Chapter 31: My Hero

Author's Note: This was exhausting lmao. In all seriousness though, this was an incredibly fun chapter to write. Muscular has such weird powers that I had to find a way to incorporate it. It ended up being much easier than I expected though. Also, this chapter was pretty long, even if it was still based on one episode. As I said, the next few chapters are full of action, but this one is probably gonna be the most intense one for a bit.

Anyway, leave a review if you can and enjoy.

"V-Villains?!"

While they were distracted with the fire, Magne and Spinner appeared with their Probopass and Krokorok respectively. Pixie Bob was the first to notice them, but the two Villains managed to easily overpower her and knock her down. Magne had her foot over the Pussycat's head and watched as the students stood there in fear.

"Everyone, stay back!" Tiger shouted. Incineroar made sure to keep a good distance away from the Villains, not wanting Pixie Bob and Persian to get hurt.

Then, Izuku remembered something. He turned around and realized someone was still missing. "Kota!"

Meanwhile, Aizawa and Malamar had led the five students through the forest back to the main facility. Due to their results at the practicals, they had to skip out on the test of courage to take extra classes.

"For tonight, we'll go over the right process to follow during emergencies. If you don't keep in mind that you're falling behind everyone else, you'll only find yourselves even further behind." Aizawa said as they entered the building.

As they opened the door to the classroom, they found the last person they wanted to see. "What? Five people in Class 1-A failed? Oh, what a shame!" Neito Monoma sat in the classroom, Vlad King letting out a sigh. "I'm the only one from Class B! Looks like my class is better!" The five took their seats and silently watched as Neito continued laughing to himself.

"Vlad, I'd like to add some practical exercises to today's lesson," Aizawa said. "I was thinking the same thing, Eraser." The 1-B Homeroom teacher nodded.

"Everyone! I need you to listen to me!" Everyone in the room heard Mandalay telepathically speaking to them. That was a special skill her Espeon had. Using the red gem on her head, she could connect a certain amount of people in an area around her to some kind of psychic channel, allowing them to communicate with each other. However, since Espeon only had a strong bond with Mandalay, she was the only one who could speak while the others were forced to listen.

"Two Villains have attacked us! We're keeping the students here safe, but there may be more! Get back to the facility as soon as possible and avoid engaging in fights! We don't know what these Villains are capable of."

"Vlad, I'm going ahead! Keep the students safe!" He sent out Malamar and ran out the building, only to find the entire forest burning with blue flames.

"I need to get to the kids!" Aizawa stepped forward, but before he could continue, he heard a voice coming from behind him.

"Looking for something, Eraser?" The teacher whipped his head back only to find Dabi and his Chandelure looking at him. "Who-" Just a second later, Chandelure used Flamethrower, incinerating both Aizawa and Malamar. Dabi laughed and cracked his fingers. "Outta our way, Pros. You're not the ones we're after."

Back with Izuku and the other students, Magne and Spinner both taunted them, making sure that Pixie Bob never left their sights. "Hope you're doing well, UA!" Spinner shouted. "We're the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains!"

"The league?!" Mashirao said. "What are they doing here?"

Magne laughed and kicked Pixie Bob in the head again. "Should I crush this girl's head? What do you say?" Tiger and Incineroar stepped forward, ready to attack, but Spinner and Krokorok stepped in between them.

"Hold on, now. Let's not get too hasty. That goes for you too, Tiger!" He smiled and Krokorok entered a fighting stance. "Take or spare someone's life, we gotta follow Stain's philosophy!"

"So you're one of his followers," Tenya said.

"That's right!" Spinner stretched out his arms and showed off his outfit. "And you're the kid who ended Stain in Hosu! I'll be the one to make his dream come true!" Krokorok shot out a Dark Pulse, but Incineroar intercepted it with a Flamethrower.

"Say whatever you want, bastards," Tiger said. "But that girl there, Pixie Bob… she's been thinking of love. Even at her age, she was still hoping to find happiness." Incineroar stepped forward and a menacing aura overtook both the trainer and his Pokemon. "I won't let you damage her face and stand there laughing about it!"

"Ha! A Hero who tries to be happy like a normal person? Don't make me laugh!" Krokorok used Dig and burrowed his way into the ground.

"Tiger, I've already contacted the others! I'm sure Vlad or Eraser can take care of Ragdoll!" Mandalay said. "Kids, we'll hold down the fort! Get out of here! Try to stay out of the Villains' ways! Class rep, I'm putting you in charge!"

