Welcome back to the story I'm sure a lot of you were waiting to get an update for! After a brief setup chapter last time, we'll finally be getting back into the nitty gritty action of "Traitor" and see just what the aspiring heroes of Class 1-A will be getting into in the world of Overwatch! Even if those of you who are reading aren't fans of either franchise, you'll love the stuff that's up ahead for this episode.
Izuku Midoriya: So be sure to leave a favorite or a review when you're done reading!
Tracer: And don't forget to follow Mister NegaiFreak for more amazing stories of his FanFiction Universe!
With all that said and done, let's get back into Traitor!
TRAITOR
Coming down from a long, dark hallway was a large figure with white lines of paint streaked across his nose, the right side of his face, and along his left shoulder. He was a tall, muscular African, wearing nothing but a pair of baggy white trousers with a red cloak tied around his waist, while a red band was upon his left wrist. Though he wore no other clothing, his entire right arm was covered by a large, golden gauntlet, which had metal spikes at its knuckles and bone-like ones at his shoulder. Its gold and black coloring was also apparent on the knee guards he had and the open-toed soles at his feet. The full gauntlet covered up to his right pectoral, extending to his back and even his head as there were headphone-like devices covering both of his ears. A scowl was upon his face as he approached the sliding doors, which opened as he came closer. He had entered what appeared to be a conference room, where quite a few people were already seated. Along with Reaper and Sombra were two others.
One was a short and red haired woman with pale white skin, donning a black suit that was much like the cloaked Talon agent's, except she had a certain machine attached to her back, which flowed with an ominous purple energy that traveled through pipes up to her elbows. They seemed to have the energy flow into smaller tubes that led to the palms of her hands; one of which was covered and had a purple light on its palm, while the other was uncovered and had a yellow luminosity. Her eyes were of different colors as well, being brownish red in the right while blue in the left, which was surrounded by a strange, metallic fixture.
The other individual in the room was actually an Omnic, having a silver and black body underneath a three-piece black suit, with a red tie. Seven red dots were in a hexagonal formation above his slitted red eyes, and he had a golden pin attached to suit that resembled the letter pi.
"Well Akande," he began, catching everyone's attention, "it seems you've laid all your cards on the table for this," he pointed out as he turned his head towards the Talon leader, who merely narrowed his eyes onto him.
"Wow, a card joke," the technician of the group mumbled sarcastically in a bored manner as she was looking at a holographic cube in her fingers, "Were you just waiting to say something like that?" she questioned with an arched eyebrow.
"Enough…" the mercenary next to her growled as he folded his arms over the conference table, "You're only here because you have the intel from the school…" he grumbled, making her roll her eyes out of exasperation.
"I'm calling this meeting to attention," the Nigerian chimed in, silencing everyone as they looked over at him, "Firstly, I'd like to inform you that our current status is… lacking…" he stated, "The recall of Overwatch has brought about a new era of peace that slowly spreads across the globe," he told his comrades, resting the palm of his gauntlet-covered hand onto the table, "Though the Omnics and those who create conflict still exist, we ourselves have remained stagnant… quiet…" he stated with narrowed eyes, removing his armored extremity and turning around, "It cannot continue like this," he finished.
"Which is why you've decided to switch the focus onto other worlds," the scientist in the room noted, "The society of superpowers that thrives with each new generation…" she mentioned with an ominous grin.
"Sombra," Akande uttered, catching the hacker's attention as she stood up and expanded the holographic cube in her hand into a holographic screen, which she tapped a few times with her fingertips before it became a web of images that floated over the table.
"This is everything we got from UA High," she said as she looked over at the pictures of news articles, police reports, and medical records, "All information on the teachers, the students…" she listed off as the headshots of said people were coming up, "including the ones you dealt with the other night, Gabe," she pointed out with a smirk, making him growl. The image of All Might stared the terrorist organization's leader right in the face as he glared back at it, clenching his right fist.
"Toshinori Yagi…" he muttered, "The man who had me imprisoned almost seven years ago…" he noted, placing his arms behind his back.
"Sounds like it's unfortunate that you won't be facing him again," Maximilien added, catching the Talon leader's attention as he glanced over at him.
"I am relieved actually," he responded in stoic and calm manner, "It makes our mission all the less complicated," he added, nodding to the technician to allow her to continue.
"Amélie's been surveying the prison for two days now," she said, showcasing images of the fortress-like penitentiary, "It appears that there's only entrance along that bridge to the island, and she said it would be nearly impossible for anyone to just try and waltz in," she explained.
"Not surprising, considering the potential power the criminals housed in there possess…" Moira pointed out, sounding intrigued.
"What about the one we're looking for?" Reaper asked, chiming into the conversation. Pulling over one of the images by placing her fingertip upon it and dragging it over as if it were a touch screen, Sombra tapped it to make it enlarge. What the image showed was a man of strong, imposing features, dressed in a suit. He had a black, skull-like mask with angular pipes at the top and a collar-like life support system around his neck.
"The man who made All Might himself go into retirement…" the Omnic of the group said, placing his hands together as his elbows rested upon the table.
"All For One…" Akande uttered with narrowed eyes, "Conflict in our world is lessening, yet it grows in a world of heroes," he noted as he looked on at the image of the villain, "If powers were to suddenly emerge in this world, what do you think would happen?" he inquired to his allies.
"Let's see…" the technician of the group began to ponder, rubbing her chin with her fingers, "More wars, more trafficking, more of everything chaotic…" she listed off, grinning with each thought she put down.
"But what exactly can this bastard do to make that happen?" Reaper questioned as he sounded unconvinced.
"This man has the power to take other powers for himself or bestow them onto others," his leader responded as everyone there listened on carefully, "Imagine for a moment…" he advised to his colleagues, "a society… a world at war including individual with these remarkable powers…" he continued, "One would be enough, but two?" he suggested, starting to grin, "That's why this breakout mission we'll be conducting is so important," he stated, "Not only will we revitalize the conflict here and our own organization," he kept going while turning around, "but it will create chaos there once that man has been freed," he finished.
"A man of that caliber back in the light…" Moira said as she put her fingertips together, "It would cause quite a stir," she noted with a devious grin. The web of images then dissolved, forming back into the holographic cube that the hacker let disappear in her hand.
"What about All Might's successor?" she asked after a moment, "Gabe and Amélie couldn't kill him the night we infiltrated the school grounds…" she mentioned, making the masked man beside her growl again.
"It is irrelevant," the Nigerian answered calmly, "He is no All Might, much less close to being him," he affirmed, "In three days, we will gather everyone still within Talon to carry out this mission," he declared firmly, heading towards the sliding doors.
"It's an all or nothing gamble…" Maximilien pointed out as he turned his head towards the departing man, "I'm impressed… Doomfist," he admitted, causing him to smirk before he left the room, prepared to carry out his operation when it would be time.
EPISODE II PART I
"Nano Cola! Enjoy!" a soda can with an image of D. Va on it sounded off as the lights atop it sparkled.
"Whoa, that's so cool!" Ochaco exclaimed as the object was in Mina's hands.
"I know, right?!" she screamed excitedly, "Hana's got a fridge full of 'em!" she mentioned.
"She also has snacks!" Toru chimed in, holding several bags of flavored chips in her arms.
"Hey, can we get some of those over here?" Eijiro requested, sitting beside Katsuki and Hanta on a couch as they were playing a video game, rapidly pressing the keys of their controllers. All of the students were now dressed in their regular clothes that they had brought, now gathered in the lounge as the sun was setting just outside of the base. After being dismissed from their meeting earlier in the day, they were free to do whatever they wanted within the confines of the headquarters. Most of them just got changed and stayed in the lounge area, playing games, chatting, and just hanging out until they would be sent to bed later. Within a bathroom was a shirtless Izuku, who had just showered and brushed his teeth, as the water from the sink rinsed out the toothpaste he spat out down the drain. He looked at his reflection, seeing the despondent expression he appeared to have.
'Since Winston couldn't tell me, I bet it's really hard to talk about what happened…' he inwardly concluded after a moment of thought.
"Hey, Midoriya," a voice chimed in, catching his attention as he looked to see Minoru standing at the doorway, "Make sure you got a shirt on this time," he advised, tossing a plain white t-shirt to him. He caught it, looking at it with a confused face before glancing back over at his classmate.
"Uh… thanks?" he uttered back to him, grateful but also perplexed.
"I got my eye on you…" the Pop Off Quirk user muttered before slowly exiting. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of the curly haired teen's head afterwards as he gave off a nervous grin.
'Just like what happened during the middle of the licensing exam…' he muttered to himself, letting out a sigh. Moments later, he was in the lounge with everyone else as they snacked on chips and drinks while watching the video game their friends were playing.
