Ch. 5: Asia's Day

Morning had arrived since the night Izuku brought Asia back to the ORC building, and taking advantage of the fact that it was a Sunday, Izuku decided to show Asia around the city, while he tried to ponder how he could help Asia get out of the Fallen Angels' clutches. Even so, he couldn't help but be amazed at Asia's childlike sense of wonder as she took in the sights around her. Perhaps due to her position in the church, she never really got to explore outside her hometown that much, if at all.

Their first stop was a McDonald's, where both Izuku and Asia each got a Big Mac and a drink. While Izuku was unwrapping his burger, he noticed that Asia was looking at hers weirdly.

"Is something wrong, Argento?" He asked.

"I'm confused. Where are the forks and knives?" Asia asked.

"Oh, we don't really need utensils to eat a hamburger," Izuku explained.

"Really? Are you sure?!" Asia asked, almost as if it was some world-changing news.

"Yeah, trust me. This is how you're supposed to eat a hamburger," Izuku then took his hamburger into his hands and bit into it, taking a chunk into his mouth before chewing thoroughly to savor the taste.

"Well, if that's the way you're supposed to do it, here goes!" Asia unwrapped her own Big Mac and after taking one more glance at Izuku, took a small bite. "Oh my! It's so yummy!"

"Good. I knew you would enjoy it," Izuku said. "Hey, after this, why don't we go somewhere fun?!"

Asia liked the idea of spending more time with Izuku and her face lit up. "Yeah, sure!"

The duo's next stop was an arcade. From all the fancy lights to the fun-looking games such as racing games, 1v1 fighting consoles, dance-off platforms, shooting stations, etc.; it was an endless source of amazement for Asia.

The first game Asia tried was a racing game. Despite her lack of legs, Asia simply solved the problem by letting most of her tail hang outside the seat while using the tip like a foot to press the pedals. She did fairly well for most of the race, only to crash during the last lap.

They then tried other games such as a 1v1 Hero game, where Asia managed to beat Izuku, a photo booth where Izuku and Asia took a picture together, and many more. At a claw machine, Asia was entranced by the cute plushies inside, particularly the mouse plushie, and Izuku managed to win it for her.

"Thanks for winning this little guy for me! From now on, every time I look at it, how much of a blessing it's been to get to know you!" Asia said, hugging the mouse tightly.

Izuku turned red at this, though he tried to hide it. "C-Come on, t-there's plenty of stuff left to see."

After leaving the arcade, Izuku stopped by a nearby vending machine to get drinks for both Asia and himself as he contemplated where their next destination should be.

"You know what? I can't remember the last time I had this much fun!" Asia said as she received a drink from Izuku.

"Yeah? Good, I'm glad. I had a pretty good time, too," Izuku said as he opened his can and took a sip.

Soon, Izuku and Asia continued their tour of the city, with this particular route taking them near the Takoba Municipal Beach Park.

As they walked, Izuku decided to share some of his own life story with Asia, starting from how he always wanted to be a Hero ever since he was a kid, only to be met with harsh reality when he was diagnosed as Quirkless. But despite nearly everyone's attempts to tell him to give up on his dream, he stubbornly refused to give up. Then he was nearly killed by a Stray Devil, only to be saved by Rias, who turned him into a Devil to do so, his encounter with the Fallen Angel Raynare, with the mention of Raynare making Asia uncomfortable, though he didn't notice. Then he finished by telling how Rias believed he could be a Hero and has since been training him for the U.A. Entrance Exam.

Hearing Izuku's life story brought Asia to tears, both for how hard his life had been and admiration for his determination. "No matter how hard life tried to put you down, you never gave up, and you're still working toward your dream. I believe… no! I know you'll be an amazing Hero! In fact, I already consider you to be a Hero. You saved me when Father Freed tried to do awful things to me."

Hearing this, Izuku started to tear up as well. "Thank you, Argento."

Soon, their travels took them near the beach, where they could see that it was littered with tons of garbage, enough to form mini-mountains.

"Why is there so much trash here?" Asia asked, taking note of the mountains of garbage that ruined the image of a possibly beautiful beach.

"I've heard that because of the ocean currents, things dumped into the water wash up here. People use that so they can illegally dump their trash," Izuku replied.

"That sounds awful. How could they ruin a possibly beautiful landscape like that?" Asia said.

