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Chapter 21: Reunion Part 1
🕑 Added 2024-04-17 15:06:45 +0000 UTCAnother week, another chapter. Not much has happened, but the first anniversary of my opening, the 'special thing I shall not say', is coming up, and I'm excited about that. I hope I can boost the numbers there. As for this, it'll be the last chapter in the USJ, and one that I've been looking forward to for 2 months now, the long-awaited reunion between the two old friends.
Chapter 21: Reunion Part 1
As the students collected their wounded to leave, Pyre and Slice turned to their boss for this mission, seeing how he was freaking out over the loss of a hand, not his own but the one which he wore like a mask, stumbling toward it and apologizing with Slice being especially put off by how he referred to it as father, as the possible context to that didn't imply that he was sane in any way. She didn't want to walk with a madman.
Pyre paid more attention when the man managed to find the hand and return it to his face as he picked up his muttering. "He hit me as he was saving them, violence from a government official." Pyre rolled his eyes at that, as Shigaraki didn’t strike him as the type that cared about such. "He was fast, as expected, but not as fast. Master was right. He is getting weaker." That, however, was concerning as Pyre knew All Might was weakened, but such information had been suppressed. The only ones that could have figured that out would be the incredible perceptive or…
Someone who was there 5 years ago.
Pyre files that away for the moment, as they had bigger things to worry about. With All Might, he decided he'd handle Shigaraki first, as he felt he was the one pulling the strings. He rushed him once more, slower than before but still at an insane speed. "Carolina,” All Might started, folding his arms into an ‘X’ shape.
"Nomu," Shigaraki ordered, with the giant black beast, still covered with debris from Mineta's attempts, nearly teleported in front of its master.
“Smash!” All Might released the attack, using his momentum and immense power to strike at Nomu with a double chop attack so powerful that it parted the waters of the flood zone behind it. However, despite such an attack, Nomu wasn't just standing but seemingly undamaged in the hall, a rare thing for All Might. The Number One Hero wasn't given time to think as he saw crimson needles coming right for him from the corner of his eye.
Jumping out of the way of Slice’s attack, he saw an emerald fireball heading right for him, which he flicked away. However, the blast still enveloped him as his flick only dissipated the central part of the flame. But this was enough for him to land with only light burns to his shirt and hair. Landing, he found himself attacked from 3 sides as the Nomu engaged him in close quarters, coming straight for him while Slice and Pyre provided ranged support, firing those hair needles and fireballs whenever they saw an opening; other times, they didn't seem to care that the Nomu was caught in it.
It didn't help that his attacks weren't having an effect. Even as he put more power into his punches, the Nomu was a living punching bag built to absorb it. Going after the other two was also a challenge as not only did they keep on the move, but the Nomu always rushed to protect him; the one time he managed to get past it, he reluctantly punched young Midoriya, who raised his arms to block. He felt bones creak and break under the force of his attack. Still, to his surprise, young Midoriya was up and firing at him moments later, the steam that had been flowing off him since the start rapidly increasing before he raised his arms, the damage healed.
“I wonder, what will you do, All Might?” Shigaraki mocked, standing back and letting his people do the fighting. "Nomu was built to fight you and comes with a shock absorption quirk. And the others are great at ranged attacking; Pyre even comes equipped with a healing factor, so he's not going down unless you take his head." Koharu hissed that he shouldn't be just telling All Might secrets, which Pyre agreed with as he didn't consent. Slice, on her end, cursed her breath that the Shigaraki was more of a brat than Pyre, and Pyre was the literal teenager.
Shigaraki, as if not realizing what he was doing, just kept talking. "The only way you're going to win is if you slowly tear off Nomu’s flesh, but if Nomu and the other two let you do that? that’s another question.” All Might didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth as he dodged a lunge from the Nomu, twisting his body to avoid another needle storm from Slice, who seemed to be running low on hair now.
"Thanks for telling me that!" All Might said, keeping track of everyone. He wasn't the brightest pro out there, but he didn't get to his spot by being an idiot either, regardless of what a certain old man said. He watched how Slice and Midoriya moved and learned how to predict them, even if they didn't notice that they had fallen into a pattern. He made his move when both were in the air and moments from landing.
