-64-

Suneater of the Big Three

Tamaki Amajiki followed the siege of police and heroes. It was utter pandemonium. The resistance from the Hassaikai was unexpected, and the battle was sudden. Amajiki wasn't a brave man, he knew this about himself. He was shy and socially awkward. He doubted himself and would much rather spend his time at home in his room than be around other people. And yet, he was one of the Big Three, the top students in UA High School, arguably the greatest school for heroes in the world. He often asked himself, how did something like this happen? Each time he did, the answer would usually walk in front of him, smiling and laughing as he went along.

Ever since he was a kid, he always had difficulty making friends. He had transferred to a new school at the beginning of the school year, and as a shy, soft-spoken kid, he immediately didn't fit into the various cliques around him. He figured he better get used to this, as who would possibly want to be friends with someone as pathetic as he was.

But then something happened that would change his life forever.

Ever since that day, Mirio Togata had always been there. It didn't matter that he was shy. It didn't matter that he was timid. Mirio had enough energy for the both of them. Amajiki was always so amazed at how someone who had such little control over his quirk could be so hopeful and positive about himself and the future. He never let things get him down. He never let his enthusiasm die. When Amajiki looked at him, it was like looking at the sun itself. Looking at his friend now, storming the gates of the Shie Hassaikai, he was reminded as to why he had been able to come so far.

It was because he was chasing the sun.

He was surprised that the Hassaikai managed to attack first. They had been meticulous in their approach to the case, making sure not to alert any of the Hassaikai members to their intentions. As the lower-level enforcers piled out of the compound, attacking the police and heroes, he couldn't help but wonder if their plan was leaked to them. But he noticed they were not attacking as a cohesive unit as they were. Rather, they were like rabid dogs lashing out in all directions.

"Leave everyone up here to us!" Shouted one of the heroes to Sir Nighteye and the Green Arrow. "You make your way into the compound!"

With some difficulty, Nighteye, the Arrow, Eraserhead, Fatgum, their sidekicks, several police officers, and various other heroes managed to push through the perimeter and storm the compound. "The top brass haven't shown their faces yet," Said Eraserhead. "These punks at the gate are just trying to buy time for them, either to fight back or to flee. We need to be prepared!"

"Here!" Said Nighteye, stopping suddenly. He turned to a notch in the wall containing a vase and plant. He moved the plant and began pressing the floorboards beneath it. "It's a hidden door," he said, pressing the floorboards in a certain sequence. When finished, the notch in the hallway swung open, revealing a hidden passageway.

"How'd you do that?" Said Fatgum.

"When I used my quirk on that henchman at the department store, I was able to see the combination," said Nighteye. "Let's go!"

Before they could enter, three armed guards piled out of the doorway, advancing on them. Arsenal, Centipeder, and Bubble Girl instinctively stepped forward, taking all three down without issue. "We'll handle these guys!" Shouted Bubble Girl. "You go ahead!"

Nighteye, Arrow and the others immediately made their way through the door and down a flight of stairs. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they stopped in their tracks as the hallway came to an abrupt ending.

"A dead end?" Said Rock Lock. "So much for your foresight, Nighteye! Now what do we do?"

"Hold on," said Togata, stepping forward. "Let me take a look." He walked towards the wall, using his permeation quirk to look through to the other side. Because his costume was designed with special fibers made from his hair, it was able to become permeable with him, so he wouldn't pass through it. As he suspected, the hall continued beyond the door. They had placed this wall here as a way to throw them off.

"The hallway continues on the other side!" Said Togata.

"I got this," Said Izuku, stepping forward. He reached into his utility belt and retrieved a wad of plastic explosives, placing it on the wall. After everyone had ducked in cover, he detonated it, causing the wall to crumble in on itself.

"Not bad, kid" Said Green Arrow.

"Come on, let's keep moving!" Said Togata.

As they continued down the hallway, the ground around them began to shake. At first, Amajiki thought it was an earthquake, but then the walls and ceiling began to twist and contort. The walls and floor bubbled and rocked, causing the heroes and police officers to struggle to keep their balance.

"This has to be Iranaka!" Shouted the police detective. Amajiki remembered the briefing. Iranaka was one of Chisaki's top enforcers. His quirk, mimicry, gave him the ability to enter objects and control them as he would his own body. If he was in the walls, that explained why everything was moving around them. At this rate, he could contort the building into any configuration he wanted to, creating multiple escape routes for Chisaki to escape with the girl. They could be lost forever down here. As Amajiki felt the panic begin to slip into his heart, he also felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Mirio, smiling at him.

"Don't worry, Suneater," He said. "You can do this. We're going to make it." He gripped his friend's shoulder tighter before he took off down the twisted hallway. He passed through the wall at the end of the hallway, disappearing from their sight. As he did that, Amajiki felt his stomach lurch as the floor gave out from beneath the party, all of them falling down to the floor below.

"These guys are really screwin' with us," said Rock Lock as everyone staggered to their feet.

