Chapter 7: With Friends Like These
Tokyo, 21st Ward
30 Minutes before Ryukyu's Team Encounters Toga
"Looks like rain."
Midoriya scarcely glanced up from his notebook at the sound of Shinso's voice. It was hardly a groundbreaking observation, after all; fat droplets of water has been bursting intermittently on the car's windshield for some time now, and a front of grey clouds was rapidly devouring what little clear sky remained outside the tinted windows. All the same, though, Hitoshi's confirmation of the inevitable prompted a frown on Izuku's face. Not because of anything related to the actual weather, of course, but because rain meant he had to take off his sunglasses and put in his vexingly itchy false color lenses- he much preferred to use the former when in public, when possible. It was already enough of a nuisance to keep his hair concealed, but at least the dye wasn't uncomfortable.
"Yeah, no shit," Spinner replied from the driver's seat as Midoriya reluctantly folded away his glasses and pulled a pair of dark brown contacts from a leather case. "That won't be a problem for your meeting though, right?"
"Unlikely," Izuku replied dryly, slipping the lenses in with a grimace. As soon as they settled into place, he wasted no time turning his gaze back to his notes on the respective strengths and weaknesses of Hawks' interns, Shiketsu's Yoarashi Inasa and U.A.'s Sero Hanta, and his newest sidekick, Ketsubutsu's Makabe Shikkui. "If anything, he'll love the dramatic element of it- might put him in a better mood for the negotiations."
"And if it doesn't, I'll be watching to make sure he doesn't get any rash ideas," Mr. Compress added from beside Iguchi; though his face was obscured, his grin was practically audible. "Am I still to take the girl if things go awry?"
His frown lightening somewhat, Izuku closed the notebook and threw a glance outside the window. A multi-colored sea of umbrellas was springing up along the sidewalk as they passed block after block in a blur, escaping the deadlock of the usual morning commute only due to the fact that it was a Saturday.
"Yes, of course. In the long run, she's much more valuable to our plans than he is, as useful as his quirk may be. But seeing how loyal she is to his cause, I'd prefer not to have to use force if possible."
"And I'd prefer not to be forced rely on brainwashing to keep one of the key components of our operation against Hawks in check," said Shinso. "Mei's enhancers have increased my abilities significantly, but my quirk still has its limits. It would be far better if they join voluntarily."
"Never hurts to have a little insurance," quipped Spinner, turning the car off the main street and onto a side road before putting it into park. "Ok, this is where you guys get out. The meeting spot should be half a kilo toward the old market. Feel free to call me if this old geezer can't handle them."
"I take offense to that," Compress replied in mock dismay as he climbed out onto the street and put up his own umbrella.
He was wearing one of his elaborately patterned masks, but quickly used his quirk to shrink it down into a blue marble, along with his trademark feathered cap; because he always disguised his appearance during combat, his real face, a rather plain, friendly countenance with greying black hair, was the perfect disguise for blending into a crowd. Atsuhiro's overcoat was a more restrained design than usual to complete the effect, though he'd refused to part from his elegant cane and gloves. Before he started off down the main road, he gave a respectful nod to Midoriya and Shinso, who had just emerged from the car behind him.
"Well, gentlemen, I'm off- I'll see you both soon, though you hopefully won't see me."
Izuku returned the gesture in kind as he and Hitoshi began to walk in a different direction. While they approached the meeting location- a tea house- via one route, Compress would take another, arriving there before them to monitor the situation and lie in wait as backup, disguised as a customer. He shared Shinso's hope, though, that Atsuhiro's presence wouldn't be necessary- he much preferred to make new allies in the criminal underworld than new enemies. Though sometimes, the latter simply can't be helped, he reflected as the rain began to pick up until it formed a steady drumbeat on his umbrella, obscuring the dimly lit signs of cafes and corner stores, just opening for the day. Shigaraki and his loyalists had hardly been the only obstacle he crushed over the course of his organization's steady rise to prominence, simply the most stubborn and most recent. Taking over the black market for weapons and support items across most of Central Japan, which remained their most profitable venture, had been an involved and bloody affair, with many competitors somewhat reluctant to relent their share of the industry to a group of high-school dropouts.
Only a few, Giran foremost among them, had seen the way the wind was blowing- the rest had paid for their arrogance, one way or another. Often, Hatsume's product was simply so markedly superior to anything else on offer that buyers flocked to her willingly, and once Yaoyorozu finally ended her futile resistance and gave them the full support of her quirk in the third month of her captivity, they could replicate any design that Mei drafted in perfect detail, as many times as an order demanded- all it took was time and food for Momo, a lucratively efficient system. Speak of the devil, he thought, looking down to his buzzing phone to find her number on the screen, requesting a facetime. Her face came steadily into focus on the small screen the moment he pressed 'accept', a frown crossing her near-perfect features. She'd changed her look drastically since committing to their cause, in order to avoid detection; her ponytail long since abandoned, she wore her hair cut short now, slightly above shoulder length, and mainly swept to one side. Dark purple lenses and lavender-white hair dye completed the look during field missions, but both had their normal color now- the background indicated that she was at the Osaka Headquarters.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mitsuni?" As in all remote communications, he never addressed her by her real name.
"I've been monitoring cell communications in your area for any anomalies, as a precaution for your meeting. Nothing unusual from the targets, but I did pick up a strange call from a number that I was able to tie back to a small-time group of weapons traffickers whose leader we killed six months ago in Yokohama. They were speaking in some sort of code, but I believe they might be targeting you in an attempt to take revenge for their superior's death."
"Always the little guys who can't let go of a grudge," Hitoshi muttered, leaning in next to Midoriya to listen to the call. "You think they'd know better by now."
"Any indication of how many, or how close?" Asked Izuku, entirely unconcerned. "As much as I enjoy tying off old loose ends, I would hate to be late for the meeting."
"The call was placed twenty minutes ago, several blocks from your current location. Their group was never more than ten strong, according to my intelligence, but I doubt they've been able to maintain those numbers so long after we destroyed their infrastructure and eliminated their leadership. The only real danger comes from one of their quirks, Nemesis, which can pinpoint the location and vitals of any individual whom the user has a powerful hatred toward, within a radius of twenty kilometers. It's likely that they'll find you soon. Shall I call in additional backup for you, to monitor the area?"
"That won't be necessary, though I appreciate the advance notice, as always. I have Spinner and Compress if things get out of hand, but I doubt that we'll need them. How are things in Osaka?"
