Their Hero Academia

by Zylly

Twenty-five years after Izuki Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A first set foot in the halls of U.A., their children begin their own hero academia. What adventures and challenges await the newest generation of future heroes? Can they possibly live up to the standard their parents set? Will they put Aizawa into an early grave? Or will this be the most Plus Ultra class of them all?

99. Chapter 91: Calm Before the Storm

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 91: Calm Before the Storm

There were days where Izuku truly felt the burden of being the Number One Hero. Most days, there was some degree of background level of it. There was a need to set a good example, both for other Heroes and for civilians. There was the need to be available to respond to crises all across Japan, on top of his regular patrol routes. There were countless interviews and public appearances. And most importantly, there was his responsibility to his wife and to his children.

"You cannot shoulder the weight of the world as I did," Dad had told him once. "I thought to make you the next Symbol of Peace, to take my place. But my place was a lonely one. And not one anyone should be forced to bear, no matter how big their heart. Bring hope, but do not bring peace by your hands alone. You have friends and comrades who can share that burden. Evil's back has finally, truly been broken. Enjoy the peace you have won that I could not."

It was not easy raising a family while being a Hero. But he was doing it. And so were his friends. True, there were lost moments, missed memories. But so too was it for any working parent, whether or not they were Heroes. He and his friends had made this future, beaten back the worst evil the world had ever seen. They were entitled to enjoy the fruits of their efforts.

Which just made the times when the burdens of being a Hero rose up more strongly hit him all the harder. The craziness of the last few months had meant longer hours than he'd have liked. The quiet that had settled in now was anything but peaceful. And with what Kacchan had learned from the Russian Hero Iron Bear and what Hitoshi had learned from his own sources, things were likely to hit the fan. It was only a matter of when, and even then, they weren't even truly certain how many enemies they were actually facing.

Some desperate and guilty part of him hoped they could solve it all before the National Festival.. He couldn't believe they were bringing it back! Or that Toshi, Haimawari, and Kocho were all competing! Oh, and Mika Mineta, of course!

In the meantime, he had things to do. Izuku looked around the conference room. Mirio and Melissa sat together, with their son Tamaki across the table from them. Next to him was Camie. Hitoshi was working nights right now, so it left her to represent Might Tower's Underground Hero contingent. Also at the table was Jinsei Saika, Melissa's friend and colleague from I-Island, who had finally managed to slip away from his lab and journey to Japan to assist with the investigation. While Melissa had been invaluable, he was, by her admission, one of the best roboticists known to man. And finally, at the end of the table was his personal secretary, Josei, a giant, blue-furred fox-woman. Even though the meeting would be recorded, he liked to have actual transcripts to look at later. Besides that, she'd often offered insight that Heroes might miss.

"Okay," Izuku began. "First up, we'll refresh what we know, just so everybody's on the same page. And I'll pass everything we talk about onto Shoto, Ingenium, Ground Zero, and the rest."

He gestured to Mirio. His longtime friend and former senpai had been heading up the investigation. Having learned from Sir Nighteye, he was far better at investigative work than Izuku had ever been, even with his knack for analysis.

"Okay, so here's everything we've got so far," Mirio said. He clicked a button on a small remote, turning on the projector in the room. "We don't know for a fact that all of these events are connected, but the overall trend suggests to us that, at the very least, most of them are."

The first image to display on the screen was of a sickly, skeletal looking man. "This is Plague," Mirio said. "Real name unknown, even to himself, due to the lack of records kept by the Iga Group and the trauma he suffered at their hands. Responsible for acts of bioterrorism a decade ago, he also helped expose the criminal and shameful actions the Iga Group was undertaking with regards to people possessing 'dangerous' Quirks. In exchange, he was given a reduced threat category and a reasonably comfortable imprisonment, even being consulted by virologists and laboratories on occasion."

Mirio continued, "Several months ago, he was broken out of prison by unknown parties. Security was disabled and by the time it was on, he was gone. Whoever was responsible was very, very good at circumventing security systems."

