Here it is, the seventy-second full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released on the set day that I promised each week. The early work studies that set the stage are now in the books which means that it is finally time to start the next great arc of the series with the gathering and planning stage so there isn't much more that I need to say here on what is to come. As such, that is all the administrative stuff I have for now though and as there are no review questions to answer or guest reviews to respond to I will end this note here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. Now, though, it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 72nd full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 72: Bringing Agencies Together
Marinette made sure that her bag was packed with what she had to bring, and that she was in her summer uniform, which was the main uniform minus the blazer, and headed out of her room to meet up with Adrien and Momo in the common room. The day before, when they were supposed to go in for their third weekend of work at the Guardian Agency as part of their work study there, they had gotten a text from Mage telling them to wait at the school. Something was in the works and that they would be coming in a day late with new information about where to be so to hang tight on that front.
On the whole, the last two weeks or so had been rather uneventful to their class. By the end of the weekend when Marinette, Adrien and Momo had returned they'd learned that Midoriya had secured an internship with Sir Nighteye thanks to Togata and Nighteye's own interest for various reasons which Marinette was sure was to do with his Quirk as Nighteye was in the know. Other than Midoriya, Ochaco and Tsu were doing work studies with the Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu thanks to Hado, Kirishima was with Fat Gum thanks to Amajiki and Hawks had offered one to Tokoyami that he'd accepted.
The rest of the class however hadn't been able to find one, or in Bakugo and Todoroki's case couldn't though the bandages on their faces from their last set of supplemental classes showed what they were doing on the weekends. It was concerning but while Bakugo was just pissed at any questions regarding his extra lessons, Todoroki had accepted it as part of what he had to do to get his provisional license.
Also, over the last few days both Kirishima and the pair with Ryukyu had made the news helping capture villains in their work study areas showing that the kind of exposure they might get as pros though Marinette and Adrien certainly knew what that would be like when the time came. While Marinette's group had done some things they were mainly behind the scenes at the moment as the investigations Mage had them assisting on were still a few weeks away from yielding any fruit. It all made the one patrol scuffle seem to be an anomaly as their second weekend working was pretty tame.
The others were just called in whenever they were needed, even during the week, and there was one thing that the whole class noticed, Midoriya had seen something that had rattled him. He either wouldn't or more likely couldn't tell them what it was, but it was distracting him which had those who knew him well worried. At the same time, it seemed like he knew something was going to come from it and was waiting for that update but that too was distracting him.
Whatever that was it could wait as the night before Marinette had gotten the message about coming in a day later than usual. Mage had said that there was now an update and that he'd been sorting it out which was why they were on hold until today. Now Marinette understood why because Mage had said that they were to come in uniform not costume and to report to an address an hour by train from U.A. that definitely was not the Guardian Agency first thing in the morning. It was all odd to say the least.
"So, what do you think is up m'lady?" Adrien asked breaking Marinette from her thoughts as she reached the first floor and found her boyfriend and partner waiting for her with some fresh pastries, not as good as her own creations but for a quick breakfast on the go a taste of home was nice touch and it really helped get her in the zone for hero work. "With the message that is."
"If I had to guess, something has happened that ties into what we dealt with that first patrol, and it is about to go down." Marinette said grabbing a croissant and eating as they waited for Momo. "I've been keeping an eye on the news but you know they suppress a few things here and there so I can't say for certain, but we all saw the story that Kirishima dealt with and he's working for Fat Gum who's an expert on the Quirk drug trade."
"True." Adrien said as Momo appeared her backpack on her back and headed over to them, so Adrien grabbed a paper bag from the counter, he'd clearly been up earlier and gotten them some stuff and tossed it at her. "Momo, breakfast. High fat faux French pastries from the only place near the school that does them until the latest branch of Tom and Sabine is opened here. Should help boost those lipid numbers just in case."
"Thanks." Momo said catching it, she was basically the only girl someone could give a high fat pastry to and in not be seen as insulting, before suddenly switching to French while glancing around. "Sorry for being late, I had to argue with her to get her to stay put."
"She may be based off a horse, but she is as stubborn as a mule and doesn't see her own faults due to her strange affection of noble high-class attitudes." Marinette said with a sigh sticking with French as well as it was clear who Momo was talking about. "But she can't come. As far as we know we're the only going who know and while they can socialize a bit more it's best for them to not be with us in public, or at whatever this is that we are going to."
"I agree but she's also begun insisting that you, um, let me hold onto her glasses." Momo said just as the ding of the elevator opening was heard. "You know just in case she's needed when I'm out. I think it's another excuse to travel with me more places."
"I'll think about it." Marinette said switching back to Japanese. "But for now, let's just focus on why we were called in. We can deal with internal work for the agency next time we are there."
"Oh, you guys are going in today?" Ochaco asked as she and Tsu reached them as it had been them getting off the elevators hence why Marinette had switched back to their native tongue as Momo's knowledge of French was still unknown to the rest of the class, and because of what they had been talking about. "That's cool, so are we."
"Yeah we were told that we wouldn't be going in on the usual day and to wait for the call which came last night for this morning." Marinette said with a smile. "Some slight delay it seems while Mage sorted out something. Shall we head to the station?"
"Of course." Tsu said with a nod, and they left as Momo began eating what Adrien had gotten her to help increase her lipid count. "We are all going there so why not."
They walked out the door and paused as they say Midoriya and Kirishima on the walkway as well with their bags on their bags. It looked like they'd been called in as well for their respective agencies which seemed strange, but the hero world was a busy one so no one questioned it right away.
"Morning guys." Ochaco said smiling at the sight of them, and mainly being near Deku but that was normal for her even before her realization. "You going in as well?"
"Yeah got the call just now." Izuku said smiling back at his best friend. "Been ages for me it feels."
"Same here." Kirishima said.
"That is weird." Marinette said as they walked down to meet the boys. "We got it yesterday but to wait until more instructions which came in this morning."
"Huh pretty big coincidence." Kirishima said.
"I've learned that in this line of work there are no such things." Adrien said simply. "And my gut tells me that this is not one."
"Whatever it is we shouldn't be late." Momo said in her usual professional tone. "We can't keep our bosses waiting. We are aspiring heroes after all, punctuality is a must for us."
"Right let's go then." Kirishima said turning and leading the way as they left the dorms and headed to the station.
As they were making their way to the station they ran into a few costumed heroes who were also on their way to the station, so they joined up with them. It was strange and the feeling that Adrien and Marinette had was getting stronger. They'd been at this a bit longer than most, not that any besides Momo knew exactly why that was, and all this was starting to come together. Add in the connection to Fat Gum in their group, the hero Mage had mentioned by name about reaching out to, and they knew that this was going to be big.
All this began to come even more together as they all ended up heading the same way at the station. That alone was odd as the three with Mage were in Tokyo and Kirishima was in Kansai, aspects that Midoriya pointed out. It was the same with Ochaco and Tsu, so they all ended up on the same train and heading in the same direction, the one only Midoriya usually went in.
