Looming Threats
"Ahem," The skeletal figure cleared his throat. There wasn't a smooth way to approach this topic, was it? "So… you've built yourself a harem, young man?"
Midoriya couldn't bring himself to look directly at All Might right now, such was his embarrassment. He nodded in silence.
Toshinori took a deep breath in. Principal Nezu's beginners' guide to teaching didn't cover this kind of topic, and years of being a pro hero didn't help either.
"... Did you… did you make sure to use protection?"
"... Yes. Most of the time…"
You could feel the tension in the air.
"Do they know about…"
"No, I didn't tell them yet."
"Yet?" The scrawny man raised an eyebrow, while the green teen flinched.
"I-I-I was thinking of how to break it to them that I am… should… should I keep it a secret?" Midoriya finally raised his head to look his mentor in the eye. This was the face of someone deeply in conflict, which told Toshinori this was more than simply a group of girls lusting after him.
"You should know by now what the risks of doing such a thing are. I'm not telling you not to, but you have to be aware that this could be a potential danger to everyone involved. One for All has been kept as a secret ever since it was formed, and for good reason. While it is an amazing Quirk, it is also very dangerous."
"Mmm, I understand that. But… I don't like lying to them like this." In a way, Midoriya took the weight of this responsibility all to himself. It was his burden to carry, and he couldn't afford to let others take risks at his expense.
However, Toshinori sort of understood what was going through the mind of this young man.
"Tell me, Young Midoriya, are you really in love with all of them, or is it simply a, uh… a pursuit of desire?"
"What? No, no, I really love them! I know it sounds weird, considering the sheer numbers… but that's absolutely the truth!"
The blond man took a moment to reflect upon this. It didn't look like Midoriya was simply doing that for the casual sex. Honestly, even if it was the case, he couldn't see that happening in the way it did. There had to be a common factor, something that made all of these girls gravitate around him and not leave.
"Speaking of which, umm… how many?"
Midoriya scratched his head sheepishly.
"S-sixteen…"
"Ahem! You sure have been busy, my young man. I have to admit, I couldn't see myself in your situation."
"I'm not trying to set a record if that's what you're thinking!"
"I didn't say that. I'll assume you and these girls had been doing that for a while now. It didn't happen all of a sudden, right?"
"Yeah. It's like… one by one, they all came around me and we… you know. Did that."
"Well, I would be lying if I said One for All didn't make me popular…"
"Oh yeah, I think you mentioned that before."
A wide grin appeared on Toshinori's face.
"What can I say? It might not be the most heroic use, but One for All does increase your stamina and endurance. And the culture in the United States is quite different from here."
Midoriya decided it was best not to delve much further into it.
"Regardless, I want you to understand the implications, Young Midoriya. Even if you weren't the inheritor of One for All, this is still as far from a typical relationship as it can get. Legal issues aside, I am almost sure a huge crowd wouldn't readily agree with this, and it could be damaging to yours and their images."
"I know that. I've been thinking about it too, and I can't give you an answer, All Might." Midoriya said in a sad tone. Then, his eyes shone with determination. "But, I'll make it work, s-somehow. I don't really care about what others might say, my feelings will not change. M-maybe we'll have to keep it a secret to the public, in the end, but I definitely want to marry all of my girlfriends and make them happy for the rest of our lives!"
The young man looked dead set on his decision, that much was clear to Toshinori. While it was definitely an unconventional way of leading his life, to say the least, he could support him in doing what he felt was right. And if the girls all agreed to do the same, there wasn't much to argue here. Aside from the moral angle, that is.
"Well, as long as you understand the consequences… I don't personally agree with this kind of stuff, but it is your life. Do what you must but… try to take care, okay?"
"Hai!" It put Midoriya a little more at ease as he heard these words from his mentor. All Might didn't commend Midoriya for getting himself in the center of a harem, but at least he was there to encourage him. Sort of.
"Still, it puzzles me how you managed to achieve such a thing…" The scrawny man thought out loud.
Meanwhile, inside Midoriya's mind…
"Say it."
"No."
"Come on, say it~"
"No, Nana-san."
"It will be fun! Don't you want to see Toshi drop his jaw at that smug remark?~"
"I'm not going to tell All Might 'all the girls love my little Deku', Nana-san!"
"Aww, you look so cute when you're embarrassed~," She said, and Midoriya could feel her pinching his cheeks. The ones in the face and the other ones too.
"W-well, I'm kind of lost too, but I suppose they like my cute face. A-and my body shape. And my personality… and my awkwardness, to an extent… uh, I guess I have at least one thing that they like a lot."
"And I suppose your performance also factors into this, perhaps?"
"P-probably."
He was really good at this. The girls told so, not him.
"Smooth as sandpaper, Yagi. Oh yeah, that reminds me, are you going to tell him about, well, me?" Nana asked the green teen, staring at the blond, scrawny man through Midoriya's eyes.
"Ah, I almost forgot. But… are you okay with this?"
"Hmm, what do you mean?"
"Well, it's not like you can stop me. Plus, from what you've told me, All Might really admired you, so I don't know if he would like to know that you're kind of living inside my mind."
"Even if he doesn't like it, it won't change our situation. I'm still living rent-free in your mind, and technically I'm not the real Shimura Nana. I'm pretty sure Yagi will take this well."
"Umm, All Might, there's something else I wanted to say…" Midoriya proceeded with caution, which prompted a similar reaction from Toshinori.
"What is it, Young Midoriya?"
"Well, you know how I can kind of see the previous hosts of One for All?"
"Go on." Toshinori leaned forward, listening close to Midoriya's next words.
"... one of the previous inheritors… awakened."
"Awakened? What do you mean by that? Are you feeling ill?"
"No, no, I'm completely fine, it's just… uh… Your mentor, Shimura Nana is living in my head!" Well, the bulk of the message was delivered because any other details were missed with that lack of subtlety.
"Do you mean… my mentor?"
"Yeah. To put it shortly, her memories detached from One for All. She can mix things inside my mind and access memories, but everything else looks like her. Her voice, her looks. I thought that– she thought that you should know, All Might."
Toshinori stood still for a while, his bright blue eyes seemed to dig deep into Midoriya's emerald green ones. Perhaps he didn't believe in him, or perhaps he was trying to see his mentor through those green pools. At last, he let out a tired sigh.
"Is that so…" Toshinori leaned back on the couch, hands interlocked as he pondered. He sighed deeply and looked somewhat aggravated.
"Is there… something wrong, All Might?"
"... No. Not yet, at least." He leaned forward, looking straight at Midoriya. "I'll be honest, young man, this development is completely unexpected to me. The reason why I haven't been supervising your training as closely now is that I have been researching the past inheritors of One for All."
"The past inheritors…?"
"Correct. The Quirk you awakened belonged to one of the persons before us. Neither I nor my mentor experienced such a thing, so I decided to look further into it. What you have just said reassures me that I must dig deeper."
