Entropy

by Imperium42

Midoriya Izuku didn't change overnight. The process was slow and gradual, the end result of a life filled with rejections and roadblocks- but everyone has a breaking point. Destruction brings renewal, and with the death of his old dream, Izuku has found a new one- one he intends to share. All orderly systems descend into chaos. No one is immune to entropy, heroes least of all.

30. Sound and Fury

Chapter 30: Sound and Fury

"So, what do you think I should go for? I've always been a fan of macarons, but their eclairs and chocolate croissants look amazing." Jiro glanced up from the café's menu with an eager expression on her face. "If you get an eclair, maybe we could split it? And I'd give you half of my croissant."

"Of course! Their eclairs are to die for, particularly the one with pistachio cream filling." Yaoyorozu Momo smiled, and glanced around for their waiter.

In the warm spring weather, he café's outdoor garden patio felt like paradise; she'd been coming to this place for years, ever since her parents first brought her as a child. Every item on the menu, every variety of plant in the neatly maintained flowerbeds ringing the cobblestone seating area- Momo knew them all by heart. They were currently seated at a table for two, beautiful wrought iron decorated with baroque patterns, and overhead, a large canvas umbrella provided shade from the bright midday sun. A handful of other patrons were chatting quietly a few tables away, but for the most part, they had the patio to themselves- all the better for their celebration.

…What were we celebrating again?

"Ah, there he is." Shaking her head to clear the fog, Yaoyorozu raised a hand and waved politely at their handsome young waiter as he passed them by. "Hello, sir? One pistachio eclair, and one pain au chocolat. And to drink, Gold Tips Imperial for us both."

"Huh? That's not what I was gonna order." Once the waiter had walked away, Kyoka gave her a confused glance. "What's a 'pan oh'… whatever it was? You trying to surprise me or something, Yaomomo?"

"Pain au chocolat is the proper name for a chocolate croissant, in the original French." Momo gave Kyoka a playful grin, then reached up to straighten her ponytail. "I studied the language a bit, back in middle school- it was the pastries at this café that sparked my curiosity, in fact. Last year, Father even allowed me to accompany him on a business trip to Bordeaux! He owns some vineyards in the area, and I was able to tour them with him- it was a truly wonderful experience."

"That's amazing! I've always wanted to go to Paris- that's where my parents had their honeymoon." Jiro paused, and took a sip from her china teacup.

When did the tea get here? Momo glanced down, confused- there was a full cup of tea in front of her as well, and the steaming kettle had been placed on the table between them; next to it, their pastries were sitting on an ornate silver tray. I must've been distracted talking to Kyoka when he brought it all out.

"Why don't you speak some French for me?" Jiro asked, a grin on her face as she took a bite of her pain au chocolat and took a moment to chew and swallow. "I bet you're great at it, after spending some time there."

Brushing aside her previous concerns, Momo returned the grin, unable to resist the chance to showcase some of her speaking skills.

"Oh, I'm still just a beginner. But if you insist…" Momo took a long sip of tea and paused to clear her throat, flushing slightly with embarrassment- she rarely spoke French with anyone other than her parents. "Kyoka, ma chérie, ta tenue est presque aussi belle que toi."

"Sounds like you studied it more than a bit!" Jiro clapped her hands together in awe, then landed a light, teasing punch on Yaoyorozu's arm. "Look at you, being modest again- your French must be even better than Aoyama's! So what did you say?" Her smile widened in anticipation.

"Oh, I was simply complimenting your outfit," Momo replied, turning back to her tea with a self-satisfied expression; Kyoka was as fashionable as ever today, with a stylish leather jacket, matching boots, and a dark purple skirt. For her own part, Momo was wearing an floral-patterened sundress, one of her favorites from her mother's wardrobe. "But if you'd like, maybe I can teach you a bit."

"What, is she showing off again?" A chuckle sounded off to their right, and Momo turned to find Kendo Itsuka and Todoroki Shoto stepping out onto the patio from the café's main building, both dressed in casual clothes. "Try not to feed her ego too much, Jiro." Itsuka gave them both a wink, a grin on her face.

"Sorry we're late," Shoto offered, smiling softly as the two new arrivals took a seat on the other end of the table for four. "We ended up on the same train here."

For four? Weren't we at… a table for two? Midway through a bite of eclair, Yaoyorozu hesitated for a moment before replying, but Kendo's voice quickly snapped her out of her confusion.

"Glad we could make it, though! I wouldn't miss this for the world." Itsuka sipped from her teacup, smiling eagerly. "You ready for our next commercial shoot with Uwabami tomorrow?"

"Of course, I can't wait! It may not be the type of traditional hero work I was expecting from this work study, but experiencing it together is what makes it tolerable." Yaoyorozu reached out and gave Kendo's hand a squeeze. "If you weren't there with me, I don't think I would have survived the first day."

"Trust me, same here! It would've been so much more intimidating without you!"

"Yaoyorozu, you've got a bit of…" Off to her right, Todoroki suddenly leaned in and lifted a hand up to her face. "…A bit of pastry, right here." Before Momo could even process what was happening, Shoto was dutifully brushing away a few crumbs of eclair clinging to the side of her mouth, seemingly oblivious to just how close the two of them had grown. "There, it's gone now."

When their eyes met a moment later, both their cheeks flushed bright red in the same instant, and Shoto swiftly leaned away again.

"…My apologies if that was improper."

"Oh man, do we need to get you two a room?" Kyoka only barely managed to stifle a giggle, and beside her, Itsuka was clearly having trouble holding back her laughter as well.

"Yeah, just let us know if you want us to move to another table."

Their reactions only served to worsen Momo's already severe embarrassment; it took her several moments and a great deal of willpower to compose a coherent response.

"N-No, no, I assure you, you've misinterpreted the situation! Todoroki was simply being a gentleman, you mustn't-"

The pleasant, orchestral swell of her cellphone's ringtone interrupted Momo's panicked explanation; it was tucked away in her handbag, hung over the side of her chair. I should've known to turn it on vibrate before I met with friends. Whoever it is, I'm sure they can wait. Electing to let the call go to voicemail, Yaoyorozu turned back and continued to chat amiably with the others, enduring Jiro and Kendo's persistent teasing about Todoroki the best she could. Not a minute later, though, the ringtone sounded again, and Momo paused mid-sip of tea, frowning.

"I'm so terribly sorry, but I need to check this- if they're calling back again, it could be something urgent."

"Either that, or it's one of those friggin' scammers." Jiro swallowed a bite of Yaoyorozu's eclair and rolled her eyes, a bemused grin on her face. "Let us know if it's a 'government agent' asking you to send money to pay for your 'outstanding debt', babe. I feel like you're just innocent enough to be in their target audience."

"I assure you, I've only fallen for one of those devious schemes once- I know better know!" Flushing bright red once again as her friends all burst out laughing, Momo unzipped her handbag and pulled out her phone, ready to resolve the matter and rejoin the conversation as quickly as possible. Let's see, it's… hm? Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed in confusion.

Who is… Seraph?

The image of an unfamiliar boy was staring back at Momo from the screen of her phone- messy green hair and freckles, coupled with two piercing green eyes. 'Seraph', the name beneath his picture declared, a foreign word. Do I know him? I… I don't think I…

"Ma'am? Some more tea for you? Or another pastry, perhaps?"

Their handsome blond waiter had returned, standing off to her left with his pen and notepad in hand.

"N-No, we don't need anything else at the moment. Thank you." Still looking down at her phone, Momo waved a hand dismissively in the waiter's direction; she remembered her manners a moment later and glanced up at him to apologize, only to let out a short gasp of shock.

"Hawks?"

The Winged Hero smiled warmly as his waiter's uniform began to shift and change; a yellow glass visor sprung into being on his face, and two massive red wings unfurled from his back as his leather flight jacket took shape. Overhead, dark grey clouds had obscured the sun, and a cold gust of wind blew through the courtyard, sending a shiver through Yaoyorozu's body.

"Can I be of any assistance, ma'am?" Hawks continued to smile, unflinching. "A blanket, perhaps?"

"W-What are you doing here?! Aren't you…" Momo trailed off, her eyes widening in horror as Hawks' wings suddenly vanished in two flashes of blue light, leaving only bloodied stumps behind, and a gaping slash opened up across his neck; a curtain of scarlet poured out from the wound all at once, spilling down over his chest as he fell to his knees.

"Shoto, come cauterize the wound!" Trying her best to suppress the swell of panic and horror in her chest, Yaoyorozu took a step forward and knelt down until she was at eye level with Hawks. "I'll make some bandages and antiseptic! Kyoka, Itsuka, one of you call an ambulance!"

Rather than the voices of her friends, though, only silence followed; when Momo wheeled around moments later, bandages flowing out from her right palm, they were all standing, watching her with expressions of cold, quiet revulsion.

"Why did you do it?" Jiro asked, a bitter tinge to her voice. "I thought I could trust you, Yaomomo."

"W-What? I don't…"

"Why did you do it?" Todoroki repeated, his bicolored brows furrowed in anger. "After everything we've been through together…"

"We thought you were our friend," Kendo crossed her arms. "We thought you cared about us. So why did you do it?"

"Do what?!" Momo snapped, her patience at an end."What do you think I did?! Whatever it is, it doesn't matter! Right now, we need to focus on…" When she turned back towards Hawks, though, he had already fallen to the ground- his chest was still, his eyes glazed over.

No, no, we're too late! Maybe I could make some defibrillators, we could… Her thoughts scattered and frantic, Yaoyorozu glanced down at her hands; the bandages were gone, though, replaced by an long, curved sword, blood steadily dripping from the blade. Her dress had vanished too- she was wearing body armor now, grey and silver synthetic plates scarred by jagged slash marks.

"Ah, Pandora." In her free hand, the call from before had somehow connected- a cool, confident voice was filtering through the phone's speaker. "A job well done, as usual. I was hoping you'd be able to keep him alive until the end of the broadcast, and you didn't disappoint- thanks to you, Hawks died in disgrace."

In the span of a single moment, everything rushed back to her- the Syndicate, Midoriya, her research, the Black Day. It was an overwhelming surge of memories, and the rush of emotions that accompanied it drove Momo down to her knees with a cry of agony.

"I… I'm sorry," she whimpered, clutching at her aching head with both hands as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I had to do it! Please, just trust me- this is all for the greater good!"

"Liar!" Jiro shouted back at her; the three of them had begun to advance on Yaoyorozu in unison, their faces twisted in rage. They were in their hero costumes now, and their appearances had changed as well- they were third-years now, not the first-years she'd seen them as before. Even Momo's own hair had changed, from her ponytail to shoulder-length. "You wanted this, didn't you?!"

"No, I didn't!" Momo cast the sword aside and held up her hands. "I swear to you, there's no other way! I'm trying to save this country from itself!"

Her heart pounding in her chest, Yaoyorozu tried to take a step back, only to nearly trip over something; when she glanced down, Uraraka's body was lying on the ground alongside Hawks', a bloodstained knife piercing her throat. Just beyond were the corpses of Eraserhead, Vlad King, All Might, and dozens more, police officers and soldiers and civilians. The pools of blood from each individual body were slowly spreading and merging, until the entire patio floor was one contiguous sheet of red.

"I don't believe you!" Kendo shouted, wrapping a massive hand around Yaoyorozu's waist to keep her from fleeing. "You still think you can trick us, after everything you've done?!"

"Why would any of us trust a word you say?" Cold fury in his eyes, Todoroki raised his right hand and froze both of her feet to the ground for good measure. "You think we're all gullible fools, don't you?!" A spike of white-hot flame flared to life in his opposite hand, and he took another menacing step towards her. "Not smart enough to share in your new world order."

"That's not true! I promise, once we achieve our goals, I intend to…"

"No more promises!" Kyoka lunged forward and wrapped her hands around Momo's throat. "I don't want to hear another word from a goddamn traitor!" She began to squeeze with all her strength, and Momo quickly found that she had no will to resist.

"Kyoka…" Yaoyorozu choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I… did it for you… for all of you…" Her vision was blurring and darkening now, but Momo fought to remain conscious as long as possible, her voice reduced to a ragged whisper. "I did what you couldn't… so you could all have… a better future."

"Oh, Pandora." Over the phone, Seraph let out a sigh. "Poor, naïve Pandora. You never could let them go, could you? How profoundly disappointing." A soft beep sounded as Izuku ended the call, and Momo's vision faded to black.

---

Syndicate Headquarters, Nagoya

Yaoyorozu's eyes were wet with tears when she jerked upright in her bed, gasping for breath. The sensations from the dream had all felt searingly vivid and real; both of Momo's hands shot instinctively to her neck, feeling the skin to check for bruises and make sure she could still breathe.

"It was a dream," she whispered, wiping at her tears as she propped herself up against the backboard of the bed. "Just a dream. Nothing to be…" Momo paused, and choked out a soft sob. Try as she might to forget the images, Jiro, Kendo, and Todoroki's faces were still burned in her mind- the way they looked at me like I was pure, irredeemable filth. That's probably how they think of me now, isn't it?

