Hey folks! Welcome back to "Through the Rough"! As our heroes start their counterattack against the Dark Stars and the other villains, things are starting off well. Killer and Brigandine have been defeated, but there are still plenty of foes to spare.
So now, it's time for things to really be set in motion. Enjoy!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
Kiruka was laughing. She was somewhat nervous initially when she saw that she'd have to face two opponents, along with the fact that one of them was Sister. But it turned out that she had the advantage. Her speed overwhelmed her opponents as they barely managed to block her slashes, whether from her claws, her hardened hair, or the blades that protruded from the tips of her boots.
"Dammit!" the Heal Atomizer Quirk user cursed. For every time she tried to slice at the female villain with her bladed whips, she would dodge and go after Fumikage, who was easier to deal with. Sparks flew about as their blades clashed, with the bird-headed teen having to fall back. He was barely blocking whatever weapon she used against him with his claws.
"What were you saying about the darkness?" she asked curiously, performing a handstand as she swung her blades out at him, which he almost failed to counter with his claws, "I thought you'd be a challenge!" she admitted, leaping up and sending strands of her bladed hair out at him, which he barely stopped as they sliced off pieces of his black cloak, "But you're all talk!" she shouted, bringing up her left foot to slam down onto him. A burst of dust enveloped the immediate area. Fumikage jumped back out from it.
'She's quicker than I anticipated…' he realized, continuing to barely block each slash sent his way, followed by falling down as he slid across the ground,'I just… need an opening!' he noted inwardly.
"This is pathetic!" Kiruka remarked, readying her hair as it hardened again.
"HEY!" Sister shouted, "Case you forgot, I'm still here!" she pointed out, lashing her bladed whips at the Slice Quirk user. However, they were stopped by the pair of swords in Clown's hands.
"So am I, Imoto Aiburi…" he pointed out, making her grimace.
"Sister!" Fumikage cried out, only to wind up needing to parry another round of slashes from Kiruka's bladed hair.
"You need help with her?" she inquired of the Dark Star.
"No, go ahead and have fun with that bird…" he insisted in response, making her chuckle before she headed off.
"You always were lighthearted, even in the operating room…" Sister pointed out to her foe, "You remember that day? When I was brought in?" she questioned on, "You described it all too well, but it was a lot worse…" she recalled, gripping the hilts of her whips tightly, "They were all saying I was gonna die…" she noted in remembrance, "Everyone… except you," she mentioned. Clown chuckled.
"Well, I think today's assessment is your utter demise!" he declared, taking a deep breath before expelling a stream of fire from his lips, which his foe jumped back from.
"So bright…!" Dark Shadow winced out, while its user narrowly managed to tumble away from Kiruka again.
"Geez…" Sister muttered, "Just what kinda upgrades did Ziggy give you?!" she inquired, lashing her right whip out at the Dark Star, only for him to flip back to avoid it.
"Oh, it's not all Ziggy, you know…" he told her, much to her surprise as her eyes widened, "I'm sure you figured it out…" he added as he grinned, "About the bodies that weren't recovered from the massacre until sometime later…" he reiterated, "Sure, Ziggy was responsible for our untimely deaths," he continued, "but our rebirth was a part of something grander…" he proclaimed, snickering all the while.
"And who the hell took you, doc?!" Sister yelled in questioned, lashing her whips ferociously at him. He cartwheeled back to evade them, landing on his feet.
"That doesn't matter…" he stated, giggling still, "You're about to be brought your knees yet again thanks to my Quirk!" he affirmed in challenge. The Shining Star Hero lunged out at him.
"Just try it!" she shouted.
"Sister, wait!" Fumikage yelled in panic. Clown smirked.
"Welcome back… to your Eternal Nightmare," he remarked, summoning forth a darkness that entrapped his incoming foe as she grimaced.
"SISTERRRRR!" Mina screamed from afar. Kiruka let out a chuckle.
"Well, that takes care of her…" she noted, turning to Fumikage, who growled. Within her foe's mindscape, the Heal Atomizer Quirk user grimaced as she found her wrists ensnared by chains.
"Crap…" she grumbled.
'Should've used Dispel Driver to counter his Quirk…' she told herself, 'No… even if I tried…' she continued inwardly, 'he still would've gotten the drop on me…' she concluded in frustration through her thoughts. Clown then came into form before her, grinning wickedly.
"You didn't get to experience the true nightmare the last time," he pointed out as he approached, "But after I'm done with you, I'll go on and take care of the rest…" he affirmed, "That includes your precious little students…" he added deviously, much to his foe's shock.
"What the hell happened to you, doc?!" she inquired emphatically, causing him to perk up in confusion, "You used to use your Quirk to give patients good dreams, to ease their pain!" she pointed out, "Even if your brain got all scrambled up from that shit twenty years ago to now, shouldn't you at least have some semblance of yourself telling you this is wrong?!" she questioned further.
"…Hmph," Clown scoffed, "That's nonsense, my dear," he remarked as he held his right hand out at her, "Now experience hell like never before…" he insisted inwardly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sister screamed in reality.
"Sister, no!" Fumikage cried out, only to have to block off another assault from Kiruka as sparks flew between them.
"You should really be worrying about yourself…" she advised, licking her lips. However, her foe suddenly head-butted her stomach, much to her shock as she winced.
"Dark Shadow, now!" he yelled.
"Got it!" the shadowy entity responded, extending out and slamming the Slice Quirk user up against the wall.
"Agh…" she groaned out, "What in the world…?" she uttered in confusion, only to gasp as she saw her foe close in. Despite clutching her aching stomach, Kiruka was still able to have her bladed hair extend out at him. However, he charged through, despite getting cut to her surprise.
