AN: I know I'm a little late with this one, I'm sorry. But man, I really wanted to hurry up and finish the internships already, so I decided to do something a little different for this chapter to help speed things along. Unlike the others before it'll be split into different parts. Either way, I hope you enjoy it.
48.1: A Mad Bomb
Bakugo stayed silent as he did some paperwork for Kunikida on Saturday morning, the sixth day of internships. Despite how boring this was, he needed something to do. Dazai's words yesterday had been on repeat in his head. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, what Dazai said struck a chord. Endeavor, not All Might, had beaten the most villains. Yet the Flame Hero was the number 2 hero, not number one.
Bakugo just couldn't figure out why that was.
…No. He knew the reason. It's because Endeavor was an asshole. All Might… isn't. All Might… wasn't like Bakugo.
Nearby, Monoma washed Bakugo was a sense of curiosity. He'd honestly thought Bakugo's character was little more than a berserker. Granted, he still is a berserker in Monoma's opinion, yet the Copy Quirk user was shocked at how calm Bakugo was being. He didn't know what Dazai-san said to the brute yesterday, but it seems to have affected the 1-A blond. Speaking of Dazai…
"Has anyone seen Dazai?" Atsushi asked.
"Not since last night," Miyazawa Kenji, a golden-haired boy wearing blue overalls, a loose beige shirt with tattered sleeves with a black undershirt, and an old straw hat hanging from his neck, said. "Is something wrong?"
"He's not answering any calls, and he isn't in his apartment. I checked," Atsushi explained.
"He's probably trying to drown himself in the river again," Kunikida assumed.
"Maybe he's been detained again," Kenji guessed.
"I bet he's off with some women," said Ranpo as he ate a bag of chips.
"But what if he's been attacked by the Port Mafia?" Atsushi asked. "They did attack us directly recently. What if they killed him?"
"Don't be stupid," said Kunikida. "That man's ability to survive reaches nightmarish levels. He has tried to commit suicide numerous times and never succeeded. There's no way a guy who can't be killed even by himself can get taken down by the mafia."
"But still…"
"I'll look into it." A new voice spoke.
Bakugo and Monoma looked away from the paperwork they were doing to see a young man not much older than them step into the office from the informal. He had orange hair and wore a slightly oversized white v-neck sweater that hid his hands. A second red sweater was wrapped around his waist.
"Tanizaki-san, you're all right!" Atsushi exclaimed in relief.
"Who's he?" Bakugo asked.
"Oh, you must be the hero interns," the redhead said ups noticing Bakugo and Monoma. "I'm Tanizaki Jun'ichirō. Sorry that it took so long to properly meet, but I was injured during a fight with the Port Mafia a bit before you arrived."
"I'm surprised at how fast you recovered. You were hurt pretty bad," said Atsushi.
"It's all thanks to Dr. Yosano's treatment," Tanizaki replied. "He power fixed me right up."
"So she's like your Recovery Girl," said Monoma.
"Yeah, you could say that," Tanizaki nodded.
"So, Tanizaki, how many times?" Kunikida asked.
In an instant, Tanizaki's smile faulted, his eye twitching. "F-f-f-f-f-four t-t-times." He sputtered.
"Ah," the other agency members except for Atsushi all nodded in a mix of pity and dread.
"You only have yourself to blame, Tanizaki. You didn't run even when you knew it was the Port Mafia," Kunikida simply stated.
"…I feel like we're missing some context here," Bakugo spoke as he looked at Kunikida. "Why so scared all of the sudden?"
"Let's just say that it's best for you boys to avoid getting injured," Kunikida replied, readjusting his glasses.
"That especially goes for you, Atsushi," Tanizaki muttered, suddenly sitting on the ground with his hands over his ears. "Since you work here, you must never get injured no matter what!"
"Okay…" Atsushi drawled, unsure.
"Try to take this as a lesson, boys," Ranpo said to Atsushi, Bakugo, and Monoma. "If you realize something's wrong and you're outclassed, run. For example," the detective pulled out his pocket watch. "In 10 seconds from now…"
"Yaaaann~ I overslept," Dr. Yosano walked into the main office from the infirmary.
"Yosano-san, good morning," Atsushi greeted, not noticing Tanizaki shivering in fright.
"Good morning, Atsushi," she greeted. "Are you, Bakugo, and Monoma hurt anywhere?"
"Uh, no, I'm fine," Atsushi answered.
"Same here," Monoma said.
Bakugo shook his head.
"Darn," Yosano sighed.
'Darn?'
"By the way, I'm going shopping and need someone to carry my stuff," Yosano looked around the office. "Since you three are the only ones here, you'll come with."
"Huh?" Atsushi, Bakugo, and Monoma looked around the office. Much to their shock, everyone else was gone without a trace.
"How did we not see them leave?" Monoma asked.
"Why is she making us her fucking pack mules?!" Bakugo grumbled as he, Monoma, and Atsushi carried several boxes and bags of clothes, shoes, and other items the Agency's doctor had bought.
"Don't drop anything," Yosano cheerfully said to them. "If you do drop something…" the older woman flashed a scary smile at them.
The three boys flinched. As they continued to follow, Atsushi passed by a young girl with dark blue hair tied into twin tails. She wore a red Kimono with a yellow Datejime tied around her waist. Around her neck was a necklace with a rabbit doll and an old cellphone.
For some reason, Atsushi felt drawn to her as she walked by. "Hey, white hair," Bakugo growled. "Watch where you're going, dumbass."
"Right!" Atsushi quickly focused on what was in front of him, narrowly avoiding hitting a man.
