Welcome to August! "Through the Rough" is back with another exciting chapter update that'll hopefully lead to some really cool stuff in the future. You know, I've been wondering if there's ever going to be more crossover fanart between Edens Zero and My Hero Academia. I'd be happy to ask someone for some art, particularly between Izuku and Rebecca. That'd make my day!
But enough about that. Last time we left off, the villains got their hands on Rebecca, while the others are dealing with their own messes at the moment. One of them happens to be that crazy Nomu after Momo and Yosetsu. So I think we should go ahead and start there!
Welcome back to another exciting chapter of "Through the Rough"!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yosetsu screamed, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" he yelled in question. After he and Momo had encountered the Nomu with multiple arms that had drills and chainsaws, they ran. The Creation Quirk user tried to fight it off with a few flash grenades, but it wasn't only unaffected, it actually retaliated and landed a blow to her head to knock her out.
Fortunately, Yosetsu was able to weld one of the beast's arms to a nearby tree. He quickly grabbed Momo, welding her arms to his before carrying her away. The Nomu broke its arm off of the bark, chasing after them.
"Aw, crap! Aw, crap!" the Weld Quirk user repeated in a panic, "Yaoyorozu, are you still alive?!" he asked of girl he was carrying, hearing her groan.
"Sorry…" she apologized weakly, "I'm… alive… but…" she tried to say as blood ran down her face. She was so discombobulated, unable to really open her eyes. Everything had happened so fast. She could barely hear the sounds of the drills and chainsaws protruded from the Nomu's arms as it closed in on her and Yosetsu.
"Oh no!" he yelped, "Ah, I'm so sorry!" he apologized, covering her as he shut his eyes, hoping that he would at least be able to save her. But at that moment…
"TAKE THIS!" Shiki bellowed as he shot down like a meteor, pressing his right hand against the Nomu's head and slamming it against the ground in a flurry of dirt and dust. Yosetsu and Momo looked in shock as they saw the beast struggling to lift its arms under the intense gravity that its foe was forcing onto him. His green markings glowed brightly as he reared his right fist back. "Magimech Attack…" he started to echo, "GRAVITY FIST!" he roared, slamming his extremity against the Nomu's head. He managed to not only shatter its helmet, but also crush its cranium completely. The rest of its body went limp.
"Ah…" the Weld Quirk user uttered as his jaw went slack. Meanwhile, the girl welded to him had her eyes shimmer with amazement.
"Oh… I overdid it…" the Satan Gravity Quirk user realized, stepping off of the deceased monster's body, "Whoops…" he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"Shiki!" Momo called out, getting his attention as he looked over.
"Momo!" he exclaimed, shocked to see her bloodied head. Yosetsu was quick to remove the welding between them as she ran over and hugged her classmate.
"Thank you for saving us!" she said happily with gratitude, "I didn't think we were going to get out of there, but then you…" she continued as she pulled herself away, only to blink in realization. Her face went pink. "Um… I-I apologize!" she stammered out, turning away and grabbing her reddening cheeks, "I was… just really happy to see you is all…" she mumbled, evidently embarrassed.
"Hm?" Shiki uttered as he blinked twice in confusion.
"Huh…" Yosetsu sighed, "Anyways, let's get back to camp," he advised of the pair, getting their attentions, "I'm sure Miss Ragdoll can take care of herself," he noted confidently.
"A little optimistic, are we?" another voice chimed in, causing the trio of student heroes to turn and see Shura floating above, with his hands stuffed into his pockets, "Then again, little Shiki there did just take out a Nomu…" he pointed out with a smirk.
"Who the heck are you?" the Satan Gravity Quirk user inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"Well, you can think of me as a brother!" the green-haired man responded with a cackle, "After all, I was taught how to use my Quirk by none other than Ziggy himself…" he mentioned. Everyone below widened their eyes.
"Wait… Ziggy?" Yosetsu repeated, "As in the Demon King Hero, Ziggy?!" he inquired on out of shock.
"Shiki…" Momo uttered, looking over to her classmate as he gritted his teeth.
