Welcome back, folks! Last time we left off, there was quite the surprising change of events with the Saintfires having gotten to Eri before Overhaul and his colleagues could make it to her first! And now, the heroes have arrived on the scene, about to face off against the likes the Hassaikai and Rogue Out!
I hope you're excited because I'm trekking through new territory with all of these additions. You're about to see some really unique battles. So without further delay, let's jump right in!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"Saintfire, huh?" Overhaul noted, tossing his gloves aside after removing them, "I'm actually honored a member of the Oracion Seis has an interest in our little operation," he admitted, taking a ready stance, "Perhaps I could persuade you to change your mind on taking our crucial piece…" he added, flexing his fingers as his eyes narrowed.
"From what we've learned, this girl would prefer to have nothing more to do with you," Takashi told him, readying his rock-covered arms, "As I said, we'll be taking her now," he stated.
"I don't think so!" the Hassaikai leader declared, pressing his hand against the floor. It instantly came apart and reshaped into an array of spikes that shot towards his foes. Eri flinched, bracing herself for impact. The masked Saintfire follower was quick to leap over the spikes, getting nicked by a few. Meanwhile, Komi weaved aside with the horned girl still cradled in her arms like a mother holding her child protectively.
Overhaul put his focus onto her, shaping the spikes that converged towards where she was running. However, she glared at them, causing them to suddenly freeze in place. The Hassaikai leader gasped lightly, letting off a grimace.
Then, Takashi lunged out at him, slamming his rock-encased arm up against his head. To his surprise though, his foe managed to catch it with his left hand, instantly shattering it apart before forming new spikes to pierce into the Saintfire follower's arm. At the same time, he managed to strike Kai upside the head with his right fist, which was still encased in rock. They both stumbled back and groaned.
"Sister…" Overhaul grunted out, getting the attention of the Rogue Out leader as she was attending to Hari.
"Right, of course," she responded, standing up. She removed her nun's habit, revealing that she was wearing a form of black lingerie with high heels. "I do hate having to go all out, but it's the only way we'll even stand a chance at this rate…" she noted, standing beside her colleague.
"Is Kurono healed?" he inquired of her.
"He should be awake in a moment," she replied, while Takashi removed the rock spikes from his left arm, letting blood spill out onto the ground. Komi widened her eyes slightly, hearing him breathe heavily.
"Shoko…" he uttered, "Take the girl and get her out of here," he instructed, clapping his hands together. His partner seemed surprised, shaking her head in refusal. "For the sake of the Saintfire, we must make sacrifices when necessary!" Takashi proclaimed as the rubble around him swirled about his body, "She knew that for me as well, and I'm willing to pay the price with my life for our salvation!" he declared fiercely. With that, the rubble formed along his arms and legs, creating a form of makeshift armor. "Kesseki!" he exclaimed.
Takashi Higaru! Quirk: Solid Rock!
He can manipulate solid forms of non-living matter to use in any matter he chooses. However, he's limited as to how much matter he can manipulate at once. And he can only manipulate one form of it at a time.
"So your Quirk's similar to mine, huh?" Overhaul noted, "Too bad it's an inferior version…" he remarked mockingly.
"I've heard what you've done to that child, you bastard…" Takashi said, narrowing his eyes into a glare, "Tell me, do you even feel a shred of remorse for your actions against her?!" he roared in question, lunging out at him. The Hassaikai leader was ready to counter, but he suddenly felt his body freeze in place. Iyashi gasped in surprise, looking over to see Komi glaring at the Overhaul Quirk user. It allowed for Takashi to strike him, sending him flying out from the doorway and into the hallway.
'I see…' Sister uttered in realization inwardly, 'Her Quirk user lets her temporarily paralyze anyone she's looking at…' she noted to herself.
Komi Shoko! Quirk: Petrification!
When her glaring eyes glow, she can freeze anyone and anything she's focused for a maximum of ten seconds! Overuse of this power can cause both serious dry eye and bleeding!
"Shoko, go!" Takashi called out, enticing his colleague to hurry out of the room with Eri still in her grasp. Sister had her extra appendage extend out towards them in an attempt to capture the horned girl, only for a pillar of rock to extend and strike it away. She clenched her teeth in frustration, glaring at the masked Saintfire. His colleague hurried past Overhaul, whose frozen body could only look up towards the ceiling.
The moment he could move again, he growled angrily as he pressed his hands against the floor, shattering it apart and forming more spikes to extend towards the fleeing Komi and Eri. The long-haired woman glared at the incoming spikes, causing them to stop. Her foe snarled under his plague mask.
"Overhaul!" Sister called out, getting his attention as he looked back to see her struggling to battle against Takashi, "I can take care of that woman and get Eri back!" she affirmed, "You deal with this one!" she insisted. A frustrated sigh left the lips of the young Hassaikai member.
