Welcome back, it's 1am and it's time to update this fic. Personally, I'm a little eh about some of this chapter but I'm a little too lazy to reread it at this point. I'm excited for future chapters though, also the manga is insane right now. Also, I'm a little sad because I think that MHA Vigilantes manga is ending.
Yuudai Kojiko P.O.V.
"We're moving to phase 2-to our workplace experience!" Gran Torino announces after sparring with Midoriya.
I perk up, I had been trying on U.A.'s gym uniform that Eraser Head had given to me. I'm glad the sleeves are short because I still want to carry one of the forearm crutches at all times, the left one specifically. I remember injuring it a super long time ago but I don't know why it's deciding to act up now. I'll need to turn in that costume design and get my leg checked out sooner than later.
"Which is to say, it's time for some villain-cleanup!" Gran Torino marches out the door with Midoriya and me on his tail.
"Whaaaa, so suddenly, sir?!" Midoriya asks as he follows.
I quickly grab the left forearm crutch and a hoodie from the table.
"It's like I said, kid, if you keep fighting just me then you'll stumble when it comes to dealing with other, totally different types! And the other kid needs experience in general. This is the phase where we foster in you the experience of all kinds of types and situations!" Gran Torino says while walking.
"You're totally right, of course, sir, but…" Midoriya follows shakily, "I'm afraid my heart's not ready yet, so all of a sudden…and Kojiko-kun doesn't even know how to fight yet!"
I smirk, "My dad was a hero, I learned a little bit about fighting, Midoriya-kun. You only need to worry about yourself."
I had learned a little self defense from my dad because he was over concerned about past and current enemies going after his family. He taught me how to actually analyze a situation when I was Quirkless. It was part of his 'Quirkless hero' plan.
"You've already got some experience battling villains, haven't ya?" Gran Torino asks Midoriya, "And this won't be reaching anyplace as big as that incident."
"Right, with the U.S.J. thing." I nod, "I heard Midoriya was the only student with any major injuries."
"We're going on a bit of an excursion," Gran Torino stops at the curb and calls a taxi, "Around here, the steady population drop's made the rate of crime low. The reason there are so many hero offices in the urban area is because that's where the crime rate is high. It's only where there's high population density that you get trouble rising. Like in Shibuya, small skirmishes seem to have become commonplace, everyday fixtures of life."
"We're going to Shibuya?" Midoriya asks as I squish him into the middle seat. "You're not saying we're going to such a fashionable neighborhood in our costumes, are you!?" Midoriya exclaims.
"They're clothes you couldn't wear unless accompanied by a hero, right? You oughta be happy you can show them off on the highest stage there is!" Gran Torino argues back.
My voice comes out as a whisper, "I'm not really in costume actually. And also isn't my existence at U.A. supposed to be a secret. Someone like me wearing the U.A.'s gym uniform and hanging out with heroes is going to be bad for my cover." I remember the issues that the school had with me going to the Sports Festival.
"You've got a jacket on, you'll be fine." Gran Torino waves away my worries.
"So are we taking the bullet train for Shinjuku from Koufu, then?" Midoriya asks.
"Yep."
I've never been to Shibuya before... I hum, I hadn't really been anywhere before because of my dad who refused to let me tag along when he went on work related trips. Midoriya stays silent, the train would be passing by Hosu, where Iida had gone. It was easy to tell that he was worried about his friend.
"Did you text Iida?" I ask quietly a while after we'd gotten on the train
"It says he read my messages but no reply yet." Midoriya says worriedly, "Normally he replies within three minutes of reading."
"Maybe he's busy with hero stuff?" I suggest.
"Please hold onto your seats, passengers, we are currently undergoing an emergency stop-" The announcement was cut short by something crashing through the side of the train.
Midoriya stood up as he saw the Nomu enter the train. I stand up with him, seeing the shock on his face.
"Sit down, you two!" Gran Torino shouts and blasts towards the Nomu, shooting it out of the train.
"Gran Torino!" Midoriya shouts and nearly follows him out of the moving train.
"What's happening?" I joined Midoriya at the opening.
"That's Hosu." Midoriya points at the burning city.
