"Alright brats, listen good," Speed Demon said. "I was going easy on you before. But that ain't happening no more."

"We are the students of U.A. High School," Iida pronounced. "And we will not back down to wretched scum like you. We will stand our ground and fight until the end. Do you hear me?"

"Um…yeah," Kaminari said behind him. "What he said."

"Ugh." The masked woman shook her head. "How revolting. Speed Demon, please knock him out."

"With pleasure!" The villain suddenly moved, racing towards Iida.

Iida had been using his power now for a few minutes. He knew he still had plenty of time left with it but it didn't seem to matter. This Speed Demon was much faster than he was. Which meant he was going to have to increase his speed. It would wear him out in seconds and he'd be practically helpless afterwards. And judging from the explosions he was hearing from below, this wasn't the only fight. But he couldn't think of anything else.

Besides, it was his duty as student rep and provisional hero to go beyond to save his fellow classmates, no matter what. So that was what he was going to do.

"Here comes the knuckle sandwich!" Speed Demon cried, a second away.

"Recipro…ULTIMATE!" Iida cried, his engines roaring as he boosted them beyond their limit, whipping his legs around at inhuman speeds. The villain didn't even see it coming as Iida's leg struck him on the side of the head and sent him whiplashing into the wall, breaking through and crumbling amongst the rubble. He let off one small groan before slumping down, unconscious.

Iida felt like joining him, falling to his hands and knees, trembling. He'd never used that power before and he felt like his whole body was about to fall apart. But it was worth it. Speed Demon was down.

"Iida, are you ok?" he heard Kaminari say and was about to answer when he felt a prick on his neck. Then he felt nothing at all.

Kaminari reacted instinctively the second he saw the dart take out Iida, leaping to the side before he could bit hit as well. The dart flew past him and struck the wall instead.

"A quick one, aren't you?" he heard the woman say. "Won't matter though."

"Who the heck are you people?" he asked.

The woman shrugged. "Just people looking for a paycheck. And taking out wannabe heroes like you is just a cherry on top."

"Oh yeah? Well how's this for wannabe?" Kaminari threw his arm out and launched two of his pointers at her, which she dodged easily.

"Exactly what I thought it would be," the woman said, shaking her head. "Pathetic. I mean, did you really think that would work against me?"

"No," he admitted as he took a step to his right. "But this will." He raised his hand and unleashed his power, a line of electricity shooting out of his gear on its way to the pointer he'd chosen, striking the villain as it did.

"AAGGGHHHH!" she screamed, writhing in pain as her body was engulfed in electricity. She slumped to the ground, trying to hold herself up on her hands and knees before hitting the ground and falling unconscious.

"Ha!" Kaminari cheered. "Now that was shocking!" His head bobbed up and down for a second before he stopped. "Well, I'm really glad everyone was already unconscious when I said that."

He suddenly heard another explosion coming from below. "Ay," he muttered, looking at his fallen friends. He couldn't leave them, but his other friends might need help too. His head swiveled back and forth from the stairwell to his friends before he groaned and ran for the stairs. "Don't move, ok!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Well, unless, you know, you wake up on your own and get away. Then it's ok. But otherwise, don't move!"

For a second, the world went weightless. Deku floated through the air, debris and rubble surrounding him, praying with all his might that that second wouldn't end. But it did.

The force of the blow sent everything flying. Deku slammed into and through the wall, landing on the grass outside. He groaned but managed to pick himself up pretty quickly thanks to One-For-All. He gasped, looking up at the building, part of it collapsing from the Absorbing Man's strike.

"Tokoyami…Mineta…Aoyama," he muttered in horror and was already bursting through the air before he had time to think about it. He landed in the opening he'd made and walked through, swiping the air to disperse the dust floating around. He stopped when he heard someone coughing and quickly ran over, spotting Tokoyami on the ground, Dark Shadow having covered him.

"Tokoyami, are you ok?" he asked hurriedly.

"Uh…yes," the other boy replied slowly, checking to make sure. "Thank you Dark Shadow."

"No problem."

"Where are the others? Mineta and Aoyama? Did you se-"

There was a thudding noise and both of them looked up, grimacing as the Absorbing Man appeared. "You two still standing, huh?" he asked, cracking his knuckles. "Well, I was promised a fight here, so do make it worth my while."

"What is your goal here?" Deku asked, activating Full Cowling, letting OFA spread across his whole body. "What do you want from us?"

"Me? I just want to make some money. But the people I'm working for want you for your special abilities. Your, uh, Quirks, as you say." Deku frowned at that, wondering why he phrased it that way. "You're an interest to them. And apparently, willing to pay top dollar to have you. So…" the man shrugged, "I'm just here to collect and deliver."

"We are not ordinary students," Tokoyami informed him, rising up next to Deku. "We are Class 1-A of U.A. High School, and we have fought villains before."

"Yeah, but we've already taken out more than half of you," the Absorbing man revealed with a sneer, making Deku's heart clench. "So I don't know what kind of villains you've fought, but they must have been pretty pathetic."

