Sweet Cute Green Obsession

by guyNumber23

Love is a very complicated thing. It changes the way one sees the world around itself, and push us past our limits. But there is a thin line between burning love and crazy obsession, and Uraraka Ochako may have crossed it, and not only her. One by one, they all fall in the charms of a certain green-haired teen. Can he take on all that "love"? Rated M for the lots of lemons.

50. Hot-blooded Heroes: Part 3

Hot-blooded Heroes [part 3]

The mist kept flooding the room, slowly drifting towards them. There was no way back, so their only option was to go forward. That was what passed through Miruko's mind.

"Ryukyu, I know you want to do this the safe way, but we don't have that option right now." She said with a surprisingly calm tone, staring at the enemy.

"It's not that I want a safe way. If we act carelessly here, we won't be in conditions to fight later on. The kids are still in danger–"

"Yeah yeah, I know, I'm not deaf. But if we don't get out of here it will be the same!" She turned to the dragon hero. She didn't want to sound frustrated nor lash out at her current partner, but having to stay put really made her get sort of angry, and somewhat impotent.

"I know." Said the dragon hero. She stepped forward, eyes focused on the villain behind that steel dome. "So you go ahead and do what you always do."

Ryukyu didn't elaborate further. She just changed into her dragon form and flew towards the dome, taking a deep breath before crossing the toxic mist. Her eyes immediately began to water, but she would need to endure it.

"Ryukyu! And she calls me impulsive?" She understood what was her plan, but it didn't make it any less risky.

The giant dragon sunk her claw into the metal dome. The steel covering helped a little, but she still encountered resistance trying to pry it open. The angle didn't help either and holding her breath only delayed the effects of the mist. Her lungs ached and she felt like her nostrils were in flames, but she had to endure it. The shield groaned as she forced it open, slowly but surely removing it from the hinges. And right on time, because Ryukyu desperately needed to breathe.

With one final pull, she tore the dome open, tossing one piece to the side, then tearing the rest. However, she found out the platform where the villain has vanished, and a huge toxic cloud hit her face. All that time the old man wasn't even here, and the worse part, she had already inhaled the damn mist.

"~cough~ Miruko! Hurry up!" Ryukyu shouted, letting go of the ceiling and flapping her wings down with all her power. The gust of wind opened the toxic curtain in half, making a secure path for the rabbit hero.

Miruko quickly jumped up, expecting to see that decrepit villain's face, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, the hole Ryukyu opened exposed a tunnel with rails. So that's how that bedridden geezer moved around.

"Tch, he escaped and let us die! Coward piece of shit… We have to catch up with him, Ryukyu." No response came.

"Oi, Ryu–" Her ruby red eyes widened. "Ryukyu!"

The dragon hero lay on the floor, back to her human form, barely visible amid the cloud.

"Hey, get up in here already!"

The blondie made an effort to stand up, but she failed.

"~cough cough~ Just… go ahead. It was… my plan anyway–" Her words were cut as she threw up.

She tried to take the lead role as best as she could. She tried to be strong and follow the plan. She tried to make everyone work together as a team. She tried to predict how the villains would act, but clearly, there was a limit to her efforts.

Despite her complaints, Miruko was a very capable hero. She could deal with the villains if she just reached them. As for herself, Ryukyu was satisfied with how far she came. So long as the kids were fine, she was okay with this.

"I just… wanted to do more…"

Her vision blurred and faded to black, she felt sick in the stomach and her limbs numbed. But then, she felt herself being picked up from the floor. She didn't need her vision to know who it was.

"I told you… to go ahead…"

"And since it was a stupid suggestion, I decided to ignore it– ~cough cough~"

Miruko held Ryukyu firmly in her arms, took impulse, and jumped, hitting her back on the ceiling of the tunnel. A rough landing, but at least they were out of that death cloud. She gasped for air, checking the vitals of her partner.

"Hey, stay awake, okay? Don't you dare close your eyes, you hear me?"

Ryukyu groaned in response.

"They are… the priority…" She said, slowly propping herself on the wall so she could sit.

"Sure, but I'm not letting you behind. I didn't think you would be that dumb."

"I'll...just slow you down…"

The rabbit hero offered a smile as she placed one arm around Ryukyu, helping her to stand up and walk.

"You're doing this ever since we partnered up, I'm getting used to it. Plus, I'm not your subordinate or anything. If you want to save those brats, then help me out."

---

The two cat-themed heroes were in a pinch. Surrounded, they couldn't do much but hold their defenses as much as they could, since the villains were controlling an army of civilians against them. The best they could do now was push and shove, and block their punches and kicks. No one in that crowd was particularly dangerous to them, but the sheer numbers would literally crush the pro heroes if they stopped moving.

"Shit, this doesn't end!" Pixie Bob complained, tossing someone over her shoulder as carefully as possible.

"I know, but we don't have a choice. We can't hurt these people, look!" Mandalay held a woman's arm in place, locking eyes for a moment, and she could see the tears rolling down her face as if she was begging for forgiveness.

"It's okay, we know it's not your fault. We'll save you, okay?" She tried reassuring the lady, but internally she couldn't be more worried, and externally, someone grabbed her from behind.

"Hey, don't just stand still!" The blond hero pushed the person away from her friend and they jumped around, trying to make some distance between them and the crowd. Fortunately, the room was large enough to give them some space, but at some time, they could find themselves cornered by a wall.

"Tch, how are we going to deal with all those people? Even if Tora was here…"

"We can't hurt them, but we also can't run forever. We have to stop the person controlling them." Mandalay said, looking at the girl sitting atop the throne.

On that said throne, Doll laughed as she watched the heroes struggling with this dilemma.

"Hahahaha, this is much funnier than I expected. Watching two cats being chased by a bunch of little mice. Ironic, am I right?"

Leech stood by her side idly, leaning on the throne and with closed eyes, clearly bothered that she had to stay there.

"Sounds pretty stupid, actually."

"Well, I like this kind of irony. Exquisite! Hahahaha!"

"~sigh~ I don't know why we have to go through this convoluted plan. If the objective is to kill all heroes, why not make it quick?"

"Oh, my short-sighted friend, it's not just about killing the false idols. It's about sending a message. We have to put them on a display of shame so everyone understands just how fake they are. They don't come to save everyone. Not if they can't be in the spotlight while doing so…" Doll stared at the running heroes, but her mind seemed to wander. She recoiled herself on the throne, hugging her knees. Meanwhile, Leech glanced at her with a somewhat worried look.

"... You really bought into Rust's idea."

"You didn't? I thought you of all people would be the most understanding. You know what people are really thinking, after all."

"... ~sigh~ Sometimes it is better not to know what a person's inner demons are."

Doll seemed to ponder over it briefly and then turned her focus back to the ongoing fight if you could call it that. It was more like a massive game of tag where everyone was trying to catch the two pro heroes. She lifted the arm of the throne and produced a silver goblet. Then, the goth girl began to pour a dark red liquid from a concealed tap on the arm.

"Whatever. Why don't we spice things up a bit?" She said, holding the chalice up as if making a toast.

"Ugh, do you need to drink it like that?"

"Humph! Do I look like that unrefined meathead to you?"

"I can say what you want to hear, or the truth. Which one?"

They stared daggers at each other for a second.

"Well then! My precious dolls, the second act is about to start!" She exclaimed, sipping from the goblet.

Mandalay and Pixie Bob noticed that, and right after, the crowd of civilians began to run after them. The robotic movements were practically gone.

"That's bad, that's really bad…" Said the blondie. At this rate, they would be forced to take drastic measures.

"That girl… We have to take her down, but if we get close, she will freeze us again."

"How about we distract her? She needs to be focused, right?"

"We would need a big distraction for that work… Ryuko, can you use your Quirk here?"

"There are too many layers around the room. I don't know, maybe if I try very hard." She said, looking at the metal floor.

"Alright, I'll buy you some time," Mandalay said, then rushed towards the crowd.

"Wait, what? Shino, even if I could use it here, it's too dangerous! The whole structure might collapse. Did you forget we're underground?"

"No," She stopped briefly to look back at her partner. "But we have to save these people, and the kids are in great danger on their own against those villains. I won't allow something like that to happen again." The redhead held a determined look that Pixie Bob understood perfectly. No need for telepathy to know what she meant.

"I know you can do it." She said and resumed her sprint towards the mob.

"Huh, does she think she can stop all those people on her own? Rather, is she really going to attack them?" Doll mused, looking quite surprised. Leech squinted her eyes.

"They're planning something…" She took a step forward but Doll held her wrist.

"Hey, we're in the middle of an act, remember?" She pointed upwards, prompting Leech to roll her eyes and go back to her place.

"Whatever. Just don't blame me when things blow up in your face."

"Hahahaha, very funny. As if those pathetic excuses for heroes could do anything against me. Alright, my pretty red-haired cat doll, let's play~"

The mob began to chase Mandalay, trying to surround her. She then began to distance herself as much as she could from Pixie Bob. Turning on her heels, the pro hero raised her fists and got ready to fight. Her fierce glare went to the elevated throne for a second, then melted away as she faced the crowd in front of her. Behind her was the wall.

"Good, she took the bait. Now all I have to do is hold them here and buy time for Ryuko. Hang on kids, we're going to rescue you. Definitely!"

Meanwhile, the blondie looked at the floor intently. She kneeled, placing one hand on the metal floor. Pixie Bob closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

"Come on, Ryuko, you can do this. She's counting on you… The kids are counting on you… Yosh, LET'S DO IT!"

---

In one of the other rooms, a battle of attrition went on still. The hardening duo of heroes tanked hit after hit from the crazed villain drenched in her own blood, attacking them relentlessly. Blood Frenzy wasn't only strong, but pretty fast and resistant too. It didn't matter how many string counters they landed whenever an opening appeared, she kept getting up, always grinning and laughing.

"Hahahahaha! I've never met guys so tough as you two! Being able to go all out like this… is the best high I've ever had!" She said, lunging at them with a fist drawn back.

