Justice Across Space and Time
Chapter 50
Well this is a crazy state I've gotten to in this story. 50 chapters written for this one story. I still have work to do on my others, but this one is the biggest for me. I've been away for a while for family reasons, but now I can put some new ideas to work. So on with the show.
(No POV)
"Saphentite, I was wondering something. What's your opinion on the true metas that we'll be meeting? And well… how strong would you say they are?" Ryukyu asked on the plane ride to Hiroshima.
The genies girl looked to her mentor with a bit of confusion. Questioning why she was asking that. "Ah. Well, I guess it's a bit of pride and worry in a way. Given what I've seen of Jotaro and Midoriya, they have incredible power and capabilities. Add on what some of the Forgotten can do and the two who fought at Kamino and… it's hard to tell how anyone with a quirk could compare."
"I suppose that makes sense. But I'm not 100% the best person to ask in this situation. The best I can give are rough guesses. If I had Izuku for some more analysis support maybe I could give a better idea (as Izuku is waiting in line for the Nighteye agency flight to Sapporo, he sneezes. With Melissa questioning if he was okay)." Saphentite says with a shrug.
Ryukyu gives her a look to say she would take her best estimate of their potential. "Alright fine. I guess I could give you a general ranking based on the hero ranks. From the ones we've observed, that one who drained Izuku and Jotaro would be…. Probably in the potential of a top 20 to 30 hero. That woman who brainwashed Jotaro and….. maybe Nobasu."
Saphentite notes that Luiz Lima and the earth manipulator would be closer to the top 10. Same for Pedro. "At least in terms of raw power they'd be about that strong. You saw what happened to Mt Lady, not to mention the one could make lava out of the just rock."
She then notes that Izuku and Jotaro are both at top 10 to 5 level. Given the plethora of abilities that Izuku likely had and Jotaro's raw power potential. "Some of the others from the unawakened or still new to their powers could have more. Like that gravity kid. Depending on how it works, he could be at top 10 potential as well."
Ryukyu hums before asking why she was only talking in terms of power. "That's some of the analysis I'd need Izuku's help on. He could analyze their mindset, ingenuity, and likely applications. It would give me an idea on what they might do."
"Allow you to better estimate the danger or potential involved. Huh. I may have to ask Nighteye if I could borrow the boy for some suggestions for my agency." The Dragoon Hero said while leaning back in her seat.
The other work study students were having their own discussions and thoughts about who they'd be working alongside. "I kinda want to know how that gravity boy's powers work. I have to touch things, but he seems to not have that limitation." Ochaco said while tapping her fingers together.
Tsuyu was more curious about the woman who move an entire flashflood with her mind. "Imagine what other things she could do with that." Setsuna chuckled while noting that the fact they had combo powers was quite a bit different from what they were used to.
"I mean, yeah Hawks can use his feathers like swords, fly and listen in on people and Ryukyu can turn into a dragon. But true metas seem to have a lot more passive capabilities with their powers."
Itsuka lets out a grumble from her seat before noting they were way to focused on their powers alone. "There's a lot more to them than just their powers. Both those with quirks and true meta abilities." The other girls blush and look down a bit at reminding Itsuka what she no longer had.
At least that was what they thought. Itsuka instead was thinking about what the metals were being used for. Let alone who ordered them in the first place.
'It's one thing to have an item of those materials made. It's another to just want and aim to smuggle in the raw materials. Maybe if we or ones at the other sites can find more details, we can get a better idea of the plan or purpose.' Itsuka muses for a while.
In Hiroshima, Gomtai is the one who finds the emails about Ryukyu and her people coming to visit and work with Mirko. Which just annoys the Rabbit Hero. "Oh come on! Just because I set up an agency, now I have to work with more heroes!"
"Technically speaking; yes. But in this case, there is a reason for the visit, and it is a good one." Gomtai says with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't sure on the details but he suspected that there was some kind of matter she cared more about.
"The phrasing for this email makes it sound like she wants to simply coordinate with another top 10 hero to improve her and her agency's standing. But it's phrasing makes me think there's something more. I remember similar messages being sent out when I was a fighter."
This makes Mirko pause and think about what this could imply. Only to get a minor headache while Hanabi and Jotaro fill in the blanks. "I heard they were involved in a bust recently. It's probably related to that." Jotaro notes with a scratch of his head.
Hanabi then notes that they don't want to draw attention to themselves because the target could be in their prefecture. "The question just becomes of who we're dealing with."
When the Ryukyu agency team land, they are met by Gomtai and Markus. "It's an honor to meet another top hero, Ryukyu-san. You can call me Rubberhose. I work for Mirko." Gomtai says with his hand extended.
The Dragoon hero nods before shaking his hand. Meanwhile, most of the teens from UA are intently staring at Markus. "Uh can I help you?" he asks with an uneasy smile. Ochaco is the first to come up and starts rattling off questions to Markus. Most of them being how his power works compared to hers.
"Easy Ochaco. Sorry if we seem odd. True metas are just so weird and different from what we're used to." Tsuyu says while pulling back her classmate. Setsuna agrees, noting the major differences in their powers compared to what they've seen Jotaro, Izuku, and Kazuhiko do.
