Sento Kiryu: Last time, on "Building Up A Hero!", Tatsuya told us the story about how Taro Sato, the man I supposedly am, had disappeared on the day Takumi Katsuragi died! He was supposed to have met him an hour before Banjo, and was also in line to be an assistant!
Itsuka Kendo: I also joined Team Build out of my own choice after Midoriya and the others explained to me what happened and the situation. Mr. Kishida chose to stay out of it though, since he was out of his element.
Mina Ashido: Kendo also pointed out that since all of us were targeted for experiments by Faust and that we were all applying to UA, that they might've planted a spy, though All Might assured us that the faculty and staff could be trusted.
All Might: Indeed! Not to mention the progress that Young Midoriya has now made thanks to the words and guidance of his friends!
Recovery Girl: No thanks to you and your poor teaching! They've done more for the boy in minutes than you did in months!
Izuku Midoriya: D-d-don't feel bad, All Might! We're making a lot of good progress now! My bones aren't breaking anymore, and Mr. Kiryu's even found information about Katsuragi!
SK: That's right! The Owner gave me advice about looking at this whole thing at a different angle by looking into Katsuragi himself rather than Banjo or Sato, and by doing so, we found a lead that he might've left some information to his mother! So we went to Hokuto, but Night Rogue and Blood Stalk intercepted us!
Ryuga Banjo: We managed to lose that bat bastard, but that slippery snake followed us when we met Katsuragi's mom, and turned a kid into a Smash! We got the essence of out him, and I found a new Best Match!
SK: Don't pat yourself on the back, you got lucky. Again.
RB: By the way, you didn't name that Smash like the other ones.
SK: It would be bad timing if I did, Banjo. Though I guess that since we're here, we can call it the Recording Smash.
RB: Why that? Why not the Camera Smash? At least that would sound like a joke on "camera flash".
SK: It's too obvious it's gonna be the Camera Fullbottle! I don't do obvious names for Smashes!
RB: Does it matter?
SK: It does!
Misora Isurugi: Um, aren't you guys forgetting the biggest bomb you learned about Katsuragi?
SK: Oh right! But when we beat Blood Stalk, he decided to give a 'prize'! He revealed to us and Mrs. Katsuragi that her son was one of the founders of Faust, and provided all the technology they used! What does this mean? Was his position at Faust the reason why he was killed? What exactly is Faust's game here!? Found out more in this chapter of "Building Up A Hero!"
Sento and Ryuga sat in silence in front of Mrs. Katsuragi at her table. They had just finished telling her everything they could about what has been happening, about Sento's memory loss, Ryuga being framed for Takumi's murder, the possibility that Sento or some other person could've been the murderer, the experiments, Faust, anything they could remember. She sat there, eyes closed as she processed everything they revealed.
"I see. I understand now," she said finally. She took a deep breath, and sighed. "This is all quite... difficult to believe now, but if what that Blood Stalk fellow said is true, and that the reason my son was fired from the Institute was his suggestion for human experimentation... makes everything line up, doesn't it?"
"I'm sorry," Sento apologized, bowing his head. "I truly wish this was different, and that I could help you find peace with it all, but-"
"It's... it's alright," she said, shifting her gaze away. "Would... would you boys like something to eat? I've prepared some sweet rolled omelets today. It's something I've done since... since my son died."
She got up and grabbed plates of sweet rolled omelets and some chopsticks from the kitchen, and placed them in front of her two guests. Ryuga, only realizing now how hungry he was, took one of the plates and started shoveling it into his mouth.
"It's... a little too sweet, isn't it?" he asked. "I can feel like, some sugar grains in it."
"Don't be rude, you musclehead!" Sento scolded, smacking him in the head while grabbing his own plate and eating it. "And I don't know what you're talking about, this is like, super delicious..."
"Thank you, it was... it was my son's favorite dish," Mrs. Katsuragi said, looking down at the table as she remembered more about her son. "Takumi was always focused on learning, getting smarter, wanting to know as much as he could cram into his head... he'd get lost in his own world without a care for his surroundings. The only things he'd pay attention to were his father and these sweet omelets."
She smiled a bit, as she turned her head to look at a photo frame with her, her husband, and her son. "He loved and hated science all at the same time. At first, he wanted to become a scientist like his father, who inspired him so much, especially with how important his role was as the head researcher of the Pandora Box. And he was there when the Skywall Incident happened... Because of his job, my husband was criticized and blamed for everything from everyone, to the point where he left our family so we wouldn't suffer along with him. We didn't even know what happened with him until we got news that he was found dead from suicide. The day the Skywall rose from the ground, was the day my son lost the love he once had for science. It always felt like Takumi became a scientist only to solve his father's regrets and out of obligation."
"But that doesn't explain why he would start something like Faust," Sento muttered, finishing his sweet rolled omelet. "What could he possibly gain from an organization like that? There must be more to this..."
"... Maybe..." Mrs. Katsuragi mumbled to herself, as she entered deep thought. "The week before I moved to Hokuto... he visited me at our old apartment before I moved back to my family's home..."
"Thank you for the meal, mother," Takumi said, as he ate the sweet rolled omelet she made for his visit. She looked up from the flash drive in her hands, and smiled.
"It's nothing, Takumi. I'm just glad to see you again. But tell me, why did you give me this?" his mother asked.
"It's all of my research and experiment data. It includes ones that I had performed at my own personal... lab," Takumi answered. "Depending on the hands that get it, it could be used for great good, or great evil."
"I want you to keep it safe, since I have no doubt that there are people who'll come after me for it. Only give it to someone that you decide that you can trust with it."
She looked at her son, her fingers tightly gripping the flash grip as he spoke. What could make him say something like that? Was this research truly important?
"Where's the flash drive now?" Sento asked, after she finished recounting her son's last visit.
"It's in Touto. Before I moved, I hid it somewhere there so that no one could find it but me," she answered. "I'll get it myself, and when I do, I'll decide whether or not to trust you with it."
Gentoku stood off to the side, as he watched his father meet with the other two prime ministers via hologram. He stroked his goatee, brow furrowed as Prime Minister Tajimi rapped her talon-like fingers on her chair's armrest.
"So why was the Kamen Rider and those vile Smashes over on our side of the wall, Himuro?" she said, her smile betrayed by her seething anger. "We have a difficult job already with applying our social welfare and education programs. The presence of such a... vigilante and monsters will produce panic on our side. Or perhaps... that was the point?"
"It is suspicious, considering the only country they've appeared in is Touto," Prime Minister Mido interjected. "With the technology that Kamen Rider has, and the unreal strength and Quirk boosts those Smashes... if one were to weaponize them for military use-"
"I can assure you, the Kamen Rider and the Smashes are not working with the Touto government in any shape or form," Prime Minister Himuro insisted.
"Well, if you're unable to take care of this Kamen Rider and Smash situation," Prime Minister Tajimi said, her fingers now still. "Maybe we should look into this ourselves."
"We'll handle the situation ourselves, thank you very much," Gentoku said, walking in from the side. "As aide to Prime Minister Himuro and head of the Institute of Advanced Matter Physics, I promise that the Kamen Rider and the Smashes will be handled. Because we wouldn't want one of you to use that as an excuse to start a war."
"How dare you!" Prime Minister Tajimi shouted. "Who do you think you are to accuse-"
With a wave of Gentoku's hand, the hologram meeting ended, as his father got up, and stared at him. "Why did you say that, Gentoku?" he said, brow furrowed. "There was no need to-"
"Open your eyes for once, father!" Gentoku yelled, his father taken aback. "Those two want an excuse to go to war, and we're wasting time pretending that they're not. We need to organize a military response, and-"
"The only one I'm seeing wanting an excuse to go to war is you, Gentoku!" his father yelled back. "Time and time again, you insist that Seito and Hokuto are planning for war, yet I have yet to see proof of such!"