There was no form to her attacks, nor concern for defense. At this stage, she didn't need to care about being hit. She aimed at Red Riot, who blocked the punch with his arms in a cross shape, heels sinking into the metal floor as he got pushed back by the impact. Even with his Quirk, he winced in pain. And just like they did the last time, and the other time before that, and every other since Sun Eater "captured" Health Pack, Real Steel landed a powerful punch to her face, sending the tall woman a few steps back. They were doing that exchange for a while now, one of them taking the hit while the other strikes back. Whether this was effective or not they weren't sure, but that was the best they could do for now.

Kirishima was breathing heavily. He made sure to only harden his body at the moment of impact to conserve his stamina, but even then he felt like he was running out of steam, not to mention just how crazy strong their opponent was. The same was going on for Tetsutetsu, as he began to feel the effects of iron depletion in his body. There was only so much those nutrition bars Kendosuggested he carries could do.

"Man, she doesn't stop. Did she really need that girl's blood to keep going?" Asked the metal teen, glancing back at the girl wrapped in Sun Eater's arms.

"Probably not, but she had to have a limit. Bleeding like that, she has to drop at some point." Kirishima said, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, but what about ours?" Tetsutetsu did the same. They had to ignore their bodies screaming at them for overdoing it and endure the fight as much as they could. No, losing wasn't an option here. Across the arena, the bloody amazon recovered her senses again.

"Damn! You guys also hit hard! But I know you are getting tired. It's okay, that's your limit right there." She said, then pointed at the other hero behind them. "You, yellow cape! I'm going for you next! Now… why don't we do that legend thing? The uh, how was it again… Ah! The strongest spear versus the strongest shield! I'll be the spear, okay?!"

They clenched their fist in anticipation.

"She's going all out now, right?"

"Yeah. Not gonna lie, that's a bit scary."

"..."

"Kirishima… Let me tank the next hit."

The redhead teen glanced surprised at his friend. He wasn't in a better shape than him, and it would be better if they tried to share the load in some way.

"Oi, Tetsutetsu, now is not the time to test your strength."

"That's not it, bro." He stepped forward, bringing his guard up and accepting Blood Frenzy's challenge. "We've matched on pretty much everything, but I can feel I won't last much longer. That low iron stuff. So make sure you take her down in the next strike."

"Hehe, so you're going to be the shield? Great! I'll break you, then I'll break the shirtless dude, and then I'll fight with Yellow Cape! This will be awesome!" Blood Frenzy shouted her plans, licking the blood from her cut lips.

"These two… Right now I'm counting on them tiring the enemy so I can finish her off. Letting this kid get near her again would leave us with a fully healed villain while we're exhausted. Depending on the result of this challenge, I might have to enter the fight immediately…"

Sun Eater stood in the back vigilantly. If another villain appeared, or if she tried to reach for the little girl he would prevent that. The girl herself didn't offer much resistance, and she seemed pretty fixed in the fight too, although her tired face made it look like she was dozing off. Perhaps she was. The tension in the air increased as they waited for the next move. Under any other circumstances, the heroes wouldn't have time to catch their breath, but to this woman, it was all a huge game of violence, and she wanted to make the most of it.

"I said we've matched, but honestly I think Kiri bro is ahead of me. Maybe his hardening is a little better, and he doesn't get tired as I do, but whatever. I don't want to prove anything, but it might show how far I've got…"

He hit his chest with a fist, making a metallic clank sound.

"Come! This shield will definitely not break!" Real Steel taunted her.

"That's right, that's how it has to be! Fights have to go to the very end, no prison bullshit! If you lose, you die, simple as that! Then…" Blood Frenzy readied herself, grinning like a maniac. "LET'S FIGHT ALL THE WAY TO HELL!"

"Here she comes." Both teens thought as they saw the tall woman run full speed at him.

Blood Frenzy was pretty above their level in a fight, by sheer raw power. If it wasn't for Fatgum and Sun Eater injuring and tiring her before, they would probably be knocked out cold by now, if not worse. Even then, it was as if she didn't have an upper limit to how stronger she could get, or how many times she could fall and get back up. She was an unstoppable force, and Tetsutetsu knew he wasn't the immovable object to face that. But this is something he had figured out long ago when he began to train: just because you think you can still go, doesn't mean your body can get there.

She didn't pull a single punch back and took everything they threw at her with open arms. She was way stronger than them, but in a matter of resistance, they would not lose. A spear can lose its edge, but a shield doesn't have such concern. Plus, who said you can only defend with a shield?

"HARDCORE: IRON WALL!"

At the last second, Tetsutetsu shifted his feet, sliding to the side and letting Blood Frenzy's body come at him. It would be like having a car crashing at him at full speed. At that same moment, he firmed his feet on the floor and raised his elbow, pushing forward. It was a technique Kendo has taught him back then, but he didn't find a use for it until now. Similar to his partner's Unbreakable, he raised the hardness of his body to the maximum, tensing every fiber to the extreme at the point of impact. It was a defense using the opponent's strength against them, adding your own to it. He didn't need to be stronger than her, just more resistant.

The floor below his feet sunk a little, showing just how much energy the villain was carrying in that punch. Had it hit him, Real Steel would probably be out of the game for good. The results of his new super move, Blood Frenzy's conscience faded for a moment, her vision gone. One moment she had the metal boy in her sights, the other he wasn't, and then blackness, and the sensation of hitting a solid wall with her face.

Right after, Red Riot followed with his attack, charging at full speed with one fist pulled back.

"UNBREAKABLE: RED GAUNTLET!"

His fist connected with her face, and he used all the momentum he could carry to drive that punch down to the floor. She hit the floor with a loud thud. The hardening duo feeling the exhaustion catching up to them, took one step back, reverting to normal. Real Steel felt light-headed as the iron fatigue kicked in, and Red Riot felt his muscles ache after moving so much while completely hardened. Their eyes were glued on the villain, hoping this would be enough to knock her out for good. They waited, and waited, and waited. Two very tense minutes until they released a long sigh of relief.

"~huff~ man, for a moment I thought she was invincible or something," Kirishima said, resting one hand on Tetsutestu's shoulder. "That was a pretty rad move, bro."

"Yeah, but I can't fight anymore. I'm out of steam here…" He said, leaning on his knees.

"Rest as much as you can, we're not completely out of trouble yet." Said Sun Eater as he rejoined them. He scanned the surroundings again. Something came and carried Fatgum away, so there was an exit somewhere in this room. "We still have to find Fatgum and regroup with the others. They're probably fighting other heads of the cult just like us-"

He cut his words short as he felt something tug at his cloak. Looking down, the little girl in his arms was looking back at him and pointing forward. Following the direction, the three young heroes watched in disbelief as the woman once again got up, still covered in blood and bruises, full of holes and everything. She wobbly got up and seemed to be having trouble keeping like that, but just the fact alone she was conscious was frightening.

"Are you kidding…" Said the red-haired teen, to no one in particular.

"... unconscious."

The three of them looked again at the little girl. She spoke so softly that it barely registered.

"Uh, what was that?" Sun Eater asked her.

"... unconscious." They looked at her, at the woman she was pointing at, and then it clicked.

"Wait, is she really fighting unconsciously?!" Tetsutetsu looked again at Blood Frenzy.

"No…" She shook her head. "... unconscious… breaks frenzy… tired…" Health Pack then held her hand up, showing how her wrist had a ring around it, and a straw from which her blood came out. "Heal…"

She didn't elaborate further, but it was enough for them to put things together. That's probably why Health Pack was with her. At some point, the piled-up damage would catch up and she would need Health Pack to recover. Considering how she didn't mind killing the little girl along with them, it wouldn't be farfetched to say Blood Frenzy would drain her if that meant she could keep fighting.

"Ha… haha… hahahaha… that pain… I've never felt this much pain before… hahaha… it's kinda cool too, in its way…" Blood Frenzy raised her head, bloodshot eyes trying to focus on the young heroes. "What…? Tired already? I'm still up… I can- ~coff~ I want to fight more…!"

The swollen eye and the creepy grin on her face only made her look even more insane. She wasn't kidding, they might have to really put her down. So far the young heroes didn't think about it. Despite being through a lot for their ages, the idea of taking someone's life never registered this clearly. Maybe some people were just too dangerous to be kept alive, but then, wouldn't this prove the point of that crazy blood cult? Red Riot took the front this time, raising a fist.

"What do we do now, senpai?"

Sun Eater weighed their options. There wasn't a good way, only less bad ones. He now had a useful piece of information in his hands, the girl he was holding had a healing quirk. They could use this to finish things here and move forward, but why would the girl even agree with that? Would this be the right thing? This girl… she wasn't part of this, was she?

"Oi! I'm not done yet! I told you… kill me or I won't stand down! This won't stop until someone drops dead, heroes!" Blood Frenzy shouted, licking her wounds. "Kill or be killed! That's the only rule that-"

CRASH!

Whatever it was the woman was shouting got drowned by the loud noise of metal bending and breaking. The walls of the room collapsed and a mass of dirt flowed in like an avalanche. An avalanche shaped like a beast, to be more precise.

- earlier -

Mandalay tried her best to fight back the crowd without hurting them too much, but it was proving to be very difficult. The best she could do was push back the controlled bodies and maybe throw the over, but that didn't help much either. Doll was playing with her and she knew it, otherwise, she would have been overrun by the mob. But that was playing in her favor, as it gave Pixie Bob time to focus. The structure of this place was underground and it had a thick layer of metal and concrete separating her from the earth she could control. She did try to control the earth from a distance, but it never worked well. Now she didn't have the luxury of not succeeding, so the blondie kept focusing and trying to "feel" the earth below. Meanwhile, the pair of villains watched from the elevated throne.

"... hurry up and finish them off. We already got the point across." Said Leech, glaring at the pro hero pushing back the mob. "And why are you not chasing both of them?"

"Shh, don't rush me. It's obvious they have some kind of plan, but it will be useless no matter what it is. I can always control them, remember? This feeling of impotency… I want it to be the last thing they feel before… before…"

There was a moment of silence between them.

