Chapter 23: Rescue Without Combat

Hey howdy hey hello, welcome to the show! I'm back with the second of the chapters for today.

No diddling around, enjoy!

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

"Yaoyorozu, what's your answer?"

"I…"

"Wait!" Iida arrived out front of the hospital, where Kirishima, Todoroki and Midoriya were gathered. Hiryu followed closely behind him, half hiding behind him.

"Iida." Kirishima turned to face the engine-legged boy, "And Hiryu…"

"Why… of all people… why you guys…?!" Iida demanded, "The two of you, who scolded me for my own reckless pursuit… who received a special pardon after that incident! Why are you guys trying to make the same mistake I made?! This is too much!"

"What are you talking about, man?" Kirishima asked.

"We're still under the protection of the school… and now is the hardest time for U.A." Iida grit his teeth, "Who do you think will have to take responsibility for your actions?!"

"Iida, you've got it wrong! It's not like it's okay for us to break the rules…" Midoriya stepped forward.

Without warning, Iida punched Midoriya right in the jaw.

"Iida-!" Hiryu rushed forward, grabbing Iida's shoulder.

"I'm frustrated too! I'm worried! Who wouldn't be?! I'm the class president! I worry about my classmates! It's not just Bakugo!" Iida yelled, "Seeing your injuries, laying on that bed, just like my brother! If you go through with this rashness, if something happens to you that can't be recovered from, like my brother… are you saying my concerns don't mean anything?!"

"Do my feelings… not mean anything?"

"Iida…" Midoriya mumbled, not sure what to say.

"Iida." Todoroki spoke up, "We're not trying to confront and attack them head-on, not at all."

"We're going to rescue him without combat. This is a covert operation! A way for us to fight… without breaking the rules!" Kirishima explained.

"I believe in Todoroki… but! I came with the intention of accompanying you all as a failsafe! Should the unthinkable happen, I will prevent combat!" Yaoyorozu cut in.

"I-I'll do the same!" Hiryu stepped forward then, receiving shocked responses from Iida and Kirishima, even Todoroki seemed a little surprised, "I-I mean… i-if you'll let me… I know I spoke out of turn before."

"Of course!" Kirishima nodded, smiling, "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier, I know you're just concerned."

"I don't really understand it myself, but… after being told that my hands can reach him… I just can't sit around…" Midoriya explained to Iida, "I can't help but thinking that I want to save him!"

"A parallel, huh… in that case…" Iida sighed, "…take me with you!"

Moxie

After heading home to the Kamino Ward to change, Moxie headed out for a walk. He wasn't really sure where to go or what to do, the doctors had told him not to do any sort of training of exercising for a day or two, just in case.

The Kamino Ward was bustling as usual, a few people called out to Moxie has he wandered about, waving to him in a friendly manner.

"Hey Moxie! I heard about what happened, you alright?" One of the passersby asked.

"I'm a-okay!" Moxie grinned, giving them a thumbs up, "Don't let the media get to you, U.A.'s done a great job."

"Even with that Bakugo kid missing?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Moxie pointed out, "They did their best! No one could have predicted that attack."

Hiryu

"Hey, um… did you tell the others the specifics of our plan?" Midoriya asked, as they rode the train on their way to the Kamino Ward.

"Yeah, after we did they just tried to stop us from going." Todoroki nodded.

"Uraraka had some pretty harsh words for us." Kirishima added.

"Uraraka did?" Midoriya was surprised by that.

"In any case, listen. No matter how you look at is, what we're trying to do is driven by our own egos." Todoroki told everyone, "If you want to turn back, it's not too late."

"If I wasn't sure about this I wouldn't have suggested it in the first place!" Kirishima nodded, "Bakugo's not the kind of guy who will want to just let the Villains have their way."

"I… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't unsure." Hiryu admitted, "It's not alright for us to be getting involved, but I don't want to just sit around." She gripped her arm tightly.

"I…" Midoriya thought for a minute before speaking, "There's no way I can turn back now."

Moxie

As he wandered about the streets, Moxie eventually came across several blocks that the police were blocking off, letting no one in. Not one to miss the excitement, Moxie ducked into an alley out of sight of the cops.

"This must be part of the investigation." Moxie made sure no one was around and used his Bounce, leaping up to grab the ladder of a fire escape, making his way to the roof of the building, "I'm not allowed to get involved, but I can at least watch! Nothing wrong with that."

