"What are you doing to my classmate and my teacher?" Len growled, and his voice reverberated across the dome. Kurogiri struggled beneath him.
Shigaraki darted forward towards him, hands outstretched. "Kagamine-kun!" Midoriya cried, getting to his feet.
Len turned toward the hand villain, eyes widened… and an explosion came ripping through the air.
"You're in the way, extra!" Bakugo shouted as he blew Shigaraki sideways. The hand villain slid back, cat-quick, and suddenly Kirishima was there too, flipping in and swinging a hardened fist. Shigaraki darted out of the way.
Kirishima landed, half-pouting. "Dammit! I wanted to look cool!"
Ice spread across the Nomu, going up its arms and legs but stopping before reaching All Might. Len followed the path of the ice, leading to… Todoroki's foot.
The ice user scratched his ear. "I heard you were trying to kill All Might. What makes you think you could do a thing like that?"
The Nomu's grip loosened, and All Might struggled free, flipping backwards to Todoroki.
Len looked up at Bakugou. "Help me hold him down!" he told the explosion user, gesturing to Kurogiri's neck brace.
A half second too late, he realised that was probably the wrong thing to say to the hothead, and probably the wrong way to say it… but surprisingly, Bakugo only nodded, his eyebrows angled down in angry determination. "This foggy nobody is their way out. Can't let him get away." He knelt down and held onto the struggling Kurogiri with Len.
For some reason, Midoriya was crying. "All of you…" he wiped his face off, and looked back toward the other two villains.
The Nomu was still submerged in ice and portals, while Shigaraki stood behind him. "Oh dear," the villain said. "We are in trouble."
Kurogiri tried to move, but Bakugo laid a few small explosions into him. "If you try anything, I'll blow you to pieces," he threatened, smiling sadistically. "You're just what I thought you were, idiot. A physical body hidden behind some foggy portals."
"He might sink through the floor," Len warned. "He did that earlier, when fighting us."
"Tsk. Don't worry about that, Crackhead. If this fucker so much as twitches, he's dead as rocks."
Len sweatdropped. "That's not really something a hero would say, right?"
Shigaraki was muttering obsessively to himself. When he turned back to the students, he said one word. "Nomu."
The monster sank out of one portal, standing up backwards out of the other.
Todoroki gasped. "He shouldn't be moving. I broke his body."
"Huh?" Midoriya's face went pale.
The ice on the monster's arm shattered… and red muscle and flesh began to emerge from the socket, regenerating. A new arm.
"His Quirk… wasn't shock absorption?" All Might muttered in disbelief.
Shigaraki cackled. "Oh, it is. But that's not his only Quirk. You see, Nomu has been modified to take you on… at 100 percent."
The five boys gasped. All Might took a single step backward.
Len froze. He's afraid. Wait… All Might is afraid. What does that mean? What is this?
Shigaraki scratched his neck. "First, we need our ride out of here. Nooomuuu!" The name came out in a singsong way.
The monster dashed forward… right to where Bakugo and Len were holding down Kurogiri.
Len teleported backwards and sideways, avoiding the thing's attack, and when the blow landed, a rush of air and dust billowed outward, blowing him back even further. He landed next to Midoriya, Kirishima, and Todoroki.
"You dodged?" Todoroki asked him. "Good work."
The smoke cleared, and they realised Bakugou was next to them as well.
"You too, Kacchan?" Midoriya's jaw dropped.
"Shut the fuck up. I didn't dodge. All Might saved me." Bakugo looked frustrated. He was grinding his teeth.
"Huh?" They looked back toward the scene. Nomu had safely retrieved Kurogiri, and in front of a destroyed wall stood an exhausted, battered All Might.
Holy shit, Len thought. Midoriya's eyes were filled with tears again.
All Might's voice was shaky, emotional. "That was two children you just attacked. Is no horrible deed off the table for you, villain?"
Shigaraki snarled. "It was to rescue my companion. Would a hero not do the same? These very students have displayed similar aggression. The green-haired one was about to punch me with everything he had. The two blondes were ready to kill my friend here. No one cares when heroes get violent, because it's always to save others. For the greater good. " He spat the last few words out mockingly, his voice filled with hatred. "Do you know what? I'm furious. This world decides that the same sort of acts can be divided into good and bad, when they are all the SAME. They call you the Symbol of Peace, but the violence you enact towards criminals only breeds more violence." Shigaraki tilted his head downward, and Len saw one psychotic eye peek out behind the hand, gleaming. "When we kill you, the world will know that as the truth."
