Izuku's Crew had all split up into their individual zones to take their exams. The first match was Rosa and Penny against Cementoss. As soon as they stepped through, concrete walls began surrounding them.
"Guess Mr. Cementoss isn't playing around," Penny noted.
"I go low, you go high?" Rosa suggested.
"A most sensational idea!"
Penny rocketed into the air with her jet boots while Rosa absorbed the cement, assimilating more and more into her being until she became a giant cement monster, roaring as Penny flew in a nose dive, activating one of her Quirk Configurations.
"HARDENING!"
Green cybernetic crystalline spikes covered her whole body as Cementoss noticed and tried to erect more cement barriers to stop her, only for Penny's momentum to punch through all of them and send Cementoss sprawling to the ground as Rosa slammed her palm down on top of him, pinning him as she undid her absorption to prevent him from manipulating her body.
DEVIL
Ectoplasm was in trouble, as soon as Kazuya and Kirby entered the arena and saw the clones, the former wasted no time as activated hisSun Modeand proceeded to decimate them with his sheer size and strength.
Kirby saw one of the clones who escaped Kazuya's rampage and inhaled it, transforming intoGhost Kirby, gaining a spirit ghost attire as she chuckled and turned intangible, possessing Ectoplasm when he didn't even expect it.
"Clever." Kazuya chuckled as he shrunk down to normal.
DEVIL
Keep moving, set traps, and keep moving. That was Power Loader's plan, knowing there was next to nothing else that he could do.
These plans were ruined however when he heard Yamato scream out:
"BAKUGAMI!"
Suddenly, loud explosions stroke where Power Loader was, launching him out of the ground as Rebecca opened up her stomach compartment and fired a large electro-net, which pinned the Pro Hero down to the ground as he was soon cuffed.
"What did you expect? I could detect you from everywhere!" Rebecca laughed, pointing to her eyes as they glowed.
DEVIL
Shota Aizawa had always considered himself an observant person and took great pride in that fact. He was observant as he searched for his student around the arena, he was observant when he found his body somehow locked up as if all signals from his brain were shut down, and he was observant when he heard the combined footsteps of Shun and Kobeni, the latter having made aGreen Star Trampoliato cushion his fall.
"Target captured," Shun said, pushing up his glasses.
"These kids aren't even my students and they already are giving me grey hairs..."
DEVIL
Mipha and Kohaku knew that Thirteen could use her[Black Hole]Quirk to suck up everything they threw at her, so they had to resort to playing a game of cat-and-mouse with the Space Hero.
Eventually, the two girls managed to find their opening and Kohaku led the attack:
"CRAZY RUSH!"
Thirteen stepped back as a massive amount of stone fists flew toward her, forcing her to open all of her finger caps to create a powerful enough suction to tear up the attack before it could reach her.
"Gotcha!"
However, that was all the opening Mipha had needed, having swum over on a glide of water to slap the capture cuffs on Thirteen when her back was turned.
DEVIL
Nedzu was back in his crane. Someone might say that relying on the same strategy twice was a bad idea, but Nedzu was smarter than most, and even though it was a risky move he was confident he could eat up a good amount of time.
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard as Nedzu looked out the window to see Chikara sitting on a giant four-armed teddy bear made of plant matter as Bakara created the top half of a giant suit of armor from a glyph, clearly straining to put all her power into controlling it.
"Finally...a worthy opponent..." The smartest rodent in the world grinned. "OUR BATTLE WILL BE LEGENDARY!"
In the end, Chikara and Bakara's combined golems overwhelmed Nedzu's crane, but he was content and proud of his students for simply taking the straight path to victory.
And yes, the video of the bout, when later leaked, would indeed be added to the UA mythos.
DEVIL
Present Mic was nervous. After the incident with the bugs earlier he was on constant guard and nervous about what Lilique and Makoto could be planning.
"Front, back, left, right, up. I'm okay, there's no way he can catch me off guard."
Suddenly, he noticed large storm clouds forming in the sky, which didn't make any sense since it was supposed to be a sunny day. However, a looming figure floated down, surrounded by demonic black marks and purple flames, revealing a grinning Makoto.
"HEAVEN'S DIVINE THUNDER!"
With a wave of his hand, Makoto sent a thunderbolt that electrocuted Present Mic just enough to knock him unconscious. Lilique then stepped out from behind the nearby trees, having created the storm cloud and thunderbolt with her Clima-Tact.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"Marmaduke and Heathcliff..." Present Mic slurred out, twitching.
"Oh yeah, he's fine." The Seraphim of Wrath casually shrugged.