Leaping across the rooftops, Moxie came across the bulk of the police's forces, gathered with several Heroes outside some kind of bar. Just from a cursory glance he could spot Endeavor, Kamui Woods and All Might himself.

"They're really going all out!" Moxie nodded approvingly, taking a seat at the edge of the building, watching as All Might lead the assault, smashing through the wall of the building.

In a matter of moments they had subdued every Villain in the building, Kamui Woods restraining them all, as Gran Torino and Edgeshot knocked out the most troublesome.

"Woo!" Moxie cheered, drawing eyes up to where he was watching, "Uh… oops."

"Get down here!"

Moxie Bounced down to where Tsukauchi and Endeavor were standing, a smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Tsukauchi demanded.

"Just watching, sir. I swear." Moxie told him, holding his hands up, "Nothing wrong with that."

Tsukauchi sighed heavily and turned back towards the bar.

"Fine, but stay here with us where it's safe." He shook his head, "We'll be having a talk later."

"Yes sir!" Moxie saluted.

"Cheeky kid…" Endeavor growled.

They were interrupted by a disgusting gunk that appeared in the air, a large number of Nomu spilling out amongst the police. Moxie quickly leapt onto the top of a swat van, trying to get a better view of everything.

"Don't get involved, kid! Get to the Heroes up there, it's safer!" Tsukauchi shouted, as a number of Nomu took to the air with various flight-based Quirks, "If you see an opening, leave!"

"Right!" Moxie leapt up to All Might and the others, landing right next to the Hero.

"Young Moxie?!" All Might exclaimed, as more Nomu began to appear in the bar.

"It's no safer up here!" Moxie realized, "But there are Nomu in the air, I can't leap away!"

"Just stay safe, Young Moxie!" All Might instructed.

The same gunk that had brought all the Nomus spilled out of Bakugo's mouth, warping him away.

"Bakugo, my boy! No!" All Might narrowly missed grabbing him.

"What the-" The same gunk spilled out of Moxie's mouth, "Disgusting! Me too?!"

"And Moxie!" All Might spun around in time to see him vanish.

Hiryu, Two Minutes Earlier

"Wh-What's happening?!" Iida picked himself up off the ground.

"The Heroes… they got involved so quickly!" Hiryu realized, disguised in a suit with her hair tied back, wearing a mask over her mouth.

"Oh wow~. These things are actually alive?" Mt. Lady asked, holding a couple Nomu in her hands, "Does having this easy of a job sit well with you, Jeanist? Shouldn't we have gone with All Might?"

"Let's not conflate the degree of difficulty of what we're doing with its importance, rookie." Best Jeanist scolded her, "Riot squad, come and hold position! There might still be more of them around here. We're counting on you."

"The Heroes were making their move long before we were!" Iida exclaimed, "Let's get out of here, there's nothing for us to do here!"

"'Gone with All Might'…" Midoriya repeated, "Is he where Kacchan is…?"

"If All Might is there, all the more reason for us to rest easy!" Yaoyorozu pointed out, "Come on, let's get going…"

"I'm sorry, Tiger. I thought she had a useful Quirk long ago…" Someone spoke, hidden in the darkness, "Since the opportunity fell into my lap, I decided to take it…"

"Stop right there! Don't move!" Gang Orca shouted, "Another member of the league, huh…"

"Someone shine some light!" Tiger instructed.

"Ever since my body became like this, my stock has fallen quite a bit." The unknown person stepped forward, quickly being restrained by Best Jeanist.

"Ho-hold on, Jeanist! If that's a civilian…" Mt. Lady shouted.

"Think about the situation! A moment of hesitation could decide everything!" Best Jeanist snapped, "Don't let the Villain do anything!"

"Just when Tomura was starting to think for himself… and beginning to lead others by himself…" In an instant, everyone had been blown away, and the building was turned to rubble.

"W-We have to leave… but my legs won't move!" Hiryu grit her teeth, the overwhelming aura of terror this Villain was giving off paralyzing her.

"As expected of number four, Best Jeanist! I was trying to blast everybody away!" The Villain applauded Best Jeanist mockingly, "But in an instant, you controlled everyone's clothes and pulled them out of the way! Your judgement… technique… you've got nerves of steel!"

"Ugh! Smells like sh#t…" Bakugo appeared near the Villain in a splash of gunk, "The hell is this?!"

"Disgusting…" Moxie appeared as well, spitting on the ground, "Why even bring me along?!"