"Then I want to help. Maybe if I look through the registers of heroes, we can find a pattern and–"
"No."
"No?"
"No." The blond man repeated. "As of now, your priority is to master One for All and learn to control that second Quirk. Leave the investigation to me."
"But I… understood." It wasn't that hard to reason. Midoriya had other things to focus on.
"My mentor, huh…?" Toshinori said under his breath, then got up from the couch and so did Midoriya. The blond man then rested a hand on his shoulder. "One for All is a power much more mysterious than we imagined, Young Midoriya."
The green teen nodded in silence.
"Thank you for confiding this to me, young man. I never experienced this connection you have with One for All and the memories stored in it. It would be nice to say goodbye to my former master, in a way. At least you're in good hands, more capable of teaching than I am." Toshinori said as he walked to the door with Midoriya by his side.
"She told me to say… you're a good mentor too. And I agree with her." He said, reassuring the scrawny man.
Seeing the burning determination in those green eyes, Toshinori felt a wave of nostalgia. Not only from when he began training Midoriya, but also from the time when he began his own training. Did his mentor see the same burning glow in his eyes? Well, he assumed yes, otherwise she wouldn't keep pushing him forward. Toshinori ought to do the same now.
"Well then, Young Midoriya. Keep on working to master One for All, make it yours, and try to learn from the other Quirk at your disposal."
"Yes, I'll do my best!" He said, stepping outside the room.
"Oh, and try not to woo any more ladies while you're at it, alright?" He added before closing the door, but just in time to see the green teen turn into a tomato.
"H-hai!"
"Aww, you look so cute when you're embarrassed. I wish I could go outside and pinch those freckled cheeks for real~" Nana said between her soft laughs.
"Give me a break, Nana-san…"
He understood why people made these assumptions but he really wanted everyone to understand he didn't do that on purpose. Well, the falling in love part.
"Are you sure this is okay, Ryukyu-san? I don't want to slow you down." He asked.
Ryukyu was scouting the area from the sky, and Deku was sitting on the back of the Dragon Hero.
"No problem at all. Sure, I can't fly as fast but you're safe up there. Plus, this gives you a new perspective, doesn't it?"
As she said that, Deku looked down. It was a little scary to be above a couple of buildings, but it was also quite exciting. And she was right, it did feel different to observe and patrol from up here. It felt like nothing could escape his eyes. And he did spot something, a little commotion in an area packed with people, near a mall.
"To your left, Ryukyu-san."
The Dragon Hero glanced in the direction and saw what he was pointing at. In a swift motion, her body twisted and they descended. Of course, since she wasn't used to carrying people around, Ryukyu was a second or two too late to tell poor Deku to hold tight, but it wasn't really necessary. The moment she shifted her wings the green teen held firmly around her neck.
"My bad. Hold tight, Deku."
"Y-yes!"
The gust of wind created by her wings served to warn the bystanders and have them out of the way as she landed. Deku jumped down as she turned to her human form and they quickly went to the center of the commotion. Citizens stepped aside as the two heroes made their way through the crowd until they arrived at the center, where a man crouched on the floor.
The man's clothes were pretty tattered and even burnt at some places, especially the trenchcoat he was using, but most importantly, the guy shivered and whined in what seemed to be great pain. He hugged his sides desperately, stretching the already battered clothes and threatening to tear them to shreds.
"Mister, what is going on? Do you need medical assistance?" Ryukyu took the lead, kneeling beside the poor, agonizing man. By now there was a small circle around them and Deku was politely telling people to give more space.
"A-are you… ack…! a Hero…?" He asked between grunts and clenched teeth.
"Yes, my name is Ryukyu, how can I help you? Do you need me to take you to a hospital?" She asked, concerned but still maintaining her voice level and calm.
The man didn't answer right away. He trembled more as if he was restraining something, feet pushing the cement floor as he pressed his head further against it. His hands clutched his sides even more and he contorted into a ball of pain. More grunts and a labored breath came. At this point, she wasn't sure if the man could even provide her with an answer, so it was time to take the initiative. But before she could tell Deku she was going to carry that man to the nearest hospital, he spoke.
Rather, he laughed between painful grunts.
"~wheeze~ Hahahaha… I see– ack! You're… Ryukyu…"
"Yes. Mister, can you tell me your name–" She said and motioned to pick him from the floor but as soon as her hand made contact, it felt hot. Unusually hot for a normal body temperature, enough to make her recoil as if it would burn her.
"... Hahaha… perfect, I couldn't ask for– hrrk! a better person… The tenth greatest Hero of Japan… hahahahaha…!"
From the sideline, Deku noticed the weird unfolding of events. Something wasn't right. And here's the thing, from her angle, Ryukyu couldn't see what was under the dude since he was pretty much curled into a ball. But Deku noticed something in his hand from where he was. The man slowly looked up, still pressing his head against the floor in increasing pain, staring at Ryukyu. Both heroes saw a sick, twisted grin creep into his face, but only Deku saw him pull out something from underneath.
He didn't know exactly why but Deku felt... No, he knew it was a bad sign. And as such, his body acted before his mind.
"Ack! I couldn't ask for… a better first kill!"
Suddenly, a jet stream of blood-red liquid shot up. It went up like a bullet, a deadly high-pressure liquid that was clearly at boiling point. And it would probably have burned Ryukyu's face away if Deku didn't pull her away from the man. One fraction of a second later and she would be feeling the searing hot liquid in her skin.
That, of course, caused the nearby crowd to panic, standing in shock as they stared at the man and at the heroes. However, the problems were just beginning. Still looking a bit shocked from almost having her face removed, Ryukyu looked up in the sky, eyes wide open. Deku had pulled her by the collar of her clothes and only now was her brain processing the "Watch out!" he shouted. But her eyes caught an imminent danger. The same scalding liquid that she avoided was not coming back down and scattering.
"Everyone move!"
Ryukyu transformed into her dragon form, using her tail to push people away as she increased in size. She would normally take the precautions to avoid transforming in crowded places but the situation asked for it. But only part of the crowd was pushed, with people stumbling on whoever was behind them. So Ryukyu had no other option but to shield the remaining bystanders. Spreading her wings, the Dragon Hero covered them, and as she expected, she felt them burn the moment the hot liquid landed on them.
"AAAAGH!" She howled in pain.
Her body was covered in tough scales, but her wings were considerably less resistant, due to their flexibility. Regardless, she endured the pain and kept shielding the civilians. "Hurry up and get to a safe place!" She commanded the crowd, making sure to stand between them and the now revealed villain.
"Ryukyu! How are your wings?!" Deku got to her side, taking a defensive stance. Meanwhile, the villain slowly raised to his feet.