"HAH!" the Explosion Quirk user laughed loudly after the screen showed that his character had emerged victorious in the game, "Eat that, Tape Arms!" he taunted to his opponent, who rolled his eyes out of exasperation.
"Chill out, Kacchan…" Natalie muttered, leaning her arms against the couch from behind.
"Hey, is anyone wondering if Yaoyorozu and the others might come here, too?" Kyoka asked her fellow aspiring heroes, getting their attentions as Shoto tensed up upon hearing the class deputy's name.
"I'm not sure…" Tenya answered, placing his hand onto his chin, "None of them were mentioned during the team announcements by Winston," he pointed out.
"I guess that would mean they'd have those four do supplementary lessons like those who failed the practical test," Tsuyu suggested as a response, placing her right index finger onto her cheek.
"Well that sucks…" Eijiro commented in dismay, "We end up getting to meet the members of Overwatch, while they're stuck at school…" he noted as he glanced off to the side.
"It's unfortunate, but they need their rest," Fumikage chimed in as he leaned against the wall, "A traumatizing event like that takes time to recover from," he mentioned.
"Yeah, we got a ton of time off when there was the USJ attack," Rachael added in agreement.
"UA must've thought if we were to take too much time off, we'd be left in the dust compared to Class B," her girlfriend pointed out cleverly, earning herself a quick kiss on her right cheek from the requip user, making her blush a little.
"That was the case with the training camp, too~," Yuga chimed in.
"HEY!" Katsuki suddenly yelled, causing everyone to flinch in surprise, "Who wants to get their ass beat next?!" he challenged with a wide smirk across his face.
"Kacchan…" Izuku sighed, while everyone nervously glanced away.
"Ooh, you're playing one of my games!" a familiar voice exclaimed, catching their attentions as they saw Hana approaching the lounge with Lena and Mei in tow as they were casually dressed as well.
"Oh, D. Va!" Ochaco cried out in greeting, "We were just trying out your… uh…" she tried to say as she looked at the soda can unsurely, unable to read the Korean writing upon it.
"Nano Cola, love," the former aviator finished for her as she blinked over in an instant within a blue blur, grabbing one of the cans from Mina and snapping it open.
"Are you guys playing the winner?" the MEKA pilot guessed as she hopped onto the couch and landed right beside Hanta, snatching his controller, "Let's see what you got!" she challenged excitedly. A sadistic grin came across the Explosion Quirk user's face, which the others on the couch grimaced at.
"Hey, where's everyone else?" the horned girl of the group asked before taking a swig of her drink.
"Jack and the others are busy going over who's going with who tomorrow morning," the climatologist answered as she went over and sat down in an empty chair, "The locations are set, but they're making sure they can trust whoever's gonna be left in charge," she mentioned.
"I see…" Tenya said, rubbing his chin.
"AH, WHAT THE HELL?!" Katsuki suddenly bellowed, making everyone flinch again. The health meter of his character in the video was empty, while Hana's character had a meter that was practically still full.
"And game over!" she exclaimed delightedly with a cheeky smile, "Just like the good old days!" she added, giggling afterwards.
"I want a rematch!" the angered teen demanded in rage.
"Hey, no fair dude!" Eijiro shouted, grabbing one end of the controller he had, "I wanted to play next!" he claimed as he yanked at it.
"Yeah, me too!" Minoru chimed in as he went over to them.
"They're such animals…" Fumikage muttered as he lowered his head.
"Ribbit," Tsuyu croaked in agreement with a nod of her head.
"Ya know, Hana used to be a pro gamer back where she's from," Lena commented, catching the attentions of those around her.
"Wait, a gamer?" Ochaco questioned as she arched an eyebrow, "Like as in video games?" she guessed, getting a nod in reply from the Overwatch member.
"She used to be at the top in South Korea," she pointed out, while the boys continued to argue over who would face the MEKA pilot next, "But… when the Omnic Crisis started, she was called onto help when their mechs couldn't handle the enemy alone," she explained, "She says it was an evolution of her career… but… she's made so many sacrifices to make sure she's able to protect her people… and everyone…" she noted, glancing off to the side solemnly as those near her listened on with worried expressions, especially Izuku.
"What about you?" Mina asked curiously.
"Heh," Tracer chuckled, placing her hand over the glowing machine over her body, "My past was a little more… complicated…" she admitted sheepishly.
"You were caught in an accident… and when you were found…" the freckled teen began, causing her to perk up in surprise, "your body was suffering from… chronal disassociation as scientists put it…" he explained.
"That's right, love…" she responded with a small grin, "Have you been readin' up on me?" she inquired with a playfully skeptic look, making him blush on the spot.
"Uh… well… since you're on the same team as All Might…" he began to reply, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner, "I figured I should brush up on all my knowledge of Overwatch members…" he confessed with a smile. Lena giggled, turning back towards the girls.
"This accelerator made by Winston helped stabilize my body and keep me here in the present," she explained, "If it weren't for him… or Overwatch, I don't know where I'd be…" she admitted as she grinned innocently.
"All of us have wanted to contribute to the betterment of the world in our own ways," Mei chimed in, catching everyone's attention, "Whether it was by achieving feats in science to advance us or save people's lives from the rogue Omnics…" she began to recall, "we all wanted to make the world a better place," she stated.
"And that's what All Might wanted, too," Hana mentioned, chiming into the conversation as she yanked the controller away from the boys before they could potentially break.
'Make the world a better place, huh?' Izuku wondered, blinking as he took the time to think.
"We should all get some rest now," Alice suddenly advised, catching everyone's attention, "It's going to be a busy day tomorrow," she added seriously.
"Let me get my rematch first!" Katsuki yelled back as he tried to get the controller out of the Korean girl's hands as she grimaced in fright.
"Oh for goodness' sake…" the ice and water wizard muttered as she trotted over and grabbed the angry teen's right wrist with her left hand, practically dragging him away, "I hope I don't have to do this during our trip, Katsuki…" she complained.
"LET GO OF ME, YOU DAMN STRIPPER!" he bellowed in demand, but to no avail as she had taken him out of the lounge.
"We should go, too," Shoto advised as he started to walk off.
"G'night, loves!" Lena cried out in farewell as the entire class followed their classmate towards the barracks they would be staying in.
"Hey, Deku," a voice chimed in, catching the freckled teen's attention as he looked to see Natalie walking beside him, "you still doing okay?" she asked out of concern, much to his surprise as he blinked.
"Uh, yeah…" he responded somewhat nervously, "I mean… I'm still wondering what exactly my team's gonna be getting into tomorrow…" he admitted, remembering Angela's words earlier in the day.
"Well… uh…" the dragon slayer began as they approached the crossroads, with the boys going into a room on one side, while the girls went into the one on the opposite end, "I wish you the best of luck…" she said somewhat formally, causing the One For All inheritor to chuckle as it seemed so unlike her.
"You too," he responded, about to head into his side until he was pulled into a tight embrace from the Dragneel girl, who clenched her eyes shut as she held onto him. It was the same kind of hug that he experienced from her earlier in the day, enticing him to wrap his arms around her comfortingly.
"Don't get hurt, okay?" she asked in a pleading tone into his ear.
"I promise I'll try not to," he immediately replied, making her stifle a laugh as she grinned. She then started to pull herself away, only to end up with her eyes locking onto his at the moment they crossed paths. She started to put her hands behind his head, about to lean in as he began blushing profusely, but stopped as she blinked in realization.
"S-Sorry…!" she stuttered out in apology as her own cheeks turned pink, taking herself away from him and going over to her side of the barracks, "Good night!" she whispered in farewell. As the door closed in front of him, Izuku sighed deeply in frustration with a shake of his head.
'Way to go, Deku…' he muttered sarcastically to himself, disappointed that he could not follow through with the affectionate gesture. He turned around to enter the boys' barracks until he saw Minoru standing at the open doorway, shaking his head.
"I told you to watch yourself, Midoriya…" he noted, sounding upset with him.
"Jeez, Mineta…" he grumbled in response with a roll of his eyes, walking into the room soon afterwards.
X
The next morning, the students of Class 1-A were all gathered together in the hangar, dressed in their costumes as the members of Overwatch had made their decisions on who would be heading where.
"All right, listen up," Jack began gruffly, making the aspiring heroes aside from Katsuki and Shoto immediately perk up and stiffen a little, "First group's gonna be working with me and Reinhardt," he told them, "We'll be heading out to Dorado, Mexico," he stated as the members of said group blinked in surprise.
"Mexico, huh?" Hanta uttered from his open helmet, "What's out there that's so bad?" he asked curiously.
"Apparently there's been a lot of drug trafficking and weapon cartels moving out from Dorado over the years," Brigitte explained in response, "I'll be coming along to help out," she declared with a smirk towards the Tape Quirk user, who blushed a little.
