Chapter 11: Clash of Powers
'Eh, now that I'm his height he doesn't look so tough.' Ben thought as he stretched his arms across his chest as he strode forward. "You could take on XLR8, but let's see how you deal with Four Arms!"
The red giant, oozing with confidence, ignoring his opponent as he continued stretching, seemingly uninterested in the beast that had just thrown him through a wall just a few minutes prior. The beast itself stood with no visible indication that it was surprised of the new challenger, standing in its usual stance with a slouched back and hanging arms. The villains behind it were much more animated in their responses.
"Another hero? Four could have been a simple change, but five? We gave nothing away that we were coming. And where did that other one go? Wait..." Tomura squinted his eyes and looked closer at the new figure's left shoulder. As Four Arms brought his left arm across his chest, the Omnitrix nodule was exposed clearly to the villain. "That symbol was on the other hero as well. Are they all one person? Some kind of shapeshifter? First a speedster, now a brutalist? What tremendous power, but all for nothing."
Tomura snapped his fingers. "Nomu!" The hulking figure in front shifted slightly and turned its head just ever so slightly to indicate that it was aware of new orders. Tomura raised a single finger and pointed at Four Arms.
"Finish him."
Nomu responded by throwing its head back with an ear-splitting screech and then leaned its body forward. As it started to topple forward, it turned that momentum into a sprint, moving at its highest speed towards its new designated enemy.
"Someone check a clock!" Ben hollered as he bent his own legs and adopted a sprinter's start. "Because I believe it's go time! HAAAAA!" With explosive force Ben launched himself at his own max speed, pumping his arms as he ran straight towards his foe. The two titans sprinted towards each other, heads lowered and hands outstretched. Their footsteps cracked the floor beneath them as they pushed as hard as they could against the ground to keep up their momentum.
FFFFPOOOOOM!
An outstretched pair of red hands collided with a pair of gnarly black ones with earth-shattering force. The ripple of shock that surged up the fighter's arms would have shattered the limbs of an ordinary person, but neither budged. Tetramand biology struggled against the foul science of Nomu as both fighters fought to gain the upper hand. Their heads smashed against each other, and their jaws were clenched as their struggle to overpower the other continued in a stalemate. They were on the balls of their feet as they constantly relocated them to push just that much more, their back muscles bulging as they fought.
"Hehehe, you're strong! Not many people can match Four Arms like this!" Ben gritted out from clenched teeth, forcing his lips into a smile. "But you should know why I call this guy FOUR Arms!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Ben's lower pair of arms sprung into action and started laying in blow after blow! Ben brought back his lower arms again and again, then sent them flying up into Nomu's gut as hard as he could, as many times as he could. Each blow caused the beast's entire body to shake, and each impact pushed him back an inch. Nomu responded by trying to push Four Arms away, but Ben tightened his hand's grip on Nomu's own to keep him in range.
'C'mon you meatbag! Just. Go. Down!' Ben thought, emphasizing each word with another powerful blow to the stomach. Yet, despite not holding anything back, his blows were not doing anywhere near as much damage as he expected. These blows sent most other villains over the moon, but against this guy? He was barely tickling him!
"GARAHH!" Nomu roared as one last blow landed on his belly. The hulking monstrosity suddenly tightened its own grip, straightened its back, and pulled Four Arms forward as it straightened itself out.
"Woahahaaho!" Ben cried out as he was caught by surprise. When Nomu pulled him forward, Four Arms lost balance and fell forward, carrying all his own momentum and sending him flying into the open arms of the beast. Nomu followed this up with a powerful headbutt that made Four Arms flinch. While the red giant was reeling, Nomu flung one of its arms forwards and caught the Tetramand's face in one of its giant hands. Four Arms desperately clawed at this limb, but it was too late. Nomu started stomping around in a circle, holding its arm out as far as it could while still gripping Four Arm's heavy body. With a snarl, the beast let go at the apex of the throw to send Four Arm's flying through the air!
"Gguooo!" Ben cried out once more as he landed not-so-gently on his back. 'What the heck! I thought this guy was just heavy, and that's why XLR8 couldn't do anything! But not even Four Arms can punch this guy, and he's the strongest guy I have!' Ben's mind raced as his body slowly got up. Pushing with his arms, Ben threw himself up-right and glared at the black hulk that was closing in. Instead of charging to meet him head-on like last time, Ben decided to take a more patient strategy.
Four Arm's braced his arms, holding his right pair out like a shield and bringing his left pair back to swing. The Nomu had a similar idea, as it led its change with its left shoulder. Ben braced himself as the Nomu grew closer and closer, until the moment to strike arrived. With a battle cry, Ben threw his left arms out while swiveling his shoulders to put as much momentum into this blow as he could.
THUUUUDDD!
The left arms of Four Arm's collided with Nomu's single right one in a single powerful strike. A small shockwave emitted from the blow, sending a small ring of air flying out, picking up dust as it went. Nomu withdrew its arm and started raining down blows, one after the other. Not to be outdone, Four Arms threw his arms out into a defensive stance, using his forearms to block the blows and countering when he could. The exchange drew out for five seconds... ten seconds... twenty seconds! Neither fighter relented, with blows being thrown, blocked and diverted, but a good amount did find their mark. Unfortunately, the ones that did land for Ben gave him more bad news.
'What is with this guy? Even against Vilgax my punches would do something! But it's like this thing just isn't taking any damage!' Ben was starting to feel his confidence dwindling. Thanks to Four Arm's extra pair of limbs, he was the one blocking better and landing more hits. But the blows that did land from the Nomu were starting to add up, and Ben was starting to actually feel the blows even through a Tetramand's incredible pain threshold. Meanwhile, Nomu seemed completely unfazed by the blows that Four Arm's landed, and had not let up since the fight began.
Four Arm's change in attitude did not go unnoticed by the spectator's. Tomura watched as the Tetramand's grin faded into neutrality, and then into a grimace as the fight wore on. The nervousness the villain felt earlier receded as a smirk grew on his face, although it was hidden behind the hand on his face. The villain then moved, with Kurogiri beside him, to atop the structure that Four Arm's emerged from to get a closer view of the battle. The duo watched as the fighting pair once more slammed their hands forward, forcing their body weight forward. Nomu suddenly pulled, mimicking its move from earlier. This time, Four Arms was prepared.
Four Arms hopped to gain some air, then let Nomu pull him in. Angeling his body so that his back was to the ground, Four Arms shot his legs out to try and knock the wind out of him. The blow landed with tremendous force, but Nomu stood firm. Tomura let out a chuckle at the sight of Nomu's quirk at work. According to Sensei, this was a particularly difficult quick to obtain, but it was working wonders on this wildcard of a hero. Nomu dropped its grip, letting the red fighter fall to the ground. It then raised a fist, and proceeded to slam it down against Four Arm's head. A quick dodge allowed Four Arm's to avoid head trauma and he spun around to quickly roll out from beneath the beast. Rolling onto his stomach, Four Arms thrusted his arms out to propel him into the air, and landed on both feet. Tomura couldn't help but laugh at his grim expression, drawing his attention.
"Oh, you are an unexpected boss fight, mysterious challenger! A morphing shapeshifter like you would have no doubt thwarted our plans on any other occasion. Unfortunately for you, we have Nomu." Tomura saw he had the hero's full attention, so he gestured to Nomu with his hand and elaborated further.
"Nomu here has a little quirk called Shock Absorption. Sudden impacts from any skill are neutralized as you have no doubt seen. Punches, kicks, explosions and smashes are all completely ineffective. He was designed to take on All Might himself! To absorb his smashes, to outlast his stamina and come out victorious in the end. You can not win!" Tomura laughed at the end before catching Nomu's attention. "Go Nomu! Demonstrate your might!"
Nomu smashed the ground with its fists and shook itself like a beast at the command. It then broke out into another sprint, arms outstretched as it charged Four Arms again. This time, however, Four Arms took a peculiar pose, bending his knees holding his lower arms close to his body and his upper arms were not too far out either. What was more concerning was the smile that had returned.
