Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia or Batman. If I did, then I wouldn't have to get up so early every day. Forever.
Chapter 6: The Penguin and the Hawk
Things had not gotten any easier for Batman upon the public revelation he was quirkless. While it did leave a legal gray area that left the Hero Public Safety Commission stumbling to figure out what to do with him, and other heroes hesitant to chase him, the perception of quirkless people meant that many of the villains who he once struck fear into now saw him as a joke. This made it harder for Batman to gather information on the gangs and drug cartels he'd been fighting in the streets the past few nights, at least until his targets found themselves dangling from a high place.
From what the Dark Knight could gather, much of the drugs being traded around trickled down through the gangs and villains through a single kingpin, the leader of what could be the largest drug trafficking ring in all of Japan. Despite the drug trade having fallen from grace along with most of organized crime's old guard since the discovery of quirks and rise of Ra's al Ghul, this particular racket was now regaining relevance to the Batman as he traced them back to the managing of two popular and highly problematic drugs. Trigger, a stimulant that increases the effects and powers of one's quirk, and Wipe, an injection that could wipe it out entirely for a short period of time.
And it just so happened Batman was currently in the midst of an intense encounter with the most vicious drug dealer in the prefecture, who was closely connected to several gangs and low level crime organizations. One of the villains most pros assumed was merely a joke.
Snowflame.
Batman slid under a gap in the shelving of the cramped warehouse, trying to avoid hurting the trapped animals all over the place. This one was identified as an illegal animal testing facility for new drugs, as well as a stop-over for the illegal trade of exotic pets. However, Snowflame followed him around the shelves and jumped him on the other side, attempting to jab him with a cattle prod only to have it swept from his hand in a single move. Before the villain had time to react, Batman began beating his face in and smacking him around, clearly controlling the fight and giving Snowflame little room to retaliate.
Due to where they were fighting, Snowflame had a pretty large stash to play with of more than just the most well known drug he could use to activate his quirk. And on top of that, he also had access to guns and the aforementioned cattle prods, and was being much more aggressive. After Batman managed to give him a hard shot straight to the nose, Snowflame was thrown back into one of the empty large animal cages that still had manure in it. Needless to say, the shit-covered drug addict was now extremely pissed off, and he wasn't nearly as scared of Batman as he usually was. But he didn't have much time to comprehend it all before Batman attacked from above, forcing him to roll away to the safety of the ground.
"You LITTLE SHIT! You DARE try and interfere with someone better than you? Did you think once I learned your little secret that I'd still cower against some useless waste of human DNA? I know toddlers more terrifying than you, you quirkless fuckwad!" Snowflame jumped away from his crouching position on the ground, before snorting more of his very illicit substance up his nose.
From the color alone, it was probably his favorite, cocaine, laced with quirk enhancing drugs at the very least. It was at this point with muscles flared up, his pupils shrank, and his already wild white hair got even messier before he charged Batman like an angry gorilla. The vigilante barely had time to react before a wave of psychedelic-looking energy shot after him, blasting the rack he was in front of across the open area of the warehouse.
He didn't bother wasting time, ducking into the shadows of some knocked over shelves and pulling out his narcan bolts. He knew who he was going to be facing today, or at least rumors of him hanging around, so he made sure he was heavily armed and ready for fighting the drug-powered energy warrior. The Bat waited in silence, not moving even a millimeter as he watched for a good shot at his opponent from his hiding spot.
"COME ON OUT YOU QUIRKLESS LITTLE SHITSTAIN! YOU CAN'T OUTRUN THE WHITE HOT POWER OF SNOWFLAME! TODAY IS THE DAY I BECOME THE MAN WHO KILLED THE BATMAN!"
His mind began to wander a bit towards what had led to his enemies thinking he wasn't a threat anymore, something he discovered that morning.
"DEKU! WAKE UP YOU LITTLE RICH FUCKER!" Bakugo yelled from the answering machine sitting on Izuku's nightstand. Izuku had made a habit of oversleeping for hours after becoming Batman, and at this point had missed most of the morning news. "YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS SHIT! TURN ON THE NEWS AS SOON AS YOU GET THIS!"
Izuku rolled out of bed with a groan, glancing at his alarm clock and seeing that he slept in until about noon. Peeling himself out of his fairly humble bed for a billionaire, Izuku went through his morning routine before coming across Alfred. "Good morning Master Midoriya! I trust Bakugo-san's message woke you up before your alarm? Lady Yaoyorozu has also left a message as well."
"That's nice Pennyworth-san." Izuku mumbled, still being half asleep and incredibly exhausted from his encounters with Poison Ivy and Kamui Woods the night before. "What did they want again?"
"Something on the news pertaining to Batman. I have it on the telly in the living room if you wish to watch it, paused right at the start of the segment in question."
Alfred led the exhausted Izuku over to the couch in their living room, placing him on it and setting a cup of tea and some scones in front of him before casually unpausing the television. What the quirkless teen saw almost immediately woke him up and practically made his eyes pop out from his head.
Not even getting into the things being said by the anchors, there was a very eye-catching tagline at the bottom of the screen:
'Batman: The QUIRKLESS vigilante?'
"*Welcome back everyone, and thank you to our sponsors. Back to the latest breaking story, we ask for opinions of local heroes and heroes across the nation, after a footprint left behind at the sight of villain Tsubaki "Poison Ivy" Aoi's hideout revealed that the infamous vigilante Batman may, in fact, be quirkless.*"
"…..WHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTT?!"
"That's pretty much how I reacted, Master Midoriya."
"*All of Shizuoka and the country as a whole is in an uproar as we learned the villain who preyed on other villains may not actually be breaking the law at all. But ironically enough, this only seems to be making Batman more divisive as there is a new debate forming over the ethics and consequences of a quirkless person performing hero duties.*"
"B-but I thought that I… Wait, how did this even get leaked? Isn't all evidence tied to a case, even if it's a hero led one, kept under wraps away from the public until it gets close to trial or something?"
"That is typically how it goes, but occasionally something is so shocking or interesting that lower ranked members of the force or sidekicks will leak it. Or it could be that sneaky Morgan's fellow again…"
"*In terms of support, it seems Batman has rallied quite a bit of fans amongst the heteromorph community in the wake of his viral rescue of a man with a gecko quirk being saved from Doctor Death, leader of the anti-Mutant villain group Creature Rejection Clan. However some find the idea of a quirkless vigilante highly controversial, likely due to the stigma associated with lacking a quirk.*"
"*Now to the field with your favorite reporter to see what some people on the street think of this new revelation!*"
Izuku let out a choked whine as the screen cut to show a certain large bird-like man in a news reporter uniform standing next to a bashful Kamui Woods with a massive grin on his face. The bird had clearly caught the hero right as he was leaving his agency, given where they were standing and the fact that Kamui Woods had on a hoodie over his hero clothes like he just got off his shift.
"Ah, so the Morgans theory seems to be the most accurate. Wonderful, just wonderful."
"Pennyworth-san, the sarcasm is really not needed right now."
