Chapter 38 - Taken

If Aizawa had been a second slower in his reaction time, he would have been engulfed in flames.

As he saw the villain in the corner of his eye, he had a split-second to leap out of the way of the flames. As the blast faded, the villain Taking his opponent's momentary surprise to his advantage, Aizawa used his quirk to erase the villain's flames and entangled him in his bindings. He pulled the villain upward and threw him hard against the ground. Aizawa wasted no time, leaping onto him and pinning him to the ground.

"Who are you?" He snapped. "How many are with you?"

"How many of whom?" Said the villain snidely. Aizawa snapped the villain's arm at the elbow. He let out a loud grunt in pain, but didn't scream.

"Your right arm is next," Said Aizawa. "Be logical about this, and at least save your legs. It would be a real pain to have to carry you off to prison without them."

"Tell me, Eraserhead," Said the Villain. "You worried for your students? Do you think you'll be able to save them all?" Suddenly, the villain melted into a puddle of grey sludge, right before Aizawa's eyes. He leapt backward abruptly, considering what he just saw.

"Mr. Aizawa!"

Aizawa turned to see Iida, Koda, Mineta and Ojiro approaching him. He breathed a sigh of relief to see that they were safe.

"What was that?" Shouted Ojiro.

"Did that guy just melt?!" Said Mineta

"Get inside, now!" Shouted Aizawa, taking off into the forest. "I'll be back!" He had to get to the others quickly. If he interpreted the villain's words correctly, that meant the students were the targets this time. This meant they had no other choice available to them. Unlicensed or not, they had to fight to defend their lives.

"Mandalay!"

Aizawa stopped in his tracks. There was a voice coming from his right. He recognized it as Mandalay's young ward, Kota. He ran in the direction of the voice until he found its source. The boy was running through the forest alone.

"Kota!" Shouted Aizawa. "What are you doing out here?"

"Mr. Aizawa!" Shouted Kota, running up to him.

"Let's get you to safety," Said Aizawa, grabbing him by the hand. But Kota stood his ground.

"No!" Said Kota. "You have to help Midoriya!"

"Why? What happened?" Said Aizawa, alarmed.

"He stopped a villain from trying to hurt me," He said. "But now he's fighting another one. He told me to run and get to safety."

"Where is he?" said Aizawa.

"On the hill, on the edge of the forest," Said Kota. "It's my hideout. Please, sir, you have to help him!"

"First, I have to get you back to camp," Said Aizawa. He scooped up Kota and began to run back to Vlad King and the others at the community center. He was concerned about Midoriya, but if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that the student of Batman could take care of himself. Still, he had one ace up his sleeve. He pulled out a small communication device from one of his belt pouches and pressed it, holding it up to his ear.

"Wayne."

"Bruce," Said Aizawa. "We have a situation."

"I'm honored that you know who I am," said Deathstroke.

Izuku eyed the villain cautiously. He had honored Izuku's request to let Kota go safely, and his demeanor was calm, almost friendly. Izuku wasn't fooled. The subject of a failed super-soldier experiment, he was a dangerous, murderous mercenary who sold his services to the highest bidder. He was a genius-level tactician, weapons master and martial artist. Injured and fatigued from his battle with Muscular, Izuku knew he didn't stand a chance against him.

Not that he had any choice.

"You're surprised?" Said Izuku.

"Not at all," Said Deathstroke. "You must also know what happened the last time I faced a Robin."

"I'm not Robin," Said Izuku.

"Perhaps not," Said Deathstroke, drawing his sword. "Let's put that to the test."

With lightning speed, Deathstroke lunged at Izuku, who barely had time to dodge his incoming attacks. Izuku didn't have his armor and gauntlets, so he didn't have the protection they afforded him. Deathstroke was fast and strong, and as his sword sliced through the air, he knew that if it hit him it would easily cut him down like butter. Izuku lunged back, drawing two batarangs from his belt and throwing them at his enemy. Deathstroke parried them effortlessly.