"You villains really are all alike. Giving out crucial information at key moments like this, it's almost like you want the heroes to win!" Four Arms shouted, causing Tomura to freeze. Nomu did not stop, charging at top speed with arms ready to attack. Four Arm's grin grew. This was exactly what he wanted.
"When you tell a hero something as important as an enemy's quirk!" Four Arm's upper arms flew out right as Nomu was about to slam into him. Four Arms did not have fists, but kept his hands flat, and brushed them against Nomu's arms, on the outside of the oncoming right arm and the inside of the left.. He then pushed his hands to the right with all his might, flinging Nomu's arms off target! The force of the push was not sudden, Ben kept that in mind. Instead, he applied the force gently at first, and once Nomu's arms started shifting direction, he then applied the rest of his strength.
"The hero can use that information to change his fighting style!" Unable to halt its own momentum, the Nomu staggered to Four Arm's right side, off balance and vulnerable. Crouching down, Four Arms shot forward, angling left as he slid across the ground under Nomu's blow and got up by Nomu's side. As he stood up, Four Arms put all four of his hands onto Nomu's side and did the same thing, just with all four hands on a single target. The result was Four Arm's not just completely dodging Nomu's charge attack, but now he was the one who was in an advantageous position.
"And then the hero can counter-attack knowing that this new style will work!" Four Arms dashed behind Nomu and lashed out with all his arms. The upper two shot out right under Nomu's own arms and once his elbows were past the body, Four Arms raised his upper forearms and locked Nomu's shoulders in a powerful grip. Four Arms raised this lock up to the armpits to limit the range of movement the trapped arms had. The lower two arms snaked around the beasts' torso and locked into place.
"If I can't punch this guy into submission, I'll go with breaking him!" Four Arms squeezed with all of his otherworldly strength, catching Nomu in a stranglehold! Nomu thrashed around, but it was unable to escape. The lock around his shoulders prevented the arms from moving to a place where it could deal with the threat behind him and the arms around the torso were slowly squeezing out the air and starting to threaten the ribs. Ben let the grin on his face grow as he looked to the side to see the hand-villain locking his hands in his hair in frustration.
"Impossible! Nomu, stop playing around! I order you to break out of that hold and kill that no-good trash hero!" Screamed Tomura, stomping his foot like a toddler in a temper tantrum as he watched the tides of the battle literally shift before his very eyes. Kurogiri, on the other hand, was locked deep in thought as his shadowy eyes bore into the Tetramand.
'That sass, that intolerable attitude, one of the students had it. Yes, yes, I remember him. That small child with american features, at the back of the group. I portaled him away, I know that for sure. Is he with that other group?' Kurogiri mussed as he raised a misty hand to his chin. The shadow-villain shot a quick look at the group of students near the entrance, who were engrossed with watching the battle. 'No! Then that means that this hero is no hero at all! It's a student! Nomu is being beaten by a mere student!' Before the shadow-villain could continue with his line of thought, he was interrupted.
"Kurogiri." The tone Tomura used shook Kurogiri out of his funk very fast. Gone was the shouting and foot-stomping from before. In its place was ice-cold determination. "Remember the plan we had to eviscerate All Might? I think we found a willing volunteer to help us practice it one more time."
"Alright big guy, we had our fun." Ben gritted out from behind his smile as he fought to contain his opponent. Despite the stranglehold he had, Ben could feel the beast throwing its tremendous weight around wildly, forcing even Four Arms to exert a significant amount of effort just to hold him. Even with the constricting force Four Arms was exerting around the chest, Nomu seemed unfazed by this and fought as if its oxygen supply was not in danger. "Do me a solid and just give up!"
So focused Ben was on holding Nomu still that he failed to see the portal villain raise a limb and create an inky black circle aimed at his direction. And he couldn't see how Tomura crouched beside the portal. Ben didn't see these, but he did feel the effects of a portal opening right under his right leg.
"Wha-!" Ben felt the solid footing below his right foot suddenly dissipate and he started to fall. Out of panic, Ben released Nomu and flung his hands out to catch himself as he fell into the black portal. With Four Arm's long limbs, Ben managed to pull himself out of the portal, but in that moment he let Nomu out of his sight and focused entirely on something else. Nomu then reminded him of that mistake.
Nomu crashed into Four Arms from behind and locked him into a hold of its own. In a twisted turn of events, it was now Ben being held from behind, and Nomu trying to maneuver. Ben, now aware of the returning threat of the portals, started flexing his power to get out of the hold. Nomu showed no emotions, but the slow struggle indicated that Four Arms was no easy target either. However, Nomu was no longer trying to beat Four Arms in combat. Spotting a certain signal from Tomura caused its limited brain function to spark into action, and it now tried to replicate something that it had practiced before this incursion.
Attempting a suplex, Nomu tried to force Four Arms into a portal that was right behind them, previously out of view of the hero. A single glance from Ben was all it took for him to deduce that he did NOT want to be anywhere near that thing. So his struggle grew even more fierce, throwing his strength side-to-side, anything to distance himself from the portal that spelled disaster.
"Come on, just a little more..." Tomura muttered as he watched the red giant grow ever closer to the portal Kurogiri had placed. "Even someone as durable as you can't survive Kurogiri's portals collapsing prematurely. They sever through almost all biological materials! So just let it happen."
Now it was Tomura's turn to be caught off guard. While normally impossible to sneak up on due to his incredible senses, Tomura had put all his attention into the fight that was happening in front of him, that he wasn't considering an attack from behind. Or, rather, from above.
"DIE!"
KABLOOM!
From a spot on the ceiling of another disaster zone, Bakugo and Todoroki leapt down upon the hand and shadow villains, letting loose twin forces of ice and fire. Bakugo's explosion rattled the already damaged foundations of the shed the two were on, causing a side to collapse. Kurogiri fell to the ground, causing his portals to dissipate as well. Todoroki's ice barrage was a silent killer, as he did not announce his arrival with a quote, and it struck the place Tomura was just a moment ago.
The two new arrivals landed by using their quirks to soften their landings; Bakugo letting explosions out to slow his descent and Todoroki making an ice ramp to smooth his landing out. Bakugo had a maniacal grin on his face as he switched targets, throwing out his palms in Tomura's direction. Noticing this, Todoroki sent an ice wave towards the downed Kurogiri.
Ben was not in the best of positions, as he now found himself with his back on the ground and Nomu bearing down on him. When the portal dissipated, the beast switched back to its primitive tactics, surprising Ben. Throwing him on the ground, and trying to wrap its hands around Four Arms' throat, it was once again a battle of attrition. Ben did see the arrival of his two classmates by angeling his head back, and immediately noticed that Bakugo had made himself vulnerable and opened himself to a counter-attack. As Tomura surged forward, Ben used his lower arms to fend off Nomu, and raised his upper arms to grab chunks of concrete that had come loose during the struggle. Lifting it as best he could, Ben threw the left hand's rock at Tomura.
"Watch out!" Ben shouted as loud as he could as the projectile flew. Tomura pulled back in the nick of time, and Bakugo turned to face him. "Bakugo, his quirk lets him disintegrate anything he touches! Don't let him get close!" Immediately the blonde's face contorted into a frown and he used his explosions to fling himself back to gain significant distance. Ben saw ice, which meant Todoroki, but a strong push from Nomu pulled his attention back to his own fight.
"Eat this!" Seeing no better way to use the chunk in his right hand, Ben threw his right arm forward as far as he could, with the rock still locked in his fist. The rock lodged itself into Nomu's open mouth, and the sudden intrusion caused the beast to lift his arms to his head in confusion. Seeing an opportunity, Ben pushed himself up and threw a powerful punch into the beast's mouth.
To his shock, the blow sent Nomu flying! The punch destroyed the rock, sending bits of debris down Nomu's throat as the blow continued and eventually connected with teeth. Skidding on it's back, Nomu was sent tumbling away, then staggered upright, shaking from the power of the blow. Ben lowered his gaze to his hands in astonishment.
"Is your mouth a weak point? Why did that attack actually hurt you? Questions for later." Another check-up showed Ben that his classmates were disengaging. Bakugo had actually listened to Ben and was keeping a large distance between him and Tomura, and Todoroki realized that he was ill-equipped to take on someone with shadow-like properties. With knowledge that his classmates were not in danger, Ben flung himself back onto Nomu with a battlecry.
