Chapter Text
“Anyone?” Eri stared at interactions between the Ectoplasm and Gang Orca. The cloning hero asked the killer whale. “Anything?” Orca shook his head. “Nothing, we should be safe tonight.” Ectoplasm left a clone with the other hero as he went back to base. He spotted Eri hiding behind some rubble. “What are you doing out here, little one?” Eri stood at her full height of 4’7, 139cm. She was 11 now.
It had been four years since hero society was destroyed and Japan fell into the clutches of evil. The civilians who hadn’t left before the fall were now trapped on this island, left to the mercy of rampaging villains. And while some of them agreed to join the remaining heroes in a rebellion, most where just trying to survive, hidden somewhere in the mountains of Japan.
“How’s training with Shouta going?” Ectoplasm asked as he took her hand and started walking her back.
“You ask me that all the time, Sensei.” She huffed. “But it’s been going well. I can control my quirk pretty well to the point of being able to rewind any injury or broken support items. But you know that, so why ask me all the time?” She looked up at the hero. His face was neutral, but underneath, Eri could see a void of emptiness and guilt. On the outside, bruises, dirt, and years of fighting have left their mark. Through the years, she saw how each war and death had affected them. All of them.
As she stepped back into the room where the rest of them were, she stared. Among the heroes that have survived the four years, the only ones she knew were Lemillion, Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, Nedzu, and Aizawa. Through the years, Takeyama still wore Midnight’s mask. A reminder of what they have lost. Of class 1-A, the only ones who haven’t died or been captured were Kirishima, Ashido, Shoji Mezo, and Sero Hanta.
Kiri was consoling Mina. She had started crying more often as the anniversary of her friend's death came up. And yes, while they knew several of them were still alive, it wasn’t worth the risk and death to save them. Watching them, from where he stood against a wall, was Aizawa.
Thanks to Eri, he was able to see in both eyes again as well as use both legs. But these second chances brought no happiness when his students were either dead, captured, or forced to fight. They weren’t even actual heroes yet. But in war, when did stuff like legal and law matter? Then, of course, there was Bakugo. So far, he was able to use the quirks of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Apparently, because he wasn’t quirkless like Midoriya, he would never be able to use 2’s power because it would be too much for his body. The damage already being done because of OFA would hasten and instantly kill him.
Still, that didn’t keep him from training with the quirk. He was always out with Mirio practicing and planning. He was the 9th holder of One For All. And because of that, most surviving heroes expected him to be the one to lead them, to bring them back into the light of glory. But that wasn’t something a 20-year-old should experience.
“Can I be selfish, Eri-chan?” Ectoplasm asked as they both watched the defeated looks on the heroes. Eri nodded. “It’s because I believe that one day, you’ll be the person to lead us.” Eri couldn’t believe him. Leading them would mean she had to become a holder. Leading them meant Bakugo would have to die. “And I know that isn’t something to put on the shoulders of someone so young, but with the quirk you have, you might be the only one who can use the full potential of OFA. It could be our only option to bring light back into this darkened world.”
“Can I speak to you for a moment?” Aizawa growled as he pulled Ectoplasm away from Eri. They walked into another room, Eri discreetly following them. They closed the door, so she leaned against it. “That isn’t something you tell a child!” The Erasure Hero yelled. “She’s only 11. You can’t place a weight like that on a child’s shoulders.” Ectoplasm did not give up.
“You know just as well as I do, Aizawa. Eri is the only one with a quirk that could keep the cons of OFA from affecting her. Hell, think of what she could do if OFA merged with her quirk. She might even be able to r–” There was a sound of skin hitting skin echoing around the room.
“I won’t repeat it again, She is 11, a child. She’s already been through so much. You can’t force her to carry a burden as great as OFA. Bakugo and Midoriya should never even have had it in the first place.”
Footsteps walked to the door. Eri scrambled back was a voice called out again. “I’m not the only one who thinks that, Eraserhead. When the time comes, it will be up to her if she wants to take it. And with everyone expecting her too, she will have no choice.” Aizawa breathed, trying to calm down.
“You stay the hell away from my daughter!!” With that, he swung the door wide open, nearly knocking Eri down as she barely managed to back away. He froze at the sight of her. “Is that true?” She looked past him to Ectoplasm. “Am I really going to have to take up OFA?”
