TheGreatBubbaJ - Not quite :P
Naruto30 - You'll get more of feral might in this chapter :P
Detrametal - Yeah, I really like that term, lol. Shame very few reacted to it on Ao3.
Planar-Walking-Entertainment - Who knows, who knows... ;3
(***)
"Merry Christmas!" Everyone decides to shout it at once. Eraserhead shivers slightly. He is the only person who decided against wearing Santa Claus outfits. Because, honestly… yeah, no.
His class is in front of him. Celebrating the day while being entirely unaware that the school organized the party in the morning because in a few hours a Jaku raid is going to start. And it will involve Eraserhead.
Well, Midoriya probably knows - Aizawa stopped even pretending to be surprised when Midoriya turns out to be aware of another state secret. But if so, then he is hiding it rather well.
Mineta isn't here currently, because he dashed away to deliver the presents to his 'friends' (Aizawa has no idea what they have between themselves and he doesn't want to know). Tenko Shimura has also dashed away to be with Suto, a fact that surprised absolutely no one.
They also didn't get the younglings, because Aiko announced that they'll have their own Christmas Party.
It was supposed to include herself, Touya Todoroki, Izumi Kouta, Eri Midoriya, both of Asui siblings (Samidare and Satsuki) and a handful of other younger siblings of school students.
Asa was here, although it was rather clear that he was terrified of that fact. Izuku was channeling the training he received from Lemillion and Sir Nighteye into helping him interact with people without overwhelming him.
In short, it was a relatively calm moment. Even Bakugou was yelling a bit less loud, a small mercy.
Midoriya was still completely unaware of the exact reason why his entire couch was occupied by girls (except for Asa). At this point even Aizawa realized what it was about, and his one and only romantic relationship ever started when Emi decided to break his flat's entrance door and drag him into a date at a cat cafe.
It was sad.
They are all extremely surprised when the younglings decide to visit them. Although for a variety of reasons.
One: Well, they actually showed up. And, judging from the reactions (especially from the 1-A girls), they looked super cute in their little Santa outfits. Especially Eri.
Two: Nyarlatothep, Aiko's pet otter, was also there. Wearing what looked like a reindeer cosplay, and resting on her shoulders.
Three, although that was something that only Aizawa realized: They were accompanied by Lady Nagant in a Santa outfit, carrying around a large bag of what looked like gifts. She even had a very big and fake beard.
"... seriously?" Aizawa decides to ask her while she's busy unloading the gifts and handing them to everyone. Judging from the ones that were already opened, each of them got a small keychain decorated with plush versions of Eri and Aiko (to choose from them, if they wanted) and sincere thanks from Eri (and regal congratulations from Aiko) about being there for their oniichan the whole time.
And, of course, for helping stop Overhaul. Either in the USJ, or in the Training Camp or… recently. But the last part remained unsaid.
There is something deeply wrong with having a de-aged Dabi be there with them to deliver the thanks, but Eraserhead at this point stopped being surprised by stuff like that.
"What?" Lady Nagant looks at him weirdly. "I like kids. And I'm technically a free woman now because I was a part of the Vigilante Alliance so I was accidentally pardoned alongside them."
Right. Too much blood on her hands to have a shot on reentering the industry. Plus, well, she was probably going to do her best to stay out of public radar.
"Nothing, nothing." Eraserhead decides to not die on that hill. In the background, Aiko lets out a very emotionless squeal of happiness while using Dark Shadow as a mount to look down on the 1-A.
"Before I forget, that one's for you." Lady Nagant takes out a significantly larger package from her bag. "From Izuku."
"Oh, great." Eraserhead sighs while grabbing it. "What n…"
"Don't open it here." She quickly adds, quietly enough for no one else to pick it up. "Do it before the raid. And read the letter inside."
…
"Wonderful." Eraserhead this time openly groans. "I don't know what it is, but I'm already hating it. Thanks."
"Merry Christmas to you too, mr. Grumpyass." Lady Nagant shoots back. "Enjoy the party a bit, at least."
They don't have a lot of time to speak after that, as that's when something happens.
