Chapter 14: In Each of Our Hearts
Phantom was still being carried by Izuku, trying not to transform into his normal form in case the villains tried something. He felt exhausted, not just from the possession, but from all the fighting he did, and being pummeled by All Might while possessing Nomu. He was still worried about Shigaraki.
Speaking of which, the villain was shaking with anger, "No, he beat me. He's not any weaker at all. And look what he did to my Nomu. He cheated. Along with that boy, possessing my Nomu so he couldn't fight back."
Elsewhere, Momo and Jiro were walking Kaminari back towards the entrance, when suddenly Kaminari was grabbed by a random villain.
The villain held Kaminari by the neck, "Get your hands up. And no Quirks, got it? Use your powers, and I'll kill your friend here."
"Kaminari's helpless," Momo whispered.
"Damn villain," Jiro muttered. "He totally caught us with our pants down. I thought that electric blast would've fried them all. We're so stupid. How did we not see this coming?"
The villain chuckled, "I feel a little brotherhood with other electric types, so I don't want to kill him. But I will if you make me."
The girls held their hands up as Momo said, "He's an electric type. He's probably the one Todoroki said was jamming our communications."
The villain walked towards them, "Don't move a muscle. Let's take this nice and slow."
Jiro tried to get one of her earphone jacks down to her boot to attack the villain, but the villain noticed, "Nice try, you can't distract me that easily. Now, new deal. Either he dies, or you die. What's it going to be, girlies?"
Back at the central plaza, Shigaraki stood there in anger, "Oh, come on. What's going on here? He's just as strong as he's always been. Dammit. Don't tell me I was lied to."
"What's wrong?" All Might asked. "Not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to clear this level earlier? Well, come and get me if you dare."
"Man, this is intense," Bakugo muttered.
"As I expected," Shoto added. "There's no reason for us to fight now. He'll handle this."
"Come on, Midoriya," Kirishima said. "We'll help you carry Fenton so we can regroup with the others. The last thing we wanna do is get taken hostage or get in his way."
Phantom looked over and noticed Izuku was staring at All Might, "Why do I get the feeling he's about to do something about this?"
Izuku looked at All Might, "This isn't right. He can't beat them. He's bluffing. It's almost hidden in the dust, but I can see it. The steam coming off his body is the same as when he's about to transform. He's out of time.
All Might was having similar thoughts, "Crap. I can't fight them. That Nomu guy took too much out of me. I'm pretty sure that if I make one more move, I'll be forced to go back to my weak form. I can't keep this up for much longer. I just have to stall until they get here."
So All Might taunted, "What? Are you scared?"
Shigaraki scratched his neck in frustration, "If only Nomu was here, he'd rush you right now. Pound you into the ground without giving it a second thought."
Kurogiri said, "Tomura Shigaraki, please do not fret. Look at him. He has definitely weakened. Nomu's attacks were successful. He's on his own. The children appear to be frozen in fear. And the white haired boy looks weakened as well after possessing Nomu. Plus, look, your underlings are recovering. We likely still have a few minutes before their reinforcements arrive. If you and I work together, we can do this. We haven't missed our chance to kill All Might."
Shigaraki realized, "Yeah, you're right. This is it. We have no choice. We have to do it now. I mean, the big end-boss is right here."
Shoto, Bakugo, and Kirishima noticed villains starting to get up.
Kirishima said, "I think All Might can hold his own against those two main guys. Let's make sure these dudes don't hurt anybody else."
Shoto turned to Izuku and Phantom, "Will you be joining us, Midoriya?"
Izuku kept staring at All Might, "Other than Danny, I'm the only one who knows what's happening. There's no way he can move faster than the mist guy now. He has to have gone past his limit already. And Danny's still recovering. There's no real question about that. If those villains toy with All Might, he's done."
Shigaraki charged at All Might, "Consider this revenge for what you did to Nomu!" Kurogiri charged in as well.
All Might was panicking, wondering where the backup was. Suddenly, Izuku used One For All to jump and charge in at Kurogiri, while Shigaraki noticed his speed, "He's fast."
Izuku realized that his legs were broken as he didn't control it like last time. He just needed to aim for Kurogiri's metal collar. He charged his fist, "Don't you touch All Might! You stupid villain!"
Kurogiri created a portal next to Shigaraki and one in front of Izuku, Shigaraki put his hand through and reached for Izuku.
Suddenly Phantom flew as fast as he could, grabbing Izuku and pulling him towards All Might, then creating a shield around them. And at the same time, a bullet flew in and hit Shigaraki right in the hand.
All Might looked to the entrance, "They're here."
The hero that fired the shot, Snipe, fired another shot that went straight to the villain holding Kaminari hostage, the bullet going through his arms, making him let go of Kaminari.
"What the crap just happened?" Jiro asked.
