Chapter 48: Chapter #47 | Edge of Duty
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Chapter Text
When Sekijiro saw that Aizawa was keeping his class past the regular end time, he was initially curious. The professor stayed that first day just long enough to realize that they were extra lessons. It surprised him that none of the students moved from their seats or decided to not participate in the extra classwork. On the second day, Sekijiro had thought that he and the administration were doing his class a disservice by not offering them the same option, deciding to request that the students' sister class join 1-A in their optional extra class time.
Sekijiro approached Aizawa on the second day of rescue week. Aizawa stared blandly as the blood hero made his appeal, and Sekijiro gritted his teeth, thinking the worst. Instead, Aizawa simply, and equally as dully, told him that it wasn't optional for the students of 1-A and to ask Midoriya and Shuzenji, as they were the ones teaching the extra time block. Sekijiro had received surprised looks from the school nurse and Midoriya when he'd made the request, but after only a second of deliberation, they had agreed. Midoriya just had to make a note to bring in more lab materials on Thursday.
That was the first Sekijiro had heard of any kind of lab planned for rescue week outside of the USJ trip at the end of it. When he questioned it, both Aizawa and Shuzenji shuffled awkwardly while Midoriya just shrugged. "1-A is on a separate teaching plan from 1-B."
That had been the first time Sekijiro had heard of that, as well.
The class began that day following the general guideline that had been set out for the week. Day two was dedicated to first aid training, nothing too intensive nor as time-consuming as the optional extra credit first aid course, but overall, Shuzenji was pleased that she finally got to give a general first aid lesson to the new heroics students. Perhaps she'd have fewer students coming in with injuries made worse by stupid mistakes.
Sekijiro was pleased to see that most of his class had taken up the offer of extra education. They had lost a few, of course, when it was revealed just how much longer this class would run into the night, but there were always those few that would turn down free extra classes. He wasn't overly concerned. You got out of college what you wanted to get out of it. Sekijiro was surprised to see that all of 1-A had stayed seated, though. Not only that, but they had almost universally adopted expressions of dread.
Two claps rang out clearly across the room, originating from the front where Midoriya was stepping forward with a congenial smile. "How wonderful it is to have more students for our lesson today. In the previous four hours, we've covered basic first-aid treatments. These are the kinds of treatments that you'll use in your day-to-day. In the next couple of hours, we'll be covering something a little different." Midoriya turned to write on the whiteboard in large, bold letters. Field Medicine.
"Does anyone have any questions before we begin?"
One of the students from Class 1-B, blond and condescending, began, cutting through the silence with a sneer. "Yeah, why is someone from 1-A up there? What makes you qualified to teach us? Anything you could teach us, we could teach ourselves."
Midoriya took a deep breath, indulging in a cold smile. "You must be Monoma. People enjoy talking about you." The blond preened at that. "Not enough of it is good." Monoma's preening turned to shock before quickly settling into a scowl. Midoriya continued before the blond could open his mouth again.
"To answer your question, I have multiple doctorates in relevant fields, as well as experience in the topics that we'll be discussing." Monoma's lips pressed into a thin line. "And before you can continue to make incorrect assumptions," Midoriya tapped the insignia on his shoulder, "I'm not a student of 1-A, but I am learning alongside them, as well as performing as a student teacher to them where relevant."
Midoriya glanced across the class to see appraising looks and surprise. 1-A just looked like they wanted to get on with the lesson so they could go do their exercises and get back to the dorms. "Any relevant questions for us today?"
A young woman with honey-brown hair spoke up next. "What precisely do you mean by 'field medicine?'"
Midoriya smiled at the question and nodded before beginning. "The basics of first aid were taught earlier. This, however, will be an introduction to Tactical Combat Casualty Care. TCCC is something that was originally developed by the United States before it was standardized across their allied forces during the Third World War, or as you might refer to it, the first segment of the Quirk Wars. For 1-B, this is something that is covered more extensively in an optional second-year course. For 1-A, this is an introduction to mandatory course material during your second year. We want you to be aware of its existence, even if you won't be making use of it in its entirety during this year. The full course will see all of you getting a TCCC-ASM, CLS, or MP certification, depending on what you are aiming for and your prior experience. It should be noted that this will be taught to everyone in 1-A after we get everyone their EMT certifications. That will be about a six-month course. We may condense it, depending on how the class does."
Sekijiro spoke up with scrunched eyebrows as Midoriya paused. "Why precisely are these courses not optional for 1-A this year?"
Midoriya gave a small, apologetic smile. "The rat overlord has decided that this year's Class 1-A will be following a different teaching style and course load than in previous years. In the end, it comes down to figuring out which is more conducive to producing higher quality heroes."
Monoma spoke up again with a snort. "So we really get to prove we're better tha-" The blond was cut off as a hand cracked against the side of his head with a hissed shut up. Sekijiro frowned. Rivalry was one thing. It could be good for the classes to push themselves, but he didn't want needless hostility.
"As I was saying," Midoriya smiled and began again as if nothing had been said. "We'll be covering a major part of T triple C today, and that is the MARCH algorithm." Midoriya wrote the word out on the board and turned to continue speaking. "Remember this mnemonic. It could save you or your friends during a combat situation. Massive hemorrhage, airway, respiratory, circulation, and finally, hypothermia: MARCH," Midoriya wrote each word out on the board before putting the marker down and turning once more.
"This is not tailored to mass casualty care. This, MARCH, is found generally in TCCC courses, as well as advanced trauma life support courses, and it details the steps in which we need to take care of the injured to provide the best chance of their survival. I'd like to say something right now, though. Don't let me catch you performing these procedures on a civilian if you have a wounded team or squadmates that need tending to. It's hard to swallow, I know, but the first priority is always keeping yourselves alive. You can't help anyone if you or yours are dead." A fair amount of uncomfortable grumbling sounded from the audience, but Midoriya continued before they could be bogged down by it.
"First, with massive hemorrhaging, we follow the four D's," Midoriya once again wrote on a separate part of the board. "Detect, direct pressure, devices, don't dilute. Secondly, airway control. Let me remind you that the patient needs their airway to survive. Third, respiratory support. Now that you have confirmed their airway is clear, it's time to make the assessment of the respiratory system. Are they breathing? Do they have a sucking chest wound? Do we need to decompress their lung?"
Midoriya chuckled lowly, waving his hand in a vague dismissal. "I can see some confused faces. Don't worry, we aren't expecting you to know all of the terminology right now. Recovery Girl and I will be explaining and defining things as we go. For those of you that are more hands-on learners, we'll be having a lab for the students that stick around that long on Thursday before our trip to the USJ."
