Chapter 29 – On the Hunt, Investigation Start!

Author's Notes: How is everyone doing with their quarantine time? For me it kind of sucks. Just got a job to then go on unemployment. Anyway, Here is what I have been working on since I have nothing else but writing, playing video games, and watching anime to do. Oh, I also have been painting my backlog of 40k Miniatures. You know I feel like this situation has actually given me writer's block more than help me keep writing. It's weird to go from full-time to nothing at all. Anyway, I hope you all are safe and well. Enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think! Omake is below as an added bonus.


"What is it?"

"Sir? Uh, thank you for picking up. Like you told me I looked into those soldiers the Ministry sent over and we found…"

"Officer Mazama, if you would so polite excuse my interruption," This was the tenth work-related phone call he received this morning. "You know it's my day off, right?"

Pausing the Police Detective waited for the man's response.

"Excuse me sir?"

"Look, I understand, but unless it's work-related or pressing, can you pass the message along to not contact me until tomorrow? It's my only day off and as you know we've been working insane hours lately."

"Sorry sir," Naomasa could hear the sympathy in the man's tone, "I'll be sure to pass it along Naomasa. Try to get some rest and I'll report to you tomorrow morning when you come in. How's that sound?"

"Excellent, have a good night Mazama."

"You too, old man."

"I'm not that old so I resent that."

There was a chuckle as the line went dead. The overworked man looked down at the digital screen for a moment more before switching the cell phone to silent.

And that's one problem solved. I wonder when Makoto will get here.

His sister had planned to have a family dinner with him tonight to check up on things. It honestly was going to be a godsend. Not only himself but also the rest of the department, no, it was the entire district, was overworked. It would be nice to have a chance to rest and chat with his little sister.

Why can't they give me a break?

Sighing, the lawman could at least understand why he got barraged with constant calls. Although stabilizing in a way, the city was still overflowing with problems. Why else have a detective on so many cases and force him to coordinate with so many organizations.

Some people might have thought the police did nothing in this superhuman society but that was flawed thinking. They still had a major role in law enforcement. Although Pro Heroes could apprehend a Villain, they could not arrest them. That, as well as transportation, and processing were the sole domain of the police force.

Sighing once more, the man slipped onto the couch of his apartment, "I just need a few more hours of…" Leaning back the man closed his eyes as his consciousness drifted to black...


"What am I even doing anymore," staring back at him was a pair of deep crimson eyes. The person before him was a reflection, one that showed a large scowl. "God damn that useless Deku."

He couldn't help but feel a deep emptiness inside. Atop his brow was the remnant of their duel, a fresh still healing scar. As the teenage boy continued to stare into the mirror, he could only say one phrase to express his emotions. "God damn her."

All of this is her fault.

That mantra kept repeating in his head.

His humiliation, the shame, the accusations from the public were all forced upon him by her. It was all because of her. She had done all of this to him, she was to blame. Right?

Turning away, his eyes hovered over the barren dorm room. Bakugo couldn't help but think he was imprisoned here since the incident. UA had taken precautions, aside from Class, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, Bakugo had no place to go but his room. The faculty had restricted what he could do in his free time. If he so as much stepped a foot out of line, he would have a metaphorical building come down on him.

That bitch had played him. In the boy's mind, he knew that this wasn't supposed to be how it played out.

But I didn't think did I? I acted without a plan and look at how well that worked, how well it always works.

Despite what his rash actions implied, the hero-in-training was not dumb. Ever since middle school he still tied for first with that Deku in all his courses. In truth, Bakugo knew deep down that he had messed up by attacking her. But that was what heroes did.

They fought villains.

With Yukari right in front of him, his body moved on its own. The girl who should have been powerless, is a complete farce, a flat out lie. Yukari Midoriya had tricked him, no, had tricked all of them into thinking she was harmless. The incident had only happened the way it did because he had once again underestimated her.

