You Can Be a Hero Too

Chapter 26: My Hero

[Previously]

"Don't worry, Kota-kun..." As the villain sent Izuku flying, he winced in pain.

Izuku and the High Orc now stood side by side, forming a barrier between Kota and the villain. The High Orc melded into Izuku's shadow. "I will...without fail...rescue you!"

[Training Camp Arc] My Hero

"Prepare to face your demise, you fraudulent heroes who only care for yourselves!" Spinner declared, his enormous sword of swords swiping toward Mandalay with menacing force.

With agility and grace, the leader of the Pussycats flipped backward, landing in a poised pouncing position while activating her Quirk.

"Spinner, despite being a villain, I must admit you have a certain appeal—a type I find intriguing," she remarked, causing him to pause in the midst of his swing. Confusion flickered across his face.

"What's gotten into you?" she taunted, swiftly swooping beneath him and slashing his leg with her razor-sharp claws.

"You deceitful wench! That was a dishonorable move!" Spinner retorted, anger seeping into his voice.

In an unexpected twist, Mandalay suddenly felt a force pulling her backward. "Wha-AAAH!"

A pink glow surrounded her as she found herself being drawn closer to the other villain's magnetic field.

"Welcome to the party, my feline friend!" Magne sang with a malicious grin as the gap between them closed rapidly. Mandalay's life seemed to hang in the balance, about to be crushed, when Tiger leaped into action, delivering a powerful blow to Magne's face.

"What brings you here, villain?" Tiger demanded, his punches gaining strength and steadily overpowering Magne, who staggered back, attempting to evade the onslaught.

"Hehe, now that's an interesting question," Magne replied with a hint of mischief.

"Tiger, something isn't right!" Mandalay warned as she rose to her feet, bracing herself for Spinner's imminent return. "I haven't received any response from Ragdoll yet. She would have intervened by now!"

A sense of unease washed over Mandalay. "I fear that all of this may be nothing more than a diversion—a smokescreen for something far more sinister."

...

"What do you mean, you're certain you'll rescue him?" The huge blonde villain chuckled, his eyes narrowing. "That sounds like something a would-be hero would say."

"Well, I'm no hero," Izuku responded with his own chuckle, a green glow emanating from his eyes. "I'm just a boy with a sword and a can of whoop-ass!"

The blonde glanced at him dismissively. "That won't work."

"Neither will your strategy. Care to share your name, big fella?" Izuku taunted.

"Muscular," the villain growled. "And you must be Kayama. We were ordered to take you out."

Additional muscle tendons started protruding from Muscular's arms, bulging them. "I'll make sure to torture you severely. SHOW ME YOUR BLOOD!"

He lunged towards Izuku, who mirrored his movement. Izuku activated his arm and leg armor, and their fists collided once more.

Izuku stepped back, charging up another attack before leaping inward to strike Muscular in the stomach. Muscular blocked the blow, and their arms locked together momentarily, in a stalemate.

The villain laughed. "That's more like it." With a powerful punch, he sent Izuku crashing sideways into the mountain's surface, creating a cloud of dust.