The barrier walls that protected the entrance and stairs from any chaos that might occur in the adjacent urban and mountain zones, had also kept the Villains from just walking around Todoroki-san's ice wall. Unfortunately, by the time Ami, Mo-chan, and I had rejoined Thirteen, Momo, Cass, Ashido-san, Sero-kun, and Iida-san in the square, the wall was seriously cracked by the mooks.
The teleporter was still standing there, glaring at Momo, but he glanced at us angrily. At least I think it was anger, his mist face was hard to read.
"I'm glad you kids are okay," Thirteen said, "What happened?"
"We were teleported up to the mountain," I explained quickly, "There were sixteen Villains waiting, but we were able to take them down, and left them buried in the snow. What about here?"
"Cain-san determined the teleporter's weakness," Iida-kun supplied quickly, "Thirteen-sensei trapped him, Ashido-san captured him, and Yaoyorozu neutralized him with a bomb and a dead-man's switch."
"But he said that he will risk dying fighting us, if any of us try to escape," Momo added.
"What about the others?" Ashido-chan asked.
I remembered what I had seen on the way back.
Mikoto and company defeating the Villains, including Tsu and Kirishima-kun knocking out a trio that resisted Mikoto's initial shock. Then the trio heading towards the far side of the base of the mountain, instead of the square. I had a few guesses why they might be doing that.
In the field area, Jirou was helping direct Ojiro-san and Tokoyami-san. She also took out a couple mooks on her own. There were still four standing attackers, the last time I looked. But my classmates were basically unharmed, and the Villains looked nervous.
At the back of the suburban area, the Villains fell the fastest. Todoroki-san froze ten of the sixteen in one shot. Aoyama-san blasted four, and the last two were taken out by Shoji-kun. Despite the latter having devoted two of his arms to extra eyes and one to a third ear.
The urban zone worried me the most. Koda-kun was the third strongest in our class, behind Shoji and myself. And was probably stronger then I was, without my Ki or Psionic boosts. He was swinging an I-beam like a club, its massive weight neutralized by Ochako. Ochako was throwing chunks of concrete. And Toru-chan (who I did my best not to look at) was sneaking around, tripping them, and generally staying out of Koda-kun and Ochako's way. Despite that, all three of them had been hit. Toru-chan wasn't bleeding, so she was still hidden. But she would be sporting an invisble shiner. And both of the other two had cuts and bruises.
I would have worried about them, except Todoroki-san's group was heading for the urban area. I wasn't an expert lip reader, but I was able to catch them saying 'train'. They were planning to use the zone's working train to get back here faster. Which would also put them in place to be reinforcements for Ochako.
And Toru-chan and Koda-kun.
"They are fine," I tried to reassure Ashido-san.
"How do you know?" the pinkette asked dubiously.
I hesitated. Should I tell them? Tell my classmates and especially Thirteen-sensei more about my abilities, even if I didn't tell them everything. Reassure them, and also give them better information to deal with this crisis. But more than worrying about telling them, I worried about saying anything in front of the Villain. If he escaped, whatever I said would get out. And he was the teleporter. All he needed to do was grab Momo, or find some other method to neutralize the bomb.
"Please," Mo-chan scoffed, "If the mooks everyone else is fighting are only half as stupid and inept as the ones we got, they shouldn't have any trouble at all. Only the hair lady was any threat, and she still went down pretty easy."
The teleporter flinched. Then he recovered when the ice visibly and audibly cracked.
"Mizuno-chan," Thirteen said, "Can you reinforce that wall?"
"I can control ice, but I can't make it," Ami answered, slightly dismayed, "I can hold it in place, and try to push it back together, but I can't make more ice."
"But you can use the water from the fountain," I said quickly, "And Momo, you can make a freezing chemical, right? So we can add to the wall that way."
They both nodded at me. Ami gestured, pulling all the water out of the currently disabled decoration, and layering it on both sides of Todoroki-san's barrier to make it thicker and taller. That resulted in some annoyed shouts from the now soaked Villains on the far side. Momo unzipped part of her left sleeve, and a number of small white oblongs fell into the right hand.
"Don't touch them with your skin," she handed half of them to me. I used TK Aura to heed her warning.
