Chapter 20

March 12, 2168

0310 Hours

Serin had long since ditched her MA5B in favor of dual wielding a pair of MA2B rifles. It'd be nearly impossible for a normal person to effectively use the higher caliber weapons simultaneously, but a Spartans augmentations combined with their power armor made the effort little more than an inconvenience. More than that, there was a bandolier of grenades slung around her torso and an M45 Tactical Shotgun holstered on her back. All that and the ammo to accompany it. However, as far as she was concerned, it wouldn't be nearly enough. Irinaka was still running around somewhere, waiting to strike at them. Except now they couldn't rely on their speed or reflexes to dodge his attacks.

She looked over shoulder, checking on her team once again. Rei was conscious once more, though he was leaning on Akari so much that she might as well have been carrying him. Each of them carried a rifle in their hands, though they were limited in their movements now. Taking up the rearguard was Daisuke, who silently scanned the empty hallway with his M739 SAW. All their gear had been scavenged from the yakuza in the room they'd been dropped into. They didn't give it up willingly, though.

Even now, Serin's head was still pounding from her tussle with Yojo. The punk had managed to get a lucky hit in with his crystallization Quirk. He didn't last long after that, not when she'd regained her balance and dropped him with a few bone-shattering punches. They'd been put through the wringer, but they were still kicking. They had a job to finish, after all. They were going to find any remaining Shie Hassaikai members and put them down.

"Six o'clock," Daisuke called out. The buzz of his machine gun was amplified inside the concrete depths, reverberating well into the seemingly endless corridors. It drowned out the rush of air as columns summoned by Irinaka flew towards them like missiles. They didn't even get within spitting distance. The other three Spartans turned on a dime and unleashed the full extent of their arsenal. Irinaka's attack was practically vaporized by the wall of bullets they unleashed.

"RAAAAAGH!" The wild screaming resonated throughout the interior, seeming to come from every direction. "Look at what you've done! Look at what you've destroyed! I'll grind your brittle little bones to dust; I'll paint the walls red with your blood! That scrappy armor of yours won't stop me!"

Guns blazing, villains cursing, heart pounding: Serin couldn't help the sadistic glee that started to flicker within her. "Are any of you seeing what I'm seeing?" She asked through TEAMCOM.

"He's not making the ground shake like a waterbed anymore," Akari stated.

"Thank god," Rei muttered.

"Exactly," Serin confirmed with an animalistic grin. "His attacks are getting weaker. The Trigger's starting to wear off."

"Which means he'll be useless any second now," Daisuke caught on.

"Then we keep the pressure on him," ordered Serin. "Once he returns to normal, we grab him. Until then, Rei and Akari will stay back to provide covering fire while Daisuke and I advance. Understood?"

A quick acknowledgement from each of her teammates later and Serin was bolting down the hallway. As a new wave of the villain's constructs raced to meet her, she threw one of her rifles aside and pulled a grenade from her bandolier. The Spartan primed the explosive with a press of her thumb and flung it right between the mass of living concrete. She then took aim and fired a single shot as it reached its destination.

Winding, flowing lengths of solid material were instantly returned to their previous lifeless state, though smaller and more numerous than before. Serin repeated the maneuver twice more in the blink of an eye. What few tendrils of Irinaka survived her bombardment were swiftly obliterated by the combined fire of her team's guns.

"More," the villain growled. With each repetition of the demand his volume - and fury - grew. "More. More. More! More! MORE!"

The wall at the opposite end of the hallway stirred. A swarm of pillars far greater than any previous attack emerged from the swirling surface. It took a moment for the masses of flowing concrete to materialize. After that, they shot off towards the Spartans like sharks who'd just picked up the smell of blood.

As far as Serin was concerned, this was nothing more than a final desperate attack. One last effort before the villain's strength would abandon him. She welcomed it. The Spartan ripped the entire bandolier of grenades off and swung it into the path of the swarm. Irinaka hadn't learned his lesson yet. Once again, the pillars flew straight into the grenades and once again, Serin fired a single round into them, creating a devastating explosion. Most of the villain's great attack was decimated in a split second. What few remained blew past the rubble of the shattered offensive, undaunted by their inevitable fate.

The mechanical chatter of Daisuke's SAW came from behind Serin. A storm of 7.62mm rounds sailed into the constructs with explosive results. The purpose of such weapons was to overwhelm an enemy with the sheer volume of fire. Accuracy was more along the lines of a second thought, yet her teammate was able to wield the thing like it was a laser. Every shot found its mark.

