"Kid!" cried Yu as she rushed over to Midoriya. Her hands landed on his shoulder, shaking and turning around him. A giant sigh of relief rolled out as she laxed. "Oh thank god, you're alive!" Her eyes stared at the asphalt as a dark shadow rolled over her face. "Shiketsu would not have been happy about that."

"We did it?" Ashido pumped her fists into the air. "Woo! All the bad guys are down and we're all okay!" Her eyes darted over to Midoriya. "Probably—are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," said Midoriya, waving his hand.

"You better be…" she muttered. "I need that paycheck in full…" She then stepped back, letting Ashido talk Midoriya's ear off, and her gaze fell upon herself. That acid saved her life, no doubt of that, but it also sizzled her flesh and put a lovely, lovely hole in her costume. "I liked that bra too…" Not to mention, that deactivated acid was now a semi-liquid that was spreading to places that she would greatly prefer it didn't.

She instinctively grasped the sides of her jacket to pull the top closed—only to find that the zipper had… melted. "Of course, it did… All my damned luck…" Despair covered her face as she peeled it off. "No… There were only two of these ever made…" She felt a weight slap upon her shoulders as a bubbling started underneath her skin. "Lose one in the move and the other in this mess… Was supposed to be an easy day… No muss; no fuss… Free lunch…"

"Ms. Takeyama?" she heard from Midoriya before hearing…

Kamui's head turned as sirens grew louder—closer and closer. "The police are on their way."

"They're not the only ones…" muttered Shinso as people began to peek through the shattered windows and piled out the ground-floor doors.

Yu groaned, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She let out a laugh as her arms crossed across "Great time for a photo-op! Lovely—fantastic! Of course!"

Ashido's face contorted, "Ooh, uh…"

Midoriya yanked on a cord underneath his left arm, causing three hisses to escape his back. "Shinso, help!" The metal plates of his vest drooped as he bent forward.

"Help with—huh? Oh, I get it!" Shinso rushed over and began to pull on the top of Midoriya's vest.

Metal clinked against metal as a plate met his helmet. "Ow!"

"Sorry!" grunted Shinso as he pulled the vest free.

Ashido pulled her sash from her waist before skipping over to swipe Yu's jacket from her hand. "Yoink."

Yu almost tried to snatch it back. "What're you—"

"Arms up, Miss!" Shinso dashed up to her, lifting the vest overhead.

"Wha—" Yu stepped back, but he was already upon her. "Ah! Watch the horns!"

Shinso's face contorted, "Sorry! I gotta let you handle that. I'm doing my best to not… uh, look…"

"Right—boy, teenager…" Yu tilted her head to fit her horned head through the neck-hole before slipping her arms in. "Ugh, fine…" The plates were still sagging, but it was basically on her – it was actually, surprisingly, heavy.

"Uh… Midoriya?"

"Yep-yep!" Her intern stepped in and pulled a hidden cord underneath her right arm, causing a set of hisses upon her back. The plates were pulled taut, forming the vest to her body. It didn't do anything to the weight of the thing, but made it, at least, presentable. Well, as best as it could be. The vest was clearly meant for someone of a wider stature than hers. The plates were pulled almost too tight to compensate. It didn't make it too difficult to move, but definitely made her worry about doing so.

Ashido ushered the boys back as she swung in with sash and jacket in tow. The girl's sash became a sort of makeshift loincloth before Yu's jacket was tied over it, covering the adult's hips and backside. Now, the most prominent areas of the liquid seepage were hidden with the only remaining ones being faint enough to be unnoticeable.

The interns stepped away from Yu, almost admiring their work. However, when Yu turned herself to see her own reflection upon a non-shattered window, she couldn't help but think, "I look ridiculous…" Teal didn't mix well with tan and orange – and the dramatic amount of green definitely didn't. Though, she still said, "Thanks…" She rolled her shoulders, adjusting to the weight. "Better to look ridiculous than deal with some jackass stuffing a camera into my chest…"

She looked around and noticed that Kamui Woods had left their little party, leaving the task to the teenagers. Instead, he focused on forming multiple barriers along the road and sidewalks. Now, the civilians and would-be photographers couldn't close in on the interns, villains, and Heroine. Though, those gawking people quickly recognized the two Pros, starting as excited gasps before erupting into squeals and cries.