He flicked his fingers towards both of them, and the force generated by it raced towards them and hit their marks. For Slice, it hit her right leg right as it touched the ground, tripping her with a yelp as she landed face-first in the concrete. With Izuku, he shot him in the gut, robbing him of breath, silencing his fireballs for a moment as he fell to his knees, the snake that was wrapped around his shoulders seemingly worried for him.
This window allowed All Might to get behind the Nomu, wrapping his arms around its mid-section and lifting it up, bending his back to drive it head first into the ground with explosive force as the students that were trying to leave couldn’t help but feel that tremor from All Might’s suplex. However, while the students cheered for their teacher and hero, all wasn't well, and Pyre noticed that Kurogiri, who had been silent and at his master's side, was gone.
His absence was explained when they saw through the clearing dust cloud where he had gone to, as instead of All Might having buried the Nomu head first into the pavement, Nomu’s top half had gone through a familiar portal, allowing the crime against nature to grab onto All Might’s sides, which Izuku knew must have been intentional as it’s clawed hands were digging into his flesh, specifically, his wounded side.
"Were you trying to keep him from moving by burying him?" Shigaraki asked. "Sorry, but that's not a move that'll work at this level."
"Good job, Kurogiri. And you two didn't do a half-ass job either." Slice snorted at his backhanded compliment as Pyre whispered that perhaps he had been too harsh in his judgement of Shigaraki, as he must have been so open with their secrets because he wanted All Might to do this. "It's an unexpected opportunity," Koharu suggested that he wasn't and that Kurogiri capitalized on their boss's big mouth.
Seeing the portal around him closing, All Might let go of Nomu’s waist to try to escape. Even if Nomu was weaker, it was still a force to be reckoned with, a fact All Might was learning firsthand as Pyre watched. "This wasn't part of the plan, and I must admit, the idea of blood and guts overflowing within me is repugnant, but I can make an exception for someone as grand as you.” Kurogiri darkly complimented.
“Your speed is faster than the human eye can track, so Nomu’s second job was to restrain you long enough to be dragged through my portal, which will be closed when you're halfway through. Even for someone as strong as you, there'll be no chance of escaping or survival." They could all see it now, Nomu dragging him in, the portal closing either around his waist or his neck. Either way, the result's the same: All Might's death.
Pyre had to admit, it wasn't a foul play, as he was sure that this would end in failure, but perhaps not, though he would be lying if he said he didn't have reservations about this, pursing his lips. This lack of dismissal, like with Slice, or sick joy, like with Shigaraki and Kurogiri, was something that All Might picked up on. With his options limited in this situation, All Might turned to the one person he hoped would act. “Young Midoriya, is this really what you want?”
The fact that the man chose to speak directly to him and even knew his name was a bit of a surprise to the gathered villains. “Oh?” Kurogiri sounded as Shigaraki watched but with narrowed eyes. He found it quite convenient that his hired help happened to know All Might.
Pyre…Midoriya didn't try to hide this and spoke freely as he shook his head. "Truthfully? No. I would rather no one die today, but I'm not the one that makes that call." He glanced at Shigaraki, as he had already said they wouldn't kill for him but wouldn't stop him from killing. However, he suspected he'd be a bother about this later, so he hoped that All Might kept things vague, as the last thing he wanted was for the League's backer to suspect he knew more than he was letting in.
"How could you say that when it was your dream to be a hero? Isn't that what you wanted to know when we last spoke?" All Might pressed him, that part making Shigaraki openly glare at Pyre, seemingly insulted and angered that Midoriya had such a shared dream. But he didn't bother with him; Koharu could glare back at the hand-obsessed loudmouth for the both of them.
Rather, he gave All Might a melancholic smile. "I wouldn't have been accepted as a hero. I don’t fit the mould of what people want their heroes to be or what's normal." Walking closer to the man, he knelt and placed a hand on his shoulder. Enemies they might have been, but that didn't change the fact that All Might had been more of a positive influence in his life than his own father, even if they only met once.
