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Characters might be OOC and there'll be some grammar error but I'm trying my best.
Enjoy the sixth chapter of LC!
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia
Chapter 6: The Internship
It's early morning when the teenagers enter the school and they can hear the class president of Class 1-B shouting out. "Listen up, everyone!" Tenya chopped his arms, "Stay in line and move quickly! We're going out to the grounds!"
"Ya know, you're out of line though." Hanta pointed out.
"That's the president's dilemma!" The class president trembled.
"Ugh, it's so early in morning." Mina yawned sleepily to herself, "Where does he get all this energy from?"
"Maybe he's secretly a robot?" Toru replied.
"I heard eeevverything, claaasss A!" The Class 1-A students turn their heads to a familiar voice to see Neito leaning against the locker shelf on his arm with a mocking grin, "Two people! They said two of your actually failed the provisional license exam!?"
"Yeah, and?" Setsuna raised her eyebrow and the copycat laughed loudly before he spun around.
"Everyone here passed!" The copycat smirked in front of his class, "Looks like you've fallen behind, Class A!"
"Sorry…" Shoko dipped her head down, "Everyone."
"Hey, don't listen to this jerk." Camie hugged the dual-haired girl, "He's just mad because he must have a tiny d…"
"Hey!" Some students looked back to see Hitoshi narrowed his eyes at them annoyingly, "You're holding us up back here."
"Apologies!" Tenya chopped his arms rapidly, "Come on, everyone! Let's refrain from speaking of private matters here! We're causing trouble for other people!"
"Don't show me any more of that lame ass shit." The purple-haired boy huffed.
"Shinsou." Fumikage changed his shoes.
"He's the guy that fought Izuku at the Sports Festival." Kyoka recalled his face.
"Huh, that guy seems…" Hanta placed thumb on his chin, "A bit more rough around the edges." The classes finally head outside to gather in front of their principal and the staff.
"Hiya!" Nezu raised his paw up, "It's me! Everyone's lovable, tiny mammalian principal!" He start to give a longest speech that some students want to doze off already until he say something that make everyone listen, "…The thing that has thrown my lifestyle off track is, as everyone knows…That incident that occurred this summer. That is the cause. The loss of our pillar. The effects of that incident are beginning to appear even faster than we imagined. From here on, we can expect that great difficulties await our society. For those of you in the department of heroics, in particular, it will be most prominent. And for many of you second and third years involved in your hero internships, you must have an even more increased awareness of this crisis situation."
"Hero internships?" Mina whispered to the frog girl.
"Maybe it's an extension to our schooling, like those career experience activates?" Tsuyu whispered back.
"I know, this is a heay topic and the outlook is bleak, but even if the outlook is grim, the adults are currently doing their best to somehow do something about it." Nezu spoke, "I would like all of you to someday develop into people capable of continuing their work. Whether you're the department of management, or the department of General education, or the department of support, or the department of heroics, please do not forget that all of you are the successors to our society!" He gave them a short bow before he walk off the stage and another teacher step up.
"Well then, lastly, a few cautionary words…From the lifestyle guidance teacher, Hound Dog-sensei."
"Rrrrr…" Hound Dog step up to take the microphone before he start to barking loudly, "Yesterdayrrr, rrrrr. DORM!" More barks, "Used to!" Growls, "Life!" He suddenly howled to the sky as the students watch on with gaping mouths and Vlad King take over.
"Um…" Vlad King cleared his throat, "He said, last night there was an escapade in one of campus' parks. You haven't gotten used to dorm life yet, but please refrain from doing such thing while living in the dorms and not in public."
"Huh, a escapade?" Setsuna rubbed her chin in curiosity, who'll be this bold to do something that earn Hound Dog's anger. No one notice Minoru trembling with biting lower lip and bloody tears, all he want is just put up some camera and take picture of girls changing but he got caught by one of the teachers and they destroyed his cameras. All the files lost!
"Okay, starting with the seniors, please return to your classrooms." One of the teachers announced and everyone start to walk back to their classes.
"Starting today, you'll be continuing normal classes." Shino announced to her class, "There have been an unprecedented number of incidents recently, but it's time to shift back and fulfill your duties as students. Today will be limited to classroom lectures only. However there will be even tougher training later in the semester."
"She's not talking about it." Mina whispered to the frog girl behind her.
"Yes, Ashido?" The telepath heroine called her out with a smile.
"Gah!" The pink girl looked guilty at getting caught, "Sorry, sensei!"
"Excuse me, sensei?" Tsuyu raised her hand up, "During the opening ceremony, they mentioned something called hero internship. Could you please tell us about that?"
"Actually, yeah, the principal did say something like that." Setsuna agreed.
"He said that a number of the upperclassmen are currently engaged in it." Momo added.
"I intended to talk about that another day, but…" Shino hummed, "Okay. To put it simply, it entails hero activities outside of the school. It's like the workplace experience you had with the pro heroes before…But this is the real deal."
"Ah." Ochaco nodded, "So we had that kind of system…" She paused before she suddenly raise her hand while slamming her desk with other hand, causing several students to jumped, "THEN WHAT DID WE WORK SO HARD FOR DURING THE SPORTS FESTIVAL?!"
"That's right!" The creator said, "If we have this internship, even if we didn't get any scouts from the sports festival, we still have paths open to us."
"Please calm down." Ibara looked at the freaking-out gravity girl with concern, "This is unlike of you, Ochaco."
"The hero internships will use the connections you gained from the scouts that you acquired during the sports festival." Shino explained, "This is an optional activity for students that is not linked to your classes. If anything, if you weren't chose during the sports festival, it'll be difficult to take part. Originally, each hero office would individually recruit, but in order to pull in U.A. students, they were constantly bickering. So this method was created."
"Oh, so that's how it is?" Kinoko muttered.
"With the acquisition of your provisional licenses, you can now participate in more long-term, professional exercises." The teacher continued, "However, there isn't much precedent for freshmen receiving provisional licenses. Because of that, coupled with the revival of the villains, we are cautiously considering the matter of your participation." She looked over them, "Well, on a later date I will give you proper testimonials, as well as our plans for the future." She turn her head to the door, "Alright, sorry for holding up, Mic."
"First period!" Present Mic waved cheerily as the smiling telepath heroine left, "Time for some English! In other words, my time to shine! Bet I had y'all waiting with baited breath for my long-awaited comeback, baby! We're gonna pack in some intense English action today, so put yo hands up, awww yeaaaaahhh!"
"Not the English!" Mina slumped over her desk with a feeble groan as the class listen to their English teacher's lesson.
Izuku struggle to carry the trash bags to dumpster from the dorm late at afternoon as he think deeply about the internship, it's his turn to take the trashes out and he decide to carry all bags in one go. 'There's a hero foundation lesson tomorrow, should I focus more on shoot style or put it on slow burner?' Izuku wondered until he see something in the corner of his eyes and he look over to get big shock of his life, there is a face in the wall!
"Trash that-a-way." The face spoke as a hand phase through the wall to point at the direction, "It's fine if you throw out food trays and stuff into the burnables."
"…Ah…Right…" Izuku muttered dumbly as the face pull back into the wall, it feel like he have seen him somewhere before.
"You've gotta be the lively little freshman, right?" The same face pop up from the ground under the yelping greenette before the face laughed loudly, "Caught you off guard, did I?! Guess that's my bad! Though I did it because it'd give you a spook!"
"W-Who, what are…" The stuttering boy suddenly recognize him, "W-W-W-Wait, you're t-t-this guy with this girl, H-H-Hado, right?"
"Well, you'll know all about me soon enough." The face grinned as he slowly disappear into the ground, "That aside, it's heartening to see you've got the proper pep! For now, all I can say is the rumors about you had me curious so I thought I'd come take look."
"…What…What was that?" Izuku stared bewilderedly and he have a funny feeling that he have seen this guy way far before but where?
The next evening, Izuku have permission from U.A. to go off campus to have a family dinner at a restaurant to celebrate for passing his exam. "Our table is in the back on right side." Hisashi led his small family to the booth in back and Izuku was very surprised to see Bakugo family.
"E-Eh, wha…?!" Izuku stuttered, why does he keep getting surprised many times in a short time?!
"Yooo!" Mitsuki raised her hand up with a wide grin as Masaru waved meekly with a small smile and Katsuki look like she don't want to be here with strained smile, due to her fear of Hisashi. "You sure take your sweet time coming here!"
"Well, we have to make a little stop because there was a short fight near here and you know how my cinnamon bun get when a hero is involved." The draco laughed, drawing a embarrassing blush out of his son.
"Izuku, dear, go in there and take your seat." Inko patted her son happily and the teenager give her a nod before he slide in the booth seat, only to squeak when he find out that he's sitting in front of Katsuki, who sharply look away from him with a quiet grunt. The mother takes her seat next to her son, in front of Mitsuki, and the drago father sit next to his wife in front of Masaru.
"Um…" The greenette teenager looked a little confused.
"They want to congratulate you on getting your license and it have been a while since we have dinner together." The plump mother beamed with a smile.
"That and we need to get ahead of Kendo family!" Mitsuki laughed smugly, caused the boy to gain a confusing expression.
"H-Ha…MOM!" Katsuki pushed the menus to everyone in attempt to change the topic, "Shall we order something first?!" Kami, she want to cussing and shouting but she don't want to anger the draco again, she is so not getting her head inside his mouth again! And what make her tick off is that her parents freakin' know it by the look of her mother's smug look. 'Fuck you, hag!' She cursed her mother out mentally as the families select their meals and drinks. After gave their orders to the waitress, the explosive girl turn to face Izuku and they froze in awkward way for few moments before she look away, resting her head on her prop-up arm.
'Guess it's still same between us.' Izuku thought to himself, feeling little sad that one of his best friends act like that…
"…How's your arms?" The explosive girl asked quietly with soft tone.
"Huh? Oh." He rubbed his right arm a bit, "They're b-better now since I try my best to not use them m-m-much, thank to Shoot Style."
"Good." Katsuki muttered, "Do you have any idea how much you worried me every time you pull a shit like that?"
"Huh?" Izuku looked up with a rapid blink, did he hear her saying…?
"If you want to get better, go look Miruko up." She grunted, "Maybe you learn something useful."
"O-Oh, that's good idea!" His eyes lit up at that, "Since her fighting style focus heavily on kicks, if I take some of her moves and incorporate it into Shoot Style. That will give me more…" He mumbled rapidly.
"…And I'm sorry for all shits I put you through…" Katsuki mumbled quietly behind her hand.
"…Eh, did you say something?" Izuku broke out from his mumble with a blink.
"Nothing, Deku!" The explosive girl looked away from him with a huff, only to froze when she see her parents and Inko smiling at them, Hisashi tremble in overprotective rage with smokes flowing out from his clenched fangs. Fuck! She hate this smug look on old hag! She quickly look another way with red face and she tried her best to ignore hag's snickering and confused greenette. For the rest of dinner, she avoid looking at anyone and then make a run for it back to the campus as soon as everyone say their byes to each other at the end.
Three days later, Shino wait until her students take their seats before the bell ring. "All right, it's time you all heard the full sotry about the internship." Shino turned to the door, "You can come in now." The door slided open as the students look over, "We'll be hearing about how it'll be different from your workplace experiences directly from a few who have gone through it themselves. Now they've taken time out of their busy schedules to talk to you, so be sure to listen carefully to what they have to say." Izuku give out a loud gasp when three older teenagers walk into the room, "Even amongst the current crop of students, they're the trio who reign at the top of U.A…The Big Three."
"Those guys…" Kyoka muttered, "I'd heard that there were kids like that, but…"
"The big three!" Mina pumped her fists and Izuku finally remember that he have saw Mirio from last year's sports festival.
"They really don't look like it through…" Camie hummed, "Right?"
'I wonder what kind of heroes they are…' Izuku wondered.
"Could you all give a brief self-introduction?" The telepath heroine looked at the older students, "Let's start with Amajiki." The black-haired boy suddenly glared intensely at the class and everyone feel some shiver going down their spines from one glance.
"…It's no use, Mirio, Hado…" Tamaki shuddered, "No matter how much I try to imagine them as potatoes…Everything except their heads stays human, so I can only see them as people. What should I do…The words won't come out." His head dipped, "My mind's gone blank…This sucks…" He turned to face the blackboard, "I wanna go home."
"He's…" Habuko eyed the gloomy teenager weirdly, "One of the top of the department of heroes, right?"
"Hey, hear that, Amajiki?" Nejire laughed, "They call that being a chicken! Yup! Even though you're a human! Weird, right?!" She gestured to the gloomy teenager then to herself, "This guy's the chicken, Amajiki Tamaki, and I'm Hado Nejire. We were requested to come here and talk to you all about the internship." She suddenly approached Ibara, "But, hey, how do you maintain your hair? Like, do you actually use special shampoo to wash your vine hairs? What'll happen if some get tangled together? How do you sleep with vine hairs?"
"Um, I…" Ibara barely speak out as the curious girl turned away from her.
"Ah, you are Todoroki, right?" Nejire turned to the said girl, "Right? What's with that burn there?!"
"Well, that's…" Shoko uttered.
"Ashido, if your horns break, do they grow back? Can you move 'em? Can you? Mongoose, what kind of snake are you? Do you ever think your surname is ironic since mongooses and snakes are enemies? Asui, are you a tree frog? You're not a toad, right? Everyone I look at's soooo interesting! It's weird."
"Wow, and here I thought only Midori can ask a lot of questions in one breath." Setsuna muttered.
"I'll say." Camie agreed.
"Togata, can you please add something?" Shino smiled to the older blonde.
"Please, do not fret, Mandalay!" Mirio pointed thumb at himself, "For I'm the main act today anyway!" He suddenly turn to the class with hand cupping his ear, "The journey ahead iiiiiiiis!?" There was a long awkward silence, "Rife with difficulties! Is what you're supposed to say!" He straightened up with a sheepish laugh, "Oookaaaay! Everyone totally failed to get the point!"
"All three of them are weirdos, aren't they?" Toru whispered to Yui, "They're called the Big Three, but they're kinda…Well…"
"They don't give off that feeling at all." Yanagi agreed with a whisper.
"Well, your faces say you have no idea what's going on." The older blonde said, "The internships, which aren't even mandatory…Are to be explained by these seniors that just suddenly showed up. It makes no sense, right? You've acquired your provisional licenses as freshmen, I see…Hmm. This year's freshmen are rather…Enthusiastic, aren't they?" He nodded, "Yeah, I see…It seems as though my introduction has crashed and burned anyway…"
"Mirio?!" Tamaki hissed nervously.
