" Just... what strength..." She looked back at the battle raging beneath them, debris and beams flying off and ricocheting around.
" Don't give up hope..." One of Shoji's duplicated arms pointed at the dam Mineta had guarded just as Uraraka and Sero reached him. " They're leading him right to the trap."
Uraraka ran to the barks holding the mass of boulders from rolling down and flung them up just as Sero pulled her away from the falling rocks. The avalanche of boulders made for Nine, who used his nail beams to crush them, yet it seemed as though he was caught in the middle of it. " Come on guys!"
Sero then flung a weightless Mineta in the air as he used his balls to stick together the boulders and restrain Nine. Sora almost let out a breath when it was caught in her throat as a bright yellow glow shone from underneath the amalgamation of rocks. A blast tore them apart and sent Sero and the others flying away.
" He has escaped the trap!" Shoji yelled.
" He's 30 meters away!" Jiro affirmed.
Sora clicked her tongue when Aoyama's attempt at attacking was easily blocked before he and Yaoyorozu were blasted off with a gush of wind.
The moment Bakugo launched himself at Nine as he began charging his beams, Sora stepped on the wall with her wings drawn out. " I've seen enough!" But before she could rush, a blur of green passed by.
" Midoriya!"
" I entrust Katsuma-kun and Mahoro-chan to you!"
Sora gaped her mouth as she witnessed Midoriya and Bakugo fighting together without squabbling with each other. It was quite a sight to behold and with all honesty, Sora found they made a good team. Fighting and protecting each other, even if all of Bakugo's saves were rough kicks. Even their auras are resonating well.
Her head suddenly snapped to the left when she heard a rumble and she saw clouds of smoke rising from the direction of the labyrinth. " Another cave in?!" She squinted, trying to glimpse anything. Could it be that Tokoyami-kun lost control of Dark Shadow!?
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Back with Yuu and the others, they were focused on physical attacks. Even Kyubi kicked and flailed her tails at the blue Chimera.
" What a light punch." The villain mocked as he grabbed Kirishima by the head and threw him at the cliff, denting it.
" Then take this!" Kyubi leaped above him and twirled, bringing down her nine tails at full force upon his head.
" Useless," he said shooting up and punching her abdomen, throwing both the fox and rider off.
Iida came dashing at full throttle, aiming his kick at Chimera's head only to be blocked. It was then that Todoroki attempted once more to freeze him but his ice was broken almost immediately.
The villain spat his cigarette, a gesture implying that his patience was running thin. " You brats, didn't I tell you it was useless!" He snapped when he couldn't draw any more strength, his body stiffening and stinging.
" It began to affect him," Yuu said as he struggled up to his feet. The truth was that Asui had earlier applied her mucus to Kirishima's hands, Iida's feet, and Kyubi's legs and tails. It used to be weak but to think Asui-san developed it that far. This will weaken him enough.
" Brace yourself!" Kirishima hit his fists together threateningly.
" Resorting to such irking tricks..." Yuu's eyes widened when the villain's body jerked as it stretched and grew bulkier it tore away his clothes. His Feathers and tail enlarged as he grew horns and his muzzle lengthened. " But I will show you, the reason why they call me monster!"
" That shape... is he like Amajiki-senpai!" Kirishima exclaimed.
" It kind of reminds me of Pokemons' evolution though!" Yuu said as he hopped on Kyubi's back.
Todoroki snapped when he realized the villain was charging something in his maw. He acted quickly by creating a shield of ice. When they realized it wouldn't hold long in front of the beast's tremendous energy, they rushed away while the villain proceeded to decimate and smolder everything in the vicinity.
Yuu could only click his tongue at the demonstration of power before him.
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Sora didn't realize she was attempting to fly when she heard Jiro's report until a hand fell on her shoulder. " Shoji-kun..."
" I know how you're feeling. But we shouldn't move from here." He beckoned towards the children. " Our job is to assure their safety."
" But!"
" You said it..." His eyes bore into hers. " Have trust in our friends!"
Sora bit her lip and looked back at Bakugo and Midoriya giving their all against Nine, but the man seemed to have the upper hand. Sero and Uraraka joined to help, yet they were far from able to handle him. No matter how hard they tried, it didn't seem like Nine was tired in the slightest. Could it be we were mistaken? If so... She shook her head, she didn't want to think of it.
When she thought it was all over, when he was about to attack the two boys with his skeleton dragons, they dissipated mere inches from them. Could it be... Sora's eyes widened in anticipation. She wished, she prayed that it worked. The villain was writhing in pain, apparently he had reached his limit.
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They jumped right behind the ridge and took cover while waiting for the rampaging of the monster to calm down a bit.
" Such crazy power!"
" We will not be able to get close," Asui mumbled.
