BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY LATEST ATTEMPT AT FLYING HAS GOTTEN ME BANNED FROM THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. THREE MORE AND I WIN A FREE STEAK DINNER!
Things don't go great for heroes all the time; sometimes, you've gotta give up something important to win the day…
You might need tissues.
My Alien Academia
Chapter 30
Shattered
Later on, Mandalay would wonder how things had gone so wrong; Villains had been the last thing she'd expected to deal with when training twenty-one would-be Heroes. Of course, when she would think about that, she would berate herself for being lax. Being a Hero meant walking a fine line between preparedness and paranoia, but the Pussycats' property had been so off the beaten path that Mandalay had considered it truly safe.
Now, as she narrowly avoided Spinner's wild swings, the idea of safety was well and truly gone. She only hoped that Kota wasn't in any danger; she made a promise then and there to never let anything happen to him ever again.
"Stay still, you fake!" Spinner yelled. "Like Stain before me, I will purge you and your kind from the world!"
Mandalay forced herself to maintain a cocky smile. "Stain this, Stain that—are you ever going to say something original?"
With a wordless shout of rage, Spinner swung at her again; his weapon was a bundle of swords and long knives, tied together and attached to a long handle. It was clumsy and ridiculous, but it would still tear her apart if he hit her. Thankfully, Spinner wasn't very experienced, and his 'sword' was unwieldy, so Mandalay had little difficulty avoiding his swings.
Tiger was in a bit of a stalemate against his opponent, a woman calling herself Magne. She had used her Quirk—which made people magnetic and could draw them in close—in combination with an enormous magnetic pole to knock Pixie-Bob unconscious. Mandalay had seen the devastating blow to her friend's head, and was honestly worried about a serious concussion, or even brain damage.
Thankfully, Tiger had intervened before Magne could finish off Pixie-Bob. Magne was skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat to avoid getting knocked out, but Tiger's Quirk allowed him to dodge all of her attacks.
"Come on, is that the best you Heroes can do?" Magne taunted. "I thought you were supposed to be strong!"
Tiger just laughed. "You think strength is all about defeating the enemy? Being a Hero means having the strength to show mercy! I can keep this up all day, but I can see you sweating like a pig!"
"Who are you calling a pig, you, you—!" Magne dropped her magnet and threw a wild punch.
Good, Tiger has her distracted, Mandalay thought. As long as we keep their attention off Pixie-Bob, we have a chance. Now we just need Ragdoll to show up.
As if summoned by her thoughts, the fourth member of the team came barreling onto the scene, just as Eraserhead, Vlad King, and students from several directions arrived.
"Oh, crap!" Spinner jumped back, eyes flitting around nervously. "Magne, I think we have a problem!"
"I can see that, honey, but we've got our own backup on the way!"
Mandalay barely heard the Villains talk; she was too busy staring in horror. Ragdoll had several gashes on her back, but most of the blood covering her wasn't her own. She carried a pale, blood-soaked body in her arms—Uraraka Ochako. The poor girl's breath hitched, the only sign of life, and Mandalay was positive she'd gone into shock. She wasn't surprised; Uraraka's right arm was completely gone, and only desperate pressure from Ragdoll's glove kept her from bleeding out already.
There was a scream from one of the students—Mandalay wasn't sure who—as they saw what had happened to Uraraka.
"Eraserhead, I need your scarf!" Ragdoll shouted. "If we don't stop the bleeding now, we're going to lose her!"
Eraserhead barely paused to take in Uraraka's injuries. "We can't stop that with what we have!"
Todoroki, who had gone so pale that his burn almost seemed to glow, stepped forward on shaky legs. "What… what if I cauterize it?"
Mandalay considered it; Uraraka needed a hospital and a full medical team, but by the time she got either, she'd be long dead. Todoroki's option was crude, but it might save her life.
"Do it," Mandalay ordered. "Eraser, hold her still; Vlad, help Tiger. Students… you have my permission to engage the enemy as necessary."
Kirishima stood guard as Ragdoll practically collapsed with Uraraka. Todoroki knelt next to his friend and held his left hand to where her shoulder used to be.
"Ochako, can you hear me?" To Todoroki's relief, Uraraka nodded weakly. "This is going to hurt. I'm sorry."
Eraserhead took part of his scarf and held it in Uraraka's mouth to bite on, and then held her down as gently as possible. Flames burst from Todoroki's hand in a short stream; blood hissed and burned away, and the smell of charred flesh made everyone feel sick. Uraraka tried to stay still, but instinct made her struggle in Eraserhead's grip. After a minute of cauterizing, Todoroki leaned back; Uraraka's wound no longer bled, but there was an ugly patch of red where her shoulder once was.
"Momo!"
Todoroki and Eraserhead both looked up to see Iida, who had arrived on the scene at the same time as them, hold Yaoyorozu in his arms. He looked horrified as he beheld a knife buried almost to the hilt in her back.
"It's n-not… not that bad," Yaoyorozu said through clenched teeth. "How's Ochako?"
