Chapter 8: Greasy Meetings

Izuku and Ruriko were sitting next to each other in their empty homeroom. Their desks were covered in open notebooks and textbooks (most of them Izuku's) while they studied. It was after hours and their classroom was filled with a rare peace, disturbed only by Ruriko's muttering. Occasionally she would swear and start violently erasing some of her work while Izuku flipped through his textbook.

It felt weird studying for the Entranceway Exam. Aldera had been his school for years and he would be leaving it behind soon. He'd be lying to himself if he said he was going to miss the place, but it was a big change. For better or worse, him and his classmates had grown up together and now they'd be going their separate ways. Would they remember him? Besides Kacchan, he doubted it. Hell, Kacchan would only remember him out of hatred.

While he reminisced, Ruriko let out a tortured sigh. Laying her pencil down, she shook her head in resignation before facing him.

'Here I finished.' she said in a drained voice, 'Did I do this right?'

Izuku snapped out of his memories and glanced over. Ruriko was holding out her notebook for his inspection, a desperate air about her. Prying the notebook from her hands, he looked over her chemistry work. Grimacing, he shook his head.

'It's only half right. Remember if your units don't cancel out-' he started, but his words were instantly drowned out by Ruriko's squeal of excitement.

'Really? I did it right? Oh my God, I don't believe it!'

He looked back at her in alarm.

'W-Well, I mean you o-only did it half right. Your final answer is still wrong!'

'But like, it's a start though yeah? This calls for a break.' she said happily.

He gave her a weak grin as she slammed her school books shut with relish. For the past five days he had been helping her prepare for the Entrance Exams as payment for her help with his fitness test. Thanks to her, Mr. Ijime had no choice but to affirm his fitness claim and give him a recommendation. If all went as planned, he would get into UA after all.

Studying had been slow going at first, but she was steadily improving. As a side effect of helping her study, Izuku found himself an effective means of reviewing his own coursework too so it wasn't all bad. Unfortunately, his study sessions prevented him from repairing his costume, but he figured he needed to study eventually and helping Ruriko was as good a time as any.

'I can hardly wait for this all to end! As soon as tomorrow is over, I'm going to go to my room and just pass out.' Ruriko said sighing, 'What about you, Deku?'

'Yeah. Sleep sounds good.' he said, nodding.

Over the past five days he had been using his break from crimefighting to recover from his fatigue. He felt guilty for not patrolling the slums, but with his costume out of commission, there was nothing he could do until after the exams.

'So what school did you apply for?' Ruriko asked.

'I, uh, applied for UA.'

She snorted with laughter and he felt his cheeks redden. Upon seeing his expression, she quickly straightened her face.

'Sorry Deku. I know you're like, the smartest kid in school, but brains can't help if you don't have a strong quirk.'

'Do you really think that?' he asked sadly, 'Quirks aren't everything. Besides, I aced the fitness exam. That has to count for something.'

'Yeah but like, All Might can run as fast as a bullet train and punch down a skyscraper. That's the kind of power you need to make it into UA.'

'Not every hero has a super powerful quirk like All Might though.' he pointed out and Ruriko shrugged.

'Most of them do. I'm not trying to get you down or anything Deku, but that's just how it is. Like, you don't see me trying to become a hero with my weak ass quirk.' she finished bitterly.

He frowned at her. It was true she didn't have a particularly flashy power. Her quirk allowed her to see in the ultraviolet and x-ray spectrums of light. A side effect of her enhanced vision was that she had to wear special sunglasses whenever she was outside to protect her sensitive eyes.

'I think you could become a pro hero if you really wanted to.' he said earnestly and she scoffed.

'What? How? If someone wants to beat me they just need a powerful enough flashlight.'

'Maybe. But on the other hand, you can perceive colours and qualities in light that no one else can. You can see where electronics are, and harmful radiation. I think your quirk could be really useful under the right circumstances.'

She was silent so he continued.

'You know, people are always saying you need a powerful quirk to be a hero or to be successful, but I don't believe it! I think that as long as you try and do the right thing, put in the work, and are willing to carry the responsibility of looking out for the people around you, you can be a hero. Power or no.'

He noticed that she was studying him intently beneath her opaque glasses and he suddenly got embarrassed at his outburst.

'W-Well anyway, let's get back to your chemistry work. Here, how about you try balancing this formula…'

The next day Izuku sat with his classmates and wrote the dreaded Entranceway Exam. Predictably it had been as easy as he had thought it would be. After checking over his paper a final time, he turned in his test and returned to his desk. Shortly after Bakugo also finished and handed in his paper, a smug smirk on his face. With nothing else to do, Izuku began twiddling his thumbs and looked around the room. Everyone else was frantically scanning over their test, trying desperately to remember their notes.

