Euphoria: I don't know if I'd ever do Tusk Requiem, I don't want to make Johnny too overpowered.
dumpstertrashfire123: I like it, it sounds like a counterpart to Weather!
Syrian Ken: I am working on Polaris, however, I must ask that you remain respectful to other stand ideas. Stands can come in all shapes and sizes, and you never know when the simplest of stands could prove to be the most deadly.
Boy: It's official, Araki is Momo's mom. Also, Sans is universal my friend.
Guest: Love the stands! I could see a lot of jokes being made about not-Sans. Also, Ulric has a plan with the upcoming flood, it is a controlled event.
Ivory Insanity: Thank you for the thoughtful review! I'm glad you enjoy Ulric! His arc is going to come to a close in a few chapters, and then after Joint Training with be the My Villain Academia arc...which I'm not gonna spoil shit, but Santana is the protagonist...and Shigaraki might not be the main threat...
Kyeo307: The Doctor is meant to be a walking paradox, the antagonist, but infallibility kind. He is both a foe and a mentor to Momo, and he will have a massive impact long after this arc has concluded.
Bearticguy7: That definitely won't inspire any fanart...creative idea though!
"Well...there goes the secret love child theory." Todoroki muttered.
"Wow...so you've had All Might's quirk this whole time? And before you were quirkless?!" Kaminari began shaking Izuku. "What the hell man?! How did someone like you keep that big of a secret for this long?!"
"SoMeoNe lIke Me?!"
"He had us covering for him of course, first me, then Kyoka." Johnny responded, putting a hand on Kaminari's shoulder to calm him down. "Also, Izuku you can barely lie to save your life."
"Forgive me for being honest!"
"Dude, do you know how much bullshit I had to pull just to cover for you?" Kyoka asked the One For All user.
"You literally told me about it after our first battle class, you idiot." Katsuki added.
"W-well you accused me of hiding a quirk for eleven years just to spite you! I didn't want you to get the wrong idea!" Izuku retorted.
"So...you guys have been helping Midoriya keep his quirk safe?" Tsuyu asked. "I honestly didn't expect that."
"Of course, Izuku hasn't been the target of every attack. The Necromancer picked him at random, according to the guy's journal. Santana wanted to destroy OFA to ruin AFO, but his target shifted to me due to my lineage." Gyro explained. "And some people were just weirdos."
"Like Alessi." Momo said.
"No, fuck Alessi. I hope he stays retired."
"Knowing our luck he's probably going to come back." Kyoka muttered. "Anyway...that's what we've been up to, that's why the group-"
"The Musketeers."
"Gyro, no." Johnny said, shooting his partner an annoyed glance.
"It's catching on, you can't deny it."
"Well, you guys don't have to worry! Whenever something else happens, I'll be sure to lend a hand!" Kirishima hardened a fist and pumped it into the air.
"Well, we all agreed that it would be best to have two groups, that way all of the heat won't just be on one party. However, I must stress that this is going to put you all in danger. This isn't a breakfast club-"
"I mean...it kind of is." Kyoka interrupted Momo.
"...okay, it is kind of a breakfast club...but there is real danger. Those of you who fought D'arby and the League of Bad Life Decisions already know."
"The League of what, ribbit?"
"A bunch of losers the Necromancer brought together, they were actually a pretty serious threat." Kaminari explained. "JoJo's sister Jolyne recruited us to help fight them...along with Uraraka."
"Uraraka was brought into the group after that." Izuku said, frowning. "She figured a few things out after you guys fought Thunder McQueen, and now she's been taken."
"It sounds like you're blaming yourself again." Johnny said with a narrowed look.
"Well-"
"Bad Izuku!"
*SMACK!*
"OW!"
Izuku sighed, knowing full well that blaming himself wasn't justified. Still, he couldn't help but feel it was his fault. Ochako had only recently become aware of One For All, and already she was targeted and kidnapped by someone who wanted his quirk.
Now there were four more people in on it, it wasn't a matter of trust...but...
No, this was the risk that had to be taken. Their friends were heroes, just like them. Now that they knew about his quirk and the true nature of the Musketeers, not including them would be an insult to who they were.
Izuku had learned something from his experiences, and that was that fighting alone was plain fucking stupid. He had confronted the Necromancer on his own and almost died, same with Nine. The Musketeers weren't there to protect One For All anymore, they were simply a team working together to make the world a safer place.
One For All was just a quirk, in the grand scheme of things it didn't really matter in the slightest. He wasn't the chosen one, nor was he any different from the other people in the room. What truly made a difference, the thing that really made things special...was the team surrounding it, and the essence of heroism itself.
The more help they got, the more meaningful all of this truly was. Izuku would never fight alone like All Might did, nor would he become a lone savior for people to idolize. He would fight alongside his friends, through everything.
"I really appreciate the help you guys, we all do...but please don't think any differently of me. I'm still learning alongside you, and...One For All is just a quirk that can be passed down. I'm not the Quirk Messiah or anything, I'm just me. One For All is only being protected because people want it, not because it holds any deeper meaning." Izuku said, facing the other four.
"You see how mature he is?!" Johnny elbowed Gyro, pointing at his childhood friend.
"I know...it's scaring me."
"Wow man...that was actually kind of a shock." Kirishima said to Todoroki. The two were exiting the woods following the reveal.
