Hey folks! We're back with more of "Through the Rough" as we're winding down the remainder of the World Heroes' Mission Arc! Before we get into the chapter though, I do want to go into what's gonna happen when the Season 6 adaptation rolls around.
It's going to be a lot, I'll tell you that much. Aside from giving characters from Edens Zero more than they had in their canon stories, I'm also going to be giving a couple of background characters a bit more focus. Let's just say that by the end of this current arc, it'll be a prelude as to what's ahead.
I should also preface that once this arc ends, we'll be on hiatus again, at least for a short time. I think I'll be able to get a lot of chapters done relatively quickly, but it's all going to depend on how much I'll be able to get in for a single chapter. Well, that's it for now!
Let's dive back into the action!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"The Saintfire left?!" a shocked Marin exclaimed from the abandoned church out in the Japan forest.
"And not only that, she left without taking anyone else with her…" Loid noted, evidently distressed as well.
"What do we do?" Wakana asked, "None of us have a way to track her down…" he pointed out, "And at a time like this, we can't really afford to…" he added with a grimace.
"At least all of us will be safe from that Trigger Bomb, right?" Marin presumed, giving off a concerned glance. The others didn't say anything for a moment.
"You needn't worry about the Saintfire," another voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they blinked in surprise, "Hitohito and I saw her just a little while ago," she said.
"That voice…" Marin uttered, looking around before spotting a figure nearby. It was a petite girl who was both scrawny and short. She had dark green hair and purple eyes. Her left forearm was wrapped in bandages. She presented herself very plainly, wearing simple clothes and avoiding makeup, save for freckles she had painted on her nose. She wore a school uniform similar to Marin's.
"Maomao, you saw her?" Loid inquired.
"I did," the dark green-haired girl replied, pulling out what looked to be a small vial from her backpack lying on the floor in front of her, "Hitohito's helping transport her to Humarise's headquarters at this very moment," she told her colleagues, who all gasped in surprise.
"Wait, what's she going there for?!" Marin asked frantically, "Didn't she already meet with those guys a couple weeks back?!" she inquired on.
"And while the world's about to be thrown into chaos…" Wakana noted further, "Why?" he questioned.
"You know how our Saintfire is," Maomao said, shaking the vial in between her fingers, "Whenever she sees something that she thinks could disrupt our plans for the future, she'll take action," she pointed out. Loid narrowed his eyes.
"What's in that vial you're holding?" he asked.
"Oh, this?" the dark green-haired schoolgirl said, looking at the vial, "It's a remedy to the effects of the Trigger Bomb," she told her allies, who all widened their eyes, "Though the Saintfire said it's unlikely, there may be an instance where we need to use this to save maybe one or two particular people of interest," she explained to them.
"Wait, you mean…?"
"Yep," Maomao confirmed before Marin could finish her question, "I'm not sure how, but the new Leaper's headed for Humarise's headquarters herself," she noted, "If she ends up in trouble, our Saintfire will be there to help her," she added confidently.
"I sure hope so…" Wakana said.
"There's more," the dark green-haired girl pointed out, causing the others to blink in surprise again, "Our Saintfire mentioned another particular person of interest involved in this whole ordeal," she told her colleagues, "One whose relevance relates to that of the new Leaper," she mentioned. Loid widened his eyes.
"You mean…" he started to realize, earning a nod from Maomao.
"The Leaper's father is headed for Humarise's headquarters as well," she confirmed.
X
"Huh…" Rebecca exhaled as she and her classmates continued riding along Shoto's ice wave down the halls of Humarise's base. She aimed her Happy Blasters and fired onto the cultists attempting to stop them, joined by her boyfriend's pressurized air blasts and Homura's conjured blades.
"Looks as if the further we go, the more resistance we find…" the latter noted, forming bow out of her blades before using it to fire off a barrage of projectiles.
"I can't imagine there being too many more of them…" Rebecca admitted. As if on cue, a wall panel suddenly popped out, with red lasers shooting toward the group aboard the ice wave. Everyone gasped in surprise as the beams sliced through the ice, causing them to plummet toward the floor. They luckily managed to tuck and roll onto the floor below, quickly picking themselves up. A few more panels popped out from the walls, aimed towards them.
"We don't have time for all this!" Homura yelled, readying her bow as she prepped another arrow upon it, "Lightning Barrage!" she roared, unleashing the projectile as it split into several. Before any more lasers could be fired, the panels were promptly struck by the arrows, exploding into pieces. Just as the lasers fired, they were deflected, blasting each other to pieces. Another panel popped up, but was promptly sliced by thin beams of fire expelled from Shoto's fingers, causing it to explode.
"Just go on ahead! Fast as you can!" he called out to his colleagues, standing alongside his girlfriend as many more Humarise members were charging toward them.
"We shall handle things here!" she assured with a swing of her blade. Izuku and Rebecca nodded, as the former activated his Full Cowling, turning around and speeding ahead. His girlfriend went after him, leaving their colleagues behind. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user coated his right arm in frost, while Homura stood behind him, forming more energy swords in midair.
"We'll stop you all at once!" the former of the two declared, swinging his left arm back. A flurry of bullets rained out towards him, but they were all deflected away thanks to the swords shot out by the Soul Blade Quirk user.
