Angel: You know...if we're in season 6, and I'm being asked hypothetical scenarios of what would happen if Izuka acknowledging her Quirk before the whole story started, I honestly don't know what answer would be expected out of me. Mainly because I don't see her doing so if she hid her Quirk so that her brother wouldn't have to suffer through bullying alone. It's just part of her character, you know? Even if I were to change that aspect, I feel like for example Katsuki would still look down on her for being too timid and shy to stand up for herself. Or Izuku would've been successful way sooner to convince her to be a hero. It's not like that can't work, but considering the fact I'm writing the fourth movie right now, it's not on my list of things to contemplate about currently. Nothing against the scenarios, I'm just occupied with how the movie's gonna go with Izuka in it. Because I've only watched it once so far, and I need to gather my thoughts on what she's going to do in the movie.
As for Bakugo's guilt towards All for One's fight with Izuka, I mean, not really something that someone like him would forget. So probably wouldn't help that he's already punished himself for it. But I wouldn't call it a victory for Izuka either. Speaking of bullying her in the past, you can guess what happens judging how this is an important episode!
Shigaraki moved his fingers up. He held up...an intact Quirk-erasing bullet.
"A Quirk deleter!" Ryukyu recognized it right away.
Mr. Aizawa gasped sharply, wondering where Shigaraki got it from.
'What? That same bullet that hit Tamaki and erased his Quirk for a bit?' Izuka gritted her teeth as her hair flew past, willing her to go faster.
Nothing stopped him from killing his father or those two thugs who beat him up...so nothing was going to deter him now. And so...he flicked the red bullet straight ahead.
Izuka moved to swing her hand to fire Black Hole, change its destination...but it was too fast and it sunk into Mr. Aizawa's leg. He fell forward, Locklock and Manual attempting to give him his balance back.
Mr. Aizawa's eyes were still red though as he stared towards Shigaraki...
Thanks for the warning, Ryukyu, He thought and then spun his knife into his hand. Now I won't hesitate He then thought of Eri and her smile, gripping the knife with both hands while his leg flailed. I'll be rational... He remembered when Eri showed him a trick with some red strings thanks to Mirio...being so happy when she got it right. Mr. Aizawa then stabbed himself in the leg, gritting his teeth in pain. And do what I must! He then CUT OFF his own leg!
Izuku's eyes shook as Izuka gasped sharply, stopping in place. They watched as their teacher willed himself to keep his eyes open...
Clean cut Shigaraki thought as he stared at the man up ahead. You're such a badass, Eraser He was still biting down at Izuku's arm, the boy staring up ahead in horror. But for a second there...you were distracted He knew that the moment Mr. Aizawa's eyes wavered...that he was going to blink. And so, Shigaraki unleashed a powerful attack that sent Ryukyu flying. Endeavor grunted as he braced himself from the powerful winds. Izuku flew backwards as well, releasing Shigaraki from his hold. Izuka spun around trying to regain control of her flight. Katsuki dove in to catch her in his arms.
Shigaraki then jumped forward and Izuku noticed immediately. He sent out Blackwhip just as Shigaraki hit the ground to leap into the air again. His target was Mr. Aizawa again, who looked up at him with wide eyes.
This game is coming to an end! He thought in delight while reaching out his hand to kill Mr. Aizawa with Decay. Izuku managed to grab him...but the villain still managed to touch Mr. Aizawa by the face, digging into his skin. Mr. Aizawa let out a groan while being scratched so hard he was bleeding, seeing Shigaraki's wide monstrous grin. And unfortunately, because of the injury, that finally caused him to blink. However, before Shigaraki could do anything, an ice wall appeared, but Izuka was too far away for it to be her doing.
Shoto stood up, having just arrived. "Is he okay?!" He shouted to Manual and Locklock, who were checking up on Mr. Aizawa. He didn't get an answer to his question as he looked up to see Shigaraki on top of the ice, some blood coming from his body. Blackwhip was still around his legs. He looked up at Shoto, his eyes wavering. He recognized Shoto...because he was the one that was following the twins and Katsuki the entire time.
The kid who was following them earlier... He simply touched the ice with his hand, causing it to break apart. Izuku then swooped in, Blackwhip around his bitten arm as he punched Shigaraki away. The ice blew away in pieces, revealing an upset Izuku holding Shigaraki.
"Please, sir..." He looked towards his teacher teary-eyed. "Stay alive..." He pleaded as he could see the man with blood all over his face and scarf.
"What's your plan to stop me now?" Shigaraki mocked amongst the icy smoke. "Fight all you want," He grinned, knowing that he would succeed despite everything. "You're just delaying the inevitable..."
"Midoriya, Mido, and Bakugo aren't responding," Tenya spoke up in concern while the other students from the rear guard team were still evacuating. "And now I can't reach Todoroki! He said he'd bring the House Arrest Crew back! Ugh! What in the world is going on out there?" He couldn't help but wonder, though...if Shoto knew why Izuka said what she said about Baki needing more food. If so, it didn't make any sense why he would have any knowledge of the reason behind it. Because as soon as he heard Ochaco state Izuka's bluff, Shoto immediately went to follow the three.
"That's not good," Tsuyu looked up while tending to a citizen. "I wonder if someone's Quirk is causing a communications blackout on the battlefield."
Ochaco walked up to them with a worried frown. "You guys? I think we should go after them, just in case." She didn't want to leave any of her classmates behind, and the last time she didn't go to save Izuka, it resulted in the Kamino Incident. So she really didn't want a repeat of it...
"Whoa, are you seeing the news?" A question from a citizen got their attention.
"This country's falling apart. Jeez," Another one muttered as Tenya walked up to them.
