Hello everybody. It's time for us to take another little sidestep in order to make all the pieces of this re-telling of the Eri Rescue Mission as cohesive and interestingly unique as can be. Unfortunately, major amounts of schoolwork have seriously put the brakes on my writing pace thus far, to the point where I'm just now planning out and writing the chapters on the week they are to come out, instead of having a couple on the back-burner to serve as a timing cushion between release dates. This is the last thing I ever wanted to have happen, but this is where we find ourselves.
So with that being said, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a one-week break to finish plotting out the rest of this take on the story arc, and be able to just write the chapters themselves out one after another, so I can try and rebuild that fallback cushion. Considering there were two instances last year where I ended up releasing two chapters at once, perhaps this can serve as a means of balancing out from that. In which case I would only have one other instance in which I'd have to do this, before I'd officially feel like I'm falling off from writing this story, which is the exact opposite of what I want to do, I want to see this passion project through to the very end, no matter what real life tries to throw in the gears. You've all stuck with me for this long, it's the least you all deserve. It's the least WE all deserve.
So with that being said, I would like to thank every single one of you out there for your continuous readership and support. I would especially like to thank reader Kyler for being kind enough to give honest feedback on the story arcs as they go along, that's exactly the kind of engagement I've been asking for, is honest critique from you, the readers.
I would once more like to thank my beta readers and consultants Jonny and Mizu, as well as the ever-growing number of DA fan-artists who've been providing promotional artwork for this story as I upload the story arcs onto my official account there, 'ubasnaga': Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, Suki-Chan2509, AliceKuroCross, Eliza-Frost, effasempai and Yumake. Their work is phenomenal, and I'd really appreciate it if you checked out their work and gave them some much-deserved support.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them.
A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.
Chapter 96
In the Shadows
(В Тени)
Early Wednesday Morning, September 17th, Yuuei Academy
In the earliest hours of the morning, just before the sun could begin to rise, Tunguska had been informed by Recovery Girl that the time had finally come that his injuries would have finally finished healing to the point his bandages and casts could finally be removed. That, alongside an almost immediate follow-up message from Headmaster Nezu that the latest of his replacement prosthetic arms had finally arrived from the Support branch of the Yaoyorozu company, had the larger Russian man leaving his faculty dorm room for the nurse's office with a youthful spring in his step of pure anticipation.
Of course, there was far more at play right now than his simply being able to move around freely once more, he had made no secret of this to his fellow teachers and partners; hence why it had been no surprise to him that he and Recovery Girl were being joined by Nezu, All Might and Aizawa specifically; all three of them looking deeply contemplative even when sharing their customary greetings with their colleague, and Recovery Girl herself quickly got to work unraveling the man.
"I've been informed that this may be the most durable version of their prosthetic arm models they've designed yet. Hopefully it can prove enough to withstand whatever else may come your way out there in the field, Tunguska-san." Nezu had summarily explained once Recovery Girl had given the go-ahead for him to help Tunguska apply the new mechanic appendage to the stump of his left arm. Just like all the others, it was proving immediately perfectly attuned to his mental commands, able to move about as flexibly as any other flesh and blood arm, much to the foreign Hero's delight. "They really do keep outdoing themselves over and over again, don't they? I must find a way to extend my personal gratitude to malenkaya Yaoyorozu's family one of these days. I feel like a leech, forcing them to put so many resources towards making more and more of these for me."
Of course, a professional like Recovery Girl simply couldn't stand to not inject a harsh dose of reality when seeing such abundant naïve optimism: "Don't think that means you can just go right back to rushing into a fight headfirst, Tunguska. I don't need to remind you how extensive your injuries were from this mission of yours and Eraserhead's; but there was some damage even my Quirk couldn't fully erase with the time I had before we had to head over to attend to you boy and his friends in Hokkaido. As you'll see…"
As Recovery Girl explained this, she was already halfway done with removing the bandages adorning the right side of Tunguska's head; and the man had to resist the urge to let out a relieved sigh when feeling the last of the wrappings finally leave his eye. It of course took nearly a minute for his eyesight in it to come back to normal…except that, even at its clearest, he could immediately notice a distinct permanent layer of the lightest fuzz to it, keeping him from being able to see as perfectly clearly as he could in his left eye.
Noticing this confusion on his part, Aizawa passed Tunguska a small handheld mirror, and when looking into it, Tunguska let out an automatic gasp at the sight of three distinct clawing scars running down from above his right ear, across the temple, and down to his cheek and eye; the white of which was now a notable tinge of red around his blue iris.
"Your breathing may be short while your ribs finish settling, and your legs may suffer some stiffness for a while as you get back into action, but they'll eventually get back to normal. However, Recovery Girl said that the damage to one of the blood vessels and several of the ocular nerves to your eye were so bad, you won't be able to see clearly out of it ever again. I know it's a lot to take in at once, so I'm just gonna say that you don't have to go through with this plan of yours today."
As Aizawa explained all of this, All Might in particular could see the pained contemplation reflected in his friend's eyes as he looked over the permanent scarring he now had to live with. In a profession where they specifically had access to such a miraculous Quirk as Recovery Girl's to make even the most debilitating injuries much easier to heal from; the prospect of a permanent crippling despite that was never easy for one to accept. He already knew all too well just how much Tunguska had to force himself to quickly adjust to having a prosthetic arm before. To now have two such handicaps would be crushing for anyone, Hero or not.
However, with a tired sigh as he handed the mirror back, Tunguska continued to sit tall, looking all of his fellow faculty in the eye resolutely, able to see the silent worry reflected in All Might's sunken blue eyes; regardless of the fuzz now dominating half his field of vision. "I appreciate all of your concern. But I've already spent all this time since our mission preparing myself for this, and I can't afford to back down now. This is for the sake of getting answers that could ultimately help us to make our students that much safer if my hunch is right; you'd both be just as adamant in getting them, too."
None of the three could immediately come up with a retort that would've proven otherwise. All Might and Nezu weren't nearly surprised that he could read them so well; while for Aizawa, it was only just the tiniest bit annoying. Seeing this acceptance on their faces, Tunguska bowed his head in further resignation. "Besides, this is something I need to get to the bottom of, myself. We knew the League of Villains potentially being involved out there was always a possibility…I just didn't expect it to be the extent to which I saw. That's why it has to be me doing it this time. Please, I know you both can understand."
This time, exchanging his own worried glance with Aizawa, All Might answered: "Of course we do, Oleg-san; but I still think it would be better if I went with you. You need to understand just exactly what it is you're going in there to do. Even if we fought him together, the fact is you don't know that monster like I do. If you don't know exactly how to approach him, you're never going to get—
BAM!
With no warning, the door to the nurse's office suddenly burst open, spurring all four people inside to nearly jump with surprise, only to find an out-of-breath and frantic-looking Present Mic standing in the doorway with his cellphone in hand; jolting to readiness the moment he saw his colleagues before him. "THERE YOU ALL ARE! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND YOU ESPECIALLY, TUNGUSKA! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!"
"For God's sakes, Mic; is it too much to ask that you at least knock first, never mind the shouting!" Recovery Girl immediately began scolding the loud-mouthed blonde Pro, but he was far too focused on Tunguska in particular as he hurried to his side, nearly planting his phone right in his face. "I WAS GETTING READY THIS MORNING WHILE I STARTED BROWSING THE HEADLINES, WHEN I FOUND THIS, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN! NEZU, ALL MIGHT, ERASER, CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELVES! IT'S GOTTA BE ALL OVER THE WEB BY NOW!"
With their curiosity morbidly piqued (and in Aizawa's case, simply wanting to get Present Mic to quiet down), they all four proceeded to pull up their phones to check for themselves, and the speed at which the entire nurse's office went deathly silent was downright unsettling, as Recovery girl and the blonde-haired English teacher saw their peers' eyes constrict with disbelief.
"My God…" was the only sound All Might could make as they all looked over every one of the headlines from the global news agencies, and every message board originating out of the Eastern European region talking about it: a whole series of unexplained-yet-theorized seismological disasters working their way up through western Russia before ultimately culminating in destroying more than half of Moscow.
Looking over the photos of the destruction of each of these locations was painful enough for Tunguska alone, struggling to even find the strength for words. But it was seeing the projected numbers for people killed or injured that tore his heart right out of its chest. And that was before Aizawa even found himself reading some of the forum posts he was honing in on out loud:
"'Earthquakes and sinkholes believed to be long-delayed seismological after-events tied to the Siberian Flash over thirteen years ago'? Then there's people saying it's related to gang activity originating out of border crossing explosions in Georgia…other people saying it's a collective attack from underground Villain forces that have been hiding out…wait."
The edge to Aizawa's already humorless voice drew Tunguska, All Might and Nezu's attention like the flipping of a switch, while Present Mic was frantically nodding his head, as though this were the part he'd been waiting for them to get to. "Yeah, I knew that'd get your attention especially, Shota. All of you check the forums and get a load of what people are showing and saying."
In record time did they do exactly as hey'd been suggested, and what they found greeting them had sucked the air right out of their lungs, with All Might and Nezu both unable to decide whether to keep looking at the pictures on their phones, or to gauge the reaction present in Tunguska's eyes. With no one else saying anything, Present Mic rhetorically asked: "Look familiar to you guys, too?"
"More familiar than even you would know, Hizashi-san." Tunguska uttered with pure gravel in his voice as he looked at the multitudes of miraculously recovered traffic and security camera photos posted in relation to discussing the Moscow incident in particular: pictures of the faces of several young individuals amid the carnage he couldn't have possibly mistaken for anyone else, alongside others he'd never expected to see again: every member of the League of Villains, as clear as day. "I recognize these other faces amid the bunch, too. They're local Villains that my comrades in the New Bogatyrs…and Gamayun had faced multiple times before: Bombardment, Riptide and Quiller. But they were all locked up years ago."
"It says that one of the locations that was destroyed before Moscow, housed a max-security Villain prison. If they're running about with the League, I suppose it's only obvious what had ultimately unfolded. A major or specific jailbreak." Nezu surmised, somehow still managing to maintain a calm and dignified air about himself, even if one could've just barely been able to see his tiny paws shaking.
"But it's the fourth foreign face with them…it can't be possible…" Tunguska's words died in his throat as he observed the younger face with chilling silver eyes and black hair that could just barely be glimpsed with the other Villains. It was only after observing the specific features closer, and mentally applying a couple decades more of age, that All Might and Aizawa were able to catch up with their Russian colleague, with All Might breaking the silence: "Vukodlak? It looks just like him, but younger and without his blinding wounds. But no one has been able to escape from a prison like Tartarus before. You're right, Oleg-san, this shouldn't be possible."