"Kurono, you awake?!" he asked of Hari, who slowly stood up with a groan.
"Yeah…" he weakly responded, removing his hood as his mask fell off. It revealed that he had thin, dark eyes, pointed eyebrows, and pale chin-length hair that formed arrow-shaped needles like the hands of a clock.
"Go and make sure the others slow everyone down!" his boss ordered, "We can't afford any more mistakes!" he insisted firmly.
"Right…!" the aide grunted out, standing up and hurrying off down the hall. Takashi noticed, narrowing his eyes with concern. At that moment, a wall erected between him and Iyashi, having been formed by the Hassaikai leader. It allowed for her to hurry off down the hall after Komi. With that, the masked Saintfire saw that he was now faced against Overhaul, who wiped the blood off of his head.
"Just remember, you started this…" he noted, readying his hands.
OPENING
Insert "Eden Through the Rough" by Takanori Nishikawa
Opens with Izuku and Rebecca getting ready for another day of class together, going through their morning routines before meeting up at the Heights Alliance doors, exchanging a kiss before heading to the classroom. There, we see all of Class A mingling about, including the likes of Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire. Mirio spots the arriving couple of Izuku and Rebecca, going over to them and putting his arms around them with a big smile on his face.
Later, we see them visiting Sir Nighteye's agency, were we see him, Bubble Girl, and Centipeder, along with Xiaomei lurking in the background as she gives off a small grin. There are shots of Eijiro and Weisz working alongside Tamaki and Fat Gum, and Ochaco, Tsuyu and Kleene with Nejire and Ryukyu. We get a shot of various heroes in the background, including the likes of Shota, Ivry, Gran Torino, Eraser, and Holy.
The scene changes to the League of Villains confronting the Shie Hassaikai, with Tomura and Overhaul standing face-to-face. Beyond them lies the little girl known as Eri alongside Pino, as she clenches her fists in frustration, wanting to escape her imprisoned life. She then notices cracks of light in the darkness around her, and she runs towards them.
We see various scenes of Tamaki having to battle a trio of villains wearing masks, Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Nejire battling one of the larger fiends, while Ryukyu faces off against Ganoff and Mosco. Kleene is forced to confront her brother, while Ivry goes up against the Fake Sister, who shows her wide mouth with sharp teeth before she throws off her habit.
Eijiro and Weisz are blown back by a villain that fires rapid punches, which Fat Gum has to defend them from before trying to strike back, only to be blocked by another villain putting up an energy barrier. Mirio faces Overhaul and three other villains all by himself, removing his helmet before confronting them. He's joined by Nighteye, Shota, Eraser, Holy, Izuku, and Rebecca. But before they can stop the head villain, he completely reassembles the ground, shooting a barrage of spikes at his foes.
There's various shots of Shiki trying to better control his Overdrive form, Homura standing outside the dorms as she solemnly stares at her phone, Weisz looking at a picture of his mom while lying on his bed, and Rebecca sitting in the bath in contemplation. As she stands up, her blue markings shine brightly. The Ether markings of her fellow Ether-types also shine and expand as their bodies transform, showing silhouettes of their Overdrive forms outlined in their respective colors.
We see Poseidon Nero, Deadend Crow, God Acnoella, Saintfire Nox, and Elsie Crimson in their respective locations, preparing for the new era ahead now that All For One and Drakken Joe are gone. On the other side, the likes of Endeavor, Hawks, Mirko, and those of the I.U.A. are getting ready to take on the new era themselves.
We end with Eri and Pino breaking through the cracks, finding Izuku and Rebecca there. They look to them and smile, offering their hands. A bright flash of light envelops the screen.
END OPENING
"Whoa!" Fat Gum yelped as he and the others felt the rumblings from below the second he and the others went inside the building.
"The hell was that?!" Rock Lock asked.
"An earthquake…?" Eijiro guessed, "Sounds like it came from downstairs…" he pointed out.
"Something must be happening in that labyrinth below us…" Nighteye assumed, turning to his colleagues as they ran ahead, "Everyone, be on your guard!" he insisted firmly.
"Right!" many of the others responded. Rebecca looked over to Kleene, who had a determined expression upon her face. With permission to go and find her brother, she was more motivated than ever to help see this mission through.
"This is it," Nighteye said as he and the others arrived at a shrine in the hallway. He removed the vase from before pressing down on the floorboards in a specific pattern, causing a secret passage to open.
"Guards up," Centipeder advised, "We don't know what we'll be expecting," he pointed out. Three Hassaikai members emerged from the passage, ready to attack. The centipede-like sidekick had his arms stretch like the insect itself, wrapping around two of the men. The third drew a knife, ready to stab Bubble Girl. But before she could think to counterattack, a burst of blue light struck him upside the head, knocking him onto the wood floor in a yelp as he lost consciousness. The blue-skinned sidekick turned to see that Rebecca had fired a shot from one of her pulse guns.
