Chapter 4: Panic At The USJ
Tenko Shimura had always wanted to be a hero but from the moment his Quirk had manifested, he had been treated as a villain in the making. Thrown out onto the streets by the cops after the disappearance of his family - because who would ever want to raise a child that could kill you by touching you - he had wandered through the streets until he had been found by... him.
He still remembered the words that man in the suit had said to him. Tenko Shimura, you can be a hero. The hero that those that superhuman society deems undesirable need.
If he hadn't been so desperate for some food in his belly, he might have asked who the man was, or how he knew his name. Nevertheless, in the coming months, Tenko Shimura became more and more angry with how many people were trodden down by society, he took a new name at his teacher's suggestion. To better wound and unsettle the ever-vaunted Symbol of Peace when his true identity was revealed.
So, Tenko Shimura became Tomura Shigiraki.
It made him sick, how the masses worshiped their so-called heroes and decried their villains. Never stopping to ask why. Why do we arbitrarily hate people with undesirable Quirks? Why is it okay to hate the scary heteromorphs?
A hidden TV screen in the corner of the bar that served as Shigiraki's hideout sprang to life, revealing none other than his benefactor, his teacher, his master.
All For One.
"Young Tomura."
Shigiraki paused the round of Mario Kart he was playing and turned to face All For One. "What is it?" To tell the truth, Shigiraki had been getting impatient. Every time they had one of these talks, it was always another delay.
"All the pieces are finally in place. We can finally begin the game. This week, class 1-A will be conducting rescue training under the watchful eye of a certain hero, among others. The Symbol of Peace himself. You will lead an assembly of some of my other friends to discuss your grievances with All Might. I suspect he will have a lethal realization of the error of his ways." All For One steepled his hands on the desk in front of him, "Especially considering the two that will be your lieutenants for this mission."
Shigiraki scratched at his neck, "You could just say party members, you know?"
All For One chuckled. Once. "Call them whatever your heart desires, Young Tomura. The first is an individual by the name of Kurogiri. His Quirk is called Warp Gate, which he will use to transport you and the rest of my friends into the USJ and scatter whatever students are foolish enough to stop you. Other than that, his singular mission is to protect you."
"Got it, he's my babysitter. Who's the other?"
"A scientific and biological marvel. Call him Nomu. He has multiple Quirks and is designed for one thing and one thing alone. Killing All Might. If he must be sacrificed to achieve this goal, it is an acceptable loss."
"Nomu's the tank, Kurogiri's the support." Shigiraki muttered, "Anything else?"
"Be ready." His image winked out of existence
Shigiraki began to laugh, "What's up, YouTube, Shigiraki here. Today, I'm doing an any percent speed run on killing the Symbol of Peace..."
If there was one thing in his life as a UA student that Midoriya was still adjusting to, it was the fact that he actually had friends. During middle school, well... Bakugo's assertion that it was a shitty public middle school was correct on every front. The other kids avoided him like the plague, because the alternative was drawing Bakugo's ire. And the teachers? Useless. Even that time one of the teachers had caught Bakugo gut-punching him, the teacher had thrown him in detention, because he had clearly instigated the fight. That teacher couldn't have been more transparent if they had tried. If anything had gone on Bakugo's record, it would've ruined his chances at any Hero school, much less UA.
"Earth to Midoriya! Come in Midoriya!"
Midoriya looked up to see Kaminari looking at him, "Sorry! I zoned out."
From his right, Kirishima patted him on the shoulder, "It's no big deal, my dude. It ain't go time yet, after all."
That was right. The entire class had been loaded on a bus, and they were on the way to the USJ, or Unforeseen Situation Joint for rescue training. Midoriya couldn't help casting a glance at Aizawa and remembering what he had said during the Quirk Fitness Tests.
"You may be able to save one person, but after that you're useless."
"You know, Midoriya," Tsuyu said from his left, "Your Quirk is an awful lot like All Might's, isn't it?"
Oh no. She knew. How? He hadn't even said the words One For All! Wait, was he muttering? "Uh... That's a funny- Well, you see-"
From a couple rows away, Bakugo perked up. He hadn't thought about it at the time, but the one time that Midoriya had used his Quirk during their fight, the results were awfully similar to the Symbol of Peace himself. He had even shouted "Detroit Smash".
Kirishima shrugged, "I mean, it looks similar sure. But when was the last time you heard about All Might breaking an arm after a punch?"
"Don't count Midoriya out yet." Yaoyorozu said, "I think you'll find that he has more staying power than he did in the battle training."
That comment set off a wave of snickering from Jiro and Ashido. "What exactly do you mean by staying power, Yaomomo?" Jirou said.
Yaoyorozu blushed at her friend's insinuation. "That is not what I meant, and you know that."
"That's not a denial..." Ashido said in a singsong voice.
Being a damned nerd, the meaning of the innuendo passed about a mile over Midoriya's head. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You know!" Mineta piped up, to the dismay of everybody, "Bow chicka bow wow!"
"And just like that, the magic is gone." Todoroki said.
Iida glanced at him. "Did you just say what I thought you said?"
The barest hint of a smile graced Shoto Todoroki's face. "No."
Aizawa groaned. Was this really his life right now?
"Okay, but let's talk about the real problem." Denki Death Wish Kaminari said, "Who else agrees that Bakugo is just a receptacle for his dumpster fire of a personality?"
"I'll blow you to hell!" Bakugo screamed.
"Phrasing!" Sato quipped.
Yes, this truly was his life right now.
