Chapter 21: Terrors of the Earth
"Comms check. Eraserhead here- do you read me, Ectoplasm?"
"Loud and clear. How's the perimeter looking from up there?"
"All clear so far, no unusual activity." Pushing back from the desk with his boots, Aizawa wheeled his chair over to the far end of the cramped security suite, straining with bloodshot eyes to surveil each one of the dozens of monitors that surrounded him on three sides. "Slightly larger crowd of journalists and protestors than usual, but that's to be expected, given the circumstances. All of the families and other guests made it through the back entrance as planned, with no complications. Snipe and his team were on-site to monitor the concealed x-ray and DNA scanners, and cleared all attendees- no sign of weapons or Syndicate personnel." Not that they'd even need weapons if they got inside, Shota mused, a cynical grimace flashing briefly across his stubble-marked cheeks.
"Good to hear," came the reply, followed by a series of barks and growls from the background. "Hound Dog says he hasn't picked up the scent of any of the villains either, but we'll keep looking. Based off Gentle and La Brava's path of ingress two years ago, we're placing the highest priority on securing the forest- it allows for the easiest concealed access to the grounds. Power Loader and his group are focusing on securing us from underground and surface-level threats from the remainder of the perimeter- given Longshot's propensity for technology, a tunnel beneath the wall isn't something we can rule out, as outlandish as it may sound."
"Understood, keep at it. Make sure you circle back around towards the main campus by the time the ceremony starts, you can station your clones at any problem areas."
"Roger that, over and out."
Aizawa sighed deeply once the radio line had gone dead, rubbed at his heavy eyelids, and sipped again from his mug of coffee- straight black, the way he liked it. It was his fourth cup of the day, but by now the effect of the caffeine had plateaued- after a full night's shift working his latest cases, he was in the process of leveling off from his daily energy high, and sooner or later a crash would follow. As long as that happens after this commencement is over, I'll be fine. He cast a longing glance over toward the yellow sleeping bag folded up in the corner of the room, then shook his head and set back to his duties with a pained grunt.
Stare at camera feeds. Sip coffee. Check watch. Repeat.
This monotonous routine dragged on for what felt like hours, though in reality only a few minutes had passed, and the students were still assembling in the gym. When the black-and-white images began to blur and mix together before his eyes, Eraser forced himself to stand and stretch, then grabbed a bowl of cup ramen from his bag, filled it with water, and tossed it into the microwave at the back of the office. By the time it had cooled down enough to eat, his coffee had gone lukewarm, but the flavor in the noodles was enough to shock his senses back into gear- extra spicy, all the better to keep him alert as he watched each screen for irregularities.
Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Vrrrt.
Thankful for a distraction, Shota glanced down at his phone- it was a message from Sir Nighteye, over the Hero Network.
SN: I trust everything's going well so far with security?
EH: Still no signs of Syndicate activity. Trust me, if you were here you'd be as bored as I am.
SN: Be that as it may, Lemillion and I are still on standby if anything happens- half a dozen other members of Fenrir as well. This graduation is a high-profile event, Eraser. Given their previous pattern of attack and personal history with U.A., Jeanist and I find it unlikely that they won't attempt to make a move.
EH: We'll be ready if they try anything, but if it's too much for us to handle, all of you have full authorization to intervene. I already mentioned it to Jeanist, but everyone on the strike team has been cleared with our security system, just in case.
SN: Understood. Stay alert- I'll be monitoring the situation.
Since All Might's death, Sasaki Mirai had been Shota's primary source of information regarding the government's operations against the Syndicate; even before then, he and Sir had coordinated to remove Endeavor from a potential rescue operation following Shoto's capture. Given their similar personalities, the two of them had been getting along well so far, though Aizawa still didn't feel close enough with to pry about Toshinori's quirk. He pocketed his phone again with a sigh, then reluctantly returned his gaze to the monitors.
Struck suddenly by a feeling of déjà vu as he stared down feed after feed of empty corridors and quiet courtyards, Aizawa thought back to the video of the hall outside Kendo's room, the one he and the other teachers had spent hours poring over in search of clues. We never identified the suspect in the end, he reminded himself, shaking his head in frustration. We still have no idea whether they breached our security systems again, manipulated a student with blackmail, coaxed a traitor out from within our ranks… were you right after all, Hizashi? Ever since the implementation of the dorm system, they'd been carefully monitoring students' actions across campus, searching for any pattern of strange behavior that could indicate ties to villain groups.
