(The next chapter will contain slight/alternative spoilers for the manga. You've been warned!)
When Jiro finally awoke, she had a searing headache and felt nauseous. Her vision was blurry and her hearing was impaired, the shouting and screaming surrounding her was muffled. She felt that something was wrapped around her head, which was propped up on something fluffy. The last thing she remembered was getting teleported and hitting her head on something. How long had she been out? Her vision began to clear, and she ended up looking down to see what was happening.
She watched as Izuku kicked the leg of one the villains, bringing him down to his knees before bashing his shield into the villain's face, knocking him out. A new one came up from behind him and grabbed him under the arms before connecting his hands behind Izuku's neck.
A female ran towards the two, her jaw opened wide and with long and sharp teeth extending. Izuku jumped up and kicked her in the chest and landed, before grabbing the head of the villain behind him and lifting him up and over his head, before slamming the guy into the girl.
Another two came rushing at him from different sides, one with swords for fingers and the other a sword for an arm. Izuku crouched down with his shield above his head, blocking their attacks as they slashed downwards. Kicking backwards and punching forwards simultaneously, Izuku managed to hit them both in their crouches, causing them to double over in pain. Standing up he slammed his shield into the head of the villain in front of him, before reaching backwards the grabbing the head of the villain behind him. Jumping up and landing into a sitting position, the force whipped the villains head into the ground, knocking him out.
Jiro's vision of the fight was covered just as five villains surrounded Izuku. A villain had walked up to her laying on the ground, a cocky smirk forming on his ugly and scarred face. Raising his right hand, the flesh twisted and turned into a metal axe. Raising it above his head, he slashed downwards in an attempt to kill her. The axe stopped just inches before it could hit, and she could hear Izuku scream 'Get over here', before lifting the villain over his head by the collar of his shirt and throwing him into the group of villains who had just previously surrounded him.
"Jiro!" A voice shouted from above. Looking up, a gas mask stared right back at her. But even through the lenses, she would recognize those eyes anywhere.
"Y-Yaoyorozu?"
"Don't talk, save your strength!" The deputy to 1A informed as a pink light flashed from out of her field of vision. Momo held another gas mask, and slowly slid it on Jiro's face. "Midoriya!" Jiro heard her shout, before watching her throw three black, spherical objects towards the boy. Looking back, now with his own mask from his costume on, Izuku grabbed the three objects before slamming them into the ground. They opened, but nothing came out.
So imagine her surprise when the villains that once outnumbered them began dropping like flies, each falling to the ground unconscious. Jiro felt her eyes grow heavy and closed them, the last thing she saw was the class rep running towards them.
"Is she okay?" Izuku asked when he got close, kneeling down to their level.
"From my guess she has a concussion, probably when she hit her head after we were teleported." Momo informed. "It appears we've been separated from the others."
"The mist guy seems to have a warp quirk, and must've scattered 1A across the USJ. We need to regroup and figure out what's our next move." Izuku replied, scooping Jiro up into his arms. Momo stood up, and followed him as he began walking down one of the paths in their area. "Thanks for those chloroform bombs by the way. You really saved our lives."
"I should be thanking you. You were able to hold the villains off for me to do so, and gave me the idea of making them in the first place. I've never thought of using my quirk to make liquids or gases."
It happened after they landed in the area and realized they were surrounded. Izuku had asked Momo if making something like chloroform with her quirk was possible, and she said she's never tried making a gas. After doing some research on what chloroform was composed of, she discovered that yes, she was capable of making gases. They, however, needed to be inside of something in order to be made. So she had made spherical objects that opened on impact, and filled them with chloroform.
"How do you think everyone else is fairing?" Momo questioned, walking faster in order to stand next to him. The two were currently walking between two giant walls of rocks, and she felt uneasy doing so. Who knows if more villains were around? Waiting, watching, ready to strike any minute. Her eyes scanned the tops of the walls in order to make sure they weren't about to be ambushed.
"I think everyone's doing fine, it just depends where they landed. If Tsu was thrown into the water she'll be more than capable of taking care of herself, but if Kaminari is thrown in there, well…it could be disastrous."
Jiro moved and squirmed in his arms, head pressed against and nuzzling his chest. It made him smile and his heart swell.
"Can you help me with my mask? I'm sure we're safe from the chloroform now."
