Disclaimer: I do not own the world of My Hero Academia or its characters.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who is supporting this story so far! I suppose I'll have to speed up a bit to catch up to the fifth season (which I'm so happy about so far) ! Enjoy!
Michiko could practically feel the tension rising from the kids behind her. Down in the Central Plaza, the villains seemed to just keep coming until the portal moved, shifting into an almost humanoid shape, yellow eyes glowing at the top of the tall form. Besides them stood an even stranger creature, his brain visible atop his bird like skull, beady eyes and a hulking form. She had never seen anything like it before.
Aizawa took a slight step forward. "So, you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto campus."
The false alarm
"Smart trick," Michiko muttered.
Aizawa moved forward, towards the stairs that lead towards the villains. "Thirteen, Lumena, get them out of here and alert the main campus. Actually, if they got the ability to block our sensors, than they might be jamming our regular communications too. Kaminari, try using your quirk to contact the school."
"Yes sir," the boy said, reaching for the earpiece at the side of his head.
"What are you going to do?" Midoriya called out. "You can't fight them all on our own. There's too many of them. Even if you can nullify their quirks, your fighting styles not suited for this. Your power works best in stealth and one-on-one fights. That's not going to help with a group."
"Good thing he won't be alone then," Michiko responded, moving forward to stand with Aizawa. He looked at her, though she couldn't tell what he was thinking through the frames covering his eyes. She nodded her head at Thirteen. "You got the kids."
"I've got them," Thirteen agreed.
"Then I've got your back," Michiko said, told her coworker.
"But Onishi-sensei," Midoriya started again. "There's not enough light! You could –"
"You can't be a Pro if you only have one trick," Aizawa told the green haired boy. "We'll leave it to you, Thirteen. You up for this?" he whispered to Michiko as they moved forward.
Michiko looked around; there wasn't much light, but she had managed before with less. She smirked at the other Hero. "What do we got, forty or so villains? I could manage this in my sleep."
With that, her gray eyes turned yellow. "This will be cake."
Pro Hero: Lumena
Quirk: Photokinesis
Lumena has the ability to see the photons in natural light and is able to shift them to meet her needs. She can create shields, weapons, and constructs that enable her to move around. The stronger the light, the better she can bend it to her will. Sometimes, she can even brighten and dim the lights she uses. Obviously, her power works better in the day and she is unable to use artificial light (i.e. Flashlights, strobes, etc.)
Aizawa moved quick, jumping down the stairs. Michiko twitched her fingers. The light that she could see moved with the motion. It wavered a bit, being weak because of the dome's structure but it worked. Running forward, she jumped and landed on the light, sliding down it, following after Aizawa to land at the bottom of the stairs, running forward.
Three of the villains moved forward, one holding up a hand with what looked like guns for fingers. When he went to shoot, nothing happened. Michiko snuck a glance at Aizawa out the corner of her eye.
So, that's cool
"My quirk!" The villain yelled, as the other two villain's quirks were nullified soon after. Two of the yelled as they were wrapped in Aizawa's scarf, pulled into each other, and slammed into the ground. Michiko caught a bit of light in her hand, curling her arm in and flinging it out. The light hit the third villain in the gut, sending him flying backwards.
She skidded to a stop next to Aizawa, her back to his as the faced the villains, who seemed surprised at their presence. Maybe the two of them being here hadn't been in their intel; they probably would have done all they could to find a way to avoid Aizawa's quirk and get rid of all the light.
"That's Eraser Head!" one of the villains near them muttered. "A Pro! He can cancel your Quirks just by looking at you!"
"What about the other one?" another asked.
"Perks of going underground, I suppose," Michiko murmured to herself. She snatched light out of the air, hitting her fist together before pulling them apart, a long bat-liked shape glowing dimly.
One of the villains, a four-armed brute rushed at Aizawa, but Michiko didn't get a chance to see what he did as another villain came at her. She dodged his punched, ducking to the side and striking him in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground. Catching another bit of light, she formed a shield as something long and slimy looking swung at her. She blocked the tentacle, hopping over another one before throwing her light bat at the villain's head, the creature gasping as it fell backwards.
"She's fast!"
"Wait . . . I've seen this quirk before!
