[Chapter 5]
Infiltrating the League of Villains' assault team was easier than Izuku expected.
For all the claims of being a professional gathering of villains, the league's operational security was painfully weak. All the members were rabble gathered from the streets, more interested in a chance to unleash their Quirks rather than actually changing society.
Izuku glanced around at the gathered crowd in the abandoned warehouse they were in, his eyes scanning over each and every one of them. Most of them were more like two-bit gangsters than actual villains, boasting homemade costumes and black market support items. To be fair he was dressed just like them so as to not stand out, clad in a cheap white jacket paired with a hockey mask. A wig of messy blonde hair completed the disguise, and Izuku looked just like another weirdo in the den of vipers.
A hand landed on his shoulder, and Izuku almost reflexively cut it off with his Kagune before barely catching himself. A tall, wolf-like mutant was leering at him, razor-sharp teeth bared in an amused smirk.
"Nice briefcase, shrimp." the man chuckled. "Late for a business meeting?"
Some laughter echoed around them, while others watched with wary gazes. Izuku rolled his eyes. He disliked the showboating and displays of power, but it was the language of the underground. Within the span of a heartbeat the briefcase in his hand transformed into a machete, its blade warping around in an arc until it was only an inch from the man's eyeball. The mutant yelped, about to back away until another blade sprouted across his throat.
"Touch me again and I'll be taking something precious." Izuku said without turning to face him.
"Y-yeah, man. It was just a joke…" the wolf-man stammered, a thin line of red already seeping from the barely visible cut on his neck.
Izuku nodded and sheathed the weapon, noting the looks of newfound respect from around him. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Violence was the language they spoke here, something Izuku was all too familiar with. The commotion soon ended when the lights flicked on with a heavy crack, illuminating a thin man covered in severed hands standing atop a shipping container. Standing beside him was another man who seemed to be made out of a swirling, black fog, clad in a dapper vest and a tie.
Jet-black eyes narrowed behind a hockey mask. This villain was different compared to the others, but what really unnerved Izuku was the fog-man with the glowing yellow eyes. There was just something about him that seemed… off. Unnatural. Izuku sniffed the air and his frown deepened, one hand tightening around the handle of his briefcase.
"Friends! Comrades! My name is Shigaraki Tomura." The thin man with the grotesque severed-hands costume began. "Thank you for attending. Today we are gathered here…"
Izuku tuned him out and only listened to the important bits, more focused on scanning the crowd. Small fry, just as he thought. Even the leader, Shigaraki, was no true threat. He'd heard of him from Moonfish, knowing that the man had some sort of decay Quirk that required him to touch his target. The boy sensed something hidden behind him, a presence so unnatural that it made the hairs on his neck stand on an end. A presence, so very similar to the fog-man who…
Ah. The fog-man was staring in his direction. How odd. Izuku kept his head forward, his mask disguising where he was actually looking.
"—and behold, our MVP!" the thin man exclaimed at the apex of his speech, spreading his arms wide. "Our tank, our swift and terrible sword that will cleave All Might off the face of the Earth! Rumor has it that All Might has been weakened, and this right here will be the instrument of his destruction!"
All Might, weakened? As if. The number one hero was unstoppable. Cheers erupted from the gathered crowd when a massive, hulking behemoth of rippling muscle stepped into the light. Izuku raised an eyebrow, finally meeting the presence he'd been sensing earlier. It was a towering, broad-shouldered mutant with jet-black skin with a maw filled with jagged, uneven teeth. The crown of its skull had been removed to expose a pinkish brain and strangely enough the eyes seemed to be connected to the brain itself, suggesting that the organ had grown larger. The creature's glassy gaze stared ever forward into the horizon even as the crowd whooped and clapped, marveling at the majesty of their supposed anti-All Might.
Then its eyes focused and looked right at Izuku.
Two predators simply stared at each other, and for a single, infinitesimal moment it was as if the world only consisted of Izuku and the beast. It took a monster to know one, and Izuku guessed from looking into the mutant's eyes that it was an animal. It wasn't human, not anymore. All semblance of higher thought and reasoning was long gone, and all that was left was a rabid beast. A flesh golem, built to destroy.
"Nomu." Shigaraki called. "Kurogiri, get ready."
The beast twitched and looked away. Izuku smiled under his mask. So it was a dog, then. Nothing more.
"Let us proceed." the fog-man, Kurogiri, declared in a sophisticated, echoing voice. "If you ladies and gentlemen would be so kind as to organize yourselves into your assigned groups…"
Izuku followed the others, stepping into the position of the villain he'd stolen his invite from. They didn't even check for an infiltrator, having assumed their plan was foolproof. Amateurs. To his surprise Kurogiri's body expanded, turning into a series of whirling, purple-black voids. Portals. So this was how they were going to invade U.A.
