It had taken some time for All Might to reach the oil reserve, more than he liked to admit. Through his journey, he took special care to destroy some of the Ninth Circle's armored vehicles. Just looking behind him All Might could see the carnage of torn-up vehicles, the villains powerless to stop him. But while it was the strategically smart move to make, it had cost him twenty minutes.
Now as All Might stood outside the oil reserve's gate, looking down at his Idroid, All Might couldn't help but look around impatiently.
"Where are they," All Might muttered to himself, looking up from his Idroid and around the area for any sign of friendly forces. He was sure he carved them a decent enough path. Then again, things don't always go to plan. The others must have just been delayed, All Might rationalized with a grumble. Pocketing the device he'd been given, All Might took a moment to stretch.
In that moment he felt a bullet strike him in the face. It didn't hurt him in any way but didn't make him flinch. Seconds later he heard the gunshot ring out, All Might now turning to face its source. There he saw a helicopter flying nearby, a villain with a high-caliber sniper rifle aiming at him from inside the aircraft. Rearing his fist back, All Might punched the air in front of him, sending a strong gust of wind toward the helicopter.
The wind quickly sent the helicopter into a tailspin, and the aircraft fell out of the sky soon after. Of course, after All Might saw the helicopter fall, he felt more bullets strike his skin. Guarding his injury with his hand, All Might turned and spotted the villains he'd arrived to stop now showing up. It was a fleet of trucks driving toward him, filled to the brim with villains. Some big, some small, but all in the dozens.
With a deep breath, All Might spotted his first target, a Type-16 MCV. In a second All Might rushed toward the vehicle and bodyslammed into its front. The vehicle quickly crumpled into itself, lurching off the ground slightly. Feeling it stop All Might quickly pushed himself from the vehicle, and grabbed it with both hands. With the loud cracking of metal, All Might ripped the vehicle in two.
"Shit!" he heard a villain cry out, finding the cultist sitting on one half of the Type-16. Dropping both halves All Might rushed by, knocking out the vehicle's occupants with a single punch each. With one vehicle done, All Might rushed off toward the next. Though he stopped for a moment, finding his target. Six technicals were driving his way all clumped together on the road.
Seeing an opportunity All Might took a deep breath, his fist clenched.
"Texas smash!" All Might yelled, throwing his fist forward and launching a large gust of wind forward. Instantly cultists were thrown off their feet, and their vehicles launched up into the air, before crashing back down. Bits of buildings were torn up too, flinging rubble at other villains now arriving. With his same usual smile, All Might watched as a chunk of a building crushed the turret of an IFV driving up quickly.
Yet the villains kept coming, much to All Might's annoyance. Where the hell were they, All Might questioned as an RPG struck him in the chest. The explosive detonated harmlessly against him, but unfortunately charred his hair tufts. Quickly dusting himself off All Might leaped up into the air, and found a crew of villains resting on a rooftop. Landing onto the roof All Might wasted no time attacking each villain.
He grabbed one holding an RPG and slammed him into the ground. He dashed at another upper cutting them in the jaw. He ran off grabbed a third, and RKO'd them into the ground… ok he may have been having a bit of fun with this. But he darted around the villains beating them all in seconds. When the rooftop was clear he jumped down and crushed another tank with his weight.
The moment he stood atop the wrecked vehicle he found every villain firing at him. Everything they had available was dedicated solely to killing him. The autocannons on IFVs tried shooting his injury, only for his hand to block them. Infantry aimed for his face firing 5.56, 7.62, or even 12.7mm rounds. They fired everything at him, all to no avail. But All Might could feel his power draining. Darting in the opposite direction to find some peace, All Might stood behind a store wall breathing heavily.
Pulling out his Idroid All Might mentally swore. Five minutes left, and still no sign of anyone else. All Might grumbled at the knowledge worriedly. They couldn't be too far behind, could they?
"Remember, the world can't lose its symbol," Miller's words echoed through his head, "The moment you feel time running out, you get the hell out of dodge."
Looking back around the corner, All Might knew that wasn't an option now. The world needed its symbol, but the villains needed this oil. Tiredly All Might tried thinking of an answer, as bullets began to hit the wall next to him. Turning around he found the villains had quickly caught up with him now. They couldn't reach that oil, All Might decided. But what does he do? Running out as more villains began to shoot his cover, an idea slowly came to mind.
Stopping he stared out at the street while covering his wound. This would be risky. Feeling a 12.7mm round ricochet off his chest, All Might had his decision made. Moving his arms out, All Might took a deep breath… eh, why not, All Might thought to himself, a more giddy smile taking the place of his confident one.
"Hulk, smash!" All Might shouted, clapping his hands together. He sent out a massive shockwave as he did so. Hurricane force winds ripped by the villains tearing up everything in their path. Buildings were torn apart and broken in seconds, and tanks were lifted off the ground and flung away like toys. And hundreds of cultists were thrown back for miles. When the wind died down, All Might had saw he also leveled some nearby buildings. The area was thankfully evacuated, so no one was harmed.
But it also gave All Might the added benefit of clogging up the roads with rubble. His time now running out, All Might carefully turned and walked up to the reserve's gate. Where he entered the main security booth and sat down. He knew his attack wouldn't stop the villains, but it would hopefully buy enough time for the others to arrive. Sure enough, the moment All Might sat down in the security room's chair he heard the sounds of engines driving up.
