Samuel tapped away at the console in front of him, glancing as different commands flashed across the screen at incredible speeds. The security system that kept the Vault's many safes locked were by design separate from the rest of the island. He believed he had eventually found a way to bypass the system, but it would unfortunately take time.
Time he wasn't sure he had.
'This would be a lot faster with David here.' Samuel thought sadly. He was supposed to be here. The two of them working to get their research back together. Even if… Even if he had planned to steal it from David so that he could get rich afterwards.
He sighed as he stared down at the keyboard. It was like everything he did for himself had come back to bite him in the ass. He had nobody else that he considered family and yet he had been willing to risk David's life and career for his own selfish wishes. And now Melissa was at risk as well.
'No!'
He was going to fix this. He picked up speed with his typing. It was his work that had resulted in these Villains showing up, and it was his work that was going to stop them from going any farther. His and David's work.
The Quirk Amplification Device (Or Q.A.D. for short).
A boost to a user's Quirk without any side effects of usual uppers like Trigger. It worked by manipulating the energy drawn in from Q-Fields directly. The human body, or more specifically the human brain, can only draw on so much of that unseeable force. It seemed though that the human brain was tapping into Q-Fields more with each generation, as if humanity was evolving to use them more. This was the basis for Quirks growing in strength each generation.
But there was still a hard limit each person could reasonably manipulate, and going beyond it could result in the human body changing in unpredictable and usually fatal ways. Trigger causes chemical modifications in the brain that result in gathering more Q-Fields without increasing tolerance, and the body goes through sudden transformations in order to handle it. For example, a user who can grow spikes on their back, when injected with Trigger, would likely not only have larger spikes on his back but also have them begin to grow elsewhere on the body.
The Q.A.D. would get around this by acting as a 'load' of sorts. Initial testing revealed that most Quirks themselves don't really have hard limits. It was the body level of adaption to Q-Field's that determined their output. And the part of the body that held back output the most was the brain.
It was theorized that this was because Quirks were a recent addition to humanities evolution, and the brain was too packed with everything else our species had used to evolve to this point. It could only spare a small corner for Quirk use. Further testing has revealed it to be like a translator, reading Q-Fields and transforming the energy into whatever effect that was allowed by their Quirk Factor. In this case Trigger would 'overload' the system, causing translation errors that cause unfortunate effects related to a user's Quirk.
That's where David's theory came in. If the brain couldn't handle translating so much at once, then they just needed to create a device that could. The Q.A.D. would read the brainwaves associated with Quirk Factors, then help with the translation process by mimicking the process. The device was able to function multiple factors faster than that part of the brain, allowing for the body to absorb more Q-Fields and reach the theoretical limit of potential. It was a breakthrough in brain-reading technology and Quirk science!
Now he just needed to make sure there was someone left still alive to use it once he retrieved it.
But if that boy's Quirk is really as strong as that man said, if it is really All Might's Quirk, then they might have a chance.
Izuku stared at Nine in shock, but quickly summoned forth One for All using Full Cowling. He could barely get it to 7%, and even then he felt his body creak, but he couldn't hold back. Nine was able to toy with him when he could freely use 25% during their last fight.
He could only hope Black Whip was able to make up the difference.
"Melissa, take them to the other elevators! Hurry!" He shouted, running forward as the children retreated.
"Be careful!" Melissa shouted as he jumped away.
As he ran over, he could see Wedge pull his sidearm and start firing at Nine while Mr. Oguro threw away his cane and began to charge at the Villain. But the bullets bounced harmlessly off the Air Wall that Nine summoned, and with a wave of wind they were both thrown back, the gun going flying from Wedge's hand.
"Shit!" Wedge cursed out. He got back to his feet quickly, only for a giant snake-like appendage to grab him in its jaws. It bit down, and the sound of his bones breaking could be heard.
Mr. Oguro didn't fair much better and was also caught by one of Nine's Hydra heads as he struggled to stand. Once in his grip, Nine brought the old man closer towards him to inspect. "To think an old piece of trash like you was able to beat my men. I'm disappointed, honestly." Nine bemoaned.
"Likewise, bub." Mr. Oguro said, seemingly unconcerned by his predicament. "From what I saw from your shapeshifting buddy, I thought you'd be prettier- Gah!"
Mr. Oguro let out a scream as the Hydra squeezed his frail body. Nine looked utterly unimpressed. "I see you're all bark and no bite. No surprise, coming from one of your kind."
"Detroit Smash!" Izuku shouted as he finally reached the Villain, throwing a punch as he was mocking his opponent. But Nine was clearly still paying attention to him, and another Air Wall appeared, blocking the attack with little resistance.
"Come on, is that the best you've got?" Nine asked, as his eyes glowed gold. "You're barely using a third of the power from our last fight. Was that fancy gear of yours helping you fight in some way? It's a shame you don't have any of it all the way up here."
The Air Wall burst, and Izuku was launched back like expected. Danger Sense tingled, and he jumped out of the way of a set of laser bullets. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to dodge them completely, and he felt something hot scrape his side.
'Damn it! I'm not fast enough to completely avoid him.' Izuku realized as he finished rolling to the side. If speed couldn't be relied on, then he'd have to go with overwhelming power. It was a risk to use 100% of One for All's power, but he was left with little option. He brought his hand up, positioning his finger as if to flick it. "Delaware-"
"Careful now." Nine interrupted him, moving the Hydra heads holding Wedge and Mr. Oguro in front of him.
"You bastard! How dare you!" Izuku shouted.
"Blame your own companions for being so weak. People like them will have no place in my world." Nine said. Both Hydra's shot toward Izuku and he dodged out of the way. They both slammed violently into the central pillar behind him, hurting the men gripped within them.
