Taskmaster glanced at his watch, seeing they were rapidly approaching the twenty minute deadline. The portal would only appear for a minute at that time and if they weren't ready, well, then they'd be stuck. Didn't matter to him, as long as he was through it. But he did want to nab all the kids. He got paid more that way.
So far, while luck wasn't all on their side, they had managed to bag most of the brats. Only five were unaccounted for and he bet they were currently engaging with the Absorbing Man on the floor below him, judging from all the explosive crashing sounds. Based on the reports and the male students he'd already seen get taken, he knew that three of them would be no issue for him. One might prove to be an issue but if he timed it right, he could take care of the kid. The final one was the problem.
Izuku Midoriya.
Taskmaster had to assume that he was the reason Absorbing Man wasn't reporting in. That kid was one of the powerhouses of the class, someone Taskmaster had hoped they could take out quickly and quietly. No such luck.
Well, if they were forced to leave him behind for the sake of the mission, so be it. Still, his power was the most interesting to the buyers and Taskmaster knew his pay would be reduced if the kid wasn't among the group. And that was something he didn't want to happen.
First thing's first. He had to take out the other four. And thankfully, he could take one of them right now.
"Dang it!" the blond kid with the bolt in his hair cried out, looking down at the demolished stairwell. "How the heck am I supposed to get down from here?"
Denki Kaminari. His power was electricity generation. Judging from all the notes Taskmaster had received, the kid had limited control, performing indiscriminate shocks most of the time as well as more precise ones with his equipment. Judging from Masque's prone body with scorch marks along her costume, she hadn't paid attention to the notes.
Normally, Taskmaster would ask Electro to handle this, but he preferred the man up there in case something went wrong with the teleportation device. Besides, there was no telling how much power this kid could take and Taskmaster was in no mood to see them duke it out and possible vaporize the building and him along with it. No best to handle this simply.
"Guess I should try and find another way down. Maybe off one of the balconies? Huh, I-"
As soon as he turned around and took a few steps, moving out of danger of falling through the hole in the stairs, Taskmaster stepped out in front of him, pulling the trigger on the tranquilizer gun. The kid only had time to blink before the dart struck him in the side of the neck. He gaped for a second, his hand moving upwards to try and remove the dart, before the serum took effect and he fell to his knees, slumping over.
"Titanium Man," Taskmaster said into his comms. "Got another pickup for you. First floor stairwell."
"On my way," the reply came.
Taskmaster moved past the boy's still form and looked at the stairwell. He could see why the boy was hesitant to jump. It was a long way down with so much debris down there that one wrong move could kill you. Thankfully, Taskmaster had memorized the movements of some of the greatest acrobats in the world, including fighters like Spider-Man, Black Widow, Captain America, and Daredevil. This was no problem.
He hopped down, rolling to absorb the impact, using his shield to avoid any sharp objects, and came up on his feet, no worse for wear. It was only when he arrived that he saw all the damage that had been wrought and he was tempted to whistle at it all. Apparently this Midoryia kid and the Absorbing Man had gone all out in their fight. The walls had been ripped apart, what appeared to be left of the kitchen was now strewn everywhere, and the living room was mostly a crater.
A quick glance saw three of the students still standing. They were perched at the edge of the building, looking out into the field and the Absorbing Man who seemed to be…glowing a little with energy. Midoriya's, if Taskmaster had to guess. The fourth student was lying unconscious on the ground next to them. Good. One less for him to worry about.
"You guys get out of here," Midoriya said to the other two, his voice ready for action. "Get Mineta to safety. I'll hold him off."
"You can't," another boy, Tokoyama if Taskmaster had to guess based on the bird-head. "He's too powerful."
"I can hold him back long enough for help to arrive. Find the teachers and hurry. Go!"
With that, Midoriya launched himself away in an incredible burst of speed, leaving the others behind.
"Wha…what do we do?" the final boy asked nervously, trembling a little.
"We…" Tokoyami hesitated. "We get the teachers. We get help. And then we-"
"Oh the teachers won't be coming, I'm afraid."
They both whipped around as Taskmaster stepped forward, revealing himself.
"Dark Shad-" Tokoyami started but he was too late, the dart already in flight as soon as he turned around. It struck him in the same place as Kaminari and within seconds he was slumped to the ground as well. The dark entity that seemed to share his body fizzled out and vanished a second later.
The final boy, who Taskmaster recognized as Yuga Aoyama, trembled violently as Taskmaster approached. "Wh-wh-what-t d-d-do y-you want-t-t fro-from us?" he managed to say, stuttering all over the place.
"I just want to get paid."
"The t-teachers w-wi-will stop-p you."
"Oh I highly doubt that. They're too busy dealing with our little toy. He'll keep occupied for as long as we need."
Before Aoyama could even attempt to speak again, he was darted as well and swiftly joined his companions.
"And then there was one," Taskmaster commented, looking out to see Absorbing Man and Midoriya trading blows violently. He glanced down at his watch and cursed as he saw they only had several minutes left. "Best hurry this up then." He looked back out at the fight and cursed again. "Ugh. This is going to be a pain, isn't it?"
He jumped down into the grass and ran towards the two combatants, tightening his muscles in anticipation for what was to come. However, as he raced across the ground, he noticed several figures moving off in the distance, heading right towards the Absorbing Man and Midoriya. Taskmaster frowned, before smirking in realization. He raised a hand up to his com, already planning everything out.
"Spot? Are you there?"
"Yeah, boss, I'm here. Sorry, was out for commission there a little-"
"We have an opportunity to make more money here," he said.
"Ooh, what is it?"
"Bring Bullseye and Titanium Man to my location. And Abomination too. We're going to need to work quickly."
"All over it boss. But hey, what about the faculty here? Won't they be coming anytime now?"
Taskmaster chuckled grimly. "Oh, I'm sure they have their hands full dealing with our other companion."
"Fall, blast you!" Ken Ishiyama, better known as Cementoss, bellowed, his cement wrapping around the villain in front of him. But, just as fast, the cement changed direction, sending all the teachers flying. It took all of Cementoss's power to turn the ground soft and catch them.
Before they could recover, a blast of pure sound struck them dead-on, causing a few of them to stumble. Midnight fell to her knees, screaming and Snipe was clutching his ears in agony. They knew this power well, having seen Present Mic use it over and over again, but they never imagined it would be used on them like this.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Mic asked in disbelief, watching the villain wipe the floor with them. "What is his Quirk?"
"It must be some kind of copy ability," Ectoplasm grunted. "He's using our own attacks against us. If that's the case, I can't risk using my powers."
Next to him, rising up, Midnight nodded in agreement. If the villain was able to make duplicates of himself, all with the same powers already copied, they were finished.
"Principal Nezu, do you have any ideas?" Present Mic shouted as the large figure approached.
"We'll need to overwhelm him before he can use all his abilities. It seems he can really only use one at a time and we'll use that to our advantage. But we must finish this fight quickly. He is only here as a distraction. The real fight is happening with our students."
