Angel: Will the mural look like the final shot of Class 1-A from the manga? No, not really. Pretty sure it gets revealed tomorrow.
Would Izuka be able to handle Dabi's flames like she handled Katsuki's Explosion? Could she convert Blueflame into a lifeforce? To be fair, Katsuki and Dabi never fight each other in comparison. So she would handle it the same way she handled the Explosion. But then again, she is fireproof, so I can't really say that it would harm her. Plus something tells me that Dabi could easily dodge it even if she did use it against him, I don't think she really has a proper conversation with him specifically.
*sighs* Another comment about other romances for Pony and Ibara. Chapters 34, 114, 132, 133, 134, and partly 142 have already touched on this more times than necessary. And honestly, the more I hear about this, the less I start to care about the topic. If it is chapter 153, and it hasn't happened at all, you know what you should do? Write the story yourself. Just because those 2 don't get romance in the anime does not mean I am required to do so here. Stop mentioning this to me and move on. I really do not care about this topic if guests keep bringing this up more times than I need to hear about it.
Twice let out a frustrated grunt, as he wasn't expecting to have to go through this again. "No, no!" He was surrounded by the puppets of the Metahuman Liberation Army, and he couldn't even fend them off. One of them had a hand over his neck, restraining his head down. And they all still had his face to top it all off. Although this was likely on purpose on Skeptic's part so that it wouldn't be much of a challenge to hold Twice back. "Your hands are so cold! I don't get it! You're freezing my mind out! Damn it, who are you?! Are you me? You have my face, but I don't know you. Do I?" The others were surrounding Himiko, awaiting their orders from Skeptic.
"Bubaigawara and Toga," Skeptic was still watching them through the computer. "C! Make sure she can't move. E, focus on him."
"Stop it," Giran weakly looked up at the villain. "Leave those two alone." Having brought both of them to the League, he couldn't handle Skeptic planning out their demise in the room.
"Sorry, he can't talk to you right now," Re-Destro approached and moved up the broker's head to face him. "He's taking care of a couple worthless villains. His meta power allows him to create life-like puppets. That's why he controls a slew of Bubaigawaras. Thanks to my company's micro-transceivers and the comm system he created, he can control them with exquisite precision."
"We know all about Bubaigawara's mental trauma," Skeptic replied, a small smile on his face. "Your client information is worth its weight in gold. Is that frustrating for you? It must be, Broker. Thanks to you, we'll kill Toga and take Twice."
Kill Toga? He knew that the girl could handle her own, but right about now, it was safe to say that there was no chance of her getting up to fight back. And if they did manage to kill her in front of Twice...it would only further increase his mental trauma. Because Giran knew that Twice didn't want to have another League member killed because of him. I doubt Bubaigawara will bounce back from that He also blamed himself for being so thorough with his client files, otherwise this wouldn't have happened...
Twice was currently being held down by his arm and leg. They had already managed to take off his mask. "It's bad if I'm not wrapped up," He pleaded out to them. "Please, stop it!" He could only watch as they were carrying Himiko. "No! Dammit! Put her down! Toga!" Unfortunately, she didn't wake up. "That's me. I'm trying to kill her! Why would I hurt the girl who wrapped me in her handkerchief?! That's me," He looked up in terror, as he was mixing in the current puppets...with what happened in his past. He felt like the puppets were his clones, doing things he didn't want to do of his own volition. "No, it's not! Right? I'd never do that! So who is it? Where is the real me? Am I a copy? Have I been lying to myself this whole time? I'm gonna tear myself in two!" He shouted in despair, as he felt like he was reliving his past all over again...only much worse because of Himiko's life in danger. "Am I the original? Is this really me? Who am I?!"
He didn't think he would get through this on his own compared to other times where he had Himiko or Shigaraki...
"People are always afraid of me because they think my eyes look scary. No family," Jin Bubaigawara was talking to someone across a table. The look on his face was desolate, as well as injured. He had a black eye and a bandage over his forehead. "I live on my own."
"I see," It was a detective he was talking to, regarding a recent incident that happened. Jin was telling him his background. "That must be hard."
He looked to the side.
One of the most critical moments in my life was when I was 16.
"Bad news," The detective spoke, while another one was writing down the notes for the interview. "That man you hit with your motorcycle has a broken arm."
"Not my fault he jumped in front of me," He remarked while looking at the man across from him. "I was driving at the speed limit and everything." Although, there wasn't any solid evidence that he was like a red-light camera. And with just his word and no witnesses that came forward, it was unreliable at best. Too unreliable to let it pass with a ticket or a warning.
"Unfortunately, this will be the start of your criminal record," The detective remarked; he couldn't leave it empty given how Jin was only 16. "Don't worry. You may stumble in life, but you can always pick yourself back up again."
Nice idea in theory. Some people trip and just keep on falling, though.
Jin groaned as he got a punch to the face, falling backwards into a bookshelf. As he fell, so did some of the binders from on top of the shelf.