"Proceeding as expected. The police and a team of pro heroes are still monitoring the financial district closely, but our hideout's location is well outside the zone of increased activity. We should be able to resume operations as normal in the area within a week, two at most, provided that we put additional safety measurements in place, and restrict our activities to the outskirts."
"Excellent. Is there anything else?"
"The team at the Eight Precepts bunker in Yokohama is awaiting Ryukyu's arrival- the trap I helped them design won't give her a chance to resist. You'll be the first to know once she'd safely captured. Overhaul is making more demands about our personnel exchange, but I've managed to keep Dark Shadow and Kurogiri off the table, as you asked."
"Understood- keep up the good work. Akira out." Izuku wore a soft smile on his face as he ended the call. From the moment she abandoned her misguided aspirations of heroism and opened her eyes to the merits of their philosophy, Momo had become the organization's second brain, planning most major operations alongside Midoriya and brainstorming many of the security measures and tactics they now employed regularly. The other three founding members had been slow to trust her at first, insisting on constant vital monitors and area-locked restraints to prevent her from fleeing or betraying them, but she'd shocked them all with the intensity of her dedication to their cause.
His expression quickly soured, though, when they turned a corner to cut through an alley, and came face-to-face with three muscular thugs, dressed neatly in grey suits. The leader of the trio, a tall man with a black topknot and goatee, stepped forward first, his features twisted in a scowl.
"You remember who we are, you little punk?" He drew a pistol from inside his jacket; the man on his left followed suit by producing a shotgun, while the one on his right slid two tanto from sheaths at his belt. "I bet you've forgotten by now, haven't you? What your little gang did to our boss? But I think we can help jog your memory. Now you're gonna take me to whoever you work for, or I'm gonna blow your brains all over that wall. Who runs your operation? And don't tell me it's you, I don't believe that for a second."
Beside him, Shinso had already donned his goggles, and was about to take a menacing step forward when Izuku held up his hand.
"No, I'll handle this. I've been dying to blow off some steam."
Anger flashing in his eyes at the nonchalant tone of Midoriya's remark, Topknot raised his gun and fired; the rage quickly turned to shock and confusion, though, when his gaze drifted down to the thin line of smoke rising from his target's right palm. Having caught the round with little effort on the hard metal and carbon plating of his gauntlet, Izuku rolled the spent shell between his fingers as the rest of his enhancers powered up with a low hum. He hadn't worn his full combat armor today, but what little he could conceal beneath his clothes was more than enough to deal with these three.
"Starting a gunfight in the middle of the market district at eight in the morning? I'm beginning to understand why we beat your little group so easily."
"No cops are gonna come save your asses, if that's what you mean," the one with the tanto called, gesturing with the tip of one blade to the alley's entrance and exit, which, on closer inspection, were shrouded in a shimmering, translucent misty barrier. "My quirk's blocking all sound from leaving here. No one's gonna be able to hear you scream."
A grin spread rapidly back across Midoriya's face; he shrugged off his jacket and let it fall to the ground.
"That goes both ways, you know."
Topknot squeezed the trigger again, then a third and fourth and fifth time for good measure, but he was too late; Izuku had activated the bracers in his legs, and closed the distance between the two in a single bound, vaulting over the stream of bullets. His gauntlets fully were extended around his hands now, and his metal-sheathed fist slammed into Topknot's jaw with a sickening crack that echoed through the alley. Blood spurted bright and red from the man's ruined teeth as he sailed backward and slammed into a dumpster. The second man fired his shotgun, but his aim was clumsy, his eyes panicked; Izuku ducked under the blast easily, and with a single kick, aided by the metal and carbon coverings which had extended over his shoes and the thrusters in his soles, he broke one of the man's knees with a single, swift kick. His hand shaking, Topknot tried desperately to raise his pistol again from where he lay broken and bleeding at the other end of the alley, but with another short leap, Midoriya was towering over him, snapping his arm with a brutal, two-handed twist before slamming a knee into his ruined face; the gun clattered useless to the ground.
Behind them, the Shotgun had struggled back to one knee, and was aiming straight for him. Expending of all the effort of picking up a doll, he grabbed Topknot by the back of his neck and held up his weakly stirring body as a human shield, just in time for the spray of lead pellets to tear the man's chest to shreds. From the other side, Tanto was finally charging toward Midoriya- he had tried to rush Shinso in the fight's opening moments, and the blank look in his eyes told Izuku that his lieutenant had obeyed his wishes rather enthusiastically by brainwashing the man into changing targets. Hitoshi watched from the alley's entrance with an amused look on his face as Midoriya hurled Topknot's body into Tanto from half a dozen paces away, sending them both tumbling to the ground. After dodging a third blast, he bounded forward, kicked the weapon from Shotgun's hands, and stomped his skull into the pavement with three swift movements of his feet. Tanto had struggled back to his feet from beneath Topknot, and ran toward Izuku with a ragged cry, released from Shinso's quirk by the force of the impact. After weighing his options for a moment, Midoriya decided to entertain the main's antiquated fighting style by producing a short, curved blade of black steel in one hand from where it was kept hidden in the joints of his right arm brace, concealed beneath his sleeve.
More agile than he expected, Tanto met his first few slashes rather nimbly, and for a short while the duel was evenly matched- until Izuku began to grow bored after half a minute of dancing blades, though, and activated a fraction of the full strength of his right brace. His next swing clove through one of the man's short swords like butter and bit deep into his arm, nearly severing his hand. As the thug recoiled in shock and pain, Midoriya, lunged forward and used his gauntlet-sheathed free hand to break the man's other wrist and pull the second weapon from his grasp. Once he held both blades, he sent Tanto stumbling into the nearest wall with a kick, then darted in close and opened up his stomach with a brutal, x-shaped slash before finally burying both weapons in the man's neck. Sweet, adrenaline-laced satisfaction coursing through his body, Izuku closed his eyes and tilted his head upward, letting the rain wash away the blood that coated his face and clothes.
"Well done," said Shinso quietly, before handing him back his umbrella. "You're in top form today."
"I think I'll keep this one," Midoriya replied, pocketing the tanto after he slid the hidden blade back into place. "As a souvenir."
Grabbing his jacket, he paused just as they were about to continue down the alley, took out his phone, and snapped three pictures, one of each of the bloodied corpses.
"More souvenirs?" Hitoshi asked, one brow raised.
"No. Presents, for Himiko." Izuku grinned. "She'll love them, don't you think?"
