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Well, this is it. My Hero Academia has finally ended, and the results are…mixed, to say the least. I do like that the author decided to flesh out the ending a bit to show the aftermath of the final battle. Still, a large majority is upset that Izuku had to give up all of his powers (though I thought it was kind of obvious that he would). He just became a teacher while everyone lived the dream he wanted, and then he got an Iron Man suit during the final page. A project SUPPORTED by his friends, meaning that they didn't just forget all about him and were trying to get him back to being a hero again.
I also heard that there was some mistranslation. It was supposed to say that Izuku and his friends haven't been able to find the time to meet up and hang out, which is a very real thing, so it makes sense in the series.
Personally, I think it would have been better if Izuku had gotten his Iron Man suit immediately after the final battle and then constantly improved on it over time. That way, the whole narrative of Izuku becoming the greatest hero of all time isn't lost completely.
God, I can just see the hundreds of fucking fanfics about abandoned Izuku.
Overall, despite its story flaws, My Hero Academy can stand as one of those mangas that changed the world of anime. It was an amazing ride from start to finish and gave us some truly incredible moments and characters. And that's what I think is truly important.
Even if the ending didn't live up to expectations, if it left you feeling like you just went on this great journey, gave you moments that will live on in your mind for years, or made you want to come back and reread/rewatch it, or made you feel something, then it's done its job as a piece of storytelling.
Goodbye, My Hero Academia.
Now, let's continue with our story.
HEROES OF TOMORROW
Issue #33: The Enemy of My Enemy
Looking at his suit, Wade wanted to personalize it himself—make it more his suit than just a copy of Peter Parker's suit without changing anything too major. One idea he had was to replace the blue with black. Luckily, with the help of spray paint, he made the change. When the suit gets damaged, he'll need to inform Melissa of the changes he made so she can make them permanent.
Now, in his red, white, and black suit, Wade stood on the rooftop of a building. Across the road was the main HQ of the Shie Hassaikai, monitoring one of its thugs walking out of the gates.
"I got a guy leaving the front door. I'll keep him monitored," Wade said into his earpiece, shooting a web line at a nearby building. Then he started swinging after the man, keeping his distance and staying out of sight.
"Report what you find," Sir Nighteye said on the other end.
Landing on the roof of a three-story building, Wade watched as the thug walked into a toy store.
"Guess even bad guys have families to look after," he said, sitting down on the edge and pulling his mask up.
Today was a rare day for Wade. A few days have passed since we learned the truth, and in that time, the Pro-Heroes that had teamed up with Sir Nighteye were doing their best to pinpoint the location of Chisaki and Eri. While they were told that their involvement in the investigation would be minimal, he and their other work study students were still asked by the heroes of their agency to help with surveillance. Watch the movements of Hassaikai members as they go out in public and record their activities. It felt like a following mission from Assassin's Creed, but they took it seriously. Wade especially.
Days went by, and for every day that passed, they had less time to get Eri away from Chisaki. Everything had been weighing on Wade since the start of the work studies. All Might's death, Eri's situation, Shie Hassaikai. These were things he couldn't really talk about, and it was almost too much for Wade.
He knew he needed to focus on Eri and put everything he had into rescuing her. Even so…his mind was shattering. His anxiety was building up day in and day out. He was barely holding it together most of the time, as if a monster was threatening to kill him. Regret, sorrow, fear, all the feelings he's been bottling up were almost too much.
As he waited for the guy to come out, Wade's phone rang. Pulling it out, Wade was surprised to see that it was All Might.
"Hey, All Might," Wade said, answering the phone and putting it on speaker.
"Hey, Young Walker. Sorry if I'm interrupting something."
"Nah, just on patrol." It wasn't too much of a lie. This was patrolling the city for Hassaikai members. Wade just couldn't go into the details of the investigation.
"Wade, I'm sorry."
"For what," Wade asked, confused.
"For not telling you everything…and for hiding my impending doom. I never meant to…"
"Do you remember what you said to me," Wade asked. "At the sports festival? The promise that I made. That would introduce myself to the world and say, 'I am here'."
Wade sat down with his legs hanging off the edge of the roof.
"I'm nowhere near close to saying that," he admitted with sincerity. "Not yet. But when that day comes, I want you to be there. I know that fate can't change, but at least live just long enough to see me be the hero you want me to be—the hero I know I can be."