"I knew he and All Might had similar quirks, but I never put it together that they were the same. Midoriya's quirk always had such a bad backlash before he got it under control."
"Well, that's because OFA is stronger than it was with All Might! Man...and to think our classmates have been going through stuff like that for so long, and the fact that they've come out on top is so manly!"
"Well...Santana technically beat them, Gyro was the only person left when they wounded him."
"Now that we know...do you think we'd stand a chance?" Kirishima asked.
"If we join up with the other group, maybe. Pillar Men are strong, even without stands...it would probably be the hardest fight of our lives, and it's unlikely that all of us would live through it."
"Yeah...but he isn't the most ruthless of their enemies, so maybe not."
"I'm more concerned about this traitor theory that they have. It makes too much sense...the USJ, Training Camp...we have to be careful around our classmates now that we know about all of this. Who would betray us like that?" Todoroki replied, clearly bothered. "One of our classmates...a villain in disguise..."
"It's painful to think about." Kirishima agreed. "Class A has gotten to know each other for a while now...we're all friends...except for one of us, who's just pretending..."
"Do we have any people we can write off as suspects?" Todoroki asked.
"Ashido."
"Agreed...she's come to our aid many times, and she's one of the most loyal people we know, it can't be her."
"Anyone who knows about OFA is obvious."
"Yeah...none of our classmates seem like traitors, but at this point there has to be one!" Todoroki narrowed his heterochromatic eyes in frustration.
It was clear...that whoever the traitor was, the reveal was going to hurt.
"You've all certainly gotten better at recruiting allies."
Kyoka wrinkled her nose in disgust as Funny Valentine came from behind her. "Even when you aren't a ghost, you're still coming out of nowhere."
"It's a talent."
"It's an annoyance." Kyoka fired back.
Katsuki looked up from his desk, giving Valentine an indifferent glance, and looked back down. Truthfully, he didn't know how to feel about the former president. He had tried to kill Johnny, but at the same time he did all that he could to make up for it. He did understand Kyoka's distaste for him, but in all honesty, Katsuki decided that it would be best if he didn't care.
"I'm afraid I've got some bad news."
"You're in my line of sight?"
"...Shadow Moth is asking for Johnny and Gyro. He wants to meet them in person." Valentine said, his face frozen in a neutral deadpan.
Kyoka sighed, closing her eyes. Despite her distaste for the man, she knew that was a little harsh. "Sorry, I'm not in a good mood. Ochako has been missing for days now. So...the weeb wants a piece of my boyfriend, great."
"That could be a good thing."
Both Valentine and Kyoka turned to Katsuki, confused.
"How so?" Valentine asked.
"This bastard got away before, and if he's stupid enough to put himself out there just so he can satisfy his hate boner for those two, this is our chance to get information out of him." Katsuki stood up and grabbed some assorted materials from his desk. "I'm gonna go squeeze it out of him, JoJo and Gyro need a break. Wanna come?"
"Can't, I promised Kami I'd help him plan some sort of meeting place for the B team. Uh...you do know you don't have your provisional license yet, right? Not that we haven't committed acts of vigilantism before, but this fight could get public." Kyoka warned. "You also won the Sports Festival...your quirk is recognizable."
Katsuki frowned, annoyed. Kyoka was right of course. Before, he had either been in positions where it was justifiable to fight, or he had done so under the radar. However, Shadow Moth was the type to include civilians into his fights...
Someone would recognize him, and he could get in some serious trouble. Once more, he was at a road block.
"...unless we lure him here."
Kyoka turned to Valentine, her eyebrows raised. "Whoa there, he could-"
"Yes, I'd imagine he'd be quite dangerous, despite his stupidity. It's his lack of brains that would be his downfall. As soon as he steps on UA's soil, he would be fair game, as you'd simply be defending yourself from a trespassing villain, correct?" Valentine asked. "Plus, with him being in enemy territory, it is less likely he would escape."
Katsuki blinked, and then grinned. "That sounds like a good idea..."
The explosive blond walked back over to his desk and began aggressively scribbling out a plan, a manic glint in his eye. "If I can't go out and fight villains, I'll bring them to me! Like a mouse to a piece of cheese, unaware that it's neck is on the line! Ears, can you get Shitty Hair to meet me by the Battle Training Arena?"
"Wow, asking a favor and not giving an order...alright, sure." Kyoka said, pleasantly surprised. "If you've got some sort of a plan, I trust you."
"No need to be a bitch about it."
"No need, but there's a want."
"Fuck you, have fun with Dunce Face."
Katsuki gathered his things and walked over to the elevator, hitting the lever to descend.
"He's changed since I last saw him, he's...a bit more agreeable." Valentine noted.
"He finally understands that teamwork is better than being a lone wolf edgelord, now he's working with us. He repaired his friendship with Johnny too." Kyoka said with a smile. "It's safe to say Bakugo is changing for the better."
Valentine nodded. "That's good to hear...my part to play in Yaoyorozu's plan is today, I have made full preparations. Your friend will be with you once more, I promise."
Kyoka gave Valentine a look that he couldn't quite read, and nodded, getting up from her desk and heading towards the treehouse elevator.
Shadow Moth waited anxiously, tapping his cane in his hand as he waited for his quarry.
