MHA Rewrite: Plus Ultra

Mineta stares at him. Izuku’s fist tightens. “So right now… let’s do the rescue simulation.” A beat— “…What are you talking about?!” Mineta snaps. “Are you actually stupid or something?! Are you dumb?!” He grabs Izuku’s legs, shaking him. “Just go in the water! Do your thing! Break them and then rescue us!” His voice cracks, rising. “Come on—you were so ready to die back then, do it now! Do it now!” Izuku sneers. Almost disgusted. “Stop being such a wet blanket. You’re training to be a hero, right? Act like it.” Mineta freezes. “…Huh?” Tsuyu blinks. “Ribbit?” Mineta’s grip loosens— Izuku shakes him off. “Midoriya…?” Izuku doesn’t look back. His gaze shifts outward— To the water. Villains circling. Keeping their distance. Watching. Why aren’t they attacking…? Izuku glances at Tsuyu. Then the water. The circling villains. A flicker— The man in the portal. The one who separated them. A beat. Uraraka flashes through his mind— Separated. Somewhere in this place. Izuku’s jaw tightens. Focus. Izuku looks back at the villains. They’re not moving. Not committing. Hesitating. “…They don’t know our Quirks.” Tsuyu tilts her head. “Ribbit?” Izuku looks at Tsuyu and Mineta. “They don’t know our Quirks. If they did, they wouldn’t have put you in water.” “Ribbit.” His gaze shifts back to the water. Villains circling. Keeping their distance. Watching. “That’s why they’re not attacking yet.” A beat. “We may be students… but we’re heroes in training. We can still be a threat.” Tsuyu blinks. “That makes sense. They seem well-prepared enough to organize themselves knowing there would be a flood zone, however…” Izuku nods slightly. “Yeah… they knew the layout of USJ.” A brief pause. “But that’s probably the extent of their intel.” His eyes narrow. “Their plan was probably along the lines of…” A beat. “Infiltrate USJ. Spread out by terrain suited to their Quirks. Look for All Might.” Another. “Overwhelm Thirteen. Scatter the students.” His jaw tightens. “And then use whoever — or whatever they brought —… to kill him.” Mineta trembles, glancing between the water and Izuku. “T-that’s all well and good, Midoriya…!” His voice cracks. “But that doesn’t solve how we get out of here!” Izuku’s expression tightens. Aizawa’s voice surfaces in his mind. You will coordinate. Nothing more. Izuku exhales. “I’m not jumping in the water, Mineta. Not in the way you’re thinking, at least… They don’t know our Quirks. We should take advantage of that.” His gaze drops. To Mineta’s hair. A hand moves. Pop. “Hey—you shouldn’t—!” Izuku plucks a ball and presses it onto the deck. It sticks. Firm. He pulls— Nothing. His fingers strain, stuck fast. “…!” A beat. His arm tenses. A small flick— CRACK. A controlled burst travels through his fingers— The bond snaps. His hand jerks free. The fabric around his fingers strains slightly— but holds. Izuku exhales, flexing his fingers once. “…Sticky.” His eyes shift back to Mineta, whose mouth is wide open in shock. “Is there a limit to how many you can produce?” Mineta scrambles back, clutching his head. “Y-yeah! I can keep making them, but—!” He points at his scalp. “If I overdo it, it starts bleeding!” A beat. “And I get super dizzy… like, I’ll pass out!” Izuku’s eyes narrow. “Define ‘overdo.’” Mineta flinches. “I-I don’t know exactly!” He gestures frantically at his head. “If I keep popping them off too fast, it starts hurting—then bleeding—and I get all dizzy!” A beat. “Like, I can do a bunch… just not too many at once!” Izuku exhales, voice sharpening. “Give me a number, Mineta!” Mineta flinches hard. “I-I don’t know!” He grabs his head, panicking. “Maybe… fifty?! Sixty if I really push it—?!” A beat. “But if I go past that, I’m seriously gonna pass out!” Izuku nods. “Okay… okay.” He looks at Tsuyu. “Tsuyu?” “Ribbit?” Izuku leans forward slightly, already listing. “Frog-type physiology. High mobility. Jump height—maximum approximately fifteen meters. Wall adhesion. Tongue extension—approximately fifteen—” Tsuyu cuts in. “Twenty.” A beat. “For both.” She tilts her head slightly. “I can also spit up from my stomach to clean my tongue… and I secrete a poisonous fluid—well, I say ‘poisonous,’ but it really just stings a little.” A beat. Mineta freezes. “…S-secrete…?” Tsuyu