"Do it!" she called out to Shoto. He ignited his left arm in flames, having them swirl about him.
"Flashfreeze… Heatwave!" he exclaimed, swinging his right arm up as a wave of ice shot out, freezing the incoming cultists in place. What followed was a blast of fire shooting out into the chilling air, causing it to suddenly expand and explode. The Humarise members were all sent flying back, falling to the floor in unconscious heaps as smoke and steam filled the halls.
"Huh…" Homura exhaled afterward, lowering the lone blade in her hand, "Okay, let's keep moving," she insisted of her boyfriend, getting his attention as puffs of steam expelled from the openings of his combat vest.
"Right," he agreed with a nod, turning around with her as they were about to run off. But just then, they heard growling from within the smoke, causing them to stop and glance back. They noticed a somewhat imposing figure lurking inside. Emerging and roaring was a hulking man with bleach white skin, black markings on his face and forearms, and a single row of brown spikes running down his spine. He had a relatively small head, with beady orange-yellow eyes and a wide set of teeth. On his fingers and toes were spiraling red appendages. There was also a set of 'tubes' with the same appearance stemming from his back and connecting to his head. He wore torn black plants with a brown belt.
Immediately, Shoto went ahead and unleashed a stream of fire onto him as he charged. But he wasn't even fazed, rearing his left fist back in an attempt to punch the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user. Thankfully, Homura slid in and blocked his attack with her blade, only to wind up getting blown back.
"Homura!" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user cried out, riding upon an ice wave to catch her before they surfed into the next room. He fired off another stream of flames at their foe, only for him to charge through them again.
'My flames have no effect?!' he exclaimed inwardly with a grimace, firing off another ice wave to seal the room off. However, it was quickly shattered through by the twisted red appendages of his foe, who entered and roared amidst all the damage he was creating. Homura narrowed her eyes.
'He's raging out of control…' she noted through her thoughts, readying her conjured blade in her right hand, 'Is he on Trigger?' she guessed to herself. Leviathan then made the red appendages at his fingers spiral like drills before extending them out at his foes. They shattered through Shoto's ice wave, forcing him to flip and create a new one to ride on, while Homura flipped back and skidded to a stop. She then formed a pair of claw-like weapons at her wrists.
"Warrior Maiden Six-Claw Attack…" she began to echo, charging toward the Humarise member, "Wild Tiger Lightning Claw!" she roared as she was ready to slash by him. However, the appendages at his head began to swirl before he extended them out to clash against her blades, making sparks fly out. "What?!" the Soul Blade Quirk user exclaimed in shock. Before she knew it, her weapons were suddenly shattered off of her wrists by the beastly villain, who charged in and grabbed her in his right arm.
"HOMURA!" Shoto screamed upon noticing. All of a sudden, the ice wave he was riding upon was broken off by his foe's drill-like appendages, causing him to start falling. He didn't even have a moment to react as Leviathan had leapt up to grab him with his left hand, slamming both him and his girlfriend through the floor as it collapsed.
Pieces of rock fell down onto a small bridge over a river, splashing down into the water. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user somehow managed to hang onto the ledge in the wake of all that had happened. However, he immediately widened his eyes upon not seeing Homura anywhere nearby.
"Shoto!" her voice called out, getting his attention as he looked down at the river below to see her floating down it with her hair undone from its ponytail, "Hold on!" she instructed, "We'll think of—!" Before she could finish her remarks, she suddenly submerged into the water, as if she was pulled in.
"HOMURA, NO!" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user screamed out. He then saw a torrent of water erupt from the river, engulfing him in its entirety before bringing him down. After he splashed in, he found himself caught up in the flow of the water, along with his girlfriend. It turned out to be Leviathan's doing, as he was swing his red appendages around to entrap his foes in the current.
'He's somehow rotating his Quirk to control the flow of the water…!' Shoto realized, trying to claw his way free. Homura was struggling to move at all. Their foe roared, prepared to drown them both.
X
"We can't let them past this point!" one Humarise member yelled, firing his rifle aimlessly at the incoming figures of Izuku and Rebecca. Together, the two of them were quick to take down the cultists blocking their path, leaving only one to stand ahead of them. She trembled in fear, dropping her rifle. However, she steeled herself, reaching into her cloak and pulling out a syringe with a green substance inside. The Cat Leaper Quirk user took notice.
"FOR HUMANITY'S SALVATION!" the cultist exclaimed loudly, about to inject herself. However, the syringe was knocked out from her grasp by a blast from Rebecca's Happy Blaster. That allowed for her to then close in and land a strong kick to the Humarise member's stomach, promptly knocking her out onto the ground.
"Okay, that's the end of those guys," Izuku confirmed. Rebecca picked up the syringe from the floor.
"This must be the same drug that's inside the Trigger Bombs…" she inquired, getting her boyfriend's attention as he inspected it closely.
"Yeah, but probably a more concentrated version for people to use…" he answered, "Let's keep moving," he advised. Rebecca tossed the syringe aside.
"Right," she said with a nod, "The console's not that much further…" she pointed out. She then looked off to the side in thought.
"What's up?" her boyfriend asked.
