"This is it…this little girl can do what I've longed for so long now and she will do it right now, I WILL NOT GIVE HER UP BEFORE I'M HUMAN AGAIN!"
"What do you mean, human again? Whatever you're talking about, now isn't the time Magus, just get her out of here!" Mirio implored.
"Shut up pretty boy, when people look at you and see a monster, then we'll talk! Now, back off!" Zelgadis commanded as he glared at the blonde upperclassmen.
Michiru, who stared at her chimera friend in near disbelief as he had made his declaration and rebuff to Mirio, now called out, shock and hurt in her voice "Zel, what are you doing!? I know you what to look normal but not like this! Look at her! Look at Eri!"
Sure enough, Eri continued to sob as she was constrained by the sorcerer-swordsmen. Now, though, the single horn protruding from the right side of her forehead had grown larger and appeared to be glowing. The other members of the search team saw it, the other Yakuza saw it just like the members of the League of Villains noticed.
Only Zelgadis refused to look down at the pained and stressed little girl, his obsession on the verge of consuming him as he glared at the tanuki girl and spat "NO! I'm tired! Tired of looking at this face, this…MISTAKE! How could you know what its like, huh? You LIKE what you are and you didn't have a CHOICE! This…this was my fault!"
Michiru's features contorted in pain at her friends harsh words, not just for how dismissive of her own suffering Zelgadis was being but she also felt the pain he was clearly in as he spoke. Before she could answer though, another beat her to it.
"Magus…what are you doing?"
The various combatants looked up to find the voice who had spoken. There was Terra, in her esper form, cloaked in pink magical energy. Yet, even through that veil and her feral appearance, the look of disappoint was clear on her face.
Still, the appearance of another hero did nothing to lessen Eri's state of mind and Xellos called out "Oh my, Mr. Zelgadis, you do know that little Eri-chan has no control over that quirk of hers, don't you? They say she unwittingly caused her father to rewind to non-existence you know. I'm not one to stop someone from doing what they want but you really should consider that fact."
At that, all of the heroes shot the mazuku looks of horrified surprise. Michiru, now very worried, turned back and tried to convince her friend again "You hear that Zel! Its not worth it! You could literally die! Let's just get Eri out of here and we can figure this out later!"
Zelgadis scoffed "I can't trust anything Xellos says! You really think once we get her out of here that I'll get to see her again? Especially if she's as dangerous as he says? No, I've given up so much already, she's doing this now!"
"Funny, that's not the choice you made when we found the Claire Bible, now was it, hmm, Mr. Zelgadis?" Xellos taunted, glad to see his words immediately get a rise out of the already very unbalanced chimera.
"You shut up! URGAH!" Zelgadis snarled as Kai re-doubled his assault, catching the sorcerer off guard, nearly losing his hold of his barrier spell.
That was enough for Terra to act, charging down and forward, past her teammates and smashing into the silver-tongued Xellos. "That's enough out of you!" she roared as they smashed into the wall.
Pressed into the crater created by the impact, Xellos looked as unbothered as if he were on a walk through the park as he replied, "Come now, Ms. Bradford, you didn't think such a silly attack would do anything to me, did you?"
"Maybe not." Terra conceded as she bore her fangs at him, her body still pressing into the mazuku "But maybe this will! Firaga!" The massive blast of fire magic exploded from the half-esper's hands, throwing her backward from the spell going off at point-blank range. The other combatants didn't fare much better, the other heroes and villains being knocked off their feet and thrown every which way from the shockwave.
As the smoke cleared and people began to get back on their feet, a cheery voice could be heard from what was now a flaming hole in the wall, "Well, it seems there is some potential in you after all."
"No…" Terra whispered as Xellos became visible again. He looked unharmed for the most part, aside from his left shoulder, which appeared to have a tear in it. The tear was deeper than the cloths he wore and could be seen through, yet no blood or flesh could be seen. It was as though his very being had been torn.
Zelgadis, now against the adjoining wall but still holding Eri, saw the two magical beings facing off and in a moment of clarity called out "Don't Terra, he'll kill you!"
Terra didn't spare the chimera even a glance as she raised her clawed hands when she responded "Maybe! Just worry about yourself, seems thats what your good at!" With that, Terra charged forward again, only to have Xellos shoot up and into the air, a taunting smile on his face. With a snarl, Terra followed after, her claws charged with magical energy as the two began trading blows above.
Back on the ground, Michiru, Izuku and Emeralda had gotten to their feet but Mirio had taken a piece of debris from Terra's attack in the head and was much slower to recover. They had also been separated, much to Izuku's dismay when a knife-wielding blonde appeared before him "Oh! I didn't think I'd get the chance to see you again so soon Deku! And this time its even my own face you get to see!"
