Katsuki Bakugo Rising
The scene opens where we left off last time, with Aizawa being hit by a quirk-erasing bullet.
The tense, silent atmosphere from the last episode carried over, as everyone was on the edge of their seats, wondering what was going to happen next.
'Thanks, Ryukyu,' Aizawa thought, expressing gratitude to Ryukyu for the warning about the deleted round. 'Now I can act without hesitation...' he thought as he pulled out a knife while thinking about Eri. '...logically...to deal with it,' he muttered before stabbing himself in the leg. Without further hesitation, he sliced off his right leg, all the while maintaining his Erasure quirk.
Horrified gasps could be heard from all over the room as students and heroes alike watched the screen, their eyes wide with horror.
Meanwhile, Nemuri and Mic tightly gripped both sides of Aizawa's arms, glaring at him with teary eyes.
"Idiot! How can you be so calm after what you have just seen?" Nemuri asked.
"What happened to my leg pales in comparison to what happened to you," Aizawa said, once again feeling a pit in his stomach at the thought of losing another friend. "Besides, just as Midoriya said before, losing Erasure is the worst possible outcome, so I did what I had to do to preserve my quirk."
'Man, you really are cool, Eraser,' Shigaraki thought, still clamped down on Izuku's hand. 'But even so, for an instant, you were distracted.' And that's when Erasure wore off for a few seconds. Seizing this opportunity, Shigaraki unleashed a shockwave that broke him free from Izuku's grip. The force blew other heroes away, and he immediately surged towards Eraser.
"Shit!" Aizawa cursed under his breath, his fist clenched. Meanwhile, Izuku, Bakugo, and Endeavor were all silently urging their alternate selves to take action and protect Aizawa.
"This damn game is finally about to end!" he declares and despite being held back by Izuku's Blackwhip, he's able to grab Eraser's face and slice it with his fingers.
"Damn it! Why aren't you stronger?" Izuku chided himself, gritting his teeth.
However, before he could inflict more damage, a massive Ice Wall from an arriving Shoto pierced his side.
"Finally! About time you showed up," Shoto muttered under his breath, referring to his on-screen self.
'It's the kid that was following them back then...' Tomura's eye twitched as he lay on the iceberg, recalling when he had used his Search and noticed someone tailing Izuku and Bakugo. He realized it was Shoto.
The students of Class 1A felt a slight sense of relief upon seeing Shoto, one of their strongest classmates, on the scene. However, Endeavor felt troubled, as he never wanted to see Shoto anywhere near that monstrosity named Shigaraki.
Just as Tomura decayed the ice beneath him, Izuku lunged forward, striking him with a gut punch. He utilized Blackwhip to fortify his arm, propelling Tomura backward through the air. "Mr. Aizawa!" Izuku murmured, his eyes brimming with tears, as he glanced at Aizawa and noticed his closed eyes.
"Midoriya, I appreciate your concern, but you need to concentrate on the opponent in front of you," Aizawa said as a grim expression appeared in his eyes. "Because now that I am out of the fight..." Slowly, the realization dawned on all of them. With Aizawa and his Erasure out of the picture, there was no one to keep Shigaraki and his, who knows how many quirks, restrained.
"What lies ahead after you protect him?" The smoke dissipated, revealing Tomura emerging from the cloud of dust. He stood in the field, wearing a smile directed at the heroes. With unwavering confidence, he proclaimed, "Even if you fight desperately to delay the inevitable, all that's waiting for you is ruin."
A chill ran down everyone's spine as they heard Shigaraki's words. Now, those words didn't sound like empty threats anymore. Without Erasure, he could actually bring everything to an end right here, right now, with just a touch of his fingers.
At the evacuation site, students continued to help civilians flee to safety.
"I was already having trouble reaching Midoriya and Bakugo, but now I can't reach Todoroki, either!" Iida exclaimed, attempting to contact Shoto. Meanwhile, in the background, Tsu was aiding a civilian. "Jeez, the last I heard was him saying he'd bring the House Arrest Boys back! What in the world is going on?!"
"Who the hell are you calling House Arrest Boys, Four Eyes!" Bakugo yelled, glaring at Iida. "Do you want to die?"
"Bakugo, please refrain from using such strong language in front of our teachers and pro heroes," Iida reprimanded him while robotically chopping his hand.
"It's likely that a Quirk caused a whole area to have a communications blackout," Tsu suggested.
"We should go after them, too," Ochako chimed in, but their attention was diverted by a civilian's shout.
"Wait, what's this news?! What's this country coming to?" a civilian exclaimed, watching a news broadcast on their phone, their expression filled with concern.
Once more, the expressions on everyone's faces turned sour, as they pondered what new kind of problem had arisen to add to their existing problems.
As Iida approached and inquired about the situation, the civilian turned up the phone's volume. "For those living in the following areas, please begin evacuating immediately," the reporter announced "I repeat-Currently, a giant villain is moving north from Mt. Gunga in Wakayama to Jaku City in Kyoto." As the report played, images of the Gunga Mountain forest showed unconscious heroes strewn across the ground.
"No, no, no," Momo muttered under her breath, a horrified look appearing in her eyes.
