Chapter 49: Lemillion and Everywhere
DAYS BEFORE THE RAID
A place, somewhere.
"What? Work with the Hassaikai?" Twice asked.
"Their plan is sound enough," Shigaraki rasped.
The League of Villains had moved camp. Cheap blinds blocked the sleepy sunset from the dark windows. Giran was there, patching up Mr. Compress's arm. Toga sat perched on a dusty piano, while Spinner and Dabi brooded in the corners.
And Denki Kaminari listened with interest.
"Toga, Twice, you two are yakuza from this day on." Shigaraki's tone allowed for very little argument. But Denki didn't understand. Shigaraki doesn't like them, does he? What happened with that meeting?
Had Overhaul managed to convince him? Was the young head of the yakuza that charming, that clever? He…he is the one who should be succeeding All For One…
If it came down to it, wouldn't working with them be good for the League, and for the overall plan? Maybe I should…
Denki held his tongue for a moment, considering.
"Us? Yakuza? Your joke isn't funny," said Twice. And then, his psychotic side: "Sounds interesting, Shigaraki!"
"Anyway, you'll be in charge of guarding some of their tunnels…" Shigaraki stepped past Twice, and then Twice grabbed him by the shoulder.
"What do you mean, SOUND ENOUGH? Is that masked bastard influencing you?!"
Yes, and it's a good thing, Denki thought.
"He killed Big Sis Mag! He blew Compress's arm to pieces! He's…he's the guy I brought c-carelessly to us…" Twice's voice shook. He lifted his mask off his face. "Toga, wh-what about you? C'mon, say something?"
"Hey, Tomura-kun." Toga bounded lightly off the piano, and spun toward them, her knife freely in her hand. The rays of sun sent bands of dust across her as she spun. "The League is a place I feel comfortable. I want to build a world where I can do whatever I want. So, tell me…" She finished her spin and held her blade to his throat. "Why do I have to do something that's hard, that I don't want to do?"
The situation was tense. As uncertain as Denki was about his loyalty to Shigaraki, he was All For One's chosen successor…even if Master did not fully explore his options. I cannot allow Shigaraki to die here.
"If they don't want to go, I'll do it," Denki piped up.
Toga and Twice took pause, looked back at him.
"You'd do that, Denki-kun?" Toga asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Sure. I mean, you guys are comfortable here, right? And not to be rude, but you both have mental issues. I'm much more prepared to enter an unfamiliar environment."
Shigaraki sighed, and removed his hand mask, showing his shriveled face to them.
"Kaminari…" he muttered. "I respect the request. But you know as well as I that we must obey the Master's wishes. He wanted to keep you close, and reveal you when it was the right time."
"It's only for a few days, right?" Denki said. "And it's not like any heroes are gonna be down there in yakuza tunnels. I won't be seen."
"You…" Twice coughed. "You shouldn't go alone, kid…" And then, his psychotic side: "Good luck, little moron!"
Shigaraki chuckled. "Maybe this is good. Overhaul actually asked for Kaminari too, originally. If I surprise him with all three of you, that would go even a longer way."
"Huh?" Toga lowered her knife, looking at their leader's surprisingly gentle expression.
"I'm doing this for us. For you guys. I'm not being manipulated by him, or influenced. Far from it. He wants some of our troops to build mutual trust, and so be it. You three will go. You'll get in their good graces. You'll observe. And then, when the time is right…" Shigaraki bared his teeth, his smile turning gruesome.
Toga suddenly returned the smile, her fangs glinting in the sunset. "Tomura-kun, you're more than you let on!"
"So…" Denki looked back and forth between them. "You two will be coming with me, then?"
"Sure, Denki-kun!" Toga purred, suddenly getting up in his face, blushing. "Maybe we can have a little fun in those tunnels…"
"I want to take responsibility…" Twice muttered. "If this is the way to do it, then so be it."
Shigaraki's eyes narrowed at Denki. "You must be absolutely certain that you will not reveal yourself."
"Don't worry. I want to obey Master just as much as you," Denki said. "And besides…this is a double agent job we're doing. You should have asked me from the start. I've got the most experience!"
Toga and Twice both laughed at that. Even sad old Compress chuckled lightly, from his slumped position against the window.
Denki echoed their slightly improved moods with a smile of his own, but inwardly, the gears were turning. Double agent indeed, Shigaraki. Or perhaps, even a triple agent…
If he could get into the good graces of Overhaul…
…
Chronostasis walked into the room. Kai Chisaki hung over the boss's bed. A rhythmic beeping filled the room, giving off a sort of cold oppression.
Overhaul's hand was on the boss's forehead. Like always, the grey-haired man was unconscious, hanging on to life. Chisaki was muttering.
"Soon…everything will be back…and you'll understand what I was trying to do…"
Chrono coughed, breaking Chisaki from his reverie.
"What is it? The bullets?"
"Well…yes. We've managed to make five. Five that completely annihilate a person's Quirk."
"Good," Chisaki said, getting to his feet. "It took a month to get this far, but…that's because we're doing it ourselves, in this awful facility. Once we get our funding up…" He noticed Chrono was still standing there. "What else? You have something more to say?"
"The League. They're here. Three of them."
…
Chisaki's office was simple, and spare. Denki had been somewhat disquieted by the tunnel network they'd come through to get here, and was even more disquieted by the yakuza members standing all around. As much as he'd bragged to Shigaraki about his double agent skills, this was an environment unfamiliar to him.
At least Toga seemed calm, her face almost bored. Twice…impossible to tell with the mask. The man himself sat opposite them, slouched over, in his mask like always.
"I am surprised to see three of you," said Overhaul. "Shigaraki and I agreed on two."
"He changed his mind," said Denki. "I don't understand it much myself, but he said that his confidence in your plan had increased after giving it some thought. We don't really know what that means, but…we're here."
