The Disappearing Hero

by Victor Soul

In a world full of powerful heroes and deadly villains, a group of teenagers will learn how to defeat evil and uphold peace. One potential hero will join this class with his unique quirk. Follow Lewis Fleetwood as he will learn how to improve his quirk, form close friendships and, most of all, become one of the best heroes in history. (OC x harem) Fem Todoroki

37. A Day In The Villain's Lair

There's a poll on my profile! Check it out!

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Here's the next chapter.

nexusplayer - So you are, welcome back.

Firstly, probably. I hadn't considered that before. Secondly, see the previous answer. Thirdly, I suppose he can, but it will be difficult to pull off and will take a lot of focus and commitment like with the Nomu back in Hosu City. Fourthly, I can't see that happening, unfortunately. The demons were all eradicated back in the 1920s (approx) while My Hero Academia takes place a few hundred years after the present day. There's a gap of around a hundred years or more between Muzan's death and AFO's birth so I think any remnants of any demon activity are long gone. Fifthly, possibly. There may be a notebook or some papers that wrote about their existence. Sixthly, I don't think I can change canon characters that much and I'm fairly sure he would be annoyed if Lewis did that to him. Seventhly, I don't think there will be. And finally...you know what, I like that idea. I see what I can do.

djinn - I did, yes, and that will be brought up again in this chapter and how the media will spin this story. I felt really sorry for Ragdoll since she was really sweet, so I decided to save her from AFO. I wonder how this will affect the timeline.

Diabolos Aides - No problem, thanks for reading.

Spedyalarm - Chances that I'm happy that you're excited: 101%

Neo Infinity - I actually did consider that, but I thought a fight between him and Mr Compress would be better. Thanks for reading.

Guestfyre - Like last time, I'm going to combine all your reviews together :)

Yeah, I wanted to get some nice moments in before everything goes wrong. The Summer Camp arc is one of my favourites not because of the fight scenes, but because you actually got to see the students having fun for the first time in ages.

Ragdoll was definitely the MVP. Without her, they wouldn't have known how to defeat that nomu. We don't usually see her in action at all, so I wanted to see her do some hero work and act more serious, even if it was a little bit. Maybe I can do a chapter focused on her and Lewis working together.

Ah, yes. I didn't explain it in the chapter, but the plan that the LoV had was by saying they were going after Bakugo, but the real target was Lewis. They knew about Mandalay's quirk and knew that, in case anybody gets taken down, they would give them the false target. The student (in this case Midoryia) would go back to Mandalay and she will relay the false message, meaning everybody was focused on Bakugo instead of Lewis.

In this chapter, we will see how Lewis interacts with the villains. In cannon, Bakugo was just being Bakugo and so it will be interesting to see how somebody who is kinder and more sympathetic to villains reacts to the League. I can't spoil anything now, but I'm sure you will like it.

You make a good point. The bands and T.V shows are very outdated. Lewis gets his taste in music from his uncle, Xaphan, who likes to collect vinyl reprints of famous albums. In reality, the reason why I did this is because I, personally, am a fan of old music and just wanted to show off my taste. But you're right about creating more recent bands. Maybe Jiro could introduce him to some new artists.

I can't give away too much, but he will play a prominent role in the war and the events leading up to it and after it.

Oh, yes. I'm planning an entire chapter on his recovery after all of this. He will receive quite a few visitors in his room. It might even get a little emotional.

I guess I can confirm it here, but Lewis will be doing his internship with Mirko. I like the idea of the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit working together.

Lewis putting a tail on his hero costume? Hold on, I'll ask. Lewis-

L - Umm...no.

...He says no. Sorry. Maybe in an omake, he'll wear one.

Thanks so much for reviewing. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

wellintonlucas282 - No problem, thanks for reading.

Fiction Fan 369 - Ah, interesting that you say that. Lewis will also be asking that question.

JimmySG0 - Thank you so much.

TsuChan21 - Yep, that's me. The Madlad. Thanks so much for reading. Now if you would excuse me, I need to change my user name to Victor 'Madlad' Soul.

phillyitalian - I have actually, but I can't seem to find a suitable place to do it. I'll think of something.

Guest - Thanks so much. I'm sure this will be a learning experience on a number of levels and it will definitely have an effect on him in the future. I hope you'll stick around to see how. Thanks again.

GreatAsura - Thanks so much.

Allluuu - That's great to hear. If I could draw, I would make so much art for these stories.

Word6 - It's fine. You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm not forcing you to read. Oh, and yes, he will overcome his weakness, btw.

Soberityy - Sorry for the wait.

DarkSonic21 - Sorry for the wait.

KayBiJay - Don't know. Some people are, I guess.

Guest - That's a pretty bold statement. I guess that's more to do with my writing than how his quirk works to be honest.

Kira444 - I've got a pretty solid idea in my head. However, I keep losing track of the list. So, instead, I'm going to write out the harem list for all of my OC characters on my profile. It's just easier that way.

ThunderFang72 - Thank you so much, you're too kind. You're right, Lewis hasn't really met Mt Lady yet so that could be something that can happen in the future. I'm currently fixing the harem lists so I'll definitely consider them.

Guest - Thank you so much and don't worry. I understand you perfectly. Eri having an older sister, hmm? I'll consider it. Thanks again.

Guest - Oh right! I was quite confused for a few seconds because...well...MHA already takes place at a school. Damn, I was going to answer your question on my 'FTNT', but I completely forgot. Anyway, to answer your question, yes it sounds like a fun idea. I wonder what Night Terror will look like as a high school student.

One of Da boys - Well, I mean, we all get angry at stuff that we don't mean to. However, acknowledging it proves that you have grown since then.

DR5996 - I guess it would. Maybe as an omake.

Foxfire573 - Lo será, pero ¿de qué manera?

Guest - The weather's great, thank you. Bright and sunny with a few clouds. Can you remind me who you're talking about? I'm drawing a blank, sorry.

ShadowSsP - That does sound great. I can imagine Bakugo as the tsundere type.

D-trav - Actually, you're the first person to spot this, including me. Thanks for telling me, I'll be sure to be careful in the future.

Thank you all for reviewing :)

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Chapter 37: One Day In The Villain's Lair

Xaphan's Residence, Oxford

It was a few minutes past midnight when Xaphan's phone rang, forcing the large, intimidating man to wake up. He grumbled in annoyance; he just had a late night at the office and had only been asleep for two hours, so he wasn't in the best of moods to talk. He rolled over on his bed and blindly reached out for his phone on the bedside table; he fumbled it for a few seconds before he finally got a firm grip and raised it to his ear and pressed the 'accept call' button.

"Hello?" he growled in his deep voice, "Who's calling?"

"Xaphan, it's Tsukauchi," the caller replied.

Xaphan gave a tired groan as the caller replied in Japanese. It took him a few seconds to remember how to speak the foreign language because of how tired he was, but eventually worked out what he said.

"Tsukauchi, good morning," he replied back in Japanese, "Why are you calling me now? Do you know what time it is over here?"

"I do, and I'm sorry, but this couldn't wait."

"What can't-" he stopped suddenly as soon as he realised. He shot up in bed, his eyes wide in alarm and there was a serious frown on his face, "Is it, Lewis. What happened to him?" he demanded.

"Xaphan, I need you to calm down first," his fellow police officer told him.

"Don't tell me to calm down. What happened to him?" he snapped, "Is he hurt!? Has there been another villain attack!? Spit it out now!"

"He's been kidnapped, Xaphan. I'm sorry," Tsukauchi told him seriously, "I just got the news a few hours ago and I thought it was best to tell you as well. They were on their school trip when a group of villains attacked them. They caused serious damage and injured both students and the teachers...and now they kidnapped Lewis. I'm telling you this before the media tells you. We're doing everything we can to-"

"I'm on my way."

"W-what?" the detective uttered in surprise.

"I am booking the next plane to Tokyo. Get one of your men to meet me at the airport," Xaphan told him firmly. As Tsukauchi was speaking, he had already got his laptop out and had began looking for tickets that will take him to Japan as fast as possible, "Thanks for telling me. I have to go. I need to pack and call my superiors why I'm not coming into work tomorrow. Goodbye."

"Wai-"

Xaphan dismissed the call and focused on his laptop instead.

He needed to get there as soon as he could.

---

Sir Nighteye's Agency

Bubble Girl, like every morning since she began working, arrived on time at eight o'clock at Sir Nighteye's office.

After gathering some paperwork that needed to be signed from her desk, she walked the long winding staircase up to her boss's office to deliver them. She had forgotten to get a cup of coffee on the way so she she was yawning and walking more sluggishly than usual, but, as soon as she reached Nighteye's door, she forced herself to look more awake; she had no idea what mood he was in, so she had to be careful not to look unenergetic in front of him.

She gave a few firm knocks on the door before she entered swiftly and efficiently, "Good morning, boss," she greeted, masking her tiredness with a bright smile, "How are you this-"

She stopped after a few steps as she saw him. Sir Nighteye was at his desk with his head leaning on his hands while his elbows were on the desk in a thoughtful pose; his eyebrows were furrowed in concern and his eyes were focused on the T.V screen on his desk. The glow of the T.V illuminated his face dimly, showing the dark rings around his eyes and his jaw tightly clenched. By his side, on the desk, was a watering can and the cactus plant that Lewis had given him; it seemed like he was in the middle of watering it like he did every morning, but got distracted. Bubble Girl raised a single eyebrow at him.

"Were you here all night again?" she asked as she walked over, "I thought you said you were going to stop doing that."

"Actually, I just got in," Nighteye replied, his eyes glued to the T.V, "Bubble Girl, we will have to postpone everything today. Call Centipeder and tell him to meet us at police headquarters. We're closing the agency for today."

Bubble Girl stepped back in surprise, "Close? What for?"

Nighteye responded by looking up at her and turning the T.V around to show her the screen. Bubble Girl focused on it and saw it was a news report; something about a villain attack, kidnapping and more of those Nomus that seem to be cropping up in places. However, it wasn't until she saw one name in particular, who seemed to be in the centre of this media storm, she finally knew why Nighteye was so tense.