Izuku immediately flustered as Himiko pressed herself against him, running the flat side of her knife up his back in what she thought was a flirtatious gesture. "O…Oh…um…and just wh, where was that, miss?" the nervous hero-in-training squeaked out.
"I'm not surprised you didn't know it was me, I am a woman of many talents, Izuku. Let's just say I got a front row seat to you earning that license you're so proud of!" Himiko all but cooed in Izuku's ear.
Izuku's eyes widened in realization as he pushed the blonde off him just in time for Jin to catch him from behind. Struggling to get loose, the freckled boy said "It was you! You were the doppelganger at the exam!? Why?"
Instead of Himiko answering though, it was Jin who asked a question "Toga, what about the girl? Forget the girl, when are we leaving?!"
"We can let the heroes work out their issues while we have a little fun." Himiko answered as Izuku's squirming increased.
Meanwhile, Emeralda had found herself among the yakuza who remained loyal to their old leader, Kenichi himself remaining unconscious. Unfortunately, Kai was also close to them and was up on his feet just as Emeralda was getting up. Looking out among the bodies around him Kai reached out and grabbed the nearest. "If I wasn't strong enough to break that barrier, I just need a boost is all." He said to himself.
Emeralda watched in horror as the yakuza underling was ripped apart down to the cells and his mass added to Kai's own muscles, increasing his bulk. Before the augmented masked madman could move to claim another victim, Emeralda charged forward, her arms long blades that swept forward as Kai was reaching for his victim. In one swift motion, that outstretched arm was sliced clean off, falling to the ground in a bloody mess, quickly followed by Kai's left leg, which had also been held out as he bent forward to reach.
As Kai screamed in surprise and pain, falling to his left at the loss of balance with his leg, Emeralda dashed back around to get the underling she had just saved out of harms reach. The tan girl had managed to get the man to his feet and help him only a few feet away when the sudden lack of screaming caught her attention.
Pausing to look back, Emeralda watched as Kai, now again standing on both legs, picked up his dismembered right arm, placed it in its rightful place and applying his quirk, returned it to the rest of body as if nothing had happened to it at all. "I hope you enjoyed the show, girl. It will be your last. I think I'll find your quirk quite useful as well!" Kai spoke as she rushed forward, his eyes laser focused on the burdened hero in front of him.
Emeralda did the only thing she could with another person in her care, she grabbed the back of his shirt and shoved his forward as hard as she could while trying to shift around to face Kai as he came upon her. The tan girl had managed to get her right arm into a shield but a touch was all Kai needed to activate his quirk and a touch was what he got "Its over, you belong to me, hero." Kai said calmly as his quirk activated, pulling the girl into himself.
Except, that didn't happen. Kai looked down at the girl he now towered over and saw the struggle on her face. Was she…resisting him? Was that even possible? He could feel his quirk activated. It was working, he was deconstructing her cells…but it was like they were reverting back as soon as he changed them. As Kai tried even harder, he could feel equal push back and he was beginning to strain himself. Finally, he had to ask "How? How is…this possible?"
"I…I have complete control of…my cells. As long, as long as I will it, I will hold this form." Emeralda answered between strained breaths. How long she could resist and how hard Kai could push were questions they seemed determined to answer as they remained locked in place, struggling for dominance.
Michiru's struggle was much more personal. She found herself closest to Zelgadis and she didn't have the luck to get up before he did. After he had exchanged words with Terra Michiru tried to approach the chimera again only for him to cast his barrier in front of her. Undeterred, the tanuki girl got right up to the wind magics edge and implored "Zel! Please, lets just get Eri out of here and we can sort everything out later, ok?"
"We've already been over this Michiru! I have her, now, all she has to do is use her quirk and I can be human again. That's all I want! That's all I've ever wanted! I don't even have to go home, if I can just be human again!" Zelgadis answered, a mix of frustration and panic starting to set in as Terra's words weighed on him.
"I…I don't understand, Zel! You're awesome the way you are, how could this be a mistake? Its…its who you are!" Michiru answered, her own frustration, confusion and hurt boiling over.
"Damnit, Michiru! Before this happened to me, I was average physically at best, and I couldn't use magic worth a damn! I wanted power, I needed it! And this is what happened! It my fault I'm this god-damned monster!"
Michiru was about to shout back something about being yourself isn't your fault when a couple of things he had just said began to sink in. "Wait…did you actually ask Rezo to do this to you?"
"You're not listening to m-" Zelgadis started, as though he didn't actually care what Michiru had planned to say until he actually focused on the words she had indeed spoken. "What? NO, I didn't!"
