Hello again, everyone. Well, now we come to a chapter I was especially excited to finally put to paper, as we now finally get introduced to a character I know is an MHA fan favorite. I can only hope that my portrayal of them here meets all your expectations and is properly respectful and accurate.

If you like what you read here today, please be kind and leave a review. I'd also like to extend yet another grateful shout-out to my two consultants and beta readers, Mizu and Jonny. You both share just as much responsibility as me for helping make this all happen and come across nearly as well as it does.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, and the original events surrounding them.

A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 61

Hero Agency

(Агентство Героев)

Yuuei Academy, September 3rd

Tunguska not having a Quirk History class on the very first day of the new semester had proven to be a blessing in disguise. After having gone through all the effort to finally obtain his Pro Hero License, the last thing he wanted was to start slipping up on his responsibilities as a teacher. Fortunately, the schedule for the first official day had bought him the extra time he needed to not only finish getting together the final minute details of his curriculum, but also to finally make use of one of the latest bits of helpful material he needed for another essential matter, courtesy of Toshinori Yagi.

Now, the second day of the semester had finally arrived, and it was with a strong and confident song in his heart that the large Slavic returning Hero finally started making his way down Yuuei's illustrious halls for the door to Class 1-A; and arriving none too soon, as he could already hear the eager chatter of all the students inside.

Without missing a stride, he swung the door and stepped inside; the inspirational glow behind his head that accompanied the glimmer in his eye and the smile on his bearded face seeming to radiate across the entire classroom. His very presence spurred the students to all start returning to their official spots, but thankfully without the instinctive fear that Aizawa inspired.

The students were all clearly happy to see him for the first time officially this semester, and he was clearly just as happy to be back and seeing them in this capacity as well. Of course, he couldn't help but eye the two empty desks where Izuku and Bakugo should have been sitting, but this was now their second day of house arrest, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. Aizawa had also informed him to make sure the students share nothing they learned in his class with the two boys in the interim, either.

"Dobroe utro (Good morning), everyone. It's great to finally be seeing you all here again. Here's to us having another fruitful, and hopefully less dangerous, semester together." As Tunguska gave this impromptu greeting and set his materials on Aizawa's desk, he gave a quick glance over the students still gathering to their desks, and he momentarily spied Nikolay and Eijirou in the middle of whispering a conversation to each other on the way to their respective spots. From where he stood, he couldn't make out what either of the boys were saying, but he could easily spy the clearly troubled look on his son's furrowed brow especially.

"Malenkie Bezpalov and Kirishima; as much as I'm glad to see my students continuing to get along, it is officially my time to lead the room, so please return to your seats and save your talking for after class." The fact he was able to officially switch from father mode to teacher mode so suddenly definitely caught the whole classes' attention, as Nikolay and Eijirou hurriedly did as they were told, both just as visibly surprised.

With the class now silent and clearly at full attention, Tunguska smiled as he took his book of notes and began to slowly pace as he always did when conducting his lectures. "Now, I understand that with the drastic change in your curriculum from here on, primarily in regards to first-year students now possessing Provisional Hero Licenses and being able to participate in longer-term Hero activities, you must all be feeling especially excited for when you can finally start submitting your applications for Hero Agencies to intern under. This is fortunate, because our first Quirk History class of the semester is going to be focused on the history of Hero Agencies; starting with going over some of the first major Hero Agencies in the world to be established after the initial onset of Quirks. I'm sure some of the more studious among you may have been able to predict class would be going in this direction under these circumstances, and are thus prepared. As for the rest of you, please open your books to the corresponding chapter so we can begin."

Over the course of the next near hour, Class 1-A was subjected to a concise yet very informative history lesson detailing the numerous different approaches some of the major nations of the world took towards organizing their Hero populations as society restructured itself to accommodate those with Quirks. From the start, there was the United States and their initial attempt in trying to organize their Heroes into one nation-spanning government-sponsored Hero organization known as the Justice Brigade that would only answer and act on the orders of the upper echelons of the government…and the sheer disaster that ultimately proved to be over the years, before ultimately settling for the same Hero Agency approach as Japan and the majority of the rest of the world had.

Then there was also further elaborating on the Soviet Union's approach of having a singular government branch dedicated to managing individual Hero and Hero team organization across all nations that comprised the Bloc, by helping to put together the most capable teams of each country's best Heroes by the handful and having them act against Villain activity in their respective territories, before ultimately handpicking the very best Heroes of each country, and bringing them together into the top-tier Hero team that would be able to go out and act against the most dire threats across all Soviet territories: The New Bogatyrs.

Of course, it was for the best that this example ended up being the last in Tunguska's intended history lecture, for the more he had to continue remembering back to his old team's legacy, and the friends he had back then, it was clear to the students it was really getting to him. However, the Sun of Justice was exceptionally quick to get a rein on his emotions just as quickly as they had started to arise, as he once more stood tall before Class 1-A.

"Now, I'm sure some of you may be wondering just what the point of these historical examples of Hero organizations and Agencies that were attempted and failed may be, especially in the context of you all soon going off to intern under one yourselves. The reason I wanted you all to learn these examples and take them to heart today, is because this is one of the most important things you can learn now while you're still young and growing into the Heroes you're destined to become: the difference between a successful Hero Agency or organization and a failed one isn't the overall powers of the Heroes that comprise them: it's the people under the Hero costumes themselves.

"Be sure to keep this at the forefront of all your minds from here on as you go into your internships: a Hero can be just about as powerful and all-around capable as All Might himself, but if they don't make the effort to truly understand and empathize with the allies they'll be working alongside as fellow individuals, and figure out just how to make their personalities; and as such their Quirks; synergize together, then an Agency of even the mightiest Heroes can crumble just as easily as the flimsiest house of cards.

"Now, is this to say, for example, an Agency comprised of Heroes who all have similar Quirks to each other is automatically pre-destined to fail? Absolutely not. In order to truly figure out the perfect team of Heroes in any given situation, you need to think of them as people like yourselves before you think of them as Heroes with specific Quirks. Even a team of people with similarly abrasive personalities, if they establish the right kind of understanding of one another, can form an unbreakable Hero Agency working structure. That's why an organization of Heroes as ultimately expansive and diversified as The New Bogatyrs back in the Soviet Union, or even the Vanguards of Valor across the whole of the European Union were able to last as long as they did, and work as effectively. It's just the same as it would be if you were putting together the workforce of even your average everyday non-Hero-related job. If personalities, mentalities and emotions aren't able to mesh together peacefully and effectively, it cannot stand and will inherently crumble."

He took that moment to pause, and wasn't at all surprised when he didn't find himself being bombarded with questions from any one of the students, not even Tenya nor Momo. In fact, a lot of them actually looked to be processing what he was saying, not with curiosity or uncertainty… at least, not about what he was telling them. If anything, his lesson had now left a few of his students visibly conflicted, and of what he could actually figure quite easily, given the timing.

With the exception of a scant few, many of the students of 1-A had already been racking their brains for a while already, even before gaining their Provisional Licenses, of just what Hero Agencies they wanted to try interning under when given the chance. However, before today, their choices had mostly been because they were helmed by Pro Heroes that were very popular or simply struck them as cool to work under.

However, thanks to Tunguska's very serious lesson on what made Hero Agencies truly work, he'd now left a good number of them actually mentally doubling back and now really second-guessing themselves on whether their original choices would actually work out like they'd hoped; their minds and hearts now sewn with doubt either through reflecting on the conducts of their chosen Heroes when seen on TV, or simply because they now realized just how little they actually knew about them.

Without intending to, Tunguska had now left the students feeling considerably more stressed on what to do for when the time would finally come that Aizawa would have them start applying for their choices.

Thankfully, however, as though he were driven to try and alleviate the stress that was now permeating over his classmates' heads, Denki suddenly began snickering to himself. "Well, if that's really the case, it sounds like Bakugo might wanna just turn it in and go for another line of work, huh? What Agency would really be able to function with that attitude of his calling the shots, right?"

Minoru, Hanta and Tooru couldn't help but start barely chuckling to themselves in response, with Kyouka likewise following suit before turning back to address the class spark plug: "Yeah, that's real easy for you to say now that he's not here to bite your head off, Kaminari!"

This whole exchange was thankfully enough to really help lighten the mood, to Tunguska and everyone else's relief, before he quickly returned to continuing on with the rest of today's lesson.

Before they all knew it, the bell had rung for the end of this period, thus ringing in the students' lunch hour. As he made sure to pass out a copy of today's Quirk History homework to the students as they each took their leave, Tunguska easily spotted Nikolay amid the crowd, who hurriedly took his copy before heading out the door; never aware of how his father never took his eyes off him, easily able to see the urgency with which he was moving.

"Malenkii Iida, please pass out the last of the homework to the class," he instructed the ever-attentive Tenya before he purposefully began following after Nikolay into the hall with an intending stride in his step.

[[Kolya, wait up.]] Nikolay came to an instant stop once he heard his father's voice call down the hall to him, awkwardly looking back just in time for Tunguska to catch up, staring down at him inquisitively. [[I couldn't help but notice you looked surprisingly intense when talking with malenkii Kirishima at the start of class… or perhaps troubled would be the more accurate word. Is there something in particular troubling you?]]

Nikolay couldn't truly lift his eyes to meet his old man's gaze as he hurriedly answered: [[Oh, n-no, it's nothing serious. W-we were just talking about our ideas for what Agencies to intern under. There's so many to choose from, it was starting to make my head spin.]] However, the fact that the boy couldn't even lift his eyes to meet Tunguska's gaze, told the Russian Hero plenty. Whatever the reason, his son was not being 100% honest with him, and between a parent and their child, that simply could not stand.

Nikolay could just feel Tunguska's building preparation to ask him what was really going on. He didn't know why he thought he could ever manage to fool a man with his experiences under his belt. However, just as Tunguska began to open his mouth to finally ask for the whole agonizing truth—"Tunguska-sensei!"

Tunguska looked as though he'd practically been blindsided with a 2x4 to the head with just how abruptly Eijirou had come rushing onto the scene with that overly eager grin on his face, all but forcing his admired teacher to give him his full attention.

Behind Tunguska's back, at that very same moment, Nikolay was letting out an especially shaken sigh of relief, especially due to the fact that at the same time Eijirou had stepped in, Mina was just now passing the whole scene by with a similarly driven stride in her step; her eyes for once just focused on the path ahead, and actually not stopping to get in on whatever was going on between the two boys and their teacher.

However, that was not going to stop Nikolay, not today. Today was the day he had promised himself he was finally going to take the biggest chance he'd ever taken in his life to date, and he couldn't let anything stop him from taking the first step. And so, with a mental apology to his father for intentionally leaving his questions unanswered, as well as a similarly silent declaration of gratitude to Eijirou for all of his help in all its different forms, Nikolay sucked in a determined breath and hurried down the hall with his own determination, desperate to catch up with Mina while there was still a chance.

All the while, Tunguska was never once aware of the fact his son had just taken off after his pink classmate, as he was practically being overwhelmed with Eijirou's enthusiastic greeting: "Please forgive me for barging in, Tunguska-sensei! It's just that I'd been wanting to ask since yesterday, but I didn't want to interrupt during class today, and I don't know when I'd get another chance! It's been a whole two days you've been a Pro Hero now; have you gotten accepted by any Hero Agencies yet?!"

Tunguska couldn't possibly hide the smirk of amusement on his bearded face. Subtlety was as far from Eijirou's strong point as two things could possibly get, and the red-haired boy knew it, too. Hence, neither Tunguska felt shame, nor did Eijirou feel any embarrassment, when the large Russian chuckled amusedly to himself in response. "Well, you don't have to worry about that, malenkii Kirishima. I've sent a good number of applications out around the country, thanks to a pretty good list of recommendations by All Might himself. Haven't gotten any responses yet, though."

Despite the smile still on his face as a show of encouragement, Tunguska could still see the clear disappointment in Eijirou's red eyes. Hence, his very next response was to playfully muss with his spiky red hair in order to get his attention back. "Don't let that discourage you; I know why you're really asking. You've made it no secret at all that you've been wanting to intern under me when the chance comes. I really do appreciate you showing that much respect for me, but firstly: I can't imagine a Hero Agency would be willing to let a Hero student intern under a brand new hire right out the gate. I believe malenkie Iida and Yaoyorozu even told you as much a while back.

"But most importantly besides that, however, is for you to remember the point of today's lesson, my boy: as sure as you must feel that we would make a perfect mentor/student match for internships, there's no way for either of us to know that for certain. You need to let yourself take a break and really, truly think about how you tend to think and feel on a regular basis in any given situation, and compare that to what you feel confident you know about me in those same situations, and then ask yourself if you truly believe that is a meshing of personalities that could work. You must keep that in mind, no matter who you ultimately decide you'd want to intern under or work alongside. Do you understand?"

Again, to his pride as a teacher, it didn't look as though his advice was simply going in one ear and out the other in Eijirou's case. For as much of an obvious fanboy as he could be, he clearly at least had the self-awareness and actual respect for his teacher to actually listen to what he was being told; even if, in the end, he was able to regain that encouraging smile. "I get you saying so, Tunguska-sensei. I'll be sure to remember that…but I still think it's worth at least the single try, you know? A man has to be willing to take a risk for the greater good, after all."

Tunguska, knowing he had never said something that specific, could only assume the boy was lifting another moniker from Crimson Riot in this case, but it was still a sentiment he couldn't help but instinctively agree with on principal. However, now that the subject of his current progress with any of the Hero Agencies provided by Toshinori had come up, he now found himself stricken with that stubborn need to once again make sure. Thus, with that, he began making his way down the opposite end of the hall for the faculty office, while still having the wherewithal to call back to the still-grinning Eijirou: "Thank you for at least taking this lesson into consideration, malenkii Kirishima. I know you'll prove yourself, no matter where you decide to go. Do skorogo (See you)."

Given the urgency with which Tunguska was taking his leave, it didn't take much for Eijirou to guess just what that last little Russian blurb had to have meant. Either way, his was a smile of true confidence, both for himself, for Tunguska, and for Nikolay as well after what they had talked about today between themselves before class, as he looked from one end of the hall to the other. 'Thank you for everything, Tunguska-sensei. I'll make sure I live up to your words and make you proud, and that's a promise between men! I know you'll find the right Agency for yourself, as well. And Kolya-san…good luck today! I'm cheering for you both…but I know you'll be able to pull it off! Today is your moment, man!'

It was almost from the instant that Toshinori stepped into the faculty office for lunch, that he saw Oleg sitting at his desk with an intense look in his blue eyes as he incessantly picked and nibbled at his foot, clearly mentally miles away. And especially anxious, by just how fast and heavily his right foot was tapping at the ground, as though in wait.

While this display had already been noticed by some of his fellow teachers in the room, like Aizawa and Midnight, they had clearly already decided they either had no place in trying to say anything about it, or were simply indifferent (though it was easy for Toshinori to figure whose reasons were whose). Either way, he gladly pulled up a chair and sat across the desk from the burly Russian before him. "I'm guessing you must've already gone and applied to that entire list I gave you, huh?"