"So everyone here…" Mirio thrust his fist up with wide grin, "Let's go and fight, you versus me!" Most students cried out in confusion as he turned to the Class 1-A's homeroom teacher, "Having them experience our experiences with their own bodies is pretty rational, right!? How's that for ya, Mandalay?"
"…Well, that'd be good idea." Shino hummed before she turn to her class, "Everyone, please change into your gym uniform and meet at Gamma gym."
"Um, seriously?" Camie stared at Mirio, who was doing some warmup stretching, as most of Class 1-A students look very worried and somewhat nervous since they gather in Gamma gym.
"Seriously serious!" Mirio smiled.
"Mirio…" Tamaki faced the wall, "You should stop this now…Just giving a textbook 'this is what it is, so it'll be very valuable to you,' should be fine."
"He's still doing it…" Kinoko glanced at the gloomy teenager worriedly.
"It's not like each and every one of them has that burning desire to rise up in the world." The gloomy teenager muttered, "Don't make it so they can't get back on their feet again." His comment earn some curious glance from his underclassmen.
"Ah listen, did ya know?" Nejire flicked Mina's horns as they bounce back and forth, "A while ago there was this kid that got super discouraged, then they give up on being a hero, so they caused a bunch of problems! Did ya know that!? It was really tough on Togata! You've gotta think carefully or it'll be super hard on you too, like reeeeaaally tough, you know!"
"Please, stop that!" Mina whimpered with some shivers.
"Hold on, are you giving us a handicap?" Itsuka said, "But we've been practicing fighting against pros and we even have experienced fighting villains too." She frowned slightly, "Are you worried that we can't hold ourselves up to whatever you think we'll face?"
"You can come at me wherever, whenever!" The older blonde just smiled, "So, who's up first?!"
"I'd like to go!" Izuku suddenly speak up.
"You're really eager to go, huh?" Setsuna blinked at her fellow greenette.
"Ah, the problem child!" Mirio smirked, "Sounds great! You've got quite the enthusiasm, as expected!" The bushy-haired boy leap into action.
"Close-range unit, we'll close in on him all at once!" The orangette quickly ordered as everyone prepare for the spar.
"OKAY, SENPAI, LET'S DO THIS!" Almost everyone shouted and all of sudden, the clothes slip off Mirio's body.
"HEY, YOUR CLOTHES JUST COME OFF!" Kyoka shouted while covering her eyes with blushes, like the rest of her classmates and they were grateful that the older blonde's pant does not come off completely.
"Ah, my apologies!" Mirio held onto his pant with a grin, "The fine-tuning's a tad difficult, you know?" As soon as he finished his sentence, Izuku's swinging leg meet his face…And phase through his head harmlessly.
'Phaser, he have an amazing quirk!' Izuku realized the quirk as he land on his feet.
"The face?" The older blonde looked over his shoulder to the greenette, "Really?" Sudden, the wave of long-range attacks went through him and he vanishes without a trace.
"He's gone!" Ochaco gasped and everyone scan the field for their opponent.
"Righto!" The phaser suddenly appeared behind the rocker, "Long-rang attackers first!"
"He warped!" Mina gasped as Kyoka screamed in horror, "It's not just about passing through objects?! What kinda overpowered quirk is this?!" In a single blink, Mirio have took the long-range users out with well-placed hits.
"Okay, class!" Shino called out to the students as the older blonde shout 'power', "This is a great opportunity to get it beat into your bodies! That guy…As far as I know, Togata Mirio is the man closest to being number one hero! And that's including the pros!"
"He took out more than half of us in the blink of an eye…!" Shoko stared at the scene from her teacher's side, "So he's the man who's closest to number one."
"…Aren't you going to join?" The Telepath heroine looked at her then to Katsuki, who was standing by with a grumble.
"I haven't earned my provisional license, so…" Shoko replied as the explosive girl grunted in somewhat agreement, earned a small sweatdrop from the teacher.
"Nothin' left but close quarters kids." Mirio smirked with flicking hands.
"What the hell was that!?" The gravity girl's eyes popped out, "I mean, the phasing is strong enough…But he can warp, too? Doesn't that make him like…INVICIBLE?!"
"Oh, stop!" The older blonde posed with a wide grin.
"There must be some kind of trick to it, guys!" Izuku started to mumbling, "And it doesn't matter whether he's warping through his phasing ability, or the other way around…As long as he's making contact with his attacks, if we just focus on countering him, then there should be moments where we can land our own hits on him! If we don't know what he's doing, that just means we operate within what we do know, make a hypothesis…And search for a way to win!" He unknowingly impressed his senpais.
"Oho!" Setsuna agreed with him, "You're quite a beast right there."
"Go ahead, search away!" Mirio ran toward the group, only to sink into the ground.
"He sank through!" Pony cried before the older blonde appeared behind Izuku and the greenette suddenly surprised him with a roundkick.
'That's no reflex shot.' The phaser thought to himself, 'You telling me he predicted I'd show up here?' His left arm shot forward, phasing through Izuku's leg to his face. "But I've got a killer move for you!" His finger phase through the greenette's eyes, "Blinding touch!" The yelping boy closed his eyes before the phaser punched his stomach hard, "Gotta tell ya, most people think up the same sorta counter-based strategy." Mirio sink into the ground, "So I'mma make this a training session to hunt and destroy the strategists!"
"Yo, hey, about Togata!" Nejire grinned to Tamaki, "Yoohoo, about Togata, hey, has he, like, gotten super strong or what?"
"He's been strong since he was a kid…" Tamaki muttered as the screams of students and sound of one-sided beating reach his ears, "Though…He should learn some restraint."
"POWER!" Mirio gave a thumb-up with wide grin and the moaning students lying around him, holding their stomachs.
"And, welp." Mirio smiled to the groaning freshmen after they recovered and gather around in front of him and his fellow seniors. "Yep. Guess that's the gist of it!"
"I don't even get why but everybody just got off with a punch to the gut…" Itsuka moaned.
"You think my quirk's strong?" The older blonde grinned.
"Try way too damn strong!" Camie cried out.
"It's no fair when I think of my quirk!" Toru raised her hand up.
"I mean, you can phase and warp!" Mina said, "Are you a hybrid like Shoko?!"
"OMG, I totally know his quirk!" Nejire raised her hand up while waving another hand, "OMG, like, can I say it?! It's called Phase…"
"It's Mirio's turn to talk, Hado." Tamaki cut her off.
"Nope, just one!" Mirio laughed as the blue-haired girl pouted, "Phaser! And that warping, as you guys called it, works just the way you noted!"
"What's the principle behind your warping?!" Izuku asked and the senior explain how his 'warp' work by using his phase quirk and shooting himself up because two objects with mass can't overlap.
"…That sound like an IRL glitch." Mina puffed her cheeks out with a pout.
"Perfect way to put it!" The phaser laughed out loudly.
"He can phase through every attack…" Tsuyu said with finger on her chin, "And move anywhere he wants instantly…Anyway you look at it, that's a strong quirk."
"It's not a strong quirk." Mirio replied, "I made the quirk strong. When it's activated, my lungs can't take in any oxygen. Since any air I inhale just passes through me. By the same token, my eardrums won't vibrate and retinas won't receive any light. I phase through everything. That means…All I retain is my mass…Without being able to sense anything around me…Apart from the sensation of falling…Do you really understand? Because it works like that, even if I'm only going through one wall…A simple movement requires several processes."
"If that was me…" The illustrator muttered, "The bigger the rush, the more likely I'd mess that up…"
"Never mind that it'd be hard to move if you can't feel anything…" Habuko replied.
"Yep, sure enough, I fell behind!" The phaser nodded, "In a blink of an eye, I dropped to the bottom of the barrel. My clothes dropped too." He tapped his forehead, "The one mistake I couldn't afford to make with this quirk is being too slow to pop back up! Predict! Faster than your surroundings! And occasionally, you've gotta use deception! But more than anything, I needed to be able to predict! And the thing that makes that prediction possible is experience! Use the experience to put together your prediction! It was a tad long, but this was the real reason for our bout! Rather than words, I wanted to show you through experience! During the internship, we're no guests. We're one of the sidekicks! We're there as actual pros! It's truly frightening. Sometimes you'll even bear witness to deaths! However, all of those terrifying moments and tough times are top notch experiences that you can't obtain at school!" He clenched his fist, "I took all those experiences I gained in the internship and made them my strengths! Then, I grabbed the top spot! And that's why, freshmen! Even if it's terrifying, you have to do it!"
"He even speaks like a pro." Setsuna clapped along with everyone else.
"He cleaned up that week and a half explanation in three panels…" Momo smiled.
"What panels?" Kaoruko gave her a odd look.
"Guests, huh." Camie hummed, "Guess the workplace experience thing did kinda feel like that."
"Yeah, they never let us face anything dangerous." Kyoka rubbed her earlobe jack.
"It's nearly time to head back." Shino announced.
"Hey, was there any point to us being here?" Nejire whispered to Tamaki, "Do you know?"
"I'm glad we didn't do anything." Tamaki whispered back, "Let's give Mirio our thanks."
"Thank you very much!" The students said out loud to their senpais as they left the gym.
"Mou, we're leaving already?" The blue-haired girl pouted as she walk together with her fellow seniors, "I wanna talk to cutie again! I have a bunch of questions to ask him. Hey, Amajiki, do you know that the cute boy with green hair and freckles is Ryukyu's nephew? Do you?"
"No, I don't." Tamaki replied, had already been told by Mirio the other day when she keep mentioning a cute boy.
"Do you two know I took a photo of him and send it to Yuyu?" Nejire chirped, "She said he look very cute enough. Oh, can we call dibs? I wanna bring him to Ryukyu's agency!"
"No dibs." Mirio laughed and the blue-haired girl start to whine about unfair and must have dibs before they start to discussing about the Class 1-A students as they head to Class 1-B next.
"Wonder what'll end up happening with the internship thing." Ochaco leaned back on the couch with some girls in common room, the school have just ended a while ago. "They said they were still checking out the situation for the freshmen, but…"
"The story of how Togata-senpai reached the top from square zero's kinda inspirational." Mina said.
"For the time being, I supposed we're waiting for Sosaki-sensei's go signal." Momo let her hair down after removing her hair tie.
"You think it'll be tomorrow?" The pink girl bounced on cushion, too eager to go for the internship. Momo once again remind her it may take some time until their teacher gives them a go signal.
Izuku walk in from outside with his notebook and he sit down on couch to relax for a bit. "H-Hey, um, whose turn is it to m-m-make dinner tonight?" He asked. Beside the chore list, everyone agreed that they will take turn to make supper for everyone and if anyone want to make their own, that's fine.
"Ibara, I believe she is making spaghetti with biscuits." Tsuyu leaned forward to look past the gravity girl to him, "It'll be ready in about an hour from now."
"Oh, t-thank you." Izuku nodded once and he sit back before he almost jolt up when he notice that Yui was sitting next to him and so close that their shoulders were almost touching, when did this girl just arrive?! "O-Oh, w-when did you…?" The greenette decide to drop it because he think he'll look stupid if he finish his question.
"Mm, tired." Yui suddenly rest her head on his shoulder, her body lean closer on his side.
"Y-Y-Yui?!" He squeaked out with red face as he slightly turn his head to her but the expressionless girl have her eyes closed, 'S-She did say she's tired…' The greenette have no idea what to do so he just let her rest on his shoulder and try his best to ignore how good she smell. When he look up, he notice the girls' staring with different reactions and it make him very nervous for some reasons.
"…Oh, I'm so tired too…" Mina was about to get up to wedge herself between Ochaco and Izuku but…
"Mina, don't think about teasing him." Momo gave her a warning look, trying her best to not seethe in jealous at Yui's position. They don't notice Ochaco quietly shift closer to the greenette until their shoulders touch and the blushing greenette thought nothing of it, assume that she was changing her seat to be more comfortable. They stay like that until dinner was ready and some girls quietly decide to pull a page from Yui in future whenever an opportunity comes up.
"I have the result of yesterday's discussion regarding hero internships for freshmen." Shino spoke to her class the very next day, "Starting with the principal, the majority of the teachers said 'give it up'."
"What?!" Camie gaped, "Even after the info session with the seniors?!"
"But if we think about it from the sequence of events that led to everyone living in the dorms, I guess it would turn out like this." Kashiko said.
"However…" The homeroom teacher spoke up, "There are also those with the option that under our current safeguard policy we won't raise you to be strong heroes. So this will be our policy. We will only allow freshmen to work at offices that have a good track record when taking in interns. That is the conclusion we reached." Some students start to discuss about agencies and other have already have an idea in their minds. When the period ended, Izuku quickly leave the class to go to the staff room to talk to Toshinori about internship and some girls turn to each other to talk more about the internships.
"What offices are you guys thinking of applying for?" Habuko asked, "I can't decide if I will go back to the same place I had for workplace experience or something new."
"Same here." Tsuyu said with finger on her chin, little did she know is that Nejire was on her way to recruit the frog girl and Ochaco.
"I'm planning to ask Kamui Woods for internship." Ibara clasped her hands.
"It's going to be little tricky for me." Itsuka said, "After the workplace experience fiasco, I'm not keen on taking any offer right away. I have to talk to sensei more about that." Momo nod behind her, had went through the same experience and it's something that she's not looking forward to repeat this time.
"I already have one set up." Kaoruko smiled.
"Lucky!" Mina leaned toward her with a grin, "Can you hook me up there?"
"It's an intelligence agency, we collect information and…" The blue girl said.
"Buh-bah!" The pink girl lift her hand up to the blue girl, "You just lost me at intelligence." She groan at that because she don't want to do some brainwork, she want to show off.
"Well, we have a lot of time to figure it out until then." The orangette said before their next period start.
The weekend has arrived and some girls doing their morning rituals in the dining room before Izuku suddenly run past them and out of the dorm while shouting morning. "Wonder where's he heading to in such hurry." Setsuna brushed her teeth sleepily.
"Who know?" Kyoka glanced over her shoulder then to some girls, "I'm gonna go to Yao-Momo's lesson prep session today, you guys coming?"
"Sorry, we've actually got some plans today." Ochaco grinned sheepishly and Tsuyu nodded behind her.
"Alright." The punk nodded with a light shrug.
After meeting up with Mirio, Izuku was following his senpai to a building a hour away from train station. "These are Sir's offices." Mirio pointed to Sir Nighteye's building with a grin.
