A/N: This took longer than expected but here's the biggest chapter to date, enjoy!
Chapter 7 - Go Beyond, Perfection!
| | 12:50 PM | |
"Today's training will be a little different," Like that, another day begins with Yuki feeling far better after yesterday's unnerving chain of events. Now, it was on to a new style of training as Mr. Aizawa clearly pointed out, gaining Yuki's full attention. "You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."
This had raised a number of eyebrows, with Yuki sharing the same knowing look as Izuku, both wondered if it were about the break-in yesterday. Yuki thought about the strange person she encountered, did the security capture him on camera, if so, it would definitely explain the security.
"Sir, what kind of training is it this time!?" Sero asked and everyone received the answer of a bright blue card, 'Rescue' written boldly
"Rescue, you'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, the works." Mr. Aizawa nutshelled and the class became restless with excitement, even Yuki smiled at the prospect to test her skill in something other than attacking. She had an idea of SIVA's potential long ago, its power wasn't just a force of nature but it had the potential and applications to support and save lives without the result of violence, something she welcomed
"Are time to shine, SIVA, steel yourself." Yuki grinned
Locked | And | Loaded
"This here's what separates the men from the boys, man I'm pumped!" Kirishima earned a playful flick from Yuki who looked at him questioningly, tapping her index finger against the desk. He grinned sheepishly. "You know what I mean, just metaphorically."
'Then I look forward to 'metaphorically' wiping the floor with you' She winked and the two cast themselves in a fiery glow, nothing like a challenge to improve the determination. A cold blue flame surged behind Yuki while a roaring inferno surfaced behind Kirishima, their hands shaking in agreement that they swore would shatter the floor under them
"You're on!" Kirishima laughed while Izuku gulped a slid down on his own chair at their combined fury, it was that intense that the desk under their fingers had begun to burn, causing most of the class to shift away from them
"When did they get so close as rivals?" They asked unitedly, while Mr. Aizawa rubbed his eyes, composing his dry-eyed stare to the rest of the class
"Guys I'm not finished yet." Mr. Aizawa grumbled, blinking very slowly to ease his point across. "What you wear in this exercise is up to you, I know you're excited about costumes, but remember you haven't gotten used to wearing them just yet, and they might limit your abilities," He then shot a look at Yuki, sighing with a hidden smirk. "Of course, someone who can naturally change their clothing with a simple flick of a wrist doesn't have room to complain."
Yuki sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, eyes curved with a nervous sweat at his gaze. She'd been caught out again, and by the scary, mummy-man of all heroes. "This training will take place in an off-campus facility so we'll be taking a bus, that's all so get ready."
And with that, their day had got underway. While Yuki had been excited for this day she couldn't sway that presence from yesterday, was that guy watching her? Either way, she'd be sure to thrash him next time, she had SIVA, the two of them weren't going to back down from a fight if that's his goal. Adjusting her gloves she stood up and grabbed her case from the wall.
*Boop*
Izuku jerked forward, surprised by Yuki's appearance in her own costume again, the damage done to hers completely repaired while she made a motion with her hand at his gym clothes. He realized this and had to improvise, even Ocha noticed.
"Hey Deku, where's your costume?" She asked while Yuki fiddled with something in her hands but Izuku couldn't quite tell what it was so instead he focus his attention on Ochaco, rubbing one of his gloves with a defeated smile
"Well, after the combat training it kinda needs repairs so this will do for now, the Support Company is still working on my replacement so..." He elaborated, so Yuki tapped his shoulder then pointed to Kacchan
"'He ruined his cute outfit, I liked it'" Yuki's words were repeated by Ochaco while Izuku stammered a blushed. Ochaco then giggled at what was written next. '"Dumb-Dumb over there destroyed it'"
"What was that you're repeating! Tell me yourself you fucking Mute!" He blared back and earned another tongue poked out mockingly from under her mask, causing his blood to boil if not for Kirishima holding him back. "Go to hell!" The entertainment ended as then Iida scared them both at the sharp whistle
Iida then began to try and orderly instruct everyone onto the bus via student seating numbers. To Yuki's sigh and Iida disheartened and wasted display of control, chaos unfolded and his instruction left on death's ears.
"Iida's really kicking it into high gear as our Rep, huh?" Both girls nodded simultaneously at the poor man's skill gone to waste, with Yuki holding up a hand-sized white flag helplessly again. Izuku still needed to know where and how she stored these items or was it all nanomachines again? Now he felt she was just cheating
Yuki patted him on the shoulder and sat down next to Izuku, with Mina trying to soften the blow to his pride. Meanwhile, Izuku practically froze solid as Yuki rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh as the lights of her mask went dark. "W-Why is she leaning on me!? N-No, this is fine, yep, totally not unnerving to have a girl on my side sitting so closely-!"
'It's fine Iida, next time for sure' Her encouragement had him sit tall with pride once more
"Thank you for your encouragement, Yuki, I swear your vote yesterday will not go unnoticed!" His thanks did make her wish it had, but more power to him
"Since we're pointing out the obvious then there's something I want to say," Asui asked, looking to Izuku who shakily turned his head her way, trying not to think of Yuki who was now passed out against his arm. "About you actually."
"Really? What is it Asui?" Izuku quickly asked, but she simply blinked
"I thought I told you to call me Tsu." While not much changed in her expression Izuku felt as though she was slightly dishearted by that so he quickly shook his head, his cheeks turning pink
"Oh, right..." "Great, the one girl I call by name I'm a studdering mess and the other I always forget." Izuku slumped a bit but remained attentive to her question
"It's about that power of yours, isn't alot like All Might's?" That question now had Izuku sweating rapidly at the accusation, he didn't expect someone to ask but now that he thought about it he was mimicking All Might so it made sense to draw that conclusion
"Oh crap!" Both himself and Yuki were now on edge, and while Izuku started his ramblings of excuses and lies, Yuki cracked an eye open, yawning while putting a hand on his shoulder, pressing something to his chest as he stopped and blinked, taking note of the item in-hand
It was a hand-sized, black diamond with the edge trimmed with cherry red, it didn't do much from what his eyes could tell but the sensation in his hands gave off a familiar warmth he swore his nerves remembered. Looking to Yuki for an answer his face practically set on fire as her nose nearly touched his, glowing blue eyes staring back at his emerald orbs intensely.