"*Now, Kamui Woods, you were the first hero to get a good glimpse of Batman up close! And you discovered the clue that helped us make this big news!*"
"*Now hold on, I didn't know that it would be leaked or anything!*"
"*Yeah whatever. What are your thoughts on our big news?! How do you think the Hero Public Safety Commission will respond?*"
"*It's out now but if you don't stop this right now I have full authority to arrest you for releasing classified unverified information tied to an active case. AGAIN." Kamui groaned in annoyance with the infamous reporter, before sighing and reluctantly discussing his thoughts. "But if you must know, I am mostly concerned about the safety of Batman and the potential ramifications of what adjustments to the law this may create. For all we know, even more forms of self defense against criminals may be rendered illegal and the hero side of things may become even more complex than it already is.*"
The news footage then cut to Aizawa drinking coffee as he left a certain coffee chain next to where Kamui Wood's agency, only for him to be approached by Morgan and some other reporters. He seemed to not even be fully awake, and from what he knew about the man Izuku suspected the massive starbucks cup was, in fact, just 15 shots of straight espresso and a single pump of vanilla so it would theoretically be less awful.
"*What about you Eraserhead, what do you think about this revelation of Batman being quirkless?*" Aizawa completely stopped in his tracks when he heard this, completely frozen in shock. He stood still for a minute before spitting a mouthful of coffee out onto one of the less fortunate reporters.
".*..Maybe we should move on.*"
"*I'm sorry, but are you really claiming that the theory of him being quirkless is founded? I might have given it a passing thought and figured it would be interesting, but from the reported size of that kid he's just that, a KID! He'd need some SERIOUS luck or training to pull off what he's doing, not to mention connections for his gear! I thought the villain's kid thing was more reasonable!*" Aizawa fired off, grabbing the breakfast wrap from his bag and taking a very unprofessional looking bite. "*Based on the height we got an estimate for, I'd say he's no more than 15 at BEST!*"
"*Well, he was seen driving away from the scene of the battle last night, so it seems unlikely that he's a teenager at this point. It's more likely he's just short.*"
"*...That is….*" Aizawa tried to come up with a response before giving up and sprinting away with his breakfast in hand.
Morgans looked around awkwardly for a moment, before turning to the camera with a strained grin. "*Back to you, Miyagi-san!*"
"*Well! That was interesting, wasn't it? It's time for a commercial break, but stick around for our lovely interns interviewing some more folks when we come back!*"
While the news bumper quickly cut to a commercial being sponsored by Hawks, Izuku stood there frozen in shock at the revelation that the biggest clue to his identity had just been revealed. Not helping of course was Alfred's nonchalant attitude when it came to the situation.
"It seems this scenario is a double edged sword for you young Master. The Commission may not be willing to act against you anymore, but knowing how they operate it's possible they could act behind the scenes. That plus criminal views on those without quirks may affect your ability to inspire terror."
"at this point the only thing i truly care about is making sure no more innocents are left to suffer." Izuku stated in his more gravely tone of voice, barely hiding his nerves. However, he could manage to do this for about a minute more "BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO LIKE THIS?!"
It was at this point Batman was snapped back to reality by a roided up kick from Snowflame, knocking a set of rusted crates onto him as the villain continued his rampage through the facility.
"You can't hide from me forever, Bat! You may act like hot shit, but you're just a mistake of nature that evolution was meant to leave behind!" Snowflame continued to rant and rave while he charged his opponent, forcing Batman to dodge and retreat back as the number of viable hiding spots slowly shrank.
However, despite being superior in raw strength than before, Snowflame's attacks were fairly sloppy and easily dealt with if you had been sufficiently trained. This allowed Batman to dodge and block any serious blows, slowly but surely wearing down Snowflame's defenses as he continued to stampede himself into exhaustion. Sensing that his quirk high was just about up, Snowflame decided to end things quickly with two of the pistols at his side.
"EAT LEAD BAT!" Snowflame then fired upon the vigilante with both barrels, managing to stop and disorient him despite his bulletproof armor.
'thank god I upgraded to the experimental flexi-kevlar the R&D department came up with for underground heroes last week!' Batman thought as he dodged another shot, quickly coming back to reality as Snowflame came closer.
"YOU BETTER HOLD STILL, YOU QUIRKLESS WASTE OF SPERM! YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW JUST HOW… FUN I CAN MAKE THIS IF YOU MAKE ME DRAG IT OUT!" Seeing that Batman had lost his bearings and seemed open, Snowflame decided to finish his opponent off with another psychedelic wave of color at point blank range.
"PCP Pulse"
Snowflame managed to blast the vigilante back through a wall while he dazed, winding him and giving time for Snowflame to rearm one of his pistols. Realizing he needed to act fast, Batman pushed his upper body off the ground and looked back into the room, noticing several large and feral looking animals growling at Snowflame from their cages. The drug lord smirked in response, and prepared to pull the trigger to blow Batman's cowled head open.
"Heh, goes to show you nothing can beat a good high. Not even you!"
He then fired the bullet directly at the exposed part of Batman's face, only for the Dark Knight to easily read the move and raise his Kevlar covered arm in defense before Snowflame ever pulled the trigger, causing it to ricochet around the room. And unfortunately for Snowflame, it happened to go right into his leg. "ARGH! YOU PIECE OF SHIT MOTHERFUCKER!"
While the villain was distracted by the pain of a bullet to the leg, Batman threw a set of batarangs to the closest cages he could get to, which easily cut through the cheap metal locks. Two large wild animals emerged from the cages upon being set free, one resembling a large white hairy winged gargoyle and the other being a large black cat monster about the size of an adult lion. They also immediately caught sight of Snowflame flailing about and decided to take revenge for their abysmal treatment, the gargoyle swooping down and clawing at his face, and the cat monster attempting to rip him apart by biting at his face and chest. Being attacked at all sides, Snowflame was barely able to generate another PCP Pulse to knock the furious chimeras back, losing the rest of his extra muscle mass high in the process.
"I won't let myself be beaten by a quirkless wannabe!" Snowflame growled as he glared at the now standing Batman and tried charging him with his single remaining cattle prod.
However, Batman saw this coming and beat Snowflame to the punch. He rushed him, grabbing the wrist armed with the cattle prod and kicking him hard in the chest with his spiked boots. This knocked the drug lord onto the ground, dazed by the blow, heavily injured, and surrounded by the furious experiments that had been set free over the course of the fight. But in spite of all of that, the one thing that scared Snowflame more than anything else was the bat shaped shadow of death looming over with a cold inhuman leer.
'No…but…the Bat…is just…!'
The panic set in even worse when Batman reached towards him and picked him up by the neck; Snowflame now remembered the rumors of Batman being less averse to killing than the media knew him to be, and promptly began begging for his life.
"WAIT NO! I'M SORRY I CALLED YOU A WASTE OF SPERM! I'LL STAY OUT OF YOUR TURF FROM NOW ON, I SWEAR!"
"who's the one pushing narcotics and supplying you with these drugs?! cocaine, meth, heroin, trigger, wipe?! i wanna know who's responsible!"
"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you everything! The Shie Hassaikai! They've got guys in labs and shit making bread all over the underworld! They started making Wipe all on their own not long ago and started dipping into other markets!"
"shie hassaikai?" Batman whispered in a surprised tone, having heard of this organization in his studies of criminal history.
