Welcome back to "Through the Rough", folks! Last time we left off, Izuku and Rebecca went all-out to take down Overhaul! And in the meantime, a lot of other things happened. Acnoella was revealed to be Ryukyu's sister, Overhaul has something I'm sure some of you might've missed in the prior chapter, and a couple other neat tidbits.
For now though, we're nearing the conclusion of this massive arc to kick off the Season 4 adaptation. What'll happen now that Overhaul's been bested? We're about to find out! Hope you're ready to enjoy!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"Three-one-seven-three…" Shota said, staring at the large safe door ahead of him.
'Why is something like this here?' he wondered inwardly, 'And what's inside of it?' he questioned on through his thoughts. A rumbling caught his attention as he looked up at the ceiling. 'Sounds like things are starting to get really rough…' he noted to himself, narrowing his eyes. Just then, he noticed the ceiling start to swell, melting apart as a hole was formed.
"Eraser Head!" Holy called out, getting his attention as he looked up to see her there alongside both Eraser and Feather.
"Are you alright?" the Erase Quirk user asked.
"I'm fine," Shota responded, throwing up a part of his scarf for both him and Holy to grab, pulling him up, "What about the others?" he questioned, "Where's Chisaki?" he inquired on.
"He's up on the surface fighting Deku and Aoneko," the dual-type Quirk user answered.
"What?!" the Erasure Hero exclaimed.
"Feather, can you see what's going on?" Eraser asked of the Eye of Venus Quirk user, whose white markings stopped shining after a moment.
"It'll be over once we arrive," she confirmed as Shota climbed up to the floor, "Let's get to the surface," she insisted. Up on the streets, both Izuku and Rebecca breathed heavily as they stared down the defeated form of Kai. Bio-electricity crackled around both of their bodies as their fists remained clenched. The One For All inheritor looked over to his girlfriend, awed by her empowered appearance. But even more than that, he was amazed by her strength in those last few moments.
"Eri…" he uttered, trying to get the attention of the little girl upon his back, "Are you o—?" All of a sudden, a yellow energy like electricity suddenly enveloped him.
"Ah!" Rebecca gasped, flinching from the luminosity's brightness. Her boyfriend fell to his hands and knees. Eri's Quirk had suddenly gotten stronger, to the point where injuring himself was the only way to keep his body from being reduced to nothing. "Izu…!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user cried out. Meanwhile, Kai was barely conscious. He thought back to when he was first taken in by the former yakuza leader, getting into fights with people who dared to call them villains. Though the leader disciplined him for acting out of line, he appreciated his loyalty.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the Shie Hassaikai leader bellowed, reaching out once more to try and grab his target. But the energy emitting from her horn enveloped him, causing his body and Rikiya's to reform, separating from each other. From above, Acnoella watched on, having reverted to her normal form. She smirked at the sight, watching as Ochaco went ahead and caught Kai, pinning him to the ground as he was completely unconscious.
"Eri, stop!" Pino yelled as she ran over with tears pricking her eyes.
"What's happening?!" Rebecca inquired.
"It's Eri's Quirk!" the little android answered quickly, "Her power lets her rewind things!" she explained, "If she doesn't stop, then your friend could die!" she pointed out in panic, causing the Cat Leaper Quirk user to gasp. Looking back toward the large hole in the intersection, it didn't seem like anyone else was bound to be coming out anytime soon.
'The only thing I could think that would stop her would be Mister Aizawa!' Rebecca noted inwardly, 'But unless he comes up in the next few seconds…!' she continued through her thoughts, grimacing as she looked back to her boyfriend, who was doing what he could to endure the effects of Eri's power. But it wasn't looking good. Sooner or later, he wouldn't be able to handle it anymore. And his girlfriend knew that.
But at that moment, she blinked upon seeing the tears in the little girl's eyes. She was obviously in extreme amounts of pain, but she was also still scared. She had been told her power was a curse, not just by Overhaul, but the very person who gave her life. She didn't want anyone to die because of her.
