Chapter 10: Yeah, Just Do Your Best, Iida!
At UA High the next morning, reporters had flooded the entrance gates trying to interview any of the students walking in for any information on All Might.
One reporter asked Izuku, "Hey, you! Can you tell us what it's like to work so closely with All Might?"
Izuku stuttered, "I have to go to the….nurse's office. Yeah, right away!"
The reporter tried to ask Danny next, but he said, "Don't bother me." He gave a glowing green glare that made the reporters back away.
They tried Ochaco next, "Are you one of All Might's students? Tell us, what's the Symbol of Peace like in person?"
Ochaco said, "What's he like? He's super muscly."
Another reporter asked Tenya, "How is he faring as a teacher? What are you learning?"
Tenya answered, "His leadership and wisdom remind me on a daily basis that I attend the world's most prestigious educational institution. Of course, he's the personification of honor and integrity that one would expect, but he's also not afraid to show his students a more humorous side. It's truly a unique opportunity to be under the direct tutelage of the pro we all admire." All the reporters got bored quickly.
Another reporter tried to flag down Bakugo, "Excuse me, kid! Are you in All Might's class? Oh, hold on. Aren't you that Sludge Villain kid?"
Bakugo glared at the reporter, "Walk away."
Lastly, they tried asking Aizawa, "Please, sir. Can you get All Might for us? Also, you look like a mess. What's your deal?"
Aizawa answered, "All Might's not on campus today. Now get outta here, you've disturbed my students enough already."
He walked inside the entrance to get away from the reporters. One of them tried to follow him, but then the school's defenses activated and tall metal walls appeared blocking their way. Only people that have a school pass can enter its premises. It seemed like everyone wanted to get their hands on All Might. Even the shady guy staring at the school from across the street.
The school day began and Aizawa addressed his class, "Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys. I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team's results. Bakugo. You're talented. So don't sulk like a child about your loss, OK?"
Bakugo grunted, "Yeah, whatever."
"And Midoriya," Aizawa continued. "I see the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again. Work harder. And don't give me the excuse that you don't have control over your Quirk. That line's already getting old. You can't keep breaking your body while training here. But your Quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it. So show a little urgency, huh?"
"Right," Izuku replied.
"And finally, Fenton," Aizawa addressed Danny. "You and Yaoyorozu were the only villain team that won yesterday. You two did a good job of coming up with a plan to not only protect the fake weapon, but also take out your opponents swiftly and quickly. However, Fenton, you let your guard slip when Kaminari attacked you and you retaliated irrationally. Make sure that doesn't happen again."
"Sure," Danny replied.
Aizawa then addressed the class, "Let's get down to business. Our first task will decide your future. You all need to pick a class representative."
Kirishima immediately raised his hand, "Pick me, guys! I wanna be class rep!"
"I'll take it," Kaminari said.
Jiro also raised her hand, "Yeah, you're gonna need me!"
"Someone with style would be best," Yuga said.
Mina interrupted him, "I'm, like, totally the right pick!"
The whole classroom interrupted into chaos. Everyone wanted to be picked. Izuku meekly raised his hand. Danny didn't even bother as he hated being in the spotlight. Plus, even though he does have great leadership skills, he doesn't need to take this position just to prove it. He has many times in the past.
"Silence, everyone, please!" Everyone turned to Tenya, as he was the one to shout to get everyone's attention. "The class representative's duty is to lead others. That's not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader!"
The class thought it was pretty obvious that Iida wanted them to vote for him.
"Is this really the best idea?" Kaminari asked.
Tsuya added, "We've only known each other for a few days, how do we know who we can trust?"
"Besides," Kirishima added. "Everyone will just vote for themselves."
"Most people will," Tenya argued. "But that means whoever does receive multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It's the best way, right sir?"
Aizawa just stepped into his sleeping bag and zipped it up, "Do what you want. Just decide before my nap's over."
"Thank you for your trust!" Tenya replied.
"If we are going to vote for this," Danny said. "We should make a rule that you can't vote for yourself. If you vote for yourself, then your vote won't be counted. Does that sound fair?" Surprisingly, the class nodded in agreement.
After everyone voted, the votes were tallied, and Danny came in first, with Momo coming in second, and Izuku in third. Izuku was a little disappointed, but secretly relieved as he could focus more on gaining control over One For All.
Danny groaned, "I had a feeling this might happen."
Momo was puzzled, "You didn't want to win? But you've shown the skills needed to be class representative."
"Ya," Danny whined. "I just don't like being the center of attention. But the votes have been spoken."
Tenya wasn't happy, "Zero votes. I feared this might happen, but I can't argue with the system I chose."
Aizawa woke up from his nap and announced, "All right, the class rep is Fenton, and our deputy is Yaoyozoru."
The class nodded in agreement, although Tenya was still fuming about not being chosen, and Bakugo huffed at Danny.
Later at lunch, Danny and Izuku were eating with Ochaco, who said, "It's always so crowded in here."
Tenya sat next to her, "That's because students in the support, management, and hero courses all share the same cafeteria."
Ochaco dug into her rice, "This rice is delicious!"
Danny was chewing on the burger he ordered, the other students around him were surprised with his meal choice, but remembered that he was American and burgers were an American classic. "Why did you guys pick me as rep? Sure, I'm qualified, but I'm a foreign exchange student. I'm still getting used to Japanese schools."
Momo sat next to him, "Like I said, you're more than qualified. You showed great leadership skills in combat training yesterday."
Danny countered, "So did you. You were very knowledgeable about everything. That's why I voted for you."
Momo blushed, "You did? Thanks."
Izuku told Danny, "I'm sure you'll do great. I'm actually kind of happy I came in third."
"Why?" Ochaco asked. "I voted for you, because I think you're qualified too."
Izuku blushed as Tenya added, "She's correct. Your courage and quick thinking under stress will help make you a worthy leader one day. Not to mention the strength you've demonstrated. Same goes for you, Fenton."
"You voted for Izuku, didn't you?" Danny asked. "Even before I asked for the rule about not voting for yourself."
"I agree," Ochaco added. "I mean, you would make a great rep. Because of the glasses you wear!"
Tenya said, "Wanting a job and being suited for it are quite different things. Observing the Iida family's hero agency has taught me that much."
"Agency?" Izuku, Danny, and Ochaco asked at the same time.
"Hold on, what does your family do?" Izuku asked.
"It's nothing," Tenya muttered.
Momo answered for him, "His family holds many generations of heroes. Their agency has been very successful in the hero industry."
Ochaco realized, "Admit it, Iida. You're filthy rich!"
Tenya revealed, "I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family."
"I share that sentiment," Momo said.
Danny realized, "You're filthy rich too, aren't you?"
Momo nodded, "Yes, but not for the same reason the Iida family are. Mine's more old wealth. You're not surprised?"
Danny shook his head, "No. In fact, you remind me of a friend from back home. She is filthy rich too, but didn't tell people about it as she wanted people to see her for herself, not her wealth. You both have that admirable trait."
Momo blushed as Tenya sighed and explained, "You see, like Yaoyozozu said, the Iidas have been pro heroes for generations. It runs in our blood. Are you all familiar with the Turbo Hero, Ingenium?"
Izuku nodded, "I know all about him! He's a super popular pro with 65 sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo agency."
Tenya proudly stated, "He's my elder brother. Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him. However, I think it's a bit too soon for me to be in a leadership role. You, for example, Midoriya. You figured out what the judges were looking for in the entrance exam. And you, Fenton and Yaoyorozu, you both showed great knowledge and strategy yesterday in combat training."
Everyone was staring at Tenya. Ochaco said, "That's the first time I've seen you smile, Tenya. You should do it more often."
Tenya stuttered, "What are you talking about? I smile all the time!"
Izuku felt guilty as he was actually clueless in the practical exam. He was about to tell Tenya that when a bell rang through the school. A voice came over the loudspeaker, "Warning. Level Three Security Breach. All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."
Tenya asked an older student next to him, "What's a Level 3 security breach?"
The student answered, "It means that someone's managed to get past the school's barriers! This hasn't happened in my three years here. We should get going!"
All the students ran to the hallways, but the hallways weren't wide enough for all the students at once.