A fresh feeling of rage entered his body as his mind recalled the thought. A moment later it was replaced with the emptiness once more. Those 'experts' could spout out all the false information they wanted but he knew that her quirk was not natural. Yukari did not have a quirk to call her own, it simply was not possible. Just like how someone could not have two quirks, that Deku could not have developed a quirk on her own.

He refused to believe it. If she had one, that greedy little girl he remembered would've shown it off the first chance she got.

So, using his time in isolation, Katsuki finally came to a conclusion. The Nomu and the villain All Might fought proved it. The League of Villains had a way to give people quirks. Not that anyone would listen to him if he told them.

How the hell am I supposed to do anything about this now…

A knock at the door aroused the young man from his thoughts, glancing at the clock on his wall, it displayed 5:14 pm. He still had 45 minutes before dinner, so no one should have been bothering him at that time. The rest of 1-A had distanced themselves from him after the attack. The only exception being Kirishima.

Moving to the door, he opened it without hesitation and heard the one voice he did not want to deal with.

"Brat I'm…"

Great, they let her in again.

Without missing a beat the blonde boy interrupted, "What the hell are you doing here again old hag?"

The woman's eyes narrowed instantly. The resemblance to himself was unsurprising but instantly recognizable. Like him, she had red eyes and spikey blonde hair. Bakugo's mother scowled and forced her way past him into the dorm room.

"Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

Shutting the door behind him, the teen leaned his back against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so.

"Listen," Mitsuki Bakugo said, turning to face her son. "We need to talk."

"I don't need to talk to you hag…"

"No, be silent for once. I didn't come here so you can try to justify yourself again. You have done enough of that already." Defeated, his mother slumped her shoulders. "Look, I just… Why? What in your god damn head told you it was alright to attack Yukari like that!"

There she went once again, never bothering to listen to him or his side of the story. Always willing to hear out Deku, but never him. This week made him pick up on that fact. His mother treated her as more of a child than she did him. Matsuki always claimed that they were like siblings so it was natural, but she never cared enough to see how his relationship with Deku really was.

"I didn't raise you to be like this. I didn't teach you to be so prideful and definitely not to hit a girl! I can't believe the teachers at Aldera let you get away with all you did."

She was always yelling about how he was a brat. How he didn't know his place. Just like how he told Yukari, his mother told him. What was the difference between how his mom taught him his place and how he acted to Yukari?

"Yeah, Yeah. I get it old hag." Was Katsuki's short reply.

"Do you?" Sliding to sit on his bed, the woman lowered her body and rubbed her forehead. "I left you to reflect on what you did since my last visit and you still haven't? have you? Perhaps that's a mistake on my part, but I don't know what to do. You need to know how lucky we are. Inko could have pressed charges and I,... I don't even know how to talk to my best friend anymore. On top of that, there's that Headmistress that has been stirring up the media. Brat, some people are saying you should be locked up for what you did. Why can't you just make a public apology? Is it too much to ask?"

Taking a moment to reflect, Bakugo moved to stand beside her. He really should have thought about the consequences, but… Heroes don't lose. And he is…

With a thump, Katsuki sate beside his mother. "Mom, I can't do that. If admitting I am wrong is true then…"

"But it was wrong. You attacked Yukari for nothing. If you had been an adult, you would have been labeled a villain and taken to jail." Looking him directly in the eye, the child and parent tried to understand each other. "What you did was criminal. Please, if you want to get past this, at least admit that."

Red eyes, so similar to his own stared deep into his soul. Leaning back, Bakugo's body collided with the mattress. Looking to the ceiling the boy replied, "Yes, I could have done that differently."

"That's not what I…"

"I was wrong," No he wasn't, "I should have," Kept her from ever becoming a villain in the first place, "Never done that," It was necessary. "I'm sorry mom." And I am, just not towards Yukari. "I-I'm sorry."

Examining her son, Mitsuki remained silent for a full minute before speaking.