He was staggering, visibly shaking, and his breath was labored. Nonetheless, the psychotic grin remained, even if his face showed signs of fatigue. Having tossed the old, ragged trench coat away, his right arm was exposed and had the thing that Deku spotted earlier, some type of glove or gauntlet with a single opening in the front. In the back, two tubes jutted out and sunk into the arm at many points, and the apparatus covered most of it all the way up to the shoulder.
"Hahaha… hah… hah… how noble of you… to think you would use your wings… like an umbrella… hahahaha…" The man said between shallow breaths.
"Bastard… You put a lot of innocent people in danger!" She shouted out of anger. She had to reroute some of the pain out.
"So what? Hahaha… You saved them, didn't you? Ack!" The villain retorted, grabbing his chest in mild pain.
Ryukyu let out a tiny growl.
"I'll give you one chance to surrender peacefully. Take that thing from your arm and–"
"Ha! Hahahaha!" The villain laughed hysterically. "Surrender? Come on… my blood isn't even boiling yet..."
And with that, the villain pulled out a vessel with a yellowish liquid and injected it on his neck. In a matter of seconds, the changes became apparent. The skin now had a red hue and his veins were all visible. Perhaps it was a side effect of the injection but the painful look vanished from his face, giving place to complete psychosis.
"Now… let's continue our game!"
The villain raised the gauntlet arm and pointed it at the two Heroes. They immediately reacted and moved out of the way but Ryukyu was considerably slower than Deku in her Dragon form. If she didn't turn into her human form as she dodged, she would have been hit in the stomach by the scalding jet stream. And to make things even worse, this shot had a great range, probably due to the pressure, and it easily made its way to where the civilians were.
"Damn it! Deku, we have to increase the perimeter. Move the people further back."
"Got it!" Activating Full Cowl, Deku quickly made it to where the red liquid hit the floor. This was the maximum range of that weapon, which meant they would have to keep this villain right where he was. "Everyone, please stay calm and leave the area. We can't risk having you in here now."
The bystanders were still a little perplexed and quite curious to see the fight. With Ryukyu involved, a great show was guaranteed, and Deku himself was growing more known by proxy. So even though they followed the instructions, there were still groups watching the ongoing fight.
"Aww, that's cute, the trainee is acting like a pro already. Let's see if he can handle the same heat, though!"
The villain aimed his arm again and another jet was shot, targeted at Deku, but before he could react to it Ryukyu entered in the way, transforming and blocking the shot with her metal claw. Even with the extra cover, she could feel her skin burning under her scales.
"Argh!"
"Ryukyu!" He suddenly turned back when he heard the cry of pain.
"Stay there and increase the perimeter! I'll take care of this." She said, focusing on the villain in the middle of the street.
Her draconic eyes glared at him and her fangs showed as she growled. The palm of her right claw was stinging but she could handle it for now. The worst pain came from her left wing, the one that got scalded previously. If needed, she should be able to still fly, focusing enough on ignoring the pain.
More psychotic laughter came from the enemy in front of her.
"Watch out, miss 10th place. I never said this was my maximum range. So, if I was to, I don't know, point to the other side," He said, raising his arm back while still facing Ryukyu. "Things could get really heated for our audience! Hahahaha!"
"That bastard… What do you plan to do?! Shoot aimlessly at innocent people?!" She said in almost a roar.
"No, believe it or not, I'm not that type of guy." The man said, lowering his weapon and running the other hand through his frail black hair. "I'm here… to kill heroes!"
Upon hearing this, she felt a couple of emotions swell inside her chest. Anger, worry, and a deep fear for the green-haired teen that stood behind her. This guy was after heroes, and judging from his last action, he wouldn't discriminate between her, someone from the top ten, and him, someone in training. The lowest type of scum…
"Kill… heroes…?"
"That's right! Didn't you know?! The age of heroes is over! All Might is gone, and if the best you pro heroes can offer is that insane-ass Endeavor, then we're as good as dead! Hahahaha!"
"So you don't think we're good enough…?"
"Tch! Oh please, don't tell me you actually believe you're doing shit. Pro heroes… you all are a bunch of bad jokes! All of you and the clowns that watch you and clap their hands! Justice?! I call bullshit! You're not better than anyone, and I'll show you this by scalding those pretty scales off your dead body!"
Her senses were starting to get weird. At the same time that she was focused on him, everything else seemed to blur away. She could feel her hand and wing stinging more. Her enlarged heart was beating stronger, her breath was getting sharper. It was all kicking into overdrive and she was getting tunneled vision. She could feel her muscles tense up in anticipation, her eyes shrunk into thin slits, and her tail hit the floor hard.
"I bet this will make a great show for the green bean behind you!" She didn't get most of the graphic depiction the villain did of how he would flail her alive, but that last bit did register in her brain, and it worked like a trigger. Something clicked inside her, and then she moved.
There wasn't much thought at it, she simply leaped forward. Her wings flapped to get more speed and she simply dashed forward. Most people would be absolutely terrified of seeing a creature of her size coming at them with that much speed, but if it wasn't enough, the roar that she let out would definitely do the trick.
Nevertheless, the villain kept his psychotic grin plastered on his face.
"You make that almost too easy–"
SLAM!
Ryukyu effortlessly smashed the villain on the floor. Had she applied more pressure under her claw, this guy would turn into the human equivalent of mashed potato, that was for sure. The reason why it didn't happen was that right before she hit him, the villain managed to shoot at her upcoming claw. Being this close to the source, Ryukyu felt a much greater heat and impact from the jetstream. Despite her semi-conscious state, her body reacted naturally and recoiled, just like one would do when touching a hot iron bar. The new level of pain also served to knock her back into her normal state of mind.
"AAAAARGH!" She couldn't help but squint her eyes shut as the pain coursed through her body.
"Do you think this is a good time to close your eyes?!"
Saved by her instincts and trained reactions, the Dragon Hero jumped back from her position, but not fast enough to completely avoid the next scalding shot, which grazed her neck. With now both hands burned, one severely more so, she was having a hard time standing in her dragon form. Meanwhile, the villain slowly got on his feet. The hit she landed wasn't full force, but it was enough to make him cough blood. The moment he spat and it hit the floor, a lot of steam started to come from it. Her eyes widened in realization.
"Hehehe… yes, that's right. It's my blood skinning you alive, you giant gecko!" The villain said, pointing the arm cannon at her face.
Ryukyu ducked to avoid the shot, covering some of the distance and making a swipe with her whole body, and hitting him in the process with her tail. Again, it wasn't a strike at full power because she couldn't properly use her front claws to shift her weight. Just that little trick made them hurt even more. The Dragon Hero hissed, staring at the villain getting up again. Even in her current state, it should have caused some serious damage, and damage it did as the man coughed up some more blood.
"How…? This guy can't be that resistant."
The villain struggled to his feet but eventually got up again, laughing like a maniac.
"Alright, that one hurt like a bitch, I'll give you that. Now, before I make a bag out of you, Ryukyu, why don't I tell you my name? You pros love this little show so we better make sure everyone remembers it when I get the next hero, and the next, and the next!"
