I'm sure you guys noticed, but there's a theme with these chapters. They all start with "Cr". Why?
…Fuck if I know! It just sounded cool.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
"Ooooh~" Toga's warped voice giggled. "I like this…"
Animo grinned. "Well...what do you know?"
Ochako reverted back to human, and clutched her bleeding knee. Tsu rushed over, ripping off the sleeve of her shirt to act as a bandage. Toga walked forward, her burning left hand touching her face.
"Wooooow~ Everything feels so great and warm~" Toga hiccuped, clearly ecstatic by this turn of events. "I never expected such a fuzzy feeling inside…"
"How did she…how did she do that?" Tsu asked.
"Allow the intellectual to explain!" Animo said, awkwardly trying to roll his head towards the girls. "Toga's quirk allows her to consume blood and transform into that person for a short time."
Ochako made a face. "And it turns out it's not just limited to humans."
"I had hypothesized the idea, but I was curious- hence why I fought you out here to test the theory." Animo said.
"You're a mad scientist! Why didn't you just get…alien blood from somewhere?" Ochako asked.
"I needed a live sample! God. Teens these days, so undereducated." Animo rolled his eyes.
"Your head is in a jar. You have no high ground here." Ochako said, standing back up.
Toga turned around, and glared at a tree behind her. "Oh yeah..." She pointed her finger forward, and launched a powerful fireball that easily destroyed a branch. Toga laughed as splinters of wood flew everywhere.
"Interesting! She seems to have the ability to replicate the alien's powers just outside of appearances. It could be caused by the vastly different morphology of the form." Animo hummed, as he watched Toga make a big fireball in her hand.
Toga threw the fireball, and it easily flew through the other trees. Toga laughed maniacally, as a fire started to spread. Ochako looked down at the watch- damn it, it was on recharge mode.
"Okay, Tsu- I think now's the time we make a run for it..." Ochako muttered, as the fire grew larger and larger.
"A-agreed." Tsu said, as the two quietly crept away. Toga was just staring at the fire, admiring it. When they felt it was safe, Tsu and Ochako turned into the forest and ran towards what they hoped was safety.
Then they got the second announcement.
"We've identified one of the villain's objectives!" Mandalay mentally announced. "They're after the student named Bakugou! Bakugou Katsuki! Avoid battle at all costs! Don't make any moves alone! Everyone got that!?"
"Bakugou?" Tsu asked. "What do they want with him?"
"I-I dunno! But..." Ochako clenched her fist. "Tsu. We need to find Bakugou before they do, and get him to safety."
Tsu's face became worried. "But the adults-"
"The Pros are probably dealing with the BIGGER threats! Toga and Animo are probably just appetizers." Ochako said. "Who knows what Bakugou is facing?!"
Back with Toga and Animo, Toga watched the flames spread. Dabi would've been so proud to see this pyromaniac side of her.
"It's so...beautiful~" Toga grinned, before turning around. She was disappointed to see that her new friends had run.
"Aww! I wanted to play some more." Toga huffed.
"Forget that," Animo said, awkwardly hopping over. "Your unique powers is proof that my greatest invention can become reality."
Toga's face lit up. "Reeeeeallly?" Toga said, picking up Animo's face with her good hand.
"Yes, yes." Animo nodded. "I promise you- the building process for a prototype will start as soon as we finish this mission."
Toga grinned. "Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~!"
The announcement from Mandalay said that they needed to protect themselves from the villains. Not beat them. That was a good guideline, and showed what sort of a person Aizawa was. He wanted to keep his students out of harm's way.
But what if one villain was just asking for a fight?
"Come on, Iida!" Kirishima yelled. "We have to go back and find Bakugou!"
"Are you kidding!?" Iida scolded him. "We're not going into that mess. And I'm not going to have you break from the path like Midoryia did!"
"But he's the target-! And that dude with the suit-!" Sero said.
"I've seen Bakugou walk away nearly unscathed from a battle with All Might. He can handle himself quite okay. And he's with Todoroki!" Iida added.
"And are you sure Bakugou didn't ditch him when the time came?" Ojiro asked.
Iida paused.
"...Okay, so that COULD be a possibility, but let's remain happy campers." Iida countered.
"THERE'S NOTHING HAPPY ABOUT THIS!" Kirishima yelled back.
