Two chapters of MHA left? And one is gonna focus on Izuocha?
I expect to hear a lot of Bakudeku shippers complaining next week and I will be dancing like my name is Touya Todoroki.
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Until Eri's location could be ascertained by the Shie Hassaikai raid group, all heroes were on standby. The students were bound by their NDA not to disclose any information for the mission at hand. They couldn't even talk to each other about it, which was messed up.
And it was...hard.
With everything that was going on, Ochako couldn't help but feel confused and angry. She understood why it was important to keep things private, but it was difficult for her to maintain this feeling. As a hero-in-training, she wanted to do everything she could to help, but she was stuck and had to wait. It was even more difficult to remain silent about it. She wanted to talk to her friends and share some important news with them, but she couldn't.
When she reflected on that meeting, Ochako noticed that all of her classmates had the same expression on their faces. Izuku appeared concerned, as if he was trying to think of a way to assist. Mirio appeared calm on the outside, but she could tell he was worried by the look in his eyes. Even Monoma, who was usually confident in himself, appeared to be struggling with the situation.
It made her think about her "heroes helping heroes" mentality. Was it really worth it to keep feelings hidden from each other, to keep each other in the dark?
But for now, she had to do nothing but wait. The hardest part was that. So, she had to prepare.
And prepared Ochako would be. She really needed some training. She got up early and went for a run every morning to build up her endurance. Then she would go to the gym and do strength training with Yang, focusing on her core and upper body strength. And after that...
It was time to fight. And if you just went up to one kid and said 'Hey, wanna fight?'...they would jump at it. So, for the past few days, Bakugou had been Ochako's sparring partner.
As Ochako activated her Omnitrix, her body transformed into the crystalline Chromastone. She floated in the air, ready to face Bakugou in battle.
"You're still going down, no matter how powerful you think you are in that rocky piece of shit form!" Bakugou smiled, his fists trembling with explosive power. He, too, took to the skies, propelling himself upwards with his explosions.
Ochako, on the other hand, was not easily intimidated. She focused her efforts on gathering enough light energy to form a ball and toss it at Bakugou. Bakugou was temporarily blinded by the attack's massive explosion. Ochako seized the opportunity and charged at Bakugou, ready to strike. Bakugou, on the other hand, quickly regained his sight and, upon colliding with the ground, released an intensified explosion, sending Ochako flying backwards.
Ochako quickly got to her feet and kept fighting. She charged forward once more, this time absorbing and neutralizing Bakugou's explosive attacks with her crystalline body. Bakugou was surprised by the unexpected change in strategy, but he refused to back down. He kept launching massive explosive strikes one after the other. But Ochako was prepared. She gathered enough power to fire a massive beam of light at Bakugou.
Bakugou retaliated with a massive explosion that created a blinding light that temporarily blinded both of them. As the smoke cleared, Bakugou saw Ochako standing before him, unharmed.
"I wonder how many explosions it would take to crack that damn thing..." He muttered.
Ochako huffed, before she started charging up her next attack. As Bakugou prepared another explosive attack, Ochako released a wave of hardened light towards him. The wave hit Bakugou head-on, creating a loud boom and a shock wave that sent debris flying in all directions.
Bakugou was knocked back by the force of the attack, but he quickly regained his footing. He looked up to see Ochako floating in the air, her body now surrounded by a powerful aura of light.
"Don't think some light show means you've won just yet..." Bakugou smirked.
He charged towards Ochako once again, his hands crackling with explosive energy. Ochako braced herself, ready for the next round of their intense sparring session.
For the next several minutes, the two heroes-in-training traded blows and attacks. Eventually, their spar came to an end. I won't say the winner, but let's agree it came to a tie.
"Thanks." Ochako huffed, as she walked over to the sideline to grab her water bottle. "Take 5."
"Right, right..." Bakugou said, brushing himself off. He looked at Ochako- he'd noticed she'd been off for a few days now. It was like that intense mood she got in after the sports fest. And it wasn't just her, either. It was also present in Momo, Deku, Kirishima, Alan...