All Might raised a fist. "You lie with every word. You're just a sadist, villain. And you want to enjoy knocking me down."
"It's three against six," said Todoroki, stepping up.
"And we know their weaknesses," Midoriya muttered.
Kirishima hardened his palms and slapped them together. "If we support All Might, we can win!"
Len's eyes widened. Are we fighting, then? Is this happening?
"No," All Might told them, holding out a protective arm. "You boys must get away."
"If we hadn't saved you earlier, you would have been in trouble," Todoroki protested.
"You're bleeding," Len murmured, staring at the pro hero's side. All Might's eyebrows rose at him.
"And besides!" Midoriya cried, "there's almost no ti—" he seemed to cut himself off.
All Might gave them a thumbs up, and smiled. "Young Midoriya, Young Todoroki, Young Kagamine… thank you. But… it's fine. It's all going to be alright."
Bakugo growled, and Len realised they were both thinking the same thing. This isn't a hero doing his thing. This is a grownup lying to children to make them feel better. Or at least, that's what it feels like.
Shigaraki cracked his knuckles. "Nomu, Kurogiri, take on the big oaf. I will dispose of the children."
He was coming for them again, fast as lightning. "Let's do this!" Kirishima declared, holding up his hardened fists. Len got ready to teleport. Bakugo raised his palms.
Then… All Might ran forward, and met the Nomu head-on.
Everyone besides the two of them was blown back by a shockwave of power. Shigaraki went flipping away, and Kurogiri was thrown backward by the gust of wind, his foggy tendrils flapping and dissipating.
Len tried to teleport, but found that he couldn't exert any force over his own body. The wind emerging from the two titans fighting was too great. All he could do was brace himself and struggle to stand, next to the other four boys.
"If the Quirk is shock absorption…" All Might rumbled, "… then it has a LIMIT!" He was punching the Nomu over and over and over, at impossible speed.
The boys had been blown out of range. Midoriya was crumbled on the ground, his eyes widening as he watched All Might slowly beat the monster into submission. Len suddenly felt a rush of energy, energy and hope. He's doing it! He's going to…
"IF YOU CAN TAKE ME ON AT 100 PERCENT, THEN I'll HAVE TO GO BEYOND THAT!" All Might threw the Nomu into the air, and then slammed it down. The monster struggled to its feet, and the Symbol of Peace seemed to conjure up a great energy.
"PLUS…" he punched the thing. "ULTRAAAAA!"
The Nomu went flying up through the dome, blowing out through the upper glass, and beyond that until it was a speck on the horizon. The whole structure of the USJ rumbled for a full minute, the reverberations of the impact. Len cringed and braced himself, waiting for it to subside next to the other boys.
As it calmed down, smoke billowed around All Might. The five of them watched in shock. The hero was bloodied, his shirt torn. And yet… he was still smiling. "I really have gotten weaker," he told them, almost in a joking tone. "In my prime that would have taken about five hits, instead of nearly three hundred."
Across the way, Shigaraki was babyraging, scratching his neck obsessively. "He cheated! This can't be happening! I don't believe it! Do you see that, Kurogiri? He's not any weaker. Were we lied to?"
"What happened to all of your bravado, villain?" All Might smirked. "Come and get me if you can."
Len relaxed, and Todoroki seemed to as well. "It seems he has it handled. There is no need for us to fight."
"Yeah, let's get moving before we get taken hostage or something," said Kirishima. Him and Todoroki began to walk back toward the steps. Len followed them, and then Bakugou, more reluctantly.
Is this what the world of heroism is really like? he wondered. I mean, obviously All Might is the best, but… could I ever reach those levels? Len couldn't deny that the display had been inspiring, but… it still felt like it was way beyond him. This whole situation is insane, and I am in over my head. I still don't think racing for the top is a good idea. This is what you got when you were at the top. An entire group of villains obsessed with killing you.
Len noticed that someone wasn't walking with them. He turned. "Midoriya?" The green-haired boy was still standing there, watching All Might stand in that cloud of smoke. "Guys, hold up! Midoriya's not… what the hell is his problem?"