"May I listen?" He asked the two men.
"Yeah, sure. One sec," He then pressed to play the news broadcast.
"If you're in one of these areas, you must evacuate immediately," The news anchor stated from a live broadcast. "I repeat, a giant villain is currently moving north from Mt. Gunga in Wakayama. His destination appears to be Jaku City in Kyoto. The predicted path of his rampage will take him through Mino City, Kakaun City, Nebaro City, Hando City, Mosu City, Horisu City, Kuraudo City, Karida City, Karamari City, Suinara City..." As he spoke...the heroes at the Gunga Villa were all unconscious. There was a huge dirt path heading in the direction of Jaku City...
Tenya flinched in alarm, knowing that there were way too many people out there for them to evacuate in time... "That's so many civilians..."
"Almost every hero in Japan is on this mission," Ochaco murmured in despair, realizing...that no one could help. "There's nobody left to stop him..."
Birds flew away, and a woman looked up from drying her laundry. She could see in the distance a bunch of smoke...
A train that was moving suddenly shook, causing the people inside to look around in alarm. Gigantomachia had arrived...
Back in Gunga, the Class 1-A and Class 1-B students looked up ahead at the damage in horror...because they had failed. "Shoji. Can you see the pros?" Hanta wondered a bit gravely as they could only stare.
"No...we're too far away," He revealed to the others.
"It's likely some of them are injured," Itsuka pointed out in worry. "Or worse..."
Hanta looked up ahead with a deep frown. "Tokoyami...you better be okay..."
Fumikage was at the med bay for the team, holding a bandaged Hawks in his arms. He hadn't once let go of his mentor since he had arrived. However...the place was almost completely trashed. He looked up ahead with an open mouth, remembering what had happened.
Rocks and trees flew over, causing people to run away screaming as some of the tents started to be destroyed. Fumikage had rescued some people using Dark Shadow, holding Hawks in his arms.
He gave a nervous look, knowing that if there were any heroes around, they would've shown...meaning that he was going to be on his own for a while. But the attack was very concerning. "What was that?" He murmured, and had a dreaded feeling in him...
Momo gripped her fist tightly into the grass so much she dug into the dirt. I can't believe it She gulped at their failure. We had little time...but we prepared meticulously...and Kirishima managed to administer a dose. And yet...the real reason we're here right now...
Despite being too far away...they could hear the stomping in the distance. The reason we're even alive...is because they didn't consider us to be actual threats. When the heroes and Tamaki had attacked...Gigantomachia was able to defeat them with ease thanks to his monster form. Just...insects
Gigantomachia reached out his hand to attack them, Momo looking up in shock. Suddenly, something swooped in and saved all of them, the same type of flight that the heroes used to get to them.
"Majestic! You're here!" Momo cried out in both relief and concern.
"You did the right thing today, kids," He reassured while getting them away from the area. "Your decisions were sound!" Momo looked back at her mentor, wanting to help him. She just knew that things wouldn't end well for him... "No matter what happens now...you should be proud of that fact!" He then used his Quirk to send them away. He looked up, only to be faced with Gigantomachia's claw.
The students watched as there was a small explosion. Momo gasped sharply...as she had some idea of what just happened. Although none of them knew that Majestic had just been killed...
"Hey," Kinoko suddenly spoke up, frowning. "Why hasn't the giant...fallen asleep?"
Itsuka frowned while looking at the grass...because it wasn't enough. "Does this mean it didn't work...?"
Minoru looked up at the others dreadfully. "Are we sure that Majestic was right about us? Should we have tried something else? And what about the heroes and their big raid? Was this mission something they should've done? This is...this is, like, really bad! Do you think...we were doomed to fail...from the very beginning?"
As he spoke, people ran away from all the incoming smoke as Gigantomachia started to tear into the city. "I'm coming to you, Master!" He shouted, the villains all looking up ahead...they knew that nothing would stop them now, so they weren't worried. They just had to reach Shigaraki now...
"Ah!" Garaki gave a bright smile for how things had turned around in the favor of Shigaraki and the others. "A delightful development!" He chuckled happily as he was being arrested now, as Present Mic had turned him over to the cops. "You had us at the hospital. It was quite the impressive showing."
"Hey!" One of the cops yelled at him.
"Please, allow me to commend your splendid display of force. But your fate has been sealed. Shigaraki is awake!" Present Mic stared at him furiously, wishing that Garaki would shut up at this point. "And the tables have forever turned against you!" He cackled evilly, as he wished he could see what Shigaraki was doing. But honestly, he was still pleased with the amount of progress. So even though he was getting arrested, to him, it was worth it. "Gigantomachia is a calamity that lives and dies only for his master! In fact, my Nomu soldiers were modeled after him! A king needs pawns, of course. A powerful army!" Burnin and the other heroes from Endeavor's team were still fighting the Near High-End Nomu. Garaki looked up with a big grin. "Now that Machia's on the move, this world will see true horror at last! The end is near! Shigaraki will destroy this hero-saturated society!"
Shigaraki was currently standing alone among the smoke, his hair blowing in the wind.
Izuku stared at the villain furiously, still angry over what happened to Mr. Aizawa...tears were in his eyes, his power sparking off of him.
Endeavor was trying to cool off, panting heavily with smoke coming from his body. A bunch of ice approached him, and he looked to the side to see his son was responsible. "Shoto!"
"It took me a while because I stopped to help Ryukyu. You cool off. The ice should help you rally," He explained while staring towards Shigaraki and Izuku. Endeavor glared towards the villain, growling as his flames appeared seconds later. He wanted to attack right away, but he knew that he was already reaching his limit with his Quirk...
