Izuku was starting to panic a bit as he still couldn't find his sister or Katsuki. 'Kacchan and Todoroki went third in the test of courage. Izuka was the first one out. If they didn't go back to camp yet, then they might still be around here.' He looked up ahead, gasping as something shot out in front of him. He then yelped in pain as something hit him and then he was suddenly moved to the side. Something hit the ground where he was, a bunch of smoke appearing.
He looked up, gasping in shock to see that it was his classmate Mezo that had saved him. He also had blood coming from one of his limbs. "Shoji. What happened?!" He asked his classmate in concern.
"With those injuries...you should be laid up in bed recovering," He murmured while shaking, his back holding onto Izuku like a backpack of sorts. "But you wanna save your friend and Mido. No matter what the cost." Like Izuku, he had seen better days as he seemed exhausted.
"That thing just now..." Izuku gave a nervous look remembering what Fumikage told him during the Sports Festival. "Wait. Don't tell me..."
"Yeah. If we wanna get through here...we'll have to face Dark Shadow first," Mezo revealed while looking up ahead to the darkness in front of them. And Dark Shadow was now larger in size, having taken over Fumikage's body. He gave a crazed look as he saw his classmates, unable to stop this on his own.
"Stay away...from me! You'll die!" He warned the both of them, the green-haired boy gasping in fear for him.
"Tokoyami, no!" Izuku cried out for his classmate and friend.
Mezo and Izuku were currently hiding behind a tree, watching the chaos unfold. "But...how did he get this way?"
"Keep it down," Mezo warned his classmate. "After Mandalay told us what was happening and that we shouldn't engage, we were both on high alert." Fumikage was on lookout while Mezo listened for anyone, be it villain or classmate. "Still, one of the villains got the drop on us." He heard someone coming, but wasn't fast enough as Moonfish's teeth blades attacked them. Fumikage glanced back in alarm, unable to stop one of Mezo's duplicate hands from being chopped off. He grunted while holding his duplicate arm, Fumikage flying backwards.
"Shoji!" He cried out as the villain continued attacking them. Mezo ran for a bush.
"I hid in the bushes and tried to cover Tokoyami, even though one of my arms was cut off."
Izuku looked up at him in surprise. "Really?" He then glanced at the bleeding duplicate arm.
"It looks bad. But it's not like it's lost forever. My Dupli-Arms are capable of making duplicates upon duplicates. One of those was cut off. Thing is," He gave a nervous look up ahead. "He couldn't stand seeing me injured like that." He could tell that Fumikage was angry he was hurt despite the fact it wasn't his real hand. Unfortunately, that fact wasn't enough to calm him down. "The Quirk he'd been suppressing began to rage and take over."
Dark Shadow let out an angry roar as they watched. "The darker it is, the less control Tokoyami has. I had no idea his Quirk could explode like this," Izuku looked up in worry. He knew Fumikage had this weakness, but for it to react like this...he didn't think it was possible.
"It's probably fueled by his righteous indignation and regret," Mezo theorized to the boy. "He's tried to hold it back, but they made it wilder." He stepped backwards and his foot broke a branch. Dark Shadow heard them and attacked, Mezo jumping away in time. "It started lunging at any sound or movement." Fumikage struggled to control it, but he couldn't. "A beast lashing out with indiscriminate attacks." Dark Shadow then split a tree in half.
"Forget about me," Fumikage growled out to the two. "Go! Find our classmates! Help them instead...!" He growled while the dark entity was still surrounding his body, and he couldn't move much. "Stop this. Calm down, Dark Shadow!"
"His Quirk has a weakness to light," Mezo recalled, though they weren't going to get that here. Nor would Dark Shadow let them start a fire. "If we can lead them to a fire or back to camp, we can contain it. Midoriya. I know these are strange circumstances...but I can't just leave a suffering friend behind. You forced your broken body to get you here because you were worried about your sister and Bakugo. If you still wanna save them, I'll distract Dark Shadow for you. And you can run."
Izuku let out a small gasp. He didn't want to leave Mezo on his own to deal with this. Or allow Fumikage to suffer on his own either. So he had to do something to help the both of them. "Hold on. The fire and camp are pretty far away," He pointed out to Mezo. "You'll be in danger if he-"
Dark Shadow's eyes opened a bit and he attacked the tree they were hiding behind. Mezo ducked his head.
"I know that," Mezo grunted a little. "But to save people, you have to take risks. That's what makes a hero, a hero." He came to a stop behind another tree. "Will you stay with me and help Tokoyami? Or will you rush to your sister and Bakugo? You have to make a choice. Right now."
Izuku squeezed his eyes shut at the decision. It was obvious what he wanted to do. He just hoped that this would work. "I already have," He responded, getting Mezo's attention.
"Flesh...!" Moonfish breathed out, his teeth still attacking. "Pieces of meat! Flesh!" His blades grew and attacked the pathway of ice Shoto had created to protect them. He then broke through a layer, causing Shoto to fly back a bit. He gritted his teeth, still holding onto the student that he had on his back.
"Teeth attacks? Seriously?" Katsuki questioned in disbelief, glaring up at the villain. "It's time to blast this freak with everything I've got!"
"You can't!" Shoto argued back, some frost over his cheek.
