The Dragon Of MHA - Chapter 48

*Natsu POV*

Boiling, electrocution, flaying, nerve manipulation, lacerations, and amputation. For what felt like days, All for One tortured me, attempting to break my spirit and mind. Each time he was done, he’d wave his hand over me erasing all the signs of torture except for the pain.

“This is such a troublesome process,” All for One sighs as he casually rips the fingernail off of my thumb, “You know, before we just used dead body’s people because they never fought back. But thanks to the Yakuza, we can disable the quirk and slowly break the spirit.”

He continues to explain as he rips another fingernail off, but I don’t scream, my voice had left me a while ago, “But, with this process comes flaws. It’s a lot more time-consuming to make Nomu’s like this, but the end product is better. Besides, I could never kill a valuable subject like you. So can’t you just give in already?”

I don’t answer and continue gritting my teeth to ease the pain.

He sighs and stops pulling off my fingernails, “As I figured, this process tends to take longer. Unfortunately, we are on a schedule, and I can’t waste any more time with you right now.”

He waves his hand over my body, healing my physical damage but somehow keeping the imprint of the pain on my body. Then he orders a Nomu to push the table that I was strapped to.

He carts me away in the darkness and a minute later, I quickly close my eyes to shield them from the sudden brightness. I slowly open my eyes, getting used to the sudden brightness, when I notice something… everything… everything was white.

I look around cautiously, expecting to see some vile torture device only seen in movies, but no. There were no windows, or anything in the room, just the white floor, walls, and ceiling. Even the damn lights were white.

I mutter in a dry voice, “aha… after what you did to me… You think this is gonna do anything to me!?”

I feel the clasps on my wrist release as the Nomu pushes me to the floor and walks out, I try to run out after it but my body fails me, causing my body to fall. I roll onto my back and lay there on the floor expecting something to happen. Then, I noticed something.

‘This room… It’s completely soundless.’

I strain my ears, and even with my enhanced senses, I hear nothing, ‘No cars or even trains. Where the f.u.c.k am I?’

After a few minutes of lying on the ground and then a sound becomes apparent.

*Dun* *Dun*

I quickly sit up, looking around for the source of the sound, ‘Construction? Are we still in the city?’

*Dun* *Dun*

The sound keeps on going, never stopping, and then I realize where it came from, ‘My body? Did he stick something in me? No… this is my heartbeat.’

The sound of my heartbeat gets louder and louder as my ears acclimate to the soundless environment. The sound of my stomach grumbling seemingly echoes throughout the room and my focus spirals in and out as I try to find some sort of distraction.

‘Maybe I should train. Yeah, training will help me focus, and deal with whatever the f.u.c.k this is. My body is already sore, so I should take it lightly.’

I push myself to my feet, but the world seems to spin and I face plant back onto the floor, ‘What the f.u.c.k is happening to me?’

*Izuku POV*

After that night’s events, I was immediately brought to a nearby hospital in order to treat my countless wounds and for the next two days, I was in and out of consciousness with convulsions and delirious with fever. Apparently, Recovery Girl had come to visit me and the police had attempted to question me, but I was not in any shape to answer.

I open my eyes and look around. My body was covered in bandages and hooked up to an IV drip. My arms were in a cast.

The door slides open and Kaminari pokes his head through, “Oh Midoriya! You’re awake!”

I turn my head and the door opens even further as the rest of my classmate’s march in, “Did you see the news? The media is swarming the school right now.”

Sato scratches the back of his head, “It’s worse than in the spring.”

Mina holds a green melon over her head, hopping from one foot to the other, “We bought a melon! We bought a melon!”

I look around, “Did everyone from class come?”

The mood immediately darkens and Iida explains, “No, Jiro and Hagakure are unconscious from the villain’s gas. Shoji is still recovering from his frostbite wounds and the loss of his limbs. Yaoyarozu got hit pretty hard in the head and is still hospitalized. She just woke up yesterday. As for Aoyama…”

Memories of Gray reflecting Aoyama’s laser flash into my head, “Oh! What happened to Aoyama?! Is he still alive?!”