The lie appeared to work, as Overhaul's eyes glinted with approval. Of course I know what it means. Shigaraki told us everything. How they were making bullets that could erase a person's Quirk entirely. Such weapons might be instrumental in building the world All For One wants. Denki kept his cool. Everything was fine so far. Fine.
"In any case," Chisaki continued, "thank you for coming."
"I had no choice," Toga said flatly. "I was ordered to come here."
"Remember me, birdman?" Twice boomed. "I will never forgive you for what you did. LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU!"
"I apologize for these two," Denki said with an overly sheepish grin and a wave of his hand. His job was to play the apologetic "good cop" as it were. Toga was supposed to play bad cop, and Twice would just be Twice, going back and forth between the two extremes.
"The League of Villains, huh?" said a large muscular ginger guy in a mask. "Let's fight! I'll kill you!"
"No," Toga said plainly.
"Sorry about Magne," Overhaul told them with a sigh. "I didn't mean to kill him, either."
"You mean her," Twice corrected.
A shadow fell over Toga's face. "Don't make that mistake again."
Denki scratched his neck. "We understand you well enough. Although, you can see why some of us might hold a grudge…"
"Of course," Overhaul agreed. "Well, if we're going to work together, you just need to follow my instructions. You three can serve as guards."
"Bastard…you're just putting on appearances like before!" Twice growled. "What will I need to do?" he asked immediately afterward, sweet as honey.
"First, tell me your Quirks. That will help me integrate you into our structure much better, even if it's only for a short period."
Denki spoke first, all amicable. "My Quirk is simple. I just discharge electricity." He lifted his hand up and sparked up a bit, to display. "If I go overboard, I fry my brain for a little while."
Overhaul's eyes widened. He was clearly impressed, and Denki felt his heart spike with excitement. "That would come quite in handy. Could you one-shot someone with it?"
"Oh yeah. You guys know I used to be in the UA hero course, right? Before I betrayed them? Well, during the USJ attack, I fried a guy bigger than you!" Denki pointed toward the muscular ginger who had spoken earlier. "He went out like a light. I do need to touch the person, though. Can be hard to get in close."
The ginger growled, but Overhaul held up a hand. "That will definitely come in handy, thank you. For one so young, you certainly know what you're doing. Managing to infiltrate UA is no easy feat."
Denki beamed. "Thank you…sir."
Overhaul clearly liked that. "And what about you two? What are your Quirks?"
Toga hummed for a moment, and then said "Nnnnah. I don't feel like telling you yet. I don't like you guys very much at the moment."
Twice made an exaggerated X motion with his arms. "Nadah! No way! No way am I telling you!"
One of the masked men suddenly spoke, and a purple halo emitted from his mouth along with his words. Denki froze, suddenly remembering Katayama teleporting his voice, but this was a different sort of Quirk entirely.
"What are your Quirks?" the man asked, in a whispery voice.
Twice immediately began babbling about his ability to make doubles, while Toga explained her blood-copy Quirk. They said every detail, down to their own weaknesses.
Denki facepalmed.
When the two of them were done, their eyes bugged out in shock, and they looked at each other in surprise, like morons.
"Well, that was easy," the masked man said. Clearly, he had some sort of persuasion Quirk that forced someone to speak. Sort of like that Shinso kid from the Sports Festival.
"One last thing. Did you hear anything about a betrayal from Shigaraki?"
Time seemed to slow, and Denki fought to keep the panic off his face. The wave of the Quirk was washing over all three of them. He could feel an answer forcing itself up from his throat, but what would he say? It was like he didn't have any power over his voice; he was a helpless observer.
The Quirk…it has a technicality! We can only literally answer the question! And since Shigaraki didn't actually TELL us to betray them…he stopped talking right after he told us to get into their good graces and observe…he left it hanging! Which means, we technically did NOT hear anything about a betrayal from him!
"No!" all three League members said together, and Denki had to mask his exhale of relief.
Overhaul and the rest of the yakuza, wonderfully, seemed satisfied. "Well, that's that." Chisaki stood. "Welcome to the Eight Precepts of Death."
DAY OF RAID: 8:00 AM
"Heroes everywhere! Heroes and police galore!"
Chronostasis hung up the phone, and looked to Chisaki and Mimic sitting on the couch.
"They're on to us," he reported.
Mimic growled. "And we were so careful, too…do you think it was those two young heroes?"
Chisaki's eye twitched. No…couldn't have been…
They will NOT take her.
He stood, composing himself. "Begin the plan. We've prepared for this, remember? Caught off guard or not…their offense means nothing."
8:30 AM
The chief of police stepped forward to ring the doorbell. Stretched in lines along the road were all his subordinates, some in normal police uniforms and others in full riot gear. The heroes were mixed in as well. Rock Lock. Fat Gum. Ryukyu, Nighteye, Eraser Head.
Doko looked to his left, at Kirishima. Then to his right, at Midoriya. Determination. Focus. They had prepared for this. This was it.
The chief of police looked back at all of them. "Once I show them the warrant, move forward. If you meet resistance, deal with it as quickly as possible. Did you all memorize the list of registered Quirks?"
General assent from the group. Doko swallowed, thinking about some of the Quirks he'd seen listed. Other than Overhaul itself, which was incredibly frightening, the director of the organization, a man known as Irinaka, had the ability to enter any solid object and take control of it. There was also someone who had the power to pull objects out of people's hands, someone capable of making forcefields…and the one that Doko found most frightening, a person with the ability to make others drunk just by being in his presence. Drunk.
Doko knew that the number one counter to his own power was to throw him off balance, make him lose his focus, his concentration. He had never been drunk before. If he ended up on the receiving end of that…
"Alright," the police chief announced, putting his finger toward the doorbell. "Ready…"
The wall exploded into a hundred pieces, sending debris flying everywhere. A massive, masked man came sliding out into the street.