"Of course I know what Christmas is!" Eri announces steadfastly - and loudly enough for Lady Nagant and Eraserhead' to pick it up and turn their faces to the scene - towards a few of 1-A girls. "It's the day when we comm… comma… commem… celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!"
Eraserhead looks questioningly at Lady Nagant. Kaina Tsutsumi sighs.
"Two words: United States." She then says. "Apparently All Might decided to… uhm… 'strengthen his understanding of his own moral superiority towards that bastard All for One.'. In a very, uhm, All Might fashion."
"Do I even want to ask?" Eraserhead says. Something on her face makes him feel like it's a very bad idea.
(***)
Many years ago, in America
"But the evil is out there!" All Might (wearing a suit, and yes, it kind of hurts but…) announces loudly towards the people gathered in front of him. "It's waiting to corrupt us! To whisper its honeyed lies into our ears, to lead us astray!" He says through the microphone.
He takes a step back, his left hand on the wireless microphone, his right hand on a still covered painting right next to him.
"And the name of that evil…" He says, while pulling the cover off. It's a painting of All for One, except for a pair of large, devilish horns on the top of his head. ".. is Al… errr.. Satan!"
Despite his small slip of the tongue, the loud gasps coming from the congregation in front of him seem to make it clear that the message was clear enough. Good.
(***)
Now
Eraserhead stares at Lady Nagant for a few long seconds, trying to comprehend what he just heard.
"A pastor." Eraserhead then says. "You're telling me that he became a protestant pastor in the United States just so he could… uhm… shitpost about All for One in front of people?" Damn, now he's picking up words from Shinsou.
"Yeah, I think there were more reasons than that, but… yeah." Lady Nagant shrugs.
Eraserhead sighs painfully before pinching the bridge of his nose. He is so goddamn tired of knowing All Might.
(***)
Midoriya's present is a grenade. And a letter on how to apply it during the raid, which is extremely, extremely confusing to Aizawa. Especially as Izuku, of course, doesn't elaborate. Except for 'if it works as I think it'll, you'll get a truly awesome Christmas present, Aizawa-sensei!".
It's NOT a training grenade.
Eraserhead briefly considers expelling himself for a change.
(***)
Nedzu quickly checks his list of available assets for the operation for the very last time. It's… quite notable.
It's not the time to pull any punches. Endeavor and Invincible are there at the very top. Miruko is there of course, together with Gang Orca (Shishido is still out due to medical concerns, Eri can only heal so many people). Ryukyu didn't get her wing back yet (Eri's few years long rewind of Suto took more energy out of her than they expected), but she was still a strong ground combatant.
Wash is on standby nearby. Boulder is with him, ready to defend the field hospital in case of things going hairy.
As for the lesser heroes, they had a lot of them. Eraserhead, Present Mic, Vlad King, Midnight, Cementoss and All Might (making his debut as a quirkless hero), from the UA faculty, with Power Loader providing electronic support.
(Nedzu is at UA, with a full control over automatic security of the school - with Re-Destro being what he was, they couldn't be sure that it was another set-up and a way of drawing the teachers out of UA - they also have Ectoplasm and Hound Dog there just in case)
Mt. Lady, Death Arms and Kamui Woods. Majestic. Fat Gum. Ingenium. Wild Wild Pussycats. Gran Torino. Gunhead. Ms. Joke. Centipeder. Bloodblade. Knuckleduster. Crawler. Split. Lemillion. Nejire-chan. Suneater. Lots and lots of names.
Together with almost ten thousand GSDF soldiers and police officers from the Anti-Firearms Squads and Special Assault Teams to serve as a perimeter defense and prevent the fighting from spreading through the city.
All of that arriving at the scene right before the attack commenced, with Nedzu and the government organizing a proper smokescreen to keep the whole movement secret from the Paranormal Liberation Front.
Dictator's sources realized that something was happening. But not fast enough. By the time the supervillain figured out what was happening, the trap was set. The GSDF and the police had several checkpoints surrounding the hospital, with small units of heroes spread between them and between the Jaku General Hospital (focusing, together with the soldiers, police officers and rescue services on evacuating the civilians).