It got even stranger for them, and by this point Marinette was all but certain that the moment had come, because they got off at the same station, went the same way, and were turning at the same corners. One hero must have called this meeting, and they were about to find out who and what though given that this was the area Midoriya was doing his work study in they could guess who it would be.
That was basically confirmed when they turned the corner onto the street where Nighteye Agency was located and found the Big 3 waiting for them outside it with enthusiastic greetings from Togata and Hado. Even as they entered it was confusing as not even Marinette or Adrien knew what exactly was going on or why 4 agencies were suddenly present. At least it looked like 4 until they opened the doors to Nighteye's vast tactics and planning room.
All the kids, including the Big 3, could do was stop and stare in shocked surprise at the room as they entered it. It was filled with heroes and not all from the agencies that they represented. Izuku saw Gran Torino and Mr. Aizawa present speaking with Bubble Girl, one of Nighteye's sidekicks, along with the heroes who ran the agencies his friends were at in Ryukyu, Fat Gum, and Mage along with some sidekicks from them it seemed plus many other notable heroes from big name pros to minor local ones. Whatever this was about, it was going to be big.
The one thing that, to Izuku at least, dwarfed all of it though was that Dupain-Cheng, Agreste, and Yaoyorozu's boss for their work study was here in person. After encountering the man and one of his associates of equal rank in Hosu and then learning that he was a part time teacher at U.A. when Dupain-Cheng and Agreste had to face him in the first semester's final Izuku had begun to do more research on the international agency known as the Guardians of the Elements.
As such he knew what they were all about, how they were the closest to a true international police of sorts, and that they were an agency based in the US but with offices all over the world, the only such in existence, to deal with international crimes like smuggling, contract killing, fugitives, money crimes, and the like. They had some local responsibilities in the areas where their agencies were based but they weren't in Tokyo right now so the only reason why they'd be present was because whatever was going down with the Hassaikai, which was what this had to be about, had an international element to it.
Even then that should have only merited one of the higher ups from the agency, not the man running it unless he wasn't on of the 32 or so who held the rank of Guardian. They were the people who actually ran the whole operation, but they only got directly involved if the issue they were dealing with was such that it merited bringing their skills and power to the table.
Izuku knew that Mage was one of the Guardians, a Danish man with an immensely powerful Quirk called Magician that worked in a sense like old age alchemy, so his presence here was big as this meant that at least some aspect was not contained to Japan. That and whatever they were facing either directly or indirectly required one of the actual Guardians to take part in it, so this was very serious indeed.
It also explained why Dupain-Cheng, Agreste and Yaoyorozu had come with them as they worked for the man, so he'd want them around if this was with Nighteye given their friendship with, and experience fighting alongside, Izuku. That said Izuku had no idea who the tall, muscular, offensively American, blonde woman in what Izuku could only presume was a costume was.
She was next to Mage as the trio working under him walked up to him chewing gum and wearing a tight red shirt done up around her impressive chest, extremely short jean shorts, white boots, belt with a garish buckle, and a white wide brimmed hat. Her costume had to be just skirting the regulations and that was not getting into the two large revolvers in holsters on her bare thighs or the knife she had on her or the bag slung over her shoulder.
Izuku would have to look her up later as the others all began to make their ways to their respective bosses, or asked Mr. Aizawa why he was here, leaving Izuku with Togata to watch it all as they waited for Nighteye to get things started. It was certainly going to be a large-scale operation with this many pros gathered for it.
"Howdy, glad y'all could make this." Beth said to them as they reached her in English, her thick southern drawl filling the room causing quite a few stares from those nearby as they looked at the obnoxious American who was here with the head of the Japanese branch of the Guardian Agency. "The boss man said that you three would be joining us for this little shindig he's gotten us an invite to, should be a good tussle what with all these people here."
"Beth, please remember both professional decorum and to speak Japanese, while we all understand English your use of southern slang confuses even me." Mage said in Japanese with a sigh. "Sorry, I needed one of the sidekicks as well to balance things out and Beth was the best for it given what the end goal is as when it comes to needing a living battering ram she is the top candidate for that role. The others who are more subtle than a sledgehammer to the face are currently out in the field aiding us with this as best as possible though they will get more info once this meeting is over."
"I've taken a sledgehammer to the face, it's not too bad." Beth added helpfully, her accent somehow getting thicker in Japanese and sounding even stranger. "A few times actually."
"So, what is going on?" Marinette asked in Japanese deciding that it was best to not engage the American until afterwards as this was more pressing. "Why are so many groups and people here?"
"New information has been uncovered over the last few weeks that tie into what happened on your first patrol and finally gotten to the point where a mass team up is needed." Mage said. "And it's larger than I could have expected as there are a few agencies here that surprise me, but we will know more soon. If Eraser Head is here though then we're dealing with a dangerous Quirk as he'd be needed to erase it."
"Where all here Nighteye." Ryukyu suddenly called out across the room to their host ending all the side conversations that were going on. "Let's get started."
Everyone in the room turned to the front of it at those words to find Sir Nighteye standing in the center of it with his two sidekicks, a scantily clad blue skinned and haired young woman called Bubble Girl and a well-dressed man with a centipede head and appendages called Centipeder, on either side of him. Nighteye himself was in his usual gray suit and stripped tie looking serious and professional even with a few streaks of yellow in his green hair. Now that all the attention was on him the room hushed and he adjusted his glasses before stepping forward to begin the meeting that he'd called all of them to.
"Thanks to the information provided by all of you our investigation has progressed substantially to the point that this large-scale team up has become necessary." Nighteye said as he walked. "As such we've invited you here for a joint conference to share the intel we have acquired regarding the yakuza group Shie Hassaikai and what we believe they might be planning."
"Yakuza?" Adrien asked surprised by the word as it was from his and Marinette's day and one he'd not yet heard since arriving in what to them was the future. "They're still a thing?"
"Yeah I think I'm missing something important here as well." Kirishima added. "Shie Ha what now?"
"Some bad guys are planning on doing some bad things." Fat Gum said simply. "And we called a meeting to sort things out so that we can stop them. Trust me, you and Tamaki here are very much involved in helping bring this whole thing together."
"And to answer your question Agreste, and for any who are curious, yes the yakuza are still a thing." Mage said using Adrien's family name due to the setting though in the future he should be able to use his first name. "However, unlike most organized crime families throughout the world, most notably the various European mafias and the Triads, the yakuza for whatever reason decided not to use Quirks in their criminal dealings. Boost them with drugs sure but never did they, or at least the old families that are still around, use them until now. It was a smart move, meant that heroes couldn't come down on them like we do on other groups because of it but things have changed with the Shie Hassaikai group."
