A/N: Time for combat! Review Time!
To Murtaito: It's probably Izuku's biggest flaw, if he does get angry he has no real idea how to control it, plus 'Danger Sense' is a win. And yeah, seeing Yuki and Bakugo duke it out would be awesome but I fear half the forest would be destroyed.
To Cobbb: Pleasure as always to bring another interesting chapter. And yes, this 'Season of the Splicer' has been fun thus far - can't wait to finally conquer the Vault of Glass after all these years. Who would've thought Mithrax was a Wolf Splicer? Putting the lore nerd away now...
Enjoy.
Chapter 42 - Memory of Imperfection
Yuki continued to work on her side of the vegetables, herself and Bakugo speeding through the dicing process with minimal effort, his eyes and hers locked in a small staring contest while their hands worked on auto. Ochaco, who was carrying over some firewood gawked. "Wow, Bakugo, Yuki, you're both really great with those knives, weird seeing you so good at this Bakugo."
"What do you mean it's weird, how can you people be so damn bad at everything!?" He snapped in her face, hands forever chopping away with more gusto. Yuki just smiled at the sight, keeping to her work
"Look at that, he's not blowing stuff up." Kaminari jabbed, Kirishima behind Yuki drooping with exhaustion
"I'm too tired for this..." She leaned over to pat his head gently.
'You'll be fine, Kirishima, this stew will get the horsepower back in your soul!' Yuki assured with a trademark grin and wink, a star twinkling off her closed eye
"You got it!" He yelled, returning to his board with speed and spirit while Kota brought Yuki more to dice up
'Thanks a bunch, Kota!' Her smile and note caught his eyes, and he merely nodded with a soft frown, looking at the work as Yuki's face beamed with an idea, nudging his shoulder. 'Wanna help? Bet it beats just grabbing stuff for people, eh?'
He didn't say a word, nodding his head as Yuki stepped back and pushed a small stool for him to see. With great care, Yuki made no notes as she directed him in silence, the two actually making decent work while she was careful not to let her eyes leave his hands while she used her right to hold his atop the handle. Even among the chatter and clatter of dishes, a few stopped to observe the two while they worked, hearing the mute hum very quietly with what little she could do with her vocal cords.
While everyone got back into the swing of things, Kota finally decided to speak up. "...how did your parents die?" While not exactly the question Yuki was expecting to answer tonight, she reluctantly gave the troubled boy an answer as they worked, tapping his head to focus on the chopping board
'First, never take your eye off the knife. Second, a villain killed them in an accident, his name is Kovik, and as of the Hosu Incident I've been hunting him down to pay him back tenfold' She replied, seeing him only flick his head to glance while stopping with the knife as he did so
"Then why do you care about being a hero? Seems like a waste of time just to die for some petty vengeance." Kota huffed, seeing the message change on the page, his eyes widened a little at the unexpected answer
'It's not about him, it's about my little sister, she's been in a coma ever since, and if I can control my Quirk, if I can make something good out of its power, it'll be to save her, to undo the injuries she sustained, that's all I have ever cared about'
Then Kota's breath hitched, feeling Yuki's hair brush against his cheek, hugging him quickly before they continued their work. 'I do care about other things too, like you, Izuku, my friends, it's just those two-out-of-three things are my driving points in life, something I hope you'll find too'
"What's the third?" He stopped moving her hand and his with the knife, craning his neck to look at her with his left eye, then he saw the sweet smile on her face
'I already told you, it's to give you a future to be happy about, and to offer my hand to people like you and me' For once she saw him smile slightly
If only I knew just what was waiting for us, maybe... things would be different.
Nightfall had arrived and everyone was well-rested and energized for the nightly activity ahead, Pixie Bob being their announcer with style and glamor. "Perfect, we filled our bellies and cleaned the dishes, it's time foooor?" She awaited an answer to which Mina cheered with delight about
"A totally awesome test of courage!" She cried out, Kirishima, Sato, Sero, and Kaminari joining in her jubilation, not seeing the pained look on Yuki's face as she turned away, she couldn't bear the sight of what came next
"Not so fast, it pains me to say it-" It really didn't pain Aizawa at all. "-but the five of you will be having classes with me tonight instead."
"YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!?" Whatever pink that resided in Mina was gone to dumbstruck horror, Mr. Aizawa just barely batted an eye
"Sorry," He bound the struggling teens. "Your training today didn't impress me so I'll be using this time too," With one tug their spirits and bodies collapsed.