"Y-Y-Yuki!? What's, I-I, um, are, you, o-okay?" He nearly fell backward onto Tsu while she lifted the hand with the device in it, then with a blink it came to life, floating before their group before attaching itself to his chest, flattening against his jumpsuit while four triangles poked out from the edges
'I'm not keen on using my Quirk on others, but this much is fine for me, it'll help you, trust me' Yuki had put alot of work into this SIVA cluster, hence her sleepy state since she had SIVA work to function on Izuku without harming him
"Thank you!" He quickly bowed his head multiple times with multiple thank-yous that Yuki felt her face itch, so she flicked the note around, if she was honest, this was already alot for her and she's sixteen, not something she should be stressed about. Though keeping the secret of the number one hero, his Quirk now passed to her best friend, combined with the added layer of yesterday's encounter, she wished to be anywhere else
'Then I graciously accept your lap as a suitable pillow kind hero' That drew a collective 'Huh' from the five of them, in mere moments Izuku nearly blacked out as Yuki sat her head back on his lap comfortably, smiling mischievously as her eyes closed and she stopped listening to his outcry of embarrassment. His lap was comfy for the trip and hopefully, he'd be alright with her sitting there for the journey atleast.
Just to make her rest far more enjoyable, she held up a final note that had Izuku practically shaking and a number of them laughing at the expense of one classmate as said person roared in fury from the back of the bus. "You bloody Muted bitch I'll burn you alive, come over here and shove in my face if you think you're so smart!"
"It's so obvious how large of a dynamic there is with them...!" Again, everyone pointed out the obviousness of it all
"Ah... inner peace. I only wish it would last..."
Not long after they had arrived at the USJ from the sign out the front, inside the colossal dome stood an arena, unlike any Yuki had seen before, just standing outside had her knees tremble with anticipation. But her outward expression looked less ecstatic since that same feeling had returned, but she did her best to shrug it off. Izuku, however, noticed this as they gathered before the USJ.
"Yuki, why do you look sad?" Izuku thoughts were left unanswered as someone came out to greet them, but he did grab her hand to give it a small squeeze, surprising Yuki out of her trance, so he offered her a comforting smile and her eyes returned to normal, curving graciously for a moment
"Hello everyone, I've been waiting for you!" A voice rose up and murmurs grew in the crowd
"Oh My God!" Ocha squealed with delight
"The Space Hero, Thirteen!" Both she and Izuku fangirled, with Yuki rolling her eyes but noting how he hadn't let her hand go, softly, she held onto his hand, sighing at how strangely comforting it was then focused back on the hero
"Strange, All Might isn't here... he overworked again, didn't he?" Her face dropped. "You idiot, again..."
"I can't wait to show you what's inside!" She stepped to the side and swept her arm wide for them to proceed, everyone agreeing it was going to be a great day. Inside was as her knowledge predicted, the simulation of disasters built by Thirteen herself, it was famous for the Pros that came before them used to train themselves
Even while inside her and Mr. Aizawa spoke softly, with Thirteen holding out three fingers, something Yuki and Izuku caught onto, did that mean All Might really did use up the remainder of his time, if so, they had no guidance today and had to rely on each other.
"Leave it to me to pick up for you, All Might, I got to keep Izuku from using One For All to an extreme." Yuki wasn't happy with it, but she'll manage anyway
"If All Might's not here then I'll stick by Yuki, I'll keep my promise to him." Izuku was determined not to fail this time
"You want me to protect Yuki? But why, not that I'm complaining, she's just really strong on her own." Izuku inquired toward All Might's perplexing request, his eyes closed for a moment
"I know it's a little out of the blue but I want you to stick to her side the best you can," He paused, with Izuku waiting patiently for him to explain. "Yuki is... well, she has alot on her shoulders, the incident yesterday has clearly affected her and combined with her mentality could prove to put her and SIVA in a dangerous spot, but that's only if the situation grow dire."
All Might put his hands together, leaning forward to look directly at Izuku evenly. "I know you are both strong, but together you can go beyond, so do your best to support her as she has done for you, Young Midoriya."
Izuku tightened his grip on her hand, keeping his visible features calm and collected. "I promise to keep her safe, All Might, I've done it before so I can do it again." Both shared a nod and kept their attention on Thirteen while she gave the rundown of the day
"Before we begin, I need to say one thing, well maybe two things... no three, uh, four, maybe five... six even." I think they got the point, too many in fact since they all outright said to her. Eventually, she got onto her Quirk, Blackhole, and upon hearing its name, she knew of it, despite Izuku's fanboying again, but she wasn't smiling, in fact, Izuku stopped grinning upon feeling Yuki's hand tighten around his
Consume | Enhance | Replicate
The words echoed, screamed in her head with each pulsating moment her mind scrambled inside a nexus of code and simulated endlessness. Red and black static filled her eyes, blurred reality and tore apart a world she felt distort and warp to her mechanized design. Her soul screamed for her throat snagged on metal and wire, teeth sharper than bone and screwed with a glitching, animalistic cry of feral domination.
Consume | Enhance | Replicate
Each pounding second hurt her body, pulling and tugging on her nerves like guitar strings strummed to a systematic melody of her twisted construction that flung out of her control. SIVA was eternal, her body a catalyst for its uncontrolled chaos, it wanted to be reined in, but Yuki couldn't answer, it begged for her hand, but hers were multiplied and against her control.
Consume | Enhance | Replicate
Yuki blinked, having felt a thumb run circles on the back of her hand, she had missed the speech but didn't really mind, Izuku had pulled her back from that unpleasant memory, something that she feared by had taken steps to overcome. Her and SIVA wouldn't go through that again, she made a vow to her, SIVA, All Might, nothing like that will happen again.