"She'll be fine," Todoroki said, even though he knew she was anything but fine—even if she didn't die from her injuries, she had lost an arm.
Mandalay was having similar thoughts; the camp was compromised, and students needed medical attention. Thankfully, with Vlad King and Monoma—using his copy of Todoroki's Quirk—helping Tiger, the Villains were falling back. That gave Mandalay the chance she needed to call for help.
"This is Mandalay, of the Wild, Wild Pussycats, calling in a code red," she said into her communicator. "We are under attack by the League of Villains. Students are in danger, and we have multiple casualties; requesting immediate assistance!"
Thankfully, the Hero network was automatically triggered by keywords like 'Villains' and 'casualties'. Within minutes, every Hero Agency in five hundred miles would be heading their way, along with police and paramedics.
Mandalay just hoped that they arrived before it was too late.
…
"Hanta, what's that?" Ashido pointed at a growing purple cloud to their right.
Sero narrowed his eyes. "Not sure. It could be someone from Class B, or a Villain attacking someone."
"Do we… do we help, or should we keep heading back to camp?"
"What kind of Heroes would we be if we ignored someone who needs us?" Sero smiled, but even in the darkness, Ashido could see how afraid he was. "Come on, let's go."
Sero swung from one branch to another, while Ashido used her natural athleticism to follow close behind. When they reached the outskirts of the cloud, they were horrified to see several students from both classes on the ground, including Shoji, Koda and Hagakure.
"Guys, are you okay?" Ashido landed gracefully and ran over to them.
Only Shoji was still conscious, but only just. "Ashido… run…"
Sero knelt to check Koda and Hagakure. "They're breathing! They're alive!"
"Villain…" Shoji weakly pointed into the purple fog. "Creates… poison. Kendo and… Tetsutetsu ran in to save… others."
"Crap," Ashido muttered. "What do we do?"
Before Sero could answer, they heard ragged coughing, and Kendo staggered out of the poison. She carried two of her classmates in one giant hand, and Aoyama in the other; behind her, Tetsutetsu held Shiozaki.
"Hey, guys," Kendo said weakly, and then fell over. "Oh, that sucked."
"You just ran into a cloud of poison?" Sero helped drag them further away from the fog. "How did you last so long?"
Tetsutetsu grinned. "We held our breath, and Kendo waved away a lot with her Quirk. Still breathed in some of that crap, but it wasn't as bad."
"I saw…" Kendo coughed for a second. "I saw the Villain in there. He's a kid, looks like a middle-schooler—school uniform, and a gasmask."
"He's also got a gun." Tetsutetsu grimaced and pointed to his sleeve, which now sported a hole. "Good thing I used my Quirk in time."
"We can't get everyone out before he catches us with more poison." Kendo coughed again. "If we could just get rid of that cloud, we could take him down."
Ashido and Sero looked at each other; they were the only ones in any shape to fight, but neither of them were suited to taking down a living chemical weapon. Sero looked up at the sky, partially hidden by the trees, and tried to think of something.
Wait a second; Kendo used her Quirk to blow away some of the gas. The trees…
Sero looked around him, and then at the fog that crept closer. "Mina, I think I have an idea, but I need your help."
…
Mustard strode almost idly at the center of his own poison; he was disappointed that the handful of Hero-hopefuls he'd caught had been rescued, but they had all inhaled enough of his Quirk to be put out of commission for a while. He still had plenty of opportunities ahead of him; with the air as still as it was, his poison wouldn't be blown away anytime soon.
"Let's see…" Mustard looked to his left. "Those newcomers dragged off the others in that direction. They probably think they'll be safer at the camp. Too bad for them, their base is already under attack." He shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if we have a little showdown there. Maybe I'll catch a Pro in my Quirk; I won't have to hold back against one of them."
A noise caught his attention; it didn't sound like footsteps or heavy breathing, but more like something flying through the air. It was outside the edge of his Quirk, so he couldn't track its precise location, and since his Quirk blocked his own sight, he couldn't see it. Then he heard a new sound—a strange hissing, followed by a loud creak.
"Timber!" someone shouted.
That was the only warning Mustard had before an entire tree fell into his poison. The sudden blast of air from the impact blew away a large portion of the cloud, briefly exposing the young Villain.
"Gotcha, punk!"
A line of tape lashed out, trapping his arms to his sides; he was reeled in, and his face connected with a pink fist at an impressive velocity. His mask cracked, and he saw stars for a moment.
What just happened? Mustard wondered, even as he created more poison. Doesn't matter; I'll just force them back long enough to free myself. They're too close not to get caught in my Quirk!
"No you don't!" Sero fired tape from his other elbow and dragged himself to a tree, taking Mustard along with him. Unable to stay still long enough to gather a sufficient amount of his Quirk, Mustard only trailed a few toxic vapors behind him.
"Hanta, drop him!" The pink girl who had punched him lunged as Mustard fell to the ground. Her hand, now coated in acid, grabbed the front of his gasmask; metal and plastic hissed as it melted away, and Mustard screamed in pain as some of the acid dripped onto his face.