"Don't you remember we still can't use any fire? So you can't attack him right now, and don't start a forest fire either. Someone already beat you to that," Izuka gritted her teeth at the villain. The ice wouldn't hold much longer, she knew that much since his blades proved to be something they didn't want to mess with. The question was, how were they going to defeat him?
"If the trees burn, just cover them with ice, stupid!" Katsuki retorted back to the two.
"A big explosion will impair my vision, though," Shoto snarled, gritting his teeth as well. "I may not be able to see the fire. And how are you gonna get close to him anyway? Mido may be good at flying, but those attacks are everywhere! Her ice is on a limited scale compared to mine."
Izuka bit her lip as he had a point. Her Mercury Blast was big, but not as expansive as Shoto's, who had years of training compared to her new ability. Katsuki let out a growl at the difficult situation that they were in. What are we gonna do? This guy knows we're in a tough spot right now...
Suddenly, there was a cloud of smoke in the distance, and another followed soon after. The three looked up in shock, wondering what was going on. "There. I see ice!" They could faintly hear Izuku's voice. "They're fighting!"
"Uh?" This got Moonfish's attention as well as he looked back. Suddenly more thuds occurred and Izuka gently pushed past both boys. She stepped up slowly, squinting and getting a closer look.
"Something's wrong," Her eyes widened in realization. Up ahead, they could see Mezo carrying Izuku, running from Dark Shadow, as they had gotten him to follow them. Dark Shadow was tearing down trees left and right chasing after them.
"Bakugo! Todoroki! Mido!" Mezo shouted once he saw them. "One of you. Give us some light!"
"More flesh!" Moonfish screamed, sending a teeth blade towards them. Mezo jumped as Dark Shadow let out a roar, attacking the villain himself. He captured Moonfish in his grasp, Katsuki, Izuka, and Shoto gasping in shock. Fumikage had tears rolling down his cheeks as he let out a scream. Izuku glanced back, remembering what he told Mezo before they even got here.
"Shoji. I have a plan. It's not perfect, but it might work."
"What?" Mezo asked curiously while Dark Shadow was still destroying trees.
"If Dark Shadow reacts to sound, then make duplicate arms to bait him. So he'll follow us without attacking our actual bodies." Mezo gasped while glancing back at him, as it could work. "We can lead Dark Shadow to Kacchan and Izuka. They'll be able to weaken him with their Quirks." Izuku couldn't keep his balance holding onto Mezo, but it was better than running while injured as long as he had. "I don't want to choose one or the other. I want to save them all!"
Izuku looked up towards the group. "Kacchan! Big sister!" Both of them looked at him wide-eyed, still confused about what was going on.
"Little brother?" Izuka murmured, gasping as she could faintly see his injuries. Who did that to him? He must've encountered a strong villain before getting here. She clenched a shaking fist, which Katsuki noticed right off the bat. Damn it. That must've been because they were looking for me. First they're after me, and now they're injuring my brother?
"Shoji and Midoriya. And is that...Tokoyami?" Shoto wondered in shock as Dark Shadow let out a roar, attacking again.
"We need some light now!" One of Mezo's limbs shouted in a panic. "He's out of control!" Mezo jumped out of the way while Dark Shadow attacked.
"He's attacking blindly," Shoto put down the unconscious student gently. "I'll use my fire."
"Not so fast," Katsuki held out a hand in front of him before he could do anything. Moonfish got back up using his teeth.
"Flesh. Slabs of meat. No good. Can't allow it," He slowly got onto his feet while Dark Shadow surrounded him in a circle. "I'm the one who gets to slice them open. Don't steal from me!" He launched more teeth blades, but they phased through Dark Shadow easily.
"You don't matter, insignificant bug!" Dark Shadow's eyes flashed while capturing the villain, breaking his blades in an instant. Moonfish let out a cry of pain.
"Now finish him," Katsuki remarked, looking a bit bloodthirsty. Izuka gulped a bit at Dark Shadow, as she didn't know whether or not she should be grateful or terrified. She was still angry that Izuku got hurt, but she wasn't sure that killing the villain would fix anything.
Dark Shadow let out another roar while throwing Moonfish around, his teeth mostly gone now. He was then thrown into a tree hard, landing in front of a bush. Dark Shadow growled, looking up to the sky. "Not enough! It's not enough!" He dove forward to attack again.
Izuka swung down her hand, a small flame coming from it as she stood in front of Dark Shadow a few feet away. She then moved it up above her head to fire off a huge blast. Katsuki and Shoto swooped in, using their Quirks against Dark Shadow as well. He let out a squeal from the amount of fire and went back to normal. Fumikage kneeled onto the ground, panting heavily as Dark Shadow disappeared into his body. Shoto and Katsuki glanced back, their hands still engulfed by fire. Izuka walked up as her own hand was still having a small flame coming from it.
"And once again, I'm a terrible matchup for you, birdboy," Katsuki mocked as his explosion went away, along with Shoto and Izuka's flames.
Fumikage then let out a deep breath. "Thanks. You saved me."
Shoto stared at him for a few seconds before turning around to see the villain unconscious. "We could barely defend against that guy, but you beat him instantly."
"Shoji-San! Izuku!" Izuka ran up to the two, examining their injuries. "What happened to you two, are you alright?"
