The beginning of the end... Enjoy!
The chaotic night had finally ended with Prometheus and Pandora's retreat.
The city was put into lock-down as soon as the sudden attack was reported to Anti-Skill. To prevent assailants from escaping the city, all forms of terrorism result in all exits being closed and flights in and out being halted.
As much as Aizawa would like to depart from the city with his students, they needed to be held within the city for questioning in the pending investigation of the attack in the hotel. Control over the media allowed them to spin the story as if the attack was on a separate party, and the heroes in training merely got involved because of the proximity. This was desired to prevent accusations of the U.A. administration putting their students into danger similar to what happened with the situation with the League of Villains.
Aizawa argued that the tournament's final rounds should be put on hold or outright cancelled for his students' safety, but Academy City administration pushed back with the noting that they would be actually safer at the arena. Not only would it be difficult for those desiring to harm his students to break in un-noticed, but Academy City's own highest ranked espers were in attendance, most of which in the very waiting room his students would be residing. It was a tough call for Aizawa but he ultimately agreed.
In terms of power alone, the level 5 espers would probably be able to stand with most pro heroes. Though they lack the direct combat training pro heroes would have, their capabilities more than make up for it. Aizawa began to wonder Academy City's motives for hosting the tournament, pitting the youngest heroes against their strongest espers, and also questioned the principle of the U.A's decision in accepting the invitation.
It didn't matter a large amount in the end though. It was good training, like when they organized to have their students have a combat exercise with other pro heroes. The only real exception to this was the Accelerator, as he seemed to be an absolute titan of power in comparison to even the other level 5's. The only reasoning that made sense to Aizawa was that the administration crafted the competition in consideration that the rather anti-social Accelerator wouldn't wish to participate, but were blind-sided when he abruptly signed up.
But as said, it didn't seem to matter, especially to Aizawa's students. They all met their challenges with everything they had, and did rather well. Even against the Accelerator they stood tall against the challenge, even managing to pressure the number one esper in the second round. Although, only one of his students remained in the competition.
Izuku was facing the Accelerator. Fumikage managed to force Accelerator to show his power, and Ochako forced him to show his weakness. Now it was Izuku's job to make use of both of these factors and generate a victory. Win or lose, it would be a good test of his skill. But things didn't seem right regardless.
It felt like Academy City was keeping them here for unknown reasons. It didn't sit well with him at all. But while they were here, the city administrators called the shots, whether he liked it or not. So the best he could do was to protect his students with everything he had. They had relocated to a completely different hotel across the district and All Might and Aizawa took turns standing watch.
Nothing would get through to their students, not even Satan himself.
-Corporate Building-
Prometheus and Pandora appeared inside the segregated section of the building they had cleared out for Gregory. It was still in the early hours of the morning, before sunrise.
Prometheus' shattered shoulder blade was simply too much for Pandora's healing magic. Both of their minor injuries were easily taken care of, but the complexity of bone structure just seemed to be too much. For now, all Pandora could do was put Prometheus' arm in a sling and use her magic to dampen the pain.
They searched for Gregory, who was nowhere to be found at first glance. They eventually found him in the executive offices with the windows blacked out, as if burned. Candles were lit and placed all over the room, with several defying gravity. Magic circles were drawn on the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. The circle's design matched but the symbols were different on each. Gregory sat with his back to the wall and his hands clasped together, and his eyes closed. He seemed to be chanting in some kind of language that neither Prometheus nor Pandora recognized.
One thing was clear however; he was channeling his mana into the magic circles all around the room. Remembering what few requirements that he understood, Prometheus remained silent. Pandora took notice of the darkness and used her magic to block the remaining light from the floor, turning all the glass windows into black slabs. Now, the only lights that remained were those of Gregory's candles. The only sounds that could be heard were the clicking of a clock in one of the other rooms.
The clock struck five in the morning. Outside, a small glimmer of the sun peaked over the horizon. Gregory's eye's snapped open and his chanting stopped. For a moment there was a sudden silence; not even the clock made noise. The air grew heavy. Finally, Gregory started to speak.
"Thy lord, hear my call." Gregory started. "The wax represents the body. The open flame represents the mind. The offering represents the soul." Gregory held out the Necronomicon and placed it in the center of the circle on the floor. It flew into the air shortly after, hovering in-between the center points of all the circles. "Jaws of death have claimed the essence of rebirth. Laws of life deny the cycle of infinity. Existence has erased its form." The flames from the candles stretched out towards the Necronomicon, surrounding it. "The Phoenix has fallen, and its ashes now lay lit. Take the offering and restore the natural order! Return the Millennial Phoenix so that the cycle of rebirth can be complete!"