Stepping through the portal was an interesting experience. Izuku expected it to be like walking through a wall of ice water, but there was nothing but a calm emptiness when the assault team ventured through Kurogiri's warp gate.
The next thing he knew he was in USJ, in what they called the Landslide Zone. He'd studied USJ extensively before his infiltration, and from what he'd heard earlier the villains' plans were simple yet effective. Separate the twenty students into various groups, and eliminate them one by one in order to both draw out and distract All Might while Nomu engaged him.
"Spread out!" One villain barked, spikes rupturing out of his forearms. "This is where the fun begins."
Izuku smiled. Oh, what fun.
Moonfish 1/2 unfolded into readiness, Izuku raising the machete high into the air.
Time to hunt.
[x]
Hagakure Toru held her breath, shaking in pure terror.
It all happened so quickly. Aizawa-sensei had shouted out a warning and the next thing she knew she was falling through a hole in space, landing in the midst of the Landslide Zone. She abandoned her trademark gloves and shoes in favor of stealth the moment she landed, her quick thinking allowing her to evade a search party of villains.
She'd even spotted one of her classmates, Todoroki, but the powerhouse had skated away on a wave of ice before she could even tell him that she was there too. She thought it was for the best that she stood back and hid instead, seeing as how he instantly froze his surroundings in a massive radius when the villains approached. Not only that, but the icy mist his attacks exuded would instantly give away her position.
Toru was starting to regret that decision. When Todoroki left, a new search party of three villains began scouting the area, somehow able to determine she was hiding there.
"Are you sure there's a student here?" A female villain with snakes for hair hissed. "I don't see anything."
"Me either." A man covered in bony plates agreed. "You sure, man?"
"Positive." A third man with a wolf-like appearance growled, sniffing the air. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…"
Toru held back a whimper of fear, feet rooted to the ground. A chill ran down her spine when the snake-woman looked right at her, but relaxed when her gaze panned to the surroundings. It seemed that her snake-hair didn't have heat vision or whatever it was that real snakes had to sense hidden prey. The wolf continued his search, the set of heavy pliers in his clawed grip clicking menacingly.
"Grraaggh, this is a waste of time!" The bone-armored man roared, splintering a tree with a single swing of his club. "We should be joining our boys in taking down that ice kid!"
"Patience, comrade. I've nearly found her. Come out, girlie. I know you're there." The wolf mutant smiled, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I can smell your cunt."
Toru shivered. A bead of sweat rolled down her chin and fell… hitting a puddle of water on the ground with a quiet drop.
Both the snake and wolf mutants turned to her and the invisible girl felt her heart skip a beat.
"There you are!" the snake woman screamed, surging forward with her fangs bared. "Time to die, hero—"
A loud crunch from the left stopped her charge. Both the villains and Toru turned to look at the source, only to be met by a nightmarish sight. The bone-armored villain was choking on his own blood, a hand rupturing clean through his chest. It was clutching his still-beating heart, and even that ceased when the fingers closed and crushed it into a bloody pulp.
Toru couldn't help it and screamed.
The newcomer was an inverse shadow, a white streak that instantly raced towards his next victim. Toru saw light flashing off a drawn blade, the female villain's head sent flying in the next instance. Her face was still frozen in shock, hair-snakes hissing in agony.
"What in the goddamn—" the wolf villain howled. "A U.A student?!"
A white hockey mask stood out in the shadows, leering at them like a grinning skull. Poisonous green pupils glowed within the empty sockets, narrowing into razor thin slits when the villain stepped into the light. He was shorter than Toru expected, but that was overshadowed by what he held in his free hand.
The villain held the snake woman's head, lifting it towards his face. Toru resisted the urge to vomit when he placed one of the snakes under his mask and seemed to take a bite, wet chewing noises reaching their ears.
"You're… you—" the wolf villain stammered, backing away.
"Me." the unknown said in a voice devoid of emotion.
The wolf turned to run, but he didn't get far. Light gleamed off the hunter's weapon when he raised it high, and the blade exploded into a tree of winding, crystalline branches. Toru closed her eyes, not daring to look. There was the sound of screaming and wet tearing, followed by crunching and snapping; and when Toru finally opened her eyes there was nothing left of the wolf man but a pile of raw meat.
A pile of raw meat that the hunter was currently searching through. Toru watched with horror as the villain searched through the grisly mess, picking out select bits and pieces to place in a small haversack. He paused when he came across the pliers the wolf villain was playing with earlier, tilting his head in amusement.