"Black Abyss…" he began to bellow, "SABBATH!" he roared, slashing fiercely at his opponent. Though his claws were shattered to pieces upon his attack, so were hers as she jumped back. Hearing from nearby, Clown narrowed his eyes.
"Seems those brats of yours are stronger than I thought…" he admitted, while Sister was still trembling in place.
"Go, now!" Fumikage cried out to Mina, who had gotten into position during the battle just for this moment. Her hands were pressed together in the shape of a nozzle.
"Acid Shot!" she exclaimed, firing off a stream of hissing, colorless liquid towards Kiruka. She quickly shielded herself with her hardened hair, taking the acid as a cloud of steam erupted upon impact.
"This is it!" Fumikage declared, letting Dark Shadow come off of him as it dashed out at their veiled foe. The steam dissipated, revealing what had happened. Kiruka was hobbling, with most of hair melted away as only a messy mop of it remained on her head. Her eyes were bubbling with anger.
"HOW DARE YOU!" she bellowed, firing off several needle-like projectiles towards her foes. Dark Shadow took the brunt of the sharp hairs, wincing as it was stopped. More were shot out towards Mina, who flipped down from her position, shooting acid from her boots as she hurried down towards the ground level of the cavern. Unfortunately, three of the hairs pierced into her right thigh.
"GAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" she screamed. She tumbled over a couple ledges before she hit the ground hard.
"Ashido!" Fumikage exclaimed as he came over with Dark Shadow still protruding from his body. He looked to see that Mina was bleeding from the head as she trembled in pain, with scrapes all over her arms and face. Seeing her injured made him growl angrily. Dark Shadow was overtaking his body.
"You… FIIEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDD!" he roared as he whipped around to face Kiruka. Dark Shadow grew to an immense size around him, with his eyes now burning red with rage as he towered over the red-haired villain.
"Wait…" she uttered out, completely astonished by the sudden transformation of the shadowy entity, "what's this?!" she exclaimed, having to jump away from the strikes of Dark Shadow's claws. Each one broke off stalagmites and smashed pillars to pieces.
'I won't let you… get in our way!' she vowed, using the last bit of her strength to fire her sharp hairs up to the cracked cavern ceiling. It finally gave way, collapsing completely. However, the shadowy entity was still coming toward her, much to her fright. All of a sudden, a burst of flames erupted in between the two, causing Dark Shadow to instantaneously shrink as the light from the collapsed roof shined through as well. Fumikage grimaced.
"Damn…" he cursed.
"Heehee!" Clown giggled, "That was scary…" he commented with a grin.
"Bastard…" Kiruka muttered in frustration, "You could've done that earlier…" she pointed out.
"Oh, I didn't think you needed my help at first," the Dark Star retorted, making her scoff, "Well, I'm sure you can handle the rest from here, even with that new haircut of yours…" he added jokingly.
"Shut up…" his colleague grumbled, turning to Fumikage and Mina, as the former crouched defensively in front of his wounded classmate, "Now you're finished…" she proclaimed, sharpening her hair as she grinned. All of a sudden though, Sister's bladed whip lashed out and wrapped her body.
"Paradise Lashing!" she exclaimed, pulling her whip back as it slashed the Slice Quirk user, causing her to gasp with agony as she fell over, bleeding from her multiple cuts. Fumikage and Mina widened their eyes. Even Clown seemed surprised. He turned to see the Shining Star Hero standing firm, breathing heavily with her whip still in hand.
"You broke free of the Eternal Nightmare…" the Dark Star realized.
"Don't act so surprised," his opponent retorted, "Nothing more's painful than seeing my kids get hurt by scumbags like you…" she growled.
"Sister…" Mina uttered out.
"Well, I suppose I was distracted when they put my little friend here into a corner…" Clown admitted, "But now, you all have my full attention!" he assured in declaration, snapping his fingers, "Eternal Nightmare!" he exclaimed. All of a sudden, his trio of opponents found themselves within his mindscape.
"Wh…What is this?!" Fumikage stammered in panic.
"Don't worry," Sister assured, getting his attention along with Mina's, "He's gonna have to get through me first to get to you…" she pointed out, glancing around for a sign of her opponent.
"Heeheehee…" his voice giggled, echoing through the mindscape, "You're quite right, Imoto…" he confirmed, "That said, what makes you think you can actually escape my nightmare?" he inquired of her. All of a sudden, tentacle-like appendages shot out and wrapped around her limbs, entrapping her as she grimaced.
"Crap…!" she yelped out, trying to pry herself free as she struggled against her bindings.
"It's no use~…" Clown sang, "Not only will you suffer the Eternal Nightmare at its fullest potential," he continued, "but your students will be paying witness to it!" he added, cackling excitedly as he gestured towards Fumikage and Mina, who grimaced in fright.
"You bas—!" Sister's shout was silenced as one of the tentacles shot directly into her mouth.
"SISTER!" the student heroes gasped.
"AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!" the Dark Star laughed on heartily. However, he stopped upon noticing his foe's expression. She didn't seem to be tortured at all. In fact, she was blushing.
"Peh!" she spat once the tentacle in her mouth receded, "Didn't know you swung that way, doc…" she pointed out, "It's kinda kinky…" she admitted.
"Wh…What?" Clown stammered in disbelief, "How…?!" he gasped out.
"Gotta say, even if a normal person knew this was all just a dream, it'd break them mentally to be tortured like this…" Sister noted, "You probably scarred my kids, in fact…" she added, clenching her fists, "But don't think I'm not a fighter…" she advised, "After all, that's what saved me back then!" she mentioned, causing her foe to widen his eyes.
