I landed on my back with a thud. I coughed and choked on impact. I heard a familiar voice next to me, "That wasn't a graceful landing." I looked around and saw Ojiro, tail and all. I groaned as I sat up rubbing my backside, "Where are we?" He looked around and gestured to our surroundings, "Well everything is on fire, so I'm guessing the fire district." I stood up and dusted myself off, "I think that guy has a warp gate ability. We need to find the others as soon as possible. We need to get somewhere high and scope the place out." I was playing it calmly but my mind was racing.- Bakugo that idiot. As much as I'm mad at him right now, I'm scared and worried. Ojiro rubbed the back of his head, "It might be too dangerous to climb these buildings with the place actively burning down. You don't happen to have anything useful stored in there somewhere." He gestured to me and I thought back on it, "I do have my Levitation quirk and Uraraka's Zero Gravity." He interjected, "Perfect! We can use Zero Gravity and fly up to the top of these buildings." I turned pensive with a hand on my chin, "It's not that easy. We first have to be projected up. There's very little actual aerodynamic control of our movements without something to bounce off of. Even then, we could miss the landing, and I'd say it's a long fall. I could catch you with Levitation but if we're both falling, I won't be able to save myself." Ojiro looked around, "Well, I could use my tail to bounce between these buildings. If timed right, I can latch onto the edge and I wouldn't have to worry about floating away. Then I can tell you to release when I can stand safely on top of the buildings. I can still move around beyond that if necessary." I stiffened, "Not to be too alarming, but I don't know if it's a good idea to split up when it's just the two of us. We could get ambushed. Remember what that guy said. His 'friends' are trying to kill us." Ojiro tensed, "You're right. I didn't think of that." I felt bad for saying it so bluntly. I reached out and touched his shoulder, "Let's stick together. We're going to make it out of here. I promise." I filled him with reassurance and he pumped his fist, "Yeah! Let's do this."
"Awe, isn't this promising,"
"I know. Look at them so full of hope."
Cackling and evil laughter filled the air like the smoke. Ojiro and I put our backs together. I kept my voice low, "Ojiro. I have Todoroki's quirk. We'll be fine but I don't know how well I'll be able to control it. I don't think adding fire to this fire will help, so watch out for my ice." Ojiro's tail tapped my back, "Got it!" The villains started to surround us. One of them, hunched and ragged, laugh maniacally, "You really think you can beat all of uuuuusss?~" I mocked, "This is all of you? Pathetic." Ojiro snapped in a hushed tone, "What're you doing?" I whispered back, "I'm trying to draw them all out. The more I can get in one swoop, the better." Ojiro gasped, "Oh." He then chuckled, following my lead, "These guys are nothing but little rug rats. They couldn't lay a finger on us." I snickered, "That's it Ojiro!" One of the bigger tankier looking men roared, "You think this is a game!? We're going to kill you!" I laughed, "I'd like to see you try! Fucking pussies! You're too scared to come at us all at once, so you're hiding in the shadows like cowards!" A tall slender man with reptilian eyes that was slinking out of the shadows hissed, "You hear that!? This one has gall!~ But you remember what Shigiraki said right?" The short hunched man rolled his shoulders, "There's only two kids that came from the warp gate. They can't take us all! ATTTAAACK!!!"
All of them darted at us. I screamed, "NOW, OJIRO!" He managed to crawl up the light pole next to us. I breathed in icy air and pushed out. Ice covered the ground and spread instantly. Any and all fire in the next block was put out along with capturing all the villains. The ice didn't encase them completely, so you could hear their cries of agony. I looked up at the light pole. Some of the ice made its way up the light pole but didn't come close to where Ojiro was perched. He gave a thumbs up, "Nice work! We need to thank Todoroki later for such a powerful quirk." I laughed, "Right?" Ojiro jumped down and landed on the unfrozen ground that surrounded me. He stood and looked around at the damage, "How do you even know how to use the quirks that you copy?" I shrugged, "I normally just watch how they've been used and adjust accordingly."
"HEEYYYY!"
I jumped. It was the tanky guy again. He fought against the ice and it began to crack. I extended an arm behind me in a protective gesture. I can't let anything happen to Ojiro. I'm NOT going to lose. The villain roared as he strained against the ice as it cracked more and more, "IF YOU THOUGHT THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS WERE GOING TO GO DOWN THIS EASY BY A GROUP OF CHILDREN- YOU'RE DEAD WRONG!!" I growled, getting more and more irritated, "I've got this. Watch my back for any stragglers." Ojiro didn't argue.
I walked over slowly, absolutely fuming. I was absorbing this monkey's anger unintentionally through Empath. Whenever feelings get so strong, they can manipulate my own. Little does this rat bastard know, it's working to his disadvantage. I barked, "Why are the League of Villains even here?" The bulky man howled, "AS IF I'D TELL YOU!" I gave a demented grin, and laughed, "I'm going to make you eat your words." I was close enough, I blasted him with Bakugo's quirk. It shattered the ice and sent the hunk of meat flying. I felt myself become more unhinged. I let out a delusional laugh, "You don't think I couldn't end you if I wanted to? I'll just make you wish I would!"
