Sitting on this chapter for about six months but never posted it for some reason. Not sure why cuz I like it but I think I just been in a funk for some reason. Either way, wanna start the year right and that means being creative.

Shout out to my beta. You the best.

Chapter 22: High-End

From his modest apartment in Musutafu, Toshinori Yagi clenched his fists at the image on his television. Fires reaching past the tops of buildings, entire blocks leveled, and an unprecedented level of collateral damage. He hadn't felt this in years, but now it clawed at his psyche like a rabid animal: fear.

His mind flashed back to the creature he'd seen reviewing the USJ security camera. A hulking beast with the strength to snap bodies like twigs and the ability to survive the brunt of One For All to its exposed cranium. A creature possibly rivalling even the strongest villains he'd ever faced in terms of raw power. And now he'd seen fleeting images of at least three more in Hosu.

He rubbed his side, fingers gingerly grazing over his knotted and twisted wound through his shirt's fabric. Heroes were on the scene, even Endeavor, but dread poked and prodded at All Might regardless. Sighing with heaviness in his heart, he marched to his closet and seized his familiar blue jumpsuit. Outside of the Sports Festival, he hadn't truly donned it in months. Aside from stopping the occasional villain on the way to work, All Might was effectively more symbol than hero, just as Nezu intended. As the world deserved. As Midoriya needed.

Desperate times and all. Toshinori quipped to himself as he pulled the suit over his wiry frame. Grabbing it off his coffee table, he speed-dialed the first number on his phone while opening the window out to the nearby alley and scanning it for an onlooker or passersby.

The voice on the other end of his phone spoke, "How may I direct your call?"

"Put me through please." Toshinori slowly climbed through to the fire escape, closed the window behind him, and jumped down.

"Hero Public Safety Commission. This is Mera speaking."

Landing with a powerful thud, eyes piercing through the alley's shadows, he boomed, "This is All Might. I'm moving on Hosu."

Endeavor laughed maniacally as he broke the black, eyeless Nomu's grip on his shoulders before delivering a sweeping uppercut, knocking the beast into the air and onto it's back. However, his smile darkened when he saw the various injuries inflicted by him vanish under a fresh layer of darkened skin, "Super Regeneration? Guess I'll have to actually try!"

Roaring, the Number 2 Hero straddled the stunned Nomu and slammed both of his hands on its face. The Nomu shrieked and flailed beneath its opponent's grasp, but to no avail. Fire emanated slowly from Endeavor's palms at first before rapidly picking up speed, the orange flames brightening until they turned a luminous white. Then, the stream further concentrated into a brilliant blue beam brighter than a star. While the fire rippled across the ground at first, this more powerful variant cracked the pavement itself with its heat, causing small jagged streams of azure to jet around the town square.

Then as quickly as it began, it suddenly stopped, Endeavor stepping back from the Nomu who gave a few more twitches and dry cries before falling still and silent, its head little more than smoking ash.

From the sidelines, Manual struggled to look straight at the scene, partly from the brutality and partly from the sheer brightness of the attack, but Number 2's intent was evident. I had no idea he could carbonize cells! I'm only some 200 spots behind, but the gap in power is exponential!

The fight wasn't over, however, as the smaller four-eyed Nomu roared for its comrade, running back to battle after getting knocked away earlier. Endeavor wiped his brow and tensed his body, bracing for the charge. I shouldn't fire off another blast like that at this one since it'll just reflect it back. The Nomu fired its web-like tongue at the Hero, which he caught with grace and speed unbecoming of someone so large. But maybe I can abuse that.

Yanking on the tongue – and the Nomu by proxy – Endeavor clotheslined the beast and quickly seized its face, cracking the jaw open with a sickening sound that left many of the other Pros feeling queasy. Still grinning despite his foe's pained cries, Endeavor forced his arm into the creature's maw and unleashed a large and potent burst within. If it reflects attacks back at the target, then anything reflected from inside its own body should just rebound about its viscera!

The Nomu shrieked as smoke billowed from every orifice, its body flailing in absolute agony. However, the cries came to an end once the Nomu's neck burnt through, its head detached from its immobile and grossly charred body. Ignoring the morbidity of the act, Endeavor threw the head into the sky before unleashing a series of fireballs to decimate what was left.

Smiling at a job well done, he dusted his hands and took several deep breaths. My arm's a bit warm from that last attack. That concentrated blast earlier didn't help. Wiping sweat from his face again, Endeavor allowed the flames on his body to decrease in intensity, turning a deeper red as they cooled. Now to find Shoto. Though I should also coordinate with the sidekicks to see if there are any more of these things.

