Mirko, the No. 5 Hero!
"Are you...the real one?!" The episode starts with Mirko storming into Garaki's laboratory, obliterating Johnny, the Tiny Nomu in the process.
"Go ahead and give him a kick to see for yourself, girl," Mirko said, a gleeful smile spreading across her face.
As Garaki witnessed Johnny's obliteration, his mind went back to the old memories.
"Good boy. You did a good job, Johnny," Garaki said while hugging the tiny Nomu. Then we see Garaki happily showing the early version of a Nomu to All for One.
"Only monsters like All for One and this doctor can regard those cruel human experiments as happy memories," All Might said with an angry frown on his face.
"Does anyone else find the sight of that doctor embracing that tiny creature like a plushie disgusting?" Toru said, her voice filled with disgust as she witnessed the scene.
"Honestly, any ordinary person would," Setsuna remarked, her voice reflecting a shared sentiment.
"N-N... No...!" Garaki screamed in terror as he witnessed his life's work being demolished, with Mirko destroying several more Nomu Housing containers.
"Good. The world will be a better place with fewer of those Nomu creatures around," Edgeshot said.
The scene shifted, and now we find ourselves above ground where evacuations are in progress. "Prioritize evacuating the patients with serious illnesses! Tell the ones who can walk on their own to go to the police vans," Mandalay efficiently managed the evacuation with the assistance of Ectoplasm and other heroes. "Tell the ones who can walk on their own to go to the police vans."
"Wild, Wild Pussycats are true professionals when it comes to rescue missions," Ochako said as she observed Mandalay giving out simple yet precise orders while evacuating patients. As someone who aspires to become a rescue specialist hero herself, it was a genuine opportunity for Ochako to witness a seasoned expert in action, and she was savoring every moment of it.
Suddenly, Mandalay heard screams emanating from inside the hospital, and in the next moment, the windows of the building shattered, causing panic among everyone outside.
"This must be the moment when Nomus began flooding in from all over the hospital," Aizawa said.
"Those annoying pests," Endeavor muttered quietly, his voice laced with annoyance.
"Everyone!" Mirko's voice suddenly echoed through the coms as we saw her crouched in front of Garaki, a wide smile adorning her face, while the man grieved over his life's work. "There's a strong-looking Nomu and an old geezer here."
"Seems like she's having a blast," Mt. Lady commented, observing the excitement on Rumi's face on the screen.
"Well... it's her default mood, so it's not surprising," Hawks chimed in, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
"Is the Garaki real? A double?" Endeavor asked over the coms.
"Dunno," Mirko responded, her leg twitching in anticipation. "I'll know once I kick him."
"Capture Garaki!" Endeavor commanded.
"I'm gonna kick him first!" Mirko declared over the comms.
"Rumi..." Ryukyu sighed wearily, her voice filled with resignation.
"What?" Rumi raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "I have to kick that doctor to confirm if he's real or not."
"If you say so, girl... if you say so..." Ryukyu rolled her eyes.
"We'll head over soon, too... is what I'd like to say but..." Inside the hospital, we see Endeavor, along with Eraser Head, Mic, and Rock Lock, standing before a colossal Drill Nomu. "it looks like it'll take some time to get there."
"You can take your sweet time Endeavor, I got everything covered down in the lab," Mirko stated confidently, a smirk adorning her face.
"There is no doubt about your abilities. We've all witnessed firsthand what you're capable of," Aizawa acknowledged. "However, it would be advantageous for both you and the success of this mission if we could arrive there quickly and bring an end to this operation in one fell swoop."
"Hmm... can't argue with that," Mirko shrugged indifferently, showing little concern about whether they could reach her in the lab or not.
The Drill Nomu launched an attack on the heroes, its rapidly spinning drills aimed at striking them. However, before the drills could land a hit on anyone, Aizawa activated his quirk, stopping the drills in their tracks. Seizing this opportunity, Endeavor unleashed his attack.
"Flashfire Fist..." Endeavor's hand blazed with intense heat as he launched a powerful strike. "Jetburn!" The attack unleashed a massive amount of flames and heat, engulfing the area. When the flames finally subsided, the Nomu had disappeared without a trace.
"He defeated it..." Bakugo started with an excited grin on his face.
"...with a single attack," Izuku completed his sentence as he stared at the screen with dumbfounded eyes.
Normally, Bakugo would have screamed at Izuku for doing something like that, but right now all he could think about was how he could increase the radius and heat of his explosions so that he could deal with these creatures as easily as Endeavor did.
"Mirko-" Endeavor attempted to say something, but his words were cut off by an incoming attack. Without hesitation, Rock Lock swiftly positioned himself in front of them. "Deadbolt!" he exclaimed, utilizing his quirk to lock a nearby bench in place as a protective barrier. The bench formed a shield in front of them, guarding against the oncoming assault.
Endeavor, Aizawa, and Mic, who had been standing behind Rock Lock, immediately sprang into action, joining forces with the rest of the heroes to combat the swarm of low-level Nomus.
"These white Nomus are really annoying," Jiro frowned. "They keep swarming heroes, not to mention how many of them there are."
"I guess they are working as that Doctor intended them to," Momo said. "That said, having Jeanist there would have helped with restraining a large number of them."
"Now that I think about it, where am I?" Jeanist asked. He found it strange that he, the No. 3 hero, wasn't involved in a major operation like this.
Meanwhile, Hawks shifted uncomfortably in his seat as a whirlwind of thoughts raced through his mind. 'Did I really go through with it? Did I truly carry out that plan?' he questioned himself silently. 'Hold on! If the plan succeeded, He should have been here with the other heroes. Does that mean I truly had to...' The mere thought caused him to clench his fist, a mix of frustration and regret welling up within him.
"Small fry keeps coming out! How's the hospital evacuation?" Rock Lock asked over the comms, his voice filled with irritation.
"We just finished the last person!" Mandalay responded as we witnessed heroes and medical professionals loading patients and civilians into ambulances."You can go all out!"
"I must say, the efficiency with which the heroes evacuated all those individuals is truly commendable," Iida remarked. "Without their swift actions, many lives would have been in imminent danger."
