In a matter of seconds, the duo collided, the force causing cracks to spiderweb throughout the pavement they stood on. The two creatures clawed and snapped at each other with their teeth and claws. Unfortunately, due to Kiba's physiology, her arms had very poor reach, allowing the Nomu to quickly gain an advantage.
Without a second thought, the monstrous creature wrapped a burly arm around Kiba's neck and began squeezing. Unable to breathe, the reptile struggled for oxygen as the Nomu tightened its grip. Lashing out with a clawed foot, Kiba kicked the creature in the stomach. The Nomu groaned but refused to release its hold. It wasn't until the ancient relic kicked out twice more that the artificial creation was forced to let go, stumbling backward. Seeing an opportunity, Kiba ducked down and sank her fangs into one of the Nomu's ankles, causing it to shriek in agony. Releasing her bite, Kiba dashed out of the range of a retaliatory swipe and leaped, aiming straight for the creature. Grabbing the Nomu by the throat, the Tyrannosaurus rex hoisted it up into the air using both her powerful legs before slamming it down onto the ground once again. As the monster thrashed underneath the dinosaur's grip, it suddenly stopped, going silent. Briefly taking a moment to focus, the area where a nose would be extended outward, snapping and popping as an elephant-like trunk emerged from its body. Stunned, Kiba released her hold on the Nomu, allowing the beast to rise. Trumpeting, the Nomu used its trunk to wrap around Kiba's neck before tossing the reptile down the street.
Lurching back to her feet, Kiba glared angrily at the Nomu as it charged at her, its arms outstretched. Growling angrily, the dinosaur pounced at the beast, knocking it aside before slamming into its chest. As the two collided, Kiba dug her jaws deeper into the flesh of the Nomu, growling as the things putrid blood flowed down her throat. Despite the burning agony, the Nomu raised one of its disfigured fists up, claws slowly forming as it prepared to slash out one of Kiba's eyes.
Just before it could, however, it felt a cloth wrap around its arm, pulling it backwards and stopping it completely. Looking down, the creature saw that the culprit was Aizawa, a smirk on his face as he glared at the creature.
"Nice try, but you aren't getting your prize now." He said before throwing the cloth over his head, hiding his face from sight as it wrapped tightly around the monster's neck. The Nomu struggled with all of its might, but it couldn't break the hold of the cloth, for its build of nano-fibers and special alloy held it in place.
Seeing it unable to free itself, the Nomu began scratching and tearing at the cloth, growing more and more enraged by the second. Suddenly, Mirko flew past them with a mighty shout, her Rabbit quirk allowing her to slam a powerful kick into the Nomu's gut with full strength.
The Nomu stumbled backward, howling in anger, but it recovered quickly. Lunging forward, the monster grabbed a hold of Mirko's left arm while simultaneously trying to grasp at the rabbit's neck with its right paw. With an angry yell, the Nomu tossed the Rabbit hero straight at Kiba! The saurian's head jerked to the side as Mirko's body impacted her snout, leaving her unable to react as The Nomu dashed forward and rammed into the dinosaur like an angry goat. Kiba landed on her stomach as her titanic body was sent skidding along the pavement, coming to a stop next to Mirko. Briefly shooting a glance at one another, the two quickly rose to their feet and charged into battle once more.
Noikari used his tentacles to wipe away a pile of debris, allowing paramedics to grab a man and a woman who had been injured by the destruction that the Nomu had caused. The man was covered in cuts and bruises, his eyes glazed and lifeless as he laid limp in his wife's arms. She was crying and yelling for her husband as they were taken away by paramedics.
Noikari sat down on a curb, mortified. Death wasn't new to him. He had killed the Colossaeus after all. But seeing innocent people, people who did nothing wrong, suffer and die at the hands of this 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 made him want to scream. Tears welled up inside of his eyes as he hugged himself.
A cat-like glove lightly patted the young teen's shoulder, causing him to yelp and snap his head upwards, staring at the person responsible for that action. Noikari was shocked to see who it was.
It was Mandalay.
"W-what are you doing here? I thought you were still at the camp."
The leader of the Wild, Wild, Pussycats shook her head. "After Aizawa told us privately about your sighting of two villains in the camp, he told us that it would be best if we came back as well in order to avoid a potential assault."
Noikari nodded at the Pro Heroes explanation before turning back to the devastation around him, already seeing firefighters and paramedics hauling away those who were either injured or dead. He strained himself not to cry, for he didn't want to show weakness in front of a hero such as Mandalay.
