Well, things could be a lot better for our heroes right now. When we last left off, Nine's group and the Dark Stars arrived on Nabu Island, starting to wreak havoc. And if that wasn't bad enough, the Shining Star Heroes were all finding themselves conflicted as they were faced by the now-android versions of the people closest to them.
Everyone's in a bad spot, and there's a lot that needs to be explained. So without further delay, let's get into it.
THROUGH THE ROUGH
Rain poured over Nabu Island that night. The storm didn't seem to be letting up. And it was dark everywhere except for fires strewn about the island that had yet to go out. The only building that was lit was the local factory. Inside, Kyoka was holding a bunch of bottles in her arms as she glanced worriedly back and forth at Momo and Denki.
"You're using your powers way too much, you guys…" she pointed out, afraid they were overexerting themselves. The Creation Quirk user was making a plethora of supplies, whether it was toilet paper rolls, bottles, or even batteries as they piled up beside her.
"Because we have no idea when the villains will be back…" she remarked, continuing to produce item after item in spite of being obviously strained.
"If I don't charge these now, we won't get to…" Denki added while supplying the batteries Momo created with electricity as he held onto the cables, "Uh oh…" he uttered in realization, looking up with a dopey expression on his face. Kyoka grimaced.
"Your brain's already fried…" she pointed out. Momo and Denki weren't the only ones she was concerned about. She glanced back for a moment.
'Rebecca…' she uttered inwardly, clutching the bottles in her arms tightly. Elsewhere in the factory, Fumikage was having Dark Shadow guide islanders over to a table where Eijiro and Mashirao were giving them bowls of soup.
"Here you go," the Tail Quirk user offered, handing one man a bowl. After the battle earlier in the evening, he had bandages wrapped around his forehead.
"Thank you so much," the man replied in gratitude with a nod, walking off to let the next person get their soup.
"Be careful, it's pretty hot," Eijiro commented as a warning after handing a bowl off to a woman.
"One per person please!" Yuga requested with a flamboyant pose as he and Toru were standing at another table where islanders could pick up boiled eggs to have with their soup.
"That way there's plenty for everyone," the invisible girl added assuredly. Despite their ability to provide food and shelter to the people, they still seemed distraught over the situation. It wasn't the fault of the students. They had never expected to be attacked by real villains. And they were ones that proved to be almost far too strong for Class 1-A. Tenya looked on.
People was strewn about the factory floor. To say they were depressed was an understatement. They were afraid.
"What if the villains attack here next?" the island mayor asked, catching the class representative's attention as he saw him come over with trays of supplies in hand.
"There's no need to be concerned," Tenya assured to him, "If that happens, I promise we'll do our best to protect you," he stated firmly. But even with that, he too was still concerned. From what he learned and what he saw of the villains they fought, it would be an uphill battle at the very least…
Elsewhere in the large kitchen, Mina and Tsuyu were chopping up vegetables, while Koji was cooking the next batch of soup. Some islanders in the room were also helping, peeling the shells off of boiled eggs. Hanta entered as he carried in a large bag of carrots.
"It's a good thing there's so many vegetables on the island," Tsuyu noted as the Tape Quirk user approached.
"What did they do with the villain we captured?" Mina curiously asked, catching the attentions of her other classmates.
"Oh…" Hanta uttered, setting down the bag, "he's chained up in the basement boiler room," he told the group, "But he refuses to talk," he mentioned, "hasn't said a word," he added, putting his hands at his hips.
"Any word on Miss Hermit and the other Shining Star Heroes?" Koji asked curiously out of concern. The Tape Quirk user glanced off to the side nervously.
"Well…" he uttered. In another part of the factory, Weisz was carefully putting the pieces of Hermit's severed hand back together. To say he was unnerved was an understatement. Every few seconds, he'd glance up at the Master Code Quirk user in confusion. As he finally got the extremity itself together, he attached it to her arm. A brief moment of silence passed.
"I'll walk you through it," Hermit assured, getting his attention, "It's like a human hand," she mentioned, "Just start by connecting from a skeletal structure, and then move on from there," she explained to him.
"R-Right…" he stuttered, starting the process as his markings glowed brightly over the Shining Star Hero's hand, "So… you're not human?" he inquired curiously.
"Huh…" Hermit sighed, "I think I should wait to explain until we regroup with everybody," she admitted, "Thanks for this, Weisz," she added gratefully.
"No problem," he responded with a nod. Upstairs, Sister was seated back against a wall, clutching her nun's habit as she trembled. She was thinking back to the nightmarish ordeal she suffered at Clown's hands thanks to his illusory ability. Shiki noticed from nearby, grimacing with frustration.
Elsewhere in the factory, Ochaco opened up a sliding door into a traditional Japanese room that was now acting as a clinic for those injured during the earlier conflict. Shoto, Homura and Mezo were among those tending to the injured people, with the former readying a wet towel cooled by ice he had made.
"I brought food," the Zero Gravity Quirk user said as she was carrying a small tray in her hands, shutting the door behind her, "How are Deku and Bakugo doing?" she asked in concern.
