Chapter 12: Heroes against the dark
Toshinori was furious.
His rage wasn't only directed to the villains who dared invade his school and threaten his students, but also at himself. He should have been here, he should have protected the children under his care, but he hadn't.
As he approached the group closer to the USJ entrance he saw another reminder of his failures.
Dream Eaters, the same creatures that Izuku told him about, and he once again dismissed his successor's word. The boy more than deserved the benefit of the doubt, but instead what Toshinori did was humor him and chalked it as Izuku's overactive imagination, but now the same creatures were here fixing his mistake.
Toshinori cursed himself at the same time that he swore to never doubt his protege word ever again. Better listen and be wrong than not and be caught by surprise.
"THIRTEEN, WHAT HAPPENED HERE? I RAN INTO YOUNG IIDA ON THE WAY HERE, BUT I WOULD LIKE AN UPDATE." Toshinori made a quick head count seeing that most students were there, along with some of the Dream Eaters Izuku showed him in his notes, even if he couldn't remember their names, another thing he would correct. His successor's notes proved more and more useful each passing day.
The rescue hero gave the report. "All Might, the villain's have a warp quirk, and some black creatures they're using as foot soldiers. We are waiting for the rest of the class here, but while most of them are already heading here, we have a problem." Toshinori was relieved that the students were safe, he felt a pit forming in his nonexistent stomach. Before he could ask, they were surprised by a blonde bomber rushing at them.
"All Might! You have to help Deku!" The desperation in Bakugo's voice along with his words told Toshinori that his fears were not unfounded, "We left him behind, it's all my fault! We should have stayed and helped but we left him behind!" The boy's eyes shined with barely contained tears.
Before he could say anything, Aizawa came with Young Asui and Mineta, both with an escort of Dream Eaters, "All Might, Midoriya is at the fountain plaza, he's trapped!" The underground hero didn't waste a fraction of a second more than the strictly necessary.
Toshinori didn't waste any time with a response, his body burning with pain from the strain, barely registering in his mind, shooting into motion.
He saw a figure, covered in armor, standing against a towering monster. If the color scheme identical to his hero costume wasn't enough to tell the identity of the knight, then the crossed belts were. Toshinori didn't know where Izuku got that armor, maybe it was another thing he told him and he didn't give the importance it deserved, but he knew that even with it, Izuku wouldn't be capable of taking the beast down alone.
A wall of dark smoke stood between the hero and the boy, but even the Darkness couldn't stop the Symbol of Peace. Toshinori burst through the barrier, grabbing Izuku before the monster could strike him, the two were at the other side of the plaza in a blink of an eye.
"All Might!" Izuku said, in relief.
Toshinori gave him a smile and a thumbs up. "SORRY FOR THE WAIT, BUT DON'T WORRY, I AM HERE NOW!"
"He is here," Shigaraki said, descending in a fit of insane laughter. "He is here to die! Nomu, KILL HIM!"
The Nomu turned Heartless dashed toward the heroes.
"All Might, look out!" Izuku cast a fire spell, but the monster just batted it aside.
All Might dashed and his fist met the Juggernaut's, the force generated created a shockwave that broke the very ground they were standing into pieces. While the monster was unfazed Toshinori had to take a step back, this would have cost him, if Izuku didn't jump in, the Heartless tried to follow up with another punch but the Keyblade Master once more chopped off the Juggernaut's arm.
The Heartless didn't even react to it's lost limb, using it's remaining arm to grab Izuku by the head and throw him aside. The boy was sent flying before stumbling through the floor, crashing in one of the plazas stairways to other zones.
"Ouch!" Izuku's pained voice sounded from the crater he created, while All Might was relieved that the boy was at least still conscious, he saw red. The monster in front of him had hurt his successor for the last time, Toshinori blurred into a barrage of punches fuelled by his righteous fury. Even while the Juggernaut, now with his arm regenerated, tried to match the hero's attack, he was still slowly being pushed back.
"Izuku!" Nana's panicked shout helped Izuku shake the stars out of his vision, slowly he pried himself from his crash site and got up,
'I'm okay, more or less, the armor took the worst of it.' He stood up and saw All Might and the Juggernaut trading blows, "I have to help him!".
"Kid you can't! You were barely keeping up with it before!"