FLASHBACK
"Hurry, she's losing way too much blood!" one of the EMTs yelled as he and the others wheeled the wounded Imoto to the emergency room.
"How the hell is she not even dead yet?!" another asked, seeing the injuries to the white-haired woman as he grimaced.
"Quick, this way!" one of the doctors advised, enticing them to turn the corner. Moments later, Imoto was loaded onto the operating table as a few surgeons were already present. However, they were all astonished by the extent of her injuries.
"I doubt we can save her life at this rate…" one of them admitted sadly.
"We can't put her on anesthesia with one of her lungs collapsed, along with all the other organs that got punctured by her ribs…" another explained, trembling with frustration, "I think… she's a lost cause…" he confessed. Shi was among the surgeons present, of the same mindset. And then he saw the woman on the table open her eyes.
"Am I… gonna die?" she wondered aloud. The orange-haired surgeon didn't know how to respond. He clenched his fists tightly.
"Would you be willing to proceed without anesthesia?" he asked, much to the shock of his colleagues.
"Yeah, sure…" Imoto responded with a wince, "Getting stitched up isn't gonna be worse than the hell I just went through…" she affirmed.
"Hey, are you nuts?!" one of the other doctors shouted in question, "Without an anesthetic, she'll really die!" he pointed out.
"Not if she's strong," Shi retorted to his shock, placing his hand onto the white-haired woman's gently, "Let's get started!" he insisted firmly of his colleagues. They all shared nervous glances, but ultimately went ahead and gathered their tools, ready to enact the operation. Imoto looked over to the lead surgeon.
"Doc…" she uttered.
"Don't worry," Shi assured, holding her hand gently, "You're going to be fine," he promised.
END FLASHBACK
'Wh…What was that…?' Clown wondered inwardly, grabbing at his head. At that moment, Sister snapped off the tentacles binding her, thrusting her right fist into her opponent's face. The mindscape around them shattered, returning them to reality.
"Something wrong, Doc Piero?" the Heal Atomizer Quirk user wondered aloud, letting off a smirk, "We're just getting started!" she proclaimed. Growling, the Dark Star opened his right arm, having a cannon barrel protrude from it before firing onto his target. She lunged aside to evade his shots, blasting apart more of the cavern as the area rumbled.
"Oh man…" Mina uttered out, "At this rate, the whole place is gonna come down…" she worriedly realized.
"Not if we stop him first," Fumikage affirmed, getting her attention. She nodded determinedly. Meanwhile, Clown continued firing on Sister, though no longer with any sense of joy.
"That was some dirty trick you pulled, Imoto!" he pointed out, "Making me see things that never really happened…" he growled, much to her confusion as she blinked.
"Dark Shadow!" Fumikage suddenly exclaimed, with his shadowy entity protruding from his stomach as he headed towards the Dark Star with his claws drawn. However, Clown unleashed a stream of fire from his lips, causing the entity to retreat as it winced from the brightness.
"You'll have to do better than that, boy…" he remarked with a smirk. He failed to realize that Mina had gotten behind him, preparing a glob of colorless acid in his left hand. She backhanded it, striking the back of the Dark Star's neck as it melted through, much to his shock. "Ah!" he yelped. Smirking, Sister readied her whip.
"Now it's time for your torture, doc!" she declared, lashing him fiercely, "PARADISE FRENZY!" she exclaimed. Clown fell flat onto the ground, his neck sparking with electricity as he transformed back to normal. His foes approached, all ready to attack if necessary.
"So… that was real…" he realized, causing them to perk up in confusion, "Heehee…" he giggled, "Even if it ended up being all for naught because of Ziggy, I'm glad we saved you back then…" he noted to Sister, who lowered her gaze.
"Do me a favor, doc," she insisted, as she stepped closer, crouching down to his side, "Rest in peace," she said to his surprise, "Nothing good comes from being brought back without your whole life intact," she pointed out.
"Heh…" the Dark Star chuckled, "You make a good point as always…" he mentioned, "I bet you're a fine nurse now…" he inferred. Sister smiled a little.
"Only 'cause someone inspired me to be the best," she noted.
"Guess I can be happy with that…" Clown admitted before the light left his eyes.
"Huh," Sister huffed, standing up and removing her Battle Dress in a flash of light.
"You gonna be okay, Sister?" Mina inquired worriedly.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," the Shining Star Hero responded, "If anything, I'll keep my promise… and make sure none of you kids die," she affirmed with a grin. Her students smiled back. Just then, the cavern started to rumble. "Ah, crap…" the Heal Atomizer Quirk user muttered, "Hey, grab the redhead!" she advised of Fumikage, who nodded.
"Dark Shadow!" he called out to his shadowy entity within him.
"Got her!" it cried out, protruding from his stomach and grabbing Kiruka, pulling her over. The group then hurried out of the cavern, just before the ceiling gave way.
X
Back at the plateau, Nine was getting serious as he continuously fired off lasers towards Katsuki and Izuku. The former of the two was shooting off explosions to evade each laser sent his way, but was caught in a blast right at his feet that blew him back. The latter was hurrying on ahead, narrowly missing a blast from behind as he lunged forward and raised his left foot. His kick was blocked by another set of layered energy barriers, which Nine moved to toss him aside before forming another to block the rapid blasts shot by the explosive teen overhead.
As Izuku slid to a stop, he noticed the billowing cloud of dirt in the distance. He recognized it as where the cavern was. Where his friends were.
'Sister, Tokoyami, and Ashido…' he listed off in remembrance, 'I hope they're okay!' he inwardly pleaded as he stood up. A laser beam zoomed towards him. He noticed almost too late as Katsuki blasted himself in and kicked his rival away, evading the laser as it struck the ground.