"Did you even ask him for all this power you wanted?" Michiru quickly followed up, almost sure of the answer.
"No, but that's not the point!" Zelgadis insisted.
"Then what IS the point, Zelgadis? Hmm? Because that girl your holding hostage deserves to know! All of us here risking our lives to save her deserve to know! What was so important that you needed that power for that caused this supposed mistake!" Michiru pressed.
"I WANTED TO BE A HERO!"
"…what?" Michiru all but whispered, she was so stricken with the answer.
"My friends and I…we served Rezo but what we were doing was helping people in need. Working for Rezo was really just a means to that end…I wanted to be a hero to people more than anything! After I was changed...at first, I didn't mind it but…when the kids saw me…they were afraid…of ME! The very people I was working to save! How could I save them if they hated me? How could I be what I wanted like this? TELL ME MICHIRU!"
"Oh Zel…" Michiru replied, her heart feeling every bit of the rejection, pain and self-loathing in her friend's words. Yet, Zelgadis kept the barrier up, soul barred to the world or not. Now, though, he looked like maybe, just maybe if someone reached out, he might just take their hand.
Hands at just that moment came in short supply however as Mirio choose that moment to fully regain himself and what he saw wasn't good. "Animalia! Crescens and Deku need help! You help Deku and we'll circle back here to get Eri!"
Looking like she was about to say something to Zelgadis but holding back, Michiru spared the tortured chimera one final look of sympathy before turning toward Izuku and the league members, darting off.
(X)
"A bit of trouble in paradise?" mocked Xellos as he blocked another volley of purple blades of magic Terra had sent his way high above the rest of the action.
"You'd call this paradise?" Terra asked, glancing about the battlefield below.
"It certainly isn't boring, that's for sure! Besides, there is such delicious fear in the air, I'm surprised you don't sense it yourself." Xellos replied, readying his own magical black cone to shoot at Terra.
"Why would I be able to sense fear? I'm not like you, you monster!" Terra bit back, as she prepared her own spell to counter Xellos'.
"Oh my, you silly girl, of course you're not a mazuku but you have shown yourself perfectly capable of wielding the magic born from one. Wouldn't it be accurate to say you only have that form because of me?" Xellos answered before he flickered out of existence.
Terra's eyes widened as her opponent disappeared and for a moment she let her guard slip as she lowered her hands slightly, spell still formed in her hands. It was then that Xellos reappeared right in front of the pink fur-covered girl, face to face, noses literally touching as Xellos continued "Wouldn't it be easier for you to make your own magic?" before casting his own attack point blank in Terra's abdomen, causing a massive explosion and sending Terra downward in a heap, crashing into the ground on the upper level as she reverted back to her human form.
As Terra began to lose consciousness, Xellos appeared before her again, kneeling down so only she could hear "I could make you one, you know. A mazuku. Just a thought! Bye-bye!" Then, he was gone again and Terra fell to darkness, unable to truly weigh the gravity of that statement or even react.
(X)
Emeralda continued her deadlock with Kai, the few surviving underlings who protected Kenichi watching on as they hovered around their master. Though Emeralda was confident she could hold this stalemate for quite a while longer, she found she was unable to modify any other part of her body while locked in the struggle. Otherwise, it would have been a simple thing to impale this man, or if she really had to, decapitate him. He would likely not get up from that. As it was though, she was stuck buying time for everyone else.
Michiru appeared to be talking to Zelgadis, which was hopefully getting somewhere and Izuku was…occupied with the woman who had taken her eye. Actually, Emeralda had no idea what was going on over in the corner of the battlefield.
Before long though, she saw Mirio get back up, say something to Michiru and then turn to dash in her direction. She knew what was coming and sure enough, she saw the blonde intern disappear into the ground. Moments later, Mirio appeared through the floor between the two stalemated combatants, sending a mighty uppercut straight to Kai's jaw as he yelled "POOOWEERRR!"
Without missing a beat, free of Kai's hold, Emeralda locked her arms, shifting them into one massive mallet above her head and smashed down just as Kai was sailing upward from Mirio's punch. The resulting hit was massive, heard by everyone still conscious as Kai was sent barreling back down to the ground at an angle. The resulting impact left a new crater in the ground and a cloud of dust thick enough to obscure even the keenest of beastman eye.
Said beastman had made her way in the meantime to Izuku's aid, which at this point may have been as much psychological help as much as anything. Jin still had the flustered green-haired hero-in-training restrained but Himiko appeared to be doing little more than talking to the poor boy. Still, regardless of what Michiru was rescuing her teammate from, it was still a rescue and she came in fast on cheetah legs.