"Whoa…" The greenette stiffened up.
"Hey, dude, don't get all square on me!" The phaser attempted to ease the greenette's nervousness, "Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you, but Sir's got very strict standards."
"I'm well aware…" Izuku nodded nervously, "H-H-He's a famously s-s-stoic hero who's not only strict with o-o-others, but also with himself…A-A-And it shows in his work. That sharp glance c-can startle me even just f-f-from watching him through a screen."
"He can be like that, totally…" Mirio nodded, "But Sir's actually got another face that he doesn't show the media." The young teenager looked puzzled by that, "So if you don't wanna get turned away at the door. Then sometime between when you first meet him and when you're finished talking…You've gotta make him laugh at least once."
"W-W-Wha…" The greenette stuttered, "What do you mean?! M-M-Make him laugh?!"
"Sure, Sir looks like a grumpy-puss…" Mirio entered the office with the boy in tow, "But despite that, or maybe because of it…He respects humor above everything else. Introducing you is all I can do for you. It's Sir who'll decide whether he can use you or not. I wanna help you out but…The only way is for you to get sir to acknowledge you by your own efforts."
"I know it's late to ask, b-b-but…" Izuku looked at his senpai's back, "Why are you doing me a favor…E-Even though we've o-o-only just met?"
"I'm not really thinking of it as doing you a favor or anything." The phaser replied, "You've got yourself one crazy goal…And you're trying to make it a reality." He gave him a wide grin over his shoulder, "You know, when a hero sees someone in need…It's just in their nature to be nosy and help 'em out!" He looked ahead then pointed a door out, "Right, it's just beyond that door. If you wanna get stronger, then push it open yourself!"
"I-I-I'm ready!" Izuku boldly opened the door with determined expression.
"I've bought the freshman I told you about yesterday!" Mirio grinned widely as the greenette choke on his spit in shock at the sight in front of him.
"Good grief…" Sir Nighteye stand in front of Kaoruko as she was hooked up to some kind of tickle machine, the bubble girl was laughing her head off with tears in her eyes. "Now there's that nice high volume voice."
"K-K-KARUKO?!" Izuku gaped with bugged-out eyes, "JUST, W-WHAT KIND OF?!"
"ST-STOP, OH KAMI, PLEEEEAHEEHEEHAH!" Kaoruko laughed out, can't see or hear anything at the moment.
"WHAT THE?!" The greenette cried again, he have no idea that one of his classmates have an internship with Sir Nighteye.
"Looks like Bubble Girl, one of his interns, didn't show him enough humor!" Mirio replied as if it's a normal thing and Sir Nighteye turn his head to stare at them with intense look.
"Wh-Whoa!" Izuku gulped before he quickly bring his 'All-Might' face out for an attempt of humor, "MY NAME IS MIDORIYA IZUKU!" There was nothing but a silence in the room, beside strained giggles from Kaoruko.
"…Are you mocking All Might?" Sir Nighteye glared deadly and Izuku sweated heavily.
'It bombed!' The phaser stared quietly.
"What do you mean by that face you're pulling?" The salaryman stomped forward with a sneer as he pushed his glasses up, "It must be a shot aimed at the fact that I was once All Might's sidekick…"
"Ah, no, t-t-that's, I…!" Izuku stammered before the pro hero grab his face, stretching and squeezing.
"All Might has no such wrinkle here!" Sir Nighteye lectured, "The wrinkles around his eyes are around zero point six cm, and zero point eight cm during his silver age. In this day and age, even non-licensed All Might goods are made with the differences between his different appearances throughout the ages in mind."
"A-Ah, w-wait!" The greenette noticed many All Might goods all over the workplace, even some that he can't get his hands on. 'He's…A maniac-level All Might fan!'
"I am quite displeased." The salaryman turned away, "You may leave now…"
"Do you know of…" Izuku cut him off, "The vinegar suicide incident?" The salaryman halted, "It refers to the incident when a middle school student with a quirk that could alter liquid substances…Nearly drowned in a river, spurring All Might to the rescue. The drowning kid, in a panic, inadvertently changed the river into vinegar…Which caused All Might's eyes to sting when he jumped in. The smile he flashed, his eyes screwed shut all the while, as he did the post-rescue interview…Is the moment I chose for the funny face."
"Of course I know of it." Sir Nighteye replied, "It was before my time with him. A special episode of 'Looking Back' on NHA TV touched on it briefly."
"There was no villain in that incident, and compared to his other works it's nothing spectacular." The greenette said, "It doesn't even show up on fansites very much, but I really like it. Especially what he said after the kid thanked him, it was so witty…"
"I should be thanking you for making my skin look ten years younger." The salaryman said.
"Yes, that's the line!" Izuku nodded rapidly, "The skin line!"
"Why you insolent…" Sir Nighteye stared darkly, "Are you testing me?"
"Ah, no, no, no!" The greenette waved rapidly, "It's just that we have All Might with us at school now, so it's awkward to be so direct talking about him…So I just got a little hyped up recounting the story!"
"…The crux of that incident was that student's home life." The salaryman spoke.
"Yes, that's right!" Izuku nodded, "It really makes me reflect on the important of words."
"W-What…" Kaoruko panted heavily as Mirio freed her from the machine, "W-What is I-Izuku doing here…?"
"He want to apply here so I'm taking care of him." The phaser grinned.
"So you say you wish to intern at my agency…" Sir Nighteye take his seat behind the desk, "In order to become stronger than you are at present."
"Yes!" Izuku straightened up, "Please take me!"
"The school contract printout, sir." The salaryman said.
"I have it for you to stamp!" The greenette fished his printout out from his backpack.
"I bid you not interrupt me." Sir Nighteye picked a stamp up, "The moment I stamp my seal of approval, the contract goes into effect."
"Yes, sir!" Izuku replied.
"This is no internship that you see with any normal company where it ends within a week." The salaryman spoke, "You'd be working for us for more than a month at the very least…With compensation, naturally. For a freshman like you whose class workload is relatively heavy, the amount of time you'll need to take off from lessons will of course increase, and you won't be able to move at the same pace as all of your peers in class."
"If I tried to move forward at the same pace as everyone…" The bushy-haired boy frowned, "Then I'd never reach the top!" Sir Nighteye stare at him before he stamped…On desk next to the printout. "…Uh…You missed."
"Yes." Sir Nighteye stamped everywhere but the printout, "Because I have no intention of stamping it." The boy gasped, "I understand full well that there is indeed merit in you working here…For you. But what merit is there for me in hiring you? How exactly, do I profit from accepting you into our fold without delay? How do I profit from an office with a sidekick and, now two interns? What do you have to contribute to society? How would you be of benefit to others? If you want me to acknowledge you, you must show me. All Might showed his worth through his power and his humor. He put fear into the hearts of criminals, and hope into the hearts of the people. That is why the public took to him with open arms."
"How can I be of use…" Izuku muttered, "To society?"
"What advantages would you give my agency?" The salaryman stand up, "I'd appreciate it if you tried showing me not with words, but with actions. You have three minutes. Three minutes to take this seal from my hands. If you wish to engage in heroics under my supervision, then stamp the paper yourself." The greenette blinked in confusion, "You can say I'm giving you, who hasn't the slightest shred of a sense of humor, a rare chance. What do you say? Am I not merciful? Mirio, Bubble Girl, leave us."
"Ah, right…" Kaoruko glanced to her classmate worriedly as the teenagers leave the office.
"Where is your spirit?" Sir Nighteye said.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Both Kaoruko and Mirio said before they closed the door behind them then walk down the hallway.
"…It's not like of Sir to do that…" The bubble girl glanced at the door over her shoulder, "To give practical skill test like that. It's kinda unfair because of Sir's Foresight quirk."
"Worried about your boyfriend?" Mirio teased.
"It's not like that!" Kaoruko cried out with heavy blush as the senpai laughed, "…I'm going to wait here for three minutes." She leaned against the wall.
"You sure it's not like that?" The phaser leaned on opposite wall with a chuckle, ignoring some loud noises from the room.
"Shut up." The bubble girl hissed with burning cheeks. They have to wait for three minutes until the noises stop and they both enter the room.
"Pardon us!" Mirio grinned.
"Is it over?" Kaoruko glanced around at the mess in the office as Izuku kneel on floor with Sir Nighteye stand over him, "It got pretty loud in here."
"He's hired." Sir Nighteye gestured to the greenette.
"Whoa, all right!" The phaser grinned together with the bubble girl, "Awesome!"
"What?!" Izuku cried out in shock as the blood dripping from his nose, "But I couldn't pass your test!"
"I believe I told you to take the seal an stamp the paper yourself." The salaryman pushed his glasses up, "But I never said if you couldn't, I wouldn't hire you."
"You've gotta be…" The greenette groaned.
"Way to go, Izuku!" Kaoruko walked over to help her friend up with a smile.
"Sir, you laughed." Mirio pointed out the fact that he heard the pro hero chuckled softly when they enter.
"My decision to hire you was settled the moment I heard you were coming." Sir Nighteye said as the greenette gaped like a fish, "I've come to understand that you won't make for a completely useless addition. But do not take that to mean I acknowledge you." He whispered to him low enough so the blue girl don't hear him, "Now that the people wait in want of a symbol, they don't yearn for a faint light but a dazzling one. And even if that necessitates defying his will…I shall have you step into the real world…" He gave Izuku the stamp, "And realize for yourself who, in this age, is suited to that power."
"I'd be honored, sir!" Izuku replied as he stamped the paper and Sir Nighteye give him a quick summary before he send the teenagers out.
"I'll go fetch the welcoming binder." The grinning phaser power-walk away from them, "Bubble Girl, please give him a tour. Oh, and don't you two go sneak off for a little ro…"
"SHUT IT!" The blue girl shouted after the retreating phaser with a heavy blush and the greenette was little confused.
"…Um, I-I don't know y-you have internship with S-Sir Nighteye." The greenette turned to her.
"You never asked." Kaoruko smiled as she brings the blush down, "I'm also surprised about you."
"Y-Yeah…" Izuku nodded, "Um, h-how did you g-get internship with him?"
"He's a, um…" She scratched her cheek bashfully, "A close friend of my ma." He looked surprised, "And well…He kinda fill in as a father figure. I don't know much about my father because he passed away a bit before I was born and Sir often come around to help ma out since I was little. He was always there for occasions like birthdays, holidays and etc." She blushed faintly, "He's the reason why I want to become a pro hero."
"Wow, I don't know y-y-you look up to Sir Nighteye." The greenette said surprisingly, that is very new to him because the bubble girl never mention any words about the salaryman.
"W-Well, I'm kinda embarrassed by that." Kaoruko giggled bashfully with some fidget before she clear her throat loudly, "Anyway! I should go introduce you to Sir Nighteye's sidekick, Centipeder and explain what we do here!" She bring him to the sidekick's office then show him around.
"Today we'll be conducting both patrol and surveillance work." Sir Nighteye said to the teenagers the very next day at afternoon, "Bubble Girl will stay with me, while Mirio and Midoriya will form their own pair."
"Surveillance?" Izuku asked.
"Nigh Eye offices are in the middle of a secret investigation." Kaoruko explained.
"We're tracking a small group of villains named the Eightfold Cleansers." The salaryman said before he show them a picture of a black-haired man with plague mask, "The capo in this photo, a man named Chisaki, has begun to display some odd actions."
"A group of yakuzas." The greenette memorizing the face in photo, "But nowadays those kinds of people are lying low, or at least that's their image." The yakuza have become extreme rare nowadays due to the current era.
"Yeah, because way back they were pretty much dismantled." The blue girl raised her index finger up, "But this Chisaki guy's started reassembling them for some reason. They even made contact with the villain alliance recently. We don't know the details though."
"The Villain Alliance?" Izuku theorized.
"But direct evidence of him plotting evil remains elusive." Sir Nighteye replied, "As such, they're a grey very near black, but nevertheless we can't treat them like villains. What my offices are after is proof of criminal activity from them while never attracting their suspicion."
"Yessir!" The teenagers said before they split up to do their patrol.
Sir Nighteye and Bubble Girl walk together as they head toward to their stakeout location before the salaryman push his glasses up, "Is there…" He paused for a moment as if he was debating internally, "Anything going on between you and Midoriya?"
"Huh?" Kaoruko turned her head to him with a blink before she realize his question, "O-Oh, nothing! Nothing!" She waved her hands, "W-We're just friends! good friends! Why do you ask that?!" She stared at him for a moment, "Wait…D-Did you see something in…"
"No." The salaryman pushed his glasses up again, "Your mother have mentioned it to me that you have been talking often about this boy and Mirio informed me how often you socialize with him, almost as if you're…"
"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, GEEZ!" Kaoruko stomped her right foot with heavy blush as she bit her pouty lip embarrassingly.
"…Alright, I'll believe you." Sir Nighteyes make a mental note to tell the mother of blue girl how adorable and childish her daughter behaved today. "Anyway. I hope Deku will not do anything troubling as a rookie."
Izuku kneel down to a little girl that have bumped into his leg, "Ah, my bad, that must've hurt!" He gave the frightened girl a smile in attempt to ease her fear and he was about to help her up until they hear a voice from the alleyway.
"Look what you've done, causing a hero so much trouble." They looked up to the voice to see Chisaki as he narrowed his eyes at the little girl, "Come back, Eri."
'It can't be…' Izuku realize Chisaki right away, 'The capo of Eightfold Cleansers…The man named Chisaki.'
"Sorry about my daughter, hero." The plague-masked man spoke with smiling eyes, "She's been horsing around too much so she's a bit scraped up. Worries me sick!"
"your hood and mask slipped off again!" Mirio swiftly covered Izuku's face up with his mask, "You sure you got the right measurements for 'em? We're the ones who should be saying sorry!"
'It's my expression!' The greenette realized his senpai's action as he fixed his mask, they can't let Chisaski know there's something up.
"That kickass mask…" The phaser smiled, "You must be from the Cleansers! They're famous 'round these parts."
"Yeah, but don't worry about this old thing." Chisaki replied, "I'm just sensitive to germs. This is the first time I've seen either of you. Newbie heroes? You're quite young."
"Yep!" Mirio glanced to the greenette, "We're still new so we're all nervous! All right, stand up, partner! Let's go face the unknown future!"
"What offices are you with?" The plague-masked man asked.