"Okay, let's do it!" Eijiro exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah!" Mina shouted with a pump of her fist. Raya just grinned at their enthusiastic behavior, but then glanced over to see the rather despondent expression of the red and white haired teen. It was never unusual for him to act that way, but she noticed that he seemed ashamed of himself for some reason. She decided not to worry about it though, putting her attention onto the group's leader.
"For the next group…" Satya began, causing the five of them to perk up, especially Minoru as he grinned in excited anticipation, "you'll be with me," she stated.
"YES!" the Pop Off Quirk user screamed in delight, only to suddenly have his ear stabbed by Kyoka's right jack, followed by being bombarded with powerful vibrations as he fell to the ground and fainted.
"Ignore him," she advised bluntly with her hands in her pockets.
"We're in on this gig, too!" Hana chimed in as she approached the group with Mei alongside her.
"We're honored to be working with you," Tenya replied as he placed his left hand over his chest, while Koji merely nodded.
"So where are we going?" Rachael asked as she went over to pick up the perverted teen by his yellow cape.
"Seattle, Washington in the United States," the Indian woman answered, "We'll be dealing with rogue Omnic forces down that are currently terrorizing the area," she told them.
"Sounds like quite the trip…" the requip user noted, somewhat nervous. As they gathered with the Overwatch members of their group to discuss the mission, Jesse and Hanzo approached the members of the third team.
"So y'all here are comin' with us to Moscow, Russia," the cowboy-like man said as they listened carefully.
"And we'll be taking down bad guys, right?" Katsuki guessed with a sadistically excited grin.
"Actually," Aleksandra began to reply, placing her left hand onto his shoulder to get his and the others' attentions, "we'll be taking part in rescue operations and providing aid to the people," she explained to them, "And no fighting," she added with a smirk, much to the Explosion Quirk user's chagrin as he gritted his teeth.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" he bellowed angrily, making his teammates flinch in surprise.
"This… actually might be a good experience for us," Mashirao admitted as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "You didn't exactly pass the licensing exam and not all of us passed with practically flying colors…" he pointed out.
"Shut up, Tail!" the angry teen shouted, making him grimace in surprise.
"Oh dear…" Alice muttered, placing the palm of her left hand over her face in exasperation, while Natalie just giggled.
"Now that you have your assignments, you may all head out," Angela stated, enticing the three groups to all separate and head towards their respective ships.
"Um…" Toru chimed in, nervously raising her right hand as she caught the attention of the Omni Force squadron leader, "what about us?" she asked curiously, wondering why her group was not yet called upon.
"We'll be gathering you in my lab shortly," Winston responded, causing the fourth team's members to perk up and look over at him, "Now come along," he beckoned, waving for them to follow him, Mercy, Genji, and Tracer. As they did, Izuku took a quick look back at the jets that were taking off, seeing that the one heading for Russia was going off in a different direction in comparison to the other two.
'Natalie…' he inwardly uttered, remembering their conversation from last night. Just then, he felt a hand come onto his shoulder, enticing him to look over and see Fareeha beside him.
"Come on, Izuku," she beckoned, making him blink in surprise before widening his eyes in realization.
"R-Right!" he stammered, jogging after his comrades. A little while later, the five students and the five Overwatch members were gathered in the laboratory, as the gorilla scientist was looking for something in the ensemble of inventions he had worked on littered about the floor.
"I see you've spent a lot of time on your research, Mister Winston," Tsuyu noted, seeing that there were banana peels and empty jars of peanut butter lying around.
"Ha," he chuckled, pushing aside a few of the devices he had, "I do what I can in my spare time…" he admitted rather sheepishly, "Uh, please excuse the mess in here," he apologized, "I tend to snack quite often…" he mentioned as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Snackins' an exaggeration, love," Lena pointed out bluntly with a roll of her eyes, blinking around rapidly afterwards to pick up his trash and dispose of it properly before returning.
"Whoa," Ochaco uttered, amazed by her speed as her eyes were widened.
"Thank you, Lena," the spectacled ape said in gratitude, adjusting his glasses, "Ah, here we are!" he exclaimed upon finding the items he needed. The five students gathered around at a table to see what he had gotten for them. The objects themselves looked like small, flat, and circular discs. He took one out and handed it off to Izuku, who blinked in confusion.
"Um… what is this?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Those are called Kimoyo Stealth Beads," Winston replied, "They're designed to interface with the entire lining of your costumes," he explained, going over and taking the device from the One For All inheritor and placing it onto the front of his right shoulder, "After that, you can have them alter your costume to the specifications of the environment you'll be in," he told him, sliding his finger up the device to make it suddenly start to glow a bright blue. Just then, a wave of bluish energy flowed out over the entirety of his outfit, causing the dark green of it to become black, including his gloves and bracers. His red belt and his shoes had turned a dark grey, as his classmates watched on in shock.
"What sorcery is this…?!" Fumikage questioned out of disbelief.
"By recognizing the environment, the bead can automatically alter your costume to blend in with your surroundings," the gorilla responded in explanation, "However, you can manually switch between stealth if you feel that the automatic function doesn't quite work for said surroundings," he mentioned, sliding his fingers across the contraption. All of a sudden, the freckled teen's costume went from pitch black to bright white in an instant.
"Whoa!" he yelped in surprise, smiling a little.
"There's this winter setting, camouflage, and many more," the scientist listed off, "And when you do this…" he continued, placing his finger onto the bead and moving it around in a circular motion. All of a sudden, a holographic film formed over the subject's entire body, much to his surprise as he blinked.
"Wh-Wh-What is this?!" he stuttered out in question as his friends looked on in complete shock.
"It's a holographic layer that works like a barrier of oxygen," the spectacled ape replied, "In a sense… it's a space suit," he mentioned, causing Izuku to widen his eyes.
"A sp-space suit?!" he stammered in disbelief.
"Are we going to the moon?!" Toru inquired excitedly.
"Ha, ha!" Winston laughed, "Well, I may have overdone the stealth suits…" he admitted rather sheepishly. Moments later, all five of the students had obtained their own beads, testing them out. Ochaco discovered that her dark stealth mode function also caused the visor of her helmet to look tinted.
"Wow, this is so cool!" she exclaimed giddily, "But…" she kept going, deactivating the stealth mode as she pressed the bead that was placed just above her chest, "it seems kinda counterproductive with the others…" she pointed out in a sheepish manner.
"Yes…" Fumikage agreed as the mode of his bead had been switched to the winter white, making only his costume change color while his bird-like head remained the same, "This is rather maddening…" he admitted as a blush was forming on his cheeks. All of a sudden, the entity of Dark Shadow appeared from within his body and looked over the new color of his master's outfit.
"I think it looks great!" he commented with a thumbs up, much to his chagrin as he growled.
"This kinda doesn't suit me either…" Toru agreed as her device was placed upon the top of her right glove, "I mean… I am the 'stealth' hero, after all…" she pointed out.
"By streakin', love?" Lena inquired curiously. The invisible girl blushed, though it could not be seen as she nervously backed away.
"If that's the case then Asu- I mean, Tsu…" Izuku quickly corrected, interjecting his own thought as he caught the attention of his classmate, "Shouldn't the bead be useless for you since you can camouflage yourself?" he questioned.
"Actually, I can't stay camouflaged for all that long, so the stealth tech helps," she admitted as an answer, "Plus, I'm sure if Tokoyami and Hagakure don't need them, then we could give them to someone else," she pointed out.
"Why do we need these stealth beads anyway?" Ochaco asked curiously, deactivating hers as did her crush, "Are we going on some kind of top secret rescue mission?" she inquired.
"Our mission… is… more complicated…" Angela slowly confessed, "It's more of an infiltration mission…" she told them.
"Infiltrating what exactly?" Fumikage questioned suspiciously. The freckled teen of the group tensed up, remembering what the Omni Force squadron leader had told him just yesterday.
"Talon," Genji answered, catching their attentions as the four other students aside from the curly haired teen widened their eyes in shock upon turning to look over at him, "After what we heard with the attack on your school," he began to them, "we realized that they now have an objective in other worlds," he stated.
"And we need to find out what that is," Fareeha mentioned seriously, "If they intend to promote their ideology onto another world, it would be chaotic," she pointed out as she clenched her fist.
"So our mission is to infiltrate Talon's headquarters and retrieve all the information we can about their plans for the future," Mercy explained, causing everyone to stare over at each other in disbelief, while the One For All inheritor closed his hands into fists, keeping a stoic expression.
X
DORADO, MEXICO –7:30 P.M. MDT
The jet had landed on the outskirts of the small city as its occupants left through the hatch, heading out towards the area. As they approached the entrance, Eijiro blinked in surprise upon noticing no one walking about the streets despite the sun still looming in the horizon.
"You were here a few years ago, weren't you, Jack?" Reinhardt inquired to the commander, who carried his rifle over his shoulder.
"Yep, three," he responded as went into the town.
