Ochako knocked on the door to Nezu's office a few hours after the meeting she and everyone else had had. They had discussed at length how to proceed from where they now stood. Eventually, the decision was to have Hawks, Tokoyami, and the mapping hero Mapper go and recon the area Aria had given them. She wasn't sure precisely where the lab was only the general area, her instincts were her guide, and given time she could find her way back on her own. However, nobody liked the idea of traipsing through the woods of a mountain for possibly days on end, where they could easily be detected. So that very night, a three-man team would be heading out to recon the mountain. After that, they could plan out a strategic strike on the base in more fine detail.
This meant that Ochako had little to do for the rest of the afternoon, so Nezu had asked her to come by his office around 2:00 pm. She only had to wait a moment after knocking before she heard a "Come in."
She opened the door and walked into the office, closing it behind her she turned and faced Nezu in his office. His office was immaculate as ever, everything organized and not a thing out of place or any personal effects for that matter.
"So what did you want to see me about sir? Ochako asked formally.
Nezu stood on top of his desk facing her as he said, "You've been to the Invisible Glass have you not? You've met my friend Sasakura?"
"Yes I have, his bar was quite impressive and I was surprised to learn you two went to the same school together." She answered, surprised that he knew, but obvious in hindsight.
Nezu nodded, "Good, you are no doubt aware then of his past as a hero?"
"Yes, I asked to see his papers authorizing him to use his quirk for his commercial business so I know he was stationed down south and worked mainly on dock security and the like," she said.
Nezu started pacing then, going from one side of the desk to the other slowly as he talked.
"I have been putting considerable thought into the school's position and the future generations that will be raised within these walls. Since the war, we have lost many heroes, with many more retiring, or committing suicide both before and after the war. We have a desperate need for more teachers, even part-time teachers would be of help to us. Sasakura can no longer work as a hero due to his development of Arrhythmia early in his life, he risks heart failure in high-pressure situations. I have been thinking, however, how much good he could do helping us here at the school. I doubt that he will join, but I do hope he might acquiesce to a part-time position or perhaps tutoring as Ms. Asui does. That is why I have called you here, I want you to help me convince him to join us here." Said Nezu.
Ochako, a bit surprised at being asked to help asked in turn, "Why do you need my help though? You've known him far longer than I have."
Nezu nodded at that, "Yes, I might be able to convince him myself, however, I hope that your youth and earnestness may help convince him to come back into the field of heroics in a teaching capacity."
A thought occurred to Ochako, "You say come back into the field of heroics, does that mean he has actively avoided it since his retirement? I find it hard to believe that someone forced out due to things beyond their control wouldn't desire to help in some capacity, he did, after all, become a hero, to begin with."
Nezu sighed and quite possibly the saddest expression Ochako had ever seen him wear came over him as he responded, "He blames the Hero Association for the death of his wife and unborn daughter. He holds no personal animosity towards any particular hero but he resents the system that failed to protect his family when it was within their power and duty to do so given the circumstances. After using his quirk and skills to apprehend the criminals responsibly, he took the H.A. to court, where he won his case. It was during his raid on the criminals where he nearly died of a heart attack. I then used his newly diagnosed Arrhythmia to swing his retirement. I myself presented him his papers to use his quirk outside of his work as an apology on my part. I was working for the H.A. at the time, and while I was not high enough within the organization to be involved I felt some responsibility for the tragedy. This is again why I want your help, you have endured more hardship than almost any hero alive and I hope that your determination and earnestness will be enough to convince him. He has years of knowledge and now years of wisdom that would be invaluable to us given the threats facing heroes and civilians alike."
The knowledge of Sasakura's past saddened her deeply, he was a nice man. That such a thing should happen to good people like him depressed Ochako. Though now she understood more accurately why Nezu wanted to recruit Mr. Sasakura.
"I understand, when did you plan on us going to convince him?" she asked
"We could leave now." He said, hoping from his desk to the floor.
As surprised as Ochako was at the sudden idea to leave right that moment, she didn't have anything else to do that day so she agreed to leave immediately.
To Ochako's surprise, they didn't head to the bar, instead, she saw that they were headed further north. She wasn't intimately familiar with that area of the city, so couldn't really guess where they might be heading.
"Um, Mr. Nezu, where are we going?" Ochako asked eventually.
"Where Sasakura is, the bar isn't open today so he will likely be indulging in his hobby." Replied Nezu.
"His hobby?" asked Ochako interestedly.
"He works in a forge on the outskirts of the city. He found learning how to make katana very interesting and so every week he makes time to go to the forge to practice and to keep his family blade well polished. You likely saw it over top of the bar's liquor collection. He also finds it to be rather therapeutic, it allows him time to relax and think." Said Nezu.