"Before you kill them?"

"... yeah, before that."

"... do you really believe in what you're saying?"

"Humpf! Are you doubting my resolve?"

"Yes, it takes a special kind of resolve to kill someone." She looked directly at the goth girl, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"How would you know? You've never killed before either… did you?"

"~sigh~ no, but I know what goes through the head of someone like Napalm and Frenzy. They're… not normal at all… So, are you sure you can do it?"

Doll recoiled in her throne again, hugging her knees. Her mind seemed to wander a bit, but then she snapped out of it once she noticed her control over the crowd loosened up.

"Shut up, I'm busy here! I have to focus, remember? Don't distract me with your stupid questions." And just like that, the mob returned to move like a synchronized hivemind.

"~sigh~ I guess that answers it… hmm?" Leech looked over and saw the blue Pussy Cat kneeling, her hands on the floor and her eyes closed. "Hey, what's the other one doing?"

"How would I know? I guess she just gave up."

"Does it look like she gave up, you idiot? She's trying to do something."

"And?"

"And?! Stop her!"

Doll looked at Leech with an annoyed face.

"In case you didn't notice, I have my hands occupied right now. Would be a dear and, I don't know, deal if it yourself?! Since you're so bothered by it…"

Leech rolled her eyes, going down the staircase with a knife in hand, but then she stopped in her tracks. She felt a little tremor, and while it wasn't strong, the surprise almost made her miss one step. She paused for a second, then looked back at Doll.

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"That-" It happened again. "This! The tremor!"

Doll looked at her with an even more annoying face.

"Ugh, can you please get a grip? These heroes are so cheap I can deal with them practically alone-" Another tremor, a little bit stronger. It made the cup of blood resting on the throne shake a little. "Uh… okay?"

"Can you listen to me now?" She said, pointing to the blond cat hero.

"Alright! Just give me a second…" Doll tried to divide her attention between the crowd circling Mandalay and Pixie Bob. She focused, focused, but she couldn't feel the pro hero in her system, aside from a faint presence. "Shoot, my control is almost fading!"

"Already?! Didn't you say you only needed a few drops?"

"Yeah, and I controlled everyone to the rooms they had to be in. Can you not blame me for everything that happens for five seconds?!"

"Maybe if you weren't so stubborn and stupid!"

"Whatever! Just… go there and stab them or something!"

Leech rushed down the stairs, but as she got down, another tremor came, this time enough for her to clearly feel and throw her out of balance. Her eyes landed on the blondie, who still had her eyes closed and her eyebrows furrowed. The punk girl put two and two together, then went after Pixie Bob to stop whatever she was doing.

Seeing this, Mandalay had to change her strategy. She warned Ryuko via telepathy, pushing through the crowd, but it was hard to make her way there with everyone trying to dogpile her. Despite her efforts, she couldn't help but hurt the civilians to some extent. She forced her way through, pushing people and scratching some of them with her claws. Hopefully, it would only result in shallow cuts, but she had no other choice.

Another tremor, stronger than the previous one, indicated that Pixie Bob was getting there, but she got interrupted when her friend's voice sounded in her mind, telling her to dodge. She narrowly avoided getting a blade shoved in her shoulder.

"I don't know what is your game but I know your Quirk. You can't use it at distance, so why don't you just give up? You're useless in here." Leech said, pointing the knife at her.

"I am useless, yet here you are. Isn't it strange?" Ryuko taunted her, then closed her eyes again. The floor shook once more, but another telepathic signal broke her focus.

"Tch, that other one is annoying… What is your plan? Shaking the place while your friend gets crushed by the mob?"

"Oh, you would love to know, right? Why don't you read my mind?"

Leech remained silent for a moment, then dashed for another attack. She wasn't agile enough to deal with those pro heroes, but she just needed to keep the blondie occupied. Even without controlling her, Doll could still throw the civilians at them.

Pixie Bob had to admit, the girl was pretty strong for her apparent age, and the fact she had many knives concealed in her only made things worse, but the critical point was the mind reading that allowed her to predict movements. That way she could easily compensate for the skill gap, at least with them. Ryuko doubted it would matter to someone like Miruko. They probably brought Mandalay and her here on purpose.

On the other side of the room, Mandalay finally pried herself from the crowd and rushed to help Pixie Bob. Unfortunately, more than a few civilians were left with shallow cuts and bruises, to whom she apologized mentally. The redhead tried to sneak up behind Leech, but the punk girl reacted just in time, presenting a blade that came from the sole of her leather boot. Mandalay barely avoided the stab and made her way next to Pixie Bob, who closed her eyes again. Another tremor.

Leech picked a throwing knife from her belt, but then winced for some reason. She looked to the side, then turned to Doll.

"Doll! Move the crowd away!" She shouted, then took some distance from it, circling the two heroes.

"I thought you wanted me to end this quickly!" The goth shouted back.

"Damn it! They got cuts on them! Some, at least!"

"And how do I know which ones have?"

"Ah, screw it!" Leech pulled a syringe and jabbed her leg, wincing in pain again. "Shit… at least this will reduce the noise…"

The punk girl focused on the two heroes, holding multiple blades between her fingers. She began to circle them, throwing knives and stars at them. Hopefully, the big paws of their costumes allowed Mandalay to block them, but they were still pinned against the wall. She held her fists up as the villain went straight after her, throwing a knife aimed at her head. Mandalay easily blocked it but her vision was blocked just enough for Leech to get past her, costing the hero a cut on her sides. If it wasn't for her reflexes, it would have been much deeper. Leech followed her path towards Pixie Bob, who opened her eyes just in time to block an attack with her hand, but she failed to stop the blade jutting from the girl's boot. She let out a cry of pain as her leg got stabbed, but at least this gave her a small advantage. Being this close, the blondie could easily overpower the teenager punk.

"Think again, hero."

With a flick of her wrist, Leech had yet another knife in her free hand, aiming for Pixie Bob's chest area. The Hero blocked with her other hand, holding the girl back by the wrists as the villain tried to use her weight. Mandalay caught up to them but in a split second, another concealed blade flashed before her eyes, barely missing. Sensing the attack from behind, Leech kicked Pixie Bob's wound, forcing her to let go of her arms, then flipped over the hero, using the blades in her boots to almost blind the other hero. The villain took some distance to catch her breath.

"Hah, you two are not as good as I thought. I don't even need to beat you, just make you bleed to your end."

Ignoring the taunt, Mandalay stood next to Pixie Bob, helping her to stand up.

"Is it too serious?"

"It hurts like hell, but I'll survive. What about you?"

Mandalay formed a pained grin as she felt the cut on her sides.

"I hope it doesn't leave a mark, I'm planning to go to the beach on our next vacation." She joked, trying to distract them both from the pain.

"It will be nice, but first we have to deal with them. Is your head still fuzzy?" She said, looking at the girl atop the throne.

"Just a little. And to make things worse, that girl can predict all our moves. Do you still think you can pull it off, Ryuko?" She looked at her friend's face, seeking confirmation. Her response was a wide, confident grin.

"Of course! Just hold them back a little more." Mandalay nodded, then faced Leech again.

"Okay, I hope this works…"

Putting her "claws" out, the cat hero went after Leech, mentally focusing on her next move. The villain readied her blade for the incoming attack, then swung. Her eyes widened, however, when she realized what the hero had just done. She swung at a space where Mandalay was a second ago, and her reaction time wasn't as good to keep up with this last-second change of plans, earning her a set of cuts along her arm. Leech jumped back but Mandalay kept coming hot on her tail, diving to the sides and slashing, similar to a cat. In a desperate move, Leech tossed a few blades aimlessly to break her pace so she could safely retreat. Once at a safe distance, she grimaced at the hero.

"You… you discovered it, didn't you?"

Mandalay smirked.

"How can you read my mind? Yeah, it took me a while but I figured it out. You didn't make it obvious, but luckily distracting the crowd gave me some time and privacy to think. And the other girl gave the final clue, cuts."

"Or any open wound, right? That's one of the reasons for that trap at the entrance, and why the crowd isn't attacking us now, am I right?"

"So what? I can still predict your moves. No matter how faster than me you are, I can always be one step ahead." Leech retorted. Her fist held the knife in her hand tighter.

"Probably, but I bet it is not perfect. I wasn't sure, but our last exchange confirms it: you have to deal with a lot of noise, don't you? For example, if I think "I'm going to hit her with a right punch", but then kick you with my left leg, even if you can read my unconscious decisions, you'll have to deal with a lot of confusing information, right?"

The brief silence was enough of an answer.

"You just told me your plan, do you still think that's going to work?" Leech challenged her.

"Ah yes… absolutely."

Mandalay dashed forward, arms open with bared claws. She jumped and landed a downward kick that missed the mark, but was followed by a flurry of swipes at the punk girl. Leech was struggling to keep up with her pace, having to focus on what were the hero's true intentions. Maybe it was because she was used to communicating telepathically, but it was almost scary how the pro hero could literally think of something while doing something completely different. She could still sense the real move when it came, after all the brain is sending those signals, but as the hero predicted, she was dealing with a lot of noise in her head. Leech tripped and stumbled back, giving Mandalay an opening. The girl got clawed in the chest and, if it wasn't for the thick leather jacket she had, she would have gained a whole set of diagonal lines over it. The cuts were shallow, as she managed to pull back from the strike.

She took distance from the pro hero again, catching her breath. She underestimated the ability of those two. Leech knew she couldn't take Miruko or Ryukyu in a fight, but she thought it would be easy to cover the skill gap with her prediction if it was these two. She didn't even expect to fight them head-on, as Doll was supposed to carry this execution by herself. Things were not going according to the script. Glancing around, the villain noticed they were quite distant from the other pro here. She got so focused on the one in front of her, Leech forgot why she engaged to begin with.

"Tsk, guess I don't have a choice…" Pulling another injection of the enhancing drug, Leech jabbed her leg again, holding her head in pain for a while. Her eyes watered a little as she tried to focus on the pro heroes.