Soon, sirens and the local authorities began to drown them out and parted the crowd, soon organizing it.

-XXX-

Hitoshi nodded to Arm-Burst. "Follow the officer's directions to the letter." He clapped his hands together before gesturing to the female officer. "Alright, he's all yours."

The bird-faced woman tilted her head. "Just like that?" She offered a command. "Arms behind your back." It was followed, and caused her to chuckle. "Nice."

She pulled out a pair of regular handcuffs before Hitoshi interjected, "I'd recommend the heavy-duty ones – his arms expand."

She blinked before nodding, "Gotcha, thanks, kid." She tucked her cuffs away before pulling a pack from her back. Said pack split into two and expanded into two rectangular prisms with arm-sized holes.

Hitoshi smiled underneath his mask. "You're welcome."

His attention shifted when he heard the grunt of three. Electrocutioner was loaded on a complicated-looking stretcher. The bedding seemed to shine akin to a rubber-like material while heavy-duty clamps were strapped over his arms and legs. "Hey, we got this from here," said one of the paramedics to the other. "Prep the ambulance for an electric Quirk."

"Aye, aye."

Hitoshi walked over, overhearing Midoriya ask, "Is he… Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, he's gonna be fine," said the medic. "We'll get the swelling down. Other than the probable concussion and messed up teeth, he'll be right as rain."

Midoriya nodded, "That's good to hear."

The returning paramedic called out, "Ambulance's ready!"

"Let's get 'em rolling then." Both medics nodded to Midoriya. "Thanks for your help."

"No problem," was offered in return as they rolled the villain away. "It was my own mess anyway." Hitoshi placed his hand on his hips, looking at Midoriya. "What?" he said.

Hitoshi shrugged as he walked over. "It doesn't look as good without the vest."

"Yeah, I realized," said Midoriya, looking over himself. "Having a bunch of armor on without something covering the chest is a weird look."

"Not as weird of a look as that one." Hitoshi jerked his chin towards the distant heroine. "Poor Mount-Lady. It's a hell of a hodgepodge on her." He knew that was mean to say, but since the police showed up, he would be so distracted that he'd occasionally forget what she was wearing. "She looks like one of those little kids in a marshmallow vest that's too big for them…" Every time he'd turn to look at her, he'd have to bite back a chuckle.

It caused her to glare at him a few times. "I can hear you! Ya brat!" She has remarkably good hearing.

He shook his head. "Poor, poor Mount-Lady."

"Are you seriously egging on a Pro?" asked Midoriya as he stepped forward.

Hitoshi shrugged, gesturing over. "Hey, I got Kamui to chuckle."

Mount-Lady noticed that and pointed at the Hero herself. "Traitor!"

"What's with the armor, Mount-Lady!?" cried a voice from the crowd.

"Did you get hurt!?" questioned another.

"And why is it that ugly green color!?"

Midoriya flinched, "Ugly?" He deflated, "What's—uh… what's wrong with it?"

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong with it," said Hitoshi.

"It's a mix between forest and marine green. It's a nice color."

He nodded, "It is, it is."

"Goes good with the red."

"It does." He blew raspberries and waved his hand. "Color theory – just lost on them."

Midoriya looked down. "I know you're trying to make me feel better, but you just… sound perpetually sarcastic."

"No, I don't. That's Jirou; not me," defended Hitoshi.

Ashido walked over to them. "Nope."

"Nope?" he echoed.

She waved her hand. "Nah, Jirou's sassy. You're sarcastic."

"Oh, please," said Hitoshi. "I'm the sassy one."

Ashido pointed at him while looking over at Midoriya. "See?" She "Anyway, Shinso's mean personality aside—"

Hitoshi leveled a glare at her. "Oi."

"Police are taking all of our statements. Mr. Woods wants us to be a part of it," said Ashido. She giggled, "It feels so official. It's like our first interview as sidekicks!"

As she led them back to the Pros, Midoriya cringed, "Oh, please, don't call it an interview that sounds terrifying."

"Scarier than taking on a guy trying to kill you?" questioned Hitoshi.

Midoriya sounded incredulous. "Yeah? Like ten times scarier!"

The three melded with the two Pros as they gave a clear summary of the last hour to the officer in charge. "There was one last thing… These villains talked like they were a part of a larger group. Shinso mentioned that 'Arm-Burst' commented something about a boss. And that Plastic-Woman said 'that failure was worse than death'."