Izuku could feel Danger Sense from both behind and the front as the Hydra's looped back around and Nine prepared more Laser Bullets. He quickly formed a course of action.
'Smokescreen is useless due to his Scanning, not to mention I don't have my own helmet to see through it. Without Fa Jin charged up I don't have the force to counter Hydra without breaking my body. So, I need to dodge in the most optimal direction… Up!'
Izuku swung Blackwhip up, attaching it to the beam holding the row of fan turbines above him, and pulling himself up at the last moment. Nine's two-sided attack missed, but he was quick to keep up the assault, and Izuku was left swinging among the Wind Farm's fans frantically, bending his legs when he could.
"I see you've gained control of that unruly Quirk. It's exhilarating, isn't it? All that power at your fingertips?" Nine said as he continued firing.
"One for All is a force for good! It's not some thieves' power like yours!" Izuku shouted, landing on the neck of one of the Hydra's after it missed. As he continued swinging, he felt Fa Jin charge in his legs, and he smirked.
'Fa Jin + Full Cowling 8%!' He shoved off the neck of the snakelike appendage, flying up. He grabbed the beam again with Blackwhip and swung up and over it, so he was now directly above and slightly behind Nine. The Villains Hydra's were still extended from his attacks, unable to react in time to the burst of speed. "Delaware Smash!"
With a single flick of his now-broken finger, the force of a gale shot forward. Nine brought a hand over the opposite shoulder trying to form a barrier, but the angle was awkward and the pressure planted him onto the ground violently. The Hydra's jaws loosened at the attack on Nine's back, dropping his hostages, as planned.
'Now to keep him from taking them again. But how?' Izuku looked down at Nine as he lifted himself off the ground, his body quaking. The Villain looked back with a rage that Izuku had only seen on Kacchan before. 'Ah, that's right. He's an egotistical Narcissist obsessed with his own Quirk. I've spent my whole live pissing someone like that off by accident.'
"Hey Nine, how's it feel losing to someone with just as many Quirks as you?!" Izuku shouted as he swung up and landed on the beam above him. He leaned over to continue shouting down at him. "I don't even need to steal my Quirks from others in order to beat some teenager!"
"You little shit!" Two Hydra heads shot up and gripped the fans as Nine was raised up towards him, previous prey forgotten. Izuku continued up to the next level with Blackwhip, throwing even more taunts.
"What's your limit anyways? Don't tell me you only have space for one more Quirk?" Izuku mocked as he dodged a hail of Laser Bullets. "You must think your Weather Manipulation Quirk is hot shit! I hate to break it to you, but All Might regularly changes the weather with a single punch!"
"Well, it's a good thing all that's left of his power is your pathetic self!" Nine growled.
Izuku swung behind the central pillar, hiding from Nine's line of sight for a moment. He glanced down to check on Melissa and the kids, only to find that they were unable to open the other door either. Nine's crew must have locked down the whole tower.
Should he go over his limits and blow open a hole for them? But even then, would there be anyway to ensure they escape? If everything is locked down, then they'd only run into another gate. Without a proper key card, they wouldn't be able to proceed.
But Nine was able to use them, which means he had access through his key card! Now he just had to take it and get it to Melissa somehow.
It wasn't really much of as plan, if he was being honest.
Speaking of Nine, blue snake-like appendages appeared as Nine crawled back into view. He now had four Hydra heads coming from his back, but they were noticeably smaller than before. "Stop running and let me kill you!"
'So, the Hydra's lose size and likely strength with each split.' Izuku noted as he tried to swing away again, only to notice Nine was gaining on him. 'But they allow for increased mobility. Crap!'
One of the Hydra heads managed to get lucky and grab Izuku's left leg. He was pulled tight between it and the Blackwhip he had launched upward, the black energy stretching like an elastic band. The jaws of the blue serpent tightened, and Izuku wailed as his ankle shattered. He didn't have time to complain though, as Danger Sense warned him of another incoming Hydra head.
'Whelp, it's already broken.' Izuku shrugged internally as he felt 100% of One for All swell up in his trapped leg. With a single swing of the limb a great force shot out, releasing it from its toothy snare and knocking Nine back.
With the opposite force gone, the Blackwhip that had been pulled taut snapped up, and Izuku was sent flying up. He landed on another higher level of beams but collapsed when he put pressure down on his broken leg. "Grah!"
'I need to be more careful with my body. Got to be sure to only break limbs when I absolutely must.' Izuku thought. That attack had finally charged Fa Jin in his good leg, but with the other so damaged, it would make fighting using it difficult. Maybe he could…
A strand of Blackwhip came out of his back, snaking down his leg and wrapping around it in a coil. He got up to his feet through gritted breath, using Blackwhip like a cast holding his shattered leg in place. It wasn't perfect by any means, and hurt like a bitch, but it at least let him stand properly.
He leaned over to see Nine advancing on him again.
'Let's see. If I use Blackwhip to keep my limbs together, I might be able to use my maximum power more than once with them!' He realized that it wasn't a very good plan of action, but there weren't many options left. 'If I'm able to push him enough like last time to use Weather Manipulation, his body is sure to weaken dramatically. I just have to overwhelm him with my attacks.'
He jumped aside just as the Laser Bullets started again, receiving a few more grazes as he swung away. He let himself fall to a nearby beam below, grabbing it with a Blackwhip in each arm. He let gravity stretch them away from the beam like a slingshot. Once he reached the end of the tension, he released Fa Jin in his good foot and burst forward due to the combined speed of the Quirk and the slingshot.
"Manchester Smash!" Izuku shouted, letting 100% into his broken leg again as he pointed it towards Nine.