Katsuki was kneeled near Gran Torino, Izuka still in his arms. He gently put her down, growling towards Shigaraki while still kneeling. He remembered the amount of speed Shigaraki had, as well as how fast Izuku swooped in to help...while he was seconds behind. He looked up while still growling, realizing that he still had to catch up.
"Mr. Aizawa...is he...gonna be okay?" He looked up towards Izuka, fresh tears in her eyes. "I should've been able to stop it...but his leg...!"
"Hey, not here," Katsuki grabbed her hand, causing her to blink as she glanced down at him. "Don't you dare let that bastard see you cry. He's not worth it. And you did everything you could for teach, so don't blame yourself!"
She blinked to be rid of her tears, glancing in the direction of Mr. Aizawa. He was on the ground, surrounded by Locklock and Manual administering first-aid. "Elevate his leg! I'll make a torniquet," Manual instructed while Izuku was looking down at his teacher. "If I can just untangle this. Dang it, where's the end?!" He was trying not to panic...
Locklock looked up towards a shaking Izuku. "Deku," He gasped and then growled, his eyes wavering. He recognized the look on Izuku's face...one of intense anger. It was safe to say he was Katsuki's level of mad. "Run!"
"Not a chance," The boy snarled, wanting Shigaraki to pay for what he did.
"That's better," Shigaraki had no regrets at all, and he also knew...that he didn't have to hold back anymore. "Now die..." He then reached out his hands towards the ground...when suddenly, his skin tore from his upper torso, blood flying. He looked down in shock, gasping as this was able to prevent him from using Decay.
Izuku noticed this as well, tears flying from his eyes. Look at him...
Shigaraki stood there for a few seconds and then wobbled, as he felt like he suddenly was barely able to stand. Wh-what's happening? I don't understand... His right side was now torn apart, as if his skin tore out from the inside. Earlier, I couldn't use my Quirks, so of course my body suffered as I pushed past my physical limits. But now? Super Recovery should be working full force again...so how the hell do I have injuries? It didn't make sense to him, considering that he took out Mr. Aizawa...his regeneration would've kicked in at this point...so what was stopping it from activating? He then looked up with a gasp, realizing...that he did wake up too early.
"Hold on. What is today's date...?"
Has it been four full months yet? He thought that despite the early awakening, that he would have no problem destroying the city...but it looked like waking up early actually did come with some drawbacks that he didn't anticipate.
Izuku's eyes widened as he could see Shigaraki from his spot. "His body...isn't healing?" He murmured while tears streamed down his face. Gran Torino said All for One's roster of stolen Quirks...was transplanted into Shigaraki. He's like me and Izuka combined. He's the vessel for a huge amount of power He remembered that when he unleashed that punch at the UA entrance exam...that his body couldn't handle One for All at first. And so he kept breaking his bones until he learned how to overcome that. But like Izuka, his body's not strong enough to handle it...! Meanwhile, Izuka had to learn from scratch how her power worked that had harmful consequences when she reached her limit...and now it was the same for Shigaraki.
However, even with this, it didn't seem to deter the villain as he looked at his hand. "Whatever. So I'm not regenerating instantly," He gripped his fist tightly as he swung up his arm. "I'll just rely on Decay!"
Izuku's eyes sparked as a huge burst of wind appeared. Once it cleared, Shigaraki was shocked to find that Blackwhip had captured him. He looked up...to see Izuku floating in midair. Not only that, he was carrying the others with Blackwhip as well, just in case Shigaraki had touched the ground. One for All. The Seventh User's Quirk. Float!
He gritted his teeth while looking towards his enemy.
Locklock gasped in alarm as he looked up, staring towards the ground. "We're flying?" He had no idea Izuku was even capable of this...
"He...he did it," Izuka murmured, her eyes shaking towards her brother.
"...I know this power," Gran Torino opened his eyes weakly. Float...was the Quirk of Nana Shimura. "It's Shimura's..." He looked towards Izuku in front of the clouds, who was focused on restraining Shigaraki.
If Shigaraki touches the ground...he could cause another wave of mass destruction! He thought as Shigaraki slowly grinned towards him. "I'll put a stop to you up here, in the air," Izuku challenged while gritting his teeth. "Using every ability I've got in my arsenal!" He continued to glare down at Shigaraki while still carrying the others. "I won't let you escape from here!" Blackwhip then started to act out a bit, which he saw. My control's not the best. But...I can get them outta the way!
As he floated them down, Katsuki and Izuka in particular looked up at him wide-eyed. The group were then put down safely.
"Please, take care of the injured!" He called out to them.
Endeavor turned to Shoto, who was carrying Gran Torino in his arms. "Shoto. You help out with triage."
"I'm on it!" He agreed immediately with his father.
"This is pathetic," Endeavor grunted, pissed that Izuku was taking initiative instead of the other way around. And he still didn't know the reason why, which made it even more frustrating. "The number-one hero should be fighting him, not this kid!"
"You moron!" Katsuki shouted up at Izuku, not that he was listening though. "You and Izuka should be getting far away from that guy while you can!" Izuka gasped while turning to the boy, shocked that he was this concerned over Izuku...she had a sense that it was because of One for All, but something else was at play as well...she couldn't put her finger on it. "We can't bank on Erasure anymore."
"Who else is still able to face off against him in the air?! I'm not putting Izuka through this! Go!" Izuku screamed down at them, knowing that this was already too much for Izuka. What with the destruction of the city, and because of Shigaraki terrifying her. He didn't want her to fight his battles—he already affected her enough with One for All and Galaxy's connection.
Katsuki let out a growl at Izuku's stubbornness, as he definitely wasn't okay with Izuku doing this alone.
