When a villainous-looking Deku arrived on the scene and sent Midoriya flying in the blink of an eye, it shocked everyone in the observation room. Abigail Winters, the medic on duty, groaned as she could feel the pain she would be taking from him when the match would end. Recovery Girl only sighed, and she shook her head at the display. Mr. Aizawa's eyes were wide, and he covered his mouth to hide the shocked 'O' he was making. On the other hand, Snipe wasn't as easy to read as the others, but he was just as flabbergasted as the other staff...
Except for Principal Nezu. He hid a small smirk when he felt the rumbling come, and when he saw Deku appear, his smirk only grew in size. "Well, it looks like he went and did it," he commented.
"Excuse me, Principal Nezu," Mr. Aizawa commented. "But did you know he was going to be out there?"
The principal nodded. "He had the weights brought up from the Support Department before the rest of the class arrived. As the principal, I needed to know what he was planning so I could approve it for the students," he said. "Though, if I'm frighteningly honest, I fear that Deku isn't in the same level as All Might was during last year's final exam."
"For better or worse?" All Might wondered.
Principal Nezu eyed the screen and watched as Deku floated to where Midoriya landed. "That, I fear, I do not know."
As Deku touched down in the building, he scanned the room for his opponent. He moved with an aura of power that suggested just how committed he was to the villain Enforcer's role. He tossed aside the debris from the crash landing and found where his opponent had landed.
The spot where Midoriya landed was cleared of rubble. The young inheritor's mask was torn and left behind, as well as part of his Air Force gloves. Deku looked around the impact point and took a deep breath. "I didn't think that heroes were cowards," he taunted the young hero. "Though I will admit: I am hoping to see more of you before I beat you."
Deku kicked away the fragments of a desk and wandered around the area. "Don't think you can hide forever. I have my ways of finding you, boy."
Shrouded in the shadow behind a concrete pillar in the corner of the room was the young inheritor. He braced his back against the post while using Float to stay out of his field of view. Midoriya kept a hand over his mouth as he fought to control his breathing. The terror he felt was still lingering, though he couldn't place why it felt so strong.
Deku approached Midoriya's hiding spot while he continued his search. "You are proficient in hiding, though. Finding you won't be as easy as I thought it would be," he admitted.
Midoriya took a deep breath and sighed through his nose. "But if I can't find you, then perhaps your partner will be easier to find and entertain me," Deku continued. "I can probably have my fun with those hostages, too, while I'm at it."
Midoriya's eyes widened. He lowered his hand and powered up Full Cowling. He peeked out at his older counterpart and prepared to strike. He slipped out of his hiding spot while Deku had his back toward him, kicked off the wall, and readied his signature kick. With One for All on his side, he didn't make a peep as he rocketed toward his opponent.
The young inheritor swung his leg, expecting his attack to connect and daze the Enforcer; however, Deku's instincts were faster than he thought. The Enforcer spun around and raised his arm to block Midoriya's attack effortlessly. Midoriya's eyes widened as he swung another kick to his opponent's other side, only for the Enforcer to stop it as well.
Frustrated, Midoriya launched a series of alternating kicks at his opponent. Using Float, he stayed in the air and poured as much energy into his attacks as possible to increase their speed. As his kicks continued to meet his opponent's blocks, the shockwaves from each impact started to take their toll on the building. The remaining glass windows started to crack, and the floor they were on was started to shake as if an earthquake was happening.
One of Midoriya's kicks missed Deku completely, allowing the Enforcer to end their struggle. He moved outside of the young inheritor's range and grabbed his extended leg. Deku swung his heroic opponent and threw him out of the building, sending him into the driver's seat of a box truck. Bakugo watched nearby with his eyes wide.
Inside the truck, Midoriya shook off the broken glass that had rained down on him only for him to leap through the windshield. He cleared the truck as Deku smashed feet-first into the cargo hold portion of the vehicle, crushing it down the middle. As the young inheritor leaped away from the wreckage, he glanced over at Bakugo.