"Grandpa never told me that he trained anyone else…" he noted, clenching his fists tightly.
"Eh, it was kind of a big secret between me, him, and my old man…" Shura replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "Name's Shura, by the way," he mentioned in introduction, "To be fair, I never knew Ziggy had a grandkid until just a little while ago," he admitted, "I wanted to get the chance to meet you and see just how strong a fellow Satan Gravity user was," he pointed out, "Proved that you're tough by taking down that Nomu comin' after your buds," he added with another chuckle.
"So you're the one who sent it after them?!" Shiki roared in question.
"Hey, calm down…!" Yosetsu insisted, sounding very nervous. The villainous Satan Gravity Quirk user smirked wickedly.
"You might've gone and saved your pals from that beast," he continued, "but I think you didn't save everyone…" he noted. Blinking in surprise, Shiki looked at the Nomu and noticed something. He widened his eyes with horror upon spotting the headpiece that belonged to Ragdoll in the creature's grasp. Momo saw it as well, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Not Ragdoll…" she uttered out. Then she heard her classmate growl. "Sh-Shiki…?" she stammered worriedly. A fierce expression of rage was upon the Satan Gravity Quirk user's face as he glared up at the villain overhead.
'That's it…' he uttered inwardly, seeing Shiki take a lunging stance before shooting up to him.
"SHURRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he roared, rearing his right fist back. His opponent caught his attempted punch with his left hand, causing a burst of wind to ring out. Momo and Yosetsu had to brace themselves. The former watched on worriedly, seeing the two Satan Gravity Quirk users about to do battle for the first time.
"Shiki…" she uttered out, hoping that he would win.
OPENING
Insert "ODD FUTURE" by UVERworld
Opens with Izuku and Rebecca getting into lunging stances before taking off into the distance as a bright blue sky looms overhead. We see a scene of Nana Shimura holding out her gloved hand to a skinny All Might, who accepts it as a light shines between their palms. A bright light flashes across the screen.
We cut to the rest of Class 1-A running together at the campground in their P.E. clothes, with Shiki leading the way as he leaps ahead. Ochaco and Momo are staring at him from behind somewhat longingly. But once they notice each other staring at him, they blush and look away.
Elsewhere around the camp, we see Homura using her energy blades to slash down mounds of earth formed by Pixie Bob, Shoto practicing with shooting his flames from his left arm, followed by unleashing a wave of ice from his right foot, Weisz remodeling multiple machines to practice more with his Quirk, and Katsuki unleashing large explosions up into the sky. As Izuku takes a moment to catch his breath, he looks over to see Rebecca running alongside Tenya. She spots her boyfriend and shoots him a warm smile, which he returns as he blushes.
However, that happiness is shattered as the forest is engulfed in blue flames that evening, courtesy of Dabi. He's joined by Himiko, Twice, Compress, Mustard, Muscular, Moonfish, Laguna, Fie, Daichi, Maria, and Shura. The latter of the group floats up and has Ether Gear markings expand along his right arm as he aims it down at the ground, which suddenly caves in. He grins wickedly as he dives toward Shiki, who retaliates with a Gravity Fist.
We see Laguna turning to face off with Weisz, who equips into his Arsenal armor before dashing out at him. Meanwhile, Daichi emerges from the ground, joining Maria in confronting Rebecca and Kyoka, who stand back-to-back and grimace. Izuku is in battle against Muscular, lunging forward and rearing his right fist back for a full-powered punch.
The scene changes to Drakken Joe atop a roof as the wind rushes around him. He's approached by Jaguar, who stares at him indignantly. A leaf blows by, revealing a flashback of the two confronting on the same rooftop. Drakken doesn't look like he's aged a day since then.
We cut to Tomura being approached by All For One, who rests his hand onto his head gently. Several Nomu emerge behind him, ready to act on command. We get a shot of Poseidon Nero, who opens his eyes as his dice rattle in his hands. We also see Noah Glenfield, who closes a book as he approaches the desk of Nezu at U.A.
