My Hero Academia: Heavenly Restriction

I opened my eyes to an inferno. The Conflagration Zone stretched before me, a maze of burning buildings and smoke-choked streets. Heat pressed against my skin as I took in my surroundings, cataloging potential escape routes and vantage points.

"Hello?" A feminine voice called out. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

What kind of absolute moron-

"I heard something this way!" Gruff voices echoed between the buildings, accompanied by heavy footsteps.

Of course. I moved toward the sound of the first voice, staying low and using the burning structures for cover. The crackle of flames masked my approach until I spotted a pair of floating gloves near a partially collapsed storefront.

Hagakure. Her hero costume consisted of just those gloves and boots, which meant-

I tapped her shoulder. "It's me."

She screamed. "AH-"

My hand clamped over her mouth as I pulled her against me, ducking behind the building's corner. Her skin was slick with sweat from the heat. I tried very hard to focus on the approaching footsteps instead of our current position.

"Did you hear that?"

"Over there!"

Hagakure squirmed in my grip. I lowered my voice to barely a whisper, lips nearly brushing her ear. "Shh. We don't know how many there are." Her pulse hammered against my palm. "I'm going to take my hand off your face, okay? We need to stay quiet."

She nodded. I slowly removed my hand, but kept my other arm around her waist. The heat from the fires made the contact... complicated.

"Sorry," she whispered, barely audible over the inferno around us. "I got separated from everyone and-" She shifted, pressing closer. "You're really warm."

"That would be the burning buildings." 

"No, I mean-" She fell silent as more footsteps approached.

"Nothing here."

"Keep looking. Boss wants them found."

I held perfectly still until the voices faded. Hagakure's breathing had grown heavier, though whether from fear or... other factors, I couldn't tell. 

"We need to move." I forced my thoughts back to tactics. "They'll sweep this area again soon."

"Right." She made no attempt to pull away. "Um, Midoriya?"

"Yeah?"

"You can let go now."

"Oh." I released her. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking about-"

"It's fine!" Her gloves waved frantically. "Really! I mean, you couldn't exactly see... and it was kind of nice... I mean-" She coughed. "So! Escape plan?"

I studied our surroundings. The fires were spreading, cutting off several potential routes. Smoke filled the air, reducing visibility - though that worked in our favor with Hagakure's quirk.

"They'll expect us to head for the exit." I traced possible paths through the burning streets. "But they've probably got that covered. We need to find high ground, get a better view of the situation."

"There's a parking structure two blocks over." Her glove pointed east.

"Good eye. We can-" Movement caught my attention. "Down!"

I pulled her behind a burnt-out car as three villains passed nearby. One had some kind of metal prosthetic arm, while another's skin seemed to ripple like water. The third looked relatively normal, but carried himself like someone used to fighting.

"They're coordinating searches." I kept my voice low. "Professional. This isn't some random attack."

"What do we do?"

"Stay invisible. I'll draw their attention if needed, but your quirk gives us an advantage. Just..." I cleared my throat. "Maybe put on my shirt."

"What? Oh! OH!" Her gloves pressed against her cheeks. "I didn't even think... I mean, the costume design makes sense for my quirk, but..."

"Here. To protect from the fire." I pulled off my compression shirt, leaving me in just a tank top. "Better than nothing."

"Thanks." Fabric rustled as she put it on. The shirt hung loose on her smaller frame and objectively impressive chest, the hem falling to mid-thigh. "How do I look?"

"I literally cannot answer that question."

She giggled, then quickly stifled the sound. "Right, sorry. Serious situation." A pause. "You look good though. The tank top really shows off your-" She coughed again. "Never mind! Parking structure?"

"Yeah." I peered around the car. "Coast is clear. Stay close."

We moved through the burning streets, using the flames and smoke for additional cover. Hagakure proved surprisingly stealthy even with footwear.

The parking structure loomed ahead, relatively untouched by the fires. Four stories of concrete and steel that would give us a decent vantage point. Assuming it wasn't already occupied.

"I'll check it first." I studied the entrance. "Your quirk's better for reconnaissance, but if there's trouble-"

"I can handle myself." Her gloves planted on her hips. "I'm not completely helpless just because I can't punch through walls like you."

"That's not what I-"

"Besides." One glove touched my arm. "We're partners now, right? We watch each other's backs."

I considered arguing, but she had a point. 

"Fine. But stay behind me on the stairs. And if I say run-"

"Yeah, yeah. Lead the way, Mr. President."

The parking structure's first level was empty save for a few abandoned cars. We cleared each floor methodically, finding no signs of villains. The roof offered a clear view of the Conflagration Zone.

"Think everyone's okay?"

"They're tough." I responded. "But we need to-"

The stairwell door burst open. Three villains emerged - including the ones we'd seen earlier. The one with the metal arm grinned.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Finally.

Metal Arm's grin faltered as I stepped forward. Something in my expression must have registered because he took a half-step back.

