I'm back peeps! Chapter 8 was turning into a novel, so I cut it in two. I also made slight changes over all my other ones, mostly on the 5th. This chapter here starts on the afternoon of the same day we left off.

"A prison outbreak?", Toshinori looked away from the room full of 1A students that were divided into groups of two and fighting amongst themselves, to meet Aizawa's eyes over his scarf.

"Yes. I was just informed. It's a prison on the outskirt of the city. It was not heavily guarded as they only admit low-ranked quirks prisoners. Didn't stop them this time though."

"You say they asked for our help apprehending them?"

"Exactly so, the prisoner are only mildly dangerous, still- the number of escapee is far larger than the actual police effective can handle. The threat level is such that the direction gave our students clearance to go on field, as long as they are supervised."

"Understood. Let me gather the class.", All Might inhaled sharply and let his powerful voice carry over the training room,

"Students! A moment of your attention! There is a change of plans."

The whole of class 1A stopped punching and jabbing, turning intrigued looks toward their teacher. Izuku slapped away the fire on his shoulder that burned his training suit.

" We will have a hands-on assignment today! Here's the situation: a bunch of prisoners just escaped their confinement, if we don't act right now it'll become more difficult to find them again once they go into hiding. In light of current circumstances, that is to say - a lack of effective in the face of this many villains- our help has been solicited! I'm happy to inform you I will personally oversee this mission. Now, each of you please look at their fighting partner!"

Izuku turned his head towards Todoroki who gave him a sideways glance. Izuku's sheepish smile was met with unaffected indifference.

"You will move in groups of two", continued their sensei, "I will, under no circumstances allow you to go one on one against those villains. Their quirk's level has been rated low, but I won't take any chances; your safety and the citizen's comes above all else!", he marked a pause, letting them know by the tone of his voice that this was not merely a suggestion, then gave his signature smile, "Are we ready to bring down Justice?"

The whole class punched the air or clapped on an unanimous cheer.

*

It only took around 15 minutes for them to reach the city's outskirt. Unlike the center, it was mostly deprived of skyscrapers. It had more of the calm old neighborhood mood to it, with the occasional konbini and one or two bars along your typical family restaurant. Luckily, it was still late afternoon which meant most people were at work; fewer chances for unlucky accidents and more towards sniffing out one of the wanted criminals, Izuku reasoned.

Stepping over to Midoriya's right side, Todoroki cast a scrutinizing look over the general education students gathered and already waiting at the meeting zone when 1A had joined them. Not all of them were present, at most they were two dozen scattered around the plaza, but Todoroki had not expected to see any of them at all. Were the outbreakers this numerous as to need their sisterly hero branches to step in? He frowned. Something else occurred to him: his plan. Deku was under a spell, he was almost positive. If he played his hand right, this might just turn out to be the perfect opportunity to unravel this case. First item on the agenda; reduce the list of suspects. He recognized some students here from the sport festival, while others were never seen or heard of before. Not that he had paid much attention in the first place.

'Mmh, the girl with the bunny hero suit definitely isn't it. That guy in the rainbow cape neither. Maybe that one? Never mind, that's a body modification quirk. Next...'

The guy standing still with a carefree grin on his face was noticeable in a singular way; that he, in fact, didn't stand out at all. Everything was plain about him; his mid-short brown hair, his average stature, his dark gray hero costume that beard no distinguishable sign. Even the mask that covered the upper half of his face, akin a ball mask, was plain both in color and shape. By hero standard, it was what his dad would call ' a damn bad self-advertising move'. It was like the guy set out to make himself forgettable, overlooked. Todoroki smirked slightly to himself.

"...And so those who received the notebook will study and memorize each of the prisoner listed in there, while their partner will look out for suspicious activity. The villain's name, quirks and level of threat is also included in the intel. We have assigned every duo a stalk out position. Move out!", finished Aizawa sensei.

Izuku started walking towards their assigned hiding point, notebook in hand and already squirming through it, no doubt making up counter plans to every single quirk listed in there.

"Wait, Midoriya. Let's follow them.", Todoroki gestured towards the nondescript guy.

Izuku glanced at the masked boy and frowned, "But, the hiding spot? We can't just go disobeying orders like that!"

Todoroki suggesting they broke form? That was unusual. And slightly concerning...

"Trust me, if my instincts are right, you might want to make a small digression here."

Izuku paused to give him one more assessing look before declaring, "Okay, I'll trust you. "

That was one of Izuku's best qualities, in Todoroki's opinion. He just hoped it wouldn't also become one of his biggest weakness, this blinded desire to trust the people he thought he knew.