Present Mic felt a jolt of terror at that. Neither Aizawa nor Kan were answering their phones or comms, meaning they had to be fighting right now. Mic knew them both well, Aizawa for much longer. He knew if they had his old friend with them right now, they could make short work of this villain. He could only hope that Aizawa could handle any trouble he was dealing with because, despite what Nezu said, he didn't think this fight would end anytime soon.
The villain in front of them was a greenish, hulking figure that almost seemed robotic in appearance. He had smashed right through the gates, triggering all the alarms and sending them into a panic. Hound Dog had been the first on the scene and seemed to have the upper hand for a second before he was sent flying. It was only after Mic had blasted him with sound waves the first time and he'd sent them right back that they began to figure out his powers. But by now it was too late. As he watched, Mic saw the villain lift up his arm, a familiar smoke wafting from it.
"He's using Midnight's Quirk!" he shouted, backing up fast. The others followed suit, getting some distance. Snipe tried using that, firing off some shots, but a return round was sent his way just as fast, him barely able to duck aside in time.
"You will not beat me," the villain said, one of the few things he'd said since he began the attack. "This is what I was designed for."
Designed? Just who the hell is this guy? Mic questioned.
"Don't let up, not for a second!" Cementoss roared. "We must help our students! We cannot fail them!"
"He's right. Ectoplasm, you'll do more harm here. Go help out Aizawa and Kan!" Nezu ordered.
"Right away!" In a flash, their companion was gone.
"Now, let's finish this up and follow him," Mic said, trying to project more confidence into his voice than he actually felt. But watching the villain begin to remold the cement again just made his blood go cold.
"I will complete my mission. And you will all fall," the villain promised, making the ground erupt around them. It was only thanks to Power Loader's quick thinking and Cementoss's efforts that they made it out. "Nothing can stop me."
The Super-Adaptoid. An android designed to copy up to eight different powers, abilities, appearances, and tools it comes into contact with at a given time and can combine their attributes at random.
As Deku ran towards the villain, his mind went into overdrive, analyzing every detail of the man's Quirk. It seemed he could absorb the properties and energy of anything he came into contact with. But was there a limit?
He reminded Deku of both the Nomu from the U.S.J. and Flect Turn, leader of Humarise. But the Nomu only had shock absorption and Flect Turn just reflected any attacks back at his attacker. The thing was, they both had limits to their powers. So, the question was, could Deku make this Absorbing Man reach that limit?
He couldn't count on that. From what he'd seen so far, using One-For-All without much problem and taking on both Deku and Tokoyami's most powerful moves like that, Deku might go down long before he did. So how could he be beaten then? There had to be a way.
One idea came to mind. It wouldn't work for long but it might catch him off guard and right now, that was good enough.
"Come on kid! Give me everything you have!" the Absorbing Man challenged, his absorbed power crackling over his body.
Deku gritted his teeth, rushing forward in one large leap. The Absorbing Man laughed, charging to meet him. However, before they could clash, Deku landed on the ground in front of the villain and tensed his legs, feeding even more power into them, giving it everything he could without breaking them. He felt One-For-All surge through every fiber as he took off from the ground, soaring right up in the air, higher than when he punched the zero-pointer at the entrance exam.
As soon as he was airborne, he brought out Blackwhip, letting the tendrils of black energy ripple down and wrap around the Absorbing Man tightly. Before he could do anything, Deku gave a heave, using his strength and the momentum of his jump. For a second, he thought it wouldn't work, but then he felt the give.
"Hey! What the hell?" the Absorbing Man cried as he was lifted up into the air, following Deku.
It was something, but not what Deku wanted. Not yet. To finish this, he was going to need more power. He felt his body surge with One-For-All even more, the power encasing him. He focused on his arms now, forcing back the wince as he remembered all the damage already done to them. There was no time for that now. He had to do this. Besides, he also had Blackwhip. He focused his energy through the tendrils as well, tightening them around Absorbing Man, lifting him up even more.
"THIS WON'T WORRRRRR-" the Absorbing Man yelled as Deku dragging him upward with every ounce of his being, flinging him right up and over himself before hurling the villain back down.
"I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!" Deku screamed, channeling everything he had into that final throw, not letting up until at last he saw the massive dust plume as the Absorbing Man hit the ground. As soon as he had, the momentum keeping him aloft finally gave way. But that didn't matter as Deku got his Blackwhip tendrils to stick to the ground before yanking himself down as fast as he could, hurtling downwards at bullet like speed.
"Manchester Smash!" he yelled, bringing his leg down in an axe kick that landed squarely on the Absorbing Man's chest just as he started to get up. The villain spluttered, caving in over the area of impact, eyes bulging in shock and pain. Deku managed to leap aside, limping a little as he felt pain coarse up his legs. That had taken a lot out of him.
He knew he wouldn't be able to stop the Absorbing Man with just that one move. He didn't even think this one would be enough. But it should hold him until someone finally came to help.
Hopefully.
He winced again as his legs throbbed. They weren't broken thankfully, but he had put a lot of energy into them. He wasn't sure how many more hits he could take.
He tensed up as he saw the figure rising back up, albeit more shakily than last time. "Not bad," the Absorbing Man said, coughing a little. "Not bad at all. But not enough."
"No matter what it takes," Deku said firmly, planting his feet, "I won't let you win."
"Heh," the villain chuckled. "Kid, we already won."
Deku felt his blood go cold. "Wh-what?"
"All your friends are captured. We have them all," he said, tapping the side of his ear where Deku could just see a device. "You're the last one standing, so I guess congratulations are in order. Not that it's going to matter."
Deku almost collapsed as those words hit him. All his friends…captured? No, that couldn't be true. Uraraka? Iida? Bakugo? Todoroki? All of them? What about Tokoyami and Aoyama? He had just left them mere minutes ago. Could they really have been taken down so quickly?
"I…I don't believe you," he said.
The Absorbing Man just shrugged. "Ok."
"And the others will stop you. Mr. Aizawa and all the other teachers, they'll stop you, no matter wh-"
"Oh please, you think we'd come unprepared for them?" the villain snorted. "They're too busy dealing with the other guy. Not that they could take us out anyway. Besides…" he suddenly trailed off, suddenly looking at his fist. "Crap, I'm wasting time here. Let's finish this."
Deku focused on his power, feeling it rise back up. He honestly didn't know whether to believe if the Absorbing Man was telling the truth or not but right now, he couldn't worry about his friends. He just had to pray they were ok until after he defeated this guy. And then, if they were all captured, he would save them, no matter what.
"I won't let you get away with this!" he cried, lashing out with Blackwhip to wrap once more around the guy. He tried yanking himself forward but this time the Absorbing Man was ready for it, wrapping his arms around Blackwhip to drag Deku even closer, aiming to grab him out of the air. It was only thanks to come quick thinking as Deku let go of Blackwhip and ducked from the Absorbing Man's grasp that he was able to escape those hands.
