"Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you." Aizawa said.
"Sir, what kind of training is this?" Sero asked.
Aizawa held out a card. "Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that."
Everyone started talking at once. I managed a smile. Rescue, I could do that. There was no fighting involved which meant I didn't have to have a quirk.
"Guys, I'm not finished yet." Aizawa cut in. "What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes. But keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet and they might limit your abilities. This special training is at an off-campus facility so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all, start getting ready."
Aizawa walked away. Everyone got up and grabbed their hero costumes. Then we all left to change. I put on everything but my mask. After everyone was changed we all headed outside. Iida blew a whistle.
"Gather around, Class 1-A. Using your student numbers form two neat lines so that we can load the bus efficiently." He blew the whistle again.
Everyone loaded the bus. I chose to sit next to Katsuki even though it probably wasn't according to Iida's plan. Once everyone was onboard the bus started driving away.
"The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy." Iida groaned.
"Iida, you really need to chill." Mina sighed.
"If we're pointing out the obvious, then there's something I want to say." Tsu looked over at Izuku. "About you actually,"
"About me? What is it Asui?" Izuku looked nervous.
"I told you to call me Tsu."
"Oh yeah right." Izuku looked down.
"That power of yours, isn't it a lot like All Might's?"
"What really? You think so huh? I never really thought about that, I guess it's kind of similar." Izuku started rambling.
I looked over at Katsuki. "What do you think? He said he borrowed it."
Katsuki grunted and looked out the window. "It's possible. But have you ever heard of someone borrowing a quirk?"
"Um, that's what I do." I poked his side.
"Yeah, but you can't have it permanently."
"True, it sounds like he has it permanently." I mused.
I turned back into the conversation when I heard Katsuki's name. Katsuki looked over, Kirishima smiled at him. Katsuki grunted and turned away.
"Sure but Bakugou's always angry, so he'll never be that popular," Tsu said.
"What did you say? I kick your ass!" Katsuki stood up.
"You see?" She pointed at him.
"You know we basically just met you so it's kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage." Kaminari shrugged.
"You're going to regret the day you applied to this school you loser. I'll kill you." Katsuki yelled.
"Enough, as a class, we should encourage each other." Iida cut him off.
"I'm gonna encourage this dumbass to explode." Katsuki snarled.
"What did you say? Crazy dude." Kaminari laughed.
"Shut up sparky!"
I absentmindedly grabbed the back of Katsuki's shirt, holding him back.
"Alright, alright, You both should apologize." Iida held his hand up.
"Sure, if he goes first," Kaminari smirked.
"Like hell, I will," Katsuki growled.
"Hey, hey we're here. Stop messing around." Aizawa called.
"Yes sir," we all said.
Katsuki sat back in his seat with a huff. I looked out the window, wondering how exactly this day would play out. The bus stopped and we all unloaded.
"Hello everyone, I've been waiting for you." 13 was standing in front of the rescue center.
I winced. I didn't want her to get hurt too. I glanced around for All Might. He wasn't here at the moment. Maybe he was inside.
"I can't wait to show you what's inside." 13 gestured for us to come inside.
We all followed her inside. I looked around, it did look really cool too bad it was about to be dust. There was a shipwreck, a landslide, a damaged city, a mountain, and two domed buildings. I shuttered, ears flattening, I really hoped I didn't have to go to the shipwreck. I hated water.
"I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it, the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, but you can call it USJ." 13 did a little pose.
I wanted to laugh but I couldn't bring myself to.
"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already?" Aizawa walked over to 13. "Let me guess, he booked an interview instead."
"Actually it's something else," 13 lowered her voice.
I perked up, ears pointed forwards. This could be good. Something Tomura didn't know.
"Apparently he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power. He's resting in the teacher's lounge."
I cocked my head. What did that mean? Used up all his power? Was he getting weaker? Tomura would love that. I went to grab my phone to text him but I realized Aizawa made us leave them behind.
"That man is the height of irresponsibility." Aizawa sighed. "The clocks ticking, we should get started."
"Excellent, before we begin let me just say one thing. Well, two things, possibly three, four, or five." 13 trailed off. "Listen carefully, I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful quirk. It's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."
"Yeah, you've used black hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" Izuku jumped in.
"That's true, but my quirk could also very easily be used to kill." 13 said somberly. "Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all quirks are certified and regulated. So we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone. Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your quirks potential and because of All Might's combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today you're going to learn how to use your quirks to save people's lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others. That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening."
Everyone started cheering and clapping. I looked down, after that speech I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to go through with this.
"Right, now that that's over." Aizawa started.
I looked up as the lights shut off. The fountain in the middle started sputtering and a purple hole appeared in front of it. He was coming. Aizawa turned around.
"Stay together and don't move. 13 protect the students."
"What is that thing?" Kirishima stepped back.
Tomura stepped out of the gate along with several other hired thugs.
"Wait has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people." Kirishima said.
"Stay back!" Aizawa put on his goggles. "This is real. Those are villains."
A large black creature stepped out beside Tomura. I realized that must be what they were using to kill All Might. Tomura had never filled me in fully. He said he didn't trust me. Which was fair, I didn't even trust myself at this moment. I glanced around. Who's quirk should I use?
"The only real heroes I see are 13 and Eraserhead. Perplexing. According to the schedule we retrieved from UA All Might should be here as well." Kurogiri started to take shape.