From behind them, Rei and Akari had pitched in with their own help. Bullets flew perfectly through the spaces around their teammates to smash into the consistent tide of Irinaka's assault. Serin dropped her other rifle and swiftly pulled the shotgun from her back. She allowed her teammates to clean up the stragglers, though she kept her guard up. Despite firing the same eight-gauge magnum rounds, the M45D held fewer shells than the more common M90 shotgun.

All four Spartans marched forward at a steady pace, tracking their enemy based on where the attacks were coming from. It'd become child's play at this point. The size and strength of Irinaka's attacks drastically decreased with each step they took. When Serin and her team took one last turn into a particularly large corridor, the attacks stopped altogether.

In their place, a shrill wailing came from above them. Serin's attention snapped towards the ceiling just in time for her to witness Irinaka get spat out like a wad of gum. She watched callously as the man plummeted the whole distance to the ground, screaming all the way down. "No no no no NO! Not yet! Not like this! Not! Like! THIS!"

The villain hit the floor with a hearty smack and remained motionless. Hobbling along from the rear of the formation, Rei let out a scoff over TEAMCOMM. "Oh, please. It wasn't that bad of a fall. Just walk it off."

Serin allowed herself a cruel smirk from beneath her helmet. She walked towards the prone villain, got down to one knee, and checked for a pulse. When she found one, the Spartan unceremoniously rolled the man so that he was face down, then swapped her shotgun for her specially designed M6C Magnum. One-point blank shot later and Irinaka was rendered Quirkless for the time being. "Target neutralized."

A crackle of static was the prelude to the sound of Serin's greatest relief: the voice of another Spartan checking in on them. "Chimera, this is Legacy Leader. What's your status, over?"

"Legacy, this is Chimera Leader. We've got a Spartan casualty and are running low on ammo, over," Serin replied. Upon further inspection, she noticed that Keiichi had called out to her over TACCOM. That channel was shared by all of them; the Spartans, the Pros, and even the police officers had access to it. She figured that they must've helped neutralize the enemies on the surface and were now leading the assault group back down into the compound.

"Understood, Chimera. We're en route to your position now. ETA, five minutes."

"Spartans of Chimera Team," someone announced through the communicator. Definitely a hero, if their odd mannerisms over the radio were anything to go by. "This is Sir Nighteye. Have you heard anything from Mythic Team and Eraserhead? Did they make it to the escape tunnel? Over?"

Serin grimaced at the reminder. They'd been so busy hobbling along, playing a game of cat and mouse with Irinaka that they hadn't had time to check on Izuku. Just as she was about to break the bad news, the person in question spoke up. Most worrying, however, was that he contacted them over SQUADCOMM: one of two channels reserved for just Spartans.

"Chimera, Legacy, this is Mythic Leader. We've got a problem down here. It's the Magenta Contingency."

Fuck.

Blood that once burned for retribution immediately froze in Serin's veins at this declaration. Magenta. That meant someone - a person who they simply couldn't dispose of - had witnessed one of the more unique Spartan Quirks. With Fireteam Mythic, it had to be Hitoshi. Damnit, she thought. Who could've seen them? Was it Eraserhead?

"Understood, Mythic. We'll buy you all the time you need," she stated determinedly.

"Four is somewhere inside the compound along with Eraserhead and Eri. Looking for them should give you something to work with… Sorry, guys. We screwed this up."

"Don't you worry about us, you hear?" She lightly scolded. Internally, she couldn't help but beat herself up over this - then to silently cursing Irinaka. Her friends had undoubtedly had to resort to using Hitoshi's Quirk to beat Overhaul. She thought about what could've happened had they made it to them on time. No place for that kind of thinking, not right now. "We've got your back; you just focus on what's in front of you."

"Wilco, Chimera. Mythic out."

Switching back to TACCOM, Serin quickly began to think of something to tell the waiting Pros. "Sir, the majority of Mythic team is still engaged with the enemy, but we've got confirmation that Eri is safely secured with Eraserhead and Mythic Four. We should prioritize all our remaining assets towards getting them and the wounded out of here."