There was a moment of silence between the two of them.
"Young Walker. Back then, when I heard I would die, I accepted that as my future. I just figured…I kept running at full throttle until I got to the finish line. And then, when I was fighting All for One, I thought I had come to the end of that race."
"What changed your mind?"
"Well, you were there, kiddo."
Wade blinked. "Really?"
"You see, all those days we spent together, they had another effect on me. You were just some Quirkless punk, but in you was a heart that shined through the darkness. And it was your father who asked me to continue so I could protect you and help raise you when he couldn't. So, despite my future, I'll continue to fight by your side, Wade Walker. Because it is you who has changed my life, I promise that I will live," All Might said on the other side of the call, turning into his muscle form when judging by the change in his voice. "I won't be killed. I will mold my fate and strike down anyone else that gets in our way with my fists."
All Might's form deflated before continuing the conversation.
"But you can see, so far, everything has been as he said. In each case, Nighteye's predictions have come true. And that's why I can't face him after all these years. Please know I never wanted to become a shackle holding your back. Hey, who knows? Maybe I've already reshaped my destiny into the future I wanted."
"But, wait. We can't be positive his predictions wouldn't come true," Wade said, still worried about All Might's supposed death. "Just know that no matter what, you can always count on me to fight your fate."
"I'll try not to be too much trouble. I promise."
"Said the guy with all those Teaching for Dummies books," Wade joked, getting a chuckle from his mentor. You know, thinking about it now, why not have Nighteye use his Foresight on you again?"
"How?"
"Just…talk to the guy. Bury the hatchet, and then we'll see if the future changes."
"Uh— doesn't it seem a little— I don't know…"
"Oh, come on! It's a matter of life and death! Hell, I'll even put in a good word with Nighteye," Wade said exasperatedly.
"Wait, think about how Nighteye must feel about all of this!"
"Yeah, well…" Wade trailed off when he saw the thug he was tailing walk out of the store. However, tucked under his arm was a brightly colored box. He wasn't trying to hide it, meaning that it wasn't legal. "I'm a…I'm gonna call you back."
Wade hung up the call and slowly walked along the edge of the roof, following the man. His mark's eyes narrowed as his HUD zoomed in. It took only three seconds to analyze the box's barcode, design, and bold logos. It was an honest-to-God magical girl toy. Glitter Squad, to be precise.
Spider quickly contacted his boss and started following the thug. He jumped off his roof and shot a web at the building across the street. "Nighteye, this is Spider-Man," he said, pulling himself across the sky and landing on the glass of the second building. "I think I got something."
"Go ahead, Spider-Man."
"That Hassaikai thug I was tailing just walked out of a toy store, and he is now carrying a Glitter Squad toy."
"And that was worth calling me?"
"No," Wade said, landing on the same building he started his night with. He watched the man walk back to his HQ, which was a large resistance disguised as business office buildings. The upper floors and the outside of the hideout were decorated like a traditional Japanese residence controlled by the Yakuza. The residence was completely gated off and required someone to buzz in to gain entry. Past the gate is a large courtyard filled with trees that leads to the main entrance.
"But unless he has a young daughter working with him, I don't think that doll's for his family," Wade said, pulling out the Spyder drone. "Unless, you know, he's into that stuff."
"Do you still have your Spyder drone with you?"
Wade smirked under his mask. It was good that he was catching onto his suspicion. "I already have it out. I'm sending you a live feed," he said, pulling out his phone and holding it close to the Spyder's abdomen. After a few quick taps, the link was complete. "Alright, you now have the view of a spider, Sir."
"Very well. Proseed," Nighteye said.
Wade nodded and threw the Spyder across the street like a baseball. Watching through a screen on his HUD as it flew over the walls of the garden and landed in one of the trees.
Taking control of it, Wade crawled the Spyder behind a bush the moment the gate buzzed. The doors opened, and the thug walked into the compound. Walking down the stone path that T'ed, splitting off to the right to another building.
Wade's drone followed the man, staying behind him and in the shadows as he walked straight and approached the main building. The man opened the door and slipped inside. The Spyder quickly ran after him, getting into the building just before the door closed.
