Angel: I have not seen the Vigilantes spinoff just yet, because I have been busy. I will make a note to check it out before the main series ends. And also please no spoilers. I haven't read any of the spinoff manga, so I am going into the anime completely blind. I did listen to the opening out of context and…yep, that's a banger. Reminds me a lot of that one Mashle opening that was a meme even though they are not done by the same artist.
As for Desiree putting the story onto the idea wiki, I am honored. If you wanna keep putting your ideas there, go right ahead. As for me, I did read something that is giving me inspiration for season 8, but I will not say what it is. Although I do have some nitpicks after I read that page, but I shall refrain from sounding too negative. And I don't wanna come off as someone who doesn't like it, because I do like the page. Just don't wanna piss anyone off since I know what it's like when people are nitpicking about ideas or stories too much. And plus, I'm not the one who spent all that dedicated time making it.
If you guys wanna read that page, look up the story's name in the idea wiki!
A few days ago
The doors slammed open, sending Denki flying. The newcomers were Toshinori, Naomasa, and Principal Nezu on the latter's shoulder. "I am here again! Entering in a totally chill way!" Toshinori announced to the entire class.
"Detective Tsukauchi?" Rikido murmured upon seeing the two. "And the principal too?"
"Have you come with news about Aoyama?" Momo wondered and Naomasa only held up a finger.
"I need you all to listen closely," Toshinori instructed all of them. "For now, we're only telling select people what I'm about to share. It's time we discuss the future of our world. The final battle plan. Let's be realistic," He stepped up while wearing slippers. "Every pro hero we can spare is scouring the country in an attempt to find All for One. But to be honest, we're not expecting them to succeed."
"That's exactly what Bakugo and Mido have been saying this whole time," Denki remarked tiredly, sagging his shoulders.
"Yeah, but it hits different when you hear it from All Might," Rikido murmured, looking away in a bit of despair, since the former number-one hero still had a legacy.
"Does that mean we're giving up?" Minoru suddenly asked the trio.
"The opposite," Naomasa answered him, easing his worries slightly. "Here's where Eraser's plan comes in."
"I know my students," Mr. Aizawa had looked up in what was a tiny bit of hope ever since he revealed himself to everyone. "There's a way forward."
Izuku blinked in shock, realizing that this was what Mr. Aizawa was referring to. 'Mr. Aizawa's gambit.'
"If you want to lure out someone who is both cunning and cowardly, you must massage reality and make them believe they're in control," Toshinori mimicked massaging someone's shoulders.
"So we pretend we're desperate, because the walking nutsack is too smart for us," Katsuki remarked, Hanta giving him a blank look. "Stroke his ego."
"Do you have to put it like that?" Hanta couldn't help but wonder.
"You know how he is," Izuka whispered to her classmate, knowing fully well Katsuki was still showing his personal bias. She had a feeling that it was partly because she faced All for One with Toshinori that Katsuki kept referring to him as a walking nutsack. And considering what his actions had led to, she was close to agreeing with her boyfriend over the nickname.
"We'll proceed on the assumption that he's still using Search. He's got his eyes on us," Naomasa addressed the entire class. "It's probably safe to say your every move has been noted lately. That's good, compared to when...well, he knew Mido's every move by word of mouth." She winced at the reminder, but decided not to say anything. After her talk with Yuga and Mr. Aizawa at the hospital, her feelings towards the boy hadn't changed much. She still meant every word she said to him, no doubt. Although...she couldn't say for sure if she could actually see him the same again. Katsuki reached out to grab her hand, rubbing his thumb against it silently. Which did help ease her thankfully. "If he's watched us since Midoriya came back, he'll believe we're frantic and exhausted. The goal is to have him think we're making a series of bad moves one after the other. That he has got us bested. He won't see Eraser's plan coming. We'll use his own informant, Aoyama, to lure him out into the open on our terms. We're currently working on logistics."
Izuku and Tenya both gasped sharply at the news. The green-haired boy had happy tears from his eyes. "So Aoyama's helping us?!" He asked Toshinori hopefully, earning a small nod. Most of the students cheered at this new development.
Ochaco let out a huge sigh of relief. "I'm so glad!" Toru cried out while hugging Ochaco. Izuku looked towards the ground happily, glad that Yuga believed in them.
"He saw the light!" Mina cried out, starting to cry out of happiness. It would've been a lot more ominous if Yuga had said no.
Izuka placed a hand on her chest, letting out a small breath. She squeezed Katsuki's hand, getting his attention. Even though her eyes were closed...he could tell that she was at least somewhat relieved Yuga was helping. She had no idea what words exactly got through to him, but at least he was going to fight back against All for One.
"Excuse me, sir," Momo called out, getting their attention. "How will we go about deceiving him?"
'Mr. Aoyama spoke up in terror just talking about it. "If we lied to him, he would kill us. Our choice was life or death'."
"Aoyama's father was scared," The girl frowned in concern, wondering if they were really going to put the Aoyama family in danger. "If it's true that All for One is able to tell when someone's lying...won't we putting Aoyama and his family at great risk by trying this?"