"Thanks, Miss Aoneko!" she said gratefully, restraining the unconscious attacker, "You all go on ahead!" she insisted, "We'll make sure no one else follows!" she promised.
"Much appreciated, Bubble Girl!" Nighteye responded, hurrying down into the labyrinth with the others to follow. Though the moment he turned the corner, there was already a wall where he had once seen an open hallway.
"So much for your Foresight…" Rock Lock grumbled out.
"Hold on, let me take a look," Mirio insisted, removing his helmet.
"Wait, aren't you gonna end up in your birthday suit if you do that?!" Weisz questioned in a panic.
"Don't worry," Tamaki chimed in, "Mirio's costume was made out of special fibers reconstructed from his hair," he told the Machina Maker Quirk user as the top U.A. senior phased through the wall, "It was designed so that it can be permeable like him," he added.
"Whoa, cool…" Eijiro uttered. As it turned out, the path continued. The wall was nothing more than a blockade erected to slow the group down. Luckily, Izuku was quick to bring it down with a powerful kick.
"Okay, let's keep going!" Rebecca exclaimed, hurrying onward. All of a sudden though, the walls and floor started shifting around wildly, making everyone struggle to keep their balance.
"Everything's twisting!" Izuku yelped out.
"This isn't Chisaki…" the police chief noted aloud, "It's probably Irinaka!" he confirmed, bracing himself against the wall, "His Quirk is Mimicry, which lets him enter objects and control them as if they were his own body!" he explained.
"Seriously, just how powerful are these guys?!" Weisz exclaimed in question.
"And I thought he could only control stuff up to the size of a damn refrigerator, not a whole labyrinth!" Rock Lock added as a complaint.
"Remember who we're dealing with here!" Fat Gum yelled out, trying to keep his balance, "Dollars to donuts, he's using a performance enhancer!" he remarked.
"So how do we find him?!" Weisz asked, trying to steady his balance.
"Eraser Head, could you do something?" the Fat Absorption Quirk user asked of Shota.
"Not when I can't see his real body…" he pointed out.
"Hm," Eraser huffed, stepping forward as his blue markings expanded, "You're asking the wrong man for help in this instance, Fat," he affirmed, with his hair turning bright white. A light shrouded his right hand before he swiped across, erasing a good section of the twisting labyrinth instantaneously.
"Ichiro, don't use your Quirk so casually!" Holy insisted of her fellow I.U.A. Hero, "You could risk hitting something that we can't afford you to!" she pointed out seriously.
"Right, right…" the Erase Quirk user responded, letting his markings disappear and his hair go back to normal, "I'll rely on it when we get to Overhaul…" he promised, "So how do we proceed?" he asked.
"With the walls twisting like this, he's only going to get further and further away from us…" Tamaki pointed out, "Irinaka can create as many escape routes as he wants, and we'll never be able to catch up…" he added grimly.
"Dude!" Weisz shouted, "Could you at least be a little optimistic?!" he inquired in frustration.
"Tamaki!" Mirio exclaimed, putting a hand onto his friend's shoulder to get his attention, "No way we're losing Eri or those other girls," he affirmed confidently, "Besides, this is just a stopgap," he pointed out, "Even if they can warp the path like this…" he continued as he ran forward, "I can still press on!" he declared.
"Lemillion!" Nighteye cried out.
"Wait, come back!" Izuku yelled.
"You don't know what's ahead!" Rebecca noted worriedly.
"Speed's key right now, guys!" Mirio responded, not looking back, "I'll get to Eri as quick as I can!" he promised, "You guys can catch up and find those others in the building!" he advised on, phasing through the wall.
"Jeez…" Weisz muttered out, "Dude's trying to show off…" he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Joi Irinaka was somewhat vexed by how the Permeation Quirk user was managing to keep going in spite of the ever-changing labyrinth under his control. But if it was just him, what was there for him to really worry about?
With that in mind, he had the floor open up beneath those remaining in the hall, sending them plummeting downward. Kleene immediately stuck her hands out, letting her green markings glow as she had the wind the swirl around, allowing her to pull up Rebecca, Izuku, and Eijiro. Unfortunately, everyone else fell down in yells.
"Guys!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user called out, seeing the hole seal up. Joi growled, seeing that not everyone had fallen. Heroes like Holy and Ivry had gotten away just before the hole had opened.
"Crap, where'd he send 'em?!" Eijiro wondered aloud.
"Likely off the path for now," the I.U.A. Hero assumed in reply, "Let's keep moving!" she insisted as she ran ahead, "They'll catch up with us soon!" she assured.
