"This is Hayami." A woman's voice responded through the smartphone.
"Commissioner, I'd like to ask how your day was, but I have more pressing matters." Midoriya responded as he watched Usagiyama and Lemillion use fire extinguishers on the last remaining blazes, "I need my team down here as fast as possible- I'm sure you're aware of the hostages being held."
Looking around, a police line had been put into place around the building and it was no longer being treated as a fire. Midoriya didn't know what Valchon was doing inside but she had the whole structure to work with- something that he wasn't necessarily a fan of. He needed a way in while also keeping the civilians alive and not splattered on the walls- Lemillion was too young to see something like that. Fortunately for him, a few more heroes arrived on scene: Rank 306 Tesseract and Rank 287 Aquaglide. Tesseract was a large 190 centimeter man with the quirk 'Dimension Grasp' which allowed him to reposition items weighing under 150 kilogrammes from one location to another. The range of this was up to 10 meters from the teleporting object's origin. When used on people, they become incredibly sick as if someone stuck them in a vacuum and filled their lungs with acid. Needless to say, Tesseract doesn't use his quirk on people… Er, "good" people. Aquaglide was standing at a shorter 164 centimeters. She wore what was essentially a wetsuit without anything over her palms and soles- the reason being was her quirk: 'Hydro-Repel'. Aquaglide was about to turn any surface of her body repellant to hydrogen and therefore able to "fly" in humid situations. To generate these situations, she had a large casket on her back used like a humidifier. Despite being a somewhat meaningless quirk, because most humans are at least 70% water her punches, when using Hydro-Repel, could throw people back an incredible distance. These quirks were going to be very important to Midoriya's planning- in fact, they were pretty much the only reason why he'd be able to do anything here.
"Of course, Midoriya. I'll have your team dispatched in 3, ETA 6 minutes." Hayami responded, "Anything you want me to forward or know?"
"First, bring my gun. Second, thanks." Midoriya started to think about his next course of action as he hung up.
Cleansing the fire took about 10 minutes and his team would arrive in 6 minutes. Furthermore, structuring and making a decisive plan often takes 5 minutes which leaves 21 minutes to extract the hostages. It was more than enough time to breach, clear, and secure the structure and everyone inside. The SAT captain knew he wanted two things for his entry team: Breaching and Active Defense. Eraserhead's quirk was incredibly powerful because it kept Valchon and her goons from using their abilities. If Valchon could not use her quirk then she couldn't forcibly combust the nitroglycerin charges on the hostages. Although the other criminals didn't have rifles- they still had small arms. He remembered spotting at least five pistols and one shotgun. Eraserhead needed people to protect his positioning so that's where the other three heroes came into the equation: Lemillion, Mirko, and Aquaglide. Their objective was to protect Eraserhead and keep bullets away from him- The Active Defense team. Midoriya's Breaching team consisted of his SAT operatives and Tesseract. This team needed to focus on 'cleaning' the mess. Shirai and Okiyama need to protect Tesseract while he disarms and removes the explosives while Midoriya gets his hands dirty. Overhead, the green haired man's ears picked up on a helicopter approaching his position. He could recognize that it was his operatives and held a smirk on his face.
Touching down in an open area, the two SAT operatives hopped out which Okiyama waved with a large smile in his blackout gear. Turning towards the heroes behind him, Midoriya beckoned them over, Usagiyama taking the first steps and then followed by the others.
"Hey, cap'! You're looking a lot different." Okiyama was surprised at the armor, "Lookin' good."
"I always knew you liked to make stuff but this is…" Shirai leaned back and examined the green haired man, "This is crazy… Are you sure you weren't an engineer at some point?"
"Guys, please. There are hostages, we can reconnect in a bit." Midoriya watched all the heroes in place standing before him, "I've got a plan."
Surprising the SAT captain, there were no real complaints. He did leave out the part that he was adamant in putting a few live rounds into Valchon's body which was probably the only reason that anyone would stop him. Unfortunately for them, Midoriya was still a bit of a cunt when it came to dealing with criminals. There were some changes to Midoriya's original plan but they didn't affect much. Finally prepared and up to speed, Midoriya repossessed his Howa Type 89 and turned to Eraserhead.
"You don't intend on using that, do you?" The tired man had frightening eyes.
