Eyes widened. All attention moved to me the very second the pulse had been emitted, knocking Tokoyami and Dark Shadow away. The bird-headed boy quickly recovered, getting up and continuing to chase us as we ran, not planning on stopping. Sero's surprised expression hadn't changed, his gaze shifting to me as I ran beside him.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, still shocked. Aoyama was in the same state, trying to figure out what had just happened. But this was the first time I had done anything like that, it was a pulse which pushed everything away from myself and everything I was shielding. There was so much I had learnt I could do with my quirk and this one was completely unknown to me. It actually scared me since it happened so suddenly, my classmates looking as shocked as I was.
"I have no idea," I called back, being in the same boat as the boy with the tape quirk. Glancing behind us, I noticed how Tokoyami continued to tail us, not looking like he was going to give up. He had a determined glint in his eye, his teammates following a lot further behind.
I knew for a fact that facing Tokoyami head-on wasn't the best idea, if I was going to attempt taking out their team I would've focused on getting Koda. He was the weakest member of their team and it would be the easiest way to wipe them out. Although, I was sure that I would be able to take Shoji out if I had too, his strength being no match for my quirk.
Taking another look back at Tokoyami, I noticed how he was growing closer once again. I wasn't sure how he was able to keep up with us even after what had happened earlier but he was doing well, not slowing down all. I knew that he would eventually catch up again and there was no way I could rely on whatever my quirk had done earlier. It was something I needed to figure out and there was no time to do that here.
Glancing around, I struggled to come up with a plan. There was only one thing I could really think of doing and despite how risky it was, there were no alternatives coming to mind. I would have to get Sero and Aoyama out of the way and then face Tokoyami myself. The other two were no match for him, Sero's quirk being useless against Tokoyami and Aoyama's probability of actually hitting Tokoyami being very low. Not only that but if he used his quirk too much and ended up in pain, he would be a liability to the team. Right now I had to do what would put my team on top and the only chance we had was to get the others to a safe place and then fight Tokoyami as well as I could.
"I've got a plan," I called, having both Sero and Aoyama turn their attention to me. Both gave me a look of relief, feeling happy that they would no longer have to endure the chase they were currently involved in.
"What is it?" Sero asked as we leapt over another gap between the buildings, landing on the next before running again.
"Take Aoyama somewhere safe, I'm gonna face Tokoyami," I said, immediately being able to see the worry on Sero's face. Everyone knew that Tokoyami was strong but you were as well, meaning that this fight could go either way. I could tell by Sero's changing expression that he was conflicted about it, gritting his teeth with eyebrows furrowed. Meeting my gaze, he saw how confident I looked in my plan. This was the only thing I could think of that would get us out of this situation.
"Fine, but we're staying nearby in case you need help," he bargained. His dark eyes locked onto a nearby lamppost, tape shooting out of his elbow and wrapping around it. Aoyama panicked as Sero ran towards the roof's edge, closing his eyes tightly as Sero jumped off. I watched as the pair fell before the tape caught them, the momentum of the fall causing them to swing off the lamp post. Reaching the highest point on the other side, Sero disconnected from the tape and landed on the building on the other side.
Seeing that they had safely reached the other side made me feel relieved, now I could face Tokoyami without worrying about them getting in my way. It wasn't that they were a liability to me but I knew that it would be so much easier for Tokoyami to catch one of the others than it would be to get ahold of me.
Wanting to find a good place to face Tokoyami, my eyes locked onto the building ahead. The rooftop was flat and spacious, being the perfect place for our battle. Leaping on the building, I ran to the end before turning around to face my enemy.
Tokoyami reacted to my actions immediately, jumping onto the same building and then slowing his pace. When he was a relative distance away from me, he stopped, getting into an offensive position. There was now no way I would be able to get out of this, I had put myself on the line for my team and I now had to face Tokoyami.
Without a word, Tokoyami was the first to attack. Dark Shadow appeared, swinging at me without remorse. He was completely different from the sweet Dark Shadow I had met earlier, he now had the intent to take me out. Seeing their attack coming, I was quick to repel off the ground and evade it.
Watching the pair send attack after attack at me, I noticed how serious they looked. They didn't plan on losing this fight and but they didn't look confident like they knew they were going to win, they were cautious as if they were wary of my abilities.
This made me slightly happy but also uneasy as well. It reminded me of what Tsu, Mineta and Deku had witnessed back in the USJ. That was one of the extremes of my quirk and I didn't want anyone to witness that ever again. Tokoyami's strength worried me because I knew that I didn't want to hold back for his sake, but then again I needed to so that I didn't hurt him too badly. My thoughts were conflicting so I did my best to clear my mind and focus only on Tokoyami and Dark Shadow.
Glancing to the side, I wanted to check up on Aoyama and Sero. I could see them on the other side of the street, watching me fight against Tokoyami. Both looked worried for me, scared as if I was going to lose. That made me want to win this, to completely overpower Tokoyami so my team would be able to continue. I didn't want to let them down.