Glancing over at Ruriko, he was pleased to see that she was at least writing in answers unlike her friends. They all looked like they were trying to decipher another language.

Mr. Tamanegi lifted his head up from his swim suit magazine and peered over at the clock.

'Two hours left.' he said, licking his thumb and turning the page.

There was a collective moan around the room and the sound of scribbling intensified. Yawning, Izuku put his head on his desk and started to think about how he'd repair his costume. Eyes closing, he drifted off to sleep. The next thing he knew, he awoke to the sound of scrapping desks. Jolting back upright, he guessed that Mr. Tamanegi had called the exam to an end. Stretching his arms, he watched as his classmates trudged up to Mr. Tamanegi desk, their shoulders slumped in defeat.

'I will have your results for you by Monday. Enjoy your weekend!' he said with sadistic cheer.

The bell rang and Izuku stood. While everyone began nervously questioning each other about this or that math or science problem, he silently gathered his things and left before he was noticed. Funnily enough, Bakugo was doing the same. No doubt he was thinking the same thing he was. If they stuck around, everyone would try and use them to check their answers. Once he was safely out of the school, he started on his way home. He couldn't help but feel oddly nostalgic as he walked the familiar route back to his apartment. Times were changing and soon he'd be leaving Aldera Junior High behind and become a high schooler. Sighing, he shifted his old All Might backpack and slowed down to enjoy the trip. Sooner than he would have liked he arrived back at his apartment building.

'Welcome home Izu! How did the test go?' His mother asked as she busied herself around the kitchen.

'It was about what I expected.' he said, letting his backpack drop from his shoulder onto the floor. He sniffed the air.

'What're you making?' he asked excitedly. He had caught a familiar scent.

'Well I thought you could use a special treat for finishing your exams so I made Katsudon!'

'Oooooh!' Izuku said, advancing into the kitchen.

'It's not ready yet doofus! Go watch TV or something, I'll call you when it's done.'

Reluctantly, he went over to the couch and turned on the TV. Making himself comfortable, he navigated over to the disaster alert channel. What he saw almost made his heart stop. There on the screen was an enlarged still image of him in his costume inside a convenience store. He quickly turned up the volume.

'Police are asking for help identifying this figure. He is male, likely in his late twenties to early thirties and is of smaller stature. It is believed that he is involved in the gang violence within the inner-city area. If you have any information concerning his past or present whereabouts please call the villain alert hotline. The villain name assigned to this individual is Spider-Man.'

Izuku's jaw dropped as the reporter continued.

I've been classified as a villain? Because I stopped a convenience store robbery? And what's with that name? Spider-Man? Why? Why am I called….

A horrible realization creeped into his mind.

They must know that I'm the one who was bitten by the spider! But how?

Looking at the television screen, Izuku watched them replay the surveillance camera footage. He groaned as he saw a thin marking of blood on the floor.

The police must have found my blood and ran it through the quirk database. Even though my identity wouldn't be in there, I'm sure they'd recognize whatever mutation the spider caused! Stupid Deku! Really, really stupid!

Moaning, he dropped his head in his hands.

'Izu? What's wrong? Do you feel sick?'

He looked up at his mother and put on the best smile he could muster.

'No Mom, I just remembered I forgot something at school. I'll have to pick it up on Monday.'

'Well it's nearly ready. Come set the table.'

After dinner, Izuku turned on his computer and went to the Hero Board website. Sure enough, there was a tagged post about the new villain Spider-Man. Initially he was excited to read what people thought of him, but after reading through the comments, he quickly became annoyed to see that most of the discussion revolved around making fun of his costume.

"These street level villains always have the shittiest costumes IMO. He's just a rip off All Might but with none of the pizazz or power."

I did not rip off All Might. It's called a homage! Besides, they were the spider's colours.

He read another comment.

"They set up a hotline for this twirling loser? Just check the men's jazz dance studio, you'll find him creeping around the change rooms in his leotard."

I do not twirl!

He shook his head as he scrolled down.

'Somehow it's fitting that this dork is called Spider-Man. I wonder if the long johns he's wearing has a bum flap for his web."

My costume doesn't have a bum flap! And I don't have web either!

He'd had enough. Scoffing to himself, he closed the page.

I'd like to see these guys do better! I wonder what they would say if they saw me on the street! Well...they'd probably call the cops...

Staring at his empty monitor, he considered what his newfound fame meant.

I suppose this was going to happen sooner or later. I just can't believe that I was identified so fast! I'll need to be twice as careful from now on.

Standing, he went to his closet and took out the shoebox he kept his costume in. Opening it, he looked down at his ripped, bloodstained spandex.

I mean…It's the best I could manage with the materials I had available. I was going to add all sorts of extra details...I think that if I had been able to make the costume as it appears in my head, the reception would have been more positive.

