Chapter 018

"Shoji!" Iida declared. "Is everyone still in the building?"

Shoji had created a half dozen eyes, and was moving them all about behind himself, scanning the dome. "Asui, Midoriya, and Aoyama are surrounded at the boat. Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Kaminari are in a similar situation in the mountain zone. Todoroki is icing villains at the landslide zone. Ojiro is in the fire zone, Tokoyami and Koda are in the raining city. Kirishima and Bakugo are fighting in a ruined building. I do not see Hagakure, but considering that everyone else is here, I doubt they teleported her someplace special. It is likely that she has just taken all her clothes off."

Sero and Sato winced uncomfortably.

Ahead of them, the portal villain known as Kurogiri still stood firm, but he made no attempt to attack them again immediately. He stayed back, watching the students regroup behind Thirteen. Len scanned the group that they had. Mina and Shoji and Sero were here; three people he'd gotten somewhat close with compared to the others. Uraraka, with her Zero Gravity. Sato had super strength but only if he ate sugar. Hopefully he brought some with him. And Iida, who was fast. Plus Sero with his versatile mid-range abilities, Shoji's wide variety of sensory abilities, and Mina's deadly acid.

Plus they had a pro hero with them. The portal villain couldn't possibly know all their Quirks… so he was hanging back.

"Damn, we can't really attack, can we?" Sero clicked his teeth. "Landing a hit on him is impossible."

The yellow warp energy had risen up to just beneath Len's throat. He needed to take action soon.

"Someone needs to get past him," said Thirteen, suddenly. "Aizawa is down there erasing Quirks, and we still can't use our communications. That means whatever person they have on their side that can block the comms… is hiding somewhere. It will take longer for us to find them than for someone to go for help. But… they have to get past him."

Then Len knew. "I ought to go." He hated leaving them behind, but this was what it was all about, right? Using his powers in a beneficial way? "I can get around him and out of here and back toward the school the fastest. I don't want to abandon you guys, but…"

A hand fell onto his shoulder. "No, Kagamine-san," Iida said, smiling sadly. "It must be me."

"Huh?" Len looked at him, confused. They were of a similar height, he noticed randomly. "I mean, you're fast, but I'm faster."

"This is my duty as the class rep," Iida said, seeming to steel himself up. "And besides… based on your performance in the battle trial…"

Len winced, and he felt heat rise to his face. "I see. You don't think I can do it. Go on, then. I'm not stopping you." He turned away from the boy.

"Iida," said Thirteen. "Are you prepared?"

Mina and Uraraka looked on worriedly.

"It's not like that, Kagamine," the class rep said, turning to look back at Kurogiri. "It's like Sero said. For any of us to land a hit on him is impossible… but YOU may be able to."

Len's eyes widened.

Sero stepped forward, getting into a fighting stance. "He's right, Kagamine. With you, we can take him."

Sato lined up with Sero. "Go, class rep! If you get out, there's all sorts of things you can do to help us. Don't let it go to waste."

"I'll support you, Iida-kun!" Uraraka declared, stepping forward.

"Come on, Len, let's do this." Mina came up beside him, smiling. "Just like the entrance exam!"

Kurogiri flared up for an attack. "Discussing your plans so openly? I thought UA raised their students smarter than that!" The purple tendrils leapt forward toward them gleefully, getting ready for another full scatter.

"It doesn't matter if you heard us or not," Thirteen growled. They raised their finger. "BLACK HOOOOOOLE!"

A rushing vacuum of air enveloped the villain's attack, and pieces of purple energy sucked in toward Thirteen.

The villain spoke again, and his voice sounded strangely warped under the rushing gravity. "I see. Black Hole is quite an impressive Quirk, isn't it? And yet… Thirteen, you are only a rescue hero. Your battle experience is… how should I put it?"

Suddenly, the purple darkness began forming up BEHIND Thirteen, and disappearing from where they were aiming their attack.

Kurogiri's yellow eyes narrowed from behind the hero. "… Lacking."

The class gasped. Thirteen tried to turn in surprise. "A warp gate!" The vacuum energy of Black Hole was going through the villain's portal… and tearing into Thirteen's back.

"THIRTEEN! NO!" Uraraka screamed.

The hero's costume began to tear into pieces, sucking backward into the portal. "And now you're dust," said Kurogiri.

The entire back of Thirteen's suit opened into darkness. "H-he got me…" they croaked, falling to the ground, the Black Hole attack diminishing to nothing.

Len reeled. Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god oh my god. Next to him, Mina and Uraraka were crying in despair. Iida and the other boys looked on, pale and disbelieving.

The villain began to turn. The yellow eyes began to fall upon Len. The energy inside him focused sharp again.

"Iida," Len growled. "If you're going to run, do it now."

The class rep's eyes widened in surprise, and then he closed them, gritting his teeth. His engines fired, and he dashed forward past the villain. Dammit! Tenya thought, his heart racing as the door grew larger and larger. I am the class rep! Everyone is in MY hands! And I'll get help, and I'll save them ALL!

"I don't think so," the villain said, and another portal began to form right in front of him.

Iida frantically turned to skid to a stop, his metal boots grinding sparks off the ground. But he was still moving… right into the portal…

Shoji leapt into the air, six arms splayed, and then he tackled the portal into a bear hug, suppressing it against the ground. "Go!" he croaked to Iida.

Kurogiri turned back, still standing next to the other students and Thirteen's body. "Why, you impudent little…" part of his body shot forward to pursue Iida, but some of him stayed behind. Mina and Uraraka looked up from Thirteen's body… and they both noticed his metal neck brace.

"I will not allow you to escape!" Kurogiri declared, snaking up over the running Iida, and then falling down upon him…

Uraraka touched the villain's neck.

"Huh?" Kurogiri suddenly went floating up, weightless, moving away from Iida without meaning to. "What is this?"

"I don't know how it works…" Len turned to look at Uraraka, bewildered. She was gripping the brace tightly, looking angrier than he'd ever seen her. "… but if he's wearin' somethin', that means he IS somethin'!"

Len sweatdropped. What's with her accent and word choice?

Uraraka flung the villain upwards into the air, sending him flying. Iida was at the door, forcing it open. Kurogiri regrouped himself and pursued, racing through the air.

"No you don't!" Sero shot out a length of tape, attaching it to the neck brace. He disconnected it, and Sato grabbed it, swung it in a circle, and released with a grunt of effort.

That's right! Len thought with a rush. Teamwork! He may not have been the best planner, but in the heat of battle… everything came together.

As Kurogiri went flying, Len warped into the air, and punched the villain's neck brace as hard as he could, downward. "HYAH!" He warped to the floor again before he could gain enough velocity to start falling, and the villain slammed into the floor next to him, hard enough to leave a dent. Len stood back up straight from his landing, feeling the yellow energy course through his muscles.

Iida left the building, putting another burst on his engines, racing out of sight.

The remaining five formed a shaky circle around the fallen villain. Shoji returned, making six. They approached slowly, watching for sudden movements.

Kurogiri rose up from the floor ethereally, his corporeal body billowing up on itself. "Well," he said shakily. "It seems he got out, and is going to call for help. That is unfortunate. I should warn Shigaraki, but first…" Suddenly he shot up, and before any of the other five could do anything, he was right in Len's face. Yellow eyes stared into blue ones.

"You're like me, aren't you, child?" Kurogiri asked him.