"I guess if they think they can get away with it, then they'll do it. Too bad there's no one around who's willing to clean it," Izuku said.

But then, the two heard some grunting and looked towards another part of the trash heap to see a boy and a girl, both of whom appeared to be around their age, moving some old appliances.

The boy had neck-length black hair with shorter bangs between his eyes, which were red and slanted inward. He also had sharp teeth and a pretty muscular physique. He wore a dark red shirt and beige shorts.

The girl had a pretty athletic figure with an ample bust, pink skin, and matching hair which was short and unruly, and her eyes were somewhat square-shaped with black sclerae and yellow irises. She wore a purple tank top with light blue short shorts.

"How are ya keeping up on your end, Ashido?" the boy asked.

"Keeping up just fine. Thanks for asking, Kirishima," the girl, Ashido said. However, the next moment, she tripped and fell on the sand. The impact of the fall caused some vibrations that disturbed a nearby stack of debris, causing it to lean toward Ashido.

The pink-skinned girl noticed this and braced for it, but the mini-landslide of debris never happened as something had stopped it, which happened to be Asia's hair vines.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asked as he went over to lend a hand, with Asia slithering behind him.

"Yeah, thanks," Ashido replied as she took Izuku's hand.

Then, Asia retracted her vines, allowing the garbage to fall harmlessly.

"That was close, thanks for coming to her rescue, you guys," Kirishima said as he joined the three.

"It was no trouble," Asia reassured him.

"By the way… what exactly are you two doing here?" Izuku asked.

"Cleaning up the beach," Ashido replied.

"This beach?" Izuku pointed at the giant piles of trash that littered the beach. "That sounds like a lot of work."

"And that's why it's perfect for a workout. Though we actually started doing it because someone else recommended it, saying that we can be like the pre-Quirk era Heroes, who gave back to the community by doing stuff like this," Kirishima replied. "Something to make us feel proud about when we're applying to U.A., I guess."

"You're applying to U.A. too?" Izuku asked.

"Yep. But let's just hope something like that doesn't happen again," Ashido joked, which Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at. "By the way, the name's Mina Ashido."

"Eijiro Kirishima," Kirishima introduced himself. "What about you?"

"My name is Asia Argento," Asia introduced herself.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya," Izuku introduced himself. "Hold on, don't I… Wait, you're from the Sludge Villain incident from a few months back, right?! Where All Might stepped in to save the day?!"

"Yeah, that's us. Took a while for the heat to die down and we could feel like just normal teens again," Ashido replied.

"So, what was All Might like up close? Did just being in his presence make it feel like you were in good hands? Did you get his autograph? Ah, I wish I could get an autograph, though maybe without the villain attack, but still… that would be amazing- mumblemumblemumble." Izuku burst out into another mumbling moment.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down man, chill!" Kirishima interrupted.

"Ah! Sorry! It's just that I look up to All Might a lot, and well…" Izuku said sheepishly.

"Does he do this often?" Mina asked Asia.

"Well, it's actually my first time seeing him like this…" Asia admitted.

"Ah, don't worry, bro! And to answer your question, All Might was amazing as you'd think," Kirishima said.

"Thanks," Izuku said before looking at the trash-covered beach, wondering why he or Rias didn't think of it. "So, for how long have you been trying to clean up the beach?"

"Since May, so it's around five months now," Ashido answered.

"Do you really think you can finish this by the Entrance Exams?" Izuku asked.

"Maybe, maybe not? But it's not like we're in a time crunch here," Kirishima said.

"Oh," Izuku muttered. "Well, maybe we'll stop by and help sometimes?"

"Really, then I guess we'll hold you to it," Ashido said.

Izuku smiled at them. They were just as serious about getting into U.A. as him.

"What about you, Argento? Are you applying to U.A. as well?" Kirishima asked.

"Oh, you see, the thing is… I only recently arrived in Japan, so I, well…" Asia said, looking depressed.

"Is something the matter?" Ashido asked.

Seeing this, Izuku decided that maybe they could give them a little background about Asia, leaving out the supernatural stuff, of course.

"You see, the thing about Argento…" Izuku began.

"Oh hey! I thought I recognized that curly hair!" A voice that Izuku recognized shouted. It was Itsuka Kendo, who came jogging in his direction.

"Kendo! It's you!" Izuku said.