His shocked expression turned into a smirk, and his eyes focused on the truck.
Hurry up and make that Quirk your own. I want to beat you with everything you got. I'll be the next number one hero; he remembered him saying on Nabu Island.
Could this be a blessing in disguise? No way my future self didn't see this coming...unless.
He landed near Bakugo and braced himself in a defensive fighting stance. Midoriya focused on the wreckage with his guard raised, looking for any sign of movement from his future self.
He watched the crushed truck start to move. The creaking of metal and the crunching of glass gave way to the Enforcer stepping out of the wreckage, much like a Terminator stepping through a roaring inferno and focused on its prey.
When Deku emerged from the wreckage fully, he trained his sights on Midoriya. He started to stretch and shake his legs loose as he approached his opponent. "You're getting faster with each day that passes. Soon you'll definitely match All Might's top speed. You'll even surpass it if you keep training," he said.
Midoriya smiled and assumed his battle stance. I can't count on Kacchan rushing in and helping me...then again, I doubt he would pass up the opportunity to fight someone stronger than All Might. He's using his speed to keep me on my toes, but he isn't using his other Quirks. I can use Black Whip to keep him at a distance.
Spreading his arms out, the young inheritor powered up to the point where Black Whip was usable. Time to put that training to use. One for All: Full Cowling!
Deku started to move toward the hero. 55%!
Deku vanished in the blink of an eye, prompting Midoriya to move quickly. He leaped into the air and lashed out the Black Whip. The attack struck the ground where he stood, barely missing Deku as he reappeared. When the attack failed, the Enforcer locked on to his target and flew into the air to counter.
The young inheritor used a Delaware Smash to blast himself out of his reach as Deku reappeared. He flew backward down the street and used Black Whip to snag a mock sedan. Readjusting himself, he swung the car around and slammed it into his future self.
The older hero didn't register the maneuver until he felt the cool metal slam into his face. The attack force sent him flying into an office building, where we burst through several walls before swinging his legs out and skidding to a halt. With his eyes on the prize, the Enforcer blasted off back through the building and slammed into the young inheritor.
Midoriya flew through the air and slammed into a brick wall. While Deku's counterattack wasn't strong enough to send him through the building, the impact did wake up the young inheritor. He slid to the ground and fell over a set of trash cans. Bakugo watched as the Enforcer landed in front of him and slowly approached his younger counterpart.
"I suppose that our time is up. It's such a shame, really. You showed such promise," Deku taunted his younger self as he got closer. "The villains will simply watch as I clean up their mess."
Midoriya looked up to see Deku approach him. Re-activating Full Cowling, the young inheritor sped off toward his opponent with his fist primed for an uppercut. As Deku readied himself to counter quickly, he felt his head give him a little prick. He turned around just in time to see Bakugo's red-hot hand press against him and explode, sending a massive shockwave throughout the city block.
The young inheritor watched as Deku's goggles flew off and settled nearby. The hero was about to meet up with his class rival when he stopped and turned back to the goggles. They were a plain pair of triangular goggles that clipped onto the respirator. Using Black Whip, he snagged the goggles and leaped over to Bakugo.
The explosive faux villain was smiling wide as he surveyed his handiwork. The smoke was still pretty thick when he backed away after the attack. "I doubt that did much, but damn, that felt so good!"
Midoriya settled next to him. "Kacchan, check this out," he said, handing him the goggles.
Bakugo's smile faded as he eyed his rival. "Tch, so what? It's just his goggles," he noted.
"Yeah, but they were blue earlier. This is just a plain old pair of glasses with a weird shape," Midoriya said.
"And?"
"Where was the blue light coming from?"
Bakugo eyed the goggles and let the question linger for a moment. He grabbed the glasses and tossed them around, looking for anything that could answer his question. There were no lights on the other side of the frames, nor were there any battery packs or other power sources that made them blue. "What the hell?" He wondered.
