Lost at Sea
Author's Note: Although this story isn't canon to the main Green Gorilla timeline, it should be mentioned that the broad strokes of chapters 1-22 are still canon, just that the events of those chapters aren't what happened exactly. Now, without further ado…
Momo Yaoyorozu rarely felt such emotions as hatred, but a few things brought such feelings forth from the depths of her mind. Mineta was one such thing. The little creep was utterly shameless in his leering upon her skimpy, red costume with bronze belt. A part of Momo wondered if she would be expelled if she kicked him over the side of the ship, though another part of her feared Aizawa Sensei would declare her unfit to be a hero either way, as had happened during her humiliation at the Sports Festival.
The other thing she hated with all of her heart was Bakugo, the selfish beast in a Hero's skin. Momo felt her blood boil whenever he called Kirishima "Shitty Hair" or Mina "Raccoon Eyes". Even worse was his treatment of Izuku Midoriya, the green-haired sweetheart who, with the help of Monkey, his split-personality brother, could transform into the terrific Green Gorilla.
"I don't know why a Shitty Deku like you was brought along on this thing", he growled as he stared down upon Izuku. "Probably because Host Body and I can tank your explosions without a scratch", said Monkey as Izuku's face changed, a sure sign that one personality was in control of his body. "Cease your arguing at once", said Iida, "You'll stain the reputation of UA if you keep that up". "You mean like when you tried to kill Stain and failed, Four Eyes?", snarled Bakugo, "Stay out of this". He turned back to face Izuku again, only to see Momo in front of him instead. "If you are quite done, Bakugo, we still have a mission to accomplish", she said, restrained anger evident in her voice, "If you feel you cannot behave in a manner worthy of a hero, then I recommend that you excuse yourself and let us handle this". She stared down Bakugo, his fiery glare wilting under hers. "Tch, whatever", he said as he walked to the opposite deck. "Thanks again, Yaomomo", sighed Izuku. "It's of no trouble to me", smiled Momo, "If the Class President is having trouble, it is the duty of the Vice President to help him".
Just then, Selkie, a seal man with a dark blue wetsuit and yellow goggles, arrived with his partner, Sirius, a young woman in a sailor suit with webbed ears. "Welcome aboard the Oki Mariner", said Selkie in his thick, Irish accent, "Because ye' weren't given the proper Rescue Training in the USJ, I've been selected by Vice Principle Fulcrum to instruct ye' all on the ways of rescuing scared civilians". "That's right", said Sirius, "While some of you, like Shoji and Asui, were able to learn some of this material during the Internships, the rest of you will have to make do working on our little vessel." Izuku looked around the Oki Mariner, wondering how Sirius could call the massive motor yacht small. Before he could dwell on it, Ochako raised her hand. "When do our exercises start?", she asked.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded off from the distance. "That should right about the time to start", said Selkie, "Batten down ye' hatches and get ready for your first sea rescue. Mick, turn the ol' girl 180 degrees due west!" "Aye aye", said a sailor in the bridge as the yacht sped towards the source of the explosions. "OK", said Monkey from within Izuku's mind, "How are we going to deal with the whole water thing?" "Simple", said Izuku, "We start up high before going below water. I have a rebreather ready in case we need it". "But that only works when you're in human form", said Monkey. "Hey, I'm no swimmer, but I can at least get some needed mobility without having to surface every five minutes", said Izuku as a large cargo ship came into view.
"Oi, there be sailors a needing rescue, laddies", said Selkie as the yacht pulled up alongside the cargo ship, with several robots in simulated danger, "Ye' know the drill! Get going!" And get going they did, with Izuku turning into the Green Gorilla and making a giant leap onto the deck of the cargo ship, causing the yacht to buckle from the force! Bakugo fired his grenade gauntlets, launching himself off of the yacht and onto the cargo ship as the Green Gorilla pulled three robots to safety!
Todoroki fired a blast of ice that created a bridge between the cargo ship and Oki Mariner, allowing him, Kirishima, and Kaminari to run across and start coordinating efforts to help the robots. "You want me to turn your gravity off?", asked Ochako as she turned to Momo. "I'll manage", she said as she threw two springs forward and used some added strength from her recent acquisition of One for All to leap onto the cargo ship deck next to the Green Gorilla. "There's noise coming from below", said Todoroki. "On it", said Mina as she made a trail of acid as she ran around the Green Gorilla. As soon as the acid circle was finished, the Green Gorilla slammed down his fists, sending himself, Ochako, Mina, and Momo falling into the lower deck! Momo created some grappling hooks and threw them up to Kirishima and Shoji, who helped hoist up a net that acted as a ladder! As Ochako floated the robots up the ladder, another explosion rocked the ship!
