The episode begins at the Police HQ, where operatives narrate the events taking place at the other entrances of Gunga Villa.
"Team Edge Shot's advance guard has taken control of the villa. Three squads are sealing off the hall's exits to the surface," the operative reported, while we witness heroes using their quirks to seal or destroy the different exits of Gunga Villa. "Exits have been sealed! The only surface exit left is in the villa's main building."
"Good. Now that the other exits are sealed, villains won't be able to escape right under our noses," Edgeshot said. "Now it all depends on me and my team to take care of the rest."
The scene transitions to the Underground Hall of the villains' hideout, where Re-Destro, Trumpet, and a substantial number of PLF members await the arrival of their comrades, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding above.
"It looks like Mr. Skeptic's regiment isn't here yet," Re-Destro said as he looked around with a happy smile on his face.
"They should be here before the meeting..." Trumpet commented, positioned behind Re-Destro.
"It seems that the effects of the chaos happening upstairs haven't reached the underground hall yet," Nezu observed.
"Hmm. If I have to guess, I would say that the entire villa is fortified and soundproofed, which makes sense since this is the biggest and most important PLF hideout," Ryukyu suggested.
"Re-Destro! Re-Destro!" Suddenly, an individual burst into the hall, shouting Re-Destro's name.
"I can hear you!" Re-Destro responded. "What's going on?"
"We have a very important meeting today," Trumpet added. "Any unnecessary trouble is--"
"The heroes are attacking!" the person interrupted, as the underground hall shook from the ongoing raid on the surface. "A ton of them... A countless number of them are rushing in... The villa is half destroyed, and the paths to the surface have been sealed off!" The person explained while gasping for breath, fear and urgency evident in their voice. "We... We're surrounded!"
There was a brief pause before...
"What?!" Re-Destro's cheerful expression abruptly transformed into a comically stressed one as dark energy began pouring out from his face.
"It was at this moment he knew, they are are fucked," Tsuburaba snickered to himself.
"Tsuburaba, please mind your language," Shishida said while adjusting his glasses. "Also, was that a reference?"
"If you know, you know," Tsuburaba shrugged.
As we ascend to the surface, we see Cementoss continuing to wreak havoc on the villains' base while Kaminari was still doing his job.
"He really played his role well. I suppose I shouldn't have doubted the boy," Yu said.
"Well, he had a great teacher who gave him excellent advice, after all," Nemuri said with a prideful smirk on her face.
"Yeah, yeah..." Yu rolled her eyes.
"That Quirk... It's called Electrification?" the scarred villain glared at Kaminari, who stood there with a confident smirk on his face, absorbing the electric assault from the scarred villain. "But, how many millions of volts can you withstand?!" he yelled and began charging his hands.
"Oh no..." Jiro whispered to herself as she clutched her hand near her heart, sitting on the edge of her seat.
"I guess I'm about to find out how much electricity I can withstand..." Kaminari tried to joke, but his voice lacked his usual humor as he was shaken by the mere thought of being overloaded by the enemy's electric attack.
But before he could launch his attack, Edgeshot jumped in front of him and, "Ninpo: Thousand Sheet Pierce!" Using his quirk Foldabody, he flattened and twisted himself into a pointed string, then pierced the scarred villain along with twelve more villains standing behind him. He cut off their blood flow, causing them to lose consciousness. "If you move too much, it may lead to death, but if you stay still, it'll heal itself quickly," Edgeshot remarked gracefully as he landed on the ground, resembling a ninja.
Jiro leaned back in her seat and sighed with relief as she witnessed Edgeshot interrupt the enemy's attack. She then glanced at Kaminari, who appeared equally relieved to have avoided being fried by the enemy's assault.
Meanwhile, while everyone was relieved to see Kaminari unharmed, they were even more thrilled by Edgeshot's impressive display of skill.
"That was incredible," Momo said. "The precision and accuracy required to execute such a maneuver without inflicting serious harm on the enemy, yet rendering them unconscious, is truly a work of art."
"And that ninja-like landing at the end was incredibly cool as well," Tooru added.
Then we see Midnight leap into the fray with a smirk, holding a fan in her hand. She gracefully evaded an incoming attack from a villain before unleashing her quirk, Somnambulist. From her skin, she emitted a sleep-inducing aroma, causing the villains to gradually succumb to drowsiness and fall into sleep. "Stay still and have a nice nap," she remarked, as she continued to release the sleep-inducing aroma.
"Midnight-sensei's quirk is truly terrifying," Sero said, feeling a shiver run down his spine as he recalled his first term finals when he and Mineta went up against her.
"Well, it's not just my quirk, but my charm that's even more effective," she replied, winking at him and causing him to blush.
Alongside her, Kamui Woods swiftly followed up, leaping towards the villains. "Preemptive Binding: Lacquered Chain Prison" activating his quirk, Arbor, his branch-like arms extended and coiled around a large number of villains, creating a wooden prison that served as absolute preemptive confinement. The villains found themselves trapped within the sturdy embrace of Kamui Woods' arboreal restraints, effectively immobilizing them.
"Quite impressive," Ibara said, observing Kumui Wood's mass capture using his branch-like hands. "I believe I can replicate this feat once I achieve greater precision and range with my vines," she said, gently stroking her hand through the vines.
Meanwhile, Yu swelled with pride, witnessing her teammates' remarkable and praiseworthy performance. However, more than anything, she was eagerly looking forward to her own appearance on the screen, yearning to showcase something incredibly cool, just like her teammates.
"Hey! We need to capture as many of those dogs as we can! Wh--" The villain with blades on his back began shouting, but abruptly, he and several other villains started sinking into the ground, courtesy of Juzo Honenuki, also known as Mudman, and his quirk, Softening.
"That's it, Mudman!" exclaimed Gang Orca as he and his sidekicks swiftly ran past Mudman, who continued to utilize his quirk on the ground.
