Author's Note 1: My Super Robot Academia is a non-profit fanfiction series.
My Hero Academia is a property of Bones, Funimation, and Kouhei Horikoshi.
Any original characters or concepts are owned by Navek and xpegasus.
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Chapter 13: Fire the Strike Beam!
There were two major regrets Sekijiro Kan had in his life.
The first was all the years of his youth he wasted as a street punk. With his bad attitude, brutish looks, and a Quirk that let him manipulate blood, people were already terrified of him. And since he didn't have any family to look after, young Kan figured that becoming a street punk and joining up with a gang was the only way for anyone to respect him. It wasn't until a pro-hero saved his ass and showed the young man his true potential for heroism that he found his true calling. Kan often wondered if he could've become a better hero if he hadn't wasted his youth fighting other punks over things like territory and rep.
His second biggest regret happened when he was a rookie hero. He and his mentor had been called to help evacuate people from a collapsing high-rise. Kan saw an old lady and tried to save her. But before he could even get to her amid all the chaos, the building collapsed, killing her instantly. That day was when he learned one of the hardest lessons about heroism. While he still saved many people that day, there would always be those out of reach that heroes couldn't save. Even so, Kan always regretted the lives he couldn't save.
But if Vlad King lived to see tomorrow, this day would become his third biggest regret. His students were in mortal peril against actual villains, with Midoriya up against the most terrifying beast among them. And he couldn't even help them as he was fighting a rather tricky opponent, evading a downward kick from her that actually managed to crack the floor.
"You know, for a big man, you're pretty agile," the woman, Kelly, said with a flirtatious smile. "I like a man with talent."
Vlad remembered one of his mentor's first lessons: analyzing your foe. Based on her highly muscular physique, combat boots, and current stance, the Blood Hero surmised she was an experienced fighter with years under her belt. And given the power he had felt whenever her blows hit (he was definitely going to be having a sore shoulder tomorrow), it was more than likely she possessed a strength-enhancing Quirk.
Kelly swung at Vlad with a right haymaker. He quickly dodged the strike, and Kelly smirked. Vlad leaned to Kelly's left to avoid the attack so he'd be unable to dodge her left roundhouse kick. Without missing a beat, Kelly struck.
Her eyes widened in shock when her leg hit a mass of solidified blood. It shifted, quickly snaking its way up Kelly's leg and ensnaring her. It was Vlad's turn to smirk. "You're good, but you need to work on your feints. I saw that kick coming a mile away."
Kelly, seemingly unperturbed, smiled at him. "You know, normally, a guy has to wine and dine me before I let him do kinky stuff like this."
Vlad just rolled his eyes. "Can you stop with the 'flirty femme fatale' routine? You're not the first lady that's tried that on me."
"Oh, a man with experience," Kelly said in a sing-song voice.
"Let's get him!" Vlad turned to see a couple of goons heading towards him. But as he was preparing to fight them, multiple things suddenly hit the villains.
A turbo-boosted kick. A giant pillar. Several purple balls. Palm Strikes from massive hands. And a sonic blast.
"Tenya! You're okay!" Ochako said, dropping the pillar in relief as she saw her friend was okay. Though she was curious why he was soaking wet.
"Good to see you too, Ochako," Tenya replied while Kendo, Jirou, and Mineta walked towards them. But the bespectacled young man noticed someone was missing. "Mr. Kan, wasn't Izuku with you?"
"He was. But then he decided to try fighting one of the bigger gu-" Vlad stopped when everyone suddenly heard the sound of massive urban destruction. They turned to the Ruins Zone and saw one of the buildings collapsing into rubble. A noticeable green blur flew out of the rubble, followed by a streak of dark purple. "… he's in the middle of all that."
"Izuku!" Without even thinking, Ochako ran past Vlad towards the Ruins Zone. But Tenya quickly ran ahead of her.
"Hop on."
"Right!" The brunette negated her gravity before latching on to Iida's back.
"Iida! Uraraka! Wa—" Vlad's words were cut off by the sound of Tenya's engine quirk blasting him and Ochako towards the Ruins Zone. "Dammit!"
But in the brief second of his broken concentration, Kelly felt the blood net around her weakening. With a flex, she broke free of the blood and kicked Vlad's face.
"Come now, big guy," Kelly said as she cracked her knuckles as Vlad wiped the blood from his mouth. "We ain't done dancing yet."
With a savage grin, Kelly shot ahead, her punch connecting with another blood shield. Vlad weaved and blocked Kelly's onslaught.
"Mr. Kan, d-do you want us to help you?" Mineta asked as he used his balls to restrain the villains, trying not to look at Kelly's prominent bosom.
