So... MHA just ended... Well, the manga did, at least.
Don't worry, there's no spoilers of the manga here.
MHA has been one heck of a journey which I've absolutely loved.
That being said, I think we can all agree that the ending was... Umm... Well, you're not getting spoilers from me.
Safe to say, I think I would have changed quite some stuff, so I'm glad I decided to start this little project of mine.
Thanks to everyone who's been enjoying my silly little story so far!
And especially, thanks to Horikoshi for bringing us this awesome world and its amazing characters!
I hope you like today's chapter!
Chapter 14: All that glitters isn't gold!
It had been a few days ever since Itsuka was rescued by Izuku, and the public's reaction was...
Kinda underwhelming, to be honest.
Even though some people were willing to believe in U.A again, it seemed like the general public was still on the fence. They still didn't believe in U.A fully, and what's worse, it was almost as if Itsuka was never even rescued for some people! The news of Itsuka's rescue had been pretty downplayed compared to the news of her disappearance.
What was wrong with people? Were they really THAT cynical?
People like Aizawa, Vlad King and even Itsuka herself were fuming. Even though Izuku Midoriya had gone against the rules in order to rescue Itsuka, he had saved her without much issue, and still, either people weren't even reacting to the news of her rescue or they simply ignored them.
Aizawa let Izuku off the hook without much trouble. He DID get a small scolding from Aizawa and Hound Dog, but it was more of a lecture about proper hero rules rather than an angry scolding or Aizawa's usual threats to expel him. Aizawa had decided to not give Izuku much trouble because they had enough on their plate as it is.
Expelling a student which had acted heroically would be the final nail on U.A's coffin.
Nevertheless, It was finally time for something truly exciting for the students. Now that they all had their hero licenses...
It was finally time for the Hero Work Studies!
The Hero Public Safety Comission had made these mandatory for hero schools across Japan for some reason unknown to many, and many teachers as well as most of the public were against them. Vlad King, Snipe, Cementoss and even All Might himself had opposed students from doing formal hero work so early, but Aizawa and Principal Nezu were in favor, so there wasn't much the teachers could do to stop it. Many students were excited about this, though. At last, they'd make the connetions they made during the Sports Festival count.
Apparently, Itsuka heard Izuku say that he was going to be introduced to Sir Nighteye by Mirio Togata in order to do his Hero Work Studies with them...
What the ACTUAL hell...?!
SIR NIGHTEYE?! All Might's former sidekick?!
MIRIO TOGATA?! One of the big three?! And the closest to be the Number One hero no less?!
Wow.
How the fuck does Izuku ALWAYS find himself in these types of situations? Is he the chosen one or something?
Itsuka didn't know much about Mirio or Sir Nighteye, but what she DID know, she most definitely liked.
All Might's alliance with Sir Nighteye proved to be a shining era of peace in Japan, attributed to Sir Nighteye's plans being put into action by All Might.
As for Mirio, Itsuka had only heard and seen small pieces of information about him, but those pieces of media were always bright and brimming with hope. It was almost as if Mirio's smile rivaled All Might's smile itself. People found him more calming and reasuring than Endeavor, Sir Nighteye, Best Jeanist and even Hawks, which is perhaps the reason he managed to climb to the top so quickly despite not being a Pro Hero yet.
Nevertheless, Itsuka was ecstatic for Izuku and had wished him good luck before they parted ways. Seeing Izuku advancing towards his goal was both inspiring and admirable to Itsuka, and she couldn't feel more proud of him.
Either way, she wasn't gonna fall behind now!
Fortunately for her, it looked like her luck was starting to change, because a very well-recognized agency contacted her do do her hero work studies with them! And it was led by Lawful Arms of all people! The number 19 hero!
As Itsuka walks through the train station, she supresses a grin. Finally, she was being recognized!
Of course, she wasn't stupid.
Itsuka assumed that the reason she got this offer was because of her and Izuku handing Satoshi and his gang over to the police on camera. Either way, she wasn't gonna let this opportunity go to waste.
Lawful Arms was a much different hero than Uwabami. Whereas Uwabami was a hero focused more on rescue operations and recognized by her beauty, Lawful Arms was a hero focused on combat and recognized by his muscles. When Itsuka was offered this chance, it was simply a no-brainer for her. Unlike with Uwabami, she'd ACTUALLY put her fighting prowess to the test! Instead of filming commercials, Itsuka would actually get a chance to prove herself!
Itsuka exited the train station with a smile, carrying her stuff enthusiastically. She was supposed to meet up with Lawful's sidekick, a girl whose hero name was "Stretchy" in order to be led to Lawful's hero agency.
Upon exiting the train station, Itsuka quickly gazed upon a heroine with long brown hair tied in a ponytail, dressed in her hero costume.
Itsuka had admired Lawful for a while, although she had almost forgotten that he had sidekicks like Stretchy. Stretchy had also made a name for herself, but the spotlight was almost entirely on Lawful.
Seeing Stretchy in front of her was exciting, and still...
Itsuka didn't know why, but staring at Stretchy's hero outfit felt... off for some reason. Awkward, almost.
Nevertheless, Stretchy waved at Itsuka when she came into view, and Itsuka returned the gesture. "Hey there! I'm assuming you're Stretchy, aren't you?"