The police had been scattered, knocked aside. Many of the heroes responded immediately. Eraser Head wrapped some up with his tape and caught them safely, while Fat Gum absorbed a few more through his chest. Midoriya sprang upward, coursed with lightning, and grabbed one flying through the air. But another policeman went flying past, missed by Midoriya, and Doko reached up, pulling with his Quirk. It was instinctive, like a natural release. A flash of purple, and the policeman had been warped safely into his arms.
"Alright, sir?" Doko asked.
The man shook his head hard. "Y-yeah," he answered, standing up.
The massive villain was standing in the middle of the street, as the remaining police closed in on him with riot gear. "What are you all doing here?" he growled. He was larger than Muscular, Doko realized. His arms alone were five feet long and at least a foot wide. "I feel great," he said, and Doko heard a noise like a growling stomach. Suddenly, the villain's arms bulged even bigger.
Trigger, it's Trigger, it's…
"Back up," said Ryukyu to the others, deadly calm.
Smoke rose up, blocking everyone's view for an instant, and then there was a massive impact, as the heroine's dragon form clashed with the villain and slammed him to the ground.
"A mere distraction!" the dragon roared. "The rest of you get in! Ryukyu Agency will take care of this!"
Nighteye nodded. "Let's go!"
Rock Lock, the police, Midoriya, and Mirio were close behind. Fat Gum, Tamaki, and Kirishima were going too.
Nejire ran forward, lifting herself off the ground with her quirk. "Tsu! Uraraka! Let's support her!"
"Right!" Uraraka said, running forward too.
Doko and Tsu briefly paused and looked at each other, in the middle of the chaos.
Doko wanted to tell her something, before they parted. Anything. He remembered what Nighteye had said, before all this started.
I cannot use Foresight on any of you. What if death is in your future? A death in this battle? I would not place that burden upon anyone.
If…if he was going to die…
What could I tell her? Hey Tsu, it's okay to look indifferent and calm while being a hero, that's how I looked during the licensing exam and got almost a perfect score for it, so you really shouldn't care what a reporter has to say as long as the Commission approves? How lame and lengthy was that?
"Tsu," he said. "Be who you are."
He turned, and warped after the others.
…
The yakuza members came flooding from the house, screaming frantically and using their Quirks. "What are you all doing here?!" one declared.
The riot shields went up, and the minor and local heroes got to work subduing them. It was a huge crowd, threatening to overwhelm the heroes, distracting them, pushing them away from the door.
"They're just being a nuisance!" Fat Gum roared, swatting one out of the way. He towered over the crowd, and could still see the entrance. "They sent all their subordinates out to delay us!"
"So self-destructive," muttered Rock Lock. "Did they know we were coming?"
"This feels more like an impromptu plan," said Eraser Head, kicking a yakuza member and throwing another with his scarf. "Based around loyalty and bonds. In any case, we must get moving inward."
Doko had caught up now, caught up to Mirio and Midoriya. "Everywhere!" Mirio said, as they ran side-by-side, fighting their way toward the door. "We've got this!"
"Right!" Doko nodded.
They powered through the crowd of minor subordinates, leaving many of the local heroes to take care of them. Doko looked around at who had made it through, as they burst into the house. Along with everyone from Nighteye Agency, Tamaki and Kirishima and Fat Gum were coming too. And Aizawa, Rock Lock, and a good amount of police. It will be enough, right?
"Sorry for the intrusion, but we're in a hurry!" Fat Gum said to no one in particular as he crossed the threshold.
Nighteye led the way, and stopped in the middle of the hallway, sliding and facing a flower pot against the wall. His eyes flashed yellow.
"The one I used Foresight on stopped here, and pressed these wooden planks in this order…" Nighteye began tapping his fingers against the baseplate beneath the flowerpot, and suddenly, a secret door sprang open.
"Wow!" said Centipeter. "If you hadn't used Foresight, we would never have found this…"
Three more yakuza members came bursting out from behind the door, roaring and brandishing weapons.
"Bubble Girl, take the third!" Centipeter roared, using tendrils to subdue two of them.
Bubble Girl ducked low under a punch, popped a bubble in the man's face, and spun beneath him, pulling his arm behind his back and using her knee to slam him into the ground.
"We'll take care of these, and guard the entrance!" she exclaimed to Nighteye. "Go!"
Doko was getting frustrated, as he followed the others down into the secret tunnel. We keep leaving people behind…what happens if we arrive at the end goal without enough power?
His heart was racing something fierce, as the warm yellow light of the home above gave way to darkness, and then to colder, blue light. Industrial light.
The group came to a stop as they reached the tunnel. It was cold and dank and stark, marked with rusty pipes. A wall stood in front of them.
"It's a dead end?" Tamaki muttered.
"Huh?" Nighteye raised his eyebrows. "This is supposed to be the way the man went to the girl's room…"
"Nighteye, the path you saw is our only lead!" Rock Lock exclaimed, exasperated. "If you ended up being wrong…"
"Wait a moment," Mirio interrupted, stepping forward. "I can look through the wall."
"Wait, Togata-sen…Lemillion, your clothes!" Kirishima protested.
"It's fine." Tamaki held an arm up, blocking Kirishima. "Mirio's costume is synthesized from his own hair. It's designed to stay on when he permeates."
Antsily, Doko watched as Mirio poked his head through the wall in front of them, and then turned around. "Sure enough, the passage continues! It's a thick wall, though…"
Doko looked back at Nighteye and Aizawa. "Chisaki's Quirk, right? It lets him rebuild whatever he wants."
"Tsk," Rock Lock said. "Who knows how much blockage he's put up by now. He's probably taking the girl and running for it!"
"It doesn't matter." Together, Midoriya and Kirishima leapt forward, past Mirio and toward the wall.
"FULL COWLING!"
