What a weird experience.
"Smash ball!"
"Screw off I'm getting it! Come on come on YES!"
"Dammit!"
No studying. No working. No training. Not even fucking. Just... Hanging out with other people, other guys. It wasn't what he had in mind when he talked to Kirishima after the incident with Izuku. But somehow... It ended up like this. He, Kirishima, Kaminari and Ojiro hanging out in Kaminari's room. The electric hero was quick to suggest video games. Ojiro brought a bunch of snacks and they just... Relaxed together.
When was the last time Saiki actually relaxed? Even with the girls it didn't feel much like relaxing, more like working angles, trying to stay on top of things and keep everyone happy. Here there were no obligations.
He wasbadat video games. That was evident pretty damn quick. It only made sense, he'd never had time for those kinds of pursuits. His hero name might've been from one but that was more a coincidence. He came up with the name and it turned out to be a thing that existed so he decided to co-opt it. But even if he was an absolute novice, the others were accommodating, happy to make it something easy to pick up. Mario Kart and Smash. Games that it seemed were so chaotic it didn't matter all that much if you were good or not past a certain point. He got to grips with Smash a lot faster than the kart racer, situational awareness, precision and perception being a great leg up in that game. He gravitated to the tall chick with glasses in the skintight suit. She kind of reminded him of Midnight. Reminded him a lot of Midnight, actually.
"Kirishima you edge-guarding bastard!" Kaminari complained, his yellow rat character trying to climb back onto the platform.
Only to get knocked back down by Kirishima's red tiger... wrestler.. thing. "Welcome to the mountaintop! Climb up if you're a real man!"
Meanwhile Ojiro's gi-clad character was casually beating Saiki's ass. Natural advantages helped, but he was still a complete novice. Yet for once, he didn't care all that much, his competitive streak staying sullenly silent. He had other things on his mind.
"So Saisei, what're you gonna do?" Kirishima asked.
"I'm gonna break Ojiro's controller if he hits me with another fucking fireball-"
"HADOKEN!"
"DAMMIT!" Well that was his third life. Out again. Saiki gently tossed the controller to the floor between his legs. "I don't know, man," he answered the real question that had nothing to do with the game. He had asked for advice, and he supposed Kirishima took that as a reason for a decompression session. Maybe he thought Saiki needed to release some pressure, same as Izuku had. Or maybe Kirishima needed that too. Hard to say. The redhead wasn't one to let slip his own vulnerabilities. Neither was Saiki, but... He felt lost on this one. Didn't trust or understand his own thoughts on his situation.
In the moment with Izuku, when she kissed him, it was something he had wished for. Something he had missed since they had split up. But at the same time, the situation left him with the most unpleasant pit in his stomach. He didn't know why. She was vulnerable. Affectionate. Appreciative. It was a perfect opportunity to seal the deal, to get back what he lost. And yet it didn't feel right.
So... He did what he never considered before. He went to the people he thought were maybe his friends. And he asked for advice.
"Saisei," Ojiro spoke up, "did you ever consider maybe you haveenoughgirlfriends? I mean there's Yaoyorozu, Jiro, Bakugo, that strange support course girl... Isn't that enough? Maybe even too much?"
"No. Also you forgot–" ... No one except Izuku knew about Mirko. "Never mind."
Kaminari gasped out a laugh of surprise. "Dude, I'm jealous of your stamina and... In other ways that Melissa can never find out about. But the idea of trying with more than just her fills me with anxiety, never mind if she's okay with it, the thought of how many ways I could mess it up even if she is."
"If I fuck it up then I'll fix it."
Another more open laugh. "Jealous of your confidence too." His yellow rat rocketed off the screen, signalling his defeat. "Damn."
"Alright," Kirishima continued, "maybe you use your manly spirit in a way that's kind of a mess but leaving that alone." He glanced Saiki's way. "Midoriya was having a hard time. You were there for her. Then she kissed you."
"Right."
The redhead nodded. "Yeah, not pushing things was probably the right call."
Saiki wanted to argue, but he couldn't bring himself to admit he missed Izuku. That was a step too far in vulnerability and openness. "It was my chance and I passed it up."
"Look, man. You didn't take advantage when she was feeling low. That's agoodthing. It was the right thing to do for her, and if you think anything good would come from taking advantage like that, you're out of your damn mind."
Saiki couldn't agree. All of his relationships were built on taking advantage. Yeah, that said shitty things about him as a person but they were shitty things he knew and acknowledged.