The ending of the dream had been a construct of her mind, of course, but the conversations toward the beginning were all drawn from reality- the placement was out of context, but the pain of the experience was made all the more acute by the fact that the memories were at least partially genuine. I still remember explaining pain au chocolat to Kyoka like it was yesterday, during breakfast after a sleepover at my parents' mansion. The bit with Todoroki cleaning food off my mouth happened during lunch in the U.A. cafeteria, but it happened nonetheless. And Kendo… Yaoyorozu shook her head in frustration as memories of the week they'd spent together with Uwabami filled her mind; even after the work study ended, they'd remained close friends until her abduction.

"Pull yourself together, you pathetic, whimpering child." Her eyes narrowing in anger, Momo slapped herself hard across the face- the tears came to a stop shortly after. "They'll never understand what you're doing for them, but you must do it all the same. You have something they lack- the strength to make the sacrifices necessary to save this nation."

A sigh escaped her chest, and she reached up to wipe a sheen of sweat from her brow before clapping her hands together- her bedroom lights came to life a moment later, starting out dim and gradually brightening to a normal level.

"Brahms," Pandora declared, wiping any remaining traces of wetness from her cheeks as swung her feet out over the edge of her massive, queen-size bed and slid on a pair of velvet slippers. "String Sextet No.1 in B flat major." Once she'd risen to her feet, Momo reached down to brush a stray wrinkle out of her lush, silken lavender nightgown, and smiled softly as the music she'd selected began to play from a speaker on her bedside table.

Midoriya had been generous enough to gift her one of the largest bedrooms in their Nagoya headquarters- ironically, it was the same room they'd first kept her restrained in over two years ago, after they retrieved her from the forest training camp. I was so stubborn then, so sentimental. So willfully blind to this society's most fundamental flaws. Momo scowled, shaking her head as she created two aspirin pills in her palm- her forehead was throbbing with a sudden headache, and acetylsalicylic acid was one of the first few medicinal compounds she'd mastered. That dream was nothing more than a relic of those days- an attempt by some rebellious fragment of my mind to drag me back into blissful ignorance. I need to be stronger, to grow more resistant to this lingering weakness.

"I won't be swayed by illusions of petty sentimentality," Pandora reassured herself, her hands clenching into fists. "My mission is far too important to be compromised by something so foolish."

Momo reached up and tossed the pills into her mouth, then produced a gout of water from her palm to wash them down; as long as she had fuel for her quirk, she could never go thirsty, given the simplicity of water's molecular structure. By producing the molecules closer together or farther apart, she could create ice and steam as well, though the latter came with the risk of burning her skin without proper precautions. I had one half of Todoroki's quirk mastered by the time I was in grade school, Momo reflected- she'd largely refrained from displaying the ability at U.A. for fear of upstaging him. But then again, I suppose I'm limited to producing a much smaller quantity at once- only what can fit on the dimensions of my exposed skin, with nowhere near the force and speed he can generate.

"If only all my creations were limited to three simple atoms," Momo muttered with a sigh, glancing around her bedroom.

Almost every free centimeter of wall space in Pandora's room was covered with charts and diagrams of molecular structures, neatly organized into sections and subsections by their intended use and the alphabetical order of their chemical and atomic formulae, respectively. On the wall to her right, dozens of diagrams of acids and toxic chemicals, paralytics and sedatives and hallucinogens- to her left, the schematics of nearly a hundred of Longshot's babies, often incorporating complex combinations of alloys and power sources that required days or weeks of constant training to master.

Along with the physical copies, all of the printed diagrams and hundreds more were stored in digital form as well- a transparent, curved glass visor from Hatsume that fit over Yaoyorozu's eyes could summon any schematic or formula from her database in an instant, based solely on minute ocular cues. Even without it, though, her memory had been honed to an incredible degree over the past two years, sharpened by thousands of hours of dedicated practice. In her free time, Pandora often made a habit of quizzing herself relentlessly on the atomic formulae of dozens of different compounds, making use of a wristband that applied increasingly painful electric shocks for each incorrect answer.

Personal discomfort is a small price to pay for reshaping society, Yaoyorozu often reminded herself, in times of doubt. For saving this nation from its own parasitic institutions.

Of course, none of her quirk's functions were possible without a consistent source of calories. Tucked into an alcove in the wall directly in front of her, Seraph had installed a refrigerator dedicated solely to storing Pandora's 'fuel'; next to it, a set of cabinets was stocked with dishes and silverware, and a small counter space sported a microwave, a toaster, and a sink. Occasionally, she made use of prototype lipid pills as well- each contained around a thousand calories worth of highly concentrated fats, but they were a rare commodity, even on the black market, and impossible for Pandora to produce with Creation due to their organic composition. While they were useful in a pinch, ordinary food was still a more reliable fuel source in the long run, according to her calculations; as a result, the lipid pills were reserved for emergencies. Not to mention, they give me the worst stomachaches.

"Let's see what we have tonight," Yaoyorozyu murmured, throwing open both fridge doors.

As always, the shelves were well stocked with a wide variety of high-fat foods: an entire strawberry cream cake, half a lemon custard pie, a well-marbled ribeye steak garnished generously with butter, the last few slices of a loaded meat lover's pizza, a bowl of pork fried rice. In the freezer, half a dozen containers of ice cream and gelato of every variety beckoned her with colorful labels: mint chocolate, banana split, dulce de leche. On the night before a mission, Momo often finished an entire pint, followed by a slice of cake or two for good measure- and even that was only after she'd already eaten a multi-course meal. More than once, she'd overdone it and vomited, but after two years of testing her limits, Pandora knew when to quit.

Eating rich food is simply another of my duties to the Syndicate, Momo reminded herself, and one I can complete without much in the way of negative consequences, as long as I burn the excess lipids with Creation before they can convert to actual fat.

"Though I've never managed to retain an entirely perfect record in that regard," she muttered, reaching down to unbutton her nightgown and inspect her stomach. The outline of her muscles was vaguely visible beneath the surface, but all around them, much of her skin was smooth and malleable; there was still a small, persistent set of 'handles' on either side of her waist, and her thighs, while somewhat muscular, didn't have nearly as much tone or definition as she would like. Not to mention these. Perusing the shelves with one hand, she reached up and poked idly at her chest with the other, frowning in disapproval when it proved as soft and yielding as ever. Life would be much easier if I could shrink both of them by half- Kyoka certainly has things better in that regard.

Once she'd quietly scolded herself for thinking of Jiro again, Yaoyorozu pulled out the ribeye and removed the plastic wrap covering the plate before setting it in the microwave. I'll have half of the steak now, and the other half for breakfast- with some eggs, perhaps, and hashbrowns. We have a busy day coming up, so I'd do well to begin storing up now, just in case. In fact… As the steak heated up, filling the room with a delicious, savory aroma, Momo reached back into the fridge and pulled out the pie as well, then retrieved a bottle of port from the cabinet- the rich, fortified wine contained plenty of sugar and alcohol, making it a remarkably efficient source of calories. Not to mention, it'll help me fall back asleep. Hopefully it can prevent any more disruptive dreams as well.

A few minutes later, Momo was leaning back in a leather chair at the other end of the room, her laptop opened on the table in front of her alongside a spread of food- steak, fried rice, and a generous slice of pie. Swirling the wine about in its glass, Pandora took a deep sip of port and set the glass aside, then glanced down at her laptop. 3:19AM. Let's try for around forty minutes of prep for today's mission before heading back to bed- I'll be waking again at 8:00 regardless.

"Computer, open a map of the area around Sir Nighteye's hero agency, with a two-kilometer radius. Overlay with all known police and hero patrol routes. Check for any changes or new additions in the past twelve hours."

As the map in question loaded, seamlessly integrating real-time GPS data with information obtained by La Brava's spy programs, Momo took a bite of steak, followed by rice- both were delicious, and the ribeye in particular practically melted in her mouth. I'll need to thank Atsuhiro and Neito in the morning. They've done a brilliant job, as always. While Pandora tried to cook as much of her own food as possible, and ordering takeout in bulk was another tactic they frequently employed, Seraph often assigned the task of preparing extra meals for her to various other Syndicate members on rotating shifts- Compress and Chaudron in particular tended to make some of her favorite dishes.

"Overlay complete," the computer declared a few moments later in a generic male voice, displaying a high-resolution image of the map she'd requested. "Three new updates."

Her eyes still scanning the laptop's screen, Yaoyorozu lowered her fork and knife to cut off another bite of steak, and was in the process of raising it to her mouth when her bedroom door slammed open; as Pandora jumped to her feet and pivoted to face the doorway, she created a revolver in her right palm out of pure reflex, cocking back the hammer and taking aim before her fork and knife even hit the table.

"Neito!" A sigh of relief escaped Pandora's chest at the sight of Chaudron standing in the threshold, and she let the gun drop down to her side. "I nearly shot you! Don't startle me like that, you should know to knock!"

"So you are awake, then- good. Enjoying some of my steak, I see?" Clearly still in the process of donning his costume, Monoma gestured down at the table as he buttoned up his cuffs and straightened his suit jacket's collar. "I could smell the garlic butter from down the hall. Regrettably, though, I need to interrupt your meal. We have a-"

"A security breach, yes?" A cold, formal mask had already descended over Yaoyorozu's face; wasting no time, she strode into the wide, spacious walk-in closet that connected her bedroom and bathroom and slid off her nightgown; her suit of custom body armor was waiting for her, fastened to a holding rack on the wall. "Not at this facility, of course, or the alarm would have sounded. Sapporo or Yokohama, then? And as for the aggressors…"

Momo paused and glanced at Neito in her tall closet mirror as she strapped on her chestplate and slid on a pair of open-palmed gloves. He's doing an admirable job of pretending to look in the other direction- not that I particularly care either way. Opening one of the pouches on her belt to slip a handful of lipid pills inside, she narrowed her eyes in contemplation.

"The Liberation Army is my first guess- this could be the 'retribution' that Re-Destro promised. Either that, or the negotiations have fallen through entirely."

"'Only blood can pay for blood'," Chaudron replied, quoting the vow that Yotsubashi Rikiya- the Meta Liberation Army's Supreme Commander- had made the day of their failed rescue attempt. 'The scales must be balanced.' It's quite refreshing not to have to walk you through every tedious detail." Chaudron's eyes flit briefly back in Pandora's direction as she slid into the lower half of her armor. "It is the Liberation Army, and at Yokohama- I'll fill you in on the rest later. I haven't been able to contact Longshot, so as you can imagine, we're on a bit of a time crunch." He glanced down at one of his numerous stopwatches, his frown deepening. "Wouldn't it be quicker if you just used your quirk to clothe yourself?"

"It would be a few seconds quicker, yes. But it would also use up a portion of my quirk's capacity, and going into an active combat situation, I would prefer to preserve every possible ounce of 'fuel' in my system." Her outfit fully equipped now, Pandora stepped back into the bedroom and fastened Longshot's curved glass visor over her eyes, then glanced down at her spread of food, still sitting mostly uneaten on the table. "Speaking of fuel, you might want to look away- this will only take a moment, but it won't look very ladylike."

"Tap me on the shoulder if you start to choke." Neito responded with a sigh of exasperation, turning his back on her with his arms crossed in impatience.

"Quite difficult to choke on custard pie," Momo quipped, letting out a yawn before she took the slice in hand and shoved into her mouth all at once. It was hardly a pleasurable or dignified experience, scarfing food like a ravenous animal, but as she swallowed the sickly-sweet lump of custard and whipped cream with a grimace, Pandora took some small solace in the fact that this was simply her own way of preparing for battle- just as clinical and routine as loading a gun's magazine with bullets.

"There, done." Patting at her chestplate to stifle a brief flare of heartburn, Momo stepped up beside Neito and pressed the revolver she'd made into his hands. "A gift, in return for your patience. Who else will be accompanying us?"

"Kurogiri is already waiting in the living room." Monoma paused and tapped at the corner of his mouth, then glanced down at his phone and began to stride down the hall. "You've got a bit of pie, right there. But as for the others, Scimitar is waking Dabi, and La Brava has already contacted Synapse and Overhaul at the Kyoto HQ."

"Shall we use Kurogiri to stage a pincer assault, then?" Brushing off the crumbs with a dismissive swipe of her hand, Pandora quickly fell in step alongside Chaudron. "The Nagoya team takes one flank, and the Kyoto team takes the other."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Do we have any idea what we're walking into?"

"I'm afraid not- all of the Yokohama headquarters' surveillance cameras were disabled simultaneously, around ninety seconds ago. We think it might have been some sort of EMP."

"Whatever it was, it seems to have struck the surrounding traffic cameras as well," Seraph added, greeting the two with a nod as they reached the penthouse's living room. Standing alongside Kurogiri, he was gazing at the television with his arms crossed. La Brava, seated on the couch in between them, was tapping away at her laptop, projecting a variety of camera feeds onto the screen- almost all of them were displaying error messages. When Momo's eyes met his own, Izuku's mouth broke into a bemused grin. "I see the steak was to your liking- smells nice. Did you try the pie as well?"

