(Author's note: I'm back! That's right! I may have committed writing faux pas and missed my one week deadline, but I still refuse to leave this hanging. This isn't the last chapter either, sorry, I realized I'll have to split it up a bit more, but don't worry! I'm committed to getting this done.
In truth, this whole thing is a test piece to see if I'd like to do fanfiction more often, and the answer is...kind of? Like I feel like after this wraps up that I'm just going to do one-shots that I think are neat over lengthy series, and try to make original stuff when it comes to that. But this has been super fun, and you guys have been the best audience, so thank you for sticking with it. Sorry if I let you down on the updates too, I'll do better, promise. Thank you for reading.)
"Waaah! Deku! Slow down, will ya?" Mina felt the wind rip past her as she and Aoyama were dragged through the air as Deku sprinted with Full Cowl active. Blackwhips secured them so that they were relatively safe as he made distance from the battle.
At some point along the way, Todoroki ended up joining them as Deku continued to run. He too was very confused as they approached the camp from earlier, shouting; "Deku, what are you doing, we need to help stop the giant!"
Coming to a screeching halt, the three tumbled to a stop after what seemed to be a 10 minute ride, Mina and Aoyama shaking slightly from the combination of nerves and whiplash. The camp was relatively empty, a few reserve volunteers helping to gas up vehicles and transport medical supplies visible from across the way. The moment they arrived, Deku's mind was racing on how to break the news to the group. Every second counted if they were going to beat the giant, and right now, he needed people he could trust. Todoroki staggered to his feet as Mina stammered out, "Geez, what is up with you today!? You're like, 5 times as erratic as before!"
"Guys, do you think you could help me find the rest of our class?" He looked over to see a familiar face, flagging them down as he did.
"Iida! Get over here, I need your help!"
The others were just completely puzzled.
"Please!? I promise that I'll explain everything that I'm doing as soon as we get everyone together. I've got a way to stop the giant, I just need to get you guys onboard first."
"Izuuuukkuuuuu!" Another voice cut over the group right as Iida arrived. Eyes widened as they watched the former No. 1 rush over to them, slamming his palm directly onto the green boy's head, a viscous chop for what was the fourth time today. He then grabbed onto the boy's shoulders before shaking him violently, yelling point blank;
"Iiiizzzuuuukkkkuuuu! Why can you not listen to your Sensei-aghhhh!" A burst of blood following the exclamation. All-Might almost collapsed before Iida caught him about the shoulders remarking; "Woah! Sensei, don't push yourself!"
"Why did you remove your comms, Deku! Why did you leave the battlefield?" He was winded as Deku rubbed the now very bruised spot of his scalp.
"Good, you should be here for this too, All-Might Sensei!" Deku ran off to the medical tents in a rush. Aoyama and Mina shrugged their shoulders before going to look for their classmates, Mina dragging Todoroki by his collar as he indifferently sighed.
0 (30 minutes ago)
There was a haze in his thoughts as he came to, his body a cluster of synapse and raw power. He couldn't sit, or speak, or do much of anything. Deku wondered if he had somehow died in the fight, that he was joining with the other users of One-for-All too early. He was scared, until he remembered that his last act was saving his comrades from the bullet rain the monster had sprung on them. He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was greeted to a scene. The other heroes, Endeavor, EdgeShot, Bakugo, all of them were either dead or dying. The giant stood on the outskirts of Tokyo, and with a wave of it's hand a massive tower-like structure, hollow in the center, sprung into existence much like the trees it used to kill them.
Looking from above, Deku could see that the structure was a drill of some kind, a direct line boring into the earth as the creature flexed it's power. At a certain point, the grinding of bedrock ceased, the creature looking skyward as it finished the almost funnel structure sticking into the earth. It raised a hand, as if reaching for someone, and a pillar appeared, high above the clouds.
The hand fell, and so too did the pillar. Its path undeterred by wind or other forces, it fell directly into the tower's hollow center, a pause as the FOOMP* of rushing air almost comically sounded out.
Then the shaking started. The earth split open, and looking away, Deku could see across all of Japan. A massive split cut across the island, Mt. Fuji erupting into flames. Entire cities and towns sank into the deep, deep chasms appearing on once solid ground. The ocean rose up into a cataclysmic wave, and he felt it wash over him as the entirety of Kyushuu descended beneath the ocean, no screams, just rumbling as his homeland ended. He couldn't even speak, but the despair he felt in that moment was horrible. Everyone he ever knew and loved, everyone he swore to protect, all dead, insignificant in it all. He would have cried if he could.