"Yes…but after what I saw, the exact opposite is now unmistakable. There's still too much we don't know…and that's why I have to go today and no later." Tunguska's voice rang with the same conviction, but there was now an unmistakable edge of genuine anger bristling just under the surface as he immediately rose back to his feet, tucking his phone aside.
At the same time, Aizawa's one visible eye narrowed with distaste as he read further. "He's right…there's too many pieces of a bigger picture we're missing here. We would've gotten word from Tartarus, right alongside every other law enforcement entity and Hero Agency in Japan if even one person had escaped from there, but we haven't gotten one word about Vukodlak going missing. Plus, look at this: they're even saying that all of the Villains involved had gotten killed by the army and the police by the time the whole incident had stopped, and this whole incident is dated two whole days before we carried out our operation on the Hassaikai compound. We both know exactly what we saw back there; these people are being taken for a ride."
"But I don't understand; if it's only now that we're finding out about such a vast number of incidents that occurred so long ago, why wouldn't they tell the rest of the world that much sooner so they could be given greater aid?" Nezu couldn't help but ask, while Tunguska was already making a beeline for the door, unwilling to wait for a minute longer to finally get down to what he'd been preparing himself for, but not before calling back to the headmaster and the rest of his fellow faculty: "You don't know Russians and their mentalities, Nezu-san. We're just as stubborn as we are prideful. To actually admit our own shortcomings and asking for help is viewed as an irreparable sign of weakness. After a disaster like the Siberian Flash, it's only natural they would want to avoid looking weak to the rest of the world by any means necessary. The fact they're even admitting this much is either a sign that the people in charge have reached the very end of their rope…or there's been a major change in the chain of command."
As Tunguska began making his way down the halls for the entrance so he could get to the train station, he could already hear several pairs of footsteps following after him, with one in particular bolting to catch up, whom he could already easily guess.
"Oleg-san, I understand the anger you're feeling from learning of this; I know you may not believe it right now, but it's the honest truth. No matter where it is, a Hero can't possibly take news of such tragedy as though it means nothing to them. But you need to take a minute to breathe and recollect yourself. If you go in there before him with your emotions as volatile and visible as they are now, you'll fall right into the palm of his hand; becoming nothing more than his own psychological plaything. You need to be as calm and collected as possible for what you're suggesting."
All of a sudden, Tunguska came to a complete stop as All Might continued trying to reason with him; bringing him and the others several feet away to an immediate stop, all of them able to see his hands clenching into trembling fists as he sucked in a deep breath through his teeth.
"You all don't need to worry about me on that front, Toshinori-san. If he's had any direct planning in this…then he's already gotten one up on us while on the sidelines. I'm not about to give him another victory by letting him get in my head. That is my promise. I'm going to come back here with some kind of definitive answers. In the meantime…" At this point, he finally turned back to address Aizawa, Present Mic, Nezu and Recovery Girl. And it was by this point, that his rugged and simmering façade began to crack with the beginnings of heartbroken emotion.
"…in the meantime, until I return, can you all please…you and the rest of the teachers, can you please keep an eye on Kolya for me today? Whether it's he himself, or one of his classmates, I can't imagine he isn't going to end up hearing about this…and I…i-I don't know for certain how he's going to take it…and that frightens me more than anything."
While the two teachers, the nurse and the headmaster all gave their own solemn nods to do just that, All Might himself placed a firm hand upon his friend's broad shoulder. "You don't have to worry, Oleg-san; Bezpalov-shonen will be in good hands, should something arise. I'll see to that personally. You do what you know needs to be done out there…and be careful, all right?"
Tunguska couldn't help but swallow another choking sob in his throat as he placed his prosthetic hand over All Might's in appreciation. "Bolshoi spasibo, moy drug (Thank you very much, my friend). It's been killing me, having to spend so much time away from my son recently…but if finding out the final truth of this can ultimately make him and the rest of those children more prepared, safer…then this will be worth it and more."
Tartarus, a few hours later…
From the moment Tunguska had finally arrived at and stepped through Tartarus' impenetrable iron doors, he was immediately greeted by an expectant cadre of deathly serious uniformed guards, all encircling an equally grim-faced and visibly armored man who was only but half a head shorter than the Russian Hero before him. Despite their humorless demeanor, however, they weren't above common courtesy, as the clear leader of the welcoming party greeted Tunguska with a stalwart bow.
"Welcome to Tartarus, Tunguska-san. Yuuei Academy saw fit to inform us of your arrival and intentions beforehand. Normally such occasions as visitations to our inmates requires a greater deal of planning ahead of time, but considering your assistance in apprehending not only that super Villain from the Kamino Ward incident, but as well as Overhaul of the Shie Hassaikai, and the price you had to physically pay to do so for both, we were willing to make an exception, but only this once. We don't like to lessen even a single one of our security measures for a second longer than we need to. Now I understand you actually have intentions of seeing two of our inmates in particular?"
Without even missing a beat, the guards immediately began to move alongside Tunguska in perfect formation into the actual surface facility itself, before ultimately reaching a large industrial elevator. All the while, Tunguska's blue eyes were razor-sharp in their focus on the figurative path ahead. "That's right, warden; I'd like to see Vukodlak, the inmate from the Erubi City incident first. While we walk, perhaps you could answer some questions for me. First of all, I was wondering if you may have perhaps experienced any abnormalities in your security here at all over the last few months."
As soon as the elevator began to descend, the heavily-armored warden barely let out more than a scoff than an actual bemused laugh. "We've taken every measure imaginable to make sure no such thing is possible. From the moment any one of our inmates is brought in here, we lock them up tight enough in cells specifically catered to their respective Quirks so that they can't possibly use them to try and break out; as well as enough security measures to firmly put the boot down on them if they even think of trying it. Even on the astronomically rare chances they were to even try working together to try and escape, our walls are thick enough between each individual cell, that communication is virtually impossible. Plus, we keep the cells separated far enough to remove that possibility alone, with plenty of room to spare for all the other scum that's still roaming around out there.
"As a matter of fact, we just took in the whole fully guilty party of Villains from that incident up in Hokkaido last week as well; holding onto them until the proper extradition authorities from Russia finally come to retrieve them once all the rescue and repair efforts in that country are completed. Honestly, given the timing, I think it was a miracle the government was able to get in touch with anyone in that kind of position to make such a deal to begin with, let alone organizing all the hardware retrieval efforts."
By the time the warden had reached this point in his formal diatribe, it only then occurred to him just what the mentioning of Russia had to have triggered in Tunguska himself. Yes, by now the unfortunate news of what had occurred in Moscow and before had already even reached this far into Japan as well as everywhere else. Awkwardly clearing his throat while trying to avoid eye contact; the warden only barely lowered the brim of his uniform cap over his eyes, so Tunguska couldn't see his momentary embarrassment. "Forgive me, Tunguska-san. You have my sincerest condolences for the recent tragedies in your homeland."
The fact that Tunguska had to visibly grasp the sleeves of his costume while breathing in deep, made it all too clear that this was still an understandably touchy subject for him, just like it would've been for anyone from any country that had suffered like his just had. But before anything else could be said, the elevator finally came to a stop, opening another large set of reinforced double doors to a series of heavily fortified steel halls, which the warden and his fellow guards immediately began guiding Tunguska down.
After a couple pulse-pounding minutes of winding through the corridors, the warden came to a sudden stop before a single heavily armored door, that looked like it wouldn't have been out of place upon a mobile armored fortress. This entire time, Tunguska had felt his heart starting to beat harder and harder, bracing himself for this moment. However, even for as tense as he was, he still didn't hesitate to nod in confirmation to the watchful official, thus spurring him to open the single slide upon the door, allowing him and Tunguska both to look inside.
Sitting stone still on the other side in a single cot mounted to the wall was the scar-faced, cloudy-eyed and black-grey-haired form of the man Tunguska never could have mistaken for anyone but Vukodlak; still sitting as peacefully as a man on a pleasant summer afternoon, simply flipping through the pages of a book, without even paying any attention to the opening of the porthole in the door, or the two men watching him.
Tunguska's eyes were laser-focused on his old enemy before him, watching every single microscopic movement in his body, as thought trying to discern even a single sign that something was wrong. After several seconds of this and not being able to glean a thing, the warden took the initiative of sliding the porthole back closed.
"The walls to his cell are completely soundproofed, even to ears as sharpened as his." Despite how confident the warden sounded in this claim, Tunguska still couldn't take his eyes off the porthole. "Somehow, I can't imagine that's exactly the case on his end. I'm sure he's listening to us right now, even through those walls. And even if you're right, I'm sure he's already managed to catch my scent in just those few seconds."
The grimness with which the Russian Hero said this, had the rest of the guards look even more visibly on edge, while the warden simply straightened himself up. "Perhaps. Either way, for as resourceful as we've been told he is, he hasn't done anything out of the ordinary a single day since he was brought in here. He hasn't done any peculiar behavior that would give us cause to believe he's trying to escape; his heart rate and brain waves have been stable the entire time, no one has tried to smuggle anything to him; we can tell that because of the weight sensors all over every square millimeter of his cell. All he ever says when he speaks is to let us know when he finishes his meals, and sometimes asks us to provide him a book to read in Brail. Other than that, he's stone silent and almost never moves from that spot on his bed. We've even conducted randomized inspections to see if he's perhaps hiding anything under that spot he never moves from, but we found nothing there, nor on him personally. By textbook definition, he's essentially been the model inmate since he was brought in."
By all accounts, the warden sounded absolutely dead certain on the impenetrability of their security, and just from what he was seeing already, minus the more aggressive measures no doubt put in place in the event of an attempted escape, Tunguska was certainly impressed with just how airtight the setup of this place was just this far down; having been informed by All Might and the authorities beforehand of just how deep down this facility actually went.
However, the serious edge in his eyes didn't dissipate as he met the warden's gaze. "Have you perhaps experienced any notable power fluxes or outages; anything that might've given him any window at all to try and tamper with the security of his cell?"
This time, the warden was actually able to form a genuine smile of amusement. "Not to worry, we have microscopic cameras set up all over every square inch of his cell to inform us when he makes any suspicious movements to even the slightest degree. If anything in the framework of his cell is off from its original setting to the slightest degree, we're informed of it immediately, even in the event of a power outage, and all our security is sent in to detain the inmate and repair whatever damages may have been made. Of course, such instances haven't occurred here in years. We did have one minor power hiccup a few months back; the damnedest thing, there wasn't even a storm outside when it happened. However, our backup power system is firmly wired into the grid so that even if the primary power were to go out, it wouldn't even be five seconds before the backup power would kick in; not enough time for any Villain, no matter how bold, to try and escape or even tamper with their cell. I can assure you that we checked every single one afterward, including his. Everything was just as it had been, and has remained that way ever since then."
Chancing another wary glance at the door to Vukodlak's cell, Tunguska breathed deep before turning back to head further down the hall. "Well, he's not the one I want to speak to first, regardless. That honor's reserved for the Villain from the Kamino incident himself, All For One."