"Better pay attention!" Michiko yelled as she ran up three steps of light, jumping off the last one, her leg swinging around to catch the villain in the head. She snuck a quick glance over towards where the portal, the man covered in hands, and the bulky, bird creature stood watching them. One of them must be the boss.
Aizawa landed near her, hands up and ready. "Not very tough."
"Small fry," Michiko agreed, blocking another blow with her shield and catching the villain with an uppercut. "It's those three," she added, nodding to the villains standing by. Looking back towards the entrance, she saw the kids running away.
Good, she thought as she let her shield disappear, flipping backwards from a man who grabbed at her. When her feet hit the ground, she kicked a beam of light forward, clenching her hands so that it hardened and hit him in the chest.
Did she actually miss this?
She took down another and another. Toshinori had been right. It was just like riding a bike. It did really help that these villains didn't seem to be more than just petty criminals. They probably didn't have very much experience.
"Lumena!" Michiko turned towards Aizawa, who knocked another villain aside. "The students!"
She spun, looking back towards the entrance where the swirling vortex villain had appeared in front of the kids. Michiko clenched her fist and the light formed stairs towards the entrance. She jumped over a villain with knives for hands, using his head to propel her up and over the fighting. Quickly she moved, jumping from step to step, trying to reach her students. She was about fifteen feet from them, Thirteen and the villain when –
BOOM!
The force of the explosion sent Michiko flying backwards. The light disappeared as the area was covered in smoke and she cried out as she fell from the air. Something swirling and dark appeared below her suddenly and she fell through. As she did, she heard a voice say, "Wouldn't want to forget you, Pro-Hero Lumena."
Darkness pulsed around her as she tumbled head over heels, struggling to breathe, to think, to calm down.
It was too dark.
It was too quiet.
Breathe, Breathe, Breathe!
The darkness cleared and the ground became visible. She was pelted with rain and wind as she continued to fall, buildings flashing past her. There wasn't any light and there wasn't anything she could do as the ground got closer and closer.
After everything, was this how she went out?
"Snatch!"
Michiko gasped as something grasped her under her arms, stopping her twenty feet from the ground. She looked over her shoulder, coming face to, well, beak with a shadowy figure. She thought it may have grinned at her as it slowly lowered her. "That was a close one, Teach!"
"Uh – thank you," she said shakily. Her feet touched earth and she put her hands on her knees to steady herself. The adrenaline rushing through her was something she hadn't felt in a while.
"Onishi-sensei." She looked up, meeting the dark eyes of Tokoyami Fumikage as Dark Shadow retreated back to his side. A little ways behind him stood Koda Koji, who looked absolutely terrified. "Are you alright?"
She nodded, standing up straight and looking around. That villain had known what he was doing, sending her to the Downpour Zone. There was absolutely no light here. "I don't like the rain, but otherwise I'm fine. You two?"
"We are unharmed, but," Tokoyami responded, turning, his back foot sliding back into a fighting stance, "it would seem we have company."
Sure enough, about twenty villains appeared around them, walking forward menacingly. Where did they find all of these people? Michiko wondered if they were just as weak as the ones in Central Plaza. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow appeared in front of her, ready to fight as well. "Stay behind me Teach," the shadow said.
"Midoriya said something about you not having enough light near the entrance," Tokoyami explained. "I am assuming that is what you need for your Quirk to work and why that villain sent you here. I will make sure you are protected."
A slight smirk came to Michiko's face. "That's sweet, Tokoyami."
She stepped past Dark Shadow, unclipping her metal baton from her hip. She swung it out, extending it, smiling back at the two young Heroes.
"What was it Aizawa-san said?" She looked towards the villains who seemed ready to pounce. She bounced on the balls of her feet. "I wouldn't have made it very far as a Pro with only one trick."
She ran forward, holding her baton turned staff out from her body. A large villain swiped at her and she ducked his arms, jabbing her staff into his back. He doubled over as he stumbled forward and Michiko brought the staff down on the back of his neck, sending him to the ground. She grinned at the boys, who seemed shocked. "Scatter."
