I almost stumble as my hands quiver. Balling them into fists, the frustration and terror bubble inside me. My mind is empty. I don't know what to do. I don't think I can do anything. All for One's words hang with loose ends in the air, his hand pointing at me. A shiver crawls up my spine as I try to gather my composure, hoping to salvage some of my fake innocence. Bakugo hesitantly turns to face me, looking confused and almost upset and hesitant.
"...What the hell is that asshat talking about…?"
The attic in my head won't listen. I can't come up with anything other than to lie.
"I-I don't know… I don't get why he would accuse me of something so stupid and fake. Isn't he supposed to be smart or something? He's Shigiraki's master for god sakes and he thinks he can weasel out of this if he blames me for something that hasn't happened."
My eyebrows knit together and glare at All for One, standing my ground. A part of me feels guilty for covering it up, but I can't do anything else other than run from the truth, so I might as well prolong it… Even though I feel sick to my stomach for doing so. Trying to push it from my mind so hard I almost get a headache, I painted a confused and skeptical look on my face towards All for One, as if I was calling him insane. He sighs and faces his hand, listing the quirks he used in that single massive punch, as if bragging about the lives he's ruined by stealing their quirks. Firing another shot of that dreadful combination, he keeps All Might at a distance. He turns to Shigiraki and Bakugo, lifting his hand towards Shigiraki, the tips of his fingers turning black with red blazes.
"Get off the battlefield, Tomura. And take these children with you."
The thick black and red blades surge from his fingers and sharply move towards Kurogiri, piercing his chest in multiple spots as his body trembles.
"Kurogiri, warp them away."
Magne runs towards Kurogiri, worried about her friend.
"Be careful! One of the heroes messed with him and now he's unconscious! I'm not sure what's going on, but if you can teleport why don't you get us out of here?!"
The red lines on the black blades flicker shades of red as All for One responds to her question, slightly agitated.
"My warp is still new, Magne. And there is much I need to learn about it. It's distance is limited, and while he can teleport to specific coordinates, I only transport people to and from my own location. Or with focus, two or more from somewhere I am very familiar with. That is all. It's easier to have Kurogiri do it."
A large portal suddenly appears behind Kurogiri as the black blades return to All for One, disappearing into his fingers.
"Leave this place."
He says to Shigiraki, who doesn't sit right with this request.
"What about you?"
A crash in the distance alerts us of All Might's presence, his figure flying through the air and leaving a trail of smoke behind. He dashes to All for One, who steps gracefully into the air and starts to float.
"You're not thinking, Tomura,"
He gets higher and higher, as Shigiraki seems to get more worried.
"There remains much room for you to grow."
All Might's fist leads the fight to All for One, who blocks it with his own fist, the contact sending waves surging through the air. Shigiraki attempts to take a step closer, but Spinner stops him as turns Dabi's unconscious body into a marble.
"Let's go, Shigiraki."
"While our masked fiend is keeping All Might contained, claim your prize."
The League turns to me and Bakugo as he stands up, smirking at each one, with no fear visible in his face.
"This is gonna be fun!"
All Might struggles against the black blades from All for One's fingers as he shouts.
"No, Bakugo don't!"
I outstretch my arm in front of him, keeping him where he is.
"All Might's right, jackass! Fighting offense is a stupid idea and will only get us hurt,"
Lowering my arm, I smirk lightly.
"-Fighting defense however…"
He laughs, to my surprise, but it quickly fades as his wide smirk returns.
"Then let's pound these dipshits into the ground!"
Toga runs towards me, directly staring down into my eyes as Twice goes after Bakugo. Her knife weaves through the air and tries to make contact with my skin, but I block her with scales and coat my knee in a hard shell before I thrust it into her stomach, making sure I take her out first. The shock causes her to almost lose her knife. Harshly grabbing her arms, I whip them around to her back and lock them together as long curved quills spring from my wrist and wrap her arms together tightly. She giggles, a bit of blood dripping down her chin and staining her cardigan.
"I didn't think you were that kinda girl, Tazuma-chan~!"
I grumble and grab her by the collar, using her as a human shield.
"Shut it."
Magne races towards me, a big metal rod in her hand.
"Give Toga back!"
"Gladly."
I kick Toga towards Magne, who pushes her towards Kurogiri to safety. Magne turns back to me, getting ready to swing the metal rod.
Damn it. My moveset is limited cause I'm not wearing my hero costume so I can't do as much at the moment… I can't take the fight into the air because I'll end up in the crossfire between All for One and All Might, but if I stay on the ground most of my attacks are nearly useless unless they come towards me. However, my top priority should be protecting myself. Bakugo can probably handle this. There's six against two so it's obviously not entirely fair but if we each handle three and focus on quickly containing them like I did to Toga, we should be able to find an opening and-
"Hey, why aren't you fighting me?!"