"Now, where was I?" Midoriya bent his head and upper body backward in a casual show of flexibility to read the board upside down. He smiled as he earned a few chuckles from the class. "Ah, yes. C as in circulation." Midoriya's head returned to its normal position, and he continued with the introduction. "From this point, we'll be identifying other non-life threatening bleeds, their pulse, and blood pressure. Shock assessment and treatment will also be addressed here. Finally, we hit H."
Midoriya let his eyes casually roam over the students before locking with Todoroki's and holding them. "Hypothermia, a key part of the trauma triad of death, alongside H+ and hypocoagulability. It is a critical factor in trauma care that isn't often discussed in EMS. When you lose large amounts of blood, you also lose large amounts of body heat. Who knew? Head trauma also falls under H, and we'll cover that, as well. Hypoxia, hyperventilation, hypotension, hypoglycemia." Midoriya turned and gave their resident medical expert a smile and a brief gesture for her to take over.
…
The third day wasn't any easier for the students to process, and Vlad had noticed several of them looking sick or shaken as they left the classroom following their morning lessons. He didn't blame them. Disaster response wasn't an easy topic at the best of times. Just as the afternoon before had started, Midoriya began by walking up to the short stage in the front of the room, but this time paused, instead taking on the side role as Shuzenji stepped up to address the group.
"Hello, dearies. As Midoriya would put it, we've spent the last several hours talking about disaster response and its procedures. Now, however, we'll be getting into a much darker side of things, and one that, as heroes responding to a disaster site, you'll need to have considerable training and expertise in." Shuzenji wrote lower on the board, her words smaller than that of the student teacher but still plenty readable for the class. Triage.
"This is a…," Shuzenji took a moment to look for the right word, "difficult topic for many heroes, both prospective and active members of the field. We are told so often that we don't get to decide who lives and dies, and yet that is exactly what you are being asked to do here." The old doctor began to write on the board while she spoke. "In disaster situations, you are going to be dealing with a potentially unknown number of victims in an unpredictable number of states, from scratched to deceased, an unknown infrastructure capability, and an unknown but likely insufficient quantity of supplies. To make things worse, you need to be able to decide within, ideally, ten to fifteen seconds."
Shuzenji stopped writing and underlined yet another mnemonic for the class to remember. SALT. "Sort, assess, lifesaving interventions, and treatment/transportation." She tapped each letter once with her cane before she turned fully back to the students watching and continued. "The responder needs to first confirm their situation. If this was a natural disaster, then they would more than likely be able to start into these procedures directly. If the situation were, however, the consequence of a villain attack, then the responders would need to secure the area first. It is not pleasant ignoring calls for help, but you cannot manage to help those in need while you are under attack." The young adults looked uncomfortable at the thought but nodded in agreement. It was understandable, if distressing.
"When they arrive at the site, the first thing responders are going to do is call out for anyone that can hear them to come over. These are the walking wounded. The responders will ignore them." The class stiffened, and several even made questioning remarks, which were waved off by Midoriya.
"Those that can walk to you are responsive and not in distress. There should be a responder watching them to make sure no one's status deteriorates, but they'll be the ones you assess last. They are the ones most likely to live." The class was silent again, and Shuzenji nodded to Midoriya before speaking once more.
"This is part of the reason it is so hard for a good hero to perform triage. You are taught and trained that each and every person must be saved with no distinction. But life is not quite as clean as that. The ones that are not coming to the responders but are making purposeful movements and calling out to them, they will be ignored, too." The classes stiffened further but didn't make any comments this time. A young woman with vines for hair put her hands together in prayer as Shuzenji continued with pity in her eyes.
"The ones that are not moving are the responders' first priority to tag."
"Tag, kero?" A short question from Asui had Shuzenji nodding.
Midoriya held up a tag for the class to see, even as Shuzenji began to explain. "In an ideal situation, you'll have these. They help identify to the responders what status each individual has been assigned. There is no standard for these, however, and you may not even have them on hand. I've seen a dozen ways of doing it. Colored tarps, tape, tags, cloth, and even spray paint. You make do with what you have."
"The first thing that the responder will look for is any obvious sign of life. If there is contrary evidence readily available, such as some form of major head injury, decapitation, exposed brain matter, and the like, they are tagged black as deceased." Grimaces were seen across the crowd. "The next steps as the responder begins treating those in critical conditions are to control any major bleeding, ensure that the airway is open, and to decompress the chest if needed. If it is a case of chemical attack, biological attack, or some form of leak, the responder is to give auto-injector antidotes. If the individual is a child, the responder may give them two rescue breaths after opening their airway. If they are not breathing after this, pulse or not, they are tagged black."
Several members of the audience began turning green. Shuzenji turned and wrote four questions on the board. Is the bleeding controlled? Not in respiratory distress? Has a peripheral pulse? Obeys commands or makes purposeful movements?
"If they are breathing, then that's great. The responder will use these four questions as a guide. If the answer to all of them is yes, then that's especially great. They are either a green tag or a yellow tag, standing for minimal or delayed treatment, respectively."
Shuzenji turned and sighed, looking out at the students that were beginning to appear as if they had aged during the lesson. "If any of those questions are answered with a no, then the responder has one more important question to ask themselves. Is this person likely to survive given the current resources? If the answer to that question is yes, then they are the first priority in treatment. They are the ones that need medical attention first. If the answer is no…," Shuzenji trailed off with another sigh. "If the answer is no, then no matter how they look or how much their friend begs you to help them, you have to tag them black as expectant. They are not going to make it."
Silence reigned as that sank in. Several students looked like they wanted to cry, while others just looked angry. Both are all too common in the medical field. Shuzenji frowned before deciding to continue the lecture.
…
Nedzu was scowling when he returned to his office and to his two personal students. If only he'd had the opportunity to skin a few of the reporters that had dared break down the gate to his school, to barge onto the university's property. What he wouldn't give for a few minutes alone with their station heads. You know what? I'm going to get a few minutes alone with them.
Nedzu glanced at his students, even as he opened his mouth to apologize for the interruption to their lesson. He stopped when he saw the barely restrained displeasure. "Is something wrong, my students?"
Midoriya's lip curled unexpectedly as he practically snarled his words. "The cameras across from the gate caught something."
Nedzu quirked an eyebrow as he responded. "What did it catch?"
Midoriya gave a bit of a smile to his snarl. "I'm sorry, Nedzu. I can't say, due to a few specific accords."
Nedzu got the message. His eyes widened as the fur along his spine stood up and his own snarl began.