"Pay attention, you damn nerd!" the explosive teen shouted as Izuku stood back up.
"Yeah, I'm trying to!" he retorted, rejoining the fight with him. Meanwhile, at the frozen waterfalls, Tenya zoomed rapidly towards Chojuro, leaping up to land a roundhouse kick with his right leg. And though it struck his foe at the head…
"Weak," he remarked, easily tossing him aside in a yelp. Eijiro charged towards him with his right fist hardened and ready.
"RED… GAUNTLET!" he roared, striking Chojuro fiercely at his feathered right arm.
"That tickles!" he responded, grasping the Hardening Quirk user by his head and throwing him aside with ease as he crashed into the mountainside, leaving behind a crater from his impact. Tenya tried striking him from behind with another kick, but it was easily blocked again as the beastly man swiped at him, knocking his helmet off of his head, along with his glasses. Shoto threw out his left arm, having flames spew out of his hand like a flamethrower. All Chojuro did was swing his arms up, causing a burst of wind to build as it pushed back the oncoming fire.
"Tch," he scoffed, giving them a toothy grin, "I've told you!" he shouted, letting his sleeves tear off entirely as his muscles grew slightly, "You don't stand a chance against—!" All of a sudden, he felt something off. His body had ceased movement completely. "Why… can't I move?!" he asked, feeling that his body was going numb.
"There was a reason we were using the same attack moves over and over," Shoto pointed out to him.
"My legs…" Tenya began, "and Kirishima's hands…" he continued, "They were coated in a toxic mucus that Asui created," he told the villain, while Frog Quirk user unveiled herself from her camouflaged form, revealing the mucus she had secreted from her arm.
"Just call me Tsu…" she muttered out in response.
"We got you, old man!" Eijiro declared, smacking his hardened fists together. Just then, the group heard a rumble in the distance, with a flock of birds fleeing from a plume of dust.
"Isn't that where Kogetsu is…?" Tenya inquired.
"I hope she's okay…" Tsuyu said worriedly.
"She'll be fine," Shoto affirmed to their surprise, "In the meantime, let's finish this guy!" he declared, taking a ready stance.
"Right!" his classmates responded, prepared to stop Chojuro once and for all. He growled.
"Don't be so insolent…" he grumbled, making the ice around his feet shatter as they grew, revealing that they were like talons, "I'll show you…" he continued as his muscles bulged intensely, tearing off the remainder of his trench coat and shirt, "why I've been called a monster my ENTIRE LIFE!" he bellowed, having his talons did into the ground as horns protruded from both sides of his head, while his hair grew out. With that the feathers at his arms expanded into wings. He let out a fearsome roar, letting his snake-like tongue lash as a burst of wind followed the completion of his transformation.
"He got bigger?!" Tenya exclaimed in shock.
"That form…" Eijiro began to say, "He reminds me of Amajiki!" he admitted nervously. A red light started to billow within Chojuro's mouth. He opened it, revealing that he was preparing a fiery beam like the one he used yesterday. Though this one seemed to be even more powerful… Reacting quickly, Shoto planted his right foot down and formed up a huge wall of ice to block off the reddish beam of fire as it was launched from their foe's mouth. However, Tenya immediately noticed that the ice wall was already starting to give way as the red light made it steam.
"No!" he gasped, quickly grabbing Shoto and running off, "Let's go, Tsu!" he cried out.
"Ribbit!" she croaked in response, wrapping her tongue around Eijiro's left ankle as she yanked him away in a yelp. The beam broke through the ice in a powerful. Chojuro continued to fire, incinerating everything around him from the trees to the mountainside. From where they were taking cover, the four student heroes grimaced in frustration. How were they supposed to defeat their opponent now?
"That's where Iida and the others should be!" Kyoka pointed out from the plateau, looking into a scope at the blaze in the distance.
"They in trouble?!" Mashirao guessed out of concern, "We should help!" he insisted to Mezo.
"We can't," he quickly responded, "Remember, our job is to protect Katsuma and Mahoro," he noted seriously as the two children nervously watched the ongoing battle continue.
"Mister Deku…" Katsuma uttered worriedly.
"Bakugo…" Mahoro said. Explosions of dirt and dust were raining about the plateau below them. Running out from the clouds and flicking his left fingers one after another was Izuku, firing off blasts of pressurized air onto Nine. He quickly blocked them with an energy barrier from. Meanwhile, Katsuki dashed off to his left, firing off small explosions at him from his right palm. He stopped those as well, quickly firing off a series of lasers towards Izuku. They slashed by him as he yelped in pain. More were sent to Katsuki, slicing off the bandage at his cheek and breaking apart his remaining grenade-like bracer as he had crossed his arms in an attempt to defend himself. Nine was prepared to fire more lasers his way as his fingertips lit up. But suddenly, a strand of tape wrapped around his arm, pulling it away.
"You better think again!" Hanta roared, reeling himself down to the masked villain as he jumped off of the ledge above. Unfortunately, Nine quickly readied his left hand and fired off more lasers from his left fingers, striking his foe as he tumbled along the ground in a huge trail of dust. Katsuki looked out and grimaced.
"Sero…!" he gasped, seeing Hanta struggle to push himself up with just his right hand before he fell unconscious. His helmet was broken off of his head. Meanwhile, Ochaco leapt out from the dust as she was headed towards Nine from behind.
'I'll make him float!' she inwardly declared. But without warning, a blue dragon-shaped entity shot out of his back. It grasped her in its jaws, tearing through the ground before lifting her up into the air. It then flung her away with a swing of its head as she screamed out, falling helplessly to the ground. Luckily, Izuku jumped by and caught her in his arms.
"Uraraka…!" he uttered, worried that she was seriously hurt as he held her.