"Hogwarts Smash," I launched them at the left side of the wall, while Momo used a slingshot to shoot them at the right. The water froze over quickly, and the cries of annoyance turned to fear and anger.
"That should buy us a little time," Thirteen said, "Nice work."
"So what do we do about this guy?" Mo-chan asked, pointing one floating blade at the teleporter, "Should we finish him?"
The others looked at her in surprise and dismay. But the spike of cold shot down my spine again. Tactically, practically, what she said had merit.
"I know it's not the Hero thing to do," she defended herself, "But it's not like we can hold him or knock him out. And the moment we relax, he'll try something."
"But we can't," I decided, stepping in before anyone else, "And not just because it is wrong. He brought them here. He's got to be their exit strategy. If we kill him, the rest will fight that much harder, because they won't have a choice."
"Well said," Thirteen complimented me, "There are times when a Hero might have to kill..."
"Like when the Rhode Island Seven fought the Villain who tied the nuclear weapon into his heart," I remembered one of the earliest cases of the first pro Heroes, "So it would go off after a certain number of beats."
Thirteen nodded, and continued, "But it should always be the last option, and you have to consider the ramifications..."
The Space Hero trailed off as something black sailed through the air and over the wall. At first I thought it was an attack. But I quickly recognized the form and the splash of white around it.
"Eraserhead," Momo gasped.
I was already moving. Calculating where he would land. Slowing him with my telekinesis. Which was stronger than when I had tried to do the same to Tsu. I was also stronger, and had my TK Aura on top of it. When I caught Aizawa-sensei, I wasn't pushed back or knocked over. I quickly but gently set him on the ground.
Mo-chan and Ashido-chan both took up more threatening and watchful positions around the Villain.
"analyze," I whispered, then added, "ki diagnosis."
[Name: Shota Aizawa (Eraserhead)
Race: Human (Quirk metagene positive)
Age: 30
Level: 48
Active Title: ?
Health: ?/? (-2%)
Stamina: ?/? (12%)
Psions: ?/? (0%)
Condition(s):
Broken Right Arm
Broken Left Leg
Major Organ Damage
Dying]
The broken limbs were a problem. They had not pierced his skin, but they were not even close to properly aligned. So if I healed him too much, they would fuse together wrong, which would make things worse in the long run. But I couldn't leave him like this either. I had to get him above 0 HP, but not too far above.
"ki healing," I mumbled. My energy began to gently flow into him.
"Damn it," Thirteen swore, "My scanners aren't working thanks to the jammer."
Ami knelt next to me. Her eyes met mine, and I blinked in acknowledgement.
"Broken limbs are obvious," she said, "My mom didn't teach me enough to deal with this. But maybe I can get a sense with my hydrokinesis..."
[Name: Shota Aizawa (Eraserhead)
Race: Human (Quirk metagene positive)
Age: 30
Level: 48
Active Title: ?
Health: ?/? (7%)
Stamina: ?/? (12%)
Psions: ?/? (0%)
Condition(s):
Broken Right Arm
Broken Left Leg
Minor Organ Damage
Unconscious]
"He is banged up," she said, looking at the analyze window. I guess even if our communications were blocked, we could still see each others' screens?
"party invite, Ami," I whispered under her explanation that Eraserhead was hurt, but not in immediate danger. My headache spiked again, and her eyes darted back and forth in a covert head shake.
"Still, we can't afford to leave him here," Thirteen sounded somewhat relieved.
"Yaoyorozu, can you create sedatives?" the pro asked. Momo started to reach for her helmet, when the wall of ice exploded. I threw up a TK Rampart without thinking, making sure none of the shards hit us. Thankfully, no-one seemed to notice. They were too busy looked at the brute who had done in one punch what almost a dozen mooks couldn't do in who knows how many blows.
Then the eyes sticking out of his exposed brain locked on to Aizawa-sensei, and he charged us.
"Drive 4," I shouted, and jumped into his path. He seemed confused by that, and tried to sweep me out of the way. I caught his wrist and tried to redirect his momentum. He was strong, too strong. I intended to spin him completely around and hoped to send him a few steps back as well.