"Izuku..." Izuka looked at him in worry; even though Izuku was the only thing that could combat Shigaraki...she did also witness the villain's speed and power. And now that the battle she was dreading the whole time was right in front of her...she didn't know what she was supposed to do.
Endeavor growled up at them as well, his Quirk still not ready yet unfortunately.
"You like it up here so much?" Shigaraki mocked the green-haired boy. "Then after I steal One for All...I'll send your ass all the way up to heaven...and the rest of your little friends will be right behind! And then I'll make sure your sister never becomes a new hope for this society! The thought of that makes me smile...should I leave her without Galaxy? Or should I kill her first to see the despair in their eyes?"
"You won't lay a finger on my friends, and shut your mouth about my sister!" Izuku screamed as he lunged forward, pulling Shigaraki closer. "You've hurt them and her enough!"
Katsuki watched as the two exchanged blows in the sky so fast, he couldn't even see them. Izuka slowly walked up to him, her mouth wide open. Katsuki gritted his teeth, remembering seeing how pissed Izuku was...
"You want us to help with your training?" Hanta wondered while at the TDL. He, Ochaco, and Tsuyu pointed to themselves in confusion, all of them wearing their gym clothes. Ochaco had her hair tied up. "That's..."
"Awesome!" Ochaco smiled while tilting her head.
"What should we do?" Tsuyu tilted her head further, wondering what they could contribute.
"I know you're busy, so thank you for assisting," Toshinori informed the trio, who were standing in front of the twins. The two were also in their gym uniforms, except that Izuku had his gloves on from his hero costume. Izuku's hair was notably singed...Izuka glanced up at her brother sheepishly, since she knew who did it...
"I need your advice on how to control this new power that I manifested!" He informed his classmates in excitement, clenching his fists. "Izuka's gonna help out too!"
"You mean Blackwhip?" Hanta realized what power he was talking about. "You're gettin' the hang of it. Also...what's with the hair?"
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "About that. Kacchan's been amazing and agreed to let me chase after him as a form of training, which I have not done very well at." Every time he tried, Katsuki would always swoop in and use an explosion on his face. "I thought you might have some guidance for me given your abilities. My ultimate goal is to be able to capture super-fast targets!"
"I could've done without the explosions, though..." Izuka slowly shook her head.
"But why did he explode you?!" Ochaco yelped as Katsuki walked past the twins drinking a water bottle. "Couldn't he have demonstrated with Mido since she's fire-proof?"
Katsuki did a spit take, remembering when they first showed Izuku how Izuka's Jupiter Wind worked...since they were pretty close to each other's faces.
"Uh, ahem," Izuka coughed awkwardly, looking away with a deep blush on her face. "Yeah, we did once, but it hasn't worked as much." After that...incident, they swore to not face each other again in a fight for the time being. At least until both of them could think about it without blushing. So far, that hadn't happened yet...
"Jeez, Bakugo. Can't you be nice for a change?" Ochaco complained towards the boy. Toshinori just smiled towards the group of students.
"Deku's the one who wanted it to be like a real battle!" Katsuki argued back and then started to fight with Tsuyu.
"Well, you can count on me to help!" Ochaco volunteered, holding up her fist. "Although, I'm pretty new at using my wires."
"Isn't Mr. Aizawa the master of capture techniques?" Hanta couldn't help but point out.
"He had to step out before class," Izuka explained with a small smile. "Not really sure what he's up to now, though." She already knew he wasn't taking care of Eri, because Mirio was currently.
Toshinori smiled while pressing his hands together. "Well, Young Uraraka, I'd like you to teach him how to control his body when he brakes in midair. Young Mido can assist as well by teaching him how to keep his body in control while in midair, since she has more flight experience."
"But he doesn't stop, he's always jumping around," Ochaco popped up next to him, and then Tsuyu followed.
"Yeah, he's a hopper for sure," She chimed in agreement with Ochaco.
"Plus, I'm not sure if he can really stay airborne for that long," Izuka popped up next to Tsuyu.
"As his power increases, he's gonna be able to stay in the air longer," He explained to the trio of girls.
"Oooh!" Ochaco gave an interested sound while Izuku looked a bit nervous.
"He needs to be able to move around more freely when his feet aren't on the ground. And as for your homeroom teacher...I'm afraid he's busy at the moment." And by busy...Mr. Aizawa was talking to Kurogiri with Present Mic. So it was safe to say that he wasn't coming back anytime soon to help them.
"I've been studying the moves you and Mr. Aizawa use," Izuku stated as the other four walked up to him while he was reading his notebook. "I'm pretty sure I have them memorized. But what would really help is if you can tell me how they make your body feel."
Katsuki walked past them as he was going to take a breather and watch.
Ochaco then used her zero gravity to make herself float in the air. "Try to imagine that you're swimming through the air," She instructed to the green-haired boy. He was also floating between her and Izuka. "Use your arms and legs to balance. Know what I mean?"
"I don't fly naturally, so it's a bit different for me. But try thinking that your body can do any natural movement when you're in the air. That way, you can multitask," Izuka smiled towards her brother.
"Like swimming...natural movement. Yeah, that makes sense," He seemed to understand what they were saying. "And then I can use Air Force for propulsion! Like how you use your flying star, Izuka!" He held up his fingers, using Air Force to maneuver around. He got the hang of it in seconds.
"Look at you! Nice move!" Ochaco complimented him as Izuka let out a chuckle, clapping for him.
"You're doing great! Keep that up, and you'll be able to do it in no time like it's second nature!" She encouraged her little brother.
"Why don't you add in some Blackwhip training while you're up there?" Toshinori called out to his student. "Young Mido, demonstrate Jupiter Wind for him!"
