Chapter 52 - Bird of Prey, Hawks!? A Plan of Attack!?

Tokoyami often didn't find himself lost for words. He'd always have a dark proverb or something to break the silences during a conversation, unless he was the one starting said silences, of course. And yet witnessing the Number Three Hero landing on the rooftop had stunned him into complete silence.

There was something to be said about the grace and precision of Hawks and the way he handled the massive dark red wings that were his quirk with ease. He touched down onto the raised platform, hands in his jacket pockets as he surveyed the area around him.

"Ah, Hawks, glad you could make it, I'm grateful for the help, my friend," Airdriver began, walking up the platform towards the new Hero.

"Well, I couldn't miss this, could I? It's been making all the rounds and I'm always down to help out a friend," Hawks shrugged, the voice a smooth young male greeting their ears.

Hawks was the youngest Hero within the Top 10 of the Billboard Charts and the youngest ever Hero to ever hold the position of Number Three. He had a Hero Agency when he was eighteen and just a few years later, he was holding his own in the Hero scene exceptionally well. Truth be told, Tokoyami was quite the fan, and it seemed that Airdriver and Hawks were both mutual fans of each other, if he was reading their words right.

"It's totally the feathers," Dark Shadow hummed silently, reading Tokoyami's thoughts.

"We'll brief you inside. It's been a rough morning but with you here I imagine the culprit will be caught in no time," Airdriver explained, leading the third place Hero down the platform towards where the other three were waiting. "I'd be more focused on the case myself but I've got to train these two as part of their internships."

It was when he gestured to the pair that Hawks' eyes lit up from behind his visor, a sly smirk crossing his face.

"So this is who you ended up interning with," Hawks chuckled, pointing a finger towards Tokoyami, who froze in place. "I was surprised when you didn't accept the offer I made, though I guess if it wasn't me you picked, Airdriver's a good choice."

"W-Well, I considered picking you as I've followed your work, but Airdriver was my teacher before... Well, all this," Tokoyami stammered, gesturing wildly around him. "I made a promise to intern with him when I got the chance."

"Fumikage, you turned down the Number Three Hero for me, I've got to say I'm honoured," Airdriver laughed, picking up on the situation pretty quickly. "Sorry Hawks, perhaps you can snatch him up after he gets his licence."

Hawks gave a hearty shrug, clearly not bothered by Tokoyami's choice, instead flicking his eyes to Shouji, who was standing cross-armed behind Tokoyami. "I remember you too, big guy, acted like a tank for the small boy with the... uh..." Hawks took a moment to figure out what he was trying to say, thoughtfully looking into thin air before he figured out what he wanted to say. "Grape hair, right?"

"Y-Yes, I'm Mezou Shouji, though I go by Tentacole on the job," Shouji mumbled, somewhat intimidated, yet also confused by Hawk's rather lax demeanour.

Hawks gave him a nod and a smile, but nothing more, Shouji's eyes looking downcast for a brief moment before Hawks turned to Beni, who was standing beside the boys with an excited look on her face.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Benzaiten. I heard that old Airdriver had a talented technician at his agency. I've heard a lot about you," Hawks said with a wink.

"I-I'm hardly famous Hawks." She tried to wave away his compliments, though the slight blush on her cheeks betrayed that she was certainly flattered. "You can call me Beni for short by the way," She explained with a nervous chuckle, giving him a warm smile. "I'm sure you'll be a great help in this case."

"I certainly aim to help out as much as possible," Hawks nodded, glancing over to the two boys who were watching the exchange. "Any way I can help to make the lives of future Heroes easier is good enough for me."

Airdriver couldn't help a low rumbling laugh at those words. "You're still following your ideals then, good to hear."

With the pleasantries out of the way, Airdriver led Hawks, followed by the other three, back into the building and down the stairs to the Agency. Hawks seemed pretty content and chilled out, looking around at Beni's tech bench with a modest expression of interest, much to Beni's pure excitement. Airdriver opened up his office door for Hawks, before looking over at the students and shaking his head, a way of telling them to wait out there.

"It was nice talking to you both. If possible, while I'm staying here, I'd like to chat with you more. If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask, given I was in your shoes just a few years ago myself," Hawks offered, giving the boys a fairly warm smile as he stepped into Airdriver's office, lowering his wings to fit through the doorframe as he went.