"My choice of food is hardly relevant," Pandora shot back, flushing slightly in embarrassment as she strode to join them the center of the room. How can he possibly be so relaxed, at a time like this? We've just been attacked! "Keep looking for an angle on the incursion site, La Brava. Try the security cameras from the homes and other buildings nearby- I doubt they were able to cast a net wide enough to catch every one of them. Who's currently stationed in Yokohama, aside from Longshot?"

"Just a skeleton crew," Seraph replied, resting his chin on his mechanical left hand as La Brava opened the duty roster in one corner of the screen. "Mustard, Setsuno Toya, and four of Overhaul's remaining foot soldiers. All our other personnel are split between here, Kyoto, and Sapporo. But of course, those soldiers were there to-"

"Guard the Shields," Pandora finished, then shook her head in frustration. "Is it possible that the Liberation Army could be aware of their location?"

"They did seem to have a vested interest in the good doctor the first time we encountered them," Monoma quipped, checking the bullets in his new revolver's cylinder. "It's entirely possible they mean to abscond with him. But only one way to find out for sure, yes? Let's not waste any more time."

On cue, Scimitar and Dabi strode into the living room from the opposite hallway; the latter let out a yawn, followed by a weak clap.

"Hear, hear. The sooner we can finish this, the sooner I can get back to bed- just open up a portal and tell me who I need to burn."

"I seem to have encountered some minor difficulty with regard to the former," Kurogiri replied, his yellow eyes narrowed in concern. "Whenever I prepare to create a warp gate at a fixed set of coordinates, I use my quirk to 'probe' the area and find a suitable open space- this ensures that I do not transport us into the middle of a wall, or underground, for instance. When I began to probe out a site for us to warp into the Yokohama headquarters just moments ago, however, I encountered a familiar pattern of electrical interference, the same type that was employed at Detnerat Tower to prevent me from extracting the rescue team. It seems that they've taken measures against my quirk again."

"Those countermeasures can only extend for a certain radius, yes?" Turning to face Kurogiri, Seraph's green eyes narrowed. "In Deika, we eventually determined that the interference was limited to the interior of the building. Keep probing the area until you find the edge." Seraph glanced back towards the others, and his gaze fell squarely on Pandora once again. "Given the timing and the presence of the Shields, it seems safe to assume that this attack is an act of retaliation for our failed attempt to recover Gentle and Spinner from Deika City. With that in mind, don't you think that this would a perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate just how much you've learned from that mishap?"

"Of course, Seraph." Momo straightened up to attention, lifting her visor up over her forehead as she returned Izuku's piercing gaze. They'd both grown physically over the past two years, but Midoriya's spurt had been more pronounced, and as a result, Yaoyorozu no longer towered over him as she once had; their heights were roughly even by now, a fact she became acutely aware of as he took another step towards her. "If you deem me worthy of taking command of our counterattack, then I would be honored to redeem myself for that failure."

"I know that you will." Seraph replied, a warm smile on his face as he laid a hand on her shoulder; his friendly expression did little to conceal the statement's more serious undertone, though.

Of course, it wasn't a total failure, Momo noted silently. It's only been a few days, but the negotiations must have finally borne some result. Did relations break down after all, then? Are we at war, or is this just their 'retribution'? I don't like being in the dark, but I can't ask him in front of everyone unless he decides to-

A light tap on her bare upper back dragged Pandora out of her thoughts- Chaudron, muttering to himself as he copied her quirk.

"That's Creation, then Razor Sharp and Cremation…" Setting the first three of the five stopwatches attached to his belt, Monoma gestured for Scimitar and Dabi to hold out their hands, then touched each of them in turn.

"Feels like some weird team spirit exercise," Dabi muttered, crossing his arms as his brows furrowed in contempt. "Alright, how's it going over there, Kuro? Any day now."

"Just another moment," Kurogiri replied, holding up one shadowy arm. "I believe I'm nearing the edge, but I don't wish to drop you all into the middle of another building."

"Finally got a hit!" La Brava cried in triumph from the couch, a wide grin on her face. "The exterior security cameras on the houses across the street are all out, but a few of them have internals, too! Most of 'em are at the wrong angle, but I managed to find one that has a half decent view of the HQ's roof."

As opposed to the sky-high penthouses in Nagoya and Kyoto, the Syndicate's Yokohama headquarters were located in a two-story villa, tucked away in a quiet, affluent corner of the city with high perimeter walls to shield it from prying eyes. Aside from a small café at the far end of the block, the villa was surrounded by other walled residences for the wealthy- thankfully, none of them seemed to be the neighborly type, and many of them took frequent international trips, leaving their houses empty for weeks at a time. When the security feed in question appeared on the television moments later, a somewhat grainy image captured from inside a neighbor's second-story office, it quickly became clear who they were up against; beneath a towering cloud of Mustard's gas, several massive, shifting spikes of ice were visible, stretching up past the villa's roof.

Judging by the way they're moving, Momo noted, it's safe to assume that this is the same operative who abducted Gentle and Spinner back on Hokkaido- the cryokinetic, as Midoriya put it. To Pandora's left, La Brava seemed to have reached the same conclusion, her jubilant expression quickly turning to anger.

"It's gotta be him, that parka bastard! He's the one who took Gentle!"

"It would certainly seem so," Seraph replied, leaning forward to scrutinize the feed. "I don't see any signs of other quirks, but despite the cryokinetic's capabilities, I doubt he's alone this time- this is an assault on a fortified facility, not an ambush in a parking lot."

"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better." Dabi ran a hand through his messy black hair, then reached up and stretched his arms like a cat. "Guess you guys do need me after all, huh? Because between you and me, pretty boy…" He paused to look directly at Chaudron, a twisted grin on his face. "I wouldn't advise using that copy of my quirk too liberally, unless you want that handsome face of yours to end up like this." Dabi reached up to gesture at the scars under his eyes, and let out a bitter chuckle. "Or who knows, maybe you're a fan of the look. I gotta admit, it's been growing on me."

"I'll… take that into account," Monoma replied hesitantly, one eyebrow raised in concern. "But as you said, your assistance will be invaluable- our top priority should be containing the cryokinetic as quickly as possible."

"Agreed, Chaudron." Pandora lowered her visor and began to pull up relevant schematics- half a dozen potential strategies to counter an ice quirk were already flashing through her mind. "He won't escape again."

"A bold promise," Seraph noted, his eyes still locked on the television screen. "He seems quite skilled."

"It's one I intend to keep." Her brows knit in determination, Pandora turned to face Kurogiri. "It seems that Mustard has bought us some time, but I doubt he'll able to hold out for much longer."

"He won't have to," Kurogiri replied, as a dark, swirling warp gate opened up in their midst. "The field of interference seems to be deployed in a roughly circular shape, terminating around eight to ten meters from the villa's perimeter wall- I'll drop you across the street, then warp to Kyoto to retrieve Overhaul and Synapse's group. Once they're ready, I'll bring them in on the opposite side of the villa, to cut off the enemy's escape."

"Affirmative." Pandora gave him a curt nod of thanks, then turned back to Seraph. "I don't suppose you'll be joining us, then?"

"Not this time, though I'd certainly like to." Izuku shook his head and let out a sigh of disappointment. "Given all the unknowns we're dealing with, I think it would be best for me remain here with La Brava to coordinate our response and provide your group with tactical support." He glanced over to the other three members of the response team, focusing on Scimitar and Dabi in particular. "Your primary objective is to secure our personnel and assets. If the opportunity arises, you are to prioritize retrieving Longshot and the Shields over engaging the enemy. Under these circumstances, though, combat seems unavoidable- expect heavy resistance."

"Wouldn't ya know," Scimitar shot back with a grin, two slanted blades extending from his arms as they strode together through the portal. "That's my favorite kind."

When the group of four emerged onto the dimly lit Yokohama sidewalk, though, the signs of battle they'd seen from the camera feed were already dying down; across the street, the lavender cloud of Mustard's gas was rapidly fading, and the tall spikes of ice, visible even over the villa's four-meter perimeter wall, had grown still. The narrow, tree-lined street was practically empty, and an eerie quiet had descended over the entire block; there were no signs of activity in any of the adjacent houses, no curious bystanders opening their windows or stepping out on the sidewalk to inspect what had caused the commotion. Granted, it is three in the morning, but some of them certainly should've been woken by the noise. Massive blocks of ice in motion don't exactly tend to be quiet.

Beside her, Chaudron seemed to have taken note as well, one hand perched on his chin as he glanced from one end of the block to the other.

"Well, the neighbors don't seem very nosy, assuming they're home in the first place. Quite lucky for us, wouldn't you say?"

"A bit too lucky," Seraph replied over the radio. "We're continuing to monitor the situation, but it seems possible that the enemy has taken more precautions than we anticipated. Stand by for… change… new strategy…" Bursts of static began to interrupt Seraph as he spoke, and Pandora's frown deepened.

"Seraph? Come in, Seraph- you're breaking up."

"…seems… kind of… jamming…" With that, Midoriya's voice cut out entirely- a quick glance at the others indicated that they'd lost his signal as well.

"Well these turned out to be goddamn useless," Kamakiri declared with a scowl, yanking out his earpiece. "Guess we can forget about that tactical support."

"It seems that communication between the four of us is still functional, though," Yaoyorozu observed, listening to the quiet echo of her own voice from Monoma's earpiece. "Long-range signals must be jammed, but not short-range. Keep them equipped for the time being."

Once Scimitar had reluctantly complied, Pandora turned back and continued to inspect the scene. The enemy's method of ingress was clear: A jagged trail of ice led from an open manhole in the middle of the street to the compound's tall wooden doors, which had been wrenched off their hinges and blown apart- whether by the cryokinetic or someone else, Pandora couldn't say, but regardless, the enemy had sealed up the entrance with a wall of ice and shards of wood. Well, it seems that we won't be waltzing in through the front gate, but that would be an imprudent strategy regardless. Two of the compound's security cameras were visible as well, one on either side of the entrance, but both were charred black, sparking intermittently as smoke wafted up from their shattered lenses.

Once she'd settled on a plan, Pandora jerked her arm forward in a series of swift, precise motions. All Syndicate members were briefed on basic military hand signals, and at her command, their team split into two pairs; keeping low and quiet, Pandora and Scimitar moved across the street and took up position a few meters to the right of the villa's entrance, while Chaudron and Dabi took the left. Faint voices were now audible from inside the compound, and though Pandora could only make out bits and pieces of what they were saying, there seemed to be two speakers.

"…a lot easier than…"

"…yeah, I didn't think… they really…"

"… need to get back inside… exfil soon."

The voices faded away moments later, though, leaving behind a deafening silence punctuated only by the chirping of insects.

"On my mark," Pandora whispered, holding one hand to her earpiece as she created a grapple gun in the other, "we go over the wall, quietly- try to preserve the element of surprise for as long as possible. If we encounter them, engage the enemy on my command, but you heard Seraph- prioritize retrieving Longshot and the Shields."

Once the rest of the team had assented to the plan- Dabi more begrudgingly than the other two- Pandora stepped back and took aim with her grapple; next to her, Scimitar produced two short, serrated blades, one from each of his palms, and prepared to sink them into the concrete.

"Three… two… one… mark."

At Pandora's signal, all four of them launched into motion at once. Yaoyorozu's grapple found purchase at the crest of the wall, and with a pull of the secondary trigger, the titanium-alloy cable went taut, yanking her upwards. Kamakiri and Monoma both made use of Razor Sharp's blades to scale the barrier with impressive speed and agility, but Dabi still managed to summit the wall first, propelled upwards by jets of blue fire shooting from his feet. The soles of his boots were swiftly reduced to ash, but the method of propulsion was quieter than it looked, producing only a deep, low woosh that could easily be mistaken for a strong gust of a matter of seconds, all four of them were perched atop the wall, looking down at the remnants of the battle that had preceded their arrival.

When Synapse used his quirk to acquire the villa over a year ago, the traditional Japanese courtyard had been Pandora's favorite feature; now, it was littered with spent bullet casings, marred by shards of ice and streaks of blood and viscera. The bodies of three Eight Precepts foot soldiers were visible amid the carnage- one had been skewered by a massive spike, another sliced in half by a wave of ice swelling up from the koi pond. A third man's charred, smoking body seemed to have practically exploded in a gory display- he was only recognizable as one of Overhaul's soldiers by the scorched remains of his plague mask lying alongside him. So the perimeter guards put up some fight after all, Pandora noted, glancing at the plentiful bullet casings and the smoking barrel of the assault rifle still clutched in the impaled henchman's hands. Hopefully Chisaki can take some small comfort in that.

Farther ahead, past a shattered stone path and the ruined remains of a neatly arranged Zen garden, the villa itself had been besieged by the cryokinetic, its walls pierced in a dozen places by a massive storm of ice not unlike the ones Coldflame could conjure. Is his quirk truly just limited to ice manipulation, and not production? This is practically a glacier's worth. He must be able to freeze existing sources of water to amass more- that explains their use of the sewer.