All of a sudden, Rebecca grabbed her right off of Izuku, allowing him to instantly deactivate his Full Cowling before he could accidentally break something in his body. His moment of relief was replaced with horror upon realizing what had just happened. He whipped around immediately.
"REBECCA!" he screamed. His girlfriend held Eri in her arms closely, putting her right hand behind her head and her left over her back. As the yellow energy washed over her, she grimaced a little.
"Hey…" she uttered out, "Eri…?" she said, trying to get the little girl's attention. She peeked her red, teary eyes open, followed by widening them. The Cat Leaper Quirk user was giving her a warm smile. "Everything's okay," she assured, "We're all here now," she promised. Hearing that, the horned girl blinked as she recalled a brief memory.
'Someday, you'll meet a girl that you'll feel close to…' a voice in her head echoed, 'That girl…' she continued. At that very moment, the energy emitting from Eri's horn ceased completely. Rebecca stared in amazement at the little girl, who appeared to be faint.
"Sis…ter…" she uttered, falling asleep in her arms as her face went red.
"She stopped…" Pino noted with shaking eyes. Izuku watched as his girlfriend had her empowered form disappear in a burst of light, falling onto her knees and breathing heavily. She held onto the horned girl closely, noticing that her horn had significantly shrunk in the midst of the confusion.
"Deku! Aoneko!" a voice called out, belonging to Holy as she, Eraser, Feather, Shota, Ivry and Tsuyu came up aboard the draconic form of Ryukyu, while Nejire flew up beside them. Kris was being carried by the Heal Atomizer Quirk user, who came down from the Dragoon Hero along with the others.
"Is everyone alright, ribbit?" the Frog Quirk user asked as she hopped over to help restrain Kai with Ochaco.
"Yeah…" her classmate replied, "I think Rebecca was able to stop her…" she added in remembrance. Standing up, the Cat Leaper Quirk user exhaled with relief, holding the little girl in her arms like a caring mother. The events of today were nearly over.
"Rebecca…" Izuku uttered, getting his girlfriend's attention as she saw him approach, "Are you okay, too?" he inquired.
"Yeah," she responded simply with a nod, giving off a small smile. She looked to the feverish Eri, who panted with exhaustion as tears pricked her shut eyes. It was thanks to her that the heroes were able to achieve victory today. As ambulances and armored trucks arrived to take those who were injured and arrested away respectively, the couple handed off the little girl to the arriving EMTs.
"Heroes…" a voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they turned to see the small figure of Pino approach. Tears were welling up in her own little eyes, "Thank you so much for saving her…!" she whimpered out gratefully.
"Hey, hurry! His pulse is dropping!" one EMT yelled as he and a few others were quickly carting the impaled Nighteye aboard a stretcher, having bandaged his lost arm and making sure the spike in his chest was stable.
"Nighteye!" Izuku cried out as he hurried over alongside his girlfriend. With his eyes barely open as an oxygen mask was over his nose and mouth, the Foresight Quirk user looked over to the pair that approached. "Can you hear me?" the One For All inheritor asked, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you…" he noted.
"Midoriya…" Nighteye uttered weakly, "Bluegarden…" he said, making the Cat Leaper Quirk user perk up, "You two… really did twist the future…" he confirmed to the pair, who slightly widened their eyes in surprise.
"Sir…" Izuku whimpered out, almost on the verge of crying himself, "All Might… he said he'll live!" he exclaimed, "He told me he couldn't face you, but…" he kept going, "you have to see him again!" he insisted firmly.
"Izu, hey…" Rebecca said, putting a hand onto his shoulder.
"Please pull through, Sir…" the One For All inheritor requested. With that, the Foresight Quirk user was loaded onto the ambulance and driven away.
