Chapter 15 - The Heroes

The entire USJ was silent as All Might marched through the front gate. Even the attacking villains stopped and stared in awe and terror at the Symbol of Peace. But something was different about All Might this time.

He wasn't smiling.

All Might was cursing himself on the way here, and hadn't stopped since he reached the USJ. I can't believe all this went down while I was resting, he thought angrily. He had not been able to raise Aizawa or Thirteen on their phones and had grown worried. The Principal had encouraged him to rest, and not to worry, but All Might couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Gathering enough strength as he could muster, he made his way to the USJ, running into a frantic and frightened Iida along the way.

I hate to think of how frightened these children must be, he thought shamefully, looking down at the heavily damaged Thirteen as he passed. And how hard my colleagues had to fight in order to protect them. The only thing I can do now is to reassure them that everything is going to be ok. That is my duty as the Symbol of Peace. He reached up to his tie and tore it from his neck, casting the shreds aside. He was going to make sure these villains paid for their transgression.

Shigaraki and Nomu seemed to have lost complete interest in Izuku and his friends. Nomu had released Izuku, and Asui had pulled him to safety. "After all this waiting," said Shigaraki. "The heroic piece of trash shows up."

"Holy crap, it's All Might!" Said one of the Villains.

"I've never seen him in person before," said another. "I didn't expect him to be so huge!"

"This is no time to talk, you idiots," shouted a steel-armed villain. "If we're quick we can kill -"

In the blink of an eye, the villains were incapacitated. All Might still moved at blinding speed, even with his injury. Izuku knew he must be pushing himself past his limit, but did a great job at hiding it. He made his way towards Shigaraki and Nomu, looking towards the barely conscious Aizawa.

"Took you long enough," said Aizawa.

"I'm sorry," said All Might. "I should have been here." In another flash, Izuku found himself being carried away from the villains. All Might had carried all of them, including the injured Aizawa, away to safety. "Everybody back to the entrance," he said. "And take Aizawa with you. He doesn't have much time." Mineta and Asui obeyed at once, running towards the entrance, supporting Aizawa as they went. Izuku, however, stayed put. This was the second time that All Might had saved him from certain death.

"All Might," Izuku began. But he was interrupted. Shigaraki seemed to be in the middle of a conniption fit. He had his hand covering his face, the force of All Might's speed knocking his mask off. "No, no, no!" He said angrily. "It wasn't supposed to go this way." He knelt down and picked up the severed hand that dropped from his face. "He's still fast, father. Somehow he managed to hit me." He placed his mask back on and sighed.

"Of course a government hero relies on violence," he said. "I wasn't prepared. I couldn't even see him when he moved. But he's not as fast as I thought he would be. Not as fast as he used to be. I guess its true after all." A perverse smile broke out across Shigaraki's face beneath his mask. "All Might really is getting weaker."

Izuku swallowed. His fear was confirmed. They somehow knew that All Might was losing his power, and were planning on using that to their advantage with Nomu, who was undoubtedly at it's physical prime. "All Might," he said. "You can't fight him! I threw enough explosives at the brain villain to destroy a building, and it didn't even phase him at all. He's too strong -"

"Young Midoriya," Said All Might, holding up a hand, his trademark smile returning. "I got this." Without another word, he charged towards Shigaraki. " Carolina. . ."

"Nomu," said Shigaraki.

"SMASH!!"

Nomu had stepped in front of Shigaraki just in time, unaffected from the force of All Might's smash. The Nomu let out a guttural, high-pitched sound as it's wandering eyes focused on All Might. It lunged at him, trying to grab him. All Might ducked under his arms, following up with a haymaker to its torso. "I guess Midoriya wasn't wrong saying you were strong," he said. "Let's try this!" He began to lay a barrage of attacks to the Nomu's face, each one stronger than the last. The Nomu still seemed unfazed, continuing its attempts to seize him.

