Chapter Text
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"Joker!" A familiar female voice called out to him. "Joker, wake up!"
*GASP* Joker awoke with a deep breath, quickly sitting up. As he caught his breath, he looked around. It seemed he was in a city, in a narrow alley on a heavy rainy night. But the real question was, why had he heard Sophia's voice?
"Oh, Joker, you finally woke up!" Sophia's voice came again, and he felt a vibration from his pocket.
Joker reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and looked at the screen. The Sophia icon was floating in the middle of the screen until Sophia opened her app and appeared on it.
"Sophia, what happened? What happened to EMMA and the Desires?" Joker immediately asked, getting straight to the point.
"Well, it's a bit complicated. When EMMA emitted that light, you got separated from the others, and since I was connected to your phone, I came here with you," Sophia explained.
"So the Miss. ChatGPT separated me from the others... but why?" Joker wondered aloud.
"I don't know, but what's strange is that your phone's clock hasn't changed even a second, while I'm sure we've been here for 15 minutes and 27 seconds," Sophia continued, causing Joker to raise an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Joker asked.
"Your phone's clock hasn't changed and stuck on 9 AM, but the online world clock says it's 10 AM," Sophia elaborated.
"That's strange, but wait, did you just say it's 12 PM?" Joker asked in confusion.
"More precisely, it's 10:11:43 PM," Sophia replied.
"Then why is it night here?" Joker asked, pointing upward, but suddenly...
*Rumble*
Joker sprang to his feet and drew his dagger, scanning his surroundings with sharp precision.
"Joker! Our connection just dropped all of a sudden!" Sophia's voice echoed from the phone, filled with worry.
Joker pressed his lips together. He didn't like the sound of that.
"Can you come out of the phone?" he asked, his tone calm but alert.
"I'm... not sure," Sophia replied, uncertainty in her voice.
Suddenly, a nearby explosion shook the ground. The blast lit up the alley in a brief flash, followed by falling debris and smoke.
"Better make sure my power still works," Joker muttered, mostly to himself. 'Any of you guys out there?' he asked his Personas silently.
'We are here, Trickster. All of us,' came the reassuring voice of Arsène Raoul Lupin, his primary Persona.
Before Joker could respond, a harsh voice called out from behind him.
"Found one of 'em!"
He turned around instantly and froze. The figure approaching him looked almost human, in cargo pants, a white tank top, but his jaw was grotesquely large, bigger than the rest of his head, filled with jagged, metal-like teeth.
"No way out, kid!" the man shouted as he charged forward.
Joker didn't hesitate. He kicked the man square in the face with swift, practiced force. The attacker hit the ground with a heavy thud, completely knocked out.
Joker stood over him, catching his breath.
"This is probably the part where I'm supposed to yell, 'Where in the Gods' hell am I!?'" he said in a flat tone, eyes still on the fallen man. "Palace? Jail? Mementos? Cinema Labyrinth? Kingdoms? Streets? Or a super advanced VR Video Game but with COD setups?"
"I don't know if you'll believe this, but it smells like the real world," Sophia said.
That caught him off guard. Joker's expression shifted, eyebrows lifting slightly.
"At least that explains why I don't feel like I'm walking on a hole of brain water," he said as he stepped forward, testing the effects of his steps. "Still doesn't explain why my powers are working."
"Suggestion: Get out of this area first. Then we can think about the rest," Sophia replied, her voice tense.
Joker nodded and broke into a run. He slipped out of the alley and into the street. Rain fell in steady sheets, tapping against his clothes and mask as he sprinted through the empty darkness. The city around him was unfamiliar, too quiet, too still, felt artificial.
As he turned a corner, he skidded to a stop.
Standing in front of him was someone who looked about his age. A tall teen with a solid, muscular build and pale peach-colored skin. His head was made of stone, uneven and jagged, ending in a blunt point, and his jaw was broad and square.
He didn't seem like a threat. If anything, he looked terrified.
"Koda!" another voice called out, deeper and more urgent.
Joker turned and saw someone else, a shorter boy with the head of a black bird. He blinked. That wasn't a mask. That was his actual head.
Before he could process it, a creature burst from the bird-headed boy's body. A monstrous thing made entirely of shadow shot toward him with a guttural hiss.
Joker raised his right arm to defend, caught off guard by the speed. But before the creature could make contact, Arsène surged forth from Joker's body in a burst of blue flame, but Joker's mask was still there.
Persona reached out and caught the shadow beast with one clawed hand, stopping it cold. Flaming mask glowing through the rain, Arsène held the monster in place, unshaken.
'Arsène, how did you...!' Joker asked in disbelief, stunned that his Persona had summoned himself without a command.
'No time, Trickster. I'll explain later!' Arsène responded sharply. Without waiting, he launched a powerful kick straight into the shadowy beast, sending it flying into the nearby wall. The impact was so intense that the entire side of the building collapsed, and a shockwave rippled outward through the air.
Koda, the stone-skinned boy, and the one with the bird head both shielded their eyes from the blast. The moment of distraction gave Joker just enough time to put some distance between them and the explosion zone. As he backed off, he reached into his coat and drew his pistol, keeping it low and ready.
'That thing wasn't a Shadow or a Persona. What the hell is going on here?' Joker thought, eyes darting between the unfamiliar figures.
'The creature is made of darkness, but not the magical kind. Still, I was able to nullify its attack,' Arsène said, his voice steady. He shrank down to a more compact form and stood beside Joker, ready to mirror his moves.
"Over here! Three of them, right here!" a rough voice yelled from further down the street.
All three turned toward the sound. A large group of twisted, mutated-looking humans charged at them from around the corner. Their bodies moved unnaturally, enhanced in grotesque ways.
"You guys are annoying," Arsène muttered with clear irritation. He extended his hand toward the incoming enemies. "Eigaon."
A surge of black-and-red energy erupted from the ground and blasted upward, engulfing the attackers in a wave of raw force. The impact was brutal. Some of the enemies crumpled immediately, suffering injuries that suggested internal bleeding and shattered bones.
"I might have overdone it," Arsène said quietly, his tone mixed with guilt.
Suddenly, the bird-headed boy's beast charged again. Joker sidestepped easily, his movement clean and practiced. Arsène caught the shadowy creature by the neck mid-lunge and gently hurled it back toward its master.
"Where I come from, people usually say thanks after being saved," Joker said, annoyed as he raised his gun and aimed.
"You're not part of our class. And Class B wasn't assigned here," the bird-headed teen said coldly, his stance tense and ready to strike again. "That leaves only one explanation. You're with them."
"Listen, Captain Falcon," Joker began, keeping his tone light but firm. "I can see you're scared, and you're trying to protect your friend, who's also scared." He slowly lowered the pistol. "But I assure you, I'm not with those things. And this gun? It's just an airsoft."
The bird-headed teen didn't look convinced, but his posture relaxed slightly, his guard lowering just enough to show he was listening.
"Alright. How about we start with names?" Joker said, his voice was calm. He gestured toward himself and Arsène. "I'm Joker. This is Arsène.."
Then he looked at the tall, stone-headed boy.
"I think your name's Koda, right?"
Koda gave a hesitant nod, visibly trembling. A single drop of sweat rolled down both Joker's and Arsène's. temples as they watched.
"Dark Shadow," the shadow creature growled, introducing itself, though the hostility in its voice hadn't faded.
