Heroes in the Dark chapter 46
Some people can work their entire lives to be heroes, only to discover the hard truth that they're not cut out for the line of work, while others can be doing great… only to have all their dreams and aspirations cut short through untimely incidents, something that Tokoyami understood well. And others still never had a chance to begin with, as though the prospect of heroism was far too much to ask for in a world as needlessly cruel as this.
When Tokoyami saw the way the hero's face became twisted in pain, he knew exactly what had happened and the consequences being wrought. Had it been a normal bullet, it would've been preferable. Those could heal – that was only a temporary pain. But he knew these bullets, how they felt, and what it meant for all of them. An incredible quirk had most definitely just been lost, and with it the meager advantage they had held in this situation.
Fearful of what was to come, Tokoyami tightened his grip on Eri protectively and inadvertently caused her to flinch. Around them both was the shielding embrace of that determined hero. That damn fool, Tokoyami wanted to think. But in truth he was no better for the position he had thrown himself in. A hero's impulse was such a dangerous thing.
The weight of the hero wrapped around the two small figures began to lift, and Tokoyami watched as that red-gloved hand gave Eri one last reassuring pat. She looked between the two of them in uncertainty, not quite sure what was happening but aware that something horrible had just occurred. It was too clearly written on their faces. So instead, even knowing the circumstances they were trapped in, they both grit their teeth and smiled. Even if it did nothing for them, all that mattered was that she was reassured. That it was going to be okay.
Overhaul's shuttered voice echoed off his twisted monuments, mocking them relentlessly. "Haaa, because people are endowed with these things called "quirks," they can dream – dream that maybe they can be someone that matters," he cawed. Nemoto screeched victoriously having landed the bullet, begging for the attention of his boss. But Overhaul paid it no mind, continuing his own tirade. "They're all sick in the head! So wipe those disgusting smiles from your faces! Thanks to the power of that girl you were trying so hard to save, everything you've worked so hard to cultivate… has just been reduced to naught!"
The hero was beginning to drift away from them, and Tokoyami could already tell exactly where his sights were set. But before he threw himself back into the action, he whispered one last thing. "I'm going back in – do your best to get away, but we might only be able to wait for reinforcements now."
And then he was gone. Not as fast as before, but his speed and strength was still incredible… for a normal human. It was enough. He went straight for Overhaul without hesitation, honing in on the big bad that was looking down on them. He hurled a large rock chunk at the yakuza boss to blindside him, and went in for another devastating punch. "Focus on your opponent and predict their next action! Nothing… Nothing I've done up to now will ever be useless! I will always be Lemillion!"
That name struck a chord in Tokoyami's mind. He couldn't place if he'd heard it before, but it was definitely the name of a hero that was here to do good no matter the cost.
Tokoyami bundled Eri back into his arms, and the rush of adrenaline coursing through him dulled the pain from earlier. He held her close, so that his own cape obscured her from the view of any onlookers. If Overhaul was preoccupied, Tokoyami might actually be able to get out of this room. There were several corridors leading off from this room… any one of them would do if it meant getting out of here with Eri, but he'd be struggling all the while to break down Overhaul's walls.
A small voice reached him. "Tsukoyomi?"
Tokoyami winced. That's right. She was one to use his hero name. She probably saw no differences between the efforts of him and those of a real hero, since they were both trying to get her out of harm's way. But as it stood it felt more like they'd only been successful in further endangering her fragile existence. He didn't like that thought. "Lemillion… will be okay. He's strong, just like you."
Tokoyami crossed the room with her. Despite Lemillion's best efforts, every so often a stone spire would burst from the ground in the hopes of impaling him. But Overhaul's screeches of frustration were a testament to how much he was struggling. And yet he knew the hero wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. Already far too much time being forced to go one-on-one with that monster had passed, and Tokoyami dreaded what would happen when Overhaul connected with a critical hit that would spell disaster for them all.
When Tokoyami had finally reached the far wall of the room through all the obstacles, his nerves were fried. He didn't like that this was all he could do while the hero fought, but if he could get Eri out of here, then it'd be enough.