But this wasn't riding only on me, Aoyama and Sero would have to watch out for Shoji and Koda. Both of them were strong opponents, I just hoped that my team would be able to deal with them if they tried anything. I wouldn't be able to help them if they needed me, I needed to focus on facing Tokoyami whether that was beating him or finding a way out of this.
"Focus on the fight," Tokoyami said, returning my attention to him. I didn't blame him for saying that though, he wanted me to give this fight my all. Giving him my full attention, I didn't want him to feel like I was underestimating him because I wasn't. Getting into a defensive position, I dodged another attack, letting out a chuckle as I landed.
"I'm doing my best, can't help but worry for my team though. Originally we had planned to avoid your team because I wasn't sure I could beat you," I said, continuing to be cautious of him. I took the initiative to try and attack, having Dark Shadow push Tokoyami out of the way of my fist.
"I had the same mentality in the beginning, but all I need to do is keep you busy while Koda and Shoji go after the rest of your team."
Hearing his plan, I immediately noticed a swarm of birds gathering nearby and saw Shojo approaching Sero and Aoyama. He was still a fair distance away but there was still time for himself and Koda take advantage of Sero and Aoyama. I knew that they could probably hold their own but I still felt like I was obligated to protect them.
Now that I had heard Tokoyami's plan, I began to panic. I felt the need to get out of this situation even more desperately, feeling fearful for my teammates. We didn't need to face this team, we could completely avoid them and get by just fine. All I needed to do was come up with a plan of my own.
Spotting Aoyama and Sero, standing back to back on the building across the street, reminded me of what I had said to Aoyama earlier. About him being our supposed wild card, our last resort. This was only our first battle but I knew that we were desperate to get out of here. Locking eyes with the blonde, I yelled.
"Wildcard!"
The timing seemed to be perfect, this being the exact time that Tokoyami had sent Dark Shadow in my direction for another attack.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot in our direction, hitting Dark Shadow head-on. Seeing the opportunity to escape, I was quick to repel the roof below my feet, shooting myself upwards and in the direction of my team. Seeing me shoot up into the air so quickly, the birds close by halted, feeling fearful as I infiltrated their domain.
Eventually, I ran out of momentum going up and begin falling in the direction of where Sero and Aoyama were on the other side of the street. Activating my shield, I landed on the roof, immediately beginning to make more distance from Tokoyami and Dark Shadow.
"Run!" I called, Aoyama and Sero following my order immediately. As we ran, I made sure to take a look back at Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, hoping that no permanent damage had been done. But that didn't seem to be the case, it just looked like the light had significantly weakened Dark Shadow. Having a large gap between buildings coming up, I grabbed onto Aoyama's hand as we ran, having the blonde turn his attention to me.
"Thanks for that," I smiled, noticing how happy he looked with himself. My shield covered him as we drew closer to the gap but Aoyama still looked a little unsure. Wanting to reassure him, I squeezed his hand, getting him to look at me.
"We'll jump on three, okay?" I asked him, wanting to make sure that he was alright with it. He still looked uneasy about it, but swallowed his fear and faced forward, showing me that he was ready to deal with it.
"Three, two, one, jump!"
Hearing me call it out, Aoyama matched my jump, my repel allowing us to clear the gap between buildings. Once we had landed, I noticed how Aoyama's face held a proud expression. But this was different than his usual, show-off-like prideful look, he looked happier with himself and what he had done. Seeing that wholesome smile on his face, I couldn't help but find it a little cute. That completely threw me off, making me wonder why I would think that about someone as strange as Aoyama. Luckily enough, Sero snapped me out of my uncomfortable train of thought.
"What should we do now?" he asked, sounding panicked. Looking back, I couldn't see any of them tailing us yet but I knew that they would. I could see Koda's birds circling the area, making me realise that the rooftops were no longer an advantage.
"We need to get back onto the street, Koda's birds will easily be able to find us if we're on the rooftops. This is no longer a vantage point," I addressed, letting go of Aoyama's hand after realising that I was still holding onto it.
"Alright, let's get back to the street," Sero agreed. Aoyama nodded, all three of us knowing that the top of the buildings would no longer be safe for us. Sero moved to Aoyama first, helping him down onto the street with his tape while I jumped off, using my shield to take in all of the force from the landing. Reaching the road we began running again, Sero and Aoyama ran by my side, one occupying my left and the other, my right.
"(L/n)?" I heard someone call. Turning my head in their direction, my eyes locked onto Aoyama, the blonde looking like his usual cocky self.
"Before, would you say I was heroic?" he asked, sounding confident that I would agree. Hearing that from him, I couldn't help but laugh. He was a bit of a weirdo with his whole self-absorbed attitude but I honestly found it funny, it lightened this tense mood a lot.
"Yeah, something like that."
I know it's been a while but I am somewhat back. I'm trying to get used to university life again so that I can balance everything and not feel like shit. We're making progress, well at least I think I am. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter :)