AN: Hope you like it. And I may post the next chapter in a few hours after reviewing it, so I'll see you soon.
" Speaking out loud "
' Thinking '
Highlighted Information
Written information
Titles and Techniques
Plans
This was on a whole new level. This feeling had everything. It made him scared, excited, anxious, sad, tempted, whole, and still made him feel empty, while he saw the girl moving closer. His instinct was to turn his face away, but he didn't want to hurt her more than she already was, so he just accepted her kiss, trying to control himself, imagining that this could actually hurt her more than a refusal. After a few seconds, he slightly pushed her, narrowing his eyes with a concerned expression:
"Momo- What are you doing?"
Her face was completely red, but her eyes still looked lost.
"I- I don't know." She whispered, not meeting his eyes, leaning as if going for another kiss, but he stopped her advance, holding her shoulders while looking deep into her eyes.
"Not like this."
"..."
She sighed while turning, and sat again, becoming silent for some time until she finally said:
"Hahaha... I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I'm a complete mess right now- I just- I don't think I can learn how not to feel, Midoriya-kun. Everything inside my head is confused. I don't think I'm strong enough to overlook all of these feelings. I don't think I can become strong like you."
Midoriya sighed and thought about those words. He sat next to her and scratched his forehead.
She understood it all wrong.
"You're wrong, Momo. What I do is the opposite of being strong. I'm not strong at all. I'm just a coward, a coward who chose to turn his back on his own feelings instead of facing them, and this is not a sign of strength, it's a sign of weakness, but it's the weakness I chose to embrace so I could go on. It doesn't have to be the same for you."
She just became silent for some time and then whispered:
"My head hurts."
"Well, you did some major effort tonight, and even though my Lazarus healed your body, your mental stress is still there, so for now you should rest before you break down again."
"What about them? You're going to help them, aren't you? Please, Midoriya-kun... I know we are not in good terms, but I'll beg if I have to-"
"You don't need to beg, Momo. I'm still irritated with you for not trusting me after everything we went through, but I see that I was wrong. Even when I thought we weren't friends anymore, you never stopped seeing me as one."
"I hadn't, and I never wanted to make them hurt you... All I wanted was to see your old self again, although I understand why he's not around anymore- Wait, I thought you didn't believe me-"
"Raiju showed me your memories from that night."
"Oh, so you didn't actually believe in me after all. You needed proof." She said while looking down.
Midoriya sighed before lying down on his back, looking towards the sky.
"Let me explain this to you. There are only two people in the entire world that I trust with my life right now: My mother, and Yami, because I know that no matter what happens, they would still be on my side."
"..."
"Would you be on my side if you saw me doing something shady without any explanation from my part?" He asked, slightly moving his head towards her.
"I don't believe that any of them would-"
"They already did."
"..."
"Mom was in contact with Toga once, and Yami followed me one day and saw me ending up in a tight spot, but instead of accusing me of being a villain, he helped me, and later asked what were my true intentions, because deep inside he knew that I had changed, but that my goals remained the same."
"So you're basically saying I'm a terrible friend." She eyed him and he smirked.
"Basically."
"I guess I deserved that." She snorted, but she didn't seem amused.
"I understand you now, but if I'm going to trust you, Momo, you have to swear you're going to trust me as well. I'm not the same Midoriya who depended on lucky instead of his own abilities anymore, so I need you to understand that I'm in complete control of my destiny, maybe for the first time in my life, and that if you want to be a part of this, you need to trust me with your life as well, because I will be trusting you with mine."
Yaoyorozu remained silent while pondering.
"I don't expect you to make a decision right away. Take your time to think if you really want to be part of this plan of mine. Although it's not like you can turn your back on this. I told you there was no going back from something like this. Everybody lives their days in the comfort of their homes, going to work, going to class, going to parties, having fun... But they don't stop to see the person right next to them. They don't even try to understand what could be wrong with the world. Strangely, some people can't understand the concept of another human life existing alongside with theirs... It's like everyone is just a body walking around. People seem to forget that other people also have a past, family, friends, that they have a future, that they have problems, that they are hurting, or that they are sad. That saying states that ignorance is bliss, but I disagree. Ignorance is a disease. It's a disease that blinds and deafens, it's like a parasite, numbing you, making you ignore the signals so you can keep living a happy life devoted only to yourself."
He paused and remembered his first day as if it was yesterday. The impotence while Stain restrained him, the rage against the hero, the incredulity to that situation.
"But once you know- Once you can see the suffering from their point of view, you can't ignore it anymore. All your happiness feels undeserving."
"Perhaps you're right about all this."
"Perhaps, but for now, I'll have to-"
Midoriya stopped mid-sentence and instantly got up, looking ahead to two figures coming from afar. They were sitting on the roof of Midoriya's hideout, and in this remote area, it was rare to see people even at early hours. Midoriya activated his Blood Moon and gasped, recognizing the two.
"You got to be kidding me."
He saw the two slowly walking until their eyes met, and the duo picked up the pace, arriving below Midoriya and Yaoyorozu. They heard the tiny explosion that propelled Bakugou up in the air, making him arrive next to Yaoyorozu and the strange noise made by Kodai when she stretched a pole, pushing her up to Bakugou's side. They just stared at each other for some time until Bakugou broke the silence:
"What you're looking at, Deku?"
"Well... I'm looking at you. How do you know about this place? What are you doing here?"
"What else, shithead, we came to join."
"Join who?"
"Who do you think? The boy scouts. Don't play dumb, Deku."
"I have no idea what you're-" Midoriya was about to lie, thinking about an excuse when Bakugou threw something at his feet. He looked down and saw a golden ring.
A bloody ring.
Midoriya instantly recognized that ring.
"Where- How did you get this, Kacchan?"
"How do you think I did? I asked the owner and he gave it to me."
Midoriya's left foot slid backward as he positioned himself sideways, his left hand on his sword's sheathe, his eyes going from Bakugou to Kodai.
"What's really going on here, Kacchan? What are the two of you really doing here?"
"Oh, how scary... Are you trying to get yourself killed-"
"Katsuki." Kodai's whisper made Bakugou glance at her, sigh, and look at Midoriya again.
"We know what you've been up to. We know about Jin."
Midoriya narrowed his eyes, seeing now that they weren't fishing for information. They knew what they were talking about, so he gave up on the evasiveness.
"How?"
"Yui saw you going to a casino once, so she told me and we started following you."
'Yui?'
The girl eyed Yaoyorozu before turning to explain as well:
"I knew you were going to notice us if we were to constantly follow you, so I thought about a way to follow you without you realizing you were being followed."
"You two- I get it now! That's why I saw you two so many times this past month... I thought it was just by chance- I made Raiju read your thoughts to be sure-"
"And we know what the shitty wolf can do, so all we needed to do was to think about something else."
"You-"
"Yeah, we played you. I was wondering what were you scheming, but the first night we saw what you were doing, we understood."
"But in the past week I didn't see any of you- Have you two been following me this whole time?"
"Not the entire time." Kodai answered.
"Then what were you doing?"
"We were busy training."
"Training? The tests for the camp don't require training." Midoriya frowned.
"We weren't training for the camp, we were training to join your little club."
Midoriya relaxed his posture and shook his head.
"I can't believe this. And the answer is no."
"Did I ask for your fucking permission?"
The swearing was a usual thing from Bakugou, but his expression and eyes were different. Midoriya just glared at him, wondering what's changed.
"Katsuki wanted to pursue his own agenda, but I convinced him to join you, so our goals don't conflict in the near future." Kodai was categoric.
Midoriya looked down, thinking about the sudden happening. He looked at Yaoyorozu, but she wasn't even paying attention to them, her face towards the sky, and her eyes blank.
"What you meant by our goals?"
"Let's just say you're not the only one who went through some disturbing experiences. Once we started following you, we saw the situations these people were in. Katsuki wanted to just explode the people responsible, but we later understood that you had a plan."
"As usual." Bakugou snorted, looking at the inexpressive Yaoyorozu.
"So today we saw that you took Iida-san and Yaoyorozu-san with you, so we figured you were finally in need of allies, and here we are."
Midoriya tried to understand this new dynamic, but it didn't make any sense.
"I have to say... This is unexpected."
"Yea, yea, let us in already, I have a few things to discuss with Birdbrain." Bakugou pointed to the door below them.
"How-"
"How do I know he's helping you? Are you going to tell me he isn't here? You two suck at hiding secrets."
"..."
"What's wrong with Ponytail?"
"She's having a hard time digesting what we saw today."
"You didn't show her the messed up stuff you showed Birdbrain, right?
"No, I-"
"Where did you take her?"
"You wouldn't know-"
Bakugou raised one eyebrow, and Midoriya remembered that he probably would.
"The Mermaid's Palace."
"Are you fucking nuts?!"
"What?! I showed them a few things prior-"
"It doesn't matter. You can't show this kind of stuff to women and expect them not to relate."
Yaoyorozu looked towards Bakugou with a strange expression, she seamed amused and enraged at the same time.
"So you're saying that because I'm a woman, I can't deal with what was happening there?"
"Yea."
She got up and Midoriya took a step forward to intervene, but Kodai's hand pushed his chest, making him stop. He looked at her and her gaze was fierce as if she was ordering him to stay out of it. Yaoyorozu glared at Bakugou, walking closer until they were face to face, and whispered:
"So you're saying I'm weak?"
Midoriya was about to ignore Kodai's hand and stop both of them, imagining that Bakugou was about to say something that would ignite the situation, but to his surprise, Bakugou remained calm and answered with his hands inside his pockets:
"I didn't say that, Ponytail. I said you can't deal with that because women relate too much to any harm towards other women. You can say that if it were boys being forced to sell their bodies, you would still feel the exact same way, but we both know it would be bullshit."
"..."
"I know how messed up that shit was, and I know how shitty you must be feeling, so just chill."
Midoriya faced Kodai, unable to believe he was awake right now. He whispered to the girl who used to have an inexpressive face, but was showing a tiny smile now:
"Who are you, and what did you do to Kacchan?"
Reginald was inside his improvised room, in the back of the bunker, thinking about what happened earlier when he heard the door opening. He turned and his eyes almost popped off.
"So this is your room, huh? Quite organized."
"Wha- What the hell are you doing in here?!"
"Calm down, there's no need to be so defensive. I came here to apologize."
"Huh?"
"I let my temper take the best of me back there because you really got under my skin, so I wanted to teach you a lesson, but I shouldn't have done that. That wasn't a lesson. As someone who experienced that, I shouldn't have done the same thing to you. Nobody should be forced to feel dirty like that. That's why I came here to apologize."
"..."
"I'll go back to the girls and, oh, that boy called Tokoyami is asking for you to go back." She turned to leave but Reginald whispered, almost inaudibly:
"I'm sorry."
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry... For what I said earlier."
She stopped and saw his face, as he didn't meet her gaze, slightly blushing, and smiled before closing the door.
Tokoyami was looking at some kind of map on a wide table when he heard Rei approaching, and a few seconds later, Reginald.
"Glad you're back, Regi. We're just waiting on Midoriya to return now."
The white-haired boy looked towards the ceiling and said while narrowing his eyes:
"They're coming down right at this moment."
"They? So Momo-san is still with us-"
"There are four people on the elevator."
"What?! What did you say? Four?!"
The noise when the elevator stopped made Tokoyami walk towards it to see what Reginald just spotted through the cameras. The door was open and from it came Midoriya, followed by an inexpressive Yaoyorozu, a strangely composed Bakugou, and a smiling Kodai.
"This has to be a joke."
"I thought the same thing, heh." Midoriya said while closing the elevator's doors.
"What are they doing here?!"
"They... Are here to help your sorry feathery ass." Bakugou said while looking around.
"Midoriya-"
"Yea, I was surprised too, Yami, but they're telling the truth."
"You don't trust me anymore, shitty dove?"
"..."
"Are they-?" Kodai faced the girls that were lying down on piles of cloth and a few futons that Tokoyami managed to find among the boxes.
"Yes." Midoriya answered.
The girls eyed the newcomers warily, but they seemed more relaxed than before when they entered the bunker for the first time.
A few meters from them, Reginald was back at his station, working on something when he heard a voice behind him again.
"How did you know there were four people inside the elevator? I didn't see you checking on anything." Rei was behind his chair, resting her chin on the cushion of the chair's back.
"My quirk."
"So you can see through walls?"
"Something like that."
"Don't be mean." She grabbed and slightly pulled his hair, making him stop his typing for a few seconds.
"Fine... I can mentally access and control any electronic device within 100 meters."
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Are you serious?"
"Yes... Anything that has a chip can be remotely accessed by me. If can store files, I can access the files, if it has a speaker, I can speak through it, if it has a video device, I can see through it, if it has a microphone, I can hear through it... And so it goes."
"That's amazing."
Reginald had resumed his work but stopped typing for a few seconds after hearing that word, and Rei, noticing something was wrong, asked:
"Tell me something, Midoriya-san said he found you-"
Reginald slightly smirked, predicting where that question would lead.
"Yes, Rei-san. I was in a similar situation to yours if that's what you're wondering. I was being held against my will and used for other's people purposes... Until I was able to contact Midoriya and he saved me."
"I'm sorry." Her voice was so full of emotion that it made him look up, meeting her face upside down.
"Yea. It's in the past now. I thought I was going to stay with them until they decide to kill me, but then, Midoriya appeared."
"And you trust him?"
"It's odd to ask the person working with him, don't you think? But yea, I do, with my life, and you would be wise to do the same."
"Why is that?"
"If there's one thing I learned in my short time with him is that he values trust more than anything. Trust in him and he'll trust in you. Never betray him, and he'll never betray you. Show your loyalty to him and he'll treat you like his family... And believe me, having a big brother like him isn't like anything you ever saw."
"How so?"
"Ummm."
"Can't talk about it?"
"I'm just wondering about your interest in this."
"I want to understand where I'm getting myself into... I have to look up for the girls as well, so it's only natural to doubt him."
"Fair enough. Er... The best way to explain Midoriya to you would be like this. When I was... Being held and forced to work for them, he saved me, but he didn't just take me out of there."
"What you mean?"
"He destroyed everything. He broke all of them and reduced that place to rubble. My years in that place had been hell, and I dreamt about doing that since the first day they took me. He didn't have to do that... He didn't have to avenge me like that, but he did it anyway, and I saw in his eyes that he didn't do that just for me. It's like he was really my family... My older brother that came to save me... The rage on his face- Anyway... That's why I'm telling you to trust him."
"You sound really fond of him."
"He has a way to enter people's hearts... One way or another."
Rei looked over her shoulder to the heated argument happening at the table and made her way towards it after whispering a be right back to Reginald. She tried to pick up the context while approaching.
"How could you be so stupid? We were this close from capturing Hikigaya-"
"I just speeded up the process, Birdbrain. Why are you mad?"
"BECAUSE NOW THEY KNOW SOMEONE IS GOING AFTER THEM!"
"So what? They don't know who it is."
"Oh my dear god- Midoriya, you fix this! I cannot deal with him anymore."
"Calm down... I've never seen you this worked up, Yami."
"Well, I'm the one who stayed two weeks sleeping two hours a day to gather all the information necessary to our plan just to see Bakugou destroy it."
"That is the reason we came to join you, so we could get our plans aligned." Kodai said.
"Please, don't be offended, Kodai-san, but I don't see how this is going to work."
"Why not?"
"Because Bakugou can't work with others-"
"My bad, ok? I didn't know you had a plan involving that guy." Bakugou said while looking away, one hand raised in the air.
