Chapter 13: The Trouble With A Viper's Fangs
UA was a relatively normal school today. Despite the usual crazy shenanigans of the heroics class, Ochako Uraraka found herself slightly bored of what they had been doing today. They had gone back to the USJ in the morning, doing a few rescue exercises before returning to the school for lunch. And as she sat down with her food, she just stared at tray before her.
"You okay, kero?" asked a certain student sitting across from her. Uraraka looked up at her, seeing it was Tsuyu Asui. "You seemed out of it today."
"I uh...I don't know." Uraraka replied as she began to eat some rice. "Sorry Tsu."
"No need to apologize, kero." Tsuyu responded, "I was just wondering why you were spaced out like that."
"Indeed!" another voice exclaimed, this one sitting next to Tsuyu. It was a Tenya Iida, a tall boy in glasses as he chopped the air with his arm. "I saw you seem off today, Uraraka! Is something wrong?"
"Oh! Is it a boy?" said another girl, this one sitting right beside Uraraka. She was a pink-skinned girl wearing a huge grin.
"No Mina." Uraraka deadpanned, giving her a low stare, "Nothing like that."
Mina Ashido leaned up to her face, her grin slightly widening, "I don't know about that. You seemed quick to say no."
Uraraka shook her head at this while a girl with long earlobes tapped Mina's shoulder, "Stop it, Mina. Its obviously not that. If she doesn't want to talk about it, don't bug her."
"Thanks Jiro." Uraraka said as the girl nodded back, only to take a deep breath as she then asked, "Say...this might be out of nowhere, but uh...what's your thoughts on vigilantes?"
Everyone turned to her at this, all showing mixed expressions. A boy with red spiky hair, who was sitting by Iida, spoke up at this, "Why do you ask?"
"Well...yesterday, I was helping my parents with a job they were doing when I saw the craziest thing. There was this guy that had this wheel quirk, and he stole someone's purse and before anyone could do anything, that new vigilante on the news, Spider-Man, just swooped in and stopped him." Everyone raised eyebrows at this as she continued, "It was amazing! He did it instantly, and he didn't do any damage or make a confusion. It was like watching a pro!"
"Huh. Sounds manly." the spiky haired kid replied, "Though uh...he is a vigilante, so that's not as manly."
"Agreed!" Iida declared while pushing up his glasses, "Vigilantes are criminals! They're basically villains!"
"But then why did he do it?" Uraraka instantly countered. "Like, after I saw that, I spent last night looking up online what Spider-Man's done and...he's done nothing but good. He's stopped two bank robberies, helped stop car chases and took down villains!"
"But what he's doing is illegal, kero." Tsuyu chimed in. "He's breaking the law, doing that without a license."
"Indeed!" Iida added, "No one has the right to go against the law, even if they're helping!"
"I know. I just thought it was strange. I thought vigilantes were like violent rejected heroes or something. But he wasn't like that at all. According to everything reported on him, he just...well, he goes in and saves the day while making sure there's little to no damage."
"Weird." Jiro responded, "So like...he just does hero stuff without a license? Isn't that kinda like us in training?"
"I...guess?" Uraraka replied while crossing her arms, "Its just...when I looked him up online, a lot of people think he's our age."
"Really?!" Mina gasped before tilting her head, "But you said he took down that guy like a pro."
"I know!" Uraraka said as she ate a bit more rice, "Or maybe I don't know. I just thought it was strange. Like, if he's that talented, why isn't he a hero? It just...didn't make any sense. Sorry for bringing it up."
"Its fine, kero." Tsuyu finished before putting a finger to her chin, "Though, I wonder if we'll have a class on vigilantism. I could see Aizawa-sensei lecturing about it."
The others all paled at that, remembering his last lecture over recklessness after going to the USJ today. But as they continued to eat, Uraraka's thoughts went back to yesterday, her conversation with Izuku and then witnessing what she had seen. 'Spider-Man...I wonder, are you like Izuku? Did you get rejected too?'
Meanwhile...
'Okay...this is not what I was expecting to fight today.' Izuku thought to himself as he was now in a giant sandpit, complete with a massive snake. Granted, he knew something was wrong, but he honestly felt that his grip on reality wasn't exactly stable right now. It also didn't help that Pro Hero Shishido was there, growling and roaring as he tried to fight the snake.