But even without shedding tears, Mandalay could still tell how distressed Noikari was.
Her concern grew when the child buried his head into his palms. While he did this, she quietly spoke up.
"I know the pain you're feeling is overwhelming and difficult to bear. But know that you have support, both within yourself and the people around you."
"What's the point? There are so many dead." The child was uncharacteristically somber, and for once, Mandalay wished she could have some words of comfort. Instead, she just knelt down in front of Noikari, forcing herself to maintain eye contact as she held out a hand. Noikari gazed at the pro hero, confused, before reluctantly grabbing it and letting her help him to stand up again.
"Being a hero isn't always pretty, kid. Sometimes you have to face the reality that. . not everyone can be saved. But that doesn't mean we're gonna stop trying to save those that we can."
With that, Mandalay pulled the child into a tight hug. Noikari tensed before melting into the hug, wrapping his small arms around the adult. Releasing her grip on him, Noikari smiled sadly, but also with a growing sense of determination.
"You're right, Mandalay. Thanks."
The Pro Hero nodded as the two began searching for any people who needed help.
Mirko went high while Kiba went low, the two animal-like heroes smashing into the Nomu. Unlike before, however, the monster remained standing. Using its trunk, the Nomu launched the dinosaur into a nearby tree, causing splinters to rain down upon its bumpy hide. As the two beasts collided, Kiba tried her hardest to get the upper hand against the beast, though it seemed no matter what she did, it simply would not give. With frustration coursing through her veins, she lashed out with her claws, carving shallow grooves into the beast's armor-like skin. The creature screamed in anger, striking back with a blow that knocked the female dinosaur across the street.
Leaping back towards her foe, Mirko launched another kick and struck the creature squarely in the stomach, sending it flying before it landed next to Kiba. Seeing a chance to end the fight, the tyrannosaur sent its jaws into the monsters neck, shaking its head to force her teeth in as deep as possible. The Nomu thrashed under the carnivore's might and desperately tried to free itself, slamming hammer-like blows into Kiba's head. Despite every blow rattling the tyrannosaur's skull, she didn't relent.
As the Nomu's struggles began to lessen, it desperately attempted to conjure up a blast of electricity, its maw opening to reveal a crackling blue orb. Kiba's eyes widened but her grip never slackened, instead digging her fangs in even more. The ball of electricity grew, about to fire. .
Only for the power to harmlessly dissipate as a loud 𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒 rang out.
With a single strong twist, Kiba twisted the Nomu's neck, breaking the bones within. Immediately, the creatures flailing stopped as its body fell limp. The ancient predator released its hold, allowing the Nomu's limp body to drop to the ground. Placing a foot on the monsters chest, Kiba released a triumphant howl to the skies before stumbling off, falling from exhaustion. She was heavily injured, yet still alive as she lay on the ground, breathing heavily as adrenaline faded from her system. After giving the beast one last hard look, the dinosaur took in a breath of fresh air, coughing as dust rose from her throat. Aizawa and Mirko ran over to make sure their new ally was okay
From the carnage around them, a little girl slowly walked up to the resting dinosaur, despite the protests of those around her. As she stopped in front of Kiba, the little girl placed a gentle hand on the dinosaurs snout. Kiba let out a purr at the touch, causing the child to smile happily.
"Thank you." She said, giving the dinosaur a gentle pat before running off, her mother soon following after her.
"Kiba!"
Raising her head, Kiba saw her 'master' Noikari alongside Mandalay running over, the former hugging the dinosaur's body as Aizawa and Mirko went to Mandalay to discuss what to do next.
"Have evacuations been handled?" asked Aizawa.
Mandalay nodded as she replied, "My team got the rest of it handled."
The Pro Hero nodded as he looked at his surroundings. Many civilians had gathered, most of whom were watching with worried looks. Some of them whispered amongst themselves in disbelief or relief, others were weeping and wailing. A few were even calling out for parents or siblings, which caused many adults to tear up themselves.
"How many casualties are there?" Asked Mirko, an unusually worried expression plastering her face.
"We're not sure yet," Mandalay answered, "but luckily we were able to keep them to a minimum."
"As if that makes it any better."
The group turned to see Noikari sitting down, his body facing away from them, his voice muffled by his clenched fists. They all understood his grief and guilt all too well.
"Saying it like that makes it sound like we're okay with people dying."
