CHAPTER 13: MANHUNT, PART 4
"It is never too late to be who you might have been."
-George Elliot
A clash of the titans takes the city of Los Angeles by hold, in between a fight between two of the classic archetypes of any historic battle: Heroes and monsters.
The monsters are 4 genetically engineered bioweapons known as Nomu, sent out to cause chaos and mayhem in the streets of the city, for reasons currently unknown as of now. The heroes are the graduates of Class 1-A, a team who has had the most experience in battling these creatures and the organization of villains that created them.
3 of the Nomu currently find themselves occupied with the efforts of much of Class 1-A; the team having divided itself into 4 distinct groups to handle each Nomu. Now that we have displayed the efforts of the past 3 teams, now comes time to bring the spotlight to the final group of heroes, being led into battle by the leader of the team himself, the inheritor of the legendary Quirk named One for All:
Izuku Midiora, better known to the world as Deku.
With the majority of his team split apart and taking on their own groups to combat the mutant enemy, the remaining members of his team he has to work with are Shoto, Fumikage, Hanta, and Koji, leaving him stuck with many of the members of his team with the lowest powers.
Residing in a modern American city with little animals to be found, and the day in the middle of its course, the conditions leave Koji and Fumikage barely of any use with their Quirks having no place in this setting. Nonetheless, Deku does not let the challenge hold him down, and he still pushes his teammates to continue the fight, seeking to make use of what little he has on his hands.
But his determination still does not make the challenge any less of a mountain to surmount.
"[Koji, found any animals you can use yet?]" Deku asked.
"[No... Animal control in this country is really strict, and all I can find is bugs... I really hate bugs... I'm sorry...]" Koji said.
"[Don't worry about it, just keep trying your best! Shoto, are you ready to move the Nomu in position?]"
"[When you are.]" Shoto said.
"[Okay. Just like we planned. Hanta, now!]"
"[Sir, yes, sir, Midoriya!]" Hanta said.
Firing rolls of naturally-produced tape from his elbows, Hanta shot wrappers of the sticky rolls of cellophane around the Nomu, wrapping multiple rolls of the substance around its body. Producing large quantities of the substance was not an easy task to complete, the process having a strain on his body, but having both leadership under Deku and a plan directly from him allowed him the strength to continue.
When he successfully encased the Nomu's chest in tape, the creature took to the tape to remove it, but found the task too great to overcome; it was far too encased in the substance to free itself properly from the hold of the hero. Proud to have an achievement to show for his efforts, Hanta gave a victorious shout over his success.
"[Check it out, guys! I got him! He's not coming out of that one, we might not even need Shoto!]" Hanta said.
"[There's still no room to take risks on the plan. Shoto, now's your chance!]" Deku said.
Next in Deku's plan came Shoto's use of his twin Quirk of Fire and Ice, opting for the latter of the two elemental powers on the Nomu. Firing a large blast of cryogenic energy on the beast, its chest was completely encased in ice, further preventing it from removing the tape and the hold it had on the creature.
Now fully having a stranglehold on the Nomu, Hanta stepped in the intended direction needed for Deku to fully enact his plan, putting himself adjacent to a series of skyscrapers. What made the skyscrapers in question was a noticeably large shadow that cast down on the ground from their height, making it required for the next part of his plan to succeed.
Unable to remove the tape from its body, the Nomu had no choice but to push forward, hoping that its strength would be enough to counter and cancel out the hold that the heroes were putting on him. The effort became a test on the physical strength of Hanta, leaving him digging his feet into the ground in hopes of keeping the creature in its intended place.
Concentrating his Quirk of One for All, Deku prepared himself to see it come to fruition to defeat the creature.
"[Okay, here's my part, hope this works...]" Deku said.
Running forward towards the Nomu, his speed increased greatly under the power of One for All, Deku jumped towards the beast, throwing a charged fist towards it.
"[DETROIT... SMASH!]" Deku shouted.
Bursting through the chest of the Nomu, Deku shot through flesh and bone encased in ice, flying straight through the creature like a human bullet. Watching his leader jump through the belly of the Nomu, Hanta released the hold on the tape, throwing the ends up towards the aerial Deku.
Catching the ends of the tape rolls, Deku carried the Nomu as he flew through the air; his momentum built up so greatly from his initial jump that he not even still carried a considerable speed, but force to carry the creature along. Utilizing his own strength to throw the beast forward, he launched the Nomu past himself, flying back through the open hole in its chest as it flew.
Finally, the Nomu landed in the shadows of the skyscrapers as intended, collapsing on its back in defeat. The defeat it suffered did not last long, however; the wound that was inflicted in its chest that would prove deadly to any other living being on this Earth had began filling itself, making Deku's attack completely ineffectual.
Or, so far as the Nomu itself would believe to be ineffectual, for it did not process much in the way of critical thought against its enemies. It is that lack of mental capacity which does not give it warning for what would soon come next to it, now that it laid within the dangerous hold of shadow.
Out of the shadow, a figure darker than even the minor absence of light made itself present in the shadow, appearing as little more to the eye than a silhouette. Looking to the image of the the silhouette, the Nomu deduced the figure to be some manner of large bird, but the image was far more than a simple bird, and posed a greater threat than any mere aviary could provide.
The shape of the bird was the final and as of yet unseen member of the team, Fumikage, and the threat he posed made him the final part of Deku's plan.
"[Fumikage, now!]" Deku said.
"[I know, Midoriya.]" Fumikage said.
Activating his own Quirk, he unleashed the better half of himself on the Nomu, sending a deadly force down on the creature to condemn it to destruction. His Quirk gifted him with a spiritual entity known as Dark Shadow, usable only in any absence or small presence of light.
Taking advantage of the shadow of the skyscrapers, he let loose the beast of pure emotion hiding in his body, allowing it to take out all of itself on the Nomu.
Beating down on the Nomu with large fists, the shadow pummeled the beast into the ground, showing no mercy against its target, nor having any good reason to do so. Free to let loose all of its energy onto the helpless target, it continued to crush the enemy by beating and beating at it, showing no signs of ending its attack.
It had eventually stopped its beating, but only for the purpose to continue its attack by moving to another means of attack.
Drawing out sharp claws from out of its fingers, the shadow then drove its clawed fingers into the flesh of the monster, piercing through skin, muscle, sinew, blood vessels, and all manners of mortality with the purpose of ending its life. Taking to the limbs of the Nomu, the shadow then sliced away the arms and legs of the beast, leaving it unable to fight back as it made its next attack.
Digging through the mortal substance of the Nomu, it tore through pieces of the creature away, seeking to separate enough of its body away to end the life of the creature at last and find victory. The display of violence is nothing short of what one might see in a horror film, and surely far from the image of a hero, but, to battle such vicious creatures as Nomu for the safety of others, nothing less would serve to defeat the enemy.
Organs and flesh are torn away from its body, parts separated from the whole, taking away vital needs to maintain the body of the Nomu and keep it functional. Digging through its body, little more than bones are left in its place, with pieces of flesh hanging from the carriage that once held it all safe.
With no signs of movement coming from the Nomu any longer, assumption could easily be made that the beast was dead at last. No longer needing the vicious beast in himself to be let loose, Fumikage retracted the shadow back into his body, allowing himself to take control once again.
Jumping down from his elevated position on one of the skyscraper's ledges, Fumikage walked towards the rest of the heroes, joining them in a moment of levity after supposedly defeating the creature. The rest of the team, not used to seeing such violent displays of Quirks, looked to him in a state of uneasiness.
"[Uh... You got that thing under control again, right?]" Hanta asked.
"[Yes.]" Fumikage said.
"[And it's not gonna, you know, attack us at all, right?]"
"[No.]"
"[I can't say I was exactly enjoying what I saw, but you seemed to down the creature. That's more than I could ask for.]" Shoto said.
"[Good. Now that means we can head to the others and give them a hand.]" Deku said.
Before the team could follow through on that promise, however, one last member of the team took their opportunity to contribute to the defeat of the Nomu. A stray dog had walked up towards the Nomu's head and lifted its leg towards it, urinating on its face and eyeballs.
Confusion was only initial to how this stray dog appeared, but logical deduction led the team to point to Koji, holding a careful look of pride on his face.
"[Oh, uh... I managed to find that little puppy, but... You guys already beat the monster... But I still wanted to make him feel important.]" Koji said.
"[Well, don't worry, I think you did a good job, Koji.]" Deku said.
"[Aw, I really didn't do much. If anyone should get the credit, the doggy should.]"
Just as conclusion had come to both the conversation and the dog's urination, the Nomu's head moved once again, turning itself towards the dog which had released its liquid waste upon it. Opening its jaws towards the small lost pet, the Nomu closed them around it, crushing it between sharp and firm teeth, ripping through its body and shredding it into little more than ground beef.
The sight brought disgust and horror to the team, but none felt the emotions so intensely as Koji. Forced to watch an animal, a member of a simplistic form of life he could speak to and identify with, be devoured and murdered in such a brutal and repulsive way, he could do nothing but cry over the loss of his small friend.
"[NO! LITTLE DOGGY! NO!]" Koji shouted.
The Nomu's retaliation did not simply begin with a light snack of the canine, but its body began to regenerate from the multiple organs and muscles lost, recreating all of its life-supporting organs once again. Once the body had regained its internal parts, it reached out for the lost limbs, reattaching them to the whole.
Muscle and tissue began to protrude from the stumps that its limbs were once attached to, extending out to the severed arms and legs to pulled them back to its native home once again. Reconnecting with nerve endings and bone, the limbs had reset themselves into place, allowing the Nomu to walk once again.
Standing on its own two legs again, it began moving back towards the heroes once again, reducing their victory and efforts to naught.
Possessing a Quirk with the longest-range attack, Shoto began blasting fire towards the creature, hoping to incinerate the beast and put a stop to it by burning it to ash. The attack managed to burn some of the creature's flesh and skin, but the damage was merely superficial, and did nothing to stop its advancement.
Shoto's determination pushed him to continue fighting against the Nomu and hope to end its rampage by continuing to burn it until it stopped, but found no progress in his efforts, regardless of how intensely he focused them. A hand coming down from the Nomu would spell nothing short of doom for Shoto had he not moved from his place...
...but a quick move for salvation came from Hanta, who shot tape from his arms to grab hold of both him and Fumikage, retracting the tape to bring both back to safety away from the Nomu's wrath. Deku was among the next to gain the focus of the creature when he was left behind, but he had taken advantage of the focus to use his own attack against the beast.
Jumping up with another charge of energy of One for All, he raised a fist, aiming it towards the Nomu's face.
"[TEXAS... SMASH!]" Deku shouted.
Landing a supercharged punch across the face of the Nomu, he landed a blow that severed its jaw clean off its face, sending it flying into a nearby building. Delivering a deadly blow to the Nomu, leading it to bleed from its jawless face, Deku landed safely back on the ground away from danger, but, upon landing, he realized that there was still one final member of his team who was not safe.
Still grieving over the death of his acquaintance stray dog, Koji cried on the ground, planting his face in his hands as tears came from his eyes. The act of emotional weakness caused him to lose sight of the greater threat at hand, leaving him oblivious to the Nomu coming his way.
And it especially led him oblivious to the large fist of the Nomu coming down on him, much to the despair of Deku.
"[KOJI! LOOK OUT!]" Deku shouted.
Koji looked up from his moment of grieving to see the aforementioned fist coming down on him, giving him a sharp and uncomfortable return to reality, and putting him face-to-face with yet another encounter of death coming from the Nomu. Unable to avoid the strike in time, Koji, in a fit of childishness, looked down and closed his eyes, hoping that further ignorance would spare him from death.
It is not this act that does so, but a surprise appearance that does.
Stepping in the path of the fist, a lone figure held up its hands to the Nomu, awaiting the blow to come down towards it. The fist of the Nomu came into contact with the figure's open hands, who carried enough strength to catch its hand and stop the blow, though a slight kneel to the ground resulted from the sheer pressure put on his body, needing to concede some level of force to survive.
But it is not the simple catch of the fist that stops the Nomu. What does is the sudden and strange crumbling of its fist and arm into dust, completely eliminating the threat that once came to this one speck of Earth. Encountering a new form of pain from the figure's attack, the Nomu screeched in pain, allowing him a moment to recover from his defense.
Hearing the screech of the Nomu, the heroes looked to the sight of what would be a death of their teammate to find his salvation coming from a total stranger, giving him looks of shock as they witnessed his power. Koji was slower than his teammates to acknowledge the new player, but soon acknowledged him as he looked up.
The figure that had saved his life had concealed his face with the covering of a pink hoodie with a cartoon duck emblem on the front; a sight that would disarm anyone who looked upon it, but past context telling that this figure was a threat to be reckoned with, resulting in a paradoxical and confusing sense of awareness to the mysterious and unknown figure.
Still coming to terms that his life was saved by him, Koji could find little to say in return, but a response soon left his mouth, though in the form of a childish question.
"So, uh... You like duckies, too? I like duckies. I have a rubber duckie at home." Koji said.
Rather than address the childish question posed by the hero, the figure simply pointed a lone finger away from the battleground.
"Uh... Thanks. Now step out of the way. I've got this." The figure said.