Momo looked toward the entrance, "Is it them?"
The hero teachers of UA walked in, with Nezu sitting on Vlad King's shoulders, "Sorry everyone. I know we're a bit late. But I got the teachers over here as fast as I could."
Ochaco cried, "It's Iida!"
Tenya stood next to the teachers, "Your co-class rep has returned. I've fulfilled my duty. And I brought reinforcements!"
Several villains tried to charge at the teachers, but Present Mic stepped forward and unleashed his Quirk, Voice, sending a powerful cry shockwave that made the villains hold their ears in pain and knocked some over due to its force. Ectoplasm released several clones that took down several villains.
"Our priority is to protect all of our students," Nezu said.
"Yes, sir," the teachers said as they all charged in.
Shigaraki noticed the blasts coming from the entrance, "Oh, man. The pros are here. It's game over. For real. Let's go home and try this when we can…."
Suddenly he was struck by some bullets and collapsed to the ground before Kurogiri blocked him with his mist.
Snipe said, "We need someone who can capture them from a distance."
Thirteen, who was being held by Sero and Sato, said, "I'm on it."
Shigaraki was laying on the ground bleeding out of his bullet wounds as Kurogiri said, "Let's go!" He suddenly felt a strong force pull him backwards. "This is…Black Hole!"
He struggled to keep his grasp on Shigaraki, who stared at the trio under Phantom's ghost shield. "I may have failed to kill you this time, but your days are numbered. All Might. Symbol of Peace. I am going to kill you." He then disappeared into the mist as Kurogiri warped them out of the USJ.
The pros rounded up the rest of the villains. Phantom lowered his ghost shield and transformed back to normal and slid to the ground, exhausted. Izuku laid next to him, wincing in pain from his injured legs and fingers.
He looked up at All Might, "I couldn't do it. I wasn't able to help you."
All Might had transformed halfway back to his normal form, "That's absolutely not true. You bought me a few vital seconds. Same goes for you, ghost boy. If not for that, I'd be dead now. Young Midoriya. You've saved me once again."
Izuku started to cry, "Thank you, All Might. I'm just so glad that you're OK."
All Might looked down at Danny, "Young Fenton. You showed me your true strength today. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have taken down Nomu. You sacrificed yourself to keep that monster still so I could punch him away. I understand why you don't use that specific power often. Possession cannot be taken lightly."
Danny looked up, "I use it….only when I absolutely need to. Along with the other powerful move I have….." That statement puzzled Izuku and All Might, as they realized he had another powerful move that they haven't seen yet. Danny then passed out cold.
The hero teachers looked out at the damage of the USJ. Snipe said, "Well, my, my, my."
"I can't believe we let them escape, after everything they did here," Midnight commented.
Vlad King put Nezu on the ground, who said, "They did catch us completely by surprise. For now, we need to make sure that the students are OK."
Over at the central plaza, Shoto said, "If all the pro teachers are gathered here, it must mean the rest of the school's safe. The villains attacked this facility, but not the rest of the campus."
Kirishima rushed to Izuku and Danny, "Midoriya, Fenton! Hey! Are you two OK?"
All Might had fully returned to his normal form and was starting to freak out, along with Izuku. But then Cementoss used his Quirk: Cement, to create a wall between Kirishima and the trio, "For your safety, please stay back, young man. Join your classmates at the front gate. Leave the injured to us, we can take care of them."
Kirishima nodded and ran back to Bakugo and Shoto, "Hey! He said for all of us to head back to the entrance."
The trio sighed as All Might collapsed to the ground. Cementoss walked over, and All Might said, "Thanks for that. You saved my butt, Cementoss."
Cementoss smiled, "My pleasure. I'm actually a big fan of yours. We should sneak you out of here and get you three to the nurse's office. Seriously, All Might. That could've been really bad."
All Might sighed, "I had to act recklessly, or else I'd be dead now. Just goes to show how strong those villains were. But these two young lads were of great help."
Elsewhere in the city, Kurogiri warped himself and Shigaraki back to their secret hideout. Shigaraki winced in pain, "Ow. Shot in both arms and legs. All those underlings wiped out. Even Nomu was beaten. We failed. Those kids were so strong. Especially that white haired kid. And the Symbol of Peace wasn't weakened at all. You were wrong, Master. So wrong!"
He was looking up at the TV, where his master's voice came through, "No, I wasn't. We just weren't as prepared as we should have been."
The master's right hand man, a doctor, spoke up, "I agree. We underestimated them. Thankfully, we failed under that cheap "League of Villains" name and not our own. And what about the creature the Master and I created? Where is Nomu?"
"Yes," the master said. "Why is he not with you?"
"He was blown away," Kurogiri answered. "It was All Might's doing. Without coordinates to his precise location, I couldn't use my warp to bring him with us. We didn't have any time to search for him."