"Sure seems pretty quiet…" Mina commented as she observed the rather desolate area they trekked through.
"Maybe it's just dinnertime for a lot of folks," Hanta suggested surely.
"I don't know…" Raya chimed in, "Kinda seems out of place for a town like this to not have anyone out at night…" she admitted, narrowing her eyes on the buildings surrounding them, "It's basically a tourist destination," she noted.
"Trust me, kid," Seventy-Six began, catching her attention as she turned to look at him, "no tourist wants to come to a place like this," he advised in his gruff voice beneath his mask, "For good reason, too…" he added. As they continued onwards, Shoto stuffed his hands into his pockets, going into deep thought over his inaction back at U.A. High. Though Momo had reassured him that he had done all he could, he had not taken part in the battle that led to her and three of his other classmates to end up wounded. His frustration with himself was mounting, especially as he recalled that his own father was working to become a hero that he could be proud of, despite all of things he had done in the past.
'If he can become someone that people can be proud to know as a hero…' he began to himself, 'then how can they be proud of me if I can't even protect my own friends?' he asked inwardly, clenching his fists.
"Shoto, are you all right?" Brigitte suddenly asked, causing him to immediately perk up.
"Uh, yeah…" he replied, glancing away. Before she could question if he really was okay, the Acid Quirk user jumped in between them.
"So what's your story, Brigitte?" she wondered curiously, "You seem pretty young for someone enlisted in a task force…" she pointed out with a sheepish grin.
"Compared to you, I'm pretty old," she retorted, causing her mentor to suddenly break out into a loud fit of laughter that surprised Eijiro and Hanta, "My godfather, Reinhardt, wanted to go back into Overwatch upon the recall order and Winston's message," she told the pink skinned girl, "I wanted him to stay out of it, but…" she continued, smirking a little, "he just wouldn't listen to his goddaughter…" she muttered.
"Hey, I took your words to heart!" the former crusader argued almost jokingly with another laugh before giving off a grin, "I am glad that you decided to follow along with me," he confessed, making her giggle as well.
"I only did so you wouldn't end up with more scars, old man," his squire responded tauntingly.
"Oh, I'm going to tell Torbjörn about that little comment…" he grumbled jokingly with another laugh.
"Torbjörn?" Hanta uttered in confusion, "You mean that guy with the big beard and eye patch?" he inquired.
"Brigitte's his daughter," Jack responded. As the conversations went on, Shoto ears began to catch the sound of laughter from afar, which he could instantly tell was maniacal. Narrowing his eyes, he hurriedly ran up the stairs without alerting anyone that he was gone.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" Eijiro asked as he scratched his cheek.
"They call themselves Los Muertos," the commander answered quickly, "They're a gang that's smuggled weapons and drugs around the country," he explained as the students listened carefully.
"And they've trafficked them out into other countries illegally," Reinhardt mentioned, "isn't that right?" he guessed to the masked man, who merely nodded.
"Let's fan out," he suggested, taking his rifle off of his shoulder, "Brigitte, take Raya and have her keep an eye out from the skies," he advised, enticing the squire to nod as her future partner gave off a serious expression, "Reinhardt, you'll be with Eijiro and Hanta," he said, "Check the ziggurats down by the bay for any signs of trucks and look out for anyone," he told them.
"How will we now it's them?" the Tape Quirk user asked out of concern.
"They brand themselves with tattoos that make 'em glow in the dark," Seventy-Six responded rather vaguely, "You'll know when you see it," he added, "Mina," he began to the messy haired girl of the group, "you and Shoto will be with-" He stopped talking at the moment he realized that the son of the new number one hero was missing. "Where'd he go?" he asked, glancing around immediately for a sight of him.
"Hey, Todoroki!" the Hardening Quirk user cried out, but to no avail as he placed his hands at his hips in exasperation, "I remember him saying that he can't really use his Quirk all that well when he's in a big group…" he muttered upon remembering their experience at the provisional licensing exam.
"I'll see if I can find him!" the Tennyson teen declared, ponying up as her light cerulean skin, pony ears, long ponytail, and wings appeared upon her form. She flew upwards quickly, heading out to find her classmate. Without wasting a second, Brigitte ran after her, heading up the stairs towards the higher areas of the city. The rest of the group split up in their designated partnerships, looking out for the thugs while also hoping to find their comrade. He was lurking in an alleyway, cautiously looking out onto the streets for any sign of the criminals.
'Maybe I was just hearing things…' he admitted inwardly, placing his right hand upon his head, 'Come on Shoto, stay focused!' he shouted to himself as he clenched his teeth together, 'If you're going to be a hero people can really be proud of… including him…' he continued through his thoughts, 'then you have to be someone people can depend on,' he told himself, closing his hands into fists. All of a sudden, he heard a loud thud, enticing him to look out and see three men surrounding something at the wall of a building. It was a humanoid-style robot, with sparks emitting from its body as a large indentation had formed upon its chest.
"Whoa, look at that mark, man!" one of the men laughed as he was holding a club in his hand.
"Oh, I'm gonna leave more than a mark next time…" the lighter skinned one of the trio declared, spitting into his left hand before rubbing both of his extremities together. The Todoroki teen watched on with widened eyes as he saw him take hold of a baseball bat and swing it down onto the Omnic over and over at its head. The joints that were keeping his head attached to his neck were slowly coming apart with each successive blow. Before the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user could attempt to do anything, the robot's head was knocked clean off of its body, rolling away before stopping right at his feet. He saw the blue lights within it blink before fading into a dead black, noticing that the remainder of its damaged body slump onto the ground lifelessly. The group of thugs cackled together at their victory, causing him to narrow his eyes.
'That was… an Omnic, wasn't it?' he inwardly realized, looking back at the head of the disabled robot, 'But… it didn't seem like it was doing any harm…' he noted to himself, seeing that it had placed its hands up in a rather defensive and almost pleading manner before it was torn apart.
"Hey, I found another one!" the dark skinned man of the thuggish trio exclaimed, causing him to perk up as he saw him drag out another one of the humanoid machines from an alleyway. The red and white haired teen widened his eyes as he saw how desperately it was trying to get away. It was tossed against the wall and kicked in the torso, lying upon the ground as the man with the bat in his hand approached, seeing it slowly push itself up.
"Aw… you want us to leave you alone?" he guessed to it in a mockingly sweet tone, "Fat chance, perro!" he yelled, stomping its head against the ground rather roughly, "You bots gotta learn by now that these are our streets!" he bellowed, readying his weapon, "And none of you are gonna forget it…" he muttered as he was about to deliver a powerful blow.
"Hey," a voice chimed in, catching his attention along with those of his friends as they looked to see Shoto walk out into the open, staring at them despondently.
"Who's this?" the man with the spiked, pinkish mohawk asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Whatcha' doin' out so late, niño?" the dark skinned man questioned to the aspiring hero.
"I'm new here," he bluntly replied, glancing over at the Omnic still lying upon the ground.
"Well welcome to Dorado, niño!" the man with the open jacket and no shirt greeted, going over to him, "Here, how 'bout I give you a free swing on the house?" he offered, tossing the bat to the red and white haired teen, which he caught in his right hand. He understood the implication as he looked over at the attacked robot, but stayed calm as he held onto the weapon.
"Why?" he asked, causing the men there to chuckle.
"Why?" the man who had given him the bat repeated, "You been livin' under a rock, perro?" he inquired, not receiving a response, "Those bots… we're givin' 'em what they deserve…" he grumbled, gesturing towards the broken one and the one they were currently attacking, "They think they can just waltz around and walk all over our streets after what they've done to us?" he inquired rhetorically, "Naw, perro," he said with a grin, "We take what ours and give 'em nothin' but dirt," he pointed out. Just then, they heard a buzzing sound approach, seeing a flatbed truck-like vehicle that hovered above the ground roll up.
"Hey, we gotta go!" its driver shouted to the three men, enticing them to hurry over to it.
"Heh," the bald man talking with the teen chuckled, "Sorry, niño," he apologized, grabbing the thick part of the bat that had metal panels nailed into it, "I'll let you get a swing in next time," he promised. However, as he tried to take his weapon back, he found that Shoto still kept hold of it, confusing him as he blinked.
"And where exactly are you off to?" he questioned with narrowed eyes, noticing the pistol tucked away in his pants concealed by his jacket.
"Hey man, don't mess with me," he advised in response as he glared at him, "You want Los Muertos on your ass, too?" he guessed. Hearing the name made the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user slightly grin in realization.
"That's all I needed to hear…" he replied, much to the man's confusion as he raised his eyebrow. All of a sudden, the bat began to freeze up in ice, shocking him as he stumbled back.
"What the-?!" Before he could utter another word, he was struck upside the head by the ice-coated weapon, causing it to shatter into bits as he fell onto the ground, groaning in pain.