Many complaints and whines were heard but nothing could be done as they were pulled away inside, Yuki covering her mouth to hide her chuckles while Izuku tried to not look at the sight of despair himself. However, just off to the side Yuki did see Kota escape into the woods, knowing he'd rather spend some time alone given how he stuck to her like glue today.
Moving on with the announcement it was a very basic setup. Class B were up first, posted at specified spots to plan out their creative ideas to jumpscare Class A who have to walk through the forest, retrieve a tag with their pair on it and return without losing their souls to a frightful encounter. The rule is, Class B can only use their Quirks as scare tactics, no hands-on approaches.
"Revelry in the dark." Tokoyami murmured, Yuki and Ochaco stepping to their left
"Why does he keep saying that?" They thought warily
"The winners are...!" Tiger began, jabbing a finger toward them. "The team that makes the most people piss their pants!"
"Did we need that visual?" Kyoka grimaced
"Least it wasn't detailed, ugh." Akio shivered beside her, both nodding in agreement
"I see, they're stoking our imaginations as we compete with each other all while showing us more uses for our Quirks in the process!" Iida practically spat out, standing a straight as an arrow. "As expect of UA!"
"He got all of that from one creepy visual?" Akio and Kyoka thought between them, paling at their Class Rep
"Alright, everyone draws to see who your partner will be!" Pixie held out a few lots, and after a few draws were made everyone paired themselves together, looking over their numbers
1) Tokoyami and Shoji
2)Bakugo and Todoroki
3)Hagakure and Jiro
4)Yaoyorozu and Aoyama
5)Tsuyu and Ochaco
6)Ojiro and Midoriya
7)Iida and Koda
8) Azuru
"Wait what, this can't be right?" She counted the teams again and was left utterly shocked. "... I'm all alone!?" Yuki snapped her head left and right, body completely grey at the sudden isolation, even looking to Izuku with grey tears as he held his hands up anxiously
"Sorry, i-it's not my fault or anyone else's i-it's just-!" He watched as she glared at the distracted Akio, his hand holding no lot
"Huh?" He blinked, then smiled rather hesitantly. "Sorry, Yuki I... have to do something... I'll be back to join your team, promise." He smiled fakely and took off without a word to them or to Kyoka while she stared at the spot he once stood, herself confused as well as Yuki and Izuku who turned to one another
Twelve minutes had passed and so far the 'Test of Courage' ended with many screams and yells throughout the experience, most of which belonged to Hagakure and Kyoka which Yuki knew was in fact due to the latter's fear of anything horror related, poor girl. Yuki was just sitting by a rock with Izuku, waiting for her turn which would inevitably come as the last party, filling her soooo much confidence.
"This sucks, why did Akio run off?" She huffed against her palm, eyes gaze back into the woods. "And why was he so... disturbed?"
Yuki, get up | Something just distorted the energy in the air | Someone's here!
Hearing that forced to her feet in an instant, just as Pixie sniffed the air, blinking. "What's that smell in the air... smoke?"
Izuku gasped beside Yuki. "Do you see that?" He pointed out the rising black clouds with a faint, blue aura among the trees
"Black smoke?" Mandalay murmured, and the air suddenly changed, a tension filling the world with uncertainty and dread at the neon sight
"Was something set ablaze?" Iida inquired
"Maybe a fire on the mountain?" Ojiro suggested, but by then Yuki threw herself forward, slipping her mask over her face as the eyes snapped to a glare. "Yuki, what's -"
"Hey, what's - yah!" Pixie was caught in a pink glow, forcing Yuki to react immediately as she sent a small discharge of red lightning into the Pro's body, disrupting the polarity of the attack. With herself sparked at five percent, Yuki helped Pixie stand while the blonde woman brandished her claws. "Who's got the big idea messin' with me!?"
"That's really rude, first things first, let's get rid of these feral cats!" A snappish voice declared, stepping out into the moonlight alongside another partner. She was an imposing woman wearing a salmon-colored jacket, white shirt, blue jeans, and black boots, sporting some shades leaving only her shoulder-length, maroon hair. She also carried a massive, metal bar with her bound in cloth
Besides her Yuki almost grimaced at the look-a-like of Stain. A man with a green-lizard-like Quirk, he wore just about everything Stain did, blades included, from how he stood he was clearly one of the people he inspired despite his murder at the hands of Kovik. Everyone was on edge, it was the USJ all over again, only now they knew no help was coming, and Yuki felt only a hollow pit in her stomach.