All Might arrives, landing down mightily to confront All For One, roaring as his eyes glare onto his foe. There are several shots of Mirko, Endeavor, Justice, Holy, Eraser, Feather, Cure, Jaguar, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, Gang Orca, and Eraser Head, with all of them battling against enemy forces.
We end on Izuku and Rebecca standing up alongside All Might, staring out determinedly towards the horizon, ready to go and save the world.
END OPENING
"Agh…" Pixie-Bob groaned as she awoke, having bandages around her head, "Where am I…?" she asked, sitting up to find herself in the infirmary of the campsite.
"Iida and Ojiro brought you back from the woods, saying you took a bad hit to the head," Sister answered, standing beside her, "I'd say you're concussed, so lie back down, 'kay?" she advised seriously. Sighing, the Earthflow Quirk user did as she was told.
"How are the other students…?" she inquired, "Did they all get back?" she asked weakly.
"Don't know just yet," the Heal Atomizer Quirk user replied, setting up multiple rolls of bandages and gauze, "Eraser's already out there trying to find the kids, and Mandy issued his call to let the kids loose to try and get away," she explained, "So far, it's just been the two that brought you here that came back from the woods," she pointed out. Pixie-Bob grimaced. She could've been a huge help, yet was completely caught off guard. She only hoped that everyone else would be okay.
"Sister Ivry!" Juzo exclaimed as he slid the door open to the infirmary, getting their attentions.
"Oh good, more of you got—" The nurse stopped herself upon seeing Jurota and Nirengeki bringing the wounded Weisz in as he was writhing with pain. "What the hell happened?!" she asked, taking the Machina Maker Quirk user out from the students' arms.
"He rescued us and then got shot by a sniper…" Reiko recalled as she entered alongside Hiryu and Yui.
"Jeez…" Sister muttered, clenching her teeth together in frustration, "Kids, I'm gonna need your help with some of this," she told the Class B students, "Yanagi, can you help me get the bullet out?" she inquired of the Poltergeist Quirk user.
"Of course," she replied, going over to her.
"I'll get some gauze ready!" Nirengeki decided.
"We should let Mister Kan know we're back," Hiryu advised, earning a nod of agreement from Yui before they both took off.
"I'll stand guard and sniff for any trouble!" Jurota affirmed. As each member of Class B went off to do their own designated tasks, they all were thinking the same thing. This was what Class A had go through?
"DAMMIT!" Katsuki cursed from back in the forest, "Didn't you say that your old bird of a teacher took this freak down before?!" he inquired loudly to Homura, right before an ice wall erected in front of him, blocking off more of the extendable blades from Moonfish's mouth.
"Do not refer to Valkyrie as an 'old bird'!" the Soul Blade Quirk user shouted back, deflecting another blade sent her way, "And secondly, yes!" she confirmed, "Though I doubt that I can even consider myself comparable to my teacher at this point!" she admitted, parrying another blade as sparks flew.
"Just shoot your swords and impale the damn bastard!" her explosive classmate insisted as he pointed up at their foe.
"I do not wish to kill him!" Homura exclaimed back, "That would be dishonorable!" she added firmly, causing Katsuki to growl.
"Guys, focus!" Shoto yelled, erecting another ice wall to block off Moonfish's blades again. He had hoped that trapping the Blade-Tooth Quirk user's blades for a moment with ice would grant Homura the chance to take him down. But the villain was more experienced than he imagined. It was no surprise that only someone like Valkyrie could have defeated him.
"It's time to end this freak once and for all!" Katsuki insisted as small explosions crackled off of his hands.
"Bakugo, don't!" Homura yelled.
"We can't risk starting another fire!" Shoto argued.
"If the trees burn, just cover 'em in ice!" Katsuki roared back.
"But Homura and I will end up with our vision obscured from your attack!" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user pointed out as a retort, "What happens if we end up failing to take him out completely?!" he inquired on.
"Grrr…" Katsuki growled through clenched teeth. He knew that he was right. And given how experienced Moonfish seemed, it was likely that he'd be able to dodge a big blast.