“Maybe in the future, when the world’s been changed for the better, but it will change, I’ll fight to see that happen. If that requires your death, then so be it. But please know that I don't hate you, All Might. I never did, and I'll be sure to light a bonfire and pray for you every night." When that fate changed.
“Take your prayers and shove it!” That loud declaration from a familiar voice was followed by another familiar event, an explosion, but this one was aimed at him; Pyre barely had time to turn before the blast hit him right in the back, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him flying. Bakugo had made it right in time to hear that useless fuck; Pyro finally revealed his true colours and all but condemned All Might to die at the hands of some villains. His eyes were alight with fury as it took all this in.
"You little brat!" She tried to handle him but was confronted by Kirishima, who had hardened his entire upper body, which meant that when she reactively tried to slash him, her hair dug into his skin, but that was it. Kirishima didn't waste time as he charged, nearly landing a punch if she didn't abandon her assault and jump back. You won't be getting away that easily!" As if this disturbance wasn't enough, Shiozaki's vines burst from the ground and wrapped around Kurogiri, getting through the fog covering his form, paying special attention to his neck brace while ice spread over to them, the Nomu’s foot being in the path of it and starting to freeze over, the culprit being Todoroki, who was in rough shape, shivering from quirk overuse and barely conscious, but his blurry eyed glared at them all the same.
Forcing himself to act, he pushed his quirk as far as he could, freezing the Nomu up to its elbow and allowing All Might to shatter its arm and escape its clutches, the frozen appendage falling to the floor with a crash. With Nomu partially frozen, Shiozaki kept her fearful but determined gaze on her target. "Surrender now, before we need to use force." She ordered the villain, who narrowed his gaze at her, but then he tried to counter, her hold only tightened.
Bakugo ignored that, trusting that Vines could keep their warper in check as he approached Midoriya, who was getting up from his surprise attack. As he expected, the bastard, as tough as he didn't have a single burn on him from that; the only sign that he had been hit was the fact his haori was close to being destroyed. Turning him, emerald met ruby as they stared each other down, either saying a word despite this being the first time they'd seen one another since that day.
Pyre noted that Bakugo had grown but was also the same, if that made sense. He looked great in his hero gear, just like they had believed he would as kids playing heroes, though those eyes were less All Might and more enraged Wolverine. Bakugo took in how different the nerd looked, from how he stood straight and faced him head-on to how he had some muscle on his bones and even his clothing style. But despite that, he still saw the same nerd who couldn't help himself, and he'd take him down.
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“Pyromaniac, you finally show your face around me again," Bakugo stated, Kirishima and Shiozaki noting that unlike other times, where he was more bark than bite, he seemed genuinely pissed right now. They also detected that such anger could only come from recognition. Did he know this guy?
Pyre was calm or used what Nine had taught him to appear relaxed. Still, Koharu could tell that his heart was beating faster and that he had increased his breathing as his core heated up and focused on Bakugo. "I was afraid this would happen someday, but it couldn't be avoided." Pyre, Midoriya started, meeting his old friend’s fury with a small smile that housed little joy. “After all, you’re training to uphold our flawed order, and I’m fighting to destroy it.”
Bakugo wasn’t having it, as he scoffed back. “Only the weak call it flawed because they can't keep up, and you've always been weak, giving in to your fucked-up fantasies and torching whatever you could." His gaze hardened, but Midoriya would see a hint of pain as he said the next thing. "Now you're just a rotten villain that breaks Auntie's heart with every breath you take."
Bakugo didn't say that last part with as much venom, but it still hit Midoriya hard as he wasn't blind or stupid. He had seen how the media badgered his mother, how clearly uncomfortable she looked as they bombarded her with questions whenever they managed to corner her. More than once, he wished to burn down their agencies, possibly setting their tongues on fire every time he saw them harassing her, even when she told them to leave. Still, Nine and the rest talked him down from that, as that would only add fuel to the flames.
Taking a breath and releasing it in a puff of smoke, he met Bakugo's gaze. "My answer is the same as what I told All Might. This world needs to change. I won't stop till that happens."