This moment of clarity had come to a swift end, having her eyes focus on the alerts sent by SIVA, her eyes glossed over the pool of information swelling in her lenses, and she tugged Izuku forward a bit, eyes locked to something beyond Thirteen and Mr. Aizawa. It warped and distorted the fountain far across the arena, black and purple swelled and bobbed into existence, just as Yuki's eyes narrowed dangerously, Mr. Aizawa caught on too.
A hand pulled its way through the bridge between space, and from it, a face glared back, a hand covering their face as the warp gate widened and surged, large enough for multiple targets to step through, ranging from small to large, some with mutations and other looking far more ambiguous in their design. Yuki could see it though, this isn't normal, this feeling that crawled over her skin, it finally settled.
"Stay together and don't move!" Mr. Aizawa waved them back, flicking on his goggles. "Thirteen protect the students!"
While Thirteen urged them to flee, something chilled her spine again, and soon, another portal swirled behind them, cutting off their exit, she didn't realize it at first but the power had been jammed, SIVA having blocked some kind of interference moment prior. They had them boxed in, but Yuki's gaze never left the main force below.
"This is real... those are villains!" If that didn't nail the coffin together it most certainly would soon. Yuki gulped down a shiver while Izuku felt the same way
"Yuki..." "She doesn't look scared... she was angry," Izuku gulped, hand still holding onto hers tightly. "We can't escape, not when they have a Portal Quirk, they must have been responsible for yesterday."
"Perplexing, the schedule we received from UA said All Might would be here... all I see is Thirteen and Eraser Head." The Warp Gate spoke formally, shrinking down to a blackish-purple cloud with sharp, long yellow eyes
The man at the front, wearing multiple hands over his body sounded tired and devoid of empathy. "Where is he? I went through all the trouble of gathering all these friends who are eager to meet him, they want All Might, the great Symbol of Peace... maybe if I kill a few kids he'll come out to play."
After their introduction, Yuki stepped forward, tapping Izuku's arm then motioning to the lights in the USJ, making hand gusteres to perform a lightbulb going out then using her palm to push against it, it took him a moment as the others asked questions, but his eyes soon lit up.
"Thirteen, they're jamming all electrical devices in the area," His answer had drawn their attention. So he pointed to Yuki who held a few small clusters of SIVA in her hands. "Yuki's Quirk specializes in technology, she could see that something here is jamming our communications."
"Can you break it?" Kirishima asked but his hope was shot when she shook her head, wishing she could but it was a Quirk not an actual machine in play so SIVA couldn't do much
"That must be the reason, someone among them has a Quirk that's jamming our signal to the outside world, whether they're simply attacking here or the rest of the campus is unknown, but they carefully chose this place over anywhere else," Shoto gave a concrete breakdown, leering down the stairs toward the amassing army. "They're fools but not without a clear objective, one that revolves around All Might."
After a moment Mr. Aizawa quickly jumped into the fray, making quick work of a number of the villains below, something Yuki smiled at and Izuku took to analyze, even so, Yuki felt her hands twitch, she had no question their teacher was a Pro that could live to his namesake, but what worried her more was how long he could keep it up?
"He can't stare forever, and soon one of them is going to figure that out, then what?" Yuki breathed heavily, hearing Iida and Izuku call for her to retreat, but her hands didn't stop twitching, her legs felt a spring in each jitter, and her heart never stopped to rest, heightening her senses
She had to stick by Izuku if he used One For All he'd be left unable to defend himself, but Mr. Aizawa was also stuck in the middle of the fray trying desperately to defend every one of them until they could pass the Portal villain. Yuki was frozen in a state of indecisive logic and recklessness, she had a choice and little time to decide, one choice would alter the events that unfolded here and now.
Clamping her eyes shut her hand pressed to her heart, listening to every sound, kick, scream, yell, and effect of Quirks erupting across the USJ, slowly, her heavy eyelids fluttered open, facing the stairway into hell's waiting arms.
"Yuki? We have to get going," Izuku peered back at her, seeing her gaze drift to his, it wasn't long but he felt it, anxiety over his promise to All Might, and that look in her glowing gaze. "No, you can't-" A hand pressed to his mouth, eyes still bulging from their sockets, pleading for Yuki to take his hand again
"I'm sorry, but I have the power to save someone... I'm going to bloody well use it!" Fury built in her eyes, no second to hesitate now
She just winked and pushed him back into Iida's body.
SIVA | Enhance | Ten Percent
With a peace sign to the sky her feet broke off the tiles, tearing through the air at a breakneck speed the villains below had no idea came plowing down from above. Throwing caution to the wind the air snapped at the bolts and hue of red surrounding her body as her feet caved a villain made of stone into the earth, burying his face into the mud while her body spun upside down allowing her clusters to form into several throwing knives that she flung into the crowd, watching them erupt into red blasts that brought a few to their knees and other scattered. Paralysis knives.
Skidding to land with her back to Mr. Aizawa's, the two locked eyes as his mouth ground in anger. "Why is she here!? She should be trying to escape!" His fear and anger over Yuki's lack of tact had only met her resolve in sticking to his side. "Why are you here, go now!" She shook her head
Conjuring more knives she held them tightly then motioned from his eyes to the crowd. It didn't take a genius to understand he knew what she meant, but that didn't matter, he wouldn't allow one of his students to die trying to protect him. Had he the time he'd throw her back up himself, but now they were surrounded.
"Look at that, a little girl is coming to help a Pro!" "What a joke, he must be already tired of fighting!" "Let's beat him to a pulp then have him watch his little brat die screaming!" All their wonderful comments only made Yuki do a silent laugh, tapping Mr. Aizawa's hip
Glaring down at her, he caught the smile she offered him with her mask lifted slightly for a moment, she couldn't sit by and watch him die, he was a great teacher, something only All Might and her Guardian had ever been able to be. Mr. Aizawa was strict, cold, and hard to talk to, but he had a good sense of teaching and looked only for what was best for his students, so she couldn't let him die, not when he had so much more to teach them.
