Dreaming of Stars

by Gushy48

Sanji Inochi, a selfless man who is unable to use his Quirk—Dreams, being considered Quirkless. Through luck and seemingly-impossible odds, he finds his way to U.A. High School in Class 1-B. With what Life brings to 1-B, the society that they live in—the Hero Society—will forever be altered. (x-posted on AO3 and Quotev/bi-weekly schedule)

36. Master and Mystic

Sasaki Kendo

"Saki, you gonna be safe, right? I mean, you're heading over to enemy territory for goodness sake! What if they decide to host a public execution and hang you by the neck?! You, Nana, and Sora! As much as I heard good things about Qinglong, and I adore Bam's music—I mean, I love her work, freaking obsessed over it—they could eat you alive! You're only the No.2 Pro y'know! Oh, what about Mystic? Can we really trust a man named that ? I say no! He must be mystically untrustworthy! Why wasn't I allowed to come?!"

"Because I said so, and frankly, I'm getting tired of saying that. Look honey—"

"Don't 'look honey' me! Saki, I'm your wife. Instead of being the overprotective man you are—"

"I'm a husband and a father. If you ask me, I'm justified in being 'overprotective', especially since something big is happening here."

"I know, I know! You're worried about me and Hayami, I get it, but don't forget that I'm a Hero too."

"For Japan. We can't bring all of our cards out to play, that's why you're back at home with Toshi and Chiyo. Don't worry Tatemi, this mission will be quick and easy. The team we have, it's made up of five of the most powerful Heroes in the world—six if you count Sorahiko."

("I can hear you, Saki!")

Tatemi sighed. She didn't like the situation one bit. Her husband volunteered to go on a dangerous mission with her best friend, who was required to. Sorahiko didn't count 'cause he was an asshole, and still an asshole today, but he volunteered too.

For a little backstory, this took place a couple of months after All For One managed a prison break in Tartarus. Remember that this took place decades ago, so the security then wasn't as hardcore as it is today, but it was still damn near-impenetrable. After the prison break, the crime rates doubled. But, this allowed Tartarus to get their shit together. Soon enough, they became known as the world's most fortified prison. Since then, they're constantly working together with companies and governments to improve their security. They spared and will keep sparing no expense. With Toshi becoming All Might, the Villains in Tartarus will stay in Tartarus. All For One was an idiot for attacking that place. The only thing he did was make the security strong, tough even for him. Though, I noticed this fact in hindsight. I wasn't looking at the big picture before. As you know, I had to take care of my family.

That's why I joined the mission. The U.H.N. was the spearhead of the operation. U.H.N wasn't as useless as the League of Nations or the United Nations; it had some semblance of power. Like this mission for example. It had to go through a shitton of bureaucracy though, lots of red tape that I can't be bothered to explain even if I knew how it worked. After that mess, they contacted Nana that one of All For One's henchmen had a hideout near Busan. He was an American, William Jacob Patterson, also known as "Core"—a terrible name honestly. Anything he touched, he'd heat it up to steel-boiling temperatures. Somehow, he was immune to the emanating heat.

Anyway, back to Nana, she was asked to work with the U.H.N. because they knew—or the higher-ups did—about One For All. A Japanese Hero like her wasn't legally allowed to work in another country, especially Korea, so the U.H.N. was the bridge that let her cross. When she told us, Sorahiko volunteered to come with her, and I did as well. No matter how hard she tried to convince us, she gave in. Along with other Heroes like Bam and Qinglong, the U.H.N. had their own player in the game too—Mystic. We'll talk about these three later.

For now, I was trying to calm Tatemi's nerves. We had just got off the plane, landing in the airport just outside of Busan. We had a private jet and everything, pretty damn fancy. Continuing the conversation from earlier — before I went on a tangent—Tatemi said, "Japan needs the three of you home— alive . You're the only wall that's in All For One's way. Without you, he could takeover Japan again in a fingersnap."

"I know, sweetheart. We're a band of badasses though. Whatever Core is planning, we'll put a stop to it, capture him, and squeeze the information he got. Well, if the U.H.N. isn't planning to screw us over at the end," I replied with a little laugh. Let's be honest, no one likes organizations like the United Hero Nations. Whenever I think about them, I imagine the stereotypical politician who will gladly destroy an entire country in order to save his reputation. Not every monkey suit-wearing bastard is like that though. Some of them, they genuinely care about the world.

"Yeah, if they do, we could get a movie deal outta this, I swear. People would eat this kind of drama up!" she exclaimed. I heard her clapping her hands on her end. She was always cute like that. "Hehe! Seriously though, watch your back. These people you're working with… Don't think that they have your interests at heart. Trust them enough to do their job and that'll be that. You can come back home to kiss me and embrace our little girl."

"Gotcha," I said. Sorahiko was looking at me, mouthing that I need to hang up 'cause Nana was talking to some guys in suits. I groaned. "Gotta go. Love you, and tell Hayami that I'll be back soon."

Tatemi hummed. "I will. I love you, Saki. If you can, get an autograph from Bam." She hung up. After that, I walked over to Nana and Sora, listening to their conversation. I wasn't really paying attention much honestly. I was thinking about my wife. What I did get was that we'll head over to the outskirts of Busan. We had a headquarters established there, which was near Core's hideout.

Sora nudged me with his elbow, scowling. He whispered, "My instincts tell me that something is off."

"Everything's always off with you," I replied; I was always an ass to Sora. "You're that type of guy to see a lost child and go, 'Y'know, that kid is really suspicious.'"

"Shut up, stop spitting out jokes and be serious," he snapped.

"Hey, I'm always serious about my jokes!"

"Boys," Nana got our attention, clicking her tongue like a disapproving mother, "we better get going. These nice men will drive us to where we need to go." She gestured towards the guys in suits. There was an SUV behind them, and one of the men was kind of enough to open the door for us. We filed inside, they joined us, and we were on our way.

During the drive, we didn't say anything. Nana, she was the one who would start up conversations. She was the light we needed whenever times got dark, especially during a terrible Villain attack. However, this mission involved All For One. She was dead serious. There was a small chance that we might've met that bastard, and she wasn't taking the chance lightly. God forbid, if we did meet him, we promised her that we would run away if we can, leaving her behind to fight him. Luckily, we never did. Of course, we all know when Nana did meet All For One; we know the story.

I forgot what I felt then, but I knew… I knew that I wanted to hear Nana crack a joke, making us smile—Sorahiko too. That was what she stood for—making people smile. She always said to us, " A true Hero saves not only someone's life, but their heart too. How? By smiling of course! We give 'em a smile even when we're bleeding from head to toe, as if to say, 'I'm A-OK!' The strongest people in the world are always the ones who smile."

I disagreed honestly. The strongest people in the world are always the ones who let themselves cry.

When we finally arrived to our headquarters, it was a decent building, I guess. It was only a few stories tall, concrete foundations, looked like the average office building. Inside it though, it was like those gigantic rooms you'd typically see in government buildings. Like uhm, large control panels full of buttons, computers, and IT guys who man those computers. Against the walls were a ton of TV screens that were watching Core's hideout. And where there weren't any TV screens, there were whiteboards with more information than I could process. I swear, there was only one car there, and that was ours. But inside the building was at least fifty people. It was stunning, frankly. Nana was amazed, I was too, and even the lughead named Sorahiko. The U.H.N. pulled out all stops here.

Now, once we went inside, it was like bam , we were the center of attention. Everyone looked at us for a good ten seconds, realizing that we were the strength, the power behind this operation. Without us, people would die. We were the hotshots, but we weren't that great. Without the analysts, scientists, researchers, scouts, whatever; this operation wouldn't have happened without them. Nana cleared her throat and like that, everyone went back to work. One of the men in black suits led us to a conference room down the hall. He said to us, "Mystic is inside. Qinglong and Bam will join you shortly to begin the briefing."

Then he left. I joked, "Look at us three, getting briefed. Almost like we're secret agents or something." Sora frowned, but I didn't care about him. I said that to cheer Nana up. There was a small chuckle coming from her with an even smaller smile, but that was it.

Patting my shoulder, she said, "C'mon, let's go meet Mystic." We went inside the conference room. There, we saw Mystic, who was writing something on a whiteboard, mumbling to himself. At the end of the room was a large TV screen. Y'know though, TVs aside, Mystic's entire existence was an anachronism. Why? Well, we were in a high-tech room and Mystic looked like he came out of the Sengoku Period. He wore a white and gold haori over a red kimono with a black hakama around his waist. The only thing missing was a katana. I found out why later. He was a young man then, definitely in his twenties. He had white hair that was neat, swept towards the front of his head. At the back of his head, there was three long strands of hair that went down his back. His eyes were crystal blue too. There was something dignified about Mystic, mystical you could even say.

Nana, being a people person, introduced us, "Mystic! Nice to meet ya! I'm—"

"Nana Shimura," Mystic said, his voice still and steady like the wind. An idiot would think he's emotionless. No, Mystic was calm, tranquil even, especially when he grew a faint smile and turned to us. His movements were precise, utterly perfect. Yet, I could see his aura. It was white, so starkly white. I felt it from across the room. It was so intense that it rivaled Nana's aura. "Sorahiko Torino and Sasaki Kendo. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all; a shame that it had to be under these circumstances."

Sora stepped forward. "Yeah, a shame. So Mystic, why are you dressed like you're about to defend your land for your lord?" I gave him a dirty look, practically telling him off with my eyes.

Mystic laughed, putting a hand to his chest. "The U.H.N. allowed me to choose my own costume, and this is what I chose. On missions, I often have to walk in public. With this on, it would be assumed that I am a Pro Hero. No one would dare to bother me, no?"

We nodded, though Nana studied him closely, specifically his haori. She asked, "Can I bother ya with a question? It's about your haori—"

"Ah yes, my haori…" Mystic turned back to the whiteboard, reading to himself. "They, my employers, didn't want me to wear my haori because it was passed down through my family. It could give away my identity, you see; however, it was a risk I was willing to take. After all, my family is practically unknown." When he was talking about his haori, something felt familiar. Nana felt it too, hence why she asked him about it.

"Uhm, alright… I feel like I heard about a samurai with a white and gold haori before. Dang it, I can't remember it for the life of me," she said, snapping dismissively.

"Does that really matter now, Shimura?" Sora asked her with a huff. "Either way, Mystic looks out-of-place with that garb on."

Mystic chuckled and nodded. "Generally, Heroes are meant to look out-of-place I'm no different, so really, I'm considered normal."

Nana changed the conversation, "Moving on, do you know the secret of my Quirk, right? The U.H.N. surely musta told you 'bout it."

He nodded and strangely, his eyes narrowed. "They have. Your Quirk is called One For All, being combined with your preexisting Quirk—Float. Ever since the Origin of Quirks, it has been passed down from generation to generation in hopes to defeat All For One. Today, you are the current holder, and Toshinori Yagi is your successor.

