Thud!

As the last thug fell, Izuku and Tsukauchi stepped through the gate.

"Okay, now we actually need to find Akatani."

"Well, I'm pretty sure he's in the tower."

"Tower?"

Izuku pointed up towards the tower on the other side of the castle.

"Huh, neat. How d'ya figure he's there?"

"He's a narcissistic asshole and that's probably the most important building in the park."

"Good detective work, and diction. Points off for the expletive, though."

"Let's go."

They made it several steps before being confronted by ten more Yamikumo members.

And the thunderous sound of score more behind them.

Izuku turned to Tsukauchi, "Split up and meet at the tower?"

"Split up and meet at the tower."

And they both proceeded to run in opposite directions.

"Don't get shot!"

"You either!"

And the two groups of Yamikumo members, split into 5 members each, took off after the two.

Izuku ran onto a path, his five pursuers hot on his heels.

Okay, that's the Higashi Gomon Square over there. I should-

"Over there! Get him!"

Go left!

He veered left and kept up the speed. All that time he spent running away from his uncle was really paying off that moment.

Okay, that's the Ninomaru bridge over there, I should be going past the Engraved Stones pretty soon.

It was darker out, but he could see the wall with the engravings in it with his discerning eye.

If I keep on the path I should end up right in front of the tower.

"Stop there, brat!"

Izuku took a hard right onto the path towards the Sunken Garden.

He could feel himself sink slightly, as he got further onto the wet and muddy ground.

He could hear the sound of footsteps behind him, rumbling like rolling thunder.

And in front…

"We've got ya now!"

Fine, if that's how ya wanna play it…

He skidded to a stop and looked around. There were over thirty of them. They stood at his flank, where they'd just been snapping at his heels, and in his path, walling off his way forward.

But the tower was so close too. Akatani was right there. He couldn't let him get away. He wouldn't.

There were only two words that he could think of to strengthen his resolve.

Two words that he had heard from his Jiji time and time again during most of the awful situations that he found himself in.

Fuck it.

He took his stance once more and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Whoever wants to die first, step right up!"

And they took that challenge.

One set upon him in an attempt to grab him.

An attempt that was swiftly evaded and countered with an even swifter punch to the gut.

He didn't have time to catch his breath, as two more tried their luck at restraining the boy. Launching themselves at him in an attempt to catch him off guard.

Izuku ran to meet them.

[!] Heat Move: Essence of Hurdling

He jumped up and kicked off the back of one of the pair, sending him to the ground hard, with his partner stumbling over him and falling as well.

And Izuku landed quickly with a roll, getting ready to get back up and keep fighting.

THWACK!

Before his head snapped up after taking a savage kick to the chin, which lifted him a foot off the ground.

He would've tried to recover, but before he could, a fist plowed into his cheek, snapping his head to the side.

And he flew.

No. It'd be more accurate to say that he cut through the air for several feet until he hit the ground hard, rolling a few times for good measure before he settled on his stomach near a mikan tree.

He could feel something seeping down his forehead.

Moments later, his eye stung and the left half of his vision filled with red. His cut must've opened up again.

His head was throbbing, and he felt warm and cold at the same time.

He could hear voices drifting in and out.

"W- -ould -et -im to the boss."

"-at c- looks -retty -ad."

"-ou -kay Suzuki? C'm- I- get ya a -rink."

No.

He looked up to see the tower again. It was so close.

Akatani was just so close.

His vision was starting to fade and blur and swim and mix.

The red half of his vision could see the past the tower, towards the moon. It was such a pretty shade of crimson.

It was almost comforting. The throbbing was clearing slightly

He could feel

Maybe it wouldn't so bad to just lie down for a littl-

"Izu-chan."

He snapped out of his thoughts quickly. He knew that voice.

"Izu."

He knew that one too. His eyes searched wildly for both, everything coming back into perfect clarity.

"Izu-chan." "Izu."

Where are you?

"Over here, Izu-chan!" "Look here, Izu!"

Where? WHERE?

He was starting to lose the clarity, his vision beginning to swim again.

Where are you?

He needed to find them, needed to see them.

Needed to-

His eyes stopped their frantic search as he stared straight ahead.

Mere meters away, he saw them.

Mere meters away, they stood smiling.

Mere meters away, Izuku could see his mom and jiji.

His mom looked almost radiant in the moonlight. Her green locks, the same shade as his, swayed slightly as she breathed. She had an almost otherworldly glow to her.

His uncle. He stood there with the same wide smile that he always had when he saw him. He waved, his jacket shimmering with his own glow in the night.

He reached forward, gripping the ground in front of him, and pulled his body after.

He reached forward again with his other hand and repeated the process.

And he did it again.

And again.

And again.

He could feel the wet grass and mud sticking to his pants, but he didn't care.

He pulled again and again and again, until he was halfway there.

And then, they turned and pointed.

His eyes followed where they were pointing to only to find…

The tower.

And when he turned back to where his mother and uncle stood, they were gone.

"A hero hopeful should know better."

"- my number one hero!"

"Even greater than All Might!"

"-soon-to-be first quirkless hero."

"-little hero-"

"-saves everyone with a smile-"

Tower. Gotta get to the tower. Gotta get to Akatani.

Gotta-

He felt a hand reaching towards him.

"Where do ya think you're goin', bra-" Crack! "Ah!"

The Yamikumo grunt found his three of his fingers twisted the wrong way, gripped in the hand of the still prone child.

He attempted to wrench them free, "Lemme go- AHHH!"

Only to find himself in more pain as the grip around his dislocated fingers tightened.

"Hehehe."

The sound was strange.

"Hehehehehehe."

It was high pitched.

"Hehehehehehehahaha!"

It was coming from the boy on the ground as he shook.

He rose slowly, shoulders still shaking, taking time to plant his unoccupied hand on the ground below him.

He gave a slight push and rose to his knees, facing away from the men standing behind him.

From there, he took to one knee. He still shook with laughter.

He still held on tightly to the man's fingers, while the man in question was almost in tears.

He twisted further before letting go and the thug fell forward, cradling his now broken fingers.

Izuku stared at him for a moment, before turning away to look at the score of men behind him.

He stood tall in the pale moonlight, his green jacket, like most of his front, caked in mud.

He stared at them, one eye open, an emerald glinting amidst more mud and blood.

And one thing that they couldn't but notice was plastered across his muddy, bloodied face…

Was a big, bright smile.

Sorry, cut-off point was too good. Stick around, I'm coming at ya with a new chapter soon.