Plague had been, despite everything done to him, a good man. Or at least he was trying to be. Of that, Izuku was certain. "He wouldn't have just escaped like that," he said. "Someone had to have taken him." Plague was someone Izuku felt great compassion for. He had done great harm, but he had come back from it. Others, he knew, did not feel quite the same way about Plague and would have preferred to lock him up somewhere no one could ever hear from him again, but Izuku had seen the humanity in the man's soul and would fight to the death for it.

Mirio frowned. "We don't have any concrete evidence of that. But there's also absolutely no evidence to suggest he was planning an escape or unhappy with his situation."

Fortunately, Mirio moved on to the next point, bringing up a slide with statistical data.. "Two months after that, shortly into the start of the school year, we began seeing the first signs of what was called the Quirk Virus. It caused a brief, usually no more than fifteen minutes, period of Emitter and Transformation-types losing control of their Quirks. We know that multiple students at various Hero schools, as well as countless civilians, were infected. After-the-fact analysis was difficult, due to how quickly the Virus burned out, but there were similar symptoms to the virus Plague once unleashed, though without the debilitating physical aspects. Furthermore, what evidence scientists and doctors were able to gather strongly suggested it was created in a laboratory."

Those had been scary times, as both a parent and a Hero. Many Heroes, including everyone here, had intervened in multiple incidents. And then, just as suddenly…

"This lasted for a few weeks, up until around the time of the U.A. Sports Festival," Miro continued. "However, the cases eventually petered out, then stopped completely. No one ever claimed responsibility or issued any threats. Its main purpose seemed to be to make people afraid of their Quirks."

He clicked over to the next slide, showing a mechanical capsule with a glass window, a Nomu visible inside. "Shortly before the Sports Festival, a government transport truck that was carrying a deceased Nomu to another government laboratory disappeared. The driver was found dead, but the truck itself and the Nomu corpse vanished."

Another slide, showing various sites around Japan. "Around that time, we started seeing an uptick in Trigger distribution and shipments of the drug coming into the country. We also saw a number of technology thefts, mostly robotic components, but also power cells and weapons, from around the country."

Saika raised his hand. The green-haired man's face was a patchwork of scars and they stood out against his skin as he flushed with anger. "There was also a data breach on I-Island at about the same time, as near as we've been able to determine." His voice was a bit raspy. Melissa had said he didn't talk to other people much, so when he did, the rasp came from disuse. "They were able to obtain technical data my wife and I had compiled. Plans for mechanical power sources, robotic weapons, and other systems."

Izuku knew Saika's wife and family had been killed in a Villain attack, so to have something of hers stolen like that and used for the kind of violence they'd seen must have been incredibly painful. The man was Quirkless too, he knew, and had contributed much to society through the field of robotics. To have all your efforts corrupted like that… he couldn't imagine.

"Right," Mirio said. He moved onto the next slide, which showed a similar looking Nomu, this one with sickly dead-gray skin. "In the week after the U.A. Sports festival, while many Heroes were busy having taken on Interns, someone unleashed a number of robotic Nomu on Japan, mostly centered around Tokyo. Forensic analysis would confirm that the flesh they were wrapped in was cloned from the missing one. As with before, no one claimed responsibility. Thanks in large part to Izuku, as well as many other Heroes, casualties were few."

Except for Kacchan, of course. Izuku still remembered seeing his friend maimed, Shoto Shinso traumatized and covered in blood, but trying to save him; speeding them both to the hospital, desperately worried he hadn't been fast enough and wishing he'd gotten there earlier…

He closed his eyes for a moment. So many of his friends had been hurt during that, including Ochaco. They'd all fully recovered, but it had been a frightening time all the same. And they'd been damn lucky none of their kids had been seriously injured, though Mirio's daughter Nejire had suffered a broken leg and some of the kids had been treated for exhaustion, but physical and Quirk.

"The technology involved in the Nomu likewise matches the technology thefts," Melissa added. "Though in some cases with a fairly significant leap forward." She pushed her glasses up. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to figure out where they came from or who might have built them."

