Immune Response
Blinds closed. Door locked. Chairs occupied.
UA's pro hero education staff sat silently facing the front of the meeting room, awaiting their principal's beginning to the conversation at hand. Nezu took his time, as usual, calmly pouring and taking a deep sip of his tea before even thinking about addressing his colleagues. Appropriately relaxed by his drink, the rodent-like mammal(?) faced the heroes with his undaunted gaze.
"Thank you all for coming. Before moving to the primary topic, I'd like to ask each of you for your updates regarding the ongoing investigation." He motioned to his immediate right. "Midnight, if you would please start us off." The woman nodded, holding up an electronic pad to read off her notes.
"I've spoken with a number of anti-quirk groups alongside police investigators, trying to find a lead on the culprits. Unfortunately, even in places where the response wasn't immediate conflict, we found nothing to go off of. None of these fledgling organizations have the capacity or funding to realistically cause what's happening across the globe, nor do they seem to possess the charisma or discipline to attract the attention of whoever is behind it." Cementos carried on from her.
"Mic, Snipe, and I have been assisting the security side of proceedings, working to secure and maintain a presence around all high-rise structures in Musutafu, as well as portions of outlying Tokyo, which has a large concentration of such targets. There's no concrete proof the perpetrators require strategic height to execute their operations, but after the incident in Dubai all governments are on alert." Vlad took over from there.
"The rest of us have been allocated to what amounts to crowd control. Villains across the country seem terrified at what's happening, coaxing them into using whatever power and resources they have available before inevitably losing it all. A marked increase in attacks, robberies, and general mayhem has sprouted everywhere, putting pressure on rescue operations as much as actual combat. It's a mess out there, and not just in Japan." Vlad furrowed his brow. "By the way, Nezu, how has the government been responding? The media seems to be having a drought of information." All eyes looked back to the principal, who frowned upon the inquiry, putting his paws together before replying.
"It's true that they've been keeping much of the inner workings under wraps, for the sake of not adding to the chaos. A number of political parties who have held firm against quirks are now gaining attention, however they've been surprisingly cooperative with their majority opponents. Although most legislatures are in a state of recess until a point of stability arrives in the world, much of the political body is already brainstorming necessary revisions to their judicatories and bylaws." An air of discomfort was exerted from much of the staff.
"Could it be possible that whoever is behind this has agents in the legislature as well?" Power Loader inquired. Nezu hummed sadly, then nodded.
"I wouldn't put it past them. These people have a superior covert structure that could place their members in any branch of society. It's likely they have access to restricted personal material from various countries, and of course the economy, to better secure potential resources, as well as stalwart labor for their operations. Although at this stage, it's logical to assume they have one or more private suppliers." As everyone else glanced at the data on their tablets, Mic raised an eyebrow at his less than verbal colleague.
"Yo, Eraser, you going to contribute here or not?" Shota, who had remained silent the entire meeting, glanced at his boisterous fellow teacher. Before the man said anything however, the principal came to his defense.
"Aizawa's findings are the focus of this gathering, so I thought it best to have him present his information last, to better allow us to understand our collective viewpoints." Mic, now informed, sat back, giving an apologetic grunt. With that, Aizawa finally made his move, grabbing his tablet and working the device to display what he'd found to the rest of the gathered pros.
"Some of you may not be aware, but below the surface chaos experienced by each region, there have been a string of disappearances of various pro heroes, all of them coinciding with the de-quirking of their area of jurisdiction within three days after the declaration of their absence."
"It seems realistic that some pros would stumble across the perpetrators mid-operation," Midnight pointed out. "I'm not suggesting it isn't a matter of concern, but why the focus on these MIA's?" Aizawa responded by sending several files to the rest of the teachers. Upon scanning through the data, most of them couldn't stifle a gasp.
"GGRRR! These… these are local pros!" Hound Dog exclaimed, reading down the list. Death Arms, Mr. Brave, even Crust, along with a handful of others. Everyone looked at Eraserhead in astonishment.
"And no one has heard of these?" Thirteen asked, bewildered. Aizawa remained stoic as he sank further into his seat.
"Much of the country is in a panic, though they have begun questioning where these prolific individuals are. The Hero Public Safety Commission has been covering for the disappearances by stating they're out on assignment, believing that undercover investigation, such as mine, is the best method for tackling the issue."
"Do you agree with them?" Midnight asked carefully. The others seemed to feel her discomfort at the question, glancing nervously at Aizawa. He however, appeared unfazed.
"I do. If it weren't for this proceeding, I wouldn't have the data I'm about to present to all of you." He tapped away at his tablet again. "Look closely at the dates surrounding the disappearances compared to the countries' pulse events." He gave them all a moment to find the connection, taking note of their looks of shock upon doing so, with Mic lifting up his shades just to be sure he was seeing right. Rather than elaborating, Shota allowed Nezu to pick up the conversation.
"As you all can see, no more than 48 hours pass between report of the first disappearance and the eventual loss of the region's quirks. The sole exception being us, who have experienced over a week's worth of passing time since Death Arms was last seen." The principal interlaced his paws. "Something here in Japan has given them reason to pause. Considering the hypotheticals for what their operations require, it's likely that there is a condition to their process that hasn't been met, or that there is a resource they are unable to acquire." He nodded to Eraserhead to continue.
"The moment I recognized this break in the chronological pattern I made sure every government agency across the country was alerted to potential information leaks, hopefully buying us time until these people find what they're looking for. Unfortunately, Japan's circulation of public information is massive in scope, especially regarding pros as well as students in the various hero courses. There's a good chance whatever actions we take here are futile." As the staff were left pondering the impact of what they'd heard, Aizawa decided to add one last line not in his report.
"The more time passes, the more likely other parties will notice this break in pattern. I would wager that the potential for such a roadblock is why they've been striking multiple countries at once, as well as the general chaos created by the initial lack of quirk-manifesting youths. That being said, this will eventually force them to move forward regardless of the situation."
"An act of desperation then," Cementos declared. Shota nodded, leaving the room to tense in anticipation at what such a move could entail.
A muffled rumble vibrated through much of the cabin, though produced insufficient motion to bother anyone who may be inside. Aside from the pilot and co-pilot, only two other individuals occupied the vehicle, both currently staring out the side windows, watching the endless ocean pass by. The sunset behind them splashed over into their view, glancing across the waves in a brilliant visage of orange and yellow. The resulting sunlight accented their Chinese and Japanese features.
After what had seemed like an endless silence, a voice finally spoke from the front of the helicopter.
