Well, we made it. Four full seasons and now two movies successfully adapted. It's hard to believe that this pet project actually turned into my most successful venture on FanFiction itself. Even now, I'm still shocked by how much support the story itself gets. At the same time though, I'm truly grateful to everyone who's loved this story thus far.
This chapter's going to probably be one of the longer ones to close out this arc, so I hope you all enjoy it. And don't forget, there'll be a special preview at the end of the chapter!
Happy reading!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
As the sky cleared around Nabu Island, Hawks was left amazed. He had witnessed the pressurized air blast that tore through the stormy clouds, followed by the explosion onto the ocean that seemingly ended whatever conflict had occurred. And he wasn't the only one.
"You can drop me off the second we reach land!" the figure in his arms confirmed, getting his attention.
"You sure?" the Wing Hero inquired, only to blink in realization, "Alright, I'll leave you to it," he decided. At the peninsula, Weisz, Fumikage and Mina marveled the clearing sky, with rays of sunlight beaming down on them.
"Whatever was that…?" the Dark Shadow Quirk user wondered aloud as his eyes shook.
"It… kinda looked like one of All Might's attacks, didn't it?" Mina presumed, quite surprised herself. Just then, the trio heard stirring voices from afar, hurrying over to a small alcove. There, Homura was slowly waking up, her vision coming into focus. She looked around to find the likes of Eijiro and Tenya waking up, as the latter of the two boys rubbed his head in agony.
"Ribbit…" Tsuyu croaked weakly, having bandages over her head as she put her right hand up to it. The Soul Blade Quirk user turned to spot Shoto in the alcove as well, leaning up against her as he slept. She smiled, glad to see him. Meanwhile, Ochaco, Momo, Yuga, Minoru and Hanta peeked out from the small cave Shiki had brought them to, shocked to see the clearing sky.
"Hey, look!" the Zero Gravity Quirk user exclaimed, pointing towards the ocean. Everyone looked out to see several ships and fighter jets approaching the island. Back upon the plateau, Mezo groaned as he woke up, finding Katsuma and Mahoro beside him.
"You're awake!" the little girl exclaimed with relief, while her brother teared up happily, continuing to expel a green light onto him from his hands.
"You two…" the Dupli-Arms Quirk user uttered out, "You were… supposed to run…" he noted weakly.
"We couldn't just leave you behind," Katsuma argued as a response.
"What about everyone else…?" Mezo asked.
"That Shiki guy went to find your teachers and anyone else who got hurt," Mahoro answered, "Your other friends went with him, too," she added.
"Ojiro and Jiro…" the Dupli-Arms Quirk user realized, "Thank goodness they're alive," he said.
"Katsuma!" a voice cried out, getting their attentions as they turned to see Shiki coming towards them with Mashirao and Kyoka in tow, "Hey, I think we need your help!" he yelled on.
"Shiki…" Mezo uttered, only to blink in shock to find that his classmates were each carrying Witch, Sister, and Hermit, "What happened?!" he exclaimed in question.
"They must've gotten pretty banged up from that guy after we got knocked out," Kyoka responded, gently setting Hermit onto the ground.
"And we haven't found Midoriya or the others yet…" Mashirao added as he carefully put Sister down.
"Katsuma, you gotta help Witch and the others! Please!" Shiki begged of the little boy, who was a little surprised.
"It… won't work…" the Sorcery Quirk user weakly noted, getting the group's attention, "We're not human…" she pointed out, "We don't have cells that can be activated and regenerated…" she added.
"No…" Shiki uttered.
"It's fine, Shiki…" Witch assured, "We just need to have our bodies repaired is all…" she affirmed.
"Yeah, but last I checked, your repairman was a dead man!" Kyoka pointed out seriously, "Who's gonna fix you up this time?!" she inquired on.
"We can worry about that later," Mashirao affirmed, "Right now, we need to find any pieces of their bodies so they can get put back together," he advised of his classmates.
"R-Right," the Earphone Jack Quirk user agreed with a stutter, "We also gotta find out where Midoriya and Bluegarden are…" she mentioned.
"I wouldn't go worrying about them," a familiar voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they looked up to see none other than Hawks flapping his wings as he descended towards the group.
"Hawks!" Shiki exclaimed.
"Did… you get our message?" Mezo presumed as the Wing Hero landed.
"Yep," he answered, "Got here as quick as I could," he mentioned while stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets, "Me… and one other…" he added while glancing off to the side. He then took notice of each of the Shining Star Heroes, blinking in surprise at their current states. He narrowed his eyes curiously.