The heroine giggles. "Of course I am, silly! You don't know about me?"
Itsuka smiles awkwardly. "I've... been pretty disconected from the news recently. Sorry..."
The girl smiles. "Aw, that's okay. Don't be sorry, Kendo. We've all been busy since All Might's retirement. I don't blame you... You probably had too much on your hands to watch TV, am I right?"
Itsuka looks at Stretchy with a wider smile. "Thanks for being so understanding, Stretchy... So... We going or what?"
Stretchy's smile falters for a bit, and she looks to the sidewalk with a nervous smile. "Y-Yeah... Let's go. I'm sure Lawful will... certainly take a liking to you, Kendo..."
Itsuka walks behind Stretchy with a raised eyebrow. She had most DEFINITELY noticed that change in the heroine's mood.
Itsuka thought that the heroine reminded her of Hikari. Hikari was most certainly the heart and soul of the Ochita Hoshi club while they were a thing, always making sure everyone had a smile on their faces at all times with her enthusiasm and bubbly personality. Stretchy seemed to share that same bubbly personality, but...
Why did her mood suddenly change? And why did she word it like that?
Itsuka shook her head, ignoring the heroine's attitude, attributing it to her suddenly remembering something important or not feeling well. After all, Itsuka had more important things to think about, like the fact that she was ACTUALLY going to show the world what she was made of during this internship!
If she recalled correctly, the internship would last for about a month on weekends, althought she'd have to take some absences if Lawful's hero agency required it. It didn't matter, though. It was more than enough for Itsuka to make a name for herself.
The walk to Lawful's hero agency was short and silent, but enjoyable for Itsuka. Her enthusiasm to finally be doing something useful was showing, as she had entered the building without waiting for Stretchy to open the door first.
Upon entering, Itsuka felt... a little disappointed.
When she thought about how Lawful's hero agency would look like, she pictured something BIG and HEAVILY fight-oriented!
Not... this.
Itsuka looks around with a confused expression. Lawful's hero agency looked more like a small-scaled gym rather than a professional hero agency.
Stretchy places her hand on Itsuka's shoulder, speaking in a concerned tone. "Kendo? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Itsuka looks at Stretchy with the same confused expression. "I... Yeah, but... Are we really in the right place, Stretchy? Did we go the wrong way?"
Stretchy raises an eyebrow. "No, Kendo. This is the agency."
Itsuka walks outside the door again to do a double check. Upon taking a look at the building, Itsuka noticed that the building was larger than what she saw on the inside. Why was it?
Itsuka enters the building again and takes a look around. Why was the building so big on the outside and so small on the inside? There's not much in the place that indicates this being a hero agency either. Sure, there's some papers and fliers on the walls, a large desk, some cabins containing hero suits and some publicity, but not much else.
Stretchy tries to lighten up the mood. "So... I'm guessing you haven't been here, huh?"
Itsuka looks at Stretchy with a disappointed expression. "No... I haven't. I've always wanted to see how this place looked like, and... Well... I didn't expect... this."
Stretchy smiles. "Oh, don't be so pessimistic, Kendo..."
Itsuka chuckles awkwardly. "I'm not... pessimistic."
Stretchy looks at the desk for a moment. "How about I present you to Lawful instead?"
Itsuka nods.
Perhaps she WAS being a bit pessimistic. Perhaps she was reading too much into every little detail. Perhaps meeting Lawful in person would change her mindset about the agency.
Hell, looks could be decieving, right? What do they say again? Don't judge a book by its cover?
Stretchy presses a button on the desk for a moment and lets go. A couple of seconds pass before a man enters the room from a door behind the desk.
Itsuka feels her smile return to her face at the sight of the hero. The brown-haired man smiles back at Itsuka, flexing his muscles as he walks to the desk.
Although, Itsuka takes a note of the door he had come out of. Was the rest of the hero agency there?
The hero sits at the desk with a calmed smile. "Well, hello there. You're Itsuka Kendo, aren't you?"
Itsuka smiles widely. "I sure am! You're Lawful Arms, aren't you? It's such an honor to meet you at last, sir!"
Lawful chuckles. "It's always a pleasure to meet a fan, and such a lovely fan at that."
Lawful scans Itsuka from head to toe. Itsuka stands there, confused and slightly uneased by the way Lawful was looking at her.
Why did his gaze feel so... piercing?
Itsuka shakes her head after a moment. "Right... Umm... So..."
Lawful giggles. "You're itching to get started, aren't you?"
Itsuka nods. "Yes I am, sir. I'm thankful to you for offering me a place in your hero agency and I'm more than eager to prove my usefulness!"
Lawful smiles. "Oh, you will, trust me. Your school gave you a contract, didn't they?"
Itsuka nods again and searches in her backpack for said contract. "Yeah, they did. Here it is!"
Itsuka hands the contract over to Lawful, which takes a brief look at it before placing it on the desk. "Alright. You'll have to work here for at least a month, and of course you'll be paid. You're a first year, right? I hope you've been keeping up with your classes, because you'll probably rack up some absences if we need you here, although your attendance will be mandatory on the weekends. Any questions, complaints or doubts?"
Itsuka shakes her head. "No, sir. I promise I'll do my best!"
Lawful smiles before signing Itsuka's contract with a blue ink pen located on the desk. "Excellent. Welcome aboard, Battle Fist. Or should I stick with Kendo?"
