—¡¡Run, turn right immediately!! —Nezu shouted forcefully as everyone ran. Just as the last row crossed, the director locked the mechanism, and behind the metal door the figure of a Nomu resembling Ojiro was left trapped. Its deformed tail pounded relentlessly against the armor plating, each impact rattling in the students' bones.
—You can relax now! —Nezu said calmly—. I've already sent robots to distract it. I have a way to finish it off. Once you go up those stairs you'll be out of danger.
The students obeyed without looking back. There were many injured, few could barely run, but everyone kept their eyes on the exit. Iida was at the front, pushing his body to its limit. His legs burned, but a single thought kept repeating in his mind:
—("A hero doesn't die here. A hero keeps moving forward. I can't allow myself to be weak.")
Then it happened. He heard a scream behind him. The group stopped short. Iida frowned, annoyed by the delay, and turned to see what was going on.
Kendo was on the ground, her ankle twisted. Momo was trying to lift her up, desperate. Other classmates were helping treat her.
—What happened? —Iida asked, brow furrowed, his tone thick with irritation.
—¡Kendo hurt her leg, she can't walk!— Yaoyorozu said, breathing hard, working quickly but slowed by making it perfect.
—Wonderful… More delays. More injuries. We'll never get out of this damn place this way.
—¡Shut up, Iida!— Jiro exploded, sick of listening to him—. She put herself between us and the Nomu. She used her hands until they were destroyed. She's hurt because she protected us.
—An idiot, then— he answered without hesitation, with cutting coldness—. She didn't know how to defend herself, and none of you did anything either. Where were the strong ones to improvise a wall? Where were the smart ones to think up a strategy? You just shielded yourselves with your bodies, scared like children. One strange enemy and you all fall apart completely! ¡¡What's wrong with you?!! Everyone failed.
Yaoyorozu, her hands still bloody from tending to Kendo, stopped dead. She stood up with an expression of contained rage, planting herself in front of him. Iida didn't even blink: his cold eyes stayed fixed on hers.
—What's wrong with you, Iida?— she asked, seething—. Can't you see we're all giving our absolute best? Can't you see we're still pushing forward even on the verge of collapse? Those Nomus aren't ordinary villains… it's like fighting our own classmates, or worse, for them it's like fighting a monstrous version of themselves. Don't you understand the emotional toll that takes?
—That's what happens when you don't know how to protect yourself… or anyone else— he answered, dry, convinced of every word—. And I still say this is all your fault, for following your stupid boyfriend class rep who only attracts trouble. No wonder his family hates him so much they want him dead.
Absolute silence fell over the group. The air turned heavy. Everyone froze at the poison in those words.
The silence shattered with a brutal slap. Iida's cheek snapped so hard he fell backward onto the ground, spitting blood and, perhaps, losing a tooth.
—¡You bastard…!— Yaoyorozu screamed, tears falling without stopping—. ¡How do you know that?!
Iida rubbed his face with a smug smile, looking up at her.
—Your secret talks aren't so secret, and I already saw Uraraka too, wanting to hit me, I also know that you know about that. Don't worry, I won't say more because it's pathetic information, but remember what you're doing. Your feelings for him are confused, believing you know him when none of us really know who he is. He's too strong—defeating a Nomu stronger than All Might, stopping two powerful attacks from our strongest classmates with his bare hands like it's nothing, and now fighting violently against multiple Nomus, all while his quirk is supposedly just whips—that's impossible. He doesn't look like a hero or a villain, he looks like what he most resembles… a monster.
The group froze, every word cutting like blades. Iida smiled bitterly, satisfied at having finally said what he'd been holding back for so long. But that satisfaction cracked when he saw Yaoyorozu's expression: a calm, unexpected smile, shining through her tears.
—I'm surprised you call yourself a hero— she answered, firm, her voice breaking but resolute—. Maybe I don't know everything about Izuku… but I do know he's a true hero. He saved us, risking his own life without hesitation. We owe him so much. Not some fool who only knows how to criticize others, the whole time I've known him. And tell me, Iida… what would your brother think of you? What would Ingenium think, hearing everything you just said?
Iida stood up irritably, wiping away the blood. His face showed no doubt, no remorse.
—I don't know why you're saying that, or what my brother has to do with any of this— he said coldly—. But there's no hero that pathetic in my family.
The words landed like a hammer blow. The group looked at him in horror, as if they'd just heard the most terrible thing in the world. Yaoyorozu stepped back, disbelieving, her mind in chaos.