"Mage is right, many crime syndicates went down the Quirk route and were either crushed or grew to become issues that only the Guardians can truly deal with." Nighteye said as he nodded to Centipeder who pressed a button and a series of rectangular tables, all set up into one larger rectangle, and chairs were brought in for them. "It is one of the reasons why I have asked for his assistance in this matter but as we will discuss there is more that actually requires the presence of the Guardian Agency in this operation. Now please sit so that we can begin."
Without much fanfare the heroes did so with Midoriya and Togata sitting nearest one of the ends with Fat Gum, Amajiki and Kirishima opposite them. Ochaco, Tsu, Hado, and Ryuko took seats on Midoriya's side with Rock Lock and a few others between them at least while Mr. Aizawa and Gran Torino were on the side with Fat Gum but at the far end opposite Ryukyu and one of her sidekicks that she'd brought with her.
On that bottom part was where Mage took his contingent and sat with Beth on one side and Marinette on the other with Adrien and Momo to Marinette's side. The rest of the heroes sat wherever there was space as a large screen appeared on the wall while only Nighteye sat at what was clearly the head of the table showing that he was the one in charge of this meeting.
"Alright let's start at the beginning." Bubble Girl said reading her notes off a device once everyone was seated. "For the last few weeks those of us at Nighteye Agency have been conducting an investigation into Shie Hassaikai, a small but organized group of criminals. This was prompted by an accident with a gang of thieves called the Reservoir Dogs. Initially the police thought that it was an accident but there were a number of details that didn't add up, so we began tailing them to find out why."
"In my capacity as a Nighteye sidekick I began following leads to see what I could uncover." Centipeder said, his voice oddly vibronic and high likely due to unusual vocal cords caused by his appearance, taking up the presentation from Bubble Girl and gesturing a lot with his hands as he spoke. "In the course of my investigation I found that in the past year the members of Shie Hassaikai have increased contact with those outside of their organization including other groups whose business dealings are less than reputable and even securing what appears to be seed funding from an international source or sources though ones we cannot trace hence a request we made to the Guardian Agency for assistance with it."
"I've put our money laundering branch on that and contacted the head of our Zurich office to see what he had to say on his end." Mage said. "If it is who I think it is though it will be hard to trace. Given the technical aspect of international money transfers and the use of certain deep web avenues Technus himself has taken charge of this aspect of our investigation to see what he can find out."
"Thank you, if a man of his talents can lend aid then that will be beneficial as the international funding does worry us." Centipeder said with a nod of his head at Mage. "This is new for them which means that whatever their end goal is, it is big enough to need assistance from overseas."
"What is their aim?" One of the pros asked clearly wanting to get back on topic.
"Right now, their aim seems to be expanding their organization and enriching their coffers which we believe the funding part of an effort to help them prove they can achieve something to really boost their illicit income." Centipeder said as the screen switched from blue to a surveillance of the back of a man in a green jacket with a fluffy purple hood and black pants talking to a man in a black and silver mask that the whole room knew at once and surprised the one of the most wanted men in Japan could wear that so openly on the street. "Shortly after our investigation began they made contact with Jin Bubaigawara, also known by the villain name Twice, a known high-ranking member of the League of Villains."
That alone was not a good sign and the whole room knew it. The League of Villains had successfully attacked the USJ and the Summer Training Camp of U.A. as well as infiltrating one of the Provisional Licensing Exams via Shiketsu showing that no school was safe and had been formed by All for One, the worst villain in Japanese post advent history. If they were involved this was bad, very bad.
"They were wary of being tailed so I couldn't follow them to where they were going." Centipeder continued a note of frustration in his voice before changing the image to show an industrial warehouse that had a large portion of its wall destroyed with a few cops standing outside it clearly investigating the scene. "However, with the assistance of the police I confirmed that an altercation occurred between the two groups during the meeting, one that appears to have contained a few casualties though who we have yet to determine who was killed."
"That would be when they decided to reach out to Tsukauchi and me." Gran Torino piped up. "Figured that we'd be able to assist given the League's involvement. Tsukauchi himself is currently following with some other witnesses and a few leads to determine what actually happened in that warehouse, you know, cop stuff."
Gran Torino paused before looking at Midoriya. All this wasn't planned or expected, especially not after he recommended to the kid that he pursue Nighteye for a work study, but it looked like fate was not in their hands. Given the involvement of Mage and the Guardians as well and things were going to get worse. He'd have to have some words with the immortal in their midst once this was over and see if he could find and bring Fate to Gran Torino for a good smacking after all her meddling.
"Sorry kid, I didn't see things going this way." Gran Tornio said. "Things are about to get ugly."
"I don't care sir; I want to help in any way that I can." Izuku said seriously and meaning it, he was part of this no matter what because of his failure to save Eri. "No matter how ugly they get."
"Hold up, you know him?" Togata asked confused that Midoriya knew the old hero who no one else their age seemed to know but who was clearly a well-respected hero. "How?"
"Oh, Gran Torino was the hero I did my internship under." Izuku said as he began to answer while both Momo and Kirishima looked surprised at that as they recalled the old hero as being the one who'd helped All Might out in Kamino, so it seemed that Midoriya knew some notable heroes.
"Go on Bubble Girl." Nighteye said seriously surprising the sidekick and ending any side chatter. "Tell them the next part of the investigation."
"Right, so, after that we posted a notice on the HN asking for assistance." Bubble Girl said. "That is when we saw the message from Mage about groups that may be receiving funds from outside of Japan and…"
"I think we can skip that part; they are all here because of it." Centipeder said while Bubble Girl apologized.
"What's the HN?" Ochaco asked which caused Ryukyu to get a cool stare from Nighteye for not telling her work study girls this before the meeting began.
"Stands for Hero Network." Hado said instantly answering the question with her usual lack of social awareness of the underlying issues and derailing the meeting in the process. "It's an online service that can only be accessed by pros. You can see what all the heroes in the country are up too and you can ask for help from people whose Quirks or general skills and expertise might come in handy. You can also post about things your investigating and to keep an eye out for them do that you can notify the right agency if you find something matching that."
"Does someone want to tell me why a bunch of high school kids were invited to this conference?" Rock Lock, the dark-skinned Lock Hero in a green and gold costume with keyholes cut into his pauldrons for some reason said from his seat next to Midoriya. "I don't care if they are from U.A., if we keep having to stop to explain this stuff we'll never get to the actual plan."
"Don't say that." Fat Gum said standing up from his seat with enough force to knock it over and holding his arm over his two work study students embarrassing them in front of everyone though the enormous man was oblivious to that. "These two have important information to pass along. It was thanks to them that we could answer the report issued by Mage regarding the other aspect of his message on the HN and confirm a connection to what he had found in Tokyo thus bringing in the resources they have to offer to this without the need for additional bureaucratic red tape."
"We do?" Kirishima asked shocked by all this.
"I just want to go home." Amajiki said his social anxiety now at crippling levels.
