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I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact, as Bakugo desperately tried to get out of my grip, but I didn't let him. I wanted at least for him to make a safe landing.
And just as we were about to hit the ground, something caught us, and it felt like we fell on literal cushions. I opened my eyes in confusion, but the both of us fell on the ground, as it barely hurt, since we were close to it now.
"Now, please do not think that I am heartless enough to let two small children die like that. I just took away your main source for fleeing. Just a countermeasure." the man spoke, as my wings untangled themselves from Bakugo, dropping motionless on the ground, as tears made their way to my eyes.
Bakugo got up, looking at me in fear and even the slightest hint of worry, as he helped me up, wrapping my arm around his shoulder.
"For this once, you idiot, I'll help ya." he spoke sincerely, his gaze fixed on the man and the group behind him.
"Thank you, Bakugo..." I said weakly, as my wings hung low, the blood flowing down on them, and they felt like dead weight. Don't tell me...
"You're here, after all, aren't you...?" the man asked, his gaze shifting from hs towards the sky. Who was here?
And all of a sudden, All Might came crashing down onto the man, their fists colliding, causing the air to almost knock us over.
"I'll have you return everything, All For One!" All Might threatened, leaving the man unphased.
"Will you kill me again, All Might?" the man questioned with sarcasm, as the impact became too powerful, knocking all of us back, causing us to roll over the ground. The ripping pain in my wings just kept getting worse by the passing second, the metallic smell of blood overtaking my senses. The hot liquid poured over the ground, and I felt nausea catching up onto me.
"You're pretty late. It's a little more than five kilometers from the bar to here. It was easily thirty seconds after I sent the Nomus before you arrived. You've gotten weaker, All Might." the man spoke, mocking him. So these two must have some kind of chemistry.
"What about you? What's with that industrial mask you've got on? Aren't you overexerting yourself?" All Might questioned, as he kneeled, and mine and Bakugo's eyes widened. This man held All Might back with his bare hands... Can this guy... Possibly be better than All Might?
"I won't make the same mistake as I did six years ago, All For One! I will take Young Bakugo and Young (L/N) back! And this time, I will throw you in prison for sure! And all of the League of Villains you control with you!"All Might yelled, jumping towards the man.
"There's so much to do. It'll be tough... for both of us." the man laughed, as his arm's size got bigger, red particles flying around it, and just as All Might was about to get a punch in, the guy emitted some kind of wind like barrier, knocking All Might through several tall buildings which stood high, as All Might came to a stop in one of them.
"Air Cannon plus Springlike Limbs, Kinetic Booster times four, Strength Enhancer times three. This combination is fun. Maybe I'll try to add a few more enhancer-types." the masked man spoke as if this all was just some kind of game to him.
He listed several Quirks... He possesses more than one? How is that possible? And he isn't a Nomu-like creature either.
"He can handle multiple Quirks all at once..." I muttered, more to myself than to anyone, but Bakugo looked at me in shock, before his gaze followed where All Might was slammed back to.
"All Might!" he called out.
"Even without your worry, he won't die from something like that. So run away from here, Tomura, and take those children with you." The man commanded, as Shigaraki didn't stand too far from us.
I pushed myself up forcefully, the pain from my wings pulsating through my entire being, as I felt like I could pass out any second from the pressure.
I wrapped my arm around Bakugo once again, relying on him, as he told me before. He didn't budge, instead keeping his gaze on those two in front of us, the same way I did.
Suddenly, the man's fingers extended into black structures, going for the warp guy's unconscious body, stabbing right into him.
"Kurogiri, get everyone away from here." the man commanded.
"Hey, wait! He was defeated and is now unconscious! I'm not sure what's going on, but if you can use Warp, then you should get us away!" Magne ran up to Kurogiri, defending him.
"I just got mine, Magne. On top of only being able to transport short distances, unlike his coordinate transport, I can only bring people to me or away from me, and I can only send them away to someone I am very familiar with. So I'll have Kurogiri do it." the man spoke with a cold tone. He just got his? What does he mean? He received it? That's not possible.