With no evidence to speak of after a year, though, the impetus for further investigations had stalled with time, and under pressure from parents, they'd finally allowed students to leave campus on weekends during the academic year, as long as they stayed within a certain radius of the school and kept a log of their departures and returns. The situation had remained unchanged until the Syndicate's debut, a nightmare scenario that all but ensured U.A.'s closure. Aizawa still shuddered to recall the closed-door meetings with government officials that had followed- begging politicians on bended knees not to shutter the school immediately, to give their students some measure of closure. Vlad King would be announcing the development at the conclusion of the ceremony, a task Eraser hardly envied. The new principal had also been shouldering the burden of relations with the press alongside Midnight, though more often than not, reporters' questions regarding the ex-student villains were so skewed against the school that they had no choice but to stonewall and fall back on prepared talking points. He could still hear Vlad King's voice at the back of his head, rattling off the series of empty platitudes they'd drafted together at the first press conference of his tenure as acting principal.
U.A. deeply regrets the actions of its former students, but maintains that we have had no contact or association with any of the involved individuals since the occasion of their disappearance. We offer our sincere condolences to the families affected by yesterday's criminal acts, including those within our own family of faculty, staff, and students, and ask that members of the press respect their privacy and boundaries as we all grieve for the lost together. We will be conducting a full internal investigation to assess how these breaches occurred, and how we can best secure our campus moving forward. We have no further comments at this time, and will not be answering questions.
Shota shook his head, and silently scolded himself for letting his thoughts wander. Nothing can change the past. All we can do now is keep moving forward, and learn from our mistakes in the process. He turned back to the monitors and slurped down the last of his ramen, then patched his earpiece through to Present Mic's- he could see Yamada through one of the screens, pacing nonchalantly back and forth across the stage in the gymnasium, his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket.
"Mic, how's the situation down there? We're getting close to the start of the ceremony."
"We've still got a few stragglers filtering in, but most of them are here- I'd say give it five or so more minutes. Say, Shota, isn't this getting you all nostalgic? It always tugs on my heartstrings to see all these little baby birds leaving the nest!"
"You say that every year, Hizashi. Now stay on topic, please. What's the security situation like? Any sign of suspicious activity?"
"Besides Kaminari trying to pass around a bottle of sake? None that I can see," Midnight's voice chimed in, as she gave a friendly wave to the camera he was watching the gym through.
"He what?" Aizawa sighed deeply in exasperation, and rubbed at his temples as his raging headache from earlier in the morning returned with a sudden vengeance. "Please tell me you're joking, Kayama."
"You wish I was," she quipped, prompting a poorly restrained laugh from Mic.
"He really… god damn that boy. I assume you've confiscated the alcohol?"
Silence on the line. Present Mic began to whistle nonchalantly as he strode away, and Nemuri gave the security camera an innocent grin.
"Midnight…"
"It's their last day, Shota! Who cares if they have a bit of fun? God knows they need it, with everything that's going on right now."
"I care, if that fun is illegal and dangerous. Our reputation is already in bad enough shape- what are we going to do if one of their parents finds out that they've been drinking on our watch? What if someone throws up onstage? You have to think of the…"
A red light began to blink on one of the monitors to his left, and he paused midsentence. It was the motion sensor on the third floor- aside from the areas around the gymnasium, the school's hallways were supposed to be empty today.
"Hmm? What was it that I need to think of?"
"Hold that thought, I need to check something. That alcohol had better be gone by the time I get back."
"Kshhh, sorry, didn't catch that, Eraser- you're breaking up. Kshhhhh…"
His patience at an end Aizawa elected to ignore Midnight's antics for the moment, then switched channels and rolled his chair over to the monitor in question, narrowing his eyes to make out the figure who had tripped the sensor. Judging by their graduation cap and gown, they seemed to be a student- it only took a few more seconds of scrutiny to determine that it was Uraraka, emerging from the stairwells and ducking into one of the bathrooms with a strangely hurried pace.
What could she be doing? He frowned, and lifted a hand to his earpiece.
"Snipe, do you read me? What's your current position?"
"Making my way back inside the main building now- I have Cementoss stationed at the back entry gate. Everything alright up there?"
"I've got something I need to check out in person. Could you come take over the suite for a few minutes?"
"Sure thing, I'm on my way."
Barely a minute later, Eraserhead handed off the room to Snipe with a curt nod, then quickly started towards the stairwell. He was on the fifth floor, and Ochako on the third- by the time he reached the bathroom she'd stumbled into, she was a dozen paces down the hallway, a trail of blood traced across the floor behind her. Shota felt his heart seize in shock in his chest, his eyes wide.