"We did suffer quite a few casualties today from the look of it," Holy's voice chimed in as she approached, getting the couple's attention as they saw her come over alongside Eraser, Feather, and Shota. Weisz and Eijiro were being carried out aboard stretchers along with Mirio, while the police were arresting Mosco, Iyashi, Ganoff, and the others of the Hassaikai. Kleene wept over the sight of her limbless brother as he was loaded aboard an ambulance with Ivry hopping in to tend to him. She nodded assuredly to the crying Wind Snatch Quirk user, vowing to save her brother at any cost.
"I thought that once Acnoella entered the picture, we'd lose," Eraser admitted aloud, looking up to the partly cloudy sky.
"Mm," Feather hummed with a nod of agreement.
"Still…" Holy began, turning to Izuku and Rebecca, "we succeeded more than we could've ever hoped for today thanks to you two," she affirmed to them, "Thank you," she said in gratitude as she smiled warmly. Only an hour had gone by since the raid began. And by the end, the rescue was complete. But nobody yet knew what the costs would be…
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
"We've pulled out two more bodies from the labyrinth!" an officer standing at the entryway to the building called out, "One man and one woman!" he informed.
"Are they on the detail list?" the chief asked.
"No sir," the officer replied as a figure was listening on from afar in an alleyway, being none other than Mr. Brave. He narrowed his eyes as the bodies were brought out, placed onto the walkway before the house, being both Takashi and Komi.
"Have we located members of the League yet?" the chief inquired as he inspected the two bodies of the Saintfire followers.
"Not yet," another officer responded, "We've done a sweep of the immediate area, but we'll continue looking," he affirmed. At that moment, Mr. Brave ended up walking down the alley, removing his headgear before readying a phone, holding it to his right ear.
"This is Twilight," he communicated, "I can confirm that both Higaru and Shoko succeeded in their mission," he noted, "Unfortunately, they are both dead," he mentioned sadly, reaching his left hand up to his neck to pull off his skin, revealing a face of a handsome man with short blond hair, blue eyes, and light skin, "I'll be heading to the next location before a new assignment," he mentioned.
"Understood," a female voice responded over the line. Out in the abandoned church, a figure ended the call between herself and the spy. It was an attractive and fairly tall young woman with fair skin, long black hair, and upturned red eyes. She split her hair into two parts and crossed it over her head, securing it with a headband and forming two thick locks of hair that reached below her chest.
She wore a form-fitting halter-style black dress that showed off her shoulders and cleavage, with a rose choker and a red rose pattern on the inside of her skirt. The front of the skirt was mid-thigh length, while the back reached below her knees. She also wore a pair of black thigh-high boots and black fingerless gloves. The headband she wore was gold-colored with a rose and two spikes on each side. She trembled slightly.
"Saintfire…" she uttered out, struggling to maintain her composure as she clutched the phone tightly in her hand, snapping it in half with her bare strength.
"Calm down, Yor," Nox insisted, seated at the end of the room in front of the pews, "I understand how you feel," she affirmed, "Komi was like a daughter to me, too," she mentioned, staring down solemnly at the floor.
"And Takashi was one of your most devoted members…" the dark-haired woman added, wiping her eyes as she sniffled.
"We'll press on," the Oracion Seis member affirmed, "For now, let's be glad that the child is in better hands…" she insisted of her colleague.
"Right…" she responded, taking on a firm expression. Elsewhere out on the highways, the police were transporting the capture Shie Hassaikai members out to a villain hospital in their armored cars. Those tending to Kai had taken his belongings, including the sets of finished bullets he had.
The driver in one of the armored trucks blinked in surprise upon noticing something ahead. It was a trailer truck that had a person standing atop it. And it was none other than Tomura. The trailer's doors opened slightly, revealing Maria, Compress, Daichi, and Dabi inside.
"In shogi…" their leader began, "the point is to take out the king, right?" he presumed.
"Not exactly that simple…" Maria grumbled, throwing away her lollipop.
"But we can see what you're getting at…" Daichi confirmed, snickering excitedly, "I'm sure Fie'll love what we're up to," he added confidently. Meanwhile, Compress was on his phone.