"Well, well, well," said a voice behind them. "Looks like some state-sponsored thugs have decided to crash our party. Isn't that strange."

The group turned to the source of the voice, revealing three Hassaikai henchmen. One of them was holding a long katana, wearing a green shirt and tie. Another was a large, bald man with an impressive physique, but no other distinguishing features. Lastly, behind the two, was a tall, slender man wearing what looked to be a crude white mask, almost like a pillowcase, with a rope tied around his neck, giving him the appearance of a teru teru bozu hanging doll.

"You're nothin' but a bunch of petty criminals," said Fagum, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see which one of you has a glass jaw."

Amajiki lifted his arm, preventing Fatgum from advancing. "No," he said. "The pros need to conserve their strength. These guys just want to slow us down. I'll take care of them myself."

"Are you nuts, kid?!" Shouted one of the sidekicks. She was one of the Green Arrow's, codenamed 'Speedy.' Even though she was roughly his age, he noticed she carried an impressive aura around her suggested experience beyond her years. He found it very intimidating, and therefore tried to avoid her.

"She's right!" Said Kirishima. "We can take them all together!"

"Yes," said the man with the katana. "Please, all of you stay! I can kill all of you!"

"Hold your fire!" Shouted the detective. "Don't let him see your guns! Leave it to the pros!"

"Looks like you've done your homework," said the man. "No matter, that just means you'll be easier to kill!" He advanced on the group and stretched forth his unencumbered hand. As he did, Eraserhead stepped forward, using his quirk. Whatever the man with the katana tried to do, it didn't happen, and he stared at his hand in confusion.

"Eraser head," said the bald man, stepping forward and drawing a handgun. "I heard that someone like you existed. But it makes no difference. We're just here to slow you down, and quirks or not, we still have weapons."

Before he could react, the three guards were immediately encircled with what looked to be large octopus tentacles, all of them produced from Amajiki's fingers. He lifted the trio into the air and threw them down to the ground in a heap. He managed to gather all their weapons with his other hand, transforming it into a lobster claw and cracking them all to pieces.

"They're trying to hold us all here," he said. "Let's just give them one to fight. Get out of here and find the girl, hurry!"

"Let's go!" Said Fatgum reluctantly.

"Wait, don't go!" Said the man who had the katana. He still couldn't use his quirk, as Eraserhead was still blocking it, so Amajiki seized his chance to slam them into the wall behind them. The rest of the group began to follow Fatgum, but Izuku and Speedy were reluctant to leave him.

"Go, you two!" Amajiki shouted. "Find the girl, and help Mirio!"

As the rest of the heroes left the room, Amajiki knew that he had a limited amount of time before these three rallied. Lifting his free hand, he stretched forth the tentacles from his fingers towards his opponents with enough force to render them unconscious. However, he recoiled in pain when one of the tentacles hit the mask of the man with the katana. It began to bleed profusely until Amajiki retracted it, his regular fingers returning. He noticed the man's mask had broken open, revealing a concealed blade.

"Can't hesitate when it comes to us," said the man. "You can't kill, we know about the Hero Code. But we have no restrictions. We have all given everything to this cause, even the will to live. You have no idea what people are capable of when they have nothing to lose."

Amajiki looked to the bald man next to him, as he began to feel his grip loosening. Multicolored crystals were sprouting over his body, cutting the tentacles and allowing him to break free. Amajiki created a clamshell out of his hand, but was surprised when the shell was ripped from him and landed easily in the hand of the man with the katana. Amajiki remembered the file he read on the Hassaikai. He was Toya Setsuno, his "Larceny" quirk allowed him to steal whatever weapons his opponents had available, which is why the police refused to open fire on him. The bald man, Yu Hojo, had a crystallization quirk which allowed him to form diamond-hard crystals all over his body. The last man, Soramitsu Tabe, was a bit of a mystery to Amajiki, his quirk only being listed as "Food."

Hojo formed crystals over his fist and lunged at Amajiki, who only managed to cover his hands in thick octopus muscle, coated with heavy shell plating, before it struck him, taking the brunt of the attack. His mind was racing. He had lost his window of opportunity to take them down easily, and now he was outnumbered. He desperately tried to keep the fear from creeping into his heart as he began to question his decision.

Amajiki looked up in surprise as he saw something sling from behind him, embedding in his opponent's crystalized arm. They both ceased their grapple and looked at the object, realizing it was an arrow. A light on the shaft began to beep, and Amajiki took that as his queue to lunge away to safety. Before Hojo could remove the arrow, it exploded, sending him careening back towards his compatriots, slamming into the wall with immense force. Amajiki looked behind him, surprised, and saw Speedy standing at the entrance of the room, another arrow drawn taut in her bow.

"What are you doing here?" Said Amajiki.