He almost assumed it was more villains, but shot the idea down when he heard the drivers swearing in English.
"[How the fuck does this happen!? We drop a nuke or some shit!?]"
All Might just chuckled to himself, before leaning back in his chair.
Call it wrong of Alpaca, but she felt like a kid again. Running through the open street her feet stomping on the ground, it felt exhilarating. For good reason too, because she'd luckily been assigned one of the R team's MBCVs. Now she was charging through Musutafu's streets with an M242 Bushmaster modified into a rifle. The mech itself stood at thirteen feet tall, resembling a humanoid appearance. Though it stood somewhat wider than one would expect.
On its back was a large almost backpack-like attachment with a feedlink connecting to the autocannon. The mech's cockpit meanwhile was an armored-up capsule covered in minuscule cameras. The inside of the cockpit was surrounded by screens for a full 360-degree view. Coming to a stop at an open intersection Alpaca spotted a whole slew of cultists trying to hide away in a small grocery store.
Seeing the mech the cultists wasted no time firing at Alpaca. Most rounds dinged against the mech harmlessly, not having the penetration power to break through. Moving her arms inside the cockpit Alpaca aimed the autocannon in her mech's hands. The arms moved fluidly and quickly, in sync with Alpaca's movements. In seconds Alpaca held down the trigger, feeling the rhythmic thunk as the autocannon fired.
Rounds tore through concrete and brick, shattered glass and splintered wood. Cultists ducked down quickly trying to hide from the onslaught. When Alpaca stopped firing, not a cultist remained.
"Having fun are we?" someone called out over the radio, dragging Alpaca's attention behind her. Now arriving was a squad of soldiers, all seemingly out of breath as they ran toward Alpaca.
"Left us behind back there," a soldier called out, with Alpaca shifting in the cockpit. The arm holding her autocannon fell to her side, while the other rubbed the back of her mech's nonexistent head.
"Really? Shit, thing's faster than I thought," Alpaca replied, earning a chuckle from some soldiers.
"I call next turn!" a different soldier called out, causing Alpaca to laugh.
"It's not a toy Finch," a sergeant lambasted, "Besides if anyone's getting it next it's me."
Alpaca just shook her head from inside the cockpit, before turning away for a moment. It had been an exciting few hours. Moving through the city streets almost nothing had been able to stop her. That's not to say she was invincible, as she turned over to face her mech's right arm, Alpaca could see the .50 BMG round still lodged into the metal. The mech wasn't a tank. It could survive most rifle rounds easily, but anything higher could cause damage.
But it made sense in Alpaca's mind. The mech was more akin to heavy infantry than it was some unstoppable juggernaut. It was more a combination of an IFV and the human body. Just as Alpaca thought this though, the mech's sensors began ringing out in alarm.
"Ambush!" a soldier called out, as bullets began striking her mech again. Turning Alpaca spotted a new band of cultists moving towards them from down the street. Instantly the soldiers behind her ducked for cover, just as Alpaca raised her autocannon. Firing quickly she watched as cultists were turned into a red mist. One tried to hide behind a lone car for cover, only for a 25mm round to punch right through the engine block.
Just as Alpaca was about to shoot another cultist, she heard an alarm ring from the mech. Confused she checked her soliton before spotting a massive dot running straight toward her. Looking up Alpaca felt a cultist slam into the mech, tackling the thing to the ground and causing Alpaca to lose her autocannon. The violent force tore the gun off its ammo feed and cracked a screen inside the mech, with Alpaca looking up at her attacker.
The cultist was dressed in the usual purples and greys like all the others but was considerably larger than the rest. He stood almost shoulder to shoulder with the mech. What Alpaca immediately noticed though, was the cultist's four arms. Two were holding onto a broken GAU-19, that the cultist was now trying to bludgeon Alpaca with. Quickly Alpaca punched the cultist in the jaw, the mech's arm following her motion.
The large metal fist shoved the cultist off Alpaca, allowing the soldier to stand back up. Before Alpaca could grab her weapon, the cultist was back on her. Both arms reached out to try and grab her, with Alpaca swiftly grabbing one of them. With little thought, she turned and threw the man back. Watching for a moment she saw the cultist fly through the air before slamming into a nearby wall.
With little time she rushed over and grabbed her autocannon. It couldn't shoot without the ammo feed, but it was still useful. Seeing the large multiarmed thug get back up, Alpaca wasted no time charging the man. Holding her autocannon like a club, she swung the thing the moment she was close enough. The weapon struck the thug's gut loudly, echoing down the street.
Not letting the thug react Alpaca then slugged him across the jaw again, and again. Just then the cultist managed to catch her hand, coughing up blood at the same time. Alpaca responded by dropping her autocannon again, to grab the cultist's wrist. Instead of throwing him though, she had the mech's hand crush it. The man's quirk provided some resistance against the robotic counterpart but was soon overpowered.
The cultist cried out in pain, grasping his broken wrist, while Alpaca quickly uppercutted him. Wanting to end this fight, Alpaca tackled the thug and wrestled him to the ground. Fighting against his four arms Alpaca wrapped hers around the cultist's neck. Sensors blared as the thug clawed into the mech's armor, breaking some small components. But Alpaca didn't let up, instead tightening her hold on him.