"So you scumbags used the press as a cover-up and sneaked onto campus." Aizawa activated his quirk.
"Real villains? No way, how could so many of them get into a UA facility this secure?" Kirishima asked.
"Yeah, 13 why aren't the alarms going off?" Yaoyorozu stepped forwards.
"Good question." 13 mused. "I'm not sure."
"Is the entire campus under attack? Or is this their only target?" Todoroki questioned. "Either way if the alarms sensors aren't being triggered then one of these villains must have a quirk that's masking their presence here. They carefully chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when a class was being taught. They're fools for trespassing here…but they've thought this out. Whatever their plan they must have a concrete objective in mind. What is it?"
"They want All Might." I murmured then winced as all eyes turned towards me. "At least that's what they said."
"Kaminari, try using your quirk to contact the school," Aizawa called.
"What are you going to do? You can't fight them on your own!" Izuku exclaimed. "There's too many of them. Even if you can nullify their quirks, your fighting style's not suited for this. Your power works best in stealth and one on one fights. That's not going to help with a group."
"You can't be a pro if you only have one trick," Aizawa said. "I'll leave it to you 13."
He jumped down the stairs and ran at the enemy.
"No!" I pushed to the front of the group.
I watched as Aizawa erased the first three people's quirks and knock them out. A man with a mutation quirk ran at him. I sucked in a breath, his quirk didn't work on mutation quirks. Aizawa dodged and punched the villain in the face.
"Come on, this way." 13 called.
Everyone started making their way to the entrance. I stayed put. If Aizawa got hurt it would be my fault.
"Whoa, he's holding them off." Izuku broke me out of my thoughts. "I guess I shouldn't of underestimated him."
"This is no time to be analyzing. We have to go." Iida called.
Izuku turned and ran towards the rest of the class. I hesitated, watching Aizawa before looking over at Tomura. I couldn't make out his facial expression but I knew he wasn't too happy about Aizawa taking out all his thugs.
"Chino!" Iida yelled.
I turned and started to run back to the class but stopped as Kurogiri appeared in front of them. Carefully I inched forwards and touched Todoroki's shoulder.
"There is no escape for you." Kurogiri took up the entire pathway. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it's impolite but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might, the symbol of peace, to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today and yet I see no sign of him. There must have been some sort of change in plans we could not have foreseen. Ah well, in the end, I suppose it doesn't matter, I still have a role to play."
I watched as Katsuki and Kirishima launched themselves at Kurogiri. A large explosion threw me back. When I opened my eyes I couldn't see anything because of the smoke.
"Did you think we were just going to stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?" I heard Kirishima yell.
"You live up to your school's reputation but you should be more careful children, otherwise someone might get hurt." Kurogiri's voice seemed to echo around the building.
"You two… get out of the way right now!" 13 yelled.
"I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades and your death!" Purple-black shadows surrounded everyone.
I froze, this wasn't part of the plan. I wasn't supposed to be sucked into this. I closed my eyes as I felt myself being transported. I didn't realize I was falling until I hit the water. I panicked and gasped, taking in water instead of air. I quickly swam to the surface. I broke the surface gasping and coughing up water. I looked around, I was only a few yards from the ship. I swam over to the side and created ice steps up to the deck. I pushed myself over and laid there, shivering.
"Koneko?"
I opened my eyes, Izuku and Tsu stood above me.
"Izuku?" I sat up. "What's happening?"
"The villain teleported us," Izuku said.
"Yeah, I got that." I ran my hand down my tail, squeezing the water out. "But what's happening now?"
"Oh well the villains have our schedule and they're trying to kill All Might," Izuku replied.
"Yep, got that too." I wrung my hair out. "What's our situation now?"
"We don't know," Tsu said. "We've seen one villain so far—"
She stopped and looked over the side. I stood up and looked over the rail. Eight villains were coming towards us and I was sure there were more on the other side.
"If they can beat him,"
We turned to look at Izuku.
"Then we have to stop whatever these bad guys are planning. We have to work together and keep All Might safe. No one at UA knows what's happening. This is up to us, let's be heroes." Izuku looked determined.
I swallowed. Could I do that? Could I betray Tomura? I might have to in order to maintain my identity.
"Think about it, those villains down there clearly have an advantage in the water and assume that's where we'll fight." Izuku mused.
"If that's the case, they must have known what was inside the USJ before they warped in," Tsu said.
"Yeah," Izuku agreed. "But for a group with such careful planning, there's one thing that sticks out to me, something that just doesn't add up. They sent you here Asui, er," Izuku got super flustered. "Um whoops, I meant Tsu. Yeah, they warped you to the shipwreck zone."
"That kinda fell apart on you, didn't it?" Tsu commented.
"A little bit," Izuku sighed. "Anyway, this means the villains probably have no idea what our quirks are."
"You've got a point." Tsu croaked. "If they knew I was a frog, they would have sent me into that fire zone over there instead of somewhere full of water."
I shivered, tucking my tail between my legs. Tomura would find some way to punish me because of that. But they also sent me here, which means it was probably just random.