"Shit, man!", exclaimed Mina, "What are they using for these exercises?" "The Green Gorilla and I will check the hold for more explosives", said Momo as she and the ape ran down below. As they ran down the halls, the Green Gorilla was hit by corks fired by robots with wooden rifles! "Pirates!", cried Momo. "I've got 'em", snarled Bakugo as he pulled the pins in his gauntlets. "Bakugo, NO!", cried Momo, but it was too late. Bakugo fired his gauntlets, killing the training robots and blowing a massive hole in the side of the cargo ship!
At once, the ship began to list! "Oh, shit, what do we do now?", asked Kaminari. "Get to the bridge", said Tsuyu, "If we can turn the ship the other way, we can keep water from seeping into too many watertight compartments." "On it", said Shoji as he used his tentacles to pull himself up the stairs and into the bridge. As Shoji took the wheel and turned away from the damaged area, Todoroki attempted to freeze the hole over, only getting halfway before the ship was rocked by another explosion!
As that happened, the floor under Bakugo, Momo, and the Green Gorilla collapsed, sending them falling further below deck! Momo landed with a dull thud against the metal walls, only to then be pinned against them by scores of debris! She tried to push the broken bits of metal off of her with the strength of One for All, but then the water started rushing in. "Hang on, Yaomomo", said Izuku from above, "I'm coming!"
The water was already getting waist deep when Momo pushed some of the debris off of her, with only a large piece of metal pinning her foot to the ground. Panic was beginning to set in as Momo felt a chill in the air from Todoroki's ice. 'I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die', she thought as Izuku climbed down the wreckage. "Almost there", said Izuku, "Take my hand, quick!" As Momo reached closer and closer, the water began to recede. Then, the torrent pulled Momo under, causing her to hit her head against a piece of dull metal. "NO!", cried Izuku as he put on the rebreather and dove after her, diving into the ocean and dodging several pieces of metal as his stinging eyes searched through the salty water. Just then, a piece of debris hit him in the back, knocking away his rebreather and forcing Izuku to surface. He gasped for air as Selkie dove over the side of the Oki Mariner.
"Laddie, are ye alright?", he asked. "Momo is under the water!", cried Izuku, "We've got to help her! Come on!" With that, Izuku and Selkie dove back under the sea, searching for any sign of her. All they could find was a single stream of blood before they had to surface for air, where Sirius was waiting with a crane to pull them aboard.
"Midori, what happened?", asked Mina in a panic. "Momo, sh-she's gone", shuddered Izuku, "I couldn't save her. Couldn't…" At those words, both Izuku and Mina broke into tears, weeping for the loss of Momo Yaoyorozu. "Sirius", said Selkie, "Gather the other students and return us to base. We need to discuss this with Eraserhead". "Aye aye, Captain", said Sirius mournfully. As soon as Shoji, Tsuyu, Bakugo, Todoroki, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Ochako were returned to the yacht, the Oki Mariner slowly made its way back to shore, scanning the waters for any sign of a body, hoping to all the Gods they were wrong. But nothing appeared on the horizon, nothing thrashed in the water. The sea had taken away Momo Yaoyorozu, and it had no intention of returning her.
Cue Song: Death Stranding by Chvrches
A few hours later, Selkie and Sirius walked down the halls of UA. "I'm not sure how we approach this", said Sirius, "Maybe we should let Principal Nezu handle this". "Nay", said Selkie, "It was me vessel on which the disaster took place. She needs ta' hear it from me". Sirius nodded solemnly as they got closer to the classroom and knocked on the door. It flew open to reveal Midnight, glamorous as ever. "Selkie, my dear, I didn't think you'd come back so fast", she said, "Guess you're not as slippery as I thought." "Mid...Nemuri, there's something ye' be needin' ta know", sighed Selkie. "It's about your daughter", said Sirius. Midnight's face dropped when she heard those words. "Momo went o'erboard", said Selkie, "Midoriya and I tried our best to find her, but we failed. I'm sorry, Nemuri. Y...your daughter has died."
"N..no, you're lying", whimpered Midnight, "If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny!" "Nemuri, I…", said Sirius as she tried to take her hand, only for Midnight to slap it away. "NO!", she shrieked, "Don't touch me! Let me see my daughter!" "I wish we could", said Selkie as he looked away from Midnight as tears fell from her eyes. That was it. The last link she had to any hope Midnight had of keeping her family safe was gone forever. It had seemed that fate had decided Nemuri Kayama was no longer allowed to feel love for anyone anymore. The anger drained from her body as she fell to the ground, Sirius holding her up as she wept mournfully.