Toshinori gave her a small nod. "We've planned for that too. According to the Aoyamas, every time All for One contacts them, it's over the phone. Calls only. So there's never written communication. They picked up on that after that burner phone with the texts planting doubt in Mido got discarded. Given the number of informants in his network...he must have a way of instantly knowing if they're being honest with him. We're pretty sure he has a way of detecting a lie through their voice immediately." They had already encountered a similar situation with Lady Nagant, after all. So it wasn't too surprising that All for One had a knack of knowing when someone was loyal to him or not. Which was frightening in of itself... "Therefore, if there is no lie in the audio he hears, he'll believe he can show up without fear. That's why we'll go with Aizawa's idea and use his power."
They all gasped at the emphasis of he, having no idea who he was referring to. Considering that Toshinori didn't give a specific name...it definitely didn't refer to a teacher or a pro hero. He then turned around with a big grin on his face. "Come on in!" He announced to the person behind the door.
The door slowly opened and they were utterly shocked...to see Hitoshi Shinso standing there! And he had a new hero costume too, scarf and modulator and everything. "Hey," He greeted the 20 students with a small wave.
"Shinso!" Minoru exclaimed in surprise to see him. Most of them cheered, Katsuki looking a little annoyed. Especially since the last time he saw Hitoshi, he offered to have a match with Izuka one day. Which thankfully didn't happen because of both students being too busy. And he hoped that it never happened either...
"Your costume looks awesome!" Eijiro grinned at the sight.
"Oh yeah, this guy had some nerve last time," Katsuki growled, causing Izuka to look up at him.
"Relax, all he asked for was a friendly match. I've barely even talked to him," She gave a small shrug. He let out a defeated grunt as he looked away, remembering that Izuka never sketched Hitoshi...not that he could check anyway. She hadn't even seen him ever since Joint Training.
"I'm kinda confused about how Shinso's Quirk is supposed to be utilized for this plan," Tsuyu pointed out, a finger on her chin. "I was on his team for combat training."
"Keep in mind," Hitoshi had held up a finger. "I can't make the person I brainwash talk. Also, orders that require them to think are off the table."
"You said your power came with limitations," Tsuyu stated while staring at him. And even with the voice modulator, it might not even fool All for One. He might be able to tell that something was off, and then the plan would fall flat.
"A lot's changed since then," Hitoshi rubbed the back of his neck, to the shock of the others. "I thought I'd be transferring into the hero course in April and competing against you guys as your classmate. But I guess we have more important issues than my transfer at this moment," He looked up with a small smile. "Still, I've been training hard to develop my Quirk."
"You've improved your power? So this trick will work?" Tsuyu questioned him in a bit of excitement.
"It should. Like this," He pulled open his collar. "I'll use Brainwashing to make Aoyama and his parents talk. They'll say what I want them to, but my intentions will stay hidden from the enemy."
"That's incredible!" Most of the students exclaimed in unison to hear the news.
"It won't be easy, though," Hitoshi rubbed the back of his neck again sheepishly. "Using my Quirk this way is difficult."
"You've got this!" Eijiro openly encouraged, since he was on the same team as the purple-haired boy in joint training.
Minoru laughed while pumping up a fist.
"We really owe you one, dude!" Denki exclaimed happily towards the boy.
"And it's great that you'll be a big help," Izuka gave him a thumbs up. "It's obvious you've worked hard!" She then turned to a seething Katsuki. "And it's just a compliment, nothing else..." Hitoshi raised a brow at the two, but didn't question it further.
"Do you wanna be in Class A or B?!" Koji cried out in excitement, a first for him.
"Obviously A!" Rikido popped up with a big smile.
"What's your hero name?" Mashirao popped up in front of Hitoshi, catching him off guard. He also wagged his tail a little.
'They're so happy' Hitoshi gave all of them a blank look, considering the situation they were in... 'What's their problem?'
"Shinso was able to amp up his power thanks to intense extracurricular instruction from Aizawa," Principal Nezu spoke up, causing all of them to quiet down.
"Amazing!" Rikido, Denki, Mashirao, and Eijiro all cheered happily, surrounding a less than enthusiastic Hitoshi. "Mr. Aizawa really is the coolest!"
"And before you ask," Principal Nezu pointed up ahead with a wink. "Shinso does not have his provisional license yet. But since this is an emergency, the Heroes Public Safety Commission said they would make an exception for him."
"Whoa!"
Izuka gave a sheepish smile as she felt like this was deja vu with the Hassaikai Raid. Never did she think that someone else would go through almost the exact same thing that she did...And it was a surprise to her that Hitoshi even got out of that training with Mr. Aizawa seemingly well, considering their homeroom teacher would train them very hard...
"That's great," Fumikage raised his hand. "But you haven't addressed what comes next. We're supposed to lure out the villains and capture them en masse. How do we do that?" Hanta, Denki, Mashirao, Eijiro, and Koji all stared up ahead in realization. "Our numbers are dwindling. And it would be suspicious if we gathered in one place. Why would our enemies come?"
