My Hero Academia – Under Pressure – Season 3 – Episode 8 – Heroes Vs Villains

"So, where were we?"

The Dealer strummed his desk as he tried to reclaim his line of thought. It quickly came back to him and he returned his gaze to his desk.

"Ah, yes, the next phase of the bet…"

He returned his eyes to the cards that were before him, many were turned over due to the flow of the battle that was still going on in the district. But others remained, and this intrigued him greatly.

"…to briefly recap. I told The Dominator if he could take a district, any district, and then defend it from some of the top Pro-Heroes, I'd give him the entire Deck to use in his conquest of Japan, and possibly more. He chose the Shozu District, which had but two towns to go and take. Points for cleverness as I told him 'any district' was viable. He took a dozen of my members and then went off to claim his prize. He did so in part, took everything down in mere hours. But now the fun part begins."

All over Japan, word of what happened in the district spread like wildfire. It even reached the communications of Armed Guard and Angels Wings at the summer camp. They didn't know what to do, as they were to far away to do anything, so they didn't tell the students as they were happy with their time off from the stress of Pro-Hero training and life.

But to those that were in range, or just those who wanted to help, outrage was the emotion that they felt. To the Pro-Heroes of the world at large, every single villain attack was an affront. The Pro-Heroes were the keepers of the peace, the bringers of true justice. It was their job to make sure the villains feared doing any kind of attack, as a reprisal would come swift and hard more times than not.

Yet, as their world showed them over and over again, villains don't care about such things. Each one feels that they're the next one to take over, that they're the one to "tip the scales", that they're the ones who can "breakthrough" where so many others had failed.

As word went around that The Dominator was the one who led the charge on the district, those emotions intensified. The Pro-Heroes had dealt with him before, and though they took him down, they knew he would be back. But no one expected it to be like this. They didn't know how he got the followers they heard about, many didn't even recognize that it was the Deck involved. Those that didn't couldn't say anything out loud, but sent messages to those who did to get the right people on it. Including those at the top who would know how to truly handle things.

But that was for the long-term, for later in the day when the time was right. There needed to be action right now, there needed to be a sign that this wouldn't go unanswered.

The Pro-Heroes needed to send help.

Which is exactly what they did. Many who were in range and had a strong enough Quirk raced to the Shozu District in one form or another. Whether it be on land, sea, or air, they went forth in an attempt to turn the tide and take back the district.

On the pier of the island, The Dominator just looked out over the waters. It was an odd feeling for him to be calm, as he always itched for a fight due to how his Quirk worked. He always had the urge to show off his strength and prove he was the best of the best.

His plan went off without a hitch so far, and he was pleased with how The Deck members did in their causing of chaos and their aid in the defeat of the two main Pro-Heroes they fought. But he knew that the calm wouldn't last forever, and sure enough, when a sonic boom caught his ears, he smiled.

"Time to get back into the game," he snickered. He pressed a button on a communicator The Dealer had given him, and the rest of The Deck got the signal and spread out to various locations across the island to be ready to help out and defeat whomever would come next.

The Dominator could tell who was next, as just in the distance, the outline of a figure blitzed just above the water like a bullet and headed straight for him. The villain could just make him out before words reached his ears.

"Here…comes…the…" started the Pro-Hero.

Then, quick as a flash, the hero sped up even more and punched the Dominator right in the middle of his face.

"BOOM!"

The Dominator was sent flying, and almost went off the pier had he not gripped a nearby post that immediately bent under the pressure it was now under.

The villain grunted as he stood back up and looked at the Pro-Hero. He was of average height, but had a good build to him. Plus, he was covered in sleek yet durable grey armor that helped him slice through the air with his Quirk.

"Ah, Boom, welcome to my new empire. To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting the No.30 Hero?" he asked with mock politeness.

Boom was not amused by this and pointed right at him, "You're putting innocent people at risk in some vain attempt to gain fame and status. Did you really think the other Pro-Heroes wouldn't come to the aid of those in need on this island?"

"Oh the contrary, I counted on it. The only thing I was unsure of was who would show up. Now I know it's you."

"Not just me, more are on the way, think you can take us all with your lackies?"

"We'll find out, won't we? Your human torpedo Quirk is strong, but it will be dominated soon enough."

The Pro-Hero disagreed and activated his Quirk to race right to the villain. This time though, The Dominator was ready and he caught him mid-flight. Boom poured on the power, but the villain was able to resist and threw him away.

