Ember Sunblaze: Hello Everyone! I'm really glad I got this chapter in fairly quickly. Though I feel it doesn't have as much going as the last chapter, I felt it was a little more difficult to write. But I am happy with how it turned out! I hope you all enjoy it as well! Thanks again for everyone who left a nice review for the last chapter. It made me so happy ^_^
Chapter 13: The Plan
The water churned as Tsuyu's webbed limbs weaved in and out, pushing her body forward and leaving trails of bubbles in her wake as she sped down the dark tunnel. She knew the exit was near, the sides of the tunnel fanning inwards as it became walled off by large beds of coral. Her fingers touched the surface, feeling bone-like polyp that made up the inward foundation of the beautiful reef that stood on the other side of the wall. A reef hiding dark secrets within.
She ran her hand over the wall, trying to find the hole she had entered from. Very soon her fingers came across something plump and squishy, something that moved as she pushed. She felt the tight hold of a small tentacle wrap around her arm and the dark beak of an irate octopus staring up at her. Grasping his head, she pulled him off her and let him drift away in an annoyed huff.
"Sorry, but my friends are in danger." She apologized, as she dispatched more and more of the creatures that blocked the exit. Most seemed to sense the danger in taking on a much bigger opponent, spewing black ink as they fled. But a few of the more aggressive ones seemed to take their guarding job rather seriously, their long tentacles reaching out to grab Tsuyu's limbs.
Tsuyu could feel herself growing more anxious as the minutes ticked by as she tried to wrangle away one stubborn octopus after another. "Koda would be really helpful right now!" Tsuyu thought wistfully, thinking of their Anivoice quirked classmate as she tried to untangle a large octopus that had attached itself to her chest. Then, without warning, it let go of her. Puzzled, Tsuyu watched it crawl away and squeeze its large body into a crevice. "That was…odd."
Knowing now was not the time to dwell on the behavior pattern of an ocean dweller, she swam through the now clear opening and into the open water. Bright sunlight instantly hit her, filling her with renewed energy. "Just need to make my way to the surface to get my bearings and then…" She paused, a dark and familiar shaped shadow falling over her from above. Glancing up, her eyes widened as she saw not one, not two, but a whole pack of sharks swimming over her.
She felt herself drift back towards the coral, millions of years of biology screaming at her to run from the top tier ocean predators. She shook her head, getting her senses about her. "Sharks attacking humans are rare, rarer than being struck by a bolt of lightning." She reassured herself, warily following their movements. "But something is odd about these sharks."
Though she was no shark expert, she could see that this pack seemed to be made up of different types of sharks which seemed rather unusual. Most looked like typical reef sharks but scattered amongst the pack were much larger hammerheads, their bulging unblinking eyes watching her.
Cautiously she waded into the open, looking for a reaction. None came, with the sharks just continuing to circle overhead. "Maybe they finished with a feeding session?" If so, they probably wouldn't be interested in her. "Either way, I've got to get past them!" Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she pushed herself upwards and headed towards the surface.
She quickly realized it was the trigger they had been waiting on. Almost instantly she braked as a black tipped shark tried to barrel into her. She dodged but then had to flip backwards to avoid a small reef shark nipping at her toes. Then another came at her side, it's snout ramming into her. Twirling out of the way of a hammerhead, she fled downwards, back towards the sanctuary of the tunnel.
But as she neared it, she found sharks had already retreated away. "They only came at me when I headed towards the surface, but left me alone once I went back to the tunnels, kero?" Tsuyu pondered, watching them continue to patrol the open water. "Could it be possible that Siren has a way to control these sharks? If so, she must use them as back up in case anyone escapes."
Tsuyu frowned, not liking her options. "Guess, I'll be making shark fin soup tonight." But something still felt off. If the sharks were supposed to be guarding the tunnels, shouldn't they be a little bit more….aggressive? The most these sharks had done to her were give a few suggestive nips and a lot of head butting. No ripping of flesh or tearing of limbs like all the other JAWS like scenarios she had in mind.
"It almost feels like they were…herding me? But where? Back in the tunnels?" Tsuyu questioned, glancing back towards the dark void. A few brave octopus' were already trying to crawl their way back to their positions to camouflage it. It was this moment of distraction that Tsuyu got her answer.