"Are you kidding? The day that the Skywall rose, the light that shone on Prime Minister Tajimi and Prime Minister Mido changed them-"
"As have you! I've had enough of this talk and accusations of war! We need to focus on the economy and stability, and work together to unite this country as one, no matter how long it takes," his father said, getting up and walking out of the conference room. Gentoku watched his father's back disappear from the room, scowling as yet again he's refused to acknowledge the damning truth.
"Yo, Rogue! I was wondering where you were," Blood Stalk said, sitting in Night Rogue's armchair while he watched the scientists stuff a teen whose head resembled a raven's into the Nebula Chamber, struggling to escape their grasp as his shadow tried fighting back, though it was weakened by the bright lights shining upon it. Meta Bolt stood off to the side, fiddling with his Steam Rifle while he watched Night Rogue charge at Blood Stalk.
"Why-" Night Rogue growled, picking Blood Stalk by his armor's muffler-like muffler, "- did you go into Hokuto and cause a scene!? I told you, we were supposed to keep them out quietly!"
"Easy there!" Blood Stalk laughed, pulling Night Rogue's hand off of him. "While we were on the way to that Sky Road crack, I thought of something. Since they're looking for information on our old friend Katsuragi, why not help them find his mother? Maybe she'd be the key to the whole thing!"
"His mother?" Night Rogue muttered. Takumi rarely talked about his family, not since his father committed suicide.
"Exactly! She moved to Hokuto some time before he died, right? Maybe he gave her the data we've been looking for after it disappeared into thin air," Blood Stalk said, pointing at his fellow executive. "We'll just have to find her and get her to give it to us, and we'll be finally able to arm Touto with the tech you desperately want!"
"... Fine," Night Rogue said. "Send a message to our spies in Hokuto about this, so that we'll know when they make a move."
"Of course," Meta Bolt said, as the raven-headed boy came out of the Nebula Chamber, now resembling a metal-plated ninja with sharp robotic eyes and scarf-like wiring around its neck and mouth. As the scientists led the Smash away, they dragged another teen, a girl with curly green hair who was separated into clear boxes since her Quirk made her able to split apart to prevent her from escaping. "But first things first, I think a certain someone's due for an upgrade. I'm tired of waiting..."
The day after finally achieving control, Izuku took several deep breaths, as he let One for All spread throughout his body now. Green electricity sparked all over his body as he prepared himself, and started a lap around All Might's gym. The speed that the Nebula Gas experimentation gave him was now boosted, making him even faster now. After the lap, he jumped up and started to leap rock pillar to rock pillar. His jumping power increased as well. He landed on the ground, and decided to punch a smaller rock formation. His strength's increase was immense as well, as he was able to shatter the stone without his bones breaking now.
"Way to go, Midoriya!" Eijiro cheered, as the green electricity died down. "You're just getting better and better!"
"Yea, it's incredible!" Pony said, handing him a towel and a water bottle. "You just gotta show how far you've gotten to Mr. Kiryu and the others when they get back from their mission!"
"I'm getting better, but I still need more work," he mumbled, wiping his face of all the sweat and dust particles from smashing the stone. "This is just a small percentage, after all..."
"Don't sell yourself short, Midoriya!" Mina said, smiling. "You're doing great!"
"It's true, if I hadn't known, it'd be like you had your Quirk all your life," Itsuka replied. She checked the time on her phone, and added, "We should get going, since school's gonna be starting within a couple hours."
"Correct, Young Kendo!" All Might laughed. "As important as physically training is for a hero-in-training, it is equally important to mentally train as well! So go ahead and clean yourselves up here, since I'm sure you all won't have time to get back to your homes to do so!"
"Thank goodness we brought our uniforms with us here," Izuku said, picking up his bag and heading to the showers. The others nodded, and walked off to the different shower rooms to get ready for the day.
Mrs. Katsuragi drove her car as she approached the Hokuto-Touto maintained Sky Gate, one of the few large 'legally known' Sky Roads. Sento and Ryuga were in the trunk, covered by several layers of blankets. Ryuga's face crinkled as he sniffed the air. "Gah, you had way too many of those sweet rolled omelets, your breath smells like sugar!"
"They were delicious! And besides, sugar's good to stimulate your brain in safe doses."
"That sounds like an excuse!"
"It isn't! And be quiet, we're trying to be sneaky!" The car came to a stop when they approached the Hokuto side of the checkpoint.
"Papers and identification please, ma'am," one of the guards said, holding his hand out. Mrs. Katsuragi handed him her passport and some papers she had gotten from a friend in the Hokuto government, and he looked through them, as his fellow guards walked around the car, rifles in hand. Sento and Ryuga held their breaths, hoping that they wouldn't hear them. "You're clear to go. Go on ahead."
"Thank you, have a good day," she said, as she drove off.
As her car disappeared from sight, the guard pressed a button on his headset. "Alright Mr. Blood Stalk, they're back in Touto now."
"Excellent, thank you for the update. We'll be handling it from here. Everything for Faust."
"Everything for Faust," the guard said, as his fellow guards on both sides nodded in silence.
"That went off way better than I thought it would," Sento remarked. "For a second I thought they were going to check the trunk."
"Yea, hopefully we'll get some more breathing room soon, I'm tired of your sugar breath," Ryuga muttered, when the wheels started to screech. The two felt the car swerving around, bumping against the trunk's walls and each other. Mrs. Katsuragi screamed, and they were metal being ripped.
"Mrs. Katsuragi!?" Sento yelled, hitting the trunk's roof with his hand. He slapped the Build Driver onto his waist, inserting the Panda and Rocket Fullbottles into it.
"Panda! Rocket! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"Wait, you don't have room to-"
"Transform!"
Unlike usual, Build's armor formed around him in a flash of light. "The Blasting Off Monotone! RocketPanda! Yeahhh!"
"Oh never mind," Ryuga said, as Build rocketed out of the trunk, forcing the trunk door off its hinges. When he landed, he saw that the car door had been torn off, and Night Rogue with an unconscious Mrs. Katsuragi on his shoulder.
"Let Mrs. Katsuragi go!" he shouted, when a Faust-controlled Guardian Troop charged at him from the forest at the side of the road, swinging the blades of their rifles down on him and shooting at him. Ryuga clambered out of the trunk, shaking and twisting the Dragon Fullbottle's cap, joining Build to fight the Guardians, taking several out with his punches.
"Mrs. Katsuragi!" Build cried, as Night Rogue swung his Transteam Gun and disappeared in a cloud of gas with her. He screamed in fury, launching the rocket armor on his left arm out, destroying as many Guardians as he could. Before they could rest, however, a Smash appeared from nowhere, hitting Build across the chest. It resembled a ninja of sorts with metal plating, and around its mouth and neck were wires that came together to resemble a scarf. The Smash created a kunai from dark shadow-like energy, and started tossing them towards Build and Ryuga.
"Gah! Guess they were busy and created a Kunai Smash while we were away!" Build shouted, as Ryuga ducked behind the ruined car to avoid all the kunai. Build pulled out the Panda and Rocket Fullbottles, and replaced them with the Lion and Vacuum Fullbottles.
"Lion! Vacuum! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"Transform!"
"The Mane Cyclone! LionCleaner! Yeah!"
The snow white and light blue of RocketPanda changed into the marigold and turquoise of LionCleaner, and Build wasted no time to use the Long Range Cleaner to suck up all the kunai the Kunai Smash was throwing. After seeing that, the Smash opted to charge at Build, creating a shadow-like sword in its hands to swing at Build. He moved to the side, and slammed his right fist into the Smash's side, releasing a yellow shockwave of energy, stunning the Smash for a bit. Build noticed how easily damaged the Smash was, and followed up with a hard kick, knocking it down onto the ground.
"Seems like two hits is good enough to take you down!" he said, as he cranked the Build Driver's handle. "Ready, go! Vortex Finish! Yeah!"
"Cleansing Bite!" Build shouted, using the Long Range Cleaner to pull in the Kunai Smash. He charged up his right fist with yellow energy, and with one strike, punched the Kunai Smash across its face, sending it flying backwards. It moaned as it struggled to get back up, but fell onto its back, too weakened to do so. Build took out an Empty Bottle, pointed it at the fallen Smash, extracting its essence until it changed into a raven-headed teen who was completely unconscious.