"Fool! Do you have any idea who you ran over?!" The one who punched him demanded angrily, both him and Jim wearing uniforms. "An executive with one of our most valued clients! I just got off the phone and guess what? They said they're going to rethink working with us in the future!" Jin looked up at him in shock, blood running down his nose. He didn't even know that was the case. "Is this how you repay me for giving you a job and a roof to sleep under?!" Jin then flinched as he got a tissue box thrown at him. "You're a curse. Never show your face in this office again!" Jin turned away sadly at how life was now treating him...first it was his criminal record, and now he had just gotten fired.
My parents died when I was in middle school. Got caught up in a villain attack.
Jin silently walked out into the city, hands in his pockets. When his parents were killed, he had become homeless soon after. And the job was the only place he was staying...without any possessions either. And now he had nowhere else to go. Thanks to his criminal record and barely any money, he couldn't get a place of his own as it stood...
I wasn't close to any of my other relatives. I was alone. All by myself. But I wanted someone to talk to.
He was now sitting underneath a bridge, smoking as he was talking to a clone of himself. Even if he reached out to any of his family, they'd be reluctant to take him in. He didn't know most of them that well anyway. "Hey. Did I make a mistake with you?" The original Jin couldn't help but wonder.
"If you did, well...so what?" Clone Jin remarked with a small smile, also smoking a cigarette. "Not your fault you were born with the crappiest luck."
The original could only stare in dismay. With a clone of him, it just didn't feel the same deep down...
I wanted somebody around. Someone I trusted.
A bunch of clones watched as the original was currently forming another clone to demonstrate.
It was fun. You know what a person who's circling the drain really wants? An easy life.
And so, with an army of clones, they all committed crimes together to get by.
Least that's how I was. Which is why I ended up making so many mistakes.
Stealing money, cars, and without getting caught...but none of them were that worried about it. They just wanted to continue living.
And I didn't realize how many wrong turns I'd made until I hit rock bottom...
Blood then spurted out, as all the clones had killed one another from all the chaos of who was who...and if they were really themselves. A bloody knife was on the ground, while Jin was surrounded by mud and jewels and money.
When I stopped being able to trust myself.
"What a mess," Giran commented as Jin came to him after having restrained himself through the whole ordeal. "Watching a bunch of yous kill other yous made you go a little nuts. So, what's with the bag? Panic attack?"
"If I'm not wrapped up, I'll split," Jin simply informed him, wearing a paper bag over his head. Covering himself up was the only method to keep him from going insane and questioning who he was. "I won't! I'm fine!"
"Ah," Giran leaned back in his seat from the tone shift and Jin contradicting himself. "Interesting."
"The doubles I make disappear after receiving a certain amount of damage," He informed the broker in an abandoned bar. "Basically, when they get the equivalent of a broken bone. You can see why I'm kind of concerned. No worries here."
"Thanks to the flashy robberies you committed with all those clones, you made it onto the nation's most-wanted list," Giran smirked a little while holding a cigarette. "You know, if you used your Quirk right, you could take on the entire country. I'm kinda surprised you're so down and out, given that power."
"Any advice for someone like me?" Jin asked him eagerly.
Giran blew out a puff of smoke through his teeth, looking up. "Find some people who will trust you."
"Who?" Jin wondered, as he didn't know anyone except Giran. And he certainly wasn't going to make clones of himself anymore.
The broker let out a small chuckle. "Like-minded folk. There's been a group on the move lately." He then held out his pack of cigarettes with a grin. "And I'm positive they'd want a guy like you to join their ranks. Trust me on this." He watched as Jin took the cigarette. "There are plenty of people in this world who think the same way as you."
Jin let out a painful groan, as he felt like he was losing his mind, both from the puppets and about Himiko being in danger. "Toga, no!" He pushed the puppets off of him, rushing towards her.
Skeptic flinched upon seeing it for himself. "F and G. Punch him."
Twice let out a yell as he continued running, and one of them punched him in the face. He looked up in horror, and they all started to attack him aggressively. "Ouch! So weak! Ow!"
"Grab his arms," Skeptic instructed while typing some keys. Two of them grabbed his arms, and he was unable to fight back. Meanwhile, Skeptic was enjoying himself as he moved his arms. "Break them." A snap was then heard and Twice let out a yell of pain. He grunted to try and bear it, hanging his head. "Do what I say and this stops, got it? Resistance is pointless."
"It hurts..." Twice murmured with tears streaming down his face. "Damn it..."
Himiko flinched a little from her hold, which Skeptic took note of. "Great. Toga's regaining consciousness. I need to increase their strength." He could see Toga breathing and moving her face a little, but she wasn't anywhere close to suddenly attacking the puppets.