And once the door was shut, Tokoyami let out a rather relieved breath as he felt his body deflate from the tension that had been building. "That was something..." He muttered, Shouji nodding in agreement.

"You never told me you got on offer from Hawks," Shouji asked as they walked over to the break room, Beni following a little ways behind with a piece of tech she'd been working on.

"Well, uh, it never really came up," Tokoyami shrugged. "I've been following his work for a while but I just couldn't say no to my teacher. Being truthful, I had not noticed his application until after I had submitted my request for Airdriver."

"He's interested in you though," Shouji replied, "It's a good opportunity."

"He seems like a cool guy in person," Dark Shadow pondered, slipping out from underneath Tokoyami's cloak to rest on the couch arm. "Airdriver seems to know him, they were pretty friendly."

Tokoyami had noticed that as well. Given Hawks and his young age, Fumikage had to wonder just how his teacher knew the guy. Had they worked on stuff previously or was there something there that he wasn't aware of.

"They were definitely friends, though he didn't seem to know Beni by person," Shouji theorized quietly.

"Actually, I think I can answer your questions," The woman in question announced with a knowing smile, pushing her glasses up as they slipped forwards in the excitement. "It's actually quite simple. Hawks interned with Airdriver back when he was in school. They worked on a lot of cases together for the few years he was active."

"Hawks interned with teacher?" Tokoyami choked out in surprise. "T-That wasn't on any of the Hero websites!"

"It was mostly on the down low," Beni explained with a shrug. "Something about Hawks wanting to be his own person when he graduated, so he asked Airdriver to keep his mentorship a secret from the general public."

Tokoyami was surprised. Airdriver had been teaching Tokoyami for around four years, so that meant assuming Hawks had interned with his teacher until the end of his studies, then once Hawks was out in the real world making a name for himself, his teacher had moved straight on to teaching Fumikage. Something about that fact warmed his heart, knowing his teacher had come to him as his next pupil. Perhaps he had potential yet.

"Makes sense," Shouji shrugged adamantly.

"But enough about Hawks," Beni smiled. "We haven't even had a chance to properly chat yet. You guys want to become Heroes, just like Airdriver and Hawks, right?"

Tokoyami nodded, Shouji answering with a curt, "Yes."

"So why do you want to be a Hero then?" She asked, attempting to pry an answer out of the two stoic boys.

Tokoyami was the first to explain, "I want to help people. I want to make sure everyone is safe and content..." He trailed off though, his mind flashing back to the day before and Airdriver's stance on his ideology he'd adopted. Compassion and sacrifice... Was it truly something he should be proud of, his reason for being a Hero?

Dark Shadow, from his place curled around Fumikage, tensed up at these thoughts, the demon's yellow eyes looking to Fumikage's own with a curious glance, perhaps interested in the answer himself. Tokoyami wasn't sure, but before he could think further his voice seemed to speak on its own.

"I... I want to give everyone a chance. I believe in compassion and was inspired by a friend to see the good in everyone, to save those who need saving whether they want to be saved or not." Clenching his fists, he realized that he definitely believed in those words he was stating, remembering how Midoriya looked during the Sport's Festival when he had faced Todoroki. That was the sort of Hero he aspired to be. Looking to Beni with a fire in his eyes, passion behind every word, he finished with a quick, "I want to be someone who does the right thing with no regrets."

Beni's eyes seemed to light up from sheer inspiration as she gave him a beaming smile at his proclamation, the absolute opposite reaction to his teacher the day before. "That's a beautiful reason," She grinned, though a seriousness came over her as she continued. "Just make sure to take care of yourself. Heroes look after the population, but there's got to be someone looking after the Heroes." At that, her eyes drifted to the office door where the two Pros were talking, a wistfulness in her voice as she continued. "He won't admit it but without my research, he may be in a touch more trouble than he'd like. Not that I care about any praise, mind you."

"I imagine he's grateful for your help," Tokoyami stated.

She gave him an odd look at that, crossing her arms and looking back at the pair of them. "There's no imagination about it. I'm just glad I can help out in some way..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes shimmering for a brief sombre moment before flashing back to their happy selves. "But that's enough of me, what about you Shouji?"