"Woods mentioned that you guys were stretched thin. Is there some gang activity going on?" asked Mount-Lady.

"Gang activity?" echoed Midoriya.

The officer raised his palms. "I… I cannot confirm or deny."

"C-Can you hint at anything?" asked Midoriya.

"Midoriya." He softly scolded, "That's not an appropriate question to ask at this time."

"L-Look, I'm sorry, but…" Midoriya started to ramble, "But, I live in Shiketsu and my mom lives here, alone, so—" However, under a continuing gaze, he quickly lost his fervor. "I… I'm sorry…"

The officer let out a chuckle. "Don't be too harsh. I'd be sweatin' bullets if I heard my mom's suffering under some gang." He adjusted his cap. "And he's a sidekick, right? They'll all be getting these types of talks soon enough." He looked around to make sure no one slipped through the wooden barriers before speaking. "We're keeping low to avoid drumming up a panic, so, as long as you guys keep this to your chests, it should be fine to mention details."

He cleared his throat before speaking with a low voice. "There's been a string of robberies across a bunch of cities that we've started to believe are connected in some way. It started in Kamino Ward, skipped over to Hosu, took a pit stop in the Domed-City, and managed to find its way into our neighborhood. Almost always three locations, but the time between them varies. They've hit a few vets, but they've been mainly targeting pharmacies."

"That can't be a lot of cash," commented Hitoshi.

"They're not after the cash. They've been after the drugs," explained the officer. "Undercover boys haven't mentioned anything about upticks in 'supply', so… they've been stealing them to… hoard them." He shrugged, "We don't really know anymore than that. All in all, there's been two caught, but today, we're hauling in three." He smirked, "Maybe, if we're lucky and these guys are connected to the whole shebang, then maybe one will be willing to squeal a little bit."

"If they are connected though, doesn't that mean that they'll, well, leave?" offered Ashido.

Kamui rubbed his chin. "It depends. They may leave, or go to ground, or accelerate their time-table."

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Midoriya.

The officer chuckled, "For now? You've done plenty, kiddo." He tilted the cap. "Thank y'all for your service."

"Always Officer Masami," said Kamui, shaking the man's hand.

"You know, I overheard the captain was trying to organize an op to do something about these guys. Hopefully, put a stop to this mess here." He raised a brow. "Think you two are interested in throwing your names as potential powerhouses?"

"Like 'On-Call' situation or…?" pondered Mount-Lady.

Masami shrugged, "Probably a full operation. If you're interested in the paycheck."

She smiled, offering her hand. "You guys have my number."

"That we do, ma'am."

"If they weren't offering pay, was she not gonna help…?" thought Hitoshi. His face contorted slightly at the thought, and after a quick glance, he noticed that Ashido and Midoriya had similar looks.

"Count me in," offered Kamui. "And perhaps, you should contact Death-Arms. I'm sure he'd be happy to assist." He looked over at Mount-Lady. "I stayed in contact after the U.A. Sports Festival."

"Okay," she said, obviously not sure what to do with that information.

Masami laughed, "Great!" He nodded, "Always a pleasure." He started to step away from them. "Y'all are good to continue your patrols."

"Thank you, officer." Kamui turned to the Heroine. "Will you still be joining us?"

Mount-Lady pulled out her phone. "Yeah, sure, but I gotta arrange for a quick-change."

"Quick-change?" echoed Ashido.

"Right, the van…" muttered Midoriya.

Kamui turned, looking over at the crowds. "We should get away from the crowd then…"

"Kamui Woods! You look awesome, dude!" cried a teen.

"Look here! Look over here! I wanna see those steel-blue eyes!" squealed a woman.

"Hey! Mount-Lady!" A long-haired man aimed his phone at the group. "Pleasure to make your ass-quaintance!" Pulling his phone to his ear, he snorted, "Ha-ha! Dude, I said it to her!"

"What's with all the extra layers!? Have a wardrobe malfunction?" laughed another at Mount-Lady.

"Who're those guys?" questioned another.

"Are those your sidekicks?!"

"Why're you two patrolling together!?"

Another gasped, "Are you together-together?!"

Mount-Lady grumbled, rolling her eyes and tapping faster on her phone. "Yeah, no kidding…"

"Wow, thought the whole crowd thing would be exciting…" muttered Ashido.