"I think we're making progress..." Joker began, but was cut off as Dark Shadow suddenly clawed the ground near Joker's feet, cracking it with a loud crunch. "...or maybe not."
"How can we trust someone who just attacked our training ground?" the bird-headed teen shouted, anger surging in his voice.
'Training ground? Like a training ground in combat schools in mangas?' Joker wondered.
"I already told you, I'm not with them!" Joker said back, raising his voice slightly.
"You're lying," the bird-headed teen said, his voice growing more threatening. Dark Shadow shifted, ready to attack.
'Arsène., get back with the others. We don't want to hurt these kids,' Joker ordered quietly. Arsène.vanished into the blue Flames of Rebellion without hesitation.
"Dark Shadow!" the bird-headed teen commanded, summoning the shadow beast to strike at Joker. But Joker only smirked as an idea sparked in his mind.
As Dark Shadow lunged forward, Joker vanished from its sight. Before the shadow could react, Joker landed firmly on its back and grabbed its head like a wild stallion's mane.
"I've always wanted to ride a bull!" Joker said with a thrill in his voice, gripping tight as Dark Shadow bucked and thrashed like a raging beast, tearing up the surroundings in a violent frenzy.
"Hey! You're wrecking people's homes!" Joker shouted over the chaos.
"Worry about yourself instead of those models!" Dark Shadow growled angrily. It slammed itself toward a nearby wall, trying to use the impact force of its wild thrashing to shake off Joker.
Before the beast could hit the wall, Joker leapt off, landing gracefully on a streetlamp pole. Dark Shadow crashed headfirst into the brick, shaking the ground.
"That was fun, but I have to go now," Joker said with a slight grin. He flicked two fingers in a casual farewell and disappeared into the dark city with a single leap.
"GET BACK HERE!" the bird-headed teen started to chase Joker, but then noticed a group of attackers approaching fast. Reluctantly, he abandoned the pursuit.
Joker paused atop a building and took a deep breath. He pulled out Sophia.
"That was... honestly pretty weird," he admitted with a tired smile.
"Joker, I suggest we leave this area as soon as possible," Sophia advised, her voice steady but concerned.
"According to what I got from them, this is a fake city. So, this must be a studio like a Cinema Town," Joker mused. He glanced more carefully at the rain falling around them and noticed sprinklers spraying artificial rain.
"I think I saw a fire exit behind you," Sophia added suddenly.
Joker turned sharply, a surprised expression flashing across his face. Squinting through the rain, he spotted the door.
No words were needed after that. Joker sprinted toward the fire exit, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with swift, practiced ease. Behind him, the distant shouts of the thugs who attacked him and the two boys echoed through the alleys. If Joker hadn't been sure they could handle themselves, he wouldn't have left so quickly. But the bird-headed teen and Dark Shadow had assured him they could.
Joker reached the door quickly and slipped through it. Immediately, he found himself in a vast open space, a large studio complex with a dome structure.
Beyond the rainy city he had just escaped, he could see mountainous regions, a ruined cityscape, a raging fire, a landslide, and a lake with a swirling whirlpool in its center.
"Looks like we escaped the first part," Joker said, selecting a fire-based Persona and warming himself with its heat to dry off.
"Suggestion: How about we check the entrance and see if the path is safe?" Sophia proposed calmly.
"Trying it probably won't hurt," Joker shrugged.
He moved toward the studio's center, a large water fountain with sprinklers spraying water in its middle. Not far from it, he noticed a scattered pile of unconscious thug bodies. There must have been a fight here, but Joker couldn't stop himself from approaching.
When Joker reached the center, he hid behind some bushes and surveyed the scene. What he saw made his eyes widen in shock.
A muscular black creature with its brain exposed above its head, and a mouth that looked like a mix between lips and a bird's beak, was crushing the hands of a man dressed in black with long curly hair. With closer inspection, Joker spotted a blue-haired man whose body was covered by mechanical arms. What in the name of Dark Souls body horrors?
He could sense they were communicating, but no sound reached his ears.
As Joker watched, the muscular black creature slammed the black-clad man's face into the ground, sending blood splattering around.
"Joker, your heart rate and blood pressure have spiked. What's going on?" Sophia asked, concern thick in her voice from inside Joker's coat pocket.
"Archangel! Vajra Blast!" At Joker's command, Archangel appeared, casting the Vajra Blast at the muscular black creature, knocking it toward the water fountain. At the same moment, Archangel vanished.
Everyone's attention snapped to Joker as he rushed over to the injured man.
The man's eyes struggled to stay open, and with trembling effort, he raised his head and asked weakly, "Who are you?"
"Just a Fool who doesn't know when not to interfere," Joker said dryly. He rummaged through his coat for a healing item. After all, he'd used a lot of mental energy just to reach EMMA and needed to conserve it. After a moment, he found a Bead. He only had six in total, a precious few, so he preferred to save them for emergencies. Still, he wasn't sure if a Life Stone or Quick Fix Z would be enough to save the man, so he decided to give him the bead instead. "If you break this, you'll heal," he said, holding it out.
The wounded man looked at him suspiciously, uncertain whether to trust Joker. But with no other options, he accepted it.
Heavy footsteps from the black creature caught their attention. Joker saw it rise from the pool, water dripping from its body.
"Who are you? You're not one of my pawns. Not a student either. Cause you are helping Eraser Head, could you be a secret mini-boss?" the Handyman said, his tone tired as he scratched his neck.
"Mini-boss? You hurt my feelings, man! I am the Main Character," Joker smirked and started stretching his limbs.
"You…" The Handyman growled, "I'll show you who's player 1! Nomu, kill him!"
A choked gurgle echoed across the plaza, and a flash of black loomed over him. Joker didn't even have time to flinch as he was struck in the face; his body flew through the air and slammed into a tree at the other end of the plaza.
"Easy," the Handyman shrugged, his voice calm as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, Joker rose from a puddle formed by his own slide across the ground, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Didn't see that coming," he muttered quietly. He planted his feet firmly and prepared to return to Nomu, but his phone vibrated, pulling his attention away.
Joker pulled out his phone and looked to Sophia. "Joker, that hit shouldn't have hurt that much. Why did you take damage?" she asked, curiosity tinging her voice.
"To avoid accidentally hurting the others, I decided to hold back and use weaker Personas," Joker explained, a hint of frustration in his tone.
"Reasonable," Sophia replied, her voice gentle but firm. "But you should be careful. You're already tired. Don't push yourself too hard."
Joker nodded silently, accepting the advice.
He turned back toward the fight, but now someone new had joined them, a figure whose body seemed made of swirling black smoke. Apparently, the others hadn't noticed him yet, so Joker decided to watch for a moment longer.
After a few seconds, the Handyman began scratching himself wildly, as if something was irritating or angering him. Then, just as suddenly, he calmed, almost as if he gave up. The whole act was amateurish; even the Phantom Thieves, when they were inexperienced, wouldn't have behaved so clumsily.
Just as Joker readied to capture him, the Handyman spun around and fixed a sinister gaze toward the lake. Then, moving with unnatural speed, he dashed in that direction.
Joker's eyes widened with fear as he saw the destination.
The Handyman was attacking three students: a girl dressed in green, a boy with broccoli-like green hair, and a short boy who looked like a branch of purple grapes.
Joker was too late. The man's hand was less than ten centimeters from the girl's face, and no matter what he did, he probably wasn't fast enough to stop the harm. The situation was dire, all because of his own carelessness.