In line with her theory, some of the shards of ice embedded in the villa seemed to have come from inside the house rather than outside. He froze the water in the pipes, assaulted them from both without and within. But that still doesn't explain how the cameras were all disabled at once, or how that third Precepts solider was killed. There are other quirk wielders here- powerful ones, perhaps even some of the lieutenants we encountered at Deika. Curious again? Some of this certainly seems like her handiwork.

Yaoyorozu frowned, scanning the scene to try and pinpoint where the voices from before had originated- there was no sign of anyone within visual range now, and after another hand signal, the four of them descended the wall in unison, lighting stealthily on the ground. Keeping their progress low to the ground Pandora and Scimitar moved up behind a large rock feature for cover, while Chaudron and Dabi opted for a neatly trimmed row of bushes on the other end of the courtyard, at the edge of the Zen garden.

"Handheld motion tracker," Pandora murmured, pulling up the relevant schematic on her visor. "Thermal goggles."

Both devices emerged from her bare stomach moments later; keeping the former for herself, she handed the latter over to Scimitar, and gestured for him to equip them.

"I've got multiple heat signatures," Kamakiri hissed into his earpiece a few moments later. "All clumped together in the villa. Can't tell who's who, though."

"The motion tracker concurs," Yaoyorozu replied; the scanner's screen showed a single cluster of white dots a few dozen meters ahead. Only four or five people are currently moving, but it's impossible to tell how many are hostiles.

Fastening the grapple gun to her belt, Pandora created two flashbang grenades from her right palm and handed them to Scimitar, then began to create a new, custom design on the fly: a grenade launcher that fired founds filled with concentrated calcium chloride, a type of salt used as a powerful de-icing agent. I'll combine one of Longshot's existing weapon schematics with the new ammunition, and… A few moments later, the finished product emerged from her stomach amid a shimmer of rainbow light, and she let out a brief gasp of exertion.

"Chaudron," she whispered into her earpiece, glancing out at the villa again as she reached into the pouch on her belt and retrieved a lipid pill. "Create a few flashbangs, along with some-"

"De-icing agents? Already done- calcium chloride grenades. We're ready to move in whenever you are."

We could wait for Overhaul and Synapse, but… Pandora shook her head. No, the enemy might escape if we wait that long, and take Longshot and the others with them. We have to engage them now.

"On my mark, toss your flashbangs through the front door and draw them out; while they're distracted, Scimitar and I will move around to the side door and attempt to locate our personnel. Three… two…"

Before Pandora could finish her countdown, though, a section of the villa's wall burst outwards in a shower of splinters, and Setsuno Toya's limp body crashed to the ground just a few meters to Momo's left; his long blonde hair was spattered with blood from a gash on his forehead, and his left arm had been reduced to a mangled ruin. A weak, wheezing breath from inside his shattered plague mask indicated that he was still alive, but judging by the glazed-over look in his eyes, he'd been knocked unconscious by the blow.

"Pathetic, just like the rest of 'em."

Letting out a sigh of disappointment, Setsuno's assailant stepped forward into the gap in the wall. Aside from a shock of greyish white hair jutting out from the back, his head was entirely obscured by a menacing, skull-like metal gas mask; ringed with teeth at the base, a thick tube extended down from the mask's 'mouth' and wrapped around to a canister on his back. The rest of the man's body was covered in black tactical gear, dotted with pouches for ammunition and grenades, but he didn't seem to be carrying a gun- and doesn't need one, if the force from that blow is any indication, Pandora noted, her heartbeat steadily accelerating. I recognize him, from the battle at Detnerat Tower. What was his name again? Deathpunch? It's written somewhere in my mission report, but I didn't get much of a chance to observe his quirk.

"But hey, unlike him, at least you slowed us down for a few seconds- right, kid?"

Reaching backward, the skull-masked man dragged Mustard into view- the young villain's own, red-eyed gas mask was shattered and sparking, half his bloodied face and sandy blond bangs visible beneath it. His black trench coat was torn in several places as well as well, and a half-meter shard of ice was still embedded in his left thigh; Pandora's eyes widened in alarm at the sight, but she forced herself to remain hidden as the Liberation Army soldier grabbed Mustard by his coat's collar and hoisted him into the air. He was still conscious, kicking and struggling feebly against his captor, but most of his strength already looked to be sapped.

I'm sorry. Momo felt one of her hands clench into a fist, and a mix of frustration and dismay welled up in her chest I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner.

"Now here's how this is gonna go," the man declared, his deep voice resonating from inside his mask. "Either the four of you all step out from where you're hiding and surrender, or things go very poorly for your friend here. He's already had a rough night- he and the girl stalled us for a bit, but as you can see, I'm what you'd call an unlucky matchup for him."

Pandora and Scimitar exchanged a brief glance, and she gestured to the flashbangs in his hands before pulling up a few familiar schematics on her visor; she was already in the process of creating a new weapon from her stomach. Similar in design to the grapple gun, but built around a rifle's frame instead of a pistol's, this one had a balled-up tungsten-alloy net attached to the end instead of serrated hooks- if the net connected with a target, the cable would yank them back to the wielder like a fishing line.

"New plan," Pandora whispered, reaching up to her earpiece. "Dabi, create a distraction with your fire, draw his attention. Then, Scimitar and Chaudron, concentrate your flashbangs on the new hostile, and I'll use a capture net to retrieve Mustard- once we have him, feel free to let loose. Move on my signal."

"You've got until the count of five," the man was saying, drawing back his free hand as flaming golden energy began to surround it. "One… two…"

"Now!" Pandora hissed, bringing her hand down in a slashing motion as he passed three. On cue, Dabi hurled a lance of fire at a nearby tree, illuminating the courtyard with a dull blue glow as its leaves caught light and its branches cracked and splintered amid the intense blast of heat and force. The moment the skull-masked man turned his head towards the blast, Scimitar and Chaudron tossed their flashbangs in unison; they would never reach their target, though. As Pandora raised her visor's opacity to shield her eyes, a bright bolt of electricity lashed out from the villa's entrance and struck the stun grenades mid-arc, detonating them prematurely.

A surge of panic and dismay rising up in her chest as the twin bangs echoed through the courtyard, Pandora leaned out from behind the boulder and fired the capture gun in spite of the premature detonation. Perhaps they were still close enough to blind him- regardless of any other hostiles, I need to take the chance to retrieve Mustard before things spiral further out of control. Her net was intercepted as well, though- the ice covering the koi pond shifted up to block the projectile's path, engulfing the ball of tungsten cords just as they burst out to their full width.

"Such a clever girl," a new voice declared- two more figures had stepped out onto the villa's front porch. The one who had spoken was tall and lanky, a dark overcoat slung over his shoulders and a prominent scar stretching across his forehead. His black hair was styled in an undercut, aside from one long, sleek lock that drooped all the way down to his chin, emblazoned with a bright gold bolt of lightning. Beneath a thin mustache, a cigarette was perched in his mouth, smoke wafting up from the glowing orange tip; his lips were turned up in a wry grin. "Re-Destro was right- make a wonderful soldier of Liberation, were you not so terribly misguided. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Apocrypha?"

"Perhaps," the parka-clad cryokinetic replied, taking a step forward with his gloved hands clasped behind his back. "As our colleague Deathblow so politely requested, it would be wise of you to surrender now, before things get any further out of hand. Need I remind you that we still possess a hostage from your ranks?"

Off to the right, Deathblow lifted Mustard even higher off the ground, prompting a weak cry of pain, and intensified the field of flaming energy that surrounded his fist.

"Just say the word, and I'll end him."

"Hold position," Pandora hissed into the radio, her mind racing to formulate a proper strategy. "I'll try and stall them. Just-"

"Sorry, princess," His voice laced with contempt, Dabi stepped out from his cover and strode to the center of the courtyard. "But I'm tired of all these endless goddamn plans. Hey, buddy." He gestured to the cryokinetic, a grin on his face as he raised his arms in the air. "I wanna surrender."

"A prudent decision." Apocrypha, as his companion had addressed him, took another step forward, onto the short flight of stairs leading down to the courtyard. "As expected of the lone man in a squad of adolescents. Hold out your hands, and I'll-"

"I've got a quick question first," Dabi cut in, cracking his neck. "Pretty simple, too. You're the ice guy, right?"

"A crude description, but not incorrect." As he spoke, Apocrypha was steadily accumulating and reshaping nearby chunks of ice, building them into a ring of meter-long spikes rotating above his head.

"Good, good." Letting out another yawn, Dabi reached up to rub at the scars beneath his eyes. "See, I feel like I've been getting pretty strong these past few years, but it's hard to tell, because there's one thing I still haven't found."

"And what would that be?"

"Someone who can give me an actual challenge." Dabi grinned. "Try not to disappoint."

With that, he jerked down his hands to let out a massive burst of blue flame, and everyone in the courtyard sprung into action at once. In the blink of an eye, Apocrypha merged together his halo of ice shards to form a massive shield; for a moment, it held fast against the blaze, until Chaudron rushed forward and hurled a de-icing grenade to add to the barrage. Rapidly losing cohesion thanks to the combination of blue-hot flames and concentrated salt crystals, the barrier shattered with a symphony of resounding cracks, singing the cryokinetic's parka and sending him sailing backward- a flurry of ice reinforcing him from behind cushioned him before he slammed into the stairs, though, and he landed on both feet with a grunt of frustration. As Dabi prepared another intense barrage and Apocrypha amassed a massive arsenal of ice to match, the third enemy ducked out from behind one of the tall columns that lined the porch, touched a live taser to his hand, and sent two jagged, blinding bolts of electricity streaking down into the courtyard.

Chaudron, who'd already discarded his coat and rolled up his sleeves to provide more space for Creation, produced a tall shield of glass and rubber from his forearms in time to block the attack, his teeth grit in exertion as the electricity sank into two layers of insulation. Dabi, though, wasn't so lucky- standing in the open, far from any cover, he dove to the side and hurled a hastily aimed ball of fire at his attacker mid-leap, but the lightning struck home all the same. The force of the impact scorched a hole in his black leather coat and threw him backwards like a ragdoll; his limp, unconscious body skidded to a halt in the remains of the gravel Zen garden, still crackling with residual sparks.

On the other end of the courtyard, Pandora and Scimitar had leapt into action at the same moment, focusing their efforts on Deathblow, Mustard's skull-masked captor. Taking the lead, Yaoyorozu tossed her newly crafted grenade launcher to Scimitar, who wasted no time firing off a round; the blast of salt crystals melted a wide hole in the ice wall that Apocrypha had erected between their position and the villa, and gave Kamakiri the opening he needed to hurl his remaining flashbang at the enemy. This time, Apocrypha and the electricity wielder were both too preoccupied to block the stun grenade, and Scimitar's aim proved perfect- sailing through the widening gap in the ice, the flashbang bounced cleanly off the man's gas mask, then detonated just centimeters from his head, sending him stumbling backwards in a daze. Seizing the opportunity, Mustard wriggled free of his own trench coat and dropped to the floor; for a moment, it looked as if he had a clear window to escape, and Pandora's eyes widened in anticipation.

After a single, frantic step forward, though, Mustard stumbled down to one knee, clutching at the shard of ice embedded in his leg- a moment later, Deathblow lashed out and grabbed hold of his arm, yanking him backwards. As Mustard struggled to pull free from his captor's grip, Pandora fastened a second net onto the capture rifle, leaned out of cover, and took aim with mechanical speed and efficiency, but before she could fire, her aim was obstructed once again: With Dabi unconscious, Apocrypha had turned his attention toward their end of the battlefield, and he'd been quick to fill in the hole melted by the de-icing grenade. Part of the barrier was thinner than before thanks to the calcium chloride, though- wasting no time, Scimitar leapt out from their cover and slashed the weakened section to pieces with a pair long, serrated blades.

"Alright," Togaru shouted back at her, a smug grin crossing his face, "he's all yours!"

The path was only clear for a split-second, but a split-second was all Pandora needed- she fired the net the moment Mustard was in her sights, and a grin of triumph spread across her face as the tungsten cables latched onto him. With a press of the second trigger, the cable went taut almost instantly, pulling back with hundreds of kilograms of force, but neither Mustard nor his captor budged; instead, Deathblow reached down with his energy-charged hand and gave the line a swift downward tug, effortlessly tearing the net launcher from Pandora's grip. Still retracting its cable to reconnect with the net, the rifle flew forward and nearly slammed into Scimitar's head- thankfully, Kamakiri's reflexes were fast enough to slice it cleanly in two and sever its cable in one swift motion.

"Nice try, kids." A mocking chuckle echoed from within Deathblow's mask as he drew back his fist, charged it with another layer of energy, and drove it through Mustard's back in a shower of blood. "But not good enough." Flexing his gore-coated hand for a moment where it had pierced through the boy's stomach and the tungsten net alike, he pulled it back through the wound, then tossed Mustard's limp body down to the grass of the courtyard below. "I suppose that's what you get, sending a boy to do a man's work."

