Chapter 17

March 8th, 2168

0850 Hours

"I could've saved her," Mirio whispered.

"Kid, you have to pull yourself out of this. I know it hurts - believe me, I do - but the truth is that you made the right call." Eraserhead was trying to reassure him as they walked down the hallway towards the conference room, though nothing he'd said so far had lifted the young intern's spirits. "You had no idea what he was capable of and you were in a dense urban area. One wrong move and you would've been crippled… or worse."

"With everything we know about Chisaki, it'd most certainly be worse," Sir Nighteye stated.

"But I have the perfect Quirk to deal with him!" Mirio argued. "He'd never have been able to touch me, I know it! I could've taken him."

"Hm. I didn't know you shared Nighteye's ability to see into the future," Eraserhead quipped.

"No, I- of course I can't."

"Then how do you know you could've taken him?"

"Because he wouldn't have been able to touch me!"

"And… what? That's it? You think that once he figured that out he would've just given up?"

"Well, no, but, I could've at least gotten Eri out of there."

"We all know that Chisaki would've never allowed that," Sir Nighteye chimed in. "Even if he couldn't harm you - and I don't fully agree with that assumption - there were plenty of other people around that he surely would have taken as hostage."

Mirio wanted to retort. He wanted to say that he'd never allow such a thing to happen but he knew the truth. He knew his own limits. If he started a brawl right in the middle of that street then people might have died. No, scratch that, people definitely would've died. Yet, how could he admit that leaving a child at the mercy of that monster was the best possible decision?

"I know what you're thinking." Eraserheads words cut through his thoughts. "How could I have left her? What kind of hero abandons someone who's so obviously in need of help. Here's the answer: you haven't abandoned her."

Mirio's eyes widened in shock. What was he talking about? She was right there, literally begging him to save her! And he just let that mad man take her without a fight. He saw the bandages all along her arms. He knew that she was being abused.

"Where are we going right now?"

The intern raised an eyebrow at that. "...to the meeting room?"

"A meeting for what?"

"To discuss how to raid the Shie Hassaikai base."

"Why?"

Mirio didn't have a clue as to where this was going but he knew that Eraserhead had some sort of point he was trying to make so he decided to go along with it. "So that we can stop Overhaul and the rest of the yakuza."

"What else?"

"...to save Eri."

"That's right. You got out alive. You got out of there with everyone still alive. Then you came straight to us and told us what happened. Now we're going in there to save Eri - and this way, the odds are in our favor. So you haven't abandoned her, Mirio. Instead, you brought the cavalry."

He didn't say a word. Not yet, at least. He let those words wash over him and bring him the solace he so desperately needed. Just hang in there, Eri, he silently pleaded, the calvary is coming.

The three of them walked in silence for a while longer before Mirio felt comfortable talking again. "Speaking of the cavalry, what are they like?"

"Huh? Which ones?" Aizawa asked.

"The Spartans, of course."

"What makes you think I've met them?"

"Sir Nighteye told me."

The glare that Aizawa sent towards his mentor could've frozen the entire student populace - and quite a few teachers - at UA solid out of fear. But Sir Nighteye took it in stride. There wasn't so much as a twitch of a muscle to show whether he was bothered by it. "I didn't see any harm in telling him. Despite his exuberant nature, Mirio's quite good at keeping a secret."

"I'm pretty sure I explained in excruciating detail to you that I didn't want any of my students finding out about that."

"And none of them will."

"I beg to differ."

"Don't worry, Aizawa-sensei, I haven't told anyone else!"

Eraserhead didn't deign to answer his attempts to ease his worries. He simply grumbled his resentment.

"Are they the reason you're here? Did they ask you to come?" Mirio asked.

"No, it's like I said; I'm here to watch out for you three. You, Nejire, and Tamaki might be third years in a month, but these Shie Hassaikai villains aren't your average thugs. They're organized, they're well-funded, and every last one of them is probably just itching for a reason to murder you. There might be a lot of Pros teaming up for this raid but Principal Nezu and I believe that it'd be best if there were an extra pair of eyes watching out for you."