"Shut up," Deku growled, his anger growing. He launched himself at the villain, fist cocked back. "Detroit Smash!" he cried, throwing a punch right at the man's face. However, as he did it, the Absorbing Man launched his own fist, colliding with Deku's and creating a wave of force between the two. Deku gritted his teeth, trying to push through, but eventually he was hurled back, smashing into the wall.

"Midoriya!" Tokoyami cried out, running to him.

"I'm ok," he grunted, getting back to his feet. He'd taken worse hits before.

"Wow. You know, they said you were one of the heavy-hitters here. One of the toughest fighters. But, honestly kid, you're kind of disappointing," the Absorbing Man said. "I wanted a real fight but you don't seem worth my time. Guess I'll just finish this faster now."

"Guess again." Deku held up his fist again, his fingers held together tightly. "Delaware Smash Air Force!" he cried, sending several blasts of pressurized air at the villain. The Absorbing Man cried out in surprise, stumbling back a little. Deku then activated Blackwhip, using it to wrap around the villain and yank himself forward towards him.

"One For All…30%," he said, smashing the Absorbing Man with even more power. To his gratification, the villain went flying back. Not by much, several meters really, but enough. The Absorbing Man landed on his back and grunted.

Deku landed on his feet, breathing heavily. His arm felt sore from that move but he'd managed to at least land a solid hit. Hopefully it could buy the faculty time to arrive. Those hopes were dashed however a second later as the Absorbing Man started laughing.

"Not bad kid, not bad at all," he muttered rising back up. As he did, Deku noticed his skin taking on a metallic tone and saw the metal ball and chain begin swinging around. "Now you're giving me a fight. Won't make a lick of difference but it is more fun for me. Nope!" he suddenly said, swatting away Dark Shadow as he came in for the attack, sending him into the wrecked kitchen like he was nothing. "Let's just-"

"Navel Buffet Laser!"

The air filled with twinkles as several beams of sparkling blue light struck Absorbing Man dead, knocking him back. He grunted, trying to hold them back but then the big one hit him right in his chest, sending him crashing backwards into one of the rooms, most of it collapsing around him. As it did, several purple balls came flying, sticking themselves to the Absorbing Man and the debris, holding them all together.

Deku sighed in relief as Aoyama and Mineta appeared, both looking a little haggard.

"Sorry we are late, mes amis," Aoyama said and Deku noticed he had attached his shoulder pads as well as other parts of his hero costume. "But I think we managed to beat him."

"Heck yeah we did!" Mineta cheered. "That's what you get fo-"

The room suddenly rumbled and they all watched in fear as the large figure of the Absorbing Man rose up, practically glowing in rage as all the debris Mineta's purple balls had stuck to him clung on, refusing to drop.

"Kid, you just made a very big mistake," he said threateningly. "You pissed me off."

Deku and the others all got into fighting stances. He'd known that what they'd just thrown at him wouldn't be enough but it honestly looked like it had barely fazed him at all. What was it going to take to bring him down?

The Absorbing Man rushed forward so fast that it took them all by surprise. He grabbed Mineta and threw him into the wall where he struck head first before slumping to the ground lifelessly.

"Mineta!" Deku cried, rushing over but the villain blocked his way, ball and chain still in hand.

"Not so fast kid. We're not don-"

"You…FIEND!"

They all turned to see Tokoyami, Dark Shadow completely covering him. In the blink of an eye, Dark Shadow enlarged to epic proportions, shattering the ceiling. His claws doubled in size and his maw now looked like it could swallow a car.

"What…well damn," Absorbing Man muttered.

Deku realized this was there shot and seized it. "Aoyama, power up as fast as you can," he called.

"Oui," came the reply.

"Tokoyami! Together!"

"Right!"

Deku charged right alongside Dark Shadow. "Full Cowling," he said, powering up. "20%" He felt One-For-All rush through him, sending bolts of energy zapping across his body. He practically flew across the destroyed hallway towards the Absorbing Man who looked for the first time actually afraid.

"Manchester Smash!"

"Ragnarök!"

Both struck at the same time, Deku's foot crashing into the villain's upper chest while Dark Shadow hit him along his waist, both attacks sending him flying backwards through the wall and out into the open air where he cratered into the ground below. As Deku powered down, feeling a little drained, Dark Shadow kept going, slamming into the Absorbing Man again and pushing him even harder into the ground.

"Now Aoyama!" Deku cried.

"Can't Stop Twinkling Supernova!" the blonde boy yelled and his entire body lit up with blue twinkles as his laser beam show out full force. Tokoyami managed to move Dark Shadow out of the way in time as the laser hit Absorbing Man's prone form, lighting it and the earth around it up, cracking part of the ground apart and lighting others on fire in a large explosion. Aoyama slumped down, clutching his tummy.

"Good work Aoyama," Deku smiled, hoping that that had been enough.

"Not a problem…though I think some might slip out again."

Deku blinked at that, not sure what to say, but he was saved when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Heart sinking, he turned and saw the Absorbing Man out on the lawn, rising up again. His shirt had been burned away and his metallic skin looked banged up but he was still moving and he looked angrier than before.

"This is not good," Tokoyami muttered.

"I don't think…I can take much more," Aoyama managed to say.