"Yes, they're here just as you said!" he told the person on the other end of the line, "This was the fastest route from the yakuza's HQ to the nearest villain hospital…" he pointed out, "The stage is now set," he declared, "Thanks for letting us know," he said with gratitude.
"No prob," Himiko's voice responded over the line, "Fie's a little grumpy he won't get to join you, but that's fine," she noted on, while from the street she was standing upon, the Flame Ammo Quirk user was tending to Twice, who had removed his costume, "We couldn't get the kid at the crux of their plans, but I've got no doubt you'll get the finished product," she mentioned, "I didn't see the cops take anything, so…" she continued.
"Understood," Compress replied over the line, "We'll be taking it from here," he stated as he ended the call.
"Fie would've been perfect for something like this…" Maria grumbled out.
"Sorry, sweetheart…" Dabi remarked in a mock-apologetic tone, "but you're stuck with me as your firepower," he pointed out to her chagrin. All of a sudden, the truck swerved, making them yelp. "Hey, stop weaving, Lizard!" he yelled out as the one driving the vehicle was actually Spinner.
"The name's Spinner, dammit!" he shouted back, "You doubting my video gaming driving skills?!" he inquired angrily.
"Just shut up and drive!" Dabi retorted in frustration.
"Racist…" Maria muttered under her breath.
"Huh?" the pyrokinetic uttered, unsure as to what she had said.
"Nothing," she responded, "Let's look alive," she advised, "I don't think they'd transport top-level yakuza thugs without heroes on the scene," she pointed out seriously.
"Fine…" Dabi muttered, raising his right hand as a cobalt blue flame ignited upon his palm. The leading police car quickly got out in front of the armored truck, taking the stream of flames sent its way. The pyrokinetic villain smirked… but only for a moment as his fire wound up getting snuffed out by a mass of sand being expelled from someone inside the police car, protecting both it and the truck.
"Shit, I told you!" Maria shouted. Emerging from the passenger's side of the vehicle was a rather muscular man with turquoise eyes and light, ash blond hair that was tied into a long ponytail which hung out from his mask, as well as a long mustache. He wore a dark blue mask that covered the top of his head and appeared to wear a green and silver combat vest with tubes connected to his back.
"So it's you, League of Villains…" he muttered out.
"Sand Hero, Snatch…" Daichi noted, "Ooh, that's not a good matchup for us…" he pointed out with a shudder of excitement.
"Of course a pro would show up…" Tomura muttered.
"Yeah, I just said that!" Maria yelled, "Ugh, whatever…" she grumbled, "Spinner, keep us as steady as you can and slow down!" she called out in instruction, "We'll handle the rest!" she promised. With that, the lizard-like man eased up on the gas pedal, decelerating so that the truck was closer. The League's leader then leapt out toward the lead car, only for Snatch to catch him in a cloud of sand.
"You might be able to disintegrate anything you touch, but that won't work on sand!" he proclaimed.
"Yeah, you've got a point…" Tomura admitted, "Slime!" he yelled out.
"Don't have to tell me twice…" Maria grumbled, leaping up and extending her right leg out to slam into Snatch's face, blinding him momentarily. That allowed from Compress to flick a marble onto the road, rolling underneath the lead police car. It popped open to reveal a huge rock, which flipped the vehicle upward. It allowed for Tomura to land upon the hood of the truck, breaking through the windshield and grabbing the wheel as the driver screamed with panic.
The truck swerved out of control before crashing, with Maria and Tomura jumping off beforehand, landing upon the street and skidding to a halt. Fire spewed out from the bottom of the vehicle as a result of the crash, while Snatch landed off to the side, checking on one of the officer that had drove him. However, it left him wide open to facing Dabi, who surrounded him with blue fire. That allowed for Compress to compress him into a marble.
"Well, that was pretty intense…" he grumbled out, dusting himself off, "But sand doesn't burn, does it?" he inquired.
"Pretty sure he could only turn his top half into sand, so he's probably dead," Dabi affirmed.
"Oh great, another kill for you…" Maria muttered out, getting their attentions, "Would ya hurry up and help us get this damn thing open?" she requested of her colleagues.
