Hey, everyone. Welcome to the tenth chapter of "A Big Pink Ball of Sunshine"! Also, welcome to the first post one year chapter! I wanted to post this chapter before or at least on the one-year anniversary, but I had a lot going on so that plan fell through. Still, I'm happy about all the positive reviews and attention this story's gathered over the course of the last year. It feels even better that the tenth chapter happens to land around the one-year anniversary too. This chapter's going to be a big one, something I laid the groundwork for last chapter. Now then, without further wait, enjoy the chapter, readers!
I do not own anything.
A Big Pink Ball of Sunshine
Chapter 10-When Lightning Strikes Pt.1
"What do you dream about, Izuku?"
Izuku paused at the question. A somewhat warm feeling took root within him, though it was counterbalanced by a dull pain. The two collided and fused, the former thankfully coming out as the dominant half. He could feel himself smiling in preparation to answer his girlfriend's question. "I dreamed about…I still dream about being a hero." Looking to her, he caught the way she playfully rolled her eyes, yet still smiled at him. She knew what his answer was going to be. What she didn't know was how deep his dreams ran-they'd been all that he'd had, alongside his imagination. "Well, I dreamed of having a Quirk like All Might's."
"Hehehe, lucky for you, that's one dream that came true." She giggled. "Did you dream about wearing his costume too?"
His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "Well…yeah. I mean, I was a kid, can you blame me, Mina?"
She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Nope. I'll admit, I'm looking forward to seeing you in those costumes when you were a kid."
"W-W-What!? M-M-Mina!" He yelled, nearly jumping out of his seat. Again. By this point, he'd honestly lost count of how many times she'd done that to him. At the rate they were going, Izuku was beginning to realize it was futile to try to keep track. Mina was just going to keep on doing it, and he was going to keep on enjoying it. "J-J-Just…promise me that you won't laugh too much?" Izuku begged in a megger voice.
The pinkette's affectionate giggles were the first part of her answer. "I'll try not to, but that'll depend on how cute you'll be. I'm pretty sure that I'll fail considering how cute you are now."
"Mina," Izuku groaned despite his cheeks still sporting a bright red tint. "We're supposed to be studying."
"Hey, it's not like we're getting too off track. We're keeping our talk focused on dreams, aren't we?"
She wasn't exactly wrong. Matter of fact, in the corners of his mind he had a feeling that this kind of talk was coming. In some ways he'd been looking forward to it. He enjoyed talking with Mina, it's part of why he enjoyed dating her, and the feeling was mutual.
Quirks were incredible things. They came in all shapes and sizes. Categorizing and studying them had became professional occupations. That especially went for more…esoteric Quirks, the likes of which that truly pushed the boundaries of what was believable.
Thousands of years ago, in the age of myths and legends, people believed dreams could be prophetic. Cultures likewise believed that dreams allowed for communication with the unseen-spirits, the dead, gods, and numerous other mythical forces that were believed to fill the world. As time steadily moved forward, such notions were growing dismissed. With the dawn of reason came the near complete dismissal of such fantastical notions. Even with people claiming to still experience such things, those were scattered incidents and often dismissed as nothing concrete.
And then came Quirks, which rewrote all the rules. Rules that had once been ironclad in governing the world were questioned. It'd been quite a time of discovery; some would say that it was one of the few glimmers of light in what had been a dark era. Likewise, a handful of individuals had stepped forward to further illuminate the darkness. Some people had did it in what could be called the direct way, while others did it the indirect way. The way that the age of reason had dispelled.
Amongst the numerous Quirks that came into existence as Quirk-bearers appeared one after another, there were those who were…strange, arcane almost. There came to exist Quirks that allowed people to interact with intangible forces, as well as channel those forces themselves. One such Quirk was Dream Walker-befitting its name, it allowed users to enter the dreams of others. Such a power was surreal to say the least, but it was very real.
Charles Karras, aka Morpheus, had been an unconventional hero, but a hero none the less. His Quirk allowed him to enter the dreams of others and explore their subconscious. It was a Quirk that defined what had been known logic and opened the door to a new field of Quirk study. Karras himself did pioneering work in heroes being detectives as he used his Quirk to solve numerous crimes. What people might not have consciously remembered, their subconscious might have. Likewise, those that wished to hide certain things had those secrets exposed via Karras' Quirk. He'd saved many lives and brought several super villains to justice, he'd lived a good life, and some would say that he met an end befitting of a hero.
Izuku gulped remembering how they'd learned of Morpheus' death. Despite the incredible power of his Quirk, he'd still had the durability of an ordinary person. Still, his heroic spirit had allowed him to endure four gunshots far longer than any other person had. Long enough to save several hostages before dying. His death had been a crippling blow to the then-young superhero community, and the populace.
Izuku was able to tell that Mina didn't like writing about that, but it was part of their assignment. For Izuku…it was another slap of reality, a reality that he knew he had to face.
"Dream walking,"
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
His eyes stared back into Mina's yellow irises. He realized that he'd just spoken out loud. The realization was cause for a sheepish smile which Mina giggled at. She fixed him with an acute stare symbolizing her interest in what was on his mind. There was no use in trying to hide it or play it off, especially since she had that twinkle in her eyes.
"I was thinking of how…useful Dream Walking would be. I mean, I personally don't think I'd be able to master it, but it could still be useful." Again, another truth mixed in with a white light. What he was curious as if he'd be able to use the Quirk on himself. Lately, his own dreams had been what he'd been wanting to decipher.
"You've got a point there, though I don't think I'd be able to make it as useful as you would. You're the kind of person who I could definitely see becoming a hero detective." She hadn't been the first one to tell him that. As his intelligence and analytical abilities became well-known, several of his classmates and even some of his teachers mused to him that he'd make a good detective. Of course, heroes were sometimes required to be such; though, there were those who specialized in detective work over directly fighting villains like many big-name heroes. "Did you ever think of going down that road? Even with your Quirk?"
He shook his head as he turned the page of the history book in front of them. "No, I was…pretty dead-set on being more…direct. Plus, I personally never thought that I'd have what it'd take for that kind of work. Even now, I…still don't think I'd make for a good detective." Feeling the tug on his shoulder, he looked back to his girlfriend and was greeted with a short kiss to the lips.
"I think you would. Truth be told, it's one of the reasons why I think you'd make for a pretty good hero. I read that All Might did a bit of detective work himself, Endeavor does too, though I'll say he kind of has more of the look for it. Same thing with Todoroki." She paused to let out one of those cute giggles that Izuku loved so much. "They both have that hard-boiled look to them."
Izuku joined her in laughter. "You know, I can kind of see that. Both of them have a sort of…intensity about them that goes with being a hard-boiled detective. I don't."