"We could be worse, but don't worry about us," Izuku groaned out a little and she frowned. "We'll explain later."
Mezo looked down at Fumikage. "My friend. Are you okay? You did what we needed you to."
Fumikage gave a small frown. "Good, Tokoyami!" Izuku called out in encouragement as he chased them. "Don't fight against it! Give up your control for now and just let it take over—trust me!" Izuku shouted while Mezo ran.
"Shoji," Fumikage spoke up softly. "I apologize. You too, Midoriya and Mido. I'm still far too immature. Anger consumed me," He looked at his shaking hands, as he didn't want something like that to happen again. "And I let my Quirk take over. The influence of the darkness, combined with my fury, spurred Dark Shadow into a frenzy. Until..." He gritted his teeth, ashamed of himself. "It got so strong, I couldn't contain it. And I ended up hurting Shoji."
"We'll deal with that later," Mezo assured him and he blinked in disbelief. "That's what you'd say if our roles were reversed. " Fumikage let out a sharp gasp as he looked up, seeing Izuku's smile. He then clamped his mouth shut, as he would say the same thing if Mezo reacted the way he did...
The short girl hummed a little looking at her classmate. She couldn't really blame him; she already had a similar reaction seeing her brother all beat up. So putting him at fault for this wasn't something she had any interest in doing. "Tokoyami-San..." Izuka walked up to him, bending down to her classmate. "None of us could really blame you for this. We...we all have things we're ashamed of when using our abilities. But it's how we deal with them that matters. And besides...without you, one of us could've gotten really hurt by that villain."
"...Thank you, Mido," He told her gratefully and she gave a small smile, offering her hand.
"Come on, can you stand up?" He took her hand and she pulled him up, supporting him with her shoulder. Katsuki stared at them and growled, gritting his teeth. Seeing her like this with Fumikage was already starting to piss him off. "It's probably best to leave him here," She glanced over to Moonfish. "Even if he did get back up, he can't suddenly regrow his teeth to attack us. And he'd be outmatched." If he had that ability to regrow his teeth to fight them, he would've done it when his blades were broken.
"Okay," Izuku then spoke up to Fumikage to update him on the situation. "I don't know if you heard Mandalay, but I found out the villains are after both Kacchan and my sister."
"Bakugo and Mido?" Fumikage murmured, and Izuku guessed that the rogue Dark Shadow appeared before the message came in. And that when Dark Shadow was like that, Fumikage couldn't hear Telepath because his own Quirk was too much to handle. "Are they trying to kill them? Why?"
"I'm not sure," Izuku answered, and Katsuki just looked up ahead with a dumbfounded expression. Izuka looked annoyed to be a target again, hands on her hips. Izuku could guess why they wanted Izuka, but he wasn't inclined to tell his entire class that the League had Izuka's DNA. Otherwise they would freak out. So just like One for All, he had to be careful not to say anything. "But I think we should get to camp. It's the safest place now, so long as Vlad King and Mr. Aizawa have regrouped there."
"I understand," Fumikage gave him a small nod. "So our mission is to get Mido and Bakugo back to safety by serving as their protectors."
"It's possible the Pussycats are still fighting in the clearing. Going that way would draw the attention of the villains. Plus, it's longer. We should cut straight across." They weren't too far from the clearing, so going straight across would theoretically be the safer route.
"We don't know how many enemies there are," Fumikage spoke up, Bakugo still having that same dumbfounded look. "We might come across some by chance."
"We can use Shoji's search ability and my sister's flight. And Todoroki's freezing power and her Mercury Blast. And, if Tokoyami's okay with it, we can always use Dark Shadow now that we can actually control him." Katsuki glanced around in a few directions while listening to Izuku, baffled. All of them surrounded the two, Shoto having placed the unconscious student back in place. "Honestly, with a group like this...we could probably even go up against All Might."
"I'd be fine by myself!" Katsuki finally reacted as he wasn't happy about this.
"We'll surround you as we walk," Shoto turned to the angry blond.
"As much as I would like to speculate why they're after us, we don't have time. I think it's a solid plan," Izuka crossed her arms in thought, ignoring Katsuki.
Shoto turned to her, a bit surprised she wasn't protesting about having bodyguards. "You're really okay with being protected like this?" He asked while blinking incredibly since she had proven at this point to do things on her own.
"They hurt my brother," She gave a death glare towards the villain they captured. "I'll have plenty of time to express my anger once we're out of this." She then shivered a bit, hugging herself and rubbing her arms.
"Here, take my jacket," Fumikage took it off, and then put it over her arms. "You must be cold."
"Thank you, Tokoyami-San," She smiled a little while properly putting it on.
"Ugh, I don't need any of your protection, damn it!" Katsuki shouted with fierce anger in his eyes. "Short stack can just leave everything to me!" It was more so that he was pissed at her conversations with Fumikage, and didn't want to watch them for much longer.
"Bakugo, I'm tired, cold, and we're still in the middle of an attack," Izuka closed her eyes, not even looking at him. "75 percent of our group have already been through enough while you and Todoroki don't even have so much as a cramp. Either you can stay here or you can wallow about it later. I for one don't wanna test my Quirk's limits any longer than I have," She then walked off, followed by the others.