"Uraraka? Are you alright?"
He took a step towards her, unsure whether to take on a tone of suspicion or concern. Well aware of the possibility of a trap, Shota kept up his guard, and began to steadily unwrap his binding cloth in case of an emergency.
"Why aren't you down with the others? You're injured."
By now that he could tell that the wound seemed to be on her right arm- the blue fabric of her gown was stained a dark red around it. Ochako stopped in her tracks at the sound of his voice, turned towards him, and rushed forward, her face the picture of relief.
"Aizawa-sensei, I'm so glad you're here! I think Synapse is somewhere in the building- he got me with his quirk, forced me to come up here, and I had to cut myself to break free!" She held up her bloodied arm as proof, and fell down to her knees in front of him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I was so afraid, I didn't know what to do next, but if you're here I'm sure we can find him and catch him!"
Though he couldn't quite place it, he couldn't help but think that there was something off about her cadence, her choice of words. He took another step forward, and held out his hand. Is she… in her right mind? Given what she went through, this could be a PTSD episode.
"Come with me, Uraraka, we'll get you to Recovery Girl- there's nothing to worry about. We haven't seen any sign of an infiltration- our security measures are airtight. We would have detected Shinso by his DNA if he set a single foot on campus- the same goes for the rest of the Syndicate. There's no danger here, I promise."
"I know it seems impossible, but I'm sure he's here! There's no other way I could've lost control like that, right?" She sniffled and wiped at her nose with her bloodied sleeve. "My thoughts still feel all… jumbled up. Like there are all these… other voices in my head. I don't know what to do, Aizawa-sensei. I keep remembering things from when… from when I was with them." Her breathing sped up to a pant, and she clutched at her arm, her eyes widening as a drop of sweat rolled down her brow. "I-It's hard to breathe. I… I…"
Everything suddenly clicked in Shota's mind, and he knelt down opposite Ochako, laying one hand comfortingly on her shoulder. She's having a panic attack- these are all classic symptoms. With the stress of graduation, everything from her captive experience is finally boiling over- it's my fault for not watching her more closely since her return.
"Look at me, Uraraka- I'm right here with you. I want you to take long, deep breaths, one at a time. On the count of three, okay? One, two…"
Though he was sleep-deprived, run ragged, and far more mentally preoccupied than usual, Aizawa Shota's combat instincts were still razor sharp- neither exhaustion nor fear of failure could dull the edge of the reflexes he'd spent a lifetime refining. He was still mid-count when he felt someone moving up behind him- subtly, carefully, with ill intent. There was no sound of footsteps or even of breathing, the two tells that most often gave villains away whenever they tried and failed to get the drop on him. This is a professional, Eraser knew, as he shot to his feet, pivoted on one heel, and brought his binding cloth to bear, all in one fluid motion. Was she telling the truth about Synapse?! He found himself wondering, in the split second it took him to turn around.
The person standing half a dozen paces behind him was no Hitoshi, though. She was a girl- young, around Ochako's age, by the look of it, with mousy brown hair that fell down slightly past her shoulders and soft blue eyes set in a pale, expressionless face. Though Aizawa was certain he had never seen her before- he prided himself at remembering faces- she was wearing U.A.'s grey school uniform. Someone from the Support or General Studies course, maybe? But what is she doing here? And how did she get this close without me noticing? Was it her quirk? Though he forced himself to refrain from restraining her- a teacher unjustly attacking a student wouldn't exactly do anything to help their PR situation- he kept his hands wrapped tight around his binding cloth, ready to lash out at any moment. Why didn't Snipe alert me that someone else was here?
"What are you doing here? Identify yourself."
"I'm Tachibana Makie, a second-year in the Business course! Sorry if I startled you, sensei- I'm always scaring people like that on account of my quirk."
"It's not a problem. But my other question still stands- why are you here? Today is the third-years' commencement ceremony, so I'm afraid this floor is off-limits for security reasons. If you have a sibling graduating, please make your way back down to the seating area with the rest of the families."
"My apologies, sir- you're right, I'm sure my big sis is waiting for me down there. As for why I'm here, well… I'm big fan of your hero work, but during the year I was always too shy to introduce myself. And since today is the last chance before summer, I was wondering if I could ask you for a picture."