"Do not worry though. I won't reveal your secret to anyone else, and I am not saying that because I am bound by the United Hero Nations. I will genuinely keep it close to my heart until the day I die."

Sorahiko crossed his arms, shaking his head. He looked like he never heard so much bullshit before in his life. "Really? Let me put it frank with you, Mystic. I don't think you can be trusted, not at all."

Mystic straightened his lips, unfazed by Sorahiko's bluntness. He said, "May I ask why?"

Nana saw where this was heading and tried to stop him, but Sora kept on talking. He responded, "You're a lackey of the United Hero Nations, a puppet in a haori basically. Why should I trust someone like you? You don't have our interests at heart—only the guys who're pulling your strings. We want a better world while you want a world beneficial for only your employers."

"That isn't true."

"Then what is true?"

"I want a better world—"

"Then you should've became a Pro Hero."

"For Japan?"

"No, Canada—Of course I mean Japan. Where else would I be talking about?!"

"I'd rather help the world, that's why I joined the United Hero Nations as an agent."

"Really? Tell me how."

Mystic's gaze was still as if he was a willow tree. He told him, "God, or whatever beings there are, put me in this world for a reason, no matter how cruel or vile it may be. I was fated to give support, removing evil with my two bare hands —and with the world's backing. I was meant to give life to this world."

"Bullshit."

"Sora!" Nana and I scolded him.

"That's utter bullshit," Sora repeated again. "'Oh, I only want to help the world!' What an excuse to get us to like you better. You knew exactly what kind of people we are from the beginning. There's something you want from us."

"Your trust," Mystic answered. "I want your trust because if we cannot work together to arrest Core and put him where he belongs, then hundreds will certainly die! Don't you see that you're being selfish? Trying to put your desires over the people of Busan? All of South Korea even? For what? You think the United Hero Nations are no better than Villains—you may be right, yet Villains don't try to preserve the innocent lives, do they? Sorahiko Torino, I'm sorry that you think this way—"

"Oh screw me backwards, don't you tell me that you're sorry!" Sora complained, throwing his arms up in the air. "Attacking me for being selfish, well you might as well hang me! I get you're hopped up on the Bushido Code or shit like that, but you have no right to criticize me."

"Then you have no right to criticize me for my own motives. That's your hypocrisy, yet that doesn't matter." Mystic looked at Nana and I, who were staying silent in this argument. "Nana Shimura, I understand your possible reservations—you as well, Sasaki Kendo. However, we must agree that One For All is less important than the lives of the innocent. Do you agree?"

Nana nodded and answered, "Of course! I'm a Hero, aren't I? It's our job to sacrifice our lives daily to save those who need saving, and defeat those who need defeating! That's my motto, alright! The entire country is counting on us to do the latter, and might I say, I'm pretty dang good at fighting."

I laughed seeing how I just couldn't top that answer. I just nodded a lot harder and told him, "What Nana said. I'm terrible with words, but I'm not as terrible as Sora."

Sora interjected, "Sasaki—"

I grabbed his shoulder, tightly gripping it. As it stood, I was able to shatter his shoulder with one hand alone. I say, subtly threatening him, "Sorahiko, I told you that you're terrible at talking, so please shut up."

Sora glared at me. He whispered, "Because you're afraid of this clown? You? Master Kendo? You're afraid of a puppet like Mystic? He's an idiot in a haori that probably doesn't belong to him." Admittedly, I was a little afraid. I could feel his power in my diaphragm, which was saying a lot. For most of my life, I was around Nana Shimura, one of the most powerful women in Japan. Now, Mystic was here being just as powerful as her. I will confess though, Sora did make some good points; they were justified reasons to be suspicious, I'd say, but we couldn't focus on that. We had to focus on Busan and the people who lived there. Not only that, Mystic had our lives in his hands, and we had his. If we couldn't work together, then we'd be positively fucked.

Nana smiled her usual smile, putting a hand on his other shoulder. "Behave yourself, Sorahiko. You wanted to join me on this mission, remember? I can easily send you back to Japan. So, let's stop messing 'round and do what we need to do." Nana laid down the law right then and there. Sora would never listen to me, but he'd listen to her, so that was exactly what he did. He threw our hands off of him and stormed out of the room, taking a breather. You couldn't blame him. He might've been a prickly cactus on the outside, but he cared about Nana and the rest of us. So really, he was an annoying, protective dad that you couldn't get off your back. Nana shook her head and turned to Mystic, who was frowning. "I'm sorry Mystic, he's very serious about this. That's his greatest gift, but also his greatest burden sometimes."

"He has a good heart, that's certain," Mystic replied. "I am truly sorry that I couldn't reveal much about myself. I do hope we can work together, Nana Shimura and Sasaki Kendo."

"Why do you keep saying our full names?" I jumped in. Mystic laughed and scratched the back of his head.

He answered, "Now that is a question I can answer. I've never been one to remember names for the life of me. I always forget them. That's why I say your full name every chance I have. I'll never forget them that way."

"Do you remember your name?" Nana asked as a joke.

Mystic shook his head. "Not at all. Why else am I named 'Mystic'?" he sarcastically replied with another laugh. "But jokes aside, as much as you want to hear my name, I cannot. If we meet again though, under better circumstances, I'll tell you it alongside my Quirk." That was obvious. Couldn't reveal his name and couldn't reveal the real name of his Quirk. Those were the rules of the United Hero Nations.

"What's the pseudo-name then?" I asked.

"Let's refer to it as 'Mystic', the same as my codename. It's an Accumulation-type. In fact, some metaologists in the U.H.N. say that I have one of the strongest Quirks in the world. I'm flattered by the thought, but that isn't the case. Soon, we'll be allied with some of the strongest Heroes in the world, with the strongest being the stunning woman in front of me," he said, seemingly flirting a little with Nana; personally, I think he was just being nice. She waved it off, having a hand on her hip.

"That's hasn't been officially decided! We don't even know what Mystic does! C'mon, why don't you spill the beans already? Is your Quirk mystical as it sounds?" Nana urged with a bright smile.

"Don't pressure him too much, Nana." "Don't pressure him too much, Nana."

Mystic and I both said that at the same time. My eyes shot open and Nana's did too. We stared at Mystic, who had a cocky little smirk on his samurai face. It was like he read my mind, which was something "mystical", but that wasn't it. Oh hell, I wish it was that simple. What he said instead was something extraordinary better than a tacky power like mind-reading. He told us, "That is a passive effect of Mystic. I named this passive 'Limited Foresight'. I can see the future, but it's very limited."

"How so?" Nana asked him.

"I can see one second into the future. That's all. Only one single second, so I cannot see how each of you dies—unless you die within the next second, then that would create more problems on its own. How I can visualize the future is complicated to say the least. I can process time normally, yet Limited Foresight is also processing the future in one second intervals. As a result, my brain creates two different images—the present and the future. The images do not conflict with one another, so I'm able to see both clearly. And yes, Sasaki Kendo, it is happening constantly."

I lowered my finger, nodding. I was about to ask him if Limited Foresight was active constantly, like everyday, every hour, every minute, and things like that. It must be a nightmare though, honestly. How could he sleep?

Mystic continued, "It's an amazing power. However, I'd rather not be called a 'prophet' or anything similar to that. I mainly utilize this power in combat, predicting my enemy's moves and reacting appropriately." This man said that as if it was normal. It wasn't, far from it. From the day since he awakened to his Quirk, he began to see one second into the future every waking moment. What did he do? He trained himself. He trained himself to process his future vision and react to it under a second, under one freaking second . After that, he needed to do it again, and again, and again. That level of skill was immeasurable. His reflexies matched mine, maybe even surpassing it. And guess what? This wasn't even his real Quirk. Limited Foresight was a passive effect of Mystic. This man was seriously busted.

Nana exclaimed, "Awesome! You sound amazingly powerful! Limited Foresight isn't your real Quirk, right? What does Mystic really do? Since you're wearing a kimono and stuff, I'm guessing it involves kenjutsu! Y'know, Master Kendo is a master at kenjutsu, but he doesn't bother using a sword."

"Spears are better than swords," I gave my opinion, crossing my arms. "It has longer reach and it's easier to use. In a fight of spear and sword, the spear would win nine out of ten times." As much as swords are flashy, spears are more effective at doing their job. I'm still standing by that fact today. But does Sanji listen to me? No, he went ahead and decided to use a katana. His loss.

Chuckling, he said, "Nana Shimura, you're right and wrong."

"Really? How could I be right and wrong? Lemme guess some more!"

"Very well."

"Let's go with...fire."

"No."

"Water?"

"It's none of the elements."

"Dang… What about…" Nana looked at me. "Archery?"

"Right and wrong."

"Jeez, you're like Saki… Uhm… Saki, help me out here."

I sighed, giving in. "Alright Mystic… You must be a jack of all trades, so I'm guessing Creation-type." Creation-type Quirks, like that Momo Yaoyorozu in 1-A, involve creating objects from the body. They're a rare type of Quirk like Warping. I mean, in my career as a Hero, I've only seen two instances of a Warping-type Quirk. As for a Creation-type, it was three, not including Mystic. In forty or so years as a Hero, from all of the Villains I defeated, you can begin to imagine how rare those types of Quirks are. It was a bit exhilarating honestly, but also painful. Rare Quirks were often harder to beat.

And by ranting about this, you bet your ass that I was right. How did I figure it out? Instincts, that was how. Mystic gave me a nod of approval, basically telling me that I was smarter than Nana—that had never happened before. She shot me a dirty look like she was saying, You're supposed to be an idiot, Saki! I didn't take any personal offense, but her face was too easy to laugh at, so I did. Nana puffed her cheeks and punched my shoulder. Mystic cleared his throat and we focused back on him. He explained, "Mystic allows me to create white opaque constructs from my body. I would go in detail, but that would take a long time. I—"

Mystic immediately turned to the door. "It's them." That was Limited Foresight in action. By "them", he obviously meant the two latecomers.

The doorknob turned and out came our allies.

The first one who came in was a blonde-haired woman with a pink streak going across her hair. She had a black trench coat thrown over her shoulder, a definite contrast to what she was actually wearing—her Hero Costume, or should I say… Idol Costume. She wore a white crop top with the words "JUSTICE" written in colorful letters of the English alphabet. A black and gold jacket was thrown over her crop top, and it was literally sparkling with I-had-no-idea-what. The lady wore black shorts—pretty short shorts—with leggings that were torn to shreds. Then there were her black boots with gold highlights. She wore a belt that held a dagger and restraining equipment like handcuffs, zip-ties, stuff like that. The girl, she was definitely alluring alright. She was the youngest one here, and she wasn't afraid to strut her youth around. If you would there, you'd see her curves in full action. Naturally, I didn't give a damn because I was taken by the most beautiful woman in the world—Tatemi Kendo. Mystic, being polite, turned his head and scratched the back of his head again.