"It's a collaborative effort," Aizawa said. "This is precisely why we have various types of heroes. For example, Endeavor, Mic, and I wouldn't be able to focus solely on fighting Nomus if we had to worry about saving people. Likewise, Mandalay, Pixie-Bob, Tiger, and others wouldn't be able to concentrate on rescuing people if they had to defend themselves from a swarm of Nomus, not to mention the advanced threats like High-Ends."
Aizawa then turned his gaze towards the students, both from his class and 1B, and said, "That's why we encourage all of you to choose a specialization. That way, you will always have a defined role in any mission. However, you don't have to worry about that right now. You will discover your own path after the first few years of your career."
"Let's go help Mirko!" Rock Lock said as he opened the door that led to the dark corridor.
"Understood!" Crust replied promptly, joined by X-Less and several other heroes as they made their way towards the underground lab.
"Great! Crust will be a perfect backup for Mirko," Kirishima said with excitement in his voice.
"What's the matter, dude? You look really excited there," Sero asked.
"Well, after Crimson Riot, Crust is my all-time favorite hero," Kirishima said while rubbing the back of his head. "And since we both have defense-type quirks, I've been hoping to land an internship with him in the near future."
Just as Rock Lock was about to step into the dark corridor, three Nomus rushed towards him. However, before they could attack, Aizawa swiftly intervened, leaping in front of Rock Lock and activating his quirk to immobilize the Nomus in their tracks. Seizing the moment, Endeavor unleashed his power.
"Jetburn!" Endeavor unleashed a torrent of searing flames upon the three Nomus. Then, skillfully manipulating his flames, he guided them towards a group of other Nomus, causing a fiery collision that incinerated them all together, reducing them to charred remains.
Shoto intensely stared at his left hand as he watched his father's fire control on the screen. He knew that his control over his fire had improved since the Sports Festival, but it still wasn't as swift and effortless as his manipulation of ice. Additionally, there was the issue of his mental block, which occasionally hindered his ability to use his flames. Just because he had decided to move on from his past didn't mean that the painful memories didn't resurface from time to time. That was also why he struggled to have a normal conversation with his father. Whenever he looked at his father's face, all the negative memories flooded back, but...
'I think it's fine if you really hated him, but you're a kind person. That's why it seems like you're waiting,' Izuku's words echoed in his mind. Ever since he heard those words, Shoto had been devoting a lot of time to contemplating them.
"Nice quirk," Endeavor complimented as he flew to Aizawa's side. "It's not too late to become my sidekick."
"No thanks. I need to take care of my lousy students," Aizawa replied with an annoyed expression on his face.
Endeavor smirked briefly in response, but his attention quickly shifted as another horde of Nomus charged towards them.
"Well, Eraser Head, the offer still stands," Endeavor said. "Becoming my sidekick has numerous benefits, you know."
"No thanks," Aizawa immediately declined his offer. "The media attention you receive alone is enough reason to turn down your offer, not to mention a multitude of other reasons that I'm sure you don't want to hear."
The scene shifted, and now we find ourselves with the students who are assisting in the evacuation of civilians from the city. In addition, a procession of ambulances that had departed from the hospital can be seen moving along the road, one after another.
Uraraka, observing the passing vans, began, "Deku, that's-"
"Yeah. I think it's carrying people evacuated from the hospital," Izuku finished her sentence, his gaze following the procession of ambulances as more of them passed by.
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a beeping communicator. "Calling all logistical support teams," Burnin's voice resounded through the comms. "Team Endeavor is engaging the villain inside the hospital."
"There really was a villain..." Izuku muttered to himslef.
"That's an understatement," Kendo said in a bitter voice. "There is an entire army of Nomus there."
"And so are brave heroes, my friend," Ibara reassured her. "I have faith in them that they will be victorious."
"Town hall has sent an evacuation advisory to the phones of nearby residents," Burnin continued over the coms. "Start evacuating your assigned areas!"
"R-Right!" Izuku quickly responded to Burnin's directive, then turned his attention to his fellow Provisional Heroes. "Iida, Todoroki!" he called out.
"Yeah, we heard it, too," Todoroki replied.
"Todoroki... I was just trying to rally everyone up," Izuku said, forcing a strained smile.
"I see," Todoroki replied, maintaining his usual stoic stare.
Then we see Bakugo walk into the scene while grumbling, "Damn it! Why do I have to help with evacuation? Let me at a villain!"
"Now, now, Bakugo! Where are you going?" Iida attempts to reprimand him, but Bakugo simply walks off, disregarding the reprimand.
Next, Bakugo approaches a house and vigorously rings the bell, his voice booming as he yells, "Hey, you! They said to evacuate! Didn't you see the message on your phone?! Huh?!"
"I'll go around to the condos with Iida," Izuku quickly relayed his plan to Uraraka. "You guys go to the houses." After receiving confirmation from her, he swiftly took off, joining Iida.
"I really should have left Iida with Kacchan and asked Uraraka or Tsu to accompany me instead," Izuku said with a tired sigh.
"What was that, nerd? If you have a problem with me, say it to my face," Bakugo yelled at Izuku.
"No, he's right," Iida said, shaking his head in disappointment. "You shouldn't yell at people who are already troubled and confused due to this sudden evacuation."
"Four eyes..." Bakugo grumbled.
"So unrefined," Jeanist commented. "Bakugo, you really need to work on your people skills."
"I'll do whatever the hell I want," Bakugo shot back.
Going back to the hospital we see Crust and other heroes advancing through the dark corridor.
'Hm? Each of these rooms is like a Nomu hangar?' Crust thought to himself without stopping his feet. Then he noticed an empty passage behind the hangers. 'Hmm? A passage! This is how they went out back! It wasn't from the morgue!' His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as a horde of Nomus blocked their path. 'Hmmm?! They're all common soldiers. Poor things!' he mused, noticing the color of the Nomus. Focusing his resolve, he activated his quirk, generating shields on his hands, and charged towards the Nomus while thinking, 'Sorry, but I'll defeat you! So that we can catch the ringleader up ahead!'
"There are still so many of them," Mt. Lady said in an annoyed voice. "I know Crust can easily handle them but still even after all the Nomus that Mirko, Endeavor, and other heroes have destroyed, there are still so many of them.
Returning to the underground lab, the scene unfolds with Mirko in hot pursuit of Garaki, who was desperately fleeing for his life.
"First, I'll figure out if you're real!" Mirko exclaimed as she relentlessly pursued him.
