Chapter 21: Fighting Back

And I'm back with the other chapter for today! Took a break to play a game with some friends, so it took me a while to write this one.

Enjoy!

Feel free to review, but don't just rip into me. I'm doing this for fun, not excessive criticism.

"Did you hear that, Kendo?!" Tetsutetsu shouted, "We've got permission to beat 'em up!"

"Right! Now we won't get in trouble there's nothing stopping us!" Moxie grinned, "We beat 'em up, and then we find Bakugo! Mandalay said he's a target!"

"Hold on, Tetsutetsu, Moxie! This gas, it's…"

"Bad news. Yeah, yeah… I know. I'm not an idiot." Tetsutetsu shook his head.

"Yes, you are!" Kendo snapped, "Mandalay didn't mention the gas. That means that it hasn't yet spread to a place where she can even see it. Something's fishy." She explained, "This gas looks like it's just slowly flowing in a fixed direction. Normally, gas diffuses in all directions, right? But this stuff's staying put."

"You're right! It's thicker here than where we were before!" Moxie realized.

"So… what are you saying?!" Tetsutetsu demanded.

"I think this gas is swirling around a point of origin. Kind of like a typhoon." Kendo continued, "In other words, at the center is probably someone who can create and manipulate this gas."

"Kendo, you're a friggin genius!" Tetsutetsu grinned.

"Yeah, I would have never figured that out, you're so smart!" Moxie agreed.

"I mean, the whole reason I even tagged along was to figure out whether or not I was right." Kendo sighed, "Anyway! Assuming the gas gets more concentrated as we get closer to the center, we're on a time crunch. There's a limit to these gas masks' filters. The greater the concentration of particulates in the air, the shorter their effective life is."

"So we just run to the thickest area…"

"…and crush 'em with everything we've got!" Moxie finished Tetsutetsu's sentence for him, as they rushed deeper into the smoke.

"These guys barely have two brain cells between them…" Kendo observed, "But…"

"Shiozaki and the rest of the class must be having a hard time with this gas! We gotta do somethin' about it! This is pissing me off!" Tetsutetsu growled, marching through the smoke, "Kendo, Moxie! Let's give it our all!"

"…there it isn't a thing wrong with that!"

"Yeah!" Kendo and Moxie agreed at the same time.

"There you are!" Tetsutetsu shouted, diving out of the smoke towards the Villain, a young boy in a uniform with a gas mask.

The Villain whipped out a gun and shot Tetsutetsu in the head, stopping him in his tracks and shattering his mask.

"Tetsutetsu-!" Moxie shouted, rocketing out of the smoke towards the Villain and getting shot in the shoulder for his trouble. Gritting his teeth, he Bounced back out of view, trying to hide in the smoke.

As Shoji and Hiryu dodged through the forest, avoiding Dark Shadow, they spotted a very injured looking Midoriya. Quickly, Shoji grabbed Midoriya, pulling him out of the way.

"Shoji? Hiryu?" Midoriya asked.

"I'm amazed at the lengths you're willing to go to save your friends… you're gravely injured… that body of yours really shouldn't be moving anymore." Shoji observed.

"Midoriya, you shouldn't be fighting! We'll get you back to the teachers!" Hiryu yelled.

"No, I can't! Kacchan is in danger!" Midoriya argued.

"Get… away… from me!" Tokoyami roared, distracting Hiryu and Midoriya as Dark Shadow tore through the forest, "You will die!"

"Tokoyami!" Midoriya shouted.

"I'll draw his attention!" Hiryu told Midoriya and Shoji, the hole in her wing already healed. She took off, blasting frosty mist towards Dark Shadow to draw his attention.

"Hiryu… no! Get away, don't worry about me!" Tokoyami roared, as Dark Shadow lashed out at Hiryu, who only barely managed to dodge.

Kendo charged through the smoke as fast as she could. Tetsutetsu and Moxie had rushed in without thinking, and then she had heard gunshots. Suddenly, Tetsutetsu dove in her way, taking a bullet meant for her.

Moxie grit his teeth as the Villain monologued on and on, several more gunshots sounding off. He clamped a hand to his shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding. He wasn't sure how long he could hold his breath, but running in would only get him shot again.

His best option was to retreat while the Villain was distracted, but he couldn't just leave Tetsutetsu and Kendo behind.

As he was struggling to figure out what to do, huge gusts suddenly began to dispel the gas, revealing the Villain, who had been knocked back.

Kendo was swinging her hands around, sending out huge gusts that caused the gas to thin. Seeing his opportunity, Moxie activated his Quirk, rocketing towards the Villain.

"At times when one would normally give up…" Moxie could hear Kendo speaking, as Tetsutetsu charged in as well, "We find a way to overcome!"

Tetsutetsu slammed his fist into the Villain's head as Moxie rocketed underneath, sweeping his legs out from under him. Tetsutetsu's blow shattered the gas mask and knocked the Villain to the ground, knocking him out.

