Bakugo snarled as he approached who he thought was Izuku, raising his palm and causing little explosions to appear in his hand. "Out of the way Deku, you've caused me enough problems today."
"Oh really? Because I'm not rolling over and being your punching bag anymore?" Izuku replied. The pose, face, and responses just felt wrong to Bakugo. What happened to the weak coward? This felt even stranger then when he confronted him earlier today.
"I have an assignment from hell from Aizawa now, and it's your fault!" Bakugo growled. He could feel the bag digging into his shoulder - reminding him of the books Aizawa forced onto him. He's planning on being number one, dammit! He doesn't have time to care about other people's feelings.
"My fault?" Izuku replied.
"Don't act surprised! You obviously talked to Aizawa!"
"And this is a problem, why? Oh right, I almost forgot." Izuku glared back.
"Don't give me that crap! You lied to him!"
"Bold accusation. I'm sure it would have been easy for you to prove that to Aizawa if that was the case." Izuku tilted his head. "Oh right, those weren't lies."
"That's bullshit and you know it! The fact that you've been hiding your quirk from me proves it!"
Izuku took a challenging step forward and raised his fist in front of him. "Do you even know how long I've had a quirk?!"
"It doesn't fucking matter!"
Izuku rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't think it does. And the answer is two months, by the way."
Katsuki growled. "There's no way you got a quirk this late! You're lying!"
"Interesting story, my quirk never manifested because my body couldn't support it. Maybe if I had encouragement to begin training sooner it would have shown up earlier." Izuku's eyes narrowed. "But then you'd just find some new reason to come after me, wouldn't you?"
Bakugo took a step forward and raised his fist. "Don't you dare!"
"Dare what? Tell you the truth? It must suck, having to hear it for once."
With a roar, Bakugo stepped forward, taking a swing at Izuku, only for him to deftly sidestep his fist and slap him across the face, hard. "Don't you get it?" The face of Izuku melted away, revealing an angry Himiko underneath, her eyes filled with murderous rage. "You were given every opportunity - you have a strong quirk, you have a supporting family, you went to a school that let you get away with anything. You were given the perfect recipe for success!" Her words were laced with venom.
Her eyes darkened. "And yet, here you are. Still harboring this massive inferiority complex towards someone who everyone thought was quirkless for 11 years. Someone who you personally worked hard to tear down." She laughed bitterly. "It's impressive really, that you know that he will always be better than you, and you don't even know why."
Bakugo felt his vision turning red from rage. School rules be damned, he was going to teach her a lesson! "How dare you!" He dropped into his fighting stance.
"Bring it on." Himiko somehow had two knives in her hands as she dropped into her own combat stance.
"Well this is awkward." Before Bakugo could take a swing, he heard All Might behind him, and the two turned to look at him. "I was coming to check up on you two after what happened, only to discover that young Midoriya is the wrong Midoriya."
"Don't get in my way All Might!" Bakugo yelled, only to feel All Might firmly grab onto his shoulder.
"You don't want to do this."
"Like hell I don't!"
All Might paused, taken back by his anger. The slip lasted only a brief moment, but it was enough for Bakugo to catch it. Seeing his idol give him that look was enough to pierce his rage. He took a moment to calm himself before he pulled himself out of All Might's grip.
"Tch. You're not worth my time. Besides, I don't need Aizawa breathing down my neck more than he already is." He shouldered his bag that he discarded, and continued walking out.
All Might looked awkwardly at Himiko. "It was obvious that young Midoriya and young Bakugo had a history between them during heroics class today. I did not know you were also involved."
Himiko slid her knives back into their holster and crossed her arms. "I'm not. But someone's gotta watch out for him when he won't do it himself. Did you know Bakugo has bullied him for years because he didn't have his quirk yet?"
All Might was rendered speechless. "Young Midoirya never mentioned that, had I known I would have intervened during the trial!"
"Of course you didn't know, Izu isn't going to tell anyone about it willingly. The only reason our mom found out was because I happened to find out one day and forced the issue." Himiko sighed and looked at the now empty pathway. "Keep that in mind the next time you put the two of them together. Now I guess I should go and let Mic-sensei yell at me" Himiko walked back towards the school.
She had gotten a few meters when All Might called out. "Young Midoriya, thank you for letting me know."
As things in the courtyard seemed to break up, Denki looked at Izuku in confusion. "So, what just happened?"
Izuku looked at his classmates. "So um, where to start?" He rubbed the back of his head. "So for the obvious part, that is my sister Himiko, and she has a shapeshifting quirk."
"Was she really going to fight Bakugo?"
Izuku took another look out the window, seeing All Might still standing there. "Yeah, she was."
"Holy shit!"
"Remind me never to get on Midoriya's bad side."
"Called it, kero."
"Why?"
Izuku sighed and sat down at his desk. "It's a long story. The short version is that for most of my life we thought I was quirkless."
"But you have a quirk!"
"Y-yeah. Apparently, my quirk wasn't going to manifest until I had enough muscle mass, it's sort of like a built-in safety measure, and the conditions for my quirk to manifest didn't actually happen until recently?" Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. He knew with Katsuki in the class he'd have to deal with this issue sooner or later, but he didn't think it would come up so quickly.
"I've heard of such quirks." Momo spoke up. "But usually doctors discover the signs early on and put those children into special programs so that they can properly manifest their quirks before they are teenagers. Just how late did you get your quirk?"
"Um, the first time I used my quirk was during the entrance exam?"
He heard gasps from his classmates and looked around at them, a combination of surprise and awe showing on their faces, meanwhile Ochako was trying to cover up the fact she was blushing.
"Wait, does that mean you were planning on taking the entrance exam quirkless?" Iida asked.
"I-if it came down to it yeah, yeah. But near the end of my training to prepare for the exam we began to suspect I had a quirk. It just didn't actually manifest until I was taking the exam itself."
"Ok, both Midoriyas are super scary."
"And how does this relate to Bakugo?"
"I never gave up on my dreams to become a hero." Izuku admitted. "I knew it would be hard, but it's what I wanted to do. And Bakugo - well he hated the idea of someone who was quirkless trying to become a hero."
"Well then he's stupid!" Ochako spoke up. "You are brave! And smart! If you didn't have a quirk I'm sure you would have found a way to make it work!"
"Yeah, that sounds super manly!"
"I will admit, I am hesitant about the idea of someone who is quirkless becoming a hero, but that doesn't change the fact that what Bakugo did was wrong!"
Tenya's admission seemed to spark a debate among his classmates over the idea of a quirkless hero, which was a discussion Izuku wasn't ready to have with his classmates yet. Fortunately he was saved by Tsuyu asking him another question about Katsuki.
"Is that why he keeps calling you Deku?"
Izuku nodded. "Yeah. When we were young he discovered part of my name could be separated out to be 'Deku,' which he thought was funny and appropriate because I didn't have a quirk."
"That's a shame, I like the name Deku." Ochako admits.
"You do?" Izuku asked, surprised.
"Yeah! It reminds me of 'Dekiru,' and that fits you!"
Izuku found himself blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "W-well, when you put it that way, I think it would be ok if you called me Deku as well."
That earned a few laughs from their classmates at how quickly he changed his opinion.
After school Izuku managed to convince Ochako and Tenya to wait with him for his sister, although they only agreed reluctantly. The three were waiting outside the gate until Atsuko came up to the group by herself.
"Hey Atsuko, where's Himi?"
"She's in detention - Mic-sensei is having her clean our homeroom as punishment for her stunt." Atsuko frowned. "She should probably be thankful that All Might stepped in when he did, or it would have been worse for both of them."
Izuku sighed in relief. "I guess I should be thankful for that as well."
