The Immortal Hero: Phoenix

Chapter 11: Darkness at USJ Part 2

A haunting silence filled the USJ. The students of Class 1-A, their three teachers and All-Might all stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the small pile of dust that had once been their friend and student; Izuka Midoriya. Tomura Shigaraki, the villain that had invaded the USJ had tortured her, destroying her legs, her eye and a part of her side and yet after all that, Izuka had smiled at them... even as she died, she smiled with pure joy and why? Because All-Might had arrived and that meant they were all safe.

But All-Might wasn't smiling... his body was vibrating with pure rage, his fists clenched so tightly that blood was beginning to seep from between his fingers. Everyone was frozen for only a second, but their grief-stricken minds made it feel like years, each lost in the thoughts of the friend they had just lost.

Aoyama always loved himself and his quirk, believing he was the pinnacle of sparkle. The only draw back had been the pain his laser caused his stomach, and Izuka had taken that away. The Evolution caused by the link had caused the beam that always leaked from his navel to crystallise into what resembled a finely cut jewel over his belly button and now he was able to shoot his beam without pain and could even fire more powerful lasers! And what had he done with it? He'd tried to show off; attacking Kurogiri only to end up sealing the door with the power of his new laser and to top it off, Aoyama had forgotten Izuka's warning about the stamina drain of the higher level powers they'd gained, so he had promptly passed out. He couldn't stop thinking that if he hadn't, maybe he could have gotten the doors open and allowed some people to escape! Then the villains would have had no hostages and perhaps Izuka wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself. But now, the girl whose eyes sparkled almost as much as Aoyama was gone. Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Aoyama could do.

Mina could only think of what had happened while Kurogiri was warping them. Even as terrified as Izuka was, she had rushed to try and push Mina out of the way of the gates and when that had failed, the smaller girl had cradled her and ensured they landed safely in the Landslide Zone. Despite being weakened by the links, Izuka had ignored her pain and pushed herself to ensure Mina and the others were safe and the moment that she learnt something was wrong with one of them, she had flown off without hesitation, a shout of Plus Ultra pushing her forward. Mina respected that, she loved that the smallest and frailest girl in class was the biggest hero, and yet she still looked up to the other girls with something like awe, as if Izuka felt she was unworthy of their attention. Mina had wanted to be her friend and big sister figure just like Momo! But now Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Mina could do.

Ojiro had had next to no real contact with Izuka, but he had respected her and her ability. The girl was skilled in martial arts, having created her own hybrid style based around kicks and acrobatics, proving how devoted she was. The Tailed Boy had been further impressed by how quick Izuka was to help others, as she'd fussed over him and the rest of Team B when they were injured after their fights in the Combat Trial. Ojiro had thought to ask her about her fighting style, wanting to give her some pointers on her form, but he wouldn't get the chance now. Because Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Ojiro could do.

Kaminari prided himself on being a pretty cool guy with a pretty cool quirk, but at that moment, he felt like the biggest loser on the face of the Earth. For the third time in just two days, Izuka had saved his ass and this time, it had cost her everything. The Lightning Boy had been grateful when she helped end the chaos that had nearly trampled him and Kirishima during the Security Alert, and he had been amazed when Izuka's Link Evolution was revealed and it had allowed him to fight for so much longer! He no longer got his brain fried after just a couple of attacks! Kaminari was certain that with that new power, he would finally be able to return the favour and protect Izuka! But in the end, she had surrendered herself and allowed herself to be tortured to stop the Villains from killing him and the others. Kaminari swore to himself that he'd be better, but it was too late for her... Because Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Kaminari could do.