Takeyama let out a sigh as she stepped out of her home, seeing that the sun had set and night had overtaken the streets. After her little fetch quest of finding a worthless bottle cap, the heroine made a beeline for home, immediately rushing into the shower. She knew she spent a long time in there, but she didn't think it was long enough for the sun to have fallen past the horizon.

She shivered a bit, not from the cold, but from disgust at the fact that she was covered in sewage not too long ago. She was as clean as she could be, Takeyama knew, but the heroine was forever scarred from her dreadful experience.

"I will never step into a sewer ever again." She grumbled to herself, beginning her walk, her heels clicking against the pavement. She had abandoned her hero costume in the wash, making sure it had gone through the cycle multiple times. She was once again in her civilian clothing, meaning that traveling and searching for Kiryu as a giant was now out of the question. Takeyama would much rather keep both wardrobe and dignity intact.

The heroine let out another sigh, slightly slowing her pace as she fell into thought. Once again, she was no closer to finding the former yakuza than she was earlier. She has no way of knowing if Kiryu was in hiding or out and about like her, and even if he was, what were the odds she would simply run into him?

"Why can't it ever be easy?" She questioned, putting a hand to her head. As she walked, she took casual glances around, somewhat hoping that Kiryu would just pop up in her vision. Even if she knew that would be too easy.

Eventually, after wandering aimlessly around the city for quite some time, Takeyama let out another sigh. She stopped in her tracks, looking up into the night sky. She was unsure of this whole thing, not just the chances of finding Kiryu, but what would happen if she did.

She knew the man was a yakuza member, as did the heroes at the U.A High School. What would they do when, or if, she found Kiryu? Part of her even feared what would happen in the end.

Takeyama shook her head. Once again, she found herself putting a lot of care and worry into a man she was forced to watch over. She took a moment to assess the area she was in.

"Now that I think about it… it seems like there hasn't been a lot of petty crimes recently." Aside from her earlier mishap, Takeyama has noticed that she has been seeing less muggings and such ever since Kiryu stumbled onto the scene. Large scale crimes have certainly increased, no doubt about that, but your occasional street thug? They seem to be endangered.

"Maybe Kiryu has something to do with that." She considered, a small smile appearing. However, she quickly banished her smile with another head shake. "But why would a yakuza member want to help random citizens? Why would he want to stop criminals like himself? It doesn't make sense…

"And why do I care so much about him?!" She suddenly questioned herself, showing clear frustration. Did he really leave that big of an impression on her in such a short time? "Ugh. Know what? I'm going home, I'll worry about this tomorrow." She said to herself, turning around to head home. However, she suddenly found herself looking into the face of a man with a large smile.

The heroine let out a scream as she fell back, managing to startle the man as well.

"W-what is wrong with you?!" The blonde women questioned, anger evident in her tone.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to startle you!" The man stated, putting his hands up defensively. Takeyama simply huffed in response, picking herself up and rubbing her backside. The heroine took the moment to take in the man's appearance, now realizing how ridiculous he looked. The man wore a jumpsuit covered in reds, whites, blues, and yellows, and a blue headband. He looked to be around Takeyama's age as well.

"... Is there something you wanted?" The heroine asked after a moment of silence, a look of annoyance still plastered on her face.

"Oh, right! Sorry, I was going to ask if you'd be interested in trying out some Pocket Circuit racing!" The man said in an exuberant tone.

"Pocket Circuit?" Takeyama raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that some kids game? Also who are you supposed to be? The mascot of it?"

"Nonsense! Pocket Circuit can be enjoyed by anyone, adults and kids alike! As for me, you could say that. I'm known as the Pocket Circuit Fighter! I host the races while amping up the crowd with my thrilling commentary." The 'Pocket Circuit Fighter' proclaimed proudly.

"... Right. I'm not interested, sorry." Mt. Lady simply stated before continuing on her way, but Fighter was quick to stop her.

"Come now! You didn't even give it much thought! How do you know you won't enjoy it?" He asked. Even now, his enthusiasm could rival All Might's. Takeyama rolled her eyes.

"Maybe because I'm not interested in kids games?" The shorter woman said half-heartedly.

"But I just said that both kids and adults can enjoy it!" Fighter responded, seeming a bit hurt.

"Doesn't change the fact that it's a kids racing game. I'm not interested." The heroine once again tried leaving, but the man once again stepped in front of her.

