ran to Tsuzuru's side, Sero and Mina falling back with him.

"Oh, dammit," Katsuki muttered as he watched Tsuzuru's body flicker again, causing the Fusion to whimper in discomfort. He knelt down next to her, Ochako already there with her hand hovering over Tsuzuru's back, wanting to comfort her but unsure whether she should touch her.

Tsuzuru looked up at his arrival, her lips twisting into just as much a grimace as it was a smile. "H-Hey, Kacchan," she murmured through gritted teeth.

Katsuki scowled at her. "You dumbass. You overdid it, didn't you?"

Tsuzuru grinned. "Maybe a little," she admitted, sucking in a sharp breath as her form flickered.

"What's wrong with her?" Sero asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

When Katsuki didn't answer him, Ochako let out a sigh. After giving the blond an annoyed look, she turned to Sero. "Deku can only stay fused for so long. Human Fusion lasts longer than Material Fusion, but when times up, the Fusion starts to fall apart."

"There's a time limit!?" Mina practically screeched, squatting down to look Tsuzuru in the face. "How has that not come up before? Wait, I fused with Izuku! How did I not know this!?"

Tsuzuru managed to give her a half smile. "Izuna probably just didn't think about it. As for why Izuku didn't tell anyone… there really wasn't a reason to. None of us have come close to our limits in class. But… this… uh!" Tsuzuru winced again, her body flickering for a second. "Something feels… off."

Katsuki let out a growl of frustration. "How long has Deku been fused?"

That Tsuzuru had to think about it wasn't encouraging. "Fifteen minutes as Izoru. Then… I think another fifteen as me?"

Katsuki's scowl slipped off his face, replaced with shock. He looked Tsuzuru up and down again, looking, to the surprise of most, almost concerned. "That's... not right. You should last a lot longer than that, even as a new Fusion."

Tsuzuru nodded in agreement, clutching her middle tighter. It looked to the others like she was trying to literally hold herself together. "I know. But… I think Triple-Fusion's eating through my time a little faster."

Ochako winced in sympathy as Tsuzuru nearly doubled over again. "Maybe you should unfuse, Tsuzuru. You're not looking too good."

"No 'maybe' about it," Katsuki nearly snarled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Do it, dumbass. Before you hurt yourselves."

Tsuzuru looked between them both, her breath growing ragged. She seemed like she wanted to argue, but quickly bowed her head as another bout of pain tore through her, making her skin ripple with light. She let out a weak laugh.

"Yeah. Good idea. Hopefully, the next time we talk, it'll be without the whole 'running for our lives thing.'" She gave Ochako a big grin. "See you around, cute stuff."

Ochako blinked at the sudden comment, her cheeks pinking. "Uh… w-what?"

Tsuzuru just chuckled, giving her a wink, before her body dissolved into a light show of light/dark greens and deep violet.

The lights shuddered and warped, before forming the shape of three familiar figures. Tsuyu materialized to the left, Mineta on the right, with Izuku still bent over in the same kneeling position Tsuzuru had been in, his costume restored. Tsuyu and Mineta each gasped for breath as they fell on their backs, blinking rapidly as they looked at their surroundings in surprise. But when they briefly made eye contact, they could only hold each other's stare for a moment before looking away, their faces reddening.

No one really took notice of them, however. Everyone's attention was on Izuku, who, the moment he'd been released from the Fusion, had fallen forward to his hands and knees, taking deep, rough breaths as his eyes bulged. His skin was had gained a reddish tint, glistening in a full-body sweat.

Most everyone was looking at Izuku in surprise and worry, except for Katsuki and Ochako. They had jumped straight past worry to barely-restrained panic.

Because, in addition to every other worrying detail about Izuku's appearance, there was also a steady stream of frightfully familiar steam coming off of his exposed skin.

"Deku, are you okay?' Ochako asked, the words tumbling out of her mouth even as she clearly see that he was not okay.

Katsuki summed up his own mounting dread succinctly. "Seriously, Deku, what the hell."

Izuku craned his neck to look at them both, his breaths growing slower by the second, though his panic was clear on his face. "I-I don't know," He rasped, looking down at his steaming fingertips. "This… this shouldn't be happening. I feel… sore all over. Like… like I've been training for hours."

"How hurt are you?"

He shook his head at Ochako's question. "I… don't feel hurt, exactly. I… I just feel exhausted."

