You guys are literally angels for being so patient with me.
Once again, I can't thank you enough for all the love and support you all have sent my way. Life has been very rough, and I definitely needed to step away for a while. But I'm back, and I'm ready to write again.
Here's the next chapter- one that's almost entirely focused one 1B- and as always, there will be an optional Author's Notes at the end for your curiosity.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER WARNING: this chapter contains intense violence, blood, and gore.
I do not own My Hero Academia.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Despite the winds wiping around her in the free fall, the sound of several screams still managed to reach Itsuka's ears. The darkness was receding, but her horror only grew once she realized she wasn't the only one falling to her death.
(Did… did the mist villain get his own guys in the crossfire of that attack?!)
The light had returned enough to reveal an expanse of baby blue below her. She was seconds away from plummeting into a bay-
-no, wait… An indoor pool? One large enough to house the biggest yacht she'd ever seen in her life, as well as a water slide that looked like it belonged in Shibamasa World.
Itsuka was suddenly very grateful for her quirk, and the conditioning she built from using it. It made her a strong swimmer, so at the very least, she had a decent chance of… of…
… escaping…
Are those… are those fricking villains, in the fricking water?!-
The redhead was literally pulled from her thoughts when something strong, slimy, and rubbery wrapped itself around her waist. Her hands reflexively went down to work herself free from it's hold, but before she could make any headway, her body was yanked to the side.
The next thing Itsuka knew, she was suspended in the air with her nose only a few centimeters above the yacht's deck. Fearing and expecting the worst, she grabbed whatever was holding her and gave it a very sharp tug. Whatever it was suddenly let go, and to Itsuka's surprise, she heard a croaky "Gahh!" as she was dropped onto the deck.
And as she scrambled to her feet and lashed out at the first thing that moved... Itsuka found herself coming face to face with the other occupants of the boat.
The one immediately before her was a short girl with a wide mouth. She was squatting nearby, staying perfectly still, studying Itsuka with a pair of curious eyes as one of her hands massaged her mouth. The other had frozen halfway between the two of them… Almost as if she had been about to touch Itsuka's shoulder, but had reconsidered now that there was a fist a few centimeters away from her face.
Itsuka blinked once before she jerked her fist back and let out a sharp gasp of surprise. (Oh goodness- she's part of Iida-kun's class, isn't she?! How long has she been stranded here, on the boat!?-)
"Hey! Hey! Are the heroes here?! Are the heroes coming to-OOF!"
Itsuka nearly leapt out of her skin as a yellow glove reached out to almost touch her shoulder. The spooked tomboy reacted purely on muscle memory, grabbing and pulling the other's wrist while sweeping their leg at the same time with a cry of surprise. With the ease of practice, she drove them face-first straight into the deck. Her knees automatically landed on the small of their back, and her free hand reflexively went to grab their neck while the other bent the captured arm into a chicken-wing hold.
As her captive wheezed out a moan, Itsuka began to realize that the person in her hold was just a small boy, dressed in purple tights and a yellow cape. And when she replayed what she just did in her head…
"Oh-! OH! Crap! I'm- oh gosh-!"
She leapt off of him in an instant and helped the poor boy back onto his feet. She felt absolutely mortified that she had just attacked not one, but two of her classmates, completely on accident. But before she could finish stammering out an apology, a quiet, croaky laugh came forth from the other girl on the boat.
"I don't even know your name, but I already like you. Gero."
Itsuka flushed in embarrassment as she glanced back to find the other girl still studying her, far more relaxed than she was before. Now that Itsuka had the chance to get a proper look, she realized that the other girl had a frog-like theme going on for her. The bright green wetsuit- not unlike a scuba diver's- paired well with her black and green flippers and her white gloves. A pair of goggles finished off her costume, and they sat atop her waist-length, cutely-tied, dark green hair.
The familiarity of a relaxed, pretty, green-haired young woman with animalistic features helped to soothe Itsuka's nerves quite a bit. And once the redhead let out a tense breath and relaxed her stance, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
"I'm, uh, K-Kendo Itsuka," the redhead replied as a swell of jeers rose from over the side of the boat. One peak over the edge was enough to let her know that the villains had spread out to surround them in the water… and it looked like they were waiting for… something…
"Thanks for the save!" She continued to whisper to the frog-like girl as she crept back from the edge. She sent her a thankful smile before turning to the boy who was still reeling from the take-down. He was groaning and rubbing his back and wrist as he leaned against the wall of the... cabin? She wasn't too familiar with boat terminology, but regardless, guilt bubbled up and she couldn't help but bring her head down to the deck for an apology.
"And again, guys, I am… so sorry! Are you ok? I-I, uh, just reacted, please don't take it personally! And, and... uh…"
Itsuka trailed off as as a hand began to comfortably pat her shoulder. She glanced up to find the frog-like girl squatting next to her, keeping her eyes on the water and speaking in a rather blunt tone that cut through her uncertainty. "It's no problem, Kendo-chan. And don't' worry about him. Mineta-kun will deserve it sooner or later."
The frog-like girl hopped closer to the edge as Itsuka let out a belated,"Wait, what?" The redhead was quick to follow her lead as she shook off the surprise of the girl's remark, and joined her in peeking over the edge of the boat. The two girls kept an eye on the villains for the moment, watching as the villains swam around the boat, but never closer. And after a stretch of silence, the frog-like girl introduced herself too.
"I'm Asui Tsuyu, by the way. Feel free to call me Tsu, if you'd like. Under better circumstances… I'd say it's nice to meet you…"
"…Yeah… Likewise, Tsu-chan…"
A singular voice suddenly cut across the rising jeers in the water. It came from a guy who had a face like a skull, who wore what looked like a brass neck-guard around his chin and black body armor. He spoke over the chorus of his allies in a harsh, impatient tone, but his words were too indistinct for the teenagers to actually understand what was being said.
They got the gist of it though, once a giant claw of water the size of a bus began to form before their eyes.
Tsu made a slight tsk sound under her breath. The tremble in her voice was so well hidden that the other two teenagers weren't even aware of its existence. "Well. It looks like they're done waiting- "
"I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIIIIIEEEEE! THESE GUYS ARE GONNA KILL US- WHY AREN'T THE HEROES HERE TO SAVE US YET?! WE NEED TO HIDE OR I'M GONNA DIIIIIEEEE–"
In the face of overwhelming odds, the two 1A students began to prepare for the end. One in silence, who refused to go down without a fight, and the other in despair, clutching himself as he begged for help. But as the hand of water continued to rise and take shape, a smaller pair of hands had begun to grow on the yacht's gunwale.
And as the growing hands gripped the edge hard enough to make it crack... A calm, collected voice cut through their spiraling thoughts, and pulled them back into the present.
"No. No one is going to die. Not today."
The two 1A students snapped their heads in Itsuka's direction just in time to watch her tear two chunks away from the gunwale. Their eyes grew wide as she crushed and molded one of the pieces in her backpack-sized hands, as easily as if she were wadding up a piece of paper.
It was alarming how fast the boat material crumpled and folded under her strength.
They weren't the only ones to stop and stare. All around the boat, the jeering in the water audibly faltered as chunks of the edges were torn free with seemingly little effort. A few villains began to raise their weapons or ready their quirks in response to what was happening. There was even one individual who demanded for their 'squad leader' to hurry up whatever he was planning.
The water controller responded by telling him to fuck off. He had already noticed, after all, and was making an effort to go as fast as he could. Still, the water controller wasn't worried in the slightest. In this environment, with fifteen or so others to back him up, those kids were as good as dead (He didn't count the ones who had just arrived and were flailing in the water to stay afloat; if they couldn't swim, that wasn't his problem).
