Chapter II
Midoriya ventured inside the building with minimal strides.
He had All-For-One as protection for whatever this villain had in store for him, but it was always best to be cautious. If he needed to use his quirk, he also had to be careful not to damage the super-structure of the building, or the entire thing would come crumbling down.
Mom, I'm going to save you—count on it!
His legs felt a little heavy as nervousness set in. His entire body was on fire with adrenaline, but he was also scared of what he might find.
Who was the villain who kidnapped his mother? And why? Two important questions.
He was taught to analyze the situation before engaging a villain, great Intel was essential for success. But things had happened quickly after the random note was delivered, after the attack by those beasts at U.A., and information was scarce. He was walking in blind.
He found himself mumbling quietly to himself, of the probabilities of events, and his options, and if he needed to move quickly if attacked, his escape route; the door he came in was it.
He had received some last minute advice from All Might before the team deployed, and he took that into account. "Stop, Look, and Listen," the Greatest Hero of All had said. "Bath your senses in everything, and don't take anything for granted."
It was sound advise.
As he took one careful step within, then another, walking away from the door, utilizing All Might's advise to the fullest, he let all his senses burst alive! The dim light from the setting sun outside wasn't much help to cast illumination into the dark of this place, there were no apparent sounds, either. It was almost like sound filtering here. He didn't know how to explain it further.
Mom, where are you? He wanted to call out, but he remained silent.
Suddenly, he was hit by some form of smoke bomb, and he coughed violently. The door slammed shut behind him, and loudly, encasing him in complete darkness.
Midoriya dropped to a knee as he gasped for air, coughing. He had been too cautious, and it ended up working against him.
His eyes watered as he struggled to breath!
"Little chick-dee, little duck, what is it—luck? Bring your quirk, admire your skills, but think twice about your efforts, or you're—Hey, hey! Naughty, naughty—don't use that kind of language!" came the same weird voice from before, with an almost quirky idealogical, soliloquize tone to it. It almost sounded like there were two people, one more dominate than the other.
Two villains? Had he underestimated the situation? Had he failed to comprehend that there may have been more than one villain at play in this kidnapping scheme?
His coughing had been caught by the others.
"Midoriya!" came Hawks voice. "What's happening?"
He couldn't respond, he had sucked in too much of the smoke. However, as it was only smoke, not tear gas or knock out gas, he managed to stay conscious. His glove was over his mouth and nose as he coughed, and it was enough to prevent anymore intrusion into his lungs.
Midoriya had heard the voice, or the voices, some where before, he recalled, but he couldn't immediately place them. His mind was foggy, distracted by the smoke, and the attack.
Soon, he managed to establish his footing, and he stood up. The smoke was starting to clear, he waved it away from his face. And he was able to reestablish his position, and clear his thoughts quickly. "I'm okay," he finally responded to Hawks, the coughing eased.
"Do you need assistance, Midoriya?" asked Todoroki.
Midoriya said, "Stand by."
This villain had his mother, and no matter who he had to face, he would face it on his feet, head-on, and get her back! He had his friends, but this was personal. He wanted to do it alone.
He waved the air in front of him in the pitch black to disperse the rest of the smoke, coughing twice more. He could summon a little light to see with his quirk, but he didn't want to act provocative. "Who are you, villain? And where is my mother?"
He left the communication line open, so everything could be heard.
"I do have her, little hero," came the villain's voice from within the darkness.
Midoriya turned. He tried to pinpoint its position, but something was odd, and the voice seemed to bounce in multiple directions at once. He didn't have Jirou's quirk in identifying sounds, so he had to rely on it own hearing. He had to concentrate harder.
"Let's play first," added the voice.
And suddenly the entire place lit up as bright as the sun.
Midoriya was instantly blinded, he cried out, as he shielded his eyes with an arm. Tears within his eyes from the smoke created any almost amplified effect, acting like an intensifier, and he rubbed his eyes with his gloved hands. They stung with pain. But he slowly got his sight back, blurry at first, but then it became more acute, and finally it cleared completely.
He blinked. Midoriya gasped at what he saw, and where he was.
He took in his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be a completely square room, at quick glance by its dimensions. It was covered wall-to-wall with thick metal panelling, with the ability to amplify sounds. But this wasn't the most shocking thing he saw, because before him were five identical mirrors—each tall, rectangular, almost reaching the ceiling, and each showed an image of his mother, tied to a chair, her mouth gagged
"Mom!" he called out.
But she couldn't hear him. Mirrors were reflective, and yet his mother wasn't anywhere in the room. He was confused. He checked for any projection units, maybe they were inserting her image into the mirror, absorbing it. It was a trick of some sort. But he couldn't figure it out.
But the main thing was, she was safe—for now.
"Midoriya, what do you see?" Todoroki demanded.
Keeping his senses open for the villain, he quickly described the scene to the team, and the walls, secured with heavy steel bolts within the panelling, like some sort of sound stage.
He then turned back, and tried the door. The handle refused to bulge despite Midoriya pulling hard. He pulled so hard, it broke off.
"I'm trapped, guys," he confirmed.
"Stand by," Hawks said. "We'll help you."
"No!" Midoriya replied firmly. Then added, "I mean, I've got this!"
"Don't be an ass, Deku!" came Kacchan's voice.
Static suddenly burst through. "Cheater! Cheater! Don't you know, cheaters never prosper," said the villainy voice in a mocking tone, over the communication device. He had broken the signal. "No providence for you, wannabe hero: Izuku Midoriya," he added.
Midoriya grit his teeth, this villain had done his homework on him. But he had to admit, in hindsight, he had become a thorn in a lot of villain's sides as of late, and his name was quickly becoming renown. He was, after all, All Might's successor, and that brought a lot of attention.
"Show yourself, villain!" he demanded.
As if summoned by a genie, from a puff of smoke, a face popped out from the left side of the middle mirror, then it disappeared, and popped out from the right side, playfully. Then it all clicked. The voice and villain's profile abruptly burst forth in Midoriya's analytical mind. As heroes, they were taught to recognize the top members of the League of Villains.
"It's…YOU!" Midoriya said shocked, pointing.
To be continued...