He had sent out a challenge to the duo that had bested and humiliated him the other day, in hopes of drawing them into a trap. He wanted to destroy them as soon as possibke, so that way the Doctor's plan could proceed without interruption...
And so the Curator wouldn't hit him again for failing.
He was the magnificent Shadow Moth, the supreme lord of "villainy" that would bring an end to the apocalypse that was bound to happen, and yet he had been bested by two teenagers...
Wait...
It was just like Miraculous! Two teenagers had become his arch enemies, Johnny Kujo and Gyro Zeppeli were his Ladybug and Cat Noir! How could he have been so blind to the way fate had so clearly set up his soon to be lifelong adversaries?
Of course, Johnny and Gyro were more like brothers than lovers pining for each other...although Zeppeli sometimes made that distinction a bit difficult to see, considering how often the Italian jokingly flirts with his sworn partner.
Still, his life was truly becoming just like the best show in the existence of shows, and that made him really happy.
Nothing could spoil his revenge now. He would destroy the duo's spirit, on this day, and the magnificent and sexy Shadow Moth would reign supreme.
"When ssshhhhould I attack, Shhhhadow Moth?" A raspy voice asked from the shadows. "I want my money."
"Wait until the akumatized have been beaten." Shadow Moth said, gesturing to several abominations created out of the surrounding citizens. "I'll pretend to be beaten, and you can kill them while their backs are turned...on second thought, keep them alive long enough for me to gloat."
"You have isssssuesssss."
"Aww, I wanted another shot at Shadow Moth." Gyro muttered. They were currently standing outside Jotaro's office to discuss the formation of the B team, waiting for their teacher/father to show up.
"I don't." Johnny disagreed, a look of disgust on his face. "I fucking hate Miraculous, not only is the plot stupid, it's protagonist is a creepy stalker that has the shittiest hero costume I've ever seen, like...it's just a jumpsuit and a mask."
"JoJo, it's a kids show. The creators don't need to put any thought into it." Momo responded, her lips turned upwards in gentle amusement. "Just let people enjoy it for what it is."
"Mindless garbage? Shipping shitty characters for far too long?"
"JoJo!"
"Okay, in all seriousness, I don't care if someone likes the show. What I do care about is the fact that this 40-something year old man seems to actually think he's the main antagonist from the show. Like...he's my dad's age. Could you imagine my father running around in a cat suit and calling himself Cat Noir?"
"...Good morning Johnny..." A familiar voice said from behind the young Joestar, and Johnny's cheeks turned pink from embarrassment.
"...hi Dad...how...are you today?"
Jotaro gave his son his normal blank stare. "Slightly disturbed, but otherwise I'm alright. Yaoyorozu, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Momo sighed, already knowing what the conversation was likely going to be about. "Of course Dr. Kujo...you two, don't get into any fights to the death while I'm gone, okay?"
"Of course!/No promises."
Jotaro snorted and brought Momo to his office, motioning for her to sit. "Your parents called today, asking if their paperwork to have you removed got through."
"What were they told?"
"That we were going to check."
"I'll take the fall for destroying them, you and Mr. Aizawa don't deserve-"
"We're already at risk by covering up Uraraka's disappearance, at this point it's clear that we value our students over our jobs."
"Your reputation has been through the wringer already, Dr. Kujo!"
Jotaro sighed. "Yare yare daze...does it look like I care about what other people think? I couldn't give a damn about them. I give a damn about you and the others."
"But-"
"Shota and I agreed to take the fall together, and that's the end of it. Now...onto your classmates that have recently been brought into the loop."
"I know I sent you a message about it earlier, but I really do think it's the best course of action. All four are more than trustworthy, and having another team acting on their own could increase our effectiveness in future attacks or events. Plus, we need more eyes if there truly is a traitor within our class."
"Yaoyorozu, you are the most mature person out of that entire group, and possibly the most intelligent. I trust your judgement, and I worked with the people you selected to fight D'arby. You all put a lot of thought into this decision, and while there are some risks with greater numbers...I stand by it."
"Thank you Dr. Kujo..."
Jotaro pressed his lips together, taking off his hat and glancing at the clock. "This traitor worked for All For One, that we know. Since he is currently in prison...perhaps this traitor doesn't feel the need to continue to put their classmates in danger. There are multiple reasons why people would choose to betray their comrades, we should also try to be aware of this traitor's motives before passing judgement."
"That makes sense. I can't imagine any of our classmates doing something like this, but if there was a motive such as blackmail or fear...All For One being locked up probably gave them the excuse they needed to stop giving the villains information. Still...they could also be malicious and good at hiding it."
"If they are...they'll be dealing with me." Jotaro promised. "And Star Platinum."
"I'm sure, thank you for approving this Dr. Kujo...and for putting yourself on the line for us, I can't express how grateful I am to have teachers like you and Aizawa." Momo bowed her head respectfully.
"Just continue being your best, that's all I ask." Jotaro responded, and Star Platinum opened the door for the ravenette as she exited the office...
Right into a debate.
"No, a yoyo is not a badass weapon, it's a fucking toy."
"Johnny, think about it! I know that it seems normal, but make it into a buzzsaw or something-"
"It would cut off your hand, or at the very least a finger."
"Ladybug may be a creep and a shit hero, but you can't deny that her use of a yoyo is creative."