"Tch," Dabi scoffed, "Slimy bitch…" he grumbled.
"Oh do calm down, Dabi…" Compress insisted, "We're lucky she's still decided to pal around with us after that whole fiasco in Camino," he pointed out, "Getting herself left behind by All For One must've stung quite a great deal, along with losing Drakken Joe," he told him.
"So what, I'm supposed to just deal with the fact she's a bitch?" he muttered in question.
"Don't be so crude…" Compress advised as they walked over with Daichi to Maria and Tomura. They opened the doors of the armored truck, finding that the EMTs inside had gotten killed from being tossed around during the crash. Kai was fine, though he still remained restrained on the bed he was upon. Pulling him out, the League of Villains' leader put his left foot up against him.
"Tell me again who the next leader is…" he grumbled out.
"…Did you come to kill me…?" the Shie Hassaikai leader wondered aloud.
"No…" Tomura confirmed in reply, "I thought of something you'll hate even more than that," he pointed out. At that moment, Kai's left arm was completely severed, having been compressed into a marble that Compress caught.
"You owed us an arm, remember?" he said, looking over to his new prosthetic. Meanwhile, Maria pulled out two small boxes from the Shie Hassaikai leader's coat.
"That the finished product?" Daichi inquired as he peeked over her shoulder, seeing her open one of them.
"One's missing from this one," she pointed out, "If they used it during that whole debacle at their base, then I'd say this is probably the one," she noted, closing the box and tossing it over to Tomura.
"And the other one?" Compress inquired.
"Give those back…" Kai demanded in a weak voice, "Those are mine…" he added, trembling with anger. But he couldn't do anything. Huffing, Tomura removed the hand upon his face.
"You know what I think, Overhaul?" he questioned, "You're way too full of yourself," he stated, "You wanna eliminate Quirks, yet you're using your own?" he inquired on, "If you're so obsessed with that…" he continued, grabbing his foe's bound right arm, "then maybe you shouldn't have a Quirk of your own," he suggested, starting to decay the Shie Hassaikai leader's arm. He grimaced with fright. "Oh, but if we don't cut that off, your whole body's gonna turn to dust…" Tomura noted, pulling out a large knife and hacking off the decaying part of his foe's arm.
"Hmph," Compress scoffed with a smirk, "Serves you right, yakuza," he remarked.
"And now you're helpless!" the League of Villains' leader exclaimed, "A weak, Quirkless loser!" he mentioned mockingly, "And all the fruits of your labors belong to me!" he added with a sadistic grin, "Now you don't even have a thumb to suck on!" he yelled excitedly, "You're doomed to watch from the sidelines as your dream falls apart!" he pointed out, "Let's do our best!" he finished in a mocking tone. Kai was mortified. Everything he had done in the effort to make the yakuza powerful again… was washed away in but a matter of moments.
"Hey, we need to move," Maria insisted, "Cops are gonna be on the scene soon," she noted seriously.
"Yeah, yeah…" Dabi muttered in understanding. As the group headed over to their truck, Tomura put the hand back on over his face.
"Next… it'll be our turn…" he proclaimed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kai screamed in dismay. The smoke from the flames billowed into the sky. And with it, so did his dreams.
X
"I did a thorough examination," a doctor at the nearby hospital confirmed to Izuku, who had taken off the upper portion of his costume, along with his mask and iron soles, "but other than your arms, there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary," he told him.
"Good to hear. Thanks a lot," he responded gratefully.
"But how did your arms end up—?"
"They're fine!" Izuku affirmed, interjecting the doctor as he stood up, trying to put the upper half of his costume back on, "Anyways, how're the others?" he asked in concern.
"Well…" a familiar, sultry voice chimed in, getting his attention as he turned to see none other than Holy standing at the doorway with her arms folded over her chest, "you've certainly become quite the handsome young man, Izuku…" she complimented flirtatiously, chuckling a little. The One For All inheritor broke out into a mad blush, quickly putting his costume back on. "Come on," the I.U.A. Hero beckoned, "I'll fill you in on what's happened," she promised, departing from the room as the freckled teen followed, zipping his costume up.