"No, you're more of the bubbling detective, but the sort that'll still crack the case." Instead of a kiss, he got a little poke to his freckled cheeks. Izuku still liked it. Mina's black sclera eyes moved back to the history book that they'd been using for their schoolwork. While he'd received praise for his academic drive, he'd gotten some of that in regards to seemingly being able to lift Mina's own academic abilities up. He was happy for that, but he was grateful to her that she'd managed to bring a bit of unusual excitement to their study sessions. "Alright, the next case is…oh, this one."
Looking down, he saw the reason for the evaporation of Mina's good mood. He could hardly blame her for it. Though Morpheus had been an excellent hero who solved numerous cases and saved many lives, there had been some he failed to save. Sometimes even a successfully solved case wasn't solved in time enough to save a victim's life. That had been the story of the North End Ripper.
His name had once been Eugene Collins, a seemingly ordinary Boston native until he awakened to his Quirk. Said Quirk happened to be the manipulation of glass. In the midst of the chaos that came with Quirks awakening, some had been forced to kill in self-defense; unfortunately, those actions had awakened some to the "joy" of murder. Eugene Collins had been one such individual, and he'd gone on to become of the most notorious serial killers in Boston's history. He made quite a name for himself in the criminal underworld as well, quite ironic considering that according to records, he'd had some nasty run-ins with them. It'd part of the growing trend of organized crime taking advantage of Quirk users. Mere years later though, the tables would turn and many of those organizations would find themselves either wiped or severely overshadowed by emerging supervillains.
Eugene Collins, aka Glass Cutter, had finally been caught and it was believed that his latest set of victims could still be rescued. Morpheus had believed so and done his best, navigating the twisted maze that had been Collins' mind. Despite succeeding in finding their location, it was too late to save the four hostages. Only one had survived while the other three had bled out from their wounds.
At times Izuku couldn't help but wonder what would drive people to do such horrid things? In Collins' case, what would have happened if he hadn't killed someone, even in self-defense? Had he just gained a taste for murder?
Maybe he did. The environment didn't help at all. People did things, horrible, wretched things back then.
"W-W-What?" he stammered.
"Hmm? I didn't say anything." Mina replied.
Quickly looking around, Izuku saw that no one else had spoken to him. He and Mina were still at their table in the library, doing their schoolwork. None of the other occupants meant his eye as they were busy with their own interests, including studying like he and Mina. "S-S-Sorry about that. I just…guess I just thought I heard something."
"You're not trying to be dramatic on me, are you?" Mina asked in a half-joking manner. Despite her attempts to play it off, Izuku could feel she was worried about him. He could chalk that up to where their studies had taken them.
"N-No, I guess my…overactive mind was going at it again." It was another lie that he hoped would pass. After a second of thinking, Mina seemed to accept it. Still, the forlorn look on her face remained. Izuku saw that her gaze was back on the page-that was the source of her sorrow. Izuku didn't at all blame her. It was never fun to read about hero's failing, about the death of innocent people. "I was…also wondering how someone could do something as horrible as Glass Ripper."
"Some people are just…twisted like that." The normally upbeat girl sounded quite saddened. It wasn't a voice, or look, that Izuku liked seeing on Mina. "I mean, I always thought that's part of what made villains, well, villains. The enjoyment of seeing people suffer, and apparently gloating about it to people." He saw the brief flicker of anger in her eyes. While all the details of the North End Ripper Case hadn't been made public, a handful had. Amongst them had been Glass Ripper's gloating to law enforcement and heroes who tried interrogating him. "I can't help but think that the guy that All Might fought was like that."
It was brief, but Izuku's eyes widened in terror. All For One, his mentor's archenemy. From what he'd been told, the mastermind had been exactly like that. Thankfully for the world, he was locked up in one of the most secure prisons on the earth.
"He was, wasn't he?"
Blinking, he looked back to his girlfriend. Her sadden expression morphed into a cool smile. "Hey, I may not be a detective in the making, but you know I can pick up on little things from time to time." He immediately shut his mouth remembering that, including the fact that he liked that aspect of Mina. "That guy, I think his name was All For One, he's locked up though, so that means he can't hurt anyone else."
I hope that stays the case. Even so…his followers are still out there, especially Shiragaki.
So…sorry.
Stop…him. No…-ter…wh…op…him.
He kept his surprise suppressed, as well as the nervousness. The first voice was feminine, remorseful, and finally familiar. As for the second, it was masculine and harsher. Despite it's the static that kept words from fully forming, Izuku had been able to decipher the statement. Ultimately, he had a feeling that Shiragaki was going to need to be stopped. There was no way there'd be peace while him and his fellow villains were still out there. Looking back at Mina, he felt that fire cool though.
For now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment of peace with his girlfriend. Nothing more.
"If anyone even remotely scary like him comes your way, you'll tell me if I don't see it, right?" Her question caught him by surprise. "I mean, I am your girlfriend, and given what we're doing, I guess…partner?"
Recovering quickly, he let his honest feelings influence his next words. "You make for a good partner, Mina. The…better than any partner I could have ever hoped for." The truth was he never really thought of anyone wanting him for a partner. Not useless, pathetic little Deku. He'd like to think that he'd grown from that person, and the people around him seemed to confirm he had. Especially his pink-colored girlfriend. Though his words brought a beaming smile to her face, his next put a damper on it. "I…I just would rather not put you in danger, especially for my sake."
"Why wouldn't I do that? Izuku, you're a classmate and my boyfriend, so damn well I'm going to put myself in danger for yourself." Though her voice remained calm, it had a slight edge to it. Izuku knew if he pressed the issue that edge would grow. He didn't fancy the idea of angering his girlfriend, especially when she was showing how concerned she was for him. How far she'd go for him. "If our roles were reversed, would you stop because I told you to?"
"No." He immediately answered. A second later and he realized what Mina was really saying. A short sigh passed his lips before he smiled back at her. The hardness on her face dissipated as she smiled back. "Good point."
"Exactly." Mina was rather justified in her proud look. Plus, as always, she just looked cute. "You know, this is…kind of what I wanted to talk to you about earlier. Just the two of us."
Izuku had a feeling that this talk was the one that had been delayed. He knew that something had been on her mind since he caught her by Midnight's classroom earlier this morning. That talk had been postponed as their private lunch became a group affair. Neither of them minded, but Izuku always had the feeling that Mina still wanted to talk to him alone. Their study date after school had proved to be the perfect opportunity.
Well, it's not like all our talks could be…romantic. Especially given we're both training to be heroes. He consciously realized. Interesting, he didn't mind it at all; in fact, it actually felt nice to have someone to talk to. While there surely was his mentor, Mina was different. She's my girlfriend and partner. Of course, I need to talk to her about things. Especially in the event of…
It was like walking until a massive pothole lay before him. Despite its massive side, Izuku had been blind to it, temporarily at the least. That unfortunate needle of anxiety was stabbed straight into his spine, and from there it spread through the rest of him. The faces of his mentor and the principal appeared in his mind, their warnings about his Quirk ringing in his skull. Despite its loudness, Izuku quickly absorbed it-accepted it. He'd been down this road before, and nothing had changed. With any luck, nothing would change for a while.
