A/N: Okay, went overboard, hehe, whoops. Second to last chapter for the movie and the next one's big. Review Time.
To Cobb: Reviews are low but so long as people enjoy my content I don't mind, but thanks. As for Midoriya and All Might fighting together... guess we'll just have to wait and see ;)
Enjoy.
Chapter 36 - Movie, Against the Clock
[200th Floor Control Center]
"Move it," The doors opened as Red Eye shoved David through with his assistant. The duo could see with horror how they managed to overtake the system, strange, white wires of physical code infected the machines, pulling apart that which wasn't essential, the screens flashing with data streams here and there. "Ravage took the liberty of inviting himself into your island's mainframe, don't worry, if we damaged something vital it would lock us out."
"Why are you doing all this?" David asked as the armed guards and Red Eye walked up to the main computer, a man with long hair and a strange, optical mask stepped aside. Then David was shoved into the seat beside Sam.
"'Why'? Simple really, we want the device you've been working on, Mr. Shield," He saw the scientist's eyes dilate. "Well, my contractor told me to hand it to Ravage to complete his... experiment, there's one issue-"
Both jumped as a pillar of metal shot from the floor under Red Eye, his hand taut as the beam of steel froze an inch from their heads before it was pushed back down. "My Quirk can't brute-force my way to the vault, and even if I could there are far too many containment cases to sort through, but you designed it, you'd know where to find it and how to access this Tower's Vault, so, be a good little dog, and fetch me your stolen tech,"
One of the screens then flashed, revealing several images taken before the night, many of Melissa with class 1-A though none of the thugs recognized the students at all. David's body shuddered at what exactly they planned to do if he didn't cooperate, Sam barely looked up at the images himself. "Unless you want me to publicly slit her throat, and I really don't want to have to kill anyone-" He grabbed David by the back of the head, pushing it to look down at the controls. "-get to work."
His daughter or the safety of the island hung between his fingers, it wasn't hard to make a choice, "Fine... I'll do it." He sighed in bitter defeat. "I'm sorry, Toshi, but I'll try and buy you as much time as I can."
[Stairwell, 80th Floor]
'Well, that's a problem' Yuki held up her note, panting up against the wall. They had to run all the way up to the two-hundredth Floor, it was a pain but safer, or until they ran into the reinforced door that locked the rest of the stairs. Over the course of their climbing she, Viral, and Akio's infection grew, now most of their abdomen was brimming with white webbing of code
"What should we do, break through it?" Todoroki suggested, himself out of breath for the moment
"If we did that, I'm sure the security system will alert the villains that someone is in here." Melissa defused that idea. So with a shrug, Akio strolled over to the door leading back into the complex, putting his hand on the door
"Screw it, we break things, we're caught, we open this door..." He threw the whole metal door back
"No! Don't!" Melissa was far too late, the red light on the frame lighting up. "That'll alert the security someone's down here."
Akio shrugged, pointing to the growing infection. "Not to be rude, but, kinda on the clock." Much as he hated being a mood in these situations he had to keep them moving, simply for Yuki and Viral's sake. "I don't want to risk their lives and yours but playing this cautiously isn't going to work."
"Much as I hate to agree, Akio's right," Kyoka sighed.
"Alright, then let's move it!" Izuku and the gang rushed out and down the hall
"Is there another way to go up?" Todoroki asked as they sprinted down the white, bland hallway, no sign of the villains anywhere so far. This was a race against time, without any clear indication how long it would take for the three infected amongst the group to be completely consumed by the virus it made it harder to pause and make a plan
"There should be another emergency staircase down at the other end of the hallway!" Melissa declared
"Then let's hur-"
The countermeasures came to life, large, reinforced dividers closing down the halls in front and behind them. Yuki felt her SIVA try to alert her, but even he was struggling just to maintain focus, the virus was unlike anything either of them had seen before. Like someone took only the program once eating Yuki alive and turned it into a virus solely for the sake of consuming matter.
"Todoroki!" Iida commanded
"On it!" "Me too!" He and Viral stepped in. A large wall of ice crashing between the last wall while Viral leapt into the hole, wedging the frame wider for the rest to jump through, his body buckling under the strain.
Iida took the vanguard, tearing apart the lower end of his trousers to throw a jet-boosted snap kick through a large doorway, revealing a large, indoor garden straight ahead, "Everyone quick, we can cross through here!"
The massive complex was built like the outside world, fitted with bright lights, streams and a distant waterfall, and many levels of varying plant life. It was a magnificent building only they couldn't stop to admire the sights. They stepped through, then Viral suddenly locked up, coughing up a strange, white substance as he cackled. "O-oh, that's not good," He peered at the rest, then they panicked as Yuki doubled over alongside Akio, both vomiting up the same gunk
"Yuki!" Izuku and Todoroki rushed to her aid, herself sweating a little after the sudden, revolting sensation
"This is bad, the infection's growing." Todoroki bit his cheek, his face scrunched up with rage. "You've already gone through enough... sorry, can you stand?"