Todoroki nodded back at him.

*

"It's really a shame", lamented Kirishima, "What if Narrator really messed with his head and made Midoriya forget all about you? Then he probably wouldn't remember about the dance... or the school play either!"

They had reached their surveying position 10 minutes ago and Bakugou had been tuning out the red-head's monologue for exactly that amount of time, since the subject - Deku - fairly bored him out of his mind. Not to mention, hearing that name triggered a mild frustration every single time.

Now, however, he was fully invested again,

" Why would he want to remember that shit-show? How does that have anything to do with me?"

Kirimishima slapped his hand over his mouth but hastily slid it down, "No reason! Just -because it was funny, he looked funny in it. I mean, I wanted to tease him more about it. Yeah!"

Bakugou gave him a sideways look that meant 'Don't you fucking joke around with me. I call bullshit '

Kirishima heaved loudly and let his head hang down, "Alright, you got me, please be gentle"

Bakugou ground is teeth, "How's the life insurance?"

"Yikes, for real Bakubro, chill!", Kirishima made fanning motions with his hands that were supposed to calm the feral beast down, "I wanted to tell you right after you woke up! I swear!"

"And you didn't because...?"

"We promised Midoriya."

Bakugou exploded at that, quite literally, " 'We' promised Deku ?"

"Yes, and before you start digging the grave, let me tell you: it's better that you don't know. You're going to hate it."

"So the whole class is in on it, and I'm... what? The dimwit at the butt of the joke?"

"It's not like that at all! Just hear me out first: it was Narrator's fault"

Bakugou snarled, "You don't say."

"At that part in the play you were supposed to die from the arrow, Narrator jumped in on the action and cursed you. And I mean - he actually put a curse on you, sleeping beauty style"

"I'm really hating were this is headed."

"I can stop talking whenever you want", eagerly offered Kirishima.

"There's no way you're stopping now!"

Kirishima opened his mouth, readying himself for the onslaught that his next words, surely, would unleash. He vaguely wondered if it counted as suicide.

BANG cling cling cling

Out of nowhere, a man darted out from an alley, the sound of disrupted objects clattering down on his heals. He launched himself right past the two boy's hiding spot without noticing them at all.

"My savior!", exclaimed Kirishima.

"That's a criminal, idiot", and they both ran in his pursuit.

*

Izuku kept asking himself what they were doing here, right now.

It had been 25 minutes already that they had spent crouching not at their assigned position , hiding in a narrowed street behind the dumpster, looking over two UA students he had never seen before in his life as they themselves waited to ambush villains.

"Todoroki, hum, can I ask what we're doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on these two"

"Yeah. I can see that. But why?"

"To resolve a mystery, of course"

Izuku sighed. He might or might not just be risking expulsion here, and all he got was 'let's play spy' , but without the fun gadgets. He turned around and let himself fall into a cross-legged position against the dumpster. Let Todoroki do the creepy stalking, he'll read more of that notebook the police gave them.

"So that guy this morning...", Izuku trailed off.

"Bakugou?"

"Yes. What's up with him? He started attacking me out of nowhere! We hadn't even met !"

Todoroki... snickered? Something definitely escaped Izuku's grasp.

"Mmh. He's known for being a little... intense. Particularly when he gets tangled in his own feelings, I suspect."

"That's no excuse for rudeness.", Izuku flipped another page of the notebook.

He was roughly 10 pages in when his brain registered loud sounds which could only mean action finally decided to make an entrance. He sprang to his feet.

The two students were indeed facing someone, a man, thin, with a ragged cowboy hat and long black straight hair that possessed an oily sheen, even from a distance. To complete the ensemble, he even wore a ratty poncho.

Izuku looked on as the higher of the two students, the one closer to the villain, suddenly threw his arms ahead of him, they stretched on and on, reaching past the villain and then looping back around, probably to capture him.

Cowboy hat dodged swiftly and raised his right hand in a gun gesture, it was absolutely empty of any such item however, which made the motion look childish.

Until it didn't.

Mimicking the act of pulling the trigger, something shot in the air from near the villain's head directly towards the students that was too quick and little to distinguish. A raw cry of pain ripped the air. The tallest student, then one that first attacked, was now gripping his left shoulder as he bent over in pain.