I walked towards the man who lied in a crumpled ball on the ground. Ojiro called to me, "Nozomi! I think that's enough!" He bawled, "Wait- Stop!- I'll tell you what you want to- AAH!" I grabbed him by the back of his neck and laid on the pain with Empath. He screeched and cried in agony, "YOU'RE A MONSTER!" I muttered, "You're nothing but, scum. It's always rat bastards like you fucking up my life. If you value yours- you'll tell me everything I want to know." He wailed in his deep voice, "OKAY! OKAY! JUST MAKE IT STOP!"
I returned to a numb expression and released him. He heaved and choked on air. I snapped, "Now tell me- why are these so called 'League of Villians' here?" He coughed out, "We launched the attack in hopes to get to All Might! Shigiraki planned to kill him." I scoffed, "With what, this pathetic army?" The burly man gave a grave look, "Did you see the big black monster with the exposed brains and gnarly teeth." The image of the monstrosity flashed through my mind. I didn't take much notice to him. I griped, "Yeah. What of it?" The man curled into a ball, "Apparently, the thing is invincible. We underlings know nothing about the origins that thing but Shigiraki calls it Nomu." I let out a breath, "A Nomu, huh?" My head suddenly ached as I started hearing voices and seeing images flash before my eyes. I grit my teeth and tried to concentrate on the task at hand, "One last thing- who's this Shigiraki?" The man didn't hesitate, "He's the leader of this whole thing. The guy with all the hands covering him. His quirk is Decay. It's just as it sounds. Anything he touches can decay into dust." I cursed, "Shit. Good enough. Thanks." I swiftly encapsulated the man in ice. He cried, "Wait, kid! I thought you were going to let me go!?" I barked at him, "I said I'd let you live. I said nothing about letting you go. I may be young but I'm not dumb enough to let the enemy get away to warn his buddies."
I held a hand to my aching head as I stumbled my way back to Ojiro. He rushed over to me and helped me stand, "Yo, what was that!? Don't you think you went a little hard right there? You were even scaring me." I whimpered, "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." He sighed, "Well, I didn't see or hear any loose bad guys around so I think it's safe to scout the place out. We can float to the top more safely now that all the fires are out." My head throbbed. I winced, "About that- can you give me a minute?" He gave a worried look, "Are you alright?" I waved it off, "Yeah- yeah. I just need a breather. Sorry." He brushed it off, "Don't worry about it, you did a lot more work than I certainly did. Here, hop on my back. I'll just pack you up the stairs while you rest." I softened, "Thanks Ojiro." He blushed lightly, "Don't even worry about it."
He helped me onto his back and supported me with his tail. We marched our way up the stairs. It didn't take us long before we made it to the top of the abandoned building. I tapped his shoulder and he let me off his back, "Thanks. I appreciate it." He waved it off and turned his attention to our surroundings, it looks like we're in a dome. I didn't notice before but I did see a red dome with flames painted on it in the far distance from the entrance. I think we're in the far back right corner." I grumbled, "Great. We're the furthest away. We need to hurry back to get to the others." I looked around. Looking up and I saw a glass circle at the very top of the dome and an idea popped into my head. I chose my next words carefully, "Hey, Ojiro. Hear me out." He perked up, "What's up, Nozomi?" I pointed to the glass part of the dome, "You know how glass cracks and breaks when exposed to extreme cold and then extreme heat." He looked skeptical, "Yeah? You don't actually think we can make it up there do you." I held up my hands defensively, "But listen. We use Uraraka's Zero Gravity, I blast us up there with Bakugo's Explosion quirk, we latch onto the glass with your tail, I use Todoroki's Fire and Ice, and bash in the glass with Kirishima's hardening quirk! Then we can float out and land on top of the dome!" Ojiro pondered it for a second, "You know, this might actually work. It'll be the fastest way out of here! Then we can float to where everyone else is!" I gave a cheeky grin, "Yeah! That's it!" He laughed, "Let's do this."