Pain shot through his body as the broken leg rammed into the Nine's Air Wall with explosive force. It was a struggle just to stay conscious, but Izuku fought through it, seeing the way Nine was similarly struggling. The Air Wall soon shattered in an explosion of pressure, sending Nine flying back and crashing into the row of fans above him.
"Rrrah!" Nine growled as the Hydra heads clawed him out of the metal structure.
"Come on! This is nothing! Show me what you can really do!" Izuku taunted the Villain as the Villain recovered. He winced as he retreated, the pain slowing him down even more and getting hit with another Laser Bullet.
'Ignore the pain! Just keep pushing him! It's okay if my body brakes by the end of this, as long as his does first!'
"Hmm hm, hmm hm, hmm hm." A jaunty tune was hummed out from within the small vent. Nezu fiddled with wires under a panel he had found within enthusiastically. "Ah, I don't think I've ever felt so relaxed before."
The small mammal had immediately taken it upon himself to begin exploring the vessel that Pleione and Adams had shown him as soon as he'd arrived. It had been a few hours now and the others had long left him to his work. He had wandered the halls inside with an unknown nostalgia, seemingly following a forgotten memory.
Despite not knowing whatever abstract language was written on the walls or displayed on the holographic panels around him, he could understand their meanings just as well as he did Japanese or English.
No, he understood them more so.
He had followed the labels adorning the walls to what he had believed to be the central room, only to find that the computer system was locked down. As explained by Pleione, some sort of lock had been put onto any electronic system ever since they found it, leaving them only able to operate equipment within that wasn't directly attached to the vessel.
That wouldn't do however, so he had taken upon himself to start picking into the system and undo the lock some other way. He had spent most of his time so far searching every inch of the round room in the middle of the vessel, looking for any clues on how to proceed.
The solution he had come up with was a rather simple one. Just turn it off and on again! It was the enshrined number one step to any IT problem. Of course, this place didn't come with an easily labelled off switch, so he had resorted to finding the power cable directly.
This is how he found himself crawling through the ventilation tubes surrounding the ceiling, looking over the wiring running through the space with a careful eye. He didn't want to break anything after all, so it was only natural to inspect every wire to determine its use.
"Hmm, I wonder how long I have been down here? I'm getting particularly famished. Perhaps I should call it a night and head back up. Or at least have a tea break." Nezu muttered to himself, before his ears perked up. A set of footsteps could be heard clanging against the metal flooring, and he got excited. 'Ah, have the General or Pleione come to check up on me?'
He was quite shocked to see the doors open on the other side of the room and reveal a rather tall and fine dressed man, carrying his newly hired school nurse over his shoulder. Nezu watched from his hidden vantage point as the mysterious man set the unconscious Kagome in one of the open pods lining the walls before walking over to the locked terminal.
"Now then, how do you turn this on?" The mystery man seemingly asked to himself as he stared down at the panel and holographic display. After a few moments, he looked down at his own hand and a red double-helix-like pattern emerged on it. He pressed it into the panel, and the pattern continued to pulse through his hand and along his fingers until the monitor changed and moved to a new screen. "Ah, so you can use it to get through biometrics as well? What an incredible Quirk you have."
'He got past the system lock?' Nezu stared with worried curiosity at the display. The man had obviously used a Quirk, but beyond that he was also able to use it to unlock the system. Judging by the man's words, he didn't hack or bypass the system. He simply knew of the kind of biometrics that needed to be used, and somehow was able to replicate them.
Was this man perhaps one of them?
There was a slight moan, and both the man and Nezu turned to see Kagome stirring awake from the pod she had been placed in. The man suddenly turned back to the controls with blank eyes, stiffly typing something into the now active terminal. As restraints wrapped around the awakening woman's limbs the man staggered back, his red eyes regaining their luster.
"I could have done that myself you know." He grumbled under his breath, before shaking his head and turning to face Kagome.
Kagome herself awoke with a start, pulling against the restraints holding her within the cylindrical pod. She glanced around frantically, until her eyes settled on the man. Her face twisted in recognition, and she let out a gasp. "You!"
"Please, Ms. Mirai. You're the first person I've introduced myself to in a good long while. The least you could do is use my name." The man said in a mockingly hurt tone.
"Oh, my apologies, Reiji Shigaraki. Is that even your real name?" Kagome asked in annoyance.
"It is technically one of many names I have. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Shigaraki is in fact my family name." Shigaraki revealed casually.
'Reiji Shigaraki?' Nezu took a moment to think, where had he heard that name before?
Ah yes, a man of the same name had offered to donate a large sum of money and equipment to U.A. High a few decades ago. From what Nezu could remember, he was a Quirkless billionaire who donated large sums of money to causes that furthered Quirk study. He had wanted to personally donate equipment of his to the school, but Nezu had rejected the offer.
He had researched the man and his work, and everything came back clean. Too clean.
Everything about the man's records were so perfect and airtight that it sent alarm bells in the rodent's mind. Even the best of men had a black splotch that they didn't want talked about, or a secret so covered in distractions that it gave away the secret in turn. But he had nothing.
No one was that perfect.
The information about Reiji Shigaraki was so damn comprehensive and tidy that it would be more plausible that everything Nezu learned was fake than real. It was like the records had gone out of their way to paint the most perfect life imaginable.
He remembered the arguments that started with the School Board when he had rejected the offer. They were too short-sighted to see the false perfection for what it truly was, and he knew they talked of going behind his back and accepting the offer anyways.
It all turned out moot in the end though, as Reiji Shigaraki mysteriously disappeared from the public eye a couple months later. Poor health was cited by the few who apparently knew him personally, but he never emerged again, even after his donations started up a few years after his disappearance.