"You'll have to do better than that," He said, kicking Izuku hard in the ribs. "Impress me, boy!"

Izuku gasped for air, trying to steady himself. His vision was blurred and he was struggling to stay standing. This fight was different from Muscular, who relied on sheer strength and brute force to win his battle. This man was smarter, faster, and much more skilled. Izuku changed tactics. He drew his collapsible staff from his belt, parrying Deathstroke's sword and using its momentum to carry the blade forward, allowing him to kick it out of his enemy's hand.

"That's more like it!" Said Deathstroke, drawing his own staff. "Fight like your life depends on it!"

"What does the League want with me?!" Said Izuku, continuing to exchange blows.

"It's not my business to ask questions, kid," Said Deathstroke. "All I care about is the fact that losing another son will cripple Batman."

"I won't let that happen!" Said Izuku.

"You don't have a choice," Deathstroke shot back. "Batman can't save you this time."

Deathstroke drew several blades from his belt and threw them at Izuku, who felt them breeze past him as he leapt out of the way. In response, he threw several explosive batarangs, with Deathstroke avoiding each one effortlessly. The two warriors charged, locking their staves together in a struggle. Izuku was injured, and his opponent was stronger, and was quickly overpowered. Deathstroke seized Izuku by the throat, slamming him against the stone cliff behind him.

Izuku struggled against his captor, who threw several blows into Izuku's abdomen and face. Izuku had to get free before he lost consciousness. He drew a small pellet from his belt and threw it at their feet, smoke erupting seconds later. Slightly stunned, Deathstroke released Izuku, who seized his chance to land a kick squarely to his face.

"Surprising," Said Deathstroke. "But not good enough." He drew a machine pistol from his side and opened a burst fire through the smoke. Izuku hit the dirt, but not before a few bullets struck him in the arm and shoulder. Izuku attempted to swipe his foe's feet from under him, but Deathstroke was one step ahead, bounding over him and driving his knee hard down on Izuku's chest, pinning him to the ground. Izuku struggled against him, but with the weight of his injuries and the strength of his opponent, it was useless.

"You fought well, boy, under the circumstances," said Deathstroke. "I'm not going to kill you, but I can't say the same for -"

Deathstroke paused as something wrapped around his chest and arms, restricting his movement. In a second, he was lifted off Izuku and thrown several meters away, landing hard on the ground below. Izuku recognized those bindings immediately.

"Get away from my student," Said Aizawa, standing between Deathstroke and Izuku.

"Mr. Aizawa," Izuku said weakly.

"Midoriya, you and I are going to have a long talk about taking unnecessary risks," said Aizawa, picking Izuku up. "We need to get you out of here."

"Behind you!" Shouted Izuku.

A sword cut through the air where Aizawa's head used to be seconds before ducking. Without missing a beat, Aizawa landed a hard kick to Deathstroke's chest, who corrected himself seamlessly with a back handspring.

"Grab hold, Midoriya," Said Aizawa, throwing his binding at Izuku. Grabbing tightly, Aizawa threw Izuku forward towards Deathstroke, who twisted into a spinning kick, landing squarely on Deathstroke's mask, cracking it in two and knocking the villain over. He bounded up without hesitation, reached up and discarded the broken mask, revealing the man underneath. He was older, middle-aged with white-sheet hair and an eyepatch over his right eye.

"Nice moves," said Deathstroke, drawing a second sword as Aizawa and Izuku encircled him. "But don't think for a second that this fight is over. I hope your reflexes are fast enough." He pulled a pineapple grenade from his belt and tossed it at their feet. Aizawa instinctively grabbed Izuku with his bindings and threw him out of the way of the blast radius, down towards the forest area.

Izuku looked back as he flew through the air only to see the explosion from where he was seconds before Aizawa threw him. He couldn't see Aizawa or Deathstroke. He was falling fast and would soon hit the ground. Twisting quickly to position himself, he hit hard against the top of an evergreen tree before falling and hitting nearly every tree branch down to the trunk, finally hitting the ground hard and losing consciousness.

