I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
A whole 4 minutes have passed since they've been thrown down to this floor. And despite nothing else happening, Mineta couldn't shake off the various facts they know. One, the Shie Hassaikai know they were coming and had prepared for their arrival. Two, the Heroes were forcibly separated into two groups. Three, they were currently traveling through hallways a man can manipulate around them. And four…
"Not much has happened since we separated from Senpai…" Mineta muttered as he carefully eyed his surroundings. The Heroes and few officers that were near him were on edge as well, keeping their attention on every detail around them. Since the walls could literally attack them at any moment, it was hard to stay relaxed. Even when they've found some stairs going up, the mood was still very heavy.
"Hmmm… I've been doing some thinking." Aizawa said as they continued their corridor run. Due to the tension and silence, Mineta almost flinched to the sudden sound of his teacher's voice. Was his nerves so on edge that he even reacted poorly to his allies? Mineta had to get a grip or things would go downhill fast.
"What is it Eraserhead?" Nighteye asked, glancing back slightly at the scraggly Hero.
"The walls haven't moved in a while… So it got me thinking about the guy who is doing the manipulating and his limitations. I don't think he can control the entire underground at once; he may not even be part of the basement itself. Rather, he is moving along the surface of the walls and observes areas of interest. And only when something catches his eyes does he do something." Aizawa said, pointing towards the walls and ceiling.
"Huh… That makes sense. Since Fat's kid behind us and the others above us are causing a mess, the guy must've been going all around trying to get as much information as possible." Lock Rock commented.
"… Doesn't that mean he is a serious threat!? Once he figures out what to do with that info, he'll rush over and do it! We've got to find him before that happens!" Kirishima shouted. Mineta's ear twitched to what sounded like gushing mud. He turned to the sound and saw a rush of concrete shooting out of the wall. Worse still was the fact that it hit Aizawa, who was being pushed towards a hole on the opposite wall.
"Eraserhead!" Mineta shouted as he changed direction. But given his delayed reaction, angle of approach, and short limbs, the shorter boy won't make it. However, from the corner of his eye, Mineta saw someone who could make a mad dash towards the Erasure Hero. And despite his apparent size, Fat Gum was startlingly fast. He jumped in and pushed Aizawa out of the way before he himself was shoved into the hole.
And just like that, things went quiet once more as the walls returned to its natural state.
"And there goes another one of– Wait, where's that red haired kid?" An officer asked. Mineta's eyes snapped open as he looked around, taking a head count. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find Kirishima anywhere. Did… Did he jump in with Fat Gum!?
"Damn it Kirishima… This cannot get any worse…" Mineta thought, gritting his teeth.
The universe seemed to have heard him. Because the next thing they knew, the walls, floors, and ceiling began deforming. Then, they slowly began working its way closer and closer towards them. The guy controlling the place was planning to turn them into red paste right here, right now!
"Lock-Rock!" Nighteye said calmly. How on Earth this man could be so calm right now was beyond Mineta. But it was reassuring as the shorter boy could follow his example. Since they had inadequate power to break through this predicament… They needed their wits more than ever. So, as Lock-Rock did his best to halt the advancing surfaces, dodging rather pinpoint shots of concrete, the shorter boy began thinking.
"The guy has to be nearby for him to see what we're doing… And as a result, he has, in essence, surrounded us with himself… But what exactly is he surrounding us with? Aizawa-sensei thinks he isn't literally one with the wall, more like ATTACHED to it. If that's the case… How is this guy attached to the wall? I mean, something has to be coming from his body that allows him command over the walls…" Mineta thought as he closed his eyes.
Even with the chaos slowly closing in around him… A deep breath allowed Mineta to sort his thoughts the way Fenghuang taught him. All the information he has learned since the start of the raid appeared before him as they slowly began grouping together. This was a man who can possess objects. He could then, through those objects, see and hear what's going on in a room. And he could even precisely interact with things whilst still posing as that object. That takes some serious motor control…
Motor control…
Mineta's eyes snapped open and brought up his right hand. Could that be the answer they needed? Regardless… It was the only one they got as the walls were almost upon them. The shorter boy turned to his scraggly teacher and saw the sweat dripping from his face. He was still searching, still clinging to the smallest hope they had. So, with all the hope in his heart, Mineta rose up to the challenge.
"Eraserhead, I've got an idea but I'm going to need a knife. Do you trust me?" Mineta asked. The Erasure Hero took a moment to stare at Mineta, his surprise evident even from behind his dark goggles. But after another moment, Aizawa's expression softened and he drew a knife of modest length from his boot. He then handed it to the shorter boy, hilt side first.
"I'm offended you even asked." Aizawa replied. The shorter boy smiled before darting towards the wall. Mineta then drew his baton and thrust it into the moving wall. The weapon actually bit into it a little deeper than one would expect. It had also twitched in strangely human like way… And that was all the confirmation Mineta needed. Raising the knife in his other hand, the shorter boy plunged it right where his baton's tip was.
It had sunk halfway into the undulating concrete…
A blood curling scream echoed all around as the walls expanded again, freeing the group.