"Nomu has shock absorption, All Might," said Shigaraki. "The only way you are going to hurt him is to slowly gouge out his flesh. Of course, I don't think he'll sit back and let you do that." He giggled with glee. "You've finally met your match, All Might."

"Thanks for telling me how to beat him!" Said All Might, getting behind Nomu and throwing him into a suplex. "All I have to do is wear him down, and it's on to you!"

Izuku shielded himself from the blast of All Might's suplex, dust and debris flowing upward and out into a cloud around them. Izuku didn't want to stay on the sidelines, but he didn't dare get involved. They were moving so fast it was hard to see, and if he tried to help, he would just get in the way, or worse, be taken hostage. The best he could do was get to a safe distance and try to help the others escape. As much as he hated him, he had no choice but to put his faith in All Might. Izuku took out his grapple gun, looking for a good place to zipline away. But before he could, he looked in horror towards All Might and the Nomu as the dust settled.

The Warp villain was back, and he had used his quirk to bring warp the nomu through the ground, his head sticking out a few feet below All Might, finally allowing the creature to grab hold of him. What's worse, he was grabbing him right on his injury. Blood began to seep from All Might's mouth and side where Nomu's large fingers began to bury themselves deeper.

"You were trying to bury him in the concrete so he couldn't move anymore," said Shigaraki. "But that won't work. Nomu's as strong as you are. That won't stop him." He turned to the warp villain. "Nice work Kurogiri. We have him right where we want him."

All Might let go of the Nomu and began to struggle at it's hand, trying to remove it's fingers from his side. The Nomu began to sink deeper into the warp gate, until All might was sticking halfway out of it. "Normally I wouldn't want blood and viscera flooding the insides of my warp gates," said Kurogiri. "But I'll make an exception for a hero as great as you." The gate began to close around All Might, who grunted in pain as it grew tighter. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you to pieces."

Izuku couldn't go now. No matter the cost, no matter how he felt about him, he wasn't going to let them kill All Might.

He launched the grapple hook towards Kurogiri, latching onto his armor. He growled in surprise and anger as the grapple line reeled him in towards Izuku, who, upon reaching him, slammed his armor into the ground. Shigaraki flinched in surprise as his trump card disappeared from his side.

As if on queue, a path of ice quickly crept across the ground, freezing the Nomu's entire right side in ice. It was Todoroki. "One of your poorly trained thugs told me you're here because you think you can kill All Might," he said. With the Nomu frozen and Kurogiri subdued, All Might loosened the monster's grip on him and thrust himself towards his two students. Shigaraki looked up in alarm as he saw Kirishima flying towards him, narrowly dodging his oncoming attack. Kurogiri tried to move under Izuku's hand, but Izuku pressed down harder on his armored body.

"Don't even think about it," Izuku snarled, taking a stun-gun from his belt and sticking it against the villain's armor plating. Electricity seared around the villain, who roared in pain as his dark mist sputtered and flared erratically. "This is enough electricity to stop the hearts of five men. Interesting that a being made of mist has to wear armor. You must be protecting some kind of body under there. Try to move an inch again and I'll zap you into your next life." Kurogiri growled in frustration, but did not move.

"Kurogiri," said Shigaraki irritably. "How could you let this brat get the better of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here." He scratched his neck inquisitively. "They escaped uninjured and captured my two strongest men. Kids these days really are amazing. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs. Can't have that. Nomu," he added, turning to the creature. The creature pulled itself through the warp gate and tried to stand. There was a sickening crunching sound and the creature's frozen arm and leg broke off. Izuku blanched. How was this thing still moving?

The creature's eyes rolled back into its head. The ice broke off from his body, and new muscle began to sprout from his body, replacing his missing appendages.

"What is this?" Said All Might. "I thought you said his quirk was shock-absorption?"