Something large and heavy rammed into her from behind, knocking her forwards. Instantly, ragged, razor sharp teeth came down upon her shoulder, digging into her flesh. Jets of bubbles burst from her mouth as she cried out in agony. Twisting her head, she found herself staring right into the red rimmed eyes of a scaly skinned, mohawked teenage boy with teeth identical to that of a shark. His hands were webbed and fitted with sharp claws that cut into her skin as he clung to her, head thrashing as his fangs tore at her. The rest of his features became blurred as the water became cloudy with her own blood. She tried wiggling away from his grasp but he was much bigger than her, his body outfitted with lean, hard muscles.
In desperation, she shot her tongue out and grabbed the nearest bit of coral she could find. Retracting it back, she slammed the spiked coral right into the shark-quirked boy's head. He released her, letting out a painful roar at the disturbance. She floundered, trying to create distance between her and the new adversary. It was difficult. Her shoulder throbbed with pain, hanging almost uselessly at her side. And with a trial of blood in her wake, hiding was not an option.
She sensed the packs of sharks bearing in her, further blocking her path. She turned away and saw that the shark boy had recovered and stood barring her way. From this angle, she could see the boy was older than her, in his late teens or early twenties. Black wave shaped tattoos adorned his forearms and he wore a necklace with a large shark fang dangling from it. His hair was a bluish gray color, with the top mohawked back to resemble the shape of a shark fin. Tan in color, as if he had spent a lot of time in the sun, she could see his skin was scaled and hardened, with a set of three small dorsal fins running down his back. The only clothing on him was a worn out pair of blue swim trunks. He faced her with mouth bared open, revealing two rows of fangs, red tendrils of blood drifting out like smoke escaping the mouth of a ferocious dragon.
Tsuyu clutched her injured arm, grimacing. With the sharks circling, all routes of escape were blocked. Her only chance she had of finding help was getting through the brute that stood in her way. She suddenly felt like a small frog, stuck in a very large and dangerous pond.
Earphone Jack crouched down, knees resting lightly on the wet ground as she leaned against the tunnel's interior. Stabbing her ear jacks into the hard stone, she listened. The gentle splash of water as it dripped down from hanging stalactites. The scurrying of ocean creatures as they scuttled along the tunnel floors. And then the more unusual sounds of feet stepping through puddles.
She held up her hand.
A pink head peeped out from behind thick stalagmites several feet away. Ducking back under cover quickly, Pinky crouched down next to Uravity, relaying the news. "She hears someone approaching!"
"Did she signal who it is?" Uravity whispered. Pinky shook her head, taking another peek. Earphone Jack was still crouched and listening, a look of intense concentration upon her face. Finally, she held up both hands, with her thumbs raised up.
"She's saying it Kaminari!" Pinky confirmed. Uravity gave a thumbs up.
"Okay, I'll let Creati know!" She turned, quietly stalking towards the back of the tunnel. She made a quick turn, squeezing into a small cavern that held an assortment of things: A large rubber tarp, ropes, metal chains, high powered flashlights, metal staffs and shields, and one fire extinguisher. In the middle of everything, sat a very exhausted looking Creati.
"Earphone Jack says Kaminari is coming down the tunnel." Uravity said, crouching next to her. It worried her how pale her friend had become. A great portion of their plan had depended a lot on the use of Creati's creation quirk. Though she had reassured them again and again that it was a necessity that had to be made, it was clear it had taken a physical toll on her.
"The tarp should be over there." Creati directed, pointing to the neatly rolled up bundle. "Here, I'll help…" Uravity placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down.
"No, I got it," Uravity said, tone firm. "Try to conserve your strength."
The creation hero settled her hands in her lap, reluctantly accepting the advice. She watched as Uravity touched the heavy tarp and made it weightless. As it floated up, she easily guided it towards the exit. A troubled expression clouded her fair features.
"Uravity." Creati called quietly, making the brunette pause near the exit. "Before the fighting begins I wanted to thank you."
Uravity turned to her, confused. "Thank me? For what?"
"For bringing us all together back there." Creati explained, shutting her eyes wearily. "Today's events have been….overwhelming to say the least. As a class representative, I should have been the one to solidify a course of action. Unfortunately, when it really mattered, I felt as lost and confused as everyone else." She smiled, looking up at Uravity gratefully. "That's why I'm glad you were there. I truly believe your words and go-getter attitude was just the push we needed."