"The number of people with that kind of skill is small," Saika said. "Maybe Melissa or I could have done it, but not without a lot of help and assistance. The manufacturing costs and considerations alone…"

"Which is why we tried following the money," Camie said. "See if any big cash is getting spent or moved around. And we came up with zilch. Whoever's behind this has mad hiding skills."

"Thank you," Mirio said, before continuing. "And then, we have the events on I-Island during the Expo. From what we've been able to determine, along with the information provided by Ground Zero, there were at least two different parties on I-Island with hostile intentions." He changed to the next slide, showing the images of two men and two women. The women were by far the most distinct, one of them with blonde pigtails and red and black leather, and the other with a white theatrical mask and yellow-orange coat.

"The men are agents of Chernabog, a Russian crime lord with a fearsome reputation throughout most of the civilized world, on par with most Demon Lords. Names are unknown, but the make of their clothes, weapons, and eyewitness testimony peg them both as Russian. And no significant crime happens from Russia without his say-so. They were apparently there to kidnap Hinata Otake, daughter of a Quirk researcher there, Doctor Yoshi Otake, likely as a bargaining chip for his research, which focused primarily on Quirk enhancement. They're both dead."

Mirio pointed. "Which we believe to be the work of these women. The blonde is Rei Toga, Quirk: Bloodburn. She can cause any oxygenated blood to burst into flames. She's a skilled gymnast and knife fighter, and an expert at subverting security systems. Daughter of Himiko Toga and Toya Todoroki, aka Dabi. Wanted for more than thirty murders. The other woman's name and Quirk are unknown, but we believe her to be a protege of Atsuhiro Sako aka Mister Compress."

He frowned. "According to the younger Otake, Toga and the Compress woman rescued her from the Russians. However, we also believe they were responsible for unleashing a man named Setsushi, who has a Quirk which causes delirium in others and was there as a patient, as a distraction for their own escape. We also believe, based on database analysis, they stole Doctor Otake's research themselves."

Camie took up the thread. "All of which goes with the rumors we're hearing of a new League of Villains being put together. Two women who are a lot like members of the old one? Nomu? That's a major league craze if it ain't connected."

"And finally," Mirio said, advancing one last slide, "we have reports that Korean syndicates are moving significant amounts of weaponry into the country. Older models, but perfectly serviceable. We do not think this last one's connected, but we're still looking into it. The Voice is following up on some of his contacts to provide us with actionable specifics."

"Um…," Josei said, quietly. For someone as big as she was, Izuku knew she preferred not to take up much space.

"Yes?" he asked. "What've you got for us, Josei? Please, share."

"It's probably nothing," she said, "but some of my cousins, they're members of the Alliance to Demand Equality. They've been going to a lot more protests lately. But one of them, he said some of their members are demanding less talk and more action. He was actually worried some of them might be planning on getting violent. They probably won't… but with everything else going on…"

"It wouldn't be the first time someone's taken advantage of unrest either way," Izuku said. He'd first met her in a time like that, with Spinner of the League of Villains had practically assembled an army of Mutant-types for Shigaraki. It had led to a lot of old prejudices coming to the forefront and a lot of innocent people like Josei had gotten caught in the crossfire. "Thank you, Josei. We'll get someone to do some looking into it."

"Assuming most of these actually are connected," Tamaki asked, rubbing his chin, "what's the point? What's the end goal?"

It was a really good question…

There were many Hero schools in the world, and no shortage of ones that accepted students from abroad, but only one that could truly be considered an international endeavor. Founded in the wake of the Kamino Incident, the school was meant to produce the very best in the world. Its commonly accepted nickname, 'SSZ' was a reference to the name truly given to it at its inception, the same word in three separate languages, by the school's three founders. Strongest. Saikyo. Zuì qiáng. The name was given as a mission statement, and had more than held up in the following decades. Steven Goodman, retired American Pro-Hero and the headmaster of the school, did not like having his time taken away from cultivating that mission statement. He tugged at his collar in annoyance as he entered the conference room, taking the seat closest to the door. Across the table were an elderly caucasian man with rocky skin and a sour expression and a Japanese woman of the same approximate age, with vulpine accents to her face. If she was as displeased as the other man, she did a better job of hiding it. In between the two of them was a teleconferencing monitor displaying an intentionally distorted outline of an individual. A digitized voice was the first to speak.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Headmaster." They spoke Mandarin, to no surprise of any of the others in attendance.

