16: Assault on the U.S.J. - 6: Running Scared

Kendo kept her chin down with Eri's head tucked under it as she ran, guilt causing a sick feeling in her stomach as the images of Tōru facing down the maniacal tentacled Villain flashed through her head. [She'll be fine,] she told herself, [She's part of Class 1-A, the top class for first years; she'll be fine!] She jumped down a small cliff that led straight into a forested area just beneath the Mountain area.

"Big sister?" Eri piped up as she Kendo slowed to take a breath, "Are the bad people gonna get us?"

Kendo stopped in her tracks, huffing and puffing, but she managed a small tired smile at the girl, "Not a chance, Sweetie," she said to the little girl in her arms, "Your Auntie Tōru told me to get you to your parents, and that's where we're going."

"Okay," the little girl nodded.

Itsuka smiled and looked around the area, hoping to see one of her friends or at least another from Class 1-A that knew Eri well enough to put her at ease. However she had a theory that those that had gotten caught in that Mist Villain's attack had all been warped away to different disaster zones. [And if there are Villains in those areas just like the Landslide zone, then they're all gonna have their hands full.] She thought to herself.

"I think he ran over here."

The ginger nearly yelped as she ducked into the bushes to hide. Eri knew well enough to clamp her hands over her mouth, her little eyes wide with fear. Itsuka dared to peek through the leaves just a little bit to see what was going on, and who was searching for them. Two large Villains, one with horns like a goat, and another with a hulking figure with a gas mask strapped over his face, were looking around.

"I swear I saw that little blond shit run this way," the goat-man said with a grunt, "Dammit! All this time wasted on an annoying little piss ant!"

The gas mask Villain gave his partner a look, "I told ya we should'a stayed in the plaza," he grumbled, "One little runt ain't gonna amount t' much when the doc's offerin' a huge reward for that li'l girl with the white hair."

Eri shivered, but remained quite. Itsuka was holding her right arm behind her just in case she needed to use her Quirk.

"No way was I staying near the Prowler," the goat-man said, "You got any idea what that bastard's capable of?"

"Nuh-uh," the gas mask Villain said, "Never seen the guy."

The goat-man shook his head, "He's a real piece of work, man," he said, "Doesn't even need his Quirk to beat someone, but you make him mad enough, and that Quirk of his is gonna come out. He's worse than Endeavor!"

"Nah, no one's that bad," the gas mask Villain said, "Endeavor's not scared to kill, 'member?"

The goat-man scoffed, "Neither is the Prowler." He said as they moved off, "We gotta take care, too: I heard that the Prowler's kid is among these students."

They continued talking as they moved away from the two hidden children, relief washing over the older girl. "That was close." She sighed as Eri nodded in agreement. "Come on, we should get moving." She said as she checked the surroundings again before coming out of hiding. The two Villains were nowhere to be seen, prompting a sigh of relief from her as she came out of the bushes.

"Kendo!"

Itsuka jumped, nearly shrieking in fright while little Eri squeaked in alarm. She whipped around, one hand enlarging to swat whoever it was that had snuck up on them...only to find one of her classmates running up to her. "Juzo!"

The lipless teen smiled at her, "Man, am I glad to see you!" He ran up to them, "It's getting crazy in here! There's Villains all over the place!"

"I know," the girl shrank her hand back down to normal size while Juzo looked down at the little girl in her arms.

He blinked, "Uh, hey, isn't that the kid that - "

"She got separated when that Mist Villain teleported us," Itsuka explained as she rubbed the little girl's head comfortingly. She looked at Juzo, "You're not alone, are you?"

Juzo nodded tiredly, "Sure am. When I got tossed out, I was thrown right into the thick of it." He shivered slightly, "I barely made it out of there. Lucky for me they didn't know what I could do with my Quirk, so they all ended up getting stuck while I made a run for it."

