Necrotic

The battle had been raging for too long, and too many pros had been taken down. Their surroundings—the city—had been completely demolished. Between Deku's explosive strikes and Bakugo's literal explosions, the concrete jungle was already in bad shape. Add in Cementoss constructing barriers from the concrete along with the damage the villains had done, and the city was unrecognizable, nothing more than a dusty crater.

"You have to stop this!" Todoroki screamed at the man floating in the air. Wires covered his muscled body, bolts of electricity shooting from them. The villain had seemingly appeared from thin air before showing off multiple quirks. The heroes easily assumed that this was All For One's doing, and if he were being honest, Todoroki was getting pretty fucking sick of dealing with that guy's bullshit.

The villain who had called himself Blacksmith (due to his ability to control anything with even the smallest amount of iron in it) laughed maniacally. "Stop? That's the best you've got? Kid, you have no idea what I'm capable of!"

Todoroki could hear screaming and crying. He didn't even want to think about how many people in the city had been crushed in the battle so far. So many dead.

"You have no idea what we're capable of!" Midoriya shouted, suddenly beside him. His body was thrumming with green energy, as it always was in the heat of a battle. In a much quieter voice, he spoke to Todoroki, not taking his eyes off the villain above them. "I have a plan. I've already talked to Kacchan about it. We just need your help."

"Tell me," Todoroki breathed heavily, eyes narrowed.

Midoriya quickly explained in a hushed tone that backup had just arrived in the form of Yaoyorozu, Kirishima, and their former teacher, Mr. Aizawa, commonly known to the public as EraserHead.

"Once Eraser gets close enough, he's going to get rid of as many of this guy's quirks he can manage. It looks like there's a lot, though, so he won't be able to hold him for very long before getting tired--"

"Or blinking."

"Right. So we have to work fast. Once his quirks are gone, we're going to try to trap him with your help. We just need you to freeze him. We need the thickest sheet of ice you can manage, Todoroki." He nodded. "Once he's immobilized, Kacchan, Kirishima, and I can deliver our final blows and hopefully knock him out."

"Sounds too simple. You think it will actually work?"

Deku leveled a fierce look at Todoroki. "I don't know. But it's the best we've got. We need to stop him so that we can start rescuing these people. Uraraka and Tsuyu are already working on it, but there's only so much they can do while--"

Both men let out grunts as they just barely dodged a large piece of rebar riddled concrete.

"I'm in. Let's move!"

Deku nodded at him before looking over his shoulder at a crouching EraserHead who quickly jumped into action. He did not go unnoticed by Blacksmith who began launching various objects at him—pieces of buildings, cars, whatever he could grip with his quirks. The hero was a pro for a reason, though, and was excellent at maneuvering out of the way. At last, he was within distance to lock onto the villain. Todoroki smirked when the makeshift weapons stopped hurtling through the air, but the glee was fleeting. A new figure stepped out of some nearby rubble, and Todoroki's heart stuttered in his chest just as he was raising his right arm.

"Damn it, Deku, look!" Both men fixed their eyes on a familiar young woman, black hair blowing around her face fiercely. She looked relatively harmless, but Todoroki knew better.

"Mizery," the hero next to him uttered. They knew her first as Mizuki, but she had donned the villain name in recent years. "Oh shit, she's heading for Eraser!"

The index finger on her left hand took on a blue hue. Todoroki had only seen it once before. That blue meant death.

Deku screamed at their mentor as the woman got closer, not thinking about the consequences "Eraser!" In an instant, the man turned toward the frightened voice, breaking his eye contact with the villain. It gave Blacksmith just enough time to launch an SUV straight at the raven-haired hero, and it crushed him straight into the rubble.

"No!"

Todoroki wasted no time after that, sending a huge burst of ice at Blacksmith and effectively trapping him. He wasn't sure how long it would last; with power like that, he could probably tear through anything. Still, he hoped Midoriya and Bakugo would be able to take the fucker out now.

Deku flew through the air in a flash of green, the explosive boy not far behind, and Todoroki felt secure enough to rush toward the pile of rubble that Aizawa was trapped under. Miz was close, though, and he had to get to the man before she did. One touch from her blue finger was all it would take. One touch would suck the life out of him.