Aizawa picked her up in his arms and carried her away. “It will be your choice, Eri. Bakugo would never force you, even if the others wished. No one is going to force you to take it.” Tears were threatening to fall down her face. Aizawa noticed, put her down, and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay, Eri. I-” An explosion rocked the base.
Mirio popped into the main room. “It’s them! They’ve found us!” Everyone stood up, scared and frightened but ready to die fighting. “Bakugo’s busy fighting All For One along with a few heroes at the scene. Shigaraki’s on his way here. It’s up to us to take him!”
“Bakugo,” Kirishima called out. “Did he–” Lemillion nodded, holding out his hand, staring at the faint white lighting crackling in his palm. “He did. So all of you should know what that means!!” More and more explosions echoed around the area. A wall was blasted off. Aizawa held Eri in his arms and shielded her from the flying rubble, gaining a few injuries. Eri activated her quirk and was about to heal him, but Aizawa stopped her. “Don’t, save it for someone who really needs it. You’ve already used too much on me.”
Aizawa and Eri looked into the dark, war-torn city. Giant fireball explosions ripped through an area, signaling that Bagugo was already fighting. “Go to the next safe house, Eri.” Aizawa gave a warm smile. “I have some work to do.” He was about to jump out of the building before Eri cried to him. “Please come back to me.” Aizawa smiled, and then he jumped.
They killed Shigaraki that day; but at what cost? All the remaining 1-A were killed in battle. Everyone else, dead. Mirio, Ectoplasm, Mt. Lady, and Eraserhead were the only heroes left in Japan. And Eri was a child, a burden they had to protect. A vessel they would all die for.
Eri woke up at the sound of her alarm. Quickly, she rolled out of bed and began to get ready for the events of that day. “The attack on the USJ.” She thought as she changed into her hero costume. “I can’t interfere too early as it might change the attack plan of the villains. The kids should be fine. All I have to do is jump in and fight the Nomu before it can kill Aizawa. Hopefully, I can stall alongside All Might and Eraserhead just until backup arrives.”
It’s early morning, a bad time to be jumping from roof to roof. She takes a quick look outside my window before phasing into the ground, using float at the same time to get to U.A. Yes, it meant holding her breath, but this was the best way to travel without getting seen. “So far, I am only able to use numbers 4, 5, 7, and 11. As for strength itself, I’m still locked at 8%, even after three weeks of recovery. It’s not bad for now, but it’ll need to be way faster later on.”
After running around the city for a while, it was pretty easy to figure out which direction the U.A. and the USJ were from the house. Thankfully, Eri made it there just as the bus stopped in front of the building. And it only took four breathing breaks, too. As the students and teacher dismounted the bus, she felt a well of happiness beginning to form as she watched them. They were young, happy, and oblivious to the fact most of them wouldn’t live to 20.
As the students walked into the door, Eri flew up onto the roof. Thankfully, the beacon Melissa had created for her really did nullify any alarms that could take her for a trespasser. She waited outside for a few minutes. Once the lights in the dome flickered and dimmed, she activated Permeation and Float and phased inside the walls. Once inside, she looked at the scenery from on top of the storm dome. Then, from the center, Kurugiri’s warp gate appeared.
Aizawa quickly turned around, eyes landing on the villains pouring through the portal. As he watched, Eraserhead began assessing as many things as he could see. Immediately, he began giving orders to his students and to Thirteen before running to the stairs and jumping down. Eri watched him in awe, amazed at his fearlessness. But she also knew that cost that nature took from him. She watched him engage against the villains from the storm dome. “And now, we wait…”
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Aizawa felt his heart stop when he saw the fog villain on the platform he had just left; the platform he had left his students on. “Shit!” He thought. “I just blinked once, and the guy who looked the most troublesome got away.” Jumping in the air, he kicked a villain to the ground before turning to run back to his students. However, he was instantly stopped by the crowd. Realizing he could go nowhere with the villains in front of him, he resigned himself and left it all up to Thirteen.
Turning around, he erased the quirks of the group in front of him before wrapping them in his capture weapon and jumping into the air, pulling them up with him. Landing on the ground, he quickly used his momentum to bring the three villains crashing onto the cement, knocking them out. Taking a moment to blink, Aizawa rapidly dove to the side, avoiding the hands of a huge mutant quirk.