"Oh, uh, nothing…" she claimed in response, only to exhale a sigh, "I hope Rody and Mister Connor made it out of here okay…" she admitted aloud.
"Yeah, me too…" Izuku said, "Once we wrap things up here, we can go make sure they got back safely," he affirmed to his girlfriend, who gave him a small smile before they pressed onward. Back at the base's entrance, Katsuki was continuing to struggle against Ena and Dio. He was bleeding from the head as his right eye was shut, firing off blast after blast onto his foes. Unfortunately, the twins were easily cutting through the blasts, grinning wickedly all the while. Katsuki jumped back, crouching as his foes stood between him.
'The crap?' the Explosion Quirk user uttered inwardly as blood dripped onto the ground, 'How'd they cut through my explosion?' he wondered with a grimace. Ena sadistically licked his teeth, sneering at his opponent. Katsuki noticed, gritting his teeth and glaring at him.
"You must not realize you're facing the best!" he roared in declaration, taking a hold of one of the flashbangs upon his belt before blasting himself up into the air with an explosion from his left hand. He attempted to attack Ena, only for him to leap away. The Explosion Quirk user blasted himself after him, but he was swiftly evading each of his attacks, swinging around the mountainside. However, his foe was closing in on him.
'Point-blank range—!' Before Katsuki could even aim his hands, Dio's blades extended in from below, piercing right through his torso. The bellow sword-like blades were pulled out from him as blood spurted out from his new wounds, while the twins cackled.
"Too bad…" Dio remarked with a wicked grin, being upon the ground with his whip-like blades still at the ready.
"All that jumping around's annoying!" he yelled angrily, firing off a rapid string of blasts down onto Dio. He managed to cut through them, becoming enveloped in smoke. The Explosion Quirk user managed to get behind him, ready to unleash another powerful blast, but would've wound up with a blade through his skull if he hadn't reacted and blasted himself upward to avoid getting slashed by Ena's blades before above. He growled with anger, blasting himself after the villain above him, firing off as many blasts as he could to try and hit him. With both the rain and his foes' slithery movements hindering, he had to think of some way to catch them both by surprise. He continued firing until Dio's blades suddenly swooped in from behind and sliced through his back in curved patterns.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed in agony as blood spurted out.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the twins laughed, landing down and reforming their arms back to normal with a few blades sticking out of them. Katsuki scoffed in frustration… but then smirked.
"Stop your laughing…!" he growled out to the twin villains below, pulling the pin of his left bracer, "IT'S GETTING ON MY NERVES!" he roared as he unleashed a powerful blast onto the top part of the column they were near. Flashbangs of his that were upon it exploded, causing the entrance to start collapsing. Ena and Dio actually panicked, quickly drawing their whip-like blades to slash apart the falling debris. But it seemed to be all for naught as it piled over them completely. A huge blast erupted, veiling the entrance in smoke momentarily. "Huh… huh…" the Explosion Quirk user breathed out heavily as he was crouched on his right knee, still dripping blood from his many wounds that he had been dealt. "Idiots never saw that coming, huh?" he noted with a smirk, "I planted a few grenades while we were fighting…" he recalled as he looked at the rubble created from the combined blast.
What he had yet to realize was that the twins hadn't been defeated. In fact, they both were injecting themselves with Trigger by using syringes. In just a moment, the bellow sword-like blades shot out from the rubble. The Explosion Quirk user gasped in disbelief.
He watched as Ena and Dio leapt out. Both of their backs started to swell before four more blades each extended out from them, ripping through their robes. They had become more vicious and snake-like. Markings appeared on their faces, their hair flared up to become spiky, their mouths stretched to their ears, and their teeth grew sharp.
"AAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAA!" they cackled out.
"Huh… huh…" Katsuki breathed out raggedly as his blood dripped onto the wet ground, creating a small puddle. It was clear that he wasn't in the best condition to keep fighting. But even so, there was a fire of determination in his eye. "Hell… if you wanna get crazy, I'm right there with you!" he roared, blasting himself out at his foes.
X
'Hurry! Faster!' Izuku pleaded to himself as he and Rebecca hurried down the tunnel. Already, most of their allies had been left to deal with various cultists around the base. He could only hope that any of their efforts to help get them to the main console wouldn't be in vain. More bullets were fired toward him and his girlfriend from other Humarise members wielding assault rifles.
"Get out of our way!" the One For All inheritor yelled, hopping along the wall to evade the bullets before coming down with a fierce axe kick, resulting in a flurry of dirt and dust from the impact. Rebecca sped in and kicked the rifles out their hands with her feet, followed by pulling the triggers of her Happy Blasters to shoot them down. After a few moments, she and the freckled teen kicked down the doors leading into the foyer, entering slowly.
'This is the deepest room in the base…' she concluded inwardly while looking around with a careful eye, walking forward with Izuku, 'Which means…' she continued through her thoughts, remembering what she and the others had already uncovered from the SD card about the base's layout.
'The Trigger Bomb control system should be on the other side of those doors,' the One For All inheritor told himself, looking at the doorway underneath the flanked stairs. He and Rebecca nodded to each other, about to head towards them. All of a sudden though, a panel opened up on a nearby pillar, releasing a red laser beam at the two. They both jumped back as it struck the floor, with the Cat Leaper Quirk user quickly firing a shot from her Happy Blaster to blow it apart.