"Oh no," she gasped as she dropped the paperwork in shock.

---

Somewhere In Musatafu

"Mama! Mama! Look at the T.V!"

A woman, who had brown hair with small deer antlers poking out of her head, looked up from her computer and then down at her five year old daughter tugging at her sleeve. The young girl, who had inherited her antlers as well, had yet to reach the age where it was not socially acceptable to be so energetic this early in the morning; her eyes were wide in excitement and she was jumping up and down happily. The mother sighed and gave her daughter a slightly weary look.

"Shika, that's enough anime this morning. Go and get ready for school. Your dad is dropping you off," the woman said as she turned back to the email she was writing.

"But he's on the T.V again!" Shika insisted as she tugged harder on her sleeve.

"Hmm, who is?"

"The cat man!"

The mother gave a small smile. The 'cat man' was the nickname she gave to that U.A student who saved her a few months ago from being run over. Shika had been a fan of his ever since she saw him again on T.V at the U.A Festival and became excited every time he's in the news…which was quite frequent. She admit she was a little bit of fan herself, but her husband wasn't as enthusiastic. He didn't like his involvement in the Stain video and was worried Shika would be badly influenced by it. However, she knew that he wasn't bad at all. Would bad people save children from being crushed?

"Pleaaaase. You have to see him!" Shika pleaded again, now using her large brown eyes to convince her.

The mother sighed and allowed herself to led from her computer to the living room where the T.V was still on. She didn't know what to expect; maybe an interview by him or footage showing him do something heroic…

…but she wasn't expecting to the morning news channel or what it was the main story of that day was. Words like kidnap, attack, League of Villains and injured scrolled across the bottom of the screen as the news anchor read on from their notes about the tragedy that had happened last night. In the top right corner of the screen was the photo that her daughter was proudly pointing at. A chill ran down her spine at the sight.

"Look, mama. It's the cat man!" Shika gleefully cried out.

---

Cell of a Medium Security Prison, Somewhere In Japan

"…miserable…abysmal…terrible…void of any humour…devestating…horrible…hopeless…wouldn't happen in a million years…"

"Mijimena," Rokku grumbled, which was slightly muffled as he pressed his face into his pillow, "I don't mind you reading, but can you not do it out loud."

Mijimena looked up from the newspaper he was reading as he slouched on the other bed in the prison cell and gave a depressed sigh.

"Oh, I'm doing it again, am I? There's so much misery in this world that it must have forced me to comment on it all. As if that would do anything to help. It's honestly depressing how little of an affect I have this world."

Rokku sighed as he looked up from his own prison bed and gave him a weary look, "You don't have to read it if it's going to upset you."

Mijimena shrugged and looked down at his newspaper, "Nothing else to do except waste away in here. At least I'm no longer in my tent where I usually stay. Then again I do like my freedom. But who am I kidding, I probably waste it on something stupid," he grumbled as he read his newspaper, "...horrific...depressing...unnecessary..."

Rokku rolled his eyes and laid his head down on his pillow once again, "A few more days. Just a few more days and my kids can come and visit me. I can hold out on than."

"...sickening...vile...oh, what's this?" Mijimena said as he turned to one article in particular, "Hey, Rokku. You know that hero that ruined our lives by getting us arrested?"

Rokku looked up again, "Err...yeah. Cheshire, I think he's name is. Why?"

Mijimena responded by showing him the article he was reading, "Isn't this him?"

Rokku frowned slightly at the article before he sat up in his bed and read it properly.

"Yeah...yeah it is."

---

Somewhere In Musatafu

In a dark room where the only source of light was the flickering screen, a young woman typed furiously away at a computer that was on the table in front of her.

She was a short woman (no taller than four foot) with long dark pink hair that was tied up into two very large high pigtails. She had fair skin, a small nose and pink oval-shaped eyes that had dark rings around them from hours and days staring into a computer screen. She wore an indigo coloured shirt with thick white gloves, poofy pinstriped trousers which made her legs look larger than they actually were, a large belt around her waist, a large white bow tie as well as several heart-shaped ornaments like her earrings and her belt buckles.

She seemed to be irritated as she typed faster and faster on the computer; having forced to stand on the chair as she got closer to the screen. Eventually, she gave an annoyed yell and fell back onto her chair with an angry huff.

"Damn it. What do I have to do?"

A polite knock on the door before made her look up. Stepping into the room was a tall man with grey hair with a small beard and a handlebar moustache He wore a dark purple jacket which had a tall pointed collar and long tails, a pair of pinstriped trousers, purple gloves and a long scarf of the same colour around his neck. He was carrying, in his white gloved hands, a tray holding a tea set and a few pastries that they were to going to have for their breakfast. The woman's eyes lit up and her mood change instantly as soon as she saw him; she sprung to her feet happily as he placed the tray down.

"Good morning, La Brava. How are you this lovely day," the man greeted politely.

"Great now that I'm talking to you, Gentle," she happily chirped with a small blush, "I love how you make me breakfast every morning!"

"Oh, really. Then why did I hear a shout just now?" Gentle asked as he poured the tea.

La Brava's cast annoyed look at the computer, "I've uploaded your latest video online, but it's not even on trending page. Everybody seems to be interested in this U.A attack or whatever it is instead of your hard work," she explained in frustration before she rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Maybe if I hack into the system or shut down the website-"

"Now, now, La Brava, we can't be doing that," Gentle said with a small chuckle as he poured the tea, "I want a true audience to witness our daring feats and not to do it by force," he turned to her and gave her a wink, "That wouldn't be very heroic, would it?"

"Ah! Gentle!" La Brave cried happily, practically melting at his words.

"Did you say U.A attack?" Gentle asked in surprise, finally noticing what she had said, "Has there been another one."

"Yep. It's all over the news and trending page. Everybody in Japan's talking about it," La Brava said, "I heard that one of the students got kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? Oh, how dreadful. Did they so who it is?"

La Brava went back to her computer and clicked on the nearest video to the cursor. As the news report began to play, Gentle went over to her and watched it as well. After a few seconds, he gave a small hum.

"Fleetwood, hmm," he hummed as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Where have I heard that name before?"

---

Laboratory, I-Island

After a long day of attending seminars and lectures, Melissa returned to her private lab, dropped off her bag at the door and started to relax. Although, relaxing, for her, meant working on special gear projects that she had ongoing.

With her radio blaring music on the desk next to her and a pair of comfortable slippers on her feet, Melissa worked closely with her tools on the wiring inside the fabric of the hero costume; making sure there were no kinks or broken parts that needed to be mended. She sipped her coffee from the cup that was next to her work station whilst her eyes never left what she was doing for a second.

"Alright. Looking good," she said to herself as she put down her work and stretched her stiff shoulders, "Time to test this one out."

Ding!

Her eyes flickered over to her phone next to her work station and saw the latest news report that ping up on her phone. She sighed and picked up the phone and unlocked to read the report.

"I thought I turned the notifications off-"

She stopped suddenly as she read the report. The phone almost dropping out of her hand in shock.

"Oh god!" she gasped in disbelief, "Lewis...no way. Is this true!?"

---

The news of the attack on U.A spread like wildfire across the country and abroad. Soon everybody had heard of what happened and it only took less than a few hours. However, the seriousness was not exaggerated; this had been the second time that a hero school had been attacked by a group of villains...and this time they were more successful.

Lewis, a person who only wanted to be a hero so he could help others, had now found himself right in the middle of the eye of the storm. This was not just some interview he did or a conspiracy video that spread online. This was a serious and terrible crime that will lead on to become a pivotal point in human history which will shake hero society to its core and affect every single event from then on...

...and it all started with Lewis in a measly old bar.

---

League Of Villain's Lair, Unknown Location

Tired, confused and desperate.

Lewis was torn away from his friends, his school and safety and was entangled in the dangerous web that was the League of Villains.

In front of him, sat backwards on the chair was Shigaraki, the leader of the League alongside his assistant Kurogiri who was stood behind the bar. The young man's bloodshot eyes stared fiercely through the fingers of his greyish hand mask and his hands twitched and fidgeted at his sides. He managed to identify the other people in the League and learned their names. There was Spinner; the reptilian-like man who was holding onto his cup of water for him and allowing it to drink from it since his hands were literally tied. There was Himiko Toga; the young girl who he had encountered a while ago after the Sports Festival. She hadn't stop staring at him with her honey coloured eyes for a second like a predator ready to sink its jaws into his neck. There was also Dabi, the heavily scarred man, and Mr Compress, the villain he had fought in the forest; they remained silent at the back of the bar and pensively gazed at them from their table. There was Magne; the woman was sat at the bar as he sipped her drink. And finally, there was Twice; the man was pacing up and down restlessly as if he couldn't decide what to do with himself.

Lewis remained calm and did his best to compose himself despite the situation he was in. All of them were dangerous in some way and the last thing he should do was panic. He did try thinking of an escape, but, since he has no idea where he was, there was no chance of any plan he could come up with working. The only thing he could do is wait and, hopefully, wait until the heroes come.

Shigaraki growled in anger, alarming him instantly. He hadn't spoken since he sat down nor made a single move. The villain grunted once more before he raised his arm and pointed his finger his face, right between his eyes. He wondered what he was going to do; torture him, kill him. He knew his quirk. It would he easy for him to so. However, to his surprise, the only Shigaraki did was snarl out three words.

"I hate you."

Lewis blinked in confusion before he raised a single eyebrow at him.

"I'm…not too thrilled to see you either. Since we're being honest."

"Shut up, would you. I'm in the middle of speaking," he snapped, earning a small giggle from Himiko, "I've hate you from the moment I've set eyes on you. I knew you were going to be so annoying!"

"We've only met once months ago. What did I do to you since then?" Lewis asked in genuine confusion.