"Kota!" She stepped back, seeing Tiger and Mandalay take the vanguard with Pixie Bob. Mandalay threw her eyes back at Izuku and Yuki, seeing the worried looks in their eyes before she turned back
"This is bad..." She grimaced, there wasn't any way to sugarcoat this, with minimal concentration she broadened her mind to everyone she could reach. ~Everyone! Two villains attacked us, it's possible there are more coming, everyone return to camp immediately we're regrouping, do not engage any enemies!~
'No, we can't... Kota, he's gone to his hideout' Yuki held out her note to Izuku, worry curved in her eyes as he tensed up. As far as what Izuku knew they were the only two that knew where Kota wandered off to, and if there are more villains he could be in danger
"How are you this evening UA High School?" Spinner declared with his arms wide with pride and glee. "We are part of the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains!"
"What the heck are the League doing here!?" Ojiro demanded, everyone looking prepared for a brawl, Magne bashing the butt of her weapon off the dirt
"If not for that little brat's disruption of my Quirk I might have had a head to crush, how about it, missy, shall we try that again?" Magne challenged Yuki, seeing the girl raise her fingers, the nails sharpened to a point
"You dare to try and see what happens, Villain!" Tiger roared, clenching his fists
Spinner then stepped forward, hands out to both sides. "Now-Now, Big Sis Mag, you too Tiger, calm down!" He grinned mockingly at the lot. "When deciding who should live or die we must ensure we abide by Stain's principles."
"So you're the ones he ended up inspiring?" Iida snapped, Izuku realizing just how bad Hosu had warped the ideology of many, including these villains
With a gracious declaration, the fanatic waved his arms high. "At your service, that's us!" He paused, waving a claw Iida's way. "And you, Four-Eyes, I believe I recognize you, you're one of the self-righteous brats that attacked Stain in Hosu, alongside that little blue-headed girl who killed the monster that ended Stain's legacy - so in a way, I respect her! Let me introduce myself!" He grasped the wrapped handle on his back, revealing a massive array of bound weapons, forming a mesh of jagged blades and odd ends. "Call me Spinner! I am here to make Stain's dreams a reality!"
"I don't care who you are, you're criminals!" Tiger stepped forward. "The woman you nearly crushed was Pixie-Bob, a Pro Hero who's saved countless lives, she's giving it her all for these young heroes!" The woman in question smiled kindly at the words, not losing her glare on the villains. "She's looking for a mate but is otherwise content!" The claws came out. "What gives you the right to attempt to cut such a happy life short!?"
Even as they were told to return to camp no matter what, Izuku and Yuki never lost eye contact, they knew what they had to do despite the risks, but for Kota's sake, they had to save him from what might befall him! "You guys go on without us!" Izuku yelled while Yuki nodded too. "Mandalay!"
She glanced back at the boy who helped Kota and her friend's daughter, both not moving an inch. "Kota, we know where he is!" 'Let us find him and bring him back safely together!'
With her consent, Izuku and Yuki tore through the forest with haste, neither relenting, neither stopping for a microsecond as their feet moved without thinking. Their blood was pumping wildly through their veins with each step toward the highlands, praying that nothing was wrong, that Kota was standing there unharmed.
"We will reach him in time!" "We will save him ourselves!"
Both pairs of feet broke off the edge of the mountain's base, lunging toward the ridge overlooking the forest's chaos, both streaks of emerald and ruby slicing through the moonlight's glare as two unstoppable forces. But two words bled into their ears with a cry. "Mama... Papa...!"
"Perfected-!" Yuki's right leg's accents streaked with crimson, Izuku diving at the last moment to grab and throw himself and Kota out of harm's way, the muscle-ripped arm missing while a metal sole embedded itself into the massive villain's cheekbone. "-Impact!" With the blowback of the kinetic force, Yuki flipped and landed beside Kota and Izuku both coughing
"What are you doing!?" Kota spat out, Izuku feeling Yuki lift him to his feet
The blonde villain with a prosthetic left eye hummed at the sight of the two teens. "Huh, now you two I recognize you were on the list," Then he pointed to Yuki. "One said you were important not to kill so that sucks."
"Neither of us expected to find a villain up here, and with something causing interference we can't even call for help, and no one else knows we're up here against this guy," Izuku grits his teeth, feeling his back was against the wall with Yuki. "We have to stop this guy by ourselves," He closed his fist.
"Can we beat this guy while protecting Kota too?" Yuki snapped a glance at the petrified boy, tears running freely down his face, that alone made her insides turn, nanomachines resonating with her boiling blood. "Of course we can, for his sake we will!"