Hearing the raspy voice come from the mouth of the unknown figure, Koji detected a familiarity within it, unsure where he had heard it once before.
"Hey... you seem really familiar. Do I know you?" Koji asked.
Unable to give any answer that would not inevitable direct him to his identity, the figure once again refused to address his comment, instead demanding he move.
"GO! NOW!" The figure shouted.
Complying with the order given at last, Koji ran back to the rest of his team, running behind Deku and cowering behind the team leader for some childish semblance of safety. It is not the miraculous salvation of Koji that surprises Deku, though it brings him relief, but instead what surprises him is the presence of the figure who saved his teammate's life; seeing him come to the fight a possibility he could not foresee.
Neither do the rest of his teammates forsee his arrival, and they turn to Deku for answers on his identity.
"[Deku. Who's this guy supposed to be?]" Hanta asked.
Growing nervous by the question around the figure's identity, Deku found himself barely able to respond.
"[I... Uh... I don't know.]" Deku said.
"[I got a look at his Quirk. It looks an awful lot like Decay. Shigaraki's Quirk.]" Fumikage said.
"[But he also just saved Koji from a Nomu. That's not something Shigaraki would do. This must be somebody different.]" Shoto said.
Aware of the ultimate humor out of Shoto's comment, Deku concealed the smile that slowly began coming to his lips, not daring to compromise Tenko's secret.
"[Heh-heh. Yeah. That's definitely somebody way different than-]" Deku began to say.
"[TOMURA SHIGARAKI!]" The Nomu shouted.
In another instance of surprise that brought confusion to all those present, the heroes and the figure all looked up to the one who uttered the name, finding the shout coming from the lips of the Nomu; its lower jaw having regrown. The creature had looked on the sole figure as it spoke the name, as if addressing him directly.
On top of recognizing the identity of one of his league's former members, the Nomu also began to regenerate its lost arm; recreating the lost limb from scratch, and restoring itself as if the arm had never been separated from the body. Having made use of its arms already, the next muscles the Nomu chose to use were its vocal chords once again, addressing the figure once again.
"[Why do you hide your face, Tomura Shigaraki? There is no need to hide yourself. We have been sent a long ways looking for you, master. Show yourself!]" The Nomu commanded.
Bereft of his identity kept a secret, the purpose of the hoodie no longer served any purpose to the figure, forcing him to pull back the hood from his head and reveal his face as requested by the Nomu. Pulling the cloak off, a mane of blue hair flowed out from the removed hoodie, showing with it a wrinkled and weathered face.
The face was easily identifiable as the face of the infamous villain named Tomura Shigaraki, and the heroes are not slow to see it, though they are slow to know that the face no longer belongs to that man. Recognizing the face in an instant, all but Deku looked upon the revelation of Tenko's identity with fear and terror, believing their arrival to be far too late.
Deku knew that there was naught to fear from the man any longer; his concerns instead laid with the monsters, and what business this one had with Tenko. Unable to make any interference, he stands back with the rest of his team and watches, hoping that the outcome of the situation would fall in the favor of all.
Seeing the face of his master once more, the Nomu leaned in to Tenko's face with a smile, taking delight in discovering him as he was sent to do.
"[Yes, master. We have been sent to many corners of the globe to find you. All for One has been most adamant in finding you again. Your absence has left a hole in the heart of the League. It is time for you to come home with us.]" The Nomu said.
"[You got the wrong guy, ugly. The person you were looking for no longer exists. Tomura Shigaraki is dead.]" Tenko said.
"[What? Do you take me for a fool? Is this some game for your amusement? I was not sent to be your entertainment, Shigaraki. I was sent to bring you home, and I have followed that order unrelentingly to see it succeed.]"
"[There's no jokes or games here. I'm out of the League. I'm not a villain anymore. My name is Tenko Shimura. I have no more business with you or the League.]"
"[Impossible. You speak blasphemy! There is no room for dissidents in the League of Villains! There is no leaving the side of villainy! Especially not for Tomura Shigaraki! You cannot leave!]"
"[I already did. I'm out of the game. Sorry you made the trip for nothing.]"
In the preprogrammed mind of the Nomu, its thought process was centered solely on the task of returning Tomura Shigaraki home, a goal which it has now found impossible to complete. Trapped within a paradox of thought and purpose, the bioengineered weapon stopped and used what logic it was preordained with to determine its next course of action.
The resolution to its problem led to him designating Tenko as a target, resorting to its primary purpose of destruction again, and psychically summoning its teammates to do the same. Reaching out with a Quirk granting him and the other Nomu each an organ for extrasensory perception, it called for its 3 companions to converge on it.
Brothers. Return to me. Tomura Shigaraki has betrayed us. He is now an enemy. The Nomu said.
In the multiple frontiers of battle in the streets of Los Angeles, the Nomu battling with the heroes of Class 1-A had all come to a complete and sudden stop in their fights, instead turning their attention to the psychic call of the Nomu. In an instant, the fights that each of them engaged with cult-like dedication had come to a stop, leading them to abandon their battlegrounds to follow the call.
Each team that had been fighting against these enemies had watched as they departed with great confusion, never seeing such behavior from these foes before.
"[Uh... What just happened?]" Asui asked.
"[I don't know. I've never seen Nomu simply abandon a fight like that before. They must have had something else take precedent.]" Ida said.
"[You mean, they found something more important than fighting us?]"
"[In a nutshell, yes.]"
"[And exactly what could be more important to a Nomu than fighting us?]"
"[That's... an excellent question. They seem to be converging near Deku's location, maybe he knows something we don't.]"
Ida's transmission made its way to Deku's communicator, instantly spreading the question to the team's leader to investigate.
"[Deku? The Nomu appear to be converging on your location. Is there something going on that we don't know about?]" Ida asked.
Deku hesitated for a brief moment before replying to the question, but soon found it answered in his hesitation by Shoto instead.
"[This is Shoto, I'm with Deku. We just encountered Shigaraki, he's talking with one of the Nomu now.]" Shoto said.
"[Shigaraki's there?! Don't move, I'll have the whole team there soon! We'll stop him together.]" Ida said.
Trying to diffuse a potentially dangerous situation from coming to Tenko, Deku took to his communicator, trying to talk down the rest of the team from acting hastily.
"[No, no! Do not attack Shigaraki! I repeat, do not attack Shigaraki! He's on our side! I know it sounds crazy, but he's on our side!]" Deku pleaded.
"[What the hell do you mean, he's on our side? We've been trying to stop this motherfucker for years! He's tried to kill us dozens of times! How the hell is he on our side?!]" Bakugo responded.
"[I can't explain right this second, but he's not going to hurt us! He just saved Koji! I saw it with my own-]"
A recollection of what his eyes had seen before is what Deku was planning to share with his team, but a glimpse toward Tenko and the Nomu, turning into a gaze of fear, put all his capacity for speech to a temporary end. Noticing danger come the way of the reformed villain, his capacity for speech could only be resolved with action to put a stop to the violence.
Jumping forward without a second thought, he charged up his Quirk once again, readying a powerful punch against the Nomu.
Already having summoned the rest of his team, the Nomu turned its attention back to his primary target, looking down on the lone figure of Tenko Shimura. Unable to accept the rejection that it had received from its former master, its logical process has led it to the only conclusion it could make:
Tomura Shigaraki must die.
Raising its newly-regenerated arm into the air, it prepared to swipe its hand down onto its target to fulfill that task.
"[THEN YOU MUST BE DESTROYED!]" The Nomu shouted.
The Nomu threw its hand towards Tenko, extending out its claws to tear through his flesh and end his life in an instant. In response to the incoming threat, Tenko raised his hands up in defense, praying that his own Quirk of Decay would prove enough to stand a chance against the attack.
Whether or not said tactic would pay off is one that would not be proven, for what came to his defense instead was an incoming green blur heading towards the face of the Nomu, once again punching it in the face and knocking the beast back, all while declaring a loud call of its attack.
"[OLKAHOLMA SMASH!]" Deku shouted.
Once again drawn the beast is pushed back from the punch to its face, leading the Nomu's arm to be taken away with it. The attack it intended to make managed to successfully meet with Tenko, but only in a brief encounter that resulted in damage to his clothing rather than any part of his body.
Nonetheless, devastated to see a gift from his daughter shredded from the its claws, anger and rage filled his heart greatly, driving him to attack the Nomu once more.
"[That was a gift from my daughter... to match her dress... YOU BASTARD!]" Tenko shouted.
Preparing to run to the Nomu to face off against it, Tenko's advancement was put to a stop by Deku; being stopped and grabbed by the hero, he was pushed back away from the creature to safety, preventing any harm from coming to him before the defense against the Nomu could be formed.
"[Midoriya, what are you doing? I can fight them, let me fight them!]" Tenko said.
"[None of us can face those things on our own. Not even you. We need to come up with a better plan and work together. We need to regroup.]" Deku said.
Deku's retreat from the Nomu soon led him to the rest of his team, who, upon his arrival, had soon expanded to the rest of Class 1-A. Seeing the uncloaked face of Tenko together, the team immediately recognized him as Tomura Shigaraki, instantly turning the entire group hostile, each raising their weapons and Quirks against him.
"[There he is! Let's get him!]" Kyoka shouted.
"[We need to stop him!]" Mashirao shouted.
Before the heroes could approach Tenko, Deku stepped in front of him and held up his arms, preventing any of the heroes from harming him.
"[Deku, what are you doing? Move and I'll blast this fuckhead to kingdom come!]" Bakugo said.
"[NO! Nobody harms Tenko! I'm ordering you to stand down now!]" Deku shouted.
Confused over his protective actions over Tenko, the team grew even further confused over his utterance over his real name, and not addressing him as Shigaraki as they knew him as. Consequently, the hostility they presented originally to Tenko had began to dissipate, but only due to their inability to comprehend the situation.
"[Deku, what's going on? We came here to stop Shigaraki! Why won't you let us stop him?]" Uraraka asked.
"[There's no time to go over it right now. What you need to know is-]" Deku tried to say.
Instead of letting Deku speak for him in the impossible task of trying to talk down the team of Class 1-A, Tenko stepped forward and interrupted him to speak for himself.
"[What you need to know is that you're dealing with 4 bioweapons that can regenerate themselves from whatever attack you can throw at them, and my Quirk can ensure that those things don't have anything to come back from. That gives you two options: One, you can put me down right now and fight them by yourselves. Two, I can fight them with you, and beat them, then you can do whatever you want with me after. It's up to you.]" Tenko said.
Initially keeping their eyes on Tekno as a threat, the team looked to one another in analysis of his offer, thinking over their options regarding how to respond to him. Despite all reasons for arriving in the country being made to capture and incarcerate him, all the current threats of the Nomu led to a dire shift in priorities.
Knowing of how powerful he is as a villain, and how powerful their opposition is, they know that to decline his help is an option that they cannot afford. Pushing aside all their past for the moment, they made a collective choice to temporarily ally themselves with Tenko, vowing to defeat the Nomu together.
"[Okay. If Deku says that we can trust you, then we can, too. But only until we've beaten the Nomu. We'll deal with you after that.]" Ida said.
"[Fine by me. Now, if I remember correctly, one of you can secrete acid, one of you can alter matter, and one of you can shoot fire, correct?]" Tenko asked.
"[I'm the acid girl!]" Mina said.
"[If you mean I can create things, then, yes, that's me.]" Momo said.
"[I can make both fire and ice, but that's me.]" Shoto said.
"[Good. Here's the plan: The Nomu can only regenerate if there's at least some part of them to regenerate from. Your Quirks are the ones that are most qualified to make sure that they'll be completely destroyed. Each of you take on a Nomu, and you use your Quirks to leave nothing left of them behind.]" Tenko said.
"[How am I supposed to do that if all I can do is create things?]" Momo asked.
"[Matter cannot be created or destroyed. Your Quirk works by altering the state of matter and changing its form into something else. Nomu are still composite of matter. All you have to do is alter its molecular composition into something else.]"
"[Oh, oh, so all I have to do is shoot acid at it?]" Mina asked.
"[Correct. You have to make sure that you don't leave any part of it behind, so don't be afraid to give it all you have.]"
"[I've already tried burning one of these things as much as I can. These things can still heal faster than I can burn them.]" Shoto said.
"[Then you get Bakugo to help you. If you combine your Quirks, you should be able to eliminate it fast.]"
"[And what about the fourth one?]" Asui asked.
"[That's mine. My Quirk'll ensure that there won't be anything left of it.]"
After the basics of the plan had been laid out by Tenko, Deku stepped forward to fully coordinate it, putting each team together as he saw fit.
"[You heard him, those'll be the leaders of each team. Yuga, Ida, and Denki, you go with Kacchan and Shoto to give them extra firepower. Shoji, Eijiro, Mashirao, and Rikido, you go with Momo and hold her Nomu down so she can break it down. Hanta, Asui, Mineta, and Fumikage, you're with Mina. Use your Quirks at a distance and stay out of Mina's way so you don't get hit with her acid. Uraraka, Koji, and Kyoka are with me and Tenko.]" Deku said.
Organizing themselves into the designated teams as ordered, each group had put itself together, readying themselves to take on the Nomu once more. As soon as their plan was complete, the Nomu had returned to the group, each carrying with them intent on fighting back against the team and succeeding.