The Pro Hero sighed. "That's not what I'm saying, Noikari. I'm only trying to make you realize-"
"Well don't. Not now."
Noikari stood up, looking at his hands as he recalled seeing the woman earlier crying over her husband. How many others today would face the same turmoil as her? From the moment the boy had accepted Aizawa's request to begin training as a hero, he knew that he would have to see this one day. Yet it still felt like a punch to the gut. His eyes stung as he remembered his own trauma. He had witnessed so much death today. Too much death for one young boy to take in. So much death that his mind could hardly comprehend it.
"I. . I need some time to think." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Noikari began to walk through the desolate part of the city.
"Noi, wait-" Aizawa began.
Noikari ignored his teacher and continued walking until he reached a secluded area behind a building. Sitting down onto the floor, he covered his face as he sobbed silently to himself, unable to contain the torrent of emotions that threatened to overtake him. When he lifted his hand up to wipe his cheeks, however, his eyes widened in shock as he noticed a bright yellow flower lying in front of him, growing out of a crack in the sidewalk. Despite everything around, the flower was untouched from the carnage. Slowly pulling it open, he discovered that the petals inside contained the most beautiful golden yellow flowers imaginable. Each petal had different hues, ranging between a deep crimson, pale pink, and bright azure blue. It was almost mesmerizing, how something so small and fragile could make a difference.
He closed the flower and gently placed the plant back when he heard a soft voice.
"May I sit here?" The young man looked up to find Mandalay kneeling before him, a sad smile on her face. He offered her a small nod of confirmation.
"How're you holding up, kid? You seem really shaken up."
Noikari shook his head, not trusting his voice to work right.
"It doesn't feel real." He finally managed to spit out, his tone slightly shaky. "I know that I would've seen something like this eventually, but actually seeing it, I. . I don't know, it still feels like too much. I can't process all that's happened, especially the fact that people have died... But. ."
Mandaly looked at him confused. "But?"
"But I think I've realized something." As he began to speak, Noikari once more picked up the yellow flower he had seen previously. He held it up to Mandalay, allowing the hero to get a good look at it. "I know it may sound strange, but I think this flower has helped me realize something. That no matter how dark the world may seem, there's always a light that you can follow somewhere out there. Someone who won't leave you alone no matter what happens. Someone who will always be there for you and who can make your days brighter... I hope I can be that person for someone someday, Mandalay."
The young man put the flower back down in its spot on the ground before he turned to look at Mandalay. To his surprise, the woman was smiling warmly at him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Without hesitation, she pulled him into a hug. He hesitated briefly before wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling into her shoulder, returning the embrace with equal affection.
"You already are." Mandalay answered.
The two remained silent for a short while before they parted, gazing into each other's eyes as they smiled softly at each other, neither willing to say anything more.
At last, the both of them broke apart, the pair of them standing up together and brushing the dust off of their pants, preparing themselves to go their separate ways.
"What are you gonna do, kid?" Mandalay asked as she took a moment to stretch. As Noikari also stood up, Mandalay noticed the heavy bags over his eyes.
"Well, since I've been up for roughly 20 hours now, I am going to bed." The boy turned in the direction of U.A. as he prepared to make his way there.
As he slowly began walking, Noikari stopped and turned his head back to Mandalay as he heard the hero call out his name. "What you said about darkness and light, that was really inspiring, kid... Thanks."
Mandalay gave him a wide smile before waving as Noikari continued to walk. Once she saw Noikari vanish from sight, Mandalay sighed, slumping her shoulders. As she prepared to return to her team, she heard a roar from behind her. Turning, the Pro Hero yelped as Kiba ran right past her, following her 'master' back to U.A. As Mandalay watched the dinosaur in bewilderment, she simply smiled and began her own trek to find Ragdoll and the rest of her team.
Mirko and Aizawa stood by as they watched the three heroes wander away from the sight of the battle.
"That kid's real interesting," Mirko observed.
Aizawa hummed in agreement, turning his attention toward the horizon where Noikari and Kiba disappeared to, "And he has a lot of potential." The Pro Hero thought back to that first encounter with Noikari on that first night at U.A. It was obvious from that moment onwards that the child was special; not in his Quirk or his strength, but in his heart. And while he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what the boy meant to him, the Pro Hero decided to take note of it, hoping one day it'd become useful.