"...No. Here." Midoriya didn't falter as he handed an earpiece to the older man, "Tell me when you're in position and we'll get ready to breach."
"Omni, Blackout. Give Tesseract a masterclass on how to rappel." The green haired man looked over to his comrades and received a thumbs up from Okiyama.
Inhaling the ashen air, Midoriya turned to Usagiyama and stood beside her, staring at the charred structure. The smaller figure glanced at him but he kept looking at the building, a familiar glare washed over his face. It was resentment. It was vengeance. It was rage.
"Hey." The rabbit woman turned back to the building, "Chin up, Fluffy."
The SAT captain tried to keep his system calm but struggled to do so, "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Usagiyama straightened her back and scanned the structure before them, "Just keep yourself calm and get ready to kick some villain butts."
He was mentally compiling his tools as he prepared. Midoriya had everything that he would've at the training grounds except this time with two firearms, his Remington 870 and his Howa Type 89. One had rubber ammunition loaded and the other live ammunition- otherwise stated as "one to kill and one to not kill." He couldn't afford to use smoke grenades or stun grenades because although they would be effective for the enemy to not see him, they were also effective against his allies- especially Eraserhead and Mirko. He could however use his Shockwire Net. Midoriya had made it so the charge was both stronger and larger and subsequently more effective overall. Being honest to himself, he even wasn't looking to capture Valchon anyways. After a few two or so minutes of Okiyama and Shirai's rappelling masterclass, the two gave the green light to start their positioning and so they did. The breaching team scaled the sides of the structure with Midoriya and Tesseract on one side of the building and Okiyama and Shirai on the other. The Active Defense team entered the structure and Eraserhead kept close contact with Midoriya as they pushed through the halls and stairways.
"Green. We're in position." The scruffy man whispered through the earpiece and kept his head low so his team wouldn't have been spotted.
"Omni, Blackout, charges on." Midoriya called out through their communications network, placing an explosive charge against his barricaded window.
Normally, he wouldn't use a breaching charge to enter a structure with hostages, but he was completely aware of the distance between the walls and hostages. It was increased because of Valchon's original trap which quite literally leveled the entire floor leaving at least 30 meters between the walls and the hunkered area in the middle. The range an explosive charge can reach is a maximum of 20 meters and therefore they could utilize the shock value of the device while also creating a smoke screen to breach with. Before he did inevitably enter, Midoriya made sure that Tesseract's charge was positioned accordingly.
"Don't enter like I will. Wait five seconds." The green haired man looked at the larger figure who gave him a nod, "If you don't you'll lose your legs."
"Uh… Thanks. Who are you, anyways?" The deep voiced man was confused.
"...Green." Midoriya started to hop towards his window and spoke into the communications network, "Active Defense, begin operations. Breach, follow on three."
Okiyama seemingly made a cross on his body as he mentally and religiously prepared himself to breach the structure. Shirai mechanically checked her rifle within a split second and aligned herself accordingly. Midoriya closed his eyes and started to speak.
"One."
Eraserhead popped his eyes over the stairwell and glared at Valchon's position. Lemillion and Mirko pressed themselves up and prepared to rush into the fray. Aquaglide's humidity contraption started to heat up.
"Two."
Tesseract manifested a small orb in his hand as he hung alongside the window opposed to in front of it like Midoriya. The SAT operatives all instinctively raised their explosive levers and pushed off the building, granting themselves air as they started to fall towards the barricaded windows.
"Three!"
And just like that, four explosive charges combusted, smoke and debris filling the room as ammunition was instantly expended by the SAT operatives towards the stunned terrorists. After the barrage, the operatives rushed towards cover as Tesseract entered the building and rolled towards a mangled steel desk. Pushing out of the stairwell were the other three heroes while Eraserhead kept himself at a safe yet effective distance. Peeking out of cover, Valchon was clearly enraged as she raised her hand and tried to activate all of her nitroglycerin charges indiscriminately- zero regard for herself or anyone in the structure. Fortunately for the heroes, Eraserhead's rising hair and red pupils kept her from doing so.
"Omni, Blackout, help Tesseract extract the hostages. Keep him safe!" Midoriya demanded and heard his operatives respond, "Active Defense, clear them out- I'm coming through."