With their superior tactics and plan, the heroes knew they would not do so. The teams all charged forward as one, victoriously shouting...
"[PLUS ULTRA!]" Class 1-A shouted.
[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Light (Aerobic Mix)]
Launching themselves into battle like they were knights charging at the gates of an enemy, the heroes of Class 1-A made their opening strike on the Nomu, moving forward without fear or mercy against the vicious creature to destroy the threat of the enemy once and for all.
Possessing the most firepower out of all their classmates, Bakugo and Shoto pushed to the front to make their attack first, striking at the Nomu at the head of the group. Firing an unrestrained blast of fire and kinetic energy towards the Nomu, Bakugo and Shoto threw it back against its siblings, separating the group from one another to see that the team would gain each of their own Nomu to fight.
Ensuring that none of the Nomu would reunite their efforts to strike as one, the heroes began to attack their respective targets, taunting and luring them away from each other to stay out of their own teammates' ways. As each Nomu was being led away from each other, one was left behind, kept distracted by Ida.
Utilizing his own Quirk of Engine, Ida began running around the Nomu in circles, creating a small vacuum from the vortex resulting from his continuous and circular motion. Weakened even with its own healing powers keeping it functional, the Nomu fell to its knees, beginning to choke and gasp for air it no longer had.
As the Nomu collapsed to the ground, the combined forces of Bakugo and Shoto began unleashing a fury of incinerating damage upon the downed creature, wasting no time to see its demise come. Like adding fuel to the fire that was set, Ida reversed his course, letting his run instead draw air to the fire, allowing the flames to burn hotter and inflict more damage on the beast.
Utilizing their own Quirks against the Nomu, Yuga and Denki released their laser and electric strikes on the monster as well, adding to the destructive force that their teammates started. Firing together as one force, the team unleashed a massive destructive force on the Nomu that no one person could withstand, making it a mere matter of time until the enemy would fall.
"[I'm adding as much oxygen as I can! If I go any faster, I'd add too much to a point where you could set the atmosphere on fire!]" Ida shouted.
"[Atmosphere on fire, huh? Sounds pretty cool. Maybe we should tell him to do it.]" Bakugo said.
"[And kill hundreds of thousands of innocents in the vicinity? Including ourselves?]" Shoto asked.
"[Killed by a cool-ass light show? Best way to go, in my opinion. At least this ugly Nomu's getting the grand treatment.]"
"[You are hopeless, Bakugo.]"
All the while the first team took to attacking their target, the rest began striking their respective targets, each team striking as one in full coordination. Such is the case for the team leading on Mina, trapping their target for her to destroy with her acid Quirk to see it destroyed quickly and effectively.
Leading their Nomu away to a safe location, Asui fired her tongue and Hanta fired his tape at the creature, bonding down its arms. Crawling under the beast's legs, Mineta ripped out his 'grapes' at vigorous speed, covering the Nomu's feet and rendering it unable to move.
Placing himself into a dark corner, Fumikage unleashed Dark Shadow, sending it on a mission of benevolent use rather than attack the target at hand. Grabbing Mina by the arms, the shadow lifted the hyperactive girl in the air, positioning her directly over the target, allowing her attack to be put into effect.
Pointing her arms towards the Nomu, she secreted the most acidic variant of her acid, pouring down a deadly rainfall capable of doing massive damage to anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way. The intended target, of course, was the Nomu, and soon would it receive the attack.
Allowing the acid to flow from her arms, Mina's secreted acid began to drip down on the Nomu, instantly eating away at the creature's body. Powerful enough to even eat through the concrete it stood on, its own body of flesh and blood, no matter how genetically enhanced, stood no chance against the rainfall.
Such a punishment is what it has earned from the terror it has inflicted, but the lone Mineta still remained below, caught in a situation where he would be facing the same deadly attack, capable of ending his life in seconds. Afraid of being bombarded with the deadly fluid, he cowered underneath the Nomu, praying that his life would be spared under the artificial flesh.
Noticing the lone Mineta still at risk, Mina called for him to escape.
"[MINETA! GET OUT OF THERE! I'M RAINING ACID!]" Mina shouted.
Temporarily trapped in a state of paralyzing fear, Mina's call to Mineta snapped his mind out of his terrorized mindset to the heroine, gaining a look at her ample bosom. Hanging from the hold of Fumikage's Dark Shadow, her breasts were gravitating towards the ground, revealing a substantial amount of cleavage...
...and, to the delight of Mineta, the partial showing of half of a nipple, sending his small penis into a raging erection. Feeling his life flash before his eyes mere moments ago, the vast majority of those memories are an undying and perverted love of the female body, harboring a high desire to oogle and peruse every female body of the human species, and lay his hands on one at last.
Gaining the closest achievement he had ever laid to completing that goal, Mineta quickly darted out from underneath the Nomu, running out into the open deadly acid rainfall without any concern for his own safety and longer, and his minuscule member extended, hard, and firm, but still small.
Before anyone, even Mineta himself, had realized it, he had reached the safety of the sidelines once again, safe out from the line of friendly fire, showcasing one of the few, if not the one and only, impressive achievements that he had ever displayed in his career as a hero.
Watching the acid pour from Mina's hands and onto the Nomu, dissolving chunks of flesh with each drop, the sight of the attack the creature had to endure alone made the spectacle hard for Mineta to witness. Nonetheless, it made him thankful that he escaped in time, and his thankfulness led him to live stemmed primarily from his desire to see more of a woman's body at last.
Spared from death seconds ago, the near-death experience does not diminish this goal, as he immediately continued his constant perverted gaze on his savior in 'thanks' for her actions, focusing his attention on her breasts once again in hopes that another areola would reveal itself.
"[Sorry! You okay?]" Mina asked.
"[I'm fine! There's ways you can make it up to me, though! Can I have a paizuri (titty-fuck) as payment? Yours aren't as big as Momo's, but they'd feel really great!]" Mineta asked.
In the instant of hearing Mineta speak, Mina felt regret over caring for the safety of her perverted teammate, leaving an annoyed expression on her face.
"[Why'd you have to tell him to move, Mina?]" Asui asked.
"[You know, I don't really know. I guess I'm just too nice.]" Mina said.
Just as the one team beginning their assault on the bioengineered creature, another of the 4 teams went to work on eliminating their target. Consisting of a group of pure brawlers, the heroes going by the names of Shoji, Eijiro, Mashirao, and Rikido headed towards their designated Nomu, tasked with a simple mission:
Put it on the ground, and keep it there.
Putting their own plan into action, Mashirao and Shoji threw nearby and debris at the Nomu, gaining its full attention and leading it to make a run towards them. Making use of their extra limbs, Mashirao reached out his tail to Shoji, who grew an extra leg out from his side, creating a tripwire for the mindless creature to run into.
Downing a king-size candy bar, Rikido joined alongside Eijiro in a team effort to strike at the Nomu in the back. The two followed through on the plan by jumping up and landing their fists into the back of the beast, forcing it towards the prepared tripwire and successfully toppling the giant.
Putting the massive creature on the ground, the 4 heroes then grouped together to see that it would stay in its place. Each grabbed for a limb, Rikido focusing his limited strength to do so, Eijiro keeping his grip tight as his body remained hard, Mashirao using his tail and arms to hold onto the enemy, and Shoji growing as many extra arms as he could to keep hold on the creature.
"[Ugh... Hey, Momo... We're enjoying the workout, but you wanna get started?]" Eijiro joked.
"[I'm coming, I'm coming! Just hold him still!]" Momo said.
Preparing to fulfill her part in the task of defeating the Nomu, Momo ran towards the subdued beast and placed her hands on it, concentrating her Quirk of Creation to destroy it. Having only practiced her Quirk on inanimate objects, the concept of using it on a living being was a new concept to her, and one that raised many ethical questions in her mind regarding using her Quirk in such a way.
Nonetheless, whatever questions and doubts might have laid in her mind, there was still an inherent understanding that the Nomu posed far too great a threat to be left alive, and the concept of letting it continue to attack was not an outcome that she could allow to pass.
Putting aside her own self-conscious thoughts, she concentrated once again on her Quirk and the Nomu, preparing to manipulate its own molecular structure into a less threatening manner of object. Upon trying to accomplish the task, however, a slight hiccup brought itself up in that goal:
She found nothing come to her mind when it came to what to create.
"[Hey, uh... Don't mean to rush you, Momo, but... What's the holdup?]" Mashirao strained.
"[I... Uh... I... I don't know what to make!]" Momo panicked.
"[What?! Are you serious?!] Rikido shouted.
"[I'm sorry! I just haven't ever done this with a living thing before! I don't know what to do!]"
"[Just make anything! We can't hold him forever!]" Shoji yelled.
No longer able to afford any holdups, Momo focused on her Quirk once again, no longer putting any thought into what manner of object to create. Instead, she let her subconscious mind do all thinking for her, resulting in her creations being wide and diverse in range and scale.
Transmorphed into various objects, the Nomu screamed as its body began to break down at the molecular level, watching its own skin, organs, and bones be turned into random junk. Coming out from its body were things like shoes, sports equipment, musical instruments, chessboards, bicycles, paper plates and cups, leaves, teddy bears, toy cars, sunglasses, furniture, and other things that could not sustain its body.
Trying to compensate for the lost body parts, the Nomu began to regenerate from what was transformed and chucked away, regrowing lost organs and skin from the transformation process inflicted on it. Keeping her subconscious flowing, Momo continued to hold her ground against the Nomu's retaliation, attempting to transform more object from its body faster.
Keeping up pace as best as she can is a challenge, but to move past its pace of regeneration seems almost impossible.
3 of the Nomus are kept occupied by splinters of the team of Class 1-A, each taking on a specific target and working to eliminate said target, leaving only one remaining. The remaining Nomu happens to also be the most intelligent of the group, making it the largest threat aside from its siblings.
It is this one that is made the target of the last of Class 1-A, and also led by one of its strongest members, and the one the team perceived as the greater threat: Deku and Tenko. Uraraka, Koji, and Kyoka are also among this final team, none carrying a knowledge of why they are aligning with Tenko nor why he is fighting with them.
These are questions that have no place on the battlefield, and it is that understanding that keeps them from being distracted from the greater threat at hand, and the trust that they all place in Deku. Taking up the mantle of All Might brings forth with it great benefits, evidenced by the loyalty of his team...
...but it also brings about great responsibility, most of which comes with the great task of defeating the Nomu, and ensuring that the people of Los Angeles are safe once again. Such a massive task would have dire effects on the mind of anyone, overbearing them with stress at the mere thought of a title.
But Deku has dreamed of being a hero since his youngest years, and he has worked tooth and nail to make himself ready for the task set before him. The one he fights beside now, Tenko Shimura, was once known as Tomura Shigaraki, often considered the most dangerous villain on the planet...
...but, he, too has had dreams of being a hero himself, before those dreams were stolen from him through abuse suffered as a child. Swearing himself to the mission of bringing down the very concept of heroism itself, the discovery of love has washed away that evil desire in him, making him a new creature altogether with newfound desires for good.
And, together, the two share a childhood dream, fulfilling it together as a team.
Deku is the first to take the lead, rushing up to the beast and readying his attack against the enemy. Through the Quirk of One for All, energy began to course through his entire body, supercharging him with kinetic energy ready to be inflicted upon any target of his choosing.
Already has he made his target, and the skulless monster before him is to receive the strike. Jumping towards the beast, Deku threw his first punch.
"[TEXAS... SMASH!]" Deku shouted.
Throwing his punch to the Nomu, the mere movement of his fist caused a large condensation of pressure in the air, forcing it all forward towards the Nomu. The rapid movement of air began driving the Nomu back from his place on the ground, but dug his feet deeper into the concrete to keep himself stationary.
Taking advantage of the sudden change in air pressure, Tenko jumped into the air stream, allowing himself to be swept in the wind and carried along its force. Reaching out his arms, he let out a scream of attack as he approached the Nomu, intending on driving his hands deep inside the target.
Soon does he land in his intended target, shoving his hands through mutated flesh and reaching the muscle and organs underneath. Grabbing hold of whatever was within his reach, his Quirk of Decay began to take effect on the Nomu, deteriorating what laid within the belly of the beast.
The slow deterioration of his insides is an agonizing one, made all the worse by the reduced speed at which the decay takes effect. Having kept out of practice with his Quirk and pharmaceutically suppressed it for half a decade, the power is no longer as effective as it used to be, making more time needed for destroying the enemy.
Feeling his organs and tissue begin to deteriorate at a pace quicker and beyond any effect of aging, the Nomu began to shout out in pain, leading it to grab onto Tenko and retaliate against his attack. Gripping his hands around the arms of his former master, the Nomu pulled them out from his body, allowing him to remove his hands and allow his organs to regenerate again.
"[We have been improved greatly from when you were last with us, Shigaraki. But it is still obvious that your Quirk is not as powerful as it once was. Has the departure from the world of villainy made you weak? Has mediocrity taken its toll on you?]" The Nomu asked.
"[I admit I'm getting a little rusty...]" Tenko began to say.
Aiming his removed hands towards the Nomu again, he placed his palms over the beast's forearms, gripping down on them with all 5 fingers on each.
