Gaako, despite not knowing these people, quickly learned everything about them due to how quickly they acted during a dire situation. Case in point, Eiko punching the wall with incredible force on her side and Clara drilling the machine from the other side, proving neither of them had brain cells.
Asmodeus reprimanded them both for doing the same thing over and over and ended up squabbling with the three of them, proving that while he was probably the most sane person of the group, his stick in the mud nature got in the way of actual progress. At least she'd give credit to Eiko for standing up to him. She's really gotten over her fears, so good for her.
"Okay, so I know where Kiriwo-san is most likely going to be. He's has this secret hideout where he's been working on his light mana gathering device, so if he's going to set off the firework, it has to be there." Surprisingly, the Danger-Junkie was the most level headed person here, surprisingly analytical too.
Asmodeus paused his squabbling, turning to Midoriya with a curious look. "He has a secret hideout and that didn't clue you in on something suspicious?" He asked in a way that proved his sanity.
"Well, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt." Level headed yes, but by god that bleeding heart was going to bleed out when someone backstabbed him. "I don't just assume people are going to turn out to be maniacs when I meet them."
"By that logic, you don't consider Valac to be a maniac?" Gaako had to voice her confusion here.
"Maniacs for life!" The girl in question shouted, now aiming a missile launcher at the barrier as Midoriya snatched it. "Aww."
"I don't assume everyone is out to kill me at every single turn, at least not anymore." He corrected them. Wow, what kind of life did he live if he didn't consider Valac dangerous?
"Either way, this is a waste of time trying to get through the barrier. Our best bet is to just navigate our way to Kiriwo from here." Asmodeus said, sitting down and pulling out a large sheet of paper. He wrote fast and already had the entire school building set up, impressive. "Now then, we know a barrier is here, and for the sake of argument let's say that they're all over the school. How do we get you two from here to there without hitting dead ends?"
"My ring and his collar are like magnets to each other. They act like a sort of homing device that draws me closer to him. It's how me and Eiko ran into him for the first time.." Oh yeah, he did fly and crash into Eiko awhile back. If she knew this is what it led to, she would have pulled her out of the way. "And how I found his secret hideout. Now, chase him!" There was a steady beat of silence. "Um, after him. Find Amy-senpai? Yip Yip?" Midoriya started to desperately shake the ring. "Abracadabra, hocus pocus, shazam?" Now he was just making up weird words.
"Hey, these barriers are much stronger than what Amy-senpai usually makes … do you think he broke it and exposed the mana inside?" Eiko asked as everyone turned to her. "What, I was curious so I studied up on Apparatus." You mean memorized easily.
"Damn it, you're right. He said it stockpiled mana for when he needed to use it. Guess I never planned for him to release it all at once, damn it!" He pounded on the barrier and started crying heavily. "Why did I have to help that madman!?"
Valac pouted. "Don't cry Izuku-kins! You just need to find the barriers right? Then I'll find all of them!" She reached into her pocket, pulling out black paper dolls. A large amount that became a pile.
"Valac you psychotic genius!" Asmodeus shouted, confusing everyone. "Izuku, steal my magic and infuse it into the dolls. Then bring it back, I'll memorize the position and tell you how to move using our Hellphone."
Izuku nodded, aiming his ring at Asmodeus. "Demon-Mode." He announced out loud, and a small shroud of a shadowy monster appeared in front of him, turning it's little body everywhere until it spotted Asmodeus. And with one glare, the taller teen fell to his knees as the creature began spitting fire. Okay, that was slightly impressive. "Sorry, Azz. I'll be sure to thank you later."
"Just hurry up, this is about as pleasant as it looks!" The pink haired boy shouted, the bookworm nodding as he got to work igniting the paper soldiers as they stood up.