"Oh crap." I blurt out without meaning to.
"I'm going."
I grab his crutch and hold it up, "I've been running lately, I probably won't be as fast as you but I'm going even if you're carrying me on your back."
"Please calm down!" A staff member rushed in, "Return to your seats for now!"
"Excuse us! We're exiting!" Midoriya announces and starts to run.
"Huh!?" The man exclaims as he watches us run out.
"I should have stretched first!" I whine as my body aches as I suddenly start running.
Midoriya carries me on his back once we enter the city. I wanted to argue that my leg wasn't hurting at the moment but I knew better than to argue. Midoriya carrying me and running would be faster than Midoriya running ahead of me and me getting lost.
"That thing is a Nomu. Or it looks like one. There was another Nomu back at U.S.J. and it's power was insane." Midoriya says while running, "If this one is as strong as the one from then...then…"
"We're in a little trouble." I conclude.
Midoriya was silent, probably thinking about things like 'How should I act?' or 'What's the best move?'
"Do you know where Iida-kun might be?" I ask, knowing that's probably one of the things Midoriya was concerned with.
Before Midoriya had a chance to reply a voice echoed from down an alley, "Tenyaaaa!"
Midoriya stops running and turns towards the voice. A plaza of heroes and fire and Nomu were battling. More Nomu.
"Why the hell did you run off God knows where, now of all times?" The same voice spoke, a hero with a helmet with a fin on top.
A lady ran in front of us, "Yo, outta the way dammit! Stay back! Us heroes'll hold 'em back! Go follow the police's evacuation orders!"
Midoriya stumbles back as he stutters out an apology. I pat him on the shoulder and he lets me off his back.
"Iida-kun's not here." I whisper and lean on my crutch, saving all the stamina I can if I need to fight.
"The Hero Killer." Midoriya whispered after a moment then ran off.
I pick up my crutch and run after him, "What?"
"The Hero Killer!" Midoriya shouts running down an alley, "I might be overthinking it but those Nomu are from the League of Villains. The Hero Killer appeared here in Hosu when he attacked Iida-kun's brother. They might be connected somehow!"
"So Iida-kun is trying to get revenge? Is that why he picked Hosu?" I follow Midoriya through a maze of alleys.
Midoriya boosted up Full Cowling and ran ahead of me, I could only follow the green sparks he left behind. Then he suddenly rounded a corner with a fist. He must have found him... Once I saw the Hero Killer, I stopped and hid around the corner. I've never fought with my Quirk before...for now it feels like I'm better suited for long range attacks...but what if Midoriya needs a person next to him? My mind began to race, thinking of our options.
Midoriya flies forwards and punches the Hero Killer square in the face.
"Bingo!" Midoriya says proudly.
I see Iida on the ground and a second person leaned against the wall. I stay quiet and watch and think. If it's just two people then Midoriya could carry one and I could carry the other. But I'm not sure if I can carry an entire person. And we don't know if we can even get away. How fast is the Hero Killer? Fast, probably. What's the opponent's quirk? Why hadn't Iida or the other person run away yet?
"Can you move?" Midoriya asks as he guards Iida, "Let's head towards main street, the pros need our backup!"
"I can't move my body!" Iida groans and he tries to lift himself up, "Since I got slashed...it must be his quirk…"
A paralyzation quirk? Maybe it's only from the neck down...and activated by cutting the target?
Midoriya glances back at me and then at the second person. I shake my head, I wouldn't be able to carry either the second person or Iida without slowing them down with my current condition. We wouldn't be able to get away. Midoriya faces the Hero Killer again. He should be at least agile enough to outmaneuver the opponent...hopefully Midoriya-kun won't be too reckless...
"Midoriya, don't...don't get involved." Iida grunts out, "You have nothing to do with this!"
"What...are you saying…"
"A friend going 'I came to save you,' that's a nice line." The Hero Killer gets back on his feet, "However, I have a duty to kill these men. And if you butt in, then of course…"
I feel myself turn cold as he looks Midoriya directly in the eye.
"It is the weak that shall be culled," the Hero Killer makes Midoriya shake, "Now then, what will you do?"