"Sir, we've entered visual range. ETA six minutes." The one their pilot referred to drifted his sight over to the windshield, gazing stoically at the distance curvature of their target. His companion broke off from their sightseeing and stepped over to the back of the cabin, where she began fiddling with a canister-like device on the table.
"What's the operating status of the installation?" the apparent superior inquired, never taking his eyes off the horizon.
"The island has successfully been brought to high-alert. All civilians have been placed under curfew. Security is still in the midst of inspecting all sectors. Drones have been deployed to all intersections. Our infiltrators remain undetected amongst the populous." The leader nodded, turning to address his scientist, who was just finishing up with her work.
"Are we ready?" The woman nodded, taking hold of her device, which seemed quite heavy, and presented it to her superior, who gently took hold of the canister. Immediately, the object's weight all but vanished, allowing him to easily reach around and clip it to the back of his beltline, underneath his coat.
"You'll need to be within 300 yards of the island center to encompass the entire structure. Once you're successful, we'll airdrop in a functional earpiece to reestablish communication." The man nodded to his subordinate's explanation, moving over to the side door in preparation for departure. "We'll keep you updated on obstacles from the air, along with Immune 2. However, we'll have to move out of range of the pulse once your reach the central region, leaving you on your own." He acknowledged, glancing over to see that they were nearing his drop point: right atop the island's outer wall.
Minutes later, the copter pulled alongside the lip of the wall, remaining undetected. The leader hit a button nearby, causing the door to depressurize and begin opening. As it did, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, turning to see his companion with a concerned expression. "The timer is set to ten seconds. Make sure you and anyone else is at least a few dozen yards away from it before detonation, as the energy can be harmful if concentrated." The man nodded, placing his hand on top of hers for reassurance.
"We'll get it done, Hui-Ying." She smiled back, releasing her hold and backing away from the now prevalent winds generated by the rotors. He stepped off the edge of the floor and directly onto the wall, immediately turning back to watch his ride pull away. Hui-Ying shut the door behind him, removing the helicopter from view due to its active cloaking. Once he could no longer see the subtle distortion of the air from where the vehicle was flying, he turned his attention back to the task at hand, facing the inner portion of the island.
Before he could take a single step forward however, his earpiece crackled with a new voice.
"Immune 2 to Reihoken. You there, boss?"
"I read you, Immune 2. I'm starting my approach."
"Understood. Standing by for updates."
With his extra eyes in the sky confirmed, Reihoken made his way towards the opposite side of the wall, gradually revealing the cities far below its apex. Unfortunately, he wasn't even halfway across when an alarm blared, followed by a multitude of sections in the ground parting to reveal drones emerging from automatic lifts. In a matter of seconds, he was surrounded, staring down dozens of crimson mechs, their ports opening to prepare for his capture.
He wasn't going to give them the chance. The man swept his arm across the canvas of security bots, at which point they suddenly lost their hold on the ground, aimlessly floating about a few feet off the ground. With the flick of a wrist, the collection of drones then rapidly shot at a single one of their kind, the others impacting and wadding around it like a ball of chewing gum. Once the entire initial wave of bots were in an irregular sphere floating before him, Reihoken resumed walking forward, pulling the mass if fidgeting drones just above his left shoulder.
More security mechs emerged as he went on, but fell to the same fate as the ones before, drawn in and stuck to the ever-growing mess as their captor calmly made his way further into the island. When he finally reached the inner lip of the wall, he swung his arm outward, easily hurling the ball of robots towards one of the massive lakes far below. As they disappeared from view, the ground at Reihoken's feet suddenly lurched, breaking off a modest square portion of paneling and rising into the air. He stood firmly upon the platform as it began to descend towards the nearest city, sticking as close to the wall as possible.
The journey wasn't particularly long, as his subordinates already began sending helpful advice through his earpiece.
"You've got pros meeting you at the bottom amongst the drones. I'm seeing an emitter who fires adhesive, another with sonic blasts, one who can physically manipulate the environment, and two mutations with generic animal powers."
Reihoken was already being barraged with long-range attacks while still several stories in the air. Unfortunately for his attackers, their own arsenal was their downfall. The globs of adhesive being fired the intruder's way were instantly sent right back at them, directly homing in on the unprepared pro heroes. Not even dodging gave them a better chance, as the projectiles curved mid-flight to ensure a hit.
Once the emitter stopped firing for the sake of his companions, Reihoken proceeded to simply toss them into the air, where they helplessly flailed around the same as the security drones. The man easily walked past the vanguard meant to stop his approach, pushing deeper into the city, where he could already see more drones moving in.
The same events repeated themselves as he went further into the island, with his lookouts negating any advantages the defending heroes would bring to the fight. Most were left either floating in the air, pinned forcefully to the side of a building, or wrapped up in their own incapacitating attack. Once the path was clear, Reihoken accelerated the movement of his platform, zooming him past dozens of drones and slower heroes alike without needlessly wasting time.
Once he reached the inner city, defense turrets came to life to intercept. Their target responded by grabbing any nearby drones and using them as makeshift shields, neutralizing any blasts that came near while also firing back the helpless mechs at speeds rivaling a bullet, obliterating the bothersome defenses. The entire city had finally shifted its focus on the man, Reihoken hearing announcements over loudspeaker of his positioning and what little they understood of his power.
By the time he brought himself down to the ground, now near the base of the island's central tower, the entire area ahead of him was a literal sea of security drones, with what was left of the location's pro hero garrison supporting from the frontline. Reihoken lowered himself to the ground, finally stepping off his platform and onto the plaza. He approached within a resonable distance, stopping just short of what his allies in the sky had described as the effective range of the heroes' attacks. The one at their forefront took a step towards him, glaring the intruder down. He noticed the symbol emblazoned on Reihoken's jacket.
"Your people have avoided direct confrontation thus far. Why attack this island? And who are you?" Their foe simply stared back at them, disinterested. When it was clear they weren't acting without an answer however, he sighed, holding his hands behind his back.
"I'm a ghost. As far as the world's collective information network is concerned, I don't exist. My intent is not to attack, suffice to say, only to disable. I suggest you surrender yourselves and the technology of this facility immediately."
The hero in front gritted his teeth, clearly not liking such a deal, a merit shared by his comrades. Regardless of what was acceptable or not, before either side could make a move, two platforms on Reihoken's flanks opened, then quickly deployed two massive devices that instantly trained themselves on the invader. Without a second to spare, they fired twin blasts of red illumination that engulfed him like a pair of searchlights. The heroes suddenly smiled triumphantly.