At least not until he…came up with something himself. Or he got permission from the two to reveal the truth to Mina.
Maybe after the League of Villains had been defeated, I can tell her. He whimsically thought. It was optimistic, yet a potentially long way off.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
"You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all, Mina." On average, she had far more people calling her than him. After all, she was the more social one. She showed him her contact list and he had to say, it was impressive. Far more impressive than his. Mina had promised that she'd work with him on that, a suggestion that he was still fifty-fifty on.
Looking back down, he surveyed their schoolwork. While Mina talked on the phone he went back to work. As tempting as it was for him to listen in on her conversation he chose not to. It would have been an invasion of privacy, and that was the last thing he wanted to do with his girlfriend. Still, he found himself having to fight the temptation a little. He buried most of it by diligently throwing himself into his work as usual.
He was no more than a minute into it when he heard Mina call his name. "It's my brother, and his girlfriend." Izuku chuckled at how she paused mentioning her boyfriend's girlfriend. It left him curious as to what she was like. He'd heard Mina mention that they wanted to meet him, as well as the rest of Mina's family. "Apparently, they want me to come over and talk to a student at her school about applying to U.A. Me giving someone that kind of talk, can you believe it?"
"Actually, yeah. You're a social butterfly, Mina. If there's anyone that can give a good case for U.A., it's you." He honestly offered.
"Hahahaha…you…really think so? Like seriously?" Her eyes twinkled with genuine curiosity at what his answer would be.
Odds were, she probably already knew the answer though. "Yes. You can be pretty convincing about things you're passionate about."
"Thanks! But what about you? If anyone's going to argue for U.A., I think you can do it too. I mean, I'd say you're way more qualified than me."
"I don't have those interpersonal connection though. That's your thing."
"And yours too, even if you don't know it." Resting her cheek on her head, she fixed him with another one of those charming smiles. "You want to come with me?"
"M-M-M-Me?"
"Yes, you, Izuku. Like I said, you can be pretty convincing on your own. Hmm, then again, I am kind of irked at the possibility of you running into Mitsuomi."
Chuckling at her pouting face, he decided to broach the topic. "I'm going to have to meet him eventually. Besides, doesn't he want to meet me too?"
"Yeah, and so does the rest of my family…but I want to keep you to myself for a little while longer." This time the laughter just burst out of him. Mina's response was to reach over and wrap her left arm around him. Like she said, she had wanted to keep him to herself for a little while longer. "Knowing him, he'll probably ask us for a double date."
"Y-You know, I don't think that'd be so bad."
"Urgh, maybe not, but like I said, I want to keep you to myself for a little while longer."
"Mina," he called. Ordinarily, he'd be a blushing, stuttering wreck who couldn't even say his own name. Especially as she looked at him with an absolutely adorable pout. "As much as I'd love to go, I have some training after we finish up here. Still, one day soon I'd love to meet your brother and the rest of your family. I really want to do it before Christmas. Likewise, I'd…love for you to meet my mom."
"Oh, now that I'd love to see happen. Hmm, what about your dad though? Any chance he could come to Japan, even for the holidays?"
"It's something that both me and my mom would love." He confessed with a sheepish smile. "We've talked about it, and he's going to try for it. That'd be…a bit of a Christmas miracle for my whole family."
"Then I guess it's something to hope for. Right alongside me hopefully making it back to the dorms before curfew." She was already gathering her things. The faster she was able to get over to her brother's school, the quicker she could make it back. Izuku was sure though that she wasn't going to be gone for any longer than an hour at most. He was where things might get dicey. Sometimes he did go overboard with his training, even All Might had once talked to him about it. Odds were, the bait was going to continue into the future, and Mina was going to be the one to remind him to call it a day, no doubt after she'd been training beside him.
Before standing up, she leaned in and kissed on the lips. "See you in a little bit." She giggled.
"Yeah, see you then." He replied. She got five steps away when he impulsively called out. "M-M-Mina! Say hi to your brother for me."
Her face lit up as she gave him an ear-to-ear grin. "Got it."
There had been times he wondered what it was like to have siblings. A few of his classmates gave him some insight, but none more so than his girlfriend. While she tried not to paint a rosy picture of her brothers, he was often able to see through it. It left him wanting to meet them, particularly her older brother whom apparently was quite like her.
Looking deep within himself though, Izuku knew the real reason why a part of him was eager to meet Mina's family.
His hero name, Deku. Once a moniker of worthlessness, he wanted to turn it into something else-the opposite. He wanted the name to be one that inspired hope and confidence. That thought mixed with their previous discussion about him being inspirational.
"If I started out with anyone, maybe my girlfriend's parents are the best option." Izuku mused to himself.
"Oh boy, guess I better get moving fast." Even though she'd brought an umbrella, Mina didn't like being caught out in the rain. Don't get her wrong, as a kid she did enjoy playing around in it, but she was definitely more of a sunny weather kind of girl. Unfortunately, the forecast had predicted two days of rain, starting today. It'd already started pouring when school let out only to stop. As she popped open her umbrella, she acknowledged that it'd only been temporary.
Still, she knew how to make do in the rain. Since coming to U.A., she'd learned how to do a lot of things in the rain, especially run in it. She'd honestly lost track of how often she'd had to run in the rain. While the fear of a cold was always a possibility, so too was it that someone's life could be lost as a result of letting something like a little rain get in the way.
Luckily, this wasn't one of those times. Plus, there were buses, which provided a nice relief from the rain.
Transfers to U.A. weren't uncommon, albeit they typically took place toward the start of new semesters. Technically speaking, they were coming up on one of those. The new year may have still been several weeks away, but people were already making plans. A good number of Christmas plans, but also a few for beyond that, for the first quarter of the new year. As Mina stared at the window, she found herself wondering what next year would bring for her and her classmates. As she watched the rain steadily increase, she had a feeling that it was going to involve a lot more adventures. The other students hadn't been wrong when they said that they tended to attract a lot of attention.
She stopped short of calling them doom magnets. Albeit they…kind of did seem like doom magnets sometimes. One way or another, some of them were always at the heart of some major incidents. That especially went for her boyfriend. That said, they always seemed to make it out none the worse for wear, or downright successful. Mina had begun to take pride in that, and she knew she wasn't the only one. Members of Class 1-A had talked about it amongst themselves. They were all pretty good at getting into trouble, and getting out of it. Not to mention getting others out of it.
That's part of what heroes did though, right?
A clap of thunder struck drew her attention. Mina couldn't see the flash of lightning, but she was sure it'd struck somewhere. It was the first clap of thunder that she'd heard since the rain had started. Maybe there'd been more while she and Izuku were at the school.