And in a sudden, the familiar warp gate opened up above the jerking body of Kurogiri, as the man spoke, void of any emotion. "Forcible Quirk Activation! Now, go!"
"What about you...?" Shigaraki questioned, as we saw someone jump up, coming down straight back at this man.
"Think constantly, Tomura. You still have much more room to grow!" the man called out, going up into the air, as he looked like a hanging corpse, which terrified me to my core, sending shivers all over my body, as me and Bakugo were frozen in fear. This man's presence alone was pure terror. It was his mysteriousness that added to the list. We didn't know anything about him, and the fact that he was able to wield several Quirks took the cake.
"I won't let you get away!" All Might yelled, yet again landing a punch on the man, however, just like last time, the masked man dealt against it like it was a feather, stopping All Might, creating yet another wind stream.
"Let's go, Shigaraki! While that pipe mask is holding All Might back! Get your pieces!" Mr. Compress spat, as he collected Dabi's unconscious form in a blue marble.
The remaining villains stood before us, looking at us, as my grip left Bakugo's shoulder, lighting up my right hand in the mean time, my eyes clenching in pain caused by my wings.
"What a pain...!" Bakugo called out, as he took his defensive stance, the both of us shaking equally.
"Young Bakugo, Young (Y/N)!" All Might yelled, trying to come towards us, but he was stopped by the same structures which stabbed into Kurogiri earlier.
And the villains wasted no time in coming for attacks, as the blonde girl came charging at me with her knife, swinging it around, as she seemed to be in crisis mode too. I barely avoided her slashes, my wings only adding weight onto my body, but this didn't stop me, as I lit my right foot, and successfully landed a kick into her side, sending her flying backward. I came down to the ground, but wasn't given a break, as something slashed right next to my face, which I was barely able to avoid. Or so I thought. It caught some of my cheek, making the blood seep out immediately, as I jumped back, hissing at the slash across my cheek.
They'll drag us out with them, even if it's by force. Six against two...
The corner of my eye caught the magician running for Bakugo, as I called his name, so he was able to avoid his touch in time. We can't let that guy touch us, or we're done for.
"I'm going now!" All Might yelled desperately, running towards us yet again, however he was stopped just the same, the black strings preventing him from coming in close with us.
"I won't let you. That's why I'm here!" the man called out, throwing All Might into a building yet again.
The lizard guy came in for me, trying to punch me, but I directed flames at him immediately, keeping him away from myself.
I jumped back, as I crashed into Bakugo, the both of us standing back to back, as the both of us took our defensive stances yet again. I exhaled shakily, the smoke seeping out of my mouth endlessly. My knees trembled underneath me, due to the heavy blood loss from my wings. If this carried on, I might even pass out.
The villains stood around us, the both of us being circled by them, no way out. Panic started rising through me, as I examined the villains around us.
At once, they charged at us, as Bakugo grabbed my wrist, and blasted the both of us up, and several knives and the sharp string of what seemed to be tape were thrown at us relentlessly, not giving us a chance to catch our breath.
He blasted the both of us high, as we looked down at the pair, which fought, but All Might seemed to be not going all out, as he usually did. Don't tell me... We were in his way. We were caught right in the crossfire.
"Damn it. Bakugo... All Might can't fight with his full potential while we're here, caught up in this..." I called out.
"Shit..." he called out in defeat.
"Our only chance of survival is getting out of here. But I am unable to use my wings, and you using your explosions probably won't get us far." I spoke hastily, as we started descending towards the ground.
"Shit... We have to get out of here. At this rate, All Might will..." Bakugo's voice trailed off, his gaze switching to his idol.
The both of us came down to the ground, coming to a harsh landing, as Bakugo's hold was still present on my wrist, just in case he'd have to avoid another attack, as the villains stood before us once again.
This was no good...
And suddenly, all of us heard somebody break through a wall, and a huge block of ice was blasted upwards, the tip of the ice reaching sky-high. As I looked up on the ice, I saw three figures going up. Kirishima, Iida and Midoriya. Were they... all here to save us?
My eyes widened, as my gaze followed them. Our friends... Have gone out of their way and came to rescue us... All this time, they were here. This must've meant that they went against rules... This rescue mission was too great of a risk. They were reckless enough to come for us, probably ignoring the disagreement of the class. There was no way they didn't know.