"[...but this old dog's still got some tricks up his sleeve.]" Tenko finished.
The accomplished contact with the Nomu's forearms managed to disintegrate them with his Tenko's touch, causing his hands and forearms to rot and fall off his body, inducing yet another scream from the creature. Regenerating its lost hands in mere seconds, the pain it suffered then lost its impact, becoming less than a minor inconvenience for the Nomu and its plan to eliminate the group.
Freed from the grip of the Nomu, Tenko raised his fists up to his face, defending himself to continue fighting it.
Still do the other members of Class 1-A continue to fight against their respective Nomu, with none seeming to gain any ground on their targets as of yet.
Still do Bakugo and Shoto fire on their enemy, blasting away chunks of skin and tissue while burning away what remained in its place. Trying to fuel on the fire was Ida, still continuing to run in circles to add oxygen to the flames, but the effect of this attack soon took further tolls on the rest of the team.
Still does the sheer amount of oxygen being pulled in began to take away breathable air from the heroes, leading them to a new and unnecessary challenge of trying to stay conscious. Lacking oxygen needed to fuel their bodies, Bakugo and Shoto began to find their visions fade, as did the rest of their team.
Losing oxygen as well as control over their own Quirks, Denki fell to the ground in exhaustion, with Yuga following suit as well. Exerting all of their energy against the Nomu, giving their all against the enemy, the task of defeating the monster now remains on the shoulders of the most powerful of the fighters.
"[Me see pretty stars... I want to kiss all the bright, beautiful stars...]" Denki babbled.
"[Je suis fatiguée (I am tired)... Boys, you're on your own... I'm fresh out of steam...]" Yuga groaned.
Along with the two fallen heroes, Ida is among those affected as well, and it makes his strength to run reduce by the second.
"[How much longer until it stops regrowing?]" Ida asked.
"[I don't know! This thing's just too strong!]" Shoto groaned.
"[Let's just do it! We can beat this thing! Plus Ultra!]" Bakugo shouted.
Trying to hold on with what encouragement Bakugo had offered, Shoto continued to unleash his flame on the beast, burning at freshly-regenerated skin.
"[Man... I hope everyone else's doing okay...]" Shoto thought aloud.
Still does Mina's team continue to destroy their Nomu, with Mina herself doing most of the work of trying to eliminate the threat. For a long period of time, Mina has been secreting deadly acid capable of eating through any substance on Earth, dropping the fluid directly on the Nomu itself to ensure no part of it would grow back.
However, the period of time in which she has been using her Quirk is long over the amount of time in which she has normally used it, and the amount she has produced is far beyond what she normally secretes. Her efforts do show some progress as the Nomu's body began to grow back slower and slower with the heavy pour of acid rain, with a large hole created underneath the beast from the large amount of acid.
But the effort cannot continue forever. Mina is the most aware of that fact, and she begins to feel her own Quirk being strained, for she has secreted so much acid that her own bodily levels of water are beginning to drop to dehydration levels. Panting under the strenuous effort, she hopes for help to come her way.
Fortunately, it does in the form of a water bottle, held up by the tongue of Asui to her face. As Asui poured the bottle into her mouth, Mina chugged down the contents within, hydrating her own body again to continue her task of producing acid, a challenge increased greatly under the hot California sun.
"[Thanks, Asui!]" Mina called.
Tossing the bottle aside to a collection of empty bottles, Asui replied with her own thankfulness.
"[Don't mention it. This guy gonna be dead soon or what?]" Asui asked.
"[I hope so!]" Mina said.
"[Don't strain yourself, okay? We don't need you to lose your consciousness. It's really hot out here. I don't know how the Americans live in this kind of weather.]"
"[It's not so bad, really! I just wish I'd brought my swimsuit! You know I look great in them, and how much Americans love pretty Asian girls like us! Tee-hee!]"
"[You never let anything get you down, do you?]"
"[No, sir! I'm blessed with a sunny disposition!]"
"[Well, let's hope the rest of the team's got as much sunny disposition as you. They sure could use it.]"
Still does Momo continue to break down the molecular content of her Nomu, recreating its matter into all manners of objects and whatnots in order to remove the threat of the beast. Diverse and many are the creations she is able to put out, and so much of them she creates to a point where the entire street began to get surrounded by various random objects and clutter.
Were it not for the immediate threat of the Nomu on their hands, the teammates of Class 1-A would find amusement in the sheer amount of creations put forth by Momo, and how long the struggle seemed to last. Trying to stave off boredom and stay focused, they fight to find the amusement nonetheless.
"[You know, if we had our own building around here somewhere, we could shove all this inside and sell it for a profit. We'd be making big bucks.]" Eijiro said.
"[Is money really all you can think of right now?]" Shoji asked.
"[Not really. Just trying to make conversation. You should try it sometime, you know. People on this team consider you a friend, and friends like to talk to each other. It's how we usually have fun together and learn more about each other. You are one of us, you know, I can personally attest that a lot of us would like to see you more involved.]"
"[I'm not much of a talker.]"
"[You're doing okay to me.]"
"[He's right, you know. There's no need to be so shy. Being open with others is being open with yourself. You learn more about yourself when you learn about others.]" Mashiaro said.
"[I know everything I need to know already. We need to stop this thing before it hurts people.]" Shoji said.
Feeling his strength begin to weaken under the lack of sucrose in his body, Rikido requested for the problem to be solved.
"[Hey, Momo? Think you can make me some more cupcakes?]" Rikido asked.
"[Nrgh... Trying...]" Momo strained.
Gaining the mental suggestion of cupcakes placed in her subconscious, a large mountain of cupcakes landed beside Rikido, granting him a source of strength again.
"[Thanks!]" Rikido said.
Grabbing a cupcake and shoving the entire pastry in his mouth, Rikido chewed on it and swallowed it down, only to find the taste of the treat very much to his disliking. The icing came with a metallic aftertaste, and the cake itself tasted extremely greasy; his body gained its fuel, but at the price of a pleasant method to get it.
Displeased with the taste of the cupcake, Rikido spat out what little he could not swallow, wiping off his tongue to remove all traces of the poor flavor.
"[Ugh... Sorry... Can't exactly... make a gourmet platter... right now...]" Momo said.
"[Never mind me. But I might add that you might want to try to focus more on butter when you make the icing, that's where all the flavor is. And also don't forget about the baking powder, you don't want to add too much when you-]" Rikido ranted.
"[RIKIDO! NOT HELPING!]" The team shouted.
"[Sorry, sorry. I can't help it. I love my sweets.]"
"[Man... I hope Deku's doing okay... especially with Shigaraki with him...]" Eijiro strained.
Still does Tenko continue to battle the Nomu with the help of Deku, and still do they face problems with this one particular Nomu, carrying more intelligence than usual.
The Nomu continued to attack by throwing its claws towards Tenko in a slash, only to have its first strike caught by an open palm blocking the hit. Grabbing down on the arm as it came to his hand, Tenko once again reactivated his Quirk of Decay, deteriorating the arm into ash in an instant.
Fighting through the pain of its lost arm, the Nomu threw its remaining arm as its lost arm began to regenerate, only to have it caught and disintegrated as well. Left without any arms to continue fighting with, the handicap proved to be short-lived, for both its arms returned in mere seconds from their loss.
Grasping both of its new hands within one another, the Nomu prepared to drop a falling fist on top of Tenko, aiming to crush him in one swift motion. Tenko managed to avoid the strike by running forwards towards the creature, sliding underneath the oncoming fist before it could strike him.
During his slide to safety, he quickly clapped his hands around one of its legs, using his Quirk against it once more. In an instant, the leg crumbled into dust, leading the Nomu to collapse to the ground under the loss of its supportive limb. Making use of its remaining arms, the Nomu used them to crawl towards Tenko in retaliation.
Stepping into the fight at last, Kyoka inserted one of her earjacks into the ground, beginning to send shockwaves throughout the concrete against the Nomu. Being sent in a Quirk-induced earthquake, the Nomu collapsed on the ground under its own efforts to stand up, left to wallow on the ground until its leg could regenerate, if even that would prove useful against the earthquake.
Activating her gravity-cancelling Quirk on herself with a simple touch, Uraraka began floating over the shaky ground, bypassing over its unstable footing without any difficulty of movement. Stepping over the open air, her movements almost like flying, she moved over to the Nomu, using her Quirk on it as well, causing its body to levitate over the ground.
Sent floating into the air without any discipline in maneuvering a zero-gravity environment, the Nomu was without help and ability to maintain the fight. Trying to grip at the ground for a stable footing, its grabs were little more than embarrassing clutches that an infant would give for help, leaving it stuck and at the mercy of the heroes.
Utilizing his Quirk once again, Deku prepared another punch to use against it, taking advantage of its lack of gravity.
"[UNITED STATES OF SMASH!]" Deku shouted.
Kicking the Nomu with all his might, Deku sent it flying up in the air, skyrocketing into the atmosphere without any signs of stopping. Not content with the creature being suspended in the air, Tenko thought of his own plan to eliminate it in a permanent manner.
"[Uraraka. Can you get both of us up there without a problem?]" Tenko asked.
"[Of course, what's your plan?]" Uraraka asked.
"[It'll take more than my Quirk to kill it. I need to to burn it up in the atmosphere. You'll need to get me up there, then place gravity back on myself and the Nomu.]"
"[That's suicide! A fall from that height would kill you for sure!]" Deku said.
"[It'll also kill that ugly son of a bitch.]"
"[Think about your wife and kids, Tenko. I let you go because they need a father in their family. I saw it in their eyes that they needed you. Are you really ready to throw that away?]"
The question invoked a moment of contemplation out of Tenko, as well as a surprised pause from Uraraka, close enough to overhear the comment and all its implications. However, the only sentiments that are of significance are those of Tenko's, still swearing by his mission to eradicate the Nomu and fulfill his debt to Deku, leading him to insist on his answer once again.
"[You know and I know that I'm the only one who can kill it. I'll make it, Deku. I promise.]" Tenko said.
Though discomforted by the answer given, Deku's heroism understood it was a practical one, giving Tenko his blessing to follow through on the attack.
"[Okay. Finish this fight.]" Deku said.
Giving a nod to Deku, Tenko looked to Uraraka for her to fulfill her part of the mission, gaining an instant nod back of approval from his one look. Positioning herself behind Tenko, Uraraka laid a touch on both him and herself, negating the pull of gravity on their bodies.
The touch made both parties begin to float into the air, with Uraraka leading past Tenko in speed due to a longer experience in zero-gravity. Reaching out her hand to Tenko, he grabbed on to it, extending out a lone pinky finger to avoid an accidental use of his own Quirk against her.
"[Deku, send us up!]" Uraraka said.
Preparing to comply with his teammate's request, Deku grabbed hold of both of Tenko's legs, ensuring to keep his grip tight.
"[Hold on!]" Deku said.
Charging up his body with his Quirk once again, Deku began spinning in place, keeping his hold on Tenko, who in turn held on to Uraraka. Spinning with both parties in his hands, he moved them at a speed far too great for most to withstand in the hold of gravity, but the zero-gravity effects of Uraraka's Quirk lessens the impact of the g-forces pushing against their bodies.
Nonetheless, if using her Quirk on herself was not already making her queasy, the speed and circular motion would induce nausea without that issue.
After spinning for what seemed like a full 10 seconds, a number hard to determine under the forces placed on the passengers, Deku released his grip, sending both Uraraka and Tenko straight up in the sky towards the Nomu. Unrestrained by the forces of gravity, their speed showed no signs of slowing down, allowing them to catch up to their target with expediency.
What also catches up to Uraraka is her lunch, feeling it begin to crawl its way up her throat.
"[Urp... I may throw up on you...]" Uraraka said.
[Not on me, lady. My shirt's already ruined as it is.]" Tenko said.
Continuing to float up in the air, the duo eventually meet up with the Nomu, finding the beast flying up in the air under the effect of Uraraka's Quirk. Flying past the ascending Nomu, the two positioned themselves over it, allowing Uraraka to release her grip on Tenko and stand atop the creature.
Preparing to undo the effects of her Quirk, Uraraka positioned her hands together, readying her fingertips to meet one another.
"[You're about to fall really fast and really quick. Ready?]" Uraraka asked.
"[Ready.]" Tenko said.
Pressing her fingertips together and applying a concentrated focus of thought, Uraraka cancelled out the effect of her Quirk on both Tenko and the Nomu, allowing gravity to pull them back down to the planet once again. Sent falling back to Earth from a high position in the atmosphere, the fall is sharp and fast, straining both of their bodies with the effects of g-forces pulling at them both.
Allowing herself to stay under the effect of zero-gravity, Uraraka spared herself from the freefall, finding herself unable to avoid her nausea any further.
"[Oh, no... I really need to stop eating so much before a mission... Why did American food have to be so yummy-? URP!]" Uraraka groaned.
Leaning forward with her mouth agape, a fury of half-digested steak and various side dishes and dessert, along with large quantities of stomach acid, all poured out from it, falling into the abyss below her. Partially relieved of the dizzying side effects of her Quirk, she let herself hang in content as her stomach was finally empty.
"[Ugh... I hope that doesn't land on anybody...]" Uraraka groaned.
