Of course he comes now.
Our forces have already been wrecked, and they have reinforcements on the way. This mission is over.
"Frame, we gotta go!" Takeshi warned.
We can't go anywhere until Shigaraki decides to give up. We can at least get out of the water, we are pretty much sitting ducks. But... I can't move. I can't take my eyes off of the entrance. The dust just won't clear, but I know it's him.
Everyone who is able, looks up in anticipation. I can feel an intimidating aura coming from within the smoke. There's no way any random hero could emanate such power with their presence alone.
Then, I see him. He emerges from the dust cloud. He's NOT smiling. He tears off his tie, it floats away in the breeze. I hear the students rejoice at the sight of him.
His presence alone is stunning. Yet, some of the downed central team manage to stand. They even seem to want to attack All Might.
He strikes them down quicker than they stood up.
I can't even tell how fast he is. I saw his movements, so maybe he isn't too fast for me to dodge.
All Might checks on the scruffy guy, Eraserhead. I wonder if he is dead. I didn't really see what Nomu did to him before coming to Shigaraki's rescue. All Might puts him over his shoulder and... faces... us.
I look into his eyes, I feel the intensity, my instinct kicks in. Everything feels slowed, so why is All Might still moving so fast! He's coming straight for us! His fist bumps Shigaraki and he grabs his students before retreating. On his way off he notices me, following his movements.
He glares at me.
An electric sensation courses through my body. My heart beat quickens. My body heats up. This fear feels palpable.
How are we supposed to defeat this guy?
Shigaraki's hand mask fell of of his face well after I noticed All Might hit him, at least in my perception. "No no no... no good." His voice trembles. "I'm sorry... father."
He covers his face while feeling around for his lost hand thing. He's mumbling things under his breath. I can kind of sympathize with him. The lost time I lost my mask, I had a panic attack. The bounty who saw my face... didn't live to tell anyone what he saw. That was my first kill, it was sloppy.
He manages to retrieve the hand and speaks up. "Violence for the sake of saving people... is still violence!"
"You're fast. Too fast to keep up with, but not as fast as expected." He places the hand back on his face. "Could it really be true? That you're getting weaker?"
"ALL MIGHT!" Midoriya yells. "That brain villain! One for-I mean, my attack wasn't strong enough to break my, but... he didn't even flinch! You don't-"
"-Young Midoriya!" The Symbol of Peace interrupts. "Worry not!"
"Carolina!" He crosses his arms into an x.
Shigaraki only said one word. "Nomu."
"Smash!"
I can feel the force of the attack from where I stand. Nomu... didn't even flinch. That attack would have sliced me like pizza! We might actually have a chance!
Nomu made an attempt to grab All Might, but was swiftly dodged. The hero countered with a mighty punch to Nomu's abdomen.
"No effect?" He said, confused.
"No effect." Shigaraki confirmed. "He's got shock absorption. You'd be better off slowly tearing him apart... Good luck with that." He teased.
"Thanks for the info. Appreciate it!" All Might swiftly maneuvered behind Nomu and locked his arms around him.
Don't tell me...
I thought he was going to squeeze him in half, but the hero instead lifts Nomu into a literally explosive suplex. I know what All Might is going for now, but There's no way they'll just win that easily. Right?
"Frame, t.. this is getting bad." Takeshi is usually naive enough to think everything will just naturally work out. Him being scared is probably the most ominous omen I've ever seen.
The dust finally settles... maybe we aren't screwed after all. Kurogiri opened a portal where bird brain should have landed and another for him to protrude and grab All Might from.
"Well done, Kurogiri. Perfect timing, really."
"Impressive, for first time offenders. Prepare yourselves!"
"I can't say I much like the idea of having blood and guts inside my gate, but... If they're yours, I'll happily oblige." The Warper says.
They really did have a good plan.
What have I gotten myself into? This isn't just some idiots trying to kill All Might for glory. This is a well prepared and thought out plan. Who is Nomu? How has someone with strength rivaling All Might's, gone undetected?
All Might releases the bird brain freak, but he's struggling to escape his grasp.
"Allll Miiiight!"Midoriya screams, running to save him.
This guy is an idiot!
Kurogiri opens a portal right in front of him. Someone is coming to his rescue though. A blonde guy with a large grenade themed gauntlet. He reaches Kurogiri before the idiot does and sets off an explosion on him.
"Get the hell outta here Deku!" He roars.
The hell is a Deku?
"What did he say?" Takeshi whispered.
Although I share his sentiments, I'm more worried about our now hostage escape point.
Crackle!
"So... I heard you people are here to kill All Might." Frosty returns, freezing parts of Nomu's body.
And our frozen ultimate weapon.