He raised his arm towards her.
"The name is Napalm. Remember to tell everyone in Hell I–"
Before Napalm could finish his cheesy line, something knocked him to the side. He didn't have much time to see what it was, considering it didn't feel like something solid, yet it felt like a cannonball. Right after, something tightened around him and the world spun around, only to halt abruptly when his back met the floor with great strength. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of sparks and something green.
"Sorry for the delay, Ryukyu-san!" He said, jumping between the fallen villain and the Dragon Hero. "There were lots of civilians to move back."
There he was. Deku, holding a defensive stance right in front of her.
"It's okay, their safety is the priority. Argh…"
"Are you hurt?"
"I'll live, but standing is kind of a problem. Deku, that villain, is unusually resilient. It probably has something to do with that injection from earlier." She said, limping closer to the young man.
"Quirk enhancing drugs… Kirishima did say he and Tetsutetsu were working on some cases with Fatgum."
"That means this guy will burn out soon, so you just have to hold on for a while longer. Beware, his blood is extremely hot and the arm cannon can pressurize it. It can even damage my scales…" Ryukyu looked at her claws.
One of them was severely more burnt than the other. She didn't dare think what would it do to that kid if this villain was to–
No, now was not the time to think of these things.
"Ha… hahahaha! I'm still alive you fuckers!" Napalm shouted as he got up again, with another vial in his hand.
Without hesitation, he injected another dose of the enhancement drug and the effects were quick and very noticeable. His skin got beet red and the already popped-up veins looked like they would explode any second. Steam came out of his mouth, showing the furnace that was inside the body.
"This can't be good for him," Deku said.
"Neither it is to us! Move!" Ryukyu shouted, turning back to her human form and splitting with Deku, as Napalm shot right where they stood.
"This is an insane amount of blood that he's shooting out of his body!" Deku thought.
"Anyone would be dead by now. His Quirk probably includes generating blood faster, or perhaps that's another effect of the enhancing drugs. What a terrible substance…" Nana's voice sounded inside his head.
She wasn't particularly familiar with these drugs, but she heard of rumors when she was alive. Word spread out that you could turn an even fight into a slaughter with a single injection, but there was also the great withdrawal on the user's body, and potential for addiction. This put all the rumors she heard to shame. To think the underground would go so far in making stronger versions of these horrendous substances.
"This is far from a normal quantity of blood coming out. He'll eventually run out or his body simply won't be able to handle it for much longer. I have to subdue him quickly."
Deku was forming a plan as he jumped around, dodging the blood jetstreams that threatened to scald him alive. All that while Napalm kept on with his manic laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! You're fun to play with, kid! Do you want me to kill the dragon bitch first?! Or would you rather take her place in the queue?!"
"I choose neither, because–" He evaded with a roll, then jumped on and off a wall, holding on to a lamp post to change his trajectory. As he flew above Napalm, Deku wrapped a Black Whip tendril around the villain's cannon arm and pulled him up. "You're going down right now! Manchester SMASH!"
Reeling in the villain, Deku landed a vertical ax kick and Napalm plummeted to the street floor. Deku used around 12% of his strength, so while it wouldn't kill, this guy would definitely be unconscious.
The green teen took in deep breaths to stabilize his heartbeat. He was surprised with himself at how well he managed to sync Black Whip and Full Cowl. He was making progress, but now wasn't the time to dwell on this. Rushing back to Ryukyu, Deku carefully checked her bruises. Burnt hands, a small red streak on her neck, and apparently some of her shoulder got hurt too, matching the damage in her wing.
"Sorry I took so long, Ryukyu-san! Because of me, you–"
"Don't be dumb, Deku. I gave you an instruction and you followed through. Besides… you should know better than anyone that it is part of the job." She said with a gentle smile, despite her face showing clear signs of pain. Seeing this boy being washed with relief by her words spurred a feeling within her.
Ryukyu… wanted to pet him on the head. Even with her burnt hands, it wouldn't hurt that much since his green mane looked so soft and…
"... What am I thinking?"
She stared at Deku as he inspected her hands closer. His mouth was moving but she didn't quite register the sounds that were coming out. Rather, the blondie got more aware of their current positions relative to one another. She stood there with her hands resting on his, her palms facing upwards, while Deku assessed the damage. Apparently, he said something about carrying first aid supplies as Todoroki did. Ryukyu simply nodded and agreed, again not really paying attention. Should they stay this close to one another? Could they stay closer?
Then, she felt her body being pushed down to the floor. Once again her brain was lagging behind in registering what was happening around her.
As for Deku, he looked very troubled about how Ryukyu got hurt. Even if she said it wasn't his fault, he felt at least responsible. If he acted faster, then this could possibly be avoided.
"More speed… Miruko jumps into action incredibly fast. Hawks made it to second place by solving cases in a short time span too. If I want to be the number one, I have to react– !"
Something in his mind clicked. He was in the middle of a thought and suddenly it was halted by a ringing, a feeling of… danger. And as many times before, his body acted before his mind, tackling Ryukyu down to the floor, right on time to evade the surprise jetstream of blood that went over their heads.
"Are you kidding?! What's up with that guy?" He said, getting on his knees as he shielded Ryukyu. Both heroes stared in shock as Napalm got on his feet again. Sort of.
The villain was breathing heavily, his skin still red. The blood that dripped from his mouth let out a thin smoke. Leaning in one knee, he could barely keep the arm cannon raised, but it was aimed at them. Despite the pain-ridden expression, he laughed.
"Tch… hahahahaha… I won't go down that easily. I won't accept being killed by a true hero. I won't go down for anything less, you hear me?! Hahahahaha!"
He fired again. Deku flinched to evade, but Ryukyu was right behind him. Instead, he reacted by making a roundhouse kick, strong enough to create a gust of wind.
"St. Louis Smash: AIR FORCE!"
Deku succeeded in blocking the shot, although it splattered around them. Just how powerful was this compressed blood shooter?
"I will not let you harm her!" Deku shouted.
He had to make a decision quickly. Was he fast enough to cover the distance between them and take down Napalm before he could fire at Ryukyu again? What about Black Whip? Would it be fast enough to ensnare the villain? He didn't test its maximum range yet. Perhaps if he channeled some of One for All into it–
"Then you can die first, poser!"
Another blood shot, successfully blocked by another gust of wind. Deku still couldn't believe just how much of the scarlet liquid got weaponized.
"I'm not a poser, and neither is Ryukyu!"
"Lies! There are no true heroes in this trash country, only fakers seeking money and fame! And all of you can drop dead!"
Another shot, another block. Deku thought that by now this guy would run out of steam, be it his vital fluids of the Quirk enhancer, but so far it didn't seem to be the case. As that exchange went on, Ryukyu watched from behind the green-haired teen. Her hands hurt and so did her shoulder. It made it kinda hard to get up as Deku had forced her to lie on the floor, but she could have done it already, albeit slower than usual. Rather, something else kept her in place.