"I could crush that yoyo in my bare hands, and that little ladybug thing that follows her around with it."
"JoJo, we get it, you hate the show." Momo said, getting in between the dynamic duo. "Anything can be an effective weapon in the right hands. It just happens that Ladybug's would be the wrong ones."
"Oi! Ponytail!" A familiar gruff voice called out, and the three turned to find Katsuki and Kirishima walking towards them. "You've got the Doctor's handwriting memorized, right?"
"I do, do you want me to forge it?"
"Got to trick that Shadow Fucker somehow, I want to get on his nerves so he's guaranteed to come, and he's already been waiting for you two for three hours, so..."
"Write what you want." Johnny said. "As long as we can get information out of that idiot by the end of the day."
Shadow Moth strolled into the arena, twirling his cane around in amusement. To think, Kujo and Zeppeli hide in here like cowards, after our last encounter.
He had set up the perfect trap for them, akumatized civilians waiting to launch a pincer attack the moment the two would show up...
Instead, he had gotten a letter from the Doctor, telling him that the two had stored Izuku Midoriya deep within the school's battle arenas. Honestly, it was infuriating...although sneaking past UA's security was surprisingly easy.
I practically just walked in through the front door, it's almost as if these fools just let me in! Hahaha!
Shadow Moth looked around at the buildings. UA had designed their battle arenas to look like urban areas in order to prepare the students for real world combat, albeit without...
Without civilians...without anyone for Shadow Moth to akumatize.
The villain deadpanned as he heard the gate to the facility closed. There was no way he had just walked directly into a trap, right? It was the Doctor's handwriting, and he knew damn well that Ulric wasn't the type to throw him under the bus.
Shadow Moth looked around before snapping his fingers. There, now the akumatized will come to save me...it might take them a while to get here, but they will. There is no way to unakumatize them unless they are beaten, there is no-
"I guess Ponytail really did memorize the Doctor's handwriting, you fell for her note pretty easily." A gruff voice called out. "Of course, JoJo mentioned you were a dumbass, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"You dare try to trick me? SHADOW MOTH?!" Shadow Moth looked around for his assailant. "I can promise you nothing but humiliation if you do!"
"Well at least he isn't gonna kill us." Another gruff voice responded.
"Wait...no, I am going to kill you! You will die for this nonsense!"
"What're you gonna do?! Make us cringe to fucking death?!"
"Dude, it's not stealth if you're screaming at the guy the whole time." A female voice answered the angry one.
"It wasn't supposed to be stealth at all, we were gonna blow him up and be done with it. You're the reason it became stealth, Starbucks!"
"Ooooh! Pet names already? Kacchan I'm flattered!"
"STOP FUCKING FLIRTING WITH ME!"
"Dude, she's Mr. Joestar's daughter, what did you expect?"
"ENOUGH! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!" Shadow Moth snapped, his left eye twitching in annoyance. "I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SHADOW MOTH, AND-"
"An overconfident dick who doesn't know he's outmatched?" The female voice cut in.
"NO! I WILL BE THE ONE TO END THIS DREADED QUIRK SINGULARITY ONCE AND FOR ALL!"
"...sooooooooooooo...an overconfident dick who doesn't know he's outmatched, and a dumbass conspiracy theorist on top of that."
Shadow Moth gritted his teeth, looking for his opponents, but they weren't in sight whatsoever. This is bad, I know too much about the Doctor's plan! They can't capture me here!
There must be something to akumatize! Anything! Anything that has a hidden dark desire...Darkest Desire should work on animals too...
BINGO!
Shadow Moth activated Darkest Desire and sent a purple moth up into the sky, intercepting a small bird. The bird immediately began to grow...
"BEHOLD...BIG...bird..."
The giant bird slowly observed the area, it's massive head turned towards Shadow Moth and opened it's beak.
"TWEET TWEET, MOTHERFUCKER." It said in Samuel L. Jackson's voice.
"..."
"..."
"...that's...it's darkest desire? Really?" The female voice asked.
"GET THESE MOTHERFUCKIN' SNAKES, OFF MY MOTHERFUCKIN' PLANE!" The bird continued, it's voice booming across the arena.
"Don't be fooled...it is trying to lower your guard...or...NO! It's my secret weapon, it's...it's a...colossal failure, I've got no excuse for this one." Shadow Moth admitted. "However, I can assure you that a bigger threat is coming!"
"You have a seat on this council, but we do not grant you the rank of Jedi Master." The bird said to Shadow Moth. The villain was about to start panicking...
When he heard the most beautiful sound in the world.
"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..."
Nice try voices, but Shadow Moth is always one step ahead.
"You're not getting a Batcave, Kami."
"But-"
"No, we have a treehouse, we don't have the budget for a Batcave."
"I'm sure the Speedwagon Foundation has-"
"Where would we put it? How could we construct a giant hidden Batman-style cave base without drawing attention to it?" Kyoka asked, an eyebrow raised.
"If we're going to form a second One For All group, we need a cool hideout! Why did you guys pick a treehouse?"
"Being in nature has a calming effect on the mind, according to JoJo. Plus it's remote, so no one would snoop on us when we discuss stuff. We need to find a location that speaks to your team, makes them feel safe, and...coincidentally also is safe."
"Could it be in the woods like you guys?"
"Do you want to tango with Mothman again?"