"RED GAUNTLET!"
With an eruption of green sparks, the barrier blasted to pieces.
"Well done, kids!" Fat Gum gushed. "Goin' faster than me and all…"
Doko warped through the hole, suddenly finding himself in the lead as they continued on.
"Everywhere!" Aizawa warned, as they continued to run through the next tunnel. "Don't get too far ahead…"
Doko slid to a stop. There was a very small person standing in the middle of the tunnel up ahead. They almost looked like a weird sock puppet, only with a plague doctor mask on.
And they were holding a syringe to their own neck.
"It's Irinaka!" the police chief roared, as the heroes charged forward. "DON'T LET HIM…!"
The director of the Eight Precepts of Death injected the drug, and suddenly his puppet form burst upward, contorting horribly like some kind of monster. With a roar, he stumbled up against the wall…and then slid into it.
Maniacal laughter echoed all around them, and the walls began to move.
Doko gasped and slipped, losing his footing and crashing into Tamaki. The heroes and police backed up against each other, looking around frantically at their new, changing surroundings.
The tunnel was moving, swelling, distorting, flipping. Solid surfaces had become curved and hard to stand on. A few policemen fell over. The laughter continued, from somewhere in the walls.
"He was only supposed to be able to control objects as large as a fridge!" Rock Lock cried.
"But with a boost from Trigger…" said Fat Gum.
"Eraser Head! Can you stop him?" Nighteye asked.
Aizawa grimaced. "I don't know where he is…he's moving all over the place…"
Tamaki made a low groan next to Doko. "Between this guy and Overhaul, we'll never find the right way in time, let alone get there. We can't save the girl. W-we can't even s-save ourselves."
"Don't say that!"
Suddenly, a hand was on Tamaki's shoulder. Mirio's hand.
"You're Suneater, remember! Stay strong!"
And then, Lemillion went racing off down the tunnel, toward the next dead end. Through all the distortion and spinning, he held his ground.
"Lemillion!" Nighteye cried. "Wait!"
"Irinaka will have to focus on all of you!" Mirio yelled, not looking back. "One of us at least has to keep moving forward!"
"Two of us," Doko growled, and followed up, warping after him.
Aizawa gasped. "Ka…Everywhere, no. WAIT!"
Doko sprang forward, warping again and again, watching Mirio disappear into the wall up ahead.
He'd never warped through a wall before. But behind this wall, and many more, was the girl Eri. An abused girl that he'd failed to save. Not this time! Not this time! The wall can't be more than ten meters thick!
With one last leap of his left foot, he disappeared in front of the wall, wincing…
And reappeared, in the tunnel beyond.
These tunnels were still moving, but with less force. It seemed that Irinaka's Quirk only extended so far. And Mirio was already disappearing into the next one, up ahead. Desperate, Doko followed, catching up, warping through another barrier, and another.
Finally, he reached Mirio's side, out of breath.
"Everywhere? What are you doing here?"
"I'm coming with you," he gasped. "We're saving her together, remember?"
Mirio took pause, but then nodded, smiling. "Of course!"
They ran forward, side by side, into the darkness ahead.
…
Those two will not be sufficient to stop the boss on their own, Mimic thought to himself from within the wall. I should continue focusing on these…
He used his Quirk to open up a hole, dropping all the heroes into the room below, where three of the Eight Bullets were waiting.
…
Overhaul and Chronostasis walked away from Eri's room, hearing the sounds above them.
"Many people moving as one," Chronostasis muttered, the little girl safely in his arms. "They know where they're going. They have a destination in mind."
"Doesn't matter," Chisaki growled. "We won't be there." He fingered the box of completed bullets in his pocket. He didn't want to have to use them on the approaching heroes, didn't want to waste them…but if he had to…
"The Eight Bullets will do their job. And we have other countermeasures in place. Don't worry, Chrono."
…
Izuku Midoriya was worried.
"We left Amajiki-senpai back there…" Kirishima muttered next to him, as they continued to run through the tunnel. "I hope he'll be alright…"
"Yeah…" Izuku agreed.
"Oi!" Fat Gum called, in an exasperated tone. "You left him behind as your guard, so you could keep running forward! Keeping your mind back there when it needs to be up here isn't manly at all!"
"I'm sure he'll be fine!" Kirishima barked, changing his mind on a dime. Izuku sweatdropped, and Rock Lock sighed.
It was only six of them now. Six heroes against whatever was coming up ahead. Nighteye led the way, flanked by Fat Gum and Aizawa. Kirishima, Izuku, and Rock Lock came up behind, and behind them, the few police that had managed to get through.
Izuku was worried about Togata and Katayama, too. They just rushed off on their own…because of their guilt…
Izuku hadn't been there, hadn't seen the girl. Would that he had. Maybe if he had, he'd be feeling the same way as them.
We have to catch up as soon as possible. I have to catch up. With All Might's power…I SHOULD be the strongest one here.
Even if I'm too weak and useless to use all of it…
They need me up ahead. That little girl needs me.
"Irinaka isn't movin' these walls," Fat Gum commented as they ran along the tunnel. "Do you reckon he's focused on the police back there?"
"His range may not be wide enough," the police chief responded back.
"He's got a lot of tunnel to focus on," said Aizawa. "But if we keep moving as a group, he'll realize what we're doing, and shift his priorities, and then…"
A shadow, almost like a silhouette of a person, seemed to race through the wall, past Izuku. He gasped.
"I CAN SEE HIM!" Aizawa roared, and the wall next to them suddenly erupted outward, headed straight for Eraser Head.
"ERASER!" Fat Gum and Kirishima jumped forward at the same time, pushing Aizawa out of the way, and getting thrown into the wall on the opposite side, disappearing.
Izuku's eyes bugged out. "KIRISHIMA!"