"They haven't regained consciousness," Shoto replied as he looked over ahead of him.
"Not yet," Mezo added, "The doctors from the clinic are doing everything they can to heal them," he pointed out assuredly. Both teen boys lied side by side with the upper halves of their costumes off, along with their shoes. The two practitioners working to heal them had orange glows coming off of their hands onto their patients' bodies. But it didn't seem to be working as quickly…
"Thanks for all your hard work…" she said in gratitude to the two doctors treating them as she knelt down with her tray still in hand.
"I apologize," the male of the two practitioners said out of frustration, "Our powers have helped us close their wounds, but I'm afraid that's all we can manage," he explained to her, "We can't do anything for their broken bones…" he admitted.
"They need to be taken to the hospital on the main island," the female doctor insisted. Ochaco knew that wasn't possible though. All the boats had been destroyed in the harbor earlier. She stared sadly at her crush as Shoto, Homura and Mezo approached.
"Rebecca, please!" Witch's voice shouted out from the adjacent room, getting the group's attention as they turned to see the sliding door open, revealing the Cat Leaper Quirk user with a t-shirt on as she breathed heavily, staggering out.
"Bluegarden…" Shoto uttered in surprise. The ash blonde-haired girl limped forward, coming to a stop beside Katsuki and Izuku. She looked down at them sadly before collapsing onto her knees, sobbing into her hands.
"Rebecca…" Ochaco said worriedly, while Homura went over to kneel down and place her hands onto her shoulders for comfort. Her classmates all were concerned.
"Witch, should you be moving?" Mezo inquired, getting the Sorcery Quirk user's attention, "Hagakure said your arms and legs were sliced clean through by that villain…" he pointed out. The Shining Star Hero glanced away for a moment.
"Rest assured, I'm fine," she promised, "As soon as Sister is able to, she'll be able to restore any injuries I have," she affirmed confidently.
"But… doesn't her Quirk only work on humans?" Shoto asked further. Witch tensed up. The sliding door opened up again.
"Excuse me, Witch," Mosco said as he entered, "We're running into a few issues downstairs…" he pointed out.
"I'll be right there," the Sorcery Quirk user assured, walking off without another word.
"Sounds like there's much she can't tell us," Homura concluded.
"It doesn't matter," Ochaco affirmed, "With Sister in such a funk right now, there's no one else who can help Deku or Bakugo…" she noted sadly.
"Excuse me…" a familiar voice said, causing her to perk up, "Can I try something?" the voice asked. The Zero Gravity Quirk user and the others turned to see Katsuma there at the door with Mahoro holding him by his shoulders.
"Katsuma…" she uttered in surprise, seeing him holding his hands together nervously.
"He might be able to help," his sister said, "His Quirk is Cell Activation," she told those inside, "We're not really sure if it can be used to heal injuries though…" she admitted nervously.
"There were hurt because of us!" Katsuma suddenly yelled as he stepped forward out of Mahoro's hold on his shoulders, "I can't just let them suffer like this!" he added desperately, "Please!" he pleaded. Rebecca perked up as she heard his plea. She then got onto her feet.
"R-Rebecca!" Mezo stammered, hearing her let out a wince as she limped over to the little boy.
"Do what you can, Katsuma," she told him, "I know they'll appreciate it," she added assuredly. He smiled back after a moment.
"Right!" he replied determinedly. He then jogged over and knelt down between Izuku and Katsuki, placing a hand onto an arm of theirs.
'I need to save them…' he told himself, 'No…' he corrected through his thoughts, 'I will save them!' he declared inwardly. He wasn't about to let the heroes who protected die. Not after they worked so hard to protect him and his sister.
"What about you?" Shoto inquired of Rebecca, who took a deep breath.
"I'll wait for Sister," she decided.
X
The rain continued to pour over the island, not letting up for even a moment. Kiruka had taken Nine into an abandoned lighthouse, sitting by the bed he was sleeping on as only a lit candle illuminated the room they were. All of a sudden, the door opened.
"How's the recovery going?" Chojuro asked as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him.
"He's doing well," Kiruka replied, glancing back at their sleeping friend, who no longer had the glowing purple cracks on his face, "I expect that he'll be awake within the next few hours," she mentioned. She then blinked in realization. "Where's Mummy?" she questioned, noticing that Hoyo hadn't arrived at their rendezvous point yet.
"You haven't seen him either?" Chojuro asked back, grimacing a little, "Don't tell me the heroes got him…" he muttered.
"'Course not…" Kiruka assured, though she did have her doubts with how long it had been since she shot the flare. Chojuro looked back at Nine.
"Even if they did… we stick to the plan," he advised firmly, "It has to work… no matter what…" he added. His mind wandered back to a time when he first met Nine. When he had heard sirens all around him…
FLASHBACK
Lightning rained down out of seemingly nowhere. The police sirens stopped. Fire was spreading chaotically as any members of law enforcement were either dead or unconscious. And at the epicenter of it all was Chojuro.
The blast of lightning had come as he was surrounded by heroes, knocking them all out. Whoever displayed such power was incredibly gifted. And someone Chojuro had to know. He looked to see the dark-cloaked figure standing atop the remains of a building.
