Heeeeeeeeey dudes/dudettes! Howsit going? So I'm gonna keep this quick (for real this time!). I also realized I forgot a few things last time so let's get right to it.
First off, HUGE thanks to IWriteWhenTheHiatusStrikes for beta-ing these chapters. He's done an amazing job so far so give him some love.
Second, I completely forgot this last time, but this is a new arc, which means…New Opening and Ending Songs. So I already have a playlist of possible openings and endings for this story but if you have a suggestion feel free to let me know. The only stipulation is no songs from other Anime, not that I don't like them I just want an "original soundtrack' for this story.
Opening: House on Fire - Rise Against (Not the last time you'll see them as an Opening)
Ending: Go to War - Nothing More
Okay, that's it I think (I'm sure I'll remember more things later but to hell with it). I hope you all enjoy and as always if you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to drop me a PM, leave a review, message me on Discord, or just email me. Enjoy!
Purpose of a Hero
The lobby was eerily silent. The distant sounds of sirens from arriving first responders, the adjacent building burning to the ground and the screams of employees from the upper levels all seemed distant as Spitfire looked at the man who'd interrupted his fight. He was tall, probably around six-foot-five, and had short, stringy green hair, with what looked like clumps of dirt tangled in it, hiding his vibrant green eyes. What caught the teen's eye the most though, was his outfit. He was dressed exactly like the models on the covers of gardening magazines. The only difference was the large, bright yellow utility belt that wrapped around his waist. Unlike similar garments, he had a second layer of pouches hanging beneath the first. Spitfire snorted, clearly unimpressed. "Huh, I was expecting more."
"Maelstrom, status?" His cold voice demanded, though his eyes never left the entangled Villain. Behind him, Nina let out a sigh of relief and straightened slightly before answering.
"The enemy has an extraordinarily strong fire Quirk. His flames are able to disintegrate anything in their path, including steel and...uh, well...human bodies," she said uncomfortably, sending a sidelong glance at Piston, who was staring into the hole from Spitfire's earlier attack. Overgrown nodded and turned his head ever so slightly towards his sidekick.
"Contact first responders, the stairway to the upper levels is completely blocked off. Once they arrive please assist in putting out the blaze. I fear this may not be the only Villain. Therefore, Piston, you shall stand guard while I ascend and–" Overgrown stopped as Spitfire began to laugh.
"Cocky, aren't we? You think this fight is over?" The golden-haired man said, his tone filled with malice. He opened his mouth and black flames leaked from it, falling like a waterfall onto the vines that held him captive. The thick green prison quickly turned black and fell apart like it was made of sand. "No, no, no we are just getting started."
"Be careful, we'll cover for you!" Maelstrom exclaimed, raising her hands to generate another ball of water. She faltered when her boss held up one hand while the other dipped to his belt, pulling a few brown seeds from one of the assorted pouches.
"You are too injured. Allow me to deal with him quickly," the Number One Hero proclaimed. He held his hand out, palm facing towards the ceiling, and it glowed a bright green color that matched his eyes. The seeds split and grew into more vines, all of which shot towards Spitfire with the force of a bullet.
"BRING IT!" He bellowed as wisps of smoke curled out of his manically grinning mouth. He released a column of midnight black flames from his maw that engulfed the vines, easily burning right through them and continuing towards the trio of Heroes. Overgrown's eyes narrowed and he reached for his pouches, only for a massive burst of water to slam into the flames. The attacks canceled out with a hiss as steam filled the room. Nina stood there, breathing heavily and staring at her hands in amazement, which soon turned to realization and then fear.
"He's toying with us. His flames beat my water easily just a few moments ago," she muttered. The green-haired Hero looked at her for a moment, as if he were contemplating something, then turned to face Spitfire, who sneered.
"His power has a limit. All Quirks do. Flames that hot must put quite the strain on one's throat, perhaps he is nearing his limits. In any case, our basic plan still stands. I will finish the job here, Piston will go to the upper floors and Maelstrom you contact emergency services. Go now." As he said this, Overgrown took out another handful of seeds. This time, a large wall of hedges grew horizontally from his palm. Piston looked as if he were going to argue, but in the end, he just looked away dejectedly before rushing towards the out of service elevator, yanking the door open and leaping into the empty shaft. Maelstrom also looked somewhat hesitant to leave her boss, though she knew better than to disobey. She made for a hole in the nearest wall, the result of an attack earlier in the battle.