"Ah~! What a great day for shopping!" Yosano had dragged Atsushi, Bakugo, and Monoma some more before she was satisfied, the four returning to the agency on a train, the three boys rubbing their arms due to being used as hangers for shopping bags.
"Says you," Bakugo growled.
"By the way, Atsushi, wasn't your leg chopped off by that mafioso?"
"He what?" Bakugo blinked, looking at Atsushi.
"Yeah," Atsushi nodded. He suddenly yelped when Yosano pulled up his leg to examine it.
"You have a regeneration Quirk?" Monoma asked.
"He doesn't," Yosano answered, still examining Atsushi's leg.
"Then how…"
"Monoma, there are lots of powers in this world that aren't Quirks," Yosano explained as she let go of Atsushi's leg. "But that doesn't matter right now. You need to be careful, Atsushi. You may not be so lucky next time. The Port Mafia's usual MO is to launch surprise attacks in the middle of the night, but they do make exceptions, like when the Black Lizard attacked the agency the other day. You never know when or where they'll come for you."
Atsushi lowered his head in thought.
"Speaking of the mafia, there's something I've been curious about that. Why hasn't the Port Mafia been dealt with?" Monoma asked. "I thought organized crime groups like the yakuza were all wiped out."
Yosano sighed. "It's a bit complicated. First off, there are still yakuza groups around, though most are yakuza in name only, being hired guns for any villains able to afford it in most cases. As for the Port Mafia, there are several reasons why, the biggest is that they have a Quirk Business Permit."
"What does that mean?" Bakugo asked.
"What it means is that Permit makes many of the mafia's activities legal," Yosano explained. "Not to mention their current boss is a scary good strategist. During the last eight years he's been in charge, the HPSC has tried to take them down 7 times, but all attempts failed spectacularly. Even if they did succeed, the Port Mafia is so deeply entrenched in Yokohama that if they were taken out, the city would fall into total anarchy since the mafia does a good job of keeping lesser criminals and villains in check."
"Is that why there aren't any big-name hero agencies here?" Atsushi asked.
"Yep. I've even heard rumors about high-profile villains hiding out in Yokohama because of the mafia's presence. As long as they don't bother the mafia, they'll be safe."
Before anything else was said, the train's PA suddenly rang.
["Testing, testing, is this thing on? Hello, this is your conductor speaking!"] an obnoxious voice came from the PA, catching everyone's attention. ["I apologize for the interruption. Now, we're about to conduct a little physics experiment! The aim is to evaluate people's reactions and sensory input toward explosions under unusual circumstances and the test subjects will be you passengers. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Now without further delay, please enjoooy~!"]
*Kaboom!*
An explosion suddenly sounded from somewhere on the train, shaking all of the cars.
"What the hell!?" Bakugo exclaimed as he held onto something bolted down, the other passengers in the car with them beginning to panic.
["Hmm, that blast mostly likely killed two or three of you,"] the same voice mused. ["But that's nothing compared to what I have in store for you NEXT! I have rigged enough explosives in the front and back cars to blow everyone sky high!"]
"Say what?!" Monoma gasped.
["Can you hear me, test subject Nakajima Atsushi?"] the voice asked, to the shock of Atsushi. ["Unless you surrender yourself, all of these passengers will be meeting a glorious, untimely death!"]
"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear," Yosano muttered as she stood up.
"Why did the mafia call you out, white hair?" Bakugo asked, glaring at Atsushi suspiciously. "You owe money to them or something?"
"I wish I knew," Atsushi muttered. "What are we going to do?"
"From what I can tell we have three options," Yosano stated. "One, we do as they say. Two, we jump off this speeding train with as many passengers as possible and hope for the best. Three-"
"We kill the bastards!" Bakugo grinned like a maniac, his palms sparking in anticipation. This is what he's been waiting for.
"Yep," Yosano nodded. "After all, we are the Armed Detective Agency. And thanks to the Quirk Business Permit we have, Bakugo and Monoma are allowed to use their powers, within reason."
"So how do we do this?" Monoma asked.
"We'll split up. I'll head for the front and Atsushi will head to the back to defuse the bombs. Bakugo, Monoma, you two help all the civilians move to the central cars."
"The fuck!? Why can't I kill those mafia bastards?!"
"Look where we are, Bakugo," Yosano gestured to the train car they were in, the train itself currently going through a tunnel. "If you use your Quirk in a confined space like this it might make things worse. Besides, if you start blowing things up with your Quirk, everyone might mistake you for the bomber. But if it makes you feel better, once you're done making sure all the civilians are safe, you'll be free to join me."
"…Fine," Bakugo grumbled.
"What happens if we come across an enemy?" Atsushi asked.
"We take them down," Yosano replied, taking a medical bag with her as she headed for the front of the train.
Just a couple of minutes after the announcement, the car Bakugo was in was being congested with civilians making their way to the central cars. It was the fourth car out of a total of twelve, meaning plenty of people were running through. Some even tried to push others out of their way, only worried about themselves.
"Get moving!" Bakugo yelled, doing what Yosano told him. "Don't fucking stop until you get to the center cars! If you run someone over, I'll fucking kill you!" He threatened.
*KABOOM!*
The cars shook violently again, this blast being much closer to where Bakugo was. As the remaining passengers quickly sped up their pace, Bakugo looked to the door leading to the front cars. That blast wasn't far and Yosano hadn't come back yet.
"…Fuck!"
Since the last of the passengers from the front were making their way to the middle, Bakugo went to the front. He had already built up a good sweat from all the excitement, but he knew that Yosano was right. He couldn't do any big explosions here, otherwise, the train could derail, or worse. That didn't mean he couldn't do small blasts.