The last thing he saw was Ashido's foot as it connected with his head.
…
"You know, part of me was hoping that this was just some short guy with a weird obsession with middle school uniforms," Ashido said as she ripped off one of Mustard's sleeves and used it to wipe away the acid droplets on his face. "It would have been creepier, but seeing a kid act like this is just depressing."
The plan had been simple, but, to Sero and Ashido's relief, very effective. Ashido had used her acid at the base of a tree, and Sero had guided its fall with layered strands of tape. Once the air kicked up by the leaves and branches blew away enough of the poison, Sero had reeled Mustard out, where Ashido had finished the job.
Sero was just glad that they had been fighting in an environment that allowed him to capitalize on his Quirk and his maneuverability. If the fight had taken place in an open area, like the Sports Festival, they wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Yeah, I hear you." Sero added a few layers of tape around the boy, just to be safe. "Nice kick, though."
"Thanks." Ashido chuckled. "Did we just take down a Villain by ourselves?"
"Technically, yeah." Sero's own laughter was laced with anxiety. "First USJ, then I-Island, and now this. If we're not careful, they're gonna start calling us Vigilantes."
"Nah, we'll have good press on our side. We can be underground Heroes, like Aizawa-sensei." Ashido saw Kendo slowly get up and wave at them. "Speaking of Aizawa-sensei, we should help get everyone back to camp."
"Good idea, Mi—" Sero was cut off by a fit of coughing. "Oh, crap. I think I breathed in some of the poison."
Ashido turned a shade lighter. "Okay, let's try to get to camp quickly."
Sero nodded. "I just hope the others are doing okay."
…
Yaoyorozu tried not to whimper in pain; every breath caused a fresh spike of agony, and the slightest movement made her feel like her flesh was being torn open again. Without proper medical treatment, removing the knives from her body—especially the one in her back, which might be touching an organ—could cause even more damage, so she was forced to keep them where they were.
Todoroki was nearby, providing ice to help reduce the pain, if only a little. He and the other students remained on guard around her, Uraraka and Ragdoll, who was barely conscious at that point.
Thinking about Uraraka made Yaoyorozu's stomach twist even more than the pain and fear. She tried not to look at where her arm used to be, but her gaze kept getting drawn to the injury in some morbid fascination. She just couldn't quite process that her friend was so badly hurt.
Her career as a Hero is over before it started. Yaoyorozu would have slapped herself, if she hadn't needed to stay still. Forget her career, I'll just be happy if she survives.
She slowly reached over and took Uraraka's remaining hand in her own; Asui noticed and worriedly glanced over.
"Is she still… you know?"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "She still has a pulse."
"That's… that's good." Asui was more rattled than anyone had ever seen, though she was still more composed than most of the students.
A noise that didn't come from the distant fighting caught everyone's attention; Kirishima Hardened, Todoroki's fire flared up, and Kaminari's whole body sparked with electricity before they all realized that it was a handful of 1-B students, as well as Bakugo and Tokoyami. The latter two had several cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.
Iida, who had basically taken charge of the students by that point, jogged over. "What happened?"
Bakugo scoffed. "Some creepy asshole in a straitjacket and fucked-up teeth tried to kill us and these Class B extras. Birdman over here went nuts and beat the shit out of the guy, and then he tried to kill us."
Iida stared at Tokoyami, who looked away, shamefaced. "If you recall from the exam, Dark Shadow can sometimes run wild in the dark. I lost control after fighting that Villain. Fortunately, Bakugo was able to create enough light to subjugate Dark Shadow."
"What he said." Bakugo glanced over at the other Class A students, and his eyes went wide when he saw Uraraka. "The fuck happened to Round Face?"
"Another Villain," Iida said tersely. "Mandalay has already called for help, but Ochako needs a doctor."
Bakugo nodded, and then did a quick headcount. "Still missing about half our class, and most of the extras. And where the fuck is Deku? I figured he'd have some freaky power to fix this shit."
Yaoyorozu, who had been half-listening to the exchange, tightened her grip on Uraraka when Midoriya was mentioned.
"Ragdoll sent him to recover Kota," Iida explained. "We do not know anything else."
Yaoyorozu shut her eyes. For his sake and ours, I hope he's okay.
…
Kota flinched as Water Hazard crashed into the ground, which cracked from the impact. That was the fifth time his would-be protector had been hit like that, and it was taking him longer and longer to get to his feet each time.
"At least that shell is good for something," Muscular taunted. "I can smack you around as much as I want!"
"Not too much," Chimera warned, and then kicked Water Hazard's hand away from the dial on his chest. "We need him alive."
"You say that one more time, and you'll be the one not makin' it out alive, dog-man!"
Water Hazard aimed one palm and shot a jet of water into Muscular's leg, which wasn't protected by his Quirk. Muscular was sent sprawling, but he quickly recovered; Water Hazard took the opportunity to focus on Chimera, but the other Villain powered through the torrents of water and grabbed him by the face.