He put away the costume and opened his sketch book. Flipping through his many iterations of his costume, he turned to a fresh page.

Spider-Man, eh?

Izuku spent the rest of the evening redesigning his costume. The red and blue theme was fine it just needed a little certain something. On a whim he sketched a red spider on the back of his character outline. The extra detail went surprisingly well against his mostly blue back.

I should improve my mask too. Maybe something more insect like.

He sketched in two white patches around a full mask for eyes instead of the ski mask style he had before.

It's still similar to All Might in terms of its colors on the legs and arms, but its also unique to me with the whole spider theme. I think I really have something here!

After looking over his drawing he sighed. He could come up with whatever design he wanted, but until he had access to a hero studio he would still be limited to fragile spandex. For now, he was stuck being the twirling loser.

Going back to his boxed costume, Izuku wearily grabbed it and took it to the washroom. It would take a long time to wash all the blood out in the sink.

Dr. Akatani carefully arranged his notes before him as the meeting room filled with professionally dressed men and women. He tried his best to appear calm, though he couldn't help but feel jittery.

The budgetary committee would fight him hard today and he had many enemies in this room. Until recently he and his program were officially slated for termination and all the funds for his program had already been reallocated to other projects (much to the delight of his colleagues who had their own projects to manage). But now with the appearance of Spider-Man he had a real shot at arguing for clemency before the executioner's axe could fall.

Besides having to deal with the fiends of the budgetary committee, he also had to contend with the ethics commission watchdog. Despite what their name might suggest, the ethics commission actually cared very little about proper conduct. Instead it was their job to ensure that his work was never publicly known. The problem was that they had always viewed his program as an unnecessary risk. After all, if his human experiment trials at Tartarus were ever brought to light, he wouldn't be the only one to see a prison cell.

Thankfully he had some allies in the room that he could count on to keep the conversation focused on the benefits his work could bring. Both the Japanese Defence Force appointee and the professional Hero Association Liaison were staunch supporters of his work in the past and he was hopeful that they would voice their opinions during the meeting.

He wasn't worried about unemployment. He just didn't want to lose his position. The JDF had always advocated for his research. When his program was dissolved following the arachnid escape they had even expressed interest in hiring him to continue his work under their administration. It was a good contingency plan but he had little desire to work for the military. Their facilities were crude and their bureaucracy was even more overbearing and inefficient than the federal government.

The Hero Association were also interested in hiring him but working with them would be pointless. While he would have unprecedented freedom to carry out his research as he saw fit, they didn't have nearly the budget to afford the staff and facilities he required to make any meaningful progress.

No. To have any hope of continuing his work, he needed to preserve his job and regain his funding. It was the only way.

As everyone finished taking their seats Jūyō Sekkachi addressed the room.

'Ladies and gentleman thank you for coming on such short notice. This inquiry has been called into the Quirk Suppression Program due to recent lapses in operational security. These lapses resulted in the escape of laboratory experiments, the loss of valuable government property, and the subsequent mutation of a quirkless individual into the being informally known as Spider-Man. Dr. Akatani, state your position for the record.'

'My name is Doctor Mikumo Akatani. I am the current head of the Quirk Suppression Program and I have acted as lead researcher in said program for over twenty years.'

The stenographer's fingers flew across her keyboard as she typed his words.

'Would you please describe, in detail, the events culminating in the security breach at your laboratory?'

Over the next hour Dr. Akatani went through the escape of the arachnid specimen. How improper transport and storage protocols enabled the escape and how it was possible for the spider to exit the building and bite someone. It was all a formality as everything he was saying had already been submitted in writing anyway. It was obvious that Sekkachi was having him narrate his report to the inquiry committee to frame this meeting as an admission of guilt on his part.

When at last he finished the Ethics Commission representative Mr. Nābasu spoke up.

'This is a disaster. We are past the point of partial disclosure. If the public were to learn that government experiments were attacking citizens in the streets, it will become an election issue. We will need to cover this up as quietly as possible.'

'If we are going to contain this we will need to move quickly.' said the Hero Association Liaison Mr. Gizen, 'The quirkless individual bitten by the spider, this Spider-Man, what can you tell us about him?'

Everyone turned back to Dr. Akatani.

'Based on the demographics of the individuals working in downtown Tokyo and the evidence gathered from the police at the first sighting, we can reasonably assume a number of things. First that he is a young working-class professional. Likely a contractor who has found employment with one of the many tech firms in Tokyo. Quirkless individuals tend to gravitate towards highly technical or technology focused jobs to combat their employment limitations. Second, it is likely that while he works in Tokyo he lives in Musutafu.'

'If he's already employed then why is he working as a vigilante?'