"You damn kid," He finally released a sigh, tightening his fingers around his scarf while turning back toward his targets. "Don't hold back, that's an order."
Her tongue clicked and her heart raced at the prospect. Taking a firm stance, Yuki clenched her fists and brought her arms to her sides, the red lightning crackling while a hue of red sharpened around her. Everyone was startled by the increase in heat and the creak and groan of metal that protruded from the left side of her head, a large, cybernetic horn jutting high, tinted a pale white with a blue wire running down into the top of Yuki's head.
Both her hands were converted into a black metal, claws replacing her fingers as well as her hidden toes, with a red glow to her eyes she might as well have become the very thing that stood between them and certain death, she relished it, while SIVA nanites crackled in her hands, condensing in her palms.
SIVA | Enhance | Fifteen Percent
"What the hell, just kill them alread- Ack!" Several balls of red light struck one of the villains, knocking him to the ground while a foot came sailing around to crack against his neck, knocking him out. Two beside him used their Quirks in vain to capture Yuki but her body spun up and over their heads, sending a sphere of light their ways, a small explosion erupting on both sides, followed by her performing the splits two break their noses
Yuki gasped, seeing a chain wrap around her leg and pry her from the earth, a villain alligning their giant hands to crush her mid-air. Pivoting her body Yuki slammed her feet against the open palms, only straining for a moment while she broke the chain with a flick of her ankle, using the freed limb to knee the villain in the face, sliding down his back and locking her arms with his, spinning once in the air while attaching SIVA clusters to his body upon tossing him downwards.
The crowd screamed as his body erupted with red energy, Yuki standing atop his chest while throwing more knives conjured before her eyes, she backflipped with a slip of her left leg, cracking her foot against the a girl with chains, sliding her body under he feet while utilizing that momentum to fire two more blasts into someone that attempted to flank Mr. Aizawa, his eyes glaring in her direction as two people fell to their knees before Yuki her fingers crackling with power.
She sliced their chests, sending scores of voltage through the bodies in seconds. Turning back around Yuki conjured herself a black chain of her own, spinning it around as a clamp manifested, snapping against a villain's neck while she grunted and yelled to be released. Something Yuki noted was their fighting styles, none had intimidating Quirks, and had little-to-no communication. Just thugs with power they can't properly use, so this fight...
"Is already ours!"
She pulled the girl forward, her body sailing past her shoulder as the woman collided with a guy with four arms, the chain linking to him as well. With a large enough stomp to break apart the ground, Yuki strained her muscles into pulling both villains off the ground, using them as a whip that pulled on her arms, similar to a shotput gravity started to exceed the force of her own motions.
With a kick off the ground, Yuki bounced into the air, using a villain thrown by Mr. Aizawa as leverage to roll herself around, propelling the villains high, a single flick of her wrist and the two cried out, impacting the courtyard with exceeding amounts of strength, creating an artificial wall that tore through the ranks, Yuki herself making a less-than gracious land next to Mr. Aizawa.
A number of villains gather again, both teacher and student pressed their backs together while gearing up for the on-coming wave. It was a struggle, not a battle, and they weren't going to last forever. All the while a large geyser of water rose into the air near the shipwreck zone.
Mr. Aizawa never hesitated, bounding over two more villains while binding them together, tugging hard on the scarf's fabric the bindings collided, smacking the thugs together while using their weight to pull himself off the ground, slamming his feet against them both and burying them in the ground, he turned, seeing a villain fall to the ground next to him due to a blast from Yuki, her hand casually lifted high to shock another that tried to use stealth to get the drop on her.
"She's holding her own..." While great, both had been fighting for atleast ten minutes now, this wasn't good for either of them, his eyes were red and itchy, while Yuki never let it show, her body movements were as precise as when she arrived, both were putting everything they had into winning and the main villains orchestrating it all haven't made a move. "If I end up failing they come for her next, this endless struggle won't last."
"Final boss!" Mr. Aizawa announced, and while Yuki was ready to take him on her right arm didn't budge, even while Mr. Aizawa moved to intercept the muttering villain wearing hands. She blinked at the sudden resistance, slowly craning her head back to come face-to-face with a black wall of muscle
Her eyes dilated, seeing her fist caught in its hand while its beaked mouth opened, revealing the array of jagged, broken teeth. The lidless eyes curved down at her, revealing more of its exposed brain that had Yuki nearly discard her lunch at the sight, but her stomach had all but sunk at the sight of the brute villain.
"...crap..." Seconds later her vision flashed black and white, alongside a surge of pain spreading across her body while the air flew past her and the sensation of her back against the ground followed quickly. Her ears were buzzing with white noise and her senses struggled to recover. If she could cry out in unrivaled agony, she would
Meanwhile, Mr. Aizawa was struggling himself, locked hand-in-hand with the villain that dissected his Quirk's telling, and he couldn't bluff given how much information he had on him. "This guy isn't some lackey, he's done his research too - gah, dammit!" He winced while stumbling backward, trying not to bend his elbow that cracked and split, exposing the raw skin underneath. "He destroyed my elbow in seconds," He came to halt, seeing a small number of villains that had collapsed moments ago, internally he was grateful for Yuki's aid but the question now lingered, causing worry to sprout in his mind. "Where is she?"
"That annoying Quirk of yours isn't suited for drawn out fights against big groups, is it?" The man scratched his neck bitterly. "Sadly you little second player saw to that, so I guess you don't have to worry about drawing out our little fight any longer." As if to mock him, the villain looked surprised
"Oh? You must be wondering where your player 2 had gone?" The villain asked playfully, as Mr. Aizawa tisked, gritting his teeth. With hands risen high, his red eyes looked to be thrilled. "While you believed I was the final boss, she had her own run-in with the 'Real' one," His hand waved toward the lake. "Take a look, Eraser Head?"
His eyes followed and without the need of his Quirk, his eyes widened with a strained gasp, his blood beginning to boil at the pained sight he hadn't realized played out before him.
