The episode begins with Tokoyami narrating about his mentor, Hawks
'My teacher, Hawks. Quirk: Fierce Wings. He flies in the sky with his big wings, and he can freely control the countless hard, supple feathers,' we see Hawks soaring in the sky. 'Of course, they can be used to transport those who need aid in an emergency,' we see Hawks using his wings to rescue people, 'but he can also use them as weapons,' we see Hawks slicing Nomus with his feathers. 'He can sense vibrations with his feathers and collect sounds and perceive space with them,' we see Hawks sensing people with his feathers and using them to recuse people from a falling building. 'If he loses a large number of feathers, his flying becomes unstable, but they grow back in a few days,' we see Hawks falling out of the sky but quickly getting back on his feet. 'Speed. Power. Precision. Information gathering. In terms of Quirk versatility, Hawks is top class, even among pro heroes.'
"Yeah, yeah... we get it, Bird Brain. Hawks is impressive and all, but can we move on already?" Bakugo grumbled at Tokoyami, his annoyance evident in his voice. Part of it stemmed from his general impatience and annoyance towards everyone, and another part because it reminded him of Deku's incessant ramblings about heroes.
I thought he had no blind spots, but...
"Weakness? Let's see...," Hawks said as he and Tokoyami sat atop a random house. "If I had to say... It'd be fire," he explained, noticing the confusion in Tokoyami's eyes. "You know, because Fierce Wings can burn up."
"So, how do you counter that?" Tokoyami asked.
"It's simple," Hawks smiled at Tokoyami. "Get the enemy before that happens."
"But this time, Dabi was the one who caught you off guard, and unfortunately, he happens to be a user of the element you're particularly vulnerable to," Jeanist remarked.
"Oh, thanks for pointing that out. I can't believe I overlooked that," Hawks retorted, rolling his eyes and injecting sarcasm into his response.
Going back to the Gunga Villa Raid, we see that Fatgum now has three more students namely, Kaminari, Kinko, and Honenuki, along with Tokoyami stuffed in his stomach.
"Outta the way! Fataxi coming through!" Fatgum said as he escorted the said students away from the frontlines since they had fulfilled their role in the raid.
"Hahaha! It seems like my taxi business is thriving!" Fatgum exclaimed, wearing a broad grin on his face.
"Is it really okay for us to go to the back now?" Honenuki asked.
"We can still do more!" Kaminari added with a worried expression on his face.
"It's fine! First, we used wide-range attacks like those of you kids to dampen their initial response and split their leadership," Fatgum explained. "Now, we'll close our circle surrounding them and crush them slowly but steadily. If the battlefield gets smaller, then wide-range attacks will end up sabotaging allies, right? You've done enough for now. We'll take it from here."
"Fatgum is correct. There's no need for either of you to go back to the front lines," Aizawa stated firmly. "Bringing students into the midst of battle was already a substantial risk, but fortunately, all of you fulfilled your duties without any setbacks. That's why it's unnecessary for you to further endanger your lives."
In the background, we see the giant form of Mt. Lady trying to stomp villains when suddenly blue flames burst out of one of the windows of the Villa.
"Oh, it must be the moment when Hawks evaded Dabi's flames by circumnavigating the Villa right before he..." Izuku paused momentarily and cleared his throat, "...yeah."
"What's that?!" Fatgum turned around, and we see the flames raging even more.
"That's..." Tokoyami's eyes widened as he saw the raging flames, remembering his conversation with Hawks. "Don't tell me..."
"Tokoyami, please don't tell me you're going to do what I think you're going to do," Hawks said, his voice filled with resignation.
"But Hawks, I can't simply ignore the possibility of you being in danger," Tokoyami responded, disregarding the piercing gaze of Aizawa fixed upon him.
"Kid, first of all, you don't even know if I'm trapped in that fire or not, and secondly, don't you share the same weakness to fire as me? How do you plan to handle that?" Hawks pointed out, causing Tokoyami to fall silent. Hawks let out a sigh at his reaction and continued, "Let's just hope that if you do intend to come to my rescue, you bring backup along with you."
The scene changes once again, and now we find ourselves with Hawks and Dabi on the top floor of the Villa.
"You killed him... I can't believe you killed him..." Dabi said as we see Twice's blood spilled on the floor, accompanied by Toga's handkerchief nearby. "And you call yourself a hero. How could you?!" Dabi launched another attack at Hawks, engulfing him in flames.
"Yeah, as if this guy who released a High-End Nomu in a city full of innocent civilians has any right to question Hawks," Mirko scoffed, her voice oozing with disdain. Meanwhile, Hawks shifted uncomfortably in his seat, fully aware that he was the one responsible for orchestrating that attack. He knew that at that moment, besides Endeavor, nobody else possessed the ability to handle that creature.
Hawks managed to escape the fire and rolled on the ground. 'The flames are getting hotter fast!' he thought, wincing in pain as he attempted to extinguish the flames on his wings.
Hawks grimaced as he witnessed the impact of Dabi's flames on his wings. In his mind, he thought, 'I hope the damage doesn't extend as deep as the roots.'
"How could you...?" Dabi advanced towards the Hawks and slammed his foot against the Hawks' ribs. "I can't believe you killed Twice!" Flames erupted from Dabi's foot. In the background, we observed the lifeless body of Twice lying face down on the ground, surrounded by a pool of his own blood.
"Is that... the face of someone whose friend was just killed?!" Hawks questioned Dabi, who wore a wide grin on his face.
"He... is he smiling?" Iida asked, his eyes filled with shock. "How can he smile like that, knowing that his comrade just died right in front of his eyes?"
"I believe it's best not to let Dabi's behavior affect you, 'ribbit'," Asui remarked. "It's quite evident to all of us that he is truly a madman."