"Show me… your flesh…!" he bellowed, shooting out more of his blades. Homura quickly managed to parry them with her energy blades, breathing heavily.
"Shoto, we need to stand our ground here!" she advised of the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user, who had frost forming along the right side of his body, "Retreating would likely give him a chance to capture Katsuki!" she pointed out.
"Who the hell said we were running?!" the Explosion Quirk user shouted in question. Ignoring him, Shoto knew that Homura was right. Katsuki was one of the villains' targets. If anything, they had to at least make sure he didn't get caught. All of a sudden, there was a rumble in the ground. He and the others looked over.
"Wha…?" Moonfish uttered in confusion.
"BAKUGO! TODOROKI!" Mezo's voice cried out, carrying the injured Izuku on his back as they were running from the rampaging form of Dark Shadow, "ONE OF YOU, GIVE US SOME LIGHT!" he screamed desperately.
"FLESSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!" the Blade-Tooth Quirk user bellowed as he shot one of his blades towards the boys. However, he wound up getting slammed down onto the ground by the shadowy entity's left claw, leaving behind a flurry of dust.
"Is that…?" Homura uttered out, seeing Fumikage lurking within the mouth of Dark Shadow, tears of pain streaking down his cheeks as he was struggling to get control. What had happened was that when Moonfish had attacked the pair of him and Mezo in the forest, the latter of the two lost one of his duplicated arms from his bladed teeth. It wasn't a fatal wound, but that didn't make the Dark Shadow Quirk user any less angered. Combined with the darkness of the night, the shadowy beast he unleashed went into a frenzy, going after anything that made a sound.
"KACCHAN!" Izuku cried out, causing Katsuki to blink in surprise. As it turned out, the freckled teen ran into Mezo and learned of the situation with Fumikage. And he was faced with the choice of trying to go and save him or the Explosion Quirk user.
In the end though, he decided they would save both of them. Using Mezo's duplicated arms to lure Dark Shadow after them, they found their classmates fighting thanks to the walls of ice that had been erected. Needless to say, they were shocked by the sight.
"We need some light now!" one of the mouths on Mezo's tentacles screamed, "He's out of control!" he noted, having to dodge another of the shadowy entity's attempts to strike him.
"He's attacking blindly…" Shoto realized with a grimace, "Hold on, I can—"
"Wait," Katsuki said, holding his hand out to him.
"Don't tell me you're planning on dealing with this beast yourself…" Homura assumed of the Explosion Quirk user.
"I'm not," he retorted to her surprise, "It is," he pointed out. Moonfish tried to retaliate again, shooting his blades onto Dark Shadow. But they did little more than irritate the shadowy beast, who grabbed the villain and flung him through several trees before he finally crashed and fell down from one.
"NOT ENOUGH! IT'S NOT ENOUGH!" Dark Shadow bellowed, ready to begin another rampage. Fortunately, Katsuki and Shoto were quick to quell the beast with the brightness of their powers. Fumikage breathed heavily as he fell to his knees, sweating madly as he finally recalled his shadowy entity.
He immediately apologized to his classmates for almost harming them due to his rage. Mezo assured that he probably would've done the same if their roles in the ordeal were reversed. Everyone except for Katsuki agreed.
"Now I believe we should head back to the campsite," Homura advised.
"No," Izuku responded to her surprise, "We still need to get Rebecca," he pointed out, "The villains are after her, too," he mentioned to the group.
"Ah, that's right…" Mezo said, remembering Mandalay's warning earlier, "She was paired with Jiro, and they were ahead of us…" he recalled.
"We can only hope that they're okay…" Shoto noted, "In the meantime, I still think we should head back, just to get Bakugo to safety," he insisted of his classmates.
"But—!"
"I agree," Homura concurred, interrupting Izuku, "That madman proved far too dangerous for us…" she admitted with narrowed eyes, "If there are more like him working for the villains, then we can't risk facing them," she pointed out seriously.