I take a breath, this guy is intense. He's probably had loads of experience as a villain, killing people and getting away. I try to remember whatever lessons I learned from my dad. He said that he was able to fight because he was a villain before. He knew the opponent's possible moves and why they were acting. I don't have that experience and I don't know my opponent. I notice a white light as Midoriya texts someone behind his back. I can breathe easier, at least we'd have some sort of backup. We'll probably be buying time from now on. Quirk. I can use my Quirk. I could try to get all of his weapons off of him so he won't be able to cut anyone but that's going to require precision and a visual on the weapon. I can trust Midoriya-kun to take care of himself during battle, too, so I should be able to focus on protecting Iida, the hero, and myself.
"Stop! Run away! I told you, this has nothing to do with you!" Iida cries out.
Midoriya cliches his fists, "If you say something like that, then heroes wouldn't be able to do anything!" Midoriya stands taller, "I...I have so much I want to say, but...leave it for later! All Might told me butting one's nose in is one of the principal qualities of a hero!"
The Hero Killer smiles wider, almost laughing. Midoriya charges and the Hero Killer draws his katana. I look around the corner and focus on his main blade. I knew what Midoriya was doing, he'd been practicing it for the past two days. As he ducks under the blade and smashes the Hero Killer's head, I focus in on his katana and picture what I want.
I imagine the blade slipping out of the Hero Killer's hand and flying to the wall, the blade sinking into the wall. I snap my fingers and hope that this works.
"Fly out." I whisper.
The blade flings out of the Hero Killer's hand and does what I imagined. Perfect. The Hero Killer kneels over as Midoriya's punch lands the same time I launched his katana. Did his punch connect? The Hero Killer brings another knife to his mouth and licks it. Shit. Shit, I wasn't able to get his other knife...I'll need to work on two targets at once... Midoriya's body freezes and falls to the ground.
Blood. I realize and look at Midoriya who meets my eyes and quickly looks away. The Hero Killer's quicker than we anticipated. I won't stand a chance in a one on one fight, but I could distract and maybe disarm him.
"My katana flew. I almost didn't get you. It's not your power though, there's someone else..." The Hero Killer looks around then back to Midoriya, "Your power doesn't cut it. You didn't surpass my movements. From the way I read your moves, you'd planned to slip my line of sight...and bring me down with a surefire hit." The Hero Killer growls as I duck back around the corner, "Folks who are all talk are a dime a dozen, but...with you there's worth in keeping you alive…"
He's not killing Midoriya? He didn't see me? I kept my breathing steady, his rambling could give me his goals, why he was doing this.
"As for these two, not so much." The Hero Killer walks over to Iida and pulls out another knife.
I stick my head out and focus on the knife hanging above Iida's face.
"Break apart." I say a bit louder, in a rush to get the command out and no longer worried about being caught. I didn't have time to control what the reaction would be either so it was a random effect.
The blade cracks and shatters and I feel an itch at my throat. At the same time a fire sweeps towards the Hero Killer. I look to my left and see Todoroki who's half on fire. He notices me. I put a finger over my mouth and he blinks at me then walks towards the Hero Killer.
"One after another…" the Hero Killer complains, "There are a lot of people getting in my way today."
"Midoriya. You need to give more details for something like this." Todoroki holds up his phone, showing the message that Midoriya had sent, "You made me late."
"Todoroki-kun, you too?" Iida asks.
"Why are you here?" Midoriya lifts his head, "And you're using your left side…"
"Why? That's my line." Todoroki scoffs, "It took me a few seconds to figure out what you meant. All you did was mass-send your location pin to all your contacts." Todoroki stomps his right foot on the ground, "You're not really one to send that for no reason."
Ice covers the ground and slides towards the Hero Killer who jumps above it. He grabs his katana that was stuck in the wall at the same time. The ice scoops up the person, Iida, and Midoriya and Todoroki runs forwards. Ice...and fire...maybe I can do something with that...
"Don't worry. The pros will also get here in a few minutes." Todoroki launches more flames at the Hero Killer who uses the wall to dodge the attack.