There were times Mina wondered if her brother resented her for choosing to go to U.A. He'd told her over and over again he didn't; one time he sat her down and told her he was a little jealous, but not in the way that she worried about. If anything, he was more worried about her safety. As much of a chatterbox as he was, he was also quite perspective. Mitsuomi had looked her in the eye and told her that he was only worried about her safety. That wasn't a surprise, not at all. She'd realized that his anxiety had only grown over the last several months. Her class had indeed been the epicenter of a lot of action.
That made it somewhat ironic that he was calling her to get her to pitch U.A. to another student. Excitement began to bubble up inside of her. This wasn't the sort of thing she did, but maybe after this she could give it a try more often. She figured it might be a good way to show her school spirit. Or maybe keep U.A.'s stellar reputation going.
Whipping out her phone, she began to play some games. She had enough time for that before she reached her stop. Nishiyama Senior High was still at least fifteen minutes away, long enough for her to get some quick mobile gaming in. One of her favorites was one of the "revived" games-Angry Birds. Who'd have thought that it could be so much fun launching various birds at various structures to get at a group of evil pigs who'd also kidnapped other birds? Apparently, it'd been quite a hit years back…before the emergence of Quirks apparently. Mina for one was quite happy the game had been rediscovered and brought back to the world.
She'd gotten far enough to feel comfortable when her stop finally came. In went her phone and out came her umbrella. Since the rain had picked up, she definitely needed it. Glancing up at it, she tried to think of what kind of speech she could give to this supposed student.
"Well, on Wednesday I could tell them about how the cafeteria makes some awesome sushi rolls. Oh, and dessert Friday! And the Sports and Culture Festival! Hmm, come to think of it, some of them might have been at the festival themselves. I wonder if this student was there." She supposed that was one question she could ask once she got-
Ka-Boom!
For a quarter of a second, Mina thought it was thunder, but near immediately afterward, she realized it wasn't. She'd been through enough to know what an actual explosion sounded like. Hear it put her on edge. In the following seconds, she followed the sound of the explosion. Mina's yellow-colored eyes widened once she saw what direction the explosion had came from.
"No…No! Hell no!" Her umbrella hit the pavement while her feet did the same. Mina pushed aside the stunned pedestrians on the street. They were just as startled by the explosion as her, but none of them had a potential personal stake in it like she did. None of them knew the names and faces of some of the people who were potentially injured from the blast.
The landscape flew by in a blur. All the training she'd put in was put to use in closing the distance between her and Nishiyama High. She didn't care about the rain, hardly even feeling it as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
She was there in what seemed like her next breath. Her yellow eyes scoured the familiar three-story building, noting the column of smoke rising from it and the flames shooting out from what seemed to be the back of the building. Students and teachers alike were already evacuating, some quite eager to escape. Not even the pouring rain seemed to the beating back the flames fast enough. There was no way a fire like this was going to be entirely put out by the weather, or at least it wouldn't be in the heart of the city.
Once more, Mina's feet were moving. The closer she got the more she could smell the smoke, as well as the scent of burning rumble. It was something she'd gotten used to for a number of reasons. The one smell she didn't want to encounter was blood. The fact that she knew what it smelled like so well was unsettling in itself, but she'd came to accept it.
With so many people flooding out, she found herself going up against the tide. People were gasping for air and welcoming the rain. Confusion reigned as everyone was trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Someone's Quirk went off? A prank gone horrible wrong? An accident? An attack? That possibility hung in Mina's head despite how much she furiously tried to beat it back. Beat it back with what? The sheer odds of one of them attacking the school that her brother went to?
But then again, villains had gotten noticeable more brazen ever since All Might's retirement. Everyone down to the common citizens realized it was coming. Without the Symbol of Peace, who was there to stop them? The answer had been the hundreds of other heroes that were still very much up and about. That hadn't stopped some of them though, it'd even emboldened some.
Was that what this was? Was that what this could have been?
Man, I'm rambling on about maybes just like Izuku. The realization would have gotten a laugh out of her if the situation wasn't so serious. She was going through the crowds, making sure that everyone was alright while calling out for her brother and Chiya. The longer she went without spotting them, the worse she was beginning to feel. Whenever she looked back at the building, Mina felt a nervous knot forming in her stomach.
It practically exploded into a ball of black flames as she heard her phone ring. The sound nearly sent Mina jumping into the sky. Immediately, she grabbed for it, nearly fumbling the smart phone and causing it to hit the ground.
"Mitsuomi! Mitsuomi! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! Where are you?!" All the nervousness within her exploded outward.
It slammed into an ice-cold wall as an unfamiliar voice came through on the other end. Chuckling, deep, masculine, dark chuckling that definitely didn't belong to her brother. The rain and sweat pouring down Mina's cheeks froze while her heart came to a sudden stop. "Ahh, sibling love, quite a sweet thing. Hey, Mina Ashido, right? Don't worry, your brother's just fine. For now, how long he stays that way depends entirely on you."
The fear within her was quickly replaced by anger. "Who the hell are you?" she simply barked.
"I guess you could call me a villain, after all, I did just bomb your bro's school and take him as a hostage. That's certainly a villainous thing to do, isn't it? As a future hero, it's your job to stop me, isn't it? On top of keeping your dear big brother alive." The voice on the other end responded. His tone was jovial, further solidifying the danger he posed. Talking so casually about his actions, even to the point of sounding amused by them, told Mina that this man was dangerous. Knowing that helped her temper her fury, but only a little. "You know where this school's gym is, right? Meet me there, I promise, I'll have your brother waiting for you. Oh, and don't worry. I made sure I didn't do too much damage to this place that it'll come crashing down on us."
Looking back at the front entrance, she could see more people steadily streaming out of it. Obviously, evacuation of everyone was the priority. Afterwards would come roll call, but by then it might be too late for Mitsuomi.
Gnashing her teeth, Mina responded. "I'm on my way."
"Great! Oh, one last thing before we meet face to face…might want to call your boyfriend, Deku. It'd be a real shame if he wasn't able to join us."
"W-What? Deku? What the hell do you-" Firstly, she was glad that she'd stopped herself from using her boyfriend's real name. Odds were, this guy might have already known, but she didn't want to take that chance. Her training was flowing back into her, running parallel to the emotional shock and rage that was also surging within her. Time would tell if one overtook the other. "You're…after him too?"
There was a whistle from the other end. "Well, well, I'm surprised. You caught on pretty quick."
Mina was seconds away from giving a snappy retort when her self-restraint took hold. The mysterious man had casually confirmed her suspicion. She was the target and so was Izuku. Speaking of which, she had a feeling that by now the explosion was on the news. Everyone back at U.A. was seeing it on their phones, and she could only hope that Izuku was as well. She'd told him where her brother went to school, so once he saw it and remembered that she was heading down to see him he was going to come running. For her sake more so than anyone else's.