Unfortunately for him, Itsuka had already came to this realization. It was what spurred her hands to create what was obviously a desperate attempt to stall the inevitable. But still, as she took a steadying breath and brought the ball of boat material to her chest, she was hopeful. There was definitely a way out of this mess; all they needed to do was stay alive until that particular path became available.
Regardless of how they were going to escape, the first thing they needed to do was prevent the boat from getting sunk and from being boarded.
Itsuka spoke firmly to her classmates as she eyes narrowed on the villain forming the water claw. "Both of you need to get back. Get in the cabin, and try to get this boat started. I'll buy you as much time as I can."
"… you… mean the cockpit?" Tsu asked the redhead as she blinked away her stupor and finally registered her voice.
Tsu never got a reply; the moment those words had left her mouth, Itsuka had sprung up from behind the railing. And as the frog-like girl continued to watch on in awe, the redhead let out a scream of fury and launched the fiberglass ball as hard as she could.
The ball rocketed through the air, straight towards Itsuka's intended target. The basketball-sized missile was already more than halfway to his face before the water controller realized what was happening, and panic shattered his concentration. The water claw, which had just barely finished forming, started to come undone as the villain made the water in front of him rise to form a shield. The 'shield'- which was nothing more than a small wave of water- barely reduced the ball's momentum as it deflected its trajectory.
As the sounds of the projectile hammering into one of his allies behind him rang through the air, the water controller did his best to retake control of the giant claw. But, he had lost too much focus, and the claw splashed back down into the pool in a massive, out-of-control torrent.
Discord began to run rampart as the villains got splattered by the displaced water, and any semblance of structure was lost in the wake of a simple realization…
Quirk Superiority in the pool meant absolutely nothing if those brats on the boat prevented them from using it.
Tsu peered over the edge of her hiding spot and watched as the villains fell into complete disarray. Some of them swam back to the water controller, probably trying to regroup. Others began to rush the boat. And even a few began to load their harpoons or throw their javelins. It was quite the scene to take in, and the only reason Tsu was able to tear her gaze away from it was because a flash of red had caught her attention.
A quick glance to her side told Tsu that her classmate had finished creating the next fiberglass missile, and it also reminded her of what she had been asked to do. Without wasting any more time, Tsu quickly made her way towards the cockpit and opened the door to hop inside.
She had absolutely no idea how to pilot a boat… But if Kendo-chan was going to risk her life to stall for time, then she was going to at least give it her best shot.
The same… couldn't be said for the third teenager on the yacht…
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" He screamed as Itsuka popped up to throw her second fastball over the rails. "YOU JUST MADE A WHOLE BUNCH OF VILLAINS MAD FOR NO GOOD REASON!"
Itsuka shot him an incredulous look as she yanked the door to the cockpit off its hinges. "Uh, did you miss the part where they almost sliced the frickin' boat in half?!"
She threw the door onto the deck and karate chopped it down the center, breaking it into pieces with ease. Itsuka quickly grabbed two of the bigger pieces with her still enlarged hands. After taking a moment to breathe, she popped up again to hurl the items overboard like a pair of giant, rectangular frisbees. She didn't waste any time to see if she missed or not; her next piece of ammunition was already in her hands as the sounds of terrified screaming filled the air... both in the water, and on the boat.
"OH GOD, I'M GONNA DIE, I'M GONNA DIE, I'M GONNA DIEEEEEE! AND IT'S GONNA BE ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU STUPID-HOT REDHEAD! AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!- "
"-Mineta, will you please shut up?" Tsu called out to him as she found what she was looking for on the boat's dashboard. She grabbed a hold of the helm and slammed her finger onto it, the green ignition button... But instead of an engine roaring to life, one of the indicator lights began to flash yellow.
Tsu felt her heart sink a little as she read the prompt that was right next to it.
'The engine has failed to come online. Please proceed to the next step in Scenario 4-D: Off-Shore Rescue.'
"-NO, YOU SHUT UP TSU! WE WERE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL JUST A MONTH AGO! AND NOW, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE BECAUSE SHE-" he pointed an accusatory finger in the redhead's direction as she ripped off some of the railing and threw it like a javelin. "-DECIDED TO START A FIGHT THAT SHE COULDN'T WIN! WHY CAN'T EITHER OF YOU SEE THA-AAAAACK!"
The small boy's hands flew to his throat as Tsu wrapped her tongue around it with no remorse.
The frog-like girl completely missed how Itsuka's expression turned darker, angrier at his words… Almost like he just struck a very sensitive nerve. But it only lasted for a second before she forced herself to exhale and turn her attention back to the villains.
As Itsuka turned to yank one of the outside benches out of the deck, Tsu quickly made her way towards her with the struggling boy in tow. She kept her body close to the deck, and when she spoke, her words were remarkably clear for having her tongue otherwise preoccupied. "Kendo-chan. What's the plan here? How can I help? Gero."
Itsuka smashed the bench into pieces, just as she did with the door. "Itsuka's fine, Tsu-chan. I take it you didn't have any luck starting the boat?" She spoke as she took the larger chunks and scurried towards the nearest edge, where a few villains had gotten way to close for comfort.
"None at all. I'm pretty sure the boat's just a floating simulator. And even if it wasn't, I'm not completely confident in my boating skills."
"Dammit! Of course it would a dummy." Itsuka paused to throw one of the bench pieces overboard with a grunt. She had to swiftly duck back down to avoid an icicle the size of a broomstick as it sailed overhead.
Itsuka blew a strand of hair out of her face as she thought over Tsu's question. "Um. Ok. Ok, let's see… we need to start gathering supplies, for the worst-case scenario. First aid kits, survival kits, rope, life vests, stuff like that. Are you going to be ok with getting that stuff, Tsu-chan?"
Tsu nodded before turning her curious gaze back to the cockpit, and Itsuka's eyes flickered to the boy wrapped in her tongue. After a moment's hesitation, she added on, "Also, can you let him go? We could really use an extra set of eyes and hands right now."
"… Are you sure, Itsuka?"
"He can help," she insisted as she hurled another bench piece over the rails, hitting a villain square in the chest and jaw by surprise.
The frog-like girl retracted her tongue and hopped back to the cockpit to begin her search. Itsuka gave the boy a moment to recover his breath, and ripped out and broke apart another bench. She threw a few pieces over each side of the boat, peered over the edges to find her next targets, and then went back to get some more fragments. She paused for a moment as she collected the items to address the dazed boy as levelly as she could.
"You're Mineta, right? Listen, I know you're scared, and that's totally fine. But right now, we really need your help. If you could just help out Tsu, we could probably escape with our lives- "
"W-W-Wait! Wait! I-I could die trying to help you guys! W-W-Why are you making me risk my life?! T-T-The heroes are coming, aren't they?! -"
As she rifled through the cockpit, Tsu spared a glance at the pair with disappointment heavy on her frown. She shook her head and continued her search, hoping to find a first aid kit somewhere in the area. The disdain that lingered in her thoughts made her mutter under her breath, "Mineta. Did you really come to Yuuei to be a hero?"
She wasn't alone in her thoughts. As the she popped back up on the opposite side of the boat to chuck a bench fragment at the nearest villain, Itsuka felt the veins in her forehead begin to throb. She came back to grab another piece and took a moment to reply through gritted teeth. "No one is making you do anything, and we don't know when the heroes will get here. All I'm asking for is a little bit of help, Mineta-kun."
Itsuka paused to throw her next piece off the aft end of the boat and clicked her tongue in annoyance when the water controller created a wall to deflect the missile to the side. "Seriously, dude, you could really help us out if you found even one of those items- "
"B-B-But I don't even know where to find them! T-T-There's a chance that they're not even on the boat in the first pl-AAAHHHHHH!"
