Omni Force: WORLD HEROES' MISSION

by NegaiFreak

The world is thrown into chaos when a terrorist group known as Humarise threatens to unleash Trigger Bombs to eradicate anyone with a Quirk! It's up to Izuku, Katsuki, Raya, Shoto and the rest to fight back against this evil force! But things take a drastic turn when Izuku's suddenly framed for mass murder! Can our heroes figure out how to stop their foes? PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

2. PART II

Hey folks! Excited for another chapter? As I said the last time, I'm really glad to be working on another adaptation, even though I hope I won't have to ever do it again in the future for My Hero Academia movies, despite how fun they are. We got into some pretty insane action last time. So now, it's time for things to settle down just a little before we get into the big stuff!

Hope you enjoy!

OMNI FORCE

WORLD HEROES' MISSION

"Hello?" Izuku's voice rang from Shoto's phone, "Hello? Todoroki?" he called out again, not getting a response.

"Yang, what's going on?" Blake's hologram asked upon the blonde-haired huntress' MPG. Their words were falling on deaf ears as every person in the room was fixated on the broadcast about the pair's supposed crimes. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user clenched his phone tightly before bringing it back up to his ear.

"Midoriya…" he began as sweat trickled down his face, "what did you and Miss Belladonna really do out there?" he asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked back, "Nothing!" he assured.

"It's the news…" Shoto pointed out to him, "They're saying you're both wanted as suspects for mass murder!" he exclaimed. Back at the riverbank, the One For All inheritor lightly gasped.

"No…" he uttered out, "That makes no sense…" he noted aloud, "What's going on?" he questioned, quite baffled by the situation.

"Do they have any evidence linking us to all that?!" Blake inquired in panic, having overheard the update.

"Not that they've shown yet…" Yang's hologram answered. At that moment, Ruby stepped into the picture.

"Blake, don't worry too much about things for now," she insisted of the cat Faunus, "You and Deku need to lay low until we can figure this all out on our end," she advised seriously.

"Yeah, make sure he turns off his phone, too," Weiss chimed in, "The police'll track him with GPS if he uses it," she pointed out.

"Got it," Blake replied, ending the call as the holograms of her teammates disappeared from her device, "Huh…" she sighed. She had been on the run and had to lay low before. But she knew that Izuku hadn't. "Hey—" She stopped herself once she noticed the frustrated expression upon the freckled teen's face. Clearly, he was torn about suddenly being branded as a murderer. Just then, a gloved hand came onto his shoulder.

"Ah!" he yelped in surprise, turning to see that it was a recovered Rody, who also jumped.

"Don't do that!" he yelled, causing Izuku to sigh, "So you were able to get in touch with your friends?" he guessed. He then noticed the One For All inheritor fiddling with the back case of his smartphone. "Wait, what are you doing to your phone?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, "Did they say when they're gonna pick us up?" he inquired on, seeing the freckled teen take out the battery.

"Yeah… about that…" he started to reply in a grim tone. Back in the hotel, the members of the Otheon team continued to listen to the broadcast. Natalie clenched her fists tightly as she gnashed her teeth together.

"How is this supposed to be buyable for anyone?!" she shouted angrily in question, "My boyfriend's not a killer!" she yelled.

"I hate to tell ya, pinky," Qrow chimed in, getting her attention, "but the same can't exactly be said for Blake…" he noted with crossed arms.

"How so?" Clair asked as she approached him.

"She used to be a member of a terror group known as the White Fang," he answered, "Basically, she thought she was helping to promote their cause to become equals in our world," he pointed out, "When really, she was just committing crimes with them," he stated.

"Hey, that's not—!"

"What we need to do now is meet with the police and clear their names before it's too late," Ruby insisted, interrupting her older sister while putting a hand onto her shoulder to calm her down, "Something tells me this didn't just come up out of the blue…" she mentioned with narrowed eyes.

"I'll join you to the station," Enji decided, "We need answers on what evidence the police already have…" he added, walking off alongside the Team RWBY leader.

"We should let HQ know the situation as soon as possible," Clair advised.

"And we should see if there's anything about today's events that tie into what's happening now," Weiss mentioned as she folded her arms over her chest. Meanwhile, Natalie lowered her head in frustration. Her boyfriend was taking on quite a burden. Just then, Raya's came onto her shoulder, getting her attention.

"Don't worry," she assured, "We're gonna get them both outta this," she promised confidently.

"Yeah," Maki agreed. Everyone still in the room looked at the two pictures of the suspects, wondering just how they wound up in the situation they were in.

PART II

Things had been mostly quiet during the past 24 hours at the World Heroes' Association headquarters. But all of a sudden, an alarm blared in the command center. One of the operators gasped upon hearing the report he was receiving.

"I'm getting an emergency call from the Otheon Team!" he called out as he swiveled to the director and All Might, "Deku's been put on the wanted list!" he exclaimed, causing them to gasp in surprise.

"What did Young Midoriya do?!" the former pro hero questioned aloud out of shock.

JAPAN

"How could this have happened…?" Mezo asked from inside the standby hotel, being gathered with the pros and student heroes as they just learned of the news.

"I don't know, but according to this, they killed twelve civilians in Otheon…" Kyoka explained, sitting down and reading the details from the laptop in front of her.

"What kind of ridiculous lie is that?!" Eijiro yelled as he slammed his right hand against the table.

"Why would people think they even hurt anybody…?" Rachael questioned with crossed arms.

"Nat's boyfriend isn't a damn criminal…" Shinra chimed in as he had a devilish, nervous smile, "No way any of this is true!" he exclaimed.

"Well, what about the cat woman?" Taishiro asked curiously, "Anyone know her story?" he inquired of the group. The requip user slightly tensed up, while the others looked to each other without so much as a good answer. "Look, I'm sure those guys down there can get a handle on this…" he affirmed confidently.

"We can only hope so…" Kuga added.

'Raya…' Rachael uttered inwardly as she clenched her armored fists, 'I hope you're trying to help Izuku however you can...' she told herself.

EGYPT

"But this intel comes from HQ…" Yu noted from the hotel briefing room she and the others were in.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Denki repeated as he ran out in front of her and Shinji, waving his arms frantically, "There's no way Midoriya would ever hurt anybody!" he exclaimed to his mentors, "Guys?!" he called out, hoping for some support.

"No, not a chance!" a helmetless Hanta agreed as he stepped forward, "This must be some kind of mistake…" he proclaimed.

"Yeah, Natalie's boyfriend isn't some criminal!" Tamaki added with clenched fists.

"What about the cat lady though?" Ogun wondered, chiming into the conversation.

"Hmm…" Shinya hummed as his arms were crossed over his chest, "Given the circumstances and how the situation seems to be unfolding, I think it's best we let the Otheon Team handle these matters…" he advised of the others in the room, "I don't trust that Midoriya is a criminal as the news says," he affirmed, "But alas, we don't have the ability to help him right now," he mentioned.

"All we can do is try to get the truth into the light…" Robbie pointed out.

"Yeah…" Riri agreed.

"Does anyone here know anything about Belladonna?" Yu inquired of the group, getting their attentions, "I know Deku's not a bad person at heart, but when it comes to her…" she continued.

"She's from another world we know little about," Shinji finished for her, "Who knows what kind of person she really is…" he mentioned in concern, narrowing his eyes underneath his mask.

"It's a false report!" Minoru suddenly exclaimed as he hopped up angrily, "No way Midoriya or that uber hottie would ever be killers!" he yelled on.

'Perv…' Tamaki muttered inwardly, giving off an exasperated expression.

"Fret not, everyone," another voice chimed in, getting their attentions. Approaching them was a brown-skinned man with a two dimensional appearance, similar to human representations in ancient Egyptian art. His hero costume was clearly inspired by the garments that the pharaohs of ancient Egypt used to wear, wearing a wraparound skirt, a top of fine pleated robes, and covered his head with a striped headcloth. He also bore various jewelry items and a cape. "I too believe that these two are still innocent until proven guilty, like Edgeshot says," he declared, "That aside, we must remain vigilant and continue to lend our support," he mentioned seriously.

"You heard Salaam," Pan chimed in, "That's the deal for us," he stated, "We'll let the team in Otheon deal with that mess," he decided firmly. Everyone looked back at the newscast in concern, wondering just why this was happening.

FRANCE

"I can't believe it…" Ochaco muttered out as she read the report of what was happening on a laptop she was seated in front of, being in the standby hotel of a rainy France, "No way that's true!" she exclaimed emphatically, "Deku fights to save people!" she pointed out, "Something else must be going on here!" she added as she stood up.

"Yeah, definitely!" Rebecca agreed beside her as she clenched her fists.

"I do agree as well," Pino chimed in, while Happy nodded.

"Ribbit!" Tsuyu croaked in agreement, "I'm sure there's an explanation behind all this," she affirmed confidently.

"Mm-hmm!" Nejire agreed as she nodded.

"I'm gonna go and tell 'em that Izuku's not a bad guy!" Shiki declared, about to run off.

"Hey, don't be an idiot!" Weisz yelled, "You'll just make things worse!" he pointed out worriedly. Fortunately, a web line was shot out and latched onto the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user's back. He was tugged by Miles as he yelped, causing him to fall onto the floor in a grunt.

"You try to help him now, you'll just get branded as a criminal, too…" he noted, "Last thing we need is another man on the wanted list…" he mentioned, glancing back towards the others.

"Can we also vouch for Miss Blake?" Homura asked curiously, chiming into the conversation.

"Uh… well…" Ochaco uttered out, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"I wouldn't worry, everyone," Ryuko chimed in, getting their attentions. "Endeavor and the others are on it," she assured as she looked back at the broadcast on the TV beside them.

"Izu…" Rebecca worriedly uttered with her right hand over her heart. The whole world was being informed of the freckled teen and the cat Faunus, given the impression that they were supposedly criminals of the highest degree. Only time would tell if they'd be able to clear their names…

X

Both Izuku and Blake watched a police car drive by along a dirt road, concealed behind trees. After a few moments, they looked to each other and nodded, walking away sneakily. The latter of the two had been in this sort of situation before. But she knew the two boys she was with were both unfamiliar with it. Especially Rody…

"Tell me I'm still unconscious!" he yelled, having heard the story from the two about what was happening, "You're a pair of stone-cold murderers and they think I'm your accomplice?!" he inquired, pointing to them before gesturing to himself, "I thought you two were supposed to be some kind of heroes!" he mentioned as he stomped up to them, "Explain yourselves!" he demanded of them. Izuku lowered his gaze.

"I don't know how we ended up like this…" he admitted sadly, "I can't wrap my head around all of it…" he mentioned, glancing off to the side in thought.

"Same here…" Blake agreed.

"Oh, great…" Rody muttered, getting their attentions as they saw the lifeless expression upon his face, "It's all over…" he sighed as he stumbled back down the incline they were on, "Bye-bye life…" he mumbled as he fell onto his knees, "And here I thought I was already living at rock bottom…" he grumbled out, "What happens if I fall even lower? Is it even possible?" he wondered aloud sadly, "Ergh!" he suddenly growled, lifting his head up as he glared at the pair ahead of him, "This is all your fault! You two dragged me into this mess!" he shouted to them, with Pino angrily chirping in agreement, "So fix it!" he insisted, "That's what heroes do, right?!" he inferred with frustration. His bird flew over to the pair, still chirping angrily. Izuku glanced away ashamedly. Blake took a deep breath and sighed.

"The police fired on us without asking any questions and then we were attacked by a villain from the look of it," she recalled, "That tells me whoever's behind all this doesn't care if we're dead or alive," she mentioned in explanation, "So I guess … they're not really after us," she assumed ultimately. Rody blinked in realization.

"Oh!" he yelped, picking up the case he had obtained, "They must want this!" he concluded as he held it up. Moments later, the three of them looked through the notebooks and documents of the case. After a little while, they had gone through seemingly everything.

"It's all this coding, mathematics, and science formulas from the look of it…" the cat Faunus listed off with her left hand upon her chin, "If there was someone who could help us figure out what it all means, we might have a clue as to why it's valuable to whoever wants it…" she pointed out to the boys.

"But I don't get it…" Izuku admitted as he was crouched beside the emptied case, "There's nothing in here that looks incriminating from a first glance…" he noted. All of a sudden, Rody went ahead and hurriedly gathered everything that was in the case, throwing it all back in, "Ah, wait!" the One For All inheritor yelped, "What are you doing?!" he exclaimed in question, watching with Blake as the brunette-haired young man slammed the case shut.

"Figure they're after this dumb case, right?" he assumed with a nervous smile as he held it up in his left hand by its handle, "That's perfect!" he exclaimed, patting the case, "We'll hand it over and this'll all be put to bed!" he decided, "It's simple as that!" he proclaimed, "Life'll just go back to normal," he finished confidently. Blake gave off an annoyed expression.

"You can't be serious…" she muttered out.

"No way. It can't be that easy," Izuku chimed in, causing Rody to start sweating as his eyes jolted back open, "If what's in here is so important, they probably wanna silence us even if we did turn it over," he pointed out seriously as the brunette-haired young man was paling from the thought, trembling a little.

"Yeah, good point…" the cat Faunus beside him agreed with a nod.

"Hey, don't say that!" Rody yelled as he dismissively waved his gloved right hand, "We're never gonna get anywhere if you're only thinking negative thoughts, buddies!" he pointed out, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "So new plan, let's destroy the case!" he suggested, "Then we just say, 'Whoops, it burned up'…" he paraphrased as an example. Again, Blake gave off an exasperated look of annoyance.

"That's not gonna fix our problems…" she noted bluntly, causing him to slouch his head down with a groan.

"New-new plan…" he said, "What if we contact the police?" he inquired of the pair in front of him.

"Huh?" Izuku uttered in confusion as he blinked, "And say what?" he asked curiously.

"If you want the case…" Rody began, holding it up proudly in his hands, "then give us a million euros pronto!" he exclaimed.

"That would make us real criminals!" Blake shouted in response, "Honestly, you can't expect things to go so easily…" she grumbled.

"Huh…" the One For All inheritor sighed, "We need to calm down," he advised of his companions as he stood up. At that same moment, the brunette-haired young man fell to his knees in a sad groan, evidently mortified by the fact that none of his ideas for the case would seemingly work.