"I got this!" Vlad shouted, knocking Kelly back with a kick to the stomach. "Find your classmates, help them out, and try to make it to the exit!"
"But what about y—" Jirou began.
"I SAID GO!"
"R-Right," Kendou said as she and her two purple-haired classmates went to do just that.
"Well, looks like we finally got some privacy." Kelly stood back up and licked her lips while Vlad glared at her.
Meanwhile...
For what felt like the hundredth time today, Izuku felt Striker's cockpit shake and rattle as he was knocked to the ground. This specific instance was due to an admittedly ill-thought plan: collapsing a building on Nomu. Striker had been hit by a piece of debris when Izuku knocked down the building's central support pillar. In the end, the plan didn't even do anything to slow Nomu down, thanks to the monster's Shock Absorption and Regeneration Quirks.
Things had only gone from bad to worse as the fight dragged on. Striker was riddled with dents, even missing a few pieces of armor, and the robot's battery was at less than 10% capacity. Izuku was running out of time and had absolutely no idea how to beat this monstrosity.
Nomu charged at Striker like a rabid animal. Izuku grit his teeth and met the monster. Striker grabbed Nomu by the shoulders and threw it into another building. 'That won't slow it for long,' Izuku thought as he scanned the Ruins Zone for something, anything he could use to his advantage.
Suddenly, Izuku spotted a large rebar poking out of some rubble. Striker quickly grabbed it, wielding the rebar like a makeshift spear. Nomu came crashing through the rubble and charged at the robot again.
Izuku let out a loud yell as Striker and Nomu charged at each other. The robot crouched down and thrust the spear upwards, stabbing Nomu in its lower jaw and out the back of its brain.
Nomu let out an unnatural, ear-piercing shriek. It flailed around uncontrollably, its monstrous arms smashing anything in its path.
"Huh. Well, I guess that's what happens when you make the weak point too obvious." Izuku turned and saw Shigaraki a few feet away. "I'll have to talk to the doc about that design flaw."
Izuku remembered how Shigaraki was the one who gave Nomu its orders. He had no idea if the beast's brain could regenerate, so he needed to act fast.
Quickly, Izuku aimed Striker's right arm at Shigaraki and fired an Anchor Knuckle at him. But to Izuku's shock, the lanky villain managed to evade the attack with agility to rival most atheltic heroes.
"Neat trick. Here's mine." The hand-covered villain placed a hand on the forearm. Horror etched its way into Izuku's very core as the alpha titanium metal disintegrated into nothing in a matter of seconds! And it didn't stop there, as the decaying effect began to travel up the anchor chain and was heading towards Striker's bicep.
"Right shoulder, emergency detach!" Izuku exclaimed as he slammed a button on Striker's computer dashboard. Striker's right shoulder joint decoupled, letting the arm fall to the ground where it was consumed by Shigaraki's Quirk.
"So, you got any other tricks, Mr. Mini-Boss?" Izuku felt his blood turn to ice core as Shigaraki started walking towards him. A sinister smirk spread across the villain's face as he held out his arms. "Well? Anything?"
Izuku was drawing a blank. It was obvious that Shigaraki could avoid the Anchor Knuckle, so that and throwing debris was out of the question. He was out of capture putty, and his only other weapon was way too slow to use against him. Izuku was so terrified he couldn't even grasp Striker's controls.
It seemed like this would be his end as Shigaraki approached Striker while Nomu was about to mindlessly swing its arm at the green machine. Until…
"Shoulder Impact!"
"Smash!"
Shigaraki was blindsided as Tenya rocketed towards him and shoulder-checked the villain, sending him flying into a nearby building.
Meanwhile, Ochako delivered a full-powered Smash into Nomu's arm. It didn't do much damage, but the sheer force changed the direction of Nomu's attack. Nomu missed Striker by a wide margin, allowing Izuku and Ochako to run and regroup with Tenya.
"Ochako! Tenya!" Izuku smiled as he saw his friends.
"Izuku, are you alright?" Tenya asked as he left Shigaraki indented in the building wall. The lanky villain let out a wheeze of pain.
"Fuck," Shigaraki groaned. "Yup, something's definitely broken."
"I've been better." Izuku turned and saw Ochako looking at her uninjured right hand in confusion.
"The heck? I hit that guy at full power." Her eyes suddenly widened. "And why is he naked!?"
"Oh, he lost his pants when he bisected himself to escape my capture putty," Izuku explained as Ochako and Tenya stared at him in shock and horror. "That thing isn't even human; it's some kind of mindless beast. I've seen it use at least three Quirks: Shock Absorption, Enhanced Strength, and Regeneration." The three hero students watched as Nomu continued to rampage with the rebar through its head.