"I'm real! I'm the real one!" Garaki pleaded in a fanatic voice, tears streaming down his face.
"I'll know once I kick you!" Mirko retorted, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, while Garaki's cries only grew louder.
"You're really enjoying this, huh?" Ryukyu said with an amused knowing smile.
"You know me so well, Ru," Rumi said with a wide grin as she flung her arm over Ryukyu's shoulder. "Besides, that bastard has played with so many lives that he deserves everything that is happening to him."
Meanwhile, Bakugo stared at the screen with an unimpressed stare. "Really? This coward is All For One's right-hand man... fucking disappointment."
"Bakugo, I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you," All Might said. "Even if he is a coward, I'm sure he still has something up his sleeve."
"Well, whatever it is, heroes can definitely handle it," Bakugo said dismissively. He was still unconvinced that the doctor posed a significant threat.
Then, we witness a flashback of Garaki engaged in a conversation with Shigaraki, who was dressed in a suit.
"If Dabi had only managed to retrieve Hood..." Garaki said while observing other high ends. "The other little ones are still in the testing stages. With All For One gone, it's hard to produce more."
Suddenly, Izuku's eyes went wide as a thought crossed his mind. 'If that doctor can clone quirks and he has shelves full of them, then why wouldn't he clone All For One as well?' A shiver went down his spine the more he thought about it. What frustrated him the most was that, despite his attempts to deny it, everything he had seen on the screen so far pointed towards that disturbing possibility.
Back in the present, we see Garaki pulling something out of the hidden pocket in his lab coat. "It took Hood ten hours from activation to achieve stability. They're strong enough for a tussle like this, but I'd like at least half a day!"
"Guys, look!" Mineta exclaimed, his finger pointing directly at the screen. "That doctor is retrieving something from his pocket!"
Garaki extracted a device from the hidden pocket, which Mirko noticed. She attempted to kick it out of his hand, but a Tiny Nomu attacked her from behind, causing her to miss her kick and only manage to take his sleeve off.
"Damn it!" Mirko exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice as she forcefully slammed her foot on the ground. "I had almost had that doctor if it weren't for that meddling little freak."
"Mocha!" Garaki exclaimed as the Tiny Nomu began spitting out mud from its ears, similar to Twice's quirk, and started creating a double of Garaki.
However, before it could fully form, Mirko intervened. "This one's got the Double Quirk, huh?" Mirko kicked away the unfinished clone along with the Nomu making it crash on the wall with her foot imprinted on its face.
"Good," Gran Torino stated with a firm nod. "The last thing we need is that creature creating clones when we already have to worry about dealing with Twice and his ability to mass-produce his clone army."
"It's a miracle!" Garaki exclaimed, lying on the ground as he pressed buttons on his device. "I can't believe you used your Quirk without orders!" Power surged around the containers housing the high-end Nomus. "You were protecting me, weren't you? Protecting me..."
"I won't let Mocha's courage go to waste!" Garaki gasped as he lay on the ground, with Mirko landing behind him. "Trample those provoking heroes..." The surging power intensified and finally shattered the containers housing the High-End Nomus, releasing several of them simultaneously. "...my dear High-Ends!"
"Oh no..." Ryukyu exclaimed, her eyes widening with deep concern. Then she turned towards Mirko and said, "Rumi, you need to get out of there. The Nomus in those tanks looks just like the one Endeavor faced... the High Ends. You can't take five of those on your own."
"Chill Ru, I know you are worried about me but trust me I won't bite more than I can chew," Mirko said in a calm voice. "Besides you know I am a tough cookie to crack. These zombies won't even put a dent in me," she said with a cheeky smile.
Mirko heard the sound of shattering containers and swiftly turned around, only to be seized by a High-End Nomu. The powerful creature hurled her upwards, sending her crashing into the scaffolding above.
"You were saying..." Ruykyu glared at Rumi, although her eyes lacked any real heat behind them. Instead, they were filled with genuine worry and concern for her friend, who had found herself in a tough spot.
"This doesn't count," Rumi retorted, her voice tinged with frustration. "Those bastards caught me off guard."
Meanwhile, everyone was worried for Mirko specially Endeavor who knew firsthand what kind of dangerous monster a High-End Nomu was.
"He... He...ro..." one of the High-End Nomus managed to speak with some difficulty. "Yes..." said another Nomu. "Been... long time..." added a third Nomu. "Can go wild... hero..." chimed in the fourth Nomu. "Kill... all... go wild..." concluded the fifth Nomu, as all five of them stood together.
"They possess sentience..." Izuku stated, his voice trailing off as he glanced at Aizawa. "Just like..."
"Kurogiri," Aizawa muttered, his voice low and filled with a mix of sorrow and regret. Mic and Nemuri, too, lowered their gaze.
"And Hood," Endeavor added. "He also exhibited signs of sentience during our fight."
"But despite being a Nomu, Kurogiri's level of intelligence is much higher than theirs," Aizawa said. "He is capable of much more than mere mindless combat."
"Mirko!" Crust arrived at the underground lab.
"Yes!" Kirishima exclaimed. "Now Mirko doesn't have to fight all those Nomus on her own." Unfortunately, his happiness was short-lived as...
Immediately he was greeted by the sight of High-End Nomu flying towards him.
"You're number..." the Nomu exclaimed as it charged towards Crust. "I dunno, but you're Crust!"
'A talking Nomu!' Crust thought as he activated his quirk. "That's right! You're smart." Crust and the Nomu clashed, but suddenly, Crust felt overwhelmed. "Hmm?! Th-This power..." The Nomu's strength was pushing him back.
"Dammit!" Kirishima exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice and actions as he clenched his fist and slammed it into his palm upon witnessing Crust being assaulted as soon as he entered the lab.
"Kirishima, don't get your mood down," FatGum tried to cheer him up. "Try to look at it from a different perspective. Now Mirko has one less Nomu to deal with and once Crust is done dealing with this Nomu he can immediately go help Mirko."
"Right," Kirishima said, his voice brightening as he let a wide smile spread across his face.
Meanwhile, Garaki swiftly made his way towards his electronic chair, clutching two quirk canisters tightly. Sitting down on the chair, he apologized, "Sorry, I couldn't give you enough time." With a sense of reliance, he continued, "I'm counting on you, High-Ends!" Without wasting a moment, Garaki retreated deeper into the lab, leaving the High-End Nomus to carry out their task.
