Here it is!
Mina rounded the corner just to see the shelter doors closed. She then looked to her left at Rodan. Then to her right at Godzilla. While she was in the middle.
One thought went through her mind. Oh fuuuu-
Godzilla roared and charged at Rodan, moving faster than anything that big had any right to each step shaking the ground like an earthquake. Mina used her acid to melt her fingers into the nearby wall and steady herself while Rodan spread its wings and flew right at Godzilla. Mina gripped the wall with her other hand as the winds swept down the street. At the last moment, Rodan pulled up, talons out while Godzilla raised his claws.
Mina braced herself.
The two smashed into one another with a loud boom, generating a gust of wind that nearly blew Mina away. Godzilla let out a thunderous roar, forcing Mina to let go of the wall so she could cover her ears. Godzilla grabbed Rodan and swung him away. Rodan flew in a big circle, then came from behind and slammed his talons into Godzilla. Godzilla staggered from the blow, wildly swinging its arms to grab Rodan. Rodan readjusted its grip several times to avoid Godzilla's grasp, defiantly clinging to his quarry.
Godzilla stumbled through several buildings, sending rubble raining down. Mina slid away as fast as she could. She heard the pulsing sound of Godzilla's atomic breath. Rodan leaped back as Godzilla activated his nuclear pulse. The edge of the deadly bubble struck Rodan, causing it to fall. Toward her.
Uh oh.
Mina moved even faster as Rodan impacted behind her. Mina was thrown into the air and tumbled along the asphalt. As she did, Godzilla looked down at Rodan and let out a series of quick growls. Rodan swung its wings forward, the sudden gust making Godzilla stumble. Rodan lunged at Godzilla. This time Godzilla turned around and smacked Rodan with his tail.
Rodan was knocked into a skyscraper. As Rodan pulled itself off, the area above it buckled, and began to tip. Rodan let out a defiant screech just in time for the top of the building to come crashing down on top of it. Godzilla threw back his head and roared.
Rodan tried to get up, but Godzilla repeatedly hit it with his tail. Then Rodan reached out and clamped its beak around the tail. Godzilla let out a high-pitched screech. Rodan flew backwards, pulling a very annoyed looking Godzilla. Mina took several looks back as Godzilla tried to wrench his tail free.
Finally, Godzilla broke free as Mina passed around a corner. Mina heard Rodan screech again. A shadow passed over her. Mina melted a hole in the wall of one of the buildings and dove inside. She rolled to a corner and curled into a ball as the wind slammed into the building.
Once the wind passed, Mina climbed out and saw Rodan slam its wing into Godzilla. The sudden blow caused the King of the Monsters to lose footing. Then, he fell, slamming into the ground with enough force to kick dust high into the air. After several moments, a blue beam fired from the dust, nearly hitting Rodan. Rodan dove behind a building.
Mina slowly crept out as Rodan poked its head out one side of the building and screeched.. A blue beam shot at its head. Rodan ducked behind the building and stuck its head out the other way. It screeched then ducked as another beam went past its head. Rodan poked its head out the middle, only for the beam to this time hit the center of the building, striking Rodan in the chest.
Mina took her chance and slid away. Behind her, Rodan let out a frustrated screech while Godzilla let out a loud roar. Mina hurried as the two clashed again. Fortunately, this time the fight moved away from her. Mina let out a large sigh of relief.
She just hoped that the Heroes evacuated everyone in those two's way.
"You're just letting them fight?" Hinae said.
"What's the rule?" Izuku said.
Hinae looked out at the road as she drove toward camp. "Never get in the way of two Class 4 and aboves when they're brawling."
"And?"
"That especially applies when one or both is Class 5."
"Right. Even if we could divert Godzilla and Rodan at this stage, it might just lead to more destruction. For now, we wait and watch." The AMF did try diversionary tactics for kaiju brawls in their early days, but those were because civilian evacuations were far slower. Plus they backfired as often as they succeeded.
Hinae said. "The kaiju are a stubborn bunch. Aren't they?"
"Yes."
Soon, Izuku and the others arrived at camp, where the other AMF soldiers had gathered. Izuku and his battered tank were taken to maintenance while newer, fresher teams went to watch the fight and interfere if someone won.
"Hinae," Izuku said, "You're off-duty." He turned to the rest of his team. "That goes for the rest of you too. Good work today."
"Yes sir!" they all said. They went back to watch and rest. Only Hinae and the newer ones hesitated, as if waiting for him. Meanwhile, Akiba and Kisaragi gave him a nod. They knew him too well.
Once his team had left, Izuku hurried over to a group of infantry people who were gathering in a transport truck. "Are you going out?"
One of them nodded. "We were told to help the Heroes evacuate. Why?"
He hopped in. "I'll come too."
They looked amongst themselves, then shrugged. "If you insist."
They drove out toward the evacuation areas. Along the way Izuku caught a look at the battle in the center of town. Rodan smashed Godzilla with his wing. Godzilla slashed with his claws.
