"Why are you here? Let go already!"
All Might pressed down hard on Midoriya Izuku's head, feeling a headache coming on.
How could there be a kid this reckless?
"If this keeps up, I… gurulu… I'm gonna die… mululu…" Midoriya's face was distorted by the rushing wind, his cheeks puffed out like a balloon as he struggled to speak.
"Don't talk. I'll get you somewhere safe," All Might said helplessly.
As he spoke, he suddenly coughed twice, and a trace of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.
Not enough time… I need to hurry.
At that exact moment, however, the sealed cola bottles slipped from his grasp—and began falling from the sky.
…
Bang!
Two large cola bottles crashed down into the mouth of an alley.
Nearby, a group of people had gathered at a distance, surrounding Bakugo Katsuki.
"Boss, I bought today's newspaper!" Yamada came running over, panting as he held the paper. His eyes drifted toward the headline about the mysterious junior high student who had defeated the sludge villain. With just a glance, four names jumped out at him.
Shina… Etsuha?
"Wait—what the hell, it's him again?!" Yamada's thoughts spiraled into chaos.
Hadn't Shina just come back from the U.A. entrance recommendation test? How was he involved in something like this again?!
Worse—he had confidently told Bakugo Katsuki earlier that the one who defeated the sludge villain couldn't be Shina.
Wasn't this basically digging his own grave?
Yamada hesitated, clutching the newspaper awkwardly, unsure whether to hand it over.
"What are you standing around for?" Bakugo frowned. "Give it to me."
"Uh…" Yamada forced a smile. "Boss, I think I bought the wrong one…"
"Give. Me. The newspaper!" Bakugo's voice rose.
"…Okay."
Reluctantly, Yamada handed it over.
"Shocking! A hardened criminal defeated and forced to flee by a junior high student?! …What kind of trash headline is that?" Bakugo scoffed, but his eyes scanned the article anyway.
"A junior high student from Shizuoka Prefecture… Shina Etsuha… Shina… Etsuha???"
Why him again?!
Bakugo nearly crushed the newspaper in his grip.
After reading the whole thing in one go, he clenched his fists tightly. "That damn Shina—he just got back and already pulls something like this again. So what if he beat a villain? Big deal! If that sludge bastard showed up in front of me, I'd blow him to pieces!"
As he spoke, he kicked one of the large cola bottles beside him—completely unaware of what was inside.
"That's right! Boss isn't weaker than him! You only lost last time because you didn't understand his quirk. If you fight again, your talent will definitely crush Shina!"
"Exactly! That sludge guy doesn't sound that strong anyway. Probably weaker than us. Just some so-called criminal—if he met the boss, he'd be beaten and handed straight to the police!"
"Hahaha, yeah! If Shina can beat him, then the boss definitely can too!"
The group laughed and joked as they walked forward, completely oblivious to what was happening behind them.
The bottle Bakugo had kicked open had already cracked.
"It really is terrifying—All Might. Even facing me in that state, he defeated me with a single punch…"
A low voice oozed out from the broken bottle.
"But… that's all. I didn't expect to encounter another interesting quirk here. Not as good as that ice user, but still… acceptable."
A mass of viscous sludge seeped out through the crack, wriggling free before unscrewing the second bottle.
Gurgle…
The liquids merged silently, flowing together until, within moments, a complete sludge body took shape once more.
"Give me your body!"
Delight surged through him.
His form suddenly expanded, surging forward like a thunderbolt toward Bakugo Katsuki!
"What—this is… sludge?!"
Bakugo's eyes widened. This was the first time he had encountered such a powerful Villain.
Before he could fully react, something wrapped around his neck.
In the next instant—his entire body was immobilized.
Crunch—
The sludge tightened.
Bakugo felt as though every bone in his body was about to shatter under the crushing pressure. Even so, he struggled violently.
"You disgusting thing—die!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted from his hands in rapid succession. Flames burst across the surrounding street, igniting everything in sight.
Panic spread instantly.
"There's a Villain!!"
"Where are the Heroes?! Are there any Heroes nearby?!"
"Someone save that kid!"
…
At the same time—
Shina Etsuha, who had been watching his surroundings carefully, suddenly lifted his head.
He heard it.
An explosion.
"That's Bakugo's quirk… Looks like the sludge is there."