MHA: A Cat's Way (Ch 44) (Patreon)

Before anyone can react, All Might makes his move. In a burst of speed that most can only follow by the displaced air, the recently recovered thugs are once again knocked unconscious. But his path comes to an abrupt stop in a shockwave of power that throws up a cloud of dust around him.

Once it clears, those watching see Nomu standing strong in front of the number one hero, holding his fist in the palm of its hand. All Might tries to pull his hand free, but to his shock, it’s held fast. In that moment, where two powerhouses are stationary, a third makes their move.

Catia launches herself at the two of them, claws outstretched and mouth wide open while her leaking energy leaves trails in her wake. Though taken aback by his student’s attack, he catches her wrist in his free hand while Nomu reels back its other hand for a punch. Catia’s mouth closes, and her cat armor follows the motion, teeth clamping down on All Might’s extended wrist while her free hand digs its claws into Nomu’s side.

Howling in pain while All Might grits his teeth, Nomu changes its target, striking Catia’s construct in the face. Though the awkward angle results in a far weaker strike, jerking her head back but only causing a few cracks to appear.

It jabs forward again in an attempt to repeat its previous success, only for her to catch it between her teeth, blood flowing down the  construct’s throat and flowing through its body. With each of the combatants now in a deadlock, Shigaraki takes the moment to gloat.

“Well, well. All Might, the Symbol of Peace. As expected, you’ve grown weaker.” He cackles as a malicious smirk stretches just past the hand on his face as he takes in the sight.

All Might grits his teeth as he looks at the two he’s with. One of his hands is being held by Nomu, while his other is holding Catia. Meanwhile Catia has Nomu’s other hand clamped in the mouth of the construct wrapped around her and the hand not being held by All Might dug into its side.

All in all, a stalemate, with each of them trying to free themselves while the other two tighten their holds in an effort to stop them. Gritting his teeth as he feels Catia’s attempts, he tries to talk some sense into her.

“YOUNG AKIHIRO, STAND DOWN! WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME!?”

This time Nekomura laughs, hiding her mouth behind her speaker. “Mew don’t really expect an answer, do mew All Might? Can’t you tell that she’s under our control? So mew better be careful if mew don’t want to be injuring your student~!”

Taking that as their cue, the boy on Catia’s back pokes their head above her shoulder. They give him a small wave and a tight lipped smile, much to his frustration.

With a grunt of effort, All Might throws his head downward, striking Nomu on the top of its beak. Feeling its hold loosen, he jumps back, attempting to pull his student with him.

With a disturbing tearing sound, quickly followed by a possibly more disturbing scraping sound, she’s pulled along with him. Along with a chunk of Nomu’s stomach in hand and strips of flesh in the construct’s mouth that it swallows.

All Might looks at it in shock for a moment before she throws the chunk of flesh at his face, making him flinch back and loosen his own hold on her. Taking advantage of the opportunity, just like All Might had just done, she jumps back and alternates glares between her two opponents.

“I’M ASSUMING THAT THE CHILD ON HER BACK IS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUNG AKIHIRO’S CURRENT HOSTILITY?” He sets himself, knees bent and arms at the ready.

Nekomura rolls her eyes. “Nya~op! It’s totally one of the old guys mew already knocked out. One hundred percent.”

He clenches his fist, meeting Nomu’s fist with his own as it appears in front of him. A flurry of blows follows, neither side able to land any hits as All Might keeps one eye on Catia, wary of another sudden attack.

“SO THAT MEANS I JUST HAVE TO REMOVE THE BOY FROM HIS POSITION, AND YOUNG AKIHIRO WILL RETURN TO NORMAL!”

The cracks in Catia’s construct are repairing themselves, taking energy from the blood and flesh swallowed from Nomu previously as they disintegrate within its body.

Circling around the two fighters, she hesitates to jump in due to the shockwaves their punches cause. But during a round of less powerful exchanges which goes unquestioned, she leaps at All Might’s back. A move that would allow Nomu to land a crippling blow.