"It works! Alright, Me and Clara will start heading towards him. Azz, once you're done talking me through, take Eiko and Gaako and lead them and anyone else you come across to safety." The whole group nodded. "I'm sorry, you guys. You only joined the Magical Apparatus Battler because of me. Guess I should apologise to you too, Gaako." Huh, they've barely talked to each other. Why apologise to her? "I got your friend mixed into my mess, and now you're both in danger."
"Oh please, not everything dangerous around here happens because of you." Asmodeus admonished, surprisingly. "As ludicrous as it may sound, you're not responsible for every calamity around Bablys."
"Are you kidding me!? This is the most fun I've had in my entire life. Making friends, building bombs, being backstabbed by evil upperclassmen, this is everything I've hoped for since meeting you!" Okay, maybe Midoriya wasn't the only danger-junkie here.
"I don't care about any of that, Izuku-kins! You're my first friend, and I'm yours! I'd do anything with you!" Valac picked him up in a suffocating hug.
"I don't really know you, and I've honestly been afraid to approach you for Eiko's sake." Gaako spoke next. "But you make her happy, so I guess things are cool between us. Maybe we can try being friends, you know, if we don't die tonight."
He started to cry again, but quickly wiped them away. "Thanks. I look forward to it. Clara, let's roll." Valac literally did as Midoriya followed right beside her.
"Isn't he just the coolest!?" Eiko eleatedly shrieked.
"Yeah, I guess I can kinda see what you like about him." He was obviously crazy, but he tried to focus all that crazy on himself. Guess that didn't make him too bad. "Didn't think he was so..sensitive though. Kinda cute, in a puppy sort of way."
"Don't fall for him too, Gaako! I have a hard enough time dealing with Clara."
"Don't worry about it, I'm not crazy enough to get between you and him." True, between Eiko and him, it was probably too much for her to handle.
Momonoki Morax stood by, telling students to remain calm. Just a few minutes ago the barriers appeared, now at a loss for what to do. She knew they were strong enough that she couldn't scratch them, and her frogs told her the entire school was surrounded. No way in or out of Babyls was available. Even the underground roads were closed off.
Ah, if only she had Kalego's guidance for this. His strong and imposing wisdom, that calm and refined demeanor, those succulent lips-that she wasn't thinking of! No, of course, someone as dignified as him wouldn't fall prey to carnal desires, he was too strong willed to ever even imagine such a notion. Although, such a state must put a lot of stress on himself, maybe she could help with that..
She was cut off by a communication from the man himself. "All teachers, this will be a surprise event for the students. Guide them all to the courtyard for a 'prize'." He spoke. Odd, she didn't remember any-of course, this was just to keep peace! Brilliant of the man, as always! Sullivian was a genius to leave such a demon in charge. She definitely wouldn't mind Kalego being Chair Demon full time, oh, the things they could get away with..that she definitely hasn't been dreaming about, because she was a dignified teacher just like her idol..her associate!
Regardless, she had a job to do and see it through! "Alright students, gather up! First ones through the maze get part of the prize!" She shouted, the students muttering excitedly with one another. Excellent, they were buying it.
Although, she could only hope this meant the other members of faculty had managed to root out the source of this situation. With all these barriers, it felt like someone was trying to trap them in a maze of some sort. At least they could all get outside...though why would whoever set up these invisible walls leave a way for them to navigate?
The more she thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. The entire school was enclosed so no one or no signal could leave, and multiple internal barriers that originally seemed to make it difficult to navigate the source. Instead they were just shaped into paths and such. Like they meant for whoever was within the school to follow the path outside.
She shook her head. Kalego had it handled. He looked over the Misfit Class, something like this must've been just an average school day for him.
Ameri tapped her foot, watching the students gather. From the upperclassmen, to the freshman, to the Battlers. There were a few uppers who realized what was going on, and as such decided to try and appease everyone. The most popular being the magical bast Battler's performance.
She commended their efforts, applauding their ability to keep the peace to avoid mass panic, but as time went on, there was that continuing nagging feeling in her head that something much more devious was coming.