Izuku stared transfixed at the sight. He'd only seen archive footage of fights like this. Godzilla and Rodan, a Class 5 and Class 4 (arguably 5 depending on who you ask) both fighting a pitched battle in the streets. It was every bit as magnificent and horrifying as he'd imagined. He winced with every smashed building, every torched block, and every crushed street.
He hoped the Heroes had evacuated that area thoroughly.
They dropped him off at a staging area. The Heroes streamed past with civilians bound for the nearest shelter. At Izuku's arrival, Creati walked up to him. "Midoriya," she said.
"Creati. We're at your disposal."
She nodded. She then said to all the infantry, "Go over four blocks and help take any civilians to the nearest shelter on 2nd and 3rd streets. The Heroes there are primarily Search Heroes. I want them free to keep searching, so the Rescue Heroes and your people can help take any stragglers off their hands.
Izuku nodded. The infantry soldiers' officer said to the others, "You heard her. Let's move!"
As they hurried out, Izuku watched the Heroes flying above them with the civilians. The life he'd once dreamed of having, but was now out of reach.
Eri wiped sweat from her brow as she went to the next patient, laying her hands on the woman. Eri activated her quirk, feeling the energy flow from her horn and into her hands, joined by their gentle golden glow. The woman's wound vanished, like it had never existed at all.
Eri then went to the next patient. Broken leg. As soon as Eri healed him, they wheeled in another. The field hospital was in one of the bunkers, situated near an extra exit that the patients and medical staff could use in an emergency. It was an empty concrete room, with bright white lights lining the ceiling. Utilitarian, meant to be used however they needed at the moment.
Eri herself was in an isolated area, cordoned off from the rest of the field hospital by a hallway and several curtains. Dad's insistence. He never explained, but she knew the reason. To protect her from making hard choices.
A few days after Tokyo
"Why did you keep her and Shimano isolated from the rest of the medical tent?" one of the surviving HPSC officials said.
"She's sixteen. We can choose the people best in need of their care, without letting her carry the burden of all the others she can't save."
"Shouldn't she be able to handle it? She's a Hero in training after all."
Dad's eyes narrowed. "She's sixteen."
Months had passed, but he still didn't want that burden on her shoulders. It was a good idea, if not for one problem. She could still hear them. The moaning, the praying, the begging for help that might never come. It was near-maddening.
All Eri could do to block it out was keep her head down and keep healing. Part of her wished she was with Uravity. But this was where she could do the most good. Uravity had understood that too.
"I wish you could be out there with me, but they want you here, Restore. It's where you can do the most good."
Eri nodded. "I know. Good luck. Be safe."
Uravity smiled. "I will. Good luck yourself, heal well. I know you'll do great." She frowned. "But why are you wearing a sword?"
Eri sheepishly glanced at the massive purple buster sword strapped to her back. Her first Christmas gift. "I always bring it during major battles. For good luck…"
Uravity shrugged, "Ok. I've seen weirder. Carry on."
Eri straightened. Then she went down to prepare her station.
Eri wished Katsuma was here. The workload was easier with him. Even Kota or Satsuki made good company. But Kota and Satsuki were elsewhere in the city while Katsuma was in Endoor. The only company Eri had was the healers on hand, none of whom she knew. Eri shook the thoughts from her head and went on to heal the next patient. Just keep healing. Just kee-
As the wound's vanished, Eri felt something in her head. Like a dam cracking. Eri ripped her hand away from the patient as the dam burst, turning the gentle flow from her horn into a raging torrent. Eri's quirk went wild, streaks of golden energy erupting from her forehead. Eri grit her teeth and struggled to get the raging tempest under control as she reached into the box clipped to her belt. Eri pulled out the small red cylinder with a needle on the end, took off her glove, and jammed it into her wrist.
The tempest vanished. Eri tapped her head and felt only bare skin and hair. Eri let out a long breath and said to the nearby healers, "I'm out."
The healer nodded and went to inform the other room while Eri sat near the edge and ate her energy bars. Had to restore her energy for when her quirk came back. She tapped her head. This was becoming more and more common. But…she'd worry about it later. For now she should enjoy the break while she has it. After all, the quirk would come back in five minutes, and then it was back to the grindstone.
Eijiro carried another group to the shelter. As he did, he threw another look at the two monsters destroying the city. He knew better than to go out. People needed to be evacuated first, and fighting two at once was reckless even for him, especially when one had that wind. But right now he felt so useless. If only there were something he could-
The comms lit up. "Shelter 38 is failing! The roof's about to collapse on floor 8!"
Eijiro was already moving. That shelter was close. He made a beeline for it at top speed.
Samiko clutched her bear as the ceiling cracked above them. A large chunk of rock fell next to her. The entire ceiling groaned, a warning to all beneath it. This was supposed to be a fun family trip! She wished Takeyama were here. Maybe she could hold the ceiling up, or something! Heck, at this point she'd even take that weird gloomy kid always following Takeyama around! Maybe he'd do something!