"Are you sure we can't ditch it somewhere…?" he asked of the pair, "They won't really kill us, right?" he inquired on as the cat Faunus got onto her feet, "You're both overthinking things…" he said. Izuku glanced off to the side in thought. From everything that happened in just the last hour, it was more than plausible to assume the worst about the police and the others that attacked.

"If this case is related to some sort of crime, then we can't give it to the bad guys," he pointed out, "We might accidentally be helping out real villains…" he mentioned.

"And from how the police acted with us, it sounds like giving it to them wouldn't be any better," Blake added in explanation.

"Don't get me involved with your hero sense of justice!" Rody shouted as he stood up, pointing accusingly at the pair.

"I'm afraid we're already in this together…" Izuku responded, causing him to lightly gasp, "They wanted to kill us…" he noted, "If we don't know the reason why, then it's dangerous to act rashly," he mentioned on as the brunette-haired young man glanced off to the side, "Otherwise, we'll end up full of arrows… or worse…" he grimly added. There was a brief silence amidst the trio as Rody glanced at Izuku and Blake skeptically.

"Okay, then whaddaya suggest instead?" he inquired. Before too long, the cat Faunus stepped forward after exchanging a nod with the One For All inheritor.

"…We run for it," she decided.

"…Huh?" Rody uttered, sounding almost flabbergasted by the proposition.

"No matter what the situation may be, we can't fight against the police," Izuku told him, "The people chasing us are Otheon officers," he pointed out additionally, "If we cross the border into the neighboring country of Klayd, then they shouldn't be able to follow us," he explained on, "Let's hurry and get outta here before we end up tracked," he insisted before starting to walk off alongside Blake.

"Wait, what about the arrow person?" Rody asked in concern, "The border's not gonna stop a villain…" he noted.

"If that happens, then I promise that we'll protect you from them," Izuku declared in response, turning to face him.

"Huh?" the brunette-haired young man uttered in confusion as he walked after the pair of Omni Force members.

"I think getting out of here is our best course of action," the One For All inheritor affirmed. Rody didn't seem too convinced. But compared to his suggestions earlier, these were a lot more sound, as much as he hated them…

"Okay, fine… I guess that plan makes as much sense as anything…" he muttered out while rubbing the back of his head, "I'll go to Klayd or wherever you think is best…" he decided, trudging after them.

"First thing we need to do is get disguises for the time being," Blake advised, "Then we can worry about a transport," she mentioned.

"Uh, how are you gonna get disguises?" Rody asked, arching an eyebrow, "By now, I'm pretty sure your faces are all over Otheon as the so-called murderers…" he grumbled out. Both the One For All inheritor and the cat Faunus glanced to each other before back at him. He blinked twice before he sighed with realization.

A while passed before the group found their way into a nearby town. As Izuku and Blake made sure to conceal themselves for the time being, Rody went ahead to a store, purchasing bundles of clothes and bags. While checking out with his items, he took notice of the news broadcast on the two Omni Force members. He didn't think either of them seemed like criminals, especially with how they were treating him. If they were, he'd likely be a hostage by now. He shook off those thoughts with a shudder, hurrying back to meet with them.

They quickly started to throw on their disguises, with Izuku donning a tan shirt underneath brown overalls and a fisherman's hat, Rody wearing a white, short-sleeved hoodie with navy blue cargo shorts, and Blake having a forest green vest over a white shirt with cargo pants. As she picked up the hat that was bought for her, she blinked in surprise and grimaced.

"Hey…" she called out, getting the brunette-haired young man's attention, "you're sure this was the only hat you could find?" she muttered in question.

"Hey, I figured it'd be more comfortable for that second pair of ears you got…" Rody replied with a shrug, "Besides, beggars can't be choosers…" he remarked additionally as he smirked. The cat Faunus frowned, looking back at the hat. It was colorfully green with cartoonish cats plastered upon it, along with 'GANRIKI NEKO' written front and center.

'Yang would have a field day of jokes if she saw this…' she muttered inwardly. To her chagrin, the hat was a perfect fit once she put it on, especially for her cat ears as they felt snug. She sighed deeply. Moments later, she walked along with the two boys through the town, watching police cars pass by. They headed through an alleyway before coming to its end, spotting a bus parked nearby at a stop.

"Right, that bus'll get us to the border," Rody noted aloud, "And it'll be free if we hop on top…" he added with a smirk.

"Absolutely not!" Izuku refused vehemently as he put his right hand onto his companion's head and pushed it down slightly, "We have to pay if we ride!" he stated.

"We're wanted bad guys, remember?" Rody pointed out, shoving the One For All inheritor off of him, "It'll be over if somebody recognizes us…" he mentioned, about to run out. However, Blake grabbed him by the back of his hood and yanked him back. "Hey!" he yelped.

"You did buy everything we asked you to, right?" she questioned of him, "Including masks?" she inquired on.

"Uh…" Rody uttered out, scratching at his right cheek, "Yeah, but…" he tried to say as he looked away.

"What's wrong?" Izuku asked.

"Look, if you have them, then hand them over," the cat Faunus insisted, "We'll only look more suspicious if someone sees us up on the roof just along for the ride…" she noted.

"Huh…" Rody ultimately sighed, reaching into his bag, "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn ya…" he remarked.

X

Back in the city, Enji and Ruby arrived at the Otheon Police Headquarters, hoping to get answers as to why Izuku and Blake were being treated as suspects. The latter of the two looked at the officers they passed at their desks, seeing their skeptical glances. Something told her that there was a bigger picture to all this. So she had a plan.

She and the Flame Hero entered the commissioner general's office. And immediately, Enji was quick to snap on him about the situation. As he did, Ruby was glancing around the room for signs of something that would provide some kind of hint.

"That's nonsense!" the Hellflame Quirk user roared angrily as the fire around his body flared slightly, "What evidence is there to support that?!" he questioned on, "Explain everything you have on Deku and Blake, Commissioner General…" he demanded firmly.

"The case against Izuku Midoriya and Blake Belladonna is still pending," the spectacled man seated in front of him responded with tented hands, "I'm afraid I can't discuss any of the finer details with you," he pointed out, "Especially considering you're their current boss and fellow countryman," he mentioned, turning his chair off to the side.

"Tch!" Enji scoffed.

"What about Blake?" Ruby asked, "She's not from this world," she noted as she narrowed her eyes.

"That doesn't absolve her from suspicion," the commissioner general retorted, "As I said, this case against the two suspects is still pending," he pointed out, "When they're brought into custody, we'll be happy to disclose any evidence to you we have," he promised. The Team RWBY leader hummed, remembering what the cat Faunus had said happened with the police. She closed her eyes for a moment to think.

"Alright," she said, "We'll leave it to you for now," she decided, causing Enji to lightly gasp in surprise, "I trust that you'll let us know everything as soon as you can," she affirmed on.

"Of course," the commissioner general assured. With that, the huntress turned around to walk out of the office. The Flame Hero stomped after her, evidently irritated that they hadn't gotten any information during the ordeal. The officers in the room with them led them out.

'Endeavor…' the commissioner general uttered inwardly, 'Japan's number one hero…' he grumbled through his thoughts, 'He's gravely afflicted with stage five…' he noted to himself, 'And as for the otherworlders...' he continued inwardly, 'they're even more susceptible to being worse...' he added to himself. He then opened up one of his desk drawers, revealing a Quirk Doomsday Theory book inside of it. He placed his left hand atop it. 'For humanity's salvation…' he inwardly vowed. Unbeknownst to him, there was a raven perched upon a tree branch by his window, having seen everything. It flew off moments later.

"What the hell was that?!" Enji shouted in question as he and Ruby walked down the city streets, "I thought you wanted to clear their names as soon as possible!" he yelled, causing the silver-eyed huntress to come to a stop and sigh, turning to face him.

"I had a feeling the police are probably in on this," she told him as he blinked in surprise, "But I didn't wanna start throwing around accusations without proof," she mentioned on, "And they don't have any just yet," she added.

"So what did you do?" the Flame Hero asked.

"Had me sneak around and see what's up with the cops," Raven's voice answered as she stepped out from the alley they were next to, causing her boyfriend to lightly gasp in surprise, "You were right, kid," she noted to Ruby, "Top dog's got that freaky book like the blue guy," she pointed out.

"The Quirk Doomsday Theory?" Enji guessed, quite shocked as his eyes widened slightly.

"So right now, we can't trust the police," Ruby confirmed, putting her right hand onto her chin, "That leaves the villain who attacked Deku and Blake…" she noted aloud.

"It's possible that person is an agent of Humarise as well…" the Hellflame Quirk user inferred.

"Whatever the case, we need to meet up with them as soon as possible," the Team RWBY leader declared, "I'd love to make it extra quick by MPG…" she admitted, "but I'd rather not blow their cover until we know it's safe," she told them.

"That's a very sound decision…" Enji pointed out, "You've matured a great deal since Atlas…" he mentioned, causing her to blink in surprise. She glanced down for a moment, balling her hands into fists.

"Well… I don't wanna lose anyone else…" she said solemnly, "I'm gonna head back to the hotel and let them know what we found out," she decided, jogging off, "We'll message you later," she promised as she jogged off.

"She's not the same girl from thirteen years ago," Raven noted, standing beside her boyfriend, "None of those kids are," she mentioned with a shake of her head.

"I guess I'm just shocked at how time changes people…" Enji admitted, closing his hands into fists as his solemn gaze was fixated on the ground beneath his feet. His girlfriend then took his left hand into her right, enticing him to glance over at her. She blushed a little, brushing her hair back behind her right ear.

"It sometimes changes people for the better," she confirmed, giving off a small smile. The Flame Hero smiled back.

"Yes… it does," he agreed. Back at the standby hotel, Raya hadn't been able to sit still, pacing back and forth in front of a nearby window. Shoto was seated at a table, enjoying a quick snack and some tea while reading through a report on a laptop. He glanced back at the Equestrian Magic user, seeing how skittish she was.

"Midoriya and Miss Belladonna will be fine," he assured, getting her attention as she stopped to look over at him, "Being all worked up about them isn't going to help the situation," he pointed out.

"I know… but…" Raya started to say, "I just wish we knew more about the situation…" she admitted, "It feels like there's so much we don't know," she noted in frustration.

"Yeah…" Shoto agreed. Though he didn't outwardly express it, he was frustrated as well about his friend being framed as a criminal. Just then, the doors opened.

"Shoto! Rainbow Ray!" Clair called out as she jogged into the room with a folded piece of paper in her left hand, "I just got this report back from a detective friend of mine," she told them.

"What does it say?" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user asked, standing up from his seat.

"It appears the car you saw was attacked by a Quirk," the Otheon hero answered, recalling how Shoto had helped to put out the fire on the bridge from the car accident, "The strange thing is… the driver was a member of Humarise," Clair mentioned, causing both him and Raya to widen their eyes in shock.

"Wait, Humarise?!" the latter of the two exclaimed.

"Did he survive the accident?!" the former quickly questioned.

"He's comatose and in critical condition," Clair responded, "Police are standing watch outside his room in the ICU," she added.

"Hmm…" Shoto hummed in frustration, "So we can't interrogate him yet…" he realized as he turned away.

"There's one other thing, too," Clair pointed out to the pair of U.A. students, "It looks like the stolen jewelry was left scattered nearby the scene…" she noted, showing them a report with pictures taken in an alleyway, with scattered jewelry and an image of a suitcase.

"Huh? But why?" Shoto wondered aloud.

"Maybe Miss Schnee was onto something when she said there could've been a switch…" Raya suggested, putting her left hand onto her chin, blinking in realization as she lightly gasped, "Do you think that the case Izuku and Blake have might be from that Humarise guy?!" she inquired, causing both Clair and Shoto to widen their eyes in surprise. Before either of them could respond, the latter felt his phone ping in his pocket, enticing him to pull it out.

"It's a message from Midoriya," he said upon seeing the notification on the screen.

"What does he say?" Clair asked as she and Raya looked over his shoulders at the notification.

"'Keep eating lunch with strawberries and make sure you eat the dinner in the fridge, too'," Shoto read off, "Why is he telling me what to eat? This is odd…" he wondered aloud.

"Wait…" Raya said, "Look at how the message is arranged…" she pointed out, noticing how it was split unlike a normal text message.

"This must be some kind of code," Clair concluded.

"Ah!" Shoto lightly gasped in realization, "Clever…" he said, looking at the first characters on each line of text, "K-L-A-Y-D…" he spelled out.

"What does this mean?" the Voyance Quirk user inquired after a moment, "Did he and Blake flee to the neighboring country of Klayd?" she assumed, looking over to the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user.

"If not yet, they must be heading there," he concluded as he narrowed his eyes, "Which means we're going, too," he decided, putting his phone away and walking off.

"Right!" Raya agreed, jogging after him.

"Alright then," Clair said, "I'll update Endeavor," she assured to the departing pair of students. The sliding doors to the room opened, with Katsuki about to enter. However, he was caught off guard as Shoto walked up to him.

"Bakugo, come with us," he requested, grabbing him by his right arm and dragging him off.

"Get your hands off me!" he yelled, while Raya nervously chuckled. Moments later, they made their way outside the hotel. A few officers were lurking around the corner, eyeing the trio as they walked out into the streets. "It's about Deku, huh?" the Explosion Quirk user guessed.

"Kinda…" the Equestrian Magic user responded.

"We'll explain later," Shoto promised, glancing back to see the officers sneaking out from the alley they had been lurking in, "First, let's lose the police…" he advised.

"Don't order me around…" Katsuki growled back. Just then, the three student heroes heard a trio of thuds. They turned around to see the officers lying unconscious upon the ground, with Natalie and Maki standing over them.

"Uh… whoopsie…" the latter of the two uttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Wh…What the hell are you doing, you damn gorilla cyclops?!" the Explosion Quirk user asked frantically and angrily.

"Who're you calling a gorilla cyclops, you stupid stick of dynamite?!" the second-generation fire soldier spat back. They exchanged growls and angered glares all the while.

"You're going after Deku and Miss B, right?" Natalie assumed, approaching Shoto and Raya.