"Get back here!" He shouted after her and she wasn't scared in the slightest of his tone.
"I guess he's made up his mind then," She dismissed and he growled.
"No! Ya think I give a crap about what we've been through?" The blond called out after her. "It just means we need to get these villains outta here!"
"And where exactly did that get you?" She glanced back briefly and he flinched, growling towards her as he didn't answer. Especially since they couldn't defeat Moonfish on their own. If it wasn't for Izuku's plan, they would've been stuck and probably been poisoned. She then turned away again to face towards the front. "That's what I thought. Ugh, my head," She placed a hand on her forehead as it felt like it was splitting a little.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked his sister and she sighed.
"Getting over some effects from the poison gas, I ran through it for minutes before I stumbled upon Bakugo and Todoroki," She coughed into her fist a little.
"Poison gas? And you didn't fall unconscious?" One of Mezo's limbs asked her in surprise.
"Mido was being a bit stubborn and wanted to find anyone in trouble," Shoto responded, looking up ahead. Izuku blinked and then smiled proudly at his sister. Just like him, she couldn't leave people to suffer instead of heading back to camp.
"Let's go," Mezo walked to follow the girl. Izuka snapped out of it and continued to walk, but Katsuki gritted his teeth.
I'm not done with her yet.
"Since when did you become so scared that you don't even take a challenge anymore?!" He yelled, shocking all of them. The girl slowly came to a stop, scoffing from his accusation. She should've known that this would've come up. And she wondered why this was even a concern for him, was it because she wasn't mostly the shy and anxious girl he knew her as for years anymore? He knew damn well she wasn't running from anything.
"Oh, so potentially dying means nothing, good to know," Izuka replied a bit sarcastically as she didn't even look at him. "Glad to see that you haven't changed even though your line of thinking is stupid. I'm not running, it's called being realistic. We don't know what other villains or Quirks we'll come across. And guess what, even you couldn't stop that guy because he used the environment to his advantage." She then finally glanced back at him. "If you keep up this superiority complex up of looking down at people, your own faults become more and more apparent."
The other boys all stared as Katsuki shook with anger, seething. Why does she have to be like this? So damn annoying and yet I can't even say she's wrong. That side of her she only shows when I talk to her, actually. "You...you damn mouse!" He screamed, Izuku giving an awkward look. Katsuki was so annoyed he brought back the nickname he stopped calling her. Izuka blinked in alarm and fully faced him. And she was PISSED.
"You stubborn son of a—Like I said during the final exams: stop acting like you know me," She snarled as she slowly approached him and he watched with a glare. "You don't. If I'm really such a damn mouse to you after tonight, fine. I don't care enough right now to do this with you. So you're gonna follow us back to camp, and I will restrain you myself if I have to," She seethed as they stared each other down for a few seconds. He would threaten her, but he genuinely had nothing to say. She made it pretty clear what her intentions were even if he wanted to explode her a little bit. Instead, he was…honestly impressed.
Izuka didn't wait for a response and huffed, turning back around to calm herself. She was disappointed to say the least that he used that against her again. The others looked between the two and then silently walked after her aside from Katsuki.
So intense…it's almost like with Todoroki's family Izuku looked between his sister and Katsuki. No wonder why no one's saying anything…
"He really loves that word, huh?" Fumikage closed his eyes in thought.
"I wish he didn't, I honestly thought he stopped using it," She looked away in a bit of annoyance. "It means shy or timid and it's a constant reminder for me..."
"That's not true," He spoke up, getting her attention. "You've proven yourself to be very bold and passionate, Mido. That's why you've made as much progress as you have. Don't forget we were teammates in the Sports Festival. I honestly didn't know you were capable of being a great support."
"Oh..." Izuka smiled at him bashfully. "Thank you, Tokoyami-San, especially for your help right now. Come on, we've wasted enough time."
"Don't ignore me! Damn it, I preferred it better when you weren't so meek," Katsuki grumbled while storming after them.
"Just make sure you keep up. And why is it you only follow orders when she tells you to?" Shoto couldn't help but ask, glancing over his shoulder.
Katsuki flinched, a small blush on his face. "Shut the hell up! Don't tell me what to do!" He growled as Fumikage followed him from behind. Izuka slowly shook her head at his behavior, letting out a small sigh. At least he wasn't making it harder on them anymore…although she almost couldn't believe that she stood up to him like that. Maybe it was her anger talking, but she almost didn't regret it.
We'll get everyone back safely. If we can do that, that's all that matters Izuku hoped that they weren't too late to help the rest of their class, and Class B as well.
5 minutes earlier
Ochaco was holding onto her shirt as she had a bleeding slash mark coming from her left arm. "Ochaco, is your arm okay?" Tsuyu asked her friend in concern, holding out a hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a scratch," She reassured as she looked up ahead. Tsuyu followed her gaze towards their attacker. There was blood from the knife used to wound Ochaco.
"Hmm...hm," Himiko examined the knife, a small blush on her face. "Shallow. Not much blood."
"What kind of person slashes people out of nowhere?" Tsuyu questioned the villain, her tongue hanging out. "Just who do you think you are?"
"I'm Toga!" She pointed her knife towards the girls. "Jeez, you two are super cute," She then pointed to Ochaco first. "Uraraka and Asui."