As Ben threw himself into the fray, the rest of his classmates were getting nervous for him.
"This is insane!" Sato uttered as he crouched low with his classmates by the gate. While their plan had gotten Ida out, the villains had closed the gate right afterward. All of 1-A who weren't in some other area or fighting were hunkered near the gate, with their teachers laid down beside them. While they were patched up to the best of the student's abilities, those abilities were not that great. The group had spent the last few minutes watching as Ben wrestled with Nomu. "I can literally feel the power of those hits! Through the ground!"
"Tennyson's got this!" Uraraka spoke up, pumping her fist into the air. "He only struggled when that guy with the hands intervened. He doesn't look like he's going to again!" There was some truth to her words, as not just the villain duo, but also Bakugo and Todoroki had halted fighting. They seemed to have backed off and were watching to see the outcome of the brawl.
"No." Shoji spoke in a flat voice. His own head was ducked down to be behind a ledge while one of his dupli-arms morphed into an eye gazed at the fight. "Both are strong, but Shock Absorption is the deciding factor. If Tennyson can not find a way to neutralize that quirk, he will eventually lose. As of now, the best he can do is stall until the rest of UA arrives."
The rest of the class shifted uneasily at Shoji's blunt analysis, but they knew it was true. While Ben wasn't slowing down, he was losing ground and the expression on his face was not a good one. As eyes once more turned to the fight, Asui picked up on some incessant muttering coming from behind her.
"Midoriya?" Asui asked with concern as she saw him holding his head with his hands on either side, his eyes locked unblinking at the melee, and muttering a storm. She strained her ear and leaned a bit closer to try and catch what he was talking about. She could make out quirk, catalyst, skin, and break, but nothing else. Just as she was starting to wonder what those words could mean, Midoriya bolted upright and proceeded to spring onto the battlefield, making a beeline towards Ben.
"Deku what are you doing!" Screamed Uraraka as she threw herself forward, unsuccessfully trying to grab his legs.
"You fool!" Shoji groaned as he tried to grab Midoriya as he ran past. Shoji underestimated Midoriya's speed, and his arms missed as the green-haired boy booked it towards the brawling red and black titans.
"Tennyson!" The battling duo turned their heads to see one Midoirya running straight at them, calling out a name. Nomu lunged at him, breaking away from combat. Midoriya tried to stop, but fell back and looked up in horror as Nomu prepared to bring down it's fists. This was stopped by Four Arms, who grabbed Nomu around the waist and hoisted it into the air. Struggling to contain the trashing Nomu, Ben turned around and threw Nomu as hard as he could. Upon witnessing Nomu crash into the wall of another zone in a cloud of dust, he turned to help his classmate up.
"Alright, is there a reason you ran into a battle? I'll have you know I got this 100% under control!" This was not really the case, but Ben would rather not admit some random guy he encountered could get the better of him.
"I know-!" Midoriya was taking deep gasps, flailing his arms around as he composed himself. He obviously was trying to say something important, but lacked the oxygen to say it. "-how to-!" A last few deep breaths to steady himself and Midoriya locked his gaze with Bens. "-get past his Shock Absorption!"
"...I'm listening."
"I realized it when you struck him with that rock in his mouth! It all has to do with the specific body functions quirks play in human biology! To inhibit a quirk, one just has to damage or contain the body part that serves as the quirk's catalyst! Like Uraraka's fingertips, Kacchan's palms, Ida's legs, Aoyama's stomach-" Midoriya was starting to rant. Something Ben could not afford.
"Today Midoriya!" Ben urged, cutting him off. Looking back, Ben could see Nomu rising from the rubble, shaking himself off.
"O-oh, yes! Sorry." Midoriya shook his head before taking on a serious look. "It's his SKIN. His skin is the catalyst for Shock Absorption! It's similar to Kirishima's Hardening or Yaoyorozu's Creation, just that they have to activate their quirks but this guy's quirk is always active. Shock absorption works by distributing the force of an impact across a wide area, diminishing the damage it does, like how it works in cars! That's why your punches don't work, you are hitting its skin, which then is able to distribute the force far enough where it doesn't take damage. That thing's sheer muscle mass then lets it stand up against the remaining impact of your blows. But skin doesn't cover teeth! That's how I figured it out!"
"Awesome! Just one thing." Ben was impressed; he didn't think Midoriya's quirk knowledge went this deep. Keeping his eyes on Nomu, Ben asked him one thing that was bugging him. "How do I use this information to beat this guy?"
"Well, in the same way shock absorbers in cars eventually wear down, you could try to outlast him or overwhelm it." Midoriya mused, bringing a hand to his chin. "In this case however, I think the best thing to do is to abuse the fact that this is a quirk, and therefore a body function. Despite Shock Absorption, it is still suffering some impact from your blows, meaning its quirk is being stretched to its limits. Like a tense wire. If you can break the skin, I think Shock Absorption's effectiveness will greatly diminish."
"Ok, how do I do that?" Nomu was moving back towards Ben, and he was starting to amp himself up for combat.
"Well, you'd need to do cellular damage. By that, I mean something other than punching. Something sharp to cut through the skin, or a substance to burn through it. Then, you just need to hit the place where you damaged it as hard as you can. I don't suppose you've got any other surprises?" Midoriya looked hopefully up at Ben, who rolled his four eyes.
"Look, if I could do something other than punching, I would have done so! With Four Arms, what you see is what you get! I- wait." Ben looked across the battlefield. He could see some pipes jutting out of a narrow ledge in the disaster area he, Midoriya and Asui were dropped in at the beginning. Pipes.
"Stand back!" Ben shouted out as he pulled back his arms. Midoriya barely had time to scramble backwards before Ben rained blows on the concrete below them. Just when Midoriya was about to ask what he was doing, Ben stopped. Exposed below him were a set of pipe lines. Ben reached down, grasped one line in each of his two lower arms, and yanked upwards.
TWING! PHISSSSSSSS.
'Well, I wish I was Diamonhead. His crystals would be so much better than this.' Ben thought as he strode forward, with his new weapons and plan in tow. Nomu charged at him, as predictable as ever. This time, Ben did not respond with a charge of his own. Instead, he raised his upper arms to catch Nomu's, locking their hands together. Ben carefully maneuvers his lower arms to put the pipes he yanked out of the ground exactly where he wanted them. While the pipes were not weak by any means, compared to the forces in this fight, they were tissue paper. But Ben wasn't looking for clubs. He was looking for the jagged edges that were a result of them being unnaturally torn apart.
Ben placed these jagged ends onto Nomu's skin, pressed into the body to the point where skin broke, and then pushed downwards. As Tomura stated before, Shock Absorption works against powerful blows with instant force from a fist. A fist had a large enough surface area to allow Nomu's skin to use its quirk to neutralize the blow. A sharp edge of a pipe? The thin, sharp edges pierced into Nomu's skin, too small a surface area to be properly negated.
SLICE! SPLURT!
As Ben slid the pipes downwards, dark blood exuded from the wounds, too dark to be considered normal human blood. The cuts were small, but there, and oozing blood. If it was painful, Nomu made no noises to indicate that. With both fists still contained in his upper limbs, Ben dropped his lower right hand's pipe, drew his hand into a fist and pulled back, then let loose a devastating uppercut right between the two cuts in its chest.
In a beautiful turn of events, Nomu was sent flying backwards, limbs outstretched as the force of the blow sent it tumbling! As it hit the ground, it continued rolling until it finally stopped, and it showed a struggle getting back up. Four Arms cracked his knuckles and picked the dropped pipe back up. There was a smile on his face. The moment Nomu got itself upright, Four Arms was upon him like a steel whirlwind! Cut after cut was carefully sliced into the beast, and blow after blow followed. It seemed like there was nothing Nomu could do, with the blows stunning and staggering it preventing a counter attack. Yet, despite this turn of events, Tomura did not throw a tantrum like before. Rather, he and Kurogiri watched. As if they were expecting something. And that something soon reared its ugly head.
"HAAA!" Four Arms launched a left hook to Nomu's right shoulder, aiming for a cut he had placed there earlier.