This declaration visibly shocked even the warden, as he hurried to follow the Hero's stride. "Forgive me, Tunguska-san, but I was to understand that he was to only be spoken to either by All Might, or the officers directly in charge of all investigations pertaining to the League of Villains."
Tunguska never missed a beat as they began to descend to another floor below. "That's understandable, but my questions do relate to the League, and with Detective Tsukauchi-san currently indisposed as you may have heard, and with All Might unable to leave his teaching duties at Yuuei today, it falls to me this time around. Make no mistake that he and I are just as equally involved in the League case."
Thankfully it didn't take much more persuading at all than that for Tunguska to convince the warden to initiate the transfer of All For One to one of the open meeting rooms. The entire time that the older Hero stood in wait on one side of the unbreakable glass dividing the room in half, he had to keep silently reminding himself of All Might's parting words of advice. He couldn't back down from this now; he knew that doing so would give the Villain the satisfaction of thinking he'd won, that he'd scared the man.
There was no mistaking that he was indeed scared, but he would be damned if he was going to let that stop him after all this time, after everything he'd gone through already. And the posture with which Tunguska stood communicated exactly that, when the silence was finally broken by the sound of the door on the other side of the glass opening, allowing one of the guards to wheel the straitjacket-bound All For One into the room; his featureless face still clasped to a heavy-duty respirator attached to an EKG/oxygen machine hybrid wheeling right alongside his wheelchair.
The moment he even came into view, Tunguska could see how the supreme Villain physically gave the tiniest jolt of surprise when seeing just who was on the other side, waiting for him. When his chair had finally been brought to a stop, the guard behind gave Tunguska s ginel acknowledging bow before just as quickly taking his leave, shutting the door back closed behind him, leaving Tunguska and All For One alone in deathly silence, staring each other in the Hero's eyes, and the Villain's lack of.
Then finally, without warning, he gave Tunguska an amused toothy smile from under his respirator. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Unexpected, but pleasant, all the same. I didn't think you would grant me the courtesy of a personal meeting, Tunguska. After all, we've only ever met in the flesh the one time."
For but a second, All For One was silent, but even with his lacking eyes, Tunguska could somehow just feel as though he was looking the large Hero over, undoubtedly looking over the scars on his face, and his prosthetic arm; and all with that mocking grin never once leaving his face. "I see you've been keeping busy since then, and you've even gotten a fancy little toy, as well. I wonder, do you find yourself thinking back to that little fast one I pulled during our fight that gave you the chance to have something so nifty at your side all the time? I'll bet it just tortures you, not being able to decide whether you should be hating me or thanking me."
Tunguska never took his eyes off the Villain sitting across from him, instead breathing deep while holding said arm out for All For One to get a better look. "Sometimes I do. Do you find yourself thinking about how you fell for such an obvious distracting technique as I did, before I returned you the favor?"
Of course, Tunguska was easily able to see that the left sleeve for All For One's straitjacket was full again, meaning the arm he had cut off with his Solar Disk had somehow regrown. That still didn't stop the Villain from chuckling amusedly to himself. "I will admit, I let myself get too sloppy and off-guard at that moment, but my Super Regeneration Quirk took that little momentary victory from you already. Too bad you'll never get to have such a benefit yourself. I guess you could say the so-called Sun of Justice has dimmed a little bit, hasn't he?"
Even if Tunguska didn't give an immediate response, particularly the outburst of anger that All For One had been anticipating, his enhanced hearing allowed him to see just how much heavier the Hero's heart was beating, while still somehow managing to maintain its normal pace. That was enough of a reaction to keep him smiling as he finally leaned his head back in satisfaction. "Surely you didn't come all this way to indulge me with verbal barb trading, Tunguska. Why did you really come?"
Finally, an invitation to get right down to business, and Tunguska was more than ready to take it, as he spoke up resolute and blunt: "Chances are you might've overheard the guards at some point today, but the global news has been talking about a recent string of disasters that have stricken up and down western Russia, including Moscow. There are two especially interesting rumors with some supposed photographic evidence going around, backing them up. One is saying that your very own League of Villains is directly responsible for all of them, and that they were apparently killed by the army and the police in the end. Two, there were some very…familiar Villain faces from around those parts inflicting the chaos right alongside them, one of whom caught my eye, since not only did he look far younger than he should be right now…but because I know for a fact he's being held here right alongside you.
"And not only that, but I know for a fact the League wasn't taken out, because I ended up fighting against them less than a week ago, after this disaster had taken place…and that very same familiar face who's supposed to be locked up here was right there, fighting right alongside them just as he apparently is in these very same photos in Moscow. Other Heroes I worked with at that time suggested it might have been one of the Copies made by your little disciple Shigaraki's compatriot, Bubaigawara Jin, but I know for a fact just who I was fighting: he didn't disintegrate to a single punch like the Copies I fought before did; that was the genuine article."
It was an impressive façade that Tunguska was putting up to try and keep himself as calm and professional as he was, even All For One had to admit that. However, the heart was considered the most traitorous part of the human body for a reason, as he could hear loud and clear just how riled up the Hero before him was getting with every passing second, every passing word; the sound of it downright symphonic to his nonexistent ears.
"Well now, why exactly would your country's media go around lying about killing Shigaraki Tomura and his followers if you all know for a fact they're still alive? It sounds to me like your people's leaders have a real insecurity when it comes to admitting their own shortcomings…something I'm sure you're more than experienced with, in more ways than one, eh? So why don't you just get to the point and tell me why you needed to see me in particular, if this mystery face from your past you fought is supposed to still be here?"
Towering over All For One in his wheelchair, Tunguska's blue eyes began to glow only the dimmest shade of gold. "All Might has told me plenty of times just how many vile tricks you have hidden up your sleeve for any occasion, even before we fought each other at Kamino. You surely must've had something brewing in your mind that would help him to get out of here without even the guards or their security figuring it out. You must've had some part in having him sent all the way to this country to come after me and my son in the first place; don't tell me that you have no idea who I'm talking about."
All For One let out a mockingly bored-sounding sigh, letting Tunguska simmer in the silence for a few excruciating seconds before finally continuing: "Yes, Vukodlak, the apparent 'Hunter of Heroes,' yes? It was rather hard not to hear about him on the news after those stunts he pulled in Erubi City. Plus, having it happen at the same time as that business with the Hero Killer Stain, the similarities were impossible to ignore. Who knows, maybe Bubaigawara Jin saw his photo or an older one on the internet at some point, and made a Copy based off of that? Who can honestly say what the physical limitations of his Copies could be from day to day? Perhaps the one you fought was simply the product of him making himself stronger under Tomura's leadership?"
With his stronger hearing, all For One could just feel the grinding of Tunguska's teeth inside his mouth as he tried to maintain his patience demeanor. He may not have been letting himself get worked up to the point of sweating, but the Villain knew he was getting under the man's skin with his vague non-answers; and to be able to do that to anyone All Might called his friend was rewarding enough as it was.
"Your ignorance isn't fooling anybody, All For One. I know you must've done something with Vukodlak, and I don't just mean to help him escape. I've fought him far more than once, and this last time he displayed abilities, Quirks that I know for a fact he never used before. You must've done something to him to make that possible; perhaps the same sickening mad science you and your League have done to make those Nomu monstrosities of yours?"
Another bone-chilling chuckle escaped All For One's grinning mouth. "You want answers, and yet you know you're hopelessly bound, as a Hero, to not do anything too drastic or illegal to even prove any of your little theories or get any of the answers you want. You're simply running around hopelessly in a little circle, with no other direction to go or lead to follow. You Heroes must all truly be desperate if you're coming all this way to pin baseless accusations on me to try and explain the things you don't understand. Who knows, maybe you simply didn't know Vukodlak's true capabilities nearly as well as you thought you did, assuming it really was the real one you fought back then.
"As for the League of Villains and their supposed actions back in your homeland…of course, assuming these aren't just the baseless rumors of a country desperate to maintain what little dignity it still has; I wouldn't have any way of knowing or even communicating with them on such a thing if I tried. The damn sensors in this place keep me from being able to reach out to anyone outside my own four walls. If they did somehow manage to make it all that way, humiliate your people and their leaders and come back like you say they did, then that would all be the sole responsibility of Tomura finally coming into his own, taking his rightful place as the leader of the League of Villains, and my inheritor. If you still think I can give you any answers, even if there was ever a snowball's chance in Hell I would want to, then you're wasting what precious little time you have left, just like All Might is, just like all you pathetic feeble Heroes are."
As much as it almost physically tortured Tunguska to have to listen to All For Ones' endless diatribe of mockery and feigned ignorance, the most painful part was the fact that the Villain among Villains was right: as a Hero, he was sworn to uphold the law and justice, and unfortunately, physical violence against the interrogated simply did not fall into that category. Doing so would ultimately make him no better than a Vigilante, a criminal by any definition.
Sensing the conflict through his finally racing heartbeat, alongside his hesitation to speak or physically react, All For One suddenly continued: "Does it hurt, Tunguska?"
The unreadable emotion and intent in those words snapped Tunguska back to the immediate moment, looking into the morbid emptiness that dominated the scar tissue of the Villain's upper head, as he repeated himself: "Tell me the truth: does it hurt; knowing that the very same country you once swore your heart and soul to protect, the same country that you failed, the same country that ultimately turned on you, your boy and every other Quirk-user like us like pack animals, is once again hemorrhaging without you being there to do a single solitary thing about it? Or does it hurt even more to know that, even if you were there with any other number of Heroes to try and fix things, those people still wouldn't let you; that they would still much rather prefer to shoot every last person like you dead on sight like a dog…to know that no matter how much you try to redeem yourself as a Hero in the eyes of the people here or anywhere else watching from around the world, your own countrymen will never accept you back with open arms, and will instead forever view you as a disgraced monster?"
The sound of All For One's resultant mocking laughter was finally starting to get under the rough hide that was Tunguska's outer shell, as his eyes began to glow brighter and brighter, and his vision subsequently become more red as that laughter became nearly deafening in his head.
Even as he laughed at the Hero before him, All For One was far from finished: "You know something; let's just assume for the moment that Tomura and the League did in fact have a direct involvement in these ambiguous little disasters back home. If that's the case, then he's proving himself far more than I ever could've anticipated at this stage. This would be the perfect starting ground to finally begin the complete and total collapse of this world's saccharine Hero society, its blind worship of these obstructive blowhards like you and All Might.