'Wish fulfilment.' said Dr. Akatani, 'At his age it may be impossible for him to become a professional hero. Or he already has a stable career and doesn't wish to disrupt his public life.'

'If that is the case he probably won't stay a vigilante for long. Most of those sorts of people turn to crime for their kicks, sooner or later.' Mr. Gizen said grimly.

'Where did the name Spider-Man come from?' Sekkachi asked.

'Spider-Man was a name created by myself following the police forensic report. Not very creative I know, but we needed to put together an alert as quickly as possible to identify the subject for the public.'

'That information should have stayed classified until after this debriefing.' Sekkachi said sternly.

Before Dr. Akatani could respond. Mr. Gizen interrupted.

'With all due respect sir, what's a name? He's already engaging in visible crimes. If we want to capture him promptly, then we will need to issue a broader alert anyway. We should formally request help from the Hero Association and attempt to capture him as soon as possible.'

'I would prefer that we settle this matter with more discretion. Having our heroes chase him down in the streets will raise too many questions.' Nābasu said quickly.

'What do you propose?' Gizen asked.

'We should rely on our government assets. General Mottaiburimashita, can the JDF assist with the search?' ' Nābasu said, looking over at a uniformed man.

'That depends.' said the older man, 'It will take some time to redeploy our assets and receive authorization to conduct operations in a civilian jurisdiction. It may be better if we relied on the police in the meantime.'

'Wait.' Sekkachi said, holding up his hand, 'We are getting ahead of ourselves. This meeting was called to discuss the future of Dr. Akatani's research not Spider-Man.'

'If I may, I believe that the two are one and the same.' Dr. Akatani said before anyone else could speak, 'Spider-Man represents the culmination of my research. In his body lies the answer to so many questions.'

Sekkachi frowned at him.

'By culmination of your research are you referring to the history of mismanagement and budgetary overruns that your work has caused? If so then I would agree with you! It will likely cost an obscene amount of time and money just to arrange for Spider-Man's covert capture.' Sekkachi said.

Dr. Akatani steepled his fingers and began to speak as calmly as he could.

'I cannot deny that the program has been expensive. And that the work has been much more difficult then anyone could have predicted. But that is why Spider-Man is so important. Even when I had unrestricted access to the inmates at Tartarus, I was unable to manifest or remove any quirks. However, by pure luck we have stumbled upon a prime candidate. An individual who has completely adapted to the quirk formula, albeit in a different form via spider bite. Mr. Sekkachi, if I were to have access to this individuals' body, it would accelerate my work to the stage where we could have reliable human testing.'

'Oh, I don't dispute the importance of capturing Spider-Man. As far as I'm concerned, his body is government property, but what I fail to see is why you would need to be included in any future research program in the first place. I'm sure there are other scientists-'

'Chairman, Sir. If I may?' interrupted General Mottaiburimashita.

'Yes?' Mr. Sekkachi said, frowning slightly.

'Sir, I don't think that now is the time to be rearranging our team so to speak. The fact is, that Dr. Akatani is still the world's foremost expert in his field and when we capture Spider-Man I want to have a working quirk modification program as soon as possible. Now you can fire him if you want, that's your call. But how much longer do we really want to drag this out? Ten more years? Another twenty? It took us half our careers just to get this far. As I see it you want this wrapped up just as much as I do, so let's just stay the course.'

'I agree.' Mr. Gizen said nodding, 'Quirk suppression is the future of law enforcement. Already we are seeing mass destruction of public property caused by individuals utilizing the drug Trigger. We need a means to combat these destructive quirks beyond simple imprisonment. If Spider-Man's body is the key to quirk modification, then we will need the research carried out as soon as possible.'

Mr. Sekkachi nodded resignedly.

'Very well. Mr. Nābasu what is your perspective?'

'Well…if we capture Spider-Man it would be best if we maintained the highest level of secrecy possible. Whenever we reshuffle personnel the likelihood of leaks increases dramatically. If for no other reason we should retain Dr. Akatani and as much of his staff as we can.'

Mr. Sekkachi was silent for a while.

'It seems as though everyone else has reached a consensus. Very well Dr. Akatani, I will arrange for your staff and research facility to be returned to you. However, your project will still be reviewed in March of next year. This meeting is adjourned.'

It had taken Izuku all Saturday to finish repairing his costume and by Sunday he was ready to take it back out on patrol. A laughingstock he may be, he still had to keep tabs on the slums. After an uneventful evening, he spotted two low level criminals he recognized having an argument. Normally that wouldn't be a cause for alarm, but what was puzzling was that these two men were part of Speed Demon's gang and they were standing in Shocker's territory. Given the gang war, he decided that it warranted investigating. Climbing stealthily down a storm drain, he carefully crept towards the two bickering men.