"The pain..." Jin looked up with tears down his cheeks, and blood coming from his face. "My arms. It hurts. It's bad. But even though it hurts, I'm not disappearing!" He looked up with a big grin on his face, and then let out a pained laugh. I've been careful to avoid any real injuries. Because I was afraid I would disappear! It's been like this for so long. No matter what. I keep making the wrong choices! I could've figured this out right away if I'd just tried to hurt myself, but I kept falling and failing. Until I met them. Until I met her. Toga! He thought in despair while looking at his League friend. I swear I'll save you! He let out a grunt and suddenly, a bunch of wind pressure sent all of the puppets flying in the air.
Skeptic flinched in alarm, moving his hands away from the keyboard.
"Outta the way, you fakes," Twice growled out as a bunch of mud appeared right behind him. "I would never kill a comrade..." Several clones of him stepped up, before it was revealed that it was actually multiple clones of himself behind him. "You will fear me," He looked up with a confident expression. "Liberation Army! I'll show you the extent of my Quirk!" And he wasn't going to hold back after they tried to kill Himiko.
My Quirk is Double. It lets me make two things out of one thing. I can make up to two copies at a time. And what I make with my ability is more fragile than the real thing. The second one made is more fragile than the first, and I can't make anything new until the first one disappears.
He held up a Quirk-boosting drug and then squished it into mud. "It's no good. Sorry, Shigaraki. I can do it. Not a problem! I need data and something to visualize for Double," He looked up at Shigaraki, he and the League in their new hideout. "I don't have data for this. I'm afraid I'm not gonna be helpful reproducing the yakuza bullet."
I'm sorry I was never of much use...I've been holding you back. You accepted me, and I want to repay you. From the bottom of my heart As he thought this, tears were already on his gloves from his eyes. He felt like now...that he could protect all his friends and help Shigaraki. And now I can...I can do this!
"Let's go, Twice!" He declared to all the clones.
"It's time for a massacre!" They all shouted while attacking the puppets. An explosion occurred, some of the Liberation members staring up in shock.
"Hurry!" One partially on fire shouted in alarm. "We'll help Mister Skeptic!" They all ran towards the yard.
"Don't kill the Doubler!" A female cried out, looking up in shock as a large shadow started to overwhelm her. Because even more Twice clones appeared, so much that they were flying over the fence at the rate they were growing.
"Aw, damn it!" One of them shouted as the clones immediately overpowered them, with no way for them to stop the clones on their own.
"A march of grief! Sad Man's Parade!" Twice named his new power, and within seconds, the whole streets were filled with Twice clones. He held Himiko close as he managed to free her from the puppets. "Do your worst," He glared up ahead, daring for someone to try and kill his friend using his face again. "I'll protect my comrades!"
"What a surprise," Re-Destro could see the heads of the clones from his tower. This new development was definitely not something that they saw coming, since they knew of his Quirk. "He's overcome his psychological trauma. It's not what you expected from him, huh, Mister Skeptic? A rare miscalculation and failure."
Skeptic then closed his laptop, having used one of his puppets as a seat. "Failure?" He got onto his feet; failure and himself didn't mix. In fact, his chances of failure were very low. "What are you talking about, Re-Destro?" He headed towards the elevator, pressing the button. He also had a bit of a crazed look on his face. "I can say without hesitation I've only failed once in the past. Understand? Just one time in my entire life! So you take it back. This is all to plan! I'm just prepping for my next move."
The elevator dinged and Re-Destro stared at him curiously. But he also knew that he'd see what Skeptic had in mind soon. "Ah. Yes. Of course, Skeptic."
He heard a cough and he turned towards Giran. "So, the kid's right in the head now? He must have one hell of a doctor. If his shackles are really off, he can do anything. You'll see. At the very least, he can even out the numbers on the battlefield."
"Quality over quantity," As Re-Destro spoke, something brown was growing on the side of his forehead... "Right, Geten?"
Geten, the ice villain, was flying towards Dabi with his ice. The League member looked up and with a grunt, moved his arms. His flames manifested as he held out his arm to attack with a blue cyclone of fire. Geten braced himself as Dabi held his wrist, smoke coming from his body. "Your power may be useful in the right situation, sure. But you've almost blown through all the ice in the area," He sent Geten a small smirk.
A fence was swung at Mr. Compress, who had to jump to dodge it. "If you've got a free hand, then help me!" He called out as he was still missing his robot hand. All that remained of it were the wires poking out, and it wasn't helping much in terms of combat right about now.
"Why should I bother lending you a hand?" Dabi replied with disinterest towards his comrade.
"Are you so unfeeling?" Mr. Compress demanded to the stapled-skinned man.
"Plenty of other guys over there who can help you out," Dabi responded, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.
"Dabi! Mr. Compress!" The Twice clones exclaimed as they were on their way over. "Backup Twices are here to the rescue!"
They were filling up space within seconds, as they were even on rooftops. "What the hell?!" Mr. Compress yelped in surprise, knowing how Twice felt about making copies of himself. "But...your trauma!"
"Love and courage evened me out!" One of them answered as some ran right past him. Mr. Compress looked around rapidly, as he didn't know what to think of it.
