Author's Note/Reviews:
I'm actually surprised I had time to pop out another chapter before moving out. I'll keep this brief, but here's the reviews!
- Akashi1412: A bit too much flashback to my liking but not that bad.
Yeah, I had a feeling some people wouldn't like the bombardment of flashbacks, but I gambled with it to get it out of the way. Honestly it would set the pace a bit better instead of people trying to guess the clues. He's a simple character, not a mystery.
- Evrfnet: I was wondering about his quirk's impact on the USJ arc, because he can just teleport everyone out and be done with it. Didn't expect parent's death anniversary as the reason things are going to go according to canon. (as close to canon things can be in this story anyway). Great work as always, I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
I had thought about that. The thing about MHA is that powers really do a domino effect in the storyline. And a warp quirk is honestly just a cheat code. But I do plan to make something out of this while keeping somewhat to canon, so it won't just be a cop out. Thanks for the support!
I hope you all enjoy.
"You think you're hot shit, huh?" Character Speech
'Tell me how that works out for you.' Character Thoughts
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own My Hero Academia!
Himiko rolled over in bed with a sigh of relaxed bliss.
Her arms sprawled out over the sheets, giving her all the room she could ever want.
Wait...
With her eyes closed, her brows furrowed as her hands started searching the bed. Not finding what she was looking for, or who, the blonde killer sat up with annoyed tired eyes. She let out a wince when the rising sun caught her in its sight. She blinked the sleep out of her vision and looked down at the bed.
Yup, no boyfriend. Of course.
"Him and his stupid cute ass waking up early..." She mumbled before a yawn escaped her. She stretched out her arms, letting the blanket fall off her bare skin and exposing her modest bust to the empty room around her. After taking a moment to snap back to reality, Himiko stepped off the bed and simply scooped up whatever leftover clothing her boyfriend left around his room; a baggy sweater and a pair of sweatpants.
Perfect.
With that, she opened the locked door and was hit by the scent of a good morning breakfast in the making.
Like the silent kitten she was, the blonde made her way down the stairs and entered the kitchen. She saw her prize standing at the stove, working his magic hands to cook the usual breakfast that makes Mondays actually tolerable. She didn't see Yuma, but that only meant she had a little bit of time before the young girl woke up.
Narrowing her eyes, she waltzed over and enwrapped Shinra in a hug from the back. He didn't flinch, he never really got surprised after the first year they started dating. Still, she knew that she caught him off guard.
"Mornin'" She murmured, burying her face in his back.
Shinra said, "How the fuck are you so silent?"
"Years of practice, babe."
"I'll learn your secret one day."
"No you won't." Himiko grinned. "You're too dumb."
"And you don't know how to cook."
"Eh, you already have the housewife side of this relationship covered. All I need to do is look cute."
"I cook, clean, and practically handle anything that breaks. All you do is sleep and babysit when Yoko can't."
"See! You're doing great." The blonde laughed as she snuggled him harder, putting on her best cute girl act. Even if she knew he wouldn't be mad anyway. Shinra rolled his eyes as he dug his spatula into the pan. The smell of something sizzling caught her attention and Himiko's stomach growled. "Hmmm..." She hummed as she stood on her toes, trying to see over his shoulder. "Whatcha cooking there?"
"Just a generic American breakfast. I know Yuma loves pancakes."
"You doing the eggs first?"
Shinra shrugged, but nodded. "Yeah. I'd rather not deal with her complaining about her pancakes being cold this time." The white head teen glanced back at his girlfriend and held up his spatula. "By the way, how do you want your eggs?"
"Fertilized."
Shinra just stared at her.
...
Himiko just simply smiled wide, showing her sharpened teeth.
...
"Himi."
"Yes~?"
With a sigh of exasperation, the warp user just put his attention back on the task at hand. "I'm just gonna assume you like your eggs scrambled then."
He then felt her hands tighten on his shoulders and her mouth close to his ear. "God, I'd love that too..." Himiko whispered teasingly in his ear and finishing with a sultry giggle. She could see the goosebumps build over his skin, even if his face remained neutral. "Come on..." The killer moaned as her right hand traveled down his shoulders, his chest and stomach, then coming dangerously close to the no-no zone. "We got a little time." She gently bit on his earlobe.
"Why are you such a horny gremlin at 6 AM?" Shinra whispered back. His cheeks felt a bit hot, but he was sure it was the heat from the pan.
Himiko kept reaching until she touched her prize through his clothing, loving how he still flinches at her touch. "I don't know. But is that really such a bad thing?"
"I'm trying to cook."
She let go of his manhood and spun him around till they were face to face. With the speed of a snake striking, "I don't fucking care." Himiko turned down the burner and pulled her boyfriend's head down into a seering morning kiss. Shinra rolled his eyes, but didn't complain as his girlfriend pulled him towards the table. Himiko moaned into the kiss as she was picked up by the hips and set down on the open table. "Oooh, someone's into this~" She pulled away with a singsong tone, wrapping her legs around his waist.
"Shut up, you slut." Shinra smirked as he looked her in the eye.
"Make me, pussy." She matched his smirk with her grin and the two resumed their heated kissing session. The blonde was put on her back within moments. Her face flushed when Shinra moved to kiss the nook of her neck and she squealed when she felt her boyfriend's hand slip underneath the sweater and reach for one of her tits-
The two heard soft footsteps on the floor above them and Shinra was quick to separate himself from his girlfriend.
Hot, bothered, and quite miffed at being clam jammed, Himiko was hoping they would've had at least 5 minutes to themselves before sunshine woke up.
Again, even if the slasher knew they weren't just gonna go all the way on the dining room table, she still wanted some loving to start her day right.
"Happy?" Shinra said as he returned to his cooking, trying hard to let his arousal die down. Or at least stay hidden long enough.
"Memememeh," Himiko childishly mocked without any real heat as Yuma walked down the stairs, yawning and rubbing one eye. "Good morning, you little troll." The blonde greeted, seeing Shinra shake his head in the corner of her vision. He was holding back a laugh. Himiko narrowed her eyes. Oh he thought it was funny, huh? She'd have to do something about that later.
"Morning..." Yuma replied sleepily. Then she smelled the cooking eggs. "Are we having pancakes?"
"Yessir." Shinra answered, setting a pack of sausages on the counter next to him. "Just take a seat. It'll take a bit longer to finish everything. I was a bit distracted." The taller teen shot a small glare at his mischievous girlfriend, who stood behind Yuma when she flipped him off. "By the way, I changed my mind. You're going to school today." That woke her up. Immediately, Yuma looked betrayed.
"But you said I wouldn't!"
"I know, I know." Shinra said sheepishly before looking at the pan in front of him with a longing gaze. "But I asked Yoko if she could squeeze in some training for me today." Himiko arched a brow, but didn't really question it. He usually kept to himself or at least spent the day with her on his parents' death. She was just happy he was getting more out of his comfort zone. Even if it was with the old hag.
"Are we still going to the beach?" Yuma asked, wanting to know if her day wasn't going to be a complete lie.
"Yup. I'll pick you up, we'll get ready and set out tonight. Now that Dagoba Beach is cleaned up, shops have been opening back up on the boardwalk." Himiko did hear about that at some point. Some crazy fucker had actually went and cleared out the endless bouts of trash that littered the beach for months. And yet nobody really know who did it. She didn't really care all that much, but it was nice to go to a beach closer than having Shinra teleport the family to another one several cities over.