Yes, the situation had taken a turn for the worse, but it was still salvageable. Izuku was certain about it. There was no reason to take drastic measures. There wasn't. Sure, Lemillion had seen Hitoshi's Quirk - one of the biggest clues into the Spartans' past - and he went to UA academy, where Aizawa and Nezu worked. Nezu, the person the Commission was most worried about discovering their secret.

That said, Izuku wasn't going to just make him disappear like one of those traitors who sided with the MLA. No, Lemillion was a fellow hero, a comrade. The Spartan would just have to convince the intern to keep their secret. He wouldn't tell him about the Meta Liberation Army, though. He'd just have to find some other way to impress upon him the necessity of it all. Before he did any of that, however, he had to convince the hero to sit still and listen.

It wasn't going well.

"Guys, I know you like your secrets, but this is starting to get ridiculous. Please, tell me where Eri is. Can't we talk about this later?" Lemillion pleaded.

"Your concern for her is admirable, but ultimately unwarranted. She's safe. Four and Eraserhead are with her right now, and those two would rather take on All Might himself than let her come into danger," Izuku tried to reason. If this were under any other circumstances, he'd whole-heartedly encourage Lemillion's unwavering drive to find Eri. But now? Right now, he was trying to put a monster of a cat back into the bag.

"That's great," Lemillion said with a forced smile. The intern was trying his best to stay civil. Izuku could empathize with that. "So why don't you ask them to come back? That way all of us can protect Eri, together."

"Not yet."

"Why?" He demanded; that smile of his slipping. "What possible reason is there to keep us from protecting a child in danger?" Irritation flashed beneath those strange eyes of his. Were they part of his Quirk? Something to offset the effects of Permeation, maybe?

No time for that, Izuku reprimanded himself. "We need to discuss what happened here without any of the other Pros around."

Agitation gave way to confusion. "What for? You guys handled it, there's nothing to talk about. You beat Overhaul, you won! You've got him under your mind control Quirk right now!"

"That's not what happened."

"Eh?"

"That's not how we beat him," Izuku said evenly. "With your help, we were able to lure Kai Chisaki in front of the sealed off escape tunnel and detonate the explosive on the other side. With him neutralized, we were able to guarantee Eri's safety and security."

Lemillion's eyes gradually widened with each word. "You're going to try and kill him to keep your secret," he whispered. Those azure orbs of his then narrowed dangerously. "And you want me in on it. Either that or you'll just kill me, too."

"You are not in danger here, Lemillion," Izuku firmly stated. He meant it, too. He wasn't going to kill a fellow hero. Even if Lemillion refused to help them - hell, even if the guy decided to throw caution to the wind and fight them - Izuku wouldn't kill him. He'd figure something out. He was well known amongst the Spartans for having a creative mind. "No matter what you choose, we are not your enemies. I'm only asking for your help against the real threat."

Lemillion remained silent. His once friendly demeanor had transformed into a defiant glare. However, he hadn't actually done anything else, so Izuku decided that meant he was still listening. He pressed onwards. "It is absolutely vital that Hitoshi's Quirk remains a secret. It's… our ace in the hole," he settled on. It was a better reason than 'his Quirk could prove that we are child soldiers'. "When we find ourselves in a situation that bullets and fists can't solve, his Quirk is what we can fall back on."

"But it's not foolproof," Lemillion supplied. His eyes remained locked on Izuku as if he expected him to attack, but he was at least talking now. "It has its weaknesses. It needs some sort of activation requirement, right? You have to speak to him or ask him a question? Is it something like that?"

"Correct. If someone knows how his Quirk works…"

"Then they can avoid being controlled and your secret weapon becomes useless," he whispered. His features had softened ever so slightly in understanding. However, his posture had not changed. "But killing someone to keep it this way - even if it is a monster like Chisaki. And why shouldn't we tell Eraserhead and the other Pros? They're on your side, you know. You don't have to worry about them learning about it."

"The more heroes who know our secret, the more likely it is that it'll be leaked. I told you that we're no threat to you and I meant it. Now, I need you to understand that you are a threat to us," said Izuku. Lemillion flinched at the words, his mouth parting slightly as the insinuation. "If this information gets out, we'll be the ones in danger. I'm asking you, as a fellow hero, please, keep my team safe."

Izuku could tell that he'd put the student on the back foot. Lemillion no longer acted like he was ready to blitz them, though he was by no means relaxed. War raged within him, a battle with multiple fronts. "I won't tell the Pros," he finally said. "But Chisaki is beaten. To kill him now… heroes don't do that."