"Well maybe your classmates won't hurt you badly enough that you had to be carried to Recovery Girl's office on a stretcher. Himiko was livid when a teacher came by and told her how badly you were hurt." Atsuko giggled. "Although I'm pretty sure Baukgo's a special case."
"Y-yeah. I'm pretty sure Himiko's been waiting to do that." Izuku admitted.
Atsuko then turned to Ochako and Tenya, and smiled at them. "Oh! You must be some of Izuku's friends! I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Atsuko Hotoko, also from class 2-B. Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Ochako Uraraka." Ochako looked awkwardly at Atsuko. "Sorry but you just seem kind of normal?"
"Indeed! I was concerned after what we witnessed today!"
Atsuko smiled. "Himi does have her moments, but I think it's safe to say we all do. You just got to see a few of them right away."
"I still wonder how the elder Midoriya managed to survive an entire year with the attitude she has displayed today!" Tenya continued.
Atsuko merely laughed. "Oh, I see." She smiled at the pair. "You will learn that the Hero course, by its very nature, tends to attract people with strong personalities. Yourself included, Iida, by the looks of it. I'm sure during the school year you will find yourself asking the same question about many other hero students."
Tenya looked like he wanted to respond to that, but merely closed his mouth and nodded. "I will take that into consideration!"
"Well, shall we get going? I don't know about you three, but I'm not waiting around for Himi to finish before going home."
Izuku looked at Tenya and Ochako. "Y-yeah, let's go. I think I've caused enough trouble for everyone today."
"Deku, don't feel bad for what happened today. Maybe just warn us about any more family members?"
Atsuko just looked at Izuku and laughed. "No, Mrs. Midoriya is absolutely wonderful. Himi is just a special case."
Himiko sighed as she finished putting the cleaning supplies away. She probably should be thankful that all she got off with was a ringing in her ears and detention, but it felt good to finally tell that jerk off. Seriously! His childhood sounded like a dream come true to Himiko, and yet he still turned out the way he did.
She returned to her desk and packed her bag before heading out. Checking her phone, she saw a bunch of text messages from her friends. Because of course Sakura heard the whole thing, and apparently so did Emily. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment. I guess now she knows the real reason why I was so upset with her last year. Himiko had projected a lot onto the poor girl, thinking she was going to be just like Bakugo, but she found herself surprised by the American as the year went on.
Making a mental note to figure out how to talk to them later, Himiko tossed her phone back in her bag before rushing out of the building. If she was fast she would be able to make the next train home.
For the first week of school, the majority of the training grounds were reserved for first and third year students. For the second years, who were building upon their foundational heroics lessons by learning practical applications, that meant they spent their first week back mostly stuck in the classroom for workshops and lectures. As Himiko sat down with her friends for lunch, she heard that they were already discussing today's workshop.
"So disguises huh?"
"That was not a topic I was expecting from our heroics course, I will admit."
"Seriously? I know going around displaying your hero brand is kind of a big deal, but you're all friends with me!" Himiko chimed in as she picked up her chopsticks.
"Yes, but that's kind of your whole thing. The rest of us have different niches." Hideo pointed out.
"We learned this last year - sometimes information gathering and tailing requires getting up close. Unless you plan on calling me every time you need someone to do that, of course"
"Who said anything about me getting close?" Sakura asked with a sly smile on her face.
"You would be in high demand, at least."
Himiko stuck out her tongue. "Yeah well, I'm sure I will have my own work to deal with, so you can learn to put on a wig and some different clothes and learn how to blend in."
"Really though, how did you manage to talk your way out of these classes?"
Himiko just stared at Emily. "Are you serious right now?"
"Yes!"
Emily suddenly felt the familiar sting as she looked down and saw Himiko pulling a knife back, with her blood on it. Himiko merely was smirking as she licked the blood off of her knife, transforming into Emily.
"I just don't get how the girl with a shapeshifting quirk managed to get out of the disguise workshops! If only my super awesome light based quirk could let me get out of something!"
Emily crossed her arms and pouted. "Seriously, you didn't have to give a demonstration."
Himiko merely smirked back. "You were asking for it! It wasn't exactly hard to convince Mic-sensei, for obvious reasons."
"Fine! Point taken! You can stop looking like me now."
"Too bad, I'm not going to get my sludge all over the cafeteria, now you have to deal." Himiko grinned and resumed eating her lunch.
They continued eating and chatting away until they suddenly heard the alarm going off, the group immediately jumping out of their seats.
"What's going on?"
"It's a level three alarm!" Sakura said. "That means there's been a perimeter breach on the campus!"
The group started making their way to the door, only to get caught in the crowd - it seemed like everyone else in the cafeteria had the same idea. Moving with practice the group managed to remain together, pushing Tomoe in-between them, since she was the most vulnerable in this situation.
After a few moments of trying to shove their way out, however, they saw a blue-haired student zipping over the crowd - it took a moment for Himiko to recognized him as Iida, one of Izuku's new friends, and he slammed against the exit sign and announced it was just reporters who somehow made it into the school grounds.
After that, the group found some relief as the students around them began to calm down and the crowd thinned out as everyone returned to what they were doing. Himiko however felt Emily grab her wrist and drag her to the restroom.
"Ok, drop the transformation."
Himiko snickered and began to revert her transformation, dumping most of the sludge into the trash can. "What, you just couldn't wait for lunch to be over?"
"N-no! It's weird seeing you as me." Emily muttered. "I'd prefer looking at you anyways."
"What was that?"
"N-nothing!" Emily sighed. "So you were super dodgy last night - why the hate for Bakugo?"
Himiko sighed, she knew this conversation was coming, she just hoped she could have avoided it longer. "I still can't believe Tomoe actually let you listen in." She curled her hand into a fist. "Just - he makes me so angry! You have an idea of what my life was like when I was young. Just knowing how good he had it - and for how shitty he turned out to be! How could he even begin to think it was ok treating Izu like that for years?"
Emily looked at her cautiously. "So that's why you were so angry with me last year?"
"Yes." Himiko admitted, her face turning red. "I may have been projecting a lot of him onto you."
"Aren't you glad I turned out to be wonderful instead?" Emily offered, a weak smile tugging at her lips.
Himiko giggled. "To be fair, that was because of us. And Aizawa."
"That's true." Emily admitted. "I kind of like that about you. You're willing to call me out. I know I've said it before, but you're the first person to really do that."
Himiko tilted her head in confusion. "I'm sure someone would have called you out. Once Fuwa got back in and you declared her your rival."
"M-maybe!" Emily crossed her arms and looked away. "I'm not sure I would have done that if someone didn't already kick my ass though."
"I'm sure the two of you would have annoyed each other enough to make it happen."
Emily laughed at that. "Probably!" She finally looked back at Himiko. "But I'm still glad it was you."
Himiko snickered. "What, do you have a thing for being stabbed?"
Emily let out a strangled cry. "N-no!"
That led Himiko to full laughter. "Oh Emmy, never change." She took a moment to calm herself down. "Was there anything else?"
"No, just yesterday was eye-opening. So many things make sense now. Also, you reminded all of us that you are absolutely terrifying when you want to be." Emily turned towards the door and away from Himiko. "For what it's worth, I'd like to think that if you asked, I would help you next time."
That actually surprised Himiko. Here was little miss perfect herself, admitting that she'd be willing to help break school rules. Maybe I really am getting to her.
The workshop on disguises ended up being amusing for Himiko, at least. She had originally expected to use the free period as a glorified study hall, however once their teacher realized that her quirk was a perfect transformation, she became his unofficial assistant for the class. He had her transform into her classmates so that he could demonstrate how they could best hide their distinguishing features and blend into a crowd. Enjoying the rare bit of attention on her quirk, Himiko dove into the role with a flourish.