"Seriously? Something like this--" one of the villains attempted to extricate themselves from the softened ground, but suddenly, mushrooms sprouted on them and several nearby villains. This was the doing of Shemage, also known as Kinoko Komori, and her quirk, Mushroom, which hindered their breathing due to the spores emitted by the mushrooms.
"Leave the ranged attacks to Shemage and Mudman, 'shroom!" Kinoko cheered while standing next to Mudman.
"That was great, you two! Leave the rest to us!" Gang Orca exclaimed, briefly glancing at two young heroes before leading a charge towards the Villa alongside several other heroes.
"Mudman and Shemage, the best duo on the field 'shroom'," Kinko cheered, her face adorned with a wide, happy smile. And although Honenuki wasn't as outwardly expressive or energetic as Kinko, a smile graced his face as well, content with his effective performance and Gang Orca's praise.
"Well, well, well... Is it just me, or am I seeing 1B students being more helpful to heroes than the elites of 1A?" Monoma remarked, sporting a smug grin on his face.
"Monoma..." Kendo groaned, clearly not in the mood to entertain his bs. "This is not a competition. Everyone's contribution matters as long as they fulfill their role."
"But at the moment, 1B seems to be more helpful to heroes," Monoma retorted, causing Kendo to sigh in defeat.
Meanwhile, out of all the 1A students, surprisingly, Jiro was the one glaring at Monoma, for undermining Kaminari's efforts thus far.
Then we see a bird's-eye view, capturing the entirety of the ongoing action outside the villains' base, where the heroes were effectively pushing the villains back.
"The way things are going, I believe the mission will be a complete success," Ochako said.
"Don't assume the mission will be a success just because things are going well at the moment," Ryukyu responded firmly. "Until each and every one of those villains is handcuffed and safely transported to prison, we cannot consider the mission a success."
The scene changed and now we find ourselves in a dark room where Twice is pinned on the floor, upside down, surrounded by red feathers all around him. "Hey... What's going on?" Twice asked as he glanced at Hawks, who stood in the doorway, clutching two feather blades in his hand.
Hawks's breath hitched as he caught sight of himself and Twice on the screen. And judging by their positions, Hawks knew exactly why he had cornered the man.
"I told them the time and day of the attack in code. Man, it was really tough," Hawks remarked, his feathers gracefully swirling in the air as they obliterated a spy device. Meanwhile, Skeptic clenched his teeth in frustration as the screen that was monitoring Hawks abruptly shut down.
"Hawks, you don't have any of those spy devices on you right now, do you?" Rumi asked.
"No, I don't think so," Hawks replied, but his gaze remained fixed on the screen.
"Don't worry, Mirko. Even if he did have any on him, they would have been immediately detected and rendered ineffective as soon as he entered U.A.'s gates," Nezu explained.
"Hey-"
"The operation this time was basically to intimidate with numbers, so I didn't want to give you, with your Double Quirk, any extra time." Hawks interrupted as he approached Twice, who remained pinned to the ground by the feathers.
"I said, 'Hey'... Wha--?" Twice attempted to speak up, but Hawks swiftly cut him off.
"I needed to keep an eye on you at all times," Hawks continued as Twice remembered their shared time together. "It was totally natural, right?" The camera angle shifted, casting a menacing shadow over Hawks' face, with only his golden-brown eyes visible, lending him an intimidating appearance.
A feeling of uneasiness washed over the audience as they saw Hawks's face shrouded in menacing shadows. The feeling only intensified as many of them began to realize why Hawks was there. Honestly, they understood why he was doing what he was about to do and the kind of threat that Twice posed to heroes. However, there was still something that didn't sit right with them.
"Hawks..." Twice attempted to utter something, but Hawks swiftly silenced him by pointing his blade directly at Twice's face.
"Please don't put up a fight. I'll restrain you like this and hand you over to the police," Hawks stated firmly, his grip tightening on the blade he held.
'He should just knock Twice out and drag him out of there with him rather than engaging in conversation and providing him with choices when others are fighting for their lives,' Aizawa thought with a frown on his face. Aizawa wasn't an idiot, he clearly knew where this conversation was heading, and he really wished his students wouldn't have to witness something more gruesome than Mirko's severed hand.
"Wait... a minute..." Twice's breathing became erratic as he was flooded with memories of Overhaul's actions, which resulted in Magne's death and Mr. Compress losing his arm. Tears welled up in Twice's eyes as he recalled his conversation with Shigaraki, where he expressed his guilt and desire to take responsibility for those tragic events.
"Always... It always turns out like this!" Twice choked out between sobs. "I was the one... who carelessly brought that guy," we see a shot of Twice bringing Overhaul to the league. "Because of me... Because of me..." Twice's gaze shifted towards Hawks. "Not again...!" he exclaimed, tears streaming down his face.
"I see, so that's why the League betrayed Overhaul," Izuku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps the attack on the highway, where Snatch lost his life, was also a way to seek revenge on Overhaul."
"Yes, that could be a possibility," Iida chimed in. "Reporters did mention that Overhaul was discovered alive but without his hands."
"Without his hands..." Izuku's eyes widened as he suddenly realized something. "Oh, by removing his hands, they effectively disabled his Quirk as well." 'The only positive outcome from that entire incident,' Izuku thought to himself, but he refrained from saying it out loud.
Twice's mind went back to his past conversation with Hawks...
"Even though you're a hero, you know a lot about the Liberation Army. Why?" Twice asked.
"Because I can relate. I wanted to fly freely. That wasn't where I belonged," Hawks responded. The scene shifted from the past, showing Hawks with a warm smile, to the present, where his face was obscured by shadows, leaving only his piercing golden-brown eyes visible. "I thought I just had to trust you!" Twice exclaimed through his sobs, his voice filled with anguish.