"I don't get it, but it sounds like you're on a hero's journey, even though you're a villain!" Mr. Compress pointed out to him.
"What? Is it weird for a villain to save his friends?" A clone retorted back.
"Not at all!"
"Of course I won't let you die!"
"I'm so cool."
"I don't have many friends," One of them clenched his fists tightly and in determination. "So you're all important to me!"
"Wait, am I an idiot?"
"You said it."
As they kept speaking, they were all attacking the members that the rest of the League had trouble defeating.
"Not a bad fighter, though."
"Yep, check me out. I'm a natural!"
"Let's give 'em a good one! Or a good 20,000!"
"I'll make more of you guys too! We'll be more than a league, we'll have the population of a city! Let's go, City of Villains!"
"Wait, Twice!" Mr. Compress called out as he and Dabi were still in shock. "If you annihilate the enemy, we won't have any extra players to throw against Gigantomachia later."
"Go easy on them?" One of them was confused, since they came here to pull no punches.
"Then Dabi should stop."
"He burns lots of stuff."
"But the massacre!"
"How long until the big guy wakes up?"
Mr. Compress checked his watch. "An hour and five minutes."
"Then I'll stall them! More importantly, Toga's in trouble," One of the clones spoke up bravely like a hero. "Get the location from me and hurry over!"
A bunch of ice covered the area, knocking back a good portion of the clones into the air. They were immediately destroyed on impact, or were flying into the sky.
"Oh no, mes!" The remaining down below cried out.
"What, is there some kind of ice factory around here?" Dabi murmured as something blue fell onto his arm. "Where's all this coming from?"
"There's more to my ability than simple manipulation," Geten explained while standing on an ice structure. And by the tone of his voice, he was not meant to be ignored. And what happened next proved that as the blue substance on Dabi's arm started to expand in size.
"Oh, is that so?" The fire-wielding League member commented while looking at his arm.
"I can control the temperature of the molecules, too," Geten revealed to him, frost flying around him. "So, if I call out to the water in the pipes and lower the temp...it freezes and becomes my weapon."
"You could have told me that from the beginning," Dabi grunted out in annoyance, moving his arm as it caught on fire. "Now I'm angry."
"In the future we're aiming for, the strength of someone's power will be directly linked to their place in society. In other words, increasing your meta ability will be essential!" He then raised his arm, covering a huge area around them in ice, capturing most of the Twice clones in the process.
"Mes!" All of them cried out at this.
"There's no value to life other than the amount of strength you wield," Geten said confidently while looking out to his work.
"That's a pretty depressing worldview," Dabi stared up at him, and then narrowed his eyes. "Now, die."
"You're the one who will perish, blue flame user. Your body already smells burnt," He glanced down at Dabi, noticing the smoke coming off of the man's body. "Determining your opponent's meta power is the most basic of tactics. Your scorched skin looks like it's about to fall off. You won't be able to fight for long, will you? Because your flames are consuming your own body."
Dabi didn't acknowledge it, nor did he look at his smoking arm. He never had to use his power to the point where his body was smoking. Because he never allowed himself to, all he had to do was use his flames and that was the end of it most of the time...
"A frightening attack," Mr. Compress said while he was trapped. When the ice touched the ground and went away, it left him and all the Twice clones around stuck in hardened mud. "And he willingly sacrificed his own allies. The ice user is trouble. He's the only one who stands out from the rest. He's exactly who we want to throw at Machia..." He felt like not even Shigaraki would last against Geten, he was already tiring out Dabi, one of the strongest members of the League. A feat that no one else had managed to pull off until now.
Dr. Ujiko let out a chuckle from his lab. "This hardly seems fair," He pointed out, as he was listening to everything going on. "But if you die here, All for One will be so sad," He pressed a button from his desk.
"Machia..." The voice recording of All for One played, causing the giant to open his eyes and immediately awaken. He then burst out of his sleeping spot.
"The master's successor is doing his best, but he's awfully tired," Dr. Ujiko explained from the radio nearby.
Gigantomachia sniffed the air, picking up the radio in his hand. "The master's successor..." He looked up and took off into a dash to track down Shigaraki. Although the leader of the League of Villains wasn't close to beating him...the giant knew that he had to save him. Because he knew that Shigaraki was important to All for One. And he would do anything to make sure his master was pleased, even if it was something he didn't like.
Geten surrounded himself with small icicles, and he sent them towards his opponent. Dabi swung back his arms that were on fire before he attacked. The two forces collided into an explosion mid-air, and the ice particles flew down to the ground.
Spinner looked over his shoulder while running. He then looked up ahead, as he could tell that the others weren't doing so great. "Shigaraki, how you holding up over there?"
"Concerned?" He pondered while running up ahead. "Should we not have come?" Several Liberation members jumped up from the sky.