"Ow," Ochaco whined. "This is a total mob!"
"Everyone was quick to react," Tenya noted. "As I'd expect from UA students."
"Sure," Izuku added. "But they're also causing a huge panic." Izuku was shoved away by some of the students.
"This is a total nightmare," Momo noted.
Danny was standing still, intangible so that none of the students could touch him. "And some of these students are supposed to be heroes in training. Sure aren't acting like it."
Tenya got pressed into a window. He looked out, "Who in the world could've trespassed onto campus grounds? Wait, it's the press that was outside!"
Reporters had cornered Aizawa and Present Mic. One reporter shouted, "All you have to do is give us All Might! He's here somewhere!"
Present Mic replied, "We said it's his day off."
Another reporter shouted, "Just give us one good comment on record and then we'll leave."
Aizawa countered, "I know how you people work, give you an inch and you'll want a mile."
Present Mic leaned into Aizawa and whispered, "They are trespassing. That means they're kinda like villains. Why don't we just beat them up?"
Aizawa stopped him, "Don't you even think about it. Unless you want your name dragged through the mud. Let's wait for the cops."
Tenya then said, "I was afraid it was some kind of attack on the school, but there's no need to worry, everyone!"
But his words fell on deaf ears as he was pressed more into the window.
Danny looked around from his spot, "Where are the teachers? Why aren't they taking control?" He looked over and saw Tenya was calm, "Huh. What's up with Tenya?"
He floated intangibly to Tenya, "Iida, don't freak out, it's Danny. I'm just invisible and intangible right now. Did you figure something out?"
"Yes, Fenton," Tenya answered. "Somehow the press got in. That's why the alarm went off. We aren't in any danger. We just need to get everyone else to calm down." Tenya looked around and saw the exit sign, "I have an idea. Fenton, can you get me up to that sign?"
Danny looked over at what Tenya was talking about, "OK, I can do that. Hold on."
He grabbed Tenya, made him intangible, and flew him over to the exit sign, placing him on it. He made them both visible, Tenya standing on the sign and Danny floating next to it.
"Listen up!" Tenya shouted. "Everything is OK!" That got everyone to shut up and stop. "It's just the media outside! There's absolutely nothing to worry about! Everything's fine! We're UA students! We need to remain calm and prove that we're the best of the best!"
"So just take a chill pill," Danny added.
The students calmed down as the police arrived, escorting the press off of campus.
Later on, back in class, Danny and Momo were standing in front of the class. Momo looked at Danny, "It's time, class rep. Let's begin."
Danny took a deep breath, "OK, so we need to figure out who the other class officers will be. But first, I have something to say. I've thought a lot about this. And I believe that there is one more person who should be standing up here with us. And that person is Tenya Iida. He was able to capture everyone's attention and get us in line. So I believe that he should be up here with us leading our class. I think he, myself, and Momo will make a good trio at leading our class."
Tenya was stunned by Danny's words.
Kirishima then spoke up, "Yeah, you know what? If Fenton vouches for him, I'm good. Plus, he was a big help. He totally manned up and took charge, right?"
Aizawa then said, "This is a waste of time. I don't care if there are three reps, just hurry up."
Tenya stood up, "If Fenton is nominating me for this job, then I humbly accept. I pledge to carry out the duties of co-class rep to the best of my abilities!"
The class nodded in agreement. Danny continued, "Now for the officers. I think the position of class secretary should go to Midoriya."
Izuku was shocked, "Me? Why?"
Danny replied, "Because you are very organized from keeping notes to coming up with strategies in battle. Plus you did get third place in the votes. So, do you accept?"
Izuku nodded, "I accept!"
Danny nodded, "Good, now Yaoyozoru will go over the rest."
Outside at the entrance gate, several teachers were standing there looking at the gate that was completely destroyed. The principal said, "How were ordinary members of the press able to bypass our security systems? Someone else must be behind this. Some villain actually managed to infiltrate our school. But was this purely a show of power or a declaration of war?"
In another part of the city, heroes were trying to save a family from a villain. Suddenly All Might's voice could be heard, "Never fear, dear citizens! Missouri Smash!" All Might, in his hero form but dressed in a business suit, jumped from the sky and landed a punch on the villain, saving the family. "I'm here to keep you safe even on my morning commute!"
He heard a cry for help, "I shouldn't be late for school, but I can't ignore someone in need!" He jumped away into the sky.
As he was flying through the air, he thought, "I've clearly gotten slower. My powers have been weakening even faster since I gave One For All to Midoriya. I'm pushing my hero form too far past its limits. Fighting that sludge villain even though I was exhausted shortened the time I can spend as the Symbol of Peace."
He remembered from the previous day that Midoriya told Bakugo about getting his Quirk from someone else. Izuku felt that Bakugo had a right to know something given his reaction. All Might didn't lecture Izuku too much and let it slide for now. He also asked Fenton about his reaction to being electrocuted by Kaminari, which was news to Izuku since he didn't see the fight. Fenton didn't reveal much, only that he was electrocuted once before and almost killed him, so All Might was right that he was reliving bad memories. All Might told Fenton that if he ever needed to talk, he would be there for him.
Back to the present, All Might stopped the emergency, but was called away to another one.
Back at UA High, Aizawa was talking to Class 1-A, "Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."
Sero raised his hand, "Sir? What kind of training is this?"
Aizawa answered, "Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that."
"Disasters, huh?" Kaminari replied. "Sounds like we're in for a big workout."
"Totally," Mina agreed.
"Real Hero stuff," Kirishima added. "This is what separates the men from the boys. I'm shaking with excitement."
Tsuya added, "Finally I'll get to show off how good I am in water. Ribbit."
Aizawa continued, "Guys, I'm not finished yet. What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes, but keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities. This special training's at an off campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all. Start getting ready."
Everyone got up and started changing into their costumes. "Rescue training," Izuku thought. "I've been waiting for this. It'll bring me one step closer to being the kind of hero he is. I'll do my best."
Since Izuku's costume was out of order, he wore his PE clothes instead, with some pieces from his original costume, like gloves and pads. Danny immediately transformed into Phantom, since his costume was already fully part of his other half. Class 1-A made their way outside to wait for the bus.
Tenya then blew a whistle, "Gather 'round, Class 1-A. Using your student numbers, form two neat lines so we can load the bus efficiently."
Momo looked over at Phantom, "Not regretting your choice yet?"
Phantom shook his head, "No, I think he just needs to calm down a little."
The bus arrived and everyone boarded. Tenya took a seat and sulked, "This bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy."
"Iida, you really need to chill," Mina commented.
"If we're pointing out the obvious," Tsuya added. "Then there's something I want to say about you, Midoriya."
"About me?" Izuku asked. "What is it, Asui?"
"I told you to call me Tsu," Tsuya replied.
Izuku blushed, "Right, sorry."
Tsuya continued, "That power of yours. Isn't it a lot like All Might's?"
Izuku yelped, "What? Really? You think so, huh? I never really thought about that. I guess it's kinda similar."
"Wait, hold on, Tsu," Kirishima interrupted. "You're forgetting that All Might doesn't hurt himself. That makes a huge difference. Still, I bet it's cool to have a simple augmenting type of Quirk. You can do lots of flashy stuff with it. My Hardening's super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn't look all that impressive."
Izuku replied, "Oh, no way, I think it's really awesome looking. You're definitely Pro material with a Quirk like that."
"You really think so?" Kirishima asked. "Seems like it'd be easier to be a popular hero if I had something flasher."
Aoyama commented, "My Navel Laser's got the perfect combination of panache and strength."
Mina added, "But it's way lame if it gives you a stomachache, sweetie."
Kirishima said, "Well, if any of our classmates have pro Quirks, it's Bakugo, Todoroki, and Fenton."
"Sure," Tsuya added. "But Bakugo's always angry, so he'll never be that popular."
That pissed off Bakugo, 'What did you say? I'll kick your ass!"
"Ya see?" Tsuya's point came across by itself.
Kaminari added, "Y'know. We basically just met you. So it's kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage."
Bakugo turned his anger to Kaminari, "You're gonna regret the day you applied to this school, you loser!"
Izuku was surprised, "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Kacchan's the one in class who's getting teased. UA is so confusing."
