Leo Simon
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All For Myself Chapter 34
🕑 Added 2023-07-24 10:46:01 +0000 UTC"Is this all you weaklings can do?!" Inside the ruined streets of Musutafu an unhinged looking blonde man with a missing eye laughed as the heroes near him backed away. The blonde man was named Goto Imasuji, or at least that was his Civilian name. He was more commonly known as the A-rank villain Muscular; he got his name because of the Quirk he uses to murder both civilians and heroes. 'Pump Up' gives him the ability to strengthen and manipulate his own muscle layers to the point where they cannot be contained within his own skin, because of that when he uses his ability his body becomes covered in an armour of augmented fibers that can boost his physical abilities.
Muscular, completely clad in bulging pink muscle fibers, stood above the crushed bodies of the water hose heroes with blood staining his upper torso and face; he sadistically laughed and almost seemed to shake with excitement at the sight of the heroes on the scene backing away in fear.
His eye was gouged out and crushed into nothing more than a bloody mess, yet he didn't seem to care. In fact he creepily stuck his tongue out and licked some stray blood that was leaking down his left cheek from where his eye used to be. This action caused the Heroes to grow even more horrified at the insanity and brutality of their opponent.
Muscular laughed and mocked them as he yelled with glee present in his voice." Who's up next?! Who wants to show me their blood?! Do any of you think that you can step up, or are you too scared to do anything?!"
In response the Heroes surged up, indignant at the words of the madman, yet a malicious smirk sent their way was all it took to snuff out any pride they could muster. After a moment of nobody challenging him Muscular grew impatient and suddenly started to rush at the cowards with a look of sick joy on his face.
The Heroes froze up at this, they had never faced such a powerful adversary before. The fact that he was completely insane only made him even more unpredictable and terrifying. Several people were hiding behind them and if they fled their licences would definitely be revoked and they'd be ridiculed by the public, but at the same time they knew Muscular was far too powerful for any of them to overcome.
Their indecision was their downfall because the unhinged blonde man suddenly made an especially powerful jump directly at them, the speed was so great that it caught them off-guard, and before they could even properly move to defend themselves Muscular was on top of them with his fist upraised to crush them into nothing but paste like he did their comrades. He was going to run wild and destroy everything in his path.
Or at least that was his plan.
The world seemed to freeze as a flash of yellow lightning blitzed through the destroyed streets at insane speeds before halting itself right in front of Muscular. Then, as the lightning died down, a green blur crashed right into the blonde Villain with enough force to break several of the muscle fibers surrounding his stomach.
Muscular was caught completely off-guard by the unexpected attack, as a result he couldn't put up a proper defence and the impact from the blow was enough to send him flying backwards with so much force that when his back landed against a solid stone building a visible imprint was created in the shape of his large body.
Wind seemed to pick up slightly and both civilians and Heroes looked away as they lightly shielded their faces and their hair was blown in all directions. Bit, when they raised their head to see who saved them from the sadistic Villain, they were met with an unfamiliar sight.
Facing away from them was a figure who's head and back was completely obscured by a dark green hood. He was also wearing red combat boots and a black mask that covered his entire face except his emerald eyes. He was panting slightly, but it was also evident that he was the one responsible for saving their lives.
However, their relief was short lived. Their spines all immediately straightened up as Muscular got to his feet, the wind was knocked out of him and a massive hole was present in his muscle armour where their saviour had struck him, but otherwise he looked fine; if slightly winded.
Muscular however, didn't look enraged or frustrated at being plucked out of the sky so suddenly. In fact he looked like he was thrilled a powerful opponent had appeared in front of him. He smirked as he spoke to the Vigilante who he recognised." Hey, I know who you are. You're that Vigilante guy, Malachite."
Malachite himself was unfazed at the crazy murderer knowing his name; instead he just replied through his mask's built in voice modulator." And you're the Villain Muscular, it seems that you managed to kill the water hose Heroes. They were good people, and your going to pay for killing them." His green eyes landed on the crushed bodies of the two Heroes, most people wouldn't even recognise the thoroughly crushed paste that used to be the Hero couple, but he could see a few scattered pieces of support gear lying around that he recognised as belonging to them. Part of him felt guilty for not being fast enough, but the other parts of him said not to feel too bad. He did what he could and what was within his power, 'Acceleration' isn't a Quirk that can be used constantly and he can't use it in conjunction with his other Quirks. If he tired himself out too much then he would have had more difficulty with defeating Muscular; in fact he overdid it a little as it was. It was unfortunate but not his fault.