I could barely turn him sixty degrees.
He turned back and tried to push me. I jumped aside. And he immediately went for Aizawa-sensei again. I tackled his side, trying to pull him away.
"What is Nomu doing?" Shigaraki complained as he stepped through the hole.
"Tryin' to kill Eraser," Harley noted, "That was the last order you gave him, before telling him to break through the ice. Given what Sensei told us, we're lucky he went back to the last instruction, instead of just stoppin' once he broke through."
"Midoriya-kun, get back," Thirteen ordered, pointing hir fingers at the giant.
"Harley."
"On it, Mistah S."
"And what are the rest of you idiots waiting for," Shigaraki glanced back, annoyed, as Harley tumbled forward, "Get over here and take out these kids."
I dove away, as the fingers on Thirteen's gloves snapped open. Only for Harley to land in front, and jam her own fingers into the slots. That should have killed her. Instead, there was not even a hint of the pull of Black Hole.
"Thirteen," Harley's voice lost some of its squeak, and it sounded like she was lecturing, "Real name, redacted. Gender neutral. Quirk, Black Hole. Between hir non-binary status and Villain-like Quirk, likely social outcast and bullying victim. Tried to refute that by becoming a rescue hero, despite having an offensive Quirk. Quite the interesting psychological specimen."
Thirteen was visibly shaken by her words. Then Harley's studious expression turned into a deadly grin. She slammed her sledgehammer into the side of Thirteen's helmet. It wasn't a full swing, she was holding it one handed and more than halfway up the handle. Even so, the glass in Thirteen's visor cracked. The Space Hero stumbled back. Harley put both hands on the sledge's grip, and raised it over her head. Then she actually flipped forward, spinning the hammer head around completely for extra speed, before bringing it down on Thirteen's chest.
Only to be stopped maybe a dozen centimeters away by three crossed and floating swords. Though I couldn't pay too close attention, because I was still desperately kiting Nomu, it looked like Mo-chan's blades intercepted the sledge a little earlier, and deliberately slowed it and let it push them back. Better than just taking the blow full on. Then the swords pushed the bludgeon and its wielder back.
"Here comes a new challenger," Shigaraki complained.
"Are these yours, blondie?" Harley purred angrily. Her left hand slid up the wooden haft. Harley's fingers brushed the side of the flying katana. The next instant it dropped, clattering on the cobblestones. Mo-chan yanked her kurki and Clarent back. The red-marked broadsword disappeared, but the curved blade snapped into her left hand. The swordswoman charged in, slipped a foot under the katana's crosspiece, and kicked it up to her hand. She stepped in, swinging both blades at Harley from different angles.
"So you aren't just relyin' on your Quirk," the Villainess grinned, blocking the kukri and bending nimbly out of the way of the katana, "Interestin' form of daisho."
"A little help here?" Mo-chan hissed through gritted teeth, struggling the keep the heavy weapon at bay. Harley swung it easily, seemingly unbothered by its weight or balance.
Mo-chan directed her call for assistance at Cassandra and Momo. Momo was preparing a longstaff. And she handed a small remote off to Sero-kun, since he aimed from the elbow, not the hand. But Cassandra was frozen. Though it was hard to tell through her mask, but it looked like her eyes were widened in fear, and her jaw slightly dropped.
\What is she?/ Cass signed, \She isn't there. But she hit sensei, so she is./
It suddenly dawned on me. Cassandra couldn't turn her Quirk off. Presumably she had gained it when she was a toddler like most people. For the last decade or more she had lived with it, always knowing if someone or thing was moving around her. At the same time, Harley hadn't disintegrated when he boss touched her. But the various finger holes in her costume said he had tried more than once to do it. She had stopped Black Hole, and seemingly severed the connection between Calibur Z and Mo-chan's katana. And I couldn't Analyze her. So Cassandra could see and hear Harley, but her extra and most trusted sense was failing her.
"She's a Power Nullifier," I told them. That hit home for Cassandra, but she still did not seem to want to fight without her Quirk.
"Would have been nice to know thirty seconds ago," Mo-chan groused.
"Sorry," I said, ducking a shove from Nomu and trying to trip him up.