Pulling out another knife, she dashed towards Mandalay, gritting her teeth as she came closer. The pro hero used her new trick, faking a move in her mind while preparing to do another, but as she moved her hand to block an attack from the left, Leech crouched and sprung up, pointing the knife at her throat. She barely missed, but the attack wasn't over. The tables turned, with Leech swiping left and right at Mandalay, who had to thank her years of training and keen reflexes, as she was barely dodging the attacks.

"This girl… she used another dose of the drug and suddenly there's no noise. Or perhaps all the noise is drowned by a louder sound? This is bad, but… it should be time enough, right?"

"Ryuko!" Mandalay shouted as she avoided the edge of the knife passing right in front of her eyes. The blondie didn't respond verbally, but she took a deep breath in and slammed her hands on the metal floor, and then the entire room began to shake.

"Shit! Doll, send the mob!" Leech shouted back at the goth girl watching from the throne.

"But what about you?" She shouted back.

"Just stop the other one! Quick!"

Doll hesitated for a moment, but then she sent her "troops" to attack Pixie Bob. The ground and the walls shook, making it a little difficult for the crowd to walk.

"Argh, you stupid puppets!" The goth girl picked the goblet of blood and took a big sip from it, wiping the remains from her lips with a thumb. At that instant, the crowd went from a wobbly walk to a full sprint.

Seeing this, Mandalay got in the way. This could very well end with her being under the feet of those poor people, but she had to hold them as much as possible. Fortunately, she didn't have to go through this. The metal plates underneath her feet began to bulge, and as the sound of metal being bent increased, a flux of dirt spurted from the now increasing cracks, coalescing into a four-legged beast, with the blond pro hero resting on top.

"Are you kidding me… She shouldn't be able to control earth from that distance!" Doll shouted from her throne, jaw agape in disbelief.

"Don't tell me what I can or can't do, kid!" Pixie Bob shouted back. The earth golem slowly increased in size, and Mandalay joined her up there.

"I knew you could do it, Ryuko. Now we can attack from a distance and keep the civilians away from harm."

"Got it. I'll form another one and deal with those troublemakers in no time!"

Doll was speechless. This definitely wasn't in the script. It should have been a simple thing, an execution with a poetic tone to it. Her moment to shine. So why was it all happening? Where did it go wrong?

"Unacceptable… Unacceptable!" She gulped the rest of the goblet's contents, then turned to Leech. "Leech! I need their blood! Go there and drain them!" She said, tossing a device that looked like a large syringe to the other girl.

"And how am I supposed to do that?!"

"I don't know! Sort it out yourself! You… you think you can ruin my stage…? I'll show you… I'll show everyone not to mess with Doll!"

Every civilian in the room stopped in their tracks for a moment, then in complete sync, they faced the earth golem and the two pro heroes on top of it. Then they began to sprint at it, jumping on the creature and climbing it. Some of them fell, but they kept on climbing, like ants crawling up a large animal. Pixie Bob picked a few of them by controlling the golem, but they kept on coming, under the command of the villain.

"There are too many people, they'll get hurt if they fall from this height." She said to her partner.

"Try to keep them at bay."

"I'm trying, but they're persistent!"

"Then we'll have to- duck!" Mandalay pushed Pixie Bob down as a sharp object flew above their heads. Leech made her way up crawling the back of the golem. She held a curved knife in one hand and a large cylinder with a syringe tip on it. The situation was self-explanatory. To make things worse, more civilians were getting there too. Leech and Mandalay exchanged a glance before the attacks came.

She couldn't harm the civilians, so she had to fling them out of the golem while trying not to be held down. The problem is she had to be careful so Pixie Bob could catch them. And to make matters even worse, Leech would get in between them to try and jab her with the cylinder. If Doll got a hold of their blood again, they were done for. They knew the effect depended on how much blood she consumed, and it decreased over time, after all, they only felt light dizziness instead of a lack of control.

"Shino!"

Mandalay looked back and saw Pixie Bob being held down by a few of them who climbed up the arms of the golem. And that moment of distraction cost her too, as she found herself in the same situation. They surrounded and held her while Mandalay did her best to push them off, resorting to kicks too. Leech swung down with the knife, who the pro hero caught right on time. The syringe came after, aiming at her neck. She blocked with her other arm, but now they were in a strength contest, with Mandalay against four people. The teenage girl gritted her teeth as she used all her might, but then, a moment of weakness.

Leech winced, groaning in pain, and stumbled back. Mandalay didn't understand, but looking at her surroundings, she notices some of the civilians had cuts on them, from when she pushed through the crowd. This girl had two doses of Trigger running on her, and her mind-reading depended on open cuts to work. With so many people around, what would happen if everyone had cuts?

"I'm sorry, everyone. This will hurt a little." The pro hero sent a message to everyone, then put her plan into motion.

Prying one arm free, Mandalay made a wide swipe, then elbowed another civilian, clawing his back as she released from his grip. Rinse and repeat, she removed them one by one, leaving cuts on their arms as she flung them out of the earth golem. She then moved to help Pixie Bob, removing the pile of people on top of her. She extended her hand and got Pixie Bob back on her feet.

"Wonderful. Now what?" Asked the blondie. Mandalay pointed to the punk girl, now kneeling and holding her head as she cried in pain. Too many voices invaded her mind, and so long as the cuts were open, she couldn't silence them.

"Now we get the one in control."

Having the glare of the two pro heroes aimed at her made Doll take a step back. This wasn't how this was supposed to go, not at all. The golem advanced and as she cowered, she stumbled on her throne, then a desperate idea came to her mind. She refilled the goblet to the brim with blood from the civilians and then pointed at the two on top of the earth creature.

"S-stop right there! Do you have any idea what my Quirk is capable of?! It's not simple mind control, I can move the bodies of my puppets however I want! L-like, I can t-twist their necks, or make them break their ankles! D-don't test me!"

This declaration put the two heroes on edge, but behind them, Leech looked up at the girl atop the throne.

"No… you idiot…" She whimpered, almost succumbing to the massive headache she was having now.

"All I have to do is drink this, I'm warning you! Give up and let your lives go, or I'll break all those puppets! Can you live with that in your conscience?!"

While the goth girl challenged them, Mandalay gave an idea to Pixie Bob. Slowly control the earth behind the girl, then force her to drop the goblet. They just had to stave off for a while.

The mound of dirt slowly rose behind the throne, taking the form of a large hand. This took some focus from the blondie as she had to act quickly. It was almost there, but then something flew by them. The object in question, a knife, almost got Doll, who jumped out of the way. Surprised, she turned to the heroes but saw Leech in the back pointing out. She turned around and saw the giant arm ready to grab her.

The goth girl jumped out of the way again, narrowly avoiding the mass of dirt, and quickly descended the steps, spilling some of the blood in the process. Regardless, there was a considerable amount in there, for the goblet was pretty big. With a defiant look aimed at the pro heroes, Doll flashed a malicious grin.

"You have made your choice, heroes!"

Doll swallowed down the red liquid with big gulps. A few droplets escaped by the corners of her mouth, streaking scarlet lines down her cheeks and neck. As the goblet dropped to the floor, the villain stared at the heroes again with a victorious look in her eyes, mouth soaked in red and open in a wide grin.

"Now, let's begin the… the… the joint cracking… ~burp~"

Her voice weakened as she spoke, and she held her belly as it began to make weird noises. A sick feeling struck her and her body wobbled around. Then it all came forth and Doll threw up, making a sickening puddle of dark red on the floor. As she coughed it all out, the dizziness began to fade from the heroes' heads. Mandalay and Pixe Bob were surprised at this turn of events, but they wouldn't waste such an opportunity.

The blondie helped the few civilians who were on the golem and they quickly checked them for any injuries aside from the ones Mandalay herself has caused. Many of them began to cry and thank the two of them, as they finally had control over their own bodies. They also apologized for attacking the heroes but were told it wasn't their fault in any way. Pixie Bob used the earth golem to tear open the door from where they came, so the civilians could leave this place. With the two villains incapacitated, now they had to find the others.

"Any idea how we can find them, Ryuko?" Asked the red-haired hero.

"I might have one…"

- present -

Everyone in the room was pretty surprised by the sudden intrusion. The living landslide bent the metal walls out of shape and poured into the arena. The heroes in training then spotted two familiar faces, Mandalay and Pixie Bob. Without losing much time, the blondie hero saw the young ones and the enemy they were facing. She looked pretty beaten up already, but if she was still up, then she was a tough one. The landslide shifted and swallowed the tall woman, only leaving her head out of the compacted dirt. Weakened as she was, she wouldn't get out of there any time soon.

The two pro heroes rushed to meet the young ones, glad that they looked exhausted but otherwise fine.

"You guys, where is Fatgum?" Mandalay asked.

"We don't know, Fat was taken by another villain after using all his body fat in a fight. But… I feel he is fine." Sun Eater answered.

"Any sign of the others?" Pixie Bob was next.

"We have no idea, but you guys came from a room just like this one, right? The others should be too." Red Riot answered, looking at the huge hole in the wall.

"The villain that came after, I think he took Fatgum that way." Real Steel gave the direction. Pixie Bob would handle the rest.

---

A stream of searing hot liquid flashed past his head as he moved around, evading the attacks of the villain. Deku didn't have many problems dodging, but getting close to landing a solid hit was more troublesome. Napalm looked like a complete maniac, but he was a good fighter. Whenever the emerald teen got closer, he would use a spread shot of boiling blood, forcing Deku to fall back.

"Delaware Smash: Air Force!" The gust of wind hit Napalm head-on, sending the villain tumbling backward, but he got up as quick as he fell, seemingly sustaining no damage.