The smoke in front of them began to clear, and Deku's silhouette appeared. He was hunched over with his arms dangling under him. His back was turned to the duo, prompting Bakugo to toss Midoriya the goggles. "Enough chit chat. You stand back and watch me fight him. If he's the Number One Hero in the future, I have the perfect chance to fight him...err, you, at your peak."
"Yeah, because you defeated All Might last year," Midoriya retorted sarcastically.
"Remind me to bash your head into a wall later," Bakugo grumbled.
"Noted."
As the smoke continued to fade, more of Deku's villain costume became clear. He shook his head and straightened up with his back still toward the duo.
At that moment, Midoriya doubled over, clenching his head as he felt his eyes roll into his head. He screamed in pain, causing Bakugo to look over and grab his opponent. "Deku?"
Midoriya clenched his eyes shut as the sharp pain continued to take its toll on him. "Danger Sense! W-What's going on?" He wondered.
Bakugo looked up at Deku. He hadn't moved to fight them. "Deku, what the hell?"
"Something's wrong! I-I can't tell what it is."
Bakugo helped Midoriya straighten up and the two locked on to Deku. The Enforcer turned toward them with his eyes shut. He walked through the smoke and reappeared in all of his glory to the two. "You should not have done that, DynaMight. If you wanted me as your opponent, then you should've made sure that attack was powerful enough to put me down," he advised.
Bakugo smiled. "Like I would pass up the chance to fight you at your best. C'mon! All of those...techniques," he faltered as he remembered that the rest of the class was watching and possibly listening. "I want you to use them all!"
Deku smiled. "I signed on to fight as an Enforcer on the condition that I only use one technique besides my strength. You won't be leaving here satisfied," he said.
Midoriya felt a chill run down his spine. That didn't sound good, he thought.
"But...if you want to fight me, then I'll oblige. Your partner needs to retrieve the hostages and lock them back up to win," Deku said.
Bakugo readied his Quirk by creating small explosions in his palms. Midoriya straightened himself out fully and activated Full Cowling, ready to fight. All Deku did was relax his smile and open his eyes.
The result was, in a single word, terrifying. The duo suddenly felt small and weak against an impossible world. Their blood ran as cold as ice, and their entire body seized up. Their joints locked up, their hearts raced beyond where they were just moments ago. The sensation felt too familiar to Midoriya as he felt himself feel like screaming.
Recovery Girl readjusted the cameras back in the control center so they wouldn't be facing Deku head-on. Even most of the faculty, the class behind her, were all stunned at what was going on. The only ones who weren't so surprised were Principal Nezu and All Might. They watched with different expressions, however. Principal Nezu looked on in wonder at the future Symbol of Peace; his mind was racing with questions regarding the hero that once wielded such a remarkable Quirk. All Might, however, was feeling the exact opposite.
He shook his head as he stared at the screen. "Young Midoriya...what on Earth...?"
Sato was the first among the students to say something. "So...who else saw that coming?"
"Bakugo blasting Deku?" Kaminari asked.
The sugar-themed hero nodded. Everyone raised their hands, including the faculty. "I feel like Deku knew it would happen too," Mina noted. "I wonder why they aren't doing anything, though."
"If anything, they're probably sizing him up. Those two took down Nine, so I bet they're coming up with a strategy," Kirishima said.
"Too bad we can't hear them until they use the radio," Jiro said.
Recovery Girl nodded. "As they should by now. The game has changed for both sides now. Everything depends on Miss Yaoyorozu and Miss Uraraka," she said. "The sooner the game finishes, the better."
All Might nodded. He glanced over at Mr. Aizawa. He tapped him on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper to the Erasure Hero. "You'll have to train Young Midoriya with this ability soon," he whispered.
Mr. Aizawa nodded and leaned back. He looked back at the screen and sighed. Dammit, Problem Child.