"I said we had to bring you in alive," Chimera snarled. "That doesn't mean you have to be brought back in one piece!"
Kota felt tears well up as he watched Midoriya get slammed into the ground over and over. "Just stop it! He's going to kill you!"
Water Hazard curled up and kicked out, landing a solid hit on Chimera's snout that made him let go. He then fired stronger jets of water at both Villains, holding them back for a moment.
"I told you…" Water Hazard said, his shell cracked and leaking blue blood. "I told you I'd keep you safe, and that's what I'm going to do!"
Muscular forced his way through the water again and grabbed Water Hazard by the arm; there was a horrible crunch, followed by a scream of pain. Water Hazard's right arm fell limply to his side, the shell around his forearm crushed like a soda can.
Midoriya would have loved to turn into a different alien, especially Swampfire to heal his wounds, but the Villains were prepared. Even Muscular, for all that he was a psychotic killer, kept a close eye on his hands, always moving to keep him from transforming. A part of him was genuinely scared that he would be beaten and taken by the League.
The rest of him was focused on what he had to do—save Kota. At that moment, that was all he could think about.
With his good arm, he fired another stream of water that caught Muscular in the face; he hadn't pulled his muscle fibers over that weak spot, and was knocked over once again. When he got up, he spat out water and a bloody tooth.
Of course, Water Hazard paid for that when Chimera drove his fist into his side; his shell cracked again, and the strength left his legs. He fell on his back, and was barely able to raise his head.
"Finally." Muscular cracked his knuckles and stood over him. "I don't suppose the boss'll mind if I beat this oversized lobster a bit before we hand him over?"
Chimera shrugged. "Just don't kill him."
"Kota…" Water Hazard weakly turned his head; the boy was shaking like a leaf, and hadn't moved since the fight began. "Run… just run! Get somewhere safe…"
Muscular's arm grew several times larger as he focused his muscle fibers, and drew his fist back to crush Water Hazard, who closed his eyes in anticipation of pain.
"Get away from him!"
Water Hazard's eyes snapped open. There, standing between him and the Villains with his arms spread wide, was Ben. From the way the Villains paused, they could see and hear him, and Water Hazard wondered what he was doing.
"Sorry, buddy, but I can't stand by any longer." Ben turned his head and smiled, even as tears dripped down his face.
"Ben, what—?"
"Hyper-Evolutionary Feature unlocked." Ben placed his hand on the Ultimatrix dial. "Go be a hero, buddy. I believe in you."
"No, wait!"
Ben twisted the dial, and then tapped it; with a final smile, he vanished in a cloud of pixels.
The Villains shared a cautious glance as Water Hazard disappeared in a flash of green light, and Ultimate Water Hazard stood up. He was slightly taller now, with grey armor replacing the red; his arms now ended in enormous pincers, his carapace was dotted by barnacle-like nozzles that continuously streamed out water, and on his back was something that looked like a rocket.
"You just made the biggest mistake of your lives," Ultimate Water Hazard said; his voice echoed like it was coming from underwater. "And I'm going to make you regret it."
"Finally, a real fight!" Muscular charged, muscle fibers curling around him like armor.
He took about three steps; in that time, Ultimate Water Hazard pointed one claw at him, and fired a geyser of water that tore away all of the fibers on his right side and sent him spinning like a top.
"That was for the Water Hose." Another blast of high-pressure water smashed Muscular into, and through, a rock; even Chimera flinched at the sound of shattered bone. "That was for Kota."
Without even looking, Ultimate Water Hazard aimed his other claw at Chimera and clipped his shoulder with enough force to dislocate it. "And that was for my best friend!"
At that point, Chimera no longer cared about bringing Midoriya in alive; Ultimate Water Hazard was too powerful not to attack with lethal force. His muscles bulged, feathers sprouted from his forearms, and horns popped out from his head.
"You think you're the only one with a second level of power!?" he shouted. "This is why people fear me!"
He opened his mouth, and fired a beam of heat that carved a hole in the side of the mountain. Few people in the world could withstand that kind of power, and for a moment, Chimera thought he had vaporized the kid, and he sighed in relief as he wiped away the rain on his face.
Wait… rain?
That wasn't rain. Chimera looked up, and saw Ultimate Water Hazard hovering in the air; a continuous jet of water from his back was letting him fly! Before Chimera could fire off another beam, Ultimate Water Hazard twisted so that he was aimed at him, and stretched out his claws; water erupted from the barnacles, surrounding him in a churning vortex. More water shot out from his jetpack, and he rocketed towards Chimera.
"AQUA CRASH!"
The impact shattered stone, and Chimera felt his ribs snap; he had tried to brace himself for the impact, and that had just resulted in broken legs. As the water dispersed and rained down around them, Chimera could barely move in the crater made in the solid stone.
"You…" Chimera coughed, and blood splattered against the alien, which was quickly washed away. "You're just a kid…"
Ultimate Water Hazard reached out and grabbed him by the face. "No, I'm not. I'm a Hero."