"Tch, the quirk enhancer must be helping with the pain, or perhaps he's already used to a lot of pain, to begin with…"

Deku tried to remain focused on the fight and think of a strategy to counter the villain, but his mind kept going back to his friends and the other pro heroes. Rust had a very distorted ideal and he sounded very determined to see it realized. Not that he doubted them in any way, but it was in his nature to worry about them, after all, one of the villains could control their bodies, and they even held civilians hostage. What began as a small group and a bunch of low-level criminals committing small crimes turned into a villain faction with an ongoing outbreak. To think it all happened after All Might stepped down…

"No, now is not the time. Focus!"

On the other side of the room, Nejire-chan faced her enemy, floating in the air and sending waves around her to disperse the sand clouds trying to swarm her. Her opponent sat calmly on a cloud of his own, following the bluenette with his eyes. If he was amused or bored, she couldn't tell, for his features were hidden behind those red sashes, but she could feel the intensity of his gaze upon her. She didn't face that many villains head-on before, but she somehow knew for sure this was the gaze of someone ready to murder.

The sand clouds began to spin around her, turning into a swirl that got closer and closer. She shot waves at the encroaching sandstorm but to no avail. She then put her two hands forward.

"Gring Wave!"

The energy swirls pushed spiraled forward, blasting the sand away and forming a large, diffuse cloud. Rust kept his eyes on the cloud, searching for the young hero, so much so that he didn't see a fist coming from the left, charged with a glowing spring. Nejire used the sand could as a cover to flank him, and as the man hit the floor, the floating sands also fell. However, something else was in her mind, as she felt her stamina depleting.

"That was a 30 percent output. I can't be careless, or else I'll be spent."

With that in mind, the bluenette landed on the floor and went after the villain to knock him out for good. The sooner this was over, the better for them. She powered one fist with an energy spring. This should be enough to knock out someone as big as Hound Dog, just to be sure. But as she went for the final blow, the sands below her feet erupted violently, launching her up in the air. Nejire coughed with the dust and sand that got into her mouth and eyes, but at least she managed to stabilize herself in the air. When she looked down, the young hero noticed Rust gazing at her again, holding an empty syringe of Trigger.

"Fool…"

The sands erupted again, converging on her. Nejire moved away as the sands collided right where she was. The floating mass pursued her around, much faster than before, and in larger quantities too. She dodged a few of them and dispersed others with her waves, but one tendril got through and swatted her down. Nejire used another wave to cushion the impact but she still landed on ht metal floor with a thud. As she got up, she naturally brought one hand to her left side, where she got hit and winced at the touch. Her suit got scrapped away and her skin was reddened and bruised as if something coarse had rubbed the area.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" The villain spoke, slowly approaching her in his cloud. "Sand is a good medium to clean encrusted surfaces. With a strong blow of compressed air, it can remove all impurities from it. Sure, it leaves the surface a little abrased, but that can be solved later. Do you understand, young hero…?"

Mounds of sand rose from behind him, much bigger than before, forming spikes aimed at her. Nejire's eyes widened in surprise, at that distance she wouldn't make it out by dodging or running. The stream of sand came forth violently, and she responded with all her might.

"Gring Flood!"

The energy waves sprung forward as she used her max strength, countering the sandblast. Dust flew everywhere, but Rust kept the stream going, forcing Nejire to spend even more of her stamina holding back. Drawing every last bit she could, the bluenette gave an extra push to her attack, doubling the size of the springs and completely reverting the sandblast on its course. As the dust settled, Nejire stood up as the winner of this dispute, breathing heavily, hands still in attack position. She won, but she definitely overdid it.

"Sorry, Deku, I'll have to keep on support from now… on? How…?"

The dust settled completely, and all across the room, a sphere of sand broke down, revealing an unharmed Rust, who carried himself on a moving dune as her got closer.

"What an impressing power, splendid! It's a shame you don't have what it takes to use it to the full extent. If you did," He moved a finger, and a clump of sand flew forward, hitting Nejire in the stomach, then wrapping around her waist and dragging her to the villain. "you would have used it to kill me."

Behind the mask, his eyes looked down at her with disgust, and more sand began to coalesce around her body, from her feet, going to her legs and further up. The more sand gathered around, the more pressure she felt around her body.

"This is the path you chose, young child. And this… will be your grave." He said, patting her head as the sand reached her shoulders.

"And who… decided… that?!"

Nejire was struggling to move due to her last move exhausting her, but she wasn't completely out of juice. Moving after this would be quite difficult, but now she had a clear shot at him. The energy swirled around her wrists, expanding the sand tomb around her. The next moment, everything blew up in the air, including Rust, who didn't expect the young girl to still be able to use her Quirk.

"You dare oppose me, you insolent fool?!" He shouted, enraged.

"Of course! Defeating the bad guys- hah~ is what heroes do!" Nejire said, holding her fists up, although she felt her arms heavy to lift. She was probably on her last vital reserves. Using too much would end with her at the hospital, and possibly in a coma, but there was no other choice. "Tamaki-kun, Mirio-kun… I can't do any less than they would, right?"

Her heart was in the right place, but Nejire's body wasn't following. She hoped she could at least enhance her punches, as Rust wasn't particularly strong or anything. The problem was getting across all that sand.

"~sigh~ I have to find a way, don't I?" She tried her best to hold a grin as she went to the attack, but it didn't play out as she imagined in her head.

Her movements were more sluggish than she thought, making it all too easy for Rust to avoid them. He didn't even need his quirk.

"Foolishness… complete foolishness. What do you plan to accomplish like that? Do you think that by simply refusing to stand down and accept defeat you'll bring hope to people? That's not how this works. In this world… victory must be overwhelming and absolute!"

"Agh!"

A large clump of sand smashed on top of her. Then, Rust lifted Nejire, holding her in place with open arms as the sand compressed around her wrists. She could barely hold her head up due to her exhaustion, but Rust lifted her chin with one hand.

"Look, young hero." He said, directing her gaze to the other fight in the large room. "This is what an overwhelming power looks like. He might be corrupted, but perhaps there is salvation for him, and you could play a part in this."

He then moved his other hand behind her, pressing it on her bruised skin. Nejire cried in pain, catching the attention of both Napalm and Deku. The latter suddenly stopped moving, his eyes wide open as he saw Nejire being held hostage.

"Ha! What a change of pace, right?! I guess you don't have any other options now, kiddo." Napalm taunted him, but Deku didn't quite register, his mind was still focused on the bluenette in pain.

"I'll give you one more chance, Deku! Join our cause, and I might spare this poor fool! For now…"

His fists tightened and began to shake.

"She was never a true hero, none of those impostors at U.A. are! They're nothing but false idols! Usurpers! I understand that you have been raised by this foul society, but I can help you, Deku! My eyes have been opened when I saw Stain, let me help you see, too!"

Green sparks began to flow as the emerald teen emitted a brighter glow.

"Hoo, he's getting angry…" Napalm smirked, but then pointed his arm cannon at the bluenette and his partner. "Give up, Rust, this kid won't listen to your ramblings. We both knew none of them would, they're all trash. So, why don't I start taking it out…?"

Deku's head snapped back towards Napalm, and for a split second the villain felt a killing intent coming from the green-haired kid, but their attention was dragged elsewhere again. The ceiling opened, and out came an elderly man hooked up to a lot of machines.

"Pestilence? What are you doing here? You should be dealing with-"

"Idiot! ~coff~ Look at the other rooms." The old man said, prompting Rust to look at the phone in his pocket. Needless to say, he was surprised and displeased with what he saw, to say the least.

"Those incompetent fools… I should have known. Where are the pro heroes?"

"I have lost sight of them… ~cought~ but they should be dead by now."

"Unbelievable…! Change of plans, prepare to gas everything- !"

He saw it from the corner of his eyes, a blink of light. Napalm was fighting all the way across the large room, so by no means, it should be possible for the kid to cover that distance so fast. Yet, here he is.

Rust jumped back and brought a sand wall from the floor. If it wasn't for the enhancement he currently had, he would have missed and been hit by this dangerous punch. Deku skidded to a halt, his eyes focused on the villain. He then made a pull motion with his left arm, and then Rust noticed the pitch black tendril wrapped around Nejire. Again, before he could react, she was pulled from the sand prison and landed in his arms.

"Senpai! Nejire-senpai! Are you okay?"

"... Humu… just exhausted, it's all…" She replied weakly.

"~sigh~ Thank god…" He sighed in relief, then looked back at the villains in front of them.

"Weird… just a moment ago, Deku had a completely different look on his face… but now, he looks so worried about me… it's… kinda…" Nejire was struggling to remain awake, but her conscience was slowly slipping.

Meanwhile, Rust was still a little in shock.

"That brat… even if he was chosen by Stain, such power… I thought Pestilence would have dealt with the biggest threats, but I didn't imagine he would be so strong… were our readings incorrect…?" "Napalm! Take over here and dispatch them! Quickly!"

"Got it!" Said the maniac, injecting another dose of the quirk enhancer, but as he ran towards the two heroes in training, the ceiling of the room began to bend and break. "What now?!"

First came a large claw, then another, and finally a giant winged lizard fell from the ceiling, followed by another person.

"Ryukyu!" Deku picked Nejire up again and dashed next to her, meeting the dragon hero along with a dizzy Miruko. "Ryukyu, Miruko! What happened?!"

"~coff coff~ She thought it would be a good idea to transform inside that small shaft." Said the rabbit hero, pointing at the open hole.

"It was the fastest way to get down- ~cough~" Ryukyu followed.

"You two look sick, is it because of that other villain?" He asked, looking at the old man up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, he did a number on us, but I can still fight. Ryukyu not so much, but… oi, what happened to her?" As she got up, Miruko noticed the bluenette resting in his arms.

"Nejire spent all her energy in the fight and got hurt… because I…" The words died in his mouth.

There was that feeling again, that sentiment of always being one step behind.

On the other side, Napalm got closer, cannon pointed at them. Rust flew up in a sand cloud as he left the room.