"You!" he yelled out, "Why did you save me?!" he asked. His hood came off, revealing his flowing white hair and gray eyes. It was Nine.
"I want you to join my cause," he answered simply, "Together, we'll destroy this unbalanced society that labeled you a monster and a villain," he promised, much to the wolf-headed man's shock as his eyes widened, "We will create a world ruled by the truly powerful, where your strength is revered," he added assuredly.
And so Chojuro joined. It wasn't long until Kiruka and Hoyo were part of the cause as well, each wanting nothing more than to shape the future into their desired image. One in which they would rule. But a while after…
"You're joining the League of Villains?!" Chojuro questioned angrily to Nine after they had just destroyed another city to display their power.
"Strictly speaking, I'm donating my body to the League's Quirk enhancing experiments," his leader corrected in response.
"I get it," Hoyo realized, "You're just using them…" he noted curiously.
"That's too dangerous!" Kiruka argued. But at that very moment, Nine broke out into a fit of coughing, much to their surprise. He had his hand over his mouth, pulling it away to reveal that it was stained by his blood.
"It must be done…" he said to his comrades, turning back to them as glowing purple cracks formed on his cheeks, "We need even greater power than we currently have…" he told them, looking obviously weakened.
END FLASHBACK
'Nine…' Chojuro inwardly uttered, looking at his friend resting still, 'we bet everything on you,' he noted to himself, 'Don't you dare die on us,' he pleaded through his thoughts. The white haired man slept peacefully, with his dreams becoming the memories of his experimentation…
FLASHBACK
Amongst the many Nomu being put together in vats, the final stage of Daruma's experiment on Nine was about to conclude. He chuckled underneath his bushy mustache while narrowing his excited eyes onto the tank. This was a successful endeavor.
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, "You're compatible with All For One's Quirk!" he pointed out as the tank emptied the purple liquid surrounding Nine, "Now you have the ability to steal eight more!" he added, "Along with your own, that allows you to wield nine different powers!" he declared as Nine opened his eyes. Once he met with his allies again the night of the cargo pursuit, he shared the news.
"The experiment was a success," he told them.
"With this, our plan can move forward…" Chojuro realized. But before he could say anything else…
"However," Nine began, causing his comrades to perk up, "the side effects have gotten worse," he confessed to him as they lightly gasped in shock, "Using my Quirk's too much," their leader explained, "Results in the destruction of my body's cellular tissue," he mentioned.
"That means—!"
"There was no point in you becoming a lab rat!" Chojuro yelled angrily, interjecting Kiruka. He seemed to have been right all along about letting Nine be experimented on by the League…
"All I need to do is steal a Cell Activation Quirk," the white haired man said, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise, seeing the glowing ones of his leader, "And then… we can create the world we desire…" he assured, looking out at the bright city beyond the forest.
END FLASHBACK
Outside the lighthouse, the Dark Stars lurked, with Killer's remaining drones returning to him. He blinked twice, letting out an unimpressed huff. Wizard overheard.
"Something wrong?" he inquired.
"I just can't believe you decided to have us wait until morning to take out the Shining Stars," the Master Code Quirk user responded, "I mean, we have them right where we want them, practically broken and powerless…" he pointed out.
"And where's the sport in that?" Clown wondered, chiming into the conversation, "I say let them try to recover," he remarked, "By dawn tomorrow, a new era shall wash over the Shining Stars and those youngling heroes…" he affirmed confidently.
"What Clown says holds true," Brigandine agreed, "If we are to bring an end to the Shining Stars and their potential successor, we must do so with the full extent of our power against theirs," he proclaimed firmly.
"Hmph," Killer scoffed, "I'd rather just kill them now…" he muttered in admittance.
"Calm yourself," Wizard advised, "For now, we'll wait until Nine has recovered," he decided, glancing back at the lighthouse curiously.
X
The only sound in the factory was that of a crying infant. Every other islander was asleep on the floor. Sister was still seated where she was, no longer trembling at least. But the memories of her nightmare were still quite vivid.
"Shit…" she cursed out.
"Sister Ivry?" a voice chimed in, getting her attention as she looked over to see Mina there, "What happened back at the shopping center?" she inquired, approaching the Heal Atomizer Quirk user, who flinched to her surprise, "Sorry…" she apologized, "I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you…" she assured, carefully seating herself down beside the Shining Star Hero.
"How are the others doing?" she asked in concern in a hushed voice.
"Well… everyone's physically fine, except for Bakugo, Midoriya, and Rebecca…" the Acid Quirk user answered, "But that boy they brought back is trying to heal them up with his Quirk," she confirmed to the surprise of the nurse beside her, "I know you're not feeling great, so maybe it's better for him to do the work instead…" she mentioned in admittance.
"No…" Sister said, getting to her feet, "I can't just sit by crying when a kid's the one doing my job for me…" she pointed out, trying to walk off, only to stagger a little.
