A/N Thanks for your reviews and support.
dogman999: thanks for your review, my friend. So glad you enjoyed it.
Izuku's POV
The sound of bones cracking filled the air as he was slammed into the ground. No matter what foot technique he used or how fast he was the other was faster. Getting up was becoming more and more difficult with each passing strike.
As Izuku slowly got back to his feet his hand pressing into his chest Hyuk commented, "Your style and form are not bad. However, you lack the experience necessary to fight someone like me. Let's put an end to this farce. You need medical attention and we have a crowd."
Izuku turned his head slightly to look behind him. Sure enough, a crowd was forming. Most of them were regular civilians interested in seeing two Murim fighters go at it. There was an auburn-haired man who was watching with an unreadable look that was of Murim. Izuku could feel the ki rolling off of him in waves.
Then he looked at Sesol who had a terrified look on her face. She thought he would abandon her to the Murim Alliance to save his own skin. Never. He would never abandon her not as long as he was living.
He turned back to Hyuk and raised his fists once more. As long as he took in a breath he would defend her and as such he would defend his master.
Hyuk only sighed in disappointment before launching himself at Izuku. Time seemed to slow for a moment as the younger stepped around the lunge. He tried to kick Hyuk's ribs only for the other to turn in the air at the last moment. The kick had missed but it was a near thing.
The kick has cost him, however. He could feel the shift of the broken ribs. If he wasn't careful he would puncture a lung. That would make fighting difficult if not impossible.
Hyuk moved faster this time as if he was getting serious about the fight. Izuku barely saw him moved before he was tossed up into the air and slammed down again. Blood wet his lips as he struggled to simply breathe.
An idea hit him like a ton of bricks. If he used Fanged Destruction it such a compact area the radius would be larger than normal. He wouldn't have to touch the other just get close enough that Hyuk couldn't get away.
He dropped a ki pellet into his hand in preparation. In the fight, he had wasted a lot of unpurified ki trying to fight back and not landing a strike. If this was to work he needed as much ki as possible.
As Hyuk came at him again Izuku put the pellet into his mouth and swallowed it. Unpurified ki rushed through his system and as he led the other boy deeper into the alley he grabbed at his ki. Pushing it through all at once to filter it into a single moment.
Months of training and hard work paid off. The shock waves alone sent the crowd flying back into the street and screeches of tires could be heard. Lightning didnt go nearly as far lengthwise. It hit Hyuk sending flashes of lightning up and down his body.
Izuku used that to rush forward and try to land a single strike. The influx of ki wouldn't count as it wasn't a direct hit. Only a direct hit would count in Hyuk's eyes. With the last bit of his strength, he tried to cross the distance. As his attack was about to land a hand grabbed his wrist. His legs were then kicked out from under him as he was thrown. Straight into the brick wall behind Hyuk.
He then crashed painfully onto the ground unable to move. It hurt to simply lay there and breathe. His body refused to respond to his commands to get up.
The blond said, "Oh man... the council is going to have my head. He was probably our only lead on Goomoonryong."
Hyuk looked down at the Izuku, "You brought this upon yourself. You should have taken my hand when I gave you the chance. Rest in peace disciple of Goomoonryong. Don't blame anyone but yourself."
"That was no reason to kill him!"
Izuku wanted to snarl even as he felt blood running down his face. The last strike must have made another wound. He wasn't dead yet.
He saw the blond reach for Sesol and how she cowered away from him. Her life wasn't kind and she was only just beginning to come out of her shell. If she went back to that hell hole that his master rescued her from she would return to being that cold girl. This was not something he could accept. Not when he was able to make her smile.
:Get up. You have to get up. There is someone depending on you. YOU HAVE TO GET UP!: he thought as he got his arms under him.
Just standing up in this moment was a feat in itself. He was out of ki and with his injuries a ki pellet wouldn't help much.
The blond asked sounding genuinely terrified, "Is this kid a zombie?"
Izuku glared at the two older boys as he felt One For All rising. Green energy coursed over his body.
Hyuk stepped back inquiring, "What is that?"
Izuku knew it was risky to use One for All here. If he overpowered his attacks then no one would help him. If anything they would allow Hyuk and the blond to take him. At the same time, the risk was worth it if he won.
Izuku snarled determination clear in his eyes, "This is my last-ditch effort. I would rather die than betray my master. I would rather die than willingly let you take Sesol. Not when she has just learned how to smile!"
Sesol tried to reason, "Stand down Izuku. Don't die like everyone else for me."
Izuku smiled at her as he replied, "As long as I still take a breath I swear I will defend you."
