"What the hell?"
You blinked a few times, but the differentiated flame was gone. Had you imagined it? Was all the stress of looking for the disappeared villain finally making you go crazy? Perhaps it was the direct blow to the head from a super mutant you'd just taken. Whatever the case, you needed to prioritize what you could see. With Endeavor handling what you assumed to be the final nomu, it was time for you to focus on damage control and containment. As you peered around the side of the building, you saw a small red structure sticking out of the ground. It was skinnier than the ones you'd seen back home, (then again, lots of things were bigger in America) but the writing on the side was unmistakable. Rushing out from behind the safety of Stiller's shield, you headed for the fire hydrant.
Stiller turned around just as you took off.
"Where are you going?" He called, continuing to hold his barrier as Endeavor's flames roared silently behind it.
"I'm gonna put out the fire!" You shouted as you made your way across the street. You examined the hydrant. It was similar to ones you'd worked with before; though, you didn't have a key to open it. That wasn't going to stop you, though.
"This is a bit further from the fire than I'd like," You muttered to yourself. "...but it'll have to do." In one swift motion, you unscrewed the metal cap on the side and watched as it clanked to the ground. To your surprise, no water came out.
"Huh?" You bent over to look inside of the outlet. It seemed to be completely dry. You stepped in front of it and squatted down for a better look.
"I don't think they'd appreciate me pulling the whole thing from the- oh wait a minute…" You facepalmed. "Duh." You stood and turned your attention to the top of the hydrant. "Gotta open the stupid thing first." Using your quirk once again, you twisted the large nut on top perhaps a little too quickly. Water gushed out of the side, spraying your legs with enough force to knock you over. You landed on your elbows as water continued to cascade over your head and soak your entire body. You rolled out of the line-of-fire (or, water, in this case) and quickly got to your feet. You chuckled a bit, but felt quite embarrassed about your mishap. Gallons of water began to pool at your feet and spread rapidly along the street and sidewalk.
"At the rate that it's growing, that fire is gonna be enormous by the time the water reaches it. I'm gonna have to bring it myself." In hardly any time at all, you collected a good portion of the mini-lake that had formed around you and flew above the fire that raged near the car. You lifted the water over your head, doing your best to aim it just right. As you focused, you heard Stiller's voice call to you again.
"(H/N), DON'T-"
You released your quirk, and with it, the suspended liquid. The water crashed like a torrential downpour onto the ground. As soon as it hit, a massive fireball shot straight up, engulfing you completely. You covered your face with your arms in a desperate attempt to protect your eyes. With some quick thinking, you managed to pull much of the thermal energy away from your skin, but not before you had already been singed. The shock of the intense blast sent you squealing to the ground. You landed on the concrete, gasping for air, but there wasn't much to be had behind the fire. You'd become situated between the car you'd thrown and the building it had hit, both of which were quickly succumbing to the flames. Smoke surrounded the area and gave you almost no visibility of the road or the others. Fear began to overtake you as the realization that you were surrounded by a wall of death sunk in.
"S-Stiller! Hawks?!" There was no response. Your throat began to tighten, and you coughed sporadically. Without your helmet, breathing in the polluted air proved difficult. You rolled to your side gently, propping yourself up on your arm. You began to shake, and your muscles ached, but whether it was from the exertion of your quirk, or the physical trauma you'd experienced, you weren't sure. Gingerly, you touched the back of your neck with your fingertips and hissed at the stinging pain that suggested scorched skin. You looked up towards the sky, hoping to see anything but the black smoke and the blinding fire. For the most part, your view was obscured, but amid the haze, something stood out.
There it was again! You focused hard on the building, not wanting to believe your eyes. The truth, however, became uncomfortably clear. Turquoise and azure hues flickered between the red-orange flames as they wafted out of a broken window on the second floor. There was no denying them this time. You hadn't imagined it.