"H-Hey!" Mina stammered, getting up and grabbing the Shining Star Hero before she could fall by accident, "Don't push yourself!" she insisted, "Yaomomo said you were in really bad shape when she and the others brought you here…" she noted in remembrance, "So what happened back there?" she inquired again. The Heal Atomizer Quirk user teared up, thinking of her doctor's face.
'Don't worry, you'll be fine,' he had promised to her a long time ago, 'After all, I'm the acrobat of the operating table,' he affirmed with a grin and a wink.
'Doc…' Sister uttered inwardly. With a sniffle, she wiped her eyes, standing up straight.
"I think it's better if I tell everyone once we're all regrouped," she decided, much to Mina's surprise and concern. Back in the clinical room, Rebecca awoke. Bandages were over her arms, with those on her right going up to her shoulder, along with ones upon her legs. As she sat up and pushed the covers off of her, she grimaced in agony while clutching her stomach. She looked down to see the bandages wrapped over it. A saddened expression came across her face.
'If I had lasted a few seconds longer, I could've landed a solid hit on that guy…' she presumed, closing her hands into fists as she let them shake out of frustration. She failed. She had lost against Nine, and her boyfriend and his rival were hurt far worse than her. A deep sigh of sadness left her lips.
"Rebecca…" Witch's voice said, getting her attention as she saw the Sorcery Quirk user entering the room, "Thank goodness you're awake," she noted with relief. The ash blonde-haired girl lowered her gaze.
"How are Kacchan and Izu?" she asked.
"They're still undergoing treatment," the Shining Star Hero confirmed in response, "I'm hoping that Sister will be able to tend to your injuries soon," she mentioned. There was a brief silence. "Rebecca?" Witch said.
"You knew that guy…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user pointed out to her surprise.
"Th-That isn't—"
"He was trying to hurt those kids…" Rebecca added, interrupting her as she tensed up, "They could've died…" she mentioned through a whimper.
"Rebecca—"
"What happened to you?!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user shouted in question, interjecting her former caretaker as both Katsuma and Mahoro perked up from hearing the shouting in the other room, "Our job was to help protect the islanders, but you froze up completely!" she emphatically noted, "Is there something you know about these guys?! Well?!" she inquired on vehemently. She breathed heavily in frustration, while her teacher lowered her head with shame. She then removed her helmet. To Rebecca's shock, she was crying.
"I'm so sorry… Rebecca…" she apologized through her tears, "You're right…" she admitted, "I froze…" she concluded sadly, "And because of that, I made you bear most of the burden of fighting…" she realized, sobbing into her hands.
"Witch…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user uttered.
"Miss Witch?" another voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they saw Pino and Mosco standing by the doorway, "The rest of the students are gathering now," the former pointed out. Wiping her eyes, the Sorcery Quirk user sighed.
"Yes… I'll be right there," she promised in response. The little android gave off a worried look as she left with the heavyset man. After a few more moments, Witch stood up and turned to the doorway. "Rebecca…" she uttered, causing the Cat Leaper Quirk user to perk up, "I cannot lie, I made a grave mistake thinking my past would never come back to me…" she confessed out of shame, "I promise, you'll know everything about me soon," she vowed, heading off. The ash blonde-haired girl watched her go, giving off a saddened look. She remembered Witch being like a mother to her for so long. When compared to her own, whom she never met, she was exemplary. So why did she keep such a secret?
Just then, faint green glow caught her attention as she looked up. In the adjacent room, Katsuma was still using his power in the attempt to heal Izuku and Katsuki. There was a green glow coming off of his little hands as he pressed them against an arm each of the two student heroes. He was sweating a little though, evidently tired. And his sister noticed.
"Katsuma… you should rest a little bit," she advised seriously.
"I can't," he responded with a shake of his head, "I'm not done yet…" he pointed out.
"You're tired…" Mahoro noted, reaching her hand out.
"I can push through it," her brother affirmed to her surprise. She pulled her hand back.
'I can't just stop now…' Katsuma pleaded to himself, remembering how the two teen boys desperately clung to Nine in the effort to stop him from getting the little boy and his sister,'A hero never gives up!' he exclaimed inwardly.
"You're still going at it…" Rebecca's voice chimed in as she sauntered in, having zipped up her costume beforehand.
"Lady…" Mahoro uttered in surprise, making her giggle.
"You can just call be Rebecca," she affirmed.
"Are you sure you should be moving around?" the little girl inquired worriedly, "That guy hurt you pretty bad back there…" she recalled.
"I'll be fine once Sister gets herself together," the Cat Leaper Quirk user assured in response, "More importantly, are you doing okay, Katsuma?" she asked of the little boy, getting his attention.
"What do you mean?" he questioned back.
"You went through a lot back there, especially with that guy coming after you and your sister…" Rebecca pointed out, "And I'm sorry that we couldn't stop him…" she apologized additionally.
"…You protected me, though," Katsuma pointed out to her surprise, "And you protected my sister and all the other people from getting hurt," he mentioned on, "I wanna do my part now," he proclaimed, going back to concentrating on the two young heroes still in need of care. The Cat Leaper Quirk user smiled at him warmly, grateful for his words. All of a sudden, the glow from Katsuma's hands brightened over both teen boys. The Shimano children and Rebecca gasped in surprise to see them start to stir, grimacing all the while. "Mister Deku!" the little boy exclaimed.