Magne's metal rod is seconds away from hitting my neck, so I lurch my body downwards and just barely save myself. Coating my arms in a tough shell I curve my first into her stomach, hoping to push her back. But Magne is much tougher than I thought as she no more than flinches before she smiles. A red aura suddenly appears around me as I get lifted into the air. A panicked grunt escapes my throat as I'm lunged into Bakugo, our backs colliding. The collision pounds the pain into me as I fall to the ground, the red aura disappearing. He growls and whips around.
"What in the hell was that?!"
"Magne's quirk is magnetism so it's not my fault asshole! Just keep fighting back and shut the fuck up!"
He grumbles and listens as he nimbly dodges an attack from Twice. It takes me a second to realize I slipped up once again as I turn towards him, worried that he noticed what was accidentally hidden in my words.
I don't think anyone stated her quirk in front of us, and I just gave away that I knew what it was and implied that I knew how it worked! What the hell! Dear god, I hope Bakugo doesn't look too carefully at what I say-
A distant wall suddenly breaks apart as a familiar redhead bursts through, his hardened arms forming an "x" as two others hold him at either side. My eyes widen as I realize it's Iida, Midoriya, and Kirishima.
IT'S ABOUT GODDAMN TIME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!
Faster than a blink of an eye, a giant burst of ice appears in front of them as it climbs through the air, becoming a massive slab of hard ice. I feel a chill in the air as Iida, Midoriya, and Kirishima ride up the ice slab, propelled forward by Iida's engines and Midoriya's quirk. The three of them race just above the ice before gliding into the air, far higher than any members of the League could reach. Bakugo and I both stare at them as my heart pounds and Kirishima's voice suddenly echoes to us.
"COME ON!"
Bakugo grabs my upper arm and yanks me towards him as a powerful explosion rockets us into the air, debris flying at our feet. It takes me a second to process what's happening but we're already in the air, Bakugo's hefty explosions keeping us aloft as he holds tightly onto my arm. Understandable, seeing as if he held it any looser I would fall. Slightly turning my arm, I tightly grab onto his as well so he doesn't accidentally pull my arm out of its socket. Bakugo's hand slams into Kirishima's as they both grip it hard. Bakugo smirks and shouts as the wind rings in my ears.
"You idiots!"
Iida shouts as I reach and grab onto Midoriya's shoulder, hoping to stabilize myself and Bakugo.
"Bakugo, on my mark you give us a giant-"
"Don't tell me what to do damn it!"
Kirishima sighs.
"Now's not the time to fight you guys!"
Their bickering stops and I find myself holding somehow even tighter onto Bakugo and Midoriya, as a thought slips into my mind. It feels utterly stupid at first, yet it makes me remember something.
…...They cared enough to save us… They cared enough to save Bakugo and I… They...cared about me…
I feel my heart light up. I already knew that I was at least somewhat friends with them, but the fact that they even bothered felt really nice...More than nice… I know my aunt cares for me, but this one felt different… I genuinely smile to myself as I restate the fact that being with them and feeling wanted and cared for is endlessly better than looking for revenge through villainy and crimes...
However, Kirishima stops my pleasant thought train as he turns to me with a worried and very upset expression.
"Ritsu! Why were you there too?! Didn't Mina and I tell you to stay at home?"
...Oh… right… I'm still in trouble…
"I know, I know, and I'm sorry… I got full of myself and thought I could do it and I take full responsibility…"
This rare moment of me being calm surprises them as Kirishima nods.
"Alright. I accept your apology, but I'm not sure if Mina will take it well."
The guilt starts rekindling.
"I know…"
Mr. Compress suddenly starts coming towards us, but Mt. Lady emerges from the ground and stops him, getting hit right in the face.
"The rescue is… our priority… Go home you dumb kids…"
She falls slowly back to the ground, as I stare at her, slightly mesmerized by her quirk. I turn back to Kirishima as he asks something I had greatly hoped they had forgotten.
"One last thing. What did the masked guy mean when he said that someone in our class had been missing for a lot of years? Why did he point to you?"
I almost hesitate, but gather myself quickly.
"He was just making up a bunch of bull shit to catch All Might off gaurd. It probably would've worked if it wasn't so fucking idiotic and actually made sense. My first thought was that he was supposed to be smart being Shigiraki's master and everything."
He nods.
"Got it! I was afraid he was telling the truth for a minute but I figured something like that wouldn't have been able to be kept secret from U.A!"
I nod, playing along as Midoriya glances at me.
"Yeah, we all got kinda worried about it, but in the end we all knew it didn't mean anything! Of all people, All Might would've already known that if you really were missing for that long. But what does confuse me is that you looked really scared when he said it."
A bead of sweat drips down my temple.
"That was because I was afraid that he was gonna attack us. Not that I wouldn't have been able to dodge it or counter, but the way he pointed his hand at us made me think he was gonna attack and I was just being wary."