Itsuka shakes her head. "Any is fine, sir!"
Lawful chuckles before getting up from his desk. "Word of advice, Kendo: Don't be so formal. It's a bit of a mood killer when it's just us in the agency and there's no cameras or microphones in our faces."
Itsuka looks a bit surprised, but she nods nonetheless. "Of course, sir..."
Lawful walks to the door behind his desk and opens it. "Come on in, girls. You came at a pretty nice time. There's work to do."
Stretchy locks her fingers together with a nervous, yet optimistic smile on her face before walking inside the door. Itsuka notices it, but she doesn't give Stretchy's expression much importance. Itsuka follows Stretchy and Lawful inside the door, and once inside...
Itsuka's jaw practically hits the floor.
So... THIS was the reason the agency looked so small from the outside and so small on the inside.
All that was missing were dancers and loud music playing on the speakers, but this was practically a fancy bar made for partying!
Another hero was serving drinks on one side of the large room, pouring the liquid into glasses that were so shiny they almost looked like diamonds... The computers of the agency were all vandalized, many people were passed out drunk on the floor and there was a big conference table in the center of the room, although it was currently being used by some low level heroes that were drinking their hearts out.
Itsuka looks around the place, completely surprised and slightly intimidated by all the sin industries being displayed in front of her. This place had it all: Gambling, drinks, cigars, bets... It was almost like wandering off into a red lights district.
A male hero in roller skates, tight leggins and an even tighter spandex suit approaches Itsuka and looks at her with a smile. "Yo, Lawful! Is THIS the new girl?"
Lawful looks back at his fellow hero and nods. "She sure is, Roller!"
The hero grins. "A little advice, new girl: Add a little more cleavage to your hero outfit."
Itsuka blushes madly and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "HEY! WHAT'S IT TO YOU?!"
The hero in roller skates laughs. "Relax, cutie! I'm just jokin' around... Or am I?"
Itsuka tries to not make her uneasiness known, but she can't supress her glare. What was up with these people? Were they really HEROES? Was THIS the real hero agency?
Itsuka looks at Stretchy for some backup, but sees that another male hero is already beside her, walking beside her with his hand wrapped around Stretchy's exposed waist. Stretchy is sweating, shaking and blushing, although she has a smile on her face nonetheless.
Hold on a second...
Itsuka took another look at Stretchy's hero outfit, and took a look around to every other hero in the room, including Lawful.
She didn't know much Stretchy's quirk, but Itsuka recalled Stretchy's quirk being one that allows her to stretch her limbs to a great extent like a rubber band... But her outfit...
Stretchy's outfit consisted of a purple thin leotard which revealed her thighs and exposed her hips and cleavage, some purple knee-high high heel boots, a domino mask and a pair of gloves.
Who the fuck came up with THAT idea? Stretchy's quirk didn't benefit AT ALL from her outfit! Her outfit was so revealing... Is THAT why she felt awkward at the train station?
Upon taking a look at the other heroes, Itsuka noticed that the other female heroes had pretty revealing outfits too. She recognized some of them, but Itsuka had to admit that their outfits did NOT need to be so revealing. Why did they design their outfits like that?
Though, the girls looked just like Stretchy. They all had that same nervous smile on their faces, and the guys...
Huh.
Itsuka scanned the male heroes in the large bar, and she noticed that they also were wearing pretty revealing outfits, mainly on the chest area to show off their muscles. But...
Why did their bodies look so strange?
Lawful rolls his eyes. "Come on, gather everyone! There's work to do."
Many heroes groan and begrudgingly get up from their seats before walking to the conference table.
On the other hand, the moment she took a good look at Lawful, Itsuka finally understood why the guys' bodies looked so off.
Were they... Were they REALLY wearing PLASTIC IMPLANTS on their biceps to look good?!
Itsuka gulps. What on EARTH did she get herself into?
The heroes that were drinking on the conference table groan before making way for the rest to sit down. Lawful sits on the farthest edge of the table and turns on a projector that was being covered up by what seemed like some sort of underwear. Itsuka sits down, looking down at the table to not make eye contact with anyone.
The projector displays an image of a man, and Lawful starts to speak. "So, as I'm sure you'll all remember, we closed off the "RUNNERS" case last week, didn't we?"
Every hero at the table nods. The hero in roller skates groans. "Yup. Those bastards sure put up a fight."
Lawful shakes his head. "Well, it seems like we didn't quite close off the case. Some members of that gang managed to escape."
Stretchy raises an eyebrow. "Really? I thought every last member had been defeated!"
Lawful frowns. "I thought so too, but apparently some managed to escape. Some sources have informed me that the villains have barricaded themselves inside an old factory in the south of Musutafu alongside some hostages. Our end goal is to save the hostages and punish the villains at any cost."
Itsuka lifts her gaze to look at the image displayed by the projector.
Could it be?
Was this agency not as bad as she originally thought?
Was she just being paranoid?
Could she actually prove her worth in this place?
Lawful points at Itsuka and speaks in a more cheery tone. "As some of you know, we'll have a new member in the agency for about a month. To those of you who do not know her, her name is Itsuka Kendo, hero name: Battle Fist. She came here for her hero work studies, so let's make her feel welcomed, alright?"