"If Madam President had seen this, she would have definitely patted my back for deceiving the enemy so skillfully," Hawks said with a dry laugh, attempting to suppress the uneasy feeling weighing on his heart at the moment.
We see another memory of Twice where he was sitting with broker Giran while wearing a paper bag on his head.
"What should a guy at the end of his rope do?" Twice asked.
"Be trusted," Giran replied, placing a cigarette between his lips.
"By who?"
"By comrades," Gairan smiled at him and offered him a cigarette from the pack. "Don't worry. There are more people like you than you think."
Returning to the present, a bird's-eye view of the room revealed Twice firmly pinned to the ground by Hawks' feathers. Hawks stood a few meters away, clutching the feather blades in his hand.
"I thought that if I didn't trust you...it'd be too sad. That's what I thought..." Twice choked out through his tears, his voice filled with sorrow.
Izuku stared at the ground, as Twice's situation was hitting too close to home for him. And no, he wasn't comparing his life to Twice's because he always considered himself blessed for having his mother there for him, even during difficult times. However, it didn't mean he never longed for friends during those lonely moments.
He still vividly remembered the overwhelming feeling when Ochako called him a friend on their first day of school. He remembers the joy he felt when Iida and Todoroki started opening up to him. The flutter in his heart when first-time Momo said that they should hang out sometimes and exchange their notes and observation with each other. The relief he felt when Kacchan no longer held contempt and anger in his eyes when he looked at him.
To this day, Izuku still fears that all of this is just a dream. He worries that one day he will wake up in his bed and find that everything he holds dear, including All Might, Momo, Ochako, and everyone else, has vanished forever. The mere thought of that sends a shiver down his spine.
"Thank you," Hawks uttered as the scene portrayed Twice in tears, clutching his head in distress. The camera angle emphasized Hawks' silhouette shrouded in shadows, with only his eyes gleaming through, giving him a menacing look. "You were simply unlucky," he remarked.
Another memory of Twice emerged, showing him sitting beside his clone around a crackling fire, both of them smoking.
"Did I make a mistake?" Twice asked.
"If you did, well... It was that you were born without any luck," the clone replied, with a sad smile.
"I feel really sorry for him. He's literally talking to his clone, and even that clone isn't offering him any hope," Mina said, fidgeting with her fingers. Unaware, she missed the stern look that Aizawa was giving her.
"Atone for your crimes and start over," Hawks said, recalling Twice's words. 'No one working to help his buddies is a bad guy. Right, Hawks? Let's fly where we want together!' "I'll help you start over. Because you're a good person," Hawks said as he stared at Twice with sadness in his eyes.
'I must have truly liked him to have given him so many chances,' Hawks thought. 'I can't recall a time before this when I had talked so much or had that look ever appeared in my eyes before completing a job.'
"Shut up...Is this what heroes do?" Twice retorted, his voice tinged with a mix of anger and frustration.
"Stop," Hawks said.
"What do you mean, "start over"? Huh?" Twice challenged.
"Bubaigawara!" Hawks called out Twice's real name, raising his voice in an attempt to reach him.
"I..." Twice stood up, but as he did, one of Hawks' feathers tore through his mask, exposing his teary and enraged eye.. "haven't cared about myself for a long time!"
"I don't want to fight you! Bubaigawara!" Hawks shouted desperately at Twice.
"That's just what's convenient for you!" Twice shrieked in anguish, summoning multiple clones of himself.
A close-up shot revealed sadness and disappointment in Hawks' eyes.
"You're just wasting your time, Spoonbill," Bakugo said with an annoyed expression. "That double bastard doesn't fucking feel sorry for what he did. Just knock that fucker down and be done with him already."
'Get done with it,' Hawks resisted the urge to laugh at Bakugo's face because he knew that Bakugo had no idea what he was asking him to do.
"My soul only exists...for the sake of everyone else's happiness..." Twice murmured, his voice heavy with sorrow, before unleashing his Ultimate Move, "Infinite Doubles: Sad Man's Parade."
"Damn it, bird boy," Mirko glared at Hawks. "This is exactly what you were there to prevent, right? But instead, you started bullshit arguments with that man."
"The situation is still under control, and you don't need to tell me how to do my job," Hawks said, growing annoyed that every second person here was telling him how to do his job. 'For fuck's sake, I've been trained for this since I was a child, damn it.'
"I hope it is because I didn't lose my fucking arm just for you to screw everything up," Mirko replied with a scowl.
Going back to the outside of the Villa, Tokoyami continued to advance with the group of heroes when Fatgum called out to him.
"Tsukuyomi, right?" Fatgum called from beside Suneater. "You're over here!"
"Yes sir!" Tokoyami responded promptly, joining Fatgum and Suneater as they headed in a different direction.
"Huh? It seems I am being sent further ahead on the frontlines," Tokyami said.
"They better have a valid reason for taking a student so deep into the battlefield," Nezu said, narrowing his eyes at the screen.
"According to the report, there are a ton of enemies gathered underground!" Fatgum said as the three of them didn't stop their feet.
"The passages connecting to the outside have already been taken out by heroes," Suneater added.
"There are only five passages left inside the premises," Fatgum said as we see a diagram of the information on the screen. "Their entrances are outside Cementos's range."
"Which means we need to seal them off!" Tokoyami made a clever guess.
"That's right! You're good, kid!" Fatgum said and smiled at Tokoyami.
"I still don't get it," Mina tilted her head. "How can Dark Shadow help in sealing the underground passage?"
"There must be a way if Fatgum is requesting him," Kirishima said.
"Let's go!" he, Tokoyami, and Suneater rushed towards the villains with other heroes.
"How do they know about this passage?!" one of the villains exclaimed in disbelief.
"Defend it to the end!" another villain declared, rallying the rest as they readied their quirks for the impending confrontation.
"You know, I honestly thought that by now, at least a few of them might have lost the will to fight after witnessing heroes taking down so many of them," Nejire said.