Iida was trying to keep the students from rushing into the fires like he did, back in Hosu. The encounter with Stain had left a mark, and the further incidents at I-Island made him even more wary. Truth be told, he'd love to go out and rescue everyone- but he just wasn't equipped for it. They had no supplies, no masks to stop the gas, no armor or first aid. If they rushed into that forest, it would be like fighting an army with no ammo.
"Kirishima! If it makes you feel better, Uraraka is ALSO in the woods!" Iida yelled. "She can help."
Kirishima frowned. "Okay, NOW I feel a bit better."
"Wait, how is Uraraka being in the woods a good thing?" Ojiro asked.
Kirishima paused. "She…has great survival skills!"
"I'm not sure frugality is a survival skill." Ojiro said.
Iida was about to add something to the conversation, but then something flew overhead. He looked up to see Fistrick, in his stupid power suit. He made a sharp turn, and landed in front of the group. Iida slid to a stop, and put his hands up to stop everyone.
"Crap, he followed us." Kirishima said, hardening a fist.
"We may need to fight after all." Sero frowned.
"No! No fighting!" Iida demanded. "I don't want anyone getting hurt."
"Too late for that, bro." Fistrick smirked. "I saw your boy earlier. That green haired nerd- kid looks like he's a dead man running."
Iida's face fell. "Midoriya?"
"Something tells me he had a nasty run in with one of my bros." Fistrick said. "Probably Hamstrings."
"...I kinda hate how this guy talks." Ojiro grimaced.
"Shut it, tail bro." Fistrick frowned.
"That wasn't clever." Ojiro huffed.
Iida adjusted his glasses. Looking at Fistrick's orange spray painted armor up close, it looked oddly familiar. The distinct chest piece that extended over the shoulders. The specific ports on the arms for something to poke through. His pupils shrank.
"You fiend." Iida said, as Fistrick smirked.
"I knew you'd notice."
"Iida, what's wrong?" Kirishima said. "You were just trying to play mediator a second ago-"
"Look at his armor, Kirishima. You may not recognize it…but I do." Iida said, with rage in his eyes. "Just who the hell do you think you are!?"
"Now's a good time for some intros." Fistrick said. "Name's Fistrick. I'm what you call a 'great artist'."
"I don't think juggalos produce good music, guy." Sero frowned.
"Not like that, you elbow taped freak." Fistrick frowned.
"Harsh." Sero deadpanned.
"Anyways- good artists borrow, great artists steal. I steal all sorts of tech, and give it a good ol' garage fix up." Fistrick slammed his hand on his chest. "This right here is from-"
"The Ingenium private armory collection." Iida fumed. Everyone suddenly realized what Iida was so mad about.
"What? It's not like your brother's using this." Fistrick smirked. The group was already holding Iida back, so he wouldn't snap and get injured. "Tennyson and I go way back. We're just here to punch his successor in the gut, steal a kid, and wreak some havoc. Pretty simple."
"Tennyson's successor?" Koda asked.
"Oh, yeah- you kids didn't know that part. Whatever. I'm sure your big, smart academic brains can figure that out." Fistrick said. "It's not that hard."
Kirishima frowned. "So, why'd you follow us?"
"Well, truth be told…I just wanna bash some heads in. So, I'll make you a deal. One of you stays behind, fights me, and the rest of you run off to your little safe space.?" Fistrick smirked.
"Deal."
Everyone stared at Iida's back. He stood up tall, and turned to face his companions. "Don't even think of running off the path. If I find out that any of you got hurt as bad as Midoriya-" Iida clenched his fist and shook it.
"What? Are you fighting to protect your brother's name or whatever?" Fistrick said.
"No. I'm fighting to make sure your ugly mug doesn't besmirch the name of Ingenium for good." Iida said.
"BESMIRCH!? Oh, kid, this is gonna be a goddamn mosh pit," Fistrick smirked, readying himself for battle.
"Go." Iida said, as Kirishima led the other boys back to the safe house. Iida watched them run, and looked around.
"Alright, kid. This is gonna be fun." Fistrick grinned. Iida looked at Fistrick's back- the five canisters on the back of the suit probably powered the entire thing. If he could remove those, then Fistrick probably couldn't pursue the others if…
Iida shook his head. No. Don't think about that. I just need to focus on the fight.