'Lasers, huh?' she noted to herself. She then spotted a figure up on the second level, standing underneath the Humarise insignia upon the wall. It was none other than Flect.
"How dare you?" he said to the pair below him, "This is not a place for ones so deceived should step foot…" he stated firmly, walking forward. Izuku looked and grimaced.
'He must be their leader!' he realized inwardly, 'Flect Turn!' he exclaimed through his thoughts as the luminescent man loomed before him and Rebecca.
"You have entered a holy stronghold that will bring about the salvation of humanity," he declared to his foes. All of a sudden, sturdy iron panels rose up, covering the bookshelves as the two Omni Force members took notice.
'Looks like he's setting things up for us to fight…' the Cat Leaper Quirk user realized, drawing her other Happy Blaster from its holster and holding it in her left hand tightly.
"You think this is what the world needs?" Izuku inquired as he took on a ready stance, watching as Flect walked down the steps, "The Quirk Doomsday Theory hasn't been scientifically proven!" he pointed out, "You're basing your crimes on nothing but a rumor!" he mentioned emphatically, "How can you accept something so uncertain and use it to justify doing such terrible things?!" he questioned on, remembering all the people that had died in the wake of the first attack. Flect finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs, stepping out in front of his two enemies.
"Pure humans are being threatened by the sickness of Quirks…" he proclaimed in response, "Of that there is no doubt," he affirmed, "As time passes, these powers will mix, evolve, and run rampant," he listed off in warning, "driving humanity to destruction…" he stated.
"You don't know that for certain!" Izuku roared out as a retort, "Whether you have a Quirk or not doesn't matter!" he noted aloud, recalling all the people he had met in his life who either did or didn't have an ability, "We're all alive!" he yelled with clenched fists, "We're all human beings!" he declared on.
"Using violence as a means to justify your cause won't make it any better!" Rebecca pointed out, "We can end this peacefully, or you'll be forced to surrender!" she vowed.
"…The gravely afflicted are beyond our help, it seems," Flect realized as he narrowed his eyes, "I suppose I shall have to force you both to atone…" he decided.
"We'll stop your Trigger Bombs if it's the last thing we do!" Izuku declared, letting the green bio-electricity crackle around him before he lunged forward at his foe, who didn't even move, "SSSMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared, landing a fierce roundhouse kick to his the Humarise leader's head with his right leg. Or so he thought. His cloak was ripped away, revealing his garments underneath. He wore a red robe, a golden belt, two glove-like prosthesis accompanied with finger tips. His pants were also grey and he wore combat boots. His clothes had small disks around them in which a bio-luminescent energy was contained.
'What?!' Rebecca exclaimed inwardly, seeing how Flect had barely flinched at all. In fact, appearing just behind him was a swirling dark energy mass. Izuku noticed, finding that his foot was just inches from making contact with his foe's face. All of a sudden, the energy mass beyond him reverted, followed by the One For All inheritor taking a powerful force onto himself. The muscles in his leg tore up and bled.
"WAAAH, AAGGGHH!" he screamed before he was sent flying back, crashing into one of the iron panels that had been erected in a flurry of dust.
"IZU!" Rebecca screamed, whipping around to glare at Flect, "What the hell did you just do?!" she inquired angrily. He merely narrowed his eyes onto her. With a hiss of rage, the Cat Leaper Quirk user dashed out toward him. She leapt up and swung her right leg straight down onto his head. The swirling black mass of energy reappeared behind him again as her leg hadn't made contact with him, being held back by the electrical sparks coming from it.
'Is he absorbing my attack?!' she wondered inwardly as she grimaced, 'No, that's not it…!' she realized. Before she knew it, she suddenly felt a kick-like force strike her down onto her stomach, sending her tumbling back. She managed bring herself to a stop, letting out a few coughs while regaining her breath.
"Izu, are you okay?!" she called out. The dust was slowly starting to settle, revealing the One For All inheritor on his left knee, still recoiling from what had just happened.
'Did he… counter my attack…?' he wondered inwardly, 'No…' he realized, 'this shock and force…' he continued through his thoughts, getting onto his feet shakily, 'It felt like I was hit with a Smash!' he concluded.
"That's right," Flect said, narrowing his eyes as the mechanisms below them glowed, "I was born with this cursed plague myself," he confirmed, having the small disks at his feet come off and position themselves around them, allowing him to float up from the floor, "A disease that can't be cured," he continued, while the spinal frame-like device upon his back protruded four sets of segmented mechanical arms with spiked mirrors on the ends, with one at his knees, one at his waist, one above his shoulder, and finally one at his head, "I automatically reflect all I come in contact with," he told his foes.
'I knew it…' Izuku uttered inwardly, taking on a ready stance, 'His Quirk makes any attack against him bounce back,' he noted to himself, 'It's the kind of power that's always activated…' he added through his thoughts, looking at the energy coursing through the mirror-like apparatuses upon the Humarise leader's person. Gritting his teeth, he reactivated his Full Cowling.