"Don't say that! It's mean! My tear glands were burned, so I can't cry!" Dabi retorted. "If Twice were here... With his Quirk, my dream would've had a better chance of coming true!" Dabi's flames grew more intense. "I'm really sad!"
'Of course, he has his own selfish reasons for being concerned about his fallen comrade,' Endeavor scoffed, the thought crossing his mind. Then, his focus shifted to Dabi's words, and he couldn't help but wonder if his dream was somehow connected to him.
"The League..." Hawks managed to say through the pain caused by Dabi's flames. "I looked up your personal histories. But you and Shigaraki! I couldn't find out anything about you two!" Hawks recalled the moment when Dabi had addressed him by his real name. 'How does he know my name?' he wondered.
'Dabi, what are you? I understand that Shigaraki had All for One watching over him, but you...' Hawks thought to himself. Then, suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. 'Is he a legacy villain? There hasn't been a prominent flame villain in the past couple of years, but it's still worth a shot to explore that possibility.'
Then we see a memory of Hawks, where a 6-year-old version of him stood in a room, tightly clutching an Endeavor plushie in his hands. Two men in suits surrounded him.
Hawks held his breath as soon as his younger self appeared on the screen. 'Why are they showing this? What does this have to do with the war?'
"Keigo, Today, you will say goodbye to that name," one of the men said. "We will have you complete an exclusive program to turn you into a special hero."
"The training will be tough. Can you handle it?" the other man asked to which young Keigo nodded his head.
"Hmm... What is going on here? Who are these people?" Mina asked, glancing at Hawks, who quietly stared at the ground.
"Really? You're going to stay silent now when everyone else's secrets are being laid bare in front of everyone?" Mirko grumbled at Hawks, who shot a glare back at her.
"Oh, really? Because I don't see your secrets being exposed to everyone," Hawks retorted.
"Why, you-"
"Rumi, calm down," Ryukyu said calmly, placing a hand on Mirko's shoulder. "Also, don't press him for answers because we all have secrets that we'd rather not reveal. And Hawks, please keep in mind that we are watching this to prevent that terrible future in the first place, so please don't hide anything that could be useful for us."
Then young Keigo looked at his Endeavor plushie and asked, "Will I be able to become a hero like him and get the bad guys? Will I be able to cheer everyone up, like he did when he saved me?"
"Yes, you will," the suited man responded, eliciting a faint smile from young Keigo.
Shoto glanced at the screen with a complicated expression on his face. He didn't know how to feel about the fact that a small child was looking up to his father, especially when he was busy destroying his family in a false sense of rivalry. He couldn't comprehend why a child would idolize someone like Endeavor when they had All Might to admire.
'Will I be able to inspire and uplift everyone, like he did when he saved me?' Hawks's words echoed in Shoto's mind. He clenched his fist and thought, 'If you were saving everyone else, then why couldn't you save Toya? Why couldn't you save Mom... Why did I have to go through all of that?'
Back in the present, Hawks continued to wince under the intensity of Dabi's flames as he managed to ask, "Who the hell...are you?!"
Suddenly, all audio from the scene was muted as Dabi responded to Hawks, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.
"What the fuck! Where did the audio go?" Bakugo yelled at the screen.
"Wait a minute, he's saying something," Aizawa narrowed his eyes, attempting to read his lips. "My... real... Endeavor... downfall."
Endeavor narrowed his eyes once again at the screen. 'What does this guy want with me? Why is he so obsessed with me?' Endeavor thought, feeling a little creeped out.
Meanwhile, Nezu was pondering, 'It appears that whoever sent us these videos intentionally muted that part,' he thought. 'But the question is why.'
The audio returned as Dabi continued. "Even more than Twice, more than the League, you should have been marking me," he declared, while a shot showed Shigaraki sleeping in the Nomu Housing Container.
'Don't worry Dabi, I am definitely going to do that this time around,' Hawks said narrowing his eyes at the screen.
"The League, Shigaraki... I didn't care about them from the start," a smirk formed on Dabi's face. "There are no such things as real heroes in this world. Kill the fakes," he declared, still searing Hawks under his feet. "That's right. I... am the one who will carry out Stain's will!" he said and intensified his flames.
'Hero Killer: Stain...' Hawks' thoughts raced as his mind flashed back to the speech delivered by the infamous Hero Killer. "I must make things right... Someone must be dyed in blood... I must take back what it means to be a hero!" Stain emanated a bone-chilling aura that engulfed the heroes present at the scene. "The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero... All Might!" Stain declared, his eyes burning with insanity.
In the present moment, Hawks fixed his gaze upon the blazing blue flames held within Dabi's hands.
"Great, another follower of that fanatical serial killer," Iida gritted his teeth. "No wonder a lot of his actions make sense now. After all, you have to be severely fucked in the head to follow someone like Stain."
Then suddenly, Iida noticed that all of Class 1-A, including Aizawa, was staring at him with wide eyes. "W...what?" he asked.
"Iida, you cursed," Ochako said. "How is that possible?"
"Iida... are you alright?" Izuku asked with a concerned expression. "Do you want to talk?"
"N...no, it's alright. And I'm sorry, everyone, for using such strong language," Iida said with a bashful face and thought to himself, 'I really lose self-control when it comes to Stain.'
"Later, Hawks," Dabi uttered as the flames intensified. "I don't care... whether you live or die, either!" With those words, he launched a ferocious assault on Hawks, wearing a maniacal grin on his face.
'Hawks...' Tokoyami clenched his fist, hoping that his on-screen self would arrive there before anything could happen to Hawks.
The scene transitioned to the underground hall, where the tremors from the intense battle above ground reverberated. In this dimly lit space, the soldiers of the Paranormal Liberation Front (PLF) were gripped by panic. "Are the heroes coming?!" one of the soldiers exclaimed anxiously.
