MHA: Hands on, Quirks Up!

We reached the edge of the windstorm zone after a few minutes of walking. From there, the central plaza and entrance platform came into view.

Shoji and Sato were already back, standing alert with Momo and Tokoyami. I could make out Sero and Jiro moving steadily toward them, with Kirishima and Ojiro between them. Everyone looked scraped up and soaked in sweat, but they were moving.

A set of tentacles extended outward: one eye watched as Todoroki stood beside a wall of ice, calmly interrogating some half-frozen villains. Another tracked Bakugo, who dragged a half-conscious Kaminari toward the plaza, the latter flashing a lazy thumbs-up and grinning like a moron.

With an eye and an ear from the tips of the third and fourth tentacles, I focused on the most important scene.

Midoriya, Asui, and Mineta had made it to the shore. But instead of heading for the exit, they were crouched behind rubble, staring across the plaza.

In front of them was the problem.

Aizawa was still fighting, if it could even be called a fight. It was more like a beating. His scarf hung in tatters, blood dripped from the side of his face, and he was struggling to get back up. Nomu loomed over him with a hand on the back of his head.

Kurogiri hovered just behind Tomura, speaking calmly. "One of the students escaped, the one with the engine legs. The school will be alerted, and the other heroes—"

"Ugh, Kurogiri, you worthless idiot!" Tomura snapped, throwing a hand out like it was his day that had been ruined. "That's it, we're done here. Game over."

"No All Might. No 'Symbol of Peace.' Just brat after brat," he muttered, more to himself than anyone. "I fucking hate this school."

He cracked his knuckles and let out a short giggle. A sound that didn't belong anywhere near this kind of bloodshed. 

His head turned.

Right to the three huddled students.

Mineta looked like he was trying to summon every ounce of courage to stand in front of Asui, but he didn't. Asui was tense, crouching a little. Midoriya's hands twitched. I could see it on his face, he was about to act. Do something reckless. None of them stood a chance, not like this.

I'd waited long enough.

I stopped walking.

"Uraraka, Hagakure!" I barked, my voice sharper now. "Get to the entrance. Now. Regroup with the others."

They both flinched.

"What? Why? What's going on—?"

I saw Tomura sauntering over to Asui. His hand raised, slow and deliberate.

"There's no time to explain." 

I dropped into a low crouch and pressed my fingers to the rubber segment on my belt, absorbing it instantly as I reshaped my legs. Spring-like coils snapped into place. Then I channeled the power of One For All into my calves.

The ground cracked beneath me, deep fractures spidering out from the pressure point.

With a blast of speed, I shot across the plaza in a blur of wind and momentum, carving an arc across the battlefield.

I landed with a thud, barely a foot away from Tomura. His hand was inches from Asui's face.

Before he could react, I grabbed his wrist, yanked him backward, and slammed my fist across his hand-mask with the full force of my momentum.

The blow hit hard.

His body flew, limbs flailing as he skidded across the stone like a ragdoll. He rolled before tumbling to a stop near Nomu's feet. He wheezed, pressing up on one elbow as he dragged himself up to one knee, blood running from his nose.

"Heroes… always so quick to violence," he rasped, tilting his head with a scratchy breath. "You pretend you're better, but all of you are just monsters in nicer clothes." He continued scratching at his neck with twitchy fingers now. "It's rude, you know. I didn't even finish my sentence. We were just having a conversation, nobody respects the rules anymore."

What a childish voice. Whiny. Like a brat who just lost at a game and wanted to blame the controller or the nonexistent lag.

I didn't bother wasting my breath on him.

Nomu didn't move. It just stood there above Aizawa, like it hadn't seen me at all.

Weird. Why didn't it block for him?

Maybe it had a defense response that only reacted to threats that crossed a certain threshold. I wasn't aiming to kill Tomura at that moment; it was just a particularly hard punch.

Didn't matter. I got what I wanted.

I clenched my fist slightly.

Earlier, I made sure to touch Tomura before punching him away. Just a second's contact. But the moment I connected, I felt that familiar feeling inside me.

That will be my weapon to deal with Nomu.

Tomura's fingers scratched the hand on his face, his voice tinged with irritation. "Nomu. Kill him."

Before the hulking beast could move, I snapped out a command: "Midoriya! Focus your Quirk into a single finger. Flick it right at the guy with the hands on his face!"

He was startled. "W-what? But—"

"Do it now!"

He didn't hesitate again. He focused all of the power into his middle finger.

"Delaware SMASH!"

The shockwave tore a trench through the ground, a spiral of raw force that shattered everything in its path on the way to Tomura.

Nomu stopped its charge toward me and intercepted the blast.

A thick plume of dust burst upward from the impact.

At the same time, I dashed forward with One For All surging through my legs. In a single breath, I crossed the plaza and knelt beside Aizawa. Blood clung to his face, one eye barely open.

"I've got you." I muttered, slipping an arm beneath his shoulders. I started tugging once more.

Four.

That's four quirks now. Three was the safe limit, but I was only one over. It shouldn't be anything too bad.

I scooped him up carefully and sprinted back to the rest of the group. Didn't think about the way my jaw tightened for no reason. Or how I wanted to hit something. Someone. Good thing I have a convenient target.

When the dust settled, Nomu stood tall, completely unharmed. Midoriya's middle finger, on the other hand, dangled uselessly.

Mineta's voice cracked. "W-what do we do now?"

So fucking annoying. It's obvious, you're all worthless. Just run, scream, and cry.

No, focus.

I took a short breath before meeting his eyes. "Listen very carefully. You three need to leave. Take Aizawa-sensei with you and get back to the entrance. Once you're there, tell the other students to run away."

Midoriya stiffened. "Wait! But what about you?"

Stop asking questions, just obey me.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, firm and steady. Still stable, that was good.

"There's no need to worry."

His eyes were wide, confused. So goddamn slow. He didn't get it, never does and never will.

I looked him dead in the eye. I didn't wait for a reaction; I just kept my posture calm and forced a smile on my face.

"Because…"

I let the words hang in the air—measured, powerful, and deliberate.

No one else was going to step up. Not here, not now. This was it, burn it in. Memorize it. Have flashbacks to it for the rest of your life.

Midoriya will remember this. That was the whole point. He better remember.

"I am here."