Still, it wasn't fast enough tonot be noticed and Jin managed to spilt off a clone that got in the tanuki girl's way just long enough for Michiru to leap forward, shifting her arm to massive size and letting her forward momentum add weight to her crushing swing, that came down hard on the clone, which smashed into goo as it whimpered "Mama…" before it met its end. Michiru barely had a moment to be entirely disturbed by what had just transpired before charging again, this time calling out "Deku! Get your act together! Don't forget about Eri!"
Himiko was just in the middle of asking Izuku what his favorite blood type was when Michiru's words rug out. They landed true for Izuku, whose eyes lost their indecisiveness. His muscles tensed and power began to surge in his body as the green-haired boy said "Your right! I sorry Toga-san, but I came here to save a little girl!" With his strength surging, Izuku flung Jin over his shoulders, the body-suit wearing schizophrenic flailing his arms comically as he sailed over Himiko's head.
Michiru arrived to attack Himiko as this was happening, but the blonde blood-drinker nimbly evaded the tanuki girl's crushing blow, a pout on her face. "Its not the date I dreamed of, but its been fun, Deku!" she called as she danced back to where Jin landed.
"We need to take the guy out before he can clone anymore!" Izuku said as he came to stand beside Michiru.
"Yeah, I get that, but…what was she doing to you?" Michiru couldn't help but ask.
"That's…not really important right now. You think you can come in from above?" Izuku quickly deflected the question.
"As long as I don't get high enough to get caught up in the magic fight up there, sure. What you got in mind?" Michiru replied, disappointed but given the situation, understood the deflection.
"You don't have to; I really just need a distraction. Just try to keep the girl's attention for a few seconds." Izuku asked as Himiko helped Jin up to his feet.
"Yeah, you got it!" Michiru replied confidently as wings sprung from her back. The winged tanuki girl shot up into the air about ten feet before angling her body down right at the blood-thirsty blonde and shot herself forward, calling "Hey blondie! I won't forgive you for taking my friend's eye!"
As hard and fast as Michiru was moving, the attack was straight forward and Himiko saw it coming a mile away. Though she was quick, one thing Himiko Toga wasn't was physically strong, so carrying Jin around with her as she dodged wasn't an option. Thus, Himiko was left to push her friend out of the way as she brandished her knife, ready to strike as the furry morpher rapidly approached.
Instead of getting to cut into some nice, soft and bloody flesh, though, Himiko's knife clanged against a much harder surface. Indeed it was all the blonde murderer could do to avoid the suddenly increased size and mass of the now turtle-shelled Michiru, who smashed into the ground just behind the space that the two league members had just occupied.
Taking a few flips backward to regain space as Michiru reverted back to normal, Himiko smirked and said "Oh yeah, I totally wanted to ask about that! She get someone with some amazing healing quirk to get that eye back because that is not a fake she's got there now! Or does it have something to do with that blood of hers? It tasted sooo artificial, ya know?"
Michiru's eyes narrowed but knew not to raise to the bait, instead shifting her head into that of a chameleon and launching her tongue at Himiko's knife.
The shot missed, the blonde doppelganger having already anticipated what was coming when she saw the change to Michiru's head. Now, Himiko moved to counter-attack. The blonde school girl darted in at Michiru, a deranged glee in her eyes as she brandished her knife and swung for the tanuki girl's throat.
However, Himiko wasn't the only one capable of looking ahead and as the blonde's knife inched closer to ending her life, Michiru fell backward and as she did so, her legs shifted to those of a rabbit and she was able to catch Himiko in the gut as her body was extended in mid-swing. With a mighty heave, Michiru sent the League of Villains resident schoolgirl sailing hard in the opposite direction until the girl impacted hard against the wall.
Michiru was about to follow up with another attack to make sure her opponent was knocked out but what she saw instead gave her pause; Himiko was melting. "Oh? You thought I was the real thing? Please, as if I'd hang out with losers like you!" the quickly puddling clone taunted.
"Damnit! Deku!" Michiru called as she turned to look at her teammate. She saw a similar scene as the Twice they thought was the original was also turning to goo, alternating between laughing and crying the whole time.
The tanuki girl came rushed over and asked "What happened?"
Izuku answered with an annoyed scowl "With the blonde girl separated, I just used my increased speed to rush in and punch the guy…but they were never really even here, were they?"
"Why do it yourself when these clones will do it for you? The real question is what were they really here to do? And we don't have time to find out. Come on, lets go get Eri!" Michiru answered, glad to get back to her friend and the subject of this whole crazy endeavor.
"Right!" Izuku replied, ready to put this little episode out of his mind.
(X)
Just as Michiru and Izuku were able to turn their attention back toward Zelgadis and Eri, Kai had been sent on his unceremonious flight into the ground. With the remaining yakuza keeping to protecting their elderly master, the league gone and Kai on the back foot, close to being surrounded, things were finally turning in the heroes favor.