DEVIL
Nia and Mukuro used the training they learned under Rob Lucci and the rest of CP9 to evade Snipe's gunshots, Mukuro firing back with twin submachine guns while Nia distracted the Gunslinging Hero withKamisori.
As soon as Snipe stopped to reload, Nia took her moment to pounce, striking him from behind and pinning him to the ground as Mukuro slid over and cuffed him as flawlessly as possible.
"Swift and efficient." The Ultimate Soldier calmly said.
"Yer damn right!" Nia laughed.
DEVIL
"Well, this was a bit unfair..." Midnight huffed, having been imprisoned in aPerfect Cubeby Sumiko. "You know this might deduct points."
Sumiko shrugged. "I think I did well on the written portion to be safe."
"You clever girl."
"Besides, the quickness of the capture without property damage is what heroes aim for." Milo chuckled as they took a selfie with Sumiko and Midnight before posting it to the rest of the group, flashing a peace sign as the likes started pouring in. They then turned to their teacher and asked:
"Madam, may I…?"
"I can and will transport Ben here." Sumiko threatened.
"Not on hours and in a test, sweetie." Midnight teased.
"…Not what I was going to say, for once." Milo said. "…Or in a while, actually. Regardless! What I was going to say was that…Sensei, has anyone called you a goddess?"
Midnight chuckled.
"Several times. Even now. Although…."
"Whomever even suggests otherwise is but a fool, blinded by said beauty and deluding themselves into denial." Milo continued to serenade. "Oh, to be graced by you is a brightening of the day itself; angels weep in jealousy of you, Midnight sensei."
Midnight chuckled and smiled sweetly.
"And I imagine how Yomi must regret losing you, Milo. Oh, if only…"
"Oh, age is but an number…after 15, of course." Milo added, they did have standards. "And when you have lived as long as I, you learn to see true beauty; openness, acceptance…enlarged curves…plump and bouncy…"
BONK!
An enraged Ben suddenly manifested and slammed a Haki-coated fist onto Milo's head, sending them crashing to the ground.
"THAT'S MY MOM, YOU ADMITTADLY HOT NON-BINARY GHOUL!" Ben snapped.
"Oh, such language~" Milo teasingly swooned. "And to add flirting as well? Madam, you raised him well."
Sumiko just laughed, Midnight joining in.
"He's such a good boy."
DEVIL
Vlad King was running as he looked for Marco and Himiko, doing everything he could to prepare for anything they could throw at him.
Which is why he didn't expect the whole place to turn dark as if all light was snuffed out, followed by a sharp pain cutting non-vital areas of his body as he fell to one knee, only to find his arms cuffed behind his back.
"Gotcha~" Himiko giggled as Marco restored the lights, having used hisShadow Elementbefore switching to hisLight Elementafterward, Click chirping in cheer.
"Your father taught you well...a little too well at that." The Blood Hero chuckled weakly as Marco moved to heal his wounds.
"Sorry…"
"Do not apologize for being skilled." Vlad said. "The only time you can is when you don't use it for a good purpose."
"Darn right." Himiko added.
DEVIL
As he waited for the next battle, Endeavor found himself going down memory lane.
There was the day Garp first took him under his wing after his father's death and how he helped him embrace heroism.
"Your old man may have died, but at least he tried. The trick with you is to be able to keep coming back."
The training had been hell, but it had been worth it; he was soon racing through the hero charts, soon wealthy enough to retire and live easy…But he kept going for as long as he could. Because All Might wasn't always there and people needed the strongest around to keep their worries at bay.
But like All Might, Enji knew he couldn't go on forever. He needed to rest and cool down every day. Yes, usually not for long, but what if a villain attacked or he had been needed and wasn't available? And try as he might and recuirt, aside from maybe his fellow Garp trainee Kuzan (who went into the Navy), no one could keep up with him and watch his back .
So, when he came across Rei and her family? Scummy as it was? A Quirk marriage came about, and from that marriage, three children: Touya, Fuyumi, Natsuo.
The problem was that none of them were what Enji needed; a perfect blend of fire and ice; to burn away evil and keep civilians warm, while also freezing disasters and cooling tempers. Sure, Touya had started out well with even stronger flames, but his lack of temperature control would kill him before he even hit Hero duty.
Then Shoto came along. It had seemed like Enji's hopes and dreams were finally being answered! A shame he forgot that what Garp had taught and put him through was NOT what you put children through. It took Rei scarring Shoto and nearly going insane for him to see that. That and Garp coming to investigate the tabloid rumors and giving him a dreaded 'Fist of love'….
But it was too late: Toya still went down a dark path and Shoto would have done the same had Ben not beaten some sense into him.