"Thanks, Eraserhead! I'm sure the others will be glad to know that you're here watching out for us."

"That's not an excuse to go and get sloppy. I won't always be there to act as a safety net."

"Don't worry! We'll be on our toes the entire time."

"Good."

"As reassuring as that was, I do believe you've been avoiding his question," Sir Nighteye quipped.

"Gah, fine, I'll tell you a little bit about them, but only because it directly relates to the mission."

"Thank you, sir!" Mirio beamed.

"Right, sure," Aizawa mumbled. "Anyway, I've only met a few of them and even then, we didn't talk much."

"I bet that's more than any other Pro can say."

"Indeed," said Sir Nighteye. "Even when I was planning this meeting, I never directly spoke with them. It was always through various Commission personnel."

Aizawa shrugged. "Hawks seems to get along with them pretty well."

"Wait, Hawks?" Asked Mirio. "You mean the Wing Hero? The guy who doesn't even wait around for his own sidekicks?"

"That is, indeed, who I said."

"Interesting," mused Sir Nighteye. "I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising. They're both under the employ of the Commission, after all."

"Are they… anything like Hawks?" Mirio tentatively asked. "I mean, I've never met the guy, but he seems to be pretty outgoing and social. The Spartans, well, aren't. At least, that's how the rumors make them out to be."

"Don't let that persona of his fool you, they've got more in common than you'd think." Eraserhead insisted, "They move fast, they hit hard, and more than anything they're effective. Honestly, the only difference between them is probably the fact that Hawks has to look good for the public."

"That's quite the conclusion you've come to," Sir Nighteye murmured.

"I don't hear you disagreeing."

"Because I'm not."

"What makes you think that, Sir?" Mirio asked. "I thought you'd never met him before."

"I haven't. However, I do know Eraserhead and he's quite adept at reading people."

"Woah, I didn't realize that… are you sure it's safe to have them here then?"

Eraserhead's face scrunched up in confusion. "What? No, that's not what- look, I didn't mean to make them sound like a bunch of psychos. I've worked alongside them; both the Spartans and Hawks. I believe they're good people. They're just… dedicated, I guess. Don't expect them to slow down for you."

Mirio felt invigorated upon hearing that. "Ha! If anything, they're the ones that are gonna have to keep up!"

Eraserhead gave a small 'hmm' but didn't respond further.

"So how many are teaming up with us?"

Sir Nighteye answered this time. "From what the Commission's told me, there'll be three teams joining us; twelve Spartans in total. They're known as Fireteams Mythic, Legacy, and Chimera."

"Any of them ring a bell, Eraserhead?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Mythic team's the one I've gone on patrol with. I don't know the others, though."

"Awesome! I know you think they probably won't care, but maybe they'll appreciate having a familiar face around."

"I… suppose they might."

"So, who are they?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what's their hero names?"

"...Mythic One, Two, Three, and Four."

"..."

"..."

"I think I understand what you're talking about now."

March 8th, 2168

0855 Hours

As soon as the Commission got involved, Ryukyu knew that something serious was going on. That's not to say that everything the Commission sinks their claws into is a big deal, but reaching out to a large coalition of heroes after months of utmost secrecy was certainly a red flag. It wasn't hard to guess why either. Just across the large meeting room stood the 'Demons' of the Commission themselves. Though she'd now been informed that they were known as "Spartans".

There hadn't been much interaction between them and the other Pro Heroes who were present. They'd been content to stay on one side of the room and no one had seen a reason to change that yet. They moved around occasionally but wouldn't say anything. So far, their "representative" had been doing all of the talking. Since there was still some time before the meeting officially started, all of the Pros were still mingling about. Their silent colleagues quickly became the topic of their conversations.

"They seem…" Fat Gum struggled to find a suitable word. "Reserved."

"I don't know. If anything, I think awkward would be a better way to describe them," Nejire-chan said thoughtfully. She tilted her head to the side as she looked over at them again. Then she gave a beaming smile while waving her hand ecstatically.