"Three moves, Izuku. Finish this in three moves." He thought to himself, mapping his course of action. "Block the next time he fires, power your legs with the maximum percentage you can without breaking anything and dash, then hit him square in the face with a Detroit Smash. Blindsight him with sheer speed… I can do it. I can do it!"
His emerald green eyes focused on the target. His entire body was tense and ready to move, like a spring about to be released. He repeated the plan inside his head over and over. The two sides remained silent for a moment, and even the air seemed to be still. Then, it came.
Napalm fired another jetstream, Deku blocked it with his St. Louis Smash, but this time he kept the momentum of his kicking leg to spin on the other foot. Planting them firmly on the ground, he crouched, similarly to how Miruko did the other day. Sparks flew from his body and he dashed forward.
"Detroit…" He covered the distance in an instant. "SMAAA–"
Deku had his target. He cocked his fist back to deck this guy in the face and put him to sleep for good this time. He was fast, he had all the means to do it. He just didn't imagine there was some sort of automatic function to this villain's blood cannon.
Napalm's grin widened and his face was the book definition of insanity. A shot at this distance would surely spill the scalding blood on himself, and unless he was also impervious to heat on the outside, he was going to have a bad time just like Deku. The green teen had seen this kind of reckless abandon for the sake of an arbitrary objective once before, and both times he faced Muscular were pretty dire situations.
Good thing his Full Cowl increased his reflexes, otherwise, Deku would be done for. If blood was hot enough to hurt Ryukyu's scales, then he dared not think of what it would do to his skin. Using the momentum, he managed to turn the Detroit into a California Smash. The resulting whirlwind was strong enough to push Napalm's arm out of aim and the fired jetstream would hit a nearby building. Seriously, the range of that thing was scary. And another thing Deku didn't account for at the moment he dashed forward: just how fast he was going.
He sort of body slammed Napalm but since he was spinning, the villain was sent tumbling to the sides while Deku landed on the wall, leaving a small crack on it. He could definitely use some of Miruko's lessons since she seemed very knowledgeable in how to spin and how to stop spinning. Regardless, the young hero in training got up dizzy, he was seeing at least four Ryukyus across the street.
It shouldn't be a surprise by now but at the same time, Napalm was getting back up. Whatever was injected into his bloodstream seemed to make him nigh invincible. Or at least the dude felt like that. The same couldn't be said for his equipment, however, as it was pretty battered from all those hard punches and being tossed around. With that creepy grinning look still on his face, he took aim at Deku again.
"It's game over for you, kid…"
There was the sound of something creaking, a clack, and hissing of gas escaping. Then boom! The arm cannon's pressure chamber blew up, making a bloody mess on the spot. Deku looked in shock at the horror show as a considerable amount of blood splattered and as he imagined, it was very unhealthy to the villain's skin. The bastard was lucky only a few drops splashed on him, but still, the pain must feel terrible.
"AAAH! FUCK!" The villain hauled, yanking the broken piece from his partially burnt arm. "THAT PIECE OF GARBAGE! I TOLD HIM TO TEST THAT SHIT FIRST!"
Apparently, he was angrier at the catastrophic failure than anything. Napalm then faced Deku again, and for once he didn't look like he belonged in a high-security asylum.
"Listen, 'hero'. This is far from over. I will come for you and your false idols later. And I'll personally skin that dragon bitch alive."
Perhaps it was because of the direct insults to Ryukyu's name and image, but that bravado really pissed off Deku.
"The only thing you're going to do is stay put in a cell!"
He said, getting ready to repeat the previous stunt, this time without the danger of having his skin removed by heat. However, out of nowhere a sandstorm engulfed the area. He couldn't see a thing, having to cover his eyes, but he could hear the crazy laughter of the villain. Once it died out, Napalm had vanished and only the bloodstains remained, along with the broken piece of gear. Deku stood still for a while, dumbfounded, then started to look around for possible escape routes. This confirmed that the villain had an ally to some extent, which only made things worse with that escape.
On alert mode still, he made his way back to check on the Dragon Hero. She wasn't any more hurt than before and was equally confused as to what just happened. Between the Quirk enhancing drugs, that specific arm cannon, and a villain set on killing pro heroes, this case had too much to digest in one take, but at least they managed to have zero casualties from that.
Later that day, Midoriya would follow Tatsuma to the nearest hospital to get her wounds treated. He suggested paying a visit to Recovery Girl at U.A. but she politely refused. It wasn't the first time she got hurt and certainly wouldn't be the last, and it wasn't that serious to ask for the sweet old lady's healing powers. Instead, right after getting some bandages, the blondie headed back to her office.
Midoriya again suggested that it would be better for her to rest a little, but she had a sense of urgency. What happened today, this entire event… didn't feel like an isolated case. That suspicion she had in the back of her head for a while felt even stronger. The increase in small criminal activity, the similar sentiment of being unjustified, and now a complete disdain for the institution the Professional Heroes stood for.
This wasn't exactly fresh news to her. Ever since Stain became a notorious figure in the criminal underworld, his fame made its way into the talk of the masses, and that made people start to question some things about the Heroes. Not directly like the former Hero Killer, but subconsciously, the people made judgments about the more prominent figures in the Hero Ranking, and it only got worse with All Might's retirement.
Truth be told, none of them could hope to fill in the massive gap that All Might left. The man had set the bar way up and while everyone strived to be like him in some way, none could quite fit the bill. In a way, All Might made the rest of the pro heroes look kinda bad in perspective. Endeavor was doing his best to keep the public opinion high, but he wasn't exactly the charismatic beacon of hope the former Number One was.
Everyone was aware of those facts, to some level, and now a greater picture was starting to form. Or maybe it was always there and only now Tatsuma was taking a broader view of it. Whatever was the case, she felt that the previous incidents and this one were somewhat connected. Sure, civil unrest was a thing and one would assume that it was a negative feedback loop where cases of criminal activity made other small fish feel bold enough to break the law and so on, but still…
Today was different. It was an attack directed at the Pro Heroes, an attack directed at her and what she stood for. It was personal, in a way. And that made her worry that this problem ran deeper than it appeared to.
Tatsuma walked with Midoriya by her side, following her hasty steps.
"You can go back to U.A. now, Midoriya. I'll check on Miruko and Nejire, and then dismiss her too for today."
"... Is there something worrying you, Ryukyu-san? I mean, more than the death threats…"
She didn't respond at all.
"Ryukyu-san?"
Her head perked up.
"Ah, sorry. What was that?"
"It's okay. I-I would be nervous too if I had a target behind my back." He wasn't sure if all pro heroes had to deal with this specific kind of pressure, nor if he was supposed to just shrug it off. Whatever was the case, the woman next to him looked pretty worried about it.
Seeing that look in his eyes, Tatsuma let out a small sigh, shaking her head. She wasn't supposed to make her interns worry like this.