A disappearance, that Nezu now realized, was suspiciously close in timing to when All Might defeated All for One.
'It seems my intuition was not off the mark, as usual.' Nezu thought, watching the discussion below carefully. While it was obvious why Shigaraki was here, he was unsure how Kagome factored in. A hostage to get at Midoriya, perhaps?
"What do you want, asshole?" Kagome asked the man herself, as if reading Nezu's mind.
"I just want what is rightfully mine returned. Nine threw a wrench into my original plan, but that boy with my brother's Quirk may have provided me with an opportunity to turn it all around. And it's begun to awaken the previous user's Quirks on top of it. I truly can't wait until I take it back." Shigaraki explained as his hands began to type away at the terminal. The room shook as power began to pulse through it, running across the entire vessel. "To think I'd be fortunate to find everything I'm looking for here on this island all at once. I truly must thank you for taking care of that, Ms. Mirai. I didn't think One for All and All for One would be able to reunite so soon."
'He's after One for All? And he knows what it is? My suspicions are quickly becoming confirmed. This man really might be All for One. If that's the case, he must have been the one to set the Nomu loose as well. Does that mean he's in league with them?' Nezu shook his head at the idea. That would truly be the worst-case scenario. Kagome Mirai's connection to Midoriya appears to be why she was taken if his words at the end were anything to go by.
"Like I did any of this for your benefit, bastard!" Kagome began to struggle uselessly against the restraints, and Shigaraki let out a sigh. "Why didn't you disappear like everyone else?! Just disappear and let me have this, damn it!"
"Do you know some way to quiet her down?" Shigaraki asked under his breath. His left hand suddenly swiped up to a separate screen, pressing a few buttons. A needle shot out of the restraints into Kagome, and she began to lose consciousness again.
"D-Damn you… give that Quirk back…" She got out, before slumping against the pod with eyes closed.
"Ah, thank you. It was hard to split my attention between this and her." Shigaraki seemingly said to himself again.
'Is he communicating with someone? And what is with the way he is moving? There's no way he should know what these systems do, yet his hands are almost moving on their own.' Nezu shuffled back, hiding himself more from view inside the airduct. 'I don't have the means to go against him currently, especially if he's begun to gain control of the system. And I don't even know what other Quirks he may have.'
He started his analysis of the wiring once again.
'The best bet is to find some way around the system, as I had been attempting before. Don't worry, Ms. Mirai, I'll save you soon!'
Eri was stuck looking between her two adoptive older siblings with equal worry. The bad man from before was after them, and Izuku was fighting him. But she could see the two fighting in the fans above, and it didn't look nice. Every minute or so, Izuku would punch or kick so hard that Eri felt like she would fly away even from where she was standing. But the Villain kept getting back up, while her big brother's arms or legs would be all bruised and broken.
She glanced back at her older sister, who was trying to get the elevator door open. Melissa had tried to use her key card, but when that didn't work, she had removed the panel covering the controls and had begun fiddling with the wiring inside. She could hear her muttering bad words as the wires sparked, but the door didn't open.
"What do we do!" Katsuma cried, hugging an equally terrified Kota.
"I-It's okay." Eri said to them. "Izuku's a Hero! He'll protect us just like before, s-so there's nothing to worry about."
They both seemed to calm down at her words, but it seemed fate was against her as something hit the metal floor a couple feet behind them with a thud. Everyone jumped in shock and turned to see if a piece of debris had fallen from the fight. Eri wasn't sure what it was for a moment, but Melissa let out a cry upon recognition.
"Izuku!"
Eri's eyes widened as she finally realized it was her big brother lying limp on his back in front of her. All of his limbs were bruised and bent at angles that made her cringe, and there were scrapes all over his body from the laser bullets. His green hair was dyed partially blood red, and Eri could see a scrape on his forehead as well, eyes unfocused.
"Izuku!" Melissa cried again, attempting to run over to him, only to be knocked back when something else crashed down from above.
Nine hovered over his defeated opponent, using the four Hydra heads to lift himself up over them. He lowered himself down and began to walk towards the children, each Hydra head slowly slithering forwards through the air.
"That was far harder than I imagined it would be, but now to get back to business." Nine said, still catching his breath from the fight. Melissa quickly got to her feet, throwing herself between Nine and the kids.
"I won't let you-"
She was cut off as a Hydra head swooped in and picked her up off the ground. The three remaining heads also shot forward, each taking a different child in their arms. "I really don't feel like putting up with any more delays." Nine said annoyed, eyes now glowing gold as he looked over each of them.
The tone of his voice, and the look in his eyes. It all reminded Eri of Overhaul. He didn't care about anyone but himself, and he had no qualms about hurting people of any age to get what he wanted. Being trapped by a man like that again terrified her, and she felt herself freeze as their eyes passed each other. But they continued past her, over to Katsuma.
"There we go. Cellular Activation, just like the records said." Nine said, an almost reverent tone accompanying it. He brought the Hydra head holding Katsuma closer to him, placing a palm on the boy's head. "Take heart knowing your Quirk contributed to the birth of a new god."
Cerulean energy began to emanate from Nine's palm, and Katsuma jerked in the Quirk's grip. Before he could complete the procedure, a tendril of black energy wrapped around his arm, tugging it away. Nine let out a noise of annoyance as he shook of the tendril and turned to its source.
"Do you still… What?!" Nine stared in surprise at Izuku, and the rest were just as speechless.