"I'm okay… Deku…" she breathed out before falling unconscious as her head fell slightly, much to his shock.
"Bastard…!" Katsuki cursed as he was continuously firing off blasts towards the blue dragon. Izuku landed beside him and gently set down Ochaco. He then whipped around with a fierce glare in his eyes.
"You'll pay for that!" he shouted angrily, making both outer layers of his gloves jolt forward as he flicked his fingers to fire off more pressurized air blasts. The dragon was quick to dodge each one, with it splitting into two separate ones that started to dive down towards them. However, the masked villain had two more dragons protrude from his back and slam into both of them, sending them flying before they crashed into the stone wall in a flurry of dirt and dust. Both of them were bleeding from their heads.
"Guys!" Rebecca cried out from the plateau. She looked back to see Nine approaching with his dragons at the ready, enticing her to step back nervously. Meanwhile, Izuku fell to a knee.
'He's pushing us back…' he noted inwardly, barely managing to stand up, 'At this rate, he'll get to the kids…' he realized as the Shimano children looked on worriedly, knowing that the two teen boys wouldn't be able to last much longer if the battle continued.
'Damn it…' Katsuki cursed through his thoughts, breathing heavily as drops of blood dripped down his head. Nine then stopped, raising up his hands. His two dragons lunged forward.
"AH!" Katsuma and Mahoro gasped, seeing them slam fiercely against the two teen boys. Or so they thought. Izuku opened his eyes as he had his arms braced over his head, having expected an impact that never came. Something reverberated in Nine's body. He could feel it on a cellular level, expanding throughout his entire form. His dragons suddenly disintegrated.
"What's happening?" Rebecca asked, looking over at the villain.
"Grrrghh…!" he groaned, grasping at his head as glowing purple cracks appeared on his face, "AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed in agony.
"That's it!" Izuku exclaimed in realization, "He's reached his limit!" he pointed out, while Katsuki grinned. Now they had their opening…
X
Within the catacombs, the islanders heard the various rumblings as they murmured worriedly, wondering how their protectors were faring. Rikido and Toru were amongst them, concerned themselves. The plan was for that every villain defeated, those that could still move would make their way to the catacombs in order to safeguard the people.
"Hey, guys!" a voice called out, belonging to Weisz as he ran in through one of the many entrances alongside Koji.
"Steiner!" the invisible girl exclaimed.
"So you and Miss Hermit took down that Killer guy?" Rikido presumed.
"Yeah," the Anivoice Quirk user responded with a nod.
"She's gonna meet up with Witch before they come here," Weisz mentioned, "At least… that's what she said she was gonna do…" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Huh?" Toru uttered in confusion.
"Everyone, are you alright?" another voice chimed in, belonging to Fumikage as he entered with Mina, while Dark Shadow had its body wrapped around the unconscious Kiruka.
"Ah, that lady villain!" Toru yelped out, while some of the islanders gasped with fright.
"N-No, it's okay!" Mina stammered reassuringly as she waved her hands frantically, "Sister said she wouldn't be getting back up for a least a few hours with her injuries," she explained, "Even then, I doubt she'll be able to try anything…" she added.
"That's a relief…" Rikido noted.
"But where's Sister?" Koji asked in concern.
"She said needed to meet up with Witch first," Fumikage answered, "We've taken care of the Clown android as well…" he mentioned.
"She's gone off to go to Witch, too?" Toru inquired out of surprise.
"I get it now…" Weisz said, "Between Hermit and Sister, fighting those guys was easier because they were just close friends," he pointed out, "But in Witch's case…" he continued.
"She's fighting her own husband…" Fumikage realized, finishing the Machina Maker Quirk user's thought. The others shared worried looks with each other.
"Well, Granbell's there to help, too…" Mina noted, "But…" she continued, grimacing a little.
"Emergency, moscoy!" Mosco exclaimed as he hurried over to the students, causing them to yelp with surprise.
"Whoa, Mosco!" Rikido yelled as the heavyset man screeched to a halt, "What's the matter?" he asked.
"Huh… huh…" Mosco panted, "It's Pino…" he said to the group's surprise, "She's gone!" he exclaimed. Back at the beachfront, Shiki's fists reverberated with a greenish energy as he closed in on Wizard.
"Magimech Attack…" he began, bombarding him with punches, "GRAVITY FIST FRENZY!" he roared. The Dark Star flew back, landing upon the sand and sliding to a stop. Witch then ran up to him, readying a light in her right hand.
"Edens—!"
"Cosmic Lightning!" Wizard exclaimed, unleashing a powerful bolt of black lightning from his spear, striking the Shining Star Hero fiercely.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" she shrieked in agony.
"No, Witch!" Shiki cried out.
"Ziggy may have given us these new bodies, but he failed to realize that he ruined our lives!" the Dark Star proclaimed as he sent his foe flying back, making her tumble along the sand to a stop upon her stomach. She coughed, with her visor shattering over her head along with her helmet. "If not for him, we could've lived normal lives," he inferred on, "I know I don't remember all of it, but…" he continued, "I do know we were happy together," he affirmed, clutching his staff, "But he turned me into his tool… as he did you," he mentioned in frustration.
"Yari…" Witch whimpered out, pushing herself up onto her hands and knees, "You should know that's not true!" she shouted to the Dark Star, "Ziggy was kind enough to put everything into making things right!" she noted emphatically, "Even if we're no longer human, we're still alive!" she added.
"All that means nothing now, Kokai," Wizard retorted, narrowing his eyes, "I'll end this quickly…" he promised, readying his staff as he aimed it at her. She trembled with frustration, tearing up. But then, Shiki got in front of her.
"Shiki…" she uttered out.