"I'm not talking about the USJ. I can tolerate that. What I can't stand are the events since then. That interview after the Sports Festival, the Hosu incident, I-Island and now you've got people wiled up over that Stain video! Because of you, the League of Villains means nothing anymore. What happened at the USJ is forgotten and now you're involved with every major crisis that has happened since then. People are starting to put you and the League together when you've got nothing to do with us. I hate this. It's like you're walking blindly from crisis after crisis after crisis and you manage to get out of them unscathed. So, what I really want to know is..." he leaned in close to him, "...what makes you so special, huh?"

...

...

...

Lewis bowed his head at him, "I'm very sorry."

"Why the hell are you apologising!?" Shigaraki shouted at him.

He raised his head and offered him a sheepish look, "Well, I just don't know what you want me to do about it, that's all. What's done is done. I can't fix it. Is the reason you kidnapped me here just so you can rant at me, because...I'm sure the are far better and more legal ways of doing it. You could have sent me a letter or-"

"Of course that's not the only reason why we brought you here," Shigaraki snarled at him, "Do you think we're stupid or something, you little-"

"Young master, if I may," the dark voice of Kurogiri interrupted before Shigaraki could do anything.

The villain snarled viciously before he got off his chair and stormed away, leaving behind an awkward silence. Kurogiri cleared his throat and gave him a small bow in greeting.

"We apologise for this rough treatment, Mister Fleetwood," he grandly told him, "Despite what you may think, we would prefer not to use such techniques."

"Well, that makes me feel much better," Lewis snidely commented, "Good to know that after you set a nomu on us and injure a handful of my friends."

"Hey now, that's not fair," Magne commented, "Spinner and I didn't attack you children. We only attacked the heroes."

Spinner nodded his head, "And it's alright because their heroes so it's their job to take on villains. If they can't handle it then they shouldn't call themselves heroes."

"The Wild Wild Pussycats specialise in mountain rescue. Their job in helping people in danger not fighting villains," Lewis pointed out.

"...well...yeah...but..."

"I admit, the young man has a point," Mr Compress sighed drearily, cutting off Spinner before he could retort, "There were some amongst us that were acting rather uncouth. Moonfish, Mustard, Muscular...even the young woman over there."

Himiko giggled and licked her lips, "Sorry. I couldn't resist. They looked so yummy that I couldn't help but get a taste," she locked eyes on him and grinned manically, "But...you're blood was tastier than that brown haired girl and you were so sweet to offer it to me. Nobody has ever done that before," she slowly said, making Lewis shiver slightly.

"Good thing that most of those morons have been rounded up and arrested," Dabi muttered, "Bunch of freaks have no place amongst us higher ranks."

"Hey Dabi! That's not very nice! Those were our friends," Twice shouted before he spun around and shrugged, "Meh, they can rot in jail for all I care. I barely know them."

"And the nomu?" Lewis demanded, "What was all that about?"

"That was actually an accident. We had not intended for you to run into it," Kurogiri told him, "You were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"It wasn't for Ragdoll. Why were you after her?"

"Are you really in any position to be asking questions?" Dabi commented.

"If I've been kidnapped and tied up in this chair then the least you can do is tell me why," he snapped as he turned his sights to Shigaraki.

The villain snarled and waved a grey hand at the other League members, "Don't look at me. I didn't want you. Go ask them since they like you so much."

Lewis frowned in confusion, "Like me? Most of you don't even know me?"

"Oh, but they do," Shigaraki spat, "Remember that Stain video? They joined the League as soon as they saw it, thinking that you were somehow related to us when you're not. The first question out of Spinner's mouth, over there, was whether we knew you."

"Hey!" Spinner shouted in slight embarrassment, "That's not true...it was like the third of forth question."

Lewis turned to the reptilian man, "You...you joined because of Stain?"

"Well, yeah. He's an inspiration," Spinner told him, "What he says makes total sense. The moment that protecting people began to merit compensation, heroes were not heroes anymore. The entire society is built on greed and elitism from the common hero all the way to the top. Corruption has infected and influenced our minds to think that's it's normal when it's actually not. He's a genius."

"He's a serial killer," Lewis retorted, "His moral teachings mean nothing the first time he picked up a blade. Killing and violence is not how you deal with problems. It'll only makes things worse than they're already are."

"So, you admit that there's a problem with society then," Mr Compress mused.

"Of course there is. I'm not stupid; things are not perfect and it's not because of some troublesome villains messing everything up for everybody else. Everything I said in that interview back at the Sports Festival is what I truly believe in and I do not regret no matter what anybody says to me," he said with an annoyed sigh, "Look, Shigaraki, I'm nothing special. I have done nothing special and I don't deserve anything special. I don't why this happens to me or how...I'm just a person that wants to help. No matter who they are or what their situation is...because that's what a hero is supposed to do."

Silence fell over the bar as the villains listened to his words; even Twice seemed to stop fidgeting for a few seconds to look at him. Finally, Mr Compress was the first to break the pause.

"Well, that is rather interesting for you to say," he drawled, "Because, you see, we're not just a group of hoodlums endeavouring to perpetrate evil acts. Everyone here has different circumstances. Some of us are discriminated against, some of feel shackled by rules, while some of feel as if the oppressive nature of hero society is just too much for us to bare. We brought here, because we thought you would understand...," he tilted his head towards him, "...do you actually understand or are you lying?"

Lewis clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, 'Lying to them and saying I do understand seems like the most responsible thing to do, given the situation. I need to make time so the others can come and find me and-'

He stopped mid-thought as he really focused on what Mr Compress had said.

Discriminated.

Shackled by rules.

Oppressed.

'If this is true,' he thought to himself, 'they can I actually lie to their faces. Wouldn't I just be part of the problem? The problem that I want help to remedy so that everybody can live happily...I would be betraying everything I believe in.'

Lewis took a deep breath as he considered what he should do as the villains waited him for any sort of answer from. Eventually, he looked up at them and gave them a serious look.

"No, I don't understand at all," he firmly told them before he frowned in determination, "However, I would really like to understand. All of you, I want to listen to everything you have to say. If you untie me then we can discuss it."

"You're kidding me, right?" Dabi growled, "We know you're quirk. You'll just teleport away."

"If I could then I would have done that ages ago. Right now, the only method of me escaping is through that door," he said nodding towards the door behind him, "And I'm betting that it's locked," he told them seriously, "Please. I'm not going to abandoned you. Any of you."

Another long silence followed as everybody turned to Shigaraki. The leader of the League looked around at the expectant looks before he groaned and flicked his hand dismissively.

"Dabi, untie him. I don't care," he muttered.

"Okay," Dabi said before turning to Twice, "Hey Twice, untie him."

"Hey! Why me!?"

"I can do it," Himiko grinned as unsheathed her knife.

"Please, anybody but her," Lewis pleaded.

In the end, Spinner was the one who untied him. Lewis sighed as he rubbed his wrists and stretched his back out; it had been a while since he could move freely. He adjusted his glasses on his nose, straightened himself out before he leaned back on the chair he was sitting on.

"Well then," he said with a small smile, "Where should we start?"

---

Hospital

Mina watched the seconds tick by on the wall clock on the other side of the waiting room; every single movement of its hand seemed to last for a life time for her. She slumped back in her chair and gave a tired sigh as she rubbed her eyes; trying to relieve herself from the exhaustion of a sleepless night.

The U.A students and their teachers were all taken to the nearest hospital to camp which was about an hour away. The students who were not badly injured were healed and were then picked up by their parents or carers so they could go home. Thankfully this was the majority of the students which included most of Class B and about half of Class A. Mina also fitted into this category as she only had a few scratches and cuts. The rest had to be taken into intensive care. People like Jiro and Toru were knocked out by Mustard's gas while others had suffered severe cuts and stabs from the villains themselves. Midoryia was the worst off out all of them; both of his arms had been shattered and his body was bruised and battered from his fight. Because their friends were still being treated, Mina and the rest of Class 1A had taken the long journey up here to see them.

They had been waiting for just over an hour for the nurse to come back to tell them that they can go and see their friends. Until then, they were trying to keep themselves busy. Kaminari and Sero were flicking through the magazines that had on the table in the centre of the room; Sato, Shoji and Ojiro were getting a snack from the vending machine; Mineta was looking after the melon that got for Mineta along with Kirishima; Ochako, Iida and Asui were talking to each other; while Fumikage and Shoko were sat all by themselves in silence. Bakugo, for some reason, didn't want to come at all. Kirishima did try calling him a few times, but he never picked them up. Mina was doing the same; she didn't feel like talking or doing anything at all. Her tired mind was switching from consciousness to thinking back at what happened last night.

'...I'll be fine...'

She remembered him saying.

'...I'll shake him off and get back to camp as soon as I can...'

'But he never did,' Mina thought as she gripped the armrests of her chair, 'He didn't come back...I...I just told him that I could do it...and I abandoned him. I should have stayed. I should have stayed.'

She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed Kirishima and Mineta step up next to her. She looked up at their concerned faces and offered a meek smile.

"H-hey guys," she mumbled.

"Hey, you doing alright?" Kirishima softly asked as he sat down in the seat next to her.

"You've been quiet ever since we got here," Mineta pointed out as he placed the melon down on the other chair.

Mina gave a small fake laugh, "Have I? That's...that's weird especially for me...right?"

Kirishima frowned sadly, "You know...nobody is blaming you, right. We were all told the wrong message-"

"Yeah, we all get the wrong message, but I was the one who abandoned him and let him get caught. Nobody else. Just me!" she snapped at him, making him flinch at her tone. Mina, realising what she done, calm down and stared down at the floor, "Sorry...didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's cool. We understand. Don't we, Mineta?" Kirishima said.

The shorter boy nodded, "Yeah, totally. Just let out what you feeling. It's not heathy to keep bottled up...if you need a shoulder to cry on-"

"Dude. Not the time," Kirishima stopped him before he could make a fatal error.