"Just because I was dancing, doesn't mean I didn't fight back!" Kaminari snapped.
"Little prissy ballerina, you should make your own reality TV show: Dancing with the Cryptids!"
"You just can't resist teasing me, huh?"
The purplette giggled, putting a hand to her mouth, and Kaminari had to give in and laugh along. "You know, I think Mothman and I would make a great duo. We'd take the competition for sure."
"I dunno...I think Johnny and Konk would give you some competition."
"Konk? What the hell is a Konk?"
Kyoka snickered. "Konk."
"What is that?!"
"Konk is Konk, if you know you know."
Kaminari knew that Kyoka was either messing with him, or he would have to solve the mystery of the Konk next. Either way, he was enjoying just spending time with her.
"You know Jiro, it really means a lot that you guys decided to let us in on all of this. I can feel it bringing us all closer together. I'm gonna do my best to help you guys whenever another situation comes along, and in this one."
"That's why we did." Kyoka replied with a smirk. "Ooooh, how about the sewers? You guys can be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's kind of like a Batcave, and Tsu has plenty of water for training."
"You get a cool treehouse and we get the shit tunnels? Talk about lesser treatment."
"Momo crawled through the sewers for almost thirty minutes, running from our current enemy the whole time. Sewers may be dirty, but they're isolated, and a maze that will confuse and deter potential enemies. You guys have more of a tactical advantage than we do, if you choose to go that route." Kyoka said pointedly, still wearing her smirk.
"No! Screw the tactical advantage! I'm not going to be sitting down there in the yuck!"
"Keep talking Sewer Boy, you ain't changing my mind."
Kyoka and Kaminari continued to laugh away, not noticing that they were being watched. Setsuna Tokage had snapped a picture of the two with her phone, a steely glare on her face, and she was staring at it in disgust.
As if I needed further proof she's using JoJo...she has a guy on the side. Well, you should've been more careful Jiro...now I've got all the proof I would need.
Here I was, giving you the benefit of the doubt too. I don't even care about my feelings for JoJo anymore, someone who uses others for their own gain is no hero. If you even try to make a move on him in front of me, I'll show him the picture.
Oh well...Joint Training is coming soon, very soon. Then you'll get to know exactly how I feel about manipulative bitches like you. My mind is made up, I'm taking you down a peg.
Setsuna put her phone in her pocket, glancing at a retreating Kyoka, who was jokingly smacking Kaminari over the head, and sighed, walking back to the 1B dorms.
He put his trust in you, and soon he'll see what you really are.
Ochako Uraraka couldn't believe her eyes.
Standing in front of her was Funny Valentine in the flesh, helping Toshinori to his feet. "Easy...interdimensional travel does a number on the bowels when you aren't used to it."
"W-what? We're..." Ochako looked around at the familiar landscape of UA, and put a hand to her mouth, falling to her knees. "We're back...we're actually back!"
"I owe you a drink." Toshinori said, putting a hand on Valentine's shoulder. "It was so weird in there...like it was happy, but not..."
"I felt it too, while I was there. I feel as though there is a great deal of despair behind paradise...it is good that I removed you when I did, judging from your reactions." Valentine said, kneeling down and putting a hand on Ochako's shoulder, comforting the shaking girl. "I shall take you back into the school...you both need rest."
"Th-thank you Mr. Valentine, th-thank you..." The brunette breathed out, shakily. "I can't tell you how glad I am to get out of there..."
"I'm here to help."
Toshinori suddenly puked, catching the other two off guard. "S-sorry...is that blood? Yep, that's blood, I don't know why I'm surprised at this point."
"Wait! Don't!"
Katsuki Bakugo stepped back into visibility, ignoring the warning, standing across from the grinning Shadow Moth with his fists clenched. "You gonna talk, or are we gonna do things my way?"
He was wearing a new hero costume.
His grenade arm bracers were slimmer, to the point where they looked like arm cuffs. They were no longer big and clunky. His domino mask no longer had spikes, they were instead attached to a hood similar to Izuku's cowl. Katsuki's new suit covered his entire body in order to build up more sweat, and his mouth was covered with a bandana that bore an eerie resemblance to the bottom half of Tombstone's wrapped face.
It seemed as though his new hero costume was less...exaggerated, humbled.
Shizuka Joestar turned visible again, scowling. "What the hell are you doing?! I had a pla-"
"So did I." Katsuki cut her off. "You just butted in and tried to take control, when I know what I'm doing."
"Like hell you do! I came here to make sure you didn't screw it up!" Shizuka shouted right back. "Boldly walking out into a trap-"
"Is part of the plan, you're the one screwing it up." Katsuki said, even though he was wearing a mask over his face, his smile was as clear as day. "You wanna help Frappacino? Fine, you can go invisible and stop the assassin this guy hired from getting to me."
Just because Katsuki was headstrong, didn't mean that he was an idiot.
Shizuka didn't look like she was very happy with him, but she recoiled in surprise when Kirishima stepped out of Achtung Baby's range. "Have more faith in Bakubro, he's doing everything according to plan."
"But-"
"Trust him. JoJo does."
Katsuki continued to stare down the confident Shadow Moth, when a reptilian tail came from a sewer grate in the ground, wrapping around his leg. Katsuki whistled, and Kirishima hardened a hand and used it to chop down on it in an instant, cutting it off.