"I understand why you are the way you are, I just… I just wish you would have thought before acting. Your confidence is too large. I feel like a failure for not addressing that fault of yours." Falling silent the woman sighed. "Well, your teacher is probably waiting for me outside again and… I'll visit again next week when I have a chance. Katsuki, please… Just think before you act."

Raising to her feet Mitsuki moved to the door. Opening it she looked back, her face dejected. Breaking eye contact, he let out in a small voice. "Thanks, mom."

All he could hear was the door close behind her.


It was a quiet peaceful rest, at least until the thumping reverberated around his small apartment. The yelling voice that followed was what woke him. On instinct, Naomasa's body rolled over as though he was in bed. It was unfortunate that he was on his living room couch.

"Tsukauchi! Are you in there? Open the door, It's Tanuma! Are you there?" A panicked voice spoke from outside his front door.

With a soiled thud, the man found himself face down on the carpeted floor between his couch and coffee table. Laying there, he groaned, "What do you want?"

His voice was barely a whisper as he tried to recover from his fatigue. Yet despite exerting the effort, he simply could not bring himself to muster the energy to push himself from the soft carpet.

"Tsukauchi was that you? Are you okay? I heard a loud sound!"

It was unlike the old man to be so panicked. On his stomach, all he could feel was the discomfort of being awakened. What the hell is going on?

Reaching blindly at the coffee table next to him, he fumbled for his cell phone. Catching the edge of the device, it soon fell to the floor.

Oh great.

"Detective if you are there answer me!"

What time is it? He thought with a sigh. He never calls me Detective unless it's important.

Cell in hand, Naomasa tapped the screen to light it up. Looking at it, he had to blink. Displayed was the time, 9:06 pm. Beside that was a display saying he had missed fourteen calls.

"Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, open this door now if you are there!"

"What!" deciding to finally respond, his mind finally waking up from half-sleep. "I'm here, what is it?" No, that's the wrong question. "Who's there? It's you right old man?"

With little effort, he pushed himself off the floor. As he did so he heard his bones creak. Standing to his full height, Noamasa could feel something off with his neck. Moving his right hand to the pain, he cupped and applied pressure to the sore area of his muscle.

Why did he have to pass out on the couch?

Speaking of which, where's Makoto she should have used her key to get in…

"Detective," A new voice spoke up. "My name is Moe Kamiji, I'm a sidekick with the Endeavor Hero Agency. My boss sent me over with Detective Tanuma to check on you. Could you please open the door?"

That voice, both soft and feminine, set off an alarm in his mind. There could only be a handful of reasons for one of Endeavor's sidekicks to be here. None of them were good.

"Give me a moment!" Rushing to the door, the police officer struggled with the latch.

Opening the door, he asked. "What happened?"

Standing on the other side of the doorway was an elderly man and a woman in her mid-twenties. The man was a fellow detective and his partner for the last few years, Tanuma. He was an old-timer in the force. Although Naomasa hadn't seen him in person in a month, he still looked the same as always. His hairline was receding, and his beard was thin, but most importantly he was still in his classic dark brown three-piece suit.

As for the woman, her Pro Hero name was Burnin. One of thirty sidekicks Endeavor had. She stood a few inches shorter than him, a nervous grin plastered on her face. Her costume consisted of a light grey uniformed jacket with red accents. Oh, and of course the most defining feature, her hair was on fire, or perhaps more accurately her hair was made of fire.

"Tsukauchi, The League of villains…" Tanuma hesitated, "They just spent the day running amok. Kidnapped thirteen people in three hours."

Closing his eyes, the younger detective's mind raced a mile a minute as he processed the new information.