'Feels like when that program started to consume me, my insides are on fire' She brought up a hesitant smile to her worried allies. 'I'm okay' They pulled her up, Izuku pulling her arm over his shoulders, she saw it, fear and determination burning in his eyes. She wanted to say otherwise, but for now, she eased into his arms
"You sure about this, Akio?" Iida inquired, himself, Kyoka, and Yaoyorozu helping him to his feet while he wiped his mouth
"Tastes like oil and copper, but I'll live," He winked
Melissa and Ochaco did the same for Viral, the Nightmare patting their heads. "Very kind of you to worry for a monster like me."
"You're our ally, and Kyoka and Akio trust you." Ochaco smiled assuringly
"Someone risking their life for the good of other people can't be that bad of a monster." Melissa complimented, exciting a surprised stare from the Nightmare
"Hmph, fools, but kind ones at that," He stepped forward, noting the large spire in the center. "So, think we can use that to ascend?"
"No, wait!" Kyoka threw her hand back to stop them. "Look, the elevator's coming up!" True to her word the number was rising fast
"We should hide and let them pass," Izuku thought quickly, ushering them into the bushes closer to the lift. It was dumb but since Viral lacked his ability to move through shadows as well as Akio they couldn't just slip away unnoticed
"Think we can use that elevator to get to the top floor once they're gone?" Kaminari kept his voice low, the ambient sounds of the garden putting them all on edge as they watched the number reach their floor
Melissa shook her head. "No, only authorized people can use the controls, unfortunately, and it's built like a bomb shelter so we can't even break in and try." That put a damper on their plans, without any way up they'd have to get creative
In time, the chime of the lift froze their bodies, Viral himself readying his claws if he had to get messy but he ultimately, if reluctantly, stuck with their hiding strategy. Once the doors slipped away, two thugs entered the garden, muttering to themselves. Izuku then leaned closer. "Spot something, kid?" Viral whispered
"They're clothes... they must be from the event hall." Beside them, Ochaco looked to pale, covering her mouth
"They're after us."
"Everyone keep quiet." Iida hushed, his eyes having never left their movements
It was obvious to Izuku everyone was on edge, despite their numerical advantage, without knowing their Quirks or how skilled they are it could easily turn south for all of them. There were also the three infected with a virus that seemed to accelerate if they used their abilities, which put two of the biggest hitters out.
"We can't fight them here, if anything we should avoid combat unless it's necessary, more so for them than for us," Even in this pressing situation, Izuku kept glancing back at Yuki, the white light on her body spreading across her barding like white blood. "Please... come on, just leave already!"
"Hey, we see you, stupid kids!" All their hearts stopped beating at once, they were done for
"Hey, whatcha say, you bastard?" All their eyes and ears shot toward the grumpy voice across the garden. To their utter shock, it was Bakugo and Kirishima strolling in, the latter looking less than pleased
"Never in my life have I thought I'd be happy to see Dumb-Dumb." Yuki's body slumped back, grinning under her mask. "I just hope they don't get hurt..." Question marks popped up on her eyes. "It's Kirishima and Bakugo... I think I'm more worried about the villains actually."
"What are you two doing here?" The short, fat one asked angrily
"Tch, that's what I want to know too." Bakugo stepped forward until Kirishima pushed him back easily
"Hey man, just leave this to me, okay?" With a smile he took over, rubbing the back of his head. "Um... we kinda got lost looking for this party, can you maybe point us in the right direction?"
Akio deadpanned from beside Kyoka and Viral, glaring at the two as they viewed him. "See all your comments about me being a horrible navigator, let the record show, eighth floor... looking for the reception." He made that point quite elegantly
"Don't lie to me-!" The tall, lanky one's hand splayed like a large glove, gathering a large orb of wind. "-or you'll regret it!" He threw forth a large funnel of compressed air at the two, neither having the response time to move away
"Hey, watch out!" Bakugo snapped with everyone else jumping from the bushes
"Kirishima!" The redhead didn't heed either of his friends before a large wall of ice took the blow, saving him by a hair
While confusion spread between the two, all eyes snapped to the ice shelf, chunks falling apart under a constant barrage of attacks. Seeing this as the best course of action. Todoroki slapped his palm to the floor, spreading a layer of frost under his friends. "The three of us can keep them busy down here, look for a way to get to the top!"
"W-wait, Todoroki, what are you doing?" Izuku stumbled forward, Yuki catching him as the ice under them rocketed up as a large column, spanning over the whole garden
"I'm fine! Go!"
"Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu yelled back, but he didn't take his eyes off them, giving them all a nod
"I'll be right behind you after I clean up this mess!" With that, and Yuki patting Yaomomo on the shoulder she reluctantly agreed
"You have reached your stop," Viral declared, the pillar of ice stopping at the last catwalk. Viral seethed under his hood, rubbing his chin at the sight of the locked doors. "No use busting through, if the security's the same on the eighth floor then the reinforced walls are probably up."
