(A/N): criticism and reviews are appreciated!
Chapter 13: Creeping Shadows
Kurogo's P.O.V
Kurogo was reading the newspaper, sitting in his favorite armchair in the dimly lit mansion. Looking at the man, you might think he was relaxed, and probably about to fall asleep, but in reality, he was in the middle of his life's most important mission. Looking out for his charge.
Kurogo was the handler for a 16-year-old, the latest addition to their organization.
"Mr. Kurogo, I'm hungry!" the bored teenage girl said.
"It's not my problem your metabolic rate is so fast. You've already had 7 meals today." Kurogo answered, not even looking away from his newspaper.
"But-"
Kurogo looked at her with his blank, white eyes, silencing her.
"If Mei was here, she would feed me" The girl said.
"So I'm glad she isn't" Kurogo said "I already told you, you're going to have a session with the doctor tomorrow, you can't eat.".
"Another session, seriously? It seems like lately I have a lot more sessions."
"Kurogo, come down to the labs, please." The voice of Dr. Shiguma came through Kurogo's earpiece.
"We had a lovely talk" Kurogo said, getting up "But I'm needed elsewhere. Don't get close to the kitchen. I'll call Rei to look out for you.". and with that, he left the living room, heading to the library.
Walking through the dimly lit corridors, Kurogo looked at the city that lied in front of the mansion, which sat atop a hill surrounded by a grassy landscape.
Reaching the library, he used a certain hidden keypad to unlock their secret elevator, before descending down to the labs that lied below the mansion.
"Ah, Kurogo." The young Dr. Shiguma greeted him as the elevator doors opened "I have exciting news for you."
"That's nice and all." Kurogo said "but I have a question for you, Shiguma."
"Ask away" the younger man said, typing something into a computer.
"The girl has noticed the increased amount of sessions lately" Kurogo said "What is going on? Have you already moved onto the next stage without notifying me?".
"Sorry, Sorry." Shiguma apologized "I was just so excited. The boss sure picked the best subject for "Project Blackbird". Her adaptability for the amplification is stounding.".
"How will you explain this to her?" Kurogo asked "You know exactly what I told you."
"I'll just tell her condition is getting worse, and she needs more treatment." Shiguma replied "That never failed us." Shiguma finished typing, and faced Kurogo "Now, about the good news. Your amplification is ready, should you accept it. Just say the word, and I'll prep the vat."
Kurogo sighed "Do it. And call Kuroda to work, too. We're starting to move."
"Yes, sir" Shiguma said in a mocking tone.
Midoriya's P.O.V
"Midoriya, Shoto." Endeavor greeted them as they entered his office "Good to see you back. Where the other boy?".
"He…ummm…has some family trouble." Midoriya said. ´Well, I still didn't convince my mom to not stop sending me to U.A. but at least she understands…I think.'.
"I see" Endeavor got off his chair "Anyway, there's no time to waste. I hope you caught up to date on the events here while you were gone.".
"We did." Todoroki said.
"Then it's time for the promised briefing." Endeavor picked a controller up from his desk, closing the shutters and turning on a projector. "Lately, a new villainous organization has risen from the shadows created by Shigaraki. They call themselves "The Nine Harbingers of Dawn", and are on the frontier of scientific research. They raided the elusive "I-island", and several genetics labs in places across Japan. From what we've been able to gather, they are trying to recreate "All for One's" ability of taking and giving quirk by cutting-edge quirk research. We don't know the extent of their ability, but we've been able to confirm this." A picture of a man appeared on the screen, next to a file "This is Dr. Haruko Shiguma, a controversial scientist who has been banned from several labs for ethical violations. He is not a villain, but colleagues said his insatiable hunger for knowledge sometimes affects his judgment. We confirmed his involvement with the organization, but we aren't sure if he's willingly cooperating, or if they are forcing him to work for them."
´All for One, just thinking about him gives me a weird feeling…'.
"That's not everything." Endeavor said "A hero team that went undercover to collect information had gone missing, but there are three things they communicated to us before they disappeared. One, we have discovered this" Another picture appeared on the screen, this one of a young girl, probably about Midoriya's age. "This is Kiyo Hikari, a girl who became an orphan after the Kamino incident. She went comatose, and the doctors discovered brain damage that is indicative of memory loss. She disappeared from the hospital 3 days after being admitted. We don't know what is her involvement, but we are sure they must have kidnapped her for some reason. The second piece of info we got is regarding the boss of the organization. We don't know who exactly is he, but we do know he is currently imprisoned somewhere. A countrywide order has been given to uncover the boss, but we weren't lucky until now."
"What's the third thing, Endeavor?" Midoriya asked.
"Not much, I'm afraid. Only their current goal. Completing something called "Project Blackbird"." Endeavor said "We don't know what that is, and so it's pretty much nothing until we uncover more.". Endeavor turned the projector off, and opened the shutters.
"This is all I wanted today." Endeavor said "Your official internship will start next week, so be ready. Dismissed.".
Todoroki and Midoriya walked out of the room, and into the building's elevator. "What do you think, Todoroki? Will they even let us in on this case? I mean, after the incident…".
"Don't think about it too much." Todoroki said "We're heroes. Things like that happen in our line of work.".
"Yeah, but I still have a feeling we'll not be able to go on dangerous missions anymore." Midoriya replied, as the doors of the elevator opened, Midoriya remembered something "I'm sorry, Todoroki, but I'm not going back to U.A, I'm going somewhere else."
"Where?" Todoroki asked.
"I'm going to meet Doctor Kairi at the labs." Midoriya said "I just wanted to talk to him about something.".
"About going back?" Todoroki asked.
"Yeah, I miss all of them." Midoriya said "we've been friends for so long, even though here so little time passed. So I asked principal Nezu for permission, but he said I'll have to talk to the man in charge there as well.".
"I'm kind of glad." Todoroki said "We probably would have needed to stay another year and not go to 2-A with the rest of them. But still, two months is still a lot to cover."