But this was a mistake, as Boom could then build up more power over the distance he traveled, and fired himself right back at The Dominator. A deadly game of tit-for-tat soon began as a result.

Not far off, many members of The Deck watched from a nearby hillside as the Pro-Hero and villain clashed. Among them was Momentum and Mindblast. As they gazed at the fight, they grew curiouser by the moment.

"Should we help him like before?" Momentum put out with a motion to her teammates.

"No," Mindblast answered softly. "He told us to wait until the other Pro-Heroes show up or if he is in serious danger. He's not, not yet."

"True, but when will the other Pro-Heroes arrive? Surely we can't just wait here scattered all over the…"

She stopped when she noticed the Cloud Twins descend from above, they both looked panicked and talked in a very familiar unified voice, "I see them, they're—"

Before they could finish, a pillar of earth shot out from the ground and hit the Cloud Twins from behind. They were forced to let go of one another and fell to the ground.

Momentum and Mindblast turned to see a bulky hero with a sledgehammer approach them, "Villains! Your reign ends…NOW!"

He slammed the hammer down, and the villains felt the earth move, they dodge rolled out of the way just as two more pillars came out. They noticed this time around they were pointed, if they had stayed where they were, they could've been skewered.

The sight of this made Momentum very angry, "Sledge is here? That oaf will fill us full of holes if we let him!"

Mindblast righted himself and held out his hand to the Pro-Hero, "Then we won't let him…"

He began his mind blast attack, and the hero was stunned, yet to the villain's amazement, he kept going, and even raised his hammer for another strike.

"Oh no you don't!

Without hesitation, Momentum seized him and not only stopped the hero, but forced him to fall to the ground as his body wasn't balanced in its current position.

The Pro-Hero could do nothing but endure the pain of the screech within his mind and wonder if it would ever stop.

His answer would come from a friendlier sound, "Special Move: Star Shot!"

Before they could try to dodge, a flurry of 5-pointed stars literally shot at the two villains and hit them head on. The blindside sent them to the ground, which allowed Sledge to return to his feet and drop the hammer once more. A set of pillars shot the two into the sky and far away from the Pro-Heroes.

As Sledge got the ringing in his ears to stop, he turned to see a pink-suited female descend next to him, "Ah! Well met Star Child, your assistance was most welcome."

She curtsied to him, "Happy to help, just glad I got here in time. These villains are making a mess of things, shall we help clean things up?"

"YES! Let us make them rue the day they clashed with Pro-Heroes!"

With a nod to the other, the two heroes dashed off to another part of the island to join in the rebuttal to the invasion.

Back with The Dealer, he flipped more cards over as he went through what he felt was going on with the battle in his mind.

"Quirks, aren't they grand?"

He chuckled to himself at the question because he knew the answer was very obvious to anyone who paid attention.

"There's a reason there's a ranking system in the Pro-Hero world. It's not just about popularity, though that helps, and greatly feeds their egos. It's also about power, true power. Look at the No.2 Hero, Interface. He's popular because of his streaming of his battles and his interactivity with his viewers. But if he didn't have the power to back that all up? He'd be mid-100's, easily. Most of the Pro-Heroes who have been at No.1 have a Quirk that is nearly overwhelming, that's why they're the 'symbols' of peace and a warning to villains like myself and The Dominator."

He quickly glanced at a certain card on the table, but dismissed it with a wave, he knew that the card wasn't ready to be turned over yet. Other cards did though, and they painted a unique picture to the card master.

"Even when you go down the list of Pro-Heroes in Japan, you'll see why many of these heroes are near the top. If you were to grab a few heroes from the Top 50 and put them against a majority in 100-200? They'd wipe the floor with them. There is a true tier system if you will in the Pro-Hero world. Make no mistake, it happens with us villains too. We just don't need the ranking system though because most times we don't work together, and many villains wonder why we lose all the time…"

The members of The Deck on the island quickly grew to understand the situation they were now in. The Pro-Heroes were here. Not just that, these were some of in the Top 50, ones with Quirks that could match or even surpass them in certain ways, especially if they worked together.

The forces clashed in battle after battle across the island. Another Pro-Hero even showed up to help Boom with The Dominator, which thus added another level of intensity to the proceedings. Even The Deck members, who were usually able to handle such situations due to their own special Quirks, were put on the back foot at times.

