"How's your leg?"
Shaking off his exhaustion, Atem glanced at Bakugo. His leg was throbbing horribly, and he knew between the injury and his arrows he had lost a lot of blood. Still, this was not the time to bitch. "I'm fine."
"You look like roadkill," Bakugo grunted.
"Gee, thanks," Atem griped in return, ignoring the holler his leg gave with every step.
Shouts up ahead had the boys freezing a moment before taking the last few feet at a run, bursting out onto a clearing to see Uraraka and Asui in danger.
"Uraraka!" Shoji called out.
"Quickly, guys!" Asui pleaded. "Help her!"
With a curse, the yellow eyed blonde who attacked them leaped away from Uraraka, stopping when the girl called out to her. "There's too many people here now, and I don't feel like being killed tonight. Toodles."
"Get her!" Uraraka cried out, trying to lunge, only for Asui to stop her.
"It's too dangerous!" Asui argued. "We have no idea what kind of Quirk she has!"
"Who was that girl just now?" Shoji asked, eyes watching for any more threats.
"One of the villains," Asui explained. "Called herself Toga. She was crazy."
"Uraraka. You're hurt!" Izuku said, noticing the blood.
"It's not bad," the girl reassured him. "I can still walk okay. You're the one who looks terrible!"
"We can't stand here and talk." Shoji pointed out. "Let's move."
"I'm just glad you didn't get injured too bad." Izuku said, tone flooded with relief. "Now come on. Join our group. We're protecting Kacchan and Atem and making our way back to camp. We could use your help."
Asui frowned with confusion, sharing a look with an equally confused Uraraka. "If you're protecting Bakugo and Atem, then, shouldn't they be standing here with you guys?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? They're right over here, behind u—" Horror pooled in the pit of Izuku's stomach when he realised the pair were gone. They thought they had all their bases covered, but something slipped through the cracks.
"Nice trick, eh?" All eyes snapped upward, to a Villain standing in the trees. What looked to be marbles being tossed up and down in his gloved hands. "I took the lads you're talking about with my magic. A talent like theirs would be squandered were they cast as heroes. We'll provide them with a grander stage where they can truly shine. I am Mr Compress, and this is my stage!"
"Give them back!" Izuku howled in fury.
Mr Compress chuckled. "…"Give them back" ...What an odd thing to say. Bakugo and Atem don't belong to anyone. They are their own person. Don't be so arrogant."
"We'll stop you!" Izuku roared, fury engulfing him.
"Right now!"
"Todoroki!" Izuku cried out with relief, when the teenager burst from the trees and sent a barrage of ice toward Mr Compress. "Be careful! He has Kacchan and Atem!"
"Why the aggression?" Mr Compress asked playfully. "We merely wish to show them that there are options besides the fanatical world of heroism they're drowning in. It's important to choose a path that aligns with your core values, after all.
Gasping, Shoji realised another of their group was missing. "It's not just Bakugo and Atem! Tokoyami's gone!"
Furious, Todoroki shouted up at the Villain. "If you're monologuing because you think you've beaten us, you're mistaken!"
"A bad habit of mine." Mr Compress responded with amusement. "I was once an entertainer, you know. Taking Tokoyami was a bit of improv on my part. Moonfish. Our dear "blade tooth." He may not look it, but he's a dastardly death row devil whose last appeal was denied. When I saw the avian take him down so easily and violently, I decided he should join our troupe."
"You bastard!" Izuku howled. "You can't take them!"
"Midoriya. Calm down!" Shoji urged.
With a snarl, Todoroki lunged forward and activated his ice. A wall of it exploded upward, spreading several feet. For a moment, he was sure he got him, only to see the bastard had completely dodged his attack.
"Apologies. But slight-of-hand and escapology are my specialties, not combat. I'm not foolish enough to fight hero candidates from UA." Touching an earpiece, Mr Compress relayed orders to his comrades. "Vanguard Action Squad. I've acquired our targets. Our little show has officially come to a close. Meet me at the retrieval point in the next five minutes for the final bow."
"They're going to take them. Our friends. They can't!"
"You're right. We'll stop them!"
As a group they took off, eyes on target and yet catching up wasn't easy.
"Damn it," Todoroki swore. "This guy's quick!"
"If only Iida were here!"
"We can't give up. Not now." Izuku urged. "We have to catch him...and get our friends back!"
"But he's pulling farther ahead with every second!"
"Uraraka. You have to make us float!" Izuku called out frantically. "And then, Asui. You launch us as far as you can using your tongue! Shoji, hold me and Todoroki and use your Quirk to correct our trajectory through the air. Measure the distance with your eyes, Uraraka. And then, when the timing looks right, release us!"
"I see," Shoji said catching on. "Human bullets."
"Wait, Deku!" Uraraka panted, eyes wide. "You're still going to fight with those injuries?"