Exiting the fourth car and entering the third, Bakugo didn't see any sign of the doctor. What he did find was a person humming to himself in the middle of the car. "Oh, yet another willing test subject," he spoke in the same obnoxious voice from the PA upon noticing Bakugo. He had short brown hair with bangs cut at an equal length across his forehead. His eyes are covered by purple-tinted goggles. He was wearing a worn, white lab coat with several pins and frayed sleeves, a white button-down wrapped with a loose brown belt underneath. He also wore worn-out, frayed blue pants, a green scarf, and geta sandals.
Bakugo glared at the man. "You're the Lemon Bomber, right? Kajii Motojirō?" He recognized him from the news. He was one of the very few Port Mafia members who were known national, especially after he bombed the Maruzen Building, killing 28 civilians.
"Oh my. My experiments and I must be getting famous if a brat from U.A. knows," the man grinned.
"Experiments?" Bakugo scoffed. "Blowing up a bunch of people sounds more like murder to me."
"Murder? My boy, I am no mere mindless murderer. I am a man of science," Kajii smiled excitedly. "The slowing of the pulse! Suffocation of nerve cells! Lactic acidosis! Death is an assemblage of countless metamorphoses followed closely by the irreversible state we call 'death'! The pinnacle of science next to God! Both exist in actuality, yet neither can be overcome by science alone, which makes them all the more enthralling!"
As the Lemon Bomber monologue, Bakugo took his chance.
"DIE!"
Bakugo swung his sparkling hand at Kajii's face, detonating a large explosion point-blank in the Lemon Bomber's face, leaving the mafioso's face shrouded in smoke.
Bakugo grinned savagely at the smoke cloud, having taken care of the idiot mafia. Now he just had to find the doctor.
"Was that supposed to tickle?" Bakugo froze as the smoke cleared, revealing Kajii standing in place, completely unharmed! What the hell?!
"How the fuck are you not dead!?"
"Is that blast really the best you can do?" Kajii asked, ignoring Bakugo. "I haven't made explosives that weak since I was in mi-" A massive explosion engulfed Kajii's form.
Bakugo's hands smoked and shook, he wasn't used to unleashing explosions that big, it did a number on his hands, and it was obvious that it did a number on the car, given the blown-out windows and broken lights, but it was worth it to kill the bastard!
"You're the type who can only learn the hard way, aren't you?" Bakugo's eyes widened in shock as Kajii cheerfully stepped out of the smoke, without so much as a singe.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! Why can't I kill you!?" He didn't really pay attention to the news when they were discussing Kajii's Quirk, having lost attention after it was mentioned that his Quirk was suspected to be connected to his infamous lemon bombs. He had thought it to be a shitty Quirk since anyone can make a bomb.
"I'm so glad you're asking questions. The foundation of science is to question everything," Kajii smirked. "I assume you heard the news and hero forums speculate what my Quirk is. I've seen it myself from time to time. It's amusing they think my bombs are somehow connected to my Quirk, but their theories are totally wrong. For you see, in actuality my Quirk makes me IMMUNE TO ANY AND ALL EXPLOSIONS!"
"The fuck?!" Bakugo exclaimed. This fucker was immune to explosions?! That meant his Quirk was useless in this situation since the train cars are so cramped. But even if he can't use his Quirk to still kill the bastard, Bakugo can still-
"And I know what you're thinking," Kajii suddenly said. "Since you can't harm me directly with just your Quirk, you plan to instead just beat me up. Well, sorry to say, but I suspected something like this could happen, so I brought materials to perform a little side experiment," Bakugo's eyes widened as several lemon bombs fell out of Kajii's sleeves. "I assume your Quirk either makes you resistant to explosions or you built up a resistance to explosions during your life. Let's test the limits of that resistance!"
*KABOOOOOM!*
All of the passengers in the central cars screamed as the cars shook violently again. Fortunately, the train hasn't derailed yet, but one more blast could do so. Monoma held onto one of the pipes as the train shook. Once it finally stopped, Monoma looked towards the door, overhearing some passengers talking about how someone, likely Atsushi, was fighting someone a few cars back. Monoma wanted to help. But none of the passengers had Quirks that would help, and Yosano herself said that Atsushi didn't have a Quirk, so Monoma had limited options for helping in this situation.
So instead he stayed with the passengers to make sure they were safe. 1-B's blond then looked in the opposite direction towards the front of the train, where Bakugo and Yosano were.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Bakugo you better be okay."
Bakugo coughed up blood, leaning against one of the walls of the car that hadn't been blown out. He couldn't feel his right arm, and he was sure his right eardrum had exploded given he couldn't hear anything from it and was sure that blood was dripping from it.
"Oh, it seems we've found your limit," the unharmed Kajii mused. "Normally that many lemon bombs would vaporize someone at such close range."
"Go to hell…" Bakugo growled.
"You first!" Kajii pulled out a knife.
"I'm here to offer a second opinion."
"Huh?" Kajii turned around just in time for a fist to hit him square in the face, sending him flying back.
Bakugo weakly looked up in shock to see Yosano who, despite her torn and bloodied clothes, was totally fine. "How disappointing," she muttered. "I was hoping you would fly farther."
"Wait, but how…?" Kajii tried to ask, blood dripping from his mouth.
"You won't die from a little smack like that, will you?" Yosano asked as she grabbed Kajii by his scarf and lifted him up. "Which side did I hit just now?"
"Uh, I think it was this side," Kajii shakily pointed to the right side of his face. "Why do you as- GHA!"