Aizawa closed his eyes briefly in exasperation, then gave the girl a reluctant nod. I don't have the energy to scold a fan for something harmless like this, even if she did startle me. Though Shota was still certain that he'd never seen her face, the more Makie spoke, the more familiar she felt- something about her prompted an odd sensation of déjà vu. Tachibana… do I know her sister, maybe? He didn't recall any students with the surname off the top of his head, but he was admittedly better with faces.
"Alright- one picture, then I have to get back to work. Make it quick, okay?"
"No problem- I promise this'll be super fast. Say cheese!"
The next few moments passed in a blur. All at once, Makie's skin began to shimmer and glow a rainbow of colors, until not half a second later a blinding flash of white light seared his retinas and sent Aizawa stumbling backward- there had been no time to process that he was being attacked, much less look away. He lashed out desperately with his binding cloth, but his vision was all splotches of colors, fading in and out- he couldn't see a single thing, and under these conditions activating his quirk was impossible.
"Uraraka, get out of here! Get the other teachers!" Eraser could still hear Uravity's panicked breathing just behind him, but knew full well that she was in no shape to fight. Once he could tell that she'd begun to move, he reached up to his earpiece. "Snipe, do you read me?! I need ba-"
His voice faltered when Ochako slipped up beside him and drove a blade between his ribs.
Aizawa knew it was her, and not Tachibana, because he could hear her heavy breathing just inches away, make out of the blur of her head and hair and graduation cap as his vision slowly returned. He tried to push her off of him, only to find that his body would no longer move- that same moment, his earpiece returned a mess of static from the other end.
So that's how it is, then. Comms are jammed, and probably the cameras too- otherwise help would already be here.
"Why?" He grit through bared teeth. Though movement was impossible, it seemed that he could still speak, albeit with considerable difficulty. He could feel pain, too- his sight had mostly returned know, and he could see the glint of her knife's hilt where it was buried in his side, at the bottom edge of his vision. Uraraka's expression had changed dramatically in just a few brief moments- the fear and panic and tears were gone, replaced by bitter malice and cruel amusement. An arrogant grin spread slowly across her lips, she twisted the blade back and forth in the wound, chuckling as he grunted in pain.
"Ah, I see that Pandora's paralytic compound is working marvelously. She sends her regards, you know- she regrets that she can't be here, Dark Shadow too. They wanted so very badly to help see off their former sensei."
It only took a brief moment for Aizawa to realize that he wasn't speaking to his student anymore- the tone, the choice of words, everything was wrong- Ochako didn't speak like this. He only knew of one person who did- he'd seen enough of his speeches to make the connection.
"Midoriya… I don't know how, but it's you, isn't it? What have you done with Uraraka?!"
"She's as you see her: perfectly intact, a few minor scrapes aside. I'm simply taking over the wheel for a while- walking a mile in someone else's shoes, as it were. Were you really so naïve as to think that she spent all that time with us without Hatsume making a few minor upgrades?"
"We looked, after Hawks recovered her. Monitored her for two days… we didn't find anything."
"Then you didn't look hard enough, clearly. Though I suppose that's a stroke of luck, for her, at least- she'd already be dead if you'd found it. The implant was a bit of a gamble on my part, to be honest, but it seems that this time I won big."
Uravity- or rather, Seraph- withdrew the knife with a flourish, painting a streak of blood along the floor as more began to flow steadily from the open wound, warm and wet along Shota's stomach.
"But that's enough about dear Ochako- you needn't concern yourself with her anymore. I've been waiting a long time for a chance to speak with you again, Aizawa-sensei. Being here at U.A. with you brings back such lovely memories!"
In spite of the situation, Eraser couldn't help but chuckle grimly.
"If you've come to ask again for permission to take the hero course transfer exam, I'm afraid the answer is still an emphatic no, Midoriya."
Uraraka's features contorted briefly into a furious scowl, and Izuku lashed out again with the knife, connecting with another point on his torso- pain lanced again through Shota's body, and he felt his breath growing ragged.
"Appropriate that you'd choose your final moments to grow a sense of humor. I suppose I'm still not strong enough to meet your lofty standards?"
"No, you're plenty strong." Shota grinned, even as blood began to dribble from his lips and down into his stubble. "We just don't take pathetic, self-righteous scum."
"Your honesty is refreshing," Izuku replied coolly, one hand perched on his chin as the other drew the knife out of Aizawa's body. "But I still have plenty of room for improvement. Even with this guise, I wasn't completely confident that I could subdue you on my own; even using this lovely toxin, I had to ask a mutual friend of ours for assistance. Isn't that right, Temperance?"