"Midoriya. You stay here." Todoroki ordered. "With that much pain, you—"
"Trust me, I don't feel any pain right now." Izuku interrupted. "I can do this. Hurry!"
"Wait, Deku. Here!" Yanking off her shirt, Uraraka tore up the pink fabric and with Asui's help and some sticks, splinted Izuku's broken arms, before letting Shoji take hold of him again. "Okay. Go ahead, Tsu."
Moving forward, Asui wrapped her tongue about Izuku, Todoroki and Shoji. Uraraka using her Quirk just as Izuku suggested before backing off.
"Make sure you've got a good grip on them." Asui ordered before using her tongue to launch the three teens into the air, straight toward Mr Compress.
Well ahead, eyes locked on three of his comrades in the distance, Mr Compress grinned beneath his mask. Twice, Toga and Dabi were right where they needed to be. It had all been a success, or so he thought before three overpowered brats collided with him. Hitting the earth was enough to rattle him right down to his bones, a bellow from the boy above him ringing in his ears.
"Give Tokoyami, Kacchan and Atem back to us!"
"Wait, I know these kids!" Twice spluttered, before his opposite butt in. "Who are they?"
"Out of the way, Compress." Dabi ordered, blue flames bursting to life. Compress vanished just in time for the fire to explode toward the three teenagers.
"My arms are burning!" Shoji cried out.
"Midoriya! Shoji!" Todoroki gasped, head snapping up in time to see Twice jumping toward them.
"The beat-up little boy and you. You're on Shigaraki's kill list!" Twice gushed cheerfully, only to argue with himself. "No, they weren't!"
With Todoroki dealing with Twice, Izuku found himself being tackled by Toga, the girl grinning maliciously. "Hi, Izuku! My name's Toga! I've been thinking since I saw you...that you'd be so much cuter if you just bled a little more! I can help!"
"Midoriya!" Leaping forward, Shoji struck, sending Toga sprawling.
"So, that's how it is." Toga asked irritably. "You want to come between us? To be honest, you're not really my type. But I'll cut you anyway."
"She's crazy." Shoji panted, shielding Izuku.
"Ugh. I can't believe you wrecked my exit." Mr Compress complained, reappearing, and sauntering toward Dabi. "Unrehearsed amateurs."
"You got the brats?" Dabi asked dully, not really caring about his ruffled feathers.
"Of course. They're right…huh?"
"I'm not sure what your Quirk is," Shoji called out, drawing their attention. "But it had to do with those little marbles, right? The ones you'd stashed in your pocket. So, I'm guessing these are Tokoyami, Atem, and Bakugo."
"You rescued them!" Izuku cried out.
Laughing, Mr Compress gave a mock bow. "Well, colour me impressed. Just as I'd expect from someone with so many hands. How splendid."
"Right. Nice job, Shoji!" Todoroki commended, conjuring an ice wall for them to get away. They didn't get more than a foot, before a Nomu of all things blocked their path and the Warp Villain Kurogiri, his dark purple essence spread out to stop them from getting passed.
"It's been five minutes since the signal." Kurogiri said, his monotoned voice almost irritated. "Let's go, Dabi."
"Sorry, Izuku." Toga apologised as she stepped through the portal. "But I'll see you later, 'kay?"
Dabi scoffed. "Hold on. We're not leavin' without the kid."
"Don't worry." Mr Compress chuckled. "They were so proud of themselves that I thought best not to ruin it for them. One big rule in magic kiddies. If I'm flaunting something shiny, then that means I've pulled a switch." With a grin, he produced three identical marbles, but these held their friends.
"What?!" Todoroki. "Bastard! He tricked us!"
"Damn it!" Izuku bellowed, rushing forward. "Give them back!"
"A little bit of misdirection." Compress explained, stepping into the portal. "Forgive me. I do so adore a twist ending."
"You can't do this!" Izuku raged.
"One last bow. And then the curtain fal—"
The laser blast came out of nowhere, cutting Mr Compress off mid-sentence and knocked the three marbles free.
"Aoyama?" Izuku croaked, catching sight of the blonde teen in the bushes. He tried to dive for his compressed friends, but the pain in his broken limbs was finally starting to wiggle free and with a yelp he fell.
Together Shoji and Todoroki dove for the three falling marbles. Shoji caught one, but Todoroki missed, bicoloured eyes snapping up to the twisted sneer on Dabi's face as he caught the two.
"Well, isn't that a tragedy. Poor little Shoto Todoroki. Confirm it now, Compress…Release them."
"That laser ruined my finale." Mr Compress snarled angrily, snapping his fingers, and releasing his Quirk.
Tokoyami appeared next to Shoji, disorientated, but otherwise fine and Bakugo and Atem appeared inside the portal, trapped by Dabi's unyielding grip. Atem was unconscious, his injured leg bleeding sluggishly, Bakugo's terrified gaze locking on his classmates who were still fighting to save them.