"I know my grandpa never meant to hurt anyone…" he affirmed, "But on his behalf, I'm sorry…" he apologized to Wizard, who perked up in surprise, "In the end, I'm sure he wouldn't want you do this…" he pointed out, letting his markings expand as they turned purple, "So I'm taking you down, right here and now!" he declared, assuming his Overdrive form as the sand around him swirled.
"So, you can already access the power of Overdrive?" Wizard inquired.
"Shiki…" Witch whimpered, trying to push herself up onto her feet.
"Here goes…" the Satan Gravity Quirk user said, rocketing forward in an instant, "Magimech Attack…" he began, readying his right fist. The Dark Star readied his staff.
"It's no use…" he remarked, enveloping himself in a flash of light. When it subsided, it revealed that he had assumed a suit of armoring similar to Witch's, with wings of light appearing from his back. "Battle Dress!" he exclaimed, opening his eyes before charging out at his incoming foe. They both yelled as they closed in on each other, all while the Shining Star Hero could only watch. Memories of the time she spent with the green-haired man before their unfortunate demise flashed through her head. Tears were rolling down her face.
"STOP! PLEASE!" she screamed in plea.
"Meteor…" Shiki started to bellow.
"Cosmic…" Wizard began roaring.
"STOPPPPPP!" a familiar voice cried out. All of a sudden, Shiki's empowered form disappeared as he morphed back to normal, falling flat upon his face on the sand. The Dark Star before him was surprised, wondering what had happened. He looked over and spotted Pino there with her little arms outstretched.
"Pino…" Witch uttered out, "What are you doing here?!" she asked vehemently in panic, "Get away! Hurry!" she insisted on.
"I won't!" the little android shouted back, tears pricking her eyes.
"Pino…" Wizard repeated curiously. Meanwhile, Shiki pushed himself back onto his feet, taking a ready stance. However, the little android ran in front of him, stopping between him and the Dark Star.
"Please… don't do this…" she requested as tears were rolling down his face, "I know there's a part of you that doesn't want to!" she affirmed.
"Pino, stop!" Witch pleaded, "He's not going to listen to you!" she pointed out. However, Wizard's eyes slowly started widening.
"Pino…" he uttered out.
FLASHBACK
"Our child's name?" Kokai inquired out of surprise, sitting in her chair.
"We should start thinking about it," Yari insisted, handing her a cup of tea.
"I'd rather think about this upcoming case…" Kokai admitted as she put her right hand onto her chin, "The facts are quite tough to contest on this one…" she pointed out, narrowing her eyes onto her paperwork. Her husband let out a chuckle, sitting down beside her.
"Remember, you're ironclad in a courtroom," he noted, getting her attention, "No defense can handle what you'll be able to throw at them," he mentioned assuredly. His wife smiled.
"If our child happens to be a boy, I want to name him Roy," she told him, putting her left hand onto her growing belly after setting her paperwork aside, "I've always liked that name," she added with a small smile.
"And what if it's a girl?" Yari inquired. Kokai looked up in thought for a moment.
"You know, I hadn't thought of it…" she admitted, "What would you like her name to be?" she asked of her husband.
"Oh… well…" he began, taking a moment to think, "If our child's a girl, then her name should be…" he continued with a smile.
END FLASHBACK
"Pino…" Wizard uttered out, causing the little android to blink in surprise. He trembled, clutching his staff tightly. "Don't tell me…" he started to infer, "Did that bastard make you out of sympathy to Kokai and I?!" he shouted in question.
"Yari, stop it!" Witch insisted, "Ziggy… it wasn't his fault back then…!" she proclaimed, "Though he was involved, it was the villain who attacked the hospital that day!" she pointed out, "Eyewitnesses saw what had happened, you should know if you were brought back!" she added vehemently.
"That's exactly the problem!" the Dark Star yelled back to her surprise, "I would've preferred to have rested in peace… with my wife and child…" he confessed, putting his left hand up to his head, "But Ziggy selfishly thought it wasn't our time to die, and planted our minds into these false bodies…!" he snarled out, "This isn't saving us, it's tormenting us!" he shouted on, "We live with the reminder that we're supposed to be dead every day!" he noted emphatically, "Do you really think you would be happy with something like this?!" he inquired of the Shining Star Hero, who pushed herself up to her feet, "The rest of your life, you'll live as a machine, burdened by the fact that you won't age or die!" he mentioned angrily, "You were just turned into Ziggy's puppet, like the rest of the Shining Stars and your own daughter!" he roared on.
"Witch…" Pino uttered with tears pricking her eyes. Shiki glanced back at the Shining Star Hero, who clenched her fists for a moment. However, she unfurled them, looking toward Wizard with a soft expression upon her face.
"You are not my late husband," she stated to his surprise, "Yari Majo died that day, along with Kokai Majo and their unborn daughter," she confirmed on, "Others who died include Inja Ronri, Kira Kodo, Imoto Aiburi, Shi Piero, Mahina Pahikaua, and Kapa Yoroi," she listed off.
"Are you daring to lecture me now…?" Wizard inquired.
"The Yari I know would've wanted me to live, even if it meant I died back then," Witch responded to his shock, "What Ziggy did might've not been the best solution, but all he wanted was to make up for failing to save our lives," she pointed out, "I don't think of this life as a machine as a curse," she confessed, "I'm blessed to know that I was reborn to become a hero that could help others," she mentioned, "Yet… there are days I lament on being able to move forward, while the rest of those involved in attack could not…" she admitted further, "I'm sorry that you weren't able to retain all your memories," she apologized, "Perhaps if you did…" she continued, only to stop herself, "maybe you would understand Ziggy's intentions," she affirmed. The Dark Star gnashed his teeth together as his eyes shined black.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" he roared, electricity crackling around him, "COSMIC—!" All of a sudden, Witch blitzed right past him, much to his surprise. Shiki and Pino gasped. A huge portion of Wizard's torso was cleaved out. "H…How…?" he stammered out, starting to fall forward.