Oleg didn't answer at first, but Toshinori could already see how his eyes were anxiously switching back and forth between the window and his phone; the fingers of his right hand twitching every now and then, as though trying to mentally will himself from grabbing for it. Even Toshinori couldn't help but start tapping his finger against the desk as well before lifting his gaze to try and meet Oleg's. "Try not to let the wait get to you, Oleg-san. Just take the time to breathe and relax, all right? The right Agency will reach out to you when the time is right, it's pretty much inevitable."

Thankfully, Oleg clearly had the self-awareness to know he was being spoken to, as his answering sigh was almost immediate. "I know you're right, Toshinori-san. Just remember that this is my first time actually applying for an Agency instead of automatically being placed at the head of a team. It's a serious change of pace for me. Plus, the fact that a lot of the Agencies you named for me, I found out, are rather far from here. The last thing I'd want is for my potential Pro Hero work to risk interfering with my work as a teacher. The kids all look up to me just as much as they do for all of you, after all."

Aizawa and Midnight alike couldn't help but overhear, and instinctively understand their foreign colleague's concerns, but Toshinori was still able to maintain that assuring gaunt smile, with the matching pleasantness in his sunken blue eyes. "Well, that's certainly a valid thing to consider, but don't forget that our colleagues here also manage to maintain work as Pro Heroes during time off from school as well, especially during the extended breaks throughout the year. Whatever Agency reaches out to you, I'm more than sure they'd be willing to try and work out some means or schedule that can allow you to maintain both fields of work."

While Oleg looked to be plainly convinced at first, a resonating grumbling of annoyance from Aizawa a couple desks over drew both men's attention to the 1-A homeroom teacher. "Reassurances are all well and good, All Might, but don't just go around acting as though Tunguska's concerns aren't worth considering. It's one thing if someone's Pro Hero work takes them one prefecture over on a regular basis, but if it's several, then it doesn't matter how fast the trains in Japan are. The balancing act between Heroics teacher and Pro Hero can be pure torture for those who aren't fully prepared for it."

Without even missing a beat, Midnight similarly leaned in beside Aizawa with a cheeky smirk on her face: "Shota-kun's got a point. That balancing act is why he's pretty much like a zombie whenever he's here, and he's barely into his thirties! I can't even imagine what it could end up doing to someone who's aged like you have if you're not careful, Oleg-san."

The piercing glare Aizawa shot the Yuuei art history teacher made it clear he didn't appreciate the specific commentary, while she could only giggle teasingly at him as a result. However, it was Oleg's sudden following laughter that drew both teachers' curious attention, alongside Toshinori.

"Thank you all for the encouraging words and advice, really. I'm going to be keeping it all in mind, don't worry. However, last time I checked, none of my applications had even been answered yet, so we're all essentially worrying for nothing, I know that much. Besides, whatever Agency does decide to reply, if any, it's not like I'm going to just jump onto the very first one I go to. It'll essentially be like a test run to see how well I can work together with whoever's there."

While Toshinori and Midnight were both visibly glad to see the man wasn't overly eager enough to just latch onto the very first Agency that would contact him, Aizawa still looked considerably doubtful. In his experience, it was exceptionally difficult for Heroes on the higher tier of raw power and popularity to really tether themselves down to a lower level after having reached that ascending point.

Ding-ding!

In spite of his words mere seconds ago, the instant the electronic chime of a recently received message emanated from Oleg's phone, he snatched the device off his desk faster than any of his three colleagues could actually blink, already halfway to opening his email.

The moment he did, his blue eyes widened with both surprise and relief at once, as he looked to his fellow teachers. "I guess that old saying really is true: ask and you shall receive. Someone finally answered one of my applications and wants to see me as soon as I'm able: the Fatgum Agency!"

Toshinori's smile seemed to brighten just enough to be noticeable at the news: "Ah, yes, the BMI Hero, Fatgum! I haven't seen him in a while, but he's certainly well known and pleasant to work with from everything I've heard and seen. It's fortunate he's reached out to you; knowing your respective personalities, whether you end up working together officially or not, you two might actually hit it off quite well, Oleg-san."

Midnight was already in the middle of giving Oleg a congratulatory smack on the back, but Aizawa's piercing gaze didn't soften up any. "You may want to seriously reconsider, Tunguska. Fatgum's Agency is set up all the way in Esuha City, over in Kansai Prefecture. Even with how advanced our trains have become, you're still looking at a ninety-minute ride one way. If you're going to keep maintaining your work as a teacher at the same time, you're going to run yourself ragged, no matter what kind of commission they would make for scheduling you around that."

To his chagrin, though, Oleg looked to be completely unperturbed, as he was already in the middle of typing out a response to the Fatgum Agency. "I appreciate you expressing your concerns for me and my health, Aizawa-san, I really do. But let's not forget that nothing's been set in stone yet. If nothing else, my going to see this Fatgum and his Hero Agency is nothing more than an attempt at leaving a good first impression and getting a feel for the man himself. As for timing, right now it couldn't be better. I've already finished preparing my curriculum for the whole semester, and the next class and the assignments I'll need to grade won't be until the day after tomorrow, so I fortunately have the extra time for the train ride. I just need to finish up my next class today with Class 1-B, and then I can head right for the train station and to Esuha City."

With that incredibly confident declaration, Oleg meticulously wrote out just as much before swiftly sending it, now feeling an even greater sense of confidence and preparedness for what he now knew was awaiting him at the end of this day.

Hours later, Esuha City, Kansai Prefecture

Just as he had hoped and partially expected, the actual train ride from Musutafu City all the way to Esuha City was surprisingly expedient and pleasant. If things were to go smoothly and he decided to go for this Agency after all, Oleg could easily see himself being able to accommodate a 90-minute train ride throughout the week, so long as he made some careful rearrangements for his personal time between this and his teaching schedule. 'Come on, Oleg Borisovich, you're thinking too far ahead again. For all we know, this is a one-time occasion.'

Oleg had to keep reminding himself of this as he traversed through the bustling streets of Esuha City, continuously referring back to the reply message he had received after his last class of the day had let out, telling him the address and directions to the Fatgum Agency.

As the sky began to turn from orange to purple as evening came into full swing, Oleg at last found himself standing before the entrance of his destination: a moderately-sized building snugly standing in place between its two taller neighbors: a lightly colored in yellow, white and orange, with an assortment of windows on the upper floors resembling eyes and a toothy smile stretching from end to end, with the words 'Fat Gum' stenciled across underneath them.

Over the course of the train ride, Oleg had been unable to resist his own curiosity, and had taken the step of preparation of looking up Fatgum himself just to get an idea what he looked like: from the looks of it, Fatgum looked to be an especially towering rotund figure who looked like an egg with arms and legs, as his head seemed to roll right into his shoulders without any differentiating curves to distinguish the two parts. He similarly had a wide toothy grin and a pair of yellow eyes beneath a black eye mask, while wearing a Hero costume that resembled a yellow jogging suit with two mirroring capital 'F' letters on the left and right sides of his stomach, and a large capital 'G' right in the center, while his hands were adorned in orange gloves with studded knuckles, along with black pants that ended with matching orange boots and studded silver kneepads.

With that initial image of the so-called BMI Hero still fresh in Oleg's mind, now looking upon the façade of the building, he was now able to make out the distinct resemblance, and couldn't help but chuckle in amusement to himself. If things were going to go well, then this design choice was clearly meant to be Fatgum taking a kind of humorous jab at himself.

And if things wouldn't go well, then it would be a deliberate design choice born out of self-glorification, with no trace of self-awareness whatsoever. Oleg could only continuously hope it was the former. Needless to say, now that he was finally here at the Agency's doorstep, Oleg's original excitement was now sharing equal space with genuine nervousness. It wasn't just for the fact that this would essentially be the first time where he was working alongside another Hero as something that wasn't a leader, and without All Might by his side to help try and bridge the gap. It was just as much for the fact that he had no doubt that this Fatgum would be considerably younger than the Sun of Justice, and no matter who someone was, there was something inherently difficult to swallow about working underneath someone more than a decade their junior.

'For God's sake, man, are you really going to start letting that get into your head? You knew this kind of thing was inevitable when you started working towards getting your Pro Hero License. An opportunity like this to fully step back into the field and help fight against Villains for the safety of the people and those students was what all your efforts were for. This is where it's led you, so stop hesitating and take that first step into the first day of the rest of your professional Hero life again, Tunguska!'

This mental push of encouragement managed to silence the voices of dissent and uncertainty in Oleg's head, as he gripped onto the handle of the suitcase in his right hand even tighter, and finally strode through the doors of the Fatgum Hero Agency with not a moment more to lose.

The electronic jingle that sounded the moment Oleg stepped inside was the only sound he could initially hear, as it seemed that the building was surprisingly empty for a clearly open Hero Agency. For a moment, Oleg couldn't help but worry that he'd perhaps stepped in while all the employed Heroes here had already left to conduct their patrols. That certainly would have proven for a very embarrassing waste of time. Of course, there was no time like the present for him to confirm: "Hello? Is there anyone home?"

Oleg was quickly able to pick up the sound of creaking coming from the next floor up, as though someone were walking around. This was as good a sign as Oleg could ask for, as he hurriedly made his way up the nearby stairwell to the second floor. Upon finding the first door that greeted him to be a crack open, he quickly cleared his throat in preparation to try and make the best first impression he could again: "Hello? Is anyone in there? I don't want to simply barge in."

He could already hear a gasp of surprise answer from the other side, followed by the sound of near panic a person could only make if they were desperately trying to keep from dropping something. "Oh, yes, of course, I've been expecting you! Please, come in!"

Accepting the invitation, Oleg gladly stepped into a rather quaint-looking employee office setting; his eyes instantly spotting the hulking form of none other than Fatgum himself, as he was carefully handling a tray of cups of what he could already smell was green tea. Just like his pictures online, the BMI Hero was all smiles as soon as he and the casually-dressed Russian made eye contact.

"Hello and good evening, Tunguska-san! I've been looking forward to this all day since I got your application. Forgive my hastiness, I wanted to try and be a good host by having all welcoming preparations made once I got here. It's not as often as you'd think that I get to personally meet and get acquainted with the new hires one-on-one… mainly because we don't get that many. Not a lot of newly licensed Pros go right for a middle-of-the-road Hero at Number Fifty-Eight on the Ranking Boards like me. They either think they're so powerful, they try to go for someone in the Top Ten, or they still suffer such a lack of confidence, they go for someone near the One-Hundred Rank at the bottom, or even lower than the actual Ranking Board covers. I was real impressed with what I saw from you on TV that night with All Might. Once word about you started blowing up online and I found out you used to be a Number One Hero too, I'll admit I never would have expected to be getting an actual application from a veteran like you."

Oleg couldn't help but get caught up in the enthusiastic atmosphere that Fatgum was giving off, only for the massive Hero to flinch with startled realization. "Oh, for crying out loud, look at me just going on and on without even remembering my manners! Please, come in and make yourself comfortable, help yourself to the refreshments. But first, proper introductions of course. I am Toyomitsu Taishiro, also known as Fatgum, the BMI Hero! It's an honor to finally meet you in person, Tunguska-san!"

Oleg gladly stepped forward at Fatgum's invitation, instinctively bowing in return just as his host did. "It's an honor to meet you as well, Toyomitsu-san. I am Oleg Borisovich Bezpalov, also known as Tunguska. I used to be known as The Sun of Justice, but my license officially labels me as the Sun Hero now."

As the two Pro Heroes rose from their respective bows, now that he was much more up close, Tunguska couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes when he saw just how huge Fatgum actually was; his expression far from lost on the egg-shaped Hero. "Is something the matter? I didn't think there was much that could leave someone with your experience looking so surprised."

Realizing what he was doing, Oleg hurriedly shook his head and this time bowed his head in apology. "Forgive me, I didn't intend to stare. It's just that it's been years and years since I last met a Hero that could actually make fellows like me, Endeavor or even All Might have to look up just to make eye contact."

At this, Fatgum actually burst out with a hearty, even jovial laugh as he finally took his seat behind him, gesturing for Oleg to do the same. "Well, you definitely don't find a whole lot of Heroes in Japan as tall as you three, either. At least you all wouldn't be so at risk of straining your necks trying to talk to my face. But don't worry, my being this big is just part of how my Quirk, Fat Absorption, works. I eat as much as I can to build up my mass in case a situation arises. Make no mistake, if I ever found myself being forced to use the full power of my Quirk, you wouldn't even recognize me afterwards."

As the two Heroes finally proceeded to take their respective cups of tea, Oleg couldn't help but comment: "So your Quirk works on essentially absorbing energy from something to build up your strength? My Quirk actually works much the same way, only with light instead of food."

Taking his first sip of green tea, Fatgum couldn't help but look over Oleg's muscular dad body physique under his thick clothes. "That's no surprise; I haven't met many Heroes at your age that are still able to possess those kinds of muscles. If you were to use your full energy stores at once, would I be correct in guessing you'd look like skin and bones until you're out in the sun again?"

Oleg could thankfully tell that Fatgum was simply asking in jest, as he chuckled before taking a swig of his own. "No, not at all, I've always just believed in staying in shape no matter how old you get. I don't even think I'm that old; I'm just barely into my fifties. I've pretty much always looked like this, just without the grey in my hair and no beard back then. Anyway, if I were to use up all the energy my body keeps in store, I would still be able to at least physically hit hard if I had to, but it wouldn't be nearly to the kind of strength my absorbed energy provides thanks to my Quirk."

Like magic, Oleg's previous nervousness had vanished without a trace. Toshinori had certainly been right; Fatgum already came across like the kind of person who could erase a person's apprehensions and endear himself to them without even trying. It was hardly a wonder now why he was as well known as he was. Plus, it really felt good to be able to just tell the man what he needed to know about his Quirk, as though it were just a simple casual conversation, and not something as overbearing as an interview. Fatgum being so open in talking about his own Quirk certainly helped there, too.

As soon as they both finished their admittedly delicious green tea, Oleg once again bowed his head to his host as he stayed seated. "I'd like to apologize once more for not being able to come here at a much more reasonable hour, Toyomitsu-san. I imagine you've already been pushing yourself especially hard with Hero work today as it is. You shouldn't have had to keep yourself any later than you had to for my sake, regardless of my application."

At this, Fatgum proceeded to give another jovial laugh, much to Oleg's surprise. "Forgive me, I'm not laughing at you specifically, Tunguska-san. It just feels so surreal to have a veteran Hero with a history with All Might himself actually bowing to me in apology like an intern. You don't have to apologize for something like that with me. I imagine your schedule is pretty choked up with your duties as a teacher at Yuuei as it is. Arranging meetings like this in between that whole time-consumer has to be a real pain."

Oleg was just about to admit to Fatgum that his was the first Hero Agency for him to have actually visited upon getting his Pro License, but before he could, the rotund Hero actually continued with that same all-assuring grin: "Plus, so long as we're being 100% honest with each other, you're not holding me up from anything or inconveniencing me at all. To tell you the truth, my shift had actually just started less than an hour ago by the time you got here. Like I said, I'd wanted to make sure I had all the appropriate fixings for meeting the potential new hire ready by the time you'd arrive."

This time it was total confusion that was written all over Oleg's face as he watched Fatgum grab one of the cookies he'd set on the table for his possible new hire. "I-I'm sorry, I don't think I understand. This is your Agency, so I would have thought that means you'd be out there patrolling long before and long after everyone else that works here."