"Three against one?" My voice carried across the rooftop, cold and precise. "If you wanted to kill All Might, you should have brought better fighters."

"Cocky little-" The one with rippling skin lunged forward.

I moved. One step. Palm strike to the solar plexus. His eyes bulged as the air left his lungs. A quick elbow to the temple dropped him before his partner could blink.

"What the-"

Metal Arm swung. Amateur. His balance was all wrong, too much weight on his front foot. I slipped inside his guard, grabbed his prosthetic, and twisted. Something cracked. He screamed.

"My arm! You broke my fucking-"

"Cheap materials." I drove my knee into his ribs. Two distinct cracks. "Like everything else about you."

The third villain - the one who moved like a fighter - actually managed to block my first strike. His stance was solid. Traditional karate background, probably.

"Not bad." I caught his counter, redirected the force. "But still..."

Water flowed around stone. His own momentum carried him forward as I stepped aside. My elbow connected with the base of his skull. He crumpled.

"...not good enough."

Hagakure's gloves appeared at my side. "That was... intense."

"They're here to kill our teachers. Hurt our classmates." I checked the bodies - unconscious but breathing. "I'm done playing nice."

Movement below caught my attention. More villains entering the structure. At least a dozen, probably drawn by Metal Arm's scream.

"Time to go?"

"Not yet." I studied their approach patterns. "We need intel first. How many are you seeing in the zone?"

"Um..." Her gloves gestured toward the burning cityscape. "Maybe thirty? They're spread out in search parties."

"Thirty-seven." I corrected, having counted earlier. "All relatively weak. This is just the first wave."

Footsteps echoed up the stairwell. I glanced at Hagakure's floating gloves.

"Want to help me test a theory?"

The first villain through the door found an empty rooftop. Just three unconscious bodies and-

"Looking for someone?"

He spun toward my voice. My fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling. His companions burst onto the roof - right into Hagakure's path. She might not have my strength, but an invisible opponent was incredibly disorienting.

Two minutes later, five more bodies joined the first three.

"That's eight." I rolled my shoulder. "Twenty-nine to go."

We moved through the burning zone like ghosts. Hagakure's quirk let us approach undetected, and my training with Bang made each takedown quick and efficient. A strike to the temple here. A dislocated shoulder there. Nothing fatal, but they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

"Behind you!"

I ducked as a villain with extending fingers tried to grab me. His quirk might have been useful at range, but in close quarters...

Too slow. My palm strike shattered his nose. He stumbled back, hands rising to his face. Perfect target. One punch to the solar plexus dropped him.

"Fifteen." Hagakure's voice held a mix of awe and concern. "Are you keeping count?"

"Always." I scanned the area. "Movement, two o'clock. Group of four."

We picked them off systematically. Hagakure would create a distraction - a floating glove here, a mysterious sound there - while I struck from their blind spots. Basic tactics, but effective against untrained thugs.

Twenty-three down.

The remaining villains had started to panic. Good. Scared opponents made mistakes. We found another group arguing about whether to continue searching or retreat.

Their debate ended abruptly when I dropped from above.

Twenty-eight.

"He's a monster!"

"Call for backup!"

"Where's Kurogiri? We need-"

Their voices cut off as I methodically worked through their group. These ones had actually tried to coordinate, to use their quirks together. It might have worked against a normal opponent.

I wasn't feeling particularly normal today.

Thirty-four down. Three to go.

We found them near the zone's exit. Two were keeping watch while the third...

The third had his hands on a struggling pair of gloves.

Something in my chest went very, very cold.

"Come on, invisible girl." His voice made my skin crawl. "Let's see what we're working with-"

I crossed the distance in two steps. His head snapped back as my fist connected, sending him flying into a partially collapsed wall. His companions tried to run. One made it three steps before my kick shattered his kneecap. The other managed to activate his quirk - some kind of hardening effect.

It didn't help.

"Please..." The first one tried to crawl away from the wall. Blood dripped from his nose. "We didn't... I didn't mean..."

"Get up."

"…What?"

"I said." My voice could have frozen hell. "Get. Up."

He tried to stand, legs shaking. I waited until he was almost upright before striking again. This time, he stayed down.

"Midoriya?" Hagakure's voice was small.

The cold fury drained away, replaced by concern. "Are you okay? Did they-"

"I'm fine." Her gloves clutched my shirt tighter around her. "Just... startled. And angry. Really angry."

"That's thirty-seven." I surveyed our handiwork. Unconscious bodies lay scattered throughout the zone, a testament to what happened when you threatened my people. "We should head for the entrance. Find the others."

"Right." She moved closer, one glove finding my hand. "And Midoriya?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For having my back."

I squeezed her invisible hand. "Partners, right?"

We made our way toward the central plaza, leaving the burning zone and its defeated occupants behind. But something still bothered me. These villains had been too weak, too disorganized. If they really wanted to kill All Might...

What aren't we seeing?