A knife grazed her left arm. The cut was slight but enough for it to bleed and burn.
"Ochako, are you okay?" Tsuyu asked her with concern, glancing at the wound and covering it with one hand.
"Yes... it just grazed me." That was the truth. Everything would be fine if it were a simple villain, but that's not the case.
The blonde girl in front of them, with that strange face mask and school uniform, was dangerous.
She didn't know how to describe it—the instinctive chill her presence generated or the way the word "killer" surrounded her.
The knife is just one more element to reach that conclusion, but it's the rest that gives you the complete picture.
"There's not much blood," she compared with interest, admiring the red liquid spreading along the blade.
Blood... her blood...
"It's bad to suddenly start trying to kill us!" Beside her, Tsuyu complains, with a firm tone that would fool her if they weren't close friends.
Her companion is also scared.
"Who are you?" The question is fundamental and obvious. She mentally reprimands herself for not having asked it from the beginning.
"I'm Toga." She's never heard that name and is grateful for it. Being linked with a villain is not something she likes.
"...You're both very cute." The playful tone, as if from a normal high school girl, gave a completely different image. "Uraraka and Asui." She points at them with the knife.
"She knows us," she points out an obvious fact, trying not to stay on the sidelines of the situation and mentally evaluating that piece of information. (Is it because of the Sports Festival?)
"Because of the Sports Festival?" Tsuyu practically reads her mind, representing her question in reality. "Anyway, if she knows us, we're at a disadvantage."
"It's not enough blood... normally I'd take it directly from the cut to get more..." A strange, large object is what she reveals from the backpack on her back. She's never seen a bladed weapon similar to that. "But this machine will absorb it directly just by sticking it on, and it will be much faster." She hunches over, preparing to run, and a tip emerges from the object. "Let's go!"
"Here she comes!" Despite the surprise, Tsuyu wraps her tongue around her, launching her body into the sky. Fortunately, she managed to remove her gravity a second before.
"Run to the camp!" She doesn't feel comfortable abandoning her friend; that's not what a hero would do. "They gave us permission to use our gifts, but only to defend ourselves!"
"Tsu, you too." She shows her her open palm, hoping she gets the idea.
Tsuyu jumps, wanting to reach her, but is intercepted by Toga.
Her knife manages to lightly graze her friend's tongue, creating a cut similar to hers.
"Tsu... Tsu... Tsu..." Her enemy stops, beginning to repeat what she had mentioned a moment ago. "What a cute nickname! I'll call you that too!" She lowers her face mask, showing a big smile on her face. Her cheeks are slightly flushed with excitement.
"Better not. The only ones who call me that are the ones I want as friends." Tsuyu is now on the defensive. Her panic slips through at times, showing some of the fear she feels. She jumps to try to escape, but Toga sends the strange extractor to catch her by her hair.
"Yes! So I'm your friend! Great!" she celebrates, acting in a very childish way.
She knows she has to ask for help. They're being attacked by a crazy woman whose ability is not to be taken lightly.
But...
"Tsuyu!" With speed, she approached Toga. She couldn't get away from this situation.
"You're bleeding, friend... how cute." She happily approached Asui's face. "I love blood."
"Get away!" Toga intercepted her arrival, trying to cut her face. (If she uses a knife, use one leg as a pivot to dodge and get out of her reach. Take her wrist and neck at the same time.) She performed one of the many combat maneuvers Gun Head had taught her, internally thanking the man for his wonderful instruction.
"Excellent, Ochako." Tsuyu was praising her action, but her own focus was on keeping the villain subdued.
"Tsuyu, can you use your tongue to tie her hands?" The grip she had tightened, her own nervousness playing against her will.
"You're great, Ochako. You have a strong will to improve on your own... too bad you're not like me." Toga sounded genuinely disappointed, but the smile on her face didn't leave. "You're not a damsel like me. You don't wait for the person you love to come."
(What is she saying?) She knew it made no sense to apply logic to the thoughts of a crazy villain, but to divert the topic to such places was too strange. (Person I love? What kind of disorder does this girl suffer from? Or rather, how many?) A little more blood seeped from her wounded arm. She had to bandage the wound with something.
Her distraction cost her dearly. Toga managed to stick the needle in her left leg, extracting blood for the strange device.
(I let my guard down!) She was about to act, but a voice caught everyone's attention.
"Uraraka!" When they turned to look, they found...
(It's Midoriya!)
...
Moments Before.
I reached the highest point of the mountain. The path ended not much further ahead.
It only took me a few minutes, but under the situation I was in, it seemed like much longer.
(Alright, I have a lost child in this place.) A small cave was a few meters away, surrounded by some moderately large rocks. "Kota! You heard Mandalay's words, come out now! I'm Izuku Midoriya, the boy with green hair and eyes!" My call caused a little noise from one of the many rocks that were there.
I smiled at that. The boy was smart; he didn't let himself be carried away by simple calls.