When they finally walked through the tea house's front door ten minutes later- perfectly on time, despite their delay- Izuku was still soaked to the bone, but the ancient owner scarcely looked up from the counter as he tracked in a trail of water, all the way from the welcome mat to the table where Gentle and La Brava were seated. He'd been able to wash the blood and gore from his shoes in the alley, but they'd given up on his vest- formerly white, it was now entirely crimson, and they'd decided that perhaps it was best to pretend it had been that color all along.
"Ah, gentlemen! So good to finally make your acquaintance!" Danjuro Tobita greeted them both with warm, sincere handshakes, a broad smile on his face. He was a handsome man, with neatly combed white hair and elegant clothing in purple and silver.
"The pleasure is all mine, Gentle Criminal," Midoriya replied, making sure to lower his voice for the last part. The tea house was hardly crowded, and they were in a secluded back room sectioned off with curtains- he'd seen Compress seated near the door when they entered, buried in a newspaper- but it never hurt to be cautious.
"Call me Gentle, I insist. And I'm sure you're familiar with my charming assistant and partner, La Brava!" He gestured with a flourish to the petite woman still seated at the table, her long red hair drawn into two flowing pigtails, complemented by heart-shaped ruby earrings. She had been watching the two of them with mildly suspicious eyes, but brightened up immediately when Tobita looked her way, a wide grin spreading across her face to match his.
"Nice to finally put faces to the names!" She remarked amicably- though Danjuro was the more well-known of the duo, Aiba Manami had been the one they made contact with online in order to request this meeting, employing Momo and Hatsume's combined knowledge of the dark web to start an encrypted correspondence that had lasted over a week before La Brava finally deemed them worthy of meeting Gentle.
"Indeed it is!" Tobita stroked his well-trimmed moustache and beard with one gloved hand as he looked the pair over with genuine curiosity in his eyes, finally settling on Midoriya. "You're… Akira, yes?"
"The same. And this is my partner, Hairo. Mitsuni unfortunately couldn't make it today, but she sends her regards."
"Ah, a tragedy. But my goodness, Akira, you're soaking wet!" He gestured dramatically to Izuku's dripping hair for effect. "The weather in this city can be so fickle, I swear! I shall fetch you a towel at once- we can't have you catching your death before we even have the chance to converse! Kotsuko, my dear, a washcloth, if you would!" Despite Shinso's attempts to reassure him, Gentle stepped out of the room with a hurried promise to return at once, leaving them alone with La Brava.
"Take a seat, why don't ya?" Aiba nodded to two empty chairs at their table, and they hesitantly accepted before launching into polite small talk about the commute and the weather. Outwardly, she was still perfectly friendly, but the more Midoriya watched her, the more he could tell that the suspicion had returned to her eyes. Finally, Manami noticed him staring and returned his gaze.
"I'm still not sure what you people want," she said after a moment of tense silence, "but just know this before we go any further: If you try to hurt Gentle in any way, I swear on my life that I'll make you regret it until the day you die, Midoriya Izuku."
One eyebrow on Midoriya's rain-streaked face slowly lifted, though his features remained a mask of calm. In hindsight, it wasn't at all surprising that Aiba had discovered his identity. After all, she was one of the best hackers in the region- that was why they wanted her talent in the first place, though it wasn't the pretext they used for the meeting. If anything, the fact that she had was proof of her worthiness for the role Yaoyorozu had envisioned for her. Accordingly, it was with a smile, not a frown, that he prefaced his next words.
"That sounded like a threat. Threatening potential business partners isn't the best model for expansion."
"Well, it wasn't." She crossed her arms defiantly. "It was just a warning. I've done enough research on your group to know that you're dangerous, so just know that I've got my eye on you. And don't think we didn't notice your henchman at the table by the door. Gentle and I know every customer who comes to this place, and there aren't many newcomers- what a coincidence that we'd have one the same morning as this meeting."
Shinso and Midoriya exchanged a glance. Even if she knew he was with them, she likely couldn't anticipate his quirk. All it would take was one click on his cufflink to summon Compress, and they could be out the door with La Brava in hand in a matter of moments. Suddenly, his smile died a bit. Or is that where Gentle is? Was the towel a ruse? Is he actually-
Tobita returned before he could complete his thought, a pile of fluffy linens in hand.
"Apologies for leaving you for so long, gentlemen- I had to ensure that it would be warm! I hope you understand, I would be a dreadful host otherwise." Instead of merely handing it to Izuku, though, he strode over to his chair and wrapped one around the seated boy's shoulders himself. Midoriya couldn't see his face from his position, but clearly heard the quick intake of breath that marked the moment the towel touched his soaked vest and began to rapidly turn crimson.
"My dear Akira…" Gentle's voice was slightly shaky now, tinged with anxiety. "I meant to ask you earlier, but I, ahem, I hoped my eyes were deceiving me. Is that… blood?"
"Yes," Izuku replied simply. When it became apparent that his explanation wasn't sufficient after a few moments of awkward silence, he added, "It's not mine."
"I… see." A nervous smile on his face, Tobita returned to his seat, his eyes flitting rapidly between the two. "Well then, shall we… shall we order some tea?"
On cue, the ancient woman from behind the counter shuffled into the room, hobbling on a weathered cane. Her face was so lined and wrinkled that it was hard to tell whether or not she was actually looking at any of them, but she seemed to either not notice the bloodied towel wrapped around Midoriya, or simply not care. Her wizened head slowly shifted in Tobita's direction, and Gentle gestured for his guests to order first.
"I'll have black tea," said Hitoshi without so much as a glance at the menu. "Whichever one has the most caffeine."
For a moment Izuku was about to say the same, but the thought of his conversation with Momo reminded him of her favorite brand, an especially luxurious variety that she'd shared with all of her colleagues.
"Do you have Imperial Golden Tips, by any chance?"
Across the table, Gentle gasped in what seemed to be a combination of shock and delight as the woman nodded almost imperceptibly.
"My goodness, Akira, this is a delightful surprise! To think that you would be one of the select few who share my passion for Golden Tips!" Giddy excitement on his face, he seemed to forget about the blood all at once. "La Brava, I had no idea you'd be introducing me to such a cultured young man!"
Shinso and Midoriya exchanged another glance, confused rather than conspiratorial this time. Their host continued before either of them could reply, though.
