I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.


Between their declaration and now, much had happened. For one, Nighteye's operation to take down Overhaul had started to involve several other Hero Agencies around Japan. Coincidentally, these agencies were the ones that Kirishima, Uraraka, Tsuyu, and their senpai in the Big Three were a part. And while that normally would get Mineta's paranoia tingling, it got far worse when they learned what Overhaul was planning to do.

He bird faced bastard was making anti-Quirk bullets. Worse still was how he was making them… Eri, that little girl Overhaul was holding captive? Her flesh and blood is constantly being used by Overhaul for research and production of these bullets. No one was more appalled by this revelation than Mineta, Midoriya, and Mirio, who allowed her to slip away.

And while Nighteye took the blame for that mistake… It didn't ease any of their guilt.

It is why, when the plans to raid the Shie Hassaikai were made, the three would whole heartedly do all they could to help. And with the support of their friends, Mineta knew it was only a matter of time before that poor girl would be in good hands. So they all bided their time until the day things would be set into motion…

And that day was now.

"How many times are you going to fiddle with your fancy stick until you're satisfied?" Nejire asked bluntly with a smile.

Mineta extended his baton for the umpteenth time before looking at her. Despite her unfortunate phrasing and the interesting thoughts that had he now has because of it… The shorter boy couldn't shake the apprehension running through his veins. Early that morning, the shorter boy and his friends were all packed in a van being driven by Aizawa with their seniors.

And though they all had some experience dealing with this sort of thing… For Mineta, Midoriya, Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Kirishima, this was their first official mission as Heroes.

This did leave the shorter boy wondering why he felt they way he did. For Mineta, this is technically the second time he's been put in a van and was sent en route to apprehend a dangerous individual… But then again, it was Aizawa who was doing the driving and not Master Eclipse. Perhaps the dread back then was drowned out by the absolute fear of Eclipse's beyond aggressive driving.

A luxury the shorter boy wished he had now…

Suddenly, Aizawa slammed onto the brakes. As such, the van jostled violently, along with everyone inside, for a moment before things smoothed out.

"Damn luxury car, you can't change lanes like that... Is everyone alright?" Aizawa asked, his eyes snapping to the rear view mirror for a few moments.

"We're fine, just surprised." Midoriya answered as he and the others readjusted themselves. Though this was where Mineta noticed Tsuyu's hand was on his body. She must've kept him stable during the bump. But before the shorter boy could thank her, he began to feel her hand groping around his chest.

And while that would normally cause the shorter boy to get all flustered… Mineta knew what she was trying to confirm. The question soon came the moment Tsuyu began knocking on his chest.

"Mineta-chan... Are you wearing body armor?" She asked as she continued to feel around her classmate's torso.

"Actually, I was wondering why you're looking a little chunkier than normal. When did you get it?" Uraraka replied.

"Not too long ago actually. But I don't really wear it unless I know I'm going into some deep trouble. I'm not built like Midoriya is nor have natural armor like Kirishima, so I had to think of other ways to improve my defenses. And my time at the Temple inspired this." Mineta replied, adjusting his armor after Tsuyu pulled her hand back.

The thing was snuggly fitted to Mineta's torso and upper arms, leaving very little room for outside hands to grab. The armor was also somewhat flexible, allowing Mineta to retain a good degree of his agility. And finally, its modest profile and exact coloring to his Hero costume made it almost unnoticeable. It was perfect for his sneaky nature whilst offering a degree of defense Mineta didn't have before.

"Maybe I should invest into something like that… I'm already wearing a bunch of pouches, so a tactical vest could give me some extra armor… But wait, won't that stop me from spreading my wings?" Tamaki muttered.

"Body armor would help improve my chances in a fight… My Quirk isn't at the level where it could tank blows like All Might, so the extra defense would give me leeway. Though given how armor restrains and restricts the body, I need to consider the construction to minimize agility loss and maximize protection." Midoriya muttered quickly as he took notes in his notebook.

"Oh no! It's a mumbling duet!" Mirio shouted, his smile betraying the tone of his voice.

"Wow, I didn't realize Amajiki-senpai did something like that too." Kirishima replied as he continued to watch his senior and classmate continue their ramblings.

"It's not that surprising. Out of the three of us, Tamaki hogs all the brain cells." Nejire replied, petting her dark haired friend's head. However, before anyone could say anything else, the van came to a stop. The mood turned as all eyes immediately went to Aizawa, who had just switched off the engine and readied his goggles above his eyes.

"We're here." He said simply before exiting the van.

Mineta swallowed the lump that was in his throat as he looked to his partner. The muttering had completely stopped as his brows had furrowed with resolve. Looking over to Kirishima, Uraraka, and Tsuyu, he saw how their faces became hardened and prepared. And finally, looking over to the Big Three, Mineta saw that they had taken on an air of professionalism.