"Shit! That cockroach escaped again," Kamakiri grumbled at the screen. "If I were there, I would have just sliced him in half."
"And what about those Nomus? Do you honestly think your blades can cut through that?" Kaibara asked, half-joking and half-mocking.
"Are you mocking me?" Kamakiri glared at the boy.
"No, no... where did you get that idea?" Kaibara said, waving his hand while trying to suppress his laugh.
"Like I'd let you escape, old man," the camera turns towards Mirko, who is entangled in wires and bleeding from her head, yet still sporting a fearless and feral smile on her face. "This is great. I just got warmed up!" she exclaimed, licking the blood on the corner of her mouth.
"Thank God you're safe..." Ryukyu sighed in relief, seeing Rumi still unharmed and smiling, while Rumi shook her head with an exasperated smile.
Meanwhile...
"Izuku, what's wrong? Your face suddenly turned red," Momo asked.
"N... no, it's nothing," Izuku said, pressing his notebook onto his lap.
"He's not the only one," Jiro said, giving Kaminari a pointed look. "Look around you."
"Huh?" Momo looked around and noticed that almost all the boys and some girls had the same flushed faces, further adding to her confusion.
Meanwhile, Crust found himself being pushed back into the dark corridor by the Chunky High-End Nomu.
"Cramped...!" the Chunky Nomu grumbled as it struggled to navigate through the narrow passage.
"Everyone! There are a number of these up ahead!" Crust shouted, summoning two massive shields and attempting to cut through the Nomu"Mirko is in trouble!"
"You can't take us down with something like that!" the Chunky Nomu retorted, resisting Crust's efforts to overcome it.
"You pitiful living corpse!" Crust exclaimed, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
"Crust is not only a great hero but also an exceptional human being," FatGum said, admiration evident in his voice. "Even in a situation like this, he feels remorse for those creatures."
Upon hearing that, Kirishima's respect and admiration for Crust increased even more
Elsewhere, Garaki's thoughts raced as he tinkered with a peculiar device.
'Nomus are beings created when corpses are bioengineered to have multiple Quirks. However, they have no will, and can only do what they are programmed to do.' Garaki pondered, his fingers dancing across the controls.
He continued his internal narration, 'Based on the number of Quirks they have and how strong they're engineered to be, they're split into lower, middle, and upper tiers.' The scene showcased three different types of Nomus. White = Lower Tier, Grey = Middle Tier, Black = Upper Tier.
"Those White and Grey Nomus are hardly worth mentioning. White ones can be handled by any hero with a decent quirk and combat experience. Grey ones are a bit trickier, but they can still be dealt with with some effort. However, those Black Nomus, those are true threats," Endeavor stated. "And if we don't stop this doctor soon, he will have hundreds of those Black Nomus under his command."
Garaki proceeded to explain further, 'Other than their Quirks, the upper tiers have more than ten times the muscle of an ordinary person,' we are shown the example of USJ Nomu.
'That thing...' As soon as All Might laid eyes on the USJ Nomu, his mind immediately flashed back to one of his most terrifying battles. And no, he wasn't afraid for his own life, but rather the thought of what could have transpired if he had lost that fight. The haunting image of lifeless children and his fellow teachers still occasionally haunts his nights.
'Even higher than them are the highest tier-High Ends. In addition to having specs higher than the upper tier Nomus, they are capable of advanced independent thinking that reflects their personality from when they were alive,' The camera shifted to focus on the Nomus engaged in battle with Mirko and Crust.
'That's why I limited them to villains who had a strong desire to fight.' Garaki manipulated a control panel, displaying a percentage value and detailed statistics of someone's body.
"I think we made the right choice by going to save Bakugo, otherwise..." Shoto said with a serious expression as he stared at Bakugo.
"What the hell are you trying to say Half n' Half?" Bakugo yelled at Shoto.
"Am I wrong?" Shoto tilted his head. "I wasn't calling you a villain but you still fit the personality type they were looking for."
"You... just shut up," Bakugo grumbled, unable to come up with a retort.
'Do you know how much effort I went through just to prepare the materials?' Garaki's hands moved rapidly on the device as he continued his work diligently. 'Artificially moving Quirks is an involved surgery, and on top of that, it takes over three months for a Quirk to stick.'
'Without All For One's power, it's hard to mass produce High Ends. Currently, we just barely have five in the testing stage, including Woman. I'm sorry I left you behind earlier! Please, do your best for me!' Garaki expressed his regret as he remembered the five released Nomus as well as Johnny and Mocha, two tiny Nomus.
"I thought it was some kind of sick joke, but it appears that he genuinely has an affection for those things," Jiro said, her face twisted in disgust.
"That is to be expected, after all, those are his own creations," Ibara added.
"And honestly only someone with few loose screws can think of experimenting on dead people," Mina remarked.
'Now that I've lost Johnny, with Warp, and Mocha, who had Double, Shigaraki and I have lost our means of escape!' Garaki glanced over his shoulder with frightened eyes.
"Finally! Some good news after a long time," Mirio exclaimed, a cheerful smile spreading across his face. However, as he stared at his hand, he couldn't help but think, 'I wish I could have taken part in the raid. I could have easily reached Mirko for backup without any obstacles.' He sighed inwardly, reminding himself, 'But there's no point in lamenting over something beyond my control.'
'In that case, while everyone's doing their best... My masterpiece... ' The screen displayed Shigaraki slumbering inside the Nomu housing tank, showing a progress percentage of 70%. 'Tomura Shigaraki.'
"Masterpiece?" Momo tilted her head in confusion. "What does he mean by that?"
"Hmm... based on what we have seen so far I think it's safe to assume that Garaki is turning Shigaraki into some kind of Nomu," Nezu said.
"So does that mean Shigaraki is going to look like one of those Black Things?" Ochako asked.
"I can't be sure about his appearance but if the housing unit Shigaraki is sleeping in, his body stats on that device, and Garaki's excitement are any indicators he won't be anything less than a High-End Nomu," Nezu explained.
Meanwhile, Izuku shook his head, 'No, it's much worse,' he thought. 'If what I am thinking is true, that means not only Shigaraki will be as strong as a High-End Nomu but will also have All for One running through his body.'