His body reacted instinctively. Without thinking, he started running toward the Handyman. He even forgot he could have teleported his Magical attacks at the man using his Persona, or fired his gun.
But it was already too late.
The man's hand touched the girl's face... and nothing happened.
Joker briefly considered the possibility that the man's power was some kind of death-touch ability, but for some reason, nothing triggered.
"I should have guessed that mini-boss did something to you, Eraser Head," the Handyman said without turning his head.
Eraser Head, the black-clad man, stood on his knees, his hair spiked upward and his eyes glowing bright red as he stared intently at the Handyman.
Suddenly, Nomu charged toward Eraser Head. Clenching his teeth, Eraser Head mentally prepared himself to defend, but a black blur slammed into Nomu from the side, knocking him off course. Nomu skidded past Eraser Head and crashed violently into a tree, breaking it.
At that exact moment, a hammer appeared right in front of the Handyman's face.
He looked at it in surprise and confusion.
Without warning, the hammer swung like a baseball bat and struck the Handyman directly in the face, sending him flying backward into the fountain.
"SHIGARAKI TOMURA!" the smoky man cried out in a mix of shock and fear. His body turned into mist as he flew straight toward him. The force of the earlier blow had knocked one of the hands from Shigaraki's face, and it now floated in the water of the fountain.
Everyone turned toward the source of the attack and saw a black blur in the air rapidly forming into Joker, who landed dramatically beside a strange green creature holding a boomerang.
"Nice work, Mokoi. You can go back now," Joker said, calm but focused. Mokoi gave a mischievous little hop before vanishing in a flicker of blue flames.
"Shigaraki-san, please get up!" the smoky man urged, gently shaking Shigaraki's limp form.
"It's no good... It's no good...!" Shigaraki muttered repeatedly, his voice trembling. He shakily rose to his knees in the shallow water of the fountain, frantically searching for the missing hand. After a few tense seconds, he found it. "I-I'm sorry, Father..." he whispered, terror overtaking his features as he slowly pressed the hand back onto his face.
"This guy's got some serious issues," Joker muttered, now standing next to Eraser Head. "What took you so long to break it?"
"You put that bead in my hand while it was broken. I had to crush it with my teeth," Eraser Head replied, visibly annoyed as he grabbed his capture scarf and pulled it tight again.
"You damn F*ing mini-boss!" Shigaraki suddenly roared. Once the hand was back in place, his entire demeanor snapped back to rage. His red eyes locked onto Joker with seething hatred.
"At least I don't have a hand fetish," Joker called back from a distance with a mocking smirk.
Shigaraki's fury exploded. He began scratching his neck violently, so much so that his skin started to bleed. "Kurogiri, kick this mini-boss out of the server!" he screamed, still clawing at himself like something was crawling under his skin.
"Understood, Shigaraki-san!" Kurogiri, the Smoky guy, obeyed without hesitation, and his mist-like body dispersed into the air.
Joker narrowed his eyes and activated his third eye, watching for any trace of Kurogiri in case he had turned invisible, while also staying alert for a possible sneak attack. Suddenly, Kurogiri's foggy body surged in around him, beginning to enclose and consume him.
But sudden-appearing attacks were just another Monday morning for Joker. He dodged all types of them through his journey as the Leader of the Phantom Thieves.
Before the portal could fully seal, Joker leapt through a small gap above him, flipped in midair, and then observed Kurogiri as the time started to slow down for him. With his third eye active, he scanned Kurogiri's form and noticed a section around his neck, bound in metal. It looked solid. A weak point.
Joker drew his gun and took aim directly at it.
"Take this!" he shouted. A red-and-black bullet fired from his fake pistol and struck Kurogiri's neck with a burst of impact. The mist recoiled violently, and Kurogiri collapsed onto the ground, groaning in pain.
Joker landed beside him, gun already pointed at the metal collar.
"With that oversized collar you've got strapped to your neck, it wasn't hard to guess what's keeping your whole mist-body together," Joker said with a wicked grin. He pulled back the hammer of the gun. A pulsing red light flared at the barrel's tip. "You really don't want to take a hit from this one."
"I apologize, Shigaraki Tomura-san," Kurogiri said, his voice heavy with pain and shame.
"I'll hold these guys off. You get the students out of here," Joker said firmly, never taking his eyes off Kurogiri.
"Hey, what are you talking about?" Eraser Head asked. His tone didn't shift, but the question revealed his surprise.
"You're their teacher, aren't you? Then your first priority should be your students, not some stranger you just met," Joker replied sharply.
Eraser Head didn't answer. He simply stood still for a moment, silently accepting the logic.
"You're acting very noble, Mini-boss," Shigaraki said with a dry chuckle. "But do you really think you or he can just leave that easily? Nomu." His words were calm, like a short monologue at the end of a play.
Suddenly, Nomu reappeared behind them. Eraser Head's pupils contracted. He was taken off guard; he knew he didn't stand a chance in a direct fight. Maybe if the vigilante helped, they'd have a shot together, but right now, he needed a plan. Fast.
Joker, however, was more than ready.
His eyes began to glow gold, and faint blue Rebellion flames sparked from his clothes and mask.
"Tam Lin!" A powerful gust of wind exploded from the punch, throwing several thugs, who had just started to regain consciousness, violently across the area. A cloud of thick smoke rose around them, masking the battlefield.
Shigaraki smirked beneath the hand on his face, certain both of them were done for.
But when the smoke cleared, his grin dropped, and his eyes widened with shock, pupils narrowing like pinholes.
Standing in front of Nomu's massive fist was a wingless warrior fae in gleaming emerald armor. His long white hair flowed behind him, and he held a silver spear like it was weightless. he had caught Nomu's punch with the shaft of his weapon.
"A vile creature like you is nothing before the Guardian of Carterhaugh," Tam Lin declared, holding the clash steady with ease.
Eraser Head stood frozen, completely taken aback by the sight of the Persona. But there was no time to waste. Questions filled his mind, but he shoved them aside and turned to sprint toward his students.
"You...!" Shigaraki snarled through clenched teeth.
"You're so predictable," Joker said with a wide grin. "Did you really think I forgot about your little monster? I was just waiting for you to give him the order so he'd attack us from behind."
Shigaraki suddenly lowered himself a little, spreading his fingers wide as if preparing to lunge. "But now," he growled, "you've got nothing left to protect you."
What he didn't know, this had been Joker's plan from the very beginning.
First, when Joker intercepted Nomu's attack earlier, he realized the creature's body absorbed impact like rubber. So, he chose Personas that dealt Slash-type physical damage to pierce through. Second, Nomu was all brute force and speed, meaning a Persona with Tetrakarn, or one being famous for their skill in melee combat, could easily hold him off.
Unfortunately, ever since returning to the Phantom Thief life, his physical defenses were no longer absolute. Resistance to physical damage had become relative: 50%, 75%, or 95% reductions, but no longer null or repel.
'Everything's going according to plan,' Joker told his Personas through his mind. 'Stick to the script, Kali. When he attacks, switch places with Tam Lin. Use Dazzler on portal-spammer, while you're holding Nomu, so I can land a clean shot on this hand-fetish freak.'
But as always, no matter how well Joker's plans were made, fate had a habit of finding a way to ruin them.
Suddenly, three of the thugs who had been unconscious on the ground stirred and rose to their feet. One was a man wearing a helmet whose fingers had been replaced by minigun barrels. Another was a woman with writhing, snake-like gray hair. The third was a hulking green-skinned man stitched together like a ragdoll, wearing a gas mask with a boar-like snout and three large horns jutting out of his head.
