Aizawa is disquietingly aware of the security system Nezu has in place at U.A. What should bring solace in light of recent events now hangs heavily over his head like a guillotine. Since despite being a teacher at the educational institution, he has no validation for entering Chiyo's office currently. The nurse's medical supplies glint under the fluorescent light of the room when he flicks the switch to the bulbs. The underground hero has no doubt Nezu will review the camera footage if he's not currently watching them live, the principal always acutely conscious of things. He's bound to be caught and questioned if not immediately. And yet, he commits to why he's risking entering the medbay.
A large metal cabinet that appears to be for filing records at first glance resides at the back of the room. Aizawa knows better, having contributed to the container's contents himself. Nezu wondering why the teacher has entered the nurse's station unscheduled is one thing, but the principal will be beyond wonderment when he sees what Aizawa takes undocumented. Using Chiyo's spare key that she keeps hidden under the plant she leaves on the windowsill, the underground hero unlocks the cupboard. Vials glisten when exposed to the room's light, plastic bags as equally radiant. The bright red liquid within reacts to the illumination akin to when the sun hits water, almost a glow.
Blood bags and DNA samples stowed away in case of an emergency. Should somebody require a transfusion or anything along those lines, the school is more than prepared. They're labeled. The names of donors, blood types, student and teacher IDs, all the fixings are written out for convenience and safety. The practicality of Chiyo's organization is part of why Aizawa and the healing heroine had gotten along so well over the years. It's also a saving grace of time and trouble for him to select whose blood he came for in particular. Aizawa slides a tube from its rack, handling it carefully so that it doesn't break. Once the vial is pocketed in one of the compartments around the waist of his hero uniform, Aizawa closes the cabinet and leaves.
Meanwhile, blood is being spilt. Mirio Togata wipes the copper taste off his lips with a swipe of his thumb. He'd been knocked on the training mat so many times now that his usual optimistic smile has been replaced by a frustrated frown. The elder hero who had taught Togata's predecessor darts from wall to ceiling before landing in a poised crouch on the floor. Gran Torino, no taller than the height of Togata's leg, stands up. The old man glares through the domino mask covering his face, dissatisfied with his student's performance.
"Again!", Gran Torino snaps at Togata angrily. Relentlessly, the two have been training nonstop like this. The elder hero's yellow cape flaps through the air, trailing behind him as he propels himself at extreme speeds. Togata has time to barely react, Gran Torino moving within the blink of an eye.
Gran Torino soars like a jet on takeoff, impact like a missile launched from one. Togata blocks with his elbows, the kicks pounding his bones. All Might's successor had been ordered to fight without the usage of his quirk to make the fight more strenuous. No permeation. No One For All. Using only what he built in the gym, Togata's muscles tense to shield his innards from Gran Torino's barrage.
After All Might's fall, Togata has no choice but to push himself beyond his limits. No longer can he wait to replace the symbol of peace. There's no time to prepare anymore. He has to be strong enough to stand as tall and firm as All Might now more than ever. It's his duty after having One For All passed on to him. Under the tutelage of Gran Torino, Togata plans to save over a million lives. And to stop just as many villains.
Gran Torino rockets from one end of the room to the other. The old man is more than spry for his age, curving through the air like a bullet. Togata tries to track the movement as best as he can, straining his eyes. He saw the way that the Tokyo Ghoul moved on television. The centipede-like limbs alone match Gran Torino's speed. If Togata wants to be Lemillion and bring the villain to justice, then he needs to become just as fast. The muscular blonde yells as he gives it his all, reaching out to grab his opponent midair.
Togata had hoped to snatch Gran Torino in the middle of momentum. Instead, he grabs a fistful of nothing. Yet again, a yellow boot smashes into the blonde's jaw. And Togata is knocked onto the training mat. Luckily, only sweat splatters the soft cushioning this time. Though red specks from previous landings have made their mark. Togata grunts in aggravation, slamming his fist down on the padding.