"Such a small toy for such a big boy." he chuckled. "I think I'll keep you."
The hockey mask turned about to look at Toru, the invisible girl's blood turning to ice in her veins.
"I know you're there." The masked villain continued, standing up and walking towards her. "What did he say to you?"
Toru tried not to cry. He could see her. Oh God, he could see her. There was no escaping now. If she answered his questions truthfully, maybe… just maybe, he would let her live.
"H-he said…" Toru gulped when those emerald pupils bore into her. "He said, 'I can smell your c-cunt.'"
The villain blinked at that, surprised. Toru held her breath again.
"I see. I myself cannot." He tilted his head upwards and sniffed the air. "Hmm. Is that Uwabami's Black Mamba shampoo?"
"U-um. Yes?" Toru whimpered in the tiniest voice she could muster.
"As a hero focused on stealth, you might want to stop using that. It's very noticeable, even to a regular sense of smell." The masked villain advised. "Not very ideal for sneaking around when your target catches the scent of flowers."
Just as Toru was trying to figure out what in the world was going on a wave of ice came crashing down right where the villain was only a second ago, shocking her out of her stupor. Standing tall and mighty atop a glacier was none other than Todoroki Shoto, eyes wide at the scene of carnage before him.
"Todoroki-kun!" Toru cried out.
His head snapped towards her in confusion when he found nothing, only to nod in understanding a moment later. He'd noticed the commotion and came back to investigate!
"Oh dear." an intrigued voice called out from above. "Oh me, oh my. Did you just say… 'Todoroki'?"
Both U.A students looked up. Perched atop a rock was the masked villain who saved Toru, watching them like a hawk. This time his gaze was solely focused on Todoroki, drawing his machete across his newly acquired pliers in a shower of sparks.
"Todoroki Shoto." the villain said, clicking his tongue. "Spawn of Endeavor."
The heterochromatic boy stiffened. Nine heartbeats of silence passed before an avalanche of ice and snow hurtled towards the villain, Todoroki's fury expressed through his cryokinesis. Toru watched, shocked by his raw power. He was so much more powerful than she expected, but to think that he was Endeavor's kid…
Quiet laughter echoed from all around them. Todoroki held out a hand, frost gathering on his breath and right arm.
"Get behind me." he ordered. "Sorry, I forgot your name."
"It's Hagakure Toru!" Toru squeaked.
A glacier formed beneath their feet and lifted the two student's up high, but the villain was in hot pursuit. Toru watched with horror as he clawed his way up the icy pillar like a cockroach, springing up in a flurry of blades and kicks. Frost clashed against steel pliers when the villain utilized his new weapon against Todoroki's Quirk, a single swing enough to blast straight through the boy's ice barrier and sending them flying backwards onto a plateau.
Toru retreated and tried to figure out a way to help, but Todoroki seemed to be holding his ground just fine. If she tried to help, she'd only be getting in the way. Then she noticed the way he was shivering, the lapses in his attacks. He was slowing down. On the other hand, the masked villain wasn't going in for fatal strikes, picking apart Todoroki's attacks bit by bit and breaching his defenses surgically. It was almost like he was… playing with him.
"What's wrong, Todoroki-kun?" The villain cooed. "Why don't you use your daddy's fire?"
"Shut up." Todoroki grit his teeth and sent a rampart of jagged icicles forward.
The villain dodged with an acrobatic leap, spinning end over end to land on the tip of an ice shard like a circus performer. He smacked his weapons together in a deafening clang, catching their attention. Todoroki was breathing harder, his body instinctively trying to warm up. The ice hiding the left side of his face began to fall away, revealing reddened scar tissue and a mop of red hair. Toru couldn't help but notice how blue his left eye was.
"Getting cold, boy? A little heat could warm you right up." The villain chuckled darkly before tilting his head at an odd angle. "Ah… is that it, then? You don't wanna use it because your daddy hits you? You don't use your left side to prove to everyone that you don't need his power, especially when no one protected you from daddy's fists and abominations. Did he give you that scar? Poor, poor, thing."
It was clear that the words had struck a nerve, with Todoroki grimacing before launching a frozen tidal wave at his opponent. It hit the rock where the villain was standing on when he dodged, creating a light veil of mist. The air itself whistled and all of a sudden the masked villain was right next to them, his pliers already raised at Todoroki's face.
"Allow me…" the villain's crazed eyes met the boy's, his voice a low whisper. "To remove it for you."