Yosano delivered a punch to the left side of Kajii's face, sending him flying once again, several teeth hitting the floor this time. "There, now you're symmetrical," Yosano smirked before Turing to Bakugo. "You doing okay, Bakugo?"
Bakugo nodded. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Oh, just got surprised by this lemon idiot," Yosano answered.
"How are you still alive?" Kajii weakly asked. "When I left you, you were half dead."
"Despite how I look, I'm a doctor. I've seen more death than you can imagine," Yosano proceeded to pick up her medical bag. "You asked me what death is. Here's my answer: Death is simply the loss of life. No matter how hard we doctors try, the lives of our patients can and do slip through our fingers," pure rage soon filled Yosano's eyes as she glared hatefully at Kajii, her hand clenched in a fist. "'Death is the pinnacle is science'? What a load of bullshit! Bastards like you who have no respect for life are what I hate most! I'll kill you!"
Through his fear, Kajii suddenly recognized Yosano. "Wait, I remember now. You're the resident doctor of the detective agency, Yosano Akiko. You have a rare healing Sacred Gear," the Lemon Bomber realized that was the reason Yosano wasn't dead.
"I'm sure Azazel has told you about us, right Bakugo?" Yosano said to the injured blond. "Like this idiot said, I have a rare Sacred Gear called Thou Shalt Not Die, and according to Azazel, it's a sort of prototype for a Sacred Gear called Twilight Healing. It allows me to heal any injury, including my own. But it's a prototype for a reason because there's one terribly inconvenient drawback," Yosano reached into her medical bag… and pulled out a large and thick machete that should not have been able to fit into the bag, other such weapons spilling out as she unceremoniously dropped the bag. "It can only work when the injury is fatal."
Bakugo's eyes widened. "What?" He weakly muttered.
"Meaning, for me to heal even moderate injuries… I have to bring my patients to the brink of death," Yosano turned to glare at Kajii, who flinched in fear.
"W-Wait!" Kajii begged, a wetness spreading from his pants as Yosano approached.
"Ara~! You're hurt, aren't you, little boy. Do you want me to treat you?"
Bakugo closed his eyes, trying to do his best to ignore the sounds of Kanji's screams as Yosano hacked away at him with each sickening splat.
When the horrifying noises stopped, Bakugo reluctantly chanced a look… and saw that Kajii, aside from the piss in his pants and the horrified look on his face, was totally fine. "He'll be out for a while," Yosano said before glancing at Bakugo. "Let's get you fixed up, then we'll disable the bombs."
"I'm fine," Bakugo quickly replied. The blonde tried to stand up but stumbled back down.
"No you're not," Yosano deadpanned. "We can't send you back to U.A. looking like that. Recovery Girl will kill me. I'll just give you a quick treatment, okay?"
"I said I'm fine!" Bakugo barked back before coughing.
"Quit being such a baby, Bakugo," Yosano gave a devilish grin, brandishing her blade. "This will only last a second~!"
"No! Stay the fuck back! I'm warning you, you crazy psycho bitch! I'll fucking kill-!"
*SPLAT!*
*Crunch!*
"Smooch!"
Bakugo woke up with a groan, his eyes opening slowly. He recognized he was at one of Yokohama's train stations. "You're up," the condescending voice of Monoma caught the explosive blond's attention. "And here I was thinking you were dead."
"Shut up," Bakugo growled as he stood up and looked himself over. Aside from the fact his school uniform was torn and had blood spots, he was totally fine. Almost as if he was never injured.
"Glad to see you're up," Bakugo flinched in fear at the sound of Yosano's voice.
"How's Atsushi?" Monoma asked while taking a mental photograph of the fear in Bakugo's face. He was gonna savor that for a long time.
"He's exhausted, but others okay. And so is the girl."
"And the Lemon Bomber?" Bakugo asked, still wary of the ADA's doctor.
"Already being escorted by the police," Yosano pointed behind her at some officers taking a handcuffed Lemon Bomber into a police car before it drove off.
"What a day," Monoma sighed. "I wish I could've done more, though."
"A hero's job is to make sure civilians are safe," Yosano said. "So you did plenty, Monoma."
Behind them, another police car came rolling up. "We're here to pick up the Lemon Bomber," the driver said, catching the three's attention.
"What?"
"Wait, if they're the real police, then who was-?" Yosano looked in the direction the car that carried Kajii went.
"Thank you, Raynare," Kajii said as he conformably sat in the back of the stolen police car, the fallen angel removing her disguise as they drove towards a Port Mafia safe house.
48.2: Supply Run
"Only one day of our internships left," Tsubasa muttered to herself as she and Momo followed Fat Gum and Tamaki during a patrol. It was almost noon on the sixth day of internships, meaning they'll be leaving tomorrow.
During the past few days, she and Momo had done some training, racing advice from Fat Gum, or followed him on his patrols. All the while sampling Esuha City's various food stands.
"Sorry if it was, munch, a boring week, munch, for you two," Fat Gum apologized in between eating a whole tray of takoyaki. "Especially after what, munch, some of your classmates, munch, went through."
"It's fine, Fat Gum," Momo replied, carrying a box of takoyaki.
Tsubasa nodded, enjoying some of her own takoyaki. She glanced over at Suneater, who had just downed what looked like an entire squid in one go.
Upon realizing she saw him eating he pulled his hood down low and turned away from her muttering, "I'm sorry you saw that, I should leave."
"What, no you didn't-"
"Food! Glorious food~! "
"One sec," Fat Gum handed Tamaki the teriyaki tray and pulled out his phone. "Fat Gum here."
"Is that really his ringtone?" Momo asked.
"Yeah," Tamaki nodded. "It suits him."
