Here is the latest chapter! Now, watch as the new meat take on their first kaiju and utterly steamroll them-I'm just kidding. You know what's about to happen.


Many years ago

Shoji d listened to the adults talking. Mr. Katsuhara talked about lawsuits, and medical bills, and a bunch of things Shoji didn't understand. However, he got the main point: the people who hurt him would have to pay his parents back.

"Their latest offer will be enough to pay for any further medical expenses and put Shoji all the way through High School. But, we can go further. A criminal conviction is unlikely, but a victory in the civil suit is certain. If we want, we can give them a debt so high their grandchildren will owe-"

"No."

They all turned to Shoji. "I don't want their families to suffer," he said. "We can stop now."

Mr. Katsuhara stepped forward. "But, Shoji those people-"

"I know what they did!" Shoji said, pointing to his scars. "But you guys have been paid back, the girl is safe, and I'm fine now. I don't need to fight this anymore."

Mr. Katsuhara sighed. He was clearly disappointed. "I'll agree to their settlement offer if you all wish it."

Shoji's parents nodded.

"You're a kind boy Shoji," Mr. Katsuhara said. But something was wrong. For a moment, something cold flashed across Mr. Katsuhara's face. Then it was gone, replaced by the familiar warmth.


Izuku watched the soldiers entering the caves. They were going to scout the hive, a high risk but low-skill job. As such, the people doing it were mostly new meat, with a single veteran to command them. Meanwhile, others lined the mountainside, in case the Meganulon counterattacked.

"They're inside," said Tchujimori. She turned to the gathered soldiers. "Keep an eye out! There might be other exits around. If that group is followed, we'll need to support them. Can't do that if you have Meganulon tearing you apart from behind."

Izuku nodded, making sure to feel the ground around him to ensure there were no caves or crevasses. He heard one of the nearby soldiers chuckle, "Rookies."

"Hey, be fair. I lost a buddy or two because they didn't do that," another said.


Gantaro marched near the back, straining to see the guys up ahead. Lucky Akihiko was closer to the front, where he'd be first to fry the bugs. However, something was off about him since they were assigned to go in. He was on-edge, frightened almost. However, Gantaro had faith in his friend. Tonight, they'd be having dinner, trading stories about how they'd all managed to-


"-get slaughtered," said Akai to Kazama. Kazama nodded. Everyone pitied the poor bastards entering that cave. Scouting a Meganulon cave was risky with experienced soldiers, let alone rookies. Let alone these rookies.

Frankly, Akai felt it'd be far more humane to send a smaller group of veterans in with orders to pull out at the first sign of trouble. Alas, that might cost the AMF skill they could not afford to lose. So instead, they sent in a collection of rookies.

Akai sighed and waited for it to start.


Akihiko slowly crept forward. His eyes focused on the little white dot his flashlight created on the wall. The only view he had in this darkness.

Every moment he waited for some movement, a sound, some specter of death to come leaping from the shadows. All he heard was the footsteps of the guys around him. It looked like they were alone.

But they weren't. That was the worst part. They all knew they weren't the only things stalking these tunnels. But they weren't sure where the bugs were. So, they just had to keep moving, flamethrowers and freeze guns primed, waiting until they either found their enemies...or their enemies found them.

Akihiko glanced at some slime on a nearby wall. The guy in charge pointed his camera at it, then moved on. He kept an eye on their motion sensor. It continually beeped as it mapped out the caves.

They were the first line of attack. Worst of all, they were all expendable and everyone was slowly realizing it. Akihiko just wished that didn't happen as he entered the mouth of the kaiju's den. Only one veteran accompanied them, and he remained in the middle to watch the new guys. Because if several guys were going to die, why waste the experienced one? Akihiko had thought those guys were arrogant, overly critical bastards who didn't even follow half the rules they gave the recruits. But now he was glad to have one here.

He'd been so cocky yesterday. But now his knees trembled with every step. What Akihiko wouldn't give for his rocket launcher right now. But then again, in a cave like this, using it would likely result in a cave-in. That was why they didn't bring them. But that was why they shouldn't have hunt down here. They should be up above, where it was safe.