'Yo man, I bought you cigs the other day. Spot me one.' whined one of the men to the other.

'Yeah, because you smoked my whole pack. Buy your own.' said the other man turning his shoulder towards his friend who had started reaching towards him.

'Come on, you know they won't let me in that store no more. Don't be a dick.'

'No. Fuck off.'

'What a sad sight.' Izuku said as he clung to the wall. The two thugs jumped and whirled to face him. 'What's a few cigarettes between friends?'

'Oh, shit! It's him!' said one of the men, stepping backwards.

'Who?' she other thug said, eyes wide.

'That guy from the news! You know, uh…'

'Yes? Go on?' Izuku said excitedly.

'Spider-Guy!'

Beneath his mask, Izuku's grin disappeared.

'Eh, close enough.'

Izuku dropped down to the ground and the thugs turned to run. Before they could get away, he grabbed the two men by their jacket collars and roughly shoved them back into the brick wall. Falling to their knees they cowered beneath him.

'Hey cool it dude! We don't go a beef with you!' said one of the two men, raising his hands in front of his face.

'We'll see about that. Why is Speed Demon sending his goons around here?' Izuku said, trying his best to tower over them.

'What? Shit man, we're just here to-to hang out. Chillin' and-'

Izuku sighed and punched the brick wall. The masonry shattered, crumbling to dust. The two men grew pale, their eyes widening in fear.

'Jesus, calm the fuck down! We're not intruding or nothing! If this is your territory we'll split, peaceful like!'

'Why're you guys here? I thought if Speed Demon's boys were caught around these parts, Shocker and his crew would waste you.'

The two thugs looked at each other.

'Well, I mean. They're in, uh, negotiations.'

'What?' Izuku shouted in surprise causing the two to flinch, 'Since when?'

'I-I dunno. About a week? They're calling everyone back from the streets, putting an end to all the fighting. Speed Demon says he and Shocker can be partners again or some shit.'

Izuku put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disbelief.

'Why? I thought Speed Demon said he was never going to turn over his recipe for Trigger?'

'He ain't. They're just changing up how supply works. Shocker's gonna buy his shit from Speed Demon from now on, and Speed Demon isn't gonna bother with his own distribution.'

Beneath his mask Izuku's jaw dropped open in amazement. He never thought that was even an option.

'Doesn't that mean that you two are out of a job then?' Izuku asked.

'Well…we're with Shocker now.'

'Huh.' Izuku said, scratching his chin.

If Shocker and Speed Demon aren't fighting. I guess that means that the slums won't be a warzone anymore so that's a plus.

'Where is Speed Demon now?'

'How should I know? He could be anywhere in the city in ten minutes if he wanted to.'

'Hm. What about Shocker, any clues?'

'Clues? Yeah I got your clue right here.'

The man grabbed his crotch and flipped Izuku the bird. With a sigh, Izuku leaned down and slapped the man, sending him face first into the cracked asphalt. His partner yelped.

'What about you? Any ideas?'

'I-I-I heard ab-ab-about some job in a greasy club on 80th street. I heard from another guy that he said there was this other guy that Shocker needed taken care of.'

'A greasy club on 80th…? Do you mean The Slick Pimp?' Izuku wondered.

'Yeah, that's the place!'

'Hmmmm….'

Izuku stopped to consider this new information. From what he knew Shocker never got his own hands dirty so it was unlikely that he would show up just to take someone out. Still it was better than nothing.

'This other guy….' Izuku started, thinking, 'The one Shocker wants taken care of, what's his name?'

'I-I think it was Knuckle or-or Dusty or something. That's all I know, honest!'

'Knuckle or Dusty...Well, I'd better get going then.' Izuku said, turning around to leave. The thug breathed in relief before Izuku suddenly stopped.

'Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.'

Turning back to the thug, he gave him a fast jab to the chin and knocked him out cold.

I hope they don't card there. Thought Izuku as he scrambled back up the wall and over the building.

Izuku studied the entranceway of The Slick Pimp. Somehow, the word greasy didn't do the establishment justice. Garish purple neon lighting lined the door frame illuminating hollow-eyed salary men in a flickering glow as they wordlessly marched inside. A giant, many armed bouncer leaned lazily by the door as he waved the desperate masses in. He was paying more attention to the tablet in one of his hands then to the unsavory clientele.

If I was in my street clothes I bet I could walk in if I wanted to. He thought as he observed the foot traffic in and out of the club.

Looking up, he saw that the windows were all covered up by darkened steel shutters. No doubt to shield away prying eyes hoping for some free gratification.

Maybe the front is secure, but what about the back?

Slinking into the neighbouring trash filled alley, he saw a rusted, old fire escape bolted on to the side of the building.

Bingo!