Normally, he'd never pay attention to others. But since he...was encouraged to put himself out there more often since the accident.
Bakugou plopped down next to Ochako, who was doing some breathing exercises. "You okay?" he asked, not unkindly.
Ochako looked at him, surprised. Bakugou wasn't known for being particularly empathetic.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, a little defensively. "It's nothing, just a lot on my mind," she finally said, taking a sip of water.
Bakugou stared at her.
"...there's something big going on, isn't there?"
Ochako paused.
"If I tell you something..." Ochako said. "Will you just drop it?"
"Fine."
"...it's a rescue mission." Ochako said. "And it's stressful because of what's happening."
Bakugou's expression turned serious.
"Who's on the mission?" he asked.
Ochako hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Any student in the work study program right now, minus Tokoyami." she said. "And a few other heroes."
Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "I see." He said, before standing back up. "Make sure you save whoever...and make sure you come back in one damn piece when you're done."
Bakugou looked down at his robot arm when he said that. Ochako closed her eyes, and nodded. "I will."
"Good." Bakugou cracked his neck. "Now come on. Back to sparring. I wanna face that damn roly poly alien..."
"Right."
Iida and Todoroki had managed to find Izuku on their lunch break later that day. Much like how Bakugou had picked up that something was off, the two of them had as well. After getting their meals, Iida getting a usual salad and Todoroki getting his favored soba, they took their seats next to Izuku. All Might's successor had some fresh noodles, but he wasn't eating them, just staring at them. While Iida and Todoroki had no real idea about what was going on, it wasn't hard to blame Izuku for seeming…spaced out.
She was right there. She was right there, shaking as if she'd just been exposed to the worst winter storm on record. He could've saved her, taken her away from Overhaul and ended that whole nightmare for her. Would it have been reckless? Of course. Sir's lecture to him afterwards was enough to make him understand. But did he still wish he'd taken the chance? Absolutely. The words from the meeting stuck with him more than any others…
"It'll get cold," Iida said, breaking Izuku out of his trance.
"H-huh? Oh! Uh, my bad," Izuku said, taking some of the noodles and eating them up.
"Izuku," Iida began, his tone low so no one could overhear, "Is…everything ok?"
"You and all of the work study students have been different lately. Focused, quiet…or, in your case, depressed," Todoroki added.
"I have?" Izuku asked, acting like he didn't even realize it.
Iida, however, wouldn't be taking that as an answer. He had too big a sense of deja vu to just ignore it. "'If it ever gets to be too much and you need to talk, just say something,'" Iida said suddenly. The words made Izuku pause. Outwardly he seemed fine for now, but on the inside it was like being hit by an emotional truck.
"Do you remember those words? That's what you told me when I was…acting like a fool, before our internships started," Iida reminded.
Izuku blinked. "Oh...oh, yeah. I...I remember now." Izuku muttered. Izuku took a deep breath, before wiping his eyes. Iida gave him a concerned look.
"Do...do you need a moment-?"
"S-sorry. I'm fine." Izuku said, putting his head down on the table. "It's...it's nothing."
Izuku hated that he couldn't tell Iida, one of his best friends, about this. But...he really wanted to thank Iida.
With Iida's words, just a bit of those pent up emotions managed to flow out. Not too much as to break the proverbial dam, but enough to where the pressure was lessened somewhat.
Ochako eventually came and sat down, with an injured Bakugou surprisingly in tow. Iida gave him a weird look.
"Bakugou, why are you all...bandaged up?" Iida asked.
"Cannonbolt." Bakugou grunted, as broke apart his chopsticks.
"What's your battle record up to now?" Todoroki asked.
"Shut it, Icy Hot. No one's keeping score-" Bakugou snapped.
"7-6, Bakugou has the lead." Ochako said. "He got a lucky hit in on Four Arms a while back."
"-Except when it matters." Bakugou quickly corrected.
"Really? Four Arms?" Iida asked.
"Like I said, lucky hit. Cannonbolt evened the scales again," Ochako smirked.