"Pedro!" one of his comrades cried out, about to rush over to him. However, the aspiring hero quickly dropped the handle of the bat that remained from his attack, igniting his left arm in flames before firing out a stream of them towards his oncoming foes. They immediately backed away as the fire struck the ground before them.
"Come on, let's go!" the driver beckoned as he honked the horn. The sound that emitted from it made Raya's ears twitch from above, as she looked to see the fire billowing in the distance.
"Brigitte, two o'clock!" she called out, catching the squire's attention as she looked to see what happening just ahead.
"I see it!" she responded, readying her flail and energy shield as she hurried over to the scene with the half-rainbow haired girl approaching from above. The hover-truck had driven off with two of the thugs in tow, as their comrade was left behind groaning in pain. Shoto was prepared to give chase, but stopped as he noticed the attacked Omnic slowly getting up. He went over and helped it onto its feet, allowing it to stare at him for a moment.
"Thank you…" it said in a male voice. Hearing the graciousness of those words made the red and white haired teen grin a little.
"Go," he advised, running off down the street where the vehicle had gone, letting the Omnic leave as well.
"Ugh…" the lone crony grunted as he tried to push himself off of the ground, only to end up pressed down against it by the ponytailed woman's weapon.
"Found one," she uttered with a smirk.
"How can you tell?" Raya asked as she landed down beside her.
"See how his skin seems lighter in some places?" she inquired, pointing towards his head and then his hands, causing her to blink in realization, "More importantly, where do you think your friend is?" she inquired to her. Noticing the flames that were slowly dying out, the Equestrian magic user narrowed her eyes.
"He's probably after them right now," she concluded after a moment. The Overwatch member tapped the communicator within her right ear afterwards.
"Jack, Reinhardt," she began to her comrades through the line, "I think we've found them," she stated.
"We're on our way!" her godfather responded immediately. Elsewhere, several men were loading up crates apparently filled with piñatas and other assorted celebratory items. The hover-truck then arrived on the scene, with its two occupants and the driver immediately disembarking.
"Well look who decided to finally show up…" one man with shades on muttered as he put down a crate with the trailer of another hovering truck, "I keep telling you guys not to go out and beat up those bots while we're s'posed to be doin' this!" he yelled angrily.
"Dude, we just got jumped big time!" the dark skinned man responded in a panicked tone, causing everyone else to stop what they were doing and listen, "There was this kid that showed up and… like knocked out Pedro cold…" he told him nervously, "We tried to get him back, but that kid… he shot fire out of his hands…" he stuttered out, sounding afraid.
"Are you seriously jokin' with me, perro?" his superior inquired sarcastically, taking off his specs to glare at him.
"It ain't no joke," the man with the mohawk hair chimed in seriously, "This kid basically smoked us outta there…" he added. The shirtless man they were speaking to glanced around for a moment, jumping out from the trailer onto the ground.
"Did this 'kid' follow you out here?" he questioned.
"What? No…" the driver of the flatbed quickly answered, "I mean… I don't think so…" he corrected nervously.
"Hmph," their boss scoffed, "Go check and make sure…" he advised in a threatening tone. The three men went ahead and went back to their truck, grabbing clubs and crowbars.
"Huh…" the bald man of the trio breathed out nervously, evidently frightened. He then noticed that he could see his own breath, shivering a little. Everyone else began to feel the air around them becoming increasingly colder, much to their shock.
"Found you," a voice said, causing them to gasp in disbelief as they saw Shoto there. Before they could even react properly, he swung his right arm and caused a wave of ice to slam right into them, knocking most of them out instantly while just a few managed to stay conscious, groaning in pain. "Huh…" he breathed out, igniting the left side of his body in flames to melt the frost building on his right.
"Down there!" someone shouted from above, making him look up in astonishment to see three masked men atop the roofs of the buildings facing the alley he was within, aiming their AK-47s toward him.
"Shit…!" he cursed, hurriedly running off into a corner to evade the bullets shot his way. As they kept firing off their weapons, they did not realize that Raya had spotted them from afar as she had noticed the huge spire of ice in that area. She flew in rapidly and kicked the gun away from one of them, much to his surprise before being met with a right hook to his face, falling to the floor of the roof unconscious.
"Hey!" one of the men on the opposite side of the alley shouted, about to fire onto her as he readied his armament.
"Red…" a voice began to bellow, catching his attention too late as Eijiro ran in with his hardened right fist and shattered his AK-47 in half with a single punch, "GAUNTLET!" he exclaimed as he struck his foe's chest, knocking him off of the roof. His ally was about to fire onto the spiky haired teen himself, but was suddenly ambushed by a powerful spin kick by the Equestrian magic user, who sent him falling towards the ground as well. Fortunately, before they could hit the earth, they found themselves ensnared entirely in tape, courtesy of Hanta as he detached the tape from his elbows and stuck it to the roof to hold them.
"Well, we found 'em…" he noted as he looked around, "But where's Todoroki?" he asked, not spotting him.
"Over there!" the Hardening Quirk user cried out, pointing down to see their classmate running out from the corner and heading up the wave of ice he had created.
"Thanks you guys!" he yelled in gratitude, "I'll take care of the rest!" he shouted.
"What?" Eijiro uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.
"Hey, look!" Raya pointed out, seeing that the trailer hover-truck had its engine started, revving as the shirtless man had been the one to get into the driver's seat, grinning as he was prepared to make his getaway. Just as the red and white haired teen had leapt off of the ice spire he had created, he formed a ramp of the same substance to slide down, aiming to land within the trailer of the truck. However, it began to drive off, causing him to widen his eyes in realization as he kept the ground he slid upon iced, pursuing the vehicle as it swerved through the narrow streets, accidentally scraping some of the buildings.
"Ha, ha, ha!" the driver cackled as he looked into his mirror to see that he was getting further away from the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user, "Adios, niño!" he mocked as he poked his head out of the window to look back at the angered expression on his face. He turned back to face the road ahead smugly, but then widened his eyes too late to see Reinhardt standing in his path. The former crusader smirked as he projected a broad, forward-facing energy shield from the lion-like apparatus upon his left arm, which the vehicle rammed into instantly. The old man was only shoved back a few feet from the impact, with left the hover-truck practically totaled as it fell to the ground.
"Holy crap!" the spiky haired teen exclaimed in disbelief, being carried by the Tennyson girl as they had seen what happened. Hanta was slinging himself after them by shooting out lines of tape one after the other as they approached the wreckage, with Shoto arriving first as he came to a stop beside the driver's door.
"Ugh…" the man inside groaned in agony as he lifted his head up from the airbag that had come out. Just then, he saw the door beside him start to freeze up, startling him as it was ripped off by the son of the number one hero. He tossed it aside and yanked the man out of the truck, slamming him against the wall and holding him by the neck with his right hand.
"Tell me where you're getting those weapons!" he demanded as a cold air wafted off of his arm, which the thug took notice of as he shivered in fright.
"I-I-I'll talk! I'll talk!" he stuttered out, evidently frightened. As the aspiring hero let go of him, the Overwatch member brought his energy barrier down, approaching him.
"You need to stay with your team, young man," he chastised seriously, catching his attention, "Just because you have a unique gift does not make you invincible," he mentioned.
"I'm… sorry…" Shoto apologized, seeing his classmates come down from above and land near them, "My Quirk doesn't work that well with big groups and all…" he pointed out, "but… that's no excuse…" he realized. Reinhardt did not seem to mind his explanation, looking back at the shirtless they had apprehended.
"So about those weapons…" he began to inquire, causing him to gulp in fright. Elsewhere within the darkness a warehouse at the docks, several bags of cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs were being loaded up in crates underneath piles of piñatas and various paraphernalia by Los Muertos as their skeleton-like tattoos glowed in the dark, with different colors appearing on each of them. There were also AR-15s, AK-47s, and machine guns being loaded into the boxes.
"Tracker says the shipment hasn't even left town yet…" one dark bearded man stated as he was looking at the screen of his smartphone. Another came over and yanked the device out of his hand to look at it incredulously.
"Haven't had an issue in three damn years…" he muttered angrily, throwing the phone onto the ground as it broke in half, "If those boys are messin' around with Omnics again, I'm gonna-" His sentence was halted at the moment he heard a knock at the door to the warehouse, also causing everyone else to stop working.
"Uh… maybe that's them?" the worker who had been monitoring suggested. His boss pulled out a handgun from beneath his jacket, readying its trigger.
"They don't knock, idiot," he responded, slowly walking over to the door with his weapon in hand. He pushed down on the handle and shoved it open carefully, only seeing the setting sun beyond the sea. "Tch," he scoffed angrily, "I got no time for pr-!" All of a sudden, a glob of colorless acid struck his gun, causing him to yelp in surprise as he let it drop to the ground and melt into pieces. Before he could say anything, he was struck at his head by the stock of Jack's rifle, fainting onto the ground in a heap.