"Alright guys, it's time to take to the stage. If you stick close to the Pros and to your training and instinct, you'll be just fine. Ready?" Mirio asked, his lips being pulled into a daring smile.

With but a single nod, everyone gave the same answer.

"Ready."

And so, they all quickly unloaded from the van and gazed upon the site of their operation.

It was a traditional Japanese home of modest size, a reflection of the yakuza's status in the age of Quirks. But while the house itself wasn't particularly suspicious, the shorter boy could feel something off about it. For one, it was way too quiet… Like, wouldn't some noise be raised by the number of law enforcement standing outside your front door?

"Once I finish reading the warrant, that'll be your cue to storm in." The lead officer said as he approached the door bell. Mineta kept one hand on his baton and one hand on his head. Call it paranoia, but he feels like something was about to happen. Even with Midoriya's hand on the shorter boy's shoulder, he just couldn't shake the creeping dread up his back.

I mean, Mineta swears he hears something just behind that front gate.

"Get back!" Mineta shouted. Almost reflexively, the crowd of Heroes and Police jumped back and readied themselves for a fight. And, as if to answer that, a large man with even larger arms came barreling through the front door. It was startling. But thanks to the shorter boy's warning, no one was caught in the Villain's surprise attack.

"What do you want!?" The man asked, charging forward with his massive fists. Ryukyu, dashing ahead, exploded into a plume of smoke and transformed into a massive dragon. She then caught the Villain's fist with her claw, holding back their foe with a bit of effort.

"Trap this one!" The Dragoon Hero shouted. She then raised her claw and throwing the Villain upwards. Mineta and Midoriya immediately began throwing hairballs onto the ground where the man had stood. And once the ground was dotted with purple orbs, Ryukyu threw the Villain she held onto them.

The Villain hit the ground hard, even with the hairballs there to cushion it. Mineta held his breath, hoping the Heroine didn't just shatter the ground beneath them. But as the Villain struggled against the adhesive hair, everyone knew he was finished. Unless you were willing to skin yourself alive or the ground breaks underneath you, no one could–

"RRAAGH!" The man shouted as his muscles began bulging. That was when Mineta saw a colored mist entering his mask. The shorter boy blinked and looked around to find the source of the mist… Only to see that it was coming from everyone surrounding him. And those who were under its effect, including Ryukyu, were starting to look more and more tired.

"He's stealing their energy!" Midoriya shouted before the mist suddenly dissipated. And no matter how much the Villain tried to breathe, no more mist came out of anyone. That was when Aizawa came down from above with a riot shield in his hands. The scraggly man then proceeded to slam it down on the Villain's head with a loud clang.

Mineta and his friends in 1A flinched as they saw the Villain give one last twitch before he stopped moving altogether.

"Is… Is that guy going to be okay?" Kirishima asked, sweat rolling down the side of his head. That was when he saw that the Villain was still breathing, allowing the red haired boy to sigh in relief. And while Mineta knew Aizawa was too moral to kill a person… That didn't mean he was above traumatizing them.

Mineta snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Nighteye ordering the police to keep the Villain tranquilized. He was also briefly thanking Ryukyu, Aizawa, and Midoriya for their help. His sharp eyes then landed on Mineta before giving a brief nod of acknowledgement to him. The shorter boy just nodded back to that. However, Mineta did silently ask him 'what do we do now'. Nighteye simply adjusted his glasses as he looked at the Heroes around him.

"Now… Let's continue with the operation." Nighteye said, stretching out his neck. The lanky Hero then darted forward, causing all the other Heroes to do the same. Mineta reacted a moment later than the others. But he quickly fell by Midoriya's side as they all rushed through the gate of the Shie Hassaikai home. There were two dozen or so thugs guarding the way, some even using their Quirks to attack them. But given how many Heroes and Police officers there were, it only slowed things down a little.

Still…

"Is Overhaul that great of a leader? His men are just throwing themselves at us." Mineta asked as they entered the manor's front door.

"It is a rather disconcerting sight. Normally, most criminals would surrender peacefully against a force this large." Tsuyu replied.

"Their loyalties were set the moment sake cups were crossed. Individually, they feel inferior… But when they gather together like this, they feel like they're part of something greater. That's why they're going so far for someone who is probably getting ready to escape. They truly believe in their Boss and whatever he has planned..." Aizawa explained, punching a thug as he ran past.

"That's more like zealotry! They're throwing away everything for someone that isn't going to repay them!" Uraraka shouted.

