CHAPTER 7: VILLAIN INVASION, PART 2
The Symbol of Peace strode purposefully into the USJ, his footsteps shaking the entire facility, as the villains stared in horror while a wave of hope washed over the students. "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS AMISS WHEN AIZAWA AND THIRTEEN DIDN'T ANSWER MY CALLS" All Might started, continuing forward. "AND MY WORST FEARS WERE CONFIRMED WHEN I RAN INTO YOUNG IIDA ON MY WAY HERE."
"BUT HAVE NO FEAR, STUDENTS…BECAUSE I AM HERE!"
*cue My Hero Academia opening 1 – The Day*
"Looks like the final boss has finally arrived" Shigaraki said, standing up and turning away from the bush. The minor villains gawked at the Number One hero's arrival, before one took the initiative. "Don't just stand there, morons! Let's get hi-!" the villain began, before All Might blurred out of existence and blitzed the villains, reappearing with Aizawa cradled in his massive arms, Hado and Togata each balanced on his shoulders.
"MY STUDENTS…MY COLLEAGUES…I'M TRULY SORRY" the blonde giant said, as he set the injured heroes down by the base of the stairs. Then, quick as a thunderbolt, he snatched Uraraka, Midoriya, Hagakure and Asui out of harm's way and set them down next to the injured, the shockwaves detaching the hand from Shigaraki's face. "GET THEM TO SAFETY. I'LL HANDLE THIS" he said.
"Wait! That birdlike one…he took a full-powered Smash from me like it was nothing! He's designed to fight you!" Midoriya said, concern heavy in his voice. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, YOUNG MIDORIYA. I GOT THIS!" All Might said, flashing a peace sign at the children. The greenette's facial features hardened in determination. "If you're going to fight him, target his right arm. We ripped it off earlier and he had to regenerate from that damage, but it looks like a painful and complex process" the greenette said. "THANK YOU, YOUNG MIDORIYA!" All Might boomed, getting into a fighting stance. "The Symbol of Peace, eh? I've been waiting to have a crack at you!" Graphite said, dashing at the blonde giant…only to get knocked clear across the plaza with one hit.
The Bugster sat up, laughing madly. "YES! That's what I'm talking about! All Might truly is one of the few worthy of being my opponent!" he shouted, ready to strike again…when the black Ex-Aid stopped him. "Graphite, we're done here. The League is screwed; let's not share in their misfortune" the distorted voice warbled. "Fine, Genm" the Bugster grumbled, as the duo teleported away in a burst of pixels. The two student riders just stared. "Well…that happened" Kujo said, headlight eyes flashing. "Genm? Is he connected somehow to President Dan?" Hojo wondered aloud.
Up in the top of the dome, the black-haired boy laughed. "Those two can quit early…but I want to see how this stage ends. One way or another, the game becomes more interesting than it was before…" he said, eyes flashing again.
The Symbol of Peace turned to look at Shigaraki and the Nomu again, the birdlike villain still frozen in place after Midoriya had been stolen from its' grasp. "CAROLINA…SMASH!" All Might roared, dashing towards the skinny villain. "Nomu" Shigaraki said, ordering his pet to dash in, intercepting the Symbol of Peace's attack, dispersing the attack and sending a blast of wind throughout the building, ripping up the forest behind them.
The blonde giant stared in shock for a few moments, before throwing himself backwards to avoid the black beast's lunge towards him. "LOOKS LIKE MY ATTACKS REALLY HAVE NO EFFECT ON YOU! LET'S TRY THIS!" All Might said, punching the Nomu in the face repeatedly to no effect, before the creature charged again. "That's because Nomu here has Shock Absorption. The only way to beat him is to slowly gouge out his flesh…and I don't think he'll take that lying down" Shigaraki said "You've finally met your match!"
The Nomu swung again, but missed as All Might sped around him. "THANKS FOR TELLING ME HOW TO BEAT HIM! JUST GOTTA GET HIM OUT OF THE WAY…THEN I CAN TAKE CARE OF YOU!" the Symbol of Peace said, grabbing the Nomu from behind and slamming him into the ground with a German suplex, a tower of dust rising from the point of impact. "Hey, hey now…" Shigaraki said, while the students cheered, hopeful that the pro had won…
And then the dust cleared. All Might's body was arched, holding the black beast down…but the Nomu's body had gone through a black portal and reappeared a foot or two away as its' fingers dug into the Symbol of Peace's side, right on his injury. "Excellent, Kurogiri, we've got him right where we want him…" Shigaraki said, grinning under his hand mask. All Might tried in vain to pry himself from the Nomu's grasp, but couldn't muster the strength to do so.