"Alright, I've run outta patience," Spitfire growled as the hedges burned away and he saw what was happening. "OI! BARTY GET IN HERE!" There was a sound like dozens of cannons going off in tandem and only too late did Nina figure out it was very, very heavy footsteps. The wall she was running towards exploded in a shower of concrete and dust. From the newly formed crevice in the wall came an absolute mountain of a man. He stood over eleven feet tall and nearly as wide. His beady brown eyes were alight with excitement. He was completely bald, though a much too small blonde wig was attached to his head by a thin wire tied beneath his chin, making it more of a furry bike helmet. When his eyes landed on the golden-haired man he grinned widely and sprinted towards him, his arm catching Nina in the midsection as he passed. The accidental blow sent the poor girl crashing through several plaster walls until she skidded to a stop in the empty lot behind the building, a large gash on her head and a dazed look in her eyes.
I'm 'ere Mista Spitfire!" Barty bellowed in his thick cockney accent, a look of absolute glee on his face. Spitfire sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.
"Yeah, I see that Bart. Help me deal with these clowns, eh?"
"Uh, right, mister Spitfire I don't see any clowns…" the man said stupidly, his head whipping from side to side, looking for people with rainbow wigs and big shoes. The dull throb in his head that Spitfire usually got whenever the big man spoke returned with a vengeance.
"Not...not actual clowns, moron. Just, ugh...just attack the guy dressed as a gardener!" The golden-haired male commanded. For a moment, Barty was silent as he pondered the order.
"Right, right, okay! Attack the gardener, got it!" He turned towards Overgrown, who had been watching the exchange in silence with a look of confusion marring his features. With a loud, guttural roar he charged. Spitfire hummed as he watched his companion fruitlessly attack the Number One Hero, swinging his telephone pole-sized arms like clubs. 'This isn't going as I imagined. We've gotta lead him out of the building so I can go full power. I'd rather not bring down this whole building. Not flashy enough. Besides, Plague was very specific about this. Oh well, time to improvise.'
"To hell with it," he lamented before rushing into battle, thick smoke billowing out of his mouth.
Purpose of a Hero
"GUYS!" Sirius' panicked voice cried. Immediately, everything in the Boy's Dormitory stopped. Oliver and Marcus froze in their game of chess, the former turning in his chair, Benji and Lyon's argument halted, while Narruk's amber colored eyes turned steely as the reason for his classmate's fearful tone became apparent. On the flat screen television, a female news reporter with lavender hair spoke in a shaky voice, the scene behind her grim.
"This is Amber Lockheart, News Six Brooklyn, with a special news report from Miller-Braun Support Company, which is now confirmed as the site of a large scale Villain attack. As you can see behind me, smoke and black flames are currently raging through Miller-Braun's main campus and many of the surrounding buildings. First responders and Heroes are on the scene, but all attempts to enter the building or put out the blaze have thus far been unsuccessful. Regurge, the thirty-fifth ranked Hero and a Rescue Specialist has stated that the flames are unlike anything he has seen, completely resistant to his attempts at putting them out with his spit. A special eye-witness report says that a man with golden-colored hair and dressed in a cloak entered the building just seconds before it exploded. There is believed to be nearly eight hundred people trapped inside the Miller-Braun building's upper floors, while another three have been trapped in adjacent buildings due to fire damage. We will continue to update you with news as soon as it comes to light." A pit settled in the bottom of Sirius' gut. The room, which had been filled with the sounds of a couple dozen teenage boys enjoying their time off just moments ago, was completely silent.
"So this is how it begins then?" Lyon said suddenly, his gaze never straying from the screen. Many of the students in the room looked at him quizzically. Sensing they were waiting for him to go on, the orange-haired boy opened his mouth and spoke in a mysterious tone. "Mr. Holl mentioned this. With the defeat of All Might, Villains will become bolder. I fear this is just the beginning."