Rigged walls of stone covered up every side of the room. He couldn't even be sure if there was a door on the other side of Overhaul's installation, but having come this far he had to muster his strength to try breaking them down if he wanted safe passage.
Tokoyami steadied his breath and closed his eyes in concentration. His quirk had been struggling before, but after taking those hits it was getting exponentially more difficult to summon. Just a bit more. Get us out of here and you can rest. I need you to be out here.
The quirk was obviously hesitating. Dark Shadow knew what he knew… and was therefore well aware that he had almost just been permanently erased. Had it not been for that hero, the quirk would no longer exist. He was bitter, exhausted from continued use in this current state… and understandably forlorn at the chain of events. Tokoyami felt this and understood the reasons well. But even still…
"Come out, Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami demanded.
Those familiar bright eyes flashed just below where Eri was being held, and the ghostly apparition loomed over them both. It stuttered to life with a raspy breath, struggling for all it was worth to hold its shape under Tokoyami's condition and the fluorescent lights flickering far above them. Tokoyami gave the command for it to attack the wall in front of them. The quirk didn't move at first, hesitating a moment to gather itself before launching itself at the obstacle. It crashed into the wall, claws flashing out uselessly with a desperate cry, and Tokoyami winced as a tremor ran through the quirk into him.
Eri craned her neck to look around, her large worried eyes catching a glimpse of the wasted effort. "What's wrong? That's your quirk, right…?"
Tokoyami grit his teeth in exertion as he struggled to focus while addressing Eri. "It's fine, you can trust the heroes to get you through this."
"I-I can help," she murmured, uncertainty in her voice as she gripped tighter onto his shirt. Tokoyami's legs were beginning to shake. Far too much had occurred in a short period of time, and he was beginning to feel a wave of nausea wash over him. He bent to a knee, setting Eri down momentarily so that he could correct himself and find the air to breathe. Dark Shadow threw himself at the wall again with a cry of frustration. An embarrassingly small crack formed in the thick stone as he gave it his all. But in this state his quirk just wasn't made for pure strength. It was with a sense of dread that he realized that he wasn't doing anything to help, that he'd been so easily stopped here, just because of a literal wall. If he only had a bit more to work with, then maybe…
Meanwhile, the hero was locked in vicious combat with one of the most dangerous characters he's ever met, making guilt weigh down on his shoulders. He was afraid of what he'd find if he turned around, but knew he couldn't avoid it any longer seeing that Dark Shadow was struggling far too much to make progress. He was running out of ways to be useful. So when he looked to see how the hero was handling himself, the crushing reality of what he'd left him to was seen in full. The hero, Lemillion, was covered in deep scars that tore right through his superhero outfit. Even from a distance, it was easy to see him gasping for breath and struggling to continue. But he did anyway, a relentless force, because he had to. And in doing so, he fulfilled his role as a true hero.
Tokoyami concluded that he couldn't do that. He couldn't accomplish what he'd been asked to do, even though it would've been so damn easy at full strength. Maybe he just wasn't struggling enough. Maybe this was his punishment for all those times where he could've done more. But this wasn't doing anything to help, and it sure as hell wasn't getting him anywhere. He'd have to apologize to the nice hero later, if he ever got the chance.
Tokoyami made sure that Eri was okay on the ground, securing Lemillion's cape around her protectively like a last line of defense. "I'm sorry Eri, but I need to leave for a moment. He's fighting alone up there and I can't – I can't let anyone else get hurt because of my failings. So please, stay next to this wall, make yourself as small as possible, and I'll be right back. I promise."
She looked reluctant to be letting go, but she understood. Eyes filled with a knowing sadness, her little hands unclenched his shirt and went to the cape wrapped around her. "It's not your fault, though," she murmured quietly, eyebrows knitting together in concern. "I don't want either of you to get hurt anymore, either."
Tokoyami let out a sigh as his strength waned under her sympathetic words. "That's why I need to go back and help him."
Eri gave a small nod and scooted into a crevice between the wall and one of the stone columns. Tokoyami wasn't sure how out of the way she truly was from Overhaul's range, but it would have to suffice until more could be done. And then he was off, streaking back across the room with his sights set on the fighting going on in the center.