Until the remaining Bullets emerged from the lone door out of the large room they had been fighting in. Hari emerged with Kendo, Toya and Deidoro in tow and they immediately charged in and covered for their beaten leader. "Where…where are the rest of the Bullets?" Kai managed to ask as Kendo helped him to his feet.
"Mimic and the rest stayed behind to stall the rest of the heroes, boss." Hari answered, clear concern for his master in his voice.
"Damn" Mirio cursed at overhearing that little detail. "Sounds like we're on our own for a while longer."
"Speaking of sounds, I don't hear any more fighting up above." Izuku pointed out.
"Indeed! You shouldn't count on your little esper friend for awhile, I'm afraid." Xellos answered, appearing between the two groups.
Following Xellos' eyes upward, the heroes saw Terra's beaten form, her arm hanging limp over the edge of the hole that lead down to them. If those gathered hadn't been naturally unnerved by the rare sight of the mazuku's irises before, they would be from now on. As disheartening as it was to see her friend and their trump card defeated, Michiru saw it as another chance to knock sense into her conflicted chimera friend "Zel, you have to go now! Don't let Esper's suffering be in vain!"
Zelgadis looked up at Terra's prone form then back at Michiru. As the tanuki girl implored him to leave and complete the mission, there was something in the girl's eyes that he hadn't expected to see. Hope. Not hope that they'd escape, not hope she would survive. No, he could tell that it was the hope that he would do it. She believed in him. Despite everything he had just done. Despite how distant and cross he had been with her, Michiru still believed in him.
Looking down at the girl he still clung to, Eri had stopped crying but seemed to be struggling to breath, having worn herself out crying. What hadn't abided was her horn, which was easily double in size now and glowing brightly. For a moment, just a moment, Zelgadis waivered. The impulse to do right and cast Raywing taking this girl away from this madness took root in his mind, his own wants beginning to recede into the back of his mind as they had so many times before.
All of that shattered when Kai seemed to appear from nowhere, again attempting to take Eri, his frame now bulked up to inhuman proportions. It was only by the barest of margins that the sorcerer was able to cast his barrier in time. Distracted by Xellos, the heroes had missed as Kai had absorbed Kendo and his quirk, greatly increasing the yakuza leader's strength and his ability to deliver blows.
Zelgadis, as before, kept one arm to hold Eri, blade in hand, while the other kept the spell going. That had worked just fine before. Now, Kai's blows came stronger and much, much faster. It was rapidly becoming clear the sorcerer-swordsmen would have to either keep holding Eri or let go to strengthen the barrier.
The remaining Bullets stood between the heroes and Zelgadis, with Xellos teleporting away when Hari shot at him with his time slowing bullets. With the mazuku gone, Hari turned his attention to the other heroes, along with Toya, who was brandishing a gun he had plucked from a officer earlier. Mirio charged forward, intending to use his impermeability to easily close the distance and strike both villains down. Deidoro's presence, though, was making it very difficult for the blonde senior intern to focus and he was forced to dodge instead.
Izuku and Michiru also found themselves struggling to avoid being under the influence of the seemingly drunk yakuza. Only Emeralda seemed to be unaffected by the quirk, and she charged forward, unabated by the hail of projectiles leveled at her now that she alone stood to challenge the trio. With a shield to stop the bullets and a whirling chain to deflect Hari's so as to not slow her down, the green-haired nanomachine colony went straight for the shirtless yakuza.
Whether by the influence of his own quirk or actually under the influence of alcohol, one thing was certain, Deidoro was not equipped to evade a seasoned warrior. As the flat-masked yakuza lost his balance trying to get away from the charging girl, he fell in a heap as he stumbled to the side, leaving him completely open. Keeping her defenses up as she attacked, Emeralda used her hair, shifting it into a hammer, and caught Deidoro hard in the head as he tried to protect it with his hands feebly.
With Deidoro knocked out, Mirio and Michiru were free of his quirk's influence and moved in. Mirio went right for the two brandishing weapons and Michiru went toward Zelgadis. It was, however, very clear something was going to give before she could get there and as desperation set in, she cried "Zelgadis! You need to let her go! You need to let yourself go! You are a hero! Save that girl!"
It was hard to hear Michiru with the constant pounding against his barrier, at least at first. But by the end, the tanuki girl's words were clear as day. His face twisted and contorted with frustration and extreme effort as Zelgadis struggled to hold the barrier and wrestle with what needed to be done. As cracks began to form in the barrier, Eri's whole body began to glow and Zelgadis knew something was about to happen, one way or the other and now, NOW was the time to decide.