"Kacchan, no!" Izuku pleaded, running toward the portal despite his aching body. "Kacchan! Atem!"
"Stay back, Deku!" Bakugo warned, the portal swallowing them up.
X.x.X
Waking wasn't pleasant, not when Atem was dragged from sleep by a stab of blinding agony. Screaming, he tried to get away from the hands on his leg, a needle biting into his torn flesh, but the bastards had tied him down.
"Stop it!" Bakugo demanded from where he sat, hands encased in metal, red eyes wide. "Damn it, you're hurting him!"
"Oh, he's being a big baby," Toga pouted, jabbing the needle in again as she stitched the jagged wound in Atem's thigh. "This is going to make such a beautiful scar you know."
"B-Bitch!" Atem hissed through clenched teeth; red eyes narrowed to slits.
"Hey! That's no way to talk to a lady!" Twice scolded from where he stood. "Would you prefer to bleed out?"
Considering the crazed bitch was intentionally making it hurt more than it needed, yes, he'd rather bleed out.
Eventually Toga sat back, grinning toothily. "All done! I didn't bother cleaning the blood because it makes it all pretty!"
Panting, his hair sticking to his sweaty cheeks, Atem sagged in the chair he was strapped to and tried to ignore the pain in his thigh. At the bar, the leader of this mess, Shigaraki sat, watching a news report about their disappearance. With a cackle, he shut it off and turned his attention to the two teenagers.
"I'm so grateful to the media for all the free publicity lately. Right? Isn't it nice? Katsuki Bakugo and Atem Samir. Aspiring heroes…will you join the league of villains?"
Bakugo snorted, red eyes bright with menace. "Go throw yourself in to traffic." He spat. No intention of giving in.
"Weren't you watching?" Shigaraki laughed manically. "The heroes are becoming the bad guys. Seems like they're not dealing with this very well at all. So much criticism. But everyone makes a mistake or two, right? It's not like they're supposed to be perfect. Modern-day heroes sure have it rough. Don't you think, Bakugo?"
"Once a hero receives payment to protect people, they aren't a real hero anymore. That's what Stain's actions taught us."
Spinner was his name, Atem thought sluggishly. He'd heard Shigaraki say it…or was it Twice? Honestly, his thoughts were too much of a mess to figure it out.
"A hero in this current system only cares about money and glory." Shigaraki continued. "And since society buys in to those idiotic rules, anyone deemed a loser is shoved aside. So, we want to pose some questions. What is a hero? What is justice? Is this society truly fair? Soon, everyone will be asking. That's when we'll know we've won. And you like winning. Don't you?"
"Do you ever shut up?" Atem asked, words clogging, head thudding painfully. He was dangerously close to a hypoglycaemic episode. "Or is this you just liking the sound of your voice."
Silence and then Shigaraki laughed. "Well, well, you've some bite in you. I suppose we can concentrate on you for now. Right…Master?"
"Right, Tomura Shigaraki."
Startled by the unexpected voice coming from a computer system. The boys twisted to get a better look, but the screen was faceless. "What is this?" Atem demanded.
"A test of your Quirk…Tomura, release him…but know young Atem, should you attempt any harm, we will punish Bakugo for the disrespect…am I clear?"
He didn't need to ask if the voice was serious. It was obvious and waiting for Shigaraki to free his hands Atem waited to see what they wanted.
"Show him Tomura."
With everyone watching, Shigaraki removed a cloth covering several small bowls. Atem realised each contained a small portion of blood. Confused, he didn't know what they wanted. He doubted it was to create arrows. As if sensing this, the voice spoke again.
"In front of you sits ten blood samples. Your Quirk allows you to create arrows from other blood sources, but the part that I'm interested in…is the fact you can identify Quirks from that blood. That is what I want you to do for me now."
Atem frowned. Why on Earth would he need him to do that? There were less awkward ways than kidnapping a teenager. Regardless, he got up and approached the table on slightly shaky legs, his injured one aching fiercely. Ignoring it, he reached out and did as he was told, touching the blood in the dish. It wasn't fresh, but his Quirk would work all the same.
"Earth Quirk."
"Good," the metallic voice preened from the radio. "Next one."
Ignoring his aching body, Atem wiped off the blood and reached for the next dish and the next and the next until all ten were inspected.
"What the crap is the point of this?" Bakugo eventually demanded. "Everyone's Quirk is registered...it's public knowledge that you bastards could just look up on the Quirk database. Why use Atem for this?"
Laughter cold and calculated filled the room. "Ah yes...a fact that is most often not identified until four or five years of age, when a Quirk manifests...but Atem here, just identified ten Quirks from ten newborns."
Shock splintered through Atem, eyes widening in horror. He had no idea he could even do that! Never having been monstrous enough to try. Suddenly what they wanted him for made a lot of sense.