Iida, proud of his answer, turned to leave. To him, staying there meant death; a hero shouldn't die in such an absurd way.
Why did you say those words?
The voice suddenly surfaced in his head, unsettling him instantly.
—Who said that?— he asked out loud, looking around suspiciously.
Are you really a good hero? Why did you say that about Tensei? Why are you so contemptible?
—¡Whoever's saying that, shut up already!— he bellowed, desperate, staring at his classmates with wild eyes.
Everyone watched him as if he'd lost his mind. But he was certain: someone was trying to ruin him, or get revenge for what he'd said. How could he make that damn voice stop bothering him?
You're pathetic. Why don't you help the others if you're the class rep? Ah… right, you're not, because nobody trusts you. You're a piece-of-shit narcissist. You're even worse than Bakugo. You don't deserve the name Iida, or to call yourself one.
A cold sweat ran down his back. Was he losing his mind? No, it couldn't be…
His thoughts cut off abruptly when drops of acid began falling from the ceiling, burning some of his classmates. Then, a monstrous figure descended violently: a grotesque Nomu, feminine in shape, with completely pink skin, several horns on its head, and an outfit that made her look like an alien. It was obvious which Nomu this was. The real Ashido froze in fear.
—¡¡Run! I'll buy you time by distracting her!!— Yaoyorozu shouted, forming a machine gun and firing bursts that tore through the Nomu's flesh, though without stopping its advance.
The others didn't hesitate: they helped the wounded and ran up the stairs. Iida barely kept up with them, stumbling, the voice in his head drilling into him.
Himura came up with a good plan and proved he's someone incredible. Why did you belittle him? You can sound like a robot all you want, but that doesn't mean you get to think you're better than everyone else. You're not Tenya Iida. ¡¡You're a pathetic wretch!!
The echo of that voice was driving him insane. As they ran down the corridor toward the exit, he didn't notice a strange shadow emerge beside him until it seized him by the neck with force. It was the Hagakure Nomu.
—¡¡Iida!!— Kirishima shouted, already rushing to help him.
—Kirishima… help m… ¡No! ¡Help the others and get them out of here right now!— What was he saying right now?!
—¡But, Iida…!
—¡Run, damn it, now! The wounded matter most! I'm fine. ¡Do what a real man would do for the innocent!
The words came out of his mouth forcefully, almost enthusiastically… and that unsettled him even more. Why had he said something like that?
Kirishima stared at him for a second. Then, with Bakugo still on his back, he grabbed Mina and lifted her as best he could, running toward the exit. Iida stood in shock watching his back disappear. Why had he said that? He did need help to… no, he didn't need it! He just needed to kick this Nomu and he'd get out since he was a he—"
—¡¡Iida!!— Yaoyorozu appeared, ramming her shoulder into the Nomu and shooting it in the head to distract it. She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the exit.
—¡¡Almost there!!— Nezu's voice rang out over the speakers, giving them a breath of hope.
But it happened again…
She saved you… and in your mind you're scolding her for doing it. You're holding her back out of spite. You're a complete wretch. You don't deserve to be a hero.
—¡¡Shut up already, you bastard!!— Iida screamed, desperate over that damn voice.
The scream was so violent that Yaoyorozu jumped, losing her focus. She didn't see the rock in front of her feet and tripped hard, falling to the side. The dull thud echoed against the ground and her face immediately twisted into a sharp cry: her ankle bent at an alarming angle, leaving her unable to move.
Behind the two of them, two Nomus advanced mercilessly, their heavy footsteps pounding like hammer blows against the floor as their deformed figures closed in with the intent to tear them apart. Yaoyorozu, tears in her eyes and unbearable pain that barely let her breathe, stretched her hand out toward him.
—Help me… please— she begged, her voice trembling, pleading with him not to abandon her there.
Iida watched them approaching, his eyes lit by the creatures' reflection, and for an instant he hesitated. But fear overtook him, desperation devoured him whole. He spun on his heel and ran toward the exit without looking back. Yaoyorozu was left in shock. The voices in Iida's head lashed out even harder, insulting him, calling him a coward, a monster, a traitor. But he gritted his teeth and kept running: he had to get out alive, he had to survive… dying there wouldn't make him a hero, but escaping would. If she fell, it would be the perfect sacrifice to give him the push to become someone respected. He kept repeating that to himself as his engines whirred and the exit door drew closer and closer.
Then he heard it.
—¡¡AAAH!!— Yaoyorozu's scream tore through the air.