"Not your fault," she admitted. Her weapons tied up the hammer, and Momo jumped forward, swinging her bo at Harley's head. The clown Villain released her weapon, rolled between Mo-chan's legs, and pushed her into Momo's arc. She seemed to be hoping to make Momo fall on one or both swords. But my two classmates worked together, deliberately clashing their weapons to adjust their landings.
Meanwhile, my other classmates and the Villain mooks hadn't just been standing around. Ami, Ashido-san, and Sero-kun had been exchanging range attacks with the invaders. Iida-san was darting around, trying to take out the few melee fighters who had survived Aizawa-sensei, while avoiding everything else flying around. He ducked under a gout of flame, less than a second before Ami's gout of water smothered the flames and sent the Villain flying. He slammed his shoulder into the back of the female Villain with gorilla arms. She sailed a short distance into one of the shooters, and Iida-san dashed off towards the next enemy. One of them locked her eyes on him, and smirked.
"Gotcha."
She led her target expertly. Her stony, snakelike hair lifted, and globs of it shot at Iida-san. Right into where he was running. They hit his legs. The grey masses only hit hard enough to make him stumble. Then they began to spread. Up and down his boots, locking him to the floor and keeping him in place. The next set spread over his chestplate and up to his uncovered head, Iida having not replaced him helmet after our lunch was interrupted.
"Prez," Ashido-chan ran over, and began to melt the spread stone before it would cover his face. The petrifier took a shot at Ashido-chan. The acid melted away the stones before they could spread. But her body could take a stronger pH, and she struggled to find a balance that would keep Iida-san from suffocating, without also burning him.
"Kurogiri," Shigaraki hissed. The teleporter eyed Sero-kun carefully, and then reappeared next to his boss.
"Why aren't you doing anything?" the disintegrator asked in a dangerously quiet voice.
"The black-haired girl was able to plant a bomb on me, with her classmates' help," he inclined his neck to show the explosive, "It is on a dead man's switch and also has a distance limit."
"It shouldn't even work," Shigaraki sounded angry. Angrier. Again.
"She built it to run on ultrasonics," the mist objected, "And showed that it works."
"Is that what that is?" a random mook with animalistic features and a pained expression groaned.
"Come here," Shigaraki ordered. The humanoid mist stepped closer. Shigaraki brought his fingers to a point and tapped the bomb. It turned to dust. Kurogiri turned to face us, but his boss stopped him.
"Stay here for now."
Instead he turned his attention back to me, and to Nomu. The giant was still trying to get past me to Eraserhead. But wasn't doing anything more than dodge me, or lightly push me aside. On my side, nothing I had done, whether it was martial arts or TK attack, seemed to do any damage to him. I was getting ready to break out Ki Slice, when Shigaraki distracted both of us.
"Nomu, stop messing around!" he barked.
"We were warned the prototype unit was... single-minded," Kurogiri reminded him after taking a moment to find the most diplomatic way to phrase it.
"Fine," Shigaraki growled, scratching at his neck.
"Nomu, kill that kid, kill the Heroes, then kill the rest!"
Nomu looked at me. Then at Eraserhaead and Thirteen. Then at both my classmates and the other Villains. Then back at me. Then at Aizawa again. He... or was it more appropriate, given how they talked about him? Either way, Nomu seemed to be confused. Locked up.
"Gah! I don't care the order, just kill anyone who isn't part of the League!"
That seemed simple enough for the monster. He drew back his hand, and finally launched a real punch at me. It was faster than I expected, and I had to both turn to avoid it and block with both arms.
[-100 Health, -150 Energy]
They seemed to have found him. A man in his late twenties, completely bald. He was sitting in a meditation pose, his face scrunched in concentration. His head was a bit too large for his body, and he was wearing a t-shirt and dress pants.
The three students were concealed by a craig at the base of the mountain zone.
Kirishima started to charge forward, but both Mikoto and Tsuyu grabbed his shoulders.
"Trap?" Tsuyu asked.
"Probably," Mikoto nodded.
"Then what do we do?" Kirishima asked.
Mikoto took one of the discs off her costume. She did not flip it into the air like usual. She didn't want it to be spotted, and didn't need the additional power build up. She instead fire a quick, weak shot, just enough to knock him out. It hit him dead center in the forehead. He pitched backwards.