Itsuka cursed under her breath, "Okay, then we should get moving before those two that were looking for you come back," she said while looking up at the mountain area, "Did you notice any Villains near the Mountain Zone?"

Juzo shook his head, "I got spat out near the plaza, and that place was crawling with them," he shook his head with frown maring his face, "But the teachers are tearing it up over there. Midoriya's old man is a real piece of work, too."

"Grandpa?" Eri perked up.

Itsuka smiled at her, "Yeah, just like your mommy said, he's beating up all the bad guys that wanna hurt you."

Juzo grinned and pumped his fist, "Heck yeah, he is!" He said while looking up at the Mountain Zone, "Are you looking for Midoriya or Jiro?"

"Both," she nodded, "Tōru said she heard one of Jiro's sonic screams coming from the Mountains, so I figured that was the best place to start."

Juzo nodded, "I actually caught sight of Midoriya," she looked at him expectantly, but the boy pointed toward the Shipwreck Zone, "He and a few others got dropped over there."

Itsuka squinted a little and caught sight of a familiar purple figure, "I see him, but there's no way I'm getting out there with Eri." She frowned and then the three of them were shocked to see Izuku sparking with a large amount of electricity. "What's he - What the hell is he doing!" She shouted in horror as she watched Izuku dive over the side of the boat, and straight into the water. The result was a massive surge of electricity racing across the water, and the pained screams of the Villains that were surrounding the ship.

Juzo hissed, "Daaamn, that is harsh!" He said with sympathy, "Midoriya must be pissed." He looked at the little girl, "I know he and Jiro were holding onto Eri when that Mist Villain took all of us, so he must be pretty desperate to get her back."

"Daddy's scary when he's mad," Eri said, remembering when he had attacked Hisashi after he had shown up.

Itsuka and Juzo just laughed, "Yeah, Sweetie, he sure is," she said before moving toward the mountain. "C'mon, we need to get moving before someone spots us."

"I'm afraid that it's a little late for that."

Itsuka felt every hair on the back of her neck stand on end as if someone was about to put a knife to her throat. Acting on pure instinct, and wrapping Eri securely in her arms before whipping around with a spin kick. She connected with a skinny body as the figure behind her was thrown back.

Juzo paled, "Hey, he was with the Mist Villain!"

The man was skinny, and dressed in black from head to toe, and covered in severed hands, "Jeez, you Hero brats are no joke," he grumbled as he picked himself up, "Good thing that neither am I." He grinned behind the hand on his face, and rushed forward.

[He's fast!] Itsuka ducked as the man reached out for her, causing him to miss and touch the tree behind her. Itsuka was then horrified to see the tree, after that single touch, turned grey and started falling away into dust. [Oh my god!]

"Juzo, don't let this guy touch you or you're dead!" Itsuka shouted before turning tail to make a run for it, but the Villain was already on her.

Shigaraki grinned at her, "You don't really think I'll let you get away, now, do you?!" He asked, but before he could touch her, Juzo shoulder checked him into the bushes.

"Run!" Juzo shouted as he rushed by, grabbing her hand as he did and pulled her along. Shigaraki came out of the bushes looking furious and slammed both hands onto the ground. It turned ashen grey beneath their feet. As it turned to dust, both lost their footing. When they stumbled into the disintegrated ground, Shigaraki was on them in seconds.

Juzo touched the ground between them and turned it into thick deep mud, causing the crazed Villain to sink as though he'd stepped into a pool, "What the - !?"

"GO!" Juzo shouted as he helped Itsuka back to her feet. By now Eri was crying in fright, calling out for her parents while the two teens pelted away from the Villain struggling out of the trap.

"When I get my hands on you brats - !" He snarled as he turned his trap into dust, "You won't be dying quickly!"

Juzo looked behind them as they ran toward the mountains, "He's gaining on us!" He shouted.

"Just keep running!" Itsuka shouted, "Don't stop!"