"We're not gonna stop you or Miss Oze from coming along," the Equestrian Magic assured with a grin.

"Yeah, the more help, the better," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user affirmed, "Although…" he continued, glancing back towards the unconscious police officers, "we probably shouldn't make this situation worse than it already is…" he noted.

"Don't worry about it," another voice chimed in, belonging to Ruby as she jogged over alongside Weiss and Yang.

"Why not?" Raya asked.

"Let's just say the cops in this country aren't going to be willing to work with us, no matter what we do," the Team RWBY leader answered.

"We'll explain more on the way," Yang promised as she helped Natalie take the unconscious officers back into the alley.

"For now, it's just a road trip to find Izuku and Blake," Weiss affirmed.

"Wait, why the hell aren't we using our MPGs to find 'em?" Katsuki asked, chiming into the conversation.

"Because we don't know whether or not Midoriya's made it out of the country yet," Shoto answered, "Right?" he inquired of the ex-heiress, who nodded.

"Let's hurry," she insisted, "Something tells me that every minute counts," she mentioned seriously.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed.

X

Inside the bus traveling along the road, Izuku pulled out the battery to his phone, stuffing it into his pocket. He knew that if he had to give some sort of message out to the others, it couldn't be explicit. Otherwise, he'd be jeopardizing both himself and the people he was in close contact with.

'I hope Todoroki and the others figure out my code…' he said to himself, 'What secret is hidden inside that case?' he wondered as his eyes narrowed onto the bag that Rody had, which was carrying the case in question.

"Huh…" Blake sighed, sitting next to him and getting his attention.

"Is… everything okay?" he asked quietly.

"Well…" she uttered out, wearing a sparkly pink face mask that had cartoonish cats and 'GANRIKI NEKO' written upon it, "it could be worse…" she grumbled out. Beside her, Izuku had a regular medical face mask. After deciding that they would take the bus to Klayd, they needed an extra form of disguise in order to better conceal their faces. Fortunately, Rody had gotten them masks. However, there was only one medical one. The other… wound up having to go to Blake.

"I… wouldn't have minded wearing that mask instead…" the One For All inheritor noted to her.

"No, no… it's fine…" she assured with another sigh, "If anyone asks, I'll just say I'm a big fan or whatever…" she muttered.

"We really shouldn't have gotten on like this…" Rody quietly pointed out nearby, getting their attentions. Fortunately, he didn't need to wear a mask since he wasn't pictured in the report broadcast. But he was still a little antsy about being on a mode of public transportation, especially with people who could've easily known about the situation at hand throughout the bus.

"Somebody could've noticed if we were just on the roof, you know…" Izuku chimed in quietly, "We can't leave anything up to chance…" he insisted firmly.

"Hey, you two are the ones who dragged me into this!" Rody whispered back, "I want nothing to do with this stupid case…" he grumbled.

"Both of you, knock it off…" Blake advised seriously.

"Ah, young ones…" an elderly woman seated across from them said, getting their attentions, "They bicker all the time, don't they?" she assumed.

"Uh…" the cat Faunus uttered, followed by faking a laugh, "Oh, you know how boys will be boys!" she remarked, wrapping her arms around the two teens beside her, "My kids are just a little quieter about it…" she pointed out.

'K-Kids?!' Izuku stammered inwardly.

'Oh great, the alibi…' Rody muttered to himself, rolling his eyes.

"You seemed to have packed quite the amount of luggage…" the elderly woman noted, "What's the occasion?" she inquired curiously.

"We're out for a fishing trip at our summer home," Blake answered quickly, "My husband broke a couple of his rods, so we brought extras," she pointed out, patting the bag Rody was holding, "Along with plenty of extra supplies!" she added excitedly.

"Wow, a fishing trip?" another woman chimed in curiously upon overhearing, "That sounds lovely!" she pointed out.

"And rare," a man dressed in a suit mentioned, "I can't remember the last time I saw a family going on a fishing trip…" he remembered, earning chuckles from some the riders.

"Are your boys good fishermen themselves?" the elderly woman asked of Blake.

"Oh, my youngest is practically perfect when it comes to reeling them in," she replied while holding an embarrassed and nervous Izuku close, "He and I might be under the weather, but we're still ready to bring home a bunch of fish!" she affirmed confidently with a pump of her fist.

'What is happening right now…?' Rody wondered inwardly out of annoyance.

"And what about you, young man?" the elderly woman asked, causing him to perk up.

"Oh, uh… well…" he stammered, "I know my way around a line or two…" he admitted as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "But… uh…" he tried to continue, sweating a little.

"He's great at scrounging up bait and cooking the fish for us," Blake finished for him, "If not for him, my husband would've been burning our catch every day," she pointed out, "Though that's not to say I'm any better!" she mentioned, sharing a laugh with more of the riders.

"Ahahaha…" Izuku managed to chuckle out, while Rody let off a little smile. Though they were just pretending, it was maybe a tad bit fun to play the parts. The brunette-haired young man reached into his hoodie, pulling out a locket he had. He popped it open to find a small picture of him and his siblings together, smiling widely as they were pressed up against each other while having pork chops for dinner. Pino flew just above them.

'Family, huh?' Rody uttered inwardly, sighing as he thought of how Roro and Lala were doing without him. As he glanced off to the side though, he noticed a bearded man looking at him skeptically. He immediately looked away with a grimace.

"What's your husband like anyway?" one woman inquired curiously.

"Oh, he's a bit rugged around the edges…" Blake admitted, not noticing Rody starting to sweat a little, "but he and the boys love to fish, especially together," she pointed out, "Heck, since I'm a pescatarian, they always try to scrounge up something for me," she mentioned cheekily.

"Oh, that's so thoughtful!" another woman gushed, "I hope he knows just how much you love him and your boys!" she added happily.

"I'm sure he does…" the disguised cat Faunus affirmed. Meanwhile, Rody looked back toward where he had spotted the bearded man staring at him from the back of the bus. He got up from his seat and walked over.

"You folks said you're goin' fishin', right?" he inquired, causing Blake and Izuku to perk up as they looked over to see him grab onto the railing beside their brunette-haired companion, "Mind if I take a look at the rods?" he requested.

"Uh…" Rody uttered, "Well… there's a lot of stuff in here…" he noted, holding onto his bag protectively in his arms, "Clothes, supplies…" he listed off, "I don't really wanna go through the whole thing just to pull out some rods for ya…" he noted with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Come on…" the bearded man insisted, leaning closer, "It's just one quick look…" he pointed out.

"Excuse me, can you leave my son alone?" Blake requested firmly, "We're not going to show our fishing rods to a complete stranger," she affirmed, narrowing her eyes.

"Except there aren't any fishing rods, are there?" he guessed, causing her, Izuku, and Rody to widen their eyes, "Now open it," he demanded, grabbing the bag.

"Ah, hey!" the brunette-haired young man yelped, trying to yank it back into his grasp.

"What in the world?" the suited man from earlier said, while other riders looked on curiously.

"Hey, let him go!" one woman shouted. The struggle between the bearded man and Rody continued. Ultimately, the former snatched the bag away. The latter tried to get up and grab it, only for the thief to put his left hand onto his face and shove him back down onto his seat hard. Onlookers gasped.

"Heh," the bearded man chuckled, not noticing someone approaching him, "That'll teach ya to mess with—" A fist slammed into his throat, causing him to gasp for air. Everyone widened their eyes in shock. Dropping the bag and stumbling back, the man looked to see that it was Blake who had struck him. And her eyes were burning with anger.

"Don't touch my son…" she snarled.

"You little…!" the man growled, lunging out at her. She went ahead and ducked under his right hook, followed by landing a straight punch to his stomach. He stumbled back, allowing her to run forward and kick him down onto the floor with a flip, getting back onto her feet. She then noticed two other men get up from their seats, with one having spiky brown hair, while the other was bald and bulky.

"Oh great…" she grumbled, adjusting her neck with a crick. She hopped to the side and leapt off of the window as some nearby women yelped in surprise, seeing her swing around a pole and kick the spiky-haired man into his partner. He shoved him aside, punching his left hand before lunging out at the cat Faunus. She ducked, letting him slam his fist against the metal pole.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he screamed in pain before getting punched multiple times in the face by Blake, causing his nose to start bleeding. His spiky-haired partner drew a switchblade, attempting to stab her from behind. She perked up in the nick of time though, using a shadow clone to take the attack as she slid to the side.

"The hell?!" the spiky-haired man yelped, followed by taking a left hook to the head as he stumbled back. The disguised cat Faunus thought it was nearly over, only to be proven wrong as the bulky bald man grabbed her from behind, lifting her off of the floor as she flailed her legs. Meanwhile, the other two attackers were starting to get back up.

"M…Mom!" Izuku stammered out, trying to keep up the act while also wanting to help. However, he saw her shake her head, not wanting to involve him in the scuffle.

"Hold her there!" the spiky-haired man insisted, "I'll slice her stomach wide open!" he declared as he rushed out with his switchblade at the ready. Steeling herself, Blake slammed the back of her head against the bald man holding her, causing his grip to loosen. She then followed by flipping back over him and kicking the spiky-haired man away, losing her hat and mask in the process. Making a three-point landing, she looked up and glared at her three foes.

"Get that bitch!" the bearded man of the trio yelled commandingly. He and his partners rushed the cat Faunus, who stood up and ran toward them. She ducked under the bald man's right hook, used a shadow clone to avoid getting slashed by the spiky-haired man's switchblade, and then went ahead and landed another ferocious punch straight to the bearded man's gut, knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for air, the huntress landed several quick jabs to his body before punching him down to the floor again.

"Damn you!" the spiky-haired man yelled, attempting to stab her from behind with his knife. Her cat ears stuck up in alarm as she lightly gasped, moving aside. She then grabbed his arm and elbowed it hard, causing there to be an audible crack. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" the man screamed before he was kicked down to the floor, being rendered unconscious. That left the bulky bald man as the last one. Blake heard him growl.

"Please don't…" she pleaded with a shake of her head.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared, lunging out at her. With a deep sigh, she used a shadow clone to avoid him grabbing her, followed by kicking him squarely the crotch from behind. He squeaked in pain as any man nearby winced. The cat Faunus then grabbed him by the back of his head, slamming him against a pole to effectively knock him out. She breathed heavily as she looked back at the trio of hoodlums she just dealt with, followed by looking to the rest of the bus passengers.

"Uh…" she uttered out, "We'll get off at the next stop…" she promised. To her surprise, she was met with applause from some of the women around her.

"That was remarkable!" one complimented.

"Indeed!" the elderly one agreed, "No hero can outmatch a mother's wrath, it seems!" she remarked.

"Totally!" another woman concurred with a nod, "That was so brave of you to protect your son…" she pointed out.

"Oh… thank you…" the cat Faunus said in gratitude, looking over to Izuku and Rody, "You two okay?" she asked of them. The One For All inheritor's eyes were sparkling. He had just seen one of his idols singlehandedly deal with three men, all while not even needing to use her Gambol Shroud.

And Rody… was left awed. He didn't think Blake was much of a fighter based on how he first saw her back in the city during their chase. Heck, he assumed that all she could do was wield her weapon and shoot. But now, he saw that she was a force to be reckoned with.

"Uh… yeah…" he said with a simple nod. He then heard cooing next to him, causing him to turn and see Pino peeking out from his hood. She was staring intently at the cat Faunus as a blush was forming upon her cheeks. Grimacing in realization, Rody immediately pulled his hood down over her so that the huntress wouldn't see. No one realized that there was a spectacled chubby man who was trembling in fright near the back of the bus, holding up his phone as it had the news details about Blake being a mass murderer.

"Hm," another person at the back of the bus chuckled, standing up, "Not bad, sweetheart," he remarked, getting the cat Faunus' attention along with those near her, "But those guys were just the appetizers…" he pointed out, sauntering over.

"Huh…" Blake sighed deeply, "Look, pal…" she began, "you saw what happened to your friends, right?" she assumed, gesturing toward the downed men, "I really don't think you'll be any different…" she pointed out with a shake of her head.

"That so, huh?" the hoodlum questioned back as he smirked. Meanwhile, Izuku blinked and narrowed his eyes. For some reason, the man seemed familiar. And his suspicions were confirmed once he covered his right arm in a cone-shaped blade, much to the cat Faunus' surprise.

"Watch out!" the One For All inheritor screamed. Blake was quick to duck from the man's blade, jumping back to avoid his swipes. He attempted to pierce her from above, but she used a shadow clone to slide back, causing him to run his blade through the floor. In doing so, he accidentally cut off a few tubes underneath the bus, making fluid spill out. Up front, the driver was hitting the brake, only for his vehicle to not slow down.

"The brakes are out!" he screamed, causing his passengers to gasp in fright.

"Aw crap…" Rody shuddered out. Izuku knew that he needed to do something. Even if he had to stay low with Blake for the time being, he couldn't just let innocent people die. He quickly reached into the cat Faunus' bag, pulling out her Gambol Shroud.

"Miss Belladonna!" he yelled, getting her attention. He tossed the weapon toward her, allowing her to catch it as she used the cleaver to block Swordkil's blade as sparks flew out.

"So much for cover…" Rody muttered. He then noticed Izuku taking out one of the emergency exit windows. "Hey, what the heck are you doing?!" he questioned frantically.

"I'm gonna try and slow this thing down!" the One For All inheritor responded, tossing his hat back over to him, "You protect the passengers!" he requested before jumping out.

"How?!" the brunette-haired young man asked aloud. He didn't get an answer as Izuku turned in midair to face the runaway bus. Black energy tendrils with a teal outline emerged from his arms.

"Blackwhip!" he exclaimed, having the tendrils shoot out and wrap around the bus. Clenching his teeth together, he pulled on it as hard as he could as he started getting dragged along the road, losing his mask in the process. Thankfully, the road wasn't busy enough to warrant any immediate concern. But the bus was getting closer to a nearby town.

Back inside, Blake drew her katana, using it to clash against her foe's blades with her cleaver. Rody was frantically guiding people away from their fight, looking back every few seconds to see how the cat Faunus was doing. She was holding her own, but Swordkil was managing to nick her a couple of times. He seemed to be overpowering her as he was pushing her back, sneering in her face.