"Yes, ma'am! Excadrill, you scout out the way and make sure everything's safe! Let's go, everyone!" Tenya and Excadrill began leading the few students back to the main building, but Izuku knew that someone else was in danger.

"Mandalay!" Izuku sent out his other two Pokemon. "I know where Kota is!"

The other students were trying to find their way out of the forest. Their vision was limited, and they were struggling to breathe due to the Poison Gas. Itsuka was running away while Medicham carried Yui, Juzo, and their Pokemon.

"Kendo!" Itsuka looked back and saw Tetsutetsu, with his Aggron carrying Ibara and her Serperior. "Finally, we found you! Yaoyorozu and Awase are looking for the others. They know the way out."

"Okay, now that you're here then, we can get out." Itsuka took a moment to rest, though she made sure not to take deep breaths. Based on what she learned, she could breathe, but taking even a slightly deep breath would allow a Poison-type's gas to enter her system.

"No, we're gonna fight. I'll leave Shiozaki and Serperior to you two." Tetsutetsu said, shocking the others. "They said not to engage!"

"I know we're always telling Monoma off, but you knew it too, right? There's always been such a huge difference between Class 1-A and us. We go to the same school, took the same exam, learn the same lessons, yet they're so much better than us. Then, I realized. What did they have that we didn't? Real experience."

Tetsutetsu clenched his fist and held it close to his chest. "They've turned all their times of crisis into opportunities! It only makes sense after all. If we were in that situation, we'd do the same!"

Itsuka reached out her hand. "Tetsutetsu…" She knew this boy was about to do something rash. "This is finally our time to prove to everyone that we can do just that. I'll find these Villains, and show them all." Aggron roared, excited to finally get into a real battle.

While Izuku rushed to the secret hideout, Mandalay and Espeon did their best to try and get the child to safety. She was telepathically communicating with him, telling him to run back to the main building as fast as he could, but it was already too late.

Over at the secret hideout, while Kota was stunned watching the fires burn the forest, a man approached him. It was the large man with a black cloak and white mask. He walked up to the young boy slowly. "I was looking for a good view, and look what I found."

The man took a step forward, getting closer to Kota. Squirtle stepped in between the man and his trainer, but it was clear that this little Pokemon wasn't going to do anything. A Conkeldurr walked behind the man, smiling as the man took another step.

"By the way, I like your hat, kid. Wanna trade it for this mask? They said they couldn't give me a cool costume on time since I'm a newbie to that group." He pulled off the mask, revealing a sight that Kota never wanted to see in his entire life.

Seeing the man's face, he could only recall the day his parents died. The day it all happened, Kota watched the news. They reported that the criminal was a ruthless man. The murderer managed to escape, and the police never found him. He had a large build and was accompanied by a Conkeldurr. But most of all, he had an injury on his left eye.

There, on this man's very face, Kota saw the large scar across his left prosthetic eye. Kota and Squirtle tried running away, but the Conkeldurr jumped forward, cutting them off. "Lemme get an early one in, just to get my blood pumping!" The man said.

Conkeldurr lifted his arm, but just before he could land the punch, Izuku ran in and pulled Kota and Squirtle out of the way. However, in the process, Izuku's phone ended up flying out of his pocket and getting destroyed.

With Conkeldurr and the man distracted with Izuku, Riolu managed to come in with a quick Bullet Punch, catching them off-guard. It didn't do much damage, but it allowed Eevee and Combusken to attack with a Sizzly Slide and Flame Charge. Surprisingly, even that didn't do much to hurt the Conkeldurr though.

The three Pokemon jumped back and joined their trainer, standing in front of him and Kota to protect them. "Hey, I know you. You were on the list." The man said.

This was bad. Izuku knew that Villains were attacking, but he didn't think he'd find one here so fast. He didn't tell anyone where he was going. His phone was broken too, meaning that he couldn't rely on reinforcements like last time. He could send one of his Pokemon back to get help, but it didn't look like Conkeldurr was going to let them pass. He didn't have a choice. He needed to protect Kota.

Izuku looked back and saw Kota desperately holding onto his Squirtle in tears. "Don't worry, Kota." He said, One for All surging in his body. "I'll protect you!"

Even if he had managed to get help, nobody would have been able to come. Most of the other students were confronted by Villains. Ochako and Tsuyu had run into Toga, Katsuki and Shoto found Moonfish sitting over a pool of blood, and Tetsutetsu was ready to search for the source of the Poison Gas.