THUMP!
"Wah-?" Four Arms tilted his head in confusion. The blow that should have sent his opponent spinning gave a sound more similar to his opening burst, before he knew about the quirk. Ben cleared his head and attempted a few more blows.
THUMP THUMP THUMP!
"What gives?" Ben groaned aloud in frustration as his blows that were so effective earlier were now doing nothing. He didn't get it! What was going on? Then he saw it.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Ben watched in morbid fascination as Nomu's flesh wriggled and pulsed before his very eyes. Flesh knitted itself back together, and the small cuts that Ben had so carefully sliced into Nomu disappeared as if it had never been inflicted. Slow clapping drew Ben's attention back towards the villains.
"Well done, I'm impressed! Really, I am. It isn't everyday where a raid boss like Nomu gets figured out by a bunch of NPCs like yourself." Tomura said, stopping his clapping. "However, I never said that Shock Absorption was Nomus' only quirk, did I? He also happens to have a strength quirk, a stamina quirk and a regeneration quirk. He was designed to kill All Might after all. Just a single quirk wouldn't have been sufficient."
"As for you three." Tomura pointed a finger at Midoriya, who flinched back, Bakugo, who just snarled back, and Todoroki who just stood silently, doing nothing back. "Clever little fighters, aren't you? The two of you are decent fighters, and the green one is quite smart. Nomu, after you've taken care of the hero, kill those three next. And bring me the bodies." The four students' eyes widened at that statement. They had seen what this guy had done to Aizawa. They knew he meant what he said.
"Alright Midoriya." Ben leapt back, putting himself between the shocked teen and the fully-healed Nomu. "He's got Shock Absorption and Regeneration! Anything for that?"
"W-well, I think the same principles apply." Stammering at first, Midoriya squeezed his fists tight to steady himself. "Regeneration is a powerful quirk, with many different variations, but they all follow the same biological principles. The quirk is just a better and faster version of the body's normal healing. The cells just are able to maintain a fast replication rate to replace the cells lost in an injury. Notable ways to combat this are to damage the body faster than the cells can replicate. A source of constant cellular destruction is needed. Fire is the most common, and efficient, way to deal with Regeneration. I don't suppose?"
"No. Just because I'm red does not mean I have fire power." Ben sighed. 'Man, now I wish I was Heatblast. Four Arms was a really shitty choice!' "Besides, no one in the class has a fire quirk. The only one I think that comes close is Mina with her acid, but I don't think we should get anymore people involved. She could get really hurt!" 'Or die.' "Bakugo creates fire as a result of his explosions, but those are small, not what I think we need."
"I don't know!" Midoriya gripped his hair in frustration. "That thing has, like, four quirks! I've never heard of anyone with more than one! It shouldn't even be biologically possible! The human body would deteriorate under that much extra functionality!"
Ben was almost shaking with anger as well. He had come so close, but he was just not able to beat this guy! Unless... Ben looked down at what was in his lower hands, then looked up at the approaching Nomu, then back down. Sure, Nomu could regenerate from the wounds he inflicted. But what if he...
"Midoriya, step back." The boy in questions looked up with an inquisitive look on his face as he watched Ben start to walk forward. "I've got an idea of my own, and I don't want you in the splash zone." Midoriya did not need to be told twice and hustled back a good distance, solidly out of harm's way.
'Alright big guy, this is it. I'm either gonna beat you in the next thirty seconds, or I'll force a stalemate.' Four Arms and Nomu started their last charge towards each other. One driven by primal fury and the conditioned behavior to follow orders. The other, full of cold, calculated anger. The two collided with supreme force, and their hands slipped down to hit each other's shoulders. This is what Ben needed. He raised his two lower arms and pressed the pipes into the skin adjacent to him. Only this time he didn't position it to slide across the skin. Ben angled the pipes so that the sharpest edge pointed into the beast. When he felt the skin break, Ben pushed the pipes as hard as he could, directly into Nomu!
SHLICK!
The beast let out a howl of pain as the two pipes were plunged into its chest, right below its ribs. Twisting and turning the pipes to wriggle them deeper, Four Arms held Nomu as tightly as he could to inhibit its movement. Ben could feel the pressure behind the pipes as Nomu's body struggled to regenerate a wound that would not close. The body could sense a tear in the skin, but the foreign objects that caused the wound were now lodged into the body, preventing any healing that could be done.
"Time to end this!" Ben pushed Nomu off him, making it stagger a couple steps back, unbalanced. Ben took a step forward with his left foot, and threw his right arms back. Then, he let loose.
BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!
Four Arms sent blow after blow into Nomu's chest at such a rapid rate that only a flurry of red could be seen. The rapid-fire fists smashed deeply into the beast's chest, bruising the flesh to an angry purple. With two literal pipes sticking out of its chest, Nomu's Shock Absorption was working at only a fraction of what it was moments ago. Unable to withstand the Tetramand's blows, Nomu's body was beaten about like a rag doll, slowly breaking down. Four Arms paused for a moment to leap back, sliding on the balls of his feet and bending into a sprinter's start. Kicking off, Four Arms rushed forward to bring his body next to Nomu, while delivering a punch right into the ribcage.
Ben could feel the bones beneath his knuckles. The battle was almost won! He carried his momentum through, pushing his right arm along with him as he stormed forward, and then throwing Nomu to the ground. Spread-eagled and barely moving, Nomu could do nothing as Four Arms stood over him.
"I'm ending this fight!" Four Arms cried out, throwing his head back as he drew his upper right arm back. Ending his declaration with a bellowing warcry that shook the foundations of the USJ, Four Arms pushed his fist into the sky, before angling it downwards to deliver a pulverizing blow!
SLAM!
Four Arms could feel Nomu's body break under his fist. Flesh parted, bones broke and organs ruptured as his fist sunk deep into Nomu. Concrete splintered like rotten wood and cracks spider-webbed out in a wide radius from the impact of Four Arm's strike. Small circles of different elevations appeared as Nomu was now solidly below the ground level that everyone else was on. Nomu did not move. He was down.
He was beaten!
"YEAHHHHH!" Ben once more threw his head back and screamed to the heavens! His chest heaved from the stress and exertion, but it was all worth it. He won!
On the other side, the losers were in a state of silent disbelief. Kurogiri had no visible emotions, but anyone who was watching could see the shock in how little the shadowy body moved. Like it was paralyzed with a mixture of fear and awe. Tomura was also shocked into stillness. He could hear faint cheers coming from the entrance gate, but he made no movements to quiet them. He flinched as Four Arms let out his victory cry. Tomura just had one question echoing in his mind: how?
How, how, how? They had meticulously planned out every step! They had infiltrated UA, observed All Might, developed Nomu, broke into the USJ, and eliminated the heroes present! This was supposed to be the League's big break; an opening that would be remembered throughout history. Now though, everything had fallen apart. All due to one, damnable hero. Said hero suddenly turned around, alerting both villains.
"Don't think I forgot about you two!" Four Arms put his left arms on his hip, lower right arm wagging a finger, and his upper right arm pointing right at the villain's leaders. "Now that I'm done with that guy, I'm gonna set you guys straight!" Suddenly, the Omnitrix module on Ben's left shoulder started blinking red.
BEWW BEWW BEWW BEWW!
A flash of red! As the light receded, Four Arms was gone. In his place was Ben. With his left hand on his hip and his right arm pointing at the villains, he was in the same pose as he was transformed, but much less frightening. And very, very much in trouble.
'I was correct!' Kurogiri focused on the now nervous american. 'It was that child!' Tomura had a much less controlled reaction. The villain said nothing, merely jumping down from his position atop the shed and started walking towards Ben.
"Hahaha, I didn't really mean that last part! I was just joking, you know how it goes, right?" Ben nervously laughed as he started to backpedal. Hearing no response and seeing Tomura easily closing the distance between them, Ben turned and started to run. "You know, it takes two people to have a conversation!"
Tomura had a killer's aura around him. His eyes were locked onto the person he now realized was no hero, but a mere child and he only had one purpose. To eliminate him. So he continued. He made no reaction to the shouting Midoriya coming from behind him, to the loud pops of explosions from his right, nor the sudden feeling of cold from his left.