"They probably separated us because they didn't know what we could do and planned to overpower us once we were in smaller groups. Easier to pick us off one by one. We can use that to our advantage. They don't know what our quirks are, so for all they know the three of us could be super powerful. Look none of them are trying to climb into the boat, that proves they're a little unsure." Izuku nodded to the group. "But that means they're not going to underestimate us either. They're being smart and playing safe, for now."
"So let's talk quirks," Tsu squatted on the deck. "I'll go first if you want. Obviously I can jump high and cling to pretty much any wall and of course, there's my tongue, I can stick it out about 20 meters. Oh yeah, and I can spit out my stomach so I can clean it but that's not really useful. Finally, I also secrete a toxic mucus. It just stings a bit. We can probably only use my jumping and my tongue here, forget about the last things."
I made a mental note of everything she said so I could write it down later. As I shivered again I subconsciously started warming my left side up with Todoroki's quirk.
"I figured you were powerful but that's amazing." Izuku raised his fist. "I have my super strength but it comes at a price. Once I use it I'm pretty much out of commission. It's a double-edged sword until I can control it." Izuku looked at me. "What about you Koneko? You've been quiet. Did you manage to copy a quirk?"
I managed a nod. "Yeah, Todoroki's but I'm not sure how to use it." I raised my right hand and concentrated on ice. Several crystals appeared on my arm. I raised my left hand and small flames licked my fingers. I was about to say something else the entire boat rocked to port. A giant crack appeared in the middle of the boat.
"I'm starting to get bored!" One of the villains yelled. "Let's get this show on the road."
I grabbed the side of the boat. I did not want to get back in the water. The ship slowly started to sink.
"Listen up,"
I looked over at Izuku. He was standing up, watching the water.
"An enemy that's certain of their victory is bound to make a mistake. All Might said something along those lines in a tv interview awhile back. Now's our chance, we can beat them."
"How?" I asked, ears flattening. "I'm not getting back in that water."
Izuku quickly explained the plan.
"How about I go on top of the water?" I suggested. "I could freeze them. And that way Tsu doesn't have to carry both of us."
"That could work, but can you control the ice?" Izuku tapped his chin.
"I think so. Then I could melt the bridge so that no one could follow."
"Okay, then that's what we'll do." Izuku stood up and put his foot on the railing. He screamed and jumped up. "Now die."
I stifled a laugh, he was acting like Katsuki. Izuku aimed his finger at the middle of the group.
"You ready, Koneko?" Tsu asked.
"Yeah," my tail twitched slightly.
"Take this! Delaware Smash!" Izuku yelled and launched his attack.
The water churned and frothed. It created a whirlpool and started sucking the villains in.
"Tsu, Koneko, now!" Izuku called.
Tsu jumped off the boat and grabbed Izuku with her tongue. I watched as the villains were all sucked in. I jumped off the boat and created an ice slide to the water. I created an ice pathway and ran for shore, melting the path behind me. Before I ran across I froze the villains together. I winced, Tomura was definitely going to kill me. I met up with Izuku and Tsu when they landed in the water. Izuku was muttering again.
"I can't believe we managed to get all of them at once. It took everything I had to keep my composer. It was such a gamble, what if they had reserves underwater that we didn't know about? They could have shot—"
"You're creeping me out." Tsu cut in. "Stop it. Please."
Izuku stopped and looked at her.
"Instead of second-guessing what we did, shouldn't we think about our next move?" She asked.
"Yeah, you're totally right." Izuku winced.
"Are you okay?" Tsu asked concerned.
I reached out and touched his hand. "Let me ice it." I covered his fingers in a thin coat of ice.
"Thanks, I'm fine." He covered his hand with his elbow pad. "We should make getting help our top priority. If we follow the shore to the exit we can avoid the central plaza entirely."
"Good idea." Tsu agreed. "That way we don't run into the villains Mr. Aizawa's facing off with there."
Izuku suddenly spoke up. "If he doesn't get some backup then he's just going overexert himself, he'll end up defeated by those villains cause he was trying to keep us safe."
My hands started shaking. It's my fault. If he got hurt it would be my fault.
"Wait, Midoriya." Tsu croaked.
"I'm not saying that we should jump into the middle of the battle. But…" Izuku looked over at the battlefield. "Maybe we can find a way to take a few of those guys out and lighten his load."
"Izuku…" I managed. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"We won't fight, we'll just survey." He replied. "We'll get out of there the second it seems dangerous."
"Fine." I tucked my tail between my legs.
We made our way along the shoreline, keeping just out of sight. When we got the battlefield we slowly peeked out. We watched as Aizawa took out several more villains. He was tired, I could hear him breathing hard. Tomura ran at him.
"Final Boss." Aizawa shot his scarf out but Tomura just grabbed it.
Tomura reached for Aizawa but Aizawa elbowed him in the stomach. The others sighed in relief but I saw otherwise. Tomura had grabbed Aizawa's elbow.
"It was hard to see when you were jumping around but I found your tell. It's your hair. When it drops it means you've stopped using your quirk."
Aizawa's elbow started to disintegrate.
"You're having to blink more often. Don't push yourself too hard now, you might just fall apart. Wouldn't that be a shame?"
Aizawa activated his quirk again and shoved Tomura away. He jumped back but another villain lunged at him. Soon he was surrounded.
