AN: Thanks for the interest and reviews! I'm glad you all like what I did with Rappa, it was certainly a fun scene to write!
fencer29 - let's be honest, Izuku and Ochako are just waiting for a chance to jump in
heartfanglives - So there actually is a ship for Rappa in the background, thanks to a crossover collab with another author - he is dating Otsu Kawauso, an otter-mutant who happens to be Mirko's secretary.
SwordOfTheGods - bad feeling, you say?
The heroes pushed deeper into the catacombs while their thunderous steps tore through the disturbing silence pervading the halls. Some of the yakuza they encountered rashly tried to stop them, but in the end, they couldn't even slow them down. Resilience followed the heroes as a trail of conscious criminals remained on the cold floor. Even with just Eraserhead and Joke leading the vanguard, those two were more than enough to cut through everything the Shie Hassaikai could throw at them.
Eventually, they appeared in front of what looked to be a cafeteria with three men guarding a door.
"This is as far as you go," Yu yelled out. He wrapped his arms in densely sharp crystals before charging across the room.
"Not so fast, partner." Snipe drew his pistol and fired two precision shots. The bullets struck home and shattered the crystals. Snipe tried to follow up with another shot, but the gun was pulled out from his grip. Helplessly, he watched the gun fly across the room and land in Toya's hand.
"Ah ah ah! No fair using guns!"
Taken back by the distraction, Snipe missed Sorimitsu close the gap until the burlap sack on Sorimitsu's head split open to reveal his mouth. Snipe raised his arm in an attempt to fend off the attack. Midnight launched her whip and wrapped it around the villain's torso, pulling him away before Snipe lost an arm.
"It seems like somebody needs to teach you some manners," Midnight sultrily chided. Then she felt the whip getting pulled from her hands by Toya's quirk.
"We don't have the time for this," Aizawa groused as he glared at Toya, erasing his quirk.
"But we do!" Yu exclaimed, creating more crystals from his body. Once again, Snipe fired at them. Yue spotted Toya try to activate his quirk again only for it to fail.
"What did you do?!"
"I stop punks like you. You think you're special because you have a quirk. Well, when I take that away, what do you have left?" Aizawa replied dryly.
"We have our pride, damn it!" Toya roared as he aimed Snipe's gun at Aizawa. "We were nothing! Less than nothing! And the boss gave us purpose!"
He raised the gun, only for Nighteye to throw a high-density seal, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying.
"If you please, we have more important matters to attend to!"
"Snipe and I can handle these two," Midnight called as she tripped Sorimitsu. "You all go."
Seeing the two heroes moving in, a couple police officers moved to assist, while Nighteye led the rest of the group around the villains. When Yu tried to intercept the heroes, Snipe fired off several warning shots in front of him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Back on the surface, the police secured the compound and escorted yakuza thugs out in handcuffs. They had it well under control. Now that Rikiya had been subdued, Ryukyu's primary role was done.
Or so she thought. When they began to search the compound, they found an unexpected surprise: Shie Hassaikai's elderly Boss. He was an unexpected variable that caught both of the kids off guard.
"What is the meaning of this?" the man demanded of the officer in charge. "Let me see that warrant!"
"Of course sir, everything is legal. If you would like, we can show you our copy of the warrant for the raid. However, since quirks were used to defend the compound this has escalated to a villain attack and heroes have been called in," the officer explained. Ryukyu approached him.
"Are you in charge here?" Ryukyu asked.
"Of course I am!" the boss insisted.
"Good." Ryukyu gave him a satisfied smile as she crossed her arms. "I have questions then. About one of your underlings - Kai Chisaki."
The name seemed to catch the Boss off-guard. His defiant visage briefly shattered into fear as he quickly covered it with a blank stare. But it was enough for a trained hero to catch it. "What about him?"
"Did you authorize the experiments occurring underneath your compound?"
"What are you talking about?" Ryukyu detected the fear and confusion in his voice.
"The heroes that were called in. They found a series of underground catacombs underneath your compound. Did you know they were there?"
"Of course not!" Quick answer, likely a lie.
"Then you should be alarmed to hear that a group decided to build such a thing under your nose along with conducting human experimentation down there."
"Human… experimentation…" the boss repeated in disbelief. She wasn't sure if he was actually lying this time, or if he genuinely didn't know about what was going on. They had found medical equipment to sustain a coma patient in an adjacent room to where they found the Boss, which lined up with Izuku's report of his condition, but when they found him, he was clearly active and awake.
The man stood there silently deliberating. Ryukyu simply waited. Finally, he turned to the police chief. "I believe one of my men has gone rogue. I would never condone such activities as part of my organization, and anything you find down there is the fault of Kai Chisaki alone."
"If there's anything you could tell us, sir, we will make note of your cooperation," the officer said as he pulled out a notebook. Ryukyu smiled before she thumbed on her radio.
Sitting in the truck, Izuku glanced nervously at Ochako. From her outward appearance she seemed calm. However, when he glanced down at her hands, he noticed how tightly clenched they were, noticeable veins peeking under her skin. He frowned slightly and gently prodded her arm. "Hey."