With a casual smile stretching across his face, Fatgum rose up from his seat, naturally prompting Oleg to do the same. "Well, yeah, there are some Hero Agencies where their namesake can be that rigid. However, I'm personally of the belief that, unless there's an immediate crisis at hand, the members of a Hero Agency should be able to be as light and casual with each other as people would be in a regular healthy work place. I find it helps alleviate the pressure and the resulting stress.

"One of the ways I like to do that is, every couple of weeks, I like to have all my co-workers and myself draw straws for who gets to take what shift or what part of the city to patrol, in case anyone's suffering from lack of sleep from taking too many night shifts in a row and such. As luck would have it, I ended up drawing the short straw, so I'm getting city center night patrols for this week. Everyone else who's got night patrols for the other sections of the city already left in order to make up for travel time, hence why I was the only one here when you arrived, Tunguska-san."

Oleg nodded understandingly as Fatgum explained his current circumstances. His method of managing and looking after his colleagues certainly sounded affective. Clearly, the older Russian had gotten lucky being able to secure this meeting between them this early into the week, otherwise Fatgum might have been in a much more irritable mood from doing night patrols no doubt filled with Villain-fighting activity from beginning to end all week long.

And yet, here the man was now, instead still all smiles as he patted his massive gut in satisfaction of their little evening snack. "In fact, this arrangement may actually work better for us tonight, Tunguska-san. My co-workers have been managing to maintain a handle on any Villain activity around this city quite effectively so far this week. Things have been pretty quiet around here at night as a result, so why don't you go put on your Hero costume, feel free to stroll the Agency for a little bit to get your lay of the land, and we can go out on night patrol together? It'll be a great chance for us to get to know each other better, and to get a firsthand idea how each other handles situations as they arise. Think of it like one of those ride-alongs you hear about in cop movies and stuff like that."

Oleg couldn't detect a trace of sarcasm in anything Fatgum was saying as he gave his sudden proposal. He couldn't deny he was especially curious to see just how his host's Quirk actually worked in a situation, and it would be a great chance to get a better idea of how this particular city was laid out, just in case things with this Agency were indeed promising enough for him to consider working here on the regular.

And, of course, he found Fatgum pleasant enough already that the idea of simply being able to get to know each other while still fulfilling their respective duties as Pro Heroes simply seemed like nothing but a win-win. As such, Oleg gladly grabbed his suitcase and hurried over to the nearest changing room, while Fatgum began stretching his legs and shoulders in preparation for another busy night's work; especially excited to see this enigmatic foreign Hero in action with his own eyes in a non-catastrophe-like situation.

To have seen him in action from out of nowhere and fighting alongside the Symbol of peace already told Fatgum that there had to be some kind of history between the two, especially after having followed all the information that had shown up online shortly after, and finding out this hadn't been the first time those two particular Heroes had actually worked together. To now have someone with such history actually applying for his Agency, and now under his roof out of all others, had the BMI Hero feeling downright giddy, much like he tended to when meeting promising new faces.

Now that night had officially fallen, Esuha City seemed to take on an entirely different air than what Tunguska had seen upon his departure from the train station. What had once been a moderately bustling metropolitan center was now aglow with so many signs and screens, one would have been forgiven for thinking it was still daytime.

This was what it felt like to walk alongside Fatgum when the Esuha City nightlife was in full swing. However, unlike what many cities felt like when the term 'nightlife' was mentioned, there didn't seem to be any overlying air of debauchery or unlawfulness permeating the air. This was instead the kind of nighttime scene that peaceful people loved to bask in, simply being able to enjoy themselves without fear of being hurt.

It was a very pleasant thing to witness for his very first night patrolling as a licensed Pro Hero, and Fatgum could just feel that sentiment radiating off of Tunguska as they took it all in as they walked and kept a vigilant eye open. "How long ago did you arrive in Japan, Tunguska-san?"

Fatgum's sudden question nearly passed Tunguska by completely, only registering a moment later as he found himself having to suddenly think back. "Last November. My God, I can't believe it's already been that long since. So much has happened since then."

All the while, Fatgum was simply focused on following his own line of reasoning: "Would you say it took you a while to get used to navigating Musutafu City when you first arrived?"

"Well, I wasn't immediately working as a Pro Hero, so I didn't really need to memorize the city in that context. I was mainly circulating between our house and Yuuei. Though at this point I'd say I know that city pretty well." Once Tunguska clarified this, a trace of growing anticipation became visible in Fatgum's smile, especially as he could spy that a few people were clearly able to recognize the Russian Hero at his side as they patrolled, but were thankfully respectful enough to not start crowding the two.

"It was the same for me when I was first starting out, I'll admit: not knowing my right from my left in a strange new city I'd never even set foot in before. Now, I'm not making any assumptions here, but if you decide that things here may work out as far as what you're looking for, then you can learn to know Esuha City like the back of your hand in no time just like Musutafu. Besides, I'm sure you did more than your fair share of patrolling and memorizing entire cities back in your home country when you were starting out, huh? This kind of thing probably feels downright nostalgic to you."

Fatgum felt more than certain that Tunguska was about to start regaling him with those very kind of nostalgic stories of early Heroics… but instead, he was answered with silence, and when he chanced a glance to his potential aged new hire, he saw Tunguska had a very thoughtful look in his eyes.

"I hate to disappoint, Fatgum-san, but… no, not really. Russia's whole organization of Heroes was completely different from Japan's. Our Hero teams were dictated by who had the best marks in Hero schools, and in field exercises. I always tried my best to excel in order to live up to my family's legacy of Number One Heroes. So when I graduated, I was instantly put in the leadership position of the Soviet Union's greatest Hero collective: The New Bogatyrs. We were essentially meant to answer in the face of the most dire crises, or Villain activities that surpassed the capabilities of lower-tier Hero teams. Daily city patrols weren't necessarily within our list of duties, I regret to say."

This was definitely an unexpected surprise on Fatgum's part, now silently scolding himself for making assumptions even when saying he wasn't. "I see. I never would have guessed that was how things were set up over there. I apologize if it may have sounded like I was being condescending to you, Tunguska-san. This whole arrangement is very new to me. I mean, no offense; but not only are you a genuine former Number One Hero of an entire country like All Might was over here, but you're also technically old enough to be my father. And yet, despite that, here you are as the metaphorically fresh-faced potential new hire, and here I am as the seasoned expert trying to show the ropes. You can forgive me for naturally thinking the roles should be reversed right now."

The faint smile on Tunguska's face clearly said that he couldn't have been less offended by Fatgum's words if he tried, but that distant look in his eyes made it clear he was still in the middle of thinking back over all those years. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Fatgum-san…but to tell you the truth, the more I think back on those days, and then compare my conduct with what I've seen from All Might in the time that's passed since he brought us here to Japan…the more I find myself truly of the belief that I never deserved the distinction of being a Number One Hero, certainly not on the level that All Might stood on.

"We may have had similar strength… but his heart and mind were on an entirely different plain than I was back then. Even despite having worked with him twice back then, I had let my family's legacy and my own reputation across the Soviet Bloc and my career success form my personal belief of what constituted a true Hero, in my youthful ignorance… and arrogance. My only regret is that it took me this long to even approach this conclusion. If it had come to me so many years sooner, maybe things could have played out so much differently… and maybe so much for the better."

It was clear as day just how heavy a subject this kind of reflection was for Tunguska, and it left Fatgum visibly more than a little uncomfortable, as well as a little guilty for having stirred it up. There was no way he could just change the subject and act as though he hadn't heard anything Tunguska had just told him. At a loss of what else he could possibly answer with, he went with the first thing that came to mind that sounded even a little fitting: "It's no disappointment at all, Tunguska-san. I won't insult your intelligence or your experiences by pretending like I can relate. But, if nothing else, I hope you can take some comfort in knowing we don't really concern ourselves with things like rankings, despite what I said before back at the office. That was mainly just from past experience. Here, we primarily only concern ourselves with carrying out our Hero duties and working to the best of our abilities, and whatever recognition or benefits come as they will. If you decide you'd like to stick around with us, I can only hope that perhaps the change of pace can maybe help alleviate the pain of whatever you're going through."

More and more, Fatgum was proving to truly be something else as far as Tunguska was concerned; even for a Hero, for this young Pro to be so empathetic and understanding of a man he'd only just met, and of whose experiences he had no idea, was simply a rarity.

"I appreciate your kind words, but I've put much of these memories behind me, contrary to how I must have looked to you just now. Honestly, it's not the recognition or ranking that I miss from those days, but rather it's the people that I knew and loved that I miss the most. Nowadays, my son is the only fragment of those days that I have left. That's why I've worked so hard to become a Pro Hero again. Without All Might there to keep things together anymore, I want to do everything that's in my power to try and protect him and everyone else, as well as to help make this a world that's truly ready for him and all those bright-eyed young Heroes beside him when the day comes that they gain their Pro Licenses as well."

Tunguska's mentioning of Nikolay ignited a light bulb of remembrance over Fatgum's head; his sympathetic face once again donning that enthusiastic smile. "That's right; I remember seeing your boy in action back at the Sports Festival, and in the papers with all those other Yuuei students after that incident at Erubi City! That persistence and power of his was quite impressive, I have to say. Is his Quirk anything like yours? I'm almost tempted to ask if it's similar to both of ours, since we have similar energy absorption properties."

It was an admittedly welcome change of pace for Fatgum to now be speaking so favorably about Nikolay, thus making it much easier for Tunguska to answer in kind: "Well, it does have similar energy absorption mechanics, but it's not from the same source as us. Kolya's Quirk revolves around absorbing pure kinetic energy from both vibrations and sound waves. It has the same kind of energy dispersal properties as mine, and perhaps yours as well."

As they continued to walk at an intent-driven pace, Fatgum had his eyes looking upward, as though he were deep in thought with a pensive smile. "It's really interesting, isn't it; how kinetic energy manages to be a common element of a lot of strength-based Quirks, and yet each individual one works so distinctly different from one another. Even simply considering the three of us, if you include your son. Our Quirks are all markedly similar and yet individually unique at the same time. I must admit, it makes me really curious just what we would be capable of as a team if he were to decide to try interning here when that next period comes around."

The smile on Fatgum's face made it clear that he was at least partially joking, but his choice of words on multiple fronts all but forced Tunguska to once again reply: "Let's try not to get too far ahead of ourselves, Fatgum-san. Right now, my being here is ultimately nothing but a test run for me to see if I'm truly a good fit for your Agency, travel times be damned. Make no mistake, I enjoy talking to you, and you already have made it clear that you have the kind heart of a Hero if nothing else, but until a situation comes along and we can really act on it, nothing is truly set in stone as far as my future in Pro Hero work here.

"Now, in regards to my son and interning, I can certainly appreciate your willingness to take him under your wing if the opportunity presented itself. I have no doubt he would learn a great deal from you if he were to choose to come to your Agency. But until that time ultimately comes, and assuming I decided to stick around here working with you when I'm not at Yuuei, I know we would both honestly prefer for Kolya to go down an internship path of his own choosing wherein he'd be able to learn and develop as a future Hero by his own initiative and ability, rather than by having me there to hold his hand every step of the way. I tried that for so long, and it… it just didn't work as I'd hoped. This is ultimately the only way he can truly continue to grow into the Hero we both know he can be."

Tunguska could instinctively feel that his answer would leave Fatgum feeling especially disappointed or discouraged. Instead, when he looked to further address the man, he was being given a smile that was all but aglow with a different kind of approval. "Thanks for the honest answer, Tunguska-san. That's something I know anyone in our line of work can appreciate from a colleague. Not only that, but that was pretty much the answer someone of real father material would give. Being there for your kids whenever you can is a truly admirable quality, but so too is the ability to recognize when you need to step back and allow your children to set out on their own path and learn their way."

Fatgum could tell his answer was the last thing Tunguska was expecting to hear, which only made him chuckle in amusement to himself. "I know, as a parent, you would probably expect me to say that you need to be hovering over your kid's shoulders every waking moment whenever you can. I won't say that there aren't instances where that's actually the smart thing to do, but when it's time for them to start growing into their own, then as a parent you need to be able to recognize and respect that need for them to establish themselves independently."

Despite his surprise, deep down, Tunguska was actually in full agreement. Finally he had the wherewithal to actually answer the man proper: "You certainly seem to have the mentality that goes into parenting a teenager, let alone one who's learning to become a Hero, down pretty well, Fatgum-san. Do you perhaps have any children of your own?"

To his further surprise, Fatgum instead started laughing quite heartily to himself. "I can understand you thinking so, but I don't actually have any kids; I'm not even married. Although; since I've always believed in being approachable and kind to people, and especially children; a lot of people in the media have labeled me stuff like 'Best Dad-type Hero' over the years. At first it was kind of embarrassing, but now it actually does feel really nice to think about. In all honesty, I guess you could say I just picked up a lot of that advice from when I was growing up as a Hero student myself. But at least you have the actual life experience for me to rightfully say you're real father material."

Tunguska never faltered in his stride, but it was clear to anyone who looked, just how distant his gaze had suddenly become, as though every one of Fatgum's words were forcing him to really think back and evaluate himself in light of the BMI Hero's clear approval of his approach towards Hero-parenting. In the end, his initial answer was an especially weary-sounding sigh, which instantly caught Fatgum by surprise. In all honesty, he had half expected the now-labeled Sun Hero to be literally aglow with fatherly pride at such approval.

"I appreciate you saying so even though you don't really know me yet, Fatgum-san. However, there are far too many instances for me to recount to you right now, which would force me to have to disagree with you. The truth is that, for the ways in which I want to believe I've managed to be there for Kolya over the years… I know there are twice as many instances in which I've completely failed him miserably as a father. Honestly, through all the time that's passed since we came to Japan, I've been silently trying to reassure myself that the new lives we've been given here, has been a chance for me to really try and atone for those failures, and be the father, mentor and Hero to him and all those kids that now look up to me that I should have been from the start: a genuine second chance to try and make things right for us."

This optimistic take on his circumstances was pretty much what Fatgum had been hoping for, since it was definitely a touch uncomfortable listening in on Tunguska ruminating on things that were clearly very deeply personal for him, things that no amount of searching on the internet would be able to help clue the BMI Hero in on so that he could better relate to the man.

As such, with a less cartoonishly big but no less sincere grin of encouragement, he planted an affirming hand on Tunguska's shoulder, motioning his thumb down a nearby street corner. "Well, I think it's safe to say tonight will be a chance to make good on all your hard work to become that very Hero for all those kids and everyone, Tunguska-san. I hardly think you'll find yourself facing a situation nearly as dire as you and All Might did that night. Think of this as a chance to work your way into the Pro Hero role the good old fashioned way, from the ground up, with no school or field exercises taking its place. Don't worry, I'll help to show you all the ropes."

Tunguska's grin of appreciation all but ignited Fatgum's enthusiastic spirit, as the two men proceeded down to the next street corner, ready to put all the heavy talk behind them, and officially get to work. After listening to his rotund colleague describe it as such, it actually left the large Russian quite eager to finally try his hand at the ground level Hero work in a setting where his every move, word and expression wasn't being continuously observed and pointed upon.

Over the course of the next couple of hours, Tunguska and Fatgum were virtually the embodiment of the friendly neighborhood Heroes, simply being there to provide a helping hand to the people of this lively community in every way, shape and form one could think of for a newly licensed Pro Hero officially re-starting out.