"Well, if we hadn't come to this city..." He ducked his head from a missile. "Then we would've been reported and chased by a bunch of heroes, right?" He watched as Shigaraki jumped to avoid the missile as well, knowing that they had no choice. And they weren't sure which was worse, having to fight all of these people and currently losing. Or being surrounded by the heroes. "We would have been in trouble either way!"
"Yes, I suppose that's true," Shigaraki looked even more exhausted while running. "They had me trapped. Look over there, Spinner," He caught sight of the tower that Re-Destro and Giran were in. "The tower's close." Both of them came to a stop as the tower wasn't as easy to get to. Because they had dozens of other Liberation members to go through to even reach it. "And it's well-guarded." An explosion went off nearby from the Dabi and Geten fight.
"Where'd all these people come from?!" Spinner yelped at the sight of them.
Shigaraki didn't seem fazed as he gave a big grin. The army then attacked seconds later. And before Shigaraki and Spinner could do anything, more of Twice's clones arrived. One of them jumped to pin the League leader to the ground, the same thing happening with Spinner to protect them.
"Whoa, there are so many Twices!" Spinner screamed while looking over his shoulder.
"Yo, Spinner!"
"A buncha me died in the ice."
"I twisted my knee!"
"Shigaraki!"
Shigaraki wasn't shocked as he looked up. "Well, this is unexpected. You're an army now."
"YEAH!" The crowd of Twices yelled in unison, looking towards the tower.
"And since I can do this..."
The Liberation Army yelled as they lunged towards all the Twices. "I can help the team out, right Boss?" They all ran towards the army, some of the clones affected by the impact.
"You're incredible, Twice," Shigaraki slowly got onto his feet. "Think you have enough clones to clear a path to the tower for me? Someone said their boss and Giran are holed up inside there. I thought that it might be a bluff, but..." He staggered forward, looking towards their goal. "The closer we get, the more enemies there are. They're protecting something." And he knew that Re-Destro was watching them right now, otherwise the tower wouldn't be so guarded. "We need to leave enough pawns to take on Machia, but I wanna make sure their big boss is dead."
"Yeah! You got it!" One of them stepped up, pointing towards him. "Why don't you go take a nap while I trim the fat for ya? We'll take down the Liberation Army with a single multiple person!"
"Hey, me! I'll leave that tower to you!"
"Hold on, Giran! I'm coming!"
"So..." Spinner stepped up while still in awe. "Twice is gonna be able to handle this by himself..."
"He does have a real soft spot for Giran," Shigaraki remarked, and he knew that he could trust the army to pull it off. When Twice felt strongly about something, he wasn't going to back down from it no matter what. "The Liberation Army is playing with people's hearts. I'll make sure they suffer until their last breaths..." He looked towards the ground, wanting Re-Destro for himself. Not just for trapping them, but from taking him away from their goal with Gigantomachia.
A car then came to a stop, causing all of them to freeze. "You, leader of the League of Villains!" Hanabata announced from the car. "Up to now, we have allowed you to pursue your agenda!"
Spinner looked up while gritting his teeth. "The politician! Forgot about him."
"We believe humans are not frail beings," He was speaking into a microphone to ensure he was heard. "That we all have some sort of power. Our revival party will show how people use their meta abilities to defeat evil! Witness the strength of flesh and blood! It's time. Dismantle our guests of honor! Crush the League of Villains! Liberate yourselves, my friends! Use your righteous power to bring forth a new era! Show the world that everyone is a hero, and that at the same time, nobody is!"
This fired up the army as they let out a yell, lunging forward to attack the army of Twices. Spinner jumped out of the way as some of the clones were gathered in mud towards Shigaraki once they were defeated.
"I'll leave the rest to you, me..."
Spinner looked up with an open mouth. Hanabata. Damn it! Every time he talks, the soldiers out here get more fired up. What should I do? Shigaraki is already exhausted. We can't let him get more worn out His eyes were shaking from the power that Hanabata's words had on the Army. Not just because he was a politician...but because it was already proven that they would do anything to serve Re-Destro. And Spinner definitely couldn't compete with that, motivational speaking wasn't his thing. If Gigantomachia showed up, Shigaraki wouldn't have any energy at this point to defeat him on his own...
"There you are!" One of the Twice clones had managed to get inside the tower, and was now facing Re-Destro himself. "You're the jerk who crashed our big fight and made us come here! What a crappy move!"
"Oh," Re-Destro wasn't scared as he looked over his shoulder with a smirk. "So you made it to the tower?"
"What's with the weird hair, Baldy?" The clone held out his hand to make another one. "No, wait, I'll call you Forehead. Sorry, that was rude."
"Bubaigawara," Giran looked up at him in shock, though slightly relieved as well.
"I can double lots of things, but it's much faster to make more of me!"
Another one then appeared right next to him, preparing another clone. "Because I know myself better than anybody!"
Then a clone of Shigaraki appeared. "Beg for forgiveness while you pee your pants, Forehead!" They made a clone of Dabi next.