That was Hyun Yeong-ju, also known as Bam, who was the leader of NO DAY. She was the biggest Idol Hero in Korea, practically in the entire world. Idol Heroes were a big thing, still are today. "Bam defined an entire generation of music," some said. Do I care? Not at all. Music was Tatemi's thing, which she ranted about a lot . Being the good husband I am, I sat and listened. Anyway uhm, Bam was pretty damn good at combining hip-hop with pop, and I hate to admit it, but some of her songs were decent. Take that and mix some heroism in, you get one of the biggest Idol Heroes in history. She inspired future generations of Idol Heroes, like Kinoko Komori, one of my kids' classmates. I only know that because of Itsuka telling me about her.

Bam's Quirk was called Lightless. She could turn herself invisible at will. While she was invisible, her speed increases astronomically. I mean, imagine if you were standing on one end of a soccer field and her on the other. Once she turns invisible, she could reach you within a blink of an eye. She was that fast. It was said that she could only be invisible for a certain amount of time, but the exact number was a company secret. She was pretty damn good with a dagger and restraining weapons. Even when she was out of her Lightless State, she was a fast little lady. Out of the team, she was arguably the weakest. In Korea, they judge Heroes based on popularity more than actual merit and strength, but it didn't mean she was weak. Bam was the No.1 Pro for a reason.

For the second one, he was a much simpler man—thank God. He had fluffy black hair that was tied into a ponytail. He wore an azure and jade changshan, which is definitely easier to describe than Hyun's costume. Y'know, us Kendos have a bit of Chinese blood in us on Tatemi's side. It's why Itsuka wears a qipao because she wants to recognize her Chinese heritage. And yeah, I know what you're thinking—Hiryu Rin is the grandson of this man.

He's the grandson of Zun Fei-Long, also known as Qinglong. I never told the kids that I worked with Rin's grandfather before. That would've resulted in too many uncomfortable questions. Now, a little something about China, they take heroism very seriously. Over there, the Hero Billboards are a helluva lot more competitive than in Japan. The top ten was and still is dominated by rivaling families, vying for power and a better ranking —and of course, the Fei-Long Family was at the top for decades, and they aren't today. Another family took over and usurped their spot as No.1 unfortunately. No matter how many kids the Fei-Long Family has, they haven't reclaimed the title. Zun was the last Fei-Long who was the No.1 Pro Hero, and he wouldn't be able to take the spot back in his lifetime. So he decided to leave that up to his many kids, one of which was Zhang Fei-Long, his successor and Rin's father. Zhang was gifted the Hero Name of "Xuanwu". After that, Zhang followed in Zun's footsteps, but he didn't take the spot as No.1 yet. During his career, he did the same thing as his father —having a ton of kids. Out came his eldest child, Lian Fei-Long. Out of Zhang's sons, Lian is predicted to be his successor, so he will have the responsibility to reclaim the spot as the best Pro Hero in China. Once Lian's successor is named, they will adopt the name "Shangdi". And Hiryu Rin? He's the youngest child, forgotten I think. I don't know why he was sent to Japan; that's something you have to ask him yourself.

Zun, Zhang, and Lian all have the same Quirk—Astral. Astral converts their "life force" into physical energy that they can emit. And holy shit, I saw how Qinglong fought during the operation. His energy attacks were extraordinary powerful, capable of destroying buildings without breaking a sweat. Qinglong himself had a high semblance of control in how they formed and what speed they will travel in. After all, I expect that Astral is a Quirk that is power in its purest form. That's Chinese Heroes for you.

And before I forget, I'll talk about Mystic's Quirk—Mystic. I told you before that it's a Creation-type. Well, it was a lot more than that. His Quirk, and I'm being serious, is the most versatile Quirk in existence. If you have it in your hands right now, then you could nearly create any physical object. Your mind is your only limit. Mystic allows you to create white constructs of nearly anything, just couldn't create anything living because obviously, I don't think any Creation-type Quirks could do that. Anyway, Mystic—the man—was skilled in controlling his creations. They could explode, morph and shift into something else—Hell, what his constructs were made out of…they were some form of energy like Astral. However, unlike Astral, Mystic was able to channel his Quirk throughout his body like One For All. His Quirk was that good, almost made me jealous a few times. God, Mystic fit so many roles that one could need. He was one of the best fighters on the team. If he was a Hero, then I'd think he would be one of the best Heroes in the world.

Now, back to the mission, we were finally meeting Qinglong and Bam. Sorahiko was behind them—too bad he didn't scamper off like a stray cat. Bam saw the three of us and her eyes lit up. "Yoo hoo~! So you're the Japanese Heroes that I'll be working with! I met this stud out in the hall!" she said in perfect Japanese. Nana and I were taken back from how great her Japanese was. She had an authentic accent too. Sorahiko, in the back, scoffed at her compliment. He took a seat at the table, remaining silent.

Then Mystic corrected her, "I'm not a Pro Hero, but yes, I am Japanese. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hyun Yeong-ju."

Bam giggled. "Same to you~!" She skipped over to Nana and stuck her hand out. "Nana Shimura! So you're the lady I heard so much about! Yet, you're barely famous in Japan. Keeping your secret on the down low? I getcha!"

Nana shook her hand, humming. "That's right! You know, my best friend loves your music. Right Saki?" Nana leaned in close and whispered to her, "My best friend is this knucklehead's wife."

"Really?!" Bam exclaimed before she ran over to me. "Master Kendo, is Magnum Opus a fan of me? Well well well, what's her favorite song? If you want, I can sing to her and your daughter!" It took every bit of strength for me to not tear my ears out.

So instead, I turned to Nana and said, "Nana, no."

"Nana, yes!" she snarked back. While she left me to deal with Bam—who was ranting about an autograph, but I wasn't paying attention to her—she turned to Qinglong instead. "Qinglong, right? Sorry that Bam took the spotlight from ya."

"I don't mind," he said. His voice and demeanor was like Sora's—serious and all that. With my knowledge about heroism in China, I knew that Qinglong was only participating in the mission to secure his place as the No.1 Pro; luckily, that meant he was willing to cooperate. And, he spoke Japanese too. It wasn't perfect like Bam, but it was more than good enough. "It appears that everyone is here."

"Yeah," I said, brushing past Bam who just wouldn't stop talking. I went up to Qinglong and put my hand out. "Good to have you, Qinglong. We have an all-star cast of Heroes today, don't we? Hell, we could even take over a small country if we wanted to."

He shook my hand. "It's an interesting thought, but I'm afraid I have too much pride and honor to do that."

"And I have my fans," Bam joined the conversation. "World conquest aside, we gotta talk about something important."

"No," Sora snapped.

"I heard an enthusiastic 'yes'!" Bam hopped up in joy. "With so much power in a single room, we need a name for this team! After all…" She jumped on the table and looked around, then she pointed at Sorahiko.

She exclaimed, "We have Sorahiko Torino! The dashing Hero known as 'Gran Torino' whose Jets make him faster than a supersonic jet!"

She pointed at Qinglong next. "Here is China's best Pro Hero—Zun Fei-Long! As Qinglong, the Azure Dragon, he embodies the spirit of China himself!"

Then at me. "We have the master of all martial arts, Sasaki Kendo! That's why he's referred to as Master Kendo, 'cuz he could beat ya down with everything and anything in this very room!"

Mystic was next. "And the mysterious Agent Mystic! A handsome man who is cosplaying as a honor-bound samurai wandering the winter snow! You seem like a winter-y kind of guy, no offense." ("None taken.")

It was Nana's. "Then we have Nana Shimura, the lady who can fly with One For All in hand, fighting against her mortal enemy, All For One! And, she's probably the best Hero in this room!"

Finally was herself. "Finally we have I, Hyun Yeong-ju! I am the whimsical leader of NO DAY, under my stage name of Bam! I need valid opinions for our team name!"

Sorahiko spoke up, "How about 'Sit Down and Shut Up'?"

"Your opinion is no longer valid!" Bam declared. She waved her finger around, looking for someone to call on except for the guy with the invalid opinion. Eventually, she stopped at Mystic; he looked very confused. "Mystic, what d'ya got?"

He let out a small yelp, chuckling nervously. "Uhm, I don't have a fitting name… I would imagine something like 'Core Apprehension Team' or anything similar to that."

"Snappy! I like it! Personally, I would playtest the name first, but since this operation is a secret… Yeah, it's a secret, alright..." Bam rubbed the back of her neck, then she hopped off the table and sat her butt down on the seat next to Sora.

"Something wrong?" Qinglong asked, taking a seat across from Bam. This was when I took a seat too, Nana sat next to me, and Mystic sat next to her.

"Color me 'slightly concerned'. Busan… It might not be the soul of Korea, that belongs to Seoul, but it's still my people. I don't care that Korea and Japan are mortal enemies while China sits in the back drunk off their butt. Hundreds of thousands of innocent lives are resting on this one operation," Bam expressed her concerns. It was the first time that I saw her acting as a Pro Hero and not an idol. You know, that was when shit got really serious. If the idol of idols was serious, then you knew the situation was literal Hell. No amount of song and dance could solve our problem.

"We'll treat Busan as if it's our own child," Mystic promised, and in the end, it was an empty promise. But we didn't know it then, we couldn't see into the future save for him, and it was for only one measly second.

As comrades and allies, the rest of us nodded along, determined to keep that promise.

"Is all of Busan at risk because of Core? The potential of tragedy is that large?" Qinglong asked.

And Sora answered him, "Yeah, it's All For One; he's a large man. Whenever he plans something big, bet that thousands are at risk. He doesn't kill without a reason though. Never does."

"He always have a bigger scheme in mind. For example, an attack on a densely populated area would draw attention away from his true objective," I added on to what he said.

"Isn't this is his squirrely little henchman? It's not All For One himself," Bam said. "He might not be commanding Core, maybe Core is operating on his own?"

"That's plausible, but we can't rule the possibility out," Nana inputted, glancing at me for a tiny bit. In the end, All For One was controlling Core. The reason why though… It was scarier than the bombing itself.

I said, "Yeah, we can never know with that bastard—"

CLICK!

An Asian man in a suit walked in with neatly combed black hair. We stood up, but he gestured for us to sit back down. He first said, in Japanese, "All of you know Japanese correct?" Everyone nodded. "Good, then we won't waste time with translators. My name is Fujiro Hideyoshi, an official from the United Hero Nations that is commanding this operation." We greeted him with head nods and smiles.

Remember when I talked about good politicians? Hideyoshi was one of them. He made sure that innocents won't be harmed, even if they weren't Japanese civilians. Anyway, Hideyoshi went up to the TV and tapped the screen. It turned on with a blue circle in the middle. An automated voice came out — the edges of the circle moved as it spoke, "Fingerprint recognized. Greetings Fujiro Hideyoshi."

"Hello to you, K.A.M.I.. Scan the room for me, please," he asked. Out of the ceiling, a tile slid back to reveal a projector. A blue light emerged, circling every crevice and corner before it receded back. About K.A.M.I., she was a Smart AI that was made for the United Hero Nations. I'm speaking about this past tense, obviously, because she was replaced by a more advanced AI; that's what I heard at least.