"I just don't like the outlook for this case. Isolated, yes, it is a bit unsettling, but I think there's something else, and that could mean much more trouble in the future…"
Unknown to her, Midoriya shared some of that grim feeling for the future. The mission passed to him was always weighing within his chest, but he decided to put in practice some of what Hado-senpai did all the time. Instead of keeping a dark look on his face, he mustered a bright smile to cheer the Dragon Hero.
"Well, whatever comes out of it, I'm sure you're perfectly capable of handling it, Ryukyu-san. You are one of our best heroes, after all!" He said, irradiating fanboy and positive energy.
"Today's events would beg to differ, and I did fall one position in the ranking…"
"That was only because you were protecting me and everyone around. No one would think less of you for that! Besides, that villain had some nerve to run that mouth…"
She noticed the tone shift of his voice and when she looked at him, Midoriya was frowning slightly, with his hands balled into fists.
"Most bad guys banter like this. That one didn't look very good in the head either… Don't let that get to you."
"I know, but still–" He looked so indignant. It was almost cute to look at. "I've met a villain this crazy before, and they simply don't care about anything other than themselves. And this one calling you names really pissed me off."
"Really? Why is that so?" She asked, both surprised and curious.
"Because!" His mild anger turned into a passion as he spoke. "The ranking isn't like that for no reason. Everything he said is wrong, and you deserve the place for all the people you saved, Ryukyu-san. Dismissing the ones who risk their lives every day for the sake of others… I can't stand it."
She held a sympathetic look towards him. This kid was a hero through and through. She could see why Kayama liked him, in a way.
"That and… he called you some names…" Midoriya added, a little shyer this time.
"It wouldn't be the first time either." She dismissed it casually.
"Well, my Mom taught me to be polite to girls, so it kind of made me mad. Just a bit more."
"A mama's boy, huh?" She thought out loud without realizing, looking forward.
She also didn't notice her hasty steps slowed to a normal walk. Meanwhile, Midoriya got a faint pink tinge adorning his cheeks, mostly because Nana was teasing him about that comment inside his mind, but Ryukyu didn't know that. All she knew was that this teenager she turned to look at again was way too cute, flushed like this, especially considering this same teenager could easily match her in strength.
"~sigh~ Still, you should go back to U.A, Midoriya. The Hero Work-Study is for you students to gain field experience, not be locked in a room doing paperwork."
"I know that, but I want to help if I can. Two heads think more than one, right?"
"Perhaps, but that's beside the point. I don't even know where to start looking. I was pondering asking Centipeder for help in the cases of the past weeks, but I didn't think much ahead of that. It can lead to nothing…"
"Even if we don't find anything, I want to help, Ryukyu-san. Because, well… your hands…"
She looked at her bandaged hands. It wasn't that serious of an injury thanks to her scales, and the ointment and painkiller alleviated the discomfort, but it would be a little clumsy to hold things for a while.
She shook her head slightly and sighed. Tatsuma should know better than to let her love for children influence her decisions. Although Midoriya wasn't quite a child anymore, he still had that energy to him.
"I suppose I could use a hand for a while."
Midoriya's smile widened in excitement, but he quickly tried to make a serious face, perhaps because it was a pretty serious situation they were dealing with. Before she realized it, they were back at her agency, and there they met Nejire-chan and Miruko. The bluenette rushed to them the moment she spotted the Dragon Hero and the emerald child.
"Ryukyu-san, I heard in the news about what happened!" Hado had a worried face as she looked at the blondie's bandaged hands.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just first-degree burns, thanks to my scales. But I won't be fighting with them for a while." Ryukyu looked at her hands for a moment, then went inside.
"I said it to Midoriya and I'll extend it to you, Nejire. You can go back to U.A. early today. There's something I need to do here."
"Wait, are you not going to take a rest?" The bluenette inquired, following the Dragon Hero.
"Maybe later. Right now I want to at least start looking into it."
However, before she could enter her office, Ryukyu felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, the dark-skinned lady held a somber stare at her. It wasn't a common look for Miruko to have.
"Tatsuma… who was that guy?" She asked surprisingly quietly.
"I don't know yet, he called himself Napalm. Never heard of him before."
"Napalm, huh…? Alright, got it." She said and turned to leave.
Ryukyu knew Miruko to some extent, enough to know this wasn't a good sign.
"Wait, what are you going to do?"
"Isn't it obvious?" She said, turning her head to look back. It became clear from the look on her face that she was pissed off. "I'm going to find that asshole."
Miruko then marched to the front door but Ryukyu suddenly blocked the way.
"Don't go out there to do something stupid. This might be a serious case."
"Yeah, it is serious. You got hurt and there's another idiot out there playing Judge Dread with heroes! Now get out of my way, Tatsuma."
"No, listen. This is not the time to act recklessly–"
"No, you listen! We did things your way, now we're going to do my way. Or don't. Keep here with your files or whatever. Just don't get in my way and don't slow me down."
"You think you can just hop around and stumble on that villain?"
"I heard he was pretty psyched about meeting you. Seeing the 5th place of the Top Ten will make his day."
"And then what? You'll kick him until his bones turn into dust?"
"Is that a suggestion?"
"Miruko, this is not the time to act on impulse!"
"It's not the time to be sitting on your ass either! How much worse do things have to get so everyone will cut the crap and get to the action? How many more hero killers and black mutant monsters until we crackdown on those assholes?!"
The two pro heroes stood in front of each other. So this is what was bothering her. The temporary team-up, her pushes for forgetting the procedures, and simply "kick some bad guys" into jail, made more sense now. Frankly, Ryukyu understood where Miruko was coming from. That black Noumu was something else entirely, and it took all of Endeavor's strength and then some to stop it. What was worse, Miruko herself didn't do much against the creature.
Under other circumstances, Ryukyu would assume it was Miruko's giant ego talking and the rabbit hero was looking for a rematch of sorts to prove she was strong. But it wasn't the case here. Despite not saying it like everyone else, she was concerned about the current situation of society, and why wouldn't she? Reckless and with a distaste for rules as she was, Miruko was as much of a hero as she was.
"Look, this might be just the tip of the iceberg. Even if you succeed–"
"Are you implying I wouldn't absolutely beat the shit out of that villain?"
"No, what I'm trying to say is that even if you did that– and I know you can– this could make us lose the trail."
"What trail?"
"The trail to something else, something bigger."
"Something that you don't know if it exists or not."
"Do you want to bet? Maybe risk another Shie Hassaikai spreading their influence under the radar?"
The air was crackling with tension, and both students stood there in the back, completely silent and looking at each other and at the two pro heroes. Luckily, Ryukyu managed to convince the enraged rabbit, to some extent.
"~sigh~ Whatever. Just find whatever you have to quickly so I can get to kick some sorry asses faster too. You point me in the direction, and I go there."