He failed.
"No. Not yet."
A voice whispered in his ear, and he was yanked into a cloud of smoke.
When it cleared, he was in a clearing. It was an empty lot in some featureless city, a barrel fire burning towards the center. Gathered around it was four separate figures, another four people milling about the rest of the lot. He looked down, and saw that he had his body back. He was even in costume. It was dark, the night set in, but the fire was bright, the streetlights adding to the ambience of a golden glow. Horns honked softly in the background, traffic far away mixed with cricket noises emanating from weedy grass.
"Ah, hero down to the soul, huh? Picked a good one there, 10." One man, heavily built and dressed in winter clothes rubbed his hands together over the flames.
"Of course he did! My apprentice is a smart boy, just like this one." A woman in casual clothes who sat on the bench smiled over at the man, he just snorted.
Another guy, lanky and with only one eye, bandanna around his neck laughed. "Least he isn't EXACTLY like your apprentice. Couldn't tell him shit if that was the case."
"Oh, hush up 4. Not like any of us had much a choice anyhow. Both the big men upstairs keep us on a leash." Another woman about Deku's age in a wheelchair spoke up from the corner of the lot, book in hand and blanket on her lap.
"Ex-Excuse me? Are you- I mean-" Deku seemed taken aback.
"Yeah kid, catch on quick now, cause we're not explaining it too deeply. You're inside your Quirk. Our quirk. One for All."
The well-built man took off his beanie, to reveal deep red spiky hair.
Deku's eyes narrowed. "I-I know you, you're"
"Crimson Riot? Yeah, I was."
Deku took note of every face around the clearing, each one telling a different story. BlackWhip was there too, and gave him a smile as his eyes caught what was surely All-Might's mentor. Nana Shimura.
There were a billion questions on his mind for both him and All-Might's sake, but they'd be put on hold as the heroes chuckled.
"You should see your face, kid. You look star-struck. Though only one of us was ever any sort of famous, and he ain't here yet." The wheelchair girl got a couple laughs from that. Bandanna spit on the ground, and Nana spoke up, "Ew, gross, we live in here Four, don't do that!"
More laughs as Four blushed.
"How are- I thought that you- I mean, All-Might said that you guys weren't-"
"Alive? Seriously? Think about it kid, how much about this stuff do people know? Just cause Flashy-Mc-Symbol was able to use Compounded Interest so well doesn't mean he had an ounce of actual interest in the nuances of it all." The man, Four as he was called, folded his arms before looking up at the fake stars.
"We're alive. In a sense. Won't go over how exactly, but we're here, and we've been here a while Izuku. Or do you prefer Eleven?"
"Wha-"
"It's a formality thing. Some of us had secret identities, so even if we know each other's names, we give them a preference."
"Oh. Uh, I'm not-"
"It's fine. We get it, you're confused. First off, we should clarify that you aren't dead. You've been pulled into the space because the power has decided that it needs to adjust, or evolve rather."
"Then, that vision with the creature, that was-"
"Something about to happen in the next couple hours."
"2.74 hours actually." One of the people around the fire spoke up, and BlackWhip elbowed them. Riot nodded.
"It's a guess by the power. Four's power, to be exact. At this point, enough power has been amassed in One for All that we can break limits in whichever one we try to use."
"You mean whichever one Izuku tries to use, right?" Nana spoke up, and then motioned Izuku to sit next to her. He did, and noticed that the bench was surprisingly warm.
Riot scoffed. "Of course."
Izuku spoke up. "I don't understand. What are we-I mean-What am I supposed to be doing?" He breathed out as the rest looked to him. "How are we supposed to stop the thing?"
"We and/or you can't beat it alone. Fundamentally, it's completely invincible. It'll keep pulling out new moves whenever it feels that it's in trouble." Nana put an arm around his shoulder. He looked over to her scared.
"So then-what-"
"Don't get so down!" The wheelchair girl said. "While you were out there fighting, we were kind of busy, you see. Making a decision ourselves! Sorry 1 couldn't be here, had to hash it out with the big thing up top that let's us do this, feel me?" She winked at him.
"We figured out a way to beat the giant, kid. But..." Four pursed his lips.
"It means that we have to burn ourselves out of the power. More than that really." BlackWhip gave a nervous look to the sky.
Izuku looked at all of them. "Wait, what are you talking about? What do you mean?"