Crawling up the wall, the Spyder then crawled up onto the ceiling. Staying away from the ceiling lights, it continued tailing the thug.
"Where are you taking that?" Wade said, narrowing his eyes. The inside of the first floor of the residence was also decorated like a regular Japanese office. It's not the kind of place to take a toy.
However, the man stopped and turned right. Turning to look at it, Wade saw that it was a small shrine with a vase.
The thug pushed the vase aside, and the Spyder's camera recorded the man pressing down the floorboards in a specific order. Activating a secret door that opened into the hidden part of the HQ. Wade quickly had the drone go inside.
"That's how they get into the underground," Nighteye said.
"Yeah, the spider's pulse detected an underground labyrinth of multiple life signs, but I couldn't get fixed on Eri," Wade said.
"Keep going," said the man.
Wade followed the man into the underground. Though his camera only saw a particle part, the sensors and sonar readings he got told him that it was truly a massive labyrinth under the earth, containing several passageways that stretched for miles.
"Man, this place is massive."
However, it took only a few turns and then a straight walk down one hallway before the man reached his intended destination. Opening a door into a room, with the Spyder bot crawling inside. This room was built to house a child and was designed to delight and comfort one.
And it was in this that Wade saw a child on the bed, hugging herself after another painful session.
"Eri!"
"That's the girl?"
"I'll never forget that face. It's definitely her," Wade said, watching as the thug presented the toy to her.
"Well done, Walker. Now that we know her location, we must move on to the next phase. Return to your school and await further instructions."
Wade nodded and piloted the Spyder out. "We're coming, Eri," he said, swearing that the day to rescue her was coming. "I will save you."
The day the call came in was a day like any other at UA. Wade attended classes and practices in hero training. Kirishima, Ochaco, and Tsuyu did the same. They focused on their work, but their minds were focused on being ready for the mission.
The wait was unbearable. They knew she was there. What was taking them so long? What were you to do, Wade? Do you want to save her? Doesn't everyone want to save little Eri? What was taking everyone so long to give him the call? You were ready to go, Wade. Your body and mind are set to rescue Eri.
What was weighing you down? Was it the overwhelming stakes? Was it that you only had one chance to get Eri? Or rather, All Might's future?
Wade sighed and tensed up. This wasn't something he could talk to anyone else about. He couldn't even speak to All Might about his problems. It was almost too much for Wade.
The more he tried to get his breathing under control and focus his mind on rescuing Eri, but it seemed only to make it worse. His anxiety had him trapped in a web, and all of his negative emotions were a big spider ready to sink its teeth into him. Its venom scattered his mind all over the place. He was barely holding it together as the days went by.
How do you not have a panic, Wade? Don't you care about Eri? About All Might?
"You're not gonna eat that?"
Momo's voice snapped him out of his anxiety, and Wade looked around, remembering that he was in the cafeteria with friends and his girlfriend. Sitting at a table, he had a bowl of fried rice with sliced fried chicken.
"What?"
"I asked if you were going to eat that," Momo said, sitting across the table, pointing at his lunch.
"Oh! Right," Wade said before he started eating up.
However, to everyone else, he was far from okay. "Are you alright," Iida asked, looking at his friend over Ochaco's head. She sat between them.
"What? Of course I am," Wade said, smiling at him. "Why do you ask?"
"You've been acting edgy and depressed ever since you started your work study," Todoroki said.
"I…I've been busy. Got a lot on my mind," Wade said, trying to keep up a smile as he stuffed his mouth. Why can't you just tell them, Wade?
The only one who knew what was going on inside his head was Ochaco. It saddened her that she couldn't share what was going on with their mission and their work-study with the other girlfriends. However, that doesn't mean that they can't be there for him.
"Wade, if you ever wanna walk or anything, just let us know," Ochaco said, smiling.
"She's right," Iida said. "After all, we're friends, right?"
Wade looked at his friend in surprise. "Using my line, huh?" he asked jokingly, referring to when he said that to Iida before he went on his internship.
"That's right," Iida said. "Back when I was acting like a fool."
Mina leaned over the table with that smile Wade loved. "Hey, lover boy, don't you think that your girlfriends should be getting in on that action," she asked.
