Nomu didn't wait for Shigaraki to finish his taunt. He didn't wait for orders. He didn't give me a second glance. He turned. His eyes locked on All Might. The buzzing of Sense Hostility dulled. Nomu's legs tensed.

I couldn't help but be a little annoyed, being dismissed like that. Mostly, though, I did it to buy All Might and Midnight even one more second. Before Nomu jumped, I raised my foot and stomped my heel into the monster's newly regenerated ankle. He stumbled slightly, but still leapt at All Might. And did so seemingly faster than he had been moving against me. Meanwhile I almost fell back. Having the force from my attack dissipated, even when I was partly expecting it, put me off balance and my foot landed wrong. I flailed slightly, but took advantage of it.

I brought up my Talents menu, and hit one I had wanted for a while. If I was going to study the fight between All Might and Nomu in any reasonable way, I needed a boost.

[Talent 'Atavistic Vision' acquired.
Skill 'Telescopic Vision' available.
Skill 'High Speed Vision' available.]

Then I switch screens and put 5 points into High Speed Vision. It was a passive skill that in basic terms increased the number of frames per second my eyes captured. Of course, human vision wasn't actually in individual frames like a movie or a game. And things like brightness and color contrast also impacted how fine of a movement we could detect. But using that oversimplification, each point of skill let me see things moving about twenty-five percent faster than before. Or 2.25 times as fast now. So instead of a blur of fists and dodges, I could actually track what All Might and Nomu were doing. Or most of it, anyway.

"All Might-sensei, Midnight-sensei," I shouted before the first half-second ended and the third dozen exchanged blows started, "That big guy is meant to be an anti-All Might and supposedly has multiple Quirks. He's super strong and quick, and even my best hits barely do anything to him. And when he does get hurt, he regenerates really, really fast."

Of course I had already told All Might and the others in the Guild exactly what Quirks Nomu had, but I needed to warn Midnight-sensei, too. And announcing it would cover for what All Might knew.

"The clown woman has a touch based power nullification," I continued, "It not only blocks your Quirk if she touches you, it also neutralizes the effects of Quirks if she touches them. The rock haired woman shoots blobs of clay that spread out and turn to stone."

I pointed at the still trapped Iida-san.

"That guy with the hands on him is Shigaraki and he disintegrates what he touches. And the mist guy can open warp gates. And that neck armor is the only part of him that is solid. I'm not sure what his limits are; he brought all the Villains here, but never opened more than three gates against Sero-kun. It might be that one big gate is easy, but more, smaller gates is tougher for him."

Sense Hostility spiked again as Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and Stheno all glared at me. Harley didn't seem to care that I outed them, and Nomu was completely focused on All Might.

"Harley," Shigaraki barked, "Take care of the old witch before she casts her sleep spell on the rest of us."

"Tomura Shigaraki," she called him by name sternly, "Game tropes are a useful verbal shorthand..."

He paused for a moment, then forced out sullenly, "But life is not a game and magic is not real."

I barely managed to keep myself from flinching. I could feel Ami and Momo wanting to glance at me. Harley gave him a sweet smile, and then charged Midnight. She spun her sledge around her neck like a fancy staff fighter might. Which I must admit, likely took skill and practice to find the right balance point. She did it to free up her hands for a moment without stopping. That allowed her to rip the sleeves and one pant leg off her costume. Then she effectively crashed into Midnight, hammer versus whip. But as Harley's arms and uncovered leg swept through the air, they touched the sparkling cloud of Midnight's pheromones, negating them. She couldn't hit the entire mist, but made enough contact to thin it out.

"Kurogiri, get rid of the these other kids, except the water girl," Shigaraki continued, "And bring... Cindy and whoever is with her back here."

"Mindy," Harley reminded him.

"actually, cindy is closer," Stheno said under her breath.

I don't know if he had forgotten that he insisted on my death earlier, or just didn't care anymore now that All Might was here.

The black mist descended on us again. Iida-san was still trapped. Mo-chan was preparing to follow Harley, but was slowed by her pain. Momo and Ashido-chan were more mobile, but they were still engulfed. Cassandra dodged the portal easily. I was quicker now. So when the fog dropped over me, I was able to yank my head back out and roll out of the way.

As I did, I saw the destination was where Tsu and the others were. Momo, Mo-chan, and Ashido landed fine. But Iida-san tipped over and fell, the stone around his shoulder chipping. I hoped he wasn't hurt by it.

But I also noticed a flash of something else. My improved vision started to process it.

The hair woman and four other Villains were now flanking Kurogiri. Who appeared annoyed that Cassandra and I had avoided him.