While the century old Yakuza family had a sense of honor and loyalty that allowed them to co-exist with Ra's al Ghul and his legacy as a villain organization for many an era, they'd slowly but surely fallen from power to the point of practically being an unknown. However if this information was true, it seemed to Batman that they'd managed to secretly claw their way back to power dealing in illicit substances the organization would have once sneered at, if not even more unpleasant dealings. With this in mind, Batman tightened his grip on Snowflame and continued the interrogation.
"what else do you know?! who's running things?"
"I don't know, I swear! All I know is that the last boss went missing a while ago, and the new guy is some hypochondriac kid! Calls himself the Penguin, only high ranking members have ever seen him!" Snowflame stammered, hopeful that his information would allow him to be spared, while also nervous about what the Shie Hassaikai would do to him when they discovered that he sang.
"is the penguin the one responsible for the trigger attacks in naruhata?!"
"No! Trigger ain't ours, the ones who made it went cold so they had me steal the last of their cargo! That's all I know! You gotta believe me!"
Batman merely glared at Snowflame for a moment, before chaining his wrist to a nearby pipe and walking towards the lab's exit. "ladies and gentlemen, the police will arrive in about ten minutes. till then, he's all yours."
The vigilante left the building with Snowflame still inside, leaving the screaming drug lord at the mercy of his savage, vengeful experiments. All the while, thoughts of the mysterious Penguin running this show raced through his head. 'this penguin clearly isn't a normal yakuza don. if he's got the connections to get ahold of trigger, not to mention something that could temporarily erase a quirk, he's gotta be planning something big. i just need to find him before that happens.'
Batman knew the night was still young, and that he had plenty of time to hunt for more information from the rest of the small-time gangs dotting the prefecture that could lead him to the Penguin's location. He summoned the Batmobile to a more discreet location so he wouldn't be noticed, before hopping in and listening to the police scanner inside. However, he found himself distracted by a strange feeling inside his cowl, and something with claws scratching his leg. Izuku looked down to find a small black kitten hanging onto his bat suit and looking at him with green and blue eyes.
"Nani?" Izuku then removed his cowl from his head, causing a fluffy white bat the size of a walnut to pop out and fly around the vehicle. After it decided to rest next to the cat, the both of them looked at him with wide expectant eyes.
"Where did you come from?" He muttered, before smacking himself in the forehead at the obvious. "Right, the lab… you don't LOOK like you have quirks or anything, so you're probably from the pet side of things… I guess it wouldn't hurt to see if I can find you homes or something."
"*Welcome back to our continuing series on Batman: Hero or Villain. Today we continue asking civilians and heroes alike about the mysterious quirkless vigilante well known for his brutality towards targets, and his infamous bat shaped flare. We've interviewed almost every major hero from Ingenium to Present Mic, but there's still a few heroes we've received radio silence from. While Gang Orca and Mirko are expected to give their thoughts later this week, the top 3 heroes (Hawks, Endeavor, and All Might) have declined to comment.*"
Deep in the darkness of his underground lair, a young grim looking man in a mask similar to a plague doctor with an evil look in his exposed eyes watched the news on his biggest problem. This man happened to be Kai Chisaki, better known to the underworld at large as up and coming crime boss, The Penguin. He'd recently developed a plan to bring his organization back to the forefront of society by any means necessary, but the vigilante attacking his markets and getting away clean proved to be a massive thorn in his side.
"*We'll continue our segment by getting the general public opinion through the streets. Tell me young man, what do you think of Batman.*" Morgans asked a young black haired boy with sharp pointy teeth and a hot blooded aura.
"*I think he's super manly! To take out villains and save people despite not having a quirk takes a ton of guts and strength!*"
"*Yeah! Did you see the way he took out those anti-mutant jerks! It's about time someone taught those creeps a lesson! Plus, Batman's super hot too!*" A girl around the same age with pink hair and skin, with horns and yellow eyes popped in with a big grin on her face. Both of the teens were clearly out on a run and taking a break, sweaty and panting a little from the exertion as they pulled water bottles out of their bags.
The camera then cut to a woman manning a food stand in a different location who seemed to be far less enthusiastic. "*If you ask me the whole thing is just ridiculous. I mean he's way too aggressive, and a quirkless hero? Come on! All he'll do is get someone killed playing hero!*"
"*THE BATMAN IS THE GREATEST HERO SINCE ALL MIGHT DAMNIT! VILLAINS THINK THEY CAN FUCK AROUND IN THE NIGHT LIKE THEY OWN THE COUNTRY, BUT NOW THEY'RE ALL RUNNIN' SCARED! IF ANYONE TRIES BADMOUTHING HIM, I'LL BLOW THEIR ASS UP!*" An ash blonde teenager cut into the shot and loudly yelled. Another woman with a resemblance to him then popped up between them and smacked him on the back of the head, making the teen growl in irritation.
"*Watch your mouth, brat! You're on TV!*"
"*Hey, aren't you the kid from the Sludge Villain Incident? That was big news!*"
"*SHUT UP!*"
The screen then cut to an older looking man walking with a limp, with an ice pack in between his legs and a foul expression on his ugly face. He clearly had seen better days, and given he was outside a bar the mysterious man recognized he was likely at the bare minimum drunk, if not high. More importantly, however, was the bit of napkin trash on the ground, the 3 cigarettes in the outside ashtray and the faint shiny smudge on the floor visible from the open door.
'I need to check on the sanitary conditions at that one, it looks like it's slacking off on protocol… Wouldn't hurt to do a full inspection on all the businesses again actually. It HAS been a couple weeks…"
"*That stupid Bat? I'll tell you what he is, a damned villain gyppin' work off the real heroes! He's no better than those freaks who try to pass as human! He needs to go die in a hole, he's wasting the resources of decent people who are actually worth the air they breathe!*"
The reporter smartly cut away to someone else, this time to another teenager, a rosy cheeked girl with short brown hair. "*I mean, he seems pretty cool but who knows where he's getting all this stuff? Might be from the Yakuza or something!*"
"*I must say, I find it utterly mad we're even entertaining this! He is a vigilante, and therefore breaking the law even if he is utilizing a loophole to avoid prosecution! He needs to be brought to justice as he is clearly a threat, even if it is only to villains. After all, he may change his targets at any time for all we know!*" A serious looking young man in glasses ranted and raved to the camera.
The footage then went to a high school aged girl with blonde hair in buns, with an expression that greatly unnerved Chisaki. "*I think Bat-Chan is super-duper cool! The way he beats up people and makes them piss themselves with no mercy is just intoxicating! It's a shame he's probably too old for me, because I wanna plunge in my knife and let him *bleeeeeeep* and then *bleeeeeep* jelly sandwiches *bleeeeeep*-!*" Chisaki was relieved when the camera cut to another person, not a fan of even thinking about what that girl was likely raving about. Too unsanitary, and horribly prone to spreading some of the worst diseases.
