Chapter 5: M Stands For…? | Beware The Gaze

"Mehhehhhhehh… Where is it…!?" A raspy, shrill voice complains, searching through the trash and refuse left out in an alleyway of Musutafu. Throwing it to one side, then the other, it eventually seems to reach the bottom… Only to discover nothing there. With a high pitched growl, light eventually found its way into the alleyway. A spotlight seemed to shine on the trash pile, before onto the strange creature in question. With the pop of chewing gum, an officer stepped forward, hand on gun.

"Sir, we've been getting complaints that you've been… Searching through trash on people's property, and making a ruckus. You do realize it's almost midnight, right?" The cop, equipped with what appears to be a set of metal teeth that could more so be compared to a mouth full of sharp razors, asks. The creature- Or Person?- turns his gaze towards the cop. Almost immediately, the officer pulls his gun out and aims it at the creature, his aim becoming unsteady. "Wh… What the hell…?" He begins to ask, before a giant cone of light fills the Alleyway. A scream is heard, but all that is left of the cop is a pile of bones and rotted scraps of a uniform.


"Sheesh… Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Izu-chan. I… Well, I lost my dad to a villain attack a year or so ago…" Mina empathized, with Tsuyu nodding- She remembered that vividly. Mina was practically out for two or three months. The Frog Heroine had to bring her food and water to make sure that she was still fine; She was practically comatose by the news. Izuku, as well, simply stared down at the instant ramen Mei fixed for everyone while he was asleep.

Stirring the spoon around in the broth languidly, the pink haired inventor took note of the dour mood and instead cleared her throat and looked to Midoriya. Instantly, the rider tensed up, as if awaiting a punch or something, but quickly found Mei was staring at him with an intense stare. A blink or two was exchanged, before he realized what she wanted. Fishing around in his pocket, he pulled out the Shooting Gear. "It saved my ass, definitely. Definitely good for hordes of various Nomu, or, at least, when it's paired with some other heroes." He explains, very matter of factly, as the inventor smiles wide. With no paper to write it down with nearby, she simply pulled out a sharpie and wrote down the notes onto her arm.

"And? And? The kicks? The speed? The power?"

"Y-Yes, Mei, it was all very, very good…" Izuku gave semi-empty praise. It certainly helped, yes, but Midoriya quickly learned that, when living with Mei, you either have to heap on the praise or you'll be sleeping outside the warehouse. Mei's gaze then traveled over to Mina and Tsuyu, who instantly began to nod and give their praise for the gear. With a loud slurp, Melissa finished her Ramen, downing it with some water. It was at this point that a lightbulb went off in Mina's head- She just remembered!

"Hey, wait! I've wanted to ask… How exactly does the costume… Protect and enhance Izuku? He's quirkless, right? So, that entire suit does the work for him, right?" She asks, though gets a quick elbow in the ribs from Asui. Before she could even ask why she did that, the frog heroine jabs a thumb over to Izuku, who was now limpidly staring at the broth of the Ramen, using it as a mirror to stare at his own sad face. ". . . Uh. Sorry, Izuku." Mina chuckles, before Izuku mutters about how it's 'fine' and how 'it was the truth anyhow.'

The Blonde Inventor- After giving Midoriya some encouraging back pats- adjusted her glasses as she tried to think of the best way to explain the suit. "The V-Driver was made with a single intention- To bring out the latent power within a person and convert it into kinetic power that flows through the suit. The Suit is entirely fueled by said power, and its effects are amplified with the stronger the individual. But, even the weakest, most thin boned person could become a force to reckon with in this suit." Melissa explains, giving the pink skinned hero pause to think. Putting things together, Mina finally asked.

"So… If the V-Driver were to be used on a Hero with a Quirk-"

"Impossible, seeing as how me and my dad modified it to reject those with the Quirk DNA-'' She starts… Before adjusting her glasses. "But, yes. It would naturally amplify the Quirk's power. Hence why we made it only for the Quirkless." She continues, nodding in affirmation at Mina's suspicions. Both heroines stare at each other in disbelief- This could cause unmitigated disasters across the world if this thing were to get out! They shuddered in fear of the idea of All for One, but with a V-Driver. His goals for the World may have really become true then.