And just like that, her phone began to ring signaling a new call. As with the previous call, her heart raced as she slid her finger across the screen.
"Izuku," she called.
"Mina! Are you alright? Are you hurt? What about your brother? Is he alright?!" It was a perfect reversal of the previous minute. This time though, she was grateful to hear the voice on the other end.
"I-I'm alright," she answered. Through the phoneline she could practically feel the tension within him dissipate. Mina hated having to funnel it back into him. "Izuku, listen, someone's kidnapped my brother. They…they want me…and…you."
The pause on the other end told her that he wasn't surprised at this. Those five seconds were almost as nerve-wrecking as hearing the bastard talking. Mina was a second away from speaking up when her boyfriend did it first. "I'm on my way, Mina. I promise, I'll be there."
Despite the situation bearing down on them, she found herself smiling. Izuku had spoken of how he wanted to be just like All Might; in that moment, she'd say he was on near equal footing with his idol. His declaration was just as assuring as the former number one hero's.
"You know I'm not going to stand by and wait for you, Izuku."
"I…I…I know. Please, just try to hold out until I get there. I'm on my way now."
Given how fast he could move, Mina had a feeling he'd be here soon. Probably as fast as any pro heroes. Even with all that, she knew she wasn't going to wait on any of them. "Check the gym, that's the place he told me to meet him." Those were her final words before she ended the call, then charged right on in. She heard the calls from students and especially teachers around her, but Mina pushed past them. Her odds of getting a lecture were pretty high, as were the odds of her being in serious trouble when this was over with. Fine then. She accepted in her mind as her shoes pounded against the floor of the front hall.
Mina knew she wasn't quite acting like a hero now. No, she was just a girl rushing off to save her brother. She'd take the consequences whatever they might be, and she'd do it with a straight face knowing she'd she did everything she could to save her brother.
-O-
Mina had been in Nishiyama gym before, four times to be exact. It was a nice-sized gym that did its gym well, but compared to U.A.'s gym, it was lackluster. What mattered the most to Mina though was that it was in one-piece. It was located on the school's left side, further away from where the explosions had taken place. Thankfully, it seemed like the fire wasn't spreading.
In the back of her mind though, Mina found that concerning. As she drew closer to the gym, she realized that the explosions had been at best a distraction. Containing it would be the first priority followed immediately by search and rescue. Would they get there by the time the showdown in the gym had concluded?
Pushing the double doors open, she walked right in, breathing hard with a thin sheen of sweat running down her cheeks.
"Not bad time, Pinky. That is your hero name, right? Gotta say, it fits like a glove!" Immediately recognizing the voice, she honed in on its owner. The first thing that caught her attention was how he was dressed like he was about to be deployed to a combat zone, a combat vest coupled with various straps and pounces around his waist and legs. Kneepads covered his elbows and knees; Mina wondered how durable they were, a shot of her acid might be able to melt through them. He had the thick muscles to go with the combat look, not to a superhuman degree, but the sort that came from timely exercise and training. Mina guessed military training. His face completed the look, having a certain hardness to it that was contrasted by the grin he was shooting her.
It was a grin that revealed four sharpened fangs. The redhead's green eyes were different from her boyfriend's. They didn't reassure her at all, they put her on greater guard than she was already on. Once she'd finished sizing him up, she swiftly searched him for any sign of her brother.
Relief shot through her spotting him right beside the stranger. His hands were bound behind his back and blood was pouring from the right side of his forehead, but otherwise he was alright. Noticing her coming in, he tried to sit up, his own yellow eyes widening in alarm.
"Mina! Listen, you gotta ru-gaah!"
Rage swept through her watching the mysterious man grab her brother's pink-topped head and slam it into the stage floor.
"You bastard! Get your filthy hands off him!" Mina shouted. "Who the hell are you what do you want?!"
"Who am I? Who am I? Hehehe, well, I'll be blunt-I'm something of a gun for hire. As you can probably tell by my accent, I'm not from around here. Love the green tea you people serve here in Japanese. Nothing like the real thing."
"I'm still waiting for an answer." Mina growled. Acid was already forming in her palms, but she kept from firing it. As angry as she was, she knew she had to be smart about this. Her priority was getting her brother out of here. While he may have shared her Acid Quirk, he was far less skilled with it, not to mention he lacked the combat training she had. Getting him out wasn't going to be easy.
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
"Huh, you're not going to get that, are you?" Questioned the American.
There was a couple of people it could have been, her parents, her brother, Chiya, any of her friends from U.A. Regardless, Mina knew not to pick up. The second she took her eyes off of this guy, it was game over for her. Thus, her phone continued to ring, becoming the only sound in the gymnasium save for the distant rumble of the fire.
By now Mina was sure that the police, fire department, and heroes should have arrived. Not unless…
"You're not alone." She snarled.
"Smart girl, smarter than I thought." The redhead remarked. "Don't worry, we're not interested in the students at this school, including your brother here. He was useful bait to get you out…and so were you." His fangs glistened as his grin broadened. "Never used pink bait before."
He was gone, having disappeared in a blur. It was alarming, terrifying…but not enough to paralysis Mina.
She leaped forward, falling into a roll and coming out of it with poison smearing in her hands. Sweeping them about, she launched two parallel arcs of acid at the American. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of them; clearly, he hadn't been expecting not only an evasion on her part, but a counterattack. His shock quickly morphed into surprise as he grinned, jumping several feet upward. It saved him from her acidic waves, but Mina had more tricks up her sleeve.
While falling back, she shaped her right hand into a gun and fired off several more shots. Her Acid Magnum was striker and faster than her normal shots, and just what she needed to cover her moves.
Being in the air meant the stranger couldn't evade, or that's what Mina thought.
Quickly, the man reached into one of his waist pouches and pulled something out. Whatever it was, he stuck it into his jaw. What came next made her ears ring, literally.
"HAAROOOOOO!"
"Gaaaarrrggghh! W-W-What the hell!" Mina yelled, the soundwaves disorienting her so much that she ended up tripping over her feet.
"S-S-Shit! H-H-His Quirk's some kind of supersonic howl!" Mitsuomi theorized. He was curling into a ball as the soundwaves hit him, even though he wasn't the target.
As for what the actual target was, those were Mina's acid bullets. The vibrational waves were strong enough to dissipate the acid shots, dispelling them into droplets that cascaded across the gym floor.
Getting her eyes back on the strange, Mina saw that her brother's analysis was only half right. He didn't just howl like a monster wolf, he vaguely looked like one. His muscles bulged, lining with traces of fur right down to his hands, his nails having morphed into knife-like claws. He'd already had something of a grizzly look to his face, with the fur coating it, he truly looked like he was seconds away from fully taking on the likeness of a wolf.
