Izuku got up feeling nice and relaxed. He got up, stretched, and started to get ready for the day.
He wondered what things would be like between him and Kacchan now. They'd probably mild acquaintances at best since they barely knew each other anymore. Still, the apology was nice as was the metaphorical burying of the hatchet. And the literal burying of his fist in Kacchan's gut. (That was very nice.)
Once he was dressed, and had eaten Izuku sat down, got out his notebook, and started planning. Definitely needed to speak with Sakaki and Ishikawa about training their teams for the upcoming battle.
All maser teams were trained for urban combat, but all of their actual experience had been in either in nature or small towns. They should therefore all go into the simulators to prepare for fighting in a real city. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would help.
On a more personal note, this would be a very dangerous fight and Izuku might not come back. There was a risk of dying in every battle, but for this one those odds would be especially high. Izuku had to call Mom and-
Mom!
Godzilla was heading toward the mainland! He needed to call her and get her to leave the city for a few days! Granted, Mustafu was in Shizuoka and should be safe but he couldn't risk it!
Izuku opened his phone and saw a news notification saying they'd begun evacuating large portions of Tokyo.
On the bright side, it meant All Might succeeded. Lives would be saved. On the downside, roadways would be congested, making it hard to leave without being on an official transport. Still, if Mom caught a train early enough…
Izuku opened his contacts and pressed Mom's number. After a few rings she picked up.
"Izuku?"
"Hi Mom, how are you?"
"I'm doing great honey. How are you?" There was an edge of worry in her voice.
"I'm fine," Izuku said. "Things are mostly fine around here. I…I spoke with Kacchan."
"Really? How did it go?"
"It went…fine," Izuku said. He didn't know how else to word it.
"That's nice," Mom said. "I spoke with Ochako yesterday."
"You did?"
"Yes. I ran into her while I was walking home. We talked about…you know, you, your friendships, that sort of thing. She's a fantastic friend you know."
Izuku scratched his cheek. "Yeah, she is. By the way Mom, that reminds me. I think you should go visit Ochako's parents for the next few days, or maybe the rest of the week. I've spoken with some Heroes here, and apparently they're expecting an attack on Tokyo from the sea. I know Mustafu shold be fine but-"
"Don't worry Izuku, I'm already on the train. Ochako mentioned something similar so Mitsuki and I left this morning."
Izuku let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm glad to hear that," he said with a relieved smile.
"I told you, she's a fantastic friend."
"Yeah, she sure is…"
"That reminds me. Izuku?" Mom's voice became heavy. Something was wrong.
"Yes Mom?"
"I…I know your job is more dangerous than you let on. I don't know how much…but I know it's worse than you wanted me to think."
Izuku's grip tightened. "How long have you known?"
"A while. I don't-I don't like my baby being in danger, but I also can't ask you to stop."
Izuku's eyes widened.
"I know how much you love it there, and I can't ask you to give that up. Just…please be careful. And please try to come home."
Izuku felt the tears gathering. "I will Mom."
Mom sniffled on the other end. "You're welcome. I'm proud of you Izuku."
The tears started to fall. "Thank you."
"Thank you for calling sweetie. I love you."
"I love you too."
The call ended. Izuku felt the tension leaving his body. Mom knew. Mom actually knew. And she was ok with him staying. Most importantly though, she was safe.
With that done, Izuku dialed Ochako's number.
"Midori?"
"Hey Ochako. I just spoke with Mom. Thanks for asking her to leave."
"You're welcome Midor,." Ochako said, "It was the least I could do."
"I know, but I'm grateful all the same."
"Thanks. I'm heading in now. They're trying to evacuate all of Tokyo so…today's going to be a long day."
"If it's any consolation, the evacuation protocols do work. They're based on the Heroes' successful evacuation during the Seventh Battle of Tokyo. As for me, I spoke with Kacchan yesterday. He apologized for being a dick in Middle School."
"He actually did it? What happened?"
"I think we're…I think we're ok? I still need to sort my feelings out, and we're not friends but…I think we're better than before. Also I got to punch him. On his request!"
"Midori…" Izuku could picture her smile.
"I've got to go. I hope you can get here before Godzilla does. I'd love to see you before the battle starts. Maybe then you can tell me the whole story."
"I'd like that."
"Good luck Midori."
"You too Ochako."
Izuku hung up. He got up and began walking through camp, looking for Sakaki.
"Come on! This way!" Ochako said, waving the crowd on.
The evacuation had been ordered the previous night, and every Hero agency in the city was being called to help. Heroes across the country were also called in. Meanwhile All Might (freaking ALL MIGHT) was coordinating the whole thing, making what should have been a complete mess into something somewhat coordinated.
The plan was to clear the areas around the coastline first, then move inward. The areas that weren't being evacuated yet were told to prepare.
Nejire's agency had been an absolute madhouse this morning, with Heroes scurrying to and fro like frightened rats. Nejire barely said a word Ochako, just giving Ochako her position and sending off. Fortunately, Ochako was an experienced Rescue Hero so she needed very little supervision.