Forming a path of ice, Todoroki quickly slid over the debris to his former teacher, working as quickly as possible to displace the rocks and give Aizawa enough room to wriggle out. After moving a particularly large piece of concrete, the man's head was exposed, and Todoroki grit his teeth at the sight of blood leaking from a large gash on his scalp. He was unconscious for sure, and the more rocks he moved, the more damage Todoroki saw.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Mizery just a couple yards away. He cast a regretful glance at Aizawa, then stood up. He would have to dig him out later. There was a chance that he was partially pinned under the capsized SUV. If that were the case, Todoroki would need help moving it.

"Mizuki," he greeted.

"Shōto," the girl smiled. She sounded just like she did those few years ago.

Mizuki had also attended UA, though she was in class 1-B. Her quirk disallowed her from competing in most school events, but she did her best to make up for that through academics. Most of the students had avoided her out of fear, afraid that if they somehow offended her, she would take vengeance. Todoroki was one of her only friends. He and Tokoyami had found her intriguing enough to strike up a conversation with her one day as she sat alone in the cafeteria, and it quickly turned into a strong friendship.

Tokoyami.

Todoroki narrowed his eyes, fire blazing on his left side as he thought of his fallen classmate. "What are you doing here?"

The grin didn't leave her face. To someone who didn't know her, Mizuki probably looked sweet, innocent. Todoroki had seen her power, though, had watched her grab Tokoyami's hand that day and say goodbye to him. His flesh turned necrotic immediately, and the boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell to the ground.

Dead.

Mizuki sighed across from him. "I was hired. Turns out a lot of people appreciate my quirk."

"Villains," he hissed.

She shrugged her shoulders. "You've probably killed more people than I have, Shōto. All the fights you've gotten into, how many casualties do you think there have been?"

He sneered at her. "Don't compare us. We're nothing alike."

She stared at him, unblinking, until her gaze traveled to the man on the ground. Todoroki didn't miss the way her tiny blue finger twitched at her side. "Don't you dare."

"I've been given orders," Mizuki stated simply, taking a step forward.

The hero made a wall of ice, blocking her and giving him just a few seconds to think.

How am I supposed to fight her? Sure, I'm stronger, but that doesn't matter when all she needs to do is lay a finger on me. If someone else were around to get a surprise attack on her, it would be easy, but the only way I can take her on is if I keep my distance. Ranged attacks only. She's already so close, though, and I can't leave Aizawa.

To his surprise, Todoroki noticed the wall begin to melt. Through his ice, he could see a bright light, obviously the source of the heat.

Are you kidding me? He panicked. Does she have a blow torch or something?

As the ice became thinner, Todoroki could see that there was no torch but an outstretched hand—Miz’s outstretched hand, and blue flames were shooting out from it.

"Did you think I was just a one trick pony?"

"All For One," he said through gritted teeth. He began to reinforce the barrier, but as his ice grew stronger, so did her fire. It was an even match, and she was soon able to walk toward them again.

The battle above them suddenly ceased, and Todoroki was able to hear a dull thud not far behind him where a body hit the ground. Blacksmith was down, but that didn't help him much. Even if Midoriya and Bakugo wanted to help him, they wouldn't be able to get to him in time. Miz continued to scorch the ice almost faster than he could make it. Todoroki did his best to keep a straight face, but he was shaken.

Closer and closer.

Todoroki decided that he needed to switch tactics and let is left side do the work. He engulfed Miz in a chamber of flames, thinking that would hold her for at least a few seconds, but he could see his plan hadn't worked when her hand emerged from it, still covered in blue, still threatening his demise.

Damn. He had no choice but to engage in hand to hand combat with her, and that meant he was more than likely going to die.

Right there in the rubble.

This was to be his last battle, and what did he have to show for it? He had made a name for himself, yes, but he wasn't number one. His life felt so unfinished. He hadn't saved enough people. He hadn't rid the world of its plague of villains. There was still so much left to do.

Todoroki took a deep breath once Miz was in reaching distance and stepped in front of his mentor's fallen form. He wouldn't even be able to save him. Once Todoroki was down, he was sure Miz would just crouch down and take care of EraserHead as well.

"Oh, Shōto, I've missed you," she spoke. The blue flames disappeared, making way for her ultimate weapon.

He growled, "Don't patronize me," as he lunged forward and tackled her to the ground. His reflexes were quick enough to catch both of her hands in his, and he squeezed them as hard as he could, able to feel small bones breaking. He wasn't going down without causing her some pain. The woman shrieked and tried to pull away before curling her legs up and kicking him off of her.