"That annoying quirk of yours isn't suited for drawn out fights against big groups, is it?" Tomura pushed himself back up. "Don't you think you're a little out of your element here Eraserhead? You're much better at working stealthily. You're known for surprise attacks not fighting head to head. But despite knowing that, you didn't hesitate to jump into the middle of this fight. To put your students at ease."
Aizawa captured another villain and used him as a shield against one other. He punched the villain in the face and kicked another. He was exhausted.
"And look at you you're still standing. You really are so cool. I guess the little kitten was right." Tomura said. "Oh, by the way, hero, I am not the final boss."
The large black creature suddenly appeared behind Aizawa. It reached out and grabbed Aizawa, crushing his goggles and most likely cracking his skull. It smashed his head into the ground over and over again.
"No, Mr. Aizawa," Izuku whispered.
"No, no, no." I started shaking.
"What do you think of him Eraserhead?" Tomura asked. "He's the bioengineered anti-symbol of peace. But you can call him Nomu."
Nomu let out a scream. I covered my mouth with my hands. Could this thing take out All Might? Nomu squeezed Aizawa's arm, breaking it. Aizawa let out a pained scream.
"You can erase people's powers, that's irritating but it's nothing impressive. When faced with true devastating power you might as well be a quirkless child." Tomura laughed.
Aizawa activated his power but Nomu slammed its hand down on Aizawa's arm. Aizawa screamed. Nomu grabbed Aizawa's head and slammed his head into the ground. We all sat there, frozen. Kurogiri appeared by Tomura's side.
"Tomura Shigaraki,"
"Kurogiri, did you manage to kill 13?" Tomura looked over at Kurogiri.
"The rescue hero is out of commission. But there were students I was unable to disperse and one of them got outside of the facility." Kurogiri replied.
"Iida got out," I whispered.
Tomura started scratching his neck. "Kurogiri, you fool. If you weren't our warp gate I'd tear apart every last Adom in your body." He suddenly stopped. "There's no way we can win if dozens of pros show up to stop us. It's game over. Back to the title screen. And I was looking forward to finishing this today. Damn it, let's go home."
"They said they were going home," Tsu whispered. "I have a real bad feeling about this Midoriya."
Izuku nodded. "It seems weird that they'd retreat at this point even if help is on the way."
"Oh, before we leave. Let's make sure the symbol of peace is broken." Tomura turned towards us.
I stifled a gasp, he knew we were here the entire time.
"Let's reck his pride." Tomura suddenly appeared in front of Tsu."Let's make this hurt."
I gritted my teeth and reached for Tomura ready to freeze him or turn him to ash. He would not hurt one of my friends. He stopped inches in front of Tsu's face.
"You really are so cool. Eraserhead."
I glanced at Aizawa, he had his quirk activated. Nomu slammed his face into the concrete again. Izuku jumped up.
"You let her go!" He yelled. "Now, smash!"
The force of Izuku's punch pushed everyone away and broke all the lights. I couldn't see anything from all the dust but when it cleared I could see that Nomu had blocked the punch. It seemed completely unharmed.
"You're pretty powerful. This smash of yours, are you one of All Might's disciples? Doesn't matter. I'm done with you now."
Nomu reached down and grabbed Izuku's arm, with his other hand he reached out to crush Izuku's skull. Tsu knocked Tomura's hand out of the way and shot her tongue out towards Izuku. I reached out and grabbed Tomura's arm. Just as I was about to freeze him the front door burst open. Everyone stopped and looked up.
"Have no fear students, I am here." All Might stood at the top of the stairs.
"He's here." Izuku murmured. "All Might."
"Ah looks like the game's getting a continue." Tomura stood up. "After all this waiting, the heroic piece of trash shows up."
In an instant All Might went from the top of the stairs to Aizawa's side, taking out all the villains along the way. I barely had time to think before I was being picked up. I looked over at Tomura, the hand covering his face had fallen off.
"Everybody back to the entrance. And take Aizawa with you. He doesn't have much time."
"You saved us All Might." Izuku looked up at the hero.
I looked between All Might and Tomura. Who was I loyal to? Tomura would kill me if I helped the heroes but if I helped the villains I would be taken away.
"No, no, no, it wasn't supposed to go this way. He's still fast, father. Somehow he managed to hit me." Tomura put the hand back on his face, he seemed to relax slightly. "Of course a government hero relies on violence. I wasn't prepared. I couldn't even see him when he moved. I wonder if the kitten did? But he's not as fast as we thought he would be, not as fast as he used to be. I guess it's true after all. All Might really is getting weaker."
Izuku picked up Aizawa. "All Might, you can't. That brain villain took One for er, I smashed and didn't break my arm this time but he wasn't fazed at all. He's too strong."
"Young Midoriya," All Might turned around. "I got this."
"But sir," I stepped forwards. "Tom—er the villain's right. You have gotten slower, are you sure you can beat them?" I glanced at Tomura, he gave me a slight nod. I relaxed slightly. Tomura knew what he was doing, I should trust him.
"I'll be fine. I may have gotten older but that doesn't affect my power."
I nodded and helped Izuku and Tsu carry Aizawa. I forced myself to look forwards and not focus on the battle. Tomura could do this. He had a plan. The heroes would suffer. They would finally understand what it felt like to lose someone. There was a loud crash behind us. I finally turned around, I couldn't see anything because of all the smoke. I turned back and we continued to the entrance. Izuku suddenly stopped. I almost crashed into him.