"Fucking bastard!" Scimitar bellowed, springing a series of blunted blades from the soles of his feet to propel himself in a leaping arc towards the hole in the villa wall. "I'm gonna carve your head off for that!"

A flurry of ice shards from Apocrypha slammed into Kamakiri midair, though, throwing him off course as he created more blades from his arms and torso to defend himself. A few meters above Scimitar, Pandora was airborne now as well- using the schematics for her Chaos Regalia, she'd already created a jetpack on her back and a toxin-coated sword in her right hand, sailing upwards to inspect the battlefield from above. Over in the Zen garden, Chaudron was still keeping the electricity wielder busy for the time being, tossing stun grenades and firing off rounds from the revolver she'd given him as he darted from cover to cover beneath the light of the burning tree. Monoma's insulated shield was covered in scorchmarks from repeated blasts of elecricity, but it was still intact for the time being, and proving difficult for his opponent to circumvent. Towards the center of the courtyard, Apocrypha was levitating in midair on a jagged platform of ice, bombarding Scimitar with a steady, brutal barrage of spikes- the limits of Kamakiri's reflexes were clearly being strained as he shattered or deflected each frozen projectile with an endless arsenal of blades springing up from practically every part of his body, all in a desperate effort to prevent himself from being impaled or entombed.

Three on three, Pandora reassured herself, glancing back down at her own opponent as her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword. Just one clean slash to paralyze this one, then I'll be able to assist the others, and turn this around.

As she prepared to charge back down at Deathblow, though, more of his quirk's flaming energy began to gather around his feet, and he leapt up into the air, leaving a shockwave of wooden fragments in his wake. In the blink of an eye, he was within arm's reach of her, both his fists wreathed in golden fire.

"Surprise, kiddo."

Acting out of pure reflex, Momo managed to create a curved plate of tungsten from her free arm in the moment before the first blow connected; even with the shield, though, the impact of the two supercharged punches was devastating, and she was sent hurtling downwards before she could bring her sword to bear. Firing the jetpack's directional thrusters as she careened towards the perimeter wall, Pandora managed to right herself moments before she slammed into it, but a heavy sphere of ice wrapped around her right foot and ankle just as she began to climb up again, dragging her earthward. In almost the same instant, a precisely targeted bolt of electricity shorted out her jetpack and visor, driving her to the brink of unconsciousness as she crash-landed in a flowerbed full of tulips.

Her vision a hazy blur, Momo tried to prop herself up and scramble back to her feet as her crumpled tungsten shield fell to the ground and residual yellow sparks crackled along her skin, only to find with a sharp gasp of pain that her left wrist was broken, the skin all around it covered in ugly purple bruises. To make matters worse, the ice around her right foot had moved up to her knee now, pinning her leg to the ground, and as the area around her came back into focus, it quickly became clear that she wasn't the only one worse for wear. Just a few meters to Pandora's left, Chaudron was being slowly but steadily driven back towards the wall, panting with exertion as another massive bolt of electricity lashed at his shield. To her right, Scimitar was bleeding from a multitude of shallow slash and stab wounds, fenced in by a shifting ring of ice as he struggled to maintain the dozen-odd blades necessary to fend off Apocrypha's constant assault.

Moments later, a loud thud and subsequent cloud of dust announced that Deathblow had landed a few meters away, digging a shallow crater with the impact; he cracked his knuckles, once hand still slick with blood and gore from impaling Mustard, and was about to advance toward her again when Apocrypha gave a loud whistle, and the combat all drew to a halt in unison.

"Well, well, it would seem that the schoolchildren are growing tired." Moving his floating platform even higher above them, the cryokinetic raised his hands and lifted all the remaining ice from the villa and courtyard into the air, breaking it apart and reforming it into the shape of a massive, frozen serpent, twisting through the air as it coiled around its wielder. "We've been quite polite, playing along with you until now, but as adults, we have places to be, and recess has to come to an end sooner or later. If you'd be so kind, Amplivolt?"

"With pleasure," the electricity wielder declared, pressing his taser against his skin once more as he stepped down into the courtyard. It would seem he needs to recharge, as opposed to Kaminari's quirk. Interesting. "I've enjoyed toying with them thus far," he continued, "but a bit of my Thundernet at full discharge should help these tykes with their naptime."

As Amplivolt raised his hands and the air around him began to crackle with sparks, memories of the villain attack at USJ flashed unbidden into Momo's mind- of the way she and Kyoka and taken shelter from Kaminari's million-volt blast. The design and composition came to her instantly, without so much as a thought- before Momo could even process what she'd created, a massive, insulated blanket sprang from her stomach and into the air, expanding from its folded form to cover herself, Chaudron, and Scimitar. As the blanket unfurled above them and settled to the ground, shielding the trio from the devastating blast of electricity in the nick of time, Pandora began to create calcium chloride crystals directly from the skin on her knee and calf, melting Apocrypha's icy shackle, and a durable fiberglass cast over her broken wrist.

"This blanket will only buy us a few brief moments, so listen carefully," Rising to her knees, Pandora illuminated the darkness with the light from her Creation as two razor-sharp titanium boomerangs embedded with explosive charges emerged from her palms. "They've had the advantage until now because we were mismatched with our opponents- Scimitar, you take the skull-mask, I'll handle the electric-type. Chaudron, I'll leave the cryokinetic to you. You know what to do."

"Consider it done." Monoma sprung several of Kamakiri's blades from his chest and arms, tearing his shirt to shreds. "I suppose I should go ahead and put this poor thing out of its misery now."

"I'll do anything you want if it means I don't have to cut up any more of those goddamn icicles." Scimitar shivered, blood dripping steadily from dozens of shallow wounds spread across his body as Chaudron attempted to cover a few with newly created bandages. "So, when do you think we're gonna get those reinforcements?"

Before Pandora could venture a guess, four jagged hooks of ice pierced through each corner of the blanket and lifted it into the air, exposing the group once again.

"Trying to play hide and seek, are we?" Apocrypha's tone of patronizing disappointment grew even haughtier than before as he tossed the blanket to the side and entombed it in ice. "I'm afraid you'll have to find a better spot than-"

The cryokinetic was cut off midsentence when Monoma stepped forward and unleashed a massive wave of blue fire in the direction of his floating platform- not a moment later, Pandora hurled both of the explosive boomerangs she'd created, one to stagger Deathblow and one to help break apart the shield of ice Apocrypha hastily moved into place to guard himself against Chaudron's flames. The first embedded itself in the masked soldier's flak jacket, and the blast successfully knocked him off-balance as he attempted to execute another supercharged leap towards their trio, giving Scimitar the perfect opening to charge in and attack. The second was nearly knocked out of the air by a bolt of electricity before it reached its target, but the intense heat from Cremation's flames seemed to interfere with the accuracy of Amplivolt's quirk- his lightning was thrown just far enough off-target for Pandora's boomerang to hit home. What remained of Apocrypha's barrier was blasted apart by the subsequent explosion, and the force of the blast knocked back his parka's hood, revealing a young, somewhat feminine face with pale white hair reaching down to his chin.

"You'll be dealing with me for a change," Turning back in Amplivolt's direction, Pandora picked up the insulated shield that Chaudron had left behind as both of her forearms began to shimmer and glow. "Let's see how effective that 'Thundernet' of yours really is."

This will be the first time I've made these without looking at a diagram- I suppose I'll be either unconscious or dead in a matter of moments if I get them wrong, but c'est la vie.

"Ah, so we have a volunteer." Amplivolt chuckled as Pandora advanced toward him, leaning casually against the scorched and bullet-ridden column he'd been using as cover. He still had his taser in hand, and was already in the process of charging up for another attack; once that was done, he slid it back into his coat pocket, took another drag from his cigarette, and shook his head in amusement. "I can assure you, young miss- that pitiful little scrap of rubber won't be enough to protect you if I strike at you with my full output. As I said, I've enjoyed playing along with you children, but I'm afraid the time for games has ended."

"Ah, that same line again?" Pandora allowed a smug, self-satisfied grin to spread across her face. "You keep insisting that you'd be able defeat us with ease if you went all-out, but strangely enough, you and your friends appear to be having a bit of trouble ending our 'recess'." She let out a dramatic sigh of disappointment, and shrugged her shoulders. "In the end, a threat made without the ability to follow through is mere bluster. I thought that we could expect… more from you people."

One of Amplivolt's eyebrows twitched visibly in annoyance, and his smile faded. Just a dozen meters behind them, Chaudron was holding his own against Apocrypha's frozen barrage thanks to his copy of Dabi's quirk, melting through each attack from his opponent's raging ice serpent- a few moments later, the cryokinetic was forced to light down on the villa's roof as he consolidated his remaining ammunition, his platform reduced to a fraction of its former size. Scimitar, for his part, seemed evenly matched as well- surprisingly quick on his feet in spite of his injuries, he was dodging one supercharged punch after another as he slashed and stabbed at Deathblow's arms and legs with meter-long blades. In fact, it was practically impossible for Kamakiri's adversary to connect with his body; every time Deathblow came close to landing a hit, Scimitar created more blades from the target area as a sacrificial shield, letting the punch shatter them rather than his actual bones.

"Very well, then." Reverting to his calm and collected persona, Amplivolt took one last puff, then dropped his cigarette and stamped it out against the floor, thinly veiled frustration visible in the forceful twist of his heel. "Far be it from me to deny a young lady her expectations."

This time, Amplivolt launched into his attack almost immediately, letting out his largest and most intense wave of electricity yet; the blinding flash of light from Thundernet forced Pandora to squint against the glow, but her glass visor still shielded her eyes from the worst of it. Thankfully, that bit of banter bought me just enough time to finish making these. Pandora's smirk widened as she dug in her heels, dropped Monoma's shield, and interlocked her arms in a defensive stance, linking together the two massive supercapacitors she'd spent the last half-minute so carefully creating. Consisting of dozens of interlocking metal plates and glass dielectrics housed inside insulated polymer casing, and separated from her skin by an additional layer of synthetic rubber, the capacitors channeled and stored the surge of electricity as it hit her, sealing away the bulk of the discharge. The accompanying wave of heat generated by both the attack and the capacitors themselves was still brutal, though; Momo could feel the skin on both of her forearms begin to burn, and only barely managed to stifle a cry of agony.

A few moments later, though, the light and heat both died down- the electricity had been fully absorbed, and Amplivolt was looking down at her from the porch with a shocked expression.

"It would seem that the electrical engineering research I did last month is paying off in spades," Pandora declared, doing her best to hide her pain behind a self-satisfied grin as the supercapacitors slowly cooled down, still searing the skin that bordered them. "Now, unless you'd like to treat me to another meaningless lightshow, why don't we begin discussing the terms of your surrender?"

It's a gamble, but I need this bluff to work- he needs to think I'm immune to his attacks now. Pandora's face was still an unflinching mask of pride and poise, but her heartbeat was growing faster by the moment, and by now, her body was plagued with exhaustion as well; simply standing up straight and holding the heavy capacitors aloft took a considerable amount of effort, and her brow was slick with sweat. These supercapacitors took up the last of my creation capacity- make anything else, and I'll risk falling unconscious. To make matters worse, I highly doubt they could absorb another blast- they'll explode if he hits them again, and most likely kill me in the process. If I could just reach my belt… Momo glanced down at the pouch where she'd stashed her lipid pills, only to realize with a start that the flap was already open, the pills gone. Oh, that's just marvelous. It must have popped open when I crash landed- my million-yen lipid pills are probably hard at work fertilizing our tulips.

"You do a marvelous job of projecting confidence, but between the two of us, you're far guiltier of bluster than I." Amplivolt gestured down at the capacitors, and gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "I must admit, that's quite a clever trick. It might be enough to fool a lesser foe. But if my intuition is correct, you can only play it once- I doubt that either those oversized batteries or your own body could withstand another attack." He perched a hand on his chin, his smile quickly returning. "And given how long it took you to make them, all that's left is for me to strike again before you have the chance to create more."

Swearing under her breath, Pandora detached the capacitors from her arms and let them fall to the ground as she bolted for the nearest cover, a large stone statue of the sitting Buddha half a dozen meters to her left. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Amplivolt drawing the taser from his pocket, the electricity crackling between its prongs as he lowered it toward his skin- but in the instant before it made contact, the taser vanished from his hand. Yaoyorozu's brows furrowed in confusion as she reached the statue, and Amplivolt himself seemed similarly perplexed, glancing around at the floor to ensure that he hadn't dropped it.

"Looking for this?" His voice hoarse and ragged, Setsuno Toya coughed up a gob of blood onto the grass where he was lying on his back near the smashed courtyard doors, and waved the taser triumphantly in the air with a trembling hand. "The bastard's all yours, Pandora."