"Then what now, we're like mice trapped in a maze?" Akio tilted his head, the group approaching the doorway to think of a way forward.
"We need a plan!" Kaminari spoke the obvious, or until Izuku's eyes caught on to the ceiling, more importantly, a hatch that jutted out from the surface
"Hey, Melissa, where does that vent at the edge of the ceiling lead to, over there?" She pondered for a moment
"I think it runs under the sunlight room for the maintenance system,"
"Then that means there's a ladder in the maintenance room, right!?" Iida declared
"Well yeah, but it's a manual release, someone would have to be inside to let it down for us..." The rest of the conversation tuned out in Yuki's ears, herself backing away to make a few pins across the walls, judging and calculating without SIVA's insurance was a little tricky, but if she didn't learn this stuff herself she'd never be as good as she was today
"Take in gravity's effect, compensate for weightlessness, and the extent of SIVA I can use and the degeneration due to the virus..." Her mind worked overtime, she couldn't come up with multiple solutions, right now she had to act or time will be her biggest killer. "Here goes... SIVA. Enhance. Twenty Percent!"
The sudden rush of wind and static caught the group's attention, yet before Yuki allowed anyone to stop her from risking her life she pulled apart some of the walls, bending and consuming the metal for herself. "SIVA. Augment, Winter's Rush!"
Bracing against the railing, Yuki flung herself onto the side of the massive wall, bending the metal with large steps, curving the walls to form sizable footings. She took her steps in large, lumbering strides, conserving her energy until she reached the top. Every step was ticking away like a pocket watch, the virus was growing, but so was her willingness to go beyond until the very end if need be!
"Wolves-!" She flipped off the wall, driving home a large uppercut to the emergency hatch. "-Howling!" Upon embedding the hatch, the hinges broke and the door fell away as her left arm pinched the edge of the frame, and with a bit of strain on her part she swung herself into the hole
"She did it!" Ochaco cheered
Casually, she 'booped' the button that released the ladder, awaiting her friends as she powered down, noting her chest was now covered by the virus, she just shrugged, she's been through worse than a few cases of puking. As the group rose through the hatch she gave a short bow to them all, accepting their praise as she helped Melissa up last.
"That was amazing, Yuyu," She closed her eyes with a cheery smile. "Though, as expected of someone as heroic as you!" That kept her still a moment, a touched smile splitting her lips as her eyes curved, then displayed fireworks with her fist pointed to the sky
'LET'S GOOOOO!'
"YEAH!"
[130th Floor, Labatory]
As they suspected, the villains had pulled out all the stop, deploying dozens of their capture drones to take them down. Even though the lab was an easy way across it still meant fighting their way through an army.
"They're so many robot sentries," Ochaco hummed, all observing from the windows as they littered the floor
"The Villains are just trying to box us in anymore, it looks like they're actually trying to capture us now," Iida summarized, all eyes looking among each other for answers. Sighing, Akio clicked his fingers at Yaoyorozu with a child-like smile
"If that's the case then they probably realize we're Hero Course students," Izuku's assumption was the likeliest scenario
"It can't be helped, Yaomomo?" She turned to him, "Think you can create those designs I gave you, I know it's sudden but I might have a crazy but effective plan?"
It took a second to register, but then she smiled and nodded, turning away to create something much to Akio's giddy anticipation. "Just what exactly is your plan?"
Viral cackled, slowly seeping back into Akio's body, turning his right eye magenta. "Very simple, we're going to do what Nightmares and their Hosts were meant for," With a blink, the symbol surrounding his left eye glowing magenta. Then both their voices intertwined. "We're going to tear them apart!"
"There!" Yaomomo smiled, turning to reveal the two, metal gloves. White with purple lines tracing the middle of the fingers to a speaker on the back of the palm. The underside was dark grey, a mirrored speaker attached to the palm. "These should function much to your specifications, I'm very impressed you came up with such a detailed design?"
He bashfully scratched his cheek, looking to Kyoka. "It was to be a surprise gift to Kyoka, of course, I wanted it to be as perfect as her, hehe," Hearing this made the rocker's face turn red as the rest smiled at the adorable reply. "So... surprise, Kyoka! Two new gloves for your hero costume, I called them Bass Fists."
"M-me?" Taking the gloves she observed the jack port at the lip of the top speaker head. Slipping them on over her maroon gloves they hugged her hands. "I-I don't get it, why...?"
"Well, you only have those speakers on your legs for attacks, so I brainstormed for a bit and thought, 'why not punch your enemies with your heartbeat'?" A few of them raised brows at his ideology. "It sounds weird, I know, the point is, you plug your jacks in the same way, but when you go for a punch, inject your heartbeat the moment you strike, then you'll punch with a sonic blast for some extra kick!"
"You see, I would have gone along with our plan to just fry them with Kaminari," Akio continued, patting the blonde's chest. "Sorry bud, but your voltage limit can't affect these guys, they're designed to be heat, water, and electric resistant."
