After talking with Inko, Tsukauchi sat in his car, phone and notebook in hand. He looked at the paper and read the number Inko gave him.
He dialed the said number and waited for someone to answer. After about a long minute of just... Waiting there, someone picked up on the other side.
"Who is it?"
A woman asked over the phone, her tone polite and respectful.
"Hello ma'am, I am a detective working on a case involved with Inko Midoriya's son, Izuku Midoriya, do those names ring a bell?"
Tsukauchi asked the woman.
"Hm? Yeah I know them. What exactly is the matter, how did you get my number?"
The woman asked, presumably Mitsuki Bakugo.
"Well Izuku has run away from home, and has gone missing. We're trying to figure out why he ran away, and where to possibly find him. I just had a conversation with Inko, and she told me that Izuku and your son used to be close, isn't that right?"
Tsukauchi asked, resting his notebook on his lap.
"Yes, did you want to have a conversation with him? I'm sure he'd be willing to tell you everything he knows."
Mitsuki asked Tsukauchi.
"Yes, I would quite appreciate that."
The detective answered, before being taken aback by the sudden yelling of the woman.
"KATSUKI GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE THIS MINUTE!!!"
In an instant, there was another, equally pissed sounding voice over the phone, one that sounded like a teen boy, most likely Katsuki.
"What the hell do you want you old hag?!"
Katsuki asked Mitsuki, practically foaming at the mouth with anger.
"This detective guy wanted to talk to you about something."
Mitsuki answered, despite piping down a bit, she still maintained a certain amount of firmness in her tone.
"Tch, what the hell... Is this regarding the villain incident that happened or some shit?"
Katsuki asked, snatching the phone from Mitsuki who tugged on her son's ear in retaliation.
"Uh... No, not at all. You see, someone named Izuku... I'm sure you know... Or knew him... He went missing yesterday night, and I was looking for further leads to find out why he ran away to begin with, and where he might be..."
Tsukauchi answered the teen.
"Dek- Izuku?... He ran away? The hell are you talking about?! He's a weak little shit but he would never run away from home!"
Katsuki asked, brimming with as much questions as pain, as the tugging of his ear had started to get to him. He eventually shooed his mother back.
"Hm... The way you're talking about him... It doesn't give me the impression that you respect Izuku... Didn't you two used to be friends?"
Tsukauchi asked Katsuki, feeling a slight air of concern.
"Tch... He's just a quirkless loser, who the hell would wanna hang out with a reject like him? Not to mention, his hero talk pisses me the hell off!"
Katsuki expressed, his voice raising slightly. This of course only concerned Tsukauchi a bit more, though it did give him a little bit more information that he wasn't aware of, Izuku was quirkless.
"... Alright, so what would you say your relationship with Izuku is like right now, and how would you compare it to when you two were closer?"
Tsukauchi asked, hoping that asking more specific questions would be better for this... type of customer. He wanted as much answers as he could get out of this kid, and if he was going to be a stubborn little brat, then so be it.
"Tch... When we were younger shit was just... different. And simpler. That's all I am saying..."
Katsuki answered, his angered tone suddenly becoming a bit more somber and quiet.
"Well I'm going to need more details than that... You never even said anything about how you treat him to this day! You must be ashamed of the shit you've done..."
Tsukauchi spoke, trying to maintain his cool.
"Grr... Mom take the phone! This guy's pissing me off!"
Katsuki snapped, trying to give his mother her phone, while also trying to walk away from the situation. Though he was stopped, getting grabbed by the back of his shirt, and pulled back to where he once was.
"Oh no you don't! You're going to answer everything he asks!"
Mitsuki commanded Katsuki, shoving the phone into his face.
"Look, kid, you're not going to get punished for anything you did. I just want you to be honest so that solving this case is possible."
Tsukauchi assured Katsuki, trying to take on a gentler tone towards the boy.
"No way! I'm not fucking telling you shit!"
Katsuki barked, breaking out of his mother's hold, and darting off into his room.
"KATSUKI GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS MINUTE! IF YOU DON'T BY THE TIME I COUNT TO TEN, YOU'RE GOING TO BE GROUNDED!"
Mitsuki threatened the teen who said nothing in response, simply slamming his door.
She started counting down from ten, though she was cut off half way through by the detective.
"I don't think he'll respond..."
Mitsuki let out a frustrated yet defeated sigh.
"Yeah, he's a brat like that... Sorry you had to hear me like that, he's just such a pain in the fucking a- I mean he's a real piece of work..."
Mitsuki apologized to the detective.
"It's okay, you two did enough for now. I'm sure he'll come around some time."
Tsukauchi said, trying to be a bit optimistic about the situation.