She in normal circumstances would've just rushed to whoever was making a scene and beat them to a pulp. But these walls didn't budge even with her strongest kicks. Even with that new 'plus ultra' technique Izuku spoke with her about. She was glad that said Honor student wasn't around to see her fail.
Speaking of which, this entire time, she's seen neither him or the rest of his Battler all day, and she couldn't help but pout a little. Izuku was really hush-hush about what kind of Apparatus his team was working on, and it sent butterflies through her stomach. Knowing him, it would most definitely be worth watching, and she'd be there for him if anything went wrong, which was a fifty-fifty chance.
It was a shame, too. She recalled in 'First Love Memories' of the two main leads going on a date to a festival such as this, with beautiful burning flowers dancing in the sky, covering them in pretty lights as the two leaned in and...
Ameri shook herself as the crowd got antsy with it's cheering, moving harder and faster as students got pushed out of the way. She would have to step in at this point. She started walking to the stand, moving faster when she heard wood start to creak. The stage broke as she jumped high. Feeling the power flow as she kicked the debris left and right, holding her arms up to shield the rest. "Are you okay?" She asked, turning her head.
Looking down, she saw two students, along with a familiar pink haired Asmodeus that hung around Izuku, giving signals on a phone. "Alright, Izuku, you're gonna want to take a right now, and then keep going straight." Wait, was he..?
"Yeah … we're fine." The blond girl spoke lightly, with a flushed face, likely from danger. Her dragonic looking friend stared at the blond with exasperation, likely for getting into the situation in the first place. "Thank you."
"Eiko, why are...you know what, you do you. I'm done questioning the madness at this point." The dragon-like demon girl rolled her eyes. "Sorry, my friend recently became a danger-junkie, she's still sorting out a lot of feelings."
"No problem at all." Ameri turned to the silent crowd, needing to talk with them before addressing a concern. "Everyone, you may have your chaos, but do it orderly! Do I make myself clear!?"
"Yes mam!" They all scream, before muttering about how to do that, it didn't matter. Something Asmodeus said concerned her.
"Are you talking to Izu-Midoriya? Where is he?" She asked. If something dangerous was going on, then she needed to protect him...needed to watch over him to make sure he didn't do anything worse. That's right, that was why she needed to have him by her side.
"Madame President..I...it's, it's really bad. I'm afraid we all fell into the machinations of a crazy madman, and Izuku and Valac are the only ones at the moment who can do anything to stop it." Asmodeus told her, before going back to the phone. "Take a right, left and-oh, you're there. Good luck, and don't be a moron." He hung up the phone, turning back to her. "Please, trust us." He gave a light bow.
"You call him Izuku as well, huh?" Ameri recognised, getting him to look back at her. "He's a good friend to you, isn't he?"
"Better than I deserve at any rate." He sighed regretfully. "I guess that's why I feel, no, I know he can stop this. He's going to save everybody."
She gave a light smile. "I'm sure he is." Ameri walked away, ignoring the screaming from the blond as she went to the rest of the student council. "Listen up, everyone be on guard and ready. Anything could happen and we need to be prepared."
"Yes, madam president!" They shouted before running off like the soldiers they were. She sighed, pushing away the feeling inside. Izuku probably has this … right?
"So before we move on, do you mind explaining what's going on there?" Asmodeus decided to ask the dragon girl, pointing to the fellow Battler now melted on the floor in an undignified manner.
"At this point I just say she has a damsel complex." The girl sighed in annoyance. "Anyone that saves her causes another romantic attraction to bloom." She stared at the puddle in question. "That or she just has a thing for dangerous people and situations, it in all honesty could be both at this point." That explained the situation with her Izuku worship. He then thought about the time he pushed her down to avoid the firework that didn't go off, and REALLY hoped it was the latter.