"We're stil students!" The phaser replied smoothly, "In fact, we're still such fledgelings that it'd be presumptuous to even think of being with an office right now…We're just being allowed to patrol around a little for our workplace experience, that's all." He turned away, "Right, then, we've gotta keep patrolling the area until noon! Time to go!"
"Right…" Izuku gulped until he feel the little girl clenching his shirt tightly.
"Don't…" Eri shivered with tears in her frightened eyes, "Don't go…" In this moment, the greenette know there's something wrong and he wants to do something about it.
"…Um, excuse me…" The greenette said, "Your daughter, she seems scared."
"Yes, because I just scolded her." Chisaki said.
'Deku, you can't show too much suspicion!' Mirio leaned to the greenette, "Let's go."
"But I can't say these are the kinds of bandages you'd get from 'too much horsing around'." Izuku glanced at the little girl that holding on him like it's her life on line.
"She falls down a lot." The plague-masked man answered.
"A child this small, so scared she's shaking and won't say a word?" The greenette placed hand on her head, "I really, really don't think that's normal."
"Please don't go imposing your own ideas of what's normal…" Chisaki narrowed his eyes slightly, "On other people's home lives."
"It takes all kinds, right." The phaser inputted while urging the greenette to stop mentally.
'The second we throw on our costumes and hit the town…' Izuku gritted his teeth while holding Eri, 'When a hero sees a child tremble, there's no way they can avert their eyes!' "What are you doing to her?"
"…Hmph." The plague-masked man huffed, "I swear, heroes are all so sensitive to the smallest things. Fine, I understand." He turned into the alleyway, "It's embarrassing…So I'd rather not talk about it out in public…Could you follow me over there?"
'If anything happens, I'll deal with it.' Mirio nodded to the greenette as they slowly follow the masked man, 'It's not like we can just make off with her.'
"To tell you the truth, I've been worried about Eri lately." Chisaki spoke, "No matter what I say, she does nothing but rebel."
'Is he abusing her?' Izuku narrowed his eyes while carrying the little girl, "Worried aobut her…Is it? That sounds rough…"
"It is." The plague-masked man spoke, "Kids are hard to understand, let me tell you. It honestly makes me think…" He slipped his gloves off, "I could turn into a very different kind of person." Before the teenagers know it, the little girl suddenly jump out of the greenette's arms and run up to Chisaki's side with her head down. "What now…" Chisaki glanced down to the little girl while move his hands away from his gloves, "Done with your little tantrum?" The girl's response was a nod.
"But, but…" The greenette looked worried, "Eri? Are, you…?"
"This is how it's always like." Chisaki guided the little girl into the shadow of the alleyway, "I'm sorry I ended up bothering you with all this. Again, sorry for the trouble. Good luck…On the job."
"Wait!" Izuku attempted to follow them, "Why?"
"We're not chasing after them." Mirio halt him in trail by holding his arm out, "Didn't you notice? He made a show of his murderous intent…To reel that kid back in. Chase too far and you'll just make him harder to catch. C'mon, let's respect Sir's orders." The teenagers exit the alleyway as the greenette kept glanced at the alleyway over his shoulders, wondering if he should have done something to save this girl while Mirio make a call to Sir.
"You know, he may be small-time, but you've gotta hand to him…" Sir Nighteye study the front entrance of a Japanese manor, "He really is a yakuza who knows how to survive. Tall fence, not a lotta windows…Nice digs, huh." He bring the binoculars down, "A week and a half has passed since we began our mark. Today is unusual. Practically no one's coming in or out."
"Ah, phone." Kaoruko answered the phone, "…W-WHAA?!" She turned to the salaryman with sweats, "Apparently, Lemillion and Deku…Made contact with Chisaki!"
"…Tell them to meet us at the meeting place…" Sir Nighteye walked off with Kaoruko in tow, "And I have to ask…Is Midoriya a trouble magnet?"
"What, no?" The bubble girl gave him a funny look, "Why do you ask?"
"Just asking." The salaryman waved it off, he won't tell her about some strange visions he had.
"I'm so sorry!" Mirio apologized as soon as they met up with Sir Nighteye and Bubble Girl, "We had an incident! Never would've believed we'd end up bumping into each other on the street like he was the new transfer student or something!"
"No, this was an error on my part." Sir Nighteye bring his hand up, "If I had endeavored to foresee you two, I could have prevented it."
"In any case, I'm glad you're okay!" Kaoruko looked to Izuku as the group start to walk together, "If you'd made a wrong move and he'd gotten suspicious, it coulda been dicey back there."
"Actually, it wasn't all that scary…" Izuku muttered softly, causing the blue girl to look a bit concern.
"Some days ago, a band of robbers on the run caused an accident with a truck that involved a few 'bystanders'." The salaryman pushed his glasses up, "Those bystanders were Chisaki and the other Eightfold Cleansers. And yet, there were zero casualties." The greenette blinked, "The robbers reportedly passed out from excruciating pain, but for some reason were left with no wounds. On the contrary, even the various ailments they'd been suffering from, such as cavities or rheumatism, were totally cured. It's logical to think it's the work of Chisaki's quirk, but nevertheless…Since there were no injuries and the villains were apprehended, he ended up not committing any crimes in particular."
"But they say the stolen money got burnt to embers." Kaoruko added, "The police just left it at that, but…We thought something's gotta be up, and so Night Eye's offices started marking him." She frowned with a light hum, "I dunno what he's thinking, but he's the type who definitely doesn't play around."
"Ah, almost forgot!" The phaser lifted his hand up, "Sir! Speaking of injuries…We've got some new intel! Chisaki's got a daughter!"
"A daughter?" Sir Nighteye frowned.
"Her name was Eri." Izuku looked at his hand, "She had bandages around her legs and arms…And she was completely terrified! I don't' know what's going on…But she wanted to be saved! If there's any way, we could protect her…"
"Don't be so arrogant." The salaryman cut him off to his surprise, "Too much haste will ruin your work. If you chase him prematurely, he'll only be able to slip away more easily. You are not so special that you can save anyone merely by wishing it so. At the moment, we're also making a request to team up with another office. First we must predict what it is he wants to do. After we've made our analyses, we must make sure we are prepared beyond any doubt. The world is not so kind that you can save others through your will alone. The cleverest villains hide in the shadows…And now is as good a time as any for you to learn that sometimes, you must give it time." He glanced between Mirio and Izuku, "Today you may both return to the office. Let's go, Bubble."
"Ah, right!' The bubble girl glanced back to Izuku before she follow the salaryman.
On Monday morning, Mina stare at Katsuki's face in the class before she finally speak up. "What happened to you, Kat?" The explosive girl has some bandage aids on her face.
"Don't call me Kat, Raccoon Eyes." Katsuki growled.
"You mean you haven't seen her yet?" Kyoka glanced to her classmates, "Take a look at Shoko." Several girls turn to look at the said girl.
"OH MY KAAAAMI, THEY SPOILED YOUR PRETTY FACE!" The acid user cried at the sight of Shoko's face, almost covered in bandage aids.
"Seems like the short course for the provisional was a modern Sparta." Toru muttered.
"They ain't kidding about Physical Education!" Mina muttered.
"Your whispering is loud as shit!" The explosive girl shouted.
"Hey, it's almost class time." Setsuna glanced at some empty desks, "Where's Ochaco and Tsuyu? It's not like them to be late."
"They received permission." Momo replied.
"Yo hey,Midoriya, the intern, how's the internship going?" Camie tapped the greenette's desk while leaning on his back.
"Huh?" Izuku muttered absentmindedly, "Ah, mm-hm…"
"How much time you spending with them?" Mina asked out of curiosity, "Take me with you!"
"I heard Kaoruko is interning with him too." Kashiko pushed her glasses up.
"Wha?" The pink girl turn to the blue girl with waving arms, "Are you doing it to get ahead of everyone?"
"Mm, it's not like that." Kaoruko muttered absentmindedly while staring at Izuku, she feel bad for him. Before anyone else can open their mouth, the teacher and her assistant enter the class and the students take their seats almost right away. Very few girls start to notice Izuku's behavior this day.
"Hey, I saw Midori run out from my window." Mina walked into the common room, where few girls were relaxing, "Did something happened?"
"Izuku was distracted all day about something and he went out to find All Might." Toru replied, had already asked him when he run by them through the common room.
"Wonder what he want to ask All Might about." The acid user hummed before she tilt her head to the bubble girl, "You know something?"
"No, I'm sorry." Kaoruko lied with a shaking head, she assure it's related to the little girl that he can't save.
"Should we do something to take his mind off it?" Kinoko asked.
"Like what?" The pink girl tilted her head the other way with crossed arms and they just shrug their shoulders, unsure what to do. "…Hope he's okay."
Somewhere in city at night, Nejire float down in front of Ochaco and Tsuyu and near them, two giant villains were lying in rubbles. "That went great, girls!" Nejire grinned, "Totally went, like, awesome. Were you nervous?"
"We were able to do just like you told us." Ochaco smiled.
"Kero, I was surprised how calmly I did it, too." Tsuyu said.
"As might be expected from heroes Nejire would bring along!" Ryuko approached the girls with a smile, "The two of you have great aptitude. And Nejire, you've improved your timing when you go for the knock out."
"Thank you so much for enlisting us." The freshmen bowed to the pro heroine.
"Yes, yes, no trouble." The dragon heroine smiled.
"Although, I'm sad that we can't recruit Midoriya." Nejire pouted, "I wanna get close to your cute nephew and ask him for many things. I'm so mad at Mirio for stealing him away from us. Ah! Ryukyu, did you know know?! The heroes they were with for their workplace experiences were no good! Freshmen with, like, awesome track records for interns! Wait, have I told you this before?"
"They may be students, but now that they've come as interns, they've added to our fighting strength considerably!" Ryuko spoke, "In fact, we might just be able to use you two for a certain job."
"A certain job?" The gravity girl asked.
"It's All Might's former sidekick's team-up request." The dragon heroine said, "It's a big job to investigate or trap the villain gang known as the Eightfold Cleansers. They might be forming a partnership with the Villain Alliance."
"All Might's former sidekick?" Tsuyu tilted her head, "I don't know All Might had a sidekick." She's really curious about this sidekick, same goes for the gravity girl and they break out of their thought when Nejire speak a little loud as she wave her arms up and down excitingly.
"Hey, hey, did you know Ryukyu have some family albums in her office?" Nejire bounced, "And one of the albums have a lot bunch of Midoriya Izuku when he's little!" That immediately grab the interns' attention.
"…Little Deku…" Ochaco muttered.
"Little Izu…" The frog girl hummed, "I want to see it."
"Hey, is he single by the way?" The blue-haired girl asked with bubbly grin, "What's his type? Is it okay to ask you for his numbers? Are the rumors about him being harem king true? If so, can I join as his senpai girlfriend? Do he go around shirtless and let you touch his sexy mu…"
"Canwepleasegoandlookatthealbumnow,please?!" The bewildered and flustered gravity girl spoke faster, not really what to make out of that as the frog girl just stare at Nejire blankly.
"Okay, let's go back!" Nejire was able to understand the gravity girl's speedy speech with a beaming grin.
"Aha, ah, not until after we finish the cleanup here." Ryuko gestured to the damaged street and debris with a smile.
"Roger!" The girls said together and they was about to help cleaning up until the dragon heroine stop them.
"Oh, and if you plan to pursue my nephew, let me warn you…" The smile of dragon heroine makes the girls feel a little nervous for some reason, "My family is quite ferociously overprotective when it come to Izuku. If you're very bold to do that after heeding my warning, I wish you the best." She walk away and the girls don't know why they swallowed their saliva down as they watch the heroine start cleaning up in her dragon form.
"…So it's not only the father we have to watch out for?" Tsuyu croaked to herself.
"Hey, Tsuyuuu, Urarakaaa!" Mina called out to her friends with her smartphone out to display some news, "Your hero names is on the news all over the internet! You're really on here, that's awesome!"
"Oooh, I'm so happy!" Ochaco smiled sheepishly, "We're really there!"
"I wonder where they took the picture." Tsuyu said.
"Isn't that great!" The acid user grinned happily, "You might even have fans already like Mount Lady!"
"And there's news about Kirishima too." Itsuka pointed out.
"Oh, yeah." Mina nodded as she pull up the news about Eijiro under his hero name and throughout the chat, Izuku just stay quiet, lost in his thoughts about Eri. Little did he know is that he'll have a chance in several days.
Several days later, Izuku walk out of the dorm with his backpack until he notice someone walking by, who also notice him. "Oh?!" Eijiro lift his hand up with wide grin, "Midoriya! Morning! You're going today too?! What a coincidence!"
"I haven't been called for a while, but today they finally did." Izuku nodded, "They told me I don't need my costume though…"
"Eh?!" Both boys turned their heads to see Ochaco, Tsuyu and Kaoruko exit the dorm with their backpacks. "Good morning!" Ochaco waved to them, "You two are also today?!" They walk together until a pro hero passes them.
"Going to the station?" The random pro hero asked as the teenagers nodded, "I'll see you off! There are a lot of you today!"
"Thank you very much!" The girls and Izuku said.
"Thanks much!" Eijiro chirped.
Most of the group were starting to get confused as they keep walk together to their destination from the station until they encounter their senpais in front of a building. "Yo!" Mirio greeted the freshmen with his fellow Big Three.
"The Big Three are all gathered too…" Izuku muttered to himself before they enter the lobby and he get shocked at the sight of crowd of pro heroes. "What the heck is this?! Gran Torino?! Aizawa-sensei? And aunt?!"
"Ah, Izuku." Ryuko approached her nephew to give him a quick hug, "I don't know you get called in here too."
"This is crazy, what's going on?" He asked his aunt bewilderedly.
"Ryukyu!" Nejire suddenly hugged both pro heroine and the freshman, "Hey, hey! What is this?! What are we doing? You said it was a meeting! But I know that! What kinda meeting?!"
"You'll see soon." Ryuko glanced between her nephew and intern, "Nighteye will start it shortly." They were immediately called into the meeting room.
"Thanks to all of the information you supplied…" Sir Nighteye cleared his throat as soon as everyone take their seat around the room, "The investigation has progressed considerably. I would like to conduct this conference with you all today, to share any acquired information regarding the plans of a small yakuza organization known as the Eightfold Cleansers." The students perked up at that along with the pro heroes, "I will explain this step-by-step." He gave his sidekick, Centipeder, a gesture.
"Since about two weeks prior, we at the Nighteye offices…" Centipeder tapped the tablet, "Have been independently observing a certain villain group known as the Eightfold Cleaners."