"Let's hope... Um... Well I guess that's all for right now. Though I don't quite have a number for you in case I want to call again. You know, in the off chance Katsuki decides to cooperate..."
She then said, and Tsukauchi gave her his number, in addition to his name as he forgot to properly introduce himself earlier on in the conversation.
"Alright, thank you Tsukauchi sir. I'll call you pronto if Katsuki decides to stop being a little shi- I mean stop being so stubborn... But for now, goodbye."
Mitsuki told the detective who said his goodbyes in response and hung up.
"Man... That kid was such a shithead..."
Tsukauchi mumbled to himself, taking a sip of his coffee.
After Himiko stole Izuku a notebook for his training, they headed into a secluded alleyway, where nobody could see the two.
"So... What's you're first lesson to being on the run?"
Izuku asked, already having his notebook ready to take notes.
"Glad you asked!"
Himiko replied jokingly, letting out a giggle.
"I already taught you the art of stealing, but you still got to have a good way of getting around and you can't do that without money. That's where pickpocketing comes into play!~"
Himiko introduced the concept to Izuku. While Izuku still wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with crimes yet, he was welcome to learning still. Not to mention, this was all another part of survival.
"Okay well how do you pickpocket?"
Izuku then asked, raising his pencil to the paper of his notebook.
"Well, it's pretty complicated, you've got to be quick and unnoticed, just like in a robbery, though how exactly would you do that when stealing one's wallet from their pocket?"
Himiko asked Izuku as if it was a quiz.
"Um... I'd assume you distract them... Though how would you do that?"
Izuku answred, following up with a question of his own.
"Ding ding diinnng! Correct!"
Himiko cheered, doing a little hop in the air.
"Distracting someone is pretty easy! Just talk to them and keep all of their attention away from the wallet. Even if that means fakely trying to start a fight with them!"
Himiko answred, Izuku began scribbling down notes at light speed, muttering under his breath as he wrote.
Himiko simply watched as Izuku took notes. She was shocked at how quickly he was writing, and almost intimidated in a way by the intense aura he was giving off as he was so focused.
Izuku finished his notes and stopped muttering, then blushing a bit out of embarrassment... Dammit... He did the muttering thing again.
The look on Izuku's face made Himiko burst out laughing, she thought it was pretty humorous, and cute.
"O-okay, I'm done taking notes... Is that all there is to pickpocketing? If so should we do a bit more practice so that I can get the hang of it?"
Izuku asked Himiko who's laughter died down eventually. She nodded in response and began walking off. She motioned the other teen to follow her.
"So how exactly will we be practicing?"
Izuku asked Himiko.
"We'll be using real people as dummies of course! You're going to confront them and use what I told you to steal their wallet, or anything else that they might have..."
Himiko simply answered, Izuku immediatley felt a rush of nervousness flow through his veins. He should've known that the only real way to practice was on other people... That probably explained what they were doing in an alleyway system as well, since it would be easy to kill off someone, or just run away if things escalated too far.
Every step had a certain weight to them, like he was being held back with shackles. His walking became awkward, and Himiko noticed this.
"Hey hey! Why so awkward? You need to pee? Or are you lacking confidence? You know, pickpocketing is all about being confident in your abilities. If you look so nervous, they'll immediatley suspect you of trying to steal from them!"
Himiko warned the teen, who took mental notes. He wasn't sure how exactly he could be confident though... He was never confident like that... He was always reserved and prefered keeping to himself. This lack of confidence, and introversion was just made worse by the bullies in his life.
Though dealing with them wasn't going to be a problem now, was it? He decided to partake in this life because he thought he could be freed from the life that once troubled him, he didn't want to be a hero anymore, he just wanted to be appreciated. And if that meant commiting a few crimes, and hurting a few people, then so be it!
Izuku took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. He wasn't going to be a wuss! He was going to fufill his goals and make them a reality.
"Yeah, sorry about that Toga, I think I'm ready now."
Izuku assured Himiko who then hugged Izuku's arm.
"I believe in you!"
Himiko told Izuku, hoping that would boost his confidence even more, she seemed to have succeeded in that, as Izuku began to walk normally... No he was powerwalking!
Himiko was shocked by his sudden speed and struggled to hold on, and so she let go, and followed after the boy.
After a few minutes of walking around, they found a group of three people, all fully grown men. They sat on plastic crates, smoking cigarettes as they surrounded a small bonfire.
They seemed to have noticed Izuku and Himiko and saw them as weak prey to harass, and so they one after another got up from where they were sitting, and approached the two.
"You two seem a little young to be around these parts... Aren't you aware that this is our turf? Either scram or die."
The one up front, seemingly their leader threatened, a cocky grin on his face, with his cigarette losely hanging out of his mouth.