Kurogiri had not moved from his vantage point and saw the three other UA students rushing forward to help their friend. Quickly, he flung out his hands and started making small portals to disrupt their attempts to get at his commander. Inky black circles absorbed a punch, two explosions, and a small wave of ice.
"You fucking moron!" Bakugo shouted at the running Ben, furious his explosions were so easily negated. "Why did you transform back? That was literally the worst time!"
Midoriya, Bakugo and Todoroki couldn't stop Tomura. While they really did want to help Ben, as they knew what the disintegration villain likely had planned. However, they couldn't risk getting close themselves, lest they be the ones to bite it. The pale villain's long stride and surprising speed easily outpaced Ben's sprint and he grabbed Ben's shoulders.
"Woah!" Ben was roughly spun around and a dry, flaky hand gripped the collar of his shirt. He was then pulled up, his feet kicking at air as his hands attempted to peel off the hand holding him up. Ben's green eyes met red, and easily felt the raw fury emanating from them. But why did they look so familiar?
"You worthless piece of garbage." Spat Tomura, eyeing the boy he was holding up with just one hand. Such a power difference! From a Nomu-destroying force to... this! "I'm going to enjoy making you suffer for what you did!" Ben saw the villain's free hand start to move towards his face. Panic settled in. So Ben just shouted out the first thing on his mind.
"Oh yeah? Well, your study guide sucked!" Whatever Tomura was expecting Ben to say, it was not that. So he was that aid he had met on the day of the alarm! His eyes widened and his hand faltered for just a moment. A moment was all Ben needed in his panicked state to do the only thing he could do: try to free himself. So Ben raised his right hand, formed it into scissors, and jabbed it at Tomura's face. It was a good thing that Ben hadn't clipped his fingernails in a couple days.
"ERAGH!" Tomura cried out in pain as Ben's fingers found their mark. The hand covering his face had parted its fingers to let him see, but that also gave Ben an easy target to the eyes. Ben felt his fingers hit something soft, initially squishy but then tough and slimy. It was very uncomfortable, but they weren't there for long. Tomura dropped Ben like a bad habit, and he landed on his ass with an 'oomph.'
Not one to test his luck, Ben quickly pushed himself and started running. He didn't know where he was running to, he just needed distance between him and the literal killer looking to kill him. Tomura was unfortunately recovering fast, and while still hunched over, was now stumbling after Ben. Both knew that Tomura was too fast for Ben to outrun. The chase resumed, with Ben smacking the Omnitrix, begging for it to recharge, and Tomura, reaching out once more. His fingers brushed against his green jacket, turning what he touched to dust. Just a little more-!
BANG!
A sudden burst of noise from the entrance gate grabbed everyone's attention. The gates that once stood so tall and indomitable that kept the UA students in a battlefield were now lying on the ground. It was not the gates that really grabbed people's attention, oh no. It was the figure that was posing on the ground.
"Have no fear!" An iconic voice bellowed, instilling hope to those that loved him and fear in those that feared him. The muscular figure rose, but there was no standard smile on his face. No, his face was contorted into a scowl, surveying the situation in front of him. "Because I am here!"
"All Might!" Several students cried out in pure joy. The shift in mood was practically visible, with the villains paralyzed and those from UA full of hope. The legendary hero's eyes locked onto Ben, who was scrambling away from Tomura. All Might bent his knees, and shot forward like a rocket!
"Hup!" Skidding to a halt in front of Ben, All Might threw him over his shoulder before darting away. Appearing in front of the congregation of 1-A by where the gates used to be, All Might deposited Ben before speeding off again.
'Holymoly, he's fast! Not XLR8 fast, but dang, he's really fast for all those muscle's he has!' Ben thought in awe as he sat upright, brushing his arms off.
The remaining villains were in a tight spot. Tomura retreated to where Nomu lay barely breathing and Kurogiri met him there, urgently trying to get him to move.
"We need to move, master, and now! All Might is just the first, the rest of UA will surely be behind him!" The portal villain tried to grip his ally, but it was thrown off.
"All Might is here now! We came all this way to kill him, so we will! Now get up you useless brute!" Tomura layed a kick into Nomu's side, but the beast was not stirred to action.
"Kill? Me? Ha! I'd like to see you try!" A boastful voice spoke from behind them, causing the villain pair to whirl around to see the symbol of peace standing before them, arms crossed. Kurogiri opened a portal right beside Tomura, but that did not go unnoticed. "If you try to step into that, I'll end you for good! So just put your hands up and surrender!"
"Oh, the symbol of peace." Muttered Tomura, where only he, Kurogiri and All Might could hear. "Yes, you could end us here. Your speed is as fast as ever, and that means so is your strength. It appears you have not been getting weaker as our reports have indicated. But it appears your teaching abilities are not up to par, for if they were you would not be wasting time on us right now."
All Might's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, have you not counted?" Tomura waved a hand at the gathering of students. "There were about twenty students when they came here, but only half of them are there!" All Might took notice, realizing they were right.
"We dispersed them around the facility, where some more of our compatriots were waiting. Who knows if they are still alive?" Tomura gave a chuckle as All Might started to grit teeth in anger. "So yes, you could capture us here right now. Save the day. Be crowned as the hero of the day. But you risk children under your protection dying! So choose! Us, or your precious students?" The question was merely a formality. Everyone knew what the only option was.
"Damn you!" All Might spoke through gritted teeth as he turned and performed a leap to enter an adjacent zone. Smirking, Tomura watched until All Might's figure disappeared before nodding to Kurogiri and disappearing into the inky blackness.
"Well. That happened." Ben shrugged his shoulders as he watched All Might disappear into an area designed to replicate a burning city. "Reckon we should help him?" He just got a bunch of dead-panned stares in reply.
"Are-are you kidding Tennyson? You just went toe-to-toe with that monstrosity, for over five minutes, and that's what you say?" Sato put a hand on his forehead and shook his head. "I don't really know what to say in response."
Ben shrugged again. "Hey, I didn't plan on fighting today. After both N. 13 and Aizawa-sensei got knocked out, I had to do something.
"Facing a being designed to fight the number one hero in the world is not something one just 'does' Tennyson. Although, I do not wish to think about what would have happened if you were not here." Shoji approached Ben and put one of his many arms on his shoulder. "Are you alright? I know you beat that Nomu guy, but that other villain almost got you."
"Yep! Not a scratch on me. Four Arms is a lot tougher than he looks. Well, he already looks tough, so he's super tough! As for me, well, that hand-guy did scrape the back of my jacket." Ben slid his jacket off and spun it around. "Aww man! He got the jacket! I only had the one! Now what am I going to do?"
At this point, Midoirya jogged up to the group, with Bakugo slouching behind, followed by Todoroki. Running up to Ben, Midoriya gave him a shaky smile. "Don't worry too much about it, the support department told me they can repair, and even enhance, hero student's suits if they break. Or destroyed in our cases I guess. It'll just be a few weeks."
Sato and Shoji shook their heads. If those guys could talk about costumes, they reasoned, they weren't in any real need of assistance at the moment.
"To answer your first question Tennyson, I think we need to stay put." Shoji turned to start walking back to where the rest of the group was sitting near their unconscious teachers. "All Might will take care of our classmates. We must remain where All Might knows where we are."
Over the course of the next half an hour, the USJ transformed from a battleground to a full-fledged police investigation scene. First the teachers arrived, with Ida panting alongside them. Similar to how they were when the main campus got breached, the UA teacher's normal attitudes were replaced by frigid professionalism. Pair scoured the entire premise, bringing back pairs and groups of class 1-A students. Some, like Hagakure, hid after they were portaled, only coming out when officials arrived. Others like Tokoyami and Koda holed themselves in a defensive position to wait for help. All the groups suffered no real casualties, in fact, very few students were actually harmed to the point of seeing Recovery Girl. The worst off was Kaminari, who had overcharged his quirk in a desperate bid to buy Jiro and Yaoyorozu some time. When those three were escorted back, Kaminari was acting as if inebriated, stumbling about and making 'weheweh!' noises, all the while throwing out a thumbs up at whoever he passed. He was quickly taken away to be given proper treatment.