"They are too indoctrinated to see the logic or reasoning behind their actions," Ryukyu said with a tired sigh. "I'm pretty sure that in their minds, they believe they're fighting for some grand cause or something."
"You're up, Suneater!" Fatgum called out, prompting Suneater to swiftly spring into action.
"Right!" Suneater acknowledged, immediately launching an attack on a group of villains. He activated his Quirk, Manifest, to its fullest potential, utilizing a combination of feature selection, size variation, and simultaneous manifestation. "Vast Hybrid Chimera: Centaur!" Tamaki's lower body transformed into that of a horse, while horns sprouted from his temples, giving him the appearance of a centaur. His hands morphed into vines with various solid fruits at the ends, which he skillfully used to strike multiple enemies simultaneously. "Sorry, but please stay still for now."
"So cool! Say it again!" Fatgum praised Tamak, whose body shook in embarrassment as he shyly covered his face with his hands.
"Tamaki senpai! That was so cool," Kirishima said with stars in his eyes.
"I know, right?" Mirio said as he patted Tamaki on the back. "Man, I have so much catching up to do once I get my quirk back," he exclaimed, brimming with excitement.
"Can you please stop this..." Tamaki said, his entire body shaking with embarrassment
"Let's go all out!" Fatgum exclaimed, positioning himself in front of the underground entrance.
"Sounds good!" Tokoyami responded as he began descending the stairs leading towards the dark passage.
"Show me what you've got!" Fatgum said as he glanced at Tokoyami. "Show me that amazing power you've got that can seal off this super-long passage in an instant!"
"Ah... so that's why they need Tokoyami with them," Shoji said, recalling his experience with Dark Shadow and the monstrous form it takes in the darkness. And he would never admit it to Tokoyami, but he still sometimes has nightmares where a colossal form of Dark Shadow chases him through the forest.
"Dark Shadow! Ragnarok!" Tokoyami called forth his quirk, summoning Dark Shadow in its strengthened night form. The shadowy creature's head grew significantly larger, fueled by the surrounding darkness, as its menacing screech resonated throughout the area.
"We did it?" Tokoyami stared at the screen with wide eyes. "We have mastered Ragnarok."
"Of course, we did, Fumi! We are the strongest, after all," Dark Shadow declared with maniacal laughter.
Tokoyami then unleashed Dark Shadow, propelling it down the stairs towards the underground hall with remarkable speed and overwhelming destructive force, effortlessly demolishing any obstacles in its path.
"It looks like the little fledgling has grown into a fierce bird now," Hawks said, a faint smile appearing on his face as he witnessed Tokoyami and Dark Shadow's progress.
As Dark Shadow descended, it unexpectedly encountered Re-Destro, who was attempting to make his escape.
Witnessing Dark Shadow's approach, Re-Destro activated his quirk, Stress, manifesting its power at its full 100% capacity. His body became engulfed in menacing black energy, causing his size to increase significantly. With immense force, Re-Destro charged towards Dark Shadow, directly intercepting the formidable creature and halting its advance.
Tokoyami, taken aback by this turn of events, couldn't hide his astonishment. "It was stopped?" he exclaimed, his face a mix of shock and surprise.
"What the hell, Fumi! How can that guy stop our strongest attack?" Dark Shadow said, livid that someone had managed to halt it in one of its strongest forms.
"Calm down," Tokoyami said, patting his quirk. "I can understand your frustration. Even I am surprised to see someone able to stop you like that."
"By the way, does anyone know what that guy's quirk is?" Izuku asked, looking around, particularly at a certain black-haired girl.
"Can't say for certain, but it appears to be a transformation type and a strong one at that," Momo replied.
"The activation is also instant. What could it possibly be?" Izuku mumbled to himself and wrote 'Re-Destro. Quirk: Unknown.' in his notebook.
Re-Destro gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold Dark Shadow back. However, suddenly, Re-Destro's prosthetic leg broke off, causing him to lose balance. This allowed Dark Shadow to throw him back into the underground hall, ultimately destroying the hidden passageway.
"Hahaha! That's what you get for trying to stop me! I am the strongest being in this raid!" Dark Shadow said, laughing hysterically, while Tokoyami let out a tired sigh but still wore an amused smile.
"Prosthetic leg, huh?" Aizawa said as he stared at the screen. "Good to know. If any of us are fortunate enough to engage him in the future, we can start by destroying it."
Suddenly, Dark Shadow sensed an ominous aura and returned to Tokoyami, warning him, "There's something bad down there."
"Yeah, I can't believe there's someone who's a match for Ragnarok," Tokoyami said as he stared at the rubble in front of him.
"No, not him! There's... a monster!" Dark Shadow warned him, as we see the silhouette of Gigantomachia in the underground hall.
"A monster?" Tokoyami asked.
"That giant..." Gran Torino narrowed his eyes at the screen. "I knew that thing was going to be a problem from the moment I first laid eyes on it."
"Don't worry about that!" Fatgum interrupted their conversation. "According to the report, it won't move without orders from the enemy leader. And that leader is currently taking a nice long nap." We see Gigantomachia quietly sitting in the underground hall, with a radio hanging from his neck, completely unbothered by the chaos around him.
"Well, even if that giant did wake up, I can totally handle him," Yu said with a confident grin on her face. "After all, handling giant things is my forte."
'But it would be better for everyone if Shigaraki doesn't wake up,' Izuku thought to himself.
"How do we know all this? How do we have so many details?" Tokoyami asked, expressing his curiosity.
"Apparently, Hawks uncovered this information during his investigation," Fatgum replied with a smile.
"Hawks?" Tokoyami asked, his interest piqued by the involvement of his mentor.
"It's more of an 'infiltration' than an 'investigation,' but it still helped the heroes a lot," Jiro said.
"We're going back! Hop into my stomach!" Fatgum said.