Falling to the ground along with the Nomu, Tenko grabbed himself onto the living bioweapon, gripping down on it with all of his fingers making contact with its body. Resulting from the tight hold that Tenko made with the Nomu, his Quirk began to activate on the creature, causing its body to crack and crumble and decompose within seconds of his touch.
The healing abilities of the Nomu allowed it to compensate for the decomposition that Tenko inflicted on it, but the factor could not apply for the forces of gravity beginning to tear it apart. Descending towards the Earth with its gravitational pull returning with a vengeance, the Nomu's body began burning up underneath the intense forces of the flames surrounding it.
Had the Nomu any empathetic traits, for itself or anyone else, it might be inclined to scream in agony or beg for forgiveness from its enemy. Instead, preprogrammed for the singular task of returning Tenko to the League of Villains, it asked its primary target for further explanation regarding his lack of cooperation.
Whether trying to fulfill its sole task in the face of death or acting out of pure curiousity is a question unanswerable, and probably best left that way.
"[Shigaraki... Why do you defy your place? Your status? Your legacy? You were the best of the League of Villains, and the only one fit to serve as our leader. Why do you deny yourself and fight your own family? Why do you deny the best part of yourself?] The Nomu asked.
"[Because I became someone better.]" Tenko said.
As Tenko continued to fall from the sky with his own target crumbling in his grip, the rest of the heroes had at last found luck in defeating their respective Nomu, each beginning to destroy their respective targets and claim victory over their enemies and restoring peace to the chaotic site of Los Angeles at last.
Having bombarded their Nomu with excessive force consisting of fire and explosives, aided by the continued feed of oxygen by the perpetually-moving Ida, Bakugo and Shoto had at last made progress on defeating their Nomu, blasting away at its skin to reduce it down to ash.
Burning at layers of skin and muscle with fire, Shoto's efforts would be followed up with a blast of explosive power from Bakugo, stripping away at whatever exposed opening would present itself in the destroyed flesh. Possessing a strong healing factor on its side, the Nomu healed back from the tissue lost on its body, regenerating in compensation for every blow inflicted on it.
However, that healing factor soon proved itself not to be enough; far too many hits of explosions had the Nomu taken, blasting away muscle and organs far too quickly for it to regenerate fast enough. The onslaught of concussion and fire had been taking its effect on the Nomu's fast-healing body at last, and its hold against the Quirks of the heroes had finally given in.
With one final blast from Bakugo, all manner of tissue had been blasted off from the Nomu's body, leaving nothing but a skeleton in its place. Lacking any muscle or organs to animate it, the skeleton collapsed to the ground, clattering into pieces like a broken jigsaw puzzle.
Victorious at last, the attacking heroes all relaxed themselves from further using their Quirks, powering themselves down and making no more attempts to move. Exhausted from all the strain placed on themselves, Ida and Shoto collapsed to the ground, struggling to catch their respective breaths, joining the already fatigued Denki and Yuga on the ground after their efforts.
Not among those resting, of course, is Bakugo. Discontent with the damage already done to it, Bakugo climbed towards the Nomu's carcass and began blasting away at its bones, shattering calcium and phosphorus under enraged explosive blasts, much to the unimpressed states of his teammates.
"[Uh... Bakugo? I think you got him.]" Shoto said.
"[Not just yet. Deku says that bone marrow could still potentially hold regenerative features. Gotta make sure they're dead for good or we're back to square one!]" Bakugo said.
"[Oh, he made you some personal Cliff Notes? Your boyfriend takes good care of you, Bakugo. Or, how does he call you...? Kacchan?]" Yuga snarked.
Enraged at the implications of Yuga's joke, and the utterance of a name only Deku addressed him by, Bakugo turned to him with a look of rage even past his most intense and heated moments of anger. The nitroglycerin that beaded from his hands began to pour in full, preparing a large and deadly blast.
"[HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU PEOPLE?! I'M NOT DATING DEKU, I'M NOT FUCKING DEKU, I'M NOT MARRIED TO DEKU, I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH DEKU! I'M NOT GAY!]" Bakugo shouted.
Needing to release his rage further, he unleashed another explosion on the Nomu's bones.
"[I'M...!]" Bakugo screamed.
Still having rage to release, he unleashed another explosion on the Nomu's bones.
"[NOT...!]" Bakugo screamed.
Still having rage to release, he unleashed another explosion on the Nomu's bones.
"[...GAY!]" Bakugo screamed.
Still having rage to release, he unleashed another explosion on the Nomu's bones.
Releasing the last of his nitroglycerin, Bakugo, too, found himself starting to lose his energy, bending his knees due to his own strength to stand fading on him. Left in the wake of his mindless destruction, there remained no more traces of the Nomu's skeleton, nor even any resemblance of man-made roads, but instead a massive crater of Bakugo's anger's making.
Looking back to the rest of his team in pants, the other heroes looked back to him with expressions of terror plastered upon their faces, none willing to further upset Bakugo. Adding to their own expressions of terror was a look received from Bakugo functionally appearing as as smile, but with eyes wide with the intent to kill.
"[So... anyone else want to crack another... fucking... gay joke?]" Bakugo laughed.
Not even wishing to answer the question verbally, the team all shook their heads in response, hoping for no further acts of violence from Bakugo.
"[Good answer. I might've allowed one more because I'm in a good mood after all that destruction, but I'm too tired to do anything about it anyway. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.]" Bakugo said.
Exhausted from his efforts against the Nomu, Bakugo collapsed on the ground with the other heroes, unable to move a single muscle in his body again. Depleted from the battle, the heroes are glad that their enemy is destroyed at last, and that they can properly rest to recover themselves.
But even after testing Bakugo's patience so far, there is still the temptation too strong for some among the heroes to resist.
"[You know, I could've sworn you guys were married when I first met you.]" Denki joked.
"[YOU SON OF A BITCH!]" Bakugo screamed.
With one Nomu falling after much effort, the turn of events turned in favor of the heroes at last, making further victories all but certain to come in their favor. Such is the case for Mina and her team, continuing on their mission to see their own target Nomu completely destroyed.
Suspended in the air by Fumikage's shadow, Mina's secretions continued to flow from her body, eating away at the body of the Nomu below and taking away several thousand ounces of flesh, evaporating the solid matter of the skin and tissue on its body into air in mere seconds.
The strain of secreting copious amounts of acid from her body led it near a state of dehydration, stopped only by the constant supply of water given to her by her teammates on the ground. Regaining fluids as fast as she secreted them, making her own body little more than a processing unit and living waterfall for the fluid needed to slay the beast below her.
Tired does she grow from the long physical activity she goes through, but she does not allow herself to give up until the job is complete. Energetic and perky and friendly to her teammates, caring for them personally all as her friends, it is that dedication that drives her to continue fighting the Nomu and personally see to its destruction and ensure that it can never harm them again.
Suspended above the Nomu as she slowly killed it, Mina watched as its body soon found difficulty in regenerating itself faster than the acid came, struggling to compensate for all its lost tissue with nothing to show but a barely-covered skeleton. Watching her efforts start to bear fruit and victory in sight, she pushed herself even harder to let out more acid, persevering until the Nomu would die at last.
Sending more drops of acid down onto the Nomu, her descendant secretions had finally started to pay off against the Nomu, eating away at the last of the flesh on its bones. Disintegrating the last remnants of muscle and organ on the body of the Nomu, leaving it nothing but a skeleton, its skeleton than collapsed to the ground, breaking apart into a discordant pile of bones.
Victorious at last, Mina was lowered onto the ground, allowing her to lay against a nearby wall and stop to recover after the long and strenuous attack set on the former Nomu. Given yet another bottle of water by Asui, Mina chugged down the entire bottle moments after receiving it, tossing the empty bottle aside when done.
"[Wow... Whoo... That's got to be a new record for me.]" Mina panted.
"[Yeah. Definitely the most I've seen you put out.]" Asui said.
"[You've never put out for me.]" Mineta said.
"[I don't think anyone would put out for you, Mineta.]" Hanta said.
"[Girls would too put out for me! I went through a huge costume and name change so I could get some pussy! Dark and brooding works everytime! Right, Fumikage?]"
Uninterested in speaking on his romantic affairs and sexcapades, Fumikage looked to Mineta with a discontent scowl.
"[No comment.]" Fumikage said.
"[Aw, what do you know? Just you wait! I'm gonna be covered in so many bitches that I'll be stinky and wet from all the sex I'll be getting!]" Mineta said.
With a sudden and miraculous 'splat' from an unknown factor landing on Mineta from above, his wish of being 'stinky and wet' was granted to him, and as a direct result from a woman's bodily fluids, but not in any way, shape, or form that was his original intention or what he desired.
All over his small body had landed the expunged lunch that Uraraka had vomited from high above, finally reaching the ground in a dramatic fashion, and making an unintended target of Mineta. Were Uraraka aware of the possibility that her vomit could hit a single soul, never would she forgive herself for such an embarrassing and disgusting infliction on a single soul...
...but were the soul in question that of Mineta's, then she would have no quarrel whatsoever, just as the team laughs now at his misfortune, even the quiet Fumikage.
"[Ha-ha! Even the gods think you're never gonna get any!]" Hanta said.
"[Goddammit... Why me? Isn't America supposed to be a land of opportunity? Where the losers always get laid? Like all those teen sex comedies from the 80's? They made it look so easy.]" Mineta asked.
Coming next in the string of victories was Momo's team, finally making progress against their own Nomu. Having been at their attack for a long while, consisting of the 4 male heroes, Shoji, Eijiro, Mashirao, and Rikido, restraining the Nomu so Momo may change its molecular makeup into anything but the monster that poses a threat to the group.
Her efforts of changing the Nomu's body into harmless objects has been a long and strenuous battle between the two; Momo's Quirk of Creation being put to a strain, and the Nomu's healing ability pushed to its limits to keep a full set of functioning organs inside its body and live.
The fight has resulted in the creation of thousands, if not millions of random and miscellaneous items laid all across the street, filling the empty asphalt road like a river of peculiarities and knick-knacks. Absurd and bizarre as the scene was, the sea of items also proved a challenge to the heroes holding down the Nomu, trying to keep their hold on the beast when the collection of items began to pile up to their necks.
"[Ugh... How much longer is this gonna take, Momo? We can't hold this thing forever!]" Mashirao strained.
"[Yeah... I love a good challenge every now and then, but it takes a real man to admit his limits, and this is one of 'em!]" Eijiro laughed.
"[And, I know your situation's not the best conditions for creation, but the sweets you've been giving me have tasted awful. I might puke if I eat any more. Or turn diabetic.]" Rikido groaned.
"[I'm almost there... I can feel that this thing doesn't have much left to go...]" Momo grumbled.
Struggling to hold her own against the Nomu, Momo continued to fight against the resisting beast, determined to see that the enemy would be defeated at last. Processing molecules and atoms through her body and interpreted by her own limited human understanding of the building blocks of reality, the impossible task that she has been following through has put her through an unbearable hell...
...but she will not stop until the job is done, just as she is determined to do as a hero. Troubled by her lack of will to act during her first years as a hero, she has learned to take initiative in her heroic affairs, and has learned to trust herself in order to see that the safety of others is accomplished.
Pushing her body on to continue the intense task of destroying the Nomu, her efforts at last trump those of the Nomu's own attempts of self-preservation, overcoming more tissue than the creature can recreate. Quick as the newly-formed muscles and organs come, quicker are they gone and their molecular material rearranged to create something else.
Moving past the cellular compositions of the Nomu's body, following the soft and malleable tissue comes the bones; the hard calcium and potassium changed into more miscellaneous objects that are thrown among the rest of the creations of Momo, piling up in the street.
With the Nomu dead and destroyed at last, the heroes all collapsed on the ground in exhaustion; all their efforts against the beast taking all their strength away and leaving them with no more capacity to do anything but rest. Physically strained to the max, they are grateful that among the objects created are softer creations like pillows, mattresses, and stuffed animals.
Each takes well to the soft cushionings provided for them, including the quiet Shoji. Never interested in any material possessions of his own, he is not above enjoying them for the moment, having more than earned his time to relax his body after a strenuous task of defeating the Nomu.
Though uninterested in any physical possessions, there is one object among the litter that catches his eye. Among the collection of objects in the street is a small blue teddy bear, instantly taking his attention from the simple investment of a small glance towards it.
Taking the teddy bear in his hands, feeling its soft fur in his palms, looking at its humble and innocent face, there is a feeling that stirs in Shoji that he did not think would exist in him until he had seen the bear. In its black, glass eyes and vulnerable mouth, Shoji hears out from the expression a cry for love.
And he gives the bear what it begs for, holding it close to his body in a hug. The touch of the artificial creature gave him a soft, warm feeling, invoked in situations involving actual small animals needing an owner to love it. Feeling the bear hug against him, the same feeling it brought forth, bringing a sense of happiness to him.
But it the scene also goes noticed by his teammates, commenting on the small discovery in the crowd of objects.
"[Hey, Shoji. Found something you like?]" Eijiro asked.
Ashamed of himself for taking any object in his possession, Shoji hid the teddy bear from sight, denying its existence.
"[What?! I don't know what you're talking about!]" Shoji deflected.