With a smile on their faces, they stood their ground, mint-green light infusing with cherry-red, metal converting Yuki's arms and legs, reinforced with kinetic enhancements. "Hey, I promise everything will be okay," Both now shoulder-to-shoulder clenched their fists, their vastly different powers webbed together in chaotic harmony. "We're going to save you, Kota!"
The villain chuckled, flexing out his left arm a bit. "You think you two can save this brat? Hahaha," The raw muscle fibers slowly wormed back under his skin. "That does sound like something a wannabe hero would say, your kind sure does love to mouth off about justice." He snarked. "The names are Midoriya and Azuru, right? Good, we were told we could take some initiative and kill you, and the girl so long as she lives it doesn't really matter what state she's in." His muscle fibers snaked across his right
Hearing that not only he was targetted but Yuki too put Izuku on edge, but again, he remembered what he learned today, the power he felt, and the dread of that loss of control. Muscular continued, throwing aside his cloak to show off his torn fibers that expanded around his forearms. "But first a little torment, show me your blood!"
With a single leap, he was on them in seconds, Yuki pushed Izuku back, crossing her arms as the unbearable force slammed into her, hearing metal snap and bend before the two of them were pummeled into the side of the mountain, Izuku yelping from being sandwiched between the wall and Yuki. Yuki grit her teeth, seeing her broken arms bend back into place.
"Damn that was cool - oh, hey, maybe you two can help me out a bit here, do you know where a kid named Bakugo might be around here?" At the name, the two felt their hearts skip from the revealed VIP alongside themselves. "I still have a job to do-" He reinforced his right, bringing down a right hook that both quickly evaded as the wall was split apart with ease. "-after all!"
"I'll take your silence to mean you don't know," Muscular grinned, blocking Yuki's high-kick, swatting her away with a second left hook, her breastplate splitting as easily as a rock. "Hah! Nice try, kid but you'll have to do better than that!" He threw himself forward, grabbing Yuki by the ankle as she tried to move. "Playtime!" He swung her down and slammed them both together and back into the ground
Muscular cackled, seeing Yuki and Izuku bleed somewhat. Yuki from under her mask as well as Izuku from the brow. "Blood is exactly what I wanted from you both! What did you promise that 'everything will be okay'!?" He whined and belittled their promise. He threw his hands out boastfully, stomping toward the two. "How's that working out for ya, huh!?"
Yuki and Izuku struggled to their feet, the results of training having already weakened them over the course of the day, they were running on pure adrenaline and the energy dinner provided but those weren't going to be enough. "Get up, idiots!"
"I can't worry about Kacchan, I just have to focus on the enemy in front of me!" Izuku forced his mind to focus solely on Muscular now shadowing them both as they brought their fists back together, their powers holding their arms together by the sides. "SMASH!"
Together their fists connected to Muscular's abdomen, and while it did cause him to buckle and skid back a few yards, they felt their arms merely bounce from the outward force, eyes wide at the unscathed villain who grinned. "What, seriously, that all you got?" He flexed his fibers again, bearing his teeth. "You're both pretty fast, the girl has got quite a punch too but neither of you is strong enough to hurt me!" He backhanded them toward the edge, breaking more of Yuki's armor in the process
"My Quirk amps up my speed and strength so exponentially that my muscle fibers can't even be contained by my skin!" Muscular boasted, long strands of the pink flesh spit from the tightly woven threads, sticking out like stray hairs. "I know I'm bragging a bit but come on, I guess what I'm trying to say is you're both inferior versions of me!"
With a shaky stance, Izuku's body moved on instinct, arms wrapping around Yuki's back and legs, pulling her off the ground and away from the downward stroke that tore up the ground, a large rock striking his shoulder as he shielded Yuki, herself coughing with a gasp at Izuku's bloodied face.
"This guy's built like Nomu and if we're not careful Kota's gonna be blown off the cliffside!" Yuki's eyes snapped open, bringing her right arm forward while Izuku pressed his feet to the wall of the mountain, firing a Delaware Smash with a massive upsurge of power, the airblast did nothing, dispersing across Muscular's chest as he continued to laugh.
"I can't help but laugh at you kids," He loomed above, and sprung back, his boot crashing into Yuki's forearm, herself biting back a wince as she heard her bone groan in protest. "You really think you're heroes, doncha!?"