Goodman folded his arms across his chest, regarding them with a practiced formality, and responding in American-accented English. "Esteemed Founders. To what do I owe the pleasure?" His eyes were tired, giving the impression of a man who had seen a great deal in his life, and been impressed by little of it. He carried himself with a powerful physique, but his own years had taken their toll, and he had little patience left for bureaucracy.

The woman picked up the discussion, with a delicately Kansai-accented Japanese. "We've called you here to discuss the academy participating in Japan's revived National Sports Festival. As we have a campus there, they've been gracious enough to extend us an offer to attend, despite not currently occupying it and operating on a different schedule. We understand your reservations about it, but feel that current events should merit your consideration."

The stone man spoke next, also in English, but of British stock. "I know that you tend to think of your tenure with the Academy, and our students as being 'too good' for 'petty contests' as you've called it, but with the return of the modified humans, along with the disaster on I-Island, it is past time to make a statement to the world. We cannot let another generation of organized villainy rise. It must be strangled to death in its infancy."

"As cheerful as always, I see." Goodman grunted and turned his gaze to the woman. "You're siding with him?"

"We wish to reassert the school's position of strength. We believe it will serve to reassure the public, as well as act as a deterrent."

"It is a reasonable request." The digital presence spoke again. "How do you plan to satisfy it, Headmaster Goodman?"

Goodman's arms tightened across his chest, the chair underneath him creaking as his body tensed. He snorted, "I still think it's a waste of time. Our alumni and our senior students prove themselves to the world every day. Those are the kind of displays that demonstrate strength, not juvenile displays of high school rivalries."

"This is not a GAME, Headmaster!" The stone man's arms extended across the table, all seven or so feet of it, and grabbed Goodman by the front of his shirt. "You enjoy a great deal of autonomy, but we will not have Villains make a mockery of the peace this modern era has fought and bled for!"

Goodman never flinched, but slowly looked down at the hands now below his chin. "...I appreciate that you're technically my employer, and even older than I am... but if you don't take your goddamn hands off me I will break you in HALF."

After a moment's hesitation, the arms retracted across the table, a tar-like sweat now visible across the man's brow.

The woman reached across to offer the man a cloth. "If it helps matters, only first-year students are participating in this year's event."

Goodman let out a breath and pinched the brow of his nose in thought as he quietly collected his thoughts out loud. "Our school year starts earlier than the others. We enrolled Torino and Ushimaru the day after the UA entrance exam... our second-years should line up with the ages they'd be looking for for first-years…," He looked around the table again. "The seniors are too busy, and the first-years are too raw. I'll send the top four from the second year. Take it or leave it."

The digitized voice spoke. "I accept."

The woman nodded, raising a hand to prevent the stone man from reigniting debate. "As do I. Thank you for your cooperation, Headmaster Goodman. That will be all for today."

"It had better be." Goodman growled as he left the room.

Hitoshi waited in the usual place: the rooftop of a little cafe in the Koreatown of Ando Ward, just a little past midnight. It was a warm, summer night, and despite the late hour, the streets below were busy. He unclipped the flask from his belt and took a sip of the water within. Coffee or tea would have been better, but he was trying to cut back on the caffeine. His Quirk offered him no physical enhancements and at forty-one, he was starting to feel his age more and more regularly. He figured he had one, two, maybe three years tops before he was going to strongly have to consider retirement. His mentor, Aizawa, had cautioned him time and time again about pushing his body past his limits. There was a reason Aizawa didn't go out into the field anymore, unless there were very special circumstances.

He checked his watch. It was silent and didn't produce ticks as the hands moved. Maybe digital would have been better, but he liked the old fashioned style with hands. He had maybe a minute or so until the usual time. Good.