"Magus!"
"Zelgadis!"
"Zel!"
"ARRAAHHH! GO! Take her! I'll hold him off!" Zelgadis commanded, dropping his sword, and letting Eri free as he threw his other hand into the spell, reinforcing it and healing the cracks.
It was all too much for Eri at this point though and she huddled in a ball right at Zelgadis' feet, her quirk about to go out of control and the chimera stuck unable to move as he focused on keeping Kai at bay.
Michiru could stretch her arms out and at least push the girl away but she also knew what might happen if she did and in that moment she hesitated. Emeralda, however, did not. Already closer to Eri and Zelgadis having taken out Deidoro, Emeralda came in at a slide and scooped up the little girl, cradling her as they moved away from Zelgadis, who released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
That relief was short-lived as his fears as well as everyone else's were realized when there was a flash of light that enveloped Emeralda and Eri.
"Emmy!" Michiru cried as she ran past Zelgadis and came upon where she had last seen her friend. With the light gone, Eri remained, having begun crying again. The silver-haired girl was wrapping herself in Emeralda's scarf, covering her face with it to hide her shame at what she had just done. Michiru's heart stopped, reality begining to rear its ugly head as she couldn't see Emeralda at all.
The tanuki girl fell to her knees, completely devastated that something Xellos had said had actually come to pass. Emeralda had been whipped from existence.
Michiru had begun to sob herself when she caught movement that couldn't have been from Eri in the pile of cloths that lay before her. "E, Emmy?" she managed to croak out.
After a bit more movement, that unmistakable mop of pale green hair popped out from the folds of clothing. Between her worry of what may have happened and the way Eri was holding the scarf, it was easy to miss there was a small frame hiding among the cloths. "Emmy…are you ok?" Michiru asked again as more of the tan girl became visible.
Pulling herself further out from the folds of her hero costume, Emeralda looked at her hands before taking a part of her own hair in her hand and taking note of its length before saying, as calm as ever "It…would appear my appearance is younger, like I was when I first awoke."
Grabbing the now pre-pubescent girl's hand, Michiru asked again, her voice at once more desperate and more relived at the same time "But you're ok, right?"
"I can still fight" came the nanomachine girl's quick response as Eri pulled her head out from Emeralda's scarf, having paused her sobbing to see for herself.
"Your…your, ok?" the single-horned girl managed to say as she sniffled.
Emeralda began tearing at her cloths to make them fit her much more petite frame as well as pulling her scarf from Eri as she said "I am. Now let us do what we came here to." As she finished, the white scarf that had once lay loose around her collarbone now needed to be wrapped multiple times such that all of Emeralda's face up to her nose was now hidden by the fabric.
Eri looked absolutely relived by how calm Emeralda seemed to be taking this turn in fortune while Michiru, though happy her friend was alive, was still very much unnerved by the tan girl's de-aging. Looking at Emeralda now covered in the tattered remains of her costume, boots far too big for her and a scarf that bordered on the ridiculous, Michiru couldn't help but ask "Emmy…you sure you can do this? You're not…bothered by what just happened?"
Then, much to Michiru's surprise, Emeralda smiled. It was an expression she'd never seen on the greenette before, an almost cheeky grin as Emeralda replied "I promise that I am quite capable in this form, Michiru. Thanks for worrying about me!"
The reassurance couldn't have come fast enough as Kai finally overwhelmed Zelgadis, smashing his barrier, the force of which sending the chimera flying back and crashing into the ground. "Run!" he cried.
Izuku and Mirio moved in to counter the now massive obsessed yakuza leader. The freckled hero used as much of One for All that he dared without breaking himself, letting loose a flurry of kicks, all of which seemed to do little to bother Kai. When the hulking man reached for Izuku, he darted away to avoid being destroyed or absorbed.
Mirio tried as well, but though his quirk granted him the element of surprise, what he lacked was power, and if Izuku, who had the greatest quirk of all pulsing through him could do nothing, LeMillion's poultry punches had even less effect. What Mirio's punches did do, however, was leave him vulnerable to being grabbed and in the moment he made contact with his latest uppercut to the face, Kai grabbed the blonde's arm, ready to dismantle him.
He never got the chance. Almost instantly, even before Mirio could make himself impermeable in order to escape, Kai lost his arm a second time. Emeralda had sliced Kai's arm off once again as Michiru attacked low, enlarging her arm and swinging hard for the man's knee, which buckled on impact.
As Kai tumbled to the ground, again in terrible agony he screamed "All of you! I will make all of you feel everything you've done to me ten times over!"
"Don't make promises you can't keep! Deku!" Michiru called.