“Then I’ll just beat you into the ground where you belong.” Bakugo pulled back his right, preparing to charge as Pyre lowered his centre of gravity, already activating BMH, his body heating up as his emerald eyes lit up.
"You shouldn't be moving," Asui whispered to Todoroki, as she had been surprised when he had woken up, more so when he asked that she help him since he couldn't move well on his own, much less fight. She had been worried for him and for herself to some extent, as he had been nearly as cold as a corpse when she carried him off; she knew she couldn't spend too much time around him like this. But she was the only one they could spare, as Koda and Mineta had enough trouble getting Tokoyami and Aizawa to safety.
Shigaraki broke the tension by clapping, the attention of all fighters turning to him. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that Nomu was partially frozen, and his other 3 agents were all countered by the arrival of Bakugo and Kirishima. In fact, Slice noted that he seemed pleased, which didn't fit him at all as this guy was throwing tantrums just a couple minutes ago. Glancing at Todoroki, she raised an eyebrow that he was still awake, as it seemed like he needed the frog girl just to move him; the large, silent one and the more petite purple boy were gone, along with their injured teacher and the bird's head.
Back with Shigaraki, he ceased clapping as he turned his eyes to Bakugo. "What a strange speech to hear from a hero. So much violence, but is that any surprise?" He asked, turning his gaze away from that to Kurogiri, wrapped neck to toe in vines. "We can't leave the dungeon, and the boss is no longer frozen. And to make it worse, we got 2 new fighters to deal with, and they don't have a scratch on them. A real pinch."
Kurogiri tried to move, but the vines around him tightened further. "I won't allow you to escape the consequences of your actions. This one's quirk might be powerful, but it's not like his entire body is the portal. He merely coats himself in it. If he was untouchable, he wouldn't have said what he did when Bakugo and Kirishima attacked him earlier."
Again, Shigaraki clapped. "Smart girl, it looks like she figured out your trick, Kurogiri." He mocked, though whether that was Shiozaki or Kurogiri was anyone's guess.
Rolling his shoulders, Midoriya dropped his damaged haori, frowning when he saw the extent of the damage despite the fact he had it made to be flame-resistant. "I like that top." He frowned at its loss.
“I don’t give a shit about your stolen clothes, pyromaniac.” At Bakugo’s statement, Pyre’s cheeks grew red in anger, his temperature rising.
“I’ll have you know I pay for my stuff.” As he countered that, Slice moved closer to Shigaraki.
"Two of them fresh as daisies; I knew you got some trash, but I didn't think they'd be that bad." She told him as the man grunted back.
“Weren’t you the one that handled the ice brat, and yet he’s still kicking.” He reminded her as she flashed her hair blades in return.
“I could have killed him then, and I can do it now if I wished.” She replied as All Might stood protectively in front of Todoroki, with her ticking her tongue as she knew that they didn't stand a chance against him. “Just get our escape route back because we didn’t sign up to get arrested for you.” He narrowed his glare at her but agreed. It wouldn't do if they got arrested on their debut.
"Nomu," Shigaraki ordered, and to the shock of the students and All Might, the beast responded by moving, pulling itself out of the portal, despite how that led to its frozen parts breaking off only for them to rapidly regenerate, with its lost arm and leg regrown in mere moments.
“What is this? You said its quirk was shock absorption!” All Might stated as the Nomu’s wounds, from the burns to the numerous tiny holes Slice's hair left behind healed in the same instance as its lost limbs.
“I did, but I never said that was its only quirk.” Shigaraki smiled as All Might's surprise was something to behold. “He was created to take you on at 100%. He's a super-efficient human sandbag." He gloated as All Might grimaced, holding his bleeding side, which had his weak spot Pyre noticed, but he kept his attention on Bakugo. For his part, Bakugo's attention also shifted to watching Nomu, as Kirishima also eyed it, as that was the more significant issue than dealing with the nerd.