"That's a good point," Izuka frowned a little in worry. "Don't they have this computer genius able to track our movements if asked on their side?" She would know; he was most likely the reason that Himiko Toga was able to call her at Central Hospital in the first place. "Plus...we've got some strong opponents that would take advantage of that."
"No worries," Toshinori immediately answered their questions, not even looking concerned. "The heroes won't be there."
"For this to work, we'll need the help of another individual. While we do have a student that can handle this task...Mido's teleportation is too risky to rely on for the job. They already know too many details of how it works, so they would be able to counteract it," Naomasa explained to the group.
"Hm?" She blinked, more so intrigued by who they were recruiting instead of being mad. And she would have to agree that having it not be her would help keep the illusion to All for One that they were making bad moves. He would correctly assume that they would be using her power against him, because similar to Katsuki, she had her own reasons of wanting her own revenge.
In Central Hospital, in front of a specific room being monitored...Neito Monoma was standing between his teacher and Mr. Aizawa. "The request comes from All Might and his team. We can't rely on Mido's Black Holes this time for the task," The latter informed as he didn't take his eyes off of the person behind the glass.
"We won't be able to do this without you," Vlad King stated...as they were looking at Kurogiri himself, still strapped in a chair. And he hadn't said a word to anyone other than either Mr. Aizawa or Present Mic. "Are you up to it...Phantom Thief?"
"Hm," Neito looked away with a small confident smile. He then looked towards Mr. Aizawa, and seemed like his smug old self as usual. "You want me to Copy this guy's Quirk and master it in a few days to save the world? Sure. I won't even work up a sweat unlike Mido would have to," He smirked, giving a small shrug. If Izuka's Quirk wasn't a blank to him, then he would've copied her Black Hole ability. However, because it was part of a Quirk that had grown, he couldn't take one part of a powerful Quirk either.
"...I'm sorry," Mr. Aizawa confessed, still staring at what was left of Oboro... "I had hoped my voice would get through to him."
'He flinched and looked up, letting his emotions get to him. "Tell me! The monster who did this to you'!"
"I am Kurogiri, the protector of Tomura Shigaraki," He sat there as if nothing had happened.
"The three of us were in Class 2-A together at UA High School!" Mr. Aizawa's voice broke, hoping even for a second that Oboro's side could come out.
"And we were all going to become heroes together!" Present Mic yelled at him as well.
"You're Oboro Shirakumo!" The two men shouted at him. A face was seen within Kurogiri. And that face was of Oboro Shirakumo.'
"Right now, I couldn't tell you if I'm looking at Kurogiri or Shirakumo," Mr. Aizawa murmured, Neito staring at him in silence. He could tell that the teacher wanted the latter back, but...with Kurogiri in his state, it was too risky to tell. It was a battle within one monstrous body that all started with Oboro's corpse... "I've lost an eye, and my Erasure is barely functioning. In the coming battle, I'll be all but useless..."
Neito turned away with a frown, as...he would never admit this out loud. But sometimes...he did feel the same way with his own Quirk. That even though he was being asked to copy a powerful Quirk in a few days...that it wouldn't make him anything other than someone people barely knew. "Know what I heard?" He asked softly, a rarity for him. "Our side would've been massacred at Jaku if it wasn't for your bravery." He had read the report...of what happened to Mr. Aizawa's leg. "You know what people told me when I was a kid?" He looked up wistfully, rubbing his neck. "That I would never be a superhero with an ability like mine. They said I'd be...a side character."
Vlad King slowly wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder. His eyes faltered and he bowed his head...not wanting to hear the truth. He knew that he did drive Vlad King and some of his classmates crazy sometimes...and that with Mr. Aizawa, he always targeted Class 1-A. "Monoma. This plan won't work unless every component is in place."
"I can get him alone. Just tell me when," Yuga said over the phone to All for One, before he was about to summon Izuku. He gave a look of both terror and triumph towards Hitoshi. He and his family had been told of the entire plan. Hitoshi gave him two thumbs up of encouragement.
"Take center stage."
Those words still rang true for Neito as he focused his power.
He looked up in determination to do his best...so that he could get some attention too...and prove that he could be a hero.
"This whole time, you've never been an extra. You are a star!"
Neito then gave a big smirk, looking very into the moment. He gave a crazed and proud laugh for how well he was pulling it off. "Look who's in the spotlight now!" He bragged, revealing all of the heroes from the portals he had summoned.
"Just as we thought," Naomasa reported from an intercom. "He brought an army with him. All squads, move in!" He, Toshinori, and a bunch of police were in hiding, overseeing the mission just like what happened with the previous big mission.
"If he gets his hands on One for All or Galaxy, there'll be no reason for him to hide ever again!" Toshinori warned every single one of them. "Now is the time!"
All for One was still floating in the air while watching the League and Nomus in front of him. Shigaraki appeared while his head was down, savoring this before he would kill them all. "This is the beginning of the end!"
Izuku and Izuka glared as they looked up ahead, surrounded by their team.