Eventually they packed up for the day and after saying goodbye to their friends, Atsuko and Himiko left and waited around for Izuku and his friends. Himiko smiled in relief when she saw that he was walking with two of them, worried that she may have screwed something up yesterday, and began waving.
"Izuuu! I'm so glad your second day didn't land you back in Recovery Girl's office again!" Himiko called out.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I hope that doesn't happen again. Bakugo was still angry today but did his best to ignore me? Oh! And I actually somehow became class representative today?"
"WHAT?" Himiko shouted. Leave it to her brother to understate something like that.
"We um, held a vote and somehow I got four votes? And Yaoyorozu was the only other person to receive votes, receiving two as well. So we agreed to split class representative duties."
"That's Amazing!" Himiko gave him a huge grin. "My little brother's moving on up in the world!" It was then that Himiko noticed the other two first years who weren't talking, and they both looked somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. Thinking back to yesterday, she quickly made a decision.
"I'm glad Izuku has people like you in his homeroom."
"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Ochako asked, confused.
"Bakugo was in the same middle school as him." Himiko said, as if that explained everything.
"Midoriya is an exemplary student! If anything I am honored to share class with him." Tenya responded.
"Yeah! I'm glad Deku's in the same class as us."
Hearing the name 'Deku' had Himiko shoot a questioning look at her brother, who merely began laughing nervously. "Uraraka liked the name and actually maybe redefined it?"
That caused Himiko and Atsuko to share a look and begin giggling with each other, causing Izuku and Ochako to both begin blushing while Tenya merely looked at the other four in confusion. However the surprise compliment from Himiko was enough to break the ice, and the group of five began making their way to the train station and talking about school.
Chapter 22: Enter the league
Himiko and her friends were beginning to eat lunch when Izuku came over to their table, followed by a tall girl with short black hair who was holding a lunch tray.
"Hey Emily?" Izuku called. "This is Momo Yaoyorozu, a student in my class."
That seemed to catch the blonde's attention immediately, her head whipping around to look at Momo, who flinched from the suddenness of it. "Yaoyorozu? As in the Yaoyorozu Agency? As in the Yaoyorozu Corporation?"
"Y-yes, that's my family." Momo admitted, looking unsure under the fierce stare she was receiving.
"Your family's company has massive contracts with all major support companies!" Emily slammed her hand on the table and turned to glare at Izuku "Why didn't you tell me before now?"
Izuku just laughed nervously. "I've kind of been busy with the first three days of school?"
"Midoriya mentioned that he was friends with someone who also knows a lot about support items, I am guessing you are the infamous 'Emily' that he mentioned?" Momo asked.
"Yes! That's me! Emily Song!" Emily was already clearing the table so that there was room for Momo to sit down next to her. "Come into my office."
Momo looked hesitant for a moment but ultimately sat down next to Emily, while the rest of the table watched the scene unfold. "Since my quirk allows me to create anything as long as I know its chemical makeup, when Izuku mentioned you enjoy brainstorming support items you sounded like someone I would very much like to meet." She offered.
"Wait? That's really your quirk? Show me!"
Momo looked back at Izuku as if she was unsure what to do, and when he merely nodded back she extended her hand, producing a simple pair of metal chopsticks a moment later. Emily had already swiped them and began inspecting them before Momo was able to wrap her own hand around them.
"Wow! Your quirk is amazing!" Emily practically yelled, garnering some attention from the first years who were not used to her periodic outbursts yet.
"Well, I need to get back to lunch." Izuku announced.
Emily turned to him before he could leave. "Don't think this gets you off the hook!"
"I already told you, we can talk after our trip to the USJ!" Izuku saw the confusion on Momo's face, so he turned to her. "Since Emily and I both make a hobby out of quirk analysis, we trade notes back and forth. She is excited to see what quirks the other first years have."
"To call it a hobby is putting it lightly." Habiki said. "It's way more of a passion for these two."
"I-I see." Momo said, looking out of her element. She knew Izuku mentioned that this girl was enthusiastic, but this was completely different compared to her usual definition of enthusiasm.
Himiko watched as her brother went back to his table with his three friends, all of them watching her table. She made sure to wave at them and smile once she caught their attention, before turning back to her own table.
"How long do you think until you are done completely traumatizing Izuku's classmates?"
Himiko snickered. "I don't know, how long will it take for them to get used to UA?"
"It happened much more organically for us though, as we slowly met the second and third years."
"True! But think of it this way, if Izu's class survives their first week here, they'll be way more connected than we were as first years!"
Atsuko giggled at that. "I guess that's true." She glanced at Emily who was already grilling poor Momo before turning back to Himiko. "So Yuki was talking this morning about all of the girls in the class having a comeback party this weekend…"
While she found it hard to keep up with the initial barrage of questions, to her credit, once Momo got over her initial shock she found herself able to keep up with Emily to some degree. At least while Emily was talking about theoretical applications of her quirk. It was when Emily moved to practical applications that Momo found herself lost again.
"I don't get it, you're obviously super smart. But as soon as we shifted to the topic of actually applying your quirk I lost you, what happened?"
Momo blushed at that. "My education involved a lot of private tutors and reading. I am afraid I don't have nearly as much practical experience as you do."
"Don't feel too bad! I am a full year ahead of you after all!" Emily seemed to be entirely too satisfied with that answer. "And luckily for you, UA is one of the best places to take all that knowledge and apply it!"
"It seems that way, yes." Momo agreed.
"Don't worry, when we're done with you're going to be a nightmare of versatility!" Emily raised her tablet, already showing the notes scribbled down. "Your quirk is absolutely amazing! It's wasteful to use it just on your simple weapons and shields."
"Remember, the larger and more complex the item is, the longer it takes for me to produce it." Momo pointed out.
"Oh, that's just practice. It's no different than, say, doing math, if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, you'll get faster at it." Emily said, as if the solution was obvious.
"You make it sound so easy."
That elicited a laugh from the rest of the group, with Himiko interjecting. "That's just who she is. You'll get used to it."
After lunch, the students donned their costumes and were directed out to the parking lot. Most of Izuku's costume had already been repaired, thanks to it being early in the year, so he was able to wear it for today's class. Unfortunately the one piece that was still missing was his helmet - apparently the fall had done major damage to its seals, and it had to be shipped back to a company for proper repairs. Thinking about that made Izuku sigh as he really wanted to test it out in the various environments the USJ would provide. Maybe it will be ready for their next trip.
Once the students assembled in the parking lot, Izuku directed his classmates onto the bus, before boarding last with Aizawa. When he finally boarded the bus, he found his friends had already claimed a bench and were saving him a spot.
"Uraraka, are you really this excited about rescue heroics?" Mina asked, as the bus began moving.
"Of course!" Ochako said, pumping her fists in the air for emphasis. "I plan on being a rescue hero once I graduate, and Thirteen is one of the best!"
"I'm surprised, I don't know many dedicated rescue heroes."
"That's because their job isn't as flashy as the heroes who are out fighting villains." Izuku pointed out. "Although some may argue that the job of rescue heroes is even more important. While the best heroes are versatile and are expected to assist in the aftermath of a disaster, depending on the situation someone like Mirko isn't as useful as a hero dedicated to search and rescue."
Ochako nodded in agreement. "And my quirk would be perfect for helping people out!"
"I can totally see that!" Mina agreed. "It seems like it would be super useful for clearing debris in a collapsed building!"
This sparked a conversation among the students where they began to discuss the style of hero they each planned on becoming after they graduate, from underground and support to Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki's goal of trying to be the number one hero someday.
"Speaking of the number one hero." Tsuyu turned to Izuku. "Is there a reason you fight like All Might?"