The minigun-fingered man didn't waste a second. He opened fire on Joker in a deafening barrage of bullets.
Joker spotted the attack just in time, but he knew there was no way to block it. Neither Tam Lin nor Kali had any defense against bullets; dodging was his only option, but that would also mean giving Kurogiri a chance to escape. It wasn't ideal… but there was no other choice.
Before the bullets even had a chance to reach him, Joker dashed forward, veering just out of the line of fire. He canceled his charged shot mid-dash, no point wasting it.
Then he felt something wrap around his arm. He looked down. A serpent-like strand of hair had coiled itself around his wrist. His eyes followed it back to the snake-haired woman, who grinned smugly.
"A perfect target for the kill shot," she sneered.
The two other revived villains stepped beside her, preparing to fire. The green-skinned man's mask lit up red, charging what looked like a laser, while the gun-fingered man aimed directly at Joker's head.
Cornered, Joker had no choice but to switch his Persona. Since Joker and Tam Lin shared a connection, Tam Lin knew his plan, so he shifted to the offensive. With Assault Dive, he sent the Nomu crashing backward — and then vanished in blue flames. Joker's mask shifted in his head, and Mara took the place of the Fae.
The moment the enemies opened fire, Joker didn't flinch.
He stood calmly as both bullets and the red-hot laser struck him head-on. But instead of blood, the bullets bounced off him harmlessly, scattering across the ground like empty shells. The laser? It hit him like a flashlight, absolutely no effect.
"What the hell?! That's impossible!" the green-skinned thug yelled, wide-eyed, his jaw practically unhinged. The others stood frozen in the same stunned silence.
"A gentleman never hits a lady," Joker said, voice calm, then his eyes sharpened. "But I don't believe you qualify as a lady."
With sudden strength, he swung the snake-haired woman over his head like a ragdoll, then hurled her like a comet straight into the green-skinned man's face. The impact crashed both to the ground, unconscious.
The minigun-fingered thug watched in disbelief, his whole body trembling. He was so paralyzed by shock, he didn't even realize Joker was running straight at him, not until a roundhouse kick cracked him in the face and sent him into unconscious darkness.
Because of those three nobodies, Kurogiri had escaped, and Joker's carefully built plan had crumbled. Now, all three main enemies stood together, watching the Phantom Thief's performance like a twisted audience and he silently analyzed every motion, taking mental notes.
Shigaraki, on the other hand, was too furious to focus. He scratched at his neck, eyes burning with hatred, the motion growing more aggressive the longer he stared at Joker.
"This guy's one of those Mini-bosses that's stronger than most of the main bosses," Shigaraki muttered aloud, almost to himself.
"Shigaraki-san," Kurogiri said calmly, "We should withdraw. Fighting him is a waste of time. Killing him won't even make a statement, and mentally damage All Might. Too much risk, zero gain."
Kurogiri could tell this wasn't just some edgy wannabe hero vigilante. Joker was a professional. An experienced, dangerous, independent force. Killing him wouldn't shake All Might. Wouldn't send a message. It would just create a mess.
Shigaraki stopped scratching. He slowly lowered his hand and sighed. "As much as I hate the idea... I agree." He looked over his shoulder, eyes calmed down a bit under the palm of the disembodied hand on his face. "Optional bosses can always be beaten later."
"You really think I'll let you escape?" Joker said firmly, his voice sharp with resolve as he raised his gun again and aimed it at the trio.
Nomu lunged forward slightly, ready to attack, but Shigaraki raised a hand in front of him to stop him.
"Not you. They will." Shigaraki said it with a devilish giggle.
Suddenly, Joker became aware of movement around him. All the unconscious thugs lying on the ground had risen. He was surrounded.
'Great. Just great.' He thought to himself.
"I've faced worse odds," Joker said coolly, completely unfazed. He slid his dagger from inside his coat, gave it a quick spin around his finger, and slipped into a ready stance. His mask shimmered as he switched Personas back to Mokoi, opting for one that wouldn't inflict too much damage. He didn't show it, but the sheer number of enemies was distracting enough to prevent him from keeping up his pressure on the escapees. And from the way the portal user was moving, they were just about ready to vanish.
BOOM
Suddenly, the entrance of the dome-like structure exploded, filling the air with thick smoke. Everyone turned toward the blast, just in time to see a massive figure step through the haze. Nearly as large as Nomu, with a towering frame and thick limbs. Two locks of his blonde hair curled upward like rabbit ears.
Even the bravest of the thugs visibly trembled at the sight.
Then, a thunderous voice filled the dome, clear and powerful, yet strangely uplifting.
"It was about the God damn time to show yourself Final Boss!" Shigaraki said while narrowing his eyes behind the hand palm with full of hatred.
'Looks like they dissuaded to run away,' Joker thought to himself while looking at them with narrowed eyes before turning his look back at the entrance.
"Have no fear, students!" the figure declared as he emerged from the smoke, wearing a white shirt, golden pants, and a blue tie. He loosened the tie dramatically as he stepped into view.
"Because I am here!"
"O-o-oh my god... That's All Might!" one of the thugs stammered, his voice trembling in sheer panic. Following of the guy, others start to talk about him.
Joker raised an eyebrow in confusion, blinking slowly. "Who...?"
Before he could even finish his question, All Might disappeared, not literally, but in a blink, he had closed the distance, blitzing across the battlefield faster than Joker could fully register.
Joker barely had time to react. His instincts screamed, and he threw his arms up in a cross-block just as the punch came crashing down toward his face.
For a split second, their eyes locked and Joker saw his eyes surprised as if All Might hadn't expected him to react.
But that wasn't what Joker should have been worried about.
The fist connected.
…
Even though the punch had been completely blocked, Mokoi simply wasn't durable enough to endure that kind of raw, explosive power.
Joker was sent flying backward like a bullet and smashed into a patch of trees, crashing through snapped tree props and wooden debris. For the second time in the same day.
Maybe he blacked out for a minute. Maybe it was only a few seconds. Either way, when he came to, his vision was blurred, and he found himself half-buried in dirt beside splintered wood.
He groaned softly and lay there, catching his breath. 'I really need to be more careful with Persona selection.'
From inside his coat, Sophia's voice crackled out, flat and unimpressed. "You know, I did say to be careful."
Joker didn't answer. He just let out a long, exasperated breath and let himself sink back onto the ground, arms spread out, silently cursing his luck.
After a few seconds, the sound of an explosion echoed through the area.
Joker pushed himself off the ground, but before he could fully rise, a wave of pain surged through his body and forced him down onto one knee. Gritting his teeth, he reached into his coat, pulled out a handful of Devil Fruits, and devoured them all in one swift motion. A warm rush spread through his limbs as his body was instantly healed.
This time, he selected Berith for better states, flames crackling faintly at the edges of his mask as the switch occurred. Without hesitating, he dashed back toward the explosion, sprinting through the trees until he returned to the dome's center.
What he saw made his eyes widen in disbelief.
All Might had apparently attempted to German Suplex Nomu into the ground. But at the last second, Kurogiri had used a portal to reposition Nomu, so that his claws emerged from a rift beneath All Might's waist, plunging directly into his side.
From Joker's perspective, they weren't just countering the move; they were trying to portal-bisect him.
