By nighttime, Shoji and the rest who were left to fight on the beach caught up with them at the shelter. They embarked immediately on helping upon reaching the threshold. Ojiro and Sato were too working hard despite them receiving so much damage from fighting Chimera.
Kyubi and Dark Shadow were helping shepherd the inhabitants and organizing them before the food table when Yuu passed them while he was carrying the boxes of ingredients to the kitchen along with Sero.
They left the hall and walked through a rather narrow hallway, passing the rooms where the people settled for the meantime and where the injured were being healed. From the crack of the door held ajar, he could see Todoroki and Shoji helping with tending to them, their Quirks were the most helpful. Bakugo and Midoriya on the other hand were as still as when Yuu first brought them there.
" Seijin," Sero called out for him and Yuu snapped, realizing he was standing for too long before that room. With an apology, he caught up with him and together, they pushed through the double door of the kitchen.
" Sero-kun, Yuu, thank you," Sora said taking the boxes from both of them and setting them on the counter where she distributed the ingredients before beginning to chop some potatoes herself.
" How good is it that this island had an abundance of food," Asui pointed out.
"We're saved because the residents kept those in stock," added Whisper.
" What happened to the villain they caught?" Ashido asked worriedly. Of course, the sight of Kirishima and Kaminari pulling along a villain was concerning.
" Ah, he's locked in the machine room," as Sero said that, Yuu recalled how they restrained him there using large chains and cuffs in the said room. " But no matter how much we question him, he doesn't seem to tell us anything."
" It's no use worrying over that now." Sora's head shot up from the pot she was checking. " What we can do is help those people and protect them the best we can. What we have to do wouldn't change whatever we may hear from him. So let's focus on what we could do now."
All of them nodded their heads in understanding before they returned to their respective tasks.
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When the people of the island fell into deep slumber, exhausted by the events of the day, class 1A was awake and with wide eyes.
" I will first give a report of the current situation." Iida embarked on explaining the situation to them once all twenty of them gathered in the prep room. Sora sat between Ashido and Uraraka while Yuu crouched next to Todoroki, his eyes half closed, the brunt of his Quirk taking effect.
" Are you sure you don't want to take some rest?" Whisper asked him as he fought to stay awake. Yuu then pointed at Kaminari and Yaoyorozu.
" I can't. Everyone is giving it their all. I can't be the only one who rests."
" Yuu..."
" For now our highest priority is to protect the inhabitants." Iida drew their attention back to him. However, that seemed like a feat from a fantasy world, for the villain they were against managed to harm and damage Midoriya and Bakugo that much on his own.
" The one we faced was really skilled." One look at Todoroki, Tokoyami, Ojiro, and Sato's battered state made Yuu shiver just imagining what that one was capable of.
" Even if you say we should fight, Yaomomo, Seijin, and Kaminari overused their Quirks, so they can't fight..." Jiro stated, worried for her friends.
The situation was dire, they had three villains on the loose and even if they ambushed all together, there was no way they could deal with them much to their dismay. They were short of solutions and options. Even the drone sent by Yaoyorozu would be reaching the mainland in six hours, so they needed to hold their ground against the villains for that much time and more.
" I'm rather worried about the people in here," Sora voiced out, her eyes cast down upon her clutched hands. She thought back to Amane, the shopkeeper she was helping so often. Just imagining how she would be able to hold on with her soon-to-come kid. " The villains didn't hesitate to use them before, they will do the same again. Even we can't guarantee their safety in this facility."
" Sora is right," agreed Ashido. " Maybe we should move them to a safer place."
" If only we could know what's their objective..." Iida pondered on their options.
" Mhm. Then we could at least take some action," Uraraka added.
" Katsum-" It was then that she noticed the two children standing by the door.
" I'm the target of those villains." The brunette boy spoke out loud, enticing their focus.
" What did you say?" It was hard to digest. Why on earth would the villain be after a child around 4 years old?
" He said he wanted to steal my Quirk."
" Steal your Quirk?"
" It's like All For One." Asui seemed worried. The last time All For One appeared, he ended up causing the number one hero to retire. If someone like him was on the same island as them.
