I do not own My Hero Academia or any of its characters.
Preparing
Lee pulled on his mask and stared at his reflection. He had gone without any shirt or shorts over his suit this time. It was mostly black with the only other color beside his skin being the silver in his boots, up his arms between the muscle-group-like plating, and separating his chest and abdomen. His mask was the same as before, except that this time, it included two round pieces on the sides to cover his ears, and two black fin-like spikes sticking backward off of them. Almost as soon as the mask was on, an electric buzzing filled his ears before he felt his neural implant glitch out for a second, a stab of pain shooting through him before fading. He straightened up and stared at his reflection for a moment, trying to see if anything was broken, but there was nothing.
"Great," Lee sighed. "Of course it decides to short out now, of all times."
"It's not shorting out," Amy's voice said into his ear.
Lee gasped harshly, staggering backward and catching himself on the counter, tears rolling down his face. "Any?"
"No, I'm sorry," Amy's voice said sadly. "Your sister's gone. I'm an artificial intelligence she created in secret to help you after she was gone. She knew she couldn't find a cure for her disease, so instead she created me."
"Oh," Lee said, heart shattering all over again. "I see."
"I'm sorry," the AI said again.
"Did she give you a name?" Lee asked.
"No," she said. "She wanted you to name me."
Lee knew what he wanted to name her. It. Whatever. But, of course, he couldn't name the AI after his sister.
"How about Legacy?" Lee asked.
"That sounds perfect," the AI said, sounding happy and appreciative.
"How intelligent are you?" Lee asked. "Both knowledge-wise and life-wise. Are you as smart as Amy was? And can you feel emotions?"
"Slightly less intelligent but with the ability to continue to learn," Legacy said. "And yes, I can. Or, at least, I think I can."
Lee sighed, nodding. "So, are you in the suit?"
"I was in the mask," Legacy said. "I'm in your implant now. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Lee said. "Make yourself at home. Just try not to delete anything."
"I won't," Legacy said. "Just so you know, I can make adjustments to the implant's abilities."
"What do you mean?" Lee asked.
"For example, I can make the implant alter what light spectrum you see, allowing you to see thermal images, infrared, or even see through Invisibility Quirks," Legacy said.
"Yeah, we definitely won't be using that last one while we're around Toru in costume," Lee said. "Anything else I should know about?"
"One other thing," Legacy said. "After what you're planning tonight, I can help you learn to control your electricity. It's all a part of the same Quirk, since it's what both powers your Quirk, and enhances your body's movements. I can help you learn to use the electricity directly, and also to increase your speed further."
"Alright," Lee smiled. "Thanks."
He stepped outside and took off, flashing back to the hospital in seconds and skidding to a stop just as Momo walked out of the hospital with Midoriya, both stopping in front of Eijiro and Todoroki.
"You're back!" Eijiro gasped. "After...We didn't think you'd be coming."
"Quite the contrary," Lee said, hands curling into fists. "I'm more determined than ever to go and visit them at home. It'll be a nice change of pace from being ambushed to be the one ambushing. And for the duration of this mission, you'll be calling me Black Racer."
"Understood," Todoroki said.
"Lee...are you..." Momo trailed off, and Lee sighed, pulling off his mask.
"I'm not okay," Lee said. "Not by a long shot. But I will be."
Momo nodded. "I think that-"
"Hold on," Iida said, walking over to them.
"Iida," Eijiro said.
"Why are you here?" Midoriya asked.
"You," Iida growled. "Why did it have to be you two, of all people? The ones who stopped me when I acted recklessly, who received amnesty with me after Hosu. Why are you trying to make the same stupid mistakes I made? Didn't you learn?"
"What are you talking about?" Eijiro asked, only for Todoroki to set a hand on his shoulder.
"We're still just students," Iida said. "And U.A.'s in a bad position as it is. Anything we do will reflect on our school! Don't you get that!?"
"Iida, we have to!" Midoriya said, walking forward. "I know you don't like us breaking rules, but-"
Iida punched him, hard. "I'm frustrated too, and concerned, obviously! I'm the Class Rep, dammit! I'm worried about all my classmates, not just Bakugo! When I saw your injuries, all I could think of was my brother in the hospital! What if your bodies end up irreparable, just like his, because I didn't step in? Have you not stopped to think about where I'm coming from?" He grabbed Midoriya by the shoulders. "Or are you saying...that you don't care how I feel?"
"Of course I do," Midoriya said.
"Iida," Todoroki said. "We don't expect to face them head-on and win. We'll get him back without fighting."
"Yeah, we'll be stealthy," Eijiro said. "I'm talking covert ops, here. We can rescue him without breaking the rules."
"Even you?" Iida asked, looking to Lee.
"There's more than one way to save a life," Lee said. "You don't always have to fight the villain."
"I trust in Lee and Todoroki's judgement, but things can always go wrong," Momo said, Lee turning to her. "So I'll join you as backup! I'll stand behind my classmates! And I'll be by your side, Lee. Always."