"Perfect timing! You're all talk now. Those beams are the newest technology used to replicate the effects of quirk-cancelling abilities. You may as well be quirkless now!"
Although the man was feeling victorious, the dark glare their foe sent his and the other heroes' way make them freeze.
"May as well be? What an interesting concept." In one, fluid motion, the man moved his hands, causing both beam devices to violently lurch on their pivots, casting their lights upon the gathered pros instead. Far too shocked, none were fast enough to unleash their powers on the intruder. The distraction was their end, as suddenly all of them found their bodies pulled together, mashed into a large pile of squirming limbs. The drones took this as a que to move in, but didn't fare any better, tossed aside into weightlessness with a casual flick of the hand.
With the heroes incapacitated and the sky smothered in panicking security drones, Reihoken took his opportunity to reach behind him and unveil the canister he'd been given earlier, taking a moment to trigger its timer. With little effort, he sent the device levitating high into the air, bringing it closer to the tower for good measure. Once it was at a safe height, he locked its altitude, until finally shielding his eyes from what was coming.
In a lightning-like burst of energy, the canister let loose an immense pulse of electromagnetic energy, strong enough that its deliveryman nearly stumbled upon feeling the blast pass through him. Every drone in sight sputtered harsh amounts of sparks and smoke, every streetlight exploded, and the entire island seemed to groan in pain as any unprotected system was utterly fried beyond repair.
As the pulse fanned out across the landscape, Reihoken released whatever influence he had on the drones, allowing their charred and overloaded forms to crash to the ground in a flurry of metal and glass. The alarms had gone silent by now, leaving the city in a deathly calm despite the occasional smoke plume dotting the area. Even in the wake of such defeat, the pro heroes were confused seeing their foe simply stand there, patiently waiting, though they knew it was unlikely to get any answers out of him.
Not two minutes later, the man looked skyward, spotting the incoming package drop. He remained stoic as the pod crashed into the ground a few dozen feet away, sending a minor tremble through the ground. Once the dust cleared, he calmly stepped over to the half-buried capsule and pressed a few buttons on its intact interface. A panel opened, allowing him to reach in and retrieve a fresh earpiece, as promised.
"All wings, report in."
"Immune 1, standing by."
"Immune 2, standing by."
"Immune 4, standing by."
"Glad you could join us, Immune 4. Hold position until the all clear is given, then move in to set up on the tower."
"Understood, sir."
"The rest of you drop off all units to secure the perimeter." He paused. "Also, there is an individual I'd like located and brought to me."
The incapacitated heroes had watched as numerous helicopters materialized out of seemingly nowhere and offloaded their armed occupants, who then proceeded to spread and root out any pros or other obstacles their leader may have missed. There was little resistance after the blast, leading to the prisoners finally regaining thier audience with the man himself, who stepped over to address the bound group.
"Rest assured, once our task is complete, we will leave without any further harm to yourselves or the island." One of the pros scoffed, glaring him down like her companions.
"What more could you do? You just disabled the entire structure!" Reihoken gave a dismissive wave, turning to watch his people work.
"The island has a built-in subsystem that's shielded against EM frequencies. The only reason it didn't activate yet is due to our agents working within. Once we depart, it will be as if we never came." He shot the pros a hard gaze. "Minus the quirks, of course." The heroes froze at that, looking on in disbelief. They didn't hold Reihoken's attention for much longer however, as his requested audience had arrived, a bespectacled pair who held a hard but composed glare at the invaders' leader. He, in turn, gave an affirming nod to the two.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Shield." His solid brown eyes drifted over to the young lady's companion. "And you as well, professor." David and Melissa neglected to return the greeting, instead remaining cautious, occasionally glancing at the two agents flanking them. Noticing the hostility, Reihoken waved them off. As they departed, the younger of the Shields decided to push the conversation along.
"Who are you?" she practically demanded. Her opposition showed no offense to the tone, actually bowing politely as he replied.
"Aikaku Reihoken. I lead this organization, though I don't hesitate to intervene personally when it's called for." He looked to David again. "I'm surprised to see you out and about, professor, considering the incident not long ago." The researcher narrowed his gaze, not budging to Reihoken's stoic aura.
"It was decided my mind offered too much to be locked in a cell. Rest assured however, I'm on probation here on the island. There's a guard watching me at all times. At least, there was, until your man knocked him out." Reihoken merely shrugged. Melissa still wanted answers, stepping forward to regain attention.
"Why didn't the nullifiers take away your quirk? We tested them extensively on dozens of emitter types." Aikaku's eyes seemed to soften, oddly, acknowledging the girl.
"I suppose that's a decent segue into my main intention. You may have the answer to that question, along with any others, if you choose to add yourself to our ranks, Miss Shield." Melissa's eyes widened, shocked. "Yours is a brilliant mind, an impressive match to your father's. Having spent your whole life without a power, you've found a way to be productive with that skill and drive alone. It's exactly the type of talent we look for in our people." He reached out a hand. "You would be carrying humanity's future towards security, keeping us from self-annihilation, and progressing technology to fill the vacant gap that will soon be left behind by the pathogen."
Melissa flinched, from multiple aspects of what the man had said. Once she pieced together what he insinuated, her pupils shimmered with defiance, her hand slapping Reihoken's away. "Pathogen? Is that what you call it? Forget it!" She did her best to burn two holes in the man's skull. "I work to make life better for those with quirks, to add something special to something that already is! All you're doing is sweeping across the world, taking it all away!" she shoved a finger into Aikaku's face. "Just who do you think you are?!" There was a long pause, as Reihoken's allies glanced between the two in their standoff. Despite the accusation levied on him, their leader was unmoved, calmly looking down at the girl.
"We are Precipice, mankind's guardians. At every tipping point of our race's history, when we faced imminent destruction, these brave men and women stepped in to tilt the odds towards survival, towards a future." He turned away from Melissa, gazing at I-Island's artificial horizon. "You have no idea how many quirk-related conflict's we've deconstructed, how many military factions we've quashed, each one attempting to build an army of super soldiers to devastate entire countries." He returned his sights to the young lady. "The comic book fantasy has overstayed its welcome, Miss Shield. Humanity has had its fun; it's time to return to progress, before it's too late."
David and Melissa could say nothing, staring at the man in complete astonishment. Their attention was only shifted when they noticed a light growing in their peripheral. Turning their heads towards the island's main tower, their jaws dropped, horrified, as they witnessed a massive pulse of crimson energy explode from the structure's apex, rapidly enveloping the entire floating metropolis. The bound heroes, as well as David, all groaned, the professor brought to his knees as he suddenly felt weakness course through his body.