Creeping up the side of the building, Izuku carefully dropped down to the top of the shuddering metal walkway. Leading outside to the fire scape, there was a faded, black painted door. Pressing his ear to the door, he didn't hear anyone over the pounding bass of the club. Slowly he tried the door handle but it didn't budge.

Locked. Maybe I should break in?

Gently, he began to prod around the wooden frame. The old wood buckled easily at his touch, but there was a secondary lock holding firm against the warped wood. He would need to destroy the door if he wanted to get in.

Jumping up the wall just above the door, he gripped the wall tightly and planted both his feet at the top the door frame. After a nervous glance around the alley, he swung down and kicked the door.

The rotting wood exploded at the impact. With a loud cracking sound, the door broke in half with the top half caving in just above an iron bar that had been bracing it against intruders.

Something tells me the fire inspector hasn't been here in a while. Thought Izuku as he squeezed over the jagged remnants of the bottom half of the door.

He found himself standing in a stuffy room filled to the brim with all sorts of random clutter. Tacky pompoms, faded costumes, oversized stuffed animals, and cheap children's toys were haphazardly scattered around in old cardboard boxes. It would seem as though this is where the club stored all its old costumes and props.

I can't exactly walk around the club as Spider-Man. If people recognize me they might call the cops or alert Shocker's guys. I need a disguise for my disguise. I never thought I'd ever be so popular!

On a nearby clothes rack, he spotted a long, tan trench coat with matching fedora. As he slipped the coat over his costume, he suddenly caught a whiff of an overpoweringly sweet smell about the collar.

Hopefully this is a girl's costume. And hopefully they only danced in it! Thought Izuku, stifling a sneeze as he drew the coat closed around him.

Grabbing the hat, and putting it on, he completed his disguise.

I look like a creepy pervert but considering the foot traffic outside, I should blend right in.

Navigating through the prop junkyard, he quietly opened the far door and poked his head into the hallway outside.

Glancing around he saw rows of doors alongside a carpeted hallway with a flight of stairs leading down to the club floor. Shutting the door softly behind him, he made his downstairs towards the pulsing rhythm. Unlocking the door from his side, he cautiously cracked it open so he could peer out.

Upon looking in, Izuku's eyes were immediately drawn to the tables where unenthusiastic looking young(ish) women in billowy, sashaying costumes were in various stages of undress. Seated around them were crowds of hungry eyed men who watched them gyrate and twirl while they sipped on cheap beer. The yellow stage lights illuminating the dancers gave the surrounding leering masses an unhealthy, sallow appearance. Despite himself, Izuku felt himself blush and his heart race at the sight of the girls. Closing the door, he considered his next move.

There are so many people…Maybe I could walk around unnoticed. Would a masked man be so strange in a place like this?

Before he could make up his mind he heard footsteps making their way across the carpeted floor at the head of the stairs above. Cursing softly, he took a deep breath and stepped outside.

The smell of cheap perfume, sweat, cigarettes and alcohol immediately assaulted him as he entered the club floor and he stood helplessly for a moment. He wasn't used to being out in the open in his costume and he felt extremely self conscious. Across the floor, he spotted the bar.

Maybe I should ask if they know Knuckles there.

Tilting his hat low to try to look as inconspicuous as possible, he shuffled off towards the bar counter.

'Yeah baby, shake it, yeeeeahhh!' shouted a slurred voice that Izuku knew all to well.

Mr. Tamanegi?

At a nearby table Izuku was horrified to see his homeroom teacher, drunk out of his mind, leaning over towards a dancer. His fumbling hands were attempting to tuck a one thousand yen note into a hooved strippers garter he found his target. Slipping in the note, his hands suddenly darted up in an attempt to grope the woman.

'No touching.' said the dancer in a suspiciously deep sing song voice as she kicked him swiftly back down to his seat. Bouncing off the chair, he fell rolling and whining on the dirty floor.

While Izuku was stunned at the sight of his flailing, drunken teacher, a dancer came over to him.

'Hey there Mr. Mysterious, you want a private dance?'

Izuku barely heard her.

'Th-That guy is my homeroom teacher.' he said weakly, watching as Mr. Tamanegi tried to stand back up only to fall over backwards again.

'Oh, yeah? You know, I thought he looked familiar. I think he taught me too. Small world.' said the girl with a shrug before she walked away.

Izuku shook his head. Covering his masked face with his hand in embarrassment, he left his teacher behind to wallow.

Approaching the bar, Izuku sat on one of the stools next to a big man in a dark grey overcoat. Izuku was surprised to see that he was wearing a mask too.

Looks like I'm not the only one concealing his identity.

Eventually the barkeep came up to him.

'What'll it be?' shouted the barkeep over the music.

'Um, I'll have a coke.'