The armored man vaulted his cover and held his rifle close, pushing straight towards an angered Valchon. Slinking past the brawling heroes the green haired man tackled the terrorist and slammed her against the floor- a disgusting cracking sensation being heard as she heaved for air. Checking behind him, Midoriya watched Tesseract remove the last explosive charge as the Operatives had the hostages slide down a rope from the destroyed window into police arms. Drawing his fist, the armored man slammed it towards the woman's head but found that she evaded the strike and pulled her leg through to kick Midoriya off. Unfortunately for her, the SAT captain weighed 200 kilogrammes and was the equivalent of trying to kick a bag of cement blocks- a heavy bag.
With his other arm, Midoriya tried to strike again only to watch a disgusting grin rip across the woman's face. It smelled like burnt caramel. Swiftly snapping his face towards Eraserhead, the black haired man seemed to have lost focus as a stray round nearly implanted itself into his head- something that was bad for everyone.
"Get back-!" The armored man roared only to have his vision and hearing ignited by a gruesome deflagration.
Both Midoriya and Valchon sank towards the ground floor and with two heavy thuds, the green haired man felt something pierce his left shoulder and an agonizing pain surge through his arm. He felt discombobulated as his vision and hearing struggled to keep up, his visor broken and cracked through. The green haired man's breathing was obstructed as he could barely get any oxygen into his body. He knew that his arm was pierced through as he clenched his teeth.
"You fucker…" Valchon was clearly angry as she dragged her feet along the ground, "All you had to do was listen. You don't understand people like us."
'Get up, Green.'
The armored man struggled to breathe- it felt as if a boulder was crushing his lungs as a wave of fatigue and pain filled his every muscle. His mind slowly tried to collect information through the pain. He had just fallen through two whole floors and had shrapnel penetrate his body due to the nitroglycerin induced explosion. Despite the intense ripping sensation he was feeling, Midoriya tried to move- the penetration in his left arm becoming irritated and forcing him to involuntarily roar into the air.
"Don't you fucking dare!" The villainous woman pointed her hand forward to activate her quirk but nothing came out, "Eraserhead-"
Valchon looked upwards to see the pro hero staring down at her prone with blood leaking out of his mouth. It seems that he was struck with shrapnel as well, but with him diverting his attention, the criminals were apprehended above.
"Green!" The black haired man called out to Midoriya and only received a blood curdling yell in response, "What the fuck...?"
'Get up. You will die if you don't, Midoriya. You know full well that I won't allow you to.'
For some odd reason, Midoriya wanted to agree with Horizon. The vigilante was simply a fragment of his unbound emotion- the one that never gave up. If anything, one could say that Horizon was Midoriya's resolve as the armored man ripped his arm off of the destroyed machinery that held him into place- a disgusting tearing noise heard and the shrieking of armor followed by the armored man's blood curdling war cry. Valchon froze as she watched the heavily damaged Midoriya heave for air taking heavy steps towards her. She could see beyond the cracked visor the unbridled wrath within his verdant pupils.
"W-Wait, hold up-" Valchon felt a devastating strike against her cheek and plummeted to the ground.
She screeched as she tried to crawl away from the man. Midoriya didn't stop as he grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards him with his undamaged arm, placing a heavy boot onto her back and forcing the air out of her. Far above, Usagiyama detached herself from the group of heroes and peered down the deep destruction, her eyes looking with a slight horror in them.
"Mirko!" Eraserhead called out to her, "You have to stop him, he'll kill her!"
Midoriya brought his heavy armored leg up and slammed down on her back, multiple cracks echoing followed by a scream of agony. He was smiling under his helmet and he did it again- she was guaranteed to be paralyzed from the waist down. That is if she was still alive. The green haired man's left arm was now drenched red as his head started to become heavy. Midoriya exhaled as he brought his foot up again which prompted Usagiyama to finally move, vaulting over the edge and falling towards the green haired man.
"W-Why!? You don't understand us! Forge didn't have to die!" Valchon was crying through the pain, grasping at the rubble in front of her to get away, "V-Vitalis was going to do more with his life!"
It was clear that both her and Midoriya were running off of adrenaline and it was wearing off fast. The green haired man started to wobble on his feet. Surprisingly, Valchon's endurance was incredible. From the pain of the fall and the attacks that Midoriya was doing, it was clear that multiple organs were horribly damaged.