"No foreign devices detected. Room is secured," she said.

"Good, activate Operation Core ." The projector shone a light on the conference table. In front of each of us was a small blue circle, about the size of an American penny.

"Operators, please put your index finger on the circle for recognition," K.A.M.I. told us. We gave each other amused glances, and Hideyoshi smirked. He had this grin that said, Never seen this before, haven't you? In any case, put your finger on the circles.

One by one, we did what we were asked.

"Recognized: Agent Mystic."

"Recognized: Nana Shimura."

"Recognized: Sasaki Kendo."

"Recognized: Hyun Yeong-ju."

"Recognized: Zun Fei-Long."

"Recognized: Sorahiko Torino."

"All operators recognized. Activating Operation Core upon command of Fujiro Hideyoshi of the International Villain Affairs block, speciality East Asia, of the United Hero Nations. Mission Level: Umbra—"

"K.A.M.I., what does 'Umbra' mean?" Bam asked while she was in the middle of whatever she was saying.

K.A.M.I. replied, her voice didn't surprisingly glitch out from the interruption, "Mission Level: Umbra—Each operation that is established by the International Villain Affairs bloc of the United Hero Nations is categorized into levels of various clearances. The lowest level is 'Green' while the highest is 'Umbra'. For Operation Core , a mission of Umbra clearance, only the highest-ranking officials are aware of this mission, including all operators involved."

Hideyoshi explained, "Usually, Umbra missions involve some of the world's most dangerous Villains, especially All For One. This applies to any missions regarding the nature of One For All as well. Very few people are aware of its existence, let alone how it operates. In fact, I don't even know the specific details of One For All and the past successors. I'm only aware of its name and a few miscellaneous details.

"Mystic here is one of the few agents who can go on Umbra-level missions. He is a very powerful man, capable of rivaling any No.1 Pro Hero. With his background and his family's history, it makes him an essential man for this operation."

"Hmph," Sora huffed in protest. Nana shot him a glare, which calmed his ass down.

"May I continue?" K.A.M.I. asked Hideyoshi.

"You may," he responded.

"Very well. Mission Level: Umbra.

"Location: Busan, South Korea.

"Target of Operation: William Jacob Patterson also known as Core.

"Main Objective: Apprehend and capture William Jacob Patterson alongside any conspirators.

" Operation Core is activated, commencing debriefing."

The projector shot a projection of Core's hideout. There were about twelve dots, eleven was red and one was black. Hideyoshi waved his hands around, spinning the projection so we could get a clear view of the entire place.

His hideout was a suburban home that was two stories tall. On the ground floor, going through the front door will land you in the living room which connects to the kitchen and laundry room. (Crossing through the backyard, you can go through the backdoor, which opens to the kitchen.) If you go left into the hallway, there's the bathroom, a couple of offices, and a closet. It's where the stairs are. Go up there, there's three bedrooms with two bathrooms—one of the bathrooms was in the master bedroom. Oh, almost forgot, there was a connecting garage too that you can access through a side room on the ground floor. Inside the garage were two identical black vans. Yeah, black vans were suspicious and all, but the idiots didn't even have license plates on them. The dots themselves were moving throughout the house.

Hideyoshi informed us, "There are twelve targets—eleven of which are henchman and thugs that are represented by a red dot, and you guessed it, the black dot is Core. Apprehend and incapacitate each target, but prioritize Core. If possible, collect any electronics like laptops or phones. However, that is not the primary objective. It is imperative that you capture Core alive."

As he explained the operation, K.A.M.I showcased the information on the table.

"Now for what's important—the strength of each target. We don't know the Quirks of anyone other than Core himself. He has the ability to dramatically increase the temperature of anything he touches. We know he's able to boil steel, but we're not certain if that is the extent of his Quirk. Either way, do not let him touch you with his hands—those are his Quirk Factors. For his men, expect that they are well-trained with their Quirk. Otherwise, that is all. This is a team made up of some of the world's most powerful Heroes and individuals, so a mission like this should be a cakewalk. But keep in mind what's at stake here. Failing this mission will lead to a massive loss of lives."

Qinglong raised his hand. "Hideyoshi, how did the United Hero Nations spearhead this mission? Usually, the national government or our respective Hero Public Safety Commission would command it." That was a good question. Whenever a group of Heroes was needed, the Commission would pick them. Then, once they got their pick, they send the list to the government along with details of the mission in order to get approved. Again, it's a lot of bureaucracy, but that's how the world works.

Hideyoshi began to explain, "Well—"

And K.A.M.I. interrupted him, "I can explain, Hideyoshi." He sighed and nodded, giving K.A.M.I. the pleasure. "The South Korean Hero Public Safety Commission heard rumors that Core was hiding within the vicinity of Busan. Since Core was known to have connections to All For One, a Japanese Villain, they contacted the Japanese Hero Public Safety Commission. There, they spoke with their respective governments and both countries came together for a discussion. However, they argued over which country had proper jurisdiction. This was when the United Hero Nations became involved.

"Hideyoshi himself recommended a joint operation with Pro Heroes from Japan and South Korea, alongside an agent of the United Hero Nations. To further ease tensions, he also recommended to bring a Pro Hero from China due to motives that involve another conflict. As a result, you were chosen, Zun Fei-Long. Through Hideyoshi's compromises, his recommendations were accepted and Operation Core was created.

"Initially, only Nana Shimura was asked by the Japanese Hero Public Safety Commission, but Sorahiko Torino and Sasaki Kendo volunteered to participate in Operation Core . Both men were approved by all four parties—the United Hero Nations, South Korea, Japan, and China. Does this sufficiently answer your question?"

Qinglong cleared his throat. It was clear that he didn't expect that much information to be thrown at him, neither did I. I barely know shit about Heroism Laws as it is, yet alone how it works internationally. But hey, Qinglong nodded. "Y-Yes… You have my gratitude, Miss AI."

"I am K.A.M.I., not 'Miss AI'."

"Forgive me…" Qinglong bowed his head in shame.

Hideyoshi sighed. "Anyway, anything else before we move on?"

Sora asked, "When are we starting?"

"Midnight tonight. We have six hours until then."

Yup, it was only six hours.

---

After some more briefing, it was time for the operation. We were split into two groups of three. I was with Mystic and Bam; Nana, Sora, and Qinglong were put together. I was Team Alpha—Team A—while they were Team Beta—Team B. K.A.M.I. analyzed that most of our targets would be gathered in the backyard. We decided that Team A was gonna bust into the backyard through a neighboring house, taking out everyone out by surprise. Team B was gonna back us up as reinforcements, making sure no ugly bastard would run with their tails tucked in-between their legs. Thinking about it now, it was supposed to be a simple mission—damn, it was so simple. Everyone was gathered in one place, so we could've taken everyone out in one swoop. But no, life decided to say "Fuck you" and everything went to hell.

"Team A, checking in. You guys doing okay? Ready to bring some righteous justice on these guys?" Nana asked through the earpiece in a whisper. Each of us had earpieces that allowed us to talk to each other, including K.A.M.I. and Hideyoshi. We were in the adjacent house. Mystic was on the second floor, looking out the window while Bam and I were on the ground floor, waiting to go bust into the backyard. When we were given the command, Mystic would do his thing and both of us would run out like a bunch of idiots.

I tapped the earpiece—that was how we turned it on—and quietly replied, "Team B, peachy. We're peachy. Bam is humming one of her songs while Mystic is…" I took a look outside, trying to see what Mystic was doing. He had his left hand out, and from his palm came a shaft of a pearly white bow, one of his creations. With his right hand, a white arrow seeped out of his skin, the triangular arrowhead sharp as a razor—another of his creations. He stood there, nocking the arrow and drawing it back. There was something majestic about it. A long white-haired man with a bow nocked, ready to fire given the word. His eyes were steady, so steady that not even a child crying would distract him. So I finished my report, "Mystic is ready to shoot a poor bastard's eye out."

"More like ending a Villain's career by shooting him in the knee," Bam commented, who stopped humming. "I dunno 'bout you, but I am more than ready to rescue my dear people of Busan! I'm already thinking about song ideas in my head, y'know!"

"Think about the operation first of all," I scolded her through whispers. "We need you focused, Bam! We have to take everyone out at once!"

"Hey, I got it!" Bam pouted. She took out her cuffs and binds, winking. "Imma restrain these punks, just watch me! These guys, they won't ever see the day! The only thing they'll see is night!" She made a pun. I only knew a few Korean words, but "bam" in Korean means "night".

I rolled my eyes, not dealing with her shit. "Really—?"

Sora clicked his tongue. "Play nice with Bam, Master Kendo. Your wife is a big fan of her. I'm sure she'd be disappointed if she found out how you treated her."

"She's already disappointed in me, Gran Torino. I'm her husband. What do you take me as? A perfect man? Hell no," I replied with Bam smug like a stupid little cat.

Qinglong joined, "Why are we talking about this now ? Master Kendo, you told Bam to focus on the operation, yet you are going on about your wife?"

"I don't need you busting my balls right now, Qinglong. What about you? Are you focused on the mission?" I turned the conversation to him.

"Yes…?" There was so much uncertainty in his voice.

"Qinglong—"

"Master Kendo, please don't bust Qinglong's balls right now," Nana said.

Bam joined her side, "Yeah, what did Qinglong do to deserve ball busting?"

"I never took you as that kind of man," Sora stated.

Mystic huffed and told us off, "Everyone, please be quiet. Our full focus needs to be on this mission. It shouldn't be spent arguing over petty things. Am I clear?"

No one answered.

Mystic repeated himself, " Am I clear? "

"Yessir."
"You got it."
"Yes…"

"Sorry 'bout that, Mystic."
"Let's get on with this…"

"Good," Mystic said, sounding too happy for his own good. He kept holding his stance without any shifting. It was impressive, honestly. Mystic had the bow nocked for a minute or so now; your arms would hurt at that point. Anyway, he spoke into his earpiece, "Hideyoshi, are we able to engage? We are waiting on your command."

After a couple of seconds, Hideyoshi answered, "There's something strange happening. The projection says that ten of the targets, including Core, is in the backyard."

"They are. We can hear them talking about random shit right now," I snapped.

"Yes, but we're getting reports that the targets are also inside the house and garage. K.A.M.I. counted fifty dots in all, which doesn't make sense. We confirmed and reconfirmed that there are only twelve targets. The numbers don't match."

"They tricked us," Bam said. I heard Mystic's breath leaving him. For me, I looked at her like she was crazy. "Mystic, Master Kendo; listen to their conversation."

The asshole was speaking in Korean, so I didn't understand a single thing. I gave Bam a dirty look, and she rolled her eyes. "He said, 'So I was with this girl, who was a total broad. Gotta say though, that night was pretty fucking amazing.'"

I snapped, "They're talking about a one night stand. What are you trying to prove?"

She explained, "The same guy said that two minutes ago, word-for-word. They aren't real. None of the men in the backyard are real. I guarantee that if Mystic shot them now, they would turn into dust or something."