Itsuka grabbed him by the back of his neck and hauled him away, just in time to avoid a shower of ice darts that had begun to pelt the area they were in.
Her temper was really starting to get the better of her, if the grip on the back of his neck was any indication. But, she forced herself to not direct any of it at him. The boy may have been being difficult, but he was still just a victim to circumstance, just like she and Tsu were. He didn't deserve her anger just because he was scared- the villains did.
She dragged him into the open cockpit, and felt relief well up as Tsu hopped out with two first aid kits in her hands and a bunch of inflatable life vests over her shoulder. She didn't stop dragging the boy until she found a closet and forced him inside. She then turned on her heel, walked over to one of the couches in the cockpit, and ripped it out of the floor. With her enlarged hands, she was able to easily shove it out through the wide windows that lined the walls.
But as she got the couch out of the room, she noticed the boy, with tears streaming down his face, trying to make himself as small as possible inside the closet. As angry as she was, there was still a pang of pity that resonated for him from within her bleeding heart. So before she jumped back into the fray, Itsuka spared a moment to give her classmate something to consider.
"Once we survive this- and we are going to survive this- you need to take a really good look at yourself, Mineta-kun. What's the point of being a hero if all you're going to do is save yourself?"
With her piece said, she hurried out of the room and continued to fight back against the villains with everything and anything she could find.
And as she did, she missed the chance to see a contemplative look pass over Minoru's face as he brought his knees to his chest and hugged himself in uncertainty.
-(TTAE)-
As Itsuka scurried around the deck to keep the villains at bay, Tsu continued her search for items to use in case of an emergency. A flare gun, a couple fire extinguishers, a fire axe, an air horn, and an inflatable raft all made their way to a sunbathing bed on the foredeck to join the other stuff she had found earlier. She even found a few training dummies below deck, but she had no idea if they would be of use or not. Regardless, Tsu told Itsuka about their existence, and also brought with her a bunch of smaller, easier to manage ammunition for her to throw.
Honestly, Tsu was quite impressed- and, just a touch shaken- at how effective the redhead was at keeping the villains preoccupied. An array of items had been used to achieve this outcome, and every now and then, Tsu had spared a glance to watch the redhead in action. Nothing on the boat had been spared- from both of the couches in the cockpit, to the bar stools in the kitchen, every item that Itsuka came across had been pelted towards anyone who dared to try their luck. There was even an instance where Itsuka had bolted below deck to retrieve an entire mini-fridge, much to Tsu's slight horror.
In hindsight, Tsu could understand the rationale behind her choice. The water controller had gotten a little creative, and had tried to raise the water level to get more than half of his remaining guys on board the boat at once. The mini-fridge ensured that his idea did not work.
However…
… Despite how successful they had been, Tsu couldn't help but feel like they were working themselves into a corner.
She wasn't alone in her thoughts, if the increasingly worried look that grew on Itsuka's face was anything to go by.
The only reason they had remained untouched so far was because Itsuka had been absolutely relentless with her barrage… But Tsu could tell the effort was starting to get to her. The redhead had been continually expanding and shrinking her hands to the point that Tsu noticed a delay in her quirk's activation. She also had been rolling her shoulders more and more after each of her throws, though to her credit, Itsuka never once complained.
In an effort to help her out, Tsu began to throw some of the smaller items overboard as well. She had the benefit of using her tongue, which let her slingshot the broken fragments of whatever Itsuka had destroyed from behind the safety of cover. And even though Tsu had no way of matching Itsuka's raw strength, she still managed to whack a few villains in the head with her potshots.
For a while, the two young women worked together in what was undoubtedly the most intense game of 'keep away' in their lives. The boat remained untouched by the villains during that time, making it a true testament to their teamwork and success…
But still, it was only a matter of time before the villains got lucky, or they got unlucky.
Or both.
Tsu suddenly yanked Itsuka back by her gym uniform in the nick of time, right as a harpoon whisked by and narrowly missed her stomach by centimeters. The two of them scrambled around the corner to press their backs against the cockpit's outer wall, away from the rails and on the bow of the boat, and both took a chance to catch their breaths and steady their heartbeats.
The young women were too preoccupied to notice the boy in purple tights creep out of the cockpit on shaking legs. And once he peaked over the edge, he tossed one of the purple spheres on his head into the water, praying that it could float.
After a few moments, Tsu managed to croak out, "Do you have any more plans, Itsuka-chan?"
"I- " the tomboy began but shook her head. Her mind was still reeling from how close she had been to getting impaled. How the heck had she not seen that one coming?
Tsu kept looking around to make sure none of the villains had gotten any ideas. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed how the redhead began to massage one hand at a time with the other… and much to her dismay, she noticed that Itsuka's hands were starting to shake...
"… No, Tsu, nothing concrete. I had a few ideas. One involved using the dummies and putting it on the raft, like a decoy. But, we're not fast enough to take advantage of their distraction… if they got distracted. I… I also thought about throwing you and Mineta up to the rafters and getting to the exit that way. I have enough strength to throw you about half-way up, and you could probably reach the rafters with your tongue from there. If we… If we had some rope, I'd be tempted to try it, but…"
"… but, there's too many villains. You'd be a sitting duck as you tried to climb the rope to safety." Her tongue lashed out and wrapped around some rubble- a bit of boat wall, perhaps- and lobbed it overboard port side, where Tsu heard some villains arguing.
"…To be fair, the only one I'm really worried about is that damn water controller. Everyone else has mostly been using weapons, and that ice-guy can't aim to save his life. But, yeah… s-sorry, Tsu-chan… I'm- I'm out of ideas…"
Itsuka angrily slammed her fist on the wall as her other shaky hand ran through hair. "Dammit! This would be so much easier if we could just pull them in and knock them out!"
"We're not doing that."
Itsuka looked up at Tsu's surprisingly firm and final tone. The frog girl took the chance to wrap her tongue around the leg of a nearby sunbathing table, and whipped it over the edge with a surprising amount of force. She turned back to Itsuka with a steady gaze and a calming tone. "You've been straining your quirk, haven't you."
It wasn't a question, but Itsuka still found herself unable to respond.
"If we bring them in for close combat, what do you think will happen if you try to use your quirk and can't?"
"I can fight quirkless, Tsu- "
"- I'm not saying you can't. But you're starting to show fatigue, and I can't help you out as much if too many villains board the boat." As Itsuka looked away and swallowed uncomfortably, Tsu took the chance to toss another sunbathing chair over the opposite side, where she heard some villains shouting from an alarmingly close distance. "We need an idea that can either take out all the villains at once, or give us enough time to make our escape. Preferably from a distance. So, let's put our heads together and- "
"W-W-What if we could do all three? Take out all the villains at once from a distance, and then escape?- "
"-AHH!"
"-Gero!"
Both of the young women jumped in fright at the sudden appearance of the third voice that chose to join them. Both had turned towards Minoru, ready to attack, but only found the young man yelping back in fright as well. He held both of his arms high above his head, with a couple coils of rope draped around his shoulders and his knees shaking as badly as buildings in an earthquake. The girls slightly relaxed once they realized who it was, and even though Tsu grumbled out something dismissive, Itsuka found herself curious about his idea.
"What did you have in mind, Mineta-kun?"
A giant wave began to form on their port side, and Tsu immediately hopped to that edge, snagging a few pieces of the broken wall with her on the way. As she prevented the wave from crashing into them by disrupting the water controller's focus, Minoru frantically gestured to the rope and spoke as quickly as he could.
"This rope! It's- It's synthetic! It floats in the water, and it's really lightweight! And-And most of the stuff you guys have been tossing overboard has been floating in the water too!"