"I didn't say that was his only quirk," sneered Shigaraki. "Nomu has been modified to take you on even at 100% of your power. He's basically a highly-efficient punching bag that hits back." Shigaraki turned to Izuku. "First we need to free our method of escape. Nomu."

The Nomu was fast. Very fast. As fast as All Might, maybe even faster. Before he could even blink, Izuku heard what sounded like an explosion, and was thrown away from his captive, hitting the ground hard where his friends stood. Kirishima rushed to his side, helping him up. When Izuku stood to get his bearings back, he saw the Nomu was standing by Shigaraki, with the Warp Villain Kurogiri in hand. All Might was gone.

"What happened?" Said Kirishima. "Where's All Might?"

He was answered by a cough coming from the shattered wall behind them. A cloud of dust billowed around the rubble and debris, dissipating slowly to reveal a panting All Might, his once nice suit and shirt torn and frayed from the Nomu's attack. Izuku began to understand. The Nomu hadn't thrown him, All Might had protected him from it's attack.

"These are kids," said All Might. "These are kids and you didn't hold back?!"

"I didn't have much choice," said Shigaraki. "He was threatening my companion. Besides, these kids are no angels." He held up his bloodied hand, nodding towards Izuku. "This brat stabbed me with one of his throwing knives. This won't heal overnight, you know, and will more than likely cause permanent damage. What kind of hero does something like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others. That pisses me off. Why do some people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgement on what's 'good' and what's 'evil'. You think you're the Symbol of Peace? You're just another government-sponsored instrument of violence. And violence always breeds more violence."

All Might did not look convinced. "You're nothing but a lunatic," he spat back. "Criminals like you; you always try to make your actions sound noble. But you're only doing this because you like it. Isn't that right?" Shigaraki didn't answer, but his silence spoke volumes. All Might had him figured out.

"Kirishima, Todoroki," said Izuku quietly. "Wait for my signal." They nodded to him.

All Might clenched his teeth. He only had little more than a minute in this form. His power was declining rapidly, more so than he anticipated. He had to stop these villains and save these kids no matter the cost. But he had to do it fast.

"Nomu, Kurogiri, kill him," said Shigaraki. "I'll deal with the children. Let's clear this level and -"

Shigaraki was interrupted by a loud "BOOM!" beside the Nomu. Kurogiri shrieked in pain as the back of his plate armor erupted in an explosion of flames and smoke, sending him flying over the heads of All Might and the students. Izuku was holding a detonator behind his back. The mine he had placed on Kurogiri's armor had worked perfectly.

"Kurogiri!!" Shigaraki shouted. "No, no, no, NO!!"

"NOW!!"

With lightning speed, Izuku ziplined over to Shigaraki, knocking him off his feet with a flying kick. Shigaraki turned to see why the Nomu wasn't there to protect him, but saw that it's legs were once again encased in ice, preventing it from moving. Shigaraki clambered to his feet, narrowly dodging an onslaught of attacks by Kirishima and Izuku. He was faster than them, but only just. All Might seized his chance and charged the Nomu. Wrapping his arms around the monster's torso, he ripped it from it's ice entrapment and flung it into the air. Leaping up with it, they began a flurry of simultaneous attacks against each other, each punch an explosion of kinetic energy and power.

Izuku and Kirishima continued their fight with Shigaraki, who began to sweat. Kurogiri was nowhere in sight. Their way out was once again taken from them, and the pros could be here any minute. These brats were stronger than even he had anticipated, and the green-haired one had managed to out-maneuver him. That pissed him off. That pissed him off a lot.

The USJ shook violently as All Might and the Nomu returned to ground below in their struggle, sending a powerful shockwave that sent Shigaraki and the students flying. Izuku grabbed onto Kirishima and shot a grapple hook into a nearby support beam. Todoroki put up a pillar of ice, protecting him from the blast. Shigaraki flipped in midair, steadying himself and landing several meters away from where he was.