Deku could feel his body aching from using so much of OFA at once. It was better than it had been before but still he wasn't sure how much longer he could last. And the Absorbing Man looked as strong as before.

"Now that…was some power there. Props," the villain told them, slowly walking to them. "Took me by surprise. Honestly, if I was just absorbing my chain and ball here, I probably would have been finished. But did you forget? I absorbed all your power too." To emphasize, his entire body suddenly exploded with a green, electric aura that lit up the night sky. Deku gasped. This…it looked like him going more than 50%, maybe even 80.

"That kick of yours, that wasn't you at full power was it?" he asked, almost chuckling. "Why you holding back kid? You afraid of hurting me or something? Or is it perhaps, you're afraid of hurting yourself?"

Deku hissed through his teeth. It was true, he was afraid of doing more damage to his body with OFA. But that didn't mean it would stop him. If that's what it took, to bring down this villain, then so be it. He felt OFA surge through him again and he focused even more power than before. To save his friends, he would go beyond.

"No matter what, I will defeat you!"

Uraraka struggled to think of a way out of this but that was kind of hard to do when a long, pointy nail was inches away from puncturing her throat. She was tempted to get her hands on the villain and send her floating away, but Uraraka didn't think that would help. Her nails were embedded in the wall which meant she could still kill her without problem.

Where were the teachers? Shouldn't they have heard what was going on by now. She could still hear different explosive noises from the boys dorm next door as well as a loud cannon-like noise from upstairs. She just prayed Yaoyorozu and Tsu were alright, but they were probably facing different villains of their own. Hopefully the teachers would be here soon to save the day. But until then, they were on their own. Which meant it was up to her to find a way out of this.

Well, not just her.

"Let's end this, shall we?" the villain said, pulling out a small dart from her belt. Uraraka's eyes widened, realizing it must be some sort of tranquilizer. "Now-"

"Acid Shot!"

They both turned and saw Ashido shooting a stream of acid from between her hands, squeezing her palms together to increase the flow and viscosity.

"Ah!" the villain cried in alarm and instantly withdrew her nails, freeing Uraraka to wrap them around her face before the acid could strike. Instead, it just flowed right off the nails, leaving no mark on them.

"Thanks Pinky," Uraraka said gratefully, rubbing her throat to see if it was still in one piece. "I owe you one."

"No problem Uravity!" Ashido grinned, throwing her a thumbs-up.

"You brats!" the villain glared, lowering her nails. "You will regret that." She suddenly charged, taking them by surprise with her speed.

"Acid Veil!" Ashido cried, throwing her arms into the air and forming a layer of acid to block off the villain but seconds later, her nails came through the veil, tearing it apart as fast as Ashido could make it. Uraraka watched as Ashido hissed and pushed even harder but that wouldn't hold up much longer. Thankfully, she had a plan.

"When I say go, dodge to the right. I'll go left."

"What?"

"Just trust me."

"Oh…ok."

"And…" Uraraka muttered, watching carefully, "go!"

They both dodged at the same time. The second they did, the villain came tearing through, ripping the acid veil apart with those nails of hers. However, she quickly stopped when she saw they weren't in front of her and that's when Uraraka struck. Activating her Quirk, she grabbed hold of the woman's ankle and hefted her off the ground.

"Why you- Hey!" the woman gasped as she began to float upwards. "What the hell is this?"

"You got her!" Ashido cheered. "Waho-EEP!" she suddenly shrieked as the woman's nails almost slashed her face. "Hey, watch it lady!"

"Release me!"

"Why would we do that?" Uraraka glared up, watching carefully as the woman floating in the air. Thanks to all her training, she could keep the villain up there for a while now. But there was no way she could let her guard down.

"If you think this will hold me for long, you're wrong," the villain warned. "And trust me, you'll wish you'd just been tranquilized when I'm done."

"What do you want from us anyway?" Ashido demanded.

"Yeah, why are you attacking us?"

The woman shrugged. "All I know is someone is willing to pay top dollar for all you brats. Sounded like a good enough job."

"Well, now you know better. Don't mess with Class 1-A!" Ashido declared.

"Yeah!" Uraraka cried with her.

"Yes, you have caught me off guard at the moment. But that moment's about to end."

Uraraka frowned, tensing up. "Huh? What do yo-"

The woman suddenly turned, her nails piercing into the ceiling and holding her fast, preventing her from floating around. She then brought her other hand up and stabbed it further along, dragging her across the ceiling. She kept that up, moving faster with each strike, coming right for them.

"Hey, stop that! Acid Shot!" Ashido sent another burst of acid her way but with zero gravity now on her side, the villain easily dodged it, flexibly moving her body out of the way and letting it fly right past.

"We need to get out of here," Uraraka muttered. While she was hopeful, she really wasn't too sure how long they could last against this villain. It would be better to make a retreat and try to meet up with some of the others. That way they would stand a better chance.

"Right, let's…" Ashido trailed off as they both turned to the door, their blood going cold at the sight that awaited them. A large, buff villain in a purple jumpsuit with flowing red hair who was cracking her knuckles, standing between them and the doorway.

