Coco: I actually took a different approach with this chapter as most of it is more focused on the villains and their thoughts and what they were doing. Especially Mr. Compress here in the beginning. I just thought I'd try something a little different considering our leading lady is still unconscious. Though this chapter is shorter than the others. Sorry about that.
'Well, that didn't go as smoothly as I wanted.' Rina thought as she sat against the tree.
She watched the students move on with the speedster taking the unconscious boy somewhere to hide until things calmed down. Once they were gone, she dropped her quirk, which had been in place to fool the little heroes in training that she was unconscious. They had no idea she was in her head, which just showed how unobservant they were.
'You'd think they'd be used to sensing an unknown mind entering their consciouses.' Rina thought.
She then shrugged since she didn't care. A shadow then fell over her, which had her looking to Mr. Compress who appeared. He crouched down next to her.
"Are you alright, my dear?" He asked.
"Fine," Rina replied. "I knew that brat of a sister of mine would be difficult to subdue, but I might have underestimated the rest of these brats. No matter. The favor is still in our hands."
She couldn't see the expression behind Compromise's mask, but she had a feeling he was smirking.
"But of course," He said as he placed his hand over his heart. "It will only take a moment, and our targets will be ours."
Rina nodded her head in agreement before taking his hand when he held it out to her. He used his quirk to compress her into a marble for transport then stood to his feet.
"Time to start bringing this show to an end," He said as he pocketed the marble that held Rina.
With that in mind, Compress went after the students who were trying to protect the targets that were assigned for the Vanguard to take. It didn't take him long to catch up, and as he looked down on them from above, he knew what he had to do.
'Two might only be on the list, but the boy who managed to throw Royale would be a good steal too,' Mr. Compress thought. 'The League could use that kind of power. Besides, to take our prey without alerting the others, it's best to get rid of the rear guard while I'm at it. Wouldn't you agree, Sebone-san?'
'Do what you see fit,' Rina's voice reached him even within the marble she was in. 'As long as our main objectives are captured, I don't care who else you snag.'
Mr. Compress chuckled at the young girl's uncaring tone as he prepared to make his move. It'd only take a second, and the villains will leave from this stage victorious. He waited for the right moment as he continued to follow the teens. He followed them for a few minutes, but the moment to move in arose as the teens stumbled across Himiko as she was fighting two other students. As they called out to their friends, Mr. Compress leapt down from the trees and before his targets could even realize his presence, he used his quirk to trap them away into compressed marbles.
'Too easy,' He thought as he leapt back up into the trees.
Though he took the three teens out of the group without being noticed at first, their absences were soon noted once Himiko fled from the scene.
'Smart girl,' Compress said. 'She was clearly outnumbered. Besides, I believe we've lost enough comrades for tonight.'
'Muscular, Moonfish, and Mustard won't be retrievable.' Rina's voice piped up in his head. 'Kurogiri will be able to fetch Spinner and Magne. As for Royale, they're almost at the rendezvous point. Smart on them for deciding to head there after that toss they took.'
And Compress was certain, Royale wouldn't be too pleased with how things went. He could just hear Royale now fussing over their ruined clothes and messy appearance.
'We should get going,' Rina urged Mr. Compress. 'There's no reason to stay around any longer.'
'Very true, my dear,' Mr. Compress agreed. 'But as a former entertainer, I cannot take such a quiet exit.'
Rina went to protest and insist Mr. Compress get moving, but she went ignored as the man, cleared his throat.
"Nice trick, eh?" He hummed getting the teens all to whirl around to look up at him. "I took the lad and young miss you're talking about with my magic."
He heard Rina groan in annoyance in the back of his head but ignored her as he continued to speak to the children.
"Talents like theirs would be squandered if they were to be casted as heroes," Mr. Compress said. "We'll provide them—or should I say him?—with a grander stage where he can truly shine. The young lady unfortunately a more tragic fate is in store, but she will have her time in the spotlight before the end that's for certain."
"Give them back!" Izuku shouted up at Mr. Compress.