"Right!" Izuku immediately agreed and Izuka gave him a thumbs up.
"You've got it, All Might!" She then turned back to her brother, holding up her hand. "Okay, so Jupiter Wind works kind of the same as your Air Force. It can be propulsion both ways, but the way it works is that you have to let it flow. If you feel stiff or rigid, it won't work as much. It's like controlling a stream from your body." She then unleashed it for him as it spun around the three. "Like this."
"Oh, I see," He murmured while watching her demonstrate. "Isn't Saturn Ring like that too?"
"Not exactly. I have to spin for it to activate, and I'd rather not risk doing that in a small, enclosed space," She gave a sheepish smile. She had just learned it, after all. If she unleashed it inside of a smaller building, it might roll uncontrollably, and she had no interest in getting into trouble for it. Katsuki sometimes trained her with it, but they would have to move it outside.
Toshinori walked up to Katsuki leaning against the wall. "Well, he's getting it."
"Float is a power that allows him to stop in midair," Toshinori informed the blond, who was laser-focused on the training. "It's basically like Zero Gravity. If he can train for my master's Quirk in advance, maybe it won't activate randomly. He can unlock it when it's necessary. No surprises. And then we can make some progress for Young Mido's Earth ability. Might have to call Cementoss to show her." He definitely didn't want a repeat of what happened during joint training.
"...Hey," Katsuki spoke up after a few seconds as Toshinori took his seat.
"What's up?"
"I don't think you'll be able to hide the truth much longer," He informed, referring to what he learned about the twins. Izuku unleashed Blackwhip as Tsuyu was hopping around. "This is totally different from when he just had super strength. Or when Izuka could just fire off a shooting star. People will ask questions." He had no intention of revealing the secret still, but if another incident like with the Sports Festival or joint training happened again...people would get more and more suspicious.
"Which is why we won't let them see any new Quirks from now on. But...unfortunately, I can't say the same for the twins' reactions to their visions," He sighed heavily, staring at Izuka specifically. "I guess we could just keep saying that it's a twin thing...the trick will be...making sure he doesn't go out of control. That way, he won't have to affect Galaxy more than he already has. Like with Blackwhip. That night we spoke, you seemed to understand the situation. Before we share this with others, we have to think about it carefully. What are the ramifications? Would we be putting others at risk? The villains of this world aren't the only ones who seek power," He looked crestfallen as...sometimes he still felt terrible of having Izuka be so closely tied to One for All. If he knew more about it like Daigoro did...he could help them more. And he hated having to keep this a secret from the others, but they didn't have a choice...
"Deku has complete faith in you. Izuka's not too far behind. But I still have some questions," He continued staring up ahead, knowing that his thoughts about Izuka were affecting his opinion. "Why didn't you tell them more about the 4th user? We know how numbers five through seven died, but you avoided him. Why?" He recalled that when he read Toshinori's notes, the 4th user section was entirely scribbled out to the point where no one could read it. "Before, when I asked you the same question...something kept you from being honest with us. So talk!" He turned to the teacher, gritting his teeth. Not only did he hate the secret-keeping when he could be trusted, but he also wanted to know if this had anything to do with the twins. Because if it did, it wasn't fair to any of them. "Did you realize something you wanted to hide? Is One for All or Galaxy a-"
"I can't," Toshinori interrupted the boy, causing him to falter. "I'm not certain yet. And I won't tell them something I don't know for sure." The two stared at the twins, who were listening to Hanta talk. "Frankly...I'm concerned about the Young Midoriyas." Katsuki turned away while gritting his teeth, wondering what was so important that Toshinori felt like he couldn't tell them... "Just like you are. Especially for Young Mido. I know you two are very close now."
Katsuki didn't confirm or deny it as he looked up. "The thing is, he doesn't think about himself. He never has. He tends to put all of his thoughts on his sister's future...because of her not using her Quirk for his sake. Because she knew it would hurt him. Even now...with everything he can do, that still hasn't changed." He thought back to when the twins rushed over to help him when he fell into the water. Or when the twins confirmed to him that Izuka never used her Quirk. "It always freaked me out, and in Izuka's case, it pissed me off that she wasn't realizing her full potential when I found out. Even now, she never acknowledges just how stronger she's gotten. That she feels like she's last in the race. That's why I pushed them away. But as a kid, I didn't recognize my own weakness. So I bullied them. Which only made Izuka scared to stand up...scared to acknowledge her Quirk." He looked down, wondering what would've happened if he hadn't bullied her...if she actually had accepted her Quirk as a child. She probably wouldn't have been the same...
"Which is the reason you're always so quick to help them train, so you can make up for your actions in the past. Same goes for always saving Young Mido...and always helping her to the best of your ability. Like a penance," He stared at the twins. "I don't think he feels you have anything to atone for, though. Young Mido...maybe because of her change that she realized her rebellion against you was enough. That you changed her life so much that she couldn't ever hold it against you."
Katsuki scoffed at that theory, holding his water bottle. If that was true, it made him angry that she forgave him so easily. Especially since he still got on her nerves sometimes.
"Before, when I said you were like Endeavor, I meant that you've both changed," He glanced towards Katsuki; he didn't mean it just by personality at the time. "He only has hindsight. My weakened state was his catalyst. I'm sure you'll have another chance to talk things over with the Young Midoriyas. Though, I'm not a great role model in that department. I think that because of your strong bond with Young Mido, you talk to her sooner than later. As the older sister, she would have at least one thing to say to you so that you can feel like you earned that close bond."
