Energy (D.P./M.H.A.)

. 5 4 .

Midoriya was running, but he didn't know why or where to. Bakugou was slung over his shoulders, and he had his hands clamped around him to make sure he didn't fall off as he raced across the USJ. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were behind him, and Uraraka and Kirishima were at the entrance of the facility ahead. Some scattered villains remained around the plaza, but Midoriya avoided them with ease.

He was breathing too fast, his muscles were burning, and there was an ache in his heart that continued to hurt as he ran. Confusion rendered his brain unable to comprehend what just happened. The mere thought of the three of them, his friends, being traitors? Villains, even? It couldn't be right. They were too kind, they've been helping him and the rest of the class since day one, and they're too...good to be evil.

But then again...

They hurt Kacchan.

He needed answers, and he was gonna get them.

It didn't take him long to get back to the edge of the plaza, seeing the fight between the three villains and the three... Midoriya doesn't know what to call them anymore. It's insanely fast, and the atmosphere was thick with power. The Nomu has charged at Danny, but he dodged, making the Nomu crash back into the water. Sam and Tucker were holding Shigaraki back with a constant barrage of attacks. The teleporter was nowhere to be seen.

Danny spotted him and flew at him. "What are you doing here? You have to get to the safety zone! It's not safe here!"

"You attacked Kacchan." The accusation tasted like bile in his mouth, and Danny seemed to flinch back as the words hit him, staggering in his advance. "And Kirishima," he continued. "You stopped them from attacking the teleporting smoke guy. Why would you do that?" He made eye contact with all three of them, his hold on Bakugou tightening. "I'm not saying I'm with Kacchan on this one, but you have to understand where he's coming from! You betrayed what you said you would, you kept secrets from him-- from all of us, and now you expect us to blindly follow you? To leave you alone in the middle of all this, with the villains? You're crazy if you think we'd just go with that! We deserve some answers!"

"We don't have the time for that right now!" Danny yelled back, nervously eyeing Shigaraki's advance on Sam and Tucker, as well as making sure the Nomu wasn't back yet. "I told Bakugou the same thing; the answers can wait! There's lives on the line!"

"Midoriya please!" Sam yelled.

"Focus!" Tucker gritted out.

Kacchan was stirring, but Midoriya barely noticed. "There's been enough damage done already! Aizawa is hurt, as is Thirteen! Kacchan is unconscious because of you! I need to know why."

"I've been doing everything I can to protect everybody here!" Danny said, hands clenched at his sides. He was glowing, white hair flaring in different directions, and Midoriya suddenly felt like he had upset a god. "We've been planning this rescue operation for months, training non-stop, coordinating with Clockwork and Nezu and all the other teachers, just to make sure the two of you wouldn't pull any shit!" He pointed at Midoriya and Bakugou, of who the latter was gaining some awareness of his surroundings again.

"Put me down right now, you Damn Nerd," he gritted out, and Midoriya was quick to guide him back to his feet, keeping one hand on Bakugou's elbow. "How dare you assume what we would do," Bakugou said, glaring at Danny. "You can't possibly know how this would all play out!"

"But we did! The--"

Sam and Tucker were very close to them out of nowhere, having been pushed back by Shigaraki. Danny glared at them one last time and then shot off to help his friends. He zipped between the two of them and threw up a dome-shaped shield around Shigaraki, straining as the villain tried to destroy it. Tucker tried to enforce the shield with his Quirk, and Sam created traps on the inside of the dome through the dirt floor of the USJ to keep him from attacking the shield.

"What the fuck were you thinking," Bakugou spat at Midoriya, pushing away from the stabilizing grip he had on his elbow. Bakugou tripped over his own feet, but Midoriya was quick enough to grab hold of him again before he could collide with the floor. "Get away from me."

"Kacchan, you're not well right now," Midoriya tried to explain. "You got hit by that Nomu really bad."

Bakugou struggled against Midoriya's hold, but Midoriya was stronger right then. "I promised I'd kill that bastard."

"We need to hear them out first," Midoriya tried to explain. "I'm mad too, Kacchan, but we can't go around being the judge, jury, and executioner! They did bad things, they lied, but we need to hear them out! They say they're with Nezu and All Might, so we have to ask them!"

"In case you forgot, All Might is bleeding out somewhere around here!"

It hit Midoriya like a ton of bricks again, and he couldn't help but let go of Bakugou as he realized he had no idea where All Might was. Bakugou whirled around, pointing an accusing finger at Midoriya's chest. "That's why I don't trust them! They made the same mistake you did! They forgot the second most important part of being a hero; saving lives."

Midoriya had no defense against that.

The sound of a pulse of power made Midoriya and Bakugou whirl around, and side-by-side they watched how Tucker collapsed, taking Sam down with him. Danny's shield was in shards on the floor, dissolving into the ground and the air in tiny wisps. Shigaraki was cackling, the Nomu just behind him.

"You want to save lives, Kacchan?"

"Haven't you been listening to me you--"

"Then save them."

Midoriya could just catch a glimpse of the most frustrated and conflicted look on Bakugou's face before he's gone, charging at Shigaraki. If Danny couldn't hold the shield and All Might was...not here, it was up to him to slow the villains down enough for help to arrive in time. Midoriya just hoped Bakugou would finally do the right thing and fight with them against the villains.

Midoriya leaped past Danny, attempting to throw a punch at Shigaraki. The Nomu was moving to be between him and his target, so Midoriya changed directions, spinning around the Nomu to instead kick Shigaraki in his stomach. Pulling his foot back before he could grab it, he spun again to avoid the Nomu's hand coming right for him, darting away. Both Shigaraki and the Nomu only had short-ranged attacks as he did, but Midoriya had the advantage of speed on his side. 

The only thing he could do right now was to try and go for a swift way in, deliver a hit, and get back away before they could retaliate.

But the Nomu was fast, too.

Midoriya was so focused on getting past him, hitting Shigaraki, and getting back out, that he didn't notice the Nomu had moved. Midoriya stared into those soulless eyes for a small moment before he registered the raised arm that was coming for him.

There was a great big flash.

Neon green was between him and the Nomu's fist. Shigaraki was on the other side as well, yelling. Midoriya couldn't hear him very well through the pulsing plasma. He whirled around, meeting Danny's eyes. Bakugou, Sam, and Tucker were nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, Bakugou had taken the two of them to their safe zone for now.

"Thanks," Midoriya rasped.

"You're welcome."

Midoriya heard Bakugou fly through the facility, and watched as he descended in a fiery ball on the Nomu, vaulting over the shield to land beside Midoriya. The urge to drool over the new move was almost irresistible, but the tension between Danny and Bakugou made Midoriya clear his throat. "Are you two good?"

"For now," Bakugou huffed. "These two bastards are doing more active damage right now, so they have priority. And you--" he pointed at Danny, narrowing his eyes-- "I'll get to you later."

Danny shrugged. "Works for me."

"Now--" Bakugou's hands sparked, Danny started glowing and hovering, and lightning crossed over Midoriya-- "let's take these fuckers down."