Bakugou clicked his teeth. "He's an obsessed loser who worries about everything, and right now he's trying to be the center of attention. Let's just leave him, come on."
"Bakugou…" Kirishima frowned.
Len looked back at the explosion user, confused. "We can't do that."
The villains were having a conversation. Meanwhile, some of the League's underlings were beginning to stir. They were closing in on Midoriya and All Might.
"We have to go," said Todoroki.
Len crouched. "I'll get him. It will only take a second." I can do this much. I can. Right now, he was standing next to the guy who had beaten him in the battle trial, and two others who had finished above him in the Quirk assessment. He couldn't deny that he wanted to prove himself. But also… Midoriya came last in that assessment.
The villains were rushing toward All Might now, and Midoriya seemed ready to take action.
But he beat Bakugou in the trial! I may not want to be the best myself, but I want the other students to succeed too. Midoriya has so much potential…
He warped forward, ignoring Kirishima's protests.
… I can't let him throw his life away!
He reached the other boy in a flash, grabbing him right before he could launch using his Quirk. Midoriya fell backwards into him, shocked from being stopped so suddenly. He turned and looked, surprised. "Kagamine?"
"You were about to break your legs again, weren't you? That's not going to help anything." Some of the minor villains were closing in. "Come on. You've had every chance to get out of here and you keep running back into danger. I don't know if you have a death wish or what, but I'd like to keep you alive, thanks. So let's go."
Midoriya's eyes filled with tears. "Kagamine… but, All Might's…"
They turned back to look. As Shigaraki and Kurogiri reached the Symbol of Peace… gunfire ripped through the air.
Shigaraki's hands erupted with blood, and the two villains fell back.
Len and Midoriya's heads whipped around to look up the steps. A masked man in a cowboy hat fired more shots, hitting several of the League underlings as they tried to attack.
Midoriya's jaw dropped.
"Huh?" Len raised his eyebrows. "What's happening?" Are those more villains?
"It's the pro heroes!"
"Sorry we're late!" a voice squeaked, and Len gasped when he saw that it was coming from an animal, riding on one of the heroes shoulders. There were at least a dozen of them, and in front of them was Iida. "I've brought help, everyone!" The class rep shouted.
Len and Midoriya retreated back to where the other boys were. The League minions tried to attack the heroes, but several of them charged, using their powers and dispatching the villains easily. Len saw an alien-looking man eject slime from his mouth that turned into clones of himself. And there was Present Mic! He shouted a "YEEEEEEAHHH!" into the enemy ranks, causing them all to cringe into submission.
The boys began to run up the steps, back to safety. Len saw Mina first, and then Sero and Sato, holding up Thirteen. Next to them was the cowboy hero. "LENNY!!" Mina shouted.
The cowboy hero fired more shots into Shigaraki, and Kurogiri swept outward to protect him, putting a foggy barrier up. "We must capture them!" the hero said.
"I've got it." Thirteen's voice! They were okay! They opened their finger valves and sent out another Black Hole, but Shigaraki was already backing into the warp gate… and then it closed. They were both gone.
Stunned, the hero lowered his gun. Thirteen stopped their attack. "They… got away."
The animal looked at Present Mic and a few other heroes. "Go fetch the remaining students and bring the villains into custody. They will be scattered throughout the zones."
"Understood."
"Heard ya loud and clear!"
"Got it."
"Erm…" Len leaned toward Mina. "Who is that… rodent?"
She gave him a look. "That's Nezu, the principal."
"… bullshit."
"They got away…" said Uraraka, staring off into the distance. Midoriya and Kirishima looked similarly pensive. Bakugo seemed upset.
"After they made such a show of trespassing, those two managed to escape, huh?" Midnight strutted her hip out to one side.
"They caught us off guard," the hero who was carrying Nezu mumbled. Len was fairly certain he was the 1-B teacher, actually.
The furry principal stepped down to the ground. "Our priority is ensuring the safety of the students. We will catch what villains we can, of course." He was smiling and upbeat the whole time.
Len's eye twitched as he stared at the principal. "I am uncomfortable," he muttered. Mina giggled.
Midoriya was still staring off in the distance, where the cement teacher guy had put up a wall in front of All Might, who'd still been standing there. What's all that about?