Mineta gulped nervously as he saw the deadly glare Mina was shooting at him and instantly grabbed the melon, "I...I'll find a fridge to put this in," he uttered in fear as he scampered off.

Mina sighed once again and looked down at her feet, "I feel useless."

"So, do I. We all do," he told her, "Last night, I couldn't sleep. Knowing that Fleetwood is out there somewhere...it's annoying having to wait. What's worse is that the media is repeating the story over and over again like it's some sort of product. It's like they...don't care that he's a person with friends and family who all miss him," he softly said as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists together in anger.

Mina slowly nodded in agreement before she took a deep breath and said, "I want to find him."

Kirishima hummed, "Yeah, we all do."

"No," she firmly told him. She looked up at him; her face filled with determination, "Kirishima. I mean it. I want to find him now. Fleetwood has been with us from the very first day we came to U.A and has always been there for us. If it wasn't for him, I would be taking remedial classed for the rest of my life. He has given so much of his time for us...so I think it's time we do the same thing for him. I don't care about what the heroes tell us to do or that we don't have our hero licences yet. I'm going out there to find him now."

The red haired teen blinked in surprise. He had known the fun, laid-back Mina since middle school as he had never seen her so committed to anything. As much as he was surprised...he respected her just as much. He had been thinking of the same thing for a while now and it was unmanly to be so useless. They were going to be heroes after all. He nodded confidently and smirked.

"Hell yeah. I'll join you. Let's find Fleetwood," Kirishima quietly said, "B-but how?"

Mina gave him a small smile and frowned as she began to focus, "Well...we probably need to recruit more people. You think anybody in our class would want to join us?"

"Including us, at least four."

Both Kirishima and Mina jumped in shock at the new voice. They snapped their heads around and saw that Shoko had taken the other seat next to Mina; what was strange was that didn't see her move at all.

"I overheard your conversation. If you want to be more discreet then you have to talk more quietly," she told them, "Most of our class will likely not be willing to commit, but I can't blame them. Iida and Yaoyoruzu will probably try and stop us so we have to keep it from them as well as from our teachers. If Midoryia gets better then we can invite him along. With the heroes distracted, we can sneak away any time we like, but we have to make it quick."

"Wait, wait, wait," Mina whispered to her, "Are you serious? You want to help?"

Shoko gave her stoic look, "Of course I do. I've been planning on what to do all night," she said as she furrowed her brows in worry, "He's my friend...I should have done more to help when I had the chance," she softly said before she sighed, "The problem is we have no idea where to even begin. The warp villain could have taken him anywhere."

"Maybe there were some clues at the scene of the crime. We could go back there," Kirishima suggested.

"No, the police would have searched the entire place," Shoko said.

"Is there a way we can talk to the police about any leads," Mina said.

"No, they wouldn't just give out information like that."

"What about your dad, Todoroki. All the top heroes are working on the case. Endeavour must be as well," Kirishima said.

Shoko frowned as his suggestion and gritted her teeth, "I...tried. He wouldn't tell me anything."

"Damn it," Mina muttered, "There has to be someway we could-"

RING RING! RING RING!

The sound of a phone ringing caught their attention. They turned to where it was coming from and discovered that it was Shoko. The stoic girl looked confused for a few seconds before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a smartphone.

"That's not your phone," Mina pointed out.

"No, it's Fleetwood's," Shoko explained, "I picked up his items at camp before we all left. I must have forgotten to put this with the rest of it," she said before she accepted the call and put it on speakerphone, "Hello?"

"Wait, hold on," Mina and Kirishima said at her.

"Morning, guinea pig!" a preppy voice came from the phone, "It's been a while, huh? Listen, I've got some new babies to test on you so if you cou-"

"Sorry, who is this?" Mina interrupted as she spoke to the person on the other side of the call.

"Huh? It's Mei Hatsume. You don't sound like guinea pig?"

"That's because it's not."

"Are you...Melissa?"

"No, it's Mina Ashido."

...

...

...

"From Class 1A."

...

...

...

...

"We were both in the second tournament at the Sports Festival."

...

...

...

...

"I'm Fleetwood's friend."

"Oh, okay. That's alright then," Hatsume said, "Do you mind passing me to guinea pig. I've got something to show him."

Kirishima rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Err...Hatsume, was it? Have you not seen the news?"

"Nope," she replied uncaringly, "Electrical appliances don't last long when I'm around. I once had a T.V down in here, but now it's part of babies 85, 256 and 97. Boy, my parents were not happy about that. Anyway, is guinea pig there or-"

Before Hatsume could finish her sentence, Shoko raised the phone to her face and spoke to her in a cold, serious tone.

"You were the one who worked on Fleetwood's support gear, weren't you. Including the GPS tracker cards."

"Huh? W-what?" Hatsume uttered, surprised by her demands, "I mean, yeah. I made them. Are they faulty or something?"

"Can you access them?"

"What?"

"Can you access them? Can you use them to track Fleetwood down?"

"Err...wait. Why do you want to track him down? Where is he?"

Shoko's eyes narrowed in anger as small flames appeared on her shoulder.

"Just answer the question!" Shoko snapped at her.

"I-I-I'm confused. Seriously, what's going on?"

"Todoroki," Kirishma gently said as he pulled the phone away from the irate girl, "Calm down. You're scaring her," he told her as he turned to the phone, "Sorry about that. Hatsume...I'm sorry to tell you this, but Fleetwood has been kidnapped by villains. We were hoping if there was a way that you can track him down with the support gear you made for him. Or at least give us an idea of where he could be."

There was silence on other end of the call. It wasn't for a few good seconds that Hatsume replied.

"W-when...when did this happen?"

"Last night. We're all in shock as well," Mina explained.

Hatsume hesitated slightly. There was a loud clanging sound as if something metal had been dropped onto a desk.

"Oh...oh...I...I didn't know that. Is...is he alright?"

"We don't know. That's why we're trying to find him."

Hatsume cleared her throat, "R-right...I see," she muttered in pure shock, "...I'll...I'll see what I can do...err...give me a few minutes...I'll call you back if I got something."

"Thank you," Mina said as the call suddenly ended.

Silence fell over them. All three of them were racked with concern and fear for their friend. Even with the prospect of good news from Hatsume could not cheer them up. Eventually, Shoko, who still looked mad, took a deep breath and stared down at her feet in shame.

"I...I didn't mean to get angry at her," she softly admitted.

Mina offered her a small smile and patted her shoulder comfortingly; something that Shoko really appreciated.

---

League of Villains Lair

"So, let me get this straight," Magne said as she peered down at him from the barstool she was sitting on, "The reason why you started attacking that nomu like crazy was because of your quirk making you crazy."

"Yes," Lewis answered.

"And the interview was a complete accident. The organisers just chose you because you happened to be there," Mr. Compress said.

"Yes."

"You were in Hosu doing an errand and just happened to be caught up in all that mess," Twice continued as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Same thing with I-Island?" the other Twice said.

"Yes."

"And you dressing us a cheerleader?" Himoko hummed.

"That has nothing to do with literally anything," Lewis muttered, sending her a glare, "And you know that."

Himoko giggled in reply.

Spinner coughed into his hand, "And the thing with Stain...you were just stopping him from killing himself."

"Yes. If I hadn't stopped him then he would have be dead right now," Lewis explained, "He may have been a murderer, but I be damned to let a person die in front of me when I could do something about it. No matter who they...nobody deserves to be left for dead."

There a few moments of silence that followed. Not one League member spoke a single word as they took in what he had just said. But suddenly, Twice reared back his head and cackled in laughter while Himiko giggled. The rest of the League, the ones who were actually paying attention, merely smiled in amusement.

"Man! That's hilarious!" Twice laughed as he placed a hand on the bar to keep him standing, "Is your quirk called 'Bad Luck' or something!? I mean, what the hell!? Hahahahaha!"

"And here we are thinking you were plotting something evil," Mr Compress snickered, "How very amusing."

"The Stain video really exaggerated things, huh? Poor kid. You had it almost as rough as we have," Magne said as she leaned back on her barstool.

Lewis sighed miserably, but couldn't help but crack a small smile, "Yeah, it's weird, right?"

It had been a few hours or so since the had untied him and things were going pretty smoothly as far as hostage situations were going. It was certainly better than the last time. They had spent most of that time asking him questions about what had happened to him since he had started school and one or two non-personal things about what it was like back in England. They didn't torture or threaten him for information and he was allowed to deny any question that he liked. Kurogiri had even served him tea which was nice of him. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that they were criminals who attacked his friends and teachers, he would have said they were pretty decent people...with three exceptions.

The first was (obviously) Shigaraki who has remained silent at the back of the bar, trying to not stand out as much as possible. Ever-so-often he would snarl, tut or groan in annoyance at some of the answers he would give and give him a menacing glare. However, Kurogiri was always there to keep him in check.

The second was Dabi. Like Shigaraki he had remained silent throughout the day. There was something strange about him. He didn't seem outright hostile at first, but Lewis could tell that there was something very, very sinister about him. He stared at him with cold eyes as he talked whilst rapping his knuckles against the wooden part of the booth he was sitting at. It was as if he was...sizing him up or testing him. He had no idea why he thought that way. He was just too quiet.

Not, but not least was Himiko. Unlike the other two, she engaged in a conversation with him, but, somehow, all her questions come back to the same thing: his blood. In all honesty, Himiko Toga was the one person who genuinely put him on edge. He had not forgotten their last encounter and he was uncomfortable to be around in her presence. However, he knew that he had to make an effort and make sure to properly engage with her and keep her happy. He doubted that he was the first person to ever feel this way about her, but he had a feeling that, out of all those people, he was the only one still alive.

Spinner placed a scaly hand on his shoulder and pulled up a chair next to him, "So...what was he like?"

Lewis blinked in surprise, "Who? Stain?"

"Yeah, of course," the young man eagerly said, his eyes wide in excitement, "I've only seen him on a screen, but you actually talked to him. So, what was he like?"

"Err...well, he was about as tall as me. Really fast and really strong. Had a long tongue...smelled like blood..."

