Mirio slid along another dirt-covered slope, making his way slowly down the cliffside. The boy touched down on a grassy landing still a good thirty feet above the ground and paused to take in his surroundings. The van was parked high above on the side of the road, and Mr. Compress stood leaning against its side panel. Rizumu was nowhere in sight, and Overhaul was rapidly descending to Mirio's ledge. As the masked man made it down to stand beside him, Mirio looked out over the scene before himself and narrowed his eyes.

Far in the distance, beyond a gated bridge, was the cannery. The massive building was heavily guarded and situated atop a small, isolated piece of land surrounded by water. A guard tower stood overlooking the road, and the only available cover was a small patch of trees on the side of the bridge opposite the main building. Within those trees were two figures, the pair barely visible at such distance in the darkness.

"That's them," Mirio said softly as Overhaul leaned in next to him. He hadn't planned on bringing his Shie Hassaikai colleague along with him, and he still wasn't sure exactly how the situation would play out. "They're… moving a lot. It almost looks like they're fighting…"

"They are," Overhaul said confidently as he walked to the edge of the small strip of flat ground. "Come closer."

"What makes you so sure?" Mirio asked with feigned curiosity as he moved to crouch down next to Overhaul. Quite suddenly, a massive tentacle appeared from the hand of one of the shadows and sent the other flying backward into a tree. "Alright, yeah, they're definitely fighting. That's…"

"Good," Overhaul spat. "Perhaps they'll serve as a distraction and allow us to slip inside…"

"Wait," Mirio suggested as Overhaul stood up straight. "You're not at all curious as to why? Two heroes, one of them pro, are fighting it out in front of our objective, and we're just going to let that go?"

"Yes. We are," Overhaul resolved as he pulled at the base of one of his gloves. "It's a golden opportunity."

Mirio took in a deep breath, his eyes still locked on the staged fight occurring down below. He knew he had to do something, but he wasn't sure just what would convince his ally to rethink things.

"…maybe for you," Mirio said hesitantly, "but… I can't just leave him. Amajiki is my best friend, Overhaul. I can't just leave him."

"You will, if you value your position among the Shie Hassaikai," Overhaul snapped as he turned to look at Mirio. "This has nothing to do with the miss-"

"You don't know that!" Mirio argued as he turned to stare Overhaul down. "He's probably here for the same reason I am- revenge. Fat Gum might be trying to stop him, and if it's a distraction you want, then… what better way to get it than assist Amajiki, send the pro packing, and make a temporary ally? I know him. We work together often. That's our golden opportunity."

"And you think he's just going to let you continue working with us afterward?" Overhaul asked. "A move like that is too dangerous. If he recognizes you…"

"He won't," Mirio reassured. "Not in this outfit. You can do all the talking, just… help me. Do this for me, and I'll owe you. Come on, Overhaul. You need my Quirk for this mission to even have a chance, and I'm not budging on this. Even so, I'd rather you do this as a friend than because I forced you to. Work with me. I want to work with you."

"Don't be a dick," Rizumu's voice echoed through their earpieces. "Come on, 'Haul. The kid makes a good point about using Amajiki as a targeted distraction. Could get us deeper into the facility without anyone being seen. That would also keep me safe, you know. I'd rather use a hero as bait than put on a show myself."

"…both of you are obnoxious," Overhaul declared. "Fine. But if things don't work out the way you anticipate…"

"Then I'll knock his ass out and we dump him back in the city after we do our thing," Mirio said with a shrug. "Trust me. I'm still planning on getting this done tonight. It's just a little detour. He won't even know it's me."

"We want Fat Gum out of the picture as quickly as possible, right?" Rizumu asked. "And before Amajiki can recognize you? Leave it to me."

"What?" Mirio asked, suddenly feeling apprehensive. "What are you planning to do…?"

"Just stay clear until I chase the pro off," the woman declared. "You'll have your window to talk to Amajiki afterward. Get to the ledge just above the forest and wait for me."

The sound of sliding rubble clued Mirio in to Rizumu's position above and behind him. Rocks and dirt tumbled down the slope above his own as she began a careful descent, her overlarge sword absent.

"This is quickly turning into a circus, and the more people with ideas, the more likely it is that this fails," Overhaul muttered. "Get moving."

Mirio launched into action, leaping off the ledge and beginning to slide down the next at an angle with Overhaul in pursuit. The sounds of battle became audible as they got closer and closer, and before long, the pair was perched just above the small grove in which Suneater and Fat Gum were facing off. Both of the heroes' suits were torn, and Tamaki's cloak was in tatters. Fat Gum's hoodie was ripped and hanging partially open, revealing the baggy black shirt he wore beneath it. Both men appeared absolutely exhausted, though Tamaki seemed to be the fresher of the two.

"I'm not letting you do this, kid!" Fat Gum yelled loudly enough to be heard up on the overlook. "This isn't you!"

"You do not know me," Tamaki declared as a pair of large bull horns sprouted from the sides of his head. "Back down. Leave me. Sir Nighteye deserves this act of vengeance in his name."

"Nighteye wouldn't want this!" Fat Gum tried, breathing hard as he held his shoulder and rotated it a few times. "Think of everything you're throwing away, and for what? Temporary satisfaction? Revenge ruins people!"

"The old fool," Overhaul snarled from behind his mask. "Infighting and backdowns will lead to heroes losing even more respect once the news goes public. Besides… taking revenge would make the streets safer, would it not? Heroes…"

"…so he is here for the same reason we are," Mirio pretended to realize. "Or… kinda. He wants to kill some Nue…"

"And he was stupid enough to bring a pro with him to help," Overhaul said with a sigh. "His career and name will be ruined, after this. What was he thinking?"