Yuma opened her mouth, but then closed it.
"Got something to say, kiddo?" Himiko inquired, not one to let something go unsaid. She was nosey like that.
"Can... Can I go see our parents' graves after we go to the beach?"
Himiko saw the spatula freeze in Shinra's hand for but a moment. The teen's eyes glossed over for a second before he blinked and nodded his head. "Y-Yeah, sure. I don't mind." That was a lie and Himiko knew it. She caught that stutter. And she saw his hand grip the spatula and moved to hug him again from behind. This time, however, it was a gentle reassuring hug. It was no surprise that Shinra had an irrational fear of bringing Yuma closer to his parents.
He was afraid she'd end up like them.
"Easy." Himiko whispered, rubbing his back. "Nothing bad is gonna happen."
"I know it won't."
"So why are you so nervous, hun?"
"They weren't there for me. Weren't there for her either." Shinra muttered with a slight sneer. "They don't deserve her attention."
"She's a kid. She's gonna be curious."
Shinra silently groaned as he rubbed his face with a hand. "It's unavoidable. Eventually I'm gonna have to tell her what happened." Himiko eased back a wince at the prospect. For obvious reasons, like her age, they haven't told Yuma what exactly happened to their parents. There was no real need to know anyway. Just a ghost from the past with nothing to offer for the future. "I might as well give her the dumbed down version and tell her they were cunts." He tried to joke, but it came out flat.
"Look, how about we don't worry about that for now." Himiko soothed before jutting a thumb back towards the table. The little white haired girl was nodding off in the chair, her eyes slowly closing before snapping back open and repeating. Himiko giggled. "Someone's already falling back to sleep waiting for her food." That got a smile on his face again. "See? Focus on the present." She propped her head against his shoulder. "They're dead. Always have been. Always will be. They can't hurt anyone again."
"Yeah... yeah, you're right." Shinra said.
"Always am."
"And there's the ego popping its head again." The teen groaned, trying to hide his grin.
"... I'd like to pop something else."
"Would you-" Shinra stopped talking before he made a fool out of himself, knowing he would just be feeding into the fire. Himiko's smirk was devious. She would get the full package deal eventually. But who said she couldn't have fun teasing in the meantime? Her boyfriend had enough of her antics and pointed to the table. "Chair. Now."
"Aye aye, cap'n!" The killer giggled as she took her usual seat next to Yuma. She lightly flicked the girl in the forehead, startling her awake and watched the child hold her forehead protectively, glaring at Himiko. "Had to wake you up somehow."
"You know I hate it when you do that."
"Which makes it fun for me." Himiko took a quick peek at her boyfriend, noting that a good chunk of the food has still yet to be finished. So she decided to settle for idle small talk to pass the time. Leaning on the table with an elbow, Himiko placed her cheek in hand and grinned a toothy grin. "Speaking of fun, anything interesting at school lately?"
Yuma's eyes sparkled. "I made a new friend on Friday!"
"Oh, you did?" Shinra joined in.
"Mhm! A boy! His name is Benji!"
"A boy, huh?" Himiko teased, wiggling her eyebrows. "You sound pretty excited about him. You don't... like him, do you?"
Yuma stammered, her face turning red from embarrassment. "N-No! That's gross! Liking boys is yucky!"
"You're damn right." Shinra said simply as he poured the pancake batter in the pan. "Or else I'd have to kick him."
"Shinra!" Himiko scolded, but she was laughing at Yuma's horrified face. "They're just kids!"
3 Hours Later...
"Again."
Shinra took a couple steps back, holding the bamboo sword tightly in hand. His arms, sides and even his face were riddled with bruises. The white haired teen took a couple breaths to even out his breathing, narrowing his eyes before charging again.
In front of him, his guardian Yoko stood in a firm stance. Her casual clothing were changed to a more combat fitting attire and in her hand was a training sword as well. The retired heroine narrowed her lone eye as she saw Shinra attempt to bring his sword down on her. With years of practice, she blocked the incoming attack and angled it to use his momentum against him. His sword slid downwards against hers until she swung it to the side and upwards, leaving the boy exposed to a quick jab to the neck with the tip of her bamboo sword.
"Switch."
Shinra gagged at the sudden move, opting for a moment to clutch at his own neck but couldn't once Yoko sped forward. It would've been a humorous sight if he saw an old lady of 5'4" attacking with a fake weapon, if he didn't know she could actually beat his ass. For an old lady, Yoko was faster than most adults as if she kept her youth, minus the looks. Shinra grunted as he tried to keep up with her jabs, swaying his body to the sides and stepping back when her reach got too close.
For a moment, Shinra felt like he was 7 again. His body failed him for a split second, leaving himself open long enough for Yoko to smack the sword out of his hand.
The shorter fighter kicked at one of Shinra's legs, knocking him off balance and bringing him down to a knee. Within a moment, he felt a gust of air at his neck and looked down to see Yoko's weapon stopped just from whacking him in the jugular.
"My loss." Shinra said blandly. "Again."
"23 minutes." Yoko hummed to herself as she stepped back to give Shinra breathing room. "Usually you could keep up with me for 35. You're distracted."
"Well considering its been weeks since we sparred with swords, I can say I'm a bit rusty." Shinra retorted sarcastically, but he didn't deny it. It's been years, but he still never felt completely comfortable in the dojo he and his father used to spar in. Even now, the jagged hole in the wall was still there behind him. He had asked to never have it fixed. He wanted a reminder. But it also served as a hindrance. An endless source of motivation, yet binding cage with no way out.
Yoko placed her weapon over her shoulder and arched a brow. "You're irritated." She stated coolly.
Shinra sighed as he stood back up. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I still prefer beating the shit out of people with my hands."
"And when you fight someone with a regeneration quirk? Impact nullification?"
Shinra opened his mouth.
"You can't always rely on your portals."
Shinra closed his mouth.
"I know you hate hearing it, but I became your guardian because your mother asked me." Shinra's eyes had the barest hint of disdain, but Yoko didn't back down an inch. The old woman stared right back at him. "At first, it was all a favor. Now I see you as my own child." Yoko revealed softly. He already knew that. It took a while, but she warmed up to him a lot faster than he did her. "And because of that, I want to see you succeed in ways your father failed."
"I'm nothing like him." Shinra scowled.
Yoko shook her head. "You may not be a hothead like Shigenori was, but you're prone to violence. You relish conflict. And that's what brought him down." Obviously, that's not what the teen wanted to hear, if the disgust on his face was anything to go by. "He was flawed, Shinra. He believed he needed to be perfect. The perfect hero. The perfect Nobu clansmen. The perfect father. But he also drove himself to wanting the perfect son. His judgement got corrupted with time-"
Shinra spat. "And he took it out on me. For months. 'Where's your quirk, Shinra? Why aren't you trying hard enough, Shinra? You need to learn how to fight, Shinra'."
"And you need to let go of that hatred." Yoko said. "In order for you to become better than what he ever expected of you, you must let that go. Embrace that the past happened, but know that your future is in your hands and your hands alone."
For a moment, Shinra remained silent.
"... What about mother?"
Yoko arched a brow. "What about her?"
"Why did she turn on me? I was a kid."
"I wasn't as close to your mother as you might think." Yoko sighed, scratching her head. Shinra never spoke much about his parents, at least to her anyway. He used to see her as another one of them, a replacement meant to continue their dirty work. Eventually he warmed up to her, but he never really did care to know their reasons. But it did warm her heart to know the boy in front of her was maturing. Even if it was little by little.