The heroes look at Itsuka with smiles. Itsuka smiles sheepishly, as she gets a bad feeling about their stares. "T... Thanks, Lawful..."
Lawful smiles. "This mission should be a simple one, so I'll be infiltrating the facility with Stretchy, Kendo and Roller. I expect the rest of you to stay outside in case the villains try to escape. Am I clear?"
The heroes cheer. Itsuka starts to feel a little more motivated than before. "Yes, sir!"
Lawful smiles. "That's the attitude! Let's go, everyone! It's hero time!"
Izuku let out a small sigh of relief once Mirio left the room.
All Might had requested an audience with him and Izuku in order to get Mirio to present Izuku to Sir Nighteye. Izuku didn't know about it, but All Might and Sir Nighteye had a bit of a falling out before parting ways, so All Might wouldn't get the chance to present Izuku himself. Thankfully, Mirio had agreed to do so after being impressed at the gym. Izuku was the only student from class 1-A who actually had put up a little resistence when he fought them all at the same time. Izuku still lost like the rest of class 1-A, though.
After Mirio accepted All Might's offer, he left the room in order to call Sir Nighteye, leaving All Might and Izuku on their own. Izuku would have left, but there was still something on the back of his mind that bugged him.
That something being Itsuka's knowledge of One for All.
Bakugo knew about it too, but he had discovered it on his own. Izuku was the one that told Itsuka all about it. Hiding her knowledge of One for All from All Might felt wrong... Did Izuku make a mistake by telling her about it? Did he do the right thing?
Well, now was the best moment to ask.
Izuku clears his throat. "Umm... All Might...?"
The retired hero looks at his pupil with a smile. "What is it, young Midoriya? Did we forget to discuss something with young Togata?"
Izuku shakes his head and looks at his mentor with a sheepish expression. "No, it's not that. I... I guess I just want to ask you something..."
All Might raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Is it something personal?"
Izuku's sheepish smile falls. "Well... A little bit, I guess. It's about One for All..."
All Might nods. "Alright... What is it?"
Izuku sighs. "All Might... Well... I... You... Agh, I don't know how to say this..."
All Might chuckles. "Use your words, young man. Let your heart guide you."
Izuku looks at his teacher with a more serious expression. "Have... you ever told anyone about OFA before?"
All Might raises an eyebrow briefly. "Not to many people. Principal Nezu and Recovery Girl know about it, of course. Principal Nezu and a dear friend of mine in the police force know about it too, but that was due to necessity. Obviously, my former sidekick knows too. Why do you ask?"
Izuku looks down. "Well... I... Umm.. I... might have... told someone else about it."
Izuku keeps looking down, not daring to look at his mentor in the face.
All Might replies, although Izuku can't tell if he's annoyed, disappointed or sad by his tone. "... Who else knows...?"
"Itsuka Kendo... from class B..."
A few moments pass.
Izuku keeps his head hung low, not wanting to face his idol's disappointed expression.
However, before Izuku can start belittling himself, All Might speaks up. "I see... And... Since when does she...?"
"I... I told her after we moved to U.A... Due to your fight with All for One..."
"Young man, please look at me."
Slowly, Izuku lifts his head and forces himself to look at All Might's eyes.
Much to his surprise, All Might doesn't seem upset, mad, disappointed or sad.
Is that a small smile?
All Might speaks in a reassuring tone. "What, do you think I'd scold you or something?"
Izuku stares at his mentor for a moment before speaking through his shock. "I... Well... Yeah. This is a pretty big secret, isn't it?"
All Might nods. "Indeed it is, but I'm not upset. I assume you must have had your reasons for telling her of all people, right?"
Izuku nods. "I did, yes... But... Did I do the right thing?"
All Might shrugs. "Only time will tell, but you shouldn't ask ME about it. After all, you've been training hard with it, making it your own and showing the world who you are while wielding it. It is YOUR quirk now, young Midoriya."
Izuku looks down briefly. "I know, but... Have you ever... regretted telling someone about it?"
All Might's smile falls before a solemn look crosses his eyes. "I wouldn't say I regretted it, but... Possessing One for All has taken a toll on my social life... There have been times where I wished things could have gone differently..."
Izuku looks at his mentor with a concerned expression. "What... happened?"
All Might sighs. "Do you know why I... had a falling out with Sir Nighteye?"
Izuku shakes his head. "No... No one knows for sure."
All Might looks at his pupil with a sad expression. "Nighteye and me were quite the team. He came up with brilliant plans which I executed to perfection in all our missions. Together, we could have been unstoppable, but... Fate had other plans for us. I've already told you about my injuries from the battle against All for One six years ago, but almost no one knows what happened next. I punched All for One's brain right out of his skull, but my stomach was mostly destroyed and my respiratory system was left in shambles... I was taken to a secret facility to heal, and that's when the rift between me and Nighteye was created..."
Izuku raises his eyebrows as All Might keeps explaining.
All Might looks down. "Nighteye begged me to retire. Principal Nezu and Gran Torino agreed with him. They told me to take a break or retire altogether, but I refused. I noticed that Nighteye was looking at me with his quirk, and as you know, his quirk is never wrong. He predicted that I'd fight a villain and I'd meet a gruesome demise if I kept being a hero... But I ignored his warnings."
Izuku's eyes were practically saucers. "You... What?..."