Izuku again took the blow for Yuki, herself flat against his chest while they groaned, both twitching from the assault. "How are either of you gonna save him, huh!? Don't make promises you can't keep!" He was already starting to close in. "Live up to your words or they don't mean anything!"
Yuki cracked her eye open, pushing up off Izuku while he struggled to lift himself too. He was right though, here they were being thrashed about and so far they've only succeeded in distracting and entertaining the villain, Kota was far too scared to run without them, they weren't making good on some empty promise, not so long as they held back.
Muscular clenched his fist above them, still adamant with the thrill of their suffering. "You're no heroes you're just frauds, and you'll die that way!"
*Thud*
A pebble bounced off his crown, it was barely a tickle as Kota stood there, trembling with tears streaming down his face. "Remember Waterhose? My Mom... and my Dad, did you torment the two of them too before you killed them!?" He screamed, and Yuki felt it again, seeing herself, tears in her eyes like Kota when she was alone in the hospital not long after waking up
She excused herself to the bathroom to cry, realizing the person that ruined her old life was the same tormentor that was after her and SIVA. And now she could see it, that hate and heartache in Kota's eyes were the same as her own that day. This villain killed them.
"Huh, seriously? Those losers were your parents?" Yuki bit her cheek at that, he had no right to say that! Muscular just shrugged. "Well, then this must be fate. The Waterhose heroes are the reason I have an artificial eye in my left socket." He motioned to the beady eye
"This is all your fault, nothing in the world is right anymore and it's because of crazy people like you!" Kota cried his heart out, and Yuki's power began to fluctuate, Izuku pushing up with his elbows too, his heart beating faster and harder than ever before
"Little kids are always quick to say it's someone else's fault," Muscular chuffed, looking passively at the kid. "Don't get the wrong idea it's not like I took them out 'cause of the whole eye-thing, I wanted to kill people it's as simple as that," He assured the boy of his motive, thinking back to that day vividly. "And those two tried to stop me," He saw the bloodstained ground, "What happened was the result of all of us doing our best."
"The real travesty is promising to do something you aren't able to do!" He was right, and the couple knew that; Yuki and Izuku knew the very real state of those words. "That's why your dear mommy and daddy died!" He shrouded Kota, bloodred with black streaking his body like an abomination, not feeling the rising heat until it was upon him
Muscular turned to face them. "Nice try with the sneak attack but I'm ready!" He ignored the kid and faced the duo, both flying toward the villain with malice in their eyes, Izuku screaming the words for Yuki, both cranking up their power level higher and higher, neither cared anymore, not while Kota was in trouble!
"You ruined his life, you won't take the blame!" He snapped, a muscle fiber along his shoulder snagging Izuku's wrist while Yuki pressed both feet to his chest, safe from the snapping fibers. "We got you now, doesn't matter how quick you are!"
"So what's your next move, gonna strike me with your combined, worthless power!?" He too raised a fist, ready to crack a few skulls into the ground, not realizing the built-up pressure building between the teens as a black binding strapped itself around their arms together, it wasn't alot but it would help them brace the fallout
"It's not a matter of whether or not we can do it!" Izuku countered. "A hero's job is to risk his life!" Green and red merged as one, purple sparks gathering at the base of their knuckles. "To turn his promises into a reality!"
Now he saw it, his eyes wide, uncertain of this sudden growth in power he hadn't felt before. "What?" The very forces collided tore at their sleeves, the matterweave being the only thing bracing the overwhelming power in Yuki's arm
"One For All, One-Hundred Percent!" Even though his arm would be broken he knew he could bear it and win
"SIVA Enhance, Ninty Percent!" Even though there was static, she knew with a brief strike she could win
"Wait, there's something different about them!" Muscular knew it was too late to run, so in turn, he kept his attack going despite the complete loss of velocity compared to the two
"Smaaaaash!" Thoughts aligned their fists pressed together, they felt a connection and the world around them splintered as the shockwave tore through the cliffside, rippling through the mountain's jagged levels with a large plume of smoke and debris
Kota, having been blown away by the air force screamed as he was sent over the edge, only to grunt as two hands wrapped under his arms, holding him firmly. Izuku was practically shirtless, and Yuki's matterwave tank-top and chestplate held itself together in broken pieces and frayed wires.
"Gotcha, sorry about that," Izuku grunted, helping Kota back onto the ledge beside them, he then immediately pulled himself into Yuki's chest, sobbing softly while her right hand patted his back, eyes curved knowing he was okay.