Fistrick struck first- he rushed forward, leading with a powerful cross to Iida's chest. Fistrick followed up with an uppercut- Iida stumbled back, wiping some blood from his mouth. Iida smirked.
"That armor is just for preventing crashes." Iida said. "I can still verify your punches are not enhanced."
"Damn, bro. I'm benching 300- I'm shocked your jaw is still attached to your skull." Fistrick smirked.
Iida rushed forward, using his engines to boost his impact. Iida returned Fistrick's punches with a powerful elbow jab to the nose. Fistrick grunted.
"I'm guessing you got rid of the helmet because your mohawk couldn't fit. You're clearly a bigger idiot than I thought." Iida said, kneeing Fistrick in the jaw.
Fistrick stumbled back. "Oh, please. I'm no idiot. Could an idiot make THIS?" Fistrick's canisters started to light up, and a strange yellow aura sparked around his hands. He smirked. "I'm gonna taze you, bro!"
Iida jumped back, avoiding Fistrick's swipe. "How did you find out about the camp!?" He questioned.
"I know a guy!" Fistrick said, chasing after him.
"How did you get your hands on my brother's armor!?" Iida said, dodging another attack.
"I know a guy who KNOWS a guy!" Fistrick yelled, before tackling Iida to the ground. Iida felt his body get electrocuted- 25,000-volts of energy coursed through his body. Every muscle in his body locked up in a tight contraction. He yelled in pain, but found the strength to push Fistrick off of him with his legs. Fistrick flipped over him, and crashed into a tree. Two of the canisters shattered on impact.
Iida stood back up. His body felt like one, great big giant charley horse. Iida took a moment to breathe, as he noticed something strange. The canisters he'd broken were moving. Iida watched them carefully. Iida wasn't sure if this was a trick.
Shockingly, something exploded out of the canister. Iida was stunned to see two small aliens, now freed from the canister. They looked like…living batteries. Mischievous ones too, given that devilish smile. They spoke to each other in some sort of gibberish, before flying off. Iida stood, dumbstruck.
Fistrick growled. "Great. Two of them escaped."
"What the HELL sort of crazy modifications did you make to Tensei's suit!?" Iida demanded.
"My modifications demand high power- no battery on Earth can power the modifications I make. So, I use some cheap aliens from the Alien Auction to power them up. Those were Nosedeenians- pesky bastards." Fistrick said.
"So you have no issues with that!? Using others to fuel yourself?" Iida accused.
"What, like your big shot brother never did that? All those sidekicks did nothing but fuel his ego, if you ask me." Fistrick laughed.
"There's a difference between support and 'stroking one's ego', you inane clown make up wearing DUMBASS!" Iida roared. Fistrick's eyes widened, as Iida breathed heavily.
"Woah, kid. You're on edge."
"OF COURSE I AM! YOU JUST TASED ME!" Iida yelled.
Focus, Tenya! Iida cursed himself. Don't get annoyed at him. He probably wants you off your game so he can strike you down. He plays the role of an oaf so his opponents always underestimate him.
Iida looked around again. He seems eager to prove he's got some sort of strength, so I don't think he has any ranged weapons on hand. Knowing that he has three more of those things is a good comfort, but I'm scared to get near him again. I don't feel like getting shocked again.
Iida dodged a haymaker from Fistrick, and another quick shovel hook. There has to be some other way I can take him on…but that armor comes first! I don't have anything against that. Iida jumped back, giving him some breathing room. Think, Iida! What would Midoriya and Uraraka do?
Iida paused.
He had an idea.
"You know what!? You're not worth my time!" Iida called out. "If a rapscallion like you can't land more than a few punches on me, then what good is this battle!?" Iida was doing his best to tear into his opponents like Bakugou. "A-and, I bet you don't perform well in bed either!"
"BRO, WHAT!?" Fistrick was offended. Iida smirked, before he darted off into the woods.
"Come and get me! If you want to prove me wrong!"
Iida strided through the woods, like a majestic gazelle. While he wished his training was more focused on combat, running the past few days up and down rugged terrain was a welcome change from simple 'running laps' and over obstacle courses. The exercise helped strengthen his muscles, increase oxygen intake, and even cleaned out his mufflers.
Iida turned around to see Fistrick following him. It appears that some aspects of the stolen costume were still unfamiliar to him. Because of Tensei's unusual muffler placement, the speed boosters were centered on the arms. Fistrick had to awkwardly raise his arms up like Tensei as he tried to chase him. The run reminded Iida of one of those strange runs Mineta did in the hallway.