"How's this for a fight, sweetheart?!" he yelled out, "Maybe you'll think twice about messing with the big guns!" he remarked on. However, he blinked in surprise to see her pull the trigger of her Gambol Shroud's katana. All of a sudden, a shadow clone of yellow electricity to took her place, zapping him as he yelped in surprise. Blake had gotten around behind him, using her weapon's ribbon to wrap around his neck, trying to asphyxiate him.

"Please don't make this difficult…!" she insisted through a grunt.

"Fat chance…!" Swordkil growled, ready to slash the ribbon off, "You're gonna need a lot more than that to—!" Without warning, he was hit upside the head by the case, falling unconscious onto the floor. Blake blinked in surprise, looking over to see a trembling Rody holding it in his arms.

"Thanks, kid…" she breathed out in gratitude.

"Uh, y-yeah, no problem…" he stammered as a reply, sheepishly grinning. At that moment though, they both stumbled as the bus had gone over a speed bump, causing the passengers to yelp in surprise. Izuku grimaced.

'Come on, Blackwhip!' he pleaded to his power, having more energy tendrils latch onto the vehicle, 'Bring this thing to a stop!' he insisted inwardly. Inside, Blake looked to see what the One For All inheritor was doing. She then blinked in realization.

"Turn the bus into an alley!" she yelled to the driver, "We should slow down!" she affirmed to him.

"O-Okay!" he stuttered, turning the wheel as quickly as he could. The bus swerved into an alley. Its walls closed in on it, causing it to slow down as sparks were flying out from its sides. Everyone inside held onto the poles and handles for dear life, hoping that they would be alright. Ultimately, the bus finally slowed down to a stop.

"Huh…" Blake sighed in relief, sheathing her katana into her cleaver, "Is everyone okay?" she asked of the other passengers.

"Y-Yes, thank you!" one woman stammered in gratitude.

"You were amazing back there…" another man pointed out as a compliment.

"Uh… how are we supposed to get out now?" the chubby man near the back of the bus asked. As if on cue, the back window of the bus was yanked off by the black tendrils coming from Izuku, who gently set it aside.

"This way, everyone," he beckoned, "One at a time, please," he requested politely. The chubby man paled, recognizing him as the other supposed murderer from the news report he had been reading.

"Huh…" Rody sighed after everyone exited the bus, "I told you we should've hopped on top…" he muttered quietly, getting Izuku and Blake's attentions.

"We didn't know there'd be thieves in the bus…" the former of the two Omni Force members pointed out as a retort, glancing back to see the four hoodlums they had tied up, "Could there have been a bounty out for us?" he wondered aloud.

"Maybe…" the cat Faunus replied, putting her left hand onto her chin.

"Yeah, it's definitely them…" a voice murmured from nearby them, causing her cat ears to stick up in alarm, "They were sitting with us on the bus…" the chubby man noted, sweating a little as he was on his phone, "Uh… we were heading to the border of Klayd…" he pointed out, "But I'm not sure where—" All of a sudden, the phone was yanked out of his hand. "Ah, hey!" he yelped, seeing that it was the elderly woman from earlier.

"Please forgive my grandson," she apologized as she held the phone up to her ear, "He must've been seeing things like he always seems to do…" she pointed out, "There's been no criminal activity from where we are at the moment," she affirmed, "Thank you," she said, ending the call afterward.

"Wh-What do you think you're doing, lady?!" the chubby man stammered, "Those two people are mass murderers!" he frantically noted as he pointed toward Izuku and Blake.

"Supposedly…" the elderly woman corrected, "Haven't you heard the phrase 'innocent until proven guilty'?" she inquired on as she shoved his phone onto his chest, causing him to flinch a little.

"Yeah!" another woman agreed, "Why would they even bother saving us if they were really criminals on the run?!" she inquired aloud.

"Well… uh…" the chubby man stuttered, trying to come up with an explanation.

"Wait… you know who we are?" Blake questioned as she approached. The elderly woman smiled.

"That report's been on the news all day, dearie," she pointed out, "But I can't imagine someone sticking their neck out the way you did today to protect us," she mentioned firmly.

"She's right," the suited man from earlier agreed, getting the attention of the cat Faunus, "I'd say that you and those boys you're with saved us today," he noted, "As far as I'm concerned, you're not what the news says you are," he said. Blake smiled with gratitude.

"Thank you so much," she responded politely as she bowed to them, "I promise we'll be out of your hair soon," she vowed.

"If the police show up, we'll tell them that we didn't see you," one woman assured, "I hope your names get cleared soon!" she added. From afar, Izuku sighed with relief. Already, the trip was proving to be difficult. But there was some sense of achievement from it. At least for the moment.

In the meantime, Rody opened the locket he had and exhaled. This was already a trying day for him. And he could only hope that his own family was okay…

X

After leaving the scene and wandering around town in search of a place to spend the night, the fugitive trio found themselves on a grassy hill. Izuku and Blake had reclaimed their hats, being the ones looking around for signs of anywhere they could stay. Rody trudged after them, noticing a nearby telephone beside a building. As much as he wanted to avoid getting the Omni Force members in more trouble, he had more pressing things on his mind.

"Hey uh…" he chimed in, getting their attentions, "you mind if I run and make a call real quick?" he requested, pointing towards the telephone.

"Oh, sure," the One For All inheritor responded as he turned to him, "They didn't have anything about you on TV, so you should be okay to show your face," he noted.

"Try to make it short though…" the cat Faunus insisted.

"Got it," their brunette-haired companion replied, jogging off.

"Huh…" Blake sighed, "With what we're going through, I can only imagine how stressed and panicked he must be…" she pointed out, causing Izuku to look over at her, "We need to get to Klayd as soon as possible," she affirmed, "For both our sakes and his," she added seriously.

"Right," the freckled teen agreed. At the phone booth, Rody held up the receiver to his ear as he dialed the number. It rang for a few moments before a sound of a click went off, causing him to perk up.

"Stanley here," the voice of the barkeep greeted.

"Yo, old man," the brunette-haired teen said.

"That you, Rody?" the barkeep guessed.

"Yeah, sorry to call you out of the blue…" he apologized in advance, putting his right hand up to his head, "But can you swing by my house and tell my little brother and little sister that I won't be home for a while?" he requested, knowing that they'd have to get by without him for hopefully not too long, "I'll pay you later, promise," he vowed assuredly.

"YOU IDIOT!" Stanley shouted into the receiver, making Rody wince. At the bar itself, his outburst caused some patrons and employees to look over at him skeptically, making him flinch. "I have no obligation to do you favors…" he grumbled quietly into his phone as he awkwardly turned away, "And besides, I got a complaint saying the big delivery was never made…" he mentioned.

"Things went south…" the brunette-haired teen claimed in response.

"No excuses!" the barkeep shouted back through the receiver.

"It's not my fault!" Rody yelled.

"If you don't wanna die, then hurry up and deliver the goods! Got it?!" Stanley demanded, hanging up just a second later.

"…Huh…" Rody exhaled in defeat, "I don't have the goods…" he muttered out, "DAMMIT!" he yelled, slamming the receiver down onto its hook. Just as he did, Izuku and Blake had come over, taking notice of his slight outburst.

"Hey, is everything okay?" the former of the two Omni Force members asked.

"Heh…" the brunette-haired young man sarcastically chuckled, "Oh yeah. Life couldn't be any better…" he muttered out as he turned to face his companions, giving off a small grin. The One For All inheritor blinked in confusion, while the cat Faunus had a worried expression upon her face. She knew that Rody was faking his smile.

Elsewhere on a train, Katsuki, Raya, Shoto, Natalie, Maki, Ruby, Weiss and Yang were gathered in a room together, dressed in casual outfits. As the group had collectively decided to go out in search of their comrades, they also were quick to exchange any and all information they gathered. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user was first to tell the group about his theory behind why Izuku and Blake were being targeted.

"Huh," Katsuki huffed, "So, you think that the cases got switched like Schnee said?" he assumed, crouched back against the wall.

"Yes," Shoto replied, "The jewelry store was robbed by a villain," he pointed out with his arms folded over his chest, "But Midoriya thinks there was some kind of mix-up in the street," he mentioned.

"So the one he and Blake have now used to belong to a Humarise member," Raya chimed in, "With no jewelry," she added.

"And that's probably the reason the police are chasing them," Katsuki inferred as he stood up, "Morons…" he muttered out. That little remark earned himself a bonk to the head from Yang's prosthetic fist. "Hey!" he yelped angrily, seeing her teasingly stick her tongue out at him.

"Hmm…" Weiss hummed, putting her right hand onto her chin, "In the case of there being a mix-up, along with the fact that the jewelry was recovered," she started to note, "how come the police haven't cleared Izuku and Blake by now?" she inquired curiously.

"Well, they're still fugitives for the moment…" Ruby pointed out in reply, "And if they're carrying something that belongs to a Humarise member, they probably think it's something really incriminating," she added as part of her explanation.

"But how did they even know the guy from the accident was a Humarise member in the first place?" the ex-heiress questioned on.

"Yeah, that's a good point…" Maki said as she narrowed her eyes.

"You guys think this whole thing with Humarise might be going deeper than we imagined?" Natalie assumed.

"Possibly…" Shoto replied, "I'm guessing… whatever Midoriya and Miss Belladonna are carrying around is important to them," he inferred, "Question is, why are the police mobilizing on such a large scale?" he wondered aloud.

"Unfortunately, the answer's clear as day…" Yang chimed in, "Isn't that right, Ruby?" she inquired of her little sister.

"Yeah," she responded with a simple nod.

"Humarise members have infiltrated the police force…" Katsuki realized.

"Yeah…" Shoto confirmed, "And there's no telling when they'll make their allegiances known…" he pointed out additionally, "We have to be careful," he insisted as their train raced along the tracks.

"I'll do what I want…" the Explosion Quirk user grumbled out.

"Wait a sec…" Maki chimed in, "why aren't we just going to them by MPG again?" she inquired curiously.

"There's a couple reasons…" Weiss replied, "For one, with Kronos involved with Humarise based on the fact that Grimm are here," she began explaining, "it's possible that they'll be able to detect any MPG movements," she told the group.

"They could also catch wind of communications, so that's a no-go either," Ruby mentioned.

"So it's only a last resort…" Raya realized.

"Doesn't matter," Katsuki remarked, getting their attentions as they looked over to him in surprise, "We'll get to Deku and Belladonna in time," he affirmed confidently.

"That's right, Explosion Boy!" Yang agreed, patting him on the head to his embarrassment, "They'll be A-okay one we're there!" she vowed.

"ST-STOP TOUCHING ME!" the Explosion Quirk user stammered out as a blush dusted his cheeks.

"What about the other reason we can't go them right now?" Natalie inquired of the Team RWBY members.

"Blowing their cover, pretty much," Weiss answered, "But don't worry," she assured to the hybrid Fire Dragon Slayer, "Izuku's gonna be just fine with Blake by his side," she promised. Natalie gave off a small smile, feeling a bit reassured.

"Hmm…" Maki hummed worriedly.

"Something wrong?" Shoto asked upon overhearing her.

"Well… what about the guy Izuku said they were with?" she inquired, "What if he gets them in trouble?" she questioned on.

"If that happens, Midoriya will find a way out of it," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user affirmed in response, "He always does," he mentioned with a small smile, which Maki returned as she giggled a little.

X

Later that night, the trio of fugitives had finally found a place to lay low for the time being. They discovered an abandoned barn out in the fields near the town, deciding to spend the night there. Inside, Izuku was seated upon the hay, looking through a map of Otheon in a magazine as a lamp was lit next to him, allowing him to see where they were.

"That's not great…" he said after a moment, "It doesn't look like there's anything crossing the border from here…" he pointed out, "We'll have to borrow a vehicle of some sort tomorrow," he concluded for the group, "Otherwise, we'll be stuck walking…" he mentioned grimly. Hearing that, Rody perked up in surprise.

"Walking?" he repeated, "You're crazy!" he exclaimed, sitting up from the hay, "Did you forget how heavy this thing is?" he questioned, referring to the case that was lying between them, with Pino sitting atop it.

"If you get tired, I can just carry you on my back," Izuku noted, causing the brunette-haired teen to blink in surprise, "After all, that's what strength is for, right?" he assumed, holding up his scarred right fist, "Helpin' people out whenever they're in trouble!" he proclaimed. Rody gave off a blank, almost annoyed expression.

"Heh…" he laughed, lying back down on the hay and turning away, "Maybe fix our current situation rather than treating me like a backpack…" he remarked to the One For All inheritor.

"Oh, we will, I promise," he affirmed in response, looking back at the map. As he did, Rody frowned, while Pino glanced over at the freckled teen curiously. She then took notice of Blake, who was already asleep as she was sitting against the wall.

The pink bird then flew off of the case over to her, perching herself upon the cat Faunus' head. She cooed contently as she nestled down, closing her eyes. Taking notice, Izuku let out a small laugh.

"I guess your bird really likes her," he noted, causing Rody to perk up. He glanced back and grimaced in embarrassment to see Pino perched atop Blake, snoozing soundly. A blush streaked across his cheeks.

"Uh… yeah…" he said, turning his head away. The light from the crescent moon above beamed into the barn later as everyone inside slept. The brunette-haired young man was still worried about his siblings. Them being on their own wasn't something he was comfortable with, especially considering how they ended up orphaned in the first place…

FLASHBACK

"Time for takeoff!" a young Rody exclaimed, holding up a toy plane while carrying an infant Lala on his back thanks to a child carrier. He was running about the front yard of their house with Roro and a few other boys, playing along as he made noises mimicking the sounds of an aircraft.

"Let me, big brother!" his little brother insisted, hopping up and down as he reached for the toy plane.

"Here you go," Rody said, handing Roro his toy. He then went ahead and tucked his hands under his brother's armpits, puffing his cheeks before managing to lift him up off of the ground, much to everyone's amazement.

"You're so lucky!" one boy nearby exclaimed.

"Lift me up next!" another insisted.

"Then me!" one more added excitedly. All the while, Rody's face was burning red as he was struggling to keep Roro up. His giggling baby sister wasn't helping, smacking his cheek with her little hand.