"*Who is Batman? He's a criminal, that's who he is! How can we trust a man who doesn't show his face?! If we let the Bat-Menace run around without him having a day in hero school, who's to say the youth of this country won't turn to vigilantism too!*" A cantankerous older man with a gray flattop and a cigar in his teeth groused. "*He needs to go to college and get a real job, not terrorize the streets all Willy-nilly!*"
"*I know what everyone's been saying about him. How he's a villain, how he's too rough. Would you say he was too rough on the man who tried to rape me when he and his gang attacked my family? I know there's a legal gray area when it comes to him, but quirk or no quirk, I think Batman is a hero.*" A young teenager with a somewhat haunted look on her face spoke, only for Chisaki's attention to be drawn elsewhere as two of his subordinates walked into the room.
He switched off the TV, and turned his attention to the masked men, one being much taller than the other. The shorter one wore a white hooded overcoat and covered his face with a black, gold trimmed plague doctor mask, while the other wore a more revealing mask with what appeared to be a white alligator scale pattern, and a black overcoat that almost hid the green scaly skin underneath. "I presume you have a report for me? If you're bothering me it better be important. Is something wrong with Eri?" The Penguin growled, leveling an irritated glare at his underlings.
"It's the Batman again, Penguin-oyabun. He managed to corner Snowflame in Shizuoka and has all but wiped out our operations in the area." The smaller of the two Yakuza spoke in a respectful tone. "Knowing Snowflame's weak resolve, it's liable that the Batman now knows far more about the organization than he should. This could include your street name."
"I see…I thought you said you would handle him by now? He's untainted by humanity's plague but corrupted by the pestilence that is the heroic ideal, someone who should not be difficult to eliminate with our disease."
"Yeah, but no one is willing to stand against him, he's absolutely insane! You heard the rumors about what he does to people who he ain't merciful towards! Judging from that police report of what he did to Snowflame, it ain't far from the truth!" The crocodile man grimaced a bit under his mask as he remembered the details of Snowflame's arrest.
"And just how exactly did a man fully supplied with enough fuel for his corruption manage to get caught by those useless mice? Chrono?"
"Apparently, he'd been found by police chained up and mauled by his own chimera experiments with internal bleeding and a bullet wound in his leg. They think the bullet was from a ricochet, but everything else was done by the Bat." Chronostasis revealed to Chisaki, being far less empathetic to Snowflame's plight than his partner. "It seems part of the Batman's fright factor revolves around his ability to inflict pain. He could be another Yakuza member trying to hunt down info on Wipe production and muscle in on our territory."
"Tsk, you think it's that big? Most Yakuza don't allow quirkless folks into their ranks, and besides he's got way too much cash to be part of a family in today's era. We're the strongest there is, and the family is still flat broke! He's just a punk kid playing hero, so why should we worry about-"
"Croc, I thought I taught you better than that. Do you want to go back for retraining again?" The Penguin stood up from his chair, making both Chronostasis and Killer Croc tense up in fear as he approached them with sickening killing intent. "The Batman represents so much more than that. People are already starting to talk after all. Not only has he been running circles around our Shizuoka rackets, but his debut at large was making one of the oldest gangs in Japan look like a clown show. If he goes around much longer fighting us off and other criminals, his heroism disease will spread to others, and people will come to believe this ill society of false idols can maintained without quirks. If that happens, everything we've done to restore the Yakuza to power will mean nothing!"
"A-and what do you think we should do about it boss?" Killer Croc stammered, as Chisaki looked down on him.
"It should be obvious by now that the Bat doesn't play by a hero's rules. He fights dirty, knows how to cause pain and fear, hides in the shadows and stays out of the spotlight. What we need to do is drag him out of the shadows by his cowl, prop him up, and eradicate him for all to see. That way, the people know the truth, that this society is reliant on their disease. A disease we'll cure."
"I understand Penguin-oyabun, how should we proceed?"
"Simple. Croc, meet up with Nendo and gather some expendable snitches we were rubbing out anyway. I'll leave dealing with Batman up to the both of you. Treat him as nothing less than a traitor to our organization."
Hearing this, Killer Croc grew a wide sadistic grin filled with rows of sharp teeth. "Can we get… creative?"
"The more the better, Croc. After all, we need to make it clear this kind of pestilence will not be tolerated. And if that means he's… disposed of in a very public manner? Well, his disease is a new plague that needs to be eradicated before it can corrupt the world."
As the members of Shie Hassakai plotted the downfall of the Batman, Izuku was currently facing a much more challenging, terrifying, and awkward task that scared him more than any villain. That being, introducing Yaoyorozu to the Bakugos. Since Bakugo happened to be a massive loud mouth, his parents learned of Momo from him rather easily. Mitsuki naturally insisted on meeting her as soon as possible upon hearing of Izuku's potential girlfriend. He was currently standing outside the front of their house as a stiff, red statue, with Momo not doing much better, and Bakugo seeming nonchalant about the whole thing.
"Yeah, Deku got a girlfriend."
"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!/SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Yaomomo and Izuku both screamed in embarrassment at the explosive teen.
"Remember Mitsuki, you need to keep calm about this. They've only known each other a few weeks, so they're probably just friends!" Masaru whispered to his excited wife, meaning to perform a preemptive strike on a potentially embarrassing situation.
"OI, BRATS! GET IN HERE SO I CAN SEE THIS NEW SQUEEZE OF IZU'S!" The ash-blond woman shouted, storming up to said green haired teen and the sole girl of the trio on her doorstep. "Holy- LOOKS LIKE WE GOT OURSELVES A LITTLE MODEL MAGNET, HUH?
Masaru sighed, figuring he failed… again. Izuku and Momo were bright red and glaring at Katsuki, who looked bored at first glance.
Anyone who knew him even slightly well could tell he was trying to hide his smug amusement behind a stony face.
"Hey old hag, this is Ponytail. She's some rich girl the old fart butler set Deku up with. They flirt so much it makes me physically sick. Like, with cholera-tapeworm-diabetes." Bakugo rolled his eyes at said duo, while Mitsuki could barely contain her excitement.
"Well, don't be a stranger Momo-chan! Come on in, take off your shoes and have a glass of wheat tea!" Mitsuki said as she practically dragged Momo inside and picked the best seat in the dining room.
Seeing the inside of a "commoner's house" for the first time, Yaomomo naturally began looking around and excitedly picking up everything she could. "Oh my gosh, these plates and chopsticks are so cute! And you only need to use a single kind of fork! You have a lovely home, Bakugou-san!"
Katsuki snorted as he saw a certain look form in his mother's eye, Izuku feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in dread.
"Oh, we just pulled them out because we were going to have salad and pasta for dinner. Italian take out dressed up a little, ya know? Nothing too fancy."
"Mitsuki…" Masaru warned with a look, clearly knowing what his wife was trying to lead into.
The same thing she'd done with every single rich person she'd run into since Izuku became wealthy and started bringing her around as moral support on occasion if he could spin it.
"Oh? So you're having your porter helicopter in some from Cenci?"
"Nope! There's no way we could afford such a thing even after our dear Izuku became a tycoon! Masaru just has some old friends who give us a discount at this foreign-owned restaurant around the corner!" The blond woman chirped, turning on her heel and leaning in to look the shorter of the sole girls in the house right in the eye. "Guess how much it normally costs for the 4 of us?"
"Oh, it has to be at LEAST be 70,000 yen!"
"Nope! Try again, but lower."