"What? Are you saying—?"

"Yup, we've been exposed."

"Fuck!" I swore, tapping my earpiece. "You guys hear that? Did you hear what Bam said?!

"I got it! I got it!" Nana exclaimed. I heard her running outside along with two other sets of feet.

Vrrrm!

Vrrrm!

We heard car engines starting up. Hideyoshi yelled, "The projection just cleared up! All twelve targets are inside the garage, taking the vans! We can't lose them! K.A.M.I.—!"

"I am already sending two automated vehicles to Team A and Team B immediately," she said. It was kinda useless to bring a car to Team B, honestly.

I shouted at Mystic and Bam, "We need to head to the street!" Before I knew it, I was already running. I ran through the living room, and with my shoulder, I bashed the door open. Mystic and Bam followed behind me. As we reached the street, we saw Team B on the other side. We stared at each other helplessly as two vans barreled down past us. It wasn't any ordinary vans too. They were definitely customized because these vans were as fast as police cruisers. Sora shouted, "They're getting away! K.A.M.I.—!"

K.A.M.I told us, "I am sorry, but I am unable to identify which vehicle contains Core. Apprehend both vehicles for a maximum chance of success." Unfortunately for us, we couldn't tell which van was which. Both were black and didn't have a license plate. The fuckers planned this from the beginning. They wanted us confused and distracted; they even stopped K.A.M.I.'s prying eyes somehow! With how fast they were going, it would take awhile to catch up—by Quirk or by car.

But that didn't stop Mystic. Out of the corner of my eye, his veins brightened up, being white. His skin was illuminated with a white sheen, his veins crawling up his body and through his neck. It created lines that creeped its way through his skin, all around his head, but never going into his face itself. His bow disappeared from his hands, shattering like glass. He took a step forward as his veins faded away, his channeling coming to an end. His crystal blue eyes shone. I just blinked for less than a second, less than half a second, a quarter even, but when I opened my eyes—

— SET!

MYSTIC ARTE: LIGHT SPEED!

—He was gone. The only thing I saw was a solid trail of white light where he left behind. He was so fast that the pavement beneath him broke into pieces.

"Damnit!" Sora did the same. Within a moment's notice, he was standing beside Nana, and the next, he was using his Jets to chase after the vans. Nana chased after him using her Quirk—Float. She could fly like no other, and with One For All boosting it, she was incredibly fast. Qinglong followed suit, jumping after the three of them. Imagine looking down the street and see a samurai running, a woman flying, a man flying with her, and a Chinese man jumping like a monkey.

And I couldn't do any of that.

I turned to Bam, seeing if she would run after the vans too. She blew air out of her nose. "Sorry, Lightless makes me fast, but trying to catch up to a car is no good. Can't tell you why due to company secrets, no hard feelings…"

I muttered under my breath, "And now she tells me!"

I yell into my earpiece, "K.A.M.I., where are those cars?!"

K.A.M.I answered, "They are arriving within three seconds." Right after she said that, we saw two pitch black cars speeding towards us—one on each side of the road. They were definitely luxurious cars, more than I can afford. Team B's car just went zooming down the road while our car stopped. The doors opened on its own, revealing that there was no one inside the tin can—probably the same for the other car too. "They have arrived. Please get inside and brace yourselves. We will accelerate quite quickly. If needed, you can manually drive."

I, being the graceful oaf I am, dove into the back seat while Bam took shotgun. Through the earpiece, I heard Nana saying, "We'll take the left van! You guys take the right!"

Before I sat my ass down, the car was already accelerating at mach speed. My body smacked against the seats—thank God it was soft and wasn't hard like rock. I had enough back injuries. Anyway, I did manage to situate myself upright. In the front, Bam was trying her best to not get whipped around like a ragdoll. I held onto her seat for support, asking her, "Bam, how far are we from the van?!"

"Heck if I know! The car's moving so fast that I can't even tell if we're on the road!" she replied just as the car turned sharply to the right. I get flung into the side of the door, my left shoulder taking the brunt of the damage. Bam's head crashed against the passenger window, enough to have a nasty concussion. "Ow…"

On the dashboard, there was a computer screen. Guess who showed up? Yup, our blue circle friend named K.A.M.I.! "Greetings Hyun Yeong-ju and Sasaki Kendo. Currently, we are pursuing a vehicle that could possibly contain Core. It is highly likely that we will drive into Busan, South Korea. Agent Mystic is running after the vehicle on foot. Your primary objective, ordered by Fujiro Hideyoshi, is to retrieve Agent Mystic. He is two hundred meters ahead of your current position. Your secondary objective, if possible, is to prevent the vehicle from driving into Busan."

"Oh, how the hell am I gonna do that?!" I shouted at her.

The sunroof opened up. "May I recommend the sunroof, Master Kendo?"

"That might work…" I said, poking the upper half of my body through the sunroof. There was so much freaking wind though, but that was my only worry. We were driving on a highway towards the heart of Busan, so it was a straight road. There were a few cars out that weren't a bother. After all, if you saw a man in a haori running after a speeding van, you would pull over on the side of the road and rethink your life. Too bad I couldn't pull over, because that was exactly what I saw, believe it or not. Ahead of me, I saw Mystic running like a madman trying to catch up to the van. There was white solid streaks that was coming off of him, disappearing the second after it was generated. Team B got separated from him, I figured. I tapped my earpiece, yelling in the wind, "Mystic! What's your status?!"

"Ah—! Not good—! I cannot...cannot reach it at this speed! Geh—!" he replied through exasperated grunts.

I grunted, focusing my eyes on the van. I could barely see it, but honestly, all I had to do was aim my bow forward and let loose. Like I said, it was a straight road. So, I got out my multi-weapon and expanded it into a bow. The joints loosened, the shaft bent, and a string came out on the ends. I rested an explosive arrow against the arrow rest, nocking it. "You can go faster?!"

"Yes—! If I do, then I won't be able to fight efficiently! I have to conserve my power or else—!"

BURST!

"Mystic—!"

"What the hell—?!"

"There has been a new development."

The backdoor of the vans opened. Four men are inside. Two of them were large Asian men with bald heads; they were twins. They had a Mutant-type Quirk, and uhm… Well, I wished it wasn't so obvious. The twin on the right had a minigun for his right arm, and the twin of the left had a minigun for his left arm. They braced their Minigun Arm with their normal arm to handle the recoil. They were about to riddle the little Sengoku samurai with holes. I pulled my arrow back and warned Mystic, "Mystic! Coming at ya from behind!"

"Wait, you're—?!"

THWISH!

As soon as I released the arrow, the Twins saw it coming and aimed their Minigun Arms towards me. The barrel spun and spun before a hail of bullets came out. I immediately duck back into the car, narrowly avoiding a quick death. Through the windshield, I saw that they shot my arrow out of the sky. It exploded ahead of us, wobbling the car a little, but it still remained straight. Bam groaned. "Damnit! At least this car's bulletproof—hopefully. I'm sorry I can't do anything, Master Kendo! I'm not fitted for long-ranged combat!"

"It's fine! Just talk to Nana! Get an update on their situation!" I told her. I had no idea in hell were Nana and the others were.

The Twins stopped firing. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were about to take Mystic out. I popped myself back through the sunroof, nocking another explosive arrow. I called him, "Mystic! You gotta retreat! You gotta—!"

It was too late.

BRRRRRR!

BRRRRRR!

But Mystic, the man who had the world's most versatile Quirk, was prepared.

— SET!

MYSTIC ARTE: STARLIGHT ARMOR!

The cunning little samurai slowed his sprint, creating yet another construct of his. Within a second, squeezing through the gaps in-between threads of his clothes, white plates covered his body. It was stylized too, reminiscent of a samurai in full-body armor—even looking like Yoroi Musha a little bit. The Twins fired at Mystic, unleashing a sea of bullets that batted the armor, but every single one ricocheted off. They littered the roads, making a mess of the spotless streets. Mystic's armor did crack, it wasn't flawless armor, but if he hadn't donned it, then he would've died; and not only that, he wasn't at the same speed as he was before. He was forced to slow down, probably to conserve his energy. Luckily, he was the Twins' target. They were focused on him, while I could fire my arrow..

THWISH!

This time, the arrow hit the a meter or two behind the van. The force of the explosion knocked the Twins deeper inside, bumping into the two other punks. They stopped firing their miniguns, trying to recover from their tumble. The impact also sent Mystic back too. He stumbled over his own legs, twisting, barreling down the street uncontrollably. Each time his body hit the road, pieces of his armor shattered and dissipated into the air. He regained control of himself by slamming his right hand—armored with a thick gauntlet—and clawed into the asphalt. He straightened himself as the friction slowed him down to a halt, facing us with half of his helmet gone; there was blood that streamed down his forehead, but he was still in the fight.

Bam and I were coming up quick, within a hundred meters. From how fast we were going, we would reach him in about two seconds—three at most. I went back into the car and kicked the door open, screaming at K.A.M.I., "We're picking Mystic up! Don't slow down for even a second!"

"Very well, please brace yourselves" K.A.M.I. replied. She moved to the left side of the road. Then, the crazy lady spun the car around. I got slammed into the other door, trying to hold onto my bow so it wouldn't go flying out the open door. Bam knocked her head against the window again, latching her hands onto the car grab handles on the roof like her life depended on it. However, the car spun perfectly so that, at the right moment, Mystic jumped inside through the open door. His back crashed against me, his armor cutting into my costume and skin. We were pushed together as K.A.M.I spun the car back to its original position without losing any of our velocity, closing the door while she was at it too. Mystic grunted in pain, his armor sinking back into his body. He got off of me and took a second to regain his thoughts.

"Mystic… Ugh…" I groaned, cracking my neck. "You alright?"

"I'm still alive…" he answered. "Bam, how's Team B? Are they—?!"

BRRRRR!
BRRRRR!

The Twins started to fire again, this time aiming for the car. K.A.M.I. reassured us, "This car is highly bullet-resistant. Only a high-powered sniper could penetrate the armor. Congratulations however, Agent Mystic was recovered. Your primary objective is to apprehend the vehicle. We are currently about to head into Jin-gu." The Jin-gu is a district in Busan. It's home to lots of shopping, entertainment, things like that. Out of the other districts in Busan, this one had one of the highest populations in the city.

Outside, we finally got to see how tiny we are compared to Busan. Tall buildings and bright lights. It was a massive city, embodying the spirit of South Korea. Compared to the highway, our jobs would be a lot harder. Then, it was a straight road with barely any civilians to worry about. Now, there were twists and turns. We were walled in on both sides, so the margin of error was low. If I missed with a shot with an explosive arrow, I would've killed a few innocents. At least it wasn't during the day—remember that this operation took place at midnight. Less people were out, but it wasn't a ghost town, far from it. From one look out the window, I saw at least one hundred people on the sidewalks, staring at us as we drove by.