"Whatever the case, we're running out of time, assuming he'll set off the big firework after the bell rings." He looked at the clock, they were down to a few minutes. His chest tightened, something was very off in this situation. He had no qualms that Izuku couldn't handle himself in a dangerous situation, but this was beyond that. An emotional manipulator that hid their potential, and had enough stockpiled mana to reach the levels of one of the great lords...it was like looking at an evil version of Izuku.
The chair demon wasn't here either, apparently there was a problem even Izuku wasn't aware of. That meant the entire school was in very real danger that they had no safety net for. He gritted his teeth. "Well then, what are we just standing here worried about, we're going to do something about it?" The girl asked.
"Panic is just going to make the situation worse. As much as it pains me, everyone being in the courtyard is the best option at the moment. The teacher's already created a cover, and we'll make sure tonight's festival goes off without a hitch."
"Is that really the best plan we have?" The dragon girl argued, pointing accusedly. "You have one of those paper doll things with you, right? Can't you charge it as well and follow him? Midoriya looks like an okay guy, but what's to say he won't make the situation worse? You of all people should know what a trouble magnet he is!"
"Yes, I know that, and it tears me on the inside that students like you, that people like me are always assuming some sort of extreme with him!" He yelled, not feeling this passionate with his words since Execution Cannonball. "When he chanted those forbidden spells, I thought he was a showoff trying to coast on with Sullivan's name. When he didn't bother fighting back at me, I thought he was an arrogant prick looking down on me, but that's not it!"
Eiko managed to get up, and somewhat lost the lovestruck expression on his face. "You're, actually sorry about.."
"Yes! Yes I am! I treated him like dirt, like he was this plague that would drag everyone down with him, but, but all he wanted was a little kindness! To just, not fight! And being the idiot I am, I swatted that away and made him miserable, and the worst part about it, I'm not the only one. I'm just the latest in a long chain of brutes!"
The two girls let the man finish his rant, feeling exhausted in an emotional way he's rarely felt before. Eiko stood up, a fire in her eyes. "Alright then, all we can do is help others have fun. If Amy-senpai wants to drag the magical apparatus Battler through the gutter, then we'll bring it back. And you're going to help, because, because you're a good friend, Asmodeus." She finished.
Those words, that one word, friend. Said by his would-be-victim. It was such a beautiful word to hear. "Right. Izuku wants to light up the sky. I say we pave the path for him." He showed off his signature flame. "Eiko, you still have the color changing chemicals?"
"Yeah, just a sec." She blushed as she pulled out a few vials of fluid.
"And … Gaapo?" He asked about the other one.
"Gaako."
"Sorry, not used to actually knowing all these names at once." This was going to be a long process for him, but it would be worth it. "Think you can gather up a crowd around us?"
"Ah, yeah, that should be no problem, I think."
"Good. Until Izuku get's back, it's up to us to keep the show going. I can give everyone a taste before the real thing arrives." He raised his fist in the air. "We'll plant a smile on everyone's face! Plus Ultra!"
"Plus..whaa?" Gaako questioned again.
"It's sorta our club chant!" Eiko explained. "Plus Ultra!"
"Okay then, plus ultra." They spoke much less enthusiastically, mostly out of confusion. Whatever, they would do this no problem.
"Thanks again." Dalton spoke to the group. Bathrin still couldn't believe he got a teacher to use the broadcasting station, so cool! "We really appreciate the secrecy and energy you're putting into this."
"Not a problem. We're always happy to be of use!" The Battler President shot a thumbs up. "I gotta say though, no one's ever used the Broadcasting Battler for emergencies before. It must be something really bad."
"Well, hopefully this'll help get everyone to safety. We couldn't have done this without any of you." The whole group cheered. Actually being important? This day would go down in history!
"Yeah, just glad we were able to gather everyone in one place."
"Yeah … in one place …" Dalton muttered, getting a look from everyone. "Oh, sorry, thinking out loud, probably nothing." He waved them off. "Say, are you guys able to get a message out yet?" He asked the group."
"No, nothing at all. I'm really sorry about that sir." It was really bad too, they should have invested in earthlines or something.