Just about every aspiring hero idolized All Might. Who wouldn't? Who in the rising generation of heroes hadn't seen the recording of All Might's debut, him emerging from a burning skyscraper carrying sixteen people to safety. Him declaring for the first time that everything would be fine because he was there.
Most of them had a secondary inspiration, a more achievable goal. For Ochako Uraraka that hero was Thirteen, one of the preeminent Rescue heroes. Uraraka's parents were the owners of a construction company. Her parents worked so hard, but they were always on the poor side. As a result, Uraraka was raised on the various job sites more often than not, because day care was expensive.
She saw more than a few accidents over her formative years, accidents that her Quirk would have trivialized. So, Thirteen became her inspiration. Proof that you could become a successful hero while only focusing on rescues. She could also swear up a storm with the best of them if pressed, but that wasn't relevant at the moment.
What was relevant was that she had just connected the dots and realized that Thirteen was here. And was their teacher.
She was geeking out a little. Just a little.
"Where's All Might, Eraserhead?" Thirteen asked, "Wasn't he supposed to be here?"
In response, Aizawa held up three fingers. Uraraka frowned. What did the number three have to do with why All Might hadn't made it? She heard a muted oh from her left and turned to see Midoriya. "Midoriya, do you know-"
"Welcome, everyone." Thirteen began. Her hero uniform resembled an astronaut's EVA gear. "And welcome to the USJ. Today we will begin your education on what I believe to be the most essential duty of a hero. Rescue." She gestured to the area behind her, "Landslides. Building collapses. Shipwrecks. Wildfires. Storms. You will learn how to perform flawless rescues in all of these extremes. This way, the average rescues in your day-to-day life as a hero will be second nature. Now, let's talk about Quirks. Who here knows what my Quirk is?"
Uraraka's hand shot up. "I do! It's Black Hole! You generate a black hole from your fingertips and anything you suck up gets turned to dust! It's great for disasters because you can just suck up the debris!"
Thirteen nodded, "Correct. But it can also kill incredibly easily." That comment soured the mood among the students. "In the Quirk Fitness test, you learned how much your Quirks enhance your abilities. In the Battle Training, you learned the dangers of using your Quirks against another person. Here, you will use those lessons as building blocks by which you learn how to use your abilities to help rather than harm. When you receive your hero licenses, it is not permission to use your power to harm others, but rather to help them. That may be by rescuing them from dangers or defeating villains. But never forget this saying that I once learned from the Symbol of Peace himself. Save to win and win to save."
"Alright, listen up." Aizawa said, "We'll be breaking you up into five four person teams. Midoriya, have you learned how to use your power without injuring yourself yet?"
Midoriya nodded, "Yes, I have, but only with five percent of it."
Aizawa chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before continuing. "I see, that's going to hav-"
He was cut off by the light fixtures above popping, all in a row.
"Yowch!" Kaminari yelped, grabbing his left ear, which was covered by a headset that allowed him to send brief messages to phones via his Quirk. Even though he was purely an Electric-type, he still had the ability to interface with radio waves on a basic level. "I think someone's jamming me!"
Aizawa shot him a look. That was not part of the lesson today. His attention was drawn back to the central plaza where a mass of black fog had gathered and people had started coming through.
Not just people. Villains.
"Is this that thing where the lesson's already started?" Kirishima asked.
Aizawa put his goggles on and began to unfurl his binding cloth. "No. Thirteen, protect the students!"
"Wait! You can't fight all of them, Aizawa-sensei!" Midoriya said.
"What do you mean, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Aizawa-sensei made his name as a hero with one-on-one captures, there's no way he can fight this many villains at once!"
He had a point. There were at least thirty villains waiting, not to mention that for all they knew, there were villains lying in wait in the other areas of the USJ.
Aizawa's mouth hardened into a grim line. Even in this situation, there was a lesson he needed to teach. "If you intend to survive as a pro, you must be prepared for all types of situations. Observe."
Aizawa then ran down the stairs to the central plaza and began engaging the villains. The binding cloth snapped out and he yanked a villain with some sort of giant Quirk into his allies.
"I still can't get through!" Kaminari reported, "The villain that's jamming up the alarms and comms must be hiding, otherwise Aizawa-sensei would have erased his Quirk by now!"
"Something's wrong." Todoroki said, "Why don't they all rush him at once? They're taking turns, like this is Power Rangers, or something."
"Do you want Aizawa-Sensei to die?" Jirou snapped.
"Nah, the Icy-Hot Bastard is right." Bakugo said, "Their tactics are complete ass, especially against Eraserhead."
"Wait a sec, where did the black mist guy that brought them here go?" Mineta asked.
Apparently Mineta had unlocked some latent gift for prophecy, because said villain materialized in front of them. "Hmm, where is All Might? We were led to believe he would be here. Do forgive me, but it will be easier to lure him out by torturing you all to death if you are separated."
"No way!" Kirishima yelled, "You aren't gonna hurt anyone else, not as long as I'm around!"
Bakugo grinned as mini-explosions began to go off around his palms, "As if we'd care about some empty threat from a lame-ass villain!"
"Wait, don't!" Thirteen said.
They charged and Bakugo let off an explosion. Said explosion disappeared into a portal that the villain had opened. "Wasted effort. Much like whatever little time remains of your lives." He stretched forth what passed for his hand and black mist enveloped them. Once it had dissipated, Kirishima and Bakugo were nowhere to be found.
"No!" Midoriya said, his hand clamped over his mouth.
Without warning, more mist surged out.
Midoriya gasped as his vision filled with black.
Well, first the good news. Midoriya was still in the USJ.