Juzo bent low to touch and liquify the ground once more in hopes of stalling him. But a quick glance over his shoulder showed him that the Villain had jumped over the impromptu trap.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice!" He gained ground on them with frightening speeds. "You'll need to do better than that!" He reached out, his fingers almost catching Itsuka's hair... right as something snagged his wrist. "What n - Ahk!" He was yanked away from the teens and slammed into a tree. Itsuka and Juzo came to a halt, wondering briefly what had saved them.

Out of the trees came an imposing figure of the arachnid-themed Hero-in-training. His arms were sparking wildly with stored electricity. The emblem on his chest and back and the eyes of his mask were glowing brighter than sunlamps. The two of them weren't able to see his face, but it was easy to tell: Izuku Midoriya was angry.

"Daddy!" The minute she saw him Eri tried to squirm out of Itsuka's grip to get to him, but the girl held onto her firmly.

"Stay there," Spider-Man's tone was low, and dangerous as the Villain picked himself up off the ground with a groan. "Daddy needs to work right now."

Juzo stood up, "Better be careful, man," he warned him, "This guy has some kind'a disintegration Quirk!" He said, looking ready to fight with him. "One touch turned a tree to dust." The arachnid nodded in acknowledgement of the boy's warning, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Get Eri out of here." He said this to Itsuka who nodded and made ready to leave, "And Kendo?" She turned back to him for the briefest of moments as he turned his head slightly and gave a slow nod, "Thank you."

She smiled and turned to run leaving the area with the two boys staying behind. Spider-Man turned to the boy who was cracking his knuckles and popping his neck, "You should go, too." He commented, "This could get dangerous."

Juzo just snorted behind his helmet, "I don't like running from a fight on my best of days," he said while the Villain got to his feet, "Besides, this guy's way too dangerous to take out on your own."

Spider-Man took something from his belt and handed it to him. "Use that on him if you get the chance." He told him while Mudman nodded, placing the item in his pocket before getting ready for the fight.

Shigaraki growled as he stared down the two Heroes, "Don't think this is going to save that little brat," he snarled, "If I don't get her, one of Garaki's monsters will!"

Spider-Man's lens brightened, "That just means we need to take care of you quickly."

Juzo nodded. "Then we can get rid of your boss." He laughed which proved to enrage the man.

He lunged at them screaming "I AM THE BOSS!"

Spider-Man went into the branches while Mudman dodged into the bushes, touching the ground as he went. Shigaraki's feet became encased in the softened ground. "Not this again!" He thrust his hand into the ground turned it to dust with his Quirk before pulling himself out of the hole, "Don't you have any other tricks?!"

"How 'bout this?" He turned around and was met with a fist, "Venom Punch!" Spider-Man's electrified fist slammed into his gut and sent him sprawling, but not before he grasped one of the plats on the back of his arm. The armored plate fell away like ashes leaving a hole in his suit. "You have absolutely no respect for other people's fashion!"

"Like I care!" Shigaraki was up and after him again, only for Juzo to pop out of the bushes and sock him in the jaw before hiding again. "You bastards are really starting to piss me off!" He shouted as he saw Spider-Man just standing in front of him with his arms crossed. He raised his left hand and gave a beckoning gesture. Shigaraki was only too happy to oblige.

This time, though, Izuku made no move to avoid his touch. The crazed Villain thought that he had the battle won when his fingers touched the spider emblem on his chest...but the arachnid Hero still stood. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

In answer, Spider-Man reached up and took hold of the Villain's wrist...and crushed it with a sickening crunch. Shigaraki screamed as she pulled his arm back and cradled his limp wrist. "What...what the hell did you do to me?!"

Spider-Man chuckled and gestured to his other arm. Shigaraki looked at his good arm and noticed a band around it. "That's a little capture weapon I invented," he said as Mudman came up behind him, his helmet lifted up to reveal his smiling face, "When it's activated, it not only safely nullifies a person's Quirk, but can only be deactivated by the person that put it on you."

