Chapter 37: ₮ⱧɆ ₳₱₱Ɇ₳Ɽ₳₦₵Ɇ

"There's no need to fear, why? Because I am here!"

The atmosphere got colder than it already was. This dreadful feeling of intimidation circulated in the air by the energy of his voice and the mighty impact.

"All..." Bakugo uttered through the shivers that went down his spine. He slowly spun his head.

"...Might," Deku finished as both of the boys mutually aparted and turned around, facing the legacy who stood in the middle of the streets. The American-styled costume, and bunny-looking yellow hair shinning by the glistening of the rain. Knuckles placed in his waist admitting his role in victory, and that widen smile that Deku never had thought would bring fearsome tendencies. Once he had admired him; now, he feared his capabilities.

The hero stepped close to them wordlessly. Bakugo and Deku would have been so content to meet him in person, but not here in this situation.

"Young Bakugo and Young Midoriya..." All Might sighed a few feet away. He was aware that the blond had an incredible quirk. And apart from the fact that it also shaped his explosive personality, this kid could do anything out of the ordinary. He had to keep his boundaries and limits measured, despite being the strongest hero in Japan.

"All Might," Deku said again, not believing what he saw in his eyes. He panted so nervously and happy, that he formed a smile at the sight of The Symbol of Peace. Bakugo, who was distracted by All Might, felt himself empty when he no longer sensed Deku's presence. Snapping beside, he noticed that Deku ran towards the hero.

All Might saw the boy running towards him with the purest smile ever. He knew he had never seen him so cheerfully through the television. Constantly, he was always filled with sadness, regret, fear, and something to worry about. Before being assigned to deal with this major case, he looked over the files and read that the green-haired boy didn't have a quirk. Thereby, he did not have to be so careful over his actions, but their effects.

"It's All Might... The real All Might," Deku muttered some distance away the figure, examining the features of his idol because he knew them so well. The hero tilted his head in confusion, but his iconic, widen smile never changed. Bakugo didn't like the fact that the boy aparted away from him, and the fact that he was too far.

"Deku," he said with a baleful tone. "Come back here." Another thunder roared in the other side of a building scarying off the green-haired in the midst of the downpour. He turned his head to the blond, frightened as he hasn't really finished dealing with him first.

Before setting his mind up to a goal, he simply switched his head to both, reconsidering what was the best thing to do. Go to All Might or go to Kacchan? But in reality, Deku couldn't take such a risk just yet.

"Young Bakugo, are you aware of how much damage and harm you have caused?" All Might began, stepping in front to put his hands on Midoriya's shoulders. He held him away from the other to protect him. Bakugo shrugged without a thought.

"And how long did it took you to notice?" The blond submitted an additional question, smirking at his own comment. All Might's smile was unfazed, but that did not mean many emotions and worries rushed through his mind.

"I would say not so long than you would've expected," the hero replied. "I participated in a private police investigation to help with the search and the planning, but for some reason, they always got delayed." Midoriya tensed up. Despite being secured by his dearest idol, he didn't just want to stand by idly and look at each other talk.

"And I wonder why. Would it be because it was pointless? You never found connections and could've never tracked us down. That's why your lazy waiting and hopes brought it this far," he bended over, grinning as he made sure this statement was heard. "Never expected it coming from the No. 1 hero."

Impressive. Bakugo Katsuki exceeded far beyond All Might's expectations. This kid was exceptionally deductive, but probably only when he wants to. His arrogant flaws might be intolerable, although this kid has potential in inserting his willingness to anything he tries. Unfortunately, it is all nothing but a plain waste of talent.

Shortly loosing his guard down, All Might took a second to realize that a purple goo portal faded in behind Bakugo. He thought this was absolutely a random commitment, though soon saw Shigaraki step out of the portal. Along with that, lowly wanted criminals with their own individual abilities also appeared from it, scattering around as they positioned themselves to fight.

Bakugo glanced aside, noticing that his backup was here for delivery. He couldn't help but smile wickedly, still standing on the same area. He was not going anywhere until he got the green-haired boy back.

Deku was set free by the pressure on his shoulders, as the hero went in front and put an arm to prevent his pass.