Ochako snapped to attention, glancing around before centering her eyes on Izuku. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Izuku whispered. "It's going almost too well."
"I know the feeling." Ochako turned towards the monitors. They watched the officers secure Yo, Toya, and Sorimitsu with the help of Midnight and Snipe. On another monitor, Torino darted around the room as he engaged in battle with Rappa.
"Is this how hero operations are supposed to work?" Izuku couldn't comprehend the fact that everything for the most part was going fine.
"I don't know. Things always went wrong for us."
"Yeah…" Izuku turned back to the screen, watching the police race after All Might and the other heroes. "...same here." He gently laid one of his hands on Ochako's fist, and he felt her slowly uncurl it and intertwine her fingers with his.
He almost regretted it with how tightly she squeezed his hand but simply turned back to the monitors to watch the progress. As he watched the screen he couldn't help but speculate what could happen. While the Bullets themselves were easily countered by the heroes, Overhaul himself was still a dangerous foe.
Looking over at the monitor showing Ryukyu talking with the Boss, Izuku felt a pit forming in his stomach as he was reminded that this was a new timeline, and there were variables they were unable to account for.
Kai arrived at the lab and saw Hari Kurono diligently at work preparing for the day's research.
"There's been a change of plans," Kai announced as he entered. "We need to move the research. Immediately."
"Did something happen?" Chronostasis asked as he immediately followed orders and walked over to a computer terminal, punching in the commands to begin transferring data to a portable hard drive. He then retrieved a padded briefcase and began carefully placing samples within it.
"Somehow the police learned of our Trigger smuggling operation," Kai explained. "We can recover from that. What we can't recover from, is if they find this." He gestured to indicate the lab.
Chronostasis paused to look at his boss, then gave a singular nod before he continued. "I assume you have a plan."
"We take everything we can and have Mimic bury the rest. When the coast is clear we can unbury it. If not, we have the girl and the research, and that will be enough to continue." Kai clenched his fists. "We were so close! If only they could have waited another week before they found us!"
"What about the girl?"
"Nemoto is retrieving her. He should be along shortly."
As Chronostasis continued to pack the case, Mimic arrived, holding a case containing half a dozen syringes, each filled with Trigger. "Boss, I'm ready!"
"Excellent." Kai took the offered case and took out two vials, slipping them into his pocket before returning the other four to Mimic. "Once we leave, make sure they can't find the lab, then return to me."
"Leave it to me, boss!" Mimic exclaimed before scurrying off to a corner.
Kai walked over to the computer to check on the status. The transfer was complete. He pulled out the portable hard drive and walked over to the open case, gently placing it inside. Chronostasis added a few more vials to the case and then closed it, picking it up. Walking over to a rack of metal cylinders, each with a biohazard symbol on them, he picked one up in his other hand. "Ready to go."
"Alright, Mimic I leave the rest to you," Overhaul announced as the two left.
"You got it, boss!" Mimic stabbed the needle into himself, feeling the trigger already going to work as he fused with the wall.
As the entrance to the lab disappeared behind them, Nemoto turned the corner, Eri in his arms. "I have the girl."
"Excellent, let's get out of here before we have any more unpleasant surprises."
Overhaul's group hurried through the catacombs toward one of the secret exits. Unfortunately they chose the wrong path, and as they turned a corner, they heard shouting from one of the corridors.
"There they are!" the voice of All Might boomed. "Stop!"
"All Might is here?" Overhaul exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Why? What is he doing here?"
The heroes began rushing down the corridor toward the villains when they were suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness, causing them to stumble. All Might reached out to steady himself, but his hand missed the wall and he ended up face first on the ground.
"Ehehehehe," Deidoro snickered from above them as he took a long drink from a bottle. "If I knew taking down the number one was going to be this easy, I would have done it years ago!"
"What did you do?" All Might demanded as he closed his eyes, trying to get his hands underneath him.
"It's simple really. I enjoy my beverage here." As if to emphasize his point, Deidoro took another gulp from his bottle. "And you feel the effects instead of me!"
"You won't stop us!"
Overhaul took one look at Nemoto, who understood what he was asking. Activating his quirk, he turned toward All Might. "What is your true goal?"
"We are here to rescue little Eri!" All Might shouted.
The answer caught the villains off-guard. Nemoto looked to Overhaul who processed the news. There was no way! This was supposed to be a raid for Trigger smuggling. How did they even know about their research and the girl's involvement in it? The only people who knew the full details were completely loyal to him!
So why…
Meanwhile, in Nemoto's arms Eri had a completely different reaction. Hearing her name, she couldn't help but gasp, her head shooting up to gaze at the group. Despite his struggle to stand, she saw All Might looking at her.
He wanted to save her.
She felt something stirring in her chest as Nemoto shifted his grip on her, holding her tightly to ensure she couldn't escape.
Nemoto turned back toward the group. "How do you know about her?"
But none of the heroes responded. In the brief moment of uncertainty, Eraserhead managed to activate his quirk, preventing Nemoto from prying additional secrets out of the heroes.