Joker immediately drew his gun and aimed at Nomu's arms, ready to shoot and free All Might...
But something else caught his attention.
"ALL MIGHT!"
The voice was panicked, youthful, and trembling. Joker turned his head toward the source and saw the green-haired boy from the lake sprinting full-force toward the battlefield. Then, without a moment's hesitation, the boy charged straight for All Might.
'What the hell are you doing?!' Joker's thoughts roared in alarm.
In a blur, Kurogiri appeared in front of the boy. He was just about to enter the portal when Kurogiri muttered a single word "Idiot." With quiet, cold, and disgust.
Boy's heart must have stopped from sheer terror... but before he could vanish into the void, a white cloth suddenly coiled around his waist and yanked him backward.
"Problem child!" Eraser Head's voice came from just behind him, sharp with frustration. "Midoriya, I told you not to get involved in this!"
A split-second later, someone else jumped into the fray; a blond boy who looked like he bathed in explosions.
"Move aside, Deku!" he shouted angrily, blasts firing from his palms as he propelled himself toward Kurogiri. The moment he got close, he latched onto the villain's metal collar and slammed him into the ground, pinning him down.
"Bakugo, you..." Eraser Head started to scold him, his voice edged with anger, but then seemed to drop it midway through.
Joker immediately refocused and aimed at Nomu's claws again...
But then a sudden coldness struck him. Ice crept up his body, freezing his limbs mid-motion.
'Damn it! Ice weakness!' Joker panicked in his mind.
The world spun violently.
It always happened when struck by weakness, an abrupt, dizzying confusion that stole away precious seconds. By the time he recovered, two new figures had entered the scene.
One was a red-haired boy with spiky teeth and a costume which only a rioter would wear. The other had a split-color hairstyle, white on the right, red on the left, and a burn scar trailing over his left eye. Ice clung to the left side of his costume.
Joker's eyes scanned the battlefield, disoriented but alert. In the middle of it all, he spotted All Might, still alive, somehow having freed himself from Nomu's claws.
That, at least, was one piece of good news.
"Todoroki, why did you freeze him?!" Midoriya asked, clearly distressed as he turned to the boy with dual-colored hair.
"I just froze a villain," Todoroki replied coolly, his voice flat and calm.
"But he helped us, and he healed Aizawa-sensei!" Midoriya protested, stepping forward in defense of Joker.
"You're kidding, right?" The red-haired riot-style boy blinked in disbelief.
"I'm serious, Kirishima!" Midoriya insisted, his tone firm.
Alright, enough of hibernating, it was time to break the ice.
A sharp crack echoed as the icy prison surrounding Joker began to split. All eyes turned toward the fractures spreading rapidly across the frozen cell.
And then, with a sound like a mini-explosion, Joker shattered free from the inside, shards flying everywhere as he staggered forward, his breath visible in the cold air.
"Next time, try freezing Eraser Head," Joker muttered, his voice dry and laced with sarcasm as he slowly exhaled steam. "He's got my color scheme, only I'm a little more vibrant."
Aizawa's eyes suddenly lit up red again, or at least this was what students thought, as he cast a chilling glare across his students. The temperature in the room felt like it had dropped ten degrees. Every student instinctively shivered, some even visibly flinched.
"Nomu," Shigaraki finally spoke, his voice calm but malicious. From one of Kurogiri's portals, the hulking creature re-emerged, half of its body still encased in thick ice, likely Todoroki's doing. But even that didn't last.
With a disturbing shatter, the frozen half of Nomu's body cracked apart like fragile glass, falling to pieces on the floor.
"How is he still moving? His body's in pieces!" Midoriya asked, horrified.
"Students, back off. The show is becoming M-rated," Joker warned, already drawing his knife.
Nomu's broken limbs began to twitch. The remaining patches of ice burst away, and in a grotesque display of biological reconstruction, muscle fibers rapidly stitched themselves together.
"What the hell? I thought his quirk was Shock Absorption!" All Might said, gritting his teeth, still holding his injured side.
"I never said that was his only quirk," Shigaraki replied with a twisted grin. "Ladies and gentlemen… allow me to introduce: Super Regeneration!"
Gasps swept across the room as Nomu's body restored itself, muscle by muscle, tendon by tendon, until he stood fully healed, as if nothing had ever touched him.
"Nomu's been artificially engineered to match you even at 100%," Shigaraki continued. "He's basically a punching bag designed to be the most efficient at tanking hits."
Everyone instinctively raised their guards, their expressions tense, eyes wide with unease.
"I hate these types of enemies..." Joker muttered under his breath and swapped his mask again. "Sarasvati! Mediarama!"
The Hindu goddess appeared, hovering above the battlefield as soft music emanated from her instrument. A healing aura spread out, covering the injured students and their teacher.
It wasn't a full recovery, but it was more than enough to patch wounds and restore stamina.
"My wrist injury's gone!" All Might said with wide-eyed amazement, bouncing on his feet. "And I feel better than I have all day!"
"My fingers! They're healed!" Midoriya exclaimed, showing off his previously injured hand, now fully recovered.
"This Mini-boss and his freaks are getting annoying," Shigaraki growled, then narrowed his eyes. "But first, we're taking our exit strategy back."
Joker's gaze flicked immediately to Bakugo.
"Take him, Nomu."
In an instant, Nomu bolted toward Bakugo, his speed blurred, blitzing through the field faster than anyone could react.
Anyone except All Might.
'He's fast!' All Might thought while he rushed forward toward Bakugo.
Nomu reached Bakugo and threw a punch with all his strength. The force of it created a shockwave so intense that everyone nearby was blown back, and something was sent flying into the far wall, smashing it on impact.
"Bakugo!"
"Kacchan!" Midoriya and Aizawa both shouted in shock.
But Bakugo was right next to them, sitting shocked on the ground.
"Kacchan?" Midoriya blinked. "That was awesome! You dodged it!"
"Shut it before I fry your damn face, nerd, of course I didn't," Bakugo cursed, still visibly shaken but doing his best to mask it with his words.
"Wait, then how are you here?!" Kirishima asked, confusion all over his face, until realization dawned… or he thought he realized.
Several meters away, All Might stood frozen in place, staring at the place where Nomu had attacked. His face said it all; he'd just witnessed something he wasn't expecting.
Apparently, someone else was fast enough to react to Nomu's movement.
As the smoke fully cleared, everyone's eyes widened in shock at what they saw. "Looks like this time, I speed blitzed both of you."
Joker stood where Bakugo had just been, unharmed. Behind him loomed a humanoid figure resembling a samurai with pale skin, light red armor, and two katanas. the entity had intercepted Nomu's punch with both blades, holding it off completely.
Unfortunately, Kurogiri had used the shockwave from Nomu's earlier attack to escape, and he had actually been the one slammed into the wall, but he didn't seem seriously hurt.
"You damn Mini-boss! You're getting more and more on my nerves!" Shigaraki shouted, his voice almost breaking with rage. "Nomu, rip him to shreds!"
Nomu pulled his fist back to strike again, but before he could move, eight glowing red lines suddenly appeared on various points across its body.
In the blink of an eye, both of Nomu's arms were severed, and deep slashes opened across his torso. The samurai had already appeared behind him in a flash and vanished just as quickly in blue flames. In the same moment, Joker launched a powerful kick, on par with one of All Might's own, into Nomu's gut, sending the creature flying straight toward Shigaraki. Shigaraki easily dodged the launched Nomu, and Nomu regrew its limbs a second later.