Some Draft Recommendations it turned out. Yuu thought.
However, even though they figured out what's the villains' objective, they were still far from being able to solve their predicament. Neither running away with the kid nor fighting them head-on seemed like a viable solution.
" Hand me over to the Villain!" Her blood froze the moment she heard the kid's suggestion. " He said he wouldn't kill me! It doesn't matter if my Quirk was taken! If that saves the people of the island..."
Before any of them could react, a familiar voice resounded. " That won't do!" Their eyes widened when their green-haired friend stepped into the room.
" Deku-kun!"
" Midoriya-kun! Are you alright?" Iida asked most concerned about the health of his classmate.
Midoriya gave a nod and smiled warmly at Katsuma. " Thanks to Katsuma-kun's Quirk." He kneeled before the boy, complimenting his cell activation Quirk. " It's an incredible gift, Katsuma-kun! Thank you!"
" Deku-niichan..." The kid was on the verge of tears when Sora stood up and walked over to him.
" Katsuma-kun, you have someone who cares for you, right?" Sora asked as she glanced back at the girl still standing by Shoji's side. " Tell me, did you think of her feelings when you suggested to give yourself away?"
" I..." The kid clenched his fists. His sister ran over to him, hugging him tightly as though afraid he would be taken away from her.
" Listen, Katsuma-kun. Your sister would be worried and sad if you do that, don't cause her that much pain." She patted their heads gently. Those who were left behind are the ones who suffer the most after all.
" We won't let you go through such a horrible thing. This is what we are here for." Midoriya assured him.
" All we have to do is crush those damn villains, right?" They all snapped when hearing Bakugo's voice.
" Bakugo-kun!"
Midoriya and Bakugo seemed to have a mutual understanding when their looks leveled for a moment before they turned back to them, determined as ever.
" We will certainly protect you!"
" And I'll crush those villains!"
" We will save the inhabitants of the island!"
" I will definitely win!"
Their words fired them all up, and before he knew it, Yuu's eyes were wide open once again as he walked over to the duo along with his friend, his look holding nothing but seriousness. " I want those people to be able to fall asleep peacefully again."
" And I want Amane-san to have her child safely and raise him to be a healthy good kid," Sora added holding two fists up. " So I'm with you!"
" What we always say." Yaoyorozu wobbled to their class president.
" Go beyond..."
" Plus Ultra!" They all threw their fists up above them.
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After sharing information on the villains they fought, Midoriya concocted a plan. It was simple, draw the villains in, separate them, and deal with each one of them on their own while using the territory of the castle ruins to their advantage. The residents will be all transported to the caves in the ruins and stay low in there. Katsuma and Mahoro however would be following them so to draw the villains.
Sora recalled Midoriya's plan as she placed a duvet on the two children sleeping on the couch in the prep room. She had a small smile at the girl hugging her brother closer to her. " Hope Midoriya's plan works."
" We will make it work no matter what," Yuu said as he walked to her side. " We'll protect those two and the people of the island even if it is the last thing we do."
" Don't say it like that." She gave a playful punch to his shoulder. " We'll get plenty of chances to save more people in the future." Yuu noticed the slight shiver of her fist despite her brave smile.
That's right. Sora was there during the Kamino incident. She was close to All For One. Yuu couldn't forget the fear he felt upon seeing the said villain from the screen, and he could never begin to comprehend what Sora felt when she was overwhelmed by the cold chilling atmosphere the man had emitted once he announced his presence.
You don't have to do it. No matter how much he wanted to say these words, he knew Sora wouldn't have them. She made her choice to protect the two kids and secure their escape route. And once Sora decided on something, the only thing he could do was support her to the very end.
" You take care out there." The boy told her most concerned.
" You too, that Chimera villain had beef with Todoroki and the rest so be careful." Sora too couldn't ignore the state her friend was in. Although he should be resting and recovering his stamina, Yuu was among the first who stepped up to join the fighting team.
" Now soldiers, make sure you give this fight your all!" Whisper instructed as loud as he could be without deranging the sleeping children. " You're no chicks anymore! You're now true heroes, ones who those people depend on! Make sure to protect them!"