"Yeah… it's a bit… overwhelming…?" said Hitoshi.

"Ten times scarier…" murmured Midoriya.

-XXX-

Izuku sat on an abandoned wood pallet in a wide alleyway, raking a napkin against the inside of his vest. To his side, Shinso was leaning up against the brick-wall behind them. In the center of the alley, there was the QCV driven here by Kaguya. Mount-Lady was currently occupying the back while Kamui sat in one of the front seats. Which was due to the fact that Kamui was equally famous to Mount-Lady, and if spotted, would bring a fresh, new crowd. So, the sidekicks were left to keep an eye out for any nosy individuals.

"So, Woods can't see into the back of the van?" asked Ashido, peering around the back of the van.

Izuku shrugged, "There's like a two-centimeter wall welded in to keep them separated."

"How do they see what's behind them?" asked Shinso.

Izuku began to pull the vest over his head, ignoring the clink it made against his helmet. "The rear-view mirror's a screen to a dash-cam recorder – they got a camera installed above the backdoor."

Ashido stared upwards at the little lens. "So, Mr. Woods could see me right now…?"

One orb flattened while the other grew tall. "Yeah?"

"What're you gonna tell your mom?"

"Officer Masami wanted us to keep this whole thing quiet…" Izuku teetered his head. "If I tell my mom, she wouldn't be able to stand the idea that her co-workers or friends would get hurt if she didn't say anything." He let out a chuckle. "But… I have a feeling she already knows."

Ashido unhooked her fingers from the corners of her mouths, looking away from the camera overhead. "What makes you say that?"

"For the last couple of years, my mom's been working at a clinic. She's partly a nurse, but she's more like a… receptionist, I guess. I really don't know the title of the job. Point is: the doctor doesn't dole out the prescriptions, but he does write them. And my mom being my mom has a bunch of pharmacies on speed dial so she'd give them a ring and see what they have in stock for a patient."

"Meaning she must've heard about the robberies. At least, the ones in Musutafu," said Shinso.

"Why didn't she say anything?" asked Ashido, slowly shifting back towards the camera.

Izuku let out a sigh, shaking his head. "The same reason I'm not telling her about what happened today."

"You don't want her to worry," said Shinso. "And she didn't want to worry you."

"Sounds about right…" muttered Izuku.

"Ashido, stop making weird faces!" said Kamui from his seat. "It stopped being funny by the third face."

"You say that like I'm trying to make you laugh," she murmured before pushing up her nose and making a weird oink-like noise. Which earned a chortle from both Izuku and Shinso.

There was a soft knock on the door before Takeyama pushed it slightly open. "Scoot, Pinky."

"You know my Hero name?" asked Ashido as she stepped away.

In a fresh costume, Takeyama blinked as she stepped out. "That's your Hero name?" She looked the girl up and down before shrugging. "I guess it works." She closed the van doors before knocking against the side of the vehicle. "Thanks for the run, Kaguya!"

Kaguya stuck her head out of the driver-side window. "Thank y—err, you're welcome!"

"So, next up is lunch and then I guess we'll wrap up our little adventure for the day," said Kamui as he stepped out of the passenger-side door.

"I guess," replied Takeyama, shrugging. She nodded towards Ashido. "It's a cute name, by the way."

"Thanks!"

-XXX-

Under the setting sun, following Kamui Woods, Mina walked with Shinso and Midoriya as Mount-Lady took up the rear. Mina peeked over her shoulder to see the Heroine sifting through her phone. She was so focused on it that she didn't notice Mina staring. "What is she reading…?" The angle Mount-Lady held the phone made the screen completely obscured. She shook her head before shifting her gaze forward; washing over Shinso and Midoriya. "Midoriya…" She crossed her arms. "Why didn't Ms. Inko mention the robberies…? She knows that we're working with Heroes… But… I guess having us ask about it could've made the internship awkward… She probably considered that…" She tilted her head. "And Midori doesn't plan on telling her about anything that happened today, either… The paramedics said he was fine… So, the Pros probably feel like they don't have to call and tell her… Then I guess telling her would just make her worry… And that's pointless if everything's fine…"

Her eyes landed on Midoriya again, noticing that his head was swiveling about. She couldn't help but look around to try and catch whatever he was looking at. "It's just like any other street…" Though, because she was positioned closest to the street, she did notice that the brick wall they were walking along was the perimeter to a school. "There's so many trees I can't see what the place actually looks like…" Focusing on Midoriya again, she noticed that he had stopped. Instead, he lightly brushed his fingertips against the coarse wall as he walked on. After retracting his hand, he took it into his other before kneading one thumb into the opposite palm. His chest moved slowly, taking in deep breaths.