Uravity let those words sink in, truly feeling she did not deserve such praise. "I'm…just glad I was able to help." She answered honestly. Turning back to the tarp, she sent Creati a quick thumbs up. "I'll be back with a present soon!"
Creati nodded, attempting to keep anxious thoughts away. "Good luck."
With her load in hand, Uraraka quickly made her way back through the tunnel. "I really hope the plan works!" She thought, her nerves feeling on edge. To keep herself calm, she tried going over the plan in her head once more, going back in time to when they first sat around discussing the ploy.
Flashback:
"Okay girls." Creati said, standing over their small group. "Let's go over the details one more time. First we have Earphone Jack standing as our look out."
Earphone Jack nodded. "Right. I'll give a hand signal to let you all know when someone's approaching."
"Right." Creati continued. "Once we know who we're dealing with, it'll be my duty to acquire the tools we can use to deal with our adversary."
"Then Uravity and I go in to kick some booty!" Pinky finished, winking at Uravity.
Creati smiled, continuing. "Yes, but remember. We're fighting smarter, not harder. You both need to focus on just pinning them down with the tools I'll give you. Once each boy is out of commission we'll turn our sights on our true enemy. Since I can only make so much at the moment, we have to be very selective about which tools would give us the greatest advantage against our peers. I'm afraid some are going to be easier to deal with than others."
"Kaminari is simple." Earphone Jack offered. "Anything rubber can withstand his electric attacks."
"Dark Shadow becomes weaker with light." Uravity added.
"How are we going to deal with our close combat guys?" Pinky asked, indicating Midoriya, Bakugo, and Kirishima. The girls fell into thought, mulling over their individual quirks, with Creati quoting her's aloud.
"Those three might be the most difficult ones to subdue. With Kirishima, his hardening quirk has very high defenses and is capable of breaking almost any material. Both Bakugo's quirk and temperament makes him a highly volatile opponent, so we'll have to go about dealing with him with care. Then there's Midoriya. His quirk is…odd to say the least. The strength of his quirk seems to differ on a battle by battle basis and with his Black Whip attacks, getting close won't be easy. We're going to have to tread carefully with these boys."
"Bakugo's quirk is caused by making his sweat explode right?" Invisible Girl inquired excitedly.
"Well technically, his quirk causes his skin to secrete sweat with nitroglycerin-like properties which he can then ignite on command….so yes…simply speaking, he is exploding his own sweat." Creati answered, in her teacher-like fashion.
"Then let's just keep him from sweating!" Invisible Girl exclaimed brightly. The other girls exchanged a glance.
"Well…you're not not wrong." Pinky replied, amused. "But that seems a little–"
"Impossible." Earphone Jack finished.
" girls." Invisible Girl tutted with a smirk. "Sweat comes from heat, and what's the number one way to cool down a flame?"
Uravity brightened as the answer came to her. "Oh! I know! A fire extinguisher!"
"We have a winner!" Invisible Girl announced, giving Uravity a high-five. "You can make one of those, right Creati?"
She nodded. "Yes, it is possible. But with all the other equipment I have to create, I would only be able to make one," She furrowed her brow, thinking. "Thanks to your input, I think we should be able to subdue Bakugo enough to get some chains around him. That just leaves Kirishima and Midoriya we have to concern ourselves with."
"Normal weapons aren't going to work for them." Pinky frowned, none of her usual cheerfulness present. "Kirishima's quirk is too strong and Midoriya's too unpredictable. If we're going to subdue them, it has to be with our hands." She turned to Uravity, who nodded in agreement.
As Earphone Jack and Invisible Girl exchanged troubled glances as Creati asked tensely. "Are you sure you two are up to it? I can help if needed…"
"No way!" Pinky immediately shot the suggestion down. "There's no way you'll be in any condition to fight after using your quirk so much."
Uravity nodded in agreement, grabbing Creati's hands earnestly. "Don't worry Creati! You just do your best and we'll do ours. Together we can do this!"
Despite her own words of encouragement she had given, Uravity could still feel the swell of fear and nervousness rising in her as she approached Pinky. The pink hero turned, beaming as she saw Uravity's load. Silently she pointed upwards and Uravity released the rubber tarp, letting it drift upwards. They both turned, and saw Earphone Jack hold up two fingers. Then she backed away, crouching away behind some towering stalagmites. With Earphone Jack's quirk being so valuable the team had decided (despite her angry protests) she should not participate in any fights unless absolutely necessary.