Bam got her brains together, finally getting around to answer Mystic's question, "Team B—ugh—they uhm, they took another highway that led into Busan. They're trying to take their van down, but they're having trouble with a Quirk that's firing glass at them."

"Are they heading to Jin-gu too?" I asked her as the Twins kept on firing at us.

"Seems like it! Should we—?!"

TURN!

K.A.M.I. turned the car left. We heard that the Twins stopped firing. Mystic took a chance and decided to stick himself out of the sunroof. I looked at him as he formed another bow in his hands. "Mystic, what are you doing?! If you miss, you could hurt innocents!"

"I won't miss," he said as he drew his bow back. In the space in-between the string and a shaft, a white arrow formed. He took a deep breath in and let his arrow loose.

— SET!

COMBINATION MYSTIC ARTE: CHAINED ARROW!

His arrow flew through the air with a chain following it, attached to the end. Bam and I watched through the windshield as the arrow hit the Left Twin in the neck, but the arrow didn't pierce his skin. Upon contact, the arrow transformed into a chain that was wrapped around his throat. The chain was stretched across the road, where Mystic had the very same chain coiled around his right forearm.

And with one flick of his arm, he yanked the Left Twin out of the van. He flew towards us with a pained scream, colliding head-first into the windshield. He rolled, tumbling to the roof of the car where Mystic was. Without hesitation, Mystic grabbed the Left Twin by the throat and threw him onto the sidewalk. He nocked another arrow and shot it into the air without looking. It came down onto the chest of the Twin, wrapping him three times around his body with another white chain. As far as I can tell, that bastard was out of commission. Mystic tapped his earpiece, "One of the targets is apprehended."

The Right Twin cried in outrage, screaming at us in Korean. Bam cringed, so he probably said some nasty shit. His Minigun Arm started to spin so Mystic ducked back into the car. We heard Nana through the earpiece, "Hey, you guys hear me?!"

"Loud and clear! What's happening?!" Bam replied, then the Twin started to shoot at us again. He was a complete idiot. I wouldn't be surprised if his stupidity was a mental disability or something, because he kept trying to shoot at us for the past few minutes. He would've recognized that our car is bulletproof—or bullet-resistant, however you wanna describe it.

"What's happening with you ?! I hear gunfire!" Nana exclaimed, her voice shaking with concern.

"One of the targets is firing a minigun at us. Unfortunately, he hasn't realized that our car is bulletproof," Mystic answered.

"Jeez, alright! On our side of things, we're deeper into Jin-gu than you are! We managed to overhear that they're heading to the Choi Yo-il Square!"

BOOM!

There was an explosion on their end. Nana grunted and yelled something at Sora. "Don't worry, that was Qinglong! Go to Choi Yo-il Square and we'll meet you there! We'll take care of these punks here!" she told us before her earpiece cut off. It was kinda ironic actually. Choi Yo-il was a former Pro Hero that was known for his rivalry against Japanese Heroes. Considering that I'm Japanese, and so are Nana, Sora, and Mystic… Yeah, we were about to dishonor his memory.

Bam's head shot up. "I know where that is! There's a shortcut that will get us there faster than they will!"

"What are you trying to pull here, Bam?!" I shouted at her.

She jumped into the driver's seat, taking the wheel. "I can't let this asshole keep firing at us! His bullets could ricochet into innocent people! K.A.M.I., I'm taking over manually! We're heading to Choi Yu-il Square to intercept our target!"

K.A.M.I. came on the radio, "Command heard. Please drive safely, Bam." At that moment, I thought we were screwed.

"Are you seriously going to drive?!" Mystic said in protest.

"Yup! Count on me to save the day!" Bam answered. "Now hold on tight, 'cuz I'm about to take you on a personalized tour through the great city of Busan!"

"Bam, you idiot—!" I screamed as she suddenly jerked the car to the right, going down an alleyway. The Right Twin stopped firing as the van went on their own way. Within seconds, they were out of sight as Bam floored it. I asked, "Do you even know that this goes to Choi Yo-Yo Square?!"

"Trust me! And it's Choi Yo-il Square!" Bam made so many turns, even drifting a few of them. Mystic and I were thrown around in the backseat. We slammed against each other, the roof, the doors, everything. So far, the car did more damage to us than the actual Villains. At one point, I just gave up on trying to recover, so I just laid on the floor as Bam drove us like a maniac on drugs. Mystic refused though. He was a stubborn man. Getting tossed around one hundred times meant nothing to him if there was a possibility that he could sit still.

"Bam!" I cried. "Are—?!" My head bounced against the floor. "We—?!" Then it crashed against the door. "There—?!" After that, it smacked against the passenger seat. "Yet—?!" And my head hit the ceiling somehow. Don't ask me how it was possible.

"Uhm! Yes?!"

"Why did you answer like that?!" Mystic yelled as we rolled into some random building. He sat up on the seat while I was still laying on the floor, my bow on my chest. I watched Mystic's eyes go from concerned to "I'm-going-to-die". "What are you doing?!"

"Taking a shortcut!"

"That shortcut involves jumping from a parking garage?!" Mystic revealed.

I sat up and looked out the windshield. We were in a parking garage, about one level down from the top. "She's doing what?!"

"Trust me, guys! I did the exact same thing in a music video! I do my own stunts!" she tried to reassure us, but Mystic and I weren't having any of her shit. "K.A.M.I., you trust me right?!"

"The vehicle's suspension cannot handle the landing, so after the landing, the vehicle will be unable to function," she told us. "However, there is a high chance that you will come out unscathed from the impact, set aside from your already sustained injuries."

"There's a chance that we won't?! " I exclaimed as we make it onto the top level. Bam turned right one more time before we started to accelerate into a low wall.

"You're driving into that wall, Bam! Do you think this car can get through it?!" Mystic yelled at her.

"If it can take bullets from a minigun, then it should break through a weak concrete wall easily! God, I hope so! This is not how I wanna die!" she said as we moved closer to the wall. On the other side about five stories down, the square was there. I didn't know how many civilians were there, so I hoped that we wouldn't crush any of them. Bam made sure by honking her horn. Anyone who wasn't deaf could definitely hear her.

"Yeah, same here! I have a wife and a daughter to come back home to!" I shouted. We were getting closer.

She assured me, "You'll get to hug them tomorrow, I guarantee it! And Mystic, I hope you have family!" Mystic didn't get a chance to respond.

We were at the wall. I closed my eyes and held onto the passenger seat for dear life. Bam started to scream and Mystic did too. I forgot if I screamed myself, but honestly, I wouldn't be surprised.

CRASH!

We went through the wall, soaring in the air in a black deathtrap. I felt weightless as my body started to rise up towards the ceiling. I held on tighter to the seat as the seconds went by. It felt like an eternity though. I kept thinking about the impact, whether or not this would break my legs or my spine. And, my mind drifted towards my family. I imagined Tatemi's face, Hayami's little hands holding mine. I prayed to God that I would make it out of this alive—for them. It was always about them. Once I married Tatemi, I knew I had to— we had to make Japan safer with our own hands, and when Hayami came into our lives, that was our most important mission.

So when we landed, God or whatever the hell was up there heard my prayers. We crashed hard like a meteorite. The suspensions were killed and so were the tires. But Bam tried her best to steer the car as it slid forward about thirty-odd meters into the grass that was smacked in the middle of Choi Yu-il Square, avoiding an accidental death of a civilian. Luckily, barely anyone was out on the grass thanks to the "Do not walk on the grass" sign—at least that was what I thought; I couldn't read Korean. We tore up the dirt, but we were alive...relatively.

For us three inside the car, all of us hit the ceiling before gravity took us back down. My entire body hurt like hell, but it was better than being burned alive or getting shot. I groaned in pain while my bow was getting comfortable in the front seat with Bam. Mystic gasped out, clutching his chest before he kicked the door off its hinges, rolling outside. Bam unlocked her door and fell out. As for me, I crawled out on Mystic's end; I didn't wanna waste energy opening a door when Mystic did it for me. Bam saw me come out and threw my bow back. Did I catch it? Nope. The shaft hit me in the head. She winced, mouthing an apology to me. K.A.M.I. came back on our earpieces, which was surprisingly intact after what happened, "Team A has arrived at Choi Yo-il Square. Team B is currently apprehending their targets."

I stood up, my legs shaky and wobbly, but I got my bearings together. I picked up my bow and looked around. The lamp poles were on, thank goodness, so I saw that our van hadn't made it yet. I helped Mystic to his feet. He was coughing up blood though, so that wasn't a good sign. What was worse was the civilians. They saw us come in and immediately ran up, gathering in a crowd. We were surrounded—worst possible scenario when there were Villains right about to arrive. They shouted in Korean, both shocked and concerned. Most of them recognized Bam and asked her so many damn questions. I heard a lot of Bams, and some fans even tried to apprehend us for being possible Villains. I threw them back and Bam shouted at everyone, probably telling them to calm down.

Afterwards. Bam raised her arms in the air, waving them to the side, trying to chase them off like a stray of kittens. She was yelling at them to run, get out—at least that was what I thought. It barely worked. These people, they were too obsessed with making sure if their top Idol Hero was okay. Some idiots were even taking videos of this disaster! Then, there were a few—the ones who tried to take us in—who insulted us. They said something about "ilbon", which means "Japan" in Korean.

I was tempted to yell at these fools myself, but I didn't know the word for "go" or let's say, "get the hell out of town" in Korean. Mystic, from the look on his face, didn't know either. We were both idiots. Bam knew at least three languages—Korean, Japanese, and English. I only knew Japanese and bits of English while Mystic… I have no idea how many he knew. Anyway, not the point, we couldn't get these idiot people off of our backs. Because of that, they put themselves in a whole bunch of unneeded danger.

VROOOOM!

In the crowd, one man shouted, "CHA! CHA!" Before that, I didn't know what "cha" meant. Now? You bet your ass. It meant "car". Immediately, the people started to scream and ran in the opposite direction, away from the action. Me, Bam, and Mystic looked towards the source of the noise, where the car would be at. It was a van. A black van with no license plates. They were coming straight at us. Mystic took a step forward, but I stopped him by putting my hand on my shoulder. I said, "I got it."

I walked towards the van as it sped towards me. I flipped my bow around my right hand, turning it back into a naginata. The blade glimmered from the van's headlights and the lamp poles around us. I aimed to stop this van with only myself. Bam yelled in shock, "Master Kendo—!"

I laughed and taunted the driver, a normal-looking Asian man, to come and run me over. So he took that as a challenge. Naturally he had to. He was a numbskull of a Villain. He accelerated forward, making it his life's mission to run me over. It didn't work. Then, I used my Quirk—Reversal. If you forgot, Reversal stored energy from any impacts my body takes. After that, I could simply release the energy, supplementing my attack. During my U.A. days, Reversal was limited in a way that… Well, if I get punched, then I had to release the energy in my next attack. Yeah, I could've channeled the energy through my multi-weapon, having a much better strike, but there was no choice involved back then. However, a year after I became an official Hero, I had a Quirk Awakening. I could stack the energy from multiple attacks and release it all at once at will . Remember the car ride to Choi Yo-il Square? I bounced around in the car too damn much, but lemme tell you, I was storing the energy from those impacts. It added up—it added up quick .