'How am I supposed to fight someone like that?' Izuku's thoughts continued as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. 'I can barely hold 30% One for All right now and even my work on Blackwhip is still in progress. I am not ready for this fight.' His frustration only grew the more he thought about it. 'If only I was better. If only I was strong.'
Suddenly, a soft hand gently squeezed his trembling hand. He turned to his side and saw Momo looking at him with concerned eyes. "Izuku, is everything alright?" she asked in a low voice, audible only to the two of them.
"I..." Izuku was about to say he was okay but hesitated. "No, I don't think I am," he whispered in response.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
Izuku glanced around him and said, 'Maybe later...' Momo nodded in understanding.
Returning to Mirko, still entangled in wires, she felt a twitch in her ear, sensing Garaki's lingering presence. A mischievous grin crept across her face as she realized he had made no attempt to escape.
"You're back there, aren't you?" Mirko leaned forward, her smile turning menacing." Old man, you're staying in one place, not running, huh? I hear a lot of clicking and clacking!"
"Mirko, shouldn't you prioritize the immediate threat in front of you instead of focusing on that doctor?" Iida asked.
"Tell me, kid, what holds more significance? Fighting mindless creatures or halting the mastermind behind them all?" Mirko retorted. "Furthermore, didn't you hear your principal? That doctor is creating another Nomu, possibly even stronger than the ones I'm facing. So tell me, isn't keeping track of that man really important?"
"Yes, I understand," Iida replied, bowing respectfully to Mirko. "I apologize for doubting you."
"H-How can you still move?" the White-haired Nomu stuttered, its voice filled with shock.
"Stop h-her! I will kill her," the Metal-Head Nomu demanded, its metallic voice resonating with menace.
A proud smirk adorned Mirko's face as she witnessed even the High-End Nomus being scared of her.
"I canceled out the impact..." Mirko crouched low and braced her leg, "...with my legs!" With incredible agility, she leaped into the air, defying gravity, and gracefully landed behind the High-End Nomus.
"Idiot! I'm getting the old man first!" Mirko declared as she sprinted towards Garaki's location, her legs propelling her with speed.
'I wonder what kind of feats I could achieve with some additional training,' Tsu pondered to herself. She was aware that her quirk wasn't "Rabbit," but even frogs were capable of doing remarkable things.
The High-Ends behind her attempted to intercept Mirko. The first was a Nomu with an antennae-like head, attacking with its antennae, but Mirko swiftly dodged its assaults. Then she was intercepted by a Nomu with an Elephant Trunk, but she skillfully evaded its attack and altered her path. As she continued, she encountered the White-Haired Nomu, which she swiftly dodged, only to find herself once again facing the Trunk Nomu.
The Trunk Nomu launched an attack at Mirko with its trunk, but she countered it with her legs, creating some distance between them. "Trample her. Th-Th-That was the order!" exclaimed the Antennae Nomu as it launched its antennae, which transformed into multiple spikes aimed at Mirko. She narrowly dodged the spikes, barely avoiding them by a hair's breadth, but her hands got caught between them.
Taking advantage of the situation, the White-Haired Nomu and Trunk Nomu launched a coordinated attack on Mirko, approaching her from both the front and back.
"Watch out!" Ryukyu exclaimed, tightly gripping Rumi's hand.
"Don't worry, I've got this," Rumi reassured in a calm voice.
However, "Like hell, I will!" Mirko said, not losing her smile. With her incredible leg strength, she countered the attack by performing a cartwheel, simultaneously delivering powerful kicks to both Nomus' heads. Her precise moves knocked them down, while also freeing her hands in the process. Unfortunately, she incurred a cut on her hand as a result.
"Got 'em. But not enough," Mirko said as we are shown the amount of damage she had done to White-Hired Nomu and Trunk Nomu. "Dumb bastards! Outta the way!
"Amazing..." Izuku muttered to himself as he stared at Mirko on the screen. He was so mesmerized by the way her legs moved that he couldn't take his eyes off her, especially now that he was focusing on switching his fighting style. However, what hindered him was the fact that despite developing and almost perfecting his shoot style, he still had to consciously switch to using his legs during fights. But he knew that he needed to change that and mix and match his fighting style. Especially after the summer camp, he couldn't stress his hands any more than he already had, and now he had found someone to be inspired by, just like he had been by All Might.
The Antennae Nomu persisted in its assault, but Mirko's agility allowed her to swiftly evade, dodge, and dismantle the spikes launched by the Nomu. As Mirko soared through the air, the Antennae Nomu responded by creating a formidable armor of sharp and sturdy bones around itself.
'Damm it! Where are we?' Endeavor thought. He was getting frustrated seeing Mirko having to deal with four High-Ends on her own and on top of that she wasn't getting a single second to catch her breath, going from fighting one Nomu to another.
She proceeds to go after the Antennae Nomu, however, without warning, the Metal-Head Nomu unleashed its Spatial Distortion Quirk, causing Mirko's left arm to undergo a painful and complete twisting.
"Oh no..." Ryukyu uttered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Your arm, Rumi... your arm."
"It's okay, it's just-" Mirko attempted to reassure her, but...
"No, it's not!" Ryukyu snapped at her.
"Alright..." Rumi sighed, rubbing her left arm. "Yes, I'm horrified seeing my left arm contorted in such an inhuman manner, and it's likely I will lose it. But look at those kids," Rumi said, pointing towards the students who were gazing at the screen with horror, concern, and tears streaming down their faces. "Ru, they're witnessing the real dangers that come with this profession, this commitment to saving others while putting our own lives on the line. That's why I can't break right now, not in front of them."
"Fine, but we're definitely going to have a conversation about your recklessness later," Ryukyu remarked, pouting slightly as Rumi nodded, wearing a smile.
As the Metal-Head Nomu observed her relentless movement, it uttered, "Sh-She keeps moving..." while continuing to twist her arm.
"Of course, you jerk. Mirko is still moving because she's a fucking badass!" Setsuna cheered loudly, using strong language that prompted Ibara to scold her.
"Owwww!" Mirko gritted her teeth, enduring the excruciating pain as she unleashed her Luna Fall attack, obliterating the Antennae Nomu encased in bone armor.
"Hell yeah!" the cheers echoed throughout the auditorium as Mirko crushed the Antennae Nomu.