"Looks like you're in a spot of trouble there, Deathstrike. Given your reputation, I would have thought they'd be dead already," the new villain chuckled.

"Can it Titania. I'll have those two in my claws in ten seconds."

"Sorry, can't chance it. We're on a bit of a time crunch so let's wrap this up. I already took care of the twerps upstairs anyway."

Uraraka gasped, images of a fallen Yaoyorozu and Tsu filling her mind. "What did you do to them?" she demanded, anger filling her up.

"Them? Well, after beating them up a little," the woman Titania said, grinning in a way that made Uraraka want to slug her, "I just put them to sleep and bundled them up with the others we have."

"Others?" Ashido gasped.

"Oh yeah, we've collected quite a few of you already. And now it's time for you two to join the party. So why don't we just-"

Uraraka didn't let her finish, already charging forward. She didn't know what kind of Quirk this woman had, but it had to be strong if she already took out Yaoyorozu and Tsu. So Uraraka had to move fast and try to take her by surprise, already reaching out with her hand to float the villain up.

"Too slow."

The next thing Uraraka knew, she was slammed into the wall, her whole body exploding in pain. She heard a sickening pop and felt like her arm had just been ripped off. She wanted to cry out but was in too much pain to even do that.

"Uravity!" she heard Ashido cry out but it was like it was coming through several doors.

"What were you trying to accomplish there, kid? If you think that someone like you could actually…huh?" the woman stopped, leaning in closer as Uraraka mumbled something. "What was that?"

"Zero…gravity," Uraraka just managed to say, tapping the woman's hand with her fingertips.

"Whoa! What the hell!" the woman cried out as she was suddenly lifted up into the air. "How the hell am I floating right now?"

"It's the girl's power, you idiot!" the other woman yelled. "Why the hell do you think I'm up here, for fun?"

Uraraka was barely listening, just trying to stay conscious. Her friends were in trouble. She had to help them. Be a hero. But she didn't think she could manage it. Every effort she made to stand up resulted in a jolt of pain through her arm, making her want to crumple into a ball. She didn't know how to do this.

And just like that, Ashido was there.

"I got you, don't worry," her friend said, gently lifting her up. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

"R-right," Uraraka replied, standing up again, the pain lessening somehow. She couldn't give up now. She refused to. "Let's go."

"You better let us down right now or you are so dead!" she heard the woman yell.

"Don't worry, I'll catch up to them."

Uraraka chanced a glance back and to her horror saw the nail-villain, Deathstrike she believed, still coming rapidly, clawing away at the wall with every movement. "We need to hurry.

"Don't need to tell me twice."

"Take this!" the strong woman yelled, swinging her arm back to throw something at them.

"Acid Veil!" Ashido yelled, throwing up another wall of acid around them. Uraraka just managed to make out the dart-shape in the acid before it dissolved. "Ha, nice try! But nothing gets through my acid."

"RAH! I'll get you, just watch!"

"Almost there," Uraraka muttered as they made it to the doorway. But, just as they made the turn, Ashido suddenly flinched. Uraraka was about to ask what was wrong until she froze, seeing the dark sticking out of the back of her friend's neck.

"Always strike when your opponent thinks they're safe," she heard Deathstrike say somewhere behind her but was barely listening as Ashido crumpled to the ground, her eyes rolling back as she fell unconscious.

"No, no, no," Uraraka muttered, barely staying up herself. "Come on Ashido, we need to get out of here. We can't-"

She didn't finish that sentence as she felt something prick her as well. She just had time to see the dark in her arm before she felt the effects take hold, her consciousness leaving her. She only managed to see Deathstrike's grinning face looming above her before everything went black.

Todoroki felt a clench of fear at the sight of Kirishima and Bakugo's fallen forms. The two of them were among the strongest of the class, and the villain barely looked bothered by it though his shield did seem to have some scorch marks on it. He had only just managed to take out the portal villain upstairs and he had no idea what this guy was capable of, but if he could take Bakugo out like that, he had to be strong.

Still, there was no way Todoroki would back down.

He thrust out with his power, sending a wave of ice at the villain, hoping to take him out quickly. But the man was already moving, easily dodging the ice attack.

"You are powerful," the villain said with a slight nod. "But that doesn't mean much if your skill level doesn't match up. You telegraphy your moves way too easily, kid."

Todoroki glared and unleashed a blast of fire from his left hand but again the man dodged it as soon as he even lifted his hand, his shield up as well to block the heat off. Todoroki tried switching back to his ice but the villain leapt upwards, dodging the attack easily. He reminded Todoroki of Stain with his movements which sent a shiver down his spine. Fortunately he didn't seem to be going on the attack just yet.

"I'm sure you've taken down a whole bunch of bad guys that way. But I've watched the way you fight. I know all your moves before you make them. And there's not much you can do in this space anyway."

Todoroki grimaced. He was right. There were plenty of more powerful attacks he could use but that could endanger all his friends in the building, especially the unconscious Bakugo and Kirishima. He had to think of…

There were a series of loud explosions below him, rocking the building. He chanced a glance back towards the stairwell, fear filling him of what might be happening below. But he didn't get a chance to think it over when something suddenly struck him in the chest, knocking him into the wall. He coughed wetly, feeling pain throb throughout his chest. Ribs probably cracked, possibly broken. He looked up in time to see the villain's shield return to his hand.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent kid. That's combat 101."