Katsuki furrowed his eyebrows at the girl, who was smiling at her brother. At the back of his mind...he felt like she was too good for him. That he had done so much that she couldn't possibly ever see him the way he saw her. To him, she was everything that he wasn't: a good person. Certainly not enough that he could confess his feelings and expect her to accept them...accept him as he was. Because who he was...it wasn't going to be what she deserved. And he wasn't sure if he could ever tell her now...
"Huh?" Izuka blinked as she stared at Katsuki in confusion, both of them lacing up their roller skates on a bench. Training was over now, so they were doing some late-night skating as they had planned it beforehand. But what Katsuki just asked her to do...put her off a bit. "You…want me to yell at you?"
"Well, yeah-" Once they got onto their feet, he stumbled forward. He reached out his hands to hug her waist tightly so he didn't fall.
"Whoa!" Izuka immediately caught him by the shoulders, trying to stay steady herself. She then flinched as she looked at him wide-eyed. The position was...awkward to say the least. And the fact that he was holding her so tightly was making her flustered. He looked up at her and immediately let go, his heart pounding as his face was red. "A-Are you—"
"Just shut up and listen…" She blinked as his back was turned to her. "Our whole lives, I bullied you and your brother for being weak. For looking down on you and acting like you were nothing to me. Why haven't you ever bring it up? You didn't have a problem standing up against me in the past. So do your worst." He felt like from Izuka...he wouldn't be able to get any closure unless she let him have it. She had no trouble doing so when he did/said something rude or inhumane, after all...
Izuka clamped her mouth shut, remembering all the times he bullied her and her brother...she had no idea why this was coming about now since it had been so long. And she could've taken the chance to do so since he was offering...but... "…I…I can't…"
He turned around in alarm to see her crying, but she had a smile on her face.
"How can I say something like that in front of you…when you already changed? When you already proved that you wanted forgiveness?" She sniffled a little, recalling all the times he saved her, and saved her brother. Plus all the times that he comforted her. Giving all of that up just to yell at him...it wasn't worth it. "Maybe I shouldn't care. Maybe I should just walk away and pretend like all that time being with you in U.A. didn't exist. Or maybe I'm just being stupid and blind. But…doing that with someone so important in my life…it just would make me feel empty. Because I just don't have it in me to say anything that would hurt you...not anymore."
She had literally lost the urge to say anything like that over a few months ago...even now, she didn't even know what to say to him about it. It could be as simple as screw him for bullying her and Izuku...but that would've meant forgetting everything that they had been through. Or even worse, affecting her relationship with him...she didn't want that. She didn't want it to change after so long. Izuka was happy...because Katsuki realized that things on his side had to be different. Something she never thought he would do back when they were in middle school. Endeavor was different when he tried to atone towards her, because he tried to make decisions for her and her life. Katsuki...never did that to her. He slowly started to treat her...like a real person in the span of a year. That she wasn't weak to at least him.
"Hah? You're worried about me?" He gritted his teeth a little that she wasn't even going to say all she had been feeling. He imagined that given what she said before the School Festival about the rumors, she had a lot of pent up feelings towards him. "The hell for?! I made you feel like you were worthless! That you wouldn't amount to anything! You don't have a single thing to say about that?! Don't think about me!"
"I won't do that! Not if it means that we're going right back to where we were before all this!"
He flinched as snot and tears fell from her face rapidly. "Even if you ask me or you decide to not talk to me again, I will never do it, you hear me? So stop acting like I don't care about your feelings. I haven't forgotten what you did as a bully. Not for a damn second. I have to live with that for the rest of my life. But as yourself…even when you say that…you don't need to earn anything. If you had asked me back before middle school…then it would be much easier. But it's not now…even back then when I was still terrified of you, if you hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't be standing here today. I owe you so much…" She gave him a teary-eyed smile, her tears still streaming down her face. "Now I finally see why Izuku thinks you're so amazing…I never thought you would do something like that for me…"
"Izuka…" He faltered by seeing her face, as he didn't mean to make her cry. But he didn't care what she said, he deserved it. So he wasn't going to let it affect them...he wanted to properly earn her forgiveness...so he could have some hope that she could see him as someone she desired. Maybe it was selfish...maybe because he didn't want to let go of what they had either like she conveyed. "I can take it—"
"Why ask me to hurt you like that when I don't want to…?" She asked in a broken voice. "Is this really that important that you want me to do something like that? What would I even say that you haven't realized already?"
He clamped his mouth shut as he didn't even know what to say anymore. He then grabbed her wrist to pull her in for a hug and she let out a small sob into his chest. Katsuki reached out to rub her back gently. She continued to cry as she hugged him back, never once showing her face. His eyes softened as he didn't mean to upset her like this...given how she would combat against him sometimes, he should've expected this...what he didn't expect was how hard it would be for her to tell him that she might've hated him back then. Because...she never did, she never once used that word on him. She didn't care for him in the past, but...hate for her was reserved for those who really deserved it. And to her, Katsuki proved that he didn't earn it...when he saved her in first grade.
He then fell backwards thanks to the skates, pulling her down with him. Both of them yelped as he hugged her close to cushion her fall. "God damn it! How do you move so easily on these things?" He lifted up his foot in annoyance.
"This is why we don't have these types of conversations while on skates…" She giggled a little while sniffling.
"Yeah well, it was important, so I can talk about it whenever I want," He huffed and then she realized that they were very close to each other once again. She cleared her throat, standing up and turning around to hide her red face. Izuka then recollected herself, hoping that Katsuki wouldn't ever insist on the topic again. She had made her stance clear.
"L-Let's head back inside, yeah?"
"No way! I haven't gotten the hang of it yet. Help me up so I can give it another go," He argued and she sighed in amusement. She held out his hand and helped him up, skating backwards down the path while holding his hands.