Second came the police. As soon as the UA staff secured the area, police investigation teams arrived. Soon the area was full of police officers and pro heroes, all either in deep conversation or performing tasks. Nomu was bound in powerful quirk-suppressant chains and put in the back of a heavily armored truck. Paramedics hustled onto the scene, loading N. 13 and Aizawa onto stretches before bringing them back onto the ambulance and leaving straight away. Strange devices were brought in an attempt to track the portal-quirk. Class 1-A, minus Kaminari, huddled in a small area, away from the hubbub, and just watched as it all happened. Each student took the events of the day differently. Some didn't talk, just staring off into open space. Others tried to talk their worries away, striking up conversation. A couple officers approached them, asked a few questions, took notes, then walked away. It seemed no one knew what they were supposed to do.
Then, a figure approached them. He was a simple-looking man, with black hair, fair complexion, and a detective's uniform on. He took off his hat, held it to his chest and gave a slight bow to the students. "Hello, I am detective Tsukauchi. I understand that you have all been through a lot in the last few hours, and you all will be going home soon. I just need to ask you all some simple questions and then you'll be set. But, before any of that, do you have any questions for me?"
"How's Kaminari?" Blurted out Jiro.
"While it may have looked bad, there is no need to worry about him. According to the medical report, it's just a drawback of his quirk. It doesn't do permanent damage, but it does hamper his cognitive abilities for a bit. In fact, last I heard, he was speaking and moving normally. He's just being held until his parents pick him up, just to be safe." The detective answered.
"What about Aizawa-sensei and N. 13, ribbit?" Asui was next.
"Ah." Tsukauchi grimaced. "Well, no point in trying to hide the truth from you all. You witnessed what happened. The good news is, they are both alive and will stay that way. The bad news is they are going to be out of commission for a while. N. 13 suffered extensive back injuries to the point where her organs are in danger. She is in emergency care, along with Eraserhead, who also suffered major injuries. His skull was cracked in odd places and his arms were both torn in bad ways and disintegrated. While he will be able to resume hero activities, there is a chance he will be permanently affected by what happened today."
"Can we go home?" The last question came from Aoyama.
"Yes, we just sent an armored vehicle to take you back to your main campus, along with an escort of course. While we doubt the villains will come back, it doesn't hurt to be safe." Tsukauchi then brought out a pen and pad. "I really only have one question. When we secured that 'individual,' it looked like he had been beaten in combat. However, what the heroes told me is that they came after All Might, and All Might reported that it was already beaten when he got there. From what you all told my officers, N. 13 and Eraserhead were defeated relatively early in this invasion. So, who was the one that beat it?"
A mass of arms raised and all pointed to Ben, who was pointedly looking away, trying to whistle. There were some exceptions. Todoroki just gave Ben a chilly glare, while Bakugo scoffed, crossed his arms and looked away. Detective Tsukauchi put his pad away with a sigh, muttering something under his breath. The sounds of a new vehicle pulling into the USJ caught their attention.
"Students, this is the bus that will take you back to campus so that you may retrieve your school bags and other items. Then, each officer of the escort will pair off to make sure you get home safely and inform your parents of what happened. I know you are all tired, so please, get on." The class picked themselves up, and quietly filed into the bus. Ben was about to join them when Tsukauchi stepped in front of him, cutting him off.
"Not you. Unfortunately, I need you for further testimony on what happened here." Several other students turned and murmurs started to flow as the line entering the bus stopped. Sensing this disturbance, Tsukauchi faced them with a smile on his face. "It's nothing too serious. We just need testimony to ensure that further actions the police take on this case are as effective as possible. He will not be harmed, on my honor."
That seemed to placate the class. A few gave Ben sympathetic looks before they boarded the new bus and were driven away. Ben nervously fidgeted from side-to-side before the detective wordlessly motioned for Ben to follow him. Silently, the pair walked towards one of the police tents they had set up, and entered. Ben entered to see a simple pair of chairs, between them a table with a lamp and a recording device. Ben was sweating at this point.
'Aw man, I was supposed to lay low. Not to be discovered, not to draw attention to myself! Yet, here I am, one week in and being interrogated by the police! Slick moves you idiot!' Ben berated himself and he took stiff steps towards the chairs. Seeing the tenseness in Ben's movements, Tsukauchi let out a chuckle as he took a seat in the remaining chair, taking off his jacket as he did so.
"No need to worry Tennyson. You are not in trouble, I just thought a little privacy could do us wonders. I've got some simple questions, just answer them truthfully, and then you can go." Ben opened his mouth, but was stopped by a raised hand. "How do I know your name? I know all your names. The police were given a small file on each of class 1-A's students to make sure that if any of you were missing we could find and identify you. Thankfully, it didn't come to that, but we just had to be prepared. That being said, quite a power you have there. A quirk that allows you to transform into a multitude of powerful forms. I've been in the law enforcement business for a while, and I've never heard or seen anything quite like yours."
Tsukauchi reached down and pressed a button on the device on the table between them. "Alright, first question Tennyson. Well, not so much of a question, rather a recount. Please, tell me what happened at the USJ today."
"Uhh, well, it was normal, or it seemed normal at first. Then this black spot opened up in the courtyard, and then..." Ben recounted as best he could what had happened. While he didn't want to expose that he transformed three times, it was unavoidable. The detective took no notes, just sat there with his hands clasped under his chin, nodding along. When Ben had finished, ending when All Might forced the villains to escape, Tsukauchi pressed another button on the device, presumably to stop its recording function.
"That was very brave of you Tennyson." Ben blushed a little at the sincerity in the man's voice, looking down. "I don't think I have to tell you this, but if you hadn't intervened, there was a good chance Eraserhead might not have made it out of there. However." Ben's blush vanished and his body chilled as the detective leaned back, a pondering expression on his face.
"These transformations, the ones you undergo. Four Arms, XLR8, Ripjaws. I understand your reluctance to transform now, but please understand that I need to know more Tennyson." It was Ben's turn to lean back, and Tsukauchi leaned forward to put his hand on the table. "From what we learned by talking to your classmates, the leader of the villains claimed that 'Nomu' was a weapon designed to kill All Might. Seeing the damage he did to Eraserhead, I am inclined to believe that he is a monstrous foe. Yet, he was beaten into comatose when we took him away. Forgive me if I am being too forward, but what are you?"
Ben squirmed under the gaze of the detective. There was nothing for it. This was the situation Nezu and Azmuth had prepared him for, before the school year began. So, Ben took a deep breath, looked Tsukauchi in the eye, and relayed his story. He told of the scientist Azmuth, the link of his quirk to the watch, and everything else he had committed to memory for this very moment. It felt wrong, lying to law enforcement like this, but what else could he do?
Detective Tsukauchi didn't say or do anything after Ben had finished. He just sat there, and closed his eyes. Ben didn't do anything either, and resumed fidgeting. Then, the buzz of a phone pierced the awkward silence. Tsukauchi pulled out his phone, glanced at the screen, and smiled. He rose, motioned for Ben to follow, the two exited the tent. When they exited, Ben was pleasantly surprised at what waited for him.
"Grandpa!" Ben ran forward to hug Grandpa Max, clothed in his everso familiar red hawaian print shirt. After everything that happened, it was good to see a familiar face. One who Ben could trust, and not lie to. He felt Grandpa Max's arms circle him, returning the hug. Soon, they let each other go, and Tsukauchi approached the pair.
"Well, you missed the first bus, but there is a cruiser prepared to take you back to school over there." He nodded to the street, where a police car waited on the curb, with a feline officer standing by it. "One of my officers will drive you back to school to pick up your stuff, then will escort you back home."
"Thank you officer." Grandpa Max gave a small bow. "And thanks for giving me a ride here. I really should invest in a vehicle, but parking is a nightmare in Musutafu!" The adults shared a laugh before being sent away. Walking side by side, Ben was asked a few questions.
"Was it bad?" Grandpa Max glanced down at his grandson.
"Naw. There was this one guy that gave me a bit of trouble, but I was alright. Had it under control." Ben confidently smiled back.
"Good. Remember, if anything goes wrong you can always contact me. I've gotten back in touch with some of my old Plumber crew. If something is out of your league, don't try to muscle through it alone."