"You know, watching this makes me want to intern under Mirko so bad," Nejire exclaimed.
"Look at that, Rumi. You're even stealing my interns now," Ryukyu remarked playfully, sporting a smile. "But luckily, you don't take interns, so I'm safe for now."
"Well, I may not take interns currently, but who said I won't take one or two in the future," Rumi retorted with a smirk of her own.
Despite the blood continuing to pour from her twisted arm, she immediately rushed towards the Meral-Head Nomu and wrapped her legs around his head. "Guys who suddenly attack from far away..." Mirko said with her signature grin and murderous eyes. "are always weak at close combat!"
"Because they're damn cowards, that's why," Bakugo retorted.
"But Bakugo, don't you have a bunch of long-range attacks as well?" Kaminari asked.
"Shut up, Dunce Face! No one asked you," Bakugo snapped at him.
The Metal-Head Nomu's eyes glowed ominously, indicating an impending attack. "Time to die," the Nomu declared, launching a powerful energy beam towards Mirko. However, she skillfully evaded the attack by leaning back, narrowly avoiding the beam.
"I must say, first was that Spatial Distortion Quirk, and now these leaser eyes. Where is this doctor getting all these powerful quirks from?" Edgeshot asked.
"If I had to guess, I would say that All for One and Garaki had been amassing these quirks over the two centuries especially to make these kinds of abominations," Nezu explained. "Furthermore, before All Might began dismantling his empire, All for One had eyes everywhere, so it's no surprise that he managed to accumulate so many unique and powerful quirks."
Seizing the opportunity, Mirko twisted around Nomu's body, utilizing her formidable leg strength. With a swift and decisive motion, she cleanly tore its head off and forcefully smashed it into the ground, with her Ultimate move, "Luna Tijeras."
A hush fell over the auditorium as everyone directed their attention to the screen, experiencing a mix of shock, admiration, and fascination while watching Mirko. Some were outright terrified of the Ribbit Women and the said women looked proud of the move she just pulled.
Then after a few minutes of silence...
"Maybe I can pull off something like that too," Izuku muttered. Normally, his words would have been lost amidst the background noise, but in the complete silence, they caught everyone's ears, causing all eyes to turn towards him.
"Young Midoriya... why would you want to learn something like that?" All Might asked.
"Well, it's nice to have a variety of tricks in your arsenal, right?" Izuku replied, growing increasingly flustered by the sudden attention on him.
"That's true, my boy, but that move—" All Might began to say, but...
"What's the matter with that, old man?" Mirko interjected. "You find something strange about my ultimate move?"
"Mirko, there's nothing wrong with your move, but Midoriya is still a kid and a first-year student. He definitely doesn't need a killing move just yet," Aizawa responded on behalf of All Might.
"Sure, Eraser. These kids are old enough to participate in these missions, but definitely too young to have a killing move," Rumi added with a mocking smirk, while Aizawa maintained his stern gaze.
Once the headless Nomu fell to the ground... "I guess I can't ignore this and still do my job..." Mirko said as she used her hair to tightly wrap up her completely severed arm, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.
"It's completely gone..." someone in the audience murmured, observing the state of Mirko's severed arm.
"Idiot... no you can't ignore your bleeding arm," Ryukyu said in a heavy voice.
Meanwhile, Rumi continued to rub her own left arm, as her on-screen counterpart was shown without that limb. However, she thought to herself, 'Well, at least my legs are fine. As long as I have them, I can still kick some ass.'
"You little-, H-H-How dare you!" White-Haired Nomu growled menacingly as Antennae Nomu and Trunk Nomu were standing beside her completely regenerated.
"Damn regeneration, it's a real pain in the ass," Gran Torino grumbled as he observed the regenerated Nomus.
"If I can put an end to you by crushing your heads, then you're easier to deal with than some random villains," Mirko declared as she rose to her feet. "I live every day expecting to die so that I won't have any regrets even if I do die," She tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing a wide grin on her face. "But the zombies like you won't be able to kill the hero, Mirko!" With a flick of her tongue, she licked the blood off her lips.
"That's right, girl," Mirko exclaimed with a wide, confident grin. "Show those freaking zombies who the real boss is."
Meanwhile, at the Police HQ, a flurry of reports from various battlefields flooded in.
"The Garaki we captured looks to be a fake." "The Garaki that Mirko is chasing appears to be the real one!" "Endeavor is engaged in fighting Nomus on the group floor." "A number of High Ends have been confirmed."Team Edge Shot is about to begin the clean sweep of Gunga Villa."
Now we go to Gunga Villa where Team Edgeshot is about to begin their raid on the PLF's hideout. But for now, we go to their rear guard where students from Class 1A and 1B are waiting for their orders.
"Guys, we're going to watch our team," Mina exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. "And Kaminari~," she added, teasingly. "Best of luck on the front lines."
"Why do you have to remind me?" Kaminari groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"It's almost time. Stand up, Grape Juice," Sero said to Mineta, who was sitting on the rock.
"Why?" Mineta asked. "The rear guard's job is to catch those that get by the advance guard. In other words, it'd be insulting the pros in the advance guard if we seem too eager."
"Stand up," Sero said with a deadpan stare.
"It has begun," the Hero who was overseeing them remarked.
"Just like that?!" Mineta exclaimed, shocked by the nonchalant response.
"Why!?" Mineta cried out. "Why does this video have to make fun of me?"
"Mineta, it's not the video that's making fun of you. It's your actions that are," Sero remarked.
A few meters away from this commotion, Jiro inserted her jack into the ground while Momo stood behind her. "It's moving..." Jiro whispered, sensing the signals through her jacks.
"So it begins..." Momo whispered to herself. For some reason, she had a nagging sense of unease since they started watching, but she attributed it to her lingering paranoia from her previous failures.
"An unprecedented number of heroes has gathered for this. Nevertheless, you should not lose focus," the overseeing hero offered words of encouragement. "To put it another way, the enemy is so strong that we had to gather this many heroes," he concluded, instilling a sense of determination in the students.
"Don't encourage them too much, or they'll start running towards the villain's hideout themselves," Aizawa said with a hint of sarcasm, while Mic giggled next to him.
"Tokoyami will probably be fine, but what about Kaminari?" Jiro asked, concern evident on her face.
Momo placed a comforting hand on Jiro's shoulder and reassured her, "I'm sure he'll be alright," accompanied by an understanding nod.