"Neat stuff," the Absorbing Man said, grabbing hold of one of the Blackwhip tendrils. "A separate yet connected part of your power. Strange stuff. I wonder…"
His grip tightened and Deku frowned in confusion for a second before his eyes widened in horror. No, he couldn't absorb Blackwhip as well. If he did, Deku didn't think there was a chance he could win. But before he could whip the tendril back to break the connection, the Absorbing Man dropped the tendril just as quickly as he grabbed it.
"Never mind. That won't work. Guess we'll just do it the old-fashioned way," he said, tensing his arms.
Deku sensed the air shift and managed to throw himself to the side before the ball and chain could strike him. But his mind went over those words.
That won't work.
What wouldn't work? He had done something, touched Blackwhip. And tried to absorb it. But…that hadn't worked. He'd stopped.
When Deku first saw the Absorbing Man's power in action, he'd been reminded of Monoma's ability, but it now seemed they were somewhat opposites. Monoma's copy Quirk copied the core nature of a Quirk, like Bakugo's explosions or Kirishima's hardening. But people like him or Eri, who stockpiled energy, were out of his reach. But the Absorbing Man could absorb that energy and make it his own. But it also seemed there were limits after all. He used his iron ball and chain to give his body its metallic strength and used the copied One-For-All to power up even more. But One-For-All was an energy source that existed within its user. Blackwhip existed outside the body. The energy may come from within, but it was utilized on the outside. So it stood to reason that the Absorbing Man couldn't take on its properties as it had no real form. He would probably just wind up a shapeless dark mass floating in the air.
As fast as he processed that information, Deku also thought back to what the Absorbing Man had said before: 'I'm wasting time here.' He had been staring at his fist and looked worried for a second. Right after that, when Deku attacked, the Absorbing Man had tried to grab him. He had wondered if the villain had a limit before and now he was starting to see the truth. If he had to make a guess, he'd say that the Absorbing Man had a limited time frame in which he could absorb something or someone's properties. That ball and chain was always in his hands so he could always stay metallic. But he hadn't really laid a finger on Deku since the start of the fight which meant that his time must almost be up now for OFA, which was why he wanted to grab Deku so badly right now, to regain that power and his edge in the fight.
But Deku wouldn't let him. Because now he had the edge. He couldn't let the Absorbing Man touch him again, so he acted quickly, wrapping Blackwhip around his arms and legs until it completely encased them, making them look like they were bandaged by dark, writhing, cloths of pure energy. But still, now he couldn't absorb any of Deku's power from the attacks.
"What the hell is that?" the Absorbing Man frowned, taking in his new appearance.
"There's no way you'll be able to take my power now," Deku told him. "I'll fight you with everything I have until the end."
"Huh. Don't think this will change anything kid. I'm still going to bring you down. But sure, wrap yourself up like a weirdass mummy for all I care."
"Texas Smash!" Deku cried, creating wind pressure with his fist this time as he threw it forward, slamming it into the Absorbing Man with all his might and causing the villain to go flying back a ways. He was surprised to feel less resistance on his arms. Binding them with Blackwhip actually eased the pressure of One-For-All a little. Something to note for later.
Just as fast as he went down, the Absorbing Man was up again, his ball and chain whipping around him wildly. Deku moved to meet his attack but only narrowly dodged the metal ball, Absorbing man continuing to rotate it around him wildly.
"Let's see how fast I can make this go with your power, huh?" the villain cried, moving the ball even faster. And was it just Deku's imagination or was it sparking with One-For-All now too?
Any attempt to get close was thwarted now by that damn ball. But he couldn't stay still either as the Absorbing Man just kept coming at him, never letting up. Every now and then, he'd launch the ball forward at lightning speed and it took all of Deku's reflexes to not get pancaked into the ground. He thought that might be his opening, but the Absorbing Man now had OFA's speed as well and whenever he missed, he just kept moving, dredging up the ground with the ball right towards Deku, forcing him to leap aside again before rotating it again and the whole process restarted. He was constantly forcing Deku on the defensive, keeping him on the move. But why? Deku had thought that with that time limit of his, he'd want to get as close as possible to grab Deku and reabsorb his power. But he wasn't making any attempts. Instead, he just kept pushing Deku back to…
Deku chanced a look back and realized they were close to the Heights Alliance building. Where the rest of his pals probably were to take him down.
No. He couldn't let that happen. He needed to think of something else.
An idea popped into his head and he acted on it before he could think on it further. He didn't have time to anyways. He ducked aside as the ball came at him again and watched carefully as it swung by, waiting just until it reached the zenith of its swing before raising his arm, Blackwhip unfurling out with barely any effort. It grabbed on tightly to the ball, preventing it from going any further.
"What?" the Absorbing Man glowered. "What the hell you playing at?"
Deku felt him begin to pull and he planted his feet as firmly into the ground as he could, pulling back as hard as he could, pouring as much energy into his arms as he dared. He'd already used up more than he would have liked in this fight but he hadn't overdone it just yet. After all his training, he could still take a little more.
Still, the pull on the ball was very strong. Unsurprising, considering the villain had managed to absorb OFA.
Just…a little…longer, Deku thought desperately. He could feel himself being dragged across the ground and had to fight for every inch.
"Let go, you damn brat!" the Absorbing Man roared. "What is wrong with you?"
Deku didn't reply, just dug himself in deeper, still pulling as hard as he could. If nothing else, this should at least provide some time, for the teachers or someone else to arrive to help or for the time limit on the Absorbing Man's power to run out he didn't know. Either would do.
The strain coming off of the Blackwhip tendrils felt like it was now beginning to tear apart his arms. But he just had to hold on a few more seconds.
"You little…!" the Absorbing Man roared and Deku saw him tense his muscles, as it for one massive heave.
Now!
Just as the Absorbing Man gave one huge yank, Deku loosened his grip, no longer pulling. He flew through the air, coming right at the villain at incredible speed. But he'd prepared for this, managing to twist his body around so that his leg came up, already charged with as much One-For-All as he dared.
"Oh…" the Absorbing Man muttered.
"Manchester Smash!" Deku screamed, slamming his foot right into the Absorbing Man's head with everything he had. The villain went stumbling back, almost falling but just barely catching himself. Still, he looked one blow away from collapsing. But Deku wasn't going to fall for that just yet. Now came the second part of his split-second plan.
Still holding onto the ball with Blackwhip, Deku started running as fast as he could around the Absorbing Man, pulling the chain tightly around the villain over and over while he was still distracted and woozy. A few seconds later, he finally stopped, letting the ball drop to the ground, panting a little from the effort. But it had worked. He couldn't help but smile at his handiwork as he took in the sight of the tied up villain in front of him.
"I think you're the real mummy here," he couldn't help but say.
"Kid…heh…not too shabby," the Absorbing Man admitted, still shaking his head. "But you are seriously going to regret this."
Deku was still panting heavily as he stood up straight to face the villain. "You were going to lose the second you attacked our school," he replied.
"Were we?" the Absorbing Man snorted. "You know, I can see why you're deemed a high-level target. Pretty impressive for a brat of your size. But you made a few critical errors there."
Instantly, Deku had his guard up. "Oh yeah?" he asked, cautiously using his senses for any traps. "And what would those be?"