In the water Tsu was covering her mouth, tears flowing down her face as she trembled, beside her Izuku shook with horror and bitter anger, his hands building energy without him realizing it, his heart felt like breaking apart as each hit echoed a constant, sickening melody in his head, each second adding to his unhinged rage, his thoughts all but drowned out.
The brute villain had Yuki's head pinned to the ground under a foot, after spending a few moments to flatten her body into the ground, blood spurting from her mask as her strained coughs drowned in the vital fluid. Yuki's torso felt shattered, while each breath tore into her lungs, adding to another cough as blood ran from her mouth, her right arm broken the hand mangled in the opposite direction.
"That's enough," The villain announced, and the giant creature lurched up slowly, body craning around slowly without any disagreement. "That should keep her out of the final fight, don't you think? It's annoying, I was told she was important by some big-shot that joined our league temporarily, and while I couldn't care less he never said anything about her being alive, so why should I care if she's a broken corpse or not?" He scratched his neck again, only far softer since his irritation subsided into glee
Mr. Aizawa bit his cheek and made his move on the villain, even as his head screamed to rescue Yuki, if these two were still walking then they'd have no chance of escape, and after hearing how he'd collect Yuki for some member it only made his notion clear to take out one in charge. The hand villain raised a finger.
"You really are so cool! But..." Something caught Mr. Aizawa's arm, and his body shuttered at the firm lock on his limb. Nomu gazed lifelessly at the hero, exciting the villain as he clicked his fingers. "...Don't forget, I'm not the final boss."
*Thud-Crunch-Snap!*
"No... Mr. Aizawa... Yuki..." Izuku's eyes couldn't look away, the sight of their blood and motionless bodies turned his stomach, so much so his hand gripped and tugged on his jumpsuit where his heart collided with his ribs. The sight sickened him, and yet he wanted to step in, to stop this from proceeding, he had to act on their behalf. "No... I can't... just sit here..." He bowed his head, gritting his teeth while visible trembling
"Ribbit..." Tsu saw this, but unlike him she couldn't move an inch, as though the ground pulled her down, fixing her to being a spectator. Reach crunch, every drop of blood that pooled out from both of them, it was all too much for her and Izuku to handle
...This was it... the evil the Pros faced, we had gotten our first look, but the worst was yet to come...
"What do you think of him, Eraser Head?" The hand villain mused. "He's the bioengineered Anti Symbol of Peace, but you can call him... Nomu."
The inhuman creature let out a shrilled scream of triumph over the two opponents, the first of which had been listening, her eyes half-lidded and hazy at the static in her eyes. Over-and-over she heard Nomu break her bones, blood stuck to her hair and clothes, while all she could do was let him tear her body apart, breaking and ripping skin, she was certain her hand was pointed in the wrong direction too.
Her ears picked up on snippets of their conversation, including Mr. Aizawa's screams from having bones snapped, Yuki had all but run out of tears by that point so her body was mostly numb. But one thing bothered her, something that made her heart kick back up with a flurry of adrenaline. Apparently, the one called 'Kurogiri' the warp gate, let one slip out, and now the hand-villain, Tomura Shigaraki called 'Game Over', as if it were all just some stupid game to him.
"They... wanted All Might... they... broke my body... Mr. Aizawa's..." Her teeth knitted together left-hand twitching. "These bastards think this is a game... no... you can't leave... I won't... I can't let you..."
Izuku, while unaware, was relieved since he could save them both, Yuki more-so, she was there for him and this is how he repays that kindness, letting her be beaten and broken to the point he froze just like when Kacchan was attacked by that Sludge villain. It made him sick, she risked her life for him, trained him, and shared so many memories with him and all he did was sit back and watch.
"What's going on here? Why is this game over, huh!? After what you did to Yuki, to Mr. Aizawa!" Izuku's bit his tongue, arms and legs channeled with One For All despite the risks. "No, I won't let you leave, not until you pay for what you've done to them, to all of us!"
"Oh, before we leave..." Shigaraki creepily shifted his body around, eyes pinned to the two of them that had been watching from afar. "Let's make sure the Symbol of Peace is broken." His eyes narrowed further. "Let's wreck his pride!" It all happened out of Izuku's sight, Shigaraki now towered over them both, hand risen slowly toward Tsu face that remained frozen out of terror and their lack of awareness
Despite everything, Izuku was once again too slow to react, too slow to save Yuki, Mr. Aizawa, and now, he wasn't fast enough to save Tsu. Shigaraki's hand fidgeted, his head craned back toward Nomu, all while Izuku felt a sudden will to move rise within him.
"You really are so cool." He praised, the three of them noticing the glare sent forward by Mr. Aizawa, his head bloodied and beaten, but his red glare had saved Tsu, even if only for a moment as Nomu slammed his head back down, rubbing it into the dirt for good measure
"He won't let us escape now, he's different than the others! I need to save Asui and try and retreat for now, if I can I'll save Yuki too!" "You! Let her go now!" He screamed, catching Shigaraki off guard from the surprise assault. "Smaaaaaash!"
He finally struck a punch, the air cone causing a hurricane of wind to uproar across the USJ, shattering a number of spotlights while creating large waves and nearly toppled trees in his wake. It surprised him that the pain never came, did he... finally throw a successful punch?
"My arm's not broken, I can't believe it!" White a hopeful smile crossed his lips in this dire time, his attention drew itself to the red lines coursing over his arm. He pulled back from the smoke, seeing the red stream of line retreat back to the cluster on his chest, unlike when he broke his two fingers, this time it saved him from breaking his arm! "Did Yuki design it to withstand one of my punches? No... something about it felt stronger, so then did I really control One For All with an added boost?"
His hope was snuffed out, a wall of black flesh standing between him and Shigaraki who looked taken back by the attack, and yet, Nomu was completely unphased by the attack, latching an arm around Izuku's as he flailed in vain to pry himself free.
"Crap-Crap-Crap!" He was locked. "He came out of nowhere... it didn't even hurt him."