"Of course." She helped lower his mask down around his neck, before taking off her own and carefully taking off Jiro's. The girl in his arms had a small smile on her face. If they weren't in a life or death situation, Izuku would've thought she was cute like this.
…Oh who was he kidding? She was cute!
The sounds of screaming broke Izuku from his thoughts, and the two started to run to get back to the others. They could see the giant staircase that Aizawa had jumped down earlier, and a large body of water from the shipwreck disaster. This caused them some relief since it meant they were closer to their classmates, but the relief died down as quickly as it formed with a loud snap.
The giant black creature from before was on top of someone, the persons blood slowly pooled and surrounded the two. Izuku could see Tsu, Mineta, and Kaminari in the water near the shore, frozen in fear. The hand guy was slowly walking towards them.
Izuku felt his heart stop at the sight, before a voice began nagging him in his mind, reminding him of his current and only objective. Protect.
"Can you carry Jiro for me?" Izuku asked sharply, tone serious. It surprised Momo to hear him like this, but given the circumstances, she could see why.
"I can, yes." She nodded, raising her arms and allowing Midoriya to place the petite in her arms.
"Get yourselves to safety and stay with the others. You're in charge while I'm gone."
"Gone?" She questioned.
"Gone." He answered, electricity flowing through and around his body. Before she could protest he was gone in a flash, wind and dust kicking up as he ran towards his friends.
Blood and adrenaline pumped through him as they charged towards the enemies, and he now had a clear picture of what was happening. It was Mr. Aizawa who was being crushed by the creature, his arm twisted and broken, face being repeatedly smashed into the ground. Tsu was holding onto a crying Mineta and Kamianri, who was giving a thumbs up and had the dumbest expression Izuku had ever seen. She was frozen in fear, unable to move as the hand guy slowly reach out. He must've had a quirk that required contact with his hands, much like Uraraka.
The nagging feeling was back for some reason, like his subconscious was screaming at him over and over again. Protect. Protect. Protect. His head was thumping with pain as the order and demand grew and grew.
Winding his left arm back as it glowed green with One For All energy, Izuku snapped his arm forward, letting go of his shield and watching it fly through the air at breakneck speeds. It flew past the creature and made contact with the hand guy, who was launched into the water as a result.
The creature looked up to where it master once stood, and didn't notice as Izuku was closer. Pulling his right arm back, fist surging with green energy, Izuku let it launch forward and into the creatures back with a loud "Detroit Smash". The creature was off Aizawa in an instant, and Izuku watched as it flew through the air and land in the water like the hand guy. Izuku continued running towards his friends as the mist villain screamed in surprise and worry. All of that had managed to snap Tsu out of her frozen state.
"Give me your hand!" Izuku shouted when he was close enough, reaching down to the water…with his totally not broken or injured, right arm. He almost did a double take at the sight. No damage! No ripped costume or purple skin, it was entirely normal and functioning.
Tsu responded quickly, reaching out and grasping Izuku's hand before she and the other two were pulled out from the water.
"M-Midoriya?"
"That was so cool! We're saved!" Mineta began crying tears of joy.
"Weeeeeee."
"You won't be safe for long." Izuku informed as his shield flew back to him and took its rightful place on his left arm. "Get Mr. Aizawa and yourselves to safety. I'll protect you."
"But you-"
"We have no time to argue! You four need to go before-"
"NOMU!"
The ground shook as the monster made it back on land, its master the hand guy was right behind it being helped by the vortex villain. The eyes of this 'Nomu' snapped to Midoriya, and rushed towards the boy before he could even blink. Its fist was pulled back, readying for a punch.
'Holy shit it's fast!' Midoriya thought, surprised. He stood in front of the three with his shield raised, hoping to stop the blow.
The fist made contact with the shield, causing a high-speed wind to be whipped up and around the greenette. He could feel himself skid back a few inches from the force of the blow.
'This thing is a monster in every sense of the word. My full power punch did nothing to hurt it, and it has incredible speed and strength. Definitely has shock absorption, so the best I can do to continue punching it back.'
"Grab Aizawa and get out of here! I'll hold this thing off so you can escape!"
The Nomu came back, reeling back its fists as it began its assault on Midoriya, pushing the shield user back a few inches with every rapid punch. Tsu sidestepped the two, just as Mineta grabbed Kaminari and pulled him out of the way. The frog quirk user let out a ribbit of worry, but did as she was told. Running over to Aizawa she and Mineta picked him up and began carrying him away. Mineta had also made a chain of his grapes, before pressing one end to Tsu and the other Kaminari, effectively herding the blond with them.
