Chapter 22: Closing the Fist
Just a heads up: in this chapter, I alter canon to make Fourth Kind's, Switcheroo's, and Gunhead's agencies close to Hosu. Those characters are going to be involved in the arc.
"Master...how many Nomu are there now?"
The voice from the TV was deep and dripping with authority. "There are six that are ready to respond to commands."
"Give them to me, Master." Tomura Shigaraki's gnarled fingers trembled as he gripped the wound in his shoulder, where Stain had cut him. "I will set them loose within Hosu and intrude upon the Hero Killer's plans. You said I can destroy the things I don't like, after all!" His voice curled with sadistic, boyish excitement.
"I won't have you playing all my available cards after the disaster at UA High," Master replied. "Only enough to cause chaos. You may have three."
Tomura growled. Kurogiri stepped forth from behind the bar.
"Sir," he addressed the television. "The latest stream of information we collected from our mole inside the school indicates that the first year students are currently taking part in internships at hero agencies. Some of them are even in or near Hosu."
"Including Izuku Midoriya," Tomura muttered.
"And Doko Katayama," Kurogiri added.
"Hmmm?" There was a curious tone to the master's voice. "Do you have a vendetta I did not know about, Kurogiri? I was unaware that that was possible. Need I remind you of your single task?"
"To...protect Tomura Shigaraki." Kurogiri shrank back a bit.
"Very good. Now, the information about the internships IS interesting, I'll grant. Very well. You may have four Nomu, but that is all. Use them wisely."
Later, Tomura and Kurogiri warped themselves to the top of the water tower, where the Hero Killer crouched, watching the sun set over Hosu City.
"What are you two doing here?" Stain growled. "Planning something?"
"Why yes, as a matter of fact," said Tomura gleefully. "We figured we'd make your job a little easier."
Stain grunted. "The difficulty doesn't matter to me. Only the results. This society..." he closed a hand around the hilt of his longest blade. "...will be reborn, with only the strongest and truest heroes. All the rest of the scum will be nothing but ancient history."
He leapt from the roof.
"Man, what a nuisance..." Tomura scratched at his neck. "He's too idealistic."
"And yet, these results he speaks of cannot be ignored," said Kurogiri. "In every city where the Hero Killer has left his carnage...the crime rate has gone down."
"Lame," Tomura mumbled under his breath. "He thinks he can slash my shoulder and get away with it? No. Bring the Nomus in."
Kurogiri opened more portals, and the monsters came trudging through. Two were dark and two were light. One of the dark ones looked much like the USJ Nomu, while the other was misshapen and lean. One of the light ones had wings, while the other was lanky, crouching Ofer with long arms.
"Tonight, Stain will try to make a splash, but I'm going to steal his thunder." Tomura giggled. "And maybe kill a few heroes of my own along the way."
...
Earlier that day...
Toru crept through the maze naked, looking in every mirror for any sign of Reflector. The woman was nowhere to be found.
Mirrors had always been off-putting to Toru. She knew she was invisible, but seeing other people in them when they were standing right next to her was always strange. A device designed to look at yourself. But I am immune.
Katayama had made some joke in the group chat one day that Toru was so bubbly and confident because she literally couldn't self-reflect. It was funny, of course...but there was truth to it as well.
Right now, being surrounded by mirrors that reflected nothing but more mirrors gave Toru a funny feeling. Like her skin was prickling. Is that more than just my mind? Her Quirk was a mutant variety where her skin naturally refracted light from every angle...much like mirrors. Could this feeling be physical?
"Hagakure-chan!" A sadistic voice hissed over the speakers.
"Eep!" Toru squeaked. Stay focused! This is nothing compared to the fire zone at USJ! But then, I had Ojiro with me...
Calm down, girl! Ojiro would be calm in this situation! And so would Katayama and Sero and Shoji!
Toru took a deep breath. She had every advantage here as long as she stayed quiet. There was no way Reflector would be able to detect her, right?
Something rolled around a corner up ahead, and landed at Toru's foot. She looked down, and then the thing belched out a steady stream of smoke.