Izuku blushed at that and laughed nervously. "Y-yeah, there's a story behind that. So I may be a bit of an All Might fan."
The entire class was able to hear Katsuki's snort at that statement. "A-anyways, when my quirk manifested I just sort of began copying his style? I've been studying quirks for all of my life -" Another snort came from Katsuki. "- and since his fighting style was easy to replicate with my enhancement quirk - a-at least at a surface level! I just sort of went with it?"
"Don't you want to have your own style to show off with? I mean your quirk is pretty flashy already, but there's also the popularity aspect to think about." Kirishima held up his arm and hardened it. "My quirk isn't super flashy though, so maybe it's because I am trying to think of ways to distinguish myself?"
"M-maybe? Even if it doesn't appear super flashy, your quirk is super strong though! It is strong enough that you can definitely make it big, and there are other ways to make yourself known! As for my own fighting style - you've also had years to think about it." Izuku stared at his own gloved hand, unable to vocalize his thoughts about how far behind he felt.
"That makes sense." Kirishima replies. "I'm sure with your quirk you'll be popular either way!"
Seemingly satisfied with Izuku's response, Tsuyu then turned her attention to Momo. "And how was your lunchtime meeting?"
Momo looked surprised by the question. "Song is actually incredibly smart, and fast." She looked over at Izuku. "Is she always like that?"
"Y-yeah. When she gets going on quirk analysis."
"I see. And she told me you can actually keep up with her?"
Izuku nodded and smiled. "Yeah. Our focus is on different types of quirk analysis, so it actually works out really well."
"I see. I feel like I could learn a lot from her. I just didn't expect her to be so-"
"Enthusiastic?" Izuku offered helpfully.
"Yes." Momo nodded. "I can see how she could be hard to approach."
"Kero."
The bus pulled up and the students departed, in awe of the sheer size of the facility. Under Izuku and Momo's direction they followed Aizawa inside, where they were greeted by the rescue hero Thirteen.
"I thought All Might was also supposed to be here?" Aizawa said as he walked over to Thirteen.
"He is tied up with paperwork." Thirteen replied, using her hands to relay a hidden message that All Might had exhausted himself earlier. Even though he was unfamiliar with the sign language, Izuku also caught the meaning behind her words, remembering scrolling through the news over lunch and seeing All Might had done a bunch of work around Mustafu earlier this morning. He must have used up most of his time today already.
"Well that's a shame."
"He said he would hopefully be here for part of the class later."
Aizawa sighed. "I guess we'll start without him then." He turned back to his students. "Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. The last two days were used to establish a baseline for using your quirks to fight villains, today we will begin to show you how to use your quirks in other ways."
Aizawa gestured to Thirteen, who stepped forward and bowed with a flourish. "I am Thirteen, the instructor in charge of the USJ." She held up a remote and pressed a button, bringing up a holographic map of the facility. "This facility has six different environments, each designed to simulate one of the most common disasters you will encounter here in Japan."
The student watched as she proceeded to explain to the students how the USJ facility works, and what the students would be doing that day. When she was finally done she gave the students one final word of advice.
"So as some of you may know, my quirk lets me produce a black hole from my hands." The students could feel the force of her gaze, even through her costume. "If I turned this against another living being, you can imagine the effect it would have on them. But instead I use it to save lives."
Aizawa continued. "As a hero, at the end of the day your job is to save lives, and it doesn't always mean taking down a villain. Your goal over the next three years is to learn how to use your quirks to help people, not just defeat villains."
As Aizawa finished talking, they heard a clapping from the base of the stairs and turned around to see a strange black portal opening up at the base of the stairs, and out stepped a creepy gaunt figure covered in mummified hands, as well as another figure who appeared to be covered in mist.
"Greetings NPCs!" The creepy figure called out. "I am Tomura Shigaraki, and I am here on behalf of the League of Villains! You see, today we are here to kill All Might!"
Most of the students looked around in confusion, but Izuku took one look at Aizawa and realized that no, this wasn't part of some script.
Shigaraki stepped forward and began scratching his neck. "But I don't see All Might, that schedule we stole yesterday said he was supposed to be here!" To Izuku he sounded almost like a spoiled child who wasn't getting what he wanted.
"Sorry, we aren't going to just cater to your foolish desires." Aizawa called back.
"Well then, we'll just have to kill a few children to punish him then." The man responded, as more portals opened and a growing crowd of villains began to exit from them. "Everyone, show us what you've got!"
Izuku took a step towards Aizawa when he suddenly put his hand out. "I've talked to Nezu about you, I know what you're going to say. The answer is no."
Aizawa tugged on his capture scarf to loosen it, revealing a pair of goggles that he had hidden within them, and he donned them. "Your classmates are going to need you more than I will."
"But there's so many of them!" Izuku said in protest.
"Hmph. Foolish of you to think I can only fight one on one battles. You're supposed to be smarter than that." Aizawa says, before taking a leap down to the bottom of the stairs, where he immediately began engaging the villains. Unfortunately in the brief moment it appears that Shigaraki and the teleporter had vanished.
Izuku turned and jogged over to Thirteen, who appeared to be talking to several other students. "As first-year students, you aren't ready to take on villains yet! Since nobody can raise a line to the outside we must assume that they have someone blocking communications. With that in mind our best course of action is to retreat and let the rest of UA know what is happening here!" She was pointing towards the door.
Turning to his classmates, Izuku also pointed towards the doorway. "Everyone, stay close to Thirteen!"
The class began moving towards the door, when the teleporter appeared in front of them.
"So sorry, but even if the main event is not happening, I am not allowed to let you leave."
"Like hell if you can stop us!" Katsuki yelled from the crowd, and before anyone could stop him he was in the air flying towards the mysterious figure, with Eijiro close behind him.
It actually looked like Katsuki may be successful as he approached the teleporter and hit him with an explosion. However that hope was short-lived as the mist reformed back into man's original shape, and with a wave of his arm he wrapped Katsuki and Eijiro in a black mist and teleported them away.
"Now then, before I was rudely interrupted, I am Kurogiri of the League of Villains. I have been instructed to ensure that nobody leaves. Now please be good guests and enjoy everything we have to offer you."
As he spoke black mist began racing out from him towards the class.
"Everybody watch out!" Izuku yelled as he leapt out of the way of the mist that was concentrating into a portal underneath him. He saw several of his other classmates, already moving as well, but he also saw that several students were already missing - and several others who weren't going to make it in time.
Izuku channeled power into his legs and took a leap across several patches of smoke, managing to shove Mina and Hanta out of the way before a portal was able to open underneath them. Unfortunately he misjudged his own landing, and hit the ground only to find himself partially over the lip of a black portal. He tried to catch his balance but gravity won in the end, and he felt himself falling through.
Only to land face first in a lake of water. As he felt himself sinking he tried to mentally calm himself down and orient himself, silently wishing for his helmet. It was when he prepared to swim back to the surface that he noticed the shark villain circling him. Panic began to creep back into him as the villain turned and began rushing towards him when he saw Tsuyu kick the villain in the face with practiced ease. She then shot out her tongue to wrap it around Izuku, and he felt himself getting pulled upwards as she rapidly began swimming to the surface.
Once he could breathe again Tsuyu tossed him into the air towards the ship, where he was able to easily land. Taking a moment to compose himself, Izuku looked out over the railing and realized they were still inside the USJ. I guess their jamming signal only works within the confined space.
A few moments later Minoru was slammed hard into the deck next to him and Tsuyu landed beside him. He gave her a questioning look.
"He was being indecent." She said with a nonchalant shrug.
This caused Izuku to give a frustrated sigh. "You know what, we'll deal with that later. Right now we have a bigger issue." He looked out at the lake. "I guess we're lucky they sent you to the flood zone."