He was somehow vertical again, the strands of Blackwhip keeping him straight despite his legs being too broken to stand on. "Don't…" Izuku groaned out, unfocused eyes staring straight, tendrils of Blackwhip rising from his chest weakly. They reached out to grab at Nine pathetically. "You can't…"
"Why not?" Nine asked, easily shaking off the tendrils. He turned to face Izuku, and everyone jerked as they turned as well in the Hydra's grips. He stomped towards Izuku until he was face to face with him. "I can, so I will! If you don't want me to do something, then use your own Quirk to enforce your will! That is how this world should work. That's how this world will work, once I am in control."
Izuku ignored his words, sending forward another small strand of Blackwhip.
Nine bat away the energy with his hand easily.
"Pathetic. And to think you spoke of bending storms to your will when you can barely stand." He brought his hand up, lining his fingers together. He pressed the tips of his fingers over Izuku's heart, and they began to glow with a purple energy. "Allow me to finally put an end to this. An end to you, your Quirk, and all that it stood for."
"Today, dies the last pathetic Hero."
A beam of purple energy came out from Izuku's back, and there was silence as Blackwhip disappeared and he crumpled to the floor.
"Noooo!" Melissa cried as a pool of blood began to form around Izuku's unmoving form.
"I-Izuku… Big brother?" Eri stared in horror.
"Deku! Get up, Deku!" Katsuma cried.
"Enough!" Nine shouted, bringing the boy back in front of him and grabbing his forehead. He had had enough interruptions from that meddlesome child. Now he could finally take what he deserved!
Katsuma screamed for a few moments, but his eyes rolled back as the cerulean energy flowed from him to Nine. The energy ceased, and Katsuma slumped into sleep. Nine meanwhile, looked down to see his body glowing with a green light under the skin.
"Yes! Yes! I finally have it!" Nine cried out, feeling himself already able to breathe easier. It was like all the pain that was usually in his body had begun to wain.
Bringing up his hands, he pulled on the clouds around him. As they circled above him, he felt the usual pain work its way through his body, as it had so many times before. But he activated Cellular Activation, and the pain began to disperse as he felt the healing Quirk activate throughout his body.
"More!"
He called on the skies even more, bringing them all to swirl around the tower above like the eye of a storm. Thunder echoed in the air as rain howled down from the darkening sky. Lightning arced throughout the storm, waiting for a target.
And he felt perfectly fine!
"Yes! This is what I've been waiting for! No longer am I constrained by my own weakness! I am a god of storms at last! I am-"
Something touched his ankle, and Nine ceased his proclamation to look down. "What…?"
The little Hero's broken hand was against his ankle, as if the boy had attempted to grab it. Had he moved just now? The boy was unmoving currently, but did he still have fight left in him?
No, enough.
Nine threw the four in his Hydra's grip far back as he reached down and picked up the boy, Deku, if he remembered correctly. He called upon Weather Manipulation, using the very winds to fly the two up and away, ignoring the cries of the children he had so graciously released.
He flew up and up, past the top of the Central Tower to the clouds above. Once he had reached a significant height, he made a call with his free hand to the Oni's. Keeping a careful eye on the young Hero.
"What's up boss?" Komodo's voice answered momentarily from the other end.
"Leave now. I'll catch up shortly." Nine commanded.
"But sir, Kagome isn't back yet."
'Of course she isn't, the snake.' Nine rolled his eyes.
He had no idea what that woman truly wanted, but it was clear a world with him in it would only get in her way. He still didn't believe that she wasn't the one to release those Nomu, not to mention everything seemed to work out just perfectly so her plan to come to I-Island ended up working. The Quirk Erasing Bullets were just icing on the cake. To try and get rid of his Quirk, even if only temporarily? She could not be trusted.
Besides, with Cellular Activation, her expertise was no longer necessary.
"She's a resourceful woman. She can figure something out on her own." Nine said.
"Err, whatever you say boss. We'll get going!"
Nine put the phone away with one hand, turning to the boy in his other. He could see that there was still a spark there in his eyes, and Nine couldn't help but shake his head in amazement. He held him out over the futuristic skyline of I-Island.
"If you're so insistent on clinging on, then watch! Watch as I bring down this peak of human creation, this island of invention, all by myself! The most advanced structure ever built, with decades of perfection put into it, and all it takes is a few waves of my hand to bring it to heel!"
Weather Manipulation's power spread to a point that Nine had never used before. The wind continued to spin, a funnel slowly beginning to form above him. Below, the waves rose to such height that they threatened even the hundred-storied seawalls of I-Island. Mother Nature bent to his whim with but a call, and any momentary discomfort from doing so washed away with a green glow.
"If my own power can rival that of humanities greatest works, then why should I be put down by them?! I'm more than them, and now they will know it! After this, the whole world will know to show us with these great powers proper respect!" Nine declared, voice raising with the storm as he looked down at I-Island. "You could have been like me, you know. The only power on the planet that could rival mine. Could have had your own little corner of the world to yourself, if only you didn't care so much about the very people who put you down."
"I know this power was not your own! I know that there were likely those that put you down despite having the talent and the drive! And yet once you finally got enough strength to decide your own fate, you put it back in their hands? For what?" Nine asked Deku, only to freeze when looking back his broken body. His eyes glowed a golden hue for a moment, and he let out a sigh when Scanning couldn't see the rainbow light of One for All any longer. "I guess it was for nothing, in the end."
And with that Nine let go, leaving himself alone at the top of the world.
Eri was on her knees still, as she stared down at the pool of blood where Izuku had just been. The bad man had… had beaten and taken him away. She looked over to Melissa with a blank stare, finding her leaning over Katsuma, making sure he was okay. Kota was there too, equally concerned over his friend.
Izuku was supposed to be her Hero! He was supposed to be save her and make everything okay again, like last time! He wasn't supposed to lose! He wasn't supposed to leave her!