He's not wrong, Izuku thought sourly, but he doesn't know the full situation. Overhaul would still need to be dealt with in some way, but Izuku knew he could rest easy with the progress that had been made so far. With the reaction Lemillion had, the Spartan felt firm in his belief that their secret would be safe with him. With that accomplished, he felt that the least they could do was talk about Chisaki. If only for a little bit. "We don't have many options and we don't have much time. The battle's over; the Pros will be here soon."

Lemillion straightened up at that. The corners of his lips curved upwards in a weak, though genuine smile. "Come on now. Between the four of us, I think we can come up with a few ideas."

Well, a hero always rises to the challenge.

"Alright," Izuku relented. "We need to make this quick, however. Time is working against us here."

"Not a problem!" The intern enthusiastically responded. "Okay, let's see, I'm guessing you don't have something with you that can make him forget it otherwise you would've used it already."

"Correct."

"Okay then, but what about the Commission as a whole? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude, but- like, it just seems like if anyone would've created a mind-altering drug it'd, uh, well, it'd be you guys. Because you guys have all that super fancy technology and are mysterious, you know?"

Izuku had to repress a hefty sigh at that. His teammate summed it up perfectly.

"Oh man," Will chuckled darkly over TEAMCOMM, "If this guy only knew…"

"I won't say exactly what the Commission has at its disposal," Izuku treaded lightly, "but if we can get him back to one of our facilities, then I believe that they'd be able to deal with him. If all else fails, we can just throw him in a specialized cell and keep him there for… well, forever, considering all he's done."

"Great!" Lemillion exclaimed. "So, we have a goal - an endpoint. Now we just have to find a way to get him out of here."

"I don't see that happening with him in this state."

"Can't you just put a bag over his head and order him to follow us out?"

"Again, in this form and after everything that's happened, wouldn't you find that suspicious?"

"Ok, fair enough. Um… any suggestions?"

"If he were smaller, then Hitoshi could order him to pretend to be unconscious. With that, we could just carry him out of here. But the way he is now…"

The two of them glanced towards the villain in question. The hulking, twenty-foot-tall monstrosity was standing still with their face practically touching the explosives ladened wall. Lemillion turned to face Izuku again. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be a problem. Hey! Can you make Overhaul use his Quirk to reverse whatever he did."

Hitoshi, surprisingly enough, spoke over his external speakers so that the hero student could hear them. "It's your call, One. I'm willing, just give me the word."

Perhaps their conversation had caused his friend to warm up to the persistent intern like Izuku had. "Go for it."

A moment later, Hitoshi's true, unaltered voice rang out around the truly massive room. "Use your Quirk, Overhaul, to return yourself and your followers to normal."

The monstrous form of Chisaki twitched. It was little more than a jerk of the head, though noticeable enough. For a few moments, Izuku thought it might've worked. However, as the seconds passed with no other sign of progress, he let out a gentle sigh. "It was a good idea, Lemillion, but Two's Quirk isn't perfect. Overhaul is an extremely complicated Quirk itself. Ordering him to use is probably too much-"

"Something's wrong," Hitoshi grunted. "He's… he's fighting me… I'm losing control!"

It shouldn't be possible. Not once during their eight years of training did they find someone who could break out of his friends' control. Between all their instructors, doctors, or fellow Spartans, there wasn't a single one who could break free once he'd ensnared them. Izuku's eyes widened in realization. That monstrosity across the room from them wasn't just Chisaki. It was a collection of him and several other Shie Hassaikai members. With all of them working in tandem, they just might…

Chisaki started to move. It started with twitching in the fingers, then escalating to spasms in his arms before his entire freakish mass began to convulse violently. It was like the villain was possessed by a raving demon - which was sort of the case when Izuku thought about it. A mighty bang resonated through the cavernous room they were in. The wall directly in front of the twisted monstrosity of villains shuddered and cracked. Tiny chunks of concrete were sent flying when he struck it again.

"Two?" Izuku called out to Hitoshi. His friend needed to stamp down on this. If they allowed the villain to injure himself badly enough, then he'd get loose. With Eraserhead gone, Hitoshi's secret being out, most of their ammo depleted, and acting at a disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat, they couldn't get involved in another fight.

"Can't hold it, he's gonna break free!"