Less than ten seconds later, the main assault party entered the building itself. Sense already reported the presence of a large underground segment of the hospital, and you didn't need High Spec to realize that it was going to be their target.
Sense gave Nedzu a map of the hospital. Lifescan allowed him to monitor the movements of enemy forces. The drones told him about the outline of the city surrounding the Hospital. High Spec allowed him to merge all that intel in his mind into one cohesive whole.
Each time a hero identified a villain, Lifescan's 'dot' was immediately updated with his name, quirk and allegiance. Together with the same thing already present for the heroes, it was enough to allow Nedzu to basically micromanage the engagements from his comfy seat at UA.
Because, of course, he got the help of a hero with a quirk that allowed him to establish links between people in order to feed someone with someone else's sensory data. He saw what Sense and Lifescan did. Nedzu was, in the end, a perfectionist.
It was going to the final battle of the Paranormal Liberation War. That much Nedzu was certain of. The only question that remained was who was going to be the winner.
(***)
Nine didn't measure up to Nedzu's tactical skills. But he was intelligent and skillful enough when fighting was involved. Besides, he had time to prepare an all-rounded defense plan for the Jaku General Hospital.
It was a good plan, something that even Nedzu was going to admit a few minutes later, once he began to realize what it was about.
The alerts rung throughout the complex. A second before Mandalay spoke through her quirk to everyone in the area, telling civilians to evacuate due to the battle that was about to start at the premises (aside from the patients that couldn't be moved, as the heroes would come in to protect them as soon as possible).
Nine started shouting orders through the communication network. Throughout the hospital the security was pulling out heavier weapons, Mechanist's combat drones and Doctor Garaki's noumus were deployed and both Necromancer' and Mummy started to do their magic.
Nine, Slice, Chimera, in the meantime, rushed towards the hospital rooftops.
(***)
"Grand Commander." Re-Destro hears Skeptic's voice in the earpiece. "The heroes are storming Jaku General Hospital. A crowd of them. Nedzu seems to be in charge."
He was, technically, in the middle of the business meeting. Detnerat Company was, after all, one of the biggest industrial powerhouses of Japan. The last standing zaibatsu conglomerate dating back to the economical shift that the Dawn of Quirks was.
It started as a small company that was established by some of Destro's followers. The first of its kind to cater to the altered biology of the metahumans. It was overlooked by the government when the Meta-Liberation War ended… and kept growing ever since. Because the market for their products grew, while the ones for their contemporary rivals shrunk.
Most of its competition managed to adapt, at the end. But several decades of slowly amassing renown among the metahumans was a capital that Re-Destro's predecessors didn't squander.
Which brought him here. Into a room when he negotiated what was de facto a merger attempt with another life-support company, based on Okinawa. It was much smaller than Detnerat, but still large enough for the government to send a representative to oversee the talks.
Problems.
Thankfully, the meeting was pretty much a formality. Although he still needed to wait until the representative looked elsewhere.
Re-Destro made a MLA salute. The CEO of the soon-to-be Detnerat branch on Okinawa replied in kind. While probably wondering what was happening to warrant that.
"I'm afraid…" Re-Destro says. "... that we're going to postpone the meeting for… one to two hours. Let's make it two hours. Something rather urgent came up."
"Oh, that won't be the problem." The CEO - also known as Furnace, although only among his fellow MLA members - quickly replies. "I believe that we're going to need a moment for ourselves to check certain data and consult our legal department either way."
The governmental representative looks vaguely irritated at the interruption, but decides to go along with that. After all, they both decided to do it.
What an absolute fluke that the meeting was with Furnace. There are dozens of lifestyle support companies in the country, after all (Detnerat being the biggest one of them, but still having some notable competition). If the meeting was with someone else, he'd lose an important business venture after having to walk out of it.
"Skeptic, I'm going to the command post." He announces through the earpiece once he and his personal assistant leave the meeting. They are in Detnerat headquarters in Deika, after all. They just need a short elevator ride to get there. "Start the final equipment check. We're starting the Endgame now."