Ryukyu felt relief wash over her as she succeeded in reasoning with Miruko. She had the fame of being quite hard-headed at times.
"Honestly, I'm hoping to not find anything at all. We definitely don't need another crazy leader trying to flip society upside down."
With that, the tension in the air vanished and Ryukyu headed to the office with Miruko following behind. The two heroes in training were stuck in surprise for a moment, then followed suit.
"Are you going back to U.A, Midoriya-kun?" Hado questioned him.
"No, I want to help. What about you, senpai?"
"Hmm," she brought a finger over her lips as she thought about it. "No, I'll stay too. Ryukyu-san looks like she needs a lot of help, and we didn't patrol together today~"
"Wait, what does the last bit have to do with the rest?" He asked, confused.
"We're partners, aren't we?"
"I-I suppose so."
"Then we have to work together!~ Until death do us part, right?"
"T-t-that's not the same kind of p-partners, Senpai!"
"Oh no? But it sounded so nice..." She said, apparently diving in thought about the phrase she learned.
Meanwhile, Midoriya was busy impersonating a strawberry and thinking that his senpai could be a massive airhead at times.
As the remaining hours of the day passed, the small team worked on the past weeks of activities that Ryukyu insisted on keeping registered. Well, at least half of them. Usagiyama flopped on the couch and there she stood, doing her best to remain in place despite her infinite boredom. As for Midoriya, he was stuck between trying to make sense of the info in front of him and helping Hado do the same. She admitted this analytic work wasn't her forte. Tatsuma reassured her that it was not a problem, since no one can be good at everything. Besides, she was also out of her playing field here. The goal was to find something they could start with and then bring it to a better-suited team.
The day was ending, the sun was almost below the horizon, and they didn't find anything of relevance. Also, Tatsuma was starting to feel the tiredness catching up to her body and mind. Maybe she should have rested as Midoriya and Hado suggested. It was that feeling nagging at the back of her mind, telling her there was something wrong in all of this as if the answer was right in front of her. Well, what if it was, but not the answer she was expecting?
Her tired yellow eyes blurred a little. She moved to rub them with her fingers but stopped when she remembered about the bandages. She thought of washing her face, but it would also be kind of a challenge. Sighing in frustration, the blond woman questioned herself about her goals right now. Was she trying to prove something to someone? She did feel like she was underperforming, so perhaps it was all a plan of her mind to show she was a capable hero.
Her eyes then moved up from the files and fell on the figure of the green-haired teen. He was focused on the task at hand, maybe even more than her. Occasionally, Hado would get his attention, and despite the tedious work, they seemed to be having some resemblance of a good time. Or was that the impression Hado caused from always having a smile on her face? They were from different years at U.A, so she didn't think they spent a lot of time together. Yet, their teamwork was remarkably good and synched, and Tatsuma admired how Midoriya could learn and grow so fast.
Ah yes, he was a boy full of surprises. Some more shocking than others, she supposed. The dragon lady tried to banish these thoughts from her mind, which wasn't that hard, to begin with. Most of that night was blurred in her memories, as the party at Usagiyama's apartment had a lot of alcohol at their disposal. Still, two things were very clear in her mind aside from the fight at U.A. One, the sheer look of desperation on Kayama's face, after the confusion with the portals subsided. And two, the revelation that both Kayama and Takeyama had slept with a student. The very same student sitting in front of her right now.
Up until now, Tatsuma had effectively banished these thoughts from her mind, both for her own sanity and to better keep this secret for her friend. She considered bringing this up again with the R-rated hero, but after seeing the emotional state Kayama was in while Midoriya and the other students were missing, and right after the rescue, the dragon hero understood this feeling ran deep within. It was enough to make Tatsuma keep her mouth shut, but she was still conflicted. You see, she had a soft spot for children, and the idea that someone like Midnight was having… intercourse with a kid like Midoriya set all kinds of alarms in her head.
Sure, Kayama wasn't a terrible person, not by a great margin, but Tatsuma couldn't help but wonder how this had changed Midoriya. She didn't know him all that well, but she knew of his determination and drive to save others, as well as his strength. Those she had witnessed when they raided the Shie Hassaikai hideout. The Hero Work-Study only confirmed her opinions that he was a good kid and a great hero in training with the potential for greatness. What didn't sit very well with her was the idea of Kayama exploring… other sides of his potential.
She felt bad for doing this, being so suspicious of Midnight, knowing the woman would never dare hurt a child, let alone one of her students, but it was such a wild idea. And being honest, it fitted perfectly with Kayama's dominant persona. An adult, mature, sexy woman taking an innocent kid like Midoriya and leading him through the path of pleasure and lust. Give her the bat-like wings, the horns, the tail with a heart at the tip, and you would have the perfect depiction of a succubus.
"Stop it, Ryuko. You know Nemuri isn't like that… All the time..."
Whether or not Kayama loved Midoriya as she said she did, it didn't change things much, at least to the dragon lady. She couldn't see herself doing something like that, even less to someone like Midoriya.
"I don't think I could even if I wanted… Which I don't. I mean, look at him. He's adorable."
The blondie stared at him. Well, she focused on him, as she had been looking at his figure for a while now, mind absent and lost in inner thoughts. She had reasoned that before, but it was a fact. Midoriya looked too cute for someone of his strength. Which was one of the reasons why she sent him the invitation, to begin with. For his strength and potential, that is, not because he was cute.
Watching him interact with Hado also made her wonder if he was popular at school. He seemed to be more of the nerdy, shy type, given how he was nervous around her and the bluenette. Tatsuma wouldn't be surprised if he had at least a couple of girls with a crush on him. It made her remember her kid days. Up to middle school, changing into a dragon was almost as cool as one person could be, but didn't make for a good trait when you're trying to be attractive, she soon learned. That and her latent dragon behavior.
Sometimes she felt an urge within her, a desire from deep within to do some things, like hoarding things precious to her and mark her territory. It wasn't strong like someone with a Mutation Quirk, but it was there, a minor suggestion to act in the ways of the dragons from books and games. Way back then she loved to act as a true dragon from the legends, but Tatsuma grew out of it. Except for some rare occasions where it reappeared. The feeling made her nostalgic.
What didn't make her feel good, however, was the way the white-haired, dark-skinned woman lying on the couch looked at him. It was as if Usagiyama was undressing the poor teen with her bright, ruby-red eyes. And she wasn't even trying to hide it, as the two students would have to turn around completely to see it. Tatsuma could see it clearly, though, and that triggered the dragon lady to glare at that unrestrained rabbit. If she had heat vision, there would be a hole in Usagiyama's body already from all that intense glaring. The woman glanced up, then did a double-take when she saw Tatsuma staring daggers at her.
Both women entered a fierce staring contest. Usagiyama hadn't given up on that crazy idea yet, which was one of the reasons why Tatsuma chose to patrol with Midoriya today. It didn't have anything to do with a little tingling of happiness inside her chest by having the young man riding her back through the sky. Regardless, the blondie wouldn't let that horny rabbit have her ways with Midoriya. He was Nemuri's… umm, should she really defend Kayama in this?