"We should take this guy somewhere where people could help him," Build said, picking him up and slinging him onto his shoulder. "We can't waste time while Mrs. Katsuragi is captured."
Meanwhile, moments before Mrs. Katsuragi's kidnapping...
Izuku stretched his arms, which were a little sore from exercising that morning. He said goodbye to the others at the train station as they went their separate ways to their schools. As he walked to school, he noticed something move around in the alleyway he and Sento fought Blood Stalk a couple days ago. While he initially ignored it, he was forced to pay attention when a gas bullet flew at his feet, making him jump back. Students nearby scattered and ran away upon hearing a gunshot.
"Nice relaxes, kid!" a familiar voice said, as Izuku watched a gray-and-black figure walk towards him.
"Meta Bolt!" Izuku whispered, as he readied himself in a fighting pose. "What are you doing here!?"
"What else? To get a good fight! And with the Kamen Rider and Banjo in Hokuto right now, and Stalk and Rogue having other plans, I figured why not go after our next best subject!" Meta Bolt said, putting his Transteam Gun away. "And to make things fair for you, I'll only use my fists!"
Meta Bolt rushed Izuku, throwing his right fist towards him. He dodged to the left, and quickly thinking, reached into his pocket, shook the Beetle Fullbottle and twisted the cap open without pulling it out in case anyone saw, and threw spinning-enhanced punches at the Faust executive. He hit him square in the chest, sending him backwards.
"Nice one, Midoriya!" Meta Bolt grunted, when a Guardian troop and Death Arms, Mt. Lady, and Kamui Woods came onto the scene.
"What the-!? Another Kamen Rider!?" Death Arms said, seeing Meta Bolt. "Who are you!?"
"Ha, you wish! I guess this is my public debut," Meta Bolt said, popping his neck. "You may call me Meta Bolt! I can see why you might think I'm a Kamen Rider, but our goals are quite different. For one, I think you might be familiar with the Smashes?"
"No, it can't be-" Mt. Lady said.
"Ding ding ding! That's right! I'm one of the people behind them!" Meta Bolt said. "Me and my colleagues have been making them for the greater good of Touto, you know? So in a way, we're heroes too."
"You-! Lies! You don't deserve to call yourself that! Lacquer Prison!" Kamui Woods shouted, growing branches off of his arms to capture the villain. Meta Bolt snapped his fingers, and the faceplates of the surrounding Guardians flew off, exposing wiring. The Guardians began firing onto the heroes, who had to jump away from the hacked robots. Some of them got in the way of Kamui Woods' Lacquer Prison, slicing off the branches with their rifles' blades.
"You can control Guardians!?" Death Arms shouted, as he threw Guardian after Guardian off of him, as they swarmed him.
"Is this why my Guardian troop malfunctioned!?" Mt. Lady added, remembering how the troop she bought attempted to kill Ryuga Banjo a while ago. She ducked to avoid a blade swipe by one of the Guardians, and rolled out of the way to avoid getting kicked.
"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?" Meta Bolt said, pulling out his Transteam Gun. "But right now, let's take this fight somewhere more private, Midoriya!"
He swept his Transteam Gun, surrounding him and Izuku in a cloud of gas.
"No!" Kamui Woods shouted, leaping into the cloud of gas, only to find that the two had disappeared.
"Shit, what's even going on anymore!?" Death Arms yelled, caving in Guardian head after Guardian head. "Where did he go!?"
Izuku breathed in heavily. So that's what teleporting through the Transteam Gun's gas cloud was like. It was not pleasant. He looked around, and found himself in a abandoned warehouse. He turned to look at Meta Bolt, who once again rushed him, throwing punches and kicks at him.
"Come on! Show me what you got, Midoriya!" he cried, as Izuku dodged and jumped away from each strike. "I know you're stronger than this! The Nebula Gas should've done it! Come on! Throw a superpowered punch! A kick! Even a finger flick would do!"
"Why are you doing this!?" Izuku demanded, throwing a Beetle Fullbottle-powered punch. Meta Bolt caught his hand, and threw him like he was a ragdoll against the wall.
"Blood Stalk told me about your Hazard Level going up to 2.5! I'm just here to make sure it gets even higher!" he replied, jumping in for a kick. Izuku rolled out of the way, stopping on one knee.
"Why is Faust obsessed with raising our Hazard Levels!? Why do you want us to get stronger!?" Izuku swung another punch, which Meta Bolt dodged by backing away.
"I'll tell you if you can actually fight!" Meta Bolt grabbed Izuku and kneed him in the stomach. The wind got knocked out of the boy, as Meta Bolt grasped his shirt and tossing him over his shoulder. Izuku landed against a pile of crates, which were thankfully covered by a sheet, providing protection from the splinters made by the broken crates. "Come on, Midoriya! Show me what you got from our experiments!"
Izuku forced himself up and threw another punch at Meta Bolt, who moved to the side and grabbed his wrist. "2.64? That's barely anything! Put some effort into this!"
Meta Bolt pulled Izuku and kicked him in the shins, forcing him onto his knees. He breathed heavily. Even unarmed, Meta Bolt was a superior fighter than him. And using the Beetle Fullbottle by itself wasn't drawing out enough of its potential. "Hm, maybe if I... provide a little more incentive, you'll fight harder."
Before Izuku could wonder about what he meant, Meta Bolt pulled out his Transteam Gun again, and swept it, surrounding him and Izuku again with gas once again.
Izuku opened his eyes, finding himself in a unfamiliar schoolyard, with students all staring at him and Meta Bolt.
"What the hell!?"
"Who's that!?"
"Is that a villain!? Did he kidnap someone!?"
"Now then," Meta Bolt said, combining his Steam Blade and Transteam Gun into the Steam Rifle. He turned the valve. "Devil Steam!" "Let's pick out a new target... eenie, meeny, miney, VINEY!"
"N-no! Stop!" Izuku shouted, trying to grab Meta Bolt's Steam Rifle. It was too late, a gas bullet was fired, and it flew towards a girl with vines as hair. She turned her back around, digging her vines into the ground to form a barrier to block it, but it swerved around it and struck her in the chest.
"Shiozaki!" a classmate shouted, as the gas surrounded her completely. When it dissipated, the vine-haired girl had changed into a Smash whose armored plating resembled that of clay pots, a head that resembled a potted rose (though the rose itself looked like a metal decoration), and thorny vine-like wiring that flowed out of its head like the girl's hair and around her waist like a skirt. The students around her screamed and ran off, as she began to rampage and damage the walls and pillars near her.
"W-why!? What's the point of all this!?" Izuku cried, fury tears dripping off his face as Guardians came to fight the Smash.
"The point? Well, since you're taking so long to properly raise your Hazard Level, I guess I can tell you," Meta Bolt said, shrugging and sighing as if he were super frustrated as well. "Night Rogue wants to prepare for war. He keeps thinking that Hokuto and Seito will come at any time to attack Touto at any moment. It's why we want people like you. Smashes? Pointless. We need people capable of transforming into Kamen Riders!"
"You... you want to weaponize Kamen Riders!?" Izuku said, horrified.
"That's right! Why do you think we had the Build Driver made? Unfortunately, it got stolen some time ago and landed in the hands of the guy using it, and any data we had went missing before that for some reason," Meta Bolt scoffed. "But that's only what Night Rogue wants. Me? I want to see change, period. And these experiments are just what we need for that. And if it means doing some grunt work for Night Rogue, so be it."
"Change? That's why you've been turning people into Smashes?" Izuku said, his fist tightening. "All you want to see... is change!?" Green electricity started to spark around him.
"Only one reason, but basically. So what are you going to do about it? It's what science is, isn't it? To improve, change, and-" Meta Bolt said, when Izuku punched him in the chest, sending him flying into the walls of the school's front gate. He crushed into it, creating a crater whose cracks fractured along the entire wall. Meta Bolt coughed, having been properly struck by an attack for the first time since he's begun antagonizing Izuku and the others. He looked up, and saw Izuku standing, his teeth gritted and bared.