"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! SSSSHHHHHHITHEADSSSSS!"
The grate burst open, and a large reptilian man emerged. His head was that of a cobra, and his barbed tongue flicked in annoyance as a portion of his tail regenerated. He wore very little clothing on his scaly body, only a loincloth with a snake symbol printed on it.
"I knew this guy was too much of a coward to fight me himself, that's why I acted as bait for you." Katsuki explained. "Kirishima was waiting for you to make your move."
"Clever, very clever. I underessstimated you." The snake man praised, smiling. "I am Glycon, I wasss hired to kill your band of missfitss. It issn't perssonal kid."
"I'm sure."
Glycon hissed and charged, but Katsuki propelled himself high until the air. "Oi! Shitty Hair! Sunglasses! He's a snake, so he could be poisonous! Cobras are deadly as hell, so don't let this scaly bastard get too close!"
Shizuka was still kind of just standing there. He...was luring the assassin out, I didn't even know that there was one.
She had been in America for a while, focusing on her studies, but she had always tried to keep tabs on her family the best that she could. Johnny had mentioned that Katsuki had been a bully, tormenting his other childhood friend Izuku in order to satisfy his superiority complex. After watching the Sports Festival online, it only confirmed what Johnny had said, Katsuki was brutal and unforgiving throughout the whole event, not to mention the temper tantrum he had thrown on the podium despite getting first place.
Then...she got a text from Johnny saying that he and Katsuki were friends again, earning Shizuka's skepticism. After she came over for Jolyne's upcoming wedding, she teased the blond, eliciting an angry response as expected.
She didn't really see a change, and truly thought that Katsuki was going to ruin his friendships all over again in a matter of weeks.
And here the guy was, someone who she had always thought of as an egotistical reckless prick, willingly putting himself in danger in order to draw the enemy into the open.
Glycon extended the folds on his cobra head, and began spitting poison at the rate of machine gun fire, forcing Katsuki to dodge through the air, spinning around to avoid the vile projectiles. All the while, Shadow Moth was standing completely still, in a stereotypical villain pose.
And then a certain invisible girl punched him in the face.
"OW! WHAT?!"
"What, did you think that we had to take you guys in order?" Shizuka taunted. "Just because the minion is smacking the boys around doesn't mean you're safe, buddy."
Shadow Moth swung his cane in the direction of Shizuka's voice, only to hit nothing but air. HOW?! THERE IS NO WAY SHE COULD'VE DODGED THAT QUICKLY!
Unless...
Her stand is invisible too, and both it and it's user are surrounding me. You can't hit a stand with a physical object like a cane.
Shadow Moth activated Darkest Desire, which resembled a neon outline of a purple moth surrounding his face, and headbutted the same spot in a matter of seconds, grinning when he heard Shizuka cry out in surprise.
A silver stand bearing sunglasses became visible, stumbling back with a mark on it's forehead. It was mostly mechanical, except for it's face, which was a copy of Shizuka's. Achtung Baby shook it's head, and gave Shadow Moth a nonchalant grin, unfazed by it's reveal.
She had had her stand ever since she was a baby, and according to her father it caused quite a heap of trouble when he and Josuke first encountered her. However, after she grew up a little bit and gained enough control over her power, her stand's physical form manifested itself, and it was just as cocky as she was.
"So, you've figured my stand out. I can make it and myself invisible to anyone, even other stand users, making it difficult to predict where I strike. I guess you're not completely smooth-brained after all." Shizuka's voice came out, and next thing Shadow Moth knew, he was kicked in the back, hard. He may have exposed the stand, but the user remained invisible.
His arm was grabbed before he could recover, and with a surprising amount of strength, the 14 year old girl threw him directly into Achtung Baby's fist, clotheslining him.
Meanwhile, Glycon had noticed the altercation on the side, and rolled his slitted eyes in exasperation as he grabbed a charging Kirishima with his tail and began to squeeze the hardened teen. Honestly, he was lucky that Shadow Moth paid good money.
Kirishima began pushing against the crushing grip of Glycon's tail, but it was no use. "Sssstop ssstruggling, the grip of a sssnake isss almosst imposssible to break. Jussst accept your fate!"
"DIE YOU BASTARD!" Katsuki yelled, propelling himself forward to attack the reptilian assassin, but Glycon swung his tail, and Kirishima, to bat the explosive teen aside like a ragdoll.
Damn, this guy is fast. Katsukithought to himself, observing his opponent. He hit me before I could let out one explosion...
"Starbucks! Switch!"
"Huh?" Shizuka looked up in confusion, only to find Katsuki rocketing towards her. She screamed as he grabbed onto her scarf and used a series of explosions to catapult her towards Glycon, while he landed in front of Shadow Moth.
"YOU CRAAAAAAAZY BAAASSTAAAAARD!" Shizuka cried out as Achtung Baby made both it and it's user invisible in midair. Glycon recoiled, sensing the danger, but he was socked directly on the nose by an invisible projectile, loosening his grip on Kirishima, who fell to the ground, spitting up blood.
"Not...*cough*...manly..."
Shizuka crashed to the ground, rolling to a stop, pissed. She angrily ripped off her sunglasses and threw them aside. "There are better ways to get a woman to fall for you, you know! Preferably something without actually falling!"