Meanwhile, Mandalay and Tiger were struggling to fight Magne and Spinner. Despite how average they looked, their Pokemon were powerful. Probopass had nearly gotten the best of Espeon, but Incineroar came in and pushed them back.

"Tiger, this is bad!" Mandalay said. "Ragdoll still hasn't answered me! She usually answers as fast as possible!" Magne smiled and nodded his head. "My, my. I wonder why…"

With Ragdoll and Pixie Bob out of the picture, Tiger and Mandalay stalled, and Aizawa and Vlad still at the main building, there was nobody who could help Izuku even if he managed to call out.

"You sound like a Hero-wannabe kid." The man said. "I'm Muscular, and you're Midoriya, right?" The man, named Muscular, cracked his knuckles. Conkeldurr slammed his cement pillars into the ground and got ready.

"We have orders to kill you. Show me your blood!" Conkeldurr dashed forward and use Hammer Arm. Riolu managed to block the attack, but Conkeldurr was too strong for him to handle. The punched sent Riolu flying into the other two Pokemon, all of them slamming into the wall.

"No!" Izuku ran up to his Pokemon and helped them up. It was a strong hit, but they seemed okay. "Oops, my bad." Muscular laughed and pat Conkeldurr on the back. "Anyway, you wouldn't happen to know where this Bakugo kid is, right?"

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "Kacchan?" "I've still got a job to do. Mega Punch." Conkeldurr ran forward and tried attacking Izuku and his Pokemon, but they all narrowly avoided the attack. This man was after Katsuki… why?

"I'm guessing you don't know the answer." He smiled and Conkeldurr ran forward, letting off a powerful Hammer Arm into Izuku's stomach. "Then let's have some fun!"

Izuku was slammed into the wall, and as he fell back to the ground, a cut formed under his eye causing blood to pour out. "Yes! Blood! That's what I've been waiting for!" Muscular began laughing as he watched Izuku's Pokemon slowly crawl over to him. "You said you were gonna save this kid, right? Well then, Hero! Get back up!"

Izuku was shaking as he tried pushing himself back up. His three Pokemon were supporting him, but even after a few attacks from Conkeldurr, they were exhausted. This Pokemon had such intense speed and power that there was no way they could keep up. Right now, they had to focus as much as possible. Katsuki could wait.

He looked at his Pokemon and they all nodded. They all got up and took a stance. "Let's go!" Izuku and the three Pokemon ran toward Conkeldurr. The trainer tackled the Pokemon, leaving him open for Riolu, Combusken, and Eevee to attack.

Eevee ran under Conkeldurr's legs and went for a Veevee Volley straight to the back, Combusken jumped up and used Double Kick, dealing a powerful blow right to his stomach, and Riolu landed a Force Palm on his head, creating a shockwave that even Kota felt.

However, it still wasn't enough. "That all you got?" Muscular asked. Izuku looked up and saw the Pokemon completely unfazed. "Gotta admit, you're fast, but you're weak, kid!" Conkeldurr picked up Izuku by the shirt. His Pokemon tried stopping him, but the Fighting-type threw him, causing him to slide on the ground.

"My Conkeldurr's just that much stronger than you. Even if you hit me with your strongest moves, he won't feel a thing! Your Pokemon are an inferior version of mine!" He looked at Izuku in the eyes and laughed. The boy, filled with determination, stood back up. His Pokemon ran to his side. They knew the odds were stacked against them, but they were gonna try.

Conkeldurr ran forward and used Mega Punch, though they managed to avoid it. However, a piece of rock that ended up coming from the attack managed to hit Izuku in the face, leaving him open to another attack. "Man, I'm havin' a good time!"

Conkeldurr jumped up and punched them, sending Izuku and his Pokemon crashing into the ground. "Don't make promises you can't keep, boy! That kid over there is waiting for you to save him!"

Izuku could barely feel his body anymore, but his Pokemon wouldn't let Conkeldurr hurt him. The three got back up and stood in-between their trainer and the large Pokemon. They took a stance, ready to give it one last push. They had to protect Izuku at all costs.

"Cute. Let's finish this then!" Conkeldurr pulled his arm back, but before he let out an attack, he felt a small pebble hit the back of his head. Both he and Muscular looked back and saw Kota holding more pebbles.