"I see. Gotcha, I'll be there soon," Fat Gum put away his phone and addressed his interns. "Change in plans. We're gonna go help a drug busting."
"Drugs?" Tsubasa questioned.
"Yeah. Apparently, Selkie intercepted some drug smugglers last night. One talked and told the police that they were gonna deliver their goods somewhere around here. So it looks like this won't be a boring week for you after all."
It didn't take them long to reach where the drugs were supposed to be dropped off. The back allies of the warehouse district were poorly lit, making it a good place for illegal deals to take place. Fat Gum led his interns through the area, meeting up with several police officers.
Quietly, they approached one of the abandoned warehouses. "This the place?"
"Yes," one of the officers nodded. "When we got here there were already men waiting inside."
"How many?"
"About 10, maybe more. Some of them are carrying briefcases. From the way some of them are dressed, it's possible they're yakuza."
"Expecting a shipment today," Fat Gum surmised. The BMI Hero then turned to his interns. "Creati, Osmosia, stick close to me, understand?" The two students nodded. "Oh, and Creati, mind making us an entrance?"
Inside, the men began to grow anxious. "Where are those squids?" One of the men grumbled, sitting on the hood of a white car. "They should've been here by now."
"You don't think they got caught, do you?"
"Shut up, Joe-a-nes."
"For the last time, my name is Jones!"
"If they got caught, then it may be best to leave."
"What are we gonna tell the boss, then? He's unhinged enough after that girl escaped."
"I got a bad feeling about this."
The doors of the warehouse suddenly blasted open, courtesy of several plastic explosives Momo had created. The blast knocked down the guards nearest to the doors, while the others all shielded themselves.
"The hell was that?!" The yakuza got his answer when the police and Fate Gum rushed in, the students right behind them. "Fat Gum!?"
"Anybody here order a pizza?" Fat Gum joked. "Nobody, really? All right, we were supposed to deliver to a secret drug deal, so this has got to be it."
"Kill them!"
Before any of the yakuza could react, Suneater's arm exploded into a mass of tentacles, enveloping three of them. "What the hell!?"
"What kinda freaky Quirk is this?!"
Tamaki hung his head in a mix of shame and embarrassment. "That's just cruel," he muttered before reeling the three yakuza in, his right hand turning into a giant clamshell, using it to smack the three yakuza to unconsciousness.
The other yakuza, seeing this, immediately pulled out their guns and attempted to shoot Suneater, but Fat Gum jumped in the way, the bullets disappearing into his body. "Nice, try boys," the hero smirked, the fired bullets falling harmlessly from his fat body.
Momo and Tsubasa quickly ran by the hero, Momo creating a metal staff in her hand, using it to knock aside some of the yakuza. Tsubasa, having already covered herself in metal from the warehouse door, whacked away at the remaining thugs.
As the battle continued, one of the fallen yakuza crawled on the floor and reached into the pocket of his coat. He pulled out a red cylinder and injected its contents into his neck. The moment the substance entered his bloodstream, his body began to convulse uncontrollably. Soon, his muscles began to grow, his clothes barely keeping together.
As this happened, the last of the remaining yakuza was knocked down by Tsubasa. "Is that the last of them?" Tsubasa asked, before noticing a long shadow looming over her. When she turned around to look, her eyes widened. "Oh shit-!" Tsubasa barely had time to raise her arms in time to block the boulder-sized fist streaking down at her. The force of the blow felt like an anvil had dropped onto her, her bones ringing as she was sent flying back, crashing into a stack of crates.
"Yura!" Momo cried out before looking up, seeing the large figure lumbering words them. His clothing had been reduced to rags, showcasing chiseled muscles.
"What the hell?!" One of the officers gasped.
"He must've supped himself up with Trigger!" Fat Gum realized. "Creati, go help Osmosia!"
"Right!" Momo nodded, quickly running towards her classmate's side. "Yura, are you okay?" Momo asked as she removed the broken crates off her.
"Yeah, somehow…" Tsubasa answered as she emerged from the pile.
Momo gasped in shock.
"What?" Tsubasa questioned as she stood up. "I'm fine. A few crates aren't enough to…" Momo created a mirror, using it to show Tsubasa her reflection. "Banged… me up…" Tsubasa's eyes widened at what she saw. Her appearance was totally different. Her hair was now made of glass with the tips a silver color, her face and upper body being made of steel, while her legs were made of concrete, the lower half of her right leg being wood. Light blue glowing lines ran all throughout her body as well. "W-w-w-WHAT!?" She screamed, looking over herself. "What happened to me?!"
Momo took a closer look at Tsubasa and noticed a red cylinder sticking in her right shoulder. "You must've been hit by a dose of Trigger by accident when those crates fell," she said as she pulled the cylinder out of Tsubasa's shoulder.
"How long will this last?" Tsubasa asked, still looking herself over.
"I'm not sure. I've heard the effects can last from a few minutes to a few hours."
"I'm not sure how I feel about- Lookout!" Tsubasa tackled Momo to the ground right as a police officer flew over them and crashed into the wall behind them.
Apparently, the fight with the Triggered yakuza was starting to go bad. Suneater was attempting to hold the yakuza in place with octopus tentacles, but the yakuza kept tearing the tentacles apart before they could retain him, causing Tamaki great pain.
Fat Gum was fighting the yakuza also, but even with his Fat Absorption Quirk the BMI Hero was having a hard time. The rest of the police officers were either staying back, looking after their own, or were firing their guns at the Triggered yakuza, their bullets doing little to slow him down.