Whether it was helping the elderly cross the street, motioning drunken citizens into taxis to keep them from driving home themselves and potentially hurting anyone, or even simply being there to help direct tourists who were lost, or helping children get their animals out of trees or rivers, every single little action clearly helped strengthen the overall faith and appreciation of the people in their Heroes… and for Tunguska, to receive something that much more personable in comparison to all the national parades and cacophonous cheers in the days of old… strangely felt that much more fulfilling.

And, to what was at first his confusion, but quickly turned to amusement over time; between nearly every good deed the two did, Fatgum always followed up with a stop at either a takoyaki stand or a convenience store, always eating as they continued their patrols. It eventually had gotten to a point to where he could see the discerning eye of his Russian ride-along upon him, as well as the smirk on his bearded face.

"Don't think of me as some kind of glutton, Tunguska-san, please. Like I said, my Quirk absorbs energy through food. The more I make sure to eat, the bigger I get, and therefore the more power I'm ultimately holding onto for when the more serious situations arise. And besides, one should always make sure they're staying properly fed and keeping their energy up when going into their Hero work. You should probably consider doing the same. The energy from your Quirk; and basic physical energy from things like nourishment and rest are two completely different things to keep up on. If you don't ultimately find what you're looking for here as far as work goes, at the very least I hope you take that little bit of advice with you."

In light of this advice, Tunguska was looking at the still overall pleasant atmosphere of their patrol grounds, as the people kept going about their nights with nary a care in the world. The sight made the smirk on his face soften and grow with warmth the more he simply took it in, alongside the simple yet meaningful things they had already been doing so far. "Well, let's not jinx anything by suggesting things not working out. We still have a good few hours before night patrol ends, after all. At least we've been able to keep busy throughout it so far. Although I'll certainly say this is a major step back from fighting major Villains like I did with All Might, or even my old comrades from way back when. It's refreshing, but still, just such a massive change of pace from what I'd gotten used to."

A friendly pat on the back snapped Tunguska back to full attention as Fatgum gave him an assuring smile, while at the same time offering one of his small platters of takoyaki. "Try not to let the tedium of street-level Heroics stifle your Number One Hero flare, Tunguska-san. You should try to think of it like this: if there's no major Villain activity, then it only serves to show the people that their Heroes are still doing everything in their power to look out for them and keep them safe, and as such, that strengthens their trust in us as a result. As long as that trust is there, then this society will never be at risk of crumbling, no matter what the Villains try to do."

With gratitude, Tunguska accepted his fellow Hero's offer as they once more began to walk. "An admirable way of looking at things if I've ever heard it; even with all the years I've worn this costume and tried to protect people. You're certainly wise beyond your years, even in the simpler ways."

Fatgum gave a simple appreciative chuckle at such a turnabout compliment before downing the rest of his takoyaki. "Well, I try to be, at least. But with the way you keep bringing up your old experiences and your old team… well, I apologize, and you're free to say no, but… I must admit you've got me a little curious to hear perhaps some of your stories from back then. I've always wondered what Heroes in countries outside of Japan could have been contending with."

Tunguska thankfully never broke his stride, but there was once again that deeply introspective look in his eyes as he thought about it more and more. "It still hurts to bring up those memories… but if my son was able to learn that you don't have to let the past define you, and that you don't have to let it always hurt you… then there's no reason I shouldn't be able to at least start learning that as well."

SCREEECH! VRRRM! SNAP! "HEELP!"

A sudden cacophony of numerous noises, followed by the desperate cry of someone in danger flipped an internal switch in Tunguska and Fatgum the instant they heard it, both men rushing (the latter with incredible speed for his size and shape) down the sidewalk and around a corner, where a crowd of people had already started to gather, with many looking upwards with shock.

The two Heroes looked up and were similarly overcome with professional urgency once they spotted a single man hanging on for dear life by his hands onto the railing of a window washer's nest, which was currently only staying suspended by one cable. However, even from this distance, and in the single second with which they took in the scene, it was all too clear that the civilian above couldn't hang on for much longer.

Just like that, the man suddenly lost his grip and began to plummet towards the ground, but faster than the onlooking crowd could even let out that instinctive gasp for air, Fatgum and Tunguska were already rushing onto the scene, with the BMI Hero throwing himself up into the air and intercepting the freefalling civilian, plowing into him with his enormous gut, and quickly encasing the man within the secure folds of his girth in order to serve as a human crash cushion to absorb any and all impact as he landed back on the ground on both his feet. At the same time, Tunguska went flying into the metal nest the moment its final cable snapped, grabbing onto its railings with both his hands and aiming his landing carefully so as to not risk himself or the nest itself landing on any of the civilians below.

It didn't take long afterwards for the police to arrive on the scene, whereupon the once endangered civilian was thankfully proven to be completely unharmed, if not just a touch shaken by his close call.

At the police station so that everything could be documented and officiated, the officers were similarly thankfully to Fatgum and Tunguska for their help, while some of the other officers were also visibly surprised to actually be seeing the foreign Hero they had all seen fight alongside All Might on TV in the flesh with their local Hero. Once the time had come for the civilian, Fatgum and Tunguska alike to sign off on everything regarding the incident itself, the BMI Hero couldn't help but ask the shorter man beside them: "We're both simply glad to see nobody was hurt. I hope you don't mind my asking, but how exactly did you end up in that predicament, sir? That nest hardly seemed to be in any state of disrepair."

At this, rather than looking frightened, the civilian simply looked to be thinking back with a great deal of aggravation. "That's because it wasn't, we take good care of our equipment. My work was going smoothly until I heard the sound of some loud car engines roaring down the street below. When I looked, there were several of these suped-up-looking colorful sports cars swerving recklessly down the road, over both lanes and everything! It's a damn miracle they didn't end up hitting anybody, though I seriously doubt that was on purpose, because the next thing I knew, one of the punks in those cars started firing a gun out their window. I'm sure it was pure dumb luck I didn't end up getting hit myself, but they still managed to hit three of the four wires that were supposed to be carrying me! With how fast they were going, even in comparison to how soon you Heroes showed up, they were already long gone by then, I'm sure."

While Tunguska was visibly angry at the display of such reckless and sociopathic disregard for the safety of others by such criminals, Fatgum had a particularly intense look on his once welcoming face, just before he turned his attention to one of the more experienced-looking police officers nearby. In fact, following his colleague's lead, Tunguska was quickly able to see that many of the officers had the exact same expression. Whatever this was; for them, it was far from just some random crime.

"Officers, have you already run any of the traffic camera footage from their previous exploits in all the previous cities from the last few weeks?" As soon as Fatgum even asked, another officer was already coming in with a whole portfolio of traffic camera photos.

"We've been stockpiling them from the moment they first turned up and the police presence there informed all the neighboring provinces. These are definitely the same guys." As Fatgum opened up the folder and began organizing the photos, with camera ID's showing that the pictures originated from cities more than a couple provinces over from Kansai, Tunguska could see that every picture showed the exact same series of colorful sports cars, numbering seven in total, with a particularly tough-looking grey armored version of a similar vehicle riding in the center of the circular formation of six they were making in several pictures. While perusing through this evidence, the civilian likewise peeked and started rapidly slamming his finger to as many of the photos as he could reach, as though in a panic. "Yes, those are the ones! Those are the same hooligans that nearly killed me!"

Fatgum quickly noticed the visibly surprised look on Tunguska's face as he handed the folder back to the police officer in question. "We'd been hearing reports from the police and the Heroes over these last few weeks about a gang of previously unconnected random Quirkless punks with a history of small-time crimes suddenly banding together and forming some kind of high-speed robbery team. Not only have they been hitting a number of well-secured banks, financial loan offices and the like, but no matter how the police and their corresponding Heroes have been organizing to try and stop them, they somehow keep managing to evade capture, on a level that just doesn't match up with these kinds of low-level lowlifes. It leads me to believe that someone else has popped up and taken the role of leader for this little gang; someone with a serious talent for navigation and escape strategy."

Following the BMI Hero's train of thought, another of the police officers, a detective from the looks of his fashion, quickly chimed in: "Police from every prefecture they've committed their crimes in have been keeping eyes on all roads, all but chasing these idiots up and down every major highway and back road through the countryside there is. We've been collaborating in tracking their path, trying to get a bead on where they'd likely hit next. After a while, it became clear they were inevitably going to hit Esuha City. They only just popped up on our radar here barely an hour ago. We've already been planning the most likely routes they would take to escape, and set up extensive roadblocks and strikes teams to intercept them at each potential one. One way or another, their crime spree is going to end tonight, and we'd be more than happy to have you assist us in their capture, Fatgum-san, Tunguska-san."

However, while the police looked especially devoted to seeing this declaration made a reality, both Tunguska and Fatgum had furrowed brows of doubt, with the Russian Hero finally speaking up: "Officers, you said that the members of this gang all have records of petty crimes, that they never had anything to do with each other before a few weeks ago, and that they all are Quirkless. Are you absolutely certain of this?"

The officers all looked either surprised or insulted that their information was being questioned, but Fatgum quickly followed up with a very similar tone: "Criminals like these don't just go from petty crimes to suddenly pulling elaborate robberies, and all while managing to expertly elude the capturing strategies of both police and Heroes just like that. I think their theory of these punks suddenly having a leader is sound."

Tunguska and Fatgum were well and truly in sync with each other mentally, as the Russian Hero continued from there: "I agree, and given the details, I'm willing to bet it's someone with some kind of Navigation-based Quirk, something that allows them to somehow see whatever's on every potential escape route, and thus know exactly where to go and where to direct their subordinates in order to avoid capture. It's the only explanation that makes any sense, especially with some of the last-second maneuvers on those photos. Something as simple as a pre-set number of police barricades would be too easy against a Villain like this."

The detective from before suddenly perked up, finally being able to catch up with the two Heroes enough and their way of thinking: "We'd actually heard similar theories from the police in the previous prefectures, but we didn't think it was wise to just assume that, in case they were somehow using another means to navigate the cities so thoroughly in such a short amount of time as to rule out the casing of a potential crime scene."

With all this potential information now known, Fatgum clenched a determined fist, as his and Tunguska's brains were now firing on all cylinders. "All right. We know the vehicles they're using, and with the police having full access to the traffic camera system across the city, we'll be able to have eyes on where they are the whole time. The first thing we need to do is take out the car with the leader of this gang. Without their navigation, the rest of the gang will become scattered, and the police will easily be able to apprehend them from there."

Tunguska's heart was ablaze with similar anticipation and even a helping of nostalgia, to the point he could have sworn he actually felt several decades younger and in Hero school again, going up against a thrilling challenge like this: "The formation they're making in several of those pictures would make you think their leader is in that armored car in the center, but that seems too obvious for a group with a leader this crafty. They're likely doing that to try and throw us off, make us go on a wild goose chase."

Despite their shared intensity, Tunguska's ultimate point once again brought a confident smile to Fatgum's face. "I agree. So, based on the traffic cam feed, let's go for whichever of their cars are the closest to this station, and have a little word with the thugs inside. They should be able to clear things up for us, no problem."

A pair of orange and yellow sports cars were tearing recklessly through the bustling streets within the heart of Esuha City. The two hoodlums driving were whooping, hollering, and all around screaming with adrenaline and excitement as they swerved in and out of oncoming traffic, forcing every vehicle in their path to desperately turn to try and avoid a head-on collision, only for the sleek vehicles to just bob and weave in and out like they were both threading a needle.

Their adrenaline high somehow skyrocketed into a fever pitch when, after executing a perfect side-by-side drifting turn onto a major avenue going right through the middle of this part of the city, they miraculously managed to slip right in between two oncoming double decker buses in two consecutive lanes, barely managing to squeeze through without even losing their side view mirrors while still going at breakneck speed. While for them it was a stunt finished in barely a second, it had still been enough to make the bus drivers themselves instinctively panic and try to turn that one second too late, causing one to crash into the dividing barrier in the middle of the road, and the other to nearly plow straight through a glass storefront, and instead be thankfully stopped by a reinforced fire hydrant.

Of course, for the two punks in the sports cars, nothing existed that mattered once it was behind them. For them, all that mattered was the thrill, as echoed by the driver of the yellow car as he screamed in excitement through the walkie-talkie of the orange car's driver: "WHOOOOOOOO! HOLY SHIT, MAN, DID YOU SEE THAT?! THOSE FOLKS WERE SCARED OUTTA THEIR WITS!"

"HELL YEAH, MAN! THIS IS THE BEST! A BIG MONEY HAUL, AND THE COPS CAN'T EVEN CATCH UP WITH US, LET ALONE STOP US! MAN, WITH THIS BOSS, WE'RE FRIGGIN' UNSTOPPABLE!" The moment the orange driver declared this with all the gusto a single man could contain, their walkie-talkie feed suddenly started to click and buzz, before a third voice suddenly spoke up: "Both of you stop with the chatter and keep yourselves focused. Just because we haven't been caught doesn't mean the police and any nosey Heroes aren't coming up with a plan on how to do so. Now you two pay attention: at the next intersection, if you turn right, there's an outdoor stairway leading down to the entryway to a department store. If you tear right through that, you'll come out the other side onto another road that exits out right behind the nearest police barricade. From there it's a straight shot to the highway heading west."

With that, the walkie-talkie feed cut out, and just as quickly did the two punks' excitement come right back, as the yellow car's driver answered: "Man, I'd wonder how the hell he's able to tell all this when he's on the move just like us… but who the hell cares?!"

"Right? Whether it's hacking or some kinda Quirk, as long as it keeps us rich and riding free, that's all I need to know." As soon as the orange car driver said this, his eyes lifted up to the road ahead, and he could already feel another adrenaline surge coming on: "Oh, dude, look at that! I'll bet you we can both weave right by and scare the shit out of 'em!"

Just up ahead at the next crosswalk, a family with three children were in the middle of crossing, not even aware of the two speeding cars gunning right for them head-on.

Both drivers were once again howling like banshees into the night as the family finally became aware of the immense danger barreling down on them at nearly 100km an hour; twin engines tearing through the air like a razor. Pure animalistic instinct forced the family to huddle as close together as possible, in the hope this could somehow keep them safe. As they closed the distance, neither driver was even keeping their hands on their respective wheels, eager to see just how close they could cut it, and if they turned out to clip one or two of them along the way, it wouldn't make a difference to them.

SKRRRRRCH!

At the last possible second, to the immense shock of both drivers and the pedestrians awash in both cars' headlights, the vehicles came to an instantaneous halt, nearly sending both drivers through their windshields, if not for their safety harnesses, while their tires were still screeching and burning rubber while their feet were still pushing their pedals to the metal.

As soon as their momentum had stopped throwing them against their harnesses, both drivers instinctively looked back, while the pedestrians finally realized the miracle they'd just been given, and hurried off the crosswalk and back to some semblance of safety. What the hoods were met with, was the fiery serious stare of the BMI Hero, Fatgum, as he stood towering between their cars rear bumpers. What they didn't realize was that he was clutching onto those bumpers with nothing but his bare hands with a grip strength that brought the speedsters to an instantaneous halt, while their horsepower didn't even make the Hero budge an inch from where he was standing.