Heroes showed up earlier than they thought and without warning (so Nedzu suspected Sense and involved him at the last minute, good to know that the rat was most likely investigating the Hearts and Minds Party). But… it was still within the operational parameters that the MLA leadership established.
Hopefully it won't turn into the same clusterfuck as their last operation.
(***)
Heroes clashed with the villain in the corridors of the surface level of the hospital. It was, frankly speaking, a mess.
Noumus emerging out of nowhere. A variety of combat robots armed with guns, trying to turn corridors into killzones. Mummy's constructs, made typically from medical equipment, large and resistant enough to at least try to block the corridor. An assortment of remaining PLF warriors sent after them.
Chaos. And that's before they run into literal zombies. Necromancer - aka Romero Fujimi, the shame of the Isamu Academy - was here.
They could counter their attacks easily. They could restrain them easily and without the zombification spreading to them. They were professionals after all. But it meant more civilians trying to walk into a crossfire.
It was, as stated, a total mess.
There were also, despite the pro-heroes best effort, civilian casualties. Not many, but… it was a battle, after all.
Nedzu himself considered it an unfortunate side-effect that wouldn't matter much if they were kept under control and the heroes managed to prove that they weren't for naught. If the battle will be a victory, if the PLF is destroyed, if numerous high ranked villains that killed thousands of people until now were to be arrested… then those deaths wouldn't matter. Cold, but…
Mr. Principal was still juggling heroes and rescue personnel around through his command network, ensuring that the casualties were as low as possible.
Thus far, the assault was proceeding as planned.
(***)
Nine finally made it to the rooftop of the hospital. In front of him was a landscape straight from his nightmares.
Pro-heroes. Pro-heroes everywhere. Some of them getting people out of the building, some helping the civilians fleeing the hospital, some clashing with the stray noumus or combat robots that found their way out of the building.
With them, police officers. Some of which (well, most of them) were wearing full riot gear. Typically leaving most of the fighting for the pro-heroes, but judging from what Nine saw, at least several lower level noumus were gunned down rather than defeated with quirks.
And it still wasn't all, as Nine realized when a Near-High End Noumu that tried to cross a lawn next to the hospital in order to get to some fleeing civilians suddenly exploded.
Tanks. They brought goddamn tanks. Doctor Garaki wanted a civil war, but it seems that he didn't think about the fact that it would mean the government employing more than just pro-heroes.
It was, frankly, an absolute clusterfuck.
Nine decided that it was the high time to start cleaning it up, especially as Slice and Chimera were almost in the position. They could rain hell from above, using their powerful quirk to tear through the crowds. Thus stopping the flow of enemies into the hospital, allowing the noumus (much more suited for indoor fighting) to eventually corner the assault group.
Nine was about to start it by tearing through one of the groups with a thunderstrike, when he was suddenly interrupted.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A calm voice comes from the side. Nine activates Air Wall shield on an instinct before turning his head towards its source.
He certainly didn't expect Superman to show up to the battle. The aesthetic is clearly inspired by the ancient superhero, Nine realizes that instantly. There is even a flowing cape, except there is I instead of S on the chest. And the colors are different, mostly white and red.
Are those… the colors of the Japan flag? Seriously?
The man (approaching his thirties) is floating in the air right next to the hospital rooftop. Nine actually came close to the corner of it while preparing his quirk to fire in one direction - the new arrival surprised him by floating near the other edge of the rooftop.
They are both perfectly level with each other. Good. Nine would hate having to look up at that man.
"Who are you?" He asks. He certainly never heard of any pro-hero looking like that
"I am Invincible." The man replies. Nine's mind connects the dots. There was some Paragon by that name, but naturally, nothing else was known about him as he didn't participate in the TV station… debacle. "And this is your first and last occasion to surrender peacefully."
"Invincible. Looking like Superman. Colors of the flag." Nine chuckles. "Can you get any more ridiculous?" He'll need to kill that man first, just in case he actually was strong. Rather than, well, just hilariously full of himself.
"Have you ever seen All Might?" Invincible tilts his head a bit, staring Nine down. "Ridiculous stops being ridiculous when you have the strength to back it up."