"Two minutes." Uravity interpreted, tensing up. She met Pinky's gaze and they both nodded, with each girl moving in opposite directions as Kaminari appeared in sight of their tunnel. The blonde paused, glancing around. He held his hand up, the small sparks helping to guide his eye in the dim light. Uravity saw Pinky's shadow move at the same time as Kaminari. He growled, holding his hand in preparation for an attack. Pinky suddenly slid behind him, using the acid at the bottom of her feet to propel forward.
"Too slow!" Pinky grinned, shoving him forward. At the same time, Uravity brought her fingers together, releasing the tarp from her hold. It fell, slamming on top of an unsuspecting Kaminari. Enraged, he let out a stream of electricity that did nothing against the rubber tarp pinning him down. Instantly, Pinky and Uravity ran forward, rolling him up in the tarp before he could escape. Slapping his mouth shut with duct tape, they quickly finished by tying up the tarp with a series of complicated knots.
"There! A Kaminari sushi roll ready to serve!" Pinky exclaimed, wiping her forehead.
"Hmm, I don't know?" Uravity said, tapping her chin. "Looks more like a Kaminari burrito to me?" Their eyes met and they quickly covered their mouths to muffle out their giggles. Controlling themselves, Uravity easily lifted their captive up with her quirk. "I'll go ahead and hide him."
Pinky gave a thumbs up, going back in position as Earphone Jack went back up the tunnel to listen in. Uravity left, gently pushing the tightly bound Kaminari along. Only once she was alone did she let out the heavy sigh she had been holding in.
"We did it! We really did it!" She smiled, feeling as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted away. Revealing that maybe, just maybe they could pull this mission off.
Deeper within the maze of tunnels, a small octopus gave a start of surprise as something disturbed the puddle he had been inhabiting. His unblinking eyes took in the stillness of the stone walls, the only movement being the ever present droplets of water falling from the ceiling. No evidence of any such disturbance lingered except for the octopus' own racing heart. Without making a sound, he dragged his body away from the pool and disappeared into one of the many cracks lining the tunnel walls.
Unaware of the poor octopus her footfall had disturbed, Toru gave a bored sigh, trudging along the dark tunnel miserably. The poor girl was cold and tired and not too pleased with this arrangement. "Why is it…" Toru inwardly moaned. "Do I feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick during this trip?"
Flashback:
"Let's start with our roles," Creati began, laying small Russian matryoshka dolls to represent each girl on the ground. The girls all gather around, listening intently. Momo pointed to the black clothed doll, representing Earphone Jack. "Earphone Jack will be our scout, signaling to us when our targets are coming near."
"Right." Earphone Jack said with a determined nod.
"While Earphone Jack scouts ahead, I'll stay in the rear." Creati said, moving the red doll away. "We'll need a space to keep all the equipment and to hide away our peers once they are immobile. Next we have our fighters." She turned to Pinky and Uravity, gaze tense as she continued. "I know this is asking a lot but we'll need you two to lure in the victims and then use the tools to subdue them. It'll be dangerous, but both of you have exceptional combat skills and good reflexes. I have complete trust in your abilities."
"And if you need any help, both Creati and I are here for backup." Earphone Jack added.
"Don't worry." Uravity replied, fists raised. "We got this!"
"Yeah, those boys won't know what hit them!" Mina agreed, grinning.
"Umm, excuse me." Invisible Girl inquired, raising her invisible hand. "I think you're forgetting the cutest fighter of the bunch…ME!"
"Actually Invisible Girl…" Creati replied, holding up the light blue doll representing Invisible Girl. "You're not going to be part of the fighting team. In fact, you'll be on your own for this mission."
Invisible Girl stared, flabbergasted. "Huh?"
Creati set the blue doll down, away from the others as she explained. "Uravity was correct in reminding us of our goal. We came to this beach for one mission and that was to discover the mystery behind the missing teens. Now that we're here, it is of utmost importance we follow through with this goal." She turned to Invisible Girl, willing her to sense the urgency of this request. "Invisible Girl, your quirk makes it possible to navigate these tunnels without the danger of being spotted. While the enemy is focusing on finding us, I need you to find where those missing teens are located and then find a way to get them out!"