"But, we're burning daylight- Unless you guys wanna sleep in this abandoned factory-"

"I call dibs on the bed!" "Oh no you don't!" "But Mei-Chan, I just had a fight- GACK!" Izuku and Mei fought in the background, while Melissa looked at them as if to drive home a point.

"Then I'd suggest you get back to wherever you two live." The Inventor warns, as Tsuyu and Mina look at each other once more. They gave quick nods and quickly left before the battle between Mei and Izuku started to get ugly.


Kyudai Garaki considered himself a fairly measured man, especially within his line of work. A man of his skills, always weighing the good with the bad, and making logical decisions? Surprisingly sparse within the villainous community.

Something that this farce of a 'One for All' replacement lacked. Were it not due to his loyalty to the original One for All, Kyudai would've simply taken up shop elsewhere. But, alas, he made a promise to his most respected customer, and that promise must be fulfilled. But, it at least has its ups and downs. Tomura may be a stuck up little brat, but Banderhobb-

"No… Not Banderhobb. What did he want to call himself now?" The doctor mumbled to himself. The only reason he considered even remembering the Nomu's preferred name was due to the respect his creation earned. Much, much more suited for the title of 'One for All.' Especially now- Oh, he was so proud he could cry! Getting to hold a marvelous little piece of tech like that gear, even for the few minutes it was available!

It didn't take him long to trace the blueprints for the gear, and, with a few bypasses of digital security within the Pro Hero Databases revealed a 'Project Victory.' Slowly but surely, the doctor was putting it all together. Though the database didn't show any specific blueprints for what the project entailed, it was only a matter of time before he could figure out the intricacies of that little belt the Rider wore-

"I do hope I didn't come in at an inopportune time."

The Doctor let out a gasp, spinning in his chair… Only to see that Kurogiri- Yes, that's what he refers to himself as now- had simply entered the room. With a sigh, Garaki simply shook his head.

"I may look young, Kurogiri, but keep doing that and you'll give this old man a heart attack!" The Doctor admonishes, before turning his back. The Nomu simply let out a scoff.

"That would not be advantageous." Was all he could say, as the doctor glances over his shoulder.

"Is that all you can say to the one who created you?! Ungrateful brat…" There was a pause, before the Mad Doctor shook his head. "Ahhhh, I can't be mad at you- You've made me so proud, my beautiful baby boy~!" He cooed, though Kurogiri simply reacted by squinting his eyes in disgust.

"How goes the research?" The Nomu walks forward, looking over the blueprints drafted by the doctor. With a prideful chuckle, Garaki quickly looks over his designs.

"Shield really thought he could keep his little design a secret from me- But, clearly, his type don't really think ten steps ahead. The gear is simple in design, it's the belt that will give me a bit of trouble. But, I should have a design ready in, oh, a week or so? And a physical model will be ready a day afterwards, perhaps two." The Doctor explains, before tapping his pencil against the desk.

"And the prototype?" Kurogiri inquires. Garaki simply adjusts his glasses, giving a smirk.


With the sound of chains snapping and a sandbag crashing against a nearby wall, Kirishima sighs. Even the hot-blooded, not-so-bright pro knew better than to train with Katsuki when he was in a bad mood. The only thing that'd bring about was a list of expletives thrown in his direction, and, if the temperamental hero was in a particularly sour mood, probably a fight.

It was one of the things he had to come to accept when he formed a tag team with Bakugo, though. His abrasive, aggressive personality was something he usually found to be a deflection from how he usually felt.

… Or, maybe he was just looking too deep into it. Either way, when he gained his respect, the blonde at least stopped calling him 'meathead.' Not that Kirishima even takes that as a personal thing. But, his bro code clearly states that if you want to gain respect, you gotta respect your fellow bros and broettes! Unfortunately, the explosive blonde was more than a little slow to his code. But, he knew in due time, he'd come to accept it-

"Kirishima," Bakugo curtly states, walking into the room, out of his personal gym, "Why are you still here?" He growls.