"We… We just wanted to be free!" She was a slobbering mess as her tears pooled underneath her, "I don't want to die like this!"
Valchon was practically begging for her life but Midoriya didn't really care as he stumbled and tried to attack again- the force was minimal because he was losing his strength. To him, she was a criminal. A disgusting being hardly in the realm of being a human, afterall, anyone who puts human lives at risk forfeit their own. Midoriya fell downwards and barely held himself up over the woman, placing his right hand on the back of her neck and his left struggling to keep him upright. He started to apply pressure.
"What a shame." His voice was raspy as it felt like his sanity left him for a moment.
"Midoriya!" He felt himself being pulled off the villain from a tackle as Usagiyama repositioned him, "The fuck are ya doin'!?"
Aquaglide and the two SAT operatives arrived at the bottom, Shirai's eyes going wide and Okiyama seemingly becoming angry. Usagiyama took off the rag she used as a bandana and frantically pressed it against Midoriya's wound.
"Bind her." Aquaglide pushed Okiyama forward who shook himself out of his enraged state and walked over to the horribly damaged Valchon.
Usagiyama wasn't happy. In fact, she was fuming. She invested an incredible amount of time and energy to teach Midoriya how to apprehend people- not commit attempted murder. Fortunately for him, he was given the pass due to being an SAT operative and having his life quite literally in danger. The rabbit woman still wasn't ecstatic over his actions. One wouldn't be wrong to say that she was impressed by his resilience but there was something inside his head that she couldn't get rid of. Midoriya was grinning ear to ear as he passed out which she assumed he was still hiding something from her. Something darker than not being able to taste food or being quirkless.
Okiyama and Shirai sat on a bench beside the hospital door while Usagiyama sat a bench away. Her arms were crossed and she was clearly angry about something while she thought to herself. Okiyama had his hands up to his face and Shirai was asleep against his shoulder. The hero shook her head and looked over to Okiyama and spoke.
"Oi." Her voice prompted the younger man to look at her, it was clear he was trying not to wake Shirai up, "I never really talked to ya. What's your name?"
"Okiyama. Ren Okiyama." The shaven man was slightly distressed at the state of Midoriya.
"Ah." Usagiyama leaned back and stared at the ceiling, a long silence taking over and a sense of awkwardness floating over the two.
After three minutes, the younger man spoke with gloomy eyes, "He's like a dad to me."
The rabbit woman turned towards him. She didn't expect words like that to exit his mouth- it felt as if it was out of the blue. Despite that, Usagiyama decided to listen to the operative.
"My dad got locked up when I was fifteen… He would hit my mom almost everyday." Okiyama was disheartened, "I remember one day she didn't come home after running out into the street."
From what Usagiyama could tell, Shirai was clearly awake as she put a hand on the young man's shoulder to comfort him.
"I went out looking for her… That fucker didn't even try. He sat on his ass and just got drunk..." The operative brought his elbows down onto his knees and clenched his fists, "Turns out, he knew what happened to her for a whole week… Her body was found in a storage container that he owned…"
"He did things to her, horrible, disgusting things…" Okiyama was seething with anger, "Once I found out, I was going to break his head open and tear it off. I was okay with being locked up, so I called the cops and hoped they'd… Clean up my mess. I lost everything."
The rabbit woman could only think of the worst possibility that could've happened. She was a little interested in what actually happened however, so she continued to silently listen to the man's lament.
"That's when I first met Captain. He was sweating hella hard," Okiyama smirked and chuckled to himself, "I was really ready to do it too but he stopped me. I remember what he told me that day… I had more to live for. Captain took me away from that home and arrested my father after I told him what happened."
"He gave me a hot meal and something to drink before he took me to the station. They put me in assigned housing for a while and he'd check up on me to make sure my studies were in order." Usagiyama was a little surprised that Midoriya was capable of such a thing, "After a few years, I got to know him and I built the courage to tell him I wanted to help people like he helped me. If he dies… I don't know what I'd feel."
"He won't." The rabbit woman immediately spoke which caught him off guard, "I'll kick him if he does, just count on me, kiddo."
"Thanks." Okiyama gave the woman a thumbs up and a tired smile.