"Bakugo…" his sister uttered out in astonishment. Elsewhere in the building, the rest of Class 1-A was gathered in a meeting room. Most of them had already been bandaged up from today's events. Solemn expressions were all over their faces as they were trying to determine their next course of action.
"Communications are down, and transportation off the island is unavailable…" Tenya noted, sitting at the chair on the far end of the foldable table.
"And we've sustained quite a few injuries amongst exhaustion…" Fumikage added with crossed arms as he looked over at those who had bandages upon themselves.
"Not to mention that Yaoyorozu and Kaminari are spent from using their Quirks…" Kyoka mentioned, sitting beside the class deputy as she was resting on the couch in the room.
"Wheeee…" Denki dopily buzzed, giving off a thumbs up while in his seat.
"Alright, what about the villains?" Eijiro chimed in, getting everyone's attention, "We've already taken care of one," he pointed out.
"Yeah, but compared to the ones we fought, yours was probably a cakewalk…" Rikido remarked in response. The Hardening Quirk user growled… but rescinded from saying anything else. His classmate was right. Defeating Hoyo actually turned out to be simple once they discovered a weakness to his Quirk.
"So we have no way to contact the pro heroes or anyone else to come help us…" Tsuyu realized with a solemn expression.
"Well…" Momo breathed out, catching everyone's attention as they looked to see her sit up and remove the wet pink towel upon her forehead, "I made a drone earlier," she told the group, remembering how she was with Shiki, Kyoka, and Minoru amidst the storm to let her creation take off, "But the flight is at least six hours," she mentioned.
"And even then, it'll take a while for the pros to mobilize," Hanta added, chiming into the conversation. Everyone knew that time was of the essence.
"We should talk about the villains that are still left," Kyoka suggested, "Like it or not, we're probably gonna have to deal with them again before the pros get here," she noted to her classmates.
"The six of us couldn't stop the beast," Shoto chimed in.
"Yes," Fumikage concurred, "His strength was practically immeasurable in comparison to ours…" he pointed out as he closed his eyes for a moment.
"And just when we thought we had an edge with Granbell's Overdrive, that other dude showed up out of nowhere to block his punch…" Hanta mentioned, causing the Satan Gravity Quirk user to growl with frustration.
"Yeah, there were those other guys you mentioned, Steiner," Eijiro remembered, getting his classmate's attention, "You fought one of 'em at the harbor, right?" he inquired of the Machina Maker Quirk user.
"Yeah…" he responded, leaning back against the wall, "But I think it's better if she explains what happened," he insisted, gesturing over to Hermit.
"Thanks, Weisz," she said in response, stepping forward, "Everyone, we have a lot to tell you," she confirmed. Entering the room behind her were Sister and Witch, causing the students to blink in surprise.
"What's… going on?" Ochaco inquired aloud with concern in her tone.
"The villains you fought today… were people we knew from our shared pasts," Witch told the class of young heroes. Some of them widened their eyes in shock.
"Figured as much from that reaction back when I ran into you on the street," Weisz noted with crossed arms, "That Killer guy…" he continued, directing his attention onto Hermit, "how'd you know him?" he inquired.
"Huh…" the Master Code Quirk user sighed, "He was a classmate of mine at UA… twenty years ago," she told the students, who all gasped.
"T-Twenty years?" Mina stuttered.
"But… that's impossible!" Tsuyu exclaimed.
"It would be… if we were human…" Sister chimed in to the shock of everyone in the room. Witch then stepped forward.
"Hermit, Sister… and myself…" she listed off, "We… are androids with memories of our previous lives as humans," she told the students. Rebecca had just arrived in the room, widening her eyes upon hearing what the Sorcery Quirk user said. "Do any of you know of the Hina Hospital Massacre?" she inquired of the young heroes.
"Y-Yes…" Momo stuttered out in reply, "It was a horrific accident…" she noted, "Ziggy and an unknown villain he was facing ended up causing the building to collapse from their struggle…" she recalled.
"My grandpa?" Shiki uttered out of shock.
"Indeed…" Witch responded, "The three of us… and Valkyrie," she continued as Homura blinked in surprise, "We were brought back from our demise thanks to Ziggy, who provided us with android bodies, along with our Ether-type Quirks," she explained further, "All four of us retained our memories," she kept going, "and we swore to keep what Ziggy had done a secret, fearing that one day, someone may use such research for evil," she told the students.
"So… those other guys with the masked man…" Rebecca chimed in, much to Witch's surprise as she turned to see the Cat Leaper Quirk user there, "they're androids like you?" she presumed.
"Rebecca…" the Sorcery Quirk user uttered out.
"Not exactly," Sister confirmed, getting everyone's attention, "You see, the four of us used to be Quirkless as humans," she told the students, causing them to all have varying looks of surprise upon their faces, "That factor was the main reason why we were able to keep our memories in our new bodies," she mentioned.