"Hehehehe... HAHAHAHA! YES, THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE EFFORT I'M LOOKING FOR!" Meta Bolt broke out laughing at the indignant Izuku. "That's right! Keep getting angry! You're at 2.75 right now, but we can make that higher!"
"Shut up!" Izuku screamed, charging at Meta Bolt. "You'll pay for what you've done!"
Meta Bolt raised his Steam Rifle, and once again covered him and Izuku in a cloud of gas, disappearing before heroes could appear.
"Midoriya!? Midoriya!" Eijiro cried, his phone pressed tight to his ear. No good. He wasn't answering. They had seen the news. Meta Bolt finally appeared in front of heroes. He kidnapped Izuku, only to reappear at a different school and Smashified another person before leaving once again with him. School was cancelled across the city in fears that he'll appear and do it again. He, Mina, Pony, and Itsuka slammed opened the door to the café, and went down into the Build Shop, where they found Misora watching the news on the TV, frightened.
"Is Mr. Kiryu back here yet!?" Mina said, breathing heavily.
"No, he sent a message about coming back, but neither he or Banjo have sent anything after that!" Misora said, as she kept checking her phone.
"What is going on!?" Eijiro yelled, slamming his fist against the wall. "What's Faust planning!?"
"Please stay safe, Midoriya," Pony whispered, holding her hands together. Itsuka bit her thumbnail, trying to think of what Meta Bolt's goal was besides sowing chaos.
Inko had the TV on with her soaps playing the background as she cleaned the living room. It's been a while since she's done any housework, and it was relaxing. She was hoping that Izuku was having fun training. It was odd, thinking that whatever happened to her boy gave him a strange Quirk, but she was happy that he was finally able to achieve his dream of being a hero. She stopped wiping the table. It was scary to think about, though. What could anyone want to experiment on her son like that? Was it out of pity? Interest? Whatever the case was, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something bigger was behind her son's new powers.
"- We interrupt this program to bring you urgent news!"
Her soaps were interrupted, and she turned to face the TV. "Schools across Mustafu have been cancelled today due to the appearance of one of the villains behind the Smash attacks, calling himself Meta Bolt!"
The news pulled up a blurry camera phone picture of a man dressed in a gray leather-like suit with black pipes and armor. On his chest was a blue spanner, with a matching one on his face as a visor, with some sort of smokestack on his head. He looked... familiar.
"He was first spotted at Aldera Junior High, attacking students! Heroes were on the scene, but were driven off by Guardians who had run amok!"
Aldera? No, that can't be-
"Witnesses say that one student had been kidnapped by him, teleporting him away to a second school, Agama Junior High, where he turned a student there into a Smash, only to take his kidnapped victim somewhere else again! Heroes were on the scene are attempting to subdue the Smash, but it slipped through their grasp! Police and heroes are on the search for Meta Bolt and his kidnapped victim! We advise anyone at or away from home to stay put!"
A second picture appeared on the TV, showing a blurry picture of Meta Bolt and his kidnapped victim, who had messy curly green hair. She couldn't see his face, but she didn't need to to know who it was.
Inko fainted.
"Alright, that takes care of him," Sento said, as they set the boy in an alleyway several streets away from a mall. He deactivated the Machine Builder, turning it back to the Build Phone, with Banjo following his lead so that they could check any messages they were sent. "Now, we need to-"
Sento's Build Phone started to vibrate violently. He had put it on silent mode during their trip through the Hokuto-Touto Sky Gate, making Ryuga do the same so that they lessened the chance of getting noticed. And its messaging feature was inaccessible while as the Machine Builder.
"Misora? What is she-" Sento mumbled, when his eyes bulged out of his head. He went through his social media newsfeed, growing more and more alarmed as he read each headline. "Holy shit, everything's gone from bad to worse."
"What's wrong?"
"Meta Bolt's finally made a public debut," Sento said, sending a message back to Misora. "And he's taken Midoriya along for the ride."
"YOUNG MIDORIYA! WHERE ARE YOU!?" All Might cried, as he jumped roof to roof, street to street, searching for his protégé. He had gotten careless. He should've kept a closer eye on him. And now that fiend Meta Bolt was running around causing chaos, for god knows what. "I swear, Faust, when we meet again, you will pay for your crimes!"
Night Rogue laid Mrs. Katsuragi on one of the bed frames Faust had for "volunteers". Blood Stalk was away, busy dropping off the second Smash made today away. He undid his transformation so as to make sure Mrs. Katsuragi was comfortable talking to Gentoku Himuro, aide to Prime Minister Himuro and head of the Touto Institute of Advanced Matter Physics. Of course he made sure that no one else was around to see, having dismissed the scientists for the day. He can't let them know who he is.
"Mr. Himuro, I've been looking for you," Utsumi said, running into the lair with a tablet in his head.
"Calm down, Utsumi. We have a guest here today, and we need to be as presentable as possible-"
"Meta Bolt has gone completely mad!"
"... What."
Utsumi handed the tablet to Gentoku. It was of a news report, showing Meta Bolt going on a rampage while dragging along one of the Kamen Rider's teen sidekicks for whatever reason. He had hacked a Guardian troop in front of heroes to attack them at one school, and at another he turned a girl into a Smash. His hands tightened around the tablet, threatening to break in half, while his jaw was clenched so hard that his teeth could crack if he clenched it any harder.
"That insufferable- Idiotic- GAH!" Gentoku yelled, shoving the tablet back into Utsumi's arms. He stroked his goatee to calm himself down, though he pulled a few hairs out doing so. "EEEERGH no matter," he said, forcing himself to calm down. "This was bound to happen eventually. I'll have a... talk with him later about his methods. For now, let's attend to our guest."
Mrs. Katsuragi began to stir, rubbing her eyes as she regained consciousness. She looked around, and found that she was in a strange room with concrete walls, floor, and ceiling. She looked behind her, and saw that there was a strange glass chamber behind her. In front of the glass chamber were two men that she didn't recognize.
"Hello, Mrs. Katsuragi, I am Gentoku Himuro, a... friend of Takumi, your son," Gentoku introduced himself, looking at her. "This is my aide, Nariaki Utsumi. We believe that you have some... pertinent data that we need for an important project he was working with us for."
Mrs. Katsuragi eyed the two suspiciously, staying silent. Gentoku took a deep breath, and sighed, pulling out an envelope from his pocket. "This is your son's will. He had included a letter addressed to you, but unfortunately, we could not reach you for it due to Hokuto's... difficult bureaucracy. We can give it to you in exchange for what we need."
Her eyes shifted to the envelope in the man's hand, shaking at seeing what were the last words her son left for her. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a key and card. "It's in a safety deposit box in the National Bank of Touto... Number 3405."
Gentoku took the key and card from her hand, and replaced it with the envelope. She opened it up and pulled out the letter inside, ready to read whatever her son left for her.
There was nothing.
"What is this..." she whispered, turning the paper over. Nothing on that side, either.
"Do you really think your son was the type of person to care about leaving anything behind?" Gentoku said, callously. "He never talked about you when he was working with me, so why would he write a letter?"
Mrs. Katsuragi's eyes welled up, the paper crumpling in her hands. Just one word. Just one word would've been enough.
"Utsumi, take care of her," Gentoku said. Utsumi nodded, and pressed on his tablet. A group of Guardians came inside, and grabbed Mrs. Katsuragi by the arms. "We can't let her remember any of this. Make sure she gets a thorough dose of Nebula Gas to make sure it stays that way. I have too many things to worry about right now."
"No! Let go!" Mrs. Katsuragi demanded, struggling against the robotic hands holding her. Gentoku walked off as Utsumi opened the Nebula Chamber's lid, and the Guardians shoved her inside.