"No, it's about to begin... Our liberation, and our reformation!" another soldier responded. Meanwhile, Gigantomachia sat in silence, as he fixed his gaze on the radio in his hand, awaiting his master's orders.
'That giant... haven't I seen him before?' Mina thought, and suddenly, she felt the strength drain from her legs as she remembered her encounter with Gigantomachia. 'Oh no, that... that.'
"Mina, what happened?" Toru asked in a concerned voice, noticing Mina's pale face and shaking body. "Are you alright?"
"Y... yeah. D...don't worry about me," Mina replied with a forced smile.
The scene shifted to Police HQ, where officers monitored the ongoing raid with unwavering focus.
"Team Edge Shot has sealed off all five of the remaining passages to the underground at Gunga Villa!" one of the officers reported.
"Team Endeavor is eliminating the Nomus inside the hospital one after another," another officer added.
"Mirko is still fighting the High-End Nomus in the underground research lab. Endeavor is heading over to help Mirko," the female officer informed.
'Good, Rumi could really use some help against those monsters,' Ryukyu thought, subconsciously squeezing Rumi's hand.
The scene shifted to Jaku Hospital, where Endeavor was running through the dark corridor when he came across Crust who was valiantly holding the Chunky Nomu back.
"Can't kill me! Can't kill me!" the Chuny Nomu roared while resisting Crust.
"What are you doing, Crust?" Endeavor asked as soon as he reached their location.
"Endeavor! That regeneration ability is trouble!" Crust exclaimed.
"We keep cutting them down, but they keep regenerating!" X-Less interjected as we see Crust's shields slice through the Nomu's muscles, only to witness them regenerate instantaneously.
"It's fine!" Aizawa's voice echoed as he swiftly arrived from around the corner. "I'll use Erasure right away!" He leaned against the wall, activating his Erasure Quirk. Instantly, the Nomu cried out in agony as its regeneration and other quirks were nullified.
"This Regeneration quirk is really annoying to deal with," Momo said, frowning. "I don't see an effective way to handle it other than Aizawa sensei's Erasure."
"You're right. Our best bet is to ambush that doctor and prevent him from ever releasing those monstrosities upon the world," Izuku said.
"Our?" Aizawa raised his brow and stared at Izuku. "I don't want to see you or any of your classmates near those things. Is that clear?"
"Right... sorry," Izuku averted his eyes.
"I'm in your debt!" Crust acknowledged, summoning more shields to forcefully push back the Chunky Nomu. "Living corpses, return to your proper place of death!"
The Chunky Nomu, writhing in pain, attempted to crush Crust, but before it could, Endeavor unleashed his "Flashfire Fist... Jetburn!" attack upon the Nomu.
"Endeavor, I'll push them out!" Crust declared, and both heroes continued their relentless assault. "There's not a second to lose! Hurry, to Mirko's side!"
"It's taking the combined effort of multiple heroes just to push that one Nomu back," Itsuka said. "And let's not forget that Aizawa sensei is actively erasing its quirks."
"It just goes to show how strong that Nomu thing is," Setsuna added.
The scene shifted once again, transporting us to the underground laboratory, where Mirko, despite her injuries and a severed arm, continued her battle against three High-End Nomus.
Once again, the atmosphere in the audience tensed as they were reminded of Mirko's severed arm and her ongoing struggle against the High-End Nomus.
She continued to dodge attacks from three Nomus and went to kick the Antena Nomu but, 'I can't land a hit anymore!' she thought, noticing how the Antenna Nomu effortlessly dodged her attack 'It's not that I'm getting weaker. I know my own body better than anyone. It's that these guys have awakened! This is fun.'
"Fun!?" many in the audience exclaimed in unison.
"Duh," Mirko replied with a grin on her face. "It's not every day that you get to fight strong opponents like these. Most of the time, I have to hold back against villains because god forbid giving them serious concussions is deemed unethical and whatnot," she rolled her eyes.
"I know, right," Bakugo added with a nod. "It's damn annoying having to hold back."
"What are you blabbering about, pipsqueak," Mirko raised her brow and looked at him as if he were stupid. "You going all out is like my slightly strongest attack."
"What the hell-"
"Sit down, Bakugo," Aizawa said in a tired voice. 'Putting these two hot-headed idiots in one room was a mistake,' he thought to himself.
'But...' she narrowed her eyes. 'Guess I have no choice,' she avoided another attack and rushed towards the inner part of the lab while evading the Nomus. 'The target's the old man. And Shigaraki!'
"Good decision. these Nomus can be taken down one way or another, but if the masterminds behind these monsters escape, it will be a bigger loss for us heroes," Jeanist said.
"You're going to the professor again? Stupid woman," the Antenna Nomu taunted, launching its deadly antennae towards Mirko. Mirko managed to evade the attack, but it tore a chunk of flesh off the side of her waist.
The Trunk Nomu pursued Mirko, grabbing hold of her hair, while the White-Haired Nomu sank its teeth into her leg. Undeterred, Mirko let out a fierce scream and forcefully jerked forward, ripping her hair free from the Trunk Nomu's grasp and escaping her leg from the White-Haired Nomu's jaws but it resulted in another piece of her flesh being torn on the back of her leg.
Everyone winced as they saw the number of severe injuries piling up on Mirko's body. The sight was so gruesome that some people had to avert their eyes from the screen. Mirko herself felt an unsettling sense of uneasiness and frustration in her stomach as she watched herself being torn apart by those monsters. As for Ryukyu, she glared at the screen while growling and gritting her teeth. All she wanted to do in that moment was to give in to her dragon instincts and tear the heads off those Nomus and the doctor who created them.
Undeterred by the pain and injuries, she continued to run resolutely towards the Doctor and Shigaraki.
'Like an escaping rabbit! It's easy if you just focus on running,' Mirko thought as blood poured from her injuries. 'If you're gonna die, then die after you've achieved your goal, Mirko!' she smirked as she saw her goal, Doctor and Shigaraki right in front of her eyes.