All the villains yelled as they charged in. Though strangely, Shigaraki made no effort to move for a few seconds. He reached out to touch the ground...his hand twitching as he could just end all of this with a single touch. He glanced up ahead as something felt off.
"Not now, boss man. I'm spoken for!" Dabi grinned with bloodlust, summoning his blue flames. "I didn't think that you'd be here for me to slaughter, dear old Dad!"
Compared to last time, Endeavor was charging in without hesitation. It was thanks to the support of his family, Best Jeanist, Hawks, and Izuka that he was able to handle it now. "Before we start, how about I cremate your friends?" He threw his flames, only for a bunch of ice to appear. A giant flame spread out, but no one was actually hurt thanks to the icy winds. The villains grunted as they braced themselves, the ice breaking off from a portal. Dabi grinned and let out a knowing laugh, some smoke from his mouth.
Shoto appeared while glaring at his evil older brother, clenching a smoking fist. "No way am I going to allow that. Not today, brother!"
"Hey there, Shoto!" Dabi was even more pleased as it meant he could take both of them down.
"You're gathering in droves," All for One noted that not all of the students or heroes were gathering together. It seemed to be in waves, which he didn't understand. "Is this where you plan to mount a feeble last stand?" Several students from Class 1-A appeared, Katsuki looking up with a big grin.
"Now! Activate System Troy!" Toshinori shouted with blood flying from his mouth.
Something popped up out of the ground, heading towards the group of villains. They all yelled in alarm, unable to stop it. Some of them were then engulfed into a strange structure, and the same thing started happening to multiple groups. Himiko gasped sharply, Shigaraki grunting as he only stared in silence.
"A cage?" Dabi asked in disbelief as it was surrounding All for One as well. "You think this'll hold me?!" Once the structures stopped appearing, there were multiple steel-like cages on the battlefield. They looked to be the same material as what the dorm building Troy was made out of.
"They know we'll be able to tear apart these apart in seconds," All for One noted, since multiple members were capable of breaking out by sheer power alone. "So why have they gone through such trouble? Surely this isn't their whole strategy."
"The plan's working, All Might," Naomasa placed a hand on his shoulder as they watched in anticipation. "We will stop him."
"Yes," Toshinori agreed, knowing that they wouldn't give the villains enough time to break out.
"This time, we devised a strategy together. We may have failed before..." Naomasa then recalled the injury Toshinori still had that prevented him from being All Might for too long. "And your body won't ever fully recover...but we're both still standing! And today, we'll defeat this abomination! Make no mistake. This is it!" He glared, determining that no matter what they had to do...they would defeat All for One for good this time.
"No doubt!" Toshinori declared, wanting justice for all of the previous One for All users that died against the Symbol of Evil...and for those who suffered thanks to him.
"Ah, I see, All Might," All for One recognized the strategy. "That's your goal."
"You're far from UA and the makeshift fortress. We've plotted every detail," Toshinori explained as engines started up from the cages. This allowed them to move wherever they needed to go. "To make you overconfident! To draw you out! And now..."
"Surprised ya, didn't I?!" Neito called out triumphantly while summoning more of the portals. The cages started to get moved towards them. "The gates are ready! Put some muscle into it, heroes!" He ordered as the group moved in towards the cages.
"Shortsighted fool," All for One declared with a chuckle. "You really think you can split us up?"
Toshinori looked just a little anxious upon hearing that, but he still had faith that this plan would work...even if they had to resort to drastic measures.
The cages continued to be pushed towards the portals, which would lead to who knows where. "The damn thing's moving!" One of them freaked out, gritting his teeth.
"Stop your complaining and start wailing on the walls!" Another one cried out to them.
"Break free," Himiko pleaded with them from the back...because she remembered seeing Izuku just before getting caged in. "Get me out!"
They all charged and broke out with a yell, the cage already in pieces.
"A cage like this can't even hold me three seconds!" Dabi shouted while burning the cage apart, revealing himself. He flinched as he looked up to see Kido, Tenya, Shoto, and Burning flying above him.
"That's all we needed! You're going for a ride!" The white/red haired boy recoiled back his hand, summoning his ice.
Cause a moment of confusion Toshinori thought as he stared at the screens. Keep them contained This was part of the plan after all, since they knew they couldn't hold the League for long. Himiko gasped sharply as some of the heroes started to push the cages themselves. Then, divide and conquer! Ochaco looked up at the one Himiko was in and started to help push with Tsuyu. The opening move is ours! Shigaraki didn't move for some reason, despite knowing what was going on.
"Deku! Callista!" Katsuki shouted while flying above ground.
"On it!" He called out to his childhood friend. Izuka noticed the cage in front of them starting to break, narrowing her eyes.
"Not today, you don't..." Her hands glowed a light blue as she touched the cage. "Saturn Ring!" She shouted...without spinning around to do it. She watched as the blue ring spun around to keep the cage tight.
"Keep it up! Don't stop for anything!" Katsuki yelled down at her, though he was proud on the inside. Because her being able to summon it without movement was part of their training together, and it was paying off.