All Might looks at Izuku again. "Whether we like it or not, we live in a society where villains can appear at any second. All for One was dead, but a villain like him could appear again. No one else held the power I held either. I needed to keep going in order to smile for everyone. Nezu and Nighteye tried to convince me to search for a successor at U.A, but that period would be one of insecurity and fear for everyone. Everyone needed a symbol of peace in order to keep the villains at bay. The fight regarding me, my safety and my future became so intense that Nighteye and me ended up going our separate ways..."
Izuku looks at his mentor with a saddened expression. "All Might... Is... Is it true? You're really going to die...?"
All Might looks down again. "Yes... I am, young Midoriya. When Nighteye told me his prediction for me, I accepted it and ran at full speed towards my end, but then... I met you."
Izuku starts to tear up, bith from the harsh truth and from All Might's last words. "Me...?"
All Might smiles faintly. "Yes, you. A quirkless young boy hellbent on saving others, so much so that you deviate from the norm... I had planned for my death to be at Kamino, but... You appeared in my mind, and in that moment I knew that I couldn't give up on myself. For you. I can't die yet, not until I've successfully raised you to become the great hero I know you can be."
Izuku smiles through his tears and raises his fist. "All Might... I promise I'll do everything in my power to fulfill your expectations of me... Just as long as you fulfill the promise you made for me and my mother..."
All Might lifts his fist in return. "I promise. The fate Nighteye foretold will never come to pass, because with this fist I'll twist fate itself if I have to."
Izuku and All Might fist bump for a second. The future still seemed grim, but at least they wouldn't be fighting against fate separatedly from now.
Izuku sighs, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes before speaking. "Sorry for that..."
All Might chuckles, also brushing off the raw emotion he felt for a second. "Don't worry about it. We needed to have that conversation at some point."
Izuku looks at his mentor again. "And... About Itsuka..."
All Might shrugs with a smile. "If you trust her, then so do I, young Midoriya. Remember, it's YOUR quirk now. Like I said, let your heart guide you."
Izuku smiles, now feeling happy about the fact that he no longer had to hide Itsuka from All Might.
Though, that conversation sparked some questions and doubts in his mind.
All Might had decided to push himself despite Sir Nighteye's warnings to smile for everyone, causing a rift between them. Could the same happen to him and Itsuka?
Their fight had begun because All Might held a sacred power that no one else held to fight off evil, and that caused All Might's social life to collapse. Would Izuku's social life be terminated? Would he be forced to break up with Itsuka too?
Principal Nezu and Nighteye suggested All Might to search for a successor at U.A, but All Might refused due to the period being potentially filled with fear and insecurity. Was Izuku now forever cursed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders?
If he recalled correctly, All Might's battle with All for One had happened six years ago. During those six years All Might had smiled as if nothing had happened, even though surgeries had worn him out by that point. Could he hope to be at THAT level? To beat the greatest threat the world has ever seen and smile as if nothing had ever happened?
Was All Might going to die... soon?
Izuku smiled, but he couldn't be more doubtful on the inside.
He didn't know how to meet society's expectations.
He didn't know how to keep One for All's burden from weighing his relationship with Itsuka down.
He didn't know how he'd be able to smile if All Might was no longer with him.
He didn't know how he'd beat Shigaraki.
And much less how he'd face All for One alone...
Itsuka finds herself at the entrance of a very disheveled-looking factory on the southern parts of Musutafu alongside Roller, Stretchy and Lawful Arms. For the first time ever since she joined Lawful's agency, Itsuka felt kind of excited!
Finally, no more bullshit! No more moping around!
Time to be a goddamn hero for once!
Lawful waved at his sidekicks with a side smile. "Alright, seems like the coast is clear. Let's head in, everyone."
The heroes nodded before following Lawful inside the factory.
As the team entered, Itsuka took in the view of the building. By the looks of it, the place was probably a toy factory before being abandoned. The halls were spacious, the walls looked worn down by time and the vintage publicity in the form of fliers on the walls gave Itsuka a feeling as if this place had gone through a rough time before being abandoned.
Lawful frowns. "This place is bigger than I thought. New plan, everyone. Let's split up. You've all been updated on these villains and their quirks, so you shouldn't face much inconvenience in case you bump into them. You're authorized to use lethal force if necessary, got it?"
The heroes nod. "Yes, sir!"
Itsuka nods too, although the way Lawful worded that phrase made her feel uneasy. "Yes, sir."
Lawful smiles. "Great. Once we capture them, we'll gather here again. Good luck, everyone."
The team nods before splitting up.
Itsuka walks through the halls of the empty toy factory, watching her back every so often in case the villains were aware of them entering their hideout and wanting to get the jump on her.
As Itsuka makes her way through the abandoned building, she starts to think of the situation she finds herself in.
This was it. Her first job as an actual hero. All she had to do was get the hostages to safety, capture the villains and make her presence known and she'd have something going for her, at least.
Though, this whole mission felt... off for some reason.
Lawful had updated her and the team about these villains, sure. Apparently, they were villains with speed-type quirks, hence why Lawful decided to name the case "RUNNERS"... But he hadn't elaborated much more than that. Sure, she knew that these villains must rely on their legs to use their quirks like Tenya Iida from class A would, but aside from that, she wasn't given much information about the ACTUAL villains. No names, few photos, no apparent reason for doing this...