Izuku was starting to really hate this type of teleportation. He gasped for air, as he yet again found himself and Meta Bolt in a strange location, though this time they were at a pier he didn't recognize. "Alright, this should be good enough for you to get your Hazard Level up," Meta Bolt said, popping his shoulders and neck. "And this time, I'm gonna make sure you don't slack off."
Izuku gritted his teeth as he activated One for All. He had to remember to hold back, to let the amount of power he can handle spread out evenly across his body, he can't afford to let himself put too much into part. Not here, not against him. "You'll pay for all the pain you've caused to others with your crimes!"
"Tch, that's if you can actually beat me and not get in trouble for vigilantism," Meta Bolt retorted.
"I don't care if I get in trouble for that! If it means taking you down here and now, so be it!" Izuku cried, leaping towards Meta Bolt, his fist reared back to punch the insufferable villain. Meta Bolt blocked the attack and managed to punch Izuku in the shoulder, though from the grunt he made, Izuku had definitely hurt his left arm. He kicked Izuku in the stomach, sending him backwards, though he recovered and rushed Meta Bolt again, tackling the Faust leader and slamming him against a warehouse wall.
"That's it, 2.8! Keep it up!" Meta Bolt said, grabbing a hold of Izuku's head and punching it. "You'll be the perfect soldier soon enough!"
The Smash from Agama Junior High was on the run, rampaging across the streets as people ran away in fear. It launched dozens of metal thorns from its hands, and swung its vine-like hair around, whipping anything nearby with it. Heroes attempted to get close, but with its long-ranged abilities, no one could get through.
"Dammit, is there anything we can do!?" a hero with a shield said, protecting his fellow heroes behind him. "Does anyone have a long-ranged Quirk!?"
"Not a Quirk, but I do have a gun!"
Build flew down from the sky, firing his Hawkgatlinger into the Smash. It screeched as bullets collided with it, forcing it to use its vine-like hair to shield itself before launching another flurry of metal thorns at the flying Kamen Rider.
"He can fly too!?" a heroine with goggles said, staring at him.
"That's right! And this is my fight, so I'll take care of this!" he replied, as he kept up his onslaught.
"Why should we!? Your accomplice-" a skeleton-themed hero cried out.
"Meta Bolt's no friend of mine! Isn't that obvious from how I keep saving Smashes!?" Build said, dodging all of the metal thorns. He fired more at the Smash, who kept blocking the attacks with its hair. "Geez, that's getting annoying. I guess I'll have to use two guns instead!"
Build summoned his Drill Crusher in its Gun Mode, firing both of his weapons at the Smash, who now had to deal with two onslaughts of bullets. He tossed the Hawkgatlinger into the air, pulled out the Rocket Fullbottle and inserted it into the Drill Crusher before catching the Hawkgatlinger. "Ready, go! Vortex Break!"
He tossed the Drill Crusher into the air, and started to spin the Hawkgatlinger's drum quickly. "10! 20! 30! 40! 50! 60! 70! 80! 90! 100! Full Bullet!"
"Let's do this! Rocket Hawk Hurricane!" Build cried out, catching the Drill Crusher like he did with the Hawkgatlinger. He fired a salvo of rocket-like energy bullets from the Drill Crusher and hawk-shaped energy bullets from the Hawkgatlinger, all of which struck the Smash hard and knocking it down. Build landed on the ground, putting his weapons away and pulling out an Empty Bottle, extracting the essence from the Smash until she was returned to normal.
"Get him!" one of the heroes shouted. Build jumped into the sky before anyone could grab him, and soared away before any of the flying heroes nearby could catch up to him.
"I gotta get this purified later, right now I need to find Midoriya," Build muttered to himself. He had Ryuga return to the Build Shop in order to tell everyone what they had found out in Hokuto and what happened since. It'd be better to keep this search to just himself and All Might, who had sent them the message that he was searching for the boy too. "Just don't do anything stupid..."
This by far was the stupidest thing Izuku has ever done in his life. He knew that Meta Bolt was egging him on, trying to raise his Hazard Level for Faust's goals. But he didn't care. He needed to beat Meta Bolt for everything he's done.
Meta Bolt himself seemed to be getting a little exhausted by the fight, though he was still laughing maniacally. "2.92, Midoriya! You're almost there!" he shouted, popping his neck. "Whatever our Nebula Gas experiment did, it's not like anything I've ever seen before! Exhilarating! Extremely exhilarating! Just one more attack could do it! You might just get to that threshold!"
"Shut up!" Izuku said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "The only reason why I'm raising it so much now, is so that I can defeat you!"
"Let's see about that!" Meta Bolt said, cracking his fists. He charged at the teen, pulling his fist back. With a mighty yell, Izuku charged at him as well. The two exchanged fists to their faces, Meta Bolt being launched back by the strength of Izuku's punch and crashed into a pile of barrels and crates, while he stood his ground, barely budging where he planted his feet.
"That's it! That's it! 3! Hazard Level 3! You've done it!" Meta Bolt laughed, shooting upright from the ground. "Now you can finally be useful to us!"
"Shut... up..." Izuku said, as exhaustion finally hit him. The green electricity died down, as he fell to his knees, his chest heaving in and out air. Just then, Build and All Might landed, having finally found him.
"Midoriya!"
"Young Midoriya!"
The hero and vigilante rushed to the young teen. He was badly beaten, with scratches and bruises all over him, with some blood trickling down his cheek. They glared at Meta Bolt, who just kept laughing.
"This is great! This is beyond great! That was the best fight of my life!" he said, getting up and popping his joints. "You guys deserve an award! Here, take this!"
The Faust executive pulled out a marigold Fullbottle much like the Lion Fullbottle, though this one had a tiger instead. He tossed it to Build, who caught it in his right hand. "That's the Tiger Fullbottle! Consider it as thanks for letting me raise his Hazard Level to 3!"
"What!?" Build shouted, as All Might began to seethe, his teeth ready to crack from the pressure he was putting onto them. "You mean you did all of this, just to raise Midoriya's Hazard Level!?"
"Hey, why're you so mad? I helped you get a new Kamen Rider!" Meta Bolt said, pointing to the tired Midoriya. "You'll need it, since I bet good ol' Night Rogue's turning Mrs. Katsuragi into a Smash as we speak, and Blood Stalk's out there leaving another one out there somewhere!"
"You-!" All Might yelled, lunging towards Meta Bolt. He pulled out his Transteam Gun, and swept it, covering himself with a cloud of gas before All Might could touch them.
"I did you all a favor, Build! Don't waste it!" his voice echoed out, as the cloud dissipated, leaving no trace of the spanner man anywhere.
"Dammit!" All Might stomped on the ground, cracking it. "How dare he-!"
"We gotta get Midoriya back to the Build Shop," Build said, hoisting Izuku's right arm around his neck. "He's gotta get rest and heal."
"Let me," All Might said, picking his protégé up from Build and putting him on his back. The two rushed off, making sure that they picked the sneakiest routes possible.
Izuku woke up, and shot up from where he was laying. He looked around, noticing that he was in Sento's room, and saw all of Team Build there, plus Recovery Girl and- a giant white mouse? Bear? Dog? A combination of all three? The only one that wasn't there was Souichi.
"Midoriya! You're awake!" Mina said, hugging the freshly awakened teen.
"Ow!"
"Oh! Right! You're all injured! I'm sorry!"
"Dude, what was all that about!?" Eijiro asked, as Pony nodded in agreement, needing to know what had happened.
"I... he... Meta Bolt..." Izuku mumbled, as he struggled to find the words.
"From what Meta Bolt said to us when we got there, he wanted to raise Midoriya's Hazard Level to 3, and succeeded," Sento explained, as the teens, Misora, and Sawa stared at him, eyes wide. "What I want to know is how it happened. Even while fighting, Hazard Levels don't normally rise like that-"
"My Quirk," Izuku said, realizing something. "I recently gained control of my Quirk... Maybe that's why it was rising during my fight with him..."
"I see... It could be possible that certain Quirks could raise Hazard Levels greatly..." Sento said, thinking.