"I know, I've been studying non-stop since I've gotten home." Midoriya said.
"Well, I'll see you later Midoriya." Todoroki said as he towards the train station.
"Yeah, bye Todoroki" Midoriya said, going the other way to look for a taxi.
When he arrived at the Hero commission building who was now serving as a lab, Memories washed over Midoriya. He remembered All Might hugging him, and his friends surrounding him as he reached U.A. Midoriya took in a deep breath, before going into the building.
Walking through the lobby, he simply walked up to the door of the labs, no one asked questions, and no one stopped him. He pushed open the double doors, seeing before him the lab he arrived in no so long ago. Walking beside the busy work stations, he saw the transparent chamber in the middle of the room was empty. ´I wonder where is he off to?'.
"Ah, kid." A man with a beaver tail called out to him "I've been told you are coming. Nice to officially meet you, I'm Doctor Kairi."
"Nice to meet you." Midoriya said "I've come here with a request. Is there by any chance…".
"You could go back?" the doctor completed the sentence.
"Well, not exactly." Midoriya said "I actually want to bring people here.". 'I hope I asked the right person for this…'.
"Let's see…" The doctor seemed to be in deep thought "Officially, you'll have to ask people above my rank for this, but…I think I can justify this as a part of my research, if you can keep a secret." The doctor had a starry-eyed look "I heard the other world is so different from your testimonies, and would like to see it for my own eyes once…but for now, I guess this will have to suffice.".
"I have another question, doctor." Midoriya said "People here tell us it's only been about three months, but I'm sure that over there it's been over half a year. How could this be possible?".
"You've just been to a new world, and that's your question?" The Doctor asked "well, we don't really understand that kind of travel, so I can't give you a clear answer.".
"I see." Midoriya said "Where can you make it happen? I'll write it down as an appointment."
"How about now? We just need to wait for Mr. Iriguchi to come back." Doctor Kairi asked "If you take only a couple of hours."
"I think I can do it." Midoriya said.
"Alright, very good. I'll turn the scanners on." Kairi picked up a device from his desk "Here, it's a watch that will tell you how much time you have left till we activate the teleportation." The doctor turned towards Midoriya again "Listen, kid, I just want to say that I'll allow this today, but I don't have enough leeway to pull stuff like this off every time I want, so keep that in mind.".
"Thank you, Doctor Kairi" Midoriya said "I'll remember that. But I hope we can at least do it from time to time."
The doctor just nodded in response.
Behind Midoriya, the double doors of the labs opened, and out came the same guy who sent Midoriya and Bakugo away on that one fateful day.
"Aokiri, welcome back" the doctor greeted him "I decided to take the test sooner, so get ready." The man nodded, and entered the chamber in the middle of the lab. "Go in there, Kid. Oh, I think it'd be better if you left your stuff here, rather than take them with you.".
Midoriya nodded, placing his bag and cellphone on the table, before going over to the chamber.
The door opened with a hiss, before sliding open smoothly.
"What's up, Kid?" The man inside asked, placing some sort of device that circled his head, almost like a crown "Feeling good, I hope?".
"Uh, yeah." Midoriya said awkwardly, he wasn't used to the Villain he met in the alley to suddenly act like a nice guy.
"Good, good." The man replied, sitting down on the chair at the back of the room, signaling the staff. "Have a nice trip!". The man's right eye glowed, and the blue mist started swirling around Midoriya, completely covering him. Midoriya smiled, and his vision went black.
Not so long after, Midoriya woke up on the same grassy field outside of Hage Village. ´Seems like I'm getting used to this kind of teleportation.'. Midoriya got up, brushing of dirt from his clothes. ´I have a couple of hours to get them and come back here.'. the image of him going around with the Black Bulls around his home city flashed in his head ´Maybe not all of them. Let's start small.'. Midoriya looked at the distant capital, breathing in the fresh air of the magical world ´It's good to be back.'.
Midoriya activated his quirk, the power of One for All surging through his body, and then, he started running, quickly getting away from Hage Village. ´I can't wait to see them all again…I didn't even think about what I will show them back at home!'.
Asta's P.O.V
Asta was sitting in the lounge with the rest of the Black Bulls. After his sentence was suspended, he couldn't really go out freely. It wasn't too exciting, only the normal. Charmy eating heaps of food, a drunk Vanessa teasing Finral and Luck and Magna chase each other around the room.
A loud knock sounded from the door. ´That Ki…don't tell me…'.
"I'll get that." Asta said, going over to open the door.
"What's up, Asta?" Deku asked, standing outside of the base.
"Deku!" Asta exclaimed with a starry-eyed look "We meet again! And so soon too!".
"Wait, Izuku is here?" Magna asked "That shrimp's got some nerve coming back here after such a heart-wrenching goodbye, that bastard!".
When Izuku came into the lounge, he was quickly surrounded by everyone else.
"Hey, Izuku, will you fight me?" Luck asked, throwing mock punches his way.
"Izuku, try this." Charmy tried shoving food in his mouth.
"My dear friend, you finally return" Gordon whispered.
"It's so nice to see you all!" Midoriya said "Actually…Asta, Noelle, can I speak to you for a moment?".
"Sure." Asta said, and the three of them exited the building.
"So, what did you want to say?" Noelle asked.
"Ummm…I just wandered, if you want to come visit where I live?" Midoriya asked "I mean, I would love to take the entirety of the Black Bulls, but I can't as of now."
"Wow, seriously?!" Asta asked "We can see where you live?".
"I guess I'll go with you" Noelle said in her arrogant voice "It's not like I have anything better to do.".
"Good" Midoriya said, smiling at them "Now we just have to get two more people. Do you think Finral could take us to the base of the Golden Dawn?".
Kurogo's P.O.V
Kurogo was sitting in his black luxury car, scoping out a certain building.
"Kurogo, I believe this is the place." The voice of his colleague, Kuroda, came through the car's speakers.