Yaoyorozu's head whipped back around to face her opponent, and their eyes met, each of them frozen in place. I can't create another weapon to attack him without running the risk of fainting, but he doesn't know that. And while he may seem vulnerable, he could easily have another taser hidden in his coat. It's a stalemate- as far as either of us knows, the other is still a threat. At the same time, though, neither of us could attack without telegraphing the move- me with the light from my quirk, and him by reaching into his coat again.

"So," Pandora called, choosing to gamble once again as she stepped out from behind the statue, "shall we return to our earlier topic of discussion? I believe I was asking for your terms of-"

A low, steady rumble interrupted her midsentence: the sound of shifting earth and cracking concrete, originating on the far side of the villa. To their right, both of the other duels paused momentarily as well, and not a moment too soon- Chaudron's time limit was likely on the verge of expiring. Apocrypha seized the chance to fortify his position on the roof by shaping all of his remaining ice into a formidable barrier ringing his position, while Deathblow took a few healthy steps back from Scimitar, panting audibly as blood leaked from multiple wounds across his body. By the look of it, one of Kamakiri's strikes had nearly split his gas mask in two- a jagged scar now ran vertically down the length of the metal, and one of the mask's menacing black eyes was shattered. His breathing tube had been targeted as well, slashed but not severed in multiple places, and was leaking some sort of gas.

"Sounds like that's our cue!" He called in a voice distorted by the damage to his mask, glancing back at his allies. "I think we've overstayed our welcome, Apocrypha."

"I would be inclined to agree. Both of you, on me."

The cryokinetic raised his hands above his head and reshaped his barrier into a single, massive spike; with a downward motion, he plunged it into the center of the courtyard and began to spin it like a drill, kicking up a fountain of dirt and grass. By the time Pandora turned back toward the villa's front porch, Amplivolt was already dashing down the stairs toward the emerging hole, reaching a hand into another of his pockets as he ran. Not a moment later, his entire overcoat vanished and reappeared in Setsuno's bloodied hands, but the wounded Yakuza had been a beat too slow on the draw- as he neared the ice drill, Amplivolt turned back towards them and fired off a forked bolt of brilliant golden electricity. Pandora managed to duck back behind the statue in time to avoid the resulting blast of heat and energy, but Setsuno wasn't quite as nimble in his current condition- the lightning struck him in the side as he attempted to shield himself with Amplivolt's coat, and his body tumbled back across the grass before falling limp once more against the base of the wall.

So he did have another taser hidden away. Pandora's fists clenched in frustration as Amplivolt took cover behind Apocrypha's drill, then flung another bolt of electricity in her direction to keep her from following.

"Chaudron! Hit them with your fire again, they'll escape at this rate!" Yaoyorozu glanced in Monoma's direction when he failed to respond, and sucked in a sharp gasp of horror.

In hindsight, Dabi's warning now seemed eerily prophetic; almost the entirety of Neito's upper body was covered in smoking red burn scars- while the worst of the damage seemed contained to his arms, his face and chest hadn't been spared. Momo felt a sudden urge to vomit as the smell of burning flesh suddenly broke on her like a wave- both Neito's and her own. Monoma fell to his knees amid a circle of scorched, ashen black grass as she watched, letting out series of ragged, wheezing coughs before he slumped to the ground, unconscious. A few meters to his right, Scimitar's wounds were taking a toll as well- Kamakiri rushed forward to follow Deathblow as he retreated towards the drill, but he fell to one knee after a few steps, his strength sapped by exhaustion, pain, and blood loss. A few seconds later, another blast of lightning from Amplivolt forced Scimitar to dive into cover as well, behind the low rock wall that ringed the koi pond.

"Having fun, down there, boys?"

After the battle she'd just endured, Chisaki Kai's low, mocking voice was like music to Yaoyorozu's ears; a triumphant grin spread once more across her face as he soared up into the air behind the villa on a pillar of rock, then leapt down to the roof and tossed out two marbles; Synapse and Mr. Compress sprung into being after a flash of blue light.

"Unfortunately for you," Overhaul continued, steadily advancing across the roof towards Apocrypha, "playtime's over. Time to pack up your toys."

His handsome features fixed in a furious scowl, Apocrypha broke off a small disc of ice from his drill, leapt onto it, and floated down to the ground, just as the echoing sound of twisting metal and splashing water announced that the drill had reached its target. The sewer, Momo realized, sprinting out to grab Chaudron's insulated shield where she'd dropped it. The same way they arrived- a drainage tunnel must extend beneath the courtyard as well.

"Overhaul! Hit them with some spikes, use the wood from the house!" Taking the shield in hand once again, Pandora blocked another electric blast from Amplivolt, then gestured to the meter-wide hole Apocrypha had created. "Come on, they're getting away!

The drill itself had already disappeared into the ground by now, leaving the way open for Deathblow to leap into the hole, followed shortly by Amplivolt. Overhaul, Synapse, and Compress had reached the edge of the roof overlooking the courtyard by now, but to Pandora's frustration, none of them seemed particularly eager to keep the enemy from escaping; Overhaul simply watched with crossed arms as Apocrypha jumped down into the abyss and sealed the hole behind himself with ice.

"That's right, you'd better run." Chisaki let out a bitter chuckle, then rearranged the wall beneath their trio into a wooden ramp and began to stroll casually down into the courtyard.

"What the hell are you three doing?!" Casting Chaudron's shield down to the ground as she stalked toward them, Pandora pointed furiously at the hole. "You could have stopped them, easily! Not to mention, you're late- this was supposed to be a pincer maneuver, but we've been fighting by ourselves for over five minutes! You can't expect me to believe that it took you that long to prepare for combat!"

"Pandora. Calm down." Synapse took a step towards her and raised one hand, shaking his head. "Don't make me force you. I understand how this looks, but there's a good explanation- just bear with us." Shinso's brows furrowed in guilt and concern, and sympathy was clearly visible in his bluish-purple eyes. "For now, I need you to help Overhaul and Compress with the medevacs- we've got multiple dead and injured. When you're done, I'll be inside with Seraph and Twice."

"Seraph?" Momo's eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment. "So he did come, then?"

"The medevacs, Pandora." Synapse had already turned and set off at a jog towards the villa's front door, tapping at his watch as he ran. "We need to hurry, the police will be here in another three or four minutes according to La Brava."

"Understood. I'll be with you shortly."

A worried expression crossed her face as she glanced around the courtyard- Setsuno, Dabi, Mustard, and Chaudron, all severely wounded. Alright, you need to triage- whose condition is most critical?

"I'll handle the kid," Overhaul called, preempting her answer with a nod towards Mustard. "You take Monoma, try and treat some of those burns until I get over there."

"My quirk is out of fuel, unfortunately." Pandora frowned as she made her way towards Chaudron's unconscious body, wincing as she touched a finger to the stinging burns on her own arms. "You wouldn't happen to have any high-calorie food in your pocket, would you?"

"Say no more, darling!" With a dramatic flourish, Compress produced another marble from inside one of his sleeves and tossed it in her direction; once Momo caught it, a flash of blue light revealed a carton of heavy cream. "Apologies that I couldn't find anything more gastronomically appealing, but it seemed the most efficient choice."

"This will do just fine, Compress- thank you. Efficiency should always take the first priority." Breaking open the seal, Pandora let out a deep breath, then tilted her head back and poured the carton's contents directly into her mouth with a grimace. At over 100 calories an ounce, heavy cream was almost pure fat, so rich that it took conscious effort not to gag. Once she'd choked down nearly half of the one-liter carton, Momo tossed the rest aside and knelt down next to Neito, producing several cloth bandages soaked with water and topical anesthetic. The burns on Monoma's arms and chest were already swelling rapidly, and as she covered them in rapid succession, his eyes fluttered open again.

"Pandora… what happened?" He coughed again, his voice low and hoarse. "Did we…"

"We pushed them back," Momo replied, creating a wedge-shaped cushion from her stomach. "They escaped, but apparently that was according to plan. If you're able to move, could you lean back on this? We need to elevate your wounds."

As Neito struggled to comply, his face twisted in pain, Momo spared a glance in Mustard's direction- Overhaul and Compress were both kneeling down next to his bloodied body.

"How is he?"

"The kid? Oh, he's dead- must've bled out while you guys were fighting, not to mention the massive organ damage." Chisaki clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Nasty wound. But lucky for us, it's recent enough that I should be able to reverse it. Don't know if I can say the same for my boys, though." He gestured to the three dead Eight Precepts henchmen scattered around the courtyard with a sigh, then turned his attention back to Mustard and touched both hands to the corpse. "Give me a minute, and I'll let you know if he's gonna make it. How's blondie?"

"I covered the worst of the burns and anesthetic, but he's going into shock." Momo's frown deepened; Neito's eyes had glazed over, and his breathing had grown shallow and rapid. Once she'd gently lowered his head back to the ground and rearranged the cushion to elevate his feet, redirecting blood flow towards his heart, she laid a few more anesthetic-soaked bandages over his remaining exposed burns, then wrapped two of them around her own burn wounds for good measure. She was about to turn back towards Overhaul and ask for an update when heavy, uneven footsteps sounded behind her, followed by a low chuckle.

"Man, he got it pretty bad, didn't he? Can't say I didn't warn him."

"How kind of you to rejoin us." Pandora spared him a cursory glance; Dabi was limping and clutching at the charred hole in his jacket where Amplivolt's electricity had struck his torso, but other than that, he looked hale and healthy compared to the other wounded and fallen. "And just in time for the end of the battle, too."

"Oh, can it, princess. It's pretty clear that they saw straight through all your plans and strategies- if I hadn't thrown 'em off-balance the way I did, we would've lost." He took another limping step towards her, and gestured down at Monoma. "Besides, looks like I did a lot of the heavy lifting anyway- my quirk did, at least. He must've gone pretty nuts with it to fuck himself up that fast."

"That's one thing I don't quite understand." Momo rose back to her feet and shook her head. "When Neito copies a quirk, he gains any inherent resistances or immunities that the original wielder possesses until that copy expires- if he were to copy an acidity quirk, for instance, his skin would temporarily become resistant to acid, assuming the original wielder's is. But with yours…" She turned back to Dabi, studying the scars and stiches that covered his face and arms like a patchwork quilt; Momo seldom interacted with him outside of missions, and up until now, she'd always been too busy mastering her own quirk to bother studying his. "…I see. You don't have a natural resistance to your own fire, do you?"

"Took you that long to figure it out, huh?" His lips twisted in a mocking smirk. "And here I thought you were supposed to be one of the smart ones." Dabi glanced back at Chaudron and knelt down, staring into Monoma's unconscious eyes. "Yeah, I'll bet he had an easier time copying little Shoto's fire, didn't he? The perfect masterpiece with the perfect quirk."

"Take a step back, I don't need you breathing down my neck while I work." Overhaul shot Dabi a withering glare as he made his way towards them, wiping the blood from his hands with a small towel. "The kid's probably gonna be alright, but we shrank him down to stabilize him just in case." Chisaki jerked a thumb back towards Compress, who was trailing close behind him with a new marble in hand. "He might have taken some brain damage, depending on how long he was dead, but that's a problem for later. So, is Monoma the Machine still kicking, or am I gonna need to resurrect two people tonight?"

A weak, gasping cough from Neito answered Overhaul's question, and Chisaki let out a sigh as he stooped down.

"Looks like it. Burn damage, huh? That's an easy fix. Pandora, head inside and check up on Seraph, make sure there aren't any delays- I'm not staying here any longer than necessary with the cops on the way. Dabi, Compress, drag Setsuno over here while I work on Chaudron. We've got about two minutes to wrap this shit up before I turn the whole goddamn place to dust, so double time it, people."

The three of them snapped to their respective tasks, Dabi more reluctantly than the others; for her part, Pandora sped up to a jog, tying off the bandages around her arms with a scowl on her face as she skirted around the sealed-up hole in the center of the courtyard. What possible justification could Midoriya have for sacrificing an advantage like this? We had them cornered- a chance to take three prisoners- and he threw the game. Momo shook her head in frustration as she rushed through the shattered front doors, trying in vain to focus solely on the task at villa's interior was just as battle scarred as the courtyard; many of the walls had been torn apart both from without and within by Apocrypha's ice, and the smoking scorchmarks and craters left by Amplivolt and Deathblow were visible as well. In the center of the ornately decorated foyer, the fourth yakuza gunman's plague-masked head had been caved in by a supercharged blow- his blood and brains were splattered across the leather couch and marble flooring, his limp body lying amid the shattered remains of a glass coffee table with half of a broken assault rifle still clutched in one hand.

Then again, there's a still a chance this is all proceeding according to the conditions of some negotiated agreement. After pausing for a brief moment to check for any sign of Hatsume or the Shields, Momo continued down the hallway to the right, following the trail of blood, destruction, and bullet holes past the villa's workshop, office, and home gym. Perhaps Seraph's double allowed them to attack this base as a concession. But if that were the case, wouldn't we be informed in advance? You should know by now that I don't like being left in the dark, Midoriya. As she rounded another corner and entered the kitchen, the subject of Pandora's concerns came into view, standing in his gleaming black armor between Synapse and Twice. Momo opened her mouth to call out to him, but her eyes widened in shock and horror when she glanced past Midoriya's group and caught sight of the others.

