"THERE'S BLOOD OVER HERE, ALL MIGHT!" Kamui Woods declared, crouched on one knee as he looked over his shoulder. He got to his feet and lifted his arm. "I THINK IT'S A TRAIL!"
All Might's heavy footsteps clomped toward him, sweat lining his hairline. He felt his heart in his throat. "Blood here too?"
"It's a lot less than the stronghold," Kamui stated, looking at the trail of blood. "I think the fight trailed all the way over here."
"This pattern ..." All Might murmured, placing his fist to his mouth. "It looks like it was blown by the wind."
"Did they fight in the air?" Kamui offered.
"That doesn't explain the fight in front of the stronghold," All Might said, shaking his head. "That fight with that man ... What was his name?"
"Takumi Zawa," Kamui stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Human trafficker, arsonist. I think he's wanted for around three counts of premeditated murder." Kamui scoffed. "He's a scumbag. He's been wanted longer than he's been working for All for One."
"It's clear that their fight with Zawa happened where his body was found," All Might commented quietly. "His neck bone looked tortured with fractures. Bakugo very clearly defeated him there."
"Then what about the stronghold?" Kamui asked. "All those corpses. All that blood. I mean, that was a massacre." He shivered lightly from the wind. "There's no way that was Bakugo's doing ... right?"
All Might swallowed hard, his fingers twitching. "No," he said firmly. "But I do know what the source of it was." He inhaled deeply, looking over his shoulder, his hair lightly blowing in the wind. "We need to find them."
"The source?" Kamui thought, watching the trail of blood extend as far as his eyes could see. Could it be ... that girl? The one they were looking for? Is that why all of TPD is involved, and why we have all these heroes?" Kamui shivered again. "Is she really that powerful? That she caused ... all of this?"
"I'm going to follow the trail," All Might said calmly. He looked at Kamui and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Get Tsukauchi to meet me there."
"Right." Kamui nodded and hurried away.
All Might pressed forward, his eyes locked on the blood trail, growing thicker as he walked. His heart pounded lightly, his work shoes clicking softly against the stained grass.
"Come on, Young Bakugo," he thought, his heart pounding. "Young Tsuki." Emotion swelled in his chest. "Please be okay."
The terrain was decimated—trees scorched, debris from the stronghold sprawled across the entire area. "This looks like the aftereffects of Bakugo's explosions," he murmured. "And all this blood ... it's probably from Tsuki's arms when they tore." His brows furrowed. "Did she use her curse on him? How did they manage to get into the air? And why isn't there more proof of a battle? "
He hurried forward and then—
A massive crater.
"This looks like ..." His voice trailed off as he scanned the scene. Several trees were split in half, as if a tornado had torn through them.
"BAKUGO! YOUNG TSUKI!"
All Might sprinted toward the crater, his pulse spiking. He skidded to his knees at the sight before him. His arms trembled as he reached out, eyes scanning their decimated, limp bodies.
Tsuki's legs were torn with deep gashes along her arms and thighs. Her skin was battered and bruised, her body half-submerged in a small pool of blood. Bakugo was in even worse condition—gashes so deep his bones were exposed, his cheekbone shattered, a burst vein in his eye staining the sclera with red. His body twitched lightly, shock rippling through his battered form.
All Might gasped, placing a hand over his mouth. "They're alive?" His hand trembled. "My dear students ..." He hunched over their bodies, hugging them despite the blood soaking through his sleeves. "You are the truest form of heroes I have ever seen."
A deep ache lodged itself in his chest. "While they were out here risking their lives ... I was two cities away, watching from a shattered camera and relying on call-ins for updates." His teeth gritted. "I'm disgraceful. How can I call myself a hero?"
"ALL MIGHT?!?"
Tsukauchi's voice echoed through the woods.
"TSUKAUCHI!" All Might shouted, snapping to his feet. "GET THE AMBULANCE HERE, NOW!"
Tsukauchi jogged over, his tie loosened, his neatly combed hair now a sweaty mess. "DID YOU FIND THEM?!"
All Might ushered him closer. Tsukauchi's eyes widened, his brows knitting together as he took in the sight.
"Holy shit," he cursed under his breath, reaching for his radio. "Survivors have been found. 10-20 is northwest of the stronghold."
"10-4," the voice on the other end confirmed. "How many?"
"Two."
"10-4."
"All Might," Tsukauchi said, voice tight with warning. "This is worse than we planned for." He ran a hand through his hair. "Those ninjas were the strongest in the nation. They're all dead. And those bodies in the stronghold ..." He inhaled sharply, shutting his eyes. "They all died by suicide."
His voice dropped lower. "If this girl did this—"
"She didn't," All Might said, his voice firm. "She was possessed by a cursed quirk."
Tsukauchi scoffed, crossing his arms. "All Might, lying at a time like this—"
All Might turned, his gaze sharp. "Lying?" His brows furrowed. "You think Young Bakugo lied about that? The school gymnasium has cameras. Every training session was recorded. You can watch them." His voice turned even more resolute. "Her movements. The obviousness of another entity controlling her."
He looked down at Tsuki and Bakugo, his eyes filled with determination. "I will testify alongside them if I must. And Bakugo will too."
Tsukauchi's frustration flared. "Look at his injuries!" He gestured toward Bakugo, exasperated. "She did that to him—"
"You don't understand the delicacy of the situation," All Might cut in, his fists clenching. "If you think this was consented, you are sorely mistaken."
He sighed, shaking his head, his voice quieter now. "This isn't Young Tsuki's fault. If anything ... it's mine." His shoulders sagged. "If I had defeated All for One when I needed to ... none of this would have happened."
Tsukauchi exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "So you're willing to take the fall for all of this?"
"Yes," All Might said without hesitation. "That man in the suit we found ... he was the one Young Bakugo was investigating. His hunch was right. He found her. He fought them. He won." His throat tightened. "All he wanted was to save Tsuki."
A faint sound grew in the distance—the sirens of an approaching ambulance.
"And he saved her," All Might murmured. He looked at Tsukauchi, eyes resolute. "It's all up to him now—to press charges."
Tsukauchi let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "So he did turn out to be all bark and all bite, huh?" He smirked, waving the ambulance toward their location. "You've got quite the student, All Might."
...
Authors note: Im shocked I wrote a full chapter outta this scene.