"Wait, what about—?!"
"Midoriya," Mezo interjected, getting his attention, "I know you're worried about your girlfriend," he noted, "But right now, we're not in the best condition to go looking for her when we've got to get Bakugo back to the camp," he explained. Reluctantly, the One For All inheritor lowered his gaze with shame. Katsuki scoffed.
"I don't need protection…" he claimed bluntly.
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice," Homura retorted to his chagrin, "Let us hurry," she insisted, "The sooner we get him to Mister Aizawa and the others, the sooner we can look for Rebecca," she pointed out.
"Right," Shoto agreed. The group arranged themselves in a way that surrounded Katsuki as they trekked through the woods back towards the camp. Little did they realize that they were being watched…
X
Trees were coming down all around as Momo and Yosetsu ran away in fright. If the Nomu wasn't terrifying enough, they now were faced with the fear of being crushed by Shura. Fortunately, Shiki was in battle with him, keeping him occupied. The Creation Quirk user couldn't help but be worried, though. She looked back to see the villain grab her classmate by his neck with his right hand and slam him against the ground.
"Shiki!" she cried out.
"Is he seriously getting his ass kicked?!" the Weld Quirk user inquired amidst the rumbles in the ground, "The only guy I remember giving him a hard time was Bakugo!" he recalled, quite panicked. Momo grimaced. She had never seen Shiki in such a struggle before.
"Get… OFF!" he yelled, kicking Shura away as he floated back up into the air. He chuckled again.
"What's the matter, Shiki?!" he inquired amidst his laughs, "Finally meet your match?!" he guessed.
"Grrr…!" his fellow Satan Gravity Quirk user snarled, shooting himself up at him. He sneered, flicking his right wrist as a greenish light wafted off from it. Pieces of the ground and trees came up, floating in the air behind his foe.
"Heavy Ammo!" he yelled, pumping his right arm back as he closed his hand into a fist. Blinking in surprise, Shiki felt a change in the air. He glanced back to see all the trees and rocks coming his way. He quickly weaved around them, but failed to take note of his opponent, who grabbed him by his face. "You're weak, Shiki…" he remarked mockingly.
He held him in place, allowing him to get bombarded by the rocks and trees that continuously struck his back. He screamed with agony, but steeled himself, swinging his right fist out to land a punch onto his foe's face. What followed was him removing himself from his grasp and flying back down onto the ground. He gritted his teeth, feeling blood pour down his back from his wounds.
"Hey, we're not done yet!" Shura bellowed as he came down, planting his right foot against Shiki's head before slamming it onto the ground in a flurry of dust, "Come on… cry for mercy! Beg for your life!" he demanded, stomping on his head over and over, "Or at the very least, actually put up a fight!" he insisted on. His opponent was coming close to blacking out. He felt cornered. In fact, he felt like he was going to die…
"Shiki…!" Momo's voice echoed out, making him perk up. The Creation Quirk user was running towards him and Shura, not worrying for her own safety in the slightest, even as Yosetsu was calling out for her to come back. The villain took notice and widened his eyes with a wicked grin.
"Maybe I oughta' kill your little girlfriend, and then you'll—!"
"SHUT UP!" Shiki bellowed, pushing himself off of the ground and slamming his head against Shura's hard, causing blood to spurt out of his nose from the impact. He then grabbed the villain by his jacket and flung him in a powerful yell while also holding onto the article of clothing. Breathing heavily, his hands felt shaky as he dropped the coat.
"Shiki!" Momo exclaimed as she came over, only for him to hold his right hand out to her, not even turning to look at her.
"Just stay back… Momo…" he breathed out haggardly as blood dripped down from his head, "I'm the only one… who can take this guy…!" he proclaimed, dropping the jacket he was holding onto the ground. His green-glowing markings shined brightly as he flew out after where he had flung his foe. The Creation Quirk user's eyes shook with worry.
"Yaoyorozu, we need to go!" Yosetsu insisted as he ran over to her. She was tuning out his voice, too concerned with the boy she was starting to develop feelings for. Then, she took notice of Shura's jacket, blinking in realization.