"Right!" her colleagues responded, hurrying after her. Looking back, Izuku grew a bit worried. Not only was his teacher stuck down wherever the hole had led, but also Weisz and a couple of other heroes.
"Agh… shit…" the Machina Maker Quirk user grunted out as he stood back up, "If that Irinaka bastard's able to pull crap like this off, we're never gonna get anywhere…" he grumbled.
"Just keep a cool head, Arsenal," Fat Gum advised, "Now let's get back to moving," he insisted. However, he then blinked in surprise to find a trio of men standing before him and the others. One was a tall and lean young man with light, almond-shaped eyes, their irises visibly small, with prominent dark circles around them. His hair was chin-length and a bright golden-blond color, worn parted to his left so that it obscured his right eye. He had thin eyebrows that were pointed upwards, and the notable wideness of his eyes gave him a crazed look. He wore a dark green dress shirt with a pink tie as well as dark pants and a beak-shaped plague mask.
There was also a tall, muscular man with shadowed eyes, and his head shaven. He wore a dark dress shirt, the top few buttons left undone, and plain pants, along with a pair of black dress shoes. His choice of mask seemed to be a simple medical mask that he wore over his mouth.
Lastly, there was a slim man with circular eyes. He wore a ragged burlap sack mask that covered his entire head and was held by a rope knot located around his neck. The mask had two openings from where his eyes were visible, and a stitched smile. He also donned purple dress shirt and grey pants.
"Well, well…" the former of the three began, holding a sword over his right shoulder, "looks like we've got company…" he noted curiously.
'They're wearing masks like that guy outside…' Weisz realized, narrowing his eyes, 'Guess that means they're Overhaul's top brass in lackeys…' he concluded through his thoughts.
"If you're looking to pick a fight with pros, then you'll get one!" Fat Gum promised, cracking his knuckles. To his surprise though, as well as the Machina Maker Quirk user's, Tamaki stepped out in front of them.
"Any pros should save their strength for the real fight ahead," he insisted of them, "These guys just wanna slow us down…" he pointed out, readying his hands, "Go on, I can deal with them myself," he affirmed.
"Wait, what?!" Weisz exclaimed, "Just a second ago, you were quaking in your boots!" he recalled, "Whatever, I'm still helping!" he decided, pulling his rifle off from his back.
"Arsenal, don't!" Shota called out, causing him to blink in surprise. All of a sudden, he found that his weapon was gone from his grasp.
"This looks like a nice piece…" the blonde-haired hoodlum remarked, holding the rifle in his left hand, "Now I can let loose!" he declared, aiming it forward. However, Weisz smirked.
"You picked the wrong thing to steal," he remarked.
"Huh?" the thief uttered in confusion, only to suddenly wind up taking a fierce punch to the stomach from the Machina Maker Quirk user, sending him crashing against the wall in an instant as he was donning his armor. He fell to the floor in a low groan, dropping both weapons in his hands as he lost consciousness. The rifle slid back over to Weisz, who kicked it up into his right hand.
"Toya Setsuno, Larceny, right?" he presumed, causing the other two masked Hassaikai members to widen their eyes, "I might've skimmed through the paperwork, but I made sure to take note of your guys' Quirks," he pointed out, setting the rifle onto his right shoulder as it connected to an apparatus he created, "Hey, Suneater," he said, getting the U.A. senior's attention, "Between you and me, I think you're the guy better suited to go on ahead," he admitted, "You all head off," he insisted, punching his left hand determinedly, "These three are mine," he declared.
X
As more sections of the walls attempted to strike the group still above the ground level, they were blasted away by golden beams of light shot from Holy's hands. Izuku and Eijiro assisted, punching and kicking chunks to pieces, while Rebecca, Kleene and Ivry stood by with the remainder of the police with them.
"Without Eraser Head, we're gonna have a tough time dealing with this bullshit…" the Shining Star Hero grumbled out.
"Since his body's within the walls, Eraser Head wouldn't even be able to do anything," the Cat Leaper Quirk user noted.
"Maybe there's a way we could draw him out!" Eijiro suggested.
"Perhaps…" Holy agreed, narrowing her eyes slightly, "Regardless, we need to continue!" she insisted firmly, "Deku, Red Riot!" she called out to the two boys, "Could you clear the way for us?" she requested.
"Of course!" the freckled teen responded, while the Hardening Quirk user smacked his fists together.
"You got it, Miss Holy!" he assured. As the group continued onwards, Rebecca couldn't help but worry about how the situation was unfolding on all angles. She wanted to know so badly how things were going up above ground and further below.
Meanwhile, Overhaul continued unleashing spikes towards Takashi, who weaved around and shattered them apart with the rock over his arms. As his armor shattered, his foe attempted to pierce him once again, only for him to form a barricade upon his palms with the rocky debris surrounding him. The Hassaikai leader scoffed.