"Well, man, after what happened two days ago, I just wanted to check in and-"

"God. Fucking. Dammit. I said I was fine, Kirishima! Stop acting like my goddamn mom already!" The blonde screeches out, getting spittle on the red head's face. Not apparently being too affected by his words, Kirishima simply wipes the spit off as Bakugo goes into the nearby kitchen and grabs a cold water bottle.

"I dunno, man. That was the third punching bag you knocked clean off! Usually, you only knock off two at most." Red Riot pointed out, hopping off the couch and stretching. A confused glare was shot his way as Bakugo took a giant swig out of his chilled water bottle.

"So, what, you some kinda stalker now? Can tell what I'm feelin' 'cause of some goddamn noises?" Bakugo hisses, though Kirishima gave a simple nod. The incredulous look made the red head chuckle innocently, placing a hand on the back of his head.

"See, man, I learned the hard way that I'm not good with words-"

"Ain't that the understatement of the fuckin' century…"

"So, I learned t' read how people are doin' through subtle stuff, y'know? Posture, what they do, facial tics, right? 'Cause, y'know, Bro Code states that if your bro is goin' through tough times, ya gotta help!" Kirishima pumped his fist in the air, resting his hand on the bicep. The Blonde simply stared in shocked awe of how moronic his Tag Team partner was, before sighing.

"Fine. Yeah, I'm not exactly doing great. That friggin' vigilante's getting my blood boiling…! If that chick-"

"Broette Uraraka, bro."

"Whatever, she got in my way when I could've easily caught the bastard!" Slamming the half full bottle of water on the counter, his hand threatened to crush the bottle due to sheer rage. Kirishima nods, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, I get that, man. But, y'know, I just think Uraraka was jus' tryin' to look out for you! Just like how I'm trying to help you-" Kirishima ignored Bakugo's eyes rolling so hard they might've popped out of his skull, "And, not to mention, I do think you can get pretty… Excessive in the moment, bro." The redhead points out. Bakugo's nose wrinkles at the meathead's criticism, but even he had to agree. He knew that sometimes, when he gets 'in the moment,' as many people called it, he may or may not get tunnel vision and lose sight of anything else.

Either way, though, it was none of his business what he does or doesn't do-

"I mean, come on man, you're the 10th most popular hero in Japan! You gotta at least act like it!" Unfortunately for Kirishima, that simple fact was practically like a trigger for Bakugo. Lobbing a water bottle at the red head's forehead, the Blonde stared daggers at him.

"I… Swear to god. If I hear another goddamn person trying to tell me to 'act like you're the 10th most popular hero in Japan' one more time-" The look on the explosive blonde's face quickly became murderous, so Kirishima simply cleared his throat.

"Aaaaaanyways, man, I gotta bounce. Just wanted to make sure you're all good!" The redhead quickly absconds, leaving Bakugo alone to stew in his frustration.

I don't care about my damn position, He thought to himself, the corner of his mouth twitching in annoyance, I just want to do my own thing.


Tsuyu…

Asui wasn't much for being in deep thought. Usually, she was pretty attentive and alert, always looking out for any potential crime. Always listening to people, keeping a close eye on any facial tics, any warble in tone, any thing to possibly give away they might not be truthful. It came with having an almost perfect poker face, making her a titan in reading people.

Tsuuuuuyuuuuuu~...

But, here she was. Sitting in a quaint, if a little forcefully cutesy cafe run by an indie hero known as 'Shiverwhiskers,' idly sipping a cup of coffee- Two sugars and one cream- staring out the window. Processing the last few days. It was almost a blur, trying to recollect it all. She was having a normal life. Well, as normal as you can get being a Pro Hero.

Tsu-Chan, come onnnnnnn. . .