"Just try one game! Like it or hate it, just one game and I'll be on my way." The jumpsuit-wearing man was practically begging at this point, much to Takeyama's annoyance and even bewilderment

"W-why are you so desperate to get me to play anyway?"

"Because, you're Mt. Lady, right? You're a high ranking hero."

"W-well… yeah." Takeyama couldn't help but smirk. It always felt good to be recognized for her decent ranking.

"So if you play some Pocket Circuit and enjoy it, then that should help boost the popularity of it considerably!"

"Wait-" The smirk vanished. "Are you planning on using me as a marketing ploy?" Takeyama scowled.

"N-now hold on, don't misinterpret my intentions." Fighter stuttered. "I'm not trying to use you to get more money out of this. I simply want more people to be aware of Pocket Circuit so that they may experience the joy and thrill of it as well!" The heroine wanted to roll her eyes at his reasoning.

"Ugh." She groaned after a moment. "Fine, one game. And that's it. Anything to get you off my back." She mumbled under her breath.

"I assure you, you won't regret it!" Fighter claimed, his smile beaming as he led the blonde woman inside.

"Sure. We'll see about that." Takeyama grumbled as she followed him in. As she stepped foot into the building, she immediately regretted it. Kids, as far as the eye could see, with the only adults being parents or other employees similar to Fighter.

'This was a mistake.' She grimaced, desperately trying to spot a person of a similar age to her partaking in this charade as well.

"Welcome to Pocket Circuit!" Fighter proudly proclaimed, startling Takeyama. "To help you on your journey to become Musutafa's Fastest, we'll get you started with the basic car model." He pulled an RC car out from behind him, confusing the blonde heroine as to where he got it from.

"Musutafa's Fastest?" She asked, taking the car out of Fighter's hand after a moment of hesitation, as if the toy would seal her fate.

"Yup!" He happily chirped. "We host tournaments. Those who manage to rise the ranks and make it to the top earn the title." Takeyama simply nodded, not really caring.

"So how does this whole thing work?" She asked as she disconnected the controller from the bottom of the car , trying to get this over with.

"It's simple really. You have an accelerate and break. Go as fast as you can on straightaways, slow down on turns to stay on the course. If you happen to lose control on a turn, don't give up! Do your best to stay steady and regain control. As you do better, you'll gain access to better car models, engines and wheels."

Takeyama nodded slowly, half paying attention.

"Alright. So are we going to start or…?"

"Of course! You and I can have a match to introduce you to racing. Follow me, we'll start at the training course."

"Fun." The blond heroine muttered, following the jumpsuit wearing Fighter. The course Takeyama was led to was a very simple track, being only a large rectangle. "This is it?"

"This is the training course, for people to test out their builds. It's the simplest track we have. Perfect for introducing newcomers into the would of Pocket Circuit." The man explained. "First we'll get you accustomed to the controls. Go ahead and place your car at the start over here." Fighter pointed to a section of the track covered in a checkered black and white pattern.

Takeyama wanted to question why she had to go through this 'training session' but she figured the less questions she asked, the sooner she could get home.

"Now, your accelerator is on the right, brakes are on the left. The middle joystick will help you balance out if you lose control." Fighter pointed to the various controls on Takeyama's remote. "Finally, this button will give you a large, temporary boost. Try using it if you're falling behind; though remember, it takes time to charge up." He finished up by placing his own car in the track, one that looked identical to the heroine's car. "Ready?" Seeing no reason to delay, Takeyama nodded.

"3" Curious glances were sent her way by others wondering what she could be doing at a place like this.

"2" Fighter had a fire burning in his eyes. Takeyama, on the other hand, almost looks tired.

"1"

"GO!" Fighter and Takeyama were off, though the blonde had already fallen behind, having a late start. "Takeyama falls behind, with Fighter taking the lead."

"Don't tell me you're going to commentate this!" Takeyama said, trying to focus on the track.

"Takeyama heeds the Fighter's advice, and takes the turn carefully."

"Third person as well…?"

"Takeyama is slowly gaining on Fighter, will she be able to overtake him? Wait- what's this?! Takeyama is losing control!" The heroine grumbled as the front of her car popped out of the track, risking jumping out. She quickly tried to balance out her car, not even really sure what she was doing was even helping. Eventually, Takeyama managed to stabilize the car, putting her back in the race. Fighter of course announced this.

The hero wouldn't dare admit it, but she felt a sense of accomplishment after managing to save her car. Not dwelling too long on her personal victory though, Takeyama sped off.