'All Might is out of time! If I don't do something, he won't be able to beat that thing!' Izuku was already running, he had to help, he just needed something that could take the load off All Might.
"That's it!"
Nana turned to the Other with a mix of panic, concern, and something Inko had in her eye's when she knew Izuku was about to do something stupid. "Explain, now!"
The Other straightened himself, "I have a plan, well more like an idea, but it should help… I hope."
The uncertain response only made Nana stare go from flat to cutting. "Kid, if you die, I'm gonna beat you up in the afterlife!"
Toshinori was slowing down, every attack he threw only draining more and more of his already exhausted power, he couldn't keep this up but he also couldn't stop, not when the only thing between this monster and the children in the building was him, he wouldn't fall, not without at least bringing this thing down with him!
A green flash caught his attention, Izuku in seconds was behind the monster. "Blizzard!" Various shards of ice hit the Juggernaut, encasing it in ice.
Toshinori took the opportunity to catch his breath, this wouldn't stop the beast for long.
"All Might!" His successor was now at his side, Toshinori would be the first to admit that the image of Izuku covered in armor coming to his rescue wasn't one he expected to see, but he sure was glad to see it now. "Young Izuku, you are a sight for sore eyes, but it is better if you go now, I'll hold this thing while you escape with the others!"He kept his voice down to not alert the villains of his plan.
"No!" The shout caught All Might by surprise, Izuku never raised his voice to him, he could see the boy not only have respect for him as a hero, but also the same respect he still have for his master, so seeing him do it now gave him pause and the chance for Izuku to speak. "You're almost out of time! And this thing is a Heartless now so I'm the only one who can take it down! I won't leave you here, I'm staying and we are gonna beat this thing, together!" He raised his open hand, Toshinori looked at the young man that stood before him and once again stopped him from going back on his word. His smile came back with double the intensity, because now, it was a genuine one, taking Izuku's hand, All Might felt the familiar feeling of One For All coursing through him, but now the power was overflowing, involving him in a golden yellow aura that made him shine like the sun.
The sound of ice breaking reached them as the Juggernaut freed itself from its prison. The man stared at the monster, and while some could say these titans of Light and Darkness are evenly matched, they would be wrong, because standing by Toshinori's side was Izuku. The hero glanced at the knight and while he couldn't see his eyes, the nod he received was everything he needed, they would put this villain down, right here and right now.
All Might moved, a golden flash was all that was left to see, a strike to the beast this time made it step back, and it was only the first of many. The Juggernaut tried to counter attack, but Izuku wouldn't let it, the green knight fell like lightning on the Heartless while every attack of the golden hero felt like thunder. Izuku zipped in and out of range, attacking and falling back so All Might could put every bit of power he could on every smash.
The Juggernaut was pushed back again and again, Toshinori didn't feel that good in years, he wasn't as strong as in his prime, the brute would have been beaten by now if he was, but the charge Izuku gave him was enough, and the boy covering him perfectly like that was also very much appreciated. With a final uppercut, All Might sent the Heartless skyward, Izuku jumped at him and kept himself perched in the hero's arm, "Let's finish it with style?" Toshinori could hear the smile in the boy's voice, and knowing him as he did, All Might knew exactly what he was planning, with a nod he stretched his arm and started to spin.
They turned into a tornado of yellow and green, Izuku holding with all his strength, "UNITED STATES OF…" All Might then threw his arm forward and Izuku was shot like a bullet, holding his Keyblade with both arms and leaving behind a trail of yellow and green light, he reached the airborne Heartless in a second and with all his might he slash at the Juggernaut and shouted, "SMASH!" Heroes Rising struck the Heartless and with it all the power it held exploded. It was like a second sun appeared inside the building, the glass dome of USJ exploded with the force generated. Izuku fell back to the ground, his arms more sore now than he ever felt, but luckily not broken thanks to his armor, he looked back up in time to see the freed heart disappear in a final flash of light.
"Not bad." The voice that came from behind him made his blood run cold, turning back he saw the dark figure that commanded the Heartless.
He dropped back on his stance, something deep inside told him he wouldn't win, but it didn't stop him from getting ready to go down fighting, "Who are you?!"
That actually made the helmeted figure stop. "Really Izuku, you want to play dump now?"