"Are you sure? I just saw a bunch of kids exit the building, plus it's a hero commission building, not a laboratory." Kurogo said.
"Mr. Kurogo, are we going soon? This place is really boring." Kurogo's charge asked, sitting in his back seat.
"You remind of my daughter." Kurogo replied "can you teenagers listen to what we adults say? I said not to interrupt my phone calls."
"You have a daughter, Mr. Kurogo?" Kiyo asked "You don't really look like someone who has kids."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Kurogo, focus." Kuroda said "I think that we'll act within this week. I'll prepare Hebira, Yurochi and Rei. And I think we should be set.".
"Alright, talk to you later." Kurogo finished the phone call.
"Mr. Kurogo, can we go get some ice-cream? I feel like I want ice-cream." Kiyo said.
´It won't be too bad to let her be outside for a little.'. "Yes, we can go get ice cream." Kurogo answered "But only if you stop bugging me.".
Midoriya's P.O.V
"Woah, Deku!" Asta exclaimed as they were walking through the campus of U.A. "this place is massive! How come it's a school?".
"U.A is the number 1 school for training heroes here in Japan." Midoriya explained "we have several mock cities that serve as training sites, a stadium for tournaments, the dormitories, and of course, the school building.".
"Mock cities?" Noelle asked.
"Yeah, there are several training grounds that are also used for the exams." Midoriya said.
"You know, when I become Wizard King, I'll build a school like this for Magic Knights!" Asta said.
"You mean I'll do it when I become the Wizard King" Yuno said.
"Where should I take you first…" Midoriya mumbled to himself "I think I'll take you to show you around school, since everyone is in class at the moment." Midoriya started walking towards the school building, with his friends following suit.
"Morning, Midoriya." The math teacher, Ectoplasm, greeted him as he exited the school building "I'm glad to see you're okay." He said before heading elsewhere, probably to his next class.
"Who was that guy?!" Asta asked in a hushed voice so the teacher won't hear "He looks like a monster!".
"Remember what I told you about quirks, Asta." Midoriya said "They're all human, even though their appearance might differ. That person in particular is one of my teachers, Ectoplasm."
"Sorry, sorry, I forgot" Asta said, rubbing the back of his head "I'm just not used to this.".
They continued walking around, and Midoriya showed them the vacant cafeteria and the classes. "You must have a lot of new heroes each year, it seems like there are a lot of students here." Mimosa said.
"Actually, U.A has a lot of students that don't learn in the hero program, like the support department and the regular courses." Midoriya explained "Come, I'll show you the gyms next."
"Gyms?" Noelle asked.
"Yeah, it's another place where we train." Midoriya said "we actually have a pretty normal day in school until noon, and at noon we have our hero courses.".
They exited the building and went towards one of the huge gyms that lied behind the huge school. "Those are the gyms" Midoriya said, approaching the door of one of the gyms, and the sounds of combat could be heard from it. "It seems like there is a class inside.".
Midoriya reached his hand for the door, but the door opened before he could open it.
"Nezu just told me you're here." Mr. Aizawa said with a tired voice "welcome." Through the open door, Midoriya could see his class and class 1-B engaged in some sort of mock combat. "I see you've brought some friends along."
"Aizawa, what is going on here?" the tall teacher of class 1-B appeared behind Aizawa.
"Nothing, Vlad." Aizawa said "Could you keep an eye on the students for me for a bit?".
The hero nodded going back inside and closing the doors behind him.
"It's good to see you're feeling better, Midoriya" Aizawa said "But I still don't understand how you pulled that off. They're from there, aren't they?".
"We are right here!" Asta said.
"I know." Aizawa said "Well, I have a job to do. Your classmates organized dinner for all of you, so do come by." His teacher turned around, entering the gym without another word.
"That…is my homeroom teacher." Midoriya said "he's, well, he's unique.".
"Well, he invited us to dinner, we'll be coming by then, right?" Asta asked.
"Of course." Midoriya said "in the meantime, we can go find something to eat."
"Maybe we can get some ice-cream." Yuno said "You have ice-cream here, right?".
"Yeah." Midoriya said "I didn't think you'd get hooked on the idea of ice-cream."
"Wait, Yuno." Mimosa said "I just noticed, where is the little sylph who usually follows you?".
"I don't know," Yuno answered "She disappeared as soon as we came here.
"Let's go." Midoriya said "I know this ice-cream place down at the city.".
After taking a bus ride for about 20 minutes, while Asta was staring at all the people aboard the bus, they arrived at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall.
"Woah, this place is huge!" Asta said "it kinda reminds me of the market at the castle city back home.".
"Let's go up on the escalator." Midoriya said.
"What's an escalator?" Noelle asked.
"That" Midoriya pointed at the moving stairs.
"Magical stairs?" Asta asked.
"No, it's a machine." Midoriya said as they got on the escalator.
"Here's the shop" Midoriya pointed at a certain shop that had an ice-cream statue next to its door.
Approaching the shop, something caught Midoriya's eyes. Next to a table outside the shop, sat two people. One was a huge man, his skin jet black, his eyes completely white and his facial features non-existent, so it looked as if he was wearing a mask. Across from him sat a young, white-haired girl, which had eyes that constantly changed colors, being a mix of several colors at once. ´I wonder if that's connected to her quirk- wait a second.' Midoriya remembered his briefing at Endeavor's agency, and quickly pulled out his phone.
"Something's wrong, Deku?" Mimosa asked.
"Maybe." Midoriya answered, dialing the contact Endeavor gave him.
´Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up…'.
"This better be important, kid." He heard the voice of Endeavor through his phone "I'm currently on patrol."
"Endeavor, I spotted the girl from the briefing in an ice-cream shop at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall." Midoriya said in a low voice "She's here with another man, probably one of the Nine Harbingers.".
"Stay put, kid." Endeavor spoke after a long pause "I have a sidekick close to your location. Stay put and don't take your eyes off of them.".