Baby steps.
"Like your father, she had her own expectations. She loved Shigenori to the point of near obsession. Thought she could be the solution to his problems, if things ever went farther than he could handle. And because of that, she remained in an abusive relationship regardless of the advice so many of us gave her. She thought she was helping him. Making him better."
"And she couldn't see him kicking the absolute shit out of me wasn't a problem?" Shinra retorted in disbelief.
"The thing about the human mind, is that a person will unknowingly mold themself to fit their partner while believing they're fixing the issue. She loved you, adored you like a mother should. But ultimately began believing that Shigenori's 'Might Makes Right' mentality was the correct path. Sometimes she'd call me crying, saying how much she wanted to help you. But you were quirkless. And nothing she could've thought up would've worked. So she simply followed Shigenori to the end."
"For someone to love their child, then to neglect them over an abusive asshole..." Shinra trailed off as he clenched his training weapon tightly. "That wasn't real love." He said with hard eyes. He jabbed a thumb over his chest. "Real love is never-ending support! Loyalty! Forgiveness! And... and...!"
"She was afraid of you."
"I was 7!" Shinra exclaimed. "I was 7 fucking years old! And she treated me like the plague!"
Yoko remained indifferent. "And does it matter now?"
"... No. Because I refuse to be like them."
"And what is it that you want?"
Shinra didn't even hesitate. "A family. A real one. I want to raise Yuma better than my parents ever could. I want Himiko to stay by my side. I want to protect them both until we all live full lives. I'd do anything for that dream." She's heard it before. Time and time again from this boy. Those two are all he wants and needs in this life. But they were his conviction. His drive. And Yoko was more than willing to give him that push.
Shinra looked down when Yoko tapped the tip of her weapon over his heart. "I can see it. You're a trouble child, but you feel more love than you're willing to admit. I won't be around forever and I'll be damned if I don't drill basic skills into your empty head before I croak."
"You already taught me close combat." He added with a scoff. "As well as father. For the shitty part."
"And you've excelled at that." Yoko praised. "But you need to expand your horizons. Now, get ready." The look of an instructor came back as Yoko hopped back a couple feet, taking on her own fighting stance once more. "You won't survive in this world as a one-trick pony. Get rid of that stubborn attitude. Because you're not leaving this dojo until you can land 5 hits in a row without getting hit."
"Alright." The warp-user scoffed as he rolled his head around, popping his neck. "Don't blame me if you break a hip."
"Don't blame me if I break your goddamn nose."
Shinra took on his fighting stance with a thirsty grin, feeling himself get riled up for another round. "Bring it on."
Meanwhile...
"K-Kacchan, you dodged it!?" Midoriya's voice said in disbelief.
Bakugo had long since given up on trying to figure out what was going on anymore.
Today was supposed to be some shitty field trip, some rescue simulation supervised by Aizawa and 13. Then the whole trip got hijacked by a bunch of no-name loser villains who had the balls to charge in unannounced, babbling about some plan to kill All Might. Everyone had gotten splitten up by some misty fucker, sent to fight for their lives until the villains target had shown up himself.
Now they had been in a standoff against some itch addict covered in hands, a brain-dead bird on steroids and the goddamn mist fucker that brought them in the first place!
"Deku... shut the fuck up." Bakugo muttered, clearly in shock.
All he heard from Hands was "Nomu, get Kurogiri back for me." and the big bird turned into a blur.
Next thing he knew, he was planted on his ass while All Might hit the wall, taking his place from the freight train of an attack.
The explosive teen sucked his teeth and pushed himself to his feet, glaring daggers at the enemies in front of them. All he wanted was just a normal day, but he'd be damned if he was made a fool in front of a goddamn man-child spewing about games irl. Without his goddamn mutant bodyguard and warp-gate taxi driver, where did that leave him on his own? And speaking of the warp-gate...
Bakugo's palms ignited with frustration. He had the fucker in his grasp, at his mercy.
He could see the misty enemy looking at them with barely concealed mirth, his thin yellow eyes watching everyone closely, but more importantly staying next to Hands.
He was their In-and-Out.
And Bakugo was forced to let him get away.
Kurogiri had lowered himself down to whisper something into Shigaraki's ear. And in mere moments, the man-child stopped scratching away at his neck and took a calming breath. "Yeah... you're right. We can still finish this." A single eye from between the fingers of the hand on his face, Shigaraki leered at All Might. "We can still clear the final boss. We can still clutch." The mad-man's hands twitched as he turned his gaze to the teens. "And we can kill these low-levels too..."
"Hey, heads up!" Kirishima took a warning step forward as he hardened his hands in front of him. Next to him, Todoroki gathered ice on his right side. "Looks like we still gotta rumble after all!" Midoriya gulped, but he brought up his hands. His eyes were teary eyed from the chaos, clearly trying to cope through the stress with sheer adrenaline.
Meanwhile, Bakugo narrowed his eyes in anger.
That's what he got for showing mercy when he should've blown Kurogiri's ass to smithereens.
At first, they were going to head-up with the villains. However whatever strength All Might had demonstrated earlier had increased tenfold. The first punch between him and the mutant caused a shockwave so intense that it blew everyone on the field back. Luckily that included the villains. To which, Bakugo noticed, that the warp-user didn't seem to get closer. Or couldn't.
The wind was keeping his mist from interfering with the fight, leaving All Might to handle the Nomu on his own.
For now, it was the students vs the addict and fog.
"Tch!" Little bombs popped off his fingers as Bakugo took on a fighting stance. "Oi, background characters." He called out to his classmates, who were huddled near each other. He caught their attentions just as the villains prepped themselves to charge. Bakugo's sight zoned in on the warp-user. "We gotta take out that shit-cloud motherfucker." He despised having to work with other extras. But he'd rather not get spawned somewhere else again.
He just needed an opening...
"I get what you mean, man." Kirishima scowled. "But that's easier said than done."
Midoriya stepped up with determined eyes. "If Kacchan has a plan, I'll follow it." Bakugo scoffed at the nerd, but didn't say anything against him. "He's right though. That warp-user is the reason they're here, why they're fighting, and how they get home-free. If we can just capture him, we win."
"So we must finish this quickly, if All Might is to prevail." Todoroki added smoothly.
"Except we can't get close at all!" Kirishima yelped as another shockwave nearly swept him off his feet. He stumbled back, but hardened his fingers and dug them into the ground to keep himself from flying away. "This fight is insane! Look at them!" His eyes couldn't keep up with everyone detail, but it was more of a blur than a fight. It was just a mass of black versus blonde and white colors clashing together until they slowed down with each heavy attack.
All Might landed a strong blow into the Nomu's jaw, sending the monster flying through a couple trees.
The Nomu retaliated by bringing down a heavy fist, punching All Might into the ground before being kicked off.
Bakugo didn't say it out loud, but he knew they had no place in this fight. Not only was the Nomu capable of taking hits from the Number 1, it could match All Might's speed and power to a frightening degree. If it weren't because of All Might crashing the party, the bomber knew they'd all have been smeers on the ground in nanoseconds. It got him heated, having to admit that he couldn't best someone in a fight.
However, this creature wasn't even a someone anymore. It was bioengineered. Only to move on the command of Hands.
And Bakugo had two someones he could face, just down the line.