Sparks flew when the pliers' jaws snapped shut only a millimeter from Todoroki's nose in a sharp click. The heterochromatic boy cursed and leaped backward, only for the villain to circle around from his left in the blink of an eye. His left, which he refused to use. Now Todoroki was far too slow to counter, his body chilled to the bone from his stubbornness, and the machete was swinging down towards his right arm—
"STOP!" Toru screamed.
The blade halted only an inch from Toru's head. Ironically, it was the icy mist that surrounded Todoroki which revealed her position and saved her from certain death. She was shielding her classmate with her own invisible body, and the villain's machete would have cleaved right through her if not for the mist highlighting her silhouette.
"Hmm…" The villain hummed with approval, letting the machete rest on his shoulder. "A true hero, huh?"
"Tch!"
Todoroki stomped the ground and a glacier of permafrost manifested, aiming to knock him away. The masked villain instead used it as a stepping stone, leaping into the sky while looking down at them.
"Until we meet again, Spawn of Endeavor." he called. "And you, Invisible Girl…"
He pointed his machete at her.
"I'll watch your career with great interest."
Then he was gone, having jumped into another area entirely. Toru felt her legs shake before finally giving out, collapsing to her knees. Todoroki took the time to scan their surroundings for more opponents but relaxed upon finding none, turning to her with the barest hint of concern.
"You okay?"
"N-no. I'm pretty freakin' far from okay, man." Toru shivered. "I… I just… my body moved on its own and… and…"
It all came crashing down on her. Witnessing those three villains die right in front of her, having their killer look right into her eyes, and nearly kill her himself… Toru couldn't hold it any longer and burst into tears.
"I was so scared!" she sobbed, hugging herself in a futile effort to stop the shivering. "Uwaa…"
Her crying continued for a few more moments until Todoroki draped his jacket over her, patting her back awkwardly. She sniffled, slowly getting to her feet.
"Come on." Todoroki urged. "Let's get out of here."
All Toru could do was follow blankly, trying to ignore the bodies left in the masked villain's rampage. Her invisible feet unknowingly stepped through one of the puddles of gore, leaving bloody footprints in her wake.
[x]
As fun as the skirmish with the Todoroki boy was, it was time to get back on track.
Izuku landed on the main plaza with a heavy thud, his boots cratering the earth. Scouting forward, he was soon met by a grisly scene. Nomu had captured a dark haired hero and was currently twisting the man's arm around like a pretzel, resulting in a series of sickening snaps.
"Oh my." Izuku said, squinting. "Is that… Eraser Head?"
As it turned out, it was. Shigaraki was boasting and monologuing, Izuku's ears picking up what he was saying to the downed hero.
"Canceling out Quirks, hmm? Pretty cool, but nothing special." Shigaraki scratched his neck. "Up against crazy strength, you might as well be totally Quirkless."
Eraser Head tried to twist his way out, but Nomu responded by slamming the man's skull into the ground with a wet crunch. Black fog swirled around Shigaraki's ear, the warp user Kurogiri reappearing from thin air.
"Kurogiri." Shigaraki nodded. "Is Thirteen dead?"
Thirteen? Izuku mused. He looked at Eraser Head and connected the dots. Ah. He must have subbed in for All Might. Which meant that this entire operation was a massive waste of time for the villains.
"She's incapacitated, but… There were some students I couldn't warp away." Kurogiri answered. "One of them escaped."
"Oh?" The thin villain began scratching his neck, annoyed. "Kurogiri… you… I'd turn you into dust if you weren't our ticket out of here. We don't stand a chance against dozens of pros."
Shigaraki's scratching intensified. Izuku wondered if he had some kind of skin condition.
"It's game over man, game over." He spat. "We're leaving."
To Izuku's surprise, he did turn as if to leave. Then he paused, looking over his shoulder.
"But before that, let's leave a few dead kids—"
Shigaraki turned into a blur of black, and it was as if he'd teleported. His speed nearly matched Izuku's, shocking the boy for a moment.
"—to wound the Symbol of Peace's pride!" he shrieked, hand stretching outward.
He was reaching for three students who'd been watching the battle from the Flood Zone. Two boys and a girl with a frog-like appearance.
It all happened within half a second. Izuku moved in to save her, rocketing forward like a speeding bullet. Nomu's head snapped towards him and blurred with speed, crossing over a dozen meters in the blink of an eye. The machete aimed at Shigaraki's wrist instead lodged itself into Nomu's forearm, the beast not even flinching.
Shigaraki's fingers landed on the girl's face.
Oops. Oh well.
Izuku expected the girl to start crumbling away, but absolutely nothing happened. Shigaraki turned to look behind him, his gnarled fingers still squarely on the trembling frog-girl's bare skin. Behind her the two boys were frozen in shock, too stunned to move.