"I don't fucking care!" Katsuki snapped back. "Snake guy can't see you coming! You're better suited for fighting him than me right now!"
Shizuka opened her mouth, but no words came out. He...actually has faith in my abilities. Katsuki "I'm Gonna Be Number One" Bakugo actually recognized that I had an advantage over him.
Holy shit, he's making progress. Now I understand why Johnny has regained his faith in him.
Alright Bakugo...I'll follow your lead.
Kyoka opened the door to her dorm room, only to find Ochako Uraraka having a conversation with All Might. "WHAT IN THE-OCHAKO?! ALL MIGHT?!"
"KYOKA!" Ochako ran up and flung her arms around her friend, and both of the young women had a tearful reunion. "I missed you guys, so much!"
"Oh my God...Valentine did it...we were so worried about the-...why are you guys in my room?"
"Mr. Valentine said he made you a promise, so he brought us back to your room to show he kept it." Toshinori explained. "It's good to be back...and nobody touched your drumset."
Kyoka sighed, knowing full well that the former president had done this in an attempt to try and make amends with her. "Well, how was it? In Elysium?"
"Elysium is beautiful!" Ochako said honestly. "It's also really sad...everyone there acts happy, but you can tell that it's fake. It's just so...quiet, and you feel like you lost something precious to you, but there's this little voice in your head that tells you to keep going, to smile. It was...it was an experience to say the least."
"Probably has something to do with our favorite doctor." Kyoka theorized. "He's...a complicated guy...how did Valentine free you?"
"He said that he snuck around the dam until Paradise City found him, it's definitely guarding something big, he is going to talk to JoJo and Gyro now." Ochako told her musician friend. "Where's Deku?"
"I think he's still figuring out ways to save you guys...come on, I'll catch you up on what we know so far." Kyoka offered.
"Thanks, but I probably have a mountain of paperwork to do, and I need to call Dave and let him know that I was abducted into a parallel dimension." Toshinori said, waving at the two girls as he exited the room. "I'll just ask Jotaro...keep up the good work! We'll stop the Doctor before you know it!"
"So...what happened when we were gone?" Ochako asked.
"It happened sooner than expected." Ulric said, hunched over his desk and examining blueprints.
"What did?" The Curator asked.
"Ochako Uraraka and Toshinori Yagi have successfully been retrieved from Elysium, I can no longer feel their presence inside of it."
"WHAT?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! YAOYOROZU DID-"
"No, she isn't capable of breaching dimensional barriers...but that man was. He resembled the former President of the United States, Funny Valentine...isn't that odd? I caught him snooping around our big project, I thought I had interrogated him thoroughly...he had said just the right things to convince me he had to be taken. What a clever way to outsmart me, I have to give Yaoyorozu points on the usage of allies."
"You seem rather calm about this! Don't you know that she likely has a way into Elysium?!"
"Yes, I do. This is not a setback, it was only a matter of time before someone of her intelligence would figure out a way to breach Elysium. Ochako Uraraka is no longer a threat to me, not with the project."
"Why did you capture her in the first place?!" The Curator demanded. "She is in a position to help someone you want to take, no?! What's so important about this person?!"
"...they're strong, that is all. It doesn't matter if they are taken by hand, or caught off guard by the project, they will be mine soon." Ulric said, adjusting his doctor's mask.
The Curator narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It sounded as though Ulric was hiding something from her...
My interest lies solely on my mother's safety. Your plan is the only way she stands a chance of living...and yet you don't care when that girl and her stupid friends do the impossible?!
"With those two free from Elysium, Yaoyorozu will set her sights on me, fully. This is going exactly as planned."
"Planned?" The Curator breathed out, in shock.
"While abducting Uraraka was so she wouldn't interfere with my hunt, it was also designed to throw Yaoyorozu off of the bigger plan, as was All Might's. She prioritizes her friends over stopping me, so trying to save Uraraka distracted her from the project, although she is more than likely aware that there is one."
"Those abductions were simply distractions, of course! You want her to come after you so you can destroy her quickly, right?"
"...no, I want her to come after me because it will help her grow. She's playing the game with a purpose now, I can feel it. She has a reason to fight, and I want to see her use it! I want to see her rise."
"She rises, you're bound to fall. Your plan is important to people! Can't you see that you're bringing failure upon yourself?"
"...maybe not. I know your mother doesn't have much time left, I can assure you that I have no intention of putting her at risk. All I ask is that you have a little faith in me."
The Curator wrinkled her nose from the shadows. Faith in you? You're putting my only family's life on the line, all because you've taken a liking to that snobby little rich bitch. No, no, you can't be trusted. All you are is a sentimental old man.
"Of course, Doctor."
Glycon hissed as he took another punch from the invisible stand, his tongue flicking in annoyance. "Ssstop wasssting your time! My ssscalesss are bulletproof!"
"Yeah, well I'm Glycon-proof, so screw you!" Came Shizuka's response as she dealt another blow to the admittedly durable assassin.
"Glycon-proof? No...you're resssissstant, but you'll be weathered down eventually!" Glycon retorted, swinging his tail in a circle in an attempt to hit the adopted Joestar with and area attack. Shizuka had ducked however, and got a full view of what was under the loincloth...
Wasting no time, she had her stand punch it.