"Normally I avoid killing with my Quirk," the teleporter told me, "Because of the mess it makes. But I will make an exception for you, I think."

"That's it!" I realized. Loudly. Everyone turned to look at me. Except Nomu, who continued to exchange blows with All Might, even as the Symbol of Peace concentrated on me.

"Your Quirk isn't teleportation or gating," I continued, not actually noticing the attention I was attracting, "That's just a side effect, a useful outgrowth. You have a pocket dimension Quirk!"

Kurogiri's ever shifting mists froze in place.

"Your neck being the only solid part was odd, but could have just been a Quirk being a Quirk," I continued quickly, "But then you knew when the tracking chips in your people came online, so that implies some sort of equipment that you have, but there's nothing here. And why would you be worried about a mess from portal cutting someone? But in that portal, I saw a person, sitting at a computer. A person whose head was floating above his shoulders. That's the real you, right? And you worry because it you did a portal cut, our blood would spray into your dimension."

"But why don't we see this dimension?" one of the unnamed Villains asked. And some of them were exchanging glances when I mentioned the chips.

"He is using two portals," Ami deduced, "One placed right next to each other. And if he cuts someone, there would not only be spray, but a slice of them left behind."

That seemed to creep out some of the Villains. And Midnight and Cassandra.

"But why the neck?" Ami asked.

"He needs an anchor point in the real world," I suggested, "He needs to leave a portal open to get signals, and he needs to leave part of himself here to be able to move around."

"No, I meant why the neck, instead of a finger or toe?" she clarified sheepishly.

"Maybe he needs a certain proximity to his eyes or brain?" All Might offered, as his uppercut snapped Nomu's mouth shut.

"Enough of this," Kurogiri said, a sharp edge to his previously almost robotic voice, "Stheno and the rest of you, help me kill these two..."

"No," Shigaraki interrupted, blocking Ami's attack with one hand and pressing down on her shield with the other, "Kurogiri, you are losing focus and this kid is figuring you out. Withdraw to the top of the dome and be ready to move once we are finished. I'm sure these six can hold off two kids."

Kurogiri glared at his boss. I think. His misty, fake face was hard to read.

"If this Midoriya can create shockwaves like Nomu and All Might," Stheno added, "He might be able to reach you, Kurogiri-sama."

I had actually been thinking that a well timed Gondor Smash might slip through the gap. Or an Asgard Smash might be split, but part would still hit him.

"I understand," Kurogiri agreed, "But I will continue to monitor the situation, and if things do not go as you wish, I will evacuate us. Be ready, Harley Quinn."

Then the mist seemed to fold in on itself and he was gone. The other six Villains moved to surround me and Cassandra. Though I knew what Stheno could do, and also had a good idea of the hair woman's powers, the other four were unknown. Was the one who looked like a human armadillo a Mutant type? Or did his appearance just reflect some sort of defensive Quirk?

It didn't matter. Six on two wasn't great odds. Time to see if I can thin the herd a bit.

First I darted over to the Villain whose upper half was normal, but each of his legs was basically the same size as me. He blinked in surprise. I drove my elbow into his stomach. As he doubled over, I hopped up. Hooked my heel around the back of his neck. Drove his face into the cobblestones.

One down. I pushed off him, jumping at the armadillo Villain. Only for my fist to slow to a halt. It felt like I was punching increasingly thick pudding. I wasn't sure if my other powers would get through his defense, but I wasn't going to find out now.

I dashed into the next Villain, who looked totally normal. Whatever his Quirk was, it didn't protect him, and he was down in a second.

Even as I slammed my knee into the back of the fourth of the hair Villainess's companions, Cassandra dodged Stheno's volley, and reached armadillo guy. Her first attack was stopped. Her eyes narrowed. Her second attack was also stopped, but got much closer. It seemed like she was reading his ability with her own.

'I can take this guy,' she told me silently, 'If you can hold off Stheno and Mindy for a minute or two.'

Right, the hair Villain was the only woman, and Mindy was a female name, so she was probably Mindy. With my fourth target down, I ran at Mindy. I hoped her cloud of hair would give Stheno pause. I gave Cassandra a nod, and began maneuvering Mindy so that she and I would block Stheno's line of sight. Especially since Mindy's hair, both floating and connected, was doing a good initial job of keeping me at bay.

Harley's hammer barely intercepted the whip. That turned what would have been a deep cut into a shallow score. The spandex bra under her costume was revealed, instead of muscle and bone. Harley spun her sledge, wrapping the whip. Trapping it. Midnight dashed closer, to give her weapon slack to slip free. Harley closed the rest of the distance. She launched a spinning heel kick at Midnight's temple. The nubile Hero leaned back, and the boot just barely scraped her chin. The lash snapped sideways, carving a deep, ragged cut in Harley's uncovered forearm.