"Get out of the rock, kid. I know you're back there, and I have to leave you with your unusually attractive aunt," I commented in jest, knowing that it would annoy the boy enough.
"Hey! My aunt is not attractive!" As I predicted, he came out from behind the rock he was hiding in, pointing a finger at my face. "Apologize now!"
"Hmmm, let me think.... How about... no."
"Excuse me?!"
"You say your aunt isn't attractive? That's cruel for an infant like you." He was easy to annoy, like any child his age.
"I didn't say it that way! You can't call her 'attractive'!" His small palms clenched. He was quite angry. "And I'm not an infant!"
"Do you have a mustache yet?" I knelt down to be at his height, smiling with amusement the whole time. "You don't. Did you just turn five?"
"I'm nine! Almost ten!" His brow furrowed, and he faced me, holding my half-torn shirt with one of his hands.
"With that squeaky voice? You look like you're from a children's commercial." His anger was at its limit. At any moment, he would shoot pressurized water at me from his free hand.
"You...!" His angry face was very funny. Annoying children is too much fun.
"Alright, alright. You're fun, Kota. I like you." I patted his head a few times, abandoning my mocking tone and returning to normal. "Seriously, Mandalay is worried about you, along with the rest." I stood up again, feeling a little pain as I did so. (I shouldn't have relaxed so much. The effects of the adrenaline are wearing off.) I stretched my arms, allowing my bones to crack.
Kota, for his part, looked at me in silence, his anger having been left aside a while ago. Curiosity and relief were what predominated in his expression.
It was difficult to know what was going through his head at that moment.
"Did you... do all this so I would trust you and forget the situation?" That was a question that took me by surprise, having to look at the boy twice to corroborate what I heard.
(Wow... that's amazing logic.) On the outside, I gave him a nod, indicating that he was correct. (And I only did it to make fun of him a little.) The curious things of everyday life, I suppose.
"...I see..." Not wanting to waste any more time, I took Kota in my arms and held him like a sack of potatoes. "Hey! What are you doing?!"
God... what a squeaky voice.
"We have to go back to the camp. Hold on tight and close your eyes. I'm not going to limit my speed for you." One For All surged through my body again, this time flowing at 30%. (I have to inform them about Bakugo's probable kidnapping, even if their priorities are different.)
With a leap, I began to fall in a nosedive, only to shoot a Blackwhip with which I could swing through the trees.
The speed at which I was going, combined with the sharp turns I was making, caused Kota to vomit.
"Hey! If I find out my shirt is stained, I'll send you to the stratosphere with a kick!" The threat didn't carry any annoyance in it. I was saying it purely to scare him a little more.
"I-I'm sor-sorry!" he replied between gags, being careful not to vomit this time.
(Yes, annoying children is definitely fun.) A smile took over my face. It was a good way to relax in such an environment. "You'd better be! You don't want to see me angry! Ask Bakugo, and you'll know!" Although on the outside, I continued to tease him.
I could see that there were no villains scattered in the areas I was moving through. Only the League had decided to attack this time.
Either that, or they didn't have the resources for another attack on the scale of the U.S.J.
(No... It's All For One we're talking about. That man has the loyalty of practically the majority of the underworld.) The fires diminished as I got closer to the center of the camp. (I really don't understand why they're limiting themselves to just their League. With more people here, they could have made an excellent disaster.) One For All reminded me of Twice, his Quirk, and how it works. (Did they trust Twice as a one-man army? It would make sense, but I expected more from Shigaraki.) My gaze turned completely serious as I thought about Tomura. I still couldn't fully understand the change he had undergone.
My intervention clearly played a key factor, but... to what extent?
One thing is to assume the changes, whether voluntary or involuntary, that will be generated by my existence here, but another very different thing is to see someone change so drastically after a single encounter.
Shigaraki matured during the original work, becoming a moderately respectable villain, one capable of earning the respect of all his followers equally.
And here, it seems that the exact same thing happened, but with a terrifyingly early timing.
(What a dilemma... I do nothing but screw up.) I made the Blackwhips disappear once I noticed that I had already reached the base of the camp. Aizawa and Mandalay were over some defeated Spinner and Magne. (That means Aizawa defeated the fake clones transformed into Dabi.) Another thing that happened correctly. It was a relief.
I fell to the ground, only to lower Kota from my shoulder and walk slowly towards them. I didn't want to cause misunderstandings. "Mr. Aizawa! Mandalay!" They directed their gazes towards me, with the heroine not wasting any time in running towards Kota and hugging him.
"You're okay, you're okay, you're okay!" Not wanting to get involved in a family reunion, I approached Aizawa.
"Sorry for the delay, but there were complications." He observed my state: the dried blood on my face and hands, shirt torn in different places. It wasn't hard to deduce what had happened.
"You fought, using your Quirk without my permission." He was a little annoyed by my response to the situation, but his concern was greater.