"The power. It's alive, in a sense. And it's been giving heavy indications that it's going to evolve." One person spoke up. "When it does, it'll take all our battle data and memories and compartment them into different spots. Kills the "us" that you're talking to effectively, but the trade is a boost of some sort."
"We could stop the change. Though, then the Giant would still get to destroy Japan." BlackWhip looked to Izuku again. "So we all collectively agreed that we'd do it. You still get a choice too though."
"You, you're going to kill yourselves?" Deku seemed upset. "I mean, you can't! You, there's still so much that-"
"Ah, kid, we already died a while ago. To be honest, none of us were expecting any of this to happen when it did. Besides, you probably wouldn't have this sort of visit happen again in your lifetime. This is just an emergency." Nana shrugged.
"Even still, you're- you're all-"
"Heroes." Riot spoke up. "Selflessness is in our blood. Our souls. This? This is nothing." There were nods as Deku clenched a fist. He shut his eyes, thinking on who he was talking to. People who'd fought and died fighting the deepest of evils.
He thought for a minute before his decision. "All-Might says that I need to trust my seniors, so I'll go along with your plan." It took a lot out of him to say that.
"Well actually, before you agree, you should know there'll be some consequences for you too." Nana poked him. "Seriously, just how long has that boy been training you? So gung-ho, the both of you."
"Hehe, what kind of consequences?" He sheepishly sputtered.
"You won't have the same access to the power." The red-haired man said.
Deku sputtered harder. "But then, how, what,"
"Let us explain." Nana smiled at him.
0
Class 1-A stood facing Izuku as All-Might looked on, puzzled by the scene.
"What I'm about to tell you can't leave this group. I want to clarify that you all have a choice, but..." Izuku looked over to All-Might, still puzzled.
"If this doesn't work, the giant WILL destroy all of Japan. If I can't get you guys onboard, then I'll need to get someone else, so please consider carefully."
"Oi Deku, what's this all about?" Kirishima tilted his head to the side.
He took a deep breath. "My quirk isn't natural. I was actually born Quirkless." All-Might's eyes widened.
"Wha-" Aoyama frowned.
"All-Might gave me his quirk in order to carry on his legacy. It's called One for All and it transfers from users. I'm the 11th."
All-Might let out a squeak as his apprentice seemingly betrayed him.
Everyone was silent for a moment when Todoroki spoke up, "I just thought you were his illegitimate son or something. That makes sense though."
All-Might sprayed blood in a spit-take as others blushed.
"I've been using intensive training to unlock it's full potential, but..." He shook his head. "Things have changed with it. The power is going to evolve. Soon."
All Might grabbed the boy and shook him again. "DEKU WHAT ARE YOU DOING, I WARNED YOU OF THE RESTRICTIONS!"
Izuku grabbed his wrists before his weakened rib busted. "She said-"
Toshinori froze.
"She told me that-that she's sorry that she isn't going to be able to see you again. And that she feels a parent's pride when she thinks of you. Though she said she has no right to say that after you learned what you did."
He didn't interrupt as his ward's friends spoke up.
"Wait-Wait-Wait, Izuku, what is all this you're dumping on us? I don't- this is too crazy! All Might-sensei, is this a joke?" Iida spoke up, straightening his glasses.
The man paused a moment, in thought. Then spoke, "No. He's not lying."
Everyone's eyes widened as they looked at Izuku. Framing him in a different light.
"If-You guys said that you wanted to reach the top, right?"
"Wha-I mean, yeah, but, what does that have to do with-" Sero seemed like he was about to break out into a nervous sweat.
"What if I told you that you could do it? Right now, right here?"
Everyone got quiet as he spoke.
"My power...it's changing, but I think I've got a grasp on how. And, if I'm being honest, I can't really think of anyone who'd be more worthy to share this with." the utter seriousness of the claim seemed to send them into a thinking frenzy, the consideration on some's faces matched by others confusion.
"I don't want to put you guys on the spot either, but you'll need to decide fast. We do have a time limit after all." He sat back on a nearby rock, tapping his hand as the others just took the information in.
Bakugo spoke up first. In fact, the whole time that they'd been talking, he'd been very unbothered by the claims.
"I'm not taking any power from you, loser." He pointed at Deku. "I refuse pity from a quirkless fool like yourself. I'm going to reach the top without your damn help, and that includes whatever stupid plan you've got in your head right now!" And with that, he blasted off, leaving the rest of them to think.