Momo looked disgusted, "This is such a disgusting conversation."
Ochaco replied, "Yeah, but it's kinda fun listening to them fight."
"Plus," Phantom added. "Bakugo has it coming. He's not top dog anymore since we came here."
"I heard that, Fenton!" Bakugo shouted.
Aizawa then got the class's attention, "Hey, hey, we're here. Stop messing around."
"Yes, sir," the class replied, except for Bakugo who grunted, "Whatever."
The bus stopped and the students and Aizawa got off. Thirteen, the Pro Hero joining them for the exercise, was waiting for them, "Hello, everyone. I've been waiting for you."
Izuku started to geek out, "It's the Space Hero, Thirteen! The chivalrous pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world!"
Ochaco cheered, "Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!"
Thirteen continued, "I can't wait to show you what's inside."
"This is gonna be awesome!" Class 1-A exclaimed.
The pro hero brought everyone inside the building, and everyone was amazed by its size and details.
"Holy crap!" Kirishima exclaimed. "It looks like some kind of amusement park!"
Thirteen pointed out everything in the building, "A shipwreck. A landslide. A fire. Windstorm. Etc. I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. But you can call it USJ!"
"Just like Universal Studios Japan," the class said.
Aizawa looked around, "Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already? Let me guess, he booked an interview instead."
Thirteen leaned in, "Actually, it's something else. Apparently he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power. He's resting in the teacher's lounge."
Aizawa sighed, "That man is the height of irresponsibility. Well, we should be OK with just the two of clock's ticking. We should get started."
"Excellent," Thirteen said to the students. "Before we begin, let me say just one thing. Well, maybe two things. Possibly three, four, or five."
"We get it," the class moaned.
"Listen carefully," Thirteen continued. "I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful Quirk. It's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."
"Brutal," Phantom muttered.
Izuku spoke up, "Yeah, you've used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?"
"That's true," Thirteen replied. "But my Quirk could very easily be used to kill. Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all Quirks are certified and stringently regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone. Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your Quirk's potential. And because of All Might's combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're gonna learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero's all about. Ensuring the safety of others. That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening."
"She's so cool!" Izuku thought.
"Powerful speech," Danny thought.
The class cheered for the hero.
Aizawa got up from his spot on the wall, "Right, now that that's over…."
Suddenly the lights went out. At the center of the complex, a purple portal started to appear. Phantom's ghost sense started to go off, causing icy breath to escape his mouth.
"Are you cold, Danny?" Izuku asked.
Phantom shook his head, "No, this is part of my Quirk. Something I didn't think could happen here."
"How could a ghost be here?" Phantom thought. "And that portal I'm seeing is purple. All portals from the Ghost Zone are green."
As the portal got bigger, a hand appeared along with a covered up face that only showed the figure's red eyes.
Aizawa shouted, "Stay together and don't move! Thirteen, protect the students!"
Suddenly the figure stepped out of the portal, along with several other villains.
"What is that thing?" Kirishima asked. "Wait, has the training already started? I thought we were rescuing people."
Izuku started to move forward, but Phantom held him back, "Stop! This isn't training."
"He's right," Aizawa said as he put on his goggles. "This is real. Those are villains."
A giant monster appeared next to the main figure, making Phantom's ghost sense go crazy. "What is that thing? Is that what's causing my ghost sense to go off? But it's never gone this crazy before. This isn't good."
Chapter 11: Encounter with the Unknown
A voice resonated from the portal, "The only real heroes I see are Thirteen and Eraser Head. Perplexing. According to the schedule we retrieved from UA, All Might should be here as well." The portal closed and the purple mist gathered into one place, revealing Kurogiri, who was also the one who just spoke.
Aizawa glared at the villains, "So you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto campus.
Shigaraki, the lone figure standing in the back of the crowd of villains, looked around, "Where is he? I went through the trouble of bringing so many friends who are eager to meet him. They want All Might. The Great Symbol of Peace. I can't believe he's not here. Maybe if I kill a few kids, he'll come out to play."
Izuku shook with fear as Phantom's eyes glowed green with anger.
"What?" Kirishima asked. "Real villains? No way. How could so many of them get into a UA facility this secure?"
"Thirteen, why aren't the alarms going off?" Momo asked.
"Good question," Thirteen replied. "I'm not sure."
"Is the entire campus under attack?" Shoto asked. "Or is this their only target? Either way, if the alarm systems aren't being triggered, then one of these villains must have a Quirk that's masking their presence here. They carefully chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when a class was being taught. They're fools for trespassing here, but they've thought this out. Whatever their plan, they must have a concrete objective in mind. But what is it?"
"Clever deduction," Phantom replied. "I believe the ring leader is that guy back there with the creepy hands all over his body. I heard him say that they are here for All Might."
"You heard that from all the way over here?" Izuku asked.
Phantom nodded, "Part of my Quirk."
Aizawa said to Thirteen, "Get the students outta here. And alert the main campus. Actually, if they've got the ability to block our sensors, then they might be jamming our regular communications, too. Kaminari, try using your Quirk to contact the school."
"Yes, sir," Kaminari answered.
"What are you going to do?" Izuku asked. "You can't fight them all on your own! There's too many of them. Even if you nullify them with your Quirk, your fighting style's not suited for this. Your power works best in stealth and one-on-one fights. That's not gonna help with a group."
Aizawa replied, "You can't be a Pro if you only have one trick. I'll leave it to you, Thirteen."
He charged into the group of villains. Part of them broke off to the front, a shooting squad. But Aizawa activated his Quirk, nullifying their powers and he used his scarf to grab them and take them down. A heteromorph villain charged at him, knowing Aizawa couldn't erase his kind of Quirk. But Aizawa just punched him in the face and tied his scarf around him, knocking him to the ground. One villain tried to attack from behind, but Aizawa prepared for this, and knocked him out too. "Which one of you punks are next?"
Shigaraki sighed, "There he goes, trying to intimidate us. He is strong, and since he's hiding behind those goggles, you can't tell whose Quirk he's erasing. He's making it hard for us to work together or rely on each other's powers. How annoying. The worst thing about dealing with pros is when they live up to their hype."
Aizawa was doing well holding his own against the group of villains.
Izuku noticed this, so Danny had to drag him with the rest of the class in order to escape. They were about to reach the exit, when Phantom's ghost sense went off and Kurogiri appeared before them, "There's no escape for you. It's a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today, and yet I see no sign of him. There must've been some sort of change in plans we could not have foreseen. Ah, well, in the end, I suppose it doesn't matter. I still have a role to play."
He activated his power and the purple mist surrounded the group, "I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades, and your deaths!"
Shoji grabbed Mina and Sero and held them to the ground. Phantom tried to make as big of a shield as he could, but only got Tenya and Ochaco in before everyone was scattered.
Izuku was wrapped to the shipwreck part of the building, and fell into the water. He started to swim to the surface but saw a shark villain swimming toward him. But then Tsuya swam in at the last minute and kicked the villain away. She grabbed Izuku with her frog tongue and swam towards the surface. She tossed Izuku onto a boat then climbed on herself.
"You saved my life, Asui," Izuku said.
Tsuya climbed onto the boat, "I told you to call me Tsu. This is turning out to be a terrible day of class."
Izuku agreed, "Yeah, I keep thinking about what that villain said. They knew our whole schedule and who would be here. They must've gotten into school files while we were all stuck in the cafeteria. The teachers were busy trying to get the media off school grounds. That means they've been waiting for the perfect time to attack. Just like Todoroki said they would."
"They're here for All Might," Tsuya added. "And if they've spent so much time planning this attack, then they probably figured out a way to kill him. And didn't you hear what that smoke guy said? Maybe we should be worried more about not getting tortured to death. Otherwise, we might not survive long enough to see All Might again. And even if he does show up, who knows if he'll make it out in one piece."
Suddenly villains started swimming their way towards the boat.
"You might be right, Tsu," Izuku said. "If they're here for All Might, they may have a way to defeat him. They wouldn't have planned this attack if they didn't. But why him out of all the heroes? Because his very existence discourages villains and evil? Because he's the one and only Symbol of Peace and Justice? Actually, it doesn't matter. I don't care what their reasons are. We have to focus. We have to face this evil! If they can beat him, then we have to stop whatever it is these bad guys are planning. We have to work together and keep All Might safe. No one at UA knows what's happening. This is up to us. Let's be heroes."