Chimera had just enough time to appreciate how easily he was lifted out of the crater, and then he was slammed headfirst into the ground, and everything went black.
…
Midoriya didn't feel any sort of rush from using a new Ultimate; in fact, he didn't feel anything at all. It was like he was in a dream, and nothing felt real.
"Ben? You can turn the Ultimates off again, right?" There was no answer, and he looked down at the Ultimatrix dial. "Ben?"
Instead of the reassuring voice of his friend, there was a loud crackle. "Error. Error. Emergency reversion in process."
Midoriya blinked as he suddenly changed back to Water Hazard, and then his regular human self. As soon as he did so, he was nearly overwhelmed by pain; he didn't need a doctor to tell him that his right forearm was broken in several places, and his ribs definitely felt like they were in places they shouldn't have been. Blood poured down from a cut on his head and several on his torso, and one eye was swollen shut.
"It's fine," he muttered to himself, "I'll just turn into Swampfire, and I'll be good as new."
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Midoriya froze, and then turned to see a man in an orange and black suit, an elaborately-patterned white mask, and a black top hat standing not too far away. Just in front of him was a terrified Kota; the Villain had one hand wrapped around the back of the boy's neck.
"I must admit, I'm surprised that a mere student defeated both Chimera and Muscular." The man used his free hand to sweep off his hat and give an abbreviated bow. "As a showman myself, I applaud any performance that subverts my expectations."
Midoriya did his best to remain steady on his feet, and forced his broken arm to hover over the Ultimatrix. "Let. Kota. Go."
"Dear boy, I have every intention to do just that!" The Villain placed his hat back on his head. "As soon as you surrender, of course; I do need some kind of insurance, after all."
Midoriya didn't blink. "You'll let him go if I surrender?"
"I'm a man of my word."
There was no real choice; even if Midoriya wasn't injured, a child's life was not something he was willing to risk.
"… Fine." Midoriya slowly raised his hands. "Let him go."
Mr. Compress gently nudged Kota towards the path. "Go on, child; go tell the Heroes that your savior has been captured."
Kota paused, and looked at Midoriya, who did his best to smile. "I'm not going to die, Kota. I promise."
Compress held one hand over Midoriya's head, but waited until Kota was gone before speaking. "Quite noble of you. I respect that."
"Thanks, I guess?" Midoriya was thrown off a bit by how polite the man was.
"I suppose I should take Chimera with me as well." Compress sighed. "He, at least, can follow orders. Muscular is a brute who just wants to kill everyone he sees; the police can have him."
"What about me?" Midoriya asked. "What does Shigaraki want with me?"
Midoriya could almost hear the smile in Compress' voice. "Who said anything about Shigaraki wanting you?"
Then there was a flash of light, and Midoriya knew no more.
…
"I just got the signal; time to go."
Toga looked up from her work and pouted. "Oh, come on! We just got here!"
"Twice has a couple of my clones running around to cause a diversion," Dabi said. "We'll never get a better opportunity to get out of here. Besides, we already lost Mustard, Moonfish and Muscular; if we lose anyone else, Shigaraki'll annoy us with his bitching."
"Wait, Mustard got taken?" Toga drooped. "Aw, man! I liked that kid."
"Same, but apparently, the Pros are too close for us to try getting him back." Dabi glanced over his shoulder at the battered Magne and Spinner. "I could have tried, but I had to save these idiots."
Toga sighed, and stood up. "What about Slice and Twice?"
"Extracted with Kurogiri, along with Compress and Chimera. I'd be gone by now, but I had to find you."
"All right, fine." Toga checked to see that the blood she'd taken from Uraraka's severed arm was secure. "Hey, this Midoriya kid—he's cute, right?"
"How should I know?" Dabi rolled his eyes. "Maybe you can see for yourself before Shigaraki hands him over to the other guy."
"Why didn't you say so? Let's go!"
…
"Auntie Shino!"
Mandalay's ears perked up at the sound of her nephew's voice. "Kota!?"
Kota, half-blinded by tears, barreled into his aunt, who scooped him up into her arms. "Th-they took him!"
"Who?" Mandalay glanced around; at that point, most of the students had made their way back to camp, and Ragdoll was guiding Tiger—through Mandalay's Quirk—to the rest. "Who was taken?"
"M-Midoriya! He saved me from the Villain who k-killed Mom and Dad, but he was hurt, and then another guy took him!"
Mandalay heard a sob from behind her; Ashido, who had been barely holding it together since she'd seen Uraraka, fell to her knees. Around her, Midoriya's other friends sat down hard; some started to cry, while others simply shut down, not displaying any emotion whatsoever. Mandalay knew that they were just holding it in, and it would be even worse when that dam finally broke.
Eraserhead, hands shoved into his pockets, sighed tiredly. "More Pros should be here any minute. Once we have the situation here fully under control, we can work on finding Midoriya."
Mandalay nodded. "I just hope the kid's okay."