After a minute of struggling, Alpaca heard the crack of the thug's neck, and slowly let go. The cultist now dead on the ground, Alpaca walked over and picked her autocannon back off. Seeing the other soldiers were still fighting, Alpaca quietly looked to see if she could reconnect her autocannon. Seeing she could not, Alpaca grumbled, before fishing around her mech's backpack.
Best to have backup plans, she mentally thought, before pulling out an emergency ammo box. Quietly she loaded the box onto her autocannon and looked around the street. Alpaca couldn't help but smirk as cultists again tried shooting her mech.
Looking out at the city, Yaoyorozu couldn't help but worry somewhat. It had been hours since the MSF and heroes had moved into the city. Ever since they did thousands of civilians had been arriving at UA. Massive droves of people were brought in, and directed toward Ground Beta for temporary housing. They were tended to by medics, given some small amount of supplies, and were reunited with lost family members.
The sight was heartwarming for Yaoyorozu, seeing thousands of innocent people being taken care of. But it's also where her worry came from. There were thousands of them, from all over the city. How many of them had their homes destroyed? How many had their businesses destroyed? How many of them had lost family members in the conflict? How many had been crippled and traumatized?
Yaoyorozu didn't like to think about it, as she slowly pulled her eyes away from the city skyline. With a deep breath, she turned and began walking around the campus. As she walked she spotted more and more civilians being led in. As well as the destruction UA had received. The hundreds of massive craters in the ground, the blown-up vehicles the MSF was still cleaning out, and a massive amount of bullet casings covered the ground, blotting out the grass beneath.
There was, however, something else Yaoyorozu noticed. Near the school's main entrance, was a large crowd of reporters. Though she was a bit far away Yaoyorozu could hear them talking loudly.
"It was horrifying, to see so many people lose their lives… I only wish I could have done more," a woman proclaimed, with some reporters murmuring in agreement.
"Do you have any words for people at home?" one reporter asked, the woman waiting a moment to think.
"I know things are bleak now, but it will get better," the woman replied, "We heroes will be there to help. I will be there to help."
Yaoyorozu didn't find anything particularly off about the interview, so she was about to begin walking away. That was until a few reporters shifted out of the way, allowing Yaoyorozu to see who they were interviewing. There Yaoyorozu saw a hero with long pink hair. As well as a darker pink and magenta costume, with heart-shaped shoulder and knee pads. A larger heart served as a chest plate and was positioned low, leaving her cleavage slightly exposed. As well as a stripe-patterned skirt.
"Because with this tragedy, I believe it fitting that the Hearts and Stars Foundation will begin accepting donations to help those in need," Heart Star proclaimed somewhat teared-eyed as she looked between reporters. Yaoyorozu quietly stared at the hero for a moment, unsure of what to think. Grizzly came to mind eventually though, and the soldier's distaste for his old acquaintance.
"Not a single dollar goes to those in need. The entire thing is nothing but a massive laundering scheme," she remembered Grizzly saying. It felt impossible to believe, knowing the thousands her parents had donated to Heart Star's charity. Grizzly had to be wrong, Yaoyorozu thought. Maybe Heart Star had changed since she graduated from hero school. Yeah, that had to be it Yaoyorozu rationalized.
But then she noticed something odd. Looking over Heart Star she could see the hero's costume had been torn up somewhat. Large slashes and scraps covered the chest piece, shoulder pads, and knee pads. Part of the skirt had a large cut and some of her costume had tears across them. Yaoyorozu thought nothing of it at first, but looking again, it seemed too… natural. Too clean.
The pinks of her costume had no dirt or dust staining them. No blood or guts leaving a mark. Grizzly and the other soldiers had blood spots on their uniforms, sweat clinging to the fabric. Dirt covered some soldiers' faces others had bits of rubble and dust covering their helmets. Hell even her classmates had been filthy from the attack, covered in dirt, dust, and blood.
Now she stood in some spare clean gym clothes the staff had on hand. She'd managed to clean herself up somewhat. But the original clothes she had on that day were a mess. Heart Star's were clean. Torn up, yes, but they looked as if they came right out of the washing machine. The hero herself looked better than anyone else Yaoyorozu had seen.
She bore no cuts or bruises like other heroes. No grievous wounds or bandages. Heart Star looked perfectly healthy. Instantly that brought a new thought to Yaoyorozu's mind. Heart Star looked perfectly healthy, so why was she here at UA instead of out there in Musutafu? By this point, Yaoyorozu hadn't realized it, but she'd begun walking toward the crowd of reporters.
"Excuse me, Heart Star," she called out and Heart Star quickly turned when she heard her name called. The hero looked Yaoyorozu over for a minute before her eyes seemingly lit up.
"A UA student," Heart Star quietly muttered to herself before seeming to smile, "You need something?"
"I had a few questions for you," Yaoyorozu replied, hearing a few snaps from some reporters' cameras.
"Oh?" Heart Star asked, slowly approaching Yaoyorozu. The look the hero held oozed concern, with a friendly smile. Somehow it felt fake to Yaoyorozu, completely staged. Quickly Yaoyorozu spared the cameras a quick glance, deciding if this was worth it.
"Yes, see…" Yaoyorozu trailed off, before thinking everything over. She'd already been embarrassed on live TV and sullied her family name. Was it wise to risk doing it again? What if she was wrong? She almost tried to step back but stopped herself. A hero would try to find the truth, Yayorozu mentally stated.