"One," the Absorbing Man said, his eyes glancing up. "You thought I would be doing this alone."
Deku moved before he could think, feeling the wind rush above him and just narrowly dodged the figure that slammed into the ground where he'd just been standing.
"Ha!" he heard someone snicker and looked up to see a large woman in a purple outfit with spikes on the shoulders standing above him. She was staring right at the Absorbing Man, still wrapped up in his chains. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Aw, shaddup!" the Absorbing Man complained.
"How did you let a little pipsqueak like this do that to you?" the woman asked, still snickering.
"I said shaddup! The brats decent enough, I'll admit. But this is where he made his second big mistake. Underestimating my powers."
To Deku's horror, the Absorbing's Man skin suddenly took on a dark hue and grainy texture, as if he was made of…dirt.
He gasped and cursed himself for not realizing it sooner as the Absorbing Man easily slipped through the chains holding him, getting sliced up and then reforming like it was nothing. As soon as he was through, he changed back to normal and leaned down for the chain.
"I will say this much, you got the blasted thing all tangled up! It's like those damn Christmas lights all over again!" he complained, pulling on the chain to loosen it up.
"Well babe, if that's the case we'll be here for hours," the woman snorted. "Don't worry. I'll take care of this now." She cracked her knuckles, finally turning to face Deku with a dark look on her face. "You're costing us precious time now. So let's end this."
"No matter what, I won't let you win," Deku promised, getting into his own fighting stance.
They stared at each other for a second before launching themselves simultaneously, their fists meeting in the middle. There was a pause before a shockwave erupted from the collision, knocking them both back a little.
"Damn kid, guess you really do pack a wallop, huh?" the woman said. "That's good. You'll be way more entertaining to play with than those puny little girls."
Deku's vision went red at those words. "What did you do with them?" he demanded, feeling even more power rush through him.
"What we did with all the others, took them out and tied them up, ready for transport. Don't worry, you'll join them in a second."
"AHHHH!" Deku screamed, leaping forward again, determined to knock the woman with as much power as he could muster. But he was suddenly struck from the side and almost flattened against the ground, a large weight pressing down on him. He looked up and saw the ball and chain now held against his chest.
"Didn't see that one coming, did ya?" he heard the Absorbing Man jeer.
"Look at that babe, you actually got it untangled."
"Yeah I did…well not really. I just hurried the job, there's still a few tight knots on the chain here and there. When I saw him going after you like that, I just reacted, you know. No one hurts my lady."
"Aw, thanks. But you know those knots are going to be murder to remove now, right?"
"I know, I know. But at least…"
Deku had no idea what they were talking about and he didn't care. They had given him enough time to ready himself. He latched onto the chain with his right arm and, powering as much of One-For-All as he dared, threw it to the side as hard as he could. The effect was exactly what he wanted, the sudden attack taking both villains by surprise and the drag of the chain yanking the Absorbing Man off his feet. Then, while the woman was still distracted, he grabbed her with Blackwhip and yanked her right towards him, jumping at her with his arm still powered up.
"Detroit Smas-"
"HYA!" Even wrapped up in Blackwhip, her arms pressed against her sides, the woman managed to grab Blackwhip back and use it to throw Deku to the side, right into the wall of the Heights Alliance Building, making it crack and almost crumble. He hit the ground again, feeling his whole body ache.
"Alright, I think that's enough exercise then," the woman said, clapping her hands together. "As much as I would love to see how much fight you have left in you, we're on a bit of a time crunch, so…"
"You won't get my power again," Deku warned, just managing to get back on his feet. He couldn't lose. Not now, not when everyone was counting on him. "I won't let you."
He wrapped his arms in Blackwhip once more.
"Your power? Again?" the woman questioned, tilting her head in confusion. "What are you talking about kid?"
"HA!"
They both turned to see Absorbing Man walk up to them, chuckling loudly.
"So that's why you wrapped yourself up like that," he said, gesturing to Deku's Blackwhip. "You think I need to touch you again to absorb your power. What, you think I have a time limit or something?"
Just like that, Deku's spirits plummeted. "You…you don't?"
"Nah. I would only need to reabsorb your power if I stopped using it. But I've had it activated this whole time now."
Deku blinked, trying to make sense of it. Before, when the Absorbing Man had talked about wasting time, he had thought the villain was referring to a time limit on his absorbing abilities and had acted on that information. But, if that wasn't it, then…
His gaze fell on the Absorbing Man's wrist, right where he'd looked when saying those words, and Deku noticed what he hadn't before. A watch.
It was then that it all clicked for him and he realized the huge mistake he'd made. It wasn't a time limit, not for his powers anyway. Because the woman had also said he was costing them precious time as well. Which meant they had to capture him within a specific time.
He recalled the battle at the training camp and Kurogiri's appearance all of a sudden at a specific time. These villains had just managed to get in to U.A. so they must have an escape strategy and a certain time to act on it. That's why they wanted to capture him so quickly, just like all the others. The others he could have been rescuing right now instead of wasting time on a time limit that didn't exist. Because of that…he didn't know if he could save them. He didn't know how much time was left and apparently all his classmates were captured. Were they already gone?
No. He refused to accept that. He was All Might's successor, chosen to be the next Symbol of Peace by his idol himself. He wouldn't let any of his friends down. He would just have to go all out and stop holding back. No matter what it took, he would save them.
But before he could move, he saw the metal ball once again flying right at him, forcing him to dodge to the side and avoid getting pancaked again.
Too close, he thought right before a fist struck him in the chest, sending him crashing several meters away. He coughed wetly, feeling a deep throbbing pain from his ribs. Cracked, possibly broken. He glanced up and saw the woman with her fist raised, smirking down at him.
"We're a tag team, ya little pipsqueak, or did you forget?"
He had. He'd gotten so used to how the ball moved and where to dodge that he'd just moved instinctively and forgotten for one second about his other opponent. One second that had just cost him.
Still, he refused to let it keep him down. As quickly as he could, he got back up only to see the ball coming right at him again. This time, he wasn't fast enough to dodge and met it head-on, grabbing it with both arms and pushing back against it. He gritted his teeth, feeling more pain shoot up his arms and his legs from the immense strain, but he managed to block the blow.
"Alright Titania, punch it!"
Deku frowned. Punch it? What does that mean?
His eyes widened in realization a second too late as something struck the ball, sending it and him along with it flying back. Deku could barely even grunt as he hit the ground, rolling over and over until he finally came to a stop. He gasped for breath, his whole body aching. He felt like he'd just been run over and then backed-up on.
"And here comes the finisher!"
He could only look up as the woman, Titania, dropped down from the sky, her foot planting him into the ground as she struck. He gargled, barely even able to breathe now. He wanted to do something but he could barely think. All he was aware of was the massive pressure now standing on him, the pain across his body, and the feeling of One-For-All fading. He was only alive because of that power and now he couldn't even keep it active.
I have to…get up, he thought, trying to move. My friends…need me. He raised his fist, doing his best to call One-For-All back. Iida…Todoroki…Kacchan…Uraraka…I can't let them down.