She stared up in the sky where Izuku had been taken and squinted. Wiping away the tears, she could see something up in the clouds, and it appeared to be growing closer. Was it the Villain?
Her eyes widened when she recognized what was falling from the sky, and she ran to the edge of the platform.
'Izuku!' Time slowed to a crawl to Eri.
Was he free from Nine now? She stared up at him, but he didn't appear to be awake, broken limbs flailing in the wind. The Villain may not have him, but he was still in danger.
'But he can fly, right? Big Sis said that he was learning to do that now, right?!' Eri suddenly remembered. But as Izuku got closer, she could see his eyes were closed.
He was injured! He wasn't awake anymore, and too hurt to do anything. There's no way he'd wake up in time. If only there was some way Katsuma could heal him! Except even if Katsuma was awake, the Villain took his Quirk. There's no way they could help him!
If only this hadn't happened!
If only things could be like before!
If only… she could heal him.
She could heal him!
"Katsuma may be able to heal injuries, but once you learn how to use your Quirk, you could rewind a body to before the injury even happened!"
Izuku's own words from when they landed at I-Island earlier today echoed in her head. She could use her Quirk to save him! It was a risky idea, but Nezu had begun to show her how to use it properly. It may have hurt people before, but this time it would save someone! All she needed to heal him was… touch him.
She glanced down over the side of the platform, over one hundred and seventy-five stories into the sky.
She glanced up at Izuku, who was falling just above her.
Eri knew what she needed to do. Everyone would probably yell at her for it, but that wasn't important to her right now. Right now, there was someone who needed her help. Izuku had saved her, and now it was her turn.
Taking a few steps back, she looked up as she tried to judge the timing. As she did, Melissa looked up from checking on Katsuma.
"Eri? What are you doing?" She asked, following her gaze to the falling Izuku. "Izuku?! Wait, Eri, don't-"
'Now!' Eri ignored her big sisters cries to stop, running forward until she reached the edge of the platform, and jumping towards Izuku.
"Izuku!" Eri cried as she reached towards him. She felt the strong winds push against her, trying to keep the two away as the ground grew ever closer.
'No!' Eri pushed forward, diving towards her big brother. She finally gripped onto the edge of his jacket, pulling her arms around him. 'I'm not letting go of you. I'll save you because I know you'd do the same for me!'
A golden glow began to shine from her horn that slowly spread across Izuku's entire body. She tried to grab hold of that power and prevent it from leaking over into a deluge. She shut her eyes in concentration.
'I don't want you do disappear! I just want you to be better. Only a little bit of time needs to be rewound!' She tried to think about what Nezu had taught her about time, trying to visualize it in her head.
One single second. Six tens of seconds in a minute. Six tens of a minute in an hour.
An hour.
Izuku wasn't hurt then, right? They were at the hotel then, happy, healthy, safe. She just had to focus on that amount of time. That's all he needed to be rewound by. She opened her eyes and felt the power in her horn pulse through her into Izuku. Yellow energy covered Izuku, and his injured limbs began to slowly shift back to how they had been before. The cuts and scrapes disappeared, and the blood stopped leaking out
Eri could feel the well of energy inside her trying to escape, wanting to undo things even faster, but she focused as she gripped onto Izuku. Eventually he appeared to return to normal, and she tried to stop her Quirk.
Much to her surprise, the light in her horn actually died down and the golden glow faded from Izuku's body.
'I did it? I did it! I healed Izuku! I-' She was snapped out of her excitement as she felt the wind blowing against her, and remembered she was currently plummeting to the ground, which was approaching extremely quickly. She began to shake Izuku, trying to get him to open his eyes.
"Izuku, Izuku! Wake up, please! You need to fly!" Eri shouted in the howling wind. She didn't understand! His body was all healed now, so he should wake up now, right? What was wrong?
Eri wrapped her arms tightly around him, pressing her head against his chest directly over the tear that Nine had made with his final shot. She tried to listen for the beating that she always heard when hugging him, but she could only hear the howling wind and the cracking of thunder surrounding her.
She pressed her tear-stricken face into Izuku's chest.
"Please, big brother. Please don't leave me."
There was nothing but darkness around him.
As Izuku stared out into the abyss, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"I guess I lost…"
He had tried his best, but in the end, Nine was better than him. Better at using multiple Quirks, better at knowing his limit, and better at fighting. It was a losing battle from the start, and Izuku knew it.
So why had he even bothered? That question kept bouncing around in his head. What was the point?
He had always stuck up for those who needed help, and it always ended the same way. With him beaten black and blue and unable to stop anything. It didn't matter if he was a Quirkless little kid or a teenager with the power of the strongest Hero on the planet. Yet he kept on getting up and throwing himself back at those immeasurable odds. Why?
"Because your body moved on its own." A familiar voice spoke out, and Izuku turned his head to see a glowing golden form in front of him.
"All Might? Is that you?"
The Vestige in front of him was different from the others he had seen. Instead of looking like the man in his big heroic form, he was in his skeletal form, and was bathed in a fire of energy that blanketed his features.
"That's right, my body moved on its own." Izuku realized, as the Vestige continued to stare at him. "You said that was a trait of great Heroes, didn't you. But I'm no Hero. I can't even save a couple kids, and now One for All is gone. Everything you and the others entrusted to me will disappear."
"No, young Midoriya. It seems you still have a chance." The Vestige spoke out. "Besides, as long as there are those crying for help, One for All will never disappear."
Just then, a faint sound echoed in the darkness. There was a cry, and then another, and it slowly got louder until Izuku recognized the voice.
"Eri!" Izuku shouted out into the void. "I need to wake up! I need to save her! But… how can I? Nine was too strong to fight alone, and even going all out wasn't enough. What am I supposed to do, All Might?"