"Haaahh!" A red headed newcomer tries to sneak a hit on Shigaraki, which he easily dodges.
And the amount of ants popping up.
To top it all off, All Might escapes Nomu's grip. After scraping Grape boy's... Hair off my blade. Takeshi and I decide to leave the water, joining Shigaraki at his side.
"Scum like you could never kill the Symbol of Peace." Ice boy insults.
Come on Shigaraki, your the leader here.
"You've pinned down our way out..."
No shit.
"Well... this is a problem..."
NO SHIT!
"You slipped up bastard! It's just like I thought! You were hiding your real body!" Grenade shouts.
Kurogiri wanted to attack, but the blond threatened to blow him up.
"Today's kids sure are something." Shigaraki complements. "Our league of villains should be ashamed."
"Frame. Take out the explosive brat, Nomu needs time to... regenerate."
If All Might knocks me to the stratosphere, I'm haunting you Shigaraki.
I rush the guy, full speed and without hesitation. I can't risk underestimating him and losing our escape route for good. He's certainly unable to dodge my attack. I'm inches away from him and he hasn't even realized it.
Suddenly, a bolt of electricity moves between us. The bolt then branches out into small strips of lightning, eventually creating a humanoid body. The electricity then flashes white and reveals a girl when the light fades away.
Her hair is dark blue and styled into one waist length braid, visually similar to braided cables. She's wearing a black tube top and white gi pants. She has bulky stainless steel gauntlets and knee high black boots with blue laces. She also has a cloth cloak with a traditional artwork design of the thunder god Raijin.
She stops my blade with her gauntlets. "Sup."
She looks over my shoulder. "I've got this dude, All Might. Please focus on that... thing."
"Young Nakano, I-" All Might speaks... from behind me!
"-I'll keep him out of your way! I feel like I need to do this, teach!"
All Might hesitates before he accepting his request. "Fight with caution, young Nakano."
All Might thankfully backed off, leaving her to fight me alone. I guess he must have moved the explosive guy when she blocked my attack.
She reverts back to that electrical state and bolts behind me. I follow the bolt with my eyes all the way through. "Behind yo-" she stops, noticing me already looking at her.
She hesitates, clearly surprised. Then throws a punch at my back.
I started moving out of her reach while she was hesitating. Now I'm too far away for the attack to connect.
She tries to punch the back of my head, but I lean to side.
She kicks at my ankle. I dodge with a step forward.
"All right then, tough guy. How bout I pick up the pace!"
Electricity arcs off of her body and blue light flashes within her brown eyes. This time she throws a barrage of punches, all laced with lighting. I bob and weave around them all with little difficulty, my back still facing her.
I see a mixture of frustration and confusion on her face. She jumps up and lunges her feet forward. A drop kick, but better. Her kick caused a thunderous shockwave and sent an arc of lightning my way. The arc phased through an afterimage of myself.
"To think there would be someone fast enough to dodge lightning." She says in awe.
Her lightning isn't anywhere near as fast as real lightning, actually. I'm not sure how that's possible, but... quirks I guess. I'd never be able to dodge a natural lightning bolt.
"I've been feeling your presence for awhile now. At least, that's what I think it is. There is this feeling that's pervading my entire being. It's coming from you."
I don't know what she's talking about, but if it keeps me away from All Might...
She lifts her right leg up. All the way up. Over her head. Then slams it down, axe kicking the ground. Thunder booms as her foot crashes into the ground. Lightning strikes in the form of electrical arcs traveling along the ground.
I jump up high and somersault, simultaneously unsheathing my blades. She prepares to dodge.
Oh no you don't!
Transparent images of me, frames, fly out of my body. They display my future movements frame by frame. There is something special I can do with them.
Clang!
I can teleport to any frame in an instant. This is a part of the technique I use to increase my speed. The people who have had time to observe my quirk have named it Frame skip.
Somehow, despite the technique's speed, she still manages to block my blades.
"W... What the hell!?" She sputters.
She seems to be confused as to how she blocked the attack. Along with the fact that I went from being 10ft in the air to nearly stabbing her in an instant.
"Yeah. There is definitely something about you. If you are who I think you might be..."
An explosion of sparks burst out of our point of contact, blasting me back.
"That was supposed to shock you unconscious." Her eyes dart to my hands. "Those for me?"
My gloves protected me from getting tased. It was dumb luck, really.
She snaps her fingers, sending a small bolt of electricity at me. I once again lean to the side to dodge it, but at some point she disappeared!
From the corner of my eye, I see the blue of her shoelaces. Her foot phased through a frame that revealed me crouching under her kick when it faded away. From my crouching position, I plunge the handle of my sword into her gut.