Shouji, who had been deep in thought for the whole conversation, blinked in surprise as he realized he was being addressed, before looking to the two with an unsure look. "Well, uh, my reason is that I want to be useful. I'm always told that my Quirk is super handy and useful, so I want to make sure I'm using my gift for good and not wasting it," He explained sheepishly, though that passion Tokoyami had was definitely not as present with Shouji.

Fumikage knew instantly that the taller boy was holding something back, though it was only Dark Shadow who noticed how Shouji's face mask crinkled ever so slightly into a frown.

If Beni noticed, she didn't betray it in her expression, instead standing up to look at Shouji's extra arms curiously. "Yeah, I can see why this Quirk would be useful. You can create more than just extra hands right?"

Shouji nodded, grateful for the slight change of subject. "I can create any body part I wish with my dupli-arms. An ear, an eye, a face, more arms, a mouth of course," He explained, pointing to the mouth he had been speaking through that he had created.

"Hmmm... You'd do well as a surveillance-type Hero," Beni nodded. "But I'm sure you knew that already, right?"

"Indeed. Though I must admit, I'd rather be able to do more than just survey the surroundings."

Tokoyami couldn't help but glance curiously at Shouji. He knew from experience that Shouji was at his best when helping others and enjoyed that experience, perhaps moreso than the majority of Class 1-A. Yet, having a Quirk that doesn't rely on a flashy gimmick or a powerful entity or attack certainly seemed to be holding him back. And Shouji knew it.

"So you want to fight on the front lines?"

It was as if the entire atmosphere in the room changed at those words, though Tokoyami wasn't altogether sure why. Beni had said them with a surprising severity, both boys tensing up, with Dark Shadow even wordlessly turning to Shouji for his response.

"Yes," Shouji replied tersely. "I have many possibilities moving forwards with my Quirk and I've trained my body to withstand blows and deliver back with force. And yet all the time I have been told about my abilities as a scout of a surveyor." Shouji's voice was filled with a surprising amount of anger that Tokoyami was definitely not used to when it came to the taller boy. Shouji had never truly been angry before. Concerned, yes, angry... Not so much.

"However I've seen Heroes time and time again fall into the box that society deems correct for them, never giving them the chance to broaden their skills," Shouji explained, arms folded tightly, Beni listening intently. "I don't wish to be slotted into a category before I've had time to showcase my usefulness and my abilities."

"Is there a reason why you're so determined not to be a Support Hero?" Beni asked cautiously and slowly.

"Yes," Shouji stated.

"And that reason is...?"

Shouji shook his head. "I don't want to discuss it. It's not something I'm comfortable talking about."

"That sounds just like those times where Midoriya and you would ask about his mask," Dark Shadow thought.

"Indeed. They are most likely connected, though I do not know why..." Tokoyami mused back to his Quirk.

Beni shrugged her shoulders, leaning back. "That's fine, though now you've left me all curious about it," She sighed.

"You'll live," Shouji muttered.

"Was that an attempt at a joke?" Tokoyami asked incredulously.

"I've made jokes before," Shouji countered, bopping the back of Tokoyami's head with one of his arms playfully.

It was at that moment that they heard the office doors swing open and the sound of footsteps echoing through the office floor. Airdriver and Hawks stepped out, the pair glancing inwards to the break room where the three were sitting. "We're headed to the Police Station to gather intelligence. Can you do patrols with those two today Beni?" Airdriver asked with a smile.

Tokoyami had a feeling he was only acting peppy to keep up appearances and to avoid worrying himself or Shouji, but it was already too late for that.

"Of course," She replied with a nod, watching as Hawks and Airdriver headed for the elevator.


As the pair arrived at the police station in silence, a few minutes later, Hawks finally turned to his teacher in an attempt to make conversation. "Hey, it's good that you kept up appearances for them," The younger Hero admitted. "Your pupil would probably worry himself to death over you if he knew how the situation was."

"Then you still have a lot to learn Hawks," Airdriver muttered, looking to his old pupil with a weary smile. "Fumikage is well aware of the situation and probably could tell I was faking a smile. But he's the sort to know when it's better to let things be given the situation at hand."

Hawks raised his arms in defeat, leaning back against his hands as they walked through the front door. "Hey, sue me. He's hard to read since he doesn't give a lot away in body language and he has a natural poker face."