We'll send them through warp gates simultaneously! But plenty of distance between them. Force them to fight in places we've chosen Toshinori reminded himself of what everyone was aware of.
Neito cackled as he continued to maintain Kurogiri's Quirk with ease. "Look! I'm the one pulling all the strings!" He continued to laugh like a maniac almost...
"This is ridiculous!" A villain cried out from a cage breaking apart. "You wasted a fortune on these knowing we have Decay on our side!"
"Keep talking!" A hero shouted, unfazed as he kept pushing. "You think we'd try this if we hadn't thought of a way to deal with Shigaraki's power? You showed up thinking you would outman us. But you fell into our trap!" The cage he was pushing disappeared with him into the portal. The same thing happened with the other cages. Katsuki moved down his sparking hands, firing AP Shot to help push. He, Tamaki, Mirko, Edgeshot, Nejire, and Izuka all yelled while using their Quirks to push together. Izuku looked up ahead, rushing in...but then gasped as something seemed to pull him back...because he was being forcibly pulled into another portal by a single rope.
He gasped as he looked back in disbelief, wondering what was going on. "What?!"
"Almost done!" Katsuki once again had a big grin on his face as he couldn't wait to fight. "Don't stop till we're through!" He was the last person to go in, turning around too late to see what was happening to Izuku. "Huh?! Deku!" He shouted, but was pulled in before he could do anything about it. Then all of the portals disappeared, with no trace of the cages. There were still some remaining villains left due to them having broke out earlier.
"And we're clear! Take down the leftovers, Fat!" Toshinori instructed as they continued to watch. "You're in charge. Look after Young Aoyama too!"
"Roger that!" Fat Gum nodded in agreement after listening to the message. Yuga was gasping, his hands shaking. He...he couldn't believe that it actually worked. That he actually managed to stand up to All for One and remain still standing. Not only him, but his parents as well. He yelped as Fat Gum patted his back hard. "Nice speech, kid. You showed some real courage."
Yuga gave a very wide anxious smile, feeling like he was going to wet himself again. "Merci, sir. Can we go now?"
"Young Monoma!" Toshinori yelled into the comm. "Back to Aizawa!" Neito gave a small laugh and disappeared as instructed. He was needed elsewhere as part of the plan. A map then appeared in front of the police and Toshinori, showing 8 different locations of Japan. It told them of each location and if anything were to change. "The plan was a success. Now! It's time for us to move on to Phase Two!"
Location 4 was the Gunga Villa Site. Or rather...what was left of it, because it was basically destroyed after the raid. And no one had been back there since. A portal opened, releasing All for One alone. He'd be up against Endeavor, Kamui Woods, the Wild, Wild, Pussycats, and more.
"This place..." He murmured in thought, as he hadn't been there physically. But he was aware of the events that took place. Before he could say anything further, Hawks flew up from behind to greet him.
"What's up?" He called out, feather blade ready. He swung it towards the Symbol of Evil's mask. Hawks still hadn't fully regrown his wings, but they were substantial enough to keep him airborne for short periods of time.
All for One stared at the site, not even fazed by Hawks' attack. "The Gunga Villa..." He could still remember what it looked like before it was reduced to rubble entirely. "Of course..."
Hawks flew back to Endeavor, who was using his flames to fly. "The attack was no good," He reported to his ally. "It'll take a lot more than that to cut through his armor. I'm sorry. I tried my best."
"That was always going to be a long shot," Endeavor pointed out, as even All Might himself had to take up all his strength to defeat him. And Izuka had to fight back with the big risk of her life at stake being weaker at the time. "After Kamino, we figured out that the sludgy Warp crap you've been using is a lesser version of what Kurogiri can do. The range is shorter and more importantly, you can't warp yourself." He remembered reports from Kamino the scope of All for One's portals. If he could warp himself, he would've done it a long time ago instead of relying on a pilot for his escape from Tartarus. "Of course, the UA Barrier was strengthened to account for that. I hope it burns to know hubris is what brought about your downfall."
"Splitting my minions and attacking us separately. It's a clever plan!" All for One couldn't help but commend their strategy, even if he found it flawed to begin with, and that opinion didn't change. "But did you ever stop to consider if you could actually win when standing against me, Number One?" He then lifted a finger to point at Endeavor. "I understand why your ragtag remainders needed an edge, but the way you've implemented your plan has shown your true colors, Endeavor. I'm almost impressed. No doubt you've pitted One for All against Tomura. Quite risky. For you."
Location 6 was Central Hospital, and Location 7 was Kamino Ward, All Might Square...where his statue was. "But then...that's not the cruelest matchup you've devised, is it?"
In Kamino Ward...in front of All Might's defaced statue...was Dabi against Shoto, the Flaming Sidekickers, and Tenya. Shoto stared while mentally preparing himself to fight his oldest brother, icy winds surrounding the both of them.
"You've forced your youngest child to face your failures...while at the same time continuing to abuse your eldest," All for One accused as Dabi stared up ahead, savoring these seconds.
