Fighting Fears

Chapter 26

Midoriya's POV

"The best option right now is for the strongest of us to try and get to the most powerful villains! That way, they won't have a chance to attack the weaker of us!" Iida did his signature arm movements. "But who're we gonna consider the strongest? I mean, that might be just the pros-" "No. Some of you are just as strong as, if not stronger than, most of us. We need to think about logically dividing the power, in case we can't correctly predict what the villains have planned. Winter, who would you consider being the absolute most dangerous and unpredictable out of Insanity, Death Row, Shigaraki, and Overhaul?" Mr. Aizawa asked; arms crossed as he leaned against a brick wall. Winter snorted. "Insanity and Death Row. Shigaraki's jacked up in the head and has put people in danger and tried to kill them, but not himself. He has the Nomu, and his followers do most of the dirty work, while he waits for the right moment to dive in for the kill... which, as far as we know, has not come yet. Overhaul's not afraid to kill, but he doesn't like to get his hands dirty. He will if he absolutely has to, and will put people in danger if it suits his goals. However, neither of them compare to Insanity and Death Row. I have shown you a bit of what you can expect, and I'll go ahead and say this: since they've been hiding from the world for twelve years, they will be dying to torture some new victims. Their reputation has blown up, and they love an audience. Plus, having twelve dormant years definitely means they've been up to something, not that I necessarily want to find out what that something is. I think that our best bet would be to have you all disable Shigaraki and Overhaul and let me go for Insanity and Death Row." Winter shrugged, an unamused look on her face. "Winter you can't!" I cried. "Young Midoriya is right. Those two are dangerous, Winter. I know you want to beat them yourself, but we'll need you for the other villains. Most likely, as you have said, this war will be a worldwide battle. If your Quirk comes in handy in another situation, but you're unnecessarily injuring yourself, we'll be out of luck and people may lose their lives." All Might stated. Winter sucked in her lips, squinting at him. She stuck her arm out, palm up, gesturing at Todoroki. "Winter no." Todoroki blinked. "Winter, yes." She retorted. "CAN WE PLEASE GET BACK TO WHO'S GROUPING WITH WHO?!" Iida did the robot arms again. "Yes. Of course. Winter, if you want to put the strongest of us together and take down Insanity and Death Row at the same time, we ought to assemble a team that can provide all tactical aspects we'd need. Someone to watch our backs, someone who can lead the group, the fighters, possibly someone who can quickly heal any injuries we may obtain, and defense. After that, we'll need a plan. Even if we're ready to fight, rushing in without a plan is pointless. We need to know what we're going to do and who's going to provide what. You're not defeating the two by yourself, so you'll need people by your side to help you." I said. She nodded. "Midoriya, I'd like you with me as a fighter. You've become stronger than we know, and it's your time to take your place in this world," She smiled knowingly at me. "Bakugo, your explosions are good for sound. The bang will cause them to lose their hearing temporarily. Plus, the explosions themselves are quite impactful and damaging. You'll be a fighter too. Iida, your speed and power will come in handy when we need to get around quickly. I'd like you to be the group leader, and messenger so we can relay messages to the other groups quickly. I want to find Tokoyami to add as defense, as well as Ochaco, Yaoyorozu, and Ashido. If they work together, we'll have a pretty strong defense. Hagakure would come in handy for stealth so that she can be a back-watcher. Todoroki, you'll be a fighter along with the other boys and I. Aizawa, I'd like you to be a fighter too. If you're able to erase one of- wait. WHY THE HELL DO I NOT KNOW INSANITY AND DEATH ROW'S QUIRKS HOLY SHIT WE GOTTA BACK IT UP." Winter started running around in circles until she accidentally ran into a wall, falling onto her back. "WINTER!" I crouched by her side. "I'd like an order of Kentucky Fried CHACKEN, PLEASE~!" "Oh my god." "We're doomed." It took about a minute or two for Winter to get herself back together. "Young Winter, you do know that I am well aware of their Quirks?" All Might raised an eyebrow curiously. "No, apparently, I did not know." She grumbled, standing up. "Insanity's Quirk is Metal Manipulation, which we assume is where your liquid manipulation quirk comes from. She can use it the same way you can, but instead of liquids, she uses metal and can form things such as shields, blades, and so forth." All Might began to explain. "Death Row's Quirk was the first of its kind and was named Shapeshifter, which again, we believe in having contributed to one of your Quirks. However, Death Row had a much more violent version. His Quirk allowed him to shapeshift into demonic and nightmare forms. He could see what kind of being a person was most terrified by, zombies, for example, and would shapeshift into that." Our teacher finished. Winter was quiet, tail twitching now and then. "That's lovely to hear," She finally muttered. "But I've got a feeling that there's more to it. Can't you sense the danger?" Winter tilted her head upwards a little, looking into the starry night sky. "We're not like you, Winter-" She cut me off. "I know, sorry. Y'all can't sense it the way I can. To explain what I mean, I get a certain vibe from dangerous villains, like Stain, then I do from Insanity and Death Row. They have this weird scent too... kinda reminds me of a Nomu." She growled, shaking her head. "Why the hell would you compare Insanity and Death Row to a Nomu in terms of smell?" Bakugo questioned. "BECAUSE THEY SMELL THE SAME, IDIOT! LIKE-" "Something that was forced?" I had a sudden realization. "YES! As if they were created unnaturally..." Winter nodded vigorously. "Do you think-" Our teachers gave each other a concerned look, muttering quietly to each other before turning back to Winter. "Winter, the mission's canceled-" "WHAT?!" All Might winced at the sudden rise of volume in her voice. "You said that those two remind you of Nomus, which were created and modified as a weapon of power. If that's the case, then it means Insanity and Death Row must have somehow modified themselves. THAT'S what they've been doing these past twelve years. Trying to... develop themselves, to be unstoppable. Winter, if that's what happened, there's no chance of you even scratching them! I will not allow you to run into a battle you cannot win!" All Might said. Winter's pupils narrowed into slits. "I don't give a shit about the likeliness of my winning. It's not about that. It's about keeping Insanity and Death Row from hurting anyone. If they've genetically modified themselves to become war machines, so be it. I'm not a coward who backs down at the sound of danger." Winter stood a little taller. All Might fell silent, his face creased with worry. "That's the problem, Winter. You're too stubborn. Even if you're facing death in the face, you won't run away. You'd end up dying before you gave up, and-" All Might choked on his words, looking away for a moment. "I care about all of you. Especially you, Winter. I know you don't want a family because you're afraid you'll lose them like you lost Kasey," Winter stiffened at the mention of her sibling. "But I've always considered you to be a daughter of mine. I can't bear to watch you die, Winter." All Might suddenly crushed Winter in a hug. She made a choking sound, either from grief or from not being able to breathe before hugging him back. "I know. That's why I can't let Insanity and Death Row hurt anyone. If I don't stop them, they'll either take me away from all of you or take one of you away from me, and I don't want either to happen. So please, let me do this." She begged.

I've never seen Winter ask for anything... she just does or takes what she wants. This really must be the end of the world.

I thought. "I don't think that I'd be able to stop you even if I said no... so... let's go get the rest of your team." All Might chuckled, ruffling Winter's hair. She grinned. "Yeah. Let's go kick some ass."