Ochako remembered seeing the ornate katana over the bar and how out of place it looked compared to the old relics lining the walls of the bar. She hadn't paid it too much attention at the time, but the next time she went she decided she would give it a closer look.
"Maybe I'll visit again once the assault is over, I could use a drink. Hell, everyone could probably use a stiff drink after. Though, given how nervous Izuku gets, maybe I'll stick to only bringing Tsu along at first." She thought. She owed Tsu a lot and buying her a drink wasn't a half-bad idea.
Then another thought occurred to her and she amended her previous idea, "Hell, I'll buy her drinks for the rest of her life."
It wasn't too much longer after that they finally arrived at the small workshop on the city outskirts. It was a humble building, a far cry from the high-rises and glass of the city. It was far more quaint, rustic, and serene. The sight warmed Ochako's heart and her thoughts went back to her childhood in the countryside. She'd seen many buildings similar to this back then, nowadays the only place like this that she visited was the cemetery. She could well understand Mr. Sasakura's love for the place. For Ochako herself, it brought about a sense of melancholy.
The building had only a single vehicle out front, likely Mr. Sasakuras. They parked next to it, got out, and headed inside. Apparently, the building was also a store as the front, as the front portion was actually a shop selling various forged weapons, likely made at the very establishment. There was a single man behind the counter who was doing some work on a laptop set-up on the counter. When the doors opened, he looked up surprised, closed the laptop, and came out from around the counter. He wore a simple white t-shirt that showed his bulky forearms that were well-tanned from a life of living by the forge and the sun. His face had wrinkles starting to show in earnest, and his beard was grey, with a bald head.
"Well, this is quite the sight, the principal of U.A. himself come to my little shop outside the city proper! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Asked the man with a smile as he gave Nezu a bow, which Nezu returned in kind.
"I'm looking for Sasakura, he's a long-time friend of mine and we have something we need to discuss with him." Said Nezu.
"Ah! Well, your timing isn't great I'm afraid. He's busy working the newbie at the moment and he hates to be distracted when working. Normally I'd be training him myself but my daughter who normally runs the shop front for me is sick. But..." he trailed off, checking to look above their heads to a clock mounted above the door, "They should be finishing up in about ten minutes or so if you'd like to wait, or you could go watch if you prefer. Just make sure you keep a good distance so you don't distract them." He proposed.
"I'll wait here as they finish. What about you Ms. Uraraka?" replied Nezu looking to Ochako.
"I'd like to go watch actually, I've never had an opportunity like this before." She said brightly, the prospect of watching the work intriguing her.
The owner walked her through a back door and out into a small yard with various blacksmithing tools laying about. At the end of the small yard was the forge itself, it was a small building, mostly constructed of wood on the outside, a sliding door, and vents along the lip of the roof. The building also had two windows set to either side of the door, which is where the owner directed her to stand and observe. As the owner headed back inside to man the shop, Ochako peered through the window to watch.
Her immediate thought was at how cluttered everything looked but berated herself for such a silly thought. Doubtless, there was an order to the layout, which the owner and Mr. Sasakura knew. Then she spotted two figures near the back right corner of the forge. One was standing and appeared to be talking to the one sitting on a small stool near the floor. The one on the floor she couldn't make out clearly because he or she was facing the forge directly and the light from it made it impossible to tell any details. The forge was dimmer than she expected, but she guessed it was to make it easier to make out details in the hot metal. She watched as Sasakura, who she assumed was the one standing, continued to guide the newbie. It wasn't terribly exciting but it was fascinating to watch nonetheless. The lesson appeared to be focusing on the forge and the metal itself. She didn't know enough about the practice to guess anything more specific than that, unfortunately. Eventually, the lesson started to wind down, with the newbie removing the red-hot metal from the forge, dousing it in water, then placing it on a metal block mounted to a wood frame to cool. After a few minutes of discussion, Sasakura started to make his way towards the door, while the newbie stayed behind and started cleaning up. With things wrapping up, Ochako made her way from the window towards the door and waited. A few moments later Mr. Sasakura came out of the forge, a lookof surprise on his face.
"Ms. Uraraka! I thought I saw you through the window, but I must admit I am surprised to see you here of all places. I can't imagine you've tracked me down here for just a social call though." Said Mr. Sasakura as he wiped his face off with a rag he pulled from a pocket.
She had to admit that seeing the once impeccably dressed bartender in such casual and slightly stained clothing was rather surreal, but she gave herself a mental shake and replied "I actually came here with Nezu, he had something he wanted to discuss with you and let me join him. I've never been to an actual forge before so I was interested in what it might be like." She said.
Sasakura frowned, "Nezu? That's unusual, but it must be important if he came all the way here for it. Where is he?" He asked.
"Inside the shop proper." She replied.