Itsuka thought that perhaps Lawful had decided to not give out much information to her because she was the newbie, and because he alongside his team already knew everything about these guys... But this case still felt off.
In any normal hostage situation, the villains would be doing as much as possible to appear on the news in order to demand something in exchange for the hostages. Her team had managed to break inside this place without any issue, though. Were the villains hiding, maybe? Did they want something other than money?
But then again, why do all of this in this place? The factory was old, dusty and isolated. Why would they be holding hostages here and not in some other place where it'd be easier to show off like a bank or a shopping mall?
Itsuka stops thinking once she walks by an open door.
The most prominent color in the building was a dull, rusty brown, so seeing such a bright shade of pink and blue glittering from inside a room was most definitely unexpected.
Itsuka takes a peek inside and spots some sort of gift card on a table. The sun is shining through a window, and is hitting the card directly, making the colors shine all across the room.
Itsuka walks inside the room and leans on the table to see the object clearly. The object looks like a papercraft project made by a kid, and the message written in blue marker stands out as a beacon in the darkness of the room.
'I love you, dad! You're my hero! Happy Father's day!'
Itsuka is both surprised and happy at the sight. What was this wholesome object doing at a place like this? Itsuka takes the card and holds it close, wondering who this was from and asking to herself if this was related to the hostage situation. Itsuka sighs and turns around, thinking that perhaps this was made by a kid who visited the factory at some point while it was active and left this here by mistake.
It was only then that she noticed the walls around her.
Itsuka opens her eyes wide and takes in the sight before her. On the walls, many pictures of many families were being hung up by red strings, and below each picture many names were carved onto the walls. Upon taking a closer look at them, Itsuka notices that all the photos feature the same people.
By the looks of things, they were about five families who all looked really happy in the pictures.
Itsuka gulps. Were THESE the people the villains were after?
Itsuka looks around the pictures, trying to piece the information together. She looks at the gift card in her hands briefly before glancing back at the photos on the walls.
Five families. Five men, five women and eight children.
The card must have been made by one of the kids on the photos.
The more Itsuka looked at the photos, the more she failed to understand the villains' motives for kidnapping these people.
In one photo, one family was having a picnic. In another, one of the other families were strolling through a park happily. In another, yet another family was eating in a fast food local. None of the families looked extremely wealthy, so there'd be no point in asking for money. The people didn't look malicious either, so a revenge plot wasn't very likely either.
Itsuka sighs before grabbing a photo from the walls and storing it in her pocket alongside the card just in case. Perhaps they could be used as evidence.
Then, Itsuka's train of thoughts is interrupted by a heart-wrenching scream.
Itsuka's soul almost left her body at the horrific sound.
Without thinking, Itsuka left the room, ready to take on the villains if they dared harm the hostages.
The heart-wrenching scream led Itsuka to a small room, and upon arriving, Itsuka's eyes widened in horror.
The floor was covered in corpses, about sixteen dead people.
Stretchy was holding a man with one hand and punching a hole through his chest with the other as he screamed in pain.
Lawful Arms was using his quirk to grow more arms on his back and sides, and he was using them to hold another man's arms in place.
Itsuka had no time to act or speak before Lawful ripped the man's arms from his body.
The man screamed in pain as two streams of blood splashed where his arms used to be. Itsuka froze in place as the blood managed to coat a part of her hero costume, just below her chest.
Upon noticing that she was standing there, Lawful smiled. "Oh, didn't see you there, Battle Fist. Someone better call back Roller and the others, because I'd say this is an absolute success. Mission accomplished!"
Itsuka paid no attention to Lawful, as she was still frozen in place, staring at the now deceased men in front of her who bled to death, alongside the rest of the corpses. Itsuka's pupils slowly looked back and forth between the blood on the floor and the blood on her hero outfit in horror. She had never witnessed someone being murdered in her entire life. Witnessing such painful and bloody deaths in front of her eyes was shocking, to say the least.
After a moment, Stretchy lightly taps Itsuka's shoulder. "Oh, come on! Snap out of it, Battle Fist! Heroes have to be prepared for scenes like this, you know."
After a moment, Itsuka looks at Stretchy, her eyes still wide in horror and shock. "Why... did... you...?"
Lawful looks at the dead men on the floor with a bemused expression. "These scumbags fought back ferociously. We were forced to neutralize them."
Itsuka keeps looking at the bodies on the floor, still trying to process the gruesome event that happened right in front of her and the sight of so many lives being lost.
After a moment, Lawful leaves the room. Stretchy takes Itsuka's hand and follows Lawful. "Let's go, Battle Fist. There'll be a celebration for this, I'm sure!"
Itsuka looks in disgust and horror at Stretchy's blood-soaked glove holding her hand and then looks back at the corpses behind her, taking in every detail about them one last time before being dragged out of the building.
The last few hours had been a blur to Itsuka.
She was still thinking about the men screaming in pain before being killed by Lawful and Stretchy. She was so lost on her thoughts, in fact, that when her fellow heroes had arranged a celebratory party at the agency for their victory, she had spent most of the time staring off into space like a toy or a doll.
The fact that she still didn't have the chance to clean the blood off her hero outfit didn't help.