Akihiko heard a click. He swung his flamethrower, his eyes flailing for a target. The men stiffened, readying their weapons as they looked around.

Akihiko saw nothing. Nothing but a loose stone. He'd jumped at nothing. It was nothing. He took several breaths to calm his racing heart.

"Safeties off!" their leader barked.

Akihiko complied, but he wasn't sure why. He didn't see anything around. He looked around. Then, he saw movement in front of him. He shined his flashlight just in time to realize it was coming right at him.

"Incoming!"

Akihiko's finger tried to find the trigger, his flashlight illuminating those massive compound eyes. As his finger finally found where the trigger would be, it slipped.

For a moment, Akihiko watched helpless as the creature's mandibles closed around him. There were many sounds now, many colors. He heard the clicking and chattering of Meganulon. He heard the sounds of freeze guns and flamethrowers going off. He saw red from the fire. He heard the various screams.

He then realized that one of them was his own.


"-I am very pleased to meet you," Mr. Katsuhara said.

"Thank you," Ochako said.

"I am curious, how did you get so good with your quirk in the AMF? You weren't even a ground soldier."

"Technically I got a license to use one there. I also had a good friend who helped me practice."

"Oh, which one?"

Ochako felt a bit awkward but said, "Izuku Midoriya. He used to analyze quirks for a hobby. He mostly analyzed kaiju at that point, but the skills were the same."

There was no surprise on his face. "That's quite a story. Midoriya seems to have many talents. Though, public speaking wasn't one of them I'm afraid."

Ochako shrugged, "He's just not good at interviews."

"Few of us are, few of us are."

Ochako glanced at him, to Tentacole. "So, how do you-"

Katsubara said, "I represented his family after he was injured in an…incident. My work didn't undo what happened, but it brought some closure to the matter."

Tentacole said, "Mr. Katsubara is well-known for his activism in the legal field and beyond for Heteromorphs, especially in the rural areas."

"You wouldn't believe how easily our quirk laws can be manipulated by people with ill intent," Mr. Katsubara said. "I had to defeat so many claims against Heteromorphs who weren't even using their quirks. Still more for uses nobody cared about when non-heteromorphs used them. Thankfully, such incidents are dying down."

"That's very good," Ochako said.

The door behind them opened, and someone called them in.

Ochako and Tentacole stepped in, with Mr. Katsuhara lingering behind. They were meeting a member of the House of Representatives, one with considerable party pull. His support was needed for Ochako to make the changes she wanted. Fortunately, she and Tentacole both had something he wanted in return: Good will.

However, the politician wasn't watching them. He was watching Katsuhara in the way a rabbit watched a circling hawk.

"It is good to see you all," the man said, "I must say I was surprised when you two reached out to me. You said you wanted my party to make these amendments to our rights bill?"

"That is correct," said Tentacole. "In exchange we'll help bring more attention to your renewal efforts in the Bendu district, as well as the outreach programs you've done to help those displaced by kaiju."

Ochako nodded.

"That's very good," said the politician. "But I was wondering if you could do another favor? One of my colleagues is up for reelection-"

Katsuhara said, "We have not vetted your friend and want to avoid endorsements like that. These two are Heroes, not political analysts. Their skills are best used for charity and outreach."

"He's right," Tentacole said. "I don't feel qualified to endorse your friend. But I can endorse some of the work I've seen in-person."

Ochako nodded. "It would help your friends if the people appreciated your work!"

The politician looked unconvinced.

Katsubara looked up, fixing the man with a gentle smile. "Your opposition party tried very hard to have these two support their work."

The politician perked up. Ochako personally only vaguely remembered a single email from another politician, but decided she didn't need to say that.

Mr. Katsuhara continued. "These two had no interest, because they don't want their political capital spent like a child in the arcade. They want someone who'll use them properly. I hope that someone will be yourself. I'm sure your friend will understand that the party comes first."