"Hey! Turn it up Fish!" A voice shouted. Just then a boy, no younger than sixteen, vaulted over the couch Sirius was sitting on and stared intently at the four pictures the newswoman now stood beside.
"We now have confirmed that four Heroes are currently engaged in combat with the attacking Villain. The Punching Hero Piston, the Perfect Hero Dove, the Storm Hero Maelstrom, and the Green Hero himself, Overgrown. It seems that there is indeed more than one Villain as well. We must warn all civilians to st-" The reporter was cut off abruptly as a figure came crashing out of the front glass wall of the building, propelled by thick green vines.
Purpose of a Hero
"Damn, this dude packs a punch," Spitfire grunted, as he lied half-embedded into the front hood of a parked car. His improvisation plan had gone...poorly to say the least. 'This guy doesn't mess around. Ah well, I'll live. At least the fight is moving outside now. That should give Leech enough time to dispose of that punchy guy and put the plan into action.' The Villain groaned, as did the car hood when he pushed himself up and cracked his neck. He glanced over and saw Barty still attempting to land a hit on the Hero, but to no avail. Overgrown was just too fast for the lumbering oaf, dodging his windmill like punches with a grace Spitfire never thought he'd see in a gardener. "Black Inferno!" Just like his last few attacks, Overgrown used his agility to move out of the attack's path, causing it to sear through a large portion of the building's west wall.
"STAND DOWN! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!" A new voice demanded. Spitfire rolled his head to the side lazily and observed the battalion of police cars and news vehicles splayed out along Miller Road. The man speaking was someone he recognized.
"The Spewing Hero Regurge. You can use your storage stomach to store a large variety of objects, including spit which you use to put out fires...gross." The Hero flinched slightly at this and glared at the Villain. He held up a hand and every police officer raced forwards with their guns drawn, ready to fire.
"I'm in the middle of something, back off," Spitfire snarled, looking back to where Barty was turned into a large, pudgy mummy with the spiked stems of roses. However, once he broke free, which the massive man made seem incredibly easy, he didn't have a scratch on him. As Regurge gave the order to fire, Spitfire turned his head and roared. "BLACK STAMPEDE!" The ensuing wave of fire eclipsed everything he'd shown so far, racing from his mouth like a hoard of mad, scorching hot horses, blitzing through the police line like it wasn't there at all. Cars exploded, screaming voices were quickly silenced, and two dozen officers disappeared in an instant. All along the street, for at least half a mile, the front of every building was scorched black from the ground floor up to, in the worst cases, the third story. This was the first time the Villain's power surprised Overgrown. 'Seems he isn't as weak as he was projecting. He could've been possibly holding back due to the battleground. Outdoors...he may be many times as powerful.' The thought greatly disturbed him.
"This is your last chance, Villain. Forfeit and give yourself over to the law and your sentence may be lighter," the Number One promised, reaching for a specific seed located near the back of his belt. Spitfire looked at him like he'd sprouted a third head.
"You know what? That's the problem with Heroes. Your fatal flaw is arrogance! You claim to be protectors of the people, but where were Heroes when I melted dozens of people in the lobby? There was even a Hero present, but she saved herself instead of trying to stop me. It's infuriating. HEROES ONLY SHOW UP WHEN THE CAMERAS START ROLLING!" The Villain sounded as angry as ever but Overgrown was somewhat surprised to see the pain in his stormy gray eyes. "YOU'RE NEVER THERE WHEN PEOPLE NEED YOU MOST! IT PISSES ME OFF!" The next attack was nearly overwhelming for the Hero. Black flames rushed out of Spitfire's mouth like a tidal wave. It swept through the streets, turning everything it came in contact with to ash.
"Redwood Tower," Overgrown muttered and dropped the glowing green seeds to the ground. In the fraction of a second before the fire would have consumed him a massive, fifty-meter tall tree sprouted from the ground and carried him far above the churning inky ocean. The tree lurched as the lower part of its trunk was turned to charcoal. His eyes widened as he watched the small coffee shop in the path of the flames explode. All in all, almost an entire city block was turned pitch black. Cars, storefronts, and emergency vehicles smoldered and smoked. The area around Spitfire, ground zero, had the worst damage. Instead of being blackened, slightly melted in some cases, it was as if an atomic bomb had gone off. A circle fifty feet in diameter of nothing but a slim layer of ash. The only thing remaining was the man himself, sucking in air as a desperate attempt at refilling his lungs.