The moment of silence coincided with Kirishima's character getting gracefully punted off the stage. The redhead once again looked Saiki's way. "Okay, yeah, you have that weird competitive thing with Bakugo," he admitted, perhaps seeing Saiki's doubt at his earlier words. "That's not the same. They're not the same. Midoriya's kind of... Fragile."
"Yeah, no she's not." He knew Izuku better. She had a strength and stubbornness that he both respected and feared.
But his opinion was in the minority, as Kaminari proved. "Yeah, she is. For things like this? She broke down crying in the middle of thecafeteria, dude. She's always been emotional and neurotic." He raised his hands in surrender at the glare he received. "Don't get me wrong, it's a cute appeal and there's no way anyone could say she's not strong, but for things like this? It's a damn minefield."
Ojiro nodded in agreement. "The question is, do you want her to look to you in desperation at a low moment and regret it later? Or do you want her to think of you as someone she can rely on? Someone she can trust."
"GAME!"
"Cheap shot," Kirishima complained.
"A master sees the mistakes of others as teaching opportunities," the martial artist in life and in game said with unusual smugness.
Kaminari rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, Sensei? Use that great wisdom to ask out Hagakure."
And just like that the smugness disappeared, replaced with the dithering of a boy worried about asking out the girl he liked. "Come on, she's a friend."
All three looked at him.
"Yeah no, nut up," Saiki said flatly.
"Show some manly spirit!" Kirishima cheered. "GOLDEN!"
"Come on guys, that's just a persona!"
It ended up being a fun evening. A kind of easy camaraderie he hadn't experienced before. No expectations, no condemnations, just a bunch of guys trying to figure their own shit out with help. Ojiro did need to get off his ass and tap that invisible ass though.
Later that night, lying in bed alone for once, Saiki tried to sort things out in his head. Yeah he didn't take advantage of Izuku, and it was probably the right call for both of them even from a purely practical perspective. He wanted her back, and it was something he didn't think was an option until she kissed him. He could get her back for a moment or a sequence of enjoyable moments if he took his shot, but then he'd lose her all over again. She'd think herself out of it. Looking like a better man, that was important for a girl like Izuku. Ojiro was right. Saiki had never been in it for a moment of gratification, he wanted to build something he could continue to enjoy. If he wanted her back, he needed to be someone she could trust.
Yet... He knew that wasn't what he was thinking in the moment. He was thinking about that uncomfortable twisting sensation in his gut.
No matter what she thought, no matter what her feelings were telling her in that moment, it wasn't what she needed. And over the past month or more, he had realised what the people he cared about needed was more important to him than what he wanted.
It wasn't a huge step, all things considered. Maybe his realisation that he didn't want to be his dad, and that he had unintentionally come pretty damn close to that. Iida was still a prick, and he might have made the comparison unintentionally and over an entirely different subject, but it was a comparison Saiki couldn't get out of his head. Other people mattered to him, they weren't just outlets. If it came to their wants or his, he'd still choose his. He wasn't about to let Katsumi call a single shot in their relationship. But... Momo was the most supportive person he ever met. Kyoka was a good ego check. Katsumi was a challenge. Mirko was an ideal. Mei was a dumb puppy. Izuku...
Izuku showed him how to be someone he was proud of. And he didn't want to betray that.
His introspections ended suddenly with the sound of his phone. A message alert from the work address. Four other 1-A students received similar messages at the same time, alongside three 3-A students.
It was time.
-(-)-
"We have the location of Eri Chisaki."
A train ride in the dead of night, taking them all to the Nighteye Agency. All for another meeting opened with that declaration.
Nighteye explained the process of acquiring the information. The use of his Foresight quirk on a Hassaikai thug he was following who was looking for toys little girls might like. Using his quirk, he predicted the future of that thug, it turned out to be Eri's caretaker as he had hoped. As a result he not only got the location of Eri, he got a complete map of their hideout, giving them the most direct route to find and retrieve the girl. A warrant was being procured, the police were being briefed on the situation and a raid was in the late planning stages. The layout of the Hassaikai compound that they were aware of had been printed and handed out to all participants of the meeting to memorise.
They wouldn't waste a single moment. They would be rescuing the girl today.
"Izuku," he said to her as they all left the meeting, set to prepare themselves for the raid. The way she looked at him, even if she knew they needed to do this, she didn't want to do this right that moment. Which was good, because neither did he. "I hope we can talk when this is over. For now, let's save that little girl, right?"
She let out a silent sigh of relief. "Right!"
"Just... You can't save anyone if you die. Promise me you'll remember that, yeah?"
And for once, when she looked back at him and gave him a firm nod, when she said "I promise."
He believed her.