"We've divided the villains according to plan!" One of the officers reported to everyone.
"We're told fights are commending at each location!" Another one stated as the map zoomed in to show all 8 locations, which were fairly far apart from each other.
"This is when the hard part starts," Naomasa spoke up, knowing that from here on then...it wasn't going to be easy. Not as seamless as it was getting everyone separated to the right spots...supposedly. None of them were aware of what happened to Izuku just yet. "They're ready, All Might."
"Yeah," He agreed, knowing that he meant not just the heroes...but the students as well.
Location 1 was where the cages of Troy got separated. 2 was UA High, but also had a different name...the last one was Takoba National Station. And with UA High...it was floating in midair, covered in protective glass and being powered by something outside of it. Parts of the ground crumbled, but the structure was still well standing. The cage also seemed to be electrified.
The portal opened up to release Shigaraki all alone just like All for One. He looked up to see the school grounds, confused by where he was. "UA? What's going on?" He murmured and more portals appeared. As soon as Katsuki flew in, he turned to Best Jeanist.
"Bad news, Denim Head! They pulled a fast one!" He gritted his teeth at Shigaraki. "Deku's gone!"
The police and Toshinori could hear him and Izuka gasped, looking at him wide-eyed. "What?" Her voice asked over communicator as the 8th location was Okuto Island, the farthest away from the other 7. Izuku was pulled in through the portal, sliding to a stop. And the one responsible for bringing him...was Himiko Toga, thanks to one of her strings.
"He went through another warp!" Katsuki explained to the others.
"Deku?" Ochaco asked in surprise to see him. "I thought...you were supposed to be with Shigaraki!"
He didn't respond as he gritted his teeth towards Himiko. I don't get it! Danger Sense didn't activate! Himiko held up a pinky, hiding her mouth as she stared at him in silence. Himiko Toga. You did this?
"How is he not here?" Best Jeanist immediately questioned Katsuki the details. "What happened?" He looked up wide-eyed, since only Katsuki saw.
"I dunno! Someone must have grabbed on to him!" He informed his team, though he only saw Izuku for a few seconds. And unfortunately, he wasn't able to tell which portal location it was that pulled the green-haired boy in.
"Uh!" Izuka flinched...as she remembered something from a while ago. And it was a memory that gave her a really bad feeling about this...
"Izuka...I wanna ask you...do you think Izuku could ever love me? We all love Izuku. If someone like you can earn Bakugo's love...then I should have a chance too, right? With Izuku?"
Izuka faltered, clamping her mouth shut. Himiko's definition of love was something she knew wasn't the real way of it. She just had to stop and wonder where her ideas of hurting someone were coming from...
Himiko then blushed deeply, smiling. "I wanna ask him out. I want Izuku...to be my boyfriend."
"God damn it," Izuka gritted her teeth knowingly, gripping a tight fist. This got Katsuki's attention as he looked over to her. "I know only one person who could drag him away. Even when she's not near me…Himiko Toga always manages to screw us over."
Katsuki blinked at her assumption, turning to her fully. "I think you're right..." He muttered, as to the both of them, it did make sense. Only three people had a big interest in Izuku, regardless of One for All: Shigaraki, All for One, and Himiko Toga. And All for One had a short range of his teleportation, so they already knew that it wasn't his doing. The other members of the League didn't take nearly as much investment in Izuku as they did for their own goals or other people like Dabi. "But wouldn't Danger Sense go off or something?"
"That I'm not sure what went on there," She confessed, glancing over to Shigaraki. "There's been nothing wrong sensing someone like her before. So somehow, she manages to not have that same reaction like anyone else."
"But isn't that, like, really bad?" Tamaki called out from a platform. "Our whole strategy revolved around him."
Nejire looked up at the others. "We have to tell the others!" She frowned in concern, since Galaxy could only hold Shigaraki back for so long. And they didn't have time to test the theory of whether or not Izuka's Quirk could be on the same longevity as One for All. Their plan was centered on Izuku being able to combat Shigaraki. She did have one resort that could work...but it would be too soon to use it. And that move was the one that she had trained with the least, so it would be risky to even try.
Galaxy is connected to One for All, yes...but because of what happened during Izuku's time away from UA, I hadn't progressed the same level he did. He had made it so that I wouldn't be involved with One for All the whole time. So I had to train practically day and night to make up for that on my part. Will it really be enough to hold Shigaraki back if that connection had broken? There was no easy way to tell if the connection between both Quirks was even that strong anymore...because of the circumstances, it'd most likely be a no since the relationship between the siblings was still strained...
"Whatever. There's no turning back!" Mirko gave a big grin while clenching her robotic fist against her normal one. "Don't you see what's in front of us? We're fighting...the greatest villain in recorded history!"