"I knew he would," Spinner hummed with a nod, "What was he like as a person?"

"Well, I didn't really talk to him much. I got to say that he was very devoted to what he believed in."

"Come on. There's got to be something else," Spinner half-begged.

"I can always destroy a couple of limbs," Shigaraki hissed before he chugged his bottle of beer, "If you think he's holding back any information on us."

"Hey now! That's not necessary!" Spinner cried.

Lewis sighed and gave the reptilian man a look, "Spinner, you...really idolise Stain, don't you?"

"Idolise? Are you kidding me? He's teachings have saved my life," Spinner told him, "If it weren't for him, I would still be a useless shut-in."

"If you actually knew his teachings then you would know that Stain hates idolisation," Shigaraki muttered, giving his fellow League member a glare, "You're the type of person that Stain hates."

"Err...well...then I admire his work. Yeah," Spinner hastily said, "There's nothing wrong with admiring."

"I'll drink to that Spinner," Magne chuckled as she sipped her whiskey.

Lewis cleared his throat and turned his full attention to Spinner, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you become a shut-in? You seem like you're pretty ambitious."

Spinner pulled a sour face and looked away, "Why? I mean," he gestured to his scaly skin, "Look at me."

"I am looking at you," Lewis said with a shrug, "I don't see anything wrong with you."

"That's because you don't know what it's like," Spinner muttered bitterly, "Have you ever been treated differently by the way you look? I bet you haven't? You look normal, while to everybody else, I'm a monster. Everybody is so small-minded and pathetic. I don't fit into society like you do and I never will."

Lewis frowned sadly. Out of all the quirk types, those who had mutant types faced the most discrimination. Even in the modern age, when almost everybody in the entire world has a quirk or some sort of mutation, xenophobia still lives on like a disease that never disappears. Some mutant types are less noticeable than others, so, in Spinner's case, he really had it rough. Lewis, personally, thought that the whole thing was ridiculous. How long has humanity been going on and it still hasn't learned its lesson. Some of his best friends were mutant types; Mina, Shoji, Fumikage, Manga, Pony; and he won't stand for anybody abusing them by the way they look.

He cleared his throat, catching Spinner's attention.

"You know, in my wallet there's a photo of me and my parents when they were both still alive," he told him, "If I had it on me I would show it you."

"And?" Spinner grumbled.

"And you would see that my mom was also a mutant type. My uncle is as well, actually. It's hard to tell looking at me. I guess I take more from my father's side than my mother's, huh?"

The reptilian man looked at him with some surprise before he looked away, "Yeah, so?"

"Spinner, I'm not trying to emphasise with you in any way or say that I know what you've experienced, because I can't. I never been prejudiced because of the way that I look. I mean, I was bullied at school, but that was mainly because-"

"You looked like a dork?" Shigaraki guessed.

Lewis gave him a dry look, "Yes. I guess you're right," he grumbled before he turned back to Spinner, "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I wasn't abused, but my mother was and possibly so was my uncle. They had no reason to be. My mother was an amazing person and I love her so much, but people just judged her by her appearance. She once told she was banned from going to church, if you can believe that," he shuffled towards him in his seat, "However, she did get revenge on them. Every single person who mocked her, teased her, insulted her and pushed her away; she got her own back on all of them."

Spinner's eyes flashed with excitement, "Really?"

"Yep, you know what she did?" he asked, making him shake his eagerly, "She grew up, got a job as a teacher at the local primary school, met my dad and married him, gave birth to me and lived her life with her family."

"...how...how is that revenge?"

"Because, despite everything that had happened to her, she choose to have a happy life with the people she loved to the day she died," he said with a smirk, "It's not what you call a 'typical' revenge story. But she got what she wanted in the end and that's what mattered."

Spinner, a little shocked, leaned back on his chair and stayed silent. He wanted to be annoyed. No, not annoyed. Angry. But he suddenly found himself unable to do it. He looked down at his scaly hands. They have been through a lot; defending himself from bottles being hurled at him by drunks, using them to escape when he was younger and the big kids in his neighbourhood attacked him. They were so different from normal hands. They were rough, green and had claws at the end. But this was the first time that he realised that they still functioned and worked just as if they were normal human hands. The only difference was how he thought about them.

"Hey, hey check it out!" Twice suddenly cried out, twirling around in his foot as he held up his phone, "Just got the news. Looks like the U.A staff is going to do a press conference in a few hours."

Lewis eyes widened in surprise, "A press conference?"

"Shut up, idiot! I wasn't talking to you!" Twice snapped at him before he causally leaned against the bar, "Yeah, a press conference. Should we watch it? Let's not. Sounds boring."

"Could be interesting," Dabi spoke for the first time in a while.

Shigaraki tutted bitterly and rolled his eyes, "I don't care. Watch it."

Dabi gave a sickening grin as he leaned back in his seat, "Can't wait. Let's see what the heroes at U.A are doing. I bet they'll get annihilated by the press."

"Maybe the press will go hard on them, but they'll do fine," Lewis retorted with a glare.

Dabi raised a single eyebrow, "Huh, you seem sure."

"Of course I am. They're my teachers and good pro heroes, not some grovelling politicians who got caught out on a scandal," Lewis firmly said, making him scoff at his remark. He sighed sadly looked down at the floor, 'Besides,' he thought, 'it's not their fault. I should have got out of there when I had the chance. Now I've just made everybody worried about me.'

---

A few hours later, the press conference had begun. The League of Villains and Lewis stared at the small T.V on the bar top from the seats and watched as they were presented with a large conference hall full of journalists and reporters. The cameras were pointed at the back of the hall where Principal Nezu, Aizawa and Vlad King (or his real name Sekijiro Kan according to the small name plaque in front of him) stood in front of a long table towards the audience. They were all dressed in nice, presentable suits and no longer wore their hero costumes; a good call considering they are supposed to look formal in front of the media. Nezu and Sekijiro looked normal, but Lewis had to admit that Aizawa looking neat had startled him. He wore a black suit and tie and had his long hair combed back so all his face was revealed. It was the sight of him that Lewis realised how serious they were taking this. They bowed to the reporters before they took their seats at the long table.

"Come on! How long is this going to take! Get on with it!" Twice moaned from his chair.

"Shh, he's about to speak now," Magne hushed him.

"Hey, don't shhh m-"

"Shut it!"

Lewis rolled his eyes and watched as Aizawa lean into the microphone on the table, clasping his hands tightly in concern.

"Thank you all for coming," the hero calmly, but seriously said, "As representatives of U.A Hero Academy and teachers and guardians of the first years students, we would like to apologise for the incident that occurred last night. Our incompetence resulted in the injuries of 27 of our student heroes. Despite being an institution for the development of heroes, we were negligent in our defence against evil interests and have caused great anxiety within society. With the utmost sincerity, we respectfully and humbly apologise for our shortcomings."

Dabi smirked towards Lewis, "Sounds like grovelling to me."

Lewis gave him an annoyed look before turning back to the screen. One of the reporters from the audience stood up as he accepted a microphone from one of the attendants. He cleared his throat and spoke into it.

"Reporting with NHA. Principal Nezu, this is the fifth time this year for U.A Academy where students have come into contact with villains. This time, students were injured. How exactly did you explain this to their families? Please tell us specifically what measures have been taken to address this matter?"

Principal Nezu leaned into the microphone on the table, "We have strengthen the security around the school and we have re-examined the campus' crime prevention system. We are taking strong measures to guarantee the safety of our students."

Another reporter from the audience stood up. Lewis hummed in surprised when he recognised him; he was one of the reporters back at the Sports Festival who interviewed him.

"You speak of the student's safety, but..." he looked towards Aizawa with steely eyes, "Mr Erasurehead, they say that, during the incident, you urged the students to fight. Is that correct?"

Aizawa immediately responded, "Because we were unable to fully grasp the situation, I made the judgement to avoid the worst possible outcome."

"Worst possible outcome, you say?" the reporter hummed, "26 injured...1 kidnapped...would you not call that the worst possible outcome?"

"Hell, yeah it is!" Twice shouted as he pumped his fists in the air, "Woohoo!"

"Shut up!"

Back on the screen, Aizawa gave the reporter a dry look, "In that situation, the worst possible outcome I was envisioning was one in which the students helplessly become murder victims."

Nezu spoke up next, "The majority of the injuries were caused by the gas attack. We had ascertained that the gas had hypnotic properties and was the product of one of the villain's quirks. Thanks to Ms Kendo and Mr Tetsutetsu's swift response, none of the students suffered any more serious injuries. We are also seeing to the mental care of the students, but at the present moment we have no indications of severe emotional trauma of any sort."

Lewis smiled at that. He was happy that Kendo and Tetsutetsu were able to take down one of the villains and the fact that everybody was fine. However, his mood turned sour as soon as the same reporter inquired further.

"Would you consider this a 'silver lining' of sorts?"

"We believe that for the future, the worst possible outcome is if we were to be attacked again," Nezu replied.

"Could you also say the same thing for the kidnapped student, Fleetwood?" the reporter questioned ruthlessly, causing Lewis to frown in anger, "Coming third in the Sports Festival because he dropped out in the final round. He was present in Hosu with video evidence of him with the Hero Killer. When he was on I-Island, he fought and defeated a powerful villain. There are countless theories and gossip about him and, although they may just be rumours, there is yet another incident which he is involved with. He seems to be a magnet to all these incidents. This could be just a set of coincidences, but it also could mean something more sinister. Mr Fleetwood turns up from out of the country, enrolls in the one of the most esteemed hero school in all of Japan and suddenly everything seems to wrong for the school," he said, making the audience murmur in interest.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the reporter and gripped his hands into tights fists.

"What's your point, sir?" questioned the teacher sharply.

"My point..." the reporter said with a raised eyebrow, "...is whether the security improvements that U.A insists on carrying out...include the possible security threat that Mr Fleetwood could be? Perhaps it's not a question of whether Mr Fleetwood is safe with U.A, but rather is U.A safe with Mr Fleetwood."