All sorts of barriers were shooting out of the wall now, distorting and moving and attacking them. Izuku leapt over one and got back to Nighteye. Now they only had four. Four heroes.
"What happened to them?" he stammered, as Aizawa got back to his feet next to them.
"Gotta erase him…" Izuku's teacher muttered, his eyes darting all over the increasingly moving tunnel.
"There's no time!" Nighteye declared. "Rock Lock, with us! We must keep moving!"
Our numbers dwindle and dwindle…
…
The noises continued to echo around the tunnels above them.
Denki lay slouched against the wall, trying to hide his terror. Heroes. Heroes are here. He was panicking, although Toga and Twice had not realized it, from their position against the opposite wall.
Shigaraki told me not to reveal myself. All For One wouldn't want me to reveal myself. How are there heroes here? We were only supposed to have this guarding job for a few days…
Chronostasis and Overhaul suddenly appeared from the darkness. "This will be the end of the Hassaikai…" Chrono was saying.
"Not if the boss and I live on," Chisaki replied back.
Denki's eyes widened. Chrono, who he'd gotten to know somewhat over the past few days, was holding a little white-haired girl in his arms.
"Who's she?" he blurted, pointing as they came up to the League members.
"Important to the plan," Overhaul responded shortly. He seemed to be out of breath. "We're getting out of here. Heroes are coming."
Toga cooed excitedly. "Ohh, I hope it's someone we know."
"Heroes? Heroes?" Twice babbled. "Oh, what are we to do? Let's tear them apart!"
As the two yakuza members passed, the little girl looked at Denki with mute appeal in her red eyes. Denki only looked back at her blankly. I'm no hero, kid. I only pretended to be.
"You three," said Overhaul. "Guard our backs. There's a few heroes that have broken ahead of the main group. Do your job."
"No!" Twice blurted. "On it!"
"Aye aye, captain," Toga purred.
"Un…understood," said Denki.
None of his peers understood the dilemma. Toga and Twice SHOULD have understood, as they were there for the conversation, but apparently they did not.
"Mimic will back you up," Chrono said as they continued on down the tunnel. "GO!"
"Let's go, Denki-kun." Toga waved at him to follow them, as they walked in the direction that the yakuza had come from.
Denki's mind was turning over and over. It's possible that everyone knows about me already anyway. I mean, Yaoyorozu knows. And so do Katayama and Bakugo. It wouldn't have mattered if Yaoyorozu had died like she was supposed to, or if the other two had joined us like they were supposed to…in any case, they might be keeping it a secret. UA might be keeping it a secret. If that's true, then I have to rely on hope. Hope that these heroes will not recognize me from the Sports Festival. We are far from UA, so it's unlikely that there would be anyone who knows me on sight, right?
In any case, he had spent too much time getting into Overhaul's favor to disobey his orders now. If Denki was to guard, he would guard.
But his heart was full of conflict.
…
The distortion of the walls was getting worse and worse. The four of them and the police were getting closed in, crushed.
"He's caving the walls!" Rock Lock shrieked. "Eraser, can you see him?!"
"No!" Aizawa growled, spinning in a circle.
If we still had Fat Gum and Kirishima, this would be easier…Izuku thought. But we don't…
They didn't have Bubble Girl or Centipeter, or Amajiki, or Togata or Katayama or…Uraraka…
I have to do it, Izuku thought, coursing One For All through himself.
If I want to live up to everyone's expectations…
Make Uraraka notice me…
CONTINUE ALL MIGHT'S LEGACY…
AND SAVE A LITTLE GIRL!
As the walls came flying at them, Izuku leapt up to meet them.
"SMASH!" he roared, kicking as hard as he could. The entire maze seemed to shudder with the force of his impact, and he heard someone stutter from within the walls, falter. He thought he saw a flash of a silhouette. Irinaka, moving.
"THERE! THERE HE IS!"
Rock Lock hit his palm against the walls, and they partially froze. "This is much as I can lock in place with my Quirk!" he said. "GO! CHASE HIM!"
Aizawa, Deku, and Nighteye moved forward, the police following behind. Irinaka was fleeing, getting to another spot where Rock Lock's Quirk wasn't active. He regrouped a bunch of the tunnel material, and sent it flying straight at them, like a burrowing mole. Nighteye pulled up short, hissing in surprise, but Izuku leapt past again, kicking it with just as much force as before. "SMASH!"
"Keep it up, Deku!" Aizawa called. "Rock Lock! Hold the walls as long as you can!"
Rock Lock opened his mouth to reply…and then a wall came straight down upon them, from the ceiling.
Izuku's eyes widened, and he felt Aizawa's scarf wrap around him, pulling him out of the way to the left. Unfortunately, Nighteye and the police had slid to the right, and the wall came down between them, hard and thick.
Smoke billowed up, and Izuku rubbed his eyes, coughing. It was just him and Aizawa, in a space of concrete, a new room created by Irinaka's moving walls.
"Separated us, huh?" Eraser Head muttered. "Is this a new attack?"
"Get back, sensei!" Izuku cried, forgetting himself in the moment. He dashed forward towards a wall, fairly certain this was the one that Nighteye was behind. He kicked it hard, bursting it apart…
And froze.
Rock Lock was laying on the ground, stabbed and bloody. An exact copy of him was kneeling over.
"A copy appeared out of nowhere and attacked me with a knife!" the hero told them. "I managed to counter it, but…"
Aizawa moved to check out the "copy", the one that was wounded on the ground. Deku wavered next to the hole he'd created, uncertain. I don't remember any kind of copy Quirk being registered with the Hassaikai members…
Rock Lock walked up to him. "Midoriya, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm…" Deku stopped. Why had Rock Lock called him…Midoriya?
Aizawa leapt to his feet, and his red eyes glowed. Suddenly, Rock Lock melted away, and Himiko Toga was lunging at him, naked, a deep red blush across her face, her yellow cat's eyes shining gleefully.