Tsuyu nodded. "They should have sent me to the burning buildings or the landslides, but for some reason they sent me here."
"That means they don't know our quirks then." Izuku put his thumb to his lip. "That gives our classmates who were also caught in the portals a distinct advantage at least, in that the villains won't know what they're up against."
"So class rep, what do you suggest we do?"
Izuku went back over to the railing and looked out. "I don't think the enemy is giving us any choice besides fighting our way out. Unfortunately for us, while our enemy doesn't know our quirks, they clearly know the quirks of the people working under them. Everyone out there looks like they would have the advantage in this environment. While As-Tsuyu can fight in the water, Mineta and I are limited by what we can do."
"Wait, you're saying we should fight?" Minoru asked, panic evident in his voice.
Izuku turned to him and nodded. "Yeah. I know we were told to escape, but the enemy is determined to prevent that if at all possible." He pointed towards the central plaza. "Right now, Aizawa is taking on a lot of villains by himself. If we can ease his burden simply by fighting and not allowing ourselves to be seriously injured or captured, then that's our best option right now. There's also the concerning part where they think they can kill All Might. That is a bold claim. If we can learn anything about that to report to Principal Nezu, we absolutely should do that as well."
"Are you crazy! Look at how many villains are out there?!" Minoru walked to the railing and began waving at the villains waiting for them in the water.
"I know! That's why we are going to need to work together to stop them!" Izuku felt panic trying to creep in on himself, but he knew he had to try keeping a level head if the three of them were going to safely make it out of this. Taking a breath, Izuku continued.
"Mineta, I know we haven't talked much, but I need to know how your quirk works."
Minoru sighed and pulled one of the balls off the top of his head, holding it in his hand. "These sticky balls instantly regrow when I pull them off, although if I pull out too many at once my scalp and eyes start bleeding." He walked over to a wall and attached it. "It is incredibly sticky, essentially without using a powerful quirk to destroy them you're not detaching yourself from it until it dissolves naturally. Right now it will probably take an hour for them to dissolve."
He punched it with his fist, and it acted like a rubber ball for him. "The one exception is myself, since it's my own quirk after all. It actually repels me, instead of acting sticky."
"That actually sounds really useful!" Izuku thought about the possibilities and wished he had his notebook, but there would be time for that later. "And Tsuyu, I already have a good idea of what you can do."
"Kero."
"And then I have my own quirk…" Izuku put his thumb to his lip and began mumbling to himself, before looking up, an unsteady smile forming on his lips. "I got it!"
"So what is the plan, kero?"
"I am going to hit the water."
"What?!" Both students exclaimed.
"I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. I am going to hit the surface of the water with a full-power smash. It should create a shockwave through the water. This will at least throw all of the villains off. Once that happens we can make our escape and hopefully take a few of them out on the way."
Tsuyu tilted her head questioningly. "What do you want us to do?"
"Tsuyu, you're our means of escape. You can clear most of this lake with your strong legs, right? And you're also faster than both of us in the water. When I hit the water I'm going to be totally helpless, but with your tongue you can pull me out again, if you're ok with that."
"Kero." Tsuyu nodded.
"Mineta, your sticky balls would cause havoc while things are churned up. They will be tossed around, and if we're lucky they will catch each other and get stuck together, anyone who we can catch up like that will be one less villain we have to worry about once we make it out of here."
"That… actually sounds reasonable." Minoru admits.
Izuku managed to give him a reassuring smile. "It's all about keeping your head in a crisis situation."
Suddenly they heard a shudder as something hit the boat, and they saw part of the boat pull away from the section they were on. Trying to steady themselves, Izuku looked at his classmates. "Well, time to see if this works?"
With a frown, Izuku quickly opened one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out some medical supplies, beginning to wrap tape around his thumb and middle finger. When he was done he handed a pair of splints and the medical tape to Tsuyu.
"What are these for, kero?" Tsuyu asked, looking from the supplies to Izuku.
Izuku blushed from embarrassment. "You haven't seen me use my quirk at full strength. I'll need you two to splint my finger afterwards."
"Are you serious?" Minoru practically cried.
"If that's what it takes, then yes." Izuku gave him a determined look, before turning back to Tsuyu. "Ok, I'm going on the count of three."
"Kero."
"One… two… three!" Izuku then took a powered leap off the deck of the ship, right towards the waiting villains.
The villains seemed to back up briefly, unsure of how to interpret his seemingly suicidal move, or what he was capable of. This worked out in Izuku's favor. As he began descending he put 100% strength into his finger, already feeling the stinging sensation of barely contained energy as he mentally counted down the time until he would hit the water.
"Delaware Smash!"
The effect was even more than he could have hoped for, the force of his attack pushing water away in a massive hemisphere, so large that he could see the bottom of the artificial lake. Even more importantly, the shockwave seems to have pushed all the villains away, tangled together in the wall of water. A moment later he felt Tsuyu wrapping her tongue around his waist as she leapt overhead, pulling him along.
"Mineta, now!"
"This is crazy!" Minoru cried as he began throwing as many sticky balls as he could into the empty area. "I can't believe this is actually going to work!"
The three knew the force was only going to push the water away for a moment, and just as suddenly as the empty space was created, the water began crashing back into it, carrying the villains into the waiting trap of sticky balls. By the time they landed near the edge of the lake, the trio was able to look back and survey their handiwork - most of the villains were caught together in a tangled web, stuck together, and those who weren't were still handicapped by the sticky balls that they couldn't avoid.
Tsuyu guided the other two to a quiet part of the shore, and when they were reasonably sure that they hadn't been followed, Izuku offered his hand to her. The others quietly gasped when they saw the results - the tape had scorch marks on it, and the digits underneath were obviously swollen and hanging at an odd angle.
As gingerly as she could, Tsuyu pulled out the splints from earlier and set his wounds as best she could, taping them in place while Izuku bit his lip to avoid crying out.
"I am starting to agree that you are also scary, kero." Tsuyu gave a close approximation of a smile. "And I am glad you are on our side."
"What the hell Midoriya?"
Izuku winced but managed to put a nervous smile on his face. The three of them then kept a low profile while they moved to the edge of the lake, staring into the central plaza.
Aizawa had managed to finally disable enough villains that the central plaza was starting to look empty, and he was getting closer to Shigaraki. The gaunt man seemed to be the mastermind behind the whole thing, while everyone else so far appeared to be small-time thugs, barely worth his attention. And Aizawa knew he was slowing down - he is used to fighting against a crowd, but this many villains at once, even small-time ones, was a lot, even for him. He couldn't keep this up for much longer.
Knowing this, he knew his goal - Shigaraki.
If he was able to take down Shigaraki, the odds of getting everyone else to surrender went up significantly. All he had to do was push on until then, and he'd be able to save his students.
He took down two more thugs and allowed himself a moment to blink, resting his eyes and his quirk momentarily. This turned out to be a mistake - when he opened them Shigaraki had closed the ten meter gap between them and was reaching for him.
Must be a contact-based quirk. Aizawa quickly concluded as he jumped backwards and launched his capture scarf at the man, and was proven correct as he watched Shigaraki grab a piece of the scarf in his hand and it crumbled into dust.
"I figured out your tell!" Shigaraki announced excitedly. "Very clever. But you are blinking more frequently, aren't you?" He asked gleefully.
"All the more reason to finish this quickly!" Aizawa responded, activating his quirk again and leaping towards the man, slamming an elbow into him and knocking him backwards. He watched as Shigaraki managed to stay standing from the blow, but he still looked like he had the wind knocked out of him. Trying to take advantage of the weakness, Aizawa took a leap towards him.
Only to slam into what felt like a wall of steel.
