The Emerald Prince

Chapter 73: Hell's Teeth

Best girl.

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Leaves rustled under feet as Todoroki and Tokoyami charged deeper into the forest.
The sounds of students were fading, a few minutes ago Todoroki was sure he spied Shouji making his way to the sanctuary, but it was too shadowy to be sure.

The silence pressed in on them, the only clear sound was their heavy breathing.
"What was that with Dark Shadow earlier?" Asked Todoroki as they ran. He'd considered skiing using his ice, but it would leave a nice trail back to where everyone was, and he wouldn't make it that easy for the villains.

Tokoyami grunted next to him, his quirk not even reacting to its name in its determination to carry out Izuku's request. "Dark Shadow has consciousness, awareness. But, he's never behaved like this before. The moment Izuku entered the classroom that first day, the amount of effort to control Dark Shadow and keep him contained increased. He is..." Tokoyami paused when a rustle caught their attention, but it was only a rabbit, "he is overwhelmingly attracted to Izuku."

Todoroki wondered whether Izuku's ability to attract powerful quirk users was what had caused Dark Shadow to behave this way. He didn't talk for a bit, straining his ears, but hearing nothing, and seeing nothing, he spoke again.
"What were you saying to Izuku before he interrupted?"
"If I unleash Dark Shadow in this nocturnal darkness and lose control, it is straight to Izuku he'll fly."
"So he kissed him?" Said Todoroki, disbelieving,
Tokoyami shrugged bashfully. "I do not comprehend it either."
Dark Shadow was so focused on the task at hand, he didn't even partake in the conversation.
"Doesn't Dark Shadow react to your own emotions?"

Before Tokoyami could reply - which would not have been easy for him - Izuku's voice was in their heads making them jump.

On your left, one minute!

They looked at each other and then to the left, but it was dark. However, they may not be able to see, but they could hear. The song-like mumbling sent shivers down their spines, barely coherent sentences about meat and blood and their scent and taste...

Without speaking, they took cover behind two large pine trees, as the monstrosity Izuku had sent them to face came into view. And what a view, of nightmarish proportions, even considering what they'd heard.
From the depth of the voice, they could guess the villain was probably male, but that was really all they had to go on considering the figure was in a black full body straight jacket, with a head cover built in that concealed all his features excepting his mouth, the teeth of which had grown and forked to create hundreds of sword like stilts that carried the nightmare above the forest canopy.

"Tomura didn't introduce him because either he's too new, too crazy, too dangerous or all three." Said Izuku, green eyes distant as his brain raced a mile a minute.

They were facing a psychotic, murderous cannibal with fully manipulatable knife teeth. Izuku's judgement had been completely on point.
Todoroki had been a little offended when Izuku had felt the need to send Tokoyami with him, but now he was beginning to understand why. There was no way he could take this monster down with his quirk without killing the villain, there would simply have been no other option.

He turned to meet Tokoyami's gaze.
"If I unleash Dark Shadow, I won't be able to stop him killing that villain."
"Then we'll try working together first - I'll try and trap him in ice, if you feel either of us are under threat or that the fight is not going to succeed, unleash him, and I'll use fire to take Dark Shadow down after."

Moonfish, for that was his name though they didn't know it, registered their presence from their first movement. His eyes may have been covered but his sense of smell had brought him that way - such a sweet cloying smell of youth, mixed with that tangy hint of fear... it was simply irresistible to him. His hearing was also sharp and he could pinpoint their location perfectly from the first steps his prey made toward him.