They didn't react at first. Then, the largest of them brought their right hand up. They waved once, put their arm back down, and immediately went back to imitating a statue. The only difference now was that every single one of the Spartans were staring directly at their group. They were ramrod straight, standing in the exact same pose, and were so still that Ryukyu started to wonder if they were even breathing.

Where the hell did they find these guys? She wondered. Nejire-chan wasn't nearly as put off as the rest of the Pros were. Instead, she went back to the conversation like nothing happened.

To her side, Ryukyu could hear a mumble. She didn't catch any words, but she knew for certain that they said something. "What'd you say, Suneater?"

"They might…" he trailed off into another mutter.

Ryukyu couldn't help but give a small smile at the young man's timid nature. Fat Gum asked him to repeat himself once more.

"They might just be nervous being around so many new people," he finally said at a reasonable volume. "It's always hard for me whenever I have to meet someone new. I've tried hard to overcome it. Mirio's helping me out, though there hasn't been much success. Half the time I end up scaring them off before I have a chance to say a single word. Right now, they're surrounded by dozens of strangers."

Ryukyu regarded the Spartans once more. She took in their appearance to the fullest. Between the large, bulky, jet-black armor to the rigid posture and unwavering discipline, she was having a hard time coming to the same conclusion, though she didn't completely write it off. She'd encountered numerous Pros over her years with similar personality traits. "That's… certainly something we should consider."

"I don't know, it's a lot more reasonable than what some of the others have been saying," Fat Gum countered.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. He continued in a whisper, "I've heard some people say that they're not even humans; that they're actually robots that've been programmed by hyper advanced AI. There's also some that totally believe the whole supernatural aspect to them. They think that the Commission found a book that summoned demons and forced them to do their bidding."

"That's nothing," Rock Lock scoffed. "One guy I met swore up and down that they're all clones of All Might."

Nejire-chan let out a comical snort and Ryukyu couldn't blame her. With hardly any information to go off of, everyone had started putting forth their own thoughts on the mysterious newcomers. Some were well within the realm of possibility while others obviously let their imaginations run wild.

She decided to put in her own idea. "Honestly, the most likely scenario is that they're just a bunch of young and upcoming heroes who the Commission wanted to cash in on. If even a fraction of what we've heard is true, then it's obvious they have potential. After all, it's pretty much the exact same thing they did with Hawks."

"Yeah, sure, that's the most realistic option." Fat Gum smiled. "But it just doesn't have the same ring to it as All Might Clones."

Ryukyu chuckled at that but before she could make a joke, she was cut off by a commotion on the far end of the conference area.

"Attention, everyone," a voice called out. The speaker turned out to be none other than Sir Nighteye, the head of this team-up. He and his intern, Lemillion, had entered the room from the large wooden doors along with Eraserhead at their rear, though he veered off to a different part of the room than them. The underground hero surprised her small group when he took a spot right next to the Spartans and exchanged greetings with them. It wasn't his actions that stunned them but the level of comfortability the Spartans displayed towards him. They didn't have long to gawk at the interaction as Sir Nighteye quickly got them back on track. "Now that we're all here, I think it's time we begin. Please, take your seats."

Sir Nighteye continued after everyone settled in. "Let me start this meeting by first thanking everyone present. I expected this operation would require a significant amount of support, but this turnout is nothing short of impressive. I'd like to thank each agency for their contribution to…"

Throughout the pleasantries, Ryukyu kept glancing over to the Spartans in an attempt to find anything - no matter how small - that might give her some insight into who they are. It wasn't like there was anything important being discussed at the moment anyway. But the longer the Dragoon Hero examined her new colleagues, the more irate she grew. There was hardly anything for her to go off of. Their armor covered the entirety of their bodies and was so bulky that she could hardly tell a difference between any of them. At least their helmets were different. Their demeanor was obviously drilled into them through training but that didn't give her any clue as to what that training was or where they'd received it. Right now, all she had to off of was rumors. Rumors and-

"I'd like to give an especially warm welcome to our newest allies over at the Commission: the Spartans," said Sir Nighteye. The mention of the mysterious heroes had snapped Ryukyu out of her thoughts soon enough for her to listen to their newest accomplishment. "The intelligence they've acquired on the Shie Hassaikai has been instrumental to our planning. Through their efforts, we've been able to determine the number of villains present, their Quirks, and have even gotten eyes and ears within their compound."