Izuku gritted his teeth in anger and frustration, mad that he was unable to do anything but soak up the creatures attacks. He felt completely useless right now. He was nothing more but a mere punching bag for this creature from hell.
The only bright side as he was pushed back continuously, was that the others were getting out of here safe. The longer the Nomu focused on him, the further away his classmates got, and the longer they would be safe.
Suddenly the attacks stopped, and the air around him felt cold. Lowering his shield, he was surprised to find that the Nomu was completely trapped in ice, its encased fist just inches away from Izuku's face.
He could hear explosions and screaming, and looked behind Nomu to see Kacchan had the warp villain pinned, his metal plating trapped under the blonds hand. Todoroki and Kirishima were close to him.
"You alright nerd?!"
"Doing a lot better since you three are here." Izuku nodded, hurrying to join them.
"Thanks for the save Todoroki."
"Hey! Why the fuck are you thanking Icyhot and not me?!"
"Perhaps it's because I actually managed to stop the villain that was giving him problems." Todoroki snapped back.
"I'll kill you!"
"You four are so annoying!" The hand guy hissed, scratching the ever-living hell out of his neck. "My way of escaping is trapped, and the cannon fodder are all unconscious. This is beyond annoying."
"So you're the boss villain, eh? Why don't you call off this attack and no one gets hurt." Izuku threatened, getting into a fighting stance alongside Kirishima. Bakugo's hand continued to slowly burn the villain, and Todoroki…stood there.
"Shigaraki, I cannot move sir. I'm sorry."
"Oh, I'm not the boss villain in this little game." Hand guy, 'Shigaraki', commented, before pointing towards the Nomu. "That is. Nomu, rescue Kurogiri."
The ice cracked and shattered, and Nomu was already charging straight for Kacchan before anyone knew what was happening. Todoroki summoned multiple walls of ice, but each were smashed through by the creature. Bakugo stared, wide eyed as the creature came after him. He closed his eyes and waited for the hit, but it never came. Instead the blond was pushed away, and something else had taken the hit for him.
"Dude, you dodged that?! That was awesome!" Kirishima exclaimed in awe.
"Shut up Shitty Hair, it wasn't me." Bakugo growled, confused. Who had pushed him? It wasn't Icynot, nor Shitty Hair, and where was…shit! "Deku?!" Bakugo shouted, watching the smoke rise from the wall that had been destroyed behind them.
"You'll pay for that you fucking bastards!" Bakugo threatened, palms sparking in rage over what had just happened to his friend. And it happened because he wasn't fast enough to dodge on his own.
"Stand down Kacchan." A voice spoke, causing the three to turn around. Izuku was walking towards them, costume torn and dirtied. He had a limp as he moved, but other than that he seemed fine. "You three, regroup with the others." He ordered, walking past and standing in front of them. "I'll hold this thing off."
"Wha-no fucker! We ain't leaving you to fight this fucking abomination!"
"Yeah, leaving someone behinds is like, the unmanliest thing you can do!"
"This isn't up for discussion." Izuku snapped at them. "You saw that thing smash through Todoroki's ice, and how fast it can move. It could've killed Kacchan had I not stepped in. I'm the only one who can keep it was bay. That's why I'm going to hold it off so you all can escape."
"We're not leaving you!" Bakugo yelled, grabbing onto Izuku's arm and making him turn to face him. "I don't know what kind of self-righteous bullshit you're on right now, but we aren't abandoning you! What happens if you…if you die?!"
"If it means you all can escape and get to safety, so be it." Izuku growled, tearing his arm away from his friend.
It was silent after that, with Bakugo and Kirishima staring at him with wide, surprised eyes. Even Todoroki's usual blank expression turned to one of surprise. Would he really give his life if it meant they could get to safety?
"My priority right now it making sure you're all safe. I promised someone to protect you all, and I intend you keep that promise." Izuku informed. Bakugo growled, fingers twitching as he tried holding himself back from blowing his best friend up. As much as he hated to admit it, Deku was right.
"We. Aren't. Leaving here without you." Bakugo replied. "But we will regroup with the other idiots."
"Dude!"
"Shut it Shitty Hair! The nerd's fucking right, we'd only get in the way."