The magic circles shone a bright red, sparking with magical power. The candles themselves stretched out towards the center to join the fire and grimoire, all three dancing around each other. The magic circles themselves seemed to lift off and take to the air, each one slowly approaching the center of the room. Without warning the circles all converted and slammed into the swirling materials in the center, and an explosion of golden flames erupted in all directions. The shockwave blew out every window on the floor of the building. The flames were wild, but did not harm any of those watching. The flames seemingly died down, but it was more along the lines of the flames compressing together into the form of a man.
The flames ceased and the man who was floating in the center of the room dropped to the floor. He appeared to be a fit male in his mid-thirties. His feet were bare, and wore baggy black pants that were held up by a cloth tied around his waist. His entire torso was covered in bandages, including his arms, and they only stopped at the base of his neck. His face was defined and his hair was a fiery red. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing them to be a shimmering gold. He landed on his feet and looked into his hands, opening and closing them repeatedly, as if testing out his body.
"So… I live once more." The man spoke; his voice was deep and commanding. He noticed Gregory bowing down behind him.
"Please… sir… is it truly you? I had not lived when you were last resurrected so I only know of you through tales and scripture…!" Gregory hesitantly asked. The man walked over to Gregory and grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him up into a standing position. The man smiled.
"Relax, my son." The man said. "You have succeeded in our ancient ritual. The man you see before you is indeed Hugo Japhet; he does indeed live again thanks to your sacrifice."
"O-oh my… M-Master Japhet…!" Gregory choked up, seemingly with joy. Hugo released Gregory and glanced at Prometheus and Pandora.
"…Who are they, my son?" Hugo asked simply.
"I-I'm sorry milord… our numbers have fallen dramatically over the years… I was the only one left capable of resurrecting you… I had to seek outside sources for assistance…" Gregory said. "M-make no mistake! I am a true follower… but my deed would have been impossible without them! Please do not harm them for not being a part of our order!"
"…I could not bear to bring harm to those who aided in my return, regardless of their officiation." Hugo said, approaching the duo. He turned his attention to Prometheus. "Tell me, what affliction has struck your arm?"
"…Smashed shoulder blade, probably." Prometheus answered.
"Hold still." Hugo said. A golden flame formed in his hand and he slammed it into Prometheus' broken side. He winced, anticipating pain, but relaxed when he didn't feel anything of the sort. The golden flame spread across his arm and back, covering it for a time, and after a moment, the flames vanished. Prometheus moved his arm reflexively upon noticing the flames disappear; it moved without issue, not even the slightest bit of pain.
Hugo Japhet had healed Prometheus.
"How the hell…!?" Prometheus was stunned.
"The rejuvenative properties of the Millennial Phoenix are just as potent to you as they are to me, as you can see." Hugo moved past the duo and stood at the shattered windows just outside the room, watching the sun-rise. Gregory followed him out. "…My son, what is your name?"
"G-Gregory! Gregory Augustine, at your service!" Gregory knelt down after announcing his name.
"A fine name… now tell me, there is a strange presence within me." Hugo started. "It calls out to those belonging to the afterlife, what is it?"
"It must be the Necronomicon, sir." Gregory replied. "I had to use it to gather up enough souls to force open the rift to the afterlife for the ritual for you to return. It must have bonded with you during the process of your revival."
"I see… so the dreaded book of the dead resides within my body? Yes… I can feel it… all of its pages and incarnations are like fond memories…" Hugo said. "I did not know this was possible, but I suppose with the Necronomicon's soul-holding properties it would only work with it alone… but it is most convenient."
"So… he can call for an army of darkness whenever he wants. Fun." Prometheus said.
"Now, one more question… where are we right now? This setting is… unfamiliar..." Hugo asked.
"We are within the walls of Academy City, milord. It is a twisted civilization that seeks the destruction of the world of magic, and manipulates and torments its inhabitants with sick experimentation every day! It is an abomination to humankind and should be wiped off the face of the Earth!" Gregory responded.
"Oho… I understand." Hugo smiled. "Not only can I revitalize our order, but give us a grand achievement that not even the Roman Catholics will be able to deny. Destruction of magic's mortal enemy…!"
"Yes sir!" Gregory replied.
"Good… good… your plan is sound. Truly, in desperate times will we make our grandest of accomplishments." Hugo turned toward the three behind him. "Tell me, you gathered these souls from a graveyard, yes? Could you take me to it?"
"Yes but… we won't be able to leave with being noticed!" Gregory replied.
"Then let them gaze in awe." Two flames burst from Hugo's back, forming into a large set of bird-like wings, composed entirely of golden flames.
"…So, this is the guy who can burn this city to the ground huh…" Prometheus said, smirking with excitement.
"Let us depart; we have much to do with little time." Hugo simply said, holding out his hand toward the three, signaling them to follow.