"You really are cool," Shigaraki said. "Eraser Head."
Eraser Head collapsed a moment later, finally succumbing to his wounds and falling into unconciousness. Shigaraki then looked up at Izuku, who was still standing atop Nomu with his machete embedded deep into the monster flesh.
"And who the hell are you?" Shigaraki asked.
Izuku didn't reply. He instead activated Moonfish 1/2, creating a jagged explosion of blades that tore through Nomu in a violent spray of blood and gore. One blade pierced right through Nomu's chest and aimed for Shigaraki, only managing a glancing blow when it cut across his forehead instead of his throat. The man-child screamed and backed away, giving time for Izuku to advance.
He twisted the blade and made sure some made their way into Nomu's heart. To his surprise the creature kept on going despite Izuku being sure that he'd cut the heart into ribbons, throwing him off as if he were a ragdoll.
"Kill him, Nomu! Kill him!" Shigaraki shrieked, clutching at his bloodied forehead.
Nomu flexed, the blades embedded into him snapping from his strength. Izuku pulled the machete away and dodged the incoming hammerfist in a flawless backflip, keeping silent throughout the entire process. He entered a combat stance, machete in his right hand, heavy pliers in his left. Bringing the blade to his mask, the boy did a quick sniff test to see what Nomu's blood smelled like—
Izuku's eyes widened. It was… intoxicating. Such a strong, intense fragrance! No, it was something more than that. The blood smelled ordinary, but there was something within it that was so very alluring. Something beyond…
The doors to USJ were blasted off their hinges in a thunderous crash. All eyes turned towards the entrance as a massive man in a business suit strode through the smoke, powerful muscles stretching his tight dress shirt. He ripped off his tie in one smooth movement, features etched with fury. The number one hero in all his glory.
All Might wasn't smiling.
"Have no fear." All Might declared, stepping forward. "I am here."
He moved faster than the human eye could see. All the villains guarding the main plaza stiffened when he raced past, collapsing to the ground only seconds later. Izuku blinked, barely even able to believe it. Such speed, such power… the pinnacle of heroism was right in front of him. All Might rocketed past and grabbed the three students out of the water, and before they knew it both they and Aizawa were a safe distance away from the battle.
"Everyone, to the entrance. Take Aizawa with you. He's unconscious, so hurry!" All Might urged.
"B-but, All Might!" One of the boys, the tall one with the purple hair, prosested. "That villain, the one with the hockey mask, he tried to help us!"
"We can deal with him later." All Might said curtly, still focused on the biggest threat in the area, Nomu. "Get away from here, you three."
"Forget about the masked freak, Nomu! All Might is here!" Shigaraki screamed. "Kill him, kill him now!"
Nomu switched targets like the obedient dog he was. The ground cratered beneath his feet when he leapt, a jet-black fist hurtling towards All Might and the group like an incoming missile. A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact when All Might caught the monster's fist, leading into a counterpunch that slugged across his adversary's cheek in a devastating wham.
He shoulder-tackled Nomu, creating some distance before priming his arms in a familiar x-shaped stance. Izuku recognized it as his infamous—
"Carolina Smash!"
The attack had enough force to part the water behind Nomu, but the monster seemed unfazed. Each and every blow All Might landed seemed to be absorbed by the creature, with Nomu taking hits like a sponge to water.
"It's useless, hero. He's got Shock Absorption…" Shigaraki leaned backwards just in time to dodge Izuku's machete. "Hey, what gives?!"
Izuku stepped up to the plate, thinking. Nomu was a dog, a beast that followed instructions. If he killed Shigaraki here and now, would the Nomu simply stop doing anything?
Time to find out.
"You're some kind of underground hero, huh?" Shigaraki spat, dodging another barrage of blades. "A hidden miniboss?"
"You have so many fingers." Izuku said calmly, observing Shigaraki's many hands. "Allow me to remove some for you."
Izuku spun about in a whirlwind of kicks and strikes, his speed overwhelming Shigaraki's guard. Some of his blades had decayed, but it was only a matter of time until the thin villain slipped up and got caught. Eventually Izuku found an opening and brought his left arm about in an arcing strike, his pliers catching Shigaraki on the chin with a jawbreaking thwack. The man howled with pain and fell to the ground, Izuku leaping atop him like a hyena upon wounded prey. He ripped off the man's hand-mask and prepared to drive his machete through the man's throat, only to find a crying, sniveling wreck.
For a moment he was stunned at how young Shigaraki was. By Izuku's guess, he was only a few years older.