"What the hell, bitch?" Harley complained angrily, "That's gonna leave a scar!"

"Aren't you a Villain?" Midnight shot back, "Won't that raise your 'cred'?"

"I'm still a woman of marriable age," Harley smirked, "Not some... what do they call it here? A Christmas cake? Though at this point, you're closer to a New Year's tart, aren't yah?"

Midnight scowled, and snapped out her whip again. This time, Harley deflected it with the head of the sledge.

"You're not that much younger," Midnight insisted.

"Don't let the makeup fool you," Harley said, "I'm a fresh faced 23 year old."

"Wait, aren't you a doctor?" armadillo asked, frowning as his power stopped Cassandra's hand only millimeters from his nose.

"I have two doctorates," Harley boasted, trying to sweep Midnight's legs, "Though to be fair, they are in Psychology and Psychiatric Treatment. And I started college when I was seventeen."

Then she pulled down one eyelid and stuck her tongue out at Midnight. The Hero bristled, and lashed out harder at Harley.

'Everyone,' Tsu told us in Guild Chat, 'Some of us are heading there. Mikoto is going to stay here to make sure these guys don't try to jam us again. Mo-chan is go to stay to back her up, and to not aggravate her elbow further. Mina is working on freeing Iida-kun without burning him. But Momo, Sero, Kirishima, and I are on our way. Iida-kun and Mina may try to join us, depending on how it works out.'

'I thought you were running out of lipids, Momo?' Ami prompted.

'I am consuming my last two shakes,' Momo answered, 'And the jog should give me a chance to absorb them.'

'Thanks, everyone,' I told them.


All Might let himself smile slightly.

He had been worried. Young Mizuno was steadily losing ground, and water, to Shigaraki. Harley was not skilled as Nerumi, but the villainess was rendering the heroine's power ineffective. And Harley had riled up Midnight, evening the fight. All Might wondered if he should talk to Nerumi about her weakness, since she had displayed it in her televised argument with Mt Lady. Young Midoriya was holding his own against the two female Villains. On the other hand, his left arm was in bad shape still. Which All Might knew meant both the boy's HP and EP were low.

But they had help coming. And young Cain was moments away from breaking through the defensive Villain's shield.

Most of all, All Might himself was gaining momentum against Nomu. The creature was starting to take more damage, and recover more slowly. It was strong, but not as strong as he was. Were it not for his injury... And it wasn't really a fighter, having neither skill nor experience. All Might had plenty of experience; according to young Midoriya's power, he had over seventy levels in Brawling. It was the lowest tier of unarmed combat Skills, but the level alone made it moderately impressive. And since gaining access to the Gamer, he had put some points and effort into training Boxing and Dirty Boxing.

All Might blocked another clumsy but fast punch. He drove his fist into the monster's sternum. The bone broke with a dull crack.

Yagi had been steadily ramping up his power since Kurogiri had banished half the students in the square. He knew his own time was still limited, despite the improvement over the last month. Maybe it was time...

All Might remembered the speech. He had seen it enough times. The words of his spiritual predecessor. Recorded on an unsteady cellular phone, in the midst the battle that ended the Rhode Island 7 and forced their leader to retire. Even knowing the result, he found it an inspiration. Words he lived by, especially after inheriting One For All.

He didn't want to exactly copy the speech. But the situation was similar enough, that it felt warranted. And it might help Midnight and his students.

So he stopped attacking. He stood there, watching Nomu. Blocking its attacks. It didn't think. Didn't even seem to ponder that he might be planning something.

"I've been holding back," All Might admitted, "I've gotten to used to doing that. It is necessary for me. I was worried that under all of that, you were still a person. A man, not a monster. I wasn't sure what you could take, if I might accidentally kill you. But you are tougher than almost anyone else I've faced. And more than that, for whatever they did to you, I am sorry. But you aren't Human anymore. You are just a weapon. And if I let you go, you will kill. So I have to stop holding back. What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you just how Mighty I really am."

Okay, he had borrowed the last line. But Shimura-sensei had told him to know his limits and not to try to improve on perfection.

He blasted forward at almost ninety percent of his maximum speed at his peak. His arm drawn back. Everyone's eyes snapped from where he started to where he ended, right in front of Nomu. Everyone except young Cain, which he expected from their dungeon challenges and her Quirk. And also young Midoriya. Which interested the Symbol of Peace, because when they had fought the Third Holder, the boy had not been able to track All Might. Toshinori wondered if the youth had acquired a new Skill or Talent today. It wouldn't have surprised All Might.