"Part of me agrees with the guy. But at the same time, I think that I'm in. Whatever power you got buddy, juice me up with it, so to speak." Kirishima spoke up, patting his bicep as Deku nodded.
"You're sure?" He asked back.
"Haha! Course I'm sure. The way I see it, you're asking me to save the world! What kind of man would I be it I said no?"
There were some nods.
Iida put his hand on Deku's shoulder, "I didn't understand why you were always behaving oddly when it came to your power. But I think I'm starting to get it. You're obligations were weighing you down. If you're saying that we'd be in this together, that I could help you with that burden, then I'd gladly accept!" There were nods of assent when another voice confusedly spoke up.
"So...it, you weren't born with your power fluctuations?" Aoyama spoke up.
He nodded.
"Ah, I see." Aoyama turned around. "I...no...I couldn't accept. This is...a bit much. I think that I'm going to do what I can to shine, but- Thank you for the offer though Izuku." He sounded a bit upset, but resolute all the same.
Uraraka, head still bandaged, gave a thumbs up in return. "I'm with you all the way Izuku!"
Yaoyoruzu was uncharacteristically gung-ho about the power. "I-If it means that I can fight, then, I'll take it."
There was more support and a few detractors as people made up their minds. All in all, the rest agreed to take the power. Excluding Todoroki, who claimed that he didn't need the pressure they were inviting, and that he agreed with Bakugo.
"So. Are you guys ready?" Deku looked out over the group.
"Ha, I'm ready for anything, bring it on!" Mineta shouted. The rest prepared for what was assumed to be some sort of ritual or power-up.
"Ok." Deku reached up, and yelped as he pulled out a chunk of his hair.
"I'll need you guys to each eat a bit of this."
Eyes widened and jaws dropped as the unfortunate group pondered what they had been thinking was going to happen. All-Might just slapped his forehead and sat down.
0
Moving forward, the now liquid mass of living metal had none of it's previous pseudo-biological restrictions. It was free to surge like a wave of death as it mowed towards it's destination: the outskirts of Tokyo.
Endeavor and the rest of the overly wounded heroes had circumnavigated around the thing, trying to cut it off and alter the battlefield to give them an advantage when it breached city lines. A trough was carved out and those that could still move stood behind it. They'd found a few extra people to shore up defenses, someone who could create lava, another with electric traps set up around the perimeter.
Endeavor was actually glad that Todoroki had vanished from the battlefield. In truth he felt as though his status, his pride as the No. 1, was thoroughly shattered by the rampaging beast that refused to fall to his strikes. Even as he clutched his side where the bullet storm had punched into him, he felt somewhat hollow, the failure raw inside him.
Even though part of him knew that no one could be blamed for this failure did little to comfort him. He been handed what most would've called a raw deal, given the reins to the country after an era of prosperity, only for them to be yanked back and blown into the wind after the first death reports had come in. He was bitter. He was angry. And before this thing killed him, he was going to pour every ounce of that bitter anger into this fight.
Flying up into the air, He tilted into a sharp dive before unleashing all the heat he'd been building up over the last couple hours, the blast causing the monsters' mercurial substance to ignite and dissipate as it surged around him. He pulled out all the stops, his own arms beginning to burn as he went too far. Metal spiked out, but melted before it could touch him as he roared.
He felt a sharp failure in his power then, his own survival instincts telling him that his body would fail if he went further. He ignored it, piling on the heat. Even though he could see the metal beginning to enclose around him, he pushed deeper, knowing that he'd be going out with a bang, not a whimper.
And then, just as he felt the heat spiral out of control, a sudden gust of air hit and knocked him away. As he fell in free fall, a cooling sensation sizzled around him, the familiar use of his son's ability surprising him as he slid back onto the ground from a slide made of ice.
Looking up, he saw Todoroki holding out a hand to help him up. He took it, grimacing as he did. So much had changed between him and his family, and the fact that he'd let his son help him up was just another reminder. Looking out to the battlefield, he was surprised.
A spiderweb of what looked to be tape had spread almost entirely atop the giant, The liquid having trouble extracting itself. At separate parts of the net that had formed, giant purple masses seemed to be absorbing the metal away from the central mass. He watched as the thing reformed once more, shaking free the net only to be netted again, almost within seconds, the purple objects shotgunning out as they stuck to the net. The creature seemed to pause, before turning into a pincushion of spikes that slowly tore through the webbing.
Then, a missile struck into the surface, sending shards of metal flying as it was barraged by similar strikes.
