Pain, a relentless companion, possesses the vexing ability to consume one's attention and amplify its presence. It manifests itself in myriad forms, each unique to the individual experiencing its unwelcome embrace. Here, Shigaraki expresses his pain by shrieking and cursing, while Aizawa's twisted expressions reveal his discomfort. However, what caught my attention was how Shigaraki's pain swiftly and openly stripped away his rationality, leaving him in a state of confusion.
With deliberate intent, I exerted a measured force, incrementally pulling Shigaraki's thumb backwards, testing the limits of his resistance. Whether or not I will make his quirk useless, was his choice. I had planned this very situation out, based on whatever interactions Shigaraki had with Aizawa-sensei. Shigaraki had proven cunning enough to shield himself from Aizawa's quirk, he was very narrow-minded and only fixated solely on the proclaimed "boss" of this game, neglecting the significance of the so-called "extras." It was this very tunnel vision that led him to overlook the thorough examination of the students prior to this attack. To be put aptly, the way to win in this situation was to use this very lack of preparation.
The Nomu, without his command, stayed still focusing on Midoriya. While Kurogiri, who was blocking out Aizawa-sensei's quirk, wouldn't move if he was logical. If he did move, Aizawa-sensei's quirk would immediately stop Shigaraki's quirk making it completely safe for me to snap his fingers completely without any caution. The officials had already cleared the field of the villains in close proximity. Hence at this very moment, this was a stalemate.
But would it be for long? Not at all, Shigaraki's pain threshold would soon reach it's limit. And he would definitely, give out the orders for the Nomu to focus on me instead. At that moment, Midoriya would be free to bring Aizawa-sensei out of his blackout chamber.
It's intriguing to observe Shigaraki's mindset. Despite his obvious pain, he didn't seem afraid of losing his quirk. This suggests that he must have had a strong belief that his fingers could be healed. Could it be that his team includes a member with exceptional healing abilities, similar to our school nurse? This possibility raises compelling questions that warrant further investigation. Once this situation concludes, it would be prudent to inquire about this matter to uncover the truth.
"Shigaraki, don't fret. I won't break your finger but I do believe it would be in your best interest to gracefully exit this scene. You see, All-Might, your grand adversary, is nowhere to be found. Imagine the bitter irony of losing your precious quirk without even having the pleasure of facing your rival. Quite the pitiful sight, wouldn't you agree? Now, do take a moment to let that sink in."
I calmly explained my side of things, which he seemed to wrap his head around.
"Argh yah, whatever you freak! NOMU KILL THIS SIDE PIECE!!"
Upon further consideration, it seems I had a partial understanding of the situation. Shigaraki, in his own way, has accepted the idea I proposed and is now considering using the Nomu to escape without losing face. This revelation points to the fact that Shigaraki possesses an incredibly strong ego. People with big egos are often easier to manipulate. In social settings, it's advised to boost their ego in the desired direction to keep them under control. However, if you truly want to break someone like Shigaraki, you have to dominate them visibly and substantially, right before their eyes.
Was I willing to break Shigaraki?
Of course not, I am going to be a hero! Standing mighty and proud!
However, I would have to say goodbye to Shigaraki as this Nomu is hurling towards me with Midoriya rushing and screaming at me, "KIYOTAKA I WILL PROTECT YOU!!!"
I, unfortunately, wasn't Midoriya's damsel in distress, Aizawa-sensei was. The Nomu's fist was shot at me as it jumped forward but it missed it's mark as I leapt off Shigaraki's body and shot back falling on my buttocks. The fist instead slammed into Shigaraki who wallowed in pain
"AHHHH AHHH FUCKING USELESS FREAK AHHH!!! I hate friendly fire, enough is enough argh...pthoo" Shigaraki spit out a copious amount of blood as he curled up in pain and stood up in a shaky stance.
"Isn't that unfortunate Shigaraki? Even after having such an advantage over you. You still can't escape being hurt. I pity you." I taunted his miserable state. A point to remember, when confronting egoists, the best way to have them provoked is as simple as a well-timed jab when they are already in a less-than-ideal situation. I couldn't let him escape, I had to use his ego to make him stay here and target me until All-Might came.
"You pity me? Did I hear that right? YOU....PITY....ME?? Who the hell are you to even stand before me. Just because you got a cheap shot, you have a fire lit up your ass don't you? Hah, I will show you just how weak and pathetic of an extra you are meant to be." Shigaraki would have kept going but Midoriya's fist slammed into his face.
"Not when I am here Shigaraki...." His voice filled with vigour as Shigaraki as his already battered state fell down in pain.
"...NOT FUCKING AGAIN!! Nomu, break this broccoli fucker!" After being bullied by a boy half his age and height, seemed to have reached his limit and ordered Nomu a command that ended up Midoriya being hammered into his chest come crashing on the wall behind me. I watched a pool of blood form under him as he lay there almost lifeless, with blood leaking from his lips and the wall behind him cracked.
I kneeled down to my fallen companion and said, "Thank you Izuku, however, your reckless heroics caused this. You are the one to blame for your own situation." I watched him slip into unconsciousness as he heard my cruel words.