"Seriously? No fair." Kaminari slouched while Kyoka felt a little nervous being put on the front lines
"Look, I want to help and all but I dunno if this'll work," Hearing this Akio put his hands on her shoulders, smiling confidently
"You don't give yourself enough credit, sure, support is more your style, but that's why I made these for you, so if the time came you can put up a fight with more than just your bare fists," Then he put his thumb up. "I'll protect you if you need me, besides, we got Iida and Midoriya too, so we're set!"
"Kyoka, you can count on us!" Izuku stepped forward, Iida adjusting his glasses
"You're our friend and classmate, so that means we look out for each other," Iida replied
"Damn," Kyoka ruffled her hair, still unable to suppress a stupid blush thanks to Akio's praise, but she ultimately plugged her jacks into the gloves. "You sayin' stuff like that, it wouldn't be very cool if I refused."
Stepping into the lab, in a strange turn of events, it was Akio and Kyoka that took the lead, the former drawing together a black mist between his hands. "May put my life at risk, but hell, what's the fun in worrying!?" He sharpened his smile and threw forward two small blasts of black smog, the condensed gas tearing through the first row of bots as their head popped up in alert, blaring their sirens.
Even as they spun on their wheels toward him, Akio charged headlong into the fray, burying a blast of onyx smoke into the next wave of drones, the plume of black consuming a number in a haze. Kyoka then rushed past him, drawing back her left arm, she kept her composure, throwing a left cross into the first bot she spotted through the smog. "Here's goes!" "Hyrah!"
Her fist connected with its optics, then she remembered Akio's instructions, pumping her heartbeat into the glove as the speakers lit up, expelling a sonic boom that sent several of the machines skyward, another vertical blast from Akio forced her back as the machines continued their approach. The two back-to-back, grinning. Akio threw his right arm through a bot's scalp while Kyoka went for another left hook, both their damaging attacks dispersing the once wave of droids.
"Okay, you guys are up!" Kyoka yelled, her and Akio backing up as more machines swept through the smoke.
"Let's go, Midoryia!" Iida took off with a large gust from his calfs
"Alright!" He threw off his coat, and Melissa, alongside Yuki noticed the red band around his hand, the blue light cam online, binding his forearm in a red gauntlet that upon further inspection from Yuki she was surprised by the intricate absorption of kinetic energy the gauntlet could contain. "One For All, Full Cowling and Full Gauntlet!" With a breath of electrified air, he flew through the air
"I think it would be perfect for you!" Melissa offered, putting her hands behind her back, "You should be able to use your full power while you have it on."
"First, I'll try it out with forty percent of my power...!" He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel somewhat anxious but he trusted Melissa and overclocked his arm, moving between Kyoka and Akio. "Smaaaash!" His fist connected to the first bot, the rest mindlessly crashing into the first as the force of the impact tore up the floor, sending the robots flying, the first five torn in half by the attack
Through the large gust of wind, Izuku was astonished, smiling brightly as he flexed his fingers in the gauntlet. "It worked! My arm is fine! I got this!" His smile pursed to a firm concentration, Iida sweeping round for a low-bearing kick to the machines, swatting them from the ground for Akio's shadowy blasts to tear apart, the remaining smog sabotaging their sensors
"Wow, Deku, what's with that glove, it's amazing!?" Ochaco beamed, Yuki slipping in to inspect it with wide eyes, making her partner chuckle lightly
"It worked perfectly Melissa, thanks!" The girl behind him smiled thoughtfully at his compliment, herself glad it was effective
"I'm so glad you brought it," That made him sweatdrop
"I... couldn't get it off my hand." That atleast broke a small laugh between them as they gathered at the center point of the labs
"Jiro, do they have back-up!?" Iida asked, speeding through the decimated machines. With her jacks fixed to the floor, her heart practically leapt into her throat, pulling back in fright
"G-guys, we've got a serious problem heading straight for us, below!" Everyone froze at her words, then not a moment later they heard metal and wiring snap and pull, the lights flickering with a deafening roar as the ground under Akio was torn apart, a large, white horn slicing through his chest, spraying blood as he fell back with a cry
"AKIO!"
From the rising hole in the floor, two large arms pulled the rest of the malformed body through, bathing the monster in green light. White veins pulsed across its thick hide as the body seemed to have grown larger over time. It was Ravage, snarling with Akio pressed under his right arm with a growl. A pungent smell rose from its skin and scales, a dark vapor none could discern in the light.
"Found you... now die, die, Die!" Ravage's voice was far more distorted, lost under a growl as he plucked Akio off the ground, swatting Akio with the tail as several bones shattered, his form smearing across the back wall as the rest gasped and rooted themselves to the ground. "No more running, children, I want to see your blood!"