Suddenly, a chill hit the Flame Hero as he gasped, feeling his flames extinguish and fall to his knees as Izuku came in, having used the[Hollow-Hollow Fruit]to release aFreezing Hollowthat froze Endeavor at the spiritual level.
"Well played, Midoriya..."
"Hey..." Ben spoke up as he reappeared. "I'm sorry about Shoto..."
The Flame Hero chuckled bitterly, mostly at himself.
"It's alright...it's my own fault for failing him as a father."
"You acknowledge you hurt him and want to be better. That must mean something." Izuku gently said as he undid his power on Endeavor, offering a hand to the older man.
DEVIL
The final match was Hilda and Katsuki against All-Might and despite how the rest of their crew had breezed past their opponents, the Symbol of Peace wouldn't give too much edge without at least putting up a good fight.
"So what's the plan? Do we go for an escape, or do we go for the capture?" Katsuki asked.
"Pretty sure you'd never take a chance to run in any fight." Hilda pointed out. "It certainly won't be easy, even with All-Might's added weight, but with how much we've improved since we started UA, we might have a chance if we play it smart."
"Might as well take the notes Deku gave us to heart..."
Meanwhile, All-Might was waiting near the escape gate.
"Young Bakugo hasn't come charging at me. Good. That means he's communicating with Young Tokoutoya. The boy is strong but hot-blooded. Still, if I'm going to test them to their fullest, they need to understand just what they're up against."
He launched a powerful punch that sent a shockwave along the main road. Luckily, Hilda and Katsuki had already gotten to an alley. Still, the force of the blow was strong enough to tear nearby buildings apart.
"Damn! So this is what All Might's like when he doesn't hold back!" Katsuki called out. "And we have to fight that? I hate to say it, but maybe running is our best option."
"He's taking this seriously," Hilda realized. "Then again... He knows precisely how to be an intimidating villain by example. After all... How scary do you think All For One might be?"
The two saw that All-Might was charging their way like a bull seeing a giant red flag. Acting quickly, Katsuki cupped his hands together and fired a flashbang-esque explosion.
"STUN GRENADE!"
All-Might quickly covered his eyes, only to find his arms wrapped up in Hilda's[Blackwhip].
"Not bad, zygotes! But let's see if you have the strength to follow through!"
He gave a mighty tug, Hilda only barely able to resist by putting her considerable mass to work. She wound up getting slammed right into Katsuki, but not before launching a thick mist with[Smokescreen].
With his vision blinded, All-Might scanned the area, but the two young heroes had already vanished. Katsuki had grabbed Hilda and blasted off for the rooftops.
"We can't stay in one place too long. If you can leap up several stories at once, All-Might can do the same." The explosive blonde noted before punching the roof in frustration. "Fighting him head-on is doing nothing, and running won't be any good with his speed either. Damn it... How can we be heroes if we can't win somehow?!"
"Hey! Pull yourself together!" Hilda snapped, slapping Katsuki across the face. "All-Might isn't just a hero because he wins all the time! Don't forget his teacher was a hero too, but she ultimately lost! Does that immediately disqualify all the heroic work she did before that?!"
The world went silent as Katsuki remembered a specific moment in his life; a moment that had shaped him so much and yet, no matter how many times he recalled it, he always found something new in:
He was four years old, in preschool. Ready for another day of being praised for being him and showing the extras how slow they all were to him. It had been good…until his father picked him up early and took him to his Aunt and uncle's place.
The image of Auntie Inko sobbing and uncle Hisashi unshaven and downing bottle upon bottle of alcohol still haunted him to this day. Thank Oda, Horikoshi, Nakaba and whoever else was up there for Komeko…
"..W-where's Izuku?" Katsuki had asked; he didn't dare say 'Deku' in front of auntie and uncle….
The story they told. He'd heard it before, millions of times. But still, it never registered and yet it did:
Izuku. His best friend. His sidekick. Had drowned saving another kid when the cruise ship was attacked. It had haunted Katsuki; a quirkless Deku, useless beyond being his friend…saved someone without a second thought. And died for it.
All Might and a few others were still searching, but many others had given up.
Given up?
Heroes….heroes don't give up, Katsuki had thought.
Heroes always win!
Heroes always save the….!
IZUKU SAVED THE DAY AND THEY….?!
The blonde smacked himself back to reality, remembering the vow he'd made that day: He would never lose…unless it meant saving someone, like his best friend had done.
"You're right, Huge Hips…Let's fucking do it!" Katsuki smirked, getting the others to smile.
Meanwhile, All-Might was running down the road.
