My Hero Academia: Heavenly Restriction

The Nomu's fist whistled through empty air as I weaved past, footwork flowing like water. Each movement fed into the next, just as Bang had drilled into me countless times. The concrete cracked where the monster's blow landed.

"Interesting dodge!" The hand-covered villain's scratching intensified. "But how long can you keep it up?"

Longer than you think, asshole.

I kept my stance low and fluid, eyes tracking both the Nomu and the warping mist villain. The hand-guy seemed content to watch, scratching away like he had mange. Coward. Now to make sure he stays focused on me.

"What's wrong?" My voice carried across the plaza. "Too scared to fight your own battles? Gotta hide behind your pet while you scratch yourself raw?"

The scratching stopped. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." I shifted right as the Nomu charged again, its movements predictable despite their speed. "Big man, letting your science experiment do the work while you itch."

A vein pulsed in his exposed neck. "Nomu. Break his legs."

The creature blurred forward. I rolled under its grab, coming up behind a broken pillar. The Nomu's fist reduced it to rubble, but the debris cloud bought me precious seconds.

Think. The thing had speed, size, and super strength. Direct attacks would be pointless. But maybe...

"Getting tired yet?" Hand-guy's voice dripped false concern. "Your legs are shaking."

He wasn't wrong. The flash steps had taken more out of me than I'd expected. But like hell I'd let him see that.

"Nah, just bored." I caught a piece of falling debris, launching it at the warp villain's neck brace. He dodged, but it forced him to shift position. Good to know he can be hit. "Thought the 'All Might killer' would be more impressive. Instead I get a scratching post and his pet turkey."

The hand-villain's whole body twitched. "You talk too much."

"And you scratch too much. We've all got our quirks." I paused. "Well, most of us do. Must be hard, needing a bio-weapon to fight your battles. Did daddy not hug you enough or-"

"KILL HIM!"

The Nomu's fist caught me mid-taunt. Even rolling with the impact, the blow sent me skidding across concrete. Okay, maybe antagonizing him wasn't the smartest play.

I spat blood, pushing to my feet. The Nomu already closed the distance, its next punch aimed at my head. I dropped, letting momentum carry me into a leg sweep. Useless against its strength, but it put me inside its guard.

Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist wasn't just about power. It was about flow, about turning an opponent's strength against them. The Nomu might absorb shock, but it still had to obey physics.

I grabbed its extended arm, using its own momentum to redirect its charge. The creature stumbled, off-balance for a crucial moment. My elbow found the junction between its neck and shoulder - a strike that would have paralyzed or killed a normal person.

The Nomu didn't even flinch.

Right. Enhanced durability.

Its backhand caught me square in the ribs. Pain exploded through my chest as I sailed through the air, managing to turn the fall into a roll at the last second. Something was definitely cracked, if not broken.

"Not so talkative now, are we?" Hand-guy's voice gained a manic edge. "Where's all that bravado?"

I pushed up on shaking arms. "Still... here... bitch."

"Nomu. I want to watch this one break slowly."

The mist villain went next to hand guy. Good. One less threat to track.

"It's just us now." Hand-guy spread his arms. "Well, us and Nomu. Any last words before I let him finish you?"

I spat more blood, grinning despite the pain. "Yeah. Your hands look store-bought. Discount villain outlet?"

The scream of rage almost made the beating worth it. Almost.

The Nomu's next series of attacks drove me back, each dodge bringing fresh waves of agony from my ribs. I used the terrain - broken pillars, scattered debris, anything to put obstacles between us. But I was slowing. Each movement cost more energy than the last.

Where the hell is All Might? The thought crept in as I dodged another devastating blow. The Nomu's fist pulverized the concrete where I'd stood moments before, sending chunks of debris flying. My ribs screamed in protest with each movement.

"Running out of space, little hero." Hand-guy's voice echoed across the plaza. He had a point - I'd been pushed back almost to the fountain.

"Still got enough room to make you look stupid." The words came out shakier than intended. Blood dripped from my split lip.

The Nomu charged again, its movements becoming harder to read. Or maybe that was the exhaustion setting in. I tried to weave past, but my foot caught on a piece of rubble. The monster's fist connected with my sternum.

The world spun. Pain exploded through my chest as I crashed through the fountain's central pillar. Water rained down around me, mixing with the blood in my mouth. 

Get up. My arms trembled as I pushed against the wet concrete. Get. Up.

"Still conscious?" Hand-guy sounded almost impressed. "Impressive durability for a grunt. But that just means we get to play longer."

Damn it. I was too weak. Too slow. Too useless. Even after all that training, all those hours with Bang, I still needed someone else to save me?

"Nomu. Break his other arm."

The creature's shadow loomed over me. I tried to roll away, but my body wouldn't respond fast enough. Its massive hand reached for my-

"DIE!"

The sound of explosions filled the air as an orange blast struck the Nomu's face. It barely flinched, but the attack bought me precious seconds. A wall of ice erupted between me and Hand-guy, its crystalline surface reflecting the afternoon sun.

"Midoriya!" Kirishima's voice. "You look like shit, man!"

"BOOM!" The word materialized in the air as Manga's attack forced the Nomu back a step.

I blinked water from my eyes. Bakugo landed in a crouch, palms smoking. Hitomi stood beside him, frost coating her right side. Kirishima and Manga took up flanking positions.

"The fuck you doing laying around, Prez?" Bakugo's eyes never left the Nomu. "Taking a goddamn nap?"

"Thought I'd... let you have some fun too." I managed to stand, though my legs shook. "Careful. Thing's got shock absorption and regeneration."

"Tch. Then I'll just have to kill it harder."

The Nomu moved faster than any of them could track. Its fist caught Bakugo in the stomach, lifting him off his feet. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he sailed through the air.