"So even though you have an ability of your own," he began to Flect, glancing from side to side before taking off and readying his right arm, "you still think they're somehow evil?!" he assumed, flicking his fingers to unleash pressurized bursts of air onto his foe. Again, he wasn't even phased as the swirling mass of energy appeared on the opposite side of his body, reflecting the air blasts back at his foe. They struck, slamming him against the barricaded bookshelves again. He actually broke through it, causing some books to fall over onto the floor.
'Long-distance attacks don't work either?!' he questioned inwardly, wincing in pain as he lied against the bookshelf. Rebecca charged in, firing off a few shots from her Happy Blasters at Flect. They were reflected back at her, but she slid to the side to evade them, getting closer.
'We shouldn't try fighting him if he can just reflect anything we throw his way!' she told herself, firing off more shots that were reflected back, only for her to dodge by leaping up into the air, assuming her Overdrive form in a flash of light, 'I'll keep him distracted long enough for Izu to get to the control system, and then—!' Before she could finish her thought, a pair of red laser beams shot from the turrets upon a pillar at the end of the room pierced through her abdomen.
"Huh?" she uttered out before crashing into another barricaded bookshelf in a flurry of dust.
"REBECCA!" the One For All inheritor screamed upon seeing what happened.
"Hmph," Flect huffed, "You would question me…?" he inquired of Izuku, getting his attention as he glared over at him, "Quirks are a tragedy…" he stated as he looked at his gloved right hand, "Because of this ailment, I was never once held by my parents, never knew a caring touch," he told his foes, recalling his past, "Then my closest friends and those I gave my heart to left me," he pointed out, "Their feelings repelled," he added, "I watched them all leave me one by one…" he finished grimly.
"I can't believe that…" Rebecca said as she shakily emerged from the bookshelf she crashed into, standing firmly on her feet while a few books fell down beside her. Thankfully, her wound had healed, though she breathed heavily. "Quirks don't fully manifest until you're around a certain age, right?!" she inquired to her opponent, getting his attention, "Shouldn't you have had at least a normal life before all that?!" she questioned on. Hearing that, the Humarise leader lowered his gaze momentarily.
"Perhaps… for a time…" he admitted in a hushed tone.
FLASHBACK
"Huh?" a young Hansha uttered as he blinked a couple times. Everything around him was starting to blur. "I… can't see anything…" he noted aloud.
When my Quirk first manifested, I reflected everything, including light itself. That meant I was unable to see anything. It was like I was blind.
"From what we can tell, it's an emitter-type," a doctor told the boy's parents, "The ability to reflect anything he comes in contact with…" he said, "Are there things in particular that aren't reflected?" he inquired curiously.
"His clothes seem to be fine for the most part," the mother responded, "We've had him wear gloves and such when eating trying to grab anything," she mentioned, "We're still not sure what to do about his eyes," she pointed out, "I understand that there could be a potential prosthesis he could have… with surgery of course," she recalled.
"Yes, but that's very experimental," the doctor pointed out, "I'm not saying you shouldn't, but if something were to go wrong—"
"I want my son to be able to see the rest of the world with his own eyes!" the mother exclaimed emphatically, interjecting the doctor, "I won't settle for anything less than that," she affirmed on.
My mother was a kindhearted soul. She wanted me to live as normally as possible, even if I had this power brought onto me. As for my father… he was far less understanding.
"This doesn't add up," he said suddenly one day, getting his wife's attention in the kitchen, "I've looked into both our family trees, and none of their Quirks even remotely resemble anything like Hansha's," he pointed out.
"Wh-What are you saying?" the mother stuttered in question, only for her husband to glare angrily at her.
"Did you sleep with another man?" he inquired, causing her to gasp.
"Mother? Father?" their son's voice uttered out, getting their attentions as they looked to see him walk over, having to use a cane to guide himself.
As it turned out, I was the child of another man. My father left my mother, and overcome with guilt for her actions, she left me. I didn't understand why… I was still so young… Why would they abandon me? I thought… that my power was cursed…
One day, Hansha opened his eyes and could see everything around him. He lied in a hospital bed, looking at his luminescent hands. He never thought he'd be able to have his sense of sight back.
"Good morning," a voice greeted, getting his attention as he looked over to see a middle-aged, brunette-haired man wearing a lab coat and glasses seated beside him, "Can you see me?" he inquired curiously with a smile.
"You're… Doctor Langston…" Hansha uttered out.
"Yep," the doctor responded as he stood up, "Specialty Neurosurgeon, Doctor Trevor Langston," he introduced, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat, "So, you can see me?" he assumed.
"Y-Yes!" the luminescent boy responded as he smiled, "I can see everything!" he exclaimed, looking around the room. However, he stopped once he saw his reflection in the mirror. He could finally see his luminescent self. "Is that… me?" he inquired, pointing at the mirror.
"Yeah," Trevor replied as he approached his patient's bed, "The surgery was a success," he declared, "Your eyes won't be reflecting light with those special prostheses I've inserted," he affirmed to Hansha.
"…Thank you very much, Doctor…" he said with gratitude after a moment.
I was certain at that time, there was an instant where I wanted to rip my own eyes out. The sight of myself for the first time since my ability manifested, and I couldn't help but wonder if it really was a curse that drove me away from my parents. I was still thankful to Doctor Langston. He returned my sight at least. However…
"You know how amazing your Quirk is?" Trevor inquired one day.