"Shouldn't you be at the front? With the other heroes in Musutafu?" Yaoyorozu asked, earning a small twitch from Heart Star. The woman kept up her fake concern but Yaoyorozu had noticed something. It took a second but Yaoyorozu soon saw why, as Heart Star had a pen in her hand. A pen the hero quickly pocketed.
"Oh I would, but I was told to stay at UA, on account of my injuries. Got a concussion you see," Heart Star replied, the hero taking a moment to rub her head. Of course, Yaoyorozu thought the answer over carefully.
"A concussion from what?" Yaoyorozu asked, immediately finding something off about the hero's words. The villains had attacked with guns and explosives. Explosives could have caused a concussion but would have also torn her apart with shrapnel. A gun was a gun. That alone would have killed her, not concussed her.
"Not… quite sure what it's called. But it was a large gun the villains were using," Heart Star hesitantly replied, not seeing some of the reporters look at her confused. One even muttered to himself, "Large gun… shouldn't she be dead then?"
"Shouldn't you be in a hospital bed then, getting rest?" Yaoyorozu asked suspiciously, with Heart Star quickly shrugging.
"I should, but I just couldn't sit by and do nothing," Heart Star replied, bringing back the mock concern she had before. She motioned to all the civilians being brought into the city as she spoke as well, the reporters' cameras following her gesture. Instantly Yaoyorozu knew the hero was trying to distract them with something.
"Your costume is oddly clean," Yaoyorozu pointed out, noticing Heart Star freeze for just a second. It brought the reporters' attention right back to her quickly.
"...bit weird to point out," Heart Star replied, earning a chuckle from some reporters.
"Is it? We saw heroes covered in blood during the attack, yet your costume is almost spotless," Yaoyorozu added, "Why is that?"
The question again made Heart Star freeze, the hero thinking for just a moment.
"W-well I wouldn't say spotless," Heart Star nervously replied, trying to keep up her appearance of confidence.
"Hold on, she's right," a reporter piped up, a few others murmuring in agreement.
"Can't see a speck of dirt on her," a second added, Yaoyorozu now noticing a bead of sweat going down Heart Star's head.
"That's because I cleaned it once the attack was over," Heart Star told them.
"Blood isn't easy to wash out," Yaoyorozu countered, "And based on the number of tears on your costume, there should be plenty of blood stains."
"No there wouldn't be. I was never shot, so there could be no blood," Heart Star quickly retorted, her tone more aggressive than the hero wanted it to be.
"Then why are there tears in your costume?" Yaoyorozu asked, before mentally lambasting herself. It was too easy of a question. Heart Star could say she scrapped herself and tore her costume on some furniture. But then Yaoyorozu looked the hero over. She was sweating more now, nervously.
She was panicking, Yaoyorozu realized. Panicking people never thought things over. Quietly Yaoyorozu begged Heart Star to slip up, the hero bringing back her small amount of confidence.
"B-because the villains were attacking me with knives and blades. Narrowly avoided them and in the end my costume suffered," Heart Star replied, doing exactly what Yaoyorozu wanted.
"...All the villains attacked you with knives? Every single one of them?" a reporter asked confused, the logic not lining up entirely. Quickly Heart Star saw her mistake, the hero trying to defend herself.
"Ye- no… I mean-" Heart Star muttered, a new reporter cutting her off.
"Heart Star I thought you said you were concussed? How did you get a concussion from a knife?"
"Couldn't the villains have stabbed you, if they managed to concuss you with a knife? Wouldn't that have created blood loss?"
"Weren't all the villains equipped with firearms? Why would the ones fighting you only have knives?"
"Didn't you say you were concussed by a large gun? If that was the case then why did that villain have a gun, yet the rest had blades?"
"Well, you see I-" Heart Star tried to argue as more reporters continued piling on questions. It had taken her a minute, but Yaoyorozu had pieced it together now.
"You didn't fight the villains," Yaoyorzu stated coldly, the words making the words go quiet in shock.
"That's absurd. I was at the stadium, with all those villains attacked-" Heart Star tried to argue, only for Yaoyorozu to interrupt her.
"And you didn't fight them," Yaoyorozu retorted, "That's why your costume's so clean. You hid in the stadium as others fought, then tore up your costume the moment the cameras came out."
"Now hold on-" Heart Star again tried to argue, only to be swarmed with questions again by the reporters. Yaoyorozu watched the hero's face shift from mock confidence to nervousness, to a brief glare in Yaoyorozu's direction. The only real emotion Yaoyorozu could see was the woman's nervousness and her anger. Everything else was fake. On and on Heart Star tried to argue against Yaoyorozu's words, but in her panic, she continued to slip up.
She said she was at the stadium's west side, then she contradicted herself and said it was the east side. She was by the infirmary defending patients but didn't know the villains had dropped through the floor. She'd said she'd been evacuating the concession stand, then said it was the gift shops. Constantly switching up her story, Yaoyorozu slowly became angry.
"She's a stuck-up bitch," Yaoyorozu remembered Grizzly saying, "A crappy hero."
The belief that both Grizzly and Heart Star were outliers brought some relief, but not much. To see all these reporters surrounding the woman, previously interviewing her, and most likely praising her, was worrying. Heart Star had tricked thousands into looking up to her, and no one had questioned it because she was a "hero".
"...Grizzly was right about you," Yaoyorozu muttered, earning a confused look from Heart Star.
"Grizzly?"
"Freezer Boy," Yaoyorozu replied, the hero looking at her shocked. Only to slowly give Yaoyorozu a slight glare.