He saw their injuries, Yuki's left arm was broken but her veins continued to pulse a faint red, and for Izuku his whole right arm was red, a few bad gashes seeping blood from the force of the blast but it didn't look broken, the torn remains of Yuki's binding having kept their bones from snapping.
"Let's get back to camp." Izuku panted, Yuki nodding slowly before her eyes dialed, pushing Kota behind her. "No way, it can't be..." He gawked in horror, hearing something rumble behind them as muscle fibers retracted from across Muscular's chest and head, a few cuts, and bruises but otherwise he was unharmed, sighing with relief. "Even with our powers at a hundred percent, putting us far above All Might's power, he's... standing!?"
"Hah, a bit too obvious, but hey not too bad Midoriya, Azuru," Muscular complimented, approaching slowly from the hole in the wall, the two bracing to defend Kota but what about themselves? Neither could put on a brave face, they were scared for Kota's and their lives
"No, stay away!" Izuku's pitiful attempt was met with a shake
"Na, attacking sounds more fun!" He replied. So with some quick-thinking Izuku tried to press for some time as best he could
"Tell us, why did you come here, what does the League want from us!?" Demanding some empty answer to think of some viable way to win or to run was all he could do. Yuki didn't look to have any answer herself, clenching her fists while inching toward Kota
"Doesn't matter to me I'm just glad they finally let me off the leash, so long as I get to use my Quirk all I want it doesn't really matter to me," He fished around for several strange eye-pieces in his pocket, dozen falling under his boot while he fiddled with one. "Remember what I told you earlier, we've just been playing around, having fun until now, now I'm coming at you for real!"
He was still smiling, a horrid image of their soon-to-be attacker, "Now I'm serious, recess is over!" He slotted a piece into his socket. "Truth be told you two are really strong, I see that now..."
"Quick, grab ahold of Yuki, hurry!" Izuku ordered, the fibers on Muscular wrapping around his upper body while Kota hugged Yuki's back as the two leapt away, a portion of the cliff falling to ruin under Muscluar's fist, he was going at them with everything. While the cliff crumbled he turned, lunging for them as they landed against the cliff-face, propelling away from another fist as it took apart the upper level with the same unstoppable force
While the two recovered, Kota, falling off Yuki's back, they found the villain's arm jammed in the mountain, he was stuck, they had a chance to move. "If we can just get back to camp, Mr. Aizawa should be there, he can erase this guy's Quirk..." Izuku had no other options, did he?
"...yeah, that's it, get him to chase after us, but... I'm so tired from training I... SIVA's been running overtime just to keep me standing," Yuki didn't know if they'd make it before passing out, no, they wouldn't.
"We have no choice but to fight him, right here, right now, we need to stand our ground and protect Kota!" They encourage themselves, this was to be a final stand, a battle against death. "We will not fall here!"
"Stay back Kota, then when you can run as fast as you can back to camp," Izuku ordered him, shoulder brushing against Yuki's while standing firm together.
"You're attacking him again? You can't do that let's just go, come on!" He didn't mock them, he was scared for them because he'd watch again as two people who cared for him died. Meanwhile, Muscular tore himself from the wall, fibers splitting further, he had a chink in his armor, he was abusing them too much, his hide was weakening, "Your punches didn't hurt him earlier, remember? And besides, both your arms are busted up-!"
A note fell by Kota's feet. 'It'll be okay, Kota, we will win' Her words struck him center, and by then it was too late to run, this here was it, all their cards were on the table with no way out other than forward. Beaten, exhausted and bleeding, yet they still hadn't stumbled, their bodies flourishing with power once more, channeling all they had left with a vibrant scarlet and jade.
"One For All... One-Hundred Percent!" "SIVA Enhance... Ninty-Percent!"
"I'm coming for you!" Muscular barreled toward them, bulging with raw fibers and a crooked grin filled with teeth
"Double... Detroit...!" They clenched their fists to the point of breaking skin, red and purple lines hissing through their skin. Muscular became a mass of flesh and muscle entirely, a bullet of unparalleled strength and ferocity. "...SMAAAASH!"
Izuku did scream the name, leaving Yuki to grit her teeth in utter silence as their fists clearly suffered the drawback, yet neither let up, bringing Muscular to a halt. It felt as though stopping a train with nothing but their hands, the ground under their soles breaking apart in vain to hold the line that could never be crossed.
Tears fell between them, strokes of their powers coursing through-out the connection, it hurt so much, it felt like their muscles were being torn down with every second, heat flared as hot as an open stove, squeezing tighter-and-tighter, and neither could feel anything at the point of contact other than a numbing sensation. Then he laughed.