Tokoyami composed himself and nodded, running off, Koda following close after him. A handful of the villains gave chase, just as Michiko expected but she wasn't too worried. Koda, if she recalled correctly, was able to talk to and control animals, which meant his powers wouldn't do well here but Tokoyami would be able to handle these weaklings just fine.
"Well then," she said, looking around at all the villains. "Shall we dance?"
There were cries of anger as they rushed at her. She spun the staff overhead, swinging it at the first villain who reached her. He flew backwards into one of his friends as another villain took his place, this time a woman with ice on her finger tips. Michiko windmilled her staff in front of her, batting away the icepicks that were flung at her, ducking the last one to jam the end of the staff into the woman's stomach.
"Three out of ten," she huffed, bouncing back and running off. "Let's see if you can keep up!"
Rain and wind whipped at her as she ran, her clothes drenched and clinging to her body but she led them further into the Downpour Zone. She could keep these fools occupied while Tokoyami and Koda dealt with their own. Off in the distance, she did hear something like thuds and yells and she hoped the boys were okay. If she could get rid of these ones, she'd catch up with her students.
Jamming the end of her staff into the ground, she spun around it, her foot catching another villain in the face. Using that leverage, she flipped up right and smashed her fist into someone's face. The grin on her face widened.
She was actually enjoying this.
It felt nostalgic, in an odd way, fighting crime, stopping bad guys. She never much liked patrols, nor did she really like the publicity schemes and media circus, but she was skilled at combat and this was where she could disappear.
Though she had forgotten how slowly time moved in situations like this. She had fought ten crooks and even though it had felt like she had been going non-stop for ages (she was a bit out of breath and a very bitter part of her knew she would have to work out more), she knew it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. She ran through the city, trying to ignore the cold that bit into her exposed skin.
She rounded a corner and found the two boys, Tokoyami holding a villain by the collar of his shirt. Two other villains lay dormant at their feet. Michiko blinked. "You two handled yourselves well."
Tokoyami nodded his head. "The compliment is appreciated."
BANG!
Michiko stepped back, ready for another battle but nothing came. She looked at the students, who were looking around as well. Koda met her gaze and whispered, "I think it came from outside the dome."
"Agreed. We should start moving and get back to the entrance," Michiko added. "They'll be up and moving soon and we're sitting ducks in this alley."
Tokoyami and Koda nodded and the three of them started off, running through the pelting rain. Michiko wasn't quite sure where the exit to the Downpour Zone was but moving was better than waiting. As soon as she was getting ready to regret her decision on their direction, she spotted a metal door in front of them.
"Nearly th –"
Something suddenly wrapped around her ankles and she crashed to the ground. Whatever it was, she could already feel the heat through her boots. Flipping over, she reached for the red, glowing rope around her ankles but it burnt her fingertips. She followed the rope up and found the end being held by a villain, one she had thought she had knocked out earlier. Indeed there was a bruise already blooming on her forehead, but still she sneered at Michiko as more villains began to approach them. "Not so tough now, are you?"
On either side of her, Tokoyami, Dark Shadow and Koda stood ready to fight, the latter shaking. Michiko looked around; they were surrounded. The rope around her ankles continued to slowly burn, sinking deeper into her boots, but she couldn't touch it.
She couldn't do anything.
"Hmm, hmm."
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the entrance. Standing there, looking smug, was Yamada Hizashi, hand on his hip. He smirked at the three of them before tilting his head back. "ONISHI!"
His voice broke the glass ceiling just above Michiko and the students. The villains moved back while Dark Shadow protected Tokoyami, Koda and Michiko. Sunlight streamed in. Michiko and Yamada exchanged a glance and the latter nodded. Michiko reached up and grabbed at the light, pulling it down in a dome over her and the boys. "Get ready!"
Present Mic took a deep breath and yelled, "YEAAAAAAA!"
Michiko's shield protected her and the students but the criminals gripped at their heads and ears, falling to the ground one by one. The glowing, red rope around her ankles disappeared as the woman holding it collapsed. She briefed a sigh of relief, even though the heat lingered.
Yamada walked over, kneeling next to a villain near them, a disgusted look on his face as he sucked his teeth. "Not even a decent fight."
He looked back at the three of them, nodding his head. "How are you three?"