"AAARGH!" Toru coughed, stumbling backward out of the awful haze. She heard the rushing footsteps, but it was too late.
Reflector slammed into her messily and tackled her to the ground. Toru struggled and struggled, but somehow the woman managed to pin one of her arms. "Sorry if I get too handsy, but you DID choose to fight in the nude!" the heroine declared.
Then Toru realised...her other arm was free, stretched out above her head. Reflector hadn't pinned it. The woman was feeling around, looking for it. FRANTICALLY, even. And was trying not to let Toru know.
Her takedown was messy and incomplete because she can't account for my all limbs. I gotta take advantage! I may not be physically strong, but...
Toru lifted her other arm off the floor, closed her fist, and punched Reflector's head as hard as she could. The woman yelped and loosened her grip for a split second, letting Toru slither free.
"You still have to take me down yourself!" Reflector called as Toru backed away. The heroine's eyes darted in every which direction. She isn't sure whether I ran or what. "You can't run away, Hagakure!"
Reflector got up and began to walk down the mirror hall, seemingly passing where Toru was without a second look.
Toru took a running leap and jumped onto the heroine's back.
"I FIGURED AS MUCH!" Reflector whirled, throwing Toru into one of the mirrors with a smash. "Argh!" The girl wailed in pain, her bare back striking the glass. The prickly feeling intensified. She shook her head and danced away, as Reflector turned in a circle, trying to grab air.
"You're a feistier little thing than I expected!" Reflector said. "But...I can hear your breaths!"
Her hands then turned to right where Toru was, and grabbed her under her armpits.
The weird tingly mirror feeling grew. Reflector grabbed Toru's arms and locked them behind her back. "Concede, girl!" she said. "Naked, you could really get hurt!"
Toru winced. What is this sensation? All her cells...were whispering...with one voice...
It seemed all of a sudden to her like the mirrors were looking at her. For a moment...she could almost see herself, just the faintest suggestion of an outline.
Then, beams of rainbow light burst from Toru Hagakure's body.
"WHOA!" Reflector shrank back, throwing an arm over her face, blinded. The light beams bounced all over the mirrors, going crazy, refracting back into Toru, and strengthening. It felt like all the light in the room was being sucked through her, like a conduit. It was warm and tingly...and bright, and terrifying. The very waves of photons themselves were bending to her will.
"The...mirrors..." Toru grit her teeth. "TURN THEM OFF!"
Reflector began to touch all the walls in quick succession, using her Quirk on all of them. One by one, the mirrors disappeared. The rainbow light beams grew dimmer and lesser, slowly bouncing around less and less. It seemed as if they slowly wilted and converged back into Toru, bending around her form and suggesting the shape of a young high school girl, standing proud. And then they were gone.
Reflector clapped, overwhelmed with joy. "That was brilliant, Hagakure-chan! In more ways than one..." she rubbed her eyes good-naturedly. "That was a latent ability, right? You didn't know you could do that!"
"I...didn't..." Toru felt numb.
"Haha, it was because of my mirrors! Oh, I just know what we'll be doing the rest of the week! This is the perfect chance to practice, too! And you can go back to your classmates and tell them all about it..."
Toru was barely listening. She looked down at where her hands were supposed to be.
I never thought my Quirk would do anything else. I thought I'd be doomed to be the dullest, least noticeable person in the room. The shadow.
But...shadows are always surrounded by light, aren't they?
...
"Begin," said Kamui Woods.
They were in the back courtyard of his apartment complex. A few small gardens and bushes were the only obstacles in an otherwise fairly wide clearing. Above their heads were clotheslines.
Hanta attacked quickly like always, shooting out his tape in the same constructing move as he'd used on Todoroki, running in a circle to wrap up Ibara.
The vine girl grew out her vines with thorns, tearing up the tape into shreds as Hanta closed the circle. He shot his tape upward and diagonal, swinging off a clothesline to deliver a flying kick with his long legs.
Ibara's hair shot up in a defensive wall, while more vines came round to wrap around his leg. Hanta's eyes widened. The instant she constricts me, I'm finished.