"I see," Tenya said, watching the beast smash its surroundings with strength on par with All Might. They couldn't just let this monstrosity run amok and possibly kill their classmates and teacher. Or even some poor goons. "So what can we do?"
Izuku looked at his dashboard, seeing that Striker's battery core had about two minutes of power left. And an idea came to his head. "I think I've got a weapon that can take it out. But I'm gonna need a clear shot at its brain."
Ochako thought for a moment before looking up at Striker. "Leave that to me and Tenya."
Tenya nodded, with Ochako wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Inside the cockpit of his machine, Izuku began typing the commands, redirecting all remaining energy to Striker's mouth vent. A blue glow began to shine within the mech's metal smile.
"Here we go!" Tenya blasted himself and Ochako towards Nomu, getting in close when its back was turned. Ochako slapped Nomu with all ten fingertips, and the beast flashed pink.
Nomu shrieked and raised its foot over the two students.
"Recipro Burst!" Tenya's engines erupted in roaring blue flames, carrying himself and Ochako across the Ruins Zones just as Nomu's foot turned the spot they'd been standing into a crater. Suddenly, Nomu found its now weightless flying into the air from the force of its stomp.
Ochako smirked in satisfaction as Tenya lay beside her, groaning in pain from his overheating engines. But the two were drawn by a blue glow that enveloped the area.
The source of the glow was Striker as the light inside its mouth vent was shining like a star, cracks forming around the lips.
Shigaraki finally managed to stand up through the pain of his broken ribs before seeing Striker glowing and Nomu floating. "The fuck?"
The light from Striker was visible from almost everywhere at the USJ. Kaminari, Yosetsu, Honenuki, and Sister Mercy stopped their battle. The group by the front was so distracted by the sheer intensity of this light that they failed to notice Kurogiri slipping away. Vlad and Kelly stopped their battle. All the students and the remaining villains were confused about what the hell was going on in the Ruins Zone.
Warning! Unstable energy buildup! Structural Integ-
Izuku shut off the computer voice, sweat spewing from his pores as he felt the heat from Striker's overclocked core. He looked at his targeting system, waiting until Nomu's head was in his firing arc. The second the flailing beast turned upside down, Izuku struck.
He pulled the firing trigger and shouted with such force it felt like his voice box would burst.
"STRIKE BEAM!"
A massive beam of blue energy exploded out of Striker's face. It blasted towards Nomu and engulfed its head and neck. The Strike Beam flew past Nomu, across the USJ skyline, and through the ceiling on the other side of the facility. Everyone in the USJ stopped momentarily and looked at the energy beam alongside a certain blond figure rushing towards the facility.
Eventually, the beam vanished. And the results were apparent. Not just the massive hole in the ceiling but also the fact that Nomu's head and neck were gone, and what was left of its collarbone and shoulders looked like charcoal. And unlike before, there was no reaction, its limbs were unmoving. Finally, the beast was truly dead.
But Ochako and Tenya's attention was focused on Striker and the awful state the machine was in. Where its mouth used to be was a hole similar to the one in the roof. The rest of its head looked more like melted plastic, its shining blue eyes now dark. Cracks now lined its neck and upper torso. The metal creaked before the robot fell on its back, landing with a loud 'THUD.'
"Izuku!" Ochako and Tenya shouted as they rushed over to the downed robot. The two were relieved when Striker's cockpit hatch opened, and Izuku stepped out, his costume soaked with sweat but otherwise unharmed.
"Okay, I definitely need to get Mei to fix the power outp—" That train of thought came to a screeching halt as Ochako rushed over a hugged him. "O-Ochako."
"Thank god you're okay," she whispered, pressing her head on his shoulder. Izuku was a bit flustered but hugged her back, just happy to be alive. The greenette looked up at Tenya, who was looking at Nomu's corpse floating in the air.
"Is it-"
"It appears so," Tenya said.
With a sigh of relief, Ochako released her Quirk, immediately feeling the strain of keeping the beast weightless leave her body. Nomu's body hit the ground with a wet thud. Ochako and Tenya then looked back at Striker. "I'm sorry about Striker," Ochako said.
Izuku looked down at his partner's melted head. It was disheartening for the boy to see his creation so beat up. Looking the robot over, the damage was potentially beyond repair. But he didn't dwell on that sadness. "Hey, this just means I get to fix him up and make him even better."