In the landslide zone, Shoto used the ice half of his Quirk to freeze several villains in place, "Aren't you embarrassed to lose to a child? For God's sake, you're adults. Put up a real fight."
In the collapse zone, Bakugo was fighting off several villains with Kirishima.
In the mountain zone, Momo used her Quirk to create long metal rods and handed them to Jiro and Kaminari.
In the fire zone, Oijiro was standing off against some villains alone.
In the squall zone, Tokoyami and Koji were surrounded by villains.
Over at UA High, All Might was trying to get a hold of Aizawa and Thirteen, but no luck. "Can't get through to them. Then again, they are teaching. Unlike me. I'm neglecting my duties because I spent the entire morning commute being heroic. An amateur move. What was I thinking? Maybe I should just show up and say something inspiring at the end. Yeah, get a good ten minutes out of my hero form."
He turned into his Hero form, but then the principal came in, "Hold your horses!"
"Hello, Nezu, sir!" All Might greeted.
"That's me," Nezu said as he walked into the room. "The one who could be a mouse, or a dog, or a bear, though the only important thing is I'm the principal!"
"Your fur looks especially well groomed and glossy today, sir," All Might replied.
"The secret is keratin," Nezu said. "I'm not sure that humans can get this kind of lustrous shine. But we can talk about grooming later. Look at the news! Shall I read it to you? It says you resolved three incidents in just one hour! The fault mainly belongs to the ruffians who still cause trouble in this city despite you being here. But you also have to learn not to react every time you hear of an incident. You haven't changed in all these years. You've always been proactive. Only now, your heroism must be limited due to your injury. Plus, you've also got the added work of training One For All's successor. You insist on remaining the Symbol of Peace, and the only way you can justify staying out of the spotlight is by teaching. That's why I gave you this job. Oh, dear, you're smoking, that can't be good. It looks like you need to stay in this lounge and relax a little while longer. The other teachers will understand. They're more than capable. But now that you are a teacher, All Might, I really do wish that you'd prioritize your students over your hero work. They deserve it. After all, there are plenty of other hero agencies working throughout the city."
All Might turned back to normal and sighed, "Yeah, you're right, principal. So, I was just gonna head over to the USJ to make an appearance now, actually, if you don't mind."
Nezu countered, "Even if you went now, you'd have to return almost right away. So, you might as well stick around and listen to some of my teaching philosophies."
"Great," All Might thought. "This is turning into a lecture."
Nezu handed him a cup of tea, "Here, drink up."
All Might sighed, "He's always so long winded whenever tea's involved. And I'm still a little concerned that I couldn't get in touch with Thirteen or Aizawa."
Nezu stated, "Let's start by discussing combat pedagogy as viewed through the lens of ethical Quirk usage."
All Might sighed, "You know, you haven't changed much all these years, either, sir."
Back at USJ, the students near the entrance along with Thirteen were still standing off against Kurogiri. Shoji was using his Quirk to locate the other students. Phantom looked at the heteromorph, "Shoji. Got them? Anything? Where is everyone?"
Shoji answered, "They're scattered across the facility. But our classmates are still here."
The other students sighed in relief.
"So what do we do?" Sero asked. "The guy's not affected by physical attacks and can apparently teleport stuff."
Thirteen turned to Phantom, "Class rep. I understand you can fly and phase through objects. I have a job for you. You need to get to the school and tell the faculty what's going on here. The alarm's aren't sounding and our phones and radios are useless right now. One of these villains must be to blame. Even though Eraser Head is canceling people's Quirks left and right, we're still completely sealed off from the outside world. Likely, whoever is causing this interference hid as soon as they were warped into the USJ. They could be anywhere. Impossible to hunt down. It'll be faster if you go and get help than for us to find whoever's jamming everything."
"With all due respect," Phantom answered back. "You need me here to rescue our classmates and to defeat these villains. I'm a lot stronger and more powerful than you think."
That statement startled Thirteen, and by the look in Phantom's eyes, he wasn't joking.
Phantom turned to Tenya, "Iida, as co class rep, I want you to run and get help. I'll get you outside."
Tenya argued, "Yes, but it would be disgraceful for me to leave you all behind."
Rikido stepped forward, "Go, Iida. There's lots of alarms outside. That's why they're keeping us trapped inside the USJ, right?"
Sero stood next to Rikido, "As long as you can get outside, they won't follow. Blow this bastard mist away with those Engine Legs!"
Thirteen added, "Use your Quirk to save others. Be a real hero."
Shoji also stepped forward along with Mina and Ochaco, who told Phantom, "We'll get Iida past this creep. You go and get our classmates back."
Thirteen turned to Phantom, "Class rep. She's right. We'll get Iida out to get help."
Phantom looked at Thirteen, "One last thing. Do I have your permission to go all out if needed?"
Thirteen knew he was asking to go all out despite not having a Hero license yet. But the space hero nodded, "Yes, this is an emergency, so you can go all out without getting penalized. Now go!"
Phantom turned and flew away as fast as he could.
Kurogiri noticed this, "Even if this is your only option, are you really foolish enough to strategize in front of your enemies?" He sent some purple mist towards them and more at Phantom to stop him from reaching the others.
However, Thirteen said, "It won't matter if you know what we're planning or not when I'm done with you. Black Hole!" She activated her Quirk and started sucking some of the purple to keep it away from themselves and Phantom.
Over in the shipwreck area, Izuku and Tsuya were trying to figure out a plan, but something kept bothering Izuku, "For a group with such careful planning, there's one thing that really sticks out to me, something that just doesn't add up. They warped you here, Tsu. That means that the villains probably have no idea what our Quirks are."
"You've got a point," Tsuya replied. "If they knew I was a frog, they would've sent me into that fire zone over there instead of somewhere full of water."
Izuku continued, "They probably separated us because they didn't know what we could do, and planned to overpower us once we were in smaller groups. Easier to pick us off one by one. We can use that to our advantage. They don't know what our Quirks are. So, for all they know, the two of us could be super powerful. Look, none of them are trying to climb into the boat. That proves they're a little unsure. But that means they're not going to underestimate us, either. They're being smart and playing it safe. For now."
Tsuya looked at Izuku, "Let's talk Quirks. I'll go first if you want. Obviously, I can jump really high and cling to pretty much any wall. And of course there's my tongue. I can stick it out about 20 meters. Oh yeah, and I can spit out my stomach so I can clean it. That's not really useful. Finally, I also secrete a toxic mucus. It just stings a bit. We can probably only use my jumping and my tongue here. Forget about the last things."
Izuku commented, "I figured you were powerful, but that's amazing. I have my super strength, but it comes at a price. Once I use it, I'm pretty much out of commission. It's a double-edged sword until I can control it."
Suddenly a giant hand made of water attacked the boat, splitting it in half. One of the villains said, "I'm starting to get bored. Let's get the show on the road."
"Great," Tsuya commented. "Now the ship's sinking."
Phantom arrived at the shipwreck zone and saw the sinking boat along with Izuku and Tsuya on it. He also noticed that all the villains here were in the water. That gave him an idea. He shouted, "Hey, Fish Brains! Over here!"
Some of the villains turned and started to swim towards him. Izuku looked out, "It's Danny! He's found us."
Phantom then shouted, "Tsu, grab Izuku and jump as high as you can!"
Tsuya did as she was told and grabbed Izuku and jumped really high.
One villain shouted, "Get that white haired kid!"
Phantom smirked, "You guys are really going to regret being in the water. It's about to get chilly."
His eyes turned ice blue and he put his hands into the water and used his ice powers to freeze the entire shipwreck area, trapping all the villains in the ice.
He then flew to where Tsuya had jumped with Izuku and grabbed them before they could hit the ice.
Izuku was stunned, "I didn't know you had ice powers like Shoto."
Phantom smiled, "Yeah, one I don't use as often. Thought it could come in handy here. Now, let's get somewhere safe. There's more of our classmates to rescue!"