"So do I," Eraserhead muttered.
…
Everything passed like a blur for the students; Pro Heroes swarmed the camp and surrounding forest in a vain attempt to find Midoriya. They did secure Mustard, as well as the battered Moonfish and Muscular, but the latter two were in no condition to be questioned, and Mustard refused to answer to any field interrogation.
The next thing they knew, the students were whisked away to a prestigious Tokyo hospital, where they received the best care available. Most of those who needed medical attention suffered from poisoning, but a doctor's Quirk—called Antidote—quickly counteracted it. After that, they needed rest. Others, like Bakugo, Tokoyami, and a few Class B students, needed stitches for some bad cuts.
The worst two were Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, though the former's condition came in distant second to the latter. Uraraka wasn't even on the same floor as them; she was being treated for massive blood loss, as well as terrible burns, though Todoroki had been assured that it had been a necessary move on his part to save her life. That didn't make him feel any better, and he sat on a hospital bed hugging his legs to his chest and his forehead resting on his knees. Ashido sat next to him, one arm hugging him close.
Those who weren't too injured were questioned—first by the Heroes on the scene, and then by the police in greater depth. It mostly involved describing the Villains, their Quirks, and what actions were taken against them. No one was quite sure whether it was out of loyalty to their teachers or the honest truth, but the students went out of their way to praise the actions of Eraserhead, Vlad King, and the Pussycats. They were sure to emphasize how, once the teachers arrived on the scene, no one else was hurt—Ragdoll was given the most credit, as she had taken several bad hits getting Uraraka back alive.
Those same students surprised the police with questions of their own—mostly about Midoriya. Even Class B was worried about him, and most of them had never even spoken to him. Unfortunately, all they got was the same answer—that the police and the Heroes were doing everything they could to find him.
"I can't handle this anymore!" Sero was still recovering, but he was strong enough to punch a wall in frustration. "Izuku is out there, alone, with those Villains! He could be hurt, he could be—"
"Don't say it," Ashido interrupted, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Don't you dare say it."
"Both of you, please stop." Yaoyorozu had just come back from getting stitched up—thankfully, the stab wound in her back had missed any vital organs—and was resting fitfully. "Right now, we have to leave this to the police and the Pros."
Kirishima groaned. "I just feel so useless! Those bastards took Midoriya, and all I did was stand there!"
"None of us were even close to Midoriya or Uraraka when this happened," Tokoyami reminded them all. "There was literally nothing we could have done."
More than a few students glanced up; Uraraka was still in surgery in the floor above them, in critical condition.
"Screw this." Sero got up and headed for the door. "I'm gonna go outside and follow the cops until they find Izuku."
Kaminari grabbed his arm. "Dude, are you crazy? They'll call you a Vigilante, and maybe arrest you!"
"I don't care." Sero angrily shook him off. "Our friend is out there, and we're sitting here, not doing anything!"
Sero's outburst caught many of them by surprise; he was good at rolling with the punches, but even he had a breaking point, and it seemed that he had reached it.
"We're going to be Heroes," Sero went on. "What kind of Heroes sit back and let other people do the work for them?"
"I'm in." Todoroki's face showed no emotion, but his voice was steady as he joined Sero by the door. "I owe Izuku too much not to help."
Ashido was right behind him, her smile only slightly forced. "Shouldn't be too hard to follow the cops, right?"
Iida hesitated for only a moment, but sighed and joined them. "I have to keep an eye on you all, if nothing else."
"Hell yeah!" Kirishima jumped up and punched one fist into his palm. "What kind of man would I be if I stood back and did nothing?"
Yaoyorozu tried to sit up, but winced, and was soon forced back by Jiro. "I… I would only slow you down."
"STOP!"
That night's surprises just kept on coming, because it was Asui who had shouted. She stood between ad-hoc rescue team and the door, arms outstretched. Tears ran down her face, and her breath came in gasps, but she stood her ground.
"I can't… I can't let you go," she said.
"Tsu, Midori is your friend too," Ashido protested.
"Of course he is!" More tears poured out, and Asui's tone became pleading. "But we don't know where he is, we're not in any shape to help him, and we're not Heroes yet! We're students! If you do this, even if you don't get arrested, you'll get expelled! You'll never become Heroes, and Izuku would never forgive himself if you gave up your dreams to save him!"
Many of the students, even those who hadn't decided to go with Sero's plan, looked away uncomfortably, but Sero, Todoroki and Ashido remained firm.
"We're not stopping," Todoroki said.
"Don't make me do this," Asui begged.
Ashido looked at her apprehensively. "Do what?"
Asui pulled out her phone, her thumb hovering over the 'call' button. "I'll call Aizawa-sensei and tell him what you're doing. You'll get stopped before you make it out the door."
"You wouldn't," Sero half-pleaded, but even he was started to look defeated.
"I would."