Pyre knew that they thought this, but he didn't have high hopes for any of them as the redhead seemed to have a defensive quirk that hardened parts of his body. Still, he was confident that Nomu was fast enough to strike him before he could prepare and that even if he did, Nomu’s raw power would overwhelm it. Bakugo was in an even worse position as he was intelligent and quick on his feet when it came to learning, but Nomu was built differently.
It was a mindset that Shigaraki shared as he barely paid the two boys attention, instead facing Shiozaki. "First of all, we need our gate back, Nomu." Pyre and Slice didn't hesitate when they heard them, as both anchored themselves as Pyre took a knee and grabbed the ground so hard his fingers broke the surface, giving him a grip while Slice buried several tendrils into the ground. At that exact moment, Nomu moved, faster than any of them could perceive, all but All Might, who was caught off guard by the beast's raw speed as he watched, everyone else still at these speeds as the Nomu crossed the distance, its fist pulled back to attack Shiozaki in an attack that would surely kill her before she even realized she was dead.
He acted, moving to counter, but the distance between him and the Nomu was too great; if he wanted it, he would arrive too late, so instead, he shifted gears and focused on getting to Shiozaki. In the next moment, back in real-time, Nomu had almost vanished, and where Shiozaki had been standing exploded, the blast sending the students flying back in shock as Shigaraki shifted his footing to remain up, Pyre and Slice frowning as they held onto their ground till the blast dissipated.
Asui managed to catch Todoroki before he was blown back. Bakugo's quick reaction time saved him from that as he managed to grab Kirishima. All four landed close to one another.
Looking, they saw that dual trenches had been dug in the concrete floor, leading towards a small nearby wall, which also suffered damage from the attack. They first saw that Nomu had freed Kurogiri, most of the vines wrapped around him already torn off, but the students also dreadfully realized that Shiozaki was gone.
“Shiozaki!” Kirishima cried out, only to spot a patch of green in the corner of his eye.
“H-here…” Shiozaki replied, shaken and in disbelief. That was the second time she had nearly died against that monster in the last twenty minutes. Both times, she was perceptive enough to see a glimpse of it moving but far too slow to act.
“What the fuck? When did you move?” Bakugo asked her.
“I…I didn’t, it wasn’t me…” She answered, still in shock, as the boys, Todoroki included, to where the wall had been destroyed, seeing that All Might have once more saved her, but instead of just moving her out of harm's way, he had taken the hit. He still stood with his arms held up in defence, but his sleeves were destroyed, and his arms showed signs of bruises.
Breathing heavier than before, with a trail of blood leaking out the side of his mouth, the symbol of peace wasn't happy. "To use such force against a student? Did you want to kill her?”
“It was to rescue my companion. Besides, it’s not like we’re the only ones not pulling our punches. That loud blonde over there didn’t mesh his words and came off as quite brutal.” Shigaraki pointed towards Bakugo. "Violence for others is fine, isn't it?" As Shigaraki continued to speak, stating how he hated the status quo and how the world could call the same violent acts heroic and villainous to justify to condemn them, and how All Might himself was merely an enforcer of that, Koharu, Pyre and Slice all called bullshit on that.
Even if he had some excellent points, even if they agreed with him to an extent. They knew that Shigaraki didn't believe a word of that. He was a man that wanted to destroy, that was all. Like a child who wanted to play, he didn't care about anything else, and All Might rightfully called him out. "I've seen many people in my day, but the eyes of a white-collared villain burn bright in you. Those are the eyes of someone who doesn't care for ideals or goals; you just want to have your twisted fun."
"Leave the big one to All Might. We can handle the other 4," Bakugo grunted, getting ready to fight.
“It’s 4 verses 4.” Kirishima activated his quirk in his arms, getting into a boxing stance.
“Don’t you mean 5?” They turned to see Todoroki trying and failing to get up. Bakugo wasn't even sure he could see clearly with how frazzled his eyes looked.
“Not even, Icyhot. You can barely stand. Asui might need to take you away before you croak from frostbite." He turned back to the villains, even as Asui agreed, ready to grab the resistant but pitifully weak Todoroki to leave.
All Might stopped them all, walking towards from that last strike. “All of you, stay back.”