"Anyway, I see a lot of new faces so let me introduce myself, I'm Fat Gum." Fat Gum said turning to the rest of the room getting some reactions on his cute and squishiness from Ochaco and Tsu. "Who wants some candy?"
"Hassaikai's movements are hard to track but we suspect that one of their main sources of income is the illegal drug trade." Nighteye said once again getting the meeting back on topic. "So, I requested help from heroes who have some expertise in that area. In addition, the recent revelations of the drugs that they seem to be putting out onto the market have some ties to what happened in Tokyo two weeks ago to Mage and his students as well as the information the captured villain in that situation revealed. That was how we were able to tie the international funds that were coming in to the Hassaikai with a likely source of the funds even if we can't track them back to their origin point."
"Yup I brought in my fair share of drug smugglers back in the day, in no small part thanks to the assistance of the Guardian Agency." Fat Gum said suddenly getting serious as he held out his hand some candy still in it before clenching his fist and crushing the candy. "And in Red Riot's debut fight the other day he proved that he could to. Tamaki was shot and the bullet contained some kind of drug I've never heard of, one that destroys Quirks."
"Destroys Quirks?" One of the local heroes asked shocked as most of the room had similar reactions to it.
"What! Tamaki, you're alright though, aren't you?" Togata asked standing up himself and looking at his best friend with concern in his voice.
"Yeah the stuff wore off as I slept." Amajiki said in a tired tone as he raised his right arm to show that it was now a cow's hoof and leg there proving that his Manifest Quirk was back. "See I've got this cow hoof and everything."
"Guess we know what you had for breakfast then." Togata said sounding relieved.
"I'm glad to know that the effects aren't permanent at least." Rock Lock said. "So, this stuff doesn't zap a Quirk for good then."
"Yet." Mage said seriously getting all their attention. "It is the working theory at my agency that the drug used the other day on Suneater is a prototype, a first stage so to speak, and why they've gotten the seed funding as they've shown proof of concept but likely lack the resources to take it to the next level. If they can make a true product that actually destroys Quirks then the floodgates will open, and chaos will reign. The main reason why the Guardians have been called in is to determine how close and to ensure that it doesn't reach that final stage."
"Mage is correct, and he and Eraser Head have some further insight regarding this." Nighteye said. "Mage, if you could go first and then we can get back to this with Eraser Head's report."
"Right, BB, the device." Mage said.
"Righty-o boss man." Beth said from next to him in her horribly accented Japanese as she reached down and picked up a bag she had on her and placed it next to her as the students and heroes who didn't know or hear her early deduced that the American outfit was more than an affectation for her style. "Here ya go. Still don't know why ya can't touch it though boss."
"Years ago, we had a security breach and the genetic sequences of all those of Guardian rank was stolen from a lab we had that monitored the progressions of our Quirks given what is needed to become a Guardian." Mage said simply surprising even the trio who knew the truth with the lie as Beth pulled out the destroyed device and laid it in front of them. "We didn't know why until one of these was captured intact and killed the Guardian who picked it up in the process. The tech in these things are on the level of what Technus can make and has been worked so that those of us of Guardian rank can't touch them without at least causing us severe pain at the very least."
"How is that possible?" Fat Gum asked surprised that a Guardian had been killed in the line of duty given their reputation though the few who knew the truth understood what it all meant.
"We live in a world of Quirks." Mage said simply. "And like my agency, the enemy we face who makes these things have an international reach that seems to be as broad as ours so it's just a matter of finding the right Quirk or Quirks and working it to your advantage. The only good thing is that a device like this, a Guardian Killer as it is called due to how we can't touch them, is so complex and specific that only 4 have ever been discovered since our agency's founding and we are certain this was the only one in Japan."
"What does it do?" Ryukyu asked looking at the odd circular device and the distinctive wound through the center of it. "And why does it look like it's been stabbed."
"That's because I stabbed it." Mage said as if it was obvious. "To deactivate it without causing it to blow like one of the others did when we tried to deactivate it. As to what it does, it produces a field that scrambles the neural pathways between the brain and the activation of one's Quirk rendering those in the field unable to activate, or if currently active sustain, their Quirks. It was used in that attempt to kill me and my students in Tokyo the other week. Afterwards I posted on the HN of what I'd encountered and to be on the lookout for drugs or devices that might inhibit Quirk use as well as groups that might be receiving international funding based on what the villain said after he was captured."
"I saw that and so as soon as we knew what that drug had done to Tamaki I reached out to Mage just as Centipeder did about the funding angle." Fat Gum said while the other students present looked in shock at the three with Mage not knowing what had happened to them, but they'd hear the stories later once all this was done. "The Guardians and I go way back, though Mage is new to me as I dealt with your American members in the past, so I knew they needed to be informed."
"That was just the first point." Mage said. "When the suspect was arrested he said that his organization was funding something that could destroy Quirks and as they are international that was big. Further questioning after he came too revealed that he'd had dealings with a man called Overhaul who had produced a drug capable of temporarily neutralizing Quirks, so we began to look into this Overhaul person though all we knew was a name not an organization."
"And that is how we came across the Guardians in our investigation as their post explained why some of the funds we were noticing were coming from overseas." Centipeder said. "So that is why they are here."
"Alright so what does this Overhaul guy have to do with all this?" Rock Lock asked. "And who is this group funding them?"
"They're one of the international crime syndicates that embraced Quirks and were the most successful at it." Mage explained. "They're presence in Japan has been limited due to the wars first and then later the dominance of All for One in the underworld. The group I deal with don't mind leaving a nation to a single crime boss so long as goals don't interfere with their own but with All for One's arrest they've come here for the first time and their boss loves things that can neutralize power. I'm here personally because we fear that they may have representatives present with the Hassaikai that I may have to deal with."
"And as for Overhaul, he's the main focus today so we will get to him in a moment once the understanding of this drug is better known by you all." Nighteye said. "But for now, thank you Mage. Eraser Head, your take on this drug and how it compares to your Quirk?"
"From what I've been able to gather this drug doesn't seem to function like my Erasure does, nor like that device that Mage brought in." Aizawa said as he pointed to his eyes. "That is because I am not actually attacking the Quirk directly or inhibiting the brain's command over it. What we call a Quirk is an extraordinary addition to an ordinary human body and those additions are collectively referred to as Quirk genes. What I do is shield those genes and temporarily block their expression while my own Quirk is active, but I don't actually damage them."
"However, after Tamaki here was shot we brought him to the hospital, and they found that his Quirk genes had sustained damage which was what caused his Quirk to slow down to the point that it was effectively not working." Fat Gum said still standing and getting some shocked reactions from the gathered heroes while Amajiki just looked down at the bandages on his left bicep where he'd been shot with his usual dower expression. "Fortunately, they seem to have healed on their own and he's back to normal now."