"Even if the process has to play out country-by-country; with time, the people of the world will come to see just how full of yourselves you Heroes are because of this society and its shallow praises. They'll see just how quickly you and everything you fight for will be flattened in Tomura's march towards ultimate glory…and just as quickly will those people start to lose that incessant hope that you prattle on so much about. And just as they will lose faith in things like Heroes, justice and hope, so too will all the downtrodden wretches of this fake society finally find the courage to step out into the open, and finally come together to take what's rightfully ours, live in unadulterated prosperity and freedom, tear the last vestiges of Hero society to the ground, and finally reshape this entire world in our image, just as we undesirables, abandoned by this so-called accepting society, have always dreamt of and deserved to…and it will all be under the flagship of my own inheritor, too powerful for any one of you or your naïve young charges to even cast a spiteful eye upon."
Sucking his lips tight against his teeth in frustration, Tunguska ultimately realized just how mentally out of his depth he truly was. He could've continued to stand here and grill this scum for answers for days on end, and all he would get would be non-answers and mockery of the vilest kind. All Might had been far too correct: this so-called man was a master at emotional reading and manipulation to his own ends, in this case being to simply break down his brave façade and simply piss him off. And he had fallen into it with the utmost ease.
Just as the door to his side of the room began to open for him to leave, Tunguska was suddenly called out to from behind the glass: "Before you go off in a huff, Tunguska…do please be so kind as to give All Might my regards. He should come down here more often; both of you should. It seems only fitting, since you both ultimately helped put me here."
Standing stone stiff in the doorway as All For One's words sank in, Tunguska's pounding heart finally began to slow, before he finally turned back to look at the solitary figure sitting alone. "You'll get no such satisfaction. No matter what you try to convince yourself of otherwise, All Might has already moved on from the likes of you. No matter how long it takes, you're going to spend the rest of your days in here, and no matter what it takes, your precious inheritor and all those that choose to follow him will end up down here just the same as you…and I will happily help him and any other Hero out there make it happen. Do svidanya (Good-bye)."
With that, Tunguska finally stepped back out into the hall; the heavy steel door slamming shut behind him, as the warden, who had been patiently waiting alongside his guards this entire time, resolutely stepped forward. "I'm sorry this didn't pan out like you'd hoped, Tunguska-san."
Giving his own disappointed sigh, Tunguska gave an affirming nod. "All isn't lost yet. That animal in there may be too experienced with mind games against Heroes…but Vukodlak and I go far too back, far too closely. He won't be able to play the same kind of ignorance with me."
To this, the warden and his guards were all visibly surprised that their surprise guest was actually doubling back on this. "Forgive me, Tunguska-san, but I've already confirmed with you how rock solid our security in all of these cells are. There's no possible way Vukodlak could have been able to break out without us knowing about it, even if your theory were correct and he had All For One to somehow assist. We've had cameras on him every waking moment since he came here and he's never done anything to give us even a moment's worth of concern."
Unperturbed by these platitudes, Tunguska proceeded on his way back to his old adversary's cell. "You and All For One both keep saying the same series of things to convince me otherwise, but I know Vukodlak like nobody else here; I know who it was I fought back in that compound. There's something missing from this picture, and I intend to find it. Whatever ends up happening in that cell, I swear I'll take full responsibility. Just please give me this chance to speak to him."
It took no time at all for Tunguska to find himself back up one floor and standing in yet another divided meeting room, and with the warden's order, nearly the same minimal amount of time for the guards to escort the one-legged blind Vukodlak in on a vertical gurney on the other side of the glass, completely strapped down to it like a lab specimen, instead of in a heavy straitjacket like All For One, and all with the same EKG and brainwave monitoring machines hooked up to him and wheeled right in at his sides.
As soon as both men found themselves alone once more on both sides of the glass, Tunguska could feel a shiver creep up his neck when hearing the unmistakable sound of the Russian Villain sniffing curiously at the air. Then, finally, an embittered sigh of pure disappointment initiated this most dreaded of meetings. [[Tunguska…I thought I smelled your scent on the other side of my door recently. I thought I'd heard your voice through the walls, too; but with the damn buzz of the lights and cameras all around, it can get a bit disorienting, even for me. So what's this all about; decided you were bored teaching a bunch of bratty Hero wannabes and felt like coming down all this way just to have another cheap gloat for another cheap victory you didn't even earn yourself?]]
Suddenly, stepping forward until he was nearly flush to the glass, Tunguska's blue eyes were burning straight into Vukodlak, planting both his hands hard to the glass to support himself, with the metallic impact of his left hand getting a notable twitch of notice from Vukodlak. Then, just as quickly, a smile of recognition crossed his stubble-covered face. [[Aaah, I thought the sound of your blood flow in your left arm was especially quiet. So…it is true what I heard the guards talking about all those months ago when All Might retired. That Villain you both fought took your whole damn arm off, just like that, huh? You really have dulled with age, haven't you?]]
Glancing over to his prosthetic arm and giving it a few instinctive clenches and releases of his fist, Tunguska cracked the single most wry smirk he had in recent memory, primarily when glancing down to the clearly empty rolled up pant leg where he knew Vukodlak's long-lost leg was supposed to be. [[I've certainly gotten older, there's no denying that. But I guess you could say this experience has finally helped me come to appreciate what you've had to go through since the first time we fought. And yet, even despite that, you've recently proven to be capable of some very miraculous things, Vukodlak.]]
The Villain lifted his head, an inquisitive look upon his brow, as his scarred eyes met Tunguska's gaze head-on. Encouraged that he was finally getting some kind of a reaction, Tunguska continued, breathing in deep to steady himself. [[Last week, you not only managed to end up all the way back home in Moscow with a whole slew of Japanese and other Russian Villains at your side so you can wreak utter havoc on the people…but you also manage to do while having somehow grown your leg back, regained your eyesight without those nasty scars on your face, and even looking over twenty years younger while doing so. And then, after all that, I end up finding you back here in Japan, in the compound of a yakuza family with some of those very same Villains from before, and you even end up having Quirks at your disposal we both know for a fact you never had before. Ever since then, I've just been racking my brain, trying to figure out how you managed to pull all of that off, while somehow never leaving this place so the guards could notice. Have you been really holding out on me on your abilities for all this time?]]
However, instead of the restrained-yet-mocking grin and verbal lashings like he'd experienced from All For One, this time Tunguska's mock-admiring questions were netting him a most curious response: that of clear-as-day confusion, as he could see Vukodlak's blinded eyes looking this way and that within his own head, trying to make sense of what was being asked. [[What in the hell are you talking about? Has that addled old brain of yours finally gone off the deep end after all this time?]]
And the most telltale sign of all that he was making genuine progress: the readings on the machines hooked up to Vukodlak himself were visibly spiking with an increased heart rate and brain waves. Even Tunguska could see that clear as day from here, and he couldn't have asked for a better response. Already, he was mentally kicking himself for having not just questioned his old enemy right out the gate instead.
In a flash, both doors on either side of the glass opened up, with the heavy pounding of boots following, as several guards started rushing in, their faces all grim and ready to act in the blink of an eye, now that an abnormality had been detected in their inmate's heart rate and brain waves, just like the warden had described before. It was only through seeing that Tunguska himself still looked completely calm and focused, that they didn't jump in right away.
Still focusing on every physical reaction Vukodlak could have, Tunguska continued: [[There's something you did to make every aspect of this trick of yours possible, and I'm not leaving until I find out what it is, even if I may have to risk stepping over my station in order to do so, as I already promised to take responsibility for to these very men here. You've gone through enough in your life as it is, just tell me the truth so we can sort this out peacefully. There's nothing you could do to escape from here if you tried, don't risk it, no matter what tricks you may have hidden on you, Vukodlak.]]
Slowly but surely, Vukodlak's physical anxiety vanished, as too did his fluctuating vital signs, as the Villain seemed t miraculously bring himself back to the very same state of calm as Tunguska had been maintaining since coming here. Finally, the Villain replied: [[You try to speak so sentimentally to me after everything that's happened, still? In ways you seem to actually grow, while in others you still remain as infuriatingly rooted now as you did all the way back home. But I wonder how long that naivety will last the longer you keep torturing yourself out there on the field, trying to convince yourself you're still anything like the so-called Hero people once said you were so often. The more you keep putting yourself through the meat grinder, the more you're going to keep losing yourself, piece by piece becoming more and more like the very monster you ultimately helped create: more and more like me.]]
Even with the language barrier playing out before them, the guards could all recognize a threatening tone when they heard it, as they all visibly tensed up with their weapons at the ready, still only being stopped by both Tunguska and the watchful warden holding up a single arm, signaling for them to wait.
As soon as he was sure they wouldn't do anything regrettable just now, Tunguska leaned in close to the glass and answered: [[While that may be what you believe, that doesn't make it the truth, Vukodlak. We've always been placed squarely on the opposite sides of the Hero/Villain coin…no matter how much it still pains me to say so. Back then, I truly did believe you had the capability of becoming a real Hero, too. I never lied about any of that.]]
PTOO!
With lightning fast reflexes, Vukodlak suddenly spat upon the glass where Tunguska's face was, spurring the guards to hurry in, ready to take him away, while the Hero himself remained unperturbed. The fact such defiance gained him no reaction, brought a scowl of animalistic spite to Vukodlak's scarred face as he spoke out: [[What is it going to take to finally make you see the truth, you old fool? This world has never had a single one of the real Heroes you prattle on so much about! It never will, either! You keep going around convincing yourself the Sun of Justice is some kind of indestructible icon, even after what you did; just like how so many people thought someone like All Might would be around forever! You're all a bunch of blind fools, too scared to see the reality of this world we live in!
[[Heroes are nothing more than a flicker against a hurricane wind, and no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise, you'll ultimately end up just another empty husk of your former self with nothing more to hold onto, and that's a promise! Maybe it'll be by my hand, or some other lucky Villain out there…or who knows, maybe you just might find yourself in a place where you'll have to kill me, Kolya, and every single one of those starry-eyed brats that looks up to you for the sake of some meaningless greater good, all over again. A Hero forced to destroy everything he cared about for the same abstract self-righteous 'justice' twice in a row. Wouldn't that be a disgraceful spectacle worth immortalizing?]]
With that, Vukodlak began to laugh, first as a low and unsettling chuckle. But the more he could hear Tunguska's heart begin to hammer and race within his chest, the harder his laughter became, going from mocking to downright hysterical, finally spurring the guards to finish closing the distance and start taking him away.
All the while, as Vukodlak's laughter overtook every single inch in his mind with which he was trying to think, Tunguska could feel that same bubbling anger in the pit of his stomach from his wasted effort with All For One mere minutes before, and now compounded on top of this, and especially with such horrible images now forcefully planted in his head, any vestige of self-control and composure Tunguska was trying so hard to maintain was no longer anywhere to be found.