That was enough to take the wind out of their sails. It was one thing to do something with good intentions and face consequences, it was another to be punished before they could even get a chance to try. Todoroki sat back down on his bed and blankly stared at the floor; Ashido wiped away her tears and sat down next to him, head resting on his shoulder. Sero tried to glare at Asui, but couldn't manage it, so he shuffled over to a wall and slid down to the floor. Asui fled to the furthest corner and curled up in a ball; everyone tried to ignore her sniffling.
With the excitement over, everyone else sank into melancholic silence—everyone, that is, except Yaoyorozu. An idea was poking through the painkillers clouding her mind, something Asui had done slowly combining with a memory. When it finally crystallized, she snapped to a sitting position, ignoring Jiro's cry of protest.
"That's it!" She scrambled to grab her bag of personal effects, snatched her own phone, and frantically made a call. "Aizawa-sensei, I need to talk to you!"
Ashido gave her a funny look. "Uh, Momo? Show's over, you don't have to call Aizawa-sensei."
Yaoyorozu waved her off, her attention focused on the phone. "I think I know how to find Izuku! I just need his phone! Can you get it from the police?"
Less than five minutes later, Aizawa strode into the room, an evidence bag in one hand. He spared a glance at Asui, still in her self-imposed isolation, but kept walking to Yaoyorozu.
"What is this about?" Aizawa asked, and was taken aback when the girl ripped the bag out of his hand. Before he could stop her, she had torn the bag opened and fiddled with the phone.
Yaoyorozu frowned and tapped at the screen for a long moment. "Aha! I should have known his unlock code was All Might's birthday." She then scrolled through Midoriya's contacts list until she found what she was looking for.
Everyone held their breath as Yaoyorozu held the phone to her ear; those who were closest were able to hear both sides of the conversation.
"Hey, Izuku!" The female English-speaking voice sounded friendly enough. "It's been awhile, what's up?"
"I'm sorry, this isn't Izuku," Yaoyorozu said in English. "I'm a friend of his, my name is Yaoyorozu Momo."
"Oh. Well, uh, we're busy right now, so we can't talk, bye!"
"No, wait!" Yaoyorozu nearly dropped the phone in her frantic attempt to maintain the call. "We need your help!"
"With what?"
"Izuku was kidnapped!"
There was a pause for several seconds. "We'll be there in five minutes. Don't hang up."
Now everyone, even those who knew Midoriya's secrets, were confused. Aizawa gripped his capture tool, the only sign of anxiety as he and everyone else looked towards the door.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Yaoyorozu," he said.
Yaoyorozu bit her lip. "So do I."
Five minutes later, a green portal appeared from the other side of the room, which made everyone jump. Four people stepped out; the Rising Stars had never met them, but Midoriya had described them with enough detail for them to make a good guess that they were Ben Tennyson, Supergirl, Ultiman, and Ultragirl. Even those who weren't in the know could identify a Hero in costume, and none of them missed how two of them had watches almost identical to Midoriya's.
"All right," Ben Tennyson said, hands on his hips, "where's my cousin?"
…
Midoriya blinked as light suddenly filled his vision, and then bit back a scream of pain when he landed on his broken arm. He struggled to his feet, only to find a blonde girl with sharpened incisors well within his personal space.
"Hi there! I'm Toga Himiko! Look at all that blood! I was right, you are a cutie!" A knife slid out of Toga's sleeve, and she lunged, but Magne pulled her back with her Quirk. "Aw, come on! I was only gonna cut him up a little!"
Before Midoriya could reach for the Ultimatrix, Twice grabbed his broken arm and pulled it away. This time, he couldn't hold back a cry of agony.
"Sorry about that," Twice said. "I'm not really, but it's the thought that counts!"
Midoriya struggled for a moment, but his only hope of escape vanished when Spinner took a towel and tightly wrapped it around the Ultimatrix, followed by a layer of duct tape, so that Midoriya couldn't activate it.
"We're not taking any chances," the lizard-man said gruffly. "Especially not with someone Stain thought was worthy."
"That's enough." Shigaraki's voice sent a chill down Midoriya's spine. "Sit him up."
Twice and Spinner dragged Midoriya over to a chair and roughly plopped him down. When the pain subsided to a terrible ache, Midoriya was finally able to take stock of his surroundings. While he had never been in a bar before, he'd seen enough movies to recognize one. All around him, the League of Villains sat at tables, bandaged injuries, or stood nearby, in case he tried anything. Toga was still being held back by Magne; even though nearly ten feet separated her from Midoriya, she kept stabbing in his direction.
The only ones who seemed completely relaxed were Shigaraki and Kurogiri; the latter was cleaning a glass behind the counter, and the former sat across from Midoriya. Shigaraki now wore a black jacket over his usual outfit, though the many severed hands remained the same.
"You know, a few months back, I thought that the only Hero I ever wanted to kill was All Might," Shigaraki said, idly tapping one finger against the countertop. "All the others were trash, not worth my time. Then I met you; you showed me that anyone, even nervous little twerps like you, could be a threat. Now, I look at every Hero and ask myself 'how could they stop me?', even if their Quirks are useless. I really should thank you; you made me think about how I need to move forward."