"What do we know about the substance he was shot with?" Nighteye asked now that the technical, and lies in Mage's case but only he, Gran Torino, and the three U.A. students working with Mage knew that, was over to move the conversation along some more. "As it was an attack on your student Fat Gum you were the one tasked with determining that."
"Whatever it was it didn't harm the rest of his body." Fat Gum said. "Nothing but his Quirk was impaired in anyway and the guy who shot him isn't talking anymore. He won't say a word. In addition, the round that hit Tamaki was totally spent so we couldn't get anything from it but Kirishima bravely defended Tamaki from another bullet which then bounced off his own body due to his Hardening Quirk and that was able to provide us with a viable sample."
"I did that?" Kirishima asked surprised that he'd helped in such a manner. "Really? That's crazy."
"Wow awesome job Kirishima." Ochaco said with a smile at him.
"That's so cool." Tsu added. "Your Quirk protected you from damage."
"Oh yeah Hardening, that is really useful." Hado said. "So even though this drug can damage Quirks it needs to be in your system to work which it couldn't achieve thanks to your Quirk."
"When we analyzed the substance in the bullet we discovered something that made me sick to my stomach." Fat Gum continued the anger clear in his voice as he spoke. "It contained human blood and cells. We've preserved a bit of the blood and Mage has contacted one of the American Guardians who is an expert in the field, but she's held up at the moment and won't be in for a few days but when she does come in she'll give us a full analysis of it to determine if that is the source of what is going on."
That news hit the whole room hard. The revelation that the sample taken from the attack had human blood and cells was not a good one. Tsu pointed out that it was like a horror film and that certainly seemed to be the case. It was something well beyond what Marinette and Adrien had experienced in their old lives and reminded them just how different this world was to the one they'd been born in.
Still, there was one thing that hung in the air at this news the hardest. If this sample was made of blood and human cells then it could only mean one thing, whatever this drug was based off it had to be derived from someone's Quirk.
That also meant that there was now a Quirk out there that had the potential to damage and maybe even destroy a Quirk. What on earth could that kind of Quirk be and who had it? All things that would soon be answered as the silence was broken by one of the attendees speaking.
"In other words that effect came from a person." Ryukyu said voicing what they were all currently thinking. "Someone's power. A Quirk that can destroy Quirks. Mage is right, over 80% of the world's population has a Quirk, that's over 7 billion people give or take so the odds of a Quirk like this appearing aren't that low in retrospect."
"I'm still not connecting the dots here." A local hero in a white armor like costume with a blue and gold suit under it and wearing a freaky looking oni-style mask said in a robotic sounding voice that had to be coming from something in the mask. "How is all this related to the Hassaikai. All I'm seeing is various Quirk neutralization and suppression things and foreign money."
"The man who shot Tamaki with this new drug also used a different illegal drug to boost his own Quirk during his fight with Kirishima." Fat Gum said explaining the nature of the drug supply chain in the criminal world as he was the best present to do so. "The distribution channels for stuff like that are complex, and don't get me started on the finance side of this problem, though they have shrunk since the old days, but drugs still pass-through various people and organizations before they finally reach the end user. There's no concrete evidence that the Hassaikai handled the drug, but we know for a fact that one of the middle men responsible for moving it did interact with them."
"And we know from our end that the Shie Hassaikai group has received funds from an overseas account via numerous shell companies and tax havens in at least 3 continents, that we've been able to confirm thanks to the information provided by Nighteye Agency." Mage said. "Though we don't know the origin if the money and we can't stop the path as many of the places these people use tend to be hostile to those who wish to cut their best source of national income even if that means they're committing state sponsored money laundering. Still, it is coming from abroad and to the Shie Hassaikai which, when added with other evidence, indicates that they are the manufacturers of the drug."
"That's all?" The original hero who'd spoken asked still sounding unconvinced. "That's still not concrete proof."
"No, the other day Ryukyu's team broke up a fight between two villain groups." Nighteye said calmly. "One of those groups was controlled by the intermediary organization that Fat Gum just mentioned."
"And one of the two giants had been given an inferior drug that didn't last long." Ryukyu added. "We found that out after they were taken down and as such reached out to Fat Gum and his agency given their expertise in this area of illicit activity which all ended up coming back to the Hassaikai."
"There have been a rash of gang related crimes recently." A hero in a full black face hood thing sitting next to Gran Tornio said. "Most of the ones in my area can be connected to the Hassaikai if you try hard enough but they do a good job of keeping their hands as clean as possible."
"Which is what you seem like you are doing, trying to make them guilty." The original questioner clearly playing devil's advocate at this point said again. "Don't you have anything that implicates them in all this more clearly?"
At that the screen changed again in response. This time it showed a half face shot of a man, the same one in the photo with Twice only now part of his face and head was clear. He looked average with short brown hair and multiple piercings in his ear, but the big thing was the giant, ornate, plague doctor's mask on his face that looked like a beak.
How a European Black Death affectation thing done by doctors who believed the plague was transmitted by smell in the 15 and 1600s was now being used by a yakuza boss in Japan over 200 years after the advent of Quirks was a mystery to all but it was there. One thing for certain, it was a very eye-catching fashion statement.
Most present didn't actually know who the man was but the gasps from Midoriya and Togata showed that the pair did in deed know who he was. He was the man they'd run into with Eri who said that he was her father and took her away when she clearly didn't want to go with him which tied everything together for them and would do so for the rest soon enough.
"Yes we do." Nighteye said as the image was soaked in by the gathered heroes and students. "This is their young head, Kai Chisaki Quirk: Overhaul. With this power he can disassemble things and then reassemble them and unlike most Quirks his is not limited to inorganic materials. He has a Quirk that can break down matter and we now have a bullet that can break down Quirks. Overhaul as a Quirk cannot affect the genetic structure of things, but we all know that for the most part similar Quirks run in the family and they tend to get stronger, more complex, as the generations go on."
That was it, that was what got both Midoriya and Togata. The rest were still processing it, but the two boys were now white, wide eyed and sweating at the news as they knew exactly what it meant. That realization horrified and disgusted them as well as shaming them for their actions in not saving her even if it was the right call at the time. Ochaco noticed this in Deku and was instantly worried, as were Hado and Amajiki about Togata because if this got to those two so deeply then bad didn't even begin to cover it.
"Chisaki has a daughter named Eri." Nighteye continued and everyone began to put it together with the appropriate mixes of horror and disgust now becoming evident in their faces. "There are no records or details about her birth but when Mirio and Midoriya encountered her they noticed that there were bandages wrapped around her arms and legs."
"Could he really do something so horrific?" Ryukyu asked.
"Unfortunately, yes." Gran Torino said gravely, of all present he was the second oldest there, though few knew that part, and had been a hero before the rise of All Might so he'd seen the evil of this world had to offer more times than he could count. "In a world of superhumans if you can dream it, you can do it and with the powers now in play old notions of morality and decency no longer exist to some people."
"Hold on, what are they talking about?" Kirishima asked struggling to get it.