"As much as I hate to agree with him, he is right. We should meet up with the others and check on them."
"I was getting to that Icyhot!" Bakugo yelled, his glare switching between the two 'idiots'. Icyhot was fine with leaving, but Shitty Hair still seemed unsure. "He'll be fine Shitty Hair, have a little faith."
"I do! It's just that…"
"I'll be fine." Izuku told her. "Go on with them and check the others. It's probably the manliest thing you can do right now."
That seemed to do the trick as he watched her perk up at that. Finally she nodded, and agreed to leave with the others. She and Todoroki started to run to where the rest were at, and Bakugo would've as well if not for Izuku grabbing his arm.
"Kacchan, if anything happens-"
"Which nothing will!"
"Promise me you'll get them out of here, safe. I don't care what happens to me, just make sure they get out of here."
"I don't make shitty promises for shitty nerds." Bakugo hissed, trying to not let Deku's words get to him. It was hard to hear his friend accept death so easily for the sake of others. "Don't…fucking die and whatever. Sume will fucking kill me if you do."
Izuku merely nodded, and allowed Bakugo to follow the other two. With a sigh, he turned towards the villains.
"You really believe you can take on my Nomu? The thing built to kill All Might?!"
"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Izuku asked.
"Heh, I like your guts kid. I'll like em better when they're strewn across the ground! Nomu!"
(With 1A)
"Where the fuck are the rest of the extras?!" Bakugo shouted as he finally made it to the top of the staircase. He could see Round Face, Racoon Eyes, Arms, Icyhot, Shitty Hair, Lips, Soy Sauce Face, Kermit, Grape Bitch, Pikachu, Ponytail, and Earlobes, but that was about it. 13 and Aizawa were also there, and both were greatly injured.
"Iida went for reinforcements, and the others are still spread around the USJ." Ponytail informed as she did her best to patch up Aizawa. She looked behind Bakugo for a few seconds. "Where's Midoriya?"
"He…He's fighting that creature that hurt Aizawa."
"He's what?!" Grape Bitch shouted in surprise
"Why would you leave him to fight that thing on his own?!" Racoon Eyes questioned.
"It's not that simple Mina." Shitty Hair stated. "He told us to regroup with you all and to escape while he held that thing off."
"Which we're not doing!" Bakugo exclaimed in anger. "If it was up to me I'd be down there with him, not stuck up here with you extras!"
"Deku." Round Face mumbled, worried.
"Your fucking boyfriend will be fine, so don't fucking worry!" Bakugo informed, trying to reassure himself much more than the others.
"B-Boyfriend?!"
"I don't like leaving him either, but he gave our best chance to get to safety." Icyhot tossed in his two cents. "I think we should do as they told us and leave."
"No!" Bakugo, Momo, Uraraka, Kirishima, and Ashido shouted in unison.
"If we don't leave now, his sacrifice will be for nothing."
"He's not fucking dead!"
"Besides, they would just come looking for us. It's better to stay here so that way civilians won't get involved." Momo said.
"Rich Bitch agrees with me!"
"Rich Bitch?!"
"Uh, guys, we got trouble!" Kirishima called out as she stared down at the staircase. Bakugo, Todoroki, and Sato ran to her as she hardened her skin. "Looks like we're fighting after all." She informed, watching as Shigaraki run up towards them.
(With Izuku and Shigaraki, minutes prior)
Shigaraki was scratching his neck to the point he was bleeding from his wounds. This…this child was actually managing to hold off his precious monster. No, he wasn't just holding him off. He was fucking winning!
The child, Shield Hero, as Shigaraki would refer to him since he didn't know the kids real name, and Nomu were exchanging blow for blow, punch for punch, kicking up wind and dust with every impact.
Shield Hero would raise his shield any and every time Nomu attempted to punch him, which would block the hit and merely push him back a few inches. Then the kid would deliver a punch and knock Nomu back feet instead of inches. That damn shield was making the kid invulnerable to pain!
Even now the kid was doing it, raising his shield to the right to block a right punch and then to the left to block a left punch. The kids leg would glow green before he kicked Nomu in the shin, bringing the creature to his knees and giving him easier access to punch it in its giant chest. Watching Nomu ragdoll across the ground as the kid stood tall and proud made Shigaraki furious.
