Chapter Sixteen - Polarity Pt. III
A small void portal appeared in front of Izuku. With his current momentum, there was no way to avoid it. It began to swallow up his extended arm, and his face was coming close to it as well.
This is it— I can't—
Suddenly, Paper Mache ran in, tackling Izuku and pushing him out of the void. The villain narrowed his eyes as he expanded the portal, which managed to capture Paper Mache's left arm as he fell away with Izuku.
There was a slicing noise, but no blood, as the portal suddenly enclosed. Izuku's eyes widened as he saw that Paper Mache's arm had been sliced clean off. However, it burst into hundreds of paper folds, revealing it was never there all along.
"Hmph, I'm surprised you can still move," the void villain spoke as he watched the two move away.
Paper Mache was panting hard and losing blood fast from his chest wound, but his expression never wavered.
"After the first shot, it was easy to block the other two," he said, spitting out some blood. The two bullet holes in the front of his coat didn't seem to have any blood emerging from them. "But damn that arm took a lotta effort to keep in tact… Lost that baby years ago…"
"P-P-Paper Mache—!" Izuku saw the man's increasing blood loss, his mind going blank as he had never seen anything like that before.
Paper Mache looked down at him, sweating profusely. He smirked.
"This ain't nothin for a Hero."
The void villain sighed, producing the gun he had used earlier in the sneak attack on Paper Mache. He raised it, and Paper Mache readied his good hand, making the paper from his fake arm form in front of himself and Izuku in preparation. For a moment, they stood there with a tense atmosphere ready to snap at any moment.
"Midoriyaaaa!" The familiar voice of Shiro called out from the hall. The sound of many footsteps could be heard coming towards the gymnasium.
"Unfortunately, I must make a quick exit. I hope you enjoy your time at the prestigious U.A, young one," the villain spoke, making the gun vanish.
"Hey! Y-You're not going anywhere!" Izuku watched as the villain began to slink back into a portal once more. He wanted to move, but Paper Mache was held onto him tightly. "Let me go—"
"Kid, you haven't learned a thing have ya," Paper Mache spoke with a raspy voice. "Don't rush into fights… that ya can't win."
Izuku tried to push him off, but he quickly gave up as he saw the expression on the man's face. It was a look of content, from a person who might be facing their final moments and was okay with their time being now. It was confusing to Izuku, who felt like he needed to continue to fight, yet here was Paper Mache, holding him back and accepting what was happening.
But why? We should fight on til the end! I— Izuku closed his eyes, fighting off tears as he slowly realized that Paper Mache must believe the fight was over, and that they had lost, anymore loss was meaningless.
The two watched as the void villain vanished into the dark mist, which then dissipated into thin air. Behind him, the remnants of Miss Negative had finally evaporated into gentle red embers, which fluttered away into the air before sizzling out.
When Mei and a few of the other students arrived, they were shocked to see Izuku kneeling down beside Paper Mache.
"Come on, you can pull through for sure!" Izuku shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're the coolest Hero I know!"
"Damn that's the first time I've heard that," Paper Mache said with a small chuckle, which turned into pain coughs. "Most people say I'm annoying… or I'm an asshole. I guess you're just... an oblivious kid anyways."
Izuku cried and clenched his fists, feeling the powerlessness washing over him yet again, unable to do anything for someone right in front of him.
"C'mon kid…"
Izuku wiped tears away and looked down at the man again, who gave a weak but confident smirk, his eyes glazing over and becoming unfocused.
"I meant it in the letter… You're gonna go far, kid. Don't let… nobody tell you anything... otherwise…"
The man coughed and wheezed, taking his final breaths, and a few moments later— He was gone.
It was a few minutes after Paper Mache's death that the Principle and what Heroes were around finally arrived on the scene.
"This entire wing of the school will be blocked off," the Principal ordered to some of the Heroes. "Only the ones here right now are allowed in."
