MHA Rewrite: Plus Ultra

“Brrr…! Frosty!” Ice crawls over Nomu’s limbs— locking its leg— freezing its arm mid-grip— just short of All Might’s body. Half-and-Half is really something else… Such precise control…! The pressure loosens— just enough. All Might twists— wrenches free— and launches to the side. He lands— stumbles— a hand clutching his side— breath rough— unsteady— But he stays upright. Standing— beside his students. They face Shigaraki.  “Scum like you could never kill the Symbol of Peace,” Todoroki states. “Heh…” A short cackle. Shigaraki’s fingers drag slowly along his neck. “The cavalry has arrived…” A tilt of his head. “More students to endanger, All Might?” A grin stretches wider. “Seems you’ve got an infinite supply…” He claps his hands together. “How sweet… How wonderful…” His fingers dig into his skin, irritation spilling. “How inspiring…!” His hands drop. His gaze shifts. To Bakugo. Pinning Kurogiri. “You’ve pinned our way out…” A beat. “…I don’t appreciate that.” Bakugo clicks his tongue. “Why are you still blabbing, you handjob freak?” Shigaraki stiffens.  “Pardon?” Bakugo’s grip tightens on the collar— forcing Kurogiri down harder. “His warp’s limited.” Flat. Certain. “He’s hiding his real body in the mist.” Pressure increases. “Which means…” A slight push— grinding him into the ground— “…I can hit him.” Nnn… Kurogiri’s mist swells— spreading— pressing outward— “Move…” Bakugo leans in— close— a sharp grin cutting across his face. “Please.” A beat— The mist falters— then sinks— drawing back in— collapsing around the collar— contained once more. “Goddamn, Bakugo…” Kirishima mutters. Shigaraki scoffs in indignation, scratching his neck—slow. “Kids these days… Not just vulgar, but so violent…” A tilt of his head. “They’re really shaping up to be the next big thing.” A faint grin. “Our League of Villains is no match for the guns of youth…” He straightens. “Nomu.” A beat. “Kill that explosive brat.” Todoroki’s eyes narrow. Nomu moves. Its frozen leg— cracks— shatters— ice exploding off in chunks— It rises— unsteady— then steadies. Its frozen arm— splits— breaks apart— falling away. “That’s not good…” Todoroki mutters. All Might steps forward— arm snapping out— placing himself between them— a wall. “Get back, everyone!” Nomu’s limbs twist— reforming— muscle knitting— bone resetting— Mid-regeneration— it launches. Fast. Too fast. Bakugo doesn’t move. Eyes locked. Tracking. Todoroki reacts— ice surging up— forming a wall— A fraction too late. Nomu is already through— past the forming barrier— before it fully rises. All Might leaps— intercepting— Nomu’s fist drives forward— Impact. Gone. Concrete erupts in a line across the plaza. A shockwave erupts outward, slamming into the students, throwing them back. The students steady themselves. Shoes scrape against the ground. Breaths catch. Bakugo frowns. I couldn’t see a thing… All Might is against the wall, arms up and bruised from the impact. His sleeves ripped off, black scorch marks on his shirt. He coughs out blood. “This thing doesn’t know how to hold back…” Shigaraki cackles. “Anything to save your precious student, huh? Just like that one boy… what was his name?”  He tilts his head.  “Midoriya?”  “Hmph.” All Might wipes the blood off his mouth. Here we go… Villains and their attempts to aggravate… “Heroes love to put on a show…” A low, uneven chuckle. Oh, nope… He’s monologuing… Good. Gives me time to rest. “Running in—smiling—shouting about saving people…” His fingers twitch, scratching at his neck,  head tilting slightly as if listening to something only he hears. “…like it’s all so simple.” He suddenly throws his arms wide, looking up at the sky, like he’s presenting to an invisible crowd. “But the truth is simple!” His gaze snaps down, locking onto All Might. A sharp breath. “They’re not saving people because they have to! They’re doing it to look good! So they can stand there afterward and say—” A mocking tilt— he plants his hands on his hips, striking a crooked, exaggerated hero pose. “‘Wow! I’m-I’m such a terrific human being!’” He cackles, shoulders shaking— then drops the pose abruptly. “Yeah…!” He folds in on himself, arms crossing tight, nails digging into his sleeves, trembling. “When you really look at it— It’s all the same. Selfishness.” His heel slams into the ground - once. “Just feeding the ego—over and over—!” A sharp, cracking laugh— too loud, too fast. “Look at me—look at me saving people—!” He straightens— too quickly, staring straight at All Might— unblinking. “But they don’t save everyone.” His voice tightens. “They pick and choose. The ones that matter.” All Might’s brow furrows. That’s… familiar. His hand creeps back to his neck, slow, dragging across irritated skin. “The ones that make them look better. That boosts their careers.” The scratching speeds up— ragged, uneven, his breath hitching slightly. “And everyone else…?” A shrug— loose, dismissive. “Oh, well—who cares, right?!” He throws both hands up, fingers splayed, almost clawing at the air. “Why do they get praised, huh?! For what?!” He steps forward— too fast— closing distance. “For beating someone else into the ground? They’re being paid to do that! Without villains, what use are heroes?! And you all talk as if you want to eradicate them off the face of the world!”  