"I can't do that Grandpa! I'm not supposed to... you know... expose a 'leak?' Ben made air quotes. "I couldn't just blow your cover like that. Besides, I was fine. I handled this on my own, remember?"
"Don't worry about me." Grandpa Max gave Ben his own cocky smile. "Us Plumbers have had to do plenty of fighting in public areas. We have an entire branch of R&D dedicated to memory alteration technology. If it comes down to it, I do have clearance to use most of what they have."
"Oh. I had no idea. Sounds like something from Men in Black." The pair arrived at the car and the officer opened up the back doors to let them in. "Those old movies you showed me and Gwen on your CD player?"
"Ah yes. A cult classic among Earth Plumbers." The Tennysons buckled in as the car started up and began on the road to UA. "Will Smith, now he's a classic. Never fails to make me laugh, he does! Maybe I should show you some of his other hit shows."
In a particularly light-hearted mood, the Tennysons were driven away. In their conversation, neither bothered to look behind them at the detective who stood motionless, watching the two until they entered the car and drove away. Tsukauchi glanced around to confirm no one was actively looking for him, before slinking away towards some of the USJ's storage garages. Making his way between them, he knocked on a door wedged in the side of one of the units. The door was opened by a strange person.
"Tsukauchi! Did everything go alright?" The person who opened the door looked more skeleton than man. Thin, wispy arms, narrow twig-legs all clothed by very baggy clothes. Well, the clothes were normal, but this man was so skinny that even regular clothes looked baggy. His face is tight, his eyes narrow and his bones clearly visible against his skin. If anyone was to see this man, there would be absolutely no chance of ever guessing his true identity.
"Toshinori. Well, yes and no. I did ask him everything, and he answered. I just think that this created more answers than it answered."
"And what questions are those?" A third voice piped up. Principal Nezu, who had arrived with the rest of his staff in their rush to get to the USJ, was seated amongst three foldable chairs. "I will remind you two again: this room is well hidden, but not unknown. Someone will eventually find us and I do not wish to be seen in such a suspicious setting like this."
"Do not worry sir." The skeleton man took one seat as Tsukauchi sat in the last one remaining. "This is merely me just acting on a whim; on a thought that popped into my head and refused to leave. After the events of today, however, I felt like I had to share it with you, as it regards the students under your jurisdiction."
"I see." There was a pause as Nezu folded his paws into his lap. "All Might, I have nothing but the highest respect for you. Your constant battle against the evil that threatens our society everyday deserves nothing less. Just know that even you, with all that you are and what you stand for, will not be spared of the lengths I will go to protect the children that enter my school."
"Of course." Nodded the skeleton, now identified as All Might.
"Very well. Please, enlighten me as to what you and your friend have been up to."
"I'm sure you've deduced the student I am concerned about." Began All Might. "Tennyson Benjamin. An anomaly. A seemingly normal 11 year old boy, yet gifted with power that I have no doubt will eventually eclipse my own. Yet, despite this incredible child, the world has heard nothing of him. He breaks all previously held principals regarding quirks and then some. A quirk that gives him limitless versatility and power, but there is nothing about him in official records. His papers on the UA entrance exam were different and his history has nothing indicating the level of power he has. No one in UA knows anything about Young Tennyson save basic health information. Except you."
"Oh?" Nezu kept his cool facade well, but his mind was racing. The principal was in a tough spot and he knew it. Playing both sides like this was a sure way to break trust and dig a deeper grave. Yet, Nezu played along. He had no choice. He continued to feign ignorance.
"During the exam itself and the grading process you admitted to knowing the Tennyson family. I do not want to invade personal relations like this, but just how much do you know?" All Might pressed forward, hardening his gaze.
"I only knew his grandfather. He and I interacted before, and he did me a huge favor." Nezu kept his words ambiguous, trying to dodge the question. "I will admit, he did tell me stories of his grandson, but I had no idea it was to this extent. I was merely excited in exploring the new unknown in front of me those days. Nothing more."
That was the biggest lie Nezu told yet. It left a sour taste in his mouth.
"I see. Well, that was just me covering my bases. I guess I should tell you my real hypothesis now." All Might grasped his gnarly hands together and leaned against it with his forehead. "Nezu, don't you find Young Tennyson's whole situation odd? An 11 year old kid suddenly arrives at UA with powers beyond imagination? And then, for the first time in a decade, the school is breached? Then, a literal attack on students that left faculty in the hospital?"
"Stop dancing around the proposal All Might. Save the fancy words for me, they don't suit you." Nezu's smile tightened.
"I think Young Tennyson is connected to Him." All Might paused to let the declaration settle in. He entrusted the two others in the room of knowledge involving his quirk and the eternal battle it entailed. "No parental contact, no traceable history, and convenient events that just so happen to be the first of their kind in ten years."
Nezu was quick to point out some flaws. "His parents are very much alive and consented to this. Their contact information is in his file, just be mindful of time zone differences when you call, and you can speak to his mother and father today. Tennyson was in America, so much of his academic paperwork didn't transfer over well. He also was on the front lines of the battle today, according to all reports. If he was linked to this attack, why be the sole reason it was repelled?"
"Maybe that's what he wants! To lure us into a false sense of security!" All Might shot back. "I know my theory has some holes, but that's why I brought in Tsukauchi. I had him question Young Tennyson in addition to acquiring a witness report. The reason I had you arrive before him Nezu, is to guarantee you that I have not told Tsukauchi what to say. What he will tell us is genuine, and untampered with. If you would?"
All Might and Nezu turned towards the detective. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Sorry old friend, but I'm afraid Nezu is more correct on this one. He was honest with me during his recount of his perspective during the day's events. My quirk did not pick up a single lie. He genuinely fought for the sake of his classmates who were in danger and his teacher who he saw almost die."
Nezu heaved a silent sigh of relief. While his external features did not change at all, his shoulders felt as if a massive weight was lifted. He knew of Tsukauchi, as principal of a hero school he needed to be in touch with the district's police force as well. Tsukauchi was of some renown, as his lie detection quirk allowed him to excel in interrogation work. He was trustworthy, and to have someone like that vouch for Ben was a relief.
All Might didn't look bothered either. In fact, he looked relieved as well. "I see. Good. Very good. I never wanted to believe that Young Tennyson was on His side, but it was a precaution I had to take. Please believe me Nezu, that this was not out of malice, but rather out of what I thought was necessity."
"It's nothing All Might. The fact that you took time to scope the situation out instead of leaping into action without better information warms my heart. We will make a teacher out of you yet." Nezu gave the hero a genuine smile.
"Thank you sir. Although, there is one thing about this that still bugs me." All Might grabbed his chin with his hand. "My now-debunked theory on Young Tennyson happened to also explain how he came to acquire his powers. He would have given them to him in exchange for his service as an infiltrator. Now, that question lies unresolved yet again."
"About that." Tsukauchi spoke up, grabbing the other's attention. "I did ask a question of my own, just to satisfy my own curiosity. I asked him about his quirk and he did respond."
"Ah, brilliantly done! So, what did he say?" All Might eagerly asked.
"A lie and a half." Responded the detective bluntly. "He had a recited story. He was a decent actor, but no kid can repeat something like that without prior repetition practice. I'll spare you the actual story because it caused my quirk to activate so many times that over 80% of it is garbage. But there were some things he did say that were true, and we can work off of those."
"First of all, there was an important name: Azmuth. He said this was a hermit genius who knew his grandfather and was the one who invented the device that he wears on his wrist. The backstory is out, my quirk was blaring through the whole thing. But the name? That's a real guy. He's out there, but he isn't what Tennyson claims he is."
"Second is the watch. He has a quirk, which the watch uses to assist him in transforming. That also proves he isn't related to Him. He already has a quirk, but it isn't the source of his power. He gave a lot of fluff about the watch, but what I can deduce is that it is a powerful tool."
"Third, and last, is how long he's had it. He never said it, but he definitely hasn't had this watch for long, and certainly not to the point where he had it during his quirk emergence period. Whoever this Azmuth fellow really is, he/she/it gave this powerful watch to Tennyson relatively recently."