Cowboy was saying something to them that they couldn't hear from this distance, then stretch-boy started to...melt. Panic rose within Izuku, until he understood: he was only using his quirk, sliding down like a pool of water on the ground all the way up to the villain's feet. Poncho aimed his finger at the ground and shoot again, and the bullet splashed right through. The left corner of his lips lifted as he revised his aim: straight ahead on the second student.

Izuku willed the nondescript boy to move out of the way, to retaliate, anything! But the guy was like frozen, arms slack, at gun point with a sick stricken face.

The villain shot.

A millisecond before it was too late, the other had raised from the water pool and gripped the gun's man hand, punching him in the face with the other. Cowboy laughed and tripped the student with one kick. The boy lost balance and fell forwards over the villain...

BANG

Izuku startled at the sound. His eyes followed the water boy's body, as it slid across the villain's chest and dropped to his feet, motionless, revealing the mad grin and the gun hand raised up against the man's midsection.

" MIZUKI!", the second student cried out, which only served to fuel the villain's crackling laugh.

His features hard, his jaw clenched, the gray-clad boy reached for his satchel.

'Yes, that's it. Now, show me your quirk' , Todoroki thought.

Suddenly, Izuku jumped out of hiding, taking decisive steps towards the battlefield and then, suddenly, faltered midway.

"Midoriya?", Todoroki called after him in shock.

The green haired boy did not overrun the villain, nor did he step back behind the dumpster. He just stood, frozen, his back to Todoroki who was slowly growing to the realization he must be missing something critical.

Midoriya was shaking. He was overtaken by tremors. Was that also the villain's quirk? At any rate, his intervention had attracted some unwanted attention. There was no sense in hiding anymore. Shōto stepped out of the dark street, dusting himself off. He joined Midoriya's side.

"My my!", cowboy enthused, "Three is a party! But I'm afraid there's one too many, boys", he winked at Izuku, who winced and recoiled.

"Yes", Todoroki answered, "only one"

Ice spread out from under Todoroki's feet, reaching for the villain, spiking up over the cement as it crystallized, sharp, like a sword field.

"Snowball in hell!", grunted the man as he stepped away and further back. But Todoroki's was a long reach attack, and he had the advantage of surprise. He managed to trap the cowboy's feet.

"Midoriya!", he called towards his teammate.

But his ally hardly made a step forth. Fisted arms strained at his sides. Whatever spell he was under made him completely useless right now.

Cowboy raised a pointing hand again and shot at him, Todoroki raised an ice wall. It worked, he heard something lodge inside the frozen water: a spherical piece of metal, no bigger than a bullet, but rougher in it's design.

The second pistol hand joined the first, and a deluge of bullets rained over Todoroki and Midoriya. He produced an ice dome.

Why was Midoriya unresponsive? And could that other student get a grip already?! Todoroki dived on the villain as soon as the death rain stopped pouring, his left side flaming up. This was no time for petty sentimentalism. He hurled a hot fist forward and hoped for the best. He felt it connect, but the impact had been too strong, too abrupt. Todoroki's fist hurt. The wall of flames fell to unveil a wall of iron. That one too, scraped over itself with an awful screeching, revealing the smirking man behind it. The man in the hat slowly clenched both his hands like he was squishing an invisible orange.

Iron control. That was his quirk!

"Didn't realize I was meeting a star! Apologies, Endeavor's son", he said pleasantly.

"It's Todoroki. How did you escape the prison?"

"Ooh, it was quite the adventure! I'm afraid I don't have time retelling it now, Todoroki. I'm expected, so if you don't mind?", he waved his hand once like he was shooing away a fly, and the contorted iron flew over Todoroki, pinning him to the ground, nearly impaling him. Cowboy pointed a finger toward the general ed' student,

"You!", he ordered harshly, " Come with me."

And more iron teared off all sort of objects, the streetlamps, the dustbins, the sewer. It all formed a poorly designed manacle around the student's wrists.

The villain spun around and made a 'come hither' gesture with both fingers over his shoulder, which attracted the iron, forcing the ex-prisoner's prisoner to follow.

Todoroki had to think, fast. Expected? Expected by whom? And why?

"WAIT", he called back.

The villain stopped in his tracks, swirling slowly on his heels.

"Yes?", he raised a brow.

Todoroki hated himself for what he was about to say,

"You know who I am. My father would pay a fortune to rescue me."

The cowboy started to chuckle, then hold his stomach as he laughed in earnest.

"Are you... auctioning yourself? I think you have the wrong business, son"

"I'm saying. I'm worth a lot of money", Todoroki tilted his head slightly and mouthed 'a lot' .

"What are you doing?!", the UA student screeched at him.