"Ugh, here she goes again…" Katsuki grumbled, shouldering past them to head deeper into the house. "OI, HAG! I'M GOING TO GO SHOWER, ITS HOT AS SHIT IN THIS FUCKING UNIFORM!"
"YEAH, YOU BETTER GET THAT STANK OFF YOUR ASS, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Mitsuki shouted back over her shoulder before turning back to Momo. "Anyways… What's your next guess?"
"Ano… 50,000?"
"... Kid, that's our entire utility bill. Water, electric AND gas. No, even WITH you added on AND getting dessert we're only looking at 11,700 even."
"But… That's not even $100 when you convert it! How can you get imported food that cheap?"
"Miss, it's not that big of a shock. Most people can get a full meal of takeout for as little as 300 yen if they know what they're doing these days. That cost is WITH the import fees factored in." Masaru explained "Mitsuki, please try to not destroy the brain of Izuku's not-girlfriend before we can force her to adapt to the chaos that is this family."
"Okay, okay I'll stop!" Mitsuki relented him an amused smirk, noticing some smoke coming out of Momo's ears. She then turned to the already incredibly embarrassed Midoriya, discreetly giving him a wink and thumbs up. "Great job, Izuku! You snagged a keeper and damn is she a 10! Looks like we'll have grandkids after all!"
Izuku couldn't come up with any more words to describe his embarrassment and just garbled gibberish, inwardly thanking the heavens that Momo didn't seem to hear what Mitsuki just said. Mitsuki was satisfied with the reception, and turned around to see her son watching the latest report on hero news. More specifically, on The Batman.
"Damnit Katsuki, can't you do anything else but sit in front of the damn tv lately? All they're even talking about lately is the same guy!"
"Fuck off hag! Batman is a total badass, I don't want to miss anything!" Bakugo yelled at his mom before focusing back on the television where Gang Orca was being interviewed about the apparently quirkless vigilante.
"*I remember in our last talk with you after Batman's first major appearance you criticized his attack on Doctor Death for potentially straining quirk relations. What are your thoughts now that we know he most likely has no quirk at all?*"
"*It's… complicated. The fact that he doesn't have a quirk means that there's less of a chance of him reflecting badly on those with unsavory or physically obvious quirks, but now there's the potential for him to make people find the most vulnerable members of society potentially dangerous. It's shocking that he is able to do what he can, especially without a quirk, but the fact still stands that this could have any number of ripple effects that could cause serious problems.*"
"SCREW YOU WHALE HEAD! THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT LAME FUCKS LIKE YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME SITTING AROUND WITH YOUR THUMBS UP YOUR ASSES INSTEAD OF DOING SHIT!"
"Katsuki, what have I told you about screaming at people on the news?"
"… that it's not effective in any way."
"And what is effective?"
"Bitching them out online? Old man, I don't want to get banned from Twitter again, why the hell would I do that?"
"Ah, still an amateur I see." Masaru chuckled with a slightly smug expression on his face as he leaned back into the couch, which managed to piss his son off all over again.
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, OLD FART?"
"KATSUKI! SHUT THE HELL UP AND GO PLAY WITH YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS!"
"IM NOT FUCKING 5, HAG!"
"THEN STOP ACTING LIKE IT YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
"IM NOT ACTING LIKE A FUCKING-!"
"You are. Now, do you want me to give you the run down on how to troll again or are you going to shut the hell up and act your age?"
"GODDAMNIT MASARU! NO ONE THINKS HIDING BEHIND A COMPUTER IS IMPRESSIVE!"
Both wanting to change the subject from the yelling argument, and being legitimately uncomfortable with watching an entire family argument that seemingly came out of nowhere, Momo decided to interject. "Ano… What makes you like Batman so much, Bakugou-San?"
The argument came to a screeching halt, the explosive teen in question leveling an intense blank stare at Momo before storming over and grabbing both her and Izuku by the hands.
"DON'T DO ANYTHING I WOULD, BRAT!"
"FUCKING- NO! I'M NOT DOING ANY OF THAT WEIRD SHIT OLD HAG! I'M JUST SHOWING THEM MY STASH!"
"OH? YOU FINALLY STARTED SMOKING THE GOOD SHIT? I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD IT IN YOU, YOU LITTLE PUSSY!"
"FUCK YOU, HAG! I HAVE A FUCKING REPUTATION!"
"YEAH, A SHIT ONE WITH THAT DOGSHIT ATTITUDE OF YOURS!"
Before Izuku or Momo could so much as ask what "stash" actually meant, they were dragged into what was clearly Katsuki's room and faced with a very… interesting sight. 'Oh my god… is this what my room was like when I was obsessed with All Might? It's a really good thing my All Might room is hidden back in the halls…' Izuku shuddered, a very awkward feeling in his gut at…
Well, the entire room was Batman-themed, and Izuku had NO idea where he got all the stuff. Posters, artwork, grainy photos that were released by the media, bat themed stuff all over the place, a THEORY BOARD- "Ano… Bakugou-san, you seem to… really like Batman." Momo said, trying to avoid eye contact with Izuku who had turned as pale as a sheet.
"Like? No, this motherfucker is like my IDOL, Ponytail! He's SOOOO badass! Villains RUN at the mere MENTION of him being in the area, he can kick ass WITHOUT A QUIRK if those news fuckers aren't lying out their asses again, he's got sick gear, what ISN'T there to love about this guy? ALL MIGHT looks lame next to him!"
"Well…I wouldn't say that." Izuku tried staying modest and composed about the situation, while he was completely losing it on the inside. 'HOLY CRAP! WHAT KIND OF REALITY AM I LIVING IN THAT MY BIGGEST BULLY FROM MY CHILDHOOD IS MY NUMBER ONE FAN?! AM I FUCKING SPIDER-MAN ALL THE SUDDEN? !'
"Where did you even get all of this merchandise? I don't think selling anything based on a vigilante is legal for official agencies…"
"The fucking Public Safety Commission is sitting on approving him like a bunch of pussies, so a lot of fan sites made their own shit. There's been this forum I've been on since… Ah man, it was like the second or third time he was mentioned on the news I think? Pretty early on. The fuckers on that thing are AWESOME and we've been throwing around theories and shit for AGES! Anyways, there's this sub-thread on it where we talk "merch", most of it is just where to commission or if we found, like, an Etsy listing or someone made one. Now, ever since it came out he's quirkless we've been in this HUUUUUUGE shitty good debate on what shoes he wears because there's like 3 brands that make them and if we can figure it out we can get the non-quirkless versions and match that badass!" Katsuki gushed, an almost childishly excited look on his face as he opened his closet to reveal…
Even MORE Batman stuff falling out of it.
"Kacchan… how-?"
"Deku, don't ask how. My old hag and old fart weren't exactly scrambling for spare change before you started forcing us to take stupid money from you. Most of it went into emergency funds, sure, but I still got a massive allowance upgrade if I keep my nose clean!"
"I wasn't asking about the money aspect, Kacchan. I was asking how the hell you managed to hide this when we both know I'm at least once a week."
Katsuki just shot Izuku a look and pointed to his bed, a large plastic bin poking from under it.
"... Kacchan… are you saying you've been HIDING this?"
