Wings of Awakening

Part 25

As Izuku stepped back to let All Might take on the Nomu, he hurriedly filled in the hero with what he knew. "All Might, this creature—the Nomu—it has multiple quirks shock absorption, regeneration and superspeed. And the leader's quirk—he can decay anything he touches, like he did with Mr. Aizawa's elbow. There's also the one with the mist quirk; he can create portals and transport people or objects."

All Might absorbed the information quickly, his expression growing more serious. "Thank you, young Midoriya," he replied with a brief nod, refocusing on the monstrous Nomu, which had already locked its eyes on him under Shigaraki's command. Just then, Shigaraki cackled from his position behind the Nomu.

"Nomu, kill him!" he shouted, his voice laced with a manic edge.

With terrifying speed, the Nomu charged at All Might, who met the assault head-on, blocking the creature's fists with his own and generating a shockwave that sent gusts of wind rippling across the plaza. Izuku shielded his face from the force as he watched, his heart pounding as All Might and the Nomu clashed. Every punch, every impact, echoed through the U.S.J. building as the Symbol of Peace took on the monster engineered specifically to kill him.

Back and forth, they exchanged blows. Each punch All Might threw seemed to resonate with more power, and Izuku couldn't help but marvel at his strength. Just as All Might managed to grab hold of the Nomu in a suplex grip, ready to slam it into the ground, a portal appeared beneath them. Izuku's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening.

"Oh no—All Might!" Izuku shouted, powerless to stop what was unfolding.

All Might's body was now half-submerged in the swirling portal, bending awkwardly mid-motion. Kurogiri, the mist villain, had strategically placed the portal to try and sever All Might at the waist. The portal edges began to close, creeping closer to All Might's body. But just when it looked like things were taking a dark turn, a series of footsteps echoed as Kirishima, Bakugo, and Todoroki arrived in the plaza.

"Bakugo, don't let him close that portal!" Todoroki shouted, already taking aim.

Bakugo leapt forward, his hand lighting up as he aimed a blast toward Kurogiri's metal collar, striking it precisely. The villain recoiled, his grip loosening slightly as he struggled to maintain the portal's form. Todoroki followed up by unleashing a wave of ice, freezing the Nomu where it stood and forcing it to pause in its assault on All Might.

"Damn it, you overgrown meathead!" Bakugo growled, pinning Kurogiri down. "That's enough of your portal crap!"

Freed from the Nomu's hold and the portal's trap, All Might managed to wrench himself back to safety. The Nomu, however, tore off its frozen arm without a moment's hesitation, its regeneration quirk already kicking in to heal the injury. It lunged at All Might once again, who met it with renewed force, a smile breaking out across his face as he adjusted his stance.

"You said it had shock absorption, not nullification," he said with a grin, tightening his fists as his energy spiked. "Well, when you're at your limit, there's only one thing left to do—go Plus Ultra!"

With that cry, All Might let loose a furious punch, striking the Nomu with enough power to send it hurtling through the U.S.J. walls and out of sight. For a split second, everything was still, and the students around the plaza exhaled in relief as they saw the Nomu disappear into the distance.

"Izuku," Kirishima called, rushing over, "are you okay, man?"

Izuku, still breathing hard from his earlier skirmish with the Nomu, nodded, smiling weakly. "Yeah... I'm fine, Kirishima. Just a few scrapes and some quirk exhaustion." He took a steadying breath, grateful for the backup his friends had provided.

As they turned back toward All Might, Izuku noticed something troubling. Steam began to rise from All Might body, his outline seeming to waver. 

The battle, however, wasn't quite over. Kurogiri, who had managed to slip from Bakugo's grip, appeared near Shigaraki, who was seething as he watched the destruction of his precious Nomu.

"Your weapon failed!" All Might called out, his voice booming. "Surrender yourself."

Shigaraki's expression twisted in frustration as he glared at All Might. "He lied to me," he muttered to himself, clawing at his own neck with agitation. "Sensei told me All Might was getting weaker!"

"Tomura, we need to leave," Kurogiri warned, his tone firm. "Without the Nomu, we can't fight All Might on our own."

All Might stood tall, hands on his hips, projecting confidence for his students. But Izuku caught another glimpse of steam starting to billow from his mentor's form, a telltale sign of his weakening. Before he could say anything, the sound of gunshots echoed across the plaza. Everyone turned in surprise as the shots struck Shigaraki in his arm and leg. The mist swirled protectively around him as Kurogiri teleported them away.

As the villains vanished, the teachers arrived, surrounding the students and assessing the aftermath of the battle. All Might turned to them, a triumphant smile on his face. "Don't worry. Everything's under control now."

Kirishima clapped Izuku on the shoulder. "Man, Midoriya, that was some crazy stuff back there! Are you sure you're okay?"

Izuku nodded, though he still felt the remnants of exhaustion in his limbs. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just some minor injuries and, uh... a little quirk fatigue."

He noticed Cementoss whispering something to Recovery Girl, and the two exchanged glances. Recovery Girl gave a knowing nod, and Cementoss erected a large wall between All Might and the students positioned himself in such a way that the students couldn't see past his wall toward All Might, where the steam was billowing more intensely.

Bakugo and Todoroki, still processing the chaos, joined Kirishima and Izuku as they were guided to the other students. They all sat together as paramedics checked them over, one by one. Izuku's heart finally began to slow as he realized everyone was going to be okay, and that no one had been seriously injured.

Looking around at his friends, Izuku felt a deep sense of gratitude. "Thanks for coming back for me, everyone," he said quietly.

"Of course!" Kirishima replied with a grin, lightly punching his shoulder. "You're one of us, Midoriya. We've got each other's backs, no matter what."

Izuku managed a small smile, though a flicker of worry still lingered as he thought of All Might and the steam he'd seen rising from the hero's form. But, for now, he focused on his relief—everyone was safe, and their teamwork had helped bring the crisis to an end.