Overhaul had been trying persistently to deal blows to that pompous hero that dared to stand up to him. Meanwhile, Chrono had been trying unsuccessfully to make it over to where Tokoyami had been taking Eri. But every step he took had been matched by Lemillion's tenacity to keep them both at bay, circulating between the two of them through sheer force and speed. Chrono's raincoat was also riddled with holes and scrapes where Overhaul's spines had inadvertently pierced through him, the yakuza boss's determination to hurt the hero greater than his fear of hurting his command. Chrono didn't even flinch when this happened, focused instead on trying to get past the hero. As Tokoyami got closer, he made out strange holes that were in Chrono's hood, ripped differently from the ones caused by the stone spears. That's when he saw an arrow-like shape shoot out from behind the hood, zooming past Lemillion, who had to drop to the ground to avoid it. All the while, Overhaul was barking commands at his second-in-command, warning him to be careful but also do his damn job and hit this pest already.
The hero was having trouble getting to Overhaul because of this, so Tokoyami knew what needed to be done. He managed to partially summon Dark Shadow, just enough to cover his hands with ghostly claws. He honed in on his first target, so intent on making his actions worth something that he hadn't even noticed the way that the pain in his leg had vanished completely.
The hero saw him coming, his beady eyes stretching wide before a rock spear erupted from the ground forcing him to divert his attention back to the battle at hand. I know. I already know I left her behind, Tokoyami thought, cursing his selfish actions. But this was something that had to be done in order to make up for having the hero save him from Overhaul that first time. Chrono didn't turn around until it was too late. Spikes erupted from the ground around him, but Tokoyami's outstretched claw was already lunging forward to swipe at the yakuza. It thwacked him across the side of the head and cleanly ripped off his plague doctor mask, causing him to let out a shriek of surprise and outrage. From under the hood, Chrono's silver eyes locked onto him, narrowing into thin slits of hatred. His arrow-shaped bangs began to twist, and they darted forward in his direction. But now that the balance of the fight had shifted, Lemillion was able to place a solid hit that knocked the white-dressed criminal of air and sent him to the ground.
An animalistic growl of frustration echoed through the room as Overhaul sent another wave of spikes towards them. They were fast and sporadic, and it didn't look as though having Chrono in the path of danger was enough to deter them. Tokoyami had wanted to make sure that Chrono was out cold for sure this time, but Lemillion pulled him out of the way of the spikes, his protective nature getting the better of him. The golden hero was heaving with exertion, messy scars etched into his legs and torso. It looked like one might've pierced through his leg, and his condition wasn't looking good. Tokoyami was glad he came when he did, even if his presence was ultimately unwanted.
Tokoyami couldn't afford to diverge his attention now, so he did what he should've been doing from the beginning and set his sights on Overhaul. He should've known, but nothing could be truly accomplished until that one was no longer a threat. Lemillion knew this too, and with no other obstacles in their path they began the grueling process of closing the gap between them and the yakuza boss.
Another wave of spikes ripped towards them. All Mirio could do was his best to dodge, but that was becoming increasingly difficult for the exhausted individual. Tokoyami watched a spear slip past the hero's defense. Not wanting to see him get injured further and driven by his impulse to reimburse him for his actions, Tokoyami lashed out with his shadow-infused hand. The claws on his hand grew in size, borrowing the power covering his other hand in order to focus it at one point, and created just enough of a bumper between the oncoming spike and the hero's body that it was able to keep him from getting completely pierced. As the spike ripped through the shadowy hand, Tokoyami had only a moment to wonder if it had reached the hero anyway. If it had, he certainly didn't show it.
Overhaul let out a shuttered breath, observing them closely. The way they worked together against everything he threw at them only seemed to make him angrier. "You're both acting as though you want to be heroes," he rasped. "And you think yourself capable of saving Eri despite what you face… As though a quirkless student and a defaced pretender could truly accomplish anything. It's laughable, really, how desperate you both are. But I suppose it's not your faults. No, it's all because of the sickness plaguing this squalid age! I'll cure all the delusional people like you… with Eri's power!"
