The anti-Quirk bullet collided with Eraser's right leg.
Without hesitating, Eraser Head grabbed a knife and amputated his own leg.
You really are cool, Eraser... y'know, I think my former self was starting to like you... thought Satoru. But even the ones like you have a moment of distraction.
Suddenly, a shockwave. Everyone flew away, and Izuku's grip on Mato was released.
Mato panted heavily and crumbled to his knees.
"You did a very good job, Mato!" Shigaraki had gotten up and helped Mato. "Now, let's end this little game!"
Shigaraki dashed forward and scratched Eraser's face before getting pulled away by Izuku's Black Whip. Then, Mato had to jump high to avoid some ice.
"Sensei!" Shoto had arrived.
"Hey, Shoto-kun..." Mato exclaimed. "You're here too..."
"Hideki, what are you..."
"No time to explain, Shoto," said Endeavor. "Just know that he is cooperating with Shigaraki."
W-what? Hideki's cooperating with Shigaraki...? No, he would never do such a thing... Shoto thought.
Shigaraki decayed the ice that had stabbed him with his Quirk, but Izuku punched him on the back right after.
I feel like my body's going to fade... Mato thought. I'm tired... Tomura-nii, I let you rest... now you're the one who must let me rest.
__________
"Hikaru... you must save Satoru."
Oro's eyes snapped open. "What... what the hell happened...?"
Oro sat up, clutching his stomach; he was sure he had died. How could he possibly have survived a fatal blow to the torso like that?
"How... how am I still alive...?" the Hero wondered. Then he got up, but fell on his knees immediately after. "I... I can't even stand properly... I really am in a bad shape..."
Oro's body was full of scars and bruises, especially on his face. "I don't want another scar like the one I already have on my left eye... that damn Nomu in Kyushu..."
With incredible effort, Oro stood up. "I must... I must reach Satoru... he can still be saved..."
"I refuse to believe he's entirely evil! He can be brought back, and I will! I will not let my brother do something unforgivable... I must stop him, before he kills someone..."
Oro spat blood. "My wounds are too profound... but I don't care. My brother's sanity is at stake. I can't give up."
"H-h-hold on, Ototo... Aniki is coming to save you..."
What was that voice...? Was it... Okasan? Did she tell me to save Satoru through a memory? If so, I have another reason to save him...
__________
Mato's wounds slowly regenerated. Finally, my Regeneration Quirk is activating...
Now that I think about it, have the four months passed? What day is it?
Mato quickly got up, and his scars and bruises all disappeared, aside from a horizontal scar over his right eye. Hold on, Tomura-nii, I'm coming.
"I won't let you escape!" Izuku said. He was in the air and had trapped Shigaraki with Black Whip. Dammit, I'm losing control...
Izuku placed his friends on the floor. "Take care of Gran Torino and the others!"
"Wait, Deku!" Bakugo exclaimed. "You're the one who's supposed to be the most distant one from him!"
"And who else but me could keep him stuck up here?" Izuku asked.
"You really like the sky, huh?" Shigaraki asked. "After I steal One For All, I'll send you to Heaven alongside that old man and the others!"
"Don't hurt them... ever again!" Izuku screamed.
Mato appeared. Damn, I'm late...
In that moment, Bakugo saw Mato. The one he thought he'd be friends with. And in that moment, something came up in his mind. A memory where Satoru was still Hideki.
__________
Flashback
"You want us to help you with your training?" Sero, Uraraka, and Tsuyu were in the Gym Gamma, the place where Izuku, Satoru, and Bakugo usually trained together.
"And what are..."
"We supposed..."
"To do?"
"Sorry, I know you've been busy lately," said All Might.
"I'd like it if you give me some advice about how to handle my new power well," said Izuku. "Oh, and Hideki needs them too! Don't you, Hideki?"
Satoru, who was standing far away, turned. "Nah. I don't need advice. They'll make the work easier, and I won't like that. I want to discover the secrets of my new Detonation Quirk alone."
