Cyber Hero
Chapter 17
Now that the matters involved with I Island have mostly been dealt with, its time to see what Izuku is doing. And how he's going to deal with the issue of the Sports Festival. Plus I'll be paying off a number of lines I set in motion earlier. So on with the show.
(No POV)
After Melissa returned to I Island, there were a number of things to explain. Starting with her new companions. "So, there is a world parallel to our own. And its where you have been for the last two days. Am I following this correctly?" Melissa's father David Shield asked while looking at the creatures before him.
Sayakomon was next to the girl while Salamon was snuggled up on Melissa's lap. Crabmon and Penguinmon were inspecting the lab area they had found themselves in as David and the security team were watching over the group. "I thought you might be happy at the idea of having more high-speed processors," the little bivalve Digimon said with a pout.
"Yes, well it would be helpful to have that. But we need to talk about the fact you hacked and stole data from multiple sources to do that. If….. you're going to stay here, we need to establish ground rules and guidelines for you working here." David says while facepalming.
The Digimon bowed down, thinking that he would say they couldn't stay. But Melissa and Penguinmon caught the important detail. "You said, if. As in…." Melissa trailed off while looking at her father with a growing smile.
David sighed before saying, "if they agree to abide by a few laws and other rules, then yes. I don't see a problem with them staying here. It could be helpful to finish a number of projects." Melissa leapt up and wrapped her father in a hug. While Salamon and the others celebrated.
It took a bit of persuading with the board of directors, and a demonstration of what the Digimon could do, that the Digimon were allowed to stay and could aid in the refinement of the various devices being made. As well as some taking the chance to explore the Digital World itself. Under very strict supervision and regulation. But it led to a rapid set of improvements for many industries. That story though is for later.
While this had been happening, Izuku was dealing with a new problem. Namely, deciding how to go about the matter of the Sports Festival. 'I mean, it's not like I'm not getting hero lessons as is. So there's really no reason for me to participate. Besides, I have to try and keep some things secret.'
He thinks this while observing Yui and Jiro training in the Digital World, just outside of Primary Village. Jiro was trying to figure out how to use other combat skills than just her jacks. With Strikedramon, Leomon, and Renemon instructing her in hand-to-hand combat.
Yui meanwhile was training to use her size shifting quirk to fight strategically. Making obstacles for traps while Baohuckmon and Tialudomon tried to get to her. As well as getting some hand-to-hand training as well. "Still isn't quite enough to counter power like you have Bao. But it could work for a distraction." Yui said while on a break.
Baohuckmon agreed and suggested that she learn some from more strategic types of Digimon. "Doumon is a good example. She has to properly plan how to unleash some of the talismans and other techniques." Tialudomon said while relaxing. The size shifting girl nodded while looking at Izuku with a smile.
Though it dropped when she saw how conflicted he seemed. Resolving to ask him about the matter once back in the real world. "Everything okay?" she asked once they returned. Izuku looked to her with a disconcerted look and explained his complicated feelings toward the Sports Festival.
"By turning into Agunimon, I could do more in the festival. Maybe even win it. Heck, Justicmon is basically a full hero as is. But…. I don't want to show more about Digimon. Too much revealed and it could result in more trouble for me. Then there's the fact that I'm already getting proper hero lessons. It just seems pointless."
"Yeah, it kind of is. You've already surpassed most of us as heroes. Even a number of pro heroes you've passed them by easily." Yui said bluntly. Which Izuku appreciated and chuckled before admitting he didn't know the exact way to dodge the matter. "Without it looking like I ran just because I have a quirk."
Jiro heard this and understood what the problem was. "Most of your class knows you don't have a quirk so they wouldn't be surprised if you stepped away. But at the same time, it feels like you're admitting a major defeat, right?" she asked with a sympathetic gaze.
Izuku sighed and agreed. "I've put so much into doing good as a Tamer and Guardian. I've saved a number of lives from behind the scenes. And I can do that by hiding in plain sight and keeping the secret. If I get recognized and acknowledged as a hero, it could do a lot of good for the handful of quirkless I've saved and give them inspiration. But then I'll be stuck behind all kinds of red tape. And other lives could be lost."
Yui and Jiro then both comment, "damned if you do, damned if you don't right?" The two share a look before laughing and the latter noted that it was all still up to Izuku. "You may technically be a vigilante, but that doesn't make you evil. In fact, because you are often working with Digimon, it'd be fair to say that you are outside of the major parts of the laws."
The green teen stopped and considered what she said. Smiling and thanking the girls before saying he'd come up with something to get around the matter. While thinking and wondering about these matters, some new troubles were occurring throughout Japan. Partially due to his less focused patrols and investigations. As well as Terry leaving matters in Izuku's hands to focus on his home.