Izuku shrieked and scrambled backward, tripping. "H-Himiko Toga?!"
"Yes, Izuku, it's me, Toga! Oh, you remembered my name!" She slashed and sliced, as Izuku dodged frantically, giving ground. "I'm so happy! Sooooo, so happy!" Her blush got deeper and deeper, and then Aizawa's scarf wrapped around her, pulling her back.
"This is the end for you," he warned, pulling her toward him…and she gripped the scarf, using it to flip backwards over his shoulders, and stabbed him in the back.
"SENSEI! NO!" Izuku roared, and activated Full Cowling, jumping full tilt toward Toga. He didn't care anymore. All thoughts drained from his brain. Thoughts like why is the League here and is that the same Quirk that the Shiketsu girl used on me and what happens if I get stabbed. All these things faded. All that mattered was saving his teacher, who'd trusted him to do this operation properly. Who, for the first time, had come into battle with him as an equal.
Izuku's kick planted squarely in Toga's face, and she was sent hurtling back toward the ruined wall of debris, bloody. For a split second, he felt guilty. Villain or not, I just hit a depowered girl!
Someone caught Toga, at the edge of the debris.
Aizawa stood up next to Izuku, clutching his bleeding shoulder, slouched. There was too much dust, neither of them could see properly…
"...Thanks for the save, Denki-kun…" a very bruised Himiko purred, standing up next to the silhouette of her savior.
Aizawa gasped. Izuku did not understand. Denki…?
The dust cleared, and Deku froze. His blood ran cold.
Standing next to Toga, looking just as terrified as Izuku felt, was Denki Kaminari.
"F-funny…seeing you g-guys here…" the electric blonde stuttered. "Sensei…M-Midoriya…long time no see."
…
Doko and Mirio slid to a stop, out of breath and sweating.
Standing ahead of them in the tunnel were the targets. Kai Chisaki, aka Overhaul. His aide, Chronostasis. And in the aide's arms…little Eri, hiding her face partially behind her frail arms, terrified.
"Excuse me…" Mirio breathed, his shoulders heaving. "May we ask you some questions?"
Chisaki only barely turned around. His eyes were filled with the purest sort of venom. "You weren't meant to get here so fast."
"We took a shortcut," Doko told him. Then, he sent his Quirk through his vocal chords, teleporting his voice upward through the tunnel complex. "OIIII! LEMILLION AND I FOUND CHISAKI! BETTER HURRY IF YOU WANT A PIECE OF HIM TOO! WE'RE NOT GONNA LEAVE ANYTHING LEFT FOR YA!"
Chisaki scratched his ear in annoyance. "Is that all your Quirk can do? Annoying, arrogant students. You were only pretending before, weren't you? You knew all along, and now you have your hero faces on."
It was necessary to let you go before…Doko gazed at Eri's terrified eyes, wracked with guilt. We had to…
"We're going to save that girl!" Mirio declared.
"And kick your ass," Doko echoed.
Chisaki chuckled. "Are you going to shout me into submission? This girl doesn't want you to rescue her. To her, you're not heroes. You're just some dolts who let her go…back to me."
Even he understands! So he KNOWS how abusive he is…and he doesn't care. Doko had never felt such powerful hate for someone before, never in his life. It coursed through him, like a drug in his bloodstream. His hands trembled, glowing purple. "They don't know our Quirks yet," he muttered to Mirio out of the corner of his mouth.
Mirio nodded almost imperceptibly, and then spoke up to Overhaul. "That's why we're here," he said with steel.
Overhaul sighed, closing his eyes as if disappointed, before starting to turn away. Chrono followed his actions. "You two clearly aren't understanding…"
"We understand well enough," said Doko. "What does it matter if the girl doesn't think we're heroes? We'll have plenty of time to convince her…after we take her from you, and throw you in prison for the rest of your miserable, pointless life." He released his Quirk fully, letting his whole body pulse with violet light.
Overhaul's eyes widened, and he growled. "Die, then."
Mirio began to charge forward, sinking into the floor…and both of them suddenly wavered, feeling unsteady…sick…drunk.
Doko's eyes widened. Oh no. No, no, no. The light in his body died, and his Quirk retreated deep into his chest, panicking. His stomach made a funny mewling sound. Cold sweat poured down his arms and legs. He felt like vomiting and passing out all at once. Stumbling, he fell against the wall, slumping. No, I can't. I have to…he tried to lift his hand, but his eyesight was all blurry and wavy, and he couldn't even look at the retreating villains with clarity anymore. Overhaul was disappearing, his yellow eyes glinting with victory, and he was taking Eri with him.
Mirio, too, was slumped against the floor, on his knees, fighting not to puke.
The yakuza member was hanging upside down from the pipes in the ceiling, pouring liquor messily into his mouth beneath the mask. It poured out everywhere, pooling around Doko's feet.
"Hehehe, feelin' sloshed? Like ya can't move yer leeeeggggs? Me tooo…that's why I'm hangin' around up here…"
I knew it. It's…it's him…Doko's body was getting more and more lethargic by the second. This was very, very bad. His counter. Right as victory had been in front of him…a guy like this was taking him down.
Mirio tried to get to his feet, and a gunshot crackled out of the darkness, causing the blonde to leap out of the way. Another masked yakuza came walking forward, standing between them and the retreating Overhaul.
"What's your Quirk?" the man asked, and through his half-lidded drunken eyes, Doko saw a purple wave, not unlike his own power, wash over Mirio.
"My Quirk is Permeation. When activated, I can slip through anything!"
Wait, no! Togata, why did you say that?!
The man turned to Doko. "And you?"
Suddenly, the answer was forced out of his throat. "I…arghghghbh." Doko tried to explain about his Teleportation, but it came out as nonsensical babbling.