Ochaco frowned in concern; until now, neither party had even met. So how did she know their names? "How does she know who we are?" She asked Tsuyu quietly.
"Maybe from the Sports Fest?" Tsuyu murmured as both of them eyed the villain. "We know nothing about her, so we're at a disadvantage. Stay on guard."
"There's not enough blood," Himiko complained, to their shock. They watched as she reached behind her back. "Normally I'd suck it directly from the cut to make it flow, but there's no time," She pulled out a small capsule of sorts from her gear. "Don't worry, girls," She pointed both the bloody knife and the capsule towards them. "This machine will start pumping it out as soon as I stick it in you. I'll get my fill and move on," A small needle appeared from the capsule. "Who's first?" She dashed towards Ochaco, who gasped sharply. If she tried using her Quirk, there was a slim chance she'd be able to touch someone so fast.
"Ochaco!" Tsuyu wrapped her tongue around her friend's waist. She then flung Ochaco behind her, to her surprise as she was sent flying. "You have to get back to camp! We got permission to use Quirks to protect ourselves, not to counterattack! I'm sure that's what Mr. Aizawa meant!"
"Tsu, come on!" Ochaco held out a hand to her, not wanting to leave the girl to die.
"I'll be right behind you!" Tsuyu assured while glancing over her shoulder. Himiko came charging in with the knife, and actually sliced at Tsuyu's tongue. She watched as the villain came to a stop.
"Tsu?" She gave a small breathless chuckle as she looked back, loving the nickname. "Tsu!"
"Ribbit," Tsuyu looked up nervously as her tongue was bleeding.
"What a cute nickname," Himiko closed her eyes happily, gushing as she took off the mask. "I think I'll call you that too!"
"No, you won't! Don't even think about it!" Tsuyu warned while standing her ground. "Only my friends get to call me that!" She then jumped as Himiko flung one of her capsules. She actually managed to capture Tsuyu by her hair against a tree.
"Yay!" She cheered as she rushed over, jumping around. Tsuyu struggled to get her hair free. "That means I must be your friend too!" She giggled while jumping and Ochaco ran towards the two.
"I'm coming!" She called out while Himiko leaned in close to Tsuyu with a delighted smile.
"Aw, you're bleeding, Tsu. You couldn't be more adorable. I just love blood," She grinned widely, getting in even closer. "We're gonna be such good friends."
"Get away from her!" Ochaco shouted as she ducked out of the way from Himiko lunging her knife. When your opponent has a knife, pivot on one foot to disappear from their line of sight. She then grabbed the arm holding the knife. Grab the wrist and the base of the neck! She grabbed the villain by the neck and moved to the side. Pull with all your might, and slam them! It's one of the close combat techniques I learned from my internship! Ochaco slammed her opponent into the ground. Thanks, Gunhead Martial Arts! She pinned Himiko to the ground, causing the villain to drop the knife.
"Ochaco, that was amazing," Tsuyu commented in awe, since that was the first time she had seen it in action.
"Tsu! Can you use your tongue to restrain her hands?" Ochaco looked up at her, not even registering the compliment or what just happened. "Or is it hurt?"
"It'll be fine in a second," Tsuyu reassured her friend.
"Ochaco..." Himiko glanced up at the brunette. "You're delightful, too." Ochaco gasped a bit, staring down at her. "You've got the same smell as me." Ochaco gave her a deep frown, as they were not the same at all. "You've got a crush on someone, right?" The girl then gave a nervous sound, as it was the same feeling she had when Yuga pointed this out. However, coming from a villain, it was in a...much different way. And the last thing she needed was to confirm anything to Himiko. "So do I. And I bet you also wanna be exactly like that special person, huh?"
Ochaco felt like she couldn't move or speak. This is it! My shot! I'll win and be just like Deku! That was what was on her mind during her fight with Katsuki. She didn't even realize how much Izuku inspired her; she technically wouldn't have even learned that move if it weren't for him. But that wasn't even supposed to be her focus, Himiko was getting to be distracting. And whether or not it was purposeful was debatable.
"I can tell. 2 lovesick girls," Himiko gushed up at her.
What is with her?
Himiko's sharp teeth were more apparent as she spoke. "At first you try to model yourself after the person you want. You start dressing like them. Thing is, that's not enough. You have to go further. Then, you realize you actually want to become that person. And once you get to that point, there's no going back! That's how love works, right?" She continued, looking almost starry-eyed, and it was unnerving to say the least. "What kind of charmer's caught your eye, huh? I'm fond of people who've been slashed up and reek of fresh blood. That's why I always end up cutting them. Heh! Hey, Ochaco, isn't this fun?"
It definitely wasn't fun for her as her eyes shook, as the feeling was both tense and frightening. Her thoughts on love were way too crazy. And she didn't feel that extent of hurting people just because she loved them. Even if she did feel that way, she could never think of hurting Izuku.
"Just two girls hanging out, talking about our crushes!" Himiko giggled and suddenly she struck a needle into Ochaco's thigh. She let out a painful grunt.
"Ochaco!" Tsuyu cried out as her blood was taken.
"Suck, suck. Suck, suck." Ochaco's hand shook while still gripping the arm. "Suck, suck. Suck, suck. Suck, suck."