The two rivals couldn't help but stare at their enemy and his new, electric blue eyes. Unlike his natural green eyes, which showed compassion and personal strength, these eyes were the living embodiment of terror. Neither of the two could move a muscle in their bodies as Deku slowly approached them. "You two look as stiff as a steel beam. What happened to that courage earlier?" He taunted.
I-I don't understand! I can't move at all! It feels like when I saw...wait a minute! All for One! It feels like when we went to save Kacchan, and we saw All for One! Midoriya thought.
D-Dammit! I can't move! Wh-What the hell did Deku do to me?! Bakugo wondered.
Deku removed the respirator and smiled. "Gentlemen, say hello to Paraly-Stare. This little beauty is the Quirk of the first inheritor of One for All. This is the younger Shigaraki's successor," he said.
The two didn't respond, prompting him to continue. "His name is lost to history, I'm afraid. Even within the core of One for All, he doesn't want to be named, but his story is good. Of course, I'll tell it to you later when Uravity re-captures the hostages. For now, though..." Deku charged at them.
Bakugo shot daggers as he watched the Enforcer get closer. He was lucky that his right hand was still open before he was frozen, and when Deku got close enough, he fired his Quirk.
The explosion wasn't strong enough to do any damage; however, his hold over them broke as he shielded his eyes from the blast. As he turned away, Midoriya saw his chance and powered up to 55%. The whole class watched as the young inheritor connected a rising uppercut to his older self's stomach, making him double over.
Bakugo was close behind his rival with both hands cupped together and moving in a rising arc. "DIE!" He bellowed as he let loose another explosion at point-blank range.
Following the explosion was an attack of Midoriya's. He slipped by Deku and leaped away. He spun to face his older else and fired his Black Whip at him, grabbing him by the back. With a mighty pull, Midoriya flung his older self through an abandoned building. Deku came out on the other side and slammed into a parked 18-wheeler.
With the dust settled, Midoriya sighed. He pulled out his phone and typed away for a little bit before initiating a group call. With the right settings, he pressed against the communicator in his ear. "Creati, Uravity, come in!"
On the other side of the facility, the two young women were standing apart from each other with obvious battle wounds on both of them. Uraraka's hair was a mess, and her improved helmet had disappeared. There were tears on her costume and evidence of bruising on the exposed skin. Yaoyorozu's signature ponytail was undone, and there were scratches and bruises all over her body.
The two were panting heavily when the call came in. "Deku?" Yaoyorozu wondered. "What's going on?"
"Deku? What are you doing?"
"We have to end the test now. The villain Enforcer is my older self! He's tearing the city apart," Midoriya urgently declared.
"To be fair, you're the one who sent him through a hotel," Bakugo retorted.
"Whatever. Anyway, he is attacking the both of us, and if he finishes us off, he'll be coming for you two as well," the young inheritor reported.
"Why would he? He's on our team," Uraraka wondered.
"Ask Kacchan about that one."
The two young heroes sighed. "Ask a stupid question..." They said in unison.
"You guys have to make a decision and end the simulation to stop him. It took a lot from us to even slow him down." An explosion in the background of the call severed the connection before either young hero could say anything.
The two locked eyes for a moment before another explosion rocked the building. The two ran towards the window to see a massive gap in the skyline and a plume of smoke coming from the area.
Yaoyorozu's communicator beeped. She turned away for a moment and answered the call. "This is Creati."
"Ma'am, we heard there is a villain Enforcer in the area. We need to evacuate now!" The robot President urged her.
"Stay put, Madam President. I'm on my way," Creati said before hanging up. She looked up to see Uraraka staring out the window. "I think we have a dilemma on our hands, huh?"
The anti-gravity faux villain nodded. "I can't count on our Enforcer to not attack me. As much as I want to see him in action, ending this simulation is necessary," she said.
Yaoyorozu nodded. "So here are our choices: we either escort the hostages to the exit gates, or you capture them and me. Of course, you would have to bring us all back here, and we don't know how long they have left," she explained.