Katsuki clenched his teeth, before snapping his gaze towards Tsuyu and Mineta. "What about you two?"

Tsuyu let out a soft grunt as she pushed herself up on her elbows, meeting his gaze. "Tired… sore. But not like him." She bobbed her head towards Izuku, her brows pinching in concern.

"Same," Mineta raised an arm weakly in agreement, before letting it flop back down.

Izuku groaned as he planted his hands a bit more firmly on the ground, pushing himself up a little straighter. "Guys, I… I'm fine-"

"Deku, do not even-"

"I'm fine, Kacchan," Izuku said forcefully, defiant. Biting back a wince, he heaved himself up into a kneeling position. He lifted a shaky arm up to show his skin losing its redness, the steam decreasing to a mere trickle. "See?"

Kacchan scowled at the steam, clearly not convinced. "The hell's going on with your Quirk? It's never left you like… this before."

Izuku sighed heavily, finally getting his breathing under control. "I've never tried fusing with more than one person before.

Kacchan nodded slowly, his brow furrowed. "True. Which reminds me…" He then reared back his arm and smacked Izuku upside the head.

"Ow!"

"Kacchan!" Ochako squeaked in shock.

Katsuki ignored her. "Why the hell would you try such a boneheaded move, dumbass!?"

Izuku met Kacchan's blazing eyes with his own, rubbing the side of his head. "It's not like I meant to! I didn't even do it, Izoru did!" He then deflated, his bout of indignant anger fleeing him just as fast as it arrived. "We got away from some villains, just to find Mr. Aizawa fighting the leaders. We saw him… lose… then the leader saw us. He tried to grab Tsu." He met Katsuki's gaze, determination and terror conflicting in his eyes. "He can make things disintegrate with just a touch. Izoru just... reacted."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Izuku for any signs of deception. After a moment, his gaze let up slightly as he gave a disgruntled sigh. "Fine." He held an arm out for Izuku, who took it gratefully after getting his legs back under him. As Izuku stood, Ochako and Mina rising with him in case he wobbled, Katsuki raised a brow. "So… Izoru and Tsuzuru, uh? That make six or five-and-a-half?"

That startled a tired chuckle out of Izuku, his skin ceasing it's steaming. "I'll brainstorm on that latter." He then looked to Ochako, red dusting his cheeks. "Sorry about Tsuzuru, by the way. I don't know why she said... that."

Ochako's face reddened as well as she scratched her neck nervously. "Uh… it's ok-"

"Because she's cute," Mineta said bluntly, looking up at them as he stood. He then yelped as Tsuyu's tongue slapped him upside the head.

"Minoru…" She said warningly next to him.

Mineta just blinked up at her. "What? You were thinking the same thing, Tsu- ow!"

Ochako's face went fully red as she watched Mineta put both arms protectively over his head, cowering under Tsuyu's still raised fist ready to give him another hit. The froggy girl met her eyes evenly, her blank expression betrayed by the pink dusting her cheeks. Izuku seemed to be trying to shrink into his suit, as Sero and Mina looked between the four of them in bemusement and, in Mina's case, appraisal.

Katsuki just put a hand over his face, groaning under his breath. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me… Hey!" He snapped his finger with explosive results, quickly gathering the attention of all around. "Figure your love lives out later! We're still trapped in here with a couple hundred villains if you haven't noticed!"

"Speaking of which..." Shoji suddenly called from the stairs.

Katsuki whirled around, letting out a growl. "Oh, come on!" He sprinted to Shoji's side, bringing his gauntlets to bear against the villains charging up the stairs. "You freaks just don't learn, do you!? BURN!"

As Katsuki blasted the villains back down the way they came, Izuku cleared his throat, hoping that the red in his face would go away if he ignored it. He turned to Ochako and asked, "So, um… what's the situation?"

Ochako blinked, before acting in kind. "We've just been trying to keep Thirteen safe. We managed to help Sato get out before the villains sealed the exit. He's hurrying to get help from the campus, but…"

"That's miles away," Izuku finished for her, frowning. "His strength makes him a little faster, but… it could still be a while before help arrives. Have you tried getting anyone else out?"

Ochako nodded, looking towards the giant double doors. Parts of the steel structure were cracked and blackened. "Kacchan tried to blast through, but whatever this place is made out of is explosive-proof."

"And acid-proof!" Mina yelled over her shoulder as she joined Katsuki at the stairs, sounding positively affronted as she slung acid.