"This kid just has no quit, huh?"
"I almost expect to hear him say 'I can do this all day.'"
One-For-All, Deku thought, feeling the power returning into his right arm. 100 percen-
"Nope."
Another foot slammed down on his arm, forcing it into the dirt. And just like that, One-For-All left him again, fizzling away. He just didn't have the concentration to keep it going.
Was this it? Was he really done? It couldn't end like this. He needed to save his classmates. He needed to…
But he couldn't. It didn't matter how much he needed to because he was beaten. The whole weight of that came crashing down on him as he realized he couldn't win this. They were just too strong.
"Now let's get up to the roof so we can-"
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, the pressure on his chest vanished as the woman went soaring to the side. Deku gasped in shock and relief. He forced himself upright, watching as Titania and the Absorbing Man got back on their feet a few meters from him. And in front of them stood almost a dozen clones of a familiar face.
"Sorry I'm late," Ectoplasm said. "But you're safe now."
Itsuka Kendo knew that when she signed up for the hero course at U.A. that she would eventually see action, that she would eventually fight villains and put her life on the life. But the word 'eventually' was the main point. She never imagined she would be doing it so soon. When she heard that class 1-A had faced off against villains at the U.S.J., she had been relieved that she hadn't been there even if some of her class felt differently.
Then came the training camp. There, she came face-to-face with death. She watched her classmates go down, watched her friend Tetsutetsu get shot and had to take down a villain, nearly dying in the process. Since then, she had trained harder than ever to prepare herself for any other surprise, especially when the work study programs were revealed and more so after Humarise's attack.
Still, waking up to the sounds of explosions and looking out her window to seeing class 1-A's building collapse had filled her with fear unlike anything she'd known before. Even after the U.S.J., she had felt safe at U.A. as she hadn't experience that herself, so she could pretend that she would always be safe here. But now, it was clear that wasn't true. U.A. was under attack by villains.
She had rushed around, trying to get her classmates out of there to the evacuation areas. And she had never felt more relief when Vlad King appeared to take charge, leading them himself. Still, she couldn't help but glance back and see, in the distance, the destruction of their fellow class's building and the flashes of battle.
"But sir, we should be out there helping!" Tetsutetsu complained.
"Yeah, class 1-A needs us right now!" Kamakiri agreed.
"No, your job is to get to safety right now," Vlad King argued. "Somehow these villains have managed to take down our secure network. I can't contact anyone and no alarms have been raised. This was clearly organized and well executed. We have no idea what we're dealing with so your own safety is my top priority."
"But sir," Kendo found herself chiming in, "we have provisional licenses. And we're doing hero Works-Studies. Doesn't that-"
"Exactly. You only have provisional licenses," Vlad King interrupted. "And at your Works-Studies, you have a pro hero watching over you. I can't watch over all of you if we go into battle. Again, we are in the dark right now over what is happening. All we know for certain is that we are under attack and it seems, unfortunately, that class 1-A is taking the brunt of it. Now, please, follow me to the evacuation area. Once I know you're all safe, I can go back there and help."
Kendo sighed, hating it but knowing he was right. Even with all their training and experience, it still wasn't enough. But class 1-A…she looked back again, seeing the devastation. Despite Monoma's claims, Kendo didn't see them as rivals at all. Some were even friends, especially Yaoyorozu. And she desperately wanted to go help them.
But why were the villains attacking? Was it like with the U.S.J. where they were after All Might? But, that didn't make sense since they were targeting students. Did it have something to do with the missing pros? But, again, why go after students then?
Kendo shook those thoughts aside. She was the class rep. She had to get her head in the game and guide her class to safety. She'd worry about the rest later.
"Alright, now let-" Vlad King began.
"Sir!"
That was the only warning they had before a dark hole appeared right in front of their teacher and a large fist materialized out of it, striking him. Kendo gasped but Vlad King had dodged the attack, the warning Kuroiro gave having been just enough for him.
"Well now, that was very impressive."
Kendo felt her heart clamber up into her throat as the dark hole opened much wider and a large figure emerged from it, with grayish-green scales and weird fin-like ears. His muscles looked like they were as big as Kendo's enlarged fists which didn't bode well.
"But can you do it again?" the villain asked Vlad King who glared back.
"Kendo, lead the class away!" he ordered before charging forward. The villain went to meet him but Vlad King was faster, his blood spurting from his costume's tubes and wrapping around him, holding him fast in its embrace. "I will take care of this!" Vlad King promised.
"Alright!" Kaibara cheered.
"So manly!" Tetsutetsu cried out.
"As expected of our teacher!" Monoma joined in.
Kendo couldn't help but give a soft smile though she knew they were far from out of danger. "Come on!" she called out. "Let's-"
"Quite the impressive power," the villain said right before stretching. And Vlad King's blood exploded aside, like it was nothing Kendo saw the look of shock on her teacher's face and felt her own blood begin to freeze as she realized just how much danger they were truly in. "But mine far surpasses yours."
The punch came so fast, that Kendo barely saw it happen. She did see her teacher's blood rush back and begin to form a shield just as the giant fist struck him and then he was gone, the blow having blasted him away.
For a second, there was dead calm as the class took in their situation. Then, class 1-B faced the villain and readied themselves.
"You won't win, bastard!" Tetsutetsu promised, his body steeling up.
"Yeah! You're messing with the best of U.A.!" Kamakiri cried, blades extending.
"Class 1-B!" Kendo yelled, growing her own fists. "Let's show this blockhead who we are and take him down!"
"RIGHT!"
The villain just chuckled. "Such passion. But it will avail you not."
"Oh? And why is-"
"Kodai!"
The sudden scream jolted Kendo and she turned to see her classmate's fallen form, Shoda and Tsuburaba shaking her.
"What did you do to her?" Tetsutetsu demanded.
"You will see!" the villain promised.
"Honenuki!" Kendo barked, backing up.
"On it!" her companion replied, already pressing his hands against the ground. Instantly, it all softened, turning liquidly around the villain and causing him to sink.
"What the hell?" the villain muttered, already down to his knees and still going. "What kind of weird power is this?"
"Good luck getting out of…" Kendo blinked as Honenuki trailed off but jumped when she saw him slumping over. As fast as his power activated, it was gone, the ground returning to normal.
"Ha!" the villain laughed, easily tearing his legs free. "Like it could have held me anyway."
"What did you do to him?" Kamakiri demanded. "I'm going to…"
Just like with Honenuki, his voice trailed off as he staggered before he fell to the ground. This time though, Kendo spotted the dart sticking out of his arm. The villain wasn't alone. There was a snipe around. Now that she knew what she was dealing with, her fears took a backseat as she made her mind work. Judging from how Kamakiri was standing and the angle of the dart, the sniper must be somewhere to the right.
"Ibara, right-side shield!" she cried.