"I'm sorry, Bakugo." The Villain said, as the other members of the League of Villains appeared, "You've failed again, huh, Tomura? But you absolutely cannot get discouraged. All you need to do is try again. I brought your comrades back for you. And this boy too… because you deemed him to be an 'important piece'. Try as many times as you'd like. That's why I'm here."

"Everything… is for your sake."

"Hang on, what about me, huh?!" Moxie demanded, as the Villains spread out, slowly encircling Moxie and Bakugo.

"A spur of the moment decision." The Villain shrugged, getting distracted by something, "It looks like he's coming after all…"

"I'm gonna make you give everything back, All For One!" All Might rocketed through the air, clashing with the Villain.

"You're going to kill me again, All Might?" All For One asked, "Come now, that was far too slow for you."

The force of the clash was enough to send everyone tumbling back. Hiryu and the others bunkered down behind their cover as rubble flew over their heads.

"This place is only a little over five kilometers from the bar… for it to have taken you thirty whole seconds to arrive from when I sent you all those Nomu… how weak you've become, All Might." All For One commented.

"Right back at you, you son of a b#tch. Wanna fill me in on that mask?! When did your neck sprout an industrial zone?!" All Might asked, "You certain you're not overexerting yourself!?"

"To push All Might back… this guy's gotta be the leader!" Moxie realized, trying to find an opening to get away, "If I push my Bounce, I can pull Bakugo out… but if we get caught in another shockwave like that, we'd be sent flying!"

Moxie grit his teeth, glancing towards Bakugo, before another shockwave, caused by an attack from the Villain, sent him tumbling back again.

"D#mn it… this guy's too strong!" Moxie grit his teeth as the Villain extended tendrils from his fingers, forcefully activating the unconscious Kurogiri's Quirk for the Villains to take Bakugo.

"They just want me, you d#mn rabbit. Get out of here." Bakugo growled, facing down the Villains.

"What do we do with the other one?" Toga asked.

"…kill him." Shigaraki instructed, "And grab the pawn."

"That's all well and good Bakugo, but I don't think they're letting me out of here without a fight." Moxie shook his head, a smile on his face, "And I'd regret it if I left you here!"

"Moron…" Bakugo growled.

"If I could just get them out of there…" Hiryu grit her teeth, mumbling to herself without realizing, "But I couldn't carry both of them with two arms, let alone a broken one…"

"Hiryu…" Kirishima placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Iida… g-guys!" Midoriya spoke up.

"No, you can't, Midoriya!" Iida cut him off.

"Yes, we can!" Midoriya argued, "Cuz we won't be 'engaging in battle'! We oughta be able to get away and rescue Kacchan at the same time! There is a way!"

"Go on." Todoroki nodded.

"Although… it also depends on what Kacchan'll do." Midoriya sighed, "This plan probably won't work if… if I do it. You do it, Kirishima. You're the key to raising our chances of success. Right now, Kacchan is being wary of his opponents and fighting them at a distance. The perfect timing is when Kacchan is more than two paces away from all the Villains."

"Hey, but what about Moxie?!" Kirishima pointed out.

"Using the opening we create, Moxie's sure to escape as well!" Midoriya explained.

"It's a gamble, but… if you think about it, the risk to us is low…" Iida spoke, "And if we do succeed, the tables will turn very much in our favor… let's do it." He nodded.

Moxie leapt back from Toga, narrowly dodging a swipe from her knife and slamming his foot into Twice's stomach, pushing him back.

"Seems I've gotten myself into something troublesome…" Moxie grit his teeth.

Without warning, a huge ramp of ice appeared, and Iida, Midoriya and Kirishima flew through the air above everyone.

"Bakugo!" Kirishima reached out, "Take my hand!"

Bakugo grit his teeth as Shigaraki dove for him, reaching for the back of his shirt, but was blown back by a massive explosion as Bakugo went rocketing through the air, grabbing holding of Kirishima's hand.

"Moxie! Get away!" Iida shouted.

"Easier said than done, Iida…" Moxie grumbled, dodging a swipe from Toga and kicking her knife out of her hands, sending it tumbling out of sight amongst the rubble, "You're really putting me on the spot here, huh?"

Mr. Compress, Spinner and Magne came together for a combined attack, sending Mr. Compress soaring through the air after the group.

"Titan Cliff!" Mt. Lady grew massive and blocked Mr. Compress with a headbutt, knocking her out.

Distracted by the action, Moxie failed to notice Toga circling around him, grabbing him from behind and restraining his arms.