All he could feel now was a blinding anger, for every single bit of it, whether it had been Vukodlak's threat against his son, the mocking idea that he would be forced to make the same impossible choice he had before at the cost of his own child and all those students, or even All For One's general idea of Hero society as a whole collapsing. All of it left the Sun of Justice seeing red, and it was in that moment of blindness, that his previous promise to take responsibility for his actions, ultimately ended up coming to fruition, as his right arm rose up entirely on its own, fist aglow and aiming directly for Vukodlak himself.
BOOOSH!
With a blinding flash of concentrated solar energy, Tunguska fired a single concise blast from his clenched fist that managed to punch a perfectly cut smoking hole through the otherwise unbreakable glass, sending all of the guards jumping back in surprise, as this sudden attack hit Vukodlak square in the center mass, sending him and the gurney he was strapped to slamming straight into the opposite wall.
Tunguska never had a doubt in the sheer limit of physical power his blasts could have, but no matter how much Vukodlak had burrowed under his hide like some deranged parasite, he wouldn't allow himself to be pushed to the point of genuinely trying to kill a person…not after their very first fight. If nothing else, this all came down to a moment of weakness, of the impulse to simply remind his old enemy just who was behind bars and beaten at this very moment. It wasn't an impulse he was proud of even now, but there was no taking it back now.
And so, it still ultimately came as a surprise to Tunguska, when his vision had finally cleared up again, when he and the visibly shocked guards all looked to see Vukodlak's physical form against the wall, start to warp and ultimately disintegrate into an indiscernible black goo that the Hero couldn't possibly mistake for anything else, punctuated by the guards all exploding with a crescendo of horrified and confused "WHAT THE HELL?!"
[[So it was true after all…I was right…he really did escape, after all. It was one of Bubaigawara Jin's Copies after all. He escaped…]] Tunguska kept muttering this affirmation to himself while trying to ride out the last waves of his shock, while the guards and the warden around him, having seen the unfolding events just as clearly as everyone else, had all flown into an outright panic, immediately rushing to sound the alarms and lock down every single bit of security lying in wait the moment the truth had finally clicked in their heads.
And as the alarms began to ring down and across every single inch of Tartarus, Tunguska's own vindication at the proving of his suspicions, had likewise plummeted into the terrified realization of the indisputable truth: 'Oh my God…he escaped! Vukodlak's really out there somewhere with the rest of those League bastards! The kids…Kolya!'
Tunguska could just feel his legs take over control of his body, as he turned right on his heels and began to make a rush for the exit of the prison, only for the warden to hurriedly follow after him. "Wait, Tunguska-san! Before you go, I want to thank you for helping bring this breach in our security to light! We're going to send word to the media and every Hero Agency and police detachment in the country! Wherever Vukodlak is, we're going to find him!"
However, Tunguska was seeing solely tunnel vision as he all but flew for the elevator. "Thank you, warden, but I can't afford to waste any time! I need to inform everyone at Yuuei Academy of this right away! I don't know how, but All For One somehow helped Vukodlak escape, and now he's fallen in with the League of Villains and has somehow gained the use of multiple new Quirks to boot! There's no telling how long ago he even pulled such a task off! Either way, he's become far more of a threat than he already was!"
All the while as Tunguska was making his way back to the surface to make his return to Yuuei; down in the depths, All For One had already been wheeled back into his own cell, listening to the cacophonous alarms and panicked order-shouting of all the different guards all over the facility. To hear these high-and-mighty authority types get thrown into such frightened disarray at the thought of their precious fortress being proven escapable, was nothing short of music to him, as he mentally smiled in absolute satisfaction.
'So you finally figured it out…too bad it won't do you or your comrades even a little good, Tunguska. With Vukodlak-san and his miraculous genes and their recent evolution firmly rooted into Tomura's ranks on top of all the other help he's accumulated for himself; you, All Might and your precious society's days are severely numbered…and I'll happily give my all to help make it happen.'
Friday, September 12th, the Shie Hassaikai Compound
Everything had been swiftly put into place once Vukodlak, Himiko and Twice had finally been warped by Kurogiri into the darkened depths of the underground maze that comprised the true heart of Overhaul's precious yakuza organization. Right out the gate, they'd been forced to keep themselves more than overwhelmingly busy, this deep behind enemy lines.
With the last-second benefit of similarly warped tiny earpieces provided by the Doctor himself, the three were thankfully able to remain in contact with him, as well as each other, while they'd had to start out in separate locations across the compound, in order to avoid drawing any suspicion from any other patrolling thugs around the place. And it was for the same reasons that they couldn't afford the courtesy of asking directions of those guards they did come across, in order to familiarize themselves with the layout, nor could they allow themselves to express even the slightest sign of relief when they would eventually run into each other on their respective patrols.
The one benefit they all did have from the beginning, was the Doctor filling them in on everything they had missed in terms of information of just who all they were running into and dealing with over the hours that were to follow. With their previous Copies having been implanted with tiny microphones and cameras literally inside of them, he had the benefit of recognizing faces and overhearing any and all conversation they had been present for, and the arrival of the originals had given him the chance to relay everything he had come to learn in preparation.
Naturally there was a complete rundown of the names and Quirks of each and every one of Overhaul's subordinates as they came along on all three spies' patrol routes, thanks to the Doctor's investigative work on each one of their police reports. For the undercover trio, such information was an outright boon, since every waking moment was occupied with their having to swallow their natural desires to just throw aside all the pretenses and finally bring the fight to their rival and enemy at long last, no matter how many of these people would try to get in their way to protect their boss.
But the single most reassuring piece of information they were given over their earpieces, right out the gate, was the Doctor's rundown of just what their Copies had been put through from the moment they'd first been delivered to Overhaul: an extensive interrogation as to their respective Quirks, and above all else: as to whether or not they knew if Tomura Shigaraki had any intentions of betraying Overhaul. With the fact that one of his lieutenants had a Quirk that would force his targets to tell nothing but the absolute truth, the fact that the trio were still here and breathing clearly meant their decoys had managed to pass the test.
And the best part of it all, at least they could all only assume so: since the Vukodlak Copy hadn't undergone the Quirk evolution the man himself had back in Moscow, then that meant he had a card up his sleeve for battle that Overhaul and his thugs hadn't the foggiest clue about.
Of course, even despite the hopeful convincing that the League of Villains was officially on his side, and without knowing the full extent of Vukodlak's Quirk as it now stood, Overhaul had quickly proven himself to be a far from incompetent leader, having made the wise decision to keep the different three League members separated from each other on different parts of the compound, so they couldn't attempt any kind of secret rendezvous to try and cook something up between themselves. That was likewise where the Doctor's little earpieces quickly proved invaluable, as they forced themselves to become as familiar as possible with as much of the layout of their respective areas as they possibly could.
And it was because of this particular setup, that when night had finally fallen that first Friday, the trio had ultimately been relieved of their duties so they could nourish themselves and get a few hours of sleep before having to get back to patrolling before sunrise…and it was then that they'd finally been given the opportunity to reconvene in secret while the other thugs' shifts were switched around, and catch each other up.
"Ugh, it hasn't even been a whole day and already I can't stand it here. These yakuza guys are so strict and rule-bound it's so booooring, especially that obnoxious Mimic guy. I couldn't even find anything all secret and cool up there. I listened as best I could, but all I could hear was one of those hospital heart monitor things somewhere a bunch of guards were blocking off," Himiko expressed in a thankfully restrained outcry of frustration once she and her comrades had been sure they were alone. Not that this didn't stop Vukodlak from signaling for her to quiet herself even further. Knowing what they did about the man codenamed Mimic's Quirk thanks to the Doctor, they couldn't take any unnecessary chances, on the off-chance he were using his Quirk on the walls around, wherever he might've been, to try and listen in or spy on them.
With that particular obstacle to consider, it was quickly decided that the three loaned League members would have to stick to writing down short notes on some tiny notepads they'd taken from around some supply closets around the compound when certain they'd been alone. And so, utilizing this method, Twice was the one to ultimately answer Himiko's initial complaints: "At least you actually get some sunlight, patrolling around the surface level. Vukodlak-san and I have been having to skulk around in these dingy underground tunnels all day, it's so dreary and depressing. How the hell is it you aren't bothered by it, in fact?"
As Twice moved his written message to Vukodlak, to make sure he understood he was the one being asked; the foreign Villain bluntly wrote back: "I don't like being here at all, it doesn't matter if it's underground or on the surface. But let's not forget that Shigaraki-san and the others are counting on us. And as luck would have it, I think I may have found just what we're looking for."
This quickly got Himiko and Twice both hurriedly scribbling their own barely legible notes, asking if he was serious, and better yet to actually explain, with Twice's message specifically noting: "Does this have something to do with that Copy you asked me to make this afternoon?"
With a single serious nod, Vukodlak proceeded to jot down what felt like a diary entry's worth of details, before firmly holding it out in the middle of their little circle, so Himiko and Twice could both read it over at once.
"That's right. Somewhere in my section in the lower half of the underground, while I was trying to find some sign of where Overhaul is keeping his supply of his Quirk-enhancing drug or those Quirk-destroying bullets; I could hear the echoes bouncing around, of what sounded like a weak little girl crying. What's more, I could smell blood in the air wafting down from the same direction that was just as young. Spend enough time around the blood of the young and the older, and believe me, you can tell the difference. With my hearing being what it is, I know exactly where to look to see just what he's keeping in there, too."
Himiko had practically started blindly writing her response before she'd even finished reading, her fanged smile stretching from ear to ear before finally nearly shoving her notebook in Vukodlak's face: "Did you find it? What's his big dirty little secret?! Please, tell me, Sensei!"
Vukodlak firmly lowered his student's book out of his face before scribbling down another note, one after another, forcing her and Twice to pass them to each other as he completely ran down everything:
"I couldn't do it just then, it was getting to that time I was supposed to start my patrol on the roof in one of my randomized disguises. I couldn't risk not showing up there on time, there's no telling where Mimic could be hiding, keeping his eyes and ears open. That's why I had to signal on the earpiece with Morse code to Twice-san, to make a Copy of me to take my place up there, while I had to disguise myself as one of the others so I wouldn't stick out, searching around down there still. Thank God for the Doctor figuring out the others' patrol schedules while we were gone."
By this point, Vukodlak had to momentarily stop, motioning for Himiko and Twice to stay quiet as his silver eyes carefully crept across every corner of this tiny unassuming room they were hiding in. If there wasn't any kind of immediate hustling about going on outside, which he easily would have been able to pick up on long before it had come kicking their door down, then it surely had to mean that Mimic wasn't hiding nearby, spying on their clandestine little meeting.
As reassuring as this silence was, he still signaled for his comrades to stay quiet as he once more began to write and pass his notes along: "While I was following that bloody scent, I actually caught a glimpse of that Overhaul bastard myself. He looked pretty distressed, like he was in a hurry to get somewhere, and I could smell that blood radiating off of him, even though I know for a fact it wasn't his, he wasn't even injured or anything.