"Wow, Rody!" a voice exclaimed, causing him to slowly turn his reddening head. He gasped happily upon seeing who it was coming through the front gate. It was a middle-aged man with scruffy brown hair like his, though much darker and shorter.

"Dad! Welcome back!" Rody greeted, seeing him approach.

"Hey there, kiddos!" he greeted back with a warm smile. Later that evening, he cooked a very large seafood dish, enjoying it with his children while also feeding Lala with her baby bottle. Rody was telling him and Roro a story, laughing along with them happily.

A little while later, the eldest of the household was playing with a small puzzle game he had been given upon the couch. However, he was struggling with figuring out what to change and what not to. His little brother watched nearby as he growled in frustration.

"What's the deal? Why is the puzzle you brought home so hard?" he asked of his father, who was cradling a sleeping Lala in his arms, "How am I supposed to solve this thing?" he questioned on, holding the contraption in his right hand. His father chuckled.

"I'll help, but I'm only giving you one hint," he affirmed, standing up from his seat. With his assistance, he managed to twist, turn, and set certain pieces of the puzzle in place. He then handed back to his eldest son. "You should be able to figure it out from here if you keep trying," he affirmed. Rody fiddled with the contraption as he stuck his tongue out to the side. He finally managed to get it open, smiling with pride. But then he noticed what was inside. He let it plop into his right hand, being a gold locket.

"Dad… this is yours…" he pointed out, seeing the engraving upon it.

"It's a present," his father said, causing him to perk up in surprise, "Thanks for always taking care of Roro and Lala," he noted gratefully, "You're a good brother, Rody," he added. His eldest son beamed at the praise, as his eyes sparkled while a blush dusted his cheeks, making him chuckle. Life couldn't be any better with such a great family. At least… until it wasn't…

"I heard the father abandoned them…"

"It's worse… He became a member of Humarise…"

"That group that thinks Quirks are a sickness? Ugh… they're wackjobs…"

"They were behind that incident the other day…"

"Wasn't the dad a famous engineer though? I never would've seen this coming…"

"Kids, I don't want you to play with them anymore. Who knows what they might've picked up from him…"

"Okay…"

"Let's go to the park!"

"Yeah!"

That was all Rody heard. Without even an explanation, his father left the family one day. The reason why was even more jarring, as he was supposedly enlisted as a member of the terrorist organization that wanted to eliminate Quirks.

None of his three children could understand why, after so many years, he'd abandon them to become part of something so heinous. To make it even worse, they wound up on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse. Their home was ransacked and vandalized to the point where they couldn't live there anymore. Their friends were instructed were to no longer play with them, for fear that they could be brought into some sort of scheme. Their lives were changed forever…

Rody stared solemnly at the trailer home that would be where he and his siblings would live for the time being. All this time… with all the respect and admiration he had for his father, he didn't know what to think of his decision. He held up the locket he had been gifted with… and threw it onto the ground, breaking the chain upon it. Roro and Lala whimpered and sniffled, unable to comprehend what was happening to them. Their elder brother crouched down and wrapped his arms around them for an embrace.

"Brother…" they whimpered out.

"We'll be fine," he assured to them, "I'll always stay with you, okay?" he promised, "You'll never have to worry about me…" he vowed firmly.

END FLASHBACK

Since then, Rody had always made his siblings his top priority. It was why he did whatever dirty work he had to do in order to get money for them. He opened his eyes, seeing the moonlight beam down through the holes in the roof of the barn. He glanced over to see Izuku still sleeping beside him, with his right hand upon the briefcase. Blake was still seated off to the side and snoozing soundly.

The brunette-haired young man sat up and took hold of the case. He saw the One For inheritor stir momentarily, but he stayed asleep as he pulled the case out gently, letting his hand plop down. Rody stared at it for a moment in thought, remembering what he had been told by his companion.

'If this case is related to some sort of crime, we can't give it to the bad guys,' Izuku's voice echoed in his head, 'We might accidentally be helping out real villains…' he had pointed out. As much as he hated having to essentially betray the trust of his companions, the brunette-haired young man knew what he needed to do. And that was to be there for his family.

He slowly stood up and backed away cautiously, not wanting to wake either Izuku or Blake. But before he could even do anything, Pino started chirping angrily behind him as she flapped her wings to stay airborne. He whipped around in alarm, realizing that she could wake the others up.

"Shh!" he shushed with a finger to his lips. He knew that his bird was trying to plead with him not to give up the case. But he wasn't willing to listen, ducking around her and running off outside into the fields. A little while later, he was in a telephone booth on the side of a dirt road, hearing the ring of the receiver before someone picked up. "Hello?" he said. Back in the barn, Blake stirred as she could hear the panicked chirping of Pino, who was flying out right in front of her. She slowly opened her eyes to see her there.

"Hey…" she uttered in greeting, letting out a yawn, "Is something the matter…?" she guessed, rubbing her tired eyes. She then looked over and saw that not only Rody was gone, but so was the case. "Oh no…!" she gasped out, quickly getting to her feet and going over to Izuku, "Izuku, wake up!" she insisted, shaking him by his shoulder while Pino chirped in his face. He opened his own eyes after a moment.

"What's happening…?" he asked, only to find that the case that was beside him was gone.

"He must've taken off with it…" the cat Faunus assumed, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"But he left his bird behind…" the One For All inheritor pointed out, while Pino kept chirping with panic, "What could he be trying do?" he wondered aloud. At that moment, Blake blinked in realization.

"He wouldn't…" she grumbled out, quickly going over to grab her Gambol Shroud from her bag before hurrying off out of the barn with it, as Izuku and Pino went after her, as the former gathered their bags. The bird flew out ahead of the Omni Force members, guiding them through the fields. Elsewhere, Rody was looking at the picture in his locket while waiting, seated upon a rock.

After getting in touch with someone to inform them about the briefcase, he had been told to sit tight and wait. He then heard a helicopter approaching from above, enticing him to look up and see its spotlights beaming down on him. He stood up and waved his arms to signal to them. A moment after the aircraft landed, a figure hopped out. Rody couldn't tell who he was because of the lights beaming on him.

"Are you with the police?" he inquired, holding his arms up to brace himself from the lights.

"Hand over the package," the approaching man requested. Rather than try to talk things over, Rody picked up the briefcase and tossed it over, allowing him to catch it.

"So yeah…" he said as sweat beads formed upon his forehead, "This means I'm free to bounce, right?" he assumed, seeing the man check the case's contents before closing it. He set it aside, continuing his approach.

"Where're your friends?" he asked, stepping forward. Rody could finally see him in full. He was a somewhat slim man with long hair, red skin, sunken eyes and a thin moustache. He also had several traits that resembled a Japanese Oni, including an underbite with two sharp teeth poking out from his lower jaw, and a pointed horn protruding from the middle of his forehead that curved upwards and sharp fingernails. By all accounts, he didn't look like he was with the police. "You three know, don't you?" he assumed, suddenly transforming his left arm into a spiked club as the brunette-haired young man gasped in shock, "You must've figured out by now the reason we're after the briefcase!" he proclaimed with his voice getting deeper.

His entire body transformed, ripping off the upper half of his outfit. He had gained a large amount of muscle mass, as well as a significant amount of belly fat. His skin turned a darker red and sprouted two larger horns from the sides of his head, while his teeth and jaws had grown as well. A panicked Rody stepped back in fright.

"No, we…" he tried to say, "we haven't got a clue!" he yelled as the transformed man continued his approach. The brunette-haired young man fell onto his bottom in a yelp, grimacing all the while. "Please, my brother and sister need me back!" he pleaded desperately to the Oni-like man, "They're only kids!" he pointed out, "Just let me go home!" he begged, bracing himself as the villain raised his right arm up, about to strike him. All of a sudden though, a familiar black ribbon wrapped around his arm, yanking it back.

"Wh…What the?!" the monstrous man yelped, glancing behind himself to see Blake there with her Gambol Shroud in hand, holding both the katana and the ribbon tightly. He growled, ready to rip the ribbon off. But without warning, a rush of pressurized air slammed against him from the side, making him yelp in pain. It was courtesy of Izuku, who was in midair with his left arm extended out as sparks of green bio-electricity crackled around him.

"Air Force first…!" he noted aloud, "And then…" he continued, rearing his right leg back as he shot down toward the villain, "SMASH!" he yelled, landing a powerful swing kick to his target, who managed to block with the spiked club of his left arm. However, he failed to withstand the blow as he was knocked back, crashing against the front of the helicopter.

"We need to move, now!" Blake called out as she retracted her Gambol Shroud's ribbon. The One For All inheritor nodded in agreement upon landing, but then took notice of something. Quickly, he ran towards Rody, who had picked up the case.

"Hey…" he uttered in fright, thinking that the freckled teen was about to tackle him for trying to give up the case, "I'm so sorry!" he apologized as he turned away. However, Izuku had actually lunged out to protect him from an incoming arrow, taking it to his chest as he winced in pain. His brunette-haired companion gasped.

"IZUKU!" Blake screamed. She then looked over to see that Beros was there, drawing another trio of arrows from her quiver onto her bow-like hand. She launched them out at the cat Faunus, who was quick to swipe at and evade them as plumes of dirt and dust erupted from their impacts with the ground. Meanwhile, the One For All inheritor gritted his teeth, rearing his right leg back.

'SMMAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!' he roared inwardly, swinging his leg forward and unleashing another pressurized blast of air. The archer villain took notice too late, being caught up in the plume of dust that erupted from the attack. Inside, she growled in frustration, readying another arrow. But before she could even set it, Blake charged up to her, causing her to gasp in surprise. She attempted to stab her with the arrow itself, but the cat Faunus pulled the trigger of her Gambol Shroud. In an instant, she slid off to the side, leaving a clone of ice in her place that entrapped her foe's right hand.

"You damn…!" she cursed out, trying to pry herself free. The dust had yet to settle as beyond it, a meek Rody approached Izuku, who was still clutching his chest in pain.

"Why did you do that…?" he questioned, still somewhat stunned from all that occurred.

"Hey!" Blake called out, running out from the dust cloud, "I got the villain tied up for the moment, but we really need to go!" she yelled to them.

"Right!" Izuku responded through a wince, picking up Rody in his right arm, "I need you to hold onto me tightly," he advised, having green sparks crackle around him again before he leapt off into the distance. The cat Faunus hurried after them, glancing back at the dissipating dust cloud. As it cleared, Beros finally broke free from the ice, with her hood falling off in the process. She immediately looked around for a sign of her foes, only to see none of them in sight.

"Dammit…" she cursed, realizing that she had failed her objective once more. Elsewhere in the nearby town, Blake had regrouped with the two teenage boys as she saw Izuku slowly removing the arrow from his chest.

"Agh!" he groaned out as the arrow fell onto the ground, with only a little blood at the tip. Drops of red liquid dripped onto the dirt as he steadied his breathing, calming down.

"Wait here, okay?" Rody insisted, being crouched next to him, "I'll find a doctor or somebody quick!" he assured, about to take off.

"No…" Izuku refused to his surprise, "It's not that deep…" he pointed out, reaching into his overalls, "I'll be fine, don't worry…" he assured. He then pulled out his phone, which had been shattered in the process as its pieces fell onto the ground, "It destroyed my phone though…" he noted upon seeing it. The brunette-haired young man sighed with relief, realizing that it shielded him from taking a fatal blow.

"Here, I've got some bandages we can use," Blake offered, taking off her bag and unzipping it.

"Thanks, Miss Belladonna," the One For All inheritor said with gratitude, "I think there's a first aid kit floating around in my bag in case we run out," he mentioned over to Rody, "You mind?" he inquired of him.

"Oh… yeah…" he responded, going over to undo the knot tying his companion's bag shut.

"That archer is a tough one for sure…" Izuku pointed out, "Once I'm patched up, we're gonna need to find another place to hide," he mentioned seriously. As he talked, all Rody could think about was why he and Blake came to his aid. They could've just taken the case and hurried off, leaving him behind. Heck, they could've run off during the whole fiasco on the bus. So why didn't they?

The trio found themselves a cave to reside in later, with the cat Faunus starting a small fire before going ahead and tending to the One For All inheritor's wound, wrapping bandages around him. As she did, he was reading through the map he had, trying to determine the next best course of action. What happened earlier wasn't as much of a setback, but he knew that they still needed some form of transportation. Otherwise, they'd be left walking, which would likely take almost a month.

Meanwhile, Rody looked over at him curiously. He was still baffled by why the freckled teen shielded him and why the huntress fought for him back on the bus. It wasn't like he deserved their trust. He had treated them harshly in spite of what they were trying to do to make things right. Topping it off, he had tried to get rid of the case against their wishes.

"There," Blake said, having finishing bandaging Izuku, "You should be all set for a while," she assured, "We're probably gonna have to buy more later though," she pointed out.

"Thank you, Miss Belladonna," he said with gratitude, giving her a small smile, which she returned. Rody glanced away. The questions about the two of them continued ringing in his head. It was practically to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore.

"…Why did you take the arrow back there?" he questioned, causing Izuku to perk up.

"Huh?" he uttered in confusion, "What are you asking?" he inquired, setting down his magazine. Rody stood up and walked toward the cave entrance.

"I betrayed you. You know that…" he pointed out, "I stole the case while you both slept," he mentioned, "Instead of worrying about me…" he continued as Izuku and Blake looked on at him, "you could've grabbed it and run away," he said.

"Uh, why would either of us do something like that?" the One For All inheritor asked back with a tilt of his head.

"Hmph," Rody scoffed, coming to a stop, "I was carrying the jewelry the villains stole this afternoon," he noted in reply, "I'm one of those bad guys who heroes hate and wanna throw in jail," he added as an admission, shaking his head and shrugging all the while.

"So you admit you were working with them…" Blake said, narrowing her eyes onto him. Inwardly, he grimaced.

"Well… I can't ignore when someone's in trouble," Izuku pointed out to his surprise as he looked back at him, "It's… kind of my life's dream to help people," he mentioned. Rody slightly turned.

"Why would a criminal like me be worth getting hurt over?" he asked, confused by the fact that the One For All inheritor was so insistent on saving him. He blinked in surprise, but then smiled innocently.