Todoroki seethed, feeling his left side steam as he stood back up. He'd had enough of this. His friends were in trouble and he was forced to deal with this guy. He needed to end this. Thankfully, he did had a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one. He'd noticed that the villain was staying back, meaning he didn't want to engage Todoroki in close combat. So all Todoroki had to do was close the distance. That way, he wouldn't be able to dodge.

As soon as he thought that, he moved, launching another blast of fire, making sure to avoid his friend's forms on the floor. The villain was ready, as he expected, using his shield to stave off the fire. But then, as Todoroki got closer, he started backing up, making Todoroki smile. He had him now.

At least, he thought so right up until the villain held his hand up to his ear and said, "now."

The ceiling suddenly gave way, crumbling away to reveal a massive figure drop down to the floor, towering above Todoroki. As the smoke cleared, he managed to get a better look and gasped, fear filling him. This new villain was monstrous, grayish, hulking figure that looked like he could tear the entire building apart with his bare hands. His ears looked more like fins, almost fish-like, and his hands were basically claws. He grinned evilly down at Todoroki. "So, you're apparently the powerhouse of this little group, huh? Gotta say, I don't see it."

Emil Blonsky aka the Abomination. Exposed to a massive dose of gamma radiation, Blonsky transformed into the hulking figure permanently and now possesses superhuman strength, stamina, and durability, making him one of the most powerful villains on the planet.

"Perfect timing, Abomination," the first villain said. "Now please take care of this quickly. We're running out of time."

"Heh," the Abomination smirked. "Won't be a problem. I'll just-"

Acting fast, Todoroki sent a wall of ice towards the villain. Thankfully, this one was slower on the uptake and was swiftly encased. Todoroki gave himself a second to be thankful until the first crack appeared. "Damn," he muttered before running as fast as he could back the way he'd come, right through the doorway into the stairwell. As soon as he did, he heard his ice shatter behind him and the Abomination give out a loud roar.

"Run as fast as you like, boy! You won't escape me!"

Todoroki ignored him, sending a burst of fire at the window, shattering it open. He leapt right through, already creating a large block of ice for him to slide down until he reached the bottom. He didn't know if he was powerful enough to beat the villain, but he wouldn't stand a chance in close quarter combat up there. He needed the open space to fully unleash his moves.

He'd barely managed to catch a breath when the wall above him completely broke apart and the Abomination came charging out, landing a few feet from him with a large tremor and a blast of earth. Todoroki grimaced at the sheer amount of raw power coming from him. Honestly, he hadn't felt this since his fight with Chimera on Nabu Island. That brought back bad memories.

"What do you-"

"Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall!" he cried out, unleashing as much as he could in one shot. More than he had against Sero in their fight at the Sports Festival. It was like a tidal wave of ice that shot out and up, completely encasing the villain and rising up higher than the Heights Alliance building. It was so thick that Todoroki couldn't even see the Abomination inside besides a murky form. He breathed out, feeling a bit of strain from using so much power in one go. But he didn't have time to rest. As much as he hoped that took care of it, he doubted this was over.

He was proven right a few seconds later when cracks began appearing across his ice formation. He grunted and sent more ice to try and fill them but they were forming faster than he could fix them. "Damn," he muttered again before jumping back right before the whole bottom of the ice exploded, the Abomination breaking through with an enraged expression on his face.

"Would you stop freezing me like that? It's getting on my nerves."

"Why are you here?" Todoroki demanded. "What do you want from us?"

"I'm just here to make a little money. That's all kid. Though a good fight is always welcome. So, you got any other moves besides that ice trick? Cause otherwise this is going to end very quickly."

Todoroki glared. He did have one other trick but he was worried that doing it might result in more damage to the building. That was when he turned and saw the damage already done, gaping a little. The entire bottom section of their dorm building was broken apart, like some monster had rampaged through it. He couldn't see anyone through all the debris and his own ice. He prayed with everything he had that they were alright.

Fury rose up through him. These villains had invaded their school, their home, and broken it apart. It seemed most of his friends had been beaten and/or captured by now. For all he knew, he might be the last one standing. He couldn't fall.

He had no idea where the teachers and other faculty members were. Perhaps they were under attack as well. If so, he couldn't rely on them to help. This was up to him.

The Abomination suddenly charged forward. "This ends now kid!"

"Flashfreeze Heatwave!" Todoroki yelled, sending a burst of fire forward, superheating it as much as he could. It struck Abomination right in the chest, causing him to stumble a step. But that wasn't what Todoroki was focusing on as the he superheated the whole area, causing the air to expand rapidly.

"You think this will…what?" the Abomination gasped just before he was engulfed in a massive blast the dissolved most of the ice back into water and sent then air rippling violently around. A large cloud of steam formed from it, blocking his sight for a moment. He just hoped the building would still be standing. He didn't have too many options left. He had to try something.

It took a couple minutes but the steam finally began to clear. When it did, he felt his heart clench at the sight of the Abomination still standing.