'All Might?' Mikoto called into guild chat, as the ache subsided, 'All Might, the USJ has been invaded by Villains. They have us trapped and trying to kill us. We need...'
She trailed off. While she was calling for help, a hand had emerged from the dirt. It grabbed Jammer's shoulder. Then it sparked, shocking him back awake. Then the second Villain pulled himself out of the dirt.
"Wake up Jammer," he complained, "I can't protect you and act as your backup at the same time."
He was wearing a skull mask and a black combat vest.
"Now that you've fired, I can feel you out there," he declared, lightning dancing between his fingers, "You might as well come out."
Mikoto waved for Tsuyu and Kirishima to stay put, and stepped out.
"Just one?" he demanded, "Where are your friends? Did they already get taken out by the others? Or are you plotting something?"
"My plot is just that I'm going to take out that guy who is blocking our phones," Mikoto shot back, "And you too, if you try to wake him up again."
The skull mask whistled, and two more Villains pulled themselves out of the ground. One was a black haired woman who was muscular except for her skinny right arm. The other was of unknown appearance and gender, due to a thick coating of mud.
"Your magnetic shots ain't gonna work on the three of us," he boasted, "I'll just deflect them with my electrokinesis, Lash will knock them aside, and they won't do jack to Mudslide. Sorry, girly, but since the South Side Shoguns joined the League of Villains, ain't nothing gonna hurt our new pal, Jammer."
"Especially since blocking signals is a pain in the neck for you, and you can't do it as well, right BlackOut?" the female Villain prompted.
"True dat," BlackOut agreed, shifting his skull mask, "Vibrating my body all gives me a crick. And I can only stop electrics, not all the other things Jammer can. Though it might be worth it, to have you give me a neck rub, Lash."
Annoyed and curious, Mikoto shot a slug at each of them. BlackOut's body sparked and the disc stopped before it hit him. The second one just sank into the clay like armor or body of Mudslide, with seemingly no effect. And Lash's thin arm extended like a whip, knocking the last coin into the ground.
"Get it? Your magnets won't work on us."
"I think you're the one who doesn't get it," Mikoto smirked darkly, lightning crackling all over her body, "I don't have a magnetic Quirk. And I never actually said I..."
Lash's arm shot out at Mikoto's face. Only to be deflected by Tsuyu's tongue darting out from the outcropping.
"... that I was alone," Mikoto finished.
Yagi Toshinori was regretting his choices. Burning his timer earlier that day specifically. But also his decision to teacher at UA in general.
He sipped his tea, as Nezu continued his long and winding lesson about the tea growing culture of 18th century China, and how it related to modern Hero work.
'Might?' Mikoto voice in the guild chat got his attention, 'All Might, the USJ has been invaded by Villains. They have us trapped and tr...'
The message was cut off mid-word. And the next instant, All Might was standing, in his muscle form.
"Yagi-kun?" Nezu prompted.
"I just received a message that the USJ is under attack," he told the principal, "I must go."
"Just a moment," Nezu said, his quiet voice commanding, "How did you get this mess... Ah, Midoriya-kun's power. But we observed the USJ for the morning classes, and none of the alarms have gone off."
Nezu hopped down and scampered over to the wall. He touched an apparently nondescript section. And the screens which had blended in seamlessly into the lounge's wallpaper lit up. Nezu gestured again. And they all showed static.
"I did not think Midoriya-kun was the type to be a party to a prank, but this would seem to confirm it."
"Then I will go," All Might proclaimed.
"Take Midnight, too," Nezu ordered.
"Sir, I..."
"She has a free period, and can meet you outside," Nezu continued, "Even allowing for the normal indiscretion in her reported weight, you should be able to carry her without reducing your top speed. Since you do not know what you will find, I will not send you alone. The rest of the faculty and I will join you as soon as we can."
Then the mouse/bear/dog touched a different panel.
"Midnight-sensei," he said over the PA, "Please meet All Might-sensei at the front entrance to the main building. All other teachers, as well as Lunch Rush and the big three, please report to the vehicle bay. Class representatives, please return your classmates to your classrooms if not already there, and keep them there and calm until further notice."