Instinct forced him to look back, even though he didn't want to. And what he saw shook him. The two Nomus had caught up to her, holding her tightly and tearing her apart little by little. The girl screamed through her tears, the pain unbearable, but her eyes never left Iida. She looked at him with a mix of fear and pleading, asking for help even though she already knew the answer. He felt his heart clench, an unbearable pang of contradiction shook him. It wasn't his responsibility… she had chosen to save him earlier, she had chosen…
You're a hopeless piece of shit! I won't let a fake ruin the Iida name. Do what you have to do, you damn coward! Or better… I'll do it myself.
Iida's body suddenly tensed. Without thinking, he leaned forward into a running stance, energy surging through his muscles like fire, his engines roaring like never before. Fear transformed into something else entirely: pure determination.
—¡¡Recipro… BURST!!— he shouted, and the air exploded beneath his feet.
He shot forward like a projectile, a blue streak that tore through the corridor in the blink of an eye. In an instant he was beside the Nomus, striking with brutal violence that sent both beasts slamming into the wall with a deafening crash. The impact shook the ground and the creatures' blood stained the cracks in the concrete.
Without stopping, Iida spun around, caught Momo in his arms and, with one last desperate effort, hurled her forward with such force she flew several meters. A huge rock, torn loose from the ceiling, flew alongside her. Yaoyorozu passed through to the other side of the exit just in time for one of Mezo's limbs to catch her before she fell into the void. The rock struck the metal panel and warped it, sealing the door shut with a metallic crash that closed off the exit.
The echo rang through the dark corridor. On the other side, Iida was left alone, his breathing ragged, his eyes wide open, unable to fully grasp what he had just done. The darkness enveloped him, and the silence beyond the door left him in shock.
He had chosen. But it hadn't been him… or had it?
—¡¡YOU WRETCHED BASTARD!!— he screamed in despair, still unable to believe what he'd just done. ¡¡WE HAD THE EXIT RIGHT THERE, I COULD HAVE SAVED MYSELF!! ¡¡I COULD HAVE BECOME THE BEST HERO AND LIVED PEACEFULLY FOLLOWING THE RULES!! ¡¡WHY THE HELL DID I…??!!
He couldn't say anything more. A piercing cold ran through his chest; his breath caught. He looked down with trembling hands and saw, horrified, a hand sinking into his side: something had pierced his right lung. His vision turned liquid, sound grew distant, and in front of him—close by, but with a clarity that froze his blood—a figure materialized wearing a suit he knew all too well. It was his hero costume. The creature removed its helmet in a slow gesture; underneath there was no strange face, but his own, like a warped mirror reflecting back the most repulsive image he could imagine. Contempt, at seeing something so repulsive.
—You took my life from me… You stole my potential friends from me. You turned me into a piece-of-shit narcissist… and when they called because Tensei was hurt after a mission, what did you do? You couldn't care less, and you treated him like an incompetent hero. My older brother, who is my greatest pride in life. That's why I hate you so much.
Iida was left breathless; every word drilled into him. He tried to move and only managed to stagger as unseen forces turned him face-down. Through the dust and flickering light, his eyes saw the Nomus around him: beasts with grins that seemed to relish the agony. And beside them, like part of some sinister performance, still himself. He smiled with contempt, savoring the spectacle.
—What do you think happens now? This is your end. This ends now. I won't let a parasite keep controlling my body any longer. Farewell, false me.
Iida's world narrowed down to a single point. He couldn't tell if this was real, if it was a hallucination brought on by the poison, or the culmination of something that had lived inside him all along. The only real thing was the burning that started on his face: the Mina Nomu had trapped his face between rough hands and begun applying small amounts of acid, a slow, deliberate torture. His skin burned; the pain was a white-hot rage, unbearable. Iida screamed with everything he had left, but the screams choked in his throat. Every burn stripped away a little more strength, a little more sanity.
Through the blood and acid, he saw the expression of his other self, the reflection accusing him of cowardice and betrayal. He felt life slipping through his fingers as the creature… No… the real Iida, watched with the certainty of someone passing judgment. The agony wasn't just physical: it was the destruction of everything he had believed himself to be. The thought of dying a coward, discovering that everything he believed was a horrifying lie, burned his soul more than the acid destroying his flesh.
His final scream wasn't a heroic cry; it was a broken death rattle amid closing darkness. Around him, the beasts smiled. On the other side of the sealed door and the crisis, his classmates ran, believing they had escaped. In the sealed-off corridor, Iida lay there, being consumed, while the true Iida withdrew triumphant, holding his helmet aloft like a trophy of his dying victory.