The entire audience erupted in loud mutterings and whispers; cameras flashed and the audience were on the edge of their seats for U.A's response.

Back at the bar, Lewis stared at the T.V in sheer shock at the reporter's question, 'What...what is he saying? Is he saying I'm doing this all on purpose!?' he thought in disbelief as he looked down at the floor in anger, 'Are you kidding me!? After everything I said and done, this is what some people think of me! I...I...I just want to help everyone that's all. I never asked for all of this,' he thought as anger turned into sorrow.

"Ha! Well, look at that!"

Lewis looked up and looked back at Shigaraki; the man had leapt leaned back on his barstool and pointed a finger accusingly at him.

"You hear what they're saying about you? Thinking you're somehow in on this when you're not. This is the problem with this society. It's rotten to the core. Innocent people are accused as villains and criminals all because of some hearsay," he said as a creepy grin cross his face, "This is why you really piss me off. Thinking you can adapt and change society for the better. No matter how hard you try, there are always those who want to put you down like a rabid dog. Your goals are a joke, Fleetwood. You're working towards a dream that can never come true!"

Lewis gritted his teeth and was about to lash out at him...when he heard a familiar voice come from the T.V.

"My apologies. I and the rest of the staff at U.A are very aware of how these things may appear from an outside perspective..."

Lewis and the other members turned to the T.V and saw Aizawa standing up and bowing to the audience of reporters. His head was as low as it can be and his words were calm and professional. Lewis could tell he was angry...but he was hiding behind his cool facade.

"...I will not deny that Lewis Fleetwood has been involved in all of these incidents and it is far beyond my comprehension how these conspired. As from now, I will do more to prevent these occurrences from happening to one of my students and be more active in shaping his education at U.A Academy," he looked up and showed the audience his face filled with unwavering resolve, "I may not know how these incidents keep occurring, but I can assure you that they are not a reflection of who Fleetwood truly is. From the moment he started his education, he has made excellent progress. Not only has he improved himself over these past months, but his classmates also rely on him on his guidance and advice and hold him highly in regard. There are some who may be critical of what he believes, but they come from good intentions. There is not a single piece of malice within him and, although he does make mistakes, he will always try and rectify them and improve himself in the process. Fleetwood is well liked and respected by his friends, his peers, his teachers and everyone he has ever encountered and it is in my opinion, as a teacher of heroics, that he is on the right path in becoming a top hero in the future. If the villains or anybody else perceive him as some sort of security threat to U.A, then I would say that they are being foolish," he said before he took his seat once more.

Lewis blinked in surprise at what he said. Aizawa didn't give compliments to anyone and preferred handing out constructive criticism...very harsh constructive criticism, in fact. However, to hear him say that made a gentle smile appear on his face.

'Thank...thank you, Mr Aizawa,' he gratefully thought.

The entire room was silent for a few seconds as the reporters took note of everything he had said. Some started to whisper and murmur amongst themselves, but all of this was drowned out when Nezu spoke into the microphone once again.

"What Mr Aizawa had told you is a sentiment shared amongst the faculty. Mr Fleetwood is not a safety threat which is why we are doing everything we can in order to get him back. We are currently working with the police-"

Shigaraki turned the T.V off and growled in anger. He glared at Lewis through the fingers of his hand mask and saw him proudly smirking at him.

"Sometimes change isn't obvious. It can happen in small places or can happen without us realising it. As long as you stick to what you believe in and be caring and understanding, great things do happen," he told him.

"You sound like a Disney princess," Shigaraki spat in anger, "What's this crap about caring and loving each other?"

"It may sound stupid, but I'm not wrong. For example," he turned around to his seat and face Twice, surprise the villain slightly at the attention, "Twice, why do you speak in two different voices?"

Twice blinked blankly at him before he shot up to his feet furiously, "Huh!? What was that you little punk!?" he roared as he stormed over to him, "You got a problem with me!? Huh!"

Lewis patiently shook his head, "No, of course not. I was just curious that's all," he said before he gave a kind smile, "Sorry if I was being insensitive. I only wanted to get to know you a bit better that's all."

Twice loomed over him in silence, seemingly trying to decide what to make with what he said. Eventually, he stepped back, crossed his arms over his chest and pouted slightly.

"...Well, damn straight you're being insensitive. It's private, you know," he grumbled.

"I like your costume," Lewis said, "Did you make it yourself?"

"W-well, no...I came up with the design and all, but...thanks," he muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. Suddenly he turned to him and snapped his fingers, "Alright fine. You twisted my arm. I'll tell you, but that's all you get from me, you hear!?"

"That's fine," Lewis said.

'He's so easy,' Spinner, Magne and Mr Compress thought with a sweat drop.

---

Police Headquarters

Meanwhile, only a few miles away, pro-heroes across several prefectures had gathered to the city's police station and waited in the seminar room for Detective Tsukauchi to arrive for their briefing. There were big names involved. There was All Might, Endeavour, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, Gang Orca, Best Jeanist, Mt Lady, Tiger and Ryukyu the Dragoon hero. Even the thought-to-be retired Gran Torino had arrived just for this. They had all gathered for one reason: to take down the League of Villains and get Lewis back.

"Isn't this a bit much," Endeavour grumbled with his arms crossed over his chest, "There are only a few villains and one hostage. This should be too easy for the likes of us."

"You got something better to do then hero work, hmm?" Gran Torino muttered pointedly as he leaned heavily on his walking stick.

"Yes, in fact I do," Endeavour spat as his flames flickered over his body, "I've got a whole city to protect and villains to take down. Not all of us can enjoy retirement just yet."

"Enjoy?" Gran Torino sniffed, "If this is my retirement then I might as well have never left."

All Might laughed before giving the old man a sheepish look, "I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING ON SHORT NOTICE!"

Mt Lady flicked her hair over her shoulder, "Endeavour does have a point. This does seem a lot of heroes for one job. I hope we can get this over with so I can get back to my agency. There's plenty of work that I need to do," she told them before internally smirking, 'Good. Now that they think I've got important things to do, they will never suspect that I'm actually going straight home so I don't miss the season finale of Romance Island,' she thought to herself.

"That's enough," Ryukyu said, giving the pro-heroes a pointed look, "You should take this as seriously as you would any other job."

"Indeed. You're being very unprofessional," Edgeshot calmly said from the corner of the seminar room, "A person's life is at stake and you're worried about paperwork."

Edgashot was a mysterious man that always kept the lower part of his face concealed behind a blue mask. He was a slim, slightly short man with spiky grey hair that covered the right side of his face and had grey sharp eyes. His hero costume resembles that of which a traditional ninja would way; it consists of a red shinobi shozoku underneath a blue robe with red straps attached to his arms and his belt. He also wore a red scarf around his neck which flowed down his back and arms and wore a pair of zori sandals on his feet.

"I'm just saying. Don't bite my head off," Mt Lady grumbled, holding up her hands in defence while Endeavour snarled in annoyance.

"It's interesting what they are saying on the news," Kamui Woods hummed, "That Fleetwood is a hot topic. I'm a little worried for him to be honest."

Kamui Woods, just like Mt Lady, had made his debut only a few months ago and has become quite popular already. He was a muscular man whose features are concealed beneath his wooden mask with only his eyes being the only thing anybody can see. His arms, legs were either covered in wood or they are actually wooden with fingertips slightly pointed like the end of a branch. His hero costume consists of a dark blue bodysuit with a wooden belt, kneepads and boots.

"You really believe everything the news says, Kamui?" Best Jeanist sighed with a questioning look.

Best Jeanist is a rather stylish, tall, slim man with long blond hair that was combed over his left eye. His hero costume was entirely made out of denim; denim trousers, denim jacket, denim waistcoat. The only thing that wasn't made of denim was his leather belt and his boots.

Kamui Woods shrugged, "Of course not. I just said I'm worried for him. It's not great being under all that pressure...well, I guess some people like that sort of thing," he said as he glared at Mt Lady.

"Was that a shot at me, because I took down the villain instead of you!?" she shouted, "Come on, that was one time! And it was months ago!"

"You still haven't made it up to me."

"Please, let's focus," Gang Orca seriously said, "This is no time for petty bickering."

Gang Orca was a tall, muscular man who had the appearance of an anthropomorphic killer whale and the strength of one. He had deep white eyes with deep red pupils, tough rubbery skin and a large dorsal fin that pointed out of the top of his head. He wore a bright white suit with a high collar that covered the lower half of his face. On the collar were several diamond shape pieces that resembled teeth and he wore a large pink tie that looked like a long tongue. Over his back was a long black cloak that looked like a killer whale from the back.

"That's right. We have to give it our all," Tiger growled as he clenched his fists together, "That boy helped my colleague and my friend when I couldn't be there. His body may not be a Plus Ultra, but his spirt is certainly is," he flexed his arms and gritted his teeth, "Now it is my turn to help him! No villain will get in my way this time! Plus Ultra!"

"GOOD TO HEAR ONE OF MY STUDENT HAS HAD SUCH AN GOOD EFFECT ON OTHERS!" All Might proudly said, "YOUNG FLEETWOOD IS A GOOD KID. A DEFINITE HERO IN THE MAKING!" he turned to Kamui Woods and flashed him a smile, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE MEDIA! WE AT U.A WILL MAKE SURE HE IS PROPERLY PROTECTED!"

"That's good to hear," Ryukyu said with a small smile, "I only met him once and I know how much of a sweetheart he is."

"Sweetheart," Endeavour spat in anger under his breath, "There's no way we could be talking about the same brat."

"You've got something against Fleetwood, Endeavour?" Gang Orca asked.

Endeavour looked like he was about to answer before he snarled and looked away.

"What's that all about?" Mt Lady pondered out loud.