But it was how this all started was what Izuku was thinking about as he fired a web line to the ceiling and swung himself up to a nearby wall. The wall was not what it was supposed to be, as it looked like it was made out of some old Aztec temple. And in the middle of the building, Shishido was clawing at the serpent, repeatedly slashing at it with his claws, but the beast wouldn't go down. In fact, it acted like Shishido was barely there.
Izuku stared at the situation, his mind going a mile a minute. 'Think Izuku, think! Why is this happening?! How did this happen?!'
Fifteen minutes ago...
"Ugh...that was the worst." Izuku whispered to himself as he fired a web line, swinging down a block. He had just spent the morning listening to his mom telling him that he had broken his promise. Again. She told him she knew she had to get used to him being reckless, but he knew better. He knew she would keep worrying for the rest of her days.
As such, he was now doing a day patrol, the teen feeling a yawn coming along as he found nothing. And as he did this, he swung down another street, only for the police scanner to go off.
"This is Musutafu police. We have a disturbance at Rishi Avenue, any hero present, please respond."
"Rishi Avenue...that's not too far." he muttered to himself as he took a left, firing a few more lines as he crossed three streets, and then took a right. And as he did this, he quickly saw what the disturbance was. It was a crowd of screaming people running out of a bank, the sight making Izuku sigh.
"Seriously?! Another bank robbery?! Is that all criminals do around here?!" He commented as he landed on the bank's roof before looking down at his shooters, "Not gonna mess this up again."
Exchanging the web cartridges, he turned invisible and fired a web line on the roof before leaping off and swinging into the bank's front doors. And as he swung in, he fired a web, yanking himself up to the ceiling. But as he landed on the ceiling and looked down, he went wide-eyed.
"What the heck?!" he said, not noticing his invisibility cutting off as he stared at the sight before him. Somehow, the inside of the bank, in particular its main floor, had turned into a giant sandpit that looked like it was inside an Aztec temple. "How did-what is this?!"
He saw several people were stuck in the sandpit, making him shake his head. "Figure it out later. I got people to save." He swung back down the to the front door, clinging above it as he pointed his wrists at the trapped people. "Everyone, over here!" The people all spun around, several gasping at the sight of the vigilante. "Hang on! I'm gonna get you all out of here!" The teen then fired several web lines, grabbing people and yanking them out. Several more screams followed this, the teen quickly throwing them through the front door. And as he was about to grab the last person, a loud noise rang out.
"RAWR!"
"Huh?" Izuku stuttered out, only for a pile of sand to fly out of the middle of the pit. And as this happened, a giant dark figure shot out, letting out another roar. The teen flinched at the sight, now seeing a massive snake. It looked like it couldn't fit in the building, as only part of its body was inside the sand pit. The last civilian screamed at the sight, making Izuku glance back at him before firing a web line. He gave it a good yank, flinging the person out of the building before firing webbing at the front door and pulling it, closing the door. And as he did this, he looked back at the snake, now seeing it glare at him.
"Uh...hi?" He squeaked out, his spider sense blaring as the snake tilted its head and lunged at the vigilante. "Whoa!" He yelped as he leapt off the wall, just dodging the snake as it hit the wall. The whole place rocked at this, Izuku swinging over to another wall before looking back at the monster, 'Okay Izuku, you need to think. How do you fight this...thing?! Maybe I can-'
THOOM!
The bank's front door flew off their handles, hitting the snake. But as the door hit it, they just bounced off, the snake not even flinching. And as this happened, a new roar rang out. Both Izuku and the snake looked down at the now broken entrance, revealing a certain Pro Hero.
"Shishido?" the teen muttered out as he then saw the hero roar before leaping at the snake.
"GAWR!" the lion man hero barked as he thrust his legs into the beast. The snake just shook at the blow, only for the hero to start slashing at the creature. But as he did this, the snake just glared down at him before opening its massive mouth.
"Watch out!" Izuku yelled, making the hero stop and look up.
"Spider-Man?!" he growled, only to turn to the snake, the beast now lunging at him. He then slammed his claws down into the sand, sand not scattering despite what he did before leaping back.