"Listen, Midoriya. I want you to run away from here as far as you can. Don't run in the same direction," he advised. Deku was left uneasy because last time he did the same thing. There's a limit to how much he could pace. Which, he hopefully wished could have different results in this occasion.

"All Might, but there's..." he said in pure sadness. "There's my friend in that building. He's dead, but I just can't leave him there," Deku pointed at the cement structure. It sort of seemed deconstructed because of the impact Bakugo's explosion inflicted on it.

"Kid, there's no time! You have to go!" All Might alarmed him, bringing his arms up and blocking Deku's view with his stance. He did this so the villains could have a hard time trailing where the green-haired ran off to, but knew it would be a major problem with the blond. The villains gathered by Shigaraki were still inmobile as the light-blue haired stood beside Bakugo, possibly waiting for extra orders.

Midoriya nodded to himself, running away as fast as he could. 'Sorry, Kirishima. I'm so sorry... I'll try to come back to get you if I have the chance!' Piercing icy tracks brushed against his skin as he ran farther from the hero. The rain cried continously and the streets were all surrounded by chunks of puddles. When was it going to stop pouring?

As he made a turn to the corner, that ginormous robot that Uraraka said she was going to defeat stomped onto the streets with its lazer beam. Midoriya, obviously terrified by the machine, gingerly returned to the other direction in order to pass through an alleyway.

The entire army of villains including the two, Shigaraki and Bakugo, hid behind a few walls. They had escaped from All Might, but that was for a small period. He was bound to be careful despite the handsome amount of time he was taking. They all surrounded the two leaders, waiting for commands and listening at the procedure.

"So All Might is here. I planned on attacking him pretty soon," Shigaraki said monotously, standing close to Bakugo. "Let's see, so what do you want to do?"

"I want to get Deku back. Once that's done, I'm getting the fuck out of here," Bakugo said in a vile tone, frowning in anger. Shigaraki was uninterested by that.

"You sure that's all? Make it realistic, idiot. We're fighting here the strongest hero of all Japan. You've got to also wish to bring this guy to his end," Shigaraki proposed. Bakugo didn't answer since he wasn't looking forward to being against All Might, but if he were to get on his way, they'd be no doubts. The skinny man also told Bakugo they had Nomus, so he better make a quick plan.

Midoriya tried to remember the streets that he already walked on. If hiding and running aimlessly wasn't going to work, then he searched for the gates out of this prison. He cried for everything. His life was a disaster. All he wanted was to be a hero, all he wanted was to be independent and be happy. Wondering, he checked the inside of the fake houses to see if either that dazzling-looking french student was around, or if Uraraka still fought.

Pacing with all his might, he tried to be as fast and as utile, looking for any exit.

'It's so cold!' He yelled mentally, caressing his bare arms. After all, all he wore was a shirt and pants. He was a drenched mess.

Shigaraki opened the door of the hiding spot with confidence, directing the mass to walk a straight line as they left. They all complied, almost copying the style of a march. Shigaraki, however, remained inside the building, because all of this was part of the discussion. His attention was fetched once the groups dissambled, preparing their quirks in front of the street. Peeking through the gap, Shigaraki held up his hand, waiting for the next step.

As the villains from the first column walked in front, bound to sacrifice themselves for this plan, they all were met by All Might's mighty force. The hero punched the air, and this informed Shigaraki that he was close. For that reason, he instantly bended and placed his entire hand on the street, distorting the concrete asphalt into a similar iceberg. The pointy tip of the destruction still stabbing through without moving. All Might backed away as he almost got trapped into this dilemma.

Shigaraki finally left the building. He stood behind the army of villains, as he directed them to separate in different parts and locations.

Bakugo sighed in relief once he shut close the big, giant doors of the course. He felt triumph, since he definitely knew Deku was aiming to find them. If not, he won either way, because he was going nowhere out of this place.

The blond hurried to the areas that had any sort of shelter, as long as rain didn't soak him any more. He was underneath a roof or in an alleyway; not waiting, but determinedly walking farther away from the doors. Along with two villains that followed him everywhere, one stood in front of the doors to guard meanwhile the other accompanied Bakugo.

Midoriya would've kept running, but after seeing the student Uraraka in really terrible conditions, he couldn't just have ignored it. Uraraka rested her body inside a tower after the boy helped her get inside. When he was running, he saw her laying on the floor, wet from the rain, possibly about to faint due to her current state. She was losing a lot of blood from her left leg.