We planned it out and moved to the ledge. I stood and faced the direction of the glass, "Alright, we have to avoid moving too much as it can take us off our trajectory. You ready? Latch on." He sweated a little, "Um.. where?" I turned to face him and he was slightly blushing which only made me blush and become more bashful, "Just wrap your arms around my waist, and don't let go!" He hesitated but gave in. His arms tightened around my waist. I breathed in and out, relaxing and mentally preparing. I shouted, "Alright! Here we go!" I touched Ojiro's arm and I felt him float behind me. I touched myself and I began to float with him. I couldn't hesitate for long. I put my arms down and blasted us towards the glass. I shrieked, "Ojiro! It's actually working!" He was just screaming behind me as we flew across the air. I laughed, "We're getting closer! Get that tail ready!" I felt his arms tighten around my waist, "That's right! I almost forgot. It's easy when you feel like you should be falling to your death!" Just in time, Ojiro used his tail to latch to the lip of the glass which swung us up and I smacked face first into the glass. I groaned, "Ooooow." I felt Ojiro shaking behind me. Was he- was he laughing? With my face still smooshed against the glass, I growled, "What the hell is so funny?" He couldn't contain it anymore. He was cackling with laughter, absolutely wheezing, "HahaHA- Y-You we-were so intimidating before, but- but now!" His laughter only intensified, "I can't take you seriously!!" I pried my face off the glass with a peeling feeling. He wheezed, "Oh my gooood! You left an imprint on the glass! BWAHAHA." I cursed, "God dammit." I just got to work. Icing the surface of the glass, I switched to heat. The glass began to crack immediately. Ojiro's laughter died down, "It- it's working!" I raised an arm and hardened it into a spear shape. I yelled as I slammed it into the glass, "Now this should be it! Close your eyes!" The glass shattered into thousands of tiny pieces and we flipped out with Ojiro's tail. I deactivated Uraraka's quirk and we plopped onto the top of the dome, near the edge of where the glass used to be. Ojiro was the one to swear this time, "Holy shit. We actually did it!" I panted, "Not gonna lie, I didn't think we were gonna make it either." He laughed, "Thank goodness for your creativity." I raised my fist, "Aye, we did this together. I sure as hell wouldn't have been able to do it on my own." He met my fist with a fist bump of his own, "To teamwork."
We smiled but turned serious when we looked back out to the rest of the facility. I pointed to the exit in the far distance, "Well, we need to get over there. I can use Zero Gravity and Bakugo's quirk and we'll be there in no time." Ojiro grabbed my wrist, "Don't you think we need to slow down? You're the only one here that's using their quirk. You've probably exhausted a lot of stamina." I shook his hand off and gave a curt smile. "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about the others." He paused, clearly deciding whether or not he wants to believe me. I offered my hand, "We're so close. Let's keep going." He gave in. He latched on again and we were off. I called back to him through the wind, "It looks like we have a straight shot. We'll pass over the shipwreck so we can check on the others there. Hopefully, we don't run into any bad guys there." It didn't take long for us to get there. Ojiro spoke up, "Um- Nozomi!? How are we going to get down?!" I snickered, "I'm so glad you asked!" I counted down the seconds until we were above the lake for ship rescue. He gasped, "You wouldn't!" I laughed maniacally, "You shouldn't have laughed earlier. Brace yourself!" I deactivated the quirk and we fell. We screamed as we dropped into the water. We hit the water with a splash and I felt myself sink into the deep water.
This felt so peaceful. No sound, the cold water, it almost erases all thought instantly. I felt a tug around my waist and I was dragged up above water. I gasped and choked as I splashed, feeling disoriented. I was greeted by Ojiro tugging me by his tail as he was getting pulled ashore by Tsu's tongue. He shook his head, "You're a different level of crazy. Do you even know how to swim?" I shrugged but gave a cheeky grin. He held up a finger while shaking his head, "No- just no." Midoriya called out, "Nozomi!" My gaze followed his voice and I felt myself light up. Izuku is alright! When I was able to walk to shore, I tapped Ojiro's tail and he let go. I rushed over to see him, "Izu-chan! You're okay!" Soon as I made it over, he flicked my forehead, "Do you know how reckless that was! You had Ojiro with you for crying out loud! You're lucky I saw you flying overhead." I cracked up. He stood confused and peeved, "What's so funny!?" I slowed my laughter into a smile, "I'm just glad to see you!" I pounced on him giving him a tight hug before letting go. Ojiro walked up, "You wouldn't believe how crazy strong Nozomi is- and crazy but I guess I'm not allowed to talk about that." I got defensive, "Heyyy! All my plans worked didn't they?!" He laughed, "Sure did. I'm honestly surprised we didn't die."
A commotion ensued in the center of the stadium, right behind us. We turned to face it and we saw that Mr. Aizawa was still fighting. Tsu spoke up in surprise, "I can't believe he's still holding his own." Midoriya spoke in a serious tone, "He's going to over exert himself if we don't do something." Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Mineta speaks up, "You're not actually suggesting that we go fight too!?" I looked at Ojiro, "Was Mineta always here?" He shrugged. Midoriya went silent, "Not fight them ourselves but help lighten the load a little bit." Midoriya went into thought and I searched for Aizawa in the crowd.
At that moment, he started fighting the leader. It was the man described earlier, Shigiraki. I wonder where that Nomu is? Just then, they separated and I could see the decay on Aizawa's elbow. I tensed. We need to think of something quick. Aizawa continued to fight despite his bad elbow. Think. Think. Think! There was a pause in the fighting. I scanned the battlefield until my eyes landed on something familiar. A figure, frail and thin with black chopped hair. My head suddenly throbbed. I choked, "GGEUGH!" Ojiro and Midoriya rushed to my side. I almost collapsed into the water. Who are they? Why does my head keep throbbing? Just in that moment, in a flash, red spread across my vision.