"The gas is fading…" Kendo observed.

"For a gas user… hah… to be wearing a d#mn gas mask… of course I'll break it, hah!" Tetsutetsu laughed, laying on his back on the ground, "What an idiot… for attacking our training camp, hah, you're going to pay, you little brat!"

"That brat got me good…" Moxie groaned, clutching his shoulder.

"Moxie! Hold still!" Kendo rushed to his side, "Tetsutetsu, you alright?"

"I'll live… take care of that 1-A punk…" Tetsutetsu have Kendo a thumbs up, still laying on the ground.

Hiryu, meanwhile, was working with Shoji to lead Dark Shadow towards Bakugo and Todoroki, who she had spotted from the air.

"Bakugo! Todoroki! One of you, please…" Shoji dove out of the forest, with Dark Shadow on his tail, "Make some light!" He shouted, as Dark Shadow crushed the Villain they were fighting, knocking Hiryu out of the air.

"Shoji, Midoriya, and… Tokoyami?!" Todoroki's jaw hung open.

"Hurry! Make some light! Tokoyami's gone berserk!" Shoji shouted.

"He's attacking indiscriminately… I'll make some flam-"

"Wait, dumb#ss." Bakugo cut Todoroki off, watching Dark Shadow pound the Villain into the dirt.

As soon as the Villain was dealt with, Todoroki and Bakugo dove in, creating light to dispel Dark Shadow.

"You and I have some unfortunate chemistry…" Bakugo observed.

"I'm sorry… thanks for saving me." Tokoyami nodded.

"The villain that kept us on the defensive… in an instant, he…" Tokoyami gazed at the destruction Dark Shadow had caused.

"Shoji… Midoriya… I'm sorry. My spirit was not prepared. When Shoji lost one of his arms… I gave into my anger and released Dark Shadow. In the depths of the darkness… I was consumed with fury, further spurred on by their rage… it bult up to a point where I could no longer contain it… and I hurt Hiryu in the process." Tokoyami suddenly looked about, "Hiryu… where is she? Dark Shadow hit her!"

"I'm here." Hiryu stepped out of the forest, clutching her left arm, which appeared to be broken.

"H-Hiryu!" Tokoyami's eyes widened when he saw her arm, twisted in an unnatural manner.

"I'm alright…" Hiryu grit her teeth, "R-Right now, we have to focus on protecting Bakugo."

"Bakugo? They're after his life? But why…?" Tokoyami picked himself up.

"I don't know… but in any case, I think we'd be safest in the facility with the two pros, Vlad King and Aizawa-Sensei." Midoriya explained.

"I see. So our mission from here on out is to escort Bakugo." Tokoyami nodded.

"N-Normally I'd just fly him there, but…" Hiryu gestured to her arm.

"However, if we go through the clearing, that's where the Pussycats are currently fighting… if we follow the path back, the Villains will definitely spot us. We can't afford another setback. We should cut straight through with the shortest route." Midoriya explained.

"We don't know how many of them there are… even still, there's the possibility that they could suddenly ambush us." Todoroki pointed out.

"But Shoji has the ability to detect enemies! And you've got your freezing… what's more, if Tokoyami's alright, we still have a method of controlling the unrivaled Dark Shadow." Midoriya argued, "With this lineup, quite frankly…. Not even All Might would scare us!"

"What the hell is all this, you pricks?!" Bakugo demanded.

"You just walk in the middle." Todoroki told him.

"Like hell you're protecting me, you sh#theads!" Bakugo roared, walking along regardless.

A Few Minutes Later

"Do you see anyone?" Moxie asked Tetsutetsu, his shoulder wrapped in Kendo's torn sleeve, keeping pressure on his wound.

"No, we're all clear." Tetsutetsu shook his head.

"If we keep moving like this, heading straight through the forest, we can avoid the Villains and get back to Vlad King and Eraserhead." Kendo nodded, "You alright, Moxie?"

"I'm fine, just a bit of blood loss." Moxie smiled.

From somewhere beyond the trees, the three of them heard Midoriya shouting "D#mn it!" Without any hesitation, Moxie leapt into action, rocketing into the forest, bouncing off the trees.

"Moxie, wait-!" Kendo called after him as he left.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya roared, watching the explosive boy slip into the swirling portal. Moxie dove for Bakugo as he vanished, nearly managing to grab him, but he was too late, and he hit the ground, sliding across the dirt.

He barely had time to reorient himself when he heard the screaming. Turning, he saw Midoriya in the dirt, having just missed Bakugo, similarly to Moxie. He was on his knees, screaming in anguish.

Moxie realized in that moment just how wrong things had gone. Hiryu fell to her knees, despairing at how close they had come and still failed.

And that's the whole thing!

Everything's gone wrong, Bakugo's captured, Moxie and Hiryu are both injured, and there really doesn't seem to be a way to fix it. I wonder how they'll handle this.

Enigma, signing off.