The barkeep grabbed him a can and plopped it in front of him.

'Two hundred yen.' she chimed.

Fishing through his pockets under his coat, Izuku pulled out the cash he was saving for the vending machines at the subway station.

'Thanks.' he said, taking his drink, 'Hey, do you know a guy named Knuckle? Or maybe Dusty? I'm looking for him.'

The barkeep raised her eyebrow and smirked at him, taking his money, she walked away to the other end of the bar. Before Izuku could call after her, the man he was sitting beside turned to him.

'Knuckle? What are you looking for him for?' growled the man. He was a big guy and from the size of his arms, heavily muscled. Izuku didn't need his sixth sense to tell him that this man was dangerous.

'I was told he's in danger. Do you know him.' Izuku asked, unperturbed by the masked man's aggressive demeanour.

'Know'em? I- wait a minute.' The man looked him up and down, 'Hey! You're that guy from the convenience store robbery! I should-'

'Shhhh!' hissed Izuku glancing around, 'I'm not a bad guy! I was helping those people, I saved everybody!'

'Oh? Then how come the news called you a dangerous criminal?'

Izuku paused, 'Well, I mean, I am technically a dangerous criminal because I'm a vigilante. But I'm certainly not a villain! Think about it, what kind of gangster stops a convenience store robbery of all things.'

The man looked at him again and Izuku stared back into his grey-blue eyes.

'Mmhmm. Well listen if you want to meet Knuckles-'

'You're Knuckles.' interrupted Izuku impatiently, 'I see that now. It's obvious-'

'I SAID if you want to meet Knuckles go to the parkade on 77th street. Wait on the third floor by the red graffiti.'

'What? Why? Let's talk here!'

The man ignored him. Turning back to his drink he took a long gulp and belched loudly. With an exasperated sigh, Izuku hopped out of his seat and went for the main exit.

What a hassle. This is probably just a trap.

With a final look at the girls, Izuku exited the club and went out into the street.

Izuku fanned himself as he waited for Knuckles to show up. It was a hot night and his costume was getting sticky with sweat. To his annoyance the coat had wore had imparted its overbearingly sweet smell.

I really should start carrying a water bottle. He thought as he drank the last of his coke.

Crunching the can flat between his hands he placed it into his pocket. He would put it into the recycle bin at his place later.

Rather than wait in the parking building, he was sitting on the ledge of a high rise a half block down. His perch afforded him with a vantage point of both the street and the red graffiti on the third floor. At least he hoped it was the right red graffiti. There was no shortage of it in that building.

This has to be a trap. Why would he want to meet me all the way out here? I'm willing to bet that right now he's phoning the police hotline to get that reward.

But in the last ten minutes, he had yet to feel a single twitch in his spider sense. Finally, way down on the sidewalk below, he saw the big man in the overcoat slowly walk towards the parkade.

About time he showed up.

He watched as the man entered the building and made his way up the levels at a leisurely pace. Eventually he stopped in front of the red graffiti and lit a cigarette. Izuku had kept careful watch while he climbed and he hadn't sensed anything.

It looks like he's alone. I'd better get over there before he leaves.

Hopping down from his ledge, he quickly ran and jumped his was over to the parkade. Leaping from the rooftop of a single-story pawn shop, he arced over the concrete barrier around the side of the parking lot and on to the pavement. Walking between the parked cars, he called out to the man.

'Hey! So, you're Knuckle right? Why did we have to meet here?'

Izuku stopped several feet away from the man and looked him over. He was wearing a long overcoat over a plain black shirt and blue jeans. His half cowl masked shielded his upper face and head while exposing his stubble covered, chin and neck. From the way he carried himself, Izuku sensed that he had seen a lot of fights in his time.

'The name is Knuckleduster kid, and we're meeting here for some privacy. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not discuss business in a scumhole like The Slick Pimp. Besides, if I were in your position I'd be more concerned about keeping my head down right now. The cops seem to have a real hard on for you.'

Knuckleduster lit another cigarette before he continued.

'Y'know, cops wouldn't care about some vigilante charge over a robbery. You must've done something to get so much heat…' he glared over at Izuku who started to fidget under the older man's gaze.

'I-I don't know why they're after me.' Izuku lied, 'Maybe I'm eating into someone who's on the take's profits or something.'

Knuckleduster nodded but said nothing. After taking a long drag on his cigarette he spoke.

'So, what do you want?' he asked.

'I, uh, came over to find you because I heard from some of Speed Demon's former henchmen, uh…You've heard of him right?' Knuckleduster nodded so Izuku continued, 'Well apparently you're being targeted by Shocker and his guys.' he finished. Knuckleduster snorted.

'So what else is new? They've been after me for a while.' Knuckleduster said taking another drag on his cigarette.

'Why?'