"Endeavor, look!" A Pro Hero pointed into the sky, suddenly panicked.

His gaze shot up, flaming fists already clenched in anticipation. However, there was nothing in sight. Just the smoke cloud from his last attack and some orange light pollution from the surrounding fires. "Tsk. Get your head on straight!" Endeavor barked angrily, much to the other hero's embarrassment.

Then there was a shrill roar that reverberated throughout the city, sending a chill down the spines of all who heard it.

Looking up again, Endeavor felt sweat roll down his face and not because of overheating.

Bursting through the smoke cloud, a massive creature rocketed down and crashed into the ground with a BOOM. The surrounding windows of the town square shattered from the force as a large dust cloud appeared around the newly formed crater. Within the dust, the Pros could just barely make out a giant silhouette, a figure standing over 3 meters high with what looked like wings spanning at least 6 more.

Endeavor stepped back reflexively and ordered, "All of you, move back. Evacuate all civilians within a five-block radius." The sidekicks and local heroes obeyed while he kept his eyes trained on the figure in the shadows. Another one of those beasts? Most likely. But the speed at which it arrived, and its apparent strength are a league above even the black one. Not to mention it can probably fly. I probably won't need to go all out, but just in case, I can't have collateral damage be a factor.

The dust cleared and revealed a third Nomu, this one also black and scarred, but larger and more muscular than either of the others. Instead of a more humanoid jaw, it had a sharp beak with several pointed teeth. Also, its head had some sort of transparent covering that acted like a skull. Its wings retracted into its body with an unnervingly wet sound and it pointed a finger the size of a child at Endeavor, "You…minibosss?"

It talks? So it's most likely smarter than the other two as well. Without missing a beat, Endeavor dashed forward and smashed his fist into the ground where the Nomu stood.

However, it vanished in a flash. Before the Number 2 Hero could react, it reappeared to his side and made a horrifying clicking sound that barely approximated a giggle, "Heh…ssslow." With another blinding blur, Endeavor was sent flying.

"Midoriya, what's going on? That's your Quirk, isn't it?" Todoroki hissed while glancing back at the Hero Killer as he used a thin layer of frost to seal up Iida's wounds.

Izuku trembled at the sight before him, "I-I…I don't know. I mean, Recovery Girl said the mechanism behind my Quirk was pretty common. Like the red eyes at least showed up in a lot of people." But Stain's pattern is different than mine! It's like the three tomoe lengthened…crap, does that mean he Awakened his more than mine?

"Can you undo what he did to them?" Todoroki asked as he finished addressing Iida's wounds and moved towards the fallen Native, only for a knife to race past him, skimming across his cheek with blinding precision. Growling while he held his bleeding cut, he glared at his assailant.

Stain pulled his hand back, "I respect you came to save your friend, but I have a responsibility to kill them both. If you get in my way, then the weak will be culled." The malice was palatable on his last line, much to the young students' unease.

Izuku glanced at Iida and focused on undoing whatever trance Stain put him under, but to no avail. Taking stock of their situation, including the rising ache in his head, Izuku pondered. His hypnosis is stronger than mine, and it's possible his Sharingan is overall better. I have no way of knowing what his time limit is, or even if he has one. I'm already a bit tired from True Cowling as is. And this guy…he's not a run-of-the-mill villain or common thug like at USJ. He's an honest-to-god killer.

"Midoriya…Todoroki…" Iida rasped, his body barely moving, "G-go. This is my fight. It has nothing to do with you. I have to be the one to do this so please…just go." Tears leaked from the corner of his eyes, still obscured by Stain's pinwheel-like Sharingan.

There was a momentary bead of silence until, "You have to do this, is that it?" Todoroki spoke first, "Well, I don't know what's going on in your family, but I doubt Ingenium would agree with that."

"Honestly," Izuku shook himself, as if he was shaking off the very fear that plagued him a second ago, "There's a lot I'm gonna tell you after this but," he adopted a ready position, a tense smile on his face, "I can't just sit by. My body just moves without me thinking about it."

Stain's malicious frown fell at that before he burst into a manic grin, "Outstanding!"