"Father? Father, I-I'm sorry—" the man, no, the teenager blubbered.
Izuku hesitated. That split second of hesitation was all Kurogiri needed to open up a warp gate right beneath them. Izuku swore under his breath, but it was too late when the darkness swallowed him whole. It spat him out a second later.
Right in front of a trio of hero students charging towards the battle between All Might and Nomu.
"Crap." Izuku muttered.
"Another villain!" a redhead student yelled and pointed at him. "Let's take him down, Bakubro!"
Izuku paused, snapping his gaze about to take a closer look. Hmmmmm?
Three students. One was the redhead who'd pointed earlier. Another was the Todoroki scion, who'd stopped in alarm and was trying to alert his classmates of the danger Izuku posed. And the third…
The third was Bakugo Katsuki.
Izuku smiled.
Bakugo hadn't recognized him in this new outfit, stomping forward with a bloodthirsty grin. No doubt eager to beat the ever-living tar out of another villain with no consequences whatsoever. Izuku's smile grew wider and wider until he could feel his facial muscles strain. This was fate. Destiny. He and Kacchan were bound by the red string of fate, two diners at the opposite ends of the table. What a lovely day for their long awaited reunion.
It was as if time was moving in slow motion, and Izuku thought about all the good times they spent together. Their adventurous childhood, so sweet and innocent. The bullying in middle school, far less so. Then there was that wondrous night where he'd made a meal out of the blonde. Even now, Bakugo still had no clue who actually attacked him. It was so very dark, and all those explosions practically blinded him like flashbangs… Izuku still held that night as one of his most precious memories. He couldn't help it. Bakugo was one of the best meals he'd ever had.
Izuku's kagune erupted from the base of his spine in a flood of green, coiling and churning like a hungry serpent.
Bakugo skidded to a stop, eyes widening in recognition.
"You." Bakugo shook, an expression of pure hate etched across his face. "You're…"
Izuku stepped forward. Bakugo took a step back. Beneath all that anger, that roiling fury and hate, was an undeniable fear. Bakugo started sweating even harder, and all it did was make him smell even better to Izuku's enhanced senses.
"Bakubro?" the redhead stopped his charge, noticing his friend's shocked state.
Bakugo was frozen, his psyche treading the line between rage and horror like a tightrope walker. Any moment now he'd fall off the edge and Izuku was delighted upon seeing the look on his face, wondering what he was thinking. His kagune smacked across the ground like a dog's wagging tail, the impacts leaving deep cracks in the concrete.
"Hello again, Bakugo Katsuki." Izuku began, cruel glee in his voice. "Remember me?"
There it was. That beautiful expression he'd seen on Bakugo's face that very night. It was indescribable, and just looking at it gave Izuku a rush of dopamine. He didn't know why, either. Perhaps it was his Quirk talking, but it just seemed… right, for Bakugo to wear that expression.
"Stay back, all of you!" Todoroki barked. "This one's different from the others!"
"Katsuki, Katsuki, Katsuki." Izuku let his machete drag along the ground, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. "Ha ha ha."
"N-no… it can't be…" Bakugo whispered, backing away. He was shaking uncontrollably and clutching at himself, at his remaining arm.
"Bakugo-kun?" The redhead was starting to notice something was seriously wrong. "Hey man, what's wrong? Snap out of it!"
"Remember meeeeeee, Katsuuuuuuukkkiiiiiii~?!" Izuku's voice began building up into a roar with each passing second, gaining a hysterical edge. "When I took your arm, I talked! Just! LIKE! THIIIIIIISSSSSS!"
The volume of his voice was enough to stun all three of them, with the other students at the top of the stairs stopping as well. All of them were looking at Izuku with wide eyes and fearful expressions, but Kacchan's… oh, Kacchan's was the best. Izuku couldn't dream of killing him. In fact, he felt like the two of them should do this forever and ever. He quickly shook himself awake from the murder-trance a moment later, curbing his Quirk's primal instincts.
"Ahem, forgive me. Where are my manners? Good afternoon." Izuku coughed, bringing a hand to his mask. "Now if you'll excuse me—"
He raised his new pliers and snapped them open and shut, aiming the tool right at Bakugo.
"—I'll be taking that other arm, starting with the fingers."
Bakugo fell backwards, right on his ass. Izuku started to laugh and advanced, only to be tackled by the furious redhead from before.
"You're not going to do a damn thing to him!"
"On the contrary. I think I'll be doing lots of things." Izuku countered, deflecting a powerful right hook with ease. "Braised, or broiled? Grilled, or sautéed?"