"It's a shame you didn't hear me, Deku. You could have been different! You could have been a true beacon of hope, the next Symbol of Peace! But you'll perish here along with all that scourge, those false heroes who only seek money, glory, and fame. False idols, wanting to exact their flawed justice on others, fooling the masses with fake promises they can't fulfill! But worry not, this is only the beginning. We shall hemorrhage all the impurities from this corrupt society, and a new ear of heroes will emerge-"

"SHUT UP!"

His voice alone boomed in the room, silencing the villain's speech. Everyone stood still. The glow emitting from his body intensified, shards of lighting crackled around his body, and his emerald eyes burned with anger.

"I've heard ENOUGH!" Deku quite literally blinked away from their vision, reappearing in the air behind Rust.

"St. Louis Smash!"

Once again, if it wasn't for the enhancing drugs, Rust would have been hit with full force. He managed to create a barrier behind him but the sheer air pressure of the kick sent him flying.

"I-Impossible! This kid shouldn't be that powerful!"

Deku landed on the floor, immediately dashing forward like a lightning bolt.

"You keep talking and talking about corruption, and fake heroes…"

Once Rust recovered his balance, Deku was already getting on his face again, swinging another roundhouse kick that struck a sand shell. He landed on the wall, then jumped off, charging a punch that Rust avoided, but the air pressure undid the sand cloud, forcing him down to the floor.

"As if you knew anything about being a hero!"

"I know everything there is to know! They're illegitimate! Corrupt! A blight on our society!" Rust jabbed himself with another injection, and then a large sand wave formed behind him, advancing towards Deku.

The green teen jumped on the all, taking extra impulse to hit the villain as the moving dune crashed where he was. He missed the kick, but course corrected by using Black Whip to grip on the ceiling. He reeled in, acting like a slingshot, and this time Deku landed a solid hit on Rust's face, breaking through the sand shell and knocking him down the large dune. They crashed into the sand, with Deku holding firmly to the sash wrapped around his face, the other hand closed into a fist and hanging above his head.

"What do you know?! Everything you said is just blank accusations!"

"I know! The true nature of heroes, of people… All it takes is being born with the wrong quirk, and you'll be ignored." These words froze Deku in place for a second, but it was all Rust needed. "You'll be the villain!"

Deku got spiked into the air by a sand spurt. The sand tore his costume around the abdomen and he got a few bruises like Nejire, but otherwise, he was fine. He even landed on his feet. He spun around to go after Rust again but he was met by a stream of boiling blood, which he dodged by a few millimeters.

"Our fight isn't over yet, kiddo." Napalm held a psychotic grin. "But I get it, Rust also gets on my nerves. This whole ideology of his… The truth is I think it's bullshit. People like me and that muscle-for-brains, we just want to have fun. And killing heroes… is just the best!"

He injected another dose and began to blast Deku with searing hot streams of the scarlet liquid. A few got too close to his face and the teen could feel the heat almost burning his skin. If he got hit with a single one of those, it would most likely be over for Deku. Napalm kept firing at the green lightning bolt, laughing like a maniac as his appearance changed. His skin became reddened and began to release steam, as the air around him warped with the heat. Any metal that his weaponized blood touched got a faint orange glow too. This forced Deku to take more distance, but the moment Miruko and Ryukyu entered his peripheral vision he stopped, countering the last shot at him with a compressed gust of wind. This was the limit line for him. Going further back would put them at risk. And to make things worse, Rust was escaping along with that old man, whose quirk he didn't see yet.

"I got too heated there… Focus, Deku, how do I get us all out of this…?"

His eyes darted between the villains and the debilitated heroes on his back, trying to find a solution. He could face Napalm head-on, but then Rust would leave and cause more havoc later on. He could go after the leader, but then what about the others?

"No… saving them is the priority. And to do so I-"

"What are you waiting for, Deku?" He broke out of his thoughts as he heard his name being called. Turning around, the emerald teen saw Miruko standing up, breathing with some difficulty, but on her feet. "I can take on those idiots up there. So, what are you waiting for?"

She grinned, winked at him, and didn't elaborate further, running towards the man on the sand cloud. That left him to deal with the human furnace across the room. Meanwhile, Miruko jumped up high, taking impulse on the wall.

"Hello again, idiot!" She "greeted" the masked villain with a spinning kick that was blocked by the sand shell.

"You! Fool, that child showed much greater power than you and he couldn't stop me! Do you think you can stand in my way with that weakened-"

"Can't you shut up for a whole minute? I hate villain banter." Dismissing the next long speech, Miruko bounced off the wall and assaulted Rust with more kicks, breaking the sand shell and forcing him to at least back off a little, but he wasn't completely wrong. Thanks to the old man, she felt out of breath and all that fighting was helping, but Miruko had to do something. Standing still was the least favorite of her things to do.

"This is annoying, the sand feels solid on impact, but then it dissolves and tries to get my feet stuck. This dude is a pain in the ass to fight, but at this stage, he's my best match. I know I'm slower, so dealing with the other hot head would be…" She didn't spend less energy imagining the disastrous results and kept forcing Rust back while avoiding the living sandstorm swirling around her.

As the heroes fought, the geezer watched from afar in his protected cradle. The sound of medical machines droned out some of the external noise. Then, a digital blip signaled the procedure was completed. His cursed sick blood has filled another tank of the hideous machine responsible for turning it into the deadly mist. His trembling finger hovered over the release button, but before that, he gave a short hint to his partners.

"Rust… ~cough cough~ You would be wise… to leave this room…"

The moment he heard that the masked man pulled back, forcing Miruko to stop her attacks. She rested on the glass dome protecting the old man, waiting for the enemy's next move.

"What? Tired already?" She taunted him with a cocky grin.

"Your short sight will be your death, hero. I need not best you in a test of brute force."

Her ears twitched, catching a familiar sound. Looking down, she saw the mist being released again, and right after that the glass dome opened up, but she was met with a puff of the toxic gas right in the face. It was faint, but enough to send her into a coughing fit as her eyes watered and her throat closed. Pestilence had no trouble using any dirty tricks. Miruko tried to get away from the source, but she felt something ensnaring her wrists and ankles, then dragging her around. Rust captured and suspended her in the air, right in front of him.

"See? Your kind is a shame to the title "Hero". With your super moves and your bravado, nothing but overpaid actors. You'll be the last to perish, and you'll watch as all your friends die along with your hopes, just like the hopes of people like me died in the shadows. The difference… is that everyone will see this!"

Rust turned her around so she could see the mist slowly crawçing towards an injured Ryukyu and unconscious Nejire, while Deku fought against Napalm. The teen was doing the best he could, but it was like trying to punch a furnace. One that was also shooting at you with scalding hot liquids. His Air Force worked to push Napalm back, but the maniac was probably pumped full of Trigger, suppressing the pain with the high.

"I'll get rid of Napalm and Blood Frenzy when their usefulness end. We don't need types like them in the new society. You know, you may look down upon them, but you're not so different after all- are… are you sleeping?" He did a double take, surprised above anything else that the pro hero he constrained fell asleep, during a fight nonetheless.

But then her head perked up and she faked a yawn, followed by some coughing.

"Sorry, did you say something? I was so boring I dozed off." There it was, her creeky, defiant grin and fiery red eyes. As expected, this smug attitude infuriated Rust.

"Do you not know when to take things seriously?!" He said, enraged and further surrounding her body with sand, forming a floating sand tomb. "I could crush all your bones right now!"

"Yeah, but you already said you will kill me last, so I don't have to worry yet. Besides…" Her rabbit ears twitched, for they were could hear the faint noises coming from the other side of the metal wall. "I think you have bigger problems to deal with. Much bigger problems."

Before he could even try and make sense of her words, the sound of something being crushed and metal bending filled the room. Right after, a large dent appeared in the room's wall, followed by a giant fist made of dirt and concrete. The fist pushed further, opening a larger opening as it became a landslide and invade the arena. On top of it rested the two cat heroes, accompanied by the hardening duo, the third member of the Big Three, and the BMI hero, currently leaning on his young apprentice for support.

"Impossible! She should not be able to use her quirk here!"

"Impossible? I don't even know that word, and neither do they." Said Miruko.

"You…" Rust turned around again to deal with the rabbit hero, but another surprise came to him.

A gust of wind pushed the mist up in his direction, and in a moment of distraction, he let Miruko go to shield himself. Down on the floor, Ryukyu flapped her wings with her remaining strength, hoping to cause a distraction so the white-haired hero could escape. As she landed on the floor, Miruko rushed to the other heroes.

"The old man up there, take him down, now! But don't get close!"

With a simple nod, Pixie Bob formed a giant golem. The earth creature's hand stretched up, grabbing the platform where Pestilence was, tearing it from the hinges and tracks and sending it to the floor.

"Now stay away from him, that mist is- ~cough cough~ toxic- ~cough~" She said as she got to her knees, unable to get much air in her lungs.

"Toxic mist? Got it!" Real Steel said as he ran to the fallen mechanical cradle.

"Wait, bro, you're exhausted!" Red Riot held his shoulder, but Tetsutetsu assured him with a thumbs up and a toothy grin.

"I can't fight another crazy villain like that woman, but I can take care of a dude stuck in a pod."

He quickly made his way to the source of mist, holding his breath and making an extra effort to maintain his steel form. He sunk his hands under the damaged dome, prying it open. From the toxic cloud and smoke from the failing machines, he pulled the old man from his cradle tossing him to the side. One last threat to worry about. From his spot above the fight, Rust watched incredulously as his plan crumbled in front of his eyes.

"Unacceptable…"

He gripped the last three injections of Trigger he had with him.

"UNACCEPTABLE!"

The heroes reacted as expected when listening to someone shouting out of nowhere. As they looked up at the source, more holes in the walls opened, pouring sand into the room, and as it piled on the floor, Rust hovered above it, with his arm held forward. A red liquid poured from his hand and into the sand, and it was like it gained life swirling around the villain into a greater sandstorm.

"Getting to this point is… frankly unacceptable. But if I have to bury you all down by myself, so be it… Prepare, heroes. These sands will be your tombs."