"Damn kid," the villain muttered and Todoroki noticed that he sounded a little winded there. "That was a hell of a move. Even managed to knock me back for a sec. But it's not nearly enough."

Todoroki grimaced. This reminded him too much of his battle with the Humarise villain Leviathan. And this guy wasn't even being boosted by Trigger. But Todoroki had managed to beat that villain, at the cost of all his strength, so he would just have to do the same here with his most powerful move.

He tensed up, channeling all the power from his left side, the side he'd loathed for most of his life, and shot forward, bringing it up in a punch with everything he had. "Flashfire fist!" he cried, striking the Abomination right in the chest. "Jet Kindling!"

A violent explosion of flames burst from his arm, completely engulfing the Abomination and searing across the lawn. He did his best to hold it back from the building but he could only do so much. He had to end this now. He screamed out, giving every ounce of power he had until finally the fire died down and he dropped to the ground from exhaustion.

It took him a few seconds before he looked up. The Abomination was still standing. His body was covered in burns, parts of his skin black, and he didn't seem to be moving.

Please fall, Todoroki thought desperately. Please fall.

Then the Abomination moved, grunting as he clutched at the blackened area of his skin. But he didn't fall. He looked winded and hurt, but he wasn't down. "You pack quite a fiery wallop there, don't you kid?" the villain muttered. "I actually felt that one. But it still wasn't enough. Your power is too weak to penetrate my skin."

Before Todoroki could move or even think, the Abomination's hand lashed out and grabbed him around the waist, holding him tight. Todoroki struggled for a second but he knew it was clearly useless. He didn't have the strength to fight off the villain. He'd lost. And failed.

"Let's wrap this up," the Abomination said, tensing his legs in order to leap up to the top of the building, landing on the roof with a slight crunching noise as he cracked the ceiling.

Once they had landed, Todoroki gasped at the sight. A couple villains, one in a massive greenish armor and one that was giving off bolts of electricity, stood over his friends. Shoji, Jiro, Hagakure, Asui, Yaoyorozu, Koda, Sato, Sero, Bakugo, Kirishima, Iida, and Ojiro. Even the ones he'd left, the ones he thought would be safe, were now bound up and unconscious. As he watched, a black hole appeared and the teleporting villain from before walked out, two more villains behind him carrying Uraraka and Ashido, both unconscious.

"Good work," the man in the armor said with a thick accent. "Ah, and Abomination has returned with another catch. Now only five remain."

"I see we took some hits ourselves," the Abomination murmured, ignoring Todoroki has he struggled uselessly, looking over at two other villains lying unconscious.

"Nothing too major. But we are running low on time. Bullseye is already taking care of one faculty member but others will arrive in minutes if not sooner. And the portal home is coming soon as well. We must wrap this up quickly."

"Yes. Take care of this one and I will go aid the others."

No, Todoroki thought. He didn't see Midoriya among the fallen so that meant he was still down there, fighting. And as strong as he was, Todoroki didn't think his friend would last long against the Abomination. He had to give him a chance. He brought both his powers to the surface, lashing out with both fire and ice in the villain's grip.

"Stop that!" the Abomination barked. "Titanium Man, tranq him!"

"I won't let you win!" Todoroki cried out, using as much power as he could. "I wo-"

The dart hit him on the side of the neck and almost instantaneously, everything started to go dark. I'm sorry Midoriya, he thought as he slipped away. I failed you.

Aizawa could hear more explosions, could hear shouts and yells, no doubt from his students who were fighting for their lives right now. And each time he heard it, it felt like a knife in his chest as there was nothing he could do to help them. He was too busy trying to stay alive.

He had hoped to deal with this villain quickly, hoping he'd just be some random thug or bruiser taken off the streets for this job like before. But those hopes were dashed within seconds. This man had an uncanny accuracy with his weapons. Aizawa was clutching his arm where he'd already been struck by a knife. If he'd been any slower, it would have been to his chest. Whoever this guy was, he was a professional, clearly handpicked for this.

"Come on out," the villain called and Aizawa grimaced behind the tree he was hiding. "It's not as much fun if you don't do anything."

Aizawa frowned and, very carefully, picked up a branch from off the ground, tossing it a ways away. Almost instantly, a small knife struck it midair, cutting it to pieces.

"Trickery. Not bad."

He can hit something that small with so little lighting? Aizawa wondered. It had to be the man's Quirk. If so, all Aizawa had to do was look at him and this would be over. Or, at least, he hoped it would. He didn't know yet how capable the villain was at close-range combat, but if he relied so much on throwing his weapons, Aizawa had to assume close-range was his weak point.

But where was he? He moved quietly, stealthily. Definitely a professional. Was he with the League of Villains? Was that what this was? They hadn't been heard of for a little while now, not since the Shie Hassaikai Raid.

He shook those thoughts away. No point wondering about them now. He had to focus on the task at hand. Finding this man and bringing him down so he could go save his students.

Moving fast, he tossed another twig away, dashing out on the other side at the same time. He had hoped that would confuse the villain for a second but no dice as he felt the air shift and had to dodge to avoid getting struck by…was that a pebble?