Naruto running, he called it. A poor running technique is what Iida thought it was.
Fistrick growled, as he used the remaining canisters to power up his suit. "Come on! This thing can go faster, right!?"
Fistrick suddenly felt a burst of energy from his arms. Fistrick yelled, blazing past Iida. Iida gasped, before screeching to a halt. He watched as Fistrick struggled to awkwardly maintain any sense of balance, before he smashed into a tree. Iida sighed, shaking his head.
"I'm guessing this suit wasn't properly tested." Iida said, turning left. Eventually, after some more sprinting, Iida reached his location- the girl's bunking area. Iida circled around for the entrance, and walked inside. He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled.
"Here, boy!"
Ship's head popped out of Ochako's bag and eagerly yipped. Iida clapped his hands, and the happy blob scrambled to Iida's feet. It eagerly shook his tail and stretched his head up for pets. Iida chuckled.
"Good thing you're safe, boy." Iida said, scratching his head. "I need your help- some villains got into the camp, and one of them has some nasty armor on. I can't take him down without you…if you do it, I'll buy you the best batteries money can buy."
Ship did an eager flip. Iida smiled.
"I'll take that as a yes," Iida said, picking up Ship. "We're going to have to sneak you in…merge with my watch until I can get close enough."
Ship nodded, before merging with Iida's watch. "I promise to reduce my arm motions in this arm to ensure you aren't dizzy." Iida turned, to see Fistrick, storming over. He looked beaten and bruised from the run.
"So! This is where you were heading…" Fistrick said. "What, this your safety spot?"
"I'm not at liberty to say." Iida said. "I can't help but notice how poor your maneuvering skills in that suit are. So, tell me- what do you get out of stealing suits you clearly don't have the skillset to use?"
"Listen- these suits aren't good for anything but tricking out and blowing stuff up. I don't need to be a rocket scientist for this." Fistrick said.
Iida blinked. "So, you have the smarts to make major modifications, but not the patience for reading the manual."
"Bingo, bro."
Iida stared in disbelief. "You really ARE a dumbass!"
Fistrick made a face. "Shut up! This is pure genius! I don't gotta take this crap from you, kid." Fistrick lit up his fists, and Iida took a step back.
Okay- all I need to do is land one blow. One quick blow so I can sneak Ship in. Iida said, preparing a runner's stance. His engines started up, roaring and rumbling. Iida had never heard them make that noise before- maybe his annoyance was influencing his mufflers. Fistrick ran forward, as Iida went all in- he overclocked the engines in his legs, before rushing forward. I have one shot! I can't mess this up, because I'll freeze up after using the boost-
Iida shook his head. NO! Power through and knock him down! Iida raced forward and-
Fistrick smirked. He totally added one more benefit to the suit. Fistrick focused all his energy into his fist, and formed the energy into a blade. Iida's eyes widened, as Fistrick swung his blade-
And cut him across the chest. Fistrick growled- crap, he was aiming to stab him in the chest, not graze it. Iida yelled, as he tumbled to the ground. The wound wasn't deep, but it was still bleeding. Iida took a few deep breaths as he laid on the ground, trying to hold back the tears.
"Aw, sorry kid." Fistrick said, as the blade fizzed away. "Looks like you're not gonna kick me down this time." Fistrick walked forward, crushing Iida's glasses. "Looks like you're down for the count." He grabbed Iida's wrist, and twisted it against his back. Iida hissed in pain.
"You know, for a brat, I gotta admit- your engine makes a very nice purr." Fistrick said, eyes moving down to his calves. "You a car guy? You look like you know your way around one."
Fistrick whistled as he stared at Iida's engines. "You're kidding me. These tiny things were able to boost you that fast? Shoulda known by that sound. Smaller they are, louder they roar. THAT'S compensating, bro."
Iida grit his teeth. "Are you done with the petty insults?"
"As a matter of fact, yeah." Fistrick grinned. "I think it's time I got you back for knocking some cylinders out of my back…"
Iida was confused. "Is this…not getting me ba-ACK!" Iida flinched. Fistrick had gripped his hand around one of his mufflers, and was painfully pulling it out.