Izuku's head dripped with blood. He had somehow stayed in a state of semi-consciousness for a while now, even as his adrenaline had faded. Slowly managing to open his eyes, he could see nothing but a blur. And then his vision focused, allowing him to see All Might right above his face.
"A-All Might…?" he stuttered out.
"You okay, Young Midoriya?" his mentor asked amidst the sounds of jets streaking across the sky, holding him up by his back while being knelt down beside him, "I'm so sorry that I'm late," he apologized, having arrived safely thanks to a parachute that was now on the edge of the crater they were in.
"Are… Kacchan and Rebecca okay?" Izuku inquired suddenly. All Might let out a chuckle.
"As usual, you're more worried about others than yourself…" he remarked, looking back to see Katsuki lying on his folded-up suit jacket, "Young Bakugo's fine," he assured, "Beat up, but he'll live," he promised to his successor, "As for Young Bluegarden…" he continued.
"I'm okay…" her voice chimed in, catching her boyfriend's attention as he turned to look over at her. His eyes widened to see the cracks formed along her body, along with her broken arms. But she was smiling.
"Rebecca…" Izuku uttered, tearing up, "You…" he started to whimper, only for the Cat Leaper Quirk user to sigh.
"Come on, don't get all sad because of the stupid decision I made…" she insisted, "Sure, I can't really Reverse this now…" she pointed out, "But… we still won…" she added with a smile.
"Thank goodness…" Izuku said in relief, "I made you guys do something pretty crazy…" he admitted. His girlfriend blinked in surprise, giving off a frown.
"You made them do something?" All Might inquired in confusion. His successor wasn't one to come up with insane ideas… But he widened his eyes slightly to see him trembling in his arms, clenching his teeth.
"I'm…I'm so sorry…" he apologized. Guilt wracked his brain. His tone. "But… I transferred it to him…" he finally confessed, "I gave Kacchan… One For All…" he told his teacher.
"You gave One For All to Young Bakugo?!" All Might exclaimed in shock, widening his eyes.
"If we hadn't combined the power of One For All with itself…" Izuku began to explain, "there's no way we could've saved everyone…" he told All Might, who had turned to look at him again, "The villain would've defeated us…" he added in admittance, "That's why… I don't regret what I did…" he confessed, seeing that the island weather was calming with many rays of sunlight poking through the breaking clouds, "But I feel terrible…" he said, tearing up, "Because you chose me to be your successor… Because that you said I could become a hero like you…" he listed off, looking up at his mentor eye-to-eye, "I just wanted to protect everyone…!" he exclaimed weakly, "No matter what it took…" he mentioned firmly. Rebecca teared up, shutting her eyes. She looked back on the fond memories she had of her boyfriend when he obtained his Quirk from his favorite hero. And from there, he had gotten to live his dream. But now, it was over.
And All Might knew that Izuku had done all he could. Everyone had done all they could. No matter the costs.
"And that's just what you did…" he told his successor as he softened his gaze onto him.
"Please forgive me… Please, All Might…" he pleaded with tears flowing down his cheeks, while Rebecca somehow got onto her feet, "I'm so sorry… but… I had to…" he voiced out quietly in apology, slowly starting to lose consciousness as his head was dropping to the side…
"Young Midoriya…" All Might uttered out. At that moment, Rebecca knelt down beside him, placing her broken left hand onto her boyfriend's chest. "Young Bluegarden…?" the former hero said, perplexed as to what she was attempting to do.
"All Might…" she uttered with a grimace, "Can you… get Kacchan closer?" she requested to his surprise. He did adhere to the request, moving the Explosion Quirk user closer. That allowed for Rebecca to place her right hand upon his chest. She took a deep breath, letting her wing-like markings appear at her ankles. The former hero gasped in realization.
"W-Wait, Young Bluegarden!" he stammered, "If you use your Reverse in that state…!" he started to warn, only to see the tears welling up in the Cat Leaper Quirk user's eyes.
"I won't let Izu's dream die…" she vowed, even as her cracks were spreading all around her body, "To me… that'd be worse than seeing him die again…" she confessed. A blue luminosity enveloped her and the two boys momentarily, much to All Might's amazement as his mouth gaped open. After a moment, the light subsided. Rebecca removed her broken hands, falling forward onto her stomach as she lost consciousness.