"Deku, I didn't want to freak you out by supporting some random guy who's not exactly a normal hero, at least until more was known about him. The fact that he's ALSO quirkless just meant I didn't really need to be worried about you being as put out about fucking hero worship as the old hag calls it." Katsuki deadpanned, cocking his hip with a blank look on his face. "Plus, you were hiding your girlfriend from me, so I'd say we're even."
"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND/SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Izuku and Yaomomo screeched simultaneously, both dark red from his teasing.
"Yeah, super convincing." Katsuki drawled, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, you have no excuses now, do you?"
"Eh?"
"What do you mean by that, Bakugou-san?"
"Excuses, he can't keep using those lame ass excuses people have been using for decades that quirkless people can't be heroes. Deku, if you DON'T show up to those entrance exams in a few months, I will PERSONALLY explode your sorry ass to a fine paste!"
"Kacchan, there's rules to even APPLY that-"
"BULL-FUCKING-SHIT! FUCK the bastards who came up with that shitty ass "rule"! I can't believe I'm saying this… I did some shitty research, Deku. Like, it took 3 clicks after the first google to find this out and it's on the literal website of the goddamn department of quirk accommodations and regulation. There is NO legal way for them to STOP YOU FROM APPLYING! The ONLY legal thing that could POSSIBLY stop you getting in is the practical exams for the hero course, and you wanna know something crazy?"
"That being?"
"You can use support gear on any practical exam for just about any hero school in the country. Sure, the dickheads covered it the best they could, but it ain't that hard to figure out. They got loopholes in their own loopholes. After all, they can't stop a quirkless guy from carrying his LEGALLY APPROVED SELF DEFENSE GEAR, can they? It would be against literally every single goddamn anti-discrimination law in place, PLUS there's another caveat that in combat focused tests and careers they HAVE to let you use some kind of body armor AND additional gear due to, and I hate saying this but it's how they said it on the site, "the disability affecting the individual"."
"... Kacchan, what the FUCK!"
"NICE! FINALLY got you to swear again!"
"Is this what you've been doing behind my back? Looking up weird laws that-"
"Deku, you are a total dumbass if you didn't think to look this shit up yourself."
It was at this point Yaomomo cleared her throat, getting the attention of both boys "Ah… If I may be so bold as to interrupt, I might be able to clear something up…?"
"Oh? What's that, Ponytail?"
"My father, he's quirkless too, and unfortunately there's a massive issue of people installing content filters and malware that affects the devices of quirkless people if they know it's going to them. Not many people know about it unless they're doing it themselves, unfortunately."
"And how does that affect any of this bullshit?"
"The content filters? They make it so that any website regarding accommodations or legal rights for a quirkless person are heavily altered at best. Some things that are widely known, like the knife carry laws, are left be but things like job listings, schooling accommodations, scholarships, clinics specifically for quirkless people? They all vanish without a trace, and the malware makes it even harder to find the button to shut them off. It's not uncommon for people related to those targeted by them to get the altered devices as well…"
"... Yaoyorozu-san, what on-"
"THOSE FUCKING DICKHEADS! Deku, is THAT why you had to go to that fucking asshole of a son of a bitch when you broke your foot when we were little?"
"Uh… Maybe? From what I heard he was the only doctor that would see quirkless people… not that his reviews were anything even slightly good once I looked him up out of boredom a couple years ago…"
"That makes sense, there are some things that have to be allowed through due to the laws around not blocking access to medical care and the like. The loophole they usually use is to not show anyone with good reviews and to add in warnings on some sites that they only take in quirkless people for an exorbitant fee that I'm guessing the average person can't afford just to walk in the door."
"Ignoring this bullshit before I get anymore PISSED-!" Katsuki grumbled before his expression changed to a more dreadful one. "Now we've got a project to work on…."
"Is this project tied to that conversation we had about my board saying they're going to try and oust me if I don't at the very least get a highschool diploma under the guise of incompetence?"
"No SHIT, Deku! And, as much as I hate to say it, we've got to do one of the worst pieces of shit ever invented by man…"
"What's so-"
"NO!"
"Yes, my stupid annoying friend. We…have to do paperwork. A FUCKTON of paperwork at that, too. SOOOOOO much shitty ass bullshit paperwork."
"Better get it done soon Midoriya-kun, you still have your late night meetings!" Momo couldn't help but laugh at the comical cries of the boys she was hanging out with, not surprised that there would be a bunch of red tape involved in this "project". She did have to wonder, though, if Izuku actually WOULD get into Yuuei. Even for a "Normal" student, you had a one in 300 chance of getting into ANY program, and that was on a light enrollment year. For hero course? It was one in 1,200… at best.
Later that night, a small group of sinister looking men skulked through the streets of Musutafu in a broken down man, trying not to arouse suspicion by the local underground heroes. Or worse, the vigilante they planned to kill in a surprise attack later that night, the Batman. While many of them looked either like hardened Yakuza or typical d-list villains, one man looked very out of place, being a handsome young man in his mid 20s who's attractive face was marred by an ugly scar. This man was named Nendo Takara, a once famous drama actor who was now referred to by his colleagues in the Shie Hassaikai as Clayface. Everyone who heard it without the context of the whole Yakuza thing knew it was an insult. Honestly, it wasn't exactly hidden that it started as an insult and still technically was.
"So Croc, you really sure this is gonna work? I ain't exactly thrilled about the thought of taking the Batman on by myself!" A gruff looking man with ten different eyes turned from his position in the driver's seat to face the leader of the operation in the back, who was currently munching on a raw fish.
"Of course, Ten Eyes! If Batman is a good little boy and surrenders himself to me with no fuss, you won't even have to face him! And if he tries any funny games on us, Clayface is more than strong enough to take him out." Wani gestured to Nendo, who seemed more than a little reluctant to follow through with the plan. "What's with you Nendo? You're not backing out are you?"
"I just don't know if I can take people hostage like this! What if I attack some of my old fans?"
"Please, with your quirk, they'd never know it was you as long as you took enough Trigger!" A man in a green outfit with a kite growing out of his back spoke. "Besides, if we pull this off you'll be more famous than ever as the man who helped take down the Bat! That's more than worth the lives of some little nobodies!"
In response to Kite-Man's words, another man in a skin tight polka dot covered outfit sadistically chuckled. "We're supposed to kill all the hostages either way, right Croc?"
"Yeah, the boss says we can't leave any witnesses to implicate our family, especially since Snowflame probably squealed to the Bat." Killer Croc growled with contempt, knowing how easily their captured dealer gave up the information, including the boss's street name. "Now listen up, The Penguin will be close by observing us on this job the entire time. Insiders like me and Clayface will be fine, but if this job goes under, you'll sleep with the fishes, understand?"
"Hey, why should the washed up pretty boy get off clean if this mission fails? He's no insider, just some chump the boss drug on to do infiltrations! Not to mention his Molding quirk is useless without Trigger!" The thug with rainbow colored skin referred to as Rainbow Raider spar in Nendo's direction.
"Because some of us didn't choose this…this…villain life Raider! Some of us just want to be given their Wipe dosage so they can keep their quirk under control and live a somewhat normal life!"
"What's normal about you Clayface? Even when you take your Wipe you still got that unfuckable face!" Polka Dot sneered at Nendo, pointing directly at the jagged scar across his face.