"Uraraka! What happened to you?!" Midoriya held her head with care, staring at her eyes in which couldn't see nothing but plain blurriness.

She didn't answer back straight ahead. Her eyes tracked his appearance along with the tone of his voice. "...so you were that guy from the news.." She uttered as she turned to him, gazing at his facial features. Those green, messy strands. Those beautiful freckles and smile ruined by unwanted experiences. No matter how weird it sounded, she felt secured by him.

Deku swore in his head for his carelessness yet again, shoving that negative trait aside.

"But why are you bleeding so much?"

"It was my fault... I saw the villains, so I thought I could use my quirk on me... but I fell..." Uraraka mustered the strength to speak, but her eyes remained vague to see with clarity.

"What?! Why? Does it hurt a lot? Can you stand up?" Deku said as he switched his head to all sides, looking for something to sustain her head. He didn't have time to talk and help her. Even though it seemed heartless, his life was also at stake.

The green-haired cursed to himself. He was anxious and desperate to escape from that tormenting school. He had enough of this. No way in hell was he going through all this trouble again just because he generously decided to help a girl.

On the other hand, Bakugo trailed down the path of the sidewalks, looking incredibly menacing as he tried to note down a familiar form. Where was Deku? He wondered. He should have plug him the tracker when he had the chance, in case he ever escaped from him. But now it was too late. Surely, he would have done it if Kirishima hadn't ever interfered.

The villain partnered with him followed his moves, awaiting for an order. They were in a yellow suit with a unidentified mask. Bakugo told himself he didn't need to notice his details, since he was simply a sole extra.

Shigaraki was currently struggling with keeping All Might on the same street and mitigate him from focusing on a certain absence. Even though he would eventually realize that the young Midoriya was nowhere to be found, it was still useful for time consumption.

Although the hero knocked out some villains that decided to attack him straightforwardly, he didn't dare to get close to their leader. He was aware that Shigaraki wielded the quirk of destruction, one that was just as disadvantegous as any strong power. One touch and his arm could entirely desintegrate. The light-blue hair man seemed to be discontent to kill anything on his way, though. That was as long as nothing bothered him, and nothing inflicted any sense of frustration into this plan. It was supposed to be simple.

Coming from behind All Might, Nomus stepped through the portals in their own dismannered ways. Their bodily structures. Their brain's flesh piercing through their heads, eyes widening like no other living soul.

All Might turned to notice these abnormal-looking creatures directing to him. He prepared for one of his moves, one of his most recognized: Carolina Smash. After impacting such windy force with his knuckles, he made at least one Nomu fly off the field.

"God damn it! I can't find him anywhere!" Bakugo gave up this sneaky tactic, and went ahead to cross the road. The rain didn't bother him in this case. He was tired of being patient, despite the possible heroes coming to the stage.

"Make yourself useful and check the buildings!" He commanded the villain. They complained to themselves at his bratty attitude, but didn't stand a chance against his quirk, so they hurried as ordered.

Bakugo switched and also headed at the buildings from the opposite direction, looking through the windows that stayed open.

Deku poured water onto her endlessly-bleeding leg. She flinched at the sudden pain of her vivid meat. With a small tissue, he tried to stop the trails of blood that ran down her leg. Since this wasn't working in any way, Deku aparted his hands, feeling helpless in her situation. "I... I don't know how to help- I really don't! It's rainning, the Pro Heroes are nowhere to be found, and there are no supplies in this place."

Uraraka stared at him, slightly forming a smile in sympathy. "It's okay, Midoriya... I know that you're also being searched by him... so it's best for you to go," she declared softly. "I'll stay here as long as I have to. Once this is all over, I'll find a way to call for help. Thank you in the meantime."

Probably, he thought. He was probably the worst person ever. Probably not intended to be a great hero, but Midoriya felt relieved by that reply as he stood up. His shameness obviously found a way to his tears, although all he did was say a goodbye and leave afterwards. He couldn't believe how easy he let her go, just like he did to Kirishima.

Nothing had changed.

The weather, the sky was still dark.

The rain still poured.

The fear still conquered.

But he had to keep moving.