"Come!" Kirishima called out, extending his arm to us, as they were now in the air, still with great speed.
Bakugo gripped onto my left wrist tighter, as my shadow particles covered up my body, guarding for what was about to take place.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Shigaraki's hand coming for me, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. His hand inching closer.
Our breaths going at a quicker pace. The fighting noises. Desperation for victory.
However, just in time, Bakugo blasted us towards the trio, the explosion sending the villain flying back, and as soon as I was safe from the explosion, my right foot lit on fire, concentrating on storing it up, before letting my roaring flames out like a circuit, using it as a rocket, as it was joined by my right hand not too long after.
We literally flew towards them, and soon enough Bakugo got a hold of Kirishima's hand, as they grabbed on tightly, mine and Bakugo's grip around each other's wrists tightening.
"You guys..." I called out in relief, as we were flying. But I realized... If there was ice, then...
My gaze followed the ice, as I caught a glimpse of the red and white haired boy, who I grew so close to. Said boy's gaze was fixed onto me, a small smile visible on his lips. Todoroki was here, too...
"You stupid or something?" Bakugo called out, looking at the three in disbelief.
"Bakugo, (L/N), on my mark, create a blast—" Iida tried to speak, as his engines smoke tailed behind us, but he was interrupted by Bakugo, as per usual.
"You watch my mark!" Bakugo protested.
"Don't fight at a time like this!" Kirishima yelled.
Suddenly, the Mr. Compress guy came flying towards us, coming in dangerously close.
"Guys, look out!" I yelled, but suddenly, something appeared in front of us. A giant? No... Mt. Lady's gigantic self appeared, as Mr. Compress crashed into her nose.
"Prioritize... the rescue...! Go... stupid kids...!" Mt. Lady spoke, as she fell to the ground, perhaps even losing her consciousness.
"You heard her... Let's go, everyone..." I said in a pained tone, as we started loosing altitude, and soon, we made a safe landing, as Bakugo and me used our Quirks to slow down our descent.
As all of us calmed down, we took deep breaths, trying to wrap our fingers around what just happened.
"You guys... I can't thank you enough..." I said in disbelief, looking up at them, my wings still hanging around.
"It's what... friends are for, isn't it, (L/N)?" Kirishima questioned, shoving thumbs up to me.
"That was real stupid, you idiots!" Bakugo called out, as I looked at him in disbelief.
"Really, Bakugo...? Without them we wouldn't have... made it out of there." I spoke softly, as Midoriya came to my side, followed by Iida, the both of them noticing the situation with my wings.
They wrapped their arms around my waist, as my arms rested around their shoulders, easing up the weight slightly.
"Thank you..." I spoke softly.
The both of them nodded, as we started making our way out of that area, nearing the more populated side of the still standing part of town.
As we came close, a giant screen was broadcasting live, and what we saw, was horrendous.
"This scene looks like it's straight out of a nightmare! In an instant, half of Camino Ward has been destroyed! Currently, All Might is fighting the villain thought to be the ringleader! I can't believe it! There's just one villain! He's destroyed the city and is more than holding his own against the Symbol of Peace!" the reporter called out in a panic, as the destroyed part of the city was shown, and all of us froze in our places. The proud standing tall buildings were nowhere to be seen anymore. Dust covered the now destroyed town, and some screams of civilians were heard, even across the livestream.
Several disbeliefs, doubts, and yet some praises came towards All Might, but their doubt was overwhelming. Some of them just believed that All Might would withstand it, as he usually did. But this time... Would he really...?
And suddenly, a huge blast was visible, as the screen went dark for a few seconds, leaving all of us dumbfounded.
There he... stood. All Might...? A completely unmuscular form stood in his place, wearing the same uniform, as his fist was bleeding, and his face... What was going on?
My eyes widened. What happened to him? Was that even All Might...?
Several confused questions were heard in the crowd.
"Huh?"
"What's with that skeleton...?"
"Um.. What's... Huh? Can you all see this? All Might has... deflated..." the reporter spoke, as my wide eyes stared onto the screen.