Seeing that Clayface was now getting visibly angry, and knowing that an internal fight breaking out could ruin the entire fight, Wani intervened with a deep roar. "STOP THE CAR TEN EYES!"
Hearing Killer Croc's rage, Ten Eyes floored his foot on the break and brought the vehicle to a screeching halt. The sudden stop threw the thugs off balance, their lack of seatbelts resulting in them falling into a dog pile in the middle of the back of the van. "What the hell Croc? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I'm keeping you fools from wrecking everything for our family. We all need to keep our heads on straight if we're gonna rub out the Bat!" Croc growled, waiting for the men to right themselves before passing out small files to each of his fellow Yakuza. "Now then, you all have your assignments. Take as many hostages as possible and kill anyone who resists and any hero who interferes. Once I've got Batman crushed under my feet, you have my permission to kill whoever poses a threat to the security of the Shie Hassaikai. Any questions?"
"What if they're… I dunno, like a little kid? Or a pregnant lady, or-"
"What, are you going to pussy out again, Clayface?"
"N-no! I just… I don't even know why I'm here, all I do is take my shit and dish out Wipe on the streets to others who need it for you guys. I'm not even that good at fighting or-"
"A shut the fuck up you pathetic loser! We've all seen those historical dramas you were in, you can't say you can't at the very least handle a katana!" Kiteman drawled, reaching over and shoving Nendo roughly. "Square up and be a man, pretty boy!"
"Unless you're just as gay as those rumors say you are… Then I think we better drop him off at one of the clubs Penguin runs for cover." Sneered Raider "And before you say I look gayer than you, need I remind you that at the very least I never pranced around on national television in a purple kimono trying to sell skin cream… Or did the same with a bunny costume and girly little fruity drinks."
"... I did that because I was PAID to do it, not that I wanted to."
"And we're PAYING you to kill ANY problems that may arise for the family. So suck your balls back into your sack, shut your simpering cock sucking mouth, take the damn trigger and DO YOUR FUCKING JOB, BITCH!"
"SHUT UP POLKA DOT!" Wani roared at the thug and caused him to sink back into his seat, before the Crocodile villain smiled with all of his deadly sharp teeth. "We can't afford to dick around any longer, those toads we sent out as bait for the Bat will be caught any minute now. Let's roll!"
The group of thugs got out of the car and made their way to their respective locations in the downtown area, moving silently because of the Bat flare lighting up the night sky. By far the one who seemed the most focused on his mission was Nendo. "It's nothing personal, Bat. You just shouldn't have fucked with us."
"IT'S THE BAT! THE BAT IS HERE!"
It was supposed to be a simple operation: push some crack and sell Trigger to local villains to renew the funds they'd been losing due to the night shift becoming tighter with pros. Instead, they came across the Dark Knight who was now chasing them through the alleyways. Considering how rumor quickly spread about what happened to Snowflame a few nights prior, none of them wanted to risk getting caught by Batman regardless of the fact he was apparently quirkless. As a result, the entire group of dealers fled on sight with the Bat in hot pursuit.
"I don't get it! Word on the street is that the Bat is just a quirkless kid in a Halloween costume!"
"You wanna be the next chump he feeds to a bunch of circus animals?! Fuck this shit man, I'm moving to Hokkaido!"
"That shithole? Where would you get the good shit there, you DUMBASS!"
"Yeah, well going cold turkey seems like a better idea than dealing with that PSYCHO!"
"Yeah, but dude, being sober su-!"
It was at this point one of the thugs found their legs tied up with wire and batarangs, and were now being dragged into the shadows. "THE BAT GOT ME! I'M FUCKED! TELL MY MA TO DELETE MY INTERNET HISTORY!"
Ignoring the terrified cries of his fellow dealer as he was presumably beaten senseless by the vigilante, the thug sprinted through the alleyway and saw a glimpse of light as he was this close to making it back to a more populated area. He knew that even if it wouldn't stop Batman from pursuing him further, it would at least make the chase considerably more difficult due to his hatred of the spotlight. However, just before he could make it, two crimson red feathers shot out from behind and lifted him up into the air before pinning him to the side of a nearby building.
"What the? Who the-?"
The feathers then gave him a hard and sudden smack against the building, immediately knocking him out. Had he stayed conscious a second longer, the thug would have noticed a blonde stubbly man with large red wings looming over him on the roof of the adjacent building. "Well well well, looks like that tip about the drug trade wasn't bullshit this time!" The blond drawled, hopping off the roof to walk over to his trapped target. "It's a little suspicious that you were all on your lonesome, though. The reports said you fuckers work in trios or pairs so you have a lookout based on my guess."
This hero was Keigo Takami, better known as third highest ranking pro "Wing Hero: Hawks", who coldly investigated the unconscious thug and played around a bit with his face "I don't really know what you were doing out and I don't really care! You're just lucky that you're not the one I need to take care of tonight. Hawks continued looking around on the dealer's person, and quickly found what looked like a bat shaped throwing knife jammed into the satchel at his side. He removed the knife and examined it closely, easily being able to tell where it came from.
"Looks like he's close by. This'll be easier than I thought!" Hawks thought aloud with a smirk before leaving the thug behind and taking to the air to search for his target. He didn't have to look very far to see a batlike figure on the roof of one of the nearby buildings, currently in the process of interrogating another dealer he'd tied to one of the external vents. He didn't bother to be subtle or anything, swooping down to tackle the infamous vigilante off the criminal. The force of his decent size combined with his attack threw the shockingly small man into a more "public" part of the alley, only a couple feet from a fairly busy main street.
"... why did you interrupt me, hero?"
Hawks just smirked and sent a roundhouse kick directly towards Batman's head, which the vigilante was a bit dazed by but relatively protected his cowl. He managed to roll out of the way of the next kick from a crouching position just before it hit, only to be set upon by dozens of Hawk's feathers swarming him from all sides. Hawks, however, noticed something… odd, about the smaller man. Poking out of his somewhat ripped shoes, which he could tell from a glance were from a brand that made them for those without quirks, was a hint of a very, very distinct sock that only came in one size range. Kids, the highest size for very young teens. Even more damning, the socks were Present Mic themed, specifically from his recent sanrio collaboration. Someone who was VERY popular among the younger demographic.
However, before he could think of the implications any further, Batman had pulled out a sonic charge while the pro was distracted and set it off, releasing a loud high pitched noise which disoriented Hawks and upset his control of the feathers. With his opponent distracted, Batman threw a set of boleadoras around Hawks, tying his arms and wings against his body and cutting off his movement. Now that he has downed, the vigilante had room to approach Hawks with extreme caution."i figured one of the bigger names would come for me soon. i just thought it was common courtesy for a pro to not interfere in vigilantes apprehending villains as long as we didn't put their lives at risk."
"And how many times have you done that so far, Bats? Of course, you're not exactly a normal vigilante are you?"
"true. i'm actually effective, aren't i? unlike you mainsterm pros. I don't have to worry about appeasing the commission and sponsors, now do i?"
"You don't have to get cute with me, Bats, you know exactly what I mean. No one older than 15 wears those kinds of clothes, and I know the other thing that sets you apart from other wannabe, unlicensed heroes! You think the fact that you were born without a quirk makes you untouchable, don't you?"