"Bakugo!" Kirishima hardened his skin, charging forward. The Nomu batted him aside like a toy.

Hitomi launched a wave of ice, but the creature simply plowed through it. Manga's sound effects shattered against its skin without effect. 

I watched Bakugo struggle to rise, blood dripping from his mouth. The Nomu approached him with methodical steps.

Move.

My body screamed in protest.

MOVE.

Bakugo managed to launch another explosion, but the Nomu walked through it unfazed.

FUCKING MOVE!

I wasn't going to make it to Bakugo in time. But maybe... Yes. Hand-guy was focused on watching his pet's handiwork. His guard was down. Let's see if this pet had a protective mode. 

The last flash step felt like fire in my veins. The world blurred as I crossed the plaza, my fist already cocked back. Hand-guy's eyes widened as I appeared before him. For just a moment, I saw real fear there.

Then the Nomu's fist caught me in the side. 

Something cracked inside me as I bounced across the concrete. Through blurry vision, I saw Hand-guy compose himself, though his hands shook slightly.

"Loyal pet." He scratched his neck. "But you... you actually made me feel fear for a moment. How interesting. Nomu, finish him properly this time."

The monster's footsteps approached. I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond.

At that moment I thought about Camie, mom, gramps. Everyone who made this second chance at life mean something to me.

It was a good life. I hope I made your dream come true, Izuku. 

The Nomu raised its fist. I closed my eyes.

"SMASH!"

A shockwave rippled through the plaza. My eyes snapped open to see All Might standing between me and the Nomu, his fist extended where it had intercepted the creature's attack.

"I really am pathetic." His voice carried none of its usual cheer. "To let my students face such danger while I wasted time. But now..." His eyes blazed with fury. 

"I AM HERE!"

The familiar golden hair and broad shoulders of All Might filled my fading view. Finally showed up.

"Young Midoriya, hold on." His voice sounded distant, like it was coming from underwater.

"Bought... enough time..." My words came out as barely a whisper. "Next time... be faster... old man..."

Strong arms lifted me with infinite care. The movement sent fresh waves of agony through my broken body, but I was beyond caring. The world started to dim around the edges.

Then darkness claimed me.

===

Five minutes ago

Toshinori sat across from Principal Nezu, their conversation about finding a successor weighing heavily in the air. The tea between them had long since gone cold.

"Time grows short," Nezu said, his small paws wrapped around his cup. "Your power-"

A thunderous crash interrupted them, the door flying open to reveal a breathless Iida. His glasses had cracked, and blood trickled from a cut above his eye.

"The USJ!" Iida's voice cracked face still down. "Villains! They're after All Might, but he wasn't there, and now-"

Toshinori's blood ran cold. His muscles bulged as he transformed, rising to his full height. "Young Iida, you did well. Now go!"

He didn't wait for a response. His powerful legs carried him through the window in a single bound, glass shattering around him as he launched into the air. Wind whipped past his face as he pushed his weakening body to its limits.

Faster. Have to go faster.

Each leap closed the distance to the USJ, but dread clawed at his chest. He should have been there. Should have protected them. Instead, he'd wasted precious time in meetings while his students faced real villains.

The sounds of battle reached his ears before he saw the facility. Explosions. Ice forming. And underneath it all, the distinctive crack of breaking concrete.

He burst through the USJ's dome just in time to see young Bakugo sailing through the air, blood spraying from his mouth. The other students - Todoroki, Kirishima, Fukidashi - scattered like leaves before a monster's onslaught.

But it was Midoriya that made his heart stop.

The boy's body was broken, blood staining his costume as he executed one final move. His fist flew toward a villain covered in hands, determination blazing in his eyes even as a massive creature intercepted him mid-strike.

Toshinori watched in horror as Midoriya bounced across the concrete like a ragdoll. The boy tried to rise, but his body wouldn't respond.

"Loyal pet." The hand-covered villain's voice carried across the plaza. "But you... you actually made me feel fear for a moment. How interesting. Nomu, finish him properly this time."

The creature - this "Nomu" - approached Midoriya with methodical steps. Toshinori's muscles screamed as he pushed himself beyond his limits, crossing the distance in a blur of motion.

Not this time. Not one more student.

The Nomu's fist descended toward Midoriya's prone form. Toshinori intercepted it with a perfectly-timed punch, the shockwave from their collision rippling through the plaza.

"I really am pathetic." His voice carried none of its usual cheer as shame and fury warred in his chest. "To let my students face such danger while I wasted time. But now..." He let his rage show, a rare break in his heroic persona.

"I AM HERE!"

Midoriya lay broken at his feet, but those eyes - those indomitable eyes - still burned with defiance. "Young Midoriya, hold on."

"Bought... enough time..." The boy's whisper carried more strength than any shout. "Next time... be faster... old man..."

Toshinori lifted him with infinite care, feeling each broken bone shift beneath his hands. Even now, even in this state, the boy had thought of others first. Had bought time for his classmates to escape, to get help.

"Rest now," he said softly as Midoriya's eyes fluttered closed. "I'll handle the rest."

He carried the unconscious boy to where Thirteen lay propped against a wall. The space hero's costume was torn, but she managed to give him a weak thumbs up as he set Midoriya down.

Rage boiled in his veins as he turned back toward the villains. This Nomu creature had been meant for him, yet these children - his students - had faced it without hesitation. Had fought it knowing they couldn't win, buying time with their blood and broken bones.

But it was Midoriya who had truly shown what it meant to be a hero today. Quirkless, outmatched, yet refusing to back down. Fighting not for glory or recognition, but to protect others.

In that moment, Toshinori knew with absolute certainty. He had found his successor. 

Izuku Midoriya was the one worth of inheriting One For All.

End of volume one