It seemed that their Meta Liberation Army assailants had a morbid sense of humor: Hatsume, David, and Melissa had been bound at the wrists and ankles, gagged, and placed on three chairs in the center of the kitchen. Standing rather than sitting, they each had wire nooses wrapped tightly around their necks, connected to a rafter overhead- to add to the dramatic flair of the situation, their wrists had all been tied together as well, so that if any one of them lost their footing and took the plunge, they all likely would. And as a final, morbid touch, the kanji for 'liberation' had been carved into Hatsume's forehead with a knife; blood was still dripping down her bruised and battered face as Midoriya severed her noose and the bindings around her wrists with two careful flicks of his combat suit's hidden blade, then joined Synapse and Twice in lowering her to the floor.

"Savages," Pandora declared, her hands curling into fists as she rushed forward to help tend to Longshot. "Utter savages."

"Oh, it's not so bad, Momo." Hatsume let out a chuckle once Synapse had pulled off the strip of duct tape serving as her gag, a cheeky grin spreading across her blood-streaked face. "As far as improvised torture scenarios go, this one's pretty tame, all things considered. I'll give them points for dramatic flair, though."

"Always a positive outlook, huh?" Shinso shook his head in disapproval as Yaoyorozu laid an adhesive bandage across the slashes on Hatsume's forehead. "How are the rest of your wounds? Anything serious?"

"I got zapped pretty bad by that electric guy, then clocked a few times with some chunks of ice, but nothing that won't heal up in a day or two. I could stand up just fine, but I still need some help with these." Mei nodded down at the restraints around her ankles.

"You got it, boss!" Crouched down next Synapse, Twice gave an enthusiastic salute, then severed the bindings with a quick slash of his razor-sharp measuring tape. "Man, I hate that we didn't make it in time for the fight- I would've loved to help knock those punks around! No, they were scary!"

"I do find your tardiness quite curious, while we're on the subject." One arm wrapped around Longshot's shoulders, Pandora helped Synapse lift her to her feet, then glanced back towards Seraph, who was gazing at the still-restrained Shields with a mildly frustrated expression; his helmet had already retracted. "Is there any particular reason our reinforcements were held back for so long?"

"Before I answer that question, would you mind producing some sedative? Preferably in projectile form- I'd prefer to see this one calm down a bit before I attempt to release her." Midoriya gestured at Melissa, who was already struggling furiously against her restraints, wobbling back and forth on her chair. "Careful now, darling!" He took a step towards her, breaking back into a smile. "Move too much and you'll hang your dear daddy as well."

For his part, David Shield looked as broken and defeated as usual, his bloodshot eyes lowered to the floor as his daughter grunted and strained beside him. His hair and clothes were messy and unkempt, streaked with grease and stained with sweat. It seems that Hatsume still has him hard at work on their special project- I do wish they'd hurry up with that, but I suppose you can't rush perfection, and that's what she demands of herself.

"Is there anything you need to retrieve from your workshop before we leave?" Pandora asked, glancing in Longshot's direction as she created a gas-powered pistol and fired two tranquilizer darts in rapid succession, one for each of the Shields. "Time is at a premium."

"That problem's already been solved." Midoriya replied, glancing down at his cellphone. "It seems that the electrical interference that prevented Kurogiri from using Warp Gate inside the villa grounds vanished immediately after our three friends departed. He's already in the workshop, retrieving everything of value."

"I haven't seen any sign of a stationary emitter device like the one we employed against Shigaraki." Momo frowned, one hand perched on her chin. "Perhaps the intruders were each carrying miniaturized versions on their person."

"An interesting hypothesis, and one we can explore further after we're done here." With both Shields now rapidly falling unconscious, Midoriya reached up and cut their nooses with a single slash, then moved to help Twice to catch them before they plummeted to the floor. "To answer your previous question, I decided to give you a second chance. That's what you've been longing for ever since the raid on Detnerat Tower, isn't it? Another shot at proving yourself?" Letting out a sigh as wailing police sirens became audible in the distance, Midoriya tapped a button on suit's gauntlet; moments later, a warp gate materialized a few meters to their left, and Kurogiri strode through.

"All materials and assets relating to Madam Longshot's project have been transferred to Nagoya," he reported with a curt nod in Seraph's direction, his shadowy hands clasped behind his back. "It seems we'll have company momentarily- shall I intercept them for you? I could drop their patrol cars into the harbor with relative ease- I'm sure that would buy us a few more minutes at the very least."

"No, best not to risk it." Midoriya shook his head after a brief moment of contemplation. "Only as a last resort. They could have heroes with them, for all we know, and I'd rather not send you off into combat without knowing what you're up against. Twice, make a double of Kurogiri- one will head out to the courtyard to evacuate the others, the other will stay here with us."

"On it, Boss! One purple smoke guy, coming up!"

While Bubaigawara and Kurogiri carried out their respective roles, Midoriya turned back towards Yaoyorozu and resumed their conversation without missing a beat.

"As I was saying, you've clearly been frustrated with your failure to retrieve Gentle and Spinner, and understandably so- while your actions that day did allow us to begin negotiations with the MLA, they still hold two hostages as bargaining chips, something my double was forced to consider. Tonight seemed like a perfect opportunity for a redemption; had I sent in Overhaul and the others right away, it wouldn't have been much of a fight. I denied you that easy victory, but I gave you the chance to overcome another challenge- and this time, your team managed to triumph over three of the Liberation Army's strongest soldiers." Taking a step closer, he laid a hand on Momo's back, a soft smile on his face. "From what I saw, it was a very impressive showing. I doubt anyone among our ranks could've handled them better."

Despite her best effort to keep her demeanor professional, Momo found her cheeks flushing red in response to Izuku's praise, and turned back towards the others to hide the change. It doesn't answer all my questions, but it's a start, I suppose.

"Longshot, Synapse, how are we-"

"Goddamn, Momo, your face looks like an actual peach!" A boisterous peal of laughter from Hatsume only worsened Yaoyorozu's embarrassment- Mei's playful grin had an oddly menacing aura given the blood still dripping down her face. "What, was Izuku bullying you? I'll tell him off for ya once we get back to Nagoya."

"Nothing of the sort!" Pandora insisted, her arms crossed in indignation as Twice, Kurogiri, and Synapse carried the unconscious Shields towards the waiting warp gate. "He… I was simply…" After a few moments of searching in vain for the right words, Momo let out a frustrated sigh and opted to switch subjects entirely. "You're certainly cheery for someone who was just mutilated and tormented. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Compared to Mustard and the others? I got off easy, babe." Hatsume's grin turned to a frown, and she nodded towards the adjacent living room; the television and most of the furniture had been smashed, scorched, or torn apart by ice, and spatters of blood were visible on the floor and walls, no doubt belonging to Mustard and Setsuno. Outside, the sound of police sirens was growing steadily louder, and flashing blue and red lights were faintly visible at the far end of the room, through the hole Deathblow had torn in the outer wall. Pandora and Longshot exchanged a knowing glance, and Seraph clapped his armored hands together with a resonating clang.

"Ladies, that's our cue. If you don't wish to be reduced to dust with the rest of the compound, the exit is waiting."

Not a moment later, the walls began to rumble and creak around them, and Pandora joined Seraph and Longshot in a rush towards the portal; they made it through just as the signature geometric cracks of Overhaul's quirk were beginning to snake their way across the floor, emerging into the same room Pandora had left behind a few minutes ago in Nagoya. Most of the others were already waiting for them: Dabi and Scimitar were patching up their wounds in the kitchen with help from Kurogiri and Synapse, while Compress used his quirk to shrink the unconscious Shields and Twice grabbed a beer from the fridge. Hitoshi glanced up and nodded in acknowledgement when their trio arrived, one eyebrow raised in disapproval.

"You three were certainly cutting it close."

"Whew!" Wiping some of the blood from her face with one hand, Hatsume let out another laugh, her hands propped on her hips. "Close is just the way I like it- that was one hell of a rush! As far as I'm concerned, we should try to escape from crumbling buildings more often!"

"Speak for yourself, Hatsume!" Bubaigawara pulled off his mask and ran a hand down his face, letting out a heavy sigh as he slumped into one of the chairs in the living room. "Remember that skyscraper in Osaka? The one that almost crushed me, Mustard, and Giran to bits? Because I sure as hell do!"

"Crumbling buildings aside," Compress interjected, producing three marbles between his gloved fingers, "you'll all be glad to hear that Mustard, Chaudron, and Setsuno have been stabilized, thanks to myself and Overhaul- they're not in any immediate danger, but they'll likely need some time to rest and recuperate."

"Excellent." Midoriya nodded in approval, a hint of relief flashing across his face. "Put them in one of the guest bedrooms for the moment- I'll see to it that they have all the time they need."

"Too bad the four guards who died defending them won't be getting a nice and cozy recovery," Chisaki remarked, a bitter tinge in his voice as he stepped through another new warp gate alongside Kurogiri's double. "My ranks are starting to wear real thin, Midoriya- sooner or later, I'm gonna need to start recruiting again, and I don't wanna hear any objections from you when I do."

Overhaul winced in pain and glanced down at a bloody bullet hole on the right sleeve of his dark green sweatshirt; shaking his head in frustration, he closed the wound and stitched the fabric back together with a touch of his hand.

"Had to dust some cops to get out of there- think we killed a hero, too. This guy sent some of their squad cars into the upper atmosphere." He nodded back towards the double, then strode into the kitchen with a sigh and began to wash his hands. "Nothing we couldn't handle. The house is gone, no evidence left behind. We make the news yet?"

"It's still four in the morning, so you'll have to wait another hour or so for that." Shinso let out a yawn as he strode over towards Hatsume, using a wet rag to clean the rest of the blood from her face. "The camera we were using across the street to monitor the area was knocked out by one of those electrical attacks, but La Brava's been cracking into the local police radio channels for us- she should be able to give us a decent idea of their response."

Rubbing at the dark circles under her eyes, Aiba tapped a few keys on her laptop, and the audio in question began to play live from the television's speakers, several frantic voices shouting on top of each other.

"…multiple officers down! We have a confirmed sighting of Overhaul- I repeat, a confirmed sighting of Overhaul! Our entire first response team was destroyed- the whole house is just gone!"

"Kesagiri Man's gotta be dead, too! He was the lead car, there's no way he got out in time!"

"I'm contacting the Public Safety Commission, we need Strike Team Fenrir out here immediately! All units, pull back and wait for reinforcements! Kurogiri's been sighted as well, don't take any chances!"

Seraph nodded in approval after a few more moments, and La Brava lowered the volume to reduce the chatter to background noise.

"Per standard protocol, we'll continue to monitor the situation over the next few hours, but for now, we have a chance to take stock and regroup. The loss of Yokohama is an unfortunate setback, but only a temporary one. First, I'd like to-"

"First, you owe us a goddamn explanation." Leaning against the kitchen counter with a fresh set of bandages wrapped around his bare torso, Dabi narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Listen, Midoriya, I've been real patient with you over the years. You take things way slower than I'd like, but I've been willing to go along with that, because you're more reliable than Shigaraki ever was- you almost always deliver in the end, and we've got the same goals in mind. But ever since we ran into these 'Meta Freedom' punks, or whatever they call themselves, something's been off. You don't want to admit it, but I can tell we're out of our depth."

Pushing off from the counter with a grunt, Dabi took a step into the living room; the penthouse had fallen completely silent, and the tension in the air was suffocating. A year's worth of accumulated instinct told Pandora to intervene, to place herself between the two men and defuse the situation, but her feet remained rooted in place, her eyes fixed on Midoriya's calm, emotionless expression as Dabi drew nearer. A few moments later, they were standing just an arm's length apart, silhouetted against the living room's wide glass windows as moonlight filtered in, casting an eerie glow on Dabi's gruesome burn scars.

"And I know 'defeat' isn't in your vocabulary," he continued, gazing down at Seraph with a smirk, "so, I've got a feeling that you're about to give us some big, grand speech about how we're going to war with an army of cultists- how we actually stand a chance, even if they outnumber us a thousand to one, because you've got some big master plan to take them down. I'm sure it'll be a good one, but you can go ahead and count me out."

Dabi's smirk turned to a scowl, and he pulled back the bandages on his torso to display one edge of the wide, circular burn scar that Amplivolt had given him, just a few centimeters beneath his heart.

"I like a good scrap as much as the next guy, but I don't like risking my life unless it's for a cause I can get behind. And compared to everything we've done up until now, to all the ways we've carved away at this festering corpse of a society…" He shook his head and shrugged. "We've already got the heroes to worry about- that's the fight that matters. You wanna start a war with a hundred thousand psychos? Go ahead, but don't expect me to help out."

At that, Dabi turned and began to walk away; he was about to pass back through the kitchen on the way to his bedroom when Seraph finally replied.