Such as with the one known as Wall Shadow, who usually had no issue in getting to their foes and then cause damage to them before they slid away in the shadows. They faced a Pro-Hero though that had the ability to hurt people via their shadows, which was basically the villains' whole being.

The Dealer mused as he pictured the fights between the two sides.

"Now you can see a reason why I put the caveat in the bet between me and The Dominator. Any one villain can beat certain Pro-Heroes if they're lucky enough. But to withstand an assault by them? Especially when some of the big guns were called in? That was a different story. My Deck members are good, but they aren't invincible, I know that better than anyone. So, who would win the day…? I wonder…"

From multiple spots all over the island, the local people peered out of their homes, from their hiding spots, from their work places where they were trapped.

They looked as much as they dared to the places outside and watched in part the battles that continued to rage, and rage they did.

For though there were 13 members of The Deck, which included The Dominator in this case, there were nearly as many Pro-Heroes there to try and take back the island. This is what the people knew could happen when the darkest of days came. This is what they prayed for when they themselves were in danger, they needed heroes, and they got them.

Throughout the island, as the battles went on, and the people saw their heroes fight for them, a feeling returned to them.

Hope.

A hope that built up as they knew that if they held onto it long enough, the Pro-Heroes would win. Which obviously, the villains did not want.

At the dock, The Dominator smacked the two Pro-Heroes he fought with away and paused. He felt his power drain from him. He wondered how this could be. His confidence was sky high, especially since he just beaten back two Pro-Heroes on his own. But as he turned and saw the glimpses and blurs of the fights far away, he realized that the people watched and regained their hope in their saviors.

Hope is the enemy of domination, for a dominated person has no hope of freedom, but a hopeful person will never truly give in to the fear. Thus, his power waned.

The Dominator bared his teeth as he knew something had to happen, and fast. The Pro-Heroes tried to sneak attack him but he again pushed them back and quickly pulled out his communicator to address his supporters.

"Do not let them divide you!" he roared, "If you fight them in a true battle they will win, as this is what they live for! You are killers, assassins, act like them and do whatever it takes to win!"

His message resonated with the villains, and their own twisted version of faith rekindled in them. He was right, they were all playing the game the Pro-Heroes wanted, when it should be the other way around.

Momentum was in a battle with the Star Child, and it was a losing one at that as her foe didn't need to move her body to shoot stars out of it, and the stars could act on their own merit. She knew she wouldn't be able to defeat her like this.

When the message came through, she quickly glanced around and saw some of her villains in similar spots, which meant a change-up was needed.

She quickly spotted Wall Shadow and bolted towards them, Star Child quickly followed.

The Pro-Hero who assaulted Wall Shadow, hadn't noticed Momentum yet, and so the villain froze them in place and called out, "Wall Shadow, I got them, now help me out here!"

Without a response, the Wall Shadow fled to another location, Star Child rushed in and let loose a barrage of her stars. Momentum was forced to dodge while she held the other Pro-Hero in place. But she knew it would only need to be for a little bit longer.

Sure enough, Wall Shadow lunged out of a building behind Star Child and slashed her right in the back. Her scream was long and loud as she fell to the ground and landed with a hard thud.

Whether intentional or not, the scream stunned the Pro-Heroes, yet rallied the villains even more.

For in the minds of the villains, the Pro-Heroes were proof of a failed society. Very few of them wanted to be villains from the outset. There were rumors that their leader, The Dealer, had always been of that mindset, but many of The Deck were very much victims of circumstances or society labeling them as outcasts.

Mindblast was one who accidentally hurt others due to his powers being hard to control, and society refused to believe him. Once The Dealer found him and trained him, he had a follower for life, because he was the only one who truly cared.

The Wall Shadow was labeled a monster since they could transform into a shadowy vessel, one that could grow claws that could slice through flesh with ease. No one wanted to hang around such a person, so she found people that didn't care about such things, that led her to The Deck, where she was highly valued and appreciated.

The Pro-Heroes had fame, the Pro-Heroes had money, the Pro-Heroes were labeled as the "invincible protectors of the world and the nations they were in". But the villains knew better, they could bleed, they could be killed, and today, today they were going to prove it. Today was their day of victory and glory.

Regardless of what happened next with The Dominator, this was their chance to make them regret what their "perfect society" transformed them into.