"Ah Ah Ah!" Shigaraki said. "What kind of a party only has two characters? I haven't introduced our fighter yet."
Looking up, Aizawa only had a moment to take in the sight of the muscular black-skinned creature with exposed brain, before he felt the creature grab his arm and slam him into the ground, causing his bones to creak.
"Meet the Destroyer of Peace, Nomu."
Letting himself go slack, Aizawa managed to twist himself around and tried to erase Nomu's quirk before positioning himself to throw the creature, only for Nomu to once again pick him up as if he was nothing and slam him back into the ground, where he let out a grunt of pain.
"Oh? You thought his strength was from a quirk? Guess again!" Shigaraki announced gleefully. "Nomu actually has several quirks. But even if you erase all of them, he is still hundreds of kilos of pure muscle. After all, Nomu here is built to kill All Might." He leaned in close to Aizawa. "What can you hope to do against him?"
Nearby, the three students were watching Aizawa struggle against the Nomu despite being tossed around and, at one point, having his arm partially disintegrated by Shigaraki.
"K-kero."
"What are we supposed to do against that!?" Minoru whisper-yelled.
"T-that is a lot more than I was expecting." Izuku whispered back to his classmates.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the USJ, Thirteen and the students who managed to avoid being scattered were staring down the mysterious man who has introduced himself as Kurogiri.
"Now, it is even more important for someone to escape and warn the school what has happened here." Thirteen announced, before turning to Tenya. "Iida, you have a speed quirk and a radio keyed to the school's frequencies in your helmet, you stand the best chance to get a message to the other teachers in time."
"But it would be disgraceful to leave the rest of you like this!" Tenya protested.
"It isn't disgraceful!" Ochako called out. "Even heroes need backup sometimes!"
"You're our best shot at getting word out!"
"C'mon, show us the same drive you did yesterday!"
"Part of being a hero is reading the situation and acting appropriately!" Thirteen scolded him. "Now is not the time to question my orders!"
Hearing the words of everyone, Tenya found himself reminded of what Izuku told him on the first day of class and looked down at his gauntlet. "What would Tensei do?" He asked himself, already knowing the answer.
Finally he looked up and raised his fist in resolve. "Ok, I'll do it!"
"How interesting, coming up with a plan in front of me. You must be desperate or foolish." Kurogiri said as he began pouring a new wave of mist towards the remaining crowd.
"Neither!" Thirteen yelled out as she opened the valves on her gloves, creating a black hole to pull in the mist. "Go now!"
Iida began racing towards the door, followed by Mezo and Ochako.
"How foolish, thinking your quirk would trump mine so easily." Kurogiri then began using the mist that was being sucked up by the black hole to open a warp gate behind Thirteen, causing her own quirk to start tearing her back apart.
"No, sensei!" Mina called as she watched their teacher fall over.
Ochako turned her head and saw the fallen rescue hero and felt rage boiling inside of her. How dare they! Without thinking she changed direction and charged the misty form, looking for the metal plates she spotted earlier. There's gotta be something there I can touch to make him float!
Waiting for Kurogiri to turn around and face the door and the retreating forms of Tenya and Mezo, Ochako activated her quirk on herself and took a flying leap at Kurogiri, landing on his back and grabbing the two metal plates. She felt a small thrill of victory when her hands touched something and she felt her quirk activate, causing the misty figure to lose his gravity. Wrapping her hands around the metal plates, she then threw them upwards.
Trying to keep herself low, Ochako called out to her classmates. "Keep him occupied!"
"On it!"
"Got it!"
Sero and Ashido began launching their ranged attacks at the misty figure, distracting him and keeping his attention away from the door. Meanwhile, Mezo reached the door and, with his help, Tenya was able to pull the massive doors open and began racing away.
The remaining heroes heard a sigh from the mist-covered figure. "It appears our time is up, how unfortunate for the young master." He then used his gate on himself to disappear from their sight. With the immediate threat gone, the remaining students rushed towards their downed teacher to help Ashido administer what first aid they could.
Izuku, Tsuyu, and Minoru saw the man who introduced himself as Kurogiri appear again next to Shigaraki. "Forgive me, I was unsuccessful in containing all of the students. One of them managed to escape the facility."
Shigaraki began itching his neck. "I guess this is game over then, isn't it?" He suddenly turned to the three students crouched at the edge of the lake. "I guess we should at least farm some of the NPCs for experience before we go. Maybe that will make them take our threat more seriously next time."
The three recoiled in surprise as this was the first time they were acknowledged, and they were surprised at how fast Shigaraki was approaching the group, his outstretched arm going straight for Tsuyu's face. Izuku's brain went into overdrive. He has a five point contact quirk! Not having any other choice, he let Himiko's training take over, reaching for the knife on his belt. Pushing Tsuyu out of the way, he raised the knife and in one swift motion drove it into the palm of Shigaraki's hand, carefully pulling his own hand away before all five digits could make contact.
The man stepped backwards and screamed. "How dare you?!" He stepped back, clutching his wrist with his other hand. "Nomu, get them!"
"Get out of here." Izuku called out as he pulled himself out of the water and began to bring up One For All before he felt the change in air pressure as the Nomu rushed in front of him. Of the three, he knew he was the most likely to be able to survive against Nomu, even if it involved a lot of broken bones, so it only made sense that he buy time for his classmates to escape.
The Nomu began swinging its massive clawed arm the same time Izuku felt Tsuyu's tongue wrap around his waist again, and once again he felt himself pulled away as Tsuyu tossed him away. From the air he watched as Minoru began to fill the vacated space with his sticky balls, reusing Izuku's previous plan to great effect and catching the Nomu's fist in them. Tsuyu, given a moment of leeway, grabs Minoru and leaps into the air in the direction Izuku was headed, using her tongue to catch him before he lands on the ground and correcting his descent.
"Thanks Tsu!" Izuku called unsteadily.
Tsuyu lands next to him and disentangles her tongue while dropping Minoru unceremoniously to the ground. "No, thank you, kero. I would have been a goner if he touched me."
"After everything you've done, there's no way we were leaving you to fight that- that- monster alone!"
The three turn back to see the massive Nomu ripping chunks out of his arm in an attempt to free himself from the sticky balls. Meanwhile Shigaraki finally worked the knife out of his hand before turning to them. They saw the rage boiling in his bloodshot eyes before he held the knife up and closed his grip around the handle, causing it to disintegrate into dust.
Chapter 23: Facing the Nomu
"You!" Shigaraki seethed. "You're just supposed to be NPCs! We brought all those villains to act as crowd control! Why can't anyone just follow the script!"
Izuku clenched his fists in front of him. Seeing the childlike behavior of the man in front of him, he could have felt pity for him if he hadn't seen firsthand how dangerous he was - and that he was perfectly willing to turn his quirk on people.
"We may just be students, but we're training to be heroes too!"
Shigaraki stared at Izuku, and then began laughing.
"I see. So the NPCs believe they could evolve into future bosses if we let them. All the more reason to clear some of the trash mobs before the timer runs out. Nomu!"
Izuku, Tsuyu and Minoru saw the giant creature finally manage to tear its own arm off, and couldn't help but watch in shock as they watched the arm rapidly regrow itself, as if the creature never lost it.
"S-super regeneration." Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat. "On something that doesn't care about pain."
He had heard about some of the crazy stunts that class 2-Bs resident regenerator has done, but Ryo was always limited by his pain tolerance. The thought of going up against something that wasn't limited in such a way was terrifying.
"What are we supposed to do against that?!"
"Kero kero."
The Nomu once again rushed towards them, and Izuku felt desperation creeping in. Without time to formulate a better plan, he decides to use One For All at it's full strength, and drops low as he steps forward to deliver a massive punch to the Nomu's chest.