"Takeyama takes the lead! Can she maintain this position till the end?" Takeyama couldn't help but smirk a bit.

'It actually feels satisfying… is this why kids play this?' Her mind wandered a bit.

"And Fighter takes the lead back! Could this be him securing victory?" The heroine mentally cursed, upset that she distracted herself. Not soon after, she realized that the race was almost over, she could lose at this rate. Takeyama didn't care at first, but now she wanted to win.

'Not yet.' Takeyama slid her thumb over the boost button, pressing it without hesitation. Her car gained a sudden boost in speed, easily catching up with and passing Fighter's car.

"And Takeyama takes the lead once again with the help of her boost! And that's going to win it all!" Fighter announced as Takeyama passed the finish line. The heroine in question raised a piece sign into the air, giving a big, toothy smile. "Looks like you enjoyed yourself there." Fighter commented, having already retrieved his car from the track.

Having realized that she was cheering out in the open, Takeyama brought her hand down, looking away, though a blush was still visible on her cheeks. She huffed in response to the Fighter.

"There. I finished the race. Can I go now?"

"That was the deal. Hope you'll consider coming back though!" Fighter gave a wave. The heroine mumbled out a response, already heading towards the exit. Once outside, Takeyama stopped in her tracks, letting out a sigh and putting a hand to her head.

"I… can't let anyone know I enjoyed a kids game." She groaned. She didn't want to enjoy it, but it just brought her in. "Ugh." Looking up, she suddenly noticed a man on the ground not too far away. Takeyama raised an eyebrow, cautiously making her way towards him. He wasn't moving, and he was littered in bruises.

'Kiryu?' She wondered, looking over the unconscious man. Looking forward, and behind, she tried to catch sight of anyone in similar clothing to Kiryu, but saw no one. "He has to have been just through here. Doubt a hero would just leave an unconscious villain in the middle of the street." She reasoned, knowing that she had a 50/50 chance of heading in the same direction that Kiryu went, assuming he didn't step inside any nearby buildings of course. Making up her mind, Takeyama headed forwards, walking at a brisk pace.

Walking for a few minutes didn't seem to bring her any closer to finding Kiryu. She instead found herself at a bridge. Aside from herself, there weren't many others around. Though one person that caught her eye was an older man with a dog and a rabbit laying nearby. The man seemed to have just finished eating, as indicated by the store bought food tray not too far away. Figuring he must have seen something, Takeyama approached.

"Hey." She called out. The man slowly raised his head. "Did you happen to see a man in a grey suit nearby? Tall, intimidating face, looks like he beats people up for a living?"

"Ah," the old man responded after a moment, giving a smile. "you must be talking about Kiryu. Yeah, he was here not too long ago. He stopped by to deliver some food for both me and my pets." He said, giving his dog a quick pet. "Why are you looking for him, if I might ask?"

"Uh, he's a friend of mine." Takeyama stated simply. The old man nodded his head, before looking down towards his rabbit.

"He saved my rabbit, Kiki not too long ago." The heroine looked down at the rabbit as he spoke of her. "A cruel man kidnapped her. I couldn't chase after him because he had knocked my crutch away. But Kiryu, he barely knew what was happening, but hurriedly chased after the man and managed to get her back from him. He has already done so much for me in such a short time. Makes me happy to know there are people like him out there."

"Heh… yeah." She said softly, casting her eyes downwards.

"Anyway. He was just here a bit ago. Headed down that way." The man pointed to his right, the same direction Takeyama just came from. She nodded, thanking the man before heading back.

'Figures I go the wrong way.' The blonde grumbled internally. 'At this point he could be anywhere. I'll just look for him tomorrow." Continuing her way back to her house, Takeyama was unaware of a woman watching her from the shadows.

. . . . .

"Takeyama. Mt. Lady. Able to turn into a giant. Doesn't seem to be too outstanding of a fighter. This shouldn't be too hard…"

. . . . .

"Smells clean…" Takeyama mused as she slipped on her hero costume. "Still feels nasty to put on." After adjusting her horns and mask, she was ready for day two of searching for Kiryu. Making her way to the doors, she stepped out of her agency, shielding her eyes from the bright sun.