The ceiling let out a final warning before the sure collapse. Samiko squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the end. But it didn't come. When she opened them, she saw black tendrils with a soft red glow filling in the cracks, holding the entire ceiling up. All the grown-ups were staring. Samiko followed their gaze.
A single figure had his arms raised, tendrils erupting from his body like a large oak, holding up the ceiling. Suddenly, Samiko knew things were going to be ok.
Red Riot was here.
Izuku pointed a lost civilian toward the shelter. He noticed another civilian limping and ran to her, letting her use his shoulder for support the rest of the way.
"What happens if they come here?" she said.
"Don't worry," Izuku said with an awkward smile (he wasn't good with people), "The Heroes are watching them closely. We'll know if they start moving."
"Are you sure?" she said.
"Absolutely. I'm an expert on kaiju."
The woman looked reassured. Izuku wondered if he was that convincing, or if she was simply looking for any hope she could find.
Izuku left the woman at the shelter then ran back out. He brought another civilian back, a lost girl who he distracted by rattling off every bit of Hero knowledge he could think of (this girl was a great admirer of Bubble Girl, a very solid detective Hero). Izuku brought back another individual, and another.
Nearby, he saw Ochako land with about half a dozen injured. She touched down and had them loaded onto stretchers, at which point they'd be taken to the indoor medical center. She wiped sweat off her forehead. "Exhausting, huh?"
Izuku said, "Yeah. But I didn't want to just sit there and do nothing until those two finish." He gestured to the kaiju.
"Knowing them it'll take quite a while."
"They're stubborn."
"Here," she grabbed him by the arm, floating him, "Let's go together." The two of them went out and over the rooftops. They flew past a building that had partly collapsed. As they passed, Izuku saw movement. "Wait!"
Ochako grappled to a wall and stopped them. She'd seen it too. As they stepped closer, they heard voices inside. Ochako and Izuku exchanged looks.
Ochako said, "Brace that beam there, I'll lift those rocks."
"Got it." Izuku did as requested, allowing her to uncover much of the entrance. Izuku lifted several more pieces of rubble out of the way to let them walk inside. Just inside the building, they saw a small girl huddled near a back wall. Ochako knelt down and said, "I'm the Hero Uravity. I'm getting you out of here."
She lifted the girl out and carried her out. The girl coughed heavily. Izuku looked around, until he saw noticed something odd about the closet. Looking closer, the door was…moving.
"What about…Sho?" the girl said.
Ochako said, "Sho?"
The ceiling shifted. The closet shook again, this time coughing. Izuku moved. He ran to the closet, kicked in the door, finding a small boy with black hair on the other side, probably the girl's brother. He pulled the boy out and sprinted for the entrance. Rubble fell around him. Once he was within reach of the entrance, he dove.
Ochako reached out, floating both and pulling them out as the building collapsed behind them. "That was close. Good work Midori." Ochako took the girl in her arms while Izuku took the boy. She took them all over the roofs, toward the the nearest shelter.
"Do we have to be so high?" the boy said, gripping Izuku tighter.
"Don't worry," Izuku said. "I have you." The boy nodded, and buried his face in Izuku's chest until their ride was over. When he and his sister climbed off, he ran back and hugged Izuku's leg before running back to join the others. As Izuku looked to the other Heroes flying over, as they brought hope to everyone. He felt an old emotion briefly stir.
"You know," Ochako said. "You're not half bad at Hero work."
Izuku let out an awkward chuckle, "Not as good as you guys," he said, not wanting to dwell on his old dream.
She said, "Alright." The two went out again. Meanwhile, Rodan and Godzilla continued their brawl.
Mifune saw the guard watching the TV, only occasionally looking back at the two. X was watching too.
X pulled open a specific panel and hit a few buttons. "Wire trouble Mifune. Reroute the power."
"Of course. Engaging capacitors. Adjusting the null field."
A guard said, "What are you doing?"
X said, "This machine needs regular maintenance. It's not meant to just run this long. We're handling it."
"X, the psychometrics."
"I'm on it." X flipped a few dials while the guard turned away.
Mifune smiled, then looked at the one button they hadn't pressed. Yet.
When Dr. Deverich began his work on the psionic transmitter, he intended it as a monster repeller. Most say that after that plan failed, he reversed it into a monster attractor. Most were idiots.
After all, if it was purely a monster attractor, the monsters would just come right for the transmitter and destroy it. No, the transmitter had two components. One attracted them, but the other repelled them away from the transmitter's general vicinity.
Unless of course, someone turned it off.
Fool. That guard just helped dig his own grave. Or, in this case, his own tomb.
It was fun writing a good old fashioned kaiju brawl! Poor Mina has a mix of the worst and best of luck. Worst that she keeps getting stuck outside alone with angry kaiju, best because she keeps surviving.
It was nice writing Izuku getting to save people and do some borderline Hero work. And showing where the other characters were was fun too.
Hope you enjoyed! Reviews make me smile!
Eri is doing hospital work.