'Be careful, he's alot stronger than last time!' Yuki sent out a dozen messages, taking a stand with SIVA converting her arms once again, even as the white lines spread to her shoulders and thighs. Taking charge, Yuki brought her right leg across with Iida, both roundhousing Ravage's left arm as it held firm, twisting his whole body for the tail to narrowly skim their heads
They stepped back, Yuki firing several shots that didn't so much as tickle Ravage, then Kaminari took charge. "One-Point-Five Million Volts!" The discharge only came after Kyoka kicked the idiot into Ravage's side, the resulting connection visibly hurt the Nightmare, himself wailing as he thrashed to throw Kaminari off, Iida zipping in to catch their fallen friend
Ravage chuckled, "No Nightmare, no Midnite, no holy light, without those," He observed her arm, curling his fingers. "There's nothing left that can stop me...!" That was when Ravage felt several small items smack off his horns, he blinked, looking down at the small, red tubes on the ground. "Huh, what is - Grah!" Several flashbangs suddenly went off, blinding the enraged Nightmare as it struggled to stand upright, rubbing his eyes with panic. "I can't see! I can't see! I can't see!"
"Yuki! Deku! Go for it!" Ochaco cried, helping to float the others across the large hole and to their point of exit from this floor. By the time Ravage recovered, he was greeted by the teens, one burned with a crimson flurry spurting from their skin like blood while the other contrasted with his own, mint-green hue, their electrified energy snapping off one another, the girl's left, and the boy's right arm bent forward together
"Fifty Percent Smash!" Their thoughts aligned and their devastating attack collided with Ravage's crossed arms, breaking a number of scales as skin split within, the combined force toppling the large mutant to the ground as they flew past.
Izuku caught Yuki in his arms as she powered down, the extent of the virus has already moved down to near her elbows and across her collarbone. "Are you okay, Yuki?" Looking down at her he watched as she shivered in his arms, weakly putting up a peace sign, though that didn't keep his and Melissa's frown from growing
"I wish I could help more, but you shouldn't push yourself too much," Melissa implored Yuki to not exsert her Quirk further. Much as Yuki wished that were the case, given what they're up against she hoped that attack did some damage
"Look out you three!" Yaoyorozu cried, Iida and Kaminari pulling the two away in time while Ochaco grabbed Melissa, the bulbous tail tearing through the catwalk as the crimson eyes glared at the group
"Not yet, first I'll kill that one with the annoying soundwaves!" He snarled at Kyoka, lunging for her above all others. She readied her fists, Iida tearing down the doorway in their way in the frame as Izuku and Yuki instinctively moved to save Kyoka from the impending strike
She was terrified, just like back then her legs refused to move, something about facing down Ravage scared her beyond any sense of the norm, her heart froze and her mind failed to register anything other than the willingness to put her arms up in preparation for the attack.
"Kyoka!" Yaomomo screamed for her best friend with tears in her eyes, a force of wind blowing the group backward and into the safety of the hallway
*CRUNCH-BAM!*
The dust and cry of metal coiling under intense strain was heard, but not a hint of blood bar what dripped under Ravage's arm, his talons having sunk clean through flesh and bone. Kyoka's face was fixed with fright and shock, Akio's hand pressing back on the claws, even as blood poured from his palms and his legs buckled, bending the catwalk under them
"Don't you... dare... lay a hand on her!" He growled, eyes ablaze with a magenta contrail. "Touch her and I'll make you pay!" His screamed devolved into a warcry, shakily pushing back against Ravage's force
"W-what, how are you so strong? Yes, who cares, more, fight me!" He thundered back, pushing down as Akio refused to budge, spitting up blood between his teeth. Purple light gathered under Akio's arms, holding him against the intense pressure for Kyoka's sake
"G-go, get to the top! He's ours!" Akio left no room for negotiation. The amethyst gleam flickering once while his body tensed, the pressure once exerted in staying alive now flew from his skin, his emerald eyes reflecting his purple light
Twisting his lock on Ravage's palm he stomped to his right, pulling back with an effortless heave, crashing the body of the Nightmare up against the wall. Lunging at Ravage he tore his large, etheral claws through the underbelly, spraying his body in black mist while Ravage locked his arms around the boy, pulling him through into the shadows, the two of them shooting up and through the ceiling as they left with only a few sheets of the ceiling clattering the floor in their wake.
[138th Floor, Sever Room]
Not long after losing Akio and Viral to their skirmish with Ravage, the group continued up the floors, making haste as Yuki grew worse due to her overuse of SIVA, now the infection had spread to halfway down her arms, near her knees, and finally moving up to her neck. They were running out of time, and she was beginning to feel weaker. As for the server room, long halls containing black boxes with red accents were stacked many stories tall, a strange but isolated room.
'Wait-' Yuki held out a note, feeling a chill crawl up her back. '-Something's wrong, this place is almost too quiet given the drones we've passed so far'
*Ding*
She called it, the door ahead sprung open, revealing the horde of capture machines waiting inside, up above, others were hiding in ambush, hopping down to intercept the students. "A trap, seem you were right." Iida tisked
"Let's break through, Iida-" Izuku felt Yuki place a hand on his shoulder quickly
"Wait a sec, we can't damage these severs, it could affect the island's security system!" That alone wasn't what they needed right now, this once more limited their effectiveness in a fight
Taking the initiative, Yaoyorozu stepped forward, beginning to create something large from her back. "We can handle these machines while protecting the servers."