"you say that like it's not technically true. the commission can't do anything about me, the people on the street won't even bother interacting with me unless it will benefit them, and i now have to fight to get my hard earned reputation back in place thanks to you blabbermouths letting classified information get to that idiotic albatross." Batman deadpanned, voice low and steady despite his clear irritation creeping into his tone."if anything, you are more of a problem on these streets than i am, given you just let several drug dealers tied to a ring i've been trying to bust for 2 months now get away when i needed to get information out of them regarding any active operations they knew about."
"So I see! I already knew I couldn't arrest you, considering that loophole you've become so famous for. And needless to say I'll be dealing with those men myself once we've finished here." Hawks said with a cold demeanor before snapping free of his bindings and plucking a small feather from his wings, which suddenly grew to the size of a nodachi and hardened like a blade. "However, the commission has grown concerned about the impact you may have. They want to make sure those without quirks know their place at the bottom of society, and that can't happen with you around. We can't deal with you publicly without having Cadmus at our throats, so they asked me to make it look like an accident. Tonight will be the typical story of an in-over-his-head vigilante being stabbed to death by a common street thug after being overwhelmed by a superior quirk."
"ah, so you are no better than a common yakuza grunt i see."
"I am NOTHING like those scumbags!"
"consider that nerve touched! but really, why are you carrying out a hit for your "boss" like one? i have had a theory that those tied to the commission are mere chess pieces, but to think you are so under their thumb you'd commit a crime only the worst scum would think of? and then falsify evidence? why, that sounds a lot like the yakuza to me! what about you, bird?"
Hawks didn't bother answering his question, instead shooting for a lethal blow to the neck for a quick and clean end to his assassination attempt. The vigilante managed to dodge the attack with the feather only nicking the neck of his costume, and countered by throwing a bomb filled with tear gas to the ground before running to the edge of the rooftop. Batman sprinted away across the tops of the buildings to escape, using his grappling gun to pull himself to higher ground as the architecture quickly became taller.
'i was expecting the public safety commission to try something like this rather than admit defeat cleanly, but they must be serious if they're sending hawks after me. the way his fierce wings quirk works… i could destroy his wings to force him to regrow, but i don't want to give the commission ammo against me by beating up one of their golden boys like this. the best move i can make right now is to escape to a safer area before it gets ugly and hunt another night." Batman tensed up a bit when he felt dozens of tiny presences surrounding him like a swarm of mosquitoes and Hawks' killing intent in the air not far behind him. Not waiting around to find out what would happen the hard way, he turned on his heel and launched himself off the skyscraper's rooftop.
His actions seemed to give him a moment of a head start again, only for Hawks to pull himself out of his shock and dart towards where he was gliding down using his new specialized cape. He landed with a roll and began to run, only for Hawks and his feathers to shoot down towards him from all sides, with the man himself attempting to corner the vigilante with the feather sword still in his hand. However, Batman used the fraction of a second he had while the hero was hurtling towards him to knock the sword from his hands with a batarang, before leaping into the air despite the numerous blades feathers piercing his armor and knocking Hawks upside the head with a double ax handle.
Despite being disoriented by the sudden blow to the head, Hawks' feathers gave Batman no room to escape as several of them pierced him from behind and forced him into closer quarters. Once he'd sufficiently dragged into a corner, Hawks tried slitting the vigilante's throat with a plucked feather, but Batman grabbed him by both wrists and forced a grappling match between the two of them. "You know this was supposed to be quick Bats, but you just had to resist! Now we'll have to say you got ganged up on, and that wouldn't fit the Commission's vision of a quirkless vigilante out of his league getting killed by chance for trying to be something he's not!"
"all you are doing is chipping away at the frankly minuscule respect I still have towards the commission, hero." Batman growled as he flipped Hawks, trying to disorient the hero long enough to make his getaway.
Hawks shifted his arms and feathers in response before pinning the vigilante up against the wall of the building, continuing to wrestle while not noticing the blazing truck speeding down the streets below them. The truck was driven by a man in a dark overcoat with a white plague Doctor mask made with an alligator skin pattern headed towards the town square. Batman however, did notice and realized what was about to happen, so he attempted to wrest himself from Hawks' grip even harder than before.
"let go of me, you idiot! that truck is headed towards the tatooin ward!"
"the last desperate ploy from a doomed man. it's a shame i have to take your ass out, it would be interesting to see where things go with-"
A large explosion in the distance distracted Hawks from his thoughts, as the Tatooin Ward broke out into the flames when the hijacked truck finally reached its destination. Looking into his opponent's horrified and furious face, Hawks realized with disgust that Batman had been telling the truth and that a deadly villain attack he could have stopped was in his midst. Forgetting about his mission for a moment, Hawks radioed into superiors and growled into the microphone. "What the hell was that?!"
"*It's not important to you Takami, we'll dispatch other heroes to the scene of the explosion. Finish your mission and dispose of Batman.*"
"Like hell it's not important!" Hawks yelled into his headpiece before changing the channel to contact the highest ranking hero nearby "Gang Orca, this is Hawks! What's going on in the Tatooin Ward?"
"*You should be asking what's going on throughout the city! The villain with the Crocodile quirk has taken hostages, and there's been reports of five other ongoing hostage situations around the city!*"
As Hawks dropped Batman and became more focused on the attack occurring a few blocks away, Izuku finally answered an incoming call from Alfred and picked up through his headset. "i'm guessing you're calling about the hostage situation. what's your status?"
"*That's correct Master Midoriya! But if you must know, I was taking care of some shopping, and I somehow found myself IN the hostage situation.*" Alfred informed him in his normal casual tone, despite his precarious position.
"*Shut the fuck up old man! One more word and I'll-Wait, what are you… AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHGGGGHGGHGGH-*"
"*I believe the very colorful man I just impaled was a small-time crook named Orochi Niji, or "The Rainbow Raider". However, the ringleader of this operation seems to be a much bigger fish.*"
(A/N): This is yet another case of this chapter being up on AO3 before my original account, but I tried to keep the gap relatively small. This chapter was a fucking beast to do, to the point where this isn't even the full chapter we had planned. Chapters 6 and 7 were actually meant to be one whole, but once the word count clocked in at around 20k, we decided it would be best to chop it in half. I'll post chapter 7 in full on this site in the next couple days while you all read this, but check out my Ao3 account if you want a preview of what's to come.
Some of you may be surprised that we decided to make Chisaki this fic's equivalent of the Penguin, but we had our reasons. On top of them both being gang leaders with a bird aesthetic, we decided to go with a more Burtonesque feel for the Penguin in this story, which you'll notice more of with him the closer we get to the Internship Arc. That plus my personal pet peeve in canon of villains going with their quirk name for their codename, has equaled Overhaul acting as the Penguin in this story's universe. Have fun with that you all.
With that being said, I'm going to wrap this up so I can finish my late breakfast and move on to other chapters. Aside from the already completed Chapter 7, older readers of my work will be happy to know that the new chapter of Ninja of Santoryu is finally being dusted off and is nearly ready to publish. So that will be my next order of business. As always, follow and favorite is you wanna do more, and review if you want to let us know how great/terrible we are. See you all soon.
. . .