-Several Hours later, Arena Waiting Room-
"Ok… ok… I can do this…" Izuku said to himself, trying to concentrate. Due to an incident in the early morning at one of the many corporate buildings, the start of the semi-finals was delayed to allow Anti-Skill to investigate the arena for any possibility of tampering from outside sources. The incident at the hotel and the corporate building were being treated as terrorist activity, so Academy City executives weren't taking any chances.
In the meantime, Izuku was having Ochako try to teach him how exactly she was able to break through Accelerator's defenses.
"Keep practicing; because of the sudden stop it will lower the offensive force you deliver, but I think with your quirk that won't be much of an issue." Ochako said. "Just follow my moves… I've only been able to figure it out with punches; I doubt kicks will be able to do it."
"Right… follow your moves…" Izuku said, trying to mimic Ochako's movements. She went purposefully slow to try and display exactly how to perform the technique, then went faster to display the application.
Izuku was just barely grasping the concept, but was making progress. It was very clear that hand-to-hand combat technique came much more naturally to Ochako than Izuku.
"Maybe… when we get back, I can ask Gunhead to give you some proper hand-to-hand training… I feel like it'd benefit you a lot to learn." Ochako mused.
"I've always thought about it… I've been trying to train myself on my own when I can, but I guess there is a limit to how much I can do on my own." Izuku replied.
"You are trying to change things up with your fighting style… but I think the experience would be good for you. Take what they teach you and make it your own!" Ochako cheerfully said.
"Thanks, and I'll accept it if Gunhead wants to help me out." Izuku replied with a smile. "But for now, I think I should focus on Uraraka-sensei! She is the one teaching me something important right now!" Ochako blushed red and turned away with a small pout.
"S-stop saying such embarrassing things!" Ochako said. Izuku only laughed in response. Ochako eventually softened up and smiled back. "Alright, we will take it from the top! Remember, follow my moves, and then execute!"
"You don't want him watching too closely, or he might get mesmerized by your womanly curves. If that were to happen it might awaken a beast the likes you have never seen!" Misaki jokingly commented as she approached the couple, both of which had turned red.
"Y-you need to stop making accusations like that…" Izuku said.
"Oh? But I've heard that almost all high school boys have so much pent up frustration from their raging hormones of adolescence that they'll go after anything female that moves… maybe I'm mistaken?" Misaki replied.
"I am not like that!" Izuku stated turning redder. "Seriously, what do you think this is? Some kind of porn story? Get out of here with that!"
"Relax, I'm only kidding." Misaki waved Izuku off. "I heard a rumor about a certain boy and girl having a wonderful time at an arcade and then a restaurant; I am merely inquiring as to how will it went?"
"It went great, thank you." Ochako responded sternly.
"By great do you mean that you will do it again? Or by great do you mean you are now expecting?" Misaki joked. Ochako blushed but appeared to be irritated.
"…We will do it again." Ochako answered. "Seriously, we're just testing the waters. We have to make sure it's the right thing for us before we just dive in…"
"A well thought out position! Your intellectual-power is quite amazing indeed. Even those mutually attracted to each other can be incompatible lovers after all." Misaki answered. "Well it seems that you have everything under control, so I shall take a seat and wait for the entertainment to begin. Be sure to put up a good fight against the number one, ok?"
"…Hey, hold on a second." Izuku called out.
"Ho? Need something of me after all?" Misaki asked.
"Well… we discovered something weird yesterday while we were out." Izuku started. "We met up with Kamijou at the restaurant we went to, and he has a really hard time remembering you for some reason; you wouldn't happen to know why, would you?" Misaki appeared shaken for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
"…I recall learning through my information ability that sometime last year he lost a large sum of his memories from his life… I did know him prior to that event, so it would only make sense that those memories are gone now." Misaki said. "Please keep that a secret; he doesn't want people to know that; it's the path of life he's chosen."
"I see… I understand that… must be a rough secret to keep…" Izuku said. "But what I actually meant is that he can't remember you even after seeing you in this room. It's kind of weird; as it seems to be specifically you he can't remember." Izuku said.
"Yeah… it seemed like he was genuinely trying to remember. He apparently started to get a headache trying. I think it seemed like the answer he was looking for was right out of his reach." Ochako added. The smile on Misaki's face started to fade as she bit on her lip gently.
"Oh… so trying to remember me now is going as far as to hurt him then… that's unfortunate." Misaki said, looking away from the couple. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't bring me up in conversation around him then. I would hate to be responsible for hurting him again, after all…"
"Again, huh?" Ochako questioned deviously. Misaki started to grow worried. "So you two have had some involvement before besides just a few meetings as acquaintances, huh…?"
"P-please don't let this be some kind of weird revenge plot…!" Misaki asked nervously.
"…I dare say we got something on her, Deku." Ochako said.
"Looks like it…" Izuku replied.
"W-well… it's an old story… I don't really want to talk about it so…" Misaki trailed off and looked away again, one of her hands slowly slipping into her handbag. Ochako grabbed her hand before she could pull out a remote.