Throwing his weapon to wrap around a villain behind him, he sent the man crashing into the other. Twisting to his left, he erased the quick of a small villain, jumping into the air and capturing several villains below him. Landing on his target's face, he sent the two in his scarf into the water fountain.
Aizawa breathed heavily, looking around at the 30 or so villains still standing. “Damn.” He inhaled deeply, trying to get enough air. “It’s like there's no end to them.” Two villains charged at him. He jumped into the air, easily avoiding him, taking the chance to look at the platform that held his student. There was a violet dome over them. “Shit!” Several portals appeared throughout the USJ, scattering the kids.
Remaining calm, Aizawa continued to fight. Erase, capture, knock out, erase, capture, knock out, the cycle went on and on and on. After going through several of the thugs, the crowd was finally thinning, but Eraserhead was only one person, and he was wearing out. For every villain he took down, one would immediately replace it. And yes, while the number of villains was going down, it wasn’t fast enough.
Breathing heavily, he punched a villain in the face, knocking him down while jumping into the air, and wrapped up a few more in his scarf. Twisting mid-air, he pulled on the strand and sent himself flying into the villains, kicking them to the ground. Releasing them, he gasped, trying to breathe, but the sound of footsteps running forced him to stand. “The last boss?!”
He threw a section of his scarf at the man, quirk burning his eyes. The man, no, a boy, had light blue hair, black clothes, and hands covering his body. He reached out and grabbed the scarfs thrown at him. Aizawa ran in, grabbed the strand, and pulled the villain in, landing a hit to his chest, or so he thought.
The boy had managed to grab his elbow before it hit him. “Damn,” Aizawa grunted, his quirk failing him. The villain spoke to him from above. “It’s hard to see because you keep moving around, but there’s an instant where your hair falls.” Shouta’s eyes widen behind his goggles. “That’s when you have finished an action. And the space between has gotten shorter and shorter. Don’t push yourself, Eraserhead.” The villain mocked as the clothing and skin around Shouta’s elbow began to decay, revealing muscle.
A searing pain pierced into his arm and crawled its way up his arm. “Tch.” Aizawa grit his teeth and punched the villain with his free arm. “My elbow’s crumbling!!” Jumping away, he moved right into another villain’s attack. Ducking down, he punched the villain away with his other arm before dodging another attack and rolling under another one. Breathing heavily, Aizawa stared down the attackers surrounding him, holding his injured arm.
“That quirk isn’t suited for fighting long fights against a large group, is it? Isn’t this too different from your usual jobs?” The villain mocked as Aizawa fought to keep erasure active against the three villains surrounding him. “What you’re good at is a short fight after a surprise attack, right?” Aizawa tried to steady his breathing while the villain continued monologuing. “Even so, you jumped fight in to fight us from the front. Was that to put your students at ease?” The man laughed.
Shouta’s hair fell, and a villain behind him ran. He dodged and wrapped him in his capture weapon with one hand, sending him in front of the other villain's attack. Distracted, Aizawa threw a punch in the face before kicking the last villain aside, leaving him with the blue-haired man. If only that were the case.
Aizawa breathed hard, hand on his scarf, ready to face him again. “You’re so cool… you’re so cool…” The man praised before saying, “By the way, hero–” Aizawa turned around to be greeted by the Nomu standing over him. “–I’m not the last boss.”
The monster raised its hand above the hero’s head and grabbed at the hero’s face. “Shit!” Aizawa shut his eyes and braced for a painful injury… It never came. Instead, black tendrils wrapped around his waist, pulling him out from the Nomu’s grasp at the last second. The force of the pull was strong, knocking the wind out of him. In a second, he was several meters from the monster.
On the ground, he looked at the figure standing over him. They were dressed almost entirely in black. Raven hair tied up with a mask covering half of their face. Aizawa knew that person anywhere. “S- Star?” He breathed as she knelt down in front of him. From her eyes, he could tell she smiled. “Red… her eyes are red…”
“Not exactly my name, but it’s pretty close.” She reached out for his arm. He flinched in pain at the contact but didn’t move. Suddenly, sparks of golden electricity flashed along her hand and head, no, not head, a horn on her head. “Thank you for lasting this long, Eraserhead.” The cracks of decay began to recede, replaced with undamaged skin. The pain started to subside. In fact, Shouta could feel bruises disappearing and exhaustion starting to fade. “You,” He stared at her. “A healing quirk?” “One that powerful too. How does that work? She could be a dual quirk user, sure. But the quirks don’t match.”