"What was the hook?" Kesagiri Man asked.
"There was an accident involving a thief gang known as the Reservoir Dogs." The sidekick explained, "The police cleaned everything up as just an accident, but there were many points that made no sense and we began to track them. I have been conducting the tracking and observation as per the instructions put forth by Nighteye. Within this one-year period that I have been investigating, there has been a rapid increase in contact, both between members of the underground organization, as well as people outside of the group. They appear to be an organization moving with the intent to expand and accumulate funds. Also, shortly after the commencement of investigation…" He gestured to the screen as it show a picture, "He made contact with one Bubaigawara Jin, villain name, Twice. They were particularly cautious of being followed and I was unable to continue tracking them, but here I was able to cooperate with the police. They were able to confirm that during this meeting some kind of skirmish had occurred."
"So it's related to the Villain Alliance…" Gran hummed, "That's why you called me and Tsukauchi."
"And where is Tsukauchi?" The black-masked man asked.
"There was other information from witnesses, so he's checking on that." The elder replied before he look over to Izuku, "Listen, boy…I never thought it would come to this…You've been dragged into quite an annoying situation…"
"I don't think any part of this is annoying!" Izuku shook his head.
"So you know each other?" Mirio asked next to him.
"F-From my workplace e-experience." The greenette replied.
"Continuing on." Sir Nighteye cleared his throat again.
"We wanted to request everyone's cooperation on HN." Centipeder said.
"HN?" Ochaco whispered to the blue-haired girl.
"That's short for the Hero Network." Nejire answered, "It's an internet service that only people with pro license can use. They say you can see activity reports and apply for help from heroes with useful quirks nationwide!"
"Hey, even if they're U.A. students, what's the brats?" Rock Lock spoke up, "Can't talk with them around. We're burnin' daylight just getting to the real issue of what they're plotting."
"Enough outta you." Fat Gum stood up with his arm over to his interns, "These two 'ere are super important witnesses!"
"The two…" Eijiro looked up to the pro hero with a mutter, "Of us?"
"Enthusiasm…" Tamaki mumbled lowly, "Smothering…"
"Besides, I think there's a ton o' people who're meetin' for the first time, so better get to it!" Fat Ghum said, "The name's Fat Gum, pleasure to meet y'all!" He tossed candies to teenagers, "Oh! Here's some candy!"
"We have reason to believe that the Eightfold Cleansers have made the dispersal of unlicensed goods part of their livelihood." Sir Nighteye spoke and Izuku listen to the pro heroes as they explain about the quirk erasing bullets, one bullet was found intact thank to Eijiro's harden quirk that defected it until Fat Gum reveal what was inside the bullet.
"It contained human blood and human cells." Fat Gum frowned in disgust and Izuku quickly make some connections in his mind with widening eyes as Mirio paled.
'Wait…' Kaoruko quickly looked over to the greenette with paled face.
"It feels like a story from some other world." Tsuyu said nervously.
"In other words…" Ryuko furrowed her brows, "That effect is derived from a person…Or, a quirk. A quirk to destroy other quirks…"
"Um, I'm afraid I've not really been seeing it for a while now…" A skull masked man lift his hand up, "But how is this linked to the Cleansers exactly?" The other heroes explained it that Ryukyu happen to come across and arrested several members of middleman groups that worked with Eightfold Cleansers selling bullets.
"The quirk of the capo, Chisaki…" Sir Nighteye said, "Is named Overhaul. It's a power that can disassemble and reassemble any target. A quirk that can dismantle…To destroy and repair at once. That, along with the bullets that can destroy quirks. Chisaki has a daughter…Though one without a birth certificate, so the particulars aren't clear." He looked to two of his paled interns, "When these two encountered her, her arms and legs were wrapped in a great many bandages."
"It can't be…" Ryuko muttered, "To do something so hideous."
"Whaddya expect of this world of superhumans?" Gran scowled, "All it takes is the thought and any son of a bitch can do anything."
"What, are you all talking about…?!" Eijiro asked.
"See?" Rock Lock frowned, "We don't need any damn kids around. Slow on the uptake much…? Put it simply, we're saying that they're prolly making the bullets out of her body."
"We don't know if they're trafficking them for profit." The salaryman said, "At their current stage of development, they're not very close to completion. Be that as it may…If, hypothetically, they were using them as a testing phase…And using them as a samples for presentations to gather comrades. There's no definitive proof. However, say they gathered allies all across the country and amassed the funds. What if the completed bullets could take quirks themselves and completely eradicate them? Many dark, dark ideas spring to one's mind."
"Just imaginin' it's gonna make my bowels seethe with rage!" Fat Gum's fist shook, "C'mon, we gotta search their hideout!"
"So you're saying that if these dudes had been able to take the girl under protection, then this whole problem would've been resolved right then and there?!" Rock Lock clicked his tongue.
"I take responsibility for all of it, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't put the blame on them." Sir Nighteye said, "Even though they didn't know about her predicament…They both tried their best to save her. The ones who are most frustrated here and now…Are these two."
"We won't fail you this time, Eri." Izuku stood up together with Mirio before they said together, "We'll protect her!"
"Yes, and that will be our goal." The salaryman replied.
"Yeah, it's all well and good if the kid lives." Rock Lock grunted, "But if it's as we deduced that kid is the core to the plan that the capo wanted to keep under wraps, right? Then, due to whatever kind of trouble, she escaped outside! To top it off she was spotted by heroes! You think he'd just compliantly leave her at headquarters? If it was me, I wouldn't. Even if we invaded, 'oh, she wasn't there', isn't gonna cut it. Have we managed to pinpoint where she is?"
"He has a point." Ryuko nodded, "What do you think, Nighteye?"
"That is the problem." Sir Nighteye replied, "Exactly 'what' and 'how far' they have planned is completely obscure. If we can't strike them down in one fell swoop, that will likely give them a chance to counterattack. On that point, we've separated the groups and organizations with direct contact to the Cleansers, as well as their locations. We have isolated these points as much as possible, and listed them here! I would like everyone to investigate their respective areas, so that we can narrow down the points that could be their base." The minor heroes realized that they were called in because they're familiar with their work districts.
"For All Might's former sidekick, yer really cautious!" Fat Gum shouted furiously, "This is too roundabout! While we're sittin' 'ere like this, dat girl Eri may be cryin' 'er eyes out!"
"We cannot be All Might." The salaryman looked to the fat hero, "And that is why we must analyze and amass our predictions, so that the probability that we can save her is as close as possible to hundred percent!"
"We can't be impatient here." Gran Torino said, "If we don't look before we leap, and ruin our chances of capturing them, we'll just adding fuel to the fire. It'll be like the farce of Stain's arrest, where the incidents became PR for the Villain Alliance. In fact, it might've been their intent all along…For those quirk-destroying weapons or what-have-you to get flung into the hands of some no-name thugs." There was couple shouts until Aizawa lift his hand up to shut everyone up.
"Can I ask one thing?" Aizawa drawled, "I don't know exactly what kind of ability you have, Sir Nighteye, but if you can foresee the future, wouldn't it be okay if you looked at our futures? At this rate…We'll be lacking rationality." Sir Nighteye start to explain the limits of his quirk, "No, that alone is more than enough for us to learn a variety of things. So what do you mean by 'I can't'?"
"For example, if, in the person's near future…" Sir Nighteye placed hand on his face, "Death approaches…If only a gruesome death awaits, what would you do?" Izuku realized that he was talking about All Might, "After this quirk has raised the success rate of the actions we take as far as they'll go…It exists to make an already sure victory double sure. One should not foresee recklessly, that is to say, when there are too many indefinite variables at play." Rock Lock start to demanding that he foresee him because Rock Lock will avoid everything and show him, "I can't." The salaryman hang his head down and everything become very quiet in the room that you can hear a pin drop.
"For the time being, let's just do it." Ryuko closed her eyes, "The most important thing is the simple fact there's a child out there in need of help."
"Our aim is the following…" The salaryman stood up with hands on table, "To secure the child's location and rescue in the swiftest manner possible, and with the highest degree of precision possible. I thank you for your cooperation." His sidekick hand out more details until the meeting end.
"So that's what happened, huh…" Tsuyu muttered as the teenagers sit at table in a lounge room near the lobby, both Izuku and Mirio have their heads down and Kaoruko pat the greenette's back gently. They have explained everything to the others about their run-in with Eri.
"Must feel awful…" Eijiro gritted his teeth.
"Deku…" Ochaco uttered worriedly.
"What is this, a wake?" Aizawa approached them from the elevator, snapping everyone out of their funk.
"Sensei." The frog girl muttered.
"Ah, just call me Eraser Head outside of school." The scruffy man grunted, "Although…I came here today intending to counsel you to cancel your internships."
"WHAAAA, WHY NOW?!" The redhead stood up with dropped jaw.
"You heard it for yourselves, didn't you?" Aizawa replied, "There's a chance the alliance is going to be involved. And that changes things." He paused, "Well, I'm afraid I've convinced that if I tried stopping you…You'd just jump into the fray again. I'll be watching over you. So if you are going to do it, let's be doing it the proper way."
"Mirio…" Tamaki leaned closer to the said blonde, "Raise your head, please."
"Hey, Togata, hey, I like, totally know that…" Nejire grinned, "If you hang your head and cry over it, it won't do anything! Didn't you know?!"
"Yeah…" Mirio wiped his nose with his thumb.
"Let me say something to ease your mind." Aizawa looked to Izuku, "There's no say for sure that Eri is looking back on the hand with which you failed to hold onto her in despair. Now face forward, and let's keep moving."
"YES, SIR!" Izuku nodded with clenched fists.
"I'll follow you, Eraser Head!" Eijiro pumped his fist, "For the rest of my life!"
"I'm not down for the rest of our lives." The underground hero deadpanned.
"Oh, right sorry!" The redhead shouted.
"Kirishima, keep your voice down…" Aizawa grumbled and there was some talking before he walk the teenagers back to their campus.
For the next two days, the intern group was so quiet that their classmates noticed but didn't ask any questions about it, beside Katsuki, and late at night, Izuku step out of the dorm with Tsuyu, Ochaco and Kaoruko as Eijiro join them. "You got it?" Ochaco asked.
"Yeah…" Izuku glanced at his smartphone, "The day we carry out the plan!" The raid will start today and he's determined to save Eri.
"Another reason I want…" Sir Nighteye spoke to the detective with a large police force and pro heroes, "Everyone's positions accounted for as quickly as possible…Is to avoid giving them any time to conceal themselves."
"If we get that settled now we can start early." Eijiro fastened his mask.
"You've been eager to start since this morning." Tamaki commented.
"I'm starting to feel nervous." Ochaco fidgeted with her hands.
"Doing all this detective work, cooperating side by side with the police…" Tsuyu put finger on her chin, "It's been nothing but stuff I'm unfamiliar with."
"I totally get it!" Nejire copied the frog girl's action with finger on her chin, "It's, like, so out there!"
"I did a little during the workplace experience but not on this large scale." Kaoruko glanced around.
"You know, they didn't go into detail about this kind of thing back when I was in school, so it really tripped me up in my rookie days." Ryuko said and a bypassing hero nod at that.
"The pros are being all cool and calm!" Eijiro said to Izuku, "Guess you're used to it, huh!"
"All the pros…" Izuku looked around, "But Gran Torino is missing…"
"It seems that man was unable to come." Sir Nighteye said, overheard the greenette and the teenager look surprised.
"Looks like something big's moving with the Alliance, which Tsukauchi is handling." The detective said, "He seemed down about it, but oh well. We've got enough hands on deck already. Shouldn't be a problem."
"I see…" The greenette fixed his gloves.
"We're gonna catch both Cleansers and the Villain Alliance in one go!" The redhead grinned with hands on his hips.
"Y-Yeah." Izuku chuckled softly with a smile before he inhale, "All right!"
"Yo." Aizawa appeared.
"Ah, uh, E-Eraser Head!" The greenette jumped.
"You understand why I'm moving out with the Nighteye group, right?" The scruffy man jabbed thumb at himself.
"Yes, sir!" Izuku nodded.
"Izuku, promise me you'll come out of it in one piece." Ryuko put hand on her nephew's head, "I don't know how to face your father if anything happen to you."
"D-Don't worry, aunt, I'll be in one piece!" The greenette smiled up to his aunt and she give him a nod.
"Hey, heroes." The detective announced, "There's no helping it if it gets a little rough out there. If you see even the slightest hint of suspicious behavior or resistance, please deal with it immediately! Our opponents are yakuza types who, at the very least, survived long enough to see this day. So I want every one of you fulfilling your roles to the utmost…Without letting your guards down for a single second! Now move out!" The crowd walk up to the fence and the detective approached the gate. "The moment I'm finished reading the warrant, that's your cue to gallop in! Please be quick about it." He barely press the doorbell before the gate fling outward with few police members in air as a giant masked villain punch through it.
"What do you want?!" The hulking brute shouted, "Such a crowd, so early in the morning…" Both Izuku and Aizawa swiftly catch the flying polices in air.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked the officer as they land.
"I'm fine." The officer groaned, "Thanks for jumping in right away."
"Please sit still for a moment." The greenette told him.
"Wait, wait hold up!" Someone shouted, "You saying they caught wind of the operation?! Whatever, people, just pin him down!"
"I'm feeling a little more pumped!" The hulking brute tensed his arm, "So tell meee! What is it you want?!" He threw a punch, only to have it caught by a giant dragon creature.
"For the time being, we should try not to split our forces." Ryuko's voice come out of the dragon's mouth, "The Ryukyu group will deal with this one. Everyone else continue onward." She smashed the brute down on ground, "Okay, now!" Ryuko's group stay behind while the rest of heroes and polices swarm into the compound.
"MAKE A BEELINE FOR THE OBJECTIVE!" Fat Gum shouted to the groups as several police and pro heroes take some cocky yakuza members down. The groups break through the front door, charging down the hallway. "Forget about watchin' out for any suspicious behavior, that is way beyond that!" It's strange that there are so many yakuza members outside.
"Yo, I'm getting' a real bad feeling about this!" Rock Lock ran, "Not that we've get any choice but to keep going now that the mission's on!"
"I bet this mean the info got leaked from somewhere." Tamaki said, "And I don't like the looks of how we're all just lumped together."
"Then we need to find a way to be smarter about avoiding their attacks." The detective keep up with them, "They must be told to be united in purpose on a routine basis."