"You've talked to that traitorous villain?" Heart Star stated coldly, hoping to get the reporters off her back. It worked somewhat at the mention of the word villain, that was until Yaoyorozu spoke up.
"He's more of a hero than you are," Yaoyorozu counted, "Innocent people were dying and you sat back and did nothing. Meanwhile, he's out there fighting these villains."
Yaoyorozu gestured to the city, where tracer rounds conveniently began darting up into the sky. Fighter jets flew by moments after with a massive smoke cloud appearing later. The display couldn't help but make Yaoyorozu angry.
"It's like I said, none of it mattered. I reported her actions at least five separate times. Every time I did the media labeled it a lovers quarrel, as if it was some grand old game. Didn't help that her legion of fans acted as if I was some jealous hero type, masking the reports as rivals turned lover situation," Grizzly told her before, the words just making her angrier. He was out there fighting in that hell, while this… this… this bitch was here, Yaoyorozu angrily thought ignoring the uncouth likeness of swearing.
"He's out there evacuating these people, fighting with the rest of UA's staff. And yet you're here doing nothing. Instead, you're busy giving an interview, while trying to scam people out of their money!" Yaoyorozu angrily proclaimed, Heart Star's eyes going wide.
"Don't tell me you believed him and his nonsense-" Heart Star tried to protest only for Yaoyorozu to cut her off again.
"He showed us video proof of you admitting to setting up a charity for money laundering!" Yaoyorozu shouted, earning a shocked gasp from the reporters, "He showed us proof of him reporting you to the authorities only for nothing to happen!"
Heart Star slowly went pale then, looking toward the reporters for some kind of support. She got nothing as they looked back at her shocked, and somewhat angry.
"And right now I trust his word more than yours since you've already lied about saving others!" Yaoyorozu stated angrily, her fists clenched tightly. Slowly she saw Heart Star turn from pale to red. The hero getting angrier by the moment as it became clear she couldn't twist this in her favor.
"You're just a snobby brat who doesn't know what they're talking about," Heart Star angrily countered.
"I am the heiress to the Yaoyorozu fortune," Yaoyorozu replied, "A fortune that has donated money to your charity for over seven years. And I won't let any more of it go to you."
The words took little time to register in Heart Star's mind before the anger Heart Star held disappeared. She mentally counted how much money the Yaoyorozus had given her organization, and quickly felt panic set in. Yaoyorozu knew it wasn't proper, but she felt happy when Heart Star began to panic again. If her family stopped funding Heart Star, so would other influential families. Wordlessly Yaoyorozu turned away, not wanting to continue this argument anymore.
"W-wait!" Heart Star called out as she walked away, "Hold on one minute!"
At the same time, the reporters began questioning the hero again, not letting her escape for a moment. All the while Yaoyorozu watched as Heart Star panicked, the hero knowing she was going to lose billions.
"Come on!" Uraraka told herself, as Midoriya quickly rushed to grab the barbell. Only for Uraraka to shake her head no quickly. He held his hands back slightly, as Uraraka breathed deeply.
"Just… a… little… more…" she muttered, forcing the weights up. Part of Midoriya wanted to help her, seeing Uraraka struggle a bit. But she refused to let him, which to be fair he should have expected. Finally, though she pushed the bar up all the way, and quickly racked the weights tiredly. The girl laughed for a moment, before wiping the sweat off her brow.
"Heh… fifty reps!" she cried out, before turning to face Midoriya. He smiled at her while passing her a bottle of water quietly. While he stood in his usual casual clothes, that being a shirt with the word shirt printed on and a pair of black and white exercise shorts, Uraraka was in UA's usual gym clothes. The school didn't exactly have much else in terms of extra clothing, though Uraraka didn't seem to mind.
"What now?" Uraraka asked tiredly, sitting up from the bench.
"I'd say a break," Midoriya replied, quickly taking a sip from his own water bottle.
"Can't. Need to get stronger," Uraraka countered, setting her bottle down. She stretched in place for a minute, as Midoriya looked at her for a moment.
"Can't get stronger by pushing yourself too far," Midoriya pointed out, before glancing at the racked barbell. Both ends had a twenty-pound weight on, less than Uraraka had initially wanted. Of course, that was because Midoriya had to talk her away from the forty-pound weights. He didn't know what it was, but she seemed far more eager to train. Part of it assumed it was her wanting to be a better hero, yet something seemed off about that assumption.
"Kinda have to at this point," Uraraka pointed out, Midoriya turning back to face her, "You've seen the villains out there."
Midoriya quietly agreed with her, remembering the villains dropping through the ceiling. They'd been merciless, fighting through whoever stood in their path. And not even All Might had been able to fight them all.
"If I want to be a hero, I've got to be ready to face them," Uraraka commented, before standing up from the bench.
"You know a gun would-" Midoriya tried to reason, only for Uraraka to interrupt.
"No guns," Uraraka told him, with Midoriya holding up his hands.
"Never said it had to be lethal, there are tranquilizer rounds. Just saying the option is there," Midoriya replied, with Uraraka shrugging.
"So's a hammer…" she commented before the both of them went quiet for a second. Midoriya thought the prospect over, the image of Uraraka with a large sledgehammer coming to mind.
"...That… actually has some prospect to it," Midoriya commented, with Uraraka slowly nodding in agreement.