"Fine. If you really wanna learn, you just follow my feet. I'll help you."
"Let me go!" He protested with a blush, yet he was squeezing her hands tight.
"If I do, you'll just fall again, Katsu! And we both know you hate that," She smiled up at him, causing him to grunt in defeat, starting to follow what she was doing slowly.
"Yeah, you've got it! You'll get this in no time."
Her giggle and smile repeated in his head from that day...he continued to grit his teeth, as he felt like despite what she said...it still didn't satisfy him. He of course didn't tell her that, because he wanted to hear it properly from her...that she really understood his intentions.
He glanced to the girl, who still stared up at her brother in concern. What can I do…so that she'll see that's what I want? To properly earn forgiveness…in a way that's acceptable to me? So that…there's even a chance that she has the same feelings that I have for her, for someone who used to piss me off so much. And she still does sometimes when she doesn't take care of herself. Or that she can't see how serious I'm taking this...
Izuku grunted as he kept Shigaraki restrained, spinning around so that he could unleash an attack. Smash! He glanced up while seeing blood fly from his opponent. I'm punching at 100 percent and he's still smiling! He hated that Shigaraki was so proud of himself for hurting others. For putting so many people in danger... Although his body's not healing as fast as it was! He's taking damage! He then swung Shigaraki forward, Blackwhip around his broken left arm like a brace. My left arm's a mess after the two full-power shots I got in. But One for All has been cultivated over generations specifically to defeat All for One! He then swung Shigaraki to be right in front of him. Which means I'm the one who has to stop Shigaraki! Right here. Right now! He flew forward with his fist ready, determined to put a stop to the tyranny and despair Shigaraki had dealt out. Using every ounce of strength in my body! He then dealt out a strong punch against Shigaraki. No matter what happens to me!
He then sent out a huge boost of power, looking up at Shigaraki. Although there was one thing that was at the back of his mind...
"If you sustain this type of injury...even just two or three more times...I don't think you'll be able to move your arms anymore."
But to him, it was worth it if it meant stopping the biggest villain force in Japan. His other arm then broke, while Shigaraki still had blood flying from his body. Three hits, one after the other! Detroit Smash! He charged in and punched Shigaraki away, flying after him. Shigaraki grunted as he was suddenly stopped in place.
"WYOMING...SMASH!" Shigaraki held up his arms, but Izuku hit him repeatedly, pushing him further down.
He then noticed the effects that Izuku's hits were giving him, as they were starting to be too much. I'm getting hurt faster than I can heal. He'll beat me if I don't focus on defense...
"St. Louis...Smash!" Izuku spun around while punching Shigaraki upwards, swearing not to let Shigaraki have a second of time to attack. The villain was then stopped in place again, gritting his teeth.
If the heroes hadn't pushed me past my limit earlier...no. Even if my body wasn't incomplete...this boy...this power... He then held out his hands, something yellow glowing from them. "You are holding me back from my dream and crushing your sister's!" He screamed to the boy.
"That's exactly why I'm here!" Izuku shouted while floating over to him. He recoiled back his right arm. "Texas Smash!" He punched Shigaraki so hard, a bunch of wind was released. He grunted in pain as blood flew from his broken arms...and now his legs were broken as well.
Shigaraki now had a fresh wound that had blood flying from it. He tried to figure out what he could do to stop Izuku. What do I have? Which Quirk can stop him? Come on! He had no idea if the next move would be the right one, given how Izuku had been the most successful in combating him compared to everyone else.
"He's seriously just a student?" Manual wondered as the others were watching the fight.
"Yeah, but if the idiot keeps this up, he's dead," Katsuki spoke up as Izuka hugged herself.
"He's always struggled with keeping his limbs intact...but because of how much he cares for the safety of everyone else, he's not gonna stop," She whispered in a bit of dread, wondering how far Izuku was willing to go...
"Huh?" Manual was confused by what they were saying.
"He's using his legs and Air Force to maneuver around," Katsuki guessed correctly as he kept a close eye on the fight. "Controlling multiple Quirks at the same time. Every skill he's ever learned is in play here. He's hellbent on keeping Shigaraki from touching the ground again. But his power attacks didn't stop the bastard! So now it's an issue of who can hold out the longest...plus, he doesn't wanna put Izuka through Shigaraki if he fails." If Izuku didn't stop Shigaraki here...he was going to take Galaxy away from her...or worse, kill her. Neither of which Izuku wanted, and Katsuki didn't either.
"Everything he's learned at school...how hard he's been training...all of them had led up to this," Izuka frowned deeply, her eyes shaking. Endeavor stared at her curiously, wondering just how much she knew about her brother's Quirk. "He knows what will happen if Shigaraki manages to escape his attacks or touches the ground. So Izuku's doing everything he can throw..."
"Deku's body is busted, he won't be able to outlast someone who can regenerate," Katsuki clenched an angry fist. "Soon, his Quirk is gonna be stolen from him, and he'll be nothing but dust! And then the bastard will focus on Izuka," He gritted his teeth in worry, as they had to do something fast. "Todoroki. You done with the first aid?"
"Yes," He looked up at Katsuki. "What do you nee-"
"Shut up and grab ahold a' me!" Katsuki interrupted, to the shock of the white/red haired boy and Izuka. Shoto slowly stood up and walked over.
"What are you doing?" Izuka looked up at the blond in disbelief.
"Don't question me! Endeavor, save your strength and let me get the four of us into the air! Normally, I wouldn't let Izuka be anywhere near the bastard...but if I don't, it's all I'm gonna hear about until I'm dead!" Katsuki grunted, as he had to reluctantly involve her. He mainly didn't want her to get hurt, but he also didn't want to make her watch her brother get pummeled without doing anything. "Izuka, you're gonna keep us elevated! And you need to be fast!"