All Might and the Nomu's fists collided together. The Nomu's arm seemed to buckle under the force of All Might's blow, but he quickly recovered. Their blows continued, but All Might's began to slow. The creature took advantage of his momentary lapse and began to land its heavy fists on All Might's bloodied side. The Symbol of Peace faltered, trying to rally, increasing his attacks, but the Nomu was able to meet them easily.

This is bad, thought Izuku. He's almost out of time. His blows are getting weaker. If this keeps up the Nomu's gonna kill him!

"Todoroki!" Shouted Izuku to his comrade. "Use your ice!"

"They're moving too fast!" Said Todoroki. "I can't risk hitting All Might!"

"Your time is over, Symbol of Peace!" Shouted Shigaraki shrilly. "You're old, your weak, and you're brats are next!"

The Nomu landed another blow onto All Might, sending him to the ground below. The Nomu slammed his large foot onto All Might's head, pinning him to the ground. All Might struggled to remove it, but it was too strong. Dammit! Thought All Might. My power is decreasing. I can't get this guy off me. This was looking bad. Very bad. The children were in danger. If he couldn't stop this beast they would surely die. He couldn't fail them, not now. But the Nomu didn't let up, and All Might could hear his bones cracking, his blood flowing freely, and Shigaraki laughing in perverse glee.

There was a huge crashing explosion and a flash of light, and the Nomu was knocked backwards with tremendous force. Shigaraki's laughs were abruptly cut short, replaced instead by angry confusion. "NOMU!" He shouted. "How? What could possibly hurt my Nomu!" He turned to find the source of the blast, and his question was answered.

Rolling through the opened gates of the USJ was an enormous, tank-like vehicle. It was heavily armored, with huge treaded wheels and various assorted mounted weapons, smoke emanating from the largest sitting atop it.

"What the hell is that?!" shouted Shigaraki in surprise. Izuku recognized it on the spot.

It was the Batmobile.

" Batman!!" Shouted Izuku, waving his arms. "We're down here!!"

The Batmobile rolled forward down the steps towards them. The remaining villains watching the fight between All Might and Nomu began attacking it. The Batmobile fired it's various railguns mounted to it, mowing the villains down. Izuku knew they were only rubber bullets, but they still wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. As the Batmobile reached ground level, more people came through the entrance behind it: the UA teachers, lead by none other than their class rep, Iida.

"Our first priority is the safety of the students," said Principal Nezu. The teachers broke off and started rounding up and beating the remaining villains scattered about the USJ.

The Nomu emerged from the wreckage, seemingly unscathed. The Batmobile launched more rockets, and the Nomu was thrown backwards several more times. Izuku gasped. Each rocket was powerful enough to levy buildings, and with each blast, the Nomu was thrown backwards further and further. It's shock absorption quirk was weakening. This meant that it wasn't limitless. It could be hurt after all.

"Are you going to lay there all day, All Might?" Izuku heard Bruce's voice projected over the Batmobile's speakers. "Or are you going to finish this monster?"

As if on queue, All Might stood from the crater made from Nomu's attacks. "I was only catching my breath," said All Might. "Thanks for warming him up for me, Bats."

All Might, having got his second wind, rushed the Nomu in a flash. "You may be able to match me at 100%," said All Might. "But not when I crank it up to 1,000,000%!!" All Might's blows became quicker, and the Nomu wasn't able to catch up, with each blow landing it's speed and durability decreased. All Might threw an uppercut, launching the Nomu into the air. Following closely behind it, the Nomu tried to strike All Might, who grabbed its arm and threw it with tremendous force into the ground below.

"This can't be happening!" Shouted Shigaraki angrily.

"Now for a lesson," said All Might. "You may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean." As the Nomu struggled to its feet, All Might reared back, placing every last ounce of power he had left into this final blow. "Go beyond. . . Plus -" He launched his fist into the Nomu's abdomen. The blow erupted into a flash of light, the kinetic energy from All Might's sheer power unleashing into it.