One villain managed to get free and jumped after the trio, but Izuku saw this and held two of his fingers together like he was about to flick something and shouted, "Delaware Smash!" He released his fingers and sent a powerful shockwave wind to the villain, blowing him right into the outer wall, knocking him out cold. Danny sent some ice towards the villain to hold him against the wall.
"Well," Tsuya said. "You two are amazing. And I guess we just passed the shipwreck zone."
Chapter 12: Game Over
Phantom landed just outside the shipwreck zone and put Izuku and Tsuyu down. Izuku winced in pain as two of his fingers were broken.
"Are you OK?" Tsuyu asked Izuku.
Midoriya nodded, "Yeah. Fine, don't worry about me. We should make getting help our top priority!"
Phantom then said, "There is a small group of us that didn't get teleported. They're still near the entrance with Thirteen. The plan is to get Tenya through and out of here so he can run and get help."
They noticed the battle in the central plaza was still going on.
Izuku thought, "Can Mr. Aizawa handle all those villains on his own? How long can he hold out on a big group like that?
Then Izuku started saying this thoughts out loud, "If Mr. Aizawa doesn't get some backup, then he's just going to overexert himself. He'll end up defeated by those villains 'cause he was trying to keep us safe."
Phantom looked over at Izuku, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Izuku replied, "I'm not saying that we should jump into the middle of a battle. But maybe we can find a way to take a few of those guys out and lighten his load."
Tsuyu said, "If we can help, we could try."
Phantom sighed, "Alright. You two, make your way towards the exit and if you see a bad guy that you can defeat, then do so. I'm going to go find the rest of our class. Stay safe." He then flew off as Izuku and Tsuyu ran toward the exit.
Over in the landslide zone, Shoto was interrogating the villains, "So the plan was to scatter us, then kill us. You were woefully unprepared. In fact, it looks to me as though you've had no training. You haven't the slightest idea of how to use your Quirks."
One villain said, "This power. He froze us the instant we wrapped here. He's not a kid, he's a monster!"
Shoto walked through the frozen villains as he thought about what the main villain said, "How do they plan to kill All Might? At first, I thought they'd gathered a force of elite criminals who could simply overpower him. But that can't possibly be their master plan. Most of these villains are low level thugs. Just pawns. From what I can tell, there are only four or five truly dangerous people here. If that's the case, then what we really need right now is more information."
"I guess you've got things covered." Shoto turned to see Phantom floating next to him. Phantom looked around at Shoto's ice, "Wow. You've got some Quirk."
Shoto turned to Phantom, "What are you doing here? I can take care of myself."
Phantom put his hands up, "Whoa, calm down Frosty. I'm just going around rescuing our classmates. But if you're good, then I'll leave you to it. It looks like you are deep in detective mode."
Shoto nodded, "Yes, I'm going to interrogate some of these villains. Go save the rest of our class."
Phantom said one last thing, "Also, Toru is standing nearby, just so you know."
Toru shouted, "How did you see me? Are you being a perv again?"
Phantom shouted back, "No! I can see things that are invisible, remember? And it doesn't help that you basically don't wear anything as a costume!" He took a few deep breaths to calm down, "Sorry. Just stay hidden and Shoto will take care of the rest."
"Fine," Toru grumbled.
Phantom flew away and Shoto turned to one of the frozen villains, "If you stay frozen, your cells will slowly die as your body succumbs to hypothermia and frostbite. Luckily for you, I wanna be a hero. So I'd like to avoid any unnecessary cruelty. But I can only do that if you tell me how you plan to kill All Might. That's the only way you'll survive."
Over at the mountain zone, Kaminari was screaming and running away from the villains, "These dudes are terrifying! My whole life just flashed before my eyes, I think I saw the grim reaper! What's going on?"
Jiro asked, "Could you maybe take it down a few notches?"
Momo added, "Right now, we need to focus on getting away from these enemies."
"Then pull out a weapon for me, too!" Kaminari demanded.
Jiro countered, "You're the one with electrical powers. Just zap 'em so we can run."
Kaminari argued, "I can cover my body with electricity. But if I try to shoot it out, it'll go everywhere! I'd take you guys down along with them! Or did you want shock treatment today? I can't even call for help because there's still interference jamming the signal. I'm counting on you two. I'm no help in this situation. You've gotta get us outta here. Please!"
Jiro scoffed, "You're a real damsel in distress, aren't you?"
Kaminari tried dodging a villain but was knocked back.
But then Jiro had an idea. She said, "New idea. You're my human stun gun." She kicked him into a villain, and the villain got shocked.
Kaminari looked back at Jiro, "Whoa. Hey, this is working. I'm super strong. Sit back, you two. You can count on me."
Jiro groaned, "You are exhausting." She sent one of her soundwave attacks to a villain, whose arm then hit Kaminari and got shocked.
Momo threw a net onto one villain, who then fell into the electrical shock.
Momo looked over to Jiro, "You're lucky that worked out so well."
"I'm sorry," Jiro said in a mocking tone. "Next time I'll ask before saving our butts. Damn it, Kaminari. You couldn't have asked for some kind of aiming gear when you put in your costume request form? I mean, come on!"
A villain tried to jump onto Jiro, but Momo kicked him out of the way. She then bent down, "It's ready. It takes me a little longer to create an object this big!" A giant blanket burst out from her back, ripping her costume.
Some of the villains mocked the blanket, but Momo said, "You're looking at a sheet of insulation 100 millimeters thick. Go, Kaminari."
Kaminari smirked, "Badass. Now I don't have to worry about hurting my friends. You guys are fried!" He unleashed his most powerful electric attack and fried all the villains surrounding them.
Momo peeked out from under the blanket, "Now then. I'm worried about the rest of our class. We should find them right away."
Jiro commented, "You're looking a little overexposed right now!"
Momo smiled, "Oh? I can make some new clothes."
Kaminari was walking around as he fried his brain and was now out of commission for a while.
Phantom floated down and said, "Dude, you OK?"
Momo heard Phantom's voice and blushed. Jiro quickly pulled the blanket over them, "Hey, don't you dare look!"
Phantom said, "OK, I'll trust you. Are you guys OK? Minus Kaminari here?"
Momo quickly made a new outfit and she and Jiro got out from under the blanket, "We're fine. He just short circuited his brian. What's the situation with the others?"
Phantom answered, "Some students are still near the entrance. Tenya's going to get to UA to alert the teachers. Izuku and Tsuyu have been rescued from the shipwreck area, and Shoto got the landfall zone under control. There's still about 6 of us that I haven't found yet. I'm going to go look for them. Can you all find your way back to the exit OK?"
Momo nodded, "We can. Jiro and I can keep Kaminari safe as well. Go help the others."
Phantom nodded and flew away while Momo and Jiro guided Kaminari towards the exit.
Meanwhile, Izuku and Tsuyu snuck up to where Aizawa was fighting off the villains in the central plaza. Izuku whispered, "We'll get outta here the second it seems dangerous."
Aizawa was still holding his own and taking down villain after villain. Suddenly Shigaraki charged in, "First it was 23 seconds."
Aizawa noticed this, "Final boss," and threw out his capture scarf.
But Shigaraki blocked it and kept running at him, "Then it was 24 seconds. And then 20. Then 17."
The two collided and Aizawa threw a punch, but Shigaraki caught it, "It was hard to see when you were jumping around, but I've found your tell. It's your hair. When it drops, it means you've stopped using your Quirk. You're having to blink more often. Don't push yourself too hard now. You might just fall apart. Wouldn't that be a shame?" Shigaraki was saying this while his hand was on Aizawa's elbow, slowly disintegrating it.
Aizawa shoved him off and other villains circled him as he was catching his breath.
Shigaraki stood up, "That annoying Quirk of yours isn't suited for drawn-out fights against big groups, is it? Don't you think you're a little out of your element here, Eraser Head? You're much better at working stealthily. You're known for surprise attacks, not fighting head-to-head. But despite knowing that, you didn't hesitate to jump into the middle of this fight. To put your students at ease."
The villains surrounding Aizawa attacked him, but he defeated every single one.
Shigaraki chuckled, "And look at you, you're still standing. You really are so cool! Oh, by the way, hero. I am not the final boss."