"So I followed the trail the scent was still coming from that he left, and that's where I finally found the source of that crying. He's got a little girl being kept down there; meek-looking little thing with white hair and a horn, covered in bandages virtually everywhere but the neck. I could smell that scent of fresh gauze on her right alongside that blood. It was like that scent was just permeating off of her, like it'd just become one with her, even though she didn't look to still be injured."
At this, Twice visibly jolted with realization before hurriedly scribbling another message of his own: "Remember what that son of a bitch did to Magne-san? Maybe he's doing the same thing to this kid; blowing her up somewhere and having her get patched up over and over again! Dude's got some pretty messed up kinks!"
With her own yellow eyes reflecting that same morbid curiosity, Himiko just as quickly wrote down: "So what does this all have to do with that big bully's magic bullets or those Quirk-boosting drugs?"
When she saw the fire of inspiration reflect in Vukodlak's silver eyes, Himiko could swear her heart skipped a beat with all different kinds of excitements, as the Russian Villain nearly ground his pencil through the paper as he answered: "After I caught a glimpse of that kid being taken to what I guess must be her holding cell by another of those thugs, I decided to follow the other branch of the scent trail, the one Overhaul was leaving behind…and not only did I find where he's actually keeping those drugs and those bullets…but I also figured out the full extent of his own Quirk, and how he's making the bullets."
Himiko's anticipation was just as sky high as Twice's, only he had the wherewithal to not let his pencil fall out of his hand. It was only through Vukodlak's razor sharp reflexes in catching it, that it didn't risk making a notable sound that could have likely caught any especially strong ears.
With a heavy sigh, he firmly planted the pencil back into the palm of Himiko's hand, all the while never taking his piercing eyes off of hers, before proceeding to once more write down his lengthy answer: "It turns out that Overhaul's Quirk doesn't just revolve around destroying anything or anyone he touches. From what I saw in that room, for as brief as it was without risking getting myself caught, it looks like he can just as easily rebuild or repair what he destroys as well. He had these two vials with him, one with blood, and the other with what looked like human tissue, undoubtedly from that same little girl. I don't know what her Quirk is, but I know I saw him use his Quirk to recombine both those elements with what I can only assume is the same formula for his Quirk-boosting drug, and what ended up coming out of that was the same liquid they're filling those Quirk-destroying bullets with. That kid, whoever she is, is the source of these things for him, his number one key to the same infamy and capital he was talking about the first time we met."
The air between the three Villains was already heavy enough, but with this revelation of Vukodlak's; it was almost as if the very gift of hearing had been taken from them. This was so much to process, and in the best possible way. To find Overhaul's stockpile would've been good enough from where they were standing, but to actually chance upon the veritable golden goose behind his whole operation so soon after their arrival was almost like serendipity itself was on their side.
With an especially eager grin on her face, Himiko could barely contain herself as she wrote: "So what do you think we should do, Sensei? Want me to creep down there later tonight, give her a little 'kiss, kiss' goodnight? We could take away that stupid Overhaul's advantage just like that. You just tell me where her cell is, and I can do it super-duper easy!"
Vukodlak immediately answered her with a resolute shaking head, even running the very tip of one of his claws across his neck, to signify her to stop right there, much to her slouching-shoulder disappointment. "No. No, I was only able to even get that close enough to see because I was in disguise. There's no question Overhaul is keeping security around her especially tight, even with what we've already seen and learned about the people guarding this place. If we're going to do anything involving that little girl, we need to do so only when the time is right, and we don't run the risk of being caught and instantly killed. We can't just go around acting all willy-nilly, doing whatever the hell we feel like on impulse. Shigaraki-san put too much trust on our shoulders to do that."
Himiko puffed her cheeks out in a deeply disappointed pout, while Twice hurriedly wrote up his own response: "So then what exactly are you suggesting we should do when this chance presents itself, whatever it is? You think we should try to get in some kind of contact with Kurogiri-san somehow, try to make off with as much of Overhaul's hardware as we can, including the kid?"
With that same childish temper tantrum kind of energy, Himiko hurriedly scrawled down another semi-legible note to go right alongside Twice's question: "How long do we have to wait for that? I'm so bored here, I just wanna kill that Overhaul and go back to Tomura and the others!"
Taking both statements into consideration, and then momentarily glancing back the direction he knew the child's cell now to be, Vukodlak wrote out the concluding punctuation on this secret meeting: "If it seems possible for us to take any of his stuff, or the kid, when the others are distracted, then I'd say we should do it. However, we still don't know what her Quirk is or how it ties into those bullets, so when we move in on her, we need to be extremely careful. Same goes for these meetings until the chance comes. Let's keep our meetings at randomized locations when at all possible, even if they may not be every day. We don't want to establish any attention-grabbing patterns these people might notice. So for now, let's just focus on getting some food in us, and try to get as much sleep as we can. When we leave this room, let's move in separate directions so nobody catches us moving as a group."
It may have been a few hours since then, but it felt like barely any time had passed at all, before Vukodlak ultimately forced himself awake in time to begin his early morning rooftop lookout, already conjuring up a random face disguise to keep himself protected with while out in the open all the while.
As he finally made his way to the surface level of the compound and could get a look at the outside, he could see that it was indeed still going to be a short while before the sun would actually come up. Right now, the skies were just now starting to turn those first shades of blue that signified the arrival of morning.
However, once he reached the first flight of stairs that would start taking him up to the roof, already halfway through donning the new disguise he'd torn from the slots in his forearms, Vukodlak came to an immediate stop mid-step; his whole body gone completely rigid as he listened with the most surgically precise intent, filtering out any and all other incidental noise all around him and the compound itself, instead listening for the one standout element that he knew he hadn't heard once before since he and his comrades had come here.
Listening for but a few moments longer, focusing on that one distant sound in the ether and nothing else, it soon became clear to Vukodlak just what it was he was hearing, very slowly but surely coming this way, even if just a couple kilometers away: heavy and determined footsteps, marching in tandem with the kind of resolute and driven heartbeats that could only be wielded by a certain kind of person in this world: an answer that engraved itself in Vukodlak's mind like an icy dagger on unforgiving rock: 'Heroes…police…and a lot of them, too.'
Tearing his mask away, Vukodlak nearly flew down the steps, making a beeline for the passageway to the underground. Keeping his ears open for whatever awakened heartbeats were out and about at this time, he knew for a fact that Overhaul and his lieutenants were there. This was both a development he hadn't expected, and also a very surprising opportunity for him and his fellow League members to act upon, and the only way to capitalize on it, would be to bring Overhaul's attention to it, and by extension, the rest of the Shie Hassaikai.
In all honesty, Vukodlak couldn't have asked for something better.
As soon as Vukodlak had managed to get word of warning down to Overhaul himself, it spread to the rest of the Shie Hassaikai's forces like a wildfire. In record time, they had all been gathered up in a large meeting hall near the back of the surface level of the compound, with the man himself standing tall and resolute before his army, while a multitude of TV screens lining the wall behind him projected the live feeds of their security cameras set up for a good distance around the perimeter.
On every single screen was a near total army of both police and Pro Heroes for every one of the yakuza and the three League members to take in. Naturally, Vukodlak's gaze honed in like a hawk the instant he spotted the unmistakable image of Tunguska amid the throngs, wielding what looked like a whole prosthetic arm from his left elbow down; marching in tandem with a massive egg-shaped Hero, and what looked like two kids, one wearing a visor over half his face under a white hooded cloak, and a slightly shorter one with spiky red hair, a black face guard and gear-shaped shoulder pads.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Sensei, can you believe it? The Heroes are actually here too! Aww, Midoriya-kun, Ocha-chan and Tsutsu are here too! Oh, I'm so happy, I get to see my besties again!" Himiko's joyous squealing, while thankfully kept quiet by another stern stare from Vukodlak, was impossible to ignore, as he followed her gaze to a couple of the other screens, taking note of a young freckled boy with curly green hair dressed in a green bodysuit with white gauntlets, an equally young girl with rosy cheeks, brown hair, a white head gear with a pink visor and a white, black and pink bodysuit, and a slouching young girl at her side with long green hair, a green and black bodysuit, a yellow set of large goggles atop her head, and a very frog-like face.
However, it was the first name that Himiko brought up that caught his attention, as he looked back to the first boy of the trio. "So, this is the Midoriya that Shigaraki-san and All For One kept talking about being connected to All Might; just like Kolya may be, too. Ah, doesn't matter. He gets in my way; I'll kill him just the same."
And just as Himiko's mutterings had gotten her teachers' attention, it was now that the roles were reversed, as the mentioning of Tunguska's son snapped Himiko to further attention, perusing over the screens further, before letting out a disappointed sigh. "Aww, I don't see Kolya-kun or MiMi-chan anywhere in there. Dammit, I was really hoping for a bestie friendsies reunion."
CLAP!
With a single resounding strike of his gloved hands together, Overhaul commanded complete and total silence over the entire hall, as all eyes fell upon him; his already frigid eyes now somehow even more intimidating as he spoke from under his mask: "There's no call for any kind of alarm, everyone. We all knew something like this would eventually come our way, and we already know how best to deal with it. We all already know our best ambush positions, so those of you that have been assigned, report to them and don't act until you know for a fact you can take care of even one of those Heroes out there. The authorities wouldn't be bringing them along unless they had all intentions of getting in here, so we must prepare ourselves for a fight.
"Of course, there are other things that must be done. Those of you that haven't been assigned ambush positions will accompany me underground to help clear away all evidence of our operations. This is the only thing that will secure our long-deserved comeback as an organization. If the police can't find anything, then they can't honestly convict us of anything other than aggressive action in response to an unlawful entry of our property; a far lesser crime in the grand scheme of things. Now, everyone report to your agreed positions. Except for you three, Vukodlak, Toga, Bubaigawara."
At Overhaul's command, all the other foot soldiers, except for a select handful of similarly masked individuals standing at the foot of his pedestal, all hurriedly filed out to take their positions all around the compound in preparation, while leaving the League trio out in the open, visibly confused.
Looking them all over, the yakuza leader finally announced: "You three are a special ace in the hole for us, especially for an instance like this, so I'm teaming you up with a few of my Eight Bullets. They're my most capable fighters and protectors, and with your respective track records and abilities, you can only prove that much more helpful in buying the others time to remove everything crucial from this area."
Chancing concerned glances with one another before looking over the apparent Eight Bullets themselves, the three quickly realized that Overhaul was once more forcefully separating them at the time when they needed to stick together most; undoubtedly another precautionary measure of his to make sure they didn't try anything clever while everyone else was distracted.
Finally, Overhaul spoke up once more, pointing to Himiko and Twice specifically, before directing them to the tiny little black hand puppet-looking figure standing firmly at his right side: "Toga, Bubaigawara, you're both going to stick by my side until I say otherwise, and when that time comes, you'll be teamed with Mimic. With his Quirk boosted, your naturally deceptive Quirks will work perfectly, while he forcefully thins out our intruders' numbers, to pick them off piece by piece."