"I tried my best to be helpful!" A familiar voice replied from behind him, and Aizawa felt his heart sink in his chest as Tachibana strode back into view, a soft smile on her face.
No. That's impossible… There's no way…
It all clicked at once- the attack Makie had used, the way she spoke, the overwhelming feeling that he knew her. Eraser had been too distracted by Seraph and his wounds to fully process the situation, but by the time he pieced everything together, the girl who'd introduced herself as Tachibana had already tapped a button on her bracelet, turning herself invisible once again.
"You're not half bad at changing your voice, Hagakure. Did Midoriya teach you that?"
It was all Aizawa could do to keep the shock and horror out of his voice- on the inside, he was still clinging desperately to the hope that Toru was being controlled by an implant like Ochako. The alternative- that his student of three years had betrayed U.A. for the Syndicate- was simply too painful to even consider.
"Nope- that was Toga, actually! By the way, Seraph, how's she doing? Can I talk to her? Is she here?"
Her tone giddy and excited, Lightwave bounced up and down as she spoke, and with every syllable, Eraser felt his hope fading into the realm of impossibility. It had been easy to tell that Uraraka wasn't herself, but nothing about Hagakure's words or actions suggested that her case was the same. Makie and her personality had been an act- a convincing one, at that- but this felt genuine.
"Carmilla is in position, as we discussed. Don't worry, you'll be able to see her soon enough." Midoriya patted Toru's shoulder in consolation, then turned back towards Aizawa. "We have to finish off our poor sensei before you two can be reunited, though."
"If you say so. Can I put my outfit on now, by the way? I'm so tired of wearing this stupid uniform. I don't need it anymore now that he's taken care of, right?"
"By all means, go ahead."
Lightwave proceeded to strip off her uniform before pulling a silvery white coat, from her shoulder bag, streaked with dark black highlights- the material looked somewhere between leather and fabric, and once she slid it on, along with matching pants, shoes, and half-gloves, the outfit momentarily shimmered a rainbow of colors before becoming invisible itself.
"Three years. I went to this school for three years, and the support department never could design me a costume that could turn invisible with my body. Do you have how humiliating that was?!" Far from giddy now, Hagakure's voice was furious and resentful- it was a tone Aizawa had never heard from her. "My provisional license exam, my finals? I had to take them all naked because you fucking morons couldn't fix a problem that Hatsume Mei solved in two days! What, did you think I actually liked it?! Did you think it was fun for me?!"
Truly invisible now from head to toe, Toru punched him across the face, hard, and he could only watch as one of his teeth flew from his mouth and clattered to the floor.
"I'm sorry," Shota grunted, his voice distorted by the gush of blood. "The costume designers told me they did all they could, but nothing worked. I should've pressed them again. You never told me how you felt about it."
"You never asked."
Eraser sighed, at a loss for a response to that. It was true that he'd been more focused on pushing the stronger students in 1-A, perhaps too much so. One's shortcomings are all too easy to see in retrospect.
"And I'm sorry for that, Hagakure. But please, help me understand. Are you telling me you threw away everything and betrayed us, betrayed your friends… for this? A costume? I took your happiness for granted, and as your teacher, I apologize for that. I was in the wrong. But was this the only recourse?"
"You're asking me if it was the only reason? How shallow do you think I am?!"
Another blow, to the side- this one broke a rib. These hits have been much stronger and precise than her performance in class. How long has she been holding back? Was she with them from the beginning?
"Trust me," Toru quipped, "there are plenty ofreasons, but we'd be here all day if I tried to list them, and there's a schedule we need to keep. How do you want to do this, Seraph?"
"There are so many things I could say to you," Midoriya replied with a sigh, turning Ochako's gaze back to Shota. "So many petty revenges I could inflict. But I'm not the only one who took issue with your callousness." He nodded to Lightwave, who tossed two orbs out onto the floor. Two holograms emerged in a flicker of blue light- one of Hatsume, and the other of Shinso. "Longshot, Synapse- anything to add?"
"Nothing in particular," answered Hitoshi. "If anything I find it laughable now, how I used to look up to him. If he's our society's ideal of a hero, then I'm all the more convinced that a few institutional changes are necessary."
"We do have to thank him, though, in a roundabout way," chimed in Mei. "If he hadn't given us all detention like the complete ass he is, I don't think any of this would have happened the way it did. How does it feel to know that, Aizawa? You butterflied the Syndicate into existence just as much as All Might did!"
