Ticking of the clock

Chapter 15: Flexibility

  Tickticktickticktickticktick...

  "Tickticktickticktickticktick..."

  Izuku perched on a rooftop alongside Aizawa. He still had subconscious control of.. most of his body, but that only let him do small things, like roll a dice.

  Aizawa looked around, not bothered by the quiet, almost unheard ticking from beside him.

  "How long now Problem Child?" He asked.

  Izuku reached into his pocket, rolling a die.

  "Tick tock, says the clock, the engine's clock will stop after fifteen ticks of the clock." He muttered.

  Aizawa frowned, looking across to the water tower in the distance.

  "Who are they?" He asked sharply.

  Izuku rolled the dice.

  "Tick tock, disaster clock, Hosu's up in flames..." He whispered.

  Aizawa started, standing to leap towards the figures, but was stopped by Izuku.

  "Eraser clock will stop." He muttered.

  Aizawa sighed, sitting back on his heels.

  Izuku stared pointedly at the man.

  Aizawa used his quirk on Izuku.

  "There isn't much time... Tick tock... So many large, important events are about to happen here.... You can't interfere until the Nomu arrive... Help the other heroes, I'll save the engine clock, tick tock.." Izuku rushed out.

  Aizawa nodded, glancing down into the alleyway.

  No Stain. No Iida. No Native.

  "Are you sure I can't help with Stain?" He asked.

  Izuku shook his head.

  "Tick tock, stained clock, erasing clocks won't stop.."

  Aizawa was about to say something else, but a nearby building exploded.

  "Tick tock, disaster clock..." Izuku whispered.

  Aizawa set off running, wrapping his capture scarf around a lamppost and swinging to the ground.

  Izuku was left alone on the rooftop above Stain's alleyway.

  Izuku watched as the hero Manual was stabbed and pinned to the alley wall.

  Izuku didn't move when Iida was cut and paralysed, just like Manual.

  "Your blood will create a path to a better society!"

  Izuku dropped on Stain's back, chopping each side of the hero killer's neck.

  "What-?" Stain gasped, shaking Izuku off and leaping back.

  "Tick tock, killing clock.." Izuku muttered.

  "Another child? What do you want?" Stain asked.

  Izuku pressed a button on his phone, sighing as he regained awareness.

  "I'm here to stop you from hurting my friend Stain. I won't let you harm anyone else." Izuku said.

  Iida looked up at Izuku in confusion.

  "Midoriya? What are you doing?? Get away! I have to beat him!"

  Izuku laughed.

  "I just sent a single message to everyone in the 1A group chat. That means that from now, anything could happen! Todoroki could show up, Katsuki might blast in, Aizawa might ignore my instruction and come running in, someone else might be nearby without my knowledge and come barreling in! All this unpredictability makes me the most powerful person in this city. Because now.. I can do this..."

  Stain charged forwards, but found himself tripping over a raised brick in the floor. The killer stumbled, leaping to the side and scaling the wall. Part of the wall crumbled, forcing stain to grab the fire escape ladder on the wall, which lowered itself, and Stain, back to the ground. He was right back where he started.

  Izuku charged forwards, while Stain took a step back to avoid the teen's first blow. Stain fell back over a bin bag, shouting in surprise and rolling to the side, but only hitting a wall.

  "Tick tock..."

  Stain struggled to his feet, his back to the wall, just as Izuku kneed him in the gut.

  "I'll stop the rampaging clock.."

  Stain coughed, the full force of Izuku's strike almost taking him down at once.

  Izuku took a big few steps back, crouching like Tsu did often.

  Katsuki leapfrogged over Izuku, bringing his gloved hands up for a big blast.

  "DIE!!!" He yelled, a feral grin on his handsome face.

  "Tick tock, kryptonite clock.." Izuku giggled.

  Izuku stood properly, high fiving Katsuki as he blasted himself back.

  "Patterned clock!" Izuku shouted.

  "Aye!" Katsuki replied, charging back towards Stain.

  Katsuki's explosions were Stain's kryptonite. They broke his swords, the heat and the shockwaves kept the killer away, and if a direct blast was hit, he would be taken out of the fight.

  Stain desperately dodged, while Izuku did everything left in his power to trip him, block him, or make his movements as predictable as possible.

  "Tick tock, engine clock." Izuku crouched down to Iida.

  "Midoriya.. please, don't do this! I have to be the one to do it!" Iida said.

  Izuku rolled a single die on the ground.

  5.

  "You.. don't sound.. so.. sure.. of that.. Iida..."

  The paralysed boy began to tremble slightly.

  "I just.. I wanted it to be me who took down the villain that hurt Tensei... I wanted to be the one to avenge him.."

  Izuku sighed, putting the dice away.

  "Who needs.. avenging? Nobody is.. dead.. are they..? It's.. sad.. I know. But.. hunting.. Stain.. so ruthlessly.. for.. an injury.. while he.. was doing.. his job... It's.. an insult... To the.. Ingenium name... And to.. Tensei.."

  Katsuki landed a perfect hit on Stain's torso, launching the hero killer into a wall.

  There was a thud, and the killer crumpled to the ground.

  Katsuki glanced over at Izuku.

  "You nerds alright?" He asked.

  Izuku nodded jerkily.

  "Help.. Na.. tive.. Ka.. chan..."

  Katsuki nodded, struggling to keep his features neutral.

  Iida was soon up and about, helping the explosive blonde restrain the hero killer, and carry Native from where he had been paralysed.

  Izuku wandered along beside them, mumbling to himself.

  "Tickticktickticktickticktick..."

  The heroes found the quadrio and villain outside the alleyway. They were fussed over and told off, until Aizawa came swinging in.

  "Tick Tock had my permission to fight any villain for the sake of saving lives. Bakugo was given permission to fight with the same reason by Best Jeanist." He said.

  Izuku crouched down to the ground, die in hand.

  "Midoriya, what are you doing?" Aizawa asked cautiously.

  Izuku rolled the dice, and the Nomu's claws missed Katsuki's shoulders by centimeters.

  It screeched, flapping it's wings to turn around and snatch its prey, but was stopped by Endeavour incinerating it with bright blue flames.

  "Tick tock, tenko clock.." Izuku stared off into the distance.

 
  Right into the binoculars Shigaraki was watching through.