There was nothing left to say after that. The two fighters glared at each other. Neither willing to back down from there cause. Focusing like he had when training with All Might he used the walking foot technique. Even without ki, he was faster than a normal person. Finally, his fist connected with Hyuk's chest.
With the bloodloss and the internal wounds, the older boy didnt even step back from the blow. Izuku however collapsed into a heap on the ground. The last of his energy was gone and the world went black.
Won-Jae's POV
Heo had seen a lot of aftermath from battles in his time. Most of them were from those suicidal enough to go against the Murim Alliance. For the most part, these people adults who knew exactly what they were getting into.
So when he heard about a fight two miles from his office he went to be on standby. Many times if there was a battle and a medic was not on hand someone would die.
What he was not expecting was to find the Chundomoon brat fighting an unknown child. The unknown child was not from any clan or school as far as he knew. They just had a meeting where most of the underlings and disciples came. One would think that if a disciple could throw around inner ki strike like this one was they would have been at the meeting.
In a corner away from the fighting and its dangers was a girl. It took him a long moment to realize she was the Sunwoo clan's heiress. The very same heiress that was stolen from the Torrent clan. Goomoonryong was this kid's master. That was why Heo didnt know him.
This would complicate things. Murim Alliance would want to use the boy to bring his master out of hiding. In his current state, the boy would not last this fight much less making it to a holding cell. As Munju of the One Moon School, he could declare the boy off-limits. Ever since he had taken control of the school they had been neutral in most things. He wanted very little to do with the Alliance as he did not believe in the way it was being run. That did not mean he wanted them as his enemy though.
His decision was held off until he could decide if the kid was worth it. Like those watching he was surprised by the kid's guts. To be able to continually get up time and time again was no easy feat. Then to use elemental ki at the force a master level technique. That was something only a prodigy could do.
Heo watched as what could only be a quirk rise over the boy. Like Chundomoon he thought the last strike had killed him. Only for the boy to force himself up once again. Lady Sesol begged him to stand down that she wasnt worth his life. He denied her that. Then he lunged at Chundomoon with every last bit of his energy. His fist connected with the Chundomoon's chest. There wasnt any real power behind it. It was simply the last ditch effort of a child who desperately wanted to protect something.
Then the boy collapsed face down on the ground. Heo rushed to his side shrugging off his jacket and rolling up his sleeve. The phoenix princess had already dropped by her protector's side. Her amber eyes were filled with tears as she cradled him to her.
Heo said gently as he pulled open the boy's shirt to see the abdominal injuries, "I am Heo Won-Jae of the One Moon School. I am here to help him not those who must beat him into a bloody pulp."
She carefully read his expression searching for any falsehoods. When she didnt find any she gave him a nod and he got to work. Then his eyes fell upon the phoenix medallion. Looking between the girl and the boy he understood the meaning. She didnt expect to be able to lead her clan. So she found a suitable replacement until her return.
What in the world did this boy do to warrant such trust? It was almost unheard of for someone outside of the clan to be given such an honor. Heo knew the boy did not belong to the Sunwoo clan. The lack of a phoenix tattoo all but screamed it.
Chundomoon stated as he backed away, "We will retreat for now as per our agreement he has won. Tell him when he wakes up that next time wont be under the same conditions."
Heo nodded his assent. Behind him he could hear the crowd being ushered away. Heroes must have arrived on scene. He would have to swiftly assess this child's condition and move him once he's stabilized.
Unsurprising the boy's condition was not favorable for continued living. 5 of his ribs were broken and one had punctured his lung. There was internal bleeding that was severe enough to warrant ki healing right there. While he healed the internal bleeding the best he could they were approached by a hobo of a man. By the scarf around the man's neck Heo knew it was the pro hero Eraserhead. No time to deal with nosy heroes he had to save this boy's life.
The external wounds were just as bad as internal. Cuts and bruises littered the body. The worst of which was a cut along the boy's hairline. It was spilling blood into the boy's face and he couldnt get it to stop. After cutting his shirt sleeve into strips he made makeshift bandages. They would have to do until Heo got the kid back to his school.
A car was already waiting for him at the end of the alley. The moment he saw the seriousness of the fight he had sent for it. Now he just had to deal with the hero.
To the phoenix princess he said, "Go to that car you see there. I'll be along in a minute so we can get your friend some medical attention."
Pulling the boy close to him he stood and was very much aware of how light the child was. Did he not eat? Or was his family not very well off? Something to ask when the child was awake and not on the verge of dying in his arms.
To the hero he stated, "I realize you have a job to do and that this boy has broken your laws by using his quirk. However he is on the verge of dying and my building two miles down the road is the safest place for him. No other Murim clan can enter without my permission. Either you can come with us or leave your card and wait for him to contact you. Whatever you decide it has to be done now."