Although we couldn't hear what they were saying, All Might's form shrunk, as his shoulders dropped and he stood there, looking completely defeated, and he yelled.
What the hell... no... this can't be the end... It doesn't matter how he looks like... who he is ... he'll still be this world's Symbol of Peace... right?
"Win..." Bakugo mumbled beside me, as my eyes became glossy.
"No... No way..."
"All Might..."
"If you can't win, then who can?" A man from the crowd asked, as we looked back in shock.
"Even if he looks different, All Might is All Might, right?"
"Haven't you always been able to save us somehow?"
My head dropped in defeat, as several reassures came All Might's way. The hope was slowly starting to make an appearance in the crowd. It was like any other battle. They knew their idol would win. The Symbol of Piece would reassure victory, and save the people, no matter his visual appearance. All Might was always All Might.
"All Might, you can do it!"
"Don't lose, All Might!"
"You can do it!"
"—Win!" Midoriya yelled, his voice breaking.
"—Win!" Bakugo called out.
"All Might!" the both of them yelled, both filled with emotion.
And it's as if All Might heard our desperate yells, as his right arm tensed up, taking back its muscle form.
And soon enough, we saw a diligent fire burning through the sky, aimed straight at the masked supervillain. However, he only dismissed this, as the smoke cleared out, revealing Endeavor, encouraging All Might in his own demeanor. Edgeshot made his appearance next to him, as they came to back All Might up.
The villain lifted his arm, the familiar extension in his arm becoming clear, as he aimed at the two pro heroes.
Kamui Woods entered the scene hastily, as he grabbed the injured pro heroes from the ruins, bringing them to safety.
And from the corner of the screen, we saw Tiger from The Pussycats, holding his injured comrade, as well as several other civilians who were left behind in the ruins of the destroyed town.
Edgeshot and Endeavor gave it their all, fighting the man, however, all of it for nothing. He was able to dismiss every single attack of the both of the pro heroes.
And as for us, every single one of us were yelling encouragement towards our hero, our idol, our savior. It didn't matter if this villain's true intention was to expose what All Might truly looked like, he was still the All Might we all knew by heart.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, as my pained gaze turned back, and I saw him.
Shoto Todoroki.
My eyes widened slightly at the sight, as I hadn't properly seen him since the kidnapping. A small smile made its way onto my face, as I turned around, my body facing his, his gaze fixed on my shaking form.
His feet moved on their own, as he pulled me into a tight embrace, his arms clutching onto my body like there was no tomorrow. And for some reason, even his own body shook ever so slightly, making me worry.
I weakly lifted my arms, as the both of them sneaked around his back, as he rested his head on my shoulder.
"I was worried, (Y/N). I thought when they kidnapped you, I would never see you again." he spoke in a quiet tone, as my heart ached at his words.
"Well... I'm here now. Aren't I, Shoto?" I said with a hint of humor, trying to lighten the mood between the two of us, the both of us completely locking out our surroundings.
He let out a small huff of laugh, however, his form still shook slightly, and the grip of his arms around me only tightened.
"I am so sorry. I was so close to getting you back, but you were stolen from me right in front of my very eyes." he spoke, but this caused me to lift one of my eyebrows in confusion.
"I'm not sure I understand, what you're saying, Shoto. But don't blame yourself, none of this is your fault. They caught us all off-guard." I spoke softly by his ear, rubbing his back in comfort, as this seemed to ease up his shaking form.
He nodded his head slowly, as the two of us parted in a slow pace, eyes locked onto each other. I couldn't help, but examine his features. Apparently, I had missed him, big time. He grew so close to me in a spawn of a few months, and he is the friend I always asked for. But, I often happened to question myself - Did I really view him as a friend?
The both of us got lost in the moment, our eyes lost in each others deep gazes, and the rest of the world around us blurred out.
"All Might...!" the loud yell of the crowd around us ripped us back to reality, as this fight was not over yet. The two of us turned to the screen, Shoto's arm sneaking around my waist, and my arm rested around his shoulders, needing the support, due to the heavy blood loss.