"On it," Ibara said, her hair rippling through the ground and erupting out of it seconds later to create a large wall of vines to their right, blocking them from attack. "I am just thankful that…"
No! Kendo thought desperately but as soon as she turned, it was too late, Ibara falling as well. This time, the dart coming from above. But…how could that be? Was the sniper moving around? Or were they…
Kendo's gaze shot back to the large villain who strangely hadn't moved. Like…he was preventing them from escaping. And he'd appeared all of a sudden, from a black hole. A portal. Which meant…
"There's a teleporting sniper!" she cried out, putting the others on guard but it was already too late, Tsunotori having fallen in the time she needed to think. "Monoma! Get Ibara's Quirk and get us some cover, now! Tsuburaba, you too!"
Her classmates acted quickly, Tsuburaba blowing air shields all around them, as many as he could, while Monoma ran towards Ibara's fallen form.
"Look out!"
Kendo gasped as the dart stopped midair, inches from Tsuburaba's face, and turned to see Yanahi's outstretched hand.
"Wow," Tsuburaba muttered. "Thanks Yanagi."
"No problem."
"Alright, here we go!" Monoma declared, his arrogant smile that Kendo usually hated back on his face. "Don't worry Class 1-B, I will save you all!" With that said, his vine-hair shot out, forming a new wall to replace Ibara's fallen one, this time completely surrounding them. As he did, Tsuburaba focused his air shields into one large one above them, already several darts having struck it, and Yanagi caught the others. Soon, they were enclosed in the vine wall and Kendo could let out a breath. They were safe. But for how long?
Monoma suddenly let out a gasp and there was a loud ripping sound as part of the vine wall was torn away. Monoma quickly replaced the lost vines, filling the gap but just as quickly they were torn back down.
"He's…too strong," Monoma muttered.
"There are few stronger than me," the villain told them, pulling the vines apart. "You're lucky we need you alive or else you'd already all be gone."
"Care to back that claim up?" Tetsutetsu challenged, charging forward.
"Tetsutetsu! No!" Kendo cried, trying to stop him. If the villain could take down Vlad King so easily, she didn't think he would last long. But he didn't listen, making right for the villain with Shishida right behind him.
"Have my specialty, the Steel Fist!" Tetsutetsu roared, throwing his fist forward.
The villain swatted him away like he was a bug, sending him flying into the vine wall and almost crashing right through it. He gasped for a few seconds, eyes wide and clearly in shock and/or pain.
Shishida tried to come to a stop but it was too late, the villain lunging forward and grabbing hold of him as well. This time though, he just threw him behind him away from the vines. Kendo couldn't see what happened next but she could only assume that he had just been taken out by that sniper now as well.
This was going very badly. Already their teacher and six of their classmates were down with a seventh one injured. And those were some of their heaviest hitters. Kendo thought desperately, trying to come up with something to get them out of this. They weren't going to win this, that seemed pretty clear. What they needed to do was escape. And for that, they needed to at least distract the big villain.
"Rin! Komori!" she called out, hoping they wouldn't need any instruction.
Thankfully, the two of them understood. "You got it rep!" Rin said and threw his arms forward, the scales along them shooting out like bullets to strike the villain directly in the face. He spluttered and backed up a step, raising his arms in front of him for defense.
"Stop that! It's annoying!"
Kendo grimaced. She knew how powerful those scale bullets of Rin's were but this guy was just taking them like it was no big deal. All the more reason she hoped this new plan would work. She nodded at Komori who, despite looking scared out of her mind, ran forward, tools at the ready.
"Get ready to taste-"
Kendo could only watch in horror at what happened next as another, smaller, black hole appeared right in front of Komori and an arm came out of it holding a dart. Before anyone could react, it struck her right at the neck and she fell to the ground a few seconds later, dead to the world.
"What the-" was all Rin managed before a second arm appeared from another hole next to him, striking him as well. He fell without making another sound.
"Komori!" Kuroiro cried, charging forward but several classmates held him back
We need to get out of here, Kendo thought. They couldn't afford to attack anymore. That teleporting guy was picking them off like flies. If they stayed any longer, then they would all go down and that would be it. They just needed to run or else more of them would fall.
She looked at who was left and a quick plan formed in her mind. "Kuroiro, get ready!" she yelled. "Yanagi, Monoma, you two as well!"
"Huh?" Monoma asked but the other two nodded.
"Everyone, gather u-"
"Kaibara!" she heard Shoda yell and saw another of her classmates fall to that hand. Acting fast, she raced over and tried to grab the arm before it vanished again but she was just a second too slow, the hand vanishing back into the portal.
"Damn," she muttered, looking down at the fallen Kaibara. "Tokage, keep a lookout for those arms."
"On it."
"Just what are you planning?" the large villain asked, smirking at them. "There is no escape from this. Honestly, we weren't going to come after you. We just wanted the other brats."
"What?" Monoma cried. "How could you pick Class 1-A over us? We are obviously the superior ones!"
"Are you seriously arguing over why we should get kidnapped instead of the other class?" Tetsutetsu yelled.
"Still, it is an opportunity to make more money. Now, come quietly or loudly. The end will be the same."
"Fukidashi!" Kendo cried.
"Right. BOOM!" the comic speaker yelled. The words appeared right in front of the villain who stared at them in complete bewilderment.
"What the-" was all he managed before the words detonated.
"Now!" Kendo yelled, looking right at Kuroiro, Monoma, and Yanagi. Kuroirio instantly grabbed hold of both of them, his body sinking into the darkness all around them. Yanagi held out her free hand and lifted up Fukidashi and Bondo while Monoma used his vines to grab Shoda, Awase, and Tsuburaba. Kendo ran towards Tetsutetsu, who was still down from the villain's attack, and gripped his arm to lift him up.
"Come on you big lug, we have to…" she trailed off, her heart stopping as she saw the dart sticking out of his neck. He'd been taken out and she hadn't even realized it.
"Ha!"
She looked up at Tokage's cheering and saw her detached arm now holding onto an arm appearing out of a portal that had just been about to strike Monoma.
"Finally got you. And nope!" she cried again, her other arm just managing to grab another portal hand about to dart her neck. "There. Now we've got you."
Kendo let herself breathe a sigh of relief. They had managed to capture the portal sniper, or at least hold him down for the moment. But they couldn't relax. "Great work Tokage! Now, Monoma, Yanagi, grab the others and let's-"
She heard it first. A soft whine that seemed to come from above. Then, there was the slight change in the air that caused her to look up to see the small objects flying down towards them. And it took another second for her to realize they were rockets.
"AGH!" she screamed, diving out of the way but the rockets weren't meant for them. Instead, they struck the large air shield Tsuburaba still had up, shattering it completely. A second later, a large, armored figure dropped through, landing firmly in the ground with an earth-splitting impact, causing a wave of dust to fly up. Kendo gaped at the sight, seeing the new villain. Whoever it was, they were dressed in large green armor that looked like it was a war machine. This couldn't be good.
"What the hell is that?" Tokage gasped, having flown her parts away from it. Kendo was glad to see she had maintained her grip on the portal hands.
"This has gone on long enough," the armored figure said in a thick accent. "We are almost out of time. So stop wasting it."
"Alright, alright."