Tokoyami stopped speaking and his mouth fell open, just like Midoriya's. An apology coming out of Bakugou's mouth was like witnessing a pig fly.
"I... Er... Ummm." Tokoyami couldn't think straight after that and Midoriya shook his head to clear his mind before taking the lead:
"All right, moving on- Oh, this is Sato Rei, she's one of the girls we help escape today."
"Hello there." Rei said while touching the table, staying between Bakugou and Kodai.
"Oy, Deku... Are you sure-"
"Yea, I trust her. I have a few improvements to make on Raiju's mind-reading, but I ran her through a microscope."
Bakugou eyed the girl and she smiled angelically, making Kodai glare and Midoriya's eyebrows raise. He looked to his left and saw Tokoyami, who kept staring at the two, frowning.
"So, since you got Jin's whereabouts from Hikigaya, we have to act soon or he'll move again. We can't wait for Mustard to meet with him. Also, Regi is pretty sure he may have confirmation about Shigaraki and the League's plans pretty soon."
"Midoriya, are you certain about this plan?"
"Yea, Yami. I should've captured all of them when I had the chance, but at that time I was... I wasn't really sure about what I should do. This time I'm going to end this. If we can align a plan involving the League and Jin, we may be able to kill two birds with one stone-"
"Get that stone ready then, because I just got our birds."
"What is it, Regi?"
"Aaaaand... Yup. I've found them."
"What did you find? Show us."
"Ha! My search tool finally paid off. I told you that hacking into the police's monitoring station was a good idea-"
"Focus, Regi."
"Fine. I finally crossed the images and my app came back with faces... And it is bad. The league has new members. They recruited new faces after the Stain incident. Here, let me break it down for you."
His iris changed, with a strange pattern inside, as if the iris divided itself. He waved his hand and images from cameras were scattered through the many monitors. Everyone came closer to his station to see from up close.
"Let's go by parts. This one."
He pulled one video and maximize it with a hand gesture so everyone could see.
"I heard you encountered him earlier today, Mustard. A high schooler who's responsible for at least a dozen deaths by asphyxiation. We don't have a sample of his poison to try to understand how his quirk works, but we know most interactions with it are deadly."
"Raiju can help you with that. He got some when we fought earlier."
"Really? That's great, I'll get to it soon. Moving on: This is also an old acquaintance of yours. Toga Himiko. Another high schooler, responsible for at least five deaths related to blood loss. Her quirk is also unknown."
Midoriya saw Toga's smiling face and sighed.
"Her quirk allows her to shape-shift after ingesting a person's blood. I don't know the exact amount of time she can keep the transformation going, but she can become anyone."
"Really? Shit- Shapeshifters are a pain in the ass. I'll have to improve our security then. All right, this man has no background, but I saw him walking alongside Toga Himiko... His codename is Dabi."
"And his quirk?"
"No credible information, but most of the clues point to something related to fire."
"Anyone else?"
"I have these three but here I'm just speculating: The criminal responsible for killing the duo known as Waterhouse, a husband, and wife. I don't have his real name, but he's known as Muscular. His quirk allows him to manipulate his own muscles, creating some kind of super body. The criminal known as Twice, with some kind of duplicating quirk. And the last one, the man responsible for multiple kidnappings, Mr. Compress. His quirk is unknown, but everything points to some kind of capturing tool."
"That's a lot of villains."
"My algorithms indicate there are even more waiting to join, I just don't have confirmation yet."
"Damn."
"Yea."
"Thank you, Regi... That was an outstanding job."
"Outstanding to the point I can take a week off?"
"Outstanding to the point you can take three days off. We still need you now more than ever."
"Damn, I was expecting just one... Lucky~"
"Outstanding to the point you can get one day off-"
"No, no no! No takebacks! I'll take three days."
"Kekeke."
Midoriya returned to the table and all of them converged. They waited in silence while Midoriya thought about what to do next. The first to break the silence was Bakugou.
"We need to get back, we have class in a few hours and if we don't show up, people will start getting suspicious."
"That's really... Thoughtful of you, Bakugou." Tokoyami snorted.
"Bite me."
"Fine, let's end for today. We still have our tests to attend in order to go to the training camp." Midoriya said while closing the city map.
"The tests are in a week from now, we still have time-" Kodai started, but Midoriya interrupted her.
"I don't. I have a place I need to be."
"What place?" Kodai asked.
"Someplace where I can get stronger, and before you ask, I don't know where this place is yet, but my... Sources are almost finding out."
"By sources you mean that redhead? Cathleen?"
"No, not her."
"Hawks-san, then." Kodai assumed, making Midoriya tilt his head.
"For now, you should concentrate on studying to-"
"Really?"
"What?"
"All of us made to the top ten of the previous exams, there's no need for us to study. We're coming with you." Bakugou said while leaning on the table, his fists closed.
"Huh?!"
"You really think you're going someplace where you can get stronger and leave us behind? We're coming along, Deku."
"Kacchan, this place doesn't concern you. It's something that can help only me-"
"Even so, I agree with Bakugou-kun." Yaoyorozu said, speaking for the first time since the small reunion started.
"Glad you woke up, Ponytail."
"I also agree." Kodai nodded.
"I must agree with them, Midoriya. We should stay together now more than ever. Adventuring in unknown lands is far too dangerous, even for you. Think about what is at stake here, we can't afford to lose you." Tokoyami said while shaking his head.
Midoriya looked around and his eyes fell on Regi who was spinning in his chair, amused by his face.
"Don't look at me, you're on your own. Also, I'm not going, I'll stay and enjoy my free time."
"Sigh... Fine. I'll let you know when and where-"
"As if we are going to trust you." Bakugou said and Midoriya frowned.
"What the hell? Of course, you'll have to trust me! I'm the one running this thing-"
"I meant trusting that you would share the actual location with us."
"..."
"You and your bullshit. I swear to god, Deku-"
Kodai had walked around Rei and was now next to him, touching his arm, making him look at her as unspoken words flew between them.
"Er... I meant to ask earlier, but what's going on between the two of you?" Tokoyami asked while pointing to their proximity, making Midoriya's eyes bulge as he couldn't believe he dared to ask so bluntly.
"None of your fucking business, Birdbrain." Bakugou said while turning.
"We are a team now, so this is my business. I should know everything that is happening to our members-"
And Kodai said:
"We're together, if that's what you're asking."
"What the hell?" Midoriya let it slip.
"What's so strange about it?"
"Together like... Together together?"
"YES, RETARD!"
"Oh, my god. Midoriya, why did you place me under the Moonlight's effect again? You promised me you wouldn't do that anymore." Tokoyami said grinning.
"Believe me Yami, I'm wondering if I'm not inside the Moonlight by mistake too."
"Grow the fuck up." Bakugou said, slightly blushing, turning to leave. Kodai remained still and asked, her expressions becoming slightly sharp:
"What about you two? When are you going to announce you're together?"
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
"We're not gay! What the hell are you talking about?"
"Not you and Tokoyami-san. You and Yaoyorozu-san."
That statement made Midoriya freeze. The entire room went quiet as Regi pulled air with his mouth as if saying that was just putting salt over the wound, whispering oh, and Rei just stared, touching her lips, her eyes jumping from face to face.
"We're not a couple... We're just friends."
"I guess it's okay for friends to kiss, then."
"Wha-"
"I used to be in 1-B. A former classmate of mine saw you two kissing one day."
Midoriya heard Raiju growling and thinking about teaching someone a lesson about secrets, but he didn't know what that meant. He eyed Yaoyorozu and she was blushing, but her face was sad.
"I- That's none of your business."
"Exactly." She smiled devilishly and turned, walking away, passing through the elevator's doors, that Bakugou was holding open.
'I guess Kacchan isn't the only one who changed in this past month.' Midoriya thought while holding Kodai's defying gaze.
"Wait, wait!" Regi ran towards them, with a pad in his hand.
"What is this?"