"So they're finally on the move?" He asked. "What's…"

"Everyone that was kidnapped is connected to someone who is either investigating the League or relevant to a student of UA's class 1-A." Interrupting him, Burnin spoke up. "Endeavor has dispatched all of his sidekicks to help the Musutafu Police Department. One of the people who were kidnapped was… Well…"

The woman looked sheepish as she got caught on her words.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, the Sidekick continued, "The reason we were sent to check on you was to ensure your safety. Fuyumi Todoroki is one of the civilians taken. So was your sister. your colleagues were worried that…"

Everything in Naomasa's world stilled to a halt. He could feel his body tense, unusually so. It was as if a burden had not just been placed on his shoulders, but as if ten tons had fallen on them. This situation was ridiculous, was the first thought to come to his mind. He must have misheard but…

No.

His mind lost focus and it was a full ten seconds before Naomasa could process his surroundings. After the Pro Hero had stopped speaking, the mood in the room was quiet.

The next moment he took a deep breath and held it in. Calm down. Exhaling it, Naomasa looked to and locked eyes with the fiery woman before him.

"Understood. I… Tell me what happened?"

His tone may have been too harsh. Naomasa knew that but it was all he could do to keep a professional aura about him. The woman's eyes flickered away from his intense gaze.

"Um, well."

"Tsukauchi," His fellow detective intervened. "Your sister was kidnapped downtown, only one witness. We were able to pick up the incident on a CCTV camera. the lack of witnesses implies the use of a concealment quirk. Makoto was taken by a few of the League's known members including that Inukai girl. After which we lost sight of the vehicle a few blocks away. We did find the van dumped in an alley nearby and are investigating it but their Warp Gate must have teleported them and your sister away. It's why the chief wanted to check in on you. See if you are… alright."

Processing the information, the man replied. "I got it. What's our next planned course of action?"

Burning crossed her arms at the entrance to his home, and Tunuma raised a brow.

"Same shit different day. The witness is still recovering, but once he's awake we can question him for more info. We also have the crime scene with the van, though it's currently on lockdown and being searched for clues by other officers. There's also an anonymous report of suspicious activity in an old steel mill outside of town, but is it a priority? The next course of action is seeing if we can sniff out a trail. So let's find out where these bastards took those victims and get your sister back."

Looking into his partner's eyes, all he could say was, "Same old then, Tunuma?"

"Indeed, the same old work as always Tsukauchi."


EndNotes: I hope everyone liked the chapter. We see what's going on and who will be involved from the hero side of things. Also, I have Bakugo back and you can see a little of what's going on with him. Probably should have had him a few chapters ago, but hey all I can say is I can't change the past so here he is now.

I also added Burnin, because I like her character design. I feel I only know a little about her but as soon as I saw her design I was like, yup I am adding her to the story because I can and no one can stop me. I think she will be fun to write in the next few chapters. As always let me know what you all think and hope you are all doing well during this quarantine.

Omake below is set after a few days After All Might's fight with All For One. Consider it a nice bonus. It was just something I wanted to write, so I did.


Omake: Heart to Heart

"Girl." Behind her, a masculine voice spoke.

Turning to face the man, Yukari raised her brow. "Yes?" Was her short reply, "What do you want Spinner?"

The reptilian man behind her was in the hideout to the League's new supply base. Both of them had been deployed to this forward operating base just outside of the city. He had clearly been waiting for her to pass him on her way to the motor pool. With a hint of disgust in her eyes, Yukari turned to fully face the man.

"I… I wanted to ask you something if we are to continue working together. It's been on my mind for the last few weeks actually. This might be my only chance for a while."

Tilting her head, the young girl would hear him out. Even if she disagreed with his reason for being a villain, the man was still one of her coworkers. She and Spinner never had the opportunity to speak to each other one-on-one anyway.

With a sigh, absentmindedly the teen asked her question, "That would be?"

Hesitantly, the man responded, "Why do you fight for the League of Villains?"

What kind of question is that? The young assassin was taken aback. What are you trying to imply?

There was a slight heat on her cheeks as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't think I understand what you're trying to say Spinner." Was Yukari's response, unbeknownst to either of the two, her fist clenched. "I get paid for my work, so I serve Tomura Shigaraki in his League of Villains as his subordinate."