"I would have died if I had tried to run away, or even worse... Shoto would have died." I pointed to the forest in front of us. "They want to kidnap Bakugo. The villain I defeated informed me. It's obvious at this point that the League of Villains are the culprits. Allow us to use our Quirks in self-defense, or you'll lose students and my friends." I was insistent on the matter. I couldn't allow things to get worse than they already were.
He didn't like that they wanted to kidnap his student. His hair stood up for a moment from the activation of his Quirk. But he quickly calmed down; he knew he had to act with logic.
"Fine, I'll talk to Mandalay so she can communicate the new orders." He began to move towards the tearful woman but stopped for a moment to look at me out of the corner of his eye. "Do you know what this attack on us means?"
Of course I know. I even know the information broker.
"Yes... a spy. We're in serious trouble, Mr. Aizawa." I clenched my fists with some annoyance. Knowing that Aoyama was the culprit and not being able to do anything without raising suspicion is horrible.
"Nezu spoke with me. I know about your power and its consequences, Midoriya." The shock hit me hard. What the hell is that rat doing? "When this is over, we'll have a serious conversation."
"I-I... Fine, damn it, what is the principal thinking?" One thing was for a handful of people to know, but if they increased constantly, it would lose the point of being a secret.
"He's looking out for the best for his institution." After those words, he left to talk to Mandalay, giving her the new orders to follow.
(Everything is getting out of my hands. Can't I have a small moment of control?) I considered the idea of having Aizawa know about my power, being able to obtain much more freedom this way. (I'll think about it later.) Mandalay began to transmit the permission to use our Quirks, along with the alert of Bakugo's possible kidnapping.
One For All shot through my body again. I had to reunite with Shoto and the rest.
After a flash, I was no longer in the central field of the camp.
...
Extras, they were all damn, useless extras.
And yet, he was capable of causing him problems.
"Die, damn it!" Another explosion from his palms shot out towards the annoying villain who was attacking him.
He had nothing remarkable except for his disgusting teeth capable of elongating at will.
"Meat!" Oh yeah, and he didn't know how to say anything other than that damn word.
The trees around him had long since been burned by his attacks or cut down by his enemy.
(Another damn villain attack. How the hell did they know we would be here?) Quickly, he shoots an explosion to the side, avoiding being sliced in two. (Did they attack the rest of the extras too? Probably. If that weren't the case, Deku would already be here, bothering me.) Seeing his opportunity, he prepares an AP Shot, a technique that was still in the process of development. "Die!"
The concentrated shot goes straight to his enemy's chest, but that wasn't his target.
The elongated teeth get in his way, and they are the ones who suffer the consequences, being cut instantly.
"AAAHHHHH!" The scream of agony is annoying, and only because he's staying in the air, he doesn't cover his ears.
"Learn to find enemies of your level, you pathetic idiot!" He propels himself with his explosions towards the enemy, but his teeth grow back almost instantly. "What the hell?!" He manages to cut his movement in time, retreating to the ground so as not to tire his arms.
He's aware that there are Quirks with greater resistance than others, but not to such a degree.
A second ago, he was screaming in agony, and the next, he was ready to attack him again.
Such a rapid recovery didn't make sense...
(Unless he's under the effect of those shitty Quirk-enhancing drugs.) He had heard of them, being great tools for those whose powers were pathetic. (Of course, that's it. He's so useless he needs external tools to face me.) An arrogant smile spread across his face. He wouldn't get unnecessarily confident, but now he has an idea of what he's facing.
He needs a quick plan, maybe drop a good explosion on the lunatic's head. If he manages to knock him out, it won't matter what Quirk he has.
Yes... that's what he needs to do.
Not far from him, being a silent and curious spectator, Mr. Compress smiled.
...
Author's Note
Hey.
What did you think of the chapter?
With this one, there's less to go to close the camp arc, which excites me quite a bit because it means we'll soon be able to move on to the battle against All For One.
I decided to adapt Uraraka's perspective in the confrontation against Toga along with Tsuyu because I want to give her character more development throughout the chapters, if possible. I don't know how well it will turn out, but I'd rather try than be left with the doubt.
I also changed some of Toga's final dialogues, seeking to make them coherent with the friendly relationship that Uraraka maintains with the protagonist.
As for Aizawa, he now knows about One For All thanks to Nezu. I could explain the reason for that decision in detail, but to summarize: it seems extremely convenient for me that Eraserhead is aware of that secret. His Quirk can erase other gifts, and by adding it to the protagonist's raw power, they form a very useful duo. Besides, it gives me a lot of freedom to take the MC down different paths in the story.
Regarding Bakugo, I wanted to show his confrontation against Moonfish and at the same time the expectant gaze of Mr. Compress. I wrote it that way to make it clear that Todoroki has not yet reunited with Bakugo; there's no more mystery behind it.
The chapter could have been longer, but since I worked with several perspectives at once, I decided to divide it into two parts so it wouldn't become confusing.
Anyway, take care. See you.