If he wasn’t prepared for it.

Instead of directly countering the next blow, All Might instead dodges it while skimming the arm with his own fist on the way to Nomu’s face. Instead, Nomu’s fist once again strikes her face. But this time it’s closer to its full power.

All at once, Catia is thrown backwards as the construct’s head shatters in a burst of light, blinding Nomu due to its proximity and even forcing the watching villains to shield their eyes. By the time their vision clears, they see Catia sprawled out on the ground, her cat construct vanished from sight. Not far from her, the boy that was attached to her stumbles to their feet, blinking slowly while they put together what just happened.

And the Nomu is buried in the ground with its legs flailing impotently in the air in its attempts at getting free, All Might standing above it with his fists on his hips.

To say they’re surprised would be an understatement. Especially for Shigaraki, who rapidly scratches at his neck in anger.

“Cheater… Hacks… Freaking bug…” He whispers to himself before shouting maniacally. “YOU GODDAMNED CHEATER! HACKS! HACKS! THERE’S NO WAY YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEFEAT NOMU! NOT WHEN IT HAS SHOCK ABSORPTION AND HYPER REGENERATION! YOU DAMN CHEATER!!”

All Might just shakes his head at his impotent screams. “THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE WRONG, VILLAIN.” He slowly raises a fist in the air as he speaks in a confident voice. “WHEN THE ODDS ARE STACKED AGAINST YOU, YOU MUST SIMPLY GO BEYOND. YOU MUST GO PLUS ULTRA!”

Nekomura smiles at him. “That’s good advice.” It turns malicious. “I think we’ll be taking it right now!”

Confused, All Might doesn’t understand what she means until Catia’s claws are already buried in his side. Right where blood had begun seeping through his shirt during his exchange of blows with Nomu.

Coughing up blood, he reacts instinctively and sings his left arm in a backhand, his forearm striking her and sending her flying. Right into the arms of the boy who’s been with her since she appeared in the plaza. They glare at the Symbol of Peace as they match his own glare.

It’s a tense minute where neither side makes a move. One that’s broken by Nekomura’s voice. “My watcher says that the other teachers will be here in thirty seconds. Portal us out.”

Understanding better than to ask about when she sent someone to watch for heroes, he does as she says, opening a portal behind the three of them. Still grumbling about hacks, Shigaraki doesn’t cause a fuss as he sullenly walks through.”

All Might whips his head towards them, his glare positively murderous. “LET THIS BE A LESSON FOR YOU, VILLAINS. HEROES SHOULD NOT BE UNDERESTIMATED.”

Nekomura chuckles as she steps back, being engulfed by the darkness. “Oh, I’m quite aware of how strong mew are, All Might.” A cheshire grin is the last thing he sees as the darkness closes, along with her last words that send him into a panic.

“But I am also aware of how mew lose your caution when mew believe the fight is won. Let our prize be a lesson for your hubris.”

And with that, the villains are gone, cryptic message ringing in his ears. Only for him to come to a startling conclusion as he turns back to where his student had been.

Only to catch sight of another portal on the floor winking out of existence.

What greets the teachers of UA moments later upon storming into the USJ is the Symbol of Peace’s screams, proclaiming to all of his failure.

`~`

In the LOV’s bar, piles of dust replace the spots that had previously housed chairs and tables.

“I can’t believe we lost! All might wasn’t weaker, he managed to defeat Nomu as if it was some crappy mid-boss!”

Though rage still fills each word, he’s much calmer than when he first walked back into the bar. But it’s of no consequence to the man watching from behind a tv screen.

“So you say, but based on Kurogiri’s report, he’s been quite injured due to this fight. Which brings me to my question.” Though the screen is black, those in the room can almost feel it as he focuses on the three people standing together.

“Why do you have a UA student with you? We are both aware that you do not have a… suitable temperament for ensuring she remains prisoner here.”

Before he can reply, the student in question steps forward, one eye closed and twitching.

“Greetings. My nyame is Catia, and I’m interested in helping you kill All Might.”