Tenya smiled at his friend's optimism. "So…do you two desire some privacy or…"
"Oh, get in here!" Ochako dragged Tenya down to them, turning it into a group hug. But this touching moment was ruined when they heard a loud and horrific yell.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Shigaraki yelled, his left shoulder limp as he stared at Nomu's corpse. He scratched the right side of his neck with such irritation that he was actually drawing blood. "WHAT?! WHY?! HOW?! NOMU, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE OUR ALL MIGHT KILLER! FUUUUCCCCKKK!"
He then turned towards the trio, his red eyes burning with an intense hatred the three had never experienced before. Shigarak let out a howl that sounded like it belonged to a wild animal as he charged at them with his hand stretched out.
Izuku jumped back in shock, and Tenya groaned as he felt the strain of his overheated engines. But Ochako quickly stood up, staring the manic villain down.
"2% Rocket Blast!" With a flick of her fingers, Ochako fired a massive blast of wind that sent Shigaraki careening across the Ruins Zone. Shigarki hit a crumbling wall, knocking the wind out of his lungs as the severed hand on his face fell to the ground. Pain coursing through his body, Shigarki reached out and grabbed the hand, caressing it like one would hold a newborn.
"Father," Shigaraki muttered as he put the hand back on his face.
"Stay down, ya crusty jerk!" Ochako shouted, mustering up all her courage as she glared daggers at Shigaraki. "If you wanna hurt my friends, you gotta get through me!"
Blood red met kobicha brown as Shigaraki and Ochako stared each other down. Shigaraki's hatred and rage clashed against Ochako's defiant bravery like a pair of clashing blades. In Shigaraki's mind, seeing Ochako looking down at him with nothing but contempt…it reminded him of someone. Someone he hated with all his being and hoped was burning in hell.
"You little bitch," Shigaraki growled as he stood back up, glaring with such intensity it made Ochako's hands shake.
"It would seem the odds are no longer in our favor, young Master," Kurogiri said as he manifested behind Shigaraki. However, he was still weakened by Hagakure's light blast and now looked more humanoid, with only a thin mist coating his body. "I suggest we retreat."
"Are you serious, Kurogiri?!"
"Think about it: All Might could be on his way as we speak, and you and I are no match for him. Without Nomu, our chances against him are slim to none."
Shigaraki said nothing as his limbs shook with anger. The hero students could only watch, hoping Shigaraki would listen to the shadow guy. After a tense moment, Shigaraki sighed and turned to Kurogiri.
"Get us out of here. The meat shields can fend for themselves." But as Kurogiri expanded into a shadowy portal, Shigaraki looked at the trio one last time. "You brats better pray you never see me again. Otherwise, you're dust."
The shadow engulfed Shigaraki, and he vanished, leaving the hero students to themselves. Ochako let out a sigh of relief before falling onto her knees.
Tenya and Izuku felt a similar sense of relief, but the greenette was still worried. There were still other villains in the USJ. Ochako looked like she was going to vomit. Tenya was still overheated and without Striker…Izuku realized there wasn't a lot he could do.
Near the front of the USJ, one villain screamed in pain, holding the bleeding stump of his recently severed arm.
"There's more where that came from, ya evil assholes!" Kamakiri shouted as he slashed at another goon. Hagakure blinded the villains with a burst of eye-searing light. At the same time, Tokage attacked the villains with a barrage of her flying body parts. Fukidashi blasted some away with a big 'BOOM!' The four tried their hardest to fight against the tide of villains and protect the still-downed Thirteen. But with Hagakure running low on energy and Fukidashi's throat raw from constant shouting, it would only be a matter of time before the students were overwhelmed.
Suddenly, the doors to the USJ burst open.
Villains and heroes alike froze as a man walked in, his footsteps reverberating through the entire complex. His clothes were nothing special: a white dress shirt, striped yellow dress pants, and black loafers. But even such a mundane outfit did nothing to hide his overwhelming presence.
It was as if the world had stopped for a moment. The hero students gazed at the man in awe, tears of joy pricking at the sides of Hagakure's eyes. The villains, meanwhile, felt their blood turn cold as the man looked at them with burning eyes, his face devoid of any semblance of mirth or a smile.
On the floor, Thirteen weakly looked and chuckled. "About time you showed up, big guy."
"Fear not everyone," All Might proclaimed as he ripped off his tie. "Because I AM HERE!"
Author's Note 2: Behold the birth of Izuku's signature move, The Strike Beam! Obviously, like any experimental technology, our green-haired wonder needs to work out some kinks.
But don't think that just because Nomu is dead means that the action is over. So prepare for something just as epic in the next chapter.
Next Chapter: 100 vs. the Number 1 Hero!
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