"Water Hose!" The kid shouted. "My parents… did you torture them like this before you killed them?!" Izuku was shocked by what Kota had just said. Muscular, the man who had attacked him, was the very same criminal who took Kota's parents from him?

Muscular was shocked too. "Huh? You for real, kid? Your the son of some Heroes? Awesome!" He pointed to his damaged eye and smiled. "I don't remember a lot of the Heroes I've killed, but your mommy and daddy did this to me."

"It's because of you… it's people like you that always make things end up like this!" Kota shouted. Squirtle stepped in between Muscular and Kota, protecting his trainer. Muscular let out a sigh and shook his head. "Jeez, listen to what you're saying. Kids like you don't know a thing about responsibility."

He cracked his knuckles and began stretching his arms. "Y'know, it's not like I'm holding a grudge for what they did to my eye. I just wanted to kill someone and they were in my way. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." He let out a small laugh.

"The problem is, you're trying to do something you know you can't." Conkeldurr stepped forward and reached his hand out to the kid. "Just like your poor mom and dad!" Before he could kill the kid though, Izuku and his Pokemon ran forward.

"Haha! I knew you'd come after me!"

"Kota isn't the problem! You are!" Izuku grabbed onto Conkeldurr's arm, making sure that he wouldn't be able to escape as easily. "Oh, what are you gonna do? Use more weak attacks?" Muscular asked.

"It's not a matter of if I beat you or not!" He surged One for All into his right arm, with Riolu and Combusken doing the same and Eevee doing so with her front right leg. "A Hero always comes through, even if it kills them! I will do it!"

Muscular was shocked, witnessing the determination of this kid. This boy, he looked different from before! "One for All 100% Smash!" Riolu and Combusken ran forward with a powerful punch while Eevee used her leg to propel her forward at extreme speed. Using 100% of One for All, they all landed devastating attacks, creating a large shockwave that was so powerful, it cut a huge portion off the side of the cliff.

The shockwave also pushed Kota off of the edge, him moving too fast for Squirtle to catch him. Luckily, Izuku moved quickly and caught Kota by his shirt. "I-I'm sorry, Kota." He got his Pokemon to help pull the boy back on to land safely.

"Thank y- huh?!" Kota looked up and was shocked at the state Izuku and his Pokemon were in. The limbs they surged One for All through were broken. Izuku's shirt was torn and the cut under his eye seemed to be bleeding more. Riolu and Combusken helped Eevee stay up now that one of her legs wasn't working anymore, though the two of them didn't seem in the best condition either. "Why…"

Next, Izuku needed to find Katsuki. But right now, he needed to get this kid to safety. "Let's head back to the camp. I'm sure-" They heard a loud explosion from behind them. Izuku looked back in terror as Conkeldurr slowly got back up. "No… it can't be… that was 100%… All Might's power!"

Muscular got back up and stretched his arms. "Thanks for taking the hit for me, Conkeldurr. That was a good hit, kid." The two of them slowly began walking toward Izuku and Kota.

"G-Get away!"

"No, I think I'll come closer."

Izuku looked at his Pokemon. They were ready to fight, but they couldn't keep going forever. They were each a limb down. If this Pokemon could take a 100% Smash from each of them just fine, then what other choices did they have. After enough smashes he could finally go down, yeah, but they had limited ammo when it came to that…

"What do the League of Villains want? What are you after?"

"Like I know. I'm just here to have some fun. As long as I get to fight, I don't really care. I said I was having fun playing our game! But that's enough for now, no more playing around. You're strong, so we'll go all out."

"Grab Kota! Quick!" Conkeldurr jumped forward to land a Hammer Arm, but Izuku's Pokemon managed to grab Squirtle and Kota and jump out of the way. Conkeldurr ended up attacking the ground, but his Hammer Arm was so powerful that it caused more of the cliffside to collapse. He was way stronger than before.

Conkeldurr went for another hit, but he ended up missing and hitting the wall, creating a blast of wind that sent Izuku and the others flying back. "Shit! You alright?" The attack was a bit too strong, getting the Pokemon's arm stuck in the wall, giving Izuku a few seconds to think.

If they got back to camp, Aizawa could disable his moves… no, even then, Conkeldurr's raw power would be enough to take them out. Plus, would they even be able to make it back without running into anyone else? Izuku and the others were still tired from their training, so they couldn't overthink it. They needed to show the enemy they weren't giving up yet.