The bad news was that he was approximately ten feet above the water in the Shipwreck Zone.
He let out a decidedly unheroic scream.
Before he hit the water, he felt something wrap around his waist. He looked down to see a tongue that led towards the mock ship floating in the middle of the pool. Oh! He was unceremoniously yanked to safety and landed on the deck of the boat.
"Great! Now we can die here instead of in the water!" Mineta complained.
"Mineta, losing your head will not improve our situation." Tsuyu turned to Midoriya, "Are you hurt?"
He shook his head before peeking over the railing, to see that the mist villain had sent some other villains to the Shipwreck Zone just after they had arrived. Or had they always been there?
Said villains were either arrogant or not possessed of great intelligence, as they had just started complaining about their tactics. "Wasn't Kurogiri supposed to drop them in the water?" A shark villain asked.
"Doesn't matter." Another one said, "This just means we get to play with them some more before they break."
Well, that was ominous.
"We need a plan." Tsuyu said, "My Quirk is Frog. It allows me to do everything you might expect with a name like that." She concluded the summary of her abilities with a ribbiting sound.
"I've got super strength, but if I use it at full power, it wrecks my body. I can use about five percent of my power safely." Midoriya explained.
Mineta hung his head and pointed to the purple balls on his head. "These come off and stick to things. They don't stick to me. On a good day, they can last for 24 hours or so."
Mineta looked up to see the others staring at him.
"Just say my Quirk is useless!" Mineta yelled, tears borne of fear streaming from his eyes, "No one said we'd be attacked by villains so soon! We're all going to die, and I never got to touch Yaoyorozu's boobs!"
When he saw the flash of anger in Midoriya's eyes, he stopped dead in his tracks. "First, never talk about Yaoyorozu like that again. Second, never talk about Yaoyorozu like that again. Third, never let me hear you say that your Quirk is useless again."
Tsuyu raised an eyebrow. Rather than ponder why Midoriya had repeated himself - about Yaoyorozu no less - she decided to focus on more important matters. "I have a question. How did the villains know we would be here?"
"They knew our schedule," Mineta realized, "Which is just another reason why we should just sit tight and wait for All Might to come save us!"
"Mineta." Midoriya said, horror dawning on his face, "If they knew our schedule, they would've known that he was supposed to be here. They must have a way to kill him, they wouldn't have attacked like this otherwise."
"We need a plan to escape." Tsuyu said, "We can't touch the water, since the villains surrounding us were likely picked for this area. We also need to plan for the villains coming after us"
"What if we could escape and immobilize all the villains in one shot?" Midoriya asked.
"How the heck are we going to do that?" Mineta asked.
"It's simple. The villains don't know our Quirks, otherwise they probably would've rushed the boat already. I'm going to jump overboard and use my Quirk to cause a whirlpool. It'll cost me a finger, but that's just something we'll have to live with. Then Asui-"
"Just call me Tsu."
"Ah, sorry. Tsu will jump for the shore and snag me with her tongue while carrying you, Mineta. Now here's the important bit. Mineta, while we're in the air, you need to throw as many of your balls as possible."
"Wait..." Mineta said, "Are you saying that this doesn't work without my Quirk?"
"That's right."
Mineta shook his head, "But... Midoriya! How can you be so calm?"
Midoriya clenched his fists in an attempt to keep them from shaking. "Honestly, I don't know. Normally in situations like this, I'd be shaking in my boots. But... I guess when you've been powerless for so long, and then you suddenly find yourself with the power to act..." Midoriya turned back of his classmates with a wild grin. "It'll be fine. We're here. Get in pos-"
"ENOUGH! DIE HEROES!" One of the villains used their Quirk to create a giant clawed hand of water that smashed into the boat, causing it to begin sinking.
Crap! I should've expected this! With no time to waste, Midoriya launched himself off of the railing. Gotta get their attention. Better act like Kaachan! "DIE!"
With no time to waste, Midoriya called on the full power of One For All, concentrating it in a single finger. If they're really here to kill All Might, they'll have to get through me first! "DELAWARE SMASH!"
As he had predicted, the finger flick caused a massive blast of air pressure that began to create a whirlpool in the water. And his finger was broken. "Phase two! Now!"
He felt Tsu's tongue wrap around him and saw Mineta throw a bunch of his purple balls into the water. Perfect. They had cleared the first hurdle, but there was still a long way to go.
When the villains sent to the Landslide Zone saw that only one student had been sent there, they thought he would be easy pickings.
They were not prepared for Shoto Todoroki.
The villains in the Collapse Zone were similarly overwhelmed. They expected scared kids, not the barely shackled ferocity of Katsuki Bakugo and literal rock headed stubbornness of Eijiro Kirishima.
"You idiots think you can kill All Might with rabble like this?" Bakugo roared, "Don't make me laugh, you weaklings couldn't kill your way out of a paper bag!" He lunged, propelled through the air with explosions, and brought down his armored boot in a brutal axe kick that sent the villain he brought it to bear against to the floor.
"Looks like that's all of them, man." Kirishima said, "You're seriously good at this. You get in a lot of fights as a kid or something?"
Bakugo's eye twitched. "Something like that. You're not too shabby yourself, being able to keep up with me and all."
Kirishima shrugged as he deactivated his Quirk and his hands returned to normal. "I wouldn't say I was keeping up with you, but I did my part. We should probably get back to Thirteen and the others so we can get the hell out of-"
"Nah, I ain't leaving. Got a score to settle with that warp gate bastard." Bakugo said, "Besides, the others can take care of themselves."
Kirishima grinned, "Wait... why the grudge?"