He nods and smiles at me.
"I always knew I could trust you, Oritsu! I wish I could be as calm as you are in these types of situations. That's incredibly helpful for when you become a hero!"
…
"You don't have to say that, I get a lot more panicked than I look y'know..."
"Still!"
I can't think of anything else other than his words as Midoriya faces forward once more.
A helicopter circles around what used to be the nomu warehouse, capturing every second between All for One and All Might as the five of us stand in a loose crowd, Midoriya on the phone with Todoroki in order to relocate.
"-Luckily we missed that last shockwave. The rescue totally worked! And we got Oritsu as well."
Bakugo scoffs.
"A rescue?! That's not what happened back there! You idiots just happened to be my best escape route!"
Kirishima smiles and gives a thumbs up.
"You're welcome!"
He sighs as he averts his eyes away from Midoriya.
"I had to get out of there so All Might could destroy that guy…"
Nodding, I cross my arms and pray they forget about what All for One revealed about me.
"All Might should be able to take care of him. From what I can tell he's got more than one quirk, but from basic understanding, you can infer that he'll only be able to take so much from his own multitude of quirks before it kills him. On top of fighting All Might. However he could have some kind of healing quirk or more than one because we don't know how many quirks he has overall. It's tricky, but All Might'll pull through. I can tell."
Midoriya nods at me.
"Yeah. We still don't know much about him, but he's clearly really powerful. And your intuition is amazing!"
That's because I already know, but if I say that it'll make me even more suspicious.
"Yeah, yeah, it's nothing much. I mean I thought that was something anyone could've thought up."
He smiles a bit and turns to the screen, showcasing the fight as it quickly fades. The voice of the news anchor echoes as the crowd stares.
"-It looks bad, sure, but All Might's the best; He'll win in the end right?"
A mess of smoke and black blades fire from All for One's arm as the view of All Might is obscured, forbidding us from seeing what's going on. My eyes feel stapled to the screen, not daring to glance away. I may have said that I'm confident that All Might will win, but that doesn't mean I fully believe it. Being a part of the League of Villains means I'm familiar with All for One's abilities, and from my knowledge, I don't think even All Might will be able to last much longer than he already has. The smoke dissipates, and you can feel the shock rumble through the crowd. All Might is still standing, but he doesn't look like All Might… He's far thinner, unhealthy, sickly, with his face sunken and sad. His hero costume that meant so much to so many people is tattered and loose-fitting, the sleeves almost completely torn off. All Might's scarily thin and beaten figure stains the TV screens and in everyone's minds, revealing the truth about All Might. All for One says something about this being his true form, but I can't focus on his words with my eyes wide and mind stirring rapidly. I don't know what to think or how to react other than surprise. Instinctively, I try to piece together this situation in my head and try to solve why this is supposed to be his so-called true form.
That would explain why All for One said he was getting weaker... He can only hold one 'form' for so long until it hurts him... No wonder he kept it such a tightly closed secret... He and Midoriya are really close so does he know about this?
I quickly glance at Midoriya, who instead is painted with a look of extreme worry rather than surprise like everyone else.
That says enough. He definitely knows... But why? Why him? Out of everybody, why a U.A student? And why Midoriya specifically? I think someone in 1-A joked about their quirks being really similar, but what if that actually means something? There's a possibility of that for sure. These days, anything can happen. If they really are connected somehow, then how did it happen? At the quirk apprehension test, Bakugo got mad at Midoriya for something, but I can't remember what but I know it was quirk-related. Did I ask Midoriya about it already? I feel like I did but that's not what I should be focusing on right now...
The crowd mutters and murmurs about All Might's true form, the news anchor stumbling over his words. On the giant screen, All for One appears to be speaking to All Might, and something he says causes All Might to falter. His dark sunken eyes widen, as he denies what he's saying. All for One's thumbs press into his cheeks, mocking All Might's signature smile. All Might shouts at All for One as the crowd gets even more worried. I hear Bakugo mumble desperately.
"Beat this guy…"
His words are layered to try and keep something repressed, but I sense a strange guilt deep inside his words. However, I'm too eager to see what All Might does next and I forget to take that tiny hint from his words into serious account. For now at least. The crowd starts shouting encouragement and support as Midoriya whips around to listen, worry still plastered all over him. The chants and cheers for All might strike a strange cord in Bakugo's expression, and I notice him tremble slightly. Midoriya turns back to face the screen and shouts, joining in the cheers for All Might.
"Win this!"
"Beat him!"
Bakugo unexpectedly joins in, and the two cry out together.
"COME ON ALL MIGHT!"
Something inside me snaps as a strange sensation forces itself behind my eyes. My hands shake for a moment before I ball them into fists and shout at the top of my lungs towards the screen, praying he'll hear me.