"And that's yours truly," Mudman gave a mocking bow, "Heheh, so to put things in simplest terms, you're basically Quirkless right now!" He laughed as the Villain tried to remove the band.

Shigaraki was furious. He was visibly shaking as he reached up and started scratching his neck in agitation, "You little brats! Wait until I get this thing off! You won't be laughing then!"

In answer, Spider-Man came forward and pushed him against the trunk of a tree before placing a Web Bomb against his chest, letting it explode and bind him to the trunk like a fly wrapped up in a spider web. "I don't think you'll be getting this device off anytime soon," he promised the Villain, "And I'm going to make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison for threatening my daughter!" The eyes of his mask glowed dangerously as he spoke.

Shigaraki just sneered at him behind his severed hands, "Oh, I don't think I'll be going anywhere except home after today's done, you wall-crawling pest." He said as his eyes rose up over his head, setting Spider-Sense off like a grenade, "You really don't think I came to this area alone, do you?"

Spider-Man's eyes widened visibly as he sensed something large and dangerous coming up behind them. Right behind Mudman!

"Honenuki!" He turned and time seemed to slow down as he bolted for his comrade. Behind him, a giant creature with a large head and multiple arms stood. Mudman was turning slowly to face the creature. But Spider-Man reached him first and pushed him out of the way just as the creatures claws came down and a spray of red littered the ground.

スパイダーマン

Kyoka felt something in her chest tighten as she tied up the last of the Villains that they had been fighting in their area. [What was that?] She wondered while looking over to Mei and Momo, "Hey, girls?" She called out as Mei was coiling up a new length of rope that was coming from Momo's arm, "I think we should start heading down." She said as she looked down at the plaza where she saw the teachers still fighting. "I'm getting seriously worried about Eri and Izuku."

Momo nodded as Kaminari came over, looking a little fried. "I can't blame you," the girl said as she cut off the rope, "We'll finish up here, but I'd rather you not go alone so please, just wait a little longer." She said as she handed one end of the rope off to the electrified teen while he started tying up one of the Villains.

Kyoka frowned, looking at the chaos that the facility had become. "How the hell did this happen?" She wondered aloud while the others finished up, "Not only did these Villains plan this attack, but they knew enough to cut off the communications," she looked at the Villain they had just finished with. He was the one that had been blocking any and all signals coming in or out of the U.S.J.

[At least now that we can send out distress signals now.] She sighed, feeling her stomach clench as she thought about the horrible feeling of Eri being taken from her arms, and seeing Izuku being pulled into the shadows a moment later. [I hope they're both okay.]

Mei came over to her, "You doin' okay, Jiro?" She asked as the girl hefted the rifle she had had Momo make for her, "I mean, you know that Muscles can take care of himself, right? And Eri's probably just fine. Hagakure was with her, after all!"

Kyoka nodded, "I know, Mei, but...I got this really bad feeling, you know?" She said, "That little girl's gonna be terrified no matter who she's - "

"Mommy!" Kyoka stiffened. She turned around and looked down the mountain, "Mommy!" Itsuka Kendo was running toward her with Eri in her arms, safe and sound. Her legs moved with a mind of her own as the girl rushed toward them. Itsuka knelt and put Eri down so that she could meet her. And the little girl did. She ran as hard as her little legs could carry her and jumped into Kyoka arms.

The little girl hugged her so tightly that she almost couldn't breathe, "Thank god you're okay!" The worried mother cried.

"Auntie Tōru and Big Sister Kendo saved me," the girl sniffled into her chest, "And then Daddy came and beat up the bad person that tried to hurt me."

Kyoka sat back with a smile on her face, "He did? Where is he?" She looked behind her and Itsuka, but saw no sign of her boyfriend.

Itsuka came up to her, smiling, "He stayed behind to deal with the Villain that came after us." She pointed down into the forested area, "He and Honenuki should be okay if they work together."