Vukodlak could clearly see both his colleagues' expressions sink as they reluctantly sulked over to Mimic's side, before looking back to see Overhaul staring him down specifically, before then directing him to a rather odd-looking duo in a farther corner: a large and very powerfully built man with long reddish brown hair protruding from the back of a beaked wrestling-style mask, dressed in a white t-shirt, black pants and boots, and a pair of what looked like corrugated steel knuckle-dusters lining his forearms, across his knuckles and along his clenched fingers. And at his side stood a much less imposing adult man with closed eyes over his own beak mask, with short spiky pale blonde hair, dressed in a dark set of what almost looked like a monk's clothes.
"Vukodlak, while your Quirk is primarily meant for hunting, your new abilities likewise give you a deceptive yet powerful skill set for fighting, so you're to stick with Rappa Kendo and Tengai Hikiji."
The very instant Overhaul finished explaining this, the larger man with knuckle dusters let out an especially aggressive growl of unmistakable frustration: "I don't need or want the extra assistance, Overhaul! I can take as many of those bastards out there as possible on my own! Partnering me up with the monk on his own is bad enough, why do you gotta insult my strength by giving me TWO!?"
Despite the bloodcurdling aggression evident in Kendo Rappa's tone, Overhaul didn't even give so much as a flinch in reaction, instead staring him down with that same icy cold intensity in his own yellow eyes. "If you can prove that on your own, then I won't have to partner you again, Rappa. However, if we're dealing with this many Pro Heroes all at once, then we need all hands on deck working together to make sure we don't risk losing everything we're working for. Are you really willing to forever forfeit your chance to really prove your strength to me by arguing right now?"
Anyone with eyes could see just how frustrated Kendo Rappa was by his boss' words, but so too was there bud a smidgeon of intimidation that he felt by the tone with which he said them, evidence by a single trickle of sweat running down one of his arms, as Vukodlak could see. Finally, he lowered his fists before pounding them together in resignation and bowing in apology.
And this gesture was all Overhaul needed to turn to Mimic and give him a single confirming nod. And with that, the tiny figure proceeded to jump and practically meld into the floor itself, as though he were a diver descending like a jack knife into a pool of water. And just as quickly did all of the lieutenants and Vukodlak suddenly find themselves being swallowed up in the floor as well, with Vukodlak giving one last momentary look to Himiko and Twice, one that expressed something even a couple airheads like them couldn't mistake for anything else: 'We'll meet up again soon.'
The three unusually teamed thugs found themselves taken down into a much more secluded section of the underground that Vukodlak could only recognize thanks to his patrols. It was much more dimly lit than a lot of the others, undoubtedly as a means to throw their intruders off, on the off chance they even made it this far. And for once, the Heroes actually getting that much of a running advantage was something Vukodlak found himself hoping for more and more with each passing second in the dark.
"The two of you can just stay out of my way once the first of those Heroes shows their faces here. If I can take as many of them down with my fists as possible, maybe that'll convince Overhaul to give me another shot at him, one-on-one again, so don't you dare interfere!" Kendo Rappa undoubtedly thought he was keeping his voice down, but even from where Vukodlak was standing, even if he didn't have the sharpened senses that he did, he could've easily been able to put a bullet between the man's eyes for how loud he really was.
And such disdain was not exactly worth keeping a secret, as the Slavic Villain answered with a disinterested retort: "You can kill as many of those Heroes up there as you want, assuming you even can. You just leave the bearded foreign one to me and me alone, understand?"
"Rappa-san, Vukodlak-san, please, let us remain focused on the task at hand. Overhaul-san has given us a responsibility, and we need to work together to see it through." The monk-dressed man, Tengai Hekiji, immediately intervened as soon as he could naturally sense the growing tension between his two unwitting partners, especially when Rappa himself focused his eyes upon the steel-clawed Villain beside him. "You talking shit about me and my strength, little man? This Quirk of mine has helped me put down far tougher shitheads than you, and don't think something like orders is gonna keep me from proving that."
However, Vukodlak was keeping his arms crossed, his eyes staying open for the first sign of a opening from Mimic's Quirk at the first sign of intrusive Heroes; all the while still thinking to answer: "From listening to you talk, it sounds like Overhaul himself has proven that claim wrong more than once, and he's even less imposing than I am compared to you. Maybe that's the very reason he saw fit to give you partners in the first place, eh?"
The involuntary gasp of surprised indignation that Rappa let out, left Vukodlak simply rolling his eyes with picture perfect mental clarity. "That's exactly what it is, isn't it; the thing that motivates you? You talk so much about proving your strength; that's probably what's guided every decision you've ever made, including joining up with the Shie Hassaikai…and the fact you've met one person who's managed to best you, and keep besting you, just eats you up inside. Being the undisputed winner of every meaningless fight you get into is the only thing you care about; you don't even give a thought to the bigger picture beyond your own self-gratification. Does any of this sound at all familiar to you? God, I can't believe I used to think the same way as an utter caveman like you once."
By this point, Rappa's whole muscular frame was already shaking, and not just for the numerous insults Vukodlak had just heaped on his shoulders. What especially got under his skin in this moment, was that with barely even any time being spent, the loaned foreign Villain had managed to dissect his whole life's mentality and his reasons for sticking with the Shie Hassaikai down to the letter. It felt so demeaning to have this smaller man be verbally cutting away at him, as though he was so brilliant, and Rappa himself so primitive.
However, before the larger thug could say or do anything in retaliation, Hekiji quickly chimed in: "Vukodlak-san, there's really no need to keep stoking such hostilities; we're all on the same side right now. And, please forgive me for saying so, but it feels a touch hypocritical for you to criticize Rappa-san's reasons, when you were just now talking about taking on one of the Heroes out there on your own as well. It doesn't sound to me as though there's truly any difference there."
Vukodlak granted Hekiji only the slightest sideways glance, before returning his silvery gaze back up to the ceiling, already able to hear the approach of countless footsteps several floor above, as well as the sounds of battle up on the surface outside the compound gates. "The actions I wish to take may be the same, but my reasons are far more than simply proving my own strength. There's a great deal of history between me and that man up there, and I know he's not the type of person to buckle and break under the likes of your Quirk, Rappa; no matter how strong you think it makes you. Me, on the other hand; I know I'm more than twice the man I was the last few times we fought. This time, I know I can finally beat him, prove whose ideology is true, erase the stain of injustice he left on me, and finally be able to focus on the grander objective at hand once he's out of the way."
And it was with that final declaration hanging in the air between them, that Vukodlak popped a couple of the joints in his neck, and proceeded to start heading for the doorway that would ultimately lead upwards to where the Heroes were currently heading. The moment he did so, Rappa all but exploded: "HEY! Just where the hell do you think you're going?! You don't get to walk away after throwing such high and mighty words at me!"
Once again, Vukodlak didn't even give Rappa the courtesy of a glance as he called back: "If you two want to hang back here and wait for Heroes to get thrown your way, be my guests. I'm not gonna let you two get in the way of mine and Tunguska's rematch. Besides, now that the real fun's started, my partners and I have our own business to attend to."
CRASH!
A resounding metallic impact echoed through the whole room from behind Vukodlak's back, bringing him to a stop, but still keeping his back turned to the two men. With Rappa glaring bloodthirsty daggers into his back, he growled: "You don't take another step, asshole. If there's one thing I can't forgive it's cowardly weaklings! You stay here, and you fight, or I'll kill you right here, got it?!"
Once more acting the peaceful one between the them, but with an equally serious air about his stride, Hekiji likewise stepped forward and spoke up: "Please reconsider whatever it is you're thinking of doing, Vukodlak-san. We have express orders, and they apply to you just as well as us. I may not have the thirst for battle as Rappa-san does, but that doesn't mean I won't act if I must."
While listening to the two men behind his back, Vukodlal likewise had his ears focused on the ever-approaching Heroes' footsteps from above. Given what he'd familiarized himself with in terms of the underground layout, he knew there was still a little time before they'd run the risk of getting down here to their section of the labyrinth. More than enough time for him to put an end to this little confrontation, now that they were technically alone.
All his instincts were cementing it in his mind and heart that, with the Heroes officially barging in here en masse, the chances of the League's tenure with Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai continuing afterward were completely non-existent. And thus, the need for continued secrecy was nullified. That realization brought the beginnings of a smile to his grizzled face as he finally turned back to face Rappa and Hekiji side-by-side.
"Save the threats and the loyalist speeches, both of you. Just because we were roaming around this place alongside you all without fighting you, doesn't mean we were ever on the same side. You really think such a deal would make us forget what your boss did to our comrade the first time we met?"
Vukodlak could just see the realization of just what was about to unfold, register on Hekiji's troubled brow, while Rappa almost looked like he was starting to smile through the mouth hole of his own mask, his armored fists at the ready while he started rolling his shoulders. Figuring they were quickly getting on the same page as he was, Vukodlak bared his steel claws, holding them up at the ready as he firmly declared: "The League of Villains never forgets nor forgives its enemies…and if your precious boss dies before this day is over, that'll just be a bonus."
BZZT!
In that instant, the already dim lights in the room simultaneously burned out, plunging the entire place into complete darkness; but not so much that Rappa and Hekiji couldn't quickly adjust their vision to it. However, those few precious moments were all Vukodlak knew he needed to get all the advantage possible.
In the moments leading up to this, he'd been quietly focusing just enough of the EMP Quirk inside himself to release at just the opportune time, and now that he'd cut off their sight, he was immediately on the move, moving in a serpentine dash right for Hekiji first and foremost, before springing upwards off his heels at the end of his third dash, ready to drive his claws straight into him…
THUNK!
…only for his jab to immediately be cut-off in mid-air by a suddenly revealed dome-shaped yellow shield all around Hekiji's form, leaving Vukodlak wide open above him for just a second before his defensive instincts kicked in, throwing up his left arm in front of himself to produce a last-second air shield of his own, just before Rappa's high-flying punch plowed straight through it like it was nothing, crashing straight into Vukodlak's hurriedly crossed arms with enough power to send him crashing like a cannonball into the wall behind him.
Vukodlak could already feel the broken bones in his forearms reconstituting and binding themselves before he even launched himself out of the embedding in the wall, ready to drive his claws straight for Rappa's head, but just like the last time, his strike was cut off in mid-air by another rippling dome shield over his whole body. This time, however, the Villain had his alertness at its peak, ricocheting himself off the surface just as Rappa swung another fist in a lightning fast uppercut.