"You mean Black Whip?" Sero asked. "Don't you already know how to use it? And what happened to your hair?"
"Well..." Izuku said. "I was training with Kacchan and Hideki with Black Whip... and this is the result. It's not hard to imagine who did this."
"Well, they both have explosions, somehow," said Uraraka. "But Shirakawa-kun would never do something like that to you, so I suppose it was Bakugo!"
"Exactly," said Izuku.
"You're terrible, as always!" said Uraraka.
"He wanted a fight as realistic as possible!" said Bakugo.
Satoru snorted and walked towards the end of the room and then sat down. At that time, he had already started to detach from the people he knew for obvious reasons.
Bakugo sat beside him. "Just know I'm sitting beside you because there isn't any other place."
"Don't deny it, Katsuki-kun," said Satoru. "You're starting to like me."
"Well, maybe a little..." said Bakugo. "But this doesn't mean we're friends!"
All Might reached them. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing interesting, All Might," said Satoru.
"Float is not so different from Zero Gravity, if you think about it," said All Might. "If he manages to use it properly, then he'll just need to think about floating to do so."
All Might sat down. "Is there something you two wish to say?"
"They'll find out sooner or later," Bakugo said. "When he only had super strength, it was fine. But at this rate, we won't be able to mask it anymore."
"We won't tell anything to the others aside from Black Whip," said All Might. "However, he will have to follow specific training to prevent the situation from getting out of hand like last time."
"Izuku trusts you blindly," said Satoru. "In the notebook of successors, the description of the fourth Wielder is the only one partially written, while the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh had everything in their descriptions, even the details of their deaths. Why?"
All Might stood silent for a minute.
"The last time Katsuki-kun said this, you looked like you didn't want to talk about it," said Mato.
"Tell us the truth, you noticed the truth, didn't you?" Bakugo asked. "About One For All!"
"Not yet," said All Might. "I haven't understood yet. And I can't explain something I haven't understood."
Bakugo took a look at Izuku. "I wanted to keep him at a distance because I thought he was a weirdo. I couldn't comprehend my weakness, so I just avoided thinking about it, and I mistreated him."
"The fact that you're willing to help him train is a way to excuse yourself," said All Might. "As for Hideki... I suppose he just joined because he wants to get stronger."
"Not only for that," said Satoru. "I'm doing this also because Izuku is a friend of mine, and I always want to help a friend."
Bakugo looked at him. "Are you done being a poet?"
"And are you done being constantly pissed off?" Satoru countered, playfully punching Bakugo's arm. "I knew you were a good person deep down, Katsuki-kun."
__________
Back to the present
He clearly said that... he said that we were his friends... so why is he doing this right now? Bakugo thought. Is he just a good actor? Or did he mean those words at the time? I'm so confused, my head's spinning...
Mato wanted to jump, but his legs were sore. Ugh, the Regeneration hasn't spread in my legs yet... You have to wait a little longer, Tomura-nii...
Suddenly, Mato noticed Bakugo, Endeavor, Todoroki, and Rock Lock jolting in the air. I can't wait anymore... I have to do something!
Finally, Satoru found the strength to jump in the air and reach Shigaraki right before Endeavor grabbed him. "Leave Tomura-nii alone, Endeavor!"
"PLUS ULTRA!" Endeavor screamed. "PROMINENCE BURN!"
Endeavor got wrapped by flames, and so did Shigaraki and Satoru.
Ugh... I'm literally being burnt alive... I can hear Tomura-nii's screams from here... my regeneration will take a lot of time to recover from this...
Suddenly, though, some sort of red spikes came outside Shigaraki's back and stabbed Endeavor. The Number Two Hero descended from the sky. "Why... didn't he die...?"
I can't see a thing... Satoru thought. His mind was sore and blurry due to the flames. I think... I'm going to... die...
In that moment, Mato fainted.
Chapter 65 - End