"Papa!" Melissa was quick to kneel by her father for support, keeping him from falling flat on the ground as he waited for the numbness to pass. In the meantime, Reihoken swiped a hand towards the pros, who were suddenly released from their hold, spilling onto the ground in a pile of undifferentiated humans, several of which looked themselves over in shock. David managed to get back on his feet, with his daughter's support, then held up his hand, which trembled like the rest of him.
"It's… It's gone," he breathed, causing Melissa to cover her mouth with a gasp, eyes darting over to examine the heroes, seeing them devoid of any quirk traces.
"No…" she spoke in a hushed tone.
Reihoken had turned away from the distraught heroes and Shields, head slightly bowed in the direction of the tower, giving a moment of silence. Once finished, he briefly eyed the individuals before him, then turned away completely, walking towards the waiting helicopter at the far end of the plaza. Upon reaching it, Hui-Ying appeared in the doorway, speaking to her leader as he climbed aboard.
"Sir, second division has been trying to contact you. They say it's urgent." Reihoken hummed sternly, but nodded, moving towards the cockpit, where his pilot had opened their communication's channel. Aikaku leaned in, holding onto a support to counter the inertia of their transport lifting off.
"This is Reihoken."
"Sir, we've reached the limit of our schedule in Japan. There have been no chances to separate the target for acquisition. We have no choice, direct action is our only option. Any time now someone will notice the break in our pattern."
Reihoken frowned, hand tightening on his hold as he considered the report. The setback they'd experienced was frustrating to say the least. Realizing their position, he sighed. "Very well, you have the green light to proceed. Place Marie in command of the operation, take Romero as contingency."
"Understood. Second division out."
Aikaku stepped away and returned to the cabin proper, settling himself down on one of the benches and folding his arms. Night had just about arrived, but the following day was already shaping to be a long one.
The trio stood before their teacher, clad in their gym uniforms, arranged in a triangle, evenly spaced apart. Izuku took a deep breath, then activated his usual technique, a portion of One For All's vast power flowing throughout his body, indicated by the crackling green lightning. His two friends braced themselves, as they watched the ninth wielder focus, slightly holding out his arms with the thought that it may help him disperse the energy out of his body's confinement.
All Might observed from the sideline, arms folded in quiet contemplation. He witnessed his protégé's energy fluctuate, differently than any other process before. The arcs of green began to dance more erratically, flung further from Izuku's skin. A few finally struck Ochaco and Tenya, both of whom flinched slightly at the sudden force, only to quickly grow accustomed as they felt something build up within them. Their friend opened his eyes, seeing the two nod at him to keep going.
Nodding, the greenette poured more into his Full Cowl, upping it to 15%, while still maintaining the Solidarity field. As the increase settled in, his companions suddenly went wide-eyed, taking a step back from the boy as they witnessed a gentle glow envelope their bodies. All Might shared their awe, sunken blues staring at the trio of human lightbulbs. Izuku held it steady, not feeling anywhere near the pressure of the first time. He smiled, which swiftly grew into a victorious chuckle, infectious to his friends, who grinned back at him. The One For All holder then grew serious, motioning to the others.
"Okay, try moving around, guys." Ochaco and Tenya nodded, taking a ready stance. Seconds later, they took off, beginning to run circles around Izuku, making sure to stay within a dozen or so yards of him. All Might nearly spewed blood out of surprise. Seeing Iida blur around was normal, seeing Uraraka do so was another thing altogether. All three friends felt like cheering, seeing the fruits of their brainstorming that day.
Unfortunately, this was cut short when Ochaco suddenly veered off course, tripping and tumbling onto the floor, in a daze. Izuku immediately cut the flow of energy, he and the others rushing over. "Uraraka, are you okay?" The girl was already sitting up when they reached her, giving a positive grin.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just not used to moving that fast. I don't know how you do it, Deku." The ninth holder chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I uh, crashed into walls a lot while learning…" As Iida helped Ochaco to her feet, All Might gave an approving nod to the trio.
"Very well done, you three. It's remarkable how much you've understood Solidarity's mechanics in just a short amount of time." Tenya faced his teacher, giving firm hand chops in his companions' direction.
"But of course, sir! This is the result of many minds working towards the same solution. We spent all day practicing different methods to manifest and stabilize Midoriya's new ability." Izuku nodded furiously.
"Yeah! I did my best to imagine a balloon gradually being filled and carefully releasing air into two other ones to prevent the main from popping." Iida said nothing, eyes hidden behind his lenses. All Might sweatdropped, while Ochaco did her best not to spit out her laughter. "Oh come on, it's not that funny," he bemoaned.
"It's pretty funny, Deku," Uraraka giggled. She finally got over it and faced her teacher. "Then I said he should just picture flipping a circuit breaker to control the flow of power. I mean, the stuff coming off him already looks like electricity. Plus, he said he can 'feel' us nearby when he's using the quirk." Iida concurred, adjusting his glasses.
"Indeed. With Uraraka's basic understanding of electrical routes from her parents, she was a monumental contributor to success. I merely composed his training regime, having him rapidly shift between increments of 5% power to get used to the feeling." Toshinori was thoroughly pleased with the ingenuity of his students, smiling warmly as they joined in a three-way high-five. However, the celebration was cut short when the gym doors were forcefully kicked open, causing everyone to freeze at the sight of a ticked looking Katsuki Bakugo.
The blonde blinked, surprised to see the additional classmates, but quickly recovered to glare at Izuku and All Might. "What are you doing? And why the hell are those two here?!" he demanded, pointing accusingly at Ochaco and Tenya.
…
…
…
WE FORGOT TO TELL BAKUGO/KACCHAN!
Izuku gulped, but started walking towards his rival, nervously tapping his index fingers together. "Well, um, you see, Kacchan, I… told Uraraka and Iida about One For All." The Explosion user just stared at him like he was the most utterly stupid object on earth. This held for an uncomfortable length of time, with the ninth holder feeling himself shrink by the second. Eventually though, Bakugo's fierce crimson eyes were painted with his own brand of murderous intent.
"Deku… you bastard…" he growled, suddenly beginning to walk towards him, fists drawn, teeth bared. "Don't you ever learn, you damn idiot!" As he raised an arm to blast, All Might's suddenly appeared between the two boys, the defensive act causing Katsuki to halt, shooting the former number one a hard look.