"The predicted path is through Mino City, Kakun City, Nebaro City, Hando City, Mosu City, Horisu City, Kuraudo City, Karida City, Karamari City, Suinara City, Hau City, Sairo City, Shido City, Anoto City, Deno City, Ota City, Asaruda City, Nabato City..." the reporter's voice continued.
"He'll destroy all those cities?" Ochako's voice quivered with worry. "Almost all the heroes are here for the operation..."
Meanwhile, in one of the mentioned cities, civilians were going about their ordinary lives when suddenly the ground began to shake. A still image depicted Machia's relentless advance through the densely populated urban areas.
A pit formed in the stomach of everyone as they witnessed Machia's rampage on the screen. The feeling of dread and guilt was amplified for the students who had been part of the Gunga raid rear guard as they all hung their heads in shame.
However, the one who seemed to be suffering the most was Momo Yaoyorozu, tears streaming down her cheeks as she continued to blame herself for her inability to halt Machia's advance in the forest and for the extensive destruction he was causing at present.
Back at Gunga, the U.A. students could only stare in horror at the trail of devastation left behind by Gigantomachia. Helplessness was evident in their eyes, and their bodies bore the marks of bruises.
"Shoji, what about the heroes?" Sero inquired.
"They're too far. I can't see them," Shoji replied, using his Quirk to survey the area.
"There's probably a lot of damage..." Kendo murmured absentmindedly.
"Listen, kids, don't blame yourselves for what happened on the screen," Edgeshot said, observing the somber looks on the students' faces. "The responsibility for this rests entirely on us heroes who brought you into this war and compelled you to confront a threat like Machia."
"Tokoyami, I hope you're okay..." Sero said with concern.
Tokoyami on the other hand was still watching over the unconscious, Hawks as he recalls that he had just managed to save the people in the recovery area from several large boulders, wondering what just happened.
Tokoyami stared at the screen with a somber and complicated expression on his face. On one hand, he was glad that he was able to help people at the recovery area, but on the other hand, he felt terrible for not helping his classmates deal with Machia.
'Oh dear...' Momo thought, her fist clenched as she swallowed nervously. 'Even though we only had a short time, we prepared meticulously and Kirishima succeeded, but... The reason we're unhurt... is that we were not even recognized as the enemy. That's all,' Momo thought back at the moment when Majestic had used his Quirk to send the students away to escape the chaos, sacrificing himself in the process.
By now, Momo had buried her head in her hands, tears continuously streaming down her face. She was utterly devastated by all the things she had heard so far.
Izuku, seated beside her, couldn't bear to witness her tears and felt a strong urge to offer comfort, yet he wasn't quite sure how to do so.
'You know what you have to do. Don't doubt yourself and just go for it.' Suddenly, Izuku's eyes went wide as he heard a feminine voice in his head, and he knew to whom that voice belonged – after all, he had heard it on the screen multiple times by now. It belonged to none other than the Seventh user of One for All, Nana Shimura. He was about to address her, but she stopped him. 'Izuku, we can talk later. Right now, the crying girl next to you needs you more. And as I said, just go for it.'
Izuku chose to heed Nana's advice, steeling his beating heart as he enveloped Momo in a comforting hug.
Momo, taken aback for a moment, soon clutched onto Izuku's shirt and nestled her head against his chest, letting her tears flow.
"Hey, shouldn't the anesthetics have taken effect by now, 'shroom?" Komori asked. "Does this mean it didn't work?"
Izuku felt Momo's grip tightening on his shirt, as he was sure that she was blaming herself, thinking she somehow messed up the formula for anesthetics. He gently placed his hand on her head, offering silent support to her.
"Were our decisions and actions really correct? Were the decisions and actions of the heroes really correct...?" Mineta pondered. "Hey! Isn't this bad? Weren't we checkmated... from the start?" he exclaimed as the devastation caused by Machia was shown on the screen.
No one uttered a word as a heavy silence hung in the air. Each person was grappling with their own doubts, reflecting on the choices their on-screen counterparts had made, and contemplating ways to improve themselves to avoid repeating those mistakes in the future.
Elsewhere in Jaku City, Doctor Kyudai Garaki, while in police custody, gleefully gloats upon hearing of Gigantomachia's impending arrival. "Oh, he came?!" he remarked, causing the police to warn him to shut up. "It's true that the raid on the hospital was a total shutout. As expected of heroes! It was splendid!" Garaki taunted the heroes, while Mic glared at him with a mix of fury and disbelief.
"This bastard," Mic growled, envisioning every imaginable form of suffering for Garaki.
"But just one move-Shigaraki's awakening! Just that one move has turned the tables! Gigantomachia is a disaster that lives and dies for his master! The soldiers called Nomus were modeled after him!" Gartaki continued as we see the glimpses of heroes struggling against Near High-End Nomus.
'I see,' Nezu thought, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on the screen. 'Perhaps through a more thorough examination of those creatures, we might find a solution to halt this disaster known as Machia.'
"The king needs soldiers, right? Strong soldiers! Now that Machia's on the move, you can't escape destruction! Shigaraki will destroy this hero-saturated society!"