"Ouch!" Mirko winced in pain as Ryukyu tightly squeezed her hand and glared at her with intense fury in her eyes.
"Idiot! Stop talking like you're going to die, you moron," Ryukyu said in a stern voice.
"Ru, calm down, will you?" Mirko sighed. "I'm still alive and kicking, right?" Mirko smirked at her friend. Then a calm smile appeared on her face. "Besides, we always knew that dying in the field is a possibility, and honestly, I'm surprised by how long I've survived considering how reckless I am," she snickered to herself.
"Stop taking this so lightly!" Ryukyu grumbled. "And I know death is always a factor in our field, but... but it doesn't mean I have to like it... especially if it's you," she whispered the last part to herself, but Rumi's advanced hearing caught onto that.
Suddenly, Mirko draped her arm over Ryukyu's shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. "Aww~, who knew our big bad dragon is such a softie," she said with a teasing grin, much to Ryukyu's protest and flushed face.
When she arrived near Shigaraki's capsule, disregarding her bleeding leg, Mirko leaped into the air.
"No...!" Garaki screamed in terror as he witnessed her raising her leg to shatter the capsule.
"Can someone make this idiot shut up?" Bakugo glared at the screen. "He's eating away at my patience."
'Is it that?!' Mirko wondered as her eyes landed on Shigaraki, who was sleeping inside the Nomu Housing Tank. However, just as she was about to bring her leg down, Antenna Nomu's antenna suddenly impaled her leg.
"Cramped..." Antenna Nomu grumbled, positioned at the laboratory entrance.
"Damn it!" Rumi grumbled and slammed her foot on the ground. She was growing increasingly frustrated with these Nomus, who were hell-bent on making her work difficult.
However, at that very moment, Endeavor emerged from behind and swiftly struck it down with his fiery fist.
Cheers rang out in the auditorium, and a wave of relief washed over the crowd as they saw Endeavor finally arriving to aid Mirko.
Seizing the opportunity, Mirko screamed, "Not yet!" as she forcefully tore her leg free from the impaled antenna. "Heroes will definitely... not give up!"
'How does she do that? How can she move like that despite losing so much blood and having severe wounds all over her body?' Momo thought to herself, feeling amazed and concerned about Mirko.
"Because she's an experienced hero and is mostly running on adrenaline right now," Izuku replied to her. Immediately, Momo's face flushed as she realized that she had muttered her thoughts out loud. Izuku chuckled upon seeing her reaction and continued, "But honestly, yeah, she's really amazing. I can't imagine how much pain she must be enduring right now."
"Really?" Momo asked with a deadpan expression on her face. "Do I really need to remind you of the times when you broke your body while fighting or saving someone?" Then Momo let out a tired sigh. "Honestly, I thought you would feel some kind of kinship with her by now." She looked to her side and was relieved to see that Izuku had the decency to look sheepish at that.
Returning to a few minutes earlier, we see Endeavor and Crust continuing their relentless assault on the Chunky Nomu.
"I-I can't... use my power...!" Chunky Nomu screamed in agony, just as Endeavor forcefully pushed it back with a torrent of flames, causing another hole to be blasted in the laboratory.
"Great, another Nomu down for the count," Kirishima cheered.
"I don't think so, Shitty Hair," Bakugo said, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "Those Nomu bastards are quite durable. An attack like that won't even faze them, especially that chunky freak."
Without hesitation, Endeavor swiftly darted out of the hole and soared towards Mirko, completely disregarding the Trunk Nomu and White-Haired Nomu. He quickly reached Mirko's location and mercilessly pounded Antenna Nomu into the ground with his fiery fist.
"You know I'm a hero and probably shouldn't say this, but fuck, it felt good seeing that bastard Antenna Nomu getting pounded like that," Ryukyu said with a gleeful smile on her face.
Meanwhile, Rumi and Nejire wore strained smiles on their faces because only a few people knew this side of the ever-so-elegant and calm Dragon Hero, evident by the stunned and dumbfounded expressions on the faces of Ochako and Tsu, who stared at their mentor with disbelief.
Soon after, Aizawa, Crust, and Mic emerged from the billowing smoke. Without wasting a moment, Mic sprang into action, confronting the remaining two Nomus and unleashing his quirk, Voice, upon them.
"Finally, Mirko can take it easy for a moment," Kendo said, observing the heroes entering the underground lab. "There are more than enough heroes there to lighten her burden."
"The best course of action right now would be to escort her out of there and get her some medical help as soon as possible," Iida added.
Mirko, who was listening to their conversation, frowned. 'No, not yet,' she thought to herself. 'I'm not leaving that damned place until I finish the job.'
'There are layers of bone under the skin. Did they protect against the shock?' Endeavor thought as he pressed Antenna Nomu's head beneath his fist.
"It must be compensating for the Shock Absorption quirk that the USJ Nomu had," All Might said.
"Endeavor!" Aizawa shouted, leaping from the back of the Trunk Nomu, which was being restrained by Crust. 'Between when I looked at the front two and when I saw the third, there ended up being a lag!' he thought and yelled again. "Endeavor! Hurry up and deal the finishing blow!"
Hearing Aizawa's words, Endeavor promptly unleashed his flames, attempting to deliver the powerful strike to Antenna Nomu.
'I hope that was enough to end that creature,' Endeavor thought to himself. 'It worked in Hosu, but those Nomus weren't as strong as these High-Ends are.'
'The second he appeared in my field of vision, my body understood. It's a rabbit's survival instinct,' Mirko contemplated, her gaze fixed on Shigaraki within the Nomu Housing Tank, his faint smile sending chills down her spine. 'It's no good. This is no good! This can't be let loose! No matter what!' she thought as she readied herself to forcefully bring her injured leg down upon the tank.