That was when the door to the roof opened and Big Poppa stepped through, though he was considerably "dressed down" from his usual more flamboyant look. He didn't look happy.

"Well it took some favors, but I think I got what you're looking for."

Hitoshi nodded. Big Poppa was a criminal, of course, but as far as those things went, there were far worse out there. And he was legitimately invested in the welfare of his community, even if he claimed it was only for "business reasons." The two of them had, gradually, developed a mutual respect over the years. "I appreciate it," he said. "What did you find out?"

Big Poppa leaned against a secure part of the railing and started up a cigarette. "Well your sources were right. There's definitely a shipment of weapons coming from the old country. In and of itself, that's nothing new. Weapons-dealing of pre-Unification weapons has been all the rage for the past two generations. Typically though, they've avoided sending stuff here, whether it was due to fear of All-for-One, All-Might, Deku, or all of the above, I've got no idea, but that's typically how it's been. Of course things are changing back home."

Though his Hero duties kept Hitoshi focused primarily on local affairs, he did his best to stay aware of international matters. You never knew when one country's problem was going to spill over and become yours. Japan's having some of the strongest and most well-known Heroes on the planet was usually a pretty good deterrent. Emphasis, of course, on "usually."

"More political unrest?" he asked. "You'd have to be bold, desperate, or stupid to try and escalate things with Japan."

"Not "political" from a legitimate standpoint. Things have been relatively stable since Kim Ha-neul re-united the country."

The story of Kim Ha-neul was fairly well-known. The last leader of the former Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Kim Dynasty. A man with more morals than most of his kin, who saw that his country could not last much longer without reuniting with the what seemed like unparalleled diplomatic skills, he had actually made more progress in a few years than had been done in generations. What wasn't commonly known was that Kim was an early Quirk user, his specifically being called "Empathize." It allowed him to act as an emotional bridge to multiple people, creating an environment that caused everyone from both sides to understand the feelings and emotions of their counterparts in the room. This sped up a process that would have taken far longer. There was a huge scandal after Kim was assassinated, each side accusing the other of the crime. Thankfully early Heroes from both sides put aside their differences long enough to catch the culprit, an extremist member of Kim's government. This united effort went a long way to soothing tensions, and in a few years, the Korean peninsula had reunited.

"Korea didn't have any big league Villains running the show back when I still lived there. Nowadays.. I keep hearing certain names popping up. Talk of a threeway underworld war to run the whole thing. Each of them wants to be Korea's All for One, but they usually keep each other in check and prevent any one of them from making any big moves like this." He took a big drag. "At least that's how it's been."

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow at that. "I take it something's changed then? Did one of them gain an advantage?" Criminal warfare could be a tricky thing. One gang or organization getting a member with the "right" Quirk could just as easily tip the scales as more strategic changes.

"Rather one of them got a big-time business partner. The Beast, the bastard who tends to run things in the former North territories, apparently formed some kind of alliance with Tamerlane. Having an actual Demon Lord watching his back has kept both the Goblin and the Faceless from striking at him. The Beast is the one behind this shipment, but it's Tamerlane pulling his strings," Big Poppa reported, not looking at all pleased with what he knew.

The Beast. That was a name Hitoshi recognized. A would-be Demon Lord of incredible cunning and power. He'd kept his sights mostly local, but there were names that got passed around in the community to watch out for.

He shook his head. "What's the end goal here? Money? Power? Or something worse?" Japan was one of the linchpins of the modern world, along with the United States. Cause enough disruption to one, and you could set up a global cascade.

Big Poppa shook his head. "Sorry, Voice, but I don't have anything on that. Nobody would say anything on that score. It's one thing to mention them, but most Koreans here know better than to talk about the doings of the "Three Kings." A lot of them still have family back in Korea and won't risk going into specifics. Plus the Zainichi Korean community doesn't know anything and is outright hostile to us newcomers, so that was a dead end too."

It was one thing not to talk to Heroes like him; a lot of people didn't like to talk to the "law" or to outsiders. It was another not to talk to someone enmeshed in the local community like Big Poppa. Worrying… but also a worry for the future. There were more immediate concerns.