"Stomach?" Tokoyami tilted his head in confusion. In the next scene, we see Tokoyami riding inside Fatgum's stomach as they both rush outside and run towards the opposite side of the Villa.
"Who would have thought that I'd be acting as a taxi?" Fatgum joked as they continued running.
"Hohoho! I never thought I would actually use that," Fatgum laughed as he saw how he had stuffed Tokoyami into his stomach. "Tamaki, we should really try this during our patrols sometime."
"Please don't, or I will literally die from all the stares we will get," Tamaki said in a low voice, shaking a little.
"Where's Hawks right now?" Tokoyami asked.
"I don't know for sure, but he's probably somewhere in the middle of this melee," Fatgum replied, just as an explosion erupted in the background.
"He's in a room, wasting his time on that double guy instead of doing a simple damn task," Bakugo grumbled and glared at Hawks, who simply rolled his eyes.
Then, we witness a flashback of Tokoyami and Hawks standing atop a towering structure.
"I'm not interested in training the next generation or anything, but... It's good to put effort into covering your short-range weakness, but you shouldn't forget about developing what you're good at," Hawks said gazing out at the breathtaking view.
Returning to the present, Tokoyami, still nestled inside Fatgum's stomach, thought, 'I developed it, just as you told me to. I'm going to become an even stronger hero. My teacher, Hawks. If you're here right now, then I hope you will watch me again.'
"Tokoyami, I'm really proud of you. I can see the progress you've made since you interned with me," Hawks said with a smile.
"Thank you," Tokoyami said, a slight blush appearing on his face. "I would love to intern with you again."
"We'll see about that," Hawks said, his thoughts betraying a hint of uncertainty. 'I hope you still feel the same after what happens next.'
The scene shifted once more, focusing on Hawks and capturing a close-up of his piercing eyes.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy as soon as the scene shifted on the screen.
Standing before him was Twice, his eyes filled with tears, glaring at Hawks. "I'll take responsibility this time!" Twice exclaimed, his voice seething with anger, as a multitude of his Doubles materialized from his body. "Die, hero!" they all declared in unison, while Hawks stood in front of them.
"Hawks, are you sure you can handle this guy on your own?" Ryukyu asked, glancing at Hawks. "There are quite a lot of doubles to deal with."
"I'm pretty sure I can take care of him," Hawks replied, his tone reflecting his assurance. "Otherwise my future self wouldn't have made the decision to corner him on his own."
But before those doubles could even react, Hawks swiftly mowed them down with his feathers, reducing them back to the mud. "I'm amazed at how quickly you're creating them, but since you're doubling and doubling them, they aren't as durable," Hawks remarked, as the image showed Twice's doubles being pierced by Hawks' feathers. "Even though they've been attacked by the same large covert feathers, some melt and some don't."
As Hawks continued to dismantle Twice's clones, Twice sat there, defeated, his face filled with despair and tears streaming from his eyes. In his mind, he thought, 'It's so fast, my eyes can't keep up...'
"No wonder Hawks is the number two Hero at such a young age if he can use his feathers like that," Kaminari said, staring at the screen in awe.
"Yeah, he's taking out those clones before they can even take a step," Sero added.
"But still, Twice's ability to instantly clone himself is quite terrifying," Izuku said, not stopping his hand as he took notes on both Hawks and Twice. "Even if you're aware of his quirk's weakness, just the sight of so many doubles closing in on you must be terrifying and quite overwhelming."
"After coming this far, I'm not going to let my emotions cause me to make a mistake," Hawks declared, his feathers suspended in the air around him. "If you'd come with me quietly, we could've still done something," we see his sharp gaze penetrating through his eyewear. "I did like you."
"Even if you say that, you're still letting your emotions cloud your judgment," Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the screen. "At any point, you could have put an end to this stupidity, but instead, you're still trying to reason with a villain."
Twice's glare intensified, and he unleashed a fresh wave of clones, this time resembling the other members of the League. "These guys are my only friends! Don't just barge in like that!" he yelled, but Hawks swiftly eliminated them once again. Gritting his teeth, Twice exclaimed, "It's no use, scum! You scummy bastard!" He screamed in anguish, attempting to reach Hawks while simultaneously creating clones that were intently defeated by Hawks.
"Hawks, I don't know what you're trying to do, but that villain has already chosen his side," Endeavor said. "No matter how much you try to convince him, it's not going to change a thing."
"I know that, and my on-screen version knows it too," Hawks spoke in a calm voice. "He's just trying to ease his guilt before what he... what I'm about to do."
Upon hearing Hawks' statement, many students tilted their heads in confusion.
"Taking villains down as quickly as possible... Why do you think I do that?" Hawks questioned, his feathers relentlessly mowing down Twice's clones down. "Because it's the ones who don't give up that are the most terrifying for heroes." Twice, abandoned his attempts to create more clones, and charged towards Hawks in a desperate attack. "From experience, I've seen that those with strong wills won't lose consciousness."
'Isn't that the truth?' Izuku thought with a bitter smile. All the foes he had faced so far were hell-bent on not giving up until they achieved their goals, which ranged from meaningless bloodshed to hurting a little girl for selfish reasons to something as trivial as a YouTube video. Yeah... he has encountered some strange people in his life.
"Shut up!" Twice screamed, but Hawks swiftly maneuvered and sliced him with his feather blade, causing him to collapse to the ground.
Hawks sighed as he noticed the silence that had descended in the auditorium as soon as his on-screen self sliced Twice.
"That's why..." Hawks swiftly turned back and loomed over Twice. One of his blades hovered near Twice's throat, while the other pointed menacingly at his face. "Since neither side will give up, all that's left is to kill," Hawks stated, as the chaos outside the Villa caused it to tremble.
"K...k...kill?" Ochako asked in a trembling voice. "But heroes don't kill, right?" She looked around, but none of the adults answered her question until Aizawa spoke.