Suddenly, the doors to the seminar room opened up and Detective Tsukauchi entered with urgency. He stood before the pro heroes and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming on short notice," he said, "You are all here because the heroes at U.A can't. Right now, they are giving a live T.V interview explaining to the public that we currently searching for Fleetwood. However, thanks to the efforts of Sir Knighteye and his agency this morning we were able to uncover the likely hideout of the League of Villains."

'Nighteye,' All Might thought in surprise, 'I wasn't expecting that.'

"That was fast," Ryugyu said, "How did they know?"

"Actually, the police had been suspected the it had been the location of the League of Villain's hideout for a while now. However, it wasn't until their hard work this work that we were able to prove it. We were also tipped off by a convict named Mokuhyō Rokku not too long ago who seemed convinced that he had seen one of the members of the League enter the location," he explained, "The plan is to be quick. Infiltrate the location, apprehend all the members of the League of Villains and rescue the hostage all before they could do anything. The live broadcast is our cover. They won't expect us to move so fast, giving us the advantage. All Might, Kamui Woods, Gran Torino and Edgeshot; you three will spearhead the mission. Neutralise the perpetrators before they can make a move. Watch out for the mist villain. If you don't take him down then he'll warp everybody away and the rescue mission will mean nothing," he told them, earning a nod of understanding from all of them, "The rest of you will hold back and wait. There's the possibility of one or maybe more nomus on site so you will need to provide back up just in case. Everybody understand?"

"Yes," choused the heroes.

Endeavour, however, just grumbled in annoyance.

"Good, that's what I like to hear," Tsukauchi told them with a positive smile, "Let's get Fleetwood back safe and sound and back with his class. I can't imagine the things he's been through today. If we're quick...we're might even be back for 'Romance Island'."

"Oh! 'You watch Romance Island' too?" Mt Lady excitedly ask, "Whose your favourite couple so far?"

...

...

...

"...Mt Lady, that was just a joke."

"...oh."

---

League Of Villain's Lair

"...okay, what's All Might, like?"

"He's great. Good teacher, comes up with awesome lessons, he doesn't hang around for long because...you know, he's All Might. There are like a billion places that he needs to be," Lewis answered Spinner's question.

"I knew it. No wonder Stain thought so highly of him."

"Never mind him. I want to know more about that lovely blond Ryukyu. Have you met her?" Magne asked as she took another slice of pizza from the box on the table.

"Ryukyu is awesome. I only met her once, but she's by far the coolest person ever. Her dragon form is even greater close up."

"And she's pretty," Twice said as he bite into his pizza, lifting a part of his mask up to eat it properly.

"She's gorgeous in a graceful way," Lewis agreed as he picked up his third slice of pizza from the box.

Half an hour later after the press conference ended, the League of Villains and Lewis realised that none of them had eaten the whole day. Seeing that it was dark out and they couldn't risk being seen by going outside, Kurogiri had ordered them several pizzas for them to share. Lewis, Twice, Spinner, Himiko and Magne were sat around one of the booth tables in the bar and ate contently; especially Lewis since he hadn't eaten anything since the night before. Kurogiri supervised them from the behind the bar while Dabi and Mr Compress chose to sit away from them so they could talk secretly to each other. Shigaraki had grown fed up with all of them and was moping somewhere in one of the back rooms, doing...whatever villains like him usually do.

Spinner was sat on his right side as he took down the names of heroes Lewis had met. It started off with him asking which heroes is worthy to survive the hero purge, but Lewis had no intention of doing that so he directed the conversation away from the subject. Now they were just discussing which heroes they liked and disliked like a couple of children at a sleepover with Magne, Himiko and Twice wanting to be involved as well.

"Hey buddy," Twice said as he shook his shoulder as he sat to his left, "You want a drink or something. What do you want? Booze? Shots? Cocktails," he raised his head up and waved to Kurogiri from the bar, "Hey guy, get us some drinks, would ya!"

Kurogiri looked up from the glass he was cleaning and shook his head, "My apologises, but Mr Fleetwood is underaged."

'Kidnapping and hostage taking is fine, but you draw the line at underaged drinking?' Lewis thought miserably.

"Aww man," Twice muttered, "Sorry Buddy. I tried."

"I really appreciate it, Twice. Why don't you drink for both of us."

"Hell yeah! I will!"

Lewis didn't know how he did it, but Twice was suddenly much nicer to him. The man was unpredictable at times, so he couldn't really blame himself for how things have developed. He just talked to him about his problems (which were numerous) and his grievances (again, numerous) and then, over a space of two hours he was acting as if they had been friends for years. Lewis couldn't but feel a little sad for him; clearly the only thing he needed was a person to listen to him and be friendly to him...he must have bern very, very lonely all his life. It possibly explains how he fell into criminal activity in the first place.

"Oh, hey. I've got one," Magne cooed as she waved her hand, "How about Endeavour? Have you met him?"

Lewis grimaced slightly before he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Dabi looked over towards him. His face was blank and held no emotion, but there was something there that made Lewis feel on edge. He decided to ignore it for now.

"Once or twice," he finally answered, "Can't say I'm a big fan of him. He gets the job done...but he's an arrogant arsehole."

From the other side of the room, Dabi smirked at that before he turned back to Mr Compress. His reaction had gone unnoticed by everybody.

"Alright, Endeavour is off the list," Spinner said, "Who else?"

"Spinner, I thought we weren't doing the hero purge thing," Lewis told him with a frown.

"Well...err...I'm not. Just keeping notes, that's all haha!" Spinner sheepishly said.

"Spinner," Lewis warned.

"...sorry."

"Oh, little rabbit~"

Lewis looked around and jumped in fright to see Himiko kneeling in front of him of him on the table, looming over him with her honey coloured eyes. He was shocked, he hadn't seen her move at all until she called out to him. The young girl smiled wickedly down at him as she leaned her head down to his concerned face...before she snatched the half eaten slice of pizza from his hand and ate a piece of it. She swallowed it one gulp and licked the red sauce of her lips.

"Hmm," she hummed happily as she held her hands up to her face, "I got an indirect kiss from you. How sweet!" she giggled manically.

Lewis gulped in worry as he leaned back away from her, but Spinner rolled her eyes at her.

"Geez, would you grown up already," he muttered.

"Oh, leave her alone. She's only playing," Magne cooed.

Twice reared back his head and rapidly slapped Lewis' shoulder, "Haha! What the heck was that! Aww, man! You kissed her! I'm so jealous! Ha! You're a lucky son of a gun!"

The young hero shivered as Himiko gazed down at him again. She leant down close to his face until their noses were almost touching and grinned sinisterly.

"If you want to kiss me for real...I'll let you, little rabbit," she whispered, "But you have to give me some of yummy blood in return," she giggled as her eyes bore into his.

Lewis had no idea how to respond. He was suddenly taken back to that night when he first met her and felt the healed cuts on his neck and his hand begin to itch.

Luckily, before, he could say anything, Shigaraki entered the bar once again. He glared at the, through his hand mask and snarled in anger.

"Enough of this! This isn't a party!" he roared at them, "Get away from him and tie him to the chair again! I've had enough of him thinking he owns the place!"

Lewis frowned in concern while Spinner and Twice shared a look with one another.

"Aw, come on. He's not doing anything," Twice whined.

"You were the one who told us to release him the first place," Spinner pointed out.

Mr Compress sighed and waved his hand casually in the air, "I have to agree with our master. I have every bit of information I needed from Mr Fleetwood. He is now obsolete."

"Did you two forget why you came here," Dabi growled, "This isn't a recreational club. He's our hostage, remember?"

"Y-yeah, but-" Twice stammered.

"Sorry Twice, dear," Magne cooed with a broad smirk, "You know they're right."

Lewis was starting to worry once again. He looked around and saw that the friendly and warm atmosphere disappear in a second. He was never a guest here, he was their prisoner that they allowed out of his cage. Gritting his teeth, Lewis stood straight up and stepped out of the booth.

"You never answered my question? Why did you bring me here?" he demanded as he confronted Shigaraki.

"I already told you. It was their idea," the villain snapped back at him.

"But you're the leader of the League. Doesn't that mean you get the final say?" Lewis said, "It doesn't make sense. Why would you set up a full scale attack on U.A just so you can get me..." he trailed off slightly as he realised something, "...no, not just me. You were also after Ragdoll. Why us? What do you need from us in particular?"

Shigaraki clicked his jaw and twitched his fingers, "You're pushing your luck."

"Mr Fleetwood," Kurogiri spoke up as he glanced at an irate Shigaraki, "Please be calm."

"No!" Lewis snapped as he marched towards Shigaraki, "There's something you're not telling me and them," he said as pointed back at the League members, "And I want to know why."

"Shut...up..." Shigaraki hissed, his eyes become bloodshot.

"Young master, please," Kurogiri begged as the others watched on in a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"All this time, I feel as if we've been stalling for something. But for what? In a hostage situation, the kidnappers would have sent out a ransom note to the police ages ago. But you've done nothing today."

Shigaraki lurched forwards and snarled into his face, "I'll...kill...you!"

"Young master," Kurogiri pleaded, "You have to calm dow-"

"Then why haven't you, huh!?" Lewis yelled in his face, "Why haven't you killed me!? You already said I was already a nuisance so what's stopping you..."

The entire bar fell totally silent as Lewis trailed off suddenly. He glared at Shigaraki thoughtfully and stepped back away from him; there was an unreadable express on his face as he quickly came to a sudden realisation.

"...or...is it who's stopping you?" Lewis uttered as she looked around the bar, "Who were you taking to in the back rooms?"

"Nobody," the villain muttered in sheer anger.

"No," Lewis said as he shook his head, "There's somebody here. There's somebody listening on this and telling you what to do. There must be..."

He trailed off as he spotted something on the other side of the bar. There was a karaoke machine hooked onto the far wall. It looked old and worn and, at first, Lewis hadn't paid much attention to it. However, now he was looking at it properly, he spotted a red light on the corner of the screen. The karaoke machine wasn't on...so what was the light for? Lewis sidestepped around Shigaraki, much to the villain's anger, and approached the karaoke machine. He looked over it curiously before he stared at the screen, seeing only his reflection back at him.