"Izuku, what…" I turned back to the battle.
Kurogiri had used his warp gate and Nomu had grabbed All Might's side. I couldn't hear what they were saying, we were too far. As the warp gates started to close I realized that Kurogiri intended to cut All Might in half. Not a very pretty way to die but it worked.
"Asui,"
"Yeah, what is it Midoriya?" Tsu asked.
"Will you carry Mr. Aizawa for me?"
"Sure, but what are you going to do?" Tsu took Aizawa from him.
I dropped Aizawa and quickly stood in front of Izuku. "Izuku, you can't. They'll kill you!" I grabbed his shoulders. "You may have a quirk now but that doesn't mean you can beat everyone."
"I know, but I have to try." Izuku pushed me out of the way and ran towards the fight.
"Izuku!" I yelled.
"I'm coming!" Izuku called.
"Izuku no!" I ran after him.
Kurogiri appeared in front of Izuku. "How foolish,"
I reached for Izuku but I wasn't close enough. Izuku was going to be warped who knows where. A loud explosion covered the place where Kurogiri once was.
"Get the hell out of my way, Deku!" Katsuki yelled. He tackled Kurogiri to the ground.
Ice crept up Nomu's leg and arm. I looked over and saw Todoroki.
"One of your poorly trained thugs told me you were here because you think you can kill All Might," Todoroki said.
All Might pried Nomu's arms opened and jumped away. He winced as he landed.
"Are you okay?" Izuku gasped.
My ear twitched and I looked up. Kirishima had leaped over my head and attack Tomura. But Tomura had moved out of the way.
"Damn that was going to be cool." Kirishima groaned.
"Guess I found your body that time, you smokey bastard," Katsuki growled.
"The symbol of peace will not be defeated by delinquents like you," Todoroki stated.
"Kacchan, everyone." Izuku looked around.
Tomura looked over at Kurogiri. "Kurogiri, how could you let this brat get the best of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here."
Katsuki chuckled. "You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn't hard to figure you out. Only certain parts of you turn into that smoking warp gate. You use that mist to hide your actual body as a kind of distraction, thinking that made you safe. That's why we missed. But if you didn't have a body, you wouldn't be wearing this neck armor, right? You're not immune to physical attacks if they're well aimed."
Kurogiri tried to move but Katsuki let off a few small explosions.
"Don't move, you try anything funny and I'll blow your ass up so bad they'll be piecing you back together for weeks."
"Oh, that doesn't sound very heroic," Kirishima commented.
"They escaped uninjured and captured my two strongest men. The little kitten was right. They really are strong. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs. Can't have that." Tomura turned to Nomu. "Nomu,"
Nomu pulled himself out of the warp gate, knocking up his arm and leg in the process. He fixed his beady eyes on us. I took a step back, this thing was a monster.
Izuku took a step back. "How is that thing still moving? It's all messed up."
"Stay back everybody." All Might called.
Nomu started to regrow his arm and leg. I shuttered, I did not want to know where Tomura got this villain.
"What is this? I thought you said his power was shock absorption?" All Might stood up.
"I didn't say that was his only quirk." Tomura shrugged. "He also has super regeneration. Nomu has been modified to take you on even at 100% of your power. He's basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back."
Everyone readied themselves for battle. I lit a fire on my left arm. Todoroki gave me a look of surprise but shrugged it off.
"First we need to free our method of escape. Get him Nomu."
"No!" I screamed and shot a wall of flames in front of Nomu but he just went right through them.
The force of Nomu's punch sent everyone flying. I held my ground and ran over to Tomura. I lit my arm on fire and held it against his neck. Tomura reached out to touch me.
"Touch me and I burn you to a crisp." I hissed.
"The little kitten is fiery today." Tomura chuckled.
"This wasn't according to plan." My tail twitched. "Leave my classmates out of it."
"Oh, you mean your little boyfriend?"
The flames grew hotter on my arm. "Don't touch him."
"Koneko!"
I glanced behind me, the four boys were okay but I didn't see All Might. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tomura reach for my arm. I jumped back and dashed back to the boys. The dust cleared and I saw All Might standing in the rubble of the wall.
"These are kids and you didn't hold back." All Might panted.
Tomura walked to Nomu's side. "I didn't have much choice. He was threatening my companion. Besides these kids are no angels. The plain-looking one, he tried to kill me with a maxed out punch. What kind of hero does something like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others. Well, you know what, All Might? That pisses me off. Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgment on what's good and what evil. You think you're the symbol of peace, ha, you're just another government-sponsored instrument of violence. And violence always breeds more violence. I'll make sure the world understands that when you're dead."
"You're nothing but a lunatic. Criminals like you, you always try to make your actions sound noble. But admit it, you're only doing this because you like it. Isn't that right?" All Might said.
"He's got me figured out." Tomura laughed.
"We've got them outnumbered," Todoroki said.
Izuku nodded. "And Kacchan found the mist guy's weakness."
"But we don't know Nomu's." I pointed out.
"So? These dudes may act really tough but we can take them down with All Might's help." Kirishima grinned. "Let's do this."
"Don't attack. Get out of here." All Might called.
"You would have been in trouble earlier if it weren't for me, remember?" Todoroki pointed out. "You need our help."
"I thank you for your assistance. But this is different." All Might clenched his fist. "It's gonna be alright. Just sit back and watch a pro at work."
