One by One
Nighteye motions them forward, scanning the environment for any sign of the villains. From the shifting of the ground around them, it's clear that someone is interfering with the structure, but the attacker remains hidden. The heroes move cautiously but still with haste. No time to spare.
Footsteps resound dully on the rough floor, and their voices bounce eerily off the walls. With the reverberations, it's difficult to tell which direction noise is coming from.
Only a short ways into the underground hallway, the first group of villains appears. There's a nervousness in their eyes. They're not used to head-on confrontation. They send half-glances over their shoulders. Fucking amateurs. Amajiki steps forward to block the three, telling the other heroes to keep going. They can't afford to stop here. After the rest of the heroes run past, Katsuki hears Kirishima voice his concern for Amajiki's well-being and hears Fat Gum give his reassurance.
Izuku sends one worried glance over his shoulder. "Togata-senpai said he's 'super strong.'" The tone of his voice sounds like it was supposed to be reassuring, but a tremor in his words gives his anxiety away.
"That he is," Fat Gum says with an approving smile. There is no tremor in the pro hero's voice, and the confidence he has in his intern is inspiring.
They continue onward.
Underneath their feet, the path is uneven and the light is dim, but they're progress through the twists and turns of the hallways is quick. At the same time, it's hard to tell how far in absolute distance they've gone from the starting point, since the configuration of the walls keeps changing. Once or twice, Katsuki swears he hears a giggle in the moment a promising door is sealed before they can make it through. It pisses him off.
The villain in charge of the labyrinth is screwing with them, and they don't have a lead on who or where the culprit is. The walls continue to change, and the floor dips and rises unexpectedly in an attempt to trip them. The group of heroes is split apart and separated by thick walls rising in an instant to keep them apart. Katsuki sticks close to Izuku's side. Even if he loses track of everyone else, he doesn't want to lose track of Izuku.
The gap between changes is decreasing, probably because they're getting closer to somewhere the villains don't want them to go. The walls start to shake again. Katsuki dives out of the way as a solid obelisk of rock drops from the ceiling, making sure to dodge in the same direction as Izuku. When the rumbling of the earth around them stops and the dust settles, Katsuki glances around, glad to see that they're still with Nighteye and the Iida brothers.
Two figures drop from the ceiling. With a thrill of fear, Katsuki realizes that he recognizes both of them–one blonde with her hair in two messy buns, one man covered from head-to-toe in a tight-fitting suit and a mask over his face. He knows these villains, and they were never part of the Eight Precepts. Gold eyes meet his, and her lips curl into a cruel smile. Toga Himiko. His blood boils.
She runs toward them and before Katsuki makes the conscious decision to do so, he goes for her neck. He knows she'll aim for Izuku whenever possible, and Izuku is oblivious to the threat she poses. Toga dodges the explosion from his right palm, but he manages to shove her against the wall with his other arm.
"Why did you stop me? I just wanted to greet Izuku," she says in a voice low enough that the others aren't able to hear.
"You reek of blood," he spits back. "There's no way I'll let you get close to him."
Her lips curl far enough that he can see the points of her fangs. "You're awfully protective of him. Is that because you're–"
Behind him, there's another loud clash as someone engages the other villain. But Katsuki doesn't have the time to look and see who it is, because Toga slips out of his grasp. She dances out of reach, agile in a way that takes years of practice and hard training. She taunts him easily. Within the confined space of the underground passage, he has to limit his strength. And although his explosions shake the earth around them, they barely graze her.
"Kacchan!"
He hears the call but can't turn away from the fight.
"I'm going ahead, so…good luck!"
"You're the one that needs luck," he yells back, eyes straying to Izuku for a millisecond before he makes himself refocus. With the sound of running footsteps, Izuku is gone.
Toga's smile widens. "I'm so glad we get to spend time together, my dear rival in love."
She relies solely on her physical prowess and agility to fight, but makes a difficult opponent all the same. Katsuki may have fast reflexes and a powerful quirk, but in a small space against an experienced fighter, the fight is tough. His anger grows as adrenaline pumps through his system. Katsuki knows he should keep his mind clear, but his resentment towards her clouds his judgement.
He swings toward her again, but as he does so he sees a flash of silver and just manages to catch her wrist before she stabs him. They stand, straining against each other. He is physically stronger, but with his hands tied, he can't attack. They're at an impasse, and the annoyed flash of her eyes, tells him she knows it too.
"He's probably met Overhaul by now," Toga says, teeth gritted from the effort of still trying to stab him.
"Shut up."
"Izuku's in danger, and you wish you could save him, you wish you could save like him, you wish you could be him, don't you?" Her cheeks flush as she talks, eyes half-lidded as she utters the syllables of Izuku's name. "I understand," she proclaims. "You love him–love Izuku."
He lets out a roar of fury, blasting her away from him with both hands. Because even if her knife has barely grazed him, cut him like a butcher's knife.
They stand facing each other. Both worse for the wear, but far from done with the fight. She discards her sweater, the arms now tattered and burnt.
She raises her eyes to his face. "If you really want to save him, you should be running after him." Toga readjusts the blade in her hand, its point glinting. "My darling Izuku is no match for Overhaul."