There was nowhere to go but forward, to face off against him. Tokoyami focused on bringing his quirk back around his hands, even as those words pierced him sharper than any stone spear. But the steps he took forward were filled with certainty, and he managed to stand as tall as he could next to Lemillion. Together, they began to run towards Overhaul.
The hero, despite everything, was similarly prepared. It was as though something had clicked in his mind, and he yelled out: "Chisaki!" to get the yakuza's attention entirely on him.
Unfortunately for him it worked. If Overhaul had been angered by the turn of events before, then it was the mere mention of that name again that sent him over the edge. "Why don't you understand that I abandoned that name?!" Overhaul howled, anger emanating from. He touched his hand to the ground again, and this time the whole floor shifted as menacing spikes sprouted up around him at alarming rates.
Tokoyami braced himself for the next wave, prepared to throw himself in front of the hero if it meant he could make a difference. But before they could collide – before Tokoyami could prove his determination – a large crack appeared suddenly on the wall parallel to them, and all at once their attention became diverted. Tokoyami's shadowed hands came to a standstill and Overhaul's spikes barely had time to redirect towards whatever was breaking through the wall.
The crack widened considerably all at once, a large amount of force that would be impossible for Tokoyami to enact in his current state. And then the wall broke into hundreds of rock chunks that were sent scattering throughout the room. Through the dust and rock, a green projectile flashed onto the scene. The attendants of the room barely had time to register what was happening before that same individual responsible for bursting into the room launched himself straight at Overhaul without a second of hesitation, delivering a sickening punch into Overhaul's arm that sent him flying several feet.
Tokoyami's eyes followed him, watching as his body hit the floor with a satisfying thud. But although he saw that obstacle be dealt with, he felt his body run cold when the shadows covering his hands vanished without prompting and Dark Shadow became instantly suppressed. The shock of the change, different from the last time his quirk had been disabled, caused him to falter. His knee hit the ground as he struggled to catch his breath and make sense of his surroundings. He'd wondered about this possibility, of seeing old but all-too-familiar faces, but didn't think it would be happening now. Not here.
"Nighteye! Secure the girl!" Aizawa barked as his quirk took effect in suppressing the powers of Tokoyami and Overhaul.
Lemillion straightened up, his gaze flicking from Tokoyami to the group that had shown up for them. "She's over… by the wall," he gasped, even as he sank wearily to his own knees.
Tokoyami couldn't prevent himself from breathing heavily as exhaustion and panic set in. He didn't know who the lanky businessman was, but everyone else was a familiar face that he couldn't decide if he truly wanted to see. By all rights, seeing them here now should be a good thing, right? But his quirk had been erased by his teacher, and he hadn't so quickly forgotten the way that Lemillion had targeted him for an attack during their initial meeting upon being labeled a villain and a liability.
Midoriya and Aizawa flashed past him, zeroing in on an enraged yet subdued Overhaul. There was a split moment where Tokoyami and Midoriya locked eyes. He wasn't sure what expression he saw there, the boy's usually so gentle face set into grim determination, but seeing these people here made his muscles tense, as though he had done something wrong. The worst part was that he didn't even need to wonder why he felt that way. The last time he'd seen the green-haired student had been… that night. When the Number One hero had met his demise. Going further back, the last time they'd actually exchanged words had been directly following his rampage in the forest. Even back then, it seemed as though all of Midoriya's concerns were centered on Bakugou – the one Midoriya had wanted so desperately to help when he put Tokoyami at the back of the group that was supposed to protect him, the one he'd called out to when the League stole them both away, and the one that ended up getting saved when Tokoyami was unjustly thrown back to the villains. That felt as though it had been so long ago, but these memories were still so fresh and raw in his head that it hurt to think about them. And ever since then… he'd been in the hands of the villains. In all truthfulness, Tokoyami feared to think what his old classmate and teacher thought of him now. Despite the fact that he was fighting against these yakuza mere seconds before, despite how much he cared about ensuring that Eri was in the heroes' hands, he couldn't rid himself of the idea that he was a guilty member in all this. Even though he wanted to be bitter and ask that someone take responsibility to lessen his own guilt, the desire to prove that he was the same person from UA burned within him.