"Ok…"
"M-My quirk can also float, by the way, and it sticks to everything! Except to me." The young man quickly pulled out one of his balls as a demonstration and slapped it on the wall. When he removed his hand, the ball remained where it was.
Itsuka eyed the rope, then his quirk, and an idea began to form in her mind. "So you're suggesting to use the rope in tandem with your quirk and the floating wreckage… Ok, that's a pretty good start… but I still feel like we're missing… something…"
Her eyes traveled from the boy to a trapdoor she hadn't noticed was there before. It had been built flush into the deck behind him, and with the exception of the thin black lines that outlined its edges, it blended in beautifully with the rest of the area. She knelt down to open it up as Minoru continued to talk, though admittedly, she was only half-listening…
… And the moment she saw what was inside, her idea turned into a plan.
A half-chuckle escaped from her lips, and she lamented over the fact that Setsuna was about to miss out on one hell of a show. But that was fine, because it meant she was (hopefully) safe, back at Yuuei.
"I gotta say, Mineta-kun, you have a really solid idea. Bu-ut, it's not going to work out as well as you'd like… "
She glanced up at him and Tsu, who had rejoined them just in time to catch what was said, and gave them both half a smirk. The frog-like girl tilted her head in interest as she picked up the way Itsuka had trailed off, and Minoru felt his eyes widen as he peered into the storage locker.
"… At least… not without this to help us out."
-(TTAE)-
"Alright Tsu-chan, Mineta-kun. The villains should be close enough by now, so… whenever you're ready, run. Keep low, and stay safe, ok?"
Even as Itsuka said the words, her mind kept bringing up the worst-case scenarios over and over again. And even though the other two had agreed (more or less) to her plan, she was still incredibly worried about how everything would play out. So much could go wrong, so fast, and one wrong step-
Geeeeez, Itsi! Keep making that face and you'll have the wrinkles to match your smothering in no time!
Itsuka almost snorted out loud at the overly lax, achingly familiar voice she welcomed inside her head. The snippet of her favorite memory helped to steady her heart as Minoru and Tsu did their respective parts... And for just a moment, Itsuka fully believed that they could make their plan work.
Now, it was time to actually make it happen.
She fidgeted with the item in her hands as her classmates made their way towards the stern and around their respective sides. Minoru's scalp was freely bleeding as he sprinted along the edge from port side to starboard, and his voice steadily grew hoarse with every ball he threw overboard. Tsu was on her last coil of rope as she hopped around the opposite way; she was careful to stay out of sight as she unspooled and tossed out handful after handful as efficiently as she could.
Itsuka's turn to act came before she knew it. And as both of her classmates made their way back to the bow, she released a shaky breath and sprang into action.
Her hands slowly grew with every step she took towards the port side of the bow, straining from the effects of overuse. She was glad to see that the villains had gotten closer to the boat during their planning period; hopefully, that meant she wouldn't have to exert herself as bad. She was also grateful that they appeared to be otherwise preoccupied. They seemed to be overly suspicious of the rope, and especially of the purple orbs, and it was clear that the villains had no idea what was going on.
Itsuka couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. She tossed her item overboard, and with the strength of her hands, she began to swing it around like a child with a yo-yo.
An ominous WHUMP... WHUMP... WHUMP... began to fill the air as the object in her hands gradually picked up speed...
...But in the back of Itsuka's mind, she couldn't help but think: what if this doesn't work? What if her quirk gave out, half way through their plan? What if Tsu and Mineta died- or worse, what if what happened to Kenji happened to them?-
What happened to Kenji isn't your fault, Itsi. I hope you know that.
Another snippet gently interrupted her thoughts. And this time, Itsuka allowed the memory to play out just a little longer, if only to give her a little more strength...
About 3 years ago, right after Itsuka's first suspension during her first year of Junior High...
"-Not my fault?! Not my fault?! My brother- "
"-is... is really hurt, I know... Baabaa told me about what happened-"
"NO! You don't know! You don't know anything, Setsuna! So just- just leave me alone, ok?!"
She turned her back on her friend, not caring how rude or incorrect she was, and pretending not to notice Setusna's genuinely hurt expression. All she wanted was to be alone, to scream her heart out and punch things until she couldn't anymore. And maybe, just maybe, if she did enough of both, Itsuka might feel a little less frustrated at her own uselessness-
"... I know your hands are hurting, Itsuka..."
The words froze Itsuka in her tracks, for they were the quietest ever uttered by her friend. The sincerity and goodwill rooted her in place, and it woke her up from her anger and narrow-mindedness.
It was like waking up from one nightmare, only to live in another. She looked around, at all the pine trees she had ruined with her fists, and began to subtly shake as Setsuna's words allowed the pain to return to her hands, wave after agonizing wave. Her lower lip began to tremble as a pair of much smaller hands worked their way into hers. The gentle pressure with which they squeezed was soothing, and it tried to coax her to relax... but Itsuka wasn't sure if she could.
Itsuka was tempted to look at the girl who had stepped between her and the trees, but... she couldn't. Not after she threw a tantrum like a four year old...
...Not after she had been crying her eyes out for the last however-many minutes...
Something cold and damp was pressed onto her knuckles, and Itsuka flinched at the contact. She didn't need to look to know that her best friend was dabbing away at her cuts and scrapes with a wet handkerchief.
The young redhead remained silent as Setsuna continued to clean her left hand for a few more moments. So many emotions were flying around in her head, and she had never felt so shameful of her reactions, so... exposed to the world as she had these last couple days...
...And maybe that was why she wasn't surprised when the truth had slipped out during this moment of weakness.
"I hate my quirk."
Setsuna paused for just a moment as she registered what was said, but she didn't dare to breathe a word. She only resumed her task with the same tender care she had been showing before, and Itsuka took that as a sign to continue.
"I hate it. I hate it, with every fiber in my body." Itsuka's voice began to wobble, but she willed herself to keep it as steady as she could. "All it does is give me the power to beat people up. And I can't even do that right, can I? Despite everything I do to try and be better, I still lose when it matters the most. So what good is this stupid quirk if all it does is remind me how useless I am? What good is this quirk..." The young redhead paused to stifle a sob that had escaped her, but she couldn't prevent the tears that fell down her face as she spoke the words that were haunting her mind the most...
"What good am I... if I can't even keep my baby brother safe when he needed me the most?..."
Itsuka roughly sniffed and wiped her nose and dabbed at her eyes in frustration. The silence was getting overbearing in the park she had stormed off to right after school, and a very small part of her resented Setsuna for intruding. She had intended to use this time to vent, to punch out her feelings... But now, because of her, all of her private thoughts kept forcing their way out of her mouth.
"Ya know, it's funny you say that... because I actually really love your quirk, Itsi."
Setsuna still spoke in the softest voice Itsuka had ever heard her use. The girl's attention was still devoted to cleaning her knuckles, and for the first time since she arrived, Itsuka finally looked at her friend.
Usually, Setsuna was all snark and tease, jokes and laughter. Her smiles always made you wonder what she was planning next, and she wasn't afraid to take a verbal jab at anyone who got on her nerves.
Today... she was thoughtful in expression, and mindful of her words. Her smile was gentle and reassuring, and also a little sad... but Itsuka could clearly feel all the care Setsuna had being directed at her.
Itsuka suddenly realized she was staring way too long at her friend. She cleared her throat and looked away before she muttered, "Why would you say something as stupid as that?"
The response was immediate, and filled with quite a bit of Setsuna's usual bite. "It's not stupid, not in the slightest!"
"Riiiight. Because making your hands reeeeeallly big is a show-stopper compared to the stuff your grandmother shows you every day in her nice little office at the HPSC."