"But you're too hurt." Izuku protested. "You're bleeding and you're almost out of tim—"
All Might gave Izuku a thumbs up. I glanced at Izuku. He mentioned the time thing too. What did it mean?
"Nomu, Kurogiri, kill him. I'll deal with the children." Tomura came running at us.
"Heads up, we're fighting after all." Kirishima hardened his arms.
All Might launched himself forward and went head to head with Nomu. Their punches collided and launched us all backward. The force of their punches kept a steady wind blowing us backward.
"He's gonna fight that brain guy head-on?" Izuku asked.
"Whoa, they're so fast," Kirishima exclaimed.
I tried watching them but I couldn't keep track. They really were fast. Even with my heightened senses, I couldn't keep track. With one big punch, All Might launched Nomu back into the forest. Nomu got back up and lunged at All Might again. They flew up into the sky. All Might grabbed Nomu's arm and threw him to the ground. All Might landed in front of him.
"Now for a lesson. You may have heard these words before but I'll teach you what they really mean. Go beyond, Plus Ultra!" All Might punched Nomu, knocking him completely out of the building.
I stepped back, All Might beat Nomu. Tomura failed.
"That was like the finishing move in a video game. He beat the shock absorption right out of him. I've never seen that kind of brute strength." Kirishima exclaimed.
"Imagine having power like that." Katsuki murmured. "He must have been punching that monster so fast it couldn't regenerate."
"I really have gotten weaker." All Might grunted. "Back in my hay day, five hits would have been enough to knock that guy out." He stood up and faced us. "But today it took more than 300 mighty blows."
I looked over at Tomura. How would he react? He was visibly shaking. He looked like he was ready to kill someone.
"You've been bested villains." All Might called. "Surrender. We all want to get this over with quickly."
Tomura reached up and started scratching his neck. He seemed to be mumbling to himself.
"What's wrong?" All Might asked. "Not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to clear this level earlier? Well come and get me, if you dare."
Tomura took a step back which was very unlike him. Something was wrong with him. I almost stepped forwards to help him but caught myself. I frowned, tail twitching in confusion. This wasn't normal. Tomura was always overconfident and cocky. He would win and no one would stop him. Much like someone else I knew.
"Man, this is intense," Katsuki whispered.
"As I expected, there's no reason for us to fight now. He'll handle this." Todoroki said.
"Come on Midoriya," Kirishima called. "We should regroup with other guys. The last thing we want to do is get taken hostage or get in his way."
Izuku refused to move. He seemed to be studying All Might. I cocked my head to the side, there seemed to be steam coming off him. Was that an indicator that he was getting weaker? Or was it something about his time?
"What? Are you scared?" All Might seemed to be shaking.
Tomura took a step back. He was scared. That's not normal. I narrowed my eyes, was he playing a game? Or was he genuinely scared? Tomura started scratching his neck again.
"If only Nomu was here." He muttered. "He'd rush you right now. Pound you into the ground without giving it a second thought."
"Tomura Shigaraki." Kurogiri leaned over. "Please, do not fret. Look at him, he has definitely weakened. Nomu's attacks were successful."
Tomura stopped. He seemed to relax a little.
"He's on his own. The children appear to be frozen in fear. And look, our underlings are recovering. We likely still have a few minutes before their reinforcements arrive. If you and I work together we can do this. We haven't missed our chance to kill All Might."
Tomura took his hands away from his neck. "Yeah, yeah you're right. This is it. We have no choice. We have to do it now. I mean, the big end boss is right here."
I glanced around. All around us the bad guys were starting to get up. I took a step back, Tomura still had a chance. He might still win this.
"I think All Might can hold his own against those two main guys." Kirishima hardened his arms. "Let's make sure these dudes don't hurt anybody else."
Todoroki turned to Izuku. "Will you be joining us?"
Izuku was still staring at All Might. Tomura ran towards All Might, hands outstretched. All Might stood frozen as if he was unable to move. I glanced back at the boys. In a split second, Izuku was gone. I looked around wildly. He had launched himself in the air, aiming for Kurogiri.
"Whoa, Midoriya!" Kirishima called.
"Don't you touch All Might, you stupid villains!" Izuku yelled.
Kurogiri created a warp gate that Tomura stuck his hand through.
"Izuku no!" I screamed. I knew what would happen. The same thing that happened to Aizawa.
"I won't fall for that again," Kurogiri said.
Tomura was inches away from Izuku's face when someone shot his hand. I whipped my head around to look up at the entrance. Snipe and the other heroes had arrived. I heard Present Mic scream and loud explosions.
"Ah man, the pros are here. It's game over for real. Let's go home and try this when we—" Tomura was suddenly shot in the shoulders and the legs.
I yelped and jumped back. I blinked in surprise, Tomura had gotten shot not once but four times. It would have been more if Kurogiri hadn't protected him.
"Let's go," Kurogiri said. He started to disappear but was stopped by something sucking his mist up. "This is—Black Hole!"
Tomura and Kurogiri were being sucked towards the heroes. Kurogiri grunted and they disappeared. I looked around ears alert. After seeing no sign of Kurogiri, I ran to Izuku's side.
"Izuku!" I knelt down. His legs were broken but that seemed to be the only damage.