His Quirk's really some kind of transformation. T-That thing that he stuck in his mouth, were those-ah crap! The man kicked off the floor toward her the second his feet hit the ground. Before her heart could continue its next beat, he was upon her, bringing his claws down on her. He was the wolf, and she was his prey.
But Mina was no defenseless lamb. She was a student of U.A., she was the Acid Hero Pinky.
SWOSH! SWOSH! SWOSH! SWOSH! SWOSH! SWOSH! SWOSH!
"Hahahahaha! I'm liking you more and more, girl!" The American cackled as she dodged his furious swipes.
If it weren't for her training, Mina knew for a solid fact she'd have gone down in the first five seconds. Instead, here she was, on the defensive but staying alive. "Happy to impress, but I'm taken!" Her acid condensed around her hands, stretching past them to form a shield. One she pushed forward, having predicted where her opponent was going to attack. To his credit, he immediately recognized the danger and changed directions. Despite moving so fast he appeared to be a blur, Mina was able to follow him. Her other arm, and shield, shot out to counter him.
The man jumped back, a cheeky grin on his face as he put some distance between them. "Clever girl! Like I said, I'm starting to take a liking to you! That acid of yours is tough stuff…but I've dealt with tougher!" Once again, he kicked off the ground, coming straight at her.
Mina honestly didn't doubt that. She still had no idea who the hell this guy was, but she knew for certain that he was a seasoned fighter. He'd probably fought opponents older and more experienced than her. That said, she still had some tricks up her sleeve.
He was coming at her fast, fast enough that she knew if she made one wrong slipup, it was over.
Being the kind of girl she was, Mina loved action games. Those that had some kind of slash or parry feature were especially fun, her sense of rhythm and timing allowed her to master such mechanics. While there was a difference between virtual reality and reality, the point remained-timing was everything.
Her acid shield was dropped, literally, onto the floor, just as she jumped out of the way. The acidic puddle was large enough that the man's boots couldn't help but slide into it. He hissed as the acid began eating away at his shoes. Turning to face her was also a problem since the acid was as sticky as it was dangerous.
WHOMP!
"Eeek!"
"M-Mina!" Mitsuomi yelled, still standing atop the gymnasium stage. He'd blinked and that was it. His sister's evasion and trap had been rendered mute as the wolf-like man was right back in her face. Both his clawed hands were stretched out, ready to be brought in and rip her sister apart. He struggled against his restraints, bringing all the power of his Quirk to bear in order to free himself.
Mina herself felt the intensity of the man's aura hit her full force. It was overwhelming, like having an actual wolf bearing down atop of her. It was different from anything she'd ever experienced before. It was…primal.
The faces of all the people she loved flashed through her head: her family, her classmates, her teachers, her friends, her boyfriend, whom inspired her more so than anyone else. Izuku's smiling face, his stalwart demeanor in the face of danger, all it hung in her mind like a video stuck on pause. It gave her strength, and that strength flooded her body, giving her the power to move.
She knew where the attacks were coming from, and she had a defense plan. Once again, both her arms shot out, an acid shield deployed.
Slight as it was, she heard the sizzle of something coming into contact with them, the tips her opponent's claws. Mina knew that in protecting her side, her front was left open, and so did her opponent. He struck at her with his leg, a frontal kick that she knew would knock the air out of her. Quickly, she brought her arms forward, bringing her shield to her front and preventing the attack. She heard clothes and flesh sizzling as they burned. While she'd never gone as far as to completely melt someone's limb off, Mina knew she was capable of it, and now, she had the drive.
The shield bubbled as she pumped more acid into. Behind it, Mina grinned as she pushed her arms forward, intent on making sure the makeshift bomb went off at point-blank range. Sure, she'd be caught in the blast, but Mina had trained herself so she could take such backlash.
"HAROOOO!"
Her acid was blown away, as was her concentration. "Aaaarrggghhh!" her hands immediately went to her ears, trying in vain to shield them from the supersonic sound waves. She'd been luckily before, but now she was getting the full brunt of them-and it freakin hurt!
WHAM!
Gasping, the pain in her ears was compounded by the pain in her stomach. He'd kicked her-kneed her-with his other leg, and it knocked the air out of her. The next thing Mina knew, her throat was being gripped by his vice-like hand. Mina felt her feet leaving the floor as she was lifted upward.
"You've got some skill, girl, but I'm afraid it isn't anywhere close enough to-"
His eyes, which had changed into silted pupils, widened. The American spun around, another howl leaving his throat as he moved to intercept the threat. In this case, it was dozens of air bullets. Not all of them were intercepted, some of them actually kept on going, forcing the stranger to dodge them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mina a green blur, the sight of it making her heart soar with joy. It reached the top of the sky as she caught the cackle of emerald-colored electricity.
Suddenly, Mina was free. Air rushed into her lungs as she felt her throat free. Next came a familiar, comforting pair of hands wrapping around her.
"Izuku," her own voice sounded distant, no doubt due to her damaged ear drums. Mina was sure it wasn't permanent, but it wasn't fun either. Still, just seeing his face was enough to put her at ease. She felt solid ground beneath her, which she immediately tried to stand on.
"Mina! Mina, are you alright!" Her brother was another welcome sight. His hands were still bound, but the good news was that he was with them.
"My ears hurt like crap…but otherwise I think I'm okay." The truth was there was the pain in her abdomen where she took that jerk's knee, but that pain was fading as the seconds ticked by. "Izuku," she called.
His face bent into relief seeing she was none the worse for wear. It twisted into concentration as he stood in front of the two of them. He'd ran straight from the gym to hear as he was still wearing his workout clothes; they were utterly soaked. It was a look that was perfectly befitting her boyfriend.
"Mina, Mitsuomi, as soon as you get the chance, run. Get out of the school. I'll hold this guy off." He commanded.
"Izuku!" Mina shouted.
"This guy's definitely no pushover. Are you sure you can handle him?" Mitsuomi questioned. Despite finally meeting Izuku, he was rightfully focused on the matter at hand. Mina caught how he struggled to free his hands of the strange cuffs restricting them. Taking a peak at them, she was surprised to see they were reinforced metal, and apparently acid resistant. Her brother had the same Acid Quirk as her so he should have been able to melt them off. The fact that he couldn't meant they must have been reinforced.
Which means he knew to come after Mitsu…or maybe even me. Sounded a part of her mind.
"I can." Came Izuku's tight, controlled voice. "What can you tell me about his Quirk? Some kind of-"
"He put something in his mouth, then it caused this transformation." Mina explained. Knowing her boyfriend, this information might go a way's to defeating this guy and ending this. "He doesn't just look like a wolf-he fights like one too. Claws, speed, and a supersonic howl." She consciously rubbed her ears, remembering being on the receiving end of that howl. The ringing had finally faded from her ears as had most of the pain, but the residual pain lingered. "I think we can take him."