"I encouraged him to, Young Bakugo." As one would expect, the hotheaded student nearly lost his breath at that. His disbelief was dense, enough to have his eyes trembling with mixed rage and confusion.
"Why?" he seethed, clearly holding himself back. Toshinori motioned to the two standing next to Izuku.
"As his rival, you'll undoubtedly push Young Midoriya to greater heights, however, he'll need more than that to succeed. I agreed that he'd need an emotional support to balance the harshness of that rivalry. Besides, One For All is rightfully his, as is its secret." Bakugo processed Toshinori's defense, only to scoff and turn to his counterpart.
"And you picked two extras who never shut up?!" Before either of the offended parties could rebuke his insult, they, along with Bakugo, were surprised to see Izuku take a firm step towards his childhood friend, fixing him with an unwavering stare.
"I picked my two best friends, I picked two of the greatest heroes I could ever ask for to share this secret with." The boys just glared at each other for a long while, neither All Might nor the other students willing to interfere; although Ochaco and Tenya were smiling on the inside from the praise they'd just been given. Once it seemed Katsuki had had enough, he huffed, then turned around, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Whatever. What are you idiots doing here anyway? Still trying to fix that new power of yours?" Iida cleared his throat.
"Actually, we've been practicing the quirk Midoriya awakened just the other day." Predictably, this caused Bakugo to stop in his tracks, immediately swinging around to face Izuku with a shocked expression. Understanding that his rival was demanding an explanation, the ninth wielder nodded.
"Solidarity, the power to share power." Full Cowl flared to life around his body, only to then arc outwards towards Ochaco and Tenya as if they were tesla coils. Even the three who witnessed it earlier were surprised by the distance the energy travelled. Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the slightly glowing Engine and Zero Gravity users.
"A party buff? Are you kidding me? How the hell is that supposed to help you fight me?!"
All tension was quickly snuffed out in favor of a blanketed deadpan from Izuku and the others. As they stared after him in total disbelief, Katsuki resumed exiting the building. "Come find me when you unlock something useful, dumbass!" As the doors slammed shut, everyone took a breather, sighing at the Explosion user's simplemindedness. As they all gathered close, All Might tilted his head thoughtfully.
"It's interesting, Young Midoriya." The students gave him their attention, curious what he was referring to. "Practice and training aside, you seem quite in-tune with this new ability." While Izuku blinked in surprise at the observation, Ochaco suddenly jumped, holding a hand in the air.
"Oh! Oh! I got it!" She held up her index fingers. "We can think of it like this: Blackwhip is more of a Bakugo quirk, while Solidarity is more of a Deku quirk. Deku always thinks about working together with others, while Bakugo just wants to blow everything away on his own." As funny a comparison as it was, getting a laugh out of everyone, they thought it was a rather solid conjecture. Toshi decided to call it a night for the group, sending them off.
*bzz, bzz, bzz*
*bzz, bzz, bzz*
Izuku gave a quiet groan, eyes cracking open in the wake of the dim light coming from his phone. It seemed about the right time for his jog, except this wasn't his alarm going off. Someone was actually calling him. Baffled, but still groggy, he just managed to grab the device and focus one good eye at the screen to identify the caller. Unfortunately, it was an unknown. Now concerned enough to fully sit up in bed, the One For All user rubbed his eyes as he pressed the answer button and held the device to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Izuku Midoriya, please step out onto your balcony."
He froze. Hand slowly lowered from his face, eyes staring at the floor.
"Wh- who is this?" he asked carefully, though still stuttered at the abruptness of it all. The voice, a young woman with a familiar accent, replied.
"Please follow the direction. We'd like to avoid firing on your neighbors."
In a flash Izuku spun around, scanning the area outside his window for any sign of intrusion. He saw nothing but the late night sky, peaceful as it always was, currently void of the soft snowfall he'd typically see in the morning. He gripped his phone tighter. "How do I know you're really there?"
"Would you prefer we target Aoyama, Mineta, or Tokoyami?"
Izuku finally jumped to his feet, the hint of sweat growing on his temple. They knew exactly who was there on his floor. Swallowing, he stiffly made his way to the balcony, unlocking and sliding the glass door open. He shivered from the winter air, wishing he'd actually worn pajamas that night instead of simple shorts and a t-shirt. Even as he examined the entire scope of the outside world, the boy found no trace of anyone. Regardless, he moved forward with the conversation.
"Okay, now what?"
"Jump down to the ground. I'll speak with you there."
Grimacing, Izuku nonetheless made sure his phone was secure as he stepped up to the railing and activated his quirk. With Full Cowl, it took little effort to leap and land safely on the earth below, bringing himself to full height as he looked around for his visitor. He was about to try speaking to them again, until he felt a slight vibration in the air. Squinting, the ninth wielder swore the space above him was distorted in some way.
The anomaly was quickly addressed, as a door of some kind opened right in the sky, unveiling the interior of an unknown aircraft. Izuku was hardly given the chance to be shocked, as a figure jumped down from the opening, landing near silently a fair distance away from him. As she brushed off her coat, he noticed an interesting symbol on its surface.
"That red cliff… You're…" She made no move to confirm his thought, merely staring back at him as her braided hair billowed from the turbulent winds of her transport. One immediately noticeable feature was some form of breaking mask over her mouth and nose.
"My name is Marie. I need you to come with me, Midoriya, for the sake of everyone's safety." The greenette narrowed his eyes, fingers clenching around his phone as he looked between the girl and the still partially visible helicopter above her. Marie glanced over at his hand, then back into his eyes.
"You sent them a warning, didn't you?" Izuku was stunned enough to flinch, taking a step back, shifting to a defensive posture. He had in fact used an old trick when he jumped off the balcony, using that small increment of time to send a message to everyone in his class, just like with Stain. How she managed to pick up on it was beyond him. Now that she was aware however, he needed to act fast.
She acts like she's willing to attack. Even if it's a bluff, I have to take a shot.
As he thought this, Full Cowl sparked to life in record time, Izuku already pulling back his middle finger with his thumb and raising his hand to take aim at the airborne opposition. Without wasting a second, he flicked, ignoring he heavy strain from pushing his body to 20%.
Nothing happened.
A normal flick with no affect was produced when he released his finger, despite the fact that One For All was definitely flowing through his veins. When he looked back at the intruder, he witnessed her hand raised towards him. "That was your final warning. Come with us now," she spoke with greater demand. Izuku shifted gears, instead using his power to spring himself up and away from her. To his shock, not two seconds passed before an unbelievable suction force pulled him back down, slamming into the ground as he felt a mass of air smash into him from all sides.