After a moment, Stretchy approaches Itsuka with a drink on her hand and offers it to Itsuka with a smile. "Hey, lighten up, Kendo! Here, how about you drink this to lighten you up?"
Itsuka doesn't move an inch. She stares at the glass in Stretchy's hand for a moment and replies in a monotonous voice. "I'm not old enough to drink."
Stretchy chuckles just enough for Itsuka to smell the alcohol emanating from her mouth. "C'mon, girl! What, you think the police will come to arrest us or something? We're heroes, for fudge's sake! We're the law!"
Itsuka doesn't move or show any emotion. "Is there a bathroom here?"
Stretchy points to a door behind the computers. "Sure, buddy! Right over there! Don't tire yourself out too much in there, if you know what I mean!"
Itsuka simply gets up and walks to the bathroom, not even reacting to Stretchy's drunk attitude.
Upon closing the door behind her, Itsuka slumps on the floor.
She felt tired, yet she hadn't done any kind of physical activity today.
She felt like crying, yet she didn't had any tears to shed.
She felt like sreaming, yet no one would hear.
After a moment, Itsuka looks at herself and decides to clean the blood on her outfit, at least.
Itsuka spent more than thirty minutes in the bathroom, trying to make the blood disappear. However, it seemed that, no matter how much soap she used or how much water she wasted, the blood wouldn't come off.
Itsuka used so much soap that she didn't even realize that there wasn't any blood on her hero outfit anymore.
Even the bubbles appeared to be tinted in red.
After a while, Itsuka comes out of the bathroom and looks over to the conference table. Every other hero in the agency is partying hard, as if this was the last party of their lives.
Roller and Stretchy were even getting a bit too intimate in public.
Itsuka averts her gaze and looks at the computers. With the party going on in the background, no one seemed to be paying any attention to them.
Itsuka thinks for a moment before going over to them. If no one would give her answers of what happened today, then she'd search for them herself.
The computers had many records of the many missions the agency had accomplished. And yet, there was a lot of stuff that was blurred out or censored for some reason. Information that seemed to be important was blurred out, faces in photographs were censored... It seemed as if the case files were incomplete on purpose.
Why was so much information missing?
Then, Itsuka spots a folder labeled "recent cases".
Itsuka clicks on it, and some files appear on the screen. One particular file catches her attention.
"RUNNERS"
Itsuka opens the file, and a big text file appears on the screen, alongside some photos and images.
At first, Itsuka's expression is one of serious determination, wanting to know the truth about the case as a whole. However, as the file extends, Itsuka's expression morphs into one of shock, horror and disgust.
Some years ago, the government planned to build a highway connecting the south of Musutafu to the neighboring city, although the lands were already occupied by a bunch of people with speed-related quirks. The people thought that they'd have a reasonable amount of time to find a new home, but the government rushed the project in order to profit off a mandatory passport cost, so the people were thrown off their homes without much regard for their fate. Sometimes, the situation even escalated to violence.
In a tragic series of unfortunate events that happened on father's day, a little girl was caught on the crossfire between the police and members of a family that refused to move away and succumbed to her wounds shortly afterwards.
This obviously caused indignation amongst the population on the south of Musutafu, and the government feared that an insurrection was rising. In the end, there was a protest movement organized by a bunch of families who refused to leave. The protest grew in number, and it soon turned into a small, peaceful uprising.
The government couldn't and wouldn't compromise with the likes of poor people like them, so they sent the police, the army and even heroes to squash the uprising. No one was spared, not even elders or children. The incident was completely covered up since All Might was having a particularily difficult fight with a powerful villain at the time, causing him grave injuries, so the media focused on that instead.
Some family members of the deceased tried to speak up, only to be bribed off by the government or killed by some heroes. One such case being a reporter being shot by a hero called "Lady Nagant", and another being a hero who sympathized with the people being thrown to the sea by the hero "Hawks".
Allegedly, some members of the uprising movement managed to escape, and the government alongside the HSPC wanted no loose screws on this case, so they attached a couple of photos to the file in case the agency managed to find these survivors in order to track them down and nautralize them on the spot as soon as they were located.
After looking at the photos for a moment, Itsuka pulls out the both the card and the photo she kept from the factory and stares at them for a moment.
Hold on a second... Lawful said that the "villains" had speed-type quirks, didn't he?
The bodies she saw on that room... Their legs...
Oh God...
The people who managed to escape the protest... Those were the "villains" she saw being murdered in front of her.
Those weren't villains. They were normal, poor and desperate people who used that abandoned factory as a hideout from the police.
And she was too slow to save them... from the people that were supposed to save them.
Itsuka drops the photo and card from the shock of the revelation and starts to hyperventilate.
Itsuka feels as if the stain of blood on her hero outfit was back, and it was burning into her skin.
She was now complicit in this.
"Hold your horses there, cowgirl."
Itsuka's breathing stops as she hears a voice behind her.
Itsuka turns around and sees Lawful standing behind her alongside Roller and Stretchy with a smile, holding a drink.
Itsuka stares at her former idol with wide eyes. "You... You lied to me..."
Lawful shrugs. "I might have twisted the truth a little, yes, but it was all in your best interest, Kendo."
Itsuka feels her blood start to boil. "My... best interest?"
Lawful nods. "Yup. You're the new girl, so I figured that it was too early to give you the full scoop. Forget about the stuff in there, kiddo. Take this and just forget about it."