"Got it. SMASH!" Izuku cried as again he summoned all he felt he could from his quirk, this time channeling it into a mighty punch that caught Kai clean in the face, sending him backward and on his back. There he lay, stunned and unmoving.
"He's down, we need to get Eri out of here, now. Animalia, you carry Eri." Mirio ordered as the room finally fell silent.
"You need my sense of smell to get us back to the surface, I can't fly and sniff at the same time." The tanuki girl reminded the blonde senior hero intern.
"Deku can do it. I'm sure she wants nothing to do with me." Zelgadis offered as he limped over to the group. As if to confirm it, Eri rushed behind Izuku when she realized the chimera was present. The act was understandable but brought back bad memories for the sorcerer and he looked away with a deep frown on his face.
"That works. The rest of us will stay here and try to secure these villains until the heroes get here." Mirio agreed just glad things appeared to be over and they could get Eri to safety mostly unscathed despite Zelgadis' lapse in judgement.
"Oh this is no fun at all, you're done already? Maybe things were alittle titled to your side?" came a voice from seemingly nowhere.
"Of course…" Zelgadis grumbled.
"Xellos!" Eri cried, raising her hands up, a smile finally gracing her face.
"Where the hell were you during this whole mess?" Michiru couldn't help but ask as Xellos appeared floating above them.
The mazuku's smile grew as he pointed a finger and said "Now that is a…"
"The other yakuza! He got them out of here!" Izuku cut in, realizing Kenichi and his followers were gone.
Xellos visibly slumped, the wind taken out of his favorite phrase. When he rose to his normal height once more, he seemed undeterred as he spoke again "Ok, yes, I did get them out and on their way. I have other plans for that group and I'll not have you ruin them. As for here, well, I think everyone could go another round, wouldn't you say?"
"We are not here to entertain you." Emeralda answered, her younger sounding voice providing an almost comical juxtaposition, sounding so serious despite looking so young.
"Oh my, is that you Ms. Emeralda? And here I thought you looked young for your age before! I won't deny a certain degree of entertainment here but you should know by now if you listen to Mr. Zelgadis that its more than that." Xellos answered playfully. "Time to even things up abit!"
Then the smile the mazuku always wore seemed to slip into a thin line, the most serious expression many of them had seen on the man. Then Xellos simply pointed up and without any fanfare or visible expressions of energy or power, the ceiling above exploded.
On the surface, the battle with Rikiya had all but concluded. The combined forces of Ryukyu, Uravity, Formidable, Froppy and Nejire had managed to finally subdue the massive Bullet member. Those of the police force injured in the surprise attack were getting first aid and regrouping, getting ready to back the heroes who had journeyed below.
All of that changed when a huge gapping hole exploded upward, showering debris everywhere upon officer and hero alike as they ducked for cover. Rikiya, who lay defeated and unable to move, could only watch as the little man with purple hair floated above him. The next thing the giant man knew, he was laying beside his boss way down in what had been the tunnels.
Michiru and the rest could only watch on as this happened, entirely powerless to stop it. When Xellos reappeared with Rikiya, Zelgadis knew exactly what was going on and could only yell feebly "Xellos, you bastard!"
Mirio clenched his fist, declaring "I won't let you, this is wrong!"
"Take a step forward and I kill each and every one of you where you stand." Xellos snapped, as deadly serious as was possible, which was enough to give the blonde pause.
"Listen to him LeMillion! He could easily do it!" Zelgadis cried.
"Thank you, Mr. Zelgadis! Now, would you be so kind, 'master'?" Xellos replied more jovially as he picked up Kai's remaining hand and moved it toward Rikiya.
"Wha…what's stopping…me from absorbing your traitorous ass." Kai forced out as he regained his senses.
"Hmm, I wonder?" came Xellos' cryptic answer. He'd barely gotten the words out when Kai's hand pulled from Xellos' grasp and clamped hard onto the mazuku's head.
Several of the heroes gasped, their minds rushing through what they would have to do if Kai did absorb the seemingly unstoppable mazuku. They need not have worried. After a few moments of nothing happening, Kai's eyes widened in shock "How? How can this happen a second time?"
Xellos pulled the massive hand from his face, Kai having weakened his hold when it became clear his quirk was having no affect. Then Xellos leaned in close and said "Your quirk can't work on what's not really there. I offer you this as your only chance at escape. Take it or lay here and be locked up or worse. Your choice!"
Kai took a deep breath but said nothing as he moved his arm over to his subordinate of his own accord. When he touched Rikiya, he could feel his quirk working as normal, meaning whatever was happening with Xellos was in fact something to do with the traitor. With the heroes watching on, Kai was restored, improved on as his already greatly enhanced frame grew larger still, to insane proportions.
