Final Countdown

Inside the infirmary, fiery eyes slowly opened.

Bakugo woke up in pain, not being able to move an inch.

"Where..." his eyes wondered around the room, noticing the hospital equipment.

"... Right... I won..." he smiled softly as he relaxed.

But then, it hit him.

'Where's Izuku?'

His eyes hardened as he pushed his body to rise with all the effort he can muster.

" It's useless. I put you under heavy anesthesia, I'm surprised your mind awakened before your body," Recovery Girl spoke beside him, mixing multiple solutions to make a medicine.

"I need... To help him...!" he barked out tiredly, barely speaking.

"You can barely breathe, you should be unconscious anyway, go back to sleep."

"... Half n half, what happened to him?"

"He's unconscious, maybe you can learn a thing or two from him."

"..."

Bakugo stared at the ceiling for a while, his mind replaying what happened before he lost consciousness.

He awakened his Quirk and most likely passed out.

That means... An injured Shoto carried him here.

"... I see."

Silence.

Just the hums of machines that monitored everything, from his breathing to his heart rate and blood pressure.

"..."

"ROOOOAAAAARRRR!"

?!

Bakugo's body instinctively jerked aside as he heard the deafening wild roar.

It was as if a mountain was raging.

"WHA—WHAT?!"

"Stay still, you'll open your wounds!"

"That sound, what was it?!"

"..."

Chiyo contemplated what to tell him and opted to just knock him out again.

She put an anesthesia mask over him and let him inhale the gas again, knocking him out once more.

"You... bi... Tch..." Bakugo passed out after a heavy battle with the gas.

"... Troublesome morons... I hope you lots return back in one piece..." her gaze turned north, observing the subtle shakes in the earth even from such a distance.

"... Be safe."

===

Izuku gripped the throat of Machia and proceeded to hammer his head with countless punches over and over again.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep..."

Machia slashed and punched the body of his duplicate but kupt being blocked by countless black tendrils that latched onto him and restricted his movement.

"MAS—" his voice cracked as he got punched. "MASTERRR!!!" his head got buried down into the ground as the hits kept coming.

Eventually, his tough exoskeleton began to crack bits by bits.

Machia slashed with his hand, directly attacking Izuku's shoulder but to his shock and despair, the razor-sharp claws simply shattered upon contact with the powerful body.

"RAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Izuku hammered his face with both hands like a gorilla until Machia's hand dropped down in defeat, blood seeping out from his nose and ears, half his skull caved in.

Izuku arose, his giant body casting a long shadow over the corps of the Machia.

He killed Machia in a brutal show of primal violence. He didn't even give the beast the time to use his Quirk to escape underground.

His eyes wandered left, slowly.

His unstable eyes met two figures engaging in a powerful brawl of strength and stamina.

All Might was fighting All for One, tooth and nail, his smile never wavered as he delivered one powerful punch after another.

"Mac—Machia..." AFO endured the punches, his body shooting out countless sharp tendrils aimed at All Might's weak side.

"USELESS!" All Might waved the attack with his powerful hand that generated strong winds."TODAY WE END IT ALL, VILLAIN!" he dashed forward and grabbed onto AFO's body, rotating him at high speed and delivering a powerful German suplex!

"Uck...!" AFO coughed violently, his already injured body getting damaged again.

Yet, he healed again.

The downside of this Quirk, Hyper Regeneration is clear to him.

It consumed his life force.

Each time AFO used it, he neared death faster.

This battle has costed him approximately 3 years of his lifespan.

This is why he doesn't use it.

However, without it... He would already be dead by now.

All Might is simply too strong! Even in his weakened form, he can't manage his brutal strength!

Especially with the goblin vermin!

Seeing him cornered, Izuku touched his right side, turning into his original body.

He observed himself, he was completely naked, again.

"..."

Black tendrils covered his torso as he dashed, intending to finish it once and for all.

The battle had already raged for minutes, but there was no time to stop. They had to finish him.

"Come on, you 'Symbols of Peace'! You're running out of time. Will you break first, or will I?" AFO rasped, his voice dripping with venom. His body twitched as Regeneration worked furiously, sealing gashes and regrowing burnt flesh.

"Forgetting someone?" Izuku muttered, crackling sparks coating his eyes, cutting the distance and arriving near him in 1/10th of a second.

AFO barely had a moment to register before a punch crushed into his ribs. Izuku's fist buried itself deep into his side, sending a shockwave that cratered the battlefield. The attack sent the villain skidding, but before he could react, All Might appeared behind him, his fist raised high.

"DETROIT—"

BOOOOM!!

AFO barely raised a haphazard defense as All Might's fist rocketed into his back. The impact dented his torso inward, his ribcage shattering under the force. He was launched into the air like a ragdoll.

"SMASH!" Izuku intercepted his shooting figure, delivering an earth shattering downward kick.