"There you are." Nighteye said as he threw what looked like stamps at the ceiling. But when these small objects hit its mark, a layer of concrete was immediately blown away. And behind that was the face of a furious man. Aizawa's eyes immediately locked onto him and he soon fell from the ceiling, his body separating from the concrete. Nighteye threw another stamp at him, hitting the man square in the jaw. He landed with a thud, his only movement being the slow rise and fall of his breathing…
"We're saved…" One of the officers said as he fell onto his butt. Mineta let out a sigh of relief as he collapsed his baton and returned it to his hip. He tried to remove Aizawa's knife as well… But since the wall had returned to its original state, it was now stuck there.
"I'm glad we've pulled through and all… But what the Hell was that? You stabbed through concrete." Lock-Rock asked, pointing at the shorter boy.
"I'm curious as well, how did you know that would work?" Nighteye asked as he handcuffed the unconscious thug that cornered them.
"Well… I kind of didn't… It was more of an educated guess on how this guy's Quirk actually worked. You see, if he was not the wall itself but attached to it, I began thinking about the ways he's connected to it. Since he could hear and see through it AND attack with precision, I deduced he was connected to the walls through his nervous system." Mineta explained.
"But… How come he didn't feel our attacks? We were whipping him with our guns!" A Police Officer asked.
"Usually, when someone integrates with a material, they take on its qualities to some extent. So if the guy had possessed concrete, his nerves would also be concrete." Aizawa replied.
"Then how did short stuff do what he did? Again, he sunk a knife into concrete and the guy felt it." Lock-Rock repeated. Nighteye narrowed his eyes as he went from looking at Mineta… To the baton that was stuck on his hip. The shorter boy tensed a little, realizing the lanky Hero just figured it out the secret. But instead of revealing it by asking questions, he simply turned and rallied everyone to press on.
"Regardless of how, we should be glad he did. Now come, we've still got Overhaul to apprehend." He said without looking back. Rock-Lock and the police officers simply stared in disbelief as Aizawa followed, dragging Mineta with him. The shorter boy looked up at his teacher and found him smiling. It wasn't one of his usual 'ruse' smiles… But rather, it was a genuine and proud one. And to that, Mineta couldn't help but smiling too.
"Wipe that look off your face; we're still in enemy territory." Aizawa said, returning to his normal persona. Mineta's expression dropped and returned to a neutral position, albeit one tinged with disappointment. Just when his old master was showing some pride in public…
"Right… Sorry…"
"Still… You've really pulled through for us. Good work." Aizawa said, giving his student a quick pat on the back.
Mineta looked up at his teacher again and found that the smile hadn't completely run away from his face. So, the shorter boy held his head a little higher because of that. This wasn't the time to celebrate it… But Mineta was definitely going to remember this moment for a long while. After all, it wasn't often that he could say that he saved people from certain doom all on his own.
"Well… Almost on my own…" Mineta thought, briefly glancing at Aizawa.
The group proceeded through the corridors and ran up and down stairs. But while it was easier to navigate now that the person manipulating the paths was defeated… The Shie Hassaikai underground was still pretty labyrinthine. Multiple times, they ended up in dead ends or unrelated areas away from the path in Nighteye's vision. They didn't lose too much time…
But it was just enough that the lanky Hero was starting to get impatient. Mirio was by himself with the enemy after all…
However, some good news did come down from above. Literally.
"Grape Shot!?"
The shorter boy looked up and saw Midoriya through a hole in the ceiling. The shorter boy let out the biggest sigh of relief from his body as the green haired boy jumped down. The two approached and bumped fists. And honestly? Since they had initially separated, Mineta felt like this mission's outcome was up in the air. However, now that he reunited with Midoriya, this mission was as good as finished.
"Even in darkness, the light of two brothers shines brightly…" Uraraka said after she dropped down.
"Uravity… What are you going on about?" Tsuyu asked, tilting her head.
"Oh, it's from this one show that Red Riot and I… Where is Red Riot?" Uraraka began before noticing that their red haired classmate's missing from the group.
"And what about Lemillion and Suneater!? They're not here either!" Nejire asked as she flew around like a frantic fairy. Oh right… Not all of them were together…
He looked to his senior and relayed all that has happened since they were first separated. Midoriya had also assumed his Heroic persona again, now was the time for business.
"Lemillion went on ahead to find Eri. Red Riot and Fat Gum got separated from us. And we dealt with the guy controlling the walls." Mineta explained, gesturing to his group. Uraraka and Tsuyu dwelled on his words for a moment. And as the seconds passed, their eyes slowly began to reflect the kind of faith Mineta knew.
"You're right; Red Riot's the toughest and manliest member of 1A. He won't go down so easily." Uraraka said, the smile returning to her face.
"Now that I think about it… When you fought Red Riot, you only won because you used a submission hold. As long as he draws people into a head-on brawl, then there's nothing to worry about." Tsuyu added, looking towards Midoriya. The green haired boy let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. It wasn't often people pointed out Midoriya's dishonest tactics… So it must still be awkward for him to be reminded of it.