"You know Kendo?" Kirishima asked.

"Wait, you know her too?!"

"She goes to Mustafa Private Middle School like me and Kirishima," Ashido replied.

"And I know you too. Mina Ashido, right?" Kendo said. "I've heard how you stopped some bullies from ganging on another student by breakdancing and somehow, they ended up as friends."

"Yep. That was me!" Ashido confirmed.

"Oh, but I haven't seen you before," Kendo said, looking at Asia.

Asia proceeded to introduce herself to Kendo, and Kendo did the same to Asia.

Then, she got to know how Kirishima and Ashido were doing some cleaning at the beach.

"Wow, cleaning all this up is gonna be hardcore," she commented.

"That's what I said," Izuku added.

Then, Asia's stomach made a small growl, to her embarrassment. "Oh dear, I guess I'm already hungry again after all the fun I've been having."

"Then why don't we all go grab a bite to eat? I know a good place where we can go!" Kirishima said.

Soon, the five teens were at a typical Japanese restaurant. Asia wasn't sure what to order because she was still unfamiliar with all the Japanese food, so Izuku recommended her katsudon, his favorite.

Asia found the katsudon to be delicious, to Izuku's relief.

After leaving the restaurant, the teens made their way to a park to hang out.

"Today's been really enjoyable for me. Thank you, everyone," Asia said.

"It's no big deal. You make it sound like you've never been allowed to have fun in your life before!" Ashido said.

"The truth is… You're right. I never got to do stuff like this before…" Asia admitted.

"Oh…" Ashido said, realizing that she may have been a bit insensitive.

"Let me explain…" Izuku said. He told the others about Asia's previous role as a Holy Maiden and her banishment, though he left out anything supernatural and claimed that the person Asia healed that resulted in her excommunication was someone blacklisted by the church.

"Wow, that's messed up," Kirishima said.

"So she's been healing people for them and they just kick her out just because she healed someone she wasn't supposed to?! Those ingrates!" Ashido shouted.

"So now you're here in Japan to start over?" Kendo asked.

"Yes, I…" Asia replied, but before she could elaborate further, a black feather rained from the sky.

"Whoa, is that a crow feather?" Ashido questioned.

"Weird, I don't really see any crows in the sky," Kirishima said.

Izuku and Asia could immediately tell it was not a crow feather and became worried.

Kendo picked up the feather and inspected it. 'This feather… Don't tell me…'

However, before Kendo could think further about it, a large blast of light erupted behind her and exploded. The shock wave sent her crashing into a tree, knocking her out cold.

"KENDO!" Izuku shouted.

Then, more black feathers fell to the ground, with no birds in sight, it was clear they were from something else.

"Okay, what is going on?!" Ashido asked.

"I finally found you, little girl. Sure had me looking everywhere."

The teens looked up to see a middle-aged-looking man in a pale gray trench coat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, a pair of black gloves, and a black fedora, descending from the sky. On his back, there were a pair of black feathered wings, the marking signs of a Fallen Angel.

"Sir Dohnaseek…" Asia whispered.

"I hope you enjoyed a nice day of freedom, Asia. 'Cause it's time for you to come back," Dohnaseek said. "Don't even try to run."

"…Begone," Asia frowned. "I want no part in the evil you and the other Angels are up to. You're killing people, all because they made pacts with Devils. I know for a fact that God would not allow that to happen! I can't trust you!"

"I don't think you understand. That wasn't a request, that was an order!"

"She already said she doesn't want to be with you!" Izuku growled, standing in front of Asia protectively.

"So you must be the Gremory newbie I've heard about," Dohnaseek said. "I have no business with you. Just hand over Asia and we can pretend that nothing happened between us, simple as that!"

"Okay, I don't know who you think you are, but if Argento says you're suspicious, then you must be some sort of Villain!" Kirishima said, willing to defend Asia if needed.

"Besides, you sir, are giving off some major Creep Alert!" Ashido said. "Just one look at you and it says 'I'm a bad guy!'"

"You human children should learn to mind your own business," Dohnaseek hissed as he formed a blue spear of light in his hands. "She belongs to us, and I will take her back, by force if necessary."

"Not gonna happen!" Izuku summoned his Sacred Gear, to the shock of Kirishima, Ashido, and especially Dohnaseek.

"Whoa! Midoriya, what is that?!" Kirishima asked.