"It's simple my boy. If your power current power isn't enough, then simply go beyond it!" The phantom explained as if it was the simplest thing. "And you're not alone. Both you and Nine may have multiple Quirks, but you have more than that."
"You have the heart of a Hero."
The light around All Might began to spread out and bleach the abyss, blinding Izuku. He covered his eyes from the glow, but through his squinted eyes he could see seven other familiar figures standing around his mentor. Izuku finally was forced to shut his eyes from the blinding light, and sounds slowly began to filter in.
There was a clash of lightning, and when Izuku next opened his eyes, he saw Eri clinging onto him as the floors of I-Island's Central Tower passed by in his peripheral. Adrenaline spiked as he turned his head to look down and saw the ground only seconds away.
His body moved without thinking.
He wrapped his arms tightly around Eri and felt something inside him pulse. He grabbed onto that feeling without hesitation and pushed it across his body. An invisible force wrapped around him and Eri as the force of gravity began to wain.
"Izuku?" Eri looked up at him with teary eyes.
"It's okay Eri, I've got you."
The twos descent slowed to a crawl, and Izuku maneuvered himself so he was facing straight up. He wrapped a strand of Blackwhip tightly around his waist, keeping Eri secure against him. Eventually they stopped falling altogether a couple stories from the ground, and he ran a hand through Eri's hair as they floated there.
"You used your Quirk to save me, didn't you?" He asked.
"Mmhm…" Eri mumbled into his torn-up jacket, before looking up, still crying. "I-It was really scary, but someone needed to save you."
"And you did. But you probably gave Melissa a fright with this stunt." He looked back up to the top of the tower, the storm above it growing stronger every minute.
"I should say sorry to her, shouldn't I?" Eri realized, mumbling into him again.
"Yeah. And I should probably let her know I'm okay." Izuku adjusted Eri, ensuring Blackwhip was secure. "Hold on tight, we're going to be taking the fast way up."
"Umm, okay?" Eri looked apprehensive, but quickly wrapped her arms and legs around him.
Izuku lowered the power of Float momentarily, letting himself slowly drift down the last couple of stories. As he did, he repeatedly bent his legs in and out, feeling the familiar power charge around them. As his feet finally reached the pavement he squatted down, mentally preparing himself as he reactivated Float at full strength.
'Full Cowling 8% + Fa Jin + Float!'
"Going up!"
The stored-up energy of Fa Jin and power of Full Cowling sent Izuku flying up, and with Float negating gravity's downward force Izuku flew dozens of stories up in an instance. As his acceleration decreased, he used Blackwhip to grab onto the outside of the tower, throwing himself up it. In only a minute the two were able to climb back up to the Wind Farm.
When he flew over the lip of the platform, he found himself face to face with Melissa.
"Izuku?! Eri?!" She cried out as they landed next to her. She looked between them in disbelief, as if she didn't trust her eyes. "You- You're okay?!"
"Yeah. Eri managed to save me just in time-oof!" Izuku was cut off as Melissa crashed into the two, wrapping them in a tight hug.
"Oh, thank God!" Melissa exclaimed, glancing down at Eri, still wrapped around him. "Eri, please don't do something like that ever again!"
"I know. I'm sorry…" Eri apologized.
Melissa tried to keep a strong face, but quickly broke down crying again. "I'm just glad you're okay." Izuku let Blackwhip go, setting Eri down on the ground. She immediately began to ran off, and Melissa grabbed her by the wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"
"T-To help heal the others?" Eri said, as if asking for permission.
Izuku glanced around, taking stock of the others around him. Kota was fine, and while Katsuma seemed out of it he was relatively uninjured. However, Wedge and Mr. Oguro were still lying unconscious where Nine had dropped them.
"… Okay. Just be careful, alright?" Melissa relented.
"Got it!" Eri said happily, running over immediately to save more people. As she did, Melissa turned back to Izuku and sighed.
"I'm glad that you're back Izuku, but I'm not sure how much longer any of us will be here." Melissa said sadly, looking at the now raging storm around them.
"What happened while I was… out?" Izuku asked with a wince. "Nine shouldn't be able to use his Weather Manipulation Quirk to this extent without serious backlash unless…"
"Unless Nine got what he wanted. He took Katsuma's Quirk." Melissa responded, finishing his sentence. "I think he plans to tear down I-Island as some show of force. And worst of all, I don't think there's anything we can do about it."
"But I have Float now! With it I can still reach him and-"
"And what, Izuku?!" Melissa cut him off with a shout. She balled her fists as she looked down at the ground, tears falling against it. "I know you want to help, but there's nothing you can do. Besides, I can't handle seeing him ki-, beat you again."
"Melissa…" He wrapped his arms around her in comfort, realizing she was unfortunately right.
He couldn't try and outlast Nine anymore, not with Cellular Activation in his possession. Add in the extra power of Weather Manipulation, and his new ability to float through the air was practically worthless. If he was able to use all of One for All's power, he might be able do it. But that was impossible.
Was there really nothing to do but wait for the inevitable?
There was a ding, and everyone froze what they were doing to look over at the sound. The elevator light next to them blipped on, and a few seconds later the doors opened to reveal a single man carrying a suitcase inside.
"Uncle Sam? What the hell are you doing here?" Melissa asked as the scientist stepped out of the elevator and into the raging winds outside.
"Those Villains took me hostage in order to get in the tower, but they all scattered as soon as this big storm appeared!" Samuel quickly explained, before turning to Izuku. "That leader of theirs said you had a strong Quirk but couldn't handle it, right? Well, I took the opportunity after the Villains left me to try and help."