"Ziggy was trying to make android bodies for everyone caught up in the accident," Hermit kept going, "For the most part, he would have to take liberties and try to best imagine what the people would've looked like when they were alive," she added thoroughly. Hearing that made Pino perk up in surprise.
"And I'm guessing those guys had Quirks in their prior lives?" Weisz presumed.
"Yeah," Sister answered, "But that's not all," she noted, glancing over to Witch. She lowered her head sadly and sighed.
"Those androids from today… used to be people in our individual lives," she told the class, "The one known as Killer was once a classmate of Hermit's in UA's Business Course," she mentioned as the Master Code Quirk user tensed up, "Clown was a doctor who operated on and saved Sister's life before the accident," she continued, making the Heal Atomizer Quirk user uncomfortably grab her arms, "The one you all faced off with at the beach was likely Brigandine, Valkyrie's companion," she added further.
"What?!" Homura exclaimed as she shot up from her seat.
"So that guy was Valkyrie's friend…" Shiki realized, quite stunned.
"And what about that Wizard guy?" Rebecca inquired curiously. Witch trembled a little, tears pricking her eyes. She failed to hold back a sob, letting her tears drip down onto the floor.
"He… was my late husband…" she answered sadly, whimpering into her hands.
"Witch…" Sister uttered, putting her hands onto her shoulders to comfort. Some of the girls in the room hadn't realized they were tearing up. Shiki was crying as well, though he quickly wiped his eyes.
"I don't get it, though…" Minoru chimed in, "How'd those guys turn evil?" he asked.
"Because of their human bodies having Quirks when they were assimilated into their new ones, their memories were corrupted," Hermit confirmed in reply, "Along with that…" she continued, taking on a grim expression, "there were bodies from the massacre that weren't recovered until later," she told the class.
"Are you saying they were tampered with by someone?" Tenya presumed, earning a nod in response from Sister.
"From what we can guess, they've been given the purpose of eliminating the Shining Star Heroes," she inferred, "And anyone else who's got ties to Ziggy," she mentioned, making Shiki and Homura perk up.
"We're sorry we couldn't tell you the truth," Hermit apologized, bowing her head, "By hiding our past, it came back to almost destroy us…" she noted sadly.
"Don't make this sound any worse than it already is…" Sister insisted, though she looked emotional herself. Witch sniffled, trying to compose herself. No one knew what to do next, even with the latest information from their teachers. They were already shell-shocked from today's events.
"How are gonna fight back against these guys and protect the people?" Mashirao worriedly wondered.
"The one guy beat up Midoriya and Bakugo so bad, they almost died!" Minoru mentioned, rubbing at his bandaged head frantically. At that moment, Katsuma and Mahoro jogged into the room. Mezo noticed, sticking his right hand out in front of them before signaling for them to be quiet as the discussion continued.
"If all those guys attack us together, we probably don't stand a chance…" Eijiro admitted as he sat on one of the boxes in the room. He was right. They had barely managed to defeat Hoyo. It seemed like besting the others would be more of an uphill battle in comparison.
"It would help if we knew what the villains were after…" Tenya pointed out with his left hand upon his chin.
"Mm-hmm," Ochaco agreed as she nodded, "Then we could come up with a plan," she noted to the group. Katsuma and Mahoro looked around to see the expressions of doubt and concern on the students' faces. The former's eyes shook with worry. And then he blinked as he remembered something.
'I just need your Quirk…' he recalled Nine telling him earlier in the evening when he first attacked. Now he knew what he had to do. He started to jog over to the students. However, his sister quickly grabbed him by his shoulder to stop him. He turned to see her shake her head in disapproval. He glanced down, thinking about Izuku, about Katsuki, and about Rebecca. They all fought hard to protect him and Mahoro. And the guilt that wracked his mind was too much to bear, especially seeing the defeated expressions on some of the student heroes' faces. He continued towards the table.
"No, don't!" his sister yelled, but his made was made up.
"I know what the villains are after!" he exclaimed, catching the students' attentions, "It's me!" he told them.
"What did you say?" Tenya asked, thinking he had misheard him.
"That bad guy said he wanted to steal my Quirk!" Katsuma said.
"So, it's power theft…" Fumikage realized as he stepped forward, uncrossing his arms.
"He has the same Quirk as All For One…" Tsuyu worriedly noted.
"Okay, at least we know why they're here…" Ochaco chimed in, trying to reassure everyone.
"We can just, like, take the boy and run away," Mina suggested.
"But what about the other people?" Shiki questioned, catching her attention, "We can't just leave them behind…" he pointed out seriously.
"And it's not going to be that easy," Todoroki added, causing everyone to look over at him as he stood up from his seat, "These villains are serious," he pointed out, "What if they start making threats?" he questioned out of serious concern, "They could end up killing somebody if we don't hand him over…" he noted to his classmates.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Minoru asked. Katsuma tensed up, shutting his eyes as he shook. He then opened them.
"You have to hand me over to the villains!" he exclaimed to the students. Rebecca widened her eyes.
"…What?" Ochaco uttered, sounding very surprised.