"I'll explain later."

"Right!" Then Kirishima's body took on a rock-like texture as he balled his hands into fists. Ashido followed suit by secreting some white liquid from her palms, ready to throw it at a moment's notice.

Dohnaseek tsked, annoyed. While he believed he could take on some newly-reborn Devil and a couple of human teenagers with Quirks, they were still going to give him some unnecessary workload.

Holding up his left arm, Izuku said, "Don't worry, Argento! I won't let-"

*SHINK!*

Izuku gagged, a yellow spear of light piercing through his torso, and collapsed on his knees.

"Izuku!/Midoriya!" Asia, Kirishima, and Ashido all gasped.

"How weak. That was so easy, it's almost disappointing," Looking up, the group saw a tall and buxom woman with long, navy blue hair and brown eyes. Her outfit consisted of a violet, trench coat-like top with a wide collar, a matching miniskirt, and black-heeled shoes. The trench coat top was open at her breasts, giving all a good view of her cleavage. Around her neck was a golden necklace. Just like Dohnaseek, she too had a pair of black wings, identifying her as a Fallen Angel. "Then again, what did I expect from a mere Low-Class Devil?"

"Ah, perfect timing, Kalawarner," Dohnaseek said.

"Hang on, Izuku!" Asia began to heal Izuku's wound, and both Fallen Angels observed with interest.

"So that's Twilight Healing…" Kalawarner said, seeing the injury she dealt to Izuku be healed like it was never there.

"Yeah, I can see why Lady Raynare wants that power so badly. The power to heal any being, even Devils, is a rare gift indeed…" Dohnaseek noted. "Alright, listen up, Asia. You can either be a good girl and come with us willingly, or we'll forcibly drag you back with us after murdering your new friends."

"Hey! Don't we get a say in this!?" Mina yelled. A yellow light spear stabbing the ground next to her was her answer.

"Be quiet." Kalawarner threatened.

"You heard the lady," Dohnaseek said. "Well?"

Once Asia finished healing Izuku, she got up. "…All right. I'll go with you."

"Huh?!"

"Izuku…" Asia smiled. "I had fun today. Thank you… for being my friend."

"Wait, Argento!" Izuku called out as Asia slithered toward Dohnaseek and Kalawarner.

"Good girl," Kalawarner said with a sneer. "No need to fret. After the big ritual tonight, all your worries and troubles tonight will be gone forever."

'Ritual…? What're they planning…?' "Argento, wait!"

Two silver magic circles appeared underneath the Fallen Angels as they both vanished inside. "Goodbye, friends. I'll miss you." Asia smiled sadly as she vanished into the portal.

"STOP, ASIA!" Izuku yelled as he ran toward the vanishing portal. But it was too late. The portals vanished before he could reach them, leaving behind the mouse plushie that Izuku had won for Asia earlier. Izuku began to cry as he punched the ground. "No… why couldn't I save her? How can I be a Hero… if I can't protect my friends?! Dammit!"

"Midoriya, what the heck was all that about?!" Kirishima asked.

"Who were those people, and what did they want with Argento?" Ashido asked.

Then, Kendo began getting up. "Ugh. What happened?" She then noticed Asia was not among them. "Where's Argento?" She was then filled in about what happened. "I see, I thought I recognized a Fallen Angel feather."

"You know about Fallen Angels?!" Izuku asked, silently wondering if she knew about Devils as well.

"Questions for later. Right now, we have to focus on how we're going to help Argento," Kendo reminded. "They might still be in the city. We need to stay calm and think."

Izuku nodded and had a thought. "We'll need help."

As fast as his legs could carry him, Izuku ran back to the ORC room. The Fallen Angels were planning something with Asia; he could only guess that it was anything but good, and the clock was ticking. He needed help. The police and Heroes probably won't believe him, which only meant…

"Let me try one more time: if I say 'don't,' you don't! I've already told you that we can't help Asia any more than we have already."

He already had a feeling that she was going to say something like that, but hey, it was worth a shot. However, there's no one else he can ask for help. He needed to do something if he was going to save Asia, and he needed to do it now. Sadly, getting help seemed to be proving more difficult than he anticipated.

"Rias, please. The Fallen Angels also mentioned something about a ritual," Izuku pressed on. "What could they have meant by that?"