"Aww, what's wrong!? That was even weaker than before!" Muscular sneered, pushing them down to their knees, the crater growing wider beneath them both
"Okay...!" Izuku ground his teeth to dust
'We're not through...!' Yuki's vow was spat from her body in unstable notes, most evaporating within seconds
"It'll all be okay!" Izuku finally felt his rage focus, his pupils returned with a piercing, emerald sheen
'This fight ain't over...!' The text was turning red
"We will not let him get past us! Kota, run!" Izuku screamed for him before they lost their hold. He just continued to stare, his tears brushed away by the galeforce. "GO NOOOOW!" His voice let out a bloodcurdling scream, blood spat from the widened gashes, Yuki's own staining the left side of her mask
"Still looking after him... aw man," Muscular felt like he was getting strong, pushing further into their defiant struggle. "-You two are something else, aren't you!?" More of the earth fell apart, a sickening crunch followed by globs of blood spilling between their forearms
Yuki winced sharply, Izuku's cry caught in his throat that burned. "Grah, SHUT UP DAAAAAMMIT!"
"Show. Me..." The fibers tore through Muscular's claves, and he finally slammed them onto their backs, and yet, they never stopped trying, even as they were slowly being crushed. "YOUR BLOOD!"
"A real hero will always find a way for justice to be served!"
It was starting to get dark, all the feeling in Izuku's arm was fading away under the unbearable pressure, his whole world was spinning and dotted with blackness. "Please forgive me, Mom, I tried my best... I-I'm sorry... All Might...!" He squeezed his eyes shut, seeing nothing but an image of a girl with whitish-blue hair, a single, thin ponytail draped down her back as she smiled brighter than any sun, eyes closed with a mask bobbing on her right temple. "I'm so sorry... Yuki..."
"I am SIVA now | You however | Are worthy of the name 'Aksis'"
Yuki couldn't hold on any longer, SIVA's voice lost in the void that encompassed her form, the lingering sparks of her power fizzling into nothing. "I tried... Nana, I'm sorry... All Might... Mom... I did all I could..." She bit her lip, remembering the precious times she held with an emerald-haired boy, the first person she called a friend. "...I wish I... could've told you... Izuku."
"I'm gonna crush you both!"
Then came the final crash, their bodies becoming weightless, their light fading to black.
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
*Splash!*
A soothing, cold liquid jolted their bodies, Musclaur's hold lessened at the touch. "What the - Is that water?" He blinked, following the puddles to the source of the liquid
"Stop..." Kota begged, his tears fell like the water from his hands. "Let Them Goooo!"
"Ko...ta."
Muscular chuffed, not realizing the glow of red and green that revived under his form. "Now hold on a moment, kid, I'll kill y- huh?" "Crap, I was distracted!"
"We won't let you hurt Kota!" Izuku and Yuki's fists plunged deeper into the ripped mass of muscles and flesh, feet bent under them, rising with their power, red and green bolts flickering as one, creating vibrant, violet streaks of contrails through the night sky
"Dammit, how are you two getting stronger!?" Muscular's demand was unheeded, adrenaline blinding them both
"We won't let you lay a hand on him!" Izuku continued to scream both their thoughts. Stars connected within the darkness, bobbing between their shoulders to their elbows and down toward their fists, scattering more of the fibers
White to Blue to Light Blue to Green to Red to Orange to Purple to Yellow to Green. "One For All/ SIVA Enhance, One Million Percent!" Their inner voices screamed from the depths of their souls. Muscular swore he saw a massive creature looming over their shoulders, eyes ice-blue, "Delaware/Perfected... Detroit... SMAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"
Power. Completely pure and torn from the abyss rose up through their fists, splitting and breaking down the fibers by the second, shattering the once unbeatable armor that protected its host, leaving his dumbfounded stare to face the two fists that dug against his cheeks, breaking teeth and fracturing bone with Izuku's deafening warcry as his body was sent colliding with the mountain, several inches of rings embedded into the wall under their might, the lights in Muscular's eyes finally fading away to unconsciousness.
There was a scream of wind in the air, two bloodied, broken arms dangling by the heroes' sides as they stumbled from the lack of resistant force against their bodies, sweat, blood, and tears falling down their faces, one obscured by a half-shattered mask, but her left eye was clear to the night.