"I couldn't do it, I wasn't able to help you." Izuku croaked.
"That's absolutely not true." All Might said.
Izuku and I looked up. I yelped and jumped back, ear back in alarm. Only half of the man in front of me I knew. The other half looked different.
"You bought me a few vital seconds. If not for that, I'd be dead now. Young Midoriya, you saved me once again."
"Thank you All Might." Izuku started crying. "I'm just so glad that you're okay."
"Wait, I'm sorry I'm not sure I know what's happening." I glanced back and forth.
Izuku looked over at me as if just now noticing I was there. All Might looked at me with surprise too.
"I guess you do have some questions, but I'll have to answer them later." All Might smiled.
"Midoriya hey!" Kirishima started to run over.
"Sorry, I can't get up." Izuku looked over.
"What? Are you okay?" Kirishima called.
I glanced over at All Might, who had fully transformed into a skeletal looking man. "Hang on Kirishima, I got him." I held out a hand to stop him but I didn't need to. Cementoss created a wall the block Kirishima.
"For your safety please stay back, young man. Join your classmates at the front gate. Leave the injured to us, we can take care of them."
"Oh gotcha, I'm on it." I heard Kirishima's footsteps retreating.
Izuku and All Might sighed in relief. All Might collapsed to a sitting position.
"Thanks for that. You saved my butt Cementoss. You too, young Chino."
I smiled and nodded.
"My pleasure. I'm actually a big fan of yours." Cementoss smiled. "We should sneak you out of here and get you both to the nurse's office. Seriously All Might, that could have been really bad."
"I had to act recklessly or else I'd be dead now." All Might touched the blood on his cheek. "Just goes to show how strong those villains were."
"Um, I can take Izuku up to the rest of the students," I spoke up.
"Of course," All Might looked over at me. "Take him to the rest of the heroes, they can get him to the nurse's office."
I nodded. "Alright,"
I reached over and picked Izuku up, bridal style. Izuku wrapped his arms around my neck. I glanced down, I could easily copy his quirk but that could be dangerous.
"Hold on tight." I smiled.
Izuku tightened his grip and I started running up to the rest of the students. I managed to catch up with Katsuki and the others. I wanted to slow down but I needed to get Izuku to the heroes as soon as possible. I couldn't let someone else suffer because of me. I glanced down.
"Are you okay? It's going to get a little rough." I asked, tail curling in concern.
"I'm fine." He replied then winced. "I mean it's kinda painful but I'll be okay."
"I can slow down if that would help." I slowed my pace.
"Yeah, that's a little better." He smiled. "Thanks for this, Koneko."
"Of course." I focused on the stairs in front of me. "Hang on."
I stopped and jumped. I jumped up six steps at a time. Normally I could do more but I didn't want to hurt Izuku further. I made it to the top and ran over to the heroes.
"We need to take Izuku to Recovery Girl," I said.
"Of course," Nezu nodded. "Take him outside, there should be an ambulance."
"Deku!" Uraraka ran up. "Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine," I replied quickly, walking outside.
I passed Izuku off to the medics then met back up with the rest of the class. The heroes moved us away from the entrance and told us to stay together. I made my way to Katsuki's side. The police arrived soon after.
"16, 17, 18, 19, everyone seems to be unharmed except for that boy whose legs were all messed up." The detective counted us all.
I glanced over at Katsuki. He was too quiet, his face was completely relaxed. The students started to disperse. I stayed by Katsuki's side. Tomura may be out of commission for the moment but that doesn't mean he wouldn't try anything.
"Let's go ahead and get theses students back to the main campus. They've been through a lot, we don't need to question them right away."
I tensed at the detective's words. They were going to question us? Could I lie through it? Eiko once told me that I had a tick when I lied. I started to panic. Katsuki brushed my arm. I looked up at him. He did say anything but I relaxed slightly just knowing he was right there.
"Detective, what about Mr. Aizawa?" Tsu asked.
"I'm not sure. We can call the doctor." The detective pulled out a phone and called someone. "Yes, this is Detective Tsukauchi. His students were wondering how Eraserhead is doing?" The detective put his phone on speaker.
"The bones in his arms are splintered and he's got facial fracturing. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any serious damage. But his orbital floor has been almost completely destroyed. We have no way of knowing if his eyesight will be impaired once he's healed up."
"Well, you heard the man." The detective said.
Tears filled my eyes, my ears flattening, and tail tucking itself between my legs. I did this, it would be my fault if Aizawa lost his eyesight. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. Tears spilled down my cheeks. It was all my fault. Everyone getting hurt was my fault. I could have stopped Tomura. I knew him. I could have refused to help him. I never should have told him anything. This was all my fault. Everything was spiraling around me. The darkness was closing in, I couldn't breathe. My chest hurt, everything hurt. This was my fault… Someone touched my shoulders. I jerked my head up. Katsuki was kneeling in front of me.
"Are you okay?" His voice was soft.
I took a shaky breath. "Yeah, I think so."
"Good," he held out a hand and helped me up.
I glanced down at our intertwined fingers and tightened my grip. Katsuki looked down at me.
"Just a little longer," I whispered.
He nodded and looked back at the USJ building. He was quiet for a moment.
"Come on man, we're going back to class now!" Kirishima called.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard him, you idiot." Katsuki glanced at me. "Let's go."