Star just winked. “Comes in handy, right?” She offered a hand and pulled him to his feet. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone I can do that. As well as the three students in the water over there.” Shocked, Aizawa resisted the urge to look in their direction, hoping that their location wasn’t known to the villains. “Can you still fight?” The vigilante asked. He had thousands of questions. The most prominent ones were how old she was and how she came to be here. But that could wait.
“Of course.”
The lady nodded. “Good, I’m trusting you to hold the blue-haired villain off and protect your students. I’ll go after the Nomu.” Just before she rushed off, Aizawa grabbed her hand.
“Wait! That villain was created for All Might. It could be just as strong as him.”
The girl only looked back and smiled. “Good, a challenge then.” As she ran to meet the Nomu, the boy raced towards his students. And Aizawa charged forward.
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Dawn rushed to the Nomu. Yes, it was stronger and faster than her and had a high chance of being fatal. But didn’t have to beat it. She only had to stall until All Might could get here. And hopefully, they would be enough to beat it without his timer going down. “One For All… eight percent!!” Using as much speed as she could, she charged at the Nomu, gold sparking all over her.
It dodged, jumping into the air, preparing to crash her to the ground. Just before it could, Dawn twisted around to face the Nomu, sending Blackwhip to restrain it. Two tendrils on each arm and leg and three on its waist. “There’s no way I can beat it! But I can hopefully hold him till Yagi-san gets here!”
She could feel Aizawa and Shigaraki looking at her as she held the monster in the air. “You three students!” She yelled to Midoriya, Asui, and Mineta, who were in the water. “You’re teacher will hate me for this, but do you think you guys could just hold the villain down so Eraserhead can hold the purple dude.”
She could sense Aizawa about to yell, so she yelled first. “I know it’s stupid to ask, but it’s just us five down here, and I don’t want that fog villains to warp gate all of us away. Just hold his body and arms down. Eraserhead doesn’t even have to leave! He just has to use his quirk on the purple villain. And don’t let blue-haired boy touch you!”
She saw Aizawa ruefully telling his students to do the same as the four of the sat on Shigaraki. Aizawa held down his arms while the other three used their weight on his body. It was a good attempt, but Dawn knew that Shouta would have to blink eventually. So before Eraserhead’s grip on Kurugiri could be released, she was prepared. Once she had stored enough power, she jumped up into the air, using blackwhip to pull her toward the ceiling, avoiding any gates appearing in the way. Yes, she was also using Float, but the others didn’t have to know that, did they?
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Aizawa would track the vigilante down later. “You heard her.” He called to his students. It went against every moral code he had as a teacher, but Star was right. So as he held the villain’s hands, he ordered, “Mineta, use your quirk to stick the villain down. Asui, you and Midoriya help me hold him down but be prepared to take both your classmates away if he escapes.” A chorus of ‘yes sensei’s’ where quickly spoken before the students got to work. In the next moment, he felt the familiar burn of his quirk lighting his eyes.
But Aizawa was only human, and he had already been pushing himself to the limit. So, barely half a minute later, when the burn was too much to bear, Shouta could do nothing but blink. The second his quirk left the villain, Kurugiri violet fog swirled violently as they began to work their way toward their fallen comrade. Mineta took the liberty to stick several balls around the wrists of the blue-haired villain. Aizawa nodded in thanks before running toward Kurugiri, a hand already in his scarf.
“Sensei, wait!!” Midoriya screamed, trying to warn his teacher of what the warp gate villain could accomplish. The warning came too late as violent swirls of fog surrounded the three students the second Aizawa was away. Realizing his mistake, Shouta’s quirk burned red in his eyes, but his students where already surrounded. And in a second, the villain they were holding was gone. “Shit.” The hero muttered as he turned to face the two, putting himself in front of his students. He fought to keep the fog villain locked, but he couldn’t do it forever. Then, the sound of the front doors being broken echoed through the USJ.