"[Hey, man, there's nothing unmanly about having a teddy bear. The reason we have teddy bears is because of one of the most manliest American presidents in history.]" Eijiro said.
"[Yeah. Besides, you said you never had anything since you were a kid. You deserve to have something for yourself.]" Mashirao said.
"[I don't want to talk about this. Just let me rest.]" Shoji said.
Laying back down, his teammates joining him, Shoji pulled out the bear once again, continuing to hug it and give it his love.
"[So, whatcha gonna name him?]" Momo asked.
Annoyed by the insistence of his teammates, he also knows he cannot lie to them, and chooses to no longer reflect against the questions.
"[Jack.]" Shoji answered.
All but one of the Nomu now remain after the efforts of the heroes, each fighter now successfully defeating their respective targets sent their way. Done is the job of the heroes, and now the job remains to be finished by the hands of someone who, at least one was, quite the opposite.
But he was not always a villain, nor did he desire to be. Instilled in his heart since he was young, Tenko Shimura was a boy obsessed with heroes with the intent on becoming one himself, especially when his grandmother served as one of the world's greatest heroes herself.
Abused by a father believed to be neglected and forgotten by that same woman, one child not given proper attention by their parental figure returns the same favor unto his own child, beating and tormenting him for even uttering anything regarding heroes whatsoever in his household.
That abuse had led to an anger brewing in the young Tenko that eventually boiled up to a breaking point, coinciding with the first use of his own Quirk. Beginning with a simple accident that led to the deaths of many that he loved, it eventually led to his Quirk being used with the intentional act to murder, committed on the person who both fathered him to existence and tortured him for his love of heroes.
It was this escalation that led him to become Tomura Shigaraki, taking pleasure in the act of murder. It was this pleasure that led him into the arms of other like-minded people that held a hatred of heroes, intent on taking down the so-called protectors of justice and create chaos by remaking the world in their image.
But his goals were all stemmed from but a misplaced anger that stemmed from a lack of love. Seeking out a fulfillment of love that was left never truly consummated through acts of violence and terrorism, that life had led him onto becoming one of the most feared men on the face of the planet.
But that all came to an end with a woman named Naomi entering his life. Spending an entire night together and sharing a night of love as one, they married shortly after, living a marriage of 6 years and raising 4 children. With the help of just one person willing to give him love, his entire life had changed completely and changed forever for the better.
But his past life had come to catch up with him with the rescue of one of his children from a pair of kidnappers, leading to the arrival of both heroes of Class 1-A he once fought and his former allies of the Nomu on the hunt for him. Having the bigger threat of the Nomu on their hands, both sides chose to come to a truce to fight against the enemy together; a strategy which has found its payoff at last.
Using his Quirk of Decay for purposes of villainy and killing for pleasure once before, Tenko is forced to use it once again, but not for any malicious purposes or any twisted means of fun. He acts not as a monster, but instead a father defending himself and his family against these terrors, seeing their ilk removed from the Earth so it may harm no more lives again.
His long-neglected Quirk of Decay has taken a long time to take its effect on the Nomu, trying to use it properly once again after burying it down with Quirk-suppressing medication, but, like the other fronts of attack against the Nomu, it, too, begins to take its effect on the creature.
Unable to regenerate against the continued hold of its body rotting him alive, and falling to the Earth with gravitational forces burning through what is regenerated against the bodily tissue lost against Tenko's Quirk, the Nomu begins to reduce down to nothing but bones, much like its comrades that fell before it.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
But before the Nomu would die, it shared one final word with Tenko, looking him in the eyes as it spoke.
"[At last, we see that Shigaraki is not dead.]" The Nomu said.
Disintegrating under Tenko's continuously-applied Quirk at last, the Nomu crumbled into dust in his hands, flying past him as he continued to fall through the remains of the creature, still on his descent back to Earth at a speed and force too dangerous for a man of his Quirk to survive.
The Nomu are all at last dead, but there is now the new challenge for Tenko to survive the fall he currently descends. Planning only for the job of destroying the Nomu, no ideas for survival were made, leaving nothing planned in contingency for the possibility of dying with a collision to the Earth.
Now, without help, that possibility seems more like a certainty.
But, with the sight of another being flying through the sky, this possibility is instead reduced to a mere fantasy. Flying through the air and towards Tenko was Deku, propelling himself upwards towards his human target, angling himself at a trajectory that would change the course of his fall.
Catching Tenko in the air, Deku descended back to the ground with his V.I.P. secured in his arms, preparing for a hard landing on the ground. Strengthening his legs with the power of the Quirk known as One For All, the muscles and bones in his legs are more than prepared for the dangerous impact about to follow, turning the ground below into the victim of the gravitational forces at play.
Landing back on the ground at last, Deku's rearrival on the planet Earth is met with a powerful collision, sending a shockwave through the streets of Los Angeles, causing major damage to all nearby buildings. With the Earth welcoming back one of its children, veiling the new arrival with a curtain of smoke and dust from the collision, the smoke soon cleared to reveal the main actor at last.
Protected by the power of his Quirk, Deku stands unharmed after the collision, but has found much of his own physical limits pushed and exhausted. Setting Tenko back on the ground, Deku immediately gains the support of the life he fought to save, gaining a swift and just reward for his efforts in full.
"[Thanks... You helped us out there...]" Deku panted.
"[I had to. You saved my life.]" Tenko said.
"[I only saved you just now.]"
"[No. You saved my life when you let me go. I couldn't let you handle this alone.]"
Laying a hearty pat on Deku's back, withholding a single pinky finger as not to activate his Quirk, Tenko gained a smile from his newfound ally, allowing the two a single moment of bonding established on the battle the two fought together. Once looking on each other with contempt as enemies, that animosity is now long gone between the two, letting them look to each other with dignity.
Calm is the tone between the two, but the rest of the heroes of Class 1-A are not aware of the events between the two that have led to the peace which they now have achieved. Regrouping to the scene of the impact, the team returns to their leader to find him face-to-face against Tenko.
Coming to this country with the mission of capturing him at last, the heroes once again prepare their Quirks to attack, this time turning them on Tenko.
"[THERE HE IS! HE'S GONNA KILL DEKU! GET HIM!]" Bakugo shouted.
Seeing his team rush towards Tenko, Deku stepped in front of his team, holding out his arms to bring them to a stop.
"[DON'T TOUCH HIM!]" Deku shouted.
Stopping at the command of their leader, the team of Class 1-A is sent into a silent confusion, looking to Deku for further context behind the actions he was taking to prevent them from harming Tenko. Interested to see how Deku would see to his fate with the rest of the team, he looked and listened with caution.
"[Deku, what the fuck is wrong with you? We're here to stop or kill Shigaraki, right? We found him! There he is! Let's get him and stop him at last!]" Bakugo yelled.
"[No! Nobody hurts him! I'm giving you an order!]"
"[But why?! We came so far to stop Shigaraki, why won't you let us stop him?!]"
"[Because this is not Shigaraki.]"
Given a statement contradictory to all knowledge of Tenko, the team stopped in confusion in contemplation, trying to make sense of the information given.
"[This guy literally fought Nomu using Decay. He looks exactly like Shigaraki with the blue hair. He even said the name 'Shigaraki' when he was talking to the Nomu. So tell me: If this guy's not Shigaraki, then who the hell is he?!]" Bakugo shouted.
"[He's Tenko Shimura.]" Deku said.
Even further confused by the contradictory statement given, the team was thrown into even further difficulty trying to understand Deku's statement.
"[What the hell does that mean? They're the exact same person.]" Bakugo said.
"[No, they're not. We thought that Shigaraki was here in hiding somewhere, waiting for the time to strike back. We were wrong. He wasn't hiding out. He started a family.]" Deku said.
Hearing the statement of fact that Tenko now had a family, the heroes were now further disarmed, none willing to attack him anymore, except the ever-prejudiced Bakugo.
"[You expect us to believe that crap? If he's got a family, he's probably raising his own little psychos to fight us! We're supposed to get this prick, let's get him!]" Bakugo yelled.
Bakugo charged his fists with nitroglycerin to prepare an explosion against Tenko, but Uraraka stepped between the two, joining Deku in defending him.
"[No, Bakugo, it's true! Deku saw his family himself! He found him, but he let him go after he saw his family!]" Uraraka pleaded.
"[Who were probably playing his dumb little heartstrings to fool us! Listen, Round-face, sorry he dumped you for an American bitch with a bigger rack, but this isn't the time for your stupid little attempts to get back on his good side! Now, get out of my way!]" Bakugo threatened.
"[No, wait! If Uraraka's not sure, either, then, maybe there's more to Shigaraki than we realized. He did help us defeat the Nomu and helped up strategize in a way that completely eliminated the threat. That's not something the Shigaraki of old would have done. And for all the time he's been missing, we've still had reports of the League of Villains still in hiding, but never any reports on Shigaraki until now. Maybe it is possible that Shigaraki's turned over a new leaf.]" Ida reasoned.
"[Bullshit! I was kidnapped and held hostage by this asshole! I knew the kind of crazy he was when I saw him! That's not somebody who changes his whole identity! He's a terrorist, through and through!]"
"[That's not true! He, uh... He saved me from the Nomu when it was about to hurt me. He jumped in and saved my life.]" Koji chimed in.
Running out of reasons to explain away the hypothesis of Tenko's change of heart, Bakugo went on a pure emotional offense, no longer sticking to facts.
"[Whatever! So what if he saved a retard like you or he killed the Nomu or knocked up some dumb bitch stupid enough to marry him?! I know for a fact that man's a villain, and he's the guy who tried to kill us plenty of times! I'm gonna kill this asshole, and I'm gonna kill him now, so MOVE IT DEKU!]" Bakugo screamed.
"[Look, Kacchan! You know for a fact I've had more encounters with him than you, and more reason to want him taken down! You also know that I never go back on my principles! If I'm telling you that I made a mistake, then believe me when I tell you I made a mistake! Now, I am telling you, whatever you think about him, it's not true anymore! This man is not Tomura Shigaraki anymore, and I won't let you hurt him!]" Deku shouted.
"[Why are you sticking up for this homicidal maniac?! Are you some kind of coward? Are you afraid that I won't be able to take him down? Are you scared that you might lose something if we finally finish him off? Well, guess what? I don't know why you're so afraid, but I can tell you this: You're still no hero. You're nothing but a cheap copy of All Might, through and through. How do you think he'd handle the fact that you're letting your own arch-enemy go?]"
"[Don't push yourself, Kacchan! Don't you dare try to question who I am as a hero, or what I do to honor All Might! You haven't come much farther, either, you know! For all the talk you try to say to make yourself out like a hero, you're still nothing but the same bully that I had to live with before I had my Quirk! When you put me down for not even having one! And we both love All Might and look up to him! Do you think you're honoring his legacy? Look at yourself now, calling yourself 'Great Explosion Murder God' when you also take All Might's name! Is that the kind of person that you think would he would be proud of?!]"
"[YOU CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT, DEKU! HE'S THE BAD GUY, I'M THE GOOD GUY! THAT'S ALL I NEED TO KNOW! I WANTED THIS MOTHERFUCKER DEAD SINCE THE MOMENT I SAW HIM, AND I'M GONNA END THIS RIGHT HERE AND NOW!]"
"[NO, YOU WON'T! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU DO IT!]"
"[GET OUT OF MY WAY AND LET ME TAKE HIM!]"
"[I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH HIM!]"
"[I AM NOT GONNA REPEAT MYSELF! MOVE NOW!]"
"[I AM NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT TENKO!]"
"[WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, DEKU?! ONE BLAST, AND HE'S HISTORY! IT'S OVER! WE WIN!]"
"[TENKO IS NOT OUR ENEMY! I AM NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT HIM!]"
"[BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!]" Tenko shouted.
Gaining a loud call for silence from the intended target, Deku and Bakugo both looked back to Tenko, finding him wearing a face of frustration across his face. Gently pushing Deku aside, he stepped forward to confront Bakugo directly, putting aside any defense that would ensure his safety.
Bakugo looked back to the rest of Class 1-A, finding them all looking back to him with their own signs of disapproval and shame for his verbal abuse towards Deku. Strong as his temper was, even his temper had at last found a challenge in the looks given by his own teammates.
Yet another challenge came in the form of Tenko's response to Bakugo, challenging him directly.
"[Both of you knock it off and shut up. I'll speak for myself. I don't need you yelling like an old married couple to plead my case. You have a problem with me, Bakugo? Here I am. I'm sorry that I abducted you all those years ago, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I put you through back then. What I did then, the kind of person I was, was wrong. I was following a path that I shouldn't have taken, and I made a lot of wrong choices during that time. I was a villain. That I'll admit to. But I can tell you that I'm not that person anymore, and I did spend a lot of time trying to kill that person so he couldn't hurt anyone else again. It was easy to be the bad guy and hurt people for as long as I did, but trying to undo all that and unlearn it, to be somebody else completely, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But I had the help of the most beautiful woman in the world to help me get there. And you can say whatever you want about me, but I do not like her being called a bitch. Her name is Naomi. We have 4 children, two boys and two girls: Daisuke, Hannah, Heisei, and Akane. I'm assuming you saw the two assholes I killed, and that brought you here in the first place. They kidnapped Daisuke and I fought them to get him back. I had nothing to do with these Nomu. I didn't even know they were here until I saw them on the news. Deku had found me, but he decided to let me go when he saw my family for himself. I still decided to come and help you against the Nomu, because I owe him that much, and I still hold some responsibility for what I've done in the past.]" Tenko said.