The bomber heard All Might land with the crunch of stone and the smile on his face shown bright. His muscles rippled as he brought his right fist back, blue eyes blazing at the charging Nomu. "PLUS-" The strongest fighter bellowed out as he ducked under the Nomu's grapple, burying his hand into the monstrosity's stomach. "ULTRA!" With a show of force the students could only hope to dream of, the Number 1 sent the Nomu flying into the air like a missile, crashing through the roof of the dome and disappearing in the distant sky.
"Holy shit..." Bakugo whispered in awe.
The battle had already been decided in under a minute, before any of them could even partake in any of it.
Now all that remained were the two villains, surrounded by the students and the Symbol of Peace.
"I suggest you quit now, villains." All Might huffed as he stood in a dust cloud, smoke lingering over his body like a cloak. The hulking teacher coughed, but never lost his notorious smile. "You've lost your best fighter. And I'm still alive. And as long as I still breathe, no harm will come to those around me. Give up." Even as he offered them a surrender, Shigaraki only seemed to grow more enrages as his fingers twitched uncontrollably at his sides.
"You...!" The man-child seethed as Kurogiri stirred restlessly next to him. "I hate you!"
"He's weakened, Tomura-san!" The warpgate declared as his body morphed larger and larger. "This is our chance!"
"I'll kill you myself then!" Shigaraki snarled as he rushed the group of students and teacher.
"Oi! Let's fucking go!" Bakugo called out, only to feel a gust of wind burst near him. He grunted from the force and quickly looked at his side. Todoroki and Kirishima, like himself, looked at the empty spot Midoriya once stood. Looking back to the mayhem, the bomber watched Midoriya launch himself at the duo with his legs flapping uselessly behind him. "Goddammit Deku!"
"Young Midoriya...!" All Might wheezed as he stood frozen in his spot.
The greenette's face contorted with the pain from his legs, but he held a look of rage as he soared at the warp-user. "Don't you dare touch him!" The teen roared, his eyes aiming for the floating armor hiding within Kurogiri's mist. A portal rippled in front of him and a hand stretched out towards his face.
Shigaraki's eyes held sadistic glee as he reached for All Might's disciple, while Kurogiri scoffed. "I won't fall for that again!"
"We gotta get in there!" Kirishima had immediately started to rush forward, fear for his friend pumping through his friend.
Then, a gunshot echoed from the far side of the USJ, then came the sound of something whizzing by until a spurt of blood erupted from Shigaraki's hand. The bleached blue hair villain cried out in pain as he pulled his hand back. More bullets came and with precise accuracy, hit both of the ringleader's arms and legs. The decay user grunted as he was forced to the floor. A shield of purple mist enclosed around him. "The heroes! Shigaraki-san, Hold on-urk!" Kurogiri tried to call out before an extremely powerful suction starting pulling at his body.
From the stairs, 13 stood firm with all five of her fingers uncapped, letting her Black Hole tear into the mist villain. Next to her, Mina was her support anchor as she watched the rescue hero carefully.
"Shigaraki-san, we need to leave!" Kurogiri strained to pull himself back together, but everyone around them watched as Shigaraki was indeed getting away. The villain looked to be saying something to All Might as his head was pulled into the dimensional gate.
"Not so fast, you fuck!" An enraged voice called out.
The warpgate squinted an eye as he heard bombs going off. To his surprise, Bakugo was rushing through the air at him with one of his arms stretched out. The other arm had a finger caught in the loop of one of his gauntlets, an angry smirk overcoming his features. "Die!" A large scale explosion tore through the area, catching Kurogiri's body in the impact. The warp villain screamed in pain as his armored body was set flying into a set of trees.
"Kurogiri!" Shigaraki called out just before the warp closed, cutting him off from his partner.
The mist villain grunted as his mist tried to recollect itself around his body. His body was littered with burns from the explosion. He felt hot, but then he felt cold.
Kurogiri looked down to find half of his body was encased in ice. "We got lucky." A monotone voice said and the bartender saw a red and white haired teen walk closer. The ice on his body crackled with each movement. "But we managed to get you before you escaped. Shame we couldn't say the same for your friend back there." The bartender grunted as he tried to force himself out of the ice. While his primary goal to kill All Might had failed, his secondary task was to ensure his charge was protected. And with Shigaraki brought back to the bar, Kurogiri felt a hint of satisfaction knowing he wasn't a complete failure.
"You don't know who you're dealing with, child." The tired warp user huffed, his mist forgoing the decision to cluster around him and instead expanding around him and Todoroki. "I may not be a fighter, but I can hold my own!" The elemental student looked alarmed as the black mist swirled around him.
Another set of explosions rocked through his haze and the bartender watched as the bomber from earlier had returned with a vengeance. Before he had a chance to take the Todoroki heir with him, Bakugo came barreling down until his hand was held directly in front of Kurogiri's face. Yellow eyes widened. "W-Wait-" Without a moment's hesitation, the ash-blonde let off a strong enough blast to knock the bartender out cold.
Todoroki watched as the black mist surrounding them scattered into nothing. He looked at Bakugo and gave him a simple, "Thanks."
Bakugo spat onto the ground. "You better be fucking thankful!" He pointed at the unconscious villain at their feet. "If I was a second late, your dumb ass would've been taken hostage!"
Shoto raised a brow. "I didn't know you cared."
"I fucking don't!" Bakugo barked out with a flare before crossing his arms and sitting on the ground. That was all he said before he went silent, to which Todoroki remained as well. The two of them remained watch over the villain until they spotted the principal and Vlad King rushing towards them. Behind them, the duo could see Kirishima and Midoriya talking to Cementoss as the heroes collected everyone.
"Is everyone alright?" Nezu was quick to call out.
"Yes, neither of us were injured." Todoroki answered. "And we've captured one of the villains." Bakugo popped off next to him.
"Don't try to take credit, bitch! You didn't do shit!" The bomber sucked his teeth as he stood up and pointed down at the ground. Kurogiri's mist-like body flickered as he remained motionless. "This fucker right here is the reason we got ambushed by all those villains! And I took him down while the rest of these idiots stood around with their thumbs up their asses!"
Todoroki didn't spare Bakugo a glance. "This was their warpgate."
"Oi! Don't ignore me, you bastard!"
Nezu hopped down from Vlad's shoulder as he inspected the villain's body. "Vlad, do please restrain him further in case he wakes up." The vampiric looking hero grunted in acknowledgement before blood gushed out of his suit and towards Kurogiri, wrapping him up in a red hardened cocoon. The principle nodded at the two boys and bowed. "And Bakugo-san, Todoroki-san. I give you my thanks and deepest apologies for being put in a desperate situation."
"It's fine."
"Hey!"
"This was an unforeseen set of events," Vlad spoke as he hefted the villain over his shoulder and gave a stern eye to the two students. "And while it's understandable to make rash decisions in the heat of battle, it's does not mean charge ahead even if the villain is retreating. A villain backed into a corner becomes an unstable factor and could've cost your life."
"In case you haven't fucking noticed, they came here trying to kill All Might!" Bakugo growled as he stepped forward with a daring tone, keeping an even stare on the Blood Hero. "He's their Gate! If they had gotten away, they could pop up again at any time! So I took him down for you! Not Aizawa-sensei! Not Icy Hot! Not All Might! Me!"
"And we appreciate your assist in this endeavor, Bakugo-san." Nezu nodded. "But it still stands. If a Pro tells you to do something, please follow their example."