"This is all your fault, Spinner!" Shouted Magne. She and Spinner were finally apprehended and subdued by Mandalay and Tiger. Stan continued to struggle against Mandalay as she pinned him to the ground and placed him in cuffs.

"This isn't defeat!" He shouted. "Stain endures! Do you hear me?! His will is alive and well right here. I embody it! I will purge you degenerate heroes to avenge his name!"

"Will you shut up, already!" Said Mandalay.

"Yes," said a voice behind her. A purple mist began to swirl around them, two yellow eyes protruding from its center. "Let's move the two of you someplace more fitting."

Aizawa continued his struggle against Deathstroke. The two fighters were even in fighting prowess, matching each other blow for blow. Aizawa was at a slight disadvantage, as Deathstroke did not have a quirk that he could erase. He had to rely on his fighting prowess to combat this enemy.

"Truth be told," Said Deathstroke, ducking under a kick to his head. "I've always wanted to test my strength against you."

"Can't say I say the same," said Aizawa, dodging a swipe from Deathstroke's sword. "What do you want with my students?"

"Your students are collateral damage," said Deathstroke. "We only want Midoriya."

"What?!" Said Aizawa. "Why? What do you want with him?!"

"Don't ask, don't tell," Said Deathstroke. "This has been enlightening, but I have to wrap this up." He swept Aizawa's legs from under him, flipping up and driving his sword into Aizawa's shoulder. Aizawa yelled in pain and tried to move, but the sword had gone through his shoulder and out the other end, pinning him to the ground. Deathstroke drew a dagger and thrust it down towards Aizawa's face. Aizawa grabbed Deathstroke's hand, struggling against the knife, but with Deathstroke's enhanced strength and Aizawa's weakened arm, he was losing the struggle.

Out of nowhere, a large, heavy boot connected with Deathstroke's head, knocking him off Aizawa and several feet away. A gauntleted hand reached down and yanked the sword from Aizawa's shoulder with a swift jerk. Aizawa grunted in pain, and was then helped to his feet.

"Took you long enough," said Aizawa.

"Where is Midoriya?" Said Batman. He pulled a syringe-like device from his belt and placed it in Aizawa's wound. A substance sprayed from the device and sealed the wound, stopping the bleeding.

"Somewhere in the forest," said Aizawa. "I had to get him away from this villain."

"I'll find him," Said Batman, turning to leave.

"There's more, Batman," Said Aizawa. "It's not the other students they're after. They want Midoriya."

Batman paused. Without a word, he marched over to Deathstroke, who was starting to regain his senses.

"So, it looks like you did show up after all," said Deathstroke. "Shigaraki thought you --"

Batman stomped his heavy boot onto Deathstroke's face. "Why do they want Midoriya? Talk!"

"Go to hell!" Said Deathstroke, his voice muffled under Batman's boot.

"I will break every bone in your body, Slade," Batman growled.

"Do you worst."

"If you insist." Batman seized Deathstroke's sword and plunged it into his shoulder, who screamed in agony. "You're lucky I have knowledge of human anatomy," said Batman. "But that also means that I know every location of every nerve ending you have throughout your body."

"I don't know or care why they want him," Said Deathstroke.

"Not good enough," said Batman, driving the sword in deeper.

"Shigaraki is a fool, but I don't think he's the one pulling the strings," Said Deathstroke through gritted teeth. "He was obviously put off by the fact Midoriya was to be brought in alive. Someone there wants him for something, but I didn't ask questions."

"How many more villains are here?" Said Aizawa.

"At least 10," said Deathstroke. "And then there's the monster."

"What monster?" Said Batman sharply.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look natural," Said Deathstroke. "Like some sort of abomination created in some freak's lab!"

"Nomu," said Aizawa quietly.

