21 USJ Aftermath

After All Might arrived, Aizawa decided to deactivate his Erasure quirk and allow the Nomu to regenerate; the reasoning being that with the strongest hero he knew being present, the Nomu could be contained even if it went wild.

However, even though the monster had regenerated its missing limbs, it did not make a single movement. It just laid on the ground motionlessly, as though waiting for a command. With the Nomu contained, or at least compliant, Yasuo proceeded to unleash his Psychokinesis once more. This time to gather all the villains scattered around USJ and capture them all at once.

Floating in to the sky, Yasuo released his Psychic Energy and wrapped it around every individual villain in USJ, before pulling them to their location.

Dozens of villains, maybe even over a hundred, were sent flying to their location, kicking and screaming to no avail. Yasuo then sent them crashing into the ground, knocking quite a few of them unconscious. The remaining ones tried to resist further, throwing ranged attacks with their quirk abilities, although it was ultimately futile.

Furthermore, the moment they realized that All Might was present while their employers who brought them here in the first place were already gone, their fighting spirit came crashing down.

Together with All Might, Yasuo was able to quickly subdue the ones still conscious. With only a few of them still putting up a desperate resistance that was conquered swiftly. Yasuo and Aizawa then started explaining what had just happened at the USJ to the Symbol of Peace.

"…a creature designed to kill me?" All Might deliberated upon hearing Aizawa's explanation.

"That's what they said. The way they talked about it made it seem like that thing is the result of some kind of a lab experiment. And seeing how abnormally strong it is, I'm tempted to believe them." Yasuo added.

"Very obviously, two of them were the masterminds behind this assault. They spoke like they knew our schedule, including the fact that you, All Might, would be here. They came with a plan and a weapon designed to kill you. Although… even without Yasuo here, I doubt they would have succeeded anyway." Aizawa continued, without a doubt in his mind the position of supreme strength and authority All Might held in society.

Though the two had their differences and conflicting philosophies, All Might's status and his contribution to society was something Aizawa respected immensely, even if he would never admit it out loud, especially to the reckless, blond idiot.

"What is concerning is why they were so confident in the first place… they knew All Might is teaching at U.A., but they still attacked with the intention of killing him. Yet, the creature they brought, while terrifyingly powerful, is undoubtedly of no match against All Might. It mindlessly fought like a half-wit, paying no mind to tactics or strategy. If they were relying on it to defeat him, it would have only been a foolish endeavour. But as we have seen, they aren't stupid. So what gave them the confidence to try such a thing?" Yasuo added, while at the same time musing out loud.

Aizawa and All Might shared a look. What Yasuo had said touched on a secret that only certain U.A. faculty members and a select few outside of it knew. Which is that All Might was a shell of his former self. With his nearly fatal injury that saw to his stomach having been removed and his respiratory system damaged beyond repair.

Which brought their attention to the issue – if the villains that attacked did so with the utmost confidence they could kill All Might with just the measly force they brought, could it be that they too were aware of All Might's deterioration? If so, how did they know? Who told them? And, in All Might's mind, could that man be involved somehow?

After that, the rest of the U.A. faculty arrived with Class 1A in tow. They burst in ready for a fight, only to be greeted with the sight of Yasuo levitating in the air, Aizawa sitting on the ground resting his weary bones and All Might giving a lecture to the subdued villains. As well as over a hundred villains in varying states of consciousness around them.

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Tomura came out of Kurogiri's black fog, appearing within what looked like a bar. He immediately slumped to one knee, clutching his mangled hand and nursing his aching body. What had allowed him to carry on fighting even after his grievous injury was sheer adrenaline and his will to crush all heroes.

Now that they were back at their base and in relative safety, all the adrenaline that had numbed his pain was withdrawn, forcing him to feel the complete intensity of his injuries. He was smashed into the ground the invisible force of a student he had completely underestimated, then had his crushed and he also took some shots from Eraserhead… to him, it was a complete humiliation.

Tomura's grip on his wrist tightened, as a dark fury came over his countenance. "That kid… he has to die. HE MUST! Kuk..!"

"Tomura. What happened?" A voice came from a monitor positioned on the bar table.