"The Principal really has a lot of authority with other Heroes, guess he gets a lot of respect," Mei commented, looking over at Izuku, who didn't seem to notice she spoke, his eyes downcast. She continued anyways with, "I wonder if the Principal has some sort of hidden strength we don't know about!"
Izuku said nothing. They had been checked out for injuries and cleared already, and Paper Mache's body had been covered and wheeled off. They were waiting for someone to come question them, and were surprised to find out who it was.
"Midoriya! Hatsume!" The voice that yelled their names made them jump in surprise.
The two nervously looked over to see Power Loader approaching them, a sort of sinister feel to him that was birthed from anger.
"You both have so much explaining to do," their teacher spoke through gritted teeth. "I can't believe that you'd go out of your way to do dangerous stuff-"
"It wasn't like that! We were—"
The Principal scooted in, waving a paw in the air. "No need to explain! We know what went on here, and would like for you both to stay quiet about it!"
"Eh? You know everything?" Mei smiled. "You really are resourceful Principal!"
The mouse-bear-dog-like man smiled a bit. "Of course I am! Consider this repayment for your previous misgivings with All Might!"
"But I already completed the devices for 1-A—"
"That's fine! Just make sure your teacher tests them first so you don't kill a student," Nezu told her with a nod. He then looked over to Izuku, who had returned to looking down at the ground. "Midoriya, I will need you to come to my office!"
Izuku nodded and stood. Mei waved a hand obnoxiously in the air.
"I can go too! Right? Right?"
Power Loader put a hand on her shoulder hard, making her stop. "Nope, you'll come back to
class to get lectures with everyone else."
Mei whined the whole time as Power Loader escorted her away.
"He seems like he's being tough on you all, but he cares deeply for his students," Principal Nezu commented as they watched them go. "Power Loader is a big softie underneath it all."
This insight made Izuku feel slightly better, but a few things still ran through his mind on the way to the Principal's Office.
He thought about the strange guidance Paper Mache had been giving him. The fact that someone had already believed in him and his journey to becoming a Hero was all Izuku could have ever wanted. Not even his mother had fully believed in his aspirations after he was deemed Quirkless. Mei and Paper Mache were his first fans in his eyes, the first two people who knew he could do it.
Mei?... Hatsume…? Izuku found himself getting a bit flustered as he entered the Principal's office. Did I call her Mei?! His face reddened with embarrassment.
"You seem to be in better spirits already," a new voice said.
Izuku looked up, surprised to see an unfamiliar man with short black hair, looking very professional in a tan overcoat and matching hat with a suit underneath.
"Hello Midoriya, I am Detective Tsukauchi," the man spoke. "Please, have a seat."
Izuku nervously went and sat across from the Principal at his desk, while the detective stood nearby, looking inside of a folder marked 'Top Secret'.
"I'd just like to ask you if you garnered any information from the late Miss Negative," Detective Tsukauchi asked.
Information on Miss Negative? Izuku mulled through the hazy thoughts of the day for a moment.
"She apparently worked with a group called… 'The League of Villains'?"
This seemed to strike a chord with the Principal and the Detective, who eyed each other and nodded a bit.
"We figured as much, but did she mention their plans or any other members? Details always help," Tsukauchi pressed.
"I don't know too much, I…" Izuku trailed off and shook his head. "I'm sure Paper Mache knew more…"
Detective Tsukauchi sighed and pat the boy's shoulder, before walking to the door.
"Thank you both, I need to go back to the investigation—"
"W-Wait! The person who killed Paper Mache… He was wearing a suit, he had a metal collar of sorts… Um…" Izuku thought about it and motioned with his hands for emphasis. "There was this black fog or something covering his body a-and he could make portals or something…"
"Hm, and he was able to freely teleport into the school? That's quite troubling," the Detective said, nodding and tipping his hat to Izuku. "Thank you, if anything comes up I might come to ask more questions."