Then, out of nowhere, she's thrown into a world of Riders, Nomus, Tragic Pasts, and, honestly, she doesn't know how to take it! She nearly got her best friend killed because she wasn't careful enough. It was more than a weight on her shoulders, it felt like a mountain had been placed on each individual shoulder. It was weighing her down. Any one of the people she saw outside could be a Nomu, waiting to transform and cause havoc-

"TSU-CHAN!" Mina scream-whispered as quietly as possible, shaking Asui on the shoulder to snap her out of her thoughts. The Frog let out a surprised 'ribbit,' before looking at Mina. Before she can even ask who, what, when, where or why, the Pink-Skinned heroine simply gave a point to the left.

Raising an eyebrow, Asui quickly looked over to the counter.

Her eyes widened in recognition- Standing at the counter, casually ordering a cup of coffee- Was Uravity! Uraraka! Oh man, seeing her brought the Frog Hero back. Back to the days of U.A. Simpler times. Though she and Uravity were never really friend-friends, they did talk a few times. They were acquainted, yes, but she was Japan's 17th Rated Hero! She probably doesn't even remember them. So, while it was a funny coincidence, Asui couldn't help but feel like it's not worth it to-

"Hey! Hey! Uraraka-san!" The pinkette quickly yelled out, getting her attention. Asui felt her entire being freeze, color draining from her face the only indication that she was feeling much of anything, really. Did her friend, an indie hero sensation, just call out to Japan's 17th Rated Hero so casually?

The Frog Hero couldn't help but feel butterflies start to arise in her stomach. What if she says something wrong? There's no way that she'd remember them back when they were teenagers-

"Ashido-san? Tsuyu-san?" Uraraka asked. Asui nearly choked on her coffee when she heard her name escape the lips of Uravity. Did… Did she somehow remember them!? Mina, she could understand- Mina was everyone's friend in Class 1-A. But… Her? Asui? The girl who didn't really stand out too much, aside from her appearance?

"R-Ribbit- Sorry-!" Asui coughed up the remaining coffee in her mouth, as Uraraka blinked.

"Oh… Oh geez, are you ok, Tsuyu-san?" The gravity heroine quickly approached, placing a concerned hand on Asui's shoulder.

"Y-Yes!" She yelled out accidentally, before waving dismissively. "Just… Ribbit, didn't exactly expect you to remember me." Asui bluntly stated, before the round faced girl gave a confused stare. Like she didn't understand why she'd say that.

"Please! Sit with us. I'd love to catch up, Urara-chan!" Mina spoke up, patting a hand on the table. With a warm smile, Uraraka took the pink skinned Heroine up on her offer, sitting herself across from Mina and next to Tsuyu, the latter of whom was still reeling from the whole experience.

It wasn't a bad thing- Far from it! But, still… The fact that she somehow could remember her and-

"Soooooo, Urara-chan~," Mina started out, and, with that, Asui started to tense up- She knew exactly what that tone was, and she didn't want to get off on the bad foot with Uravity-! "Did you find yourself your… Special someone?"

Asui could scream at Mina right now. Uraraka was a Pro Hero sensation in the mainstream media! She could easily leave a bad word about the two of them to other Pro Heroes, and, just like that, their careers are over! How she could be so carefree around her-

"Ahhhh, no. Unfortunately, my job's kind of got a hold on all aspects of my life. Not that I mind! I'm always up for saving people's lives, you know." Uraraka chuckled, before getting served her coffee by a waitress with cat ears. Fake ones, mind you. Asui blinked, managing to hide any sweat dripping off of her, thankfully, with her natural smoothness and generally moist skin. Comes with being a frog.

"Ah, yeah, I get that feeling…" Mina exasperatedly sighs. "I know what I signed up for… But still, a little free time here or there would still be nice."

The comment earned an understanding laugh out of the Gravity Heroine, who took a sip from her coffee. "Yeah, definitely. But, I mean, you guys are doing pretty well, right? Mina, I know you're getting pretty popular in the indie market, and Asui- You're starting to get attention from higher ups!"

"W-Wait, really?! Ribbit." Asui pipes up, finally remembering how to speak when Uraraka dropped that bombshell of a comment on her. Mina let out a childish 'oooooo~' when she heard the news, as Uravity gave a quick nod.

"Yeah! It's nothing but rumblings, but I heard that they might make you the official sponsor for AmeAmeCoat Inc.!" Asui blinked.