"No problem, we have a backup in the making. Something old school you could say." The teacher stared off at a green shooting star. Weird, didn't see that earlier, but pretty nonetheless.
"Oh, I guess the Magical Apparatus Battler was able to pull it off. Good for them." One of the members idly mentioned. "It really does look like an exploding flower."
Dalton gave them a look. "Exploding Flower?" He asked, a strange look of concern.
"Um, yeah, I heard it earlier as they rushed by the other day. They wanted to create a huge fire flower that could cover the whole sky. That one looked small but it's likely just a stray or something." At that Dalton's entire face panicked.
He reached up to his ear. "Everyone, we could be dealing with a bomb. Evacuate the courtyard, I repeat, evacuate the courtyard!" He looked even more worried a few seconds later. "What do you mean they've been sealed?" The students in the broadcasting room began panicking.
Who could blame them, a bomb!? So many people would die. The newcomers, the fluff fluffs, that kid falling out of a window-wait what was that last one? Bathin lost his thought as said kid launched something very strange into the sky.
"We're here Azz, thanks for everything." Izuku-kins nodded before hanging up.
"We reached the wall, that means we won right?" She asked him with a bright and cheery smile.
Izuku-kins paused, looking like he wanted to say something before stopping. He eventually reached down and put a hand on her shoulder, looking super serious. "Clara, listen to me very carefully. What happens in there, it's not a game. You need to be prepared to defend yourself, okay?" He asked her.
"Of course I can defend myself, just like I always do!" Like during tag, or mean cheaters, or that Rookie Hunt, that was a fun game. This would be like that, he didn't need to tell her to win it, they always won it!
He looked guilty for some reason, reaching to one of the bricks and pressing on it, revealing a secret button. What was he talking about before? Secret buttons and hiddens rooms were always fun! He could be such a worry wart at times. Good thing she was here to keep him smiling!
Behind the door they walked in, finding a really bright ball that looked like their firework. Oh, he was making sure the battery wouldn't die, that was super thoughtful of Kirimake-senpai. "Okay Clara, looks like he's trying to charge that firework with a ton of magic. If it's too much, the boom will go off early and hurt a lot of people.
"Oh, we better tell him to stop." She nodded, now noticing him looking at them with a smile. "Kiramake-senpai, you need to stop this. Do it too much and you get an early boom, and that's no fun." She pouted at him.
The upperclassman simply laughed. Weird, she didn't tell him a joke. "I'm glad you came here in all honesty. I thought that somehow we would meet before Midoriya, even prayed that we could be together, you deserve to be okay during this event. Just didn't see her coming along, but win-some-lose some."
"Don't just talk like we're old buddies meeting up, Kiriwo." Oh, he was using just his first name, usually Izuku-kins said the last one, he didn't even add honorific nicknames. "Just stop this now, we can forget this happened, and we can talk it out and watch the fireworks we wanted to see for everyone."
"Hehe, yeah, no. I've waited far too long for today to happen, and I'm not going to budge an inch." Kirimake-senpai spoke in a jerkish voice. "It's my firework too, you know. Don't I have a say in where it goes off?"
"Come on, we need to watch the fireworks, Kirimake-senpai. We worked days on it and everything!" He was being really rude for some reason.
"If this goes off, then there's no coming back for you, people will be hurt. You're dream, remember, to eradicate rank? Did you forget it!?" Izuku-kins shouted really loudly. Wow, he was getting real into this roleplay game.
"I've forgotten nothing, Izuku-kins." The upperclassmen spoke. Ugh, she didn't like how he used her nickname for Izuku-kins. "Of course, by erraditing rank, first you gotta start with the feeble ass-hats that buy into all that bullshit." Oh, was this a supervillain game? It was getting hard to tell because they didn't talk about it beforehand. Weird, but she could improvise.
"But that's more than getting rid of people, that's MASS MURDER! I know you're motivated but you don't need to kill people to get what you want! Going this route is only going to make you look like a power-hungry monster who's just jealous of everyone else."