"Wh- what was that?" he groaned, getting to his feet. Marie took a few steps towards him, expression unchanged.
"If you're not to take me seriously, then we'll demonstrate." She held up a hand to her ear. "Take out one of the support columns." Izuku just managed to hear her, pupils shrinking as he watched the airborne distortion shift, as if turning about-face. His blood went cold as he witnessed a rocket fired from within the object, sailing at high speed towards the dorm.
Even as he cried out in defiance, an answer came, in the form of a massive ice wall that shielded the building. Izuku used his arms for protection as frost shards burst outward from the barrier's destruction upon impact, shivering violently from the additional cold biting at his skin. He ignored it as best he could, lowering his arms to witness the arrival of his savior.
Shoto stepped out of the mist left behind by the explosion, right side steaming slightly from the temperature correction he'd just employed. He wordlessly walked to be by his classmate's side, defensive eyes trained on Marie even as he addressed the One For All user. "You're lucky Jiro is able to hear a phone vibrating in her sleep." Izuku just gave a half-hearted grin.
"I was counting on it." Todoroki hummed in reply, then took up a fighting stance along with him.
"She's spreading the word to everyone else, then moving to contact the teachers." Izuku narrowed his eyes, watching the currently stationary Marie.
"That's right, Mr. Aizawa isn't here right now." Finally, the invader made to approach, but Shoto wasn't having any of it.
"Back off," he ordered, his left side igniting. He threw a blast of flames forward, carving a wall between them and the girl. It was difficult to maintain due to the environment, but he didn't want to risk using too much ice. The combustion held firm from his focus, but then suddenly was snuffed, causing Shoto and Izuku to gasp as Marie came back into view, hand held towards them.
"Enough," she declared. Her aim shifted towards the greenette, who suddenly found himself being pulled by the same suction as before, with little traction to stop it. Thankfully, Todoroki made sure he smacked into a wall of ice instead of coming any closer to Marie's grip. Although dazed, he thanked the fire-ice user and prepared to counter. However, Shoto moved between him and their opponent.
"She's clearly after you. Get back inside, I'll hold her off until help arrives." Although hesitant, Izuku knew he couldn't argue. Nodding, he turned and rushed back towards the dorm, whose lights signaled that numerous people were awake by now. Marie noticed him attempting to flee, breaking into a run as she held her hand out towards him. She was blocked by another frigid wall, Todoroki forcing her attention on him instead. The girl scowled, considering her options. Throwing her hand skyward, she suddenly flew off the ground, dodging an incoming block of ice.
Shoto watched in astonishment as she whipped around in the air like a balloon that had been released to deflate, avoiding all the ice pillars he was sending her way. Thankfully, since he wasn't being targeted and could stay still, his left side gave him the heat to keep up the frost attacks. Marie may have been successfully dodging hits, but the winter weather allowed Shoto to materialize obstacles too quickly for her to find an opening to pursue Izuku.
This all changed when a pillar of stone jutted out from the ground, smashing several icy counterparts that were in Marie's way to pieces. She turned her head to observe the area by her transport, seeing that her temporary partner had joined the fray. "Go on, Marie! I'll keep him occupied!" Romero hollered, already summoning more earth to pummel the rigid spires Shoto had erected. The blonde acknowledged, using her power to pull herself through the opening her ally left her, Todoroki cursing as she made it past him. Unfortunately he didn't have the chance to follow, now having his role reversed, held at bay by the mysterious newcomer.
Izuku found the common room empty when he barged into the building, figuring that they were still being awoken and filled in on his call for help. That in mind, he rushed for the stairs instead of the elevator. Reaching the second floor in record time, he was quickly met with the concerned expressions of several classmates.
"Midoriya, what's going on?" Tokoyami inquired, standing with the rest of the boys on their floor, along with Jiro herself, who seemed slightly out of breath.
"I was attacked by some lady outside with a helicopter. Somehow they got in without alerting security." Even as his friends were stunned by the revelation, their attention was brought to the sounds coming from the stairwell, with Marie's figure suddenly rolling into view, her eyes already trained on the students. While Izuku and most of the others froze, Tokoyami took the chance to step forward and fight back.
"Dark Shadow!" The umbral entity burst from his chest, zigzagging through the corridor at blinding speeds, claws already poised to slash at the intruder. What no one expected was for Marie to reach into her coat and quickly fling what she'd found there, which happened to be a thin, cylindrical object that briefly let out a spark as it sailed at Dark Shadow's encroaching form. It was completely unprepared for the harsh burst of light that followed, giving the boys a shudder down their spines at the creature's scream of pain, even as they themselves were forced to look away from the flash.
When visibility finally returned, the group found Marie already charging at them. In a panic, Mineta took his turn next, frantically tossing his hair balls at her. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but stay away, beautiful lady!" The blonde's response was to form a fist towards the group. Izuku and the others suddenly gasped, falling to their knees as they found a lack of air entering their lungs. Mineta's adhesive balls were subsequently sent whizzing off in any direction other than their target, who now calmly approached the struggling students.
Izuku tried his best to activate his quirk and flee, but the absence of oxygen was already too much, his vision beginning to go dim. It was a surprise then to feel himself being shoved by a force with sufficient energy to remove him from the area of influence Marie had erected, his windpipe greedily sucking in air as he sputtered on the floor. A feminine coughing beside him confirmed that Kyoka had also been shoved away. The two looked back to see a very weak Dark Shadow giving them a sad expression, already retreating back into its host, who struggled to look his classmates in the eye. "Run… you… two…"
A moment later, Tokoyami, along with Aoyama and Mineta, collapsed to the floor. Marie moving to step over them to continue her hunt. The two who managed to escape her trap used the resulting adrenaline to get to their feet, making a run for it around the corner. Although she seemed quite winded, Jiro chose to speak up. "If we can find Yaomomo, she can make a speaker than I can use to blast her. She wouldn't be able to dodge in this narrow space." Izuku had unfortunately already thought of that, shaking his head.
"No good. From what I understand, she can create spaces of vacuum, which would cancel out any soundwaves you send at her. The only chance we have is someone who fights without any kind of physical matter." Jiro clenched her teeth as her mind worked it out.
"With Aoyama out, that leaves Kaminari, and I guess Bakugo's long-range attacks." Izuku nodded, just before they rounded the next corner.
"Kaminari can't focus his attacks without his gear though, so Kacchan's the only hope." Kyoka rolled her eyes.