"Normally I don't like blood and guts inside my warp gates, but I'll make an exception for someone of your stature" Kurogiri said, yellow eyes glowing malevolently. "You're too fast to catch, so Nomu had to restrain you…but now that you're trapped, we'll lower you halfway through one of my portals, and then I'll squeeze it shut around you!" All Might's eyes widened, seeing Midoriya running towards him. "NO, YOUNG MIDORIYA, DON'T-!" he said, as a portal opened in front of the boy…
Before Bakugo rushed in from out of nowhere and detonated a powerful explosion in the warp gate's face. "Outta my way, Deku!" he roared. At the same time, Kirishima dropped out of nowhere in front of Shigaraki, forcing the lanky villain to retreat a few steps. The temperature dropped dramatically as a wave of ice traveled across the ground, freezing the Nomu's right half, while Hojo, still in Rider form gripped both of the Nomu's hands and forcibly ripped All Might out of the creature's grasp, the panting Symbol of Peace jumping back a safe distance.
"Sorry we're late" Todoroki said. "Got blown back almost to the Landslide Zone by that last exchange." "Who the hell is that extra? Do I need to kick his ass too?" Bakugo growled at Ex-Aid. "Don't worry about him! He's an ally!" Midoriya covered for his Rider friends. "Whatever. As long as he stays out of my way, I don't care if he's the Queen of England" the blonde snorted.
Bakugo was holding Kurogiri on the ground by an ornate metal collar, one hand popping with explosions. "Don't move, or I'll blast you into the next life" he warned. "Now that's not very heroic of you, is it?" Shigaraki said. "Violence is okay as long as it's government sponsored and done in the name of good or some garbage like that, right? What hypocrisy" the villain seethed. "Bullshit" Todoroki said, as he lowered the temperature of his ice more, fractures beginning to develop on the Nomu's limbs. "Excuse me?" Shigaraki asked.
"There's a fundamental difference between violence used to preserve the peaceful lives of the innocent masses, and violence done for the sake of terror or destruction. You don't really care about any sort of morality, do you? Just a crazed nihilistic anarchist trying to destroy society" the bichromatic boy said, narrowing his eyes. "The Symbol of Peace won't be killed by thugs like you today; I'll make sure of that."
*cue My Hero Academia OST – Rampaging Evil*
Shigaraki shrugged. "Well, you got me. Nomu, get up." With that, the inhuman weapon crawled out of the warp gate, its' arm and leg breaking off as it roared in pain. Then its' eyes rolled around in its' exposed brain, before muscle and bone grew grotesquely out of its' open wounds, knitting both limbs back together. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID HIS POWER WAS SHOCK ABSORPTION. APPARENTLY YOUNG MIDORIYA WASN'T KIDDING ABOUT A REGENERATION QUIRK TOO" All Might said, sweating nervously. "I didn't say that was his only power. Now…secure our warp gate" Shigaraki said, as the Nomu finished healing, albeit slowed on its' right arm, and dashed towards Bakugo.
A massive shockwave sent the heroes-in-training flying, knocking Kujo over and blowing Hojo into the trees and out of his transformation. "KAACHAN!" Midoriya screamed, before looking to his right. "Wait, how did you get here?" he asked of the explosive blonde, who was sitting right next to him. "So…fast" was all the normally loudmouthed boy could say. As the dust cleared, All Might's giant frame came into view, the pro now even more hurt with his back to the Downpour Zone, the shockwave having opened a hole in the dome, wind and rain leaking out.
"I'M OKAY" the pro panted out. "YOU CHILDREN STAY BACK!" "But…you're running on fumes now! Not to mention, Kaachan found the misty guy's weakness. We can help you!" Midoriya said. "I SAID STAY BACK! I'VE GOT THIS…LET ME SHOW YOU HOW A PRO HANDLES THINGS!" All Might said. "Somebody help me" muttered Kujo on the ground. Hojo rushed out of the forest. "Sorry I'm late! Kiriya is here somewhere" he gestured at the forest, while Midoriya silently sighed in relief over their secret remaining intact.