"That was quite a large number of warriors waiting for you downstairs," Re-Destro remarked calmly, hands behind his back. "Your meta ability is wonderful, just like Skeptic said."
"Listen up, you guys!" One of them looked up ahead with angry eyes. "You're just copies of my real comrades! So even if you die, you won't be gone forever!"
"No worries. I'll dig beautiful graves for each of you," One of the Twice clones responded back.
"Don't make a copy of your leader just to kill him," Clone Shigaraki warned as the clones had made clones of most of the League members aside from Spinner and Himiko, including duplicate Twices.
"Repear after me!" One of him had his arm casually around the Dabi clone. "We're doubles, so even if we die, we are not dead! That should make you feel better about this fight."
"What is wrong with you? And who are these guys?" Clone Dabi questioned while looking at Re-Destro and Giran.
"The weirdo there is the Liberation Army boss," Another Twice clone explained to them.
"Uh-hey, are you able to clone yourself now?" Clone Mr. Compress couldn't help but wonder.
"Oh right, I guess I didn't catch you up on the situation with my psyche. I got over my trauma," One of them responded simply as they prepared themselves for the battle.
"Wait, are you a clone too?" Clone Mr. Compress turned to him in shock.
"What are you saying? I'm the realist of the real!"
"No, I'm the original."
"Shut your face!" One of the clones warned as they didn't have time to argue about this. "It doesn't matter, I'll put my soul on the line for everyone's sake! Do you feel the same way or what?" He then ran towards Giran. Before he could get to the broker, his head suddenly disappeared into mud.
"Holy-!"
"See? He was totally a fake the whole time," A clone remarked in a duh tone.
The one who took him out was Re-Destro himself, having used his hand to take care of him. Not only was it covered in the mud, but some of it had landed on the left side of his face. "Pretty fragile clone. Also, I'm fairly certain you don't understand what the term 'hostage' means."
"Did you see what he did?" Clone Mr. Compress looked up at Clone Dabi.
"Don't ask me."
"Bubaigawara," Re-Destro spoke up again, and the brown spot on his forehead grew larger. "If you make any more copies, Giran is dead. He's not a formal member of your group, so I don't really want to kill him, but I will."
The Twice clone looked up ahead with wide eyes, as he didn't want to take that warning for granted. Not like some of the League members did about how many were in the Liberation Army...
"You did good, Twice," Clone Shigaraki stepped up to him. "You made sure we outnumber him. He's just one man."
Clone Mr. Compress then lunged forward.
Clone Dabi fired his flames up ahead. "Get Giran back and we can leave."
"Wait!" Some of the Twice clones cried out to them.
Re-Destro made his arm bigger, to the shock of the clones and Giran. He let out a grunt as he swung his arm forward to break the window open. A large crash then occurred, leaving all the clones defeated with ease. "Useless fodder," His arm went back to normal, although his face was getting much worse. "It's ridiculous to think that we're even fighting in the same ring."
"Giran." He flinched from the voice, looking up to see one decaying Twice clone making another one. "Giran!" He ran over to the broker, who had landed on his side from the attack.
"Ow..."
The Twice clone gasped sharply, giving a saddened look. "Your fingers. They really took them, didn't they? Damn it! And it's your right hand! That's your smoking hand! Oh man," Tears appeared in his eyes as he just thought that they took fingers from someone else to further trick them. But no, Giran had bandages over his chopped off fingers. "How could they do such a thing? I'm sorry!"
"I'm the one who should apologize," Giran murmured weakly to him. "He got the info about you guys from my files. I'm a failure as a broker..."
"Don't you say that!" Twice cried out toward his friend. "People who haven't done anything wrong should never have to apologize!"
"You're taking this so seriously," Re-Destro noted as he stepped forward. "As long as you have a goal as an organization, such excessive emotion is unnecessary," He then reached out his hand from behind. "Your little League just can't compete..."
"Sounds like you have a noble dream," Shigaraki swung his arm at Re-Destro, preventing him from attacking the Twice clone.
"Oh, still alive, are you?" Re-Destro looked at him, knowing that it wasn't a clone. Shigaraki then landed safely a few feet away. "A noble dream, I like that," He let out a small chuckle staring at his opponent. "Perfect timing. Let's test your might." Shigaraki looked up in a bit of alarm as the man's shoulder was getting bigger. "Once there was a young woman who gave birth to a child with a meta ability. This was back when people still had strong prejudices against them, when the world was in chaos. A place of unending abuse and unfettered discrimination. She pleaded with society on behalf of her beloved offspring. After all, he couldn't be blamed for how he was born!" He then swung his big arm, and Shigaraki narrowly missed it as he gasped. The arm then broke through another window. "Please, she said. Make this a world where my child can live freely! But society looked at her and laughed. She never spoke out for him again, and do you know why that is, friend?" He grinned, as that child was the first one born with a power. "I'll tell you. She was killed by those who opposed meta powers."
"Yeah, you think I'm stupid?" Shigaraki retorted back to him, as he knew the story. "She came up with the term Quirks," He then ran towards Re-Destro.