Shigaraki started to fall towards the ground, since when he was released, he had nothing to land on or grip onto. He could see the city view. The city's so far below me. We're in the sky. Floating. He looked up to see all of his opponents watching him. And I don't spot a single Jailbreaker or member of the Front anywhere. It's just me. Oh, well. I'll be fine as long as I don't get in my own way. Again That same hesitation he had earlier...he would not let that happen again. He let himself land and then touch the ground, decaying it in rapid succession. However...a large structure appeared to counteract it. He blinked...as below his hand was metal, not actual grass. The metal lifted up to take him into the sky, to his shock. Before he could do anything, his back hit the wall, giving him a huge electric shock. Though not enough to seriously harm him. My body's seizing. It's an electromagnetic barrier... He clenched his fist, preparing to break out on his own. I'll have to-
"Whoa there!" Best Jeanist unleashed his fibers from his spot, grabbing Shigaraki's arms and one leg. He pulled the villain forward, clenching a fist. "You look stiff!" He slammed the white-haired man into the ground, dragging him across the fake grass. "There is no escape. As long as your body's controlled by muscles and a nervous system, an electric current will render you helpless at least for a second. No matter your strengths."
Shigaraki managed to use Decay in order to break himself out of the fibers. Those blocks flew up out of the ground He noted while sliding to a stop. Then crumbled in the sky Looking towards the ground, he could see that there was a huge hole, with darkness inside of it. Nothing else around it was affected either. That must be how they plan to keep Decay from spreading. "Moron! You shouldn't rely on cheap tricks, Jeanist! Did Hana teach you that? How to make it so easy to rely on your own selfishness?!" He glanced up towards Izuka, who stared at him blankly. "I bet you-"
"Shut your mouth," Izuka interrupted sharply, catching him off guard. And the look of her face was a bit of disgust, but also an expression that conveyed that she wouldn't hear another word of it. "You can say what you want to me...but I will not become what you think I am, Shigaraki. My only purpose here is to help defeat you."
After taking all of the rumors, the seeds of doubt, and the actions of Yuga himself, she knew that he was just trying to get into her head. And her old self from when she started in UA might've fallen for it. But now...since she knew what their intentions were, she was not going to give in and believe anything he said to her. Not when she had all of her friends by her side, and when she had grown much stronger ever since even first meeting Shigaraki. She knew that she wasn't alone at all...
What? She's changed... He gritted his teeth that words weren't going to do anything on her...when he wanted to see her crumble before his eyes. When he wanted to see her in despair and full of hopelessness for everything around her...doubting in herself like they aimed to do. Because it would be the last thing he cherished before he would kill her. And now, it wasn't going to feel as nearly as satisfying. It's not supposed to be like this, Hana...but don't worry, I'll find a way to get your attention again!
Best Jeanist moved his arm to send more fibers. And despite the distraction, Shigaraki still saw it coming. "We're flying in the sky, right?" As he asked the question, he ducked his head, spinning around to avoid another fiber. He touched it to break it into pieces. "If you use up the ground too fast...your precious stage is gonna disappear!" He flew away from a fiber and spun around. A fiber grabbed his arm, but immediately destroyed it after.
"I'm not concerned," Best Jeanist jerked a thumb to the very same hole. A bunch of metal came up to reinforce the hole, repairing it in record time. "We have plenty of resources." Shigaraki let out a small growl, as he assumed that this would be easy to knock down... "Do you understand yet, Shigaraki? Or did your brain get fried? This place was tailored to defeat you. It's your Coffin in the Sky!" And that was the name of the location for the floating stronghold, since it would be the place where Shigaraki would be stopped.
Inside the Development Studio, there was a bunch of machinery inside to maneuver and control it. Power Loader let out a giddy laugh, giving a thumbs up. This was easily one of his favorite projects, not just because he could imagine the look on Shigaraki's face. But because it was a lot of parts working together, all powered by teamwork...and because to him, it was pretty cool. "Plates F10-35 and G10-45 are out."
"Got it! Replacements coming up," Cementoss called out to him, bending down to touch the floor. "Let's go, everyone!"
"No prob!" Mei replied enthusiastically after hearing the news. "Can I get some spare parts?" She was using a drill, looking up while her classmates were behind him. "And I am so sorry. What did you say your name was?"
"Creati," Momo held up her arm to use Creation and make spare parts. She gave a beaming smile towards Mei. "My friends call me Yao-momo, though! Feel free to use whichever name you like!" Lunch Rush was nearby to prepare meals when needed. All of the team members would need the energy to either work or regain energy from using their Quirks.
Izuka gave a small smile towards the ground being reinforced. Thanks, Momo, in more ways than one. We're counting on you and the others to keep this place afloat!
"You can use wide-range attacks that result in instant death, and you're as fast as All Might at his peak," Best Jeanist pointed out, as this was the first time he fought Shigaraki personally. "We had to figure out the perfect pocket to zip you into. The design was patterned off of the two battles we fought against you after your awakening." He specifically was referring to Izuku's last battle with Shigaraki in Jaku, then Star and Stripe vs Shigaraki.
"Systems are a go!" Mei announced to the support team and Power Loader. "Come on! Let's get in the air!"