He already knows what his trainer is going to say before he hears it. "Again!", Togata is back on his feet before the order even reaches his ears. He uses his calves to push off, going on the offensive this time.
A thick layer of glass, polymethylmethacrylate, separates spectators from the intensive training. The clear barrier is the same type of material used in aquariums or zoos. So when Togata gets slammed into it, the glass doesn't shatter or even crack. Tamaki and Nejire share a collective wince upon witnessing the impact up close. The two close friends of Togata had been watching from the sidelines for quite some time now. They're beginning to become concerned.
Behind them, a third person arrives to join in. Light footfalls echo and alert Tamaki and Nejire. All Might's sidekick, Sir Nighteye, steps in between the two to get a close look. "He's still going?", the hero keeps his gaze fixed on Togata's training despite addressing the two people at either side of him.
"He hasn't stopped once..", Tamaki grimaces in sympathy of his friend's pain. Nejire walks around Sir Nighteye to place a hand on his shoulder in consolation.
Witnessing the strain Togata is going through for himself, Nighteye hums in contemplation. After a moment of consideration, the hero raps on the glass to get everyone's attention. Gran Torino stops beating the hell out of his student long enough for Nighteye to then enter the room and speak. "That's enough", his declaration earns scowls from both Togata and Torino.
"I can keep going!", Togata tries arguing. Though Nighteye can see the way the boy's body shudders as it tries desperately to remain standing.
"He hasn't achieved his goal for today just yet", Gran Torino folds his arms across his chest with a shake of his head, "He still hasn't caught me."
"Sorahiko. I said enough", Nighteye glowers at the senior through the lens of his glasses. Gran Torino is about to glare back, but he finally notices Togata's current worn down state. The old man huffs before walking off. Nighteye returns his attention to Togata, "Hit the showers and get dressed. The hero committee is about to announce Endeavor as the new number one."
The change to the billboard chart is being given a huge presentation. Within a stadium, heroes will be taking to a stage for the first time at one of these events to boost morale. Reporters join a crowd of cheering fans as music hypes up the reveal. Whoever isn't attending the event in person is watching it through a live feed. The world waits to see what a hero listing without All Might will look like.
Ranking at number ten, Ryukyu takes the stage. She waves nervously as the crowd goes wild, applauding and whistling in support. She's followed by number nine, a hero clad in samurai armor, Yoroi Musha. And then number eight, a washing machine. The crowd's cheers diminish a little at that one. Kamui Woods and Crust rejuvenates the awe factor immediately after though. Whoops and hollers only get louder when Mirko and Edgeshot join the stage.
Backstage, preparing for his turn when his announcement as number two comes, Hawks paces impatiently. He's not fretting over the wait until his shining moment of stardom though. He's stressing over the absence of the heroes he's supposed to meet before going on stage. Sir Nighteye had arranged with him beforehand a brief rendezvous, saying the underground hero Eraserhead and a detective would also be there.
Thankfully, Nighteye remains true to his word. The hero arrives. Along with a few extras he hadn't mentioned would be part of the meetup. "Cutting it a little close, aren't you?", Hawks tries funneling his nerves through a comedic filter to calm himself down.
"You're the one who wanted to do this here and now instead of at Nighteye's agency", the detective doesn't appear to be in the best of moods to joke around though. Hawks can see from the lack of shaving and eyebags that the officer must be working around the clock just as him.
"Actually, that was at my discretion. We can't risk spys or prying eyes and ears in any place too public", Nighteye comes to his fellow hero's rescue by taking the heat of the detective. But he's not just a scapegoat. He truly did arrange for the intel delivery to be here of all places.
"And yet, you chose the most public places of them all", Eraserhead holds a dry tone but his slightly raised eyebrows are inquisitive.