As Noikari and Kiba returned to U.A., the latter was disappointed to learn that she would be unable to enter the building due to her size. The tyrannosaur briefly let out a whine of frustration, prompting Noikari to stop and kneel down to comfort the saddened dinosaur, gently stroking the beast's head as he apologized. After a while, Kiba decided to lounge around in the courtyard, letting the sun's rays dry her scales as the boy walked inside and to his dorm room. Once entering his room, he was shocked to see Izuku sitting on his bed waiting for him. Confused, and also a bit worried, Noikari raised his eyebrows at Izuku.
"What. . what are you doing in my room?"
"I heard you saw some. . unpleasant things." Izuku's voice was warm but also serious. Noikari nodded as he sat down next to the other boy.
"I guess.. I never expected it to be this bad. I mean, I know sometimes innocent people die no matter what heroes do, but actually seeing them dead, it just.. it hurt so badly." Noikari admitted, still seeing the image of a woman crying over her husband's lifeless body replaying itself in his mind. As he spoke, Izuku gave a gentle pat to Noikari's shoulder as he leaned forward slightly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Silence filled the air as Noikari stared ahead, deep in thought. Eventually, the boy answered.
"I think I get it now."
Izuku turned to him, confused. "Get what?"
"What it really means to be a hero. What it truly means to live your life fighting for another human being. To protect those who can't protect themselves. Not everyone can fight and save everyone, but we all try our best, regardless of if it means failing and losing someone close to us. It doesn't matter what side you're on or who your opponent is, if I help people then they'll stay safe, no matter what. Right?" As soon as Noikari finished speaking, the boy's entire demeanor changed, and he flashed a bright smile at Izuku. Izuku blinked a few times, stunned by the sudden change in Noikari. But a gentle smile overtook his face shortly after.
"Yeah," Izuku began. "Sometimes we can't save everyone, but even just saving one person, that can mean the world to us. We won't hesitate, we won't give up, because we want them to be happy and safe."
A comfortable silence descended upon the pair as the sunlight shined through the window.
"Hey um, Izuku." Noikari broke the silence.
"Yeah?"
"Not to sound rude, but I've been up for almost 24 hours now, so I was kinda planning on resting and. . "
"Oh yeah, of course! Sorry!" Izuku quickly apologized, rubbing the back of his neck as he stood up, "I didn't really think about that... I'll let you rest. Talk to ya tomorrow." Before Noikari could even reply, Izuku left and closed the door behind him. Noikari chuckled to himself as he made his way over to his dresser to grab his pajamas before he changed into them. He slipped his feet into his fuzzy socks before making his way over to bed. Once lying down, he wrapped his blanket tightly around himself before settling into sleep.
The journey to U.A. wasn't long and once arriving, Noikari headed to Class 1-A, just as homeroom was about to begin. When he arrived, he saw that most of the students were already seated when he got there, including Katsuki Bakugou who was glaring at him from the other end of the classroom. The blond looked like he wanted to scream at him or curse him out, but the moment their eyes met, he turned his gaze away, seemingly embarrassed.
"Hey, mornin' man!" Kaminari happily remarked.
Noikari took a seat next to Uraraka Ochako, who greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning, Noikari!" She exclaimed cheerfully.
"Morning, Uraraka." Noikari replied with a small smile.
Suddenly, Aizawa entered the class with Present Mic and Thirteen following him closely. Noikari glanced over at Izuku as Aizawa began lecturing the class about the upcoming event, which everyone eagerly awaited, excited to get a chance to prove themselves once again. Aizawa called the event "The Fighting Festival."
It seemed like a simple enough assignment to have, but that was apparently not the case.
Aizawa explained that unlike last time, the participants would be solely volunteers, meaning anyone could or couldn't enter the Festival. The Pro Hero also announced that unlike last time, there would be only 8 competitors, in order for fights to be more climactic. With that, Aizawa waited to see who would step up to the plate.
Noikari was the first to volunteer, wanting the chance to sharpen his skills even more. Along with Noikari, Kirishima, Denki and Izuku all gladly volunteered, eager to test themselves. After them, Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu joined as well. Finally, Bakugo took the last spot in the tournament so he could have the chance for a rematch with both Izuku and Noikari.
Suddenly, Noikari quickly got out of his seat and began to leave for the exit.
Eraser Head raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And where do you think you're going?"
Noikari turned his head, standing like a statue as he was stopped by his teacher.
"Um. . I was maybe going to ask Mirko if she'd like to watch, sir."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock at the mention of Rumi's name. Even Bakugo's expression changed as his eyes widened slightly.