Everyone's jaw collectively hit the floor. This thing, this summons, had just blocked an All Might-level strike.
"N-No way!" Midoriya stammered in disbelief.
"Wait... Does that mean he's as strong as All Might?" Kirishima muttered, trying to wrap his head around what he'd just seen.
"Shut up, there is no way he would be on par with All Might!" Even Bakugo looked stunned, unable to deny what he'd witnessed.
Aizawa and Todoroki both were too baffled to speak.
Joker, however, wasn't amused. He looked genuinely pissed off now, his jaw clenched so tightly that he bit the inside of his cheek.
"You were trying to kill that kid, weren't you?" Joker hissed, stepping forward. "Is there even a shred of humanity left in you?"
"I didn't have a choice. He was threatening my ally," Shigaraki replied coolly, unfazed. "And let's not pretend these kids, or you, are saints. That ice kid? He probably froze half my men within an inch of their lives. Don't preach to me."
Apparently, it was time for a long monologue.
"You think you can throw around as much violence as you want and just call it heroism? You know what really pisses me off? That people split violence into two categories, heroic and villainous. It's all still violence, and people like you hide behind your little hero masks and pretend..."
"SHUT UP."
The words cut through the air like a blade. Joker stepped forward, his tone no longer sardonic, just cold. Angry. Controlled in the way a dam holds back a tidal wave.
"I've seen your type too many times. Guys like you always think the world owes you a damn apology. You're not some tragic rebel or misunderstood messiah. You're just another monster trying to dress up his sadism with philosophy."
He paused, letting the silence hang. His voice dropped lower, sharper.
"You talk about hypocrisy, about how heroes hide behind masks and call their violence justice. But let's get real here. You're not against violence. You worship it. You breathe it. You just hate it when you're not the one holding the knife."
A glimmer of genuine disgust in Joker's eyes.
"And that speech of yours? Spare me. I've heard every version of it. 'I'm hurting people to stop the hurting.' 'I'm breaking the system to fix it.' 'I'm not evil, I'm necessary.'"
He scoffed.
"You wanna know the truth? You're a scared little boy throwing a tantrum because the world didn't love you the way you wanted. And now you think making it bleed will make you feel better."
Another step forward. His grip tightened on the hilt of his dagger.
"You talk about violence like it's some abstract moral question, but it's not. It's not about what you say you're doing. It's about who bleeds when you do it. And guess what?"
Joker's voice hitched, just slightly, with controlled fury.
"The only thing your kind has ever accomplished... is making people wish you'd never been born."
A final breath. Quiet, lethal.
"So don't pretend you're different. Don't act like you're deep. You're not Nietzsche. You're not revolutionary. You're just... a sad freak with blood on his hands and a god complex."
Joker's eyes stared glowing yellow, and sparks of the Flames of the Rebellion rose from his mask.
"And in the end, people like you don't deserve justice. You deserve punishment."
For a moment, everything went silent. No one expected a counter-monologue like that, least of all from someone so young. The words sank in like daggers, and Shigaraki's rage boiled with each one until it spilled over, raw and unfiltered.
"Yeah, you're f*king right, I don't care about good or evil! I just want to see the look of fear on their faces as I turn people of this rotten society into dust with my decay!" He screamed them without taking a breath from the depths of his throat.
Joker stepped forward, cold and unblinking, his dagger now aimed directly at the source of that hatred. "Then you better start praying to whatever gods you believe in... because not even they can save you from me." His voice was ice, sharp, deliberate, and terrifying. "Tomura Shigaraki... your heart is twisted. That makes it mine to take."
"That makes two of us, then," said another voice from the side.
All Might appeared at Joker's flank, towering and fierce. He rolled his shoulder once, cracking his knuckles like a prelude to war.
"Hey, hey, acting on your own again, All Might?" Eraser Head joined them, landing in a crouch beside them with his scarf fluttering slightly.
"Aizawa!" All Might blinked, surprised but grateful.
"I can cancel his shock absorption. You go in after that and hit him with everything you've got," Aizawa said, already strategizing. Then he turned to Joker. "And you, kid..."
"Call me Joker." Said Joker.
"Fine. Joker, you and your summons are the best bet against Shigaraki. I'm counting on you to take him down. But be careful, his Quirk disintegrates anything he touches."
'Quirk? Is that what they call superpowers here?' Joker thought, squinting slightly but nodding.
"Alright. Sounds solid." Joker said.
"All Might, no need to hold back. Go straight for the kill, that thing is not alive," Aizawa said that, and Joker was suddenly surprised.
"Wait, are you telling me that monster is not alive?!" Joker asked in disbelief.
"Not in any meaningful way," Aizawa confirmed. "As he said, it is an artificially DNA-engineered bio-weapon."
A devilish smile crept across Joker's face. Slowly, he began walking forward, each step heavier than the last. "Then, in that case, you old men stand back and enjoy the show. Because I want to show off!"
Suddenly, a tidal wave of blue flames erupted from his body, spiritual, searing, unholy in intensity. The sheer pressure from his aura alone blasted outward like a shockwave, nearly lifting the students off the ground. Even All Might and Aizawa braced themselves, struggling to stand firm. And the villains were clawing at the floor for stability.
"Is this... is this just his aura?!" Midoriya shouted, barely staying grounded.
"Whatever he's about to summon next... It's gonna be a monster," Todoroki muttered through gritted teeth, anchoring himself with ice.
Even on the hero's side, the air was tense.
"He's been hiding this much power?!" All Might roared as he held his steps in shockwaves.
"Who is this kid?!" Aizawa yelled as he was holding on to All Might.
On the villain's side, panic began to take root.
"What kind of Mini-boss is this?!" Shigaraki screamed, his voice cracking with frustration.
"I-I can't even get close to him!" Kurogiri howled, his mist-like form scattering like smoke in a hurricane.
Then it came...
HA HA HA HA HA!
A sinister, echoing laugh filled the entire dome structure. It felt like it came from everywhere and nowhere.
"What was that laugh?!" A girl with brown hair and a round face yelped, fear clinging to her voice.
"The devil's here to eat my soul!" The same short purple boy shrieked, bouncing around in total panic. "Great Kami, if you spare me, I swear I'll stop peeking at girls!" He was just lucky no one could actually hear what he said over the chaos.
The demonic, blazing face of Arsène.emerged from the flames, which twisted and coiled around him like living serpents. With a sudden, thunderous blast, Arsène.burst forth from the inferno, spreading his wings with such overwhelming power that even All Might was forced to hold on to the ground.
"Thou call thyself a rebel? Nay... merely a child clad in decay, throwing tantrums at a world thou never understood. We are the true thieves, rebels of justice. Come, and be shown how pitiful thy mockery truly is." Joker and Arsène.spoke the line in perfect harmony, their voices ringing through the dome.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Arsène., this was no mere summon. They stood before a demon incarnate. Even those far away heard his voice echo and looked skyward in fear. Thirteen, barely clinging to life, lifted her head and stared at the heavens.
But it was time to show off.
"Show him our true power, Trickster!" Arsène.commanded, extending his hand toward Nomu.
Suddenly, Joker vanished from sight. All eyes darted around in shock, then Joker appeared behind Nomu, a bold crimson slash glowing across his chest. Nomu spun around fast, claws ready to strike, but Arsène.blasted him with Eigaon with a look of a searing beam-like projectile that slammed Nomu backward several meters.