The politician wavered. Then, he nodded. "Yes, I suppose that is true. Very well, I will get you two what you asked for. Amendments to ban discriminatory quirk tests, and reduce some of the restrictions and legal penalties for quirk use."

"Thank you very much sir," Ochako said.

"You have our gratitude," said Tentacole.

"You will not regret this decision," said Katsuhara, looking like a cat that had just caught a field mouse in its claws.


Emoto grabbed a rookie's flamethrower, directing it away from his fellow soldiers and into a Meganulon. However, the jet of flames still grazed one soldier in the back, setting it alight. Emoto grabbed the burning man and threw him to the ground. "Roll now!"

One idiot tried to aim his freeze gun at the flames. Emoto took it and froze another of the Meganulon, then blasted it with his shotgun. The Meganulon shattered.

Another used a quirk that sprayed fire-extinguisher foam at the burning man, putting out the flames. Another still let off a bright flash of light. It drove back the bugs, but it also nearly blinded Emoto and several others.

"Dammit! Give us warning before doing that!"

Emoto picked up the burned man by the arm, and yanked him toward the mouth of the cave. He narrowly ducked another set of mandibles, letting another soldier fry it with her flamethrower. Emoto then shoved the man he was carrying into that the soldier's arms, sending him toward the cave entrance.

This wasn't a retreat, it was a route, and Emoto had to salvage what men he could.

Behind him, Emoto heard another man scream. He turned, and saw the soldier near bisected. There was nothing anyone could do for him. So, Emoto fired a single shot from his shotgun, then helped another soldier kill a Meganulon that had grabbed another soldier.

Emoto grabbed two soldiers by the shoulders, one with a flamethrower and one with a freezing cannon. "Suppressing fire, now!"

They turned at the Meganulon and fired, at the same time initially (idiots) but after Emoto corrected them, in succession. First fire. Then ice. Then Emoto's shotgun. Two Meganulon shattered. The horde slowed, but only for a moment. That moment was all Emoto needed. He grabbed the two and yanked them back, bolting for the exit. One of them fell down. Before Emoto could go back, a Meganulon already had him by the head.

Emoto and the other rookie sprinted out of the cave, the last ones out. Emoto ushered his panicking soldiers down the mountain. He heard the scampering of insectoid legs behind him. He dared not look back. There was a loud smash, followed by an ugly crunch. Someone else had attacked the bugs, but he dared not look. Rockets went off, along with cold guns and flames. The others were attacking, but he dared not look.

Finally, when Emoto reached a large group who had met his men, he looked. The veterans had pushed the Meganulon back up, taking no losses. Meanwhile, the soldiers who'd gone into the cave had lost a third of their number. Many of the survivors were wounded. All of them looked shaken, if not broken.

Emoto muttered, "Welcome to the AMF…"


Akihiko was dead. Gantaro still couldn't believe it. They were supposed to fight together, crushing monsters like normal people squash bugs. And now he was gone. Ripped apart by those…things. Gantaro shook his head, trying to get the images out of his head. The screams. Those soulless compound eyes.

Nearby, he saw a group of trucks pulling in. Out of them stepped a bunch of foreign looking soldiers, who moved like the veterans. The soldiers were joined by another. A woman in her mid-twenties with a purple and turquoise sleeveless bodysuit, a khaki sleeveless short coat with fur along the collar, and, most distinctive of all, bright pink skin. The Acid Hero, Alien Queen.

Gantaro shook his head. If she thought she could make a difference, she was poorly mistaken. The Heroes had been humiliated at Tokyo. If AMF like them struggled with those things, she didn't stand a chance.

As Gantaro wandered off and sat by the lake, finally letting himself relax. Here it was safe. He saw some guys nearby splashing each other in the water. He had half a mind to join them, get his mind off of the events of that day.

"You shouldn't be there!" an analyst said running out. Because of course someone had to be a killjoy.

"Lay off!" one of the guys said.

"Yeah! The bugs are up there!" one woman pointed at the mountain.

Nearby, Gantaro saw Akai and a few others racing forward with a sort of harpoon gun.