Wade's eyes widened as he looked at his friends and girlfriends—his support group—the ones who had been with him through thick and thin. Smiling, his eyes watered up a bit. "Thanks, guys," he said, scarfing down the last of his lunch.
Regret, sorrow, fear—all the feelings he'd been trying to bury began to overflow a little as he set his bowl down and wiped his eyes.
"When…when the time is right, I'll tell you," he said, desperate to clean his eyes. "I promise."
Momo reached out and took his hands away from his face. "Don't be ashamed," she said with a gentle smile, kissing his hands. "You can be weak around us. Because we'll be the ones to hold you together, darling."
"That's right!" Mina exclaimed.
Todoroki said, "Heroes cry whenever they need to, don't they?"
Nodding his head, Wade said, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Wade, Ochaco, Kirishima, and Tsuyu had developed a new habit ever since Wade confirmed that Eri was in the Shie Hassaikai's HQ. As soon as the other students were asleep, they would walk down to the living room together and wait with their phones on the table. They would wait until the middle of the night, then go back to their rooms to sleep.
It's been two days since Wade's Spyder drone saw Eri, and yet they waited for Nighteye to make his preparations and get the warrant. The girl was one thing, but they wanted to take down the operation in one single strike. They had to not only take the girl into protective custody but also take down Chisaki and dismantle the yakuza's operation.
Chisaki was out of the HQ. The only possible explanation was that he was making deals with other gangs or attracting the interest of new buyers with his bullets. The moment he was there, they would strike.
Chewie was in Wade's lap, receiving pets from his master as the Spider-Man gently stroked him. They stayed very quiet. Wade and Ochaco leaned on each other for support, occasionally kissing one another on the cheek and head. Tsuyu was having a little frog nap while Kirishima paced around behind the couch she was on.
Wade tapped his foot anxiously. He prayed to God, "Please, Lord. Let tomorrow be the day," he said, his head bowed. Let tomorrow be the day we save her."
So many nights, his prayer was unanswered.
Until tonight.
The moment all four phones buzzed, Wade's hand shot a web line at his and grabbed it. Pulling it back to him, the young hero saw it was a group email. Chewie got off his lap with a meow as Ochaco, Kirishima, and Tsuyu picked up their phones.
Students and Pro Heroes,
I'm messaging you to confirm that Chisaki has returned to Shie Hassaikai's base of operation. With his return, we've received the proper warrant to launch a full investigation of the building. With the assistance of Wade Walker's "Spyder Drone," we've also confirmed that the girl Eri is in the same building, underground. Tomorrow, we'll be rescuing the girl and bringing down Chisaki and the Hassaikai. Gather your gear and prepare for battle at 6:00 a.m.
Sincerely,
Sir Nighteye
Wade looked at the others. "You all ready for this?"
"More than ready!" Kirishima exclaimed, fish pumping.
"Let's go save her," Ochaco said with a determined smile.
Nodding, Wade picked up Chewie. Tomorrow was the big day. For the first time in a while, Wade slept soundly, knowing he would rescue Eri and protect her.
That was a promise.
The next day, still in school uniform, Wade walked to the front of the meeting room. In front of him were the Pro Heroes who would be coming along on this mission. All of them were there for the first meeting. His friends were in the crowd, in their uniforms.
Setting his Spyder drone on the table, Wade took out his phone and opened the app to control it.
"Are we even sure this wasn't a trick?" Rock Lock said, doubting Wade's intel. "They could have messed with your cameras to make it look like she was there."
"Buddy, if you're trying to sound like the rational one, you're doing a piss-poor job at it," Wade said, tapping away at the controls. "And even if they could, they would need to bypass 9 firewalls." The Spyder bounced, and its eyes lit up, projecting its camera feed onto the wall. "And playback."
The heroes watched everything from Wade tossing the Spyder over the wall to when he found Eri. That was when he stopped recording, but it was enough to confirm to the Heroes everything they needed to know.
"How'd you know that toy wasn't for himself and not Eri," Fatgum asked.
"That's your question?!" Wade asked, looking at him weirdly. "Look, it was either for himself, which would have tarnished his street cred, for his daughter, but I doubt the gang would have allowed him to have his family there, or for another girl. I'm just glad I was right about it being for Eri."
"So, this is it," Ryukuyu asked. "We're finally going to rescue her?"