He had to keep finding an exit out of his hellhole.

Deku splashed down the water underneath his shoes, speeding up to the end of the field. He checked every corner of each building, and neared to the most familiarized areas. Some broken and beated down robots laid in the middle of the streets. They were rather a disturbance that didn't let Midoriya sometimes walk. Seeing that no other student was in this place, he wondered how could that be. Would it have been that they escaped already? That meant the doors were opened, Midoriya thought.

He tried to search for anything that caught his attention, although most obstacles and attractions were repetitive. Nothing stood out. Nothing outlined the lead to find that exit he longed to come across with. Midoriya already imagined: getting out of here, and leaving the past and everyone for good. He wanted to start over again. Wanted to experience yet again what it was like to feel happiness. The nonexistencial feelinh of worries, that's what he yearned for.

Bakugo didn't see anyone inside the buildings, at least not so easily through the windows. Just when he was passing by, he heard the small whimpers of a girl. Taking a look, she was in a detrimental condition, with her leg seemingly covered in a puddle of blood.

As he entered in the room, he inspected the stranger. Bakugo went around her body and bended to see her state. Although the girl gave slight glances at him, the blond focused on the wrapped up tissue on her leg. Someone was still here in the course, apart from the brown-haired girl. Bakugo made sure every student left this area vacant for villains and heroes, although assumed that this aid was done by somebody else. Besides, her hands were clean and spotless.

Quickly, he stood, heading to leave that building with no shame whatsover.

'It can't be Deku,' he thought. Why would that idiot escape without second thoughts to stop to merely help someone? If it was true, then that nerd was reckless.

Minutes went by to no avail. He hadn't found the freckled anywhere in the area. He asked Shigaraki on the other side of the earpiece how things were keeping up, but he implied that they wouldn't sustain All Might long enough; the hero was beating every single villain that came to his way, so at one point there would be nothing left to distract him with.

This pressure to hurry up bothered him. Deku wasn't visible in the streets, but he didn't expect him to be inside any building.

Just when he had passed another column, he found him running far away. He was heading to the opened doors. Smiling wickedly, he ran to the same street and held his hand up, directing orders to shut it in front of his face. The villain that was on top of a tower, pulled the strings and shut it noisily.

Deku gasped and panted, holding onto his knees as he was so close to escape. But suddenly, they closed without gaps, inches before his face. His hopes were brutally erradicated, and he felt so miserable at how close he was from running away from these devastating problems.

Bakugo slowly reached the green-haired, hiding the noises he made with the water splashing underneath the rain. Finally being closed to him as he was distracted, he instantly embraced Midoriya from behind, carrying him up. Deku panicked, kicking his legs at the rain, trying to anxiously overthrow his grasp.

Struggling to maintain him in place, Bakugo clicked on the earpiece. "Kurogiri! Open the warp ga-" Deku elbowed his stomach, making the blond groan and release his arms, holding onto the ache. The message was not delivered. Bakugo growled, raising his head up in aim to burn his face.

Deku dodged by sprinting aside, running to the opposite direction in order to get so far as he could. However, Bakugo snatched his hair in which he wailed, falling down on the ground and flinching from the drops of the puddle.

Before he could move or stand, Bakugo pressed his chest downward with his foot, strucking pain that deliberately made him stay in place. The blond led a finger to his earpiece again, but Deku kicked Kacchan's other ankle. He slipped, almost making a damn split, but regained his stance once the other rolled over the ground. Deku stumbled as he remained up, running towards the alleyway.

Bakugo ran quickly to the darkness, but set an explosion to, not only lighten to see visibly, but explode anything on his way. Turned out that Deku wasn't there anymore; it would have been weird if he hid in such small space.

Throwing curses as he hurried to the other side, he switched his head in both streetroads. The green-haired boy was turning a corner to the same place in which the doors were at.

Smiling at how stupid that probably was, Bakugo followed his trail to the ambigious corner. He was caught by surprise went Deku flung a metalllic robot's fracture to his face, but crouched before it even inflicted a touch. Seeing how pointless that was, he started to step away in fear. Bakugo burned his wrist as he snatched it, swinging him back to a distinctive shelter.

