The Next Generation

C13: I Was Wrong

The Nomu's arm came down with lethal force, fist aimed for Optimus's face, and Optimus thrusted his broken sword up at it's throat.

In all happened in less than a second. A flash of royal blue and a gust of wind, and the next thing Optimus knew, he was standing up and stumbling to the side. He tripped over something and landed on his aft next to Aizawa.

"Optimus!" Midoriya rushed over to him. "Are you okay!?"

Optimus rushed to his pedes. "Where did the—" he cut himself off at the sight of All Might going head to head with the Nomu. The two wrestled, throwing punches that sent breezes in every direction.

It was a slight reprieve, and a relief to know All Might was here, but the game wasn't over. Optimus coughed, the energon from his bitten tongue getting smeared across his cheek. He looked back up and searched for Shigaraki. The ground bridge villain was standing near him, alert, and keeping an eye on both the fight between the two powerhouses, and Optimus and those near him.

Optimus took stock of his allies. Midoriya, Tsu, Mineta, and an unconscious Aizawa. Their classmates, the ones he sent Ojiro to collect, were nearwhere to be found, but could arrive at any moment. They might have sustained injuries, though.

Then there was the groundbridge quirk to worry about. Last time, it had overwhelmed Optimus and displaced him within seconds. The boss, Shigaraki, had some type of quirk activated with physical contact, based off his movements earlier.

Midoriya was a one trick pony, Tsu was agile and strong, but not a fighter, and Mineta— Optimus turned to Mineta.

"Mineta, gather your balls, we're going to battle," Optimus ordered. "Tsu, get Aizawa to safety. Midoriya, watch her back."

"What!?" Mineta screeched. "We can't go int—"

"Do you want to be a hero!?" Optimus demanded. "If you want to be a hero, this is where it starts! Midoriya, Tsu, I won't repeat myself! Mineta, follow me!"

The three students stood still, shocked, but Optimus turned around and marched toward the head villains. He didn't leave room for hesitation. Mineta scrambled to follow him and Tsu grabbed Mr. Aizawa.

"Your balls are nearly impossible to get off of once stuck," Optimus said. "If you can get the groundbridge villain stuck, that might help, but if it doesn't work, switch gears and move on to Shigaraki."

Mineta pulled one off. "What's a groundbridge and who is Shigaraki?"

Optimus pointed to them. "The guy who teleported us has groundbridge abilities, and he called his boss Shigaraki. Aim to weaken them and I will go on offense. Shigaraki controls the Nomu, and his accomplice is incredibly loyal to him. If we take them down, it may inhibit the Nomu."

Mineta gulped. "I'm not sure I can do this. I'm just a first year."

"Then don't hold—" Optimus coughed. "Don't hold back. Destiny rarely calls upon us at a time of our choosing, and today, lives are on the line. We will win, because we have no other option."

"Yes sir," Mineta pulled another off and looked at the villains. "Let's do this."

Optimus, weaponless and injures, started to run. Mineta chased after him, shorter and slower, but determined.

"They're coming!" the groundbridge villain's purple aura swirled, but Optimus was ready this time. He dived right through and attacked Shigaraki.

Purple balls flew past, sticking to the ground. Optimus sidestepped one and went to punch Shigaraki. The villain dodged and grabbed at Optimus, but the Prime was faster. He avoided the hand and caught the clothed elbow, using it to push Shigaraki into a ball.