Endeavor flew up a bit to get a better view, and was able to watch as a mass the size of the creature itself slammed down atop it, the shadowy wisps from it's strikes tearing through the spikes as another smaller figure, red at the top, dismounted and began to almost bore into the metal like a drill, tearing open deeper spots for the shadow beast to intrude on as it's massive claws raked through the thing.
Behind the line, a figure flew down with a jetpack on, yelling something to the rest of the heroes before jumping up into the air and pulling open their suit, a cruise missile forming from their midsection before taking off to explode against the creature.
And still, more heroes showed up that he'd never seen before, the scale of their abilities far past that of normal quirks. A boy rushed in, his lower half mechanical as the creature split into several smaller versions, two of those smaller ones turning into an army of the things. He kicked out and a blast accompanied it, annihilating the wave of creatures as another, larger person struck out, their body a tide of striking limbs that seemed to multiply and stretch out.
A boy in a gi came forward, his tail almost six times the length of his body as it whipped out, razor sharp as it sawed through one of the larger creatures. Another person appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as if they'd been invisible, a hulk of muscle as it threw two of the remaining creatures with one arm for each, a swarm of some kind of mutated birds flying in to peck and vomit some sort of dissolving acid onto.
Below, a massive lake of similar liquid was forming, a purple heroine gushing the stuff like a firehose as more creatures tried to rush her. They melted in seconds as she power-washed them. Slowly, the new group had worn it down. As the last creature was destroyed, a hush fell over the defenders.
Endeavor too, felt to be quite in shock at the display. Then Todoroki whispered, "It's not over yet though."
As he said it, the metal seemed to gather into a single, diminished mass. Then it exploded.
The same move it used earlier, the bullet rain held back by a wall of acid and electricity as the thing expanded back to it's original size.
"Explain." Endeavor shook off his condition as his son informed him.
"It's got a core of sorts. It's a needle-in-a-haystack situation and we have to keep going if we want to kill it."
He would've nodded, but just then the thing sprang forth with insane speed, bounding over top of them as it went for it's goal. the ground shook as it re-formed into its original form. Todoroki and his father both took off, skirting the battlefield before Todoroki produced a green lock of hair from his pocket.
"You don't have to take it, but, he said to give these to Heroes we trust." He held out the strand to his father.
Endeavor, while touched by the notion, shook his head no. He needed to do this himself. Grimacing, he stood imperious with his son as they both rocketed into the fight.
0 Yaoyoruzu
Data and matter began to compile themselves the instant that she'd swallowed the hair, a gross moment that was somewhat scarring if not for the massive increase in ability she'd just seen. Innate skills flooded to the surface, her body producing extra jetpack fuel and replacement armor as she flitted about, the conversion fee she was normally used to for building objects lessened so greatly that she was able to build the jetpack, the spare armor for everyone, the earpieces so that they could remain in contact, and the cruise missiles she habitually fired from her stomach without hitting even a fourth of her limit. The monster lashed out, targeted bullet fire this time, and she dropped low, scraping the ground as she wheeled away. Everywhere around her, her teammates were laying the hurt into the thing, driving it into smaller and smaller chunks, hacking away even at "dead" pieces in order to hit the core.
She saw one split off from the central mass, forming a cylindrical shape as the other beasts ran interference. That had to be the one.
"Aim for the that one there!" She waved and pointed as she shouted into the comms, the others taking note.
With a flash and an explosion, another pillar hit the battlefield from low orbit. They recovered fast this time, Tokoyami's new Ecliptic Shadow catching the projectile in it's bestial claws before hurling it lazily to the small pink dot that hovered far up. As they touched the pillar, it disappeared in a small gust of wind, rocketing upward just as fast as it came down, out of orbit most likely, and away from the creature's influence. While they'd toyed with the idea of chucking the thing into space, Deku had scrapped the idea, claiming that they didn't know what kind of effect that would have.
At any rate, without access to extra metal, the thing was starting to lose.
Recognizing this, she watched as the multiple smaller ones merged once more, the central mass smaller by about 3 stories, but still dangerous as the other one, still transformed, began to make a grinding noise in a horrible way.
"It's reached phase 2!" That was Iida, his voice almost carrying over the battlefield as the monster became a dome of spikes to cover it's machine. If Deku was right, they were at the most critical, make-or-break moment right now. Scary thoughts.
Or they would be, if she didn't feel the confident emotional high of basically reaching demigod status reserved for the toughest of top heroes.
Resolute, she went big with her next creation.