Chapter 5: A Familiar Feeling

Chapter Text

The students didn't even register the heroes' arrival nor them being ushered outside where cop cars and ambulances were strewn about, all still too caught up in the fact that All Might, the Symbol of Peace, the Number One Hero looked like he lost the fight. Their minds all rationalized that he did fight and beat arguably the most dangerous villain there, but their hearts knew that that wasn't the villain that they had to worry about. That villain, the Nomu, wasn't the one that orchestrated the attack, wasn't the one that attacked them, it wasn't even the one there from the beginning. No, that honor was held for the villain in the dragon mask, the one who set ablaze a disaster zone made of rock, the one who took down a pro hero single handedly and with ease, the one who taunted All Might like they were playing games on a playground.

Shimura was sat on the back of an ambulance, completely unmoving. He was vaguely aware of the paramedic fidgeting his hand around so that it could be properly set and healed, but thought nothing of it. His thoughts still bringing him back inside, where the villain looked at him with those cold, green eyes.

'And you were willing to use it on an enemy combatant when it's clear you could kill with a single touch, he said, 'Are you sure you want to be a hero?'

Shimura looked over the area, his classmates were huddled in small groups or being checked out like he was. All of them fought for their lives today, so why don't they look more worried? Is it because they weren't even in any danger because they're already so strong? Am I that weak? No! It can't be, I almost beat that Nomu, I doubt anyone else could've done that.

"Shimura-san…"

And those villains, it's clear that the dragon-masked one was way stronger than the others, so why didn't he have that thing kill me? Why didn't he kill All Might? But the way he looked at me, he was impressed. What could he-

"Shimura-san," he snapped to attention as the paramedic tried talking with him, "Shimura-san, we've done everything we could for your hand at this point in time, but you'll have to be moved to get it healed completely, and to be sure that you'll still be able to use your quirk properly."

He nodded numbly, "Right. Are we going to the hospital, then?"

"We've been instructed to bring all the injured back to the school to be looked at by your nurse. If you're ready, we can head over immediately."

"Yeah, let's go," Shimura followed the paramedic to the front of the ambulance and sat down. Through the window he could see that the paramedic was checking in with whoever was in charge.

The ride back to campus was short, not giving the paramedic enough time to ask the questions he knows he wants to. Shimura was thankful for it, opting to stare out the window as he was still absorbed in his thoughts.

Why did that villain look at me like that? Was I really going to kill him before that Nomu got in the way? Why do I feel so weak?

Still inside, Nezu and two others were observing the destruction the attack caused. The only major damage they could see was collateral damage from All Might's fight against the Nomu, and whatever happened in the Collapsed Zone. At any other point, the damage would've been the focus, but that's not what they were assessing.

"It appears there is a lapse in our school's security that evaded even me," Nezu spoke, breaking the almost solemn silence, "To think that villains were able to bypass the alarms and have total access to this facility is troubling."

The hero on his right, with long dark purple hair, clad in a thin white bodysuit with a black leather corset added on, "Not to mention they also have access to a warper. Teleportation quirks are rare enough as it is, but to think one is aligned with villains? It's giving me shivers, and not in the fun way."

Nezu stayed quiet as he studied her face, unfamiliar with the emotion that flashed on it. Looking back down, he couldn't help but wonder if there were other things that he had overlooked. How many times must his students and staff pay the price for his carelessness? Once had better be enough.

All Might was sitting in the teacher's lounge once again, replaying the events in his head, thinking about what he could've done better, what he could do next time, when he heard the door slide open. He immediately puffed up to look at the newcomer to find a familiar face.

"Pardon the intrusion," the man said, "I heard from Recovery Girl that you might be here."

"Naomasa!" All Might deflated back into his small form, ushering him into a room that had a lock, "It's no problem, please."

All Might led Naomasa into another room, gesturing to the couch as he set some tea out for them. Naomasa Tsukauchi was a plain-faced man with dark hair and eyes, dressed in a tan trench coat with a matching hat. All Might always joked that he looked just like the detectives in the old black and white period pieces, but every time Naomasa denied it, he just laughed along with it.

Naomasa placed his hat on the table before starting, "I'd like to start off by asking you about…"

"Sorry, but tell me about the students first," All Might interrupted, his hands raised to stop him, "Are they all right? What about Aizawa-kun and Thirteen-san?"

"Always the hero first huh?" Naomasa chuckled lightly, "Let's see… In that order, all of the students minus the two you picked up from the Collapse Zone and Shimura-kun are in good health. They all just had minor bruises and cuts, most likely from…" he paused to check his notes, "From falling through the warp gate, and whatever villains they came across.