"Huh?" Hansha uttered.
"You could become a great hero someday!" the doctor excitedly pointed out, "With a Quirk like yours, no villain would ever think to touch you!" he added.
"But… I don't want to be a hero…" the luminescent boy said to his surprise, "I only want to live a normal life in spite of this Quirk…" he confessed. Trevor looked almost… disappointed.
"Well, I hope you still think about it," he advised.
Whenever I did see the doctor to discuss my Quirk, he would always bring up heroes. It wasn't as if I hated heroes, I just didn't aspire to be one. I didn't think my power would be all that useful for a hero to even have.
Years passed. Hansha went through school, earning top marks and even entering a prestigious university. By the end of his last term, he had come to a point where he could be social with others. Physical contact was still out of the question, but that didn't matter. He didn't really have many friends. He just wanted to focus on his studying while also looking to further his career. And while in the library one day, he discovered a certain book that drew his curiosity.
"Quirk Doomsday Theory…" he read, opening the book up. Almost immediately, he was hooked. The hypothesis presented to him made his mind race with questions. There was potential that his power, like many others, would spell doom if they kept mixing and evolving. He wondered if he was already at that state, taking off his glove to look at his luminescent hand.
"Hey, Han!" a voice greeted as a hand was about to come down onto his shoulder from behind. Reflexively, the luminescent man sidestepped, avoiding the extremity in the nick of time as it came from a blonde, short-haired man.
"Huh…" Hansha exhaled in relief, "Don't do that, Yu!" he insisted firmly in a hushed tone, "You remember the first time you made contact with me, remember?" he questioned, causing his friend to laugh as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"Aw, come on, Han!" he said, "I'm just feelin' great that we're about to finally graduate, you know?" he pointed out, "I'm sure you do, too," he mentioned, causing the luminescent man to perk up.
"I… suppose I am…" he admitted, putting his glove back before picking up the book he had.
"So whatcha' readin'?" his friend asked curiously, peering over his shoulder, "Quirk Doomsday Theory?" he read, "Wasn't that written by some weirdo wackjob?" he inquired on.
"It doesn't say who the author really is, but it's an interesting read," Hansha pointed out in reply, opening it to the page he was on, "The idea that powers mix, evolve, and grow out of one's control is a plausible theory," he noted, brushing his fingers over the page as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hm… I don't buy it…" his friend admitted with a shrug of his shoulders, "I mean, where's there an example?" he questioned.
"Me," the luminescent man responded to his surprise as he looked out at him worriedly.
"Uh, hey…" he said, getting Hansha's attention, "There's gonna be a bit of a get-together after graduation at the bar," he told him, "You should come and hang out with us," he insisted. His luminescent friend blinked in surprise at the offer.
"I'll… think about it…" he promised as he turned his head away to focus on reading.
"Great!" the blonde-haired man responded with two thumbs up, "See you later, Han!" he called out, jogging off.
"Hm," Hansha huffed.
Yuta was a good friend. He didn't care that I looked different or was hindered by my ability. He was first real friend. But my disease killed him as well…
The night after graduation, a lot of the graduates had gone off to the local bar in celebration. Hansha did show up, though he refused to drink as he instead wanted to focus on reading the Quirk Doomsday Theory, sitting in the corner. He tuned out everything around him, becoming more and more invested in the details behind the hypothesis. It essentially spoke to him about his own life and how he suffered. But even so, he knew it was still just an unproven theory. Depending upon the masses, it was likely that it would still remain scientifically rejected.
"Hey… let go…!" a familiar voice grunted out, getting his attention as he saw Yuta get shoved down onto the floor by the bar counter by a burly man.
"I saw you makin' eyes at my girl, you damn pretty boy…" he muttered out to the blonde-haired man.
"Well, I'm a little tipsy…" he pointed out in response, "I might've not checked her out otherwise…" he joked with a chuckle.
"You think you're funny, you bastard?!" the burly man roared, striking him atop the head with his fists knocking him down to the floor in a grunt.
"Yu!" Hansha cried out, shooting up onto his feet.
"Huh?" the burly man uttered, taking notice of the luminescent man, "You his friend or somethin'?" he guessed, tossing a chair aside as he started to stomp over. Hansha grimaced, taking hold of his book.
"Han… no…" Yuta uttered upon seeing what was happening, rising up to his feet.
"You're both finished!" the burly man declared, charging towards the luminescent man.
"No, stay back!" he pleaded, shutting his eyes and bracing himself.
I reflected all that I came into contact with. Gloves helped for a time, but my curse made it so that no one could actually touch me. In that moment, I thought that this brute would merely get flung back, and that would be the end of it… I didn't anticipate Yuta to be so selfless…
When Hansha peeked his eyes open, he gasped to see Yuta come out in front of him. The burly man slammed against him, sending him flying toward the luminescent man. And he had no way to stop him.
The second Yuta came into contact with Hansha, he was reflected instantaneously towards the bar counter. There was a loud squelch. The luminescent man's eyes shook in shock as he saw the blood pouring out from his friend's head onto the floor.
"Y…Yu…?" he stammered out. A woman screamed in horror.
"He…He's dead!" one man stuttered in disbelief.