With that, the man left. Izuku sighed and turned back to the Principal, only to jump in surprise as he saw that the animal-like person was standing on the desk, leaning down to look closely at him.
"Trouble seems to follow you, Midoriya," Principal Nezu said, "Will this sort of stuff be a regular habit of yours?"
"S-Sorry…" Izuku looked away, feeling uncomfortable under the Principal's gaze. "I'm not trying to…"
"It's that natural intrigue and sense of wonder that makes you a great fit for the Support course though," the Principal stated. "But I can also see how it is leading you to what you really want— The Hero course." This made Izuku perk up and look at him. "It's quite possible you can make it, want to know how?"
Izuku nodded intensely. "I-I already had sort of an idea," he commented. "About showing my stuff at the Sports Festival."
Principal Nezu nodded. "That is the best place for sure! Especially now that there's an open slot in Class 1-A!"
Izuku blinked at this revelation. "There is…? How? D-Did someone get kicked out?" The image of Bakugo flashed in Izuku's mind.
The Principal hopped down into his seat, sighing and entwining his fingers in front of himself.
"Class 1-A was attacked today during a simulation, by villains," he began to explain. "I believe you know Katsuki Bakugo, so I figured I should tell you he's fine."
He let out a sigh of relief at hearing that. The thought of villains attacking was still frightening, but he wasn't sure how he'd react if he knew his friend had gotten hurt.
"However, someone did get hurt," Principal Nezu continued, "They're in critical care and will likely be unable to return. All Might has suffered a bit as well."
"All Might?! I mean— I'm sorry," Izuku exclaimed but quickly covered his mouth and shook his head.
The Principal snickered. "It's okay to prioritize. They should both be okay, but they were targeting All Might. And now, Midoriya, one of the villains has seen your face and might know more about you than you'd think."
Izuku gulped, remembering his encounter with the villain in the gym, and how Shiro had called out his name, meaning he very well could know his name.
"Thus you need to take care, we'll be watching you closer to protect you," Principal Nezu said, swiveling away in his chair to look out the window. "That's all for now, you can go back to class."
As the Principal waves a paw, Izuku stood and bowed respectfully, before turning to leave.
"Oh, and Midoriya, that villain with the black fog"
Izuku looked back, his hand on the door.
"His name is Kurogiri. According to what we know, he uses the fog to hide his true body, but always has one body part showing. Perhaps you will face him one day, so keep that in mind."
As Izuku closed the door, he gathered all of his thoughts.
Why would he tell me that? Does that mean… Principal Nezu thinks I can become a Hero too?!
He thought about the attack on the Hero class and Class 1-H, and the ramifications of both of those events. Everything had changed; they knew that there was a threat out there willing to even infiltrate the school to get to them.
I need to train even harder, so I can become a Hero and fight alongside Kacchan!
Tracking down Bakugo after school that day proved to be a bit difficult. There was security and Heroes everywhere now, watching out for danger, and Izuku hadn't seen a single Hero class student for a while.
That is, until someone he recognized finally exited the school gates. He was a tall and broad-shouldered boy with dark hair and glasses, and unique engine-pieces of sorts jutting out from the back of his legs.
"Ah, e-excuse me."
Izuku jogged up to the boy, who stopped and looked down to him. His serious expression threw him off as he stammered for a second.
"S-Sorry, I um, you're in Class 1-A right?" Izuku gulped before continuing. "With Katsuki Bakugo?"
"Right, I am Tenya Iida, class representative," the boy responded formally, holding up a hand. "And who might you be?"
Izuku dipped his head politely, surprised by how overly formal Iida was. "I-I'm Izuku Midoriya, I'm in Class 1-H, the support class—"
Suddenly, Iida grabbed Izuku's hand and shook it intensely, surprising him.
"The Support Class! It is great to meet someone who we will likely be working closely with in the future!"