"Okay, I've had it with this!" Tsubasa growled, getting back up and raising her right arm. "I'm gonna-!" Suddenly, her right hand grew, changing shape into a large steel mace with glass spikes. Tsubasa stared in shock at her appendage before smiling. "Okay, I'm starting to like this."
Momo looked on in shock, not having expected that either, before looking over at the yakuza. "I have an idea," she created a flash bang grenade. "When I give the signal, get ready."
Tsubasa looked at the flashbang and nodded.
"Everyone! Cover your eyes!" Momo called out, throwing a flashbang into the air. Everyone but the yakuza noticed the thrown flashbang and covered their eyes.
A few seconds before the yakuza could pound any of them, the flashbang went off. He howled and pawed at his face in an attempt to remove his blindness.
Sparks of energy then sparked in Momo's hands as she aimed at the yakuza.
*BZZZZZZT!*
And fired a bolt of lighting at the Triggered man. The yakuza screamed as he was electrocuted by Momo's lightning. Seizing her chance, Tsubasa ran up and slammed her fist, still a spiked mace, into the yakuza's head, sending him crashing down.
"Is he down?" One of the officers asked.
The yakuza groaned in agony, but otherwise, he wasn't moving.
"I say he is," Fat Gum sighed in relief before smiling at the girls. "Nice job Creati, Osmosia."
Momo and Tsubasa both shot a smile at each other.
A few minutes later, all the yakuza were being loaded up into an armored vehicle while their cars were impounded and the drugs and guns confiscated.
Fat Gum, Suneater, Creati, and Osmosia all stood by and watched. "Pretty exciting last day, huh?" Fat Gum asked them, munching on some chocolate bars he brought.
"Yeah, it was," Tsubasa smiled. She then looked at her hand, changing it into a long spear. "I can get used to this. Too bad it'll only last a day."
"Don't worry. With enough training you'll be able to do that without Trigger," said Fat Gum.
"I know. That's what I'm worried about," Tsubasa sighed. "It does make me wonder what would've happened if the rest of us got hit by Trigger."
"I'm not sure I want to find out," Momo shuddered.
"Yeah," Suneater nodded.
"Oh cheer up, Suneater," said Fat Gum. "Speaking of your Quirk, though, it might be time to change up your arsenal, sort to speak. I recently got some scorpion lollipops. Try one and you'll be able to manifest a scorpion's tail or compound eyes."
Momo felt her stomach turn.
"Please no, have mercy," Suneater cried.
"Wait, scorpion lollipops are a thing?!" Tsubasa gawked.
"Yep! And they're not that bad. Sweet and crunchy!"
48.3: A Knight to Remember
Dragon Force Izuku hit the mat hard and groaned, Milia rushing to his side to help. Currently, he, Milia, and Ryukyu were the only ones in the agency's gym.
"You're definitely improving," Ryukyu said. "But you're still a little off balance."
"How so?" Izuku asked as he stood back up.
"There's still quite a bit of your dragon heritage you haven't mastered yet. Instincts that will help you if you can channel them properly," Ryukyu turned back to normal. "For now, let's take a break. We'll have one more spar before dinner," at that, Ryukyu exited the gym, leaving Izuku alone with Milia.
"Are you ok, Izuku?" The succubus asked, handing him a bottle of water. Ever since she confessed at the hospital, Milia had grown clingier to Izuku, barely leaving his side. Izuku didn't really mind, enjoying it a little.
"I'm fine, just a bit sore," Izuku replied. Without him using his Boosted Gear or One for All, Ryukyu packs a punch.
As he drank the water, Fuyuko walked into the gym, carrying something behind her back. "There you guys are," the yuki-onna said. "How goes training?"
"Been getting better," Milia replied. "Ryukyu's taught me some hand-to-hand techniques, and Izuku's been improving his dragon abilities."
"You seem to be in a good mood, Fuyuko-san," Izuku noted. "Any reason why?"
"Yep," Fuyuko showed what she had been hiding, a letter from U.A. "Ryukyu came through! Starting tomorrow, I'll be attending U.A.'s general studies course."
"That's great!" Milia smiled. "So what class will you be in?"
"Don't know yet. But no matter the class, I'm planning on joining the support course."
"How come?" Izuku asked.
"Remember our talk about the hero costumes of your classmates? Well, I want to improve their costumes, and yours," Fuyuko answered. "I already have a few ideas on how to improve them."
"Yes, that would be great," Milia looked down at her chest.
"By the way, I've been wondering, how were you able to find me, Izuku?" Fuyuko asked. "I get you guys went to Yoyogi because I mentioned it, but that's still a lot of ground to cover."
"I've been wondering that too," Milia spoke up. "As soon as we got to Yoyogi Park, it was almost like you… zeroed in on her."
"I'm… not sure," Izuku muttered, trying to think back to then. "I was so worried that I wasn't really paying attention to the how. I remember smelling something I liked and followed it, and then we found you."
"You smelled something?" Milia asked when an idea struck. "Izuku, do you smell anything right now?"
"Huh? Well, yeah, I smell fried rice," Izuku closed his eyes and sniffed. "With eggs, beef, and shrimp."
"You can smell all that? And isn't the kitchen on another floor?" Fuyuko asked.
"Yeah," Izuku nodded, slowly realizing himself.
"This must be because of the dragon in you," Milia said. "That's probably how you found Fuyuko, and maybe Iida too."
"So that means you like my scent?" Fuyuko slyly asked.
Izuku blushed but nodded. "But, if my sense of smell has really improved so much, how come I'm only noticing this now?" He asked.
[I believe I know.]
"Ddraig," Izuku said in surprise, the back of his hand glowing green to signify the Welsh Dragon's presence.