I nodded and trailed behind him. We all boarded the bus. I chose a seat next to Katsuki, not that I had much of a choice, he was still holding my hand. Everyone was silent the entire ride, much different from this morning. It was sunset when we made it back to UA. We walked back to the locker rooms to change out of our hero costumes. Once changed we headed to the classroom, Izuku still wasn't back from the nurse's office. We were told that school would be closed the next day then they dismissed us. I grabbed Katsuki's hand before he left the classroom.
"Hey, wait for me. There are a few things I have to do."
"Fine, but don't take forever." He scoffed.
"I won't." I managed a smiled.
I dashed out of the classroom and over to the nurse's office. I ran right into the detective, who was just exiting the nurse's office.
"Whoa, hey, are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I shrugged. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get in there."
"I don't think you can go in right now." The detective blocked my path.
"All Might said I could." I slipped under his arm.
All Might and Izuku were both sitting up in hospital beds.
"Koneko!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Hey, Izuku. How are you doing?" I asked.
"Um better now." He replied.
"I guess you're here to ask some questions." All Might said.
"Yeah, I have a hunch but I'm not positive." I shifted. "Both Izuku and 13 said something about your time. And Tom—the villain said that you were getting weaker."
"You hear a lot of things." All Might commented.
"I have enhanced hearing, I can hear most things," I replied.
"I'll keep that in mind." All Might laughed. "Now you're right about my time and I am getting weaker. I got in a fight five years ago and lost my stomach and most of my respiratory system. I can't keep up my hero form for very long."
"So the rest of the time you look like this," I whispered.
"Yeah, please don't tell anyone else." All Might said.
"Of course." I nodded. If I had figured this out a week earlier I would have gone straight to Tomura but not anymore.
"Thank you." All Might sighed. "I feel better now."
I shifted again. "I'm going to go home now. Um, I'll see you later Izuku."
I smiled and waved then headed outside. I walked around to the side of the school. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. I pressed call on the unknown number. He picked up after a moment.
"What?"
"What? What?!" I hissed, tail flicking angrily. "You just put me through hell and you just say what?"
"So?"
"Tomura! None of that was according to plan. You could have killed us! You said you only wanted All Might."
"Well plans change." He growled. "Why are you getting so mad?"
"Because you almost killed my teacher and my friends!" I practically yelled.
"You're a villain. You shouldn't care about those things."
I wanted to scream. "Then maybe I'm not cut out to be a villain."
"You'll never find your sister then."
I stopped, ears flattening. I would never see Anzu again. I took a deep breath. "I can find her on my own. I'm done with you. I quit."
"If you quit, you'll be dead by morning."
His voice sent shivers down my spine. My confidence faltered. "I—I don't care. I won't let anyone else get hurt. I'll tell the heroes."
"Did I mention that we'll kill your friends if you tell? You, your family, and your friends will be dead by morning if you utter one word about this."
I froze. If I told then Katsuki and Izuku would die along with my family. "Fine, I'll stay."
"Good girl." He purred.
"Don't think I'll make this easy for you. You won't be getting information from me." I hissed, ears pinned back.
"Oh kitten, I think we will. You see if you refuse to cooperate with us. We will get your boyfriend and he won't survive unharmed."
I almost dropped my phone. "You wouldn't."
"Do you want to test me?"
"No," I faltered.
"Good. Now be a good kitten and keep your mouth shut."
"Yes," I managed and hung up. I stared at my phone until tears blurred my vision. I should go to the heroes now. I should tell them everything. But I couldn't. My life, my family's, and my friend's lives were at stake. I couldn't let them kill anyone else. My knees buckled and I came crashing to the ground, tears spilling over. I covered my mouth to muffle the sobs.
"Koneko?"
I looked up at the voice. Katsuki was standing at the corner of the building. I panicked, how much had he heard? He walked over and knelt by my side.
"What happened?" He reached over and brushed a few tears away.
I stared up at him for a moment then tackled him in a hug. He lost his balance and fall backward. I buried my face in his shoulder.
"I could have lost you today. You, Izuku, everyone. You all could have died." I whispered.
"What? Neko, is that what's got you so upset?"
I nodded. "It scared me, after seeing what happened to Mr. Aizawa. That could have happened to any of us."
Katsuki laughed. "Like I'd let someone like him take me out."
I pulled back to look at him. "But he was so powerful. His quirk could kill you in seconds."
"Not if I get to him first." He brushed a piece of hair out of my face. "I won't let someone take me out so easily. Especially if you back me up."
"Please be on your guard, we don't know when they'll strike again."
"If it makes you feel better, then I will."
I smiled, my first real smile of the day. "Thank you,"
He smiled back. I had the sudden urge to kiss him senseless. I reached up to play with the baby hairs on the back of his neck. His hands drifted down to my waist. I leaned in, gaze flickering down to his lips.
"Shouldn't we get going?" Katsuki whispered.
I pulled back. "Yeah, I guess so."
We both managed to get up. Katsuki offered me his hand. I stared at it for a moment then smiled and took it. He squeezed my hand and together we walked to the train station. I glanced up at the stars that we just beginning to appear. Maybe just maybe things would be okay. I smiled, of course, they would, as long as Katsuki was by my side everything would be fine.
The End!
Just kidding, there will be a book two. So stay tuned for that!