"Yeah, baddies just take shortcuts and stuff for fun! Just tell us why you wanna do it so badly!" She spoke, using her detective skills. He laughed again, something off about it.
"Yes, I'll tell you my story then. We have time until it goes off after all." She pulled out a seat, taking it and giving one to Izuku-kins, who didn't sit. Weird, he liked sitting, it helped him write. "Don't I get a seat, Clara-chan?"
"Eww, gross, it's not cute when you say it!" Clara meant that sincerely. It was wrong for anyone other than Izuku-kins to give her cute nicknames.
"Aww, you'll hurt my feelings." He smiled, Izuku-kins putting an arm in front of her defensively. He was taking this a little far. She could protect herself, it wasn't anything bad. "Well regardless, let's start with my family." Story time!
"The Amy clan were a strong bunch, perfect defensive magic. Barriers to protect nations all over the Netherworld. Well, except for me, I was born weak and frail. Because of that I was shunned." Huh, that sounded weirdly familiar. Was he copying Izuku-kins story? That's both evil and lazy. He was a madman! "And even my own mother rejected me, as I was kicked out of the clan." Well that was just a stupid backstory, mommies can't hate their children, be smarter about this.
" With this shame I carried, I was cast out all alone and sent to the Garden of Delinquites, where they were to 'nurture' the little magic we did have, though more often than not they just kept hitting us until we did something resembling useful." Hm, going for a sad backstory. Not sure if she was buying it. Izuku-kins seemed weirdly invested though. "Even there I was alone, at least, until I met her. She was the light of my life, calling my horns adorable even." He chuckled, almost like he was watching an old movie and laughing, like her Daddy did sometimes.
"When you think about it, I probably would have called her my first friend. Neither of us were skilled at magic, but that didn't matter. We just had fun, no need for ranks to get in the way of anything." Ooh, was this going for the tragic romance angle? This sounded like a backstory for a serial killer.
"But then, the stronger kids got annoyed at us. They grabbed her precious good luck heirloom. She called them out on their behavior, and they threw it away like garbage over a cliff. I tried my best, really I did, I actually caught it on my barrier. But I turned to look at her, calling my name happily, and my focus wasn't the best back then, so it shattered like glass. The one treasure in her life fell into the river." Oh, getting back at bullies. That's why he wanted the school to go bye bye.
"She had this look of complete and utter despair on her face, one that pinched at something inside of me. That face is still in my dreams to this day."
Izuku-kins stood straighter, getting angry. "Look, that's bad and I get it, I can help you try and make right with her and reprimand her bullies, but this outcry of death isn't going to do anything!"
"Oh, but I didn't get to the most important part about it! Seeing that look of happiness, the hope across her face suddenly vanished, revealing nothing but despair, nothing but disdain for life, the helplessness….it was so beautiful to see!"
There was a silence that overtook the room. His face had this twisted smile on it, eyes clouded in pleasure and nose bleeding. She felt cold, but it wasn't a draft, this was wrong. This was very wrong. "Kirimake-senpai, you're taking the game too far." She spoke quietly.
"No, I haven't taken it far enough. And quite frankly, I think it's about time someone took you off the board." Something that felt like hard aird hit her across the face, and she found herself practically glued to the wall. Ow! He was actually hurting her! "Seriously, I commend you, Izuku. I don't know how you didn't throw her out the first chance you got."
"Clara!" Izuku-kins shouted, now looking angry. "Don't you dare." Izuku-kins was shoved to the ground, Kiri-... Amy grabbed his arms and was sitting on his stomach.
"But I don't care about that, I care about you the most!" He shouted in sick glee. "Can you imagine it, once that firework goes off everyone dies, the families will be struck with an unholy grief and wreak havoc upon the world as the stairs of rank change to steep hills of survival!"