"I'll admit, I'm impressed with your Quirk," he confessed, "It's perfect for protecting someone important to you, right?" he presumed.
"I'm sure that's not what you think of that girl…" Takashi retorted.
"Oh, you think your precious Saintfire's any better?" Overhaul inquired, narrowing his eyes, "Your goals align with ours, so why fight against me?" he questioned on.
"Your methods don't align," his masked foe retorted to his surprise, "And I doubt the Saintfire would ever accept your ideals given that you used a child to try and reach them!" he added angrily, planting his hands against the floor, "Iwa nage!" he exclaimed, causing pieces of the surface to come up and shoot out towards the Shie Hassaikai leader. He growled, pressing his own palms against the ground to make spikes shot up, piercing through the incoming pieces and heading for Takashi. With a grimace, he erected a wall from the floor's surface to try and block off the spikes, only for them to pierce through as they came towards him. He had no way to defend himself as the spikes cut through him deeply, making blood spill onto the floor.
"I'll give you this, you're stubborn…" Overhaul noted, seeing his foe stagger back a few steps, "But the fact is, you're not beating me…" he affirmed, flexing his fingers as a fierce look was in his eyes. Takashi's gaze was lowered to the floor. As faint as he was feeling, he couldn't fall here.
'Shoko…' he uttered inwardly, 'Make sure… you get that girl out of this hellscape…!' he insisted through his thoughts, 'For the sake of our Saintfire!' he added fiercely through his thoughts. Farther down the labyrinth, Komi held Eri close as she hurried through the halls. As she turned a corner, she found herself screeching to a halt as the hall was closed off. She stepped back, trying to reassess her current situation. At that moment, she whipped around and drew a kunai, deflecting the prosthetic tail that came her way from Iyashi.
"My, what good reflexes…" she complimented. Eri trembled, whimpering with fright into the Saintfire member's shoulder. She gave her a sympathetic look before turning to her foe, readying another two kunai in between her fingers. "Unless you wish to die a painful death, I suggest you hand over the girl…" she advised as she showed her sharp teeth. Komi wasn't remotely intimidated, narrowing her eyes into a glare.
Meanwhile, the armored Weisz stood off against the two members of the Eight Bullets as everyone else was still surprised by his declaration. Then again, him defeating Toya so quickly proved he could handle himself. Tamaki was the most surprised. When he first met the Machina Maker Quirk user, he knew that he was a bit smug and arrogant. But he could back it up with what he was capable of.
"Arsenal… you sure…?" the U.A. senior asked in concern.
"Said it yourself, Suneater," Weisz retorted, aiming the rifle he had mounted upon his shoulder towards his two remaining foes, "We can't waste our energy here," he pointed out, "And I think you're one of the guys they'll bank on to get that girl and those others to safety," he mentioned seriously, "Leave these thugs to the one and only Arsenal!" he insisted as he posed.
"Hmph," the bald man of the group scoffed, "I don't know who you think you are, kid," he began, making crystals form along his right arm, "but you're picking the wrong fight against us!" he affirmed.
"Not so fast!" Shota exclaimed, glaring his way as his eyes flashed red. The crystals upon the man's arm broke off as he gasped.
"Hurry, go!" Weisz yelled as he sped in and struck the man in the stomach, sending him tumbling back into the wall.
"All right, let's move!" Fat Gum insisted, "We'll let Arsenal take care of these creeps here!" he declared, hurrying off through the doors.
"If you say so!" Rock Lock responded, following him along with the police, Nighteye, and Eraser.
"Arsenal…" Tamaki uttered.
"Come on, these guys shouldn't be worth your time anyway," the Machina Maker Quirk user insisted, flashing his senior a thumbs-up, "Go," he insisted. Taking on serious expression, Tamaki hurried off.
"Arsenal, I've sealed off their Quirks!" Shota noted to his armored student, "Take them down before it wears off!" he advised on, heading out after the others.
"You got it, Eraser Head," Weisz responded, turning toward the last man in the room still standing, being the one with the burlap sack mask, "Get ready to meet the speed… OF ARSENAL!" he declared as he zipped around, ready to strike his foe in the head and end the fight in one fell swoop. But all of a sudden, a projectile struck him squarely in the stomach, resulting in an explosive blast that blew him back. He slid to a stop upon his feet as his armored fingers dragged along the ground.
'Was that an RPG?!' he asked through his thoughts as he looked up.
"Huh," a voice huffed, getting his attention as he looked over to see Ganoff there with a grenade launcher in his hands, "So this is what you guys are dealing with, huh?" he assumed, letting off a smirk, "Well, we can handle wannabes like him for sure," he promised.