'Young Bluegarden…' All Might uttered inwardly. Just then, he caught a red glow from the corner of his eyes. He looked back at his successor, seeing the lines of energy shining along his body.
"What…?" he said out of shock, his mouth gaping open. He could instantly tell that it was One For All. He looked back at the unconscious Rebecca, realizing that she had reversed the transfer between him and Katsuki. She had given him a second chance.
'It wasn't just her…' All Might noted to himself. Around the island, other heroes and armed soldiers had arrived. They retrieved the injured students while also rescuing the citizens who were gathered in the catacombs. There, Pino smiled with relief alongside Toru, Koji, and Rikido, while Mosco jumped for joy.
A cringing Shoto grimaced as he was being smothered and warmed up by his father, while Tenya, Tsuyu and Eijiro were being treated for their injuries by the Flame Hero's sidekicks. Homura looked on happily at the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user, glad to see that he was alive.
Meanwhile, Ryukyu and her team had helped retrieve Ochaco and the others, with the Zero Gravity Quirk user happily smiling at the Dragoon Hero who was carrying her. Meanwhile, Minoru was contently being held in the arms of the ninja-like sidekick of Ryukyu, who seemed annoyed. Hanta and Denki were being carried away by soldiers, sharing a fist bump with each other. Coming down the mountain as well were Kyoka, Mashirao, and Mezo, waving back to Katsuma and Mahoro, who cried out gratefully to them.
Back at the crater, All Might continued to stare up at the sky. He could only imagine what hell his successor and the others had to go through. But even so, they succeeded. They protected. They prevailed. And it was all thanks to One For All…
'Master… and all those who came before…' he began inwardly as tears streaked down from his sunken eyes, 'Thank you so much…' he said through his thoughts in gratitude, 'I'm forever grateful…' he added inwardly. The wind rushed by, blowing through his blonde hair. Meanwhile, the likes of Kiruka, Chojuro, and Hoyo were captured.
As they were walked off towards one of the ships at the harbor, Hawks looked on. There was still one villain missing. He glanced off to the side.
'What are you planning… Tomura Shigaraki?' he wondered. Just then, he saw Holy and Feather approaching.
"Seems as if we've come at quite the time," the former remarked.
"Where's the rest of the crew?" Hawks asked curiously.
"Out securing the citizens' safety," Feather answered, "The last villain…" she uttered out as her markings shined a bright white for a moment, only to subside, "Unfortunately, we're too late," she confirmed to the surprise of her colleagues.
"Too late for what?" Holy asked. Directly to the west of the peninsula on the main island's outskirts was a colorful flowerbed. All of a sudden, a mass of greyish-black sludge appeared before Tomura stepped out from it, having his father's hand still upon his face. He glanced out and narrowed his eyes as the sludge vanished behind him. Lying in the flowerbed with his skin now a gross and weakened purplish-red was Nine. Blood trailed from where he had clawed himself to, now only having the lower part of his suit left on his body.
"I knew you'd survive…" Tomura remarked, getting his attention.
"Shi…garaki…?" he uttered out weakly, lifting his bleeding head up to see him there.
"You've had a good life…" the League of Villains' leader noted, seeing him continue to claw his way up.
"I've… just begun…" he grunted out, "I'll… keep fighting…" he declared weakly.
"Don't worry…" Tomura assured, walking down to him, "I'll take over your dream from here…" he promised.
"There can only be… one true ruler…!" Nine exclaimed, lifting himself up as he raised his right hand towards Tomura… who then grabbed his face with his left hand.
"Yes…" he agreed, taking his father's hand off of his face, "only one…" he stated firmly. Nine widened his eyes. At that moment, his body went grey and disintegrated into dust. "Good night, Nine," Tomura said, "Thanks for everything," he added gratefully, with only stains of blood left upon the flowerbed. He disappeared in another mass of greyish-black sludge, leaving no trace of his presence.
X
"Agh…" Witch groaned as she awoke slowly, blinking to focus her vision. Her eyes widened as she gasped, sitting up. She was dressed in black underwear, also finding that her damages had been completely repaired, much to her disbelief.
'Who could've…?' she started to ask herself.
"Hey, glad to see you up," a familiar voice chimed in, belonging to Sister as she turned to see her there alongside a smiling Hermit, both dressed in same form of clothing as her. They appeared undamaged as well.
"You two…" Witch uttered, "What happened?" she inquired.