The former (or so he says) entertainer tilted his head at Izuku's demand as he tossed to the two marbles up and down in his hand.
"Give them back?" Mr. Compress echoed. "What an odd thing to say. Bakugo doesn't belong to anyone. He's his own person. Don't be so arrogant. As for Ishida, well, her family will have a say in her own fate."
Izuku had no idea what Ayano's family had to do with any of this. He couldn't even imagine her father the former hero Gaunt being associated with the League of Villains. But the man has been retired for some time, and there is no telling what he could have been doing all this time. Izuku shook his head. He couldn't be thinking like that. He had to focus on saving his friends. They're all that mattered right now.
"We'll stop you!" Izuku declared.
"Right now!" Shoto said as he moved forward.
He shot a wave of ice at Mr. Compress that the villain dodged with ease as he launched himself up into the air.
"Why the aggression?" He asked as he was still airborne. "We only wish to show Bakugo there are options beside the fanatical world of heroism he's drowning in. It's important to pick a path that aligns with your core values after all. Perhaps if the same can be done with Ishida, she'll be spared alongside him."
'Like hell,' Rina thought irritably as Compress landed in a different tree. 'You should have just left. This is taking up unneeded time.'
'All in good time, Sebone-san,' Mr. Compress replied. 'If we really want to shake these children and the very foundations of U.A, best to leave after we've made them realize how helpless and how weak they are.'
Rina didn't really care at this point. She was sure U.A. would be shaken enough with three of their students missing. All this extra flare and showmanship seemed rather unnecessary in her opinion, but it wasn't like she could stop Compress. While under his quirk's influence it was hard enough to maintain a psychic link with him and the others. If she tried anything too big, she might end up just hurting herself. So, she'd just have to go along with his whims for now.
"It's not just Bakugo and Ishida!" Mezo said alerting the teens that they were another person short. "Tokoyami's gone!"
The teens gasped as they looked around to see Mezo was right. Fumikage was missing as well. Despite looking just as surprised as the others, Shoto turned to face Mr. Compress with his jaw set.
"If you're monologuing because you think you've beaten us, you're mistaken!" Shoto said.
Mr. Compress didn't seem too worried by the boy's threat as he fiddled with the two marbles that held Ayano and Katsuki in hand.
"A bad habit of mine," Mr. Compress confessed. "I was once an entertainer. Taking Tokoyami was a bit of improve on my part."
He then revealed a third marble in his hand as he turned it around for the teens to see.
"Royale, our dear unstoppable force," Mr. Compress said. "They may not look it, but they're a bit of a big deal in the villain underground and wanted in two countries for heinous crimes and has a reputation for taking down even the heaviest of hitters unscathed. When I saw the avian toss them around so easily and violently, I decided he should join our troop."
Sure, he didn't put Royale out of commission, but still to have caught them off guard and throw them out of the fight like that was impressive to say the least. If they can convince more than Katsuki to join their group, not only will it be a even bigger slap to U.A. and the society of heroes, it will also mean two new powerful players on their side
"Bastard!" Izuku snarled. "You can't take them!"
"Midoriya, calm down." Mezo tried to calm his friend.
Mr. Compress watched as Shoto hurried forward to attack, but he was ready for it. As soon as the ice was coming his way, Compress nimbly dodged once more by jumping back into the air.
"Apologies." Mr. Compress said gaining the attention of the students. "But slight of hand and escapology are my specialties. Not combat."
They all looked up seeing him unscathed as he was mid-jump up in the air while pocketing the marbles seemingly in his pocket.
"I'm not foolish enough to fight hero candidates from U.A." He said then touched the comm in his ear. "Vanguard Action Squad, I've acquired our targets. Our little show has officially come to a close. Meet me at the retrieval point in the next five minutes for the final bow."
Royale frowned in annoyance as they were already standing at the retrieval point. They had twigs in their hair and dirt and rips on their clothes. They weren't pleased in the slightest.