"ULTRA!"

The Nomu was launched into the air, crashing outside of the USJ outer walls, and disappearing from sight into the distance.

Shigaraki stared at the hole in the wall where his Nomu was launched through. His gaze fell back upon All Might, on the Batmobile, and on the students.

"He cheated," he snarled angrily.

Black mist began to swirl around him. "Tomura Shigaraki," said Kurogiri. His armor was broken and fractured, but otherwise intact. He was struggling to control his mist, which frayed and sputtered erratically from his armor. "We cannot win this, we have to leave!"

"But I - Argh!!" Shigaraki screeched in pain. The Hero Snipe had shot him several times. He collapsed in a heap, and Kurogiri swirled around him, trying to open a warp gate. He turned his gaze towards All Might.

"I may have failed to kill you this time," said Shigaraki. "But your days are numbered. All Might, Symbol of Peace, I will kill you!"

The warp gate closed. They were gone.

The top hatch of the Batmobile opened up, and Batman leaped out of it with ease. Izuku ran towards him. "You're here!" He said. "I thought you were in Gotham. How did you know?"

"The Watchtower teleported me here," said Batman. "The Batcomputer lost track of you an hour ago, and I wasn't able to reach you on your comlink. I knew something was wrong." He looked Izuku up and down. "But you look no worse for wear. Looks like your training wasn't a total waste. Nice work, kid." He looked over towards Kirishima and Todoroki, the former looking starstruck and the latter as passive as usual. Batman simply nodded, and turned back towards the Batmobile. "I expect a full report on what happened here," he said before jumping back into the Batmobile. It roared back to life and drove off through the front gate, the sound of its engines growing softer as it drove further away.

Kirishima placed his hands on Izuku's shoulders, beaming at him. "That was so cool!!" He said happily. Izuku couldn't help but laugh.

Shigaraki spilled onto the floor of the hideout, a darkened dive bar, his blood seeping onto the floor. "Shot in both arms and legs," he grunted angrily. "All those underlings wiped out. Even Nomu was beaten!" He struggled as he tried to lift himself up, but the pain was too great. "We failed. Those kids were so strong! And the Symbol of Peace wasn't weakened at all."

He lifted his head towards the television at the end of the bar table before him. "You were wrong master! So wrong!"

"No," a voice that came out of the television replied. "I wasn't. We just weren't as prepared as we should have been."

"I agree," said a second voice. "We underestimated them. Thankfully we failed under that cheap 'League of Villains' name and not our own. And what about the creature the Master and I created? Where is Nomu?"

"Yes," said the first voice. "Why is he not with you?"

"He was blown away," said Kurogiri.

" What? " Said the second voice incredulously.

"It was All Might's doing," said Kurogiri. "And the interference of some upstart in a tank we didn't foresee. I believe one of the students called him 'Batman.'"

"Batman?" Said the first voice. "Interesting."

"Without the precise coordinates to his location, I couldn't use my warp to bring Nomu with us," said Kurogiri. "We didn't have any time to search for him."

"This is a travesty!" Said the second voice angrily. "And after all we did to make him as powerful as All Might!"

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped," said the first voice. "Unfortunately."

"Power," said Shigaraki. "That reminds me, one of the children didn't use a quirk. I don't think he actually had one. Yet he was still able to help protect All Might and even subdue Kurogiri twice."

"Oh?" Said the first voice, interested.

"If he hadn't gotten in our way," Shigaraki clawed at the floor angrily. "We might have killed the Symbol of Peace!" Images of Izuku flashed through Shigaraki's mind. "That brat. That brat! "

"Naturally, you're upset," said the first voice. "But this was not a futile mission. We learned many things. Gather the villainous elite. Take all the time you need. I need to remain hidden in the shadows, which is why I need you to be my face. A symbol of your own. Tomura Shigaraki, next time you will show the world why it should be afraid of you."