With the move of a hand, a large mass of sand moved in their direction. It crashed against Pixie Bob's earth golem, spraying around and reforming into a large tendril. Rust kept attacking the heroes like this, sending strike after strike at them. Luckily, the earth creature was made of more solid material, but it also meant it moved slower. Plus, the sandstorm raged around him, acting like a barrier. More sand pours into the room by the minute, increasing the villain's attack and defense power. The sands struck the heroes down relentlessly, and they would probably be buried alive by now it if wasn't for Pixie Bob pushing back.

"Damn it, when did this guy get so strong?" She complained, doing her best to stop the sandblasts.

"It's the enhancing drug. It has to wear off at some point." Mandalay said.

"We'll be six feet under sand by then! ~cough~ What's the plan?" Miruko asked, still unable to get on her feet.

"We're too spent to fight directly, and we can't reach him up there." Red Riot said as he helped Real Steel to stand up. The same could be said about Sun Eater and Fatgum.

"If I had more access to dirt I could take him on, but this would risk collapsing the whole thing. It's a miracle that the other room is still there." Said the blondie, controlling the creature around.

"I have a suggestion…" The extra voice came from behind, catching the attention of the heroes, who immediately got up on guard. Out of the large hole in the wall, stepped Doll, carrying a dizzy Leech with one arm around her shoulders.

Mandalay jumped to the attack but the goth girl shouted, putting one hand up in defense.

"Wait, wait, wait! We came in peace!"

The red-haired woman hesitated, but still held her claws out. Her eyes focused on the girl with a fierce gaze.

"Are you betraying him?" She asked cautiously.

"Betrayal? Yeah, whatever. Look, this is not what I signed up for, okay?" She said, sounding and looking very uneasy. Then, she pulled out a phone showing some text. "Plus, Rust would gas Leech and me along with everyone. He didn't even bother hiding the message after we got defeated. Asshole…"

Mandalay pondered over it for a moment, but the strong impact of another sandblast and her friend asking her to hurry up pushed the pro hero to make up her mind.

"Do you know how to stop him?" She asked the goth girl.

"Just give me a minute, my stomach still hurts…" Doll then picked a small vial with a red liquid inside. There was a label with the name Rust on it. "Let's see who's gonna get rid of who now, you freaky cultist." She said, drinking the liquid.

She held one hand in front of her mouth, as she still felt sick in the stomach, but Doll subdued the urge to throw up again, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it. Then, the attacks ceased.

"Is… is that it?" Asked the blondie, but as she looked up from the cover, she noticed the sandstorm surrounding Rust was still up. "Didn't you say you could stop him?" she turned to the goth girl.

"I never said such a thing. Rust is pumped full of Trigger if he's controlling that much sand, but the good news is he loses his fine control, so he needs to wave his arms or something. Right now I'm keeping his body rigid, but he's good with his quirk. He can move anything touching his blood with his mind."

"So that's how it works, but why sand?" Asked Fatgum.

"I don't know. Something about equal mass or something, but the point is that with the enhancers, his control radius gets really huge, but he loses accuracy. I'll keep him frozen as much as I can, but I would suggest you heroes stop him now. Where's that blue-haired girl, or the green boy?"

Doll said that almost casually, but this reminded them of the other fight taking place. She followed their collective gazes and her eyes widened upon seeing it herself. "Oh, he's so screwed…"

This whole time Deku focused mainly on two things: pushing Napalm back and avoiding the deadly projectiles. This villain literally used his blood as ammunition, so at some point he would have to stop, right? Well, judging by all the warm metal around him, he was wrong and by a fair margin. In no way should a human being have so much blood in them. Just what was wrong with this guy? Napalm kept laughing like he was having the greatest time target practicing with the young hero. His skin was now a deep red, and the air around him shimmered with heat. The two of them we still aware of their surroundings, but none could spare more than a second looking else were, for it would give the other an opening.

"Come on, get close and personal, kid! I'm gonna peel away the skin and flesh from your bones! Hahahaha!" He shouted, firing at the fast-moving teen.

"I can't get too close without getting burned, and my Air Force attacks don't have any effect anymore." He thought while evading the attacks. Even at this distance, Napalm was shooting with a scary accuracy, which made him wonder just how much time he practiced while in that state. "Think, Izuku, think! How can I cover that much ground that fast? It will have to be a decisive strike too, but without hurting myself. I can't use Black Whip that freely yet… what else can I do…?"

As he looked for a strategy, Napalm kept laughing his head out like the crazy man he was.

"Hahahahaha! I gotta admit, it's hella fun to play with you, kid! But you know, once I get you, I'll burn a hole through your guts. The heat will cauterize the wound, so you'll survive long enough. Then… hahahaha! I'm gonna get that pretty face with the blue hair, and make a hell of a mess! Talking about leaving only the skull, you know?! I'll blast all the scales off that fat lizard, and give that bunny girl the tan of her life! To hell with that hero shit, and the villain shit too! I just like to melt people's skin, so if that makes me a villain, whatever! Hahahaha!"

As he spoke, Napalm began to walk towards the other heroes, still shooting around him. His direction, the fallen dragon hero, and her apprentice.

"Those things I said when we first met were just a script. Taking out the fakers, changing society… Hah! Fuck society! This world is boring as hell, and I wanna melt it all the way down while having the loudest laugh! Why?! Because I fucking CAN! Hahahaha! Screw the hero fame! Screw the toys, the super moves, and that hope bullshit! Killing heroes is the best thing, and I fucking love it!"

Deku skidded to a halt standing in the way between Napalm and the two resting heroes.

"Hehe, are you going to be their meat shield, kid?!"

"I'm going to protect them!" Deku said with confidence.

"Hahahaha! And how are you going to do that? With some new super move?! Give me your best, kid! I'll cook you alive!" Napalm taunted him, pointing both cannons forward.

"Are you sure, Izuku?" Nana's voice sounded inside his head, worried about the idea that just came to the boy's mind.

"I just need one shot, and it will be over." He assured his mentor's mentor.

"Yes, but you never tried this before, you just saw it a few times on TV."

"I already tried what I know and it didn't work, so I have to try something new." He said, charging up the energy of One for All coursing through his body, mainly his legs. He crouched down, with one hand resting on the floor in front of him.

"20%... let's go!"

Deku blasted forward, going straight towards Napalm.

"Hahahaha! You have guts kid, I'll admit! A straight line? Really?!" Napalm didn't hesitate and fired his cannons at Deku.

The emerald teen dove to the floor, sinking his feet on the metal. His posture was much similar to the one the rabbit hero used.

"Manchester…"

Jumping forward, Deku covered the rest of the distance, but even then it was large enough that Napalm could avoid it. As he flipped in the air, Deku brought his leg down in an ax kick.

"SMASH!"

Just being near Napalm in this state made him feel like his skin was burning, and the villain aimed his cannons at him again, almost at point blank. Deku jumped forward right on time to evade, lifting the panels in the process.

Napalm followed with his aim and spotted Deku up in the air, which meant he couldn't change his trajectory. Or so he thought. When evading the last attack, the villain didn't notice a thin black tendril wrapping around his wrist, where the arm cannons connected to the feeding tubes plugged into his arms. Deku wasn't that precise with Black Whip yet, but at this short distance, he wouldn't miss, just like when he trained with Miruko. Focus on doing one thing, then on doing two things, and soon enough both will naturally feel like one single action. Upon noticing this, the villain's eyes widened.

"You son of a-"

Deku reeled in the tendril, snapping the tube and cutting the connection. Blood spilled down, letting a lot of steam as it hit the floor. But he wasn't done yet. Using another tendril, he quickly pulled himself to the floor, taking the rabbit pose again.

He dashed forward. Napalm was still dazed by the last trick pulled on him. The sudden drop in blood pressure made him dizzy and confused, but he still could aim with his other arm. The young hero was coming at him again in a straight line, so this time he would use the maximum output. The cannon built up pressure to the limit, and at that distance, there was no way he would dodge, right?

"30%..."

He was wrong.

Deku jumped at the last moment, vaulting over the jet of scalding blood. His legs were wrapped in black tendrils to shield them from the extreme hit. He wasn't sure it would work, but it was better than anything. His legs locked around Napalm's neck and he twisted his body in the air. Keeping his momentum, Deku planted his hands on the floor and used all the force in his legs to pull the villain along in an arc move, crashing his head on the metal floor.

"Kansas SMASH!"

Napalm hit the floor, kicked up, and flipped in the air again, landing on his back, his face covered in blood, although it was hard to tell the steamy red liquid from his red hot skin. Regardless, the rolled-up pupils were a good sign he was knocked out, at least for now. Meanwhile, Deku sat on the floor, gritting his teeth in pain as he felt his legs burning. The black whip helped to avoid major damage but the direct contact, as brief as it was, left him with a few light burns. The inwards of his costume's pants were partially gone too. By far, not the worst pain he ever felt, but still an unpleasant experience.

Shaking his head and ignoring that, he quickly got up, carefully getting closer to the fallen villain, checking if he would get up again. By the looks of it he wouldn't, so there was one last threat to deal with, the massive sandstorm raging.

Over there, Doll struggled to keep control of the other villain. Meanwhile, Health Pack, who had been carried along by Sun Eater, sat next to Leech, who held her close like they were sisters or something. The heroes didn't remove their eyes from them for a single second, of course. Pixie Bob tried a few times to break through the barrier but it spun so fast it simply disintegrated the dirt, like wood into sandpaper. The goth girl held her belly with a discomforted face.

"Shit, the control is wearing off. I drank too much blood…"

"What happens then?" Mandalay asked.

"What do you think? We're dead! He'll be pissed at us for failing the script, and he'll be pissed at me for stabbing him in the back! Ugh, this is bullshit, all I wanted was to have some friends as normal kids do…" She complained, sitting next to Leech.

"These are not the kinds of "friends" you want to have," Fatgum said from where he was sitting and resting.

"I know that, I'm not an idiot! But one bad quirk is all it takes. Everyone thinks you're a freak, and when you try to show how "cool" it actually is…" Doll recoiled in her place and hugged her knees, looking down at the floor. This picked up Mandalay's attention.