All Might was already gone before the announcement was halfway finished. And it took less than a minute for the R18 Heroine to reach him.
"What is it?" she asked, all business.
"A message indicating a Villain attack on the USJ, where class 1-A is training," he confirmed, kneeling down so she could climb on his back, "When we tried to check, it seems all communications with the USJ are cut off."
She nodded and jumped on, carefully avoiding his left side. As soon as she was aboard, he took off with a speed most race cars would have envied.
'Might?' I suddenly heard Mikoto's voice in guild chat, 'All Might, the USJ has been invaded by Villains. They have us trapped and tr...'
She was cut off, but I wasn't sure if the jamming had been restored or she had been interrupted.
"Party Add All Might," I whispered. But nothing happened. I dropped to my knees, under Nomu's punch at my head. He was too strong. Normal use Dodge skill was to move just enough to barely avoid being hit. But the force of his attacks was still damaging me. Even with my Physical Resistance and TK Aura.
From the crouch, I pushed off with both legs, driving an uppercut into Nomu's solar plexus. He skidded back a less than a centimeter, but otherwise didn't seem to notice.
"What is this kid?" Shigaraki complained, "How is he pushing Nomu back?"
Part of me wanted to scream in incredulity. That punch would have dented tank armor. And that wasn't theoretical, I had done it in a dungeon. Dented the tank boss and moved it further. When both my Strength and TK Aura skills were lowered by a debuff. Based on my earlier attempts at throws...
[-12 Health, -12 Energy]
Ugh... Nomu weighed a lot less than the tank. Something was keeping him in place and also increasing letting him hit like a truck. It had to be his Quirk. Maybe something that changed his density? Or something like TK Aura? No, I had managed to sneak in a pair of Ki Slices, when I was close and no-one would see. They broke his skin, but it healed almost immediately. I wanted to Analyze him, but didn't have time for the distraction. Not with him legitimately trying to kill me, and one direct hit probably being enough to do the job.
Huh. I'm muttering without even talking.
"Stop that!" Ashido-chan and the stone Villainess shouted at each other in unison, as I jumped back to avoid a haymaker.
Momo and Mo-chan, or team 3Mo as I found myself thinking of them, were still fighting Harley. Cassandra broke out of her fugue and was helping Ami and Sero-kun mop up the mooks. Iida-san was still trapped and Ashido-chan had been working to keep his face from getting covered. The Villain seemed to have it in for Iida-san and kept attacking him. Ami had been helping, keeping the stone shooter from adding any more creeping mud to the trapped speedster. The petrifying material seemed to have a limit, either in time or surface area. So after a tense minute, it stopped spreading. Ashido-chan mentioned starting to free Iida-san. But at almost the same time, one of the bigger Villain and Cassandra drifted between Ami and the stone shooter. So Ashido-chan had to switch, splashing her acid to stop the incoming clay bullets.
Which in turn resulted in a sort of stalemate, and the two of them complaining to each other.
"Hey, Cassie," Mo-chan said, as their fights drifted close to one another, "I can get why you are nervous to fight this wench..."
"That's wench-sama to you, little girl!"
"... I'm used to relying on my Quirk, too. As soon as I realized I inherited my Father's Quirk times three, I focused on controlling swords. Fighting at a distance and keeping myself safe while having a wider view. Almost like playing a third person game."
I cringed.
"Huh, that's pretty cool," Shigaraki sounded impressed and slightly jealous.
"But my Father, my Dad, and my Aunt Rin," Mo-chan used the English word aunt here, too, "they forced me to keep practicing swordsmanship with my hands. And even learn a little unarmed combat. Because I never knew when I might encounter someone like Eraser-sensei, or otherwise make my Quirk ineffective."
"But you, you are better than me," the blonde knight continued, "They taught me that the idea of an unarmed fighter being a match for a swordsman was mostly a myth. Sure, a master unarmed fighter with an anti-weapon style could easily take out novices. But if their skill levels were even close to the same, and the sword wasn't hindered by terrain, the knight or samurai would have a major advantage over the martial artist. In all my training, that bore out. Of course, I still learned some kicks to use my whole body and punches for in case I was disarmed. Cassandra, you are the first person to make me doubt that. You can fight, with or without your Quirk. And frankly, we could use your help, because I can't figure out this clown's style."