"Nice work, kid," he complimented to Mina, who grinned widely. As the two carefully approached the door, they saw their comrades arrive. The former commander made hand gestures, signaling for them to take positions around the building. Raya flew up onto the roof with Hanta, looking into the building from the windows there. Reinhardt, Brigitte, and Eijiro took their positions by a wall, as the latter of the group hardened his arms to prepare himself.
"So do we just wait?" the Acid Quirk user whispered in question to the masked man. He merely looked over at Shoto and nodded, enticing him to approach the doorway with his right arm extended out.
"Hey, boss?" a worker inside said, "You see who's here?" he asked curiously, but did not get a response as he could not see him.
"Is it gettin' colder in here, boys?" another man asked, shivering a little as he rubbed his sleeveless arms. Everyone began to feel the same chilling sensation, causing the bearded man to gulp in fear.
"B-Boss…?" he stuttered out, "I think we might have-" Before he could say anything else, flames erupted from the doorway, much to his shock as he screamed. Several projectiles were shot out, striking the men as they yelped in agony and fell over onto the floor. The fire then subsided to reveal the red and white haired teen along with his pink skinned classmate and his supervisor, who aimed his rifle forwards.
"It's him!" one man shouted, about to fire off a pistol. All of a sudden though, the wall he was near burst open in an instant, followed by Eijiro jumping in and landing before them.
"Red Riot…" he began, making his body extremely hard and rugged, giving him a monstrous appearance, "UNBREAKABLE!" he bellowed. All of the men pulled out their weapons and fired onto him, but ended up doing nothing as he charged through their bullets, slamming himself into a few of them.
"Wh-What the hell is going on?!" another man stuttered in shock, only to be struck aside by the left arm of Reinhardt. Brigitte readied her flail, shooting out its head as it was attached to a chain, having it strike a few of the men and knock them down onto the ground in heaps. Others prepared to fire on her, but she prepared an energy barrier that was similar to her godfather's, but smaller. After it shielded her from a barrage of bullets, she was prepared to charge at them until the Hardening Quirk user ran in and struck them down.
"Take what you can and go!" the bearded man ordered to his comrades, enticing them to grab what they could from the crates. The glass windows from above then shattered suddenly, enticing them to look up and see Raya carrying Hanta down in her arms, who fired off multiple strands of tape from his elbows to ensnare the traffickers still standing.
"And that's the last of 'em!" the helmeted teen concluded as he and the Tennyson girl landed down, seeing a few men squirming around in the traps, while others did not move as they were unconscious.
"Phew…" the spiky haired teen sighed in relief as he reverted back to normal from his hardened form, "Gotta say, we rocked!" he complimented with a thumbs up.
"Yeah, totally!" Mina agreed as she pumped her fist excitedly, "And if it weren't for Todoroki, we wouldn't have ever found these guys!" she mentioned, causing the son of the number one hero to perk up slightly.
"Hey," Jack uttered to him, getting his attention, "you did good today," he reassured, "Just remember that you've got a team with you, all right?" he recommended to him.
"R-Right," he stuttered in reply, which the Equestrian magic user took notice of as she deactivated her ponied up form in a flash of light, losing her wings, long ponytail, pony ears, and cerulean skin. A while later, the group was gathered back at the center of the city, where many residents had come out to see the criminals being apprehended by the police and placed into SWAT hover-trucks.
"Thank you for your help," one officer said in gratitude, shaking the hand of the former Overwatch commander, "With Los Muertos practically owning the city lately," he began, "it's been difficult to track them down," he admitted almost ashamedly.
"Well, one thing led to another tonight," the masked man replied, glancing over at the group that had worked together to take down the thugs in the first place, "These guys did what they had to," he mentioned, gesturing towards them.
"Please, let us treat you to something to eat," a woman resident implored to them, much to the team's surprise, "You deserve a fine meal after all your hard work," she added with a smile.
"Well… I am kinda hungry…" Mina admitted sheepishly with her hands over her torso.
"A feast of victory!" Reinhardt laughed aloud in an excited. The residents all clapped and cheered, thankful for the assistance of the heroes of their world and beyond.
X
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – 2:30 P.M. PDT
"WWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Minoru screamed with tears pouring out from his eyes as he ran through the city streets. Pursuing him were two small, flying, squid-like robots that locked onto him as parts of their bodies opened up to reveal missiles that were readied to be fired.
"Hang on, Mineta!" a voice cried out, being Tenya as he zoomed after his classmate, passing by the Omnics before grabbing him, "Rachael, now!" he yelled. Jumping off of a lamppost onto one of the robots was the requip user, who smirked as she summoned forth a pair of swords in her hands from a flash of light. She stabbed them into the glowing red core of the machine, causing it to spark wildly. It exploded after she jumped off of it, landing upon the tendril of the other, dropping her weapons and slamming her feet into the pavement, grazing through it as she slowed her enemy down.
"Minoru…!" she grunted out through clenched teeth. The ball haired teen immediately understood what she needed, jumping out of the class representative's arm and pulling off a few of the balls on his head. He tossed them towards the guns upon the robot, making them stick into the barrels. As it tried to fire onto the two teens in front of it, both of its weapons exploded in a burst of flames. Seeing that it was distracted, the Hagane girl let go of the tentacle-like part of the machine and grasped her swords again, tossing them into its core from behind like javelins. They pierced through, causing the entire Omni to explode instantaneously in pieces as the two boys braced themselves for any impact of debris.
"Well done, Rachael!" the Engine Quirk user complimented as she approached the pair.
"That makes fifteen for me," she noted, looking back at the flaming wreckage.
"F-Fifteen?!" the Pop Off Quirk user stuttered out in shock, "Wait, why are you even counting how many you destroy?!" he questioned hysterically.
"Kyoka and I had a bet," the requip user responded bluntly, summoning forth a spear into her right hand in a flash of light, "Now let's hurry and find more of those things!" she beckoned as she ran off down the war-torn street.
"This is totally ridiculous…" Minoru complained, folding his arms over his chest, "HOW DO THOSE GUYS AT OVERWATCH EXPECT US TO FIGHT THESE KINDS OF ROBOTS?!" he whined loudly as he beat his gloved fists against Tenya's armor.
"Huh…" he sighed deeply, "Let's see if we can find Miss Symmetra and the others," he recommended, picking up the ball haired before running off in the opposite direction with him. Elsewhere, Kyoka and Koji were sitting behind a wall in an alleyway as gunfire was bombarding the streets nearby from a squadron of automatons with machine guns for right arms.
"Damn, this is bad…" the former of the two students cursed in realization as she and her friend flinched from the sound of an explosion nearby.
"J-J-Jiro...?" the Anivoice Quirk user stuttered out, catching her attention for a brief moment.
"I know I took down seventeen of those guys, but now they're in an entire group…" she responded, peeking her head out slightly. The robots had not yet spotted them, but their attentions were suddenly drawn away as a shadow came over them. They all looked upwards to see a pink-colored mech dive down and slam itself into one, breaking it upon impact. Both aspiring heroes peeking out from the alleyway widened their eyes in shock, seeing that the mech itself was being piloted by Hana.
"D. Va engaging!" she shouted, pressing the buttons on her levers. Before the Bastions could react properly, they were shot apart by the shotgun-like bullets that came from the rotating cannons upon her mech's arms. "Woohoo!" she exclaimed excitedly, "That's twenty-eight!" she declared before she launched herself into the air as her machine's boosters were activated.
"T-Twenty-eight…?" the Earphone Jack Quirk user stammered in disbelief, hanging her head ashamedly. Her friend blinked in confusion upon seeing her odd reaction. Somewhere else in the city, Mei was preparing her endothermic blaster, aiming it towards the side of a building before firing a concentrated stream of frost. Slowly but surely, it formed into an icy ramp that acted as a slide for the occupants inside that were attempting to escape.
"Hurry, please!" she pleaded to them. As they slid down from the ramp one at a time, Tenya had turned a corner with Minoru in tow, spotting the climatologist from afar.
"Miss Zhou!" he called out, catching her attention as she saw them run up to her, "Do you need any help with evacuating these civilians?" he asked quickly.
"Actually… yeah," she replied with a nod, "Can you lead them towards the Space Needle?" she requested, pointing towards the towering landmark in the distance, "Satya's told me that's where any stragglers should go for safety," she explained.
"Understood!" the class representative responded with a salute, "Let's go, Mineta!" he beckoned to his classmate, prepared to lead the people.
"I'm gonna stay here and help Mei out…" he claimed in response as a blush started to form on his cheeks, only to have the back of his cape grabbed as he was instantly yanked away by the spectacled teen.