"The rain is so damn annoying," he complained mockingly, slamming Midoriya carelessly to the wall. The green-haired panted without breaths, staring dismissively at the one in front of him. Bakugo clasped his palms around Deku's neck, giving a monumental squeeze to it. As his feet abandoned the floor and was seemingly pressed against the wall, Deku scratched his built arms to let him free. However, Bakugo just forced a stronger grasp as it got stronger... and stronger... and stronger...

Coughing as he felt himself about to faint, Deku gave his last efforts into holding his arms. With a hand leading to his earpiece, Deku headbutted Kacchan's forehead. The blond groaned in pain, caressing his bump as he aparted. Once Deku fell on the floor without being chocked anymore, he dropped the item and squashed it with a foot. Despite the bleeding injury in the center of his face, this was not going to be the end.

Bakugo heard the crunching sound, noticing how the chances to communicate were ceased. His eyes widened at how the earpiece was broken into pieces, anxiously wondering how in the world he'll inform Shigaraki.

"You-... you damn idiot!" He screamed, setting a gigantic spark that blew up the cement. The debris flew to the street with force, gathering around as a large smoke of dust was provoked. Deku was on the floor squinting his eyes after directly seeing the explosion that Kacchan instigated. His vision was blurry.

Kacchan stepped on the rocks, feeling that sting in his forehead still pumping.

Suddenly, two well-known heroes dropped to the ground out of nowhere besides Midoriya. These heroes placed their fighting stance and attentively watched Bakugo's movements, preparing to attack.

Best Jeanist and Edgeshot.

Shigaraki had dispersed from the area, heading farther way from All Might. The villains were not holding back. Each strike and each skilled smash easily knocked out every single one in his way. It wouldn't last long until the inspiring hero fixated his focus on what was really necessary. The young man crossed two roads already, until the purple goo ascended from thin air in front of him.

"Shigaraki, I have lost track of where Bakugo is!" Kurogiri, seemingly in a desperate state, told Shigaraki as the drops from the storm drenched their features. "How will we find him? There would be no point in continuing this fight if we are unaware of his current progress!"

Clicking his tongue in doubt, Shigaraki thought quietly. That brat got himself in a damn obnoxious situation, and it was his fault for letting it slip off his hands. Both of them wouldn't be able to effectively speed up the task of distraction and completion.

"Bring in more Nomus," Shigaraki said with his staid tone.

"A-are you sure? But they are quite not prepared to be deployed yet," Kurogiri warned, worrying about his Master's decision.

"I said to bring in more Nomus," Shigaraki answered back, walking pass the portal. "We'll see how long we can hold it, and if it's necessary, we'll just leave this place."

Kurogiri seem to hesitate. His choice was a bit blunt compared to the alternative in which he thought of tracking Bakugo in any other way. That kid's excellence was worth more than gold. Even if these worries sank him down, he couldn't oppose to anything he declared. So, he agreed. "Whatever you wish, Shigaraki."

"Bakugo Katsuki, the most despicable kid that has been walking down the streets of Japan, alongside his crimes. Good to finally see you," Best Jeanist said, straightening his saturated blond hair with a comb. He felt uncomfortable underneath the rain, since he claimed it damaged his perfect hair. Edgeshot grabbed Midoriya's arm and dragged him backward, away from the other guy.

Bakugo tensed up, shaking from every part of his body.

"Don't touch him," he demanded with a rough voice, eyes widening at the ninja-looking hero. "Don't touch him. Let him go." It sounded like a threat with no options. Despite that, Edgeshot steadily held Midoriya's arm, in which the boy gave a terrifying stare at the three, feeling undecisive.

"Bakugo," Kamihara Shinya began. "Make us a favor and turn yourself in. Be wise; you'll still get captured sooner or later, so all of this fighting will be pointless," Edgeshot reassured, at a distance from every individual except Midoriya. He was the one he majorly had to protect.

"I say that's bullshit. Who do you think I am, hah? You think I'll just give up and leave?" The blond laughed uncontrollably, then he held out the middle finger to both. "Fuck you!"

All Might had just finished beating up a row of weak and unexperienced villains. He wouldn't even consider them villains; their low-level quirks made them appear mostly like criminals. His knuckles produced a short amount of smoke, flying up in the air. He panted, exhausted, but still not defeated, aiming to step onto his next procedure.