"Well, that just confirms it, doesn't it?" Izuku thought out loud with a hint of bitterness in his voice. He didn't feel even the slightest happiness or pride upon seeing another clue that his theory was coming true.
"What are you talking about, young Midoriya?" All Might asked, noticing his successor's frustration.
"Nothing... it's just a silly theory of mine," Izuku said, not wanting to cause panic just yet.
"Oh! In that case, please do share it with us," Nezu said in an intrigued voice.
Izuku hesitated for a moment, but then he sighed and started narrating his theory. "You know how Garaki has found a way to clone quirks, and apparently he has been working with All For One for a very long time due to his de-aging quirk. So, there is a high possibility that he has made a clone of All For One's quirk," he finished, noticing the silence that fell around him, except for All Might's violent coughing. Since no one said anything, Izuku continued. "Which led me to the conclusion that the procedure Shigaraki is going through right now is not just to 'Nomufy' him, but also to pass a copy of All For One's quirk onto him," he concluded.
After a few minutes of silence, Bakugo was the first to break it. "Fuck..." he said.
"I hate to say this, but all the observations so far lead to this very conclusion," Nezu said.
"If that's the case, then that doctor must be stopped," All Might clenched his fist. "We cannot allow another All For One to be born into this world... at any cost."
"Stop...!" Garaki's voice reverberated, filled with desperation, as Mirko forcefully brought her wounded leg crashing down onto the tank, causing it to crack under the impact.
"Finally..." Mirko said with a feral grin on her face. "No matter how much they tried to stop me, in the end, I am an unstoppable killer rabbit."
Meanwhile, heroes continued engaging with White-Haired Nomu.
'Can't use them...' the White-Haired Nomu thought, deftly evading the heroes' attacks. 'Voice... Shield... Laser, Physical Enhancement, Saber...' it mentally cataloged the Quirks possessed by the heroes. 'That means I can't use my Quirks right now because of him. I couldn't use them once he appeared...' its attention shifted towards Aizawa. 'What conditions need to be met to activate it? He didn't touch me...' the Nomu's focus shifted to Aizawa's goggles. 'He's hiding his eyes... Yes. 'See.' He needs to see me to activate it. How to deactivate it? How to deactivate it? A time limit? Or...' Suddenly, a grin formed on Nomu's face as all this thinking stimulated its brain. 'Oh, this feels good.'
"Great! A monster with regeneration and super strength, is now capable of thinking and analyzing quirks and shit... just what we needed," Bakugo grumbled, glaring.
"Bakugo's sarcasm aside, High-Ends being able to think and formulate strategies is really going to be a problem for heroes," Jeanist added.
"So fast! That's its natural physical ability?!" X-Less exclaimed while chasing the White-Haired Nomu.
Following closely behind was Aizawa, his mind racing. 'Is it running from my field of vision? Don't tell me it figured out the requirements for activation?'
"It did..." Aizawa said, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "It's definitely evading my field of vision to keep its quirks active."
'My mind and body are in top condition!' the White-Haired Nomu thought, effortlessly evading X-Less' relentless laser onslaught while swiftly regenerating any damage inflicted upon it.
'It feels really good!' Suddenly, the White-Haired Nomu's thighs swelled, and its lower half detonated, launching fragments of its body towards the heroes at incredible velocities, utilizing the combination of Quirks, Rupture & Liquification.
Fortunately, Crust came to the rescue, shielding himself and his fellow heroes from the assault while valiantly holding off the Trunk Nomu.
"Man, Crust is really awesome," Tetsutetsu said with a huge grin on his face.
"I know, right?" Kirishima replied with an equally wide grin. "He really motivates me to become the ultimate shield, protecting my friends and everyone else."
Regrettably, the onslaught succeeded in diverting Endeavor's attention, providing Antenna Nomu with a precious opportunity to reactivate its Quirk and impale Mirko's arm and leg.
"Damm it..." Endeavor cursed under his breath. He was disappointed and frustrated with himself for not finishing off that Nomu when he had the chance, leading to another fatal injury to Mirko due to his distraction.
Mirko unleashed a resounding scream, "Luna Arc!" as she harnessed every ounce of strength within her. With an immense display of force, she brought her leg down upon the tank once again, causing it to shatter and as a result, medical liquid began pouring out from the cracks, spilling out of the tank.
"Yes!" Izuku exclaimed, his thoughts racing. 'Great, even if it doesn't completely halt the procedure, hopefully, it will at least slow it down somewhat.'
"Damn it!" Mirko exclaimed in frustration as she was forcefully dragged back by Antenna Nomu with the antennas still impaled in her arms and legs.
"I almost had it..." Mirko grumbled under her breath. Her anger had reached a point where she desperately missed her punching bag, longing to release her frustration upon it.
Meanwhile, Garaki frantically attempted to regain control."Th-The system is... ...w-workin'," but However, in that very moment, the control panel exploded, "N-N-No...!" he screamed in utter despair.
"Ha! Dumbass," Bakugo laughed, relishing in the misery of the pathetic doctor.
As Mirko was being forcefully dragged back by Antenna Nomu, she collided with Endeavor, causing him to stagger backward. Nevertheless, Endeavor reacted swiftly, managing to catch Mirko in his arms.
"Mirko!" Endeavor carefully lowered her to the ground, his gaze immediately fixating on the severe wounds and missing chunks of flesh adorning her body.
"Shit... those injuries are much worse than we initially thought," Ryukyu grimaced, observing the severity of the wounds on her friend's body.
Meanwhile, Mirko's mind was preoccupied with a completely different concern. 'I hope these injuries are not career-threatening,' she thought with a furrowed brow. Previously, she wasn't so worried when she lost her hand because even though it sucked losing an arm it wasn't particularly necessary for her combat style. However, now that her legs, her main weapons, had been impaled multiple times, along with the accumulation of other injuries, she felt a growing anxiety about the potential impact on her future as a hero.
