Red Shoes: an MHA Tale

Chapter 26: The Speed of Deku

Deku stood back to back with his wife, Uravity, surrounded by the Purity Alliance.

"We can't stay here long. We have to warn UA." Uravity whispered.

"What makes you say that?" Deku turned his head and asked.

"Because, we've been one step ahead of you the entire time." Akira stated. He outstretched his hands and smiled. "We are much bigger, and deeper, than you could possibly imagine. We have hands in UA, Shiketsu, the Hero Commission Agency, the police, the heroes, the government. We have recruitment programs everywhere."

Deku frowned. "We've fought bigger."

"Way bigger." Uravity smirked.

"You know, you both can join us. Your family will be safe." Akira gestured to Uravity's stomach. "Really. You can live, and be heroes, in peace. Raise your children in utopia."

The couple took a quick look at each other.

"And what will you do to those that say no?" Deku asked. "What about Uravity? You didn't invite her. You kidnapped her!"

Uravity glared silently.

Akira looked at them both with a change of aura. He didn't seem like a threat. But being professional heroes, they both knew better.

"It's not too late to choose. Fight for a dying society that can't keep up with each generation's powers, or join us in the glorious tomorrow of a superhuman society. We're literally one more generation away from godhood." The man monologued.

"Society has already gone through many revisions. It's far from perfect but what you've shown us is insanity. Kidnapping women and forcing them to bear your children? If what you say is true, the next generation will come regardless of who bears who. It's you who wants control!" Deku argued.

Akira shook his head. "Any other way will only bring chaos."

"You're wrong!" Uravity stamped her foot on the ground.

Deku nodded in agreement. "We're the last heroes you'll convince. Especially after what you did...." Green lightning sparked around his body. "Which reminds me."

Akira lowered his head. "I tried to reason with you, but you leave me no choice. You shall both be left in the dust, and your child shall burn."

Simultaneously, both heroes charged him.

Deku's fist went straight for his face, only for Akira to dissipate into dust, letting it pass through. With incredible reflexes, he turned around and grabbed the hero's hood, whipping his body to the ground. But he didn't account for Uravity's second attack as her heel collided with his jaw.

He stumbled back but regained control, staring daggers at her.

Jersey flew in to the fight with his sharp teeth ready to clamp down on her, but Uravity threw herself backward, dodging his assault as he swooped back up into the air to circle around.

In this moment, Deku recovered and unsheathed Black Whip ferociously on Akira. The villain felt the tentacles rip through his body, tearing him apart as his limbs and other parts crumbled to dust off of his center mass.

Uravity jumped up as Jersey flew toward her. Her hand managed to grab his wing and then let go. The monstrous foe lost control of gravity and began flapping his wings effortlessly as he floated away.

"You fool!" Eclipse shouted to his comrade. He unleashed a barrage of his own black tendrils on the heroine. To test if they were a part of his body or not, she had to touch just one. But they were all moving around so fast. One whipped over her and she felt a stinging pain as a cut opened up on her exposed arm. She was still after all, only wearing the gown they put her in. No protection and certainly not as much coverage as she's comfortable with.

"Gunhead Martial Arts." She thought to herself as she flipped through the air dodging as many of the black tentacles as she could.

Deku and Akira continued to exchange blows. Whenever Deku managed to land a hit, Akira's body would blow apart and reform quickly. And his attacks on Deku weren't cushioned either. His fists enlarged and grew spikes. Occasionally he reshaped an arm into a long blade, only for Deku to dodge it and slice it off with his hand.

Black Whip emerged and thrashed wildly at the villains, breaking their concentrations. Eclipse's tentacles went into defensive mode trying to shield him, which gave Uravity an opening. Dropping to the ground, she darted through the chaos and slapped the villain across his cheek, leaving a big red handprint as he floated away.

"Two down, Deku!" She cheered.

"Not so fast!" Akira evaporated, blowing his particles her direction.

Uravity started to run but was caught by his hand as he reformed behind her, grabbing her dress. With his other hand, a large hardened blade fused from his fingers. "Surrender, hero..."

Deku halted himself. The villain's blade was against his wife's neck.

"Or she dies."

Uravity subtly shook her head. "No..."

Eclipse anchored himself behind them with his black tendrils.

Deku breathed heavily. One For All ceased within him as Black Whip was sucked back into his gauntlets and the lightning quit flashing around him. His green hair settled on his sweaty forehead.

He knew his wife could get out of most of these situations. It was so typical of their enemies to assume she was so easy to get the upper hand with. But she was slower considering she was pregnant. By the way, he couldn't let that distract him at the moment either. Would using her Quirk on a villain like Akira even work? He could just reform his body mass to cover any particles she hit with her power and regain gravity.

"Sorry, Ochako..." He thought so insecurely. "I can't think of any way for you to save yourself... It's gonna have to be me."

They had been together for many years. Uravity almost knew his thought process by heart. Even after he trained himself to "mutter" in his mind rather than out loud. She nodded to him in assurance.

Deku shut his eyes briefly. Then when they opened, they glowed green. Before the lightning could spark up around him, he launched himself toward the villain with speed so great, they almost couldn't see him. But one second he was there and the next, both he and Akira were gone. The former exploded all over the scene.

Uravity had her eyes shut and immediately began to spit and blow the dust off of her body.

Eclipse and Stone stood in shock at what happened. "H-He increased his speed?! How fast did he go?!" Eclipse shouted.

The brunette hero took the opportunity to tap the rock villain's arm, grapple him like a baseball bat, and swing his body toward the tentacle-cloth villain, while releasing. The two villains smacked into each other and landed hard on the ground.

Uravity dusted off the remainder of her dress, gave the fallen an audible "hmph!", and raised her arms awaiting her husband's saving embrace.

Deku reappeared from the sky and picked her up with Black Whip. Once she was holding on to his back, with arms wrapped around his neck, he activated Fa Jin and blasted away.

Akira slowly regathered his body and watched the heroes disappear into the clouds. "This isn't over... Call my son. Tell him to evacuate UA at once."

He looked over at his henchmen and saw they were still too discombobulated to be of use. He rolled his eyes and grabbed Stone's phone. "Idiots!"