"Think about it." Bakugo said, tapping the side of his head, "That warp villain was their only way in, so it stands to reason that he's their only way out. We take him down, and then all the other villains are easy pickings for the heroes when they show up." And if I know Midoriya, he's already cooked up a plan to get past the jamming these villains have. It's only a matter of time until the pros show."
"Since when were you so calm and rational?"
"You idiot! I'm always calm!"
"Hold up, we were ordered not to kill the heiress."
Yaoyorozu blinked. Well, that was certainly unexpected.
Jiro tightened her grip on the sword that Yaoyorozu had made for her. "You think that's gonna make us drop our guard?"
"Kaminari, any luck?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"No." He said, "But the interference is really strong here. I think they sent the villain causing the jamming here. Makes sense, having them in place to counter me."
"Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on that." Jiro retorted, "If they knew our Quirks, they would've sent me to the Windstorm Zone."
The lead villain rolled his eyes, "Look, just don't do anything stupid, and you three won't have to have an accident."
Yaoyorozu glanced around. If she had time to make the insulated blanket, then Kaminari could use his Quirk to knock out all of the villains, and they could escape. "Jiro." She whispered, "Buy me time. I need thirty seconds."
Jiro just grinned, "You got it, Yaomomo." Without further ado, she connected her earphone jacks to the speakers built into her boots. "If you idiots think that we're just gonna sit here and do nothing while your pals try to kill All Might, you've got another thing coming. Take this! HEARTBEAT DISTORTION!"
A sonic blast -courtesy of Jiro's amplified heartbeat- tore through the villains' ranks, sending some sprawling, and others clutching their ears. "Gah... you brats! All you had to do was do nothing! Now you're gonna die!"
"Do nothing?" Yaoyorozu questioned as the insulated blanket sprang into existence out of the blue glow from her back. How could I do nothing when Midor- the rest of my classmates are in danger? When these villains are trying to disrupt the peace that All Might has built? "You shouldn't be asking if we'll do nothing, but rather you should be asking how quickly we'll take you down!"
"Now, Kaminari!" Jiro cried from beneath the blanket.
Kaminari wiped his nose, "Here we go! Indiscriminate Shock, one point three million volts!" Electricity surged out from his body and leapt from villain to villain, incapacitating all of them with ease.
It was a shame that Kaminari was included in that number.
After Yaoyorozu had repaired her costume -to Jiro's acute embarrassment- they emerged from the insulated blanket. "Good job, Kaminari!" Yaoyorozu said.
"Yaay!"
Things had gone from bad to catastrophic. However, if there had been one thing that Tenya Iida had learned from the battle training, it was how to adjust when the time came for a strategy to be thrown into the trash.
"How are we supposed to deal with this guy?" Sero asked.
"Carefully." Shoji replied, "One false move, and we'll end up in even more danger." The appendages on the ends of his arms formed extra eyes and ears as he tried to detect his missing classmates, "Thankfully, it seems all of our classmates are still in the USJ. I think we can rule out a range restriction on his warp gates."
"Could be coordinates if he can't rely on sight." Sato said.
"Congratulations. You've figured out how my Quirk works." The mist villain said, "It will not help you escape me."
Shoji shifted position so that he was next to Iida and Thirteen, then morphed two of his limbs into mouths, enabling him to talk to them without raising as much suspicion. "I can see a metal brace of sorts on his body. That could be an indication of where his real body is."
"Alright." Thirteen said, "Here's the plan. Class Rep, you're going to make a run for it."
Iida did a double take, "I will do no such thing! As Class Rep, it is my responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of my classmates! I cannot desert them while they fight for their lives!"
"You misunderstood. You are going to get the rest of the staff to bring the hammer down on these villains." Thirteen said. "I will keep this villain contained as long as I can. Now go!"
Sero and Sato took their fighting stances, followed by Uraraka and Shoji, whose arms had all morphed back into hands. "Don't worry, Class Rep!" Ashido said with a cheery thumbs up that flew in the face of the gravity of the crisis, "We've got this!"
"Even if you have no choice, only fools strategize in front of their enemy!" As Iida began to run for the door, the black mist surged again.
The cover over Thirteen's pointer finger popped open. "Not so fast! BLACK HOLE!" The mist began to be sucked up, but the mist villain somehow remained calm.
"Thirteen. You are not a battle hero, and you are relying on your students' hurried analysis of my abilities. This will cost you. Maybe even your life."
Uraraka's eyes went wide. That's not possible right? Come on, what did we miss? What would Midoriya... OH SHIT. "Thirteen-sensei, stop!"
But it was too late. A warp gate opened behind Thirteen. One that appeared to be sucking her into it. Almost like...
A black hole.
Thirteen fell down, face first. Her Quirk ceased along with her lack of equilibrium. The back of her space suit was torn open. Ashido and Uraraka were the first to reach her. "Thirteen-sensei, are you-"
"Get out..."
"Huh?" Ashido said.
"Save yourselves..."
Without another word, more mist shot out of the villain, straight towards Iida. That is, until Shoji contained the mist in his arms. "It's not going to be that easy!" He cried. The desperate gambit only bought a couple seconds, as the villain freed himself with another portal.
But there were still students of 1-A left standing. With unerring accuracy, Sero shot a strand of tape that latched on to the metal brace on the villain's side. Sato grabbed the other end and pulled, intending to hurl the villain across the USJ.
"You will not deny me!" The villain raged, "I am Kurogiri, and I must protect Tomura Shigiraki!" Once again, their efforts were stymied by another portal.