The two of them headed inside through the back door to see Nezu standing on the counter talking to the owner while sipping a cup of tea.
"How in the hell does he always have tea? Where does he keep it?" Ochako wondered. The mystery of the spontaneous tea continuing to plague her after so many years.
"Ah, excellent! It's a pleasure to see you as always Ryu. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Said Nezu.
"Not at all, I was about to leave soon anyway, but why are you here? Ms. Uraraka said you had something important to discuss." Said Sasakura continuing to frown in concern and confusion.
"While I'm sure the topic is important, I'd appreciate it if you didn't use my shop front as a meeting place. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could instead take it outside." Said the owner pointedly.
"Oh yes of course! My apologies Amakuni." Apologized Sasakura.
With that they all headed outside, they stopped at Sasakura's small car with him sitting on the hood while Ochako and Nezu faced him.
"All right, so what's so important that you came all the way out here to discuss?" Asked Sasakura.
"I would like you to become a part-time instructor or tutor at U.A." Said Nezu boldly.
Sasakura let a deep sigh and a difficult expression stole over him. He ran a hand through his greying hair and looked off to the side in thought.
"Nezu... I..." Sasakura started to say before giving another sigh.
"Mr. Sasakura, I can't begin to understand the pain you've been through and the betrayal you must have felt, but this country is broken. We need people like you. Nezu doesn't want you tied to the H.A. which is why he suggested part-time or tutorship. Those are positions that the H.A. would have no sway over since those positions need not be filled by heroes specifically. You know what it's like to experience a loss greater and more profound than most can imagine, and a lot of the students nowadays are hurting. They need people like you, who can understand and guide them in a way that doesn't turn them into people like..." Ochako swallowed and then said shakily, "People like me."
Sasakura didn't say anything, just sat motionless staring at the ground for a time. Then he let out a small sigh and stood up, looking at them, the lines of his face pronounced by his expression. Within that moment he seemed to have aged many years and looked older than normal.
"I'll think about it, I'll call you later Nezu," he said, then he pulled open the driver's door of his car, and a few moments later he was gone.
There was a short bit of silence between, until Nezu let out a little huff, "Thank you for saying what you did. While he is reluctant, I think you struck a chord within him. He has always had a desire to help people, his taking young Midoriya under his wing is an example of that. I don't think he will ever be able to turn his back on heroes entirely, maybe one day, he will join in a more permanent capacity, but for now, this will have to suffice. Thank you once more for your help Ms. Uraraka." Said Nezu.
"I'm glad I was able to help," she replied.
And with that, the two of them started the drive back to U.A.
It took a deep rattling breath. It opened its eyes for the first time in years and couldn't see anything but bright blue. Its mind couldn't form thoughts, its body felt alien but it could breathe and see. A shadow moved in front of it, dark against the bright blue, it stared at it in fascination, even as its eyes closed and drifted off again.
"It's functional?" asked Zeus, gazing into the tank that glowed bright teal.
"Barely, I'm impressed I managed to revive it, to begin with. That psycho Chisaki was way too paranoid for his own good. At best it was a 40% bet of the subject still being alive, it has been on ICE for so long that odds were good the brain was irreparably damaged. Apparently, the subject's brain was more resilient than we thought though. Vitals are good and brain patterns within tolerable parameters. We won't know if there has been more subtle damage though until we take it out and do a thorough examination." Replied Dr. Maeko
"Good, keep working on it, I want it out and ready for transport within the week. After the fiasco at the Yaoyorozu Mansion, I want the subject at the main base before the heroes make their move." Said Zeus walking over to the Dr.'s console to see the readouts for himself.
"You think they know where we are?" asked Dr. Maeko surprised.
"I'm not sure, our spies haven't been able to confirm the death of Hound Zero. In the event, she was captured and freed from her collar she could conceivably know the location of this place or the general vicinity at the least," replied Zeus, the anger obvious.
"Should I prep the pads in case they arrive?"
Zeus thought about it, it would delay things, but if the heroes showed up before he could get the subject out, it might buy him enough time to arrive with reinforcements. They would need it since he now knew that one of the Angels was present in the city. That had been a surprise he had not been expecting. The heroes kept the identities of the Angels very well guarded, but he had seen several of the Angels fighting up close, and Uraraka Ochako's abilities were the exact same as one of them. Though at a much weaker level of power admittedly.
"Do it, I don't expect them to be able to move out quite yet, but at worst you'll need the buffer time. I can't stay personally, I have other matters I am forced to attend to." Said, Zeus.
Dr. Maeko grimaced, the facility only had enough room defensively for a small garrison. Its secrecy was intended to be its primary defense, though she had done some extensive remodeling to make it more secure and defendable. At the least, she would be able to keep any intruders occupied for an extended period of time. More than enough time to bank enough power to establish a link to the main base and bring in reinforcements. Besides, if things spiraled out of control she always had her backup plan.