"Hope this doesn't hurt, bro. But I need a few of these for my rides!" Fistrick laughed, as he yanked it out. Iida's scream was filled with rage and anguish- removing the mufflers was a dangerous process, and could infect his leg if untreated. Fistrick pinned his legs down so he couldn't move and tossed the muffler away.
"Ah, that one's no good. Got some rust on it." Fistrick taunted. "Lucky number 2…let's see what you got for me." And Fistrick yanked again. For Iida, this was like pulling teeth. Fistrick was enjoying this more than he should.
"Eh, this one's better. Now, few more to go…" Fistrick said, as he wrapped his hand around the next muffler. Then, he felt something hit the ground. "Huh?"
Fistrick looked down to see one of the canisters had blasted off his back, and was now rolling away. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, before the others blasted off his back. His eyes widened, as he felt his back.
"M-my juice!" He yelled, before more and more of his armor started to fall off. Iida smirked, as Fistrick backed away. His armor was off his body, leaving him exposed.
"How the hell did this happen!?" Fistrick yelled. "Did you pull some sneaky bullshit, bro!?"
"While you were busy with that…I had Ship destroy your suit from the inside out." Iida held out his hand, and Ship oozed out of some tech. He cuddled up with Iida's face, trying to comfort him. "While it pains me to wreck an Ingenium model, it gives some satisfaction knowing you're out of it."
"A-A Galvanic Mechmorph dog!? Who's is that?" Fistrick said.
"Shut. Up." Iida said, as he pushed himself off the ground. "I am talking. I also removed the armor because I would rather watch you die horribly than see you desecrate my brother's armor. I feel like this is the more humane option."
Ship slithered to Iida's leg and grabbed some of the loose pieces of armor off the ground. He latched onto the leg, and formed a splint- the splint looked like Iida's hero armor. Fistrick backed away. Despite Iida's bloodied body and Fistrick's superior health, he couldn't help but feel a little…intimidated.
"A-alright, bro. Point made. I know I may have been a bit cruel, but come on!" Fistrick said, putting up his hands.
"Cruel? That word is too small to describe what you villains are willing to do to a child. If the others are just as cruel as you, I fear for my classmates." Iida raised up his leg. "But I can take solace in knowing they'll beat the daylights out of them…just like I am."
Iida sped forward, and smashed his leg into Fistrick's chest. Fistrick went flying into a tree, and winced in pain. That HURT without that protective suit. Fistrick looked up to see Iida, racing at him. Iida slammed his foot into his chest once more.
"YOU!" Iida yelled, as Fistrick slammed into the tree again. "ARE SO!" Iida kicked him into the air. "OBNOXIOUS!"
Iida focused all of his energy into his legs, and propelled himself into the air. Midoriya! I have to apologize, but I need to borrow one of your moves!
Iida would have to thank Izuku- to see him pressing on in the face of danger, against all odds- it inspired him to hold onto the chance of winning this battle. Iida arched his leg back, and took a deep breath. The engines in his right leg flared to life, as he slammed a powerful roundhouse kick right into Fistrick's ugly mug.
"INGENIUM…ST LOUIS SMASH!" Iida yelled, as Fistrick's body slammed into the dirt.
"B-broooooooo…" Fistrick muttered, as he fell unconscious. Iida landed on the ground, breathing heavily. He felt like throwing up.
Ship rushed over, carrying some bandages he'd grabbed from someone's bag. He handed them to Iida.
"T-thank you, Ship." Iida said, slumping against a wall. "Really." Iida took the bandages, and ripped off the tatters of his shirt. He began to awkwardly wrap up his chest wound, taking deep breaths as he did so. His eyes drifted over to the Nosedeenian canisters- the poor guys hadn't broken through them yet.
"Hey, Ship. Can you…bust those aliens out of their canisters?" Iida asked. Ship's head swiveled around, and skittered over to the canisters. Ship grabbed a random piece of metal, and busted one of them open. The Nosedeenian exploded out of it, and laughed. Iida watched it bust its other two friends out, and took a deep breath.
"There we go." Iida said, closing his eyes. He heard the noises of their chatter, before watching them zip over to Fistrick. They all started to zap Fistrick over and over and over, probably out of revenge for the abuse.
Iida stared for a few moments. Ship slithered back over.
…Iida decided to take a few minutes of rest before he dragged his body back to the camp. He wanted to enjoy this.