Itsuka watched as Setsuna opened her mouth to argue back, but then thought better of it. Instead, she forcefully exhaled and closed her eyes. And when she was ready, she opened them again and moved on to clean Itsuka's other hand, speaking in the same soft voice she had used so far as she did.
"I love your quirk, because it is wholly and truly you, Itsuka. It represents your strength, and all the love you have in your heart. It's a manifestation of why you go out of your way to help people, and why you care so much- Ah, c-come on, Itsi! Don't look at me like that! You're gonna make this weeeird!"
Itsuka felt the heat rise in her cheeks and quickly diverted her gaze. After she cleared her throat, again, she somehow managed to say, "...I don't... really get it..."
"...It's just... well, you're a good person, Itsi. A good person who truly cares with all her heart. You're the kind of person who goes out of her way to help the old lady at the flower shop carry her heavy boxes inside, for free. You're the kind of person who stops the fights on the playground before anyone can get hurt, and the kind who takes the time to stay with crying children until they feel better. You're the kind of person who just... makes life better, for everyone she meets, just by giving them a big, helping hand."
Setsuna looked up once more, this time to give the young redhead her signature, full reptilian smile... and Itsuka felt her heart flutter in her chest as she took it in. Normally, a smiling Setsuna meant that some sort of prank was underway, or else she had a joke and was waiting for the perfect chance to say it. This time around, however, the smile was just... nice. Setsuna was the kind of girl who had always been pretty, even before she began to doll herself up with dyed hair, colored contacts, and tweezed eyebrows. But at this point of time, with her nice, gentle smile and her warm words, Setsuna was nothing short of beautiful.
'...wait, what-'
"What happened to Kenji isn't you're fault, Itsi. I hope you know that. And I hope you know that even after he recovers, Kenji will never blame you, never in a million years."
'But maybe he should...' Itsuka thought sadly to herself. The frown on her face only deepened as her mind continued to follow that train of thought. 'The moment Kenji told me what was happening, I should've done more. But because I didn't... Because I didn't, Kenji will never be the same, and he may never be able to use his quirk again...-'
"Geeeeez, Itsi! Keep making that face and you'll have the wrinkles to match your smothering in no time!"
Her interjection signaled the return of the snark Setsuna was so well known for... but there was now a bit more softness to it that Itsuka really appreciated. Still, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend's reaction.
And then Setsuna said the words that sparked the beginning of Itsuka's journey into heroism.
"For real though, if it's eating you up... then let's be heroes, so that we can stop this kind of thing from happening again! We can make our little corner of the world safe and fair, for everyone! I'll be the one who sneaks around doing all the super cool special secret agent stuff- "
"- Wait, what?!- "
"- And you can become the kind of hero you're meant to be, Itsi- the kind that helps people back onto their feet. The kind that comforts and protects. Because everyone needs a helping hand from time to time, and who better to offer it than you- the person with not only the biggest hands, but the biggest heart too?"
Itsuka truly smiled for the first time since she arrived at the park, and Setsuna couldn't help but smile with her. "So, let's stop punching trees, ok? These hands of yours are precious, and you can do so much more than fight with them."
As the memory faded away, Itsuka took a deep breath and felt serenity ease into her mind and settle into her heart.
This memory- her most treasured memory- always had a habit of replaying itself whenever the doubt crept in, and she couldn't have been more grateful that it did. Even though the memory was old and naïve, it still filled Itsuka with warmth and peace, with purpose and pride. It was the memory that pushed her to be a better person, the memory that encouraged her to take her first steps into heroism... and she owed it all to her.
That's right. With these hands, I will reach out to help and comfort those who need it. With these hands, I will be a hero... and I'll start by protecting my classmates.
Itsuka was fortunate to have come out of her reverie when she did; many were starting to notice her presence, though none of them had dared to move. The WHUMPS she was creating began to grow in frequency, and Itsuka had the honor of watching the villains' demeanor fall into horrified silence.
It seemed that they finally picked up on what her part of the plan was.
Despite having the villains hypnotized in fear, the redhead knew it was only a matter of time before they shook off their stupor. Still, Itsuka couldn't help it as she felt the corners of her mouth twitch up into a devilish smirk. A soft cackle escaped from her lips, rolling over the water's surface and draining what little willpower was left as easily as a poltergeist could haunt a mansion. Her devious friend would've reveled in an opportunity like this, so in her place, Itsuka began to make the most out of her plan...
...And launched the spare anchor she had been twirling in her enlarged hands.
The purple-coated, 50 kilogram weight sailed through the air, and all the villains could do was gawk at it's progress. What comes up must come down, and the villains were way too transfixed to wonder why the redhead had aimed for the outer edge of their group-
-No, that was wrong… She had thrown the anchor towards one person, in particular.
The water controller screamed in fright as soon as his mind processed the giant splash behind him, and Itsuka took off in a sprint a split-second afterwards. The chain grew taut after her first few steps, and to the villains' collective dismay, the anchor began to glide on top of the water.
The villains had no idea why the anchor didn't sink, nor did they know how it was even able to skim the surface. Had they the luxury to stop and observe, they might have realized that the anchor was covered with the same purple balls that were casually floating around them. And had they the time to piece together that puzzle, they might have understood the true nature of Minoru's quirk.
But they didn't have that luxury.
In that very moment, the water controller wildly used his quirk to jet himself away from the anchor… and towards his allies…
…And in his panic, he didn't realize he just swam right into their trap.
The more the villain moved, the more he disturbed the water's surface. The more he traveled away from the anchor, the more he ran into the obstacles in his way, like his allies and the debris… or the rope and the purple balls. And as the water controller only focused on escaping and avoiding the former two… hindsight would teach him that the latter two were not to be ignored either.
The floating purple balls began to ride the ripples created by his frantic movements. He was oblivious to how one had stuck itself to his shoulder, up until he tried- and failed- to brush past one of his allies. And in the wake of that confusing outcome- as he desperately tried to force the other villain away- the anchor closed in and collided into back.
Right as that happened, Tsu threw the last bit of rope directly in their path. The rope was also caught, and it began to trail behind the anchor, moving like a snake in the water as it brushed its length against everything along the way. Debris, villains, purple balls and even other strands of rope were all drawn closer together as the anchor traveled over the water… And those who found themselves even touching the slowly growing mass soon realized they had no chance of escaping.
Itsuka sprinted on, fearless in the face of imminent danger, and Tsu was quick to follow close behind. By now, the redhead's tangled mess had captured most of the villains on the port side of the yacht as she made her way towards the stern. A few lucky ones had managed to get out of the way in time, but before they had the chance to recover and counter, a well-timed tongue lash from Tsu was there to drag any the stragglers back into the cluster. It was almost considered a miracle how the two girls were able to cross over to the other side, together, without missing a single villain.
The collective weight and the increasing drag was starting to get to Itsuka, but nonetheless, she gritted her teeth and kept on running. She forced her hands to continue growing past her largest size, and the strain of her efforts were starting to make her muscles scream for mercy. If that wasn't bad enough, the villains on the starboard side were faster to react once the tangled mass came into view. While Itsuka was still able to catch some of the villains by surprise as she rounded the corner, those closer to the bow began to retaliate with a vengeance. They fired their weapons and used their quirks, with the intent of putting an end to the girl with large hands…
…But in their haste, they forgot that she wasn't the only one they had to worry about.
Tsu hopped onto the upper deck as she crossed to the other side. She knew that Itsuka was on her last legs, and initially, she thought she could help her pull the load from her new position. But from her elevated view, she saw the villains beginning to spread out and fight back. Her tongue and Itsuka's quickly waning strength wasn't going to be enough to catch those who remained, and with that in mind, Tsu made a change of plans.