"I guess we'll deal with that when it happens," he said tiredly. "Were you able to get a date and location for the shipment?"

Big Poppa pointedly said nothing, but took out a piece of paper and passed it to Hitoshi.

"I "said" nothing," he stated in a stern tone, but with a small smile. "Never know when somebody with a mind-screwing Quirk might come along and ask questions of their own."

A small smile worked its way across Hitoshi's face. He put the paper in one of the pockets of his utility belt. He wouldn't do Big Poppa the disrespect of checking it like he didn't believe him. "Of course, as a Pro-Hero, I can't officially thank you for providing this information. But… thank you."

"You're one of the few that didn't abandon us after the whole Ignition thing. My people may not entirely trust Japanese pros, but that means something to me." He turns and starts to walk back toward the door. "Now if you don't mind I got a slew of kids wondering where their Pops went off to."

Hitoshi waited for Big Poppa to leave, then nodded to himself. The whole thing was a mess, but keeping the weapons off the streets and out of the hands of criminals was the most important part. He'd check in at Might Tower, then work on getting a team coordinated for the job ahead.

He stifled another yawn. He really was getting too old for this shit.

"Everyone, check in," Hitoshi said, tapping the communicator in his ear. He was perched high, on the roof of one of the warehouses next to the dock. It was a clear and cloudless night, the moon a mere crescent in the sky. If he was correct, they had less than ten minutes before the shipment would arrive. Already, four large moving vans filled the dockyard. He could see each driver and passenger seat was filled, which meant at least eight people to deal with off the bat, probably more in the back to help load. Nothing they couldn't handle.

"In position, bae," Camie replied. Even without her illusions, Camie was nearly as good at stealth as he was. He couldn't even spot her, but knew she was on the ground. The two of them didn't generally go on missions together, simply because he didn't trust himself not to put her safety above the job, but he'd needed to put together a team in a hurry.

"Out of sight, but ready to step in," came the deep voice that belonged to Rollout. Nobutoshi Toyomitsu's costume was mostly orange and red, with a little black, making it less suited for stealth. But his Cannonball Quirk made him very effective against most threats. Plus, he worked frequently with the police on drugs and arms cases, so he understood operations like this. His mother was a police officer too, if Hitoshi recalled correctly. He'd also been able to convince the local police force to let them handle the op tonight, to better smooth out the possible edges of any kind of international incident. He was young, barely into his twenties, but he came highly recommended by Eijro and Tetsuetsu.

"On standby," came the last voice. Kestrel was the highest ranked Hero he'd been able to call in, and one who could provide a lot of firepower if needed. Her speed also meant that she could stay a good distance away and still arrive in seconds. A perfect ace in the hole.

He'd have liked to have had someone like Izuku or Shoto or, heavens help him, even Mirio or Yoarashi with them, but the presence of that much power or that highly ranked a Hero would likely have brought more after the fact attention than anyone wanted.

"Good," Hitoshi replied. He looked up, spotting the cargo ship pulling in to dock. A little earlier, but no matter. "We go on my signal."

Hitoshi hated waiting. Patience had been one of the hardest things Aizawa had tried to drill into his thick head. An Underground Hero required patience in great quantities. And his Quirk required it even more so. Always looking for the right opportunity. So he had to wait until enough people were on deck to make things smooth. Big Poppa's information had said the crew would be no more than a dozen. Less than the twenty so so recommended to run a vessel of that size, but for a stealth insertion into a foreign country rather than an actual business shipment, probably adequate.

Right now, he counted ten on deck, and could spot one in the bridge, behind the wheel . Which meant one unaccounted for. Plus he'd been right about the numbers in the vans. For each of them, there'd been another guy inside the back.

"Moving in," he said over the communicator. "Wait for three minutes, then attack."

A single toss of his capture cloth snagged a point on the cargo ship, letting him swing his way over, carefully behind the crew currently on deck. They'd already brought up multiple heavy looking crates, no doubt loaded with weapons, and were extending a ramp to the dock. On the ground, the ones from the van waited impatiently for the ship-based ones to lower the ramp to let them start loading.