"Awase, I need your help with something," she said, causing the Weld Quirk user to arch an eyebrow in confusion.
"Agh…" Shura groaned as he got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. He then gave off a sadistic grin. "That's more like it…" he said, looking to see Shiki coming toward him with a fierce expression upon his face, "Show me more of what you're made of, Shiki!" his foe yelled, rearing his right fist back. The two collided their extremities, causing a powerful shockwave to ring out.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Shiki roared, trying to break through first.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Shura cackled, "Man, this is the best!" he exclaimed excitedly to his opponent's confusion, "I've never met anyone as amazing as you!" he noted on. The force of the next shockwave was enough to rip Shiki's shirt off as he flew back, landing on the ground and sliding to a stop. "Say, Shiki…" his foe continued, making him perk up, "would you wanna be my friend?" he offered suddenly.
X
Ochaco and Tsuyu were on high alert for villains after Mandalay's warning had gone out. Fortunately, the only villain that came after them was Himiko, but she proved to be difficult to get away from. With her extendable syringes and many knives, she seemed to be trying to get their blood.
The Frog Quirk user tried to get her classmate away first, only to end up getting her long tongue cut by the villain, who then pinned her to a tree. Ochaco immediately went over to try and save her, but Himiko was on the attack. However, she was caught off guard by the Zero Gravity Quirk user grabbing her wrist and then her neck, forcing her down onto the ground and making her drop the knife, followed by kicking it away.
"Ochaco, that was amazing!" Tsuyu complimented.
"Can you tie her up with your tongue?" the Zero Gravity Quirk asked of her classmate.
"Yeah, just a sec…" she responded, trying to remove the syringe pinning her to the tree.
"Ochaco…" Himiko uttered, causing the Zero Gravity Quirk user to turn to her, "you're delightful, too…" she noted as a blush was streaking across her cheeks. She was raving about how similar they were, noting that her foe had a crush on someone. The whole conversation was unnerving to Ochaco, especially as she was recalling her budding feelings for Shiki. It left her distracted as Himiko plugged another syringe into her leg, sucking away her blood.
"Ochaco!" Tsuyu exclaimed.
"Suck, suck~…" Himiko sang, "Suck, suck~…" she repeated as the blood flowed through the tube to her pack. All of a sudden, a red energy blade flew it and slashed the tube of the syringe, making blood go flying everywhere.
"Uraraka! Asui!" Homura called out, having just arrived with Mezo, Shoto, and Izuku.
"Quick, help her!" Tsuyu cried out desperately. Luckily, Ochaco was quick to roll away from Himiko, who jumped back. She didn't feel like getting herself killed. But she took notice of the bruised and battered Izuku, who was covered in dried-up blood. Her eyes shook as she was immediately enamored.
"She's getting away!" the Zero Gravity Quirk user yelled, about to pursue the villain as she vanished into the trees.
"Wait!" Tsuyu exclaimed as she stopped her, "We have no idea what kind of Quirk she has!" she pointed out seriously. Reluctantly, Ochaco calmed down. Her distracted state had led to her winding up with another wound, though it wasn't too bad.
"We're glad to see that you're alright," Homura chimed in as she approached with the others.
"Yeah, you guys… too…" Ochaco responded, looking over at the injured Izuku being carried by Mezo, "Oh gosh, Deku…" she uttered, putting her hands over her mouth in shock.
"What happened?" Tsuyu asked.
"It's… a long story…" the One For All inheritor responded somewhat reluctantly, "Listen, we need to get Kacchan back to camp and then try to find Rebecca," he advised of the group, "I don't know if Mandalay and the others managed to deal with the villains on their end, so—"
"Wait a second…" Ochaco interjected, "Where is Bakugo?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. The arriving group blinked in surprise.
"What?" Izuku uttered, "He's right behind—" He and the others turned, widening their eyes. Both Katsuki and Fumikage were gone. They thought that they were being careful about a villain coming after them, only to be proven wrong.