The giant monster that Shigaraki brought was suddenly standing behind him and started brutally attacking him, Izuku and Tsuyu watching in horror.
Phantom flew to the ceiling and said, "There's three zones left. It'll be quicker to duplicate myself than going to one at a time." He quickly created two duplicates and the trio flew to the last three zones.
Up by the entrance, Thirteen was still using her Quirk to subdue Kurogiri, but the villain just laughed, "Ah, Black Hole, the Quirk that sucks up matter and turns it into dust. Such an astounding power. However, you're a rescue hero, Thirteen, skilled at saving people from disasters. Consequently, that means you have little fighting experience or battlefield awareness."
Suddenly a warp gate appeared behind Thirteen, and her own power was sucking her in. Her suit was quickly breaking and being sucked in.
Kurogiri chuckled, "How unfortunate. You've turned yourself into dust."
Her Quirk stopped, "I'm sorry. He got me." And she fell to the ground.
The students were shocked. Rikido turned to Iida, "Iida, get outta here! Go, now!"
Tenya activated his Quirk and charged past Kurogiri, "Engine!"
Kurogiri noticed this, "A sheep trying to escape from the wolves. I simply cannot allow that. If other heroes arrive, it'll be harder for us to put an end to All Might."
He warped right in front of Tenya, but then Shoji jumped in and grabbed the villain, tackling him to the ground, "I've got him. Run!"
Kurogiri attacked again, and Ochaco noticed a silver collar on the villain.
"I have no time for this," Kurogiri shouted as his purple mist closed in on Tenya. "Be gone!"
Suddenly Ochaco ran up and touched Kurogiri's collar, making him float away from Tenya.
Ochaco said, "I don't know what his Quirk is, but he's wearing some kind of weird armor. So he must have a physical body here somewhere." She threw him up into the air, "Now, Iida! Run!"
Iida made it to the door and started to pry it open. Kurogiri tried one last attack,but Sero used his tape to catch the villain, then Sato grabbed the tape and threw Kurogiri far away to the other side of the facility.
Tenya made it outside and shouted, "Engine Boost!" He ran straight to UA High.
"He's going to call for backup," Kurogiri noted. "It's over."
In the fire zone, Oijiro was swinging his tail and climbing buildings to get to the exit. He looked down and noticed Aoyama hiding behind some debris.
But suddenly all the villains chasing Oijiro were blasted away by Phantom, who quickly flew down, grabbed Aoyama, then grabbed Oijiro, then flew them out of the zone. After putting them down and checking to see that they were OK, he flew off.
In the squall zone, Koda was being chased by villains, but then Tokoyami used Dark Shadow to crush them into a wall. "That's six of them down. We're reducing their numbers, but very slowly. I hope it helps in the long run."
Suddenly ice formed nearby and Koda and Tokoyami turned to see Phantom flying there as he froze the rest of the villains. He then grabbed Tokoyami and Koda and flew them out of the zone, putting them on the ground nearby, then flew off.
In the collapse zone, Bakugo and Kirishima were finishing off the villains surrounding them.
"I think that's the last of them," Bakugo commented. "Buncha weaklings."
"All right," Kirishima replied. "Let's hurry and find the rest of our class. If we're still in the USJ, then everyone else probably is, too. And not all of them have the offensive skills we do. We gotta make sure they're safe."
Bakugo sighed, "You wanna track everyone down, have fun. But I'm gonna go destroy that warpy bastard."
Kirishima was shocked, "What? Physical attacks can't hurt that guy. Don't be an idiot, man."
"Shut up!" Bakugo shouted. "I'm gonna take him down because he's their way in and out. If I cut off their escape route, they'll be stuck here and have to pay for what they've done. We'll just have to figure it out."
There was one villain they hadn't taken down yet, someone with a camouflage Quirk, who crept up and was about to attack the pair, but then a green shot hit the villain and knocked him out, making him visible.
Bakugo and Kirishima turned to see Phantom floating there, "You know, you two should pay attention more instead of arguing. But it looks like you two did some great work."
"Shut up, Fenton," Bakugo growled. "I noticed him. You just got to him before I could."
"Danny!" Kirishima shouted. "Do you know where the others are?"
Phantom nodded, "Yeah, they're all safe. Tenya should have gotten out by now to run and warn UA. Mr. Aizawa is still fighting in the central plaza. However, many of our classmates did well at defending themselves."
"Seems true," Katsuki said. "If all these villains are small fries like these guys were, then it's no surprise our classmates could handle them."
Kirishima grinned, "I think what you're really saying is that you believe in our classmates. And that's thinkin' like a man, Bakugo."
"Aww, you do care," Phantom added, which made Bakugo growl at the ghost hero. "Anyway, head back towards the entrance. And kick some butt while you're at it." He then flew off, his two duplicates rejoining him, as he flew towards the central plaza.
Back at the central plaza, Aizawa was lying on the ground with blood pooling around him.
Shigaraki giggled, "What do you think of him, Eraser Head? He's the bioengineered, anti Symbol of Peace. But you can call him Nomu.
Nomu crushed Aizawa's arm, causing the hero to scream in pain.
Shigaraki then said, "You can erase people's powers. That's irritating, but it's nothing impressive. When faced with true, devastating power, you might as well be a Quirkless child." The Nomu then crushed Aizawa's other arm, even though the hero tried erasing his Quirk, but to no avail, as the Nomu was strong despite the Quirk.
Kurogiri appeared next to Shigaraki, "Tomura Shigaraki."
Shigaraki acknowledged him, "Did you manage to kill Thirteen?"
"The rescue hero is out of commission," Kurogiri answered. "But there were students I was unable to disperse and one of them got outside the facility. Another one flew away to rescue the other students.
Shigaraki started to scratch his neck, and growled, "Kurogiri, you fool, if you weren't our warp gate, I'd tear apart every last atom in your body. There's no way we can win if dozens of pros show up to stop us. It's game over. Back to the title screen. And I was looking forward to finishing this today. Damn it. Let's go home."
Over where Izuku and Tsuyu were hiding, Tsuyu commented, "I have a really bad feeling about this, Midoriya."
Izuku nodded in agreement, "It seems weird that they'd retreat at this point, even if help is on the way."
Shigaraki then said, "Oh, before we leave, let's make sure the Symbol of Peace is broken. Let's wreck his pride."
He turned and stared right at Izuku and Tsuyu. He charged in at them, going for Tsuyu, "Let's make this hurt!"
But just as he was about to close in on Tsuyu's face, he stopped, and looked behind him, "You really are so cool, Eraser Head."
Aizawa had erased his Quirk. But then Nomu crushed his head into the ground.
Izuku reacted quickly and charged up his arm to punch Shigaraki, "You! Let her go! Now! Smash!" He landed a punch, causing a massive whirlwind throughout the facility.
But Izuku looked down and noticed, "What? My arm's not broken? Is my training finally paying off?" But he looked up and noticed Nomu was the one to block the punch. "What? Where'd he come from? Wait. It didn't hurt him? No way."
Shigaraki stood nearby, "You're pretty powerful. This smash of yours, are you one of All Might's disciples? Doesn't matter. I'm done with you now."
Nomu went to crush Izuku while Shigaraki reached to grab Tsuyu, when suddenly both villains were blasted away. Shigaraki looked up from where he landed and shouted, "Who did that?"
"I did." Phantom floated down and landed next to Izuku and Tsuyu, after putting Izuku to the ground, icy mist coming out of his mouth. "You've got a lot of nerve attacking my friends."
Shigaraki growled and charged in to attack Phantom, but the ghost hero just went intangible and Shigaraki ran right through him.
"Interesting Quirk you have," Shigaraki said as he collected himself. "Very powerful."
Aizawa looked up from where he was laying, "Fenton…what…are you doing?"
Phantom grinned, "Going all out. It's an emergency, after all. Now, I'd be more than happy to take down this final boss."
Nomu charged in to crush Phantom, but the ghost hero flew through him, then grabbed him and threw him several yards away. Nomu got up quickly and charged again. He threw a punch, but Phantom caught it. But got hit with Nomu's other hand. Phantom blasted him away as he got up from the ground. "Strong fella. I should be more careful." He then charged his fist and swung at Nomu, knocking him into the fountain nearby.