With a new goal in mind, the villains followed the lead of Momentum and Wall Shadow. They teamed up where they could and fought the Pro-Heroes on their terms. They did their best to lure them into traps, to gang up on them two-on-one, to use their unique Quirks in ways that the Pro-Heroes didn't expect.

In other words, they fought like villains, but extremely skilled ones.

The Pro-Heroes didn't back down from the fight though. Even with Star Child out of action, the others did their best to pick up the slack.

Sledge was the first to react to Star Child's scream and sent a foray of pillars and spikes stones at them to throw them off their game, "You villains will pay for what you've done!"

"I'm really getting tired of you," shouted Momentum as she tried to stop his momentum, but he resisted once more.

The Wall Shadow tried to sneak attack him too, but he was ready and was able to block their attack with their massive hammer.

"You won't stop me, you blasted shadow!"

Their form briefly exposed he slammed the sledgehammer into the villain, which ironically landed it right upon the shadow striking Pro-Hero. This in turn released them from Momentum's grasp.

The hero quickly pushed off the villain, "Thank you, friend."

"Thank me later, the villains are still here, and must be stopped! That trickster villain can only stop you cold if you let her. Resist, and you should make it through."

"Lead the way!"

The conflict continued in earnest, both sides gained advantages, and then lost them. This was a clash of wills as much as it was of Quirks. Who would win, and who would lose, would very much depend on who could keep going, and who would go on even when they were on the losing side.

"History is full of battles like this one, you know?"

The Dealer smiled as he looked at his desk with new appreciation. All but one of the cards was overturned, almost all the players had come to the foray, and he beamed at the thought of it.

"After all, it's only natural that Pro-Heroes and villains clash. In fact, they do it every day. People commit crimes every day and the Pro-Heroes try and stop them. But something like this? Something like a battle of this scale? Of this magnitude? With a whole district and its people? Yes, it happens more times than you think."

He closed his eyes and pictured the fight that his Deck had with the Pro-Heroes. He tried to see how his villains would stack up against the potential Quirks the Pro-Heroes were able to bear.

His training of them was more tailored to assassination and certain grandiose actions, but only twice before had he needed them to be in larger forms of combat, neither of which happened in Japan. So this was an experience long overdue.

"You could say it is within our nature as a Quirk-filled society. This is what heroes and villains do. They're born, they're 'created' in their own ways, and they find reasons to clash with one another. You could almost say it is a primal instinct. The conflict NEEDS to happen, it's just the way it is, the only question is that of who comes out on top? The answer to that is in the history books, the history written…by the victors. The victors being the Pro-Heroes, of course."

The Dealer laughed softly to himself and shook his head as he looked at the "board" of players on his desk once more.

"Many have wondered why I run my Deck the way I do. Why I prefer to be a group in the shadows versus an open army. Armies can be attacked, armies can be targeted, armies can be planned for. But a shadowy cabal? A group whose members are rarely seen? Strike only when they're sure the job will get done? Can shuffle out members if a better one is found? How in the world do you plan for that? No doubt that's what the Pro-Heroes feel right now as they go against my Deck, they don't know them, they don't know their full capabilities. But I do, and that's why this is so much fun…for now at least."

While he pondered the true nature of things, the battle on the island raged ever more intensely as the day went on.

The ebbs and flow of the fight were not lost on all that was there. It was a true case of push and pull, give and take. Both sides had to adapt to the injuries that were done to their allies, and adjust their plans when certain Quirks appeared to cancel one another out.

The Dominator had one of the harder fights because he faced two Pro-Heroes of good measure and standing, and ones that could handle or negate his strength and dominance in certain ways.

Boom held his own just with his human torpedo Quirk, but the one who fought by his side had a different style as his Quirk was that of a thunderclap that exerted a great force that even gave The Dominator pause.

"I'll give you this Dominator," started Boom as he prepared for the next strike, "you've lasted longer than others. But just because you last doesn't mean you'll win."

"That is fair given my last strike against you Pro-Heroes," the villain admitted with a shrug. But his evil sneer returned as his self-confidence grew once more, "But unlike you, the longer I go in a fight, the stronger I get. So please, continue to get struggle, I'll wear you out and then beat you into pulp."

"We'll see about that," said the other hero with a brief rush forward, "Special Move: Super Clap!"

He moved his arms back as far as he could and then slammed them together for his biggest thunderclap yet.