"Hope you're done playing hide and seek." The heroine said to no one in particular, stretching her arms to the sky. "At this point…" Takeyama stopped talking to herself, a figure catching her attention. A woman. She was probably around Takeyama's height, perhaps a bit taller, black hair, reaching to her shoulders. She had an eyepatch covering her left eye and-

'A black coat!' The blonde's eyes widened. The woman was slowly walking towards Takeyama, her one eye locked onto the hero. The hero in question took a few steps back, refusing to break eye contact. Once Amon got close enough, she suddenly broke into a sprint, sporting a sly grin. Though caught off guard, Takeyama quickly dodged a mace being swung towards her head, the weapon being embedded in the wall to her left. Many civilians started fleeing the area at the sight of a fight.

"Where did-?!" Takeyama cut herself off from questioning where the weapon came from. She saw that the handle of the mace was protruding from the woman's sleeve, as if it was part of her arm. Suddenly, the mace melted and shifted, becoming a sword in a near instant. Takeyama stumbled backwards as Amon brought the weapon down, attempting to slice her in two. "H-how-?" The heroine tried to ask once she was a safe distance away from the assassin, who simply chuckled.

"Yu Takeyama." Amon began. "The name's Ko Amon. I was called to come in and deal with you quirk users." She shifted her sword back into a hand.

"Your arms, how-do you-?"

"Have a quirk?" Ko smiled, cutting Takeyama off. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She taunted, before once again running towards the shorter woman, her left hand changing into a blade. Takeyama gulped, readying herself to fight.

Ko Amon

Amon Clan Lieutenant

Quirk: Weapon Arms

Takeyama once again jumped back, dodging a slash, the blade striking the wall.

"I hope you don't plan on just dodging all day!" Ko taunted.

"Just give me a moment." Takeyama growled. Amon retraced her movement, once again to slice the hero open. Instead of dodging backwards, Takeyama bent backwards, the blade passing above her. She lifted her leg, managing to kick Ko in the chin, stunning the assassin. Keeping up the momentum, the heroine spun on her heel, doing a 360 and delivering a powerful roundhouse to the side of Ko's head, sending it straight into the wall.

Taking advantage of her stunned state, Takeyama ran out to the middle of the street, activating her quirk. Amon quickly recovered, turning to face her opponent, only to see that the heroine had grown to a massive size, looming over the buildings surrounding them. Takeyama lifted her foot, attempting to stomp Ko to dust.

The assassin, not going down so easily, changed her left hand into a grappling hook, shooting it towards the building across the street. Takeyama grunted as she barely missed the woman. She turned around, being caught off guard as the grapple shot past her face, Amon close behind. She slashed as the giant, gaining a yelp of pain from her. At her scale, the attack was nothing more than a smash gash on the heroine's cheek, but it still stung nonetheless.

Before Takeyama could react, Ko once again grappled straight across, flying past the giant's face and swinging at her with a mace. The heroine growled, spitting out some blood onto a nearby rooftop. For the third time, the hook shot past her face, with Ko close behind. Takeyama grabbed the line, spinning around and throwing Amon into a building. The woman smashed into a window, sending glass shards flying from the impact.

"That's coming out of my paycheck." Takeyama commented, looking over the damage and any signs of Amon. Just when she thought the assassin wouldn't come back out, she suddenly shot out from the building, her arms having turned into cannons. She used the recoil to propel her forward. Ko then shifted her arms into shields, bribing them over her head as she rocketed towards the giant Takeyama, who was taken off guard by the maneuver.

Amon rammed into Takeyama's nose, spewing large drops of blood. The hero stepped back from the shooting pain, backpedaling into the opposite buildings, her massive body doing significant damage to the structure. She could barely put a gloved hand over her bleeding nose before Ko was once again in her face, pointing two cannons at her face.

An explosion rang out, startling any civilians still in the vicinity after the fight had started. Smoke covered Takeyama's head, who was slumped back onto the building, Ko having landed on the opposite building. The giant form of the hero began to shrink back to normal size, sliding down the wall, pain and agony over taking her face. Ko couldn't help but smirk.

Takeyama fell onto her butt as she finished shrinking down, her back against the wall, face covered in burns and blood, and eyes shut tight. Forcing herself to open one eye, she spotted Amon just making her way down the building, the assassin in a similar shape to her. Cuts, bruises and blood around her face, her clothes disheveled. She seemed to be in pain, but was doing a good job of masking it.

Ko made her way to the downed hero, who was trying to stand to face her. She shifted her left hand into a vice, clamping down on Takeyama's neck and lifting her against the wall.