"I need your hands and eyes signatures so you can enter the bunker. I'll also add a security question later because we may deal with shapeshifters. I mean, they're in, right, Midoriya?"
"Yes."
They touched and looked at some kind of scanning program, leaving without a word.
"Today couldn't be crazier." Tokoyami said while sitting, shaking his head.
"I'll take my leave as well, Rei-san, here." Midoriya handed her a card and she frowned.
"What is this?"
"A credit card for you to buy beds and things for the girls. You'll stay here for some time, so buy things as if this was your home."
"How much do you have in this?" She asked Midoriya, who was making his way towards the exit, and he shrugged.
"Somewhere around 1 Billion Yen." ($9,410,128.00)
"WHAT?!" She shouted, making Reginal snort.
"You don't dismantle criminal activities without picking up the spoils. This money came from the criminal organizations we destroyed. I clean it and we use it to found our project now." The girl blinked twice and asked:
"Are you crazy trusting me with this much money?"
"Why would I be crazy?"
"I could just use this to escape the country... You would never see me again."
"You wouldn't do that."
"And how could you possibly know that?"
"Because you won't leave them behind." Midoriya moved his head towards the girls and Rei just opened her mouth, but no sound came out. After a few seconds of silence, she chuckled and slowly nodded.
"Guess you already got me all figured out."
"I wouldn't go that far." Midoriya said wittily and she smirked. He turned to leave but she asked:
"Wait, what's the password?"
"Regi will tell you-"
"I don't remember, Midoriya. I'm really forgetting things these days, sorry." Regi said while sitting in his chair again, smiling, as Midoriya's eyes turned red.
"I'll use the Moonlight to help your memory, hold on."
"No, you won't." He chuckled and looked away from his gaze.
"Yami, could you-"
"I'm tired as well, you should tell her." A tiny smile on his face.
"You two little shits- Fine. Let's go, Momo-san." He said while pointing the elevator to the girl, and as they were about to leave, he said:
"The password is Raijinftw123."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Kukuku."
"C'MON! I ALREADY TOLD YOU I WASN'T EXPECTING ANYONE TO JOIN-"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA OH MY GOD... I THINK I'M GOING TO PASS OUT... HAHAHAHAHA."
"Pff."
They arrive at the fountain outside of Yaoyorozu's house again, and the girl just started walking inside.
"Momo-san, are you sure you're okay? I know today wasn't easy-"
"No, I'm not okay, Midoriya-kun, but maybe tomorrow I'll be better. Sorry about... Sorry. Good night." She didn't look back, disappearing through the doors.
Midoriya looked up to the bright sky and wondered how things escalated in one single night. He used his Icarus and was making his way home when his cellphone vibrated, making him stop at the closest rooftop to answer. He didn't recognize the number but picked up anyway.
"Who is this?"
"Yo, Midoriya."
"..."
"I've heard you finally showed your cards tonight."
"I could say the same about you, Jin-san."
"I should've expected that you already knew about Mustard, that was a bad call from my part, but I believe things will be better now. You know this won't end well to either of us, right? And you also know that I have the higher ground here, don't you?"
"Well, as for the first part, I don't believe it will end badly for both of us. And for the second... You underestimate my power." Midoriya made his voice deeper, unable to control himself.
"Hahahahahahaha."
"Kekeke."
"Ah... You're a funny boy. I wish I could settle things with you and take you as my ally, but-"
"Yea, not going to happen."
"I guess this will be a rematch then. You won the first round, but this time things are going to be different."
"Ummm... Are we still playing by the rules?"
"No... Not anymore. Not with everything that is at stake."
"Oh... You're really serious about this, huh?"
"I have to be. You're threatening my whole legacy. I can't allow you to destroy my life."
"It's not your life. If you agree to leave everything behind, I promise that I won't kill you."
"Not good enough."
"Yea, but I already knew you're going to say that, just like I know this isn't the reason you're calling, so why don't you tell me the real objective of this call? I'm imagining you have a question, or maybe a request?"
"..."
"Jin-san? Are you still there?"
"Our words still count for something, don't they?"
"Absolutely."
"Then I give you my word that I won't go after your mother, and in return, I want you to do a few things for me."
"Wait wait wait... What are you talking about? You can't use my mom as a bargaining chip. She's out of the equation for good."
"You really think you hid her that well? I have people right now in front of her hideout, near Kyoto, Street 24-A?"
"..."
"You don't know what the people working for me are capable of, Midoriya, so are you ready to negotiate?"
"That's interesting. I never expected you to find her so quickly."
"You don't seem very bothered by the fact that I can kill her with a phone call. Why is that?"
"That's simple. I can't see any of your henchmen being able to defeat her bodyguards."
"Bodyguards?"
On the other side of the city, people wearing suits were running for their lives, being attacked by at least 10 giant black wolves. Midoriya heard someone speaking to Jin and the line went mute for a few seconds, making him smile. He waited for some time until Jin was back on the line.
"I'm back, sorry for keeping you waiting."
"No biggie. So, did they survive?"
"I expected protection, but that's a little too much, even for you. You finally managed to create more Raijus, huh?"
"Not really, they're the same Raiju, but their power is more than enough to hold back your associates. You were talking about a rematch, but I guess this makes us two-zero, right?"
"Indeed."
"Now that we've established you don't have a bargaining chip, I want to hear your requests and decide if I'll do it or not."
"Would you really do that?"
"Yea. Although you have to disappear, I don't completely dislike you."
"..."
"Go ahead."
"One of my requests isn't fit anymore, so I'll just ask the other. If you win... I would like for you to not place me under the Moonlight's effect. I would like for you to kill me immediately."
"Ummmmm, that's a strange request. Why would you assume I'd use the Moonlight on you?"
"Because that's what you do when you want to punish someone... And I know what your moonlight can accomplish when the goal is to hurt. That is not something I wish to experience."
"Although that's true, I don't want to punish you. You're doing what you were taught to do. You're not rotten as the others, you don't enjoy murdering, pillaging, and violating, you were just tainted to the point that you can't go back to being normal again."
Midoriya thought for one second why those words seemed directed to someone else.
"I appreciate the words."
"If that's all you want, you have my word that I'll make it quick and painless."
"Ah, you have my gratitude, Raijin."
"So, we'll see each other around, right?"
"Yes... I can't wait for our new match to begin." He hunged up and Midoriya smiled.
"As if it hasn't already begun."
His cellphone ringed again and he saw the name on the screen.
"Yes?"
"We've found it."
"Seriously? Where?!"
"Right here under our nose."
Midoriya kept listening and hanged up after a few minutes, looking to the sky with a big smile on his face.
'Finally.'
Midoriya had a backpack filled with food, clothes, and tools. He closed the door just to find someone waiting for him. He wasn't surprised, Raiju had tipped him off.
"What are you doing here so early?"
"Not allowing you to get out of my sight."
"Fine, but if people see us walking to school together... You know, they may have the wrong impression that we're friends, Kacchan."
"Stop the shitty jokes, let's go."
Midoriya walked in silence the first part of the trip until his curiosity took over:
"So you and Kodai-san, huh?"
"..."
"How that happened? I never saw you show any interest in girls."
"..."
"Fine... If you don't want to tell me, I'll just assume you asked her to be your girlfriend with a thousand roses and chocolates-"
"Shut up already, dude."
"Then tell me."
"Will you shut up if I tell you?"
"Yup."
"I didn't ask her... And neither she asked me. It just happened."
"How... This is near the impossible. How can she keep up with your stupidity?"
"Screw you... I know I'm not the best person to be around, but-"
"But?"
"Yui... Yui is my other half." He said while looking away.
Midoriya stopped walking and just stared at Bakugou's neck for some time until he stopped and looked over his shoulder:
"What are you doing?"
"I didn't think this was serious... Your other half?"
"Yea, and I'm not going to talk about this with you, shithead. Just get inside that head of yours, that she- She's more than meets the eye."