"Armor on that one's-" Bakugou began.
"Insane? Especially since your blasts barely scratched me?"
"Oh, don't brag about that. Didn't know it was a bad match up!"
"Uh-huh."
Izuku blinked a few times. "Why...are you sitting with us, actually?"
"I dunno." Bakugou huffed. "Don't expect this to be a NORMAL thing."
"I...see," Iida said, still taking in that Bakugou was just...sitting with them and just having a, somewhat, normal conversation. His personality really had changed, hadn't it?
"...so, like. Did Bakugou ask to spar with Cannonbolt?" Todoroki asked.
"Don't answer that, roundface-" Bakugou said.
"He demanded it, actually." Ochako said, slurping down some of her ramen. "So, this is his fault."
"That...that's your nickname for Ochako? Roundface?" Todoroki tilted his head at that, "I mean...mine at least makes sense given my power."
"I like how that's what you decide to question here," Iida said.
"Should I be questioning something else?"
"Yes, like why Bakugou decided it would be good idea to go up against an alien that is a literal walking wrecking ball. Cannonbolt's armor is almost impenetrable. The only thing that can pierce it, at least according to some records, is a predator native to Cannonbolt's homeworld."
"He's right," Izuku said, "Carcharodons I think they're called. They're these big sharks-"
"You're saying I'm getting outdone by a damn fish?" Bakugou growled.
"Well...I mean an alien fish so...technically?"
Iida suddenly understood why Bakugou was sitting with them. He's a distraction for their inner turmoil, it seems. Iida thought. He went through the same demons earlier, so he's familiar with the pain.
Iida chuckled at that. Bakugou...you really didn't have to do that.
Albedo was looking through the files on the Hassaikai, particularly some of its more public members. Outside of Overhaul, you had his aide Chronostasis and the director Mimic. Between the two of them, Chrono seemed to be more of a threat due to its Quirk, Mimic's being limited by an object's size. But then you had something of an elite group in the Hassaikai, a group known simply as the Eight Bullets. Albedo couldn't help but draw some parallels to a certain witch's own cabal of followers. Each of these men seemed to be at their worst and, thus, made perfect recruits for Chisaki.
"Rikiya Katsukame...he'll be their first line of defense. They'll no doubt keep the rest in reserve so as to take us by surprise," Albedo muttered to himself. Rikiya was, according to his rap sheet, a pretty standard yakuza thug. Aggravated assault, murder, brutalization of victims in typical yakuza fashion...
Neo tapped on one part of his paper. Check out his quirk- Vitality Stealing. That's pretty powerful.
"Thankfully it's only when he's touching someone. But still, it is a dangerous power." Albedo said. "He doesn't have to worry about losing any stamina."
Before they could move on to the next member of the Eight Bullets, the door to his office opened and Momo walked in.
"Um...Mr-...sorry, Albedo. I'm not interrupting something, am I?" Momo asked, walking closer to the duo.
"Miss Yaoyorozu." Albedo said, setting down the paper. "What are you doing here during school hours? Don't you have classes?"
"I...I do, but...I need to talk to you both about something that's been on my mind." Momo confessed. The heroes shared a look, before nodding.
"Right. Please...tell me. What's on your mind?" Albedo said.
Momo took a deep breath. "...I think my parents are working with the Hassaikai."
"Your parents? That...is quite the accusation."
I mean...my parents did some shady shit, one of them was a politician after all, but...what makes you so sure?
"During the meeting, one of the blips that Sir Nighteye had on his map...it was incredibly close to my family estate. But it's not just that, lately we've been getting visits from a...business...part…ner. " Momo trailed off as her eyes looked down at the files on Albedo's desk. Her eyes were drawn to one in particular. She hesitantly reached for the file and picked it up and as soon as she saw the mugshot her eyes shrank in horror.
"I...I know this man," Momo gasped, handing back the file.
It was the file for Chronostasis, Overhaul's aide.