"It's always worth it if I'm able to help someone, no matter who it is!" he affirmed in response. Rody was surprised. That sounded… so childish… yet earnest. It did confuse him even more as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I do not get you…" he grumbled, seating himself down on a nearby rock, "Heck, I don't get you either…" he mentioned as he looked over to Blake, causing her to perk up, "Why'd you stay on the bus when those guys attacked?" he inquired of her. She gave off a little smile after a moment.

"I guess we could've taken off once things got dicey back there," she admitted, "But…" she continued, "I'm supposed to protect people," she pointed out, "It wouldn't be right if I just took off and left those passengers to possibly get killed because of our mistakes…" she told him.

"Mmm…" Rody hummed out, seemingly unconvinced.

"That's why I admire heroes," Izuku chimed in, getting his attention, "I want to be someone who can save people…" he declared, "with a smile on my face the whole time," he added, "I want to be like All Might," he said, thinking back to his teacher in his prime.

"You're talkin' about the blonde one, yeah?" Rody guessed, "He's pretty famous," he pointed out.

"Uh-huh," Izuku responded in confirmation, "He's my teacher," he told him.

"Seriously?" he questioned, quite surprised, "So you wanted to become just like All Might…" he realized as he glanced down at the ground, "You chased that dream until it became a reality for you…" he pointed out, "Heh," he chuckled out, looking up at the starry sky outside, "You and me couldn't be any more different…" he muttered in conclusion.

"Huh?" Izuku uttered out, sounding confused.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked curiously.

"My future's pretty set in stone already," Rody told them, "I don't have the luxury of saying nonsense like 'I wanna be a pilot'…" he explained, "It's all I can do to provide for my younger siblings," he mentioned, causing both the One For All inheritor and the cat Faunus to give off worried looks.

"Well, maybe—!"

"Don't say a word! I don't want your pity!" Rody venomously shouted, interjecting Izuku as he stood up, enticing him to sit back down, "Stupid heroes…" he muttered out after a moment, "I've always thought they were people looking for attention…" he recalled, remembering a time where he had to defend Roro and Lala from some hoodlums in his younger years, "Wanted to make money under the guise of helping others…" he grumbled on, "You see, pros never come to the place where I live," he told his companions, "Wouldn't make any cash there…" he mentioned, pausing for a few moments "…But… I guess there are heroes like you around, too," he realized, causing the freckled teen to blink in surprise, "The more you help me and I get to know you two," he continued as Blake perked up, "the more I wonder about what I'm doing with my own life," he confessed, "Truth is, I'm pretty lame…" he concluded in admittance.

Izuku took a moment to look at his scarred right hand. It was one of the many reminders of what he needed to do in order to overcome his limitations without literally breaking himself. And he had done that time and time again.

"I would say the same about myself," he admitted back, much to Rody's surprise, "I've wanted to be a pro hero forever since I was just a little kid…" he pointed out in remembrance, "But I was too weak…" he noted, "People kept telling me my goals were impossible…" he mentioned on, thinking back to all that he had learned throughout his time training under All Might, studying at U.A., and battling all kinds of villains, "I couldn't use my Quirk properly at first," he said, recalling his many injuries that left him with devastating scars, "And I was at the bottom of my class," he added, "Even now, I'm always being helped out by my classmates…" he recalled, "I'm still weak…" he admitted sadly, "That's why I wanted so badly to improve," he stated as the brunette-haired young man looked to him with a surprised expression, seeing him close his scarred hand into a fist, "To become a hero who saves people… and always with a smile," he finally declared. Rody could tell how determined and honest Izuku was. He was willing to face his goals in spite of the challenges he came across. He let off a small grin. They weren't that different after all.

Hearing their stories, Blake thought back to the people she saw as heroes in her own life. Her parents, her friends, her allies, and even the ones she had mixed feelings on all acted in the name of helping others. She let off a small smile.

"I've had my experiences with heroes before," she confessed, getting the attentions of the two boys.

"Wait, you're not a hero yourself?" Rody inquired, quite confused as he raised an eyebrow.

"It's a bit complicated to explain…" the cat Faunus admitted as she looked up in thought, "A guy I know used to be the personification of a hero to me," she recalled, "No matter what happened, or whether or not he had anything to do with it, he'd always fight to save and protect people," she explained, "But… he was going through hardship after hardship…" she remembered, "and still kept pressing on so selflessly for me and my friends…" she added, lowering her gaze to the ground as she sighed, "If I had to say how I feel about heroes now, I'm a bit mixed," she confessed, "They save others, but I feel like they fail to save themselves when it really matters," she told the two boys. They were both surprised by her explanation, though for different reasons.

Rody thought that she was a hero herself in the first place. And he didn't realize that anyone could have such a different opinion on the subject. As for Izuku, he had to wonder who exactly it was that made Blake feel in such a way about heroes at all. From how she sounded, this particular person could've died if he kept on the path she had brought up. Before he could think more about it, he heard chirping above him. Pino descended down onto his unkempt hair, nestling herself in it.

"Oh, yeah," Rody said upon noticing, "That's Pino," he introduced for her.

"Hi Pino," Izuku greeted as he looked up at her, while the brunette-haired young man walked over, "Heh," he chuckled out, "Weirdly enough, you're not the first Pino I've met," he noted. The pink bird chirped happily, flying up and down. She then flew over and nestled onto Blake's head, causing her to blink in surprise.

"Uh… guess she really likes you…" Rody noted, sheepishly scratching at his cheek.

"Guess so," the cat Faunus concluded with a chuckle, standing up from her seat.

"Oh and by the way, the name's Rody Soul," the brunette-haired teen introduced to his companions, "We sorta skipped intros…" he remarked with a shrug. Izuku smiled, getting onto his feet.

"And my name's Izuku Midoriya," he introduced in response, "But call me my hero name, Deku," he requested politely.

"Deku," Rody repeated, putting his hands onto his hips, "That's easy to remember," he pointed out.

"Yeah, it's grown on me…" Izuku admitted in response. The brunette-haired young man then turned to the cat Faunus, who let out a chuckle.

"Blake Belladonna," she introduced, "You can just call me Blake," she assured with a small smile. Rody smiled, but grimaced upon noticing how contently comfortable Pino seemed upon her head. "Something wrong?" the huntress asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Uh, n-no!" he stammered in response, "We should probably get some sleep," he advised of his companions, "It's been a long day for all of us…" he pointed out.

"Good idea, Rody," Izuku agreed. Moments later, the three of them all went ahead and lied down on their bags, starting to fall asleep. Pino nestled herself upon Blake, only for Rody to pull her off.

"Come on, you…" he insisted, causing her to coo sadly. However, she was contented with a small blanket over her as she lied down next to her owner. He let out a long yawn, falling asleep with a smile. Maybe this whole ordeal wasn't going to be so bad after all.

X

"I deeply apologize," the Otheon Police commissioner general said upon the holographic screen floating in front of Flect inside the latter's base, "They escaped before we could neutralize them," he told the luminescent man, "The entirety of the police force has been mobilized to seek out their location," he mentioned assuredly.

"Can't you get the army involved?" Flect asked.

"I'm sorry, sir," the commissioner general apologized, "I'm afraid that's beyond my jurisdiction," he confessed.

"Then continue with the search," the Humarise leader instructed firmly.

"Of course," his subordinate responded, "For the salvation of humanity," he remarked before his screen disappeared. Flect then glanced over to one that was beside it, which showed an image of Rody holding the briefcase when his colleagues had tracked him down. He narrowed his eyes.

"Izuku Midoriya and Blake Belladonna…" Salem's voice said as she sauntered into the room, "Quite the unlikely pair to be involved…" she pointed out.

"You know them both?" Flect assumed.

"I know one more than the other," the Master of Grimm responded, "The woman is from my world, a champion of her race as it continues to rebuild relations with humankind," she recollected, glancing up in thought, "As for the boy, I've only heard so much," she mentioned.

"He's a stupid kicking brat is what he is!" Haumea complained from afar, getting their attentions, "Urgh…!" she growled, "He's barely even affected by my electricity…!" she snarled as lightning started crackling around her.

"Ease up, crazy…" Shura muttered, leaning against a wall on the other side of the room. Meanwhile, Vali narrowed his eyes in thought.

"That boy is still dangerous," he pointed out, "Killing him won't be easy, not for your men," he added to Flect, who looked back at him with indifference.

"Then let me be the one to go after him!" Haumea insisted, "I'll burn him to a crisp along with those other two...!" she declared with a wicked smile

"No," the Humarise leader said to her surprise, "You're to remain here with Salem in the case of heroes somehow invading this stronghold," he told her, "As for the rest of you, you'll be sent to your designated locations shortly," he informed.

"Heh," Shura chuckled out, "Now I can finally do something that's actually worth my damn time!" he proclaimed as he cracked his knuckles.

"Huh…" Vali sighed, "I can only hope these heroes won't be pushovers…" he grumbled, glancing off to the side. Meanwhile, Zenon merely opened his eyes. He was prepared to do battle.

"Then it's settled," Flect confirmed. Salem gave off a small smile before departing alongside her other colleagues. They left the Humarise leader alone in the room as he took a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes.

'With a power like yours, you could be a great hero one day!' a voice echoed in his head. He exhaled a sigh.

"No…" he said, closing his hands into fists underneath his robe, "Power like mine… only leads to more suffering…" he noted aloud to the empty room he was in. It was early morning as back in the cave, Izuku and Blake were still asleep, as the fire beside them had gone out. They stirred and woke up upon overhearing something outside.

"Ah!" Izuku gasped, quickly getting to his feet, "A villain!" he yelped out, "Ergh…!" he winced, clenching his teeth in pain from his wound he received last night. Just then, Blake noticed that Rody was gone… but the case was still there. Cautiously, the two of them wandered out as they heard the revving engine of a truck, having gathered their belongings. They perked up once they noticed who was there.

"Rody?" the cat Faunus said, noticing the brunette-haired young man closing the door to a rusty-looking truck parked next to him.

"Sorry, did I wake ya?" he assumed apologetically.

"Where'd you get a truck?" Izuku asked as he and Blake approached.

"I kinda borrowed it," Rody replied, looking back at the vehicle, "Just figured we were done walking," he pointed out, "Even wrote an IOU in the name of the World Heroes' Association," he mentioned, recalling the note he left on the barn where he found the truck in.

"So you basically stole it…" Blake concluded with an annoyed frown. The brunette-haired young man grimaced.

"Th-They'll understand…" he affirmed as he stuttered a little, causing her to roll her eyes, "Wish they had a Cessna…" he admitted, turning back to the truck, "We could've flown straight into Klayd that way no problem," he pointed out, opening the driver door.

"Like an airplane?" Izuku inferred, getting his attention, "You can really fly something like that?" he questioned on, quite surprised.

"Only in my dreams, friend," Rody replied, taking his seat and closing the door, "Get in," he advised of his companions. After a moment, both Blake and Izuku took their seats inside the truck, with the former seated by the passenger window, while the latter was in the middle. The truck drove along the dirt road as the brunette-haired young man was at the wheel. "Question," he said, getting the attentions of his two companions.

"Yeah?" the One For All inheritor said.

"Once we figure out the case's secret," Rody began, seeing that the briefcase was between him and the freckled teen, "I can go home, right?" he inquired.

"That should be fine," Blake answered for Izuku with a small smile.

"Oh, I bet your younger brother's waiting for you at home, right?" the One For All inheritor assumed.

"Yeah, with my sister," Rody mentioned in reply.

"What about your parents?" the cat Faunus asked.

"My mom died right after she had my sister, so it was up to my dad to take care of the kids," the brunette-haired young man told his companions as a response, "He did a pretty good job there for a while, raising us while juggling work," he mentioned while looking at the road ahead, "Then he suddenly up and disappeared one day," he finished.

"Disappeared?" Izuku repeated in confusion, somewhat surprised and concerned.

"You know about that group called Humarise?" Rody inquired of him.

"We do," he replied, "They're a terrorist organization that we've actually been trying to bring down with the other heroes around the world," he explained on.

"That so, huh?" the brunette-haired teen said, "Yeah, well…" he continued with a sigh, "after people in town found out that Dad left to become a member, things got bad for my family," he told his companions, causing them to blink in surprise, "Our friends started ignoring us, we were kicked out of our school and out of our house, and I couldn't find anyone who would hire me for honest work," he listed off in explanation.

"I'm sorry, that's awful…" Blake apologized solemnly.

"…I obviously resented my dad at first," Rody admitted as he glanced over to his passengers, "But not so much anymore," he noted, "I don't have time to think twice about him," he added with a small grin, "Now, my little brother and sister are the most important things to me," he pointed out, "I just wanna create a decent future for those kiddos," he declared, pulling out his locket and opening it up before showing the picture inside of him and his siblings to Izuku and Blake.

"Aw… they're so cute!" the One For All inheritor gushed, while the cat Faunus smiled.

"My little brother's stupid smart," Rody noted, "And my sister's totally adorable," he boasted. Both Omni Force members looked over to him and gasped, seeing that his eyes were actually fixated on the picture and not the road he was driving along. "First person to break her heart gets KO'd!" he vowed.

"Whoa!" Izuku yelped as the truck swerved around for a moment, "Keep your eyes up, Rody!" he insisted as they started driving down a hill. And like that, the journey to Klayd really began for them. As the sun dawned on the countryside, they continued along the roads ahead.

Izuku and Blake were making sure they followed the map leading to the border, all while Rody drove. They admired the scenery of Otheon, consisting of colorful flower fields, expansive bodies of water, and massive canyons. At one point, the One For All inheritor had to get out of the truck to make sure he properly guided the truck across a river. Things were going smoothly… until he tripped and fell into the water. The driver immediately brought the truck to a stop, sighing with exasperation as he put his left hand onto his head.

Once the river was officially crossed, Izuku had to remove his clothes to let them dry as they hung from the back of the vehicle. He blushed with embarrassment as he had been provided with Blake's large white coat to wear for the time being. She gave him a reassuring smile, helping dry him off.