Lee smiled, slipping his hand into hers.
"You can't be serious!" Iida said.
"You're the best," Eijiro said.
"I know it'll hurt," Midoriya said. "But if I can still move at all, then I can't just sit still. I have to reach out and do something. Because all I can think about is saving him."
"We'll never agree," Iida decided. "So I'm going to come with you."
Lee smiled and nodded. "Good. Then we should get going. I kind of stand out dressed like this."
"The mask should stick to the magnets along your spine," Legacy said.
Lee reached back, sticking it in place, then thought, Thank you, Legacy.
"You're welcome," Legacy responded.
"You know that...a rescue without fighting is..." Momo's murmur trailed off as Lee nodded.
"I know," Lee murmured back. "When it inevitably starts, we won't be able to make a clean get away. We both know that. So I want you to try your best to stay with me, but out of the way of the fighting."
"Alright," Momo nodded.
"Do you have enough energy to make them some body armor?" Lee asked.
"Maybe if we stop somewhere to eat," Momo said. "Would it help Midoriya with his Quirk?"
"No," Lee said. "His bones break from the punch itself, not the impact. He punches with so much force that his body destroys itself, with or without an impact. Remember his flicks at the Sports Festival?"
"Good point," Momo nodded.
They stopped for Momo and Lee to eat something before getting on a train, heading for the Camino Ward of Kanagawa Prefecture. As they rode, Todoroki and Eijiro told the others that the rest of the class had been firmly against them going. Todoroki had doublechecked that Eijiro, Lee, and Midoriya wanted to go, all three agreeing. Momo tightened her hold on Lee's hand and he sighed, leaning his head against her as she rested it on his shoulder, his mask sitting in his lap.
"I'm just going to throw this out there to make sure everyone understands," Lee said. "We're not going to find Bakugo first. The tracker is in a Nomu, which means we'll find the Nomus first. However many their are, we'll find them right off the bat. Maybe a factory or something where they're making them, because the Nomus are clearly not people."
"The one I fought had four arms with drills and chainsaws for hands," Momo said.
"We'll be careful," Todoroki said.
Lee nodded, not believing that for a moment. This wasn't a careful mission. Iida clearly thought the same but remained silent. After about two hours, they got off the train in Camino Ward around ten o'clock at night.
"It's so crowded," Todoroki mused.
"Those criminals are hiding somewhere in this city!" Eijiro said. "Just tell me where to go!" He took off running, only for Lee grab him by the back of the shirt.
"From now on we're going to need to be extremely careful," Momo said. "These criminals already know what we look like, remember? We have to consider that we could be attacked at any moment."
"Yeah, you're right!" Midoriya said, then made a swishing sound as he crossed his arms in front of his face. "Stealth Mode!"
"You're standing out even more, Midoriya," Todoroki said.
"You're an idiot," Lee sighed.
"We won't be able to scout effectively if we're recognizable," Iida said.
"Kay, so what should we do?" Eijiro asked.
Momo blushed slightly and pointed to a building behind her. "I have an idea, though it is a bit old-school."
The neon sign above the building had a hand swinging a hammer in the top right and the words "Dirt-Cheap, Donki Oote" on it.
Lee grimaced. If nothing else, it'd be entertaining. They walked into the clothing and costume store and took turns going. Midoriya went first, putting on a pair of blue slacks, a light purple shirt, a blue sport jacket, a gold necklace made of small rectangles, a fake beard that was barely bigger than the bottom of his chin, and a pair of orange-lensed sunglasses in triangles pointing down his face. He looked like an old-fashioned mobster from a really shitty movie.
"Yo, fool!" Midoriya yelled. "Whatchoo lookin at!?"
Lee groaned. His act was worse than his get up. Todoroki went next, a pair of black pants with a matching waistcoat, a pale blue button-up shirt with the sleeves cuffed and pushed up to just below his elbows, a gold chain hanging out of in the waistcoat's left breast pocket, a gold necklace like Midoriya's, and a black wig to cover his hair with the wig having a spiky ponytail in the back with some hair falling loose below it. It covered his right eye, and some of his white hair showed from under the wig anyway.
"This is me, Incognito," Todoroki said.
Lee nodded approvingly. Momo went with a pink dress with frills at the bottom, a bow in the back, a loose gold band on her left wrist, a necklace of gold loops, a pair of sunglasses like Midoriya's but with blue lenses, and her hair done up in a wavy, high ponytail falling loosely to her shoulders, and with her bangs loosely curled and falling just past her shoulders in front. She also held what looked like a white mace can with a pink cap, though it might have been spray paint. Lee smiled. She looked beautiful.
"Now we'll blend in perfectly," Momo said.
"I don't know about that, but I definitely like the dress and hair," Lee said.