The villain stopped laughing. He stroked the stubble on his face as he pondered. Finally, he raised an open palm; the iron encircling Todoroki lifted him above ground and tightened, ripping a wince out of him. The man turned around and resumed his walk, two captives in his procession.

Todoroki heard a scream behind him, and a green flash pass by his right ear. Midoriya.

The villain slowly raised a hand and took aim.

*

"And that makes five of them ! Wo-hoo!", Kirishima punched the air. Bakugou made sure the prisoner was securely bounded, regardless of the fact he would probably stay out cold for the next 6 hours or so.

"Give me five!", Kirishima grinned at him, raising his hand.

"Give me a reason not to chew your head off", Bakugou answered.

"Aww come on man! Are you still salty about the festival play thing?"

"I'm not salty and you still haven't told me anything 'bout it!", the blond snapped.

"Hey, tell it to the villains that keep interrupting us !", Kirishima put his hands on his hips.

" Using the villains as an excuse, porcupine? How convenient. "

Their captured villain grunted in his beaten stupor. Kirishima hit its head.

"I said I'd tell you and I will! I don't break my promises!"

" You mean like the one you made with Deku ?"

Kirishima grunted loudly and slid his hands across his face, " Me and my big mouth "

"Stop stalling and fess up!"

Kirishima's gaze slid from Bakugou's eye to something farther behind the boy, then back to his face.

"Uh, Bakugou, I know it's a bad time and all, but what is that over there?", he pointed right ahead of him.

Little veins were popping in Bakugou's eyes. The nerve?!

"No, I'm serious! Look behind you"

Bakugou threw his head sideways. In his peripheral vision he saw it: two limp bodies scattered on the pavement.

They ran over.

"This one is a general education student from UA", assessed Kirishima, "and your side?"

Bakugou's voice wouldn't come out as loud as he wanted it,

"Deku"

Kirishima was by his side in a second,

"Shit"

Deku was down? His Deku ? The one that always won, no matter what, even against him sometimes? He better not dare lose to anyone but Bakugou! He better not be...

The blond gripped the unconscious boy's shoulders firmly and shook him violently.

"OI ! DEKU!"

Kirishima grabbed his wrist, "Hey man, stop! What if he has a brain injury?"

Deku's right cheek had a long streak running deep in his flesh, straight under his eye. A little higher, and he would have lost sight in it. Their was a lot of blood marring his round face, tainting his green hairs. Maybe masking other wounds beneath it. Tch.

"Listen, you have to calm down", Kirishima was using an irksome soothing voice, "There's no big pool of blood, he's breathing. He'll be fine."

Bakugou realized he was still gripping Deku's shoulders. He retrieved his hands. Yes...

Yes, the nerd was too fuckin' annoying to die on him like this!

As if Deku had heard Kirishima's reasoning, his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Midoriya?! Hey! All good? What happened?", Kirishima fussed over him.

Izuku tried to sit up, but his head pounded, and he had to hold onto it. His vision was swimming. He forced it to focus.

"Bakugou?"

Aforementioned party froze up. 'Bakugou' uh? No stupid nickname? Ha! Well -good!

"Easy there bud', you look like a white sheet splattered in blood"

Izuku chuckled, "I'm okay"

"The hell you are!", snapped Bakugou, "The fuck happened over here? Where's half n' half' ?"

Izuku's eyes dipped down, "He, uh... a villain captured him. And some other person. It looked like they were hunting that other student"

"Where?"

"What?"

"Where did they take them?", Bakugou growled impatiently.

"I don't know. He didn't say. Just that he was expected there.", Deku looked like Christmas was cancelled, "I couldn't stop him".

Bakugou raised from his crouching position above the nerd. Todoroki -loathe be Bakugou to admit- was smart. There was no way he just up and left without a plan. Bakugou started to pace around the place. There was a lot of damage; torn metallic objects, melted ice, blood and water meshing together on the ground. Scorch marks. He spun 90 degrees and walked away from the central scene.

"Bakubro? Where are you going?"

Bakugou glanced back at Kirishima, "That hot-cold bastard left a trail."

The red head boy sprinted to his side, Izuku laboriously pushed himself to his feet to do the same.

"The little fox!", Kirishima exclaimed.

On the pavement was a distinct trail of burned marks that suspiciously looked like the sole of a single shoe. Izuku eyed the path ahead, and sure enough, some 5 meters distance further, another similar mark blackened the street.

"The hunt is on", Kirishima punched his fist in his open palm.