…
Students milled around the buses as they arrived from the locker rooms. They had been instructed to don their gear and get ready for the USJ. The final lecture of rescue week had culminated in graphic footage from crisis sites, as well as training with replicated injuries for each student on training dummies that were entirely too human-like for any of their pleasure. After learning the survival rates on makeshift tourniquets the previous night, several of the students had put in requests to add basic medical supplies to their gear.
Aizawa patted his breast to check that his flask was there, even as he called for the class presidents to begin loading onto the bus. Yaoyorozu's costume had seen major alterations under the purview of Midoriya's partner. The same kind of undersuit that had been worked into many of her classmates' costumes had been added to hers. Starting at her lower ribs, the upper part of the outfit covered her like a crop top with a slightly higher trim on the lower back. Now a pair of black and red cargo shorts were worn over the lower half of her undersuit. Pouches and belts hung from Yaoyorozu's hips and gone were the heels that had plagued her until now. In their place, thick rubber-soled and armored combat boots came up her calves. Armored plates covered her knees while leaving the back of her legs open for creation.
She had decided to lean into the weapons training that she had shown promise in, and the sleek red and black polymer plates covered not just her knees but also protected her shoulders and right forearm. Her left forearm was home to what Hatsume had called her tacpad. Of its many uses, the most important was the chemical library that she had gained, allowing her to access her knowledge without carrying a heavy book around with her. Although, she was still testing to see if she comfortably use the visor that Hatsume had designed to link into it. She liked it, but its similarities to ski goggles, even with the thin frame and clear, blue-tinted visor, rubbed her the wrong way.
Yaoyorozu was beginning to question where Midoriya was when she caught sight of him walking towards the bus. She had to do a double take. Standing at his normally startling six foot two, hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, Midoriya's armor pushed the image of what a hero should look like.
Undersuit peaked out between the gaps of thick metal plates coated in a white polymer finish. Silver traced the line of his jaw while meeting the undersuit that showed up his neck. Above, two metal rings circled and covered his ears while connecting against the silver on his jaw. On top, they sprouted backward into two thick antennas, almost reminiscent of bunny ears. A similar tacpad was embedded in the metal of Midoriya's left forearm and above the articulated plates on his fingers that stopped at the gloves' fingerless tips. But what caught Yaoyorozu's eyes among the myriad of metal plates, beyond the pouches, hard and soft, was the sheer number of weapons she could count on him. Sidearm in a holster on his right thigh, combat knife on his right hip, and what looked like a hatchet hooked to his left. Another combat knife rested on the upper left of his breastplate, and finally, a sleek rifle hung over his back. Emblazoned on his right shoulder plate, one could find a silver half-moon with a single black cat sitting in its crook.
"Sorry about that," Midoriya grumbled lowly, taking a sip from a cup of what smelled like coffee. "My gear finally got its final authorization, and it took another hour of arguing to actually get it out of Powerloader's workshop."
Aizawa spoke up from the doorway of the vehicle before Yaoyorozu could respond. "Get on the bus, Problem Child. We're waiting on you and the blond moron."
Midoriya grimaced while climbing aboard. "All Might won't be joining us for a while." Thank the Gods, Midoriya muttered under his breath before continuing. Subtly, he held up three fingers to Aizawa. "He got sidetracked this morning by several villain attacks. He'll be late."
Aizawa sighed, tucking his face into his scarf. "Why Nedzu even made him the 1-B heroics teacher is beyond me. Alright, load up, Yaoyorozu. That's everyone."
The drive was peaceful. For all of four seconds, before the students began talking. Conversations of all kinds were scattered between the heroes-in-training. The open seating plan on the bus lent itself well to group conversations. Asui leaned forward in her seat and spoke. "Why do you have firearms for a rescue exercise, Midoriya, kero?"
Midoriya cracked an eye open and looked at Asui before noticing that most of the class had started listening in after the question. He sighed and rolled his head forward from where it was pressed against the glass behind him. "A few reasons. One, as was mentioned in the triage lecture, a responder may have to secure an area depending on the circumstances of a disaster. Second, this is," Technically, he mutters, "new gear. Same reason we had you all running in your gear, I need to get used to having it on me. Finally, I just don't like not having my weapon on me for field work, regardless of the kind."
A couple of the students shuffled uneasily in their seats, and Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. "Is it the gun that makes you uncomfortable, or is it weaponry in general?"
Kirishima responded after wiggling his hand back and forth, palm to the ground. "I just don't think guns are very heroic, you know? You could easily kill someone."
Tsunotori shrugged. "Heroes back in America use guns all the time. Reminds me of States."
Midoriya nodded at both. "I think it's partially a cultural thing and partially a practical thing. Kirishima is right that I could easily kill someone with a firearm. That's the point. Even Snipe could, despite his quirk. When a bullet enters the body, fragmentation can behave unexpectedly and kill someone, even if I put the shot into their leg. Snipe uses rubber bullets outside of extreme circumstances, which are far less lethal but still have their problems. That is why shooting someone is, even for cops, the last option available." Midoriya opened one of the pouches on his chest before pulling a loaded magazine out and tossing it to Kirishima.
"Hatsume and I have been working to address that problem. That ammunition is the current iteration of our solution and what the third-year students here at U.A. are training with. It's designed to deliver a dose of synthetic neurotoxin derived from the Gympie-Gympie plant. Feels more or less like actually getting shot. Nonlethal, albeit incredibly painful."
Iida went slightly ashen. "The giant killer plants that are fighting against the Australians?"
Midoriya shook his head. "No, the original form of the plant that still exists throughout much of Malaysia. Of course," Midoriya drew another magazine out of a different pouch and showed it to the other students. "I do still have live ammunition, but it's a last resort sort of situation."
Kirishima tossed Midoriya's magazine back and, as he tucked them away in their pouches, Kaminari asked a different question. "Is the new kind of ammo why your rifle looks strange? That doesn't look like any kind of rifle I've ever seen."
Midoriya glanced over and let out a small oh. "It's just made with an integral suppressor. All of my ammunition is subsonic, as well. Don't want to hurt anyone's ears, my own included."
"Why are you carrying so much? Two guns, two knives, an axe, plus whatever is in all those pouches…" Uraraka questioned, trailing off.
Midoriya shrugged. "More than just two knives. I've got smaller ones tucked around for throwing. Old habits and all that." Midoriya didn't elaborate anymore and, eventually, the class went back to talking amongst themselves. That is, until Toga and Jiro pointed out that they were also carrying a half dozen knives tucked away on their bodies.