Later, the trio of fugitives had arrived at a gas station to refuel the truck. The attendant inside stared suspiciously, seeing the crouched figure of Izuku helping pump the truck full, while Blake was seated in the car, as both of them had their hats on. Before the attendant could determine if they were the criminals he had seen from the news, Rody popped in with a basket of supplies he was looking to buy, much to his surprise. Upon noticing the news broadcast playing on the TV, the brunette-haired teen quickly distracted the attendant, all while his companions made sure that the truck was all fueled up.

As they drove on from there, thunderstorms were starting to spread. They had to find a way to get through the mountainside due to a mudslide creating a roadblock. So with Izuku using his Blackwhip and Blake holding onto the ribbon of her Gambol Shroud, they worked together to tug the truck up a rocky hill, all while Rody instructed them from the driver's seat.

Once they cleared that hurdle, the rest of the journey grew a little easier. They ate their meals on the road, enjoyed the vast scenery, and occasionally stopped to stretch their legs. At one point, it seemed like they weren't sure as to where they were going, needing to consult the map in order to double-check their route. One night, they were camped out in a small shed with the truck parked outside.

"Dang…" Rody uttered as Blake was fixing up Izuku's bandages, "I can't get over how useful your Quirk is…" he complimented to the One For All inheritor, causing him to perk up.

"What about you?" he questioned, making the brunette-haired teen blink in surprise, "I mean, do you have a Quirk?" he asked with an innocent smile, "I've been wondering…" he admitted.

"I don't wanna talk about it…" Rody bluntly responded as there was a tint of pink on his cheeks.

"Oh… sorry…" Izuku apologized, lowering his gaze.

"Huh…" the brunette-haired teen sighed after a moment, "You won't laugh, will you?" he inquired of his companions.

"I promise!" the One For All inheritor vowed as he gave off a firm, serious expression.

"Really?" his new friend questioned.

"No, I swear it!" he promised again, shaking his head. Rody's blush grew slightly redder. No one had ever asked him about his Quirk. Then again, he didn't really want anyone to know… But when it came to two people he knew he could trust, the situation was different.

"Okay…" he responded, "It's kinda weird…" he admitted, while the stars shined brightly and beautifully in the night sky above.

X

The next day, the trio had arrived at the border, being beyond a canyon. Izuku, Blake and Rody peeked out into the distance, with the former holding up a pair of binoculars. Through them, he could see a train station where several officers in riot gear were stationed, checking passengers that had just arrived.

"I guess they must've realized where we were heading…" the cat Faunus concluded as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, the path is way too heavily guarded…" the One For All inheritor concurred with a nod of his head, "We're not gonna be able to go this route without fighting our way through," he pointed out before looking up at the cliffside, "Our only choice is to scale these ridges," he decided.

"Okay, then let's start from here so we're not seen," Blake advised, pulling out her Gambol Shroud and setting it into its sickle form, "Follow me," she instructed, swinging her weapon by its ribbon before flinging it up to latch onto a ridge. Grasping the ribbon with both hands and planting her feet against the side of the cliff, the cat Faunus started to climb up. Rody watched her go, giving off a somber expression after a moment.

"Alright, let's go," Izuku said, crouching down expectantly as he moved his bag around to be on his stomach, "Get on my back. Hurry," he beckoned to his new friend.

"Deku, take this," he requested, causing him to turn around and see that he was holding the case out to him.

"What's the deal?" he asked in surprise.

"It'll be difficult for you to carry me with that injury from the arrow," Rody pointed out, "And as much I hate to admit it, I doubt I can climb these cliffs like Blake," he mentioned, "So this is where I say goodbye," he confirmed to his freckled friend.

"Hold on!" he yelped, "The truck's out of gas…" he pointed out, remembering that they had the borrowed vehicle parked nearby. "I can't leave you alone in a place like this…" he mentioned worriedly.

"Come on…" Rody huffed, "You know how fast I can run in a pinch," he noted boastfully, "I'll scrounge up some food, and I'll wait for you," he told him, "You and Blake go figure out what's up with this case," he insisted of the One For All inheritor, "That's what we're here for," he declared firmly.

"But, Rody…" Izuku uttered out.

"Countin' on you, heroes," the brunette-haired teen remarked reassuringly. In spite of his reluctance, the One For All inheritor took on a determined expression, nodding to his friend. As he approached to grab the case though, he suddenly heard the sound of a helicopter soaring by. Blake's cat ears stuck up in alarm as she looked up. An aircraft was flying right over her and the boys. Inside of it were Beros and another agent.

He was a tall man with slicked back brown and black hair, an extremely wide mouth, and large bulbous elbows. He wore a grey combat suit similar to the archer beside him, though his version had sleeves going to his upper arm. Accompanying his suit were cream-colored boots, and a pale-gold, horned mask that obscured the upper half of his face. All of his fingers barring his thumbs had black iron balls on their knuckles.

"They found us!" Blake yelled down in warning to Izuku and Rody, getting their attentions as they gasped. Beros then fired off a few arrows, having one head toward the cat Faunus. She quickly unlatched her Gambol Shroud from the ridge, pulling it back into her grasp before firing off a few shots from it to knock it away. She watched as the other arrow zipped down towards the boys.

Fortunately, Izuku was quick to grab Rody, activating his Full Cowling and leaping away with him in his grasp in an instant. The archer villain continued firing off arrow after arrow, while the student hero was racing up the ridges as fast as he could. Projectiles that could've struck him were knocked away thanks to the bullets Blake shot from her weapon. However, it left her wide open as a few arrows struck her in the back, causing her violet Aura to shimmer as she grimaced.

"Dammit…!" she cursed, quickly forming a shadow clone to take another projectile for her while propelling herself back toward the ridges. She latched onto one, throwing her Gambol Shroud up to latch onto another section in order to jump to it.

"I will not fail again!" Beros declared fiercely from the helicopter, making another arrow she set onto her bow-like hand shine a bright green before she launched it. Izuku gritted his teeth as he ran up the cliff as quickly as he could, evading her arrows all the while as his hat fell off. She scoffed in frustration.

"Use these…" her partner insisted, detaching a few iron balls from his knuckles. She grabbed them, setting one onto her bow-like hand before letting it fly. As it soared toward the teenage boys, it suddenly enlarged, crashing against the ridge just a few yards away from its targets. Rocks fell nearby the station as onlookers watched in concern, wondering what was going on.

"Aw, damn!" Rody exclaimed in fright while still being carried, "They're gonna flatten us!" he yelled out. The enlarging iron balls were still coming, shattering more and more of the cliff. Beros was ready to fire off another one, when suddenly, the helicopter tilted as she stumbled for a moment. She then noticed the sickle form of Gambol Shroud latched onto the left landing skid, looking down to see Blake at the top of the cliff, pulling as hard she could on the ribbon in her hands.

"Tsk…" the archer villain scoffed, firing off an iron ball that enlarged and headed towards her. Izuku and Rody glanced back, letting off horrified gasps.

"MISS BELLADONNA!" they screamed, thinking that she was about to get crushed. But all of a sudden, a figure blasted in and blocked off the iron ball. The cat Faunus gasped in surprise to see that it was Yang, whose flowing blonde hair flared like fire.

"HRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she roared, punching the iron ball with her prosthetic fist, shattering it into bits.

"What?!" Sidero exclaimed in shock, while Beros grimaced.

"We need to focus on the case!" she insisted firmly, "Hurry!" she yelled to pilot, who veered the helicopter back toward the ridges where the boys were still climbing, while Gambol Shroud was unlatched in the process.

"Who's the blonde lady?!" Rody inquired loudly as he and Izuku were still scaling the ridges.

"That's one of Miss Belladonna's friends…" the One for All inheritor responded, "But… what's she doing here?" he wondered aloud. Those thoughts were halted once he saw that the helicopter was coming toward them, with more enlarged iron balls sent their way, breaking off more of the cliff.

"Izuku!" Blake cried out from afar. He and Rody had gotten knocked off in the process. But he steeled himself, having a black energy wrap around his right fist before unleashing a tendril that latched onto the tail boom of the helicopter. By doing so, he was able to swing himself and his friend away from the falling rubble, heading above the aircraft attacking them.

"Saint Louis Smash…" he started to bellow, rearing his right leg back, "AIR FORCE!" he roared, swinging it forward to unleash a pressurized blast of air onto the helicopter, blowing it back as the pilot inside screamed from losing control. Meanwhile, the two boys crashed onto the ground from the blowback of the attack, getting caught up in a plume of dust. The One for All inheritor tumbled down the hill before slamming back against a rock to come to a stop, making him wince. "Rody!" he called out to his brunette-haired companion, "Are you okay?!" he immediately questioned in concern.

"Yeah… maybe…" he responded weakly, pushing himself up from the ground onto his hands and knees as bits of gravel fell off of his back. He then perked up as he noticed something. "The case!" he exclaimed, seeing that it wasn't beside him. He looked to his right and spotted it, quickly getting to his feet and running over to grab it. But at that moment, Izuku noticed the shadow of the helicopter come over him.

"Watch out!" he yelled. Before Rody could even think to turn his head, two large iron balls struck the ground behind him. Their impacts propelled him and the case forward over the edge of the cliff, along with pieces of rock. Fortunately, he caught the case by its handle with his left hand, using his right to grab onto a piece of the ledge before he could plummet, though he dangled helplessly. "RODY!" the One For All inheritor screamed. Another iron ball crashed down right next to him, causing him to reflexively brace himself from the plume of dust that erupted.

In the process, Sidero himself had leapt out of the helicopter, landing down upon one of his iron balls as he lifted another one up over his head. He was ready to crush Rody off of the ledge. Grimacing in realization, the brunette-haired teen did the only thing he could think to do.

"DEKU, CATCH IT!" he screamed, throwing the case as he far as he could back onto the cliff.

"I'm coming!" Izuku yelled, seeing the case land nearby. However, he was stopped as another few arrows were shot his way from Beros, who was still in the helicopter. Her partner remained where he was, ready to throw the giant iron ball onto Rody.

"FOR THE SALVATION OF… HUMANITY!" he loudly proclaimed. At that moment, the piece of the ledge that the brunette-haired teen was upon broke, causing him to start falling.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed. But at that moment, a blur dashed in and caught him. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking in surprise to see that Raya was holding onto him in her arms.

"Hi," she greeted, "Try not to move, okay?" she advised, causing him to meekly nod.

"Another one?!" Sidero yelled in frustration, clenching his teeth together. At that moment, a pair of sturdy metal hunks rocketed in and slammed the giant iron ball out of his hands. "Wha…?!" he gasped, while Izuku widened his eyes from afar.

"Those are…" he started to realize, only for a figure to jump down and land beside him, being none other than his girlfriend, "Natalie?!" he exclaimed in shock.

"Fire Dragon…" she began bellowing, puffing out her cheeks, "RRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!" she echoed as she unleashed a massive blast of flames from her mouth towards the masked villain. He turned around and gasped, quickly shooting out an iron ball in front of himself and enlarging it. Thankfully, it blocked off the flames before they subsided.

"Heh…" Sidero chuckled out, "Almost got me there…" he remarked with a smirk. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the ice suddenly building up around him, entrapping him in a makeshift prison that completely immobilized him. At that moment, Raya flew down to Izuku and Natalie's side, setting Rody down.

"Raya!" the One For All inheritor exclaimed, "Wh-What are you doing here?" he questioned with a stutter, "And wait," he continued, taking notice of the building ice around the masked villain, "is this… Todoroki?!" he guessed, whipping around to see the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user up on a nearby ledge.

"Seems like you learned nothing from Hosu, Midoriya," he remarked to his freckled classmate, "Your codes are still hard to decipher," he pointed out. At that moment, he was suddenly ambushed by an arrow shot toward him from Beros, only for it to be knocked away one of the flying metal hunks. She attempted to ready another one upon her bow-like hand, but then noticed a figure approaching from the side of the helicopter.

"Aw, don't even try it!" Katsuki yelled as he blasted himself up to the aircraft, rapidly firing concentrated bursts from his right hand through a hole he formed with his left. The helicopter flew away, only to suddenly have to swerve in order to evade the metal hunks flying towards it, being controlled by Maki below.

"They're definitely slippery…" she noted with narrowed eyes, swinging her arms. The Tekkyo were closing in on the aircraft, but unfortunately kept getting knocked back due to Beros' arrows. Meanwhile, Shoto rode an ice wave over to where he had entrapped Sidero.

"Wait!" he yelled to the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user, getting his attention, "Free me! I'll do whatever you want!" he desperately promised.

"Tell me everything you know, and maybe I'll consider it!" Shoto responded.

"Fine, yeah! You got—!" Sidero's answer was cut off as a few arrows rained in and struck him, causing the Half-Cold, Half-Hot using to reflexively slide away, while the ice crumbled apart. The helicopter soared by, with Beros glaring from inside it.

"Die, you traitor!" she yelled out angrily.

"Damn it…" Shoto cursed, knowing that the only way to end this skirmish was to stop her, "Guys, take her down!" he called out to his comrades.

"Don't give me orders!" Katsuki shouted while blasting himself after the helicopter. He was joined by Raya and Natalie, as the latter had flames expelling from the soles of her feet. The archer fired off more arrows toward the trio, with one going after of them.

The Explosion Quirk user maneuvered his body, firing off blasts to propel himself far enough away as the projectile pursued him. It wound up getting struck by one of the metal hunks controlled by Maki, being crushed against the ground. The ones chasing the two airborne girls were closing in, only for the hybrid Fire Dragon Slayer to actually grab hers and incinerate it instantaneously. Meanwhile, the Equestrian Magic user barrel rolled and let the projectile pursuing her fly by, allowing for Katsuki to blast it into ashes.

"We need to ground her!" Natalie called out, "Come on!" she beckoned, curling her thumbs to the bases of her pinkies, holding them there with her pointer fingers before rocketing off.

"I thought I said don't tell me what to do!" Katsuki roared back, blasting after her. Raya followed them, latching herself onto the right landing skid of the helicopter. The hybrid Fire Dragon Slayer grabbed the left skid, and the Explosion Quirk user managed to plant himself on the front of the aircraft. With their enemies practically having them pinned, Beros understood that the situation wasn't favorable. And to make matters worse, she reached into her quiver, only to find that she had run out of arrows. She widened her eyes in realization.

"We're out of control!" the helicopter's pilot screamed, causing her to narrow her eyes with frustration. Her mission was a failure. And now there was only one thing that she could do.