Izuku gave the massive doors an appraising look, his hands forming into fists. They were truly massive, and from what he remembered walking in, several feet thick. Too much for me to absorb… he thought disdainfully.

Ochako grimaced at his look, apparently thinking the same thing. "We know where everyone else is thanks to Shojii, but we have no way to help them. They seem to be holding their own okay, but the villains are keeping them from getting back here, too."

Izuku cupped his chin, thinking hard. "And it's too dangerous to try and fight through the villains to get to them." He then looked up as a thought struck him. "Unless… Izuchako could fly right over all of them. Then she could get to each student and fly them here."

Ochako looked startled for a moment, before perking up with a determined glint in her eyes. "I'll help in any way I can." She then wilted a bit as she realized something. "But won't that portal guy see her flying around?"

Izuku hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe not. Before the leader attacked us, that portal villain showed up and let him know that Sato had gotten away. They started talking like they were going to abandon the attack." He let out a sigh, partially of relief. "And since Tsuzuru took out their trump card, we might get lucky now that their plan's ruined."

Ochako started a little in surprise. "Trump card?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah. Their whole plan hinged on that big bird guy, Nomu. Tsuzuru managed to… indispose him." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the memory.

Sero, who had returned to helping Katsuki and Mina defend the stairway, looked back at them, startled. "You three took that guy out? He was huge!"

At that, Mineta let out a slightly-too-loud laugh. "Oh yeah! It was awesome! Tsuzuru stuck him to the ceiling with her sticky splatter balls, and the bastard sent himself to the bottom of the lake trying to rip himself free. She didn't even have to throw a punch!"

Tsuyu nodded in agreement. "It was pretty neat, ribbit."

Izuku looked back towards the stairs, feeling eyes on him. Katsuki looked back over his shoulder, a brow raised slightly in surprise. Maybe Izuku was mistaken, but he thought his friend looked almost impressed.

"The lake, you say?"

Instantly, everyone tensed as a dark voice reverberated above them. Their heads snapped up at the sound, finding glowing yellow eyes staring down at them from a swirling mass of violet mist.

"Good to know."

Before anyone could react, the mist seems to fold in on itself, rushing to a single point before disappearing completely.

Izuku felt a cold pit form in his stomach as he stared at the spot Kurogiri had vanished from. All around him, everyone else was doing the same, each with varying degrees of confusion and dread.

"That can't be good," Tsuyu finally said. Beside her, Mineta looked ready to start crying again.

Katsuki clicked his tongue irritably. "Yeah, no kidding, Froggy. I doubt he just showed up to say… the hell?"

He slowly trailed off as Kurogiri's mist started forming again right above him. Katsuki aimed up at it, ready to fire off a blast at the first hint of danger.

So he was extremely surprised when a torrent of water started raining down on top of him.

"Gah!" He yelled out in surprise as what felt like a waterfall beat down on him. He stumbled away from the torrent, Mina and Sero spluttering as they helped him back. "What the hell is this?"

"No…"

Katsuki look behind him at the quiet exclamation. Izuku was staring up at the gushing portal with a look of complete dread, his face paling horribly. He wasn't the only one, as fearful tears started streaming down Mineta's face while Tsuyu's whole body seemed to tense.

"Deku?" Ochako asked in concern.

Izuku swallowed thickly, sweat trickling down his neck. "We need to go."

Ochako jerked slightly at the intensity of his voice. "What?"

Izuku then grabbed her by the shoulder, his eyes wide in panic. "We have to get Thirteen and Aizawa and get out of here, now."

"There's nowhere to go, Deku," Katsuki snarled. Hearing Izuku so panicked only worked to make him more agitated. "The hell's got you so worked up? It's just a bunch of water!"

Suddenly, something dark and massive slammed into the ground, rushing out of the portal along with the pounding water.

"...Oh, shit."

The portal quickly cut off, giving the class a full view of the drenched Nomu. Its limbs were buried under a mass of purple ooze and twisted metal. Its beady eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, showing no sign of life. It didn't move.

"You know… this was supposed to be very simple."

Everyone jolted at the sudden voice. Just behind Nomu's still form, Kurogiri's body had formed a new portal, through which Shigaraki stepped out, bits of purple gunk clinging to his ripped clothing. Despite the calm tone of his voice, his eyes were wild, blown wide with shrunken pupils. His whole body was stiff and tense, coiled like a spring ready to snap. He started walking towards the group, Kurogiri hovering above him like some grim specter.