''The King,' he said...' a voice sneered within Izuku's mind, and he recognized the voice as that of the first One for All wielder, Yoichi Shigaraki. "'As if my brother would ever permit anyone else to claim that title but himself.'"
Meanwhile, Izuku had just accepted the fact that he could now hear the voices of previous holders in his head.
Returning to the ruins of Jaku, Tomura and Izuku stood facing each other. Tomura wore a smirk on his face, while Izuku's eyes blazed with anger, his teeth gritted in frustration.
Momo who calmed down a little, observed how visibly tense Izuku had grown the moment he appeared on the screen again.
A little distance away, Endeavor knelt on the ground, breathing heavily as smoke emanated from his body. Shoto intervened, employing his ice to cool Endeavor down. "It took me longer to get here because I was helping Ryukyu and the others," Shoto explained. "Cool your body. It should help you catch your breath at least."
"It looks like even I am effectively out of the battle now," Ryukyu said with a frown, not liking how stacked the odds were getting against them from the moment Shigaraki woke up.
"So now it's up to one pro hero and three students to stop Shigaraki," Jeanist said with a frown.
"I wouldn't underestimate those kids if I were you," Rumi said. "They have shown incredible talent since we started watching this. Besides, we still have a wildcard present on the site," she said, glancing at Izuku.
Meanwhile, Bakugo clenched his teeth, memories of how Tomura and Izuku had consistently outpaced him replaying in his mind. "Damm it!" Bakugo said, feeling annoyed at himself for not being fast enough to do anything.
Meanwhile, in the audience, Bakugo gritted his teeth and fixed a scorching glare at the screen. 'Damn it! I need to catch up! There's no way I'm letting Deku get ahead of me,' he seethed internally, his fist clenched in determination.
Meanwhile, Manual and Rock Lock worked to stabilize Eraser Head's severed leg.
'Where's the end of this?!' Rock Lock pondered silently as he assessed Aizawa's condition.
'A thought that crossed all our minds at one point, as we watched this,' Nemuri thought.
He then turned his gaze towards Izuku, his teeth clenched, and uttered, "Deku... Run!"
"No way," Izuku, still glaring at Tomura, tears streaming down his cheeks, and rage in his eyes, retorted without hesitation.
The members of Class 1A and anyone who knew Izuku personally had to do a double-take, taken aback by the intensity of rage reflected in his eyes. The expression on Izuku's face was something they wouldn't forget for a long time.
All Might, on the other hand, was concerned for his successor. He recognized that look in Izuku's eyes all too well, and he couldn't fault the boy for it. After all, who wouldn't be angry at someone who maimed two of your mentors and mocked their sacrifice? He knew he had felt the same way when All For One mocked Nana, and he had responded by caving that man's skull into the ground.
"Now... Die," Tomura declared, extending his hand towards the ground. However, just before he could make contact, his body violently tore open, a spray of blood erupting from his form, leaving him bewildered and disoriented.
Izuku takes notice of this, as we see his injured and disfigured arm.
In the audience, a mixture of curiosity and concern painted the faces of many as they saw what was happening with Shigaraki, while a collective wince accompanied the sight of Izuku's disfigured hand. Amid this, Izuku sat with eyes widened, a sudden realization dawning upon him.
'What you're thinking could prove advantageous for a short while, but that advantage won't last for long,' a new voice interjected within his thoughts. Unlike before, Izuku couldn't place this voice. 'I am Second, and no, I'm not giving you my name. Also, let me make this clear: I don't particularly like you or Eighth, but you're the best we've got, so I'm agreeing to help you. So be grateful, brat.' Meanwhile, Izuku just sat there, slowly blinking, and letting the words of Second sink in.
'I get what happened earlier...' Tomura's thoughts raced as he struggled to stay on his feet. 'I couldn't use my Quirks, so there was a burden on my body as I moved it past my physical limits. But just now... my Quirk, Super Recovery, is working. Right now, my body should have no limits...' Suddenly, a realization struck him, and he turned his wide-eyed gaze towards the heroes. "Wait, what's today's date? Has it been four months yet?"
Tomura's words snapped Izuku out of his daze. "Right, heroes raided the hospital when Shigaraki was undergoing the surgery, so maybe his body isn't ready to handle the burden of multiple quirks."
"I see..." Nezu mused, his hand stroking his chin thoughtfully. "So, if we can inflict sufficient damage, we might indeed neutralize him permanently."
"His body... is breaking..." Izuku remarked, his stare fixed on Tomura. 'Gran Torino said All For One's Quirks were transplanted into Shigaraki. He's like me,' memories flashed through Izuku's mind, back to when he had initially used One for All to strike the massive robot during the entrance exam, resulting in the destruction of both his legs and arm. 'The vessel for that great amount of power... His body isn't strong enough!' he thought while clenching his fist.
"Hey, broccoli boy," Rumi's voice rang out, directed at Izuku. "How do you control that One for All thingy now?"
"Huh?" Izuku looked at her, baffled by the sudden question. "I spread it throughout my body and use whatever percentage I can draw without hurting myself."
"And that is?" Rumi pressed on.