Kendo gaped again as a disembodied head appeared and it took her a few seconds to realize that it was just a man poking his head through a black hole. He had a sinister smile on his face and a mask with a bullseye mark at the top.
"You've got me in quite a bind there toots," he said to Tokage, still grinning. "Pretty clever of you."
"Thanks. And don't call me that."
"Neat power too. All those body parts, acting separately while disconnected. Makes for a lot of target practice."
"Don't even try! If you even manage to hit my body part with one of those darts, I'll just drop it and regenerate it without that stupid tranquilizer stuff."
Out of the corner of her eye, Kendo saw Monoma begin wrapping up more of their fallen classmates with his vines but already carrying three and not used to this power she could tell it was taking its toll on him.
"Well now, thanks for clearing that up. You know, I have a special ability as well. My aim is unparalleled. I always hit my mark. That's why they call me Bullseye."
Tokage snorted. "Fat lot of good that will do you when your arms are captured."
Bullseye grinned even wider, sending chills down Kendo's spine. "Do you really think I need my arms for this?"
"What?" Tokage frowned. "What do yo-"
Kendo saw it, another hole appear right behind Tokage with a foot coming out, a dark right between two toes ready to flick it. She was so taken surprise by it that she could gape for a second before she finally found her voice.
"Tokage!" she yelled. "Behind you!"
"Huh?" Tokage turned but it was too late. The dart struck her right in the throat. Her eyes bulged and she gargled for a split second before it took effect and dropped her to the ground, all her parts falling as well.
"Ah, much better," the man named Bullseye said, his hands free. "Well, I think that's enough. Good luck." With that, all his parts disappeared back into their respective portals.
Kendo didn't even think at that point. She just ran. "Guys, go!" she yelled.
"But the others-" Yanagi started.
"Just go!" Kendo screamed, tears streaming down her face. It killed her, but they had no choice. Yanagi couldn't carry more than a couple people and even that was weighing her down. And Monoma was barely holding on to the three people he had, not to mention that Kuroiro would have to drag them all with him into the shadows. There was no way they could get the others. Kendo hated it with every fiber of her being but if they wanted to survive, they had to leave their comrades behind. There was no way they would win this fight. They could only run.
She saw the stricken looks on her classmates' faces but could also see they understood as well. Kuroiro instantly began moving, diving into the shadows and taking the others with him. As they went, Kendo saw Monoma's vines dive for her, ready to catch her and drag her to safety. She enlarged her hand, reaching to grab hold of it, when she heard a whining sound next to her, like an engine warming up. Turning, she saw the armored figure's arm raised, an ominous light forming from the palm, like some sort of blaster.
No, Kendo thought. She refused to lose anymore of her classmates. She would rather die. She was supposed to be the class rep, supposed to defend them. She may have failed the others, but she would make sure at least some of them made it out.
So she suddenly turned, enlarging her fist as much as she could, and smacked the armored figure as hard as possible with it. Part of her wondered if that armor was special somehow, that it would deflect her attack, that it would mean nothing to the villain. But, to her relief, he stumbled back from her punch, his own blast going wide and striking the vines to the side, scorching them instead.
Acting fast, Kendo enlarged her other fist as well and wrapped both hands around the villain, squeezing as tightly as possible.
"Kendo?" she heard Yanagi ask.
"Go!" she ordered. She saw their expressions and knew what they were thinking, that they could somehow rescue her. But then she felt a massive shock go through her and hands and to her body, forcing a scream from her lips. But still she held on, not letting him go. If she did, her friends would be captured as well.
She saw them leave from the corner of her eye and let out one last breath of relief before the villain finally broke free from her grasp. The last thing she was aware of was the armored green fist striking her in the face before everything went dark.
Deku stared with utter relief at the horde of clones surrounding him, keeping the Absorbing Man and Titania at bay.
"Run Midoriya," Ectoplasm informed him. "Head for the evacuation area."
"But…the others," Deku managed, getting back to his feet. "They said they kidnapped all the others."
Ectoplasm's face was unreadable but it seemed he stiffened at those words. "We'll take care of this Midoriya. You need to leave and get to safety. One of my clones will-"
"Like hell!" the Absorbing Man roared, charging forward. The clones all backed up fast but two were too slow and got smashed by the ball and chain.
"That kid's coming with us," Titania promised, smashing another one into the ground.
"Midoriya, go!" Ectoplasm cried right before opening his mouth and unleashed a fresh wave of clones to attack. "I will hold them off."
But Deku wasn't looking away. He was looking up, right at the rooftop. That's where the two villains had been planning on taking him. So that must be where the others were all kept. Even though he was injured and he knew he was practically running on fumes at this point, he also knew there was no way he could just run away when his friends were in danger. He had to do something. He had to reach out his hand.
Once before, he hadn't been able to save a friend, forced to watch him disappear into a dark portal. He couldn't let that happen again. Not ever.
His body moved on its own, Blackwhip unfurling and latching onto the wall of the building to pull him up.
"Midoriya, no!"
He ignored Ectoplasm's cry, clambering up as fast as he could. Don't worry guys, he thought. I'm coming.
"Well now," Taskmaster said, looking at the fallen forms around him. "Not as much I may have wanted but good enough."
"Hell yeah! More money baby!" Spot cheered.
"Could have been more if we kept up chase," Titanium Man said, looking out to where the rest of the students had vanished seconds ago.
"We tried. It would be too much hassle to keep going and we're almost out of time." Taskmaster glanced at the watch and winced, seeing they were down to the last few minutes before the portal appeared. As much as he'd like to try and get the rest of the brats, chasing them down would cost too much time. Besides, those kids' powers with the air shield and vines as well as the telekinesis kept their own attacks at bay. And that kid who could move through shadows was particularly adept. "Let's just be grateful for these 12 and leave it at that. Now, Spot, if you would do the honors."
"Yeah, sure. Ugh, I hate making so many big holes in a row," the portal-maker complained. As he spoke, a portal appeared right beneath the praying mantis-looking kid, swallowing him and presumably depositing him on the roof with the rest of the kids. The others swiftly followed until there were none left.
"Good work. Now bring us there as well."
"I just…need a minute…ok?" Spot said, panting. "Man, I have been making portals non-stop…all night long."
"It's been like 15 minutes, calm down loser," Bullseye told him.
It was hard to tell, but Spot glared at his colleague. "You want me to tear you apart with one of my portals. Cause I'd be more than willing to oblige."
"I'd like to see you try," Bullseye replied, hand reaching for a weapon.
"Enough," Taskmaster told the both of them. "The main portal back home will appear in less than two minutes now."
"Right," Spot said, lifting his arms up to create one gigantic black hole in front of them. Taskmaster was the first to step through it, finding himself instantly on the roof of the student housing building. He could see the others already waiting, Electro, Black Ant, Lady Deathstrike, Madame Masque, and Speed Demon.
"Finally!" Speed Demon complained. "Took you all long enough."
Taskmaster ignored him, focusing on the fallen students. "Tie them up," he gestured to the new additions from the other class. "And hurry, we don't have much time."
"Don't order me around!"