"Well, we did get our asses kicked by that guy with the weather Quirk…" the Heal Atomizer Quirk user replied, sitting down next to her fellow Shining Star Hero upon the bed, "And it was kinda obvious to everyone we weren't human, based on our injuries…" she mentioned. The Sorcery Quirk user lowered her gaze.
"So they know our secret…" she realized sadly, "Then who repaired us?" she asked.
"That'd courtesy of Mei Hatsume, yours truly!" an excited Mei exclaimed as she slid into the room with Pino held in her arms, "You're very welcome!" she added with a big smile.
"Lady Mei…" Witch uttered.
"Girl really knew what to do," Sister pointed out.
"Yeah," Hermit agreed, "By going through each of our blueprints, she determined exactly the parts we needed for our repairs," she mentioned, "Of course, she could've helped Sister first and then let her do the rest…" she pointed out.
"Where's the fun in that?" Mei questioned aloud. Witch gave off a small smile. "Also…" the Support Course student began, lowering her head slightly, "I'm really sorry that I haven't figured out a way to restore those other androids' human memories completely…" she apologized, "We recovered the bodies of those guys you fought, but…" she continued, grimacing a little.
"Lady Mei," Witch said, getting her attention as she perked up a little, "We appreciate your help, truly," she noted gratefully. The Zoom Quirk user grinned. Meanwhile, Pino stared at the Sorcery Quirk user for what felt like a good long minute. She hopped out of Mei's arms onto the floor.
"May we… have the room to ourselves for a moment?" she requested to everyone's surprise. Witch gave off a small smile.
"Please," she said to the others. They all looked to each other in concern, but decided not to press the issue as they walked out of the room. The Sorcery Quirk user turned her focus onto the little android. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this…" she apologized to her.
"No…" she uttered, "I think… I knew long before then," she admitted to the Shining Star Hero, who blinked in surprise, "Shiki wasn't the only one I was drawn to back then…" she recalled, looking at her little hands, "And when I saw you and that android fighting each other…" she continued, "I wanted you to stop…" she noted, trembling a little. Witch got up from the bed, crouching down in front of the little android.
"I'm so sorry, Pino," she apologized, "Maybe… you could've gotten to live a normal life if it weren't for that accident…" she inferred, "I…" she tried to say, tearing up, "I wish it could've been different…!" she whimpered out.
"Miss Witch…" Pino uttered, putting her little hands onto the left knee of the Sorcery Quirk user, "No… Mother…" she corrected, much to the Shining Star Hero's shock, "I don't regret the life I've had up to now…" she affirmed, tearing up herself, "And I would be happy to spend the rest of it with you…" she added with a big smile. Witch trembled, bringing the little android into her arms for a big hug.
"Pino…!" she cried out, sobbing happily with her daughter. It turned out they were in Iogi Heights, which was acting as a temporary clinic for the Class 1-A students. Most of them had gotten healed up thanks to the island's practitioners, along with Recovery Girl.
"You're lying," Minoru muttered with a stern expression toward Weisz, who grimaced.
"Hell no, I'm not!" he shouted, "I'm telling you, she used Overdrive and had a huge rack!" he pointed out emphatically, "Bigger than Momo's, even!" he added.
"Right…" the Pop Off Quirk user responded, rolling his eyes.
"Ah, Koji was there!" Weisz noted, "Go on, tell him!" he insisted of the Anivoice Quirk user, who flinched, shaking his head.
"Okay, thanks for the weird story, Steiner…" Minoru mumbled, getting up from his seat and walking off, "I'm gonna go get something to eat," he decided.
"B-But…!" the Machina Maker Quirk user tried to say, only to sigh in defeat as he lowered his head. Dressed in her costume, Hermit walked by, cracking a grin.
"I knew they wouldn't believe you…" she commented, causing him to widen his eyes and then seethe.
"Looks to me like the docs did all the work they could," Sister noted as she entered the common area, seeing some of the students gathered. Mina smiled upon seeing the Shining Star Hero.
"Sister!" she exclaimed, hopping up from her seat and running over to give her a big hug, much to her surprise as she yelped.
"Wh-What the?" she stammered out, "I figured you'd be the last person to even come close to me…" she admitted, petting the Acid Quirk user's head.
"You're still my teacher, even if you do overdo it sometimes…" she noted in response, giving off a big grin. Sister blinked, but then smiled herself.
"Thanks, kid," she said gratefully, hugging her back. Elsewhere in the building, Hawks was gathered amongst the other I.U.A. Heroes, save for Cure and Mirko.
"Any idea where the others are?" the Fierce Wings Quirk user asked of them.