Himiko thought that these three would be a little much for Izuku, but to her suprise, he stepped up to the three of them, his hands rested by his sides.
Izuku was intimidated, and knew that trying to fight them would be really dumb. He didn't even think Himiko could bail him out of this one, since they all looked really tough, and didn't even look concerned for others lives. Though, he already made up his mind, he was going to shoot his shot, regardless of who it was up against, even if it was against the devil himself!
Izuku wasn't quite sure what to say in response though... He might have had more confidence, but he still lacked a bit in social skills, with most of his interactions being mainly between he and his mom, or people in his class just insulting him.
The only way Izuku could think of, was antagonizing the group. It wasn't smart, but it was the only thing he could think of. If he wanted to succeed, he was going to have to take risks, and prepare for the worse, even if that did mean getting his ass kicked, or even getting put six feet under.
"Tch... I bet your lips move faster than your fists, if you really mean buisness show me with your actions not your words, punk."
Izuku spoke, attempting to go for a more intimidating aura similar to Katsuki, whenever he decides to start a fight.
"Yeah, and if you're so tough, why don't you attack me first, kid?"
The man up front retorted, crossing his arms. He had a hard time perceiving such a small kid as much of a threat, because who would expect much from someone who isn't even up to your shoulders in height?
"No way, you talked to me first, wouldn't it make more sense if you threw the first punch? Unless you're just too pussy~"
Izuku teased the man, while the two other men behind him just watched in awe as this middle school aged boy talked back to a man nearly twice his size. Hell even Himiko was wondering how this would all play out.
She grabbed a bag of popcorn somebody left in the dumpster bin beside her, and started munching on the snack as she spectated.
"Alright fine then, have it your way you little fucker!"
The man barked as he slammed a fist into the boy's gut with full force. Izuku coughed up spit, as well as some fluid from his stomach, like digested food and stomach acid.
He hurt all over, his stomach ached from the impact, and his throat burned as the acid shot out of his mouth and onto the floor. The pain was almost too much to stay consious!
"Like that bitch? That's my quirk, Huge Power, it doubles any force based motion I preform. Punching, kicking, jumping, I can do all of those but twice as good!"
The man teased in sadistic glee as Izuku fell to the floor, coughing, struggling to recover. Despite the sheer pain, he never once thought about giving up.
Himiko had enough though, seeing as Izuku got dropped so quickly. She dropped the popcorn and ran over to help him up.
"Crap! I didn't think you would try to start a fight with this guy! I mean, look at him, he's way out of your league!"
Himiko berrated Izuku, more worried than angry.
"I know... Though I haven't given up yet..."
Izuku managed to say, his voice was quiet, and weak, from the acid burning his throat and the fact that he was winded.
Izuku managed to get back to his own two feet with Himiko's assistance.
"Oh? So you ready for more then, brat? Why don't you show me your quirk?"
He challenged Izuku who smirked, wiping the fluid all over his mouth.
"I don't have a fucking quirk... Yet I'll still fight you... Damn punk!"
Izuku spoke, his voice still weak of course, but there was a certain amount of adamance in his tone. The man was shocked to hear that he had no quirk. Why the hell was he willing to fight if he had no quirk? It was either this kid was stupid, nuts... Or this kid was really nuts...
"Alright then, fine! Let's see what you've got, quirkless."
The man said, dropping into a fighting stance, preparing to beat the living hell out of Izuku.
Izuku knew getting hit like that again would prove very detrimental, and would likely result in him getting knocked out. He had to move around a lot and try to dodge the punches for once, since they were far too strong for him to take head on.
He didn't plan on hitting the man of course, he just wanted to steal something of his... That's where he remembered the cigarette in his mouth. He never got rid of it, that's how cocky he was! He can take that!
Izuku watched the man's movements carefully, breaking down every subtle twitch his body made. He had to see the punch coming from a mile away if he wanted to successfully dodge it.
The first punch was thrown soon enough, it was a simple jab. Izuku barley moved out of the way in time as the quick movement was almost too much. He could've been tapped had it not been for his microanalysis on the man's shoulder movement.
The man followed with a mean right hook, no hesitation whatsoever. Izuku saw the punch and just by the skin of his teeth, he dodged, feeling the wind pressure against his skin as the fist flew on by.
"Ugh... Stop dodging..."
The man mumbled, as he threw a roundhouse kick this time, which was aimed directly at Izuku's skull.
It was too quick, and too long range for Izuku to dodge in any way, so he blocked the hit instead. The kick made harsh contact with Izuku's arm, he could've swarn he heard a crack.
He was sent flying to the side from the force, the man followed up with another right hook, that was targeted towards the side Izuku was headed from the force.