The sonic waves that came back pushed The Dominator back and ripped up parts of the pier. Chunks of debris flew backward and hit the villain, which forced him to swat them away. This distraction allowed Boom to rush in full force with a torpedo charge. It connected and he flew a ways back with The Dominator.

The villain was heavily stunned, and he would argue even hurt by this combination of attacks. So much so that he couldn't stop the two from a severe crash into a brick building.

The impact was so great the building came down around them. Boom was able to get out just in time, and his hero friend joined him. The Dominator didn't emerge for a little while, and when he did, though he was angry, the damage to him showed.

"Enough, Dominator! Give up!" ordered Boom with a desire to shut this down before more was ruined.

"Never," spat the villain, who literally spat out some blood soon after. "This is the beginning of my empire. This is the beginning of my rise to prominence, everything starts today, do you really think I'll let you stop it?!"

"It doesn't matter what you let happen, it matters what WILL happen. Which today is us heroes putting down you villains. Because that's how it goes whether you all want to admit it or not."

The Dominator refused to believe this, and though his self-confidence was still strong, his body was not in peak condition after that strike.

He slowly proceeded forward, but the thunderclap hero blasted him back once again. The villain returned to his feet, and this time, Boom delivered another spear to the gut.

But still, The Dominator rose, and yet, this time, he paused. Something was different in this moment, and he turned around to see what it was.

Though he didn't know it at the time, The Deck had finally gained the upper hand they desired, and it came through the pick he knew he had to have to win the day, the Cloud Twins.

For much of the fight against the Pro-Heroes, the Cloud Twins were either separated, or attacked before they could do their Quirk in a proper way. After they thinned the herd though, Momentum gave them permission to cloak the areas with the big fights with their smoke.

They did so, and even rushed through the streets in order to quickly contain the fights as a whole. Thanks to their goggles, the villains could see perfectly well, while most of the Pro-Heroes were blinded.

One by one, the Pro-Heroes fell. They weren't killed, this was a secret order from The Dealer. Serious injury was allowed, but death would only bring more heat on them, and The Dealer didn't want that, especially if things went the way he felt they would.

As the Pro-Heroes fell, and their screams filled the air, the other Pro-Heroes started to falter in their resolve, and so did the people who watched.

Their despair grew, and that was all that was needed for The Dominator to get the strength he needed once more.

As he basked in the glory of domination, he turned to the Pro-Heroes with renewed vigor, "You claim that heroes always win, those screams prove your theory wrong. Now, it's your turn to fall."

Not willing to give up, the two Pro-Heroes rushed at The Dominator and even used their Quirks in tandem to allow Boom to barrel even faster at the villain. But due to his renewed strength, he caught him with ease and this time plowed him into the ground where he couldn't move.

Another thunderclap came, and it was most powerful, but The Dominator was more powerful, and he walked right through it, grabbed the arms of the Pro-Hero, broke them with ease, and tossed him away like trash.

He quickly made sure that both Pro-Heroes were down, and then turned to the opening to the rest of the island where he could feel that the battle still went their way. This was what he always dreamed of. This was his destiny fulfilled…or so he believed.

"You know what I truly love about Pro-Heroes? They're honestly really predictable when you think about it. After all, they almost always seem to come out on top, don't they? Sure, they'll lose smaller battles, but in the end, they always come out on top somehow. Someway…"

The Dealer gazed at the single card he had not overturned. It was at the top of the desk, and it loomed above all the other overturned cards. A small smile cracked on his face as he reached for it.

As The Dominator roared loudly to the sky over his latest victory, he was quickly silenced by the sound of footsteps, ones that approached him from behind.

"You see, in the grandest of battles in our world, just when you think the Pro-Heroes are down and out, just when you think they have nothing left to give or offer and no one can save them…"

The Dominator slowly turned, and the sunset cloaked an approaching character in shadow. His silhouette weaved in the orange glow of the sun as it lowered. As if a sign that though the night loomed, it was not there yet, there was still light to give in this world.

The Dealer grabbed onto the card and flipped it over, an ace of diamonds it was.

"…an ace appears."

The shadowy figure soon stood but a few feet in front of The Dominator, and at first, the villain was stunned. But soon, he realized the opportunity before him, and a smile couldn't help but grace his face.

He laughed menacingly, "My, my, it's you, Mythical."

The No.1 Hero did no dramatic pose, did no long-winded speech about the victory that could come. Rather, the Pro-Hero just gazed at his enemy and said all that needed to be said.

"Yes, I am here."

*credits*