"We arrive unexpected. We lock you would-be-heroes in with us. Our forces slaughter the lot of you, and Nomu kills All Might. A generation of future heroes dead, and the world's Number One along with them. The entire world flipped on its head… all before lunch.

"But instead…" He stopped right next to Nomu's body, red eyes darting first over the creature, then around to each student as they continued to back away, all with varying levels of fear on their faces. "We find that All Might's not here. Our useless lackeys failed to kill a single one of you. And perhaps most insultingly of all… someone managed to drown Nomu… and then somehow vanished. What… did she manage to escape as well?"

Izuku, Mineta, and Tsuyu all cringed as his eyes went over them, though they thankfully didn't linger.

Shigaraki's hands clenched, his fists shaking. "UA's faculty is no doubt on their way… and we have no means to fight them all. All Might lives to save the day again." The villain's shoulders tensed further, looking like he was seconds away from charging forward in a blind rage.

Then, to the surprise of all, Shigaraki suddenly relaxed. His shoulders lowered, his hands went limp. The villain scoffed under his breath. "This whole plan is a wash. Let's go, Kurogiri."

"Yes, sir." And indeed, Kurogiri's misty body once again expanded, swirling around Shigaraki to envelop him.

Katsuki's eyes narrowed, briefly making contact with Izuku's. "No way it's that easy."

Before Izuku could respond, Shigaraki spoke again. "But, before we go… I think I'll leave a little parting gift." His red eyes drifted to the side. "Nomu."

Everyone froze.

"Free yourself. Then… kill everyone in this building." Shigaraki's cracked lips twisted into a cruel grin. "Leave none alive."

For a moment, there was nothing but dead silence. Then… Nomu's head twitched.

Izuku felt his heart stop.

"No way." Tsuyu said behind him, her voice shaking.

"How is that thing still alive!?" Mineta screeched.

They all stared, terrified, as Nomu's body started twitching, seemingly at random. Then, it sucked in deeply through it's sealed teeth… and roared.

Nomu thrashed on the ground, it's body spasming as it slammed itself into the concrete over and over again in a bid for freedom, shaking the surrounding area with each hit.

The entire class started backing away, Shojii quickly putting the comatose Aizaza on his back while Sero and Mina struggled to lift Thirteen. Katsuki stayed at the front of the group, his gauntlets alternating between Shigaraki and the convulsing Nomu.

"No… no, it's fine," Mineta started mumbling under his breath even as he continued backing up with increasing speed. "That… that gunk is just like my sticky balls. I'm the only one who can get out of it. There's no way that thing can-"

Nomu then let out it's loudest, most bone-chilling roar yet. There was a sickening wet ripping sound as Nomu strained its leg as hard as it could… and ripped off everything below its knee.

Mina screamed.

The students watched in horror as blood gushed from the wound, only to see it clot instantly. The bare muscle seemed to convulse and expanded, before quickly stretching out, forming the vague shape of a foot.

Shigaraki chuckled darkly at their sickened faces. "We created Nomu to kill All Might. He can't feel any hits he takes. He instantly heals any wounds you give him. He'll never tire. He'll never die."

Shigaraki cackled as Kurogiri's portal swallowed him.

"Have fun… heroes."

In a blink, the two villains were gone, leaving behind the thrashing Nomu. The beast continued to struggle against its bonds, blackened flesh tearing off with every motion within the purple ooze, regenerating within seconds. And with every rip, every tear, Nomu gained just a little bit more motion.

"S-So…" Mina said shakily, her whole body trembling. "Anybody got a plan?"

Katsuki held in a snarl. Yeah, he had a plan: wait for the monster to get in close, and then blast it in the face with all eight barrels. He didn't much care how suicidal it sounded. It was simply the best thing he could do in his very short list of bad options.

He could hear the others chattering behind him, frantically trying to come up with something, anything, they could do to escape. Katsuki just tuned them out. Nomu had gained enough mobility that it was now rolling side-to-side on its back like an overturned turtle, it's motions becoming stronger and more frantic as it felt freedom near. Katsuki didn't want to be distracted when the thing eventually got out.

But, naturally, if anything was going to break through his concentration like All Might through, well, anything, it was going to be Izuku muttering shakily under his breath.

"I have an idea."