Izuku used his other arm to block the incoming punch, and grunted as it made contact. It hurt, but there was no cracking sound luckily.
The punch did send Izuku flying the other way though, as the man threw a left hook which was aimed similarly to his last punch, as Izuku was heading straight towards it from the force of the previous attack.
At this point, the teen was pretty much getting juggled between the man's limbs, getting grinded up into a beaten up paste more and more as Izuku continued going back and forth.
This time, the punch made its mark, hitting Izuku directly in his back.
Izuku gasped as a sharp pain rushed through his back, and eventually shot through the rest of his body.
The man let Izuku have time to breathe, as he fell back down to his knees, crumbling up in pain.
Himiko once more rushed to Izuku's side.
"I really don't think this is a good idea Deku! If you keep this up you'll just die!"
Himiko warned Izuku, who smirked, holding his hand out.
"Look... I stole something of his..."
Izuku weakly mentioned, revealing the cigarette that was once in the man's mouth. Himiko's eyes widened in both shock, and joy as she realized he succeeded.
Then... She smiled, and whispered in Izuku's ear.
"Great job Deku, you did amazing. Shall I clean up this mess?"
She asked, implying she kill the group of thugs.
"Sure, do what you want..."
Izuku whispered back, a pained but happy smile plastered on his face.
"Hey, the hell you two talkin' about over there? Lady, your cute so I'll let you leave for free if you leave your boyfriend to me..."
The man offered with a smirk, not even noticing his missing cigarette, nor noticing his own demise, as in an instant, he was dropped to the floor, covered in his own blood, as his throat had been slit.
After that was the bloody massacre of the two other men. Izuku of course didn't want to watch, as he wasn't on the level of being fully comfortable with murder yet. Hell he didn't even want to see the after result. Though he did imagine it... The three thugs' dead bodies sprawled out and about, mangled and ripped to pieces, covered in their own blood and the blood of their friends. It sent a brief chill up his very injured spine.
Once Himiko was done having her fun, she picked Izuku up, and carried him away from the scene, and back to a completley different obscure area, which simply took place in a different alleyway system.
Once they arrived to safety, Himiko placed Izuku on the floor.
She briefly examined his body, she saw a big reddish brown spot located on his arm, where Izuku heard the crack. She lifted his shirt up and noticed quite a bit of bruising there too, she assumed it was the same for his back as he got hit pretty hard there too.
She couldn't do much to tend to his wounds in this scenario since there was likely internal damage. She just hoped Izuku would be okay...
She started to blame herself, and doubt her own competence, as she let Izuku get beaten so badly before acting, and killing that guy. He was obviously way too strong for him, and Izuku was way too resilient to give up!
The girl teared up at the prospect of losing Izuku. She liked him... A lot, and not for the same surface level reasons that she'd like any of her other victims for... Izuku was someone she could talk to, and feel human around. If she didn't have him around anymore, she wouldn't have that kind of person in her life...
"I'm sorry... Deku... I'm really really sorry..."
Himiko apologized as tears dripped onto Izuku's face. She then hugged the boy tightly, really tightly.
"It's... O...kay Toga... I'm fine... Just need some time to heal..."
Izuku muttered out, assuring her that everything was okay. He looked over at the girl, seeing her face covered in tears.
"Don't cry... You're only making me feel worse..."
Izuku said, showing the girl a faint smile. Everything but his legs and his head hurt pretty much, as those were the only parts of his body that never got targeted. Luckily. For now, Izuku decided to rest a bit, and take things easy. He hasn't given up on life and life hasn't given up on him just yet.
A few bones may have been broken, but his will still remained in tact.
Author's note: Yet another quickly made chapter! Now things are starting to pick up somewhat, so I hope. I have a basic idea in mind as to the direction that I want Toga and Bakugo to go, and am laying down the groundworks for their character arcs as seen in this chapter.
Also, decided to have a bit of action, cause why not? I really wanted to challenge Deku's will and motivation to find a place to belong, and to be free. So I pitted him up against an impossible to beat opponent for him! (also, for all my Pokemon nerds out there, yes, I named that guy's quirk after the ability Huge Power lmao)
Also, with Izuku getting beaten so badly, I think it would give Deku a reason to train up his body, and start thinking of creative ways to eliminate his opponents! It can make for some really fun fight choreography if I plan things through well enough. (would result in longer waittimes though so I have more time to plan ;-;)
I think that's all I have to say about this chapter though, really. As per usual, comments are always welcome. I am willing to hear theories, predictions, criticisms, and hell, if there's a certain suggestion that I like, maybe I'll take it since I haven't planned literally everything!
With that being said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I hope you tune in next time for future installments on this series! This is The Writing Hero, signing out.