Tenko raised his arms into the air in surrender, making no attempts to threaten Bakugo or fight him.
"[I fought long and hard to try to get the life I have now, and had before these things showed up. I fought long and hard to try to be a hero. Like I always wanted to be since I was a boy. I can't imagine what kind of feelings you must hold for me, but I can tell you from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry for what I did, and I wish I could take it all back. I don't expect what I've done now to absolve me of my past, but I do hope it at least makes a difference. I want to be the best person I can be for my children. If everything I've done is not enough for me to be a father, then I don't want to be a bad one for them. If you don't think I've changed or I'm not fit to do that, then go ahead and do what you need to do.]" Tenko said.
Given a free and clear shot to end the life of Tenko, taking away all roadblocks that prevented him from his goal, Bakugo looked back on the stationary Tenko, watching him willingly make himself a target for him to kill. Never before seeing such an attitude from Tenko before, his own dedication to end his life came to a stop, paused under analysis to ensure the act was not some kind of trap.
Slow to react for the first time in his life, the other members of Class 1-A are not so slow to respond; each sought to speak their own suggestions to Bakugo to act...
"[Well? What are you waiting for, man? He's letting you have it. Kill him!]" Kyoka shouted.
...and in the case of other team members, not to act.
"[No! Can't you see he's not the same person anymore?]" Momo shouted.
"[Yeah! What villain would say all that and let you kill them? Let him go!]" Mina shouted.
"[Bullshit! It's some kind of ploy! You let him go, he'll probably try to come back on us somehow and hit us harder than before! This whole thing was probably a trick!]" Denki shouted.
"[Impossible! There's no way this fight could've been a trap! He'd have nothing to gain! It makes no sense whatsoever! He must be innocent!]" Ida shouted.
"[There's no such thing as 'innocent' with this guy! He's gotta go down! End this asshole, Bakugo! Burn him to a crisp!]" Mineta shouted.
"[Think about his family! We can't just leave his children to grow up fatherless!]" Uraraka shouted.
"[It doesn't matter if he has a family or not! He is still a villain! Kill him or not, he must be punished!]" Fumikage shouted.
"[No! He saved my life! That must mean he's not a villain anymore, and he's trying to do good to fix what went wrong!]" Koji shouted.
"[This man is too dangerous to be left to chance! At the very least, he must stand trial for his actions!]" Shoto shouted.
"[He's done enough trying to help us defeat the Nomu! We wouldn't have even known he was still alive until recently!]" Toru said.
"[So what does that mean to us? We found him now! End him already and we'll have won!]" Yuga shouted.
"[No! He's proven himself a man enough with all the work he's done helping us beat the Nomu! That's more than enough to be a hero!]" Eijiro shouted.
"[I don't know about that. He's done a lot for sure, but I don't know if that's enough to really trust him. We should at least take this easy.]" Asui said.
"[The soul of a villain does not commit selfless deeds for the gain of others above himself. That's far from the Shigaraki we know. That shows he's clearly not the same person now. He's someone we could trust.]" Mashirao said.
"[Aw, come on! You think just one little good deed's enough to make him our friend? We've had too many fights with this guy and we know he was bad! Who's to say he's still got in him or not?]" Hanta shouted.
"[I can't speak for everyone, but I know that what he did saved tons of lives, including ours. That speaks for itself.]" Shoji said.
"[I don't know about you, but I can't go on just a simple act of goodwill alone. This is a rare opportunity to take him down once and for all, I saw we take it!]" Rikido shouted.
And so the debate among the heroes continued without resolve, each side taking a stance on whether or not Tenko would be killed, spared, or taken into custody. The positions are far from equal in course, but they are all one in the same manner of disappeal to the entire team.
Subject to the debate among the debating heroes, Bakugo is subject to their words, forced to hear them all squabble over each other in attempts to reach a final verdict on the fate of Tenko. Certain in his path once before, the mixed reaction led to a stronger faltering in his course of action, further delaying him from making any choice in the heated moment.
Looking down at his own hands, they began to, for the first time in his life, falter at the task set before them. Left with an unclear split in the road ahead of himself, Bakugo's confusion grew by the minute, making his final decision on Tenko all the more uncertain and difficult to take.
A look to Deku is what he takes next in hopes for some form of guidance, but all he received in return was a hard glance choosing no side as to the debate, even when his own position was made perfectly clear beforehand. His gesture is not one of impartiality, but unwillingness to influence Bakugo himself.
Trapped in a difficult decision, Bakugo then looked to Tenko himself, hoping an answer would come from him instead.
"[Well? You heard them. What are you waiting for? Take your shot and be done with it if that's what you want. Is that what you want?]" Tenko asked.
Locking eyes with Tenko does not illicit the same feelings of hate and animosity once held for the man, but instead a mixed feelings trapped in conflict with one another in attempts to find the answer. There is an acceptance of fate within the eyes of Tenko, along with a bravado willing to face it without fear...
...but the will to grant it is not within the eyes of Bakugo, and, soon, neither his body.
Bakugo then lowered his arms down, refusing to make any attack on Tenko. The heroes all reacted in a shared gasp of shock, regardless of their own positions.
"[No. That's not what I want. I want to be a hero. I've always wanted to be one all my life. I don't know what your game is, or how you changed... but what you did today... that's what a hero does. And I don't kill heroes.]" Bakugo said.
Stayed from his own self-slated execution, Tenko lowered his arms. Saving his life once again, Deku grabbed one lowered arm and raised it again, calling the heroes to give their praises to Tenko in reward for his efforts to defeat the Nomu, raising his own fist up to lead them on.
"[You heard it. Shigaraki is defeated at last, and we've got a new hero to welcome to the world: Tenko Shimura!]" Deku shouted.
Joining their leader in praise of their honorary teammate, Class 1-A all raised their own fists and shouted, accepting the verdict of Tenko and putting aside the image of Shigaraki at last. Bakugo exempted himself from the celebration, choosing to remain separate from the crowd.
Downing a Quirk suppressant pill, Tenko's hair quickly returned to black, signalling that his touch was now safe for others. Seeing his hair change colors quickly is a surprise that brings a look of wonder to Deku's face, but what comes next in his emotional state is delight, seeing one of Tenko's hands set before him in request for a handshake.
Grabbing at the open hand, safely enduring his touch, Deku felt a connection of friendship instilled between him and Tenko, their very touch signalling that all manner of threat was over. The heroes, too, seemed to pick up on this gesture, cheering once again for Tenko.
"[Thank you, Deku.]" Tenko said.
"[No, Tenko. Thank you. You showed us how brave you really could be all this time.]" Deku said.
Deku laid a hearty hand on Tenko's back, leading him out of their crater with smiles on both of their faces.
"[So, it was pills that hid your Quirk like that?]" Deku asked.
"[Quirk suppressant. I'm guessing it's still not big in Japan?]" Tenko asked.
"[No. That stuff's still getting looked at by the government. Americans seem to let anything into the market, I guess.]"
"[Well, I can vouch for this stuff working okay enough. Um, I don't suppose that you could help me with one thing, though?]"
"[Of course, what is it?]"
Seemingly embarrassed by his request, Tenko lowered his head in a fit of shame before answering.
"[I... uh... need my pink duck hoodie back. I'd get a lot of hell for not having it when I come home.]" Tenko said.
"[Oh, certainly. Momo, can you make Tenko a new hoodie, please? It was pink with a yellow cartoon duck on the front.]" Deku said.
"[A pink hoodie with a cartoon duck? What kind of person picks that, a 4 year old?]" Bakugo asked.
"[5 year old, actually. That was a present from my daughter for father's day. She got a dress to match mine.]" Tenko said.
Hearing the story of his hoodie's origin, the majority of the female members of Class 1-A began to swoon over him for his love of his daughter.
"[Oh, that is so adorable!]" Mina said.
"[Heh-heh... That's really cute, not gonna lie.]" Asui said.
"[Aw... You're a real sweetheart. I remember getting my dad stuff for father's day, too.]" Uraraka said.
"[Uh, girls, if you please? I think Tenko would really like that hoodie back now. Could you let Momo do her work, please?]" Deku said.
Waiting for Momo to use her Quirk to recreate the destroyed hoodie, Deku noticed that she was not focused on the task at hand, but instead found her eyes soley fixated on the tight abdomen and firm pectoral muscles of Tenko. Furthermore, it was not only her who indulged in the sight, but many of the other women as well.
"[Oh, my... And I thought Deku took good care of himself...]" Uraraka moaned.
"[Hubba-hubba... I wonder how he'd like my tongue on those washboard abs...]" Asui moaned.
"[Or a lot of my personal lube getting it all nice and wet...]" Mina moaned.
Unamused by the sight of the swooning women, Deku declared himself once again, gaining their attention instantly.
"[Momo. Can you please make his hoodie again, please?]" Deku asked.
"[Oh, yeah, yeah, of course, Deku. Just making sure I get the... proportions right.]" Momo said.
Materializing a new hoodie as requested from the raw materials in the air, Momo held out a hoodie to Tenko, pink just as specified, but not holding a cartoon duck on the front. Instead was plain text that read: 'I FOUGHT 4 MUTANT MONSTERS AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY HOODIE', eliciting giggles from Momo and the rest.
"[Momo.]" Deku demanded.
"[Sorry, Deku. I couldn't resist. Here you go.]" Momo said.
Rearranging the materials of the text on the hoodie, Momo changed them into the form of a cartoon duck as requested, handing the newly-created recreation of the hoodie to Tenko. Placing the hoodie back on himself, he quickly found it to be a comfortable fit just like the original, feeling and seeing no difference.
But his troubles did not end with his hoodie being recreated, also gaining attention from Mineta regarding his children, gaining questions that give him great displeasure.
"[So, uh, I hear you've got 2 daughters, right? How old is the other one?]" Mineta asked.
"[She's a baby. And I seem to remember you saying something along the lines of 'Burn me to a crisp' to Bakugo.]" Tenko scowled.
"[Oh, that? Heh-heh-heh... That was a whole heat-of-the-moment thing. Really, I got nothing against you. And, hey, congratulations on the baby! I can't wait to see her grow up nice and healthy, nice and big! But enough about her, how about that wife of yours? Must've been a great catch to turn you to the good side, huh?]"
Discontent with the answer given, Tenko firmly grabbed Mineta by his small, underdeveloped genitals, tightly squeezing them in the palm of his hand. The sight of violence gained many views from the rest of the heroes, but, well aware of the antics of Mineta, none held any true concern over him; dismissing his situation as a result of his own making.
"[I ever see you around my wife or my little girls, you little, midget, microdick motherfucker, and I'll use Decay on you, starting here.]" Tenko threatened.
"[Hrgh... Okay... Point taken... I'm sorry...]" Mineta groaned.
Released from Tenko's vice-grip hold, Mineta collapsed to the ground, moaning and lamenting over his partially-crushed testicles. Watching the least important member of the team wallow in his fit of genital pain, the heroes all looked down on him with disappointment, shaking their heads at his antics.
"[Well, I wasn't totally buying whether or not you had a family before... but, with a reaction like that, now I believe it.]" Asui joked.
Laughing off the dismissal of Mineta's antics, the heroes collectively looked towards the rest of Los Angeles, taking note of the enormous amount of destruction laid across the city. The damage done to the city is immeasurable from the destruction left from the Nomu, and what kind of damage it would do to the many lives who make their livings here is unthinkable...
...but, uniting to help clean up the mess and see everything back to normal, to do their job as heroes, they know that they do not have to.
"[Tenko. You still got time to be a hero?]" Deku asked.
"[I think I can spare a few minutes before dinner.]" Tenko said.
Moving out to handle the enormous mess to handle in the city, the heroes prepared themselves for the long task of handling the mess left behind from their battle, immediately taking to whatever rubble they could clear and what buildings could be rebuilt quickly.
All along their task, they pull themselves together to work and coordinate themselves as a team to accomplish their goals, save for one member in particular. Still pained over his damaged testicles, Mineta continued to lay on the ground, moaning in pain over the blunt trauma done to his groin.
"[Guys...? A little help here...? Somebody...? Anybody...?]" Mineta groaned.
Days and even weeks is what the efforts to rebuild the city would have taken after the attack of the Nomu, but, with the heroes pitching together to see Los Angeles rebuilt as quickly as possible, it is only hours before the city is restored to normal once again, allowing the populace to return to their lives swiftly after the battle with the Nomu was over, as if never having occurred.
A large portion of credit is gone to the efforts of Tenko Shimura, aiding the heroes in their efforts to assist the city. Having already gained an inch of their trust with his assistance fighting the Nomu, his help in returning the city back to normal is help that has given him far more substantial trust and praise by the others.
But with their task completed and no more reason remaining in Los Angeles to keep the heroes present, the time comes at last for Class 1-A to return to Japan. At the Los Angeles International Airport, the heroes book and and await their flight, keeping their eyes on the first plane that can take them hom as soon as possible.