Nomu landed hard on his feet, snarling like a savage beast, lunging forward on all fours. But Joker was already there, sprinting circles around him at blinding speed. Multiple blurry afterimages flickered with each darting motion.
From all sides, Joker attacked relentlessly, crimson slashes blossoming on Nomu's bloodless fresh and skin. As if that wasn't enough, the sharp pop of gunfire added to the chaos, Joker fired bursts of red bullets that hammered into Nomu as he took some distance.
Suddenly, Arsène.descended from above, unleashing Riot Gun, a devastating volley of bullet-like lightning that pelted Nomu with brutal precision. Then Arsène.clashed talons with Nomu, their ferocious battle shaking the ground beneath them.
Without warning, a massive red bullet phased through Arsène's.body and slammed directly into Nomu's stomach, tearing a ragged hole.
Arsène.shattered the grip and began rending Nomu's flesh with his claws. With each strike, chunks of bloodless muscle flew off, struggling futilely to regenerate. The final blow slashed Nomu's torso so hard that nearby trees chopped like twigs.
And now, it was time to switch.
"Hecatoncheires!" Joker called out, morphing Arsène.into the Hundred-Armed Watcher, a colossal behemoth towering over Nomu. With hundreds of fists pounding down like thunder, the earth cracked and exploded beneath the onslaught. Each blow cratered the ground deeper until the final strike hurled Nomu and a massive chunk of earth skyward.
As the massive chunk of earth carrying Nomu was launched into the sky, his wild, unfocused eyes caught sight of Joker, already above him, flipping midair with predatory ease. A glowing crimson orb spun at the barrel of Joker's gun, fully charged. With a smirk, Joker fired, and the charged shot exploded on Nomu's chest, cracking bone and muscle with a thunderous BOOM, sending him rocketing back down to earth. Smoke billowed on impact, obscuring him in a thick haze.
Joker landed smoothly, coat fluttering behind him as he skidded across the ground. But the moment his feet touched the earth, Nomu lunged out of the smoke with a feral scream, eyes locked on Joker like prey.
Joker only smiled wider and sidestepped with supernatural grace.
Just then, Nomu saw what awaited him in the path ahead: a fist cocked back, wrapped in raw power.
"Detroit SMASH!" All Might roared, landing a massive punch straight into Nomu's face, but this time, Nomu's Shock Absorption didn't activate. Across the battlefield, Aizawa stood with his glowing eyes fixed on Nomu and erasing its Quirk.
'That kid…' Aizawa thought, his memory flashing to when Joker subtly gestured for them to join in during Arsène.rapid assaults.
"What kind of hero just stands there while a kid fights for him?!" All Might bellowed, eyes burning with justice. He let loose a barrage of punches, rapid-fire, like a machine gun of justice. Each blow sent Nomu's body jerking and tearing, sinew and muscle bursting outward with every strike.
Nomu began to resist, trying to push back, but then, three glowing auras, green, red, and violet, swirled around All Might.
Power surged into him. He felt stronger. Faster. Unbreakable. All Might pushed harder, striking deeper, his fists now punching through Nomu's body, piercing flesh like steel spikes. And then, an uppercut. Massive. Monumental.
Nomu's hulking form lifted off the ground, sailing into the air. From the side, Aizawa's scarf shot out like a whip, wrapping tightly around Nomu's neck in midair. He swung his entire body with it, using Nomu's momentum to slam it downward with punishing force.
CRASH!
The ground shattered beneath Nomu, but the punishment didn't end there. Ice suddenly erupted across the battlefield, freezing over the crater and climbing rapidly over Nomu's body, encasing him in solid frost up to his neck.
All Might and Aizawa turned to the source. Todoroki stood at a distance, arm extended, his right side shimmering with frost. Beside him, Joker gave a satisfied thumbs-up.
Then, like mist, Joker vanished, only to reappear at All Might's side. "Let's finish the show with a big finale," Joker said, eyes glowing golden with intensity.
Another surge of Flames of Rebellion erupted around him, this time not as intense as before though. From within that infernal blaze emerged not Arsène., but a new figure, a towering Viking, adorned in golden armor and white cape, gripping a massive warhammer.
Valiant. Ancient. Terrifying.
All Might, his blood pumping from the battle, gave his trademark grin, eyes gleaming with battle-lust. "Alright!"
Both combatants took their stances, All Might's fists clenched, the Viking's warhammer raised back.
They charged their power. The ground trembled beneath them.
"Go beyond," All Might roared, voice echoing like a war cry.
"PLUS ULTRA!" He shouted, Viking and Hero striking in unison. The warhammer and All Might's fist collided with Nomu's frozen form.
BOOOOOOOM!
The resulting explosion cracked the entire dome structure, spiderweb fissures racing across the floor. Trees were vaporized. Concrete shattered. A shockwave burst outward, ripping through everything in its path. Nomu was blasted skyward like a missile, his form breaking through the dome's ceiling, rocketing through layers of cloud until he vanished into the horizon like a shooting star of doom.
"Show over," Joker said, tightening his glove with a confident snap.
All the students who had been watching, from nearby or far away, stood silently, eyes fixed on the massive crater gouged into the ground, easily the size of five buildings side by side.
"Is this some kind of manga? He didn't even get a chance to defend himself!" Kirishima muttered, awe and disbelief mixing in his voice.
"Joker had started with swift, slicing attacks to draw Nomu's attention, then Aizawa's Quirk nullification wiped out Nomu's powers. All Might seized that opening and overwhelmed him," Todoroki explained coolly, but inside, his mind was racing.
'Freeze him with my mark. Give All Might the opening for the final blow,' he remembered Joker appearing at his side, whispering that very strategy.
'Ahead of everyone else, that was Joker, always thinking one step ahead,' Todoroki thought grimly, narrowing his eyes.
"What kind of bullshit power was that?" Bakugo breathed out quietly, stunned. 'He's around my age and he's keeping up with the pros, heck, keeping up with All Might?!'
'I am…'
'Still...'
'Too weak...'
Both Todoroki and Bakugo shared the same thought at once.
"Man, looks like I really have gotten weaker. Back then, five punches were enough to put these villains down, but this time? It took around a hundred punches with the support," All Might murmured to himself, letting out a deep breath before placing his fist on his heart.
"You are called All Might, right?" the Viking spoke, stepping before All Might with solemn respect. Holding his warhammer steady before his chest, he looked All Might straight in the eye. "By the thunder of Mjölnir and the valor sung in battle, you've kindled a fire the gods cannot ignore. Thus I, Thor, son of great Odin, speak your name with honor, before Odin Allfather and all who dwell in Asgard's golden halls."
All Might was speechless, overwhelmed and unsure if he understood the meaning. The thought of the possibility of actual Norse god of war and thunder standing before him and praising him was too good to be true.
"May the day come when we drink together in the great hall of Valhalla before my father," Thor declared, then vanished, rejoining the other Personas.
"Hey, All Might!" All Might turned his head and saw Joker standing beside him. "That line you dropped at the end, doesn't that come with a copyright or something? That was sick."
"No idea. I'll have to check with the principal, since it's basically the UA Academy motto," All Might replied.
"Then I guess I'll stick with Checkmate," Joker shrugged, casually brushing it off. "Alright, now, onto other problems," Joker suddenly grew serious and fixed a cold, piercing gaze directly at Shigaraki, who was scratching his neck with an unsettling, sadistic anger.