The flames also melt the ice, creating a ramp for the three to slide down.
Todoroki-kun's really smart... I hurry out of my hiding spot and to Midoriya and the others. Iida-kun is bleeding a lot...the hero seems okay other than the paralyzation. Midoriya only has a small cut on his leg...
"This is just like the information about him implies." Todoroki says, "I won't let you kill these guys, Hero Killer."
The Hero Killer stands a little taller as he notices me and sees that Todoroki can probably actually fight him seriously.
"Todoroki-kun, you can't let this guy see your blood!" Midoriya shouts, "I think he controls his opponents' actions by ingesting their blood orally. That's how he got all of us!"
"He sucks blood to keep people from moving." Todoroki leans forwards, "That's why he uses blades, huh? I can keep my distance and-" Todoroki barely dodges and is still cut by a dagger that the Hero Killer throws within a second.
I grab it as it falls to the floor and the Hero Killer jumps towards Todoroki.
"You have good friends, Ingenium!"
My eyes shoot back to the knife that the Hero Killer is holding, "Break!"
Todoroki throws up an ice peak to block the attack but my command reaches the blade first, shattering it and maybe some of the Hero Killer's fingers on accident. I followed the Hero Killer's eyes up, the katana from earlier had been tossed into the air. A light flares up as Todoroki barely gets away by using his flames as defense.
I throw the dagger in the air as the Hero Killer snatches up his katana, slicing through more ice barriers that Todoroki throws up.
"Fly!" I imagine the small dagger getting stuck into the Hero Killer's stomach. It's harder to hit a moving target than I thought, the dagger misses my intended target but does hit the Hero Killer's arm. Maybe a little more visual will make it more accurate...it's hard to see in this alley. It was a little dark but the moonlight, far away fires, and Todoroki's flames made it easier to see.
I go back to the three paralyzed people and examine Iida's shoulder that is leaking blood. I shrug off my jacket and tie it around his shoulder, at least stopping the bleeding a little. He probably shouldn't move it, though.
"Why are you two…why? Please, stop!" Iida says, frustrated, "I've inherited my brother's name. I have to do it...that guy's mine!"
I frown and Todoroki continues to keep the Hero Killer at a distance.
"You inherited it? That's strange. The Ingenium I saw before didn't have that look on his face, though." Todoroki's breath crystallizes as he uses his ice, "You've got a lot going on behind the scenes in your family, too, huh?"
I snap my fingers and go to Midoriya who still can't move. I whisper a small comment, "Midoriya-kun, your friend seems very hell bent on revenge."
Midoriya struggles to get up, "Kojiko-kun, you should have stayed hidden."
I sit him up, "It's fine. I just need water at some point."
Midoriya groans and his fingers twitch. I grin, it has a time limit.
"Above!" Todoroki shouts.
Midoriya flies towards the Hero Killer and I snap once and run to Todoroki, who's arm now has two daggers embedded in it.
"Midoriya!" Tokoroki shouts as he drags the Hero Killer on the wall.
"I can move normally for some reason now!" Midoriya shouts.
I examine Todoroki's arm, Owch, that's got to hurt. Todoroki blinks at me. I wave him off, and point at the two blades in his arm. Todoroki pulls them out, which I think is foolish of him but it also gives me more projectiles to throw. I wipe them on my uniform and ready myself, aka more snaps.
"I have questions." Todoroki says then looks back to Midoriya, "I can wait. There's a time limit?"
"No, that kid should've been the last one he got," the hero says, "I can't move yet."
It's probably a few things. I watch as Midoriya gets sent to the ground and Todoroki sends another pass of ice. Midoriya joins us and coughs, he landed on his back and got the air knocked out of him. I give him a thumbs up and he responds the same.
"He takes in a person's blood to keep them from moving. Since I got free first…" Midoriya starts, "I can think of three possible reasons. It could be less effective with more people, the amount ingested could affect how long it works, or there could be a difference in effectiveness based on a person's blood type."
I look back at the Hero Killer, he'd put his katana away and I wouldn't be able to break it.
"Blood type? Mine is B…"
"I'm type A."
"Blood type?" The Hero Killer smiles, "That's correct."