"A 16-year-old girl made it all possible," Best Jeanist explained, and he had to commend her for her hard work. "We're using the principal's evacuation system as countermeasures against Decay. The blocks were split into smaller sections and turned into drones with upgraded programming. Raw materials were scarce, but we made do. Even on a short timeline." It was thanks to Power Loader, Ectoplasm, and Cementoss, and many more that they were able to get it done as fast as they did. "And of course, it takes a ton of energy to power this floating arena."
In the building outside attached to the Coffin to the Sky...there were several people powering the systems themselves as a generator. "Wow! Manga, isn't this crazy?" Denki cried out while inside of a shield that would collect energy. "You feeling that buzz?"
"My brain's like whoa!" Manga commented, as both he and Denki felt like they were on a bunch of energy drinks...
"Hey, First Years. Stay focused," Yuyu, Nejire's friend, deadpanned towards the both of them.
"Hey, we'd totally be second years if things were normal!" Denki cried out, as like with Hitoshi's transfer, the first-years becoming second-years was also put on hold.
"They're counting on us!" Manga cried out, his entire body shaking. "We'll do our best to keep Shigaraki down! Feel the power!"
"You got that right, man," Denki smirked towards them, grinning widely. "I'm gonna show that creep what happens when ya mess with Chargebolt's friends!" He cried out while powering himself up even more.
"We combined our Quirks and talents...and constructed a seamless tomb for you. This isn't for fame or glory!" Best Jeanist clenched his fists before moving out his arms. "We're doing this because we want to protect people, and the future!" Shigaraki continued to dodge his fibers, even grabbing onto them before using Decay to disintegrate them. "We are the ones...who will stop your destruction!"
Both Katsuki and Izuka used their fire-based Quirks to bring themselves into the sky. Katsuki held out his hands as Izuka surrounded herself in lunar energy. Both of them attacked with a growl, and Shigaraki managed to avoid both attacks. However, they were gathered up in a yellow/blue spiral held by Nejire, and reinforced with Izuka's Saturn Ring. Nejire grunted as she threw it back towards Shigaraki, but it flew right past him.
Mirko ran up some wires holding some platforms, jumping up. She leaped and landed from several platforms, before heading for Shigaraki. She kicked upwards hard to strike him in the chin. He flew backwards, looking towards Best Jeanist. He then held up a hand towards the number-three hero.
I can easily take their toys off the board! A shockwave! He thought, since that would easily knock everything down and give him the advantage.
"Seriously?!" Katsuki called out from behind as Izuka landed in a crouch next to him. "Don't you remember how we nerfed your ass at Jaku?!"
"You think we would just give up on that strategy?" She gave a small smile, looking up ahead. "Gotta admit, I'll give him some small credit. Even though he's probably too proud of himself right about now..."
Shigaraki froze...as both of them already knew that he was no longer able to use his Quirk. My Quirk... He let himself land...as he suddenly felt powerless. He turned around to the same building powering up the Coffin in the Sky. On the roof of that building...was a cackling Neito as his eyes were flashing red like Mr. Aizawa's would. Water flew from his eyes as he was surrounded by Mr. Aizawa and Manual.
"What's the matter? Is the Final Boss having trouble using his powers?!" He was merely touching Mr. Aizawa's hand while the teacher was using Erasure. But that was more than enough for Neito to copy it just for this moment.
"You've gotta stop shouting! Please!" Manual pleaded, as the bragging was making it harder for him to keep the eyes open.
Shigaraki looked towards them with a small grunt.
I can't move from his side. As long as I keep physical contact with Monoma, he can copy my Quirk well beyond his normal limit of five minutes Mr. Aizawa stared at the Coffin in the Sky, knowing that even though they were counteracting Shigaraki...they were still at a disadvantage. Even with Neito's training of being able to copy a Quirk for more than five minutes, this plan was still missing their big trump card. We were supposed to create the ideal scenario for Midoriya. One for All is at the center of the operation, but now... He gritted his teeth at their situation. This isn't good. Midoriya's missing. And on top of that... the last time we fought Shigaraki...he wasn't complete. And Galaxy, as trained as it has been up until this point...might not be enough.
Shigaraki jumped up as something zipped past him. Mirko landed safely, jumping up and swinging her robotic leg for a kick. She continued to attack...only for Shigaraki to move his head around and fly backwards. She looked back in alarm for her miss as he spun around...revealing a bunch of fingers from a now larger hand.
"Hey, Dynallista! What the hell is he doing now?!" She gritted her teeth in alarm.
"The hell?!" Izuka stood up in alarm to see this development.
"We don't know!" Katsuki looked towards it in a panic, as this was something that no one could've predicted. "This is-"
Shigaraki grew the arm towards Mirko, and it was too fast for her to stop. He managed to break off her robotic limbs, to the shock of everyone else. "Mirko!" Izuka shouted in concern for her, all of them stunned by this new move...even though Erasure was still in effect.
"I still can't believe I used to think you were cool," Shigaraki remarked, blood already over his...grotesque arm. "But you turned out to be another disappoint..." He then looked right at Mr. Aizawa with sunken, desolate eyes. "Eraser Head..."