"Texas SMASH!" All Might drove his fist into Nomu's stomach. The shockwave scattered Mindy's cloud of hair and put us all off balance. I tried to take advantage of the new gap in her defense. But she twisted her head to block with the locks still attached to her scalp.

Cassandra was now stabbing at armadillo with her finger tips instead of punching. She was getting closer, but his Quirk was still stopping her short. He swung clumsily at Cassandra, but she easily ducked out of the way. He railed again, but could not keep up with her.

Then her hand got closer than ever, the tip of her middle finger less than a centimeter from his stomach. He grinned at her.

"That's the best you got, ain't it?" he bragged, "You just ain't strong enough to get through my Air Jel..."

Cassandra twisted her torso. Threw all her weight into her arm. Closed her fingers into a fist. It was the legendary One-Inch Punch. It wasn't as strong as much of fiction portrayed it. But for an expert martial artist, it was about as strong as a full power, full wind-up hit from an amatuer. And given he wasn't expecting it...

He lost his lunch. Fell to his knees, retching. And there was no sparkly rainbow censoring it. Cassandra jerked back just in time to avoid getting sick all over her. Then she raised her leg and delivered an axe kick to the back of his neck. It was still slowed by his power, but not so much as before. And the impact drove his head into the ground. Into the mess. I felt a bit of sympathy, as he passed out into it.

Cass turned and charged at Stheno. The gorgon Villain shot at both of us, but couldn't hit. Cassandra dodged, while the clay just slid off my TK Armor. Then Cass was on her. Stheno showed that she was no slouch in hand to hand combat. She would not have been a match for Cassandra, except she kept firing her stone bullets. So my friend had to spend more time evading than she could attacking.

All Might's first attack launched Nomu at the stairs. All Might raced around behind it. Fired two powerful, downward blows into its back. There was a sickening crack. Then more of a disturbing squelch as Nomu was smashed into the stone steps. It turned the grab at All Might, not seeming to notice that the only reason it could move like that was its shattered vertebrae. Bodies were not meant to contort like that, and without Gamer's Mind I might have been sick, too.

Unfortunately, that movement also surprised All Might. Nomu's punch grazed my teacher's ribs. Or what should have been his ribs. All Might flinched at the hit on top of his old injury. And with Nomu's strength, even that glancing blow hurt him. I saw a spot of blood in the corner of All Might's mouth.

"Finally!" Shigaraki crowed in triumph. The last orb of Ami's water disassociated, leaving her with only scraps. She fired them at him like bullets. But between their lack of mass and her own exhaustion... and probably his madness as well... they barely rattled him. A few of the hits bled, but he descending over her, hands extended. Watching from behind him, my mind went cold.

Option 1: Ki Slice. Rejected. It is not clear if severing his limb or even killing him will neutralize his Quirk.
Option 2: Ki Blast. Rejected. Not enough Energy left for a blast of sufficient strength. Bad angle, will push him closer.
Option 3: Suplex. Rejected. May not be quick enough, especially with only one arm. Extensive direct contact with Shigaraki inadvisable.
Option 4...

Be a Hero.

"Re: Quickness. Jet Set Run."

I stopped splitting my Ki between Endurance and Quickness. I focused all my TK into my legs, too. Five meters. I covered it in only two steps. A quick turn and a slide between them. I gently pushed Ami back with my injured left arm. I caught Shigaraki's left wrist with my right hand. And his right fingers fell onto my chest.

Only to stop a centimeter short. My TK Armor blazed and roiled. His Decay was melting the energy shield, but it was reforming as fast as he destroyed it. But my Energy was too low. TK Aura and KI Reinforcement both automatically shut off. My base physical abilities were a step or two above his. Except I only had one working arm. And Nomu had done more general damage to me than Ami had done to Shigaraki. His hand got close enough to graze my costume. I mentally redirected the force field to my torso. Pushed his hand back before he could touch me. But my shirt still disintegrated.

"Well..." Stheno hissed, studying me hungrily. Cassandra was holding both the Villainesses in place. Shigaraki leaned in, putting his weight into the hand. Could I sweep his legs? No, that might loosen the grip I had on his left.

"Izuku," Ami pressed lightly on my arm. She was pulling together all the water she could.

"Young Midoriya!" All Might shouted, tensing to jump over. But Nomu grabbed his leg. It claws like hands dug into All Might's ankle, drawing blood.

Time to end this. Plus Ultra for fifty points of Health. Enough Energy to behead him and also sever both hands with Gondor Smashes. As long as his death stopped his power, I would be safe. And if not, then I might die, but he wouldn't hurt anyone else.