"Heroes don't go out of their way to kill..." he replied, his gaze fixed on the screen. "They do everything in their power to avoid taking that step, but just like anything in life, things don't always go your way."
"You all... can't be called 'heroes'," Twice uttered in a pained voice, tears streaming down his face.
A wave of pain rose in Hawks's chest, but he suppressed it because he knew that Twice had made his choice, and so had he.
"It's always like this. Everyone always abandons the down and out," he continued, while Hawks listened calmly. "You don't know, do you? How Toga wraps me up gently with her handkerchief?" he asked as Hawks's blade loomed dangerously close to his eye.
"We don't know, and we don't care about what you and that blood-crazy bitch are up to," Bakugo said with a dissatisfied frown on his face. He was already growing annoyed by how much the No. 2 hero was needlessly dragging the situation.
"Hey, did you know? This is the second time. The second time. I got everyone caught up in a trap like this. Toga won't be wrapping me up anymore, huh...?" His voice trembled as Hawks readied his blade to end Twice's life. "But that's fine. I just want..." Twice clenched his fist. "...to protect everyone's happiness!" he screamed, as mud began to pour from his body in one last desperate attempt to create a double.
"I can't watch this," Mina sniffled and shielded her eyes, much like some others in the auditorium.
"I'll let them know," Hawks said and was about to stab him when suddenly a surge of blue flames erupted from the doorway. Reacting swiftly, Hawks scooped up Twice and evaded the attack, but his wings were singed by the intense heat.
"What the hell?" Bakugo said, voicing everyone's reaction to the sudden turn of events around him.
"Those flames..." Endeavor narrowed his eyes at the screen.
"Dabi..." Hawks gritted his teeth.
Wincing in pain, Hawks found himself confronted by someone who placed their foot on his face, shattering his eyewear. "No need. I heard." The camera panned up, revealing Dabi grinning down at Hawks. "You didn't notice me, did you? You were distracted by your emotions! You made a mistake, hero!"
"Damn it! What the hell is Dabi doing here, and how does he even know where we were in all that chaos around us?" Hawks said, frustration evident in his voice.
"Maybe that Skeptic guy told him," Izuku suggested. "He did see you in that room before you destroyed that spy device."
"Yeah, could be," Hawks replied.
"D-Dabi..." Twice managed to utter weakly, lying beside Hawks.
Dabi glanced briefly at Twice and spoke, "Twice, you didn't do anything wrong. It's always the heroes who are in the wrong."
"Of course! Blame all your willy-nilly problems on heroes," Mirko glared at the screen. "As if we told you to go around murdering people to satisfy your hate boner."
"Nothing new, honestly. It's always like this," Ryukyu said with a tired sigh. "As if we can solve all their problems."
He then shifted his attention back to Hawks, a maniacal grin spreading across his face. "Right?!" Dabi exclaimed, pressing his foot against Hawks's face and unleashing another burst of fire.
"Hawks!" Tokoyami said, the worry about his mentor clearly evident in his eyes.
However, Hawks swiftly evaded the attack, protecting Twice from the flames as well.
"No way!" Dabi appeared momentarily surprised as Hawks and Twice were thrown across the room.
Tokoyami sighed in relief, seeing his mentor unharmed. However, his relief was short-lived because...
But his grin quickly returned. "But well, you've lost a lot of your weapons," he remarked, his gaze focused on Hawks's scorched wings.
"Oh no..." Tokoyami mumbled to himself, recalling what Hawks had previously shared about his weakness.
"No offense to you, Endeavor, but fire and I really don't get along," Hawks said with a bitter smile.
"You were about to burn your friend up, too?" Hawks asked as he glared at Dabi.
"It's fine," Dabi said, his maniacal grin widened even further as he mocked Hawks. "Heroes are known for being able to save lives in an instant."
"Of course, taking advantage of heroes' goodwill is always a card that villains play," All Might said, recalling how All for One had deliberately targeted a civilian who was trapped under rubble. "They'll go to great lengths to put heroes in moral dilemmas, even using their own allies as bait. It's truly despicable."
"I doubt that allies even mean anything to people like him," Monoma scoffed. He could hardly fathom how individuals like Dabi and the rest of the League, who willingly take the lives of innocent people, could genuinely form any meaningful connections with others.
"Ironic, isn't it?" Hawks remarked as he wiped his face. "You're acting like you already knew that I'd betray you. Don't tell me you figured it out?"
"There was nothing to figure out," Dabi shrugged, his smirk never leaving his face. "I never trusted you from the start."
"Even though I did so many dangerous things to gain your trust," Hawks said, a flashback showing him standing behind Best Jeanist in Jeanist's house, holding his feather blades with emotionless eyes.
"I'm thankful for that, at least," Dabi replied, as we see the scorched room around them, the curtains igniting with his blue flames.
"Oh yeah?" Hawks responded in a self-mocking tone.
Once again, all eyes were on Hawks, and each gaze held questions regarding the scene between Hawks and Jeanist.
"What the hell, Spoonbill? What the hell are you planning to do with Denim Head?" Bakugo asked, glaring at Hawks.
"Calm down, Bakugo," Jeanist said in a composed voice. "Now, Hawks, tell me, do you have any idea what that scene was about?"
"I... I," Hawks struggled to find the right words, choking on his own thoughts. "I had to gain their trust..."
"That doesn't mean you go around killing heroes," Mirko interjected.
"I wasn't going to kill him," Hawks retorted. "Not permanently, at least."
"What the hell does that mean, huh?" Bakugo raised his voice, but Hawks remained silent, further agitating Bakugo. "Fine, don't talk. We'll find out soon enough."
Meanwhile, Hawks himself was unsure whether his true plan had worked or not.
'I'm not as strong with burnt feathers. Not only is this the worst Quirk matchup for me, but we're in a cramped space. I've hit the jackpot,' Hawks thought, glancing briefly at the injured Twice lying near his feet. 'In that case, my first priority is to accomplish the goal. I've weakened Bubaigawara. Avoiding his organs, I cut his bones and muscles. He won't be able to do much with that damage.'