"Wait?" Invisible Girl questioned, still trying to wrap head around this loaded request. "I understand the part about me finding the boys, but getting them out? That's impossible! Asuyu already said that the tunnel leading out is too deep and long for us to make it out without drowning!"
"The tunnel through the reefs is the only exit we currently are aware of. But we have to remember that Siren doesn't have an aquatic quirk. That means more than likely there is another exit somewhere. One that came through by land. Once you find the teens, it'll be your job to locate that exit."
"But…" Invisible Girl protested, floundering as she realized the weight of the task awaiting her. "But shouldn't it be better if I help you guys? Then we can save them all together!" She swiveled around glancing at her friends. Friends that meant more to her than anything. "What if something happens and I'm not here to help? What if you all…" She couldn't say "fail". Such a word couldn't cover the depth of what failure would mean to them.
As if sensing what Invisible Girl was trying hard not to say, Creati solemnly clarified. "Then it will be even more important for you to find those teens."
Invisible Girl sighed at the memory, feeling utterly helpless as she blindly explored the tunnels. She hated not knowing how the others were doing or even if help had arrived yet. Even though Creati and the others had expressed again and again how important her task was, she couldn't help but feel like she was just wasting time and energy just walking around like this.
"Guess it can't be helped." Invisible Girl thought sadly, glancing around the dark and lonely tunnels. She paused, ears perked as a sound reached her. Like a hound catching the first scent of prey, Invisible Girl veered down a side tunnel hearing the unmistakable sound of voices ahead. A small circle of light came into view, causing her to slow her pace, senses alert for enemies.
The light came from a small cavern lit up by several stringed up lights. Poking her head through, her jaw dropped open as she found herself right where she needed to be. The missing boys were here! "All of them!", she calculated, doing a quick head count. They were here and alive and just….hanging out?
That was the only verb she could use to describe the scene before her. Several of the boys were laid out on the cavern floor, looking at manga or reading worn out books. A few sat at flimsy tables and chairs, playing games of chess against each other. Others just looked like they were taking naps on rolled out futons. One or two were working out, lifting up weights that stood in the far end of the cavern. For someone who was expecting to find starving boys chained up and in jail cells, she found herself taken aback by this surreal arrangement.
Cautiously she stalked into the room, trying to decide the best course of action now that she was here. She settled herself near a moldy bookshelf that stood against the wall, holding an assortment of old novels covered in watermarks. There she quietly observed the captives, hoping to gain some sort of clue of what their predicament was like.
The first thing she took note of was their clothing. Just like her comrades, she had figured the captives would still be in their swimwear. Instead, these boys wore simple T-shirts and shorts, many of which looked secondhand and overly big on their thin frames. She shifted her attention to the walls, scanning for wires that could lead to hidden security cameras. Finding them completely bare, she again examined the room, growing more and more perplexed. If there was no security what was keeping the boys here?
Sensing these questions were not going to be answered on her own, she silently crept up to two boys playing a game of chess on a small floor table. She knelt down between them, leaning in close to the one pondering his next move. He was lean and tan, with long chocolate colored hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.
"Mina was right," Invisible Girl couldn't help but notice, "But these boys are super hot!" She quickly berated herself. "No! This is a mission! Focus!" Thinking back on the list Aizawa Sensei had shown them back on the bus, she vaguely remembered his image appearing under the Sakuya High missing teens. The boy across from him was shorter, with wavy dark hair that fell into his eyes as he waited. "A Hishomo High Student." Invisible Girl recalled, wishing she had remembered their names. Glancing around once more, to make sure no one else was in earshot, she quietly scooted over next to the Sakuya High student and whispered.
"Hello!"
The boy blinked, glancing up at his opponent. The Hishomo High student was busy studying the board and seemed unaware of anything unusually. Thinking that there must have been a mistake, he moved his hand back to the board. Panic set in when he felt a strong grip on his wrist, freezing it in place.
"Don't overreact." Invisible Girl whispered into his ear. "I'm…."
But whatever speech she had in mind fell from her lips as the boy's free hand instinctively reached outwards, testing if he was haccinating. His eyes widened when instead of open space, his palm hit something that was soft and squishy. Feeling very much like a….