We can't really do anything just by knowing his Quirk. I think and keep thinking about what my dad told me. There's a reason for this. He goes after heroes but only certain kinds? He also let us have enough time and said that we guessed his Quirk correctly. What's similar between Iida-kun and this hero? What's different between Iida-kun and Midoriya-kun?
"I wanted to hurry up and carry those two out of here, but he can react so fast, he can avoid ice and fire." Todoroki says, "I can't leave myself that open. I think our best option is to hold on by avoiding close combat until the pros get here."
I nod, snapping and talking to Midoriya, "I wrapped Iida-kun's shoulder but he's bleeding a lot and Todoroki's arm shouldn't be moved for now."
"Todoroki-kun's shed too much blood and Kojiko-kun isn't experienced in close combat. I'll distract him, so you two support me from behind!" Midoriya powers up Full Cowling.
"That's a pretty big risk." Todoroki notes.
I shrug and feel something in the back of my mind making my voice quiet, "I'm not going to be able to keep up with his speed and I don't have any weapons to throw. Oh! Idea!" I lean towards Todoroki, hoping I'm not invading his personal space, "Can you make icicles and is it possible to just get me water using your ice and flame?"
"Yeah." Todoroki replies in the same quiet voice as I spoke in.
"Just make those and I can fight." I smile and back off.
"This can work." Todoroki stops holding onto his injured arm, "The three of us will protect them."
"Three against one, huh?" The Hero Killer says, "It won't be easy."
Midoriya launches himself and bounces off the sides of the alley. Todoroki creates small icicles for me to launch and also sends bigger ice blocks toward the Hero Killer.
I snap my fingers and focus, "Pierce!"
I throw the icicles towards the Hero Killer, some missing some hitting. My accuracy goes up as I throw more but I can feel the exhaustion getting to me. Todoroki hands me a smaller cube of ice that I crunch on, it helps my throat a little. For some reason, the itch turned from an itch to a stinging pain.
"So who exactly are you?" Todoroki asks me as he hands me more icicles.
I put a finger to my lips and don't speak to him. I was focusing, when I was a kid my dad called it my battle mode. I said it was childish so he told me that it was also called codeswitching. I said that was also stupid and wrote it off at reacting to the situation at hand. While in fights, I care less about my actions. I do things that I would normally never, like charge forward without thinking and also sometimes I don't dodge punches. Basically, while in 'battle mode' the only path is forward. Dumb, right?
I start to throw the icicles to the path I think the Hero Killer would flee to, "Pierce!"
Out of the five icicles, three hit the Hero Killer, they're small and can only do chip damage but it makes him stumble. The ice melts as Todoroki uses his fire so there are at least eight bleeding holes in the Hero Killer. Also his busted fingers seem to have affected the way he handles his blades. Midoriya falls to the floor as his ankle gets hit. The Hero Killer's movements had somehow gotten swifter.
"Midoriya!" Todoroki shouts as he sends flames to block the Hero Killer.
"Please stop…" Iida says with tears in his eyes, "I'm...already…"
"If you want us to stop, then stand up!" Todoroki yells.
Midoriya is down again. If I get a clear enough view, I can get rid of his main blade but he'll still have a few knives left. Todoroki throws another ice wall in front of us and the Hero Killer slices through it. I see the blade clearly and I can imagine it.
"Shatter!" I shout and the blade shatters to pieces, some of the shards fly towards me and Todoroki that he can't block. We get a little scratched up but nothing too major. And the Hero Killer must have really liked that worn down blade because he glared at me in a way that made my legs give out.
Todoroki sends more ice and the Hero Killer switches to a smaller blade, dodging the ice instead of slicing right through it.
"From the right!" Midoriya warns as two small blades launch towards my side.
I don't have enough time to dodge completely but I block it with my right arm, which hurts like hell and they only slashed me. How can Todoroki-kun even manage to raise his arm? I pick up the two blades from off the floor and clean the blood off.
"Pierce!" I launch the blades back to the Hero Killer.
Only one hits as he dodges Todoroki's flames. Todoroki sends fire and ice walls after each other but the Hero Killer manages to dodge all of those.