Shigaraki's blood dripped down from his deformed hand and on to the hardwood floor of the bar, "They got us. Even without All Might there. And Nomu was taken down too. The cannon fodder we brought were all subdued in a flash." He hatefully spat out.

"…even without All Might?" The voice muttered.

"There was a kid. He alone was capable of taking all of us down by himself, with only Eraserhead as a support…!"

"…" The voice from the monitor was silent for a moment, "Was he as strong as All Might?"

But to the voice's surprise, that was not the answer he received.

"No, it wasn't a physical enhancement quirk. It was something else entirely. Telekinesis, but an extremely overpowered one." Tomura answered, his words being forced out of his clenched teeth. The hatred and grudge he bore only second to his perceived duty to his master and benefactor.

"He was able to tear off Nomu's arms and legs with just his mind. We had to leave him behind, otherwise Tomura and I would have been captured as well." Kurogiri reported.

"That's a shame. After all the trouble we went through to make him as strong as All Might."

"We couldn't even ascertain whether All Might had weakened… we were defeated before we could even face him! That brat alone was enough to force us to retreat!" Tomura gritted out, "We failed you sensei… I failed you! Because of that brat!"

"No use crying over spilled milk. This endeavour was not a complete loss. We now know of another target that must die before we can kill the Symbol of Peace. Find stronger troops! Take all the time you need!" The voice comforted.

He continued, "We are in the dark, while they are in the light. We might not be able to move freely, but we also have all the time we need for our next plan. The next time we move… Tomura Shigaraki, show the world the terror you present! Become a Symbol of Chaos!"

Tomura could only silently receive his master's comforting words. His hand throbbed in pain, but all he could think about was the scene of him being forced down by an invisible force, helpless and weak. He did not show it, but deep down in his heart, a complex had formed. A complex, known as Kurogami Yasuo.

Was it fear, caution or hatred, Tomura did not know. But what he did know was that the next time they met, the kid who had caused him to fail so utterly and miserably will die, no matter the cost!

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(Yasuo POV)

Soon after, the police had arrived to take the villains into custody. Statements were taken from us as well as the pro-heroes that had been present. Special attention was given to me, since I was in a rather complicated position. I was a student, who ignored the quirk laws that governed this country to fight against villains.

Even though it was in a state of emergency and a justifiable case of self-defense, questions were brought up over the necessity of my involvement.

'Couldn't Eraserhead and Thirteen have taken care of the villains alone?' The police detectives asked.

I scoffed. The only reason they thought that was because they did not witness just how terrifying the villains were. They saw the our relative lack of injuries, the only one injured being Aizawa, and thought that we had no trouble fighting the villains. They weren't wrong. Most of the cannon fodder could be disregarded, since they were mostly petty criminals that stood no chance against even the most mediocre pro-hero individually.

But there were three main dangers that stood out over the rest - A man with a disintegration quirk who could hold his own against Eraserhead; another with a warp portal quirk who could pose a grave danger at any moment; and a monstrous creature as strong as All Might. It was these three that were so dangerous, it necessitated my involvement.

Thankfully, however, Aizawa had defended my actions. He claimed that he was the one who gave me special permission to assist him in fending off the villains because of how strong and versatile my quirk was. Thirteen also stepped in to back me up, telling the police that I was the one who protected the students with my barriers, as well as bringing them out of USJ safely so that they could call for help.

Their explanations, coupled with the students' given statements as well as my own one soon painted a picture of my invaluable contribution to the incident.

"It was a reckless act, irresponsible and foolhardy… But, though it shames me to admit as their teacher and thus the one who is supposed to protect my students and not the other way round, without Kurogami's aid, things might not have gone as smooth as it did." Aizawa concluded.

The detective nodded, noting it down in his notebook, "I understand. Rest assured, we will not press any charges against him. This USJ is U.A. private property after all, so the laws restricting public usage of quirks do not apply. Plus, we now see that the circumstances demanded his involvement in the incident."

He then turned towards me, "What you did may have very well saved some lives or at the very least prevented unnecessary injuries but be warned that such actions will not be tolerated in any other circumstances. At least until you receive your provisional hero license, understand?"