"27% safely, while I can push it to 30% for a short burst," Izuku replied.
"I see," Rumi said, her face showing a thoughtful expression. "I guess we have a lot of work ahead of us," she added, shocking both Izuku and Ryukyu, but for two entirely different reasons.
'Oh well. Super Recovery is gone,' Shigaraki thought, his expression lacking concern. Then his demeanor turned serious, and he raised his hand. "It's over once I touch this!" he declared, extending his hand toward the ground.
Everyone was perched at the edge of their seats, with fear and anxiety evident in their eyes.
However, "What?!" his words turned to disbelief as he realized that Izuku was soaring through the air, carrying him and everyone else with Blackwhip.
'One For All... The Seventh User's...Float!' Izuku thought as Rock Lock wondered how they were floating in the air.
"Woah!" The collective gasp of astonishment could be heard all across the room.
'I see, just like Blackwhip, your desire to save everyone from Ten- Tomura unlocked my quirk, Float, to aid you,' Nana said. Izuku didn't miss the evident sadness or her almost calling Shigaraki by his real name, but he refrained from pointing that out, and he had a feeling that the other voices in his head did the same
'This Quirk is... Shimura's...' Gran Torino's face lit up with a smile, recollecting how he and Nana Shimura had once soared together.
'Even now you have to help this old man, in one form or another,' Gran thought with a gentle smile as he remembered his old friend and their adventures together.
"This is why you asked me to train with my Zero Gravity, isn't it?" Ochako asked, connecting the dots in her head.
"Yeah, sorry for lying to you," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head. "Asu-Tsu, Sero, sorry to you guys as well."
"No worries, dude. You gave me some neat ideas for improving my own quirk," Sero grinned, offering a thumbs-up.
"Yesh, 'ribbit," Tsu nodded. "We helped each other, and that's what friends do."
"Yep, what she said," Ochako added. "And it would be silly of me to just get angry at you after learning why your secret was so important to you."
"Thank you, guys," Izuku said, feeling blessed to have such good friends in his life.
Meanwhile,
So Midoriya can fly now..." Monoma commented, his attention fixed on the screen. "Hmm... even if I can't copy One for All due to its stockpile nature and other supernatural bullshit. Maybe I can copy other quirks that reside within One for All... something to test, I guess."
'If Shigaraki touches the ground, it'll probably cause mass destruction like what happened earlier,' Izuku contemplated, observing Tomura's grin. "I'll stop you here... with everything I have!" he proclaimed, determination ringing in his voice. "I won't let you escape from here!"
'That's right, I am going to end—'
'Don't get too cocky,' his thoughts were interrupted by a new voice. 'I am Third, and like the leader said, you don't need to know my name. And as I was saying, overconfidence is the fastest way to get yourself killed,' the Third said. 'Maybe you should spend some time with Hikage. You're always high on your nerves.'
'Indeed, Izuku, you might not realize this now, but some meditation will do wonders for you,' another new voice, which he assumed belonged to this Hikage person, chimed in. 'Oh, sorry, allow me to introduce myself. I am Hikage Shinomori, the fourth user of One for All. Nice to meet you, Ninth.'
At that moment, Izuku became aware that his command over Blackwhip was becoming increasingly unstable. 'My control's wavering... This is bad!' he thought as he carefully lowered the remaining heroes to the ground, telling them to take care of Gran Torino and the rest of the injured.
'Yeah you are going to need practice if you want to use multiple quirks simultaneously,' another new voice said but he knew who this belonged to.
'Daigoro Banjo!' he exclaimed in his mind as he remembered meeting him when he unlocked Blackwhip for the very first time.
'Nice to see you again kid, and just call me Daigoro,' Banjo said. 'Also, I am not happy with how are using Blackwhip, you are too cautious with it. You need to let your heart go when using it.'
'Stop giving him stupid advice,' Third, interjected with a loud voice. 'Do you really want a repeat of Joint Training and turn Ninth into a Kraken knockoff.'
'Chill dude, I was just telling the kid how I used to use my quirk,' Banjo rolled his eyes. 'Jeez, you old-timers really know how to act like geezers.'
"Shoto, treat the injured!" Endeavor commanded and Shoto answered with affirmation. "This is pathetic. The one who should be there right now is me, the number one hero!" he said looking at the Izuku who was floating in the air while carrying Tomura with him.
Endeavor couldn't help but agree with his on-screen self. Even if Midoriya was All Might's successor with the power of a generational quirk, and even if he was meant to be stronger than him, that didn't mean he could just allow someone younger than him to risk their life while he watched from the sidelines.
"Wait, Deku! You're the one who needs to get the furthest away from that guy!" Bakugo yelled. "Erasure's not working anymore!"
"Then, who else is there who can stop Shigaraki in the sky?!" Izuku shot back, his words causing both Bakugo and Endeavor to clench their jaws in frustration.
In the audience, both Bakugo and Endeavor exhibited the same response, unable to truly counter Izuku's words.
"If you like the sky so much, then I'll send you to heaven after I steal One For All!" Tomura taunted Izuku, a grin stretching across his face. "Along with those old guys down there!"