Normally, Usagiyama would just speak her mind when it came to heavy things but after dealing with Midoriya's internal struggle, she learned that it wasn't the best thing to do. Okiyama's relationship with his Captain does teach her more about the man- afterall, she doesn't really know all too much about him. He doesn't really know much about her either. Although not one to dig into someone, she felt an odd yearning to know more about Midoriya. She simply wanted to understand him. Most of all, she wanted to know why he was about to kill Valchon. The villain was currently in critical condition, paralyzed from her waist down, multiple organs crushed and one lung punctured by a shattered rib cage. Chances of survival were slim. For once in her life, Usagiyama actually questioned herself. Was she in the right? Was this worth her time?
"How about you?" The rabbit woman wasn't one for regrets so she looked over to Shirai, "What's your name?"
"Me?" The black haired woman pointed at herself, "Oh, Nozomi Shirai."
"How did you meet Midoriya?" Usagiyama stared at her intently.
"Well, I was in training and he just helped me out in the range. He was really sweet too, a nice soft smile." Shirai started to speak but her words started to make the rabbit woman question their relationship as her eyes narrowed, "You were there, Ren."
"I was. You were so giddy whenever he came around." The shaven man laughed.
"Wha… Hold up, what?" The hero reeled back in confusion, "Were you and Midoriya together or somethin'?"
Both of the operatives sat for a moment and looked at Usagiyama who returned their stares. Okiyama started to laugh heavily while Shirai smiled and covered her eyes.
"We were together for a year, yeah." The female operative shook her head slightly, "Didn't work out. We found that we liked each other better as friends, so we stayed friends."
For some reason the rabbit woman hated the prospect of Midoriya being in a relationship with someone. It was dispelled when she learned that the SAT captain wasn't seeing anyone. Then she started to wonder why she even felt uncomfortable knowing that he was with Shirai for a year.
"I thought you guys would last longer." The shaven man scratched his neck and his laughing died down, "You were perfect."
"Nah. We weren't for each other. We didn't have any fights or anything, we just enjoyed talking to each other." Shirai leaned back against the wall, "It's like how me and you are great- like brother and sister."
"Pound it." Okiyama fist bumped the woman beside him.
At this point, Usagiyama had tuned out, she was trying to figure out what was happening with her. She was struggling to understand the emotional roller coaster she was riding. First she was angry, then she was saddened, then she was confused. Her usual coping mechanism was working out or dueling with Midoriya but that was also why she was having these emotions, because of Midoriya. Usagiyama was fine before she met the green haired man but ever since she met him, a lot of things in her life shifted. She remembered that day when she did first meet him- a man lost in turmoil. Now, he was a lot more content- and from what she could tell, he mostly smiles around her. His child-like smile, fluffy winged hair, soft freckles along his face. It was almost enough to make her forget that he could've died due to blood loss. It was also enough to make her start to panic, standing up from the bench and heading to the room's door.
"Whoa, hoppy." Okiyama stopped Usagiyama and smiled, "They're taking the shrapnel in his body out."
"Excuse me." The rabbit woman rushed off to a restroom, pushing the door in and heading into a stall, "God… Fuckin' dammit, Rumi."
She started to hit her forehead on the tiled wall to clear her mind. She felt like she was losing control and she didn't like losing control- ever.
"That fucker…" Usagiyama pulled her forehead away from the wall as she continued to have that mental visage of Midoriya, "Shithead…"
Midoriya stood in a familiar environment, a black abyss with bright white cracks streaking across the sky. He was laying there and gazing at the blistering light as if it was a lightning bolt frozen in its state. Standing beside him was Horizon, his hands in his pockets as his familiar armor was pressed against him.
'We've been through this before, Midoriya.'
"I know."
'If you keep walking down this path, you will die.'
"I know."
The two waited in the darkness, a long silence washing over them. Although they were the same person physically, mentally they were completely two different beings. Midoriya couldn't recall the last time he couldn't hear voices in his head- out of all of them, Horizon was the only one that could actually manifest in his mind. Oddly enough, it was the only one that he liked despite causing him so much trouble. Midoriya came to the understanding that this completely black area was his soul- even wondering if it wasn't a subsuming shadow some time long ago.
'You tried really hard. You put everything into that plan.'
"I did. It didn't mean anything."
'Hah. It's funny. It did mean something.'
"What?"