Iida clenches his fist and grits his teeth, “He’s alive… but…”

“What?”

Todoroki takes over, “The wound penetrated his lungs and went out the other side. They are keeping him alive through a machine… He’ll probably have to quit U.A. and give up on being a hero…”

They all stand there silently and Iida mumbles, “Everyone but those five came…”

Uraraka looks at the ground, “Twelve of us…”

Todoroki clenches his fist, “Because Bakugo, Dragneel, and Tokoyami are all missing.”

Sero punches him lightly, “Shh,” but the damage had been done. More images flash back into my head, Toga carving things into my flesh, Tokoyami and Kacchan being dragged into the darkness, and Natus’s injuries.

“All Might said, “I can’t save people I can’t reach.” That’s why he will always save those he can reach.”

My classmates look at me in silence as I continue, “I… was in a place where I could reach… I had to save them… That’s what my quirk is for. It’s just as Aizawa Sensei said, “You’ll just be decked and become a useless doll after saving one person.” My body… wouldn’t move… It was all I could do to save Kota… but I couldn’t save the people right in front of me.”

Kirishima steps forward, “Then… we will save them this time.”

We all look at Kirishima in confusion, “Huh?”

He explains, “Actually, Todoroki and I were here yesterday, too. On our way to your room, we saw All Might and a police officer talking to Yaoyorozu. She said that she attached a tracking device onto one of the villains. She gave them a device of some kind that receives the signal of the tracker. That tracker should lead to wherever the villain is.”

Iida tenses up, “Does this mean… you’re going to ask Yaoyarozu to make another receiver?”

Kirishima clenches his fist and looks down at the ground, but Todoroki looks at Iida with determination in his eyes, “What if it does?”

But Iida grinds his teeth before yelling, “This is something we should leave to the pros! This isn’t the place for us to act, you idiots!”

Kirishima yells back, “We know that idiot! But, I couldn’t do anything,” he clenches his heart and glares at Iida.”

“After I heard, my friend was being targeted! I couldn’t do anything! I didn’t do anything! If I don’t do anything now, I won’t be a hero or a man anymore!”

Kaminari tries to silence him, “Kirishima, we are in a hospital! Quiet down. It’s fine to feel strongly about these things, but this time…”

Asui adds in, “Iida is correct.”

Kirishima’s shoulders start to shake, “I know… Iida, all of you… you’re all correct. I know that!”

He turns to me, “But… Midoriya! Your hand can still reach! We can go save him!”

Sweat drops down my face as I remember the crazy bitch and what she did to me.

Mina puts her fingers together, “So basically, you’re planning on getting a receiver from Yao-momo, following the signal, and rescuing Bakugo by yourselves?”

Kirishima nods in confirmation, “Yeah.”

Todoroki turns to look at her, “Even though the villains said we were targets to be killed, they took Bakugo, Tokoyami, and Natsu without killing them. Natsu looked pretty injured, but if Natsu was dead, they would’ve just left him. As for Bakugou And Tokoyami, they probably let them live, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t kill them eventually. Kirishima and I are going.”

Iida yells out in frustration, “Don’t go overboard with your messing around!”

But Todoroki silences him, “Hey, Iida. You weren’t with us in Hosu or at the training camp. Have you ever felt true despair? The feeling inside of you that no matter what you do, you’re still useless?”

Iida looks conflicted, “Hosu? What do you mean, I was th-”

Todoroki cuts him off, “Not against Stain. Against Gray…”

Iida quotes down as Shoto continues, “Back then, he easily defeated me, and could’ve easily killed me. At the training camp, once again, he dismissed us like we were garbage. He played with Shoji and barely broke a sweat. Do you understand what that feels like? The frustration and humiliation of not being able to do anything.”

Everyone is in silence and a knock is heard on the door as it slides open, and a man with spiky brown hair sticks his head through, “Sorry to interrupt. It’s time for Midoriya’s exam.”