'So it wasn't a blind slash? But it did look like one,' Kamakiri thought, dragging his finger over his blade. 'I suppose I need more practice and precision with my blades.'
'I'll carry him out of here and-'
Suddenly, Twice created a clone and grabbed hold of Hawks. "Don't move!" Hawks yelled but Twice ignored his plea and snatched a handkerchief from the ground before darting away.
"Dabi! Burn him!" Twice shouted, his voice strained as blood continued to drip from his wounded chest.
Dabi smirked and unleashed a torrent of flames at Hawks, the fiery assault breaking through the window and becoming visible even from outside the Villa.
"See, that's what you get for trying to help a villain," Bakugo spat. "That's why you blast their heads first and then ask questions."
"More importantly, is Hawks going to be okay? I can literally feel the heat from those flames just by looking at them," Kendo said.
"He did manage to escape the first time; I'm sure he will do it again," Tokoyami said in an assured voice.
"That's hot! It's cold!" Twice exclaimed, stumbling on his feet.
"With just one of you, you could kick all the heroes to the curb!" Dabi smirked at Twice. "Go wild! Everyone's waiting for you!"
"Yeah..." Twice staggered toward Dabi, who continued to unleash his flames at Hawks. "Yeah!" Tears streamed down Twice's face as he reached out and clasped Dabi's hand.
"Someone needs to stop him," Momo said, worry evident in her voice. "If Twice manages to escape from that room, it will spell disaster for the heroes."
Twice made a dash towards the door as clones started erupting from his back. But suddenly, Hawks appeared in front of him, blade in hand. Twice's eyes widened in surprise as Hawks closed in, seemingly prepared to strike him down.
'Don't tell me-' Dabi's thoughts raced as he noticed Hawks as well. 'He went out with the flames and went around?!' The scene showed Hawks executing the maneuver described by Dabi. 'He's too fast!' Dabi thought as Hawks approached Twice.
"See, I told you," Tokoyami said with a smile.
"Of course, he escaped, Fumi! We would never accept a weakling as our mentor," Dark Shadow added.
"Outta my way!" Twice screamed at Hawks, desperation evident in his voice.
Hawks sighed and glanced at the screen, thinking, 'I've got him. Twice doesn't have a way to defend or any means to avoid my attack, and Dabi isn't fast enough to react.'
Dabi turned around and called out, "Keigo Takami!"
"Huh?" Hawks stared at the screen with wide eyes, wondering, 'How does he know? No one should have known that name?'
Upon hearing his real name, Hawks's eyes widened, and he hesitated for a moment. That momentary hesitation provided Dabi with an opportunity to launch an attack against Hawks.
However, Hawks swiftly evaded Dabi's assault by taking flight into the air. Confusion filled his thoughts as he pondered, 'How does he know my name? Who is this guy?' His gaze remained fixed on Dabi, who once again directed his attack towards him.
"So chicken wings? What's this new drama about?" Rumi asked, her frown displaying annoyance.
"That name... that's my real name," Hawks said, narrowing his eyes at the screen.
"So...?" Rumi asked, unable to understand why it was surprising for a villain to know his real name when basic information like names and ages were publicly available.
"Actually, there isn't anything available on Hawks on any public forums," Izuku interjected. "Even notorious forums that dig into heroes' pasts don't have a single word on him."
"That's right," Hawks said. "I haven't been called by that name since I was six. It should have been lost to time..." Hawks clenched his fist. 'Dabi, who are you really?'
Outside the room, Twice leaned against the railing, panting heavily as blood gushed from his nose and mouth. Blue flames continued to pour out from the door behind him. He looked down at the chaotic scene unfolding at the center of the Villa, where the fighting and chaos raged on.
"Despite launching a successful surprise attack, these PLF soldiers are putting up quite a fight against us," Edgeshot said.
"Well, the PLF didn't amass that kind of strength by being a rookie gang of thugs," Jeanist replied. "Even if we managed to catch them off guard, that doesn't negate their fighting prowess."
'With just one of you, you could kick all the heroes to the curb!' Twice remembered Dabi's words as once again the blue flames erupted from the rooms's door. "I have... to protect everyone!" Twice declared, his face marked with scars and his eyes filled with unwavering determination. "Protect them, Twice! Protect..." We see Toga and Mr. Compress fleeing from a pursuing hero. "...your friends!" Twice clenched the handkerchief tightly in his hands. Then we see Spinner and Giran, visibly troubled by the chaos unfolding around them. "Don't just pay them back for accepting you by causing them trouble!" We see Shigaraki sleeping in a Nomu housing tank.
"This is actually bad," Ryukyu furrowed her brow. "Twice needs to be stopped, but apart from Hawks, no one is aware of the threat he poses or his whereabouts. I doubt anyone is coming here to stop him."
"We will be lucky if he falls unconscious due to blood loss from his injuries," Aizawa added.
Twice mustered his strength and took a step forward, blood from his wounds staining the ground beneath him. Determination burned in his eyes as he summoned another clone.
Everyone tensed as they watched Twice successfully create a clone, fully aware that a single clone could multiply into thousands in a matter of seconds.
However, amidst the swirling blue flames, the silhouette of Hawks emerged. In a swift and unexpected move, Hawks stabbed Twice in the back, causing him to stagger in pain.
Once again, a stunned silence descended upon the auditorium as no one, not even Hawks himself, had anticipated that he would literally jump out of Dabi's flames to stab Twice. However, that shock wasn't sufficient to erase or subdue the overwhelming feelings of guilt and failure that arose within his heart.
"I guess I did it," Hawks said, his voice devoid of any genuine emotion. "I finally stopped Twice."
Meanwhile, the clone that had just been created jumped off the balcony, escaping the scene.