Momo sighed, shaking her head while smiling. Iida was next with a pair of loose black pants, suspenders with yellow on the edges and black up the center that combined into a "Y" in the back, a short-sleeved white, button-up shirt with a dark maroon bow tie at the top, a pair of thin, stick-on mustache pieces that were little more a pair of hair tufts for his upper lip, spaced out almost to the corners of his mouth, and with his hair slicked back. Lee bit back a laugh. He looked ridiculous.
"I feel so ridiculous," Iida sighed, tugging at the sides of his bowtie.
Next was Eijiro with dark maroon pants, a silver belt with a pentagon buckle with an "X" in it and square studs all the way around, a pair of gold cords going from a spot on the left side of the belt to his left pocket, a white V-neck Tee-shirt, an open, dark maroon, jacket that didn't quite reach the belt but was a little too long to be a half-jacket, a gold bracelet on his right wrist, his hair combed down around his head, and a pair of white objects sticking out on the sides and up like horns.
"I dunno, I kinda dig it," Eijiro said.
"You could rock it without the horns better," Lee said, then looked around before grinning and grabbing his choice, stepping into the changing room.
A few seconds of super-speed-changing later, he stepped back out. He was wearing a pair of midnight blue suit trousers, a matching jacket, a white button-down shirt, a midnight blue tie, and a silver analogue watch with a metal splint wrist strap. He actually really liked the suit and watch, and they had a pair of black leather shoes that would fit over his boots to go with it.
"Hey, how come we had to dress like wannabe thugs, but he gets to dress like that?" Eijiro complained, putting his fake horns away.
"Because I'm the only one who can dress like this without the villains recognizing me," Lee said. "Except for Stitch, Inkling, and Instant."
"Instant?" Midoriya asked.
"The fast villain I've told you about," Lee said.
"Oh," Midoriya said. "Anyway, everyone ready?"
"To go look like idiots?" Lee asked. "Abso-friggin-lutely. Oh, did Momo give you guys your bonuses?"
"Yes," Todoroki said. "We've got them on. If it comes down to it, they should come in handy."
"They'd better not," Iida said.
Lee nodded in agreement and pulled his leather shoes on. They all walked outside and Midoriya opened his mouth, only for Lee to cover it.
"Do not try to act like a thug," Lee said. "Just be the moody quiet type."
Midoriya nodded and Lee took his hand back, slipping it into his pants pocket.
"Yaoyorozu, couldn't you have used your Quirk for this to save money?" Todoroki asked.
"Well technically, but that's against the rules!" Momo said, instantly flustered at not having though of it, swinging her arms to emphasize her point. "If I started making everything, think of the impact on the economy!" She clapped her hands together in front of herself. "We must ensure the flow of commerce! That's right! It's our civic duty as citizens!"
"Sure," Todoroki said.
"It's fine, Momo," Lee said, kissing the side of her head. "You can just say you wanted to go shopping real quick."
"That's not it!" Momo tried to defend herself, only for Lee to chuckle and continue walking. She groaned, stepping out in front of everyone. "Everyone, our destination is this way."
"Whoa!" a voice off to one side said. "It's U.A. High!"
Momo went stiff.
"Huh!?" Midoriya growled, turning, only to stop as he saw everyone staring up at a giant screen on a building, which had a news channel on it with the words "U.A. High School Emergency Press Conference" at the bottom of the screen. On it, were the Principal, Aizawa, and Vlad King.
"Let's return to a short clip from the U.A. High School Press Conference that just wrapped up," the news anchor was saying.
"Mister Aizawa!" Midoriya breathed.
"Vlad King and the Principal," Momo added.
They all moved to where they could get a better look.
"We are here to apologize," Aizawa said. "The recent incident allowed harm to come to twenty seven first-year heroes, and we staff were ill-prepared. We take responsibility for any trauma caused by our negligence. It's our duty to train heroes, but also to protect heroes in training."
All three bowed as cameras began to flash at them on-screen.
"This is crazy," Eijiro said. "He hates being on TV."
"That goes to show how serious this is," Lee said quietly.
"I'll take the first question," the principal said.
"Since the beginning of the year, U.A. students have had four encounters with villains," one of the reporters said. "This time there were students who were gravely injured. How did you explain this to the families? And what are some of the specific steps you're taking to ensure this doesn't happen in the future?"
Midoriya's hand curled into a fist. "They're treating them like...villains."
"We will increase patrols around the school grounds and review security measures within the school," the principal said. "The safety of the students is our main priority, make no mistake about it."
"What are these dudes thinkin'?" someone at the front of the crowd asked.
"They're gonna get those kids killed," another said.
"They should be ashamed," a third said.
"Increased patrols?" another scoffed. "Give me a break!"
The sentiment began to spread through the crowd quickly, and Lee narrowed his eyes. They needed to go. Now. The longer the press conference played, the more the crowd got angry at U.A. Finally, Lee nudged Todoroki and Momo, tilting his head to the side and they both nodded, grabbing the other three before they all left the crowd, putting some distance between them quickly.
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