He lifted his elbow up backwards and shot tape out behind himself, finding another clothesline and swinging away just in time. He swung himself up onto the line, crouching briefly before the vines shot out at him again, and he was forced to leap away.
"Good, Shiozaki!" Kamui Woods praised. "Don't let up! Don't hesitate!"
"Ehhhh..." Ibara looked distressed. "I hate to ruin all the nice gardens back here..."
"Forget about it! I can grow them back!"
She's certainly a character, isn't she? Hanta tried to attack again, this time staying near the building wall and swinging on the ledges, trying to get around her.
Ibara sent vines creeping up the wall like weeds. Hanta kicked one away as it reached his foot, and lost his balance, tumbling downward to the ground. He shot tape to another clothesline, managing to somewhat break his fall, but he still crashed somewhat unceremoniously, getting bruises on his knees.
And the vines were upon him in an instant. He bobbed and weaved and swung, unable to do anything but dodge. When he went in for another attack, she put up another wall. He clicked his teeth. Damn it! I have nothing strong enough to break through that!
Hanta retreated again, out of breath. Ibara stopped for a moment politely, the two of them standing about thirty feet apart. Kamui Woods watched him. "Remember what I said, Sero." You're doomed to hit a skill ceiling long before the others. If you don't find a way to stand out, you can't make it as a hero.
Argh! I just can't figure this out. He was quicker and more tactical than Shiozaki, but none of it mattered. She was just naturally more powerful and more impressive. What can I do against the long line of others that are just like her? This is impossible...
"Sero-san." It was Shiozaki's harmonious voice. "Please don't give up."
Yeah? Feeling pity for me, aren't you? Just like the rest of them? Don't worry about it? DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT?
"Fighting against someone difficult like you makes me feel like I'm improving," she called to him. "So...if you'll permit me to be a little selfish...I want to keep going!" She raised a fist excitedly.
Hanta's eyebrows went up. She's already so amazing, but she still has areas to improve on, and more importantly, she WANTS to. I...I can't give up, either!
Hanta gave her a grim smile. "Come at me, then!"
Her defense is strong, while mine is practically nonexistent. I've seen how she fights; by standing in one place and letting her Quirk surround her, doing all the work. I'll force her out of that comfort zone. She'll have to...attack me!
Ibara did not do so right away, however. First, she sent vines at him from the same spot, both attached and detached. Hanta swung up onto a clothesline. More vines burst from the ground, perking up at his ankles. He swung back down and away, forcing her to move forward a little. Come on. Out of that spot with you. This way. Hanta led Ibara and her vines on a goose chase, slowly forcing her forward through the courtyard. Kamui Woods let out an interested "Hmm."
For the first time ever, Hanta saw frustration flash across Ibara's face. "You're certainly...persistent, aren't you?" She shot out her main locks of hair.
Hanta's eyes widened. Two thick vines were bulleting straight at him. A blow to the face imprinted itself in his mind. I can't let that happen!
But he didn't dodge this time. Sorry, Asui. Hanta raised his elbows...and shot out tape that met Ibara's hair in the middle...and stuck to it.
With all his might, Hanta yanked.
"AAAAAAH!" Ibara squealed and was pulled forward by her hair, clutching her head in pain. Without hesitation, Hanta dashed forward, closing the twenty feet between them. Before she could recover and get her wall up again, he shot another round of tape low to her ankles, tripping her up, and then more onto her face, blinding her.
In the next second, he'd tackled her to the ground, the two of them landing in one of the gardens with a soft impact, kicking up dirt.
For a moment, the two students just laid there, breathing hard, Hanta on top of her, her blindfolded by his attack. Carefully, he unstuck his tape from her hair and ankles and face.
Kamui Woods walked over. "That was excellent, Sero. I'm proud of you."
Hanta looked up at him, smiling through the wave of exhaustion now passing over his body. "Thank you, sir."
The pro hero clapped his hands. "Now, let's go on patrol. Get out of that compromising position."