"YOU CAN DO THIS ALL MIGHT!"
My voice shakes at the end, as All Might's fist emits a strange light. The feeling of having done something so seemingly insignificant as cheering on a hero, feels like I just opened a heavy gate to something else. Hope rushes through me as I watch, hoping for his victory. If he does, I know it'll be a whole more symbolic to me than it appears. If All Might wins, I feel like it'll represent the two halves that I'm stuck fighting for, and how there will be moments where one drastically overpowers the other, but that doesn't mean it's dead or extinguished entirely.
I find myself shouting for All Might to win once more, as Midoriya and Bakugo join in. All Might's arm suddenly grows to full size, light emitting from it of all colors, reeling back his fist as All for One floats into the air. All for One's sleeve inflates, the black the red electricity flickering and spazzing around it. A sudden burst of intense flame messes up All for One's preparation as Endeavor shouts at All might, something I can't quite hear. Edgeshot lands next to him as All for One tries to trigger them, but fails as Edgeshot and Kamui Woods race towards him. Kamui Woods saves , Best Jeanist and Gang Orca from the rubble of the warehouse, and Tiger holds Ragdoll's limp body and saves a civilian. The crowd continues to cheer on All Might as my throat starts hurting and I stop, but still watching, just barely keeping myself together through the anticipation. A massive outburst of wind emerging from All for One's hand blows the other heroes away in a tough gust of wind, leaving just him and All Might. More dust clears, and everyone stands frozen in shock at the sight of the monstrosity that is what All for One has turned his arm into. Thick pointed drills stick out, gaping holes of red light tear out from the cracks in his skin, jagged ridges of metal and rock stuck onto his flesh, and the layers and layers of hands morph into an ugly makeshift arm that's bigger than his entire body. All Might's fist glows, as in the blink of an eye, their fists collide. The ensuing explosion of blue light and dust sends shockwaves that reach even us, the dust and ash following suit, making it unable to see clearly. Just barely able to see the figures of the two of them, All might swerves around, landing a hit right on All for One's face. A mess of blood, debris, and dust clouds the vision of the TV camera, but we're able to see All Might's glowing and broken fist hitting All for One for the last time, blood spurting everywhere. Everything and everyone goes silent as the battlefield goes still, neither one of them being seen. All we see is the remains of the warehouse and the intense destruction surrounding it. Then, the dust settles, and a beaten and quivering All might raises his fist in the air for all to see. The crowd bursts into cheers, with even the news anchor tearing up as All Might regains his muscle form for a moment, sealing his victory over All for One. Not just because of the triumphant win, but the symbolism and what this victory meant to me personally causes me to tear up. Nevertheless, I choke them back.
"All Might is standing! The villain is down! He saved us yet again!"
The news anchor's voice trembles as the cheers of the crowd overwhelm the atmosphere. Everyone is cheering, even those not present. The number one hero stands firmly above his enemy in pride. The crowd cheers his name, but my eyes find themselves staring at Bakugo's face. It doesn't even look close to happiness or excitement. He looks... disappointed. But that doesn't feel like the right word now that I think about it. He looks upset about something, but I can't figure out what...
During the aftermath, the five of us stand close together, not wanting to get broken up in the mass of people after all the destruction that was caused.
"We can't go anywhere! I wish we could find Todoroki and Yaoyarozu."
Iida sighs as Kirishima reaches for Bakugo's hand, who refuses.
"Let's just head that way. We should let the police know we got Bakugo and Ritsu in case they're lookin' for them."
"Good idea."
Iida nods and we follow them.
I'm worried about Todoroki, but I think he'll be fine... He's plenty capable. And Yaoyorozu's with him so it's not like he's by himself.
Midoroiya steals a glance back at the TV screen, as All Might's voice suddenly echoes through the huge speakers.
"Now... It is your turn..."
The sun finally rises, and I realize how late and how long it's been. The crowd's enthusiasm returns, cheering for All Might again at his words. But, something in my mind seemingly clicks.
Why would he say that as his final words as a hero? He might be telling the new generation that it's their turn to be the best heroes or something, and it wouldn't work if he said that as a warning to villains... If he and Midoriya really are connected, in what way I have no idea, then maybe that's him telling Midoriya that it's his turn? I'm not sure... I'll have to ask him about it later...
All Might's words bring Midoriya to tears, and he wipes them away with the back of his hands. Turning my head up, I stare at the clouds surrounding the sunrise, reminding myself how lucky I am to finally have friends who'd risk themselves to save me and someone else... I try to let the feeling of relief sink in, but I remember the look on Bakugo's face, and the guilt I heard in his words. Something tells me he's going to mentally beat himself up about this, and I'd rather go back to the League than see someone suffer like that. Not that he'll ever let me help him. But I'm still going to try. I get tired of repeating it, but a motto's a motto for a reason, right?
You never get anywhere by playing safe...