"Plus..."

BANG!

My declaration of sacrifice was cut off by the bark of an extremely large, powerful, and customized pistol. Even with my improved vision, I barely caught a glimpse of the supersonic bullet. The rubber-wrapped steel pellet hit Shigaraki's calf. It dug in far enough to draw blood and destroy his balance. Even as his leg buckled, the super elastic nature of the shot kicked in. It deflected up, right into Shigaraki's armpit. The rest of its energy snapped either his shoulder or collarbone. I couldn't be sure. The arm attacking me fell away. And we all looked up.

Vlad King, with Principal Nezu on his shoulder. Cementoss, Advisory, Ectoplasma, and a student with spiky blue-black hair who I recognized from last year's sports festival. Snipe in the middle, his gun now pointed at Shigaraki's head. Hound Dog, Power Loader, Present Mic, and another senpai, this one with the number 1,000,000 on his costume. And Nejire Hadou floated behind them.

No, I didn't just remember her name because she was a pretty girl. Her Wave Motion Quirk was incredibly powerful and versatile. She pointed her arms. One blast of energy sent Stheno and Mindy flying away from Cassandra. The other hit Harley and seemed to tear itself apart without any impact on the Villain.

"Well, that's weird," Hadou-senpai frowned in confusion.

"Damnit," Shigaraki cursed.

"Get clear, Midnight," Mic-sensei called out. For anyone else, that would have been a shout, but...

"YEAHHHHHHHHH!"

As the R18 Heroine rolled to the side, a shriek warped the air and tore up the stairs. It also stopped dead when it hit the clown. But this time, the stone shards cut her face and arms.

"So this one is for me," Cementoss-sensei grumbled. He stepped forward, and the floor began to buckle. He shaped it into giant spheres and flattened the stairs into a ramp. That got Harley's attention.

I kicked Shigaraki in the chest. The angle was awkward and I was barely hanging onto consciousness, my Energy in the lower single digits. But he was distracted and barely standing. He tumbled next to Harley, into the path of Cementoss-sensei's trap.

"Tomura Shigaraki," Kurogiri's voice echoed from around us as the mist appeared, "It is time to abandon this place. Harley Quinn, prepare yourself."

"Don't forget Mindy and Stheno," she told him. Then her face scrunched in concentration.

"Of course not," he said, "Though I don't think I can grab all of the others. But Nomu..."

"Leaving it," Shigaraki barked, even as he fell into the mist, "It's a broken toy that can't even stop a kid, more or less the Symbol of Weaks."

All Might jumped towards the evil couple, but was too smart to risk getting caught in the portal when it was clear he wouldn't make it.

"Next time, you so-called Heroes won't be so lucky."

The portals snapped shut. The disabled and unconscious Villains were left behind. But Shigaraki, Harley, Stheno, and Mindy were gone, as was any trace of Kurogiri.

Nomu continued to try to assault All Might. Pulled itself closer with the hand still dug into All Might's ankle. Its back was starting to regenerate. But with Harley gone, Midnight walked over. She dumped an almost liquid dense fog directly onto Nomu's face. It instantly collapsed, snoring.

A moment later, I joined it. No help from Midnight-sensei needed.


Status Changes for Midoriya Izuku:
Level: 21 → 22

Max Health: 805 → 836 (736)
Max Energy: 1362 → 1425

Attributes:
(A)gility: 55 → 56
(Q)uickness: 57 → 58
(W)it: 54 → 55
(D)etermination: 65 → 66

Unused Points:
Attribute: 30 → 37
Skill: 11 → 14
Talent: 4 → 3

Skills:
Analyze (W) – Battle Scan: 52 → 53
Dodge (A/Q): 36 → 39
Basic Karate (A): 42 → 43
Running (Q/E) – Jet Set Run: 31 → 33
Ki Reinforcement (D): 39 → 40
Telekinetic Armor (I/E): 29 → 33
Telekinetic Aura (I) LB: 35 → 36
Kung Fu Fundamentals (Q/E): 22 → 23
Tai Chi Quan (A/S): 19 → 20
Sense Hostility (I/C) - Hostile Aura: 31 → 33
High Speed Vision (W/Q) → 7

Talents:
Atavistic Vision


Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long. It was a little hard to write on its own, and add to that everything else that is going on... So the next chapter will be to wrap up this arc, and set up the next one, as well as a few further in the future elements. After that, I'm going back to High School Library to finally finish the Vol 10 arc.

Also, Shigaraki saying 'Leaving it' instead of 'Leave it' is intentional; people don't always talk perfectly. Especially when they are beat up. And angry. And crazy.