He didn't hesitate to bark out his newest order. "Get clear!" With just a thought, the Spartan used Mjolnir's HUD to link with the demolition charges and prime them. He waited for the brief moment it took to place himself directly in front of Lemillion. The hero would probably be fine without his protection, but it didn't hurt to be just a little more cautious as far as he was concerned. Once set, he triggered the charges. The effect was instantaneous.

The tall, mighty barrier that once blocked the entrance of the escape tunnel was all but obliterated. The ground quaked beneath them, like a titan from myth had arisen and stamped down on the compound. Debris ranging in size from pebbles to pieces bigger than his head were sent everywhere. They slammed into him at blistering speeds, bouncing, or smashing apart upon contact with the Grade A Titanium. However, just like Mei had predicted, much of the blast was absorbed by the wall separating them from the tunnel.

Among the clanking and crashing of all the rubble finally settling down, Izuku could pick up on the distinct sound of flesh smacking against the floor. Upon finding the source of it, he straightened up in surprise. The prone forms of the Shie Hassaikai members were scattered around. They were full, intact, individual people, not pieces of the gigantic Overhaul form. Izuku grimaced. Well, mostly intact. They'd each taken a beating from the blast, with small pools of blood forming around them.

His eyes roamed from person to person scanning each of them, verifying their identities. Deidoro Sakaki, Shin Nemoto, Hekiji Tengai, Kendo Rappa, and… there, closest to the wall lay Kai Chisaki.

Bloodied, beaten, and broken. Izuku wasn't going to take a chance. Not with his teammates lives potentially on the line - that included Lemillion's life, too. Magnum raised, target in sight, Izuku squeezed the trigger and let one of his last Quirk Erasing Bullets go sailing into Chisaki's unmoving body.

"Woah!" Lemillion wheezed out. Izuku didn't look back to check on the hero student; he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the villains sprawled out around them. Between nervous bouts of laughter, he jokingly said, "Well. Uh… I guess you guys had the right idea after all, huh?"

Normally, Izuku would never show anything more than the utmost professionalism around anyone other than his Spartans, though there were a few exceptions. Hawks was one and he supposed that Lemillion wouldn't be such a bad addition to that list. With that in mind, Izuku let out an audible snort at the comment before jokingly saying, "Being a Spartan means thinking outside the box."

While they talked, Mei and Hitoshi had quickly adapted to the situation; the two of them diligently making their way from villain to villain, restraining each of them with what few Quirk Suppressing Handcuffs they had left. Izuku activated his external speakers once again. "Gag them all, I don't want a single word coming out of their mouths. Lemillion…"

A small and confused hum came from behind, confirming that he'd caught the hero student's attention. With that, he continued. "... thank you."

"What for?"

"For being a hero. I gave you an ultimatum: keep our secret and let us kill Chisaki or spill our secret and endanger my team. You choose neither. You fought to create a path where we could both come out on top. That's the spirit of a hero."

The beginning of a scowl formed beneath Izuku's helmet as dark thoughts began to seep into his mind. Doctor Halsey had told them all that Spartans were supposed to be the next generation of Heroes. Yet there were protocols and orders like the Magenta Contingency that compelled them to neutralize, to kill, to assassinate someone even after they'd been incapacitated. Lemillion had proven that true heroes don't do that. A Hero always finds a way for real justice to be served. For once, that wasn't something Mendez-sensei had said. That was All Might.

If Spartans were supposed to be the next generation, then Izuku knew they'd better damn well step up their game.

Lemillion somehow seemed to pick up on what he was thinking. "Hey, there's no need for that. You guys are in a bit of a strange spot: no reason to beat yourselves up over it. Either way, though, thanks for saying that, Mythic… you know what, something just came to my mind. Something I've been meaning to talk to you guys about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Your team names are really cool: Mythic, Chimera, Legacy… They can be inspiring or even intimidating. But your individual hero names - if you can even call them that - leave a lot to be desired. Mythic One? I'm not gonna let this go on. Not while I can do something about it. By the way, there is absolutely no compromising on this. You're getting a real hero name, right here, right now. Even if that means I have to fight you."

His foul mood was easily put on the back burner as Izuku had to fight to suppress a chuckle. "Is that so?"

"Hell yeah, it is!"

"Alright then, did you have anything in mind?"