Katsuki wanted to groan. He knew that tone. It was Izuku's "the-best-plan-I-have-is-the stupidest-thing-I-could-do" tone. The same one that usually ended with one or both of them hurt, decent amounts of property damage, and their parents threatening to ground them till the next decade.

Those ideas also tended to be some of Izuku's most creative, and when they worked, they worked. It was that reminder that made Katsuki look towards his friend out the corner of his eye, unwilling to look away from the struggling Nomu.

So he was both exasperated and disappointed when all he saw was Izuku grasping Ochako's hand, the girl's confusion somehow conveying through her terror.

Katsuki scoffed, turning back to give Nomu his full attention. "Not to knock her, but I don't think Floaty Deku's gonna be much help here." Truth be told, he didn't think Katzuku would do much better either, not that he'd admit it out loud.

"I know," Izuku admitted bluntly.

Katsuki wanted to snarl at just how unhelpful that was when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced back, only to nearly twist his whole head around in shock when he saw Izuku, terror and nerves plain on his face, gripping his shoulder for dear life… while still holding Ochako's hand.

Katsuki's eyes flew to Ochako's, the way they were bugging out and her paling face confirming that she had realized as well what their friend was suggesting. Katsuki's gaze snapped back to Izuku, fixing him with a near-manic look. "You're nuts," he said sharply.

Izuku nodded in agreement, sporting a fear-fueled smile. "Yeah, probably."

"No, Deku, I'm serious. You've only done this Triple-Fusion thing once and it left you steaming. You want to try that again?"

Izuku swallowed thickly, not even trying to hide his nerves. "No... I really... really don't. But… I don't think we have a choice."

Katsuki's eyes narrowed, only to snap forward as Nomu let out another roar as it tore it's other leg off, the red muscle twisting and bubbling as it began to grow anew. Katsuki took another step back, feeling Izuku and Ochako do the same as he kept his gauntlets trained on the monster. "Explain, fast."

"Shigaraki said they bioengineered Nomu to kill All Might. He's made to fight him toe-to-toe."

Katsuki felt a weight drop in his stomach. "Yeah, I heard the handsy freak too. All Might's the only one who can fight this thing. So, if he doesn't show up in the next two minutes, we're screwed."

He heard Izuku swallow nervously. "Not… not if we fuse. The three of us."

Ochako huddled closer towards Izuku. Not Katsuki, because that would mean getting closer to Nomu, which, Katsuki had to admit, was growing more and more daunting by the second as the creature continued to tear itself apart in its bid for freedom. "How would us all fusing help, Deku?"

Katsuki felt a smidgen of his ire towards the girl dissipate. It was strangely relieving to have someone echo his own thoughts, checking to make sure his oldest friend hadn't lost it.

"When I fused with Minoru and Tsu, Tsuzuru was able to use One For All no problem."

Katsuki blinked. That was… something, he had to admit. Still… "Okay, cool. Doesn't change the fact that you ended up looking half-dead immediately afterward. Hell, you still ain't looking so hot."

"I know. You're right. But…" Izuku took a shuddering breath, his eyes focused solely on the quickly healing Nomu. "If we don't something soon… we're going to get hurt anyway." It was then Katsuki felt Izuku's hands shaking through his gloves. "Or worse. Probably worse."

"Worse nothing," Katsuki growled under his breath. The fact that Izuku was making sense- scary, troubling, suicidal sense- only served to make him more agitated as the students behind him continued backing up in fear. He looked to the side, seeing Ochako trembling as she gripped Izuku's hand back. "Round Face?"

Ochako swallowed thickly, her lips forming a grim line that clashed horribly with the fear in her eyes. She gave a sharp nod. "I-I'll help if I can." She then stood up a little straighter, squaring her shoulders. "Wouldn't be much of a hero if I didn't try… right?"

Katsuki nodded back, all three of them giving Nomu their full attention. The monster had regenerated both legs and had made its way to its feet. The only thing keeping it stationery was the metal wrapped around its torso. Given the way the steel was buckling, they had seconds before Nomu was free.

"You both know we're probably going to regret this, right?" Katsuki asked as he took a step back, putting himself on Izuku's right side. He felt Izuku's hand move from his shoulder down, finding his own.

"Using Deku's Quirk in a way never seen before to fight a monster made to kill All Might?" Ochako let out a shaky, near-shrill giggle. "What's to regret?"