He's relying on his Quirk too much! I grab onto Todoroki's sleeve and pull him towards me as the Hero Killer gets close with a knife. I hear an engine boost up and Iida comes in and kicks the blade out of the Hero Killer's hand. A second kick launches him to the other side of the alley.
"Iida-kun!" Midoriya says with relief.
"You got free?" Todoroki asks, "That Quirk isn't as great as I thought."
I grip my arm, the two cuts from the daggers are deeper than I thought.
"Todoroki-kun, Midoriya-kun, and stranger I don't know, this has nothing to do with you three, and I apologize." Iida hangs his head low.
"You're saying that again?" Midoriya asks, he's still on the floor.
Iida stands taller, "That's why I can't allow you three to bleed more than this!"
"It's no use trying to be reformed for appearance's sake." The Hero Killer lectures, "A person's essence does not change so easily. You will never be anything but a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires. You are a cancer to society that warps the idea of 'heroes.' Someone must set you straight."
"You're an anachronistic fundamentalist." Todoroki states, "Iida, don't listen to the logic of a murderer."
Actually, you should listen because we're fighting him. It's important to know what your opponent thinks and his goals. The fact that he's a murderer and thinks differently means we won't be able to predict what he's going to do because we're not murderers ourselves. I frown and wait for Iida's reply. But I do say that this is too much talking.
"No, he's right." Iida agrees, "I have no right to call myself a hero…but even so...I cannot give in. If I give in, then Ingenium will die."
I whistle, not bad, Iida-kun.
"Out of the question," the Hero Killer's eyes glow red.
Todoroki pushes back Iida and throws a flame barrier.
"Idiot!" the paralyzed hero shouts at us, "The Hero Killer is after me and that kid in the white armour, right? Don't fight back. It'd be better if you ran away!"
I snap my fingers, wanting to give a reason to the hero.
"Listen, hero, if we're here to save you then why would we run away?" I click my tongue in annoyance, "Besides we don't even have a chance in getting an opening to run."
"Something clearly changed right now." Todoroki says, "He's flustered."
I snap my fingers and pick up a bit of ice and throw it, "Pierce!"
The only thing he's good at is dodging. With this many opponents that must be difficult and his Quirk isn't battle oriented. In the back of his mind he's probably worried about backup coming but he won't leave until Iida and that hero are dead. I rub my eyes and focus, we'd just need to hold on a little longer.
"Todoroki-kun, can you regulate temperature?" Iida asks as Todoroki sends more flames.
"I'm not used to it with my left side yet. Why?"
"Freeze my legs!" Iida demands, "Without plugging up the exhausts!"
The Hero Killer throws two more daggers, one towards me and one to Todoroki. The one that goes to me hits me square in the shoulder. I don't pull it out but it hurts and my uniform turns from blue to a purple in that area. Iida gets stabbed in the arm by blocking the one towards Todoroki. I grumble, I wouldn't be able to throw anything with my left arm for now.
"Iida-kun! Kojiko-kun!" Midoriya stumbles and is able to move again.
"You stop too!" The Hero Killer throws a knife to Iida's arm, slamming him into the ground.
"Iida!" Todoroki exclaims.
"Just do it! Hurry!" Iida shouts.
I look to Midoriya and see him using the wall as support to stand. He can move...but not well. His foot, maybe?
"Pull out the knife!" Iida requests.
I blink at him, that would damage his arm even more. It's the reason I didn't pull out the one in my shoulder.
"Do it!" Iida shouts.
I take out the knife and the small dagger, wincing as blood leaks out of his arm. I throw the knife at the Hero Killer's path, "Pierce!" I manage to hit his foot and cause him to stumble. Iida powers up and boosts himself to the Hero Killer at the same time Midoriya uses Full Cowling. My right arm automatically clutches my shoulder, don't pull out the fucking blade, you idiot.
"Go!" I hear Todoroki cheer them on.
I watch as Midoriya draws back his arm after punching, did he break it? No, it doesn't look that bad. Iida shouts something and kicks him again and Todoroki sends more fire. Iida and Midoriya are caught by an ice slide from Todoroki instead of falling to the ground.