Ochaco nods before mentioning that she also had powers related to gravity. "But in my case I just remove the gravity of objects I touch with the pads on my fingers. Including myself. The drawback is though, I get nauseous if I lift too much or I float myself for too long. Do you have any of those problems?"
"Huh… no I don't. My main power in increasing or decreasing the gravity of an object or person. I don't have a weight limit or anything like that, but I do have to focus on very specific points to avoid extra damage." Markus explains while walking out of the airport.
His next points were about his body's increased density, letting him tank a lot of hits with little injury. Even a strong punch from Jotaro didn't knock him out. It just gave him a black eye. "I've also learned how to make minor singularities as you've probably seen. Even creating them on my fists to increase the impact of my punches."
While Setsuna, Nejire, and Tsuyu are very intrigued at what Markus was describing, Ochaco was just feeling inadequate in comparison. Markus noticed this and told her that her power worked better for rescue scenarios.
"It's harder for me to control pinpoint gravity, so moving debris off of some people isn't easy or safe. You work better in those situations." Ochaco's eyes widened as what he said was similar to what Izuku had told her once when she was lamenting the same thing.
(Flashback)
After training one day and seeing how Izuku and Melissa used their powers and armor to fight, Ochaco vented about feeling like she could never stand out. "Ochaco. Watch this." Izuku had said. And then he blasted out his energy tendrils from his arms.
The resulting destruction was impressive and, in many ways, frightening. He then floated into the air and tried to remove the debris he'd scattered around with his strength, tendrils and floating. Only to destabilize the area more.
"Izuku stop! You're just making it worse!" Ochaco shouted while standing from the bench she had watched from. She panicked slightly before thinking of ways to clear the debris and would help if needed.
This was when she saw why he did that. "You're power may have more limited or dangerous applications for combat, but it can save more lives than me just punching out a villain. In a disaster as you had already thought, you work best in these situations." Izuku said with a smile.
(Flashback End)
Ochaco smiled thinking back on that training session and thanked Markus for reminding her of it. But the slightly older teen noticed her blush and chose to question it. "So I take it you and that Izuku kid are close?"
Aside from of course making Ochaco's blush turn nuclear, this got a few of the other girls wanting to know more. Or looking to tease the girl in Setsuna's case. Itsuka though was discussing some of the other details with Gomtai and Ryukyu.
"I'm a bit surprised on how serious you are young lady. Any reason for that?" Gomtai questioned on the bus ride to the agency. "Nothing much. It's just…. Well a bit proving myself and also a bit of worry about what some of those items could have been used for."
Saphentite agrees and notes that some of the listed materials could be used for a variety of purposes. "Everything from making weapons or armor, to power conduits for a base. It's hard to tell what without more information."
Their mentor agrees but tells them to stop discussing the matters for now. Given they were riding on a public bus. After a cough and blush from each of the girls, the adults had a bit of a chuckle.
When they arrived at the building Mirko had bought for her agency, the main thoughts were that it looked like it needed to be repaired. Despite all the work the heroes and the few new members of her staff had put into it. Though it didn't help that Mirko had a problem with going overboard while training.
When they arrived, Port was the first to greet (albeit, in a shell-shocked way) Ryukyu and her work study students. "Um… Miss Mirko is upstairs in the training room with Jotaro and Hanabi. They wanted to work on ways to improve her combat skills."
The Dragoon hero thanks Port and they head upstairs. Only for Mirko to fly through the door and crash into both Nejire and Tsuyu. "Ahhhh…. Okay that hurt. Good hit though Hanabi." Mirko said while shaking the stun of being thrown off.
"Oh Ryukyu. You're here already?" Mirko asked after finally noticing who was around. And who she landed on. Tsuyu was at least conscious again, but Nejire still had swirls in her eyes from getting a face full of Mirko's cotton tail.
This did get a few chuckles from Jotaro, Itsuka and Saphentite. And Ochaco admitted in her mind it was kind of funny. But Setsuna was questioning how this was a good thing.
"Sorry Rumi-chan. But you did say to give you everything I could." Hanabi said while walking up. And then feeling uncomfortable about all the new faces in the room. So she hid behind Jotaro. A much easier task considering his height and bulk.
But said bulky teen lets out a sigh before saying she needed to work through her shyness. "Itsuka. Saphee. It's good to have you here." Jotaro says with a warm look directed both girls' way. One that makes both of them blush, before Saphentite asks how he'd been.
"Even though we're all just meeting up again, perhaps we can save the catching up for later. Mirko. We have some serious matters to discuss. This could lead to something bigger." Ryukyu says with stern look. One that the Rabbit hero takes seriously and says they can talk in the third floor conference room.
Jotaro does a double take before asking, "conference room? Since when is the third floor a conference room?" Mirko just shrugs before saying, "since now. You and Hanabi; clear out some of the junk up there. Hazama and I'll bring in some tables and chairs to discuss things."
The pair give Mirko a flat look before doing what she asked. With a few from Ryukyu's crew helping. "Not much of an organized leader is she?" Saphentite jokes when they open up one of the third-floor rooms. "Nope. Not really." Jotaro says while picking up some boxes stored inside.