"Aww~ Jiro, you are worried about him?" Toru asked in a teasing voice while Mina's eyes already held a predatory glint to them.
"I mean just look at him," Jiro quickly diverted the attention on her by pointing at Kaminairi. "Don't you think, all of us should be worried about him?"
"That's also true I guess," Toru said and nodded in agreement.
Returning to Team Edgeshot - the Advance Guard, we witnessed a significant number of heroes, including Mt. Lady, Joke, Gang Orca, Fat Gum, and Midnight, along with students like Kaminari and Tokoyami, rushing towards the PLF's hideout led by Edgeshot.
Edgeshot stared at the screen with intense eyes. He knew that he was leading one of the most crucial missions of his life, and from what he has seen so far failure was simply not an option. The fate of their nation hinged on the success of this mission, and he was determined to do whatever it took to ensure their victory.
"I'm so nervous...! This is scary!" Kaminari exclaimed in a frightened voice. "I-I want to be with everyone else!" he screamed, his face contorted in a comical expression.
"Hey, is there a hole nearby where I can bury myself?" Kamianiri asked, with a flushed face.
"Don't worry, buddy. You're digging one for yourself on the screen," Sero snickered to himself.
"You consented to this before we started," Midnight said as she ran alongside Kaminari.
"That was, well, I didn't want to refuse in front of everyone!" Kaminari responded, his face displaying signs of stress. "I didn't want to show my shameful side to them..."
"We need your power," Midnight said, her eyes lowered in shame. "Think of it as helping some useless adults."
"No, I don't think of adults as useless!" Kaminari replied, his face taking on a comical expression.
Kaminari's face flushed even more as he mumbled, "Great, just what I needed... more embarrassment."
Meanwhile, Yu asked Nemuri, "Do you really think it was the right choice to bring him here? From the looks of it, he doesn't seem like he wants to be here."
"Don't worry, I have faith in him. He will definitely perform his role perfectly on the front lines," Nemuri said, glancing at Kaminari.
"Kaminari," Tokoyami called out to him. "During the school festival, I realized something while playing the guitar with you. You're an amazing guy."
"It's no good if you praise my guitar-playing now," Kaminari responded, his eyes welling up with tears.
"That's not what I was trying to say," Tokoyami said with a tired sigh, while Dark Shadow patted him on the back.
Finally, the heroes reached the Villa, with Cementoss leading the charge. He swiftly slid to a stop on his knees, firmly planted his hands on the ground, and activated his quirk, unleashing a powerful wave of cement directed towards the Villa.
'Oh...' a grin appeared on Nezu's face as he witnessed Cementoss using his quirk. 'Today, these kids will see what their Modern Literature teacher is truly capable of.'
"An enemy attack?!" Inside the Villa, Skeptic maneuvered through crowds of people, his fingers dancing frantically on the keyboard of his laptop.
"Bubaigawara! Now you've done it!" Skeptic exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the camera feed, desperately searching for Twice. "Where'd you go? Damn it!"
"We're in trouble now!" Skeptic exclaimed, his mind racing with the recollection of the conversation between Hawks and Twice about Shigaraki. He had been monitoring them closely from his surveillance room. "After that, I made sure to watch Hawks closely. There was not a single thing that seemed off about what he did! He tricked me!" Anger and panic flickered in Skeptic's eyes. "It wasn't my fault. It's Bubaigawara's..."
A smirk appeared on Hawks's face as he heard how easily he had fooled someone who was constantly monitoring him. However, he also felt concerned about the extent to which he had to go to make this act believable. What lines had he crossed to gain their trust? Nevertheless, there was no point in worrying about that now. What mattered the most was that he had successfully managed to warn the heroes before the PLF could launch their attack on the nation.
"The heroes are coming!" Skeptic exclaimed in a frenzied voice. Just at that moment, the front of the Villa was torn open, courtesy of Cementoss's quirk.
"The concrete is surging!" one of the members said as Cementoss kept tearing the Villa apart.
"You know, with all these flashy quirks around, it's quite easy to forget how strong Cementoss sensei can be," Izuku said as he scribbled something in his notebook. "Especially in cities or mansions like these, where cement is present in almost all the buildings and structures."
"The meeting's canceled! Relay this to the assembly hall!" Skeptic shouted urgently. "Violet, Black, to the front! They're coming head-on! From the entryway! Brown come out, too! Carmine, stay in the assembly hall!"
"They got us, huh, Mr. Skeptic?" upon hearing a strong voice, Skeptic turned around and laid eyes on a man with a prominent scar across his forehead, a lightning streak in his hair, and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He walked toward Skeptic, exuding an air of arrogance and confidence, sporting a smug smirk on his face. "Let's flip the switch," he said, igniting the cigarette in his mouth with a flicker of blue sparks.
Shoto's eyes went wide as soon as the villain on the screen used sparks to light his cigarette, and he quickly started a new chapter in his theory book titled 'Kaminari - PLF Villain, Related?'
As Cementoss continued to relentlessly demolish the Villa from the outside, its structure continued to crumble. In one of the rooms, Toga, Compress, and Spinner experienced the reverberations of the destruction. In a nearby corridor, Geten sprinted towards the entrance, while Dabi nonchalantly glanced in their direction, carrying on with his leisurely stroll as if nothing of significance was occurring.
"This Dabi guy is really weird," Endeavor thought out loud. "He doesn't even look remotely bothered by heroes attacking their base. Also, that Doctor wanted Dabi to retrieve Hood back with him, but from my brief interaction with him at that time, he didn't seem particularly interested in that either. Instead, he was weirdly focused on taunting me."
"Maybe he hates other fire users," Hawks suggested. "Perhaps he wants to prove himself as the best fire user in the nation."
"That sounds stupid," Endeavor dismissed Hawks's suggestion without even glancing at him. "There's definitely more to this than meets the eye." Then he remembered Dabi's words, 'I'm sure we'll have time to talk someday. Until then... do your best. Don't die, Enji Todoroki.' 'I don't know who you are or what you want from me, but next time we meet I'll be prepared to take you down... Dabi,' Endeavor thought as he clenched his fist.
Finally, the tremors ceased as Cementoss stopped using his quirk, leaving behind a massive rift in the center of the building. "L-Look! Th-That's-" As the dust settled, the villains caught sight of a vast gathering of heroes rapidly approaching them.
