One for All (Part 12)

Iida was still running well after the sun had set. It was good that Katsuki agreed to take care of Eri. He had absolutely no idea where to have taken Eri if the blonde student had refused to protect her. The main UA building was now in sight. Smoke could be seen billowing above the treetops, and helicopters swarmed the skies above. The entire country, possibly the entire world, might be watching this battle at UA. Now was not the time to appear weak. Iida ran even faster, trying to get to his friends in time to help, if they weren't dead already.

Tokoyami fell backwards as the Nomu punched him. Dark Shadow had taken the brunt of the hit, given that he was using Abyssal Black Body. The Nomu outstretched its arm for another attack, but got slammed away by Itsuka's massive fist. She ran forward. Despite being covered in bruises, she wasn't going to let Tokoyami fight alone. The Nomu's attention turned towards her. As it swung its massive fist, itsuka slid underneath. She shrunk her hand back down to normal size. She stopped her slide when she was right in front of it and then enlarged her fist to the biggest form possible. The result was the Nomu sent flying backwards. Itsuka smiled, but it quickly turned into disappointment when she saw the Nomu land on its feet, relatively unscathed. Any damage done was healed before it even landed. Tokoyami saw this and tried standing up. As he did, he fell back down onto his knees. His body had taken too much damage. Despite Dark Shadow absorbing the hits, the Nomu's punches were still able to reach Tokoyami. This was by far the strongest foe he had ever faced. Still, if he didn't get back into the fight, Itsuka would be killed. Itsuka Enlarged both of her hands and spread her arms out. "Alright you bastard! Come on!" The Nomu charged right for her. Once it was close enough, she slammed her hands together, crushing it. She smiled again, but the Nomu slowly began to push against her hands, trying to free itself. Itsuka tried to keep her hands closed. Her strength grew the larger her hands were, but this Nomu was still stronger. Once the Nomu had enough space, it generated two additional arms underneath the originals. Itsuka's eyes widened in panic as she watched this happen. The two extra arms began to grow and speed towards her. One slammed right into her gut and the other right into her face. She was sent flying backwards, blood splattering the ground as she hit it and rolled.

Tokoyami stared at itsuka. She wasn't moving. He averted his eyes to the blood on the ground. His body went numb as his mind went blank. His vision began to blur. "...no… why… how…?" He clenched his fists so hard that his palms began to bleed. Tokoyami didn't seem to realize or care as he slowly rose to his feet. "...Itsuka…" Over the last few years at UA, he had always worked to control his rage. He never wanted to run the risk of Dark Shadow taking control of him. If Dark Shadow ever took over, he would turn on his friends and attack them as if they were the most dangerous villain. This danger became ever more likely in the dark, where sunlight couldn't keep him in check. However, in this very moment, Tokoyami couldn't keep control, and it was the first time that he purposefully let himself go. With a mighty roar, Dark Shadow expanded and consumed the fledgeling hero. The Nomu's attention quickly turned towards Tokoyami. Dark Shadow had completely taken over now. Itsuka managed to open an eye to see what was happening. "...no…"

Dark Shadow swiftly crushed the Nomu, shaking the ground with its enormous fist. The Nomu was quick to regenerate, which only seemed to anger Dark Shadow even more. "Die!" Dark Shadow attacked with both fists. The ground quaked with every hit. Itsuka slowly pushed herself up so she could watch what was happening. When Dark Shadow finally stopped attacking, it could see the Nomu was reduced to a puddle. Its head has been crushed at some point in the attack. Dark Shadow roared, not yet satisfied. It shifted its gaze to Itsuka. The young woman quickly got up, already aware of what was about to happen. Dark Shadow began rushing towards her. Itsuka raised her guard, ready for the end.

"Tokoyami!" Dark Shadow stopped just short of striking Itsuka. It's head slowly turned towards the shout. Jason walked up, limping slightly. "We put our lives on the line for you, train with you for years, and you repay us by attacking us! She's your friend, you son of a bitch!" Itsuka tensed up, thinking Jason was about to die. However, it appeared as if his words were reaching Dark Shadow and Tokoyami. Dark Shadow's massive form turned to Jason, but didn't attack. Jason smirked, as if an idea popped into his head. "You want to crush the one responsible for all of this, right?! You want to kill the bastard who sent those Nomu after your friends?!" Dark Shadow's interest had peaked. Jason pointed in the direction he came from. "If you do, All for One is that way!" Dark Shadow looked in that direction and, with another roar, rushed towards All for One.

Jason jogged over and helped Itsuka up. "Are you ok?" "...yea… I just… need a second to breathe…" Jason nodded. "Alright, take a break. When you're done, fall back and help with the evacuation." Jason started to jog after Dark Shadow. Itsuka looked up at him. "Where are you going?" "I'm heading back to the battle. If Chris can't stop All for One, then we have to." Itsuka nodded. After taking a second to catch her breath, she shook off whatever pain was in her arms and started running after Jason. He was about to say something to stop her, but didn't. The fact she was here and fighting with them in the first place meant she was as stubborn as he was. He smiled and jogged with her.