"I'll cauterize your wounds. Bear it," he said, passing her a cloth to bite down on.
"Cauterize... that's going to hurt like a bitch," Mirko grimaced, clearly not looking forward to the experience.
'You took on multiple talking Nomus by yourself, huh?' Endeavor thought as he worked to cauterize Mirko's injuries. "I owed you in Kyushu, and I owe you again. Don't die."
"Oh, really? How much you owe me, you think?" Mirko gasped, her voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and pain, while Endeavor continued the cauterization of her wounds.
Mirko wanted to protest that she wasn't there to save him, but she understood that someone like Endeavor rarely showed gratitude to those around him. So, she kept quiet and focused on the screen.
Meanwhile, Shoto watched in a state of disbelief as his father genuinely expressed gratitude towards someone. 'Well... that's progress,' he thought to himself.
Before Endeavor could respond, their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the White-Haired Nomu, peering down at them from the ceiling. "It's Number One...I'll get you to make me feel even better!" it declared and lunged at them.
"Not this nuisance again," the flames around Endeavor's face intensified as he glared at the screen. "Especially when I am trying to mend Mirko's wounds."
On the other side, the rest of the heroes are still busy, dealing with the other three Nomus.
'My body's not completely awakened yet,' Antenna Nomu thought, narrowly evading X-Less' laser attack. Then Aizawa gripped its hand with his capture weapon. 'This isn't good. I can't use my Quirks. The strength I got by becoming a High End was laughed off like it was nothing.'
"Wait! So, did some of them willingly offer their bodies to the doctor for experimentation?" Ochako asked, feeling creeped out by the mere thought.
"As disturbing as that notion is, we cannot dismiss the possibility," Edgeshot shook his head. "After all, there are numerous individuals in the world who are willing to become walking corpses in exchange for additional quirks."
"Everyone listen up," Mirko's voice echoed through their communication devices, her words strained and filled with pain. "Shigaraki's... in some kind of capsule. The capsule is probably an activation device. The Nomus started moving when the electricity went through them. Like "Zap!" Don't let Shigaraki wake up. He's not just some bratty punk anymore."
"We should have truly prioritized capturing Toura when he was nothing more than a crying, tantrum-throwing brat," Torino said with a weary sigh. "If only I had known..." A thought briefly crossed his mind, but he swiftly dismissed it, understanding that they couldn't change something that happened in the past.
'Reinforcements are coming in seconds. But those seconds are the problem, Mirko,' Aizawa thought. 'The Nomu that broke out of Erasure has probably started fighting Endeavor. 'I want to go over and erase its Quirks, but I can't let go of my hold on these three,' his thoughts focused on the heroes valiantly fighting against the three Nomus whose Quirks Aizawa was currently erasing. 'I can't go further in.'
Aizawa clenched his fist and buried his face within his scarf, attempting to conceal his frustration at not being able to deliver a kick to the doctor's face. However, he also knew that he had to act rationally and prioritize erasing the quirks of the Nomus over his personal grudge. Fortunately, he wasn't alone there who held a grudge against that doctor.
"X-Less! Mic! Go on ahead!" Aizawa commanded.
"Leave it to us!" Mic replied and without wasting a moment, both Mic and X-Less swiftly made their way towards the inner lab. However, Antenna Nomu attempted to obstruct their path but Crust intervened, forcefully pushing the Nomu aside, and urged the two heroes to go ahead.
'Mic, I'm counting on you,' Aizawa thought before going back to fighting.
"Don't worry, Shota. I won't disappoint you," Mic said, his voice filled with a mix of determination and suppressed rage. 'Oboro, I swear on our friendship that I will make that bastard pay for defiling your corpse.'
Meanwhile, Garaki struggled to repair the malfunctioning machine."The machine's on the fritz, but the data..." he muttered, somehow managing to piece it back together. "All right! I need to wake him up before even more solution leaks out..." he exclaimed, noticing the continued leakage from the cracks. "Oh no... Damn, it... The realization of my and All For One's dream...I'm truly reluctant to awaken it unfinished..." Then Garaki picked up a remote and pressed a button. "Wake up, Tomura Shigaraki!"
"Hell no!" Bakugo yelled. "Someone fucking stop that bald bastard."
Even Mirko clenched her fist in frustration, witnessing all her efforts, all the pain her on-screen self had endured, going to waste like that.
Before he can, however, Present Mic arrived on the scene, unleashing his powerful Voice Quirk. The sheer force of his attack obliterated the containment pod and all the accompanying equipment, leaving Garaki in a state of shock as Tomura's lifeless body collapsed onto the floor.
For a moment, Toshinori had forgotten how to breathe as he witnessed Shigaraki, his mentor's grandson, lying lifeless on the ground. While others around him felt relieved by the outcome, all Toshinori could think about was the overwhelming guilt he felt for failing his master... for not being there when Nana's family needed him the most.
Gran Torino glanced at Toshi and sighed, understanding the immense turmoil his student must be experiencing. He shared a similar burden, but for him, it was more personal since Nana was his best friend. To witness her grandchild being groomed by that bastard All For One and dying such a senseless death weighed heavily on him. 'If only I had stopped her back then. If only I had managed to reason with her. If only I had been there when All For One got his hands on that poor child...' He sighed again, knowing that Nana would never blame him for any of this, which only intensified his anguish.
Meanwhile...
'What is this? Why do I suddenly feel the urge to cry?' Izuku thought to himself when, out of nowhere, he felt One for All surging under his skin, overwhelming him with feelings of guilt and regret, filling his heart.