"Go, Midoriya, take Melissa and Yuki and see if you can find a different route," Iida took a stand himself, preparing for the gathering of machines in their wake
"We'll leave it to them, come on!" Izuku hurried for a nearby side-exit, Yuki breathing slowly for just a moment before giving chase. "They're dividing us up, this could turn out horribly once we reach the top, but..." He glanced back at Yuki, her petite body crawling with white lines of code, that alone made his blood boil. "I can't give up, not on them, and especially not on Yuki, not this time!"
The shaking of the walls and floor under their feet was worrisome, but Yuki slapped the back of Izuku's head, keeping his feet moving with a hardened stare straight ahead. "Deku, we can't stop, if we get caught here, Iida and the others did that for nothing!" Ochaco hated it herself but it was the hard truth, they needed to move forward and fast!
[Wind Generators]
The Tower trembled considerably, Akio/Viral guarded with their arms, taking the swipe of Ravage's horn as they were torn through the insides of the metal spire, the two bursting from the ceiling and out into the open air of a strange, wind generation platform. The tail came crashing down, Akio raised his black arms as his feet buried themselves back into concrete upon contact, the two broke apart momentarily.
Akio's body was far less human now. His arms, left leg, parts of his torso, and the right side of his face were an inky black with bits of his bandaged clothing showing against his formal wear. His eyes magenta too, the left devoid of features as it slit back at Ravage, his tail coiling round to wipe the blood off his cheek.
"You've gotten even stronger, how is that, I thought you were serious back in the streets?" Ravage inquired, scraping his foot off the ground, his fingers twitching in anticipation. "Or is it the fear of death has finally caught up with you too?"
Akio chuckled, though Viral's voice overwrote his pitch. "Death hasn't been on my back in centuries, you know that? No, rather these last few months living around those that care for me and my host have been... enlightening," This brought a steady silence between them, the wind howling through the metal apparatus above their heads
"Oh? And what of the other traitor? Would this new, dull life of yours-" Ravage was about to say with a twisted grin but for a moment Viral lost his, eyes cold yet jaded.
"No," After a clear of his throat, that confident grin returned.
"Anyway, for their sake," Akio took a stance, the wind brushing his hair aside. "I'll break my body if it means I can kill you."
Ravage cackled softly, licking his lips. "Whatever happened to the Viral we knew," Mulling over how drastically his old ally had changed, he realized that he too was changing, more physically than mentally. "This strange nanotechnology will breed a new kind of evolution, I can fight even when I should be exhausted, my mind can't be corrupted with meaningless thoughts, all I want, all I ever am and will be is infused into my flesh and blood!" He fanned our his arms, the wings catching the breeze. "This is a Nightmare true evolution!"
Akio nor Viral spoke, with Akio taking control with a heavy sigh. "No point trying to ask what's Harrow up to then... Viral says that's the biggest load of words you've ever spoken," His arms soon lit themselves ablaze with orange arcane circles, magic flowing through his veins. "Shame they're wasted on you."
"This time, you die!" Ravage roared, thundering toward Akio with a massive charge full of hot wind and ferocity. His horn struck the air, Akio having bound over his towering form with two flames gathered between his palms
"Fire Scourge!" A long column of flames slammed into Ravage as he turned in the inferno, snapping his jaws around Akio's ankle, tossing him from the air as he dug his nails into the concrete, the rings turning light blue. "Coldheart!" With both hands crossed upward, two sharp pikes of ice crashed into Ravage, his form tearing down the ice, once more missing Akio
"He seems to forget I can use magic, must be a side-effect of this nano-virus that's also impeding us," Akio questioned why Viral gave the Nightmare that probably had a fist for a brain credit. "Ravage is the biggest idiot I know, but his photographic memory is nothing to scoff at."
Akio hummed and soon the demon emerged from the ground, charging with red lines pulsating across his scales, a roar caught between the wind. Alright, two can play Chicken. Akio drew his left leg back, feel the concrete weigh down on his shin, licking his skin with a thick, rocky hide, the enhancements ensnaring his leg with bronze inscriptions. "Mantle Snap!"
He leapt just shy of Ravage's skull for a snap-kick, his shin connecting to the large horn the second the torrent of wind and muscles connected with his foot. The two outgoing kinetic forces clashed and a powerful shockwave shook the foundations of the Tower. Landing just shy of the tail the body of Ravage crumbled to the ground with a wail, leaving himself exposed to Akio's infusion of Fire Scourge and his own black smoke. The blackish-orange beam rippled across the underbelly of Ravage, actually tumbling the Nightmare further along the ground.