Uraraka had a secret. She didn't hide that her parents were construction workers. What she did take great pains to hide was that she had picked up some of the... vocabulary. But when she was angry or stressed it slipped out.
Without a second thought, Uraraka charged at the villain... no, Kurogiri who once again was menacing Iida. He was almost through the door! Just one last push! "You're not going to lay one rotten finger on him!" She shouted as she barreled at him in a dead sprint, "Cause I'm going to hurl your ass into orbit!" She tagged the metal brace and made Kurogiri weightless. Then she threw him. Straight up.
Kurogiri despaired. No, I've failed Shigiraki. I can't follow him any further due to the security system only being deactivated inside the USJ. He'll alert the faculty, and all of the heroes will come down on us. This is their win. All because I underestimated those students. I will not be making that mistake again.
Midoriya had a feeling that his luck was just too good recently and that it had to run out eventually. He should have listened to Tsu and directed his group to skirt the shoreline of the Shipwreck Zone and make it to the gate undetected.
But no, he had to suggest that they see if they could lighten Aizawa's burden. Now they couldn't do anything except stand there, frozen in fear, as Aizawa struggled against what could only be the villain's boss. A man dressed in black, with some sort of hands covering his face and body.
"Why is Aizawa-sensei having so much trouble with this guy?" Mineta hissed, "Isn't this his specialty?"
Mineta had spoken too soon. In the instant that Aizawa's Quirk deactivated and his hair fell, the villain darted in and grabbed his elbow.
It started to decay, first clothes, then skin. The villain released him, only to start taunting him. "What will you do now, Eraserhead?"
"Midoriya, we should leave." Tsu said, "We're no match for this."
A simple thing like his elbow crumbling wasn't going to stop Eraserhead, who jumped straight into knocking out the remaining villains. The head villain started... monologuing? "Oh, yeah. This is a bad matchup for you, right? I've always had a deep respect for low tier heroes. But the problem with that... is once you find yourself up against the final boss..."
"Even with one arm, taking you down will be simple." Aizawa said.
The villain started laughing. "I'm not the final boss. Nomu is."
Aizawa turned just in time to see a positively monstrous villain. Exposed brain, beak filled with sharp teeth, and towering above most people. He immediately erased its Quirk.
Only to have his face introduced to the concrete. Violently.
"That's what I was saying before, Eraserhead. Once you lower tiers get up against the final boss, you learn why your matchup is zero to ten. You might as well be Quirkless against this."
With a sickening snap, the monster broke one of Aizawa's arms.
The warp gate villain - what had the villains in the Shipwreck Zone call him? Kurogiri? - materialized next to the leader. "Tomura Shigiraki."
"Ah, Kurogiri. Did you kill Thirteen?" Shigiraki asked.
"I put her out of action, but one of the students that I was unable to disperse was able to escape the confines of the USJ."
"What? No... no no no no..." Shigiraki started scratching at his neck, "This isn't right... it wasn't supposed to be game over for me. It was supposed to be a speed run... a speed run of killing the Symbol of Peace!"
Midoriya frowned. Why does he use so many video game terms? Is all this a game to him?
"Oh well..." He continued, before he looked over at Midoriya and the others. "At least I'll be able to leave him with the knowledge that he can't save everyone."
Midoriya froze. This situation was all too familiar to him. A villain with overwhelming power. No heroes would arrive in time. Only the bystanders able to resist. It was just like the cops had said his Dad had...
In the instant that Midoriya froze up, Shigiraki struck. Midoriya gasped as he saw Shigiraki's hand mere inches from Tsu's face. No! If he grabs her then... then...
He remembered what happened to Aizawa's elbow.
Shigiraki was touching her, but nothing was happening. "Damn it." Shigiraki said, "You really are cool, Eraser Head."
Midoriya moved. There was no time for thought. If he stopped to think, then Tsu was dead. He recklessly activated One For All in his right arm. Even he wasn't sure at what percentage. Thirty? Forty-five? If I can't save my friends, then I can't call myself a hero! "DETROIT SMASH!"
First the good news. He had definitely hit something. His arm hurt like hell but wasn't broken. Then the smoke cleared, and he saw that he hadn't hit Shigiraki. Nomu had taken his place.
There wasn't a scratch on him.
"You... you're a devotee of All Might, aren't you?" Shigiraki asked, "Your power... it's quite similar to his, isn't it?"
Midoriya didn't have the time to panic, because Nomu grabbed him, all while Shigiraki began to reach for Mineta. What can I do? Damn it! I promised Mom I wouldn't die like Dad! DAMN IT!
Then, there was a loud crash behind them, towards the entrance, and Izuku Midoriya realized something for the first time. The deeper the despair that the darkness brought, the more dazzling the light of hope was.
"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!"
All Might had arrived.
"Oh... I get a continue..."
Over decades of hero work, All Might had developed the ability to analyze an ongoing crisis in an instant. This ability had been crucial to his crusade against All For One's criminal empire, enabling him to smash his nemesis's plots to pieces before they could come to fruition.
This was no different. At least, that's what he told himself. Deep down, he knew this was why he had avoided relationships. Because in the back of his head there was a voice whispering that his girlfriend's son was in danger, and if he didn't save him, she would never forgive him. That wasn't true, but decades of self-sacrifice and needing to be the Symbol of Peace had taken their toll.
"Get Thirteen outside. I was on my way over when I met Young Iida on the way. More help is coming." He told the students at the gate.
Then he moved.
He blasted through the remaining small fry villains on his way to his real objective. He blew by the villain's boss, and grabbed Midoriya and his friends as he went, depositing them by where Aizawa had fell. "Get out of here. Take Aizawa and go."