"Katsu...?" She murmured in shock at him taking the initiative to help Izuku...
"You," Katsuki turned to Shoto, ignoring her. "Keep your old man cool. We're gonna need him to pull this off."
"You want me to use maximum firepower," Endeavor guessed correctly while dousing his flames, getting onto his feet. "To end this fight with a single blast. I can do that..." He glared, as he did want the fight to stop between Izuku and Shigaraki.
"They're just children!" Locklock protested towards the number-one hero for listening to Katsuki.
"You take care of things down here," Shoto instructed him, causing the man to grit his teeth. Endeavor wrapped his arms around Katsuki, while Izuka stood between him and Shoto. He held onto Endeavor as Izuka glared, lifting all of them off the ground with her flying star.
"Let's do this," She declared, to the utter shock of Locklock.
No, I can't think of 'em that way...after all, I recognized Deku and Callista as heroes a long time ago He did work with them during the Hassaikai raid, after all...and them stopping Overhaul on their own was enough to earn his respect. "You got it. Leave 'em to me!" He held Mr. Aizawa close.
Katsuki then fired off his explosions, Izuka flying up as fast as she could. "Strike when Blackwhip is fully stretched out," Endeavor advised the three, Shoto also helping out by using his flames to keep them airborne. "Once I'm in range, you three beat it, quickly. The blast is deadly!"
Shoto gritted his teeth while looking up. Hang in there, Midoriya.
We're coming, little brother. You can count on that Izuka grunted while keeping her hands on her flying star.
"I'm not certain yet. And I won't tell them something I don't know for sure," Toshinori informed Katsuki at the TDL.
"This passed-on ability originally came from All for One. He's got control over multiple Quirks too. I see it now," He then looked up fiercely. "You're basically the same as him."
"So what does that have to do with Izuka?" Katsuki got to the point, and she turned to him in alarm.
Toshinori sighed a little, closing his eyes. "I should've known you'd ask that. Judging by what the Midoriyas have told us, she's tied to One for All now. So we can assume that any new powers happen to him will happen to her."
He gritted his teeth, knowing that this was going to tie back to Galaxy sooner or later. Even if Deku's Quirk is some kinda cursed power...even if...he can't change how it affects his sister...it's still our only hope! He still didn't want to see Izuku die for it, though. He then remembered All Might...and how much the three adored him as kids.
"You can call me Deku. But I'm not the same helpless, defenseless kid anymore! And Izuka is slowly starting to change too, you know that! When was the last time she tried standing up against you?" Izuku then stood up with a brave face, clenching a fist. "You hear me? We've changed!"
"It's over..." They heard and turned around to see Izuka pointing her bow right at Katsuki. "E-Even if it ended up with him getting hurt...h-he still managed...to execute his plan like he wanted..."
Izuku was thrown backwards, blood flying from his broken limbs. "From now on, Deku is the name of a hero!"
"So while he didn't beat you...you've lost." Izuka's words echoed in his head as well, and he gritted his teeth angrily. Not because of the reminder of his loss...but because that was when he realized that she was done being his victim. That slowly...Izuka was on her way of being a hero too.
Shigaraki let out a groan as he was flung into the air again.
"NOW!" Katsuki screamed as he flew Endeavor forward with all his strength.
Endeavor growled as he unleashed his flames.
Izuku grunted as neither he or Shigaraki had noticed what was going on. He still held onto Shigaraki with Blackwhip as Endeavor came in and grabbed his arms from behind.
"What?" Izuku flinched in shock to see Endeavor's sudden appearance.
"Back, Deku!" Endeavor warned him quickly.
"You!" Shigaraki glanced up at the man.
"Plus Ultra..." Endeavor's flames were expanding from his body. "Prominence Burn!" He shouted as he unleashed a big amount of fire. Katsuki, Shoto, and Izuka braced themselves as they were in close proximity, not enough to get hurt.
Endeavor held onto the screaming Shigaraki as both of them were engulfed in the flames. He then thought of All for One's hand reaching out...just like he did when they met. "Tomura. Lend me your body."
Suddenly, it was like everything stopped...as All for One's rivets from Kamino stabbed Endeavor from behind.
"ENDEAVOR!" Izuka, Katsuki, and Shoto screamed in unison.
"Why won't...you die?" Endeavor groaned out while falling backwards, blood flying from his fresh injuries. The last thing he saw was Shigaraki's body burnt to a crisp, yet he was still moving.
"Little brother..." He reached out a hand to Izuku...and then unleashed his rivets onto him.
"IZUKU!" Izuka shouted in horror, knowing that there was no time to stop it. And Izuku had no time to react either.
Suddenly, an explosive glow occurred as Katsuki looked up, his body reacting...much differently than usual.
In that moment...I didn't plan...or think.
It was just like...when the twins acted to save him from the sludge villain. And then of the day when they reached out to him, despite everything he did to them previously.
Izuku extended out his hand while Izuka pulled out a small towel from one of her pockets. She then bent down to offer it to him.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" The little boy asked in concern.
"Here...you can use this to dry off," Izuka held out the towel further, not stuttering for the first time around him because she was concerned about his well-being. She still didn't like him, but ignoring him in need wasn't something she could do.
Katsuki's eyes widened...as he imagined his current hand reaching out to them.
My body...just moved on its own.
He had pushed Izuku out of the way...so he would get stabbed in the arm, stomach, and leg instead. Izuka's mouth slowly opened at his action, her eyes shaking.
No...