Aizawa hissed. The way it had been moving, it might have been a bullet. That was some serious power. But now, he could see the man, and he felt his hair rising up as he activated his power, nullifying the man's Quirk.

"Ooh, so close, but I'll still get you," the man called, already lifting up another time.

So these guys hadn't done their homework, not knowing about him. Just like last time. Their mistake.

"You won't do anything with your power-"

The man's fingers shot out and Aizawa gaped. His Quirk…it had no effect. But…that wasn't possible.

He didn't have time to think, instinctively moving to get out of the pebble's way. This time, however, he was too slow, the pebble striking his shoulder instead of his chest. He barely stifled a cry as pain rushed through him, the pebble ripping right through him. The villain had done that without his Quirk? So…what was it then? It shouldn't have mattered, Aizawa should have erased it. Was he using some sort of contraption or support tool to aid him? That seemed to be the most likely option. Unless, of course, this was just natural ability.

He didn't have time to think on it too much. No matter what it was, Aizawa had to take him out. Since he couldn't rely on his Quirk for this fight, he'd just have to do it the hard way. The plan was still the same, get in close and remove his long-range combat power.

The slight thunk on the tree next to him was all the warning he got before the stone struck his head, knocking him off balance. He staggered, trying to regain his balance. What had just happened? Had the villain…had he actually…?

He'd just ricocheted the stone off another tree to get to Aizawa. If not for his capture scarf blocking most of the blow, it might have knocked him out or even killed him.

He wasn't safe anywhere. Which meant there was no point staying here. Aizawa took a breath, fighting through the pain and grogginess, before moving.

"Where do you think you're going?" the villain laughed, more rocks and other items coming with jetlike speed. Aizawa used his scarf as much as he could, blocking the projectiles he couldn't dodge.

"I won't let you lay a finger on my students," he promised, rushing towards the man.

"Doesn't matter anyway. My colleagues already took care of most of them. Job's almost done."

Aizawa felt that clench in his heart. No time to think or worry now. He had to act, take this guy out, and end this once and for all.

"You are fast, I'll give you that," the villain called, now moving as well as Aizawa came at him, backpedaling a little. "But can you dodge everything?"

The projectiles came even more rapidly. Aizawa winced, feeling a few cut through skin, but he kept going. He wished he had his costume on, or more accurately his belt with all his support items. As it was, all he had was his capture scarf. But perhaps that was enough.

Read the movements, he thought, watching closely. The villain may have been hard to see in the dark and he may be absurdly fast when he started throwing, but Aizawa could still just make out the tensing of his muscles, the twist in his hands, the savage grin on his face that widened every time.

And…now!

Aizawa ducked to the side while throwing his capture scarf out just as the villain made his move, the knife sailing right by Aizawa's head. His scarf, on the other hand, hurled forward right on target.

"What are you going to do with a scarf?" the villain laughed just as it made contact, wrapping around his arm tightly and tightening. "Wait…what the hell? What is this?"

"That's my capture weapon," Aizawa informed him darkly. "It's made of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy. I told you there was no way I would let you harm my students." With a sharp tug, he brought the villain flying forward to his shock. "Now it's time I give you a lesson."

"As if!" the villain snarled, hurling several various items at once with his free hand. Aizawa managed to dodge them all but hissed as he saw they were just a distraction, the villain now reaching into his belt to pull out a gun. "Playtime's over. Now I'll finish you for good."

Have to get close.

As the villain pulled out the gun, Aizawa rushed forward even faster, grabbing his arm before he could bring it about. He then kicked the man hard in the chest, knocking him back. He followed with him, not giving him an inch. He couldn't afford to. He used his scarf to keep the man off balance while doing his best to remove the gun but the villain had an iron grip on it. He growled back at Aizawa, launching a kick of his own that Aizawa just managed to dodge.

"I see you've discovered my weakness," the villain chuckled darkly. "Yeah, I may not be the best at close combat. But that doesn't mean I'm bad!"

With that, he suddenly leapt up into the air and yanked upwards with his arms that Aizawa was still holding onto, throwing him off balance. Then, the scarf tightened and Aizawa felt his arm get pulled to the right, leaving himself open for a kick to the stomach, keeling him over.

He gained control of my scarf so quickly? Aizawa thought, watching the man manipulate his end of the scarf with ease. It had taken long hours over several months for him to get the handle of it. So how had this guy mastered it so quickly.

"You are a good fighter. But you ain't no Daredevil or Elektra."

Aizawa frowned. He wasn't familiar with those names.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's Bullseye."

Makes sense. "I don't really care. I just want to kick your ass."

"How rude. But let's get to it."

Aizawa wrapped his arm even more around the scarf, pulling Bullseye off balance this time, and slamming his leg into the villain's hip. Bullseye grunted, glaring in pain before his eyes suddenly shifted to the side. It was so fast that Aizawa barely managed to catch it and he was grateful that he did. He felt the man's wrist tighten on the gun and heard the BANG as it went off. And he moved his body out of the way just before the bullet could strike him.

"How did yo-" Aizawa started before he saw what had caught the man's eye. A small stone lying on the ground nearby. He ricocheted it off a rock?