Ochako knew they couldn't actually clear the city on time, (heck the plans they were using expected them not to) but they had to do what they could. So, Ochako did her best to comfort the frightened people and to wave them on. However, she wondered how much it actually did.
She'd been told once that a Hero's presence alone provided comfort, but right now she wasn't sure. Still, she did her best, waving them on with the most encouraging smile she could give. Unfortunately, when you had this many anxious people in one spot, there were bound to be problems.
At midmorning, Ochako heard was a loud banging a few blocks away. Thanks to the years she'd spent around her parents' business, Ochako recognized it as construction work. The crowd didn't.
"Was that a Villain?"
"Get me out of here!"
"Run!"
As one, the crowd pushed backwards, shoving and fighting in the opposite direction they were supposed to go, swiftly becoming a human stampede.
"Remain calm! Please, we're doing all we can!" one of the Heroes said into a megaphone to the human stampeded, but it was useless. No one was listening.
Ochako saw a civilian fall down, soon becoming swallowed by the crowd. As she vanished beneath the sea of bodies, she cried out. "HELP M-"
Ochako didn't need to think.
Using her quirk, Ochako floated herself and lunged over the crowd until she came to the spot where the person fell. She tapped her fingers together and dropped down, before quickly touching every civilian she could, floating them.
Slowly the rest of the crowd stopped, the sight of all the people floating distracting them from their panic. Soon, all eyes fell to Ochako, who was standing in the middle of the floating group.
"EVERONE!" Ochako said. "Please remain calm! We Heroes are doing everything we can to keep you safe! This is no time to panic! If you need to flee, we will tell you!"
She reached down and lifted the one who'd been trampled back to his feet. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Uravity."
She flashed the woman her Hero smile. "You're welcome."
Ochako pulled the remaining people to the ground and touched the pads on her fingertips together. "Release!"
The group staggered as gravity suddenly returned to their bodies. Ochako walked to the edge of the crowd and soon began directing it like she had before.
This is a madhouse, she thought to herself. What happens when actual Villains attack?
An hour later she got her answer, when one of the storefronts suddenly exploded.
"Oh come on!" Ochako said.
"Would it have killed them to wait until the people were all gone?!" said a Hero next to her.
As the crowd scrambled away, two Villains stepped toward the destroyed storefront. One was dressed as some sort of Bhuddist monk with tattoos on his head. He sat down and got into a meditating posture. Glowing golden chords shot from his tattoos and began grabbing items from the store. The other one took off several layers of extra cloths he'd had. The layers stood up on their own, as if worn by an invisible person, then jumped into the store.
Ochako snorted with disgust. Looters.
She looked around to see if there were any battle Heroes around. Seeing none, she ran toward the Villains herself. Ochako gripped a car with all of her fingers, floating it, and lifted it up. She charged at the Villain dressed like a monk, holding the car like a baseball bat.
The Monk Villain shot the chords from his head. They wrapped themselves around the car and yanked it from Ochako's hands, lifting it over the Villain's head.
Smirking, Ochako pressed touched her fingertips together. The car immediately regained its weight and started to fall. The Villain shot even more chords out to catch it and keep from being crushed.
A Hero dressed like a rock star ran up behind the Villain, holding an electric guitar. Before the Hero could attack, the Villain sent two of his chords to stop him. While he was distracted, Ochako rushed in and punched the Villain in the face.
The car began to fall again, but Ochako slapped it, taking its gravity away. She kicked the Villain in the jaw. The Villain fell to the ground while Ochako pinned and cuffed him. Easy.
The other Villain and his autonomous clothes rushed the rock star Hero. With a grin, the Hero played his guitar in what sounded like a theme from a fantasy movie. Immediately, a team of knights made of solid purple light formed in front of the Hero and charged the Villain.
The constructs made quick work of the Villain, helped by other Heroes rushing to the scene. Ochako left the monk Villain in the hands of the reinforcements and went to check on the civilians.
A few minor cuts from the glass they'd thrown, but no one was too injured. Ochako did some first aid until the medics arrived and took over. As the situation wound down, Ochako returned to her work, carrying on as she had before.
And so, the day wore on, with Ochako going between crowd control, fighting Villains, and cleaning up after battles.
Finally, her shift ended. There was still much to do, but Ochako knew she needed rest, especially with another long day ahead tomorrow.
Ochako left her post to her replacements and made her way back to Nejire's Agency.
While she walked, Ochako wiped some sweat from her forehead. Nearby, she saw several bustling crowds, and the Heroes desperately trying to maintain order.
It was a madhouse, and the real disaster hadn't even started.
Hope you enjoyed!
For any of you wondering, the Seventh Battle of Tokyo is the attack that occurs in the prequel one shot, The City Shrouded in Shadow. You don't need to read it to understand this story, but I do occasionally reference it.