…
Midoriya stretched as he stepped off the bus, 1-A unloading behind him and 1-B unloading from the bus just behind theirs. He saw Aizawa walking over to speak with Sekijiro and Kurose. The number three and the shaking of heads. Yaoyorozu and her vice president made their way over to Kendo and Shoda. Midoriya caught a snippet of conversation from Jiro questioning if Tsuburaba was wearing casual clothes. Apparently, it wasn't his fault that 1-A seemed to have standardized their costumes. The disparity in costume quality was something Monoma was loudly bemoaning, much to everyone's growing annoyance with the man. Shimura had apparently decided to make herself available for yet another stint of time as she floated around the students, nodding here and there.
Eventually, the students were all shuffled inside the doors of the USJ, their excitement beginning to build as they glanced around the massive structure. Midoriya heard an excited whisper from Kaminari to Sero about Universal Studios. He could practically feel Kurose glaring at him from where she stood. They'd had… an argument, is what he would call it. Their opinions differed heavily on the use of lethal force. Kurose was determined that it should be a last resort, while Midoriya, well, Midoriya was more than willing to use lethal force if it meant the threat to others was resolved. He had his reservations, but those reservations had been shaved down far too much for most heroes' comfort. Kurose was more uncomfortable than most, and Shimura was by far the most vocal.
Thirteen stepped forward, arms wide as she began her speech. "Hello, students! It's wonderful to see so many bright faces here with us today. Flood zone, landslide zone, and conflagration zone. Every disaster and accident you can imagine can be simulated here. I built this facility myself to train young heroes like yourselves in the art of rescue! Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!"
Midoriya felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck when he noticed Uraraka vibrating in place so violently that he almost thought she was going to phase through the ground. Kaminari threw his hands up with a "woop."
"Now, before we get started, I have one or two points to make. Or three, four…" Aizawa rubbed his eyes before sighing, even as the classes stood attentive. "As I'm sure many of you are aware, my quirk is called Black Hole. I can use it to suck in and tear apart anything."
"You've used it to save people from all sorts of disasters!" Uraraka was somehow vibrating even faster now, much to Midoriya's concern.
"Indeed. However, my power could easily kill, just as I've no doubt that there are some among you with similar abilities." Multiple students shifted uncomfortably as others stared down at their hands.
All too easily, Shimura muttered behind him.
"In our society, the use of quirks is heavily restricted and monitored. We must never forget that it only takes one wrong move with a quirk for people to die. This class will show you precisely how to use your knowledge and quirks to save lives. Your powers are not meant to inflict harm. I hope that throughout your time here at U.A., you can reach the understanding that you're meant to help people."
Aizawa stared blandly at the group. "Great. First off," a shrill shriek pierced the earpieces of 1-A and those of 1-B who had communicators. Midoriya's hand clapped over his headset with a grimace, his eyes drawn to the swirling black hole in the courtyard of the USJ. A swirling blackness that he recognized.
Aizawa pulled up his goggles and yelled at the classes as Sekijiro stepped forward beside him. "Huddle up and stick together. Thirteen, Midoriya, protect the students."
Kirishima squinted as he looked down into the courtyard of the USJ. "What on earth is tha-"
"Stay back. Those are villains." Sekijiro put his arm out, blocking any of the students from stepping forward.
A villain covered in hands stepped forward, scratching his neck. "Where is he? All Might is supposed to be here, isn't he? I see three professors but no All Might. I wonder if some dead students will have him running over here?"
Shimura had frozen, eyes wide as she stared down into the crowd of villains, but that was hardly his problem right now. Midoriya stepped up next to Aizawa, pulling his rifle into his hands. He spoke lowly. "Be careful, the one covered in hands has a five-point disintegration quirk. The man covered in smoke has a strategic-level warp quirk, at least. The hulking behemoth, I don't know about, but I don't like the look of it."
"Thanks. We'll discuss this later. Now get the rest of the students out, we'll hold them off."
Midoriya nodded stiffly but clapped a hand on Aizawa's shoulder. "Yes, sir, but don't go dying on us just yet, Eraserhead." Aizawa gave him a smirk and leaped up the stairs alongside Sekijiro.
Midoriya turned to move back towards the class "Alright, folks. This isn't a test or a drill. We need to get back through the doors and to the buses. My own communications are jammed. Anyone's working?" The class began to make their way towards the door as he heard several negatives, then their questions.
"Who would be dumb enough to sneak into a school for heroes?"
"What's going on?"
"Are they going to be okay? They can't take on that many villains on their own!"
"Thirteen, aren't there sensors to detect intruders?" Midoriya nodded at that one. Quick thinking on Yaoyorozu's part.
"Of course there are, but the sensors don't seem to be working. Otherwise, the alarm system would have been tripped."
"More than likely some kind of wide-area, low to high band jamming quirk." Midoriya stated, even as the students discovered the doors locked and sealed. "Shit. Thirteen, how thick are these doors? Can you get through them with your quirk?"
"Thick enough that it'll take me a couple of minutes."
"I won't allow that." Midoriya spun, bringing his weapon up and level with the golden yellow eyes of Kurogiri. "Greetings. We are the League of Villains. Forgive our audacity, but today we've come here to end the life of the Symbol of Peace." Kurogiri's eyes swept over the crowd of students.
"We were under the-" Kurogiri froze in his speech the moment his eyes landed on the royally pissed off expression that was Midoriya's. "Well. I wasn't expecting you to be here, Mr. Midoriya."
Why the fuck does he recognize you, Midoriya? Shimura hissed in his ear, making Midoriya's eye twitch.
The students that were positioning themselves to jump went rigid as Midoriya narrowed his eyes. "Nor was I expecting you and your brat to have the audacity to attack U.A., but here we are. Is this on your boss's orders?"
Kurogiri's smoke wavered as he shook his head. "No, this is something the young master has chosen to do on his own, and as such, my orders come from him." Kurogiri's smoke began to spread around the students. "We were expecting the Symbol of Peace here today, but it would seem his schedule has changed."
Thirteen's hand snapped up, and a cap popped off the end. Midoriya grabbed her arm, gritting his teeth. "Don't," he muttered. "He'll just turn it against you."
"My role remains unchanged." Midoriya yelled to the class to move, even as the smoke changed into gates. "Begone and be scattered."
A resounding cry was heard as students fell into varying portals.
…
Hatsume brought her head up and away from her project with a jarring force, her hand slapping against her ear as a static shriek echoed. Annoyed, she pressed the communication device just below her ear and spoke. "Phoenix, what the hell was that?"
A moment of silence passed before Phoenix responded, sounding disconcerted. "I am not sure. I have just lost all contact with Father and the rest of the students at the USJ."