"Stand up! He's still…" Todoroki stops as he sees that the Hero Killer has stopped moving.
I help Midoriya to his feet, Midoriya keeps his eyes on the Hero Killer, "He's probably knocked out after all that...right?"
Todoroki relaxes, "Then, let's restrain him and get out to the street."
I snap my fingers and sigh. Todoroki hands me more ice cubes which I gladly eat, regardless if they're sanitary or not.
"Just in case, let's take all his weapons off him." Midoriya suggests.
I look back to Iida and throw him a thumbs up as a question.
Iida shakes his head, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."
I almost laugh, he's so stiff. I watch as Midoriya and Todoroki gather all the weapons in the alley and Todoroki removes the two stuck in his arm. Four small switchblades, one dagger, four knives and one katana.
"Native-san," Midoriya helps the hero up, "Can you move?"
Iida had found a rope in the garbage that we used to tie up the Hero Killer.
"Yeah, I'm okay now." Native replies, the effect of the Hero Killer's Quirk completely gone.
"U-um…" Midoriya hesitates as Native puts Midoriya on his back.
"You hurt your legs, right?" Native smiles, "Let me do this, at least."
"A-actually can you carry Kojiko-kun instead? He's probably in worse condition and I can just borrow his crutch." Midoriya stutters out.
I hear their conversation and walk over, the correct word would be stumble or hobble as my left leg was nearly giving out on me, "I'm fine, Midoriya-kun. My knee doesn't even hurt."
"I really think that you shouldn't be walking, Kojiko-kun…" Midoriya frowns, "And you won't be able to use your crutch because your arm is injured. I'll use your crutch, so, Native-san, please carry my friend instead."
Native laughs and sets down Midoriya, Todoroki hands him my crutch that I'd left around the corner and Native crouches for me to get on.
"I really don't need to be carried…" I shake my head and my knee buckles, landing me on top of Native's back and driving the knife a little deeper into my shoulder.
"Ah! I'll keep your shoulder above mine, I'm fine so please watch your wounds." Native stands up and puts his arms under my legs.
I feel that wave of exhaustion from using my Quirk and running sweep over me, "Thanks, Native-san."
"That's my line." Native says and walks me out the alley.
Midoriya has a little difficulty using the crutch but gets used to it. Iida asks to pull the Hero Killer but Todoroki does it instead because of Iida's arms. This isn't bad. We did pretty okay. I smile to myself and lean my head on Native's shoulder.
"Sorry." Native apologies, "Even though I'm a pro, I was just in the way."
"I was in the way too…" I say.
"No, Native-san," Midoriya argues in a tired voice, "I don't think you could've done anything one-on-one with the Hero Killer's Quirk. He's too strong."
"Fighting four-on-one with the guy making mistakes himself, we still barely won." Todoroki says, "He was probably flustered and forgot about Midoriya's recovery time. And the knife that Kojiko threw unbalanced him so he wasn't able to deal with Iida's last Reciproburst or Midoriya's movements."
"You learned my name?" I don't bother trying to look at Todoroki for a face to face conversation.
"Midoriya shouted it." Todoroki says simply.
"Now let's quickly get him to the police-" Native stops once we get to the street.
"Wha...why are you here?" I look up to see Gran Torino across the street.
"Gran Torino!" Midoriya shouts, "Gran Tori-"
He gets cut off with a foot to the face, "I thought I told you two to stay seated on the bullet train!"
"Who's that?" Todoroki asks.
"The hero I'm interning with, Gran Torino. But why?" Midoriya asks with such a soft voice.
Gran Torino seemed to be mad at us, I was surprised he didn't kick me either.
"I was told to come here all of a sudden." Gran Torino relaxes his angry posture, "Well, I don't really know what's going on, but I'm glad you two are okay."
"Gran Torino, I'm sorry…" Midoriya bows his head.
I smile, "We're not too injured."
"It's around here!" A female voice shouts and footsteps approach us.
"Huh?" Midoriya blinks as the group of heroes we saw earlier run to us.
"Endeavor told us there was a request for help here, but…"
"Children?" A masked hero looked at us closer.
