Rejected Stones

The Rage of Achilles

The Rage of Achilles

It Is Fine Now. Why? Because I Am Here!

-All Might

They were drawn up in the hills just outside a small town called Kesil, a mining town that straddled the highway north. While a lot of quirks largely nullified terran advantages, there was still something to be said for a strong defensive position. Izuku and the resistance were currently perched atop a line of ridges, with their backs to a more gentle slope and the southward faces more steeply inclined.

Below them lay a large, somewhat flat stretch of ground that was full of rice paddies and fields for live stock. They were still a few wandering animals, but the people were long gone. Kesil itself was a burned out ruin, having been the sight of several clashes between the PLF and Izuku's forces already.

Half an hour earlier, Izuku's lead elements had clashed with PLF scouts and even some nomu, but those had quickly fallen back when the nomu died, not attempting to hold the ruins. They'd left a few traps behind, but those had been sorted out quickly. The main worry Izuku had now was that they maintained control of the highway so they had a clear line of retreat, should it prove necessary. He didn't think there would be any running from this fight, but it was good to keep your options open.

"They're coming," Mei told Izuku, looking down over the farmlands below. "I can see them." She had her goggles on top of her forehead, and was squinting slightly. He guessed her quirk really was coming back.

He could see the foe as well, deploying in a line across the rice paddies. It was a stupid way to form up and charge, but the PLF wasn't really a military organization. They were a collection of angry people with powerful quirks. That was something he'd learned at Denkai. They had numbers and strength, but no tactical or strategic sense.

"Uraraka?" Izuku called over the radio. "Have you got those zones sighted in?"

"Yep, don't worry, I took it easy, my quirk is ready to go," she told him. "We'll rain hell down on those bastards as they come."

"Hmm," Izuku rubbed at his chin, though since he was in two layers of armor it was mostly just a nervous gesture. "I don't like it. Shigaraki's not stupid. Shinso, any word?"

"Believe it or not, he really is this stupid," Shinso answered. "Legacystain says he's looking to punish the PLF for their failures. Culling the weak, he calls it. He thinks he can win this on his own, or with just a few of his chosen circle. He thinks this is all a game. Only ones he really wants dead are Togata and Bakugo. He's pissed at them. My guy thinks he actually did care for All For One, in a sick, twisted sort of way."

"Alright, but he's got others working for him. Dabi, Spinner, Hanabata, Iceman, Curious. They're not this dumb."

"Curious is back at HQ," Shinso replied. "Dabi continues their efforts towards Kyto; I think he's the only one Shigaraki really trusts at this point. As for the others, well, Hanabata's a good politico and his quirk makes him good at making shock troops, but he's not a general. Spinner's a fanatic, but he's not got a lot of tactical sense. And Iceman, well, he believes the same thing as Shigiraki: if you've got the stronger quirk, you'll win.''

"So they're really going to do this?" Izuku said, half not believing it as he watched the PLF advance down the highway and across the rice fields. "They're just going to charge our position?"

"Well, I mean, Shigiraki does have one thing right," Shinso said, sounding nervous. "He's got a hell of a lot of men. We've got less than 300. He's got way more than 10,000."

"And at some point, terrain, quirks, and discipline only count for so much," Izuku sighed. "At some point, sheer weight of numbers is all that matters."