"Where could they have gotten to? Are they trying to sneak to the escape gate? I would think Young Bakugo would prefer to fight head-on, but..."
"HEY, ALL-MIGHT! YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!"
All-Might turned around and put up his guard just in time for Katsuki to pull the pin on one of his gauntlets, blasting the Symbol of Peace right in the face.
"What an intense blast! Not enough to bring me down, though!"
"But this might!"
All-Might found himself wrapped up, then looked up to see Hilda effortlessly floating in midair, energy charging in her fist. With her girth and speed, she was like an incoming meteor.
"ARCEUS SMASH!"
Hilda brought her fist down just in front of All-Might, blowing the teacher back a good distance. Before All-Might could get himself oriented, Katsuki blasted his way over, succeeding in cuffing him while he was still reeling. It wasn't until the buzzer and announcement came on that it sank in for the two teens.
"Holy shit...we actually fucking did it!" Katsuki exclaimed.
"That you did, and an amazing job as well. You realized that a head-on fight was pointless, and instead found a way to attack from angles I never would have expected."All-Might said."And good job limiting the damage to the city by aiming for areas I had already demolished."
Hilda's belly suddenly let out a loud rumble as she blushed and giggled sheepishly.
"Hehehehe...I could really use a bite to eat."
DEVIL
Meanwhile, deep in the city, five people were walking in silence through the back alleys.
"Just how much longer until we get there?" One of them questioned earning a chuckle from one of the others.
He was a tall, lanky fellow with buck life teeth
His name was Nnoitra Gilga, a proud 'fight-a-holic' and rapist who bounced from villain group to villain group, usually because they rarely lasted long enough for him to care. What he was most famous for was his skin, which rivalled the strongest Armament users around, and his odd weapon of choice….
"Come on Nnoitra, we'll be there soon. Besides you need to learn patience." Here everyone could feel the malicious smile. "Could save your life."
"Is that a threat, Thrax you bastard?!" Nnoitra questioned, reaching into his coat.
"A threat? no..." Thrax smirked, his index finger glowing brightly. "A promise, yes."
A mass murderer par excellence, Thrax, AKA 'The Red Death', had a simple dream: Go down in history as one of the most prolific, but above all else EFFIECENT serial killers of all time…while being stylish as hell. With his 'Overheat' Quirk, housed in his large, prounoucned index claw, he was well on his way.
"Look at the two of you, already at each other's throats. It'd be pathetic if it wasn't as expected." Scoffed another of the six.
Thrax snorted. "How about you keep your opinions out of the matters that don't concern you, Tommyrod."
The third was a musucalr man with no nose, pink hair and wearing a polka dot shirt with rings along his arms and waist. His name was Tommyrod, a poacher and cannibalistic chef. With his quirk 'Hatch', he stored and could 'birth' a myriad of insect monsters in and out of his body.
"Come on guys, let's all calm down. I think we're just anxious about our new place of employment. So how about we take some deep breaths and calm down." A man tried to defuse the situation by stepping between the two.
He was blonde, with a spiky ponytail and pronounced streak over one of his eyes, which was cybernetic. He was also the youngest of the group, around 19 years old.
"I agree with Deidara, if anyone should be screaming, it's all those repulsive ugly witches." Sneered a woman with a hooked nose and pointed-up blonde hair wearing a red bodysuit.
"Have you looked in the mirror lately, Rapunzel..." Thrax scoffed.
Soon, the group had arrived at their destination.
"Here's the place. Are you sure nobody is following us?" Deidara asked.
"The place was changed recently and the address we were sent was one already examined by the police," Thrax said. "We should be good. Let's head inside."
Inside, Tomura was enjoying his drink when he heard the door open and turned to see the six new potential recruits coming in.
"Ah, welcome to our humble abode." Kurogiri greeted the five.
"Got some top-tier players here it seems." Tomura chuckled. "But where's Giran with his picks?"
Sure enough, the broker in question stepped in, chuckling as he was accompanied by six other individuals.
"Sorry that it took so long, Tomura. But these folks were pretty hard to get in touch with."
"Call me Vetto. I'm ready to rip and tear apart anyone I have to. It doesn't matter if they are young or old, man or woman, friend or foe. Anyone who tries to claim the title of hero is fated to fall by my hand." Spoke one of the men accompanying Giran in a calm tone but with an intense gaze.
He was a giant, easily as large as the Nomu Tomura had brought to the USJ
"I like him." Thrax smirked. "No 'off targets.'"
Vetto caught Thrax's words and smirked, moving forward to offer a hand.