"It does," Uraraka agreed, "Could be used for breaching buildings."
"Or help with construction efforts. You could use it to build up temporary housing," Midoriya added, before noticing Uraraka look down at her finger pads.
"Oh, and with my quirk it could be so much easier to hold! It would weigh nothing to me!" she called out somewhat excitedly, while Midoriya snapped his fingers as an idea came to mind.
"You could have it be made of tungsten!" Midoriya added, moving to pull his notebook out of his pocket, "A large tungsten or osmium hammer only you could float!"
"I could stylize it with pink and white to go with my costume!" Uraraka added excitedly, stepping up close to him as Midoriya began scribbling the idea down. Another idea struck him then.
"Wait!" Midoriya stated, flipping through some pages before finding Uraraka's "Grappling hooks."
It took only a second for Uraraka to get what he was saying before a wide excited smile took hold.
"To grab the hammer! It would always be in reach!" she called out, watching as Midoriya kept scribbling in his journal. Looking down at Uraraka's page, he could see the idea taking hold as Uraraka added her own input. Whether or not she'd actually get a giant sledgehammer, Midoriya didn't know. But it was fun to think about nonetheless, as Midoriya finished drawing a small design.
"A gravity hammer," Uraraka commented, looking at the small drawing carefully. It was relatively simple and looked like a mix of a sci-fi and fantasy hammer. It was large, with the head being an almost curved brick. Thick black lines covered it, making it seem like it was several different pieces.
"Well, it isn't technically a gravity hammer unless you could find some way to change the mass of the hammer mid-swing. But that's not changing gravity though, so it still wouldn't fit the definition…" Midoriya replied, before muttering to himself quietly. Uraraka watched him for a second, before laughing somewhat. Shaking him out of it Midoriya looked back at her apologetically.
"Heh, sorry," he stated, before looking at Uraraka quietly. It took a moment, but he suddenly realized just how close Uraraka actually was. The both of them were an inch apart. She noticed too as the silence dragged on. Neither said anything, but both could tell their faces were going red. This… shouldn't have been a big deal, Midoriya thought to himself. Yet he couldn't help but feel nervous the longer the silence went on.
He couldn't help but look into her eyes, and she looked into his. After a minute or two Midoriya nervously cleared his throat and scooted away. Uraraka did the same, while nervously chuckling to herself.
"So what are you two doing?" a voice suddenly called out from behind them. The sudden surprise caused Uraraka to leap in shock. Both of them quickly turned around, finding Ashido and Kirishima standing behind them. The two wore the usual gym uniforms UA had given all its students.
"Ashido!" Uraraka yelled equally shocked and angry, while the pink girl just laughed.
"You know, I'm starting to see why you sneak up on people Akatani," Ashido commented, while Kirishima just looked at the two of them apologetically, "Anyway, what are you doing?"
"Oh, just discussing an idea we had," Midoriya quickly replied, though perhaps a bit too quickly. He didn't know why, but Ashido seemed to bring up a somewhat smug grin.
"What about you two?" Midoriya asked, electing to ignore Ashido's grin.
"I thought I'd come to work out a bit, and Ashido offered to join," Kirishima replied, "Which reminds me, are you two done with this?"
The other teen pointed down at the bench Midoriya and Uraraka had been using.
"We are, you can use it if you want," Midoriya replied, wiping the bench down with a nearby towel.
"Sweet, thanks man," Kirishima replied, a wide smile on his face as he moved to the bench. At the same time, Midoriya and Uraraka stepped back, looking around the school's weight room for what to do next.
"So, what was the idea you guys had?" Ashido asked, watching as Kirishima slid a new pair of weights onto the bar.
"Well, we were thinking about getting me a giant hammer," Uraraka replied, before spotting treadmills nearby.
"A giant hammer?" Ashido asked confused, "I thought you wanted to be a rescue hero?"
"I do, but with... well…" Uraraka replied, trailing off as everyone realized what she meant, "The attack's made me realize I'm gonna have to fight villains eventually. Thought a weapon would help with that."
"I mean that pretty manly… womanly… cool," Kirishima stated, the teen lying back on the bench.
"Still think you should use a gun," Midoriya commented, while Uraraka turned and stuck her tongue out at him. He simply rolled his eyes in response, before following her toward the treadmills. At the same time, Ashido loudly groaned, the teen fiddling with her gym uniform.
"Uh, I wish I could go home already. I'm sick of wearing these gym uniforms," she muttered, Uraraka nodding in agreement. Midoriya meanwhile fiddled with the treadmill's buttons, setting the machine to a slow walking speed.
"I'll say, they're comfortable, but what I wouldn't give to have my clothes… again…" Uraraka replied, before quickly trailing off again. She stayed quiet for a second, confusing Midoriya.
"Something wrong Uraraka?" Midoriya asked, turning to face Uraraka. She hadn't started her treadmill yet and instead stared out with wide shocked eyes.
"I… just remembered my apartment's in the city," Uraraka replied, it taking everyone a minute to understand what she meant. The moment Ashido realized it her eyes widened, and the girl looked over at Uraraka worriedly.
"Was it near the school?" Ashido asked, with Uraraka giving her a so-so-hand gesture.
"Kinda," Uraraka answered, as Kirishima took the barbell off the rack.
"I'm sure it's fine," Kirishima told her, hoping to provide some small amount of hope. It wasn't confirmed that her apartment had been bombed, so it wouldn't be smart to assume it was gone.