"I know you're there. Who are you?" Lewis demanded.

As expected there was nothing but silence.

Shigaraki scracthed his neck and gritted his teeth together, "Kurogiri he's-"

"I know, young master," Kurogiri slowly said as he kept his eyes on Fleetwood caustiously, "Let us see what the master does."

"Master?" Lewis picked up on before he glared at the screen, "So you are the one pulling the strings here. The one who ordered the attack on the U.S.J, the one who created the nomu and the one who told them to kidnap me and Ragdoll," Lewis mused, "You've wrangled up vulnerable people with powerful quirks and getting to do your bidding; not only that, you're making it look like you are offering them revenge and change in their lives. You're manipulating them and for what?" he asked, unbeknowst to the person slowly making his way towards him, "I only want to know why you're doing this? Is is it because you want to cripple U.A or the government in some way? Whatever it is, I won't help you in any way. I have got nothing of importance. I'm just a hero student; there are hundreds of us across the country," he told the screen. Only for silence to respond to him, "Come on! What do you want? I know you're there! Speak to me or are you too afraid to simply ta-ack!"

He cried out as a pair of cold hands wrapped around his neck and clasp tightly onto his throat. He gasped as he was pulled back away from the screen and felt eight fingernails dig and piece his skin. He tried to reach up to grab at the wrists and try to pry the hands off of him…but then the cold, icy voice of Shigaraki whispered into his ear.

"Don't…talk…to…him…like…that!" he snarled as Shigaraki began to choke him with all his strength.

"Young master!" Kurogiri cried out in alarm, "Please remember we have to-"

"I don't care! He deserves it!" Shigaraki yelled.

Spinner stood up from his seat and raised both of his hands, "Hey Shigaraki! Stop that! You're going to kill him!"

"That's the idea, dumbass!" Shigaraki lashed out before he choked Lewis' windpipe even harder, "If you try and break out, I'll turn your throat into dust," he threatened.

"Ah man! Don't worry Buddy! I'm coming to save you! Wait, but Shigaraki's our boss. I can't interfere. But his our friend! He's our enemy! Friend! Enemy! Friend! Enemy! Friend! Enemy! Ah! I'm spliting again! I'm splitting!" Twice screamed in as he held his head in his hands.

Himiko's eyes lit up as she saw blood began to trickle out from Lewis' throat where Shigaraki's fingernails had punctured his skin and licked her lips hungrily.

"I see it again. It's so beautiful," she whispered as she reached for her knife strapped to her leg.

"My, my what a performance," Mr Compress hummed as he and Dabi watched Lewis, whose face had now turned a bright shade if scalet, struggled in Shigaraki's grip, "Should we step in?"

"Nah," Dabi hummed with a shrug, "Let him have this one."

Magne sighed and sipped her whiskey once again, "And was such a pleasant evening as well."

Lewis' lungs burned in his chest as a starngled gasp escaped his throat, 'Can't breathe!' he desepratly thought, 'Can't breath! Can't breath! I need air now! Need to…focus…on…fadin-g…'

His mind began to go fuzzy as he struggled to form a coherant sentence in his head. His eyes began to turn blearly and the world began to spin around and around and around until he couldn't concentrate on what was happening.

'Go-ing...to die...help...he-lp!'

Knock! knock! Knock!

Suddenly, as if his prayers were answered, there was a distraction.

"Hello, pizza delivery!"

Everybody stopped what they were doing and snapped their heads towards the front door in surprise. Spinner stopped his panicking, Kurogiri no longer focused on stopping the struggle, Twice stopped holding his head in pain, the smile off Dabi's face dropped, the knife was held loosely in Himiko's hand, Mr Compress dropped the marble he was playing with from his hand, Magne placed her whiskey down on the table and, most importantly, Shiragaki loosened his grip on Lewis' throat; not by much, but it was enough to get some oxygen into his lungs.

Lewis gasped for air immediately as he felt his consciousness beginning to return to him. Instead of thinking of ways to get out of the villain's grip, he was now wondering who the hell is knocking on the door.

...

...

...

Spinner frowned in confusion, "Didn't we already order pizz-"

BOOOOOMMMM!

Suddenly, one of the walls of the bar exploded inwards, catching them all unawares. Spinner, Magne and Twice were the closest to the explosion and were knocked off their feet while Himiko nimbly flipped out of the way before she could get caught in it.

---

Hospital

With her hands shoved deep into her pockets and her head low, Mina wondered down the sterile hallways of the hospital. She passed by nurses and doctors checking on their patients and visitors going to see their family or friends staying over night, but she paid very little attention to them.

All day they had been trying to find any way to find out where Lewis was located. Hatsume hadn't responded and and nobody had any other ideas. Very soon, after visiting Midoriya and the others, most of the students had gone home, but she didn't feel like leaving yet. She was still convinced she could find a way of getting back just like what they wanted. However, as she thought more about it, the better it seemed for her to wait for the heroes to find him…

…but she didn't want to wait. She wanted him to be here now.

She placed a hand over her mouth and forced herself the sob back down her throat. She was done crying; she wanted to do something useful like a real hero, but she just couldn't think of what to do.

'If I just stayed," she thought as she gripped her hands into tights fists, 'If I didn't run, then maybe…damn it! WHY DID I RUN! I SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH HIM!' she screamed in her head as another sob threatened to escape her lips.

"Ashido?"

She gasped and spun around to see the person who brought her out of her thoughts. Standing a few feet away, in front of one of the hospital rooms, was Mandalay. She looked like she had just come out from receiving treatment from her injuries she sustained during the villain attack and changed out of her hero costume into more casual wear consisting of a modest brown sweater and long grey skirt. She was looking at her in concern, making Mina feel a little embarrassed at having been caught in this state.

"Mandalay?" Mina uttered as she subtitle wiped a tear from her eye, "What are you doing here?"

"It's Sosaki now that I'm off duty," she told her softly, "I'm here to check in on Tomoko," she said pointing to the door in front of her.

"Tomoko?"

"Oh, sorry, that's Ragdoll's real name."

Mina's eyes widened in shock, "Ragdoll's here? Is she alright? I lost track of her when the ambulances arrived."

"The doctor says she's stable although...we don't know when she'll wake up," Sosaki sighed sadly, "But, you know, she's always been a fighter so she'll pull through. I know it. Nothing ever gets her down, she's been like that ever since our college days."

"She was able to tell us how to defeat the nomu," Mina told her, "Even though...she was bleeding and she had passed out...she managed to do it for us. She really saved us out there."

The older woman chuckled slightly, "Yep, that sounds like her."

"How's Kota and Tiger?"

"Kota's doing well. A little shaken up, but he's slowly recovering back home. Tiger has joined the rest of the heroes to search for..." she trailed off slightly when she saw Mina look away sadly and decided to stop talking all together. Instead of finishing her sentence, she decided to ask a new question, "Why are you still here, Ashido? Would it be better if you go home? I can give you a ride back if you-"

"No, it's fine. My mom is driving up here and picking me up. She shouldn't be too long."

"Maybe you should wait for her in the waiting room downstairs."

Mina gave a small shrug, "I...I don't think I can. I don't think I have the patience for that," she uttered as she took a deep breath, "Can I come in with you? To see Ragdoll?"

Sosaki gave her a kind smile, "Of course, you can."

She opened the door for her and gestured for her to enter. Mina slowly walked by her, making sure to say thank you as she did, before she stepped into the large hospital room. Mina looked over the dark room towards the great bed right on the other side. The beeping of the heart monitor rang out steadily and echoed across the room as well as the sound of soft breathing coming from underneath the thin covers. Ragdoll, or Tomoko, laid on her back in a comfortable position; her head was bandaged up and all the wounds she suffered had been covered and dressed. Tubes had been inserted into her to provide her with fluids and to replace the blood she had lost. Mina couldn't help but frown sadly to see her in a vegetative state; she had been so cheerful and positive only a few days ago.

As Sosaki closed the door quietly, Mina took a step forwards to the side of the bed to take a closer look at her sleeping face...when she suddenly noticed something she wasn't expecting at all. She gasped in shock and took a step back away from the bed.

The older woman snapped her head towards her at the gasp, "What's wrong?"

Mina looked up at her; her eyes wide in shock.

"Sosaki...Ragdoll's awake."

---

Man, do I love a good cliff-hanger.

So, here's the thing. Because Lewis had fought the chainsaw nomu, the chainsaw hero had never encountered Momo. Because the chainsaw nomu never encountered Momo, she never had the opportunity to put the tracking device on it. Because she hadn't put the tracking device on it, the heroes never knew about the second location. Because they don't know about the second location, then nobody knows where Lewis is.

I would love to say that this was all planned, but it really wasn't.

When I realised this I thought that I completely ruined the entire narrative. It wouldn't make sense; the timeline would be off; characters would be in the wrong place; my reputation as a writer would be gone etc...etc. So, that's one of the main reasons why I hadn't updated in a while. But then I realised something:

'This could actually work...if I'm careful.'

So, the U.A students haven't formed the retrieval group...yet. And the raid on the League of Villains hasn't properly happened...yet. Which means, Lewis has a lot of time before All Might vs AFO. I wonder what will happen.

Find out next time.

Thanks for reading :)

---

Omake - One last thing...

"Wait, that deer antler girl is called Shika?" Lewis asked as he read over the script, "As in Shika-noko-noko-noko-noko-tan?"

"Firstly, I had the name planned out way before I knew about the Anime," Victor sighed, "And secondly...thank you for pointing it out before anybody else did. I really didn't want people pointing it out in the reviews."

"What about people who don't know what you're referencing?" Lewis questioned.

"That's why I put it in this omake. If they know the reference then they'll just read the omake. If they don't then they won't think too much about it so it doesn't interfere with the story. Clever, right?"

"...yeah, sure. Whatever you say boss."

"When did you get so sassy!?"