Sure, she ultimately decided to keep the secret, but it didn't mean she had to agree with what was happening. Rather, Tatsuma could talk her out of this idea. Perhaps it was her duty as an adult to tell Midoriya that his relationship with Midnight was questionable at best and that he should at least go with someone younger, like her–
Full stop. Tatsuma shook her head. What was she thinking now? Being the 10th best hero of Japan, and having asked the emerald child to come here for the Work-Study, it could be even worse if she made a move on him. Then again, he slept with Midnight and Mt. Lady, two very popular heroes. How much worse could it get?
"Coming to think of it, would it be that bad if I waited for a little while? I bet he would look even more attractive by then– no! Stop!"
She was feeling tired and it was getting hard to focus. Well, focus on anything that wasn't the green-haired teen in the room. But unfortunately, that would change really quickly. Miruko let out a loud groan from her place on the couch, then jumped to her feet.
"This is getting us nowhere. Midoriya, come here." She said, walking past the two teens and grabbing Midoriya by the hoodie, and dragging him along. He didn't have much time to protest.
"W-w-wait, Miruko-san! We're still looking for–"
"I know, and you're obviously not making progress. So you gotta clear your head, then come back and look from another angle." The rabbit hero explained.
"Where do you think you're going, Usagiyama?" Tatsuma raised from her desk once she broke out of her inner thoughts, only to see Midoriya being dragged around. The bluenette simply watched with an amused face.
"To the rooftop. You don't mind, do you?"
Even if she did, the rabbit lady didn't wait to listen. Upstairs they went and Tatsuma followed, with a curious Hado after her.
"H-how are we going to clear our heads at the rooftop, Miruko-san?" He asked, quite confused.
"Whenever I feel troubled I go to the gym, so we're going to train together, you and me. You did want me to teach you some moves, right?"
"Oh, I s-see…"
He wasn't expecting to receive lessons from Miruko so soon. Actually, now that he thought about it, he was about to take some personal lessons from none other than *the* Rabbit Hero, so Midoriya got more excited and nervous. Or maybe it was the proximity to her chest area as the dark-skinned woman held him by the neck under her arm. The door to the rooftop swung open and out came the pro hero, dragging the young man in training. She took a deep breath in and stretched her arms out, releasing some tense muscles.
"Aaah~ the air is quite refreshing tonight. So, what're you waiting for? Do some stretches. I'll just laugh at you if you get cramps or something." She said, bending in half to touch her toes.
She stretched her legs with much ease, and it also should be noted that the woman had her back to Midoriya, so the teen inadvertently got a small show to watch, even more considering her tight hero costume. Shaking his head, he got to stretch his limbs too, oblivious to the smirk crossing her lips.
"Well, are you done yet?" She said, taking a couple of steps away from him.
"Hai!" He answered, standing across the rooftop at an equal distance. From the sidelines, Tatsuma and Hado watched, one of them with curiosity and the other with a vigilant, suspicious look on her face.
With a hand on her hips, she raised one finger and began her "lessons".
"The first thing you have to learn is: be the fastest to react. You know, those very old cowboy stand-offs? It's like that, be the quicker draw." She explained and Midoriya nodded.
"Now, come at me."
"Eh?"
"Come." She repeated, taking a fighting stance.
"You want me to a-attack you?"
"Yeah, how else am I supposed to teach you?" Miruko sounded like she just stated the obvious.
Midoriya shivered at the memories from the last time he faced a pro hero, but he has been through so much already. It couldn't possibly end as badly as before. So the teen activated Full Cowl, took a running stance, and dashed forward. He aimed to tackle Miruko and when he was close to her, he jumped for it. And he missed. Miruko evaded by flipping over him, sticking the landing as a top-tier gymnast. Midoriya landed with a roll and looked back where she was. It was as if she didn't even move.
"What are you looking at? Again." She commanded, not bothering to fully turn back.
Midoriya tried the tackle again, this time using a higher percentage of One for All to increase his speed, but the result was the same. He did one, two, three more times, always ending with a dumbfounded face. Yes, she was more experienced than him but he didn't think he was that far behind in physical attributes.
"Come on, Deku, I know you can do better. Give me your max!"
She held a wide grin that was calling, no, defying him to go to his limit. Not that he took offense in that, he understood what she was trying to do. So Midoriya focused and increased the output as much as he could before his muscles started to feel strained. 20% Full Cowl.
"I'm ready." He said with a confident look in his eyes.
"Yeah, I can see. Come." She liked that somewhat fierce look he had right now.
Midoriya dashed forward like a bolt of green lightning. This time he was sure he would grab Miruko. There was no way she could react that fast–
"Too easy~"
Well, she just did. Miruko bent her knees and leaned back, with her body almost parallel with the floor, while the emerald teen flew by over her. What was worse, with all that extra power, Midoriya jumped much farther this time. If it wasn't for the small wall on the rooftop, he would have gone way over the ledge. He hit the said wall though, similar to what happened earlier this day. As he got up, rubbing his side that ended cushioning the impact, Miruko offered a hand.
"The second thing you have to learn: sometimes, there is such a thing as going too fast." She said, making air quotes. "Shocking, I know."
"This one will be easy to remember…" He said to himself, but her keen ears caught that.
"Hah! Good one, kid, hahahahaha! Now, let's try this again but this time, try not to land on the wall face first…" She said, walking Midoriya back to the center of their new, improvised training grounds.
At the doorway, Tatsuma kept on her vigilant watch. She understood it was a necessity and that Midoriya could benefit greatly from Miruko's knowledge, but it still made her feel… weird. Particularly the way the rabbit lady interacted with him. Having a jovial spirit was one thing, but Usagiyama was getting way too handsy with Midoriya for Tatsuma's liking. There was really no need to have that hand around his shoulder as they walked along, neither to go by with their hips almost touching.
"Miruko-san seems to be having fun~" Hado commented casually.
"Yeah… perhaps too much fun at it…" Tatsuma said between grumbles.
"What?"
"What?"
Deciding it would be best to keep her mouth shut, the dragon lady turned her gaze back to the two training together. She really wished Midoriya had returned to U.A. earlier today.
End of Chapter
Hello, readers, it's ya boy! As I said a couple of chapters ago, we're going to have a mini arc Meltdown style. Is this foreshadowing enough or do you need some more hints at who's appearing to cause trouble to our deal, precious Deku and his girls? Also, our pro heroes finally get serious in the race to have the emerald child for them. A lot of things are happening, which will hopefully amount to exciting chapters.
That being said, thank you for taking your time in reading this chapters and for keeping up with me on this fic until now, for those reading from the start. I know my upload speed is not anything to applaud, but I try my best. Hope y'all have a great day/night and stay safe. Later~