"Well, whatever the case is, you don't need to worry about any sort of punishment, seeing as you were a victim that had to protect themselves!" the white creature said, as the teens stared at him. "I'm UA's principal, Principal Nezu!"
"U-U-UA's principal!? What are you doing here!?" Izuku said, his jaw dropping.
"All Might called him and Recovery Girl. He told me everything that happened with you yesterday," Sento explained, sighing. "As much as I want to keep this on the downlow, I understand that having someone as important as UA's principal on our side would help things out a lot greatly. And honestly, there's still a chance we'll end up getting a lot more allies later on."
"Indeed! And from the information that was given to me-" the principal's voice became serious in tone, "- that there could possibly be a traitor in our school, due to how many Smash victims they've targeted had been students who applied to the Hero Course. Even that girl that was turned into a Smash today, Ibara Shiozaki, was a prospective student. So I'll gladly help in whichever way I can."
"Good, 'cuz we just got a Smash Alert for two Smashes in completely different areas," Misora said, looking at her phone. "Sento, how will we-"
"I guess it's time, then," Sento said. He walked out of the room, with everyone following him. He went to his workbench and computer, and grabbed something underneath the bench. He pulled a box out, and flipped the lid open, revealing a second Build Driver.
"Is that-!?" Eijiro said, as Sento took the second Build Driver out.
"Yes, a second Build Driver," Sento said. "I had started it while making the Cross-Z Dragon and Battler Beetle adapters, and I only finished it on yesterday before leaving for Hokuto. I'll still need to make a unique weapon for you, Midoriya, but for now, I think this will do."
"Oh? You're going to make a child participate in vigilante work?" Principal Nezu said, unflappably.
"I'm sorry, but we have no choice right now. Banjo's Hazard Level hasn't risen yet to the required level while Midoriya's has. And I can't be in two places at once," Sento sighed, as he held the Build Driver. "I won't make you do it, so-"
"I will," Izuku said, as he took the Build Driver from Sento. "This is... this is something that I can do. Meta Bolt might've made me raise my Hazard Level, but I'm going to take it and use it for good, like you are, Mr. Kiryu."
"Now listen hear, you youngins'!" Recovery Girl said, smacking both Sento and Izuku on the back of their shins. "I might be this idiot's secret keeper, but I'm going to draw the line at letting kids who aren't even heroes-in-training to-"
"I think it's a superb idea!" Principal Nezu said, laughing a bit, to everyone's confusion. "I was told your Quirk had manifested recently, right Mr. Midoriya? This could be some valuable practice for you! Just consider this an undercover operation from now on instead of vigilante work!"
"I... thank you, Mr. Nezu! Oh wait, should I call you Principal Nezu, since I haven't had my Entrance Exam yet?" Izuku said, looking at the white creature.
"Mr. Nezu would be fine! But remember, don't bring your Build Driver or Fullbottles to the Entrance Exam, because that will be considered contraband!"
"O-of course!" Izuku said, as he stowed the Build Driver away, ready to go to one of the Smash Alerts, when he realized something. "I can't drive there!"
"Don't worry, I'll carry you there!" All Might laughed, as he and Izuku went to go up the stairs. "We'll take this one near the Skywall, that's the furthest one away from any buildings or streets where people might see us."
"And I'll take this one. Seems like it's at a construction site, so there might not be too many people there," Sento said, looking at the location of the second Smash.
"A construction site? Perfect timing for this construction worker disguise I got for Banjo," Souichi said, coming down the stairs, when he spotted two familiar faces among them. "Principal Nezu!? Recovery Girl!? What are you two doing here!? Sento, did you-"
"No, it was me," All Might said sheepishly. "I had to tell the two of them."
"It was my fault," Pony said, ashamed. "I mentioned how Midoriya could be a Kamen Rider now with how he was progressing with his training, and Recovery Girl was there when she heard it-"
"Alright, alright, I guess it. Just... we need to keep this a secret, right Principal Nez? This is super important-"
"I understand, Mr. Isurugi, you have my word that this will be kept secret," Principal Nezu assured, to Souichi's relief.
"Anyways, it's time for us to all head out," Sento said, as Team Build nodded. "Let's go!"
All Might and Izuku landed near the forest, looking around for the Smash that was on the alert. This was definitely remote, as per Faust's modus operandi, excluding Meta Bolt's rampage today. It didn't take them too long to find the Smash. It was reptilian in appearance, with a short triangular metal snout with sharp fangs, rectangular-shaped visor-like eyes, metal gauntlets and boots, a cable-like tail, and sharp claws on both hands and feet.
"Are you ready, Young Midoriya?" All Might asked, as Izuku slapped his Build Driver on, and the Battler Beetle flew into his hand. "I'm right behind you."
"I am, All Might," Izuku replied. He pushed the robotic beetle's horn up, changing it into its adapter mode, and pulled out the Beetle Fullbottle. He shook it, twisted the cap open, and inserted it into the Battler Beetle. "Get up!"
He inserted the Battler Beetle into the Build Driver, and began cranking the handle, as two runners with his armor formed in front and behind him, both golden orange in color. A runner on the side formed as well, having additional armor for him. "Battler Beetle! Are you ready?"
"Transform!" Izuku shouted. The runners slammed together, forming his armor. On his right arm was a large beetle-like drone with a horn-like drill, whereas his left arm was unarmed, though his left arm and right leg had bands with green electricity marks painted. His shoulder pads were round with small protrusions resembling Japanese rhinoceros beetle horns, and his eyes resembled two beetles as well. After the main two runners had slammed together, the side runner came from behind and slammed the additional armor onto him. This additional armor formed a vest-like chest armor that resembled green beetle wings, while his back armor now looked like a beetle's shell. A green beetle horn slammed onto his helmet, with a visor that resembled compound eyes going over his helmet's existing ones, and a white square faceplate was added. When the horn connected to the helmet, Izuku saw information pop up in front of him in holographic windows near his helmet's face. So that was how Sento learned about using Best Matches.
"Get up shocking! Battler Beetle in! Yeah!"
"This is the debut... of the pro Kamen Rider, Battler!" he announced. The beetle drone on his right arm flew off, and it and Battler charged towards the reptilian Smash. He swung his right fist into the Smash's face, knocking it backwards. "I'm going to save everyone, as a hero, and as a Kamen Rider!"
The Smash detached its tail, launching it at Battler. The beetle drone intercepted, as it and the tail engaged in an air battle. The Smash and Battler began exchanging punches, though Battler's were a little sloppy, still figuring out how to move around in his new Rider suit, which let the Smash get in a few good hits. Battler recovered quickly, though, and delivered a few kicks to the Smash to its gut. As it staggered back, he took the opportunity to grab its head and kneed it, dazing it a bit more. The beetle drone's drill spun and struck the flying tail, which flew back to the Smash and reattached itself. The drone began flying into the Smash, striking it with spinning attacks one after another, letting Battler crank his belt's handle.
"Ready, go! Beetlelic Finish! Yeah!"
The beetle drone flew back towards Battler, as green electricity sparked around his right hand. He reared back, and punched the back of the drone, sending it flying at high speed. "Kabuto SMASH!" he announced, as the beetle drone collided with the Smash, causing an explosion that consumed it. As the beetle drone reattached itself to Battler's arm, and the Smash fell over onto the ground, he took out an Empty Bottle, and extracted the Smash's essence, leaving behind a girl with green curly hair, almost like his own.
"You did it, my boy!" All Might proudly said, smacking Battler on the back. "This is but one step in the road of becoming a hero for you! But don't expect to be joining in to help Mr. Kiryu yet, since this is just a unique circumstance for now!"
"I know, All Might," Battler replied, looking at his hands. "Still... to think that I'm really a Kamen Rider now, it's... it's truly incredible."
"Ugh, huh?" the girl said. All Might and Battler turned around, seeing her regain consciousness. She blinked a few times, before laying her eyes on the two of them. "All Might!? And the Kamen Rider!? What's going on!? A-are you working together!?"
"Oh! Uh... dang," All Might said, realizing that the girl was making a connection pretty quickly.