"Understood." Midoriya said, hanging up.
"So?" Mimosa said, looking concerned.
"It's nothing to worry about." Midoriya said "Let's go get some ice-cream."
They sat down with their ice-cream at the table across from the suspicious duo, and Midoriya didn't stop eyeing them the whole time.
"Deku, didn't you tell me not to judge people based on their appearance?" Asta asked "You've been looking at them the whole time. What's wrong?".
"It's nothing."
"How come it's nothing, you've been acting strange since we got here." Noelle said "Are you sure it's nothing?".
"You two." A man dressed in a hero costume and accompanied by two cops arrived at the ice-cream shop "I need you two to come with us for questioning, and you're under arrest.".
"Under arrest?! What did we do-" The girl was suddenly cut off, and stopped speaking.w
"Dark Moon" the man sitting next to her uttered, and the girl seemed to space out, her eyes, staring at nothing "This must be a mistake, officers." the man said politely, getting up from his seat "Are you sure we are the ones you are looking for?".
"Yes, now-" the hero didn't manage to finish the sentence, because in several sudden movements, the jet-black man sent the hero into an adjacent shop, and slammed the two cops into the railing. The people around the area screamed in fear, and ran off, but Midoriya did exactly the opposite, lunging at the villain, and beside him, Asta did the same.
The man's eyes locked with Midoriya, and a split second later, he couldn't see anymore. ´What is going on?!'.
Yami Kurogo, Quirk: Eclipse – he can create areas in which light cannot enter or leave, making them pitch black.
Midoriya suddenly hit the railing, and it caved under the impact. Looking to his side, he saw the man carrying the girl and running in an inhuman speed. ´How can he do that? What's his quirk?'. He also saw Yuno and Noelle pursuing the man, with Yuno using his wind magic.
"Asta, Deku, are you okay?" Mimosa asked.
"I'm fine." Midoriya got up quickly "Catch him, quickly!".
"You're not getting away!" Asta sprinted after the man, but even he fell behind the man's speed. ´I can't let them use their powers freely, especially here. But that'll have to be taken care of later.'.
The man jumped in between floors, running among other people to avoid any attacks from his pursuers. They chased him down to the underground parking lot, and by now Midoriya could hear the approaching sound of sirens.
When they finally cornered him, he was just putting the girl into the back seat of his luxury car. "Stop, stop, damn it!" Asta called out to the man.
"Look at you, making all this mess." A woman said, exiting the car. The woman was dressed in casual clothing, and didn't have any special features to take not off. "Let me clean it out for you.".
The man got into the car, and the woman simply pointed both her arms at them. "Look out!" Midoriya called out to his friends, and soon after, half on the parking lot was demolished by a devastating shockwave, flinging Midoriya and his unsuspecting friends away.
Midoriya vision was blurry, and turning black as he light among the ruins of the parking lot, seeing the car drive away safely.
Several hours later
Midoriya felt a warm, soft feeling on his back. ´Where am I?'. he opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital room, Mimosa sitting at his bedside.
"Thank goodness you're ok, Deku." Mimosa said.
"Yeah, I was worried for you too, Deku" Asta said, and Midoriya could see he was in the bed next to him. "You took the worst of that attack, after all.".
"You too got hurt the worst because you're so reckless." Noelle said, sitting next to Yuno in front of Asta's and Midoriya's beds.
"Sorry to drag you into this, everyone." Midoriya said "I didn't plan the day to go like this".
"You should have told us from the beginning." Yuno said "Who were those guys anyway?".
"I only heard about them today." Midoriya said "There are a villainous organization called the Nine Harbingers of Dawn. I only recognized the young girl that was with them, since we believe they kidnapped her.".
"Really? To me, it looked like two normal people." Noelle said "I mean, if they kidnapped her, why take her to eat ice-cream at such a crowded place where there is a chance they would be recognized?".
"That's a very good question" Endeavor said, entering the room and closing the door behind him. "I hope none of you were hurt too bad.".
"They will need to try much harder to hurt us." Yuno said "I just could use my powers freely since it was a really crowded place.".
"About that," Endeavor replied "I'm sure Midoriya informed you that using powers freely here is illegal. But because you're a special case, I arranged a deal with the police, so it's fine." Endeavor checked for a second that no one was eavesdropping outside of the room, before continuing "I just wanted to drop a message from the overseer of "Project Gate". He said he will be taking all of you home in an hour, but I'm sure you'll be able to meet again." Endeavor turned to go out of the room "I'll be waiting outside, so don't keep me waiting."
Kurogo's P.O.V
"What the hell was that?!" Mei asked "I'm sure that now they're on to our trail! What were you thinking taking her to a public place?!"
"I think that kids need to see some sun and breath some fresh air!" Kurogo replied "I was just taking her to eat some ice-cream. If you want to replace me, you're welcome to do so."
"We both know why it's your job, Yami." Mei said "You're lucky I was close when I got your emergency call."
"Can you both stop?" Kiyo asked sleepily from the back seat "You're giving me a headache."
"Just go back to sleep, Kiyo-chan." Mei said, suddenly changing her tone "The adults are speaking.".
"Well, anyway." Kurogo said "Notify Kuroda. We're moving today, before they catch on."
"Okay" Mei said, pulling out her cellphone "What do we do about her?".
"We'll know tonight." Kurogo said, looking back at the sleeping girl "When we ask the boss.".
Several Hours Later
Kurogo and his colleagues were sitting inside his car, protected from the pouring rain outside.
"There's your target, hotshot". Hebira told their young operative.
"Whatever, have my back" Rei said as he exited the car with his umbrella, walking towards the man that just exited the building they were parked next to. After the Young man took care of the scientist, the three men got out of the car.
"Let's go." Kurogo said "Remember the mission. Don't you dare fail."
"You know we won't" Yurochi said, smiling.
"Yeah, count on us, old man." Hebira said, his fangs showing in his wide smile.
