Dragon's Pride (Ch 57)

Kyoka isn’t entirely sure what the hell is going on with her body other than the fact that it probably has something to do with One For All, which is evidently even more bullshit than she first thought it was. Which is saying a lot given it’s literally a quirk that can be passed on to others! Even considering her previous thoughts on how utterly bullshit the stockpile quirk is, though, the fact that it’s evidently forced her natural quirk through a second evolution - the first having happened after Izumi chewed on her… You know what, she thinks with a shake of her head while bending down to pluck her mark from the cultist’s limp hand, I’m just going to say that both quirks and my life are bullshit and leave it at that. Because really, what even is her life at this point?

She frowns at the blood coating Izumi’s scale along with the gold it’s embedded in and uses her shirt to wipe it clean. After ensuring that it won’t stain she stows it in her pocket until she has a chance to get a new choker to attach it to. You know, after they deal with the villains currently trying to kill them while at school. Speaking of…

She looks around to figure out where, exactly, she is and is greeted by the sight of the center plaza in the USJ, a crowd of villains, and her teachers and a few classmates. All of whom have stopped fighting and are currently staring at her with varying levels of shock, terror, and - in the case of the villains’ leader - annoyance. Said villain leader levels an accusing finger and a glare that’s barely visible past his literal facepalm at her. “What the hell is a miniboss doing mixed in with the hero mobs?”

Though she has to blink at the weird terminology, she is in fact a teenager and as such is familiar with gaming terminology. Which means that she is definitely offended! “Screw you Facepalm!” Kyoka shouts as one of her new and improved - though admittedly creepy as fuck - jacks whips through the air at a villain who looks like some sort of Frankenstein’s monster charging at her. The nearly pitch black tendril, set apart only by the slight violet tint present across the entire thing, slams into the man’s stomach so hard that it bends him in half as he’s launched backwards, crashing into another handful of villains before crashing to the ground on the other side of the plaza.

She doesn’t even spare the chaos her retaliation causes a glance as the extension to her jacks starts going wild: either whipping into villains or wrapping around them before throwing them through the air. She crosses her arms across her chest and gives the villain a strong glare. “If anything I’m a hidden boss!”

The man stills at the claim, the hand that was furiously scratching at his neck finally relaxing as he brings it down to hang limply at his side. “So that’s what it is,” he says in an eerily calm voice that sends a shiver of warning down Kyoka’s spine. “In that case, you’ll be a good warm up for Nomu until the final boss shows up. Kill her.”

She operates on pure instinct, both jacks retracting from where they were and wrapping several times around her hands on the opposite side and letting her hold them as if they were a scarf stretched in front of her. Just in time too because she doesn’t even have the chance to see what hits her before she’s flying through the air with her arms burning from effort and blood spewing from her mouth. Her mind replays the scene while she has time, before she hits the ground and will need to fight for her life, but it’s no use. All Kyoka can remember of the last few seconds is something much larger than her appearing in front of her and an impact that she could feel through her makeshift shield.

She rolls backwards with the impact against the ground to reduce how hard she hits it, but she can tell that she’ll still have bruises across her body - not to mention whatever damage that hit did to her stomach - as she jumps backwards the moment she has her feet under her, using her lingering momentum to go farther than she otherwise would have. It’s lucky she does since the ground craters where she was just seconds ago and she gets her first clear look at her opponent. Though calling it an opponent might be a misnomer considering how utterly outclassed she clearly is.

The monster - and what else could it be except that? - is easily the same size as All Might and just as muscled, which is shown off through its lack of a shirt though it thankfully has shorts on that came to an end at its knees that are covered by large skull-shaped guards. Pitch black skin except for the scars stretched across its visible body, as if it wasn’t given time to adjust to the muscle growth it experienced. Its face, if it could really be said to have one, consists of a bird beak filled with razor sharp teeth and an exposed brain that has its eyes embedded into it. Peering into those lifeless orbs, Kyoka can see clear as day that whatever this thing is, it’s not alive. Not in the sense that anyone would consider beyond it having the ability to breathe and move.

That brief moment of contemplation is all she has time for before the thing pulls its fist out from where it’s buried in the ground and lets out a wordless screech. Chunks of the ground are thrown behind it as it launches itself at her once again and she mentally curses while directing her pounding heartbeat towards the speakers in her feet. She’s launched straight up in the air while the thing’s fist sends a wave of air pressure through where her head was, which screws up her balance in the air and causes her to tilt. Before she can try to correct herself she feels something wrap around her and relaxes a bit even before she looks and sees Yui. Of course, seeing the state the normally expressionless girl is in sends her nerves sky high once again.