But for Izuku, the invulnerable to pain part was far from true. With every blocked hit, more pressure would be put onto his injured right leg. His leg had been injured after he was punched into and through the stone wall from earlier, which meant now he couldn't move as fast as before. Now instead of being able to out maneuver the Nomu, all he could do was stand his ground and suffer the pain from each punch. It was worth it, knowing his classmates were safe.
"That child seems rather preoccupied with the Nomu, Shigaraki." Kurogiri stated.
"Yeah, and it's really pissing me off! Why can't he just die already?!"
"Sir, you're missing my point. He appears to be the strongest one in this class, which means you have a free path towards the students."
Shigaraki's fingers stopped in their place, his eyes widening from what the warp quirk user had just informed him. Looking towards the staircase, he smiled under his fathers hand. Yes, he did have a free path, didn't?
'Does this thing ever get tired?!' Izuku thought as he delivered another punch to the Nomu's chest, sending the creature skidding back from him. He was panting, pain and fatigue were finally getting to him. Just a little longer, he told himself. He had to hold out just a little longer.
Something moving at a high speed out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and his blood went cold as he watched Shigaraki make it to the staircase and run up them. He could see a few of his classmates at the top, readying a defense.
He didn't think before he moved, much like when Kacchan and Uraraka needed help. Winding his arm back his shield flew through the air at a high speed. It smashed into Shigaraki's side, knocking him off of the staircase and causing Izuku to sigh in relief.
The relief was short lived when a portal opened, rescuing Shigaraki from splattering onto the ground. The same one opened again, and Shigaraki stepped out to stand next to Kurogiri. It was there Izuku had realized what had happened.
He had been played, outsmarted, because now his shield, the only thing protecting him from the Nomu, was just about halfway across the USJ.
"Nomu, break him."
The creature was behind him in an instant. Izuku raised his left arm to pull the shield towards him while his right shot forward to punch the creature, but Nomu was faster this time.
Nomu grabbed onto Izuku's right arm before the punch could connect and squeezed, breaking it and causing Izuku to grunt in pain. The next thing the greenette knew was that he was raised into the air by his broken arm, and then smashed into the ground, which caused a crater to be formed. A hand wrapped around his left leg and bent it forwards, and Izuku's left arm dug into the dirt in pain as it too was broken. The creature raised its right foot and stomped onto Izuku's back, and the greenette bit his lip until it bled to stop him from screaming in pain. He could hear and feel as some of his ribs snapped in two, and could feel his back being broken.
He could hear them, the screams of his name in panic and worry as blood pooled in his mouth and as his vision blurred. Everything was hurting right now, but nothing more than his pride. He had been outsmarted; he had failed everyone.
"Shall we have the Nomu kill him, Shigaraki?"
"No, let the child watch as we kill his classmates. Then we can kill him. Nomu, come."
Izuku could feel the creatures weight get off of his body, and he watched as the three begin walking towards the staircase, where his trusted shield lay.
Images flashed through his head of what could and would happen, horrifying images of his classmates being torn apart. Tsu's tongue ripped from her mouth and used to strangle someone, Shoji's arms torn off and used to beat someone to death, Mina's acid used to melt someone to a puddle of nothingness. And what of Shigaraki? He didn't know what horrifying thing his quirk could do.
"N-No, get away." He called out, using his left arm and right leg to crawl forward at a nails pace. His teeth gritted in anger and frustration as he could do nothing and watch them walk up the staircase, the images still flash in his head. Kacchan, Uraraka, and the others possible deaths only got more and more gruesome the more thought he put into them. "Get away from them!"
His vision began to blacken, the worlds lights and colors leaving him. Was he dying?
His vision was changing yes, but it wasn't because of death. Soon everything was black, and everything was leveled. No other objects were where he was currently at.
"W-Where am I?" He asked himself, no longer feeling the pain from before. He looked down and realized his limbs were no longer broken, allowing him to stand up and look around. "Where is everyone? Where am-AH!" He screamed in shock after a full 360. He fell onto his ass and scooted back as a figure of red light, who hadn't been there before, stared at him.
From the built he could tell it was a male, who stood as above six feet. He was muscular with giant arms and spikey hair, and with what looked like two horns poking through his hair and standing above it by a few inches. This…this thing, or person, or whatever, was looking at him with yellow eyes.
"W-What are you?" Izuku questioned. The figure didn't answer, it merely started walking towards Izuku, who continued crawling back in fright. Was this the quirk of a villain? Was he being tortured and trapped in this dream/vision?