Rikiya was already a huge man and that combined with the size Kai had achieved absorbing several other men meant that whatever strength the heroes could bring to bare had now been wholly eclipsed. With Kai now looming over them all, a blast of fire magic exploded just above where Xellos was standing, signally that Terra had awakened and tried to taken down Xellos by surprise.
It hadn't worked as he was able to block it, but it did prompt Xellos to turn to the heroes and say "Well, it looks like its time for me to go. I have bigger fish to fry and a promise to keep. Eri, come here, sweetie."
Eri, who had been standing in front of Izuku, rushed forward before the freckled boy could catch her "I'm here, Xellos! Where are we going?"
Xellos bent down, arms outstretched to receive the young girl, who threw herself into her purple-haired caretaker. Xellos put one arm around the girl and the other softly on her head as he said "Eri. Sweetie, you remember that flower I always brought you?"
The single-horned girl smiled warmly as she pulled back to look Xellos in the face "Yep! You said it meant celebration and happiness!"
Xellos put both arms on the little girl's shoulders and smiled warmly as he replied "Very good, I'm so proud of you! Now this is important. Chrysanthemum has another meaning."
Despite everything that had just happened to her, Eri was wrapped up in the moment, happy as possible to be with the person she had grown to trust the most and she hung on his every word, her eyes alight with excitement and curiosity "What? What else does it mean?"
"Betrayal." Xellos all but whispered, his smile taking on a much more sinister edge as he pushed the little girl way, before she tumbled back into Izuku.
Eri tumbled to her butt, Izuku just able to catch her arms as she lay stricken through her heart, her eyes wide with shock, tears again welling up in her eyes.
The heroes, too, couldn't believe what they had just seen and looked on as if expecting an explanation, which they more or less got when Xellos said "No hard feelings now, Eri-chan. You'll understand some day. Can't hardly take you where I'm going! Besides, you really shouldn't rely so much on others, you know? Bye-bye!"
With that, Xellos disappeared, leaving a restored and now very pissed Kai free to do as he wished with the tiny heroes and heart-broken girl that lay before him as little more then bugs to be crushed.
(X)
Alright, this time I admit I had planned to end it this way. For those of you who found Xellos' and Eri's relationship enduring, I'm so, so sorry. Xellos isn't human and has never seen any problem using them as he saw fit. Taking over as Eri's caretaker very much met his ends. Whether or not he has developed a soft spot for her, well, we'll see but for now, poor Eri has to now deal with being abandoned in the face of her abuser.
As for Zelgadis, he is a very cynical person but to get there, such people almost always come from a brighter place, disillusioned with the world around them. The poor guy also made his appearance and the pursuit of its restoration a cornerstone of his identity and I've always wanted to explore it more. I'm so glad to have gotten here with him and though he still has some distance to cover, he has gotten over the hump as it were.
As much as I love being able to offer 2 chapters a month, whenever I do it I am reminded of why I usually post once a month. I admit I will be glad to relieve myself of the pressure that I put myself under to get two out like this, even if each is shorter than a normal offering.
On a housekeeping note, I've been considering recategorizing this story from a MHA x BNA to MHA x Anime X-overs or the like. Though Michiru is the overall main character, we really have a trio of protagonists and many other series have representation in this story. I don't know that it will change anything, especially since I am unsure how people come upon this story after its moved a few pages back on the MHA list.
Now, on to this month's review from Eliphas-Chaos:
Finally, I am able to review again, not sure why my reviews weren't getting posted but anyway, loved this chapter, and the last couple of chapters, though truthfully I wasn't a fan of The Wiper, he was quite creepy and did make me worry about Michru and Emeralda. I do very much like how Xellos looks after Eri with truly seems to care for her.
The battle has begun and is going differently due to there being 3 (potentially 4) sides, you have the Heroes, and the Two Yakuza factions, the one following Chiseki and the one following Eri's granddad, and potentially the League of Villains.
I don't agree with Zelgadis (as it is scaring Eri) but I can understand why he is doing what he is doing, I can only hope that he comes to his senses and gets out of danger first before trying to force Eri to revert him.
Xellos has always presented himself as a goofy, carefree, almost foolish person, often appearing to do things simply to amuse himself when he is always playing the long game. Zelgadis, on the other hand always appears cool and collected. Trying to be logical and practical but is prone to fits of impulse when the opportunity presents itself. Its funny, really.
In the end, making the hard choices is part of being a hero. I won't want to give anything away so I'll stop there.
Look forward to the end of the Shie Hassaikai arc and it's aftermath. I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to a bit of light-hearted fun once the dust has settled here. Thank you all so much, I hope you continue to enjoy, take care and I'll see you next month!