"Huh? What are you talking about, man?"
"Why don't you ask? I'm sure Katsuki would be delighted to share his experience over dinner."
His kagune snapped about at the speed of a whip, the supersonic crack echoing right beside the redhead's ear before slamming into his forehead. He flew backwards into a railing, the metal warping from the impact. So he had some sort of hardening Quirk. How troublesome.
Izuku heard the ice before he saw it, the skittering sound of glass-over-glass allowing him to leap high above the incoming attack. Once airborne he was able to take a moment to observe the situation, catching sight of All Might still in combat with Nomu. They seemed to be evenly matched, so he'd leave it at that. Now that most of the villains were down and the teachers were on their way here, the students were safe. Mission accomplished. All that were left were Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and Nomu. Oh, and himself, of course, but that was a different story. The only one he really wanted was Bakugo. As for both Todoroki and the redheaded boy, they were more like nuisances than actual threats. He'd even tested Endeavor's spawn earlier to see how strong he was, a little disappointed that he didn't use his flames.
The students were innocent. But Bakugo… Bakugo was special. Izuku supposed he could have a little fun with him, especially after all they went through together.
Izuku's Quirk continued to whisper in his ear, giggling and prodding. Nudging him in the right direction.
Blades flashed from his machete and Izuku cleaved the ice apart, landing on his feet. Behind him his kagune coiled around like a massive serpent, undulating and rippling with power. So many prime ingredients besides Kacchan but he couldn't use them… what a damned shame.
The boy with the hardening Quirk lowered his shoulder and ran towards Izuku in a charging tackle. He yelped when the kagune wrapped around him like a tentacle, smacking him from side to side before tossing him down the stairs like a discarded child's toy. The noises he made while falling were most amusing.
Dodging another ice blast, he spun about to face Todoroki. Twisting about, his kagune hurtled through the air and pierced through the boy's ice barrier like a rock through a windowpane, sending him sprawling backwards in pain. With that many openings Izuku could have killed him three times over, but one of the fun parts was watching heroes learn from their mistakes. Even as a monster, Izuku was still something of a hero fanboy. Bakugo was getting to his feet now, having somehow found his courage. Good, good. He still had some fight in him. That was the Kacchan he knew. Right, they probably thought he was just another villain that orchestrated the attack on USJ. Behind them the battle between All Might and Nomu intensified, and Izuku could hear what seemed like boulders being tossed about and shattering.
"Ha ha ha." Izuku was a whirlwind of green and white, tearing apart the landslide of frost Todoroki sent his way. "Impressive, Spawn of Endeavor."
"Stop calling me that!" Todoroki spat.
"Why deny it? You can't hide from your true nature." Izuku used his machete's branches to dance atop a frozen field of spikes. "None of us can."
Closing in, he knocked Todoroki's arm to the side with the back of his blade. The heterochromatic boy froze when Izuku's pliers pinched around his nose, the masked villain letting out a dark chuckle.
"Got your nose. Ha ha ha."
Izuku let go instead of disfiguring the boy's face, cartwheeling away to avoid an earsplitting explosion. Bakugo had finally found his balls and was jumping headfirst into the fray, both his normal and cybernetic palms crackling with the power of his Quirk.
"DIIIIIEEEEEE!" he screamed, part rage, part terror.
"So rude. We were having a conversation." Izuku chided, dodging the blasts with ease.
Bakugo braced his good arm and pulled the pin on one of his gauntlets. Izuku simply kicked the gauntlet upward, just in time for a massive explosion to erupt from the support item's muzzle. It blasted a hole right through the ceiling, allowing daylight to seep into USJ.
"Perhaps I should take a leg instead?" Izuku suggested, causing the blonde boy to pale. "I'll take the left one. You'll be 'all right' then, hahaha."
Bakugo howled and leapt away with his explosions, but Izuku was relentless. He kept closing in, smacking Bakugo around with the flat of his blade, his pliers, and even his tail. Non-lethal strikes, of course. He just did it because it was fun to him. Like a cat playing with a baby bird. Todoroki and the annoying redhead tried to charge in again, only for Izuku to sweep them off their feet with a swipe of his tail, sending them scrambling backwards when his machete sprouted into a dozen blades. The three U.A students were panting with effort once they regrouped, yet Izuku was still in excellent condition.
"Guys!" someone yelled. "Look!"
Izuku whirled about, just barely catching the sight of All Might hurling Nomu into the ground. The earth shattered from the impact, hundreds of tons of rubble climbing into the air. The number one hero landed a split second later, pulling his arm back in preparation for a punch.
"Hey, villain…" Power radiated off All Might like heat from a campfire. "Have you ever heard these words?!"