With another powerful leap, Tsu was back at the bow. She landed with a grunt, and accidentally scared Minoru as he was getting the raft ready for their escape. She quickly scanned for the item she knew could help them out and snatched it up with her tongue…
… And as Tsu hopped to the edge of the boat, she cocked the hammer back and aimed for the drifting couch right in the center of the remaining villains.
"Itsuka-chan! Mineta-kun! Look away!"
Itsuka registered the voice just in time to shift her gaze to her feet, and Minoru was quick to scurry out of sight with the raft. Tsu pulled the trigger barely a second later, and the flare gun spat out a speeding bright light that zoomed over the water. The flare only grew brighter once it hit the couch, and any villain who so much as glanced in its direction became disoriented by the blinding light…
…And that little moment of weakness was all Itsuka needed to try and capture the rest of them in her makeshift net.
Spurred on by Tsu's distraction, Itsuka quickened her pace as much as she could in order to haul the load all the way back to the bow. She didn't dare look up in case the flare blinded her, so she had no way of knowing if she was even catching them or not. She only knew that the weight felt like it was increasing, and over the blood that pounded in her ears, she swore she heard the chains starting to creak and groan-
-and then she was back on the bow.
She had no idea if she had captured all the villains. She had no idea how close the chain was to it's breaking point. All she knew was that she was on the last reserves of her strength, and if she didn't act now, then all of their efforts were going to go to waste.
So with a final, feral scream, Itsuka wound up her torso and slammed her leading foot onto the deck. With her hands already straining to stay enlarged, she unwound herself and yanked the chain upward with everything she had. As she stepped forward to follow through, the entire tangled mess was lifted up and out of the water...
...And as the load began to pick up speed, she used the last remaining dregs of her power to throw the mass as far away from them as she could.
The moment the young woman let go of the chain, her hands instantly shrank back down to their normal size. Her whole body buckled as the edges of her vision began to turn black. She tried to stay upright, to watch the tangled mess as it sail through the air… but fatigue finally overcame her, and it made her stumble backwards into the boat's railing.
Before she fell out of the boat, Itsuka felt something warm and slimy gently wrap itself around her waist. She felt herself being lifted into the air and carried, like a baby in their parent's arms. She blinked, then blinked again, and saw that the tangled villains had landed among the beams that supported the water slide.
Itsuka let out a tiny, humored snort. She hadn't been aiming for that area… but… that was fine…
...so long as… it meant… her classmates… could get…
…to safety…
-(TTAE)-
Tsu lowered Itsuka's body onto the raft that Minoru had thrown overboard as gently as she could. The redhead had turned a little white and clammy, but at least her breathing was steady. And her hands… well, Tsu had no idea what to do with her hands…
As soon as she and Minoru were settled in the raft, Tsu used her tongue to give them a solid push away from the yacht. Wordlessly, she grabbed a paddle from her classmate, and the two of them began to make their way towards…
...Wait, where should they go?
Tsu shook her head- that was a stupid question; they needed to get medical help, for Itsuka.
The frog-like girl thought back to when Itsuka had first appeared, falling in the sky, from the same black fog that had transported her and Minoru here in the first place. Moments before Itsuka had arrived, there had been a massive sphere of darkness that had covered the USJ's entire entryway, just like it had before the two of them were separated from their class.
That mist villain could still be at the entryway…
… and maybe… maybe, Monoma-kun was there too…
It was quite the leap to make, but what if Monoma could copy that villain's quirk? Or, what if he already did? That'd explain how Itsuka had arrived here in the first place. Probably.
Regardless, the entryway would be the first place where any help would arrive. If they could get Itsuka over there…
"Mineta-kun. Help me out? We're going to paddle towards the entrance, and try to get Itsuka-chan some medical help. Gero."
"…Y-Yeah, you got it, A-Asui-s-san…"
"Be sure to keep an eye out for any villains. Itsuka caught a lot of them with her trap, but there still might be a few under the water."
"R-Right!"
Tsu ignored the blank expression on Minoru's face as the two of them paddled towards the entrance as fast as they could. She had no idea that behind his impassive stare, the young man kept replaying the last few minutes in his head. Itsuka's words rang clear through his mind as he rewatched both of the young women step up to take on the challenge that had been sent their way… And it really made him begin to rethink and reflect on his reasons for being a hero.
Tsu was also too busy looking for hiding villains to notice that they were approaching another fight, one that was already well underway in the Central Plaza… One that had devolved into an all-out Bloodbath…
But perhaps the biggest display of their ignorance and fortune happened almost as soon as they had set off towards their destination…
…Because not even twelve paddles in, the blue dome that stood between them and relative safety suddenly exploded into a thousand pieces.
Gale force winds rushed out of the dome and crashed into the water with the fury of a storming sea. The gale hit the yacht with so much force that it was shoved back for the entire length of the wind's course.
The teenagers hardly had any time to react before the yacht had crashed into the red dome on the opposite side of the pool. Luckily for the trio, their little raft was safe from being torn apart by the yacht. The waves that were created in its wake, however, were a completely different story.
The waves were nearly as violent as the winds, and the dangers of capsizing almost became reality. For a few brief seconds that felt like it stretched out into minutes, all Tsu and Minoru could do was hang on for dear life.
Their unwanted wild ride came to an abrupt and bumpy end. Although she was still stuck in a daze, Tsu did what she could to make sure everyone was ok. Once she saw Itsuka groaning and coughing, and Minoru weeping and clinging to the raft's side, she blinked and realized that they had wound up only a few meters away from the yacht. And once she realized that the waves had sent them crashing onto a different shore…
…She tried to recover her wits, and almost missed the resounding BAM! that came from the USJ's front doors.
06:14- The yacht in the Flood Zone gets caught up in a windstorm.
"-ONE! -Wham!- TWO! -Clang! Crash!- THREE!- "
"-THAT LAST ONE DOESN'T COUNT -Whoosh! Fwip!- TETSUTETSU! TWO!- "
"-YES IT DOES! -Ting!- FOUR!- "
"-FUCKING HOOOW?!- Shing! Shang!- HE TRIPPED AND FELL! THREEEE!- "
"-Crunch!- SHADDUP, KAMAKIRI! FOUR- NO, FIVE! DAMMIT, YOU'RE MAKING ME LOSE COUNT-!"
"-HAHAHAHAHAHA! -Shang!- SUCKS TO BE YOU, DUMBASS! NINE!-"
"-Whack!- YOU AIN'T ON NINE, YOU CHEATIN' ASS STICK INSECT-!"
"-WHO YOU CALLIN' A STICK INSECT, YOU CLUMP OF TINFOIL?!-"
Mashirao could not believe his ears, nor his eyes, as he watched the duo from the roof of the closest non-burning building.
There were villains attacking the school… and these two idiots were having the time of their lives, competing to see who had the bigger dick.
Mashirao had been on the run literally from the moment he was transported to the Conflagration Zone. For the last few minutes, his life was nothing more than a lethal game of tag, one where he was alone and vastly outnumbered. He barely had any time to catch his breath between the blazing nets, the scorching laser beams, the burning brawlers, and the goddamn flaming tennis balls directed his way.
But, somehow, he had managed.
The tailed teen could feel the fatigue growing in his muscles, and he knew it was only a matter of time before his luck ran out. It was all he could do to avoid and evade, and maybe throw in the occasional sneak attack.
But that all changed when he heard the thunderous crash of a nearby collapsing building. And as the wreckage grew in volume, a new sound joined it that dwarfed the roaring flames and began to harmonize with the thrum of battle in the air…
…It was the sound of unhinged laughter mingling with a furious roar, and the manic symphony was so loud that it couldn't be ignored.