"Ritual? Hmm… It may be a ritual to take Asia's Twilight Healing. If that were to happen, then Asia won't survive," Rias said. Izuku's eyes widened, realizing that Asia's life was at stake for sure. "Still, I can't permit you to go after them. If you're killed by a Fallen Angel or even a priest for that matter, it means the end of your existence. There is no way you can come back from that. Game over."

"But… can we just leave her like that?"

Then, Akeno went up to Rias and whispered something in her ear. From the way her eyes slowly rose, it appeared to be urgent. She reached around her chair to grab her jacket. "Something has come up. Akeno and I have to step out for a moment."

"But we haven't finished!" Izuku said. Rias quickly silenced him by pressing her finger on his lips.

"Do you remember when I told you my Evil Pieces have the same attributes as their chess characters?" Rias asked.

"Yeah, does the Pawn have some special powers?"

"In this chess game, quite a bit," Rias answered, slipping on her jacket. "You have an ability all other pieces do not: Promotion."

"What does that mean?" Izuku asked, unfamiliar with the chess term.

"If a Pawn advances deep enough into the enemy's territory, it can be promoted to any other piece besides the King," Rias explained.

"So does that mean eventually I can have all the same powers as everyone else?" Izuku asked.

"Yes, but only if the master declares the place enemy territory. Say, for example, the Fallen One's church," Rias said, with Izuku noticing that she gave a rather specific example for enemy territory. "Another thing I should inform you about the Queen, since it combines the abilities of all three Rook, Knight, and Bishop, it can be severely taxing on those who haven't built up their stamina enough, making it a double-edged sword, you following me?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Izuku nodded.

"Just remember that a Devil's greatest strength depends on their desire." Rias and Akeno stepped onto the room's magic circle, causing it to light up in red light. "Yumi, you're in charge while I'm out."

"Understood," Yumi nodded as the U.A. first-years teleported out of the room.

Looking to her side, she turned to see Izuku as he was walking out of the room.

"You going?" Yumi asked. "Those Fallen Angels won't be alone. You could be walking into a trap."

"An innocent girl is going to die. I'm not the type of person to simply stand idly by when someone's in danger. Sorry, but there's no point in trying to stop me," Izuku said sternly, turning back to look at her.

"Who said I was?" Yumi smiled as she grabbed her sword. "I'm coming with you."

"Wait, what?" Izuku gasped.

"Weren't you listening? Buchou basically said, you get in that church and you're Promoted," Yumi explained. "Plus, you're my friend now and if I didn't lend you a hand, I wouldn't be setting a good example."

"Ah…" Izuku said. "They must be at the church in the Korusanto ward. You really want to come?"

"We both do, right Koneko?"

"There's nothing else goin' on," Koneko said as Izuku's gaze reached her.

Izuku slowly smiled. "Then we'd better head on out. Can't keep the others waiting."

"'Others?'"

Izuku led Yumi and Koneko to the park, where Kendo, Ashido, and Kirishima were waiting.

"So Kirishima and Ashido told me that those Fallen Angels called you a Devil. So I'm guessing you are one?" Kendo asked.

"Yeah," Izuku replied.

"And are they from the Peerage you belong to?"

"Koneko Toujou, Rias Gremory's Rook."

Yumi gave a polite bow. "Yumi Kiba, Knight of Rias Gremory. A pleasure to meet you all."

"If you know about Fallen Angels and Devils, does that mean-" Izuku was about to ask.

"No, I'm human. I just happen to be privy about the supernatural, that's all," Kendo replied, not needing him to finish.

"Okay. So then let me ask: Are you sure you want to come?" Izuku looked at the three non-Devils.

"Hey, if an innocent person's in trouble and I can do something to help, then I'm coming!" Kirishima said.

"Yeah! I can't stand those who abuse those who can't help themselves!" Ashido added.

"We're Argento's friends too, y'know. We're not abandoning her!" Kendo declared.

Izuku was touched by their willingness to help him save Asia, he could cry. "Right. Let's get to it."

So good news, Izuku made some more friends who are planning on enrolling in U.A. as well. Bad news, Asia's been taken away by the Fallen Angels. But luckily, said friends are willing to help him save her.

And also, who'd have thought that Kendo is actually familiar with the supernatural? Maybe we'll learn more in the next chapter.

See you next time. Go beyond! Plus Ultra!