"Stand down and come quietly!" Katsuki insisted.

"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be!" Raya added desperately. However, the three U.A. students upon the helicopter gasped in surprise. They saw the archer villain let her hand reform back to normal as she placed it over her heart.

"For humanity's salvation…" she said, closing her eyes before stepping forward… and falling out of the helicopter over the cliff.

"NO!" Natalie screamed, while everyone else watched in horror at her attempted suicide. However, a red cluster of rose petals suddenly caught her by her cape, flying back up over the ledge. It turned out to be Ruby, who chucked the villain onto the ground as she slid across it. She came to a stop as she slammed back against a rock hard, causing her to wince in pain.

"Nice try…" the Team RWBY leader said, making her bat her eyes open and widen them to see her there with her Crescent Rose in hand, "but you don't get off that easy," she remarked firmly. Beros' eyes shook with frustration. Even in her final act, she still couldn't get things done.

Meanwhile, the helicopter crashed from afar, as Raya had flown in to grab the pilot in the nick of time. The resulting explosion could be seen from the station below. The Equestrian Magic user deployed the pilot's parachute, sending him over the edge of the cliff as he descended toward the ground below. She then rejoined Katsuki and Natalie as they had also escaped from the aircraft before it wound up crashing.

"Huh…" Izuku sighed with relief, thankful that things hadn't gotten worse. He then gasped with realization, running off. "Rody, are you alright?" he asked of his brunette-haired friend as he approached.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure how…" he admitted in reply. He then blinked in realization, not knowing where he had tossed the case. "Where is it?!" he questioned with panic, looking around quickly.

"It's this thing, right?" Maki questioned, getting their attentions as they saw her approach alongside Shoto with the briefcase in hand.

"Thanks, Maki…" Izuku responded with a smile, making her suddenly break out into a blush upon hearing her name, "But… how did you guys find us?" he inquired curiously.

"All thanks to their flashy attacks," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user replied as he glanced off into the distance, "We spotted you from the train," he noted.

"So, is this guy the one you were talking about on the phone?" Maki assumed as she pointed at Rody.

"Yeah, that's right," the One For All inheritor replied with a nod, "He's been pegged as a criminal like me and Miss Belladonna," he pointed out, "His name's Rody," he introduced.

"Hey, thanks for the assist," the brunette-haired teen remarked with gratitude as Pino flew out from his hair, chirping happily, "I'm guessing you must be the girlfriend he was telling me about," he assumed, causing Maki to blink in surprise.

"G-Girlfriend?!" she stammered as she went beet red in the face.

"Uh, actually—"

"Golly… that's so weird that you think I'm his girlfriend!" Maki noted out of embarrassment, interjecting Izuku as she had her hands upon her cheeks while wearing a cute smile, "I'm flattered, really…" she mentioned cutely.

"Uh…" Rody uttered, arching an eyebrow.

"Deku!" Natalie's voice called out, getting their attentions as they saw her run over alongside Raya, who had transformed back to normal.

"Natalie!" Izuku exclaimed as he stood up, being immediately hugged by his girlfriend, making him chuckle. She quickly went ahead and kissed him on the lips, pulling back with a sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad you're okay…" she said.

"Yeah, same…" her boyfriend agreed.

"Uh, hi there…" Rody awkwardly, causing them to perk up and look over at him, "So… you're the girlfriend, right?" he inquired, not wanting to make assumptions like he did a few moments ago.

"Yep!" Natalie responded with a nod, letting go of Izuku, "Thanks for helping look out for Deku," she said with gratitude.

"Ugh… quit all the mingling crap!" Katsuki roared as he suddenly stomped in, causing Raya to flinch, "We need to focus on that damn case!" he insisted, pointing toward it, "It's somehow connected to Humarise!" he noted.

"What?!" Izuku exclaimed in shock, "Wait, are you sure about that?" he questioned on.

"Yes," Shoto answered, "Our goal was to save both it and you," he told his classmate, "We thought it was possible we'd be able to get some useful intelligence," he pointed out.

"Well, we couldn't figure out anything from what was in there ourselves," Rody noted in reply, "Just a bunch of notebooks and crap," he mentioned, with Pino chirping sadly.

"Well, it's a good thing we might have a way of finding out what's actually in this thing," Raya pointed out, getting everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Natalie inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah!" Maki gasped in realization, "Miss Rose grabbed that villain!" she recalled, "We can interrogate her!" she affirmed, planting her right fist into the palm of her left hand.

"Good idea, Oze," Shoto agreed, "Let's hurry and meet up with her and the others," he insisted. Elsewhere on the cliffside, a Nevermore summon was streaking over the sky as Weiss, Blake and Yang were upon it. The former of the three huntresses spotted their team leader below, enticing her to have her summon descend towards the ground. The trio hopped off as it dissipated into white ashes, walking over to Ruby.

"Gotta admit, the new look suits you," the blonde-haired huntress noted to the cat Faunus, getting her attention, "You really had to rough it up out there, didn't you, Kit-Kat?" she assumed, leaning her prosthetic arm against her teammate's shoulder teasingly. She sighed.

"Please don't call me that…" she grumbled.

"Both of you, knock it off," Weiss insisted as they approached. Ruby was still standing over Beros as they stared at each other intently. Not a word between them had been spoken since the latter's capture.

"If you think I'm going to tell you anything, you're mistaken…" she snarled out with a glare.

"What makes you think you need to tell us anything?" Weiss inquired back, causing her to blink in surprise to see her and the other huntresses come over.

"Intimidation with numbers?" she assumed, letting out a scoff, "How quaint…" she muttered.

"Might as well spill the beans," Yang advised, folding her arms over her chest, "You're going to jail either way," she pointed out additionally.

"We already know you're a member of Humarise," Weiss mentioned, causing Blake to blink in surprise as she looked over to her, "It's why you and the police were so desperate to try and catch Blake and those two boys," she noted. Beros didn't say a word, clenching her fists tightly.

"Heroes like you are what spread this sickness of Quirks…" she muttered angrily, "It's how I became sickened by this plague…" she pointed out, glaring at the four huntresses, "I won't—!" A gunshot rang out. As the rest of the group came onto the scene, they blinked in surprise to see Ruby holding her Crescent Rose out in its rifle form as smoke wafted from the barrel. Beros trembled as she slowly turned to see the steaming bullet in the ground just behind her.

"That's strike one," the Team RWBY leader said as she cocked the shaft of her weapon back to reload, causing her to gasp in shock, "Tell us why you needed the case and anyone who knew about it gone so badly," she demanded, narrowing her eyes onto the archer villain.

"Whoa, Ruby…" Blake uttered, while her teammates were just as surprised as to what their leader was doing.

"W…Wait… you wouldn't…" Beros stammered out, "You're… supposed to be a hero…" she noted, starting to sound scared.

"I'm from another world," Ruby pointed out, "so things work differently for us…" she remarked, pulling the trigger to fire another bullet that ended striking the ground mere inches from the villain as she yelped, "Strike two," the silver-eyed woman said as her teammates widened their eyes in shock, "I'm guessing you know where the next bullet's gonna go if you don't talk," she assumed of her enemy, who was now completely overtaken with fear.

"P-Please…" she stuttered as tears pricked her eyes, "I just… want to die an honorable death…!" she pleaded out.

"You means like the deaths of those people you killed on that bridge the other day?" Ruby guessed, causing her to gasp.

"Wh…What?" Beros stammered in disbelief as she looked up.

"Ruby, hey…" Yang said.

"This shouldn't be the only way to get her to talk…" Weiss pointed out worriedly. However, their team leader didn't seem to be willing to accept any other suggestions, tightening her trigger finger. Beros trembled with fright.

"Miss Rose, wait!" Izuku screamed from afar.

"Don't do it!" Rody yelled.

"The case holds a secret!" Beros suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to perk up in surprise, "A secret that that could ruin Humarise's plans for humanity's salvation!" she added on, "That's all he told me when I was instructed to retrieve the case and eliminate its contents," she explained, "along with anyone who had possession of it!" she added aloud, "I didn't think I'd end up accidentally killing pure humans in the crossfire…" she admitted as she started crying, with tears streaking down her face, "I'm… so sorry…" she apologized through whimpers. Ruby pulled her finger away, setting her weapon into its storage form before putting it onto her back. She then approached the archer villain and crouched in front of her.

"I'm sorry, too," she apologized, making her perk up in surprise, "I'm sure that one of the reasons you're working with Humarise is because you hate your Quirk, right?" she assumed, "Well… I can tell you work with it a lot," she pointed out, "And it's pretty amazing how you can use more than just arrows," she mentioned as a compliment. The assassin's eyes trembled.

"Wh-Why are you…?" she tried to ask, confused by why the Team RWBY leader was treating her with such kindness.

"I know if I turn you in to the police, you're just gonna get killed since they're in cahoots with Humarise," she noted, putting a hand onto Beros' shoulder, "So… I've got an idea…" she said, "Sorry about this…" she apologized again. Before the archer villain could even ask, Ruby chopped the nape of her neck, effectively knocking her out.

"Holy crap…" Yang uttered out, "That was… all kinds of intense…" she noted, watching as her little sister picked up the archer villain off of the ground.

"You guys figure out what's up with the case," she advised as the rest of the group approached, taking out her MPG from her pocket, "I'll be back in a bit," she promised.

"Wait, where are you even going?" Weiss asked. Her team leader pressed the icon upon her device, causing a green portal to open right next to her.

"Somewhere to keep her safe for the time being," she responded, turning and walking into the rift. It closed after a few moments, leaving the rest of the group behind.

"Huh," Katsuki huffed, "I didn't know your sister was so hardcore…" he remarked over to Yang, getting her attention.

"Yeah, me either…" she admitted, folding her arms over her chest with a grin, "Gotta admit, I'm impressed," she confessed, "Guess her hubby's been teaching her a few things…" she mentioned as she smirked. Meanwhile, Blake jogged over to Izuku and Rody.

"Are you two okay?" she asked of them out of concern, placing a hand onto their shoulders.

"Yeah, we're fine," the brunette-haired teen assured in reply, while his freckled friend nodded.

"Wait… look at the case!" Weiss pointed out, getting the group's attention as they looked over to see that there was something sticking out of the briefcase from one of its locks, having been loosened likely during the scuffle.

"A secret compartment!" Izuku exclaimed. A few moments later, the group had descended down the cliff to hide themselves in the shade, away from the crash site so that police wouldn't find them. Upon looking into the secret compartment, they discovered a small brown object that looked to be a puzzle device.

"What is that?" Maki wondered aloud, seeing the One For All inheritor fiddle with it.

"How does it even work?" Natalie inquired on. She and the others watched her boyfriend attempt to solve the puzzling contraption.

"Try pressing it right here…" Shoto suggested.

"That'll just make it go back to how it was…" Izuku noted, starting to get a little frustrated.

"That looks hard…" Raya pointed out.

"Still not working…" the One For All inheritor grumbled.

"Ugh, hand it over!" Katsuki demanded out of annoyance, "I'll blow it up!" he declared.

"What?! No!" his rival exclaimed, "You can't do that, Kacchan…" he said in exasperation. All while the group struggled to figure out the device, Rody eyed it curiously. It seemed familiar to him. And then he blinked in realization.

"Deku, can I see that for a second?" he requested, grabbing the contraption out of his friend's hands.

"Do you know how to solve it?" Blake guessed, slightly widening her eyes in surprise

"I did a puzzle like this before when I was a kid," Rody replied, starting to fiddle with the contraption piece by piece as everyone looked on, "Let's see… This, this…" he mumbled, twisting, turning, pushing, and pulling on pieces of the puzzle, "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed after he heard a click, "I think I got it!" he exclaimed, twisting it open. Two small objects fell out, though they were caught by Weiss. One was an SD card, while the other looked like a long, purple computer chip. Izuku took the latter into his grasp to inspect it.

"I'm not sure what this is…" he noted as he held it at different angles.

"Looks like some kind of computer thing…" Yang pointed out as she crouched down to get a closer look.

"We need to figure out what's stored on this card…" Weiss concluded as she held the SD card between her fingers.

"There's a town at the foot of the mountain," Maki pointed out, chiming into the conversation, "We can investigate there," she affirmed.

"Right, good call," Natalie agreed. As the group gathered their things, Blake took notice of how perplexed Rody seemed as he stared at the completed puzzle. It was exactly like the one his father had given him…

"Is something wrong?" the cat Faunus asked, getting his attention as he perked up.

"Oh, uh, no," he assured in reply with a stutter, "We should get moving," he advised, standing up and walking after the others. Blake looked at him worriedly as he passed by, wondering if there was more to what was seemingly bothering him.

X

Rain poured outside of the Humarise main base. Silence filled the halls, while in the foyer, Flect was receiving a report from the Otheon Police commissioner general. Unfortunately, he didn't have good news.

"The target fled to the neighboring country of Klayd," he confirmed from a holographic screen in front of the Humarise leader, lowering his gaze with shame, "I'm afraid I don't have the authority to search inside their borders, sir…" he pointed out.

"No matter," Flect said, causing him to perk up in surprise, "If he has fled the country," he began, "then he won't be able to interfere with the plan while it's being carried out, will he?" he inferred, raising up his dagger like before, "The time for revelation and the great reckoning has come!" he declared to his many followers, who were gathered below him.

"For humanity's salvation! For humanity's salvation! For humanity's salvation! For humanity's salvation! For humanity's salvation!" they chanted again and again.

"For the salvation… of humanity!" their leader exclaimed amidst their chants. He pressed the button upon the handle of his dagger, making it glow brightly. An ominous purple glow appeared once again from another section of the base, humming with charging energy. And around the world, several Trigger Bombs were being activated…

END

Wow, that was a lot of fun to write! Breaching 20,000 words in back-to-back chapters feels pretty fulfilling, especially considering the story is over halfway over by this point. I hope you guys enjoyed the original scenes for this chapter, too!

The bus fight was inspired by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and I loved getting the chance to write something like that. Same with Ruby being intimidating. Next few chapters might be a little shorter depending on how they play out, but we'll see.

All I can tell you is that there's more original stuff to come! See you all next time!