"Shouldn't we get you to a hospital?" Shoto asked from beside me, as his eyes examined my wings.
"No... Not yet. I have to—" I was disrupted by the supervillain blasting at the heroes, causing them all to fly backwards.
"Springlike Limbs, Kinetic Booster times four, Strength Enhancer times three, Multiplier, Hypertrophy, Rivets, Air Walk, and Spearlike Bones. The shockwaves until now were just to wear you out, not kill you. In order to kill you for sure, I will punch you with the ultimate combination of Quirks that I have right now!" The supervillain called out, as it was barely audible.
Each of us shook in terror, as he listed his many Quirks, his arm extending, and each of the Quirks showed. It was... terrifying.
"No..." I called out in a hushed tone, as my grip around Todoroki tightened, his doing the same.
The man came crashing down towards All Might, as his arm which consisted of muscles lit up, and the two of their fists collided against each other, resulting in a massive explosion.
The camera barely caught anything, but it was visible that All Might was being shoved backwards, their fists still connected, as small cracks started to appear on All Might's arm, the blood escaping his wounds.
All Might came to a stop, as his other arm instantly took muscle form, and he went in for a punch, successfully landing it on the villain's face.
It took the villain by surprise, however it didn't take too long for his free arm to extend, going in for an attack. But All Might didn't give up, and it's as if somebody leant him the last hit, he took it with his broken arm, and striked the man, for one last time, sending him into the ground, all of our eyes widening.
The smash created a tornado like blast, causing the helicopter which was recording the fight to fly back immediately, avoiding to get caught in it.
And soon enough, it cleared out, as the footage showed the destroyed place, and the crowd went quiet.
The helicopter neared him, as we all waited unpaitently, fearing the worst.
But to no vail.
There he stood, with pride, his fist balled up, showing his stance he usually wore when he had won a fight. And so he did, yet again.
The tears which had built up in my eyes fell, as relief rushed through me, and I was incredibly proud of All Might. He never failed to win for us.
The crowd cheered loudly around us, as Shoto looked at me, and pulled me into a hug, as we listened to the crowd's yells.
"All Might...! The villain has stopped moving! Victory for All Might! He's standing in victory!" the reported yelled, as my grip around Shoto tightened. He did it.
The crowd around us loudly chanted his name, as All Might now stood in his muscle form. Everyone repeated All Might's gesture, as they raised their fists sky high, cheering for their idol, their hero.
— — — — — — — —
"The heroes continued rescue operations during All Might's fight, but it is expected that there will be a large number of casualties... The villain thought to be the ringleader is now... Oh, they're leading him into the Maiden right now! Now, as All Might and the others are in a state of high alert!" the reporter spoke, as they showed All Might, who pointed towards the camera.
"The trains are currently not running!" someone said from the assembled crowd.
"We can't go anywhere... It's good that we're all here, together, but..." Iida spoke.
"—We are passing out blankets here, too!"
I scanned the crowd, as I saw several children, all of them wearing bright smiles.
"Anyway, let's move. We have to tell the heroes about Bakugo and (L/N), right? Especially because of the state (L/N)'s in!" Kirishima spoke, as he tried reaching for Bakugo's arm, only to get it slapped away.
"Yeah, you're right." Iida agreed.
"Yeah..." Midoriya called out in a hushed voice, as we all started making our way out of the crowd.
"Next..." we heard All Might's voice speak, as this caused all of us to turn back to the screen. My eyes widened.
"Next, it's your turn." All Might spoke.
What does he mean by that?
My confused gaze traveled through the crowd, until they landed on Midoriya. He was completely shocked, his eyes wide, and he looked on the brink of tears.
"All Might!"
"You really are amazing after all...!"
Then the crowd started cheering loudly once again, roaring for All Might. But for me, it seemed strange. I don't think this was a warning to the criminals... It just doesn't seem right. My gaze lowered, as my head thought of a possibility.
However, I heard sobs, as they came from Midoriya, who bawled his eyes out, without a break.
Could it be... he used up all of his powers? No way, right?
Was the Symbol of Peace... gone?
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End of chapter 5, season 3
Next chapter: Safety, but at what cost?
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