He presented the briefcase to the teenagers, opening it up dramatically to reveal a familiar looking headset.
"Wait, is that… the completed device he made for All Might?" Melissa asked in amazement.
"Y-You know about it! But how? It was top secret!" Samuel looked surprised.
"It looks just like the Scanner." Izuku explained, pulling the device out of his back pocket and handing it to Samuel.
The device presented to him looked just like the Scanner. But instead of only having two prongs that wrapped over the ears in a half circle, there were six that would encase the entire head like a clawed grip.
"The testing unit? That thing disappeared ages ago, how would you have-? Oh! David you sly dog. I'm impressed you got that past me." Samuel said, staring at the device in Izuku's hand with a sudden understanding. The thunder snapped his attention forward again, and he stared back at Izuku. "That old thing is designed only to read the power of Quirks, but the version we have here can boost your Quirk! It should allow you to use much more of your Quirks power without any backlash to your body."
"That's incredible!" Izuku looked over the completed device in front of him, before suddenly realizing what the original purpose of this device was. 'Melissa said this was for All Might originally. That must mean David Shield built it to help All Might get around his dwindling time that he could use his Quirk! If that was the case, then if I used it…'
"How does it work?" He asked excitedly.
Samuel had a wide grin, and began strapping the device (Q.A.D., as he explained) to his head with great furor. He felt the six prongs slip through his hair, and he could see the glowing blue points in the corner of his eyes.
"Alright, let's hope this works!" Samuel said, pressing a button on the back of the device, and Izuku collapsed to his knees as voices filled his head.
Emotions overwhelmed him from all sides. He could feel the fear and panic all around him. From Melissa beside her to the children in the hotel two hundred stories down. All of it pointed to one source directly above him, in the eye of the storm.
'Is this… Danger Sense? If I can detect from so far away, then I suppose the device must be working.'
"Izuku!" Melissa rushed over to his side. "Is something wrong? Uncle Sam, take it off!"
"No!" Izuku shouted. He took one more deep breath as he stood back up. "It's working fine. I was just overwhelmed by Danger Sense momentarily. But I'm not getting the usual pangs in my head when it activates, despite so many people being detected. That means it's working! The device is working!"
"Incredible! Oh, if only I had something to analyze this data with." Samuel whined.
"Guys, the Supervillain!" Melissa reminded them, and they both sheepishly got serious again.
"Alright. Alright!" Izuku said to himself, pumping himself up as he began to lift himself with Float. "It's time to save everyone, for real this time!"
Before he could fly off, Melissa grabbed his wrist. She looked at him seriously. "Remember, just because you're stronger, it doesn't mean you're invincible. Please be careful, for mine and Eri's sake."
He nodded. "I will."
She stared up for a few moments, before pulling him down and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She quickly pushed him up before he could react, floating up into the air like a balloon. "F-For good luck. Go be our Hero, okay?"
"… Right!" Izuku said, a dopey grin working its way onto his face. He turned and sped away with Float, feeling the ability to not only levitate in the air but almost swim through it in any which direction. 'Must be the boost from the Q.A.D.'
Flying up to the top of the tower, he set himself down on the helipad in the center. Looking up, he could see the swirling storm clouds had finally began to descend. A funnel of wind was coming approaching, threatening to tear the entire tower apart. Nine could be seen floating beside it, arms outstretched as he coordinated the sky to his whims.
"Damn, this guy sure looks like a tough nut to crack."
"Ah!" Izuku turned to see Banjo, the Fifth Holder of One for All, floating behind him as an orange specter. "How are you here?!"
"Us appearing to you outside of dreams was inevitable." The white specter of the First said, appearing in place next to the Fifth. "Although it appears you've taken a shortcut."
Each of the users slowly appeared around him, each with their own color. He couldn't help but feel at ease, knowing that all these Heroes were standing at his side.
"Don't lose focus now." The only one he didn't recognize said, looking up at the storm. But Izuku knew from deduction that the cyan spirit had to be the Second. He followed his gaze to the approaching twister. "How do you plan on dealing with that?"
"Don't you remember what I said earlier?" Izuku asked, cocking his right arm back. "All Might can change the weather with a single punch!"
Power flowed through him straight to his arm. But unlike before, the pressure that built up like a bomb that usually appeared was gone. Izuku let out a cry as he swung his fist to sky.
"Texas Smash!"
The whole tower shook as a blast of air shot straight up. Rain ceased to fall around him as it too was flown away in a blast of raw power. The wave of pressure climbed up until it made contact with the descending tornado, barreling through it as if it was never there. It climbed further still until it parted the center of the dark clouds above, revealing the moonlit sky beyond.
For one single second, the rain didn't fall.
The thunder and lightning were silent.
Raging gales blown away.
In that second of silence, Nine looked down and saw him.
And then the storm returned with a vengeance.
"Looks like you've got his attention." The Fourth said, noticing the spike from Danger Sense.
"Alright Ninth, what's the plan?" Nana asked.
Izuku smirked. "It's pretty simple really. We go to the absolute limit!"
'Full Cowling: 100%!'
He called upon One for All across his entire body as much as he could, and he noticed the holographic display out of the corner of his eye like the one on the Scanner. As the power flowing through him grew higher, so did the AP number.
One for All's strength finally reached its peak, and he glanced over at the display one last time.
[Quirk #1 | Output: 25000 AP]
[Estimated time operational at current output: Infinite]
"And what happens once you've reached your limit? What if your current power isn't enough to stop him?" The Second asked.
Izuku remembered All Might's words to him moments ago. The familiar motto of both him and U.A. High.
"Then I'll simply go beyond my limits!"
Next Chapter: Plus Ultra!