He wanted to hurt mommy and the others! She formed a small spear like Sabro Mountain made at times, trying her hardest to hit the thing, keeping her against the wall over and over. "And look at her, so desperate to try and escape! Once she realizes that nothing she can do will stop it she'll cry out in despair!" He laughed, nose bleeding like a sicko. "Won't it be beautiful?"
"You're ..." Izuku-kins muttered, Clara could barely form a single thought, so confused, so distraught, so angry at Amy! "You're …" This couldn't be part of the game! "You're just a villain, a real life, demented villain."
This wasn't a game.
Yes yes yes! That sound of utter defeat! That realization that all of it had been bullshit and lies. "Yep, a complete and utter Villain! A demon returned to their origins!" Ah, aniki was right, even in the bigger moments, the small people that meant much to you still stood out the most.
"So what!? Do you just get off seeing everything miserable? Seeing everyone sadder than you makes you happy!?"
"Exactly!" Kiriwo shouted with glee. "When I saw her cry it was the best day of my life, it made me realize that the feeling in my heart when mom abandoned me wasn't some petty sadness, but a warm comfort in my soul!" He laughed. "And the girl, I wanted to pay her back for giving me such a beautiful present. She lost her gift and called my horns adorable, so I ripped it off and gave one to her! She looked so disgusted with me it drove me wild!"
"That's sick!" The Valac girl screamed from her prison. "You're a terrible person, and a horrible friend! What about the fun we had together!? Did that mean nothing to you?!"
"Of course it meant something. It meant for once, people actually cared about me enough to get close! Do you know how rare it is for me to make the pain personal? I really, thank you all for giving me such a beautiful picture to tear up and destroy." He gave a viscous grin. "I really was running out of luck with ideas too, so thank you for the fireworks." Ah, the defeated look of Clara-chan gave him joy. Maybe he'd save her too, or just let her burn slower. However, something more important stood here.
The stage was set, all of it. "Now then, I don't care if you hate me, are disgusted with me, or if you want to rip out my liver and organs." He held onto his Kohai tighter. "You're the only one who can give me what I want, Izuku. Or, should I say, Deku?"
"Wh-what are you going on about?!" His disgust was too much to handle at once. Oh, this was going to be too glorious for words!
"You get me, you understand me more than anyone! We're both weaklings who need items just to live in this world, who were abandoned by everyone. Who had friends that ditched us when our nature came to light!" Kiriwo shouted, clutching him almost tenderly. "You had your Grandpa, I had my Aniki, we had people that supported us and our ambitions! And thanks to you, everyone you care for will die! I want to thank you, I want you to watch and survive! I'll put you in a cute little box to watch this whole thing go down!"
He thought he saw the beginnings of tears swell up in those emerald orbs of his. Oh, the legendary water works he's heard so much about! An entire sea of misery just waiting to burst open!
"But what I want most right now, more than anything, is that look! Show it to me, Deku-kun, show me your despair!" This would be exhilarating! If only he had a camera.
"My..ambition." Izuku looked away, trying to divert his hateful eyes. "You know, ever since I started living here, a lot of people tend to have this habit of jumping to conclusions a lot, specifically about what I want." Don't try to act brave now! You have nothing to gain and everything to lose!
"But you … you're the most off kilter one here." He said, pushing Kiriwo off. Wait, this was off. "Kachaan? He was shaped by the world of cruel people. My Dad? He was just a man looking after himself." Izuku started gathering boxes. Where was it, stop stalling! "Criminals are usually in desperate situations and take money for either themselves or their family. 'Villains' usually have some ideals that the system goes against." Yeah, that was basically who he was, now get one with it!
"Me, I was just born unlucky. My dad could breathe fire, my mom can levitate objects towards herself, Kachaan could make explosions with his sweat, but not me. Not a single ounce of power, or anything special."
"I get it! There's no difference between us, so is there actually a point to the pedantic rant?!"