Somehow, this only seemed to make the strange, red outlines on his body resonate, something was building inside Ravage, and it was a very unpleasant taste in Akio's mouth. "I can almost taste blood in the air." Not wanting to find out, Akio stepped back and did a small run-up, performing a front flip with his right leg drawn high, a crimson glow turning tiger-orange. "Blazing Hatchet - Hyrah!"
There was a sudden spike in Ravage's soul, and the tail swung back, parrying Akio's powerful blow. Ravage used the force applied to throw himself skyward, landing with a large plume of dust as the tail snaked through the cloud, almost taking Akio out with a slam, several concrete boulders jutting from the ground between them. Silver and gold motes gathered around Akio's hands the second he saw the horn prod through the dust, his palms bled but he caught the horn, toes dragging through the ground.
"T-this heat is unbearable!" Whatever was happening to Ravage, his body heat was actually burning Akio's hands and face. "C-Counter!" He twisted his hold and slammed his fist against Ravage's fangs, shattering the left fang while disorientating the monster into backhanding him with a wing, Akio's body tumbling through the ground as his jaw slowly repaired itself, teeth slipping out from his gum.
"Akio!" Both fighters turned at the familiar, nervous voice belonging to Izuku, himself and three of the girls standing at the entrance to the generator floor, watching the bloodied fight ensue. "Watch out!" He did, rolling aside as Ravage lodged his horn into the central pillar holding most of the turbines in place
Yuki wanted to rush in and help, but Melissa drew her hand back. "No, we need to move while he's distracted, let's not waste his effort!" Much as Yuki didn't want to run they had no choice, but from what she could see, the white lines were covering Akio just as much as her own, they were on a thread now
"Melissa, what's the plan!?" Izuku yelled over the trembling roar, Akio firing a massive wall of flames infused with a sudden crackle and pop of lightning from the skies above, the attack disorientating Ravage from their group
"There's an emergency entrance at the top, that will take us straight to the top without running into any more machines!" She came to a halt just below one of the brackets, looking to Ochaco with her fist close to her heart, she was shaking. "We have Ochaco, anything your Quirk touches you can make weightless right? So this should be easy?"
Seeing this, Ochaco steeled her resolve and agreed. Yuki wrapping her arms around Izuku's shoulders with Melissa doing the same on his right. This was their only chance. "Just leave it to me you guys, and Melissa, Yuki, hold onto Deku for dear life."
"You guys watch out!" Hearing this, the team turned and found Ravage had impaled Akio on his horn, tearing a massive hole through his side as he bound Ravage's arms and body in black hands, dark symbols rotating around his arms but they were flickering. "O-Ochaco... u-use your Quirk o-on him, please!" He couldn't hold him very long, and a sudden crack of white split through his right eye. "Hurry!"
"I'm on it!" She left her friends and dived under a thrash of the tail, rolling to her left to evade a slam and tear of the claws as Ravage struggled. She pressed both hands to his chest, moving back safely as the once-unstoppable force lost his sense of gravity.
"There we go," Akio smirked, pulling himself up with the black arms, the force tugging Ravage toward him. "Here's your next stop, buddy, it'll be quick!" He swung wide, throwing the Nightmare abomination over the edge of the Tower
"Release!" Ochaco tapped her fingers and gravity returned to Ravage, his waving arms and panicked cry vanishing down the dozens of stories once more. Taking a deep breath, Ochaco ran to Izuku and pressed her hands to their backs. "Alright, go!" With a heave they were sent rocketing toward the top, Akio almost falling over as the infection worsened
While Akio would love to relax, he spat out a glob of white and stepped past Ochaco, facing another doorway. "Fucking typical..." The door was wide, and more of the capture bots had appeared. "Leave them to me," He winked, his claws growing as he ran for the machines
Up above, the others had noticed this and Yuki could barely look, neither had the strength to pull off an endless battle alone. "I'm sorry, Akio, Viral, Ocha..." To think she couldn't so much as use one attack without her life once more being in danger, it was pathetic!
"Uraraka!" Izuku reached down
"Erase your Quirk and get Akio out of there!" Melissa cried down, Yuki's finally raising her right hand, trying to reach for the top with all her might. She had to, she had to give them a chance
"I can't, if I do you might not make it to the top in time!"
"Besides, it's not like we'll die here!" Akio grunted, kicking two bots back while evading their capture wires. "Viral and I won't be far behind, we'll - grah - have your back - hyah - soon!"
"Hurry up, faster, come on!" Izuku reached with Yuki too, both desperately lifting their hands for the top that seemed only a hair away from their fingers. "We're almost there!"
*Boom!*
A large explosion tore apart a line before Akio and Ochaco, belonging to a hot-headed, ash-blonde.
"Kacchan!" "Bakugo..." Izuku was surprised and Yuki was relieved. Seconds later a wall of ice cornered off the machines from Akio, giving him the time to back away
Much as it was a relief, Yuki felt something shift in the breeze. "Thanks so much, you - waaah!" Izuku lost his mobility in a heartbeat, a strong gust of wind rippled through one of the turbines, blowing the trio further from their goal as Yuki went to augment herself. "No, don't!" Feeling Izuku's rough hand on her own kept her from going any further, the red highlight dying out.