Izuku leapt into action, "Todoroki, pull Native and Iida back. I'll handle him up-close!" Jumping from wall to wall as an ice slide formed on the ground beneath the two stunned heroes, he cocked his fist back and aimed it for the Hero Killer's face. However, he could see Stain's neck muscles tense, preparing to tilt away. At the same time, his sword hand was flipping the blade around while the arm swung up, as if to slam the blunt side into Izuku.

Altering his plan, Deku reared back the blade of his foot and prepared a devastating roundhouse to Stain's shoulder, but the perception changed again; Stain was preparing to rotate his hips and take the attack to the chest while grabbing Deku's leg to throw him into a wall. Again Izuku changed his attack and again Stain changed his response. On and on they went, pushing in and pulling back until they both jumped back, out of breath.

What…the hell? Izuku panted, his headache worsening dramatically from that spar – or lack thereof.

Stain smirked, equally out of breath, "So our Quirks are similar. Your speed's something else, though. Where's that from?"

Without responding, Izuku punched the ground, creating a cloud of dust and rubble. Waving it with a weak gust from 5%, he strategized, I know his rough position so if I go around and do a sweeping kick, I'll at least be able to graze him. Bounding up and over the cloud, he kicked his heel where Stain's head should've been, but he only managed to knock the cloud away, revealing the Hero Killer prone on his back and aiming a throwing knife.

With a grin and quick flick of the wrist, the knife sliced through Izuku's arm. Wincing, he rotated in mid-air away, but Stain was already up there, seizing his shoulder and throwing him into the wall. Izuku gasped as the wind left his body, but he grit his teeth enough to roll away from a studded kick and push his heel into Stain's side. Unfortunately, the Hero Killer must've anticipated that as another throwing knife fell from the air and sliced through his calf.

Crying in pain, Izuku clutched his leg. Where did that come from? I didn't see him throw it. Did he actually throw two earlier and I missed it? But then how did he perceive that much?

"I can see it in your eyes, but I'll tell you honestly that my Quirk isn't much better than yours, at least in terms of prediction. But the way you move and fight, it's clear; the difference between us is experience."

With a yell, Izuku kip-upped and threw a volley of punches and elbows at the Hero Killer, all of which were blocked or dodged. Adding knee strikes and kicks didn't help much either, though it was clear from Stain's wincing face that the younger boy's strength and speed weren't going unnoticed. Eventually, he managed to pull another knife from the sheaths on his sides and used it to threaten the boy back before charging forward.

Grabbing one of the throwing knives used against him earlier, Izuku met Stain's blade before using his free hand to grab Stain's armed one, dropping the throwing knife and seizing the sword handle from the rear sheath and using both of his legs to push off Stains torso and rip the katana free. Brandishing the weapon, Izuku marveled at the notched blade. Tokoyami would love this!

Smirking, Stain grabbed another knife and swiped at Izuku with both. Recalling the movies he'd watched to learn moves, Izuku met both blades at once, stopping the attack in its place. However, the knives locked into the katana's notches and with a violent twist from the Hero Killer, the smaller weapons broke the blade apart. In Izuku's confusion, he stumbled back, allowing Stain to slice into both shoulders with the knives. He fell down, tears threatening to spill from the several deep cuts along his body.

Stain panted, "Not bad, but stay down. You seem worth keeping alive so I won't kill you, but those wounds are still going to bleed you out if you keep exerting yourself."

"Midoriya, get down!" Complying immediately, Izuku fell onto his back as a stream of fire shot forth from Todoroki's outstretched arm, forcing the Hero Killer back with several fresh burns.

Standing uneasily, Izuku jumped back to his ally to breathe, "He keeps cutting me and making me flinch to break my line of sight."

"Well it doesn't look like he has much in the way of long range so maybe I can just-"

"Watch out!" Izuku moved quickly enough to grab a throwing knife, only for another one hidden behind it to cut through his hand and further sail into Todoroki's left shoulder. Properly frustrated, Izuku chucked the first knife as hard as he could – within One For All's limits – towards Stain.

The blade soared at surprising speed, such that the Hero Killer barely dodged it, catching a nasty cut across the chest, while the knife continued to sail into the adjacent alley wall, where it stuck itself so deeply the masonry cracked.

"…Well I guess he has some long-range attacks, but that gives me an idea." Forming a few small ice balls with his right hand, Todoroki handed them off before nursing his injured shoulder.

Smiling, Izuku threw one at Stain, who easily enough moved to dodge it. However, Izuku threw the next one right for the first at a much greater speed, causing them to collide and shatter into a painful onslaught of hail. While Stain closed his eyes for a moment from the light barrage, Izuku threw the last two with full force, one crashing into the Hero Killer's forehead and the other into his ribs.