'Great, another guy shows up just before I can end this quick…' Weisz muttered inwardly, 'Judging from the looks of him and the fact he's using a weapon instead of his Quirk, I'm guessing he's with Rogue Out…' he noted to himself.
"EAT!" the remaining masked man yelled as his burlap sack ripped open around his mouth, showing his teeth as he attempted to chomp his foe's arm.
"Whoa!" he yelped as he dodged him, stepping back, "Agh, do me a favor and get lost, loser!" he complained, landing a strike to the man's stomach, sending him sliding back before he slammed against the wall. However, he remained standing, staggering forward with a big grin.
'Soramitsu Tabe, with a Quirk called Food…' the armored teen recalled, 'He can eat just about anything and ingest it instantly…' he noted to himself, 'He's definitely the most dangerous guy to deal with, especially if he manages to get his jaws on my suit…' he mentioned inwardly, 'I'll focus on dealing with him before—!' His thoughts halted as he widened his eyes to see Ganoff injecting both Yu and Toya with red-colored injectors.
"Your friend said you might need a little pick-me-up, especially with some tough heroes in here," he noted, with both members of the Eight Bullets regaining consciousness with widening eyes, staggering to their feet, "Guess it figures you got stuck with the one guy who gives you three a rough time…" he muttered with a chuckle.
"H-Hey…" Weisz stammered out, quickly forming a pair of machine guns upon his arms, "Stay down, I'm warning you!" he threatened. In that instant, both of his weapons, along with the armoring over his arms, was torn away from him. "Ah!" he gasped.
"Huh," Toya uttered, holding the hands of the armor in his hands, "So your power lets you remodel things like your fancy suit?" he assumed. The Machina Maker Quirk user grimaced.
'He didn't just take my Vise Cannons, he tore off the arms!' he noted to himself, 'If he can peel away Arsenal piece by piece, then I'm done for…!' he mentioned inwardly, 'If that's how much his Quirk got boosted from that drug, then what about—?' He didn't even have time to ask a question as the crystalized fist of Yu slammed against his armored head, shattering half of his helmet off as he gasped.
"Guess you thought it was all over when you punched us out," his foe noted, rearing his left arm back as sharp crystals were formed all over it. Gritting his teeth, Weisz moved the rifle upon his right shoulder to aim at the Crystalize Quirk user.
"ATLAS FLAME!" he roared, unleashing a spray of fire onto the floor, forcing his foe to step back.
"A flamethrower?" Ganoff noted, letting out a laugh, "This kid's full of surprises!" he pointed out.
'No matter what happens, I gotta keep them back!' the Machina Maker Quirk user told himself, 'Otherwise, it'd all be for nothing if they go after the others!' he mentioned inwardly. All of a sudden, Soramitsu lunged in from behind and chomped on the rifle at his shoulder, tearing it off as he gasped.
"Nice one, Tabe!" Toya complimented.
"Yeah, good work," Ganoff said, aiming his grenade launcher at Weisz, "Now for the finishing touches…" he remarked, firing a projectile. Using what was left of his armor, the Machina Maker Quirk user strengthened the armoring around his stomach, only for the grenade to explode once it struck, blowing him back into the wall. As he struck, his eyes went white as he was close to losing consciousness.
'Weisz, what's with all these bruises?' a female voice asked in his head as he started falling.
FLASHBACK
A young and bandaged Weisz looked at the ground solemnly as he steeled himself. Crouched in front of him was a woman with light blonde hair like his, wearing a teal dress with a pink shawl. She stared at him expectantly, awaiting a reply.
"Those kids at school beat me up 'cause I said Iron Man's cooler than All Might to me…" he finally told her, looking away.
"Well, I believe what happened to you, but I don't believe the why…" she responded, reaching out to caress his cheek, "Weisz…" she continued, "you can tell me anything," she affirmed softly. Her son trembled a little as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
"They said… I was a mistake… because Dad left you…" he finally confessed to her surprise, "Even when I told them that wasn't what happened, they still kept calling me names…" he mentioned, gritting his teeth, "They made me mad…!" he whimpered out.
"And you fought because they were badmouthing me, right?" she assumed, getting a simple nod in response, "Huh…" she sighed out, "Weisz…" she began, pulling her son into a hug, "just because some kids say hurtful things to you, that doesn't give you the right to hurt them back," she pointed out seriously.
"Iron Man would…" he argued.
"No, he wouldn't," his mother retorted to his surprise, "Tony fights back against bullies like them by doing things the right way first," she pointed out, "You saw that he tried to shut down his weapons from being made anymore, right?" she inquired of him, making him grimace as he turned away, "…Your father did leave us," she noted, "And as your mother, I've heard hurtful things thrown my way by other parents, too," she mentioned.