"Is everyone okay?" he inquired worriedly.
"For the most part," the dual-type Quirk user replied, "Any civilians that were in the area at the time received only minor injuries," she pointed out, "It might've just been a weekday, but that's still miraculous," she mentioned in a complimentary tone, "You understood the situation and did what you could," she noted.
"Oh, uh… thanks…" Izuku responded sheepishly, scratching his right cheek.
"As for the lot of us heroes, Weisz wound up with a fair many fractures to his arms and skull, along a couple cracked ribs to go with them," Holy told him, "Eijiro's covered in bruises and lacerations, but they'll both make a full recovery before too long," she continued reassuringly, "Fat Gum has a few broken bones himself, but he's fine otherwise," she added.
"I didn't realize Steiner got so injured…" the One For All inheritor noted.
"Apparently, he stayed behind to fend off members of Chisaki's inner circle," Holy explained, "As for the others, we've only heard of minor to no injuries, save for a few in particular…" she mentioned.
"What about Rebecca? Is she okay?" Izuku asked out of concern. The I.U.A. Hero smiled.
"She's fine," she assured in reply. In another room, Rebecca had taken off the upper portion of her bodysuit to be examined by a ponytailed doctor, who sat across from her with a tablet in hand.
"It seems to me that your body hasn't sustained any kind of injury, even from what you described had happened during your battles," she explained to the Cat Leaper Quirk user, "Perhaps this may be a side effect of that Overdrive you said you attained in the midst of things," she presumed.
"Yeah, probably…" Rebecca agreed as she nodded. From head to toe, she was just fine. No wounds, no other injuries… And it was shocking to her. She looked down at her hands.
'I'm sure since Overdrive's a boost in my Quirk's power, it makes sense that my injuries would reverse since I can go through time…' she noted to herself, recalling the battle that had occurred just a little while ago, 'But everything else…' she continued as she balled her hands into fists, 'it felt like…' she kept going, narrowing her eyes in thought.
"Rebecca!" her boyfriend's voice called out, snapping her away from her musings as she turned her head to see him there alongside Holy.
"Izu!" she exclaimed with a smile, "You're okay!" she affirmed as she got up.
"And you look well yourself," the I.U.A. Hero commented, "Doctor, is she cleared to come with us?" she inquired of the physician.
"Oh, yes," she answered with a nod.
"How's everyone else doing?" Rebecca asked immediately in concern. However, she noticed Izuku covering his reddening face with his hands as he turned away. "Uh… Izu?" she uttered out of confusion.
"Before we go and check…" Holy began, pointing to the Cat Leaper Quirk user, "you may want to zip yourself up," she advised. Blinking in realization, the ash blonde-haired girl looked down in horror to find that the upper half of her costume remained unzipped, revealing her blue-and-white-striped bra.
"AH!" she yelped, blushing a bright red as she turned around to get herself fully dressed, "S-Sorry!" she stammered apologetically. Holy silently chuckled. Moments later, the three of them traversed through the halls.
"So Mister Aizawa's still at the Hassaikai's headquarters?" Izuku inquired of the I.U.A. Hero as they trekked onward.
"Yes," she replied, "Apparently, there was something else there the group was hiding," she told the couple, "He stayed behind with whomever else was still available to investigate," she explained on.
"Do you know what it is?" Rebecca asked.
"Hard to say," Holy answered honestly.
"…How's Eri doing?" Izuku asked, changing the subject, "I know she passed out after her Quirk stopped, so…" he recalled.
"…She's come down with a high fever," the I.U.A. Hero answered to the couple's surprise, "Since she's having a fitful sleep as well, we've decided to keep her quarantined," she told them.
"Quarantined?" Rebecca repeated.
"So that means we won't be able to see her?" Izuku inferred, earning a nod from the dual-type Quirk user.