"The… Raincoat producing company?" She asked, to which Uraraka nodded. Well, on one hand, sponsorships are the way to getting on the leaderboard of ratings in Japan. But… On the other hand… A raincoat producing company. The Frog Heroine knew she called herself the 'Rainy Day Hero,' but, still..

"W-Well, that's… Great to hear…" She responds, disappointment in her tone. Unfortunately, Uraraka couldn't quite read the room, and gave her a pat on the back.

"It really is! I'm so glad to hear you're all making your way up!" Uravity smiles. That smile. That damned smile, even in U.A. the entire room seemed to light up when she gave it. It was such an innocent, fun, warm smile. Asui gave a small smile in return.

"But, speaking of hero stuff," Uraraka starts, as Mina leans in. "Did you guys hear about these Monster Attacks that have been happening?"

Just as Uraraka brought it up, Tsuyu noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A familiar brush of green hair, seating itself in the corner of the Cafe.

The two lock eyes.


There Izuku was; Walking down the street, staring at his phone like some teenager addicted to social media. Not that he had much of a choice. If Mei tells him that he's going to data collect with one of her new inventions, then it's either that or earn her ire. And the last thing he needs is to have Mei angry at him.

"Why am I always the guinea pig…" He murmured, thinking back to how he got himself in this situation.

"Soooooo, ah, can I have my phone back?" Izuku asks, trying to lean over the shoulders of Melissa and Mei. He would've liked to know what they were doing with his new, up-to-date ePhone, but the two were oddly silent. After a few minutes, though, Mei finally turned around.

"Tadaaaaaaaah!" She announced, holding his phone up to the heavens like some holy artifact. "May I present to you, lady and gentleman, the newest brilliant device, created from the brilliant minds of Melissa Shields and Mei Hatsume!"

". . . My… Phone that I bought for 9,000 yen that I want back right now?"

"No, Izuku!" Mei pouts, as the Blonde quickly swipes the phone out of the inventor's hand, giving it back to the green haired hero.

"Simply put, with the data we got from your fights with Nomu, we were able to pinpoint a specific frequency that Nomu brains work at. As I thought-" She was interrupted by Mei's staring. With a sigh, Melissa adjusts her glasses. "As

we thought, Nomus, due to their altered nature and ability to use multiple quirks, naturally have slower speeds that their brains function at." Midoriya nods.

"So this detects a Nomu's brain wavelength?" If that was the case, then this would be

revolutionary to their cause! He could locate Nomus without having to rely on hearsay or hacked radio calls!

. . . But, given the fact that Mei and Melissa are giving their 'weeeeeellll' stare, he can already tell that

won't be the case.

"It's still a Prototype, Izuku. It can detect the general area the Nomu is in, but it can't specify which person in the area is one. We got it down to an area of 5 meters- Unfortunately, that's not good enough for what we're doing." Melissa adds on, as Mei jumps up and places both hands on her shoulders.

"So that's why you're gonna go collect data! The more data you collect, the more we can narrow down the location of a Nomu!" The pink haired inventor exclaims. Midoriya's eyes immediately gain bags under them. This was going to be a long day, he just knew it-

"Oh, but, that's not all!" Mei announced, seemingly catching even Melissa off guard. Walking over to her own personal work bench, she tossed a gear with a Bronze 'M' emblazoned across it towards Izuku. With a gasp, the Rider quickly stumbled over himself to catch the gear, doing a baseball slide to catch it.

"But… That isn't the 'C' Gear, Mei!" Melissa states, looking to her compatriot as she gives a cheerful smile and a mischievous giggle.

"I know, but progress is going as slow as a snail, so I decided to whip up another gear to compliment the Shooting Gear. This one's more defensive based, and… Well, I'll leave the details a seeeecreeet~." Mei giggles, though Izuku can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. He might literally explode if this is put in.

Wouldn't be the first time. Won't be the last. Because life just lines up a conga line of humiliation for him specifically.