If the villains planned this attack then they probably found a way to kill him. The words rattled in Izuku's mind, was this their weapon against All Might, this Anti Symbol of Peace? But how, how could he be stronger than a One Hundred percent punch?
"You're pretty powerful, this 'Smash' of yours, are you one of All Might's disciples?" Shigaraki inquired slowly, although the look he passed on to Izuku made him feel it wasn't something he could use to buy time. "Doesn't matter... I'm done with you now."
He offered his hand, the first to offer anything to the person in so long, the months had all but slipped by them at this point, so why did their hand reach out? Was this simply accepting the reality of their situation? Or... was this light that shined from beyond the person's shoulders what they had been begging for? A symbol of... hope.
A note, stained and nearly unreadable slipped between them. 'Why...?' The scrawled message made the man paused, letting out a boisterous laugh that felt infectious to hear
"You ask why I'm helping you, because, you are no weak, otherwise we wouldn't be talking right now, nor is it because I am a Symbol of Peace," Light, it brightened the world again, to her eyes, she finally felt the color return to her face, no longer stained with rain and dirt. She could still see it plastered on his face, a bright smile, honest and true. "I want to help a young girl not lose sight of her dreams, if you do then I have failed in my duty to help you, so please, take my hand, little miss."
Yuki's hand finally reached for the light that fizzled in her eyes, and the numbness and pain all melted away, be it through adrenaline or sheer force of will, she felt better, stronger, faster... perfected.
SIVA | Enhance | Thirty-Five Percent "SIVA. Enhance. Thirty-Five Percent!"
"Perfected Impact!" Her right leg soared over their heads in a blinding scarlet flash.
All eyes were drawn and wide with dumbfounded shock, Nomu's eyes tilted slightly, only catching a black sheet of metal that smashed against its eyes, the pressure and surprise throwing off its grip on Izuku, while the shockwave of red light pushed him back by only a few feet.
"No way! Yuki!" Izuku gaped with wonder and beating joy, his smile coming back to life with a few tears, even Tsu looked just as happy as Izuku. Shigaraki stumbled back, scratching his neck angrily at the sight of the girl, the heat she gave off even reached his own skin
"How are you here... no, Nomu crushed you, he broke you, made you beg, how are you still alive!?" His whispering yells traveled over her, eyes trained solely on Nomu who remained unharmed
Yuki's body had gone through a far more visible metamorphosis. The horn on her head grew back, while that side of her mask pointed a little more triangularly, the wide eye narrowed into a slit. Her forearms were coated in black armor, the right hand completely fixed. Her legs were the same, sharing the same shiny metal with a few red wires between the joints, a new claw jutting from her heels as the cut into the soil.
Her most notable change was the fact two new arms unfolded from her waist, all completely cybernetic with white fabric under the black and red plate metal. The contrast to it all was her now free hair, locks of sky blue dancing in the breeze with the longer lock that reached the middle of her back blew gently with the thin lengths of fabric behind her. Yuki's body was overclocking with energy, four condensed orbs of energy between her claws as her breathing remained heavy and still, it took alot to control SIVA's flow of augmentations but she was still focused on a single goal. Crush the Anti Symbol of Peace.
"Nomu!" Shigaraki bellowed, stepping back toward Kurogiri while Nomu roared, slamming a fist into the red particles that remained of Yuki, her body phased through Nomu, directly slamming her atoms into his insides that were left exposed due to his Quirk. This teleport didn't phase the creature, as it stomped back, uprooting stone and pushing Yuki into the air
This pause only broke as her extra hands pointed back using a pulse blast to propel her downward, foot colliding with Nomu's forearm, from there her hands shot her body down, a blade attached to her sole that tore through Nomu's arm, followed by her performing a handstand, slicing his stomach with the blades. She lurched back, passing through the arms as her body warped again, jagged knuckles embedding into Nomu's nape.
He reacted, grabbing her right leg firmly as he tightened his hold, all of them hearing metal groan under the compression. Yuki huffed, twisting at the hips and, much to everyone's shock, her body spun around, right leg still held in place while her left shin cracked against the exposed brain, followed by four point-blank blasts to the eyes, freeing her realigned leg.
Yuki stayed on her toes, firing a volley of red energy against the indomitable Nomu that threw a right jab, Yuki's clusters gathering around her forearms while she braced, the thundering strike electrified her nerves, muscle and bone staining to hold up against an unbearable amount of force. She held her ground, dropping her guard and sinking her claws into the flesh, using the same gravitating momentum, her body swayed, pulling Nomu off his feet with a resounding slam of his back against the ground, Yuki's foot dug into the soil as more clusters gathered at her toes, creating a sharp protrusion of metal through Nomu's chest, pinning him to the earth.
Warnings blared, one of her limited supply of clusters after that spike, and one that had her use another four pulse blasts to launching herself over the courtyard, feet skimming the ground as a portal slowly dissipated. Jurogiri opened another behind her, so she outplayed his own teleport by warping through the gate's very atoms, appearing fine on the other side. Nomu came barreling through the mist, fist colliding with Yuki's chest as metal practically disintegrated.
Her head snapped up with surprise, seeing the lack of holes on Nomu's body. "He can regenerate!?"
Rolling for a short period her extra hands slowed her tumble, lurching her back into the fight as Nomu struck with two fists and Yuki with her lower left, seeing it shatter as she skated past him. Both adjusted their footing, spinning back around for another exchange of blows, again, Nomu took out her lower right arm, Yuki having narrowly dodged the left hook.
"He's not going down, I can't hold a candle to this Shock Absorption, let alone regeneration too," Yuki felt the rising hopelessness of her fight, but she had to protect them, her friends, her teacher, if that meant dying she'd be willing to give her all, they mattered more than she realized until now, All Might brought her to this point, she'd keep her promise, her vow until the bloodied end. Sighing she clenched her fists
The last of her dormant clusters gathered, heat rising in streaks of vapor while the reactive clusters coiled around her arms, constantly jittering and abrading off one another while her fists boiled. In a single ditch effort she stormed forward, Nomu standing firm while she crossed her arms into an 'X' over her chest, hands flat. Her pupils were practically the size of a pin's point by the time she came hurdling toward Nomu.