Uraraka pursed her lips. "Bakugo's gonna kill me for this," she mused. She looked up at Yaoyorozu. "Hero, I surrender. Get me out of here before that raging Enforcer comes and kills us."
Yaoyorozu hid a growing smile by covering it with her hand. She coughed and shook her head, desperate to shake away the feeling of amusement. "Um...okay, villain! Your heinous deeds have come to an end!"
Uraraka was barely successful in suppressing her laughter at the face her friend made. Yaoyorozu's stern glare at the villain only fueled her desire to laugh as she stomped on the ground. She shook her head and looked away to the amusement of the Everything Hero.
Seeing her chance, Yaoyorozu created a pair of Iida glasses. "YOU WILL CEASE YOUR LAUGHTER AT ONCE AND COME WITH ME! HEROISM IS NO JOKE!"
The two girls lost it at that moment. Uraraka had tears in her eyes as she staggered over to Yaoyorozu. The two walked down the stairs and headed to the hostages.
While Midoriya successfully warned the girls, he and Bakugo were hopelessly outmatched when Deku returned to the scene. The villain Enforcer returned in the blink of an eye and slammed into Midoriya, sending him through two parked cars. Bakugo didn't have time to register the Enforcer's attack before he felt himself soar through the air like a bullet.
When he settled, Midoriya leaped into the air and grabbed onto the two cars using Black Whip. When Deku arrived to finish off his younger self, he was met with several thousand pounds of metal slamming into him. The force of Midoriya's twin hammer strike slammed the Enforcer into the ground and embedding him into a crater. While still in the air, the young inheritor threw the cars on top of him in hopes of burying him for a few moments.
The few moments turned into a few seconds as the Enforcer blasted the cars off of him. Deku brushed off the dust on his jacket and charged at his younger self.
Deku didn't have a chance to counter Midoriya's surprise attack before Bakugo came flying in with an explosion to his face. The attack sent the Enforcer in a different direction, slamming him into a nearby building wall. Bakugo adjusted his course and blasted off to continue his assault.
Deku swung his arm and knocked the explosive faux villain away. Midoriya sped in and jammed his fist into the Enforcer's stomach as Bakugo flew through the air. The sudden attack sent Deku doubling over and gasping for air. The explosive faux villain readjusted his flight path and blasted Deku in the face.
Midoriya grabbed Deku by the undershirt and tossed him away as Bakugo blasted off in the opposite direction. He placed one hand over the other and flashed a wicked smile. "DIE, DEKU! AP AUTO-CANNON!"
The Enforcer readjusted in midair when the first of Bakugo's attacks hit him. Midoriya sighed and rushed in to attack while the Auto-Cannon sent smoke and ash into the air.
Midoriya felt his entire body lock up before he could get close, and his pulse suddenly sky-rocketed. He tripped on his own two feet and slammed into the ground face-first. Bakugo was next when he felt his explosions start to falter. He fell to the ground, frozen in his attack's pose.
When the smoke cleared, Deku emerged with his denim jacket nearly destroyed. His undershirt was torn in a few places, including his right shoulder. Recovery Girl zoomed in on the spot and gasped when she saw a jagged purple mark underneath. All Might got a closer look at the mark, and his eyes widened. "T-That's..."
Recovery Girl turned to him and placed a finger to her lips. The look in her eyes was clear: later.
As Deku approached them, Midoriya struggled to find his feet. He could move his arms; however, each arm felt like it was filled with lead. He slid his legs under his body and pushed himself up. Bakugo watched him overcome the effects of the Quirk, drawing Deku's attention.
When he saw him standing up, Deku's eyes widened, and Paraly-Stare shut off. Without the Quirk suppressing him, Midoriya spun on his heel and delivered an uppercut to the Enforcer's stomach. Midoriya used Black Whip to grab onto him and throw him down the street as he doubled over. Bakugo smiled as he blasted into the air.