Invisible Girl's hand covered his partially open mouth before a startled exclamation could escape. "Yes, it's a boob. All girls have them. It's not important. WHAT IS important is that my name is Invisible Girl and that I'm part of a team of heroes from U.A. High School sent here to rescue you. But I need you to cooperate and act like I'm not here. Think you can handle that?" Slowly he nodded. Invisible Girl turned to the Hishomo High student, who was still silently looking down at the board.
As if sensing her stare, he spoke with lips barely moving. "I'm listening, hero girl."
Invisible Girl removed her hand from the first boy. He still seemed rather ruffled, his pupils continuing to dart in her direction as if she would suddenly become visible. But taking a cue from his friend, he bent down to focus on the chess board, as if nothing unusual had just disturbed their game.
"Sorry about…earlier." The Sakuya boy muttered, blushing slightly. "I'm Daisuke Miyagi."
"Yamato Higa." Higa quietly added.
Invisible Girl nodded, their names ringing a bell. "Miyagi and Higa, got it!" Now that they were through with introductions, Invisible Girl began by asking the more obvious question. "First off, I need to know about the security here. There were no guards posted outside when I came in and I can't see any obvious security cameras watching the room. What's keeping you all from escaping?"
Daisuke looked at Yamato expectantly but the darker haired boy didn't show any interest in answering. Sighing, Daisuke tipped his head towards the stone wall. "If you're looking for security cameras, take a look over there."
Invisible Girl turned but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "I don't see a camera."
"That's because it's not a camera you're looking for." Daisuke whispered back. Confused, Invisible Girl searched the wall again and flinched back as she realized she was staring right at a very well camouflaged octopus, hanging from the wall. As if it could sense its presence being detected, he began to make its way down the wall and disappeared into a pool of water that seeped out of the cavern.
Invisible Girl shuddered, not finding the slimy creature one bit cute. "How is that even possible? Don't those things need water?"
Daisuke gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "Apparently they can survive outside of the water for a little bit. There's a ton of them here. They come and go as they please so we always have at least a few watching us. That guy with the octopus quirk can communicate with them."
Invisible Girl fell silent, feeling a trickle of dread as she absorbed this new detail. Her thoughts flew to her comrades, worried that at that very moment some weird octopus could be spying on them and tipping Kai off on their location. The thought of dashing through the tunnels to warn them crept into her mind but she instantly shook it away. "No, I can't leave. At least not now. Not until I know these boys will be safe."
Focusing on the task at hand, she turned her attention back to Daisuke, trying to keep her tone light. "I see, so the octopus are the spies. But there has to be more than that keeping you all here, right?" She thought back to the presentation and of Bakugo's outburst about the hostages all having destructive quirks. "If I remember correctly, you all have pretty powerful quirks. Has anyone tried to use their quirks to escape?"
Daisuke snorted, rolling his eyes. "Well yeah, at the beginning. But we never really got far." He knocked over one of his opponent's chess pieces in an irritable manner. "Even if we managed to make it to the tunnels, eventually we would all black out and wake up back here."
"Black out?" Invisible Girl prompted.
Daisuke again shrugged, not really knowing how to explain. "One second we would be running and then…PUFF…everything goes blank. A few guys remember flashes and images but for most of us it's like falling asleep."
"That must be when they're being controlled by Siren's quirk." Invisible Girl concluded grimly. She thought back to when Kai had showed them his phone, which had held a taped audio of Siren's voice. All he would have to do is play it through the echoing tunnels and every boy in the proximity would be immobilized without lifting one tentacle. She tapped her chin, thinking. "If I'm to escape with all these boys I would have to find a way to keep them from hearing her quirk. Either that or take her out first. Not to mention I first have to find an exit out of here."
"What's the schedule like here?" Invisible Girl asked, shifting gears. "Or more to the point, how often does anyone come to check up on you all?"
"It's really hard to say. It's not like we have a way to tell time here." Daisuke scratched his head, thinking. "If I could guess, I would say the octopus guy comes by maybe twice a day to bring us food. Usually when that happens a few of us are taken out of the cavern for a bit."
Her ears perked at this tidbit. "Why?"
"No idea." Daisuke grumbled, looking annoyed. "By the time we arrive back, none of us can remember."
"Hmmm, maybe Siren is taking them out for fighting practice?" Invisible Girl wondered. "Has anyone ever been hurt?"
She caught Daisuke and Yamato sharing a look before answering. "Mostly just ruffled up a bit, maybe a few cuts and bruises."