"Once again why do we have children in this meeting?" Rock Lock asked his eyes closed before looking at Kirishima across from him. "I'll say this one time. We're all wondering if Chisaki bastard is turning his own daughter's body into bullets and selling them on the black market."
There it was, the vocalization of what many were believing to be the case for those who had yet to pick it up. Kirishima was one of them and it hit him hard as he stared in utter horror at what Rock Lock had said.
"No…" Kirishima said.
"Don't tell me…" Ochaco added the horror at what she was hearing in her voice.
"Not even…" Marinette began her eyes wide before Adrien took her hand under the table to reassure her and avoid any issues though Momo too understood what Marinette was saying and even what that bastard had done to the French pair was nothing compared to what they were hearing.
"To be clear we aren't certain he's actually selling the bullets." Nighteye said. "At this point their efficacy appears to be questionable hence why the funding we've discovered is low at the moment, but it is there as they've got the concept. Most likely they are still in the testing phase so he's giving them out as samples to rally more people to his cause and to show his backers that he can do it, he just needs more money or time to finish the process. While we have no hard evidence of any of this, we do know that he is gathering allies and funds from across the nation and abroad with the latter. If the complete drug allows him to annihilate someone's Quirk entirely, imaging the devastation that he could cause."
"Just talking about it is enough to make my blood boil." Fat Gum said clenching his fist again. "Let's go get this monster."
"Wait did you just say annihilate a Quirk?" The blonde American next to Mage asked in English her eyes wide though thankfully they all understood the language and given the sheer fear they all saw in the American woman's eyes no one was going to question her. "Wh, what would that mean for someone like me? Would that kill me if I got hit by it?"
"You're the girl with the Duality Quirk, aren't you." Nighteye said switching to his lightly accented English causing her to nod at that. "You work as one of Mage's sidekicks who he brought along because we need someone with strength and durability that is different from Fat Gum's for when the operation goes down."
"Yes sir that's me." The woman, Izuku thought her name was BB if he'd hear correctly earlier, said and even Mage was surprised by how her usually fun-loving personality was gone right now. "M, my Quirk, well our Quirk I guess, is unique but I'm the submissive one, the one who's only present because of Quirk genetics I guess."
"I am aware of the nature of your Quirk and how unique it is to you." Nighteye said and if the situation wasn't so dire, and Izuku wasn't seeing that the American girl was clearly terrified by the revelation of what the drug could potentially do in its final state, more so than anyone else, he'd ask about it because he had no clue what it might be. "But we need your strength and power as we don't have anyone who can match yours without breaking their body or having to take the damage first before countering with a limited counter. Mage? She's your sidekick so I'll leave it up to you."
"Beth, we need you, but I promise that in this engagement I'll make sure you're not near Chisaki or any potential source for this drug should we encounter it." Mage said reassuringly. "Your genetics are strange even by Quirk standards and unique so we don't know how a drug like this would work on you, but we won't try and find out. If it comes to it I will order you to flee. Sometimes a tactical retreat is for the best if you aren't suited for, or it is too dangerous, the situation."
"Right, thanks." Beth said wiping her eyes a bit as everyone stared in surprise at her, well everyone who didn't know the nature of her Quirk as Marinette, Adrien and Momo all knew what it was and understood her fear as she was basically the manifestation of her brother's Quirk. "I'll help, there's a little girl in trouble so I have to do so no matter what. A hero knows that death may be around the corner, just I wasn't exactly expecting being erased from existence to be a serious possibility."
That peaked a lot of curiosity, but the seriousness of the situation ensured that no one was going to say anything or address it. They had to move on for the rest of the presentation and plan what was to come next but of course it was Rock Lock who had something else to say.
"It would have saved us a lot of trouble if these two amateurs had just gotten the girl away from him in the first place." Rock lock said looking at them. "Then we all wouldn't be here dealing with this."
"I take full responsibility." Nighteye said as Izuku, and Togata lowered their heads in shame at their failure. "The blame should not fall on them. Even without knowing the whole story they acted to save the child when they encountered her each in their own way. Midoriya was willing to bear the risk of taking her then while Mirio chose to wait for another opportunity when success would be more likely."
From their reactions, the looks of frustration, anger, and shame on their faces, it was clear that this was eating the boys up. This had been what had been affecting Midoriya all week and distracting him and no wonder, he'd failed to save a little girl who was almost certainly being horribly abused and now learned the full truth of the nightmares that they believed were being inflicted upon her. It would affect anyone.
"I assure you that nobody in this room is more frustrated than they are." Nighteye said and that was the tipping point as both boys suddenly rose to their feet in unison though that was not planned it seemed.
"We'll get Eri away from him next time." Izuku said as Togata joined him for the second part. "And we'll protect her!"
"Indeed." Nighteye said simply knowing that to be the case, they were more motivated than anyone to succeed in this and Nighteye trusted that at least Mirio could do it. "That's precisely what we've come here to discuss. In this room we have all that we need to ensure that Eri is rescued, and this operation is ended for good before they can complete that drug and bring chaos to the streets with it."
There was brief pause to this as the boys looked serious and meant it. It only lasted a moment however before Rock Lock let out a derisive sounding snort next to them.
"You kids want to talk big that's fine but if what Nighteye is saying is for real then that little girl's at the center of Hassaikai's entire underground drug operation." Rock Lock said. "She may have managed to get away from Overhaul for a few minutes, but she managed to get herself seen by a couple of heroes. Do you think that he's going to keep her at home after an encounter like that? Hell, I know that I sure wouldn't and if we go busting into their headquarters and she's not there then they're going to know that we're onto them."
"He has a point." Ryukyu said seeing the logic in Rock Lock's statement. "Do you have a plan for that Nighteye?"
"That is our conundrum." Nighteye said seriously. "Since we don't currently know how far they've taken their plans, the success of our initial strike is crucial. To that end we've made a thorough list of groups with known connections to the Hassaikai, as well as properties owned by the organization or their intermediaries. This is our starting point. I would like you all to investigate each of the coordinates on the map behind me, it is the most logical way to narrow down our targets. Those of you in this room will run the investigation in your respective jurisdictions but you will be aided by sidekicks from the Guardian Agency who Mage has already dispatched to those locations and are awaiting your orders."
As Nighteye was talking the image behind him changed to a map of Japan with the borders of its many prefectures on it. On the map were several odd, not quite circular, markings in various places showing 8 pentagons around what looked like an 8 spoked wheel in the center that had to be the crest or insignia of the Hassaikai. As he spoke targets appeared over all the logos and to the more astute or knowledgeable present they would have noticed that all the minor local heroes present were the top heroes in those particular locations.
"So that's why you asked minor heroes like us to join you." A hero next to the oni-mask guy with messy black hair, impressive sideburns, and a golden mask thing over his eyes, forehead and ears who was wearing a blue costume with a red cloak thing and golden pauldrons on his shoulders said. "I was wondering why I was invited to this party with 3 notable national agencies and the one international one but now I understand why we are here with some of the big guns."