As Izuku reminisced on how he got here, he just barely noticed that the app on his phone was starting to get a ping. Nearly fumbling his phone, he quickly catches it, letting out a sigh of relief. Zooming in, he tries to pin down the area the signal was starting to come from, sprinting down the street and passing various citizens before skidding to a halt-!

In… Front of a Cafe. A really pink, cat themed one. Oh wait, Izuku knew this one! He went to it once after he graduated High School. 'Kitty Kafe.' It was… Alright. It was clearly more focused on its theme than actual food, something Izuku couldn't really get behind. The food was just your average fare. Pastries, various savory foods, coffee, and some specialty drinks. The usual suspects for a coffee shop, but a lot of them either were bland, alright, or clearly were not proof read in concept. It was still a miracle for him that they sold the 'Pretty Whiskers Cake Pop' after people were pretty much puking it up in the cafe-

Right! The Nomu. Looking at the app, it confirmed his greatest fears. The Nomu was within the cafe. Though Izuku didn't know why this was the case, this was now an incredibly delicate situation. Looking left and looking right, he quickly threw the hood up on his dark green 'DYNA-MIGHTY!' hoodie, before entering the Cafe.


Asui blinked. Was… Was Izuku here? No, that… That can't be it. Maybe all the stress has gotten to her. Yeah, that must be it. She just probably needs some more sleep-

However, her fears were confirmed when the Rider placed a finger up to his lips… Followed by what appears to a bunch of charades. Tsuyu blinked, before taking her phone and gesturing to it. Izuku slapped the side of his head, before taking it out and-

Oh, wait. They didn't exchange numbers.

There was a pause, before Izuku opened up the notepad app and typed something down. Making sure no one else can see him, he lifts the phone up to show off that he typed his phone number down. Asui nods, before quickly adding him.

"Uh, Asui-san," Uraraka's voice quickly grabbed her attention back. "What are you doing? Do you see someone else here-"

"A-Ah, no." She quickly rebuffs, "I just… Thought I saw something over in the corner." Asui lied. Mina gave a quick eyebrow raise, and Uravity simply paused, before the other two shrugged it off and got back to conversation. With a sigh of relief, Froppy quickly got to texting her newly added Rider friend.

Why why why are you here ~ Asui Tsuyu

ok, dont panic ~ Izuku Midoriya

Oh, that can't be good.

buuuuut theres probably a nomu in here ~ Izuku Midoriya

WHAT ~ Asui Tsuyu

Izuku, once again, motioned for her to be quiet, placing a finger on his lips. Asui, of course, acquiesced, but it was still very much a bombshell to just drop so casually. Looking around, the Frog Heroine turned to her phone again.

WHERE ~ Asui Tsuyu

well uh
the app i have to detect them doesnt give specifics
you can blame mei for that
but its in here ~ Izuku Midoriya

Oh, gee, that's so helpful. Asui wanted to tell Izuku how unhelpful that was, but, unfortunately, they have bigger things to be worrying about. Any one of the customers in this cafe was a monster that could go on a rampage at the drop of a hat, and she needed to make sure that everyone got out safe if that happened.

There was a pause, as Asui scanned the entire cafe for anyone suspicious- Same for Izuku, of course. Though, thankfully for both of them, the app was running the entire time. His phone let out a quick 'bwo-weep!' notification, as he grabbed his phone. Mei seemed to send him a text.

Okay, so, since this Nomu hasn't been moving, we've managed to pinpoint exactly who it is. Sending it to you right now. ~ Mei-Day

Reading over the results, Izuku's eyes widened. With a nod, he looks to Asui- Right as a cat jumps up onto her and Mina's table. With a squeak, she quickly acclimated to the tabby's charming presence, able to slink right up to her and sit down. The cat stares at the Frog Hero with big 'ole puppy dog eyes, as it lets out a mewl.

"Oh wow! Neki doesn't usually get so cuddly with people." Uraraka exclaims, as Asui turns to look at her.

"N… Neki?" She asks, as Uravity gives a confirming nod.

"Yeah! Neki. He's a stray that frequents the cafe often." The Round Faced Hero confirms, as Mina lets out a coo. Reaching out, she tries to pat the stray on the back, though it quickly turns around and swats her hand, hissing.