Albedo picked up the paper, and read the file. "Hari Kurono. Born into a family of clockmakers. Parents were killed in a tragic accident when he was only 10 years old, leaving him orphaned and alone. Apparently, he got adopted by some shady relatives with ties to the Hassaikai."
"He'd...come over for dinner, at least once a month." Momo muttered. "And they'd keep me out of the loop about their business relations."
What does your family work in, again? Neo asked.
"Manufacturing," Momo answered.
"Nothing...specific? Just generalized manufacturing?" Albedo asked.
"We...have a few different companies with ties to us..."
Albedo paused. "...what is your father's quirk?"
"The...same as mine. He just uses proteins over lipids." Momo explained.
"And your mother? The same as well, just a different substance?"
"No. Her quirk is..." Momo gripped the sleeve of her jacket. "Her quirk is Duplication."
"Like the villain Twice." Albedo frowned.
"Not exactly. She can create exact duplicates of any non-living object she touches," Momo explained. "It only works on little things, though. No bigger than the size of her hand."
...could it work on the bullets? Neo asked.
"I...I don't know. She might be able to replicate the casings, but not the drug itself."
"I...I don't even want to accuse my mother of that." Momo admitted. "Yes, she can be distant, but...I'd never accuse her of something so extreme."
"Well, you have some evidence...but we need to know for sure." Albedo said, standing up from his seat. "We need to see this for ourselves."
Usual plan? Neo asked, You're the public, I'm the sneaky one?
"We're...gonna sneak into my own house?" Momo asked.
"I'm afraid so." Albedo said. "You'll be doing surveillance from a van with a few of the helpers."
"That's...not...entirely what I expected."
What -were- you expecting? Neo raised a brow.
"I...I don't know. Just...not spying from a van," Momo shrugged.
"It's how it has to be." Albedo said. "I know these are your parents, but...we don't want to compromise the Eri mission."
"R-right...of course," Momo sighed.
"Miss Yaoyorozu, I understand this is a difficult situation for you." Albedo frowned.
Momo nodded in agreement, her expression reflecting her concern. "Yes, it is. But...we need to do it."
Can you tell us more about the layout of your family estate and any security measures that may be in place? Neo asked.
Momo took a deep breath and nodded. "My family's estate is quite large, with several buildings and gardens. There are security cameras throughout the property, as well as guards stationed at the entrances and patrolling the grounds. However, I know a few ways to get in undetected."
"Good," Albedo said. "We will need to be careful, but with your knowledge of the property, we should be able to gather the information we need without being detected.
I'll call in Pierce and Cooper. They can help you run the equipment in the van. Cooper's...something of an expert when it comes to doing stake outs like this, Neo explained.
Momo nodded in agreement. "It sounds like a good idea."
Neo nodded. I think it will help our investigation a lot once we have what we need.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Momo asked.
Albedo nodded in agreement. "Let's get to work."
Despite Izuku's efforts to convince Iida and Todoroki that he was okay, he honestly wasn't. Yes, he vented that he was frustrated about SOMETHING. But not being able to talk about Eri was eating him up inside. That pained look in her eyes haunted him. The more Izuku bottled up his emotions, the more he felt trapped within the confines of his own mind. Izuku's attempts to engage in casual conversation with his friends felt strained, his mind constantly circling back to the one topic he couldn't broach.
Even grades were starting to slip through the cracks. The pages of his notebooks were filled with distracted scribbles, and his once meticulous class notes became a chaotic jumble of disjointed thoughts. Izuku found himself unable to concentrate during lectures.
Which was a shame, because Mrs. Belladonna's language class was very engaging. Blake was very passionate about the subject, and always led a very lively discussion on cultural nuances. Izuku admittedly felt bad about not being able to contribute.
...so, it was time for a pep talk. As the class came to an end, Blake glanced over at Izuku, who was still lost in thought. The students began to gather their belongings and filter out of the room.
As Izuku began to slowly pack his bag, Blake walked over.
"Midoriya." She said, making Izuku flinch.
"A-ah! Sorry. Didn't hear you approach." Izuku said, rubbing the side of his head.