The main compound of the Shie Hassaikai... It told Saiki a lot about the yakuza that he never really understood from history books. It had nothing on the upper upperupperclass estates of people like the Yaoyorozu, but it was still massive. A veritable fortress in the middle of the city. And he couldn't ignore, this wasafterthe yakuza were more or less uprooted by All Might. It wasafterJapanese society was flooded with so many heroes that they damn near fought each other over the chance to arrest every petty crook. The Hassaikai were the last group standing, but they were also mostly unable to ply their preferred trades if they didn't want to get undone by heroes. Only able to do business in the most carefully controlled circumstances.
And they could still afford a huge walled compound like that, and presumably house and provide for the members who resided within.
Minutes ticked by as final preparations were made. Saiki's hand brushed over his chest, over the slight lump over his heart where the injector for the Mega Formula resided. He used it frivolously the first time. It was a test run. Here... He knew he could only use it if he needed to use it. There would be no second chances. He could curse Recovery Girl for that, but she was right. He hadn't even taken the power to its absolute limit and he could still feel his bones creak and rattle with the stress he put them under.
"Are you nervous?" Uravity asked with an uncertain smile.
He sniffed. He wasn't going to be able to pretend. "Yeah, guess I am."
"Is it weird that I find that reassuring?" she asked with a faltering titter. "I mean if even you're nervous."
"This is a big deal," Froppy agreed, squatting on the curb across the street from the compound, looking at the swarms of police getting ready to move in. Not to mention the other heroes. "This might be too big for us."
"Then run and hide," Flygon told her. "Nerves are fine. But there's no room for doubts, not here. We have a job to do."
"Saiki!"
"Flygon," he corrected Uravity, not looking at her.
"Undiplomatically put or not," Ryukyu joined the conversation, Nejire following at her side, "Flygon is right. Froppy, I won't think less of you if you fall back. You're still learning. But second-guessing yourself only makes you a liability here when there are lives on the line."
The frog hero glanced at Flygon with a little disquiet, but nodded. "Right. Sorry, boss. I can do this. For Eri."
Whatever got her head in the game as far as Flygon was concerned. Though he recognised he had utterly failed at doing it himself. Something he could consider later. The detective in charge of the police forces was readying everyone to move in. Flygon's wings burst out, watching in anticipation as one of the officers approached the doorbell.
Only for the gate to smash open at the hands of a behemoth of a masked man. Deku and Eraserhead moved quickly to rescue the officers who would have been crushed by the broken gate.
Then, Ryukyu stepped in. Blocked the muscular villain's punch with her suddenly draconic form. An uncanny melding of woman and dragon caught the villain between her claws before slamming him down into the asphalt. "Get moving! The Ryukyu Agency will handle things out here!"
She said that, yet she clearly had the situation handled on her own. It was almost funny how Nejire said they needed to back the dragon lady up. Meanwhile the police stormed past her into the compound waving their warrant around and declaring their intent to search the premises. An action of abiding procedure more than anything else. Even if they were immediately met with hostility before even stepping onto the premises, there were still rules.
Rules the yakuza didn't care about, as the moment they heard 'search warrant' they went on the offensive. One thug turning the leaves of the greenery in the courtyard into a hail of needles that punched into the police riot shields. However, that threat was swiftly ended by a winged form crashing sideways into him, sending him into his compatriot and both of them to the floor. The police and heroes of the rescue team forged ahead, their path regularly cleared by that same winged figure crossing back and forth across the path to dislodge adversaries.
And as they finally reached the interior of the compound, Flygon looked back through the gate, to Ryukyu. She returned the look. Her dragon form giving her an added weight of menace. She knew what he was asking for. He didn't know what went through her mind in that moment. Whether she was weighing the pros and cons of his abilities, or of his attitude, the hero she knew he looked up to, what he could provide for the mission, her responsibilities as his employer. It could have been any of them, all of them, or any combination.
She nodded.
It was all he was willing to wait for. He listened as she gave the order for the other heroes remaining outside to subdue and arrest the rest of the criminals crowding the entranceway. Meanwhile, he flew over the top of the crowds, joining those leading the charge.
"Saisei!" Red Riot exclaimed.
"Flygon," he corrected, again, turning himself side-on to them as he looked where they came from. "I'll take rear guard position."
"Yeah, I'll watch my own back before I leave it to a kid, thanks," said Rock Lock, dismissing him. "Nighteye, this the way?"
"The shrine here hides a hidden passage," the precognitive hero answered. "Pressing down these boards..." The wall behind the shrine opened. "Let's keep moving–" But from around the opening wall, three more thugs emerged.