"At the moment, Cure's still undercover in his investigation into Poseidon Nero," Justice answered with crossed arms, "As for Mirko, she's been hopping around Japan in search of the villains we captured," he mentioned.
"Huh…" Holy exhaled, "To think we got here late, and the battle was already over," she noted, looking over at the students of Class A mingling about, "UA sure has some strong students…" she pointed out.
"From what I heard, that Midoriya boy was the most impressive," Eraser chimed in, "Defeating a villain with multiple Quirks shouldn't be easy," he mentioned. Holy chuckled.
"That's just how dear Izuku operates," she said, "He's a strong young man," she affirmed. Meanwhile, Justice narrowed his eyes curiously. He was hearing more and more about the freckled teen's exploits, especially since the Shibuya raid. Just what was so special about him?
"WHAT THE HELL?! THIS FRIGGIN' HURTS!" a shirtless Katsuki bellowed angrily from the room acting as a temporary infirmary, "DAMMIT, DEKU!" he roared as he could barely hold up his broken arms, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS?!" he asked angrily, grinding his teeth together.
"Kacchan, calm down!" his rival pleaded sternly, sitting on a nearby couch with bandages over his upper body as he too was shirtless, "And watch your language…" he advised, "There are kids here…" he pointed out worriedly as Katsuma was healing his arms with a greenish light coming off of his little hands, while Mahoro was standing by Katsuki's bed.
"Language…?" he repeated as the blood vessels at his head started to bulge, "I'LL GIVE YOU LANGUAGE, YOU M—!" A pair of lips suddenly squished against his left cheek.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Mahoro shrieked in surprise, blushing a mad red. It turned out to be Recovery Girl's stretched out lips kissing the explosive teen. A green aura shrouded his body as his arms slowly began healing. The little girl was left embarrassed from viewing the unconventional healing method. Her eyes were dizzy from such a sight, while her face remained a deep red. Izuku and Katsuma looked on before sharing a laugh. This time of levity was exactly what they needed, especially after everything they had gone through. The door suddenly opened.
"Ah, there you both are!" All Might exclaimed as he entered.
"All Might!" his successor greeted, "Where have you been?" he inquired curiously.
"Making certain of the citizens' safety as they begin repairs to the island," the former hero answered, crouching down beside him and Katsuma, "So, you're the little boy who saved my students, right?" he presumed, causing him to blink in surprise before nodding. All Might smiled. "I'm very grateful to you," he noted happily. Meanwhile, Recovery Girl removed her lips from Katsuki, who seemed a bit exhausted. She handed him a candy bar.
"Eat this and charge yourself back up," she advised of him. He merely nodded, unwrapping the treat and taking a bite. Chewing and swallowing, he looked over to his rival and All Might.
"Hey, we need to talk," he said suddenly, much to their surprise. Moments later, Katsuma and Mahoro had left the room with Recovery Girl. The Explosion Quirk user gave off an annoyed expression. "Guess you forgot to tell me about one other secret, All Might…" he muttered out, much to the former hero's confusion as he blinked.
"What… are you talking about?" he asked. Izuku blinked in realization.
"It's about Rebecca, isn't it?" he assumed, causing his mentor to gasp in surprise.
"How the hell does she have One For All like Deku?" Katsuki questioned, narrowing his eyes, "I know the damn nerd didn't pass it onto her since he did it with me…" he pointed out.
"Actually, I did…" his rival corrected, making him blink in surprise, "At least… in another universe," he mentioned.
"The hell does that mean…?" the Explosion Quirk user inquired on, looking over expectantly to All Might.
"It's a bit of a long story, Young Bakugo," he responded. A while passed as Katsuki learned the story about Rebecca's Quirk, and how it had sent her from the previous world to one she lived in now. The Explosion Quirk user felt his eyes shake with disbelief, especially after hearing that Izuku had died during that ordeal, which was essentially the catalyst for Rebecca's universal leap.
"So she has One For All from the last universe?" Katsuki presumed.
"Sort of…" Izuku responded as he glanced off to the side, "She can only use it when she's in Overdrive, and that doesn't last forever," he pointed out, "I know she'd be risking a lot by resorting to it…" he mentioned, only to widen his eyes in realization, "Wait, where is Rebecca?!" he questioned out of panic, shooting up to his feet, "Is she okay?!" he inquired on worriedly. Elsewhere in the building, Witch and Pino were standing over the bed in which the Cat Leaper Quirk user slept in. Bandages were practically all over her, though they couldn't be seen due to the sheets covering her up to her shoulders. She had a patch over her left cheek and bandages wrapped around her head. Even then, the Shining Star Hero could see the few cracks that were slowly healing.