"Carolina Smash!" Screaming the words at the forefront of her mind, she bought both arms down in a cross chop, the impact of all of the clusters enhancing her strength released a wave of kinetic force that blinded the onlookers with two walls of rising smoke, strength near comparable to All Might's actual attack, though Yuki knew it only amounted to a fraction of its power, it still looked to pack a punch. "Literally."
Taking a few steps back, Yuki finally let out her breath, hands on her knees that buckled from overuse of SIVA, blood coughed up and if she tried to move now she felt her muscle fibers cry out, forcing her to sit back on her haunches.
"Ooo, that was a nice hit," Yuki's eyes shot open, head snapping upright to see Nomu leering back, again, without injury whatsoever. "But you've used up your last 'Continue', goodbye-" Nomu's hand reached down for her head, but she could barely move. "Player 2."
"I won't let you!" Izuku cried out, running full sprint with his hand reaching out to Yuki, tears falling behind him
Without realizing it herself, her hand shakily reached out for his, despite a hand beginning to cover her eyes. "Izuku..."
It all happened so fast, Yuki had clamped her eyes shut, a flow of air nearly kicking her to the ground, but she felt a sudden pressure of hands against her body, holding onto her carefully before a new pair took over, these ones a little shaken but familiar and warm. With her eyes wide open she turned her head up toward those same emerald eyes that moments before chased her.
"Yuki? But, what, how, A-All Might!?" Izuku's mention of the said hero had her own head peer up, seeing the Pro himself holding Mr. Aizawa, muttering something to himself. He had moved the four of them out of harm's way completely in seconds. Although, while Yuki felt nothing but relief that All Might was here, she had fought Nomu, and he was clearly a match for All Might
"Everyone back to the entrance, and take Aizawa with you." All Might left little room for discussion, handing Aizawa over to the three of them. "Young Azuru, can you walk?" Yuki looked to her feet, noting how she bent them and felt some resistance, it would be painful but she nodded. "Then go with them, I can handle these villains."
With Izuku and Tsu carrying Mr. Aizawa, Yuki stood near them, limping a little while trying to maintain her balance. Izuku was crossed between so many conflicting choices, to flee, protect his friends, and or stay with All Might, he had seen how Yuki fought Nomu, even she couldn't scratch him and now he realized that it had more than one Quirk.
"All Might, you can't, that brain villain took One F-" Yuki jabbed his side quickly, he silently thanked her. "I hit with all my power and didn't break my arm and he still wasn't phased at all," He hated it, but he forced the words out. "He's too strong!"
All Might waved his hand back. "Young Midoriya!" Looking over his shoulder he smiled brightly, putting a peace sign over his eye. "I got this!" Yuki did find herself smiling at his confidence and overdramatic pose, but would it be enough?
"We need to stop, sorry, Tsu." Izuku apoligised as he moved over to Yuki, herself neary falling over if not for him grabbing ahold of her, pulling her close as he walked over to the trees and sat her down, even though she tried shaking her head. He kept his expression soft, a hopefully smile gracing his lips. "Sorry, but I have to help him."
'Then I will-' He discarded her note, something he didn't want to do but she was stubborn like Kacchan at times, and after all she'd done, he didn't want to her to get herself hurt any further for him, he failed to protect her back there but he'd make up for it now, and to All Might. With a warm expression, he put his hand atop her head, flicking away some dirt stuck to her hair
"I know, It'll be okay, Yuki." He let her go, looking to Tsu apologetically. "Sorry that you have to carry Mr. Aizawa yourself but I can't just run away!" Without giving them time to dwell on his words Izuku turned back and ran, determination burning out his fear
Even as he ran, he held his hand close to him, the gaze he received through those eyes, he didn't know if he meant what he said or if it was a spur of the moment, but his doubts were gone as he came into view of the villains, seeing All Might pinned between Nomu and Kurogiri's portal, they found his weak spot and just the look of pain in All Might's eyes fueled his body further than before.
"Normally I wouldn't want blood and viscera flooding the insides of my warp gates, but I'll make an exception for a hero as great as you." Kurogiri sneered, the gate beginning to pull Nomu and All Might deeper into the abyss, Izuku couldn't waste his chance, if he messed this up he'd be defenseless too
He clenched his fists. "Wait for an opening, just don't let the egg explode! I can save you!"
Kurogiri blocked his view. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked darkly, Izuku's body beginning to touch the gateway, but his gaze snapped up at something else, and both Kurogiri and Izuku bounced back from the firey explosion
"Get the hell out of my way, Deku!" Kacchan barked, slamming Kurogiri into the ground, weakening the warp gates. He glared back at him, holding the villain down but the collar. "Where's the useless Mute, huh!?"
"K-Kacchan?" Izuku blinked, feeling the air nick at the hairs on his nape as a wall of ice traversed the field, ensnaring half of Nomu's body. Todoroki was here too, alongside Kirishima
"One of your low ranking thugs told me you're here because you believe you can kill All Might, we won't let that happen." He replied grimly, while Kirishima grinned
"Hey, Midoriya, finally managed to fight our way through the villains!" Their arrival was perfect, as now they had the odds in their favor
Yuki just sat by a tree as the others came down to help them, but her eyes never left the battle going on from afar, between the explosions and chaos it was clear they were still in a bind, even with All Might. Her hand softly ran through her hair where Izuku placed his, he was willing to protect her despite knowing his limitations.
"I gave that cluster to enhance his power so that if he tried a maxed-out attack he'd land a solid blow atleast before being put out of commission, but that won't work against Nomu," Yuki bit the inside of her cheek, angry she was stuck doing nothing, she could walk but her energy was drained, the last remnants of her clusters worked on keeping her muscles from completely tearing themselves apart again. "Why can't I do anything? I just have to sit and do nothing again... is that... really all I can ever do?"