"That decision was based upon what you had told the EMTs about her Quirk," she pointed out, "Her Quirk's uncontrollable and therefore, we can't take any chances," she explained firmly as they turned a corner. They blinked in surprise to see Pino standing by the elevator alongside Feather and Eraser.
"Looks like both of you are unscathed…" the latter commented with a small grin.
"Save the pleasantries for later, Ichiro," Holy insisted.
"Hey, it's Pino, right?" Izuku presumed as he crouched down to the little android's eye level, getting her attention, "Eri told me you're her friend…" he noted. Pino nodded.
"Thank you again for saving her, Mister Hero," she said in gratitude, bowing her head, "I am sorry for all the trouble we caused…" she apologized.
"Hey, there's no need for that," Rebecca assured as she stepped forward, "We would've saved you and Eri no matter what," she affirmed. The little android trembled a little, tearing up.
"What a peculiar being…" Feather noted, narrowing her eyes, "I had no idea machines could express such feelings…" she pointed out, "Perhaps we should—" Holy stuck her arm out in front of her before she could do anything.
"We'll worry about that for another time," she decided firmly to her surprise, "Ichiro, have you gotten in contact with Cure yet?" she inquired of the Erase Quirk user, who was holding a phone up to his right ear.
"Still going straight to voicemail, unfortunately…" he responded, causing her to growl with frustration.
"Wait, why would you need to get in touch with Cure?" Rebecca asked, picking Pino up in her arms.
"His Quirk is quite useful in situations like these," Feather answered, getting her attention, "Although I fear it may be too late…" she confessed as she glanced off to the side.
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked.
"Huh…" Holy sighed out, "Let's get on the elevator," she advised of the group. Moments later, the group had gone down to the second basement level. Rebecca felt really uneasy. "Izuku," the dual-type Quirk user said, getting the One For All inheritor's attention, "The reason you were able to stay alive from Eri's power was because you were constantly breaking your body for her to reverse the effects, right?" she presumed thoroughly to his surprise.
"Uh, yeah…" he responded, glancing down in thought, "If it wasn't for what Rebecca did, I don't know what would've happened…" he confessed on.
"From what you told us, Eri needs a lot of training in order to have control over her rewinding, which seems to only work on living things," Holy told him, "But for now, we can't rely on that power for this…" she noted grimly.
"Hold on…" Rebecca said as they arrived at the end of the hallway, with the sliding doors opening, "what are you—?"
"Ah!" Izuku gasped lightly in surprise. Both All Might and Recovery Girl were present, along with Ivry, Bubble Girl, and Centipeder.
"A-All Might?" the Cat Leaper Quirk user stammered as she and her boyfriend approached, "What are you doing here?" she asked, "I mean, I get why Recovery Girl's here, but—" Just then, Ivry put a hand onto her shoulder.
"Ease up, Rebecca," she advised to obtain her attention, "It's sad to say, but I don't think it really needs explaining…" she pointed out, glancing off to the side ashamedly as she crossed her arms. The Cat Leaper Quirk user was confused, but then looked around to see everyone's distraught expressions. Slowly, she started to realize what had happened. Or rather… what was about to happen.
"We've done everything could, but…" one of the surgeons started to say, "it's a miracle he's managed to survive this long…" he confessed.
"I'm afraid my Quirk and Ivry's won't be of much help here either…" Recovery Girl added sadly, "He's too far gone for us to save…" she confirmed. Izuku and Rebecca were speechless. They looked to each other in disbelief.
Moments later, they were gathered in the operating room, where Nighteye lied upon the bed with several tubes inserted into his stomach, along with an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. The faint beeping of the heart monitor echoed through the silent room. All Might lowered his head with shame.
"I'm so sorry…" he apologized quietly. At that moment, the Foresight Quirk user's eyes slowly opened.
"All… Might…?" he uttered out, "You've come to see me… before I die…?" he inquired of his former partner.
"I don't know what to say…" he admitted in response, "But I was wrong… for pushing you away…" he confessed on. Izuku then approached.