The doctor groaned, "This is a travesty! And after all we did to make him as powerful as All Might."
The master sighed, "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Unfortunately."
Shigaraki said, "Power, that reminds me. There were two kids that stood out the most. One jumped in to try and protect All Might. He was just as fast as him. And the other was on a different level entirely. He had many powers out of his Quirk, he even possessed Nomu so that All Might could blow him away, and he is just as fast as All Might too, he put up a shield to protect him. If they hadn't gotten in the way, we might have killed the Symbol of Peace. Those brats!"
The master replied, "Naturally, you're upset. But this was not a futile mission. We've learned many things. Gather the villainous elite. Take all the time you need. I must remain hidden in the shadows, which is why I need you to be my face. A symbol of your own. Tomura Shigaraki. Next time, you will show the world that it should be afraid of you."
Back at the USJ, the police arrived and took the remaining villains into custody. A detective, Tsukauchi, was talking to Class 1-A, "Everyone seems to be unharmed except for that boy whose legs are all messed up, along with that other boy that's passed out."
Toru put her hand on Oijrio's shoulder, "I heard you were a really good fighter. I had no idea you were so strong!"
Oijiro sighed, "I survived using hit and run tactics. So, where did you end up fighting, Hagakure?"
Toru pointed to Shoto, "The landslide zone! You wouldn't believe how strong Todoroki was. He's amazing!"
"You don't say," Oijiro replied. "Well, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."
Shoto thought, "I didn't even know she was there until Fenton pointed her out to me. I could've frozen her."
Aoyama asked, "Aren't you wondering about moi? Where was my sparkling light?" But everyone around him was talking about the incident. Oijiro just walked over to him, "Dude, you were hiding. I don't think anyone cares." Aoyama cried.
Tsukauchi said to an officer, "Let's go ahead and get these students back to the main campus. They've been through a lot. We don't need to question them right away."
Tsuya hopped over to Tsukauchi, "Detective, what about Mr. Aizawa?"
The detective pulled out his phone and called the hospital where Aizawa and Thirteen were taken to and a doctor said, "The bones in his arms are splintered and he's got facial fracturing. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any serious brian damage. But, his orbital floor has been almost completely destroyed. We have no way of knowing if his eyesight will be impaired once he's healed up."
"Well," Tsukauchi said. "You heard the man."
Mina stepped forward, "Sir, what about Thirteen?"
Tsukauchi answered, "You don't need to worry there. Despite some pretty bad lacerations to the back, Thirteen is gonna pull through, good as new. And All Might is also without any serious injuries. He's in the nurse's office right now. Recovery Girl's power should be all the treatment he needs."
"What about Deku?" Ochaco asked.
"What about Danny?" Momo also asked.
Tsukauchi answered, "Recovery Girl is taking care of them, too. They're fine."
Ochaco and Momo both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now," Tsukauchi said. "Let's get you back to class. Sansa, I still have some business in the nurse's office. I'll leave this to you, OK?"
"Yes, sir," Sansa said as he escorted Class 1-A back to the main campus.
Back inside the USJ, Nezu was talking with the other teachers, "We need security improvements. Perhaps an entire system overhaul."
Snipe nodded his head, "Agree."
Midnight added, "Warp Quirks are very rare, and can completely change the course of a battle. It's frightening to know that a villain has such a power."
Tsukauchi was about to get into his car when an officer stopped him, "Sir, someone thought to be involved in this attack was just apprehended in a wooded area nearby."
That someone was Nomu.
"Report," Tsukauchi demanded.
The officer continued, "He has no apparent injuries and seems to be complying with officer commands, for now. He hasn't said a word, though. We're not sure if he can speak."
Tsukauchi noticed Nezu walking out with the other teachers and ran over to him, "Principal, I'd like to investigate every inch of the school, just to be safe."
Nezu nodded, "Of course, please do. You'll have full access to the campus. We definitely need your assistance on this matter. I don't care who makes a fuss. You have my blessing."
Tsukauchi nodded his thanks and said to his officers, "Teams. Proceed as planned."
Over at the nurse's office, All Might, Izuku, and Danny were in beds recovering. Danny was still passed out cold.
Recovery Girl sighed, "Well, I guess I won't scold you for Izuku being back here since it wasn't your fault."
All Might sighed, "I can't be sure yet. But I think I shortened my time limit again with that fight. I hope I can at least still hold the form for an hour."
"I'm so sorry," Izuku apologized.
All Might sat up, "Well, no use worrying. These things happen."
The door slid open and Tsukauchi walked in, "Excuse me. Hi, All Might. Been a while."
"What the hell?" All Might shouted. "I didn't know that you were investigating."
Izuku sat up, "Whoa, All Might. It's OK he's seeing you like this?"