His back hit something, stopping him from moving back any further. The figure reached down, grabbing him by the arm and lifting him to his feet, but he never let go. The figure was watching him, studying him. It even bent down and sniffed Izuku. It nodded, before taking a step back and reaching its arm out. It turned its arm so its closed fist was facing the sky.
The fist opened, revealing a shining red light that was brighter than the figure itself.
"W-What is that?" Izuku asked. "Is…Is it for me?"
The figure nodded, and reached out further to prove its point that yes, it was for him. Izuku switched his view from the figure to the light in its hand a few times, before grabbing it.
The red light began going over Izuku's body, and a scream escaped him as he fell to his knees, a searing hot pain traveling through his form. He could feel his body changing, morphing as the pain especially got worse in his back, his head, and his tailbone. He looked up and saw the figure grinning, his teeth sharpened much like Kirishima's, but with four in particular being longer. Two on the top of his mouth and two bottom at the bottom. The figure faded away while waving, and soon the black room was replaced with the USJ yet again.
Izuku panted, the pain from his vision(?) slowly fading away. He could feel a breeze on his backside, and when he turned to see why, his eyes widened. Two medium sized, green and trident shaped wings were poking out and flapping from his back. The ends of his wings had openings for an unknown reason. From his tailbone he could see a long, shiny green, spear like tail with a razor-sharp end had sprouted.
His head felt heavier to he reached up with his left hand, only to feel two horns were there as well. Thick and long, about six or seven inches. It was then he realized his hand was no longer a regular hand, but a dark green and scaly limb with five sharp, green claws.
His head pulsed again, and searing headache making grunt and growl in pain. That voice was back and louder than ever, screaming at him to protect his classmates. It was like his instincts only knew that one word, that one feeling of wanting to protect those close to him.
"I said get away!" He shouted, no longer recognizing his own voice. Someone in his mind told him to breath in deep, and he did so. His eyes were glowing brightly, far more than when he activated One For All.
His wings moved like they had a mind of their own. They flipped forward and the opening began to glow a light green at the opening. They began to twitch violently, before six beams of energy were shot out towards the villains.
Nomu was hit in its back, causing the creature to fall down to its knees. Shigaraki and Kurogiri turned, and the man with hands glared at the young wyrmling, a growl escaped him.
"I'm officially pissed right now. Nomu! Kill the fucker, no more games!"
Nomu's eyes snapped to Izuku yet again, whose wings and tail slowly began to wither back down into his body. With its target complete defenseless, it moved in for the kill. Nomu was quick to get to Izuku, its fists raised into the air and ready to splat Izuku into the ground.
There was an explosion at the front door, and a sudden gust of wind traveled through the students and past the two villains. Nomu slammed its hands into the ground, and noticed that no blood or insides were covering them. Looking up, it noticed who had saved the boy.
"A-All Might?" Izuku asked weakly, a small smile forming on his face as he stared up at the face of his favorite hero. He had a good look at the hero's face, and noticed something about his expression. He wasn't smiling like he usually did.
No, he looked pissed, with murderous intent in his eyes.
"All Might!" The students shouted in relief, no longer fearing for their lives since the number one pro had arrived. Some were crying while others fell to their knees, the adrenaline of having to fight finally dying.
All Might gritted his teeth as he held his successor close, tightening his grip just enough to hurt the boy, and also enough to keep him close and safe. He had seen 13 and Aizawa as he ran down towards Izuku, and could feel Izuku's condition up close now. His eyes and dull and almost lifeless, no longer holding their usual life and shine. His skin more pale than usual, arm and leg broken, and he doubted it was from using OFA.
The horns were new, he noted.
'They went through all of this while I was resting!' He thought bitterly and angrily, mad at himself for neglecting his teaching duties. 'And Young Midoriya, how long have you been fighting? How long have you held this monster off for me to arrive?'
He rushed past Nomu and villains once more, this time he was able to grab Izuku's shield before reaching the top of the staircase. He was careful to lay Izuku down with his shield by his side, and watched as Young Bakugo and Young Kirishima rush over to check up on him.
The greenette was still smiling at him, which only made him hate himself more for not being here when they needed him.
"Have no fear students-" He began, ripping off his tie and throwing it to the side as Izuku's eyes began to flutter shut. "-I am here!"
And then, everything went black.
(Stay with me on this)