"Now please, gentlemen, let's get down to business!" Suddenly, the old woman was back with a tray full of teapots in hand- Midoriya hadn't even noticed that she'd left, but it seemed she knew Tobita and Aiba's orders by heart. After thanking her graciously, Gentle kept speaking as he poured himself a cup and let it steep. "La Brava mentioned something about a potential partnership. We generally work alone, as I'm sure you know, in order to best cultivate my personal image. But I must admit, I'm eager to hear what you have to say."
"A partnership between us would only be the starting point," Izuku began. "You've built quite a large following of devoted viewers online over the past few years, and you've proven yourself quite capable of pulling off high-stakes stealth and combat operations- your infiltration of the U.A. Cultural Festival two years ago was particularly entertaining, I have to say. The thought of working with you has crossed my mind several times since I first watched it. But for all your talent and your listeners, you still struggle with resources, money, and infrastructure. We, on the other hand, lack none of those. We have facilities in four cities from Osaka to Yokohama, a lucrative stake in this country's black market for support items, and more money than we know what to do with. We could fund your video routine indefinitely, give you top of the line recording equipment- provided that in return, you both lend us your talent."
Never moving his eyes from Izuku's, Tobita sipped his tea thoughtfully.
"A most interesting proposal. But do be specific, dear Akira. How exactly would you make use of our talent? I am a showman by nature, I thrive on an audience. From what I gather, your organization is much more… subtle, by comparison."
"It's true, we've focused on keeping a low profile since our formation- but that's all going to change very soon. We're currently in the midst of preparations for a large-scale operation that will serve as our public debut, and I want you, La Brava, to record and broadcast it. Perhaps you can provide commentary if you wish, Gentle- inform the viewers what they're seeing. The important thing is, you already have an audience and an established means to reach them- to us, those two resources are invaluable at the moment."
Strictly speaking, Midoriya reflected, it isn't a lie. It was indeed important for them to have a proper means of capturing and distributing their debut and future operations to the public, and it was more efficient to use Gentle and La Brava for that purpose than to build up the necessary infrastructure from scratch. Simply recording a battle was barely the beginning of the role Manami would play, though, if all went as planned. His brows knit in contemplation, Tobita still seemed somewhat intrigued, but it was Aiba who spoke up next, a look of indignant shock on her face.
"You think I'd cheat on my Gentle by recording someone else's fight? We started doing this together to spread his message to the world, not yours."
"Trust us," interjected Shinso, "this partnership, alliance, whatever you want to call it, is the best way to spread your message. What we're going to be doing is leagues bigger than the small-time heists that make up most of your videos; it's going to make waves across the entire country. And if you two are known as playing an integral role in what happens, then your notoriety hitches a ride through the roof along with ours. You have an audience in the tens of thousands right now, maybe past a hundred? We're talking about something that's gonna reach millions."
"Now that you mention it, what exactly are we going to be doing?" Danjuro's expression was halfway between curiosity and confusion. "Assuming we accept your offer. I tend to cut away during the more… violent moments of my battles, but I get the distinct impression that…" His eyes drifted once more to Izuku's bloodstained vest. "…that you might prefer to keep it rolling, as it were."
"We can't give away everything quite yet," Midoriya responded quietly, his gloved hands clasped. "Not until we're sure we can trust you- you understand, I'm sure, how these things work. For the moment, all I can tell you that you'll be recording a battle between several members of my organization and an indeterminate number of pro heroes. You will be provided all the equipment you need, as well as a safe location to capture the action from. Whether you wish to participate in the fight or merely observe and commentate is solely your prerogative, but you need not personally involve yourself in any violence if you don't wish to do so. After the operation, we can evaluate how well we worked together, and decide if we want to continue the partnership. If you perform satisfactorily enough stay on with us afterward, then you'll be given a high degree of autonomy in choosing whether you want to continue to record solo videos or participate in our operations as a member of the team, as long as you continue to provide us with your skills when asked."
After asking for a moment to discuss things privately, the villain duo stepped out into the hall and conversed in hushed tones for several long minutes. It would have been easy to adjust his earpiece to eavesdrop on them, but Izuku already knew by the look in Tobita's eyes that they'd accept, just as he'd known with Monoma two years ago, so he was more than content to simply sip at his tea and wait for the inevitable. Just as the two stepped back inside, though, with Gentle wearing a contented look that all but confirmed his assumption, Midoriya's phone began to buzz in his pocket, and his eyes narrowed. My colleagues have my schedule, they know better than to interrupt me during a meeting. This could only be him. For the second time in a span of moments, his hunch was proven correct when he pulled out the phone and glared down at Overhaul's number.
Apologizing profusely to Gentle and La Brava, he shot Shinso a glance that said handle the rest of this and stepped out into the hall they'd just returned from, contemplating letting the call go to voicemail for a few moments before reluctantly accepting it.
"What do you want? You just interrupted an important meeting, Overhaul. I don't like being interrupted."
"I guarantee that this is more important than whatever you're doing," the Yakuza capo's voice crackled through the speaker, his tone clipped and impatient. "Turns out the dragon bitch brought some company. I got a call from one of my Expendables that a perimeter camera picked up three of her sidekicks or interns or whatever closing on the compound, and Gang Orca was sighted in the same ward a few minutes ago. These extras weren't part of the plan, Midoriya- we were supposed to capture Ryukyu and get out, but they're too close to the bunker's location for them to perform the extraction."
"Nothing about this call strikes me as particularly urgent," sighed Izuku. "Ryukyu's little helpers haven't actually found the bunker yet, have they? Or did your people conceal it so poorly that their discovering it is an inevitability?"
"No, they haven't, but they will be expecting to find her there waiting for them."
"You trusted me enough to enter this alliance, Overhaul, to agree to share our personnel and resources until Hawks and Nighteye are dealt with. Trust my people to deal with the situation- Toga and Dabi alone are more than capable of handling two interns and a sidekick barely out of high school."
The line was silent for a moment before Chisaki gritted out a reply.
"If things go south, both our asses are on the line, I hope you know that. I'll be in touch if I hear anything else."
A dull click announced that Kai had hung up before Midoriya could respond, and he pocketed the phone again with a scowl. As confident as he was in Neito's abilities, though, he couldn't entirely push away the unease that crept through his mind at the thought of Gang Orca finding them, of Toga, defeated and arrested. She certainly had enough murders under her belt for Tartarus, and once those doors shut she'd be beyond his reach, locked away in the same hole as All For One. I'll never let that happen, he told himself, shaking his head. I'll never let them have her.