'What the-did he not get stuck? I thought he was in the sand pit.' Izuku thought before looking back at the snake, 'Don't think about it. That thing's gotta go!'
He clenched his fist, electricity now sparking around it. The vigilante fired a web line and yanked himself above the snake, pulling his fist back. "Venom Smash!" He yelled as he fell and slammed the fist into the back of the beast's neck. But as he did this, the blow shook the snake, only for the beast to spin around and flick its head, knocking Izuku off the monster.
"Augh!" he yelped as he fell into the sand. The snake then opened his mouth over the teen, only for Shishido to lunge at its back, slamming into it. The monster only slightly flinched at this, quickly spinning back around as he glared at the Pro Hero.
And as the snake tried to chomp him again, Izuku's head popped out of the sand. 'Okay...this is not what I was expecting to fight today.' Izuku thought as he fired a web line and yanked himself back onto the wall, 'Think Izuku, think! Why is this happening?! How did this happen?!'
He stared at the fight before him, watching Shishido quickly dodge another attack from the snake before glancing around the room. 'Wait a minute...that's it! I forgot what this building is supposed to be! Its a bank! That means a robbery must be happening while this...giant snake monster is here.'
He looked back down and saw Shishido hit the beast with another blow, which looked like it should have carved right into the monster's skin. However, it did nothing. 'Wait...is that thing even real? I mean, my spider sense did warn me, so...is it just real enough?' He glanced back down, seeing nothing but old rock walls covering the place. There were no desks, chairs, nothing. Just a sand pit, a giant snake...and the busted front door.
'Its gotta be an illusion quirk! Though...its really powerful. If its that strong, maybe the one with the quirk is still around here somewhere.' He turned back to the fight, about to yell at Shishido, only to see the hero continue to attack the monster in a fit of rage. 'Eh, I better figure this one out by myself.'
He then turned invisible and crawled over to the wall opposite of the front door. He went down to floor level while staying on the wall, feeling around till he felt something. A doorknob.
'Here we go.' He slowly turned and opened it, slithering inside before closing it behind himself. As he did this, he found he was back in a modern setting, a basic office hallway. 'I was right. It is an illusion. Now, where's the-'
His thoughts came to a stop as he saw what he was looking for. The bank's safe, which was wide open. He quickly shot two webs and slingshotted himself over to the safe door, landing right in front of it. There, he saw a single person in what could only be described as the craziest outfit he had ever seen. It had a long purple cape, long green scaly jumpsuit and what looked like an upside-down fishbowl for a helmet.
The sight made his mind stutter, causing him to drop his invisibility. The masked man then turned to him, flinching at the sight as he stopped shoving money in a large duffel bag. "What the-Spider-Man?!"
"The one and only! Who are you? Fishbowl-Man?"
"Me?" The man replied, only to glance down at the money he was trying to steal before looking back at Spider-Man, "I am...Mysterio, the greatest illusionist in the world! Master of the Arcane Arts!"
Izuku just blinked at the name, only to let out a snort, "No, seriously. Who are you?" The teen then pointed at him, "You know, besides being a bank robber."
"I said, I am...Mysterio!" He exclaimed before dark green gas exploded out of him.
"What the-" Izuku flinched as the room was instantly filled, making him close his eyes for a second. And as he reopened them, he saw he was now in a pitch black void. "Huh?! How did-"
"You will do nothing, Spider-Man! For I, Mysterio, am taking all the money out of this bank! As for you, you will spend the rest of your days in this endless void! AHAHAHAHA!"
Izuku didn't know how to respond to that. He wanted to spit out a quip, but nothing came into mind. Instead, his mind just went into quirk nerd mode. 'Wow. So that's how he did that in the bank! Wait, he can do multiple illusions?! That's amazing!' He then mentally facepalmed before thinking, 'Focus Izuku! Think of a way out of this! I mean, you only felt a tiny bit of something was off with your spider sense in the bank earlier...'
And as he stood there, the villain finished stuffing the duffel bag before tiptoeing around the vigilante. As he did this, he watched Spider-Man just stand there, making him grin under his helmet. "Too easy." He whispered, only to feel a hand grab his shoulder. "Huh?"