Rushing toward the Garaki, Present Mic's mind raced back to a conversation he had with Aizawa just before the raid. "Yamada. If you go, then I'll go, too," Aizawa had expressed, and the image of their high school photo with Oboro flashed through his thoughts. "The youthful dream we had as kids. Even if it's in the shape of this nightmare, the three of us..."
"Yeah... just the three of you, huh? Of course, why would you tell me any of this..." Nemuri said, her voice reflecting the hurt caused by Aizawa's words. "I'm just some senior who thought she had friends in you."
"Nemuri, please try to understand. We didn't want to..." Aizawa attempted to reason, but Nemuri cut him off.
"Hurt me? And what did you think would happen when someone else told me this instead of my friends?" Nemuri's voice quivered as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Nem, I... we're sorry," Mic said, his head hanging low, while Nemuri silently stared at the screen.
Back in the present, "Checking authenticity! DJ Punch!" Mic said and delivered a resounding punch to Garaki's face, fueled by a surge of rage and anger "This is for making my friend cry!" Garaki was sent flying backward, helplessly tumbling to the ground.
'That felt satisfying,' Aizawa, Nemuri, and Mic all thought simultaneously.
"Wow! Who would have thought Mic-sensei could be this intimidating outside of school?" Mina exclaimed as she gazed at the screen.
"Yeah, he's one of the coolest teachers we have, along with Midnight-sensei," Kaminari chimed in.
X-Less hurriedly arrived at the scene, kneeling beside Shigaraki's lifeless body. Placing a hand on his chest, he declared "His heart's stopped."
"He's in suspended animation to reduce the burden on his body during the transfer. That receptacle is to accelerate and maintain the transfer and also contains the device to revive him...!" Garaki said and started sobbing.
"So... is Shigaraki dead or not?" Kaminari asked.
"He's technically both dead and alive," Izuku replied.
"Wow, Greeny! You're not making any sense," Setsuna said, still confused by his explanation.
"What he means is that currently, Shigaraki is like a lifeless body, but under certain conditions and with the right equipment, he can be revived," Momo explained, providing more details.
"Well, I suppose that's alright," Ochako commented. "It doesn't seem like anything is working over there, and Mic-sensei has already captured the creepy doctor, so Shigaraki definitely won't wake up."
"This is what I was living for... It's over! It's all over! The dream of the Lord of Evil... And my dream..." His words trailed off, drowned in sorrow and shattered aspirations.
"How dare he wail for something so despicable," All Might said, rage flaring in his eyes. "Only evil individuals like them would dare to build their dreams upon the corpses of others."
"More importantly, the Nomus are acting on your instructions, right?" Mic said, lifting Garaki up by his collar and running towards the others. "Stop those guys, they're going crazy over there! Hey X-Less! Take care of Shigaraki!"
"Right!" X-Less replied. However, his attention was drawn to a machine, causing him to wonder, "What was that machine?"
Everyone narrowed their eyes at the screen thinking about what that machine probably could be.
Returning to Mic and Garaki, where the former dragging the doctor along with him.
"Seventy years ago...The world ridiculed my theory," Garaki said in a depressed voice. "In order to return the world back to peace from the unrest, there couldn't be something that pointed to its future collapse. It turned into the current cult Quirk singularity doomsday theory, huh?"
"The academic went missing after the theory was published and died a few years later. If he were alive today, he'd be over 120 years old," Mic said, his mind suddenly drifting back to the earlier moment when Garaki's body rapidly aged upon Aizawa using Erasure on him. "I see..." Mic murmured, realizing that Garaki was that very same academic.
"So... this creepy doctor is the one who wrote that book," Izuku said. "Now I'm not sure how I feel about reading something created by... 'him'." Izuku's face twisted with bitterness.
"Oh, so you've read it too," Momo remarked.
"Yeah, and I hate to admit it, but it was actually a highly intriguing theory to explore," Izuku said, and Momo nodded in agreement.
"I was exiled and even lost my home. He was the only one who reached out a hand to me during that time," Garaki continued. "An overwhelming presence. A smile like Buddha's. He was like a god in human form. My Quirk, Lifeforce, gives me the ability to live twice as long as a normal person in exchange for athletic ability. The Quirk I have in me right now is a duplicate of my original one."
Upon hearing this, Mic's mind rewound to the moment when Detective Takacuhi had confirmed what Garaki had just revealed.
"What a pity, such a brilliant mind willingly joining All For One and squandering his life on creating undead monsters," Nezu shook his head. "If only society had been more open to accepting his theories back then, we could have made tremendous advancements with someone like him on our side."
"You're Kurogiri's friend, aren't you?" Mic gritted his teeth as soon as Garaki made that statement.
In the audience, tension filled the air as the three individuals directed their piercing gazes at the screen, channeling all their hatred toward a single man.
"Back then, what we really wanted was Erasure," Garaki said, his voice tinged with amusement.
And suddenly, the world came to a halt for Aizawa as he heard those words. "No... it can't be... oh no, it's my fault. Oboro is dead because-"
"Shota, calm down," Aizawa turned to his side and saw Nemuri kneeling beside him, gently stroking his back. On his other side, Mic was doing the same. The realization sank in, and Aizawa noticed that he was on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
"It's not your fault," Mic reassured him.
"But... it was supposed to be me..." Aizawa protested.
"Shota, listen to me," Nemuri said, locking eyes with him. "It doesn't matter who was supposed to die that day... what matters is that now we know it wasn't an accident." She clenched her fist. "Our friend was murdered, and we will make those bastards pay for the immeasurable pain they caused us and everyone close to Oboro."
"You're right. There's no point in dwelling on this," Aizawa stood up and returned to his seat. 'Oboro... one day, I will bring you the justice you deserve,' he declared, his voice filled with newfound determination.
'I don't want to touch him. My disgust is surpassing my anger,' Mic thought, his grip on Garaki tightening. 'Right now, I'm touching part of something extremely revolting.' Meanwhile, Garaki laughed, tears streaming from his eyes.