"T... that o...one clone escaped," Ochako fumbled over her words, the shock from earlier still fresh in her mind. "Wouldn't that cause a problem?"
"I don't think so," Izuku said. "I believe that even if the clones can replicate themselves, they still need to draw power from the real body, and..." Izuku glanced at Hawks and then at the screen. "...yeah."
The scene shifts to Toga and Mr. Compress, who find themselves captured by a hero with large eel-like appendages protruding from the back of his hands. The hero reports their capture over the communications channel, stating, "Atsuhiro Sako and Himiko Toga captured! Swallowing them now!" the hero reported on the coms.
"Good, another two members of the League captured," Iida said.
"That's Mr. Compress, right? The guy with the marble quirk?" Fatgum asked.
"Yeah, that bastard and his quirk are quite annoying. He can even capture living things in those marbles," Bakugo grumbled, recalling the attack on the forest during their summer camp. "If it wasn't for that bastard I would never have been captured by the League."
"Toga, your detection-evading technique didn't work!" Mr. Compress, struggling within the hero's grasp, complained, " These gross-looking things must be sensory types!"
"No! Let go!" Toga whines, kicking her feet in the air in a futile attempt to break free.
"No matter what the reason, heroes will not allow you to wrong society! This is really the end now, League of Villains!" the hero declared confidently, only to be abruptly stabbed in the neck by Twice's clone.
"Ahh!" Komori screamed in shock and surprise as Twice's clone appeared out of nowhere and stabbed the hero.
Upon seeing Twice's intervention, Toga's face lit up with joy. "Jin!" she exclaimed, cheering for her teammate's timely arrival.
The clone continued its relentless assault on the hero, repeatedly stabbing them while muttering, "Let go... Let go, let go..."
Now, many students in the audience were averting their eyes, unable to bear the brutality on the screen.
"I guess Eel Boy is the first casualty on our side," Jeanist said.
"That we know of," Edgeshot added.
"All right! We win! Double yourself to your heart's content, Twice!" Mr. Compress exclaimed as he and Toga hurried past Twice. "Toga, let's get down to the underground!"
"Sorry to break it to you asshole but won't be any doubling anymore," Bakugo said.
"Sorry, Compress," Twice's clone muttered as it began to melt away.
"Huh?" Compress halted and turned around.
"I can't. It's all I can do... to keep my own shape," the clone said as it continued to dissolve. Toga turned and looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Like when you're trying to hold in your poo. 'Cause I've been dropped and rolled around with the concrete..." The Villa shook, and debris fell around them.
"I don't advocate for killing villains, but it's a good thing that Twice is out of the picture," Aizawa said. "The League already has too many powerhouses, so it won't hurt if the heroes have one less problem to deal with."
"Sorry, you two... It was my fault again...Hawks got us...I did it again," the clone spoke slowly as speaking became more difficult. "Sorry, Toga... It's my fault your cute face is hurt again..." The clone began to walk towards her as its body started turning back into the mud.
"Here. You can have this back," the clone pressed the handkerchief against her face. Toga raised her hand gently and pressed it against his. Then the Twice's clone recalled the moment Twice and Toga had shared together, 'Once you're wrapped up, you become one, right?' Toga had asked him sweetly while wrapping his head in her handkerchief.
"Can't believe this is the same girl who attacked us at the training camp," Ochako said as she witnessed the interaction between Toga and Twice. "Her eyes look so caring compared to the expression she had back at the training camp."
"I get what you're saying, 'ribbit', but don't forget that she is still going to try and stab you when you encounter her again," Tsu said.
"I know, Tsu. I'm not going to let her go free just because I feel sorry for them," Ochako replied.
"I know, and I'm not doubting you, 'ribbit'," Tsu placed her hand on Ochako's. "All I'm saying is that you might hesitate if you sympathize with her too much."
Ochako went quiet for a moment before saying, "Don't worry, Tsu. I won't," determination shining in her eyes.
'It's true that in my life, I just kept falling and falling...' Twice narrates as we witness the lifeless hand of his actual body resting in a pool of blood beside Toga's handkerchief, and Dabi's flames engulfing the railing. 'I got tricked, lost a friend, and got tricked again. It must've looked really pathetic and meaningless, huh?' we see another shot of his real body. This time half of his hair was drenched in blood, while droplets trickle down from the edge of the railing.
"These shots... they're quite graphic," Iida shifted in his seat, rubbing his shoulder. The images of Twice's lifeless body involuntarily brought his mind back to his encounter with Stain. He still vividly remembered the feeling of helplessness as he lay in that alley, the overwhelming dread of impending death as Stain approached him. At the time, his mind was consumed by so much hatred that he had buried those emotions, but now, every time he recalled those moments, his body would start trembling.
"I... can't double anymore..."Twice's clone uttered, having melted to the point where it barely resembled a human being. 'Looking for myself, wandering around...' narrator Twice reflected as Toga's eyes widened, the full reality of the situation finally sinking in. '...I was blessed with friends I could put above myself.'
"Sorry... for everything, until the end..." the clone expressed before starting to disintegrate.
"Jin..." Toga spoke, embracing the clone. "Thanks for saving me."
'I couldn't have asked for a better life,' narrator Twice said as a smile appeared on the clone's face one last time. 'Die, Hawks. Why do you get to decide that I was unlucky? I was happy to be here.' And with that, the last clone Twice aka Jin Bubaigawara crumbled apart and transformed into mud.
'Jin, maybe you are a good man, maybe you do have the potential to lead a good life, but it seems like you are an even better friend to the members of the League,' Hawks sighed. 'Maybe I will never get a chance to know you like my counterpart did, perhaps I won't even get to interact with you in this alternate future. But I will always carry this memory with me, the weight of the choice that my alternate self made. Yet, I don't regret it. After all, we both made our choices to protect what is precious to us.'
To be continued...