"Nice trick, ey?" a voice up in the trees remarked, getting their attentions as they turned to see a tall, slim man wearing a dark yellow, double-breasted overcoat with buttoned shoulder tabs and a high collar, which reached below his knees, and he additionally carried a silver walking stick with a gold handle. He also had knee-high white boots with wedged heels and black toe-caps, plain dark red gloves and a tall brown top hat, with a red ribbon tied around it and a pale feather sticking out on the left side. Over his head, he wore a black balaclava with a hole for his mouth as well as his eyes, over which he had a white mask with a black geometric design.
"Another one!" Homura exclaimed, readying a pair of energy blades in her hands.
"What'd you do to Bakugo?!" Shoto shouted in question.
"It's not just him," Mezo pointed out, "Tokoyami's gone, too!" he mentioned.
"Ah, I took those two with my magic," the masked villain said, rolling a pair of marbles in between his fingers, "That violent Bakugo's more of a fit for our little troupe," he remarked.
"GIVE HIM BACK!" Izuku bellowed in demand.
"Give him back?" the villain repeated, sounding perplexed, "What an odd thing to say…" he noted, "Bakugo is his own person, I'm sure," he pointed out, "No need to be so arrogant," he added mockingly.
"You fiend!" Homura shouted, chucking her energy swords up at him. He flipped away from them, jumping from tree to tree.
"Uraraka, take him!" Shoto requested, dropping Kosei into the Zero Gravity Quirk user's grasp. Planting his right foot down, he unleashed a wave of ice that seemingly engulfed the assailant. But as he let out a cold breath of air, he found that his target had actually evaded it.
"While I'd love continue this performance, I do have to put an end to all this," he admitted, stuffing something into his coat pocket before reaching his right hand up to the side of his head, "Vanguard Action Squad, I've secured Bakugo!" he relayed, "Has Bluegarden been secured as well?" he inquired. Hearing that, Izuku's eyes widened.
"We've got the girl, yep," Daichi's voice confirmed over the communication line.
"Ready to rendezvous," Maria chimed in. Throughout the woods, the villains who were still conscious started to move out, except for Shura. He and Shiki were still standing off after he had asked his fellow Satan Gravity Quirk user to be his friend.
"You… want me to… what?" the dark-haired boy asked slowly.
"Be my friend," Shura answered with a chuckle, "Come on, it'd be great!" he assured as he held his arms out, "Thinks of all the perks having a bad guy as a friend would be!" he pointed out, "We can do anything!" he added excitedly.
"Why would I be your friend…?" Shiki questioned on, "After everything you guys did tonight…" he noted, clenching his fists tightly as they trembled.
"We're gravity buddies!" Shura proclaimed, "Come on, you gotta give me a chance here!" he insisted, holding his right hand out to the aspiring hero, "You never know what might come of it…" he said with a smirk. Shiki's glare burned into him.
"If I said yes, would you tell your friends to stop hurting my classmates?" he requested. Shura blinked.
"Ah, well…" he uttered with a soft chuckle, "Truth is, I'm helping them get those Bakugo and Bluegarden guys," he admitted, making Shiki widen his eyes, "Sorry, but I don't think they'd wanna give 'em back up…" he apologized as he rubbed the back of his head, "But if there's anything else, I'm sure I could—" The fist of his fellow Satan Gravity Quirk user collided with his mouth, interrupting him and sending him flying back in an instant.
"That was the only thing I wanted," he stated, "So I'm never gonna be your friend…" he growled out. Hearing that, Shura slowed himself to a stop in midair. His expression turned into a deep frown. All his life, he had been left completely isolated. Even when he did meet other people, his own association with his adoptive father made him feared.
"Fine then," he said. In an instant, he shot out at Shiki and grabbed him by his neck. "RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared, slamming his foe against the ground as hard as he could. The dark-haired boy coughed up a wad of blood, struggling to catch his breath. That allowed for his opponent to raise his right hand up into the air as his markings glowed brightly. Rocks and trees came up from the ground, floating over the pair.