"Oh, is that all?" A smile spread across Midoriya's face, and he let out a sigh of relief. "In that case, I think you'll both be relieved to hear what I have to say." Turning back towards Pandora, he met her worried gaze with reassuring expression. "I didn't allow you to pursue the attackers in Yokohama because our war with the Liberation Army is already over."

---

The Day of the Graduation Attack

Detnerat Tower, Deika City

"So do either of you plan on telling us what's happening out there? Or is this simply another one of your twisted 'tests'?"

Pausing to let out a ragged, halting breath as another bead of sweat rolled lazily down his brow, Gentle glanced up at their captors and narrowed his eyes. Behind him, Spinner groaned in discomfort and shifted in his chair; Tobita could feel the muscles in Iguchi's back tensing as he drew upright.

"They're not gonna tell us what's going on, because they… Don't have a fucking clue." Spinner gave a wheezing chuckle, barely audible over the blaring sound of the alarm that had sounded in the middle of one of their interrogation sessions. "They've got no idea, and they're scared. Ain't that right, Slip 'n' Slide?"

"Quiet!" A furious scowl crossing his features, Slidin' Go bristled visibly at Spinner's derisive nickname before shaking his head and turning back towards his cellphone; he'd been tapping at the screen without success for the past two minutes, likely trying to raise his superiors. "You'll both keep your mouths shut if you know what's good for you!"

"I've got half a mind to go ahead and carve their vocal cords out now," Phantasm chimed in, a sadistic grin crossing his gaunt cheeks as he leaned down and took a tuft of Gentle's grease and sweat-soaked hair in hand. "Spare us all the trouble of having to listen to them bitch and whine."

By far the more menacing of their current two interrogators, Phantasm was thin and bony, his body almost skeletal in appearance beneath his pinstripe suit jacket, with blood-red sclera and pale white hair in a bowl cut. "How does that sound, huh? I'll be real careful about it, leave just enough of your windpipes intact to keep you alive." He chuckled, his grin widening as he edged his free hand closer, a rotating orb of humming energy suspended just above his palm.

Phantasm's quirk, Tunnel, allowed him to warp himself through solid objects, but applied offensively, it could be used to maim and kill as well, carving pieces from his victims- the two toes missing from Spinner's right foot testified to this particular usage. True to his name, his skin was equally anemic, and sported by far his most disturbing feature: a symmetric set of holes stretching up his neck, three on each side, around the size of 500-yen coins. A slightly smaller hole was centered just above his collarbone, along with a pair on his earlobes and two more on his cheeks, with the latter connected to the corners of his mouth. Gentle was unsure whether the holes were a natural result of the man's quirk or artificial piercings, and he had no intention of asking.

"Stay focused!" Slidin' Go snapped, sparing Gentle from further torment as Phantasm turned back towards his partner and released his grip on Tobita's hair. "I still can't get through to command, but protocol dictates that the prisoners must remain under guard in the event of a lockdown, and all doors must remain barred!"

"You stay with them, then. I'm going to locate Re-Destro and the other commanders, and make sure that they're safe."

Stepping off to one side of the room, Phantasm cracked his bony knuckles and laid one hand against the metal wall. A tall, perfectly circular portal opened up moments later, entirely different in appearance from Kurogiri's warp gate; the tunnel seemed to be made of some form of translucent energy rather than a dark mist, emitting an eerie hum as it rotated in place.

"You're- no, you're not supposed to leave!" Pulling a small booklet from one of his gaudy purple costume's pockets, Slidin' Go began to leaf through the pages, searching desperately for the protocols he was quoting. "The Supreme Commander and his lieutenants have their own designated shelter location in the event of an attack! Under the emergency provisions outlined in Article 8, Subsection 10, I order you to remain-"

Before Slidin' Go could finish his objection, Phantasm stepped through the tunnel, and the portal blinked shut behind him. At Gentle's back, Spinner burst out laughing almost immediately, tears of amusement streaming down his bruised and battered face.

"Oh god, that was amazing! Some big-shot you are, huh? Even when your gang's little secret base is getting attacked, no one can take you seriously!"

"I said quiet!" Slidin' Go's free hand curled into a fist as he turned back towards the pair of them, and his eyes narrowed in anger. "Don't make me come over there and-"

"Oh I'm begging you, man, please do come over here! Watching you slide across the floor like a seal on ice always makes my fucking day!"

As Slidin' Go fumed, struggling to summon up a proper retort, Gentle turned his head in Spinner's direction and dropped his voice down to a whisper.

"Iguchi, while I appreciate your boundless zeal, perhaps now might not be the best time to antagonize him. While I certainly hope that the intruders are our comrades, there's a chance that the heroes could have found this place as well."

"Eh? You think so?" Spinner shifted again, resting his head against Gentle's. "These bastards seem pretty careful, so I doubt a bunch of worthless pretenders could have found them before Midoriya. If anything, I bet it's-"

Spinner was interrupted midsentence by the sound of muffled explosions on the other side of the door, followed by the distinct crack of gunfire and a few faint shouts and screams. The alarm that had been echoing through the room suddenly fell silent, though under the circumstances, a power failure seemed the likeliest explanation.

"Well well, they certainly seem to be making good progress." Tobita winced as the newest gash on his face throbbed in sudden pain, then turned towards Slidin' Go and put on the most charming smile he could manage. "What do you say, good sir? If these mysterious assailants do prove to be of the 'heroic' variety, you would stand a much better chance against them if you were to free us from our bonds. My quirk in particular is quite well-suited for defense."

"You really think I'd fall for that?" Wiping away a few beads of sweat rolling down from beneath his mask, Slidin' Go shook his head in adamant refusal. "Come on, that's one of the oldest tricks in the book! Unlike my colleague, I won't be deviating from protocol. Even if…"

"Even if you end up dying because of it?" Spinner asked, as the sounds of battle grew steadily louder. Gentle strained his ears, attempting to listen for any hint of a familiar voice or quirk, but he couldn't make out anything specific through the wall.

"Dying for the cause of Liberation is something we're all prepared for," Slidin' Go replied, his brows furrowed as he slid his protocol manual back into its pocket. "But I guess you amateurs wouldn't know anything about true conviction- your group is too busy trying to rake in publicity and internet fame from flashy terrorist livestreams."

"At least we're actually out there making some real change!" Iguchi countered, shifting restlessly against his shackles. "The Syndicate's accomplished more in the past few weeks than your pathetic little 'army' has in the past two hundred years!"

"I guess you weren't paying attention in school when they taught you basic history!"

Gentle turned his gaze back towards Slidin' Go as their guard launched into an impromptu lecture on Destro and his accomplishments, only to blink in surprise a moment later when Spinner bumped their heads together- purposefully, as if to get his attention.

'What is it now?' Tobita nearly asked, only to remain silent as his eyes widened in sudden revelation. Regardless of who's attacking, this might be the best chance we'll ever have to make an escape attempt, with the tower's security forces occupied and one of our two guards gone. Perhaps Iguchi feels the same?

Outside, the sounds of fighting had died down for the moment, and Slidin' Go paused his history lesson to peek through narrow slat window embedded in the room's heavy metal door, giving Gentle a chance to sneak another glance backwards. In line with his theory, Spinner had pulled his right hand taut against its shackle, pushing and twisting it into the metal in a series of violent, jerking motions. With a mix of awe and disgust, Tobita realized that Iguchi was purposefully opening up the scarred-over stubs that remained of his middle, ring, and little fingers- severed days ago by Skeptic- and using the resulting blood as lubricant to coat the tight metal binding around his wrist, all in preparation to yank his hand through in one forceful motion. Dropping his voice down to a faint whisper, Gentle bumped his head back against Spinner's to signal his understanding, and trained his eyes back on Slidin' Go to avoid any suspicion.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Help me get him over here," Spinner hissed back, then raised his voice back up to a mocking shout. "So, you wanna talk about history?! The only history I remember about Destro is how his pathetic little army got their asses whooped!"

"The Syndicate, on the other hand, have never lost a battle," Gentle chimed in, a boastful grin spreading across his face as the thrill of performing washed over him. "I daresay that by the time our work is done, Seraph's name will echo through the history books alongside the likes of Hannibal and Napoleon. Destro, on the other hand, will remain a sad speck of a footnote, recalled only by a scant few zealots clinging desperately to the past."

"And here I thought we were getting somewhere with you." Slidin' Go shook his head in frustration, his scowl deepening as he pulled the slat shut again and turned to face them. "You disappoint me, Gentle Criminal, but your words will disappoint the Supreme Commander even more. Once he restores order, he'll want to-"

"Restores order?!" Spinner scoffed, and Gentle shifted slightly to the left to ensure that Slidin' Go couldn't see Iguchi's hand from his current position by the door. "I'll bet you ten million yen that big-nosed geezer's already dead- Seraph probably gutted him like a fish! I hope he saves Skeptic for me, though- I wanna snap his skinny little neck myself."

"Enough!" Finally bursting out in anger, Slidin' Go slammed one gloved fist against the wall, then began to glide across the floor towards the two of them, his arms planted on his hips in disapproval. "I've humored the two of you for far too long already. We'll see if you change your tune after a few hours of drooling down your chins."

Reaching down with rough, angry hands, he grabbed hold of the gag that hung around Gentle's neck first, then shoved the black plastic ball into his mouth and tightened the straps.

"Kinky," Spinner muttered, prompting Gentle to wheeze with laughter in spite of the discomfort.

"You two need to learn to hold your tongues," Slidin' Go snapped, his eyes narrowed, "or I'll make sure that you lose them." Satisfied with Gentle's gag, he took a step towards Spinner, though his eyes remained fixed on Tobita. "Laugh while you can, but a mute prisoner can still provide information in other… what the-" Trailing off at the sight of blood dripping down the right arm of Spinner's chair, Slidin' Go took a step backward in sudden alarm, but not quickly enough- after a sickening crack, likely the bones in his wrist or thumb breaking, Iguchi yanked his right hand out of its shackle with a loud yell of agony and triumph, and in the same violent motion, raked his two remaining claws across Slidin' Go's neck.

A spurt of blood and a gargling yelp of pain quickly followed; clutching at the wound with panic in his eyes as Spinner pulled his bloodsoaked claws free, Slidin' Go swayed in place, then stumbled backwards towards the ground. Gentle was ready, though- with a subtle wave of his shackled left hand, he created a platform of elastic air and moved it into place just beneath their wounded interrogator. As his knees buckled and he fell backwards, Slidin' Go bounced off of it with an almost comical boing, back upwards and into Spinner's waiting lap.

"N-No!" He choked, struggling to push himself up and away from Iguchi with one hand as blood washed down his chest from beneath the other. "Please, don't!"

"Too late!" Spinner bellowed, raising his claws for the killing blow. "Seven days of torture too late!"

Gentle felt a rush of dread in his chest, coupled with the instinctive urge to look away; he could hear Suneater's pleas for mercy echoing in his ears, see the boy's terrified, tearful expression in his mind's eye.

Do we… need to kill him?

Just before Spinner's blow connected though, a thundering sound echoed around them, and the room began to shake- moments later, a circular section of the wall to Gentle's left vanished in a flash of blue light, and Mr. Compress stumbled through the gap, his vest singed and his hat askew. The other side of the hole was obscured by dust and smoke, but the air was filled with the deafening clamor chaotic battle, illuminated by streaks of fire and energy.

"Gentlemen, I bid you good afternoon!" After a brief, theatric bow, Atsuhiro strode towards them and compressed Slidin' Go, then tossed his marble aside. "It is my pleasure to inform you that your rescue party has arrived!"

---

After three long months, it feels great to be back! A bit of context about this chapter and the next one: As of a few days ago, what was meant to be Chapter 30 was sitting at 30k+ words, and well on track to hit 35k. So, like I've done before, I decided to break it down into two chapters instead of giving you one gargantuan chapter that's 2-3 times as long as usual. This also allows me to get out 'Part 1' of this two-parter sooner, since Part 2 still isn't totally finished.

In terms of my schedule, that means that Chapter 31 will be releasing relatively soon, probably around two to three weeks from now if everything goes well (which is never guaranteed, to be fair. Life gets crazy sometimes).

But all of that aside, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as we're getting knee-deep into the conflict between the Syndicate and the MLA. If you couldn't tell, Pandora and Gentle are some of my favorite characters to write for. And a fun easter egg for manga readers: while their villain names and some details of their quirks are my own personal touch/extrapolation, Amplivolt, Deathblow, and Phantasm are all Liberation Front officers we see during the War Arc, and you can check the villain spread in Chapter 263 to get a better look at their designs. Amplivolt is the one who faces off against Kaminari, and Deathblow is the one who... well, let's just say that's his name for a reason.

And one final note- I thought that this chapter drop was going to coincide perfectly with the MLA's time in the spotlight during Season 5 of the anime, but due to some strange decisions about swapping arcs, it looks like I'm still ahead of their introduction by a few weeks. Hopefully I'll have better luck with Chapter 31. Until then, let me know your thoughts in the reviews!