It was true, if Midoriya focused on saving Aizawa-sensei, he would be safe and the situation would be simpler for us to control. Alas, his emotions led him astray, fixated on the immediate threat before him. His emotional vulnerabilities in this situation led him to a harmful situation. But there is enough time to learn I suppose, it will be interesting to watch him grow. But it wasn't time to focus on Midoriya as I took out my pen and twirled it in my fingers waiting for Shigaraki to end his monologue.
"You mindless robot, start moving! END THIS ONE TOO!!" Shigaraki pointed at me and ordered Nomu and continued his orders, "Kurogiri, don't dare move! Stay in your place and block out Eraserhead's vision, crush his bones if you have to, and make sure he can't escape."
Once more, the relentless Nomu charged toward me, but this time, the notion of evading seemed futile. Instead, I opted to confront the creature head-on. I needed more details about it to have an opening but for now, I had to experiment. With fists poised to strike, the Nomu revealed a peculiar characteristic-despite its immense power, its repertoire of moves was disappointingly limited. Quite a waste indeed.
As its fist propelled toward me once again, its predictable nature became my ally. Swiftly tilting my head to the side, I evaded the blow effortlessly. Leveraging the Nomu's slightly bent knee as a foothold, I propelled myself upward, launching toward its towering head and driving my pen into it's eye.
Kkkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeee
The Nomu's piercing shriek reverberated through the air as its knee swiftly straightened. There I hung, suspended by my lodged pen deep within its eye socket. But I wasn't finished yet. With a press of the button atop my pen, a torrent of inky black dye surged into the Nomu's eye. A momentary victory, though short-lived.
In a swift motion, the Nomu's hand forcefully pushed me, tearing my pen free from its eye. Hurtling through the air, I soared towards the water, the impact sending ripples of splashing waves in all directions.
That was a close call, if I hadn't leant sideways as I was being grabbed by it, I would definitely slam into concrete and the situation would be quite gorey for my liking. However, the water entering my lungs would make it difficult if I didn't swim back out, leading me to quickly come above water.
Thanks to Midoriya, I would have to go with the backup plan.
Being thrown towards the water served another purpose. Specifically having my classmates ready for the next step of the plan. I felt a slippery wet tongue wrap around my waist and I nodded towards Tsuyu nodding her head. The rest were ready with their eyes towards the Nomu charging at me.
The Nomu faithful to it's orders ran towards me ready to dive in the water. I watched it jump into the pond as I noted, it's swimming capabilities were close to none, but it slowly and steadily throttled towards me. This was an unexpected advantage. I ushered my classmates hidden from view, to wait. I had to let the Nomu come as close as possible before everyone jumped into action.
It trod the water as every second it came closer and closer.
"Why does it swim so slow??? ARGH HURRY UP!! We have to leave after ending this brat!!!" Shigaraki screamed.
The Nomu continued its slow trudge towards me, showing no signs of hastening its pace. Just as it drew closer, I gave a final nod to Tsuyu, preparing myself for what was about to happen. In a swift and unexpected move, Tsuyu's tongue propelled me high into the air, soaring over both the towering Nomu and Shigaraki. I flew about 20 meters, held firmly by her tongue, until Tsuyu reached her limit and released me. With a quick reaction, I rolled as I landed on the hard concrete below, narrowly avoiding any serious impact.
Yet again the heat map in my watch gave me enough information, to know where it's main body was. Like a finely honed blade, I directed my pen towards the hazy glow of yellow lights, emanating from within the thick fog. As anticipated, Kurogiri found himself unable to elude my calculated strike. With a swift and determined motion, my pen found its mark, piercing an unknown entity beneath the surface. I could sense the yielding resistance of flesh as my pen made its impact. The fog immediately congregated towards the body and Aizawa-sensei finally was free.
I swiftly dislodged myself and leapt backwards, my gaze shifting towards the unfolding scene. True to our plan, Shigaraki found himself surrounded by my classmates, positioned just far enough to keep his deadly hands at bay unless he charged at them like a fool. In that case, they were ready to strike him from behind, leaving him vulnerable and exposed.On the other hand, the persistent Nomu continued its slow crawl out of the water, its unwavering focus still fixed on me.
Aizawa-sensei on the other hand was in quite a bloddied state. His arm contorted at an unnatural angle, and his knee appeared dislocated. His once-intact goggles now lay shattered, while his signature scarf was stained a vivid shade of red, which didn't portray his readiness to fight. But that wouldn't excuse it, I pulled him out of the ground and opened his eyes with my fingers. It was quite an awkward moment as I never imagined holding my teacher up with his hair and popping his eyes out.
I aimed his head at Shigaraki as I yelled, "DONE"
As I said that, everyone attacked Shigaraki all at once.
"No no no!! KUROGIRI HELP NO STAY AWAY!! YOU FUCKING EXTRAS!! THIS IS CHEATING! CHEATINGG!!You all are using an exploit!!!I will end all of you!!!" Shigaraki didn't notice his quirk was blocked and grabbed Mineta by his throat aiming to kill him but to his horror, it was useless.