"That mother fucker!" You shouted angrily. The fire wasn't catching unnaturally fast at all; new ones were being set inside. The danger around you was suddenly unimportant in your mind. A new flood of adrenaline coursed through your veins, giving you the strength needed to push yourself onto your feet. You remained squatted, but continued to scan the side of the building for an entry point.
'I'll get burned worse than I am now if I try to go in through the window.' You turned your blurry gaze to the glass doors. 'But I can make it up there.' With no hesitation, and complete disregard for the compromised structural integrity of the building, you burst through the front doors and into the main lobby of whatever business this was. Most of the furniture had been set ablaze, along with parts of the walls. Though you'd been cool and level-headed throughout the chaotic day, you felt your actions now were dictated more by rage and frustration than an innate sense to do good.
'I can't burst through the ceiling or else the whole thing could come down and injure everyone outside. Stairs. I need to find some stairs.' You frantically searched for signs that would point you in the right direction, and bounded down the hall towards the stairwell, using your quirk to yank the door off with such force that it came clean off its hinges. It clanged noisily against the wall as you passed.
'No fire in the stairway, then. Good.'
You rushed up the stairs, not even bothering to touch the ground. You reached the second floor in seconds. Just as you were ready to rip another door from its frame, a low grumble sounded from behind it. The sound of a heavily breathing beast lumbering about the floor, its deep, inhuman voice moaning senselessly, penetrated the metal door. Feeling a bit more cautious, you slowly cracked the door.
To your surprise and relief, no flames wafted through the door, but there were plenty throughout the room. Just as you'd seen from outside, some were blue. You peeked inside. Vibrant, multi-colored tiles decorated the ground. On the opposite wall, there was a row of cubbies, most containing bookbags or toys. Small tables and short chairs were thrown randomly about the room, some on fire, others only partially melted.
'Is this a classroom? What's a school doing in a shopping district?' Your anger began to boil over at the thought of Dabi attacking small children.
Straight ahead, in the center of the room, you could make out a huge, grey, reptile-like tail being steadily dragged along the floor. You dared to open the door more. As you poked your head in further, you found that the tail belonged to yet another grotesque nomu. It stood with its back hunched, knuckles dragging along the tile. It didn't seem to be doing much of anything; just walking around, occasionally sniffing the air. Strangely, it didn't seem bothered by the flames at all, or, at least, it wasn't reacting to the heat. It behaved almost as if it were in some sort of 'offline' mode. Besides the beast, there didn't appear to be anyone in the room.
"Where are you?" Your whisper was quiet enough that the nomu could not hear; the door's creak as you pushed on it, however, echoed in the stairwell. The creature's head whipped around to face you. The tile beneath its feet cracked occasionally as it slowly stomped toward you. The nomu's bottom teeth were completely exposed. Its jaw hung wide as it bellowed at you, revealing two seven-inch fangs that seemed to pull back when it closed its mouth again. It reminded you of a snake.
Just like before, you tore this door from the wall and held it out in front of you using your quirk. You made sure to keep the nomu in sight as you crept further into the burning room. The thermoregulatory capabilities of your suit were helping to keep your body cool, but your exposed face was beginning to feel the heat. Sweat beaded on your forehead and trickled onto your brow. The beast lifted its long arms off the floor and charged at you. Turning the door sideways, you launched it at the nomu with as much force as you could. It hit the nomu's throat, causing it to make a ghastly gagging noise as it was sent flying across the room. It slammed into the wall on the other end and the door fell over its body.
You smirked, feeling accomplished now that you'd taken down another. From above, there were cracking and groaning sounds. You looked up curiously. Had the impact caused that large crack in the ceiling? In an instant, it gave way. The floor of the upper level caved in, sending dust and other flaming debris swirling into the classroom. Smoke filled the room and completely blocked any sunlight that had been able to enter before. You gasped and choked, lungs burning for oxygen. You looked around frantically, but found only auburn flames. Where had the others gone? You began to panic.