"He said he wouldn't kill me!" Katsuma pointed out to the group, "And it's fine if I end up losing my Quirk," he added, "as long as it means everyone on the island is safe!" he declared firmly. Everyone was shocked by the proposition. This little boy… was willing to do such a sacrificial play?
"No, we can't do that," a familiar voice disagreed as someone came in. Rebecca gasped lightly as she saw that it was her boyfriend who walked into the room, wearing the upper half of his costume without his gloves or gas mask. Along with the bandages underneath his outfit, he had a patch over his sliced left cheek.
"Deku!" Ochaco exclaimed, standing up from her seat.
"Midoriya… you're okay!" Tenya noted upon seeing his friend.
"Mm-hmm," he responded with a nod, "And it's all thanks to Katsuma's power," he added, looking over at the little boy.
'Not with my Quirk. It's no good for hero stuff…' he remembered him saying after being asked about wanting to become a hero. Rebecca went over, embracing her boyfriend warmly out of relief. She then leaned her head up to give him a quick kiss to his lips, which he reciprocated before they broke away.
"Sorry I scared you…" he apologized afterwards. She let out a small giggle.
"Sorry I didn't listen…" she apologized back. The freckled teen turned his attention to Katsuma after letting go of his girlfriend, kneeling down in front of the little boy.
"You can activate cells," he noted to him, "It speeds up regeneration, and enhances physical performance," he explained as he looked at his now uninjured hands, "Thanks to your Quirk, I recovered super quickly!" he pointed out, much to the little boy's surprise as his eyes widened, "It's an amazing ability, Katsuma," he complimented, "I'm so grateful," he mentioned to him.
"Me too," Rebecca agreed, kneeling down next to her boyfriend, "You saved his life," she noted to Katsuma, whose eyes started to well up with tears.
"You really mean it?" he asked them.
"We're not gonna let anything scary happen to you," Izuku reassured.
"That's the whole reason we came to this island, right?" Rebecca sarcastically inquired with a giggle, patting the little boy atop the head with her left hand. Everyone looked on in amazement. With Izuku's sudden recovery, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of hope… And seeing Rebecca bounce back from her depressed attitude made that glimmer shine brighter.
"Why are you losers so on edge?" Katsuki asked as he was leaning against the door, wearing the upper half of his costume over his bandaged body, including his gloves, but without his lone left bracer, "All we gotta do is kill some stupid villains, right?" he guessed bluntly with his arms folded over his chest.
"Bakugo!" Eijiro exclaimed in shock as everyone gasped in surprise. Katsuma's healing had worked on him, too?!
"Sir Katsuki…" Witch uttered, seeing him step into the room.
"If you know those android bastards, then you should know how we can beat 'em, right?" he presumed as he approached the Shining Star Heroes. They each widened their eyes before looking to each other. Hermit and Sister exchanged nods, followed by Witch doing the same. Meanwhile, Izuku stood up and turned to face his rival with a serious expression on his face. Both of them were thinking back to the words All Might had said the night the Explosion Quirk user learned the truth of One For All.
'If you have mutual respect, then focus on making one another stronger,' he had advised to them, 'You'll become the ultimate heroes, and both of your dreams'll be achieved,' he had added, 'You can win and save people at the same time,' he had told them. For a moment, Izuku closed his eyes, inwardly thanking his mentor for the words that would drive him. He turned around and smiled at the Shimano children.
"Don't worry, we'll definitely protect you two," he promised to them. Katsuki punched his left hand with a small explosion crackling from the impact.
"The villains are as good as dead!" he declared fiercely.
"And we'll keep everyone else on the island safe, too!" Rebecca added assuredly. Katsuma and Mahoro smiled happily.
"I agree," Shoto chimed in, standing up from his seat, "I'll help however I can," he assured.
"As will I," Homura declared firmly with clenched fists, "If it's a friend of my teacher who's being manipulated to do this with his new life…" she continued, "I'll see to it that his life is not wasted!" she vowed.
"Me too!" Ochaco cried out as she dashed over instantly, "I'll protect the people with everything I've got!" she declared, remembering how kind the islanders were to her and her fellow heroes-in-training, "We have to fight!" she insisted of her classmates as she turned to them.
"Damn right we do," Weisz remarked as he stepped forward, "There's twenty-four of us and only seven of them," he pointed out, clenching his fists, "We won't lose," she affirmed confidently.
"Heck yeah!" Denki suddenly exclaimed as he stood up from his seat, having somewhat recovered from the overuse of his power despite the dopey look on his face as he gave two thumbs up, "I can't fix Mister Matsuda's tractor if he's not around," he noted, remembering how he helped the farmer in days past.
"You can count me in!" Tenya chimed in, "Granny Sado still has plenty of years left ahead of her," he added, recalling the time he helped the aging woman get to the hospital clinic.
"And I'll fight tooth and nail to save everyone!" Shiki declared, punching his left hand, "No way am I gonna let those guys come close to either of you!" he mentioned firmly to the Shimano children.
"I've got your backs!" Eijiro promised as he stood up.
"Me too," Fumikage agreed.
"Awesome!" Kyoka exclaimed as she got up from her seat.