" Not while waiting, that's." Yuu panted, eyelids as heavy as they could be. Even while using Whisper's take-over to lengthen his time limit as much as possible, this was stretching it too far. " That delinquent said it too, ' Don't wait for an opening. Move and make your own '."
" Even if you say so." Kyubi looked back at the battered students beside her. " In this state, even if you manage to create an opening, there is no way you could deal that much damage."
" And my Recipro is going to run out soon," Iida grunted.
Todoroki heaved a breath as he pondered on it before he turned back to them. " No, we could. If you could just get me close to him."
" What will you do?" Kirishima asked.
" I have an idea." Seeing Todoroki's expression, they were able to draw on some motivation from him.
" Agree." Iida nodded." This will be the last attack!" The other three nodded their heads in agreement too.
When Chimera stepped up to look for them, he was surprised to see both Kyubi and Iida standing in front of him.
" Are you ready?" The fox asked, bending down slightly.
Dust bellowed behind the blunette as his engine revved up. " Any moment you want!" They bolted in different directions, and then up towards the villain. As he charged his energy balls at them, Kyubi used her Fire Fox Inferno to nullify them while running and bouncing around, trying to get closer.
" Iida, Kyubi, attract his attention with both your agility and speed."
" Fire Dragon Wheel!" Consumed within her flames, Kyubi whirled and rushed at the villain in a stream of blue fire resembling a writhing dragon.
" You're wasting your strength!" He said flunging his arm through the flame and smiting her away.
Unbeknownst to him, Todoroki and Kirishima were advancing from behind. When he spotted them, it was too late, they were close. Feeling the danger he was in, he quickly spun around and discharged his energy beam, only for Kirishima to block it with 'Unbreakable' despite his arms getting chipped and burned.
Todoroki wasted no time at all, using an ice platform for leverage, he threw himself on the chimera and clung to his horn before winding his legs around his neck, ready to unleash his attack.
Chimera attempted to hit him away but Yuu and Asui restrained him using fire whips and the girl's tongue. " We won't let you!"
His arms bound, he swayed his tail this time but Iida kicked it away, and flung his body on it, wrestling it down. " Todoroki-kun!"
The villain's last option, his energy beam was being charged. Todoroki hastily thrust his right hand into the villain's maw, unleashing his frost to block it. The man wriggled, swinging Iida, Yuu, and Asui up in the air and cobbled them together.
Todoroki, half frozen as he was, drew even more ice as he realized his friends were unable to keep the villain still. Although he resisted, Chemira was frozen down almost instantly afterward, icicles jutting out of his mouth and even surrounding him.
Yuu's half-closed eyes glimpsed Todoroki falling off next to him just as the villain stopped moving, reduced to an ice sculpture. " Go hibernate for a while..." He heard him murmur through his pants for air.
Todoroki-san... He grappled to push himself off the ground and looked up at his friend, curling on himself and shivering under the thin sheet of ice covering him.
" Todoroki-san... use your fire to warm yourself up..." But the other boy didn't seem to hear him, be it because he was half unconscious or that Yuu's voice was too weak to reach him. This is bad... if he passes out from cold in that situation... Even if his body is resistant...
Grinding his teeth, Yuu dragged himself over to his friend. His vision blurry, his limbs heavy and his head aching, he squeezed the last of his strength to summon flames at the end of his fingertips. I must... warm him up... with that thought firmly set in his mind, the small flame enlarged as he touched Todoroki's back, the flames now engulfing him as the ice was slowly melting away.
A bit... just a little more... but his vision was growing darker and before he knew it, the flame flicked off and Whisper was once again hovering over him and calling out his name as he was pulled deep into the darkness.
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" It worked!" As Ojiro and Jiro cheered, Sora's eyes narrowed at the villain's aura. It wasn't weak yet, not of someone about to lose or to give up. It was still the same raging aura. Her eyes widened by a fraction when she saw the liquid containers on his back emptying.
A weakness that's so obvious... there is no way he didn't think it wouldn't be used against him!
" Wait! Get back!" She shouted at Midoriya and Bakugo but she was late. The weather changed in a split second, clouds gathered and swirled above their heads, gleaning thunder and lightning before one of them fell right upon the two boys.
Sora and the rest ducked under the wall while Shoji wrapped the children in his arms. She covered her ears with her hands, feeling as though the loud rumbling was puncturing her eardrums.
When they looked up again, all they saw was a huge charred crate and a villain stepping out of the smoke. The kids cried out loud, calling for Midoriya and Bakugo as Shoji hauled them.
Sora quickly scanned the area but there was no sign of the two boys. Literally, no sign of them. That was probably good since it means they might have been able to move or better, they maybe managed to dodge in time. Nevertheless, seeing the villain advance toward them made her steel her nerves, she didn't have time to worry right now about Tokoyami, Yuu, or Midoriya. It was her turn to act.