They entered the lobby, encountering four heroes that sought refuge from the rain inside the building.
"You're not supposed to be here." On of the heroes spoke "Please leave this establishment-" he was quickly struck down by Yurochi, who proceeded to take care of the rest of the heroes with his extensive collection of blades.
"Ya see that, boss?" Yurochi asked.
"Let's get going, we don't have a lot of time, airhead." Hebira said.
Kurogo went over to a pair of doors which had a sign above them. "Project Gate.". ´Must be it.'. he opened the doors, surprising the scientist who were working late at night in the lab.
"Good evening," Kurogo said "everyone, step away from your work stations. This is a robbery.". the shocked scientists stayed silent, stepping away slowly from whatever they were working on. In the middle of the room, a transparent chamber stood, and inside, their prize. The man possessing the unique quirk they heard about.
"Mockingbird, take the device" Kurogo instructed Rei, using his codename.
As Rei walked off to one of the work stations, Kurogo walked to the transparent chamber, breaking through its wall. "Hello there, Aokiri Iriguchi" Kurogo greeted the man inside "We heard a lot about your quirk's special qualities." Kurogo grabbed the man "Especially the part about you not being able to teleport yourself." Kurogo knocked the man unconscious and hauled him onto his shoulder.
"Let's go." He instructed his colleagues. And with that, they left the building, hearing the sirens approaching from a distance. ´The heroes would be here soon, we better leave quickly.'.
Back at the mansion, Kurgo delivered the man they kidnapped to the secret labs of doctor Shiguma, before going upstairs again. He now stood before a dark oak door, at the entrance to his charge's room. Kurogo knocked on the door twice.
"Come in."
Kurogo quietly opened the door, shedding light into the dark room. "How are you feeling?" Kurogo asked.
"My head doesn't ache anymore, so I think I'm doing better." The girl answered from her bed "Mr. Kurogo, could you read me a bedtime story?".
"Honestly, you really act like a child sometimes." Kurogo replied "I can't. I'll be busy tonight. Maybe tomorrow.".
"Ok, good night, Mr. Kurogo." Kiyo said, turning in her bed.
"Good night" Kurogo exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"I never guessed you would get along so well with the girl" Mei said, leaning against the wall behind him.
"I have one at home, so I have some experience." Kurogo turned to his colleague "Let's go down to the labs. It's finally time."
"The doctor sure is clever." Mei said, walking beside him "I can't believe he figured those systems out so quick."
"Let's hope he really did." Kurogo said, entering his code into the library's keypad. "Otherwise, it won't end well.".
"You really need to drop your mean demeanor sometimes, you big softie." Mei replied, elbowing the huge man, as the descended to the labs.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kurogo said, a smile appearing out of his seemingly featureless face.
"Oh, you're finally here!" Dr. Shiguma greeted the duo "I've just made some last-minute tweaks, and I'm ready now."
"I have no idea what do you want, but I'm not helping" their hostage said, tied to a metal chair.
"Oh, but you will." Shiguma said, clicking some metal band that circled the man's head, making it light up with dim blue light.
"Are you sure it'll work?" Kurogo asked.
"Of course it will." Shiguma replied, calibrating the device "After all, from what Rei gathered, they used this to tap into a completely different world. Or reality? The papers weren't really sure either.".
"And…go." Shiguma pressed a button on his computer, and the band around the pale man's head beeped, with the man seemingly blanking out.
"Are you sure it worked?" Mei asked, and suddenly the man's eye glowed, as Mist materialized in front of them, swirling around like a twister.
Then it dispersed quickly, leaving one figure standing.
"Welcome back, boss." Kurogo greeted the man.
"Took you long enough" Kai Chisaki said, scanning the room he was standing him.
"Good to see you again, boss." Shiguma said "Don't worry, I'll fix your arms right away."
The man sighed before speaking again "How's the project coming along? I reckon you had enough time to yield results. After we lost the other project to those damn heroes…You better have some good news".
"She is doing great, and she did yield results." Kurogo said.
"Yeah, I think I'm on my way to perfect the process." Shiguma said "I've already amplified some of our other members, but that girl is my masterpiece. By using a live, adaptive subject, I completely avoided the creation of those horrible Nomu creatures like All for One.".
"I see." The boss said "After I'm ready again, I better see those results."
"Yes, sir." Everyone said, and the pale man in the metal chair just looked on in horror.
"dismissed" the boss said as he walked away with Dr. Shiguma.
´Results…I better start showing results, or he won't be happy.'.
Midoriya's P.O.V
It already was about 2 months since Midoriya last seen his friends from the other place, 2 months from the first time he engaged the Nine Harbingers for the first time. Midoriya had tough months of trying to catch up to his class, all the while interning at Endeavor's agency. The patrols were mostly quiet, and Midoriya was kind of glad for the quiet life he has now.
Midoriya, Todoroki and Bakugo were waiting for Endeavor to arrive at the agency, after he notified them that something important has happened.
"Good morning, boys." Endeavor greeted them as he entered the office "We have an urgent matter to attend to. We finally found them."
"Found who?" Midoriya asked.
"The Nine Harbingers." Endeavor said "we discovered suspicious activity from a bunch of warehouses at Fukaiwan port. We'll be mobilizing today along with other hero agencies, so get ready and meet me in the lobby. Understood?".
"Yes, sir!" they all said simultaneously as Endeavor left the room.
"Finally, a bit of action!" Bakugo said "I've gotten tired from those boring patrols".
"Let's go." Todoroki headed for the door of the office "I hope you're all ready."
As they descended to the lobby, they saw much more heroes than were normally at Endeavor's agency, including some of their own classmates.
"Good to see you're back in action, you three." Tokoyami greeted them in the lobby.
"It is reassuring knowing we are all working together." Iida said, gesturing in a robotic manner.
"Listen up." Endeavor called everyone's attention to him "Today, we are going to raid a couple of warehouses in Fukaiwan port, in an attempt to bring down the Nine Harbingers organization. I am confident everyone has been briefed in your respective agencies. We'll hit them hard and fast, and try to keep collateral damage to a minimum. Any questions?".