Shigaraki appeared behind him and managed to grab at Phantom's shoulder, but his Quirk didn't work. "What?" Phantom grabbed Shigaraki's hand and threw the villain several feet away.
Phantom rolled his shoulder, "I felt something tickle, then die down. But he seemed shocked. Whatever his Quirk is, it has no effect on me. Why?"
He then received another blow from Nomu, flying into the wall nearby. As Nomu charged in again, Phantom unleashed an ice attack and froze the villain. But it only lasted a few seconds as the Nomu freed itself. Phantom flew in and punched Nomu in the face, causing it to fly backwards.
"This thing is really strong," Phantom commented. He raised his hands towards Nomu and created a shield around the monster. Nomu pounded against the shield and Phantom noticed it was starting to break.
Shigaraki chuckled, "You're strong, I'll give you that, kid. But can you be in two places at once?" He charged again at Izuku and Tsuyu, so Phantom created a duplicate, who flew in front of Izuku and Tsuya, grinning, "Actually I can." He put a shield around the three of them and Shigaraki bounced right off of it.
Nomu broke through Phantom's shield and started to charge the ghost hero as the duplicate rejoined him and Phantom raised his hands for another fight.
But then the entrance doors burst open. Everyone, hero and villain, stopped and stared at the entranceway. Through the dust, All Might, in his hero form, walked in, "Have no fear, students."
"He's here," Izuku mumbled.
Shigaraki said, "It looks like our game will continue."
"It's about time," Phantom muttered.
All Might stood tall at the top of the stairs, "I am here!"
Chapter 13: All Might
All Might stared down at the scene playing out in the central plaza, "I couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone wrong here when Aizawa and Thirteen didn't answer my calls. So I hurried over, running into Young Iida along the way. He told me of the villainy at work here."
He then thought, "I can't believe all of this went down while I was resting. I hate to think of how frightened these children must be. And how hard my colleagues had to fight in order to protect them. The only thing I can do now is reassure them that things will be OK. That's my duty as the Symbol of Peace."
Izuku looked up at All Might, and noticed that he wasn't smiling, something he's never seen before.
Phantom looked over and quietly made his way toward Izuku and Tsuyu so he could put himself between them and the villains, who were all looking at All Might.
Shigaraki chuckled, "After all this waiting, the heroic piece of trash shows up."
The other villains were split between running away or attacking All Might, but the hero quickly sped through them, knocking them all out while grabbing Aizawa.
He looked down at the injured man in his arms, "I'm sorry, Aizawa. I should have been here."
He then sped off and grabbed Izuku, Tsuyu, and Phantom as well, putting distance between themselves and the villains, hitting Shigaraki in the process.
"Glad to see you've joined us," Phantom muttered, getting himself out of All Might's arms.
All Might then said, "Everybody, back to the entrance. And take Aizawa with you. He doesn't have much time."
"You saved us, All Might," Izuku replied.
Shigaraki felt anger boil up inside himself, "It wasn't supposed to go this way. He's still fast, Father. Somehow, he managed to hit me. Of course a government hero relies on violence. I wasn't prepared. I couldn't even see him when he moved. But he's not as fast as I thought he'd be. Not as fast as he used to be. I guess it's true, after all. All Might really is getting weaker. Then there's that white haired brat. He was someone I didn't expect here today. He's strong, powerful even. And my Quirk didn't work on him. Why?"
All Might stood tall staring down the villains while Izuku and Tsuyu grabbed Aizawa.
Izuku looked up at All Might, "All Might, you can't. I smashed him and didn't break my arm this time, but he wasn't fazed at all. He's too strong!"
All Might replied, "Young Midoriya! I got this."
Phantom then stepped forward, "I'm helping you. Whether you like it or not."
"Ghost boy," All Might started to say, but then Phantom interrupted, "I've been holding my own against him before you got here. This is an emergency, so I can help."
All Might sighed, knowing Phantom wouldn't back down. He nodded reluctantly, knowing that during their mock fights before the school year started, Phantom showed that he was plenty strong.
Phantom turned to Izuku and Tsuyu, "Go! Take Mr. Aizawa and get outta here."
Izuku and Tsuyu ran with Mr. Aizawa in their arms.
All Might charged in at Shigaraki, but Nomu protected him and took the punch full force, showing no impact. He dodged some swings while saying, "Guess he wasn't wrong when he said it had no effect on you. Let's try this!"
He punched Nomu repeatedly in the face. Nomu tried to attack back, but Phantom flew in and tackled him to the ground, letting All Might jump away to recollect himself, "Doesn't even matter where I punch you, does it?"
Nomu broke free of Phantom's grasp and attacked All Might, the hero punching and dodging as he went. Phantom flew in and threw some punches too, but to no avail.
Shigaraki chuckled, "That's because Nomu here has shock absorption, All Might. The only way you're going to hurt him is to slowly gouge out his flesh. Of course, I don't think he'll sit back and let you do that. You've finally met your match."
All Might dodged, "Ha! Thanks for telling me how to beat him. Phantom, get out of the way!" Phantom jumped away while All Might grabbed Nomu as he was about to do a wrestling move. "All I have to do is wear him down, and then it's onto you!"
He slammed Nomu down, causing a shockwave of air and dust to circle them.
The students near the entrance cheered him on, but Izuku still felt troubled. He knew that All Might had used up his hero time earlier that morning, and realized that he was in really big trouble.
When the dust settled, it was revealed that Kurogiri had opened a warp gate right where All Might planned to slam Nomu at and opened a gate up that made Nomu reach through and grab All Might.
The hero groaned as Nomu dug his fingers into All Might's ribcage, "What kind of cheap move was that?"
Phantom's ghost sense went off and he saw Kurogiri standing a few feet away. He shot an ecto blast, but the villain teleported next to Shigaraki, who chuckled, "Nice. You were trying to bury him in the concrete so he couldn't move around anymore. Sorry, that won't work. Nomu's as strong as you are. That won't stop him. Nice work, Kurogiri. We've got him just where we want him now."
Nomu dug his fingers more into All Might's ribcage, right where his old injury was.
All Might groaned, "If this is your best, then you picked the wrong place to attack. You should just give up now."
Shigaraki nodded to Kurogiri, who said, "Normally I wouldn't want blood and viscera flooding the insides of my warp gates, but I'll make an exception for a hero as great as you. Since you're too fast to see with the human eye, Nomu had to restrain you. And once he's pulled your body halfway through, I'll squeeze the gate shut. I'm going to enjoy tearing you to pieces."
Izuku said to Tsuyu, "Asui? Can you carry Mr. Aizawa for me?"
"Sure," Tsuyu replied. "But what're you gonna do?"
He just handed Mr. Aizawa to Tsuyu and started to run towards All Might. "All Might. I won't let them kill you. There's still so much I want you to teach me. This can't be how it all ends. It just can't! I'm coming!"
All Might saw Izuku running right to Kurogiri and shouted, "Mirdoiya, stop!"
While all this was happening, Phantom made himself invisible and crept right to Shigaraki, wanting to take him by surprise. As he was doing this, he saw Shoto, Bakugo, and Kirishima heading their way. He figured they saw what was happening. He also saw Izuku running right to Kurogiri. Phantom knew that he had to act quickly.
Just as Izuku tried to punch Kurogiri, his arm going through a wrap gate the villain put in front of himself, Phantom appeared right next to Shigaraki and punched him right in the face, knocking off the creepy hand that was covering it.
Bakugo jumped in and attacked Kurogiri before the villain could save Shigaraki, "Get the hell outta my way, Deku!"He grabbed onto Kurogiri's collar and hurled him down to the ground.
Ice suddenly formed and encased Nomu's right side of his body. Shoto was the culprit, "One of your poorly trained thugs told me you're here because you think you can kill All Might."
Phantom then flew to All Might, using his intangibility to free the hero. He put All Might down, "Now I've returned the favor."
All Might nodded his thanks, holding his injured side.
Izuku saw this, "Are you alright?"
Shigaraki quickly reached for the creepy hand and put it back over his face. Suddenly Kirishima jumped and tried to attack Shigaraki, but the villain jumped away.