"Comparing yourself to All Might now?" Nine sighs before turning his hand towards the Paragon. Bullet Laser should be enough to…
Invincible bursts forward, faster than Nine's eyes can follow. His instincts are well-honed, and his body acts faster than his mind. Before the hero gets close, before the punch connects with Nine's head, his Air Wall shield is up in front of him.
Except, it fails to stop the attack, shattering under the impact..
Nine has no time to think about it. No time to be shocked by it. The Air Wall bought him a split second, enough to twist his neck enough for Invincible's fist to merely graze the side of his head. He then immediately bursts back, trying to gain some distance.
Invincible lets him do that. Instead of immediately following with another attack, he calmly steps onto the rooftop. And stands there, his fists raised. Someone was a trained boxer and decided against lowering his guard in front of a supervillain.
"So…" He then says, staring calmly at Nine from behind his arms. "... do you still think that I'm ridiculous?"
"I guess… that you've managed to prove to me that you are not, in fact, ridiculous. Congratulations." Nine replies dryly. He is rapidly reassessing the threat level of the enemy in front of him. Things AREN'T looking good at all. Especially with the number of heroes that might join the fight if he wastes too much time. "Your quirk. It's something akin to what Captain Celebrity has, isn't it?" He then says. If that man is THIS full of himself, maybe he'll at least confirm the suspicions before the fight starts ag…
"Correct." Invincible replies. Despite his own thoughts, Nine is actually surprised by that. "There are almost eight billion people out there, the same quirk can materialize in many unrelated people. Mine is similar to his. The ability to apply telekinesis to yourself, in order to simulate physical reinforcement… or fly." He then sighs. "Of course, unlike Christopher Skyline, I trained my quirk for at least four hours a day ever since it manifested."
Shit. It looks like the HPSC decided to create something incredibly troublesome, just to haunt the Paranormal Liberation Front from beyond the grave. Absolutely goddamn brilliant. Unfortunately, Nine was currently alone.
Fortunately, he could change that easily.
Except when his hand reaches for the earpiece in order to switch it on (and relay the order to his comrades on the rooftop to join him immediately and to Doctor Garaki to send in some noumus asap), it finds emptiness.
"Are you looking…" Invincible notices it, of course. And opens one of his fists. "... for this?"
It's the earpiece. Invincible snatched it in the milisecond where his fist was grazing Nine's head. Without Nine noticing it.
"I'd tell you to next time use one that's entirely hidden inside instead of having a large, visible part outside that made me notice it…" Invincible says while crushing the earpiece in his fist. "... but we both know that there won't be a next time, villain."
Invincible springs forward, the ground under him cracking under recoil. Nine powers up his quirks. It's going to be a nasty battle.
(***)
"Status report." Re-Destro says after entering the MLA' command center.
"The battle is ongoing." Skeptic replies. "Heroes committed most of their remaining assets. Mechanist and Dictator are present at the premises, together with Kurogiri, Nine's crew and a lot of no-names. Things… do not look good for the Paranormal Liberation Front."
"Warp scramblers?" Re-Destro asks.
"Active." Skeptic replies. Nedzu made sure to have Jaku under lockdown before the attack started, just what Re-Destro expected from someone as brilliant as the UA Principal. "Doctor Garaki is calling you."
"Because of course he does." Re-Destro sighs. "Patch him through. Before that… Endgame?"
"Ready to start at your order." Skeptic replies.
Brilliant.
(***)
This is the last installment over the 'weird things that All Might learned in United States' during the course of this fic. That particular scene was floating in my head for a LONG time ever since I saw Eri being confused over the nature of Christmas in canon.
Invincible is finally getting his fight REAL fight instead of endless training exercises courtesy of the HPSC. Doctor Garaki probably regrets focusing his observation of the Jaku' surrounding on the heroes, being completely surprised by a group of JGSDF soldiers with heavy equipment suddenly having their train stopped right next to his base in the middle of some normal army repositioning in order to ... end the war, I guess. And Re-Destro is...
... well, expect the unexpected.