"Seems like assigning blame comes easy for you," Eraser grit, then forced his bloodied lips into a grin. "Go ahead, keep on playing the victims. It suits cowards like you."
Another harsh stab of pain, from behind this time- Hagakure had plunged a blade of her own into his back. It took every ounce of his concentration to tell where Lightwave was at any given time- her movements had grown practically inaudible since she donned Hatsume's outfit, even to his well-trained ears. There must be some sort of sound-dampening material woven into the fabric- no one is this quiet.
"No need to be so mean-spirited, is there now?" She giggled, and withdrew her knife in a spurt of blood. "They're amazing, brilliant people- I guess it's natural that someone as small-minded as you wouldn't be able to understand."
"Careful now, Temperance." Izuku cast a pointed glance in the direction of Toru's voice. "We wouldn't want him dying on us before we finish our business with him."
"Don't worry, I made sure to hit a non-lethal area. Himiko's been teaching me how to avoid the organs if you want to keep the person alive!"
"I'm quite glad to hear that. We can't leave our dear friend alive for much longer, though, if we want to make it back down in time for the main event. Any last words, Shota? Final messages, perhaps, or statements of regret?" Midoriya brought his knife to bear, and grinned as Hagakure flickered back into visibility beside him, her expression the picture of smug glee.
"I assume you're expecting an apology?" Aizawa forced a grim chuckle. "For what, a detention? A necessary dose of reality? I'll tell you what, Midoriya- if you want one so bad, maybe I'll consider giving it, after you beg forgiveness for all the lives you've taken and destroyed. Try to balance out the scales, if you're aiming for reciprocity. Until then, you can go fuck yourself, you murdering psychopath." Shota spat a gob of thick crimson blood in Seraph's direction to punctuate his decree, his eyes full of cold fury.
"How eloquent," Shinso scoffed, prompting a chuckle from Hatsume.
As for his reaction, Midoriya kept Uraraka's expression blank and her body still for a long moment, watching Aizawa's pained gasps for breath with cold, empty eyes. Just when it seemed he was beginning to move again, a figure emerged from the shadows at the edge of his field of vision, circling around behind Eraser before he could see their face. Shota caught a glimpse of a black overcoat, and the hallway echoed with the footfalls of heavy boots.
"Ah, Tower- right on time." Izuku smiled warmly. "I trust the charges are all set and wired, if you've joined us. We were just about to finish things here; would you care to help me do the honors, after you came close to finishing him off yourself the other day?"
"It would be my pleasure," answered a rough, masculine voice. The blow followed almost instantly- there was no time to think, or to prepare himself. The blade that plunged through Aizawa's back and out his stomach was much longer than a knife, tapering to a point with one diagonal edge. Shota knew by the loss of feeling in his legs that his spine had been severed. It was a strangely sobering realization, but he had no time to grieve- not before Kamakiri Togaru retracted his blade from the wound and strode around to look Eraser in the eye.
"You've got no idea how hard it's been resisting the urge to do that. I bet you wish she hadn't saved you during the final, huh? Gravity seems like a lot easier way to go than this, but hey, I tried my best."
"You're telling me that was your best, Jack Mantis?" Eraser scowled. "Trust me, you've still got a long way to go."
It was growing increasingly difficult to remain conscious, much less speak, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open all the same. Help will come. Any moment, help will come. If I give up, it's all over.
"To answer your question," Kamakiri grunted, ignoring Aizawa entirely as he turned to face Midoriya, "the charges are set, yes, and all wired to Longshot's remote detonator. Everything is in place for the next phase."
"And would you look at the time," Seraph replied, glancing down at the screen of Uraraka's phone with a face full of eager anticipation. "It seems that the ceremony is about to begin."
And there we have it- our first two traitor reveals, and another step forward in the Syndicate's graduation operation. Let me know what you think in the reviews, and whether you guessed either of their identities- I know a few people did, at least! I know she's a popular subject of theories, but Hagakure's quirk makes her such an interesting traitor candidate that I couldn't resist using her. Kamakiri was more of my own personal inclusion, in that sense. More will follow after this mini-arc concludes about the backstory to their decisions to betray U.A., probably including some flashback chapters- those might come after the other traitor reveals, though, so all in good time.
Also, any sympathy for Aizawa? Poor guy can't catch a break. As I said last time, this chapter is going to be the first in a series of shorter ones, and the average length will probably remain around this until my life gets less busy again. See you next time with the next phase of the Syndicate's plan- let me know what you think that might be if you have any ideas, and as always, please leave a review if you're enjoying the story!