Once he was far enough, Bakugo changed course and started to blast around him, creating a tornado as he spun at incredible speeds.
Deku landed safely when he saw him coming in. "HOWITZER...IMPACT!"
Deku's eyes widened as Bakugo connected the attack, sending a massive shockwave throughout the arena. The attack sent plumes of smoke and ash into the air, causing Midoriya to bury his face into the crook of his elbow.
The explosion rocked the observation room. Everyone inside was handing on as the building rocked them all to the ground. When the shaking stopped, Mina had to push herself off of Kirishima, who was redder in the face than his hair. He shook his head before accepting the acid-throwing hero's help and rose to his feet.
With everyone okay, Snipe spoke up first. "That's definitely gotten stronger than before," he said.
Abigail Winters, who was behind the rest of the class, nodded. "I'm really thankful you guys forgave me for those QICDs earlier this year. That would've put a serious dent in Project 0P," she said.
Sato nodded. "Damn, you think Deku survived that?"
"I hope so. Uraraka would be pissed if her future boyfriend died here," Sero commented.
Recovery Girl nodded. "It's a good thing there's a heart monitor in all of your suits. Don't worry; everyone is alright," she said.
"Wait, what?" Jiro exclaimed. "We have heart monitors?"
"Oh yeah. It makes it easier to keep track of all of you medically. Deku decided to turn them on for this exercise too."
"Wait...so where's mine?" Mina wondered, padding herself down for any sign of a device.
"More importantly: where's Yao-Momo's?"
"Consult your updated hero uniform instruction booklets. It explains where the device is. Don't worry; males installed the devices in male costumes, and women installed them in women's costumes," Principal Nezu said.
The acid-throwing young hero made a mental note to go over her costume later. She had an idea of where to check but was neither the time nor place to be sure.
As the smoke began to clear, Midoriya fanned the area near his face. He looked around the area and sighed in relief. Some of the surrounding buildings' windows were completely shattered, and at least two buildings were completely leveled. All traffic and street lights were ripped from their sockets and embedded into some of the surviving buildings. There were no cars in sight.
All in all, he was lucky to have evacuated the area when he did.
The thick cloud of smoke around the impact point began to dissipate. As it did, Midoriya's eyes widened. The camera linked to the observation room revealed the sight before he could see it clearly.
Deku was still standing. His posture was rigid and strong. A small pool of blood had appeared underneath Bakugo, who was limp in the air.
H-He stopped it! He caught Kacchan at the moment of impact and suppressed the explosion. The shockwave...
Bakugo yelped in pain. His right arm was completely purple, and he hung from Deku's outstretched grasp.There were hardly any scratches on the Enforcer as he smiled at the young inheritor. "Nice try...but I think that was all he had."
He tossed the faux villain to the ground. Deku stepped over him and approached Midoriya. "Now then, let's finish this!"
Midoriya backed away for a second, and when his eyes fixed on Bakugo, he shook his head. "I'm not giving up."
Deku stopped his approach. "I'm going to win this! I will defeat you!"
"At 55% of One for All? I am you of the future, Izuku. I know where your limits are in this time because I lived it!"
Midoriya smiled. "So? Just like I promised Sir Nighteye..."
Full Cowling reactivated instantly, sending a shockwave in the area. Deku's eyes widened as he saw Midoriya's transformation.
His hair didn't spike up as it did before; however, his hair was lighter and flowing in the wind. His sleeves tore away in the transformation, leaving him with his forearms exposed.
"...I will SMASH that future!"
One for All
Full Cowling
65%!
Deku smiled as he formed a battle stance. "You're past your limits. Let's see if you can make use of it!"
The two Midoriya's smiled at each other. The cameras watching them barely had time to adjust as the two slammed into each other at incredible speeds.
The battle finally ends in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading and being patient with me! Your feedback is very much appreciated! Until next time!
-Newage