"And before you worry about that, all of the villains in the zones are clocked in at D-listers or below, petty criminals and the sorts. The two main villains are currently listed at A-ranks as they're previously unknown but were able to successfully infiltrate, attack UA, and escape, and the one you fought hasn't been given a designation yet as you're the only one who can speak on their behalf. The two students you picked up were treated for second and third degree burns but are expected to have minimal scarring. Shimura-kun's hand was thankfully healed all the way after Recovery Girl got to it, and initial testing shows his quirk is still functional, but he's scheduled to check in at a later date to see if any problems arise."

All Might heaved a sigh, relief flushing over him, "That's very good, it would've been a shame to have his career as a hero be cut short."

"Agreed. As for Aizawa, he got off relatively easily. A few cracked ribs and some facial scarring from the attack. We're not entirely sure if his quirk was damaged since they sorta wrapped his head up all the way."

"Well perhaps he'll finally look the part of being a mummy then," All Might gave a light laugh.

Naomasa paused, his mouth hung open, "All Might! You've never made a joke that funny before."

"I can't take all the credit, everyone from the students to the teachers here say Aizawa-kun looks like a mummy what with his capture weapon wrapped around him."

Having regained his composure, Naomasa continued his report, peering at his notes as he goes along, "Thirteen was probably the most injured out of everyone. Their suit was completely destroyed from having their quirk turned against them, as well as a portion of their actual body. It's nothing too serious, but they will be out of commission for a little longer. Needless to say, given the reports I'm hearing about the leader of the attack, Kagero Shigaraki, everyone being relatively unharmed is nothing short of luck."

All Might's expression darkened at this, "I don't believe it to be luck at all."

Realizing he was about to get All Might's testimony, he pulled out a recorder, silently asking for permission to record everything. All Might nodded and took a deep breath.

All Might settled more comfortably in his chair, regaling Naomasa on the events of the day from his morning saving people, the talk he had with Nezu, arriving at the USJ, and finally his fight with the Nomu. He paused at this point to better collect his thoughts.

When the silence lasted a few beats longer than expected, Naomasa prompted him, "All Might? What do you have to say about your fight with the Nomu?"

Naomasa could see conflict in his eyes, something that is rarely ever seen on the hero, which only deepened his worries. When All Might spoke again, it wasn't with words but with sign language. Naomasa's eyes widened as All Might finished gesturing.

I'm going to omit parts of this fight, mainly about Shigaraki. After, I'll come back and tell you. Off the record, he signed.

With the little hiccup out of the way, All Might recapped his talk with Kagero before the actual fight started, and against his better judgement, he told the detective about the Nomu having multiple quirks.

"I'm sorry, pause there for a second," Naomasa interrupted, "You are saying that the creature, this, Nomu, has multiple quirks, correct?"

"Correct," All Might nodded grimly, "At the start of my fight, Young Shimura mentioned it has super regeneration, as he touched it for a prolonged period of time, but when released it healed completely. He saw this quirk in action prior to my engagement, and this Shigaraki confirmed it."

"When my men recovered the Nomu from wherever you launched it to, we all thought it was a mutant type."

"I can't speak for its appearance, but I can confirm that it has super regeneration and shock absorption. When I was given a free chance to attack, I hit it with enough strength to level a city block and the beast didn't move one centimeter. It felt like all the power I had in the punch simply became nothing."

"The way you worded it suggests you believe that there is more to this Nomu than the two quirks. Can you expand on that?"

"Not in a way that makes me look like I'm talking negatively about those with mutant quirks."

"Very well, and you said that the leader, Shigaraki, confirmed the Nomu's quirks?"

"Yes, he told me outright that its quirks were super regeneration and shock absorption."

All Might continued his story, with Naomasa's expression getting more and more grim. When he finally reached the end, both men settled into an uncomfortable silence. Naomasa stopped recording when All Might was finished, but made no move to continue with the parts that All Might left out. He looked to the teacup All Might set in front of him and took a massive swig, shuddering lightly.

"Toshinori, I almost don't want to ask but at this point I need to know. What exactly didn't you tell me?" Naomasa groaned out, dropping all formalities.

All Might was completely splayed out on his chair, his head resting on the back, staring at the ceiling, "The leader, Shigaraki, he reminds me of him."

Naomasa sat up straight, his eyes focused once again, "Are you sure? You said that you defeated him."