"Don't hurt the others... any more than you have already!" Izuku yelled, pulling Tomura closer as he began to pound away at him.
'He's ignoring his injuries again,' Aizawa let out a tired sigh as he remembered his interaction with Izuku during the Summer Camp attack. 'Even back then, both his arms were totally busted, but all he was worried about was Bakugo and his other classmates. And although it's a commendable quality to have in a hero, Midoriya takes it to the next level... just like a certain blonde idiot I know.'
On the ground, Bakugo watched the intense battle unfold with growing apprehension, his mind drifting back to a day months before the war. All Might had asked Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Sero to assist Izuku in training his 'new power.'
"So did this happen in our timeline yet? And if so, when?" Endeavor asked, trying to understand the timeline.
"Yeah, it did happen a few weeks ago," Izuku replied. "It was during the week when you were busy with something and told the three of us to take a rest."
"I see," Endeavor acknowledged with a nod.
"Anyway, what's with that hair?" Sero questioned, eyeing Izuku's singed and puffed-up hair.
"This is because I keep losing in my training to catch Kacchan with Blackwhip. I can't catch him at all." Izuku explained, offering a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "I thought you'd be able to help me figure out how to deal with a fast target since your Quirks are similar to Blackwhip."
"There's nothing in the rules about explosions!" Ochako exclaimed. "Bakugo, you're being mean, as usual, huh?"
"Deku's the one who wanted it to be like a real battle!" Bakugo retorted as Tsu kept annoying him.
"Even so, you don't go around blowing off people's heads during training, 'ribbit'," Tsu chimed in.
"Absolutely, Bakugo was being unkind," Ochako affirmed, while Bakugo grumbled about everyone acting like idiots.
"What should I do?" Ochako asked. "I'm still learning how to use my wires, though."
"Wouldn't Mr. Aizawa be better at teaching technique?" Sero questioned.
"Young Uraraka, I'd like you to teach him how to control his body when he brakes in midair," All Might explained.
"Deku's always jumping around in the air, though," Ochako said.
"He hops like a bunny!" Tsu added.
"I can easily picture you wearing a green bunny costume complete with bunny ears," Momo whispered to him, a light chuckle escaping her lips. Though she had managed to regain her composure, she still held onto Izuku's arm.
"Yeah, sounds interesting..." Izuku said while scratching his cheek with a faint smile.
"With his increase in power, he's also able to stay in the air longer," All Might offered a justification, which Ochako accepted even though Izuku felt uneasy about deceiving his friends. "He needs to be able to move more freely, even in the air."
"Really, this is the best explanation you could come up with," Gran Torino asked, casting a pointed glance at All Might, who responded with a sheepish smile directed at his mentor.
All Might continued, his gaze shifting to Sero. "And Aizawa is very busy right now," he hinted at Aizawa's visit to Tartarus, information the students remained unaware of.
A frown appeared on Nemuri's face as she was once again reminded of her friends handling this Oboro situation without her knowledge.
"I've written down you and Mr. Aizawa's moves, so I remember what they are," Izuku said while looking into his notebook while Ochako, Tsu, and Sero walked towards him. "In terms of using my body, it would help if there's anything you can share about how it feels."
'That notebook...' Bakugo's mind raced as he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, remembering burning a similar notebook with his quirk and the things he said to Deku afterwards.
"Imagine you're swimming in the air and balancing your arms and legs..." Ochako instructed Izuku, who floated beside her as a result of her application of Zero Gravity on both of them. After a brief moment, Izuku managed to steady himself in midair. "Yeah, like that."
"I see, so that's how it works," Izuku affirmed, channeling One for All into his palms. "And then, with Air Force... I can propel myself!" he flicked his fingers and used Air Force to propel himself around while Ochako praised him sounding impressed.
"Well, he adapted rather quickly," Rumi noticed. "And he's also implying his own technique into it... not too shabby, I suppose."
"Midoriya does have a talent for grasping things quickly," Endeavor said. He had been observing the boy for a few months now and had to agree that the rate of his growth was quite impressive and even a bit intimidating at times. "But still, he does have a problem with overthinking things and can easily lose sight of simple solutions at times."
"Get some coaching for Blackwhip while you're at it!" All Might instructed while watching him from the ground.
"Right!" Izuku responded while continuing to maneuver through the air.
"He's doing it," All Might commented as he approached Bakugo, who was catching his breath. "Float is a Quirk that lets you stop in midair. It's a lot like Zero Gravity," he explained, his gaze briefly flicking towards Izuku. "If he can solidify the image of it first, it should prevent spontaneous activation."
"Yeah, what happened with Blackwhip really put everyone in danger," Izuku said, lowering his head.
'Well, be glad that it wasn't Float. Otherwise, who knows? Maybe you would have been shot into the air and ended up in orbit somewhere,' Nana said, causing Izuku's face to pale with every word she said.
All Might settled beside him, and after a few moments of quiet, Bakugo spoke up. "I don't think you'll be able to explain things away for much longer. This is different from when he just had super power," Bakugo said as Izuku got slammed into the wall while trying to catch Tsu using Blackwhip. "You won't be able to hide this."