"Then let's find this Overhaul guy and beat loyalty into his head! We've got two great examples right here!" Kirishima said, looking over to Midoriya and Mineta.

"After we rescue Eri-chan. Then we'll talk about what to do about Overhaul." Midoriya replied calmly, reminding them of the mission. Even if their complaining changes nothing, Mineta found it nice that his friends share similar perspectives. Loyalty is a two way street. If both parties don't acknowledge each others as equals, they could only do so much when working together.

"We're here." Nighteye said as he brought the group to a halt. On the wall nearby was an alcove where a well tended potted plant sat. Combined with the calligraphy piece hanging behind it, Mineta found the sight rather pleasing and artistic. The lanky Hero proceeded to move the vase out of the way and began pressing the boards underneath them in a certain order.

Once the last board was pressed, however, the wall let out a loud sound.

"Good work Sir. If we weren't aware of it, we would've easily missed this." Centipeder said as the wall slowly slid open. Nighteye didn't say anything to his sidekick. He did, however, slowly ready himself as the darkness beyond the wall almost black. Mineta drew his baton as he heard his friends and the surrounding Heroes ready themselves.

And it was a good thing they did so. Because the moment the door finished opening, dozen thugs came pouring out of the opening. While Centipeder and Bubble Girl were able to take down a three of them, it soon became a brawl in this crowded hallway. Mineta, using his small size and rat like nature, was able slip between people's legs and struck the groins of thugs he came across. This gave more than an opening for someone else like Midoriya or Mirio to finish them off with a proper takedown. So as suddenly as the attack began, it ended.

"They really don't want us down there…" Tamaki said, retracting the clamshells on his hands.

"Then we're going the right way! Onwards!" Fat Gum shouted. Both Centipeder and Bubble Girl elected to stay behind to finish arresting the thugs. So with a nod, Nighteye led the charge down into the Hassaikai depths. Though as the Heroes followed him, Mineta slowly felt a strange air surround them. Initially, he thought it's because they were entering an underground lair full of dark secrets. But as they proceeded down the darkened corridors, the feeling got worse and worse.

"Does anyone else feel that?" Nejire asked, her blue eyes carefully looking around her. Well that practically confirmed Mineta's suspicions. If even the other Heroes were looking wary, that meant that there was something definitely wrong here. However, if they can't figure what that something is...

"Be on guard… They already knew we were coming, so there could be–" Ryukyu began. However, before she could finish, the ground suddenly opened up beneath the lead group. Uraraka, who was part of the group, quickly tagged Tsuyu, Ryukyu, Midoriya, and herself with her Quirk. Those four then grabbed anyone within their reach preventing them from falling. Nejire was flying on her own and was holding a police officer.

Though that kind of left…

"Oh shit!" Mineta shouted as he, Kirishima, Mirio, Tamaki, Aizawa, Nighteye, Fat Gum, Lock-Rock and a three other Officers fell into the hole.

"Mineta-kun!" Midoriya shouted, a flash of worry appearing on his face. But before the shorter boy could respond or stare at it too long, the hole they fell through closed up. Mineta hit the ground a few moments later, though the landing wasn't as rough as he thought. And looking up, he found the reason why… The shorter boy was currently wrapped up in Mirio's arms.

"You alright little buddy?" He asked, releasing Mineta from his embrace.

"Thanks to you… Still, where are we?" Mineta replied as he got up and off his senior. The shorter boy looked around and found that they were in a somewhat large room. And based on how much dust was kicked up into the air, this was a room that wasn't used often.

"A hall one floor below where we fell. Still, that was one Hell of a Surprise. Could that have been the one with 'Mimicry'? He must've taken a Quirk booster to be able to take control of the basement." Aizawa said, dusting himself off.

"Great, a living labyrinth… Just what we needed right now…" Lock-Rock said with a groan.

"This isn't good… If they can change the path, we'll never reach our goal… They'll get away with the girl… And at this rate, even we will be–" Tamaki muttered, panic slowly consuming him. That all came to an end, however, when Mirio gently clapped his face and forced his focus onto the blonde.

"Suneater, breathe like how Nejire taught you."

Tamaki stopped his muttering and closed his eyes. He took then took a deep breath before letting out a whistle like exhale. He did this a few more times until the color on his face returned to normal, albeit with a slight blush on his face.

"Better?" Mirio asked, still holding onto Tamaki's face.

"Y-Yeah… You can stop holding my face now…"

"Oh right, sorry. Anyhow, even if someone's warping our path, it's just a stopgap. As long as I know where I am and where I need to go, I'll be able to get to where I'm needed. So I'll go on ahead." Mirio replied, releasing his friend's face before turning to Nighteye. The lanky Hero hesitated for a moment, almost as if he was afraid of Mirio facing the enemy alone… But after another moment of thought, he let out a tense sigh and looked at his protégé.