'Rebecca…' she uttered inwardly, 'I'm so sorry we put you into such a position…' she apologized through her thoughts, 'Maybe if I told you the truth, then…' she started to infer, exhaling a sigh. The door to the room was then opened, with Izuku jogging in alongside All Might.
"Rebecca!" the freckled teen exclaimed, seeing his sleeping girlfriend. He lowered his head in concern
"She will be fine," Pino assured, getting his attention, "Though her recovery will be much longer than those of the others," she mentioned.
"As long as she'll be alright, that's good," All Might affirmed with a small smile. His successor clenched his fists for a moment, but then sighed.
"Is it… okay if I stay with her?" he requested of his teachers, "At least until she wakes up?" he inquired further.
"Of course," Witch replied, giving off a grin, "Thank you, Izuku," she said in gratitude, bowing to him. She left the room with All Might and Pino, allowing for the One For All inheritor to pull up a chair and sit down next to his bedridden girlfriend. He reached out to grab her right hand with his own, holding it gently as it was still bandaged. He gave off a soft smile.
"Thank you, Rebecca," he said gratefully, "You saved me," he noted on.
X
Standing at the flowerbed on the main island, Feather stared at the bloodied flowers with narrowed eyes. She and several investigators, including Naomasa, were on the scene in search of the final villain amongst the group. Most of the other heroes had gone back to the mainland to process the other villains, along with containing the Dark Stars' bodies. The lead detective crouched down, noticing specks of dust upon the flower petals.
"Seems like whoever landed here only got to move so far," he pointed out as he stood up.
"I saw it," Feather affirmed, "Shigaraki was here," she confirmed, turning around, "I'm assuming he was warped here to eliminate the villain before we could detain him," she concluded thoroughly.
"Losing someone like that isn't something to lose sleep over…" Naomasa noted, "But what concerns me is the fact that Shigaraki chose to eliminate him over any of the androids…" he confessed, narrowing his eyes, "Did he want us to capture them?" he inquired.
"We'll be looking into it," the I.U.A. Hero affirmed, activating the pack upon her back as its wings unfolded, allowing her to fly off from the scene. Back at Iogi Heights, most of the students were gathered in the common area.
"We're staying for the rest of the time?" Eijiro inquired of Shota, who stood out in front of the class with All Might and Witch.
"The project's been cancelled as a result, but I expect you all to be on your best behaviors," he advised of them, "Nurse your injuries, but don't be afraid to help out the islanders if you can," he mentioned.
"Heroes will be stationed on the island for the time being, and a successor is due to come once we depart," Witch added in explanation.
"How are Midoriya and Bluegarden doing?" Tenya inquired curiously, raising his right hand.
"Yeah, we haven't seen either of them all day…" Shiki pointed out.
"Don't worry," All Might assured, "Young Midoriya's by Young Bluegarden's side as she's recovering from the battle," he told the students, "They'll be up and about soon enough, I imagine," he affirmed confidently with a grin.
"Rebecca…" Kyoka uttered in concern, lowering her head.
"Tch…" Katsuki scoffed, "Why worry about those idiots?" he muttered in question, getting his classmates' attentions, "If All Might says they're fine, then they're fine," he assured confidently.
"Hey!" the Earphone Jack Quirk user yelled, kicking him in his right shin.
"GAH!" he yelped out of pain, "What the hell was that for, earlobes?!" he shouted angrily.
"Don't call my friend and her boyfriend idiots!" Kyoka roared back, "And don't think I don't remember what you did to Rebecca the other night!" she mentioned in rage.
"Huh?!" Katsuki exclaimed, glaring at the Earphone Jack Quirk user.
"Uh… calm down, guys…" Ochaco insisted, raising her hands in a placating manner.
"There's no need to fight over something like this…" Momo pointed out, "Even though… I don't know what exactly it is you're fighting about…" she admitted sheepishly. Just then, Shiki stood up from his seat.
"Shiki?" Denki said, blinking in confusion.
"I guess we oughta' get started on fixing the island up!" the Satan Gravity Quirk user declared with a pump of his right fist, "Let's get going, everyone!" he insisted, hurrying out of Iogi Heights.
"H-Hold on, Granbell!" Tenya stammered, getting onto his own feet and heading after him with Tsuyu and Mashirao to follow.