Silence.
"Then let's go." Endeavor said "we'll split up to several groups, with each agency hitting the warehouses from a different side. Spread out."
And with that, Endeavor, his interns, and sidekicks went out to the streets, heading to the port. ´After today, we'll finally be able to meet again!'.
"Remember, our priority is securing the girl and the warp guy, capturing the villains is second to securing hostages." Endeavor said, the warehouses already in sight.
"Aye, aye." His sidekick, Burnin' replied.
"Spread out, and take them by surprise." Endeavor said "each one of you take a different building. Go!". Midoriya picked the farthest warehouse. A small building, overshadowed by the bigger ones. His instincts told him to go there, and he followed them along.
After entering the building through a ceiling window, he walked along one on the beams that hanged beneath the roof. In the far corner of the building, he could see five people, one of them tied to chair. ´That's them, it must be.' Just as Midoriya was about to jumped down and confront them, one on the people turned around towards his direction.
The man couldn't see Midoriya could see the man with the plague doctor mask pretty clearly. ´That's…That's Overhaul! I heard he escaped, but to think he was part of this…' looking at the man, he could see something abnormal about him, in particular that he had arms. They were black, had claws, and had bioluminescent, purple spots along them. But there was no mistaking him, it was certainly the dangerous man Midoriya fought all this time ago. ´I can't let him escape, not if he's part of this…'. Midoriya heard behind him the door to the warehouse open, his friends Iida and Tokoyami standing in the entrance.
In response, overhaul simply touched the wall, erecting a barrier to block the two young heroes, but not Midoriya.
´He's not going anywhere!'. Midoriya charged the villains, cocking his fist back.
To Midoriya's surprise, the man tied to a chair was one of the hostages, the warp guy. ´Don't tell me…' Blue mist appeared out of thin air, circling around the villains and Midoriya.
"Midoriya!" Iida called out to him, grabbing him.
"You're not going anywhere!" Tokoyami's dark shadow grabbed his leg.
It was enough to stop Midoriya's momentum fast enough, and he attempted to stop the teleportation, punching the pale man's face, breaking the metal band on his head in the process. ´Thank goodness-'.
It was too late, and Midoriya's vision went dark, barely feeling his friends grabbing him. ´Not again, it can't happen again!'.
Midoriya shot awake not so long later, the grass feeling cool under his body on the familiar field. Looking around, he saw his two friends lying on the ground next to him, but he saw no sign of Overhaul or his lackeys. ´Well, I get to see my friends again, but not the way I wished to.' He picked up both his unconscious friends ´I have to find out where Overhaul is, and what is he doing here. I can't believe that monster walks free again.'.
Midoriya walked over to Hage village. 'I have to notify the Magic Knights, before he strikes.'. Midoriya approached the resident church of Hage, encountering Sister Lily who was busy hanging the laundry. "Oh, Izuku." She spoke "I haven't seen you in a long time- wait, are those people okay?".
"Yeah, they're just unconscious." Midoriya said, smiling in a reassuring manner.
"bring them here, I'll use my magic on them." She said, putting her basket aside.
Midoriya put his friends on the ground next to the nun. "I recognize the bird-headed fellow, but not the other one. Your friend?" She said, kneeling beside them with her grimoire open.
"yeah" Midoriya replied.
"What brings you here again?" Lily asked.
"Well, I wanted to come around to visit, but I got here on mistake." Midoriya explained.
"I see." She said "Did you hear what happened to Asta?"
"No, something bad happened?" Midoriya asked, suddenly concerned for his friend.
"It happened about 5 months ago." Lily said, activating her magic "After the whole mess with the elves, they tried blaming it on Asta, and they summoned him to a trial. Now Asta has a suspended sentence, but I worry for his safety.".
´How come he didn't tell me about that?'.
"I guess you're going to see him, aren't you?" Lily said "When you do, I'll appreciate if you take a letter from us to give him.".
"Of course." Midoriya replied, taking the envelope the nun gave him.
"Where am I…" Iida mumbled, waking up.
"Iida!" Midoriya said "It's okay, you're safe."
"Good to know that." Tokoyami said "What about the villains?"
"No sign of them." Midoriya replied.
"Villains?" Sister Lily asked.
"Yes, villains." Midoriya said "They escaped here, and we are attempting to stop them. If you ever see someone with a bird mask around, please get away from him and notify someone.".
"I see." Sister Lily said "I hope you have a safe trip, then." She got up from the ground, and returned to hanging the laundry as Midoriya and his friends got up to leave.
"Thank you for your help" Midoriya said "I'll see you around" he waved goodbye as he walked away with his friends.
"Midoriya, don't tell me…" Iida said "We are at that place, right?".
"Yeah." Midoriya answered "It seems like we were taken along with the villains. But I wonder, what are they looking for here? Could it be they somehow know about this place?".
"What do you mean, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked.
"none of us ever told anyone this, but since you're here, you deserve to know." Midoriya said "In this place, people with quirks don't exist, but people have another extraordinary ability. Using magic."
"Magic? Don't joke with us, Midoriya" Iida replied.
"You'll believe it when you see it, Iida" Midoriya said "anyway, you'll see people going around with a book. That's called a grimoire, and they use that book to cast complicated magic spells. You should also know that everyone here is born with only one kind of magic, and they'll have it for life.".
"That's kind of a lot to process." Tokoyami said "You can't just drop all of this out of nowhere.".
"I know, I know." Midoriya said "I'll explain more later, but first, we should head over there" Midoriya pointed at the distant capital "That is this kingdom's capital. We should go over there to find out where my friends are."
"Your friends? You mean your friends from this place?" Iida asked.
"Yeah, they're a helpful bunch. We should also report that Overhaul is roaming free in this kingdom, and alert them to the danger he poses."
"Good to hear." Tokoyami said.