Sero scratches the side of his face, “Guys, we should probably go then. I wanna see how Jiro and Hagakure are doing as well, you know.”

Everyone nods in nervous agreement and starts filing out, “Deku, feel better soon,” Ochako says as she waves goodbye.

I nod with a slight smile on my face, “Hm, thanks, all of you.”

Kirishima walks up to me as the rest of my class leaves, “We talked to Yaoyarozu yesterday. If we go, we go right away. Tonight. Since you were seriously injured, I don’t know if you can move, but we still wanted to invite you because you’re probably the most frustrated out of everyone. We’ll be waiting in front of the hospital tonight.”

I nod and Kirishima walks away, leaving me to the doctor and my thoughts.

A few minutes later, my casts are off and the doctor is explaining, “Recovery Girl performed some pretty strong healing on you, so I think you should be able to move your arms, but they were pretty messed up. As for your c.h.e.s.t wounds, even with Recovery Girl’s healing, stab wounds tend to take a long time to recover so you’ll have to live with those scars for a year or so.”

I look down at the letters and half heart carved into my c.h.e.s.t, “You’ve had a lot of pretty bad injuries recently in a relatively short amount of time, but frankly, this time doesn’t even come close to those.”

I stare at my arms, which now have even more scars on them, “By doesn’t even come close, you mean…”

The doctor points at the casts, “I got special permission to see a copy of your chart up until now, and all the times before this, your bones broke like firecrackers exploding from the inside.”

He continues explaining as a nurse starts wrapping my arm up in bandages, “But this time was especially bad. Usually, a person’s body has a limiter to prevent it from using more than 80% of its power. But when someone faces a crisis situation, It’s possible for those limiters to come off, allowing them to use 100% of their power.

I look down at my arms, remembering my fight against Muscular, “It’s called “hysterical strength,” like when a mom lifts a car off of their child. But we have those limiters because our bodies can’t take the strain.”

The doctor looks at some papers on a clipboard, “Looks like this time, your power erupted while you were in the “hysterical strength” phase, and for a long time at that.”

He puts down his clipboard and shows me an x-ray of my arm, “It’s bad enough for your arms to keep on breaking. It’s even worse for your ligaments. Ligaments protect the joints and yours are deteriorating badly. In other words, if you keep getting injured in the same way two or three more times or so, I think you’ll have to live without using your arms.”

My eyes widen in realization, “All you can do is work on rehabilitation to get them back to normal. Use them a lot even if they hurt.”

He puts down the clipboard, “We’ll leave the rest up to U.A., so you’ll be discharged from here today.”

I put my hands onto my legs, “T-Thank you very much. I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.”

The doctor just smiles, “Don’t worry about it. I’m just doing my job.”

At the same time, a bunch of the top and rising heroes are gathering from around the country.

Endeavour, the No. 2 Hero. No. 4 hero, Best Jeanist. Edge Shot, No. 5. Gang Orca, ranked at No. 10. Gran Torino, Tiger, Kamui Woods, and Mount Lady. and of course, the No. 1 ranked hero, All Might.

*General POV*

Tsukachi grins at all of us, “I am extremely grateful that all of you responded to this request.”

Endeavour clicks his teeth, “Tsk, where is that old man? I heard he’d be here.”

On cue, an old man with a muscular build and long spiky gray hair walked through the door. He had a short beard and mustache that is the same color as his hair. He had a long scar running down his face and his red eyes seemed to stare into the soul.

He wore an olive-colored yukata covered by a black Haori. His yukata was held up by a black obi and even though he hadn’t done anything, he gave off an immense pressure. His most notable feature was his right arm which had a metallic shine.

He stands next to the rest of the pro heroes, and says in a cold voice, “So… what’s the plan?”

A few hours later, I am walking down the steps of the hospital with Yaoyorozu, who has bandages on her head. Both Kirishima and Todoroki look shocked that the two of us are here.

Todoroki looks at me, “Midoriya.”

Kirishima steps forwards, “Yaoyorozu… what’s your answer?”