"Got you!" Toga smiled.

"We can still catch them! One more shot…" Twice ran to join the cannon, before all three of them were knocked out by Gran Torino.

"You should've gone for the legs!" Moxie growled, as Shigaraki charged in, aiming to disintegrate him. Firing off his Bounce, Moxie launched both himself and Toga through the air, flipping over once and landing on their backs a distance away from Shigaraki, crushing Toga painfully between Moxie and the ground.

"D#mnit, how can this one kid be so much trouble?!" Shigaraki demanded as Moxie leapt away, Toga picking herself up with a groan.

"Causing trouble is about all I'm good for, I'm afraid!" Moxie laughed, bouncing out of their reach, "With the Heroes here, I'll just have to get away as soon as possible!"

All For One once again used his weird tendrils, forcefully activating Magne's Quirk, drawing all of the Villain's towards Toga, who stood in front of Kurogiri's portal.

"Hey, wait! Not so fast!" Toga cried as the Villains slammed into her, sending all of them tumbling through the gate, despite the resistance Shigaraki put up.

"It's over, we're getting out of here." Todoroki said, leading Yaoyorozu and Hiryu down the alley to get somewhere safe.

"R-Right… hopefully Moxie can leave soon." Hiryu nodded.

Moxie got to a raised position some distance away from the fight and watched the clash, each blow carrying huge amounts of power. All Might was forced to take a blow head on to protect a civilian behind him, and when the smoke cleared… he seemed like a gaunt, skeletal version of himself.

"This is like some kind of bad dream." Moxie shook his head, "Is that really All Might?"

Moxie couldn't hear what the Villain was saying, but whatever it was, it wiped the smile right off of All Might's face. And seeing All Might no longer smiling… caused a frown to stretch across Moxie's face.

"D#mn it… All Might! You've gotta push through!" Moxie leapt closer to the action, "Keep smiling, All Might! You gotta keep smiling!"

"Young Moxie…" All Might's eyes widened in shock, as more voices joined in on cheering their Hero onwards, "You're right, All For One. There's so much… so much we Heroes have to protect!" All Might's right arm suddenly expanded, resembling the form everyone was familiar with, "And that's why… we don't lose."

"With all your strength… will that be your final swing, All Might?" All For One asked, "Wounded Heroes are the most terrifying of all. Your face, as you came after me even with your guts spilling out… even now I still see it in my sleep."

All For One's arm expanded as he went to attack, but a wave of fire distracted him, forcing him to use his attack and blast it away instead.

"What the hell is with that appearance, All Might?!" Endeavor demanded, arriving with the other Heroes.

"Although they were all pretty mediocre… to have taken care of the Nomu already… it's to be expected from the man who ascended to the rank of number two."

"All Might…" Endeavor grimaced, "What is up with that pathetic form of yours?!"

"If you've only come to show your support, then act like a real audience and quietly behave yourself." All For One raised his arm to attack the number two Hero, only to be caught off guard by Edgeshot.

"Don't kid yourself, you savage." He told him, as Kamui Woods dug the other Pros out of the rubble, "We came here to help."

"This is about as much as we can do… but if it lightens your burden, even a little…" Tiger helped to retrieve the young lady All Might had taken the blow for, "Please, All Might! Stop that wicked fellow! Everyone is wishing for your victory! No matter what your appearance may be, you are still everyone's number one Hero!"

"Everyone is wishing for your victory!" Those words echoed through All Might's mind, reminding him of everything he was fighting for. All the people he was striving to protect, and the master he sought to avenge.

"Enough with the sentimental talk. Let's talk reality." All For One sent everyone flying away with a massive blast, Moxie was sent flying back into a chunk of rubble, slamming into it painfully, "The shockwaves up until now have been just enough to wear down your strength. Nothing lethal." He explained, combining a monstrous number of Quirks in his right arm, "But now, to make sure I kill you, with this combination of the strongest, most suitable Quirks that I have put together…"

"I will strike you down."

The resulting clash created the biggest shockwave yet, pinning Moxie against the rubble, breathless. He could feel himself blacking out as he watched the clash, fighting against unconsciousness.

He held on just long enough to see All Might land a solid smash to All For One's jaw, before slipping from consciousness.

And that's the whole thing!

I definitely don't think it's my best work, but really I don't think I could ever do the All Might versus All For One fight justice.

Left it on a little bit of a cliffhanger there, sorry about that. I'll try to get you the resolution as soon as I can!

Enigma, signing off.