"Nighteye, hang in there!" he pleaded, "Please, you have to live!" he begged on.
"I've never heard you sound so penitent before… All Might…" the former sidekick noted with a small smile, "But… I never resented you…" he assured.
"Nighteye…" Rebecca uttered, trembling a little as she held Pino in her arms.
"All I wanted… was for you to be happy…" the Foresight Quirk user pointed out to the former pro, "And if you've decided to fight fate, then I—"
"You should be fighting it, too!" All Might insisted, interjecting him, "Please, give me a chance to make up for what I've done!" he begged.
"Huh…" Nighteye exhaled, his breath fogging up his oxygen mask, "There's nothing to make up for…" he affirmed, "I wanted to change the future, to keep you from being killed…" he told him, "I looked for ways to alter the fate I'd seen…" he continued, "but… nothing seemed to work…" he confessed, "And then today…" he kept going, looking over to Izuku and Rebecca, "both Midoriya and Bluegarden succeeded where I failed…" he said, "Perhaps I overlooked something…" he admitted on, "but maybe…" he continued as his breathing grew heavy, "it had to do with their wills to succeed…" he pointed out, "Their wills to not accept the reality I foresaw…" he kept going, "and change it with their own power, not doubting themselves for a second…" he mentioned.
"Nighteye…!" Rebecca whimpered out. She wanted to do nothing more than to reverse all these events. Doing so would let him live, and they would have a better opportunity to save Eri. At least, that's what she thought.
"You've both changed my thinking…" the Foresight Quirk user noted aloud, "You've shown me that the future isn't always set in stone…" he confirmed, "I only… have one regret left…" he admitted weakly.
"SIR!" a limping Mirio screamed out as he forced his way into the operating room in spite of a nurse trying to pull him back.
"Togata!" Izuku exclaimed in surprise, moving aside with his girlfriend to let him approach their mentor's bed.
"Don't give up…!" he insisted as tears welled up in his eyes, "Please keep fighting!" he begged, "Don't die on me!" he yelled on.
"…Mirio…" Nighteye uttered out, "I'm sorry…" he apologized, "This is my failure…" he said, "If only I had been there—"
"Don't say that!" the now Quirkless teen interjected passionately as tears dripped out of his eyes.
"Mirio…" Rebecca uttered, crying herself along with her boyfriend. It was a solemn ordeal for everyone involved. In spite of the mission's completion, they were about to lose the man who brought them all together for it. As for him, he heard his student's pleas for him to live. Though they wouldn't amount to anything, it did give Nighteye a sense of clarity.
Though he had chosen Mirio to be One For All's next successor, he grew into so much more than that, even after the Quirk had already been passed from All Might to Izuku. He had followed the Foresight Quirk user and learned so much from him. And now… where would that lead with today's events? He reached up to his student and put his hand onto his face, activating his Quirk as his eyes flashed purple.
"You'll be okay…" he assured after a moment, making Mirio blink in surprise, "You'll be… a great hero…" he affirmed, "One of the finest the world's ever seen…" he added, "That's one part of the future… that shouldn't be changed…" he insisted, "Without joy and laughter to balance out the sorrow… there won't be… a bright… future…" he finished weakly as the light left his eyes, all while a smile remained on his face. The heart monitor flat-lined, beeping loudly through the room. Pino looked on somberly.
"He is gone…" she confirmed. Through the tears and whimpering, Rebecca knew that she couldn't change this outcome. Not only would it be disrespectful to everyone who had worked so hard to fight against the Hassaikai, but it would also alter the course of the future Nighteye would want for her and everyone else. This was unfortunately necessary for the sake of that bright future…
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
Dang, 13 chapters into Season 4 and I'm still gassed up to get things going. With the Shie Hassaikai Arc essentially over, we've got quite a few things up ahead, along with some original stories up ahead to help space things out. And there's of course gonna be some big surprises up ahead, too.
Next chapter, we'll be getting into some of those surprises. Thanks for reading, everyone. I'll see you all next time.