Rising Tides (Izuku Midoriya x F!Reader)

Chapter 042

CHAPTER 42: Shadows of Capture

You’re locked in a fierce, intense struggle with Hydrax, her every move calculated to overwhelm you. Shadows twist and surge with her every strike, and you push yourself to counter, feeling your strength straining under the endless battle. The power she wields, dark and corrupted, wraps around her like an almost sentient energy, taunting you as you try to stand your ground. It’s as if the darkness itself is alive, pressing in on you from all sides.

Every swing of her water-laced tendrils sends shockwaves through your body, and the chilling laughter that escapes her lips feels like ice settling in your bones. You’re so deep in the fight, so focused on her next move, that you barely sense the figure slipping up behind you.

Before you can react, there’s a sudden, disorienting pressure at your back. A hand closes around your shoulder, and the world spins in a dizzying whirl of light and noise. Panic surges within you as you struggle against the tightening grip, but the sensation fades just as quickly as it came. The last thing you see is Hydrax’s twisted smile, a triumphant gleam in her eyes, before everything fades into silence and darkness.

You’re trapped—a single, helpless marble in Mr. Compress’s grip.

---

Meanwhile, Midoriya and Shoji find themselves in the midst of chaos, facing off against a rampaging Dark Shadow. The forest echoes with Dark Shadow’s uncontrolled roars, and the air pulses with the force of its attacks. Each swing of its massive form sends tremors through the ground, and the branches overhead shake with the force of its fury. Midoriya, barely keeping his footing against the gusts created by Dark Shadow’s swings, turns to Shoji, his voice urgent over the cacophony.

“How did this happen?” he shouts, desperation creeping into his tone.

Shoji, his face grim and eyes wide, explains as quickly as he can. Moonfish had ambushed them out of nowhere, slicing off one of Shoji’s dupli-arms in a brutal attack. Though Shoji can easily regrow the limb, the sight had sent Tokoyami into a spiral of rage and grief, triggering Dark Shadow to latch onto those powerful emotions. Fueled by Tokoyami’s inner turmoil, Dark Shadow had lost control, attacking everything in its path with reckless abandon.

“Tokoyami can’t handle this alone,” Midoriya mutters, a deep frown settling on his brow. “We need to calm him down before it gets worse.”

Shoji raises his voice, calling out to Todoroki and Bakugo, who are positioned a few meters away. “Use your Quirks to weaken Dark Shadow! We need to get past it!”

Just then, Moonfish, somehow freed from Dark Shadow’s grip, lunges forward with his sharpened teeth ready to strike. Dark Shadow, moving with its overwhelming power, reacts instantly, catching Moonfish in a crushing grip. The ground shakes as the villain struggles against the dark tendril wrapped around him, the sheer force of Dark Shadow’s fury evident in every movement.

Todoroki prepares to unleash his fire, but Bakugo steps in, his hand flaring with explosive light. “Wait,” he says, his tone steady despite the chaos. “Let it finish off that freak first.”

Midoriya watches, breath held, as Dark Shadow, powered by Tokoyami’s unleashed anger, snaps Moonfish’s defenses and throws him deep into the forest with a single, earth-shaking blow. The moment it releases Moonfish, Todoroki and Bakugo act in perfect sync, Todoroki’s flames merging with Bakugo’s explosive blasts. The forest is bathed in light, illuminating the chaos around them, and for a brief moment, the shadows retreat.

Dark Shadow, suddenly weakened, recoils, slowly shrinking back into its normal form. Tokoyami stumbles forward, visibly shaken and exhausted, as if the weight of his emotions is pressing down on him. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, ashamed of having lost control so completely.