"How so?"
"..."
"Oh, you can't give me that and not expect me to be curious. Bakugou Katsuki is in freaking love-"
"Shut the hell up, that's why I didn't want to tell you anything."
Bakugou was about to try to punch Midoriya when he felt Midoriya's hand on his shoulder, as he leaned to whisper:
"I'm glad for you, Kacchan, I really am. Be good to her."
"Get off me... I already know that." He answered a little embarrassed and Midoriya had to control himself not to smile to all the cuteness.
'OH MY GOD. WHO IS THIS PERSON IN FRONT OF ME?! WHERE'S THE REAL KACCHAN?!'
After arriving at school, they kept walking until they pass in front of the gym. Bakugou stopped and called him:
"Oy, Deku, let's go in here for a sec."
"Huh? What for?"
"Just shut up and come."
Midoriya frowned but followed him, spotting Kodai sitting on the bleachers.
"Uh-oh. What's going on?"
"I should be asking that."
"What you mean-"
"That bag."
"What about it?"
"You know, Deku... There's something inside my head for some time now."
"Let me guess. Exploding things?"
"..."
"Sorry, this serious look on your face doesn't suit you, but I can see this is important... Go on."
"You see... After everything we went through, you began to think we were going to start getting in your way, right? You became so strong that you left us behind and since we're weak now, the best way to protect us is by leaving us out of everything, right? That's why you're trying to protect us from whatever this new power source means."
"..."
Midoriya thought that something was very wrong.
"You never carry a backpack that big. That means you're going into that trip today. You were going to leave without telling us, right?"
"..."
"That's fine, I'll show you something, get ready." He said while quickly stretching his arms.
"Ready for what?"
"To fight, dumbass."
Midoriya only had time to throw his backpack aside, dodging the incoming explosion from Bakugou. His hand instinctively went to his sword, but he stopped himself.
"STOP IT! What the hell are you trying to prove with this shit?!"
"That you're strong, but that you're not as strong as you think."
"What?!"
Bakugou propelled himself again and Midoriya sighed, activating the Blood Moon.
"Moonlight"
He looked at Bakugou's face but gasped when he noticed that Bakugou wasn't looking directly at his eyes, his line of sight focused on his chest instead. Midoriya barely guarded the incoming explosion, being thrown away, hitting a wall. He looked up and saw the boy coming again, ruthless, his face showing a controlled expression he never saw before. He dodged again, seeing Bakugou instantly propel one more time, spinning in spiral twice in the air, while whispering:
"Howitzer-"
"Fuujin's Wall"
Midoriya saw the windblast being created in front of him, but to his surprise, the explosion never came. Instead of exploding, Bakugou shouted while closing his hand:
"Flash Granade"
Midoriya's wind couldn't stop the light and sound that followed, making him completely stunned. He heard Bakugou's body flying above him, probably preparing for an attack on his back, so he made a wide gesture with his right arm towards the direction Bakugou was going to land:
"Raijin Blade"
The attack went flying, hitting nothing, stopping on the far wall, as Bakugou literally floated above Midoriya using a controlled explosion to remain in the air, lifting one hand and using the momentum to explode everything below him.
Kodai got up and approached, wanting to see from up close.
When the smoke settled, they heard voices on the outside.
"Eh?! What's going on in there?"
"You're lying- The first years are fighting! Someone go fetch a teacher!"
"Should we stop them?"
"No, don't meddle... Oh my- That's the Raijin... And the other one is that explosion guy."
"No freaking way!"
Midoriya got up without looking up, his clothes destroyed and his neck and shoulder burned. He looked up to Bakugou and the boy just stared back, not smiling. Midoriya slowly unsheathed his sword, swinging it to the right with a quick movement. The swing was followed by a wave of black energy that spread and cracked the ground and the wall, making Bakugou start to take off his shirt.
"Finally got you down from your horse, huh?"
"Kacchan... Would you mind losing an arm or a leg? Well, my Lazarus has evolved so I promise I'll reattach them later. You'll just have to bear with the pain, ok?"
Midoriya found strange that Bakugou was now shirtless, but he didn't care. He looked to someone approaching and saw Kodai with Bakugou's gauntlets in her arms, throwing the objects at him. After a few seconds, the windows of the gym started to be filled with curious faces, all trying to peek at what was happening in there.
Midoriya wondered how much time left he had before a teacher arrived when Bakugou said:
"You said something about reattaching limbs, didn't you? I hope you can reattach blown pieces as well."
Midoriya frowned when he saw Bakugou powering up something, his face showing concentration, and suddenly left a gasp when his back started to glow and exploded.
The first thing that passed by Midoriya's head was that he was going to die.
The speed, the force, the look on Bakugou's face, the level of threat. Midoriya felt this wasn't just a random fight... This was a fight to the death. Bakugou's speed was something he never saw before, he didn't even have time to blink and barely guarded the incoming blast when the boy materialized in front of him. He went sliding across the gym and looked up, seeing Bakugou propelling, relentless again, not giving one single moment for him to think through. Midoriya used his sword to throw wind blasts, trying to stop his advances, starting to lose his temper, and suddenly heard:
'Why aren't you fighting him seriously?'
'Not now Raiju.'
'It may be wise to take this fight seriously or you could end up-'
'I KNOW! NOT NOW!'
The incoming blast made Midoriya raise his Susanoo, but the armor creation speed couldn't keep up with Bakugou's speed and the blast destroyed the ribcage and did some damage to his left side, sending him sliding again. He got up and tried to analyze what the hell was that acceleration. He saw at the moment Bakugou turned to come at him again, how his back and shoulders sparkled before shining and-
He was right in front of him again.
"Oy oy... The Raijin is being wrecked, dude."
"What is going on?! How is that other guy so fast and strong?"
"He didn't show that at the festival, don't tell me he became this strong since then."
"Who's fighting?" A voice asked and a girl that was jumping, trying to see from above the people in front, turned to answer:
"Two first-years... The Raijin and- Oh... You are-"
"Sigh... Excuse me." Tokoyami said while going towards the classroom, not interested in taking part.
Midoriya was pushed away, sliding to the far side of the gym one more time. He was panting, and Bakugou cracked his neck.
"If you fuck around too much, I'm going to kill you, Deku."
"..."
He understood now.
'Kacchan's quirk allows him to use sweat as a nitroglycerin-like substance that exploded at his will, but until now, he only used on his hands, creating explosions and nothing else. This is a new application of his quirk... Maybe even an evolution. He's controlling the force of the explosion to use it in any part of his body, and since his upper body is completely sweaty from the fight, it's giving him some kind of combustive to speed up his momentum- No, his quirk factor is on his hands, so that's not really an explosion- What the hell is that?'
"I still have to improve my control, but what do you think, Deku? Amazing, huh?"
Midoriya smiled and chuckled before he could control himself.
"Why are you laughing, retard?"
"You're so cool, Kacchan. I had a flashback just now... I remembered the time I used to find you cool."
"Disgusting. Shut up and come at me with your best or-"
"My best you say?"
Bakugou was hit three times, on his stomach, chest, and face, flying away and destroying a wall with the impact, making a few students jump to dodge, while others were buried in the rubble.
Bakugou exploded the debris away, looking around, but nobody was hurt. He smirked and pushed forward back inside the gym just to see Midoriya's new stance.
He was with his eyes closed, breathing steadily, making wind flow around him like an aura and Bakugou took off his boots, propelling forward at high speed, seeing the incoming wind wave, dodging to continue his approach. Midoriya was looking at him now, wondering how to effectively control the wind, when he saw.
Bakugou's back and feet exploded and he practically teleported in front of him, spinning while delivering a kick that also exploded, sending Midoriya to the opposite wall, destroying it as well. Bakugou took deep breaths, trying to control his stamina, when he heard a noise. Everybody in the school heard that noise, and the teachers that were arriving, opened the feed on their cellphones to see what was going on.