"Guys, we have to defeat him. Right here, right now." He got back up and his Pokemon ran to his side. "We've got no other choice. We have to save them! Remember where we came from!" His Pokemon all yelled in agreement. They were tired, they were exhausted, they were in pain, but they weren't done yet.

After letting out a deep breath, Izuku turned to Kota. "Listen, Kota. I need you to do everything I say. Stay back, and when I hit him, I need you to run back to where Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Vlad King are as fast as possible, got it?"

"W-When you hit him? Don't tell me… no, let's just get out of here!" He took a step forward and reached out to Izuku. "Your arms are broken and your attack didn't do anything to him! We just-"

"It's fine." Izuku smiled. The three Pokemon looked back and gave the child a confident nod as Conkeldurr finally managed to get his arm free. As Conkeldurr ran forward, Izuku and the others surged One for All through their broken limbs.

"Midoriya!"

"One for All 100% Smash!" Using everything they had, they caught Conkeldurr's momentum and stopped him in his place. The Pokemon was still pushing against them, but they were pushing back, making sure he didn't reach Kota.

The ground below them was beginning to collapse, but the four of them stood their ground. "Aw, it's weaker than before!" Muscular ran forward and began helping Conkeldurr push.

"It's fine… you'll be… fine." Izuku looked back at Kota, tears in his eyes. "I will not let him past me! So… get out of here! Run!"

Muscular smiled and laughed. "Damn you, brat! You're the best!" Conkeldurr began pushing harder, pushing Izuku, Riolu, Combusken, and Eevee all to the ground. "No, shut up!" All four of them shouted as loud as they could, pushing back as hard as possible. Meanwhile, Kota was frozen in fear. Even as his Squirtle tried pulling him back, he couldn't leave Izuku! "Why?"

"Bleed! I want you to bleed!" Conkeldurr and Muscular began pushing harder. Finally, Izuku and the others had their backs to the ground. This was their final stand. The words All Might had left them… "A Hero always comes out on top." They had to get through this! But… it didn't look like that was gonna be the case this time.

"Mom, All Might, I'm sorry!" Izuku turned to his three Pokemon and smiled. "I'm sorry, guys. Thank you… for being with me…" The Pokemon, still pushing with everything they had, looked at their trainer and smiled sadly. This was the end…

Just as their bodies were finally giving in, Conkeldurr felt something that stopped him. "Huh? Water?" Muscular said. They looked up and saw Squirtle spitting out a Water Gun in a futile effort to stop them.

"Stop… stop it!" Kota cried out. He and his Pokemon both had tears in their eyes. They used Water Gun over and over again to try and save the Hero who saved them. Izuku looked back and saw the boy and his Squirtle doing everything they could. "Kota…"

Muscular smiled and nodded his head. "I'll kill you later! Just wait a minute, okay? I'm just- wait, huh?" He and Conkeldurr looked down and saw Izuku and his Pokemon pushing back. This time though, they were stronger. They were actually pushing them back. "No! We were just distracted for a second!"

"As if… I'd let you kill him!" This kid, he was getting stronger! Conkeldurr and Muscular pushed as hard as they could, but Izuku, Riolu, Combusken, and Eevee were stronger.

"Eevee! Use Veevee Volley!" Eevee ran forward, using a 100% Smash, dashed into Conkeldurr and Muscular, slamming them into the wall.

"Now, Combusken! Double Kick!" Combusken got up close to Conkeldurr and with another 100% Smash, let out two powerful kicks, leaving them open.

Izuku let out a deep breath and looked at Riolu. "Let's finish this!" Riolu nodded and got ready. The boy pulled the Z-Ring from his pocket and put it on. Both he and Riolu crossed their arms, filling themselves up with Z-Energy.

"1,000,000%…" They let out the first punch.

"All-Out Pummeling…" Then the second.

"Delaware-Detroit…" The third.

"Smash!" The flurry of projectile fists came from Riolu, assaulting Muscular and Conkeldurr with a barrage of Z-Power. They could hear the screams of pain coming from the Villain and his Pokemon as they were finally knocked out.

Kota watched in awe as the yellow glow of the Z-Right finally faded away. As he fell to his knees, he finally realized what everyone had been telling him this whole time. His parents didn't just leave him behind, they sacrificed themselves, saving others. What Mandalay had told him that day… "One day, you'll find someone, then you'll understand."

He just watched as Izuku and his Pokemon finally got back up. "They'll risk their lives to save yours. Your…"

Izuku and his Pokemon all screamed into the sky, triumphant. "My Hero!"