blinks. “Those last two aren’t really useful. Just forget about them.” Mineta stares, dazed. “…Secrete…” Izuku exhales. “Focus, Mineta… Alright, I’ve got a plan. First, I’ll—“ Suddenly— The ship shudders. A violent jolt tears through it— Wood cracks. A sharp, splintering SNAP— The deck splits. The ship breaks apart. “Gah!” Mineta is thrown overboard. “Mineta!” Izuku moves instantly, grabbing his arm before he can fall. Mineta dangles, legs kicking wildly over the water. “P-please—! I’m not ready to die! We’re just kids for crying out loud! At least let me die getting smothered by Yaoyorozu’s boob-orozus before I dieeee!!”  Below— A villain smacks another across the shoulder. “What are you doing?! Shigaraki said to be careful, dumbass!” The other sneers, eyes fixed upward. “You hear that kid whining? If they were any good, they would’ve used their Quirks by now; I’m done waiting.” A grin creeps across his face. “Our Quirks have the advantage in the water…” “Eeek! Get away!” Mineta flails, yanking balls from his head and hurling them wildly at the water below. Izuku’s grip tightens. “Mineta, stop! Let me pull you up!” He’s giving away his Quirk! “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!” “Ribbit!” Tsuyu moves in, grabbing hold— Together, they haul Mineta back onto the broken deck. Tsuyu plants her feet, gripping them both as the broken ship slowly sinks beneath them. “Don’t worry, kid! Once you’re in the water, it’s all over for you!” Izuku looks down. The ship is sinking. Water rising. His jaw tightens. The plan hasn’t changed… His eyes flick— Mineta’s balls drifting across the surface. The villains keep their distance. Careful. Avoiding them. A beat. Izuku looks at Tsuyu and Mineta. Mineta is shaking. Izuku clicks his tongue. He’s useless like this…! “Mineta! Don’t be scared!” “Oh, that’s easy for you to say, you psychopath!” Mineta snaps, voice cracking. “How are you— you’re both crazy for not being scared!” He grabs his head, spiraling. “We were just freaking middle schoolers a couple months ago! Why are we in a life-and-death situation already?! Where are the teachers?!” Izuku steps forward— Closes the distance. SMACK. “Do you want to die?!” Mineta freezes, stunned. “N-no!” “Then trust me and do exactly as I say!” Mineta’s eyes shake. He looks at Izuku’s frown— Then Tsuyu’s calm expression as she holds him. …Why aren’t they scared…? A lump catches in his throat. He forces it down— …and nods. … The ship is almost gone. Water swallowing what remains. A villain grins below. “Almost meal time…~” Izuku steps forward— Foot on the edge. He inhales— “AAAAHHHHH!!” —and jumps. The villains look up. “…Yep. Just dumb kids.” “As soon as he lands, we gut him.” Mid-air— Izuku thrusts his right arm forward. His left hand clamps onto it, steadying his aim. Egg. Tsuyu crouches low, Mineta tucked under her arm. “Mineta.” “Uuuuuhhh…” WHY AREN’T THEY SCARED?! Izuku’s gaze locks onto the water below. “DELAWARE—!” His fingers snap. “SMASH!” A shockwave detonates— The water splits. A massive cavity bursts open beneath him— Izuku rockets upward from the recoil. “Woah—!” “The hell?!” Izuku twists mid-air. “TSUYU!! MINETA!!” Tsuyu leaps— Her tongue lashes out, wrapping around Izuku’s torso. She catches him mid-air. Mineta trembles in her grip. I can’t…! Below— The water churns violently, dragging everything inward. Villains struggle— Pulled toward the cavity. Mineta’s eyes squeeze shut. I can’t be like them!! “GRAAAHHHH!” He rips balls from his head and hurls them into the water. One after another. They hit— Stick. Villains jerk as they’re caught. “What the—?!” “They won’t come off!” Mineta keeps throwing, screaming. “GRAAAAAHHHH!” More and more— The villains are bound together. Trapped. The water surges inward— Collapsing the cavity— Pressure builds— Then— It bursts upward. Carrying the tangled mass of villains with it. Tsuyu steadies herself, looking at the aftermath. “Looks like we beat our first challenge… or something. Good job, you two.” Izuku says nothing. His gaze remains fixed ahead. Sharp. Mineta’s fists clench. Tears spill down his face. Not relief. Frustration. The water below churns. The facility stretches out before them. Full of enemies. This is far from over…