"I'll take him. Mina, take your brother and run."
"Izuku!" She shouted.
"I'm the one they want!" The response was deafening, just like the thunder outside. In fact, Mina would say Izuku's voice could have passed for a crack of thunder itself. He'd never yelled at her like that, it added to her stunned silence.
Catching her attention was the howling laughter of their bestial opponent. The three teens turned their collective gaze toward him. His right leg had been burnt by Mina's acid wall, something she took a small measure of pride in. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be kneeling over in agony over it.
"Bingo! Truth is pinky and her bro were just the bait, you, little Deku were our target. I gotta say, you haven't disappointed." He fell into a crouch, further confirming that his leg wound wasn't as crippling as Mina hoped it'd be. His claws were likewise gleaming meaning that whatever damage had been done wasn't enough. "You're speedy like a rabbit, but there's only so much a rabbit can run before the wolf catches it."
Mina was tempted to make a comment about how rabbits could pack a punch, especially considering one pro hero who shared her boyfriend's rabbit motif. Matter of fact, a part of her found it funny how Izuku was going up against a villain with a wolf motif. The big bad wolf to Izuku's rabbit, his speedy, hard-hitting rabbit that could knock the wolf flat on its ass once he scored a hit.
But that might not happen if he was busy having to cover Mitsuomi, who was still cuffed. Knowing Izuku, he'd be trying to protect him as much as Mina would be. She bit her lip as the logic side of her ran up against the emotional side.
"Mina, listen…I…I'm sorry I brought you and your brother into this. I'm so, so sorry." Just as she'd never heard Izuku yell at her, she'd never heard him sound so apologetic, ashamed even. It was throwing her for another loop. "I can't explain everything now, but you two have to get out of here. I promise, I can handle this guy. Don't worry, alright, I'll be right behind you two."
She and her brother looked at each other. They were confused, him more so than her since he had no idea what was going on. Frankly, neither did Mina, but that just made her feel even more reluctant to leave her boyfriend.
"Uh, hey, kids? You know I'm standing right here? Oh, forget it. Greenie over here was our main target, so we don't really need the Ashido siblings. They were just the bait, so they can run along." Despite his words, Mina wasn't convinced. Neither was Mitsuomi, who sneered at the man. He caught her brother's sneer and chuckled. "Smart kids."
"Yeah, they are. Suppose this generation's got some moxie. No wonder Overhaul fell to them."
The new voice put Mina on edge, as well as Mitsuomi and especially Izuku. She immediately followed the voice to behind the stage. Someone was there, watching them, waiting.
"Izuku, keep your eyes on the front, I got the rear!" her hands were out, shooting glops of acid as she jumped in front of her brother.
"Dammit, I'd really love to be cut loose right about now!" Mitsuomi yelled.
"As soon as I get the chance to!" Mina responded. It was a glimmer of their usual sibling bickering, but it helped lighten the mood. Unfortunately, it didn't last.
Her ears heard it, the whistling of something sharp moving through the air. From the darkness behind the stage, she caught several glistening objects coming at her. They were metallic, and sharp.
Knives.
Flying knives that were coming straight at her, and her brother.
Thinking quickly, Mina spread her arms out, the acid extending out and forming into a protective barrier on either side of her, as well as her front.
THUSH! THUSH! THUSH!
"Mina, the knives!" Mitsuomi sounded. Looking to the side, she saw the blades protruding through her acid wall, but just barely. Just like her brother's cuffs, they were acid resistant.
But that resistance had to have limits, and Mina was determined to test that. Her fingers curled and the acid grew stronger. The air grew the sizzle of metal as the blades continued to dissolve.
"Heh, impressive. I specifically reinforced those knives to be resistant to your Quirk." Called the mysterious voice, also a male, but lacking an accent. He was a native Japanese speaker.
"Hah! Helpfully advice, never underestimate my acid! I'm Pinky, and there's nothing in the world my acid can't eat through!" Mina boasted.
"Hehehe, noted, the strongest acid…but what about the sharpest eyes?"
"Mina!" Shouted her brother.
Even before she looked down, she had an idea of what was about to happen. As hyperactive as she was, Mina didn't think of herself as stupid. Ever since this little mess had begun, she'd been keenly aware of her brother-her weakness, and now Izuku's. He was the easiest target, and the most obvious.
She grabbed at the metallic rope that was heading for his feet. Mina caught it just as it began to wrap around his legs. Acid immediately secreted from her hands and sunk into the rope. Knowing she had to act fast, she poured it on thick, hoping like hell it'd be enough. The familiar sizzle filled her ears, and for a second, she thought she'd succeeded.
"Mina, above you!" Shouted her brother. Wiggling himself free, he shoved her aside, taking the brunt of the metallic spheres that were launched from the same unseen direction. "Gaaaah!" Mitsuomi yelled as the air left his lungs.
"Mitsuomi!" Her rage reaching a boiling point, Mina looked back at the backstage. She knew that whoever was doing this had to be there. She'd had enough. Throwing her arms out, she unleashed a sweeping blast of acid from both her hands. Again, she knew there'd be damages, but to hell with it. Once she felt like she'd done enough, she turned back to Mitsuomi and grabbed at his shoulders, hauling him to his feet. "Come on, bro, we're leaving!"
"No…complaints!" he gasped. "You…alright?"
"I'm fine! For now, I'm getting you out of here!" They made for the door, running like they were both in gym class, and their lives depended on it. Despite knowing that, she looked back to the main floor. Izuku and that guy were fighting it out, and it was the kind that Mina would have loved to have been a part of, but she had her brother to look after.
In looking back, the man caught sight of them fleeing. A wicked gleam appeared in his eyes as he opened his mouth and howled. The roar traveled as a concentrated blast of air, heading straight for them. Immediately, Mina threw up her arm and retaliated with a blast of acid. The two attacks collided, canceling each other out; that was Mina's intent as it gave them the time they needed to keep on running.
They were out in the hallway and running. The walls shook as the battle in the gym raged on, though it also sounded like something was going on outside.
"The pros, the police, they should be here by now." Mitsuomi muttered.
"You're right, they should have." Mina could feel it in her gut, something was wrong. "Mitsu, I'm going to try to melt your cuffs off!"
"Finally!" He proclaimed sliding to a stop and holding his hands out to her. "Just get them off, don't worry about hurting me, Mina!"
Nodding, she grabbed at the metallic restraints. They felt cold as ice as, a perfect contrast to the sizzling heat of her acid. It resisted her acid, but as with the rope and the knives, she poured it on thick. Eventually, the restraints began to give way, much to her and Mitsuomi's relief.
"Mina," her older brother called. "Once these things are off, I can handle myself."
His words caught her off-guard, nearly making her stop.