"Hrrk!" She holds her stomach and takes a few steps back.
Her heel bumps into the bottom step of the USJ stairs. She looks up the stairs, at some of her classmates.
They are looking at us, worried.
"I'm amongst the top 3 of my class my, y'know. It'll be scary for them if you beat me right in front of the only way to get to them."
"You've already shown that you're capable of taking down Bakugou, so it's up to me or Todoroki to take you out." She stops nursing her now bruised abdomen and stands up straight. "It's going to be me!"
She bolts up to the very top of the stairs and just stands there, electricity violently arcing off her body. Her eyes glow blue, narrow with determination. She places a foot on the edge of the top stair.
"Hey!" She shouts. "Is there any chance that... your name is Hanamura?"
...
...What the fuck!?
"RAIJIIIIN RAIIILGUN!"
I hear the sound of thunder once again. Somehow, she went from the top of the stairs to a few feet away from me. Her entire body is enveloped in electric energy. Her fist is coming straight for my chest.
Ms. Hana? ..I...I...I'm too confused. How does she- What do I do?
Hurricane force winds suddenly explode from the center of USJ. The raging winds are so strong that they halt her attack, and push her back up some of the stairs.
All Might and Nomu are going blow for blow at unimaginable speeds! Each punch causing shockwave after shockwave. Each step shakes the ground beneath our feet. The entirety of USJ is giving away at the force of their power.
I see Takeshi standing his ground, holding Shigaraki's wrist to keep him in place. Their fight rages on pushing everyone further and further away. Each attack is so strong the shockwave is visibly exploding from the epicenter of the battle.
They are so evenly matched, it could go either way. If All Might wins, we might not be able to escape. If Nomu wins, society could experience a paradigm shift.
When have I ever thought about society? Kick his ass, Nomu!
"Tell me, villain. Do you know the meaning of..." he pulls his fist back. "Plus Ultra?!" His fist shoots into Nomu's gut, causing the strongest shockwave yet. The bird brained monster was sent literally flying away. My confidence followed.
There is no way we can kill someone like him. All I have going for me is speed, and I can't even tell if I am fast enough to dodge his attacks. I've never actually been hit before now that I think about it, I don't want my first hit to be from the strongest man alive. I doubt I can even take a normal hit.
Come on, Shigaraki! We've gotta go!
"Hey." The girl, Nakano, calls out to me. "Me and my girl, Momo. We'll figure you out. If you're who I think you are, I need to know the truth."
Why would she call me Hanamura? She's wrong, but that's close to home.
She's just sitting on the stairs staring... at the top of my head. I guess she's done fighting? I decide to ignore her in favor of regrouping with Takeshi and Shigaraki.
"Frame, You're-" Takeshi started.
"Y...You cheated!" Shigaraki scratches his neck in frustration.
Cheated?
"He doesn't seem weaker at all! Was I lied to?" He began scratching profusely.
"If you think you can take me... THEN BRING IT ON!" I can feel All Might's aura striking fear into my heart. He's so much stronger than I could have ever imagined. I can't even blame Shigaraki anymore, there's no way he could have known. This power is something someone would have to see to believe.
"Well? What's keeping you?" He asks
Kurogiri explains that we have a chance to defeat him since the group of students are keeping back and All Might apparently being worn out. I am not buying it. Even if we could defeat him, the other heroes will show up before we could pull it off.
"We need to retreat!" My best friend warns.
They don't listen. Shigaraki and the warper charge forward. Surprisingly Midoriya springs into action.
"Get away from All Might!" Green attacked.
Kurogiri and Shigaraki were ready though. They plan on light working guy and continuing the charge. Shigaraki put his hand through the mist and it appeared on the other side of Kurogiri, right in green hair's course.
Pop!pop!pop!pop!pop!pop!
Something stung my right arm at the same time those sounds reverberated throughout USJ. It took me a second to realize that the sounds were gunshots. Another to realize what the sting was. Along with a final second to realize Takeshi used his quirk to protect us.
My body feels hard and heavy. Takeshi has his hand on my shoulder and seems just as tense as I am. He hardened our bodies to take the bullets.
"Godlike save, right?" He smiles releasing his quirk.
I give him a nod. He may be annoying, but he's extremely reliable at the best of times. To bad Shigaraki didn't listen to him. That bullet hole in his hand looks awful. I frame skip Takeshi and I to Kurogiri.
"Come." He says, opening portal behind him.
We walk into it. Purple and fill my vision. The colors eventually coalesce into a... bar? Hardwood floors, brick walls, marble countertops, and shelves stocked with all sorts of alcoholic beverages.
"How about that! This is quite the development." Takeshi and I frantically look around to find the source of the unfamiliar voice.