*cue My Hero Academia OST – You Say Run*
The bioweapon straightened up next to its' master and the warp gate. "Nomu…Kurogiri…kill him. I'll deal with the children myself" Shigaraki hissed. "IT'S TRUE…I ONLY HAVE A COUPLE MINUTES LEFT IN MY MUSCLE FORM; I'M GETTING WEAKER QUICKER THAN I EXPECTED" All Might thought to himself, shifting into a battle stance. "Let's clear this level quickly; we've got all of our continues in place and ready to go" Shigaraki said, launching himself towards the students.
"EVEN SO…I HAVE TO STOP THESE VILLAINS" All Might continued. "Looks like this is our stage to fight after all…" Kirishima trailed off, as Shigaraki closed the gap between them. "BECAUSE I AM…" One For All charged within the pro, giving him a second wind. "THE WORLD'S SYMBOL OF PEACE AND JUSTICE!" And with that, the pro charged forward, the Nomu mimicking him as they clashed halfway between the two groups, the shockwaves from their collision throwing everyone back.
"Weren't you listening earlier? One of his Quirks is Shock Absorption!" Shigaraki said, pirouetting in midair. "YEAH, WHAT ABOUT IT?" All Might asked, as he and the Nomu began exchanging hits faster than the eye could track. "He's really going to fight that thing head on?" Midoriya asked aloud, being blown back by the wind from the clash of titans. "So…fast!" Hojo noted. On the villain side, Kurogiri was doing his best not to disintegrate into a fine mist. "I can't get near them!"
"HE SAID HIS QUIRK WAS SHOCK ABSORPTION, NOT NULLIFICATION. THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T KEEP GOING FOREVER, RIGHT?" All Might said, as the force of their rapid-fire fistcuffs broke the ground around the two combatants and cracks developed in the dome of the nearby Conflagration Zone. "IF YOU CAN REALLY WITHSTAND ME FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS, I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO GO BEYOND THAT AND FORCE YOU TO SURRENDER!" All Might said, as he began to overwhelm the Nomu, their clash tearing up the forested areas.
The students watched in awe as the pro gained the upper hand. "A REAL HERO…" All Might began, blocking a blow from the Nomu. "NO MATTER THE SITUATION, WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY FOR JUSTICE TO PREVAIL!" he roared, stunning the beast with a diving kick reminiscent of Hojo and Kujo's Rider Kicks, before grabbing the weapon's arm and spinning around, the two's momentum carrying them high into the air, before the pro released the beast with a mighty roar, sending it to the plaza below.
As the monster bounced into the air, All Might landed, seemingly a vision of raw power. "NOW FOR TODAY'S LESSON. YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THESE WORDS BEFORE, BUT I'LL TEACH YOU WHAT IT REALLY MEANS!" All Might said, pulling his fist back, a vortex of air developing around it. "TO GO BEYOND: PLUS…ULTRAAAAA!" he roared, punching the Nomu in the stomach. His fist seemed to glow before the Nomu shot like a giant bullet through the air, tearing through the dome like it was wet paper and soaring through several nearby clouds.
The USJ shook from the impact, as everyone on both sides of the battle stared in awe. At the entrance, Sero rubbed his eyes. "Am I going crazy, or was that a flying villain?" he asked. Sato stared in awe. "It was that brain monster!" "Such power…" Amajiki trailed off, Shoji nodding in agreement. "What an incredible hero" the multi-armed boy said.
"That was like a limit breaker in a video game…he beat the shock absorption right out of him…" Hojo said, eyes wide. "He really is the best…" Todoroki thought. "What insane power; he must have been punching that guys so fast that he couldn't keep up" Bakugo said. "Just what kind of power did I inherit?!" Midoriya thought, as the dust cleared from around the triumphant figure of the Symbol of Peace.
"I REALLY HAVE GOTTEN WEAKER" All Might said. "BACK IN MY PRIME, I'D ONLY HAVE NEEDED TO HIT HIM FOUR OR FIVE TIMES…" the pro flashed a thumbs-up. "BUT TODAY IT TOOK OVER THREE HUNDRED MIGHTY HITS!" He then turned to look towards Shigaraki, the man-child still shaking in rage. "IT'S OVER. YOU'VE BEEN BESTED. SURRENDER NOW, SO THAT WE CAN GET THIS OVER WITH."
"No…he was supposed to be weaker, but he beat my Nomu with strength to spare" Shigaraki hissed, violently scratching his neck. "He cheated!" All Might stared the villain leader down. "WHAT'S WRONG? WEREN'T YOU GOING TO CLEAR THIS LEVEL? WELL, COME ON! GATHER UP YOUR CONTINUES, AND HAVE AT ME!"