Yet the attack seemed to anger the serial killer more than incapacitate him and he tensed his whole body, but curiously didn't run forward. He's not planning on attacking? He's just gonna move his head…to face…oh no. Izuku frantically looked back at his friend, moving to block the line of sight between him and Stain, "Todoroki, don't lock eyes with him, no matter what!"

Turning around, however, it was too late for Izuku as Stain had dashed forward and, mere inches away from the younger hero, seized his opponent's face in his hands, locked eyes, and whispered, "Tsukuyomi."

Ken whistled from his perch on an abandoned rooftop, watching the battle in the middle of town, "Man, look at that shit! Endeavor's flame-broiling those things."

"It's kinda hard to miss." Koseki lazily covered his eyes with his hand like a makeshift visor, "Guess that's what all that money and status gets you."

"And that Quirk! Seriously, where does that fire even come from? Makes no goddamn sense."

"There are hellspawn flying across the city, we're getting paid by some guy that was supposed to be born like 200 years ago, your hands somehow don't set off a metal detector, and yet you draw the line at shooting fire from thin air?"

There was a massive explosion in the square, a fireball the size of a car rising into the air accompanied by enough smoke to melt what's left of the ice caps.

"…you know what? I kinda get it." Koseki relented, scratching his rough mullet hard enough for some of the odor to dislodge from the follicles.

Ken scrunched his face and dragged his shirt over his nose, "Jesus, when was the last time you took a bath?"

"We're homeless."

"Never heard of a river?"

"I don't intend to go to jail for public indecency."

"Then how about I send you there for domestic terrorism?" Turning towards the new voice with a start, Ken and Koseki armed themselves, the former turning his forearms into swords while the latter readied himself to touch the ground.

"Huh, your 'ready pose' looks way dumber than mine," Ken wisecracked with a grin that was nothing less than shit-eating.

Koseki hissed his retort, "Ssh!"

Before the two thugs stood an elderly gentleman of short stature in a slightly oversized yellow onesie with accompanying cape and thick boots. He was also favoring one leg over the other and hunched like his own body weight was too much for him – which it very well could've been.

"You don't want any part of this. Leave." Koseki crouched down, hand trained to knock the newcomer off of the roof. That costume…a hero? He's ancient though!

Gran Torino huffed, "Well when you put it like that…" He vanished in a puff of air, only to reappear within the blink of an eye, his foot firmly impressed in Ken's sternum. With a choked cry, the latter went flying off of the edge and down to the street below.

"Oi! Dammit!" Koseki slammed his hand against the cement floor, only for a sweeping kick to the temples to send him reeling. Fuck this guy's quick! His thoughts were confirmed less than a moment later when he felt the back of his coat being pulled over the rest of the rooftop along with the rest of his body.

Landing painfully, Koseki moved up slowly, his arms barely able to support his weight while throbbing horribly, "Ugh, Ken? You good?"

There was a hiss to the side, "…I think I broke my ass."

Koseki choked out a chuckle, which only made his back and ribs hurt more. Definitely cracked.

"Sorry but my friend's pupil's pupil put me into kind of a bad mood." Gran Torino rubbed his knees upon landing with a soft puff of air, "But I'll tell you what: don't do anything stupid from here on out and you might still be able to walk into the police car."

Ken raised his hand, still sprawled on the ground, "Umm, what's the alternative?"

"You'll be carried to the morgue."

He lowered his hand, "Thank you."

Koseki could only let out another painful laugh, "You might be the first guy I've fought in a while who could actually back up all that talk."

"I do what I can."

"I can see that. Let me return the favor." His hands planted behind him, Koseki summoned the street railing towards him, the poles sharpening into spikes. Unfortunately for him, it only took a single nearly imperceptible kick from Gran Torino to bat them away and a second to force Koseki's head into the ground.

Bringing his phone out of his pocket, the elderly hero dialed for the police, "This is Torino. I've got two villains on the street by-" He hissed as he narrowly dodged a downward slash from a round sword protruding from Ken's elbow where his arm should've been. His phone, however, was less lucky as it was fully stabbed through.

"Dammit, you know how expensive that was? Pension ain't what it used to be, sonny." Gran Torino shot forward and delivered another shattering blow to the pink-haired man's chest. This time, however, the latter managed to seize the smaller hero's costume with a cocksure, if strained, grin. With his other hand transformed, Ken slashed at his captive.