"Frame, your hood!" Takeshi calls out.
I frantically pull my hood over my head, making sure to hide all of my hair. Letting any of my traits get exposed would bring me one step closer to being identified. I don't know who spoke, but hopefully they can't see us. Just like how we can't see them.
Kurogiri's portal... excreted Shigaraki in a disturbing fashion. "Owww." He whines.
Ewww!
He's been shot in his arms and legs, so he understandably lays on the ground while explaining the details of the attack. I guess he's talking to the disembodied voice that spoke a moment ago. It wasn't until he claimed that his master is wrong about the symbol of peace's health, that the voice responds.
"No, I wasn't." The voice says from a monitor at the end of the bar counter. "We merely underestimated him. Good thing the league was just a throwaway."
A throwaway, eh? I was a part of a throwaway squad? That pisses me off to no end. That broker is going to get what's coming to him.
"Although, I see some of them were strong enough to make it back." The voice states. "A bounty hunter and the previous underground fight club champion... Interesting."
He then inquired about Nomu, referring to him as a creation. One specifically made to counter All Might. If they can make creatures that strong, why didn't they just try to make an army of them? That would have been a guaranteed victory.
Kurogiri explains that he had no time to recover Nomu, as he was blown away.
"There was one... one kid who performed one of All Might's attacks. It looked just like the real deal." Shigaraki said through his teeth. "He prevented us from killing him too."
The voice seemed interested, but quickly stayed on the subject. He reassured him that everything would still be fine. He also revealed what the whole point of this mission was. To be able to "move freely" as villains, and for Shigaraki to become a symbol of terror.
To me, that sounds like wanting a huge target on your back. What would you even do if you succeed in that?
The voice then tells Shigaraki to recover and try again with all he has learned, before dismissing them. Kurogiri sends Shigaraki somewhere and his mist stops obscuring his body. He walks behind the bar and starts preparing drinks. Someone opens the entrance door.
Don't tell me he's just going to casually start running this bar!
"Frame, Heavy." A man with gray hair, pink eyes, and a gap in his teeth was at the door. "I am Giran, the broker you've been talking to."
...
I wasn't expecting that. In fact, I figured we would have had to find the guy ourselves. What kind of broker shows himself? If I want, I could just capture him for all the info I want.
He has got some nerve coming straight to us after trying to get us killed.
"Can you prove that?" Takeshi asks.
"Who else would know you'd be here?"
"Ah, good point."
"He's our recruiter, you joining our mission was a test." The warper explains. "He needed to see if you were the worth the work you're asking for."
"Seeing as you are the only two to make it back, you are definitely worth striking a deal with."
"We already have a deal!" Takeshi says, clearly annoyed.
"I only deal face to face, I told you that. You can consider this the real deal." The broker retorts.
"Nah. You see, we already risked our livelihoods." He raises a clenched fist, I reach for my sword, and Kurogiri stops cleaning a glass.
There is an intense pause, everyone's eyes shift between each other. Kurogiri begins to slowly lower his glass. He will probably attack once it's down so he doesn't break it.
It's inches away from the counter...
Centimeters away...
Millimeters...
It's-
"I gave the cops an anonymous tip on a future robbery." Giran suddenly states. "Imagine my surprise when I hear about the police catching two people intercepting the robber's score."
No.
"I think their names-"
"-We get it." Takeshi interrupts.
"Get what?" He smiles.
Gap tooth bastard.
"It was just a hunch, I thought I was dead wrong!" He laughs. "TheFrame and Heavy, 17 and 20 year old orphans! From an amazing and well maintained orphanage. Who would have guessed!"
"That is quite young for the reputation you have amassed." Kurogiri adds. "Is it true that you fought the Yakuza?"
I wouldn't say fought, more like survived.
"Yeah, they messed with a drug deal and apparently had to fight off the sister of Overhaul for awhile." The Broker states.
"OI, THIS ISN'T SOME GAME FOR US!" Takeshi shouts. "The info we're asking you for, it means the world to Frame. It means a lot to me too, as his best friend. So if you aren't going to hold up your end of the deal we'll be on our way!"
"The woman you're looking for, I'm guessing she's his mother?"
Takeshi nods.
"Well then, as I said, I only deal face to face." Giran reiterates. "So... let's sit down, grab a drink, and discuss a real deal."
Takeshi and I look at each other. He is silently asking for my approval. I've been trying to find a broker for years. They are the only people who can find out what I need to know. I've come way to far to restart from scratch.
I nod.
"No, never mind. I'm not letting you drink." His stupid joke earns him an elbow to the ribs.
"Ah! Alright man!" He snickers. "Giran, let's be serious this time."