"Impressive," Fat Gum murmured.

Ryukyu was in agreement with her friend as images of the compound appeared on the massive screen in front of them. The angles and clarity of the pictures made it evident just how far the Spartans had been able to get into the area.

"These pictures… they're actually from within the yakuza's base," Ryukyu stated incredulously. She looked at the Spartans, desperately trying to pierce through their stoic nature. "How'd you do that?"

Instead of any of the armored giants answering her, it was the woman sitting next to them who shifted in her seat before speaking. "Spartans undergo a rigorous training regimen that includes a variety of fields like combat, first aid, and infiltration. The members of the Shie Hassaikai are powerful, but ultimately lacking in comparison."

One of the heroes - Rock Lock - let out an amused harrumph at that. "It's good to have some fire, but don't get cocky. Underestimating an opponent can come back to bite you in the ass real quickly."

The lady merely nodded her head in agreement.

"I understand that the presence of the Spartans is an intriguing one, but I ask that we remain focused," said Sir Nighteye. "I assure you all that there will be time to get to know one another. Trust and cooperation are instrumental for any team-up, after all."

Ryukyu perked up at that. Good, she thought. Today is most certainly about the yakuza, but I have to admit I'd be a little disappointed if I didn't learn anything about the new kids on the block.

The meeting became straightforward after that. Between the Spartans, Sir Nighteye, and what several other Pros were able to discover, there was plenty of information to discuss. They started off with the villains: who they were and what their Quirks were.

"They're called the 'Eight Bullets'. They're Chisaki's - or 'Overhaul's' - top lieutenants. Every one of them is a formidable fighter, however, with the right strategies they can be brought down swiftly enough. Apart from them is the general manager of the Shie Hassaikai, Joi Irinaka, otherwise known as 'Mimic'. There's also Overhaul's chief assistant, Hari Kurono, dubbed 'Chronostasis'. Including Overhaul himself these eleven individuals make up the Shie Hassaikai's leadership. Use caution when facing any of them. Even on their own, they can prove to be extremely dangerous."

"How do we take them down?" Asked Fat Gum. "They'll have the home field advantage, so to speak."

A voice - young, but undeniably resolute - rang out. It took Ryukyu a moment to realize where it was coming from.

"If all goes to plan, we'll take them by surprise," said one of the Spartans - the leader, by the looks of it. "We want to prevent a long, drawn-out fight."

"The leader of Mythic Team is correct," Sir Nighteye followed up. "This actually leads us to the next part of the discussion: the layout of the Shie Hassaikai's Base…"

Mythic Team? Ryukyu wondered. I thought this was all of them. Just how many Spartans are there? She shook herself from her thoughts quickly. The time for questions would come soon enough, but right now she had to keep her mind focused on the mission. It wasn't a moment too soon, either, as Sir Nighteye addressed a captivating subject.

"-had already assumed that there was some sort of tunnel system they'd been utilizing in order to ferry their people and supplies. Their base of operations is, after all, practically dead center of a populated urban area, so they'd need some method of transportation that wouldn't raise suspicion."

And what tunnels they were. From the rudimentary map they had on display, the only word that came to her mind was 'labyrinth'. If the scale was to be believed then they must've gone on for dozens of kilometers underneath the city.

"We aren't sure how accurate most of these dimensions are. Every piece of information regarding these subterranean passageways were acquired through preliminary scouting, highly sophisticated sensors, and by using my Quirk to look through the future of one of the yakuza members. However, we have accumulated enough to create a plan we're confident in."

With that, the bespectacled man gave a respectful nod towards the HPSC woman who stood up. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Vanzina Maximova, though you may refer to me by my call sign, 'Control'. The plan is a simple one: the Spartans will infiltrate the yakuza stronghold by entering through one of the underground tunnels. From there, they will split up to accomplish their individual tasks. Fireteams Mythic and Legacy will neutralize and apprehend the Shie Hassaikai leadership as they come across them - effectively cutting the head off of the snake. Fireteam Chimera, on the other hand, will break off from the rest of the group to search for any and all innocents that are in the base."