"DIE YOU VERMINS!" AFO retaliated midair, tendrils of black energy bursting from his arms like spears. Izuku saw them a split-second before they could pierce into All Might's chest.

Izuku appeared above AFO, his arms crossed in an 'X' shape. Blackwhip exploded outward, grabbing every single tendril and yanking them back. But AFO twisted his hands—the tendrils instantly reformed into drills.

"HAH!"

Izuku spun midair and punched AFO downward.

The villain's body slammed into the ground, forming a crater, but as the dust cleared—

All for One was standing.

Izuku landed down near his mentor.

"How long left, sensei?"

"Two minutes at most.." All Might wiped blood from his mouth.

He's running out of time.

While All for One...

His body had already repaired the damage, his breathing ragged but steady. His lips curled into a bloody smirk. "Do you two really think you're making progress?"

All Might clenched his fists. Izuku narrowed his eyes.

"You're not healing as fast anymore," Izuku observed. "Your Quirks are breaking down."

AFO scowled. He hated how sharp Midoriya was. The boy wasn't just strong—he could see through the cracks in his defenses.

"Even if that were true, do you think you'll live long enough to see me die?"

AFO vanished.

Izuku's Danger Sense screamed. He twisted his body just as a black, clawed hand tore through the space he'd been standing in.

"TOO SLOW!"

AFO's arm turned into a drill, twisting toward Izuku's chest. But—

"TEXAS SMASH!"

All Might intercepted, his fist hammering into AFO's side. AFO lurched, coughing out blackened blood, but he retaliated with a backhand that sent the former No. 1 tumbling.

Izuku launched forward at the opening.

'45%... NO, 60%!!'

His foot connected with AFO's sternum, bending it inward. The force launched the villain backward, but Izuku followed, weaving in midair, fists already raised.

"DOUBLE IMPACT!" he punched him twice at the same time.

"We're not giving you a second to breathe!" Izuku roared, vanishing in a burst of green lightning.

AFO grew more arms, each twisting into spears, spikes, and tendrils.

Izuku didn't stop. He dodged left—a claw missed his face. He rolled right—a tendril barely grazed his ribs. He dropped low—a spear carved through the air above him.

And then—when he was most cornered—

"SMASH!"

All Might intervened, punching the villain in the face.

AFO's face caved inward. His head snapped back, his body bending unnaturally. Blood erupted from his mouth, but even as his skull cracked, his voice rang out, dripping with hate.

"You think this is enough?!"

Tendrils burst outward.

Izuku barely had time to register before he was slammed into the ground.

BOOM!

The impact formed a massive crater. The dust hadn't even settled before AFO descended like a demon, black energy coating his arms.

" DIE AND GIVE BACK MY QUIRK!!"

But before his attack landed—

"DELAWARE SMASH!!"

All Might came from above.

The sheer force of the blow disintegrated AFO's incoming attack, crushing his already mangled body into the ground. The entire battlefield exploded outward, the force splitting the earth apart.

AFO twitched violently. His body wasn't regenerating fast enough.

All Might heaved, small bits of white smoke emitting from his skin.

Izuku struggled to his feet, wiping blood from his lips. His eyes burned with determination. All Might stood beside him, panting but resolute.

AFO spat blood.

"You… damn… pests…" AFO spat out, enraged.

The punch he received sent his mind into a flashback, a memory of the first time his hatred for the users was born.

It was after the death of his brother at his own hands.

Even now, his hatred refused to die.

Izuku lifted his fist, All Might following suit.

AFO glared up at them, his body barely holding together, he let out a hoarse, hateful chuckle.

His chuckle died out as his face turned calm, his hands limping at his side as he swayed.

"Where do you think you're looking?"

Countless tendrils shot out, spreading for hundreds of meters, each as sharp as a blade as it tore through everything in its path.

"SENSEI!!!"

===

INSIDE A WAREHOUSE

Shigaraki who is currently waiting for his master, was doing his duties of recruiting powerful allies into the mix. His job? Filter the useless ones out.

Het sat in a chair and watched as multiple people stepped on the wooden floor and performed their Quirks.

The warehouse was dim, its only light flickering weakly from two hanging bulbs. Shigaraki sat slouched in a chair, arms crossed, hood low over his face. Around him, a crowd of gathered misfits—Himiko Toga, Dabi, Magne, Mr. Compress, and a handful of skeptical lower-ranked villains—stood in various states of confusion and secondhand embarrassment.

Shigaraki tapped his fingers against the armrest, trying to understand what he was looking at.

A large, sailor-clothed man stood on a makeshift stage—a table—while his band of lunatics prepared themselves. A skeletal woman with a stitched microphone adjusted her posture. A scrawny accordion player took a deep breath. A few background dancers wobbled uncertainly.

"Explain," Shigaraki rasped.