Izuku didn't know what he was talking about, but he could swear he knew the enemy in front of him, every word said in that cruel and snarky tone felt familiar in a dreadful way.
The figure kept staring at him. "Are you serious? What now it's your turn to play the lost memory game? I thought you were better than that." He shrugged while shaking his head. "Oh well, I think I just have to refresh your memory for you!" He then dropped in his own stance, and in his hand, a Keyblade appeared.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Vanitas, but I don't think you'll need to remember the name for long."
"You probably won't survive enough to use it again!"
"IZUKU!" All Might barely had the strength to move Izuku out of the way. He couldn't believe his eyes, this villain too had a Keyblade, Toshinori forced himself to stop seeing it as a quirk and tried to remember his successor's notes, it was a weapon of the heart, and after seeing what the other boy had caused, he was sure his heart would be as twisted and dark as the blade in his hand, he was dangerous and Toshinori was out of time and barely keeping his form.
Izuku shook his head, "Vanitas!" he shouted while standing up.
"Oh, so you remember me now?" Vanitas smug voice was accompanied with another strike of his Keyblade.
Izuku met the dark blade with his own. "No, but for some reason, I really wanna beat you up!" Izuku's snarky response surprised even himself, but he meant every word of it.
Toshinori wanted to move, he wanted to help, but he was at his limit, he could barely keep his form up. There he was, the number one hero helpless while the boy in front of him was fighting for both of their lives, he was once again berating himself for his recklessness when a hate filled voice reached him, "You cheater!" He looked to his side to see one of the villains, the one covered in hands, closing on him with his hand ready to grab his arm.
His instincts honed from decades of hero work told him that that hand was dangerous, but his overworked body told he wouldn't be able to dodge. In the end, he didn't need to, a stream of flames came from above, cutting the path of the hand to its intended target. The villain retreated, the heat of the fire singing his hand, when the inferno that fell from the sky ended, standing between All Might and his attacker was Shiryu, the Dream Eater still with ambers escaping his beak.
"Get out of my way!" Shigaraki's enraged shout didn't affect the Ryu Dragon, who only looked to the side and gave a cry. The hand covered villain traced the creature line of sight, only to be greeted by a white wrecking ball hitting him square on the chest.
Shigaraki had the air driven out of his lungs and his body crashing on the ground. Cotton recovered mid air and hit the floor hooves first with surprising grace, the rotund Dream Eater then got on his companion's side, both standing protectively in front of All Might.
The sound of metal clashing intensified, Izuku and Vanitas Keyblades creating a shower of sparks that only confirmed the power behind every strike. Izuku was pushing himself to his limits and beyond, but even then he could barely keep up with his adversary.
Vanitas didn't bother with anything happening around them, his complete focus was on the green armored boy he was facing, not because the fight was challenging but because it wasn't. "You know Izuku, I was expecting more from you, but looks like the old man is right. With what happened to you, I can't say I'm surprised." Vanitas' condescending voice angered Izuku, but his words were what really caught his attention, "What are you talking about?!".
"I'm talking about your little suicide mission of course." Their weapons locked, both pushing for dominance while staring at the dark glass of the opponent's helmet, "I think the trait of jumping on the deep end just to save someone that was stupid enough to do the same is genectic." Vanitas scoffed while slowly overpowering Izuku. The boy's inner turmoil just grew, what was all that about, what had he done? Was it the reason why all that was happening to him? He didn't have the time to search for answers, as Vanitas now had him almost on his knees.
Both Izuku's train of thought and deadlock were interrupted by the familiar and always welcome sound of Tesla arriving. The Electricorn rained lightning on Vanitas, making him jump back to safety while Izuku remained unharmed.
"Good to see you again buddy!" Izuku laughed and patted Tesla's side.
Shigaraki and Vanitas were now facing Izuku and his Dream Eater companions, with All Might on the back, "They cheated! We had everything to win!"
"Chill Handsy, if Izuku can call his pets to fight, then nothing is stopping me from doing the same." Vanitas let his Darkness flow along his words, and from it, creatures made from negativity came into existence.
Izuku saw the symbol emblazoned on their bodies, and a chill run down his spine.
"Unversed."
"That's those things' names?"
"Yeah, they were made from negative emotions, the King had gone on a mission to deal with them years ago!"