Hanabi does the same with her telekinesis, and a few of the UA crew 'oooh' as she uses her mind and nearby plants to move the items. And then uses some water drawn from the third-floor bathroom sink to clean the floor. Plus, some soap squeezed out with the plants. With Jotaro putting his hands down and electrifying it to quickly disinfect and dry the area.
"Can't do that with just one quirk. You'd need like three to do that." Setsuna says with a nod. Ochaco and the others agree while Saphentite and Itsuka just shake their heads. Markus and the older heroes arrive next with the tables and chairs for a conference of heroes. With the room ready, and a whiteboard brought in as well, they could discuss what was needed to deal with the smugglers Ryukyu suspected were close by.
When the group was walking into the building, a certain pair were watching them. And saw this as an opportunity. For a myriad of reasons.
After a long couple of days in her office, Natalie Sosaku was ready to relax. As was her assistant, Thomas Shindo or Shigaraki Tomura. "Not sure it was that clever to simply flip my name and modify it the way we did."
"Ha! Maybe, but it does make you stand out less or in a different way. Most just focus on the missing arm and that you were probably someone on the street before I found you. Most aren't big fans of those from the US even now." Natalie says with a smile.
Tomura shakes his head before going to get something to drink. He asks if Natalie wants something either, and brings her a ramune when she asks. "I'm gonna check in on Twice and Wu. Make sure neither have tried to kill one another."
Tomura opens the door to Wu's lab and what he finds surprises him. Inside is Twice or Bubaigawara Jin, and he isn't wearing his mask. "Hey Tomura! How was working with Sosaku?" Jin says with a relaxed look. Before handing some tools to Wu to adjust his latest device.
"Thank you Jin. Hmm… Do you mind giving me an extra couple of hands?" Wu asks while looking at the diagnostics from his screen. Jin nods and creates two clones to help with the inventor's work.
Tomura is shocked and a little unsettled by what he is seeing. "Okay I was certain one of you two would try to kill the other. What happened over the last few days?" The unmasked Jin chuckles before saying Wu had worked him through a few things to test his inventions.
"One of them was a….. what did you call it? A biometric analysis device? He used that and could prove without a doubt that I'm still the original Jin. Though I do still have some conflicting minds I've built up over the years." Jin says getting a beer out of the mini fridge in the lab.
Wu then notes a special computer and system he made to analyze brainwaves. "It didn't quite work like I planned as I was just focusing on looking for a way to find if someone had the potential to be a true meta. But when I tested it on myself and Jin here, I got an odd peek inside his fractured mind."
The two apparently worked together to bring together most of the personalities and stabilize Jin's psyche. "It's not perfect, but I can at least coordinate or direct them to what we all need. Besides, I got a look a Wu's crazy too. It's not quite the same, but it did help to bond."
Tomura has just had a flat look the entire time they'd been explaining things and was shocked that the craziest member could be brought back to some measure of sanity. He shook his head before asking what Wu was working on.
"It's something to deal with are biggest problem. That Jotaro boy. If I can finish this, then Ryan will be able to store the excess energies he drains. As it stands, I don't want to risk the idea that too many of the radiations could cause complications." Wu explains while the Twice clones help him with soldering some of the circuits together.
Tomura just nods before saying to keep up the good work. When he returned to the foyer of the penthouse, Natalie was starting something in a soup pot. "How're they doing?" she asked while adding some beets to the pot.
"Oddly enough working together really well. It's kind of unsettling." Tomura says before getting some cup ramen from the cabinet. This gets a snort of laughter from his boss and she asks if that was really all he was eating. "Yeah. I'm hungry too, but I don't want to eat what you're cooking."
Natalie gives him a dirty look before focusing on the pot. Tomura's finishes first and he sits at the table to eat. Until he gets a call on his phone. "Compress? Wonder what he wants. Hello?... What? Will you slow down!... Better. Wait really? How many are we talking?... Hm….. Okay. This might be the chance we were looking for. I'll give them the heads up."
Tomura shouts to Natalie and calls in the pair working in the lab. "We might just get your chance to test those gadgets Wu. All of our targets have been spotted in Hiroshima." Tomura says with a vicious smile.
One that gets mirrored by the other villains. With Natalie and Wu having a cruel chuckle at the thought of possibly taking down a few heroes. "Well then. We should get to planning tovarish."
Well this should set the stage well enough. On a side note, I'm glad I killed off AFO. And I did it in the most painful and humiliating way for that asshole. After reading the latest chapter it's pretty clear who he takes a few other inspirations from.
With his talks about being a god and mocking the dead, he's clearly a mix of Ras Al Ghul, Vandal Savage, Palpatine, and the true Mandarin. Not the MCU version. It's also pretty clear on how much of a coward he really is.
Anyway, this time there'll be less battles compared to the canon. Too many manga now focus on just the fanservice of varying kinds, or purely battles. Not to mention all the annoying filler (Naruto, a lot of Bleach, most of One Piece). With this I'm trying to set up more of a stakeout investigation type of thing. There will be fights, but nothing compared to the brawl in the Shie Hissaki arc. Please review!