"Even though I knew you weren't really my husband anymore, I held back," Witch confessed, "Wizard…" she continued, turning to face her falling foe, "I'm happy that I get to continue doing good for the world with this new life," she told him, "And I'll respect your wish to not want to live on yourself," she added assuredly just before he hit the ground. He gasped for breath like a normal person, while sparks of electricity flickered from his body.
"Whoa…" Shiki uttered, "You're amazing, Witch…" he complimented to the Shining Star Hero, who turned and walked over. She approached her downed foe, noticing Pino coming over as well.
"Pino…" she said, unsure of what to say.
"It's alright," the little android assured, "I understand why you had to do this," she affirmed, clenching her little fists tightly. Witch sighed.
"Shiki, head to the catacombs," she advised of the Satan Gravity Quirk user, getting his attention, "Make sure to take Pino," she instructed on.
"Right," he responded, picking up the little android in his arms, "Let's go," he said, floating up. Pino looked down at Witch, who gave her a soft smile. Shiki then flew off around towards the mountainside.
"I… remember…" Wizard's voice weakly uttered, getting the Shining Star Hero's attention as she looked down at him, "Huh…" he exhaled, "If our child was a girl… her name would be Pino…" he noted, "Even if my memory… was somehow still intact like yours…" he continued as he trembled, "I don't think I would want to live on as a machine…" he confessed sadly.
"And I won't argue with you against that," Witch assured, "I just…" she continued, taking a deep breath, "Do you think machines have no hearts?" she inquired to his surprise, "You saw my tears, as well as Pino's…" she pointed out, "We are not just creations of Ziggy," she added, "We're ones who'll fight for the good of the world, for our family's sake," she affirmed on, "I've been ironclad as a hero ever since I obtained this body," she mentioned to the Dark Star's surprise, "And I won't stop now," she finished.
"Ironclad… huh…?" Wizard repeated, letting off a little grin, "That's… what I loved most about my dear Kokai…" he confessed. Witch teared up, but she steeled herself. She watched the light leave the Dark Star's eyes, confirming his death. She sighed, wiping her eyes.
"Witch, hey!" a voice called out, getting her attention as she saw both Hermit and Sister running over.
"You two…" she uttered. They came to a stop, noticing the defeated Dark Star.
"So you got over your whole thing and took him down, huh?" the Heal Atomizer Quirk user realized, giving off a sympathetic expression.
"Are you okay?" Hermit asked. Witch looked back at the deceased Wizard.
"Technically, this was never really Yari," she pointed out, "The same goes for the other Dark Stars," she added, "Their minds were lost that day," she confirmed, causing her colleagues to lower their heads in thought.
"Well, there's no point in worrying about it now," Hermit decided, "We have to get to the catacombs and protect the people," she advised seriously.
"No, I'm sure the students can handle themselves," Witch affirmed confidently to the surprise of her fellow Shining Star Heroes.
"Uh, Witch?" Sister uttered in surprise.
"We still have other villains to deal with…" the Sorcery Quirk user affirmed, looking towards the higher plateaus of the peninsula.
X
Back by the waterfalls, Chojuro was continuing to unleash his powerful beam of fire it razed the surrounding area while also pursuing the four student heroes he was fighting. They jumped over a ledge for a cover, evading the beam.
"That's some crazy power…" Eijiro remarked as Tsuyu retracted her tongue from his ankle.
"Yeah, we can't even get close to him…" she pointed out in agreement.
"And even if we could, who knows if our attacks'll do anything to hurt him…" Eijiro added out of frustration. Tenya looked back at his exhausts.
"I don't have much Recipro left…" he realized. Shoto breathed heavily… but he had a determined look in his eyes. He turned to his classmates.
"Make an opening for me," he insisted of them, much to their surprise, "I need to be able to touch him," he mentioned.
"And then what?" Eijiro asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.
"I have an idea," Shoto replied after a moment. Tenya was shocked by this vague idea that he had. But he also decided to put his faith in his friend.
"Right," he said with a nod.
'This might be our last chance…' he noted inwardly as his exhausts spewed small puffs of smoke. Eijiro and Tsuyu looked to each other and nodded. They were prepared to do whatever was planned.
Moments later, Chojuro stomped about the riverside before noticing the class representative right in front of him. He let his mufflers expel more smoke. He then dashed to the right in an instant. Chojuro reeled his head back, having red light emit from his mouth as he was preparing to unleash another fiery attack. Tenya grimaced, recognizing what he was about to do.
'Iida, you distract him with your Recipro Turbo,' he remembered Shoto instructing him, dashing about and keeping his opponent's focus on him. The beastly man unleashed an array of fireballs at the Engine Quirk user, who proceeded forward, running with all his speed and flipping to evade getting directly hit. He landed down on his left knee as a fireball struck the ground behind him in a fierce explosion. As he kept running to keep him distracted, Shoto and Eijiro were hurrying along the frozen river as the former was building up an ice wave to propel them forward.
"I was just thinking," the Hardening Quirk user began, "doesn't this remind you of Camino?" he inquired to his friend, being positioned in front of him.
"Yeah," he responded with a nod.
"I'll take whatever he throws at us…" Eijiro assured to him, "and make sure you get close to him!" he added in his promise.
"Thanks!" Shoto replied in gratitude as they trailed in from behind. Unfortunately, Chojuro turned and noticed them coming, opening his mouth to prepare another fiery beam. Reacting quickly, Eijiro had his entire body harden, taking on a rugged appearance that made him look monstrous.