"I'm going to kill those brats one of these days," They said. "How dare they make me look so filthy. It's going to take forever to cleanse myself of this disgusting forest."
They then turned their head as someone else arrived at the area. They saw it was Himiko who smiled when she saw them.
"Ro-chan!" Himiko cheered. "You got here first. Is Ri-chan not with you?"
"No, but Compress was supposed to pick her up if I couldn't stay with her." Royale said with an uncaring shrug. "Knowing her, she'll be fine one way or the other."
Himiko nodded with a hum before they were then joined by Dabi and Twice who came out of the forest.
"Hey, Crazy, did you get the blood?" Dabi asked. "How many different kinds?"
"One person's!" Himiko said proudly.
Royale shook their heads not believing how happy the little brat sounded right now. She technically failed her part of the mission.
"Just one?!" Twice exclaimed in disbelief. "Hey, what gives? Weren't you supposed to get at least 3?!"
"That's just the way it went down." Himiko said. "I thought those brats were going to kill me."
"Tch, whatever," Twice said before his tone suddenly changed. "You're looking a little too happy right now. Strange…shouldn't you be full of shame?"
The girl only giggled as she turned around as she cupped her smiling, flushed face.
"Yeah, but I made some great new friends!" She said. "And I found a cute boy I'm interested in!"
"Is it me?" Twice asked then clasped his hands together "No thanks, babe—I love you too!"
Royale rolled their eyes at the two as they tried to pull more leaves out of their hair.
"Both of you, shut it." Dabi ordered. "You're too loud."
Though after he said that he could have sworn he heard someone shouting from above. Royale heard it too, which had both villains looking up just in time to see Mr. Compress coming down…and hard. The older villain was slammed into the ground a few feet away from them with three of those brats on his back.
"Whoa, whoa, what's this?!" Twice shouted before seeing the teens. "Oh, hey, wait, I know these kids!—Who are they?!"
None of his comrades bothered to answer him as Dabi immediately got ready to attack.
"Out of the way, Compress." Dabi said as he raised his hand that was covered in blue flame.
"Got it," Mr. Compress replied.
He then compressed himself into a small marble, so Dabi could unleash his flames on the three teens.
"That's cold!" Twice complained as he jumped behind Royale for safety.
They gave him a look of annoyance as Shoto was the only one of the teens to dodge Dabi properly. Izuku and Shoji cried out from getting burned as they weren't fast enough to move.
"Just go and fight." Royale told Twice and practically threw him at Shoto since the kid managed to dodge.
Despite being tossed, Twice caught himself in midair and prepared to fight Shoto. As he did that, Himiko went after Izuku. She tried to pin him down and stab him, but Mezo shoved her out of the way. Of course, in retaliation for his shove, Royale jumped in front of the boy and delivered an energy enhanced kick to his face. As all three teens were preoccupied with the other villains, Mr. Compress uncompressed himself and stood out of the crater made by his rough landing and Dabi's flames.
"Ugh, I can't believe you wrecked my exit." He complained as he went to join Dabi. "Unrehearsed amateurs."
"You got our targets? How about the little boss?" Dabi asked.
He knew leaving without Katsuki and Ayano would mean an earful from Tomura. Leave without Rina and he'd throw a fit like he had when they first met. Dabi really didn't want to deal with either as it'd be annoying.
"Of course," Mr. Compress assured him then started digging in his pocket to only find it empty.
As he pretended to be stumped as to what happened to his catch, Mezo, who managed to push himself up off the ground, called out to his friends.
"Midoriya, Todoroki!" He shouted. "We're done! He gave away his best trick. I'm not sure what your quirk is, but it had to do with those little marbles, right? The ones you stashed in your pocket."
He held up three of the four said marbles Compress had had on his person. The one holding Rina securely in his right breast pocket as he had been sure to keep her safe there.
"So, I'm guessing these are our friends." Mezo concluded.
Compress didn't deny his claim and even gave a laugh as the boy's friends seemed relieved.