Hawks figures he'll return the favor and cover for Nighteye this time. "Exactly. It's too combust and full of heroes with a high security detail to boot for the villains to watch or listen in. This is my one opportunity to share with you the intel that I've learned", he knows full well the strategy behind picking such a peculiar time and location.
"So spill it", one of the unmentioned attendees chimes in. A spikey haired blonde in a U.A uniform standing beside Eraserhead. A prospective hero attending the school most likely.
"Who's the kid?", but Hawks questions the boy's presence anyways. He's likely a first year. Second year at best. Not like the much bulkier blonde beside Nighteye.
"He has a connection to a person of interest. Don't pay him any mind", but Eraserhead brushes off the matter as no big deal. As a matter of fact, he looks keen to change the subject as soon as possible.
"Okay..", Hawks refrains from prying though. He figures the underground hero could just be concerned that they'll run out of time before intel can be shared. "Aogiri is a subset of the Meta Liberation Army just like we thought. And they're planning something big", Hawks starts talking out of his own concerns over being pressed for time.
"How big?", the detective plucks a notepad from his coat pocket to write stuff down. Hawks waits for the officer to flip to a blank page before replying.
"A war", the hero tries gauging everyone's reaction as he conveys the most dire of revelations. As expected, they range from surprise to worry.
"When? Where?", but the detective recovers quick enough to ask more questions for his notes. Already, he's jotting something down.
"I don't have high enough clearance to know that yet", Hawks shakes his head with a disappointed sigh. "But listen to what I do know.. The one leading Aogiri is the Tokyo Ghoul", he moves on to the next big piece of information instead.
"He's LEADING them.. ?", which seems even more shocking to Eraserhead than the prospect of a war. Hawks stares side longingly at the underground hero, sensing a deeper connection to that part of the investigation. Perhaps the mystery of the U.A student has been solved as well.
"What do you know about him?", especially since the blonde boy jumps at the mention of the Tokyo Ghoul like a dog on a bone.
"Bakugo!", Eraserhead catches the boy by the crook of his arm to stop him. There's an exchange of glares between them, something unspoken.
But before anyone can say anything more, the speaker system announces that their meeting is over. "And now .. introducing number two! HAWKS!", the stadium roars behind the curtains to the stage as Hawks is called out.
The hero winces, not wanting to leave. But he doesn't have a choice. "Sorry. That's my cue", Hawks hopes what he's left them with will be enough before walking into a sea of adoring fans.
"This isn't over", Nighteye is the first to speak once Hawks is gone. He adjusts his glasses before casting a look towards Tsukauchi, "See what you can uncover about this 'war'. I'm assuming they'll need to arm themselves if they're not gathering numbers."
"You can leave that to me", but Eraserhead steps forth to turn the attention towards him instead. As an underground hero, he knows full well how to operate the underworld to gather information. "I'll hit the usual spots", any potential leads are usually funneled through particular places that became common habitat for criminal scum and it's better not to scare them away with a cop snooping around.
"I'll try finding the ghoul then", Tsukauchi narrows his eyes at the underground hero. Neither of them are bound to have any luck considering they had difficulty at the start of the investigation, but he had expected Aizawa to jump at the opportunity to find his 'problem child'.
Nighteye places a hand on the strong shoulder of the burly blonde he brought with him, steering the boy away. "I will continue preparing Mirio and the others at my agency for the inevitable battle then", he sounds as stressed as everyone there but keeps a stoic gait as he escorts the future hero. There's a lot on his shoulders too, with nobody placing a consoling hand on either one.
Aizawa walks away with his own aspiring hero. Or, so the boy had seemed to be. Once the two find themselves a private corner, Bakugo's face begins to partially melt away. Gray goop uncovers a feminine voice beneath. Himiko Toga's quirk had camouflaged her using the blood that the underground hero took from U.A's medical supply. "Now what?", she asks.
The underground hero raises a brow as though the question makes no sense. "Didn't you hear me? We're going to investigate some arms dealings", he's finally found a use for the girl with a criminal background.