"Wha…? Really?" Weisz uttered in shock, earning a nod in reply from his mother.
"But when all is said and done, I end up being the bigger person and find a different way to deal with it," she told him.
"Wh-What do you do?" he asked with a stutter. His mother giggled.
"I simply say to myself 'Who cares?'," she answered, "I have a wonderful life, even without a husband," she pointed out, "And you have a wonderful life, even without a father," she added, pulling back and pecking her son's forehead with her lips, "As long as I can take care of you, I'll never feel down on myself, no matter what anyone says," she explained, "And I'm sure you can do the same," she mentioned confidently.
"Y-Yeah!" Weisz stammered in reply with a smile, "Just like Iron Man!" he added. His mother laughed.
"Not everything has to be about him, you know!" she pointed out, still giggling with her son.
END FLASHBACK
'Mom…' Weisz uttered inwardly as he fell face flat on the floor, his entire helmet shattered as blood spilled out from his head, forming a small puddle. Standing around him were Ganoff and the Eight Bullets' members.
"Is he still alive?" Toya inquired, "I wanna take every last shred of dignity from him…" he growled out.
"I say we kill him slowly, considering he was kind enough to knock us out quickly…" Yu insisted as the crystals around his arms grew uncontrollably.
"Eat… eat…!" Soramitsu repeated hungrily.
"Okay, you addicts need to tone it down," Ganoff muttered, grabbing a pistol and aiming it down at the Machina Maker Quirk user, "Killing him quick saves us time and money," he pointed out, "Plus, we've gotta save our energy to deal with those bigger fish," he mentioned. Weakly, Weisz reached up and grabbed his gun with his left hand, much to everyone's surprise.
"I… Arsenal will…" he tried to say, with his hair veiling his eyes. The Rogue Out member kicked him away, sending him tumbling back into the wall as he slumped down it.
"Hah!" he laughed, "Thought you could pull a fast one on us, huh?!" he assumed, re-aiming his gun, "Then again, I guess you can say you at least tried to fight back," he remarked, readying his trigger finger. The Machina Maker Quirk user smirked.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" he advised, causing Ganoff to blink in confusion. He pulled the trigger, and the gun exploded in his hand.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed in pain, grabbing his wrist. Fortunately, none of his fingers were blown off, but his extremity was bleeding rather heavily. "The hell did you do, you brat?!" he yelled in question to Weisz, who staggered to his feet as he braced himself against the wall, letting out a heavy breath.
"Just remodeled your gun a little…" he answered, placing his hands against the wall, "My Quirk lets me remodel machinery of any kind, so long as I know how to operate it," he explained, "Guns are no different…" he pointed out, much to the chagrin of the Rogue Out member.
"Well, sorry to say that there's no weapons we'll be letting you touch in here," Yu noted, readying his crystal-covered arms.
"Yeah…" the Machina Maker Quirk user responded, "I'll admit, Arsenal's toast and I've got nothing left on me…" he confessed, letting his yellow markings shine upon his arms, "But Arsenal…" he continued, taking on a determined expression, "isn't my only weapon…" he declared. All of a sudden, the room started rumbling, much to the shock of those inside.
"Hey, hey! What's happening?!" Toya yelled in question as he looked around. Ganoff widened his eyes upon seeing the markings upon Weisz's arms.
"You're an Ether-type?!" he exclaimed.
"Yep!" the Machina Maker Quirk user responded, grinning widely as his markings expanded, "And you know about what Ether-types are capable of, right?!" he inquired on, causing everyone else in the room to gasp in shock. His body started to change drastically, with his markings turning from yellow to blue. He gained an overall mechanical appearance, where his neck, hands, and feet had intricate mechanical seams, round ear cups, and four dark-colored tentacles sprouting from his back. His hair became blue, and was slid back where several energy lines went across his right eye. His upper legs and parts of his arms were darkened and gained the same kind of markings. His outfit inverted in color, becoming a lighter silver.
"What the hell is that…?!" Yu questioned, somewhat panicked. Ganoff clenched his teeth together.
"Even if you've got Overdrive, what good is that gonna do ya?!" he questioned.
"Like I said, Arsenal's not my only weapon!" the Machina Maker Quirk user shouted, "This entire labyrinth's got all kinds of mechanics, even with your buddy twisting it all around!" he pointed out to the shock of his foe, "If I'm gonna take you down all at once…" he kept going, plugging the tentacles down into the floor as his energy lines spread along the ground, "I'm gonna have to just scrap what I can!" he decided.
"Stop him, quick!" Ganoff yelled almost desperately. But it was too late for him and the Eight Bullets' members.