In response to his words the blonde Villain audibly yawned and mocked Malachite for his words." Oh man you are boring, I've heard about some guy dressed in green that could move faster than you could trach and hit harder than you can take. Well they do say never to meet your Heroes, your a disappointment."
In response the hooded Vigilante just narrowed his eyes and jabbed back." That's rich coming from you. Just one punch and you were sent flying, you're the disappointment here you blonde oaf." The green figure had been learning banter throughout his months of training, and if he's learned anything it's that bad guys love to talk and hate having their intelligence insulted. If you can get someone mad then they'll lash out; once they lose control they're done.
Muscular was unaffected by the jab, he just maintained his cocky grin as new muscle fibers started to grow and replace the ones which were torn, soon he looked as good as new. He then turned to Malachite with a savage and psychotic glint in his eyes.
"That was just a warm up, time to see something a little bigger!" His muscles seemed to expand and thicken as he lunged forward to swat down his opponent.
The world practically froze for Malachite as he activated his speed Quirk. 'Acceleration' was a Quirk that never ceased to amaze him, Ryoto said that the Quirks abilities consist of: stimulating the brain, speeding up the user's perception and thoughts relative to everything else, allowing them to move at a much faster speed than others. The Quirk has some limits though, despite it's incredible power. Other Quirks cannot be used in conjunction with 'Acceleration', this is because the more the user thinks the more the Quirk is strained. This is because using more than one Quirk at the same time requires some high level parallel processing, splitting your focus on two powers like that will put a high strain on your brain, all of this is horrible for 'Acceleration's' downsides.
To put it simply, the more you think the harder it is to use 'Acceleration'. He had to have quite a bit of practice to use it at an efficient level.
Izuku used his insane speed to move out of the way just before Muscular could swat him down. Once he dodged the world resumed as he deactivated 'Acceleration' and the ground broke under the Villain's assault, he would have been worried about the Civilians, but they had already fled the scene. Along with the Heroes. He was slightly mad at the cowards for fleeing their duty, but he put the thought aside, he had other more concerning issues.
He activated 'Scanning' and his eyes glowed yellow as his brain was given a rundown on his opponents Quirk. Immediately upon seeing what the Quirk did he smiled. This would be fun.
Muscular was surprised that his enemy managed to dodge his attack at such insane speeds, it was like he didn't move at all until that final moment. But he was left with no time to ponder over what the Vigilante's Quirk really was, he suddenly turned when his ears picked up a shift in the wind and before he knew it a green blur was flying straight for him. He raised his arms to block the strike out of instinct, but-
"Looking for me."
That was the only warning Muscular got before his opponent was directly in his face, his hands glowing with orange lightning. But he was given little time to memorise the face of the one who defeated him. Afterall, all he saw was a pair of glowing moss coloured eyes and a few loose strands of green curly hair.
Muscular screamed out in agony when those two hands latched onto his face. The strange shock spread through his entire body and suddenly all of his muscle fibers split open like cut fruit that gave way to red. All at once his armour completely came undone as all of his muscles were torn to shreds and he finally lost all of the air in his lungs. For a moment everything was completely silent as Malachite jumped off Muscular's shredded form, with the momentum from the jump causing the villain to fall on his back with blood leaking all over the ground.
Malachite gave a slight shoulder glance at the battered and beaten form of Muscular. He hasn't stopped analysing Quirks since he joined Paragon, Ryoto said that it was a good habit, he even gave him a Quirk called 'Scanning' to compliment this skill of his. So, he decided to muse about the Villain's Quirk to his unconscious form." Your Quirk allows you to cover your body in augmented muscle fibers to increase your strength, speed and defend against attacks. A useful ability. But, whilst your Quirk allows you to increase your muscle fibers durability and power, in the end they're still just muscles. If I were to send a powerful electric shock through them with 'Bio-electricity' then they'd quickly inflame and tear themselves apart." Though whilst on the outside he did his best to remain cool and unfazed, on the inside he was practically throwing up with excitement at how easily he took down an A-rank Villain. Even he was surprised by his own abilities.