From below, Bakugo knocked out one of the turbines, allowing Todoroki to send a wave of hot air through the propellers, the rising heat pushing the trio back on track. Yuki didn't take her eyes off Todoroki. "You actually used your flames... I knew you could, Shoto." Thankful for their aid and Izuku's quick-thinking to stop her from using her power, the trio approached the outer wall of the complex. "Oh, crap."
"-We're going to hit the wall!" Izuku tuned back in, flipping himself around, clenching his right arm.
"This is it, no time to hold back!" "Hold on tight!"
They nodded and did so, then Yuki felt it, a strong surge emanate from Izuku's arm, flowing into the gauntlet. "One For All. Full Cowling. Detroit Smash!" His fist didn't even impact the wall, instead, the air pressure generated blew apart the concrete and metal rebar within, pulverizing it to dust as the three of them crashed into the stairwell and safely onto the ground once gravity returned to them
Recovering from their fall, Melissa shot up. "Deku, are you okay?" She helped him sit, then craned her head toward Yuki, herself face-first in the ground. "Yuki, are you-" A thumb rose and she quickly hopped to her feet, adjusting her mask again while her eyes curved, though she felt it, her muscles were trying to convulse, herself swallowing back whatever just rose from her stomach
"I'm fine, I'm more worried about you two," His genuine concern made them smile, Melissa just patted her arms
"A few scratches but nothing else," Relaxing for a moment, Izuku's ears then flicked at a subtle scraping noise. He tackled Melissa, protecting her from a downward thrust of a blade. He had pink hair and his arm was converted into a long, piercing blade
"You chose the wrong place to play hero kid!" He lunged at Izuku, conjuring a second blade with his right. That was when two swords crossed with his own, a boot slamming into his stomach as Yuki retaliated with rage in her mask's eyes. "Damn brat!"
'Says the dumbass playing villain' Her note slapped him in the face, her right blade drawing across both, she spun slicing back with both as he kept his guard up. Yuki didn't relent, her strokes came left and right, diagonal and in a slant, horizontally and with powerful, vertical draws that left the man reeling back in fright over the mute's increasing ferocity
"What the hell are you!?" His right managed to parry her left, leaving her exposed to a thrust from his left arm, the blade slicing along her shoulder, the pain was far greater than Yuki imagined, given her lack of SIVA enhancements so she stumbled back, his own foot digging against her abdomen, knocking her against the wall. His grin widened with sickening rage. "You stupid bitch, you-"
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Izuku's fist crashed and broke the man's cheekbone, burying him into the stairs, leaving him completely unconscious. Panting heavily, Izuku's heart jumped. "Yuki!"
'Man that smarts' Her note waved, coughing
Melissa knelt beside her. "Your arm," She tried to look for something to help stop the bleeding
"Here," Izuku pulled out a small rag, his face was filled with regret and worry as he worked to tie up her wound. "I apologize, I couldn't protect you."
"I think what you mean to say is, 'Thank you'," At Melissa's words, she smiled then looked to Yuki who's fingers snapped against his forehead, making him wince
'I can protect myself, I told you that, and besides, this is by far the lesser of the list of injuries, Zuzu' She then pointed to her throat, reminding him she had far worse things that a single gash to concern herself with. However, while they had the time, Yuki leaned forward, tugging her mask up
"Huh?" He soon blushed while Melissa giggled, cooing as Yuki kissed his cheek, even that alone dashed her worries, keeping her mind steady against her new form of impending doom. She pulled away and tugged her mask back down, displaying a heart in her right eye. "R-right, l-let's get moving!" He declared, making the girls laugh between them. "We're nearly there, are you okay to move still?"
Yuki picked herself up, conjuring swords didn't seem to affect the virus, but it was almost covering her whole body, she didn't have much time left, and Akio and Viral were probably worse. 'Time's ticking, let's keep moving forward, guys!'
It was time to bring this raid to a close.
To Be Continued...
Second-to-last chapter for this movie, it has been fun adding and changing about the story, I ensured all the characters didn't feel as though they weren't playing a role, I especially enhanced Kyoka with those gloves of hers, and with some commonsense from Viral, it kept Kaminari from becoming utterly useless. I hope you enjoyed, appreciate the support as always, seeya in the next chapter heroes!
Next Chapter: Movie, Four Heroes
Yuki: I'm... not feeling so hot, guys...
Izuku: Just hold on, Yuki, we're almost there
Melissa: Even if we get the system back online, Ravage's virus is still spreading
Izuku: We have to find a way, we have to!
Yuki: We will, I'm not... dying like this - Oh God my lungs are trying to kill me
Izuku: Next, Four Heroes! Go Beyond!
Yuki and Melissa: Plus Ultra!