The other students on the steps were now talking, as the pro heroes got to work on the cleanup. Uraraka was explaining what else had happened excitedly to Iida. Bakugo was shouting at Kirishima and Todoroki for something. Aoyama was trying and failing to get the attention of Sato. Sero and Shoji were listening to Tsuyu recount what had happened to her at the shipwreck. "Let's go join them," Len said.
"Hey, Lenny?" Mina asked, dragging her toe along the floor in circles.
"I'm kinda getting tired of the nickname. You can just call me Len." He stopped and looked at her. "Is there a problem? Besides the horrifying villain attack we just suffered through, of course?"
"Well… I am worried about Thirteen and Aizawa-sensei, but also…" Mina actually grinned, although it was weaker than her usual. "Len, why'd you go back down there? You had me… us… worried sick."
Len opened his fist, and then closed it, tighter. "I guess I'll just be frank with you. That portal guy… Kurogiri… he taunted me. He tried to get me to join their side."
Mina's jaw dropped in shock. "Are you serious? I figured it was because you had similar Quirks, but…"
"I suppose that was the reason. But… I don't know. I thought Midoriya was a fool for charging in the way he did, and I still think that. Only… when I saw that Kurogiri had trapped All Might, something changed. I didn't like seeing him get away with that. I wanted to stop him." Len swallowed, suddenly unsure, unsteady. "I don't know what came over me."
"Well, whatever it was…" Mina swayed toward him with a grin and suddenly placed a hand on his chest. "It was pretty heroic."
Len blushed. "I thought I'd worried you."
"You did. I suppose it would have been better if you'd let me come too. Then I could have made sure you stayed out of too much trouble."
"I had the strongest guys in the class with me. Plus, I wasn't exactly stopping you from coming along."
"Are you kidding? How was I supposed to keep up?"
"I dunno," Len shrugged. "Sometimes it's hard to keep up with you. It's only fair that I get to return the favour."
She laughed, and then sighed, her black-and-gold eyes looking right into his. Len felt his face heating up, but he made every effort to maintain eye contact. "Your hand is still on my chest," he pointed out.
"Huh? Oh!" She jumped back, suddenly flushing lilac. "… Sorry, I didn't realise." She broke first, looking away from him sheepishly.
The other students had been gathered up. "Toru!" Mina declared, suddenly breaking off and heading to the edge of the steps.
Class 1-A reunited there, most of them smiling with weary relief that they were all okay. There were a few notable exceptions. Midoriya, Bakugou, et cetera.
Shoji, Sero, Len, Tsuyu, and Mina all gathered around Hagakure. "We're so glad you're okay," Mina told her.
"Right back atcha! I was with Ojiro-kun, so I had nothing to worry about! He was going ham in the fire zone!"
Sero looked over to the tail Quirk user, who was scratching his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I may have gotten carried away…"
"Ye, ye," Kaminari squeaked, giving everyone a thumbs up.
"What the hell happened to him?" Len asked.
Jiro rolled her eyes, flanked by Yaoyorozu. "Overcooked himself. We had to save him from another villain."
"Actually, it was Snipe who saved us, with those shots," Yaoyorozu corrected, placing a prim hand on her chest. "Without that, we would have been toast for sure."
"Yeah, whatever."
"I was with monsieur Midoriya and mademoiselle Asui in the shipwreck zone!" Aoyama sang, twirling. "We all shined brightly, and disposed of the enemy, mmhmm!"
Tsuyu glanced at him flatly. "Midoriya pretty much came up with everything, ribbit."
Aoyama's smile seemed to tremble a moment, but then he just twirled away instead.
"… and then Len said something like, what are you doing to my teacher, as he slammed the portal guy into the ground!" Kirishima was recounting the details of the fight with the main villains to the other students.
"Yeah…" Jiro stuck a finger in her ear, grimacing. "We all kinda heard that part."
Len's face darkened. Did my voice teleport again?
"But anyway!" Kirishima waved his arms. "Me and Bakugo swooped in on the hand guy, making him squirm a little… well… he may or may not have dodged us, but… then Todoroki nearly got rid of that big monster himself! The one that ALL MIGHT had trouble with!"
"Wow!" Uraraka held her fists up, dazzled.
"Nice." Sato gave a thumbs up.
"Attention, students?" It was the principal. "If we could have you gather outside, please?"