"We won't show anything other than Blackwhip to other people. But I'll have him learn enough to keep him from going out of control like last time," All Might explained.
"Yeah, for example, while competing in a sports festival, young Midoriya will only resort to using super strength and Blackwhip," All Might explained. "Aside from that, he won't be touching any of his other quirks."
"That's not fair, to either Deku or to any of us," Bakugo retorted. "Who would want to compete against someone who's half-assing the competition?" Many students agreed with Bakugo's sentiment, while others weren't confident enough to think that they could take on someone with multiple quirks.
"You also understood that night. The reality of being able to share great power with others is that you have to think carefully about how that could put others at risk. It's not only evil people who want power."
A silence descended on the auditorium as everyone let All Might's words sink in. It didn't take them long to realize that the power Izuku wields is quite tempting, even to people with powerful quirks. That's why they could understand why All Might was going to such lengths to protect their secret.
Once again, a quiet settled between the two before Bakugo broke it. "Deku trusts you completely, but... the description of the fourth user didn't seem complete," an image of a notebook appeared, with a paragraph noticeably crossed out midway through. "Even though the fifth, sixth, and seventh had the details of their deaths recorded. Why?"
"When I asked you about it before, you hesitated to tell me, right?" Bakugo pressed on when he didn't get any reply from All Might. "Was it because you realized something?" his voice raised slightly. "About One For All-"
"Not yet!" All Might interrupted him. "I don't know yet. I can't assert something I don't know. Because I'm concerned about the young man. Like you are," he said and Bakugo averted his eyes while clicking his tongue.
Once again, all eyes were on All Might, expecting him to answer the question that on-screen Bakugo had presented.
"Yagi, are you going to tell us what you scratched out from that notebook or not?" Aizawa asked with sharp eyes.
"No, as my on-screen self said, I myself am uncertain about that information. Therefore, at present, I have no intentions of sharing it with any of you," All Might replied.
'Hmm... Hikage-san, do you know what All Might is talking about?' Izuku asked the fourth user.
'Yes, I do, but please bear with your curiosity for now. We will definitely talk about this later,' Hikage said. 'And rest assured that it is not something that will bring harm upon you.'
'Alright,' Izuku replied. "Listen, everyone, I know you're curious and worried about what All Might is hiding from us, but if he doesn't want to share something right now, so be it. I trust All Might; he won't hide anything that is harmful to me or any one of us," he said, smiling at All Might, causing everyone to drop the topic for now.
"At the root of it, he doesn't think about himself. I'm sure he's always been that way, and he's still like this now when he can do more." Bakugo reflected, a memory resurfacing from their childhood—a recollection of a four-year-old Izuku rushing toward him.
Among the audience, a few cooed over the sight of baby Izuku, while others took note of Izuku's nature. Only two boys tensed as they saw the scene on the screen. 'It was that day...' Izuku and Bakugo thought to themselves as the former looked saddened and the latter's entire body tensed, remembering that day.
"That's always felt weird to me and made me want to stay away from him. But I couldn't understand my own weakness, so I put those thoughts aside and bullied him," Bakugo's expression was distant as he recounted.
Silence, an utter silence, spread through the audience as no one was sure what to say about what they had just heard on the screen. But no one was more troubled than the two boys who were the center of attention.
Bakugo had ducked his head, not wanting to face anyone right now. Although he could still feel various eyes on him—some indifferent, some questioning, and some outright glaring at him—he was most afraid of facing that one person. The one person who had stuck with him despite his brash nature, who had helped him make friends... not lackeys but real friends. That one person who hated bullies more than he hated losing. How was he supposed to face that boy now?
On the other hand, Izuku's mind was going haywire. Not only was his and Bakugo's past, which honestly he would rather forget about, was laid out in front of everyone but what was even more shocking was that it was Bakugo who was talking about it. And on top of that, he was admitting that what he had done was wrong. Part of him almost suspected that he was going to wake up from the dream soon, but the fuming girl in his arms forced him to think otherwise.
"So part of why you faithfully came to help him practice was to atone for that. Am I right?" All Might asked.
Everyone's attention was again directed at the screen, eager to see what All Might, the person who was probably closest to Izuku after his mom, had to say about this.
"I don't think Young Midoriya feels that way, though," he continued.
'That's the fucking problem,' Bakugo thought to himself. 'It would have been so simple... so fucking easy, if the nerd just fucking hated me, but no... he doesn't even care about what I did.'
"When I said you were like Endeavor, it was because of that change. I couldn't look back on the past until I ended up like this," All Might gestured at himself referring to his skinny form.
'I see... no wonder I always thought that there was something similar about them,' Shoto thought to himself.
"I'm sure you'll have another chance to talk things over with him. I'm not one to talk, though," he concluded, and the scene shifted back to the present where Izuku, still continued to pound away at Tomura's body.
Izuku and Bakugo shared a brief glance before looking back at the screen. They both knew that they needed to have a chat after what they had just seen on the screen, but right now, they had much more pressing matters at hand.
'He can handle my power at 100% and endure it!' Izuku's thoughts raced as he stole a glance at Tomura, who maintained a smile despite the relentless barrage of Izuku's assaults. 'But it's taking him longer to heal! He's taking damage!'