So against this van? I was unstoppable. I spun my naginata around and gripped the staff hard. I counted the seconds until the van will hit me, and in the second before, I stepped forward, transferring all my weight to my right foot. Then my body came after it, and then my hands, and then my weapon. I transferred all of my energy, all of my force into a single strike that would hit the front of the van. The blade of the naginata was straight. I wouldn't miss. It was me against this van, and I aimed to survive.

"Hyah—!"

SHRK!

I thrusted myself forward, my naginata hitting the van first. I release the energy that I stored with Reversal. It was more energy than I had originally imagined, so much that I created a large gust of wind that smacked against the van alongside my attack. The van screeched and screamed in pain as it bucked forward, digging itself deeper into the blade, but it stopped. Ripples were sent throughout the sheet metal, tearing it apart like ribbons. All of the doors and wheels got blown off and the windows shattered, practically broke into dust. Since it stopped so abruptly, the passengers inside got really unlucky. The driver, who wasn't wearing his seatbelt, flew through the already broken windshield, flying towards Bam and Mystic. His passenger did the same thing; he flew with his buddy. For the others that were in the back, I couldn't tell, but I heard a pretty loud thud .

I stopped the van but it didn't come without injury. I couldn't negate the force of the van hitting me—that was impossible due to the laws of physics. The impact put stress through my naginata and into my arms, nearly shattering my weapon and my bones. My feet were skidded back a half a meter, but I tried to resist moving. It was a stupid decision because again, laws of physics were against me here. I felt my legs buckling, my ankles were on the verge of being permanently disfigured. Nothing broke though. My body would be sore as hell, but nothing broke.

I took my naginata out and slammed the blunt end against the grass, glaring at the two little birds who flew. They were grounded and nearly unconscious. Their faces were bloody. Bam ran up to them and threw some cuffs around their wrists. That was three out of the twelve down. We had nine left. Mystic checked up on me, "Master Kendo, are you okay?!"

"My arms and legs are killing me, but I'm fine. We should check up on the back for the rest of 'em. I think—?!"

BURST!

We heard the back door opening. We were about to sprint over there, but three men walked out to greet us. Only three, not four. This was our van. Unfortunately, we didn't have Core. There was the Right Twin who had a nasty gash on his head, skinny-looking man with a crooked grin, and a muscular man who could snap a child in half with his strength alone. They paced together, measuring us. We did the same. I said, "Stay cool. They're focused on us and not the innocents who still have their phones out—freaking idiots."

"Those are my fans, Master Kendo. Don't insult them," Bam scolded me.

"Quiet. I'll focus on the man with the Minigun Arm," Mystic said. He put his hands together and slowly separated them. In the gap between them, he formed a gorgeous all-white katana and grasped it with two hands.

Bam told us, "I'll take Skinny, then."

"And the Musclehead's mine." I twirled my naginata around my arms.

Skinny started to speak in Korean, touching his friends' shoulders. Suddenly, doppelgangers came out of Skinny's body. They looked exactly like them—Minigun Arm and Musclehead. The weird thing was—the doppelgangers were copying their counterparts' movements. Musclehead slammed his hands together, so did his doppleganger; Minigun Arm spun his minigun, so did his doppleganger. That meant that Skinny...he was the one who tricked us earlier. Bam said, "Skinny said the word 'record'. That's his Quirk. When he touches someone, he's able to create a copy of the person. I don't know how he's recording their actions though."

Musclehead laughed. "His head, ya motherfuckers," he revealed in Japanese. He sounded like a native speaker. His doppelganger playfully hit his shoulder.

I laughed with him, saying, "You should reveal your Quirk too, Musclehead. You'll make things a lot easier for us. Jeez, are all you guys this stupid?"

Mystic protested, "Don't provoke him!"

"Haha! Here's the thing…" Musclehead said before taking a step forward. He raised his fist and yelled, "I'm already angry, bitches!" He ran towards me and tried to slam his fist downwards against my head. I leapt back, causing him to punch the ground. His doppelganger ran in and lunged forward with a left jab. Again, like always, I dodged it.

BRRRR!

Minigun Arm was firing again—him and his doppelganger. It was a little shocking, actually. It meant that Record could create doppelgangers that can use the original person's Quirk. It didn't stop Mystic from donning his armor and running at him with his katana. Bam disappeared from my sight; I assumed she was fighting Record and whatever doppelgangers he'd whip up.

As for me, I had to focus on my own fight. I had two Muscleheads who were dogged to smash my head in. They were in front of me, trying to find out how to properly end my life. The one on the left was the real deal; the right was a fake. Being fake, that meant I could kill it without any repercussions. No one would care about a dummy.

"Master Kendo, right?" the real Musclehead said. "After I'm done with ya, maybe I'll go see your wife?" I gritted my teeth. This bastard was obviously trying to rile me, and it worked. When you were a family man like me, the easiest way to get me pissed was by mentioning my wife or daughter. Surefire way to anger me, but it was also the best way to get paralyzed from the neck down.

So the reaction I gave the bastard, it was fitting. I yelled, "Fuck off! How about I castrate you instead?!" I moved forward towards the real Musclehead. His Fake grinned and stepped forward, telegraphing a punch with his left. These guys were idiots—fake or not—they didn't know how to feint. To punish the Fake for it, I slammed the tail end of my naginata against the ground, using it as a pole to lift myself into the air. I twisted my body in the air with the dummy's punch brushing past my costume. With both of my feet, I slammed it against his chest and knocked the asshole back. Using his chest as a platform, I swung myself around and kicked the genuine Musclehead in the head. He grunted in pain as he staggered to the side. I got back onto my feet without a sweat.

"Bastard… I'll gut you alive!" he said as his skin started to have a tiny little tint of red. He dashed forward faster than before, his shoulder out. I whipped myself to the side as he ran past, spinning my naginata to smack him in the spine with the shaft. The fake one got up and started to charge at me too. I spun my naginata and bam —!

SHINK!

I stabbed the fake Musclehead in the heart. His skin turned dark and pale, turning into dust and ash. It collapsed into a disgusting pile. I didn't have to worry about him anymore. But the real guy? Well—!

BAM!

When I had my guard down, Musclehead came in and punched me hard enough that I fell, knocking my head against the dirt. From the punch, I let go of my naginata, one of my only advantages in this situation. He took it away, tossing my weapon away where I won't be able to get it. "C'mon, bleed more for me!"

Musclehead stomped up to me, seeming like he was about to kick me. I braced my body as he took his foot and smashed it against my knee, nearly breaking it right there. I screamed in pain as he took his foot off. "Not done yet?!"

KICK!

With his other leg, he dragged his foot against the grass before his shin connected against my chest. I got pushed back a few meters, my body rolling around on the dirt and grass. When I saw him, his skin was even redder—unnaturally red. That was the bastard's Quirk. Each time I hit him, his skin gets red as a tomato—not the good kind either. As a result, he became faster and stronger. I saw the difference. Before, he was a bit sluggish, but since his Quirk was active, he was fast. A guy with only muscles was terrible. Having muscles and speed? That would be a small problem. I ended up deciding that it was some sort of Bloodlust, I imagined. So "Bloodlust", that was what I called him.

Bloodlust laughed maniacally, getting off of the fact that I was hurt. "You mighta killed my double, you ain't gonna kill me!" He ripped his shirt off of him and started to pound his chest like some rabid gorilla. I slowly stood up; he opened his arms. "C'mon Master Kendo! Hit me! Hit me with ev'ry thing you got, you sonuvabitch!"

"Hrrah!"

I punched him square in his heart. He coughed out blood, splattering it on my cheeks. Bloodlust laughed as I pulled my fist back. "Not bad… Fuck me, yain't a master for nuthing… But that ain't gonna beat me. So—!"

WHIFF!

He tried throwing a right hook into my jaw. I parried it with my arms before spinning around, crashing my back against him. I trapped his arm against my chest, using my weight to throw him over my shoulder. He was faster with his Quirk, but he wasn't nearly as fast as me. I could react to a speeding bullet, so Bloodlust was nothing. He coughed out more blood—then I decided to axe kick him in the chest again, right where his heart was—he laughed again, pain flooding his face in the form of red skin. I pushed my foot down harder onto his chest, and he laughed even harder. This guy was definitely a masochist. Despite that, being a stupid genius, I taunted him yelling, "You were saying?!"

"That is what I like to see!" Bloodlust replied. Then from out of nowhere, Minigun Arm started to fire at me. I was forced to take my foot off of Bloodlust, rolling backwards as the bullets nearly put some holes into my chest. When I looked up, Mystic was re-engaging a fight with him, keeping him busy. He looked back at me and nodded, telling me with his eyes, Don't worry about him! Focus on your fight!

Bloodlust stood back up and cracked his neck, ready to beat my ass in. He said, "Ready to rumble, bitch?"

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," I remarked, wiping the blood off my lips. Bloodlust cackled, hearing such bullshit from me. It was like he couldn't believe that I was—and still am—a master at martial arts. Bloodlust shrugged his shoulders and did a stupid thing—charging at me. He telegraphed a left hook. I immediately went low and elbowed him in his gut using my right arm. With my left, I pumped my legs up, transferring the power to my fist, uppercutting his chin. His head snapped back, feet off-balanced, staggering backwards like a drunken man.

I didn't hesitate.

I jabbed at his windpipe, taking the wind outta him. Bloodlust's skin got redder, but he couldn't do shit to react. I spun around faster than it took the average man to punch; I leapt in the air and extended my right leg forward, landing a kick right in his side. Bloodlust, the giant that he was, got knocked down.

I ran forward, closing the distance for another strike, but he managed to hop up onto his feet. His eyes narrowed before he tried to throw another punch—that was all he was good at. I bent my body horizontally and lifted one of my legs up, letting his fist fly past my chest. Using my left, I went around and nailed him in his left cheek. I pivoted behind him and took out one of his legs, forcing him to go down on one knee. Bloodlust tried to relitate by throwing an elbow back, but I caught it. I hooked my arm around his and shattered it, breaking his arm. He screamed in pain as I let go, moving around to face him. His broken arm was flailing around like some stupid dumbass. Honestly, I should've knocked him out, but I wanted to gloat a little.

"Bastard!" he spat. I grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head back.

"Aw, don't like the pain?!" I teased him.

"Shut the fuck up—!"

"—Mind your manners," I said before I pulled my fist back. From Bloodlust's attacks, I was storing up energy for Reversal. And here, I was about to return everything he gave me.

WHAM!

My fist connected to his skull and knocked Bloodlust out cold. It was strong enough to draw blood, definitely cracking his skull despite how thick-headed he was. His body went limp and I dropped him like dead weight. That was one Villain down.

— SET!

COMBINATION MYSTIC ARTE: CHAINS OF HEAVEN!