"I just remembered," Midoriya said "I hope you have some way to conceal yourself, Tokoyami, since people here don't have quirks, you'll just attract attention.".
"I see" Tokoyami pulled his costume's hood over his head.
"I can carry Tokoyami, so he won't need to use his quirk a lot in the sun." Midoriya looked at the morning sun rise behind the devil's skull "But you'll have to go on your own Iida."
"Don't worry about me, Midoriya" Iida said "I've been training a lot since your disappearance, I won't let you lot leave me behind."
"That's the way, Iida!" Midoriya smiled at his friend's enthusiasm "Let's go. Tokoyami, just climb on my back and use Dark Shadow to hold on". After his friend embarked, both Iida and Midoriya started running towards the capital, skipping over a river, running through a forest, and climbing a mountain. 'I can help but feel nostalgic. I hope everyone from the Black Bulls is okay.'.
"Midoriya," Iida said as they walked through the streets of the royal capital "Maybe Tokoyami gets less stares, but you didn't say anything about me!".
"I didn't think your costume would attract such attention." Midoriya said, rubbing the back of his head "but in hindsight, I should've expected this.".
"Where are we heading, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked.
"over there." Midoriya pointed at the large castle that served as the Magic Knight Headquarters "That's the Magic Knights Headquarters, the residence of the Wizard King. The Magic Knights are people that act like heroes, protecting the kingdom with their magical abilities, and the Wizard King is the strongest mage and their overseer, kind of like the number one hero, but with much more authority."
"I see." Iida said.
"There we are." Midoriya said, standing in front of the castle "Let's go inside and ask about the Black Bulls' whereabouts."
"The Black Bulls?"
"They are the Magic Knight squad I used to be part of here." Midoriya explained.
"Izuku, it's nice to see you again with us." A man greeted him from the top of the stairs leading to the castle.
"Captain Fuegoleon! Nice to you're doing better." Midoriya replied.
"I see you have some friends here with you today."
"Yeah, those are my friends Tenya Iida and Fumikage Tokoyami." Midoriya said "I came here to speak to the Wizard King, and I have important news."
"I see." Fuegoleon replied "Come after me." Fuegoleon entered the building with the young heroes in tow. "I honestly didn't expect to see you again here." Fuegoleon said "What brings you all back here?".
"We were on an operation to apprehend a villainous organization" Midoriya explained "But we got sent here on accident by them."
"Well, here we are." Fuegoleon stopped before a certain door, not the place Midoriya remembered as the Wizard King's office. "Only Izuku is permitted to enter. You two can wait outside here with me.".
Iida opened his mouth to voice a complaint, but Midoriya spoke before he could "It's okay, guys. Captain Fuegoleon is really nice, and I won't be long.".
Midoriya entered the room, and Fuegoleon shut the door behind him quickly. In the room, next to the window, he could see a young, blond kid sitting on a chair. "Ummm…I think that I made a mistake" Midoriya said, turning to leave the room.
"I think you didn't, Izuku" the kid said "It might sound confusing to you, but I am indeed the Wizard King."
"You? Julius?" Midoriya asked.
The kid nodded his head "It will be complicated to explain now." He said "But I am glad to see you again.".
"I'm glad to be here again." Midoriya said "Well, anyway, I came with bad news."
"Bad news?" Julius suddenly looked really attentive.
"Yes. I'm afraid dangerous criminals from my home have made their way to the Clover Kingdom." Midoriya explained "While trying to apprehend them, me and two of my friends were sent back here. I do need you to warn the Magic Knights about someone particular. He goes by the alias "Overhaul". He has the power to disassemble and reassemble everything he touches, making even the slightest touch from him 100% lethal. He wears a really obvious bird mask, so that can be used as a tell-tale sign to recognize him.".
Julius stopped to think for a few seconds, getting up from his chair and facing the window. "What are those people looking for here?" Julius asked.
"I'm not sure myself, but what I am sure of is that they stole the only way for us to travel from our home to here." Midoriya said "So I thought in the meantime, we could investigate the matter farther."
"A lot has changed in your absence, Izuku" Julius said "for starters, as you can see, in my current form, I don't have as much influence as I used too, and I can't reveal myself while I'm like that. We have also been weakened, as the Black Bulls have been banished from the Kingdom, and we are now in conflict with the Spade Kingdom.".
"Banished?" Midoriya asked "And a Spade Kingdom?".
"I'll explain." Julius said "first of all, the Black Bulls have been banished to clear their name and investigate devils and curses after Asta was trialed, and the Black Bulls crashed the courtroom."
´Sounds like them.'
"And the Spade Kingdom is a neighboring Kingdom that is trying to extend its reach and take advantage of our current weakness." Julius explained "And now you say villains from your world have come over here…this is just becoming a mess. And here I hoped for some peace after the war with the Elves."
"Wait, did you say the Black Bulls are investigating curses and devils?" Midoriya asked.
"Yes, we believe the Spades use the power of devils like the one you fought."
Memories from the tough fight against the devil came back to Midoriya's mind, but he quickly came back to his senses.
"So wait, where are the Black Bulls if they're banished from the Clover Kingdom." Midoriya asked.
"They're currently in another neighboring Kingdom, the heart kingdom." Julius said, before realizing something "You want to join them, don't you?".
"Yes." Midoriya answered.
"Look, I can make an arrangement for you." Julius said "I'll have Marx arrange a boat for you, and it will take you to the Heart Kingdom."
"Thank you very much, Wizard King." Midoriya said, giving the kid a small bow.
"How are the rest of your friends? Are they okay back home?" Julius asked.
"Yes, they're all doing good." Midoriya replied.
"Good to hear that. Talking about friends…" Julius looked back towards the window "You may want to visit the Golden Dawn while you have the chance. I'm sure that by the time you'll be back the boat will be ready".
"I'll do just that, then." Midoriya said "Ummm…Wizard King, do you by any chance have a Black Bulls' robe to provide us? I left mine back home."