"Well, looks like they're back!"
"So Izuku, what are you gonna do now?" Vanitas cruel voice made Izuku focus back on the enemies in front of him. There was a whole mob of Unversed, small and big, behind the villains.
"You already know what, even the odds and beat those punks to next week kid!" Nana didn't have to say it twice, closing his fist on his chest, Izuku channeled every bit of power he could find in himself.
One by one, Dream Eaters started to appear, from a Meow Wow to a Tyranto Rex, every type of Spirit was now proudly standing beside Izuku.
All Might could barely believe his eyes, his successor had just created himself an army, but it looks like the surprises were not over.
"Now that's more like it Izzy, make this worth my time!" Vanitas Darkness overflowed, covering him and his Unversed in a dark aura.
"I prefer making you regret!" Izuku's own aura started to spread, jumping from one Spirits to another, in the end, Izuku and his Dream Eaters were shining a brilliant aura, every creature with it's own color, as if a rainbow had descended to the earth.
The two Keyblade wielders stared at each other, the troops on their command ready to clash, but they were interrupted.
"THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED!" Present Mic voice reached every corner of USJ, making all turn their heads to the entrance, where all the pro-heroes of UA now stood.
"Heh, saved by the bell." Vanitas dismissed his Keyblade and Unversed. "I think it's better if we cut our losses here, don't want the old geezers throwing a fit." He said to Shigaraki, stretching his hand and creating a Dark Corridor.
Shigaraki sent a last hate filled glare to All Might, but he knew that was game over. "Kurogiri!" The mist swallowed him, leaving no trace of the villain.
"Hey, next time, we're having our fun, see ya Izuku." Vanitas gave a two finger salute before walking into the Dark Corridor.
Izuku remained still for a second, but when he finally felt the Darkness dispersing, he let his aura drop, before dropping himself on his behind. The Dream Eaters followed right after, all relieved that their friend was safe now.
Toshinori kept the trend and let himself relax, his form dropped along his, now emaciated, body. He was being covered by the bigger creatures so he wasn't in any rush, he was about to confirm Izuku well being when he saw the boy's armored shoulders shaking, his concern almost made him get back up, but what happened next gave him pause.
Izuku laughed. Even with everything that occurred, even with all the danger he faced, he joyfully laughed, because it was over now.
The battle of USJ has ended.
Toshinori felt the emotion Izuku was letting out on his voice and couldn't help but join him. The two heroes laughed after a well owned victory.
"All Might!" A voice called, ending the moment. Toshinori saw Cementos, a hero with the physical appearance of a slab of concrete and teacher of Literature in UA, running at them, "Are you all right?!"
"Yeah, just tired, I'm getting too old for this." He joked light heartedly.
"You're not old All Might!" Izuku said.
Cementos finally noticed the armored figure, he looked concerned at All Might, fearing for his secret.
Toshinori brushed his worries off, "Don't worry, Izuku already knew, and I trust him." He said the final part with dead seriousness, he would now trust his successor's words as much as the boy trusted his, he silently promised the boy that.
"Okay then, the students were already out there being checked by Recovery Girl, the others were combing the building. I came here to escort you, and I recommend that you go join your classmates." The hero said the final piece to Izuku.
The boy turned to All Might, who gave a nod. Getting up, Izuku started to make his way to the entrance, but not before saying, "Hey guys, thanks for the help!" The Dream Eaters responded with various happy cries, before vanishing in puffs of colored smoke one by one.
The green knight rushed to the gates, coming face to face with his teacher and principal, "Aizawa-sensei! Principal Nezu!"
The adults turned to the boy, both relieved that he was fine and surprised by his attire, "Midoriya-kun! I'm happy to see you are well."
"Thanks, are my friends okay?"
"Yes, they are all accounted for and no one sustained any grave injury. Can you give me your input on the situation now?" The quirked animal asked, if there was another threat to his students, he would tear it apart himself!
"The villains that invaded retreated when you arrived, and the Darkness is gone now so there's no more Heartless too."
Both educators let out a sigh, that was what they hoped, but confirmation was always welcomed, "Just one more thing, how did you acquire this armor?"
Izuku, even while covered head to toe, still scratched the back of his neck on his nervous tic, producing a sound of metal scratching metal, "I'm… actually not sure, but I'm glad I did, or else I don't think I would be in one piece right now." He gave a nervous chuckle.