“What the fuck happened to you!?” She shouts, and she doesn’t think anyone could really blame her given how much blood her friend is covered in! That’s not even counting her obviously broken arm and the injuries on her face! A face, she feels the need to point out, which is overtaken by a deranged smile that would probably make Toga jealous!

“I had fun,” she answers simply as the pole they’re riding on continues to extend back to the center plaza and away from where Kyoka had landed near the ruins zone. “Did you not?”

…Kyoka reaffirms her previous vow to drop out of heroics if her battle junkie best friend ever decides to go villain. She’s utterly insane when it comes to fighting, and Kyoka thinks it’s perfectly reasonable to not want to deal with it. “That thing is dangerous,” she chooses to say instead, looking back at where they left the monster only to have her eyes widen. “Fuck, drop!”

Yui doesn’t bother to question the demand, side-stepping off the pole and letting the two drop through the air while the persistent fucking thing flies through the pole and continues on up to the ceiling… and through it, screeching all the while. Kyoka can’t help but blink up at the sunlight streaming through the new hole in the USJ’s ceiling as she and Yui fall to the ground, though her jacks piercing the ground far below them is enough that they won’t break anything when they hit the ground. Once there she looks at the villain leader, who is occupied staring at the hole in the ceiling where his monster vanished. After a moment of silence he looks down at the warp user standing just as silently next to him.

“Remind me to dust the Doctor for Nomu being stupid enough to do that.”

“Indeed,” the mist coated man says before fixing his eyes on the two girls, who tense at the attention. As well as Kyoka was doing in the whole not dying thing, the only reason she’s not passed out is adrenaline and spite. Yui isn’t in any better condition, though she’s operating on adrenaline and blood-thirst instead. Which is why Kyoka is incredibly grateful at hearing the villain’s next words. “Perhaps it would be better to withdraw. Without Nomu, our chances of killing the Symbol of Peace have been reduced rather drastically.”

The fact that they think they still have a chance of killing All Might even with that monster out of the equation has Kyoka’s guard shooting up to eleven. If they have anything else even half as strong as that thing…

She looks at the crowd of downed villains and her exhausted classmates and teachers, though only a few of the former and one of the later are still standing. Surprisingly enough, Uraraka is one of those and a few of the still conscious villains on the ground are… cowering away from her? Ignoring that, Stendhal is slowly walking towards them with blood staining both his sword and the spikes in his leg, though his eyes burn with determination.

When she turns her attention back to the villain leader she’s greeted to the sight of blood red eyes focused solely on her, and she doesn’t know why, but they freeze her in place. He doesn’t break eye contact as he speaks to the warp villain, calm in the face of how badly his people have been beaten. “Yeah… let's head back. We came for a boss fight, not a raid. We’ll be prepared for the next playthrough.”

Kyoka can’t help the breath of relief that leaves her as he and the warp villain vanish into one of the portals, though she’s admittedly concerned that it comes with some additional blood that coats her tongue. “Yeah I think that’s my cue to pass out now,” she says as her heartbeat finally starts to calm down and darkness encroaches on her vision. “See ya when I wake up.”

She slumps to the ground, followed quickly by Yui, both girls unconscious and therefore missing the loud crash that echoes throughout the USJ facility mere moments later.

`~`

I’ll admit that I wasn’t particularly interested in getting a closer look at where my Hoard goes to school than I did when I watched their Entrance Exam, but Mei’s text was just so excited when she said she had something to show me. Which is why I’m flying past one of the many large buildings on the campus grounds when I’m rudely interrupted by an annoying screeching.

I reach out to grab the… very, very weird bird thing that almost flies past me before using my other hand to clench its beak shut, reducing the screech to more of a whine. I glare at the bird, making sure to stare into its eyes and let a bit of a growl seep into my voice as I speak. “No. Bad bird.” Said bad bird punches my stomach, so I let go with one of my hands - leaving it hanging in the air by its beak - and tear the limb off. It’s a major surprise to see it grow a new one moments later though and my eyes light up at the possibilities.

“Infinite food!” I exclaim, because that’s basically what this bird thing is now. The best part is that I’m pretty sure it’s a person so it should taste better than any other randomly weird bird thing! It’s with that thought in mind that I bring the torn off arm up to my mouth and take a bite…

Only to spit the disgusting mass of flesh out the moment it hits my tongue. “Disgusting!” It is literally the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten, and back when Giran was under my protection I once ate a finger that I found tucked in the back of the fridge that had started to rot! “How the hell do you make yourself taste so bad!?” I shout at the thing before roasting it in fire and throwing it down at the building below. I don’t bother to make sure the crime against taste buds burns to ash, whirling around and flapping my wings to launch me far away from UA’s campus.

Forget seeing what Mei wanted to show me, I need something to get rid of that terrible taste!