"Cheaters... They cheated, there's no way they could've won without cheats! It's all because of that broken DLC! Why is he even here?! He has to be a glitch. Yeah, a glitch, an error in the system!" Shigaraki kept muttering out loud, his voice growing shriller with each word as he scratched furiously at his neck, finally starting to bleed.
"Valid crash out," Joker said with a smirk, voice laced with cold sarcasm.
"Surrender," Aizawa ordered, his eyes starting to glow with intense power. "Your strongest has fallen. Your lackeys are on the ground, and we outnumber you."
"Surrender?" Shigaraki hissed, then erupted into a full scream. "Surrender when I was this close to ending the game? I'm not giving up to a bunch of cheaters!" His rage boiled over. His skin cracked open even more, blood now running freely as he screamed like a cornered beast.
"Should I remind you we won the 3v3?" Joker said coolly, stepping forward. "You being a cringe-tier team leader isn't our fault. Thought you could just drop a Wild Card and flip the match? Maybe it shakes up the field, but it doesn't rewrite the scoreboard."
"Shut up, Broken DLC!" Shigaraki howled.
"Please, Shigaraki Tomura-san," Kurogiri pleaded, floating close to his master's side. "We must retreat. We stand no chance now. Reinforcements are less than a minute away."
But Shigaraki wasn't listening. His eyes were wide with fury, pupils shaking, lips curled into a snarl. All he could see was Joker. The glitch in his game. The cheat code that broke his plan.
Joker began approaching slowly, the worn heels of his boots echoing on the shattered stone floor. "Better not step on my toes while we dance, because..."
Suddenly, Joker faltered. His body stiffened for a split second, then completely lost balance, he collapsed mid-stride, falling like a puppet with its strings cut.
All Might and Aizawa's instincts kicked in. Both rushed to catch him before his body hit the ground.
'This is my chance!' Kurogiri realized, eyes narrowing behind the fog.
A hunk of metal burst from the shadows of his mist, tumbling across the ground and landing right in front of All Might and Aizawa.
A grenade.
Both heroes saw it the instant it landed, and both reacted the same way. With a wordless instinct, they threw themselves over Joker's unconscious body like living shields.
The grenade exploded.
BOOM!
A blinding flash of light burst from the stun grenade, sending a shockwave of sound and disorientation across the battlefield. Everyone nearby winced or staggered, sight gone white, ears ringing.
It wasn't lethal. But it was enough to escape.
Kurogiri didn't wait. His mist spiraled out like a vortex, wrapping itself tightly around Shigaraki's thrashing body. "We must go, now!"
"Let go of me, Kurogiri!" Shigaraki screamed as he struggled, his whole body twitching in rage. "I have to kill that Broken DLC! I have to wipe that cheat from the system!"
"Please, Shigaraki Tomura-san!" Kurogiri's voice was strained, desperate now as the mist thickened to drag him away.
Suddenly, with a gunfire sound, a sharp, clean bang echoed through the dome.
Shigaraki screamed. A bullet struck his leg, then five more shots rang out. Three of them slammed into his limbs, knees, shoulder, thigh, each one dropping him further, locking him to the ground in a flailing heap of agony.
"They've finally arrived," All Might muttered with a grin as his vision cleared.
"Apologies, everyone! I know we've regrettably arrived late," a crisp, noble voice echoed through the shattered dome, cutting through the fading chaos. "But the moment I heard what was happening, I gathered every individual I could!"
A group of new figures appeared at the top of the entrance stairs, silhouetted against the light. The students below, exhausted and rattled, lit up with stunned joy.
"CLASS 1-A REPRESENTATIVE, IIDA TENYA, REPORTING FOR DUTY!" Iida yelled, striking a powerful pose, his glasses gleaming under the overhead lights. His suit gleamed, a hybrid between a Formula One car, a locomotive, and a noble knight.
"Goddammit! This is the Game Over screen!" Shigaraki screamed, still cradled by Kurogiri's fog. "Get us out of here, Kurogiri!"
But before the teleport could fully form, a gravitational force surged through the air like a vacuum.
"This is… Thirteen's Black Hole!" Kurogiri shouted while struggling against the gravity of the black hole.
At the top of the stairs, a heavily injured pro hero in a torn astronaut suit pointed open fingers toward them. The vacuum effect of the Black Hole Quirk had begun to drag Kurogiri's mist inward.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to halt a teleport entirely. it was just enough to delay it. Enough time for one last threat.
"This time we might be lost..." Shigaraki hissed, eyes bloodshot with rage, skin still cracked and bleeding. "But next time, both you and your broken DLC are getting decayed down to atoms, Symbol of Peace!"
With that scream of hate, Kurogiri finished the escape, his mist thickened into a sphere, and in a blink, the two villains vanished.
A long silence followed.
All Might exhaled deeply, lowering his fists as he turned to Aizawa, who was still rubbing his eyes, blinking rapidly. "You alright, Aizawa?"
"Yeah," he muttered, his vision slowly returning. "I'll live."
As the other teachers began to spread out and secure the area, All Might and Aizawa both looked down at the unconscious vigilante sprawled on the ground before them.
"Must've used every ounce of power he had," Aizawa said, kneeling beside the boy and quickly checking his vitals. "As I thought, it is just extreme fatigue."
"Who is this kid?" All Might asked, voice filled with disbelief.
Aizawa didn't answer. Instead, he reached for Joker's mask, trying to lift it off, but no matter how he pulled, it wouldn't budge.
"It's fused to his face somehow. Like it's... part of him." Aizawa said with his usual calm tone.
"You think it's connected to his Quirk?" All Might asked.
"I honestly have no idea," Aizawa admitted, frowning.
"All Might! Aizawa-sensei!" Midoriya's voice rang out as the students, those who'd witnessed the battle up close, rushed over. They surrounded them, wide-eyed and breathless.
"That was the manliest thing I ever saw in my life! I'll never forget that fight for as long as I live!" Kirishima said, his excitement radiating, until he noticed Joker's unconscious form. The energy drained from his face.
"Aizawa-sensei… is he gonna be okay?" Midoriya asked with concern, thick in his voice.
"He'll be fine. Just went a little too Plus Ultra," Aizawa replied dryly.
All Might smiled and gently scooped Joker's limp body into his arms, holding him like a sleeping hero. "Gather the others at the main entrance. We need to do a headcount, make sure no one's seriously hurt."
"Yes, sir!" Kirishima saluted and turned on his heel. The rest followed, except for Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki. The three boys hesitated for a moment, taking one last look at Joker.
No one said anything.
They just stared.
Then, silently, they turned and followed the others.
"I should probably put in a request to increase my vacation days," Aizawa muttered with a long sigh.
"All Might. Aizawa." The two pro heroes looked down, only slightly, and saw a small, white-furred creature in a stylish suit strolling toward them with calm, deliberate steps.
A mouse? A bear? A dog?
No, he was Nezu. And he was the principal of U.A. Academy.
"Principal Nezu!" All Might said with respect, bowing slightly as he approached.
"I'm glad to see both of you are still in one piece," Nezu said with his usual polite, vaguely eerie smile.
"Thank you for your concern, sir," All Might replied formally.
"Ha ha ha!" Nezu laughed gently before his beady eyes narrowed on the unconscious figure in All Might's arms. "And who might that be?"
Aizawa let out a deep, tired sigh.
"The biggest mystery of the day."
END.