I nodded in affirmation.

His stern gaze was then turned into a warm smile, "With that out of the way, I think what you did was very admirable, even if it was reckless. If you hadn't put your life on the line, the students would not have made it out unscathed. Officially, I have to reprimand you. But unofficially, I commend you for your decisiveness and courage."

Slightly taken aback, I smiled in embarrassment, "I just did what I thought was right…"

His smile widened, "An admirable trait for a hero-in-training. Just remember, the next time, leave it to the adults."

The detective then looked at Aizawa in concern, "We will have to take your written statement in more detail, you know how it is when dealing with the bureaucracy after a villain attack. But first, we should get you to the hospital."

Sensei nodded, "Just bring me to U.A., Recovery Girl will be more than enough to fix me up."

Was what he said, even though he looked like half his face had been peeled off while having a knife stick out of his forearm.

With that, the detective left and approached the U.A. faculty joined by Thirteen, while Aizawa went off to get medical attention.

Now that the adults were gone, the students finally had some time amongst themselves. They immediately crowded around me to get some answers.

"What the hell happened out there, Yasuo!?" Eijiro demanded.

"Yeah! Tell us everything! Spare no detail!" Mina added excitedly.

While the rest enthusiastically clamouring, Momo came up to me and inspected his body, "Everyone, give him some space! Are you injured anywhere, Yasuo? Do you need to go see the nurse?"

Heartened by her concern for him that overwrote whatever curiosity she was sure to have had, I replied with a bright smile, "I'm fine Momo. Thanks for asking. And you guys heard my statement, I don't have much to add to that."

"You told us what happened, not how you felt when it was happening!" Toru clarified.

A few others agreed eagerly, starry-eyed and waiting for a story.

I chuckled helplessly, "Well, at first I was panicked, you know, because of how unexpected the whole situation was. But then, when sensei told us to leave, I couldn't just run away and do nothing. If sensei got hurt or worse, I would have felt like shit, right? And then when that monster attacked my barrier, that… that scared the piss out of me. Nothing has ever broken my barrier, granted no one has ever tried, but still. After that, my first priority was to get you guys to safety, after seeing just how dangerous that creature was. And the rest of it, well, I was really just trying my best to not get killed."

As I was finishing recounting my experience, Bakugo came up to me and tried grabbing my collar, although he was stopped by my Psychic Armor.

Stunned, he could only glare while growling, "Bastard, what gave you the right to stop me from joining in, huh!? What, did you think I was weak? That I was just a burden!?"

I furrowed my brows, 'This angry Pomeranian seriously needs an attitude adjustment…'

"He's right, y'know?" Unexpectedly, Eijiro backed him up, "We are all here to learn to be heroes. Being sent away like that… it was kind of like stepping on our pride a little."

Denki agreed as well, "Yeah, how are we going to learn how to be heroes if you just push us away every time we're in danger and take care of everything yourself? We know you're strong, but you should give us an opportunity to prove ourselves too."

My heart panged. Were my actions really that misguided and unnecessary? Had pushing them away actually harmed them instead of helped? Was I so full of myself that I thought of my classmates as helpless burdens that needed to be waved away, rather than people who were, like myself, students at U.A. with their own ambitions and pride?

"S-sorry, I just didn't want to see you guys hurt. It seems I have acted unnecessarily. I apologize."

Their words hurt more than I had expected. I never realized I had such a fragile psyche, that just a few words of critique could hurt me so. Probably because I never really faced criticism before. Even though my mom scolded me once in a while, her and dad also showered me with praise. And while my classmates and friends at school never knew the extent of my quirk, I was popular, and never faced a harsh word from any one, not even teachers.

Not to mention the soccer club, where I was endlessly praised by my senpais and coach for my skills, as well as positively idolized by my kouhai when I became the captain. No one really stood up to me before or told me what I did was wrong. I guess, I was more alike that delinquent Bakugo than I thought.

Seeing my downcast and apologetic expression, Eijiro also looked slightly guilty, "N-no, that's not what I meant. It's just…"

To my surprise, however, there were also people who defended me.

"You jerks! Yasuo did what he thought was best! How could you guys blame him!" Ochaco spoke up, sternly glaring at the three who had spoken.