The man-child made a weird strangled noise of frustration. "Tomura Shigaraki" Kurogiri said. "Do not fret. Nomu's attacks were successful; All Might clearly has weakened significantly. The children can't help, reinforcements are still several minutes out, and our subordinates are waking up. We can still win." Shigaraki stopped scratching. "You're right…the big final boss is right there, and our strongest party member wore him down good. Let the small fry deal with the kids; we'll kill All Might!" And with that, he rushed the weakened Symbol of Peace.
A pair of red eyes flashed.
And then Hojo dived in, delivering a powerful kick to Shigaraki's shoulder, catching him off guard and throwing him back. "You FUCKING idiot! That's now how video games work, moron!" the pink-suited boy seethed, stepping forward towards the surprised villain leader. "There's no continues in real life. Your party has crumbled to the ground, you're facing multiple minibosses of a similar level to yourself, your strongest member is gone, and the big boss can still take you."
The brown-haired boy took another step forward, then hissed one more sentence at the villain leader.
"For you…it's GAME OVER."
And then a gunshot rang out, and Shigaraki recoiled in pain.
"Sorry we're late, everyone" Principal Nezu said, riding on the shoulder of 1-B's homeroom teacher, Vlad King, flanked by the other faculty of UA and one Tenya Iida. "Your Class Rep has returned…and I brought backup!" The pro leading the charge, a tall man wearing cowboy garb with a gas mask and a yellow and red scarf held up a green and blue handgun with two buttons on it, the word "STG" stenciled on the barrel, before shooting multiple shots towards the Mountain Zone.
The villain holding Kaminari hostage dropped the boy as the energy shots perforated his legs and shoulders, giving Yaoyorozu and Jiro the opportunity to rescue the boy. Present Mic stepped forward, unleashing a blast of sound to neutralize a large group of minor villains. Another hero, wearing a blue and white jumpsuit under a doctor's coat and a surgical mask, pulled out a sword with a similar design to Snipe's gun, and alongside King and multiple Ectoplasm clones, launched himself down the stairs to engage the minor villains.
"Dammit, it really is Game Over. Let's go home and try ag-!" Shigaraki started, when the Shooting Hero shot multiple attacks through his legs and shoulder, as Kurogiri shrouded the man-child in a layer of fog. "We need someone who can neutralize the mist!" he said. Suddenly, the mist villain found himself being pulled apart by a strong suction force. "No…Black Hole!" he said, as Thirteen used her maximum output in an attempt to capture him.
"All Might…you may have won today…but your days are numbered. And one day, when your strength is finally gone, I WILL kill you!" Shigaraki hissed, as Kurigiri warped the duo away.
"Well, that was an interesting stage. This game is pretty fun after all!" the boy in the rafters said, before vanishing in a burst of red and blue pixels.
As Midoriya ran over to All Might, he started to shed tears of joy. "All Might! I'm so glad you're okay!" The pro smiled as he began to shrink down into his Small Might form. "Thank you, Young Midoriya. If it hadn't been for you and the others' quick thinking, especially Young Hojo, who had the gall to attack a villain of Shigaraki's caliber, I'd probably be dead right now." Kirishima started to run towards them to see if they were okay, but Cementoss erected a wall at the last moment to keep All Might's secret from getting out.
"Whew!" the two said simultaneously, before All Might looked to his successor. "I really am weakening though. I had to break my limits hard today; I'll probably have an hour at most of hero time per day after this is over. Now that I've passed One For All on to you, I'm getting weaker every day." Midoriya gasped at this statement. "No…you can't be losing your strength that fast!"
"Uhhhhhh…I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear any of that" came a voice from the dust behind them, causing the duo to freak out. The dust cleared to reveal…one Kamen Rider Lazer, still lying on his side in his Level 2 form. "A bike…?" All Might wondered. "Hey Mido, c'mere and help me get back to normal" the bike continued. "K-K-Kujo? You're a bike?!" "Just come here and close the lever in front of my saddle already!"
The Rider reverted back into his Level 1 form and detransformed, All Might spitting up blood in surprise. "What the fuck?! All Might? Are you okay?! I need first aid over here, stat!" the boy began to panic, much to the pro's amusement. Hojo rounded the fountain, looking for Kujo's voice. "Kiriya? I heard you – WHAT THE FUCK?! WHO'S THAT GUY?!" the gamer said, almost falling back in shock. "We're really gonna have to tell them everything…" All Might muttered, Midoriya nodding in agreement. "And I want to know what's with these two and their special suits…" the pro finished.