"Ergh…!" Shiki grunted, trying to get back up. However, Shura slammed his left foot against his chest, keeping him pinned to the ground.
"You made the wrong choice, Shiki…" he said, flicking his wrist as the rocks and trees above them shot down, "HEAVY RAIN!" he exclaimed. His opponent screamed in agony as he was pelted over and over by the debris, which didn't seem to be stopping any time soon. He managed to bring his hands up to gravitationally stop them himself, but that left him wide to take a knee to his face from his fellow Satan Gravity Quirk user.
From there, it was one-sided. Shura kept pummeling away at Shiki, not relenting at all. He was bloodied and battered, lying on the ground while barely conscious. His foe loomed over him, breathing heavily with anger.
"How's it feel, huh…?" he inquired of his defeated opponent, "I'm the real king here!" he proclaimed, "ME!" he roared. Shiki didn't respond, coughing up more blood. Shura scoffed, tempted to stomp and crush his head.
"That's quite enough, Shura," another voice chimed in, getting his attention as he turned to see Kurogiri there, "The signal's been out for a few minutes already," he pointed out, forming a warp gate, "We need to go," he insisted firmly.
"Tsk…" the Satan Gravity Quirk user scoffed, "I can't just kill him here and now?" he assumed.
"Your father wouldn't approve of that," the Warp Gate Quirk user responded to his chagrin, "Now let's hurry," he insisted.
"Let me get my stuff first…" Shura grumbled back, walking past his downed foe. He found his leather jacket, putting it back on and dusting himself off. He failed to notice the small, button-like piece that was attached to it. After a moment, he departed into the portal with Kurogiri. Once they had completely left, Momo and Yosetsu peeked out from the bushes.
"They're finally gone…" the Weld Quirk user noted out of relief.
"Shiki!" the Class A deputy screamed as she ran out from the bushes, going over to her defeated classmate. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of how battered he was. Yosetsu came over and grimaced.
"Oh man…" he uttered in disbelief. It was hard to fathom that even Shiki of all people could be bested. But even the strongest of heroes had their limits…
ENDING
Insert "Update" by miwa
Opens with all of Class 1-A standing in front of U.A. together. Izuku and Rebecca stand at the front, with the former balling his left hand into a fist as he looks to the sky. His girlfriend glances over and smiles, happy to see him determined.
We go through a few scenes of Homura shaking as she struggles to withstand the heat of the hot spring, while her fellow female classmates are just fine. Weisz and Minoru attempt to peep on them, only to get struck by wash tops flung at them by Rebecca. They crash down on the other side of the while, with the rest of the boys there shaking their heads.
We see Izuku and Rebecca sleeping against each other on the subway ride back home. Ochaco smiles at them from nearby, but then notices Shiki sleeping on her shoulder and drooling. She screams in surprise, waking him up while also startling everyone in the train car. She blushes in embarrassment, burying her reddening face into her hands.
The scene changes to Homura joining Shoto on an excursion along the beach, where they're joined by their friends. Shoto finds a seashell and offers it to Homura, who accepts with a smile. Mina looks at them excitedly, while Kyoka rolls her eyes and sighs behind her.
We then shift to the class training, with Katsuki racing against Tenya and Weisz with his explosions. Shiki passes them all by to their shock, making him the winner. In the meantime, Rebecca practices kicking with Tsuyu, sharing a smile with her as they work together.
Everyone is doing their best around school, whether in the classroom or in the field. Izuku shares a moment with All Might on the beach before they shake hands firmly. We close out on a scene of some of the class standing on a tower together. Izuku smiles brightly, and Rebecca plants a kiss onto his left cheek under his freckles. She giggles as he blushes, happy to be with him and their friends.
END ENDING
Well, bit of a doozy to end this chapter. Shiki's defeated, and villains have both Katsuki and Rebecca in their clutches. Question is, how will this all end?
You'll have to wait and see, unfortunately. The next chapter should shed some more light on the situation. Until then, I'll see you all later! Thanks for reading!