"UNBREAKABLE!" he bellowed, crossing his arms over his face. Their beastly foe unleashed his fiery beam at them, striking the hardened teen directly as he and Shoto were stopped. He grunted in agony, letting his black sleeves tear off of his arms while enduring the beam. The ground was giving way and breaking up massively.
"Kirishima…!" Shoto exclaimed, hoping he would still be able to hold on just a little longer. And he did. The beam finally subsided as only black smoke came out of Chojuro's mouth. Eijiro had severe burns on his hardened skin.
"Do it…" he pleaded, falling forwards onto the ground to Shoto's shock. However, he steeled himself, launching into the air with another wave of ice before leaping off of it towards the beastly man, letting a cold aura waft off of his right arm. His plan involved something his father had taught him…
'Increase the temperature in your body to its maximum limit!' he recalled being told by the new top hero of Japan. He latched onto Chojuro by his right horn, evading a swipe from his left arm.
'What he taught me with fire…' he began inwardly, planting his feet onto his foe's chest.
"I'll do with ice!" he declared, readying his hand. Chojuro attempted to grasp him with his hands, but they were wrapped and pulled away by Tsuyu's tongue. The beastly man then tried to strike him with his crocodile-like tail, only for Tenya to speed and kick it back onto the ground. He held it down with his body.
"Do it!" he yelled to Shoto. Chojuro was preparing another fiery beam as he opened his mouth. And that was exactly what his opponent needed. Letting out a yell, he reached his into his foe's mouth, causing steam to emit from it as he started to decrease the temperature.
'Colder… keep dropping!' he pleaded to himself. The red lights emitting from Chojuro's mouth started to dissipate. He desperately tried to shake Shoto off, stumbling about crazily. He then swung his arms, pulling Tsuyu off the ground as she yelped. Swinging his tail as well, he made Tenya and her collide head-to-head, as drops of blood fell down with them upon their impact.
"Gah…!" Shoto breathed out, becoming colder and colder by the second as frost formed on his arm and face. He couldn't let his teammates' actions go in vain. "Freeze, damn you!" he cursed loudly, making a layer of ice coat his opponent entirely. He gritted his teeth, enduring the cold his body was taking on to completely freeze Chojuro. Eventually, ice spewed out from the beastly man's mouth as his entire body was covered in frost, with ice spreading along the ground around him.
Shoto fell down in the meantime, lying on his left side as a good portion of his body, especially his right side, was covered in frost. He looked back at his frozen, defeated foe.
'That's right…' he remarked to himself, looking over at his defeated opponent, 'Hibernate a while…' he quipped inwardly, breathing heavily from the cold and exhaustion. He was starting to lose consciousness. Meanwhile, Tenya and Tsuyu were knocked out, bleeding from their heads. Eijiro was littered with burn marks as his eyebrow weakly twitched. 'Did we do… what we needed to?' Shoto wondered, 'Midoriya… Bakugo…' he uttered inwardly before finally losing consciousness.
X
One by one, Nine could feel his cells die instantaneously. He knew about the risks of using his own Quirk. He didn't think the risks would apply to using the others, too…
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed out in agony as the purple cracks around his face grew. Meanwhile, Izuku and Katsuki charged towards him, with the former running while the latter blasted him forward with explosions from his palms.
"Now Kacchan! We'll attack in waves!" the freckled teen instructed.
"Don't give me orders!" his explosive rival shouted back.
"If only I could take the Cell Activation Quirk…" Nine weakly grunted out, stepping back. All of a sudden, two black rods shot out from the back of his blazer. The purple liquid in the tubes was starting to inject itself into him. Meanwhile, Katsuma and Mahoro smiled with relief. It looked like the fight was about to be over…
'I've gotta get a solid hit in!' Izuku inwardly advised, hurrying forward. The mask dropped off of Nine's face onto the ground.
"Heroes… really are such a nuisance…!" he breathed out angrily, letting out a loud yell as the dark clouds swirled with lightning building up. All of a sudden, a bolt rained down and struck the earth, shattering the ice mountain while enveloping the three student heroes. The villain kept himself shielded with an energy barrier as the lightning strike continued, gritting his teeth all the while. The aspiring heroes had kept him from his target long enough. Meanwhile, the others at the high plateau ducked behind the short wall, bracing themselves from the rush of wind the lightning's impact had. It ended up subsiding, but more random bolts crackled about as the entire sky was darkened. The dust and dirt also subsided as Rebecca, Kyoka, Mashirao and Mezo arose, with the latter holding Katsuma and Mahoro in his arms.
"Are they okay?!" the little boy asked as they looked out in shock to see the giant crater left in the wake of the lightning strike, which had completely obliterated the mountain of ice.
"What happened?!" Mahoro exclaimed in worry. The dirt clouds had yet to subside.
"MISTER DEKU!" Katsuma screamed with tears flying from his eyes.
"BAKUGO!" Mahoro cried out, also in tears. They flailed in Mezo's arms, frightened that their heroes were once again bested by lightning. Kyoka looked into her scope to assess the situation. And to their dismay…
"Ah!" the Earphone Jack Quirk user gasped. Walking out from the clouds of dirt was Nine. And he had his eyes set on his goal…
"No way…" Mashirao uttered, "What do we do now?" he asked of Rebecca, who grimaced with frustration.
END
And we're almost done! While I've loved getting the opportunity to adapt the "Heroes: Rising" story, I also can't wait to get into the Season 5 content. And I can't wait for you all to see what's ahead in the story. Hopefully, you'll all enjoy what I'm coming up with.
Thanks for reading, everyone!