"Huh…" Ochaco sighed lovingly, "That's so like Shiki to wanna keep going…" she pointed out.
"Yeah…" Momo agreed, only for her and the Zero Gravity Quirk user to widen their eyes in realization, burning red in the face as they turned away.
"It wouldn't feel right if we just relaxed before leaving the island," Shoto admitted as he stood up, "Let's go help," he advised of his classmates.
"Right," Homura agreed, getting up with Fumikage, Mina, Toru, Koji, and Mezo. Before long, the rest of the class was out of their seats, heading off to assist the islanders in repairs. Their teachers watched on, proud of them for their efforts.
"There's one more thing I should mention…" Shota chimed in, getting his colleagues' attentions, "It's about that door we found during the Hassaikai raid," he pointed out, causing Witch to blink in surprise. Later that evening, Izuku was still at his girlfriend's beside, holding her hand. Her cracks had finally disappeared around her head. She started to stir, waking up as her eyelids fluttered open. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the bushy hair of her boyfriend, making her smile a little.
"Izu…" she uttered softly, causing him to perk up and see that she was awake, "We won, didn't we?" she presumed. He laughed a little, tearing up.
"Yeah, we did…" he confirmed in reply, "You were amazing…" he complimented.
"So were you…" his girlfriend remarked, giggling with him, "Huh…" she exhaled, "Do you… still have One For All?" she inquired after a moment.
"Yeah," he answered, much to her relief as she sighed.
"Thank goodness…" she said, "I wasn't sure if reversing would actually work…" she admitted, looking up at the ceiling, "I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble…" she added sheepishly.
"No, you didn't…" Izuku assured, sharing another laugh with her.
"Hey…" she said, making him perk up again, "We… never got to talk about what happened the other night… with Kacchan…" she noted with a blush building upon her cheeks.
"O-Oh…" the One For All inheritor stuttered, "I-I'm really sorry for—"
"Stop apologizing all the time, will you?" Rebecca requested, interjecting him.
"R-Right…" he stammered, causing her to giggle.
"To be honest, that was kinda the next step for you and me in our relationship…" she confessed to his surprise, "We've slept in the same bed together, so… it's only natural that we take things a step further…" she mentioned.
"Y-You mean…" her boyfriend started to assume, only for her to suddenly sit up. She took his crooked right hand… and placed it onto her chest. "Ah…!" he gasped out in shock, blushing a bright red. However, he then blinked in surprise to see how unfettered his girlfriend seemed, even though she was blushing herself.
"What do you feel?" she asked of him. He took a moment to consider her question, feeling the smooth yet soft touch of Rebecca's bosom. But there was something else he felt that stood out to him.
"I… can feel your heart," he told her, "It's strong…" he added. She giggled.
"There's nothing I'm going to be scared of anymore," she declared, reaching her own hand out and placing it upon his chest, "And I know you're not gonna be scared either," she added to his surprise, "We're strong," she affirmed. Izuku grinned.
"Yeah, we are," he affirmed. He pulled his hand back, reaching it up to caress his girlfriend's cheek. He slowly leaned in, shutting his eyes. She shut her own, allowing him to kiss her gently and sweetly. She wrapped her arms around him, melting into the kiss as she moaned. Even after everything that had happened, they persevered and rose to the challenge. And their relationship had grown much stronger because of it.
X
In the weeks that passed, Class 1-A helped to restore Nabu Island to some sense of normalcy. Katsuma and Mahoro's father had returned to the island, where he'd now work at the local clinic, which meant he would get to spend more time with his two children. By the end of the scheduled period for the project, the student heroes were aboard the ferry heading home.
"Man, I feel bad that we're just leaving without saying anything to the islanders…" Shiki admitted as he leaned against the railing.
"Yeah, I bet they'd wanna wish us goodbye…" Eijiro pointed out.
"Even so, I don't think it's right of us to interrupt their days to come and thank us," Tenya chimed in, getting their attentions.
"Besides…" Denki chimed in, "this is cooler!" he remarked with a wink.
"Yeah, it's pretty hero-like…" Eijiro admitted.
"True!" Momo agreed with a giggle. Most of Class 1-A was beside the railing on the left side of the ferry. The only ones not among them were Katsuki, who was at the top deck at the stern and leaning at the railing, and Izuku and Rebecca, who approached him.
"I can't believe it's time for us to go already…" the freckled teen remarked as he put his hands onto the railing beside his rival.