Yaoyarozu stares at the floor for a little before responding, “I-”

But she gets cut off by a loud voice, “Wait”

Iida is walking towards us, a glint in his rectangle glasses, I glance at him, “Iida…”

Iida clenches his fist, “Why… Why did it have to be you guys of all people? The ones who stopped me when I acted recklessly for personal reasons… You two, who received amnesty with me…”

He continues as the rest of us listen, “Why are you trying to make the same mistake I did?! It’s too much!”

Kirishima walks forwards confusion on his face, “What are you talking ab-”

But Todoroki puts his hand on his shoulder stopping him, allowing Iida to finish, “We are still minors. U.A. is in a bad enough of a position as it is. Who will take responsibility for your actions? Do you understand?

I walk forwards trying to explain, “Iida! It’s not like that. We don’t think it’s okay to break the rules either-”

But I get interrupted as Iida’s fist comes flying into my face, “I’m frustrated too! And worried! It’s only natural! I am the class representative! I am worried about my classmates! Not just Bakugo or Tokoyami, or Dragneel! When I saw your injuries, I also saw my brother on his sickbed.”

He continues yelling, “What if your bodies become irreparable, like my brothers because of your recklessness? Are you saying that you don’t care about my worries!?”

He grabs my shoulders and shakes me lightly, “Are you saying that you don’t care how I feel..?”

“Iida…”

Todoroki steps in, “Iida, we don’t expect to face them head-on and win, especially not with capable fighters like Gray on their side. We’ll extract them without fighting.”

Kirishima speaks up as well, “In other words, covert action! That’s the way we students can fight while toeing the line on the rules!”

Momo holds her hand to her c.h.e.s.t, “I trust Todoroki. But so I can stop them if anything happens, I will accompany them as well.”

Iida looks at Yaoyorozu with surprises, while Kirishima smiles, “Yaoyorozu!”

I straighten up, “I don’t know myself, either, but after hearing that I could reach, I couldn’t just sit still… I can’t help thinking that I want to save them.”

Iida closes his eyes and sighs, “We can’t come to an agreement, huh?”

Then they open with determination, “Then, take me with you too!”

Meanwhile, in a gloomy bar, two students were strapped to chairs and bound, with a group of people staring at them.

Shigaraki pulls up a chair and sits in front of both Tokoyami and Bakugo, “So, I’ll ask you one more time, aspiring heroes, Fumikage Tokoyami and Katsuki Bakugo… will you join me?”

Shigaraki stays silent as both Tokoyami and Bakugo yell out their responses.

“If you’re going to talk in your sleep, you should just go to sleep and die!”

“You’re mistaken if you think that I will be swayed by you villains.”

*All for One POV*

‘Not bad, almost 12 hours in, and he is still holding onto his sanity. Whatever he’s doing to stay sane is working.’

The room that I had thrown Dragneel in was an anechoic chamber, a completely soundproof room, where the only source of sound is your own body.

The rustle of your clothes, the sweat dripping down onto the floor, every single heartbeat, even your blood flow, you hear it all. It drives people to the edge and with his sensory boosts, it only makes it worse.

The room itself is bad enough. The white room, meant for interrogation in order to break the spirits of the one inside. Depriving the brain of access to color, the victims of this torture quickly can be driven to the brink of madness. In a normal session, it may take weeks or months for the victim to break. Coupled with the anechoic chamber, it’s a surprise that he even lasted this long.

But, for what felt like weeks for him, was merely hours for me. Using a sense deprivation quirk, I removed his sense of time, making it seem like an hour for every second in real life.

I watch as Dragneel attempts to stand up for what seems to be the millionth time, only to be sent crashing back down, ‘Well, what a shame. Truly, what a shame. Well… he’ll break in time… they all do.’

*Natsu POV*

I grit my teeth, as I attempt to stand up and use my quirk only to fail once again, ‘Just a little longer… They’ll come right?’

AN: Lots of boring things happening in this chapter. Most of it is just stuff from canon, but gotta start building up from somewhere right?

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Drop some power stones if you can, and leave a review.