"Mirko.. You said Mirko, correct?" The teacher asked, sounding confused. Noikari nodded with a grin and a laugh. Eraser Head let out a sigh. He was starting to regret letting this boy in here.
"Need I remind you that she's a Pro Hero. Her schedule keeps her busy."
"Well, we can just have someone not competing in the Festival cover for her, right?" Noikari affirmed, still smiling.
Shouta's eye twitched as he massaged the temple of his forehead. Why did he agree to let this kid enroll in his damn classroom?!
"Fine, fine. If you can somehow find her, sure."
"Right! I won't let you down, sensei!" Noikari responded, his excitement obvious in his voice and expression.
"Alright, get to work. Dismissed."
When lunchtime rolled around, Noikari practically ran out the door to find Rumi. He smiled to himself as he thought about his plan and how it was working out until realizing that he had no idea where the Bunny Hero resided. The child mentally slapped himself for not even considering that. This was going to be harder than he realized. .
As he walked through the streets, he heard a crackling voice coming from a radio, a group of citizens crowded around it. Walking over, Noikari joined the crowd as the voice on the radio announced a criminal activity on the radio.
"This is Detective Tsukauchi reporting on a new high-profile crime that has broken out. One young girl, approximately 10 years old, has been taken hostage by the leader of a gang called the "Killer Bees". Police believe that the gang may have connections with organized crime and the underground world. Due to lack of information surrounding her location at present, authorities are looking for any leads. We urge everyone out of the way if you are nearby for further information, please evacuate-" Noikari didn't listen to the rest of the report as he sprinted to an alleyway to dress into his hero costume. . .
Or, he would've changed into it, if he had one. Now probably wasn't the best time, but if he wanted to be recognized, he needed a costume.
'Alright, just something simple.' Noikari told himself as he activated his Quirk to quickly make himself a costume. .
After taking a short rest (which he didn't get much of) he made his way through crowds of citizens trying their best to stay away from him while others stared openly at his unusual attire. His costume consisted of a large white cape with built in shoulder padding. The cape flowed majestically behind him, giving him the appearance of a regal god who had come to save his people. Luckily though, the majority paid him no mind and continued moving on without stopping to talk to him either. After a minute of walking, he saw a commercial building with cops surrounding it from every side, getting ready to burst into the building as they loaded their guns. In front of the entrance was the voice he had heard on the radio, Tsukauchi, who was loading his sidearm with another officer. The latter officer stopped as he saw Noikari attempting to enter the building.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? This is serious business, kid. Go play hero somewhere else!"
Noikari turned to the officer, looking a little offended at what the man had said. "I am a hero sir, and I can help."
The officer wasn't buying it however, and grabbed Noikari by the arm before slowly pulling him away, despite the child's protests.
"Hey, let go of me!"
"Look kid, I'm not gonna say it again. This ain't the time to be playin' hero. Now get out of here!"
As the cop continued to roughly drag Noikari away, a gentle hand put itself on his shoulder.
Tsukauchi put a hand in front of him. "Hold on, I recognize this kid."
"You do, Sir? How?" The other policeman questioned.
"I recognize his face This is the boy that fought that giant alongside the students of U.A. a few weeks ago." Tsukauchi was referring to Noikari's battle with the Colossaeus.
The other officer looked at Noikari with a mixture of awe and skepticism. "Really? He fought that thing. With all due respect sir, that doesn't sound possible."
The detective chuckled as he pulled back his hat and ruffled his hair. "He didn't just fight it; he defeated the monster itself."
Noikari's eyes lit up, surprised that he was recognized for that feat.
"What?!" the second police officer exclaimed.
"We'll tell ya all about it later. Right now, all we really need to know is that he's the guy who took that bitch down." Tsukauchi declared proudly.
"Sir, I don't wanna sound rude, but this is a bit concerning. I don't know how I would feel if we were to send this child in and something happened to him.
Tsukauchi put a hand on his partner's shoulder as his expression softened considerably. "I understand your concerns, Officer Chidouro, believe me. And as much as I don't want to, I know this boy can handle himself."
Officer Chidouro didn't look convinced, but sighed nonetheless. "Well then, I guess I'll take your word for it. But if something happens to the kid, it's on your hands."
Tsukauchi nodded in understanding before looking down at Noikari, grinning as he walked by the child towards the base of the Killer Bees. "Let's go catch some bad guys, kid."
Noikari grinned brightly before he followed after the detective.