Torino angled his body, wincing as the blade scraped his cheek, before kicking his legs back and blasting off at full power into a nearby building, dragging Ken along with him. He then flipped so the larger man crashed into it first, thus releasing his vice grip on the hero suit, and again so Torino could use him as a launchpad to speed back to the street.

Yup. Definitely broke my ass on that one. Ken smirked at his own joke before falling unconscious.

Brushing the blood off his cheek, Gran Torino kicked the remains of his device in a huff before rummaging through Koseki's pockets, "Ugh, why doesn't he have a phone? Guess I have to…wait…" He stopped talking when he felt the ground itself shake, the buildings nearby rattling so violently that the concrete flaked off their foundations. An earthquake? Now of all times?!

From beneath him came a faint snicker, "Sorry, but if the city's going to shit anyways, I might as well just send it." Koseki slapped his hand into the pavement, producing a brilliant glow.

The street cracked as pipes burst out, spewing water and sludge while flying towards Gran Torino. The old hero scoffed as he kicked them away but jumped when he saw a flash in his periphery; the signs and railings from all over the street were flying towards him as well like giant projectiles. This guy controls metal, but the amount is incredible for some petty thug.

Torino jet into the air, trying to make the various metal objects conglomerate. At that moment, however, a dozen buildings' metal foundations ripped themselves up from the ground and formed a series of giant pillars that extended towards him with undue speed, the ground itself vanishing beneath a curtain of metal.

Holy shit.

It took more of Torino's willpower than he cared to admit to snap back and avoid the onslaught, but the attacks were more numerous and quick than he expected, darting out and about until he was all but surrounded in a cage several meters off the ground.

"Heh, I guess I win." Koseki patted the ground again, causing the cage – and the speedy senior inside it – to whip back and go flying into the distance.

Blood dripped down Endeavor's head as he struggled to lift himself off the ground, his body creaking and groaning like a rusty gear. His ribs felt like powder, his face like paste, and what parts of his body weren't damaged were losing feeling from his worsening heat exhaustion. Vaguely, he could make out his sidekicks yelling at him to get up or maybe at each other to coordinate the evacuation. Across from him in the ruins of the town square, between the falling beads of sweat and errant blood, he recognized the oversized black blur that must've been the last Nomu.

Waving its wings, one charred to the point that the membrane had vanished and the other dotted with holes from an earlier Hell Spider, the beast croaked, "More…more fire?" Given the limited intelligence, the question was likely more innocent than not, but to Endeavor's ears, it was beyond a taunt: it was disrespect and disappointment. Directed at him, the man who would surpass the Number 1 Hero.

I won't be bested by some brute! I won't be bested by anyone! With renewed vigor, Endeavor forced himself onto his feet and punched his fists together, flames spewing from his costume and pseudo-mask, "You're tough, monster. I'll give you that much. But try to regenerate from this!" Planting his feet firmly, Endeavor roared as loud as he could, the heat emanating from his body melting the ground around and beneath him.

"Oi, Endeavor, we have civilian zones nearby!" Burnin' called from the sidelines, sweating at the prospect of Endeavor's full power.

"Then contain it! Why else are you here?!" he roared back, his silhouette vanishing beneath a curtain of fire. The Nomu cocked its head, sufficiently intrigued. "Try this on for size: Prominence Burn!" With an even louder cry, Endeavor's entire body streamed an enormous burst of fire towards the beast, the inferno shredding through the plaza with such fury the stone itself sublimated. Some of his sidekicks moved to contain the blast with the Quirks, less so to concentrate it and more to control its collateral damage.

Ultimately, however, it amounted to nothing once the Nomu reared its fist back and punched with enough might to blow the flames away and knock Endeavor through several buildings. The sidekicks and Pro Heroes around the plaza were thrown back from the shockwave as the flames themselves caked the nearby structures in orange.

"Goddammit! Control those fires! Leave the villain to Endeavor." Burnin' commanded, already moving to contain the new blazes.

Ignoring the hundreds of pounds of rubble crushing his body, the Number 2 Hero burst from the wreckage and nearly roared again, though this time out of frustration. It uses wind pressure just like him! It's strength and speed are already comparable and now it even has the same fighting style. I can't… "I WON'T ACCEPT THIS!"