Mystic shot an arrow into the sky. It came down on Minigun Arm's heel, chaining him into the ground. Before he could react, Mystic dashed forward with his Quirk-enhanced speed, his katana back. He appeared on the other side of Minigun Arm, and his opponent fell to his knees with a cut on his chest. It wasn't a deep cut; it was survivable. Mystic had enough skill that he could make a cut from a katana non-fatal. To properly incapacitate Minigun Arm, he came up and hit him over his head, making him go unconscious.

On Bam's end, she was dealing with a swarm of doppelgangers. She turned invisible and—

'ROUND 'ROUND 'ROUND!

Within an instant, all of the doppelgangers disintegrate into dust. Record himself, he did well to last against Bam's Quirk, but it was useless in the end. He blinked once, then he found himself face-first against the dirt with cuffs on his back.

I limped towards Mystic and Bam, with me clearly being the worst out of the three. Bam joked, "Master Kendo, you look pretty red."

"Yeah, that's my blood." I turned to Bloodlust. "Still, I wasn't at red as that bastard. His Quirk couldn't hold up to me though. I'm not a Top Ten Hero for nothing."

"Indeed. Thankfully, all of the targets in our end is apprehended. Here." Mystic handed me my naginata. I used it as a cane to help stand myself.

Bam tapped her earpiece and said, "Team B, where are you? You guys okay?" I didn't hear Bam's annoying voice in my ear. During my fight with Bloodlust, it musta been knocked out. No use trying to look for it. Either way, she shook her head. "No answer."

I looked towards the crowd of civilians. It had gotten bigger, too big. "Guys, the crowd's bigger."

"They wanted to see their beloved idol in action, that's why," Mystic said. "They don't care that their lives are in constant danger. Their desire to see a Pro Hero is greater than their sense of well-being."

"This isn't good… Damnit, not good at all!" Bam grabbed her blood-soaked hair in frustration. "They won't listen to me! If I tell them to run, they wouldn't run away! They'd run closer to me!"

I tried to cheer her up, "Bam, it's—!"

ASTRAL FIVE: DRAGON'S HAND - AZURE PALM!

A loud energy blast rang throughout the square. After that was a man's screams. Above us, an angel was coming down from the heavens. And by "angel", I mean "a miserable lowlife of a Villain". We watched him crashed into the concrete sidewalks of the square face-first. If his skull wasn't fractured by the fall, then I'd be surprised. But from that blast, I could tell that only one person was able to make that sound—Qinglong.

"Hey!" he called out to us, waving his glowing blue hand in the air. Behind him was Nana and Sora. They were running up to us with cuts and gashes all over their bodies. We stayed where we are, letting them approach us.

I smiled—it was a very stupid, blood-caked smile. "You're still in the land of the living, unfortunately. What the hell happened to you guys?"

Nana explained, "Remember that car K.A.M.I. sent for us? Well, it was following us so I decided to ask her to crash the car into the van."

Sora continued her story, "She did it too well. The van went through the ground floor of a building, and we had to fly through flying glass and debris in order to chase after it."

And finally Qinglong. "It wasn't a pleasant experience, but we defeated our four targets."

Mystic interjected, "Four? You only fought four targets?"

Bam said, "Yeah, we had six. That's ten unless I'm doing math wrong."

Nana's eyes shot open with a look of fear. "Core wasn't in your van? Along with a henchmen?"

I shook my head. "No…" I paced around, running my hand through my hair. "Damnit, damnit! He wasn't in your van?!"

"..." Nana didn't answer.

"Nana, was he in your van?!"

Qinglong answered in her place, "He wasn't. I thought… I thought you had him… Where could he possibly be?!"

Mystic turned to a tower, the Baek Support Tower, that stood in the distance. He said, "Everyone—!"

BOOOOOOM!

In the distance, we saw a fireball then a cloud of dust that enveloped the tower. It was loud enough that we nearly went deaf, but the screams we heard afterwards were louder. The explosion was powerful enough to take the entire building down.

---

"That was the first bomb, Master Kendo…" Grandmaster says. "It destroyed the Baek Support Tower, which fell immediately right after the explosion. From the first bomb alone, it killed over three hundred civilians and injured thousands more."

"And that was only Core's first attack," Sora reminds him, banging his cane against the floor, "as much as Saki likes to over-exaggerate his feats, everything he said is true. While we were busy with Core's punks, he was left alone to his own devices. From the beginning, he had us around his finger."

I sip my tea, but there's nothing left inside my cup. Goddamnit… "Yeah—" I put my cup down. "—he was definitely taking orders from All For One. All For One, that bastard, knew exactly how to manipulate Heroes and the public. After the first bomb, it woke all of Busan up from their sleep. They went outside to figure out what was happening, and those who were close to the explosion, they ran away, forming crowds of people. But Core and All For One? This was what they wanted. They wanted more people outside, and they got exactly that."

Grandmaster sighs, closing his eyes. "It's quite ingenious, if you think about it. All For One knew that the average civilian would go outside to investigate the explosion. They would meet with others and many would do the same as well. As a result, the numbers would rise astronomically. Yes, some would run away, but in today's day and age, many would take a video of the disaster up close."

"That's true, unfortunately. Hell, I think it's gotten worse today. I swear to God, if a teenager was being shot at by a Villain, instead of running away, he would get his phone out and tell the asshole to smile," I say.

Grandmaster looks at me and frowns. "Now I'm afraid that you're over-exaggerating."

"Is it because we're old, Grandmaster?" Sora asks in a very offended tone. He starts talking like a stereotypical old man, "Ohohoho! These youngers these days, stupid frickin' idiots! Back in my day, we ran away during a Villain attack! Now these punks are running in tryna to take videos on their phones! This generation is a buncha suicidal idiots who want nothing but clicks and views!"

"Gran Torino, I didn't mean to imply that—"

"D'ya think you're better than us?" I start talking in that stupid voice too. "Hey old man, this youngster think he's better just 'cuz he's younger! Ahahaha!" I playfully smack Sora's shoulder. He laughs too, slapping his knee.

Grandmaster sits there with the most disappointed look on his face. "I am diverting this conversation before it goes off-topic. Let's continue with the mission, should we not?"

I nod with a little smile on my face. "Yeah yeah… I just wanted to joke a little, Grandmaster. Talking about this, it brings back a lot of bad memories. I mean, we failed Busan. We failed thousands of people. That guilt doesn't just go away after a year. It sticks with you until you die. As Heroes, we couldn't save a few people—one or two here and there. But this? An attack as big as this? We had a mountain of souls weighing on our shoulders. And Mystic…"

Sora's eyes drift down to the floor. He's not looking at anything, but he's remembering. I continue, "And Mystic, he probably feels the worst guilt out of us all, even Bam."

"How so?" Grandmaster asks.

"He killed Core."

---

Notes:

Thank you Horikoshi. Literally on Thursday, he revealed Nana's Quirk. But don't worry, I framed the fight where Nana won't be fighting much because I had no idea what her Quirk was before Thursday. Once I did, I only changed a few details to make the story work.

Anyway, the next chapter is called: Tragedy in Busan

Post-chapter discussion:

United Hero Nations: The U.H.N. is an organization that's made to expand the world of MHA outside of Japan. You get to see how they are involved in international villains affairs, like Operation Core. It has an American Villain fighting in South Korea, who has ties to a Japanese Villain. You can see that the jurisdiction could get a tiny bit messy, so that's where the U.H.N. steps in. You may say though, "Why aren't there any American Heroes?" Well, no one wants to include America. Besides, this was an East Asian affair, Hideyoshi's specialty. From this, you can conclude that there are other specialties out there that handle different areas of the world. With where the manga is heading towards (The Great War), I figure that the U.H.N. would be somewhat concerned.

Mystic: Mystic, the samurai with a white and gold haori. He is pretty damn powerful, even though I haven't shown off his potential. I hoped that by describing his Quirk, you could get an idea as to *how* versatile he is. He is a jack of all trades, being able to fit any role as needed: close combat, ranged, restraining, et cetera. With the name of the chapter, "Master and Mystic", you can tell that I'm kinda excited to show him off a little. And with the mysteries that surround him, like his name and origin, he becomes a tiny bit interesting.

Qinglong: Rin's grandfather. You can see how heroism works in China, which is a lot more focused on power and social status. The Hero Billboards there are dominated by rivaling families that are constantly fighting each other. With Qinglong, the former No.1 Pro Hero, you can begin to see the conflicts that Rin will eventually deal with, even though his older brother, Lian, will most likely be the successor to the Fei-Long family. With Astral, it is a very destructive Quirk. Much like Nejire's Quirk, Wave Motion, Astral transforms stamina/"life force" into physical energy. Unlike Wave Motion, Astral is much more powerful and can be controlled much more precision and grace. Admittedly, it's a very simple Quirk, yet simpler Quirks are pretty damn powerful.

Bam: Regrettably, I don't have much to say about Bam other than the fact that she's an idol. However, there is more than her airhead personality. You already saw that she can get serious and she's smarter than she appears. Yeah, she might be the weakest member of the team, but she's just the worst of the best. Lightless is a pretty good Quirk, especially in the right hands.

The Chapter Itself: Ugh. That was my emotion when I was writing this. I was never good at writing chapters like these, but I got down and wrote it. It might not be the best, but I tried. Especially with the fight scenes, I tried. You see, having six of the strongest individuals together usually calls for an easy win. However, I made it difficult for them because the Villains kept being jerks. Seriously though, remember this is a flashback of *Master Kendo's* memories, which means you won't get to see Nana's fight or how Mystic operates. I'm sorry, but I limited myself with only his POV for my sanity. Nevertheless, I do hope you enjoy the chapter.

Last but not least is Super Moves:

Mystic Artes: Techniques used by Agent Mystic
Set - Before every Mystic Arte, Agent Mystic has to prime his Quirk in order to use an advanced technique.
Light Speed - Channeling Mystic throughout his body, Agent Mystic's body is enhanced with various effects like greater speed, reflexes, and mobility. This technique is similar to Midoriya's Full Cowling.
Starlight Armor - Agent Mystic creates armor around his body that acts as protection against any attacks. For him, his Starlight Armor is designed after a samurai. This technique is similar to a Hardening-type Quirk.
Chained Arrow - A Combination Mystic Arte. Mystic fires an arrow straight in order to restrain his foe with a chain.
Chains of Heaven - A Combination Mystic Arte. Similar to Chained Arrow, Mystic instead fires an arrow into the sky, having it come down to restrain his foe with a chain.

Bam: Her Super Moves are named after her songs
'Round 'Round 'Round: Within her Lightless State, she quickly incapacitates a large amount of Villains and restrains them within a blink of an eye.

Qinglong:
Astral: Similar to Agent Mystic's Set, Qinglong has to prime Astral for activation. (Astral Five is an example)
Dragon's Hand - Azure Palm: Qinglong slams his palm into a Villain's chest before activating Astral, blasting the Villain with such force that they travel hundreds of meters away.