The masked man looked annoyed up at his partner, still hanging from the roof. "You went overboard with that one. I can't understand his answer."
"Nnnnot my fault if he can't hold his liquor, heheheheh! Anyway, if he's THAT bad off, you don' even have to worry!"
"True enough." The man turned back to look at Mirio. "Permeation, hmm? That explains how you slipped past Mimic and the rest."
"You forced the truth out of me, huh?" Mirio put a hand against the wall to steady himself. The drunkenness isn't affecting you as much! Lemillion, you at least have to get through them and save Eri…even if I'm worthless…
Doko doubled over, slumping even deeper against the wall.
…
Mirio narrowed his eyes. He didn't know what was wrong with Katayama, but he knew he had to protect his junior, along with getting to Eri.
"You're not the type to stand on the front lines," he told the man with the confession power.
The man twirled his gun. "True enough, but among the Eight Bullets, I alone am in good enough standing with the boss to know his true plans! He trusts me to be his last guard!" Laughing maniacally, he shot three more times at Mirio, who dodged out of the way as best as he could. The drunk's Quirk was still in affect, but…he could get over it…he would get over it…
"Say…" the confession man activated his Quirk again. "You regret not saving Eri before, right?"
"That's right," Mirio replied, and then immediately shoved a hand over his mouth.
"You two just want to make it up to yourselves…to have some kind of moral closure…you actually don't care about the girl! You just care about your own image!"
He shot again, and the drunk threw knives…but Mirio inhaled, holding his breath, and went into the wall.
"ULTIMATE MOVE…PHANTOM MENACE!"
He dashed in and out of the walls, up and down, releasing himself over and over, hitting them and punching them as he passed from the sides. Again, again, again.
The two yakuza members hit the floor hard, and Mirio dashed past them, through the floor, up to where Chisaki had gotten to…
You're right, yakuza man. I did feel like I was made to carry the burden of some repulsive karma. Katayama felt it too. We acted so cruelly toward an innocent little girl…made her suffer! BUT I'M STILL HERE, TO MAKE IT UP TO HER!
Overhaul turned, to see his two subordinates taken out on the floor…and Mirio burst up from behind him, roaring.
"CHISAKI!"
Overhaul ducked low, getting swiped by Mirio's fist…and Mirio kicked Chronostasis in the face, through Eri. The aide went flying back, hissing in pain, and Mirio whirled, scooping up Eri in his arms and sliding back.
Eri blinked up at him horrified. "No, please…if you don't let me go, he'll kill you…"
Mirio's chest heaved, staring forward at his opponent as the man got back to his feet. "I will never make you sad anymore," he promised her. "I swear I'll become your hero!"
Overhaul was standing, his body seeming strangely contorted, like a ragdoll. One arm dangled freely, while the other hid behind his back.
"How filthy…" he muttered. "Sick. You're sick and tainted. Using the disease inside of you to promote delusions of grandeur…come back, Eri." He addressed the girl directly. "Kill him? How many times do I have to tell you? I don't kill people, I HEAL them. And so shall you. You're cursed, remember? Your power and your actions cause people to die, but through me, that can be turned around. So you can't stay with him or the heroes, see? You're worth nothing to them, a mere liability. Only with me are you worth anything. So come. Back."
"You don't have to listen to him!" Mirio declared. Eri was struggling in his arms, but he wouldn't let her go. "How?" his voice cracked, full of despair and hatred for this man before him. "How could you say such things to your own child?"
"Huh? Oh, that's the story I told you…" Overhaul knelt down to the ground, and turned himself, revealing his ungloved hand for the first time.
"...I don't have any children."
He slammed his palm against the floor, and the tunnel erupted with debris and spikes.
Mirio jumped back frantically, his heart racing. The tunnel had come alive, with all sorts of death. Crushing barriers, sharp points, hard concrete. From every direction, fast and all at once. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two guys he'd already beat up get swept up by the debris…and Katayama, as well. Everywhere…get up…I need your help…
Mirio balanced precariously on a spike, looking across the concrete mess towards where Overhaul crouched, his hand placed against the floor. "You would hurt her while she's in my arms?"
Chisaki shrugged. "I can repair her just as easily. She should already know that firsthand."
Mirio felt horror creep into his heart. How many times has he hurt her? KILLED her?
"You can't keep dodging forever!" Two more spikes to the left. He had to activate permeation in his leg to dodge one. "In these conditions, I'm the only one who can heal her."
Chronostasis stood up next to the boss, gun in hand. Mirio looked on in despair. I thought I knocked him out. Was my center off? Is the drunk's Quirk still affecting me? It was certainly affecting Katayama.
"Aim for the arm carrying Eri," Overhaul ordered his aide.
"I didn't realize he'd be using his Quirk so precisely…" Chrono muttered.
He shot, and Mirio whirled, using his cape to hide himself and Eri. He smiled down at the little girl. "Hang in there, alright?" he reassured her, as the shots went through open fabric, hitting nothing.
Chrono gasped. "He used his cape to make me miss…I thought a hero's cape was just for show…"
"It is," Overhaul insisted with an angry growl. "It's all just for show…it's all just a big, sick game to them…because they think the diseases inside give them some right to play at something they're not…"
He prepared to slam both hands down, to send spikes at the mass of red cape across the way, but then a capeless Lemillion appeared up from the floor, punching Chrono again. Overhaul slid back, surprised.
Chrono dashed for the gun, but Mirio kicked him out of the way. Overhaul turned, realizing that he'd left Eri behind in the cape. He prepared to send more spikes her way, but then Lemillion was upon him.
"THAT'S THE KIND OF GUY YOU ARE, ISN'T IT?!" His fist passed through Chisaki's palm, landing square in his face, a solid blow.
"YOU'RE STONG, BUT I'M STRONGER!" another solid punch, sending him even further back.