Lawful extends his drink over to Itsuka.
Itsuka stares at the red glass in Lawful's hand for a moment before slapping it away, causing it to break on the floor.
Itsuka tears up and speaks in a low, yet raw and angry tone. "Those... were never villains... So why did... you...?"
Lawful sighs. "Because those were our orders, kid. The Hero Public Safety Commission didn't want to give those peasants the slightest chance to alter the status quo, so they ordered us to put them down."
Itsuka's tone doesn't diminish. "The... status quo...?"
Lawful crosses his arms with a smile. "Yup. Think about it, kid. The government orders the HPSC to put down any attempts to change the status quo, and in turn, they let us do what we want. Plus, our pay increases! It's a win-win!"
Itsuka lowers her head. "But... This isn't... heroic..."
Lawful groans. "Heroic? Think, Kendo, THINK! Being a hero is a JOB, not some romanticized IDEAL! In this world, you either resign and try to adapt or you won't get far as a hero!"
Itsuka bristles up. "That's not true! All Might is proof of it!"
Lawful rolls his eyes. "Ah, yes... We need to thank him. All Might gets most of the glory anyway, so the media are too focused on him to notice us. Again, you need to do some serious thinking, Kendo. The entirety of hero society looks at All Might as the symbol of peace, smiling for everyone, and in turn, he's the only one that really needs to be on his toes. Look at me, for one! I'm the number 19 hero and I can live doing what I want! All I've done to be more popular is ordering my sidekicks to wear more revealing outfits and do some small charity work like you!"
Itsuka tenses at that.
Now it all made sense.
Lawful Arms didn't offer her this job because she and Izuku handed Satoshi and his gang to the police and he saw potential within her...
It was because she was kidnapped, and he wanted some extra points in the public eye by making himself look good for offering her this job.
He wanted to get credit from the media off of her kidnapping!
All Might being the one and only symbol of peace made it so that everyone focused on HIM and HIM alone. Heroes like Lawful were free to do what they wanted because there wasn't as much pressure on them as there was on All Might's shoulders. As long as All Might didn't falter, no one would complain since by association, people thought that a hero could do no wrong.
In a way, All Might was a beacon of light so bright that it blinded society to the dark aspects of heroes during his reign.
Lawful managed to gain popularity because of acts like this one. He leeched off "heroic" acts, like taking her under his wing in order to become more popular himself and rise the ranks as a pro hero.
Stretchy's outfit, Roller's outfit, his own outfit... HE was the one that made them so revealing! Both to become even more popular and to please his own perverted desires when no one was watching.
Itsuka dropped to her knees as the harsh truth washed over her. Lawful was the number 19 hero, and yet he managed to get away with SO much...
What about the other heroes? How much had THEY managed to get away with in this current system? How much blood was on THEIR hands?
What about the lesser heroes? The ones NO one talks about? Those who are free to do literally ANYTHING they want because the media isn't focusing on them?
And what about the bigger heroes? Those with enough power, authority and influence to cover their tracks with no effort whatsoever?
What about Present Mic? Did he scream someone's brains off in secret?
Had Cementoss buried people under his concrete unbeknownst to anyone?
Was Mirko all she pretended to be or did she only become popular thanks to her outfit?
Did Edgeshot kill someone, given how deadly he could be, and then covered it up with his influence?
Was Midnight just another hero who gained popularity off her revealing hero outfit and not from actual heroism?
Were Mt. Lady's critics right? Was she nothing more than a poser?
Were all of Kamui Woods' heroic deeds faked, or even worse, staged?
Were heroes like Death Arms all they said they were?
How far did Best Jeanist go in order to become so popular?
Hawks had been trained from a very young age by the HSPC from all she knew. What had he been forced to do from such a young age?
And worst of all...
Endeavor was only the number two hero due to the large number of cases he solved. He had gone overboard on many ocasions, yet he was still rising on the ranks.
How many "villains" had Endeavor burned to death and how many were simply innocent people labeled as "villains" by the HSPC?
Endeavor held an incredible amount of influence even before being number one. How had he used this influence? How much blood did he hide from everyone beforehand?
Was Todoroki's personality HIS fault?
Itsuka looks at the floor with wide eyes, trying to deny the harsh reality of hero society, yet having nothing to do so.
Had she been wrong about heroes her entire life?
Who had she been cheering for the entire time?
Were Honoka and her former friends right about this world and its society?
Was SHE even a hero after being complicit in this?
Perhaps the saying is true... Still waters DO run deep, after all.
Lawful groans and makes a gesture to Stretchy, who immediately gives him a document. Lawful shows it to Itsuka, and she sees that it's her contract. "Listen, kiddo... I'll let you off the hook on this one because you're a newbie, but you have to learn how to fit in. Think of today as your first day in the real world, okay? You got a whole month's worth of work ahead of you, after all."
Roller smirks, looking at Itsuka's hero outfit and the many ways he'd tamper with it if he had the chance.
Stretchy smiles drunkedly, only thinking of the way Lawful would dominate her after this.
Itsuka wipes the tears off her eyes and gets up, resigning herself to the hellish month ahead of her.
Upon taking a look at her contract, Itsuka saw that the ink was red as well.
Lawful smirks. "Welcome to the family, Kendo."