{AN: So, not the morning I promised, but the last chapter of this little spree will arrive in like...thirty minutes top- I still have to re-edit it for yun's}
For some reason, Takuma never thought that hitting the water could hurt so much.
Falling from the air, time seemed to slow for a fraction of a second, in which he was only able to comprehend three things: He was above the water near one Midoriya and one Tsuyu, they were falling fast, and they were surrounded by dozens of figures in the water, waiting for them.
Splash!
Midoriya surfaced nearby, coughing. Tsuyu was already afloat, somewhat comfortable despite the chaos.
"Villains," Midoriya rasped. "In UA—?"
"They're watching us," Takuma cut in, squinting toward the half-sunken ferry across the flood zone. That might be a decent defensive position, gets us out of the water. Shadows moved—two, maybe three figures ducking behind the rusted structure. "They're not attacking yet."
Asui blinked slowly. "They're observing. Maybe they're trying to figure out what our Quirks do."
Takuma nodded faintly. "Which means we still have a minute...We can't waist it. Get to that ship."
He paddled toward the remains of the ship and climbed atop, dripping and already assessing the terrain—too much water, too few surfaces he could use. He tapped his fingers against the rusting metal beneath him and exhaled. No concrete, not enough metal to spare without risking the integrity of the ship.
Just smoke, which meant he had a limited supply.
He clenched his fist.
"I'll draw them out," Takuma said.
Midoriya looked up, stunned. "Wait—what? Alone?"
"I'm not alone," Takuma corrected, giving him a rare smirk. "You're here, that's enough. See if you can start a fire on the ship, with as much smoke as possible."
As the villains began to fan out, something inside Takuma's chest shifted, like a second pulse. It was like a voice in the back of his head, silently telling him what to do.
So he obeyed.
The water rippled sharply as the villains struck, a coordinated assault that surged from three sides. Waves churned violently as a massive brute, waist-deep in the shallows, barreled toward them with a water-slicked mace. Two others zipped along the surface—one skating on sheets of rapidly freezing water, the other manipulating waves like an extension of her arms.
A precise smoke ball exploded in a lunging villain's face, launching him back onto the surface of the water-and possibly knocking him unconscious.
Takuma stood still for a moment longer. The enemies were fast, too fast for just concrete control to be viable in this zone. He could see Tsuyu moving through the water like she was born to be there, but smoke doused smoke the same as flames. That should have meant he was restricted.
But in that moment of clarity, something shifted.
His breath slowed. The warmth in his chest grew, then thinned—became weightless. He felt an 'ache' beside his chest where he drew his materials from, and he didn't hesitate to fill the void that was there.
His body evaporated. Smoke erupted from his form, and rocketed him forward, across the surface of the water and dying it a grainy gray where it touched. But even that wasn't entirely correct to say- he immaterialized.
For the first time, he didn't just emit smoke. His entire form dissolved into thick, ember-laced clouds, momentarily intangible as he shot forward like a gust of heat. A villain's arm swiped through him and hit only air, stumbling with confusion.
He solidified just as the man's limb exited where his torso should have been, instinctively leaning his body and sending a pulse of smoke to his left foot, which collided with the man's skull with a sickening crunch.
For an instance, time slowed as everyone present looked on with surprise and a healthy amount of trepidation.
Then, Takuma burst into motion.
He flittered around the area around the boat, filling the air with a thick smog and almost continuously bursting from man to man, leaving each villain he came across floating unconcious in the water.
That is, before a lucky shot blasted his chest with water, shocking him out of the state and plastering him to the ship.
DUNG~ (The '~' is just a vibration thingy :))
"Takuma!" Midoriya shouted, launching a shockwave punch that split the water down the middle and sent one enemy flying while Tsuyu helped him back onto the deck.
Takuma grit his teeth, ribs aching. The transformation had drained him. It was instinct, not skill, and that water blast took more from him than he'd like to admit.
But it worked.
His hands steamed, glowing faintly. Smoke hissed from his skin. He coughed once, then stood. "I can do this," He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the smoke that Midoriya had created. "Make you way to the center, I'll distract them."
Another wave crashed toward them. Asui used her tongue to lash one attacker's legs out from under him and drop-kicked him into a boat hull.
"You sure?" Midoriya asked, panting.
"No." Takuma's mouth curled into a faint smile. "But I'm already soaked, might as well have some fun while I'm here."
The next rush of smoke wasn't as clean—but it was intentional. He launched himself between two villains, weaving through arcs of water and streaks of ice. Fire burst from his palm and hissed on the surface as he pushed his focus to the limit—blinding one just long enough to knock another out.
Tsuyu stayed moving, picking off disoriented opponents and yanking them into the tide as he covered the path for Midoriya. He's shown remarkable growth in his control recently, allowing him to passively strengthen himself, but even with the strange green lightning surrounding his figure he was no where as near as fast a swimmer as Tsuyu.
And Takuma—Takuma danced, a living, breathing figure of smoke, flame, and darkness. His smokefield held up, but his reserve were emptying so fast that eventually he had no choice but to drop it.
For the first time, his Quirk felt like more than just a tool. It was his body, his breath, his will in motion.
And that was when the next bout of water hit him.
The impact ripped him from the transformation, and drained his reserves before he could regain his senses enough to initiate another. Luckily, he just so happened to have been near the ship, so he pulled himself abord, ducking under cover while he caught his breath.
Attacks of all kinds pelted the side of the ship, spraying him with all kinds of debris, but he heard no panicked shouts of escaping students. Takuma's fists clenched. His arms were trembling—not from fear, but from adrenaline still burning through the last remnants of smoke in his veins.
The real battle was only just beginning.