Izuku grinned and squealed on the inside like an excited child. Here it comes. Steam gathered atop All Might's fist, his unknown Quirk building up power with an audible whine.
"Go beyond!" All Might thundered, his fist racing towards Nomu's midsection like a speeding freight train. "PLUS—"
The sound of the number one hero's fist impacting was like a car crash magnified a hundredfold. Nomu's body seemed to expand like a balloon for a moment, unable to withstand the unstoppable force that was All Might.
"—ULTRA!"
Nomu flew. He hit one of USJ's many ceiling lights and punched through it like a bullet through cheese, the shockwave from All Might's punch creating a localized, miniature maelstrom that shook the entire training facility like an earthquake. Izuku could have sworn he saw the clouds part as Nomu hurtled through them, becoming a tiny speck in the distance.
What a waste. He would have loved to find out what the monster tasted like.
"Ah. Time's up, then." Izuku clanged his weapons together and bowed. "Bakugo-kun, I'll have you for dinner soon. Ta-ta, everyone."
"Wait, what the—"
He ignored the redhead's protests and jumped to the ceiling, climbing the curved surface effortlessly to make his escape. For a split second he assumed Todoroki would make the chase, but the two-toned boy opted to stay back to help Bakugo, who was hyperventilating on the spot. The rest of his classmates soon gathered around him, some still watching Izuku escape as he crawled upside down on the ceiling like some sort of freakish human spider.
There was one girl in particular that met his gaze without any fear. A brunette, with her hair styled in a bob cut. From the way she looked at him, she seemed more confused than afraid. No matter, since Izuku doubted he'd be seeing her again anyway. He leapt to the hole Nomu's body had made, just as the U.A teachers barged into USJ. Some of the students quickly gestured and pointed to where he was, then at Shigaraki and Kurogiri below.
One of the teachers whom Izuku recognized as Snipe raised his revolver. Six shots delivered his message when the bullets curved; three homed in towards Shigaraki and Kuroigiri, two raced off towards the Mountain Zone, and one headed straight for Izuku.
The cannibal flicked his machete and deflected the bullet, gazing down at them with mild annoyance. It was then when a strange scent drifted across Izuku's nose. Blood, but unlike any other. This blood carried some strange, intoxicating fragrance, many times stronger than the one he'd sensed from Nomu.
It was All Might's blood. Izuku was shocked to find out how good it smelled, far stronger than anything he'd ever experienced so far. Even at a distance All Might's blood and blood exuded a powerful scent, causing Izuku to let out a low growl of hunger. The number one hero was bleeding, wounded from the fight with the abomination. But beneath that glorious, rich flavor there was a second smell. Old blood and scar tissue. All Might's… old wound?
Izuku's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. So Shigaraki was right about one thing after all. All Might was weakened. The battle with the Nomu had taken a lot out of him, and now the hero was… steaming? It was the only word Izuku could use to describe what was happening. Steam was rolling off All Might's shoulders, and from his strained expression Izuku knew that there was definitely something wrong with the number one hero. Before he could study it even further another bullet forced him to back off, bouncing off his shoulder. Now wasn't the time to reveal that conventional bullets couldn't pierce his skin, so he made a hasty retreat. Just before he did he witnessed Kurogiri opening a warp gate, both he and Shigaraki departing as quickly as they came.
The boy couldn't help but smile even as he escaped, hopping from one treetop to another. It'd been quite an eventful afternoon. As far as he could tell none of the students were killed, so that was a major victory. He'd even gained a fun new toy to play with, along with the various parts of villains he'd collected during the attack.
Of course, there were the highlights. The reunion with Bakugo Katsuki was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. It could have been either one of the two first-year classes that were arranged to be at USJ, but it was fate that Bakugo was there. Izuku's mind was spinning with ideas already. No, no, no, he wouldn't eat the rest of Bakugo that he had in storage. That was far too much of a waste now that he could build such wonderful contraptions. He had just enough left to make one Quinque.
Finally there was All Might. Izuku's childhood idol. His hero, the big man himself. Today's battle had proven that All Might wasn't the all knowing, all powerful hero that the public knew him to be. Despite his godlike status he was just a mortal man like any other. He was not unstoppable, far from it! His old wounds and the ones Nomu had inflicted were proof of that. There was a way to beat him…
Izuku licked his lips.
And a way to eat him.
[Chapter 5 End]
Thank you for reading!
The heavy pliers that Izuku picks up are have the same design as the ones Jason uses in Tokyo Ghoul. So he's a reference to both 'Jasons'.
Hope you liked it.
