A Hero's Resolve (Part 9)

"Dammit, where is he?!" Kirishima shouted those words as he kicked down another door. Momo and Mina ran past him, opening up the other doors. They were desperately trying to find Shigaraki. The longer the search took, the more likely it was that Shigaraki would escape. Mina looked around another room before running to catch up with Momo, Kirishima close to her. "If we call in the next wave, then we would find him faster." Momo turned towards Mina. "No! We stick to the plan!" Kirishima nodded. "This operation counts on Impact and Shoto handling Void while we take out Shigaraki. It's good that Endgame showed up in time to handle Twice, but we're already down by two members, given that we lost Tsukuyomi and Chargebolt on the way up here." Momo opened another door, once again finding nothing. "We just have to have faith that Chargebolt, Tsukuyomi, and Endgame can win their battles and link back up with us. Regardless, they're buying us time to complete the mission. We can't let them down."

Jason forced a smile. "Will you come quietly, or am I going to have to drag you out of here screaming and kicking?" Twice began chuckling. He raised his hands. "Neither outcome will come to fruition, fledgling hero." Jason dropped into a combat stance. "Come on. Bring out a clone of Shigaraki, or Dabi. I know that clones are only half as strong as the original, so there's nothing you can throw at me that I can't beat." Twice seemed to ponder this. Then he sighed. "...I know… I know how dangerous you are, Endgame… not only are your fighting abilities well beyond the League's, but you inspire everyone around you… you and the boss have that in common…" Twice reached up to his face and grabbed his mask, pulling it off of his head. Jason was shocked. Twice was a blonde haired man who appeared to be in his thirties. However, the most prominent feature was the massive scar running down his forehead, as if his head had been split open and sewn back together by an amatuer doctor. "...the boss once told me that I was his most valuable member… the one who allows the League of Villains to be everywhere at once… to do the impossible… the one who allows them to win…" Twice smiled a crazy smile. "No more demons, no more tricks, and no more holding back. In Shigaraki's eyes, you are the biggest threat to the League of Villains. By killing you, I will ensure both our survival and our superiority in this war." Twice held both hands out and created clones. However, they weren't clones of the other league of Villains members. These clones were of Twice in his full black and white suit. Those clones held up their hands and created clones as well. Then those clones made clones. Jason looked on in horror as the room became filled with clones of Twice. The original Twice, the only one without his mask, laughed maniacally. "This is it, Jason! Feel the wrath of the Sad Man's Parade!" All of the clones charged Jason. The young hero managed to fight them off for a short time, managing to kill them easily because of how weak the clones were. However, the sheer numbers were too much for a quirkless hero, and they eventually brought Jason down, continuing to beat him with a hundred fists.

Electricity sparked everywhere as Denki blasted Mr. Compress. However, the villain had come prepared. Mr. Compress brought out a blue orb and shattered it between his fingers, revealing a gold rod. The electricity was drawn towards the gold rod and, thanks to Mr. Compress's rubber gloves, left him completely unharmed. Denki swore. "First Shoto, now you? How many people are going to use conductors against me?" "We watched you all fight in the Sports Festival. We saw how you all exploited each other's weaknesses and most effectively used your strengths. Did you really think we wouldn't prepare for you?" Denki took a step back and prepared his electricity again. "I have to find a way to beat this guy and get back to the others."

Fatgum and Tamaki turned their heads towards the stairwell as the door burst open. Tokoyami tossed an unconscious Wake onto the floor. "One villain down." Fatgum smiled. "First catch of the day. Now I see why Impact was so adamant about bringing you in on this mission, Tsukuyomi: you are very efficient." Tamaki just looked down at Wake. There was a little bit of blood trickling down his face. "Tough battle?" "I lost control for a moment when I caught him, but it was necessary to prevent an attempted escape." Tokoyami looked around. "I see you've secured the lobby. I now see that the others weren't exaggerating when speaking about your skills." Fatgum laughed. "Oh, I just take the damage. Most of this was done by Suneater over there." Tamaki looked away, pulling his hood down over his face. Tokoyami nodded and turned back towards the stairwell. Fatgum put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait, where are you going?" "This operation isn't over yet. I'm going to catch up with the others." Fatgum was going to say something, but decided against it. He let go. "Good hunting, Tsukuyomi." Tokoyami nodded to the pro hero and sprinted back to the stairwell. "Dark Shadow!" "On it, boss!" Dark Shadow emerged and grabbed onto the stairwell, climbing through the center opening and dragging Tokoyami up with him.

Jason resisted, but he wasn't strong enough to stop the horde of clones. They had him pinned to the ground, arms and legs outstretched and on his stomach. They made him look up at the original Twice, who had yet to put his mask back on. He knelt down, holding a knife. "This is it. Without you, their leader, the wannabe heroes will be powerless to stop us." Jason squinted, trying to see Twice through the sun's glare. "This is for Muscular. For Moonfish. For Mustard." Wait, it wasn't the sun. Jason managed to turn his head just enough to look out the window. "I will have finally ended the mighty Endgame. Farewell, and I hope… that… you…?" Jason's eyes had widened. Twice finally looked out the window. The other clones looked as well. A large fireball was rushing towards the window. Everyone dove for cover as Endeavor, dressed in only hospital scrub pants, crashed through the window.