"I won't let you have your way, Mineta!" he shouted, racing away as he led the citizens towards the building in the distance. The Chinese woman giggled at the pair's behavior, reaching up to her left ear to touch the earpiece within.
"Satya, come in," she communicated through it, "How are things going on your end?" she asked as she ran off.
"Not too bad," the architect responded through the line, "What worries me is the variety of Omnics rampaging about…" she admitted. At her location, she was currently firing beams of light from her photon projector, striking various models of robots and making them break apart. Others fired on her continuously, but she managed to shield herself by forming an energy barrier around herself from her robotic left hand to neutralize their ammo. "I could use some help to be honest…" she admitted rather sheepishly.
"Wish you told me that sooner…" the climatologist replied, "I just sent Tenya and Minoru out to guide citizens to safety…" she mentioned through the line.
"Symmetra!" a familiar voice cried out, catching her attention as she saw Rachael jump in and pierce her spear through one of the Omnics, making it explode instantaneously. The shrapnel of it sliced through some of the robots in the vicinity, causing them to perk up and turn their focus onto her. She grimaced for a moment upon seeing how many surrounded her, but then suddenly saw a flock of birds dive down and gather around her enemies, distracting them long enough for a certain someone to sneak around and plug her earphone jacks into them. They began to fall apart from the vibrating frequencies they felt, sparking uncontrollably as Kyoka ran by them.
"Guess these rust buckets can't face the music…" she joked as she stopped, standing back-to-back with the requip user.
"You ready to take these guys?" she asked her classmate, who plugged her jacks into the amps on the backs of her hands.
"Ready when you are," she retorted in reply, enticing the scarlet haired girl to bring forth another katana in a flash of light. As the birds started to fly off, both girls ran out at the machines.
"TAKE THIS!" the Hagane girl bellowed, cleanly slicing through several of the Omnics she was up against as they exploded into bits behind her.
"Heartbeat Distortion!" Kyoka exclaimed as placed her wrist amps against a couple of the robots. Before they could attack her, they were met with the sonic vibrations she emitted onto them. They sparked wildly, making her smirk as she ran off and let them burst into bits. However, she was about to be ambushed by another droid, noticing too late until a beam of light streamed by and struck it, causing to fall over in a heap. She looked over to see Satya with a smirk on her face, winking towards her reassuringly. "Heh…" she chuckled with an embarrassed blush. Just then, the saw the MEKA suit come down and land by them, with its pilot aiming the fusion cannons towards their robotic foes.
"Wow, there sure a lot of them," she commented as she licked her lips, "How many have you girls gotten?" she asked curiously as the two UA students approached her with the Indian woman.
"I've gotten twenty-one now," the musician of the two replied with a grin.
"Twenty-four," Rachael said, much to her shock as her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Girls, now is no time to be acting competitive…" Symmetra chastised rather bluntly.
"I've gotten thirty-two!" Hana declared, igniting her mech's boosters as she charged forward.
"Hana!" the architect shouted, only for the two girls to also follow the Korean's lead and run right at their foes, "Oh dear…" she muttered in exasperation, heading after them. As the group of four kept the Omnics busy, Koji was helping to guide people away from the conflict and towards the Space Needle in the distance.
X
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – 11:23 A.M. MST
A few children giggled happily as they hopped about Mashirao's playful tail like it was a jump rope. He and the rest of the team had arrived at a small camp just outside of some demolished buildings within the country's capital, serving the civilians with food and blankets for their needs. Yuga was showing off his powers, firing a laser beam one after another into the sky to the delight of those spectating.
"My tummy…" he muttered in agony afterwards, falling onto the snowy ground on his back.
"Is he okay?" one man asked, catching the attention of Natalie as she had come over with a box in her hands.
"Oh, he'll be fine," she reassured with a grin, "That just happens when he uses his bellybutton laser too long," she pointed out.
"Dragneel, aren't you cold?" the Tail Quirk user questioned, causing her to look over and see him rubbing his arms, shivering a little in his costume.
"Nah," she replied, setting down the box of supplies, "Being a Fire Dragon Slayer, I can handle any environment!" she declared, "Though… the cold does bother my nose a little…" she admitted sheepishly, "Achoo!" she sneezed cutely, rubbing her nose afterwards.
'So she is cold…' Mashirao concluded inwardly as a drop of sweat rolled down from the side of his head.
"Um… Miss Fullbuster?" Aleksandra said, getting the ice and water wizard to perk up as she was gathering blankets together by one of the destroyed buildings, "Do you realize that you are in your underwear?" she questioned rhetorically with an arched eyebrow. The onyx haired girl blushed instantaneously as she looked down and gasped to see that she was indeed in her undergarments. Moments later, she had reclaimed her jacket and pants, sighing deeply as she had gotten them back on.
"Forgive me, Zarya…" she apologized, "My parents' habits… have run off onto me, I suppose…" she confessed ashamedly.
"Ha, ha!" the Overwatch agent laughed, much to her surprise, "Habits are habits, I suppose," she repeated back to her, staring up at the cloudy sky that loomed over them, "You know, before I got involved with the war here, I used to be a bodybuilder," she admitted, causing the UA student to widen her eyes slightly, "And just when I was about to hit center stage in that sport, the war was back," she mentioned, clenching her right fist, "I wanted to protect my country over all that fame and glory," she stated, "And you know, I don't regret that decision," she added with a smile, making the girl beside her do the same.
"GOD DAMMIT!" a familiar voice suddenly bellowed, causing the two to flinch out of shock.
"Him again…" the Russian woman grumbled, sounding exhausted. A small bowl of soup had spilled onto the snowy ground as Katsuki and Jesse were manning the serving table. The former of the two was growing frustrated as he had just been the one to accidentally spill it, gritting his teeth.
"Settle down, Mister Explode," the cowboy-like man advised, "This is yer first time doin' somethin' to help people aside from blowin' stuff up," he pointed out seriously to him.
"Tch!" he scoffed angrily, taking the ladle and readying another bowl.
"Savin' lives ain't just about fightin' ya know," the man he was with noted as he took off his red cloak and gave it to an elderly woman, who smiled in gratitude as she went over and wrapped it around herself and two children, "We're working to give these people the support they all need, especially when their cities are ravaged like this," he explained, enticing the aspiring hero to look around at the destruction about the area they were in.
"Fine, jeez…" he grumbled, "Here," he offered to a little boy, holding out a bowl of soup to him. He beamed happily, bowing graciously to him before running off.
"Katsuki may be a little hotheaded…" Alice admitted upon seeing the rather touching scene, "but he's doing his best to become the hero he wants to be," she stated, causing Aleksandra to laugh as she stood up from her seat.
"Come," she beckoned, "It'll be faster if we hand out the soup as well," she noted, making the ice and water wizard giggle in agreement before heading off after her. Elsewhere, Hanzo was scouting the area from atop a building through a pair of advanced electronic goggles, searching for any signs of rogue Omnics that could be potential threats to the camp.
"Huh…" Natalie breathed out after she had set down another box, seating herself down on a rock. She could not help but think about the evening before she and her classmates had left and how she almost managed to kiss her crush. Concern was the last thing she wanted to have on her mind, but with her best friend on a mission that was never disclosed to rest of the student body, she could not help but worry.
'Deku…' she inwardly uttered.
X
On an Overwatch carrier jet, Izuku had his hands clasped together as he sat down next to Ochaco and Fareeha within the empty docking bay, as they were chatting about the latter's past while still in flight towards their destination. Fumikage had apparently fallen asleep with his arms folded over his chest, while Tsuyu and Toru were conversing nearby. Across from the freckled teen's seated position was Genji, who was sheathing his katana back into its scabbard upon his back.
"Troubled, Izuku Midoriya?" he inquired to the student, causing him to blink in surprise.
"Oh, uh… kind of…" he confessed, standing up and walking over to him, "I mean, this mission…" he started to say, "you didn't tell any of our classmates about it," he pointed out, somewhat perplexed as to why.
"Rest assured that we will keep you all safe," the cyborg ninja stated calmly, patting the seat beside him to entice the aspiring hero to sit down next to him, "This covert operation has only been disclosed to so many in Overwatch as well," he mentioned to the surprise of the student as his eyes widened, "The reason for that being we don't want to risk word of it getting out in the open…" he pointed out before the person beside him could ask.
"I guess it makes sense…" he concurred, clutching his knees with his gloved hands. Seeing his rather anxious state, the Shimada sighed.
"Have any of you heard of the event known as 'The Fall of Beacon'?" he inquired to the group of students there, getting all of their attentions as the bird-headed teen awoke with a long yawn.
"Yeah…" Izuku answered, "Wasn't that the time when Ruby Rose first used her Silver Eyes?" he inquired, pointing towards his own eyes.