"Eh, good riddance…" he remarked in reply. The ship's horn went off. It started to sail out of the port, with the wind rushing slowly through the hair of the aspiring heroes as they looked back towards the island. Thinking back to all they had done, they were proud of themselves. And they were glad that things turned out better than they could've hoped.
"Huh…" Rebecca sighed, walking up next to her boyfriend and placing her left hand atop his right to get his attention. He smiled at her, and she grinned back.
"So you're really gonna leave without saying goodbye to those kids? What's up with that?" Katsuki suddenly asked.
"There are things I wanted to say…" Izuku admitted, "but it's okay," he assured as he closed, "I'm sure they already know we feel," he added confidently. Rebecca was a little sad that she didn't get to say goodbye to the Shimano children. But since the class was departing early in the day, they probably couldn't make it…
"Heyyy!" a familiar voice called out, catching their attentions, "Down here!" he yelled, causing them to look and see none other than Katsuma and Mahoro running on the dock alongside the departing ship, having arrived thanks to being driven by their father as his truck was parked nearby, "Mister Deku!" the little boy cried out.
"Bakugo! Rebecca!" his big sister yelled.
"Everyone! Thank you so much!" they cried out together to the 21 students on the side of the ship, who waved goodbye in their own ways to the children.
"You saved us! You saved the whole island!" Mahoro loudly mentioned. Meanwhile, her little brother looked to the four students at the top deck.
"I'll get stronger!" he declared, "I promise you I will!" he added assuredly, surprising the four of them, "I'll get strong enough to protect Daddy and Mahoro! Wait and see!" he promised as they grinned at him, "And then… I'll be a cool hero like all of you!" he stated, "One who always wins in a battle, no matter the odds!" he cried out. Katsuki's grin turned into a smirk.
"You better work hard, ya damn brat," he remarked in response, "Don't you forget it…" he added.
"Hey, Katsuma!" Izuku cried out, "Listen…" he began to echo, "you can become a hero!" he promised to the little boy. His eyes slowly widened and shimmered. The three students waved goodbye to him. "We'll see you at UA one day!" Izuku assured.
"'Til then, keep doing your best!" Rebecca yelled as advice. As the ship went off into the distance, the Shimano children reached the end of the dock. Mahoro was still waving goodbye, while her little brother stared ahead. Hearing those words… Hearing that he could become a hero… It brought a smile to his face.
"Eheheh!" he giggled, smiling brightly as the wind rushed by his hair and hat. He would be a hero just like Izuku promised.
END
And thus brings an end to the "Heroes: Rising" Arc! I have to say, I really enjoyed getting the chance to revisit the movie and put a different kind of spin on it with Edens Zero characters. And now that we've gotten through that, it's time to focus on Season 5! There are a couple of things about this season I'm particularly excited for, but I'll let the trailer speak for itself. Enjoy!
TRAILER
Insert "Kizuna no Kiseki" by MAN WITH A MISSION X Milet
Opens with Class 1-B arriving at Ground Gamma in their hero costumes. Amongst them is Laguna, who seems indifferent to the upcoming ordeal, as they're about to face Class 1-A in a joint training exercise.
Neito Monoma: Get ready, Class A! You're about to experience utter defeat at the ones who're superior to you!
We go through scenes of Rebecca dressed in a winter costume with a blue flak jacket, firing her Happy Blasters onto the scaled arms of Hiryu Rin, an armored Weisz getting knocked aside by the onomatopoeias of Manga Fukidashi, Shiki getting distracted by the pieces of Setsuna's body floating about as they strike him constantly, followed by Homura and Kris facing off.
Kris Rutherford: I haven't forgotten what you did to my sister at the Sports Festival…
Homura Kogetsu: *draws energy blade* If you so wish to challenge me, then come.
As we see the two clash, we also catch a glimpse of Laguna leaning back against the railing, lost in deep thought. An image of his mother passes through his head as he grimaces. Even so, he's ready to work alongside his classmates in the battle ahead. However, he finds himself blindsided as he comes face-to-face with Hitoshi during the match he's in.
Laguna Husert: Hito…
END TRAILER
While the Joint Training Arc might not be the most popular of the series, I'm gonna do my best with it. And with that, I'm 140 chapters down! Thanks for reading, everyone!
This story's going to take a brief hiatus in terms of chapter releases as I need to focus on finishing up some other chapter drafts. For the moment, I don't have an exact date as to when I'll return to the story. But when I do, I'll make sure you all know! Thanks again for your support!