"Want to tell me where the Dragon is?" She asked the barely writhing heroine. Takeyama's face scrunched into anger, though it was quickly overridden with pain. Seeing as how she wasn't talking, Ko let out a sigh. "No? Fine, fine." She shifted her right hand into a blade, pointing it right between Takeyama's eyes. "Sorry about this, but I was given a job to do."

"AMON!"

Rolling Eyes Fall

A voice rang out, startling the two women. Looking in the same direction, they spotted a suited man approaching.

Ruling Dies Out

"K-Kiryu…" Takeyama couldn't help but smile, despite the pain.

"Kiryu…" Ko smiles as well, though for a different reason.

Rolling Eyes Fall

Ko dropped Takeyama from her grip.

"I've been hoping to fight you." The assassin stated, walking towards the former yakuza. "Under normal circumstances, I would have been forbidden from this. But the patriarch made an exception." She shifted her hands into swords. "I hope you came prepared. I'm looking for a good fight."

Ruling Dies Out

"I'll do more than just give you a fight." Kiryu stated, his blue aura blazing to life.

"I'm looking forward to it." Ko charged, dragging her blade arms behind her. Kiryu narrows his eyes, pulling a metal bat out. The assassin swung first, the clang of two metal objects striking each other echoing out as the yakuza member blocked the sword with his bat. He quickly retaliated by kicking Amon in the stomach, eliciting a cough of pain. He then followed up the attack by spinning his body and nailing her in the head with his bat.

Blood spurted from the wound as Ko fell to her side, however, she managed to catch herself just before hitting the ground. Flipping over to her back, she delivered a powerful kick to Kiryu's shins. The man growled in pain, falling to his knees and dropping his bat. Ko then spun around while getting up, nailing the former yakuza in the head with her shield, sending him backwards.

While Kiryu was stunned from the attack, he was far from done. As his vision cleared, he saw Amon on top of him, her boot in the air ready to stomp his face in. With quick reflexes, Kiryu caught her foot as it was just over his face. Amon, taken back by his speed, tried to pull her leg back. Formulating a counter attack, Kiryu threw her foot upwards, setting Ko off balance. He then swept her one leg on the ground, sending her falling painfully onto her back.

Quickly back on his feet, Kiryu responded with his own curb stomp, smashing Ko's head into the ground. While she was on the ground writhing, Kiryu spotted something that could be useful to him. Ko groaned in pain, opening her eyes, only to see a yellow aura swirling nearby. Looking to her right, she saw Kiryu holding a motorcycle, raising it high. The man let out a roar as he brought the vehicle down on top of the assassin, smashing it to pieces and eliciting a cry of pain from the woman.

Backing up, Kiryu watched as Ko slowly picked herself up from the ground. Ready to be done with this, Kiryu charged up his extreme heat. After Ko was finally able to stand upright, Kiryu saw that she still had a smile on her face, despite everything.

'Is she enjoying this?' Kiryu questioned, his dark blue aura surrounding him. Once again, Ko charged, giving a war cry as she shifted her left hand into a cannon and her right hand into a mace. As she neared the man, she lifted her cannon arm up, planning to blast Kiryu away. Just before she fired, Kiryu pushed her arm away, the blast leaving his right ear ringing, but him unscathed.

Without a moment more, Kiryu launched his right fist into Ko's gut. The woman let out a pained, breathless cough. She slowly turned to her right to try and look at the former yakuza, but was unable to as she slid off to the side, falling to the ground and remaining motionless.

Kiryu let out a breath, having held it in during his final attack. Standing up straight, he glared down at the woman on the ground. Her existence raised questions, but he didn't want to focus on that. He walked over to Takeyama, who hadn't moved from her spot on the ground, electing to simply watch the fight.

The heroine had a look of awe and wonder on her face. She was snapped out of her stupor as a hand lowered itself to her. Looking up, she saw the face of Kiryu, a soft look in his eyes as he offered his hand down to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked. After a moment, Takeyama couldn't help but smile, looking away.

"I am now." She took his hand, using it to help herself to her feet. "... I'm glad to see you."

"I'm glad I got here when I did." After making sure Takeyama was steady on her feet, he took a step back to give her space. Hearing a sound behind him, Kiryu took a glance back, seeing that Ko Amon was gone. He wasn't surprised, he knew she wouldn't stick around. "Though I'm sure I have things to explain." He said, turning back. At this mention, Takeyama had a pang of sadness.

"... Yeah. Probably." Another moment of silence. "Can we… can we go somewhere private? T-to talk?"