"You know, this is exactly how I imagine villains' nightmares to look like," Setsuna giggled to herself.
"Don't let a single one of them get away!" Edgeshot, who was leading the charge, declared. "Those guys will put their lives on the line to accomplish their goal! If we let even one person escape, they'll threaten someone somewhere! Attack to protect!"
Edgeshot in the audience leaned slightly forward, his eyes focused on the screen, ready to see where this operation goes from here.
The heroes surged forward towards the Villa, with Kaminari appearing utterly bewildered amidst them. "Chargebolt!" Midnight called out, catching up to him. "If it's too hard to imagine 'protecting someone, somewhere,' then put what's most important to you right now in your heart."
"Right now..." Kaminari muttered, his mind racing as he pondered. Suddenly, he abruptly halted and spun around. The camera panned back, focusing on the rear guard, eventually settling on Jiro.
"Shit!" Jiro muttered to herself, her cheeks flushed as she felt the mischievously predatory eyes of her friends all around her.
Meanwhile, Denki wondered if he should really start digging a hole right under his seat because he was so embarrassed that he had trouble looking at anything or anyone that wasn't the floor underneath him.
"Do your best, Chargebolt," Jiro encouraged. The scene shifted back to Kaminari, who clenched his fist, recalling Midnight's words: 'If it's too hard to imagine 'protecting someone, somewhere,' then put what's most important to you right now in your heart.'
"Sooooo~ Jiro," Mina said in a teasing tone. "Do you know why Kaminari thought about you when he heard Midnight-sensei's words?"
"Why are you asking me this? How should I know?" Jiro retorted, her face still flushed with embarrassment.
"Really now~?" Toru joined in the teasing as well.
Meanwhile...
"Dude! Tell me, how did you get a girl to cheer for you?" Mineta asked, shaking Kaminari, who suddenly found the palms of his hands more interesting than other people's faces around him.
Then, by a stroke of luck, Kaminari and Jiro's eyes met, and immediately both of them looked away, their faces turning red with huge blushes.
Meanwhile, the scarred villain, still smoking, emerged from the Villa, wearing the same arrogant and confident smirk on his face. "This happened because we were waiting for Shigaraki. We should just start," he said and brought out a Taser from his pocket. "the liberation and the revolution!"
"The vice commander's using that! Don't get caught in it! Retreat!" one of the villains warned, witnessing the arrogant man tasing himself with a Taser.
"Numbers are meaningless against my Quirk," the arrogant man proclaimed as electricity crackled and surged around him. "Amplivolt amplifies and releases! My Quirk reigns supreme as the strongest!"
"Ah! So that's why they needed Kaminari on the frontlines," Izuku said.
"Oh! Have you reached the same conclusion?" Momo asked excitedly.
"Yeah, it's easy to figure out once you see this villain's quirk in action," Izuku replied.
"So you two know why Kaminari is there?" Ochako asked. "Can you please tell me?"
Izuku and Momo shared a glance, then smiled at Ochako, and said, "No, we don't want to spoil your fun."
"A wide-range attack, huh?" Edgeshot acknowledged, but he did not halt his advance.
Upon hearing Edgeshot's comment, Kaminari swiftly comprehended his role and purpose. Determined, he quickly maneuvered his way to the front of the charge.
"Dude, why are you going to the front?" Sero asked, looking genuinely worried for his friend. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"Me too, buddy, me too," Kaminari replied, equally concerned about his on-screen self.
"Kaminari, I know," Tokoyami responded, his mind drifting back to a memory from the cultural festival.
"Ow..." Kaminari winced in pain as he accidentally pricked his finger on the guitar string.
"Shall we stop for the day?" Tokoyami asked, sitting in front of Kaminari, also holding a guitar.
"Naw, we can do a little more," Kaminari replied. "That Jiro... She seems embarrassed about it, but she really loves music, you know? Don't you wanna make it great for her?" he exclaimed, sporting a radiant smile.
'Idiot, you didn't need to push yourself that hard for me,' Jiro thought while playing with her ear jacks, but there was no heat in those words. Instead, she had a small smile and a faint blush adorning her face.
Back in the present, Tokoyami observed Kaminari's determined stride as he sprinted towards the front of the charge. Thoughts filled Tokoyami's mind as he silently admired his friend, thinking, "You are someone who thinks of his friends from the bottom of his heart."
"Tokoyami, do you really mean that?" Kaminari asked, his eyes welling up with tears.
"Indeed, my friend. There are no lies or deception in my words," Tokoyami replied, as Dark Shadow gave a thumbs up from his side.
Chargebolt adjusted his glasses and ran forward. Meanwhile, the scarred villain, enveloped in a shroud of crackling blue electricity, readied himself to unleash an attack.
The scarred villain exhaled cigarette smoke and initiated his assault, proclaiming, "Supreme Discharge..." He discharged torrents of electricity, directing them towards the heroes.
"Here it comes..." Izuku said, leaning forward in anticipation, readying his pen to capture all the details he could notice.
However, in the midst of the chaos all of his electricity is absorbed into a single point.
"Huh? What the hell is going on?" someone in the audience asked, but immediately they all got their answer, and that answer made them grin from ear to ear.
"Wh-What?!" the scarred villain exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief as he witnessed his discharged electricity... "The electricity's getting sucked up?!" by none other than Chargebolt.
"Yes! Rendering one leader powerless, complete!" Chargbolt exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face as he continued to absorb the electricity. Tokoyami and Midnight watched him with expressions of pride. "In order to keep the guys in the back from worrying, let's finish this up quickly, everyone!" His smirk grew increasingly confident with each watt of electricity he absorbed.
The cheers rang throughout the auditorium as students congratulated and praised Kaminari for his contribution to the mission. Meanwhile, the boy in question wore a small smile on his face, his cheeks flushed from all the praise he was receiving. But then...
"Sparky... that was really cool," Jiro said, her face turning crimson.
"Really?" Kaminari beamed at her.
"I'm not repeating myself," Jiro averted her eyes. "But yes, you looked really cool just now."
Kaminari's smile grew even wider as he raised his fist in the air. "Awesome!"
To be continued...
Note:- I really wished we had a name for the villain with a really cool design that Kaminari countered in this episode.