"Augh! Little bastard…" Mina mumbles, before Asui feels her phone rumble.

CAT
CAT
CAT
CAT
CAT
CAT
CAT ~ Izuku Midoriya

. . . She didn't understand, was he really that excited to see a cat? Looking to him, the sheer look of worry and terror on his face made her pause. Was… Was something up? Did he need something? Did he want to see the cat up close? She turned her attention back to 'Neki,' to see that he was still staring straight at her. It was a little… Odd, but cats can be strange and fickle creatures. She didn't think twice about it.

Her eyes widened, as the cat's eyes widened as well. There was a strange feeling that washed over her, before the cat seemed to lose interest and pad off. Izuku instantly gets to his feet and follows after it. Tsuyu blinks, confused… Before all hell breaks loose outside.

Looking out the window, she saw that a monster, squat, about the size of a child, began to tear through the streets. With a screech, its green, ethereal eye widens. A giant cone of green light emits from it, as an oncoming car in front of it is reduced to rusted flakes and congealed oil. The driver wasn't any more fortunate, as he was seemingly reduced to a freshly picked skeleton with some cloth scraps.

"Oh, shit!" Mina exclaims, as Uraraka gets to her feet and runs outside to confront the monster. Mina, after a pause, quickly follows her example. Asui stood there, stupefied for a moment, before shaking her head. She needed to go too!

Running out to the scene of the action, Tsuyu, as well as Mina and Uraraka, made sure to get civilians evacuated- Out of the fray. The last thing they needed was to get innocent lives involved in a brutal fight.

"MEHHHH HEH HE HEHEHEHHEH! WHERE IS HEEHEHHHEEEEE?!" The strange, gaunt creature screamed out to the sky. Now that the dust was settling, Tsuyu actually got a good look at the Nomu.

As she got from her first glance, it was short. If she had to estimate, probably 3' at most. Its form was gaunt at best, and practically skeletal at worst, with a thin layer of dark gray skin covered in various onyx black spikes clinging to its bones. A small, whip-like tail emerged from its tail bone, writhing and swirling around as the creature turned to face the three heroines. Its face was practically a skull, with a row of razor sharp teeth. But, its greatest feature was the strange, green, ethereal eye with three pupils that stared through all of them.

"MEhehehEHehehh… You… Get him here… Now!" The Creature cried out, staring at Asui. 'Him…?' She had no idea what it was talking about, but it was clear that the Nomu wasn't going to stop until she did.

"Hah! Fat chance there, bud. We don't even know who this guy you're talking about is!" Mina taunted, placing both her hands on her hips as she threw off the coat she had been wearing and slipped off her socks and shoes. It was times like these that the pink heroine wished that she had her hero costume…

"THE FROG GIRL KNOWS…! MEHhhEHhHHhEh…!" The Nomu chatters, before it seemed to decide that enough was enough. Its singular eye widened, letting out another burst of light before the streets below started to shift and crumble. Almost like no one had been tending to them, the roads collapsed in on themselves.

Uravity quickly tapped the ground, using the biggest piece of rubble to float above the collapsing road. Asui, taking the cue, wrapped her tongue around Mina, jumping up above the creature's line of sight. As the jump reached the peak of the arc, Pinky aimed her fingers before firing off a salvo of small 'acid bullets.' Splattering against the Nomu's skin, the augmented creature let out a screech of pain as the acid began to eat through its skin.

"Hah! Take that, you Nomu bastard- That's sulfuric acid-levels right there! I'd love to see you shrug that off!" Mina mocks, as Froppy finally lands behind the Nomu. Uraraka pauses for a beat.

"Nomu…?" She wondered why Mina called it such a specific name. 'Brainless…?' She didn't have long to think, though, as she noticed the acid burrowed a hole straight through the 'Nomu.' The creature freezes as the acid puddles below it, slowly sizzling away on the street… Before it looks back to the two heroines.

Almost instantly, the holes created by the acid began to reform and regenerate in a disgusting display of power, their bones first connecting back together, their muscles growing back before a thin layer of skin covering it.