"Anything else?" Said Batman

"Your boy is tough," Said Deathstroke. "You better hope he doesn't die as easily as the last one." Batman said nothing, but thrust his knee into Deathstroke's neck, knocking him unconscious with one swift blow.

"Bruce, I'm sorry," said Aizawa. "I thought this place was kept quiet. There's no other logical explanation: there's a mole at UA."

"He'll be exposed soon enough," Said Batman. "Right now, we have to keep the students safe. The fire from the forest prevented me from registering body signatures, but I did detect a toxic gas spreading from the center of the forest. That has to be dealt with quickly."

"Why didn't the toxin spread?" Said Aizawa.

"It must be someone using a quirk," Said Batman. "And then there's the Nomu."

"Right," said Aizawa. "If it's anything like the Nomu from the USJ, the kids won't stand a chance."

"Wait," said Batman, checking his cowl vision. "The toxin has dispersed. It looks like the students are taking matters into their own hands."

"Can you see them?" Asked Aizawa.

"Some of them," Said Batman. "But there's too many unaccounted for. We have to split up and search different areas."

"What about the fire?" Said Aizawa.

"I don't think it was their intention to use it to kill the students," said Batman. "From what I can tell, it's serving as a perimeter to keep them from escaping. The Batwing is too far out to douse it with flame-retardant. For now, let's focus on the students.

"Agreed," said Aizawa. "Let's go."

"Midoriya! Wake up!"

Izuku drifted groggily back into consciousness. Someone was gently slapping his face, trying to rouse him. It was Shoji. He, Todoroki, and Tokoyami were standing over him.

"Guys?" Izuku said weakly. "What happened?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Todoroki said. "You dropped out of the sky and hit the ground hard, we've been trying to get you to wake up for five minutes."

"I have to. . . Aizawa, he. ." As Izuku struggled to his feet, he noticed one of Shoji's hands on his dupli-arms was missing, blood seeping from the wound. "Shoji! You're injured!"

"It's fine," Said Shoji. "I can regenerate it. What about Mr. Aizawa?"

"I was attacked by two villains," Said Izuku. "One of them I defeated, the other. ." the words caught in his throat. "They recruited one of Batman's rogues, a mercenary named Deathstroke, to come after me. Aizawa found me and intervened, but I got separated from them. Deathstroke dropped a grenade and Aizawa threw me out of the way. I guess that's when I hit the tree, and I don't remember much after that. What happened with everyone else? Have you been attacked, too?"

"We just faced down a deranged villain with razor teeth," Said Tokoyami. "He snuck up on us and cut off one of Shoji's hands. I -" he paused, hanging his head shamefully. "I lost control of Dark Shadow. He took down the villain, but nearly cost Shoji's and my life in the process. If Todoroki hadn't come along and used his fire when he did, I don't know what might have happened."

"That doesn't matter now," Said Shoji. "We need to find the others."

"We don't know how many villains are here," said Todoroki. "Or what happened to the other students."

"There's more," Said Izuku. "I know the reason they are here. They're after me."

"What?!" Said Tokoyami. "Why do they want you?"

"I don't know," Said Izuku. "But that's what the villains told me."

"Then we have get you back with the others safely," Said Todoroki.

"But Mr. Aizawa is in danger!" Said Izuku.

"Mr. Aizawa would want you to be safe first and foremost," said Shoji. "And your injuries are too severe."

"I'm fine," Said Izuku.

"Midoriya, please," said Todoroki. "Once we've regrouped with the others, then we can form a plan. But right now, we're sitting ducks. Trust us."

Izuku sighed deeply, though it pained him to do so. "All Right."

"Ochaco, is your arm okay?" Asui asked, concerned.

I'm fine, it's just a scratch," Said Uraraka.

They stared at the woman standing before them. She had appeared from the woods out of nowhere. She was dressed in a school uniform they didn't recognize, wearing a mask and a large apparatus attached to her back. At first they thought she was part of the test of bravery. But then, without warning, she drew a knife and slashed Uraraka across the arm.