Kamui coughed as they rounded a corner. "I'm sure we're all very tired after that fight and a hardy meal, but there's one last thing I wanted to mention about patrols." As they stepped in front of the shut front gate, he announced, "A place a Hero should always keep an eye on are the many schools that dot our cities."

Shinso stepped forward, reading the hanging plaque. "Aldera Junior High… Gross…"

Kamui chuckled, "While we may not have fond memories of our past, these places contain the future, so they deserve the extra attention."

To almost no one's notice, Mount-Lady muttered, "Yeah, great… Extra attention is exactly what I need…" Before she stepped closer to the brick wall, obscuring herself from any potential eyes from the school.

Mina shifted her attention to Midoriya as he crossed his arms. His fingers dug into his arms while shoulders seemed to tense. Her gaze shifted from the school to him as the pieces clicked, turning obvious. "You went here?" she muttered… aloud.

"Uh…" A chuckle stumbled into the air as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I… I did." He crossed his arms; tighter this time. "You'd think it'd feel like a lifetime ago, but standing right in front of it…" He laughed, "Makes it feel just like yesterday…" His laugh tumbled, trailing off. It was so forced that everyone could, judging by the way they were looking at him.

Midoriya coughed, turning to Mount-Lady. "You actually, uh… debuted near here, right?"

"Yeah," she replied curtly.

"Yeah, you saved his butt," he said before turning to Kamui. "I mean, you really needed it."

Mount-Lady snorted.

The man flinched before clearing his throat. "I really didn't."

The woman laughed, "Oh, yeah, you did." She lifted her chin. "He was helpless without me."

"Totally," said Midoriya, stepping back slightly.

"I… wasn't." Kamui hesitated for a moment. "You know, we're both Heroes… It's fine… No one got hurt, that's what matters…"

"Yeah, the most, right?" offered Shinso.

Mount-Lady nodded, putting her hands on her hips. "Of course, yeah…" Her voice went high as she let out, "But~…"

"I… Ooh… How you… Hm…" Kamui was struggling.

Mount-Lady stepped closer, smirking, as she leaned forward. "Hm? Hm, hm? What was that? What were you gonna say, huh?"

"The longer I spend time with you; the more my composure turns to tatters," he grumbled.

She chuckled, "Good. You could stand to loosen up a bit." She shrugged, "You take yourself way too seriously."

Kamui rolled his eyes. "And you don't take yourself seriously enough." He finally bit back and it caused something to wash over her face.

Clearly, something was struck, but Mount-Lady only leaned back and shrugged, "Hm… Touche…" She put her hands on her hips. "Thanks for getting your sidekicks to save me back there…"

"You're… welcome?"

Mount-Lady nodded at Mina and Shinso. "Thanks for saving me."

"Uh, no problem," said Shinso.

Mina blinked, "Y-Yeah, no biggie."

Mount-Lady stretched, "Well! It's been a long day!" She let out a sigh. "Let's call it, yeah?"

"Sure… We can call it here," said Kamui.

She clapped her hands. "Grand!" She nudged her intern before turning around. "Come on, Rook. Let's get outta here."

Midoriya had been standing near the curb, staring at the ground with his arms crossed. Once nudged, he finally looked up, nodding to his friends. "See you guys around." He bowed his head at Kamui. "It's been a pleasure. Always been a fan."

"Thanks…" murmured Kamui as the Heroine and intern left.

Once they both disappeared around the corner, Mina rubbed her arm. "Um… That was awkward…"

"Yes…" Kamui rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose it's become a rather off day for her…"

Shinso shrugged, "Yeah, I guess getting strangled by plastic might do that to you."

Kamui shook his head. "It's a good lesson to impart." He elaborated, "Being a Hero has similarities to many common jobs – mainly in that, there are good days and worse days. So, don't ever see taking a step—away from things as weakness. It may save your life, in more ways than one."

-\ XXX /-

Thank you for reading and criticize away!

Update Window: September 20th - 30th

Intended Due Date: September 20th - 25th