Sora and Yuu exchanged smiles before turning back to the ghost, confidence and resolve glistening in their eyes. " Sir! Yes sir!"
________________
Being the diligent and strict person he is, Iida helped organize the evacuated people while Koda and Sato transported their belongings and animals. They took refuge inside a large cave with the latter two standing guard along with Hagakure.
The rest of them took their spots, waiting for the arrival of the villains. " Midoriya, are you sure of this?" Sora turned away from the sand path and to the green head beside her.
The boy wore his most serious face as he nodded. " When we fought him before, he seemed to weaken once he overused his Quirks. So I'm betting on this plan now. It's the only choice we have."
" Then I won't say anything else. You better beat him and come back safe to us," she said looking him in the eye and Midoriya nodded his head.
" We'll kill that guy and win this fight no matter what!" A small explosion erupted as Bakugo punched his hand. " You extras better stand still behind us! Don't get in the way!"
" Should I remind you that you're standing here too while Ochaco-chan and the rest are taking the front?"
" Shut up feather head! They're just getting the stage ready!"
" Alright alright, calm down." Sora heaved a tired sigh as she held her binoculars up. " You're such a tiring guy to deal wi-" She broke off mid-sentence when she caught a movement at the other end of the sand path. " They're coming."
" They got the bait," Midoriya stated as Sora passed the gear to Shoji.
" Keep watch. I will alert Ochaco-chan and the others." She ran to the ledge of the plateau they were observing from, holding up her phone and flicking her flashlight on and off multiple times until she glimpsed a twinkling dot within the foliage. Yosh! Sero-kun got the signal! Everyone, be careful!
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The minutes ticking by were painfully heavy as they waited for the villains to get to the point. Sora held her breath when she saw the large sparkling blue beam of laser launched at the trio before two explosions resounded. Yaomomo must have used her cannons. A cloud of dust rose on their left, a telltale that the ground caved in on the labyrinth Ashido and Tokoyami were waiting in.
" We successfully separated them!" Shoji informed while Ojiro couldn't contain his exhilaration as he held his fist up.
Sora noticed the two kids behind them tensing up at the loud noises with Mahoro standing guard in front of her brother. Sora smiled as she kneeled by their sides.
" You don't have to worry. You will be safe with us."
" But... those heroes down there..." Katsuma looked from behind his sister, worry written all over his face.
" They will be alright. Those heroes are strong after all, they would stop at nothing until they see to it that everyone is safe and sound. They wouldn't be defeated easily by those villains. Trust them, alright."
" Uraraka and the rest are engaging the main villain!" Said Shoji and Sora snapped her head back. She walked to the edge just as a rain of rocks fell upon the villain, however, he managed to destroy them and even aimed at Sero.
He and Uraraka kept shooting boulders at Nine in an attempt to force him to use all of his Quirks. Come on! Use as much as you can! Come on!
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On the other side of the small island, the Chimera guy walked to the waterfalls only to be dragged by Asui into the water. The moment the girl jumped out, Todoroki froze the puddle and streams.
" Yosh!" Kirishima shouted in ecstasy.
" It went as planned," Iida stated. However, Yuu was able to hear the sound of ice cracking beneath the seamless surface.
" Not yet." Todoroki too realized it wasn't over. As if on cue, the guy broke out of the ice and landed in front of them.
" It wasn't cold enough," Chimera stated nonchalantly. He took out a cigarette and lit it using his fire breath as he warned them against fighting, for he was dead serious.
" This guy is looking down on us!" A tick appeared on Whisper's forehead at the man's cold attitude.
" Whisper!"
" Got it!" The ghost dove through Yuu's back as his eyes glowed brighter, his glare harsher than ever.
" Don't think lightly of us." Yuu mounted on Kyubi's back.
" We're not the same as before," Kirishima told him as he held his hardened arm up.
" All the people are protected. Let's fight with our everything!" Iida shouted.
" We will stop you." The air around Todoroki became even colder as he activated his Quirk.
" Recipro-Turbo!" Iida followed. " We will finish it in 10 minutes!"
" Yeah!" All six of them chorused.
Feathers tore through the sleeves of the villain's coat as they covered his arms. " Fine by me."