"Yeah…" Uraraka replied, worried.
"...For the hypothetical that it isn't fine, you didn't happen to have anything valuable there, right?" Ashido asked though it didn't seem to help Uraraka.
"In a sense," Uraraka replied, though the girl now began counting her fingers.
"Oh… well I'm sure it'll be fine! If not, you, me, shopping trip," Ashido told her, with Uraraka looking back at her hesitantly.
"I… uh… can't afford a shopping trip," Uraraka told her, quickly confusing Ashido.
"How come?" Ashido asked, before helping Kirishima rack the barbell. She struggled somewhat, the other teen having put two forty-pound weights on the bar.
"Well… my parents run a construction company out in Mei, but things… haven't been going great," Uraraka replied while hopping onto the treadmill next to Midoriya. Sitting up Kirishima rubbed his chin, thinking over Uraraka's problem.
"You know, I think this villain attack has an upside," Kirishima commented, only to regret his words. They all looked back at him shocked and the teen quickly held up his hands defensively.
"Wait, I'm not saying the attack was a good thing! It's just the city is in rubble and needs to be rebuilt. I'd assume business will be booming in a few days, right?" Kirishima inquired, with everyone following his line of logic quietly.
"It… should be," Uraraka replied, his words making some sense in her mind.
"Yeah! And if it doesn't work out, then I'm sure Akatani would be willing to help you," Ashido added confidently while taking off the forty-pound weights Kirishima had used. Once they were off she put a pair of twenty's in their place, before Midoriya spoke up.
"Me?" Midoriya asked confused, "I mean not that I'm unwilling to help, I would, but… why me exactly?"
"What do you mean?" Ashido asked confused, the teen sitting down on the bench carefully.
"Well… wouldn't Yaoyorozu be a better help? She is rich after all," Midoriya replied, leaving the room quiet for a moment. He found all eyes on him for a few minutes, as Ashido looked at him confused.
"...Isn't your dad the head of a PMC?" Kirishima asked, with Midoriya nodding.
"A few other things too but yeah," Midoriya replied, before slowly realizing what they were saying, "...oh… oh I'm rich."
"How did you now realize that!?" Ashido called out surprised.
"I mean I lived on a military base my whole life! Not really the most luxurious billionaire life one would expect," Midoriya replied while rubbing the back of his neck, "Didn't have sports cars everywhere with million-dollar mansions."
"How rich are you then?" Kirishima asked, not noticing Uraraka slow down on the treadmill.
"Hmm… richer then… Yaoyorozu," Midoriya replied, now noticing Uraraka come to a complete stop. She looked at him shocked for a moment, mentally thinking something over.
"So… the MSF is wealthier than the Yaoyorozus… when Snake retires, the MSF goes to you, right?" Uraraka inquired, with Midoriya pondering the question.
"...Maybe," Midoriya replied unsure. It was never a topic he and Snake normally discussed. Mainly because the Snake was the head of the MSF, and of a nation. A nation that still had several political kinks that needed to be worked out, such as succession policy. Of course, Uraraka didn't know that though.
"...can you put mochi in the MSF's MREs?" Uraraka asked, with Midoriya chuckling in response.
"He's the heir to a multi-billion dollar PMC and that's what you ask first!?" Ashdio yelled out exasperated, though for reasons Midoriya did not know.
"I mean I could. Don't think the logistics would work out well," Midoriya replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"Do it! Mochi for all soldiers!" Uraraka exclaimed, causing Midoriya to laugh again.
"Is this for the soldiers, or is this for you?" Midoriya inquired, with Uraraka mockingly gasping. There the two decided to continue their exercises, electing to speed the treadmills up.
There were few times in history when the entire world became captivated by a single event. Sitting aside on the sidelines watching as events unfold. Though, "sitting" isn't the right choice of word. More… waiting. Waiting for meetings to finally be assembled, waiting for committees to be called up for discussions, waiting for someone to give answers, waiting for all the bureaucratic paperwork to be filed away. Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting.
Now President Alan Morrison was waiting for the rest of the Department of Defense to show up to the Oval Office. So far the only two people that had arrived, were Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Timothy Agpar, and Secretary of Defense Johnathan Barnes. The former was a blue fish mutant, sitting across from his desk. The latter appeared as a fifty-year-old black man with a patch of gray and black stubble on his chin. In truth Barnes wasn't fifty, he was well over two hundred.
Morrison didn't know all of it, but Barnes's quirk had given him a ludicrously long lifespan. The Secretary of Defense had been around since the arrival of quirks. Morrison for his part ran a hand through his dark brown hair, feeling just as old as Barnes.
"They should be here by now," Agpar grumbled to himself, looking over his watch carefully.
"Not surprised they're taking so long," Barnes spoke up, crossing his arms in his chair, "Hiding away in their offices no doubt."
"Could also be gathering up more information," Agpar pointed out, with Barnes raising his brow.
"Call it hopeful thoughts," Agpar told him, with Barnes quietly shrugging. At the same time, Morrison shook his head, stifling a quiet yawn. Looking out the window behind him, Morrison could make out the night sky above. A pale blackish gray with Washington D.C.'s lights blotting out the stars.
"What do you think they'll find?" Morrison asked, to neither man in particular. After a few seconds of silence, Barnes decided to speak up.
"...Not sure I wanna know Mr. President," Barnes replied calmly, as Morrison turned around sighing.