"But…"" She pressed, sensing they were omitting something.
Daisuke frowned, shifting uncomfortably. Unexpectedly, Yamato decided to answer instead. "The problems tend to arise afterwards." He explained quietly. "Whatever happens while we are out, seems to have…. lingering aftereffects."
Daisuke gestured towards the boys that were sleeping on futons. "Fever, headaches, and really terrible muscle cramps are some of the symptoms. Some guys have trouble keeping food down. It's been…really uncomfortable."
"For me, it's the headaches." Yamato muttered with a scowl, as if he was still recovering from one.
"What about you?" Invisible Girl asked Daisuke curiously. To her surprise, he blushed, turning away from her.
"I'd rather not say." He grumbled.
She immediately glanced downward, giving a soft but very audible "Ohhh!"
"DON'T LOOK!" Daisuke hissed, blushing furiously as his hands instantly fell into lap.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Invisible Girl quickly apologized, mind wandering back on Creati's earlier concerns.
"Because hormones play such a key role in the functions of the body, messing with those levels for too long a period could cause some internal damage. Headaches, muscle pain, increased heart rates are all possible symptoms. Similar to the side effects of taking any sort of enhancement drug."
Invisible Girl frowned, gaze falling from Daisuke and Yamato to the rest of the abducted teens. Taking a closer glance she could definitely see that a few look rather pale, as if recovering from a flu. While others seemed restless with twitchy energy, pacing around the cavern or moving weights around. "It's just Momo said. Siren's quirk isn't just messing with their heads, it's messing with their health too."
Daisuke continued to scowl at her, obviously still embarrassed she had seen his…predicament. "Look, we answered all your questions so far. Maybe now, you can tell us a thing or two about what's going on here!" He snapped, sharp eyes narrowing in her direction. "Like why were we even taken to begin with?"
Invisible Girl bit her lip, trying to decide how much to tell them. The last thing she wanted to do was freak them out by revealing what was in store for them if they stayed. But she also needed to gain their trust and being honest with them was probably the best way to go about that. She saw Daisuke waiting expectantly, with Yamato's shaking hand revealing his own anticipation. Invisible Girl came to a decision. "They've been holed up down here long enough, they deserve to know why."
Bending towards the middle of the board so both boys could hear, she quietly explained. "There's a woman who's in charge here called Siren. She's the one pulling all the strings. The octopus quirked guy that checks up on you, his name is Kai and he's her personal body guard/boyfriend/I'm not really sure what their relationship is. ANYWAY, their goal is to create a gang consisting of strong quirked men that can take on Siren's ex boyfriend's gang. You know, a normal lover's quarrel kind of thing! Make sense?"
The boys openly stared at her, their chess game facade forgotten.
"Or not?" Invisible Girl guessed.
"I don't get it." Daisuke said after a moment. "Why…us?" He gestured towards the cavern, where the other highschoolers milled about. "We're just high schoolers. Yeah we may have some cool quirks, but it's not like we use them. Couldn't they just bribe some bigger and tougher guys to join their gang. Isn't that what these kinds of street thugs usually do?"
"None of us know how to fight." Yamato added quietly. Invisible Girl sensed the news must have rattled the teen quite a bit for him to openly speak like this. "We'll just be beaten up."
"Yeah they can't make us fight in their stupid gang war." Daisuke agreed.
"Actually," Invisible Girl whispered, taking a deep breath. "They can."
They turned to her, confused, as she explained. "The villainess in charge here, Siren, has a quirk that causes teenage boys to fall under her control when she sings. The quirk itself messes with the testosterone in your bodies which is why you are all feeling so sick afterwards. The quirk is also only able to affect a person who has a certain amount of testosterone in their bodies, thus why it has to be high school boys."
She could see that this was the last thing the boys had been expecting to hear. Daisuke especially looked enraged, his grip tightening over the knight piece in his hand. "I don't get it." He growled, failing to keep the panic out of his voice. "How do you even know all this?"
Invisible Girl's hand settled on his, in what she hoped was a calming gesture. "Because it happened to my classmates. It's one of the reasons why I'm here."
Daisuke snatched his hand away, barely controlling his whisper as he snapped. "What?! I thought you were here to rescue us?!"
"We are!" Invisible Girl replied, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice. "We just got a little…set back."