Mezo and the others suddenly stumbled upon them. "Uraraka!" Mezo cried out as they saw what was going on.
"Quickly, guys! Help her!" Tsuyu shouted and Izuka jumped past the others. Himiko pushed Ochaco off just as Izuka landed in front of the brunette.
"What are you doing to her?! Get away from my friend this damn second!" She swung her arm, firing off a huge flame with an angry look on her face. Izuku and Shoto gasped a bit in shock from her reaction since it felt oddly familiar. Himiko jumped away from it and landed a few feet away.
"Stop!" Ochaco shouted as the villain looked back.
"There's too many people here now, and I don't feel like being killed tonight," She grumbled, turning away. "Toodles." She gasped as she laid eyes on the twins, seeing Izuku all beat up. Izuka gritted her teeth towards the villain, who gasped sharply while blushing towards Izuku.
"Get her!" Ochaco stood up in alarm.
"It's too dangerous," Tsuyu stopped her, turning towards Himiko. "We have no idea what kind of Quirk she has! Mido, don't go after her, please!"
Izuka clenched an angry fist while snarling. She didn't want to, but she also knew that Tsuyu was unfortunately right on this one. If these guys weren't after me, they wouldn't have gotten hurt. But if I go after her, chances are I won't make it back. Damn...
Himiko glanced back at Izuka one last time, beaming a little. "She's even cuter! That glare is just so adorable on her. Hmm?" She sniffed the air and then smiled to herself, looking back up ahead as she left. And she has the same smell as Ochaco does...
Shoto ran over to the two girls. "Who was that girl just now?" He asked them in concern.
"One of the villains. She was crazy," Tsuyu answered as Izuka let out a deep breath.
"Uraraka. You're hurt!" Izuku noticed her injury and his sister gasped upon seeing it.
"Ochaco!" She ran up to the girl, hugging her and Tsuyu. "I'm so sorry, you two. You shouldn't have gotten hurt because they're here for me."
"It's not your fault," Tsuyu hugged her and so did Ochaco.
"Yeah, and it's not bad," The brunette looked at her arm. "I can still walk okay. You're the one who looks terrible!" She looked towards Izuku, and Izuka pulled back with an annoyed sigh.
"Trust me, I've already gotten on him for it," She placed her hands on her hips. "I can forgive it because I know he did it for a good reason."
"We can't stand here and talk," Mezo spoke up, getting their attention. "Let's move."
"I'm just glad you didn't get injured too bad. Now come on. Join our group," Izuku looked up at the two girls. "We're protecting Kacchan and Izuka and making our way back to camp. We could use your help!"
Tsuyu noticed something, however. "If you're protecting Bakugo then..." She gave a brief glance to Ochaco before deciding to just ask. "Shouldn't he be standing here with you guys?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Izuku gave a small smile, Mezo turning around. "He's right over here, behind u-" He faltered as Katsuki and Fumikage were both missing. Izuka whipped around slowly, her mouth opening in shock.
"Bakugo!" Izuka cried out immediately, her eyes shaking.
We're in crisis mode. And we thought we were doing well, that we'd covered our bases. But...
"Nice trick, eh?" A new voice spoke up and Izuku gasped sharply. They all looked up to see someone standing on a tree branch. "I took the lad you're talking about with my magic." Shoto and Mezo flinched in shock. "Your sister eluded me, I'll admit. She's shorter than I expected. But a talent like his would be squandered were he cast as a hero," He threw up a tiny turquoise orb and moved it around his fingers. "We'll provide him and the girl with a grander stage where they can truly shine."
"Give him back!" Izuku snarled up at him.
"Give him back?" The villain asked him innocently. "What an odd thing to say. Bakugo doesn't belong to anyone. He's his own person. Don't be so arrogant."
"He's not property, but he's still not someone you can just take for yourself!" Izuka gritted her teeth as she stepped up. "Release him now!"
"We'll stop you!" Izuku yelled up at him.
"Right now!" Shoto touched the ground with his foot, sending ice towards the villain, who jumped off the tree branch. Izuka pointed up her hands to fire shooting stars, but he knocked them away with his cane. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Why the aggression? We merely wish to show him and the girl that there are options besides the fanatical world of heroism they're both drowning in," He told them and landed in a tree. "It's important to choose a path that aligns with your core values, after all."
"I don't need options from a guy in a tacky, cheap coat," Izuka said thinly, narrowing her eyes.
"Tacky?! Cheap?! That hurts my feelings," He gestured to himself.
Mezo glanced around as he noticed the other missing classmate. "It's not just Bakugo. Tokoyami's gone!"
Shoto gasped while glancing up at the villain in the tree. He snatched two of our strongest classmates without a sound. What power is this? He then whipped around to the man. "If you're monologuing because you think you've beaten us, you're mistaken!"
"A bad habit of mine," He admitted while gently clutching the orb. "I was once an entertainer, you know. Taking Tokoyami was a bit of improv on my part," He then revealed another turquoise orb he was hiding. Ochaco glared up at him. "Moonfish. Our dear blade tooth. He may not look it, but he's a dastardly death row devil who's last appeal was denied. When I saw the avian take him down so easily and violently, I decided he should join our troupe," He then grasped the two orbs into his hand.
"You bastard! You can't take them!" Izuku screamed angrily at him.