'This is not good…' You realized as you put a shield around yourself. 'I can't filter air into this barrier if there's no air in this room, but it'll keep me from getting burned more. I need to make sure that thing is dead.' You raised yourself over the flaming beams and used your quirk to try and clear out the smoke in your way. It was clear you had very little time left to get out of the building before it collapsed. Just as the nomu's tail came into view, something in your peripheral vision caught your attention. The same blue flames you'd seen wafting out of the window were now casting shadows on the wall to your right. In the cerulean glow of the fire, was a familiar figure. The dark coat and spikey hair gave him away- it was undeniably Dabi.
Ignoring the nomu, you dashed towards the villain. You held your arms out and grabbed hold of his jacket as you forced him to the ground. Your speed caused the two of you to flip in the air for a moment, but you eventually landed on top. You felt your anger begin to subside as you pulled his arm behind his back; that is, until he glanced back at you with a smile. His body shook under you as he chuckled.
"What the hell is so funny?" You growled.
"Ah, nothing…" He replied coyly. "I'll be seeing you soon."
"Shut it." As you attempted to place your hand on his head, it disappeared into a brown-grey sludge.
"Huh?!" Dabi's body dissolved away, leaving you straddling nothing but the floor.
"Wha- I don't… What the hell?!" You stared at your hands as the realization hit you.
"Right, that Twice guy. Shit, does that mean the whole league is around?"
A sharp and piercing pain shot through your left calf. You screamed at the sudden and intense discomfort. You turned your body around only to find that the nomu you'd neglected had taken the opportunity to sink its teeth into you. Targeting its head with your quirk, you tore it from your leg, using a bit more power than you intended. The creature was cast through the wall behind it and out of the building into the street. Blood leaked from your fresh wound, but the crescendoing noise of the building indicated there was no time to patch yourself up here. You pulled yourself up and stood shakily. The room around you began to spin, and some of the flames began to dance in unnatural waves. Something was wrong. You needed to get out.
'If it's coming down anyway…' Your mind became hazy, and you were finding it increasingly difficult to think. '...then I can just bust through the wall.'
With one mighty push of power, you smashed an enormous hole into the side of the structure. You tried to fly out as fast as you could, but instead, stumbled out onto the asphalt. The building behind you crumbled, sending even more debris flying into the street. You scrambled to take shelter behind a dumpster. Though the crashing ceased, the fire did not. Ash, dust, and smoke badly muddled your view of anything but the light of the flames. In the distance you could make out approaching sirens and… voices?
"(H/N)? (H/N)!" A mixture of distinct, yet muffled voices called out to you. You opened your mouth to call back, but your response was quiet and gravely.
"I'm he-" Your voice barely carried a few feet before dropping to dog-whistle volume. You coughed a few times and attempted to clear your throat, but to no avail. Even with the support of the dumpster, you struggled to stand.
'That nomu… was it venomous?' You wondered fearfully. 'I need to find my way to the street. I need to get help. I sent the nomu in their direction, so maybe they can make an anti-venom.' You hugged the wall of a neighboring building as you slunk towards those voices that called out for you until another stopped you in your tracks.
"I told you not to fight." Dabi's voice was deep, and raspy, and almost disciplinary. You looked over your shoulder at him. He walked toward you steadily, but with purpose.
"F-fuck you…" You managed hoarsely. In your current state, there was little to no hope of beating him in a one-on-one fight. Still, your pride convinced you to swing at him. With little effort, he caught your arm before it connected. He didn't look angry. In fact, his face bore something akin to boredom. He held your wrist up and examined your watch closely.
"Hmm…" He vocalized, turning your arm to get a better look. After a moment, he moved his grip to cover the device completely.
"You won't be needing this." You felt your skin begin to heat up as Dabi activated his quirk in his hand. The sting of melting plastic and over-heated metal scorched your wrist, causing you to cry out in pain. Your vision began to fade to black- in and out for a moment, and then completely. Whether it was the smoke inhalation, the nomu's venom, the blinding pain, or a mixture of everything was unclear. Either way, you were out cold.