"Hmm, shallow," Said the woman, inspecting the blood on the knife. "Not much blood."

"What kind of person just slashes someone out of nowhere?" Said Asui angrily. "Just who do you think you are?"

"I'm Toga," Said the woman. "You two are super cute, Uraraka and Asui." She pointed the knife at the two girls as she recited their names.

A cold chill ran down Uraraka's spine. "How does she know who we are?"

"Maybe from the sports festival?" Said Asui. "We don't know anything about her, so we're at a disadvantage. Stay on guard."

"Not enough blood," said Toga. "Normally I'd suck it directly from the cut to make it flow, but there's no time." She reached back and pulled out a cylindrical metal piece connected to the apparatus on her back with a long tube. She flipped a switch on the cylinder to reveal a long, sharp needle from the end. "This machine will start pumping it out as soon as I stick it in you. I'll get my fill and move on. Who's first?"

Toga rushed Uraraka and Asui, blade and needle at the ready. Asui instinctively wrapped her tongue around Uraraka and threw her out of harm's way. Asui barely had time to move out of the way of Toga's attack, nicking her tongue with the outstretched knife.

"Tsu!" Shouted Uraraka. "Are you all right?!"

"Tsu?" Said Toga. "What a cute nickname, I think I'll call you that too!"

"Don't even think about it," Said Asui, leaping away from her attacker. "Only my friends can call me that!"

Toga launched the needle end towards Asui's direction as she leaped away, which tangled into her hair and embedded itself in a tree behind her, pinning her to it. "That must mean I'm your friend too!" Shouted Toga, cheering happily. She got in close and put her knife on Asui's throat.

"Aw, you're bleeding Tsu," She said. "You couldn't be more adorable. I just love blood. I know we're going to be such good friends."

"Get away from her!" Shouted Uraraka, rushing to Asui's aid. Toga turned on her heel and thrust her knife at Uraraka, who deftly dodged the knife. Pivoting and grabbing her arm, she threw Toga forward and pinned her to the ground, one knee on her back. Her training with Gunhead had paid off.

"Ochaco, that was amazing!" Shouted Asui.

"Ochaco?" Said Toga. "You're delightful too. You've got the same smell as me."

Uraraka felt the chill return. Looking into the eyes of Toga was like looking into utter madness. It frightened her immensely but she couldn't look away.

"You've got a crush on someone, don't you?" Said Toga slyly. "So do I. And I bet you also want to be exactly like that special person, huh? At first you try to model yourself after them, but that's not enough. You realize you actually want to become that person. And once you get to that point, there's no going back. That's how love works, right?"

"You're crazy," said Uraraka.

"Isn't this great, Ochaco?" Said Toga gleefully. "Just a couple of girls talking about our crushes!" Uraraka felt a sharp pain in her leg. Toga had stuck her with the needle, extracting her blood. "Suck, suck." She said perversely. "Suck, suck."

"Uraraka!"

A batarang came flying towards them, severing the tubing connecting the needle to the apparatus. Toga took Uraraka's momentary distraction to push her off and leap away, but not before throwing a sideways glance in Izuku's direction, then disappeared into the forest.

"Are you okay?" Said Izuku, rushing to Uraraka's side.

"I'm fine," She said. "But we have to stop her!"

"It's too dangerous!" Said Asui. "We have no idea what her quirk is."

"Who was that?" Said Todoroki.

"One of the villains," Said Asui. "She was crazy."

"We can't stay here," Said Shoji. "We have to keep moving. Midoriya, you -" He stopped abruptly. Izuku was gone.

"Midoriya!" Shouted Todoroki. "Where did he go?"

"He was right next to me a second ago!" Said Uraraka.

As if on queue, laughter could be heard in the trees above them. They followed the source to find a strange man standing in the branches. He was wearing a long, tan overcoat and black top-hat, his face obscured by a strange mask. He was holding a cane in one hand and two blue marbles in the other. "A nice little trick, is it not?" He said. "I took the lad you're talking about with my magic."