With trembling legs, she finally stood up before the others could take her back to the safety of the entrance.
"Everything will be alright," All Might gave them an encouraging thumbs-up, unaware of the figure that snuck up behind him. All of them gasped upon seeing Yuki slapping her hand over his wound, causing the Pro to bite back a grunt at her harsh blow. "Y-Yuki?"
She was ragged and tired, blood dripped from her chin as her hair caught on the sides of her mask, the eyes narrowed angrily, pulling back her fingers with traces of red, and to All Might, the pain slowly faded away.
SIVA | Augement | Medicinal Injection
"I thank you, Young Azuru," All Might was honest, and with a silly copy of his peace sign against her eye, she limped back to the boys, quick to rest her body up against Izuku who quickly held onto her, hearing her labored breaths. "You used up everything you had left for me, you can be so reckless, I guess that's my fault in the end."
"Nomu, Kurogiri, kill him, I'll deal with the children," Shigaraki ordered and the final fight began, Yuki sighed while noting Izuku's arm wrapped around her tightly, his glare unwavering to the villain's next move. Deciding not to become the boy's damsel in distress she raised her own hand, channeling a small amount of power into a pulse blast, it wouldn't hurt but no one was getting near them anytime soon
"Heads up we're fighting after all," Kirishima warned everyone, tensed before Nomu intercepted All Might, the two colliding with enough force to throw them all back, Yuki startled by how Izuku held her bridal style, which was embarrassing
"Weren't you listening, he has Shock Absorption!" Shigaraki snapped, but All Might grinned, throwing another left jab
"Yeah, what about it!?" Each and every punch grew exceptionally faster, and Nomu kept up, did that mean he was holding back on Yuki? Now she felt even more embarrassed as her cheeks turned red, both from being carried by Izuku and her pride shattering
"He's going to fight Nomu head-on!?" Izuku gawked, the shockwaves constantly keeping anyone from interfering with the concussive blows of each fist that flew faster than their eyes could track, each and every strike Yuki felt sent waves of sound rattling through her body, despite not having One For All anymore, being injured and overusing his time limit, All Might continued to push on
"He said your Quirk was only 'Shock Absorption' not 'Nullification', meaning there's a limit to what you can take, right!?" This only coupled with his increasing ground on Nomu, the beast now starting to struggle against the constant bombardment of attacks, even though he struck All Might's wound, red energy kept the damage from worsening
"So you were made to fight me, big guy? If you can really handle me firing at one-hundred percent of my power, then I'll have to go beyond that and force you to surrender!" Every step made broke apart the land, ripping trees up by the roots, and every attack only grew stronger, past a limit that shouldn't be possible, SIVA couldn't understand, how can such improbability surface?
"The power of the human race and their indomitable spirit, remember?" Yuki's thought brought this illogical question to a close
"A real hero!" All Might descended from the sky, Nomu intercepted from the ground. Nomu was struck under the chin, throwing him back
All Might blocked a punch with both arms, pushing Nomu up high. "Will always find a way for justice to be served!"
Two feet drove Nomu into the ground, the rock and rubble thrown high into the air by All Might's landing, taking Nomu with it all as he wrapped his arms around Nomu's, spinning him high into the air and with a warcry he tossed the creature down like a meteor, decimating the very courtyard's foundations.
Everyone was gawking, Kirishima smiled with child-like wonder, and Yuki's hidden smile radiated with an inspired surge of energy. While Nomu remained unable to move, having been pushed up off the ground from the impact radius, All Might landed. "Now for a lesson, you may have heard these words before but I'll teach you what they really mean!"
Holding his right arm back as if to grab hold of something unseen. "Go Beyond!" His fist unleashed a similar scream of energy like Izuku's, fist colliding with Nomu's chest. "PLUS-" The limit finally broke. "-ULTRAAAAAAAA!"
The very world shook with the gravity of the punch, Nomu was gone in seconds, flying out through a new hole in the side of the USJ, shining the light down upon them all as the clouds parted. Dust and debris turned the area into a mess, and All Might was the last one standing, frozen in form for a moment.
"That was like the finishing move in a video game! He beat the Absorption outta him!" Kirishima boiled it down to its essence, while Yuki raised a small victory flag humorously
"Imagine having power like that, he was punching that monster so hard it couldn't regenerate," If only Kacchan knew what three of them knew
"Screw with All Might and you'll be in flight." Yuki's awful joke was kept to herself, but now, she could finally relax a little
"Back in my hay-day, five hits would have been enough to knock that guy out," All Might stood tall, fist on his heart. "But today it took three-hundred mighty blows."
*Clap-Clap-Clap*
"He... cheated," Shigaraki growled, scratching his raw neck again, but he wasn't the one clapping. "Not you... what do you want?"
"So you are the real deal, your power is weak but you remain a formidable force." Her body shut down, eyes finally shaken again. This was enough to put Izuku on edge, his grip on her tightening as they all saw through the smoke a new figure approaching, boots heavy, and clanking. "The Symbol of Peace... and SIVA..."
The cloaked man from the other day stood before the villains and heroes, hands clasped together for a moment. He pushed his cape away, revealing the bandages and black armor beneath, his red glare fixed itself to Yuki's, a sense of awe in his unblinking gaze.
"And who are you, villain?" All Might took a stand, his time nearing its limit. "You have all been bested, and I believe we'd all like to get this over with quickly."
"Agreed," He spoke coolly. "The name I share with you, let it offer no salvation, I am..." Static filled his lungs and corrupted his speech, but he spoke the final word with clarity
"Kovik."
To Be Continued...
Sweet, merciful God my hands! This is a big event in MHA so I didn't want to split it up, also, having Yuki fight seriously was alot of fun, but now, even with the villains backed into a corner, our mystery man has revealed himself. I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter, Plus Ultra!
Next Chapter: Infected Perfected
The attack on the USJ is nearing the end, but the arrival of Kovik will prove to be a serious threat to everyone caught in his grand plan to bring forth a new form of power unlike any Quirk has seen.