He dropped down to the deck silently then slowly adjusted his Persona Chords. Hitoshi was going to have to play this carefully. His Quirk relied upon his commands being understood. Too much noise or a language barrier could shut his ability down easily. He'd have to make sure to articulate his Korean clearly. Big Poppa had always said his accent was atrocious.

He poked his head around the corner. This would only give him a few seconds but… "Hey! We've got a problem!"

"What?"

"Who said that? Who are you?"

"Problems?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Who's there?!"

It wasn't all of them… but it was enough. Hitoshi activated his Quirk. "Freeze."

They froze, paralyzed by the power of his Quirk. And Hitoshi hurled himself into action. Two quick blows took down the first. A punch with all his weight behind it took down the next, even if it left his hand smarting like crazy.

Even with the other four frozen still, he'd already lost whatever surprise he had. The others, drawn to his voice and the sounds of violence, drew pistols, opening fire. Hitoshi darted out of the way, bullets ricocheting with solid metal pings. He heard someone cry out in pain–probably one of the ones he'd frozen being hit by ricochets–and prayed that it wasn't anything fatal.

"Get him! Get him!"

There was a lot of gunfire. Hitoshi was forced to keep moving, dodging this way and that. Finally, he tossed his capture cloth up, snagging the railing outside the cabin. A quick jerk pulled himself upward and he kicked off against the side, launching himself over their heads.

As soon as he landed, he struck out with his capture cloth again, giving it a quick snap like a whip to disarm several of them easily. Unlike Aizawa's, the ends of his were weighed, to make better use as a weapon. He quickly wove between them, unleashing a mix of kicks and punches and open hand strikes. One of them panicked, running back into the bowels of the ship. He'd have to go after him, but at least he had a moment.

None of them had tried using a Quirk on him, just their guns. Did all of them only have minor Quirks that wouldn't have been of any use? It made sense. Gangs and other similar organizations were havens for those with criminal bents but not criminal Quirks.

In the meantime… He launched his capture cloth again, using it to pull himself up and swing over to the ship's cabin, crashing through the glass with a mighty kick. The singular occupant went down with a single blow, too stunned to even try and defend himself. Hitoshi secured him with a pair of handcuffs from his belt, then dropped back down to the deck.

He spared a quick glance for the others. Rollout was dropping the last of the twelve in a pile. A couple of the vans looked like they had serious circular dents in them.

Rollout gave him a wave. "Your little lady set 'em right up! Made 'em think Deku was right here! Once they was distracted, I knocked 'em right down! Powie! Zam! Thunk!" The Rolling Hero patted his belly happily. "Easy."

Camie was perched on the hood of one of the vans, one leg extended. Dammit, did she ever not do things sexily? He was a lucky, lucky man. But the time for those thoughts was later. "You need any help, bae?"

Either way, it looked like he'd chosen well for this mission.

Before Hitoshi could respond, the sound of thunderous footsteps caught his attention. The remainder from the bowls of the ship. He spun and saw a giant of a man emerge from below deck, as tall as Shoji or Sato, easily, and rippled with muscle.

"Get him, Cho!" called the one who'd gotten away. If Hitoshi had pursued him earlier, he might well have been trapped down there with that behemoth. "But whatever you do, don't talk to him!"

Double damn. This one had a few brain cells. He'd figured it out.

Cho fixed an intense, dark-eyed gaze on him and cracked his knuckles. Then he charged.

Hitoshi jumped, sailing over his foe's head and throwing out his capture cloth to ensnare the man called Cho. He pulled the cloth tight when he landed, pinning Cho's arms to his side and temporarily stopping the charge. The giant thug turned his head to look at him over his shoulder with… curiosity? Then, the giant man flexed. Hitoshi could feel the strain on the cloth and then… it… snapped.