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The sound of broken provided some relief. All Might was shown standing at the entrance. He took one look and jumped up to meet Dawn on the roof. Risking an idea, she sent several tendrils toward him. Thankfully, he got the message and let them grab him.
“All Might!” She yelled. “Eraserhead’s down there holding two villains alone. One can decay anything they touch, while the other can form portals. So far, all the students are fine, with minor injuries, if any. Thirteen is the only one injured, but I fear the extent. And this monster here is a Nomu. It was created to kill you and might match you in strength and power.”
It took a second for All Might to process everything, but he quickly got the gist of it. “Are you the new vigilante that’s been running around?” Dawn nodded.
“They’re calling me Star. Which is nice, but since it belongs to another hero already I can’t take it. But for today, we’ll just go with it. Please help me, All Might. I can’t hold it forever.” The Nomu tried reaching for the coils around its arms and waist, but she pulled them back. Still, she could feel blackwhip beginning to tear apart.
“How much longer can you hold it?” All Might asked.
“Um…” Dawn bit her lip as the creature thrashed in her grip, trying to rip the stands off black whip holding it. “Maybe for 3 minutes longer.” “Blackwhip’s not strong enough to hold a creature of this caliber yet.”
All Might nodded. “Only three minutes to stop him. Do you think you can hold him for me?” Dawn knew what All Might was going to do. She didn’t know if she could counter both him and the Nomu, but she would be damned if she didn’t try. “I’ll hold him for as long as I can.” With a nod from All Might, she released him from her hold as well the her grip on the roof, pouring all her concentration into holding the monster still.
Falling back to the center, back to Kurugiri. The Warp Gate villain had somehow gotten free but was busy keeping Shigaraki away from the Erasur Hero. Said Shigaraki had been snatched away by the violet villain the moment Shouta’s erasure wore off. “Damn! But it’s not like Aizawa could hold both him and Shigaraki at the same time.” Dawn could sense both Kurugiri and Shigaraki staring at the Nomu she held in her quirk. “If they attack me now—” She looked at All Might as he started punching the monster. “—I won’t be able to hold him and defend at the same time.”
Movement running toward the center caught her sight, and the worry ceased. Bakugo Katsukie jumped at the villain, causing an explosion that sent him to the ground before gripping onto the metal visible against the violet fog. “Move, and I’ll blow you up where it hurts!!” He threatened Kurugiri. “You careless bastard. You’re just what I thought you’d be. Only certain parts of you can turn into mist, so the fog must cover your actual body, right?
Kurugiri glared. “You have no idea what I-“ Bakugo set off several small explosions on the visible metal attached to the villain. He scoffed. “When we tried to hit you earlier if you were completely made of mist, then our attacks wouldn’t have touched you, but then you said, ‘That’s dangerous’.” But this—” The livid boy smirked. “—this is attached to you. So I dare you, move, and I’ll blow you to kingdom come.” Kurugiri only snarled but didn’t retaliate. Kirishima smiled uneasily as he watched the scene, mumbling something but not voicing it out loud.
Asui, watching the vigilante falling in the air, wrapped her tongue around her and brought her safely to the ground. Dawn gave a small nod of thanks before spotting Todoroki and Kirishima as they ran out of the trees. “Get behind me!” Aizawa yelled, calling the two to him as he ran over to Bakugo. Then there was wind so strong that it could blow anyone away.
“If you can’t secure yourself to the ground, get out of here!!” Dawn yelled at the students. “Stay, and you’ll only hinder All Might and cause unnecessary danger!!” The six students didn’t move. Asui held onto Midoriya’s wrist as she wrapped her tongue around Kirishima’s leg. The red-haired student dug into the ground his quirk as Todoroki and Mineta did the same with ice and violet balls. Aizawa was stalling Shigaraki while Bakugo held Kurugiri down.
Every hit was another storm of wind. Every punch sent the earth shaking beneath them. Every attack ripped the strands of blackwhip Eri had left. Sweat dripped down her brow as she fought to keep blackwhip together. Gritting her teeth, Dawn watched in utter awe as All Might pummeled the villain with all his strength. She had never seen him with this power before, and to think he isn’t even at full power. Hit after hit, blackwhip was beginning to fail. “Damn it! Why can’t hold for just a little longer!” “All Might!” She yelled. “I’m sorry to rush you, but I don’t know how much longer I– tch!”