"Yes sir," she replied, then went back to her console.
Zeus meanwhile walked back to the tank and just stared at the dark form within it.
A smile spread across his face as he turned and walked out of the lab. Through the next room lined with rows upon rows of tanks all glowing faintly with dark forms floating within them.
His smile grew wider at the sight, "He may have been a paranoid madman by the end, but both Chisaki and Dr. Garaki certainly left me plenty of toys to use." he thought as he left the facility.
A few hours later he and his aide were strolling across the grounds of a beautifully kept lawn area in a quaint little gatted community. He had to admit that under different circumstances this would make for a nice place to live. "Maybe in 20 or 30 years." he thought.
A few minutes later, he had finally found the correct house. It took a few attempts and had ended up bothering nearly a half dozen people until he finally found the correct house.
"Why is this guy so damn paranoid! It's taken us nearly an hour since we got here to figure out where he lives. Frankly, I'm impressed you even discovered he lived here." bit out his aide.
"He has good reason to be paranoid. The police would be breaking down his door in a heartbeat if he was ever found to live here. He's wanted in several countries after all. Though the fact we know he lives in a retirement community means he isn't as concerned about being found as I initially thought. Though after successfully evading authorities for more than 40 years, I suppose he is entitled to think that he wouldn't be looked for anymore."
The two of them walked up to the front door of a plain home, surrounded by well-kept gardens. The smell of fresh cocoa fertilizer permeated the air, lending the area a nice smell. He knocked on the door and waited.
A minute later a bear of a man in his mid 70's opened the door, frowning. His size was massive, and despite a slouch in his bearing his head only barely fit under the door. His grey hair well kept and had a well-groomed bushy beard. The moment he saw Zeus however his expression turned stony, and he narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know who you are, but I know your kind by sight. Get the hell off my property or I'll force you off myself." He growled out.
"Now, now, we only came to talk. However, if you'd prefer I can leave, though I can't promise this will be the last time you're bothered," replied Zeus politely.
The man stared down at him for a few minutes, before turning around and heading back inside. Zeus and his aide followed him in and followed him out to the back porch where the man sat down on a chair and folded his arms while he glared at Zeus.
"I must say, you have a nice set-up here, very quaint. Though it must be dreadfully boring." Said Zeus sitting down and smiling at the man.
"Surely, you desire some excitement in your life?" He asked.
"I get enough for my liking. I can watch whatever movie or tv show I want from anywhere in the world. I also have my garden to tend, I have big plans for it and it's been a labor of love for the past few years now." Replied the man.
"Funny you should mention it's a labor of love, I believe you were involved in a labor of love very different from that of tending a garden once upon a time." Said Zeus casually as he examined his nails.
The man narrowed his eyes again, "Speak plainly or I'll forgo civility and give my porch a new coat of paint." said the man, putting emphasis on the last word.
Zeus's smile vanished and he held out his hand towards his aide who handed him a small folder. He took it and threw it across the table to the man.
The man eyes the folder warily, but he reached over and opened it, removing the sheets inside it. Much to Zeus's disappointment, the man's face didn't even twitch. He merely tucked the papers back inside and pushed it back to him. Zeus reached over and retrieved the folder before standing up.
"I'll give you a call when I need you. One job, that's all you'll need to do, then we'll leave you alone." Said Zeus, now smiling again.
"It's a promise, one job, then we're done." Said the man in a neutral tone.
"A promise indeed," replied Zeus as he left the house.
His aide didn't say anything until they had passed the house's property line.
"One job? seriously? A man of his caliber and you're only to squeeze one job out of him?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes, one job only. I don't want to antagonize him any more than I already have. He's old, and he's mellowed since his prime days. He's left that life behind him and is content with where he is in life. The leverage we have over him is significant, but he's not without friends of his own. Friends with a lot of connections, I expect that if I tried to force more on him than a single job he'd make his own move." Said Zeus grimly.
"But if he has the connections why not make his move anyways?" asked the aid.
"Because despite what he said, he yearns for the thrill of the fight. He'll go along with my job because he knows he'll get a good fight out of it in the end. After the fight though, his blood will cool so to speak and if I don't give up my leverage then he'll take matters into his own hands." Replied Zeus.
"Don't worry, we won't have any problems with him, and if we're lucky the heroes will deal with him for us," added Zeus brightly.
All in all, he had had a good day. Minus the fiasco at Yaoyorozu Manor which was supposed to be nice and straightforward, everything else was proceeding smoothly. Who could have anticipated that one of the six angels would present? While it was a major hitch in his plans, the information he gleaned from it would be essential going forward to ensure fewer future losses.