"Mmmm..." Battler mumbled, tapping his foot as the girl waited for an explanation. "Do... do you think Mr. Kiryu would mind if we tell her?"
"Hopefully not, but the Build Shop is going to get more cramped now," All Might sighed, as they walked over to help the girl up.
"Gah! Thank god for this construction helmet," Ryuga mumbled, as debris hit his head from the rampaging Smash and Build's fight. The Smash resembled a number of locks and keys, with its head being flat and square with two keyholes for eyes, its torso a combination lock, its fingers resemble keys, and chains covered its arms and legs. Build had entered the fight as RabbitTank, dodging each attack left and right. He summoned his Drill Crusher, and inserted the Tiger Fullbottle into it. "Ready, go! Vortex Break!"
Small tiger-shaped energy bullets flew out of the Drill Crusher's barrel, each one slashing the Smash with its claws as they flew past, with the ones making full contact against it exploding into flurries of claw slashes. The Smash was undeterred, and rushed at Build, knocking him off his feet.
"Man, you are a tough one! And with all those locks on you, let's call you the Key Smash!" Build moaned, getting up. He removed the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles, and pulled out the Smartphone and Wolf Fullbottles. "Let's try a cellular canine!"
"Wolf! Smartphone! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"Yes! Lucky!" Build said, as he cranked the Build Driver's handle, blue and silver runners forming around him. "Build Up!"
"The Connected Lone Wolf! SmaphoWolf! Yeahhh!"
The runners slammed onto him, forming his new armor. His left arm and right leg were blue, with a square shoulder pad with a messenger app icon, and a large, phone-shaped shield on his left forearm. His right arm and left leg were silver, with a shoulder pad that resembled a stylized wolf's fur, with a wolf-shaped gauntlet and claws on his hand. His right eye was a smartphone with a large telephone icon popping off it, and his left eye was a wolf's head. On the blue portion of his chest were two decorations that resembled speech bubbles on a messenger app. "I've found the winning formula!"
"What do wolves and smartphones have in common!?" Ryuga shouted from the back.
"Doesn't matter! New Best Match!" Build answered, running at the Key Smash. He slashed at it with his right hand's claws, three energy slashes following it, striking the Smash in the chest hard. "Ooooh, the Wolf Halfbody's claws creates an energy slash that hits the Smash after the initial physical slash hits! Nice!"
The Smash roared, launching chains at Build, who blocked them with his phone shield. "As odd a shape and heavy as this shield is, pretty durable! Let's see if I can use these apps on it..."
He pressed on an app that resembled a music app. "Soundwave!" the shield announced. Build pointed the shield at the Key Smash, and a stream of musical notes struck it.
"Oh, so these apps can provide attacks! Wonder what will happen with this app," Build said, pressing on a camera app. "App Ended!" "Picture!"
He put the shield in front of him, as the face camera went off, trapping the Smash in a picture frame-like box. It slammed against the seemingly spacious walls, attempting to free itself. "Nice, an imprisoning app! Though judging from what the shield announced, I can only have one app running at a time... Well, since you're stuck there, let's extract that essence!"
Build began cranking the Build Driver's handle, as energy projections of app icons surrounded him and the Key Smash. "Ready, go! Vortex Finish! Yeah!"
"World Wide Wolf!" Build announced, releasing a silver energy projection of a wolf that ran around the ring of app projections, which ran faster and faster until it leaped off the app projections, colliding with the Key Smash, consuming it in a large fiery explosion. When the smoke and dust cleared, Build took an Empty Bottle out, and extracted the Smash's essence, revealing Mrs. Katsuragi.
"Mrs. Katsuragi!" Sento said, as he undid his transformation and rushed to her side. "Are you alright!?"
"What... what happened? Where am I?" she mumbled, as she opened her eyes and regained awareness. She reached into her pocket, realizing that she was missing something.
"Faust took you, and turned you into a Smash," he explained, offering his hand to help her up. "Let's get you somewhere-"
"Wait, I need to tell you something," she said, looking at him and Banjo urgently.
It took a couple hours to get to the National Bank of Touto since it was on the other side of the city, but it was at least a little speedier to get there thanks to the streets being relatively empty of other drivers. Gentoku and Utsumi strolled into the bank, showing them the card and the box number, and were led to the back by a clerk where they had the safety deposit boxes. The clerk left them alone as they searched for the box Mrs. Katsuragi had.
"Finally, after so many months, we'll finally have the data we need on creating Drivers," Gentoku muttered, unlocking the box 3405. "All of this will be worth it once-"
He stopped in his tracks. Inside the safety deposit box was a single paper note. He picked it up, and saw the unmistakable handwriting of the dead Takumi Katsuragi.
I do not trust you. - Sincerely, Takumi Katsuragi.
"... Utsumi, can you and the clerk leave me alone in here for a moment? And shut the door on your way out," Gentoku said, taking a deep breath.
"Of course, Mr. Himuro," Utsumi replied. As soon as he walked out and shut the door closed behind him, he heard Gentoku make the biggest frustrated scream there was.
"Better contact Mr. Blood Stalk about this," he mumbled, dialing his phone and contacting his employer's fellow Faust executive.
"This place has seen better days, huh?" Sento said, as they dug at the abandoned laboratory for Namba Industries. Mrs. Katsuragi had given them a picture of her and her family in front of it when it was opened (they had taken her to the café, where they also found out that All Might and Izuku had taken their Smash victim since she saw them talking together (figures that would happen)). It was where her husband worked at before it was shut down due to being associated with the Skywall Incident. It was her only hint of where the flash drive that her son had given her, and that it was nearby a light post. After a couple minutes of digging, Ryuga managed to hit something metallic. He pulled out a dirty old tin, brushing off any excess dirt, and opened it, revealing a flash drive.
"So this is it, huh?" Ryuga said, as they took it out of the tin.
"Yep! Yoink!" Blood Stalk appeared from behind them, shoving Ryuga and Sento onto the ground while he grabbed the flash drive. "Thanks for digging this up."
"You-! Give that back!" Ryuga said, shaking and twisting the Dragon Fullbottle's cap open. He charged at Blood Stalk, who only sidestepped him and smacked him to the side. Ryuga recovered and kept at it, while Sento put the Build Driver around his waist and took out the Hawk and Gatling Fullbottles.
"Hawk! Gatling! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"Transform!"
"The Rampage in the Skies! HawkGatling! Yeahhh!"
Build flew towards Blood Stalk, his HawkGatlinger pointed at the Faust executive, firing a rain of bullets while Ryuga jumped out of the way. Blood Stalk's gauntlet produced a tendril, swinging it into the sky and hitting Build, sending him tumbling to the ground. Before Build could recover, Night Rogue jumped in from behind, kicking the downed Kamen Rider.
"I'm in a very bad mood today, Kamen Rider, so why don't you just hand that over to us?" Night Rogue said, his teeth grinding almost audible from his helmet.
"Not on your life!" Build retorted, firing the HawkGatlinger into Night Rogue. He leaped out of the way, and fired his Transteam Gun.
"I'll take it from here, Stalk," Night Rogue said, as the two armored fighters fired their weapons at each other while leaping out of the way.
"Alright, sure thing, Rogue," Blood Stalk replied, walking off, when he got bodied by Ryuga.
"You're not going anywhere!" he shouted, throwing a punch that Blood Stalk caught.
"Hm? 2.59? Interesting, seems like you've been increasing your Hazard Level too," Blood Stalk chuckled, as he released Ryuga's hand. "Fine, wanted to play a bit since Bolt got to."
The fight became an all-out brawl between the two Faust executives there and Build and Ryuga. Night Rogue took out his Steam Blade with his free hand, and charged at Build, slashing at the Kamen Rider and successfully knocking the HawkGatlinger out of his hand. Build immediately responded by flying backwards while exchanging the Hawk and Gatling Fullbottles for the Wolf and Smartphone Fullbottles.
"Wolf! Smartphone! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"Build Up!"
"The Connected Lone Wolf! SmaphoWolf! Yeahhh!"