"Ain't got one," Harley countered in her sing-song voice. Then she swung her hammer around at full extension, like Link's spin attack, forcing 3Mo back.
[Izuku Midoriya
Health: 277/696
Energy: 211/1186]
After the first big hit, I had been doing my best to simply get out of the way. But like I said, it was easier said than done, and the pressure from his attacks was still eating away at my health and energy. As was the extended use of Drive 4. It had only been about five minutes, but it felt longer. At this rate, I wouldn't last another ten minutes. I was tempted to activate Ki Healing on myself, but that would just eat my Energy reserves even faster.
[-50 Health, -10 Energy]
That one actually clipped me, and I stumbled. I rolled out of the way of Nomu's overhand smash, taking nothing that time. But with my Health below half, I was started to get bruises and feel the impacts.
Ami noticed. Like the others I had told her about Gamer's Body, in basic terms. But she also seemed to have some medical knowledge from her mom. So she knew better how low my Health must be, for me to have these sorts of visible injuries.
She gestured, and a ball of water wrapped around Nomu's head. Unlike with the Bakugou midboss, she covered him completely, trying to drown or suffocate the monster.
"I hate hydrokinetics," Shigaraki scowled, "Kurogiri!"
A portal opened under him, and the next instant he was falling on Ami. His hands extended towards her. She reacted quickly, putting a wall of water between them. But the liquid immediately began to boil away. No, it wasn't boiling, it was splitting back into hydrogen and oxygen. He could decay even the water. It was slower than when he touched his minion. And Ami kept adding more water. Still, with the decay and the force of his drop, he forced Ami down onto one knee. His hands were pushing forward, ever closer to her face. She only had so much water, and the fountain was empty. Ami grabbed a chunk of ice, trying to slam it into the back of Shigaraki's head. Kuorgiri's portal intercepted it, and Cass had to dodge the projectile. Ami's splitting her concentration cost her. Shigaraki's hands were now centimeters from her face. I couldn't let him...
There was one thing I had been holding back. Wanting to save points for later, and get there on my own. Plus, I had no way to know what I would actually get. But any little boost might make the difference at this point.
"Add six to all attributes," I said softly.
It felt like my brain caught fire and exploded. I barely kept myself from screaming and falling to my knees. And everything seemed to just stop.
Status Changes for Midoriya Izuku:
Max Health: 696 → 780
Max Energy: 1187 → 1319
Attributes:
(S)trength: 49 → 55
(A)gility: 49 → 55
(E)ndurance: 49 → 55
(Q)uickness: 49 → 55
(W)it: 47 → 53
(I)ntuition: 49 → 55
(C)harisma: 35 → 41
(D)etermination: 58 → 64
(L)uck: 23 → 29
Unspent Points:
Attribute: 84 → 30
Skills:
Analyze (W) – Battle Scan: 48 → 49
Mathematics, Basic (W): 18 → 19
Dodge (A/Q): 31 → 33
Telekinesis (I/D): 38 → 39
Strength Training (S): 19 → 20
Basic Karate (A): 39 → 40
Yoga (A/E): 12 → 13
Physical Resistance (E/D): 70 → 72
Acrobatics (A): 21 → 22
Ki Detection (D/I): 28 → 29
Ki Slice (D/W) LB: 18 → 19
Telekinetic Attack (I/A): 25 → 26
First Aid (W/A): 7 → 8
Mathematics, Advanced (W): 5 → 6
Tactile TK (I/D): 22 → 25
Telekinetic Armor (I/E): 23 → 26
Telekinetic Aura (I) LB: 33 → 34
Kung Fu Fundamentals (Q/E): 20 → 21
Tai Chi Quan (A/S): 16 → 18
Ki Diagnosis (D/W): 8 → 9
Telekinetic Rampart (I/E): 17 → 18
Clairvoyance (I/W): 7 → 9
Omake: My Looney Playthrough
"Gah! I don't care the order, just kill anyone who isn't part of the League!"