The man and animal duo didn't want even to imagine the possibility, they were just glad there was no lives lost today, the rest could be dealt with later, "We can talk in depth of the situation that transpired here on a future time, for now is best for you to rejoin your class."
Izuku nodded and gave a continence to the Principal before turning to the space that once had the doors of the building, 'Tesla overdid it a little' He mentally commented.
"Midoriya," His teacher's voice stopped Izuku on his tracks.
"I'm sorry." He didn't say what he was apologizing for, he didn't need to do it tough.
"Don't be, you took care of us the best you could, that's why you're so cool sensei!" The boy didn't wait to see the hero reaction, preferring a quick escape.
"This kid." If Nezu noticed the smile on Shota's face, he didn't comment, instead choosing to smile too. The air of levity didn't last long, both now had to discover everything about what just occurred, and a way to make sure that there wouldn't be a second time.
Izuku exited the dome and found himself before various emergency services personnel, from paramedics to policemen, one of them stopped at his side. After explaining he too was a student, the officer gave him directions to where the others were, he thanked the man and dashed off, wanting to make sure himself that his friends were okay.
Reaching the bus that brought the class on the trip, he found all his classmates waiting at it's side with Thirteen, "Guys!" His cry got their attention, they all recognized the Class President by his voice, even if the color scheme of his armor was a dead giveaway.
In a blink he reached the group and threw himself at the closest people, Ochaco and Katsuki, "Deku?!" Both asked, startled, while being brought on a hug by the green knight. Izuku had all his friends and even some of the classmates he hadn't talked to much yet coming to check on him, a fact that warmed his heart.
"Hey guys, I'm okay, what about you?"
"We are not the ones that faced that bird on steroids!" Katsuki gave his answer on his typical volume, but he couldn't fool his best friend.
Izuku hugged the two in his arms harder, taking their feet off the ground, "Don't worry, All Might showed up and we took care of it, you should have seen it, we're so cool! I even got the chance to do a smash with him!" The image of a fanboying knight was what drove them over the edge.
Thirteen watched relieved as the students laughed, the children were now joking while the adults took care of the important matters, as it should be. The rescue hero still believed that the only job of kids was to be kids, so seeing that the class was once more with that sparkle on their eyes soothed the pro worries.
"I have to say mon amie, your new garments were fabulous!" Yuga said while comparing his cape with Izuku's.
The others agree with him on that, but Denki brought up an extremely good point, "Hey man, how do you get out this thing?"
Izuku remained silent for an awkward second before shrugging, causing his friends to facepalm.
Another one that brought her hand to her face was Nana, "Really kid? You forgot the freaking off button?!"
Izuku heard his Other's own exasperated response. "Gimme a minute." With that Izuku chose the wait and see approach on his current predicament.
"Izuku-kun, are you hurt in any way?" Momo's question brought once more the sense of seriousness to the conversation. Izuku reassured his friends. "Nope, nothing that a good night's rest won't heal."
"That's good to hear," Thirteen said, joining the conversation. "We already called your parents and some were being escorted here by the police to retrieve you. We'll be returning to the main building now, I think you all would like to get out of here." The hero received various nods.
Once they were all seated and the bus started to make its way back, the hero students finally could relax. They sagged on their seats, the wave of relief that washed over them knowing they were all safe after the dangers they just faced almost knocking them out.
One more time, Izuku started to laugh, the events of the day still seemed crazy even if he had lived through it.
Others followed his lead, laughing their fears away, but some still had things they wanted to say, "Deku." Katsuki's voice cutted through the merry atmosfere of the bus.
"I'm sorry" Even those that barely knew the blonde still got shocked by his public apology, but Izuku wasn't, he was annoyed, "Nope!"
"What?!" The fire was back on the bomber's eyes, but the green clad boy wasn't satisfied.
"Nope! Someone already unnecessarily apologised to me today! You did the right thing, so put a smile on your face, we won!"
The two were staring at each other, both too stubborn to back down.
Tsuyu was the one to end the conflict. "Izuchan is right, you had a plan, and even while it didn't work the way you wanted, everything worked out in the end." She said with a finger on her cheek, tilting her head and looking like she was saying that to herself as much as to Katsuki.