"Let's stop 'em!" Toru shouted while standing.
"I'm in!" Hanta assured with clenched fists, getting onto his feet.
"Yeah," Mashirao agreed as he nodded while standing up.
"Um, obvee!" Mina remarked with a pump of her fists.
"Ribbit!" Tsuyu croaked confidently.
"Let's do this, you guys!" Minoru yelled, standing on his chair with his fists raised high.
"I know we can!" Koji added, having faith in his classmates.
"Moi aussi!" Yuga agreed.
"We're heroes, right?!" Rikido yelled out sarcastically in question. With everyone's word to help, Katsuma and Mahoro teared up happily, laughing to each other.
"We'll overcome the impossible!" Mezo exclaimed in declaration.
"It's just like we always say…" Momo began as she trotted over from the couch.
"We're going to go beyond!" Tenya declared, raising his right fist.
"PLUS ULTRA!" every Class 1-A student exclaimed, pumping their fists. They weren't going to give up. They would do whatever it took to save the people of the island, even if it meant fighting back villains.
"All of you…" Witch uttered out in shock.
"Witch?" Rebecca said, getting her attention, "What we've been taught as heroes is to never give up, even when things seem tough," she pointed out.
"We're going to get through this together," Izuku declared firmly.
"Those guys don't realize just who they messed with," Katsuki added with a smirk. Witch and the Shining Star Heroes smiled, glad that the students were still ready to fight.
"Very well then," the Sorcery Quirk user said, "Let's prepare a strategy right away," she advised of the class.
"Right!" they responded simultaneously.
X
A while later, all of Class 1-A was gathered in the conference room, including the island mayor. Anyone injured had gotten themselves thanks to Sister. She took a deep breath to calm herself after her treatments, which Mina noticed as she looked on worriedly. The Shining Star Heroes and the students all surrounded the conference table as a map of the island was upon it.
"What's the plan, Midoriya?" Shoto asked, initiating the discussion.
"We know there are at least three villains here," Izuku noted, pointing towards the peninsula of the island, "If we use the castle ruins on the edge of this cliff as our base, that leaves only one route for the villains to reach us," he explained thoroughly, using a red marker to highlight the potential route with an arrow, "When they approach, we'll split them up with a preemptive strike," he mentioned, drawing an x before making three more arrows, indicating the directions in which the villains would be split, "Use the terrain to our advantage," he added.
"Then we blast them to hell," Katsuki bluntly remarked.
"The civilians can hold up in the cave on the side of the cliff," Witch advised, "We'll personally guard Katsuma and Mahoro," she added as the two of them were sleeping together on the lounge leather couch, "We should also secure an escape route for in case it comes to it…" she recommended, wanting to have a backup plan for the chance the main one failed.
"How are we going to deal with the villain who has multiple Quirks?" Shoto asked on.
"In the middle of our fight with him… it looked like he suddenly doubled over in pain," Rebecca chimed in as a response, "Using those powers one after another was probably too hard on his body," she mentioned, "I bet that's why he's trying to steal Katsuma's Cell Activation ability," she pointed out, putting her hand onto her chin.
"I see," Shoto replied in understanding, "So we simply exhaust him," he realized.
"We'll attack in waves and make him use his Quirks until he's at his limit," Izuku told the group, "Since he can steal powers, we'll want to avoid close combat if at all possible," he advised, "Hopefully, that will be enough for us to defeat him," he admitted as he balled his fists, "But even if we can't…" he continued.
"We'll win," Rebecca suddenly said, catching his attention as he looked up to see the reassuring grin on her face. He smiled back.
"Mister Mayor," Tenya began, catching the man's as he approached him, "are you all right with this plan of ours?" he asked of him.
"If it's the best you all have, then yes," he replied, "We should inform everyone as soon as possible," he advised, walking out of the room.
"How are we going to split ourselves off to fight the villains?" Weisz asked with crossed arms. Izuku took a moment to think, looking back at the map.
"Based on the villains and their Quirks…" he started to respond, "I think I know who should be fighting who," he stated confidently. Before dawn, Tenya and the island mayor informed the civilians of the plan. Though some were still scared, they decided to trust the students' judgments, moving out to the peninsula. Koji was guiding the farm animals and pets, while Rikido was helping move supplies. It wasn't long before everyone had been gathered into the caverns just beyond the ruins.
In the meantime, the students were all gathered at the top of the ruins. Katsuma and Mahoro were standing with them, holding hands as they nervously awaited the villains that were bound to come. Izuku took a deep breath.
"Even if we can't stop them…" he began, balling his gloved fists, "we just have to last long enough for help to arrive," he stated, fully costumed as was everyone else.
"That's all this is about," Shoto concluded.
"No way," Katsuki growled, "We're gonna kick the crap out of these losers," he declared firmly as the sun dawned on him and his classmates. The Shining Star Heroes stood amongst them as well, trying to calm themselves. They were ready to make their stand, no matter who they would have to face…
END
Bit of a brief chapter, but after last week, I think it's warranted. We had a lot to cover to take a break from the action, but we'll be back to it next time. Until then, thanks for reading, everyone!