When their relationship began with a kiss and a promise in that distant forest, Himiko had been little more than a tool for gathering information in his eyes, a convenient means to an end that came with the added benefit of shedding every trace of sexual innocence he had left within him. But over the next few months, as they ate together, slept together, laughed together, killed together, the situation had spiraled beyond his control entirely. By now, his love for her was one of the few emotions that he still allowed himself to possess; she was his only weakness. But she's strong, Izuku reassured himself, sucking in a deep breath as he prepared to plunge back into the negotiations. She can look out for herself. She'll have to.
Yokohama, Eight Precepts Bunker
Five Minutes before Ryukyu's Team Encounters Toga
"You know, you'd make things so much easier for us if you'd just call them off," remarked Monoma Neito, a smirk on his face as he increased the voltage to the Ryukyu's restraints. On the wide flatscreen monitor behind him, a direct feed from one of their surveillance cameras, Uravity, Froppy, and Nejire-chan were still walking undaunted toward their location, blissfully unaware what was beneath their feet.
Her back arched in pain, the number seven hero let out a cry of agony that gradually descended into a low growl of defiance. When it seemed that she was finally going to say something, he lowered the electricity coursing through her body just enough for her to hang her head, panting as she struggled to catch her breath. She was suspended above him and the rest of the spectating crowd by spherical metal braces around both of her hands and feet, each of her limbs drawn out to their full length. The entire assembly was a product of cooperation between Yaoyorozu, Hatsume, and the Yakuza, a device that suppressed quirks and restrained movement alike.
"What was that?" Neito allowed his smirk to spread even further across his face, and angled his head up toward her with one hand cupped around his ear. "Did you have something to say to us? You'll have to speak a little louder, I'm afraid."
"I'll never… lie to them… for you," she finally managed between labored breaths, lifting her eyes to meet Monoma's. "They're going to find me. They're going to save me. And they're going to beat you."
"Really? Now you're just being delusional, lady." Dabi stepped up to Neito's side with a chuckle, shaking his head. "We already took you down, and you think your little pipsqueak apprentices can do the trick?"
"Day after day, year after year, it's always the same meaningless platitudes from these heroes." Monoma sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "It gets a bit tiring, don't you think? How readily they lie to themselves?" He took another step toward their captive, dangling her phone in front of her face.
"All I need you to do is tell them to go away- it's that simple. Once you do that, I can end the pain."
"Pain?" Ryuko Tatsuma chuckled as a stream of blood began to drip from her mouth. "What pain? This is like a massage."
"She's just gonna try and call for help, even if she tells you she'll do it," Setsuno spoke up from the back of the room. The Eight Precepts members all stood bunched together in one corner, the henchmen crowded in a circle around Toya, Sakaki Deidoro, and Tengai Hekiji, the three Expendables Overhaul had assigned to this operation. "The ones at the top don't break that easy."
"You're right, I suppose. They're far too obsessed with their fickle ideals to take the easy way out. But it was worth a try, all the same." Monoma pressed a button on the console beside him, and with a low mechanical hum, the rack holding Ryukyu lowered until she was at eye level. "This would be so much easier if Shinso were here. Toga, if you would?"
When Himiko failed to respond, he threw an annoyed glance in her direction; she was standing in the far corner of the room, her red-flushed face a mask of glee as she stared transfixed at the screen of her phone.
"Toga, are you listening to me?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Hastily pocketing her phone, she bounded over to Neito's side, sticking her tongue out at Dabi when he shook his head in disapproval. "Izuku just killed some people, and he sent me the best photos of it." Once she'd regained her usual sadistic composure, she leaned in close to Ryukyu, a knife gripped tight in her palm.
"You're pretty. I bet you don't hear that nearly as often as you should. I love the way your face twists up when you're screaming." She planted a kiss on the restrained woman's cheek before dragging the blade in a swift slash down the length of her arm. Blood spilled from the cut, and Toga let out a shriek of delight. "And now you're even prettier!"
She pulled back the blade and ran the flat of it across her tongue in the same motion, giggling all the while as her body transformed into Ryukyu's, clothing and all. Tatsuma herself kept her face calm as she watched the metamorphosis, her eyes lowered to the floor as her muscles strained in their shackles. Anger filled her voice when she spoke again.
"If you think you can fool them that easily, you're wrong."
"We'll see about that." After waving a finger tauntingly in her face, Monoma turned back to Toga. "Get them to leave the area as quickly as possible, but don't say anything more than necessary. Avoid combat except as a last resort, they'd almost certainly call for backup. Keeping this facility hidden and secure is our top priority."
"Blah blah blah, don't worry, I know what I'm doing! They'll be gone in no time." With a cheery wave, she headed down the corridor toward the ladder that led up to one of the bunker's trap doors, well-concealed beneath a tangle of bushes at the edge of the park.
Once she was gone, Neito gestured dismissively toward a trio of Eight Precepts henchmen as he returned Ryukyu's rack to its original height.
"You three, keep an eye on her- report to me immediately if she has a change of heart. The rest of you, with me."
With Dabi at his side and the Expendables trailing behind, Monoma strode out of the large, open prison chamber and into the bunker's control room, a much smaller and more claustrophobic space filled with screens and consoles, many of them displaying direct feeds from security cameras both at this location's perimeter and other Precept outposts in the region. Rows of sidearms, rifles, and body armor were visible behind the metal grating of a tall, deadbolted grey locker which occupied much of the far wall, along with knives, katana, and more than a few grenades and tear gas bombs. This was just a fraction of the stockpile the Eight Precepts had been collecting over the past two years, little by little, largely from foreign arms dealers. Though Overhaul and his lieutenants were quick to dismiss the horde of weapons as a last-resort security measure whenever they inquired about it, Neito knew better. They're preparing to go to war, whether they admit it or not. But how sad, he reflected, shaking his head in pity. The mere fact that they feel the need to rely on such barbaric methods only shows how weak they truly are.
Setting his concerns about the Yakuza's future plans aside for the moment, Monoma redirected his attention to a screen connected to a camera hidden in one of the park's rusted playsets; it gave them a wide angle view of the disguised Toga, who was currently greeting her sidekick and interns. There was no audio, and the camera was further away from them than he would have liked, but even from this distance he could tell that something was wrong when Nejire Hado stopped the two interns short of approaching Himiko and crossed her arms. There was a brief exchange of words, and before he could blink Toga was sailing through the air, sent clear across the park by a blast of Hado's shockwaves.