"I am joining the League!" I announced immediately and loudly, "In fact, I'd like to announce my candidacy for League treasurer. Embezzling is mandatory, right?"
Nomu blinked. Which shouldn't have been possible, what with his eyes coming directly out of his brain and no eyelids.
Then he turned towards Aizawa-sensei again.
"Both my teachers are joining," I insisted, "But you'll have to wait until they wake up to confirm it."
"I will join as well," Ami caught on.
"Sure, me too," Mo-chan nodded.
"How are the League's medical and dental benefits?" Iida-san asked, his body contorted from when and how Stheno's petrifying bullets hit him, "I am interested in joining, but may need a chiropractor."
"Ooh," Ashido-san hand shot up, "Do you have cookies?"
"Yup," Harley confirmed, "and the good kind, not healthy crap like oatmeal raisin."
"Harley!" Shigaraki snapped.
"Sorry, Mistah S."
"So, since we are all members..." I started to address Nomu, but was cut off.
"Just kill that green-haired guy," Decay barked.
I dashed over to one of the tables still standing. I grabbed the ketchup bottle. I crushed it over my head. And used my TK to help direct it. The result was me having messy brown hair (where the condiment was thin) with red streaks (where it was thicker).
Then I grabbed the relish bottle. I pointed it at Shigaraki, and did a bit of math. One karate chop and a another round of TK, and the green goop was covering his hair.
I pointed to my head. Then to his. And then Nomu turned to his boss with a snarl.
"Not me you oaf," he all but shrieked, "Him. What did Thirteen call him? Midoriya. Kill Midoriya!"
"I'm not Midoriya," I proclaimed quickly, "I'm Shigaraki Tomura. He's Midoriya."
"What? No, I'm Shigaraki, he's Midoriya!"
"No," I insisted, "He's Midoriya, I'm Shigaraki!"
"No!" his voice went up five decibels and half an octave, "He's Midoriya, I'm Shigaraki!"
"He's Midoriya, I'm Shigaraki!" I countered.
"Oh no," Harley sighed.
"No, he's Midoriya, I'm Shigaraki!" the Villain screamed.
"No, he's Midoriya, I'm Shigaraki," I declared, then as quickly and angrily as I could, continued, "I'm Midoriya, he's Shigaraki!"
"No, I'm Midoriya, he's Shigaraki!"
Nomu's head had been darting back and forth between us as this went on, and now he was staring at me again.
"He's right," I admitted. Then I grabbed the last bottle, the mustard. I jumped onto Nomu's shoulder and filled his ear holes with the yellow paste.
"Wait, no!" Shiga... fake-Midoriya complained, as the monster charged him. But his protests went unheard.
Ten minutes later, it was over. Shigaraki was unconscious, and probably heavily concussed after taking multiple blows to the head. Nomu was a pile of ash. And we were tying up the rest of the defeated Villains with Sero-kun's tape.
Harley glared at me as I wrapped her. Her lips and cheeks were swollen due to the punches she took, so she lisped heavily as she spoke.
"You're dethpicable," she informed me.
"Tha... tha.. tha..." I started to say something but stammered slightly when I saw the degree of clothing damage Ami, Momo, Mo-chan and Ashido had suffered.
"That's all folks," I concluded, looking away.
Author's Note 1: I commissioned Cherry in the Sun again. She made a drawing of Harley from this story. You can find it on her dA site, or a link to that from the TV Tropes page for this story. She's also done sketches of Ami, Mikoto, and Cassandra from this story, but you have to be her patron to get them.
Author's Note 2: So the next chapter will be short one, because it will be the outcome of what Izuku just did. And a poll. Because I have an idea for a 'new' power for Izuku, one that is thematic to The Gamer. I think it is interesting and I have balanced it, but I'm worried I missed something, or that my readers will just hate it. So after the next chapter, I am giving everyone the choice as to whether he accepts this power or rejects it. Since it will cost him three of the bonus Talents he just got, namely the Q, I, and W ones. So a mini-poll first, if you want to know one of the three Talents he will be giving up, I will reveal one of them in the next chapter. Also, this will not be a regular occurance, I am just very unsure of this power, so thought I would put it to a vote.