"Sorry, I heard you didn't have any formal education," He swung his arm again, Shigaraki noticing his movements in order to dodge. "Anyway, as heroes and vigilantes became more popular, the government started trying to reestablish order. They dug up her appeal while working on the political reform," As he talked, Shigaraki kept dodging his swings. "They adopted the term Quirks, said they were natural. It changed how people thought!" He swung his arm to catch Shigaraki by the waist. "However! In actuality, the political measures that were implemented suppressed meta abilities more than ever! There's no point just changing what they're called," He looked over his shoulder. "What they wanted to squash was the use of powers. Some couldn't use their powers as they wanted, so it was freedom in name alone. But you know what Destro thought?" He swung his arm upwards, his hold on Shigaraki tight. "This isn't the future my mother wanted. Meta abilities or Quirks—we must use them freely."
"His mother?" Shigaraki murmured as it triggered something within him.
"It was an inconvenient truth for society. Do you understand why Destro was wanted for so many crimes? He sought true freedom through revolution! And now...I will accomplish Destro's dream! His blood is in my veins. I am his descendant," As he spoke, his pupils had disappeared, and the spot over his face was growing to the other side. "This world will change at the hands of Re-Destro! You're just some thugs with the urge to destroy," He then brought the upside-down Shigaraki to his face. "How can you possibly stand against our glorious dream?"
"...Heads up, Twice," The League leader responded instead of answering the question. "If you're gonna protect Giran, you'll need a cushion."
Giran was freed at this point, the clone supporting him making another one. "A cushion?" He looked over in confusion.
"I was caught on the window with that first blast. A good vantage point," Shigaraki explained, as he had made it to the tower during the clone attack. "My eyes met his down below." The Twice clone then gasped sharply as he had a strong feeling about who Shigaraki was referring to. "He's here. The tower's in reach. I'd touch it if I were him."
The tower was then touched by the actual Shigaraki, causing the tower to crumble and break apart into pieces. The tower then started to fall towards the ground as it decayed, getting the attention of everyone outside. They watched the remaining part crumble to the ground.
"The thing about humans...they're supposed to die when they fall from up high," The real Shigaraki murmured while wobbling over. He could see Re-Destro in the distance, who was still recollecting himself from the destruction of the tower. "So you must be the liberation boss."
"I didn't get an answer to my question," He looked up, not even saying anything about what just happened. "Such a pity," He glared towards Shigaraki, determined even more now to defeat him over what just happened...
Present Day
Izuka was continuing on the mural, as she was halfway done with the body outlines. Although it was very straining on the arms sometimes because of how much she wanted to showcase... Cementoss was nearby on watch tonight because Mr. Aizawa had to take care of Eri. The girl stretched out her arms for a quick breather, letting out a deep breath.
Already almost a week, and it feels like I've only gotten 15 percent done She looked up at what she had done so far. With finals, studying, and classes, it didn't leave her much time to paint. So she tried to get as much done as possible if she had class the next day. Sunday needs to get here sooner so that I don't have to worry about class and I can just paint all day. Still...I wouldn't have even gotten here without them She hummed while thinking about Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki, her hands on her hips as she continued to stare. Out of the 21 student outlines and over a dozen heroes that she was also doing, she had done finished 12 outlines...but because of how some of her classmates looked, getting them to look to her satisfaction was taking a while...
Oh well. That's just life in UA She thought while staring at the spot she was working on.
"Mido!" She heard, watching as Momo and Ochaco walked up to her, waving and giggling.
"Momo! Ochaco!" Izuka smiled towards the two as she climbed down. Ochaco had a bag and held it out to her.
"I had some extra mochi and thought you'd want some," Ochaco offered the girl.
"Do I just give the impression that I'm not gonna eat while I'm working on this?" Izuka gave a sheepish smile as she took the bag. After all, this was the second time someone came outside to give her food. Probably because she lost track of time admittedly, but not too often.
"Well, we all know how hard you work on your art," Momo pointed out with an encouraging smile, looking up at the mural. "And it seems you've made a lot of progress!"
"That's just the outlines after I stenciled them. Wait until I have to stencil the features of every single person," Izuka closed her eyes tiredly, taking some mochi and biting into it. She then hummed at the taste as she honestly needed it. "Thanks for the mochi, Ochaco...! I didn't think it would give me a stress relief..."
"Anytime," Ochaco gave her a happy smile and then faltered. "...You know, it's not easy to notice with school and all. But ever since you got back from your work-studies, you've sometimes looked upset. Did something similar to the Hassaikai raid happen?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Izuka blinked up at them after her bite.
"Well, it's just that...we're worried that something might've happened with Endeavor. You've been dedicated a lot to the mural, and when we were exchanging stories about the winter break...you didn't really say much. Even though it was the number one hero," Momo had a worried frown on her face. "You know that if you have any problems, you can talk to us about anything, right? We're always here for you."