As soon as he knew both criminals were looking back at him with total shock, Fatgum's natural instinct for quips took hold: "Isn't pedestrian awareness the first thing they teach in traffic school?"

Before either of the thugs could reach for the guns at their hips at the sight of the Hero holding them back, a shadow suddenly dropped similar between their cars, but this time at the front doors. Immediately after, a screeching noise of twisting metal suddenly filled the cabs of their respective vehicles, forcing them both to look up to see the roofs being peeled off like the lids on a pair of overpriced tuna cans, revealing to them a similar towering but unfamiliar foreigner in a white, red and gold Hero costume and a glowing disk hovering behind his head.

By now, the two were so completely dumbstruck by what was suddenly happening, they couldn't even think of grabbing their guns, before Tunguska swiftly reached inside and tore away their harnesses, pulling both men out of their cars by the backs of their collars. With their feet finally off the gas, the wheels at last came to a stop, prompting Fatgum to let go and hurriedly move in to remove the weapons hanging from their hips. "Looks like you two won't be causing trouble on these streets for a while now."

With all immediate threats here taken care of, and with a knowing grin shared between them, Tunguska suddenly tossed both criminals right at Fatgum, while he extended his gut so that they both plowed into it and were just as quickly engulfed within his folds, completely immobilizing them.

With both thugs now completely helpless within his partner's gut, Tunguska knelt down so they had no choice but to look him in the eye. "Now then, you two may or may not be aware of this, but the truth is that my friend here, Fatgum, sometimes likes to sate his appetite with punks like you. Obviously the media doesn't want the public to know about that, and it isn't a regular occurrence, but when it comes to scum that put innocent people's lives at risk for fun like you, he tends to make the exception. So unless you both want to end up a late night snack, how about you tell us where your boss is within this little high speed criminal convoy of yours, and what exactly is their Quirk?"

It was almost hilarious how quickly the two thugs folded in the face of what anyone could have known was such an obvious lie. To both Tunguska and Fatgum's surprise, it turned out their gang organization wasn't nearly as clever as they had thought, as it turned out the overly obvious armored car in the center was, in fact, where their leader was calling all the shots from.

What was more, they even managed to get the whole helping of information as to their bosses' Quirk: the ability to project their field of vision through the entire city's network of traffic cameras by simply looking into one, even while driving past it. Frankly, from where both Heroes were standing, it was downright pathetic just how flimsy the loyalty of this seemingly genius criminal gang was when one aspect of their plan failed.

After handing off the two to the waiting police officers on the scene, Fatgum couldn't hide the snarky grin on his face as he glanced to Tunguska. "You know, I don't normally condone that kind of blatant lying in order to get what we need to stop Villains… but wow, if you just came up with that story on the fly once you pulled them out of the cars, then I'm impressed! You almost had me going, you sounded so convincing!"

Tunguska couldn't help but laugh right along with Fatgum, before hurriedly trying to get himself back into the moment. "We can look back and laugh about it later. Those criminals' description of their boss' Quirk sounds feasible with what we know about their insane abilities to navigate even the most off-the-wall routes to avoid capture, but we still need to get to their vehicle itself and observe, just to make sure."

Fatgum nodded in complete agreement as he turned to address the present police officers. "Officers, get in contact with the Traffic Camera Department at the station. We need to confirm something that may help us catch the rest of these guys. In the meantime, we'll stay in contact with you using their walkie-talkies and rearrange the blockades in order to confirm our suspicions."

The officers were all clearly in agreement with this admittedly unusual plan, but if a pair of Heroes like these, including such a local favorite, were this confident in the plan brewing between them, then they had to at least give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Mr. Yellow, Mr. Orange, do you both copy? Answer me when I'm contacting you, dammit!" The leader of this high-speed gang, a bespectacled and bookish-looking man with messy orange hair, was actually starting to lose his patience after having tried to radio two of his subordinates, only to receive dead air. From the beginning, he had made it crystal clear that under no circumstances were they to ever sever contact. It was the most essential element in his being able to ensure none of them ever got caught.

"If neither of those idiots is answering, then it can only mean one thing: whichever Heroes the police have helping them in this town actually managed to get the drop on them. Knowing those two, especially, I have no doubt they've spilled their guts telling them everything there is to know about our organization to keep from getting caught. If we've got Heroes actually managing to get on our trail this time, then we need to re-strategize. Everyone, we're switching over to this frequency; we can't risk these nosy bastards listening in."

It was merely through serendipitous timing, that Tunguska and Fatgum were able to pick up the next radio frequency the leader of the criminals told his lackeys to switch to, just before the signal on the walkie-talkies they'd recovered went to nothing but static.

From there, over the course of the next several minutes, they listened to the feedback from the officers watching the live feeds at the Traffic Camera Department in order to pinpoint where the now unmistakable armored car currently was within the city. With the information they now had, what would have normally have been an exceedingly difficult pursuit was almost too easy.

Unbeknownst to the criminals inside the armored car racing through the streets, Tunguska and Fatgum were already managing to keep pace from the rooftops, still keeping in continuous radio contact with the police on their own frequency (with help of Fatgum's knowledge of the city's geography) to successfully redirect civilian vehicle and foot traffic, as well as where to send what police squads at a moment's notice, ultimately for the sake of gauging how the vehicle would react at even a split second.

And without fail, at every intersection where a police blockade was either already getting set up, or was already lying in wait just out of the vehicle's immediate line of sight, it always managed to redirect itself into even the narrowest of back streets, or even turning around at a veritable pinhead angle before the police could even come into view. The fact this happened only at the spots where there were undoubtedly numerous traffic cameras added a lot of credence to what their two now-arrested thugs had told them, but there was always that one lingering suspicion that this particular Villain had insane luck on his side.

It wasn't until, after a good several minutes of this prodding tactic, Tunguska ultimately decided to take a chance. "I'm not sure how much longer we can keep employing this tactic until their leader starts getting wise to us. I think we should try listening in on their channel and make sure.

Fatgum was already nodding with full agreement after everything they'd seen, and after instructing whatever police were on their channel to switch over to the new frequency they had overheard from the gang's boss; proceeded to do that very thing, where his now familiar voice was coming in loud and clear: "Everyone keep your radios tuned to this frequency and don't disconnect for any reason. The police are getting especially bold. I've got a sneaking suspicion they've got eyes on us, but I doubt they suspect I've got my eyes hooked right into their own backyard under their very noses. Whatever eyes they've got are nowhere as far-reaching and quick as mine. Now listen up, there's still an opening at the Kitsukawa Underwater Tunnel entrance 400 meters to the east. There's no police presence that I can see on the other side, that's currently the best bet for the rest of you. I'll navigate each of your individual routes from where you all currently are, so listen close—!"

Having by now heard more than enough, Fatgum quickly switched the frequency back to the channel they were sharing with the police, speaking to them and Tunguska alike: "This has to either be our own insane stroke of luck, or this guy is so incredibly arrogant that he didn't even think we'd have heard him say their new frequency in time. Either way, this pretty much proves what those punks were saying was true."

From the other side of the radio, one of the police could be heard muttering in disbelief: "Of course, it makes perfect sense. With the cameras all being hooked into a single network, he can see everything we do before we can even start implementing it. It's impossible to catch this Villain by surprise."

That was when Tunguska suddenly snapped his fingers to get Fatgum's attention; his face the very image of one who'd just had an epiphany: "That's it! If the cameras are all part of one network, then that means they can all be controlled from one place: the police station!"

The very same light bulb ignited over Fatgum's head as he quickly got back to speaking to the police: "Officers, how thoroughly have you managed to direct any and all civilians off of the streets in this area?"

"Well, with all the noise and chaos those criminals have been doing, it hasn't been that hard for our officers on the outside to convince people to stay inside for the time being. I worry that the leader may start to notice this and suspect something."

Despite that admittedly very legitimate concern, neither Fatgum nor Tunguska showed any expression of worry, as the egg-shaped Hero continued: "That's why we're going to take away his means to see what's coming. Can you see about deactivating the traffic camera system for this whole section of the city? It should greatly handicap his visual range, and thus allow us to get the drop on him. Are the police blockades for the city center still in place from the last instructions we gave?"

"Understood, Fatgum-san. I'm having our officers cut the connection as we speak, and our blockade squads are still in place waiting for any further instructions."

"They won't need any further instructions, officer. I just needed to make sure. Please standby."

With that, Fatgum cut off the feed for their walkie-talkie, while Tunguska's eager smile clearly showed that he was indeed thinking the very same plan, while still needing at least one last detail from his partner: "If the police blockades are still in their previous positions, then from where that car is currently headed, are there any especially big streets nearby that we know have been cleared of civilians?"

Scanning the city skyline in the direction they could see the car currently turning onto, Fatgum's eyes burned with confidence: "In fact there is. Akamatsu Avenue is just a couple blocks down that direction. From where the police blockades had been set up originally, that would have been one of the first places they sequestered the civilians from."

Both Heroes' hearts and minds were still practically one, as with Fatgum's confirmation, Tunguska felt his resolve only harden that much further, as well as his own self-confidence, once again feeling that youthful vigor come back with a vengeance. "Then that's the perfect point for us to finally strike."

Just as Fatgum had suspected, the leader of this high-speed gang had become so overly confident through the continuous successes his Quirk had provided himself and his goons, that he had indeed never suspected that the two Heroes would have been able to overhear his instructions to switch radio frequencies just in the nick of time, and therefore be able to overhear him pretty much lay all of his playing cards on the metaphorical table.

As such, when the police finally initiated their complete traffic camera blackout over this entire portion of Esuha City, his arrogance had almost instantaneously turned into the same kind of frightened confusion exhibited by a small child afraid of the dark, stuck in a room devoid of all light.

"What the hell is going on?! I just got kicked out of the system!" As the leader visibly fumed over this sudden loss of his biggest advantage, his radio was already abuzz with the similarly confused and desperate voices of his lackeys asking for his instructions he had promised, but was now unable to give.

As his fear and confusion coalesced into one, he could only listen as, one by one, his once capable team of Quirkless thugs were being swiftly and efficiently stopped and apprehended by the police, and the only thing he and his driver could think to do was to keep themselves moving as fast as possible in order to avoid the same fate.

"I don't understand, boss; this never happened to you in the other cities! How could they have possibly known to shut off the traffic cameras?" The driver, a burly bald man in a jumpsuit with tattoos all over his hands, exclaimed with just as much frustrated confusion, while the leader was similarly trying to rack his brain for an answer. "They couldn't have possibly gotten a hold of Yellow and Orange's walkie-talkies in time; I had us change the frequency just about instantly. But if we're dealing with Pro Heroes, as well as the police, then it's possible they've been in communication with each other in order to try and pinpoint where we ourselves currently are. At the very least it would explain how the police have suddenly started changing their positions in preparation for us, no matter how fruitless those efforts were. With all of those facts combined with this sudden blackout… it…"

Through simple deductive reasoning, the bosses' confusion had turned to an utterly shaken sense of clarity, as the pieces finally began falling into place. "It must mean the Heroes were watching our movements for who-knows-how-long. They must've been watching every move I had us make to avoid getting captured… just to observe where I acted and how. Is it possible that they actually… figured out my Quirk through nothing but observation? But… but t-that shouldn't be possible!"

The moment he said this, the driver was already peeling out onto the next biggest street they came across; his own sense of panic keeping him from really paying attention to how there was suddenly no actual traffic on either side of the road; what under normal circumstances would have so easily registered to both criminals as an obvious layout for a trap.

As both their eyes were urgently scanning every angle of their surroundings that they could while continuing to drive; in their panic, they ended up turning their backs on the one angle they shouldn't have, the angle from which a blindingly fast flying disk of light was shooting in from the rooftops above, right for their front driver-side tire.

BOOM!

The power behind the flying disk hit their otherwise reinforced tire with such inhuman force, it practically exploded on impact, with the forward momentum of the vehicle itself sending it veering and ultimately flipping up and over, before Fatgum came crashing down into the middle of the street, directly in its flipping trajectory. Planting his feet down and apart to lower his center of gravity and with his arms wide open, the BMI Hero took the full force and momentum of the vehicle directly into his colossal midsection, letting all of that kinetic power plow straight into, and become absorbed into his mass.

The very next instant, before either of the criminals inside the instantly stopped car could think of reacting, with all of his focus simply being on the act of releasing, Fatgum proceeded to plant his hands on the sides of the car, as though getting ready to throw it himself, and with another deafening BOOM, the car was suddenly sent flying back the way it came with nearly twice the force with which it had actually stricken Fatgum himself. Just before it could come crashing back down onto the ground, though, the car's out of control momentum once again came to a sudden stop, leaving both criminals inside dizzy, frightened and confused. What they failed to realize at that moment, was that like a perfectly coordinated duo, Fatgum and Tunguska had been bouncing right off of each other's actions, for the moment the BMI Hero had sent their vehicle flying, the Sun Hero had just as quickly swooped in and grabbed their car in mid-air, holding it triumphantly over his head, upside down, before ultimately setting the car on its side, cutting the criminals' number of escape routes in half.

The moment they could even tell they were on solid ground again, the boss was overcome by a sudden burst of anger and desperation, as he hurriedly began trying to pull an automatic pistol from his hip, readying to fire its full clip into Tunguska's midsection as he stood before their windshield. The car itself may have been armored, but the windshield and windows weren't.

SMASH!

With the speed and precision that would have felt at home in any Wild West movie, Tunguska swiftly turned on his heels and from his hip, fired one of the fingers from his prosthetic hand, sending the small projectile flying straight through the windshield and into the side of the criminal leader's gun, smashing the thing into several useless pieces, while miraculously managing to avoid breaking every bone in the man's hand.

With just as much desperation as his boss, the driver suddenly proceeded to try and fight back as well, aiming his fists at Tunguska through the windshield, and throwing two side-by-side punches, only for his hands to come plowing through the rest of the windshield, extending from his wrists like his arms were made entirely of rubber.

However, when one Villain began to act out of desperation, others were quick to do the same; that was a lesson hard-learned from experience that Tunguska never let himself forget, as he could already see what the driver had been about to do before they actually did so. The moment those fists came flying out at him, the Russian Hero quickl sidestepped and grabbed onto the stretching wrists the moment the fists flew past him, using his own body mass, relative position and momentum as leverage, as he turned his body and practically threw the driver out of his seat, out of the car and onto the road.

With his last remaining ally now being currently wrangled like livestock through his own Quirk, the boss tried desperately to crawl his way out of the car and make a break for it on foot, only for a determined pair of hands to grab him by the shoulders the instant he was back on his feet, and instantly flip him over onto the cold asphalt, all before he felt his hands getting pulled behind his back and bound by an immovable bind.

The approaching sound of police sirens was music to the ears of Tunguska and Fatgum alike, as they had both finished officially capturing these last two Villains. Looking back to make sure his fellow Hero was alright, Tunguska was overcome with surprise at what he was seeing after the man had sent that car flying his way.

Where there had once been a towering egg of a man that even forced the likes of Tunguska to look up, there was now a much shorter and skinnier young man in the same clothes and black eye mask, but now with a confident toothy grin that much more resembled what he always saw Hanta Sero wearing, and with a head of messy blonde hair the same shade as Bakugo.