Nighteye's sidekicks were quick to take charge, bringing down and disabling them before they could do anything significant. "Go! We'll make sure these are down and follow in a moment!" Bubble Girl insisted.
"Good! Thank you!" The sharply dressed hero took the lead into the hidden passage, heroes and a handful of police following him.
To a dead end.
"So much for your predictions, Nighteye!" Rock Lock bitched.
"I'll take a look!" Lemillion volunteered, removing his helmet as he phased through the wall, then quickly returned. "Yeah, the passage keeps going on the other side!"
"They set this up fast," Flygon thought aloud as he looked about the heroes they had with them. Nighteye, Lemillion, Suneater, Deku, Red Riot, Rock Lock, Fat Gum, Eraserhead and himself. What a weird turn of events. All the established pros with useful abilities, but for raw firepower... "One side, Lemillion! Deku, Red Riot, looks like we're up!" he announced, stepping forward.
"Hell yeah!" Red Riot cheered, his body hardening.
Deku grinned at him, her eyes shining with the confidence he loved to see from her. "Right!"
The dragonfly hero's muscles flexed, his arms swung forward in a pair of punches he had practised so many times. Punches designed for the sole purpose of demolishing whatever they were aimed at. "Brick Break!"
"Red Gauntlet!"
"Full Cowling: Shoot Style!"
The wall shattered from the quartet of impacts, leaving the passage wide open.
"Hey, that didn't suck!" Rock Lock said in what was probably meant as a compliment.
Flygon turned to level the pro with a flat look. "That's the most positive thing I've heard you say since I met you. Think about that." He shook his head. "If these guys think walls could stop or slow us, they've got another thing coming."
"Hey, you're getting better at sounding heroic!" Red Riot praised him with at thumbs up that only made him feel embarrassed.
Thankfully, a distraction. Though whether Flygon felt he should be thankful for it was up in the air. The tunnel began to warp and twist, upsetting the footing of everyone present. More walls rising along their intended path even as that path became increasingly impossible to traverse.
"Is this how they made those walls so quickly?" Eraser asked.
"It has to be Irinaka!" the detective leading the police and riot officers moving with them. "His quirk lets him manipulate objects but never anything on this scale! The best he could do was the size of a refrigerator!"
"Damn Trigger again!" Fat Gum cursed. "Has to be! They're pulling out all the stops to keep us occupied!"
Flygon fluttered upward, keeping the dimensions of the hallways and the height of the ceiling in mind. It was concerning how much he had to move to keep himself toward the middle of the hallway, the tunnel was undulating so much.
"If they're trying this hard to slow us down, that means they're worried!" Lemillion declared. "But this won't stop me! So long as we know which way to go, we can still get there!"
"Lemillion!"
"Mirio!"
The blond ignored the calls from Deku and from his boss, disappearing beyond the next blocking wall.
Flygon shook his head in frustration as he fluttered forward. "He's right. I'll keep making a path, you all just focus on–!" He heard it first. The rumble of a large shift of the passageway. Turning back, his mouth fell open as he saw the gaping hole in the floor, heard the yelps of everyone else falling through it. "Shit!" And before he could make a move, the hole snapped shut again.
He moved back to where it was, slammed a fist into the ground. "Brick Break!" The floor shattered, only to reveal more floor. And the tunnel continued to undulate. Even if he broke through, there was no guarantee he'd end up in the same place that Ishi-whatever guy had dumped them. "Rrrrgh, fine!" The dragonfly turned, zipped down the hall and slammed his way through the wall. "You wanna play that way?! See if these walls block my path any better than they blocked Lemillion! Put as much damn concrete in my path as you want! I'll smash through any barrier you put up!" One by one he punched a hole in each wall. "I can do this all day! You hear me, Ishiyama?!"
No answer but the walls roiling a little harder, achieving nothing but pushing Flygon to move further with them. So long as the villain was busy trying to hold him up, he wasn't doing anything else to the others. "Is that all you got?!"
As the walls snapped inwards in an attempt to crush him, the answer was obviously a 'no'. A fist snapped out, breaking the concrete of one side as he pirouetted over and through the closing gap. "Keep trying, jackass!"
"AAAAGH!"
The roar of fury was surprising. The sudden settling of the hallway even more so. Had Ishiyama given up? That was both a good and bad thing. It meant his progress wouldn't be hindered anymore, but it also meant the villain was probably focusing on something else for which he could be more effective.
"I swear to god, Izuku," he muttered under his breath as he smashed through another wall. "You better be alright. You promised me."
-(-)-
A/N: This chapter seen... A long time ago on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! FEAR THE P! LOVE THE P!
That's right. I'm back. Got about 15 chapters of this to work through.