"I know exactly how you feel, buddy... I truly do," Mic thought, sympathizing with his on-screen self.
Then the screen momentarily turned black, and suddenly we found ourselves with Shigaraki, immersed in a dreamscape of decaying hands and crumbling buildings, with a vast city sprawled beneath him.
"This place...," Shigaraki mumbled as he surveyed his surroundings.
"Ok, what the hell is going on here..." Bakugo said as stared at the screen with dumbfounded eyes.
"I'm not entirely certain, but I believe this might be Shigaraki's mindscape or something along the lines," Momo speculated, rubbing her chin in contemplation.
"Oh! They do say that when you're about to die, your life flashes before your eyes," Mina chimed in.
Meanwhile, Izuku, Toshi, and Gran Torino observed the screen intently, attempting to grasp some semblance of understanding regarding how Shigaraki had ended up the way he did.
"Dad says what he says, but it'll be okay!" a young girl's voice echoed, and when he turned his gaze to the side, he saw a vision of his sister. "I'm cheering you on, Tenko!"
"Hana..." Shigaraki stared at her.
"That girl..." Gran Torino's voice trembled as he witnessed the little girl on the screen, bearing a striking resemblance to his best friend.
"Look... I'm sorry... I didn't mean it," he witnessed another vision where Hana apologized to him in a soft, timid voice. "I'm the one who said it was a secret and showed it to you..." Hana's eyes welled up with tears as she clutched a picture of their grandmother, Nana Shimura.
"Oh," Shigaraki responded, a smile gradually spreading across his face. "I don't care about that anymore," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Master..." Toshi couldn't contain his emotions any longer. The burden of guilt weighing heavily on him became too much to bear. Particularly now, witnessing this innocent little girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to his Master, holding a picture of his beloved mentor. At times, he wished that all of this was merely a terrible dream, a nightmare from which he would eventually awaken, returning to the days of training alongside his Master.
Meanwhile, Izuku felt the return of the overwhelming sadness from before, but this time it surged with even greater intensity than before.
"Hey, Tenko. Do you still want to be a hero?" Another vision emerged before him, this time featuring his mother, gazing at him with a gentle smile."We don't know what you're allergic to. It sucks, huh?"
"She looks... so kind," Shoto mumbled absentmindedly to himself. The way the women on the screen smiled at Shigaraki reminded him of how his mother used to smile at him before the incident.
Now the adult Tenko is replaced by his younger self, a small smile illuminating his face as he addressed his mother, "I'm fine now, Mom."
"So... Shigaraki was crusty even he was a child," Kaminari remarked which earned him a quick jab from Jiro's jacks.
"Read the room idiot," she hissed at him.
"Tenko!" Suddenly, a vision of his father materialized behind him, glaring intently. "You went into my study, didn't you?!"
A wicked smile spread across young Tenko's face as his father's vision attempted to grab hold of him but Tenko decayed him, a smile still lingering on his face.
An unsettling sensation washed over the audience as they witnessed the sinister smile on Tenko's face—a smile that had no place on the countenance of a child.
"Tomura!" A new, deep voice called out to him.
All Might's entire being was consumed by dread the moment he heard that voice.
This time it was a vision of All For One, with his head enveloped in a red mist.
"Master! You look like Kurogiri now," Shigaraki, now back in his adult form, remarked.
"Come here," All For One's vision beckoned to him.
"Don't you dare go near him, you bastard," All Might growled, his piercing blue eyes fixed on the screen as if he were attempting to bore holes through All For One with his intense gaze.
"Anticipating his own defeat, he entrusted everything to his successor. He decided to pass his Quirk on to him," Garaki's voice narrated as Shigaraki began to walk towards the vision of All For One. "Just like me. He kept a duplicate of his own Quirk and gave the original to Tomura Shigaraki."
"Well, Midoriya, it appears that your theory is completely accurate," Nezu remarked, glancing at Izuku. "The only distinction is that instead of providing Shigaraki with a clone, he is granting him the actual quirk itself."
"Yeah, and I'm definitely not pleased about that," Izuku muttered to himself.
Just as Shigaraki was on the verge of reaching All For One, his family members, including his mother, sister, and grandparents, abruptly grabbed hold of him. "Stop, Tenko!" his father emerged in front and seized his face.
"Shigaraki's family... they're attempting to halt him," Momo said in a hushed tone.
"Brat... please, listen to them," Gran Torino pleaded, hoping that Tenko would regain his senses.
Then, Nana's hand gently rested on his head. "Don't forget," she whispered, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"Nana..." Toshinori and Gran's eyes welled up with tears as they beheld one of the most significant women in their lives once more.
"Let's keep it secret from Dad and become sibling heroes!" fragments of his childhood memory flashed before Shigaraki's eyes, but he ignored them and decayed his family members who were restraining him.
"At least his family tried, but- Izuku, what happened? Why are you suddenly crying?" Momo asked, concerned, catching everyone's attention.
"I don't know..." Izuku replied, wiping his eyes. "Ever since Shigaraki died on the screen, my heart has been overwhelmed by these unbearable feelings of regret and sadness... but I can't explain why."
"It's okay," Momo said, gently placing her hand on his. "We'll figure this out later. Just know that we're here for you."
"Don't...reject me anymore," he muttered and resolutely walked into the vision of All For One.
"He's gone too far, Toshi... we can't save him anymore..." Gran Torino's voice carried a heavy sense of regret.
"I know, Gran... I know..." All Might responded with a defeated tone in his voice.
Back in the real world, a surge of electricity coursed through Tomura's body, reviving him back to life.
Once again, silence fell upon the auditorium, but this time their eyes widened in realization. Slowly, a sense of dread began to permeate among them, until it was encapsulated by two simple words spoken by All Might's successor, "Oh no..."
To be continued...