All Might paused and stopped beside her. “That’s alright, just for as long as you can.” Then he was gone, and the attacks continued. A second later, Dawn felt blackwhip rip in her hands. “Don’t use Float! Don’t use Float!” She repeated in her head like a mantra as she was thrown into the air by the force of the release. The wind left her lungs as she crashed into the ground, skidding to a stop. The newly freed Nomu launched a powerful punch at All Might. The man crossed his arms and blocked it, sliding several meters away. “Shit!”
Jumping to her feet, Dawn ran in to try and help but was stopped by Aizawa. “Can you still use your restraints?” Knowing she couldn’t, she tried pulling her hand free to run back in, but Aizawa’s grip held firm. “You don’t have a quirk that could counter that monster. You said it yourself, we would only be a hindrance.” Conflicted, Eri stared back at the fight. All Might was still winning, but the Nomu was still fighting back. Suddenly, the villain punched into Yagi’s side, piercing skin and drawing blood as its hand curled around the flesh. “NO!” Eri knew all about All Might’s history. She knew all about his injury from All For One; that was the side that had his scar.
All Might grunted, coughing blood as the monster dug into his side. Using her other hand, Dawn freed herself from Aizawa and ran, taking a confused Midoriya Izuku along with her. “What are you doing?!” Shouta yelled as he threw his capture weapon towards them. Eri only grabbed the strand and threw it away. A move her Aizawa had taught a million times. “I can’t use One For All yet.” She eyed Shigaraki and Kurugiri as they ran. “It’s too early.” “Midoriya!” She spoke to the boy beside her. “I need you to–”
“Oh my god, are you Star?” Of course, Midoriya would recognize her. “You’re that vigilante that’s been going sound helping people. You’re-”
“Now is not the time.” She brought him back to reality. “I need you to trust me.” The boy stared at her. “I need you to attack the Nomu with all your strength. Don’t hold back, even if it hurts you.”
“What?” Midoriya looked up at her, understanding, just in disbelief. “But I can’t control it yet; what if–”
“I need you to trust me, Midoriya Izuku. I need you to give it everything you have. You will be fine, and so will All Might.” “I’m sorry Izuku-chan. I’m sorry for using you like this, but it’s my only choice. I can’t rewind All Might like I can with others.” “Can you do that for me?” No answer. “Answer me, Izuku. Can you do this?” The greenette gave a shaky nod, ignoring the shouts he was getting from Aizawa. “I- I can.” Dawn nodded. “Good.” Midoriya took a deep breath and yelled. “AHHHHHH!!” He ran towards the Nomu, OFA slowing through every muscle.
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Midoriya didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t know why he was ignoring the commands of his teacher. He didn’t know why he running straight into danger despite the shouts of his classmate. He didn’t know why was even listening to the vigilante. But every fiber in his body was telling him to. So he ran, and jumped, and didn’t hold back. Pain flared up his legs as he shot towards the Nomu. “SMMMASH!!” He felt every bone breaking in his arm as he landed a hit on the Nomu, stunning it for a second. “Young Midoriya?” He heard All Might’s call, but the pain was blurring his vision. Then Star appeared beside him.
“S- star?” He mumbled, his eyes beginning to close. He watched as she reached out for him. Sparks of gold lit her form as she grabbed onto his uninjured arm. “What are you–” The pain was disappearing. Hell, Izuku took one look at his arms and legs. They were straight and free of any purple bruises or swollen bone breaks. “What the hell? You have a healing quick this powerful.” The woman yelled to him. “Thank you. Now go back to your sensei!” Black tendrils shot from her hands and wrapped around him. They launched him back to his class as Star threw herself into the fight.
Before he could fall, Aizawa had jumped up to catch him. “What the hell were you thinking?!” Oh man, his teacher was livid. But Midoriya wasn’t hearing him. Instead, his eyes were drawn to the fight in front of them. Star sent several more appendages to hold the Nomu still, if only for a second. And in that second, All Might threw in several punches. Enraged, the Nomu jumped at her, but Star saw and dove to the side. Wrapping the monster in more tendrils, she threw it in All Might’s direction. It was a dance. Horrible waltz of death and violence. Every step she took seemed to slow time. Midoriya stared at the woman. He knew he had never seen her before. But then, why did she feel so familiar?