"Bakugo is right." Todoroki added. Nezu looked at the Half-Cold-Half-Hot teenager. "Our classmate, Nobu, had given us clear instructions that if we were to face an opponent with a warp quirk, our first response is to knock them unconscious as soon as possible before they could make a situation worse. They were retreating, but we didn't know if any more enemies could be pulled in. Or us. So we took this gamble and came out victorious."
"Nobu Shinra, huh?" Vlad King muttered.
Nezu sighed to himself, but he smiled at his students. "As a warp-user himself, I guess it would make sense to have an air of caution when an enemy has one." Although he and the other teachers have noticed that the golden-eyed teen wasn't present in the USJ. A thoughtful hum came to Nezu, but the quirked rodent didn't say anything about it. "Once again, I thank you both for apprehending this one. We'll get you all treated and hand this villain over to the police."
"I apprehended him, goddammit!"
Hours Later...
Shinra was actually kinda surprised to see so many people at the beach.
He knew the school year had started and the beach had also recently been cleaned, but there were families upon families all across the area. Parents, grandparents, kids, teens, etc. They all had their own little groups as some went off to play in the waters. Other turned to summer-time games like volleyball. People were tanning under the afternoon sun. Others settled for hiding under umbrellas and reading books or wasting their life on their phones.
For himself, Shinra was just walking down the boardwalk with Yuma happily sitting atop his shoulders. "Oooh! It's so pretty!" His sister gasped as she stared at the waters, glistening under the sunlight like a parade of sparkly lights.
"Be careful, or you'll go blind." Shinra advised, not really finding the daytime view to be all that impressive.
It's been a couple hours since he pulled Yuma out of school and kept to his promise to go to the beach. However, he wasn't as enthusiastic to move around as he'd like. He withheld a groan of sore pain as Yuma bounced on his shoulders.
He had a shirt on to prevent people from causing a ruckus over his scars. Especially considering his sparring sessions with Yoko was more than brutal. In hand-to-hand, he had a feeling he could take her. Even with her quirk. But with a sword, she was obviously the master. His neck, chest, arms, stomach, legs hurt. They were whacked so many times he can feel the phantom stings. However that wasn't the end of it.
After he had landed 5 hits on her back-to-back, after many tries, they upped the ante.
She had him wearing weighted clothing and wanted him to hit her 3 times uninterrupted.
Saying he was tired was an understatement, but he kept to his word.
He brought his sister out to the waters and she was having the time of her life. They swam underwater, looking at the sea life and collected shells. They did water fights, to which Shinra playfully acted like he lost. Until Yuma got too cocky and started boasting. That's when the older sibling came out of him and Shinra portal dropped Yuma 10 feet from the air back into the water.
They were having their fun until Yuma started to get hungry.
Which brought them to the now, looking for decent snacks at a shop that didn't try ripping people off with insane prices.
"I want cotton candy." Yuma whined.
"You're still on punishment, remember?" Shinra brought up. Yuma groaned as she leaned over his head.
"Can I get a pass today?"
"I'll take about it."
"Please?"
"I'll flip a coin, how's that sound?" A small portal opened over Shinra's hand, unnoticeable to anyone unless they were purposefully looking at him. A tiny coin dropped into his palm and he prepped it between his pointer finger and thumb. "Heads or tails?" He asked as he flicked it into the air. Yuma watched the change spin in the air before her brother caught it. He slapped his palm onto the back of his other hand.
"Tails!"
Because she was hanging over his head, the little girl leaned to the side to make sure her brother didn't lie to her or pull any dirty tricks. When she saw his hand pull away and reveal the rear-end of side of the coin, Yuma let out a cheer as he kicked back. "Yay, cotton candy time!" Shinra felt his sister lean a bit too far back to his liking.
"Hey, don't get carried away-"
He could feel her weight shift off his shoulders as she fell backwards. He was gonna open a portal to catch her, regardless of the people around them, until he felt her weight stop. "Gotta be more careful than that." A familiar static-like voice spoke out behind him.
Shinra whirled around to see Yuma held in the air by enlarged shadowy hands, with the bird head of Dark Shadow looking at him with an air of confusion.
"The/hell are/you doing/here?" They both said at the same time.
"Dark Shadow, you can't be rushing off like that in public." Shinra followed the trail of shadows through the people and saw the host come forward. Tokoyami walked up with his hands in his shorts. He had a dark purple shirt on with a dark blue kanji for 'Abyss' on the front. The avian blinked in surprise as he recognized his classmate. "Shinra? What are you doing at the beach?"
"I could say the same to you." Shinra said, taking hold of Yuma's hand after she was lowered to the ground. "We don't talk much, but you don't seem like the outside fun-in-the-sun type."
"I'm usually not." Tokoyami sighed as Dark Shadow slithered around his neck. "However, I came here to unwind after the intensity that was school today."
"What, did Aizawa threaten to expel someone again?"
"We were attacked by real villains and Aizawa-sensei has been hospitalized along with another hero."
"... I see, I see."
"Birdie?" Yuma said quietly as she stood behind Shinra. She seemed a bit nervous, but she was more interested in Dark Shadow; who's body was protruding from the avian boy's gut.
Seeing the little girl concerned over his tenant, Tokoyami bowed his head in respect. "Don't worry, little one. My name is Tokoyami Fumikage and this is my quirk Dark Shadow. No harm will befall you, I promise." Taking it as his cue, the quirk in question shrunk down to prevent any unnecessary scares before he reached a tiny hand to the girl. "Nice to meet ya." The quirk gave his best smile and a thumbs up, earning a laugh from Shinra's sister.
Yuma practically gushed with awed excitement as she took one of Dark Shadow's claws in her hands. "Is this what shadows feel like?" It felt weird to her. Dark Shadow didn't have fur, skin or armor. He wasn't overly hard or squishy, but his 'skin' felt like it was buzzing and constantly moving underneath her fingers. He felt warm. Yuma laughed as she patted Dark Shadow's hands and face. "Cute shadow!"
The quirk purred under the petting, acting more like a house cat than the nightmare fuel Shinra and Kirishima had to face off against during the battle trial.
"Is this your sister, Shinra?" Tokoyami inquired as his quirk took her attention.
Shinra rubbed the back of his neck. "Yep. Yuma meet Tokoyami. Tokoyami, Yuma."
The avian bowed again. "Greetings."
"Hello birdie!" The girl giggled.
"... I'll allow it." Tokoyami smiled.
"She's so adorable!" Dark Shadow laughed as he took both of her hands and the two started dancing between the students.
"Well, you guys might as well join us. We're trying to find someplace to get some chow." Shinra could feel the joy in the air and he didn't really wish to ruin it for his sister. After all, who can say they got to meet a literal sentient quirk and got to dance with it? Tokoyami took him up on his offer and after placing Yuma back on his shoulders, Shinra asked. "Is it alright to have him out and about like that in public?" He could notice the people around them staring as they walked.
While Yuma and Dark Shadow seemed occupied playing patty-cake with each other across shoulders, Tokoyami simply nodded with a soft smile. "Luckily not long before I was born, they passed a law that granted sentient quirks the same rights as humans. Or at least to a certain degree. He's allowed free travel as long as he doesn't cause a ruckus."
"Oh! Oh! Fumi, don't forget what we're here for!"
Tokoyami sighed. "Yes, how could I with you chirping in my ear about it all day?"
"And that would be?" Shinra inquired with an amused grin. It was like watching a minor feud between siblings.