The large man chuckled.

'I've been following the Trigger craze for a lot longer than anyone else, understand? Way before the media labeled it a crisis. Whenever I find a dealer, I beat him down and torch his stash. Simple as that. The local gangs don't like me too much. How're you mixed up in all this, kid?'

'I'm not a kid! I just have a…small frame, that's all. And I've been trying to bring down Shocker and Speed Demon for a while now too.'

Knuckleduster snorted. 'Small framed? Yeah, okay. Listen Spider-Man,' he said mockingly, 'If I were you, I'd back off for a while, you're clearly in over your head. Between the police and the thugs, you won't last another week out here.'

Izuku bristled, 'I've been doing all right so far, Knuckleduster. And the police couldn't catch anybody in this part of town. So, you'll excuse me but, uh, I think I'll be okay.'

Knuckleduster shook his head.

'You don't get it do you? The reason the police don't catch criminals around here isn't because they can't chase them down, it's because they know there's no point. Which is why them setting up a hotline should scare those tights right off of you. I don't know who you pissed off, but the police are going to be coming for you hard. Hell, we might even see some up and coming young hero's try and take you down.'

'I haven't noticed any extra police presence lately.' Izuku said nervously.

'It'll come. They're probably collecting information on you right now. Figuring out your patterns, where you live, where you like to hang out, and then bam!' he said punching the palm of his hand, 'You'll never see 'em coming.'

Izuku was silent for a few moments.

'Well, I can't just hide. I've got a responsibility to help the people in the slums. Besides, maybe if there's a police crackdown in this area, then Shocker and Speed Demon will get arrested.' Izuku said hopefully.

Knuckleduster burst out laughing. Izuku scowled and crossed his arms while Knuckleduster's loud braying laughter echoed and boomed throughout the parkade. Leaning against a pillar, he gasped for air to recover himself before breaking into fresh hysterics. Finally, after a solid minute he wiped his eyes and stood up.

'S-See, I guessed you weren't from around here kid. The way you're talking in all, the way you carry yourself. But after hearing that.' He leaned back and exhaled, fighting back a fresh wave of guffaws, 'Man. You're one wacky kid. Where'd you grow up? Some boring suburb in a nice two-story house with a double garage and a loving mother and father? You should go back home, leave the gangs to the adults.'

Izuku felt his face go red. Swallowing back his anger he composed himself as best he could.

'This isn't a vacation for me. I'm not running around looking to have fun. I was shot protecting the people out here! And I'm not going to give up just because the police and the government are so corrupt that they'd rather chase down someone helping people rather than go after the drug dealers and murderers in their own backyard!'

Izuku looked away and took a few calming deep breaths. He immediately felt embarrassed for his outburst, but it was true. He was so frustrated by law enforcement that he couldn't put it into words. He knew that being a vigilante was illegal, but he was doing nothing except make the streets safer! Did everyone have to be his enemy?

While he regained his composure, Knuckleduster lit another cigarette and frowned.

'Okay. Maybe you're not out here for kicks kid, but you might just be crazy instead. I tell you one thing, if you keep this up, you're going to rush into a suicidal situation and get yourself killed.'

Izuku snapped his head back to Knuckleduster and opened his mouth to argue but the older man raised his hand placatingly.

'Like I said, I've been doing this for awhile and I've seen guys like you before. They think they can carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and before they know it, that weight crushes them. Happens every time.'

'Whatever.' Izuku said, waving the advice away, 'Listen, I'm looking for Shocker. I've been looking for him for a while now but I can't find his home base. Do you know where he is?'

'No, I don't. A guy like him doesn't have a "home base". He roams from safe house to safe house. Besides even if I knew I wouldn't tell you. You may think you're a badass kid, but Shocker is ice cold. A real professional killer. Even some of the top pro heroes would have a tough time with him.'

'He's just a two-bit thug with a costume.' Izuku said dismissively and Knuckleduster sighed.

'He's not some high profile, theatrical villain you see on the news, it's true. But that's because he's too busy making money and running his little empire to waste his time flipping over cars downtown. He's not weak, he's smart. And you aren't the first guy to try to bring him down either.'

'Well thanks for nothing. I'm guessing you don't want my protection so I'll leave you be.' Izuku said walking away from the man. Before he could leave Knuckleduster called out after him.

'Hey, Spider-Man!'

Izuku turned.

'What?'

'Listen. You've probably had a rough night. Take some time and think over what I said. If you ever want to meet again, tag this wall here with some blue spray paint.' he gestured over at the red marked wall, 'I check this wall every morning. If I see your mark, I'll be here at midnight.'

'Fine.' Izuku said, shrugging.

Turning he jumped out the barricade and took off across the rooftops. He still had to make his rounds yet and it was getting late.