"MORTAL CRASH!" Weisz exclaimed. The floor burst in a fiery explosion, striking his four foes as they all screamed with agony, crashing into the walls around the rest of the room. When the smoke settled, it revealed all of them lying down unconscious in defeat. Unplugging his extra appendages, the Machina Maker Quirk user let his newly attained form disappear as he staggered forward. He fell onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily as both blood and sweat dripped down from his head.
'Overdrive takes more of a toll on me than Arsenal would…' he noted to himself, 'No wonder Shiki decided not to debut it until the time was right…' he recalled, chuckling a little, 'I guess it's good that I ended up staying behind…' he admitted inwardly, 'If Suneater hung back for us, he'd probably be dead…' he added through his thoughts, 'Mom…' he uttered inwardly, tearing up a little, 'I hope I did the right thing in the end…' he said to himself, collapsing onto the floor.
X
"Did you guys feel that?" Eijiro asked, getting everyone's attention as they were still lurking in the twisted hallways of the labyrinth, "Sounded like an explosion from below…" he noted aloud.
"They're probably with more enemies downstairs," Holy presumed, "Hopefully, they're doing okay…" she added aloud.
"Miss Holy!" Izuku called out, causing her to perk up as she whipped around to see more pillars of the wall shooting out towards her. She grimaced, making her markings appear around her head as her hair glowed gold. But before she could do anything, a bladed whip suddenly lashed out and shattered through the pillars, reducing them to rubble.
"Look alive, people," Ivry advised as she stepped forward, standing alongside the I.U.A. Hero, "With that mimicking bastard still in the walls, we can't let ourselves get distracted," she insisted of the group.
"Right, of course…" the Light Quirk user agreed, "Let's continue down this path!" she requested, "We'll break through any walls Irinaka may put up!" she assured on.
"Yes, ma'am!" Izuku and Eijiro responded, leading the charge as they bashed through more of the walls ahead. Rebecca looked over to Kleene as they kept going, wondering how she was holding up. The further they went, they closer they likely were to Kris.
"Hey, Kleene—" Before the Cat Leaper Quirk user could say anything to her friend, they saw the wall before them burst open thanks to their colleagues. However, both of them were suddenly struck back by large palms of white hands, sliding to a stop.
"Deku! Red Riot!" Holy called out, turning to see who attacked them. She then blinked in surprise. Standing in front of them was none other than Mosco, who held his palms out like a sumo wrestler.
"Moscoy!" he exclaimed. Almost everyone looked ahead in bewilderment.
'What the hell are we looking at…?' they all wondered inwardly. Battles throughout the labyrinth were continuing. And more were to come…
ENDING
Insert "The World's Continuation" by Ado
Opens with Rebecca as a little girl waking up in the morning at the orphanage she grew up in. She plays with the other orphans as Witch watches on, smiling all the while. Growing up, Rebecca is a big help around the orphanage, learning to cook with Witch, organize, and even clean.
At one point, a cat is adopted by the orphanage, being none other than Happy. Rebecca is the one to take care of it the most, feeding him every so often and sleeping with him. She goes out on a walk with him and Witch one day, heading to a local park. There, she sees Izuku lying on the ground after having to deal with Katsuki and the other bullies.
From then on, he and Rebecca become friends, growing up together. They even go out to get hero trading cards one day, coming across the rare All Might card in their respective packs. Throughout their school days from kindergarten to elementary to junior high, Izuku and Rebecca stay great friends.
One night during a school dance, Izuku sits dejectedly as everyone else is dancing together in pairs. Rebecca approaches him, wearing a lovely green dress. She offers her hand to Izuku, who graciously accepts it as his face scrunches up. They dance together, all while Katsuki watches on from the corner with a look of annoyance on his face.
The years go by, up to the end of middle school. The day arrives that Izuku and Rebecca get to U.A. High, entering alongside each other. We see flashes of everything they've gone through: the Quirk tests, the battle training, the USJ incident, the Sports Festival, the internships, the final exams, the forest camp attack, the incident in Camino Ward, the provisional licensing exam, and Izuku and Katsuki's fight afterwards.
From there, we see the couple dressed in their hero costumes, looking out to the horizon as they're joined by their classmates, prepared to face whatever lies ahead. Izuku looks to Rebecca and smiles, taking her hand into his own and holding onto it firmly. Neither of them are ever going to lose hope in each other.
END ENDING
That actually turned out a lot better than I hoped it'd be! Having Weisz take Tamaki's place in this chapter against the Eight Bullets wasn't my original intention, and I did think it'd be a little too easy. But lo and behold, I remembered that the Hassaikai were notorious drug traffickers! Of course they'd use these kinds of things for themselves.
Plus, I did wanna give Weisz a moment to use his Overdrive. Call that a precedent for what's ahead. Anyways, things are gonna get weird and wacky with what's ahead. But there'll also be some rough moments here and there. You'll see what I mean.
Thanks for reading, everyone!