"But you see, there was this one man I saw. He was just really good at his job. He saved the day, countless people, for no reason other than to help them. And I think that's the difference between you and me Kiriwo." Izuku grabbed the firework, ignoring their burning hands as he turned, smiling at him. "You saw a tear and wanted to make more of it. I saw a smile and wanted to make more of it."
It was at that moment Kiriwo realized he was wrong. They were fundamentally different. They could never see eye to eye unless he made the stakes higher or harder to achieve. The boy wanted to help people, just like he said and Kiriwo DIDN'T LISTEN!
This wasn't right, he was going to try and stop it. He couldn't see the despair, he wouldn't meet Deku. "Put it down." He said sternly. "Besides my barriers, nothing can contain that explosion, you'll be risking your life."
"Risk?" Midoriya spoke, giving a chuckle. "Haven't you heard the gossip Kiriwo?" The boy looked up, giving him a feral smile. One full of confidence, of determination, of everything he wanted to take away! "I'm a danger-junkie." And with that he ran straight to the window.
"Izuku-Kins!" He heard the Valac shout, running out to see the boy aim towards the sky.
"Ifrit Mode!" The girl let out a gasp, the boy's hand giving off a glow. "Libera!" He shouted. A dragon was formed from his grasp, rockets on the side propelling a pink fire that launched it high, where golden scales could shine brightly. "This is us Kiriwo, this is the Magical Apparatus Battler you made!" The ball lifted higher, and higher, and..
SMACK. Sounds of a ball smacking against pavement could be heard all around, and Izuku's expression couldn't have been more confused. "What?!" So beautiful!
"Did you forget the barriers?!" Kiriwo shouted, happiness radiating off of him. Oh for such a smart guy he could be so forgetful of the bigger details. But it made Izuku have a charm to him. "I've been building this mana for years! It's power is unrivaled!" He laughed loudly, the crowd unable to hear them as they chanted the countdown. "All that effort wasted. All your hopes and ambitions are going to dust! Even with the power of Sullivan, you couldn't hope to break it!"
That boy, he didn't stop his smiling, if anything it became more feral. "This is gonna hurt … but I guess I need to go Plus Ultra in this situation..sorry Grandpa … Pandoroola!" The ring glewed even brighter, a ding sound so elegant to the ears … then the screaming began.
"Izuku-kins!" He forgot about the girl, the barrier dropped due to the focus he needed on the roof. She forgot about him too as well, rushing to see what was going on. And it was an unbelievable sight indeed.
Izuku's entire body started to break and morph as he let out something wild, his hair changing colors like a kaleidoscope, wings spouting and looking unnatural to any demon. Small feathers and fur grew on his body, along with himself becoming taller than before. It almost looked like a Skvader, a winged rabbit creature he's read about once. It probably would've looked cute if it wasn't currently messing up his plans!
Izuku didn't let this phase him, closing his hand and winding it back in what seemed to be a punch. "Libera …" Magic swirled over his entire arm, looking chaotic and unruly. "SMASH!" And with a thrust forward the dragon expanded and shifted. Metal formed as snakes seemed to coil around it, a language unknown as it produced a mist to spread further, spikes of blades and spears became present along with this ethereal white light.
ROOOOOAAAAAAR
"No! It's not possible!" He thought he had an equal, a partner, all the parts were there! Why didn't he hate these people! Why didn't he want to see everyone dead!
"Izuku-Kins!" Clara-chan cried out, holding a piece of rope that was stored in the back of the room somewhere, and threw it towards him, though it missed. "Come on! You didn't teach me about grappling-thingies just so you could die in front of me!"
'Izuku-kins' didn't hear her, too busy screaming with the dragon, cracks forming in his perfect and almighty barrier bit by bit, more and more until, finally, the barrier gave way, the dragon soaring high and high as shards fell and vanished.
All this effort, planning, time wasted because someone took the nobody gets hurt route and sacrificed themselves with a smile. He could see it, in a reflection. The look on his own face.
Despair.