"Huh?" Hanta looked down, to where he realised that his shadow had fallen over Shiozaki. His hands were flat against the ground on either side of her head, and she was gazing up at him in a dazed, faintly blushing state.
"Eeep!" Hanta scrambled back, leaping to his feet. Ibara's chest was rising and falling, and she still seemed a little...distracted. Sweat poured down Hanta's face.
Kamui Woods chuckled to himself. Ah, youth...shit, I'm not supposed to be thinking that yet. Fuck. Is this what they mean when they say you'll feel OLD?
...
"Come on, Uraraka-san. We're going on patrol."
"Ehhhh? Already?"
"Yep! We've gotta be careful though; the Hero Killer's been spotted around these parts."
"Oh...him..."
"What's the matter?"
"Ehh? Oh, I was just thinking of a friend, that's all."
"Hoh? Is it your boyfriend?"
"NO! Gunhead-san, it's not like that!"
...
"Come, Ashido. I got a request from a big pro to help him patrol Hosu."
"But I haven't managed to hit you yet...also, Hosu? I mean, it's kinda close by...which pro?"
"Endeavor."
"Are...are you serious?"
"Yep, the number two himself! I assisted him in a villain battle last year and managed to earn his favour. Surprised?"
"No, it's just...that's where Doko is for his internship."
"Oooooh. I was unaware. This might actually turn out better than I expected."
...
"You boys STILL can't make a proper cup of tea!"
"Yes, Fourth Kind sir!"
"Sorry, Fourth Kind sir!"
"Geez...you two are as hardheaded as it gets..."
"SIR!"
"Huh? What did I say about bursting into my office unannounced!"
"It's Hosu sir, east of here! There's fires and sightings of strange creatures! It's an attack!"
"An attack, is it? Right then, maybe you two boys will be good for something after all!"
"Huh? We're going to help?"
"That's right! Come, Red Riot and Real Steel! Hopefully you're better heroes than you are office workers!"
...
On the rooftop, Tomura Shigaraki grinned. "Game start," he breathed.
...
"There's trouble over this way!" Endeavor shouted. Several of his sidekicks flanked him. Doko and Todoroki ran somewhat behind.
Doko's heart was racing. It was nighttime, in an unfamiliar city, and there was fire on the horizon. Who knows what could be happening? He knew he could warp ahead of the rest of them, but Endeavor probably wouldn't appreciate that. How did I get myself into this?
His and Todoroki's phones buzzed at the same time.
Todoroki stopped and pulled his out. Doko ran a few more steps, and then turned. "What is it?"
Endeavor stopped even further ahead. "Shoto! Look at me, not your phone!"
Todoroki was frozen. Doko stepped toward him. "What is it?" he repeated, suddenly feeling his Quirk curl up in creeping fear.
"Midoriya..." Todoroki gasped. "He sent his location."
Then, he turned and began to run the other way.
"Hey, wait!" Doko held his hand out.
"SHOTO! Where are you going?" Endeavor demanded.
"An alleyway at 4-2-10 Ekou Street," Todoroki replied determinedly, still running. "When you're done up ahead, or if you find any more pros, send them there."
"Todoroki!" Doko cried. Is Midoriya in trouble?
"I'm leaving it to you," the boy called back. "I'm sure you can resolve it quickly."
"Tsk," Endeavor lowered his hand.
Doko whirled. "You're letting him go?"
"I trust my Shoto to get through most situations," Endeavor said. "He is the perfect fusion of Quirks, after all. You, boy. Stay with me. I can still teach you a thing or two."
Doko felt like he was being patronised, but Todoroki was already long gone, the address he'd shouted already leaving Doko's memory. He felt much better off sticking with the number two pro in this uncertain situation.
"Yes, sir," he said.
They kept running forward. As they rounded the corner onto the burning street, Doko's heart stopped.
Citizens were fleeing the area, clearing a space around a diminutive old man in a hero costume...and a pale monster with dazed eyes and an exposed brain.
"MOVE, SIR! THAT'S A NOMU!"