Stepping to stand in front of her, the man stated, "Is that all? Is that really all that truly motivates you to violence?"

"Yes. That is all, as disappointing as it sounds. As a matter of fact killing, stealing, and breaking the law I do because he contracted me. If it is his desire and I can do it, I will try my best to accomplish Tomura's will. That is the term of my contract with the League of Villains."

"Surely that can't be all? That's too petty a reason."

Leaning against the wall, Yukari felt an annoyance rise up in her at his criticism.

"I" Spinner spoke, "fight to change this society for the better by following the teachings of Stain. I think it is a line of thought you might have considered, but I may be wrong. There are no true heroes in this world, all of them are corrupt and we, the League, will bring back the true meaning to that word by removing the fake heroes. That is why I..."

Shooting back at the man's logic, she said the only question that came to mind. "And what about All Might?"

To Yukari, that was the one flaw in the argument that Stain preached. If all heroes were fake and made this corrupt society what it was, then why was All Might the exception? Even if Stain had accepted him as the only true hero, was it not hypocritical that his followers came to that same conclusion for no other reason than it being Stain's belief?

"That should be obvious," Spinner said in reverence, "he is the only real one left."

With a sigh, Yukari closed her eyes. Why? Why is that all anyone ever says? If he is so great, why does he share the same belief as everyone else in this cursed world?

His words to her echoed in her mind, "You cannot be a hero without a quirk."

"Why would I expect anything different." She would prove her point. "All I ever hear about All Might is that he's the best. That he can do no wrong! How can anyone be that perfect? The answer is, he's not. What gives him that right! How can he be called a hero when he… It's not fair that he can be a hero when I can't!"

There was a pause as Yukari realized what she had just blurted out. Slowly the green-haired teen moved her hand behind her back and felt solid metal in her palm. Her body betrayed her and shook a little as her nerves were tested.

"I see," Was all Spinner said. "I think I understand you a little better now."

"Shut up, you don't know anything about me. I don't understand how you or Dabi can so blindly follow Stain."

In truth, all Spinner's blind devotion to a dream did was remind her of herself. Before that fateful day meeting All Might, she had never once faltered in her dream. Nothing her peers, teachers, or Bakugo did stopped her from pursuing the impossible goal of becoming a Hero. All it really took, despite her effort, was finding the one person who could shatter her world. All Might's words made her fall into a dark pit she could no longer escape from, one she no longer wanted to escape from.

Why doesn't Spinner understand? He's just like all those heroes, It's not his own opinion. It's a cause someone else made. He's corrupting his idol's goal just as much as those Pro Heroes corrupt All Might's.

Looking him in the eyes, Yukari did not waver, "What makes your belief so special! I've had mine run through the mud all my life, how can you say you understand me?"

Pausing, the man she knew as Spinner took his time to deeply examine the girl in front of him before responding. "You're quirkless, right?"

Yukari's grip tightened on the concealed weapon attached to her belt. Although the information was known to most in the League at this point, she never once spoke it herself. Never once confirm that fact about herself to anyone but Tomura. Because doing so would admit weakness, and the others would not accept her because of it.

"That's the only reason I can see for you being rejected despite your clear passion. Your goal, is it to prove yourself because of your circumstances?" Her silence was all he needed to continue. "I'm not like any of you. The League's elite are special. I've got nothing to love like Toga does. Nothing I really wanna prove like you. No ambition for something of my own like Shigaraki. But back then, when I saw that video, I just knew… Stain lit a fire in my heart. All I could think was how I wanted a glimpse of the future he was imagining. Sure, I'm just a nobody who jumped on a bandwagon but what's wrong with that?"

"I…" I will never accept that… because… "I cannot accept that kind of answer." Turning Yukari moved away from the man. "I refuse to believe in something like a dream ever again."