"Fat was a close friend of Sir Nighteye," Mirio replied as he gave Overhaul a sidelong glance. "Amajiki probably thought that he'd be on board. Fat's the kind of pro that's usually open to bending the rules…"

"What'd I miss?" Rizumu asked in a whisper as she slid into position behind the two men. "Hard to hear over the noise of sliding down."

"Amajiki's out for revenge," Mirio explained as he turned to face the woman. "Looks to me like he's throwing away his mantle of hero in the name of getting things done. Wish he would've done it sooner. I know a place that appreciates people who do that kind of thing."

"Do you, now?" Rizumu asked with a mischievous smile. "Never too late, depending on how this goes. Catch me."

"Catch… wha-?" Mirio started to ask, only to find out immediately. Rizumu's eyes rolled back into her head as she fell toward him, and he quickly moved to scoop her up before she hit the ground. "Saku! Compress, she's down! We might need you!"

"She's down?" the man asked over Mirio's earpiece. "That's normal. Just guide her to the ground and get ready for a show."

"…Overhaul, what does that mean?" Mirio asked. "What's g-"

Again, Mirio was interrupted as a plume of black smoke erupted from beneath Rizumu's top and began to tunnel along the ground. The rolling gas crept its way down and around the ledge and into the forest, where it swelled into a larger and larger dark cloud amid the trees. Suddenly, it shot forward just as Tamaki and Taishiro backed apart from each other, occupying the space between them. With a brilliant flash of light, where there had once been smoke instead stood a massive beast unlike anything Mirio had ever seen.

The creature looked mostly like a bear, though it was closer in size to two pickup trucks side by side. Its fur was a deep purple, and neon blue veins pulsed and glowed brightly all across its body. Where the creature's head should have been, there were instead two, and as it spoke, Rizumu's voice echoed in double from its twin maws.

"Leave," the beast commanded as it turned to face Taishiro. "You are not welcome here."

"What in the hell…?" Taishiro asked as he began to back away.

"…I second that," Mirio said as he looked to Overhaul for answers while the creature advanced on the pro hero. "What's happening?"

"Did you not wonder why they call her 'Dreamgirl'?" Overhaul asked. "When she's asleep, her Quirk allows her to conjure forth anything she can dream. That thing is very much real, and very much her. Stay here with her body until it dissipates."

Before Mirio could ask anything else, Overhaul leapt down into the forest and began to slink through the trees toward Tamaki. The boy had backed off and hidden behind a tree as the monstrous creature focused its attention on Taishiro instead. It wasn't long before the professional had taken off running through the forest with the bear in hot pursuit, snarling and grunting as bolts of lightning arced through its fur.

"…alright, this is… not ideal…" Mirio said to himself.

"Update?" Mr. Compress asked, causing the boy to jump. "Or did you forget I was here?"

"Uh… never mind. I'm going in," Mirio declared as he watched Overhaul moving closer and closer to his friend. "Tell Saku I'm sorry when she wakes up!"

Without another word, Mirio leapt off the ledge and landed hard in the grass. The boy rolled forward to keep his momentum going just as Overhaul reached Tamaki. A tentacle lashed out for Overhaul and he rolled into a dodge, after which he adopted a fighting stance. Mirio sprinted hard to close the distance as Tamaki began to back away, his shoulders shaking.

"Who are you?" the hero asked. "What is all this?"

"Someone with similar interests," Overhaul answered cryptically. "I, too, am here to bring ruin to the Nue."

"You're… Yakuza," Tamaki asserted as he began to circle the other man. "I recognize that mask."

"Done your homework, have you?" Overhaul asked as he began to circle in the opposite direction. "Hear me out, hero. We may be able to work something out."

Mirio arrived on the scene in short order, breathless and terrified as to what might happen without his intervention. Overhaul immediately shot him a venomous look, which he promptly ignored.

"Sorry," Mirio said halfheartedly. "I had to get down here and step in. Tamaki, what are you doing here? I saw your text go out…"

Overhaul stood up straight, his eyes blazing as he watched Mirio remove his mask entirely.

"Togata," Overhaul seethed. "The mission is compromised. Compress, get down here!"

"Wait!" Mirio called as he held a hand out toward Overhaul. "Just… wait. Look at him!"

Tamaki had blood trailing from his lip, and his visor was partially shattered. One of his eyes was closed and had convincing wound makeup around it. Tamaki's shredded cape hung loosely around himself as he held his fists up in a fighting position, and one of his horns was cracked off at the halfway point. Many of the pouches upon his vest had been torn off, and fake blood had been applied all across the outfit to give him the appearance of being semi-seriously wounded. He only lowered his guard as he mimed sudden recognition, his voice shaky and uncertain.

"…T-togata…?"

"Yeah," Mirio answered with a slow nod. "I'm… here on business, Tamaki. This is where I've been at night- collecting intel and allies who will actually do something about what's going on in Japan. Why did you come here tonight?"

Tamaki took a moment to look between Mirio and Overhaul. The latter seemed incredibly annoyed, though neither of the two moved.

"I… came here to settle… everything," Tamaki said slowly. "I came here for Sir Nighteye. Who are these people you're with?"

"…friends," Mirio answered. "Friends that won't stop either of us from doing what's right…"

Author's Note:

Next chapter will be a direct continuation of this one, bringing a close to the cannery mission.

-RD