"Oh..." Izuka realized what they were getting at. The whole...arranged marriage situation. Granted, things with her and Endeavor weren't as intense as his relationship with Shoto. But she hardly liked thinking about what she went through at his own house. Not to mention, while she did unlock her new power, she hadn't been able to train with it outside of work-studies. Which she currently couldn't dedicate time for. I've been so wrapped up with the mural that I haven't even noticed I give off the vibe that something's off. The girl then gave a small smile towards the two, happy that she had them to bounce off of. "Well, it's not an easy way to put it, and I would rather not talk about it tonight. Let's just say...things got uncomfortable."
"...Because of Endeavor?" Momo couldn't help but think, mostly because Shoto used to be so intense and emotionless in tone. And it wasn't out of the ordinary to think that he did something. "Or maybe Bakugo?"
"No, definitely not Katsu," She waved her hands rapidly. Speaking of, he was currently leaning against the wall around the corner, listening in on them. He was holding two cans of juice in his hand when he overheard them. The boy gritted his teeth that Endeavor kept affecting her like this, and yet he couldn't do anything to take her mind off it. Not even the mural entirely helped.
"Are you sure? Because sometimes I swear that he gets mad when he notices you sometimes don't come inside or when you're upset in class," Ochaco frowned a little. "I hope you guys didn't fight again."
"I'm sure, it was Endeavor more so than him. Although I do worry about him at times. He's just...really invested into how I reacted because he was there when it happened, ha ha..." Izuka rubbed the back of her neck. Invested would be an understatement for Katsuki Bakugo. Moreso like he would get really pissed just thinking about it.
Katsuki scoffed to himself as he blushed, turning away. Even though he was there when she furiously declined multiple times of the marriage agreement, it still made him mad that she was still put in the situation in the first place. It's not like I can help it. The fact that he had the nerve to even ask her was fucking insulting. Doesn't he know that she has other priorities?
He then decided to come out of hiding, walking over to them. "Ponytail, Uraraka. Need to borrow Izuka from you," He interjected, taking all of the girls by surprise. Thankfully, he came before they could ask the green-haired girl where she stood regarding her feelings for Katsuki.
"Oh! Of course," Momo bowed her head a little, turning to Izuka. "Come to us whenever you're ready, Mido. Don't forget we care about your well-being."
"I haven't...thank you," Izuka hummed as she gave them hugs. Katsuki just stared as she pulled away from them.
"See you tomorrow in class! Don't stay up too late," Ochaco waved as they left, Izuka doing the same.
"What's up?" She asked once they were gone, taking another bite of mochi.
"...You're hiding it from them. You can't keep this shit bottled up," He stated plain and simple.
"Of course you'd say that," The girl murmured while examining her paints, sighing as she looked up at him. "It's not that I don't want to. The whole thing just still sends shivers down my spine," She shuddered a little and he placed a hand on top of her head.
"The Izuka I know can handle any bullshit people wanna throw at her, including from me. If you keep this up, I won't be able to let you eat my dust when I become the number-one hero," He smirked confidently while jerking a thumb to himself.
"Sure, Katsu," She hummed in amusement and then noticed the mango juices. "Eh? My favorite juice? I appreciate you bringing my favorite things, but you don't have to do that."
"Shut up!" He shoved them in her hands. "I don't need you to boss me around."
"I'm not," She held up her hands in defense and then turned to the ladder. "I'll tell them when I'm ready. But...thank you for everything you've been doing for me lately. It's helping me more than you know."
"Mmm," He grunted as he knew she still wasn't smiling the way she used to. At least she thanked him, but it was still missing that look...he then realized something and cleared his throat. "…I wasn't trying to kill Deku the other day…just so you know."
"Eh? Oh," She waved it off. "Honestly, with everything going on, I almost forgot about it. If you really wanted to kill him, you'd have done it a long time ago."
He flinched in disbelief as she still didn't smile and he let out an annoyed growl.
"What?" Izuka turned to him in confusion. "Now that I think about it, you were just like this last night too."
"It's nothing," Katsuki muttered as he turned away, walking off with his hands in his pockets. "It's getting late out. I'm giving you 45 minutes to finish what you're doing. If you're one second late, I'm getting you myself."
"O...kay," She blinked while watching him leave, looking down at the juices with a small smile on her face. Even though he's still the same Katsuki...I owe him a lot. I honestly don't know what he's going through right now, but...maybe he does share what I feel about him. Wait, then does that mean those kisses did mean something if that's the case?
"I might start a pool on when he'll finally admit it. I'm sure Aizawa will approve," Cementoss suddenly spoke up. She gave a wide-eyed look and then blushed a deep red, as she forgot he was there the whole time.
"AHHHH, nooo, it's not like that, Mr. Cemontoss! Come on!" The girl let out a loud embarrassed whine as she turned around to get back to work. The teacher just smiled, giving a small chuckle to himself, because he didn't actually mean it.