"Thunderlord"
"Finally taking me seriously, Deku?"
"Thunderlord"
"Come at me! I'll show you who needs to be protected!"
"Thunderlord"
"If you hold back now, you're going to die, so come right on!"
"Thunderlord"
Every time Midoriya said the word, a lightning bolt struck the drums behind his back. He saw Bakugou concentrating, and then an idea appear to him.
"Susanoo"
Bakugou's eyes widened when he saw what Midoriya was trying to do, and he pushed forward, but Midoriya's Susanoo was already in place, shrinking around his body. He swung his blade and the blast of electricity was so strong that even Bakugou's incoming explosion was pushed away. He looked up and saw the moment Midoriya raised one hand:
"Thunderlord"
The lighting bolt stayed on his palm, as he pulled his hand back to his face, wearing a demonic black mask, his eyes glowing.
In the building next to the U.A, a woman was looking towards the school, her yellow eyes glowing.
'Can you see that, my lord?'
'I can.'
'Your commands?'
'Just observe. You cannot capture him by yourself, and your power is too valuable for me to risk it.'
'As you wish.'
Bakugou found himself in the defensive now, watching Midoriya slowly walking towards him, his sword becoming ethereal. He looked towards his right gauntlet and checked its level. It was ready.
"I'm not sure how much damage this will do but there's no best target to practice than you, Deku!"
"Thunderlord"
Midoriya entered a draw stance, slightly crouching, and Bakugou did the same, losing his left gauntlet, placing his right arm behind him, his feet and back glowing.
"LET'S FUCKING GO, DEKU! SHOW ME YOUR WORSE!"
"Raijin's sin..."
Midoriya unsheathed his foggy sword, positioning it in a puncture position.
"Kusanagi's Fang"
He pushed forward and Bakugou did the same, pulling his arm:
"BLACK DRAGON-"
Both boys were going to hit their attacks when Bakugou became involved in tapes and his back and feet stopping glowing, at the same time that All Might's hand grabbed Midoriya's arm, turning it upwards, making the energy blast hit the ceiling, while his body was restrained with cement and more tapes. After the giant shockwave, they heard:
"You children sure are lively in the morning, huh?"
"Ah... How irrational."
"May we ask what is going on here, Bakugou-shounen, Midoriya-shounen?"
Bakugou looked around and saw more teachers approaching and his eyes turned to Midoriya, who let go of his form and faced him as well. Midoriya's face suddenly opened in a smile that turned into a laugh.
"Kekeke... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."
"Er... Midoriya-shounen?"
"Kukuku-" Bakugou smirked and left a tiny chuckle, unable to control himself as well. Midoriya said as if there weren't three teachers restraining them.
"I'll give it to you, Kacchan... That was awesome. I admit it, I was wrong."
"Asshole."
"Hahahaha... It has been some time since I was pushed to the edge like that. I want to ask about-"
"You two, can't you see us here?" Cementus asked and Midoriya turned his head.
"Oh, right... Sorry about the fuss, Sensei. We were... Ummm-"
"Training, Deku. We were training."
"Right."
"Right." Cementus snorted, looking towards all the destruction.
"How about we use all this energy to study, huh? And all of you, go back to your classes, move along, come on." Principal Nezu approached while eyeing the walls and ceiling, dissipating the crowd.
"A teacher must always supervise combat training, but I'm sure both of you already knew that."
"Sorry, Principal Nezu."
"Ay ay ay. What should I do with you, Midoriya? You're turning out to be quite the troublesome case."
"..."
"You two are suspended for a week. When you're back you're going to have detention for the rest of the semester. If I hear you were doing something like this again, you both will be expelled, are we clear?"
"Yes, principal."
"Yes."
"Get your things and go home. I'll call your parents to inform them."
After being freed from the cement and tapes, Midoriya grabbed his things and walked towards the exit, stopping to look back at Bakugou, who was near Kodai with a nasty smile on his face. Midoriya couldn't believe his eyes when the girl leaned forward and kissed him. He took his bag and gauntlets, moving towards the exit where Midoriya was waiting.
"Damn, that was so cute-"
"SHUT UP, DAMN NERD!"
"You shut up! And put a damn shirt on!"
"BITE ME!"
The teachers were all looking at the two, wondering:
"Are we sure we should let them go home together?"
"Maybe I should go with them-"
"That won't be necessary, Toshinori-kun. We should go back as well. Cementus, may I leave the repairs to you?"
"Sure."
"You too, Kodai Yui, time to go to your class."
As Kodai walked by the principal, she whispered:
"Thank you, principal."
Nezu smiled, remembering their strange request.
You want me to suspend you, Bakugou-kun?
Yea.
Why?
This way, I can go with Deku and help him in case he needs backup.
Although I understand the risk of him going alone to the place you mentioned, are you sure this is the best option? Why not ask him to join?
We are sure. Midoriya-kun thinks he has to protect everyone, and sometimes he can do that by himself, but sometimes he needs help too.
You seem to have given this matter some thought, Kodai-kun.
I did. Sometimes, you have to protect someone even it means lying and deceiving them. This is for his safety and future.
And how will this fight help?
This is simpler to explain.
"I hope you kids know what you're doing." He whispered under his breath as he walked outside the gym and saw both boys going towards the exit.
"So in the end, this was your plan? To get suspended with me so you could come along?"
"Something like that."
"And how much of this plan was Kodai's idea?"
"Most of it."
"Since when do you play ball like that?"
"Who knows?"
"To think the mighty Bakugou ended up falling this much."
"Is this your plan? Annoy me to death?"
"I'm trying to make you understand... This is something I must do alone."
"Said who?"
"Well- Nobody said that, but it's presumed."
"Since nobody prohibited, it's ok for me to tag along."
Midoriya turned to face him while the helicopter descended.
"We're here, Midoriya-sama, but I don't know where I should land... There's no heliport-" The pilot said and Midoriya answered, pulling the microphone closer:
"Thanks, Hayasaki-san. I told you just Midoriya is fine. Tell Hawks I'll try to finish as fast as I can."
"Wait! I told you there's no place to land, Midoriya-sama-"
"Don't worry, this is perfect." Midoriya said while taking off the headphones and opening the door.
"What-"
Midoriya jumped, followed by Bakugou.
"Icarus"
He landed and saw Bakugou exploding his hands twice to slow down his momentum, landing by his side. Both boys looked around to what could only be an excavation site. After the helicopter left, Bakugou asked, looking around:
"What the hell is this, Deku?"
"Some kind of temple where my ancestors hid something."
"What kind of thing."
"Knowledge about a power source. Something called: Natural energy."
"Tch."
They started walking towards the entrance and a few researchers came to show Midoriya speculations and maps of the first floor, warning him about an underground level they couldn't access. After gathering all the information he turned towards the opening on the side of the mountain and halted, asking while pointing:
"What is she doing here?"
The girl listened and turned, walking towards him.
"About time! I've been waiting for at least 5 hours for you, Izuku!" She answered out loud and Midoriya narrowed his eyes. He met her halfway, whispering:
"I don't want you here. I don't trust you and I don't keep people I don't trust close to me."
"..."
"Leave, Cathleen-san."
"Why? Did I really break your trust that much?"
"Of course you did."
"How?"
"Excuse me?"
"How did it hurt you? Would you mind telling me?"
Midoriya paused for a second, wondering if the girl was trying to pull some kind of joke.
"Isn't it obvious? I thought we were becoming friends, I thought you were someone I could share these things without being on guard."
"Yea, and when exactly did I betray your trust?"
"What the hell? When you duplicated and stole my memories?"
"And I used those memories to do what exactly?"
"Why are you making these rhetorical questions all of sudden? I don't have time for this."
"If you answer me straight, I swear I'll leave... I'll never come near you again."
Midoriya was about to enter when he turned and faced the girl, her expression skeptical, her hands on her waist.
"..."
"I'm waiting."