"Innocents?" Ryukyu blurted out. She'd meant to wait until the end before asking any questions, but this new piece of information sent a chill down her spine. What poor souls were trapped in the hands of these villains?

Vanzina - or 'Control' as she'd titled herself - gave an apprehensive sigh. She tapped something into the datapad in front of her and Ryukyu felt a lead weight drop into her stomach at what she saw. The image of a little girl, certainly no more than a few years old, was brought before all of them. The high-quality picture captured every horrifying detail about her situation. From the tattered rags she wore to the plethora of bandages adorning her body to the look of abject terror on her face, it was all there for them to view.

"Her name is Eri," Vanzina began, "and that's all we've been able to verify regarding her identity. Facial scans have yielded nothing and we haven't found anyone resembling her in the database, nor has any hospital we've visited recognized her. We believe she might be related to Chisaki, but that still hasn't been confirmed. What we do know is that she's important to his operation."

Sir Nighteye chimed in at that point, explaining Chisaki's Quirk and how it was likely being used to do unspeakable things to the young girl, but Ryukyu was already somewhere else. The moment she spotted the child with all her bandages and wounds and the fear etched into her face; she was reminded of a time years ago.

Ryukyu felt it coming back to her. Everything about that day. The coppery taste of blood in her mouth, the stinging pain of punches crashing against her face, the sounds of concrete crumbling, the screams of civilians as they realized too late that they were too close to the battle. Then it was the way her claws scraped against the debris, trying frantically to save those that'd been buried beneath and finally coming across one. That one. The one who'd nearly broken her. The one who nearly caused her to quit her hero career because she couldn't stand the fact that she'd failed such a young soul.

Izuku.

"Ma'am?" The Spartan - Mythic Leader, she thought it was - called out to her. "Are you all right?"

She realized then that the rest of the table had gone silent and looked to her with varying levels of concern. She must've caused a bit of a scene with her damned flashback.

What the fuck am I supposed to say? She thought sardonically. Oh, yeah, it's all cool, the little girl who's being tortured by her possible father made me remember that time I let a fucking child die on my watch and I've never fully gotten past that?

She went to say she was fine but realized that absolutely nobody would believe her. Instead, she shifted the conversation towards something far more important in her eyes. "We need to save Eri."

The others slowly nodded their agreement, but it was Mythic Leader who spoke out loud. "We'll get it done, ma'am. Leave it to us."

"Why you?"

Moments before, the room had been silent out of concern, but now the silence was one of tension.

"Ma'am?"

"I don't doubt your training, Spartans, but I am concerned about your experience. How many hostage situations have you been in? How many rescues have you performed?"

Vanzina put her hands forward in a placating gesture. "Ryukyu, you have nothing to fear. These Spartans are uniquely trained and highly qualified for extreme situations just like this one. There isn't a doubt in my mind that they-"

"Vanzina- Control- whichever one you prefer; I say this with absolute respect for both you and your Spartans: I disagree with you." Neither Mythic Leader nor any of the other Spartans reacted to what she'd said, but Vanzina's displeasure was worryingly evident. "I mean to say, there are a dozen Pro's - in this very room, right now - who are just as, if not more than capable of guaranteeing Eri's safety."

A couple of seats over, Fat Gum decided to speak his mind too. "I didn't want to say anything until afterwards, but Ryukyu does have a point. The rest of us have several years of hero work under our belts but you guys have… what, a couple of months? I'm not trying to down talk all of you, I just want to get the point across. Maybe someone else should go? Or, better yet, why don't we all go with you through the tunnels, or at least a few more of us?"

Vanzina closed her eyes for a moment - most likely to collect herself. In the span of a split second, she went from glowering to the very definition of serene. "As I said before, Spartans are uniquely trained in matters of stealth. They've infiltrated numerous compounds before - this very yakuza base being one of them - and every single time they've never failed to complete their mission. And as for your suggestion, I don't see any merit to it. A larger group would only increase the chances of you being discovered. A dozen Spartans is already a sizable team as is."