"Your speed will ensure we get them through the portal on time. Now, after the debacle you performed downstairs, do you want to earn your keep or not?"
Speed Demon glowered at him but slowly nodded, soon zipping around the kids and tying them up snugly. As he did that, Taskmaster looked over at the other kids and frowned, doing a headcount. Something hadn't looked right and his suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later. There were 19 students, out of 20. One of them was missing.
In that same instant, he heard a rumbling sound coming from below. "What is that?" he demanded.
"It seems Mr. and Mrs. Heavyweight down there haven't finished their fight yet," Black Ant commented, looking down over the side. Taskmaster walked over and followed his gaze, seeing the Absorbing Man and Titania attacking what looked like a bunch of clones.
"Oh wonderful," Taskmaster sighed. They were down to just over a minute now, they didn't have time for this anymore. "Alright, I need-"
"Let them go!"
They all whirled around to see a young man hurl himself up over the side of the roof and land in front of them. Taskmaster smirked, recognizing him as Izuku Midoriya, the last of the students.
"Oh good, you're here. Guess that means I won't have to hunt you down now."
"Let them go," the boy repeated, looking at his classmates all tied up.
"Yeah, that's not happening," Bullseye said, twirling one of his knives. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll just surrender right now."
Taskmaster watched carefully. He had read all the files on these kids and knew this one was one of the top powerhouses of the grade, able to increase his own strength and power to phenomenal levels though it come at a price. Right now, it appeared he was reaching his limit, his body looking worn out and his breath coming in rough pants. Still, he was not to be underestimated.
He saw the kid begin to glow a little and simply said, "Electro."
The bolt of electricity hit the kid directly, leaving him screaming and writhing in pain before finally collapsing, his clothes smoking. Taskmaster nodded at his colleague who just grinned smugly in return. Well, that was at least one problem taken care of.
"What the hell?" he heard someone yell from below, making Taskmaster sigh. And it seemed a new problem had quickly taken its place. He looked over the side again and blinked at the sight as all the separate clones had somehow merged, forming one gigantic figure that was still growing.
"Black Ant! Abomination! Deal with that thing!" he ordered.
"Fine," Abomination muttered.
"Do I have to?" Black Ant whined.
"Just do it!" Taskmaster told them. "We're almost out of time."
"Ugh, fine."
Both figures leapt from the rooftop, Black Ant rapidly growing in size as he did until he loomed over the clone guy, punching him hard in the face and knocking him back. Taskmaster nodded, glad that that problem would soon be resolved. Now, he just-
"Y-you…won't…"
"My, my," Lady Deathstike said, looking at the kid who was pushing himself up. "This boy certainly has a strong spirit."
"I don't care if he's got an iron will to back it up," Speed Demon complained. "He's pissing me off. I'll take care of this right-"
"I will deal with this," Taskmaster said in a tone that stopped all argument. He had to admit, he was impressed by the kid as well. To push yourself to such lengths, ignoring all pain and fatigue…well, it was something Taskmaster himself wasn't too well-versed in. Sure, there was the time he fought Hyperion and other occasions in the past. But never for others. This kid was certainly the embodiment of a heroic spirit.
But his employers wanted him and he liked getting paid.
He walked over to the kid and looked down at him. "You came here, almost at your limit, against all of us, with no real plan? That's just stupid kid. I can think of ten different scenarios off the top of my head if I were in your shoes."
"Shut up!" the kid growled and Taskmaster could see that energy appearing. Before it could manifest fully, he rushed forward, throwing a Daredevil kick right into the kid's solar plexus, making him double-over and cough up. Taskmaster then followed up with some Shang-Chi punches across the kid's chest and stomach until he finally collapsed.
"You have heart kid," Taskmaster said. "And that's admirable. But you need the skill to back it up or else you'll never survive. Remember that."
"I'll…I'll save them," the kid muttered, eyes staring right at him with such ferocity and resolve that it took everything Taskmaster had to not look away. "I will save them."
Taskmaster regarded him for a few more seconds before throwing a Black Widow kick to the kid's head, knocking him out cold. "Tie him up," he said.
"Why don't you tie him up?"
"Because you can do it in the blink of an eye, now tie him up."
"Ugh, I hate you."
"And I will carry that burden for who-cares-many years. Now just tie him up."
As Speed Demon grumbled on, Taskmaster made the call to the Super-Adaptoid to withdraw. A.I.M. wouldn't be too pleased if he lost their greatest weapon. The others all returned as well from beating that clone-hero and just in time as the large portal opened a few seconds after they did.
"Alright, a job well done," Taskmaster nodded, pulling two of the unconscious kids through the portal and back into their base of operations. Now they just had to deliver them to the different employers. He wasn't sure what would happen to the kids after that and right now he didn't care. He just wanted his money.
Still, a feeling inside kept his mind from calming. The way that kid had looked at him, that Midoriya. He may be captured now but Taskmaster had been in the superhero game long enough to know that didn't mean shit. He'd been afraid of meeting the kid in combat because he had such superior power that it might mess up the mission. But now that the stakes were gone, he couldn't help but wonder how a fight between them would play out.
And he couldn't help but feel like he would find out whether he wanted to or not. No, this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
And that wraps up the opening arc. Hope you enjoyed it and I hope no one's disappointed that the students got taken out so easily. It's just that, in my opinion, they haven't really gone up against top villains yet. The U.S.J. were filled with common thugs for the most part and the League of Villains only became truly powerful later on, during the Liberation War. Even with Overhaul, Deku beat him thanks to Eri. I'd have to say that the villains from Heroes Rising were probably the closest they had, and most of these marvel villains have been fighting heroes for more than a decade (on the sliding timescale anyway). Hope that makes sense, if not, oh well.
I went back and forth on bringing in Class 1-B but ultimately decided to split them. They do deserve more attention but I couldn't write all of them in so I wound up with just these 12. And maybe some of you are sad that Monoma won't be part of it but I already have Mineta in and one asshole is about all I can handle.
And yes, there will be a Deku v. Taskmaster fight later on. I originally had one planned out for this chapter but things went in a different direction and I had to scrap it. But they will have a real fight and I'll try my best to make it epic.
The next chapter will live up to the title and actually begin to dive into the Marvelverse properly, so look forward to that. Not too many heroes in the beginning but you will meet the employers.
Yes, the Champions will be featured. Wouldn't make sense for them not to be.
Now, the language barrier. Here is the solution I came up for that: not care. Seriously, in the Two Heroes movie, in the sub version when they're in America, they all speak Japanese anyway. And vice versa for the dub. Besides, trying to overcome the language barrier just became a pain. So I decided not to care and just write. Maybe that's laziness on my part but this way I could just focus. So, you can say they're all speaking Japanese or English or even Gibberish. Whatever the case, they can all understand each other and that's all I'm going to say on that.
Oh and if anyone's interested, I have a blog where I post reviews and rankings and stuff and I did one based on my favorite Marvel Comics of the 1960s. I'll be starting my rankings of the 70s pretty soon so check it out at: imagineworlds . org
Thanks as always for reading and please leave a review if you can.