Izuku then squeezed both their hands tightly, stopping Ochako's laughs as he trembled. "This'll work. We don't need to beat Nomu, just stall him until Sato gets back with the faculty." His grip increased, almost painfully so. "We can do this."

As soon as the words left Izuku's mouth, Nomu let out a tremendous roar through his cemented jaw, finally breaking the metal prison wrapped around his arms. The steel buckled and cracked, pieces flying away, taking purple ooze and blackened flash with them. Its arms and torso were cherry red with exposed muscle, already bubbling up to regenerate new flesh. Without waiting for it to finish, Nomu grasped its upper and lower jaws in each hand. With an agonizing screech, it jerked its jaws apart, ooze, teeth, and muscle raining from its ruined beak-like mouth. But even with its mouth only halfway regenerated, that didn't stop Nomu from unleashing a bone-shaking roar, it's blank beady eyes zeroing in on the nearest target.

Katsuki couldn't help it. As the Nomu eyed them, a fearsome grin spread out over his lips. "Deku… do it."

They had a brief second to register how Nomu practically flew forward, going from the top of the stairway to right in front of them in mere seconds, arm reared back for a titanic punch.

Then… light.

As the remains of class 1-A tried to think of a plan of attack/retreat, none of them really registered how Izuku, Katsuki, and Ochako were standing a little ways away from the main group, between them and Nomu. Mina had been about to suggest they try and blitz past the monster and escape down to the plaza, hoping that the villains on the stairway might slow Nomu down. Any chance for further brainstorming was obliterated when they heard Nomu roar.

They turned as one towards the sound. They all felt ice fill their veins when Nomu launched forward, arm pulled back to obliterate the three students in its way. A mixed chorus of panicked "Midoriya!" "Bakugo!" "Uraraka!" sounded, Tsuyu and Shojii moving to leap forward and help, fruitless though it likely was.

Their voices died in their throats, all actions ceasing, when the three lit up with familiar light. Their bodies converted to green, pink, orange energy, twisting and morphing into a single mass. Nomu's fist flew right through them it, the mass of light seeming to bend around the creature's arm. Nomu's massive body dwarfed the light as it coalesced into a single figure, wrapping around it as the light died down.

There was a dull thudding sound, and Nomu's upper body straightened just a little. The students perked up when they heard an odd low chuckle, sounding like three familiar voices overlapping in tandem.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like Handsy was telling the truth. You barely budged!"

Nomu shifted its weight back for another blow, revealing the Fusion, their gauntleted fist buried in the creature's chest, not that it cared.

Nomu let out a monstrous screech, bring its arms over its head to slam them down at the teen touching him.

The Fusion… smirked.

"Bye."

Just as Nomu brought down its arms, causing the students to cry out in panic, the Fusion's fist opened. They pressed their palm against the beast's chest. Their hand tensed. The air around them shimmered, then shook. Nomu's feet lifted off the ground…

And the beast was sent soaring out over the USJ plaza, flying away like it had been shot from a cannon.

The class watched in stunned bemusement as Nomu arced through the air, roaring in mindless rage. It crashed down at the opposite end of the USJ, sending up plumes of dust and debris as the ground trembled from the impact.

The Fusion scratched the back of their head, tilting it a little as they watched the dust cloud rise. "Huh. Well, that was insultingly easy." The Fusion then look down at themselves. After a second, they threw back their head and barked a laugh. "And I'm a guy. Good luck figuring out how this works, Deku!"

He turned around to face the class, letting them get a good look at him. His hair reached down to his shoulders, a wild floofy mess of spikes and curls. It started brown at the roots before quickly turning blond, the very tips dyed green. His face with sharp like Katsuki's, dotted with Izuku's freckles, but having Ochako's large eyes. The eyes themselves were heterochromatic, one deep green with the other soft brown, but both containing bright red flecks that seemed to flash in the light. He stood tall, to the point that Aizawa would probably have to look up at him.

His outfit was an odd mismatch of his three components'. His torso looked to be like Katsuki's, with his sleeveless shirt and neck brace, but the X across his chest had turned pink, with two extra lines running down his stomach. Izuku's jacket was almost falling off his shoulders. Katsuki's pants had become skin tight and dark green, held up by a slimmer red version of Ochako's bulky belt, complete with compartments. Ochako's boots had shrunken slightly to make room for Katsuki's metal kneepads, darkening to an almost reddish-pink with white soles. On his arms, Katsuki's gauntlets had change colors, becoming white on green, the fingerless gloves under them an almost white shade of pink. But the most surprising change was his choice in headwear. Ochako's helmet had merged with Katsuki's facemask, adding sharpened orange points around the back of it.