"What was that…?" another asked, "Is it a Quirk?" he wondered aloud. All of the panic focused on Hansha, who trembled in fear at the sight of his deceased friend.
'My Quirk… my power… it… it just…' he tried to tell himself. He was tuning out everything around him, even the people who were trying to help calm him down. Everyone in the bar could see that the accident wasn't his fault. But the fact that it happened at all is what really stuck with him.
He ran. He left the bar, having tears fly out from his eyes as he hurried around the corner into an alleyway. He tripped over a trash bag, falling onto the ground in a yelp as he dropped his book. As he pushed himself up, he looked to see his reflection in the puddle. And he snarled.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed out, filled with rage and repentance.
Since that day, I wanted nothing more than to be rid of this cursed plague, even by death if that were an option. Suppressing it wouldn't be enough. I had to make sure it was gone.
"You want me to remove your Quirk?" Trevor inquired of Hansha one day during a check-up.
"If possible, yes…" the luminescent man responded, looking as if he hadn't slept for days, "You heard what happened recently, didn't you?" he questioned back.
"Hansha, that was only an accident…" the doctor pointed out, holding his hands up in a placating manner.
"An accident that this curse caused!" Hansha yelled out, "This Quirk has brought me nothing but suffering!" he exclaimed as tears built up in his eyes, "My family… my friends…" he listed off, "They've all been repelled because of this blight…" he said, whimpering as he lowered his head. Trevor frowned disappointedly.
"This wouldn't be happening if you chose the hero path like I told you to," he noted as he stood up, causing his patient to widen his eyes, "I'd like you to leave now," he requested to the luminescent man's surprise, "You're of no use to anyone…" he proclaimed coldly. Hansha never felt more secluded in that moment. Trevor was his last hope for salvation… but that tie was severed. And then, he remembered his book. He balled his hands into fists.
"You're wrong, Doctor," he said, standing up from his seat and approaching the man who once helped him, "I can be of use to people," he proclaimed.
"Hansha, I—" Trevor turned around to find himself punched squarely in the stomach before he could finish his sentence, causing him to slam into the wall from the blow's force. "Agh…" he groaned out, clutching his abdomen while wincing in pain.
"Hm," the luminescent man huffed, "It seems as if any attack I deal is twice as effective thanks to this curse," he noted, looking at his fist, "And yet, I still despise it…" he snarled, approaching the doctor.
"Hansha… stop it…" Trevor pleaded weakly, "I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to force you on this path…" he apologized, "I just think it's the right one for you…" he pointed out.
"…Perhaps I can be a hero…" Hansha admitted, "but only to those who are powerless…" he corrected firmly, "I'll see to it that what is foretold shall not come to pass…" he declared, picking the doctor up by his coat, "I shall rid humanity of these cursed powers!" he vowed. Trevor reached over to grab a scalpel on the table, making a last-ditch effort to stop the luminescent man by slicing his face. But the action reflected, breaking his glasses as blood spilled onto the ground. Hansha dropped him, staring with disdain. "And so the last of my ties has been severed…" he concluded, taking a deep breath as a few tears fell from his eyes.
END FLASHBACK
Flect opened his eyes, narrowing them onto his two foes. They were what Trevor wanted him to be. But he could never see himself in that light. And it angered him that these heroes, people who were sworn to protect others, were trying to make him question his choices.
"Since I reflect everything, I couldn't even choose death for myself," he pointed out to them, "A Quirk that cannot be controlled like mine leads to a life of suffering!" he declared, closing his right hand into a fist before making the prostheses underneath his eyes shine again, "But I can save others from this misery!" he declared as the air started swirling around him, "These meta powers will trample no more hearts!" he proclaimed on, launching himself forward by using the power induced in his mirrors.
'He's fast!' Rebecca inwardly exclaimed, crossing her blasters defensively. He struck them with his right fist, causing the air to swell. Instantaneously, the Cat Leaper Quirk user found herself blown back, crashing into the wall right above the doorway as she dropped her weapons.
"REBECCA, NO!" Izuku screamed out, seeing her fall onto the floor upon her stomach.
"I shall rid others of cursed meta powers," Flect declared, getting his attention, "No one shall suffer from this infectious blight…" he vowed with outstretched arms. Gritting his teeth angrily, the freckled teen lunged out at him.
'I won't use One For All… until the moment of impact!' he decided inwardly, readying his left fist. He thrusted it forward, only to see the dark mass of reflective energy appear behind the Humarise leader again, as his attack failed to make contact. And then, the energy reflected back. 'Even then… it's not working!' he realized before ending up taking a powerful punch to his stomach, sending him flying before he tumbled back along the floor, crashing into the barricade.
"Izu…" Rebecca weakly uttered, bringing herself up onto her feet slowly. She could see the dust settle as the One For All inheritor fell onto his stomach, grimacing in pain.
'The clock is ticking…' he noted to himself while wincing. He knew that if his battle with Flect continued, he wouldn't be able to disarm the Trigger Bombs. 'I'll try to avoid him completely,' he told himself, reactivating his Full Cowling, 'Right!' he yelled inwardly as he shot up onto his feet and ran, 'Rely on speed and get to the controls!' he shouted through his thoughts, hurrying along the side of the room toward the doors.