His voice cracks— splintering. “Without villains, you don’t exist! No money to be made!”  He cackles, swaying in place. Then immediately stills, his voice quiet. “Tools of the media…” “Tools of war…” “Tools for violence.” Each word lands with a small, sharp motion— a twitch— a jerk— like his body can’t stay still. “You’re a commodity! Just fucking celebrities with capes and skintight body suits! But dress it up however you want— it’s still the same thing: violence on top of violence—!” “And they call it justice…!” His body deflates. “And people eat it up.” His voice drops, suddenly quieter. “Of course they do. They’re trained to.” “To cheer.” “To praise.” “To worship.” He tilts his head again, slow— almost curious. A ragged breath. His shoulders sink, just slightly. “…Heroes.” A pause. “…Villains.” His head tilts the other way. “You’re all the same.” “…And villains?” A faint, humorless huff. “They’re no better. The exact same thing.” His fingers return to his neck, slower now—dragging— pressing. “…But at least they don’t pretend. That makes them somewhat tolerable…” Silence. Heavy. He goes still. Too still. He drops his arms. “I’m not here to kill you because you’re popular, All Might.” A small shake of the head— almost bored. “Or because you’re some big threat to ‘villain-kind.’ That’s not it.” “I’m here to kill you because of what you are.” A step forward— measured this time. Deliberate. “You stand there… with that STUPID—fake smile… saving people…and everyone eats it up.” A quiet breath— almost steady. “Like it means something.” He clenches his fists, almost manically, like he’s the only one who grasps the truth. “But I seeee it!” A beat. His gaze sharpens. “Underneath all of that—” His voice drops— low— certain. “You’re selfish.” He unclenches his fists. A pause. Then— slow— drawn out— his lips curling faintly— “So… sooo selfish.” His fingers twitch again— itching— but he doesn’t scratch this time. Just holds it. Barely contained. “I can’t stand any of you.” He tilts his head. “You shouldn’t exist.”  All Might’s eyes narrow. A flash— Izuku. That rooftop. A beat. “Nomu.” He raises his arm. And points towards All Might.  “Kill him.”  Nomu lunges toward All Might. No hesitation. Thanks to that spiel… I’ve got less than a minute… Bakugo steps forward. Todoroki raises his hand, ice forming. Kirishima hardens. All Might throws his arm out, stopping them. But I have no choice… “Fear not…” Bakugo’s eyes widen.  Then narrows.  Deku. …He’s the same. Nomu closes the distance. Fast. Inevitable. “For I am…” “Tsk…!” Shigaraki scratches furiously, eyes locked on him. All Might moves. “The Symbol of Peace!!” Impact. Fist meets fist. They disappear into motion. Blows crash into each other, faster and heavier, each strike detonating the air. Shockwaves tear across the plaza, forcing everyone to brace just to stay standing. At the entrance, Izuku’s eyes open. Uraraka’s face is wet with tears, but her gaze is fixed ahead. Izuku turns his head. He sees it. All Might. Fighting. His eyes widen, faint. Weak. “All… Might…” He tries to keep his eyes open. His eyelids fall. All Might coughs out blood. He keeps moving. 100%… I have to go further…! Punches keep flying. Nomu’s pants tear under the force. It’s absorption… not negation…! He has a limit…! Blow after blow. No slowdown. ‘Built to counter me’…?  Another blow lands. His arm trembles on impact, bones creaking under the force. Then I’ll just go beyond…! “PLUS…!” All Might draws back his arm. Everything tightens. “ULTRAAAA!” He swings. Nomu launches upward. It tears through the air— and crashes through the USJ’s glass ceiling. A beat.   The students stare in awe. “Damn… Like straight outta the comics…!” Kirishima remarks. “So this is the true power of the number one hero…” Todoroki says. Bakugo doesn’t look at the ceiling where Nomu broke through. He looks at the man who caused it. Smoke curls around him, heavy, almost swallowing his frame. But Bakugo still sees it. The exhaustion. All Might exhales, his arm still raised. …Yeah. I’m slowing down. In my prime, five punches would have been enough. He straightens, arm braced. That was about 300. He steadies his feet. And now… my time is up. He looks at Shigaraki. “Well, villain? How about we hasten to finish this?” Shigaraki slouches. A low cackle slips out as his fingers drag quickly across his neck. Rage flickers beneath the hand on his face. “Cheater…”