[The reason why you are only noticing now is because if you received enhanced senses right away it could've caused a sensory overload.] Ddraig answered. [It's far better for these senses to develop gradually over time so you can get used to it. Not to mention you never asked me what kind of abilities dragons have, so you never bothered to check if you had any.]
"That's fair," Izuku muttered.
[Relax. It just means you're maturing as a dragon is all.]
They continued their idle talk as they walked throughout the agency, eventually making their way to the kitchen area. There they could see Ryukyu preparing a large pot filled with fried rice on the table, just as Izuku said. Right beside her, Nejire could be seen setting up the table.
"Ah, there you are," Ryukyu called them both, causing Nejire to glance toward them. "Slight change in plans. We're gonna have to head out later, so we're having dinner."
"Did something happen?" Izuku asked.
Ryukyu shook her head. "Not yet. The Historical Hero Museum received a threat that someone was planning to break in and steal some of the items on display tonight."
"The Historical Hero Museum?!" Izuku exclaimed in excitement. They had just opened an exhibit dedicated to All Might, from his days at U.A. to his time in America to his debut here in Japan. There were also other exhibits dedicated to Japan's most famous heroes, such as Crimson Riot, and vigilantes from before the current hero system was established like Baymax and Hiro, along with-
"Yes, we know you're excited, Midoriya," Ryukyu smirked.
"Damnit, why?" Izuku muttered with a blush, Milia, Fuyuko, and Nejire smiling at him.
"Any idea who the thief is?" Milia asked.
"The police are working on it, but they believe it's the same villain that successfully robbed other museums throughout the country these past few weeks. As such the museum wants us to patrol both the area around the building and in the museum itself tonight. So, eat up," she began placing down bowls of the fried rice. "As soon as we finish we head out."
Night had fallen by the time Ryukyu and her interns arrived at the Historical Hero Museum. The museum staff were thankful when they arrived and let them in, to Izuku's delight. It was decided that Ryukyu and Nejire would fly around and above the museum while Izuku and Milia patrolled in the museum's halls.
Of course, the one having the hardest time keeping on task was Izuku, who took every opportunity to admire the exhibits. "Holy whoa, it's the Ninja!" Izuku ran up to an exhibit where several mannequins, each wearing ninja suits of different colors (red, black, white, blue, green, and blueish-grey), were posing, each holding different weapons. "They were one of the first vigilante teams in Japan! Their battle cry was 'Ninja Go!' and they would-!"
Milia simply shook her head and smiled as Izuku delivered an info dump about the old vigilantes. "Let's keep moving, Izuku."
"Oh, uh, right," Izuku blushed in embarrassment.
"{This is Ryukyu, check-in.}" The Number Nine hero called out through their comlinks.
"{Nejire-Chan here, nothing yet. Oh, but there is a shawarma restaurant nearby. What's shawarma? Do you think we can check it out later? Can we-?}"
"{Okay Nejire, that's enough.}"
Milia could help but smile at the exchange. "Yari here. Viridian and I haven't seen anything suspicious yet."
"{Okay, continue to monitor.}"
Milia nodded as pulled Izuku away from a display of an early support item. "This villain we're expecting, no one's ever managed to get a clear look at them before, right?" She asked.
"That's what the news articles said," Izuku answered. The villain would always send a note to the museum he was targeting, and the next night all of the museum's security systems would suddenly deactivate. When the problem was either noticed or resolved, the guards would find shattered glass and empty displays, the valuables inside missing.
"Oh, the All Might exhibit is up ahead!" Izuku excitedly exclaimed.
"Calm down, Izuku," Milia said, grabbing hold of the boy's costume to prevent him from running ahead. But she couldn't help but smile at how excited Izuku was acting. 'Yet another reason why I love this dork,' she thought to herself.
*Shatter!*
"What was that?!" Izuku exclaimed. He and Milia turned towards a closed set of doors leading to another exhibit.
Milia and Izuku didn't waste time opening the doors.
"Oh, so cool!" Izuku gushed, his inner nerd showing as he admired all the antique support items, the villain standing next to a broken glass case, costumes, armor, and other- "Wait, villain?!"
It was a man wearing armor that resembled the armor worn by medieval European knights. It looked to be some kind of carbon fiber titanium mix with yellow glowing lines and a dark raspberry-colored cape. Noticing the two, the knight quickly grabbed a support item in the case, a sword of some kind, and ran.
"Stop!" Milia yelled as she and Izuku ran after the knight.
"Ryukyu, Nejire-chan, are you there?" Izuku called through the comlink. "We see the villain! He just took a support item! Pursuing him now!"
"{Understood. We'll be there as soon as we can. Where are you?}"
"Heading towards the roof!" Milia answered, the two folding the knight through a staircase.
Reaching the roof, the two saw the knight jump off the building and landing on the roof of one nearby. "I'll cut him off!" Izuku manifested his dragon scales and wings, taking to the air. 'One for All, Dragon Veil 5%!' With One for All coursing through his body, Izuku quickly flew ahead of the knight. "Dragon Shot!"
The knight jumped to the side to avoid the attack from above, allowing Izuku to land in front of the armored man. "Hands in the air!" Izuku said to the knight.
"Don't even think about trying to run," said Milia as she caught up, her claws extending. "Ryukyu's on her way. So it would be best for you to surrender."
"Well," the knight entered a combat stance, clearly intending on using the stolen sword. "Good thing I'm not planning to surrender."
[Boost!]
Now that they got a better look, they noticed that the sword was red except at the edge, with a red guard shaped like flames.
"Do you recognize that, Viridian?" Milia asked.
"I think I do," Izuku's eyes narrowed. "If I remember right, that's the sword of Kamiyama Touma, the Brave Dragon Hero: Rekka Saber!"