"Yes sir!" Mineta said immediately. Tsu moved to assess how best to carry Aizawa. But Midoriya looked back uneasily at his mentor before unleashing a wave of motormouth analysis. "The guy with the hands decays what he touches, the mist guy has a warp Quirk, the mist is the medium, but his body is under there. The big guy was able to take a shot from One... of my punches that didn't break my arm."
Shigiraki shrugged. "It won't matter how much you tell him about me and my party. The Symbol of Peace dies today."
I can't reveal that I know him personally, not in front of all of these villains. He flashed a thumbs up to Midoriya. "Thank you for the information, young man. Don't worry any further, these villains are as good as defeated."
Midoriya fled along with Tsu and Mineta who were carrying Aizawa. All Might released a mental sigh. Time to go to work. The big one first.
He rushed at the monster and attacked with a cross chop. "CAROLINA SMASH!" The air pressure from the strike pushed back Shigiraki and Kurogiri, not to mention the waves it caused in the nearby Shipwreck Zone.
It had no effect on the monster. All Might aimed a punch at its face. Just like before, it had no effect. This did not bode well. "How in- " The monster reacted with a wild hook that hit him right in the spot that where he had been injured six years ago. He coughed up blood.
Oh, this was not good. It could take hits from him at full power, then dish out damage that equaled him?
"That's his Shock Absorption, in case you're wondering. Nomu here is designed from the ground up to be the Anti-Symbol of Peace."
"Well, let's see how he deals with this!" All Might slipped behind Nomu, grabbed him around the waist, and brought him down behind him. If he couldn't get hurt, then the best next thing was to stop his movements. The dust cleared and-
All Might roared in pain as Nomu grabbed his sides and squeezed, courtesy of Kurogiri's portals. Shit, this is bad! I'm in big trouble! Especially with so little time left!
This was made especially clear as Nomu dragged him into the portal until he was halfway in. Okay, problematic. But what...
It started to close.
Shit.
Midoriya looked back when he heard All Might cry out in pain. If he died, who could teach him about One For All? And... he didn't have any proof that All Might was dating his mom, but if he died... and they were... Oh, God...
He ran. Right back into the fray. He had to go for Kurogiri. He needed to be taken out if All Might was going to be able to win this. He activated ten percent of One For All in his legs - that was all he dared to risk - and leapt. No! I won't let you villains kill All Might! There's still so much I want him to teach me... I can't let him die!
He was hurtling at Kurogiri and could clearly see the metal braces that denoted where his real body was. He chambered a blow with his right arm and-
"OUTTA THE WAY, DAMN NERD!"
Midoriya abruptly opened the fingers of his clenched fist, using the wind pressure as a midair brake. When he landed, he saw Bakugo tackle Kurogiri to the ground. Then ice shot across the ground and froze the Nomu's arms, allowing All Might to break free.
"Why didn't you call me Deku?" Midoriya muttered, "Wait! Todoroki? You too?"
"The villains I defeated had no idea of what the plan to kill All Might was, so I assumed that it was top secret for some reason or another." Todoroki explained.
"Don't even think of moving a muscle!" Bakugo seethed at Kurogiri, "Make a move and I'll blow you to hell! They'll be cleaning you off the walls for weeks!"
Kirishima rolled his eyes. "That's not very hero like, man."
"Oh, it seems I need to use the comeback mechanic." Shigiraki said, "Nomu, free yourself." Everyone was taken aback by monster moving even though it had one arm and one leg frozen. Especially when the frozen limbs fell off and new ones quickly grew to replace them.
"What?" All Might asked, "Was Shock Absorption not his Quirk?"
Shigiraki smiled, and thoroughly enjoyed the dawning horror on All Might's face as he listed off the Quirks that Nomu possessed. "Shock Absorption. Hyper-Regeneration. Pain Editor. Strength Boost times three. Kinetic Boost times three. Those are the Quirks that Nomu has."
The way he listed those Quirks... he said it just like All For One used to... no... he's back? The children need to leave. Now.
Heedless of All Mights internal struggle, Shigiraki gave his orders. "Nomu, retrieve our Gate."
Bakugo knew the attack was coming. Academically, he knew that Nomu was just as fast and strong as All Might, including the ability to move faster than the human eye could track, if the situation called for it. He felt himself get thrown off of Kurogiri and landed near Midoriya.
"Kacchan, you dodged? That's incred-"
"Shut up! I didn't dodge, look."
All Might was grappling with Nomu again, and Kurogiri was next to Shigiraki again.
"Nomu. Kurogiri. Kill him, I'll deal with the children." Shigiraki said.
All Might clenched his fists. I don't know how much time I have left in this form, but it can't be much. My power's declining faster I thought it would.
"Let's clear this level and go home." Shigiraki declared before sprinting at Midoriya and the others.
"Heads up, we've got incoming!" Kirishima said.
All Might assumed his ready stance. Even then, I have to stop these villains! These kids are the key to the future, not just Young Midoriya! I have to protect them and everyone else... because I am the world's Symbol of PEACE AND JUSTICE!
Nomu was already charging, so All Might met him head on at full power. He blocked the monster's blow with a punch of his own, going knuckle to knuckle. Anything else would allow the monster or gain momentum, and that could not be allowed. The blast wave from the collision knocked both the children and the villains back. All Might's smile returned, for real this time. Midoriya had been dead on in his analysis of Kurogiri's Quirk. The mist was the medium by which he created his warp gates. If it was being blown back by wind pressure, there was nothing the villain could do to hurt him.