Malachite moved to leave, looking to avoid the police if at all possible. He's ran into them a few times and they can be annoyingly persistent. But, of course life never really goes to plan.
Malachite felt his Quirk 'Hyper Sense' suddenly deactivate. Upon feeling this the Vigilante instantly felt a flinch of shock. 'Hyper Sense' essentially worked like a sixth sense that enhances instincts to the max. He simply knows things that he wouldn't if he only had five senses, the thing is that it's always activate. But, right now he didn't feel that strange sensation he'd gotten used to that always followed him. His Quirks were turned off.
The only one that could do that is-
Malachite suddenly whips his head around just in time to dodge a thin white looking rope. A carbon capture weapon, that means that he's here, the only one that could-
Eraserhead. He immediately recognised the erasure Hero as he jumped with impressive leg strength to put a bit of distance between himself and the Hero dressed in black. Once he was done he took a moment to catch his breath, 'Bio-electricity' is a Quirk that turns his stamina into electrical energy that he can release anywhere on his body. It's a powerful Quirk, but it has limits based on his own physical ability. Even with the extensive training that he's undergone with the help of 'Cell Activation' he can't just use that Quirk endlessly. He's facing a dangerous opponent and he can't use his Quirks. This'll be tricky.
Shota Aizawa swung out of the dark alley where he'd attempted to ambush Malachite and came out into the open with his hair upraised and his eyes glowing red that signified that he had 'Erasure' active. Eraserhead was momentarily surprised at the speed at which Malachite moved, but he got over it just as fast and called out." Come quietly Vigilante, if you turn yourself in then you can look at a reduced sentence, you won't be able to rely on your Quirk so just give it up."
Even through his mask Eraserhead could see that he was looking at black clad underground Hero as though he were an idiot." Oh really? Then why don't we look at the laws I've broken. In the six months I've been a Vigilante I've taken down two hundred and forty three Villains. Assuming that a normal person who breaks the Quirk usage laws gets three strikes before they can be charged for their crimes we'll say two hundred and forty. You can be fined up to one hundred thousand Yen for every time your caught doing so beyond that, I don't have two hundred and forty million Yen lying around, so I'd be sent off to prison to pay all of that back. I don't know how long I'd be in there, but that is far too long for my taste." Izuku wasn't just musing his own thoughts for no reason when he started a conversation with Eraserhead. He was trying to stall for time, once 'Erasure' is down he can kick into overdrive with 'Acceleration' and knock the Hero out and make his escape before the feds get wise.
Eraserhead heard the words of the criminal and would have sighed if he didn't have his Quirk active. Nobody ever wants to go quietly.
The underground Hero burst forward with one hand on his capture weapon and one hand clenched into a fist. If he wanted to make this difficult then he'd have to bring him in the hard way. He wouldn't be going for the kill. Despite the fact that Malachite has broken laws, in the end Eraserhead can't bring himself to believe that he's a bad person. A criminal yes, but he arrived on the scene just in time to see the Vigilante save those people. A criminal? Yes. An idiot? Yes. But a Villain and a psychopath? Not from what he's seen.
Shota was still gonna have to beat him down though.
The Vigilante, instead of attempting to fight the Hero head on, began to make a run for it to escape 'Erasure's' range. All he need is a brief instant where he can activate his Quirks and he can make his escape.
Watching the Vigilante start to run away Aizawa was instantly surprised at the physical ability that the green criminal was showing. A normal person shouldn't be able to run that fast without the use of a Quirk. His power is still active so the man in front of him is just moving with his own power. If he weren't a criminal then Shota would actually be impressed.
Shota sent out his binding cloth and latched onto a loose pipe so that he could swing himself forward and give chase as the masked man ran into an alleyway between buildings.
Malachite clicked his tongue in annoyance as he mentally thanked himself for doing so much intense training under the effects of 'Cell Activation', he was leagues above the average person in terms of raw physical ability. He suddenly darted down a sharp corner in the alley and grinned as he felt his powers return. He's got him now.