"No, only Yami can give those away." Julius said "Have a safe trip.".
"Thank you!" Midoriya said, leaving the room.
"Is it all?" Fuegoleon asked.
"Yes." Midoriya said "Captain Fuegoleon, do you by any chance know where the Golden Dawn's base is located?".
"I do. But it will be simpler to just ask Cob to send you away." Fuegoleon said "He should be around the garden."
"Thank you very much, Captain Fuegoleon." Midoriya said "Let's go, guys."
"Midoriya, I've been thinking about it…but how are we supposed to return home?" Iida asked.
"Well." Midoriya explained, looking around to find the garden "Since the villains kidnapped the only man who can transport us from home over here and back, we can't. once the heroes rescue him, I'm sure they'll come for us."
"I understand, but I can't shake off the feeling that we'll be here more than we want to." Iida said "Think about the bigger impact of this incident. Two times students disappear, only to be found at a later date. This will raise some eyebrows, and maybe even affect our ability to perform internships.".
´He's right, we should resolve it quickly.' But then again, after experiencing this once, Midoriya didn't exactly feel too bad. He knew there was a known way to go back home, and that people will know where to find them. But the seed of worry was still planted by Iida. ´What if something were to happen to him…will we ever get back home? It's not time for that attitude!'.
After some walking around the castle, Midoriya found an exit that led into what looked like the garden, and just as Fuegoleon said, Cob was sitting on a marble bench, watching the city that spread beneath the balcony. "Hey there, Cob" Midoriya called out to the man, getting his attention "I was just wandering if you could send us to the Golden Dawn's headquarters?".
"I don't see a reason not to." Cob smiled, getting up and getting his grimoire out. Soon, a pair of doors opened before them out of thin air, revealing a portal.
"Thank you very much" Midoriya said, giving the goofy man a smile before heading into the portal.
"Now, that must be a bit excessive" Tokoyami said, seeing the large castle that was the Golden Dawn's headquarters. "What are we here for again?".
"Ummm…not much, actually." Midoriya said "I just wanted to check up on a friend."
"You seem to know a lot of people here" Iida said, looking around the expensive structure.
"Yeah, I never really mentioned it, but I spent here more than six months, while for you only two passed." Midoriya explained "Those are people that I fought next to, and went on adventures with. It's almost like a second home for me."
"Nice to hear that." A familiar voice said from behind him "nice to see you again, Izuku.".
Midoriya turned around to see Yuno and two other Golden Dawn members standing behind them.
"Yuno! It's been so long!" Midoriya said, walking over to his friend.
"It's Vice-Captain Yuno for you, shrimp." One of the Magic Knights said.
"It's ok, he's a Magic Knight too." Yuno said "Although you seem to lack a robe."
"Vice-Captain? You are going up the ranks really quickly, Yuno." Midoriya said.
"I hope you've gotten stronger, too." Yuno said "Or else, I'll leave you in the dust."
"We'll see about that." Midoriya said "Let me introduce my two friends to you. This is Fumikage Tokoyami, I think you've already met." Tokoyami removed his hood, revealing his bird head, shocking the two Magic Knights standing behind Yuno. "and this is Tenya Iida". Iida waved to Yuno in a robotic manner.
"Honestly, after you didn't visit for almost half a year, I was sure we won't hear from you so soon." Yuno said.
"It's not that simple" Midoriya said "You see, Villains have stolen our one and only way of getting here, so I couldn't visit."
"So how come you are here?" Yuno asked.
"Well…It's a long story."
"I see." Yuno said "If you came to see Mimosa too, she isn't here."
"Really? Why?" Midoriya asked.
"She's in the Heart Kingdom currently." Yuno said "If you aren't here to stay, I can take all of you back to the capital. I was planning on heading that way for a mission anyway."
"It would be appreciated" Midoriya replied.
Yuno brought his grimoire out, and soon wind started forming beneath them, forming into an ark of sorts, and it took off into the sky. "Yuno, how's William?" Midoriya asked.
"He's okay. He's been demoted after the war with the Elves." Yuno explained "now he serves as a vice-captain along me and Langris, while his former Vice-Captain has taken on the role of captain."
"Wait, war on the Elves?" Iida asked "Midoriya, you fought a war?".
"Ummm…Kinda." Midoriya asked "It's a really long story. I'll tell you once we have enough time."
"This whole day…is just too much to stomach" Iida said, sitting down on the solid wind that formed the ark.
"It was weird on my first time here, and it still is." Tokoyami said.
"I think that's your stop here." Yuno said, hovering above a patch of grass next to the capital.
"Thank's Yuno" Midoriya said "I'll see you again soon."
"You better, or next time we'll meet I'll be captain already." Yuno said, giving him a smirk.
"I'd like to see that" Midoriya jumped off the ark, and it took off again into the sky, carrying Yuno away "I'm sorry if today's very weird for you. But we're heading out again, this time to another kingdom. And we can look into the Overhaul situation farther.".
"Well, by now, we might as well just follow your lead." Tokoyami said "You seem to know your way around.".
A shimmering screen appeared next to Midoriya, and the familiar face of Marx appeared on it. "Izuku, Izuku do you hear me?".
"Yes, loud and clear, Marx" Midoriya replied.
"Please head over to the seaside town of Marevilla." Marx instructed, and a map of the clover kingdom appeared instead of his face, with a red dot indicating their destination.
"No problem" Midoriya said "We'll be there as fast as we can".
"Great, I'll personally wait for your arrival" Marx said, and the screen disappeared.
"Let's head out. We have a long way to go" Midoriya said.
Midoriya smiled as the sun washed over his face, and the fresh air graced his nostrils. ´It's good to be back.'. and with that, Midoriya and his friends headed off to Marevilla, and towards a new adventure.
Hope you enjoyed!
About the Nine Harbingers. They are OC's and will be introduced more as they appear in the story, so they are mostly vague in this chapter.