"Weren't you listening?" Shigiraki yelled over the squall, "One of his powers is Shock Absorption!"
If there was anything that was true about the wielders of One For All, it was that having their backs to the wall brought out the best in them. "Yeah? WHAT ABOUT IT?" All Might roared. After two more exchanges, both he and Nomu agreed independently to go all out. He began to push what power he had to the absolute limit, unleashing a blistering onslaught of blows. "You said one of his Quirks was Shock Absorption, not Nullification! So there's a limit to what he can take, right?"
After finally finding his footing Midoriya grinned despite the situation. "All Might's incredible! Even injured... look at him go!"
"The hell are you talking about?" Bakugo groused, "They're going so fast I can barely keep track of them!"
"Oh, you're going to have a hard time when they start getting serious."
"No!" Kurogiri said in dismay, "I can't get near them!"
All Might continued his attack, he couldn't afford to let up, not with Kurogiri so eager to cut him into pieces with his portals. "So, you were made to fight me, big guy? Well, if you can really stand me firing at one hundred percent of my power, then I'll just have to go beyond that, and FORCE YOU TO SURRENDER!" I just have to remember... my origin... to give me... that extra push! Mother... Father... Master... Shimura...
Out of the people present, Midoriya was in a unique situation, being the current wielder of One For All. He knew exactly what the peak of All Might's power was. Every single punch was going beyond that peak. Even being buffeted by waves of wind in the middle of what could very well be considered a terrorist attack, Izuku Midoriya was a hero fanboy at heart. "He's giving it his all, even though he's injured. Those aren't just random punches either. They're targeted. And every single one of them... is more than a hundred percent of his power!"
With a mighty haymaker blow, All Might sent Nomu flying. With zero hesitation All Might leapt after it. "A real hero..." He dunked the villain with a double fisted hammer blow, causing a thunderous impact. "Will always find a way for justice to be served!" With an unearthly screech, Nomu leapt back up to rejoin the battle. All Might grabbed it by its outstretched arm and spun it once... twice... three times before sending the monster back to earth, creating a second, larger crater. All Might landed next to it as it was bouncing up from the impact.
Midoriya gasped and heard a similar action from Bakugo. Whatever their differences and disagreements, there was one indisputable fact about them. They were the biggest All Might fanboys in all of Japan. They knew what happened next.
"Now for a lesson." All Might declared, as much for the villains watching with hate in their eyes as for his students, "You may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean! Go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!" With the mightiest blow yet, All Might sent the Nomu flying at speeds approaching escape velocity. It crashed through the USJ dome and kept on going, blowing the clouds out of the way as it passed.
"Wow, that was like the finishing move in a video game!" Kirishima said, "He beat the Shock Absorption right out of him!"
"Imagine having power like that..." Bakugo said enviously. That's what it takes to be a pro.
Todoroki's left hand twitched. He really is the best.
Shigiraki on the other hand, was not amused.
"He cheated..."
Yaoyorozu was learning a valuable lesson. Never let your guard down during a crisis.
Both she and Jiro had assumed that all of the villains had been knocked out by Kaminari's lightning surge, but one had hid from it. Maybe he was immune? The specifics didn't matter, not with the villain in a skull mask holding Kaminari hostage.
"Hands up." The villain ordered, "No Quirks, or this guy dies. I don't want to kill another Electric-type, even if he's training to become a hero, but I will if you two act stupid."
"Damn, we got careless." Jiro muttered. Yaoyorozu simply put her hands up, being the heiress to the Sapoto Corporation, she had gone through training on how to deal with hostage situations.
Jiro, on the other hand, did not have that training. "He must be the one jamming communications."
"Smart guess, kid."
"Man, you Electric-types have it made, don't you?" Jiro continued, "Even if you don't go the hero route, there's so many jobs you can do." Yaoyorozu looked over at her friend in confusion, what was she... oh. Her right hand earphone jack was sneaking down to the plug in her boot. If she could make it reach, then...
"Man, if this shit is what they're teaching you here, I've got a real prosperous life ahead of me." The villain's free hand crackled with electricity, "Do you really think I'm going to fall for that old behind the back nonsense? Why don't you ask Saber how well that trick works against me?"
Yaoyorozu gasped. Saber had been a promising rookie hero before an encounter with a villain had put him in the ICU.
"That's better." The villain shook his head, "Making light of hostages, all to try some naive bullshit that only works in cartoons. You know, I should make sure that the lesson sinks in, and I've found that pain can be an effective teacher. So, here's your choice. Either we see how much voltage your buddy here can take before his brain short-circuits permanently, or we see what kind of music you make while I give you a little shock therapy."
"I-"
The villain held up a finger. "Not so fast. The person who makes this decision is Miss Heiress here. What'll it be, your highness?"
Yaoyorozu weighed what she knew. The villain had made no secret that he would outright kill Kaminari, despite his supposed reluctance to do so. He'd probably use the opportunity to get revenge on Jiro for her boneheaded move - which Yaoyorozu didn't fault her for, if she had been in her position it would've seemed like the best option - which left only one option for one reason alone.
The villains were under orders not to kill her, for whatever reason.
"Take me instead."
The villain threw back his head and laughed, "Oh, that's a good one! Knowing I'm under orders not to kill you and all. No one said nothing about not putting you in a coma, though."
"Do that, and you sign your own death wish." Yaoyorozu said, hoping she sounded braver than her trembling hands betrayed.
The villain cocked his head, "Why's that?"