"Um, before we get too off track," said Nejire, "maybe we can talk about what you did have in mind for the rest of us? There's a lot of villains in that base and I don't imagine you wanted to fight all of them by yourselves."

"Of course." Vanzina nodded sagely. "Once the Eight Bullets and other forms of leadership have been dealt with, rank and file members will still need to be apprehended. We don't anticipate that they're going to surrender. In fact, they'll more than likely move inwards in search of their commanders. That's where all of you will come in. You'll assault the front gate and keep them focused on what's going on above ground. From there, you'll push further into the base, crushing them between you and the Spartans. A large contingent of police officers will accompany you, both to provide support and to quickly ferry the villains to the nearest station."

Ryukyu found herself agreeing with what she heard. It was a sound enough plan - there was no arguing that - though she'd learned early on in her career to expect the worst out of these situations. Any battle could turn rotten in the blink of an eye.

"What if their leaders can't be taken down fast enough?" She asked. "What if the Spartans become overwhelmed and we can't make it to them in time? What if Eri's condition is serious and she can't wait for us to clear out the base?"

A light scowl materialized upon Vanzina's face, but it didn't appear to be directed at her. She seemed to be contemplating her words instead.

Sir Nighteye cleared his throat. "No plan survives contact with the enemy. It's a tried-and-true saying. We have come up with a contingency plan in the event that some of the things you suggested happen."

Mythic Leader leaned forward and spoke to her in that calm, determined tone of his. "Should something arise, we will retreat back to the tunnels. At full speed, we'll be able to make the trip back towards the surface in a few minutes - even with Eri among us. Once we've made it far enough, we'll seal the passageways behind us by using remote explosives. This will prevent both anyone from chasing us and the yakuza members the chance to flee."

It was a bit more chaotic than Ryukyu would've preferred - especially so given that they'd have a child among them - but she could understand the necessity for such measures. The villains had both the numbers and the Quirks. In order for the Spartans to counter such a threat they'd have to do something to make sure that the yakuza wouldn't be able to easily pursue them.

"It's an… acceptable back-up plan," she relented. The Pro's around her all voiced their agreement. In the wake of finding common ground, a tentative peace had settled amongst the room which had allowed them all to breathe a little easier. Ryukyu didn't find any pleasure in shattering it so soon. "But I still insist on discussing our assignments in this team-up."

Across the table, Vanzina had no outward reaction to her words. However, the steely look in her eyes couldn't possibly be mistaken for warmth. It was obvious that she wasn't willing to budge in the slightest. "I understand your concerns regarding the wellbeing of Eri and you should know that we are in no way brushing you off. However, our course of action has already been decided. Every part of this operation has been meticulously crafted to best serve and accomplish our goals."

Ryukyu felt the slightest twitch in her left eye. "And what, exactly, would those goals be?"

"Eliminating the Shie Hassaikai and rescuing Eri are still at the forefront of our minds, though this raid does provide the Commission with a rare opportunity."

"Oh?"

"As you've already gathered, this mission will receive quite the attention from both the public and the rest of the Pro Hero community. It's under these unique circumstances that the Commission wishes to officially debut the Spartans. That way, they can establish a positive relationship with the masses as well as form contacts with the top hero agencies, such as yourselves."

Once she was done speaking, Vanzina allowed the room a moment to process this information. Ryukyu had certainly processed it.

And she didn't like it.

"...are you fu-"

March 8th, 2168

0918 Hours

"-cking with me right now?"

"What I think she meant to say was-!" One of the interns tried to interject, but was swiftly cut off.

"That is what I meant to say," the Dragoon Hero all but snarled. "There's a child in there who's being tortured and yet you have the gall to sit here and discuss using this situation to advance your secret heroes' agendas?"

Ryukyu may have been the one voicing her displeasure - or more accurately her disgust - towards the members of the Commission, though the expressions of the many Pros around her made it clear that they were firmly in agreement.

"Miss, I believe you've been mistaken," Vanzina said cooly. "I told you in no uncertain terms already that these matters are a secondary goal for us. Our priorities remain the same: rescue Eri and stop the Shie Hassaikai."