Endeavor attacked without hesitation, his flames engulfing the thing completely, setting the street alight. The Nomu squealed a horrible sound.
The flame hero walked closer, Doko treading more carefully behind him. "I do not know who you are, honoured elder," Endeavor said to the old man hero, "but leave the rest to me."
One fleeing woman stopped and glanced at Endeavor in distress. "What are YOU doing here?"
"Is it complicated?" he smirked. "It's because I'm a hero."
The flames cleared into smoke, showing the Nomu still intact, although it was crouched over and scarred.
"Hmmm? Even though I used lower temperature as a warning, this is the first time anyone's stayed conscious after being on the receiving end."
"Sir, that's a Nomu." Doko pointed at it as it rose up with a horrific screeching sound. "It's the same type of monster that attacked our school! It's the pet of the League of Villains!"
Endeavor's eyes widened.
The Nomu yelped...and released an explosion of fire.
Doko warped back. The older hero blasted away using his feet, he noticed. Endeavor redirected the flames, standing strong. "Absorption and release, huh? But since the damage from the absorption remains...it's just the Quirk of a small fry!"
Doko winced as the flames guttered out. "No, sir. If it's anything like the one that attacked us before..."
"It's got multiple Quirks!" The elder finished for him.
Doko looked around wildly. "The bystanders have fled!" He reached up with his fist and pressed the button on the side of his head, twice. His metal mask closed over the top half of his face with a smooth click.
Endeavor chuckled. "In that case..."
The Nomu grew in size, and leapt at the flame hero. As Endeavor raised up a fiery hand, the thing opened its mouth and exposed its monstrous, multi-branched tongue. THAT'S NEW! Doko thought with a frightened grimace.
The elder hero kicked off the ground and blasted straight through the tongue, to Doko and Endeavor's shock. In midair, he kicked his air blasts around, and slammed back into the creature from above, crushing it into the concrete.
"My control isn't as good as it used to be..." the old guy said as the smoke cleared on the defeated monster.
"You're not bad, honoured elder," Endeavor said with a grin.
Trembling slightly, Doko edged toward the Nomu. It was hard to imagine it being defeated like that, compared to the other one. A less perfect design, maybe?
But it's from the League of Villains. That means they are somewhere...
Shigaraki and Kurogiri. THEM.
Doko glanced up at the surrounding rooftops, suddenly feeling like he was being watched.
"My sidekicks will handle this villain," Endeavor was saying. "Elder, go to this address: 4-2-10 Ekou Street. After I have finished up with the other trouble, I will meet you there."
Doko looked up at him. "Sir, what about me?" Behind the metal mask, his voice sounded distorted.
"Stay with my sidekicks and help," Endeavor told him. "You have intel about this type of creature. Cleanup is an important part of the process to learn."
"But I..."
"I'm going now." He began to run off.
"Sir, wait!" I need to warn him about the two of them!
But he was already gone, and the older hero had blasted away too. What was the address again? 4-2-something? Aaaargh! Dammit!
One of the sidekicks knelt over the Nomu. "Here, Everywhere. Help us out like the boss said."
If Midoriya sent his location, and it's near here...he might have run into them! And Todoroki's going there too, and the old guy...my friends are in trouble, dangerous people are about, and I'm stuck here with...
Doko grinded his teeth together. "Sorry. Don't care."
Then he warped upward onto a fire escape. Up again, onto the roof of the building. He could hear the cries of the sidekicks, but he ignored them.
He warped onto the next roof. Then the next. Looking around in circles frantically. They'd either be watching or fighting themselves. Where. Where are they.
Fire and smoke and screams came up from one street, where Endeavor had gone. I don't think that's them.
Doko's narrow vision suddenly zeroed in on a water tower. A purple flicker, barely visible against the black backdrop of night.
It was Kurogiri. And next to him, the pale blue hair that was unmistakably the League of Villains' leader, a hand masking his face. Tomura Shigaraki. Standing on top of the water tower.
Doko began warping toward them.
Sorry for the short-ish chapter; it's for the sake of future structure. Next time, the rematch begins. See you then.