“The hell? You would have been toast without us!” Bakugo yelled back, though his eyes didn’t stay on the Nomu or Shigaraki, but on that fucking nerd.
"And I thank you for that, but this isn't a fight you should partake in. You might have jumped on them once, but these villains are beyond you." All Might told them, which, to most, might have been their teacher's reasonable and responsible response. But to Bakugo, his mind returned to that of slime and fear, shock and fear.
“What?” He asked, his mind trying to make sense of it. As he had worked his ass off after that, he trained himself to the brink so that he would never be in such a situation ever again. But to hear All Might say that, in his mind, he heard that he was still weak, that fucking pyro was still a monster he couldn't fight, that the slim fucker was a threat he couldn't handle. He was right there; he could prove that wrong! He could finally prove he was stronger, that he, as the future top hero, was stronger than some mentally fucked nerd with a penchant for fire.
As his mind descended and his rage built to a boil, All Might continued, not picking up on this. "Get Todoroki somewhere warm and heat him up before he risks losing fingers and toes. That isn't something that Recovery Girl can help with."
His response was an explosion that launched Bakugo past them like a pissed-off missile. "Like hell, I'm weaker than that fucker!" Bakugo declared, his eyes on the nerd who didn't even look surprised to see him coming. Instead, he was taking a breath.
“Bakugo!” Asui and Bakugo called out for him as he prepped to blast the nerd right to hell.
“Serpent’s Fire Scales!” Only to be met by a fireball. He moved to counter it, but it exploded before he did anything and turned into several smaller fireballs. He managed to avoid most of them, but one managed to tag his leg, throwing his balance off and letting one smack him right in the side. The explosive force of both sent him off course, crashing to the side as Pyre turned to him.
"Let Nomu handle All Might; Slice can take on those two. Bakugo is mine." He glanced at Shigaraki before disappearing to deal with his old friend and bully.
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Bakugo was spitting out dirt when Pyre landed. "That wasn't the smartest move. You could have walked away." He noted that as the blonde got up, his arms were raised.
“As if I’ll ever turn my back on a villain.” Bakugo scowled at him, which Pyre met with a fond head shake.
“Yeah, I know. You’ve never been someone that backed down.” Pyre replied, but that fondness faded away, turning to straight business. “Even when you were outmatched.”
“I’ve never been outmatched, now then.” Bakugo’s gaze narrowed at that jab. “Not now.” He blasted himself forward, pulling his proper back to attack him, but as soon as he tried to strike, Pyre caught his wrist in a vice-like grip. Using his augmented strength and the surprise of his foe, his other hand grabbed his costume's shirt and pulled him up and over, flipping him and forcing him into the dirt with a thud.
Bakugo bounced with the impact, air leaving his lungs from the impact, but Pyre wasn't done, as he still had a grip on him, which he used to pull him around before throwing him forward. Instinctively, he rolled his body, setting off a small blast to right himself. Still, when he looked up, he was met with a rising kick from Pyre, which made him bite his own tongue hard enough to draw blood while still supporting himself on a single leg; Pyre's other leg shifted like a dancer to drive his heel into his left cheek, knocking to the side where he rolled and got up as fast as he could, his eyes looking at his foe in disbelief as Pyre lowered his leg.
The villain knew that his old friend might have known he was a dangerous villain but never thought he would know how to fight with his hands like that. He cracked his knuckles, still a little peeved about the lost haori. “Ever since we were little, I saw how you always start with a big right swing. I've watched so many heroes fighting, but I've seen you the best out of all of them.” He reminded him of all the times they hung out and how those shifted to him following after him like a lost pup. He might have been just the annoying one then, but he never stopped watching or learning.
Setting off a heat pulse, he made his declaration. "You can keep calling me pyro, but that's not what I am. I'll show you what Pyre can do!”
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Yes, this is an annoying cut, but the chapter was approaching 10K words, and I refused to go that far for a chapter, significantly, since I had already extended the word limit from 6 to 7 K. But that means that most of part 2 is already written, so it shouldn't take me long to finish it, and I have more time to edit it. But you'll just have to wait and see.