Izuku knew something was wrong when he didn't feel his arm shatter from the feedback the way he expected it to from previous experience. Looking up, he saw the massive creature simply standing there, turning its head down to look at him.
"Oh, didn't you hear earlier? Nomu here has had his perk tree carefully selected to deal with All Might. Of course we made sure to include Shock Absorption in his kit."
Izuku barely had time to jump out of the way when the Nomu tried to retaliate with his massive claws, landing with a dull thud. He was busy trying to scramble to his feet when he saw Shigaraki nearly on top of him.
"And I still owe you for that sneak attack."
Before Shigaraki could use his quirk on Izuku, Tsuyu managed to grab his leg with her tongue and pulled him away from Izuku, tossing him towards the lake.
"You stay away from him!"
Trying to replicate their earlier maneuver, Minoru tried to follow up by throwing his sticky balls at Shigaraki. Unfortunately for the students, they quickly learned that Shigaraki's quirk had no problem destroying the balls, preventing him from being trapped in the same way others have been. In mere moments, Shigaraki was freed from the trap and standing.
Suddenly everyone hears an explosion coming from the entrance. Across the USJ, students and villains alike paused their fighting as they looked at the clearing smoke, and they all saw All Might standing on the top of the stairs.
"Everything will be alright now, because I Am Here."
Throughout the USJ, the students began to feel their spirits lifted, knowing that help had finally arrived. Meanwhile, many of the villains began to feel a sense of dread. Even though they knew the plan was to kill All Might, these kids have been putting up more resistance than they were expecting.
From his position near the entrance, Meizo ran up to All Might. "There's still fighting going on in four different places. The students have managed to disable the villains in the other three zones, but the biggest threat is still active down in the central plaza." He used a spare limb to point to where Izuku, Tsuyu, Minoru were facing off against Shigaraki and his Nomu.
"Thank you. Young Iida was successful in getting the message out, and there will be other heroes arriving shortly. In the meantime, I'll take it from here!" All Might gave the remaining students at the entrance a reassuring smile before jumping off the ledge towards the central plaza.
Meanwhile, in the central plaza, Izuku normally would have been one of the students who found himself reinvigorated by All Might's words, but he noticed one important detail that chilled him.
All Might isn't smiling.
All Might always smiles! But for the first time since he began watching All Might's videos, he saw something different.
All Might is angry.
In all their conversations, All Might always stressed the importance of making people feel safe and comforted. To see him like this, Izuku knew the situation must be even more serious than he imagined.
Just who is behind the League of Villains?
Unfortunately he didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts as Shigaraki began to laugh from behind him. "Well, it looks like the main boss has decided to show up after all. I guess the raid is back on."
"And it looks like I have one last chance to clear out some annoying NPCs before the main event." Shigaraki attempted to rush the distracted Izuku, only to suddenly find his arms caught by a capture weapon.
"Did you forget about me already? Big mistake." Aizawa said, having somehow managed to stand. His arm was hanging limply at his side, and his right eye was swollen shut, but he was proving that he was still more than capable of fighting.
"Dammit! I thought we dealt with you!" Shigaraki yelled. "Nomu, deal with this vermin!"
Aizawa braced himself, knowing he wasn't going to be able to dodge the incoming Nomu. Fortunately, he was saved by All Might, who managed to reach him first and pull him out of harm's way, before reuniting him with the three students.
"Glad of you to finally join us." Aizawa commented dryly.
"I'm sorry, I was caught up talking to Nezu! You know how hard it is to escape once he gets going!"
"Hmph. I guess I'll have to have a talk with him then." He turned to his three students. "I thought I told you that your primary goal was to escape?"
"S-sorry." Izuku at least was able to look shameful. "Going through the central plaza was our best chance to escape." He lied lamely.
"Hmph. Since you're here, at least help me stand, that one guy's quirk is a problem."
"Kero." All Might gently set Aizawa down, while Tsuyu and Minoru positioned themselves so that Aizawa could lean on them and remain upright.
Izuku meanwhile, turned to All Might. "I want to help!"
All Might held out his hand. "This foe is out of your league, young Midoriya. Let me handle this thing."
Izuku looked like he wanted to protest, before finally conceding. "Be careful, that thing has a shock absorption quirk!"
"Thanks for the information, young Midoriya! That just means I will have to put my back into it!" All Might gave the group a smile as he turned away from them and faced the Nomu.
All Might braced himself, preparing for the Nomu to come at him again. Despite his preparation, he still found himself taken off guard by how strong the creature was when he slammed into him with the force of a train, driving him back a good twenty meters away from where he started. It's been a while since he has faced a villain capable of moving him like that! Uncrossing his arms, he responded by throwing a mighty swing at the creature, who didn't even block or flinch from the blow.
Instead, the Nomu raised its arm and returned a swing of its own, and the battle descended into a brawl as All Might continued to trade blows with the creature. Despite being near his limit, All Might pulled from hidden reserves of strength to continue fighting the twisted creature.
After what felt like minutes, All Might finally was able to find leverage and get a solid grip on the creature. With a triumphant cry he lifted the Nomu into the air and slammed him into the ground with enough force to bury him into the ground up to his knees. Due to the shock absorption, he was forced to find a more creative way to restrict the creature's movement.
However, even being buried in the ground like this didn't seem like more than an inconvenience to the Nomu. He simply used his new vantage point to wrap its clawed hands around All Might's torso, and begin burying its claws in All Might's chest.
All Might grit his teeth as he feels Nomu's claws find the old wound on his chest, burying themselves in it. He could feel blood beginning to seep out as he tried to hide the pain - he refused to show weakness against this foe. Unfortunately he was unable to respond in time as he suddenly felt himself being picked up by the creature. He tried to free himself, but it was too late - even half-buried, the Nomu was still able to lift him up and suplex him face-first into the ground.
The students gasped, and they could only watch helplessly as All Might tried to stand while the Nomu grabbed onto him again, ready to continue the assault, only for the temperature around them to drop as ice shot along the ground and froze half of the creature.
"So this is that Nomu thing those thugs were talking about. They thought this would be enough to take down All Might? Not very impressive if you ask me." Shoto said as he walked towards the scene.
"No, this isn't how it's supposed to end!" Shigaraki yelled. "Kurogiri, do something!"
"Of course, young master."
Kurogiri began to open a portal underneath All Might and the Nomu when suddenly everyone began to hear explosions. Katsuki had arrived, and with the villains' attention on All Might, he launched himself at Kurogiri and slammed into him, shoving him to the ground and leaning on top of him, his hands hovering over Kurogiri's metal plates.
"I may have missed last time, but that's because I didn't see this collar until it was too late. I bet if I blasted it at this range it's going to hurt, isn't it?" He said with a feral grin.
"Why are you all this bothersome!" Shigaraki attempted to lunge at Katsuki, only for Eijiro to intercept him and keep him from rescuing Kurogiri.
"Sorry, it wouldn't be very manly of me to sit on the sidelines either."
That gave All Might the time he needed to recover, brushing the dirt off of his shirt and taking a moment to compose himself in front of the students. "Thanks, young heroes!"
Despite his reassurance, Izuku couldn't help but worry about All Might - he knew that he had been active earlier and didn't know how much time he had left. It would be really bad if All Might couldn't last the entire fight. But Izuku already knew he didn't have the right quirk to help - since the Nomu was built to go up against All Might, that meant it would also counter him.
Still, there had to be a way to win without All Might burning himself out, he just had to find it.
As Izuku saw his classmates arriving on the scene he felt the missing pieces of the puzzle slide into place. Turning to Aizawa, Izuku quickly began speaking. "Sensei, I've got it! But we need to get Uraraka to pull it off."