"Where did you take him?!" Said Uraraka.

"Talent like his would be squandered to be cast as heroes," said the man. "We'll provide him with a grander stage where he can truly shine."

Todoroki threw a pillar of ice towards the villain, who leaped effortlessly to dodge it. He seemed to be able to almost float on the air. "Why the aggression?" He said. "We merely wish to show him there are other options besides the fanatical world of heroism they're drowning in."

"Guys, it's not just Midoriya," said Shoji. "Tokoyami is gone too!"

He snatched two of our strongest classmates without a sound, thought Todoroki. "If you're monologuing because you think you've beaten us, you're mistaken!" He said aloud.

"A bad habit of mine," Said the man. "I was once an entertainer, you know. Taking Tokoyami was a bit of 'improv' on my part. He was able to take down our dear "blade tooth" Moonfish so easily and violently. I decided he should join our troupe."

"You bastard," said Todoroki. "You won't have them!" He launched more ice pillars at the villain, who continued to dodge effortlessly.

"Apologies," said the man. "But slight-of-hand and escapology are my specialties, not combat. I'm not foolish enough to fight hero candidates from UA." He lifted his hand to his ear, speaking into an earpiece. "Vanguard action squad, I have acquired our target. Our performance has officially come to a close. Meet me at the retrieval point in the next five minutes for the final bow." Without another word, he dashed into the distance, hopping from treetop to treetop.

Yosetsu Awase from class 1-B was running for his life. But not just his, for Yaoyorozu's life as well.

They were ambushed by a giant green monster that Yaoyorozu identified as "a Nomu." She and her class had faced one back at the attack on the USJ, but this one was different. For starters, it sprouted several appendages with large chainsaws and drills on the end of them. It had been chasing after them, cutting down every tree in its path. Yaoyorozu was injured, and Awase was trying to carry her to safety, but he was getting tired, and the creature was gaining on them.

As the pursuit continued, they tripped over a stray tree root and hit the ground hard. The Nomu was upon them, and soon they would be cut to ribbons. A gruesome end to their hero careers before they had a chance to begin.

"Oh god, no!" Said Awase, throwing himself atop Yaoyorozu in an attempt to shield her from the monster. "I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu!" He closed his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable.

But it never came.

He heard something whiz past his ear, and opened his eyes to see the Nomu had stopped, with something protruding from its chest. In a second, the object exploded and encased the creature in ice. He felt something pick him and Yaoyorozu up, and he looked up to see they were being carried away at a rapid pace by what looked like a Hero, but not one he recognized from the camp. He glanced at the insignia on his chest: a bat.

Realization dawned on him. This was the American hero that took Midoriya as his student. They were saved by Batman.

After they reached a safe distance, he set them down. "Are you all right?" He said.

"I'm fine," said Awase. "But Yaoyorozu, she's hurt!"

Batman bent down and began to examine her. She opened her eyes weakly. "Batman?" She said, trying to sit up.

"Don't move too much," Said Batman, holding her down. "We're going to get you to safety." Suddenly, he paused, looking back in the direction they came. The sound of the Nomu's chainsaws had started up again. Awase realized, to his horror, that the Nomu was free.

"Get her out of here," said Batman. "Get back to camp! I'll take care of this." Without another word, he stood and ran towards the monster. Awase picked up Yaoyorozu and ran back towards the direction of camp, hardly believing they had barely made it out with their lives. He only hoped that Batman was as good as his legend lived up to.

Meanwhile, Batman had reengaged the Nomu, who had broken free of its ice prison. He had to get in close enough to put explosive gel on its brain, but it was difficult getting past its appendages. Deftly avoiding its many drills and Chainsaws, Batman attached explosives to the ends of each tendril holding them, but every time he destroyed it, it would regrow another appendage.

The monster continued to press its attack, knocking over trees and destroying everything in its path. It got in close to Batman, grabbing onto him and attempting to use one of its chainsaws on him. Batman held the appendage, struggling to keep it aloft. Batman drew a batarang from his belt and used the close proximity to the Nomu to stab it in its exposed brain.