"We managed alright, right boys?" she said, looking back at her students. She turned her grin towards the Pro-Hero. "But I can't help but be glad that you're here."
He grinned back, standing up straight. "Let's get you all out of here then."
Michiko tightened her grip on the straps of the bag in her hands, staring at the door in front of her. She knew she couldn't stand there forever, so she took a deep breath, placing her hand on the door, sliding it open.
Aizawa was sat up in his bed, though he couldn't move to turn to look at her; he was wrapped in bandages from his head down to his arms. She smiled at him. "Hey Aizawa-san."
Aizawa and Thirteen had been rushed to the hospital, which explained why she hadn't seen them when she limped out of the Downpour Zone with Yamada, Tokoyami and Koda. While paying a visit to Recovery Giry, she had been told a little more about what had been learned. The people who had attacked them were called the League of Villains led by a man named Shigaraki Tomaru. Toshinori said he hadn't seemed much younger than her, which made her wonder how he had managed to convince so many people to follow him in that ruthless attack. All-Might had defeated Nomu and the other teachers had shown up just before another fight could begin. Currently, they had many of the villains locked up, including the Nomu that All-Might had knocked clear out of the U.S.J. Shigaraki and the Warp Portal Villain had escaped.
All of the students were fine, besides Midoriya who had broken both legs trying to help Toshinori (an interesting development, knowing that the boy somehow knew about All Might's weaker side). She knew he was still working on controlling his power, based on his file, but she didn't know it was bad enough that it was breaking his body. Thirteen had suffered lacerations to her back but was nearly all healed as well. Aizawa was a bit more of a fixer upper, both arms broken, his face fractured, though he acted is he weren't injured at all. Though school was closed today, he told the hospital he would be leaving that evening so as to be in school the next day.
"I don't know why you insist on the 'san'," he muttered through the bandages as she closed the door behind her.
"Well," Michiko started, shrugging her shoulder, which still felt stiff from using muscles she hadn't in a while. She pulled up a chair and sat, placing her hands in her lap, fidgeting with her fingers. "I only add the 'san' because you're sooo much older than me."
"By three years."
"I brought some apples," she said, holding up the bag. "They're already pre-cut. Want me to feed them to you?" she asked teasingly.
"You can leave."
"I hear you're going back to work tomorrow."
"I have to start preparing the students for UA sports festival."
"Pfft." Michiko crossed her arms. "You'd have a good excuse to take at least one more day. If you go back, that means I should go back too. You're far more battered than I am. It would make me look bad."
"Didn't take you for a selfish personality," Aizawa responded.
"Now you know," she said, smirking slightly. The smile fell and she leaned forward, placing her hands on the side of the bed. "Hey, Aizawa-san . . . I'm – I'm sorry. You were hurt so badly and the students were in danger and I – wanted to not be a burden. I let you all down and I'm so, so –"
"You should know, as a Hero, that things aren't always going to go the way you intend them." Michiko looked up at Aizawa, who had turned slightly in his bed to look at her through his many bandages. His dark eyes looked just as bored as they normally did, but she thought she maybe saw something more meaningful in them. "The students are fine. You helped me protect them. And I'm still alive, no matter how beat up I got. You had my back, just like you said you would. You weren't a burden. You did well, Onishi," he added, nodding his head at her. "You have nothing to apologize for."
Michiko let out the breath she was holding. A lot of guilt had built up while she lay in her bed that night before. She felt she should have done more, just like the last time . . . but hearing Aizawa say she did well made her feel . . . nice. Tears pricked her eyes and she swiped at them quickly, nodding back. "Okay. Thank you."
"I hope you don't have plans over the summer," he continued.
"Uh, no more than usual."
"Good. Near the end of July, we'll be taking all of the first years to a Training Camp. We could use the extra help."
A small smile came to her face. "Not going to bribe me this time?"
"Do I need to?"
"No. I'll be there. Can't have you getting into more trouble can we?" Michiko giggled at what she thought may have been Aizawa frowning at her. "Oh! I should head home soon, so I can feed Kenji.
Aizawa settled back into his pillows. "Kenji?"
"My cat."
". . . . You have a cat?"
"Yes. . . . Do you – not like cats?"
". . . . Do you have pictures?"