"What do you mean?" The oni-masked guy asked from next to him.
"Go on look." The man who'd spoken of being a minor hero said nodding at the screen. "The heroes in this room all operate in one of those locals, we know the areas better than most so can easily investigate the Hassaikai's operations and buildings there."
"Didn't expect someone who'd worked with All Might for so long to be such a careful planner." Fat Gum said inexplicably still on his feet and causing Nighteye to look up at him. "Let's just go bring them down. While we're here sitting on our asses taking our sweet time that abused little girl is out there crying somewhere."
"We can't do this like All Might would, we don't have his speed or strength on our side." Nighteye said not looking at Midoriya but the room in general though the boy knew what his boss was getting at. "That is why we must be meticulous in our strategies and predictions from the outset. That way we have the highest chance of saving her."
"He's right, we shouldn't rush." Gran Torino said, as one of the few with an extensive relationship with All Might he could also attest to this but unlike Nighteye he knew that Izuku Midoriya was worthy to be Toshinori's successor. "If we show our hand and don't end up rescuing her then we'd just be throwing gas on a fire like how Stain's capture was a beacon that made criminals seek out and join the League. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they handed out Quirk destroying weapons to those thugs for free to increase their recruitment."
"You're thinking too dang much." Fat Gum said now turning to look at the old hero in their midst. "If we keep sitting here yapping about it we're not going to get anything done."
"Excuse me." Aizawa said raising his hand as he spoke from next to Gran Torino much to his students' surprise. "I have a question. I don't know the specifics of your Quirk Nighteye so feel free to correct but from what I've heard of it, your Quirk Foresight allows you to see into the future so why not use it on us? That's logical, right?"
That was a good point and several agreed though Marinette and Adrien were much more interested in the nature of the Quirk itself. A Quirk that allowed the user to see into the future, that was really useful and in the control of one of the few in the know of everything made it all the more so. They'd have to ask Mage about it all later but given the look on his face it seemed that there was a bit more to all the situation than they realized.
"I'm sorry but I cannot." Nighteye said his voice heavy with sorrow and what sounded like regret. "My foresight has some limitations, any power that messes with time will have some. I need a full 24 hours between activations which means that I get one person and then I'm spent for the rest of the day. Additionally, the future is played in my mind like a flashback. Think of it like viewing a film strip. For one hour I have the power to watch a person's life as a movie, but the issue is that everything I see is from a tight perspective on the person in question. This severely limits my capacity to interpret the context of what I am seeing."
"That should still provide more than enough information to be useful, don't you think?" Aizawa asked. "And it doesn't explain why you can't do it just the limitations on it that all Quirks have."
"What if I saw imminent death in your near future?" Nighteye asked back putting his hand over his eyes and the French pair had a bad feeling that this statement was more than just a question, Nighteye had almost certainly seen this before and been unable to prevent it. "Worse, what if it was a cruel, merciless demise?"
Nighteye paused and instantly Izuku knew what was up. This was because of what Nighteye had seen in All Might's future after the injury that had sapped his strength almost 6 years ago now and saw All Might's own death in 5-6 years from that moment. Only Izuku and Gran Torino knew the truth of this, not even Mage had been briefed on this part, and it had been the source of the estrangement between All Might and his former sidekick, one that had only gotten worse when All Might passed over Togata for Izuku when he decided who to pass One for All onto.
"My Quirk should only be employed when we have confirmed the highest likelihood of success in our mission." Nighteye continued after the pause. "Then it can help us ensure our victory by taking us directly to Eri. It shouldn't be relied on when there are too many uncertainties."
"Hold up." Rock Lock said. "Death is still information so if we know what is coming then we can figure out how to survive."
"You don't understand." Nighteye said his voice still heavy. "It is possible what I see is unavoidable. There have been other similar Quirks to mine before but only mine has never failed to show exactly what is to come to pass. No matter what it seems like I can't change the futures that I see."
"Bro that is the only excuse that you have?" Rock Lock asked sounding annoyed now. "Oh, hell no, just use it on me now and I'll show you that I can beat death."
"I can't." Nighteye loudly responded his head down showing just how afraid of something like that he really was.
"Yeah alright I get it." Rock Lock said relenting at the tone in Nighteye's voice as it brokered no dissent on the issue.
There was a pause again as Nighteye kept his head down and the various heroes and students gathered looked at him seriously. It was clear now that he'd experienced something like this before, that he'd seen death in someone's future and either it was still to pass, or it had done so despite his best efforts to avoid it thus causing this reaction in the man.
"We should get started." Ryukyu said with a deep sigh finally breaking the silence as it started to become awkward. "There's a child in trouble, that's what is important here. She takes all our priority right now and we must use what we have at our disposal in as best a way as possible to save her."
"Yes, we must confirm the girl's location and take her into our protection as quickly as possible using the most accurate data we can gather." Nighteye said breaking out of his despair over the future that he'd seen for All Might and rising with his usual composure back. "I'm counting on your help, all of you. Now before we break up into our agencies to coordinate the investigations into the locations provided, and those of you not familiar with Mage meet him to get the info on his sidekicks that have been sent to assist you, are there any questions?"
"Yeah I still have one." Rock Lock said getting back to a question he'd asked a few times but still had no answer for. "Why are there kids with us? Can someone please tell me why?"
"Hey, Tamaki and Kirishima have more than earned their spots at this table." Fat Gum said coming to their defense again without hesitation. "Tamaki is one of the Big 3 at U.A. and Kirishima proved himself against a boosted villain and saved Tamaki as well in his very first patrol. They're coming whether you like it or not Rock Lock, they will be needed."
"The same can be said for Uravity and Froppy." Ryukyu said. "Nejire has long proven herself to me and the other two came with her recommendation and showed it in their first encounter with serious villains. I may not have gotten the three that Nejire wanted but the third is here on her own merit as well."
"Ladybug has shown her mettle more than any of her class other than Cat Noir." Mage said and all present knew that to be true as they'd seen the French pairs' skills for themselves though only Momo knew the full extent of what Mage meant. "Both are crucial assets that we need with Quirks that few can bring to the table. Creati has proving her own as well, earning my work study offer through her own tenacity and skill. We will need all three with us for this."
"And you all heard why Mirio and Midoriya are needed, no one is more motivated than they are to save Eri." Nighteye said before he looked across at Mage. "But Mage is right, I specially requested the two French students working for him even if the Guardian Agency as a whole couldn't get involved, which thankfully they can, as both are needed."
"Wait they are?" Rock Lock said just as surprised as Marinette and Adrien were though those who knew them weren't, the pair constantly seemed to do this to the point that it wasn't much a surprise when one or both of them ended up in a situation like this. "I'm sorry but I don't know who you two are or what you can do other than being at U.A. and working for an agency with a reputation unlike any other. That still doesn't show your field mettle."