'We'll worry about fighting him after we've disarmed the bombs!' Rebecca decided as she ran in the same direction from the opposite side.
"I reject the corruption within my veins…" Flect said, having his prostheses glow again. All of a sudden, a couple of the panels upon the columns in the room opened, with laser beams shooting out toward Izuku and Rebecca. They narrowly managed to evade them as they streaked along the floor in pursuit. "I will eradicate this global contamination before it's too late!" the Humarise leader declared as more laser beams were fired from the protruding turrets, "By doing so, I will save the worthy!" he proclaimed, having his mirrors fly off up into the air from his skeletal support item, "The pure humans will rise to power once again!" he bellowed. All the lasers were fired. Though this time, the mirrors reflected them in different directions. Dodging them all was proving to be too difficult for the One For All inheritor and the Cat Leaper Quirk user. And eventually…
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH…!" Izuku screamed as the beams pierced through his right shoulder and left leg.
"IZU!" Rebecca shrieked, followed by taking beams to her stomach and right arm, making her gasp as blood flew out from her mouth. As the lasers subsided, both of them fell to the floor in heaps. Blood spilled from their bodies as they lied upon the broken floor.
"You wretched souls…" Flect remarked disdainfully, letting the mirrors fly back into position on his support item. The Cat Leaper Quirk user gritted her teeth, desperately trying to push herself back up onto her feet as her wounds slowly healed. She watched as the Humarise leader raised his left hand, causing several holographic screens of various locations around the world to appear, showing live footage of what was taking place. "In mere minutes, the baptism will begin," he declared as a timer with five-and-a-half minutes was counting down, "The blood of heroes will cleanse this broken world," he stated as he grinned, "And their deaths will bring about the glorious new reality," he added firmly.
"No… it won't…" Rebecca muttered out in a weakened voice, getting his attention as he saw her shakily stand up, reclaiming her blasters in her hands as she breathed heavily. Her wounds had healed. Flect narrowed his eyes onto her.
"So you must the Leaper she spoke of…" he concluded, causing Rebecca to blink in surprise, "How unfortunate that you've chosen this path…" he remarked on.
"We won't let you…" Izuku said, causing him to glance over and see the One For All inheritor getting onto his feet as he stumbled a little, "Talk all you want…" he growled out, taking a ready stance as he clenched his fists and had green electricity spark all around him, "We will stop the Trigger Bombs!" he declared fiercely.
"No…" Flect retorted, making his prosthesis at his eyes shine again, "You will be sacrificed like your friends…" he declared as his mirrors floated out once more. Rebecca grimaced.
"Izu, watch out!" she yelled. Unfortunately, it was no use. More lasers were fired and reflected, striking both her and the freckled teen.
'Uraraka… Asui… Kleene…' he listed off inwardly, seeing his friends in France battling on while trying to get their bomb away.
"AAAAAHHH!" he screamed again as the lasers pierced through him.
'Kaminari… Sero… Mineta…' he continued through his thoughts as he witnessed the Egypt team fighting as well.
"AAAAAAGGGGHHH!" he exclaimed, with more lasers cutting through him.
'Kirishima… Shoji… Jiro… Shinso… Husert…' he kept going, watching the Japan team locate the bombs while also fending off any villains. More lasers pierced his skin. At this point, any resilience seemed futile. He fell to the floor, all bloodied over.
"Izu!" Rebecca cried out. At that moment, five laser beams struck her in various locations of her body. She fell onto her back, wincing in pain as blood poured from her wounds. The light of her wing-like markings was starting to fade. Meanwhile, the weakened One For All inheritor looked back up at the screens.
'Yaoyorozu… Jinn… Shiki… Tokoyami…' he listed off through his thoughts again, seeing the teams in Singapore and the United States battling on.
"Ergh…" he grunted, trying to bring himself up onto his feet, even as blood poured from his various wounds.
"Izu…" Rebecca winced out, struggling to even sit up.
'The heroes are fighting so desperately…' Izuku noted to himself, while outside, Katsuki was continuing to endure brutal slashes from Ena and Dio, with blood flying everywhere, 'to stop these weapons from going off…' he continued, while Shoto and Homura were still submerged in the water under Leviathan's control, unable to free themselves even as the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user tried to freeze it over, only for his foe to entrap him and his girlfriend again as they couldn't catch a breath, 'to protect everyone's smiles…' he kept going, 'Think…!' he pleaded to himself, 'How can we beat this guy…?!' he wondered, staring up at the screens.
His vision was starting to get hazy. Rebecca rose to her feet as her wounds healed, coughing for a moment before taking a tight grip on her blasters. She looked to see how battered her boyfriend was. Blood dripped out of his wounds with every step he took. He looked as if he had almost no strength left. And then, he fell forward.
"Izu!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user screamed, about to lunge out to catch him… until someone else did. An arm had come around the One For All inheritor's torso, stopping him from falling onto the floor. He looked up to see who was there… and widened his eyes.
"…Rody…?" he uttered out in shock.
END
And that wraps up that chapter! I'm really happy to have gotten this much done at this point, and I'll be even happier to get through the next few chapters. With how things are going in both series as of the time I've finished this, I'm really looking forward to how this arc wraps up, and what'll unfold in the next few chapters.
Until then, thanks for reading!