"I bet he'd love hearing that." Upon finally reaching the opposite side of the dorm, the pair were greeted by the vast majority of the rest of their class. Ironically, this turned out to be everyone except Bakugo.
"Deku, what's going on?" a very concerned Ochaco began, hurrying over to the new arrivals. "We're hearing a lot of noise from outside, and an explosion earlier that Yaoyorozu said was a flashbang." Just as the ninth holder opened his mouth to reply, everyone's heads turned to the sound of boots striking the floor. Marie stood at the end of the hall, eyes still trained on Izuku. Much of the class readied themselves for a fight, but the boy in question raised his arm between them and the invader.
"Don't. None of us have the right abilities to deal with her, not in this closed space at least." The group grew nervous, taking a step back as Marie began walking towards them. "Where's Kacchan?" Kirishima grimaced as he kept his sights on the approaching threat.
"No sign of him. Probably didn't even bother getting out of bed." Kyoka scowled, raising her jacks.
"Are you kidding me? He was one of the first I went past. I said it was an emergency!" While it was frustrating, Izuku knew that they'd have to retreat further if their foe made it any closer. He'd have to bet that they could escape before she launched an attack. He stiffened when Marie raised her hand towards them.
Only to then be obscured from view when a beam of explosive energy blasted its way through the ceiling above her, continuing on through the floor at her feet. Smoke and fragments of building material were sent flying, forcing some of the students to shield their eyes. Even before it settled, the rough outline of someone could be seen hopping down to the current floor from the hole now present in the ceiling. However, Izuku didn't have to wait to know who it was.
"Kacchan!" The relief in his voice seemed to have been caught by the new arrival, who jerked slightly before glaring over his shoulder.
"All the training you've been doing and you can't even deal with one enemy, you idiot!" His rival shrunk down, feeling the sting of that comment. This was overridden when the clearing smoke revealed a standing Marie.
"Look out, she's still up!" Bakugo turned back in a flash, seeing the invader had indeed endured the surprise attack. Marie's coat suffered numerous burns, as did a few strands of her hair. The mask over her mouth and nose had also been damaged, forcing her to tear it off and discard the device. She glared back at the Explosion user, finally showing significant emotion since Izuku first saw her. Katsuki clicked his tongue, annoyed he hadn't hit his mark completely.
He rushed forward, arm already reeling back to unleash another explosion to finish the job. What happened next left everyone stunned.
Marie threw her hand up in a blur of speed, shocking Bakugo as the explosion he'd just emitted from his palm was blown clean out of his hand. The momentary distraction left him open to a vicious uppercut to the chin, which his foe followed up with numerous other calculated blows to his body, ending with another attack from her hand, a vacuum tunnel violently ripping Katsuki off his feet and sending him flying into his fellow classmates. Izuku and Iida managed to grab him, but worriedly watched Marie for her next move.
To the group's surprise, she didn't make to advance on them. Instead, she backed away, a hand held to her chest as the other desperately searched for something inside her coat. The class grew confused as he seemed to gasp irregularly. "What's… going on here?" Sero inquired, his guard slipping at the rather vulnerable sight.
"I think, she's having an asthma attack," Momo concluded. As bizarre as this sounded, they witnessed Marie finally find her relief, holding the now retrieved inhaler to her mouth and giving herself a calming dose of its contents. She took a moment to stabilize her breathing, finally noticing that her earpiece had been buzzing for her attention.
"What is it?" she asked urgently.
"Marie, we've been trying to reach you for nearly two minutes! UA staff are closing in on our position, fast. Either grab the target now or get the hell out of there!"
The young lady cursed under her breath, finally looking back to the students, who renewed their defensive postures upon being sighted again. She held her gaze at Izuku in particular, then turned away completely. Her hand flew at the nearby window, which immediately blasted outward from the vacuum force she'd created. She then promptly jumped out, stunning the class.
"She looked ready to go another round, why retreat?" Kirishima pondered.
"The teachers must be getting close," Izuku surmised. He then had another thought. "She's not here alone, and Todoroki is outside by himself." He glanced at Mezo. "Shoji, the rest of the guys are passed out by our rooms. Can you get them?" The masked boy nodded. "Okay, let's go!" The rest were quick to agree with his actions, moving out. All except for Bakugo, who'd managed to recover from his earlier beating.
"You can take the damn stairs, I'm going straight after that vacuum bitch!" He then blasted his way through the now vacant window their attacker had leapt from. No one bothered to argue, placing urgency on their exit.
Shoto used an ice path to dodge an incoming hail of stone shards, only for another jagged rock to pop up underneath his platform and shatter it to bits. The fire-ice user tumbled into the thin bank of snow nearby, but did his best to get back to his feet. His opponent was not one to be fought while standing still. Numerous additional stone structures tried to wind around and flatten the student, and they were getting closer with each attempt.
Shoto was slowing down, drastically. He had limited time to use his left side to regain temperature, as he was constantly being pressured to use his right for evasion or counter, not to mention still being battered by the cold weather in sub-optimal clothing. He needed to end this as soon as possible, before he was left frozen completely.
I need to get him into the air, away from any sources of earth. He seems able to create it right from his hand, but not enough to stop a sizable blast of flames.
He took another look at the environment around them, scanning amidst the desecrated battlefield of rocks and ice. His eyes widened.
The snow. I can use it as a conduit.
Todoroki waited for an opening, then slid to a stop just out of sight of his enemy. Romero summoned more rock constructs to smash the half-and-half from both sides, but suddenly found himself lose his footing on the snow beneath him. He cried out in surprise as he was launched skyward by a pillar of ice, spotting Shoto from the new elevation. Said visible boy had already prepared and flung the best fire attack he could conjure right at the airborne foe.
Romero just smirked.
Todoroki was left astonished and wide-eyed as his planned takedown was, literally, doused in an instant, with a torrent of water spilling forth to consume the raging fire. He was too stunned and frosted to avoid it, the mass of liquid slamming into him. Thanks to the surrounding climate, it was nearly as freezing as his own ice. He managed to stop himself with a quick barrier, allowing the water to pass. The hybrid quirk user sputtered out any that happened to be in his system, then struggled to stand, hearing Romero approaching. The intruder stopped a safe distance away, observing the shivering hero-in-training.
"This is your worst matchup, Todoroki, and you're unsuited for the environment. Give it up." Shoto's heterochromatic eyes glared back at the tan-skinned boy, communicating that the very idea was off the table. Romero sighed, cracking his knuckles. "Fine. You're on your last leg anyway, might as well knock you out while I have the chance."