Aizawa grimaced as he saw the Vigilante make an especially sharp turn that will have undoubtedly cancelled out the effects of his Quirk. But, he still had a job to do, so he once again aimed his binding cloth at another pipe to help him pivot in the air and hopefully catch a glimpse of the crimin-
"Got you."
Those were all the words of warning that Aizawa got before Malachite revealed himself, now suddenly behind the Hero, he held out a gloved hand that now had the fingertips bare and unleashed 'Blackwhip' to pin the black haired man to the ground.
Shota couldn't help but flinch and blink in pain as he suddenly crashed to the ground with black tendrils of energy pinning him down.
'Blackwhip' is a very useful and versatile Quirk in his opinion. But, Ryoto already had 'Rivet Stab' so he gave it to Malachite, he claimed that it was a good Quirk, but he already had another that essentially gave the same effects, so he had no need for it. He's been given so many amazing abilities and had receives so little in return, part of him feels guilty for that fact.
Eraserhead was being pinned down with his head being held still by the tendrils so that he couldn't catch a glimpse of the Vigilante who had him completely at their mercy. Aizawa was also panicking at the fact that his opponent had multiple Quirks, the tendrils which were holding him down and the lightning he used to defeat Muscular were definitely not related in the least, the only explanation is that he's part of Saito's group, but why would a member of a terrorist organisation be running round and playing the role of a Vigilan-
'Chop!'
Malachite brought his hand down on Eraserhead's neck, knocking him unconscious in a rather straightforward manner. He really needed to go, he had no idea whether the Eraser Hero had called for backup but he had no desire to find out. It's been too long since he talked to the others anyway, with his double taking care of his regular life he really had no need to go to school, he's just been acting as a Vigilante for the most part. Ryoto said that he needed to gain experience in combat and that doing Vigilante work was a good place to start.
"Aaargh!" He suddenly felt a large amount of static in his head as his 'Radio Waves' power suddenly acted up and made him hear nothing but loud ringing that vaguely sounded like words. He didn't need to hear what the message was saying to understand what he was being called for though. He had to go back to base.
"Co-e Iz--u, we ma-e o-r nex- mo-e soon."
Receiving signals with this Quirk was always a little painful for him, of course he understood the necessity of having a way of communication that couldn't be decoded, if what Ryoto said about this 'Skeptic' was true anyway, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. The human mind just isn't meant to be able to understand radio waves, no living organism should, it's unnatural. Then again what about Quirks is natural? A warp gate should be opening for him right-
A cloud of fog swirled behind him that, once he stepped through, would return him to one of Paragon's many warehouses scattered throughout Japan. He's is almost curious as to how Ryoto could procure so many different locations for them to escape to should they need to lie low for a moment, but he just shrugged it off. He learned a long time ago that logic didn't seem to apply to his leader.
Izuku has changed so much in just over eight months, if it were a year ago he'd never even have imagined stepping outside the line the laws set, now he did it basically every day. He's so much different now... but people change. At first he felt like nothing but a waste of Ryoto's time, but as he improved at a rapid pace he slowly started to gain more confidence in himself. He still has doubts at times, but completely erasing those is probably a lost cause; at least in his opinion. He even made a few friends such as miss Hasaki and made a bit of a name for himself in the public eye, of course the media tried not to report on the fact that a Vigilante was doing a better job than the Heroes, but he didn't let that bother him. Now that he thought about it he's basically been doing everything that he's wanted to do since he was a child. Like his entire life's goals have all been done just by him joining with Ryoto. Even if he isn't a 'Hero', he's still a hero, just like he's always wanted.
But, all good things must end eventually. Izuku has lost some of his naivety, whilst he liked doing this and training, he hasn't lost what exactly he's training for. Because acting as a Vigilante made him realise just how detached the world of the Quirked was from the Quirkless one. He's always seen it, but having powers of his own just made him realise how different the Quirked live their lives. He wasn't Quirkless anymore, but he still considers himself to be one of them, he still went through years of unnecessary torment that could have been avoided if society was better. Because of that he's willing to leave his dreams behind if it means that he can stop other people from enduring what he went through.
So with those thoughts in mind he left the dark alleyway with siren blaring faintly behind him as he stepped through the warp gate.
He isn't an innocent little boy anymore, he's an adult who is willing to make hard decisions. And if he has to commit a few crimes to work for the greater good then... so be it.