"Ah, fuck," Piped up Dabi, watching dispassionately as Himiko's disguise melted away and the three heroes started their attack in earnest. "That's not good, huh?"
"Eloquent as always," Neito responded, massaging his temples with one hand before the sheer idiocy leading up to this moment gave him a headache. Am I the only competent criminal left in this godforsaken city?
"So, uh, should we do something? Help her, maybe?" Dabi's words prompted Monoma to glance back up to the display. Toga was putting up a fight, as expected, and had Uraraka and Asui handled; only Nejire was giving her trouble, but in a three-on-one situation, that was forgivable.
"Why yes, I think you should- an excellent suggestion, seeing as they never would have found us if you hadn't gotten 'carried away' yesterday and tried to burn down an entire apartment building when our meeting went wrong. So please, do go clean up your mess. Setsuno, Sakaki, go with him, keep him in line. The objective now is to kill them as quickly as possible. Tengai, stay with me."
After a moment of hesitation from the Yakuza members, they all fell dutifully in line, following Dabi to the same ladder Toga had taken. Hekiji said nothing, watching Monoma calmly down the nose of his plague mask he waited for further orders.
"Start evacuating all the weapons and equipment to the annex room- use as many men as you need. I'm going to make a call."
Tengai nodded and released the deadbolt on the storage locker with a fingerprint and retina scan before setting about his task with the aid of two henchmen, while Neito ducked out of the room and into the hallway. The line for the Kyoto headquarters only rang for a few seconds before someone picked up, but the monotonous dial tone seemed to stretch into hours as he paced back and forth across the corridor, until Twice's voice finally crackled through at the other end, distorted by the mass of earth and metal overhead.
"Kyoto speaking, can I help you? Make it fast, we're very busy over here- just kidding, there's nothing to do!"
"Listen to me very carefully, Twice- I'm not in the mood for games right now. Is Kurogiri there? We need an emergency extraction from Yokohama, we've engaged multiple heroes."
For some time after his master's death, Shigaraki's right hand had simply refused to speak to his captors, content to meditate in silence within the confines of his quirk-suppressing cell, only performing menial tasks when forced to by Shinso. After his quirk was finally deemed impossible for Monoma to copy just days ago, Midoriya was torn between killing him and turning him in anonymously to collect the police ransom on his head when Kurogiri suddenly announced his intention to cooperate. I'll never forgive what you did to Shigaraki Tomura, he'd told them, all the emotion emptied from his voice, but you have the best chance of anyone living to fulfill All For One's vision for the future of this society, even if you disrespect his name. It is my duty to aid you, distasteful as the task may be.
At Yaoyorozu's insistence, they still kept him off the most dangerous missions for now except in case of emergencies, and the metallic container that served as his body was fitted with high-yield explosive charges that would detonate unless kept within 100 meters of Hatsume at all times. Mei had volunteered to serve as his guardian of sorts while he transitioned into the organization, keeping him in check while designing babies for his unique quirk at the same time. Accordingly, Neito was frustrated yet unsurprised by Jin's answer.
"He's on assignment with Hatsume over near Pontocho- some kind of stealth operation that Midoriya gave them, they're on radio silence right now. I can get through to them on Mei's emergency channel, but it'll take me a while to connect to the frequency."
"Just do it, and keep the splitting to a minimum. This could expose everything if we don't get out of here in time."
"No problem, boss- this is gonna be so hard!"
A dull click ended the call before Monoma could retort again, and he was left silently fuming as a procession of masked Precept thugs rushed past him with bundles of weapons and armor in hand- thankfully, one of them had a weak metal-bonding quirk that sped the process up significantly. He was about to copy it and join them when a scream echoed down the hall, followed by a deafening roar that merged with the sound of creaking steel and shifting earth. All at once, the bunker's ceiling cracked apart above them, and visible in the clear light of day was Ryukyu's dragon form, talons bared and wings outstretched as she clambered up and out of the ground.
Those fools. Those absolute, worthless fools. How easy of a task did I give them? One of the Dragon Hero's guards had followed her out onto the surface, but the other two stumbled out of the ruins of her chamber in a panicked daze, both sporting bleeding wounds and broken bones. They seemed to be trying to make their way toward the control room, but stopped in their tracks when they saw him approaching.
"I don't know how the hell she did it," one of them was saying, when Neito raised a pistol he'd taken from the locker and fired four rounds in quick succession, two for each of their chests. Tengai and the other Precept members said nothing as the pair collapsed dead to the floor, simply continuing their task with only the slightest hint that they'd even noticed the disturbance. It seems Overhaul at least taught them to expect discipline for their failures. Good.
Not a moment later, Toga slid nimbly down the pile of rubble Ryukyu's exit had left behind, landing in a somersault just short of Monoma's feet. Her bare body was streaked with dirt, grass, and blood from her fight with the hero team, but she was as lively as ever as she gave him a giddy wave and bounded off to her quarters, beckoning for him to follow.
"So this is pretty bad, huh?" She started to change into her standard outfit the moment they reached her room, still talking as she slipped on her skirt and sweater and filled her blood collector with canisters. "Sorry I couldn't get them to go away, they had some sort of stupid code phrase they were using. That's cheating if you ask me."
"It doesn't matter how it happened, they caught you, and now our main target is loose too. She was the most important part of all of this- a top ten hero to bait Hawks." He slammed a fist into the wall, his brows knit in anger and frustration. "Without a high-value hostage, the plan collapses entirely."
"So what are we gonna do?" Himiko asked, fully clothed now.
"Twice is contacting Kurogiri as we speak, and we have plenty of those Precept fools to use as fodder for the heroes in the meantime. Strictly speaking, we don't need to do anything besides wait here for our extraction."
"And what about Dabi? He can take those three girls out no problem, but I'm not so sure he can handle the dragon lady by himself."
"He knew what he was getting into when he went up there," Neito replied coldly, gesturing for her to follow him out the door and down the hallway, back toward the gaping hole in the ceiling. "He's been in worse scrapes than this before; if anyone can get out of this, it's him." Monoma stopped in the middle of the corridor, his plaster-coated fist clenched at his side.
"But?" Toga prompted, watching him curiously.
"But I can't risk losing both Dabi and Ryukyu. I won't. I refuse to fail Izuku like that, after all the trust he's placed in me." He had an idea of what to do next, but it was risky, so risky that it ran the chance of exposing his identity just days before their grand public debut. All the same, though was the only way forward he could see that didn't end in retreating with his tail tucked between his legs and nothing to show for his effort.