Hatsume felt a chill run up her spine. "Confirmed?"
Another moment of silence. "Confirmed. No contact can be established with any devices located at the USJ." Hatsume was already moving and giving orders to have Dabi put their headquarters into lockdown. She grabbed Maijima's arm and pulled him back into his office. Maijima appeared concerned but said nothing Hatsume hadn't shown any behavior such as this in the past.
As the door closed between them and the rest of the support course, Hatsume hit a button on Maijima's desk phone. "Nedzu, you listening?"
"I am, Hatsume. What is the-"
"We've just lost all contact with the USJ."
Nedzu set down his cup of tea. He had been in the middle of lecturing Toshinori on time usage when an emergency call from the support lab came through. "Well, that is concerning. Do you have any idea of how this could have happened?"
"No. Our communicators are special. They are a prototype technology using experimental quantum-entanglement methods. It's not really QEC technology, but Midoriya got us close. A simulated QE connection that is currently expensive and difficult to produce, as well as needing a central hub to manage the connections, besides the-"
"Hatsume, you're rambling." Maijima placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to get her to take a breath. She did.
"Nedzu, conventional jamming technologies wouldn't break communication. You can't even wiretap it. It's one of the reasons the military wants our help developing their communication infrastructure. Nothing short of a powerful, high-altitude EMP or a powerful jamming quirk could have broken communication. Since everything is still working here…," Hatsume trailed off, but Nedzu had gotten the message.
"It would seem that we have uninvited guests at the USJ. Thank you, Hatsume. Powerloader, report outside with your gear." The connection clicked off, and Hatsume was once again moving towards the armory they kept in the support lab.
Hatsume was already loading an automatic with live ammunition when Maijima caught up to her, putting a hand on top of the rifle. "Hatsume, you need to stay here and take care of the class. Let the faculty deal with this."
Hatsume gritted her teeth and glared at him before yanking the rifle out of his grip, loading a magazine and racking a round into the chamber. "Fine." She forced the rifle back into his arms by the barrel. "But if a single one of them doesn't make it, then I'm taking it out on your ass, Maijima sir. Take that and these," Hatsume shoved several more loaded magazines into his hands, "and give them to Snipe in case he needs them."
Maijima gave a single short nod and took off out the door as Hatsume rounded up the class.
…
The evasion boosters in Midoriya's armor gave a small, fiery burst, and he hit the ground and rolled, bringing his rifle up. Ruins Zone. Midoriya took note of his surroundings, the hollowed-out buildings and dilapidated structures crumbling to the ground. Dust was heavy in the air, along with the smell of old, stagnate ozone. Ruins, ha. This just looks like the Niigata slums.
Midoriya moved forward, eyes and rifle scanning the buildings as he went. Shimura was blessedly quiet at the moment, seemingly stewing on her own problems. A heavy crack echoed through the air, and moments later, a scream sounded from somewhere to his right. In a moment, Midoriya was running. He turned the corner to find Yaoyorozu and Kirishima standing in front of Bondo, who was holding an unconscious and bleeding Yanagi. Shiozaki stood behind them, hair writhing. Around them stood enough villains to make even Midoriya blink. So he did what he was best at. He opened fire.
…
Kaminari felt the wind whip around his head as he fell from the portal. Right, great. Where am- Kaminari's thoughts were cut off as his body hit the icy water of the flood zone. He nearly inhaled the water, his body gasping at the temperature change. Spinning, he tried to figure out which way was up, only to come face to face with rows of razor-sharp teeth. In his panic, the world flashed and turned to gold.
…
Asui had seen Kaminari fall into the water of the flood zone as she dragged 1-B's class president aboard the boat. Luckily for her, their vice president had landed on the boat and helped her get Kendo up and onto the deck. There was another splash as a male body hit the water.
"Honenuki," Shoda said rather succinctly.
"I'll get hi-" Asui was cut off as the world flashed in front of her eyes, a deafening crack echoing across the flood zone. She blinked a few times to clear her eyes before the bodies began to float toward the surface of the water. She blanched, realizing what had just happened. "Fuck."
Before Shoda could ask, she was back in the water, swimming towards the spot where she'd seen the two men punch through the surface. Grabbing their bodies, she pushed herself to swim as quickly as she could back to the boat. The two men fell to the deck first as she flung them out of the water, quickly followed by herself. Shoda was staring wide-eyed at the two bodies. Kendo was already struggling towards Henenuki, while Asui rushed to Kaminari's side.
Kaminari was coughing up water with a dopey smile, and it was almost enough to set Asui at ease until she heard Kendo speak. "Fuck, he doesn't have a pulse. I'm starting CPR. Shoda, see if you can find medical supplies on the ship, and look for an AED. They should have one on board."
Kendo began the motions of CPR as she spoke, and Asui ran to her side, ready to swap when she needed it. Shoda came back pale. "There isn't anything on the boat. It's a shell meant for training. There's only a radio in the main cabin."
Kendo swore. "What the hell are we going to do? Even if we keep his heart pumping, we're going to wear out eventually, and who knows how long it's going to take for the heroes to arrive? We need an AED to shock his heart back into rhythm."
"We're going to have to wait for Kaminari to pull himself together, kero." Kendo and Shoda glanced over at Asui in question.
"He was the one that let off that electricity. If he tones back the discharge, he might be able to act as an AED."
"And how long is that going to take?"
"I don't know, kero."
…
Midoriya really didn't want to switch to live ammunition. The situation didn't call for it. But as he clubbed another villain over the head with his stock before shooting another in the knee, he really contemplated the benefits of putting the fear of death into the remainder.
Shiozaki had tied several villains in thorns, and Kirishima was panting over the bodies of several others. Yaoyorozu had valiantly been fending off those that got too close to Bondo and Yanagi with Bondo sealing them to the ground when they were knocked down. Midoriya shot another in the throat, and he heard the telltale sound of nothing being fed into the chamber. He spun, getting ready to club whoever was next, only to find that they were out of enemies. "Oh."
He hadn't had time to count during the fight, but if this wasn't all of the villains in the zone, then he had a bad feeling about how this was going to turn out. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to Bondo and asked simply, "How bad?"
Bondo shook his head. "D-don't know. She t-took a pretty heavy hit to the head." Another deep breath.
"Anyone else injured?"
Shiozaki raised her hand to her eyebrow, where she was bleeding. "I got caught at the same time as Yanagi, but she took the brunt of it."
"Are you good to move?" A nod from Shiozaki was met with one of Midoriya's own.
"Bondo, are you good to carry her?" Another nod.