All the while, many of the heroes continue to converse with Tenko, spending what time they still can with him before they depart for home. Much of the conversation is shared between him and Deku; the two needing their talks the most to help put their long opposition to rest at last.
Coming to see the heroes off is not only Tenko, but his family as well, all arriving to the airport to greet and bid farewell to the heroes. Carrying the baby Akane in her arms with the remaining children behind her, Naomi approached Tenko and leaned forward for a kiss, which Tenko himself reciprocated.
The act of the kiss gained many looks and giggles from the heroes, but Deku, the closest of the heroes to witness the embrace, responded with a certain sheepishness in the presence of Naomi. Still fresh off their previous encounter, seeing her again is not a comfortable position, but he still tries to put the meeting on good footing.
"Oh, so, uh... Naomi. Good to see you again." Deku said.
"Yeah. Sorry I kicked you in the balls." Naomi said.
"It's okay. You wouldn't be the first to do it, and you probably won't be the last."
"Ouch. Hope you've still got a sperm count."
"Me too."
"I'm not sorry! You tried to take my father away from me!" Heisei chimed in.
"Heisei! Not nice!" Naomi scolded.
"No, he's right, I don't think I could've gone through with taking him away. He's come a long ways from when I knew him, but I am very proud of him. But... I would make sure that he doesn't come into contact with any knives again." Deku responded.
"Oh, we already took care of that a long time ago. We don't even give him safety scissors anymore."
"Yeah, don't mind Heisei. He's a just a big butt." Hannah added.
"Yeah. And we're sorry for hitting you in the balls, too. I don't like it when that happens, either." Daisuke said.
"Testicles, Daisuke. Please call them testicles." Naomi noted.
"Sorry, mommy."
Their conversation goes pleasantly enough, but all form of pleasantness comes to an end with the arrival of Bakugo to the talk, butting in to make himself known.
"[Deku. We going to leave soon?]" Bakugo asked.
"[Ida's working on the tickets. I think he found a flight leaving in 15 minutes or so.]" Deku said.
"[Good.]"
"[Why in a rush? We're just taking our time to relax after all that work.]"
"[Yeah, well, my idea of relaxing is to be away from all these creepy Americans as fast as possible. I'm still not over either of those gyms I visited.]"
"[The what?]"
"[I don't wanna talk about it. It was an extremely traumatic experience.]"
"[You? Traumatized? Since when?]"
"[I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!]"
Trying to get over recently-surfacing memories of the violation he suffered and (in some cases, mistaken) instances of being hit on by gay men, Bakugo's attention was brought away from his own thoughts and instead towards Naomi, finally gaining a chance to meet Tenko's wife.
True to his rude nature, his only focus is towards her body, fixated primarily on her large bosom and bottom. The sight gained a smile from Bakugo, but also embarrassment and a scowl from Naomi, able to recognize the male gaze in any language on Earth.
"[Damn. Now I understand why he turned good. Those kids must be getting some good eatin' with tits that big, huh, Deku?]" Bakugo joked.
"[Kaachan! It's rude to talk about a woman like that!]" Deku said.
"[Relax. She's just an American woman. She doesn't know what the hell I'm saying.]"
"[Guess again. I speak Japanese, asshole.]" Naomi declared.
Hearing Naomi respond in perfect Japanese, the realization that she understood his comments very well came to him, as well as a dismissive comeback.
"[Of course you're the only American girl to not try to get in my pants, and you're the best looking one so far.]" Bakugo snarked.
On top of a scowl for his remarks, what Bakugo received soon after was a small, pink shoe to his face, striking him in the nose.
"[Ow! What the fuck?!]" Bakugo shouted.
Looking down to identify who had thrown the shoe, he found Hannah lacking one shoe on her foot, and a shoe matching the one that hit him on her foot, quickly confirming her as the one who threw the shoe. Wearing an angry look across her face, she also expressed her discontent for Bakugo's actions, in the very same language both her and her mother spoke.
"[I speak Japanese too, asshole.]" Hannah said.
"Hannah! Don't say that word." Naomi scorned.
Agreeing with her action at heart, Naomi disavows her choice of words, but she cannot disavow her actions, leading her to lean in and whisper her approval.
"...but good girl." Naomi whispered.
Picking up the thrown shoe, Deku returned it to Hannah, kneeling down to the child to rub her hair.
"Heh-heh, thanks." Hannah said.
"No problem. In fact, if you and your brother can hit like that when you're older, and throw shoes as good as you can, give me a call. I'll put in a good word for you at U.A. High School." Deku said.
Excited over the promise of being students at the prestigious U.A. High School, Daiskue and Hannah both lit up in delight.
"Really?!" The twins asked in unison.
"Cross my heart and hope to die." Deku said.
The two children returned the hero's kindness with a hug, prompting Deku to hug them back. Overhearing their offer to get into the famous school, Tenko and Naomi both smiled at the prospect in their futures, with Tenko's smile growing larger; the idea of having his own childhood dream of being a hero fulfilled through them.
But, jealous in his siblings taking all the attention for themselves, Heisei interjected himself between the group, demanding he be given compensation.
"Hey! What about me?! I don't get into U.A. High School?" Heisei demanded.
"Mmm... I don't think you're there yet. Curb some of that villain talk and we'll see. If not... I might be waiting for you if you become a villain." Deku said.
Displeased with the response given, Heisei's attitude grew all the more unpleasant, expressing his anger at Deku with a pouty face.
"You know what? Forget your stupid, lame school for stupid, lame heroes! I'm gonna be the biggest, baddest villain of all time, and I'll crush you puny heroes myself! Starting with your balls!" Heisei shouted.
"Testicles." Naomi corrected.
"Testicles!"
Deku dismissed the 'threat' with a chuckle and a gentle pat on Heisei's head, further gaining a look of embarrassed anger from the child.
"[And that's why I'm not too concerned on my sperm count at the moment.]" Deku whispered.
The friends and family all shared a laugh, soon interrupted by the new arrival of Uraraka, informing the group of the plane's arrival.
"Oh, uh, pardon me, guys, but the plane's here. We're all boarding shortly." Uraraka said.
"Right. Kaachan, let's go." Deku said.
Before leaving off to the plane, Deku reached out to Tenko for another handshake, meeting him in the gesture of friendship one last time.
"[Thanks again for all your help.]" Deku said.
"[Thanks for letting me be a hero.]" Tenko said.
"[Believe me, it was my pleasure.] Goodbye, everyone. It was very nice meeting you all."
Before heading to the plane, leaving Bakugo to head up in front of him, Deku stopped to speak to Uraraka one last time.
"[I'll, uh, see you on the plane.]" Uraraka stammered.
"[Yeah. I'll be waiting for you.]" Deku said.
With Deku departing with Bakugo to the plane, the Shimuras were now left alone with Uraraka, allowing them to witness the awkward moment of lingering romance they shared display itself on her flustered facial expression. Having business of her own to discuss, she put aside the thoughts and turned to Naomi, asking a question supposedly regarding that same subject.
"Um... Before I go, I just wanted to know one thing... How did you do it?" Uraraka asked.
Looking back on her past with a nostalgic joy, Naomi recollected the first date with Tenko once again, playing back the memories all leading up to the present day. Reliving the moments of life she shared with her husband, the answer that she gives is a long and complex one, but one that bears the most important fact that makes it the best answer that can be given:
It comes from her heart.
"Well... It just sort of... happened. I saw him sitting alone at the bar, he seemed so sad and lonely, and I wanted to cheer him up. It wasn't just some one-night stand I was looking for, I was never that type of girl, I wanted to really, actually connect with someone. It seemed like I wasn't gonna get that out of him, but... right when he turn me away... he came back. We just started doing things together, and we didn't stop until we spent the night together... and I realized I wanted my life to be like that for the rest of my life. So I did what any girl would do when she finds someone she likes: I took him home. It was a dumb idea on paper, and a lot of work to get right from just jumping into it, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Anytime I see him, anytime I'm with him, I know... that he loves me... and I love him. I just know." Naomi said.
The story from Naomi had indeed come from her heart, and even reached out to Uraraka's own, touching it to instill a sense of joy and hope in her own endeavors of love. However, despite the lovely sentiment and the impact it had, it was ultimately not the answer to her question, as hers pertained to something more physical.
"Wow... That's... That's a really sweet story... But... That wasn't what I meant. I meant, how did you get such nice boobs and a great butt?" Uraraka asked.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed over the misunderstanding, Naomi giggled at the misreading, swiftly responding with her truly desired answer.
"Oh, uh... It's just my genes. This is all natural." Naomi laughed.
"Tsk. Lucky girl. You make me look like a bean pole. You're a lucky woman, and Tenko's a lucky man." Uraraka said.
"Yes, I am." Tenko snarked.
"You know, I don't mean to rush you, but I think your plane's leaving. You might wanna go now." Naomi said.
"Oh! Right. I guess I'll be off, then." Uraraka said.
"Yeah. And, Uraraka? Don't worry about finding the right guy right now. Just hang on. It'll happen."
Uraraka smiled at the hopeful comment, blushing slightly under the advice.
"Thank you. And thank you, Tenko, for all your help. You and your family do the best for yourselves." Uraraka said.
Leaving to run to her plane, Uraraka left the Shimuras alone at last, sending away the last of Class 1-A on their trip back to Japan. Bidding the heroes goodbye, no more reason remained for the family to stay at the airport, making the time now come for them to leave.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Any of that pizza left at home?" Tenko asked.
"It never showed up. The delivery guy must've had his route stopped by the Nomu." Naomi said.
"Crap. Then how about we just go for some McDonald's? Kids?"
The children all cheered in delight of the suggestion, excited for the chance to chow down on cheap hamburgers.
"YAY! MCDONALD'S!" The children shouted.
Of course, Heisei once again retracted his statement, attempting to pose as an adult once again.
"I mean, yes. I suppose fast food will serve me good enough, considering the circumstances." Heisei said.
"Uh-huh. You want a happy meal with the toy?" Tenko asked.
Further embarrassed by the question, Heisei mumbled out the answer to retain some degree of legitimacy.
"Yes." Heisei muttered.
"So, that's dinner for you and me, and 4 happy meals we need to pick up." Tenko said.
"4? Anake's still too young to eat solid food, Tenko." Naomi said.
"The fourth one's for Kevin. He got grounded by his wife again. Forgot the groceries."
"Figures. You know, when people say 'never grow old', I think he's the only person who somehow took a totally different lesson out of it. Who gets grounded by their wife?"
"Well, I've known you to do that every now and then, princess."
"Only when you're a naughty boy. But I always make sure you're nice again, don't I?"
Naomi leaned in for a kiss, gaining one from Tenko in return, much to the disgust of the boys, and admiration of their daughter.
"Aw. Mommy and daddy are kissing." Hannah said.
"Blech. Cooties." Daisuke groaned.
"Yuck. People being nice." Heisei lamented.
A long trip back to Japan awaits for the heroes, sending them back to a land where individuals with posthuman abilities are not only better accepted, but also better regulated as one would a firearm. The country has gained a strong control over crime and villainy, ushering in a safe era of peace for all its citizens, and the ideal of becoming a hero is a dream that everyone in the country shares.
But there are some that do not carry interest in such goals. Instead, their purpose is to pose against any forms of heroism and challenge the dichotomy of good and evil; a group of iconoclast renegades that desire to recreate the public consciousness in their own image, to see others follow their ideals.
Tomura Shigaraki was once the leader of this group, but they believed him to be long gone following a full 6 years of absence. Long gone, but not long dead.
It is them who have sent the Nomu to Los Angeles in search of their lost team member and leader, not unlike a family in search of a child who has gone missing. Sent out on a hunch based on a small American tabloid story of two kidnappers being rotted alive, their basis for the search is barely founded...
...but, even in the face of such odds, their search has borne fruit, and American news also makes this revelation clear.
"After the Nomu attack was thwarted by the team of heroes calling themselves Class 1-A, efforts to rebuild the city, also led by the heroes, has turned what was once a war zone here in Los Angeles into a new and improved city that looked as good as it ever looked in years, as if no such attacks ever happened. The effort to defeat the Nomu was a long and tiresome affair for the heroes, but it has proven itself an affair that the members of Class 1-A can protect the world from, and can still clean up the mess when they're done. Interestingly, there have also been reports of a blue-haired man joining the team in the battle, allegedly personally having destroyed a Nomu himself. Speculation has aroused rumors that the individual as missing villain Tomura Shigaraki, former leader of the League of Villains, but many rumors have quickly denied the speculation, dismissing the unknown individual as a hoax. While efforts continue to identify the unknown man and confirm whether he is indeed real or not, the city of Los Angeles takes more steps to restore daily commerce by-" A television said.
Hearing enough information from his television, a figure muted the feed, setting the remote down on a table. Accompanied by his inner circle of subordinates and servants, his sole and only focus is on the very rumor of Tomura Shigaraki still being alive, gaining his full and unbridled interest.
Underneath his black, life-sustaining mask, he gave a smile, excited over the chance to see one of his former subordinates return to him again.
"At last. Tomura Shigaraki. My son. My prodigal son." The figure said.