"Midoriya, calm down, both of you actually," Mezo glanced between the twins. Izuka was beyond pissed at this point, though.
"Here, take this guy for me," Shoto handed off the unconscious student to Ochaco.
"Okay!" She looked up with a worried frown. Shoto sent out a huge ice attack this time, some frost on his body.
"Apologies," The villain called out, shocking the boy as he saw him flying over the ice. He wasn't even so much as struck! "But slight-of-hand and escapology are my specialties, not combat. I'm not foolish enough to fight hero candidates from UA."
Izuka growled as she summoned a flying star, zipping past everyone. "Mido, wait!" Shoto cried out to her, but she didn't listen. She glared as she kept her eyes forward, the villain seeing her and zipping away from her sight. Everyone gasped as he appeared right behind her, but she swooped down using her flying star. She landed on Shoto's ice, glancing behind her.
"I see what she's doing now! She's using Todoroki's ice to give her speed and mobility so she can avoid him," Izuku blinked in a bit of awe. Izuka's hair flew as she glanced around, not seeing her opponent anywhere.
I might be pushing my limit soon, but I don't care. I need to catch up to him so that I can grab them!
She leaped up her star to jump across a gap, landing against the ice a little shakily. "Where'd he go?" She looked around for him. All she sensed was the wind in her hair. Suddenly, the girl froze and looked up as he was heading straight for her. She held out a hand. "Mercury Blast!" She fired some flames right at him, and once they cleared, he was gone. She gasped as he appeared right behind her and grasped her shoulder.
"Didn't you hear what I said? I guess you aren't as strong as I thought," He spoke as her eyes widened. The flying star zoomed away from her as he dragged her away into the flames and then she was in an orb after emerging.
"IZUKA, NO!" Izuku shouted as they could only watch.
"Mido!" Ochaco cried out in concern and the villain pressed a hand to his ear.
"Vanguard Action Squad. I've acquired our targets. Our little show has officially come to a close. Meet me at the retrieval point in the next five minutes for the final bow," He informed every single member, even though about half were out of commission.
"They're going to take them. Our friends..."
"They can't!" Izuku shouted as the man jumped off a branch.
"You're right. We'll stop them!" Shoto ran off first, followed by the others.
"Hey, Dabi! Did you hear the radio?" Twice wondered in a bit of excitement as they were heading over to the meeting point right now. "I'm so pumped up! Our boy Compress totally got the job done. The man certainly took his time. I was starting to get bored."
"Don't be a pain," Dabi glanced over to him. "He did a good job. Now we just have to wait for everyone to regroup here."
"You're the pain!" Twice retorted before straightening up. "Forgive me."
"This place was supposed to be hard to find because of the wall of flames and poisonous gas. But looks like the gas is gone," He looked up ahead as they continued to walk. "Things never go according to plan, do they?"
Yuga was hiding behind a bush, holding his head and shaking. He stayed as quietly as possible while overhearing them. "For real. This is the plan."
"Aoyama," Momo glanced back at him while putting on a gas mask. She had given one to Yosetsu from Class B as well. "I have to do what I can to help the rest of the Class B students. You take these two back to camp. They should be safe there."
Toru and Kyoka were lying on the ground nearby, unconscious with gas masks on. His eyes were shaking as he waited for the two villains to leave. The gas is gone. Someone defeated the villain! They're fighting...Maybe...I should too?
He peeked behind the bush, only to see Dabi looking right in his direction. He gasped sharply and hid behind the bush, covering his mouth. He saw me! He whimpered quietly as he couldn't stop shaking. Dabi stared at the bush for a few seconds before silently approaching. Yuga could hear his footsteps get dangerously close...
"Hey, Dabi!" Twice raised a hand. "Speakin' of which, totally not important, but shouldn't you be calling that Nomu back? You said he would only react to your voice, correct? That sounded vital!"
"That's right," Dabi casually agreed, turning back around as if nothing happened. "You're the one who reminded me to let him loose on the students earlier."
"No problem. Bow before me!"
"Shigaraki did design the monster specifically for me," Dabi reached up to his neck and pressed something. "He's probably killed someone by now."
The Nomu in question was chasing down Yosetsu. "This is bad! This is really bad!" He cried out, dragging an injured Momo with him. He had a small injury to the head that was bleeding. "What the crap is this thing doing here?! Yaoyorozu, are you alive? If you are, please wake up now—it's gonna catch us!"
"I'm sorry...Awase," She breathed out, though she did have blood over her eyes. "I'm...alive, but..." What happened to me? When I came to, I was on the ground. It's so fuzzy.
Yosetsu gritted his teeth, looking back at the Nomu. "What the hell?!" Drills and saws appeared from the creature. "What are those?! Oh no," He couldn't do anything as they came towards the two. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" He hugged Momo to protect her, shaking...but nothing happened. The Nomu stood up, bringing back all of the tools into its body, and then simply turned around to leave. It simply growled, and he could only look in confusion. "It's just...gonna leave us here...?"