"Right, we need to get her back to the entrance. Stay behind me. I'll take point. Kirishima, guard our rear and keep an eye out. Momo, keep pace with Shiozaki and Bondo in the middle. Let's move." Midoriya grimaced as he loaded live ammunition into his rifle.
Midoriya, that's live ammunition, Shimura muttered under her breath.
No shit, Midoriya muttered back.
"Shouldn't we do something for these…," Shiozaki paused, "villains?" Some were unconscious, and others were crying in agony from the synthetic neurotoxin. Others still were encased in glue, some bleeding out. Midoriya shook his head.
"They made their choice. Now let's move."
…
Screams echoed across the downpour zone as others gasped for any air they could get into their lungs. Everything had been going great for Shoji. Midoriya had been right. It was an upsetting, horror-inducing way to fight. But against villains with no one around to witness it? It was incredibly effective. Incredibly disturbing, but effective.
That was until Tokoyami had found him. The young man had been struggling to control Dark Shadow as it was. Dark lighting and the thunderous rain made for a volatile situation. Then they'd met Shoji and saw the scene. Blood and bits of his body was scattered across the soaked ground, staining it pink and red. Dark Shadow took over, and the first villain he grabbed turned to paste when he slammed into the ground.
…
Kuroiro found himself sitting in the corner of a rundown building with the weather outside absolutely dominated by heavy sheets of rain. In his lap, he quietly rocked Komori, their resident mushroom girl. When they had first landed from the portal, they had been surrounded by villains. Despite this, they didn't feel despair. They almost felt lucky. So many areas of darkness were great for him, and the damp weather made for perfect conditions for Komori's mushrooms.
They had thought it would be fine. Komori had immediately started growing mushrooms on the villains before running inside the nearest building. They followed, and Komori pushed her quirk, trying to give them the space and time to get away, to grow so many mushrooms on the villains that they wouldn't be able to move.
Komori underestimated her quirk, or the weather. Perhaps it was both. The end result was dozens of mushrooms sprouting and spreading and sprouting again in the villains' throats and lungs. The spores they'd inhaled proliferated. They had watched the villains die, clawing at their own throats and chests, ripping their own flesh into bloody strips in a vain attempt to get even a bit of air.
Komori cried into his chest as he rocked her. Kuroiro couldn't find it in himself to stop staring into the eyes of a nearby corpse.
…
Todoroki let the frost creep up his side, cold mist escaping his mouth. What a joke. "You're supposed to be villains, right? Pathetic. Forgive me for saying so, but it's hard to see you guys as anything more than thugs."
"H-how the f-f-fuck. Bastard was w-warped here just a second ago."
"Is he really just a trainee?"
Todoroki crouched down in front of one of the villains, thinking. He figured they would have sent a number of elites to wear All Might down, but they really were just a gang of pathetic goons.
The villain snarled at him as he struggled in his icy prison. "I'm gonna fucking kill you."
Todoroki just stared uncaring into the villain's eyes. "At this rate, your skin will rot away from frostbite. So if you wa-"
"LOOK OUT." Todoroki whipped around to find a large man, perhaps with some kind of walrus quirk, stumbling back, clutching at his neck. Within four steps, he'd twisted, as if to dislodge something, and tripped. His head slammed down onto a large rock before he went still.
"I. I. I. Oh, oh god." The ground seemingly shifted, and blood started pooling. Todoroki recognized the voice. It was one that he was always hearing around the dorm or the classroom. Hagakure, he thought. "I d-didn't mean. Oh god."
Todoroki knelt down beside where he thought the girl was and spoke calmly, even if his sight was set on the glazed-over eyes of the dead man. "It's fine. You didn't mean to-" The word unexpectedly caught in Todoroki's throat, and his eyebrows scrunched together at the feeling. "You didn't mean to kill him."
Hagakure wrapped herself around Todoroki's torso, and he felt himself stiffen. How was he supposed to deal with crying women, again? There was still blood gathering on the ground around them. "Hagakure, are you injured?"
"-s fine." She choked out. "Had to get out of the ice."
His fault. The thought struck him suddenly. She had torn the skin off of her feet to save him. Because he had let his guard down, so certain that he had gotten all of the villains. His ice had caused her injuries.
"Ha. Well well, little girly, turns out you'll neve-" The villain never had the chance to finish his sentence, as Todoroki's foot twisted and buried him in the ice. There was only silence from the remaining villains.
…
Monoma could feel his heart in his throat as he carried the pink girl from 1-A in his arms. When they had fallen out of the portals, he could have caught her. He'd tried to. He'd failed, watching her as she'd slipped, hitting her head as she crashed through his arms and into the ground.
Monoma had been ducking and crouching into cover where he could, but he was running out of protection, and someone was following him. He could feel the eyes on his back, a feeling he was all too familiar with to be comfortable. Then, he heard the fighting. His heart soared. Fighting at least meant that someone else was there with them.
Monoma had cursed his quirk so much growing up but never more so than he did in this moment. He hadn't had any copies when he'd fallen through the portal, and the pink girl wasn't exactly awake and talking. A hand gripped his shoulder like a steel vice, and he felt his heart jump into his throat. He spun and saw the toothy smile of a villain. Monoma did the only thing he could. He grabbed the only quirk available and threw his hand up.
The screams had Monoma's eyes snapping open mere moments before his own pain would have done so. He dropped the pink girl again as he clutched his hand, welts, and burns appearing along his palm, but that was nothing compared to what he was looking at. The acid was burning holes into the villain's face, their eyes bulging from their sockets as the acid melted into the fleshy exterior. Then the villain stumbled back into the wall and made everything worse. Turns out, the acid was flammable.
The smell of charred skin and cooking sinew had Monoma turning and gagging as his breakfast made a reappearance. He couldn't look back, even as the screaming doubled before cutting out entirely. Footsteps came running towards them, and he heard the voice of Tetsutetsu swearing before a raspy voice cut through. "Don't look at it. Monoma's in shock. You grab him, I'll grab Ashido."
Monoma turned in time to see a young, purple-haired man throwing Ashido's limp form over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. Rough but gentle hands grasped at Monoma before he found himself in the same position.
…
Toga's blade slashed through the back side of a villain's leg as Jiro backhanded another into the ground. As she did so, the speakers on the back of her hands set off a blast, causing the villain to soar through the air, collapsing further away.
They had landed in the mountains with two 1-B students named Kodai and Awase. They had been useful so far, Awase sealing paths behind them with boulders grown by Kodai's quirk. But, as it turned out, their hand-to-hand skills were next to abysmal. They could hold their own, barely, against a single villain, but their limited abilities had not reached very far once they had begun surrounding them. It was at this point that Jiro had started using her quirk in direct contact with the villains to keep them down. Toga had brought out her knives.