"And I believe I did," All Might replied, now sitting properly again, "But from how he acted, it was almost like I was back on the battlefield with him. Shigaraki, he was completely relaxed and nonchalant the entire time, he didn't take any of it seriously, like he knew he'd win if he actually fought. When that Nomu had me pinned, he didn't go for a killing blow like others would. He taunted me when I was down, laughed when I failed, enjoyed seeing me squirm. And not to mention the fact that he apparently has access to someone or has the ability to transfer quirks to another being. The picture he's painting isn't a pretty one."

Naomasa shook his head in clear denial, "The picture you're painting isn't a good one either, Toshinori. Are you saying that he has a successor? Or that he's somehow involved with all of this?"

"I'm not saying any of this, but I can't think of any other good explanations. He may not have been the one I was fighting, but Shigaraki was in control of the fight the whole time, he knew it and flaunted it. The Nomu was clearly an experiment of sorts - its strength was unnatural and given the quirks it had, it was most likely made to fight me specifically. Shock absorption to tank the hits I can give, and super regeneration to heal any damage that I could've inflicted on it.

"I know I defeated him, but who else could've created something like this? And I'm not just talking about the Nomu. I've run into my fair share of villains over my career, but only he and Shigaraki have made me feel almost inadequate. The similarities between the two are too close to be a simple coincidence."

"Toshinori, breathe," Naomasa placated, "I can't speak to how much this guy has affected you, but I do know that you're not one to lie down and take whatever this is."

"I know!" he shouted, immediately backing down, "I'm sorry for my outburst, but this Shigaraki, he's in another league entirely, I just know it. We met for not even five minutes but he's left a lasting impression on me, that's not an easy feat."

Naomasa sighed, rubbing his temples, "If it'll give you any peace of mind, I'll personally look into this matter and see if I can't prove that he really is back. I'll also request some lab work be done on the Nomu to see if I can verify its origins. But Toshinori, I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now, but you're not alone in this fight. I and so many others have your back, and I promise you I'll do everything I can to bring this guy in."

All Might took a deep breath, shaking his head and standing up. Naomasa did the same, walking together to the door, "Thank you, Naomasa. I truly appreciate the work you do. I pray that my worries are just those, but in the off chance, please be careful."

"I will," Naomasa gave him a warm smile, "You should probably visit Shimura-kun and the rest of the class. I'm sure they could use a little pick-me-up."

A disheveled man walked the halls of UA, following a route that's been walked multiple times before by countless people in the past. The man was dressed in a loose black outfit, walking with his hands in his pockets, face wrapped in bandages and his long black hair tied up in a loose bun, much different than how he usually wears it.

The halls are empty and quiet, but the man doesn't mind it in the slightest, preferring it this way than how it usually is. Eventually he makes it to his destination, walking right up to the door without breaking his stride as it opened before him.

The room is fairly standard, two couches face each other in the middle of the room with a dark oak coffee table between them. Beyond that was a desk, made of the same material, facing the door, with Principal Nezu sitting on a lush black chair behind it.

The man walked around and sat himself on the back of the couch closest to the desk.

"Aizawa-kun! I'm glad to see you moving about so quickly, I heard that Recovery Girl was quick with the healing," Nezu greeted cheerfully.

Aizawa grunted in acknowledgment, "The old lady basically healed me fully but insisted I wear the bandages. Such a waste of supplies."

"Yes, she does tend to go overboard for after-care, but her heart is always in the right place. What do you have for me?"

"Unfortunately, not as much as I would like," Aizawa drawled on, "I engaged the leader, whom I'm being told is called Kagero Shigaraki, at the start of the attack. As much as I hate to admit it, I was taken out quickly and efficiently, and was kept down for the rest of the time. I eventually came to in time to see Shimura attempt to go confront the villains."

"Oh? I knew that there was an argument of sorts, but I wasn't aware that this was the case."

"I don't know what to make of it, but there was something in Shimura's eyes that didn't belong there. It almost looked like he was wanting to prove something, whether that's to himself or someone else, I'm not sure. Regardless, I think we should monitor him more closely, as well as have him and the rest of the class visit a counselor."

"Agreed, I'm also aware that a few of your students had extremely close calls thanks to Shigaraki, so it's best to address any lingering issues immediately." Aizawa grunted again, "And what do you make of the leader?"

"I'm going to hold off on my full report for tomorrow so I won't have to repeat myself, but my preliminary is that he's dangerous, much more than any other villains we've come to face recently."

Without waiting for a dismissal, Aizawa walked back out the door, leaving Nezu alone in his office. He hopped off his chair and turned to face out the window, clasping his paws behind his back. The sun was already going down, painting the sky in a beautiful orange hue.

"What are you going to do now?" Nezu wondered aloud, "Kagero Shigaraki."