"I couldn't let you have all the fun," said Speedy, launching another arrow towards Hojo. Immediately Setsuno tried to use his quirk to take the arrow in midair, but Amajiki ensnared him with his tentacles before he had the chance, slamming him again into the wall. The arrow hit its mark. This time, a sticky, glue-like substance erupted from the arrowhead, quickly encapsulating Hojo. He tried to break free of the glue, but was unable to, as the stretchy, sticky substance was resistant to his crystals.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Shouted Setsuno. "This isn't looking good. We need to end this! Wake up, Tabe!" He shouted to his hooded cohort, who appeared to be unconscious. "It's time to eat!"

Tabe's eyes snapped open immediately. He jumped up with alarming speed and lunged at Amajiki, taking a swift bite out of one of his tentacles. Amajiki winced as Tabe continued to devour the tentacles as quickly as he could produce them.

"Delicious!" Shouted Tabe. "Delicious!"

"Get away from him!" Shouted Speedy, launching another arrow at Tabe. This time, Setsuno was ready, and used his quirk to take her bow and arrows straight from her hands. Surprised, she quickly jumped out of the way as Setsuno launched one of her own arrows at her. Tabe continued to devour Amajiki's tentacles at alarming speed. Even the armored plating around the tentacles didn't seem to deter him.

"Dance, little archer!" Shouted Setsuno giddily, launching more arrows at Speedy as she continued to dodge them. "Looks like the pros should have stayed here. You think just because you're heroes and we're trash you could have disposed of us easily? We'll give our lives for Chisaki, the man who gave us purpose, who gave us everything! Tobe!" He shouted to his companion. "Devour these two and let's catch up with the others."

Amajiki looked horrified, glancing at Speedy. The villains were able to turn the tide quickly in their favor, and now she was in danger as well. They had impeccable teamwork, even with one of them incapacitated. The feeling of fear began to creep back into his heart. He couldn't let this woman be eaten because of his carelessness.

He remembered Mirio, and the things he said to him back in junior high school. 'The only reason I am able to get as far as I am is because I have someone like you to inspire me.' It was the first time anyone had ever said something like that to him before, the first time he ever felt like he was an inspiration to someone. He began to find courage in himself. His mind continued to reflect back to that day, the day he got his hero name.

Suneater.

Mirio told him that he had a light about him that was bright enough to swallow the sun. He was going to make Mirio proud. Immediately, his tentacles began to grow larger, the armor became thicker. Tabe continued his attack, but his bites and movements became slower. Suddenly, he stopped attacking and began to sway.

"What's wrong?" Shouted Setsuno. "Why aren't you attacking?"

"Sick," said Tabe weakly. "Feel sick…" He fell to the ground in a heap, and remained still.

"Tabe!" Shouted Setsuno. "What did you do to him?!"

"As he ate my tentacles, he got a little something extra with them," Amajiki said. "Octopus have the ability to produce venomous bites to their prey. I was able to produce that same venomous protein within my tentacles. He won't be getting up any time soon."

"NO!" Shouted Setsuno. He lifted his hand and pointed it towards Hojo. With some difficulty, he was able to use his quirk to steal the glue that encased him, freeing his comrade. Hojo seized his chance and charged Amajiki, delivering a devastating haymaker to his face. He stared in shock, however, as he saw the attack was useless, as Amajiki had grown the same type of crystals over his face, protecting him from the attack.

"How. . . how did you –" he said before being knocked away by a large armored tentacle.

"I swallowed one of your broken crystals when you weren't looking," said Amajiki. The tentacles then began to grow larger, and the cretaceous armor plating was covering his entire body, this time producing crystals along with them. Amajiki had worked hard for years to perfect his quirk, to master the ability to produce several manifestations at once into one devastating attack: Chimera Kraken.

Setsuno tried to use his quirk to steal back the crystals, but screeched in pain as something slashed him across his eyes. Speedy had produced a small crossbow bolt and seized her opportunity to slash Setsuno across the eyes while he was distracted. His quirk requires him to see the objects he is stealing. Without his sight, he is powerless. As he stumbled, grasping about, Speedy kicked his legs out from under him and rammed his head onto the concrete, knocking him unconscious.

With his allies defeated, Hojo made a last-ditch effort to take down Amajiki, but it was a futile maneuver. Using his ultra-hardened tentacles, he was able to easily lift the attacker off his feet, ramming him into the wall repeatedly until the man lay still and unconscious. With their enemies fallen, Speedy retrieved her bow and Amajiki's body returned to normal.

"Are you okay?" Asked Speedy, walking over to Amajiki.

"I'm fine," He replied. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied. They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Amajiki spoke.

"Why did you come back to help me?" He asked. "I thought you were going with the other pros."

She didn't answer, but instead avoided his gaze, a slight blush on her face. She did an about face and began running in the direction the heroes took. "Let's go, kid," she said. "They'll need our help!"

Amajiki simply looked confused as he watched her run out of the room. Shrugging slightly, and taking one last glance at the fallen Hassaikai enforcers, he followed after her down the hallway. These guys were tough, and he had a feeling that they were only the beginning of what was waiting for them in this hell hole. If this was the case, then Speedy was right. The pros definitely needed their help.