Izuku brought her to an one armed side hug, "See! Everything 's fine!" He said lighthearted.
"Yeah, but only because you started to summon Dream Eaters left and right!" Katsuki didn't know what he was trying to prove right now, but giving up was not something he knew how to do.
The class, even those who weren't on the knowing, agreed with the blonde on that, the creatures were the reason no one was hurt today, "He has a point there. If Cotton had not come to our rescue, we would not have been able to escape the Heartless who surrounded us, much less defeated them." Momo's precise assessment was echoed by others.
Izuku was too humble to accept their gratitude, so they all just let it go for now. Katsuki still had one more thing to say, and it made Izuku face pale behind his helmet, "Our parents are gonna kill us. The Hag is going to scream my ears off, but Aunty Inko is going to drown you in tears." He gave a hollow chuckle, not looking up to the described event.
Izuku was panicking, "Mom'll flood the building! And Eri will cry if she cries!" He entered a spiraling mumble storm that only made him more distressed.
Katsuki was howling at his friend's despair, the others too were amused by it, but they knew their families wouldn't be too different, except the flood part.
The trip ended taking longer as the bus was escorted by police cars, when they finally arrived at the main building, some of their parents were already there. Thirteen permitted them to talk with their guardians before changing out of their costumes.
The lucky, or unlucky depending on who you asked, ones were Izuku, Katsuki, Kyoka, Denki and Tsuyu. They barely entered the room where their relatives were when a small white haired missile ran into Izuku, who did his best to hold the girl before she hit his armored form. The others were surprised, but their parents got their attention by flocking them too.
Katsuki was strategically keeping himself next to Izuku, he knew his mother was even more restrained while next to children, so Eri was his guardian angel to pass the day without having a shouting match, at least until they got home. That let him watch as Inko approached her son with tears in her eyes.
"Izuku?" She asked, there was so much she wanted to know, but seeing his son looking like a fairy tale knight in shining armor while their little princes glued herself onto him made her smile, her children were safe and that was all that mattered to her.
"Hey mom, I'm okay, no one got hurt." Izuku said while gently running his fingers through Eri's pale locks. The boy gently pushed the girl back, "Hey Eri, thanks, you kept me safe out there, so I could be back just like I promised!" He put all his cheerfulness on his voice trying to calm the girl.
She dried her eyes, still keeping close to him. The other people in the room gave them space while having their own heartfelt reunions, and while that helped Izuku keep Eri focused on him, it wasn't what he wanted. He was thankful for his armor, but he wanted to smile at her, so she could see that he was here.
His wish was granted by the voice of his Other shouting, "I did it!" Not a second later, Izuku was encased by light, momentarily blinding everyone in the room. When it died down, he was once more on his hero costume, but this time, with the addition of a green, silver, and golden shoulder armor that protects his right shoulder halfway down his elbow, "Huh, that's convenient." He shrugged and smiled at the girl in front of him, who had stars in her eyes.
"A warning would have been nice Broccoli Head!" Kyoka said without any bite to it, she and the others already used to the weirdness that happened wherever Izuku went.
"Sorry!" He chuckled along Eri while their mother watched content that her son had friends to joke even after what happened. "Hey, I have to go change real quick, then we can go home, 'kay?" As Eri nodded with her on "'Kay!" What made some of the mothers in the room giggle at the adorable girl, Izuku got up and turned to his friends, "Okay guys, let's go before Aizawa sensei comes back and discovers we are 'irrationally wasting time'!" The hero students laughed at the joke and doubly at their parents confused faces.
They all run to the changing room, wanting to reunite with their families as fast as possible. With record time, they were back in their school uniforms, with Izuku's having the addition of his shoulder armor, "You're gonna keep it?"
Izuku nodded at Tsuyu's question, "Yup, just to be safe."
"I sure feel safe when our class rep can just go full knight at any time… you can go full knight right?" Denki's inquiry was accompanied with the stare of the others. Izuku nodded while pointing to the circular part of the armor piece, "Yup again, this is actually a button."
Kyoka whistled, "Neat, but the teachers will let you keep it?"
"I won't say anything if you don't." They all traded glances before agreeing with keeping their friend's secret.
Izuku felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, checking it, he saw some messages from Momo.