In an empty bar clear on the other side of Tokyo, Kurogiri's warp opened again, spitting the injured Shigaraki out. "Dammit…we lost badly. We failed this quest; All Might hasn't weakened a bit!" the man-child started to say, before a voice from a TV with the words "Sound Only" cut him off. "No…he's definitely weaker." Another voice asked a question. "What about the Nomu? Why is he not with you?" "He was beaten by All Might, and we couldn't track him down" Kurogiri responded.
"There were two hang-ups…one was a boy who had strength and speed just like All Might's! The other was a boy who had a weird transformation with this special belt! They both prevented us from winning…and the second one had the gall to lecture ME on video games!" Tomura snapped, writhing in pain and anger on the floor. "Strength like All Might's you say? And a transformation power? Which children were these?"
"Izuku Midoriya…and Emu Hojo."
"Midoriya? Hojo? How interesting"
"…And what you've just heard must never be told to anyone else" All Might finished, as the two student riders sat in stunned silence in the nurse's office of UA. "Holy shit." Kujo said. "I knew that there had to be an incredible secret behind the Quirk of the Symbol of Peace, but a transferrable power stockpiling ability?! From any point of view, that's insane" Hojo said, his mind running a million miles an hour.
"And Mido is next in line for this power, eh? Congratulations, I guess" Kujo said, walking over and ruffling the other boy's hair. "You're willing to keep our little secret, so we'll gladly keep yours" Hojo said, bowing to All Might. "No, it's nothing. I've known a couple of unofficially recognized Kamen Riders over the years; I know what the protocol is" All Might said, flashing a toothy smile.
"Now, the question is…why do you still have such problems controlling this Quirk?" Kujo asked. "The kid makes a good point" Recovery Girl said, walking over to the shrunken hero's bedside. "Seems that Midoriya here can only handle about 5% of One For All right now." "That little?!"
"Wait" Hojo said, scratching his head. "Maybe you're thinking about this all wrong." "What do you mean?" Midoriya asked, eyes widening. "You're treating the activation of this power like flipping a switch, but that's fundamentally wrong from the standpoint of Quirk use. A hero fanboy like you should know that" he said. "So, instead of concentrating all that power, why not let it flow more?"
"I'm still lost" the greenette said. "Ever played some of Genm Corp's games? More specifically Gekitotsu Robots and Taddle Quest?" the gaming genius asked, Midoriya nodding in reply. "Right now, you're concentrating everything in a single limb and hoping for the best – kinda like Gutton from Gekitotsu Robots. But you'd probably be better off if you thought like Alhambra from Taddle Quest and did what he does with his magic – spread it through your entire body. Your Quirk is fundamentally a part of you."
"But it's not my Quirk…I'm just borrowing it" Midoriya said. Hojo slapped his forehead at the ridiculously dumb statement from the ridiculously bright student in the hospital bed. "No! Not at all! You're not 'borrowing' it; that makes the assumption that you'll 'give it back' at some point. It was a gift to you – a lifetime gift, no return policy attached. It's yours now as much as it was his" Kujo said, gesturing at the Symbol of Peace, who nodded in agreement. "It's my power…let it flow through me…that's it!" the green-haired boy said, having a sudden epiphany.
The others watched as he concentrated for a few moments, before a green glow surrounded the boy. Little flashes of green lightning sparked around him, as he kept his eyes closed in concentration…before it fizzled out. The boy opened his eyes again and smiled. "It's not much…but it's a start!"
As night fell, Recovery Girl discharged the boy, who exited the infirmary followed by his two friends. As they stepped outside of UA's main building, Uraraka, Iida and Yaoyorozu greeted them, and the six friends walked down to the train station…unaware than a new trial was looming on the horizon.
NEXT TIME ON GAME START! HERO ACADEMIA:
Season 2 begins! The Sports Festival is just a couple weeks away! Can Midoriya gain a better handle on One For All in that time? And the Bugsters are back with a vengeance! Enter Snipe and Brave! See you next time!
NOTES:
And with that, the USJ is wrapped up and we move forwards to the Sports Festival! I've been waiting a long time to do that arc, so I can promise you it'll be well worth it! Thanks for reading!