"Well, color me impressed." Mr. Compress said as the teens were already trying to run off. "Just as I'd expect from someone with so many hands. How splendid."
Shoto covered their escape route with ice as Dabi and Royale readied to pursue the teens.
"No, wait," Mr. Compress said holding up his hand.
The kids didn't get far before a Nomu had them changing course, but only to be stopped when Kurogiri appeared. They froze at the sight of him, but he paid them little mind as he looked to the gathered villains.
"It's been five minutes since the signal." He said as he opened four other warp gates for the villains. "Let's go, Dabi."
Dabi frowned not moving, but the others started heading towards the warp gates opened for them.
"Sorry, Izuku," Himiko said before she was gone. "But I'll see you later, okay?"
Twice dived into the warp gate beside him as if diving into water, and Royale sighed as they turned towards the one behind them.
"This whole thing was annoying." They said. "I expect a nice hot bath for my troubles."
They were then gone as well, which left only Dabi and Mr. Compress to step through the final gate.
"Hold on," Dabi said stopping Compress before he could step into the gate. "We're not leaving without our targets."
"Don't worry," Mr. Compress said confusing Dabi and the teens. "They were so proud of themselves for rooting through my pockets that I thought I'd let them gloat."
Izuku, Mezo, and Shoto looked at Mr. Compress with wide eyes as he turned to face them one final time.
"But allow me to explain a basic tenant of magic. If I'm flaunting something shiny," Compress was explaining as he removed his mask. "It's because there's something else I don't want you to see."
He opened his mouth wider and stuck out his tongue to show three orbs. Three orbs that held their friends.
"He's got them!" Shoto and Izuku exclaimed.
Mr. Compress then snapped his fingers, which released the orbs in Mezo's hand from his quirk thus revealing that all Mezo took were chunks of ice.
"Is that my ice?!" Shoto demanded.
"That's right." Mr. Compress said. "During the freezing attack, I prepared dummies and slipped them into my right pocket."
Of course, this news had the teens rushing back to try and save their friends, but Compress, who placed his mask and hat back in place, was already stepping back into the warp gate along with Dabi.
"A little bit of misdirection," He said as he held out his arms grandly. "Forgive me, I do so adore a twist ending."
"You can't do this!" Izuku shouted.
"One last bow and then the curtain falls," Compress said in mock to the desperate teens.
However, what he didn't expect was the bright, flashy laser to come shooting out of nowhere to hit him across the face. His mask was busted open due to the hit and he ended up coughing up the marbles he had had stashed in his mouth. When seeing them out in the open, Izuku and the others dove for them in one final attempt to save their friends. Izuku ended up faltering due to the pain finally hitting him, but Shoto and Mezo surged forward with hands reached out. Mezo managed to snatch one of the orbs before Compress could regain his bearings, but as Shoto's hand nearly clasped over the other two, Dabi snatched them up.
"Well, isn't that a tragedy?" Dabi taunted as he held up the two orbs. "Poor little Todoroki Shoto."
Shoto hit the ground hard and despite his pain, Izuku got up to try and get the last two orbs.
"Confirm it now. Release them." Dabi ordered.
"That laser ruined my finale." Compress complained though did as told.
With a snap of his fingers those trapped in the three orbs were released, but only one was saved. Izuku watched in horror as Dabi held the limp Ayano against his side in one arm as his other hand clutched tightly around Katsuki's throat.
"Checkmate," Dabi said with a short chuckle.
"Kacchan, Ayano, no!" Izuku cried. "Kacchan! Ayano!"
But despite trying to reach them, they were soon gone out of sight and in the hands of villains. Izuku stared in disbelief as the blue flames continued to burn around them.
'No…no, this can't be…' Izuku thought. 'I couldn't reach them…I didn't save them…!'
Izuku let out an anguished cry as he finally fell to the ground with the pain too much to bear.
Coco: And that brings an end to the three-part update. I know it was a lot to take in at once with so much happening, but I hope you liked it. And I hope to be back soon with another update. Until then, everyone~