"Damn, that was a bit more intense than I'd expected," he grumbled to himself. In the corner of his eye, he watched the Miller-Braun building, just two blocks away, and frowned. 'This...no, Kaboom should have made his move by now. Leech must've been held up.' He stopped when he noticed his main threat. Overgrown was staring at him from the roof of one of the burnt buildings, looking no worse for the wear. He also saw Barty, slightly charred, crawling out from under an overturned bus. "Barty, why didn't you get out of the way?"
"Well, right, I were gonna but then I forgot," he said, scratching at his bald head, his wig had burned off in the attack. "Mr. Spitfire! Yer burnt me 'air off!"
"Cry about it later, we're not done yet. I need you to stall this clown while I refuel." The golden-haired man reached into his pocket, pulled out a small, purple square, and popped it into his mouth.
"Yer got it, Mr. Spitfire, I'm bloody well gonna clobber 'im!" Barty responded with a battle cry. He then charged at Overgrown with his hands held high. "FOR ME 'AIR!" The green-haired Hero, however, barely flinched and tossed out four seeds. The seeds glowed green and grew into four more fifty-meter redwoods, completely surrounding Barty on all sides.
"Redwood Prison," he murmured, turning his attention to Spitfire, who scowled.
"Damn, should've seen that coming." He put his hand up to his earpiece and began to speak, ignoring Overgrown's murderous glare. "Oi, Leech? What's the hold-up? I've got a very angry first ranked Hero down here and not a lot of options."
"Bit busy myself, Boss!" The angry voice of his companion yelled over the sounds of terrified screams. Spitfire groaned and shook his head. 'This is not going as planned. I can't use my full power for a bit while my fire recharges, so I gotta focus on close combat and not getting caught in his traps. Easier said than done,' He thought bitterly.
Purpose of a Hero
Switcheroo sighed as he watched the black flames erupting over the rooftops. He really didn't envy his teammates' jobs in this operation. While he simply sat on the rooftop of an office building and sipped a cup of Irish black tea. "I wonder...just how long will this take. It has already been nearly half an hour and still, no progress has been made. At this rate, we will miss our deadline and displease Lord Plague. Sometimes I wish I were assigned to Master Prophets detail instead of this upstart. Though...I must admit he is strong for someone so young. By the time he reaches my age, well, I would not want to cross him. If it were not for Master Prophet, he could easily contend for the strongest in our organization," the red-haired man mused. He watched as the flames grew in tandem with a massive tree and swept ever closer to his position. "Hmph, he better get control of himself soon. The stronger he appears, the more Heroes will come. We cannot allow this operation to fail, lest it make the Black Order a laughing stock."
"You sound so sure," a new voice added. Switch tensed and turned his head to see a woman dressed in an expensive dress with an opening that showed off her more provocative features.
"Lady Vesuvius. To what do I owe the honor?" Switch asked, slightly stunned. The woman just grinned widely and swept her long, brown hair behind her ear. She looked out over the battlefield before her and smiled.
"I came to observe our newest member. Quite the firecracker isn't he? Being so bold as to serve himself up as a distraction to allow his underlings to collect all the glory. Very interesting, I look forward to seeing his growth. Plague chose well, wouldn't you say?" Switch nodded and grabbed a small piece of metal, some sort of screw, from the ground next to him. He placed it on the edge of the roof beside him and put his hands together, the fingertips of his right hand touching their twin on the left. He then shifted his right just a bit and allowed his fingers to intertwine, leaving him looking as if he were praying. The screw shuddered and was replaced by a second cup of the strong-smelling black tea. Vesuvius took the offered drink and settled herself down beside him. "His loyalties do not lie with us, you know this don't you?"
"I...suspected as much. He holds no love for us, but his ideals push him to ally with the Black Order's own." The brunette nodded and grinned into her cup.