The monster dropped Batman and roared in pain, stumbling as it attempted to remove the batarang. Batman drew another and readied to throw it, but hesitated. The monster had suddenly stopped its attack and withdrew its appendages. It turned and began to walk away, back into the forest, as if it suddenly didn't notice Batman anymore. Batman realized that it was being recalled by its handler. And that only meant one thing: they had accomplished their mission.

Midoriya.

Izuku had been released from his spherical prison to find himself surrounded by several villains. He was quickly tied up and his utility belt was taken away. In an effort to secure his cooperation, the villain who had captured him had shown him the small orb that was carrying Tokoyami. If Izuku tried anything, then he would die.

"Hi Izuku!" Said the girl that attacked Uraraka previously. "My name is Toga! I've been thinking since I saw you. . ." she drew a knife and held it to Izuku's throat. "You would be so much cuter if you bled a little more. I could help with that."

"Knock it off, crazy," Said the patchwork villain. Izuku heard him addressed by the others as Dabi. He was accompanied by another villain wearing a grey and black spandex suit that covered his entire body, face included. Dabi had addressed this villain as "Twice." A fitting name, considering when he spoke, he seemed to talk as if he was two other people. Izuku didn't see Deathstroke, Muscular or any other villains with them.

Suddenly, black and purple mist began to form around them. Izuku recognized it immediately as the warp villain from the USJ. "Welcome, Izuku Midoirya," the villain said. "It has been a while since our last encounter."

"I remember," Said Izuku. "How's your armor doing?"

"Such petulance," Said the Warp Villain. "I hope you are more polite when you meet the master."

Izuku swallowed. "So you're taking me to see All For One? Is that it?"

"All in good time, Izuku Midoriay," Said the Warp Villain. "Prepare yourselves. We need to -"

A large pillar of ice came shooting out of the forest, entrapping the villain who had captured Izuku and Tokoyami. Shouting in pain, he dropped the orb carrying Tokoyami. Out from the trees came Shoji and Todoroki, charging the villains who held him captive.

Izuku seized his chance, leaping to his feet, he kicked the orb carrying Tokoyami towards Shoji, shouting "Shoji! Catch!"

A large burst of flames erupted from the villain Dabi towards Todoroki and Shoji, burning several of Shoji's arms, Todoroki just barely managing to dodge the blast. Toga began to press her attack on Shoji, with Twice engaging Todoroki. Izuku was struggling to free himself from his bindings when something large grabbed hold of him.

It was the Nomu.

"We have what we came for," Said the Warp Villain. "We must leave at once." Toga and Twice fell back with Dabi, walking through the warp gate. The villain who had captured Izuku had used his quirk to free himself from his icy binding and ran through the warp gate, bowing and snapping his fingers as he left, releasing Tokoyami from his prison. The Nomu followed behind the other villains, carrying Izuku with him.

"Midoriya!" Shouted Todoroki. He and Shoji ran at full speed to catch up.

"No!" Said Izuku. If they tried to pursue him, they would surely be killed in the process. He couldn't let that happen. "Stay back!"

Suddenly, a small explosion like a gunshot sounded out of the forest. A grapple line came shooting forward and attached itself onto Izuku. Batman had dashed out of the forest, grapple gun in hand, and was struggling to pull Izuku free of the monster's grasp. Shoji and Todoroki seized their chance, running towards the warp gate to save their friend.

They never reached him.

Appearing from behind the swirling mist of the warp gate came Deathstroke, with sword in hand, and sliced the grapple line holding Izuku as if it were made of butter. The monster and Izuku vanished in the purple smoke, and Deathstroke followed behind them. Batman ran towards the gate as fast as he could, but it was too late.

"Checkmate," Said Deathstroke, disappearing in the mist. Batman grasped at the mist, but it was futile. The warp gate had closed. Midoriya was gone.

He had failed.