That's when Glycon's clawed foot kicked out, leaving deep gashes across Shizuka's back. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain, when Glycon's tail wrapped around her and began to squeeze boa constrictor style, just as it had with Kirishima, who was in the middle of vicious hand-to-hand with a surprisingly skilled Shadow Moth.
"There you are! Don't forget, sssnakesss can ssmell with their toungess! I sssmelled you, and asss for that hit below the belt...I felt nothing!"
"Balls...of...steel..." Shizuka choked out, using her stand toe slow down the process of being crushed. She was already suffocating, and if she didn't do something soon, she would pop like a water balloon.
"OI! STARBUCKS! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE JUST LIKE THAT?! GET YOUR ASS FOCUSED!" Katsuki screamed from across the way, ducking under Shadow Moth's cane and rocketing towards Glycon, kicking him in the face.
Glycon snarled and released Shizuka, and his extreme reflexes came to his aid, grabbing Katsuki before he could release another explosion. "Sssacrificing yourssself for your friend? How touching, I've already proven I'm fassster than you."
Katsuki grinned as he was being squeezed. "Good...this is exactly what I wanted...squeeze me tighter, make me sweat!"
Glycon and Shizuka shared a look. "Isss, he into that kind of ssstuff?"
"I...hope...not?"
"No...you know why my gauntlets are smaller? They don't store my sweat anymore... MY WHOLE SUIT DOES!" Katsuki said with a grin as his clothing began expand, ballooning into something terrifying. "You...might wanna step back...Mocha Latte..."
Shizuka went pale once she realized what he was about to do. "You could get hurt."
"It's...a part of the job...hurry..."
Kirishima pulled Shizuka back as Katsuki laughed, and grabbed Shadow Moth at the same time, flinging the villain towards the balloon. "Bakugo, catch!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Shadow Moth cried out as Katsuki cackled, before pulling a pin from his pants.
"THE HUMAN CLAAAAYMOOOOOORE! DIEEEEEEE!"
"Sssssshhhhhhit."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Shadow Moth coughed and sputtered as he climbed out of the ash, noticing his akumatized civilians were getting closer. Ha ha! Yes! Shadow Moth escapes yet again!
Then a hand grabbed him by the back of his collar, and he was roughly pulled up by a singed and buck naked Katsuki Bakugo. "Where do you think you're going Shadow Fuck?"
"...it's a tiny bit smaller than I imagin-."
*SMACK!*
"GAH!"
"WHAT'S THE DOCTOR PLANNING?!" Katsuki screamed, slamming Shadow Moth down onto the ground, his hand pressing the villain's face into the ash. "TELL ME, NOW!"
"Never! You're too late, my minions are almost here to rescue me!"
"Well, I suppose it comes down to what I can do to you in that amount of time, doesn't it? And this little piggy went-"
*CRACK!*
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Shadow Moth screamed in pain.
"Nine fingers left, I think I might just be able to break eight before they get here." Katsuki said. "Unless, of course, you give me what I fucking want!"
"I-I will n-not be e-easily intimidated. You call yourself a hero, Ladybug would never do something like thi-"
"DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKIN' BUG TO YOU?!"
*CRACK!*
"AIIIIEEEEEE! MY TOE! YOU SAID IT WAS MY FINGERS!" Shadow Moth sobbed out.
"Well, it went from ten to twenty, didn't it?! Now eighteen! Seventeen gonna be the lucky number-"
"FINE! He's...he's gonna flood the city, alright? He's building this machine that will allow him to control which areas are flooded, he's gonna do next Sunday! Please don't hurt me anymore!"
"EXCCCELENT!"
Katsuki turned to see Glycon getting up, laughing. His scales were burnt, and he was bleeding profousely, but he was still standing. What the hell are this guy's scales made of?!
"I losssst! *cough* But I have never had sssuch a thrilling fight in my life! I'm keeping an eye on you people!" Glycon said gleefully. "Ssssuch power! Hunting you will be a true challenge!"
With that, the snake man disappeared into the smoke.
So...this guy is just Kraven the Hunter, great.
Katsuki turned back to Shadow Moth, only to see the akumatized already carrying him away.
"OI!"
"SO LONG KATSUKI BAKUGO! I HAVE WON YET AGAIN!-" Shadow Moth called out as the bird from earlier carried him away. "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF SHADOW-AJDBWIZKANAAUAMW AIAKWBSUWMQBAOWWAAAAAAAA!"
The bird had carried the villain straight into an electric pole in it's flight, and continued flying away, dragging it's fried master back to Ulric.
"There was an idea, to bring a group of remarkable people together..." It said as it faded out of sight.
"FUCK YOOOOU! I HOPE THAT HURT YOU BASTARD! I HOPE THAT BIRD TAKES A MASSIVE SHIT ON YOUR FACE!" Katsuki called up into the clouds.
Meanwhile, Kirishima was helping Shizuka to her feet. "You alright?"
"Yeah...yeah, I am."
"Well, I'd say the mission was a success, despite both villains getting away, we got the information we were looking for, although Bakubro won't be satisfied by anything other than a complete victory."
Shizuka turned her attention to the blond teen who was currently surrounded by fire and ash, shouting insults up into the sky, and coincidentally completely naked.
"That's why he's gonna make a great hero one day."
"I'LL BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!"