"Once they've crossed sake cups, their vows of loyalty to their boss are sealed." Aizawa said, "They probably feel inferior so they emphasize the kind of unity you'd see in gangs of bygone days. Given all this commotion…And the fact that neither Chisaki nor his top brass have shown themselves…They must be in the basement, preparing to hide everything or to escape."
"YOU CALL THAT LOYALTY?!" Eijiro shouted, "A real man would never push all the responsibility on his henchmen and escape!"
"Damn straight!" Fat Gum agreed with his intern.
"Here it is." Sir Nighteye stopped in front of a vase and he move it out of the way. "Under this vase there's a mechanism to open a hidden pathway. If we push on these wooden panels in a certain order, it'll open." He pushed the panels down and the wall slowly part way with a click.
"It's like a ninja house!" Kaoruko said.
"If we weren't looking for it, we'd never notice." Centipeder glanced around, "Everyone, be wary of the quirks that have yet to show themselves." He look into the dark of the hidden doorway, "Bubble Girl!" He shouted as soon as three yakuza members jumped out through the secret door.
"Who the fuck're you?!" A knife-wielding member shouted before a bubble pop on his eyes, blinding him in process.
"Sorry about this!" Kaoruko grabbed the back of yakuza member's neck, pinning his arm behind his back as she force him down on floor while the sidekick trapped two members with his quirk. "I'll make sure to make him behave, he won't be giving chase anytime soon!" She hollered over her shoulder while pinning the wailing member down, "Please go on without me, I'll join you in no time!"
"Wow, that was fast!" Eijiro said in awe as the rest rush into the hidden path and Izuku agreed mentally. They turn around the corner to see dead end.
"We were going the right way, right?!" The detective asked confusedly.
"Explain yourself, Nighteye!" Rock Lock demanded.
"I'll go take a look!" Mirio peek through the wall, ignoring the redhead's cry about clothes and Tamaki's short explanation about his costume. He phased back, "This wall was just thrown up to block the way! Though, it's very, very thick!"
"They're takin' us too lightly if they think this'll be a hindrance!" Eijiro hardened his fist while Izuku channel full cowl before they break through the wall.
"Let's move on!" The group raced inside and something happened, the path start to wrapping and shifting.
"Ah, the path!" Kaoruko cried out as the broken wall repair itself, separating her, Centipeder and some polices from the group. "SHIT!" She sweared while taking another member down, "What are we're going to do?"
"We'll find another way!" Centipeder said.
"Roger!" The bubble girl replied, she don't know why her stomach feel like it's dropping into a pit but she push this feeling out so she can focus on arresting the yakuza members.
On the other side, the group was dropped into another room due to Irinaka's Mimicry quirk boosted with Trigger and only Mirio get away from the villain, due to his phaser quirk. "A hall?" Izuku looked around at the new surrounding while helping some officers up.
"We're getting farther and farther from our objective!" Rock Lock yelled furiously, "They've got us right in their hands!"
"Well, well, well, what do we got here?" The group turned their heads to see three members of Cleansers with their own plague masks, "The authority of the government, fallen from the sky…But stranger things have happened! Looks like you're itching for an all-out war here!" Fat Gum bumped his fists together, "All right then, I hope you pros'll show me the strength…"
"I'll show you the strength of a pro." Tamaki stepped forward, "To achieve our goal! The only one who's needed to take down these time-eating pawns…Is me!"
"What are you saying?!" Eijiro gasped, "Let's cooperate!"
"Yeah, you heard him, cooperate." The long-haired masked henchman smirked cruelly behind his mask, "We'll kill the lot of you!"
"That's Setsuno!" The lead detective shouted, "Any guns we pull on him will be useless! We're counting on you, heroes!"
"What, you found out my quirk?" Setsuno outstretched his hand to them, "Ah, whatever! That just means I can let loose all I want!"
"Afraid not!" Aizawa canceled it out as he grab his scarves, "Drop your sword!"
"What the?!" The long-haired masked henchman glanced at his hand, "I can't use it?!" The bald henchman pull a gun out next to him, charging together with their weapons.
"I don't care if it's a sword or a hail o' bullets, they'll sink right into this body o' mine!" Fat Gum thrust his stomach out, "So it'll be easier on ya if ya come quiet!"
"Threats like that'll only work on folks who value their own lives!" Setsuna shouted.
"We can use weapons now that Eraser's got you suppressed!" The detective pulled his gun out along with other police officers, "Resign yourselves to your fates and surrender!" Suddenly, a giant clam fling through the air toward the masked henchmen before it open, octopus tentacles stretch out toward to capture the henchmen.
"Setsuno, quirk Thief." The clam opened fully to reveal Tamaki, "Houjon, quirk Crystallization. Tabe, quirk Ingestion. I'll be your opponent! I indulged in tons of takoyaki at Fat's office so my octopus skills are at their upper bound…And seeing as I got shot not too far back, I'm more vigilant regarding things like these…" He shattered their weapons, "Squaring off against these clowns is pointless. This situation, where they're keeping so many pros in one place is exactly what they want."
"But senpai!" Eijiro called out.
"This is a race!" The gloomy teenager stopped him, "There's not a single second to waste! With quirks like the pros', especially Eraser's, they should be moving ahead! And you'll need the raw power to break across the warping underground, too! Not to mention the police and their firearms! Fat Gum!" He yelled, "I can shut these three down here!"
"Let's go!" Fat Gum shouted with a tight frown as he pushed his red-haired intern, "The door's over there!"
"FAT!" The redhead gasped.
"H-Hey, hold on, wait!" Setsuno hollered as he tried to use his quirk but it don't work, "Not again!"
"Pin down these three while my quirk is still in effect!" Aizawa knocked Tabe out with a neck chop and the gloomy teenager obey him, pinning the henchmen against the opposite wall with a hard slam.
"Everybody!" Tamaki hollered to the group as they run down the hallway, "I leave Mirio to you! Knowing him, he'll definitely push himself too hard, so please help him!"
"Fat!" Eijiro shouted again, 'What are you thinking, leaving senpai there all alone?!"
"The kid's with your office, so I left it to your judgement, but give it to me straight, it's not looking good, is it?" Rock Lock asked.
"He's the strongest outta any of us here." Fat Gum frowned, "But his heart was weak. He was crushin' himself under the pressure of needin' to do everything perfect. He climbed all the way to U.A.'s Big Three under that stress. That's the kid who made the call he'd be able to shut them down…What choice do we get but to leave it to him?"
"Senpai…" The redhead muttered worriedly as they get deeper into the corridor, "Is he gonna be okay? Damn, I can't help but worry."
"Yeah." Izuku was in same boat with his fellow student.
"But still!" Fat Gum shouted, "When a comrade shows you their back, believin' in 'em is what it means to be a man!"
"Senpai'll do just fine!' Eijiro suddenly flipped around, He's our senpai!"
"Wait, now it just looks like you're a guy who's easily swayed!" The greenette agape at him.
"I'm still worried, but there's nothing for it, we gotta believe in him!" The redhead replied quickly, "We can't waste a single second of the time Suneater's given us to work with!"
"Let's go back up." Sir Nighteye gestured to the stair with his eyes, "Take those stairs!"
"Something's not right." Aizawa spoke, "It's strange that the villains who was warping the basement hasn't shown any signs of movement." The heroes noticed that there was no change in hallway like he said, "We're charging ahead to no obstacles. If he's not going to come try to impede us now…Then it may mean that he can't exactly grasp what's happening across the entire basement floor and warp it. There's also the police squad that was left behind above Suneater. Maybe it's them…His attention is probably focused in that direction."
"So the range he's aware of is limited?" The black hero guessed.
"Ultimately, that's just my guess." The underground hero replied, "He entered the underground and is manipulating it. He hasn't become it. If he's just moving through the walls, all the while watching and listening, when he changes things to hinder our progress, there's possibility his real body is somewhere nearby. And then, his body may peek out, eyes and ear probing…" The group continue to run for a while until a wall suddenly shot out in attempt to separating Aizawa from everyone else but Fat Gum act fast, pushing him out of the way. "Sorry!" The underground hero shouted.
"Don' worry 'bout it!" Fat Gum called out as he forcibly move to another room, unknowingly take Eijiro with him.
"He's at it again!" Rock Lock gritted his teeth as Irinaka warping the corridor, "Quit this shit already! The ceiling! The walls! The floor! They're closing in! We'll all be crushed to death! We're gonna be turned into ground beef!"
"Lockrock!" Sir Nighteye barked.
"Oh, don't act the leader!" The black hero slapped the closest wall, "Cuz the cause of this whole debacle is your mismanagement!" He rotated his hand, "Deadbolt!" The bending wall froze in place, "This way! This side won't shift anymore! Don't complain about how cramped it is. My maximum security deadbolt can't lock down that many points! This is the upper limit of my range!" The opposite wall shoot forward, "Look, see? He's attacking again from a point I didn't lock down! Watch out!" Izuku swiftly shattered the shifting wall with powerful kick.
"He's like some kinda moronic mole!" The lead detective muttered.
"If Fat Gum's team had survived, we coulda made our way more smoothly, Eraser!" Rock Lock shouted, making sure to lock shifting cement in places.
"I know!" Aizawa barked, trying to locate Irinaka's body somewhere within the shifting room.
"At this rate it'll only gradually get worse!" The black hero warned, "We're gonna get cornered eventually! We're not making any progress!"
"Like we'd let you stop us here!" Izuku shouted to wherever Irinaka is before the shifting room suddenly open up, "It opened up?!"
"What are they playing at now?" A random officer asked before the room suddenly shifting again with raising walls.
"Deku!" The underground hero grabbed the said boy and they look around at the new room.
"They split us up?" The greenette catch his breaths, "Why now?"
"Hey! Guys!" Rock Lock hollered from other side of a wall, "You okay in there?!" There was some muffling conversation between police and Sir Nighteye until the greenette and scruffy man heard some noise on Rock's side.
"Lock!" Aizawa shouted, "What happened?!"
"Eraser, please move aside!" Izuku kicked the wall open to see…
"An imposter appeared outta nowhere and attacked me!" Rock Lock kneeled over another Rock Lock that was lying on ground with some knife wound, "Keep your eyes peeled! There are new enemies! They're here somewhere!" Aizawa move over to checked the downed man as the black hero approached the teenager, "Midoriya, you okay over there?"
"Yes!" Izuku nodded, "But we've gotta hurry to Chisaki…" Rock Lock suddenly come at him with knife and manic grin, "WHA!" Aizawa sharply turn around to use his quirk on the real imposter and Rock Lock's face melt away to reveal…"TOGA HIMIKO?!"
"That's me!" Himiko shrieked giddily, "Toga! You remembered! I'm, like so happy we could meet again! I'm so happy, Izuku, baby! Like, SO happy!" What she will say will go down as one of unforgettable moments in Deku's career, "Make love child with me!" She got yank back by the underground hero's scarves.
"This is the end for you, Toga Himiko!" Aizawa shouted and the bloodthirsty girl flip over him, stabbing his shoulder in process with a knife before she free herself with a small tumble.
"Sensei!" The bushy-haired boy shouted.
"I'm all right!" The underground stopped him in track, "Don't come any closer!" They turned to the villainess, only to see slamming wall. He looked back to the worried teenager, "Never mind me, I'm all right. Quick, stop Lockrock from bleeding out. And pick up the knife. It seems Toga uses blood." The teenager obeyed him while realizing Himiko's transformation quirk from the license exam, he wonder what the Villain Alliance is plotting this time. After few minutes, the area starts to shifting violently like whirlpool with a roar.
"I'M GONNA CRUSH EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" Irinaka roared furiously with bloodshot eyes.
"A voice!" The underground hero held onto Rock Lock as everyone keep their balance as best as they can in this situation, "You heard it, too, right?!"
'The walls shifted faster along with that voice!' Izuku nodded while listening intensely to pinpoint the source. 'Could that voice be Irinaka's, then?! Where did it come from? I can't tell, the sound echoed too much!' He located the source as soon as Irinaka give out another roar and he lunge across the warping walls then deliver a high kick to the ceiling, shattering apart to reveal Irinaka's face and upper body. Aizawa swiftly activate his quirk, erasing the villain's quirk as Irinaka fall down before Sir's stamp knock him out and Izuku grab him then land back with the group after few jumps.
"It would seem that we've been used…" Sir Nighteye catch his heavy stamp with a mutter, "But now, this maze is over."
'Eri…' Izuku handed the villain over to the police, 'Togata-senpai…'
"I'm glad we're not trapped in a living maze anymore but now we can't tell which way's forward or back." The underground hero tossed scarves around his shoulders.
"If you're referring to the way to Eri's room, I've already ascertained it." The salaryman pointed to his left.
"Irinaka!" The lead detective glared at the said villain, "Change this damned mess back to normal and make it snappy!" The trembling villain growled with drool, "You hear me!?"
"The drugs must have worn off." Aizawa realized the signs, "Fat Gum's earlier analysis was spot on. Irinaka's no longer able to wield that same power he was displaying before."
"But don't you realize?!" The detective gritted his teeth, "Toga and Twice…The Villain Alliance must still be lurking somewhere close by!"
"Toga…" Irinaka snarled, "TOGA! TWICE! Damn them! Those backstabbing little shits!"
"Where are the other alliance members?" Sir Nighteye asked.
"Like I know!?" The villain snarled again, "But I'll ferret them out, just you wait! I'mma take each and everyone of those bastards' head and split 'em in two!"
"I suppose that means…" The salaryman turned his head, "There are only two of them here."
"There's no sign of an attack as of yet, but I don't think that just because they betrayed the Cleansers means they're suddenly our allies." A cop scanned the area with his partner.
"The Villain Alliance are a nationally wanted crime syndicate!" The detective glanced over his shoulder, "There's no way we police can just ignore them!"
"Sensei!" Izuku looked to the underground hero and the man just stay quiet.
"What the hell are you doing just standing around talking!?" Rock Lock leaned up on his good arm, "Forget about them and go! Leave the alliance to the police! Or did you forget our primary objective?!"
"I guess that would be the best course of action to take." The detective muttered.
"Somebody would've had to stick behind anyway, what with Irinaka tied up." The black hero said, "That girly did a number on me, I'd be hurting a bit if I jumped back into the thick of it. If you get it, then get a move on! Ryukyu and the rest of the heroes on the surface! The police officers who were split off from us in the underground! Suneater! Red Riot! Fat Gum! Lemillion! We've come this far, we just need one more push! Don't let the time everyone bought us go to waste!"