"Be careful Lemillion, you'll be without back up for a while." Nighteye said. Mirio nodded with a thumb's up. He then took off in direction of their objective and passed through the corresponding wall. With all that's happened since the start of the raid, Mineta was glad one of them could make progress towards rescuing little Eri. Though that did leave the shorter boy wondering how THEY should proceed considering that even the walls, floors, and ceiling were against them.

"We should get moving ourselves. We'll be caught by something anything else if we stay still for too long." Fat Gum said as he cautiously approached the only door in the room. The moment he was in front of it, something burst through and sunk its teeth into the rotund Hero. And while the startled rotund Hero was dealing with his attacker, two other guys ran past him and went straight for the group. One was wielding a sword while the other was taking aim with a gun.

Mineta, eyes finally moving away from Fat Gum, reached for a hairball on his head and threw it to try and slow down the guy with the sword. But due to how sudden the attack was, the shorter boy misread his running rhythm and missed. Luckily, Tamaki was there to pick up the slack. With a clam shell around himself and octopus tentacles to grab his foes, he deflected the attacks that came his way before throwing the two into the far wall.

He even disarmed them of their weapons.

"I'm not a chew toy! Get off!" Fat Gum shouted as he finally threw off his attacker. However, despite escaping, he was still covered in several bleeding bite marks for his troubles. The three men who ambushed them got up a moment later, an eerie resolve burning within their eyes. Mineta swallowed the lump in his throat, knowing full well that these guys were even more zealous than the thugs from above.

"Damn… If the fatty hadn't been the one to come to the door, you'd be down a man… Oh well, you all will be dealt with sooner or later." The blonde thug said as he reached out towards one of the group. It was almost as if he was trying to reach out for something… However, nothing happened before Tamaki charged forward with tentacles flailing.

"Eraserhead, everyone! I'll take care of these three, you go right on ahead!" He shouted as he grabbed all three of the thugs with his tentacles again.

"But Suneater-senpai–!" Kirishima said before the normally soft spoken Tamaki interrupted him.

"We can't waste time on these guys! Your Quirks, especially Eraser's, and the Police's firearms are better used elsewhere. And we can't keep Mirio waiting. Knowing him, he'll push himself too far and be left in need of help... So please go!" Tamaki pleaded, throwing the thugs against the wall again. Despite how hard he did it, the three were still very much conscious. Fat Gum frowned and stared at his young side kick…

But in the end, the rotund Hero nodded and began leading the group out the door.

"Deal with them while my Quirk is active." Aizawa said as he passed Tamaki. The sullen senior simply kept his eyes on the thugs, but light in his eyes shined in acknowledgement. And so, Mineta and the group he was with left Tamaki to his battle. However… There were some who expressed doubt over his abilities…

"Fat! What were you thinking!? Leaving Senpai alone like that is…!" Kirishima shouted as they continued running down the corridor.

"Seeing he was part of your office, I left it to your judgment… But give it to me straight, can that kid do it?" Lock Rock asked, doubtfully eyeing Fat Gum. The rotund Hero didn't even wait a millisecond to deliver his answer. And based on his tone, Mineta could tell he was offended that his peer asked such a thing.

"He can. I know Tamaki can. Sure he has a weak heart. Sure he stresses over every little thing. But that 'kid' is Suneater. He wouldn't be here if I didn't think he was ready. That kid is a true Hero, right down to the bone." Fat Gum answered without wavering. Those words brought forth familiar feelings within Mineta's heart. A Pro calling their younger, more inexperienced student a true Hero… There was always something inspiring about that. And it was something Mineta experienced constantly from the people who taught him.

Fenghuang…

Aizawa…

Midoriya…

They believed. It didn't matter what sort of person Mineta was, they just put their faith in him. So, if Fat Gum trusted Tamaki to handle it…

"Then I'll believe in him too. That's what friends do… Right Midoriya?" Mineta thought as they traversed deeper into depths.


And that has been Chapter 102.

I cut out two chapters after realizing it really doesn't add anything. It kind of sucks though since I also put a lot of effort into writing those scenes... But this is probably for the best. I'll kept trying my best to keep unnecessary scenes out, though that'll be hard when I really like the character interactions I have in mind.

In other news, my brother and I have beat Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and are now cursed with pain and ideas. So, if things seem a bit slower, I am trying to vomit out my passion that is trapped in this mortal coil. I should be able to get the next chapter of The Saint and The Sinner though. But to those who are fans of Xenoblade... I do hope your is ready for that game.

But that is all I have for this week.

So...

Until Next Time. T1.