"I don't know enough about the rest of you guys, but for you specifically? Yeah, I have an idea…"

A sudden jerk of Four's head caught Aizawa's eyes. He and everyone else around him turned to stare anxiously at the Spartan, waiting to hear anything from their fellow heroes down in the depths of the yakuza base. The three of them and some of the remaining members of the raid team were set up in the courtyard of the Shie Hassaikai compound. The rest were up and about, securing the villains and packing them into armored police vans or tending to the dozens of injured.

The teacher had brought them all up to speed about his own situation with Mythic Team. He talked about the monster Chisaki had become and how the three Spartans volunteered to hold him off so that they could get Eri to safety. Everyone had wanted to go back to help them, even those who'd initially held animosity towards their new comrades. Yet none of the Spartans allowed them to. They insisted that those three would be enough to handle the villain and that there were other things for them to focus on. Any argument towards helping the rest of Mythic was immediately shot down without mercy. So, the Pros relented.

It turned out that there were some things that needed to be taken care of anyway. One of the teams of Spartans, Chimera, had taken quite the beating. They'd met up with them and retraced their steps throughout the base, apprehending all of the remaining villains who'd been defeated. Not all of the Yakuza had apparently survived their encounters with the Spartans. Nobody was terribly upset about that.

Now, however, they could finally get some long-awaited news on their fellow heroes still inside. Four remained motionless for a while, then he nodded his head. A moment later, he finally addressed them all. "Chisaki Kai and the rest of the Shie Hassaikai have been defeated. Mythic Team and Lemillion are on their way up with the villains in tow. ETA is five minutes."

The many Pros and police officers were elated to hear the update. Several of them let out hurrahs and hollers, while the plenty more simply allowed themselves to relax at the knowledge that the Overhaul and the remaining yakuma had finally been apprehended.

"They won? That's great!" Nejire-Chan cheered.

"Finally, some good news," Fat-Gun sighed in relief.

"Thank god we didn't lose anyone else," Ryukyu whispered.

Sir Nighteye nodded his agreement as someone tended to his injured leg. "The price paid was high, but we've ultimately succeeded. Eri has been saved and the Shie Hassaikai are no longer a threat. Good job, everyone."

Eraserhead turned to Eri and spoke to her in the softest voice he could manage in an effort to comfort her. "You hear that, Eri? They're heading back. Any minute now, they'll come marching out here, no worse for wear. You'll see."

Eri didn't respond. Instead, she opted to continue her silent vigil and stare at the doors of the base. He and the rest of the Pros had been trying to console her ever since they left the building, but all their attempts had been met with the same fate. The only times she spoke was to stop them from taking her away. The girl had made it clear: she wasn't leaving until she saw the rest of Mythic Team and Lemillion - that damn, foolish student of his - return with her own eyes.

With a sigh, Eraserhead shifted his focus. Standing at her side, stoic as ever, was Mythic Four. Ever since they'd separated from the rest of Mythic Team, the giant of a man had always kept her within arm's reach. He was steadfast in his mission, like all the Spartans had proven to be. Aizawa felt the need to check on him. Sure, his team had prevailed in the end, but they still left them behind. Even if it was for a good cause.

"Number Four?" He asked. The Spartan tilted his head ever so slightly. Aizawa decided that meant he was listening. "How are you holding up?"

"Green. Sir," he dutifully replied.

Aizawa hesitated to respond to that. As far as he and Nezu had gathered, the Spartans had all been taken by the Commission when they were children and raised to become their private army. Just like Hawks, though on a much larger scale. Except for personalities. Hawks always seemed to be laid back, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. Even though Aizawa knew the hero was actually quite intelligent and attentive, his outward personality was still the exact opposite of the Spartans. They were always reserved and professional, sometimes giving off the vibe that they were machines rather than people. The way they'd come out, he just knew they'd been through some awful stuff.

So, he had to wonder: how far did this training of theirs go? How much were they ready to sacrifice? How easily would they fall upon their own swords if it meant victory? It didn't matter how capable they were, three Spartans against that Overhaul abomination was in fact a suicide mission. They may have beaten him in the end, but Eraserhead was still conflicted about whether he did the right thing in leaving them. As capable as they were, Ryukyu was right: they didn't even have a full six months of experience. It could've very well turned into a slaughter for them.

But there stood Four. Calm, reserved, no apparent signs of worry. Was he just that good at hiding it or had the Commission stripped anything that could be considered human from the Spartans? Aizawa didn't know for sure, but he was determined to find out. He decided to press on and find out. "How about the others? The rest of your team? Are there any injuries among them?"