"It is the first good thing we've heard in a very long while," Kaminari said.
"It's not good," Aizawa shook his head. "Just look at Midoriya's arms."
'My left arm's busted after the two 100% shots I threw earlier,' Izuku thought as he glanced at the injured and disfigured arm, wrapped up in Blackwhip. 'But One For All is a power that's been passed down to defeat All For One! Shigaraki has All For One's Quirks. If I don't stop him here... I have to use everything from One For All!' Determination surged within him as he reeled Shigaraki closer with Blackwhip, simultaneously retracting his other arm. 'No matter what happens to me!' And then, Izuku unleashed another 100% Smash upon Tomura, the impact creating a reverberating shockwave that engulfed the surrounding area.
What an amazing power,' almost all of them thought as they witnessed the power displayed by Izuku, not to mention how skillfully he was juggling three quirks while keeping Shigaraki at bay. But only a handful of people noticed and frowned at on-screen Izuku's thoughts.
As he was attacking, Izuku remembered, the doctor's warning he had received after the summer camp attack. "If you keep getting injured in the same way two or three more times or so, I think you'll have to live without being able to use your arms."
"You what!" Momo screamed, almost deafening Izuku. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"In my defense, I haven't told anyone about this aside from my mom and All Might," Izuku replied with a strained smile.
"That is not a valid defense," she shot back, glaring at him.
Brushing aside the doctor's warning, Izuku focused on the task at hand, channeling One for All into his injured arm. 'Three hits in passing!' he thought and proceeded to unleash a back-to-back assault of Detroit Smash, Wyoming Smash, and St. Louis Smash, preventing Tomura from doing nothing but tanking them.
Now not only Momo but several more people were glaring at him. Finally feeling fed up with all of them Izuku finally lost his patience. "Yeah, I get it. I know I am hurting my arms and I understand the risk of losing them but what other choice do I have? We all saw what Shigaraki is capable of and I am doing everything in my power to prevent a repeat of earlier. Seriously you all are acting like I like to get hurt," he said, silencing all the glares directed at him.
'Kid, I might just start warming up to you,' Second said but Izuku decided to ignore him.
'I'm taking damage faster than I can heal,' Shigaraki's thoughts raced as he continued to fend off Izuku's relentless assault, blood flowing unabated from his numerous wounds. 'If the heroes hadn't pushed me to my limit... No... Even making allowances for my incomplete body,' he thought and said, "This power is... keeping me from realizing my dreams!" and raised his hand towards Izuku while charging an attack.
"That's what this power is for!" Izuku declared, surging forward and swatting away Tomura's raised hand. "Texas Smash!" he cried out and landed a powerful attack on Tomura that sent shockwaves throughout the area although he recoiled from pain as well.
"Izuku, I'm sorry for earlier, but I really hate seeing you get hurt," Momo whispered to Izuku while tracing the scar on his hand.
"I'm also sorry for my outburst earlier. It's just that..." Izuku sighed. "I'm tired of everyone assuming that my injuries are my fault. They don't understand that a lot of situations I was involved in required me to give everything I have. Trust me, no one likes to wake up with tremors and pain in their hands," Izuku muttered the last part, but unfortunately or fortunately for him, Momo heard it and decided that she was going to do something about that.
"Isn't there anything? A Quirk that can stop this kid..." Tomura thought as more tears appeared on his body. "Find it!"
'Please don't!' everyone in the audience thought.
Meanwhile, heroes on the ground look in awe at the incredible battle above. "Isn't he too amazing?" Manual exclaimed, his voice filled with awe.
"Yeah, can't argue with that," Yu said. "It's almost like watching All Might going all out."
"It's no good. At this rate, he'll lose," Bakugo countered. "He's using his legs and Air Force to stop the recoil and controlling multiple Quirks at once. Deku's using everything he's ever learned right now to stop Shigaraki in the air. Since he didn't defeat him with his first attack, they're just chipping away at each other now to see who'll last longer. In that state, he won't be able to outlast someone with regeneration," Bakugo clenched his fist as he pressed on. "In a few minutes, his power will be stolen from him, and he'll be dust."
Once again, the atmosphere in the audience tensed as Bakugo pointed out the actuality of the situation.
Bakugo shifted his attention to Shoto and spoke urgently. "Todoroki, you done with the first aid?"
"Yeah, what-"
"Shut up and grab hold of me!" he interrupted Shoto
"Can't you be a little nice to people around you once in a while?" Jiro said, eyeing Bakugo.
"You think I have time to be nice when Deku is killing himself in the air," Bakugo retorted.
"Leave it, Jiro. What can you expect from someone like him," Mina remarked without casting a glance in Bakugo's direction. While her comment did sting, Bakugo chose to let it slide, at least for now.
Then Bakugo continued. "Endeavor, I'll use my heat to get us in the air! Todoroki, you keep cooling Endeavor for as long as possible!"
"You want me to use my max firepower and finish him off in one shot?" Endeavor asked as he got back on his feet. Then he steeled his eyes and said, "You got it."