Kota for his part could only stumble down onto his backside, awestruck by the display of raw devotion and sacrifice. "Why...?" He yearned for an answer, searching his mind for a plausible conclusion
"Kota, your Mom, and Dad, the Waterhose heroes," Mandalay's voice spoke softly in his ear that day. "It's true they ended up leaving you behind in this world, but, they saved so many lives through their sacrifice you'll see that someday."
Fresh tears fell from his eyes, his heart was beating and his chest twisted so much with something so... warm, "Why... did you... risk your lives?" He wanted to know, he had to know why. He watched as both struggled to hold themselves on two feet, panting and gritting their teeth to pull themselves back
"You'll meet someone and then you'll understand why we do this."
Those words broke him, feeling and seeing all the times Yuki smiled, comforted him and listened, treating him as... a person... understanding him where no one else could. "Even though... you don't know me at all..." No, it wasn't that, they knew in their own way, and deep down he felt that surface, his cynical outlook crumbling like the mountain itself. He couldn't hold anything back, face screwed up in vain, "Why did you try... to save me!?"
"Someone who will... risk their life... someone who will be..."
He finally let it all go, "A Hero..." His lips trembled, the memory was wrong, it wasn't just one anymore. "...My Heroes..."
And to the world, one screamed out toward the night, and the other held their right fist high, even as the metal and wire crawled to repair, it made it seem like she held up a star in her hand.
The dust of battle slowly settled, and Yuki's fuzzy gaze focused once more.
The target has been neutralized | He will not be coming back for a while | Good work, though risking your life, you prevailed
"Thanks... SIVA." Yuki winced, holding her left arm as it swung by, mangled once more. "Sorry, you have to... work overtime." She heard him chuff solemnly
It is fine | I have enough energy and nanomachines to repair it | Just rest for now
'He's not getting up, we beat him' Seeing her limp note, Izuku finally fell to his knees alongside Yuki, the pair resting against each other's heads for support.
"Hey, are you okay!?" Kota rushed to their aid, both kept themselves steady with Izuku rising to his feet, albeit shaking in his boots
"I'm okay, give me a second then there's something we have to take care of," Izuku murmured, Yuki, while not wanting to push their bodies further, really didn't have a choice. Her eyes followed the horizon, the forest's blaze raging on. They weren't done fighting just yet
"But you're all beat up, what more could you have to do now!?" Kota demanded, eyes glazed with panic for the two that looked ready to fall over
'We... had to win here and now' He paused at her words, her hand dashing the note away
"I really thought we'd inflict far more damage in the end though," Izuku's voice was hoarse and it hurt to talk any louder. "We underestimated how powerful his Quirk was, if every villain attacking us tonight is on the same level all our lives are at stake."
"Fascinating-" A new, deep, metallic voice cut off their flow of thoughts, all bodies tensed while searching for the source. As they were now this was probably the worst time for a villain to show up. "-You two are keen, tch, so you're the 'Thief' he prattled on about like you were worth merit? How... unimpressive."
On primal instinct Izuku pushed Yuki behind his back, glaring toward the direction of the voice. "I won't let you touch her! Stay back!" Hearing how furious he was kept Yuki somewhat stable, herself realizing just who she knew called her by that name...
|Incoming!|
With her repaired right Yuki shoved the boys into the wall of the mountain next to Muscular's unresponsive form, in that frame they could only watch with horror as a large, metal foot collided with Yuki's chest, tossing her skyward and over the cliff. When her eye adjusted, she swore she saw a monster pointing a red sun toward her face.
No... it can't be | How is... what Is... | It'S hIm...!
"YUKI!" The boys cried out for the skybound girl, herself recovering from the shock in time
"Die, mongrel." Red plasma gauged and bubbled inside the arm, eventually blinding the girl to a world of red, and SIVA's voice seething with uncharacteristic rage
|VOSIK!|
To Be Continued...
I should warn you all things only get worse from here. A new Fallen enters the battle, Vosik the Archpriest! I really enjoyed pitting the dynamic duo against Muscular, and yes, while together they'd stand a better chance dO remember that both their powers at base 100% come out to around 150%, excluding the 1000000% Smash which was a mind trick. I do apologize if this was more tied to the canon story but there's not much that would have changed until now. I hope you enjoyed, appreciate the support as always, seeya in the next chapter heroes!
Next Chapter: Twisted Perfection
Vosik: Kovik is a fool, a fanatical runt.
Yuki: I'm... not done yet! I will beat you.
Vosik: No, you won't.
SIVA: We must win, Bakugo is in peril
Yuki: I can't lose here. Next, Twisted Perfection.
SIVA: Go Beyond.
Yuki: Plus Ultra!