"Yeah, did you not see how strong that black monster was? I don't think any of us could have done much against it, especially if what sensei and Yasuo said were true, that it could regenerate and negate physical damage." Tsuyu added.

"Instead of thanking him for delivering us to safety, you are criticizing him because your ego was injured? Repent!" Momo lectured, unrelentingly folding her arms while narrowing her eyes at them.

Iida stepped in, "I agree. Yasuo was only acting to keep us out of danger, as is his duty as the Class President. If I was in his shoes, I would not have done any different!"

"You three… being heroes is not just about seeking fame and glory. It's about doing what is right. And at that moment, retreating to call for back up was the right thing for us to do. While Yasuo staying behind to cover our retreat was the right thing for him to do." Tokoyami rebuked.

Ochaco continued, "Don't blame yourself, Yasuo. Unlike those jerks, we don't think you did anything wrong at all. In fact, on behalf of the class, thank you for doing what you did!"

"Mmh! Thank you Yasuo, you really saved us!"

"Yeah, don't listen to them!"

"You were really cool, Yasuo! Are you single?"

A few others chimed in to support me, though the last one was abit... Receiving such heartfelt gratitude and support, I couldn't help the tears that were starting to well up in my eyes, "Y-you guys…"

Facing the onslaught of admonishment and chastise from the class, Eijiro and Denki looked at each other before apologetically bowing deeply together.

"Sorry, Yasuo! We didn't mean to make you feel bad!" Denki apologized.

"Yeah, sorry Yasuo! I, I just thought that… ever since you helped me out during the Entrance Exam, I never got the chance to pay you back for that. But it turns out I just keep getting saved by you. I guess it was just my pride that was injured, even though you did nothing wrong." Eijiro said, saddened.

"Ah, no need to say sorry you two. I was at fault as well… Because I have a powerful quirk, I got full of myself, thinking that I was the only one who could do anything. I should have trusted everyone more." I replied, bowing apologetically to everyone as well.

"S-should we bow too?" Hanta humorously asked after seeing that.

"What's with all the bowing, this isn't 50 years ago! Besides, Eijiro might be an idiot," Mina started, ignoring a protesting 'hey!' from Kirishima, "But what he said makes some sense too. You don't need to put all the burden on yourself. We are here too."

Momo smiled and raised me up from my bowing position, "You can count on us as well, Yasuo. We're all here to help each other."

Seeing all the smiling faces from my classmates, I could feel a lump in my throat from the flurry of emotions I was feeling, "Thank you Momo, and everyone. I promise to be better from now on. Please take care of me."

"This guy, are you trying to make us cry as well! Alright, everything is out in the open now, let's get back to our usual energy guys!" Mashirao stated, and I was grateful for his efforts to clear things up and get the class back to normal.

A few chuckled and cheered, following in Mashirao's efforts to let us forget about the emotional scene.

Although there was one person who was not so keen on letting things go.

"What's wrong with you idiots! Listen here, you ink-hair bastard! Next time, I won't forgive you if you pull shit like that again! An extra like you should know his place dammit!" Bakugo roared angrily.

"Blast off, Bakugo! Good vibes only here!" Rikido shot back, pointing away before crossing his arms fiercely while others similarly chewed him out.

I couldn't help but laugh at the scene of Bakugo incredulously receiving the barrage of criticism before yelling back himself, which brought others to laughter as well, leaving the angry Pomeranian to look on in confused anger while spitting out more fiery words.

Only Izuku and Shoto stayed silent, watching me with a calculation and other emotions I could not identify. Midoriya had on an anxious expression, while the other was calm yet slightly agitated as well. I ignored it since I was just glad that things were now back to normal.

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A/N: As we near the end of the USJ arc and approach the Sports Festival arc, I would like to ask you guys for some suggestions for Yasuo's hero name. I'm not good at naming things, so I am opening it up to your creativity! If you find a suggestion you like, give it a like! I'll be asking this for the next few chapters and will collate the ones everyone likes most - then a few chapters before the hero name chapter I will open up a poll for you to vote! So head on over to the comment section and hand over your intellectual property, dear readers!