"Found ya." Izuku chuckled before a surge of lightning went through his palm.
ZAP!
"Yaugh!" Mysterio yelped as electricity covered his body before falling face first into the bank floor. Seeing this, Izuku fired a glob of webbing, sticking him to the ground.
"Thank you, spider sense." Izuku whispered as he took out a card from his hoodie, "Haven't done this in a while."
The police had just arrived when the snake illusion in the bank suddenly dissipated. Shishido came to a stop at this, panting before letting out a bunch of roars. It took a minute before he went back to human speech, telling the officers that this monster was attacking the bank and Spider-Man was here. And as they ran into the back of the building, they found a certain villain webbed to the floor.
"What's that?" one officer asked as Shishido walked up and saw the card on the criminal's back.
"Grrr..." he growled as he picked up the card and read it, "Says 'I caught your bad guy. Be careful, he has a powerful illusion quirk. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.'"
"Seriously?" another officer remarked, "That guy's the villain?! Look at how he's dressed!"
"Eh, whatever. Let's just cuff him. Sides, the bank camera footage will probably tell us what happened."
But as Shishido ripped up the webbing, a sudden burst of gas came off the villain. "Whoa!" one of them yelled as the rest began coughing. Shishido kept swinging his paws around, trying to push the smoke away as Mysterio rose up. And as they this did, the villain grabbed his bag from before and bolted out of the room.
"Blasted Spider-Man!" Mysterio growled as he took a right, running to a back door of the bank. He slammed the door with his foot, only to come to a stop as he saw a line of cops all staring and pointing guns at the now opened door. "Aaah!" he yelped before he activated his quirk, another blast of smoke coming out of him. The officers all went wide-eyed at this before a few began firing, but it was too late.
The villain had cut a hard left and bolted away just in time, dodging the few bullets that were close by a split second. He then ducked into an alleyway as the smoke covered everything, gasping as he cut into a sprint. "That accursed vigilante! That is my first ever bungle! He will pay for beating me and ruining my performance!"
Izuku landed on a rooftop a few blocks away when he felt the adrenaline wear off. He let out a long sigh as he sat down and checked his web shooters. "Wow...did not expect that today. Guess there's villains of all types out there."
He then pulled out his notebook, flipping a few pages before getting to fighting styles. It was here he began to write, 'Let's see...I need to put my spider sense into my fighting style. Being able to sense danger and see through threats are really important. Granted, I don't think I'll be fighting giant snakes for a while, but there are other illusion quirks out there.'
He looked over what notes he had already made, ones over his fight with the Vulture, the masked men, the Tombstone gang, and now had something new to put in. 'Guess that's good for now. I've mainly had to fight crowds, so Venom Power will mainly be used in those scenarios. If it's one on one, I should hold back. I still don't know my full strength.'
He closed the notebook a bit later, making him sit back on the roof as he let out a sigh, now thinking back to today and yesterday, "Still...that was crazy. And according to Uraraka, they do like, lower key stuff at UA." He put a hand to his chin, "Do I want to go to UA? I mean, I'd be getting taught by All Might, but..." His eyes went wide at this, "Wait, I never asked her what its like to be taught by All Might!"
The teen facepalmed at this, "Augh! I'm such an idiot!" He slumped down at this, "Guess I'm still a worthless Deku."
After another few minutes of sulking, the teen leapt off the rooftop, swinging down the streets as his thoughts went back to today, 'I can't give up. I just...I just have to keep going. Though, I don't want to fight an illusion quirk again. Just let me fight something simple.'
And as he took a turn, firing another web line, he thought back to when he encountered Mysterio and said, "And no theatrics please. That was just...too much."
Meanwhile...
In a lone apartment, a certain gray-haired man stood above a smaller red-haired woman. Despite her size, she was an adult, and was currently rewiring a small gadget. "Ooookay. Got it." She spun around in her chair as she presented the device to the man, "Here we go, a new video camera and everything."
"It looks exquisite!" the man replied before lifting up a small teacup. "I love it! Well done!"
"Thank you Gentle!" she cheered, "I can't wait to try this out tomorrow!"
"Indeed! Tomorrow will be our greatest heist yet, La Brava!"