Todoroki grunted as she knocked the air out of him, pulling his hand toward him quickly as he saw her reach for it.

"Come on, Todoroki. You know this is it. Why are you still fighting?"

He glared at her, getting back to his feet and jumping back when she came at him again. "You killed Tokoyami. I'm not going to let you kill any more of my friends."

"That's sweet. I always liked how protective you were of those you care about." Another lunge toward him.

Dammit, where was everyone? He just needed Deku or Bakugo to take her down from behind because there was no way he was going to be able to do it. It was only a matter of time before she was able to touch him, though. Broken as her hands were, her finger was still blue.

One touch.

She was on top of him suddenly, and he let out a roar as he restrained her, holding her wrists as tightly as he could as she fought against him.

"Just let go, Shōto!"

The image of the girl she used to be flashed through his mind. Mizuki used to be kind and quiet, always wishing her compassion could make up for her fatal quirk, but everyone shied away from her. Initially, Todoroki had been surprised to find she had taken on a villainous role, but the more he pondered it, the more he understood. The hero world had no place for a quirk like hers, a quirk that brought death. She could either use it as a villain or ignore it altogether and live as a normal human.

"You don't have to do this, Mizuki," he grunted.

Someone. Anyone.

"Oh, but I do," she laughed. There was no kindness in those red eyes, no sign of mercy.

With a scream, Mizuki tugged her hand out of Todoroki's grasp, and he took a deep breath.

This is it.

Shōto closed his heterochromic eyes just as he felt her hand touch his chest. He waited for the pain, for the peace.

But it didn't come.

"Huh?" Mizuki squeaked. "Wh-what?"

The pile of rubble next to them caught his eye, or really, the man underneath did. Aizawa's bloody head was lifted, and his bloodshot eyes were fixed on Mizery. Todoroki couldn't have been more grateful for his teacher, and a smile worked its way onto his face.

This will be much easier now.

The pure fear that he had been feeling only moments before vanished, and Todoroki quickly threw Mizery off of him before yelling for help.

"Deku! Bakugo!"

Explosions sounded nearby, and Todoroki smirked, turning his gaze back to the woman in front of him who was pointing at a shaking EraserHead. "You!"

He grinned as best he could, blood now dripping from the side of his mouth. Todoroki needed to get him out of here and fast. He wouldn't last much longer.

"You basta—"

Midoriya landed an incredibly powerful kick directly to Mizery’s head, and Todoroki was almost surprised to find that it was still attached to her body. She crumpled to the ground, though, a few teeth tumbling from her mouth. Her cheek was lanced open and bleeding profusely.

Todoroki let out a sigh of relief feeling his knees trembling as he made his way over to Aizawa who had let his head rest on the ground. Midoriya followed quickly, falling to the ground to help remove more rocks.

"I'm stuck under the car," Aizawa coughed, blood splattering the concrete in front of him. "I can't feel my legs."

"Hopefully, they're still there," Todoroki said easily.

"If that's your idea of a joke--" Midoriya began, tears in his eyes.

Aizawa chuckled, though, and that's all Todoroki cared about.

"Come on. Let's move it."

The two of them got up and walked to the vehicle. It was destroyed, just like the rest of the city. Todoroki knew that the other hero would be able to move it fine without him but still wanted to help, and together, they shifted it off their teacher. It took them a few minutes to unearth the man, and when they did, they could see how broken his body was.

Todoroki stepped aside as Deku picked him up, grimacing at the way Aizawa's face twisted in pain.

"I'm taking him to the hospital," he announced. "Stay and help with rescue. I'll come back with an update as soon as I can."

Todoroki nodded, setting his jaw, but as Midoriya began to walk away, he called out, "Wait,” and caught up with them. He peered down at their mentor and wiped some of the blood away from his mouth. "Aizawa, if you hadn't..." The man coughed gruesomely. "I'd be dead."

"I know," he grumbled. "Idiot."

The younger man grinned, letting his hand fall from the hero's face. He nodded for Midoriya to leave and watched his figure shrink into the distance.

Police began to flood the scene. Screams for help were suddenly louder, as if he had been tuning them out this whole time. Todoroki let himself enjoy the feeling of relief for just a few moments longer before focusing on rescue. The danger had passed. For now, at least.