Mei heard that, and looked down toward the forest using her Zoom Quirk with hopes of catching a glimpse of them. "I'm not seeing anyone in the forest, but that might just mean that they're under the trees." She said before looking toward the plaza. "But the teachers look like they're just about through with the guys that attacked us earlier. There's just that weird doctor guy and that Mist Villain." She frowned as she looked toward the exit, "Hey, it looks like someone got out!"

Momo clasped her hands together in delight, "That means we're about to get some much needed reinforcements! Wonderful!"

"Not so wonderful," Mei frowned as she focused in on the rest of the class, "It looks like No.13 is down for the count. Her suits all messed up." She said as the others gathered around her, Momo dragging Kaminari with her. Mei swung the rifle around back to the central plaza, "Hold on." She frowned, "That handsy guy just stumbled out of the forest with that huge monster they had with them."

Itsuka looked at her in alarm, "What?! But he was alone!" She shouted with worry.

"Not anymore," Mei muttered as she pulled the bolt back to load a shell, "Jeez, that thing is huge!" She used her Quirk to enhance her vision more, "Hang on, it's carrying someone...shit..." She shouldered the weapon looking furious.

Kyoka looked at her, "Who is it?"

Mei bit her lip and shook her head, "Sorry...but it's got Midoriya..."

Kyoka paled considerably while Momo came forward with a pair of binoculars she pulled from her arm. She looked down at that plaza, "Oh dear," Izuku was being dragged by the neck in one of the creature's large claws. "He looks as though he's been badly wounded!"

The punk rocker couldn't take it, "I need to get down there!" She made to hand Eri off to Itsuka, but the girl stopped her, "Kendo, please - !"

But the ginger just shook her head sadly, "We can't rush in without a plan," she told her, "Izuku's easily one of the strongest students in either of our classes, but that monster took him down." She looked down toward the plaza herself, wincing as she saw their friend thrown to the ground harshly in front of the other two Villains that stood near the Mist Villain, "And then there's those two..."

Mei brought the rifle back up, taking aim at the monster, "At this range I'd only make that thing mad," she muttered before tossing the gun away and reaching into her pocket, "Momo, I need a few things," she handed her a couple of wrapped bars, "These are some really high fat protein bars: skarf those down, and I'll get you a list."

Momo nodded and unwrapped one of the bars, "You have a plan?"

"Working on it," the rosette said as she took a pad and pencil from her back pocket, "Kyoka knows this, but Izuku has a really bad weakness that pretty much makes him lose all of his powers." She said with a look toward the girl and child, "He gave me the specs for his new suit, and pretty much begged for a way to filter it out if he ever came across it, and there's a very likely chance that he would."

Kendo looked at her with confusion, "And that helps us how?"

"That monster down there is obviously a arachnid-based mutant, the same type as Izuku," she explained as she scribbled away, "From what I know of his powers, they were created by that wacko down there." She made a wild gesture toward the doctor while he was kneeling next to their friend, "And if that monster has anything to do with Izuku's powers, then I'm willing to bet my favorite tool box that it shares that same weakness." She ripped off the paper she was scribbling on as Momo finished eating. "Alright, Momo, I need all of this. As much as you can give me in the form of gas grenades."

Momo took the paper, scanning it with a look of surprise, "Ethyl chloride?"

"Yeah, I know, but that is his weakness," Mei told her with a vigorous nod of her head, "And make sure that the grenades have a really high concentration! We wanna knock that big bastard out of the game before it can do any lasting damage." She turned to Kendo and Kyoka, "Alright, here's what I got..."

スパイダーマン

Author's Note: So sorry this took so long! Now, I will say that this chapter felt a little forced as I was writing it, so I apologize for that too if this chapter seems subpar from the rest, but I got what I wanted done :p The end of this Arc is coming up soon.

Next Chapter involves a captive Spider and a very angry father. If ya wanna see what happens next, ya'll know what to do! Adios Amigos!