Daisuke glared. "Do you even know how to get us out here?" Silence followed this statement, confirming his assumption. He shook his head in disgust, shooting her a distasteful sneer that reminded her vaguely of Bakugo. "Answer this then…Why the hell are they sending lousy U.A. students to rescue us instead of the pro-heroes?"
"Daisuke, don't." Yamato warned.
But his friend ignored him, temper flaring. "How do you expect to help us when you can't even save your own classmates?!"
More silence followed this statement. Yamato stared at the space Invisible Girl had sat with a worried expression. When the silence continued to drag out, the anger Daisuke had felt began to simmer, leaving way for panic to set in. Trembling, he locked eyes with his friend, both of them wondering the same thing…Did she leave them? Nervously, Daisuke reached a tentative hand out to her. "Hey, are you still…"
"You're about to touch my breast again."
He flinched back, almost falling over as Yamato gave a relieved sigh next to him. Their relief was short-lived as they realized how cold the girl's tone was. She continued to regard them coolly before finally speaking. "Whether we are pro-heroes or not doesn't change the fact that my friends are risking their lives right now in an attempt to save you."
Both boys' postures grew rigid, sensing they had hit a raw nerve. Daisuke especially looked guilty, head falling into his hands as he fought to control the emotions threatening to spill over. "I'm sorry…really." He mumbled, face crumbling as tears filled his eyes. "It's just so…so frustrating with everythings that's been happening. Being taken away, not even knowing how long it's been. Waiting and waiting for heroes to come, to take us out of this constant loop of amnesia and being sick and tired and just being so damn angry all the time!" He scowled at his hand, a few stray tears following into his open palm. "Half the damn time this body doesn't even feel like mine anymore!"
Across from him, Yamato nodded, his own eyes shining with unshed tears. Invisible Girl felt her armor begin to crack, feeling a wave of compassion for the hostages. At the same time, a fury as strong as any storm stirred within her as she pictured the villianess who was the source of all this misery. "Watch out," she vowed darkly, fists clenching up. "I'm coming for you."
"I just want to go home." Daisuke choked, his body hunched over miserably. "I miss my mom, my dad, even my bratty little sister. I just want to see them again." He turned to her, gaze desperate. "I don't care who is here to help us. Just please… don't leave!" His eyes widened as he felt a soft hand patt the top of his head, and then a warm shoulder gently lean against his.
"Silly, that was never going to happen. I'm here to rescue you, nothing is going to change that." She whispered sweetly. She felt him nod, his arm coming up to wipe his wet face. "But you were right about one thing. I still haven't located the exit out of here. The one that we came in goes through the ocean and it would be impossible to move all of you out without drowning. I'll have to leave for now. But I promise I'll be back!" She reassured him.
"We believe you." Yamato replied as Daisuke' brow creased worriedly.
"You'll be okay, won't you?"
"Of course." Invisible Girl promised confidently. "But I need you two to spread the word around. Make sure everyone is up and ready to leave when I give the signal."
They nodded, chests puffing importantly at their task. Bidding them a farewell, Invisible Girl quietly made her way out of the cavern, side stepping a large puddle that stood outside the entrance. As she did so, her foot absently tipped over a small rock.
Almost instantly, a large explosion lit up the tunnel, bright flames filling Invisible Girl's vision. The stone wall beside her cracked and burst apart. She screamed as small rock shards impaled her skin, as the blast knocked her small frame across the stone floor. As the noise died down, she lifted her pounding head and saw a figure appearing from out of the smoke.
"Bakugo." She hissed, realizing he had been waiting for her this whole time. She would never know if he had been ordered to guard the prisoners or if he had specifically tried to track her. Either way, she could see that he had been patiently waiting for her to make a false move to betray her whereabouts. She glanced at the puddle and saw it surrounded by loose pebbles, in a way that made her guess he had set it up that order.
She stood up unsteadily, glaring at her opponent. His mouth was set in a smug sneer, red eyes glowing victoriously. She froze, glancing at the pool of blood forming at her feet. A large gash in her upper thigh was slowly oozing bright red blood, blood that was quite visible once it left her body.
"He blasted at the rock wall, not to get me." She realized, the grimness of her situation dawning on her. "But to make me visible."
Ember Sunblaze: Thoughts? I just can't give these girls a break now, can I :) Please leave a review!