Hitoshi's eyes went wide. His capture cloth was made from carbon fibers and a steel alloy. It was certainly possible to snap it. Deku or a fully-powered Sugarman could do it in a heartbeat. But he definitely hadn't been expecting it from a thug like this. Where had a bunch of low-powered goons like this gotten a heavy hitter?

Or maybe not so heavy a hitter. Hitoshi spied track marks on Cho's arms. He was probably pumped full of Trigger. Probably just a minor strength enhancement being amped up. Great. Quirk enhancing drugs on top of guns.

With a sigh, he reeled in the remainder of the cloth and launched himself over the side of the ship, onto the dock, rolling when he hit the ground. He came up quickly and saw that Cho had followed, jumping from the deck and landing with a powerful crash.

"Relax, chief," Rollout said. "We got this guy." He took a single step back, then launched himself forward, his Quirk letting him pull his arms and legs and head into his body until he became a rolling sphere. He slammed into Cho like a shot from a cannon, but the big man wasn't even pushed back. Instead, Rollout bounced off, smashing into one of the moving vans. The large Hero was left embedded in the side of the truck.

"Gimme a second!" Rollout called out, his legs re-extended and waving through the air. It would have been comical under other circumstances.. "Just gotta get out of here!"

"My turn!" Camie called out. She put a pair of fingers to her lips and blew out a puff of smoke, covering Cho with it. Out of the smoke came an illusion of Deku.

"It's going to be alright," the illusion said, striking a corny pose that even the genuine article would have been embarrassed by. "Why? Because I am here!"

Cho let out a growl and took a swing, his fists passing harmlessly through the illusion. The giant stared at his hands as though they had betrayed him.

"You got a plan, bae?" Camie asked. She and Hitoshi had both hidden behind one of the trucks while her illusion did its work.

He nodded. "I hit the panic button the second he took Rollout out. Should be here in three… two… one."

A shrill sound split the air, a high-pitched whistle. High above and coming closer, Hitoshi could see a streak of white that resolved itself into the form of Kestrel as it got closer. As she got closer, even Cho and the remaining thug on the deck paused to look up. Kestrel flared her wings and fired off a volley of white feathers. Several went towards the deck, pinning the last guy to the deck. The remainder of the volley went towards Cho, a flurry of strikes, carefully controlled so that they smacked him over and over with their flats rather than their bladed edges. Cho tried to swat them away, but Kestrel's feathers were too fast and too well controlled for that to work. They were keeping him occupied, keeping him harried.

What they weren't doing was stopping Cho. Whatever power the guy had, it made him too physically tough to be taken down like that. Dammit.

"I'm going in," Hitoshi said.

"Kestrel!" he shouted. "In five seconds, back off the attack!" He didn't wait for a response, instead trusting her professionalism.

Hitoshi charged towards Cho and, right on cue, Kestrel dropped her attack. Hitoshi took advantage of the opening and jumped, landing on Cho's shoulders. He wrapped his capture cloth around the man's head, completely covering his mouth and nose.

Cho bucked wildly, trying to dislodge him, but Kestrel's feathers resumed their own attack, each easily missing Hitoshi, but keeping Cho's arms and hands occupied. Eventually, Cho began to pant, his attempts at breathing getting faster and faster. Until, at last, the big man collapsed to the ground into unconsciousness.

"Remind me not to do that again," Hitoshi said. That had been the toughest fight he'd had in a while. Everything was hurting right now.

Kestrel landed next to them. "Sent a few feathers below deck, found a couple stragglers. All that's left is the clean-up."

By now, Rollout had extracted himself from the van."Heckuva set of moves there, lady," he said, giving Kestrel a thumbs' up.. "Remind me to call you the next time I need backup."

Kestrel just laughed at that. "Next time," she said, "don't keep me on backup, Voice."

Hitoshi shook his head. "Rational operational division of resources." He pulled out his phone. "Let's get the cops here and then we can go home."

Not quite as smooth an operation as he'd have liked, but they got the weapons before they got onto the streets and they had plenty of guys that could be interrogated. Things were fragile enough right now without bringing guns into the mix.

Maybe it could have gone better, but they'd still won. And that was good enough for him.