"Trust me Rock Lock, when it comes to the field these two will not fail." Mage said sternly as he rose and placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder to prevent her from answering while those who had been read in on Hosu knew at least what Agreste could do, as well as those who'd heard Gang Orca tell them of the hand to hand fight the pair had had in the licensing exam. "They will be able to do what is asked of them, I know it."
"And as for their Quirks, they are probably the second and third most valuable to us during the operation after Erasure Head's Erasure." Nighteye said surprising everyone this time. "Erasure is still the best to handle Chisaki's Overhaul Quirk but after that, well, I am right in that Cataclysm works on a molecular level Agreste?"
"It does sir." Adrien said surprised at being called out so directly by the man running the show. "While dust remains, or broken pieces if it's not been as thorough, the very molecular structure of what I've touched with it is gone."
"Huh, that sounds like Decay." Rock Lock said. "The Quirk that maniac who runs the League of Villains has."
"It differs in several ways." Aizawa said. "It only works on inorganic material for starters which is good as that lowers its lethality. Second Decay seems to just speed up the decomposition of whatever it is used on, Cataclysm destroys it entirely. Lastly, Cataclysm is an energy of sorts that requires Agreste's own stamina and strength to use hence his need to recharge it and he can turn it on and off. From all records Shigaraki can't do that with Decay as it is localized in his fingers and requires contact from all of them to work."
"Oh ok." Rock Lock said sounding somewhat mollified.
"What's more it is the Quirk that we need to employ alongside Erasure." Nighteye said. "Eraser Head is limited by his need to blink and that he can only effect what he can see, Agreste can back it up by destroying any and all inorganic material in the area. Overhaul can break down matter and reassemble it, but he can't reassemble what is fundamentally gone hence why we need it present. After that, a Quirk as powerful as Lucky Charm and what it can do is something that we can't pass up on having with us. As hard as it may be to believe Rock Lock but right now the strongest Quirk in this room probably belongs to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a first year at U.A."
At that everyone looked at Marinette who went bright red at the sudden attention. She really hated when this happened, but she just dealt with it as best she could.
"What power could get that kind of response from Nighteye?" Rock Lock asked.
"One that allows the wielder to create an item that will accomplish whatever goal the creator has in mind." Nighteye said simply. "And one that if it is successfully created and deployed won't fail. That is a power we could use."
"It's not infallible." Marinette said hoping to diffuse the situation. "I can be beat if I am overwhelmed before I make the item or the goal I have in mind is not in line with victory, and I am still learning to properly apply it but, um, yes that is an accurate assessment of what my Quirk can do."
"So, you're the girl with the Quirk that some consider to be an ultimate move on its own." Rock Lock said having heard the rumors from people like Ms. Joke but finally seeing the girl he wasn't sure he was convinced as she didn't look it. "I was wondering who had it."
"If done right it is akin to an ultimate move but as there are broad goals in a battle I need to have the right one in mind for that to work." Marinette said. "But as there is a little girl's life on the line here it seems I will not be shy in using it to ensure that we win."
"If that is all you have Rock Lock we do need to get to work." Nighteye said.
"For now." Rock Lock said. "Tell me where I need to look, and I'll begin my investigation."
Nighteye nodded and the meeting ended there with a disbursement of responsibilities for everyone present. It was time to get started and ensure that everyone knew what they had to do. They had a little girl to save and the sooner they managed it the better.
Nighteye calmly walked back to his office leaving the remaining ones present to his sidekicks as he headed to a smaller meeting that had been planned for after the main one. He'd given out the assignments to Ryukyu, Rock Lock, and Fat Gum while the rest went to his sidekicks or spoke to Mage. Gran Torino left early for what was to come while Eraser Head took the students to a different room to have a chat with them as their teacher. Right now, Nighteye had his own chat to deal with as he walked into his office and closed the door behind him, locking it in the process.
"Right let's get this started so that we can get back to the situation at hand." Nighteye said as he turned to find Gran Torino in one of the chairs and probably the main manifestation of Mage's consciousness resting against a wall while a lesser one dealt with any remaining heroes in the planning room. "Mage, can you secure us?"
"With ease." Mage said reaching down and pulling out his knife which seemed to vibrate briefly causing a strange buzzing sound before it settle though he kept it out and in his hand. "We're secure, I've tapped into Sonic's power to ensure that only we can hear our voices right now. No one else can, not from outside, not with a listening device and not with a Quirk."
"Good." Nighteye said as he made his way to his desk and sat down. "Bring me up to speed on everything Mage. Are you sure that they are involved?"
"Even if we aren't certain, which we aren't, this falls into the investigation to confirm or deny it so I can be here." Mage said. "But my gut tells me that they're there and that someone is going to be waiting for me when I show, that is why I must be there."
"And the students?" Nighteye asked. "There are no issues with them participating in this I take it. I was serious earlier; Ladybug and Cat Noir's Quirks will almost certainly be needed."
"As I have those two under my care both as their boss for their work studies and their legal guardian it's not an issue bringing them in." Mage said. "And before you ask, yes, Ms. Yaoyorozu is in the know of both my true nature and the truth of Marinette and Adrien's origins, it was that discovery that earned her a work study offer. She is not aware of the other stuff. Toshinori told Adrien and Marinette on that front after time caught up to them just in case they can help on that front, but I've used my magic to ensure they can't mention it except when only those who know can hear it."
"How?" Gran Torino asked.
"It's an ancient spell I put on the Miraculouses to ensure that kwamis couldn't reveal their holders to anyone else." Mage said. "One that kinda backfired what with how Nooroo and Duusu can't tell who abused them either but one that works well. It's tied to the Miraculouses and their magic however so I can only do it with them because of their use of them."
"Alright that is good to know." Nighteye said steepling his fingers as he thought on what he was hearing. "I've only been briefed on all this due to my ties to All Might meaning I am in the know of your identity Mage. Tell me all about these Miraculouses and the French pair. It's time I'm brought in fully on this so that we can properly use the old heroes of Paris in the way for which they were trained."
Mage nodded as he took his seat and began to explain to the two men the whole story of what had happened. If this mission was to be a success then Nighteye needed to know the full truth and it was time to properly bring Gran Torino up to speed as well. They'd need it for what was to come as the investigation into the Shie Hassaikai and the rescue of Eri began in earnest.
Well, there it is, the start of the Overhaul arc has begun with all the canon stuff in the other work studies now in the books and all our heroes gathered in one place ready to save Eri. Of course, this is going to be a good few chapters long, so the actual operation is still a ways away and has a few changes to fit with Adrien and Marinette now being present as all major arcs do so plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks as this arc begins to take shape and our heroes begin their mission to save a little girl. However, that is all I really have for y'all as this was a straightforward planning arc so not much to dissect from it here and as such I will leave this chapter off here. As always, if you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.
Stringdog