"MhehehEheheheheh…! Your acid is nothing… But a SCAM! For I am Nothic…! The Rotting Gaze Nomu!" It proudly declares, before placing both hands next to its eye, splaying its fingers as it releases another bright flash of green light.

Both heroines rolled out of the way, as the flash of light reduced the front of an Eighteen Wheeler behind them into scraps of rust and congealed oil, as well as various strips of pleather. Asui, noticing this, started to think. The pleather didn't seem all that affected… But… Why? Why… Oh, of course!

"HIS ROTTING GAZE CAN'T AFFECT PLASTIC, RIBBIT!" The Frog Heroine yelled out, as she quickly took refuge behind a plastic bench. Uravity, thankfully, was not simply standing by. She had been gathering various objects with her Quirk- And though the bile was starting to rise in her throat, she simply swallowed it back down. Plastic objects… Yeah, that should be just fine!

She quickly scoured the land, touching and attaching one of her grappling hooks to any piece of hard plastic she can find. All the while, Mina quickly slid around the destroyed streets, making use of her skating training she took after becoming a pro hero to do some impressive pirouette jumps over any gaps in the road. Of course, she fired as many acid bullets as she could muster towards 'Nothic', but even if she hit him dead in the eye, he'd simply regenerate any damage taken.

Nothic seemed to bore of standing in one place, before crouching down and jumping up into the sky. Its eye widened as far as it could, before it released a giant flash of light down towards the ground.

Though Froppy and Uravity managed to escape, half of Pinky's leg was caught in the flash of light- And, before she knew it, she couldn't feel anything from halfway her ankle down. Looking down, she was quickly horrified to find that her leg was rotted to that of a corpses. Her once pastel pink skin degraded to a blackened mess of barely-holding on flesh as she stumbled onto the asphalt street, clutching her leg. It didn't hurt. On the contrary, it felt like nothing at all. And that's what made her scream.

"MINA!" "ASHIDO-SAN!" Both Heroines cried out. Though Asui was the one to rescue her, Uraraka felt a rage burning up because of this… This monster. This monster who had hurt her friend so badly! Using the Grappling Hooks, she quickly threw all of the Plastic objects she had gathered together into one densely packed ball, before quickly jumping up.

"HOW DARE YOU-! TAKE THIS!" She screamed out, fury evident in her voice, as she tugged the ball of condensed plastic towards the Nomu. Releasing her Zero-G hold on it, the Plastic Ball quickly began to fall towards where the Nomu landed, as it looked up and saw a giant asteroid rushing towards it.

"ROCHE CRASH!" Uraraka declared, landing nearby as she watched the plastic ball crash into the Nomu, causing plastic objects to fly all over the place, embedding into various walls at the force of which it collided with the ground.

While Asui tried to tend to Mina's leg, quickly wrapping it up with some scraps of cloth she found in a makeshift bandage, she watched in horror, along with Uravity, as the Nomu began to emerge from the rubble.

Though it was certainly hurt, any injury it sustained was quickly healed. Its jaw snapped back into place, its arms, though snapped in half, quickly popped back into socket and stitched back together. Its eye, which had been smashed, regrew as well, before it rolled back down to look at the heroines.

"MehehhehEheheheh… Is that the best you… Can do!? I thought… MeheheheHEhEhehEHheh… You were pro heroes!?" Nothic taunted, chattering its jaw in a mocking laugh.

As Uraraka took a step back, steeling herself for what may happen, Asui could only wonder one thing.

Where the hell is Izuku!?


"Gotcha, little fucker." A growling voice called out, before it began to approach the smoking, soot and ash covered Rider. Backed into the corner of an alleyway, Dynamight emerged from the shadows, hand held up as he stared Victory down.

"I'm gonna splatter you against these goddamn walls."


A/N: Hello yes, its been a while... sorry for the delay! i consider writing my hobby, not my job, so i only write when i feel inspired. and well, i felt particularly inspired last night, so i banged out this entire script in a night. it was a very fruitful experience... but still, sorry for the year of radio silence. anyways, please and enjoy and feel free to leave a review.