" We better get a move on," she said looking back at her friends who nodded in understanding.
" Shoji, take the kids and get away from here," Ojiro instructed.
" It's up to you," Jiro added.
Shoji looked down at the children crying and trembling in his arms before giving a nod. " Understood." And he ran off.
Sora wanted to comfort the two kids, she wanted to tell them that it was alright and that they were safe. But after what they had seen, she doubted her words would sink in. They were afraid and uneasy. I shouldn't let them go through those harsh feelings any further. She thought turning to the bridge Nine was crossing.
Just as Nine spotted Shoji and the kids, they ran to block him. Ojiro and Jiro tried to stop him by destroying the structure but it was to no avail, two skeleton dragons grabbed them and flung them at the wall while they served to pull the man into the air.
" Like hell you're getting any closer!" Sora swept at him and he pointed his hand up, unleashing his beams. Sora used her hardened feathers to defend herself but the beams burned through them. She gasped in pain when she was cut. She pushed forward nevertheless and tried to claw at him only to be blocked by a barrier and sent backward with a blast of air, hitting the wall hard.
She groaned as she fell down to the ground, her head throbbing as blood blotched her white hair. She rose on her feet, forgetting the searing pain in her right arm as she reached for Ojiro and Jiro, grabbing each by their hand. " We're catching up with him!" She said flying above the wall.
They caught up just as Shoji shielded the children with his body. " Kyoka-chan!"
Jiro dropped to the ground and used her heartbeat waves to halt the man, shouting at Katsuma and Mahoro to run.
" Quick!"
" Go!"
" Don't look back!" She, Shoji, and Ojiro flung forward at Nine, however, they were dithered by a sphere of bright yellow light, that expanded and pushed them all back in a blast of energy, destroying their surrounding.
Sora didn't know for how long she was laying there, nor how many things she had skipped on while all she could see was a swirl of blurred colors. But by the time her mind was able to process her visions again, and the wheezing in her ears subsided, she was able to see Midoriya and Bakugo fighting against Nine with fire running wild, apparently from Bakugo's explosion. Those two...
As she struggled up, her eyes caught those of Mahoro and Katsuma, both of whom hiding behind a boulder as the fight raged on. Gathering her bearing and struggling up, she stood on her two feet just as Nine soared from the flame, looking livid.
Damn it! Can't villains just lie down when they're defeated? She thought as she made for the children just as Nine used the flames to create three fire tornados which then merged into a large crimson one. " Katsuma-kun! Mahoro-chan!" She cradled them the moment lightning struck by their side. " It's okay! You're safe! It's okay!"
The lightning struck everywhere around the small island, threatening to destroy it. Bakugo and Midoriya launched themselves at the whirlwind in an attempt to stop it but to no avail. At that moment, Sora spotted the debris falling from overhead. She tried to flap her wings but they objected with a sharp pain that shot up her spine. They were broken. Damn it, I won't make it away in time! She quickly hardened her broken wings, forcing them to wrap around the kids to protect them.
She ground her teeth in pain when the large-sized rocks fell upon them, almost breaking the hardened shield of feathers she had put over the children. How she managed to hold that much weight was beyond her. Soon, they were buried under the debris with her wings threatening to snap to pieces any moment. I won't... she looked down at the crying children in her arms. Let them cry anymore!
"Katsuma-kun, Mahoro-chan, it's alright..." She said hugging them tightly, preventing them from looking up at her as she allowed her body to transform, to enlarge in order to withstand the burden. Grey feathers covered most of her body save for her face while a new pair of wings sprouted from her back as they shouldered the rocks falling on them.
" You will be safe. I will be your shield." The pile of debris weighed on her back and Sora panted heavily, yet she kept on shouldering the weight. With so little light to pass through the cracks between the boulders, she couldn't tell if she had passed out yet or not. " Shirogane!"
This voice... Shoji-kun...
" Hang in there! Shirogane!" The pile over her shifted, it was getting lighter. Shoji was digging through it to get her out. By the time a strong ray of light fell on her, Sora was relieved enough her mind was getting clouded.
This is bad... he will see me...
" Shirogane! Are you alright? Shirogane!" As Shoji's masked face loomed before her, she could hardly even hear him. It sounded like a faraway call.
" I can help!"
Is that... Katsuma-kun? Where's Mahoro-chan... are they alright?... What about Bakugo-kun and Midoriya?... The villain? I shouldn't pass out... I shouldn't be a burden... but the darkness was drawing nearer to her, it engulfed her, pulling her away from the sounds of the fight, from the bright lights of explosions and rumbling of the storm... The last thing she recalled was a flash of blue and orange and the warm sun rays...