"He reminds me of myself...back in the day. I too had a particular set of truths that I clung to with all my being. I believe that once he's realized we are not his enemy, he will become our strongest warrior. His skill with his Quirk is far greater than my own, even at my prime. His combat sense is beyond anything I've seen. I dare to say, if he'd stayed on the path he was on before joining us he would be well on his way to becoming a top ten Hero. Unfortunately, there is still a great divide between his and Overgrown."
"They seem fairly equal, madame," Switch commented, causing Vesuvius to make a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat.
"If not for the rules of nature, Spitfire would have been defeated long ago," the woman's eyebrow then quirked upwards and she glanced over her shoulder. "It would seem we have company."
"Yo!" It was Leech. He walked towards them with a newly forming black eye and a cut on his lip. Over his shoulder, slung on there like a sack of flour, was someone Switch didn't know. "Sorry, I'm late. Got a bit held up. Kaboom is in place, so we should be good to go whenever Spit gets far enough away. Oh, and I found this on my way out. Good enough for a host if I do say so myself." He hefted the unconscious person off his shoulder and threw her to the ground unceremoniously. Vesuvius' eyes lit up with a manic sort of glee.
"I've seen her before. Maelstrom or something." Switch set his tea down and got up to observe the sleeping girl. He pulled out a small, thermometer-type device and began prodding different areas of her body. Once he was done, he hummed in appreciation.
"I'm surprised. You managed to find a near perfect specimen. You gave her the shot already, I presume?" Leech rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"'Course I did. What do you take me for? Oh hell!" Leech laughed as he made his way over to watch the mountain of flames, now just four blocks away. "I ain't ever seen the Boss go this hard before. I wonder how many he's already killed? I know they started an evacuation, but still. His kill count has gotta be in the hundreds!"
"I will admit, I'm quite impressed he is still able to produce flames of such volume. He must have taken the supplement I gave him. For a test run, it seems to be doing its job," Switch mused, his eyes glinting as the flames consumed another building. At this point, the flames had spread to encompass much of the area surrounding the Miller-Braun building, which stood above the flames and smoke like a lighthouse over the mist.
"Supplement?" Vesuvius inquired, her interest peaked. She'd wondered how her fellow General hadn't torn his throat apart from constant use of thousand-degree flames. Leech groaned and tried to signal her to stop but it was too late, Switch already had a look of giddiness in his eyes.
"It is based on the drug Trigger, I'm sure you've heard of it. Whereas Trigger simply increases the taker's Quirk and subsequently enrages the user causing very, very bad side effects, my formula augments the user's Quirk. It increases potency while lowering recovery time by burning calories and fat as fuel. The only truly adverse side effect is that as the drug wears off, the user could be put out of commission for days, weeks, possibly even months at a time, depending on the degree of usage one gives it." Switcheroo explained.
"Impressive. I assume you and Dr. Moira worked together on this?" Vesuvius asked. Switch nodded, though his expression turned to one of disdain.
"As infuriating as the woman is...she certainly is intelligent. I've been working on this formula for many years and only recently have I made progress. Spitfire holds the first successful drug we've managed to create. With further research, I'm certain we could create a formula that causes the augmentation to be indefinite."
"LEECH!" Spitfire's voice suddenly interrupted over the radio channel. The gloved man grimaced and reached up to his earpiece.
"I hear ya, Boss. You seem to be having fun, what's the problem?"
"It is almost time. Call in our evac and be ready to move. You better have found a host." Despite the fact that the man was out of eyesight, Leech flinched when he imagined his expression, his gray eyes burning with anger.
"I did. Pretty good one, Switch says. You havin' a good time over there kicking greenhouse's ass?" He asked cheekily. He heard the line cut off for a moment and saw a massive plume of black flames rocket into the air in the distance. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Fuck off and get our evac! Tell Kaboom I just need a little more time to get out of range. What of the employees?" Leech grinned insanely, his eyes staring at the building on the horizon.
"Getting ready to enjoy the fireworks."
Purpose of a Hero
Hm, quite a bit went down this chapter, eh? Spitfire killed a lot of people and the Black Order's plan is a bit off the rails but going pretty good all things considered. I hope you guys enjoyed and let's get right to the preview...chapter name reveal...thingy.
NEXT TIME ON THE PURPOSE OF A HERO!
Chapter 13: Leech vs. Piston