Night Rogue fired his Transteam Gun as Build blocked it with his shield, charging at the Faust executive before slashing him with his right hand's claw, sparking against his armor. As Night Rogue staggered back, Build swapped his Fullbottles again, this time with Panda and Rocket.
"Panda! Rocket! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"Build Up!"
"The Blasting Off Monotone! RocketPanda! Yeahhh!"
"What!? You lost one of our Fullbottles, Stalk!?" Night Rogue growled. His fellow Faust executive paid no heed, however, as he was entirely focused on his fight with Ryuga.
"2.6! 2.65! 2.71! Ha, your Hazard Level's going up nicely!" Blood Stalk said, as the two exchanged punches. Night Rogue grumbled when he returned his attention to Build.
"Ready, go! Vortex Finish!"
"Pandemonium Panic!"
A circle graph formed around Night Rogue, and Build leaped onto it, flying around on it and striking Night Rogue, who blocked each one with his Steam Blade. Build flew in for the final strike, which Night Rogue blocked. The two struggled until the energy Build had built up from his Vortex Finish exploded, sending the two flying backwards. Build landed on his feet while Night Rogue rolled until he stopped on his feet. Meanwhile, Blood Stalk knocked Ryuga away, laughing nonstop.
"2.8! You're real close. You deserve an award," Blood Stalk said, tossing the flash drive to Ryuga.
"What!? What are you doing Stalk!?" Night Rogue demanded, running to grab the flash drive. Blood Stalk intercepted him, knocking his weapons out of his hands. Build wasted no time, using this as an opportunity to escape and ran towards Ryuga, grabbing the man before rocketing away from the abandoned laboratory. Night Rogue was about to give chase when Blood Stalk stopped him. "We had the data in our hands! YOU-!"
"Now now, calm down," Blood Stalk said, patting Night Rogue's shoulder. "We're already using the Kamen Rider to work on the Build Driver, right? So why not hand him the data for now? Knowing him, he'll probably make his own improvements on them that we can use ourselves!"
Night Rogue growled and grumbled, before relenting. "Fine. You've made your point. We'll need to talk to Meta Bolt about his... insubordination today."
"Sure, whatever you say, Rogue," Blood Stalk said, waving it off. "Can't say he didn't do an excellent job of raising that Midoriya kid's Hazard Level, though."
"Man, that's a lot to handle. But thanks for explaining," the green-haired girl, Setsuna Tokage, said. They were all down in the Build Shop, while Misora and Sawa kept Mrs. Katsuragi company upstairs while they waited for Sento and Ryuga to come back. "You really think that there's a chance that UA has some sort of spy for these Faust guys?"
"With you being the latest UA applicant, there's at least someone high enough to see where students are applying," Itsuka said, as Nezu held his palm to his chin in thought.
"Indeed... I can assure you, however, that we don't need to suspect any of the Hero Course teachers," Principal Nezu said, looking at the teens. "I've personally selected them based on their skills, personalities, and willingness to work with future heroes. I doubt that any of them are involved with this."
"So what was it like being a Kamen Rider, Midoriya?" Pony asked, as the green-haired boy held his Build Driver in hand, while the Battler Beetle hovered near him.
"It was... amazing," Izuku replied, slightly smiling. "I have no doubts about it now. I'll take what I can, and become a pro Kamen Rider. Of course, that'll be when Kamen Riders are accepted as heroes."
"You'll make a fantastic pro Kamen Rider!" Mina cheered, while Eijiro slung his left arm around Midoriya's neck, grinning.
"If Banjo gets his Hazard Level up to 3 soon, we'll have three Kamen Riders on our team! Let's see them try and beat us now!"
"Now now, remember that you can't be participating as a Kamen Rider that often," All Might said, reminding the teens. "This was a unique exception, and we can't risk you all getting into the wrong side of the law before you train to become heroes!"
"And remember, Mr. Midoriya, that you won't be allowed to bring your Fullbottles and Build Driver along to your Entrance Exam, since it'll be incredibly suspicious that a examinee has the technology of a vigilante!" Nezu laughed.
"R-right," Izuku replied, remembering that stipulation.
"Still, it probably won't hurt if Mr. Kiryu does call you on for missions when he needs an extra hand," All Might added, noticing the light downcast look on Izuku's face. Misora came downstairs, poking her head out.
"Sento and Banjo are back," she informed them, as they all went to get up to see him, with All Might following last so that no one could see him shrink down for a second before returning to his muscle form.
"Yes, this is the flash drive my son trusted to me," Mrs. Katsuragi said, holding it after many months of it being out of her hands. She handed it to Sento. "I want you to have it."
"Are you sure?" Sento said, looking at her in the eyes, as the others came up from the Build Shop.
"Yes... there's a gap in my memories, which must've been when they experimented on me," Mrs. Katsuragi said, as he gaze moved to the table. "But the key and card I had, they're gone, so it must've meant I did what my son asked me to do if I met someone who I didn't trust... And I feel as if, that you would be the one that understood him the best. He was always so smart, but he never understood how worried I was for him."
Sento bit his lip, seeing tears forming in her eyes. It was... painful to see for some reason. He shifted his gaze around, and saw the notepad he had used to decipher Takumi Katsuragi's anagram in that nonsense of a- "Wait, Banjo, can you hand me that notepad and pencil? Misora, do you still have the printed copy of his last entry log?"
The two handed Sento what he asked for, and he scanned the log and scribbled down as much as he could onto his notepad. When he finished, he paused at what he read before pulling it out of the notepad. "So that's why it was odd... This last entry log he left, was really a message for you, Mrs. Katsuragi."
He handed the unscrambled message to the woman, who read the last words her son left for her.
Thank you for giving me life.
Mrs. Katsuragi chuckled a bit. This was certainly her son's words. "What an awkward child..." she whispered, the tears finally dripping down her face. "He was never able to tell how he truly felt..."
She held the paper close her to heart, as if to embrace her son one last time.
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- Next chapter, yeeeeeeeeea!
- If you're reading this on AO3, I finally went back and changed the chapter titles to the ones I came up with on and Spacebattles.
- Yea, instead of the Mirage Smash, we're getting the Kunai Smash. I'll admit, I did like the look of the Mirage Smash, but I personally felt making a new one.
- I'm sorry if it feels like I'm rushing a lot through this and this is like, very loaded with plot, but I feel like there needs to be a kinda big moment for the MHA side of things. Most of everything has been focused much more on the Build side of the crossover. I want to fix that, and I was getting really stuck on what I wanted to do with it this chapter. That, and I sorta established that Izuku's Hazard Level did grow quite a bit during his fight with Blood Stalk, and I thought that Meta Bolt would want to rush it. Much like me. Plus, I think this is a big enough shakeup to the story that edges it to more unique territory. He was always gonna get his Kamen Rider identity soonish, before the Entrance Exams, but this early? Not necessarily.
- I'm very worried that if Meta Bolt seems out of character here, since he's acting way more aggressive than in past chapters. But considering how active he tends to be in the story while also the one who likes using the Nebula Gas injection ability of the Transteam Gun system, I feel like it's in character to some degree.
- I hope people can buy the idea that One for All actually did help Izuku boost his Hazard Level, since that's why it got higher and higher in just one fight now.
- If it seems like Izuku got a hang of being Battler kinda easily, remember that that sort of thing is just a standard in Kamen Rider seasons, just getting used to powers really easily. Hopefully my explanation of the holographic window popping up in front of his face (which only he can see) is enough to like, justify a bit of this.
- Am I letting too many people in on Team Build? Perhaps, but this is my story, and I get to decide who'll join and who won't. And I've always intended for Team Build to get kinda big by having the UA kids join (not all of them, but a significant number I'd say). Little spoilers, but Ochako and Tenya are going to be among the members (since they are like, Izuku's canon first friends at UA); not at the same time, though, and not necessarily soon. Well, Ochako probably a bit sooner than Tenya. I like doing ensemble casts...
- Why Setsuna? I just like her a lot.