"Come with me." He extended a hand. "I'll need your quirk, to disguise my appearance. We're going to the surface to take her back. To take them both back."
"Hey, no fair! I can't play with you if you're all the way up there!"
When she was sure the knife she'd thrown at the two floating interns had missed, Toga continued to pace about beneath them impatiently, only occasionally diverting her attention to the main battle. To her surprise, the cute older girl was holding back one of Dabi's full-powered attacks with the energy spirals shooting from her hands, while Monoma had copied Ryukyu's quirk by now, and was gradually wearing down the older dragon's defenses with a series of brutal slashes and bites, most of which she barely managed to block or counter. He's strong, huh? I wish I could copy quirks as well as appearances, it would make things so much more fun!
When she glanced back upward, though, Uraraka was gone, and Tsuyu was hurtling toward her, her legs and tongue outstretched. Himiko had less than a second to dive out of the way before the other girl slammed into the ground she'd been standing on, but midway through the jump, her adrenaline kicked in, and she pulled another hidden knife from its strap on the inside of her thigh as she landed in a crouch.
"You just can't stay away from me, can you, Tsu-chan? Don't be greedy, though, you can't have me all to yourself!"
Asui's tongue darted toward her, but it was slower than usual, still coated in blood near the middle where she'd stabbed it. Toga took the first blow it landed on her face, spitting out blood from a loosened tooth, but when it tried to wrap around her, it was all too easy for her to grab hold of it again, dig her heels into the ground, and yank hard. Tsuyu pulled back with equal strength, and for a moment they were locked in a standoff, each straining against the other. Suddenly, Himiko let go all at once, and was sent sailing towards her startled opponent, who failed to back away before Toga delivered a brutal headbutt to her brow. Stars filled her vision, and she could feel blood trickling down from her hairline, but she fought through the pain and wrapped her arms around Asui, wrestling the dazed girl to the ground before she could recover.
By the time the intern started to push back, she was already pinned, and Toga's blade was poised at the side of her mouth.
"Do you think you'd be prettier if I cut out your tongue, Tsu-chan? I'm so curious what you'd look like!"
She could feel the muscles in Tsu's legs tensing beneath her, but only tightened her grip on the girl's tongue in response, pressing the knife into it until it drew blood.
"Ah ah ah, don't try to fight back, or it's coming right out. I'll tell you what, Tsu-chan, I just had the best idea! I'll let you keep it if you beg for it."
For a moment Asui remained silent, but as Toga pressed the blade deeper and deeper, tears began to flow from her eyes, and she slurred out a distorted plea.
"Pleash, pleash, don't take it. I need it. Pleash."
Himiko's cheeks flushed with color, and she leaned in close to Froppy's face.
"Come on, Tsu-chan, I know you can do better than that. Tell me how much you-"
Her attention was drawn away when the familiar sound of cascading ice filled the air, and she glanced up to see Todoroki Shoto and Gang Orca entering the park through the far gate. Focusing on Dabi and Monoma, they hadn't seen her yet, but it would only be a matter of time before they did. Looks like I have to wrap this up quickly.
"I changed my mind, Tsu-chan. You're not very good at begging." Her voice grew cold in the last few syllables, and Asui tried to throw her off in a panic, but she was a beat too slow. She pushed her knife the rest of the way through in an instant, silencing Tsuyu's scream of pain by bashing the hilt of the blade against the back of the girl's head.
Leaving the unconscious intern's body behind, she retreated back into the relative safety of a row of dying bushes. On the park's far end, Gang Orca was bombarding Monoma with his hypersonic attack- while he was too large to be paralyzed, the male dragon reared in pain, letting out a cry of distress, and as he turned to confront the sound's source, Ryukyu lunged at him from behind. But Neito's agony swiftly turned to anger, and in the span of a moment he delivered a brutal lash across her face with his tail and sent Gang Orca flying backward with the wind pressure created by a flap of his wings. Uravity, it seemed, had snuck up behind him, and turned him weightless by slapping one of his massive legs with both hands, but rather than hinder Monoma, this simply prompted him to spread his wings and propel himself upward, laughing all the while.
"Oh my, you're even more foolish than I thought! What a laughably ineffective tactic; they really don't teach you anything at that school, do they?"
Beneath him, Dabi and Todoroki were in a near draw, each locked in a continuous struggle to surpass the pace of the other's attacks. Ryukyu, meanwhile, was trying to muster the strength to follow Neito up, but his last attack had clearly left her stunned, and the wounds from her captivity and her fight with Dabi were finally exacting their toll; after one weak flap that barely lifted her a few inches, she collapsed unconscious to the ground with an earth-shaking thud, smoke and blood drifting and dripping from her scales in equal measure. Monoma laughed at the sight, but Toga frowned in spite of his victory. He's almost at his time limit. He seemed to notice it too, though, and had begun to fly back toward the bunker when the crack of gunfire and wail of sirens suddenly filled the air.
Himiko whipped her head around to find two squads of police rushing into the park, one through each entrance, their weapons trained on the dragon above them. Their bullets bounced harmlessly off his hide, but taking advantage of their distraction, Toga pulled a rack of blood vials from a slot on her collector, each carefully labeled with the name of the 'donor'. Several were quite old- she'd nearly used the last of the sample she took from Ochako two years ago capturing Ryukyu the first time- but she looked past those to the more recent ones. Shigaraki Tomura, All For One, Asui Tsuyu, just freshly capped, her weekly vial from Midoriya- this one had a series of colorful hearts drawn on it- and several other notables, ranging from Aizawa Shota to Nighteye to Amaki Tamajiki. Many of the samples were scarcely more than a few drops collected from her blades or from battlefields, but even that was more than enough.
Finally, she found the one she was looking for, a lieutenant in the police she'd killed a few weeks ago, and gulped it down without hesitation, grinning as the rush of Metamorphosis coursed through her. Once she had fully assumed the officer's appearance, she walked calmly and authoritatively from the bushes, first making a beeline for Nejire Hado's barely conscious body, currently eagle-splayed on the ground where she'd collapsed after Uraraka attacked Dabi.
"How serious are your injuries?" She always enjoyed toying with her targets at first, saving the reveal of who she really was until the very end.
"I'm… alright, I promise." Nejire managed, spitting out blood as it flowed from the shards of glass embedded in her skin into her mouth. "Don't worry about me, officer."