All Might answered, "Oh, yeah. It's fine. This guy's all right. Naomasa Tsukauchi, my best friend on the police force. He's legit, I trust him."
Tsukauchi chuckled, "That's quite an introduction. Sorry to cut to the chase, but we could really use any information you might have."
All Might, "Hold on. Before all that. Tell me all the students are OK. And Eraser Head and Thirteen."
Tsukauchi answered, "Not counting these two boys, the only student injuries were just scrapes. And both of the teachers are in stable condition right now. Relax."
All Might and Izuku sighed in relief.
Tsukauchi continued, "If you heroes hadn't risked your lives, the students would never have made it. You three saved that entire class of kids today."
All Might clarified, "You're not seeing the whole picture, Tsukauchi. Those students also risked their lives. They fought as hard as us. I don't think there's ever been a group of first years who experienced a real fight like this so early in their training. They not only survived, they learned what it means to be a pro. Those villains made a mistake attacking them. This class is strong. They're filled with courage and drive. Mark my words. They'll become great heroes."
Izuku nodded his thanks to All Might.
All Might then looked over at Danny, "But that boy right there, he's in a different league compared to the rest. I had my suspicions about him. He fights like he's an experienced pro. I think he's fought villains before."
"He mentioned he did," Izuku said. "He said that he has experience fighting against villains when he saved myself and Tsu."
Tsukauchi asked Recovery Girl, "How is he?"
Recovery Girl sighed, "He's completely wiped out. I've put him on an IV, but he hasn't shown much improvement. His body is just wiped of energy, so I don't know why the IV isn't working. I'll keep monitoring him."
All Might stared at Danny, "This boy…..there's something about him that I can't quite grasp. His Quirk is powerful, yes, but it seems more than that. But what is it?"
Tsukauchi eventually left and All Might was well enough to leave. Izuku still had to stay a little bit longer. Plus, he was worried about Danny.
As the sun set, a voice called out, "Time Out!" Time stopped and Clockwork appeared. He floated next to Danny, "Young Phantom. You have shown me once again that you are a true hero. And I have just the thing to help you." He raised his hand and sent ecto energy into Danny, restoring his energy. He placed a necklace around Danny's neck and as Danny was waking up, he was now in the stopped time with Clockwork.
He looked up at the time ghost, "Clockwork. Why are you here?"
Clockwork smiled, "Your ghost energy was completely depleted. I gave you some to recover."
Danny sighed, "Thank you."
Clockwork added, "You pushed yourself beyond your limits."
Danny replied, "Yeah, and getting hit with 300 blows from All Might while overshadowing that monster didn't help. Guy packs a pretty big punch."
Clockwork looked over at Izuku, who was frozen in time, "I see your new friend is healing nicely. Like you, he is on his way to becoming a great hero." He turned back to Danny, "Now listen, Young Phantom. Today was just the first of many trials that you will face. Don't let your guard down. You are one step closer to being ready."
Danny looked puzzled, "Ready for what?"
Clockwork smirked, "Spoilers. Now I must be on my way. Time In!"
Clockwork disappeared as time resumed. Izuku saw that Danny's eyes were open, "Danny-kun! You're awake."
Recovery Girl walked over, "It seems that IV finally kicked in after all. How are you feeling, young man?"
Danny groaned, "Tired. And a little sore."
Recovery Girl chuckled, "You'll recover fully in a couple days. Same with you, Midoriya. Now, both of you are well enough to head home. Be careful."
Izuku and Danny gave their thanks and left the nurse's office.
"Man," Danny groaned as he saw it was now night time. "My sister is gonna kill me for getting home so late. I bet if I look at my phone, I probably have a ton of missed calls and messages."
"Same with my mom," Izuku said.
They got to the entrance of the school and saw Ochaco, Tenya, and Momo waiting for them.
"Deku!" Ochaco shouted as she ran towards him.
Momo smiled along with Tenya and they walked over to the two boys. "Danny, how are you doing?"
Danny smiled, "Better. I'm still not 100% recovered, but I'll get there. You didn't have to wait for me. But I really appreciate it."
Momo blushed as the 5 students walked to the station to head home.
When Danny walked through the door, he heard, "Where have you been?" Jazz was standing a few feet away red in the face.
Danny sighed and he explained what happened at the USJ.
Suddenly he was pulled into a hug by Jazz, "It's OK. I can feel your pain. I'm just glad you're OK. You're my little brother. I don't want to lose you too."
A couple tears fell down Danny's face as he reciprocated the hug to Jazz.
In the Ghost Zone, Clockwork was watching this in his tower. He smiled, "As it should be. Soon, he will be ready for his new role. And the next trial is soon approaching." He looked over and saw a vision of a shadowy figure holding a sword looking down on the city below, waiting to strike.