"The/arcade!" The two boys said in unison. Then Tokoyami added, "And before you assume, no I don't play such games. Dark Shadow does."
That was surprising. "Really?"
"As it would seem growing up, Dark Shadow grew into the hobby of video games." Tokoyami began to explain. A distant memory arose for the teen. "It was his own choice, only because he had the habit of watching television or going on the computer at night while I slept. He eventually found out about Streamers. He's tried several different genre. Adventure, story, MMORPG, puzzles." Then the teen gave the quirk a dirty look. "However I strictly ban him from horror games. And recently, shooter games as well until he learns how to control himself."
"I said I was sorry!"
"You punched a hole in the wall!"
"So lemme get this straight," Shinra snorted. "Your quirk is trying to become a video game streamer?"
"Trying? I already am!" Dark Shadow praised himself as he hung over Tokoyami like a scarf. He gave a smug grin. "I'll have you know, being a talking quirk gets a lot of attention. I'm nearly at a million subs!" The quirk boasted while Tokoyami shook his head. "And you can imagine the popularity when we become heroes! A hero with a talking quirk playing Minecraft? You bet your ass we're gonna be getting donations in chat!"
"I wanna watch!" Yuma piped in.
As they walked, Shinra spotted a vendor store that looked promising. 'The Blooming Lotus', he's heard of before somewhere. Probably from some old classmates that joked around about stealing from a candy shop back in middle school. "As long as it keeps you away from those vigilante documentaries, sure." As soon as the group walked into the store, they noticed that it was indeed a sweets shop. Both Yuma and Dark Shadow's eyes widened to saucers as they look at the walls layered with different types and flavored candies.
Hell, they even saw that the store had ice cream.
"Calm yourself, Dark Shadow."
"But there's green apple taffy!"
"He can eat?" Once again, Shinra found himself asking. Let it be known that Shinra had a soft spot for animals, but a sentient quirk qualified as such, right?
"We... share a stomach, per say." Was all Tokoyami said.
At the front end counter, there was a cashier that looked bored out of his mind. Although his attention was ultimately caught by the small group entering through the front doors. He looked like someone who was in his twenties, rocking a black and green mohawk with the rest of his head nearly shaved all the way down. Purple eyes and a wide smile greeted the trio (quad?). "Hello, welcome to the Blooming Lotus where our candies are as sweet as our prices. My name is Kotaro, how may I be of service today-"
"Give me all your taffy!" Dark Shadow had his face extremely close to the cashier. Uncomfortably close, he believed.
"Dark Shadow!" His host reigned him in like a parent scolding a child. Tokoyami held a stern finger over him. "What did I just say!?"
"I don't give a fuck, I want taffy!"
Shinra rolled his eyes as he stepped to the counter. "Ignore those two. Can I have 1 small strawberry flavored cotton candy?" The brother asked, already hearing his sister clapping in anticipation. He could spoil her once in a while. Kotaro looked up at the girl on his shoulders and smiled.
"Will that be all?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Big Brother, they have cinnamon rolls!" Yuma called out as she read the board above them, showing what types of candies, ice creams and bakery type sweets are available. Like a switch was flipped, Shinra reached in his pocket for his wallet. "I'd like 3 please!" The teen rushed as he pulled out bills and slammed them on the counter. Behind him, Tokoyami sweatdropped as he watched everyone around him gush for candies and sweet foods like a bunch of rabid children.
Kotaro just laughed as he leaned back. "Oi, Gotetsu! 3 Cinnamon Rolls, a small strawberry cotton candy and-" The man took another quick glance at Dark Shadow. The shadowy bird pointed to his own eyes before pointing to the cashier. "And a pound of green apple taffy!" He called out.
In the back of the store, they heard a "Got it!"
"In the meantime," Kotaro looked at the clock on the wall and spotted that it was 5:47 PM. The mohawk adult reached under the counter and pulled out a jar of jellybeans. "I like to play a game of 'Guess The Number' with some customers. Whoever gets the closest number gets their food for free." Then Kotaro leaned forward in a whisper. "Don't tell my boss, though. He'd kick my ass."
"No catch?" Tokoyami eyed the decently sized jar. He's been scammed before. Wouldn't be surprised if it happened again.
"Yeah, seems kinda strange to just spring this on random people." Shinra joked, but he was eyeing the jar like a hunter. Him, Yuma and Dark Shadow were getting unnecessarily close to the jar.
"Nope, no catch. Just a jar of candy and a lucky chance." Kotaro admitted before he pointed to the clock behind him. "It gets kinda boring in the last 3 hours of my shift, ya know?"
Yuma took her eyes away from the jar of jelly beans and gasped. "Is that-" There was a picture strung up on the wall not too far away from the clock. It was a photo of three people; An elderly woman, a young adult with no hair and a little boy with brown bushy hair hanging on the young adult's arm. "That's my classmate Benji!" Yuma said aloud, earning looks from everyone. Even Kotaro blinked in surprise.
"You know Boss' little brother?"
"Yeah, we go to the same school!"
Shinra took note of the photo with mild interest before going back to the jar. "Seems like a nice kid." He said easily.
"He's a goofball troublemaker when you take your eyes off him." Then a man walked in from the back of the shop, holding the bags and cotton candy in hand. He was the young adult in the photo. He was bald with a thin beard, with a set of light green eyes. He was pretty tall with a lean muscle build, but the most noticeable trait was the golden tatted snake going up his arm to his neck. He would've seemed somewhat threatening if it weren't for the bright pink apron with flowers and candy over it.
"My family and I took that photo a couple months back." The man revealed sincerely. "Just me, my Ma and my baby brother. Always trying to go on adventures like a hero would." Gotetsu smiled fondly. "Didn't expect to meet one of his classmates at work though."
The man just smiled as he handed off the orders to the correct people, then he spotted his associate with the jelly beans. He leveled a flat stare. "Again, Kotaro?"
The cashier jumped in his seat before laughing nervously and putting the jar back underneath the counter. "Sorry, Boss. Today was a slow day. Wanted to have some fun."
"Aw, but I didn't get to answer yet." Yuma complained.
Gotetsu sighed before smacking Kotaro in the back of the head. "I'll let it slide this one time, but that's it." The boss of the candy shop looked back at the kids. "And I'll give you a hint. It's between 500 and 600. Whoever gets closest wins."
After the cashier brought out the jar once more, the group took a minute to guess.
"523." Shinra said.
Dark Shadow shook his head. "No you idiot, it's obviously 589."
Tokoyami decided to take a crack at it. "545."
And finally, "600?" from Yuma.
Gotetsu just started laughing. "Told you someone would try it eventually!"
Kotaro swiped an arm at him. "That's cuz you gave them a hint, you cheater."
"So who won?" Shinra asked. He had his cinnamon rolls in hand and he was more than ready to leave at a moments notice.
"600 was right on the dot." Kotaro said as he held up a hand. "Congrats, kiddo!"
"Yes!" Yuma was more than happy to give the cashier a high-five, doing another celebratory dance on her brother's shoulders. Shinra didn't really mind not winning. He was just happy seeing his sister having fun. Dark Shadow on the other hand was obviously more outspoken with his emotions and floated above Tokoyami's head with crossed arms. "I should've won..." He grumbled. Below him, Tokoyami just sighed.
"And this is why you're not allowed to play competitive games."