Before they could continue the conversation, they were met up with a few officers who had contacts with other Hero Agencies. It seemed that a few Pro Heroes had taken to the meeting as well, Ice Scream and Chargevolt among them. Morning Crow had apparently been too busy with other issues in his neck of the woods, much to Airdriver's cchagrin His speed would have been appreciated.

Ice Scream was a fairly burly woman with bright pink bubblegum hair and a costume that was outfitted with metallic ice cream cones that doubled as speakers on her elbows and her chest. She looked to Airdriver with a look of uncertainty, perhaps out of pity, though he couldn't tell.

Charevolt, meanwhile, dressed in a light neon blue costume with white accents, was mindlessly zapping some blue electricity between his palms, his spiky white hair sticking up from the static. He said nothing as Airdriver walked past, though as Hawks walked in everyone fell silent, surprised to see the Number Three Hero in their midst.

"Thank you all for coming," The Police Commissioner muttered. "Airdriver has acquired the help of Number Three Hero Hawks in regards to this case. You have been briefed, correct?"

Hawks nodded. "The Crimson Thief, also known as Crimson Shadow, caused various robberies and has killed an inmate in the penitentiary last night. She's known to manipulate shadows in some way to escape her enemy and as far as the Quirk Registry is concerned there are no residents of the Fukuoka Prefecture with a Quirk like that."

"Indeed," Airdriver stated tensely, everyone's eyes focusing on him, curious as to how he'd react. "We have no way of knowing where she will strike next or what she will attempt, but given she was willing to leave a message at the scene of her latest crime, it stands to reason that she is looking for attention."

"Any clue as to what she wants?" Ice Scream asked cautiously, the large woman folding her arms carefully.

"I... I have my suspicions." Hawks looked up his old mentor with an interested look, Airdriver looking back with solemn eyes. "Damien Rogers, the man killed, was not chosen randomly. He was held in a very specific and secure part of the prison complex, meaning the Crimson Shadow was targeting him. What do we know about Damien?"

The Police Commissioner was the one to speak, pointing to a whiteboard where he began writing down information. "He was an American, had been jailed for 16 years and was responsible for the death of The Raven as well as your own hospitalization. Aside from this, there isn't much to go off of."

"Exactly," Airdriver sighed. "I have reason to suspect that the Crimson Shadow is trying to send a message to someone."

Hawks spoke up then, "I think I understand. She's sending a message to you, Airdriver, isn't she."

Everyone's eyes turned to Airdriver, who nodded in resignation. "Of that incident, I am the only one still alive, so I suspect that whoever this is wants to contact me for some purpose."

"Then should we use you as bait, Hayate?" The cool sound of Chargevolt's voice asked from across the room.

"Using a fellow Hero as bait, that's absurd!" Ice cried out, her voice ringing in everyone's ears. "To endanger hi-"

"No, he's right," Airdriver stated, interrupting the pink-haired woman, who turned to him in shock.

"You can't mean to actually use yourself as bait? This woman has killed, Hayate!"

Airdriver shrugged his shoulders. "I've seen my fair share of battles. And I'd rather myself be the one in danger than an innocent civilian on the streets. If I don't react to her message, she might try to send another. I don't think any of us need to think about what that entails."

Ice Scream's fire and rage melted away in an instant at the thought of another murder taking place, her force relenting as she looked away solemly. "I still don't like this plan," She muttered.

"So, what do we do to get her attention?" Hawks asked. "Airdriver would need to meet her alone and she seems cautious enough that any attempt to ambush her would end in failure."

"Tonight, I'll go out on patrol alone. If she really is watching for me, I can go to the Warehouse District by the docks and meet with her. Though I cannot allow anyone to follow me, I can tell you where I plan to be."

"At top speed, I can fly through the city skies in around a single minute," Hawks explained. "You could have some way of signalling me to head over. I could get there faster than any other Hero and my abilities are perfect for quick and effective takedowns."

"Then we have a plan," The Police Commissioner announced. "As for everyone else, it would be best if we all continued the day as normal. There is no need to cause suspicions, assuming the Crimson Shadow is aware of our movements."

With the plan set, Hawks and Airdriver quickly decided to return to the Agency, their goal to come up with the finer details of their plan. But Airdriver couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was sinking in his stomach as he thought about the Crimson Shadow. For deep down, he had his suspicions and the truth was too much to bear, if it turned out to be the case...