The sailor grinned like he was about to unveil the greatest masterpiece of mankind. "A demonstration of our Quirks, me crusty lad! Boys! HIT IT!"

The sailor kicked the accordion player off the table. He soared—then landed with a pitiful "oof."

"What the hell am I watching," Dabi muttered.

"A beautiful mess," Mr. Compress whispered back, wiping a tear of pride as he watched the performers.

The performance started.

"Existence is pain, yet we rise once again,

Learning from struggles, embracing the strain."

Shigaraki's fingers twitched.

"Storms may keep raging, but we won't remain—

Stronger and bolder, we break every chain!"

"Oh my God," Toga whispered, giggling.

Shigaraki turned to Kurogiri. "Why are we still listening to this?"

Kurogiri, to his credit, merely inclined his head. "It is… a unique Quirk. It requires singing to activate, allegedly it can make a target intoxicated."

"It feels like a regular performance, a horrible one at that."

"..."

The sailor took a deep breath—

"Up with me yah horny bastards!"

Shigaraki choked on air. "NO..."

"Stronger and bolder, we break every chain!" X23

"We break every chain!" X69

"We break every chain!" X103

"Ahahahahooy, atta boys! Now where is that fourteen-year-old I just saw..."

Shigaraki lunged.

10 minutes later, all there was left was dust.

"Performance is over!" Shigaraki turned to the few that he accepted. "You. All of you are in, the rest are out."

"BOOOOO!!!" X97

"GET OUTTTT!!!!"

===

Inko sat in silence, swallowed by darkness, bound tightly to a chair.

She struggled, but the restraints didn't budge. Even her Quirk was useless against the ties that held her in place.

Frustration simmered beneath her fear, but she forced herself to think. Focus.

Her thoughts drifted to her son—her brilliant, courageous Izuku. Then to him—the man who had turned her life upside down today.

Yagi wasn't just some frail, friendly teacher working an office job at U.A.

He was the Number One Hero.

And apparently, he could shift into an absurdly handsome man when he wanted. Nothing too crazy, right?

If anything, she was deeply disappointed that he had hidden it from her. But she understood why. A secret like that wasn't just dangerous—it was deadly.

Right now, none of that mattered.

What mattered was that her son, and the man she might have feelings for, were safe.

Because she had figured out at least two things—this AFO person wanted something. Power. Maybe All Might's Quirk. Maybe Izuku's. Maybe both.

And she was just a bargaining chip.

That thought made her sick.

The second was her current location. She's in an abandoned building near a beach, she can hear the sound of the seagulls.

The closest beach to U. A. Is near Musutafu.

This must be the maximum limit of the teleporter.

Although Izuku was the smart one in the family, he inherited it from her!

Ahem... Maybe mainly from her husband but some of hers as well!

And the crying. He inherited the crying thing...

Although, oddly enough, he hasn't cried in many months for some reason.

Ino assumed that he grew up to be a man, a wonderful man.

Still...

She wasn't some pawn to be traded between men. She was Inko Midoriya.

Yet, as much as she hated it, as much as she raged against the thought… she was helpless. She had never trained for this. She had never needed to.

But after today?

Her green eyes burned with new resolve.

This would never happen again.

If she survived, she would train. She would push her Quirk, strengthen herself, and make damn sure that no one—not anyone—would ever chain her down again.

A shaky exhale left her nose.

That is… if she survived.

'Izuku... Be safe...'

===

"SENSEI!!"

Izuku morphed in an instant, his body expanding into the towering form of Gigantomachia. With sheer size and force, he threw himself in front of All Might, becoming a living shield against the nightmarish storm of razor-sharp attacks.

Izuku gritted his teeth, feeling blades and shockwaves tear into his hardened flesh. The pain was immense, but he endured. He had to.

"HOW LONG?!" he roared, voice shaking the battlefield.

"Thir... ty... seconds..." All Might croaked, barely conscious. His body was failing him, battered beyond recognition, but his will—his iron will—kept him upright.

Izuku's monstrous form trembled. Thirty seconds...

"One last attack, you and me!"

All Might's dim eyes flickered. A spark of life. A warrior's resolve.

"YES!"

He ignored the agony screaming through his body, clenched his fists, and stepped forward.

A wave of raw pain exploded through him. His legs shook, his muscles spasmed violently, but he refused to fall.

"Sensei...?"

"It's... okay...!" All Might hissed through his teeth, taking another step.

Another step.

Two more.

Then—he ran.

All Might charged, roaring, his golden flames of power erupting one final time.

All For One screeched, flailing wildly, his attacks slashing in all directions in a final, desperate attempt to destroy everything.

But it didn't matter.

Izuku was already there.

All Might was already there.

Both warriors struck together.

"UNITED STATES OF... SMASH!!!"

"GALAXY IMPACT!!!"

The makeshift city trembled violently, as if a shower of meteorites struck it with a vengeful wrath from god.

A blinding white light consumed everything.