"I hate questions," Eraserhead complained. "Stop asking them." He threw his capture scarf in Nemoto's direction, hoping to capture the villain.
Only for Deidoro to drop off of the ceiling, landing on the capture scarf and stopping it from reaching its target. "Sorry, I can't let you do that. The boss has big plans for her." Deidoro drew a knife and flicked it at the struggling All Might.
"Gah!" Nighteye cried as he threw himself in front of his old mentor, the knife embedding itself in his arm. "I won't let you stop us!"
Eraserhead ran toward Deidoro, who was busy drawing a second knife to throw when a sea-green head of hair appeared in front of him.
"Joke's on you, mister!" Miss Joke quipped as she hit Deidoro in the face with a sharp right hook. "All Might was never the real threat!"
Seeing that they had already wasted too much of the time Deidoro bought them, Overhaul removed his glove and pressed his hand against the wall, activating his quirk. He Overhauled the corridor, creating a wall between the heroes and them. "You heard them. Everything has been compromised. We need to get out of here now."
As the two took off down the corridor, Eri struggled, trying to worm her way over Nemoto's shoulder. He tightened his grip on her to ensure that she wouldn't slip out. But that didn't stop her from reaching out to the heroes. A bud of hope blossomed within her.
Deidoro recovered from the punch, wincing a bit, while the alcohol in his system made him relaxed and limber. "I'm impressed you two can manage to stand, let alone fight." He pulled out a bottle of alcohol and chugged it to reinforce his quirk.
"We used to drink a lot before patrol," Eraserhead deadpanned. With a quick snap of his wrist, he collected his capture weapon and smoothly threw one end in the direction of his opponent. "Someone thought it would make the evenings more enjoyable."
"Hey! I remember you enjoying yourself, mister!" Joke retorted as she stood there, watching her opponent. The two of them operated like a well-oiled machine. When Deidoro hopped to the side to dodge Eraserhead's attack, she made her move and punched Deidoro in the face.
"Do you two always fight like this?" Deidoro asked after he recovered, drawing two knives and quickly throwing them at the heroes.
"No!"
"Yes!"
The heroes dodged the knives, and with expert coordination, both leaped forward and punched Deidoro, sending him flying into the wall. Joke walked forward with a menacing grin prominent on her face. "Now then, would you please get out of our way? We have a little girl to save!" She punctuated her statement with a knee to the stomach followed by a knockout punch to his face. Deidoro slumped over unconscious, freeing the rest of the group from the effects of his quirk.
"Thank you for that," All Might said, rapidly returning to his feet now. "It appears my sense of balance is even more sensitive than I realized! And you!" He turned toward Nighteye and helped him up. "You are a lifesaver!"
"Don't mention it." Nighteye gave his mentor a pained smile. "I haven't seen my death yet."
All Might dropped his smile and gave his old sidekick a serious look. "Today is not that day."
"No, it isn't," Nighteye agreed.
"If you are done talking," Aizawa cut in, "we need your excessive strength to deal with that." He pointed at the wall where the hallway used to be.
"Leave it to me!" All Might stood up and wound up his signature move. "Smash!"
As they ran, Overhaul heard the rumbling behind them and knew that Deidoro had failed.
"All Might is a problem," Overhaul bitterly remarked. "I only have a few Bullets left, and nobody who could even hope to slow him down." Thinking over the problem with the tools he had available, his eyes rested on Eri, the girl still struggling to catch a glimpse of the heroes behind her.
An idea started to form in his mind as he heard an explosion indicating that the heroes had broken through the wall he had created. Seconds later, they felt a gust of wind behind them as All Might caught up to their group.
"Stop!" All Might ordered as he clapped his hands together, sending a shockwave toward them.
Kai slammed his hand against the wall and activated Overhaul, creating a wall between themselves and the hero, but the force of All Might's shockwave caused the stone to shatter like glass.
Looking at the approaching hero, Kai realized he didn't have a choice. He withdrew the trigger syringe from his pocket. "Hand me the girl, and then get out of here."
"Are you sure?" Nemoto asked.
"Absolutely. Meet up with Chronostasis at the spot.
"Yes sir."
As All Might approached, Nemoto handed Eri over to Kai, who stuck a needle in her arm. Like a good girl, she didn't even flinch as she was injected with Trigger. He then turned toward All Might.
"Fine, if you want her, you can have her," Kai sneered, throwing Eri towards the heroes as her quirk started to activate.
In an instant, All Might rushed ahead and wrapped his arms around Eri. The girl began violently shaking.
"I-I don't feel so good," Eri mumbled as she began to glow, unable to control her quirk.
Eri started emitting a golden light which quickly spread to encompass All Might. The muscles in his body shifted and twisted as he felt the effects of her quick take hold and his body began to rewind. He grunted and grit his teeth but still held on tightly.
"Don't worry Eri. I'm not going to let you go, no matter what."
AN: A bit of a shorter chapter this week, because Covid tore through my house and I'm still on the mend.