"Don't worry, Rock Lock!" Izuku called over his shoulder as he ran with Aizawa and Sir Nighteye, "We'll save her for sure!" The black hero clicked his tongue with a nod, he hope the kids will make it out because they kept reminding him of his new baby. The trio raced down the hallway until the teenager spot a lying masked villain near what appear to be a dead end and he take a mighty leap to break through the wall. Almost immediately, he see Mirio, who appear to be heavy injured, standing in front of Eri and Chisaki was about to hit them with his quirk. In this moment, the greenette acted fast and punch Overhaul's shoulder with hard force enough to sending the villain flying away.
"Nighteye!" Aizawa glared at the villain, "Secure them!" Sir Nighteye swiftly wrap his arms around Mirio and Eri while noticed what his older intern have went through with all the damages around them.
"KAMI DAMN YOU!" Chisaki screamed as he slam his hand on ground over and over, his quirk have been erased by the underground hero.
"Lemillion was able to drive them back this far!" The underground hero charged together with the greenette, "We're gonna get some answers out of him!"
"WAKE UP, CHRONO!" Overhaul yelled and it give Aizawa a chance to react when he notice something from the corner of his eyes.
"DEKU!" Aizawa shoved the teenager away as Chrono nick the underground hero's arm with his arrow hair and he suddenly feel everything slow down.
"Anybody cut by my Minute Hand gets slowed to a crawl." Chrono pushed himself up, "I was planning to skewer you both but you heroes really are next league."
"Chisaki!" Izuku propelled himself to the villain.
"It's no use!" Chisaki slammed his hand as Aizawa can't stop himself from blinking and the ground explodes with cement spikes. "As if I'd ever let a bunch of little shits like you ruin my plans!" He stand up with hand over his face, "You agree with me, don't you, Nemoto?" He said as the said masked man land near him roughly, "You can't stand the thought of me being finished here, either. I have to tahnk you for everything, Nemoto. I know only you'd go so far as to die for me, right?!" He clenched his hand on Nemoto's face and another hand on his own face before they explode in shower of blood then merge together. "Lemillion…You really were stronger than me. But it was all for nothing!" Chisaski emerged to reveal two extra arms with claws, "It's time you gave Eri back to me!"
'He disassembled both himself and his comrade!' The greenette widened his eyes in shock, 'And fused together with him!'
"I'm in an awful mood right now…" Overhaul furrowed his brows with growl, "But this is a little better." Izuku quickly assess the situation, "When someone lays their fingers on me, I can't help but feel the need to cleanse myself…I can feel the blood rushing to my head. This is the first time I've been pushed to this point." He chuckled cruelly, "What a tragic life, huh, Lemillion? If only you hadn't gotten involved with Eri…With me…You would not have lost your quirk forever. You'd still be able to pursue your dreams."
'Lost…' Izuku make a chilling realization, 'Forever.' Does that mean Chisaki have perfected the quirk-erasing bullets and his senpai's quirk is gone for good?!
"And despite losing it, because you insist on dragging this out…" Chisaki bend down on floor with his hands down, "You've gotten all your friends mixed into this, only for them all to die!" He send wave of attacks toward Sir Nighteye's group before Izuku hurl a large rubble at him, which the villain caught, and the greenette cleaved a stone spike with his leg, grabbing it in midair. The villain tossed the rubble away to see the teenager swinging the spike downward to him and the villain disassembles the stone to pieces before he slam his hand on floor again to form a barrier of stone spikes, which Izuku block them with his boots.
'I can't read his movements!' The inheritor of OFA gritted his teeth, 'If it weren't for these iron soles, I'd have gotten stabbed! It's not only his injuries, but also his stamina that has recovered too?!'
"Power and speed…" Chisaki mocked, "Is that it?" A stamp shot into his chest, knocking him backward with skid.
"I'll take this guy on!" Sir Nighteye lunged, "Go take care of Lemillion and Eri-chan!"
"Like I'll let you!" The villain roared, barely avoid shooting stamps.
"Roger that!" Izuku race through the spikes as the salaryman fought the villain until he reach Mirio and Eri, "Eri-chan! Senpai!" He kneel down to them, "Can you move?"
"Ah!" Mirio groaned out with heavy pants, "Yeah…No sweat! I guess this is bumming me out after all."
"Let's get out of here." The greenette kicked the wall open, carrying them out. "It just got closed up moments ago, but this is the path that we passed through to get here! We've got to put some distance between us and Chisaki! At the very least, it'll be safer than here."
"Please…" Eri whimpered with tight eyes as tears leaking out, "No more…I'm sorry…" The greenette want to say something but he can't right now. Once he get them to safe distance, Izuku race back to the battle and his eyes widened at the sight of Sir Nighteye with spike through his stomach and his arm have been severed off before his gaze whip to Chisaki, who send another wave of spikes. Izuku channel OFA into his leg then stomp it on ground, shattering the spikes along with the floor and Chisaki was surprised by the power, wondering if the kid was holding back earlier as Izuku pour twenty percent throughout his body.
"You guys coming here has only made things worse for yourselves." Chisaki spoke, "You do recognize this, right? Give it up. It's just going to turn out exactly as I said it would. Everyone will die."
"I won't let that happen!" Izuku glared, "Even if that's what fate has decided!" He propelled toward the villain, "I will bend the future!"
'I haven't touched the pieces of the ground that were broken into fragments!' The villain glared deadly at the charging boy, 'SO he's using that as his wall. How cunning!' He smash his hands on floor, shooting four pillars toward the boy.
'I can gauge the timing of the disassembly, but I can't dodge them all!' The greenette stomped his foot through the ground to smash the stone attacks, 'Endure it! Until you win!' He jumped up backward to avoid Chisaki's grabbing hand then bounce off the ceiling back to the villain with gritted teeth, 'He won't give up Eri, even if it kills him! I can't take too much time! Even if he accumulates damage, he can simply repair it! Finish it with one strike! To the head!' He flip over to drop a heel kick on the villain, 'Manchester Smash!' At first he thought he land a hit but it turn out that the villain dodge his dropkick with a sidestep.
"No matter how fast you are, compared to the first two, the approach of your movements is straightforward and easy to see." Chisaki dig into the ground with his extra claws before he stab Izuku's limbs, halt him in his track. "Honestly…" He huffed, "Although it's true I can 'repair' things, it hurts quite a bit when they're disassembled." He glowered over the boy, "I had enough of this."
"Not yet!" Izuku push himself to stand up.
"Ahh…" The villain replied, "Lemillion held on the same way. The latent strength of a human who refuse to give in is not to be made light of." One of his hands open up to reveal a mouth before it shout out echoingly and it sound like Nemoto, "Because of you, I had to die again! Is that what you wanted, Eri?!"
"That's…" The greenette whipped his head around to see Eri stumble out back into the battlefield through the hole, "Not what I wanted!"
"Why?!" The teenager's eyes widened in alarm, "Stay away! Eri, you need to stay with Togata!"
"Eri…" Nemoto's hand mouth spoke, "Do you think this boy can overcome this situation on his own?"
"…No." Eri shivered.
"In that case, what is it that you should do?" Nemoto spoke.
"Come back…" Eri shakily walked toward the villain in fear, "And in exchange…! You need to fix everyone back to normal!"
"Indeed…" Chisaki spoke, "Rather than others getting hurt because of you, it's much easier for only you to be the one who gets hurt. You may have momentarily placed your hopes in Lemillion, but that fleeting hope that had begun budding within him has now been broken. Have you realized it yet? Your actions were the cruelest possible thing you could have done to Eri, and for that, you are unwanted!"
"Even so…!" Izuku yanked the spikes out of his limbs, "Even if you think it's none of my business!" He glanced to Eri, "You were crying!" He crushed the stones to pebbles in his hand, "No one will die today! I will save you!" The villain narrowed his eyes before they hear some crashing from above and they look up to see the ceiling caved in as Ryukyu smash Rikiya through with her group to the boy's shock.
"Right on target!" Ryuko roared in her dragon form.
"Kero." Tsuyu uttered.
"RYUKYU!" He gasped, "YOU GUYS!"
'Wait, if he's down here then who…' The dragon heroine narrowed her eyes, they were led by her nephew on the surface to this spot…Until it was a imposter.
'Deku?" Ochaco looked at the said teenager puzzlingly, "What?!"
"So who was the Deku from before?" The frog girl said.
"Ohhh, for the love of…" Mr. Compress suddenly drop down from the hole above as the dragon heroine snap her head to him, "This is just dreadful! Those two are complete psychos! I'm a fool for thinking they were being nice to me!"
"The Villain Alliance…" Ryuko growled.
"I've got no idea what's…" The gravity girl was flustered until she hear her partner's shout.
"Uravity!" Tsuyu pointed to Sir Nighteye, who was lying in his blood under some rubbles.
"I'M LEAVING NIGHTEYE TO YOU!" Izuku jumped over to get Eri as Mr. Compress raced toward the girl from another direction before large pillar shot upward, flinging the little girl up in air. "CHISAKI!" He shouted furiously as the said villain jump onto the top of rising pillar, grabbing the girl roughly.
"This is complete mess…" Chisaki scowled to the little girl, "You worthless trash!"
"I won't let you!" The greenette jumped toward the top of pillar with outstretching hand, he can't let him escape with Eri.
"Give it up already!" Overhaul said furiously before something fall down behind him, causing his head to snap to see Lemillion's tattered cape wrap around a falling stone. "So it got blown up here." He huffed at his own startle, "How sickening." Eri suddenly reach out to grab the cape and her horn lit up brightly with some lightning. 'It can't be!' The villain's eyes widened in horror as Eri's quirk activated before Nemoto spout backward from Chisaki and he was forced to release the girl from his grip. 'Her quirk that rewind…'
"Stop…Please…" Eri fall toward Izuku's arms with cape in her hand, "I don't want you to die!"
"This time…" Izuku caught her in firm hold, "I'm not letting go of you!"
"GIVE HER BACK!" Chisaki thrust his hand out to them with angry roar, his another hand grip the pillar and it disassemble apart.
'Not good!' The teenager gritted his teeth as the villain lunge to him, 'I can't move well suspended in midair like this.' He hold Eri securely as his right leg rear back with power of OFA and Overhaul attempt to pierce him with stone claw, only to have Izuku vanish from the villain's sight to his confusion before the ceiling explode outward. Izuku find himself miles high over the city to his bewilder, 'Wha…Right when I was about to kick him…I got blown all the way up here?!' He tried to figure out how it happened until he realize something, did he accidentally use full power of One For All?! His eyes snapped down to his legs, they look fine! He make a land on his feet with thud, 'My body feel hot…No, it's cold. Even though I used hundred percent just now!' He put Eri down back on her feet as he crouch, "All my injuries have been healed!" He gasped to himself before he look to Eri as she bit her lower lip with sparks around her horn, "Is that…Your power?" He suddenly feel pain within his body, "What the?! Now it feels like…" The inheritor curled up, "My body…Is being pull apart from the inside!"
"She's unable to control her power." A booming voice catch Izuku's attention as the ground cracked open up with snaking spikes, "By some chance, she was able to activate it, but…" Izuku grabbed the girl before he launch himself up in air to avoid the spikes, "You don't know how to stop it, do you, Eri?!" A gruesome creature of stone and fresh burst out and it open its mouth to reveal top half of Chisaki as Izuku glared deadly, he realize that the villain have fused with one of his men again and it look like Rikiya this time, due to familiar mask on top part of beak. "With Eri's quirk, she can rewind humans. Depending on how she uses it, she could probably revert a person to a monkey, if she tried. If you continue to hold her like that, you'll disappear. She can rewind anything she touches to nothingness. That quirk of hers is cursed. Return her to me. There's no way to stop her other than my disassembly!"
"I won't." Izuku placed Eri on his back then tied Mirio's cape to secure her, "No matter what. I see…The instant my leg broke…Before I would even feel pain. She reverted it for me…It's such a kind, gentle quirk." His comment make Eri to look at him with heavy tears, "Now that I've experienced how it feels. I understand! She continues to revert my body with blinding speed. In this case…If I'm constantly accumulating grave injures at an even greater speed!" He unleash the full power of One For All as he slide into fighting stance, "Eri, will you lend me your power?"
"Neither you nor Eri…" Chisaki lift the upper body of creature up, "Understand the value of her power. By developing a quirk, you make leaps forward. Through extensive research, I have been able to extract Eri's power and successfully brought it to its pinnacle. And the result is not merely the ability to rewind the body, no…But a flow that runs even deeper. The flow that brough about our kind. The ability to rewind back before the mutation happened. That is the power that lives within Eri." All of creature's hands grab buildings to disassemble them, "The power to extinguishes one's quirk factor, returning them to normalcy! The power to destroy this world, built on top of quirks, The power to destroy the way of things. That is ERI!" The earth sprint toward the hero while some civilians cried out within their home, "SHE IS NOT A PRODUCT MADE FOR BRATS LIKE YOU WHO CAN'T APPRECIATE HER VALUE!" The villain's eyes widened in surprise when Izuku appear under the creature's head and the greenette's leg snap upwardly, launching the giant creature miles up in air with booming shockwave. It took few moments until Chisaki recover from his shock as he dive toward the greenette with whirling arms. "EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU IS MISSING THE BIG PICTURE! WHAT I'M TRYING TO DESTROY IS THIS WORLD! THE VERY STRUCTURE THAT MAKES IT SO!" His bloodshot eyes bore into the leaping teenager, "AND INSTEAD, YOU FAKE HEROES IRRATIONALLY FIXATED ON THIS TINY NOTION OF JUSTICE THAT SITS IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES!" He thrust his arms toward the boy, "STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" Instead of striking the boy down, the greenette suddenly appear behind him.
'You…' Izuku bend his legs up as he twist his torso around to face the villain before he kick the air, launching himself toward the shocked villain. 'I'm sure of it. When you take damage and reassemble yourself to recover. But at hundred percent speed. I can take advantage of that gap…' He strike the creature with powerful double heel kick, rocketing toward the surface. 'AND NOT GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO RECOVER AGAIN!' He shouted out as he dove closer to Chisaki's real body, "If I can't even save a little girl standing right before my eyes…" He deliver a barrage of punches in a single blink, "Then how can I possibly become a hero that saves everyone?!" He sharply give a powerful haymaker that send his head flying backward, knocking out in process and the teenager grab the creature's arm, swinging the giant monster downward as the creature flip over his shoulder before the teenager slam the monster back on road with a shout. Everything shook hard as if the city have been hit by a earthquake for couple moments until it stop and Izuku make a safe landing as he see that Overhaul have passed out to his relief. "Eri, are you injured?" He asked the little girl on his back, "I'm sorry. Because of my carelessness, you…" A jolt stiffened his body as Eri's quirk increase its power uncontrollably, 'Eri's quirk. It's getting even stronger!' He barely notice that Chisaki tried to smash them with giant arm, only to be revert from Rikiya as the villains passed out for good.