She wasn't the only one. Izuku, Mina, and Ochako had confined themselves to the former's dorm, sitting in silence while wiping away tears of both mourning and regret. They each wished they had said something different before Momo died. For Mina, she wished she could've been more serious with her friend; to not be so frivolous and happy around her when she was unhappy. Ochako wished she hadn't turned down her offers of help whenever she was feeling down about her family's financial situation, possibly making Momo think she was burdening her. As for Izuku, his regret was felt by everyone in the room. He wished he had told Momo how much he had loved her. With Momo dead and gone, the trio's lives were that much emptier.
Some hours later, an equally melancholic Gentle Criminal sat down in his rickety beach chair and wiped the sweat from his brow before rubbing his wet hand against the shirt of his old-fashioned bathing suit. La Brava's suggestion of going to the beach was an excellent one, but this day was a reminder of his failure, as it was the anniversary of his expulsion and subsequent bout with homelessness. "Oh, Gentle", said La Brava, "What's the matter? You haven't checked out my new swimsuit". Gentle Criminal looked at his beloved, who was wearing a dark purple one-piece. "Lovely as always, La Brava", he said quietly. "Are you still down in the dumps from losing to Monoma and the Green Gorilla?", asked La Brava. "Partly", said Gentle Criminal as she sat down beside him, "I simply cannot wonder if I ever had the potential to something...I don't know, greater".
As he slumped back into his chair, Gentle Criminal noticed something floating just off the coast. "La Brava, my binoculars, if you please", he said. La Brava tossed up his long-range spectacles and Gentle Criminal focused his gaze out into the water. "As I suspected!", he declared, "That young woman is half-drowned! Come on, La Brava!" The duo leaped into the water and swam as fast as they could against the thrashing tide, managing to crawl onto a sandbar as the lady floated closer on a piece of metal. "Gently, La Brava", said Gentle Criminal as he and his lover dragged the girl to shore.
"Is she OK?", asked La Brava as Gentle Criminal put two fingers on her wrist. "She has a steady pulse", he sighed in relief, "Judging by her rather racy attire, I'd say she's some sort of vigilante who take a nasty hit to the head". "No kidding", said La Brava as she looked over the gash in the girl's head, "Gentle, she needs a hospital". "Indeed", said Gentle Criminal, "I know just who to turn to for this sort of thing"…
The duo took her into their car and drove to the back-alley office of an old friend. Gentle Criminal rapped his knuckles against the steel door, only for a small metal flap to open, revealing a set of steely, blue eyes. "Password?", asked the gruff voice behind the door. "We have an injured girl here, you stupid sumbitch!", yelled La Brava. "OK", said the voice as the door swung open, revealing an aged man with with graying, brown hair and a black shirt with a cardinal patch sewn onto the pocket underneath his labcoat. "At least you're both still in one piece", said the man, "Hard to believe you're taking care of a vigilante though". "We found her awash at sea", said Gentle Criminal, "Help us help her, Dr. Winchester". "I'll do what I can", said Dr. Cardin Winchester, "Just make sure your new pal, Thomas, doesn't show up around here. He's still holding a grudge from back in our Beacon days. Now, let's take a look at our patient".
Dr. Winchester went to work, stitching the gash in the girl's head closed while checking her pulse and blood pressure. "You're lucky that you got her to me when you did", he said, "Any longer and she'd have died from blood loss alone. I'm going to introduce some of the healing serum left from Queen Bee into her system to heal any internal injuries, but there might be some complications". "Like what?", asked La Brava. "Internal bleeding will stop, but any brain damage will take longer to heal by at least a week", said Dr. Winchester, "If she sustained any memory loss during that time, them the time it takes for her to heal will be exactly how long it takes for her memories to recover." "Maybe there's something on her belt to identify her", said Gentle Criminal as he looked her over.
"I'll get her some warm clothes", said Dr. Winchester, "If I find anything on her person, you'll be the first to know. In the meantime, you can wait in the hall while La Brava and I attend to her". "Thank you", said Gentle Criminal, "I'll have the sufficient payment transferred immediately". As he turned to leave, La Brava stopped him. "Do you think we can keep her?", asked La Brava. "Perhaps, if by some misfortune we can't return her home", said Gentle Criminal. They both looked upon the sleeping girl. "She seems familiar, but where have we seen her from?", asked Gentle Criminal as he scratched his beard…
To Be Continued...