Momo: Izuku, we have already changed and were guided back to our classroom. The police are collecting our depositions, but they permitted those that were accompanied by their legal guardians to leave.
Izuku: Thanks for the heads up!
Izuku explained the situation to his friends and Katsuki but put all their feelings into words, "We already will be questioned home, we don't need to do a practice run here." They all wanted to crawl back to their beds and sleep for at least twelve hours, so all unanimously decided to go with their parents.
Izuku quickly passed a message to Momo explaining their decision, getting another with her understanding their reasoning and saying they all would have done the same.
With their consciousness now clear, they made their way back.
—
Izuku let his body fall on the couch. "Yeah, I think I know why Aizawa-sensei looks so tired all the time!" He chuckled while putting his arm on his face, resting his eyes.
Eri and Inko drilled everything that happened out of him and Izuku didn't know why but recounting all the events made him more tired than when he was living them.
Now he finally has some time to relax.
"Izuku!"
Or not, Eri was at his side shaking his arm, looking at him expectantly.
Izuku sat back up, "I'm up, need something Little Unicorn?"
The girl didn't waste time on dragging him to their bedroom. "Close your eyes!" She said with her best authority face, which only made Izuku chuckle at her, but complied anyway.
He heard the sound of her scramble with drawers, not long after she tapped his arm. "You can look now!".
Izuku slowly peeled his eyes open, what he saw in Eri's hand took his breath away. It was a star shaped charm, it had a golden frame around a light green star accentuated by dark green lines reaching to the points with a red heart shaped gem in the center.
"It's for you, to help you always come back to us!" Eri passed him the present by the red string that was tied to the top of the charm.
Holding the golden frame like a delicate treasure, Izuku felt his heart hammering in his chest, a million feelings passing through it, but the only thing that was on his mind were the words he said next. "Thanks Eri, it's perfect!" His voice almost failed him, so he decided to trust his actions more, bringing the girl into a hug.
"You can't forget your promise, you have to always come back!" Eri too had her voice cracking with emotion.
Hugging the girl tightly, Izuku replied. "Always, whatever it takes."
"I will always come back."
"Always, whatever it takes!"
"Don't forget it S̵̛̰̼͆̀͛̅ő̷̧̨̧̘͎̭͛ȓ̶̡̡̢̳͚͕͈̘͉̔̑̾ā̸͉̫̱̳̒̒́̑̅!"
"We're part of each other! We began together, and we'll only end the same way!"
"So wait for me b̴̬̱̕͜r̶̰̼͍͛ò̴̞̪͋̎t̶̜̽̄͒h̸̖̘̐e̸͉͕͐̃̕ͅr̶̰̤͇̓̃͘!"
With the last light of the sun fading, the day was over, however, the darkness was now free to fester.
—
"Dammit! He wasn't weak, he beat Nomu even with buffs! And that damn Knight took our troops down!" Shigaraki was yelling at the top of his lungs, his plan had failed.
"Don't be so disappointed Shigaraki." A calm voice came from a TV with 'audio only' being displayed on its screen. The voice made the villain stop on his tracks, even a casual remark carrying too much authority to be disobeyed.
"We were too rash with our approach, All Might has gotten weaker since our battle, we only have to wait a little more. Take this as a lesson, after all, your growth is my main priority."
"Yes, Sensei." The once frantic man was now subdued, which let Vanitas a chance to speak.
"And don't think Izuku was the reason your pet lost." His comment got the attention of all, but he wasn't paying attention to them, talking seemingly to no one he said. "He's weak now, how Dusty there would say? Ah, he was nerfed."
A voice came from the shadows of the bar, "Was he? Well isn't that amazing news!" A figure in a dark cloak came into view, while they're posture was relaxed, their voice carried the same weight the one on the other side of the screen had.
"Let's wait and see just how far our little hero has fallen then." The laughter that followed was so cruel it would have made weaker willed individuals tremble. "And see how much we'll need to keep him down this time…Permanently."
Foreshadowing, muahahaha, okay evil laugh aside I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was edited by keeperofhounds, so the good quality was a given.
I also started a new story, it is a BNHAxBloodborne crossover. If you like the genre (read cosmic suffering) check A Hero's Hunt.
Join the discord (don't forget to delete the spaces)
discord . gg / stAGY4V