"Another group of fakes to purge, and truly deserved ones." Stain said while cutting a female hero across her chest. Leaving her to bleed out. While his ally, Sealsdramon, had put one knife through a hero's head, snapped another's neck, and was waiting for Stain so they could catch up to the last.
The group of heroes they had gone after were a few women working for the same agency. And all of them had been embezzling from their agency as well as assaulting a number of boys and girls. Reveling in the fact they nor their parents could oppose them. "Your fate was sealed when you attacked that boy." Stain snarled from the shadows of the alley.
The woman looked around in panic. Certain that her acceleration quirk had helped her to get away. Only to be confused by the shadows and darkness all around. "It won't be that easy for you," she heard, and her side was sliced. Before feeling paralysis thanks to Stain's quirk. The man and Digimon stalked up to her while brandishing their blades. Tears filled her eyes as the weapons came down upon them.
Most of Stain and Sealsdramon's victims would be found later. But this woman was used to be an example by hanging her up in a busy intersection. With all of the evidence of their crimes projected or scattered around the location. "Now some proper justice has been served." Stain said with a glare down at his victim.
A number of people had become victims of what some described as a wandering circus of terror. Many disappearing or turning into various kinds of creatures or statues. Other areas were affected by strange weather or even diseases that sprang up out of nowhere. In some cities, there were reports of strange creatures suddenly appearing or ghostly parades moving through parts of towns.
At Ketsubutsu Academy, Katsuki's state of mind was deteriorating even more. "You're no hero! You're just a villain. Nah, let's call him what he really is. Monster! Monster! Monster!" he started hearing this chant even in the middle of class. Causing him to lash out as well as freak out about what was happening.
The hero students had to be called in and restrain the young man. Yo looking as his underclassman with worry as he was taken to the nurse's office. "What's going on with him?" he thought aloud while his girlfriend, Nakagame Tatami, walked up behind him. "You checked in on him earlier in the year, right?"
"Yeah. I thought he was just dealing with PTSD because of what happened when that villain kidnapped him. But it's like there's something else going on. Something we can't see." Yo said with some worry directed Bakugo's way.
In the nurse's office, Bakugo was restrained for a time until his parents could come to take him to see someone. The boy's beady red eyes darting around quickly. Trying to find the source of the sounds and voices. Eventually he closed his eyes and started to tear up hearing the chanting again.
But it suddenly stopped when Yo arrived to check on him once again. "Hey. What's going on with you?" he asked while looking worried at Bakugo. While tempted to say it was nothing, Bakugo knew that wouldn't fly and this was something he couldn't fix alone. "But to be honest…. I don't think you guys can do anything," he said while looking down at his hands.
Or one hand specifically. He felt the scar Ladydevimon had left him with before making up his mind. "Listen. I don't fully know what's going on. But there's something that keeps calling me. Something I can't see it, but I keep hearing the voices. And I don't know what it's all about. So, I need a favor."
Yo and Tatami look at him funny before asking if a pro hero could help him. "No, they can't either. This is something else. Something, I don't even know how to describe it. But listen. If you hear about something happening to me, call Deku. Or no. Call Midoriya Izuku. I think he's at UA. He can help more than you can."
The two hero students feel like the way Bakugo explained things was a slap in their face. "What the hell?! He doesn't think we're worthy hero students? And we have to call in some hero from the top school to get things done?!" Yo says while punching his palm.
Tatami meanwhile wondered if it was something else that made him think they couldn't do the job. "I mean maybe this guy he asked us to call was a friend or something. Someone who knew about these problems and could help when needed." The vibration quirk user doesn't like it, but he can see she has a point.
"Is it time?" an evil looking creature asks while observing Katsuki from the shadows. A separate being wielding a staff or spear like weapon chuckled cruelly before uttering, "yes…. He will be ripe for us in a matter of days." Bakugo heard this and swore he could see gleaming catlike eyes staring at him. His eyes start to tear up again and he questions if this was karma of some kind.
Two days later, it was time for the UA Sports Festival. Izuku was currently in his phys ed uniform and wondering what the best way to duck out of the competition. It was then he got a call from a number he didn't know. "Hello?" he said while moving to the side of the hallway.
"Hi there. This is Shindo Yo. Listen are you…. Uh Deku or Izuku?" The green teen's eye twitched upon hearing the name Deku, but he acknowledged who he was. "Okay good. Look um. Something has happened to Bakugo Katsuki. He's gone missing. And he said we should call you if something happened."
Izuku's eyes were wide before excusing himself further from the others. "Can you describe what happened? I need details on what's been going on with him." Izuku said while pulling out his digivice. After getting a few of the details, he had his choices for who would come with him. He looked down at it before calling up Ludomon, Hyokomon, Bulucomon, and Renemon.