"Hmm. A well thought-out map of everything you deduced. I should have expected nothing less of you Tsukauchi." All Might chuckled as he leaned back. "I guess we should start by trying to find out who this Azmuth fellow is. I have some contacts in America from my golden age. I could try to see if they can find anything."
"I will try as well." Tsukauchi nodded along. "I will scour the police database and call in some people I know from other nations. He might travel to other countries, maybe someone has heard of him."
"I also will get into contact with Eraserhead when he is conscious." Continued All Might. "He did confer to me that he was curious about Young Tennyson as well. The skills his line of work requires will certainly come in handy during this investigation."
"I see." Nezu was now back to being tensed up and worried. "We've been here a while gentlemen, we should probably leave before people notice we are gone. We should leave in intervals to not draw attention either. I will leave first." After getting nods of agreement from the other two, Nezu hurried out.
'Having a professional detective on this case was bad enough!' Cursed Nezu as he walked back towards the courtyard, deep in thought. 'I could deal with him though. He is limited by the resources available to his position. But All Might? Eraserhead? All Might's reputation will loosen a lot of lips, and Eraserhead is adept at investigation work. He also will go to any lengths to protect his students, even if that means invading their private lives if he deems it necessary.'
'At least they confided in me. I can keep tabs on them and try to slow them down. I need to contact the Plumbers. Tell them people are snooping around again, but this time it's professional heroes and the Japanese police.' Nezu halted for a moment, raised his head to the sky and let loose a sigh.
'Things are about to get messy on my end. I just hope that nothing else occurs.'
Unknown-
Failure.
There was no other way to describe what had happened. The day's operation was a complete and utter failure. Years of training, compiling resources, recruiting and a preliminary infiltration mission, all for a failure of cataclysmic proportions.
Over a hundred villains were sent. Not just criminals, but villains. Battle hardened and tested, all of whom were more than willing to kill a kid if the price was right. The League made sure the price was more than right. Each was carefully profiled and sent to an area where their quirks and fighting styles would be best utilized. Over a hundred were sent out, including their ace in the hole: Nomu. Designated to handle All Might himself, there was no way the mission could fail.
But, after the day was done, 99% of their personnel was lost. They had greatly underestimated UA's first year class, as the kids could handle themselves or stalled long enough for help to arrive. Those that weren't captured by the waves of heroes and police fled, dropping all communications to the League as they did so. Nomu was beaten, left unconscious and captured. The League had little to show for this endeavor. They had mentally scared some students, brutally beaten two pro heroes and demonstrated that they could bypass UA's defenses.
In short, nothing of any real value. Nothing coming close to making up for what went wrong.
"DAMN IT ALL!" Tomura roared as he swept his arms across the bar, sending a collection of glasses and cups shattering onto the floor. Kurogiri stood by, but did not try to comfort him. The phantom villain knew better than to reason with Tomura when he was like this. Tomura was standing, back turned, and his entire body heaving with labored breaths. He had been like this ever since they had fallen gracelessly out of Kurogiri's portals five minutes ago.
"We got wiped. It was a rout. FAILURE!" Gripping his hands onto his face, Tomura thrashed his body around in blind rage. This fury did not let him see the notification light that flicked on the monitor resting on the bar. Kurogiri thankfully did, and pressed a button that caused a voice to emanate from the monitor.
"Tomura. The news is not what I expected it to be. Report. Now." The voice was cold. Tomura immediately attempted to compose himself, to partial success. He was still twitching about, but he at least had his voice under control.
"Sensei. We lost. It was a rout. I'm sorry... we couldn't win." Tomura was about to continue when the second voice spoke from the monitor.
"How could you have failed? Nomu was designed to be perfect! All simulations and evidence pointed to All Might falling, so what went wrong?"
"Nomu was defeated. Beaten into the ground. His ribs and diaphragm were damaged beyond repair. We had to leave him." Tomura spoke in a miserable tone, like a child being scolded by their parents.
"What? Impossible! Unless All Might unveiled a new set of powers, Nomu should have come out on top!"
"Nomu never fought All Might. Actually, All Might showed up after he was beaten."
"!?" The second voice's words devolved into unintelligible noises.
"Sensei, there was one student there with powers I had never seen. He was a shapeshifter- unlike anything seen in the hero world to date. He not only beat down Nomu, but every other fighter sent his way."
"...I see. Tell me more." Tomura was slightly surprised. He had expected Sensei to be furious with him, berating him and lashing out. Instead he sounded... curious?
"Well, he was a student and he could transform himself into a variety of forms. From what I saw, he could turn into a blue speedster and a red brutalist. Sensei, these forms were grossly overpowered. The speedster could make afterimages, and the brutalist's blows were so powerful the Nomu's Shock Absorption could not withstand it completely. He-" Tomura was interrupted by something he had never heard before. Sensei was laughing.
"Hehehehe." Weak chuckles emitted from the monitor as Tomura and Kurogiri stared at it in amazement. "A transforming student, eh? Kurogiri, did you get a good look at this student?"
"Yes. He was a small child, definitely the youngest of the class. Short brown hair, green eyes. A strange watch was on his wrist with a strange symbol on its faceplate: a green hourglass surrounded by black. The symbol was also on the other forms, but a gray hourglass instead of green."
"HehehehaHAHA!" The chucking grew to true laughter and the pair in the bar started shifting about nerviously. Then the laughing died back down to an occasional chuckle. "Rest for now Tomura. Prepare yourself, both your body and mind. Kurogiri, start working on rebuilding our resources. I will contact you two again soon, but I must take care of something first."
The monitor's wavy staticy gray faded to reflective black as the communications died out. Tomura retired to the back while Kurogiri started to clean up shattered glasses and cups. That conversation had not gone the way they were expecting and neither knew if they were in trouble, for neither had ever seen Him react in the way that he did.
On the other side of the call, a humanoid figure moved about a small office. From the neck down, he looked like a CEO. Smartly dressed, if a little past his prime. His head though, his head was engulfed by a strange headpiece with pipes and wires curving around. Beside him, in the shadow of the room, was another man clad in doctor's robes. The doctor was currently looking at Him with some concern. He too had been taken aback by His reaction.
"Everything alright sir?" He cautiously asked.
"Everything is great. Greater, in fact, than it has been in a long, long time." Moving to the furthest wall, He turned on a lamp to illuminate a bulletin board, covered in pictures and news articles from America. Each one involving the same band of vigilantes, something that had piqued his interest a little over a year ago. Getting close, He ran a finger over two pictures in particular. One had a blue/black lizard creature helping citizens out of a building on fire. The other had a four-armed red giant holding back an out-of-control cement truck from crushing a school bus.
All with that same gray hourglass insignia, circled in a red marker and pinned.
"Finally..." Whispered out Him as traced over other pictures. There was a man made of crystals, a gray frog-like creature, a feral orange beast, a white ghost, a large four-eyed insect, a green and black man-blob, and an angler fish. Pictures from lesser known magazines had a small chubby green creature with multiple tongues, a man made of vines, a werewolf, a mummy and something resembling Frankenstein just to name a few. All of them with that hourglass icon somewhere on their body.
There were pictures of people too. Wherever these vigilantes showed up, camera crews followed. A pretty penny was paid so that He could have access to everything, even those not published. He was quick to realize something was consistent in these photos. Often there was an RV in the background. Not all the time, but often enough with the same license plate if you analyzed all the evidence. Then there were three individuals who showed up multiple times, the only ones to show up more than once. An older man with graying hair, a red Hawaiian shirt with a white undershirt and jeans. A young girl with orange hair, green eyes, a blue and white cat shirt and white pants. Those two were ignored. There was only one He was looking at.
A finger carefully plucked out a spare pin and jabbed it onto one picture. The picture had a young boy with brown hair, green eyes and military pants. A strange watch-device was on his left wrist. With that same insignia.
It was Ben.
"To think, after an entire year of searching you just arrived at my doorstep! Why did I bother with hiring the Circus Freaks, or manipulating that fanatic group of knights, if you were going to just- haha! It's just too funny!" He sat back down again, chuckling.
"The one I seek to destroy and he who has what I covet most- all in one spot. I can not let this go to waste."