"Ochako, Kero?" Tsuyu asked.
Aizawa glared at Izuku. "You want to risk another student to do what?"
"I just figured out how we can defeat that thing!"
Aizawa sighed. "You have one chance to tell me exactly why I should let you do this."
Izuku just looked at his teacher and nodded. "That Nomu is designed to fight All Might, which means he is essentially going to be immune to massive physical trauma…"
Shigaraki growled as he grew increasingly frustrated. "Nomu, stop playing around and end this!"
Everyone watched as the Nomu tore itself free - leaving chunks of flesh and muscle behind in the ice. And just like before, its regeneration kicked in and began repairing the damage.
Without waiting for the creature to fully regenerate, All Might dove back in, trying to catch the Nomu in a moment of weakness. Unfortunately, even in its current state, it was able to absorb his attacks as if they were nothing at all.
All Might grit his teeth. I'm running out of time! But I have to save these kids.
He knew that all quirks had a limit. Even for a monster like this, there should be a limit to either his shock absorption or his regeneration. It just was a matter of finding the limits on one of them - before he reached his own.
Reprieve came a few moments later, as Izuku called out to his mentor. "All Might, we're here to help!"
All Might called back, unable to look "I told you, young Midoriya, this thing is out of your league! You can't handle it."
"I know it's out of my league, but it's not out of our league!"
Surprised by the statement, All Might stole a glance and saw that not only was Izuku standing there, supporting Aizawa, but several of his classmates as well. When he saw the determination on their faces he couldn't help but smile at them. Leave it to young Midoriya to come up with a plan.
"What do you need me to do?"
"All Might, get clear!" Izuku called out.
Trusting his pupil, All Might jumped backwards, waiting to see what the students had planned. If this didn't work, he wanted to be ready to jump back in.
As soon as All Might leapt away, Izuku felt the air around him chill as Shoto sent out a wave of ice, once again encasing the legs and chest of the nomu in ice, leaving only its head and arms free. Having already learned how to free itself once, the Nomu immediately began clawing at the ice to free itself again.
That is when Eijiro rushed in, grabbing one of the Nomu's free arms to stop it from doing just that.
"I can't hold him for long!" Eijiro called. Even if his hardening kept him safe from the claws, the creature's strength was immense and it was a struggle to hold him.
"I only need a moment!" Ochako yelled from behind him as she rushed in and touched the arm that Eijiro was holding, erasing the Nomu's gravity. Her job complete, Tsuyu grabbed her and pulled her away quickly before Eijiro let go and leapt away himself.
"All Might, now it's your turn!"
"Got it!" Seeing Midoriya's plan in action, All Might recognized his part in finishing off the Nomu. He grabbed the arm of the Nomu, pulling him out of the ice as if it wasn't even there, and with no effort at all spun the creature in a circle before launching it at the ceiling of the USJ, tearing a hole in the ceiling and sending it far away.
"Release." Finally, after what they hoped was enough time, Ochako released her quirk.
"No no no!" Shigaraki called out in frustration. "He was supposed to kill All Might! How could a bunch of NPCs take him down!"
"It is because you underestimated these fine young students! You have failed!" All Might declared.
Shigaraki looked like he was debating taking on All Might himself, but the decision was made for him as everyone heard gunfire and several bullets hit the ground in front of him. Looking up, everyone saw Snipe in a firing position at the top of the stairs, with other teachers from UA beginning to rush towards the central plaza.
"Ugh, stupid enrage timer, he spawned reinforcements." Shigaraki complained.
"I guess the right move is to free the transportation." With a heavy sigh, he then charged at Katsuki.
Without anyone guarding him, Katsuki was forced to let Kurogiri go as he deftly leapt away from Shigaraki's grasp. Freed from the threat, Kurogiri quickly stood up.
"Thank you, young master."
"Let's get out of here, before anything else happens."
"Of course." Kurogiri wrapped the two in a dark mist, and they disappeared before the heroes could stop them.
We did it! Izuku let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding while his classmates executed his plan. They had done it, they had survived, and they managed to defeat that Nomu. As much as he wanted to make sure the rest of his classmates were ok, right now he had to trust the teachers will take care of everyone else.
"You did good." Aizawa spoke next to him. "Coming up with that plan on short notice. I can see why All Might has taken an interest in you."
"I-it was nothing." Izuku meekly offered. "I just saw what everyone was doing and put the pieces together?"
"Hmph." Aizawa's face took on a serious tone. "Don't think this gets you off the hook though. I am going to have a long conversation with your class about putting yourselves in danger when you were told not to."
Izuku merely laughed nervously and turned to look away from Aizawa-sensei, looking at All Might. He was simply standing there, looking deep in thought as he stared out into space. I have so many questions, but there are too many people around. Before he could say anything, Cementoss walked over to All Might and after a hushed conversation the two hurried off.
Meanwhile, a pair of Ectoplasm clones came up to the assembled students, directing them to leave the building. With his classmate's help, Izuku helped a limping Aizawa back to the entrance of the USJ where police and paramedics were waiting for them. The moment that they helped Aizawa lay down on a stretcher he passed out, hinting that he was hiding the full extent of his injuries. Next to him, Izuku heard Ochako gasp, and followed her gaze to see Thirteen, her wounds looking much worse without her costume hiding them.
"Don't worry, your teachers are strong." One of the paramedics reassured them. "They will pull through!"
The students were directed over to a different ambulance where they were checked out. Izuku learned that his self-inflicted injuries were among the worst in the class. It appeared Mashirao was the only other student to suffer any broken bones, and Izuku was watching the paramedics put a temporary cast on him while he was having his own splints examined.
Nearby, he saw Momo and Kyoka were being treated for burns they received from their own fighting, and from what he could tell, the four of them had suffered the worst of it. After them, the list of injuries quickly dropped off - from what Izuku could observe, a few of his classmates were suffering from quirk exhaustion, and the rest of his classmates had mostly gotten away with scrapes and bruises.
Once the paramedic was done tending to Izuku, he was ushered back to the buses where his classmates were waiting. Izuku saw Ochako and Tsuyu waving for him to come over, and he boarded the bus back to the school.
The trip back to UA was a somber one. All of the students were either quietly sitting, or talking amongst their friends for support. Once safely aboard the bus and separated from the adrenaline rush provided by active combat, the students really began to feel the effects from the attack. Izuku found himself quietly talking to Ochako and Tsuyu, trying to distract himself from the many questions he had.
When they returned to UA, Izuku barely had time to get off of the bus before he heard Himiko's voice.
"Izuuuuu!" He managed to at least clear the entrance of the bus before Himiko grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. She looked terrified.
"H-hey." Izuku said weakly, wrapping his arms around his sister. "I'm ok. It's ok."
"Th-they put the school in lockdown and told us that there was an attack on UA facilities. When Tomoe found out that it was the USJ I was super worried about you! You- you could have been hurt or killed and who knows how long it would have taken for someone to find out!"
Izuku pulled back slightly so that he could look at Himiko's face. "We won though. Aizawa and Thirteen were really hurt badly, but nobody else was seriously injured."
"Says the guy with two broken fingers, kero." Tsuyu pointed out.
"Wait." Himiko suddenly glared at Izuku, the expression a stark contrast to her tear-streaked face. "What did you do?"
"I may have come up with a crazy plan that involved going all out?" Izuku offered.
"It was a crazy plan, but it actually worked out." Tsuyu helpfully pointed out.
Himiko merely sighed. "Well if you didn't have a choice. Doesn't mean I have to like it though. C'mon, I'm technically here because I'm supposed to be escorting you."
Himiko detached herself, keeping one hand on Izuku's arm as she guided the three to rejoin their classmates and lead them to the cafeteria.