The moment the (now not so) Fatgum saw the look of surprise in Tunguska's eyes, he simply chuckled in knowing amusement. "Like I said, if I had to use the full extent of my Quirk, you wouldn't even recognize me afterward. I didn't think I'd be showing you myself like this so soon, though."

Despite their current circumstances, Tunguska felt the kind of curiosity more akin to a little kid actually seeing a real Hero for the first time. "Udivitelniy (Amazing). Do you end up having to use that much of your Quirk often? Is food really the only way you're going to be able to build yourself up to that size again? Are you even gonna be able to do so in time for the next night patrol?"

From where Fatgum was standing, it was undeniably funny just how quickly this long-experienced Hero had turned into practically a question-filled child at the sight of something he himself had by now considered utterly mundane. Of course, that didn't mean his colleague didn't at least deserve some answers… answers that would ultimately have to wait, as the police had finally arrived. With the confirmation that they had apprehended the rest of this Villain's gang with ease after he'd lost his Quirk advantage, it was officially time to get back to the police station and wrap everything up at last.

The whole paperwork process of corroborating their participation in its full capacity with the police (while ultimately new to Tunguska in comparison to how things of this particular nature worked back in the Motherland) was thankfully far from time consuming, even for as long as it took for this whole overall operation to be completed. It was still technically night time by the point everything had been officiated, the criminals had all been put into lock-up, and the police extended their gratitude to both Heroes for all their help.

With this whole wild incident now officially behind them, it was once again time for Fatgum and Tunguska to head back out to continue their patrol. Of course, the now much smaller and thinner Fatgum couldn't ignore that persistent worried look in Tunguska's eyes as they walked. And so he answered, with that same reassuring grin: "Well, now that all the busywork is done, I can finally answer your question: my Fat Absorption Quirk has gifted me with a nearly endless appetite for as long as I can remember, so I can easily eat enough food to get me back to my former size by the time my next shift rolls around no problem.

"But to answer your other question: food actually isn't the only way I can grow. Fat Absorption allows me to control and manipulate not just my own body fat, but those of anybody else I touch if I intend it. For example, when you threw those first two goons into my gut, if I wanted to, I could have absorbed a portion of their respective body fat to build myself up even bigger, and take away their energy to try and fight back, even though it wouldn't have helped them if they still had it anyway. Truth be told, I try to avoid using that aspect of my Quirk if I can help it, since if I were to use it for too long on someone, it could run the risk of killing them."

Tunguska wasn't about to risk crossing the line by asking if such a thing had actually happened. For starters, he'd seen the effects that taking a life had on the eyes of certain people. It always managed to extinguish a certain spark in them; a spark he already saw was all too prevalent in Fatgum's gaze, so he didn't have that kind of dirt on his conscience. But for something like a Quirk that essentially sucked out other people's energy at the user's will, it was only natural to assume that using it too much on one person could carry such a risk.

"And, to answer your last question, finally: this is far from the first time I've ever had to use that extent of my Quirk. I often save it for much more serious situations than what we just went through." The moment Fatgum admitted this, Tunguska came to a momentary stop, looking at his ongoing colleague's back, before a knowing smirk began to form.

"Fatgum-san… you didn't happen to just decide to sacrifice your body fat collective on that last car just for the sake of showing off your Quirk to me… did you?" The way Tunguska spoke was the perfect representation of the father having caught their child with their hand in the cookie jar and was solely asking rhetorically, while Fatgum's resultant grin was that of the cat that ate the canary, giving the large Russian a playful shrug of his shoulders. That told Tunguska everything he possibly needed to know: 'I will neither confirm nor deny that.'

As they continued to walk, Fatgum soon let out an especially tired yawn before glancing a nearby clock on one of the street posts nearby. "Well, all this business with that gang certainly helped a lot of this shift go by. We've only got about an hour left before the night shift officially ends, and my co-workers running the dayshift will come back."

Upon pointing this out, he suddenly came to a stop and began sniffing the air, displaying an almost inhuman sense of smell, as he formed another eager grin, nearly to the point he was starting to salivate. He quickly turned to address Tunguska: "You know, Tunguska-san, I think we both did a pretty darn good job back there, getting the drop on those hooligans and making sure they didn't hurt anyone. You really seemed to step right back into the boots of a Pro Hero quite well, after hearing you talk about how long it's been. Comparing your display tonight with what I read online about your old exploits, I think it's safe to say you don't seem to have lost a step. I'd say that's cause for a celebratory meal if nothing else; plus I might as well get a head-start on building myself back up in time. There's a really good ramen shop just near here, so what do you say, care to join me? We can even take it with us while we carry out the rest of our patrol if need be. I'm buying."

The timing for Tunguska's stomach rumbling couldn't have been more perfect, even if he immediately tried to brush it off: "Are you sure, Fatgum-san? You don't have to put yourself out there for my sake."

"Oh, I'm not putting myself out there. I do this for all the Agency's new hires." Fatgum's answer went by so fast, it almost went completely over Tunguska's head before he nearly doubled over from digging his heels in to stop so suddenly. This was about the reaction Fatgum had been expecting, and as he looked back, the grin on his face had none of the snark or childlike energy behind it, but rather a far more mature sincerity to it.

"I know we've been talking about not making assumptions or jumping to conclusions all night, but let's be honest: this has essentially been the Pro Hero equivalent of a job interview or a test run, for me to observe how you carry yourself with the public and in a situation, and for you to observe how we work around here and decide if this is the right place for you. This is essentially a two-way street, Tunguska-san, and from where I'm standing, I've made my own decision: I'd really like for you to join us at the Fatgum Agency as our newest Pro Hero hire."

Tunguska looked like he'd just taken a heavy blow to his gut, trying to catch his breath while mentally processing that this was indeed happening. He'd been so caught up in the present moment throughout, he'd frankly neglected to really take in the overall experience and everything he observed and learned of his unusual current partner to be able to actually come to his own final decision. To know this, and that Fatgum had been carefully observing him this entire time enough to make this decision, left the older Russian Hero feeling like such a fool, to the point he once again instinctively asked: "Are you really sure about this? You actually want to have such an older man like me as part of your Agency? Aren't you worried I'd ultimately end up slowing you and your other co-workers down if things got serious enough?"

It was already clear to Fatgum that it was going to take a great show of honesty, even more than he had already been showing the man all night, in order to get him to accept his decision, even though it would of course have to also be made on the Russian Hero's part in the end. And so, with a resolving deep breath, the BMI Hero proceeded: "Tunguska-san, to be absolutely honest with you…I'd already made the decision that I wanted to hire you from the day I got your application; ever since I had read about you and those Yuuei kids' experience in the Erubi City incident, and then seeing you on TV battling that monster of a Villain with All Might, even despite losing a whole arm, and then afterward reading all about your former Pro Hero career back in Russia. On top of all that, knowing that All Might himself personally sought you out to bring you and your son here, even despite whatever had happened to you all those years ago; one thing that this has all made abundantly clear to me is that you undeniably still have the strength, courage, compassionate heart and unwavering soul of a true Hero… and from the little I saw, and the great deal I read about what experiences he and his classmates have had thus far, so does your kid."

Despite how clear it was that there was a great deal of emotion brewing behind Tunguska's blue eyes, he was still displaying that very same unwavering spirit, as he really tried not to let his emotions get the better of him, least of all to start embarrassing his fellow Hero out here in the open; a show of willpower Fatgum could definitely appreciate. "Plus, this may not be as symbolic and theatrical as everything else, but the fact that you used to be a Number One Hero, and yet didn't even hesitate to reach out to a Hero like me who's so far down the Hero Ranking Board, and then never acted like you were better than me or above any of the work we've done tonight, also did a great deal to convince me I was making the right decision by wanting to hire you onto the team. After seeing how Heroes like Endeavor and Mt. Lady carry themselves, it can become a little too easy to forget that real Heroes always remember to be humble, and don't let themselves get hung by things like who they have to work alongside when a situation presents itself."

Now, the atmosphere that Tunguska was radiating in the face of such genuine praise was a real sense of self-pride, or perhaps self-accomplishment, it was still far too early in knowing the man for Fatgum to really tell. Either way, it was certainly a pleasant sight to see. He could definitely hope that it would be enough to perhaps convince the large Russian to give his Agency the honest college try of it. Yet, despite that, he still felt the need to alleviate the heaviness of the moment with some much-needed levity: "Plus, I'd still love to hear some of your old stories from back in the day. I can only imagine what some of the adventures the once Number One Hero of such a massive set of nations could have gone through before the road of his journey ultimately led him to mine and Yuuei's doorsteps."

Finally, Tunguska couldn't help but laugh in genuine amusement and appreciation of the full extent of Fatgum's honesty. This brought a great eagerness to the now-skinny Hero's eyes, as he finally extended a hand to the larger burly man before him, the beginning of an unshakeable understanding and working relationship from this night onwards.

Looking down to his hand with great contemplation before meeting his gaze once more, Tunguska's smile became as warm as the disk behind his head, as he finally extended his hand and met Fatgum's in a firm and honest handshake, sending a tremor of pure realization and understanding through both Heroes. At this moment, they both felt and knew that a permanent change had officially been established. This knowledge once again had Fatgum cheekily grinning from ear-to-ear: "I think this is the beginning of a splendid partnership, Tunguska-san. We can get the official documentation confirming you as an official member of the Fatgum Hero Agency put together in no time from here. Of course, I realize that you can't be expected to come all the way out here to Kansai on a nightly basis as long as the new school semester is going on."

As Tunguska instinctively looked out to the horizon where he knew Yuuei was, just as the once black skies were beginning to turn a dark purple to signify the eventual approach of the sun and the start of a brand new day, his smile was of pure conviction and relief that the latest of his obstacles had finally been confronted and overcome. He was now an officially licensed and employed Pro Hero on top of being a Heroics teacher. "Well, fortunately the schedule of my classes has already proven to be completely consistent through the entirety of this semester, and they're held every other day. It'll take some adjusting, but I know I can get used to whatever schedule we ultimately set up that can allow me to come here on something resembling regular until the next school break comes around. And the train rides won't be a problem. After all, I had no qualms about making the trip out here despite having only gotten your reply this morning. If I could do that, then there's no reasonable excuse for me not being able to do that on a regular working schedule once we have it worked out. And besides, I've already done the calculating since we finished processing those thugs, and the salary I make at Yuuei will already be able to cover the cost of the train no problem."

This admission on Tunguska's part now left Fatgum with the suspicious smirk: "You secretive old devil, making me think you were still on the fence on your decision, when you'd clearly been thinking it through even that long ago. I can tell working alongside you from now on is going to be quite the experience. But now I gotta ask: are you at all worried about how this big of a change might affect your boy and your other students? I mean, I imagine even they must be quite attached to you by now if you've been teaching at Yuuei for as long as you said you've been in Japan."

Tunguska could already clearly picture the looks on Nikolay and every single one of those kids' faces when he'd finally tell them the miraculous news. That was what made him so confident in his immediate response: "It's precisely because they've all become so attached to me and my teaching methods over all this time, that I know they'll be happy as can be for me having managed to clear this hurdle. Lord knows they've heard me going on about trying to become a Pro Hero again for long enough."

This final answer had Fatgum practically aglow with eagerness that this was actually working out as he'd hoped it would, and Tunguska's literal glow seemed to perfectly match the overall attitude. Finally, Fatgum clapped his hands together, rubbing his palms in anticipation. "Well then, what do you say we go have that meal to celebrate your official hiring to the Fatgum Agency, and then we can go back to the office and get your registration all finalized. If no other situations come up between now and then, we should be able to have you back at the train station as soon as sunrise starts."

Another timely grumbling from both Heroes' stomachs all but put the final exclamation point on their whole conversation, as Tunguska all but practically bowed to gesture Fatgum to lead the way and finally begin the end of their first official shift working together. This well and truly felt like the first day of the rest of the Hero formerly known as the Sun of Justice's professional life, and he couldn't have been more excited for what the future now held.

Just as Fatgum had suggested; after a very hearty meal of two heaping bowls of beef ramen, and then subsequently filling out and printing his registration form confirming him as a now official member of the Fatgum Hero Agency, and then ultimately coming to a firm agreement on how his schedule of coming down to Esuha City for work would go for the rest of the semester (essentially coming down on the nights after he's held classes, since the following days he would be free to catch up on the sleep needed for the next shift the next day), he and Oleg (now dressed back into his civilian clothes) now found themselves at the entrance to the Esuha City train station, just at the very moment the first rays of the early morning sun began to break over the eastern horizon.

Looking over his form for probably the twentieth time since the night shift had ended, Oleg had to swallow that very same number of an emotional lump that had started to build up in the pit of his throat at the sight of it. Folding and tucking it away into his pocket as the station intercom announced the boarding of his train back to Musutafu station, Oleg turned back to the pleasantly grinning and now civilian-dressed Taishiro Toyomitsu, giving him another deeply emotional bow.

"It was a great honor to work with you like this, Toyomitsu-san. I must admit I'm already greatly looking forward to coming back. I'm still just so incredibly grateful that you would give this kind of chance to an old-timer like me." This time, Taishiro couldn't help but laugh at such overdramatic shows of humility.

"Oh, come on, Bezpalov-san, age is hardly a perimeter for how capable someone is as a Hero, you've already proven that. As long as you're always willing to stand, protect the innocent and fight for what we as Heroes know is right against the forces of Villainy, then that's all that ultimately matters. I'm sure you've probably already given just such a proclamation to your students at some point so far this year."

The admittedly embarrassed smirk on Oleg's face pretty much answered his question, before he gave a similarly grateful bow in return. "I'm happy to have finally gotten to meet and work with you like this, Bezpalov-san. I'm looking forward to next time already. In the meantime, try not to push yourself harder than you have been with your teaching. You've given yourself quite the full plate of a working schedule, I have to say."

With one final mutual laugh and another respectful shared bow of newfound comradery, Oleg finally proceeded into the station just in time to get onto his train, and for the entirety of the trip back to Musutafu City and Yuuei, even for the 90 minutes of emergency sleep he would be able to give himself for that duration, his mind was continuously racing with eagerness to show Nikolay and all the students the proof of his successful hiring. He could still just imagine the joyous smiles on their faces when he would.

Yuuei Academy, September 4th

By the time Oleg had finally returned to the front gates of Yuuei, he could already guess by the position of the morning sun that this would be just after the time the students would have all left the dorms to begin the school day. He wasn't about to inconvenience the light by chasing them down to give them the good news. If anything, he was beginning to even consider doing what they had done with their Provisional Licenses, and simply wait at least for Class 1-A to return to the dorms, where he could show them the proof for their own eyes to take in. From there, he could give Class 1-B the same news the very next class day… or perhaps it would ultimately be better to simply do this for both classes on the next Quirk History class day. His excitement for the moment was running rampant and keeping him from really thinking his plans through.

"Good morning, Oleg-san. You seem to be in especially high spirits. Am I to take it that means things between you and Fatgum went well?" The sudden greeting of Toshinori's voice brought the spring right back into Oleg's step as he turned to find his bony grinning friend standing at the edge of the gate, as though he had been deliberately waiting for the burly Russian to finally show his face on school grounds again.