Kirishima groaned, "Damn! That was gonna be cool!"
Bakugo said to Kurogiri, "Looks like you have a body after all, ya smoky bastard!"
Shoto then said, "The Symbol of Peace will not be defeated by delinquents like you."
Up near the entrance, the students that weren't teleported away were watching the fight.
Ochaco said, "They're helping." She then looked down and saw Tsuyu carrying Mr. Aizawa. "Wait, is that Tsu down there? Hey, we're all up here."
Tsuyu shouted, "Can you come help me? He's super heavy and bleeding all over the place!"
Ochaco and Sato ran to help Tsuyu. Mina was sitting next to Thirteen, who said, "Don't worry. All Might will take care of this. When the other teachers show up, it'll get dangerous, so find someplace to hide." Mina nodded.
Shigaraki glared at Phantom, "You little brat! No one punches me and gets away with it!"
Phantom grinned, "Hey, you deserved it, Creepy Hands."
Shigaraki looked over at Kurogiri, who was still being held down by Bakugo, "Kurogiri, how could you let this brat get the best of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here."
Katsuki chuckled, "Heh. You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn't hard to figure you out. Only certain parts of you turn into that smoking warp gate. You used that mist to hide your actual body as a kind of distraction. Thinking that made you safe. But if you didn't have a body, you wouldn't be wearing this neck armor, right? You're not immune to physical attacks if they're well aimed."
"Or he can't see them," Phantom muttered.
Kurogiri tried to get up, but Katsuki blasted him back down, "Don't move! You try anything funny, and I'll blow your ass up so bad that they'll be piecing you back together for weeks."
"Oh, that doesn't sound very heroic," Kirishima commented.
Shigaraki sighed, "They escaped uninjured and captured my two strongest men. Kids these days really are amazing. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs. Especially that white haired kid. Can't have that. Nomu."
Nomu pulled himself through the warp gate, but his right arm and leg crumbled off due to Shoto's ice. He directed his eyes to the heroes across from him.
"How is that thing still moving?" Izuku asked. "He's all messed up."
Suddenly Nomu started to regenerate his arm and leg, surprising All Might, "What is this? I thought you said his power was shock absorption."
Shigaraki chuckled, "I didn't say that was his only Quirk. He also has super regeneration. Nomu has been modified to take you on even at 100% of your power. He's basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back. First, we need to free our method of escape. Get him, Nomu."
Nomu charged at Bakugo, faster than everyone was expecting. Nomu punched right where Bakugo was, sending a shockwave of wind, blowing Izuku, Shoto, and Kirishima away. When the dust settled, everyone saw that Phantom had reached Bakugo first and grabbed him away from Nomu, landing near where Izuku was sitting.
Bakugo stared at Phantom, "That thing was so fast. I didn't see it coming. But Fenton did?"
Phantom was panting hard as he tried to get his breathing under control. He had to use some extra energy to move fast enough to grab Bakugo away from Nomu.
All Might glared at Shigaraki, "These are kids, and you didn't hold back?"
Shigaraki shrugged, "I didn't have much choice. He was threatening my companion. Besides, these kids are no angels. The plain looking one? He tried to kill me with a maxed out punch. And don't get me started on the white haired kid. What kind of hero does stuff like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others. Well, you know what, All Might? That pisses me off. Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgment as to what's good and what's evil. You think you're the Symbol of Peace? Ha. You're just another government sponsored instrument of violence. And violence always breeds more violence. I'll make sure the world understands that once you're dead."
"You're wrong," Phantom retorted. "There is a difference between heroes and villains. If heroes use violence, it's only because they've exhausted all other options and they have no choice. They hate using violence. But villains, they use violence because it's fun to them, they enjoy it, seeing innocent people get hurt or even killed. You are just a lunatic."
"He's right," All Might added. "Criminals like you; you always try and make your actions sound noble. But like the kid said, you're only doing it because you like it. Isn't that right?"
Shigaraki glared at All Might, "He's got me figured out."
Phantom suddenly remembered what Shigaraki said earlier about Nomu, the only way is to slowly gouge out his flesh and Nomu's not going to stand still and let All Might do that.
Shoto, Izuku, Bakugo, and Kirishima readied themselves for a fight, but All Might shouted, "Stay back."
"All Might," Phantom whispered as he walked up next to All Might. "Remember when I told you that there were some of my powers I wouldn't use? I think with this monster, I'll make an exception. Just wait for when I give the word."
All Might nodded, then turned to the other students, "I thank you for the assistance, but this is different. It's going to be alright. Just sit back and watch a pro at work."
Izuku was about to argue that he was almost out of time, but All Might stopped him with a glare, then a thumbs up.
Shigaraki then said, "Nomu, Kurogiri, kill All Might. I'll go after the children."
All Might stood tall, "I'm afraid that I barely have a minute left in this form. My power's declining faster than I thought it would. I just hope whatever Phantom is planning works quickly."
Shigaraki then said, "Let's clear this level and go home."
Nomu charged in at All Might while Shigaraki went after the students.
Phantom's eyes glowed green, "Here goes nothing!" He then flew right past Shigaraki and All Might and flew right into Nomu's body. Everyone stood there in shock, wondering where Phantom went.
Nomu clutched his head in pain, then his eyes turned green. He stood tall and spoke, "I guess this guy's got more brains than I thought."
Everyone was shocked to hear Phantom's voice come out of Nomu.
Shigaraki growled, "What did you do to my Nomu?!"
Phantom/Nomu turned and looked at Shigaraki, "I possessed him. I remembered that you said Nomu wouldn't sit still and let All Might punch him into oblivion. But now he can. All Might, now!"
All Might shook out of his stupor and shouted, "I have to take these villains down. Because I am the Symbol of Peace and Justice!"
He charged in at Phantom/Nomu and started throwing rapid punches.
Shigaraki chuckled, "Weren't you listening? One of his powers is shock absorption."
"Yeah, what about it?" All Might asked. His blows with Phantom/Nomu were so fast that they were causing massive wind storms, no one could get near them, not even Kurogiri.
All Might asked, "Phantom, he said Nomu's Quirk was only shock absorption, not nullification. That means there's a limit to what this monster can take. You figured that out too, huh?"
"Yes," Phantom/Nomu nodded as he was getting rapid punches. "Yes, and I figured that you could go beyond 100% and blast this guy to smithereens."
"But what about you?" All Might asked.
"Just give the word and I'll exit before you throw the final punch," Phantom/Nomu answered.
Izuku watched the brawl in awe, "He's giving it his all, even though he's injured. Those aren't just random punches, either. They're targeted. And every single one of them is more than 100% of his power. And Danny, he just possessed that guy so he can keep the monster in place. Amazing."
All Might punched Phantom/Nomu upwards into the air, jumping after him then punching him down towards Earth. All Might landed right next to him as Phantom made Nomu get up, "Now for a lesson. You may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean. But first, Phantom, now!"
Phantom exited Nomu's body as All Might charged his fist with all his power shouting, "Go beyond! Plus Ultra!"
He punched Nomu with everything he had and sent Nomu flying upwards, crashing through the roof, and into the sky. Everyone in the USJ heard and felt it.
Sero asked, "Um, did a villain just fly by, or am I going crazy?"
Sato said, "It was that brain dude."
"Such power," Shoji added.
Kirishima said, "That was like the finishing move in a video game. He beat the shock absorption right out of him. I've never seen that kind of brute strength."
"Imagine having power like that," Bakugo mumbled. "He must've been punching that monster so fast, he couldn't regenerate."
Izuku looked over at All Might, "He did it. And Danny…." He looked over and saw Phantom laying on the ground, breathing heavily, as he still felt every punch All Might gave Nomu, and the pain lingered a bit.
All Might sighed, "I really have gotten weaker. Back in my heyday, five hits would've been enough to knock that guy out. But today, it took more than 300 mighty blows." Steam started to rise from his body, making him realize that his time was up and he needed to end this fast. "Midoriya, get Fenton to safety." Izuku nodded and ran over and helped Phantom to stand.
He turned to Shigaraki, "You've been bested, villains. Surrender. We all want to get this over with quickly."
Shigaraki glared at All Might, "He cheated."