"A-Ah, yes! I um—" Izuku panicked a bit, but let out a sigh of relief as Iida let go of his hand. "I know something bad happened, but do you know where Kacchan— I mean, Bakugo is?"
Iida looked back towards the school. "It was a rough day, most of the students are being looked at for injuries or talking to the investigators. But I'm not sure about Bakugo."
Izuku nodded. "I see… Well, sorry to trouble y—"
An explosion rang out, making Izuku freeze. He turned and saw a horrifying scene— Bakugo was flying towards him at an alarming speed, using his hands to make explosions to propel himself faster and faster.
"Deeeeekkuuuuuu!"
The voice was full of intense anger. Izuku quickly moved out of the way, behind Iida, as Bakugo flew past and skidded to a halt, making the ground smoke from how quick he had to stop himself.
"You damned nerd, why are you wearing that uniform huh? Playing dress-up," Bakugo said, pointing an accusing finger at Izuku.
"Actually Bakugo, this is Midoriya from Class 1-H, the Support class, one of the people we should try to—"
As Iida went on and on about Izuku, the boy tried desperately to stop him from talking, as Bakugo's eyes went from confused to extremely angry as the explanation went on.
"—so threatening them does not seem like a wise idea," Iida finished.
Bakugo lifted a hand, cracking his fingers and causing explosions on it.
"So you did it huh, came to steal my thunder, you Quirkless piece of—"
"Hey! Is everything alright over there?"
A few police and Heroes had come close by after hearing the commotion and the explosions. Izuku looked around nervously at them, knowing they must be heavily on-guard due to the day's events.
"Tch, too much heat," Bakugo muttered, lowering his hand. "You'll get your ass kicked soon enough."
With that, Bakugo turned and started to storm off.
"Kacchan," Izuku called after him. "I-I'm glad you're alright!"
Bakugo scowled. As he passed by a pro Hero, he turned to them and yelled, "The hell you lookin' at?!"
Izuku watched him go, and sighed. Iida pushed up on his glasses and nodded, as if the encounter confirmed something to him.
"It's nice to see Bakugo has friends like you," Iida commented. "It's proof he'll come around to work with everyone!"
Izuku looked up to Iida, who had a smile on his stern face. He smiled as well, seeing why such a person had become their class representative.
"Iida… I'm actually looking to enter the Hero course," Izuku admitted, "So one day I might be under your guidance— No, I will!" He bowed to the boy. "Please watch over me!"
Iida nodded and patted Izuku on the shoulder. "I hope to see you succeed then, Midoriya!"
With that, Izuku left the school, trying to ignore the officers assigned to watch over him from afar. Once home, he had to explain a lot to his Mother, but left out enough so she wouldn't be too worried.
Once in his room, Izuku sighed and sat at his desk. He pulled out the letter that Paper Mache had sent to him weeks ago, opening it up and solemnly reading it over—
It was different. Izuku blinked at the new words that were on the paper:
Maybe this'll work, I dunno. If you can see this, then I guess I'm dead or somethin'. Pretty neat huh? I can make secret messages that only go away when I deactivate my Quirk, and it stays forever! Well, unless I'm gone.
So if that's the case, then I need ya to do something for me—
Izuku continued to read, and then he read it over again and again, before finally setting it down and taking a deep breath.
I'm not sure how to do that, but… If he really wanted me to, then I will, Izuku thought as he took the letter, folding it up several times over before ripping it up until it was many tiny scraps. He found a small container to put them in and set it in a pocket of his backpack for later.
While he was there, he examined his Flow unit. He thought about how fast Bakugo had approached him, wondering if he could've done something.
I hesitated, but even then, the way I use the Flow might be too slow, Izuku thought to himself. I'll have to work on this, and more things if I really want to reach my goal!
"Izukuuu! Dinner!"
He set the device back in and smiled, his eyes tearing up a bit.
I've got plenty of people who believe in me now, I know I can become a Hero!
To Be Continued
Next Chapter: Declaration of War