"Yes, surprisingly well made for first-gen support item," the knight spoke as he jumped back, avoiding a swing from Milia's claws. Izuku quickly flew at the knight from behind, only for the armored man to dash forward and swing his sword at the green-haired devil. Quickly summoning his Boosted Gear, Izuku used it to black the attack, but it did send him skidding back along the ground. "Not bad for an antique…" the knight mused, trawling it around before changing his stance as he held the sword upwards and to his right with both hands on it.
[Boost!]
Milia charged in, using her claws to block the knight's downward strike. But the armored man grabbed her arm, sending an electrical shock.
Milia screamed as she was electrified by the knight before she collapsed. "Milia!" Izuku screamed. He charged in and swing his leg, only for the knight to duck under it.
[Boost!]
The knight extended his free hand, and from the armor, a weapon handle emerged, an energy morningstar forming from it as he swung at Izuku, the mace at the end flailing in the air as an energy cable extended from the handle.
"Whoa! How'd you get something like that?!" Izuku exclaimed as he avoided the weapon. "And why steal an old support item if you already have something like that?"
The knight didn't answer, instead, he continued to swing the mace, the energy spiked ball shattering the ground at each stroke as Izuku continued to dodge it.
[Boost!]
'Four Boosts now…' Izuku thought as he continued to dodge the knight's attacks. 'That makes me sixteen times stronger. Meaning I'm using One for All at a pseudo 80%. This should be more than enough to deal with him! I just need an opening.'
The knight continued to swing the mace around before he suddenly pulled it back.
'There's my chance!' Izuku gritted his teeth and clenched his fist before bringing it down on top of the knight.
The knight raised his arm and a riot shield made of yellow energy formed to protect himself from Izuku's punch.
"DRAGON SMASH!"
[EXPLOSION!]
Izuku's armored fist collided with the knight's shield with a massive explosion of wind before Izuku was thrown off by the knight.
'He wasn't affected?!' Izuku wondered.
"I was honestly expecting more from the Red Dragon Emperor," the knight scoffed, to Izuku's shock.
'He knows about me?!'
"Even with a power like that, it seems that you're useless."
Izuku's eyes narrowed. "That's not-"
"It is true, Midoriya, and you know it," the knight continued. "I'm sure you're asked yourself at least once where you would be at currently had you never met Rias Gremory. I never personally waste time thinking on what-ifs, but if I had to guess at best your little life would've ended long ago. You always dreamed of being a hero, yet you never truly tried to work for that dream. Instead, you just waited for a miracle to happen, instead of making your own miracle."
"I…" Izuku hesitated to respond.
[Izuku, don't let him get to you!] Said Ddraig.
"Just because you've managed to find a way to achieve your dreams, doesn't mean you're anything special. It can't hide who you are."
"That's-"
"The truth is you're just a weak…"
"Hey!"
"…useless…"
"Stop it!"
"…scared little boy hiding from his own pathetic mediocrity!"
"I said…" Izuku Boosted Gear glowed brightly, his body coursing with energy as he activated One for All. "STOP IT!" Izuku threw another punch at the knight. Before it hit, the knight dropped the sword and smirked beneath his helmet before he was sent flying back.
Izuku breathed heavily as he calmed down, looking toward the down knight before he quickly ran to Milia's side. "Milia! Are you okay?" He asked, gently lifting the girl up.
"Uh…" Milia groaned as her eyes opened. "Yeah…"
"Viridian! Yari!" The two looked up to see Ryukyu, in her dragon from, floating above them with Nejire beside her. "Are you both alright?" She asked as she landed, taking on her human appearance.
"For the most part," Izuku said. "The villain is-" he tensed just as smoke began to fill the air.
"What the?!" Ryukyu coughed from the smoke before Nejire used her Quirk to dispel it.
Once it cleared, while Touma's sword was still present, the knight was gone. "Where did he go? Hey, Izuku, Ryukyu, can you-?" Nejire stopped her question when she saw the state the two were in.
Ryukyu was using her hand to pinch her nose, snarling and coughing in equal measure, while Izuku gagged and held his nose, appearing to be on the verge of collapse.
"Why does everything reek of peppermint?!" Izuku exclaimed.
"An old trick used to deal with tracking dogs," Ryukyu answered. "He must've known we might be able to follow his scent, so he took precautions… maybe even put some on himself to cover her own scent."
"So he got away?" Milia asked, still lying on the ground.
"For now," Ryukyu picked up the stolen sword. "At least we managed to stop him. Let's get the back to the museum and call it a night."
The three U.A. students nodded, Izuku helping Milia up as he tried to ignore the peppermint stench in the air. As they made their way back to the museum, Izuku couldn't help but think about what the knight had said.
[Try not to let what he said get to you.] Ddraig reassured. [As far as I'm concerned, you're far from useless.]
Izuku smiled. 'Thanks, Ddraig.'
AN: And done! Hah, finally moving on from the internships! I just hope you all enjoyed this chapter, or I guess I should say mini-chapters or something. I don't know.
And I must admit, having Bakugo being subjected to Yosano's 'treatment' was far more satisfying than I imagined.
If you're wondering why I'm giving Izuku enhanced senses now, it's because I never thought of that until I started reading Supreme_king_Nero's flic, "Heroes DxD: This is our story" on AO3. It's a really great fic so be sure to check it out, and giving Izuku the nose of a Dragon Slayer was something I wished I thought of WAY earlier.
Anyway, next time we'll be getting back to U.A., so be ready for it. Until then stay safe, stay healthy, and don't be racist. Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!