Those who were chasing Mashirao had paused in their pursuit. As many curious and hesitant stares turned to investigate the newest source of commotion, the tailed teen felt himself skidding to a stop.
Oh no… Don't tell me... Are there others trapped in here too?!
Mashirao took off in a sprint a moment later, taking care to stick to a route that would keep him hidden best. The ruined building quickly came into view as he leapt from one rooftop to the next, and he hoped to God that he wouldn't be too late...
But if the growing crowd around the wreckage was any indication, it appeared that he was...
...Or... so he thought.
The large crowd of villains had formed a semicircle around the half-collapsed burning building. Many in the crowd had been a part of the group who had chased him in earnest, but there were plenty of others who lay crumpled upon the floor, barely moving.
The rubble of the collapsed building suddenly burst apart, sending shrapnel and debris to pelt the villains who had gotten close enough to investigate. The villains scrambled back in surprise to avoid the cloud of dust and smoke that appeared over the rubble... and once the cloud had settled, two lopsided figures were seen striding into view.
Mashirao suddenly realized that they weren't lopsided in the slightest. Their silhouettes were only warped because the two figures were carrying multiple bodies out of the ruins with them.
The glow of the embers glinted off their bodies at different angles, in a way that was reminiscent of metal. Their features were still mostly obscured as they unceremoniously dropped those they were carrying onto the ground behind them. And once they stepped into the proper light of the firestorm, Mashirao felt himself suck in a breath, despite all the smoke that was around him.
The two of them were definitely his classmates, if their torn and tattered Yuuei gym uniforms were any indication. He had no idea who they were or why they were here, but they moved around like they were mostly unharmed, much to his relief.
But before he could take in any more details about their appearances, the two newcomers began create a ruckus. They shouted and hollered incoherently, moving their bodies in tandem with their aggressive taunts.
And before Mashirao could even wonder why they were provoking the mob like a couple of madmen, they both charged forward to fight them all at once.
The tailed teen swore at their hastiness and moved as quick as he could to help them out. Once he was close enough to better discern what was happening, however, he felt his body skid to a stop.
…Are they... actually competing?...They… cannot be serious, right?
His eyes widened in disbelief as the one covered in metal actually laughed as he was struck across the face by a glowing lead pipe. His jaw hung in indignation as the taller one- who was covered in scrapes and bleeding from a cut above his eye- actually allowed himself to get surrounded by multiple villains.
…Oh my God… they are serious…
He heaved a weary sigh and facepalmed himself as he heard the two of them eagerly kick-off their 'competition'. And once he was collected enough to discreetly join in the fray... he opened his eyes and found himself greeted by the sight of four kunais sailing straight at his face.
"What the- JESUS CHRIST!"
Mashirao ducked and sidestepped the knives, spinning smoothly into a fighting stance that faced the crowd below. As he quickly scanned for his assailant, a ferocious taunt and a hearty welcome were shouted at his direction… and both came from the two teenage boys who were neck deep in the melee.
"HEY BUDDY! ARE YOU OK? WE HEARD WHAT WAS HAPPENING, SO WE DECIDED TO HELP OUT-! "
"-THE FUCK YOU STANDING AROUND FOR?! KEEP LOOKING ALL GOOFY LIKE THAT, AND I'LL STAB YOU FOR REAL NEXT TIME!"
Mashirao groaned to himself as a few unlucky villains decided to turn and look in his direction while the other two boys rushed to knock them out. He sighed and scratched his head as his tail yanked out all four of the kunais embedded in the wall behind him. And as he scanned the battlefield to find a suitable route towards the boys and brought the throwing knives into his hands, a mixture of relief and exasperation began to settle in his stomach.
Well, I might as well join these two knuckleheads. I was going to ambush a few of these villains and thin out the crowd beforehand… but, that doesn't appear to be necessary. Or even wanted, for that matter.
Still though… It's nice to not be alone.
He ran forward and jumped off the building, smacking his tail hard against the hot roof to give him a little extra oomph. He somersaulted in midair, and allowed his tail to catch a hold of the arm of the nearest streetlight. Bracing his feet against the pole, Mashirao threw two of the kunais at the villains who had already gathered at its base. He pounced on the closest one, intent on using her as a springboard, and he was grateful that she had brought her hands up in an effort to protect herself. As she fell from the force of his landing, the tailed boy began to leap from one villain's shoulders to the next, using his tail to beat away any attempts to grab him as he traversed over the mob.
In a matter of seconds, he had closed the distance between him and the other two boys. Whether or not that was a good thing was… a matter of perspective.
"Tch."- Slash!- "Six! Took you long enough to join the fun- "
"-Hey, Buddy! Glad you're ok!"- Crunch!- "Seven! You ready to kick some ass or what? -"
Thwap! Thunk! Clap! Smack!
Both of the newcomers whipped their heads in Mashirao's direction, and they felt their faces morph from astonishment to outrage. They just missed out on watching their classmate in a gi effortlessly subdue three of their opponents, while a fourth was in the process of being thrown across the road by his tail. "Hey, guys, can we save the talking for afterwa- "
"FOUR?! DID YOU JUST TAKE OUT FOUR AT ONCE?!-"
"-THAT WAS SO FUCKING MANLY! BUT THEY GOTTA STAY DOWN, SO THAT ONLY COUNTS AS ONE, OK TAIL-GUY?-"
"-It's Ojiro!" Mashirao snapped as he planted his tail on the ground and kangaroo kicked a villain straight into Tetsutetsu's path. "Seriously, can we just focus on living through this fight?!"
"I'M JUST EXCITED TO BE FIGHTING ALONGSIDE YOU, OJIRO!" Tetsutetsu yelled in delight before he lashed out at the jaw of the villain with a heavy metal elbow. "EIGHT! YOU BETTER KEEP UP, KAMAKIRI! WE'RE IN BUSINESS NOW, BUD!"
Togaru didn't reply right away as he found himself facing off against two villains, each dual-wielding a pair of flaming daggers. He evaded and side-stepped their wild swipes with a sneer of contempt, until one of them lunged too far forward with an attack. The mantis-like teen lazily deflected it with his own version of a sword-breaker, and with an upward twist of his wrist, Togaru caught the dagger in his tines before he stepped forward to knee him in the gut.
As that villain crumpled to the ground, Togaru turned and threw his newly acquired dagger at his other opponent. The second villain was reeling in pain before he realized that the hilt of the thrown dagger had broken his nose. The mantis-like teen shook his head before he almost leisurely swiped at the villain's temple with the broad side of the dadao grown from his forearm.
With the two villains knocked out, Togaru began to search for his next targets, and hoped that they would prove to be more of a challenge. But the more he looked, the more his mind fumed at the lack of quality fighters he had seen so far today.
Pathetic, each and every one of them. It's almost like we got teleported into a fucking circus with all these clowns they keep throwing at us. Tch. Whatever.
"Eight! Tetsutetsu, you better not be strugglin' to beat these guys, dammit, or I'll be beatin' you!"
"HA! IN YOUR DREAMS, KAMA- "
"-WILL YOU TWO PLEASE FOCUS?!"
-(TTAE)-
Defeating the remaining villains was… almost embarrassingly easy.
Before another minute had even passed, Tetsutetsu and Togaru were shoving each other to the side, racing to get to the last villain standing.
As the poor sap finally got tackled and pummeled by a flying ball of metal, Tetsutetsu leapt to his feet and jabbed a finger in Togaru's direction. "How many did you get?!"