"No alterations for you!" Ochako grinned. It felt a little nice to have some sort of knowledge about Misaki after the taunting she put her through, so Ochako didn't want to forget it anytime soon.
"…Hey guys, clam down." Izuku rubbed his neck. "Seriously… I just want to know exactly what's happening. That massive memory loss he had is bad, but this seems specific when it comes to you… I understand if it's personal… but if you can tell us, maybe we can help."
"…Sadly, it's not something you can assist me with, as much as I wish you could." Misaki answered glumly. She pulled her hand out of her bag and Ochako released her. "Ok… how to put it… his long-term memory storage has been damaged, and because of that, his brain cannot make memories of me."
"But… how does that even happen? And why specifically you?" Izuku questioned.
"…My ability works on the bases of controlling the secretion of chemicals in the brain via the control of blood distribution, cerebrospinal fluid, and various other chemicals inside one's brain to manipulate bio-electricity, which governs all of the aspects of one's mind and thus, the body." Misaki said. "Basically, I control the fluids in your brain and control it and your body, for a short-hand version anyway."
"I see… I'm starting to not like where this is going…" Ochako said.
"Basically, he saved me a long time ago. But because of that, he was horribly injured, and was in the process of bleeding out. I used my ability to force his brain to keep his blood flow steady so he could survive… but doing so when he was already low on blood had adverse effects on him, damaging his long-term memory…" Misaki finished.
"I see… that's terrible…" Izuku said. "So no matter how many times you meet… he won't ever remember you? Not even with your ability?"
"Because of his Imagine Breaker, what I am able to do to his brain is limited… basically I only have access to telepathy and mind-reading, and even those are more than a little difficult. But… I've made it a personal rule to never look into his mind." Misaki said. "Memory manipulation is out of the question because of his Imagine Breaker… and I'm not sure if I could fix the problem even if I had access to it…"
"I'm guessing because of the complexities of the mind… surgery is also not an option…" Ochako asked.
"It's also rather difficult to convince someone who no longer knows who you are to fix a brain injury you are no longer aware of because of my involvement with it." Misaki sighed, sitting down. "I theorize that it is perhaps the AIM field that I emit due to my status as an esper what disrupts his brain and triggers the disability… if I suddenly became a powerless level 0, I wonder if he would be able to make memories of me again…"
"Would you do it, even if it was possible…?" Izuku asked.
"Instantly." She answered. "There would be no hesitation in my mind."
"He must be really important to you…" Ochako commented.
"He is my prince." Misaki answered. "He is irreplaceable… and yet he's off around with other women like Misaka and I don't stand a chance of raising a flag because he can't ever remember me." Misaki pouted.
"Misaki is jealous…" Ochako joked.
"Shut it or I'll make you dreadfully fearful of clothing. You as a nudist sound amusing…" Misaki's eyes looked evil. "I could also ramp up your emotions for Izuku-kun to levels you only thought imaginable… you thought what you felt now was hard to control? Just wait until I'm done with you…!"
"R-right! I'm sorry! Please don't!" Ochako pleaded. Misaki seemed amused.
"Seems like Kamijou has been through a lot…" Izuku commented.
"He has." Misaki answered. "The fate of a hero is not always one of glory. Be careful." She stood up, adjusting her handbag.
"I don't need you to tell me that." Izuku replied with a smile. Misaki smiled back.
"Two things." Misaki said. "This stays between us. Don't think for a second that I'll forget we've had this talk. Unlike my prince, my memory is quite perfect."
"S-sure! No problem!" Izuku said, fearful of what kind of havoc Misaki could wreak inside his mind.
"And secondly… the world of heroes and quirks is quite unknown to me." Misaki said. "If you discover some kind of way to fix what has been destroyed in his mind, please do tell me. I'll pay any price you ask."
"A-Any price…?" Izuku questioned. Misaki merely grinned.
"Of course… all these girls, most of which you don't know, flood all around him, even if he doesn't notice it." Misaki started. "But he is MY prince. And the moment I can, I will make sure every other woman in the world knows their place… and make him go from my prince to my king if you understand my meaning..."
"S-scary… no mercy, huh…?" Ochako questioned. Misaki put a finger to her chin to think for a moment.
"Well… maybe he could have a side girl or two, since there are some who have properly earned a place next to him, but that's for him to decide if he wants multiple women." Misaki thought out loud. "As long as I'm the queen of his heart, I really don't mind sharing I guess."
"…Everything for his happiness, huh?" Izuku asked.
"Now you're starting to understand me a little bit. I'm not so bad, am I?" Misaki winked at him, and then she waved goodbye and promptly left the room.
"…She's the type of girl who shouldn't be messed with." Izuku said.
"I agree entirely…" Ochako added. The speaker in the room suddenly kicked on.
It was finally time for the semi-final round.