No sooner had he declared his intent that the ground at his feet cracked, giving him just enough time to jump to the side and avoid a massive metal claw taking a swing at him. The rest of the machine burst from the earth moments later, it's controller swinging around to Romero's new position. Shoto allowed his body to relax, watching Power Loader confront the dual-elements user. The Brazilian blasted an impressive slew of water at the pro hero, which was unfortunately blocked and repelled when the Excavation Hero dug his claws into the ground and flung up a huge wall of rock to block.
A punch from Power Loader's mechanical apparatus send shards of rock hurling back at the intruder. Romero growled as a few grazed his face, then jumped back to increase the distance, covering his retreat with more rock columns, which his opponent easily smashed in seconds. "Okay, not a great matchup for me." Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed Marie fleeing from the dorm building. The young man checked his earpiece, wondering if perhaps they'd been forced to change plans. It was here he discovered it had been lost amongst the fighting. He made to pull back and rendezvous with his teammate, who seemed to be communicating with their ride.
Power Loader wasn't having it. He burrowed back underground and rushed towards the intruder, bursting forth in a mess of snow and dirt, right in front of Romero. The boy instinctually threw up an earthen shield, which was crushed as easily as his other constructs. He wasn't willing to deal with the pro any longer however. In the moment where Power Loader had his claws sunk into the ground from his attack, the boy formed a rocky spearhead along his right forearm and jabbed it as hard as he could into a vulnerable portion of the augmenting suit.
The pro yelled as a few sparks and groans were heard from his machinery, forcing him to stumble back. As he did, a sputter of used oil popped from a punctured tube, splattering onto Romero's cheek. The intruder shouted in disgust. Holding a hand to the substance and trying to wipe it off. Shoto, who'd been watching the scuffle, stood baffled as Romero suddenly appeared weak, his normally rich skin-tone darkening to a shade he'd call grey. He looked sick, trying to get the oil stain off of him, even reaching into his coat to grab what seemed to be sterile wipes.
"Romero!" All eyes turned skyward, seeing Marie holding tight to a rope hanging from the side of the cloaked helicopter. She didn't bother waiting for confirmation, a hand gesture quickly causing her stricken ally to be sucked up towards her. She grabbed him around the waist with her free arm, frowned worriedly at his condition. The girl was suddenly distracted by the sound of numerous bangs growing increasingly louder. Turning, she witnessed Bakugo flying towards her, eyes burning with rage.
Her response was to trap him in a vacuum tunnel, trying to force him back to earth. This act only had her gasp in shock, astounded that Katsuki was actually resisting the air displacement, his bared teeth gritting as he pushed his quirk to get him closer to the hanging intruders. Marie was close to panicking, screaming into her earpiece.
"Immune 3, we need a distraction! Take out the building supports!"
"But ma'am, the students!"
"Just enough to have the structure list. They'll evacuate, if they haven't already!"
"Understood."
The copter turned, taking aim at the base of Heights Alliance. With no one in any condition to stop them, several missiles rocketed towards the columns keeping the building up. The explosions from impact were enough to distract Bakugo, causing him to be overwhelmed and finally thrown back towards the earth.
"DAAAAMN IIIIIT!" he bellowed. The Explosion user held up his closed hand to his palm, targeting the two intruders. "AP Shot: Auto-Cannon!" Marie felt fear as a blizzard of energized shots were fired her way. Their speeds were too high for her to redirect all of them. Even as she tried to throw off their trajectory, several managed meet their mark. A handful struck Immune 3's underside, unbalancing the vehicle before it was corrected. Marie screamed as another struck her leg, and she heard Romero gag as one apparently nailed him in the abdomen.
Although there were successful strikes, the invaders still managed to pull away, quickly out of range of any attacks the students could throw their way. Even as Present Mic and Snipe arrived on the scene, Marie was able to cancel out any sound waves blasted at them. As impressive as his sensory was, Snipe couldn't hit a critical point once the two agents made it back into the cabin and shut the door, fully cloaking the helicopter.
A sudden crunching sound drew attention back to a more pressing issue.
Heights Alliance was groaning, the smoke at its base obscuring just how damaged it support was. Thankfully, the rest of Class 1-A had emerged, putting distance between themselves and the building, watching with horrified eyes as their dorm continued to crack and tilt. The pro heroes were no different, trying their best to analyze the situation.
"Where's Cementos?!" Power Loader cried out.
"On a mission. We've got no one to hold up that building!" Snipe answered ruefully. Just as the staff were about to order the kids to get further away from the collapsing dorm, a blur ran by, trailed by a significant amount of frost. "Kid, wait!" Shoto didn't listen, his ragged breathing and burning muscles ignored along with the teacher's pleas. His classmates spotted him running towards the crumbling ground floor of their abode, adding in their own cries of concern.
The fire-ice user slid to a halt just out of range of the smoke, giving a shout as he whipped his arm upwards, drawing on the remaining snow in the area and persistent cold to throw up an ice wall to completely swallow the ruined support structure of the dorm. The fire formed from the explosions was instantly snuffed, the smoke dissipating without its burning source. The ice wall crackled with bits of struggling holds, but the main structure held fast, the fall of the building ceasing. Everyone stared in awe at the spectacle, watching the frost settle around them, appearing almost like natural snowfall.
Yet one solitary detail broke the serenity in a hurry: the image of a still and hunched over Shoto standing before his desperate creation. His entire right side was encased in ice, far worse than any had seen him before. He was shivering, enough that his teeth were exposed, letting out the occasional puff of icy breath, its erratic rhythm a sign of how critical his state was. He didn't seem capable of moving any of his fingers.
If all that weren't enough to cause his friends to worry, him suddenly collapsing onto the ground certainly was, with over a dozen voices screaming out to his fading consciousness.
"TODOROKI!"
I have no idea how this turned out so long. Well, I guess it can make up for how long this took to come out. As well, creating a genuine Japanese name is HARD! And also overwhelming, looking through numerous kanji dictionaries, comparing various versions, etc. Really puts into perspective how complex the language is.
patrickthenobleman: Ah yes, I will actually be getting to that soon. Had some trouble finding the space for it among the other happenings.
MIKE202303: So glad to hear that.
HankFlamion18: Once again, I spark exactly the type of intrigue I was hoping for. Damn I love writing this, and I'm glad you're enjoying it.
The Keeper of Worlds: Heh, heh, all is certainly not what it seems. But then that's the fun part of a mystery.
Sentinel07: Appreciate the word!
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!
next chapter: Home Away from Home Away