"You can definitely say that, Toshinori-san. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, even with your recommendation, but things between us honestly couldn't have gone better. We've even managed to get the schedule for which I'll head down to Esuha City all cleared up so I don't end up running myself too ragged. Be honest, though; did you recommend his Agency to me because you knew for a fact we'd get along so well?"

As the two teachers proceeded to make their way further into the school grounds, Toshinori was rubbing the back of his head and giving a wry chuckle. "I know I'd suggested as much, but to be completely honest, I didn't have a clue how it would really turn out. I simply had a hint of faith that, once you slipped back into the Pro Hero role; that old charisma of yours would come back, if not even more so with all the changes you've gone through since then. I'm just glad it actually turned out to be true. I'm also glad you two were able to work out a schedule so quickly, too. Are you really sure you'll be able to acclimate to it in time?"

An ill-timed yawn and need to stretch for Oleg to out his arms left Toshinori looking notably doubtful of that sentiment, but bless him, his confident smile refused to wane. "Well, it'll need me to restructure the timing and pace at which I grade the students' Quirk History homework so that I can get to bed at a decent hour, but I'm sure I can also time the alarm clock on my phone so that I can get a little extra sleep on the train ride to and from Esuha City. It'll be a challenge, but I'm sure I can make it work… at least to the point I don't end up a waking zombie like Aizawa-san on his better days."

"By all means, do so, Tunguska. You could do with better time management skills, but the basic knowledge to know not to talk about your co-workers behind their backs would be better." The sudden intrusion of a clearly not amused Aizawa had Oleg visibly jump with surprise, looking back to the 1-A homeroom teacher with his face as white as a sheet.

"My God, Aizawa-san, even if you dress like a ninja, I didn't think you could be as sneaky as one! I didn't think you'd already be up this early, anyway. Don't you usually try to get as much sleep as possible until the last minute?" As Oleg asked this, Aizawa shared an unnoticeable glance with Toshinori, hidden under his bangs of long black hair.

"Well, there actually is a reason for that, Oleg-san." The moment Toshinori admitted this, with his eyes glued to the floor, Oleg's shock had changed to confusion. The sudden change in his friend's tone was unmistakable; whatever he was about to say was not going to be good.

Meeting the Quirk History teacher's gaze, Toshinori finally admitted: "You see, Nezu-san, Aizawa-san and I just recently had a little talk, just shortly before you returned, in fact… with Bezpalov-shonen and Ashido-shoujo about a… well, a considerable indiscretion on their part from yesterday. It was completely unintentional, don't worry, but it was an indiscretion born of momentary carelessness all the same."

The knowledge that his son and one of his students was apparently in trouble had Oleg's once-lax demeanor instantly go as rigid as stone as he was looking from Toshinori to Aizawa and back, borderline frantic. "What the hell did they do?! What happened?! They're not hurt, are they?! Where are they?!"

With that same exhausted and outwardly cold glare in his eyes, Aizawa simply jerked his thumb in the direction of the student dorms. "You really want to know? You can go ask those two yourself. After all, they're both on one-day house arrest for it, tending to the outside of the dorm this time. Frankly, they got lucky… again."

Following Aizawa's thumb, Tunguska's worried eyes narrowed with intent as he looked upon the distant student dorms.

Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Ural Federal District, Russia, September 3rd

The implementation of the whole team's plan to finally infiltrate the underground government installation they had found through hacking the Russian government's satellites had proven much more tedious and time-consuming than they had initially hoped. Given the distance between the entrance to the facility itself and the shipyard that was the closest manmade installation to it, it was ultimately decided that, since everyone had memorized the geography of the overall area they were hitting, that their forces would have to be split into two teams.

One team comprised of their more infiltration-based members was to be sent to traverse the mountainous snowy terrain on foot until they could get their eyes on the road and the tunnel that led underground to the facility, while the other team, comprised of their more assault and suppression-based members, would mount the attack on the shipyard to wipe out their defenses and force all potential military backup in the facility to come out, thus leaving the facility itself wide-open for the prior team.

[[Goddammit, I didn't think trekking from the shore to this spot would take so damn long. I swear my feet are killing me,]] one of the new recruits of the infiltration team, another girl codenamed 'Gust' muttered in frustration to herself as she and her three other team members, Knot, Petto and Blackout continued to silently observe the tunnel while keeping themselves as low to the ground and out of sight as possible.

Thankfully, with their matching coats managing to blend in with the rocky and snowy terrain, they were practically invisible, and as long as they all remembered to keep their voices down, there was virtually no risk of being spotted, and Blackout knew this, as he whispered out the corner of his mouth to the newest member among their team: [[Hey, you weren't complaining when we came up with the plan on the way over, were you? You said yourself you need to save the use of your Quirk for when it's time to get to work, so stop whining. If the others got into position at the shipyard on time, they should be starting their distraction/assault any second now.]]

A single chilling gust of icy wind followed, before this time it was Petto breaking the silence, while still managing to keep her eyes on the tunnel. [[Do you guys really think Ocean Master can pull it off like he described it? I mean, I know the guy is crazy strong when it comes to his Quirk, but summoning a maelstrom in an area where there's no wind to work off of; that sounds like a real tall order even for him.]]

[[When did you guys start calling that dome-head 'Ocean Master'? I didn't hear commander Granin call him that once during training.]] Gust muttered in confusion, only for Petto to once again silence her with a harsh glare and a finger to her lips under her mask.

Ignoring the bickering, Knot calmly answered: [[He never told any of us his name. I honestly don't think even Commander Granin knows it. They look like they've known each other for a while, but I never actually hear him refer to the guy by any name. All he's ever told us is the name of his Quirk, 'Ocean Master;' so we just take to calling him that…at least when he's not around.]]

This whole answer seemed to actually satisfy Gust, as she tried to get herself all hyped up and ready for when the signal, which the so-called 'Ocean Master' said would be unmistakable, would sound from the shipyard. But, to put the final punctuation on any lingering doubts, Knot finished up: [[And don't worry about whether he can pull it off, Petto. If he didn't think he could do it, do you really think he would've thrown it out there at all?]]

Petto lowered her head in a clear show of shame, not helped as Blackout muttered in kind: [[Just try to have a little faith in the old guy, Petto. Have faith in all of them, even the new bloods. They'll do their part, because they have faith we'll do ours, so let's make sure we don't disappoint them.]]

[[Hell yeah. Once the action starts and the reinforcements leave, you all just make sure you're hanging onto me. I'll get us in there before those assholes even know what's happening.]] Gust's quickly growing confidence was infectious to an almost childlike degree, as her three comrades were all of similarly growing excitement, just mentally counting down the seconds before it was officially game time.

GRRRRRRRRRNNN! BWOOOOOSH!

From their position, the ocean was simply too far away for the infiltration team to hear the churning of the waters that was to mark the beginning of the assault team's attack on the shipyard. However, the resonating groan of several hundred tons of steel being tossed about by a Quirk-produced whirlpool was impossible to miss, as was the sound of it and all the other ships that had been docked at the yard being turned over or crashing into one another.

As though that were simply the starting gun, the air almost immediately began to echo from afar with a cacophony of explosions, the further twisting of steel, and incalculable amounts of heavy machine gun fire, all rhythmically punctuated by the sound of numerous alarms. As soon as all these noises began to finally reach their ears; Knot, Petto and Blackout all quickly got into position behind Gust, doing as she had told them and grabbing onto her where they could while still laying flat. Knowing they were now all in position, Blackout simply couldn't resist perfecting the moment: [[Showtime.]]

Within less than a minute after the alarms had sounded, they could all feel the ground beginning to rumble from beneath them, and with incredible speed from where they were coming from, a total of six large heavily reinforced military trucks began rushing out from the tunnel and racing down the only road ahead towards the shipyard in a tightly packed convoy.

As soon as the trucks were no longer in sight, and nothing else had emerged from the tunnel, Gust finally got onto her feet, with her three allies doing the same while never letting go of her. With her eyes fixed on the tunnel, she began rhythmically breathing in preparation. [[Okay, guys. We have no idea what's waiting for us at the end, but if you guys want any chance of slipping past before any security can react, just keep your grips on me no matter what.]]

With not another word needing to be said, Gust had her eyes from underneath her mask focused on the corner of the tunnel's mouth, and with a blink of her eyes, she and her three allies were instantaneously warped over to it fast than even a gust of wind could have gone.

Keeping her advice in mind, despite their momentary dizziness from being pulled along by such a speedy Quirk, Gust already had her eyes focused on the farther point into the tunnel that she could see. With another blink of her eyes, they were already instantly warped there as well, and from there, she proceeded to do the exact same thing three more times, sending her whole team warping down the length of the tunnel in on-tenth of the time it would have taken to simply run it the entire way.

After their fourth warp, they finally found themselves standing before a large and mostly empty parking lot where all the trucks had left from, and at the opposite end was a marble wall with a single reinforced door, and a handful of guards standing before it. Unfortunately, they had noticed the sudden appearance of the four unfamiliar strangers as soon as they had warped in, and with the situation being as it was, they were far too jumpy to ask question; already having their guns aimed and at the ready to mow down these obvious intruders.

However, having long since expected to run into at least some resistance like this, the team's Quirk reflexes were on point, as Knot instantly threw her arms forward, projecting a huge splash of instantly-drying and resistant wax building on itself from her hands, instantly forming a reinforced protective wall taking the initial wave of bullets.

From there, Gust instantly warped herself and Petto to behind one of the concrete columns nearby, while Blackout quickly poked his head out from behind the wall just briefly enough to make split-second eye contact with one of the soldiers guarding the door, and with a moment of intensified focus, suddenly projected a complete blackness within that soldier's field of vision, rendering him completely blind, and thus allowing his instinctive panic to distract the other soldiers for the one second the rest of the team needed.

The moment she could hear one of the soldiers remark that he suddenly couldn't see, Petto quickly reached into a tiny pocket in the chest of her coat, producing a single red strand of her hair. Without a single moment's hesitation, she poked out from behind the column and flicked that one strand towards the soldier on the furthest end of the gathering, sending it flying with unnatural speed and accuracy, as though it were more like a pin. She could just feel it in her gut that it had hit.

The moment she felt it, she was immediately jumping into action, as with each movement of her fingers, she was managing to completely control every movement of that one soldier's limbs, just quick and accurate enough to have him suddenly unload the entire magazine of his rifle into the rest of his comrades before they could even react.

As Petto made the soldier simply pick up the next rifle that wasn't already empty, she and the rest of the team was already bolting for the door. Like the unwillingly loyal puppet she had turned him into, the soldier quickly used the ID card in the pocket of his uniform to unlock the door, and at her silent mental command, proceeded to march forward ahead of them.

Over the course of the next several minutes, the team essentially repeated the same strategy the further down into the facility they kept managing to get, with every pocket of resistance being met with Knot creating another protective wax wall, only for Blackout to either blind a couple soldiers so that Petto could then get control over another to wipe out the rest and continue leading the way (primarily since her original puppet ended up getting gunned down by their second run-in with security); or on one occasion, so that Gust could use her Instant Teleport Quirk to send herself right behind an especially dug-in security team, only to then swiftly beat and slash them all into oblivion with her feet and two knives in her hands.

[[How many more of these guys do you think there are?]] Knot finally asked once the others had finished taking out their sixth and most recent security team, with the sole survivor once again being used by Petto as their guide and potential meat shield.

[[It doesn't matter, we can't have much further to go until we get to the vault the maps have been showing. Let's just hope that whatever's in there will make all this effort worthwhile.]] As soon as Petto stated this as they rounded the next corner down this hall on the fifth sub-level, based on the directions on said maps, the team now found themselves standing before a colossal open doorway, through which there was an even bigger circular chamber on the other side with a multitude of different steel drawers lining the walls.

[[Well I'll be damned. This has to be our mysterious treasure vault if I've seen one!]] Blackout noted with total enthusiasm as Gust was just as eager to express, as the four infiltrators finally made their way inside.

While Blackout and Gust were already on their way towards perusing through the first of the hundreds of safety-deposit box-like drawers they could get their hands on, Knot and Petto were mainly taking in just how unnaturally empty this whole room was. For the heart of a top-secret government installation that went to such lengths to keep its existence hidden, it was simply unnatural for it be so empty…a suspicion that only skyrocketed when, after tearing nearly two dozen of the drawers from the walls each, Gust and Blackout had the same desperate and confused looks on their faces, with the former all but screaming: [[They're all empty! What the hell kind of secret government vault is this?!]]

Petto's own cold and focused demeanor began to break as she suddenly turned to the one soldier she'd still been keeping under her control, stomping towards him while glaring daggers into his eyes. [[You! If you and your comrades were stationed to a place this secret, then you must have known what was all being kept here! Or is this just some decoy sight for overly ambitious thieves?!]]

Knot, having become more than familiar with how Petto's Quirk worked, was about to remind her comrade how pointless it was to actually question one of her human puppets, before the soldier actually started to chuckle, never once taking his eyes off the still fuming girl before him. [[Oh no, we kept big things here… we just made sure none of it was here the next time you animals showed your faces anywhere in this country. Now you all just screwed up big time.]]

As if on cue, a number of piercing klaxon alarms began to sound from everywhere at once, while the soldier continued to laugh. All of a sudden, the large doorway they had all stepped through to get into this place, was suddenly beginning to close with a set of heavily reinforced blast doors.

There was no telling if her Quirk would be powerful enough to even slow these doors down, let alone stop them in their tracks, but Knot knew she needed to try. Rushing in with all her comrades right on her heels, she built up a massive pair of spheres of pure wax over her hands, and with miraculous aim, managed to throw them both straight into the tracks the doors were sliding on, instantaneously hardening and adhering to that and the door within seconds. The groan of the mechanics trying to fight against the resistance was all the assurance the team needed, as they quickly sprinted through the opening, all having managed to clear it just before the strength of the doors finally shattered the wax and officially shut tight behind them.

As they all tried to catch their breath from having just managed to avoid getting caught like rats, Knot knew there was no time or point in asking Petto how long she had been able to actually alter the level of actual mental control she had over her puppets. Right now, with nothing to really show for their efforts, the only thing left that mattered worth a damn was escape.

And so, with Gust, Blackout and Petto all grabbing the nearest discarded assault rifles in preparation for whatever would be waiting for them on their way out, while Knot would continue to provide cover-on-command if need be, Gust once more took the lead, warping herself and her allies forward and upward at every corner they reached, not running into any more security interception until halfway through the third sublevel, wherein Petto finally did away with her puppet by sending him charging into the waiting hail of bullets as a sacrificial shield that would allow herself, Gust and Blackout to systematically gun down the entirety of this latest team, all while Knot continued to lay down two arms length's worth of building wax to create their much needed cover, one after another.

With the security system having at last been activated, they all knew there was too much risk in them allowing themselves to stay in one spot for any amount of time, as with every several meters they crossed, more and more massive blast doors were shutting behind them, almost literally biting at their heels. As dangerous as this escape strategy of theirs was without Petto being given the time to take control of any further soldiers to give them battle assistance; they still knew it was the only option they had, and so over the course of the next two and a half floors back to the exiting tunnel road, they continued to make use of their own enemies' weapons every chance encounter they got.