"I've heard of you, El Murete Rouge. A little messy for my taste…but who can be careful when having fun?"
The two shook hands, Thrax being careful to use his 'normal' hand.
"Heh, seems like I'll like it here..."
The newcomer, a well bulit young man in a black sweater with khakis and spiked white hair, radiated power despite his calm demeanour. He was one of, if not THE most powerful in the room and he knew it.
Burgess wanted to fight him...but knew that he stood no chance just yet.
"Well, well, well...Garou, one of the top students of S-Ranker Bang Silverfang. It's quite a surprise to see you here." Shiki noted as he came in.
Garou clicked his tongue. "I have my reasons, none of which are your business."
"Fair enough. I won't pry into them." Shiki waved off before spying the rest of the recuirts. "Giran, who are these lovely ladies?"
"We're the Autoscorers." Spoke one of the other four figures, who all had graceful doll-like anatomies, pale skin, and were blue, red, yellow, and green respectively. "I am Garie Tuman and these are my sisters, Micha Jawkan, Phara Suyuf, and Lieur Darahim."
"Heh, nice. It's nice to have some girl power in this team." Tomura smirked.
"I'll admit that some variety is needed." Van Argur added.
Also stepping in was a man with spikey black hair and purple burn scars patched all over his body.
"Name's Dabi. That's all you need to know." He introduced. "You're Shigaraki, right? You look even grosser in person."
Tomura sneered. "Big talk coming from the Hot Topic Frankenstein wannabe."
Hearing that, Micha let out a loud cackle, showing shark-like teeth as her head rolled around as well as her clawed hands.
"That was hilarious!"
Tobi, unable to help himself, also fell over with laughter as Deidara recognized him and gave a sigh.
"Oh, Tobi, you're here...great."
"Deidara! It's been so long! How've ya been?!"
"Fine…" Deidara forced a smiled. "…until you showed up."
"Aw, don't tell me you're still sore over that caper last year?" Tobi chuckled, onlyt to buckle under Deidara's glare. "….Feels like you are. Okie dokie! I'm just going to…walk away."
"So, is this everyone?" Tommyrod asked as he looked around.
"Actually, we'll be getting a few more people soon. Then we'll make our next move."
Tommyrod jumped when an old man with dark skin and hollow white eyes rose from the ground, leaving behind a viscous green slime-like trail.
"Sliming Sadist, Prisoner-106 from the SCP Foundation. I had heard of your recent escape." Vetto noted.
"Well, happy to see folks still know who I am." Sadist smirked. "And that the damn foundation has a failure to its name."
A loud clap ended the discussions, the newcomers all turning to see the Golden Lion waiting on them.
"Listen up everyone; Tomura here is going to be the one who rallies you, so I hope you take this time to get to know him." Shiki addressed everyone as he brought Tomura forward. "From now on, he is your acting captain!"
"I'm down for that. He looks like he's going places." Garou smirked as the Autoscorers bowed to Tomura in servitude, along with Sliming Sadist.
"Long as I get to create my art, I see no problem." Deidara added.
"Just keep the blood coming." Nnotira demanded.
"And the action." Tommyrod added, Thrax nodding in agreement.
"Whatever..." Dabi scoffed.
"Lighten up!" Tobi said, slapping Dabi over the head.
The League of Villains was about to be revamped and in a big way...
Knightmare Lord A/N:
How did you like Izuku's Crew just smashing through their competition? Also, it seems Tomura is amassing his own pseudo pirate crew! What will come about when the time comes?
Anything you'd like to say, Mrotrax?
Mrotrax A/N:
Well, nothing much on the chapter itself, wonderful work as always, buddy. BUT! There is THIS little extra:
"I'm sending York over." Dr. Vegapunk said when he called Dorthoy and Matel.
Elsewhere, the other Satelites were tossing York, bound and gagged, into a shipping crate.
"...Why?" Matel asked.
"Shakky has brought some worrisome concerns to my attention." The doctor sighed., "Turns out, that on top of nearly selling us out to some other power, York herself personally destroyed all the letters and messages Izuku sent to his family over the years. Apparently, she'd planned on sabotaging the ship and selling him and the others off to the highest bidder, with no emotional attachments wearing them down."
…
….
"...So, we should give Inko and Hisashi first crack before deciding her fate?" Dorthy asked.
"That would be lovely yes." The doctor smiled as he waved goodbye to Eri and Komeko before ending the call, turning to see the other satellites giving him a look. He groaned a sigh before speaking. "Alright. Fine! I admit it! Making a Greed Satellite was a bad idea. You were right."
"Thank you."
"That is all we needed to hear."
"When do we eat?"