"There shouldn't even be a secondary goal in all this. Our only concern should be guaranteeing Eri's safety."

This isn't going well, Izuku pondered glumly. He knew why they couldn't allow anyone to change the plan. Rescuing Eri and destroying the Shie Hassaikai were their priorities, yes, but those weren't their only objectives within the base. Control's insistence that this was their chance for a proper debut was nothing more than a fabrication. The Spartans couldn't have cared less for such a tradition. Instead, the reason why it had to be them - and only them - to infiltrate the yakuza compound was so they could secure everything they had on the Quirk Erasing bullets without being discovered.

In a way, Izuku agreed with Ryukyu. Even before all the training, he had a simple yet rigid mentality towards life: if someone needed help, he would help them. Right now, Eri was most certainly in need of help. It took every ounce of his self-control to not argue with Tsutsumi-sensei when she'd told them of their ulterior motives for going on this raid days ago. He wanted to tell her that saving people wasn't just an objective for them, it was the very purpose of the Spartans to do so. But he stayed his tongue and in the end, she gave them a reason to accept this new part of their mission.

It's not enough to save those in front of us, he remembered her saying, we have to plan for the future, for when the MLA finally strikes. We need every advantage that we can get our hands on and those Quirk Erasing bullets are one of them.

So here they were, in the present, with their whole meticulously crafted plan falling apart before it even began. The other Pros were already beginning to look at him and his Spartans with skepticism. Some actually had expressions of scorn. If the situation deteriorated anymore then this team-up would fall apart before it even began.

He couldn't allow that. Not with Eri's life on the line. No matter what anyone would say, the Spartans' first and only concern would always be the protection of the innocent. The best way to ensure Eri's safety was to descend upon the base with the full might of all the Pros in this room. They needed everyone here working together without hesitation, without any sort of tension between them.

But the whole thing had already gotten so out of hand, how was he supposed to bring everyone together again? What could he do? What could he say that would unite them? Perhaps merely reminding them that the life of a child being on the line would bring them back to a more cooperative state of mind. If there was one thing that could rally any group of Pros it was always the mention of people in danger.

An idea began to form within Izuku's mind. One that would certainly put him in hot water with the Commission. Though with the way things were going right now he knew he'd have to do something drastic.

First, he needed to get the Pros to hear him out.

"I've wanted to be a Pro Hero for as long as I can remember," Izuku stated. Then he motioned to the other Spartans around him. "We all have."

He paused for a moment to get a read on the room. Just as he'd hoped, the arguing had stopped and now all eyes were on him now. Even those of his fellow teammates. Satisfied with this small bit of progress, he continued on. "I know those words might not seem that significant. Millions- tens of millions of people all across the world have likely said those exact words. The only difference between us and them is that the Commission saw to put their faith in us. Our armor, our gear, and our training - all of it is the best that can be offered. All that we can ask for now… is for you to put your faith in us."

Once more, he allowed a few short seconds between his speech so that everyone could digest what he'd said. He'd certainly given them food for thought if their faces were anything to go off of. Between the smiles and the scowls, it was easy to tell who was starting to warm up to them and who would still need a bit more convincing.

Here comes the kicker.

He cleared his throat and began again. "That being said, I believe that we could come to a compromise."

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Control's eyes widen in shock. He'd have to apologize to her later for this but it still needed to be done. "Us Spartans will still infiltrate the base as planned - that much is non-negotiable. However, it wouldn't be too problematic if another Pro accompanied us: one who's skilled in covert operations such as this one. Someone who is unquestionably experienced in their line of work and has an outstanding reputation among the Pro Hero community. And, as a bonus, is also familiar with us Spartans."

In contrast to the incensed expression of Control, the vast majority of Pro Heroes nodded in favor of what he was saying. Ryukyu was the one who asked the golden question. "Who are you thinking?"

The very person Izuku had in mind turned to glare at him. "That's not why I'm here-"

"Eraserhead."

Author's Note: Don't worry, I'm still here. I lost my mojo there for a bit, but I'm back now.