"Mythic One didn't report any casualties."

"So, they're all okay, then?"

"Correct, sir."

"That's good… that's good…"

"Are you all right, sir? Is there something on your mind?"

"Four," Aizawa lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in close; close enough that even Eri would have a hard time hearing them. The other heroes around them seemed to take the hint and took a few steps away to give them some privacy. The Spartans from the other teams - the ones that weren't walking around - stayed right where they were. He felt like he should've expected that.

The teacher continued. "I'm not sure if you're just trying to put on a brave face for Eri or if you really do have that much faith in your teammates, but…" His mind struggled to put his words to thoughts. "Were you prepared to lose any of them? Did you consider that their plan might fail and then that would be the end?"

Four didn't respond.

"I'm sorry. It seems like this isn't something you want to talk about. I'm only asking because I can see the bonds you all share with one another. It…" Was he ready to talk about Oburo with them? His friend's death was a subject that still drove a knife into his heart all these years later. To bring it up with the Spartans - who were practically strangers - it felt wrong. He steeled himself. If this is what it takes to uncover the truth, then so be it. I don't need to get into the details, just enough to get him talking.

"Losing someone you're that close to is… it's not so much that it does something to you, rather it does take a piece of you, leaving you feeling like a part of you is just… gone."

"In training, they taught us to-"

"Training can't prepare you for when you see your best friend die right in front of you. It can't prepare you to see them get caught beneath a crumbling building while you watch from a distance, unable to do anything for them. Training only prepares you for so much."

"Eraserhead. I… really do appreciate your concern. Please, believe me when I say that I do. But it's not necessary. It really isn't. Us Spartans have already experienced that kind of loss. We've lost a lot of good friends…"

That genuinely caught Aizawa off guard. "Wait, you've lost people? As in fellow Spartans? Already? I didn't hear anything about that."

Once again, Four didn't respond, though this was definitely not for the same reason as before. As the seconds ticked by, Aizawa realized that he'd accidentally learned something that no one was ever supposed to find out.

In that silence, Aizawa was starting to paint a picture within his mind… and it wasn't some beautiful work of art like Picassio or van Gogh. Quite a few Spartans had died, and the Commission didn't want that becoming public knowledge. Why? It could be that they were trying to paint the Spartans as some sort of invincible, unstoppable force of nature. Plausible, though there were some other factors that formed a theory far more disturbing.

The Commission purchased or kidnapped a bunch of kids - likely around Hawks' age, so about eight years old. They then trained those kids for years on end, molding them into their own private army of heroes who'd be completely loyal to the organization. Once they're adults, they release them into the world to do whatever it is that the Commission wants them to do - again, just like Hawks.

Except the Spartans have only been working for a few months and they're far too skilled to lose a significant amount of people in that short amount of time. The only reason Aizawa was worried about abandoning them on this mission was because it turned out that Overhaul was no ordinary villain. Hell, he was no doubt going to become a certified supervillain when people found out about this. Though, back to the question; when did all those Spartans die?

During training.

Under the Commission.

As children.

Possibly as young as eight years old.

Aizawa vowed that he was going to burn the Hero Public Safety Commission down to its ashes and salt the ground upon where it once stood to ensure its evil could never be resurrected. At first, this was about digging up the truth about the Spartans and preventing the Commission from doing something like this again. Now? Now, Aizawa was on the warpath.

He was going to take this to Nezu. They'd put it at the top of their list, they'd assemble a group of the best heroes to get it done, they'd bring the Commission to its knees. They'd tear it down for everything it had done. The creation of the Spartans was only their latest crime, but he'd see it completed for their sakes.

Later, though. Reigning in his temper felt like he was holding back a collapsing dam with only his arms, but he managed it. With his righteous fury in check - for the moment - Aizawa tried to salvage the dead conversation. "I'm sorry, Four, I didn't mean to pry. I just wanted to make sure you understood the consequences of the profession."

"Of course, sir," the armored giant tried to play it off. "No harm done."

Neither of them spoke again.

It was only a few minutes later when Aizawa heard a soft gasp come from her Eri. He followed her gaze to the entrance of the base where Lemillion and the rest of Mythic Team were walking out with the captured villains among them. Her eyes were set on one villain in particular: Chisaki Kai.