"It's not about you using the information to do something hurtful to me. It's about you doing things behind my back-"
"Are you a goddamnit child, Izuku?"
"Huh?"
"That was a rhetorical question because I know you are not a kid anymore. You, more than anybody else, should be familiar with people's worst sides. All I can say in my defense is that I was wrong and that I'm sorry, but you can't hold that against me like I'm your enemy, because I am not."
"I can do whatever I want. Let's go, Kacchan."
"I'm going with you two."
Midoriya turned again and walked right at her, his eyes becoming red as he glared at the girl from up close.
"Would you mind going home by yourself, Cathleen-san, or should I help you find your way back?"
"Don't threaten me, dude. I'm here to help you, I have years of accumulated knowledge about this stuff. I'm literally the only person suited for this exploration."
"And I told you I don't need your help. I told you we were cool, and that I wouldn't hold anything against you, but this is another thing. Leave, I won't repeat myself."
"No."
"Moonlight"
Cathleen kept staring at him and he frowned.
"Moonlight"
Nothing happened.
"What the hell?"
"Your illusions won't work on me."
"..."
"Wanna know why?"
"..."
"I'll tell you anyway. When you place someone under the moonlight, you have a delay... I bet you already figured that out, right? It's like the power has physical form, coming out of your eyes, traveling across space, until it hits the target, so I just switched to my dimension before it could reach me, meaning you can't manipulate my mind, because it's not in this plain anymore."
"And why exactly were you trying to find ways to evade my illusions?"
"Because Shinji told me you could react like this. Now I see he was right."
"You can't be trusted, Cathleen-"
"And neither can you."
"What did you just say to me?"
"Neither. Can. You."
"Are you mental? How dare you say that to me after what you did-"
"Oh, but I dare. You're the one that keeps acting like a spoiled brat who can't accept apologies, so maybe I should ask you if you have a problem in your head. While you're acting like this, you don't have my trust and neither my respect."
"You-"
"Grow the hell up, Midoriya. Learn to forgive people's mistakes because you make a lot of them as well. Everyone is trying their best to help you achieve your goals, everyone has you as their focus, but you became so full of yourself because of all that attention, that it started affecting your head."
"..."
"Nobody is perfect, and neither are you. Was it wrong to take your ancestor's memories without asking you for permission? It was. Was it wrong to take your memories without letting you know? Yup. Was I trying to achieve something to benefit myself by doing that? Nope, I was trying to get information, because information is what makes me feel safe, that's all. How's that any different from the things you've done?"
"I don't have to listen to this."
He turned to enter the cave when Raiju appeared, making everyone look at him. He mentally said to Midoriya:
'You are wrong.'
"What are you talking about-"
But the wolf just disappeared, making Midoriya sigh while covering his face.
"Are you kidding me, Raiju?"
"What's going on, Deku?"
"Nothing! Fine, you can come along, Cathleen."
"Thank you~"
Midoriya got irritated because he felt like a child being disciplined by an elder. He wasn't being a spoiled brat.
"Midoriya-san, how much time should we wait outside?" One researcher asked while holding a chart.
"Huh? Ah, if we're not back in... Twelve hours, send a rescuing party or something."
"This much time?"
"I don't really think it's going to be necessary, so I'm just giving you a large number so you can leave us be."
"Oh."
"Sorry, I'm just a little annoyed right now... I didn't mean to offend-"
"It's fine, sir. We'll be waiting outside."
Midoriya saw the man turning and felt another wave of irritation, but this time directed to himself. He took his sword out and swung to the right, sending a blast of electricity, reducing the trees and rocks around to a pile of deformed burning rubble, making all the people present run to cover. He took deep breaths and sheathed his weapon. He walked towards the entrance, ready to find some answers.
"Better?" Cathleen asked while following him inside.
"Shut up."
"Keke." Bakugou chuckled but Midoriya just ignored.
They got inside the illuminated area and saw how the researchers had already prepared the terrain, placing ropes and improvised ladders leading towards the interior of the mountain.
"Be careful, both of you." Midoriya said and saw Cathleen taking the improvised ladder with great agility.
"You be careful, this is my home."
"Show off."
They descended to an underground entrance that was blocked by a giant door. Cathleen took out a few glow sticks and handled some to Midoriya and Bakugou, who started moving the light so they could see better.
"What is this?" Cathleen pointed to the center of the door where there was some kind of needle.
"You don't think we must give a blood sacrifice to enter, right?" Midoriya asked, but Cathleen just pressed her hand against the needle.
The door reacted and the needle disappeared inside, returning clean after. They kept staring, but nothing happened.
"Well, that's a letdown."
"Are you crazy? It could've been venomous."
"It wasn't, so don't worry."
"You're too carefree, Cath."
"Oh, you're calling me Cath already, does that mean I'm forgiven?" She giggled covering her mouth and Midoriya sighed, taking a step back, hitting a loose stone, losing his balance, and hitting the door. He felt the sharp pain where the needle punctured his arm. Bakugou grabbed his arm and pulled him off.
"Shit!"
"Are you ok-"
The door did the same sound, but this time, it started to glow and suddenly crumbled, as if it was made of sand.
"What in the actual-"
"So in the end it really wanted a blood sacrifice, huh?" Midoriya frowned.
"What happened? Why did it react to your blood and not to mine?" Cathleen asked, looking at the dust on the floor.
"I don't know, but we should keep going." Midoriya said, taking the glow sticks, walking forward with extreme care.
They found themselves into a large corridor. Midoriya was with the Blood Moon activated the whole time, trying to search for traps, but another thing caught his attention. He saw twenty meters ahead for just a second, but he was sure.
That was a person.
He pressed his communication device until it reached the radio frequency of the people outside and asked:
"This is Midoriya. Can somebody tell me if there's a researcher inside the cave at the moment?"
After some silence from the outside, he felt a shiver run down his body when a voice answered:
"No, sir... Nobody entered the underground floor."
He pulled Cathleen's arm and made her walk back to where they descended, calling for Bakugou to do the same.
"What's going on?"
"There's something in here."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I saw something moving ahead... It was a person... Or some kind of humanoid."
"You're not joking, right?" Cathleen asked nervously, but Midoriya's gaze answered her question.
"Let's get out of here right now, we need more light-"
And the ropes and ladders were cut, as something huge blocked the access to the upper floor, leaving them in darkness. Midoriya raised his Susanoo to block the falling rocks, also covering Bakugou and Cathleen, who screamed. One single torch fell from the upper floor and Midoriya picked it up, looking to Bakugou and Cathleen before saying:
"Well, I'm not sure about what's going on here, but I'm certain about one thing."
"What?"
"I'm scared... Like, really scared. This is terrifying."
"Shut the fuck up, Deku."
"Kacchan, there's something in here and now we're trapped inside with... Whatever that is! This is a terror movie script."
"Is that so?"
Bakugou raised one hand:
"Radial Flare"
Midoriya saw some kind of smaller version of his flashbang, continuously exploding on his palm, illuminating the way better than the torch he was holding right now.
"You really learned how to manipulate your explosions, haven't you?"
"I can't take all the credit, Yui helped me."
"Ah, the power of love-"
"Want me to turn this off?"
"NO! Sorry! Lead the way."
"I never took you to be such a wuss."
"Ghosts freak the hell out of me."
"Ghosts don't exist, dumbass."
"What the hell did I see, then?!"
Midoriya saw something moving in the same place he saw the ghost and didn't think twice.
"RAIJIN ARROW"
The energy blast hit something and made a strange sound while it was absorbed by some kind of substance. They eyed each other and approached slowly, seeing what that was. A giant arch with some strange element in the middle. It looked like some kind of portal and a figure was floating in it. They just stared for some time until Midoriya asked:
"Hello?"
The figure stopped moving and floated towards them as if it was swimming in something with depth.
"Welcome." A feminine voice said and they saw a woman's silhouette.