"There's a guy who's crushing on me. Who happens to be All Might's protégé and has power of his own to rival his mentor." Yaoyorozu smiled, "Do the math." It was a bluff. She had no idea if that was true or not and was only inferring it from their similar Quirks.
He made a show of backing off. "Yeah, I'm not rolling those dice." Then in an instant, he raised his hand again and a bolt of lightning crossed the distance between them, "So it'll just be enough to make sure the lesson sinks in. How do you feel about scars?"
Yaoyorozu would've replied that she wasn't a fan of scars, thank you very much, if it wasn't for the electrical current running through her. The first thing she noticed was the pain. It was the single most intense pain she had ever felt in her life. Then the spasms started, and she fell to the ground.
"No!" Somehow, Kaminari had snapped out of his stupor and lunged for the current of electricity, giving Yaoyorozu a brief respite.
The villain backhanded him in retaliation, "Dumbass! Now I have to kill all three of you on principle!"
"Do it now, Jiro!" Kaminari yelled.
"Oh, fu-"
"HEARTBEAT DISTORTION!" Jiro saw the villain go flying and didn't wait to find out what would happen next, "Come on, we gotta get out of here! Yaomomo, can you walk?"
"I think so." She got to her feet, "I feel... tingly."
Kaminari shrugged, "Yeah, that's normal. Could also be a burn where he hit you, but that's nothing Recovery Girl can't fix."
The trio quickly left the Mountain Zone and headed for the entrance as fast as their feet would carry them.
All Might was out of time. He had already gone over his limit knocking Nomu into the next prefecture, but there were both students and villains still present. Which meant that he had to maintain his muscle form...
Why did he feel lightheaded? Why was there a tremor in his hands? Why did it feel like he was walking on pins and needles?
Oh no. His blood sugar. He hadn't checked it since leaving home.
This had to end now.
"Had enough, villains?"
Shigiraki started itching his neck to the point where he was starting to draw blood. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go! Why isn't there some kind of anti-cheat..."
"Shigiraki, we can still kill him now. Looking at him closely, I can see that he has been injured. Also, if he could move, he would have attacked us by now. I believe that he is helpless at the moment." Kurogiri said, "If we work together, we can end this now."
Behind him, All Might could hear the other villains coming to, and the kids preparing to fight them. This was not good. If Shigiraki and Kurogiri attacked, they'd go for them, to try to force him to make a move or defend them.
Shigiraki spread his arms wide, "It's time to end this speed run." He charged, making a beeline straight for All Might.
The Symbol of Peace maintained his smile, but that was all he could do. If he moved at all, he would no longer to maintain his muscle form, never mind the fact that he was currently suffering from hypoglycemia. All he could do was stay the course and hope that the intimidation factor would-
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
All Might's eyes went wide. Young Midoriya?
Midoriya shot past him, his right arm pulsing with the power of One For All and chambered for a mighty blow. He was headed straight for Kurogiri. "I WILL NOT LET YOU KILL ALL MIGHT!"
"I won't fall for that again!" The mist man created a portal, and Shigiraki reached through, his hand mere inches from Midoriya's face. Because he had gone for Kurogiri, All Might was able to see a side profile of his face.
There was a wild grin on Midoriya's face.
Midoriya did not punch. He simply flicked the middle finger on his right hand. Shigiraki's hand was blown back through the portal, and both of the villains were sent flying. Midoriya crashed into the ground face first.
"You brat! This was supposed to be one on one!"
Midoriya tried to rise to his feet but fell back down as soon as he tried to put weight on his legs. "Really? Then fight without Kurogiri helping you, coward!" He spat.
"Brave words from a child who cannot even stand." Kurogiri said.
Before anyone could do anything else, a barrage of bullets impacted the ground between the villains and Midoriya.
"I'm terribly sorry that we're late!"
All Might dared to turn his head. It was Principal Nezu and the other teachers! And of course...
"I, Tenya Iida, Representative of Class 1-A have returned!"
Almost as if on cue, Kurogiri enveloped Shigiraki in fog, and an instant later, they were gone. Abandoning all of the villains that they had brought with them in the process.
"Damn it!" Midoriya swore, "I couldn't stop them!"
Cementoss erected a wall between All Might and the other kids, allowing him to finally be able to drop his muscle form. He half knelt, half collapsed next to his student, "It's alright, young Midoriya. We've won this battle, and you did more than any reasonable person would've asked for. Together, you, me, and the rest of your friends took the villains hopes of destroying the Symbol of Peace and twisted them. Twisted them into making your desires into reality, twisting despair into hope, and in the end, made a miracle."
"Great." Midoriya said, "Do you want the good news now?"
"What's that?"
"I only broke two fingers."
All Might frowned, "Midoriya, you can't stand up."
"But I didn't break my legs."
All Might facepalmed, "Your mother is going to kill me."
A/N: Well, that sure was a USJ attack.
We see a little bit of Shigiraki, and his relationship with All For One. He even calls him Young Tomura. I wonder who he's copying...
Midoriya is slowly adjusting to the fact that people like him now.
Also, Todoroki's deadpan sense of humor was inspired by EDI from Mass Effect.
Bakugo is slowly starting to respect Midoriya's abilities more -Quirk related or not- because he sees him as a proper rival now. Again, this is only the beginning for him, he's got a long way to go.
I wanted Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and Jiro to have more agency in dealing with the villain that captures Kaminari, rather them getting saved by a Deus Ex Bullet.
As a result of Midoriya's training with Yaoyorozu, he understands how to use his Quirk a little better. As a result, his injuries here are lessened. He's still going to get a talking to from Yaoyorozu though...
Until Next Time...