Togaru mirrored his movements, and reflected the question right back at him. "Nah nah nah, how many did you get? –"
"-Does that really matter right now, guys?" Mashirao interrupted as he scanned the area for a way out and for any villains they may have missed. He felt both of their stares on the back of his head and he hastily continued his train of thought. "Look, seriously, I'm glad you guys- uh… whoever you guys are-
"-I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu-! "
"-Tch. Kamakiri. And don't you forget it- "
"-We're both from 1B!"
"… Right. Like I was saying, I'm glad you guys suddenly popped up when you did. But… my classmates... they could still be in danger, and… "
"You wanna go help 'em out too, don't ya Ojiro?"
Mashirao turned to look at the metal-turning teen, who wore a fierce expression and was appraising him with respect. The blade-user was doing much the same at his side, with his arms folded and an eyebrow raised. Mashirao only nodded once with his back straight, his jaw set, and his tail twitching near the end, and both of the boys from 1B broke out into wide grins.
A serrated longsword suddenly sprang from one of Togaru's hands, and Tetsutetsu cracked his knuckles as his skin instantly became metal. "Then let's go get our classmates, Ojiro! You helped us, so we're gonna help you! Besides, it's not very manly to sit around on our asses when they could still be in trouble!"
Before Mashirao could open his mouth to thank him, Tetsutetsu was already sprinting as fast as he could towards the nearest portion of the dome wall. As he left cracks in the pavement with every step he took, the blade-user cackled and took off after him.
With a snort and a shake of his head, the tailed teen began to run after them. Mashirao was fairly certain that Tetsutetsu had no idea where he was going… but, oddly enough, that was ok by him. He had the distinct feeling that if they couldn't find the exit anytime soon, the two boys wouldn't hesitate to make one.
For the next few moments, the trio of boys sprinted for the dome wall. All was going well... until they reached the edge of the mock city block.
The serrated longsword in Togaru's hand suddenly tripled in length as he swung it to the side, right in the path of his classmates. Mashirao turned to him in confusion while Tetsutetsu angrily demanded what his deal was, but the blade user just snapped and told them both to shut up. His tone had become deadly serious, and it made the both of them quick to comply. They stared at Togaru and watched as his expression morphed into intense focus, as if he were trying to strain his ears to listen. It was hard to tell with the roaring of the flames, but the blade user swore he heard a massive explosion off in the di-
BOOOOOM! CRASH!
The boys were incredibly lucky to have stopped when they did.
An entire section of the wall, not forty or fifty meters to their right, was instantly destroyed in a shower of hot metal and gale-force winds. The fires around the new entrance were extinguished by both the roaring winds and the waves of water that followed it. The sounds of screeching metal grated against their ears before the boys could even recover from the aftermath of the explosion...
... and as all the chaos finally settled down, they looked up to discover that the bow of a luxury yacht now filled in the majority of the ruptured hole.
The light of the USJ's ceiling filtered in through the tears, and in the spaces between the boat and the wall. It highlighted the wreckage all around it, from the thick, steel beams dangling dangerously over the boat, to the wet ground that was now littered with the ruined remnants of the wall. And once they had a chance to take it all in, the three teenagers broke free of their stupor and leapt into action.
Each of them ran to the yacht, and each of them wanted to know how the hell it ended up here. They scurried around until they found a big enough gap for them to squeeze through, and once they were outside of the dome, they continued to try and figure out what was going on. Their eyes remained riveted to the boat and the area around it, but the more they tried to make sense of it's appearance, the less they seemed to be able to explain it.
As they moved around the stern of the yacht, Togaru saw something brightly colored out of the corner of his eye. He whipped his head around to find an inflatable raft by the water's edge, about twenty or so meters away, nestled within a small thicket of shrubbery and trees. And inside that raft-
"Holy shit… Tetsutetsu, that's- that's Kendo-"
"-Asui-san?! Mineta-kun?! What the- are you guys ok?!-"
"-KENDO! WE'RE COMING, BUDDY, HANG TIGHT!"
The three of them dashed for the life raft as the two conscious teenagers whirled around with alarm on their faces. By the time Tsu and Mineta had recovered from their wild ride, their classmates had closed the distance and had begun to pelt them with rapid-fire questions. Mashirao had to raise his voice in order to be heard over Minoru's blabbering, and Tsu did her best to fill them in as she got back onto her unsteady legs. Togaru could only stare dumbly at his Class Representative, who's hands were a mess and who's breathing was shallow, and Tetsutetsu flitted about, wanting to help her but not knowing what to do.
During the time it took for their shock to wear off, none of the teenagers realized just how much danger they were in.
By the time Tsu and Tetsutetsu had begun to carry Itsuka back to the entrance, none of them had realized that the fistfight of the century was about to begin, not a hundred meters in front of them.
And as the six students began to shuffle their way back to safety, none of them realized that they were about to have front row seats to a world-changing event.
It wasn't long before winds far stronger than the ones that had crashed into the boat came along to batter their progress. Soon after that, the Earth began to rumble with a steadily growing intensity.
It wasn't long before the six of them realized that they weren't going anywhere for a while. Soon after that, right after they took shelter within another thicket of shrubbery and trees, their eyes fell upon the sources that were creating these calamities.
The fear of death rooted the teenagers in place, though they barely understood what was going on. Even Togaru, with his zealous love of fighting, and Tetsutetsu, with his boundless energy, felt all the willpower leech out of their bodies as the battle steadily headed for it's climax.
They were powerless to do anything but watch the Central Plaza from afar. The storm was heaviest at it's center, and with all the dust and blood and dirt being tossed into the air, it was hard to truly see what was happening.
But there was enough to make out the clashing silhouettes of two titans in a fight to the death...
… and it looked like one of them was winning.
06:48- The group from the Conflagration Zone finds the group from the Flood Zone.
Author's Notes!
Fun fact: if you carve out about 80% of Mineta's personality, he's actually not so bad.
Another Fun Fact: I randomly decided where the 1B students where going by dice rolls. I felt that Kurogiri didn't really care where he sent them, as long as they were just sent away, so... I sent them away. This... actually caused me some issues, but I'll explain those in the next chapter's End Notes.
How did you guys like the team-ups and the planning? Were you expecting the 1B kids to show up in different areas?
Believe it or not, my original idea for the Flood Zone was actually the whole 'throw them onto the rafters' idea. But, after I wrote it the first time, it felt reaaaaallly anti-climatic. So, I rewrote the scenes a few times, and eventually I came up with this. Also, once the idea of Itsuka swinging around an anchor floated through my head... well, I kinda had to indulge myself a little. Hopefully, ya'll can forgive me XD
Conversely, Tetsutetsu and Kamakiri's scenes where so unbelievably straight forward that I had to restrain myself from getting too creative. Still, I liked what I came up with, and I hope you guys can share with me your thoughts on these team-ups!
Obviously, Itsuka took center stage with this chapter, and I do hope you all enjoyed the beginning of her character arc. Itsuka is a character I absolutely adore, and I hope that, with this chapter, you all have come to like her a least a little bit more.
I do hope you guys can forgive me for the lengthy flashback- in hindsight, it might've not been the best place for it, but for me, it was important to show the origins of Itsuka's drive to be a hero. (Also... I may or may not have been wanting to work Setsuna into the USJ, seeing as she has been absent for the majority of it. And it was fun showing a completely different side of her character that's only available to the people closest to her heart!) Another thing about the flashback- it contains a lot of hints for Itsuka's and Setsuna's backstory, and it also provides the foundation for their sub-plots. I hope you enjoyed what was shown so far!
Again, thank you so all much for all the patience and support you guys continue to have for me. It does wonders for the soul, and it inspires to me to be a better writer, for you guys. Thanks, for everything. :)
Until the next chapter! Stay safe, happy, and healthy!