Afterwards, the group decided to take a moment to relax on a bench looking out to the ocean and the setting sun. Yuma was still giddy about beating the others. More because Gotetsu decided to give the jelly beans away to her as a victory prize, so Kotaro wouldn't goof off again with another customer. Of course, Shinra was quick to portal the jar back home and reminded Yuma that their little deal only involved cotton candy.
"I forgot to ask," Tokoyami began. He remained seated with an apple in his hand. Dark Shadow had his face in his bag of taffy treats. "The rest of us noticed that you weren't at school today. Was there a specific reason or did you simply skip school just to spend time with your sister?"
Shinra, after swallowing a bite of his cinnamon roll, shrugged his shoulders. "If the day both of my parents died counts, sure."
The avian nearly choked on his apple while Dark Shadow froze. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"It's fine, dude." Shinra reassured with a playful punch to Tokoyami's arm. "But I needed today. Worked out some frustrations through training. Got my ass kicked. But then I also get to spend time with my family." Then Shinra's eyes furrowed. "Hell, I would've been sitting here with my girlfriend too, but she's out and about again." Of course he wasn't going to mention Himiko's usual cravings for blood and unlucky people she finds at sundown. Along with another attempt at tracking her sister. "What exactly happened anyway?"
Tokoyami sighed as he leaned back in his seat. "We were sent to a rescue simulation building with different biomes. Earthquake disasters, avalanche, flooding, thunderstorms. We didn't even get to start before a villain with a warp quirk brought in nearly 50 villains and separated all of us across the building." Hearing about a warp villain caught Shinra's attention. Again, warp users are rare.
"What was he like?"
"He treated us like playthings." Tokoyami scowled as he clenched a hand in his lap. "We couldn't do anything before we got scattered and all I heard was laughter before everything went dark. Next thing I knew, I was in the storm biome fighting off common thugs. After all was said and done, we learned that the villains didn't know anything about us, the students. So some of us got dropped in environments best suited for us."
"Pretty sure I broke someone's arm at some point. That was fun." Dark Shadow laughed. He could still remember slamming three villains into a wall at once like they were flies. It may not have been pitch dark like the night, but the dim lighting was more than enough to handle them.
"Luckily All Might was able to best the villains before anyone got seriously injured."
"Who got fucked up?"
"The worst of everyone was Aizawa-sensei and 13 the Rescue Hero. They're hospitalized as of right now." Tokoyami brushed off a wave of dismay as he recalled the shape their teacher was in before he was wheeled off into an ambulance. 13 probably worse than Aizawa. Her own quirk nearly ripped them apart. And as he counted out the rest of the class, "The only one to have been notably injured among the students was Asui."
"Frog girl?"
"Eesh, yeah." Dark Shadow cringed as he remembered seeing it too. "Apparently her and Midoriya caught dropped off at a boat rescue area at a lake. She got ambushed by someone underwater and her face got a huge gash across it. She was losing a lot of blood and honestly, I'm surprised she was still conscious by the time everything was over."
"Midoriya told us they were up against 10 villains."
Shinra whistled, trying to think of how the fight played out. "I don't know much about her, but Midoriya is a glass cannon. How'd they get out of that?"
"One of the villains had apparently rushed the boat they were stranded on and shattered the hull, bringing them into the water." Tokoyami recalled. After all was said and done, he had noticed that Midoriya was obviously shaken up. "After Asui was attacked, Midoriya said he panicked and threw a charged punch underwater, blasting everyone out onto land."
"Did he break his damn arm again?"
"Surprisingly no." Dark Shadow answered. "He didn't break his arm, but definitely strained his muscles. He said being underwater must've given him a cushion from the blowback. Whatever the hell that means."
"Damn..." Shinra felt a little guilty for feeling a bit annoyed that he missed out on such a big fight. Here, his classmates who most likely haven't had any real fighting experience in life-or-death scenarios, were actually fighting for their lives while he was training and having... 'alone time' with Himiko while Yuma was at school. 'Of all the damn days you two died...' He thought with an internal sigh. "I guess I should apologize for not being there?"
"No, you don't." Tokoyami shook his head. "You couldn't have known we would've been attacked. Today was a difficult day for you too, I'm sure."
"Later, yeah." Shinra grumbled. He still didn't forget that he agreed to take Yuma to their parents' graves. And he wasn't looking forward to it. "Although I'm pretty sure my quirk would've came in clutch, ya know?"
"Ironic that a warp-quirk nearly brought doom upon us, yet a warp-quirk could also have been our salvation." The dark avian humored himself as he thought of the possibility. "Luckily we still made due without your power. They didn't kill All Might, but we did manage to capture their Warp Gate."
Shinra took another bite of his cinnamon treat. "Who took him down?"
"Bakugo, from what I heard. Wouldn't stop correcting people that it was all him."
"That son of a bitch..." Shinra snorted. "Now he's gonna think he can go toe-to-toe with me."
"... I still find it hard to believe that you're at such a level above him that he's not a threat."
Shinra waved a hand at the bird teen. "It's not that I don't see him as a threat. It's just that I knew how to fight since I was 5 and beat his ass without using my quirk. But I'm not so arrogant to think he hasn't gotten better since then. It has been like 2 years I believe?" Such a long time, but that fight was still one of his favorites. Shinra clenched his right hand. He could still remember how Bakugo's bones felt breaking under one of his punches. "Speaking of fighting," The warp-user brought up instantly, pointing at Tokoyami. "You need to learn how to fight without Dark Shadow."
As if he's heard it dozens of times, Tokoyami sighed in minor annoyance. "Yes, I know. However my primary focus has been trying to reign in Dark Shadow's urges when night falls." He's been told that by some of his old peers, who called him a cheat for winning fights without having to really do anything. And it didn't help that his fight against Shinra was nearly one sided as well because of it. "Although it's been difficult, considering I have to wait till actual night time. Which can screw up my day's schedule."
"Well sorry, dad!" His quirk droned, pulling his head out of the candy bag. He shed fake tears. "I didn't ask to be born like this!"
Tokoyami just glared at him.
"Well, seeing as it's just about to be night," Shinra pointed at the setting sun. "I said you got a bit of time to work on that." He then stood up from the bench after finishing his last roll and sighed with content. "Alright, Yuma. Time to head on out. We got... places to be."
"Already?" His sister pouted before she remembered exactly where they were going to. "Oh, okay."
"Yeah, we didn't even get to go to the arcade yet!" Dark Shadow mimicked.
"We still have time for that, Dark Shadow." Tokoyami said as he arose from his seat as well. He looked at Shinra and noticed the slight grim tone over his face. He held out a hand. "As for you, Shinra, I wish the best. Dealing with demons in the dark isn't easy. I hope a better future for you and your sister." Seeing that goodbyes were in order, the avian's quirk slithered down to say his farewells to the child too.
Shinra took the hand and gave a smile that made him look exhausted before anything even started. "Thanks, Tokoyami. Maybe we'll hang out again sometime?"
"I wouldn't be against it." Tokoyami smiled.
Hours Later... (9:00 PM)
Back at the shop, Kotaro stood up from his stool and stretched his back. Business was slow, but there was a decent amount of people that came and go. At least some people offered him entertainment. Like a couple that got into an argument when the boyfriend found out his girlfriend had cheated on him. The cashier didn't expect it, but who was he to say no to a free show?
After looking at the time, he found himself excited to be at the end of his shift. "Hey, Boss!" He called out to Gotetsu, who was still working in the back. "I'm gonna head out! Store's all yours! Sure you can handle it without me?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. Make sure you do those errands tonight!" He heard back.