Dashing with anger he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before, Endeavor launched a Jet Burn at the Nomu. It tanked the attack, its skin already regenerating from the sinew by the time the stream ended. Unfazed, Endeavor maneuvered around the beast with a few quick bursts from his boots and wrapped his hands around its domed head. Unleashing a concentrated burst of fire like he'd used to kill the other black Nomu, Endeavor grinned manically as the cerulean flames roared from his palms.

Unfortunately, however, the Nomu elbowed him repeatedly in the side, eventually landing a solid kidney shot that made the Pro Hero's insides scream. Releasing his hold and ending his attack, Endeavor thrust kicked wildly, but the Nomu already moved to the side and wrapped its own massive hands around his head. Like a ragdoll, it thrashed Endeavor around, each blow leaving a scarlet stain on the concrete battlefield. Then it slammed him down one final time, one hand holding Endeavor's collarbone so hard it cracked. With its other hand, it unleashed a barrage of bullet punches to the hero's head, the earth shattering beneath with every blow.

Eventually the Nomu relented, tossing him to the side and stumbled up from its crouch, panting heavily; despite its inhuman stamina, the solid case around its exposed brain had melted significantly and the tissue beneath was noticeably burnt, "H-hot…need more…m-more!" It leapt into the air, leaving its foe's broken body behind.

Tumbling around inside the sphere, Gran Torino used his jets to push himself into the metal cage's side, causing it to wobble in the air. It did nothing to stop its descent but it certainly gave him several new aches and pains, if his raucous swearing was any indication. A pit forming in his stomach, the elderly hero prepared to make a mad dash up – or at least in the direction he thought was up – in a last-ditch effort to escape the wiry prison.

This is gonna hurt, ain't it? Huffing, he readied his jets and began pushing the air out, only for something to thunk against the cage and suddenly slow it to a – relatively – gentle stop.

…okay? Torino felt around his body, as if to verify that he hadn't died. Then a pair of large hands burst through the metal and easily tore a hole open.

"Have no fear citizen! Why? Because I am…s-sir!" All Might fell to his knees and bowed at the sight of his old mentor.

Gran Torino face-palmed, "Why are you here boy? And stand up before someone sees you!" He lightly kicked his student's head.

"Yes! Sorry, sir!" The Symbol of Peace shot up and saluted, still trembling.

Sighing, either from relief or annoyance, Torino exited the cage and sat against it, catching his breath, "You didn't answer my question."

"R-right! I saw what was happening on TV, so I rushed over." All Might relaxed as much as he could, but his eyes kept moving around, searching for something, before he grasped the implications of Torino being here, "Wait, where's Young Midoriya?"

Shrugging, the elder clicked his tongue, "The kid ran off with one of his classmates. Endeavor's brat, I think."

Now it was All Might's turn to facepalm, "How reckless! I'll be sure to reprimand him when I see him next."

"The kid can handle himself, at least for a bit. Head to the town square first. Endeavor's fighting the mutants, last I saw."

"I should head over to back him up, then!" Not that he'd really want me to, I suppose.

Then, on cue, All Might's phone went off. He opened the screen and almost put it away before his eyes nearly bulged from his skull and he glared at the message. "It's the Commission…Endeavor's been defeated by another Nomu."

There was a beat of silence at the news and how, despite the lack of ceremony of it all, the implications it carried were earth-shattering. For six short years, Sorahiko thought his student, his master's will, and the world as a whole were safe, at least relatively. Yet after spending his entire life terrified of and at war with a phantom threat, to have any time at peace felt a blessing.

But now, Gran Torino felt his heart sink at the thoughts racing through his head and how he pushed them aside for what he knew had to be done, "Go, Toshinori. If this thing beat Endeavor, then you're probably the only that can stop it."

Rubbing his side, All Might took several deep breaths and cracked his knuckles. Hesitatingly, he looked to his mentor, "Sir, Eraser said that the Nomu at USJ had multiple Quirks. If they're as powerful enough to beat Endeavor…then it's almost certain that he survived."

His breath hitching, Torino forced himself to swallow the rising fear and bile, yet couldn't open his mouth to speak, a cold sweat drowning him out.

"At the very least, find Young Midoriya. If All for One's alive, then he's the best shot at stopping him again."

"…town square. G-go!" Gran Torino hissed, his vision going hazy, from fear, rage or perhaps both.

All Might nodded, quickly patting his teacher's shoulder before putting his phone to his ear and jumping towards the middle of town, "This is All Might. Clear all heroes from the area and set a perimeter around the villain. I'll handle this."