Unlike her, her brother's sclera were white like a normal person's. Still, they shared the same bright yellow eyes, pink hair, and horns. He took pride in his appearance, and Mina believed a part of her had learned from him. Amongst the things they bonded over, their semi-shared appearance was one of them.
"Don't take any crap from anyone at U.A. over your appearance."
He'd been the first in her family to tell her that. Not that Mina needed to hear them, but it was special to hear them anyway. Especially from her brother, who always seemed to have some wishy-washy feelings toward U.A.
"Mitsu, I-"
"Look, you boyfriend's back there, and he's one of those types of guys who thinks he's got to shoulder ever horrible thing that happens in the world. A guy like that, he'll do great things, but he's probably going to get himself maimed at best trying to do it. You've got to be there to stop him from doing something stupid like that." They were words of wisdom she wasn't expecting to hear, namely because she wasn't expecting him to have such a good bead on Izuku so quickly. She finished melting off his cuffs. "Ah, finally!"
"How'd you even get caught?" She asked.
"First there was the explosion. I was going to evacuate with everyone else, but then I…just got this bad feeling. When I looked back, I saw him coming for me, and that was it. You saw his Quirk, guy moved like a wolf on the hunt."
"Yeah, I saw. He's fast, but nowhere as fast as Iida." Mina murmured that last part to herself. Their daily training with the bespectacled speedster was one of the reasons why they were able to keep up with the beast man. Speaking of him, Mina had a feeling he'd tried calling them. A shame that they weren't in a position to pick up and talk. "Mitsuomi."
The next thing she knew, he was hugging her. Instinctively, Mina hugged him back. He was the one trembling.
"Just…promise me you'll be careful, okay, Mina?" She knew it wasn't easy. He was her big brother. Even if they bickered, he was always there to defend her. He wanted to protect her now, but here he was, only being able to wish her the best as she ran off into danger. It wasn't easy, and it never had been.
"I promise, Mitsu. I'll come back alive. Oh, and I'll come back with Izuku. You did say you wanted to meet him." She affirmed as she hugged him back.
"Yeah, I did. Me and Chiya, who I'm sure is probably out there."
"Exactly, so you need to get out there and before she has a heart attack. Same thing with mom, dad, and Mihiro."
"Call them and let them know that I'm alright." Another rumble shook the hallway. Mina took it as a sign that their time was running short. "Go! Go! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!"
"You better be! Make sure to kick some ass, little sister!" Her normal-skinned brother shouted as he ran toward the other end of the hallway.
Mina was sure that her brother would make it outside in a little bit. Coming from the opposite end, he'd probably be met with a lot of questions, but the good news was he'd be in safe hands. Spinning around, she took off in the opposite direction, her heart once again pounding at a hundred miles a minute.
While running, Mina found herself wondering how long it'd been since she'd left U.A. How long had it been since this fiasco started? It felt like it'd been hours, but Mina wasn't even sure it'd been half an hour. She found that in times of crisis, time had a habit of becoming distorted. She could have pulled her phone out to check, but ironically, Mina knew she didn't have the time.
In what seemed like a few short breaths, she was back in front of the gym, the rumbling growing stronger as she approached the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Guns? Of course, freakin' guns. She thought as she pushed the door open. Mina knew she had to be careful. She may have been strong, but she wasn't bullet-proof, and neither was Izuku. A part of her wondered who was the one doing the shooting. She doubted it was the beast-man since he didn't seem to need any. It had to be someone else, his partner. His Quirk seemed to be telekinesis of some sort.
She used her feet to kick the doors open, her hands being coated in acid. Once she was inside, her eyes scoured the gym, drinking in the scene.
Izuku was still fighting, holding his own against the beast-man, and the telekinetic firearms that were assailing him. Seeing them, Mina formed finger guns with her own hands and began firing. To her glee, each of her shots hit home, melting the guns into slag. That freed up her boyfriend.
Her moment of triumph was short-lived as the American turned to her. Mina immediately noticed how he'd changed. While he was still muscular and hairy, those traits had been doubled. Not only that, his wolfen features had been replaced. The way his muscles bulged, the way his hands looked, and lastly his face. It'd gone from being like a wolf to a monkey's.
When monkeys grinned like that, it never meant anything good.
She was right as the man swiftly pounded both of his fists against the floor, sending firth a shock wave that tore through the floorboards.
"MINA!" Izuku shouted watching the shock wave heading straight for her. She saw how his arms and legs were seemingly bound together, but he was struggling against them.
Looking back, she saw the shock wave was getting closer to her, dangerously close. Her legs tightened up in preparation for an evasion. Either to the left or right, either way would do, but she had to move.
Or someone had to move her, and that's exactly what happened.
She saw it out of the corner of her eyes-the explosion of ink-like black matter. It came straight from Izuku. Her jaw dropped as black tendrils erupted from her boyfriend's hands. They lashed out in all directions, including toward the beast-man. He was caught completely off-guard as one of the tendrils smashed into his face. It'd have been funny if his attack still wasn't heading toward her. Her shock gave the shock wave more time to come up on her, cutting short her window of time to evade. That said, it wasn't the closest thing to her. That was one of the black tendrils.
"What the-" Mina shouted before it wrapped around one of her hands. "H-Hey! HEY! AAAAAHH!" After spending the last several minutes running from place to place, she was finally being dragged around. "I-I-I-Izuku! Izuku! Hey, put me-" The words died in Mina's mouth as she caught sight of her boyfriend.
Izuku was on his knees, screaming in agony as the black tendrils were raging out of control.
"Izuku! IZUKU!"
That seems like a good place to leave a cliffhanger ending, don't you think?
Finally, this little romantic story has arrived at the action. Feels nice having it land on Chapter 10, and again, after this story's crossed the one-year mark. It's obviously different from when Izuku and Mina went up against Gentle and La Brava, which now feels like a lifetime ago since I wrote that chapter. Speaking of back then, I had initial plans for Izuku to start manifesting his predecessors Quirks as he was helping set up for the Cultural Festival. The Quirk I original planned on him displaying was Float, but things worked out differently and that was saved for this moment. I ended up somewhat following canon and having it be Black Whip, though I flirted with having him activate Float in a particularly dicey situation.
The unfolding fight was one I went over a couple of different times. One idea of mine was Mitsuomi helping out a little, but I decided to have him be moved out of the way so Izuku and Mina can take center stage, but not before he gives his little sister some words of encouragement. After teasing it last chapter, I do plan on bringing in more of the Ashido Family in future chapters. Obviously, Izuku's going to have a lot of explaining to do, starting with his girlfriend and partner. Maybe some of that will start next chapter, assuming they make it through this latest tag team battle.
Until next time, readers! I'll try to get the next chapter out fast since this is hopefully a tantalizing cliffhanger that leaves you all wanting more. Oh, and Happy Father's Day!