The analyst said, "The caves have water in them! We think the Meganulon might be-"

Then the woman started screaming.

The new soldiers stared dumbfounded as she was slowly dragged forward, sinking deeper into the water. Akai and the veterans lunged. They drove their harpoon guns into the water around the woman and fired.

The woman thrashed away from the spot where she'd been screaming, leaving a red trail in the water behind her. Gantaro and the other rookies finally moved, grabbing the woman and pulling her ashore. They laid her on the ground, where they could see the ugly gashes on her torso. Gantaro looked back and saw movement under the water. They're in the lake.

He fell backward and scooted away from the water. Everyone else joined them.

As the medics hauled the woman off, Akai handed his gun to someone else and stepped toward Gantaro.

"You shouldn't be that close to the edge," said Akai.

Gantaro nodded, scooting back. He looked up at Akai, who watched the water with an eerie calm.

"Why are you so calm? You saw her…"

"I did," Akai said. "You know her?"

Gantaro shook his head. "Why does that matter?"

"Never mind. Let's get you to the tents. I'm meeting up with my buddies for cards, the ones left anyway. You should probably stay with your own friends. Process everything."

"Meet your buddies for cards. How do you do that after…everything today?"

Akai let out a joyless laugh. "Welcome to the AMF."

Just what had Gantaro signed up for?


Many years earlier

Haru Katsuhara stared down at the dying man.

An unfortunate hiking accident, a fall onto the same rocks where a local heteromorph boy had saved that little girl so recently. The same boy this man and his friends had so gravely scarred. Shoji would probably feel bad when he heard of the man's death. A sentiment that would not have been mutual.

The last hints of light faded from the man's eyes. Haru tossed his blood-stained rock into the stream.

Some might believe the death wasn't accidental, but that was irrelevant. All they'd have was shadows and suspicion. After all, Shoji's family was clearly innocent, they were meeting with a respected local official right now. Three different respectable colleagues would testify to speaking with Haru at this time. Everybody else who might have been involved was accounted for. And if anyone considered something stupid against the Heteromorph community…courts could only ignore so much, and Shoji's injuries had pushed that near the limit.

In short, to any who suspected foul play, this man's death would just have to be one of life's little mysteries.

Haru made his way through a secret path in the woods. He reached the waiting car, changed clothes, and hid the contaminated ones in the trunk. He then got in and nodded to the driver.

In the back sat someone with a heteromorphic quirk superficially similar to Haru's, wearing clothes similar to the ones Haru had just ditched. He typed away at his phone, sending his friend some nice, authenticatable text messages. They drove out of the bushes, and onto the main road. They stopped next to the car Haru had driven here and let the man in the back out.

The man walked to his car, having taken a small hike (authenticated by his phone's location data) away from the death site during which he was mistaken for Haru by any witnesses who may have seen him today. In a few minutes, the man and his friends would meet him at a nearby gas station where they'd be overheard by several witnesses talking about his peaceful hike. Exactly as planned.

Haru turned to the driver, "It's done."

"What next sir?"

"We get back to my office where I sign that settlement agreement."

As they drove, the driver said, "Some of the others think that this was not enough."

"It is. His death, and the mystery surrounding it, will scare his friends. With any luck they'll think twice next time they consider something stupid. And if they don't…accidents happen."

"Shikamaru disagrees. He plans to attack them in their homes again."

"I know, along with their families. The police still want him after last time."

"He says they are complicit. And he's not alone."

"Well unfortunately he'll be found dead in the woods today with a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

The driver threw a quick look at Haru. "He was loyal to the cause."

"Then he should have obeyed orders. Assassins are useful. Butchers are not. Attacking the families would give us no benefit."

"Many say that, given the sorts of things those people did-"

Haru gestured to the scar on his throat. "I know better than anyone what sorts of things they do. But our army can't act on every whim that enters our heads. Shikamaru acted like a mad dog, so I put him down like one." Haru took off his gloves. "Men like him are a stumbling block on our path to liberation."


Hope you enjoyed!

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