"Are you doing okay?" Blake's voice sounded concerned. "After..."
"Yeah. I...I'm fine. Like I told Iida and Todoroki. I'm fine." Izuku admitted. "You're probably doing better than me with keeping this whole Eri operation a secret. I...I just wanna tell someone about the situation."
Blake paused. "...well."
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
Blake interrupted gently, "I told Yang almost instantly."
Izuku blinked in surprise. "You did?!"
"The second I opened the door, actually." Blake continued. "Then I told Ren and Rook, just for good measure."
Izuku looked confused. "Uh..."
"I couldn't keep something like this from my wife. Sometimes, sharing the weight makes it more bearable." Blake admitted. "Plus, everyone in the Outcasts is pretty open. I mean- you saw how Ben accidentally revealed OFA."
"Okay, I guess. But, isn't that going to compromise the mission?" Izuku asked earnestly.
"Only if it leaks. Overhaul may be a threat, but he doesn't have the opportunity to have eyes or ears everywhere like All for One." Blake clarified. "That's why I strictly use word of mouth to vent this stuff."
"It's just... hard, you know? Balancing the need for support with the need for secrecy." Izuku admitted. "I dunno why I have no issue keeping my quirk secret but not Eri secret. I just want to do what's right- but it feels like I'm walking on a tightrope, trying not to tip the scales in the wrong direction."
"Easy. Your quirk is a part of you, a power you've learned to control and use for the greater good. Eri's situation, on the other hand, involves more than just your abilities. Even though you only saw that kid once...you could tell she needed help, more than anything." Blake explained.
"I mean, I know that." Izuku said. "But...why?"
"Knowing and feeling are two different things. That's a burden that's harder to compartmentalize...and I don't recommend it." Blake frowned. "I've seen how that sort of thing messes with someone."
"...so, should I tell someone?" Izuku asked.
"Yes. Absolutely." Blake nodded. "Within reason. I'll even let you guys use my room to have the vent session."
Izuku considered his words, and closed his eyes. "...alright, I will." Izuku stood up. "Thank you, Mrs. Belladonna."
"Any time, Midoriya." Blake said. "Now, on to your next class. Don't want to be late..."
"R-right. Thank you!" Izuku rushed out of the class, but did pull out his phone. Blake had a point. No need to keep this situation hidden. They both deserved to know the truth.
Izuku just sent Iida one text: "We need to talk."
"She skipped class?" Ochako was shocked to hear that as they walked back to the dorms. "No offense, but you'd be more likely to do that."
Mina, class gossip, frowned. "Heyyyy..."
Jirou shot her a look. "Need we remind your attempt to get out of Present Mic's class by pretending to be sick last week?"
"It was worth a shot! That test was hard." Mina pouted. "Seriously, though. Back to Momo."
"I dunno what would make her ditch." Ochako frowned.
"Really? You internship people have been acting weird all week." Mina said. "I asked Kirishima for a 'HOOOYAH' and I got nothing. He always gives me one of those on demand."
"Well, it's...just complicated." Ochako said. "I dunno how else to put it."
"Complicated?" Jirou asked.
"Yeah. Just...serious stuff." Ochako explained. "Momo seemed the least affected, but still pretty broken up."
"What serious stuff?" Mina leaned in, eager for the scoop.
"Can't say. Signed an NDA." Ochako admitted.
"Seems pretty serious if there's that." Jirou frowned.
"It's not villains, exactly. Just... sensitive matters. We're not allowed to discuss it." Ochako clarified. "Just a whole lot."
"Fiiiine. We won't pry more." Mina frowned.
"Let's just respect her privacy, okay? Maybe Momo got called in for some...magic stuff." Ochako suggested.
Jirou rolled her eyes. "Magic stuff just adds to my worry."
Ochako shrugged, offering a small smile. "I mean, it's as good a guess as any, right?"
Jirou sighed. "Yeah...yeah." She looked up to the sky, and took a deep breath.
I'll talk to you later, then.