The group could only stare at the new Fusion for a moment, still shaken by both the presence of Nomu and its sudden departure. Mina finally swallowed down her nerves, plastering on a nervous smile. "S-So… who… who are you, big guy?"

The Fusion blinked, before flashing a smile that was somehow both welcoming and fearsome. "Oh! Well, see, that's actually an easy one. Once Izuku thought up his kooky little plan to make me, he came up with the perfect name on the fly. And frankly, I have no complaints." The Fusion's smile turned bright and dangerous. "Katsuki, Izuku, Ochako. Kat-zu-chako." The newly dubbed Katzuchako chuckled lowly as he formed his hands into fists, his feet slowly leaving the ground. He then chuckled when he saw Mina numbly pull out her phone almost reflexively, giving her a thumbs up.

But before he could truly lighten the mood, Nomu's chilling roar sounded off again. Katzuchako turned around to see Nomu hurtling down at the group from above, hands outstretched with his claws brought the bear.

Hearing Mineta let out a feared-filled shriek of panic behind him, Katzuchako lifted both arms high, his fingers tensing. Nomu let out a startled squawk as its momentum came to a complete halt, hovering in the air.

Katzuchako grit his teeth against the strain as Nomu started to struggle. His mismatched eyes flicked to the side, narrowing. Moving his arms as if he was throwing someone to the ground, Katzuchako watch as Nomu soared off towards west side of the plaza, creating a large divot as it crashed.

The Fusion winced as he felt a pain in his stomach. "Less than Izuchako would feel, though. That's a plus." He then growled as he saw Nomu clamber to its feet, readying to jump again. Katzuchako threw his arms to the opposite side, sending Nomu skidding away towards the lake before it could, much of the protest of his stomach. "Darn it. This guy just ain't going to stay down."

Looking over his shoulder he called back to the group, locking eyes with Tsuyu. "You guys think you'll be okay on your own for a while?"

Tsuyu blinked in surprise, asking plainly what a few of the others likely wanted to scream. "You're going a fight that thing head-on?"

Katzuchako snorted. "Fight? No. Stall?" He glanced back at where Nomu was flailing in the water, less swimming and more clawing back to shore. The Fusion swallowed. "Hopefully."

He raised himself a bit higher off the ground, scoping out the area. He took note of the villains at the bottom of the staircase, crowding around and apparently talking amongst themselves. About what, he didn't know or really care, save for the fact that a number of them kept looking up the stairs. Katzuchako frowned, looking towards were Nomu was nearing the water's edge.

"You all try to keep the teachers safe until the rest of the faculty gets here. I'll occupy Birdbrain."

As he went to blast off towards Nomu, he heard Tsuyu call out to him. "Be careful, Katzuchako!"

The triple fusion looked back, seen the concerned expressions on his fellow students' faces. Giving them a big grin, he couldn't help but laugh. "Tall order, but I'll do my best!"

He heard a few other shouts of encouragement behind him, but he had already blasted off towards the lake, where Nomu had finally come ashore. He landed a good ways away from the monster, just close enough that the thing could see him.

"All right, Beakface," he called out, instantly drawing Nomu's attention. "Since I got to keep you busy anyway, I might as well try to work out my mutation." He then smirked. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

Nomu let out a screeching roar as if in answer, tensing its legs as it leaned forward.

Katzuchako's grin turned feral, bringing his gauntlets to bear. "Okay then, big guy...

"Let's see what I can do!"

A/n: I swear I didn't mean for this to be a cliffhanger, but the chapter was growing so long and so much time has passed since the last one that I just felt I had to get something out. Here's hoping the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long. Believe me, I don't want it to. This is the fight that's been in my head since I started this thing. Trust me, there's a reason this is a three parter. Because the next chapter is not just Nomu vs Katzuchako, oh, no no no. See, there's still about ten other super-powered teenagers running around USJ that I haven't mentioned yet. Next chapter is:

Nomu vs Class 1-A!

P.S.: I've been seeing a lot of people trying to work out how Triple-Fusions genders worked. I do have an explanation for it, and all I'll say is that, out of everything I've seen in the reviews, only one person has gotten close. A little patience, please. All will be explained… on our favorite class is out of mortal peril.