"The League was here?" Aizawa asked as he, Nighteye, and Ryukyu, who jumped down a several moments ago, talked. Mineta's eyes widened as he turned to his partner. Now that he got a closer look… Midoriya had some cloth wrapped around his left arm. There were also a few cuts along his costume. Uraraka and Tsuyu too, their persons and costumes were also damaged.
"What happened?" Mineta asked as the heavy atmosphere returned.
"… Before we came here, we ran into and fought two members of the League of Villains. We couldn't make much sense of what they were saying, but we could tell they were up to no good. I think they made a temporary alliance with the Shie Hassaikai in order to get close and steal their secrets. I don't know if they succeeded yet, so we better keep an eye out for them." Midoriya explained, brows furrowing as he clutched at his bandaged arm. Mineta fell silent as he thought about that.
What could the League want here? Did they find out about Eri and what she's capable of? Were they after her and/or Overhaul's Quirk destroying research? If so, then they really should get moving.
"There was also something they said that didn't make sense… One of them, her name was Himiko Toga, complimented Deku-kun's power and how he blew so many holes in the walls and ceiling. But… He didn't do any of this…" Uraraka said, gesturing to the hole in the ceiling. Mineta blinked at the hole, her words bouncing around inside of his head.
The implications then hit him harder and faster than All Might had during the End of First Term Exams.
"There's some other nut job roaming around down here!?"
"Based on the evidence… Yes. However, I would be more concerned with the fact that this person could break through so many walls in such little time. We've been following them for quite a while and I think we're about to reach the end of it…" Tsuyu commented, pointing to the far wall. All eyes turned to it and there was a large hole in it. There was another hole beyond it, except that this one was on the floor.
And if one were to listen carefully…
There was noise coming from below.
"Even if there's another unknown wandering about… We're too close to our objective to retreat or wait. We need to press on through there and regroup with Lemillion. We've kept him waiting for far too long." Nighteye said, pointing towards the hole. Mineta swallowed the lump in his throat. Even if he knew they were going to go down there… The fact that they don't know who or what else is down here unnerved him.
"Considering how many of us are together… I'm sure we'll be able handle whatever surprises that'll come our way. Lead on Sir Nighteye." Ryukyu said with a nod. And so, the lanky Hero walked ahead, the group following closely behind him. Mineta continued to walk along side Midoriya, slowly taking deep breaths. Here they were… The depths of the Shie Hassaikai base… The final battle…
The shorter boy took one last look at Midoriya and found him staring back. The stalwart spirit was practically overflowing from his very being. And had Mineta been behind his partner, he was sure Midoriya's back would've been quite the sight.
"You ready?" Midoriya asked as the group stopped before the hole in the ground. It was pitch black and the sound of crying could be heard from behind it. Mineta nodded, pushing down the apprehension in his gut. It was now or never…
The green haired boy picked up his friend, the sparks of One for All dancing around his body. Uraraka tagged Tsuyu, Ryukyu, and herself, ready to jump down the hole using the ceiling. The Aizawa, Lock-Rock, and Nighteye were assisting the Police officers set up rappel cables, allowing them a safe descent. Once all the preparations were completed… They all took the plunge into the darkness below…
…
Midoriya's iron boots hit the ground with a crunch. He put down Mineta as the two shined small flashlights around to examine the scene. Not long after they did that, the others touched the ground and shown their lights all around as well.
The walls and floors were either heavily distorted or in pieces. There were some blood stains on the ground and an unmoving body with a mask similar to Overhaul's. And while the Officers began checking on him, the group continued to look around for any signs of Overhaul, Mirio, or little Eri. But despite looking, they couldn't see any signs of them. There was no one here…
But if that's the case… Then where did that crying come from?
"Hello? Togata-senpai?" Midoriya asked, his voice echoing around the dark room.
"Shut it you idiot! You'll give us away–" Lock-Rock said with a harsh whisper. However, the Hero was interrupted by the sound of moving debris, causing everyone to shine their lights in the direction of the noise. And what they saw was… Surprising to say the least…
"Woah! Quit your flashing! It's indecent!"
That weird humor… It couldn't be…
Mineta could only stare as their lights shined on Eri, who was wrapped up in a tattered red cape, and another kid, no older than eight, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and was dressed in baggy clothes that looked like Lemillion's cos–
"Oh Hell…" The shorter boy muttered as the room exploded with name of one person.
"Mirio!?"
And that has been Chapter 103.
I've got nothing to note except how I think Mimic's quirk works. Since he inhabits an object, he has to connect to said object in some way. I'm thinking it's a nervous system thing since he can still see, hear, and manipulate things rather well through touch. And since Trigger enhances that power, he'll be melded to his given material more closely. Luckily for Mineta, he's been carrying something that destabilizes that connection, enough to reveal his nerve endings again. That may or may not be how it works...
But it's what I came up with.
My only other news is that, after next week, we'll be returning to the once a month schedule. I'm starting to slow down a bit, mostly that my mortal form has been taken hostage by all the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 thoughts in my brain. So The Saint and The Sinner will be slowing down for a bit.
Regardless, it'll still be here for as long as it takes to finish it.
So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.