"Should make passing Collin's new bill easier though," Barnes added, with Morrison reluctantly nodding.
"Agreed, just wish it didn't have to come about due to tragedy," Morrison told him, reflecting on the bill in question. The Military Rejuvenation Act was what it was called. Proposed by New York Senator Llyod Collins, and backed by Montana Senator Harrison Wreight. For years the US had been divided between spending for the military and spending for heroes. However, with heroes having the backing of the public, nine times out of ten heroes were the ones to be funded, leading to a gradual decline in the US armed forces.
To the point, the US's bases in Japan were now more a vacation spot than a genuine military base. Yet all of this changed, after the Nigerian Incident. The WHA had been tight-lipped on what had happened in Africa, even after relentless questioning. Heroes returning from the battle with the Nuclear Gang had been quiet and refused to answer questions. With so few answers the US government grew suspicious.
Attempts were made to investigate the situation, yet they would always come up empty. CIA aircraft would be flying around one moment, then disappear. Field agents would arrive in the Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, Madagascar, or Ethiopia, then go radio silent and were never heard from again. Even satellite imaging showed nothing, which immediately put the DOD into a panic. Their satellites were working against them, refusing to show anything on the continent except a blurry mess. Something was going on, yet the US government couldn't figure out what.
The entire event taught the US one thing though, they were unprepared. Ludicrously, unprepared. Because over 25,000 heroes had died in Africa under the WHA's command, and fifty percent of them were American. Whatever had happened on the continent displayed a worrying picture. So when Morrison got into the office, the first bill reaching his desk was to begin an investigation into the capabilities of the US Armed Forces.
One can already tell what the results of that investigation were, as Morrison remembered Agpar bringing him the list of missing or broken equipment the US Navy had alone.
"We're missing how many aircraft carriers!?" he remembered exclaiming that day. Of course, not wanting to cause widespread panic the investigation was quietly brought to Congress, which for the first time in years led to an increase in military spending. Even beginning development of the highly delayed and under-funded Tiamat hypersonic missile. Arms manufacturers were reopened and contracts were handed out secretly.
It had been difficult to accomplish though, especially with the public not being aware. At one point the press learned the military had started building up B-2 bombers again. Were it not for Star and Stripes "taking" the aircraft for her agency, things would have gone downhill. This Military Rejuvenation Act was just the latest in a long line of attempts to rearm, one Morrison had no doubt would be passed through both houses.
Eventually, the door to the Oval Office opened, and other government officials walked in. Several Generals, Admirals, the Secretary of Homeland security, the Vice Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairmen, the Director of the CIA, and the Secretary of State all entered quietly.
"About damn time," Morrison muttered leaning forward in his chair.
"Mr. President, sorry to keep you waiting," one General told him, standing across from the President with all the others assembled.
"So, from all reports, the MSF is now advancing on the city, with an estimate of forty thousand men," one general began, "They're moving in from both sea, land and air with coordinated strikes on key targets."
"Sea? They've got a navy?" Morrison asked surprised, his brow raised as he looked up at the general. The general simply nodded before an Admiral passed Morrison an overly large folder.
"They do. Seems we've got an answer on where our ships have gone," the Admiral said, with Morrison quickly flipping through the folder. Inside were dozens of satellite images taken of the ensuing battle. Just off the coast was a full carrier strike group made up solely of US ships.
"Hmm…" Morrison couldn't help but mutter, looking over the photos carefully.
"How far have they gotten?" Morrison asked calmly, seeing the next set of photos. Particularly that of LCAC's landing on the beach after it had been thoroughly cleared out.
"Roughly two miles into the city," a general replied, with Barnes whistling,
"Competent bunch," Barnes commented.
"Well armed too," Agpar added, the chairmen looking over his folder. Just as he said the words Agpar held out a new photo for Morrison, the President looking it over quietly.
"Exoskeletons?" Morrison asked surprised, spotting the dozens of soldiers wearing the odd machines, "Reports are true then."
"Higher quality than the Russian's version, the same could be said for China's," a general told him.
"More importantly, they have them and we don't," Barnes pointed out, as Morrison continued to look at the photo. It didn't just end at exoskeletons. Reports detailed fully autonomous weapons systems, ranging from small tanks to even robotic humanoid soldiers. It was a wonder the MSF had stayed hidden from the world for so long. Even now the CIA couldn't find anything on the mercenaries.
Yet as Morrison looked over more files, he couldn't help but feel intrigued by the MSF. The Japanese Hero Commission had been adamant the MSF were all villains. Instead, US analysts were finding dozens of photos showing the contrary. They were spotted evacuating civilians from the area, and setting up refugee centers, hell even the leader of the MSF was fighting on the frontlines.
Japan's heroes failed, and now they were the ones holding the line. Slowly Morrison began to think it over. Aside from the Rejuvenation Act, congress had proposed sending a five billion dollar aid package to Japan. Essentially sending Japan thousands of emergency generators, gallons of water, canned food, and whatever else they could get. Other countries were busy doing the same thing, as France, Germany, and Belgium had pledged six hundred million dollars of aid.
The Red Cross was also getting involved. But if any of that aid was going to reach Musutafu, it would be through the MSF. At this very moment, they were the only ones in charge of the situation.
"See if we can contact this Snake guy," Morrison stated, turning to face the secretary of state, "I'd like to discuss a few things with him."