'You know that your plan saved those people. It will also save many of those to come. Isn't that what you wanted?'
"...Who are you?"
'Well… I'm Horizon. Who do you think I am?'
"No. Who are you?"
Midoriya lifted himself and stared at a barely visible shrouded figure. The ghostly image didn't respond, it simply stared back for a moment and simply dissipated. The green haired man knew that what he saw wasn't necessarily good yet also wasn't bad either. It was like another Horizon but different at the same time- another personality perhaps. Eventually, the whole environment around Midoriya went pitch black and his eyes opened to reality, slowly but surely. Nothing necessarily hurt, but he was uncomfortable in many different areas. Sluggishly lifting himself, the injured man looked around the room. The room was empty and only had the beeping of the heart monitor as he felt a little pitiful about his situation.
Inhaling the crisp air and laying back down on the pillow, Midoriya scanned the ceiling of the room and immediately furrowed his eyebrows. There was a man's face looking down at him, a very familiar man with oddly defined features. The green haired man stared back in confusion- he was well aware of who it was because Lemillion had a very unique complexion.
"Hey!" The blond man smiled and proceeded to slip through the ground, "You got pretty beat up."
"So I did." Midoriya chuckled, "So what's up, kid?"
"I just heard that you got messed up and you saved my butt back there." The younger yet taller man put his hands on his waist, "So I wanted to check up on you."
"That's very thoughtful." The green haired man turned his head towards Lemillion.
"Thanks. By the way, I haven't told you my name!" Bringing his right arm up and using his thumb to point at himself, a large smile formed on his face, "Mirio Togata! U.A. third year!"
The door to the hospital room opened, beyond Togata was Eraserhead, Midoriya's eyes narrowing as the lethargic man entered. He didn't hate the pro hero but he sure as hell didn't like him either. Saving his life was meaningful and all but he doesn't really care for his own life in the first place.
"Mirio, you need to stop disappearing on me, please." The black haired man was pretty much slouching, "You need to head back already, you're already about to graduate."
"Haha! Sorry, Mr. Aizawa! I was just checking up on Green here." Togata was very comical and exaggerated with his movements, "I don't know your name yet either."
"Midoriya." The SAT captain left it at that.
"Okay Mr. Midoriya! I hope to see you around!" The blond student was being dragged away by Eraserhead's cloth scarf and pulled out of the room, "See ya!"
"That kid's missing a block." Midoriya shook his head and took a deep breath to recollect himself, "Why the fuck do I only know crazies…"
A few minutes after the student and his mentor left, Midoriya's favorite people in the world entered, a fluttering feeling as he spotted Okiyama and Shirai with large smiles. Okiyama was holding a large oversized teddy bear with a devious smile- he knew exactly what he was doing. Bringing his hand up to his face and covering himself from embarrassment, the injured man couldn't help but smirk.
"Hey~" Shirai held the same smile as Okiyama, "We got a present for you sleepyhead."
"Ugh… Why is Okiyama rubbing off on you…" Midoriya didn't move his hand as the large bear sat on his legs, it was nearly half of his size, "Is this a joke?"
"Oh yeah, no this… This is very much a joke." The shaved man laughed, "You've been out for a few two days, Capn'."
"We were worried. So we got you a big bear. You got one for me before." The black haired woman played with the toy's arms, "So we got you one."
"...How much did you spend?"
"Nothing." Okiyama whistled, "Spent a lot on tickets though."
"Get outta here you fuckers." Midoriya laughed, "You must have had a lot of paperwork after that flight- and I know you guys. You probably haven't started yet."
"You're a buzzkill, Captain." Shirai smiled and beckoned Okiyama to leave, "I hate that you know this much about us."
"And I hate that I don't know anything." Usagiyama's voice followed behind them, "You two. Out."
Respecting the rabbit woman's demands, the two operatives left, of course with her menacing presence breathing on their backs- they just wanted to go. Midoriya was familiar with her expression- she was incredibly angry as she took heavy steps towards him. The felt his heart stop as she leaned forward with widened eyes and stared into his green orbs. Drawing himself back and distancing himself from her stare, Midoriya could almost feel the rage emanating off of her.
"Why are you like this, Midoriya?" The anger subsided as steady tears formed in her eyes, "Why…"
Was she crying?