"So this is why you joined this crazy cult?"

"Yeah, why else would a girl like me join? A promise of a world where your quirk is not one of the villain ones. Oh, and that false idol stuff is gone too. I didn't buy everything Rust said, but he did make a point: heroes like you don't come to save little girls like me. Or Leech here." She said, nudging the punk girl next to her. They exchanged looks a few times, and after rolling her eyes, Leech also began to share.

"I can hear everyone's thoughts, but it is not voluntary. You can imagine where this ends. One small cut, one minor bruise and they become an open book. I learned very quickly that people have inner demons, and they don't like when you talk about it…"

There was a moment of silence among them.

"Then there's Health Pack here. She was literally dragged into this mess. Her parents got into debt and they were about to eat dirt, but then someone discovered her blood can cure practically any disease, heal wounds and give you energy. I'll let you guess what happened then. I don't know how Rust and Pestilence got their hands on her, but she has been hooked on weak enhancing drugs almost 24/7 to increase her blood replenishing. ~sigh~ We're all a bunch of fuck ups, but it's not like we didn't have our reasons."

The last bit got Kirishima fired up.

"You call this a reason? That other woman almost killed her!"

"Tch, doesn't surprise me, Frenzy has all the screws loose. Not everyone can be at a top high school hero course, you know." She said nonchalantly, patting HP's head.

Kirishima was about to talk back at her, but he was cut by the heavy coughing of Miruko, who then fell to the floor. She was beginning to suffocate.

"Shit, did she inhale Pestilence's mist?" Leech said, getting next to her. Sun Eater was about to restrain the girl, but Fatgum prevented him. Looking around, she signaled HP to come closer, then pulled out a small curved knife. The other heroes immediately jumped at her, but she held her hands up in defense.

"Hey, wait, I'm trying to help HP needs to taste the blood for it to work." She explained, then slowly approached Miruko again, taking her hand and making a small cut on her thumb to draw a few droplets of blood. The little girl picked some with her finger, then tasted it and offered the straw handing it from her arm to the rabbit hero. Miruko pulled away at first, but Leech forced the thing into her mouth. "Just suck it already, or do you want to die?"

She hesitated, but Miruko gave in and took in a sip of the scarlet liquid. To her surprise, it tasted like ramen noodles. Soon after, her lungs began to function again, her throat opened and she could feel all the illness symptoms go away as a warm feeling took over her body. They took a few other sips and she was as good as new, with all the muscular fatigue gone. As she sat up, she thanked the small girl, who then looked across the room. Her eyes were on the dragon hero.

"Right, Ryukyu! Can you help her too?" She asked the little girl, who timidly looked at Leech, asking for permission. The punk girl nodded and off the girl went, with the small knife in hand.

"I hope you understand this doesn't change your situation. You still committed lots of crimes." Mandalay said in a stern, yet comprehensive tone.

"We know. We don't expect you guys to leave us just go." As she said that, the loud sound of something hitting the metal floor caught their attention. It seems the other fight was over.

"No way! Did that kid defeat Napalm? And we were supposed to recruit him?" Doll said, baffled at the sight.

"Don't underestimate him, you'll regret it," Miruko said, getting up and stretching her legs again. "How are things going, Pixie?"

"Nothing new, this guy sure is stubborn." Pixie Bob said back, not moving her eyes from the sandstorm. She had to be ready for any openings.

"Hey, lolita girl, when your control is over, tell me. I'll jump there and kick this dude's ass!"

"I think it won't be necessary," Fatgum told her, also looking at the giant ball of sand. "It will probably be over soon. Trigger gives you a massive boost, but the drawback is also pretty intense, especially when used like this. At any time, this guy will collapse…"

"Well, I hope you're right. I can't stop his arms anymore." Doll warned them.

The barrier began to wave. The sandstorm slowly dissolved and revealed the villain floating in the middle. He probably spotted the two girls among the heroes, but he didn't seem surprised. Instead, he simply raised his hands, and with it, two giant dunes formed, directed at them. Pixie Bob moved the earth golem to shield them, but she wasn't sure she could block an attack this big. From her position, Miruko was just waiting for the moment to jump and attack. Too soon and he would snare her again. Then, it came. The dunes moved forward, but then…

"Texas SMASH!"

The punch broke through the newly formed shell, pushing Rust back. Deku jumped back, hooking him with the black whip, but before he could even reel in to deck him in the face, the villain hauled in pain, crutching his sides, and fell. The menacing sands followed suit, and at least they worked to cushion the fall. Confused, Deku kept the black tendril around him, but the only movement Rust was doing right now was rolling from side to side, writhing in pain.

"Everything has a price, and this is the one for too many quirk enhancers," Fatgum said as the teams of heroes slowly regrouped.

"Miruko-san! We have to get you medical treatment quickly! And for Nejire-chan too!" That was the first thing Deku said upon seeing her again.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. That little girl helped a lot." She said, pointing at the girl in an oversized hoodie, who was done tending to Ryukyu and was now taking care of the bluenette.

"Wait, isn't she one of them?"

"She's probably the only innocent in all this, Deku." Said Leech, who now had his attention.

"And you two?"

"Let's say we met the wrong people at the wrong time."

"Once again, this doesn't excuse you from what you did. At least a hundred civilians were at risk." Mandalay told them again in her stern motherly tone.

"Oh, that whole neck-breaking thing? I was totally bluffing, I can't control people like that." Doll joined the conversation, getting a few mean looks from the two cat heroes. "So, what happens now? I'm kinda new to this villain versus hero thing."

"We'll get out of here and get you all arrested. It's not that complicated." That was Ryukyu, in her dragon form, joining them. Nejire was behind, taking wobbly steps as she rubbed her tired eyes. HP rushed back to under Leech's arm, tugging at her jacket.

"Well crap, I should have expected."

"Ryukyu-san, what about the girl." Sun Eater said, looking at her with a concerned face.

"We'll try to locate her parents or close family, and then return her. If not possible, well, we'll sort things out. This case unfolded into something we didn't anticipate." Everyone agreed on this.

For a crazy blood cult formed after the ideologies of the hero killer, they were very well equipped with quirk enhancers, support gear, and the subterranean rooms too. This was by far too much for a group like this, so there must be something else behind this entire thing. Perhaps something they didn't notice because the situation escalated and they failed to notice? Well, they could check this later when revising the case, or better yet, let Centipeder and the police handle it, as this was exactly their specialty. For now, their mission was complete.

That is what they wanted to say, but there was yet another development to take place.

"Ow, my head…" Mikuro began to wobble as if she was hit with sudden dizziness.

"Miruko-san, is everything alright?" Deku asked her, giving her a hand to stand up.

"Yeah, I am. I just feel a weird… numbness…" She turned around, but it was already late.

Before they knew it, they got hit with a wide swipe from Ryukyu's tail, sending them flying back a few meters. Given their experience, it was clear what just happened, but the dragon hero's struggling face and the three villains fleeing the scene could also give a few hints.

"Sorry guys, you seem like cool heroes for once, but little me can't go to prison. Places to see, people to meet. Just so you know, my control wears off when the blood gets out of my system, no worries~ I'll probably puke again soon, so bye-bye~" Doll said, waving a the heroes.

With half of them exhausted from the fights, Miruko out of the game, and Ryukyu being controlled, only Mandalay and Deku were up to fight but they would rather not hurt the dragon hero again.

"Well, I lied. HP doesn't need to taste your blood. I just said that so I could get some and give it to Doll." Leech said, picking up HP in her arms. "To be honest, the primary effect of her quirk is that her blood tastes like whatever she ate in the last four hours. I only had ramen noodles to feed her so… As I said, she's innocent. Anyway, we'll try and stay away from trouble, if that's worth anything."

HP then leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

"She asked to say "thank you for saving us". Ah, and before I forget… You two, the dragon one and the rabbit one. You two have some serious problems in the head! He's my age, you know that?! Stupid enhancer…"

And with that the three girls left, going back to the hole Pixie Bob opened in the wall while Ryukyu blocked the path. It took about five minutes before the effect wore off and they could leave the destroyed arena.

End of Chapter

Okay, if you came all the way here, please sit down. I have a few things to say. First of all, sorry about the delays. Not only between chapters but that longer, unannounced hiatus. Between writer's block, work, lack of motivation, and straight-up laziness at some points, I took an awfully long time to get this arc done, and also post it, and it all ties to something that I had in mind for a while now. You see, this fic (and the whole writing thing) began as an exercise and nothing serious but as time went on, people began to like it, I got invested, and now you readers have expectations, and I feel obliged to meet them somehow, so here we are. Point being, I changed how I feel in particular about this fic, and the initial ideas have long changed. You can probably tell by the SECOND three-part action-driven arc.

What I mean to say is, perhaps I'm taking it too seriously to what amounts to a silly harem smut fic (and I'm quite possibly baiting someone), in such a way that I expend much more time writing, rewriting, going back on previous chapters to pick on smaller details, and generally having a lot more work than this story arguably asked for. Heck, I made a whole plan for this arc, character sheets, and everything, and given the time it took to see it finished, I'm suspecting this is overkill. I don't think I'm some pro and I definitely don't place myself anywhere near other authors in this place because they're clearly much better than me, but I still want to do something neat, if you will. So much so that I also have been considering overhauling the first chapters. Maybe I'll post the new version on another site like Ao3 or whatever, to keep this as a backlog/comparison(?).

Well, I'll stop rambling now. The next chapter is already under work and will have the smut that has been lacking in the last few. I'll refrain from giving deadlines because clearly, I'm terrible at this. It doesn't help either that you all get radio silence in the meantime (I just don't remember to check and the mailbox is iffy, sorry). You'll see the end of this story, as it is one of the biggest things I have ever made, and I would hate to leave it unfinished. Just... have a bit more patience than you already had, I'll do my best... And that's about it. Hope you're liking it so far, and see you on the next one. Thanks for reading.