The area was covered in blood and littered with bodies in varying stages of consciousness. Toga licked the blood off the edge of her blade and scrunched her face in disgust. She hadn't found anyone that tasted any good yet, and she was fairly certain that she had torn the muscles in her shoulder.
Jiro sat down on a rock and surveyed the scene as she tried to get her heart rate down. If it kept beating like this any longer, she felt that she'd be in danger of a heart attack. She sure hoped it was going better for the others.
…
Midoriya's group made their way through the rest of the zone fairly quickly. As it turned out, he was right. Shoot one and the rest are adequately horrified. Yaoyorozu had put a tourniquet on the man and, while smiling, told him that if he moved, it would come undone and leave him to bleed to death. Midoriya didn't think so. He hadn't shot him near an artery, but he wasn't going to argue with the effectiveness of the scare tactic. Yaoyorozu had claimed that it was only logical so that he wouldn't have to shoot anyone else, but he had caught a small amount of her satisfaction at the wounded villain after their earlier assault. She'll regret that later. Shiozaki had been watching them in horror, but he could live with that.
Midoriya watched as Aizawa and Sekijiro cleaned house, despite the easy hundred, hundred and twenty villains in the courtyard. Their fighting style after years of working together flowed into one another. Seamlessly, one would guard the other as villains were struck down one after another. But Midoriya could see it, and if he could, then the three standing back certainly could, especially Kurogiri.
"Momo, take the rest of them and get back to the entrance. Kirishima," Midoriya clapped the man on the shoulder, "get them there safely."
"You aren't coming with us?" Shiozaki asked, despite her concerns.
"No, the professors have whittled down their numbers, but they're getting tired. The main fight is yet to begin in the plaza."
"Come on, Midoriya. You're good, but they ordered us to get out. And they ordered you to get us out."
Midoriya gave Yaoyorozu a small sad smile. "Go. They need you at the entrance. There may be wounded. Stick to the trees on the edge of the plaza. It isn't far."
"Midoriya, bro," Kirishima began hesitantly.
"No, I'm special forces. Pulling people's asses out of the fire is my job. Now go." It took some prodding, but they finally gave in and started moving.
As they left Midoriya's earshot, Bondo turned hesitantly to the others. A glance back had him taking careful stock of the situation, even with Midoriya's rifle leveled on the villains. "Did you guys know he was special forces?"
Yaoyorozu ground her teeth together, contemplating, but it was Kirishima who answered. "We knew he was military but not special forces, no."
…
What are you going to do here, Midoriya? You need to get to the exit. Shimura asked falteringly.
I'm going to do what I have to do.
Midoriya didn't have to wait long before things all went to shit. Aizawa was blinking more often, and Sekijiro was running out of blood. Aizawa had been engaged with Shigaraki for barely a minute before he had to blink. That split second found his scarf decaying, falling away into ash and dust. Shigaraki seized his first opportunity and yelled for the nomu. His senses dulled, his reaction times slowed, the beast slipped away from Sekijiro in an instant, dragging the professor's body across the concrete before slamming him into it.
Midoriya flicked his rifle to full auto and clamped his hand over the top of the barrel before depressing the trigger. The first round found home in the side of Shigaraki's knee, and the second found home in his thigh. The third would have bored through his lumbar, if it weren't for the warp gate that had the round deflecting off of the metal plate of Midoriya's armor and plunging harmlessly, instead, into the concrete. The fourth and fifth impacted the chests of two bold villains and took them off their feet. The rest of the magazine took up residence in an increasingly pissed-off nomu.
Midoriya clicked his tongue. He knew that carrying subsonic .300 blackout rounds would bite him in the ass when it came to penetration, but there was something wrong with the nomu, stopping them with its skin.
Midoriya flicked the magazine away, even as he rammed another home, unloading that one and dumping the next into the nomu. Steadily, as he fired, he advanced up next to Sekijiro and Aizawa's limp form. "Is he alive?"
Shimura floated down, hovering partially in the ground, and looked over the man. She didn't say anything but looked from Aizawa to Shigaraki and back. The rattle of the gun went silent after a moment as Sekijiro relayed Aizawa's status. It wasn't good. Unconscious and bleeding from most of the body in contact with the ground. The facial trauma was ugly, and Midoriya could see bits of the shattered goggles sticking out of Aizawa's skin, out of the corner of his eye. Again, Midoriya clicked his tongue as his adrenaline surged.
"I'm going to cause a distraction. Get him to the entrance. Yaoyorozu is there, and she can make the medical supplies we'll need."
"I'm not leaving a student down here with three dangerous villains."
"You have no choice if you want Aizawa to remain alive." Midoriya stepped forward, yelling across the plaza.
"Kurogiri! Shigaraki! Get your asses out here, you cowards. You started this, now come and face its end."
"NOMU."
Midoriya cringed as he just barely managed to get to the side with the help of his armor's jets and deflect the right hook from the monstrous creature. His rifle had not been so lucky, being what he used to deflect the aforementioned right hook. The rifle had practically folded in two, and Midoriya could see Shigaraki's furious glare from behind the nomu.
Midoriya snarled at the man on the ground, gripping the wounds on his leg. "You dare come here and attack us? Dare violate the accords your master agreed upon?" Kurogiri stiffened at the mention of the accords. Shigaraki didn't even seem phased. If anything, he looked confused. No… there was no way.
Midoriya ducked under the nomu's extended arm, barely evading the left fist crushing into the ground where he had been standing. Midoriya had to twist, as some remaining villain took a swing at him. Oh, fuck this. Midoriya growled, yanking his hatchet from his belt before burying it between the ribs of the villain. Midoriya contorted again, yanking the hatchet out and slamming it back down into the villain's throat before abandoning the weapon, throwing it into the chest of the next villain coming his way and rolling back just in time to see the nomu obliterate the remains of the first villain.
Viscera dangled from the beast's fist as he turned to face Midoriya once again. Static once again crackled in his ears as communications came back online, and immediately he had Phoenix's concerned voice filling his head, followed by the voices of every single member of 1-A, checking in. Alarm claxons began ringing all over the USJ. Midoriya snarled inaudibly. Phoenix, communications clamp down. SOS. Relay Nedzu of the situation as you piece it together.
Done and done. Mei has already informed them, and the heroes are five minutes out. All Might ran ahead; he should be getting there soon.
Midoriya's muscles screamed at him as he threw himself to the side to dodge the nomu's fist. Fucking motherfucker.
Muscle integrity degrading. You'll only be able to do that one or two more times before your legs give out on you.