"Yes," Genji replied, folding his arms over his chest, "It was also one of my first assignments in another universe with the Omni Force," he added, "Initially, Gaara Xiao Long had wanted our squadron to take part in observing the Vytal Festival and his girlfriend at time, Yang Xiao Long," he explained to them, "but… that changed with the Grimm attacked…" he recalled, putting his right hand over his mask.
FLASHBACK
"HAH!" the cyborg ninja yelled as he sliced the head of an Ursa clean off with his katana, causing the rest of its body to fall over in a heap before fading into ash. As he sheathed his weapon back into his scabbard, he could still hear the sounds of screaming people and raging flames all throughout the kingdom.
"Genji!" a voice cried out, catching his attention as he saw a man running up to him. He was tall and had blonde hair, along with an apparent scar over his left eye. He wore a long black jacket with a buckle on the left sleeve, with a blue shirt and vest, a frilled cravat, and a simple belt holding a pair of loosen light-blue pants with black boots. He also had a black top hat with a pair of goggles over the band of it and a pair of brown gloves on his hands. In his right extremity was a metal pipe, which had a flame emitting from its front end.
"Sabo, has Gaara informed you about what we need to do?" the Shimada questioned to his comrade.
"All I know is we need to find the students and get 'em outta here," he responded, glancing around the area, "But it's sure as hell hard to find anyone-" He stopped talking, widening his eyes as he apparently sensed something nearby.
"What is it?" the Overwatch agent asked, seeing him start to run off into the trees they were close to. He followed him in, hearing the sounds of sobs as they went deeper.
"Hey!" the Flame-Flame user yelled out as he came to a stop with his teammate, widening their eyes at what they saw. Holding Yang by her left arm draped over her shoulders was a teary-eyed Blake Belladonna, who was on her knees.
"Blake, what hap-?" Before the masked man could finish his sentence, he saw what had conspired. The blonde haired girl's right arm up to her bicep had been cut off, still bleeding as the red substance dripped out onto the ground.
"Get Gaara, now!" the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff ordered immediately.
"Right!" Genji replied, turning around and hurrying off towards the school. He did not want to think about the horrors that either girl was enduring, focused only on making sure his squadron leader knew about the situation at hand.
END FLASHBACK
"Whoa…" Ochaco uttered in disbelief after hearing the tale.
"Gaara was furious, more so with the man who attacked his future wife than with us…" the cyborg ninja mentioned as his head hung solemnly, "but it was the first time I felt that I had failed him and my teammates…" he confessed, turning to the freckled teen next to him, "Tell me, when had you felt that way?" he asked him. A look of shock came across his face before he grimaced in remembrance, recalling when he had failed to save Katsuki from the League of Villains during their summer training camp.
"That feeling of failure…" he began to say, "it's motivated me to become stronger than before," he stated proudly, "I want to be the kind of hero that can save everyone in my reach," he declared. His words seemed to resonate with his classmates, especially Fumikage as he too remembered the event he was referring to.
"So Venice, Italy…" Tsuyu chimed in, changing the subject as she had gotten everyone's attention, "How come we're stopping in Paris beforehand?" she questioned curiously.
"Angela wanted us to," Fareeha replied, "We have a safehouse in the area to rest up in before the infiltration tomorrow," she told the students as they all listened.
"Almost there, loves!" Lena's voice sounded off over the intercom.
PARIS, FRANCE – 7:34 P.M. CEST
The ship soared past the Eifel Tower, camouflaged as no one below on the city streets could see it. The group of students all marveled the sights through the windows before they arrived at the large end of an alleyway, landing down carefully. Moments later after the entire team had disembarked from the vessel, they were inside what appeared to be an apartment building as they walked through its halls up to a door with a "7A" upon it.
"You boys will be staying here," Angela said to the males of the group, opening the door to reveal three beds lined about perfectly with a television and refrigerator in front of them.
"Seems cramped…" the Dark Shadow Quirk user commented rather bluntly.
"Oh trust me…" the former aviator of the group began to say, catching their attentions, "ours is worse," she noted with crossed arms.
"Let's go," the Egyptian woman beckoned, enticing the girls to all follow her further down the hall.
"Oh, Izuku?" the female doctor said, causing the freckled teen to stop at the doorway and look over at her, "Could you meet me outside your room in half an hour?" she asked as he blinked in surprise, "I wanted to discuss something with you," she stated. A while later, the two of them were now dressed in regular clothes underneath large coats as they trekked down the city streets together.
"Huh…" the aspiring hero breathed out, shivering as he could see his own breath, "Sure is cold out…" he noted while rubbing his arms.
"Yes, it is…" Angela agreed as she smiled, "You know, that technology of Winston's wasn't developed by solely him," she mentioned as he blinked, "The idea was his, but the development was done by both and an extremely intelligent woman from another world," she explained, looking back at the One For All inheritor, "I believe you know her as… Shuri of Wakanda?" she inquired with a smirk.
"The B-Black Panther?!" he stuttered out in shock, making her giggle, "I guess that makes sense from the look of those stealth beads…" he realized with a sheepish smile.
"Here we are," the Omni Force squadron leader said as she came to a stop at the gateway to a graveyard, which the U.A. student took notice of as he arched an eyebrow in confusion. They ventured in as the moon's light helped them see throughout the plethora of gravestones in the area. After a few moments, the blonde haired woman stopped by one, enticing the adolescent with her to do the same. Before he could even ask why they had halted themselves, he saw the name engraved onto the stone, widening his eyes.
"Gérard Lacroix…" he uttered in disbelief.
"Huh…" Mercy sighed as she gave off a somber expression, "Aside from Jack, Ana… and perhaps Gabriel," she began, catching the freckled teen's attention, "no one really knew about his personal life aside from that he had been married," she explained to him, "Genji, Tracer… and myself…" she listed off, "we thought she was dead after her husband had been found murdered," she admitted, "That's why no one assumed Widowmaker was her when she was on the Omni Force…" she told him, "At least… until after Ana had been shot…" she recalled, remembering the even where they had almost captured the assassin.
FLASHBACK
"AMÉLIE!" All Might bellowed as he turned a corner of a street in pursuit of the Talon agent. He and a few of the Overwatch members had been after the infamous killer and traitor for a few days as she had been repeatedly spotted in Paris by law enforcement officers in the area. The usual smile on the number one hero's face had vanished into an angered snarl as he saw the woman duck into an alleyway.
"She's getting away!" Angela exclaimed.
"NOT FROM ME!" Toshinori shouted in declaration as he hurried quickly into the alley. Suddenly though, a bullet pierced through his left arm, making him yell in pain as he keeled over onto a knee for a moment, grabbing at it.
"Ha, ha…" a voice laughed ahead of him, making him look up to see his former teammate about to exit through an MPG portal, holding the device in her hand, "Adieu, Toshinori," she said in farewell, going through the vortex.
"NNNOOOOOOO!" he screamed, lunging out towards it in an attempt to follow her as he threw his right arm out. However, it disappeared in an instant just as he reached it, landing on his right knee and looking back with widened eyes.
"Toshinori…" Mercy uttered worriedly. A while passed as the police had come to investigate what happened, as the blonde haired man remained despondent.
"He's been like that for a while…" Lena noted in concern, "Maybe we should-" Her idea halted itself as she noticed Angela approach their ally, who sat solemnly on the sidewalk.
"Toshinori… this wasn't your fault…" she noted to him, "None of us knew what she was doing…" she pointed out, "We didn't even know it was her!" she added rather hysterically.
"I should have…" he responded, standing up before walking away, "Now any more lives she takes are on my shoulders…" he declared in frustration as his fists were clenched. The female doctor merely bit her lip and turned her head away, upset with how things had turned out as well.
END FLASHBACK
"All Might…" Izuku uttered in disbelief after hearing the story.
"I'm sure he told you about how his battle with All For One prevented him from pursuing Amélie any further…" the Omni Force squadron leader noted, prepared to go, "He still felt that it was his fault she killed as many people as she has…" she recalled, closing her hands into fists.
"Hmm…" the freckled teen hummed worriedly. He then took notice of a rose lying in front of Gérard's gravestone, widening his eyes slightly.
"We should hurry back to the safehouse," the blonde haired woman advised, catching his attention as he saw her start to walk off.
"R-Right!" he stammered in response, jogging after her. He took one last look back at the grave and then the flower that rested over it, wondering who exactly would leave such a symbol of romance behind.
END
THIS. This is the fanfic content I've been dreaming of getting out since I started "Traitor" last year. For everyone's sake, I urge you to please review this chapter. Tell me my strengths and weaknesses with the story, and I'll see what I can do to fix any mistakes I've made.
Anyways, we're getting into the nitty gritty stuff with Talon's plan, the four teams heading out around the world, and the upcoming infiltration mission. I'm really excited to be writing more and hopefully, I'll get another chapter out before the start of my senior year on Tuesday. Until then folks, PLUS ULTRA!