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The Nomu grabbed at her. Dawn jumped into the air, barely clearing its hand as it reached for her leg. “Damn, maybe the key to getting stronger is fighting.” She smirked, trying to hide the lines of gold lining her body. “It feels like I’m breaking 15%. And that’s only in the time I’ve been fighting here.” She threw Blackwhip forward, wrapping the villain. Pulling herself to it, she kneed it in the face before jumping off and letting All Might attack. The speed was impossible. Dawn found herself barely able to even keep up with seeing his attacks. But this speed wasn’t enough. All Might was nearing his limit. And he had already been pushing himself.
“If I’m fast enough. Maybe they won’t notice. The materials should be able to hide the bruises anyway.” Just because she couldn’t fully control her quirk didn’t mean she couldn’t use it. “Let’s hope I have enough Rewind stockpiled.” Eri took a deep breath. “One For All… 100 Percent!” Dawn jumped at the villain with such speed that, to everyone, it looked like she had teleported. Almost everyone, All Might found himself staring, as well as Kurugiri.
Her legs shattered, but that didn’t matter. In two double hits, she landed full 100% hits on the Nomu. Blood threatened to pour out of her mouth. “Tch… rewind!” In a second, her limbs were back and functioning. Taking a moment, Dawn felt the hold on her head. “It’s not that small yet. I should be able to do this several more times.” Charging again, she gave All Migh a look that screamed for aid. And he understood. “United–” The hero began.
“States…” Eri could not help but find herself smiling. “Of–”
“SMASH!!”
“SMASH!”
Dawn felt the need to fall as his knees started to give. “There is no need to worry!” All Might smiled as landing one more punch on the villain on top of the one he and Dawn had thrown. The Nomu was sent flying into the roof, breaking through before disappearing outside. A giant gust of wind crashed through the pavilion. He landed beside her. He was about to finish his phrase, but Eri spoke first. “Because you are here.” She smiled. As the two took a breath, Kurugiri used the distraction and took a chance, throwing Bakugo off of him before grabbing Shigaraki and disappearing into a gate. “Bastard!” Katsuki cursed in frustration at the escape.
Dan didn’t mind. She knew where they were and could always go after them. But, considering they were still needed as active villains, their capture could wait. “L- look.” One of the small fry villains spoke as they stood from the ground. “It’s All Might!” Several of the villains had started to wake. Eraserhead grit his teeth annoyed that he wasn’t able to knock them out for long enough. Eri felt All Might stiffen beside her. He was about to run in, but she grabbed his arm.
She had helped, but Yagi Toshinori was already steaming. He hadn’t needed to push himself past the point of shortening his timer. But he was muscle form was about to fall apart. “Shit…” He gripped his mouth to hide the fact he was coughing blood. “Don’t.” She spoke. “Let Eraserhead and the students handle them. They aren’t that powerful, and you need to rest.”
All Might shook his head. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m a hero. I can’t give up.” He charged up One For All in his legs, ready to jump in. Her grip on him didn’t falter. “All Might…” She whispered. “The teachers are almost here… Please…” Yagi didn’t believe her, but sure enough, several bullets rained down from the platform, hitting several villains and sending them to the floor. At the top, Present Mic screamed at the villains near the stairs as Ectoplasm sent clones of himself forward.
“How did you know?” All Might asked, turning to face the vigilante. But when he faced her, she was gone. All that was left was a small piece of paper gently falling to the ground. It read, ‘Don’t worry about Thirteen.’ And at the bottom was tell tale symbol belonging to the vigilante who always left it behind. “Star, just who are you.”
Phasing her hand out of the ground, Dawn gently placed her hand on the fallen pro’s body and rewound, golden sparks flying everywhere. Thirteen groaned before sitting up. “What the–” Mina stared at the hero. “You just– your body just–” Hearing to commotion, Nedzu walked back to the group, looking at a paper on the ground. Neatly placed where Thirteen had just been lying. All it had was a single symbol.
“You prove to be more and more fascinating every day, young vigilante.”
Nedzu smiled.
“Very well, the game is on.”