"What's the situation!" Ryuko barked at Ochaco as she crawled out through the hole with the group, her eyes widened at her nephew's situation.
"Nighteye is right behind me, and we've called for an evacuation of the local citizens!" Ochaco hurriedly tied Chisaki with distressed expression, "And Chisaki has been defeated by Deku! But! Something's not right!" Izuku gritted his teeth as he tried to resist the power of Eri's quirk, the girl can't control it with painful cry. "Deku used a crazy huge power to defeat him, so now he's suddenly in immense pain!"
'I'm sorry, Midoriya!' Aizawa signaled Tsuyu to turn his head to them as the frog girl support him up, 'I'm going to look at you!' His quirk flare up to cancel Izuku's and Eri's quirks out, saving them as the girl passed out and the greenette hold her with heavy pants, lying on ground.
"Confirm if there are any victims in the vicinity!" Ryuko quickly gave orders to everyone as she race to her nephew's side in her human form, "Call as many ambulances as you can get! Those Villain Alliance members may still be around somewhere! Search for them!" She crouch down to check on the boy, "Izuku, are you okay?!"
"Y-Yeah…" Izuku opened his eyes, "I'm fine…" His aunt release her breath in relief.
"She's become feverish ever since she lost consciousness." The greenette said to paramedic and lead detective as he cradle Eri, the ambulances have arrived not long ago with the police vans.
"We'll take her to the hospital for now." The paramedic said, "And you too."
"Understood." Izuku nodded before he hear his name called out and he turn to see Sir Nighteye on stretcher as the paramedics pull him to the ambulance.
"You really did…" Sir Nighteye panted under the oxygen mask, "Twist the future."
"Nighteye!" The greenette ran up to his side after handling Eri over to the paramedic, "All Might! He said 'I'm still alive'! And that he's ashamed to look you in the eye! But you have to see him again, no matter what! You need…" He bit his lower lip, "To meet again! So…Hang in there!" He watch the paramedics loaded the wounded salaryman up into the ambulance and his aunt place hand on his back with concern. The rescue mission is completed successfully, despite a lot of injuries.
"Just to make sure, I gave you a full physical examination, but I found nothing wrong aside from your arms." The doctor examined the result on his clipboard.
"T-Thank you." Izuku zipped his costume up, he's at hospital with everyone and his aunt and Aizawa insisted him to have a full checkup to make sure there are no side effects from combination of his and Eri's quirks.
"But how in the world did your arms…" The doctor looked puzzled.
"They're fine!" The teenager said, "More importantly, h-h-how are the other?"
"I just went and checked on them all." Aizawa entered the office, ignoring the nurse's shouts behind him.
"Aizawa-sensei!" Izuku grinned happily, "Are you alright now?!"
"I got ten stitches." The scruffy man replied as if it's a normal thing, "Now come." The teenager follow him out into the hallway as they walk together, "Sorry I wasn't able to keep up with you at critical moments."
"Oh no, that's c-c-completely fine!" He shook his head, "S-So how are the others…"
"Kirishima has immense bruising and lacerations all over his body, but it's not life-threatening." Aizawa answered. Amajiki has a large fissure-like wound on his face, but apparently it'll heal up without a trace, given time. Fat Gum suffered numerous bone fractures, but he seemed to be doing fine. Rock Lock was very fortunate. The blade missed all of his internal organs, so none of his injuries were serious."
"Thank goodness." Izuku exhaled.
"Eri, on the other hand, still hasn't woken up, and her fever won't go down." The scruffy man continued, "We have her quarantined for now."
"Quarantined?" The teenager muttered worriedly, "Oh no…Does t-t-that mean we can't even visit her?"
"This was a decision made based on the information you obtained about her." Aizawa replied, "She can't control her quirk that can turn back a person's time. Should anything happen to trigger her quirk again, we have no way of stopping it aside from me. You experienced her power by ceaselessly destroying your own body, right?" The teenager gave him a nod, "Not many people would be able to do that…And even if there were, she might just increase her power output."
"Yeah, I definitely felt her power getting s-s-stronger." Izuku muttered, "If you hadn't b-been there to erase her quirk."
"Becauses we don't know how strong it is, and to keep our minds at ease, I think this is the most rational option at the moment. We're doing this for her sake, too. It doesn't work on things like building or the ground, only on people. Which means that it's not something we can easily train, discipline, or fine-tune." They walk into a room, "In other words, we can't rely on her quirk."
"W-W-What do you mean?" The teenager looked to the underground hero confusingly.
"All we can do is accept it." Aizawa glanced ahead as the teenager followed his gaze to see a group, "Also this is good time. That guy's just arrived."
"All Might!" Izuku gasped at the said retired hero, "Recovery Girl!" He noticed that Kaoruko was fighting her tears back, "B-But why are you here?"
"I asked him to come…" Kaoruko appoched the greenette with a sniffle, "Because…" She buried her face in his chest with her arms sliding around his stomach, "He was always thinking about All Might…"
'W-Wait, does that mean…' The greenette widened his eyes.
"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do." The surgeon spoke softly, "Honestly, it's a miracle he's still alive right now."
"At this point, my powers won't help either." Recovery Girl said solemnly, "I'm sorry to say this, but we don't think he'll last to see tomorrow." She led them to another room and they see Sir Nighteye in bed with many tubes inside his opening stomach with machines around him.
"Nighteye." Toshinori said and the salaryman's eyes creaking open.
"All…" Sir Nighteye breathed heavily, "Might…You finally come to see me…" He chuckled, "When I'm on my deathbed?"
"I don't even know how to reply to that…" The retired hero looked down with regret, "I've done such an awful thing to you."
"Nighteye!" Izuku cried out, "You can't go! You have to live! Hang in there!"
"You humble yourself too much…" The salaryman turned his gaze to the teenager, "It's not like…I blame you or anything…All I wanted…Was for you to be happy…That's why…If you've decided to fight against fate…I'm fine with that…"
"I want you to fight against fate, too!" Toshinori begged, "Please! Let me make amends for everything I've done!"
"Making amends…" Sir Nighteye said, "I also owe a lot of people…For troubling them...Up until now…I've been searching for every possible way…To change your future…I wanted to change the future…Where you are killed…Searched…All this time…But nothing worked…I couldn't change a single thing. But Midoriya showed me a way. I just couldn't…Clear away these doubts. I can't change anything, it's impossible to change. Those thoughts were always…Stuck in the back of my mind." His gaze turn up to the ceiling, "Looking back…I think…It was all about energy. A future that you strongly wish for…So strongly, that there is no room for doubt…A strong and clear vision. Energy…From wishing. I'm sure Midoriya's not the only one…I think everyone…Believed so strongly in a single future, that it all just joined together. I think all that energy was focused into Midoriya, and that was the result of him…Firing it all out at once. The future is never certain. You changed my views on that. I am very satisfied with that. However…I regret few things…"
"…D-Don't…" Kaoruko grabbed the salaryman's hand with both hands as she squeezed it tightly with tears running down her cheeks, "Don't die, daddy!"
"Look at you…" The salaryman chuckled softly, "And here I was wondering when you were going to call me that. I always think of you as my own daughter and love you like one. My great regret is not telling your mother how much I love her and ask her for her hand in marriage so we can be a family like you always want since you were little…"
"D-D-Daddy, p-p-please don't!" The blue girl sobbed, "I love you, daddy!"
"And I love you too, Kaoruko, my little girl." Sir Nighteye smiled softly before he turn his gaze to Izuku slightly, "Midoriya, please…Look after her for me, will you?" The greenette just bit his lip with tears in his eyes and he was about to say something but…
"Wait!" The group turned to see Mirio barging in as the nurse tried to stop him. "Togata! You mustn't move around just yet!"
"SIR NIGHTEYE!" Mirio cried out as he run to Sir Nighteye's side, "NO! Please don't die! You can't go! You just can't!"
"Mirio…" Sir Nighteye spoke, "I've made you experience…So much hardship…If only I had…been more astute…"
"You taught me everything!" The crying phaser shouted, "It's because of you that I've gotten so strong! And it's because of you that I'm still alive here now! Please, you have to keep teaching me! You can't die!"
The salaryman lift his hand up to cup Mirio's teary face, "It'll be alright. You are becoming an outstanding hero…"This is the only future…That we shouldn't change. So please, keep smiling." He move his hand back down to hold Kaoruko's hand gently as he smiled to them, Society needs smiles, laughs, and energy to bring about a brighter future…"
"D-Daddy." Kaoruko sobbed heavily.
"Sir!" Mirio wailed.
Nighteye died with a smile on his face as the heart rate on the electrocardiogram machine fall flat with beep.
Few hours later, Izuku walk up to Aizawa and Recovery Girl as they listen to the news on monitor about an incident on highway with Overhaul and police escort. "They just won't stop talking about it…" Recovery Girl muttered.
"Chisaki was…" Izuku said bewilderingly, "By Shigaraki?"
"It's not something you need to feel responsible for." Aizawa said, "Don't let it get to you. For the time being, you students will be returning to school, save Togata, who they'll keeping an eye on for a little while longer. The others have all been healed and have made a complete recovery. They should be here soon."
"Awata, that poor dear, have already went back after her mom came couple hours ago." The elder woman sighed, "I think I'll make the rounds one more time and heal some more patients."
"I would a-also ike to s-stay until Eri wakes up…" The greenette said, "May I?"
"You being here won't change the situation at hand." The underground hero said, "We need to leave her in the doctors' capable hands."
"…I'm going to give my regards to senpai…" Izuku put his backpack down next to the heroes before he walk away.
"AH, hey, right now isn't…" Aizawa sighed to himself, decide to let it slip this time.
After a talk with Mirio and inquiries, Izuku went back to the dorm with Ochaco and Tsuyu at night while Eijiro return to his dorm. "THEY'RE BAAAAAACK!" Camie hollered as the girls raced up to the trio.
"Are you guys all right?!" Mina asked worriedly.
"We saw it all on the news!" Toru cried out.
"Everyone was worried about you guys." Kyoka said.
"H-Here, comfort foods." Kinoko held out a plate of cake.
"You always come back after getting mixed up with some crazy business!" Setsuna cried out to Izuku, who look very sheepish by that. "Quit scarin' us, dammit!"
"We're glad you all okay." Pony said softly.
"Okay?" The rocker muttered, "Are they okay?"
"Everyone!" Itsuka jumped in between them, "I know you were all worried, but calm down and give them space! You all saw the news, didn't you? So you know what they went through. As classmates, we should be sensitive to their feelings and let them rest. It's not just their bodies. Their spirits must be hurting too."
"Itsuka, Itsuka." Izuku called out to his best friend as she turned to him, "Thank you, but…" He smiled softly, "I'm all right."
"Oh, are you sure?" The orangette asked worriedly and he nod again.
"I'll make some lavender herbal tea!" Momo raced to the kitchen, "It'll put your hearts at ease!"
"Ochaco, is everything all right?" Tsuyu glanced to the said girl.
"I…" Ochaco looked at her hands, "Want to save people." She feel so furious for not able to do anything in the end and Aizawa had gave her some words.
"Um, where's Kaoruko?" The teenager boy asked worriedly.
"Her room." Yui replied.
"I'm going to check on her." Izuku jogged to the elevator and almost everyone give him a nod, worried about the bubble girl because she haven't come out since she came back and refuse to let anyone in. They figure Izuku will have better chance since he have same internship with Kaoruko and was there when it went down. Both Katsuki and Shoko stay quiet before they turn in early because they have provisional license training tomorrow.
Kaoruko sat on floor against the side of her bed with her legs pulled in to her chest as she sobbed in between her knees and she ignore the knocks on her door until she hear Izuku's voice. "K-Kaoruko, it's me." He said softly behind the door, "Um, I want to check on you and…Um…To l-l-let you know we're back…Um, I-I-I'll…" The greenette nearly jolt up when the blue girl open the door slightly with puffy eyes, "K-Kao…"
"P-P-Please c-come in…" Kaoruko sniffed and he walk in as the blue girl close the door softly then walk to the middle of her room with Izuku.
"I…" Izuku don't know where to begin with until she suddenly hug him with her face buried in his nape and the greenette froze.
"Can we…" She sniffed again, "S-S-Stay like that…For a w-w-while?"
"H…Hai." He replied softly as he hugged her back, rubbing her back gently without thinking. At some point, they end up cuddling on floor and his shirt feel wet. Kaoruko slowly release him with couple sniffles and they get up.
"…S-Sorry for getting your shirt wet…" Kaoruko rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I-It's fine." Izuku quickly waved it off.
"…I-I'm going to bed so…I'll see you out…" The blue girl walk to her door with the greenette behind her before she turn slightly to him as her right hand hover over the doorknob, "Um…Izuku…Can we do it again tomorrow? W-When I come back from visiting my mom about…" She can't bring herself to say funeral arraignment because it makes everything too real.
"Y-Yeah." He nodded, "Text me…I-In fact, text me anytime w-when you n-need…"
"I will." She cut him off with twitching corners of her mouth as she open the door to let him out and he was about to head straight to the elevator until she stop him by holding his wrist gently right outside her door, "…A-And thank again…" Kaoruko surprise him with a light kiss on his cheek, barely touch the corner of his lips and she back away from the fluttered boy. "See you tomorrow…" She quietly close the door and Izuku rubbed his kissed cheek with his hand as he blinked few times before he take the elevator, wondering if it was just a innocent kiss out of gratitude or her way of coping. He decide not to think about it for now because he have to support her and help her get through her grief as possible as he can.
And that end the sixth chapter of LC! Love it? Hate it?
Izuku sure don't expect his internship to turn out like that when he encounter Eri and Overhaul! As you see, there are nothing much change and we have some moments…And learn a bit or two about some certain characters.
How will things turn out with the aftermath of Overhaul case? Any changes or not? Will any girls make their move? What moments will we see next? Let's find out in next chapter!
I think that's all I can say for now…Thank you for your time to read it.
Please leave reviews and feedback here. The flames will be tossed into the boiler.