He reasoned that the others might be too much for what they were dealing with. "Besides, you all are a bit aggressive with him. Not that he doesn't deserve it but still." Izuku said while communicating with his partners. Hackmon was the first to agree as they all had been with Izuku the longest.
"Besides, those four could use a bit more to grow with. Good luck Zuku." Hackmon said while going back to Izuku's old nickname. Izuku smiled before telling 'Haku" thanks and that they'd be back. Opening a portal to the Digital World headed to the cyber area of Ketsubutsu Academy.
And when he arrived he shocked both Yo and Tatami. "What the Hell?! How did you do that?!" Yo shouted upon seeing Izuku arrive. The green teen rolled his eyes before asking where Bakugo had last been seen. "Uh right. Look, now's not the time to be making a big deal about these things. You're getting too worked up." Tatami said. Admonishing Yo and then showing the last area his old bully had been seen.
Once they arrived, all of the partners he brought along appeared and were on high alert. Shocking the older teens while Izuku conversed with them naturally. "I feel it too. There's something else here. Something evil. Or at least the embers of something evil." Izuku says while keeping his guard up.
The older hero students shake their heads until Tatami shouts, "what are these things?! And why is that one…. Kind of cute." She said this while looking at Ludomon. Who hid his head while blushing. "It's a little complicated. But suffice it to say, they're the ones who can find Bakugo."
"Is this…. Some weird form for your quirk to take?" Yo asked in confusion while looking over the creatures before him. Feeling a weird stirring in his stomach looking at Renemon, intimidated by the glare from Bulucomon, and wanting to laugh at the antics of Hyokomon.
Izuku rolled his eyes before saying, "that would be impossible since I don't have a quirk. These are my partners. I'll probably erase your memories later but you should know that we aren't dealing with villains like you're accustomed to. This is something much stronger."
The two looked at him with some surprised but still followed along as Renemon and Bulucomon started tracking the scent they could make out. Reasoning, "we may not know what's going on or what we're dealing with. But we're still heroes. We have to save who we can."
The youngest hero among them smiled slightly before suggesting they stay close to Hyoko and Ludomon. The group made their way through the streets and into a few back alleys. With only those connected to the Digital World (Izuku among them) able to understand what was happening now.
"This is really weird. What's with this maze-like area? It wasn't like this before." Tatami said while shivering from the foreboding feeling around them. Yo agreed and questioned if it was just because they were in a strange part of town somehow. "No. This is the effect of whoever was calling to Bakugo. They created this new space to lure people away. Likely using him as a catalyst."
"Excellent insight young man! But just because you understand the matter doesn't mean you can do anything about it!" a voice rang out and even more darkness descended over the group. Before it took over though, Izuku will, and courage flared up. Not only making his digivice glow and push the shadows away but making all of his partners digivolve.
Kyubimon's flames pushed the darkness back more, Tialudomon generated electricity from his shields and claws, Paledramon created a small ice wall that froze some of the Digimon hiding in the shadows. And finally, an old face returned. "Hyokomon! Digivolve to! Buraimon!" With that, the ronin-like bird Digimon appeared. And cut apart some Vilemon and Demidevimon that had tried to sneak up on the teens.
Yo and Tatami were dumbstruck and barely muttered out a few questions on how that was possible. "You've got a nine tailed fox, a dragon, and a tengu here!" his black-haired doppelganger commented while looking at the group. Tatami commented that Ludomon was now really cool looking. He ducked his head slightly while blushing and thanking the girl.
"Quite the gathering of capable Digimon you have. But I doubt it will matter." As the voice says this, a being comes out from the shadows. It is a red skinned man with yellow cat like eyes, a conniving smile, and wielding a pitchfork. "Phelesmon." Izuku said upon seeing the evil Digimon.
But what was behind the villain had Izuku scared. It initially appeared to be a large Vilemon or some sort of other demon Digimon. As it got closer to them, Izuku could see that it was Bakugo. Mutated by the various Digimon around them, and all of them feeding off of his negative emotions.
The two hero students looked on in worry and asked what was going on. Izuku narrowed his eyes before saying, "I really can't get away from you. But don't worry Kacchan. I'll save you." He subtly built up some data in his hand while keeping a close eye on the demon Digimon around him.
Finally got to this point. And yes this is my way to cop out of the Sports Festival. To be honest, I'm not a fan of that arc. I know it's important to Shoto's arc as well as Endeavor's, but I'm moving away from those stories for a reason. Besides, I need to build up more of the troubles that are now a part of the world thanks to the Digital World. And while I don't want to go full Ghost Game, it is the best parallel for what is happening and an illustration of what Izuku will kind of act as. Please review!