With one eye swollen shut, Midoriya couldn't glare like he wanted. "Glad I could help."
"Sarcasm is unbecoming," Kurogiri said mildly.
"I'll care when my bones aren't broken."
"Looks like pain makes you a smartass." Shigaraki nudged Midoriya's right hand with his foot; that simple motion caused another spike of agony. "If it bothers you so much, why don't I just disintegrate that arm?"
"You'll do no such thing." The voice that echoed from the television in the corner made everyone freeze. "Remember what I told you, Tomura; I want him brought to me with as little damage as possible."
Shigaraki bowed his head in the direction of the screen. "Of course, Master; I just wanted to get all that off my chest."
"That's fine; it's only proper that you thank those who help you grow." There was a brief chuckle that did nothing to comfort Midoriya. "Kurogiri, please bring him to me."
"As you wish, Master." Kurogiri created a portal next to Midoriya. "Please go through."
Midoriya nervously glanced around. "And if I refuse?"
Shigaraki snorted. "Then we leave you in a room with Toga."
Considering the girl was waving a bloody knife in his direction, Midoriya decided to take his chances with the swirling portal.
"If you come back, let's talk!" Toga winked at him. "I'd love to get to know you better!"
No thanks, Midoriya thought. Okay, I need to somehow get this stuff off my arm so that I can use the Ultimatrix. Then I need to escape. And turn into Swampfire soon, because I'm pretty sure I'm going to pass out if I don't.
Shigaraki 'escorted' Midoriya through the portal, four fingers on one hand clamped tightly around the back of his neck. It would only take a moment's contact with that fifth finger, and his spine would crumble to dust.
I could really use Ben right now, if only to tell me things are going to be okay. Thinking of Ben nearly brought him to tears that had nothing to do with his injuries. He's gone. I don't know why, but reactivating the Ultimates destroyed him. I'm alone here.
When Midoriya stepped through the portal, he had to shield his good eye from the blinding lights around him. The bar had been dimly lit, so the sudden change threw him off. When his vision returned to normal, he found himself in what looked like a laboratory; other than himself and Shigaraki, there was only one occupant, but he seemed to fill the entire room with his presence.
That was unusual, because he looked like he belonged in a hospital. Tubes slid under his fine suit to pump various chemicals into his body, and he was propped up in a wheelchair. He had a chiseled jaw and charming smile, but everything above his lips was a mass of scar tissue that even sealed his eyes shut. Despite his apparent infirmity, the man practically radiated power and confidence; Midoriya instinctively knew that this man could kill him in a heartbeat.
"Thank you, Tomura; you may leave us."
"Are you sure, Master?" For the first time, Shigaraki looked concerned. "He might try something."
"Don't worry; I'm sure an old man like me can handle a broken boy."
Shigaraki hesitated, then bowed. "Call when you need him removed."
"I will." The man waited until Shigaraki retreated through the portal. "I must also thank you for the growth you've spurred in my heir; All Might was the goal, but he never prompted anything more than blind hatred."
Midoriya didn't respond; fear had locked his knees, and it was all he could do even blink.
As if sensing this, the man leaned back in his wheelchair; he seemed to be consciously holding back his own aura, and Midoriya let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
"Now then, Midoriya Izuku." The man laced his fingers together. "We have a great deal to talk about. Shall we start with… Azmuth?"
This is going to be the last chapter for this story until January. Happy holidays!
So, a bit of good news: my brother tested negative for COVID. Unfortunately, quite a few of my friends have tested positive, or their family members have in recent days. Everyone, for the love of the people you care about, please maintain social distancing, wear a mask, and wash your hands.
Anyway… a lot happened. Uraraka lost an arm, Ben is gone, Midoriya has been captured, and did I mention that Uraraka lost an arm!? Yeah, I was on the fence about this idea for a while, but the heroes have been able to get through a lot with little to no consequences. Also, I'm not a medical expert in any way, so I don't know how effective cauterizing a wound is, but this is an anime setting, and if Roy Mustang can do it, why can't Todoroki?
And yes, Ultimate Water Hazard is an original creation, which I made way back in Ben 10: Unlimited.
As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), or from Amazon as an eBook or physical copy. Support there means so much to me!
If you want to support me in other ways, please consider donating on P-atreon (link in my profile). Every little bit gets me closer to my dream of writing fan fiction all day, which means more stuff for you guys to read! Plus, top-tier patrons get a copy of my book!
And I'd like to thank the following Patrons who have gone beyond:
Serious Muffins: SpaceEmperorSpar, Nimrod009, Anders Lyngbye, Matthias Matanovic, ChaosSpartan575, John Collins, Red Bard, Aaron Meek, Shaolin Khalil, killroy225
Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, michaelb958, Crazyman844
Ultra Muffins: Matthew Bunting, RangersRoll
Next Chapter: Midoriya faces All For One, while his 'family' works to save his life.
Stay safe out there!
Plus Muffin!