"I hope whatever Bakugo is planning works because we are rapidly running out of effective ways to put Shigaraki down," Endeavor voiced his concern.
"They're just kids..." Rock Lock tries to say but Shoto interrupts and tells him to take care of Aizawa and others. 'Too late for that kind of thinking. I recognized Deku as a hero a long time ago,' he thought and tightly held unconscious Aizawa in his arms. "Right, leave them to me!"
"Wait, he did!" Izuku asked, looking astonished. "I thought he didn't like me."
"That's not the case," Aizawa shook his head. "Rock Lock just had a kid a few weeks before the overhaul raid. That's why he was reluctant to send you and others with the assault team."
"I see..." Izuku said, nodding his head. 'So he was just a nice man trying to look out for our safety.'
Bakugo blasts forward into the air while carrying Endeavor on his back with Shoto soaring alongside them, vigilantly maintaining Endeavor's temperature. "We'll aim for when Blackwhip is fully stretched out," Bakugo outlined. "Once I go in, the two of you should get away immediately! Don't get caught in the attack!"
Once again, everyone was on the edge of their seats, this time all of them hoping for Bakugo's plan to succeed.
'One For All originally came from him, right?' Bakugo's mind went back to one of their secret meetings where he asked this. "Possession of multiple Quirks... I see. It's the same as him."
'Ninth, do me a favor and slap that blonde idiot for me,' Third said in an irritated voice. 'How dare he draw a parallel between our legacy and that despicable man.'
'He isn't entirely mistaken, though,' the First interjected. 'To an onlooker, the essence of both quirks undeniably bears resemblance.'
Back in the present Bakugo thought. 'Even if One For All is a cursed power...' an image of Izuku being cornered by their middle school peers flashed through his mind. 'One For All is...' he reminisced about himself and Izuku, alongside other children, watching All Might on television.
Izuku and Bakugo once again tensed, especially Izuku, who would rather leave things that happened in the past in the past rather than dwell on them.
Meanwhile, Momo decided that she was going to do extensive research on Izuku's previous school and classmates... just to learn a few things about Izuku... yep, that's it! No ulterior motives whatsoever, like seeking retribution against those who had harmed her... close friend.
"My 'Deku' isn't always going to mean "useless"! Kacchan..." he remembered Izuku's words from the battle trail as in front of him Izuku continued to pound at Tomura with rage while destroying his own body. "...my 'Deku' means 'You can do it!'"
'Battle trial... first time Deku stood up to me,' Bakugo thought. 'Fuck, it's only been a year, yet it feels so long ago.'
And then they got their chance as Tomura was extended out. "Now!" Bakugo's voice rang out, and he propelled Endeavor towards Tomura, who seized the villain from behind.
Endeavor's sudden intervention took both Izuku and Tomura by surprise, neither anticipating this turn of events.
"Get down!" Endeavor shouted to Izuku, then bellowed, "Plus Ultra... Prominence Burn!" and before Tomura could retaliate, unleashed his ultimate attack completely incinerating him. The attack was so powerful that it could be seen and its heat could be felt from miles away.
"Yes!" cheers rang in the audience as Endeavor successfully executed the move.
"Damm, I can feel the heat of that attack even from here," Setsuna said.
Meanwhile, Endeavor was intensely staring at the screen, waiting for the results of the attack.
As Tomura's body was burning and he screamed out in pain, he heard the voice of All For One. 'Lend me your body, Tomura,' All for One said as Tomura imagined a hand reaching out to him as everything went blank for a moment.
"Oh no..." All Might muttered in a low voice but it was still heard by everyone because the cheers had stopped as soon as they heard that voice and saw that hand.
On the other hand, Izuku felt chills as he and seven other people in his head froze at this new development.
Then the image returned only to reveal Endeavor being stabbed by several red and black tendrils emerging from the charred body of Tomura shocking both Bakugo and Todoroki.
"Why... aren't you dead...?!" Endeavor asked while falling back and bleeding from his abdomen.
"That's right, bastard! Why the hell are you still alive?" Bakugo yelled, losing his patience at this new development. "Damm it! Can't we have one good thing going on for us?"
Tomura's chard body raised its hand towards Izuku while saying, "Little brother..." in All for One's voice as he unleashed several more red and black tendrils toward Izuku.
"Izuku!" several voices cried out and the most prominent among them was of a certain black-haired girl who tightly grasping onto Izuku's hand.
'In that instant...' several explosions rang in the air and Bakugo launched himself towards Izuku, blasting forward at incredible speeds. 'I didn't think,' Bakugo thinks about the memories of his and Izuku's. He remembers the day when his and Izuku's friendship cracked, 'Are you all right? Can you stand?' little Izuku had asked him while offering him a hand which his young self had declined but in the present, he imagined his current self accepting that hand.
"No..." Izuku muttered in a low voice. His eyes were wide and tears were starting to stream down from them as he saw Bakugo finally accepting his hand but more importantly he was the first one there who realized what Bakugo had just done.
'My body just moved on its own.' Bakugo thought as it was revealed that he had pushed Izuku out of the way and took the hit as red and black tendrils were stabbed into his chest.
To be continued...