"Of course," The cashier scoffed. "How could I ever forget?"
"Last time you nearly-"
"Okay! I get it! I'll get it done!"
The man with the mohawk silently muttered to himself as he grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger and stepped outside the shop. It was night time now, leaving a scarce amount of people still traveling the beachline. As he started making his way down the boardwalk, he thought back to the group that came in earlier. The white head teen and the bird head... Kotaro grinned, finding the group to be an interesting bunch. As he made a turn into an alleyway, he brought up his hand to his face.
The same hand he high-fived Yuma with.
He took a long sniff.
As if he were on a high, the man shivered and his purple eyes glowed neon.
His quirk activating, the man began seeing what nobody else could. His vision lost its color; everything becoming black, white, or grey. But a fog like cloud of purple hovered in the air, leading around the corner and down the street. Kotaro hummed a tune to himself as he continued to waltz down the sidewalk, dancing through the crowds of people.
He wasn't in a rush.
No, he was going to savour this scent. He could take his sweet little time, wait till the moment was right.
He still had a job to do, but that could wait.
Kotaro licked his lips as Bloodhound went into overdrive.
Omake: Banned!
Tokoyami squinted his eyes shut as he rolled to the opposite side of his bed, covering his head with a pillow.
On the other side of the room, his quirk had outstretched himself out from under the blankets and was tapping away at the keyboard in front of him. The light of the PC lit up a good portion of the room, causing minor discomfort to the host, but he's been used to this for years. Although it was still a bother. Dark Shadow snickered as his enlarged claw shook the mouse, his glowing yellow eyes keeping track of the video game in front of him.
"GG's bitches!" The quirk said as the screen flashed a bright "WIN!".
He was streaming. With a gamer's headset and everything.
He managed to stay top of his team with 56 kills and 4 deaths, best ratio on both teams. All he had to do was play defensive. He stay posted up on a mountain with a sniper, keeping watch of his teammates as they pushed the objectives. It was easy pickings for the quirk, especially when there was only one line of sight to find him.
He heard a ping and looked down at the in-game chat.
- Xx_TTVShadowKing_xX only won cuz he camped like a fking pu$sy!
"Who the fuck...?" The quirk muttered as he saw someone calling him out in the chat. It was one of the enemies on the enemy team; someone with a gamertag of GroundZero69. The shadow monster scoffed. With a meager K/D ratio of 27/15? Dark Shadow looked at the blinking camera to his stream. "Get a load of this loser." He grinned before cracking his nonexistent knuckles and putting a response.
- SOMEONE sounds triggered. Can't handle getting shit on like that?
...
- Rematch! NOW!
Well, it's not like he could disappoint his viewers.
And so, Dark Shadow queued up for another game with the same people. He did what he normally does. After immediate spawn, the bird moved his player to sprint up the infamous mountain and got himself posted with his trusty Kar98. It only took 25 seconds before he heard a 'thunk' in the distance and before he could react, his character exploded. He looked at the killfeed and saw GroundZero69 had cross-mapped him with a China Lake. Dark Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Alright, if that's how you wanna play..." He returned to the mountain with a trophy system posted next to him.
He heard his support device go off, destroying 2 incoming explosives before they had a chance to kill him again. The quirk smirked before he resumed his sniping.
Then he saw the killfeed again. His team was getting picked off by the same player, who was getting closer to his side of the map. They were either getting killed by a combat knife or the China Lake. Rolling his eyes at having shitty teammates, he waited for the right moment before he saw the enemy in question end up in his line of sight. Instead of trying to shoot him, GroundZero69 stopped just before a bullet whizzed by him. He just stood in the lane and looked at the sniper glint posted at the top of the mountain.
The fucker just crouched over and over again before doing an emote that had his character popping the middle finger.
Another shot. Missed. Another shot. The enemy just did a tactical lean to the sides. Another.
Dark Shadow felt his frustrations go up, not realizing his body was growing bulkier with spikes.
He didn't notice the chat in his stream.
- Ah shit, here we go again
- He's gonna lose it lol
- Can we get an F in chat for the mayhem that's about to unfold?
- No fuck off
After trying for the 5th time, the quirk missed his last bullet while the enemy finally stopped doing the godawful emote. But for some reason, instead of trying to counterattack him, the enemy just pointed at him and ran off. Before Dark Shadow could question anything, he heard the in-game announcer call out an enemy Cluster Bomb. His whole area started glowing danger red, prompting the bird to get his shit and rush down the mountain.
His health clipped from the blast radius, but he managed to get out before he actually died.
Until he turned the corner at some rocks and spotted a claymore hidden. After looking at the killcam, he spotted the exact enemy doing twirls and crouching before just putting the equipment down and running away. "Son of a bitch!" The bird gritted but he didn't dare rage. No, he just respawned near his last location and went to hide off somewhere else-
He saw an arrow stick itself into his character's head, killing him in one shot before a beeping went off and the body exploded.
By the same person.
This went on for a while. He would spawn, try to find an escape route until he'd either get sniped by the explosive crossbow, bombed by the China Lake, jumpscared by more claymores, or even knifed at point blank when he thought he had the drop on him. "That goddamn lunge!" Dark Shadow seethed as his eyes turned red and then he noticed something.
GroundZero69 was letting his dumbfuck teammates run by him on purpose!
Dark Shadow turned on his microphone. "Kill him you retards!" He screamed in voice chat.
Someone picked up. "Bro, I don't know who the hell you think you're screaming at when you're at the bottom of the team."
Before he could even retort, he noticed his chat was going crazy. All he kept reading was 'Stream Snipe' over and over again. Before he knew it, he heard another 'thwip' as another arrow lodged itself in his player's leg before blowing up. Dark Shadow somehow refrained himself from screaming, but he didn't even have a moment to think before the announcer said "Warning, enemy Mothership in the skies!"
His chat was spamming F as Dark Shadow put his face in his claws, choosing not to watch as he and his team get absolutely demolished by bombs and turrets from the flying fortress.
- How's losing taste dumbass? He saw in text-chat.
Dark Shadow was quick to reply. "Think you're so good with explosives only? No skills."
- That's not what your mom said last night after I blew her back out.
The quirk was at a loss for words. He had numerous responses ready to blast back, but he was trying really hard not to lose his shit. "... Nope." Dark Shadow took in a deep breath to calm his nerves.
*Thwip!*
*Beep! Beep! Beep!*
*BOOM!*
- Thanks for the nuclear! Eat shit and die!
Dark Shadow could only watch the screen change to red as a warning countdown began at the top of his hud. He watched his teammates start rage quitting the game, but he just remained in game until he was the last one left. He just looked up at the dropping rocket before the game around him lit up in a white flash and ended with a large red "DEFEAT"
The quirk just inhaled and closed his eyes.
"FUCK THIS GAME!" He roared before he threw a punch at the wall behind the pc, startling Tokoyami from his slumber.
"Dark Shadow!"
"FUCK YOU TOO!"
And there's Chapter 4! Honestly I'm surprised I managed to squeeze this one in before I started closing down and moving. And there's also an omake I wanted to try doing. Kinda hard to think of funny scenarios, but I personally believe that Dark Shadow does dumb shit like this at night. Omakes will probably be a few, but I wanna try adding funny moments and references in the story when I can. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed.
Like, Follow, Share and Review please!
King out!