Wrapped up in the cape, Eri watched, her heart suddenly fluttering.
I will never make you sad anymore, he had said. I will become your hero!
"YOU WON'T LAY ANOTHER FINGER ON HER! YOU'VE LOST, CHISAKI!"
As he went flying back against the ground, Overhaul pulled something from his pocket…and threw it toward his subordinate, on the ground beyond. The box of bullets.
…
Doko had seen it all.
As he slowly inched his way forward along the wall, holding his stomach, trying frantically to regain his senses and orientation, he saw.
He heard how Eri was not Chisaki's daughter after all. How he'd possibly killed and revived her many times over. And he'd heard the man's manipulation to get her to come back.
Worthless to everyone but him…
It was the same sort of manipulation he'd endured, the same thing that had kept me locked to those parents for all that time. And, just like him…
Eri was not truly connected to Chisaki after all. They were not related. Just like he wasn't related to his parents. They weren't related to them, they weren't defined by them…SHE WOULD BE FREE OF HIM!
JUST… LIKE…ME…
His Quirk was gurgling in his chest, unable to find solid footing, unable to focus. He tried to push himself off the wall, and couldn't. The drunk guy was passed out on the ground beneath some debris, just a few feet away. Apparently his Quik was passive, or he just hadn't turned it off before going unconscious. In any case, Doko needed to get away from him.
Up ahead, the other guy, the one with the confession Quirk, was similarly pinned under the debris left from Chisaki's attacks. And beyond that, Eri, wrapped in her cape. If he could just get to Eri. Mirio was distracting Chronostasis and Overhaul. If he could just…get…to Eri…
Overhaul threw something to the confession guy. It slid up to the man's hand. A box.
Doko's eyesight still swam with inebriation, but he could see what was inside.
Bullets.
No…
NO…!
The confession yakuza placed a bullet into his gun, and lifted it up, his hand shaking. He first aimed toward Mirio, who was still pursuing Overhaul. But then…he turned his hand…and aimed for Eri.
Blockhead, don't you NEED her Quirk for your plans to work? Erasing it won't do any good…unless…
Doko's eyes widened. It turned out the yakuza had been a step ahead of him, because he realized what was happening a second later.
Mirio. Mirio was dashing back to Eri, blocking the bullet from reaching her.
He was going to get hit.
Mirio was going to lose his Quirk.
The gun fired. Time slowed to a crawl.
Doko felt his own heartbeat. His limbs were impossibly heavy. His stomach flipped over, once, twice, thrice…and then stopped flipping.
Focus. Concentrate. Get over…this damn drunkeness…
And save them. BE A HERO!
He lifted his hand, and sent the purple glow through it.
The bullet glowed purple too, in midair, as it hurtled closer and closer toward Mirio and Eri…
And then, it warped away.
Chisaki's eyes bugged out. "CHRONO!" he roared, and the two of them split, as the bullet suddenly zoomed in-between them, nearly grazing the side of his face.
The confession yakuza gasped, and tried to stand, but Doko warped his gun from his hand, and then warped on top of him, slamming his head into the ground with his foot. He felt bone crunch beneath his boot, and didn't stop to check what he'd done. Don't care, asshole. You tried to shoot at a little girl.
The inebriation was gone. He was free. His Quirk coursed through him completely, his blood sang with adrenaline. Pure fire flowed through him, as he warped forward toward Chisaki.
"LEMILLION, PROTECT ERI!" he roared.
Overhaul's eyes narrowed. "I was wondering where you'd gone off to."
He slammed his palm into the ground, sending spikes up between them, and Doko slammed his foot right back. "VOID SHRED!"
The spikes warped out of the floor with a violet crackle, shattering and scattering, worthless. Overhaul's eyes widened as the small debris of his attack rained down upon him, and Doko closed the distance.
He swept his foot low, pulling Chisaki to the ground. The man's open palm came swiping for him, and Doko warped sideways, dodging. A mere brush of the fingertips could kill, Doko knew.
They danced with each other, Doko warping to the left and the right and behind, landing light, peppery blows.
Chronostasis shot another bullet, a normal one this time, and Doko warped out of the way easily, letting the projectile strike against the opposite wall. He warped some debris up from the floor, raining it down on the aide's head, and then warped in, kicking the man in the stomach.
Overhaul came up behind him, but Doko warped backwards, through his hand, and punched the leader of the yakuza in the back of the head. Overhaul stumbled, trying to whirl, but Doko warped the end of a spike into his shoulder, and then leapt up, delivering a final kick that sent the man tumbling backward.
Frantically, Overhaul planted his hands into the floor, trying to both slow himself down and send up more spikes.
But the spikes weren't aimed at Doko this time. They were going past him, back toward Mirio and Eri.
Doko warped to chase the spikes, catching up and planting himself between them and his allies like a shield. "WARP FIELD!"
He coursed his Quirk through his whole body, and warped Mirio and Eri further back, away to safety, all while scattering the spike attack again. A purple pulse reverberated through the tunnel, and even Overhaul and Chronostasis were warped back a few meters, at the edge of Warp Field's radius.
Overhaul was dripping blood, snarling, furious. "You," he said. "Your disease is horrible. It is turned you into something less than human."
"If I'm less than human, what does that make you?" Doko shot back.
"A child like you can't possibly understand. Return Eri to me at once, or face the consequences."
"I actually don't think I'll be facing any consequences." Doko made a show of scratching his ear. He was full of hate and spite, and he wanted to make Overhaul feel as helpless as possible. "And a child like me is the one who will beat you."
"I am not beaten. You've already shown off all your cards. What will you do when I begin to reveal mine? Eri is my true work. You will regret standing in my way!"
Doko crouched into a combat position, closing his fists as they shined bright with lavender. "You know what? All you do is talk and talk. We're done talking. If this is your true work, then come forward and finish it!"
TO BE CONTINUED