Shit. Could he distract it long enough? Whatever the hell it was, Midoriya needed the rest of the faculty if he was going to take it down without injuring himself.
"Hahaha! Suck it, you shitty NPC. My bioengineered marvel was designed to fight against All Might. You'll neve-" Midoriya didn't hear the rest. As his mind processed the word bioengineered, he saw red. The nomu backhanded him and sent him skidding back.
Structural integrity of forearm bracer compromised. Bone integrity of right arm compromised.
Bioengineered. Bioengineered? All Might? Midoriya felt a hateful smile come to his lips as images of white-skinned beasts flashed across his eyes. Of sagging skin and ripping teeth. Of human faces stitched into the flesh of medical horrors released into the forest to hunt the surviving members of battles routed.
"Bioengineered?" Midoriya sneered. "You would dare violate the sanctity of the dead to create this THING. All to kill one man?" Midoriya growled as his eyes lit viridian and his lips peeled back in disgust and hatred. Athena. Full integration authorized, stim deployment grades one through five authorized.
Midoriya could practically hear the shock and anger in Phoenix's voice. Could hear the hesitancy in Athena's question. Do it, or this may kill me.
This could kill you regardless of what you do. This is an untested technology, father.
Shigaraki froze as Midoriya crouched down in a practical sprinter's position. Pure malice radiated from him as he let sharp teeth show. "Let me show you 'bioengineering.'" The ground cracked as he pressed off, blitzing towards the nomu, a trail of blue afterburners just visible. The nomu swung at him again, but Midoriya blurred underneath its arm, drawing out one of his knives and ramming it between the joints in the creature's knee, cleanly severing the tendon before leaving the blade there.
The nomu shrieked, even as it twisted to throw another punch. Midoriya just stepped back a pace before stepping up the arm embedded in the ground, twisting, and embedding a second blade into the shoulder joint of the creature. Midoriya dropped to the concrete just in time to sidestep and grab the forearm that wasn't impeded by metal and give it a twist, ripping the limb from its socket and shredding muscle fiber.
The creature screamed, and Midoriya loved it. How much pain and suffering had they been given by creatures just like these. How he would have loved to rip one of those white horrors to pieces bit by bit for what they did. Midoriya kicked the creature in the jaw, even as it struggled to move one arm past the metal bar hindering it while the other hung limply with its ruined muscles. It seemed to be healing but not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough. "Hard to move your joints when they're pinned, isn't it?"
A woman seemed to be floating in the air, trying to get his attention, trying to tell him something, but Midoriya couldn't find it in him to care what it was. Couldn't focus on it, anyway.
Midoriya smiled a vicious smile as he gripped the nomu by the jaw and sunk his fingers into its squishy, exposed brain matter. The creature shrieked and writhed underneath Midoriya's fingers, struggling for anything it could do with its flailing limbs, its eyes panicked and wide-locked with Midoriya's gleeful viridian fires. Slowly and deliberately, Midoriya twisted the nomu's head. Ligaments and muscles strained and snapped, and the sickening crunch of bone was met by the wet sound of the body giving way, and through it all, Midoriya laughed. Fire in his eyes, he laughed and laughed until the last bit of sinew gave way, and Midoriya tore the nomu's head clean off before pointing its dead eyes towards Shigaraki, Midoriya's body coated in the blood of his creature.
Shigaraki shook in rage, in horror, in disgust. This was supposed to be a hero student? Just what kind of- "Cheated. You CHEATED. A god damn hacker got into my ga-"
Midoriya blurred again, the ground cracking and the head bouncing. Kurogiri tried to throw up a warp gate, but he was too slow on the uptake. By the time the gate was open, Midoriya was past it with bloody claws holding Shigaraki by the throat.
"THIS IS NOT A GAME." Both men froze as Midoriya roared into Shigaraki's face. "There are no health bars and side quests, no distinction between player and NPC. There is no log or tutorial on how to live life." Shigaraki's hands started to twitch and move. "Oh, try it. I'll snap your neck like a twig. I know I can kill you before you decay through my gear."
Shigaraki froze, hands halfway up with fury etched into his features. "You have to choose. I choose every single fucking day to get up and face the horrors this world has to offer, Shigaraki, because it is my honor and duty to protect those that can not protect themselves. I chose to give up my humanity for the sake of the rest. What have you ever chosen, Tomura? To destroy? To kill? To blindly follow without an ounce of knowledge or respect? That's not a choice, you gods damned spoiled brat. That's a tantrum."
PLEASE, please stop. Shimura was practically sobbing. You can't kill him, please.
"Mr. Midoriya."
"Shut up, Kurogiri. The only reason I don't kill him now and save all of us trouble down the line is that I can't bring myself to believe All for One would be this stupid. So open your portal, take your charge, and get the fuck out of my sight."
Shimura reached out in panic, trying to grab onto Midoriya's arm, babbling something about keeping him, about not sending him back. Once again, Midoriya ignored the ghost.
Kurogiri inclined his head ever so slightly before opening the portal. Midoriya tossed Shigaraki through like a bag of trash. The mist man vanished, leaving Midoriya alone in a courtyard full of corpses and the unconscious. A boom resounded through the USJ as the front doors flew off of their hinges, and in a moment, a giant blond dumbass was standing next to Midoriya, taking in his condition.
All Might considered for a moment how the boy could look much worse. His skin was almost gray, which only made the red of his blood stand out even more. It leaked from his eyes, his nose, his ears, and his mouth. And with that mouth, he sneered at the Symbol of Peace. "Well, look here. Fucking late again." Midoriya's eyes rolled back as he crashed to his knees, vomiting blood before passing out in the puddle. Shimura's eyes widened, and she vanished.
Notes:
Warnings for:
Acid
Attempted Murder
Actual Murder
Blood/Gore
Excessive Violence
Seriously, Extremely Excessive Violence
Death
Decapitation
Fire
Gore
Gun violence
Mutilation of Corpses
Panic Attacks
Sadism
Trauma
Honestly, If people are missing the warning and instructions on how to skip over the chapter straight to the trigger warnings still? I really don't know what to say.
SOO. That happened. A little bit of trauma for everyone. As you might imagine this went a bit... differently than canon and the aftermath is going to be a right proper clusterfuck.
This is effectively an end to an era! With the close of the USJ we have completed what I consider to be the first major section of this story. I know, I know. First major section completed 200k words in and two years after publishing began, OH GOD. There are A LOT of moving parts after this! A lot of groups and a lot of events happening at the same time. I'll do my best to get out the next chapter out soon so you guys don't have to wait long.