"No, I'm afraid we're going to have to get you a medevac, stat. Here, let me take a sample for the lab." Policeman Toga held a vial under one of Hado's wounds and let it fill. "After all, it would be a shame to let someone as cute as you die, Nejire-chan. Not before I see you bleed a lot more than this."
Hado's eyes widened, and Toga's chest soared with happiness at the sight. She was too weak to resist as Himiko leaned down and planted a single kiss on her neck, careful not to ingest any of the blood on her face.
"You're… no…"
"Night night, Nejire-chan." Toga slammed her knife's hilt into Hado's forehead, hard enough to open up a new wound in addition to the half dozen that already scarred her face, but she fell unconscious all the same, her eyes fluttering shut as Himiko stood and jogged over toward Todoroki and Dabi. The other policemen had scattered to deal with the various villains on the battlefield, and she nodded confidently to them as she passed; she stopped short, though, when one officer next to her fell to the ground with a bullet in his side, and her head jerked around to meet Setsuno Toya's gaze. His mask broken and his face bleeding, he'd somehow struggled to his feet and used his quirk to steal an officer's rifle, and was eagerly gunning down as many as he could. He was about to fire on her too, and panicking for a way to let him know who she was, she shot the Yakuza a peace sign with a nervous smile. Thankfully, he understood, and gave her a brief nod before dashing toward the bunker.
Safe again for the moment, she turned and ran toward Todoroki, who was currently using a flurry of ice to try and hold off a vicious attack from Dabi.
"Lay down suppressing fire on his left side!" Shoto cried, throwing a glance in her direction. He gasped in shock when she wrapped an arm around his neck and drove her knife into the small of his back.
Forget Ryukyu, she thought, her eyes wide with glee. Let's see Hawks try to stay away when we use the son of Endeavor as our hostage.
"Our people will fix you right up," she whispered into his ear, "so I can hurt you as much as I want before we take you!"
Her blade plunged two, three, four more times into his body as he struggled in her grip. Just when it seemed he was about to fall unconscious from the pain, flames began to sprout from his left side and ice from his right, and Himiko was forced to back away before her uniform was alternately burned and frozen. Before Shoto could properly counterattack, though, Dabi's fist landed squarely on his temple, and he fell limp into the older man's arms.
"Officer! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Gang Orca, Uraraka, and the other policemen had finally noticed them, but a towering burst of flame from Dabi was all it took to hold them off as they carted Shoto off toward the bunker as fast as they could run, each holding half of his unconscious body. God, I'd kill to have Mr. Compress here right now. Dabi finally wrapped Todoroki around his shoulders as they dived into the exposed prison chamber together, the heroes in close pursuit, but just before one of Gang Orca's hypersonic blasts could reach them, a dome-shaped shield sprung into place over the hole. The number five hero's sound attack bounced harmlessly off the barrier, as did the officer's bullets, and Toga pivoted to find Setsuno, Hekiji Tengai, who was maintaining the forcefield, and Monoma, reverted back to human form, standing in a circle around her. Behind them, the remaining Yakuza henchmen were frantically carrying the bunker's weapons supply through a tall black and purple portal in the wall. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, and transformed back to her normal appearance.
"Excellent work," Neito purred, patting her on the shoulder and giving Dabi a congratulatory nod. "Simply excellent. He'll make a fine hostage, so I do hope you haven't damaged him too badly. Come on, bring him through, and we'll be done with this place for good."
He'd barely finished speaking when Nejire, who to Toga's shock had already awoken and mustered the strength to walk again, added her shockwaves to the bombardment, and Tengai began to sweat and struggle under the combined assault.
"All of you, get out, now!" He cried, never moving his eyes from the heroes above them. "My barrier's weak against high-frequency attacks like whatever that orca's using, I can only buy you so much more time before they break through!"
On cue, one of the Precept thugs shot them a thumbs up to indicate that all the arms had been successfully evacuated; Setsuno and Monoma were the first to run through the portal, followed closely by Dabi, still carrying Shoto. Toga was about to follow them when Uraraka Ochako's voice became audible, slightly muffled by the forcefield.
"GRAVITY BOMB!"
All at once the barrier shattered at the force of Uravity's impact, and the intern landed deftly on her feet halfway between Toga and the warp gate. Tengai was swiftly immobilized by Gang Orca and Hado's quirks, but Himiko was too close to Uraraka for them to target her.
"You're not going anywhere," the intern gritted, her fists raised. "Not after what you did to Tsu!"
"Don't you like how she looks now, Ochako-chan? I think she's so much prettier!" Toga lunged forward before Uraraka had time to respond, and a grin spread across her face when the brown-haired girl tried to counter her charge with the same martial arts tactic she used in the forest two years ago.
It had worked then, but this time, Himiko was ready for it. She dropped her knife, caught both of Ochako's arms by the wrist before she could touch her and activate her quirk, and slammed her knee into the girl's stomach. By the time Uravity regained her breath, Toga was already shoving forward with all the strength in her body, and they tumbled together through Kurogiri's warp gate, even as Gang Orca and Nejire's panicked cries echoed behind them.
The portal flickered shut the moment they landed on the cold floor of a dark warehouse, and in the silence, Himiko shuddered with delight as she watched the realization of what had happened dawn on Uraraka's face. Her expressions cycled through surprise, panic, and finally anger, but when she shoved Toga off of her chest and raised a fist to strike her, a hand caught her arm, and Momo Yaoyorozu stepped out into the light, flanked by Kurogiri and Dark Shadow.
Uravity whipped around, ready to attack her new opponent, but when she saw whose hand was holding her back, she sank back down to her knees, abject shock on her face.
"Momo… Tokoyami… is that… you?"
"Of course it's us, Ochako," Yaoyorozu gave the girl a friendly smile, and knelt down to pull her in close for a tight hug. "I've missed you so much." Unsure of whether to return the embrace, Uraraka's body remained stiff at first, but quickly fell limp when Momo plunged a syringe of tranquilizer into the back of her neck, still smiling all the while. "We have a lot to catch up on, after all."
And so our first major battle is done, with two class 3-A members captured, along with Gentle and La Brava's introduction! I really enjoy these two villains and their arc in the manga, so hopefully even if you're anime-only, they work well within the world of this story! I tried to flesh out Midoriya's current combat capabilities (or at least, a hint of them), the nature of his relationship with Toga, and the details of Yaoyorozu's role in the organization- let me know what you think! Next time, perspectives from Kendo and Todoroki. How will Shoto react to being reunited with Momo like this? Find out soon!