"Are you alright, Tokoyami?"
Through his muddled thoughts, Tokoyami thought he recognized the voice, and as he struggled back onto his feet opened his beak to respond. "I'm fine, but how's—" Tokoyami didn't get to finish his thought before he felt his body seize up unwillingly. It was only then that he registered who he was talking to and what had just happened. A boy with wild purple hair and a tired demeanor came into view. Tokoyami knew him from the sports festival. But more than that he knew the student's quirk, and what that meant for him. Trapped inside his consciousness, he felt a stab of betrayal. And yet at the same time this was again what he should've expected. Everything around him was foggy and unclear, until an order was issued that reached him clearer than anything else, and he felt compelled to follow. He was dimly aware of that golden hero's voice rising in protest, but neither he nor Tokoyami had much fight left in them. He was conscious of the fact that he was walking out of the room, towards the clear hallway that Midoriya had forged. And maybe that was for the best, but he hated that this was how his side of the battle was meant to end, with him being treated like a danger to their mission. In the end… he couldn't blame them. The hero Lemillion deserved to be recognized for his incredible efforts, while Tokoyami felt as though he would be lucky if hero society were willing to accept him back. He wasn't sure he was ready to face that just yet.
Shinsou walked beside him, looking over him curiously. Tokoyami had never gotten the chance to know him personally, but he held a certain amount of respect as someone who had made it to the sports festival finals with him. His quirk apparently had something of a reputation for being "villainous" yet desirable for use in heroics, something that Tokoyami couldn't help but admire given that his own quirk had been similarly criticized in the past. Of course, maybe now the idea that Tokoyami's quirk was capable of villainous deeds no longer seemed so unbelievably, so he probably wasn't setting a good example for quirk users struggling with darker abilities.
Feeling thoroughly trapped by these circumstances, as though he was but another criminal that was being suppressed, he wasn't expecting much sympathy. Which is why he was surprised when Shinsou spoke up, his voice the only thing he could make out clearly in the haze. "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble… I think. Unless so much has changed since you were last at UA that you can't redeem yourself, but I don't think that's the case." Wary purple eyes looked him over. "Let's just hope you have a good case for yourself once this is all cleaned up, alright? Maybe then you and I can get some much deserved rest…"
Tokoyami couldn't help it. Even though he didn't have control over his movements, he felt tears prick his eyes. Was this truly it, then? If these were the conditions to get back into the heroes' possession, then that was fine. But he needed to get out of here first, preferably with all his limbs and his quirk still in-tact. Actually, if not for the quirk commanding him forward, it would probably be a whole lot harder to walk on his own.
Right as they were about to pass into the tunnel, the ground shook violently. A rock spire erupted between the two of them, forcing Shinsou to sidestep out of the way with a curse followed swiftly by a command to dodge. But that command didn't reach Tokoyami before the spire did, and it scraped past him, tearing his cape and knocking him off balance. The fog in his head lifted, and Tokoyami took account of his surroundings in an instant, whipping around to take in the room they'd been walking out of.
The room had been chewed up before, but now it was a maelstrom of flying spikes and stone walls swirling around without consideration for what was being struck. Something had to have happened, and it had unfortunately not taken long for it all to go south. He didn't have to search the mess-filled room for long before his sight finally came to rest on the haggard shape of a defeated Overhaul that had gone wild with desperation. "I cannot… I will not! Allow my plan to be ruined by these damn heroes!" And then he reached his hand to the unmoving form of his precept underling. Tokoyami let out a strangled gasp as he witnessed Overhaul and Nemoto vanish in a gruesome explosion of blood, an action that he was unfortunately familiar with to the point that it made him gag. But then all too quickly the messes converged into one, chunks of flesh and blood merging back together in an instant. Until the only thing standing there, inevitably, was Overhaul, a looming mass of twisting arms and twisted thoughts.
A wet laugh dribbled out of his plague doctor mask, which was starting to fall apart. "You heroes really were stronger than me, that much was certain. But when all is said and done, it will all have been for naught. Now… you'll be returning Eri to me."