Aizawa knelt down and wrapped an arm around her while the rest of the heroes formed a loose, though protective circle around them. She didn't shake, she didn't cry, she just watched as the man stumbled along, bloody, and disoriented. Witnessing her lack of a reaction only made him feel worse.

The leader of Mythic Team brought the villains to a group of fresh Commission agents who'd just arrived a couple of minutes ago. They were only the most recent ones. Reinforcement had been pouring in ever since the raid team had been ambushed by the Shie Hassaikai. Cops, EMTs, Commission goons, anyone who could be spared had come running. With a brief exchange of words, the Spartans handed the villains over to the agents.

Odd, why aren't they going with the police like the rest of the yakuza? Aizawa wondered.

While the last of the Shie Hassaikai were loaded into vans, Lemillion and the Spartans turned around to walk back to meet up with the rest of the group. As they approached, the remaining original members of the raid group began to congratulate them.

"Nice job, guys!"

"Glad to see you have you back!"

"Kick ass!"

Fat Gum gave each of them a friendly clap on the back while Nejire-Chan gave Lemillion a warm hug, though he only accepted it for a moment before he disentangled himself. They weren't here for the celebrations. The four of them soon stood at the core of the group where Eri was. The kid was staring at them with wide, crimson eyes, struggling to process the idea that the heroes in front managed to beat Overhaul. Something that she'd believed to be impossible only an hour before.

Lemillion chuckled at her reaction and knelt down. "Hey there, Eri. How are you feeling?"

Eri didn't say anything at first. She just continued to stare at the three Spartans like they were angels who'd emerged from the bowels of hell after roundhouse kicking the devil. It took a few seconds, but she eventually told him in a polite tone, "I'm fine."

"I'm glad to hear that. My name's Lemillion, but I'm pretty sure the ones you really want to know about are the heroes behind me, huh?"

"Um… yes, please."

"Well, from what I understand, you already got to talk to their leader here," he said while gesturing to One, "but you didn't get to find out his name, huh?"

Eri shook her head. Lemillion smiled.

"He's your Guardian Angel, but you can just call him Angel for short."

There were stars in the young girl's eyes. "Angel," she murmured with awe.

Aizawa was stunned. Was that an actual hero name? They didn't have those before so… yeah, this was definitely Lemillion's handiwork.

The student then gestured to Two and then to Three. "That guy there is Oddball, and the person next to him goes by the name Gun Runner."

Aizawa looked expectantly at Four. Did he know about this? What was his name? Everyone else had the same question on their mind as they watched him expectantly. Eri was the one to ask, "What about you?"

Four looked to his leader - Angel, as he was now known - for an answer. "Sir?"

"After we subdued Chisaki, Lemillion here demanded that we come up with some new names. Apparently, our old callsigns weren't good enough to inspire people."

"They weren't," Lemillion interjected with a smile.

"Did you come up with one for me?" Four asked. Aizawa swore he could pick up the slightest hint of excitement in his tone.

"No. I thought you'd want to do that."

"Oh." Four went quiet, no doubt contemplating this conundrum. It didn't take long for those around them to pitch their own ideas. Names like Brawler, Bruiser, Hunter, and all other sorts were put forth, but he showed no reaction to them. His gaze settled on the ruined walls around them, the bullet casings that littered the ground, the pools of blood, and the injured officers and heroes being attended to. He took it all in, then faced the crowd. "...Black Eye. Yeah. That sounds pretty fitting."

"Oh, I like that!" Lemillion agreed.

As Pros and officers alike celebrated their success, Aizawa's eyes lingered on the Spartans. Guardian Angel, Oddball, Gun Runner, Black Eye. They'd finally gotten their names. They'd gotten a piece of their individuality. He was relieved that they'd received at least that much, though that wasn't the emotion making an appearance. That rage of his that'd taken root by his recent discovery was beginning to simmer again.

Hero names were just the start. He'd get them out from the Commission's grip. Maybe he'd even get Hawks, too. First things first: return to Nezu and gather allies. The Spartans favored their teams, relying on one another like a family. It made them strong enough to take on the world. It was time Aizawa started forming his own team.

Author's Note: A few things. Once again, the Spartans aren't adults, that's simply what Eraserhead and Nezu think. Second, I know it's kind of late in the game to give them hero names, but this is what I wanted. Sorry. Third, I just wanted to let you all know that I do see your comments and love reading them. I just don't reply because the idea of talking to people on the internet makes me nervous. Anyway, thanks for reading the chapter.