"Those injuries look serious!" a hero with goggles says, "I'll call an ambulance right away!"
"H-hey, this is…"
The woman gasps, "Don't tell me...it's the Hero Killer?"
Yeah, we took him down. I smirk, glad that I was being carried now that blood loss was starting to make me dizzy.
"What?"
"Call the police, too!"
"Can you walk?" A hero asks Midoriya who's still using my crutch to support him.
"I'm using my friend's crutch so I can manage." Midoriya smiles.
"And you two?" The hero asks Todoroki and I.
"I only received minor injuries." Todoroki says.
I huff, Todoroki-kun you got stabbed, how's that minor?
"The ambulance will be here soon! Until then-" the masked hero says as Iida walks by him.
"You three…" Iida bows, "You were injured because of me. I am truly sorry." His eyes began to water, "I couldn't...see anything...through my anger…"
Midoriya frowns, "I'm sorry, too. Even though you were feeling so cornered, I didn't notice at all. Even though we're friends…"
Todoroki sees tears drip down Iida's face, "Pull yourself together. You're the class rep, right?"
Iida wipes his tears on his shoulder, "Yeah."
"Plus, now that it's happened we can make sure it won't happen again!" I add in cheerfully, "You can put me down now, Native-san."
"But…" Native starts.
I pat Native on the shoulder and give him a thumbs up and he sets my feet on the ground.
The sound of wings attracts the attention of Gran Torino, "Get down!"
Everyone looks towards the flying creature.
"A villain?"
It swoops down and snatches up Midoriya, leaving a trail of blood leaking from its eye.
"Midoriya-kun!" I blurt out and my eyes follow the Nomu.
It takes Midoriya.
Midoriya.
Why Midoriya-kun?
In that small instant when Midoriya left the ground and when I spoke next, I remembered a conversation I'd had with him. Sometime after we'd spoken about our experiences when Quirkless. I'd asked him if friends always confided in each other like this and if we were somehow telling each other too much. Midoriya only smiled, like he always does, and said it's fine to be dependent on someone. 'Humans are pack animals, everyone's got somewhere to be. Even Kacchan has his group now.' If humans grouped together, in classes or friend groups or teams, then I think that Midoriya's someone that everyone naturally gravitates towards. And currently, he's sailing through the sky, being kidnapped.
I can't focus at all. Not on anything but how it looks like he's struggling to free himself. My friend, kidnapped. Right in front of me. That's Midoriya, being flown away by some weird creature to no one knows where. I panicked, is want I want to say. There isn't any time to snap or to even think about my actions or what I'm saying. A single word flies out of my mouth in a panic and that panic also happened to make me slip up and activate my Quirk without snapping. A single word.
"No!"
The Nomu's wings stop. Midoriya's struggling stops. The heavy breathing of the people around me stops. The blood dripping down Iida's arm stops. No one moves. It's quiet. I'm not sure how wide of a radius is affected by my Quirk. It isn't the whole city because there are echoes of the fires and screams from other places in the city. I taste blood at the very back of my throat. No… I screw my eyes shut. I knew what the word 'no' had done in that instant. It stopped everything and everyone, no one was breathing, moving, or living. I was surrounded by dead people.
"Cancel No."
The Nomu falls to the ground, having lost all momentum. I hear the people around me gasping for breath and I can't seem to move. Midoriya-kun. I feel the wind of someone run past me and my eyes open as the smell of blood follows that wind. The Hero Killer. The Hero Killer had used another hidden knife and gotten loose. He leaps towards the falling Nomu and stabs it square in the brain. My brain can't keep up. I want to speak but I remember that calm and quiet of hearing nothing. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but the taste of blood sweeps over my words.
Take this far off snippet I'm planning for Chapter 12 about Yuudai's Quirk.
"What if my Quirk isn't a vocal Quirk? What if I just use words for my Quirk as like a-a-a-what's the word?"
"Medium?"
It might be a bit confusing considering what just happened, but I hope it'll make sense. If it doesn't...oh well, I'm still 100% going to put this snippet to use. See everyone on the 19th with chapter 10!