"How are you doing that?" he demanded, reactivating his Quirk. His hair floated up and his gaze turned red.

"Well that's some trick."

"Your powers should be erased. How are you still able to do something like that?"

"Power?" Bullseye snorted. "I always hated when people went on about that, like it made them special somehow. This is just natural skill. And I can take on any powered person with it. That's why, as much as I hate them, I actually respect Daredevil and Elektra for their own skills. Even Fatboy Fisk doesn't use any powers to get what he wants."

So he really is Quirkless? Aizawa wondered. Could that have something to do with why he's here? "Is that the reason you attacked the school? To take down, as you say, 'powered' students?"

"Ha!" Bullseye laughed. "You think I care about that. I'm just on a job. The buyers want the kids for their own reasons. I just want to make some money. The fact that they're powered is an added bonus."

Buyers? What buyers? Aizawa's mind went into overdrive as he considered all the possibilities, but he ultimately shuttered them. He couldn't dwell on it now. He just had to stop this villain here and now.

He yanked hard on the scarf, twisting it so that he could Bullseye up into the air. As he did, he twisted the villain's other hand down, forcing him to drop the gun. With that, he was able to throw the man aside right into a nearby tree. Not giving him even a second, Aizawa rushed him, managing to land a solid hit on the jaw, knocking him back. But just as he was coming for another blow, a pinecone suddenly came racing for him, knocking him right at the top of the head.

"Agh!" he groaned, trying to shake it off. That had come with such force that it had felt like a rock.

He looked up right as another came for him and he just managed to avoid it. Close the distance, he reminded himself, rushing forward again. Bullseye threw another pinecone that he again just avoided and then the two clashed again, Aizawa throwing a punch as the villain launched his own. They each tried to connect but blocked themselves. They traded punches, kicks, anything to get an edge over the other. Aizawa fainted to the left before throwing a hook to the right but Bullseye managed to see through it and blocked it before attempting to knee Aizawa in the chest that he only avoided by throwing himself back. He dropped to the ground and lashed out with his leg, hoping to knock the villain's legs from under him and this time managed to connect but Bullseye caught himself on the trunk of the tree, grunting in anger as he charged forward but he was off balance and Aizawa kicked him square in the chest.

"You know, I was worried this would be boring," Bullseye said as he recovered, rubbing his chin. "Thanks for proving me wrong."

"Just shut up," Aizawa growled. He heard more crashes and explosions coming from the building. His students were in serious trouble and there was nothing he could do about it right now. Where the hell were the other faculty members?

Bullseye suddenly leapt backwards, his hand reaching into a pocket and pulling something out. Aizawa's eyes widened and he instinctively pulled his scarf around him, ready to attack. The fact that the item pulled out was a deck of cards did not reassure him at all.

"But I think it's time we finished this, don't you?"

Without waiting for an answer, Bullseye placed his other hand on the top of the card deck and started swiping them at a rapid-fire rate. Aizawa started moving his scarf, doing his best to cover himself as much as he could, but it didn't help much, the cards flipping through and around the air and his scarf that he couldn't keep up. He managed to protect his face but his arms started getting sliced and he even felt a couple get lodged into his chest. The hell kind of cards were these?

He felt pain spread throughout him. He wanted to charge forward and attack the guy but it was all he could do to deflect as many of the cards he could.

Eventually, it ended and his scarf dropped. He heaved, seeing at least ten cards stuck in his skin. Blood was dripping from all his cuts and slashes. But they seemed to be flesh wounds only, nothing major actually done. He could work with that.

But he hadn't even taken a single step when he felt a rush of wind and sensed something large approaching. He looked up just in time to see a large, armored figure fly for him, arms raised up. He tried to dodge whatever attack was coming but was still too weak. All he could do was watch as the twin beams of electricity struck him head-on. He screamed in pain, feeling all of his senses burning from the attack. He slumped down, only just barely hanging onto consciousness.

"Hey! What the hell was that? I had him!" he heard Bullseye yell.

"You took too long. Our time is almost up. You play around too much."

Gotta…get up…

But he couldn't. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Was this how he died? Was this it? But his students needed him. They were counting on him. He couldn't let them down. Not like this. He had to…do something…

"At least let me finish him off."

"Make it quick."

"Ugh, fine."

The knife came so quick, striking Aizawa right in the chest and knocking him flat on the hard ground. He groaned once and then went still.

"Good. Let us leave now."

"I'm going, I'm going."

The two left, the Titanium Man flying off while Bullseye just ran towards the fallen building. It was only once they had left that Aizawa let himself breathe out again. It had been a close thing, too close, but he'd managed to stuff his scarf into his shirt when they weren't looking. If Bullseye had gone for his head, then that would have been it.

Still, it wasn't like it mattered. He still could barely move and unconsciousness pulled on him. He wasn't going to last much longer. In the end, he'd failed. He'd let his students down.

I will save you, he promised as his mind slipped. No matter what, I will save you all.

So sorry for the wait. Promise to get on a better schedule. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Will be posting the next and final part of this opening arc in the next month. Please leave a review if you can, thanks so much for sticking by me so far, and don't worry. I'm not leaving this story.