With the assistance of Blackout and Gust's respective Quirks in tandem, they ultimately left no soldiers alive in their wake, all of them simply too focused on surviving (or simply in protecting her allies, in Knot's case, since through the entirety of this desperate charge towards potential freedom, she was the only one not taking an active part in killing any of the soldiers, instead throwing quick handfuls of her wax to either jam up several of their weapons, blind them, or restrain them to the walls for the others to subsequently take out. The rush to try and escape with their lives was the only thing keeping her partners from chastising her for that).

After several minutes of this desperate charge towards freedom, wiping out any soldiers that got in their way, they finally emerged out onto the same subterranean parking lot outside the entrance from before, with a multitude of those same military trucks that had left before now having returned and forming a semi-circle around the entrance, with the last one having just then pulled in and setting itself up behind the others, effectively cutting off any immediate route of escape, and with all the soldiers having already formed a firing line behind the cover provided by their vehicles, weapons aimed directly at the doors they had emerged from. Three of the vehicles even had mounted heavy turrets atop them being manned by soldiers, clearly possessing the kind of heavy firepower that would even have rendered Knot's wax shields completely useless.

Looking at their overwhelmingly terrible odds, Knot couldn't help but mutter in disbelief to herself: [[How? How could they have gotten back here so quickly? Did one of the soldiers here actually manage to radio them about us?]]

[[It doesn't matter now. These assholes set up a trap and we walked right into it. It's the only explanation. The only thing we can do now is make sure they don't take us alive.]] Blackout stated with an almost fatalistic sense of duty, reloading his own rifle simply to emphasize his point, with Petto and Gust gladly doing the same.

Knot, looking to her hands and then to the turrets and back, knew there wasn't going to be much she could do to protect her allies from them at all, and without a gun of her own, her options were almost tragically limited.

As the truck that had arrived last actually started to turn itself so that it was facing out towards the tunnel exit, with its rear doors facing the backs of the truck blockade; even Petto, despite having instinctively plucked a strand of her hair from under her coat's hood in preparation before they'd cleared the door, could tell by the alertness of the soldiers that even she wouldn't be able to throw that strand into any of the ones manning the turrets in time, before they would mow the whole lot of her and her team down.

Suddenly, the rear doors to the final truck swung open and—

BKOOM! RATATATATATATA!

In an instant, the turret truck in the center of the semicircle exploded into a raging fireball, knocking the entire formation of the soldiers away with shock and sheer force, only for a barrage of machine gun fire to erupt from the back of that same rear-facing truck, mowing several of the soldiers out in the open down.

The soldiers were surprised, but Knot and her team weren't, as they immediately identified who was in the that truck currently saving their lives: Grenadier, and another of their new recruits whom they'd labeled as 'Spitfire,' who was currently using his Finger Gun Quirk to fire an assault rifle's barrage from his fingertips at every soldier he could set his eyes on.

With the second chance this diversion had just bought them, Petto finally leapt into action, flicking her one plucked strand of hair towards the soldier manning the turret on the left, and the instant she felt the connection hit, immediately had him swing his turret back away from her comrades and weight down on the trigger, providing another heavy barrage of armor-piercing rapid gunfire, blasting whatever soldiers Spitfire and Grenadier had missed, as well as obliterating the turret truck on the right of the semicircle just at the same time that soldier had managed to squeeze the trigger, both turret gunners managing to obliterate each other in those few precious seconds.

With the entire soldier formation that had at one moment been ready to wipe them out having now been wiped out themselves, Knot, Petto, Blackout and Gust instantly hurried to meet with their allies, who even under their masks, were all just as glad to see their infiltration team still in one piece. [[Shit, you guys must have really raised some hell here if you somehow convinced the army backup for the shipyard to actually double back here. You're lucky we managed to jack the last one in the convoy without the others noticing!]]

The sound of Scythe's adrenaline-fueled voice called out from the passenger seat of the truck, just before the voice of another new recruit whom they had all by now come to label as 'Blowback' called out from the driver's seat: [[Yeah, but we still don't know if any calls for backup may have reached any other secret military bases we don't know about out here, and I'd personally prefer not to stick around to find out, so all you guys get in the back and let's get back to the shipyard!]]

Despite the miraculous save, however, it still didn't stop Knot and Petto from looking particularly crestfallen as they joined their comrades in the back of the truck, and immediately began to roll out; everyone finally removing their masks to catch their breath from all the adrenaline. Before long, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth in frustration, Petto finally muttered in anger: [[A trap. The whole thing was a goddamn trap, and I just led us right into it like an idiot!]]

To hear one of their usually most confident members actually chastising herself like this had definitely gotten Grenadier's attention, spurring Knot to try and explain much more calmly than their red-gold-haired member would have: [[With all the security we had to fight through, I thought for certain there was something of real value we could have used from here…but it was all empty. The whole place got emptied out, and the security in the vault had just been waiting for us. We got nothing to show for any of this.]]

When Knot lifted her gaze to look to their rescuers, she, and subsequently the rest of her teammates, was surprised to see mutual looks of total anticipation on Grenadier and Spitfire's faces, almost like children who knew the world's coolest secret. [[Grenadier, what's that smile all about?]]

The instant Blackout asked this, Grenadier was already cracking his knuckles with the proudest grin. [[Well, it may not have been whatever fancy top-secret whatever-it-is that you might have been hoping to find down there, Knot, Petto…but let's just say that with wiping the floor with that whole shipyard, we've scrounged up quite the haul…as well as a little extra something I think will make up for it.]]

It didn't take long at all for the infiltration team to see just what Grenadier meant, for within less than ten minutes, they had finally reached the flaming ruins of the shipyard, with the waters strewn with the completely flipped over hulls of numerous cargo ships and Navy vessels dotting the shoreline, while the base itself and all its structures had all been left flaming rubble…with the rest of the yard strewn with bodies to match.

But what immediately got the newly returned quartet's attention immediately after this, and what proceeded to lift their spirits exponentially, was not only the numerous shipping containers that the so-called 'Ocean Master' had used his Quirk to pluck out of the water and back onto dry land, which the last of their new recruits, nicknamed 'Backtrack', was currently in the process of prying open, revealing incredible amounts of weaponry, ammunition, medical supplies and food respectively.

No, there was also the fact that their dome-headed field leader was currently using his Quirk to churn the waters of the harbor enough, as though he were trying to use the water itself to try and scoop something out from within its depths, and at the very moment all of his younger allies had arrived, that something was finally breaching the surface.

Everyone felt their jaws drop with disbelief, as Ocean Master had managed to literally pry up a massive pitch black submarine. The sight of such a behemoth machine having been so thoroughly hidden under the depths had Knot and her comrades completely speechless. As soon as he had finally gotten it up to the surface, the dome-headed man finally let his Quirk rest and turned his attention back to his young allies.

[[Given where we were preparing to go, I had a feeling in my gut there was more to the shipyard than simply what that satellite feed showed. Figures there would be a submarine refueling depot set up here as well under the surface. I've worked quite a bit with the Russian Navy way back when, and I've learned a lot about how they set themselves up for quick deployment at a moment's notice in places like this. If the crew had still been in there, they would have set off the moment we even came within radar range, long before we let you four off to infiltrate the facility up in the hills. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect; we literally caught the whole bunch of these people with their pants down, and look at what we have to show for it.]]

The dome-head sounded exceptionally proud of how things had turned out, while Grenadier and Spitfire were both looking at the submarine with childlike widened eyes, with the latter finally muttering in expectation: [[It's so much bigger than I thought a sub would be. Do you think it's nuclear?]]

The older man crossed his arms over his chest as he simply observed the gargantuan undersea vehicle. [[One this size, there's no doubt in my mind. It's in far too good a condition to be in the middle of being decommissioned, either, so that would mean its payload is still onboard… and ours for the taking if we ever need to even think of using it.]]

This comment in particular made Knot instinctively flinch with surprise, but the rest of the younger fighters were already making a move to shut all of the shipping containers with the countless new supplies that were now essentially theirs. Observing their actions, the dome-headed man was similarly on the move, right for the sub itself. [[Leave those crates and only take as many of each of the supplies as you can individually carry for one trip. We can't afford to stay out here much longer than we already have, just to be sure. I'm sorry; I know we were hoping to secure much more supplies for the cause, but if this stuff was being loaded and unloaded here, chances are they were all going to Russia's military installations all across the country, and that means the crates themselves could be bugged, and they could find out exactly where we're going with it if we tried hauling them in their entirety with us.

[[Once you've taken on as much as you can each carry, all of you come with me into the sub. I know all the ins and outs of these things, so I can help remove the hardware that the military would use to track it and follow us all the way home. From there, I can give you all the guidance you need from all the most important stations, so that we can take this sub back home with us. That should make up for the lack of whatever was supposed to be up in the hills, and these rigged supply crates.]]

Even thinking as far ahead as he was, it was still all too clear to the dome-headed leader that his comrades were clearly disappointed that they were coming back with not nearly as much in hand as they had hoped, but the confidence with which he spoke about being able to help them secure the submarine and take it back without being followed, more than helped with lifting their spirits, just as much as it did his own.

With that, the whole team proceeded to secure as much of the supplies on themselves as possible, and then made a run for the point where the submarine's hull was closest to the edge of the harbor, allowing the more agile to simply leap from dry land onto the steel, making their way for the ladder on the side of the tower that would lead to the hatch inside, while the dome-head used his Quirk to create sprouting chutes of water to simply carry the bigger members of their team onto the sub.

One after another, they began to climb up the tower and just as quickly make their descent into the dark and narrow confines inside. Soon, it was down to only the dome-headed man and Backtrack needing to climb down into the hatch. Just as the elder began motioning for the newer recruit to get inside, the faintest glimmer of light that had not been there before caught his attention just outside the furthest corner of his eye.

K-KRAK!

With a piercing cracking sound rippling through the air, the sound of something zipping through at blinding speed registered in his ear, just before the sound of something tiny pounding against meat followed, just as quickly by the sight of a fine red mist exploding from out both sides of Backtrack's right shoulder.

The younger recruit went collapsing without a sound to the cold steel surface, with the temporary leader of the team ducking down out of sight; the sight of the boy bleeding instantly confirming what had already become abundantly clear: a sniper. Somehow, someway, both teams had managed to miss someone amid the army ranks out here.

The fact that Backtrack wasn't screaming bloody murder from the bullet hole in his right shoulder made it abundantly clear that he'd already gone into shock from the pain. That was the bad news. The good news was that, even from where he was laid out beside him, the leader could already tell that the bullet had gone clean through him. That was going to make treating his injury far less complicated.

[[Everyone down there; be on your toes and ready to do everything I tell you! We don't have time to idle around anymore; there could be more military coming! Backtrack's been hit! I'm bringing him down with me! You all get to the stations I tell you to, but I'm gonna get us out of here first, then I'll take care of removing the tracking hardware along the way! We are leaving!]]

Up on the far distant ridge that provided the best view of the whole harbor, the elusive sniper kept a silent eye on the submarine he had just witnessed get pulled up to the surface through the sheer force of one of the invading terrorist's Quirks. He had experienced plenty of Quirks in use in the line of his covert work, but few measured up to something as primitively raw in its sheer power like this: to be able to manipulate and control the very flow of the sea enough to create a maelstrom capable of toppling fleets of freight ships and pull hulking submarines up at will.

There were but a select handful of naval installments of similar importance as this one, with emergency counteractive forces put in place at each one in the wake of the attack on the R&D lab at Kamchatka. This particular sniper wasn't any surer than any of his comrades of which one would potentially get hit, if the terrorists proved to have the guts to actually conduct such a bold move again at all. However, the fact that a top-secret government installation that was rumored to contain some incredibly secret and instrumental materials inside was so close by, made this particular spot a pretty fruitful candidate.

But now, as regretful as he was that he didn't have the means to prevent such a wide-scale attack on the shipyard, now that he was getting such a secure and up-close view of just what these barbarians were capable of, he couldn't have been happier that this was the spot he'd gotten stationed at. To prove his skill and cunning against Quirked individuals like these was what he lived for.

After taking his first shot for the one remaining masked individual beside the dome-headed one he had seen raise the submarine, he didn't bother to take another. Anyone else who would have been stationed out here with him, if they had seen him only take a single shot and do nothing else after, there was no doubt they would be screaming for him to be locked up for incompetence. That lack of being able to understand the way this sniper did things was why he honestly preferred working solo.

After all, he'd already done exactly what was needed to ensure his targets wouldn't be able to elude him anymore.

Continuing to observe the scene through the scope of his rifle after the dome-head had clearly taken his wounded comrade into the submarine and sealed the hatch; the sniper was once again stricken with a great deal of impression, as the water around the submarine began to churn, crash and swell around it in a way that no submarine engines could do, let alone so immediately.

Just as quickly as they had managed to raise this hulking metal behemoth of the deep, just as quickly did they manage to have it become swallowed up by the very same waters, vanishing out of naked sight without a trace. With how thoroughly they had clearly thought this plan of theirs through just from what he had been observing from up here, he had no doubt they would actually know about the submarine fleet's built in tracking hardware, put in place just for outrageous possibilities like one of them being hijacked and stolen. Even if the military were to hone in on that tracker, he had no doubt these terrorists would already know to toss such an inconvenience overboard the first chance they were out on the open water away from any sight of dry land.

While his intervention had ultimately forced them to rush themselves in order to avoid any further harm, the fact was that, as far as they knew, they had already well and truly secured their escape… for now at least.

The sudden electronic buzz in the earpiece in his right ear snapped the sniper to full present attention as he hurriedly hit the answering button on the small bracelet-like device under his sleeve.

[[Angel's Eye*, we've just received an emergency transmission of attack from our shipyard and vault in the Ural District! What is the situation?]]

Looking back down upon the numerous black smoke trails emanating from the ruins of the shipyard, the sniper known as Angel's Eye's answer was succinct and clear, as well as his cold and professional tone: [[The signal wasn't wrong. Those terrorists from the Kamchatka attack struck again. You all made the right call emptying the vault when you did. Unfortunately, their ranks are bigger in number than we suspected. Their attack on the shipyard was too coordinated and fast for me to effectively do anything. They split their forces up to hit the vault facility, too. They technically fell for the trap, but they still managed to escape all the same…and with the submarine that was placed on standby for refueling there as well. Don't worry; I've already taken action to make sure we don't lose them now.]]

[[Understood. You are to pack up and report to the airfield as soon as possible. We're sending a plane to intercept and take you to Moscow as we speak. Secretary Khodamchuk is going to want to speak to you and assemble all the right people personally for whatever's to come next with this information.]]

Angel's Eye's curiosity and anticipation were both certainly piqued; it wasn't often a soldier of his station actually got to speak personally to the Secretary in charge of the Anti-Quirk Mobilization and Armament Bureau. If this would ultimately provide him a chance to actually track down these criminals and deliver their punishment by his own trigger finger, then he would go forth and put up with these politicians and bureaucrats with gusto.

And there you all have it, everybody: the introduction of the great BMI Hero, Fatgum, into the Son of Justice continuity. I hope the portrayal was as true to the character as possible, since I know he's a real fan favorite. If you liked what I did here, it would be greatly appreciated if you would leave a review letting me know how you think I did.

Have a great rest of your week, stay safe, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 01/29! For very different reasons, that's also going to be a very big one as far as building the narrative in certain ways goes!

*This is indeed a reference to Lee Van Cleef's villainous gunslinger, Angel Eyes, from Sergio Leone's 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.'