Does this mean the villains have finished their mission? Momo looked up, knowing that had to be the reason the Nomu was retreating. And it started to worry her. Don't tell me they have Bakugo and Mido...no... A tear appeared in her eye, thinking of what her friend and her classmate would go through. Yosetsu looked down at her in confusion. Come on, think. What would the worst-case scenario be, Momo? She gripped her fist as something glowed from it. And what's the smartest thing you can do right now? She then looked up at the boy. "Awase. Use your Quirk to attach this to that monster," She held up what she just created.
"What is it?" He looked down at it in confusion as it was a small circle made out of something. "A button?"
"Just hurry up and do it. Before he's gone!" She urged and he immediately ran off.
"I don't know what's goin' on, but okay!" He touched the Nomu's back with the device, and then melded it into the skin. The Nomu didn't seem to notice as Yosetsu hid behind a tree, looking back to Momo. "No way he's gettin' that thing off."
"Thank you so much. Good job."
Yosetsu let out a huge sigh of relief. "That was scary. Okay, let's run!"
"Right."
"Damn it, Spinner, this is your fault!" Magne cried out as she was being restrained by Tiger.
"Shut up! You have only yourself to blame," He growled while holding her on his back. "This is the consequence of your villainy."
"Understand, villain?" Mandalay was restraining Spinner on the ground. "This is how it ends for you."
"You haven't won a thing!" He snarled back up at her. "This isn't defeat. Stain endures! Do you hear me?! His will is alive and well right here. I embody it! I will purge you degenerate heroes and that kid with glasses to avenge his name!"
"Will you be quiet already?!" Mandalay retorted, wishing someone had a Quirk to silence him. "What's your Quirk, anyway? All we saw was that giant sword."
"Get off!" He yelled while struggling, growling.
"Yes." She gasped as a familiar warp appeared nearby. "Let's move the two of you...some place more fitting," Kurogiri opened his yellow eyes.
Mezo jumped onto trees as all of them were chasing Compress. "Damn it, this guy's quick!" Shoto snarled as they could barely keep up.
"If only Ida were here!" Ochaco was using her Quirk to lift the unconscious student.
"These ingenues aren't as big a deal as I expected. Not even the Midoriya girl broke me a sweat," Compress commented while flying, not even paying attention to the students.
"Come on."
"We can't give up. Not now!" Izuku cried out from Mezo's back. "We have to catch him...and get our friends back, my sister!"
"But he's pulling farther ahead with every second," Mezo reported, and none of them could fly either. The only one who could was now captured.
"Uraraka. You have to make us float," Izuku informed, to the girl's shock. "And then Asui. You launch us as far as you can using your tongue!"
"Ribbit?" She was running on all fours like a frog, just as confused as Ochaco was.
"Shoji, hold me and Todoroki and use your Quirk to correct our trajectory through the air. Izuka was onto something when she used the ice to change hers!" Izuku instructed, Mezo and Shoto shocked that he was paying close attention to his sister. And that he was implementing what she was doing to help them here. "Measure the distance with your eyes, Uraraka." As he spoke, Compress was jumping faster from the top of the trees. "And then, when the timing looks right, release us!"
"I see. Human bullets," Mezo looked back in understanding.
"Wait, Deku," Ochaco looked at the boy with concern. "You're still going to fight with those injuries?!"
Shoto took a quick look himself at Izuku. He's in bad shape. I wouldn't be surprised if he lost consciousness any moment now. He's already worried Mido enough tonight, and her emotions were taking a nose-dive thanks to the nature of the attack. "Midoriya. You stay here. With that much pain, you-"
"Trust me," Izuku interrupted with a snarl. "I don't feel any pain right now. I can do this. Hurry!" He gritted his teeth angrily. He didn't care what he was going through, he just wanted to get the three back safely.
"Wait, Deku!" Ochaco came to a stop, taking off her blouse. "Here!" She then ripped it in half to wrap them around his arms like casts. Once that was done, Tsuyu wrapped her tongue around the three boys. Ochaco touched them with her gravity and then stepped back. "Okay, go ahead, Tsu."
"Make sure you've got a good grip on them," Tsuyu flung them into the air as hard as she could. All of them yelled as Mezo hung onto them both, heading in fast towards Compress. He looked back just in time to see what was going on.
"Huh?" Himiko gave a small smile as she had just arrived at the meeting point. "Lame. I'm the only one here?"
"Hey, crazy," Dabi addressed, staring at his ally. "Did you get the blood? How many different kinds?"
"One person's!"
"Just one?!" Twice yelped in alarm, pointing at her accusingly. "Hey, what gives? Weren't you supposed to get at least three?"
"That's just the way it went down," She didn't seem to bothered by the question. "I thought those brats were gonna kill me."
"Whatever," He scoffed a little. "You're looking a little too happy right now! Strange. Shouldn't you be full of shame?"
She giggled as she turned around. She gushed as she held her cheeks. "Yeah, but I made some great new friends! And I found a cute boy I'm interested in!"
"Is it me? No thanks, babe," Twice clasped his hands before making a heart symbol. "I love you too!"
"Both of you," Dabi couldn't care less about the whole thing. "Shut it. You're too loud." He then gasped as he looked up. Compress yelled as Mezo, Shoto, and Izuku were on his back. They all crashed into the ground together, creating a lot of smoke.
"Whoa, whoa, what's this?! Oh hey wait, I know these kids." However, he hadn't encountered them while Dabi and Himiko looked towards them wide-eyed. "Who are they?!"