"Cough....Hehh...I won't die...until I get a pair of tits...Cough...leave me bastard...." Mineta struggled to speak but he did as commanded and stuck his purple sticky balls onto his eyes rendering him blind until Mineta himself removes it. Mineta was immediately let go as Shigaraki tried removing the balls from his eyes but to no avail, instead, his hands stuck to the balls instead.It was quite predictable that he would target Mineta in a fit of rage, given his underwhelming build, so simply using that to my advantage and blocking out his vision wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
"You are quite the troublesome bunch I must admit. We had made a callous mistake not counting your quirks in...however, this all was possible because of you..." Kurogiri's hazy yellow streaks aimed at me as blood dripped onto the floor as if he was weeping.
"I didn't do much. However, as you can see, the situation isn't in your favour." I spoke in a low tone as I noticed Jiro aiming her speakers towards us as she started running towards us.
"That's where you are wrong. You seem to be forgetting that while our leader isn't in his best shape at the moment, I myself am not an enemy you should take lightly."Kurogiri's polite voice betrayed his words as he tried clouding me and Aizawa-sensei yet again, but this time it didn't work. His fog was immediately dissipated by the constant low-frequency waves constantly aimed at Kurogiri by Jiro.
"W-What...is this, why is my quirk rendered immobile. Eraserhead's quirk isn't able to attack heteromorphs....so...."Kurogiri quickly realised and turned around to find Jiro there defenceless.It was quite the nice move she made, giving me time to take Aizawa and carry him to the stairs letting him sit up straight.
"Aizawa-sensei, you have slept long enough, wake up."I shook him hard enough to have him cough up blood on my shirt.
His eyes were hazy but focused on me, as he croaked, "Y-you....are...such....a...p-problem child...." Aizawa got up with his broken hand dangling and tried his best to balance himself with a broken knee. I wonder where he gets his almost supernatural levels of pain tolerance, it almost rivalled mine at this point.
"I am trying to be a good student sensei. Do keep your eyes on Shigaraki, for a while...about...70-80 more seconds." I spoke as I noticed that it was almost time for Iida to arrive. But I still had Nomu on my tail as I started running, trying to keep my distance from everyone and leaving me with a Nomu with a kill target aimed only at me. The situation was still manageable. Kurogiri, Shigaraki, and the Nomu were all separated enough that they couldn't communicate effectively, each focused on their own target. This created an opportunity for the other students to take action.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my other classmates coming out of their own calamity zones and splitting up. Some were protecting Jiro as she continued to use her quirk, while the rest concentrated on disorienting Shigaraki, who was blindly thrashing his hands around. The plan was falling into place, and we were making progress. The combined efforts of everyone involved created a dynamic and coordinated assault, shifting the momentum of the battle in our favour.
This perfect placement was going to be short-lived. Aizawa-sensei, as told, can't keep his eyes open for more than a few more seconds. If All-might didn't come, this entire scheme would be rendered ineffective, as most of us would die. While I have a particular idea to still survive, it wouldn't be an optimal one.
Working with the League of Villians wouldn't be optimal.
An interesting thing to note, even with super regeneration, Nomu albeit had regrown it's eye was unable to see with it. . The black dye I had injected still obstructed its vision, leaving it partially blind. With only one working eye, it had lost its depth perception, making it vulnerable in that aspect. But let's not get carried away; the Nomu was still a formidable opponent. It wasn't as sluggish as it seemed before. Perhaps it was just my perception playing tricks on me, thanks to its predictable movements. However, it had changed tactics. Instead of relying on basic punches, it now attempted to grab me with its powerful hands, proving its agility and speed.
Instead of retreating, I made a quick decision to roll between the legs of the Nomu. Moving backward or attempting to flee would be futile, as its speed would surely catch up to me in an instant. I seized a brief moment before it could turn around and activate the flashlight integrated into my watch. The outcome of this move remained uncertain, but I was determined to find out.
Had I not shut my eyes tightly, the blinding flash of light would have surely caused me to go blind. The mechanism was fairly straightforward: the watch contained a modified transformer that would rupture the battery pack, utilizing its energy to emit a powerful light. However, this came at a cost, as it irreparably damaged the watch. But I deemed it a necessary sacrifice.
As anticipated, the Nomu was susceptible to sensory overload. With just one functioning eye and the sudden onslaught of blinding light, it was momentarily stunned. Seizing the opportunity, I swiftly climbed up its body, determined to test the effects of attacking its brain matter. Utilizing its bent knee once again as a foothold, I plunged the pen into its head.
But, the desired outcome wasn't achieved as the next thing I knew, I was slammed into the wall.
The towering figure of the Nomu loomed over me, the pen still lodged in its brain, while I felt the agonizing sensation of a few broken bones from the impact. I looked at my watch but this time, it stayed still....broken....and useless....similar to me...
"FEAR NOT WHEN I APPEAR!!!" A voice, that I never knew I would look forward too, rang my eardrums...
This wasn't over.
Author's note:
I know, that Ayanokouji might not feel too OP, but it is what it is.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and the personality and strats I made for this.
Do vote and comment.
Thank you