"What are you? What is this place?" Cathleen asked but the woman didn't respond.
"What's going on? Is she deaf?" Bakugou asked and narrowed his eyes in response to her next words.
"I can hear you, Kagutsuchi."
"Kagutsuchi? Who the hell-"
"I'm a little confused right now. Can you tell us your name?" Midoriya asked and the woman turned to him.
"I do not possess a name."
"All right... What exactly are you?"
"A guide."
"Er... A guide to what?"
"A guide to what you seek, Raijin."
"Do you know me?"
"I am connected to all individuals carrying Kaguya's gift."
"I don't get it, can you explain better?" Cathleen asked but the woman ignored her question again.
"Why are you ignoring her questions?" Midoriya asked confused.
"I do not understand."
"Huh?! I'm asking why aren't you answering her questions?" He pointed to Cathleen and felt his brain freeze when he heard:
"There are only two of you in my presence."
Midoriya gasped and slowly turned towards Cathleen, who had her face covered with her hair, sighing:
"To think you would discover like this... It can't be helped then." She glared at Midoriya like a monster, her eyes showing only danger.
Midoriya took a step back, his hand going towards his sword and Cathleen's face opened in a smile.
"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE, IZUKU!"
"..."
"I'm not a ghost, you dumbass."
"Are you kidding me, Cath- You scared the shit out of me."
"I'm not sure why she's ignoring me but I'm not dead. You really got scared, didn't you? Hahahahaha. Anyway, for this thing to not notice me... What could be the answer?"
Midoriya thought for a few seconds, and looked at Bakugou, finding the answer after looking towards Cathleen's chest.
"Izuku?! What are you looking at?!" She said covering her cleavage.
"Umm? I was checking your flame. OH- I WASN'T LOOKING AT YOURS- I MEAN-"
"My flame? Can your eyes see that?"
"To a certain extent."
"And?"
"You barely have one... I guess that's our answer. She can only identify people who have an affinity to the elements. Kacchan has an affinity to fire, so I'm guessing that's the reason she called him Kagutsuchi- Wait, then why didn't she call me Susanoo? That's strange."
"What is this damn place? What are you?" Bakugou asked.
"This is my sanctuary. A guide."
"We heard that already, use different words, damn it!"
"Think about me as a source of information."
"Information? What the hell-"
"Then, how can I get this natural energy?" Midoriya asked.
"Few individuals achieved control over the Natural Energy, many losing their lives in the process, are you certain you still want to follow this path, Raijin?"
Midoriya eyed Cathleen, taking a step back while answering.
"Yes."
"The natural energy cannot be found, since it is not hidden. The natural energy is everywhere. Trees, wind, earth, mountains, seas. You can find the natural energy around you at any time."
"Then how can I utilize it? And why is it dangerous?"
"Once your chakra is infused with natural energy, you must balance both origins, otherwise, you shall end up transformed, and later petrified."
"Huh?! Transformed? Petrified?"
"The natural energy, when misused, will turn the holder into an animal, because animals are more suited to withstand the natural energy. If the user continues to recklessly take natural energy, his or her body will be turned into stone and perish."
"Holy shit." Cathleen scratched her hair.
"And how can I control the natural energy, in a way I won't lose control?"
"Continuous training."
"Sigh... I read that one before- But if I fail just once, I can end up dead, right?"
"Yes."
"Damn it. I can't go through this road again."
"Isn't there another way?" Bakugou asked.
"There is."
"THEN TELL US FROM THE START! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"Nothing is wrong with me. I can only answer questions."
"Oh... That makes sense. Can you tell us about this other way then?" Midoriya crossed his arms.
"There were objects that expelled the natural energy from one's body, allowing them to train the gathering of natural energy without worrying about losing control."
"Oh, that's great... Where can I find one of those?"
"All known objects were destroyed centuries ago."
"..."
"Do you know how to recreate these objects?"
"No."
"..."
"Now what, Deku?"
"I don't know. I could really use another power source, but the risk... I don't want to end up as some petrified raccoon."
"Oy, lady. Has anyone tried to train this shit without these objects? Did any of them manage to survive?"
"Yes. Only one."
"How did he do? How did he survive?"
"I do not know that."
"Great... Just fucking great."
"Hold on... If I were to gather natural energy, would I be able to understand its limits? I mean, could I spot the limit where I should stop?"
"I do not know that."
"Damn... How about this. How much energy one can handle before turning into an animal?"
"I do not know that."
"You're pretty useless, aren't you?"
"I do not know how to answer that."
"Fucking robot."
"Wait, how about this: Which one is stronger? Chakra or Natural Energy?"
"Natural Energy."
"By how much?"
"Natural energy is raw energy, while chakra is a particular power that differs from one individual to another."
"Can you analyze my energy- My chakra?"
"Insert your hand in my domain."
Midoriya took a step forward, but Bakugou pulled his arm.
"Oy, are you crazy Deku? What if this shit is dangerous?"
"Let me try first." Cathleen said while inserting her hand up to the elbow, but nothing happened.
"It's cold."
"The individual has no affinity to natural elements." The ghostly woman said monotonously.
"Oh... We were right at least. Well, I'll try."
Midoriya pushed his hand and felt like he had plunged his hand into a bucket of cold water.
"Your chakra has a value of ******* compared to ******* that is the Natural energy's value."
"What the hell did you just say? What was that language?"
"These are the values you asked for. I used the same language I am using right now."
"No, you didn't... What the hell-"
"Can't you say those in our language?" Bakugou asked.
"I do not know that."
"Hold on, can you learn new information?" Midoriya questioned, having an insight.
"Depends on the nature of the information."
"How about numbers?"
A few minutes later, the ghostly woman repeated her answer to Midoriya.
"Your chakra has an approximate value of 3.000.000 compared to 4.100.000 which is the raw value of Natural Energy."
"You're a goddamnit genius, Izuku. All you need to do now is deplete your energy, gather 1.100.000 more, and imprint inside your brain... Then you can take natural energy until you reach this limit and you'll be set."
"That was the idea, but I don't know... There's something wrong with our math. I'm feeling we're not taking something into account. This looks too easy for my taste. Lady, can you explain more about these individuals who acquired this power?"
"They were known as Sages. Once they took control of the natural energy, they were able to use a new kind of Jutsu, called Senjutsu. This technique drastically enhances one's physical capabilities altogether with his or her sensorial abilities. These individuals went through exhausting training to perfect the natural energy gathering, and thus, became Sages after learning how to control all its aspects."
"Sages, huh?"
"Wait, I read something like that... One of the two brothers' reincarnations was a Sage." Cathleen said while covering her mouth, impressed.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"Well, we have the information, but I want to know how can I gather this energy... It has to be a specific way, right? Lady, how can I gather natural energy? How can I use this... Senjutsu?"
"To use Senjutsu, one must first learn to sense the natural energy in their surroundings, gathering it inside their body without losing control in the merging process, transforming his own chakra in Senjutsu chakra."
Midoriya tilted his head after hearing that.
"Wait, so it's like a fusion- But what if I'm empty on energy? How can I fuse the two energies if I have nothing?"
"Senjutsu users must have great chakra reserves to allow them to gather natural energy while retaining some of their own chakra to mix within the new one."
"Hold on, when you said my chakra had that value... Were you saying that is the higher I can go? Is that actually my limit?"
"Yes."
"So- So it's impossible for me. My chakra is much lower than the Natural Energy's value, am I right?"
"You are correct, Raijin."
"You got to be kidding me... SHIT!"
Midoriya turned and sighed, shaking his head, realizing he wasn't going to be able to use this power. He was lost in thoughts when he heard:
"Your chakra has a value of 6.550.000 compared to 4.100.000 which is the value of Natural Energy."
He turned and saw Bakugou taking his hand off the portal, looking over his shoulder, unable to refrain himself from smirking while Midoriya's jaw dropped.
"No freaking way."
AN: ;)