Bouncing off the ceiling, Vukodlak leapt off the floor on impact on his hands in a perfect flip back onto his feet, lunging himself backwards just enough to avoid the immediate left hook Rappa threw his way. Following his momentum and throwing of his body weight behind his punches, Vukodlak immediately identified the perfect moment to lunge in and hit his opponent in his blind spot, diving in low underneath another immediate punch that would've taken anyone else's head clean off their shoulders.
Down on the floor, rather than utilizing his claws, Vukodlak immediately proceeded to sweep his legs into a high kick for Rappa's side, but once more it was met by that same dome shield…just as he had been counting on. With his foothold established, Vukodlak spring-boarded himself off the side of the shield, flying right for Hekiji instead, claws finally at the ready for the visibly surprised monk-looking thug.
But once more, instead of the satisfaction of impact, Vukodlak was once more met by a much more last-second shield, as he could at least see he was closer to his target than the last time. However, he couldn't afford the few seconds to plan off of that, as Rappa was rushing right for him from behind with both his fists at the ready.
Much like a bullfighter, Vukodlak waited until Rappa had both his fists reared back, and just as he swung, the Russian Villain leapt to his opponent's left, leaving a visibly shocked Hekiji in his place to take the full brunt of those punches; his dome shield shattering around him, with Rappa thankfully realizing the mistake of his blind rush before he'd accidentally ended up killing his partner.
Utilizing that momentary distraction, and his advantage in the darkness, Vukodlak finally flew in raked his steel claws all the way up Rappa's back; the sound of rending flesh and his pained furious screams ringing in his ears like music. What Vukodlak didn't count on, though, was that this would similarly serve to drive the brawler yakuza's adrenaline even further, as he honed in on the direction he could hear Vukodlak going mid-attack, and threw his whole momentum into another devastating uppercut, connecting with Vukodlak's midsection, sending him ricocheting off the ceiling, and the floor, before slamming into another wall; audibly wheezing as his ribs were already trying to put themselves back together.
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT HOW FAST YOU CAN PUT YOURSELF BACK TOGETHER! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Rappa's war cry was nothing short of bloodcurdling as he sprinted for Vukodlak; the foreign Villain barely even back on his feet for a second, before he found himself trying to throw up one Air Shield of his own after another at a far faster pace than he'd expected. Finally seeing it for himself, he could see just what kind of Quirk Rappa had, that he was now dealing with. Unlike anybody else, his shoulders didn't have a maximum to which they could extend that would bring a stop to a single punch. They weren't articulated, which meant that he could keep up the growing momentum and strength of a single punch in an ongoing complete circle, almost like an action figure.
This, coupled with the blinding speed at which he was throwing both of his fists through Vukodlak's Air Shields and into the Villain himself, meant he was up against a surprise power house that was leaving him having to scramble, block, and nothing else.
It was only through sheer blind luck and desperation that Vukodlak managed to eventually get his body back just enough to miss the arc of two consecutive punches, granting him the split second chance to not only throw up another Air Shield between them, but even use the building strength in his own repairing arms to punch right into it, propelling it like a battering ram into Rappa when he didn't expect it, sending the thug flying back into the wall behind him with a pained, enraged shout.
The very moment afterward, Hekiji finally had ridden out his initial physical shock from nearly getting bodied by his ally's punches, and acted just as quickly to lay down the strongest dome shield he could build up, over Vukodlak's body, keeping him trapped inside like an insect under a glass. Knowing he'd managed to stop the fight from continuing, Hekiji turned to his thankfully still-moving partner. "Are you all right, Rappa-san?"
Already, the hulking thug was back on his feet, grunting with pain every time he moved his back, reaching over his shoulder to feel at the open clawing wounds Vukodlak had just raked across it. Hekiji could also hear the unmistakable sound of wheezing every time his ally breathed. Clearly, having been hit by that apparent Air Shield-turned projectile had done some considerable damage to Rappa's ribs, all confirmed when the man himself suddenly coughed briefly when breathing in deep, with just the tiniest bit of blood escaping his mouth when doing so.
But the most baffling thing to come out of all of this, was the fact that when he saw his own blood upon his fingertips, and on the back of his hand when wiping his mouth…Rappa actually began to smile; his eyes lifting up to look upon Vukodlak's form under Hekiji's shield. "Fast…bold…and willing to fight with his own two hands. This might just make for a worthwhile opponent, after all."
The moment Rappa began to step forward, gearing himself up to keep the fight going, Hekiji immediately protested: "Rappa-san, we don't have time for such things. Not only are the Heroes bound to make their way down here if the others can't hold them off, but if Vukodlak's fellow League members are indeed pursuing the same goals, then Overhaul could very well be in danger. I can keep him from attacking further, but you need to head over to him and warn him of their betrayal."
While Rappa and Hekiji began to argue, Vukodlak's own focus was deep within his mind, as he was actually looking upon his own two hands with surprise. He'd already come to accept the fact that his recent Quirk Evolution back in Moscow had strengthened all of the Quirks he now possessed considerably, even melding them into one all-powerful combination, but he hadn't expected his own physical strength when using his Air Shields as battering rams to be this enhanced as well. Given just how he'd come to possess all these abilities at once in the first place, this instance of him flattening Rappa with a single punch to his Air Shields now had Vukodlak's mind once more racing with just what other kinds of surprise bonus Quirks All For One had decided to grant him without actually telling him so.
And it was that anticipation, alongside his desire to gain the fight he himself truly wanted, that drove Vukodlak to start breathing deep and start motioning his hands in a manner that almost looked like some form of aerobics or mediation from underneath the dome shield; drawing Rappa and Hekiji's cautious attention immediately.
After motioning his hands in a dome shape above his own head, and then waving them about in a determined and focused manner to his sides, front and back, Vukodlak's bizarre motions suddenly came to a stop, before slowly getting himself back into a familiar fighting stance, getting Hekiji ready to lay down yet another dome shield at a moment's notice, and Rappa getting into a near identical pose, ready to start rushing in and swinging.
WRAAM!
Like a machine, Vukodlak was so focused, as he channeled all the adrenaline and power he could into his arms, now working with what he figured to be the Strength Augmentation Quirk he'd been stealthily given; and finally releasing it all by throwing his fists into the Air Shield he'd created over his head, launching it, and Hekiji's Dome Shield right above it, straight up and crashing into the ceiling like the cork of a champagne bottle.
Before the dust could even start to settle, Vukodlak immediately followed up by channeling his power into his left foot, kicking it into the Air Shield he'd made to his left, sending it plowing right into Hekiji himself, sending him crashing into the wall at his back before he could react and defend himself. By now, Rappa was already starting to rush him, but Vukodlak sprung off his anchoring right foot and sent it, and the excess power he was now channeling through it, kicking straight into the Air Shield he'd made in front of himself, once more sending it flying into the tank of a yakuza.
BAM!
This time, though, Rappa was ready, as he sent one fist smashing straight through it, with both his arms soon flying into continuous high-flying circles, sending an utter blitzkrieg of devastating fists right for Vukodlak, blasting through the first Shields he could make, and soon pummeling into his whole body with too much speed for the Russian Villain to try and defend against, ultimately causing his legs to buckle from underneath, thus leaving him helpless on his back on the floor…but this didn't stop Rappa from continuing to pummel him mercilessly in an ever-growing crater in the floor.
"IS THAT SERIOUSLY ALL YOU'VE GOT?! ALL YOU CAN MANAGE IS A LUCKY HIT, AND THEN YOU FOLD?! HOW DARE YOU PROVE YOURSELF SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER THAT?!"
SLASH!
Rappa's bloodthirsty cries of outrage were suddenly silenced as he felt a deep slashing pain tear across his stomach just before he could bring both his fists down on Vukodlak's head in a merciless finishing blow. Looking down, he could quickly see blood spreading across his midsection and spilling onto Vukodlak's prone form beneath him in an ever quickening pace.
While Vukodlak had let Rappa go to town on himself, never once paying heed to the foreign Villain's legs; he had ultimately capitalized on the distraction by tucking his legs back in the split second between two punches, and kicking both feet outward from the human ball he'd rolled himself up into, with enough ballistic force to outright destroy his boots, thus allowing his hidden steel claws upon his feet to embed themselves in Rappa's stomach, before just as swiftly swinging both feet outward apart from each other, tearing through his opponent with merciless power.
With more blood starting to pour from his mouth, Rappa once more found himself smiling as he lifted his eyes up to see Vukodlak's bloodied and broken form systematically putting and reshaping itself back to normal, thanks to his evolved Super Regeneration, before finally managing to get back on his feet, this time looming over the critically injured thug.
"For what it's worth now, you're definitely stronger and more driven than I gave you credit for. It's a real shame we weren't on the same side from the start. We could've really benefited from someone like you." Between his own ragged breaths, this was all Vukodlak could think to say with as much sincerity as Rappa deserved; but from what he could see while trying to get his own blood out of his eyes, he could actually see a smile of genuine satisfaction on Rappa's face, hearing his own power be acknowledged even this much.
Of course, such a heartfelt moment couldn't last forever, as a cautionary glance downward alerted Vukodlak to the fact that, even bleeding out as he was, Rappa was still clenching both his hands into fists, clearly trying to make the Villain lower his guard enough to where he could most likely crush his head between their punches. And so, it was with just as much swiftness and even less hesitation, that Vukodlak kicked himself up into a spinning kick, raking the claws upon his feet across Rappa's throat; the warmth of blood upon his right foot soon being accompanied by the sound of more spilling upon the floor, before finally culminating in the sound of Kendo Rappa's sizable body collapsing listlessly to the floor.
Chancing another glance across the room to Hekiji, Vukodlak could quickly see that the monk-dressed thug wasn't moving, and was visibly bleeding from his head, clearly having not been able to create a Dome Shield for himself in time before being smashed into the wall. However, he could also hear that the man was still breathing, weak as it was.
Flexing his fingers in preparation to put down this last inconvenience, Vukodlak began to close the distance between them, before his sharpened ears picked up the unmistakable sound of Tunguska's breathing and heavy footsteps coming ever closer from the floor above. All at once did the memory of Mimic's plans for the incoming Heroes come back…and with it, Vukodlak's sense of bloodthirsty anticipation, knowing now that his long-time enemy, the one blemish from the past he needed to still destroy before he could finally be able to proceed headlong into the future with the rest of the League of Villains, would soon be upon him once again, unprepared for the brand new powerhouse he was about to confront for the last time.
And there you all have it, everyone, the chapter for this week. I'm sure there may be some who are disappointed that I had things with Kendo Rappa and Hekiji Tengai play out this particular way, but in order for my vision for this particular arc and the future to work effectively, sacrifices unfortunately had to be made, literally in this case.
That being said, I hope you all enjoyed what you read here today, and keeping in mind what I informed you all of before, I will see you all with the next chapter, not this week, but the week after, on 10/08! That should hopefully be enough time for me to build up a good store of chapters between now and release date again.