Wade took back his drone and placed it on his shoulder. He then moved away and walked back into the crowd, joining his friends while Nighteye returned to the front of the table, taking control of the room's conversation.
"That is precisely what it means," he said. "All of the targets are in one place, and we have the chance to kill two birds with one stone: rescue the girl, arrest Chisaki, and bring the organization down."
Centipeder said politely. "This is the only day we can be certain that all of the Hassaikai will be in one place."
"We also worked with the police and already got a warrant to search the place!" Bubble Girl said, striking a pose. "What means…"
"It's go-time!" Fatgum exclaimed.
"Aw, man! That's my line!"
Wade stood with his fellow students, all of whom were ready and waiting.
"Wade!"
The young hero turned and saw Mirio bending himself back and taking in a rich breath of air. Then, for some inexplicable reason, he threw his body forward, looked down, and started swinging his arms like a bird flapping.
"Let's do this! Let's go save that little girl! YEAH!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Wade yelled at him. However, it was good to see him back to his normal self. A sentiment that both Nejire and Tamaki shared with the webhead.
Mirio shot his fist in the air. "AW, YEAH!
Of the two, Mirio had been the hardest on himself. Ever since the incident in the alley, he'd been wallowing in the shame of never being able to rescue Eri. Nighteye hoped that his protogé understood that it was because he held his ground that they were able to go into this mission fully prepared.
Regret and failure are aspects of life that we must experience so that we learn from those experiences.
Was it really possible to change fate? A future set in stone by a Quirk? Maybe it wasn't possible. But all our heroes can do now is make a difference that changes the lives of everyone around them.
Was it possible, Wade and Mirio? Will you shine? Now was the time to show the world that. This was it. This was your moment. You cannot fail—you wouldn't fail, as you tell yourself.
"Now, then. Let's begin."
Shie Hassaikai knew they were coming. They had to have known. You don't gather a large force like this without drawing attention. Police in both standard and riot gear stood together in an orderly, respective fashion in front of a building block away from the HQ.
"As you know, Nighteye was able to gain vital intel on the Hassaikai," the detective in charge of the operation said to the heroes in front of the police. "Through this, they determined that there was an underground facility believed to be the Yakuza's headquarters. We're also able to confirm that the girl we're trying to rescue is currently being held in one of the rooms there.
"The drone wasn't able to map out the entire layout of the underground maze but could follow one of the members down the shortest route to the girl. This is the best intel we have at the moment concerning the Hassaikai's stronghold. It's the basis of this mission.
"Stay smart. These guys are dangerous, and we can expect them to use their Quirks against us in full force," he said, finishing his debriefing before nodding to one of his staff. "We're passing around a list of current Hassaikai members and their Quirks, according to our registration databases. Commit this to memory. We don't want to give them time to hide. We aim to identify and apprehend all members as quickly as possible while securing our target."
Wade and the others were given the same sheet as the Pros, dressed in their costumes. "Things are moving fast now, huh?" said Kirishima.
Tamaki put on his hood and looked at Kirishima with a miserable look. "You're energetic, considering how early it is," he said.
"I'm getting nervous," Ochaco said, holding Wade's hand tightly.
"Ow," he said.
"No joke. First detective work, and now this," Tsu said, finger on her mouth. "There's so much I don't know."
Nejire joined in. "Right? So official!"
"That's true," Ryukuyu said as she approached the girls and Wade. Schools don't always prepare you for investigations like this. It takes some time to adjust."
"She's right," said Kesagiri Man, who was standing nearby.
Kirishima said to Wade, "All the Pros seem like they're pretty chill, huh? So brave!"
"Yeah," Wade said, looking around the crowd of police and heroes. "Hey, where's Gran Torino? I haven't seen around this morning."
Nighteye walked up to Wade and his friends. "Apparently, he won't be joining us today," he said, looking down at the webhead. "Tsukauchi's been keeping an eye on the League. According to him, it looks like they're on the move."
The detective leading the operation walked up and said, "Fortunately, we have plenty of heroes here, so we can afford to send Gran Torino away."
"I see," Wade said.
"Maybe we can take down the Hassaikai and the League of Villains at the same time!" said Kirishima, patting Wade on his back.
With his mask off, Wade grinned at him. "Right!" he said, bringing his mask over his face. "Let's kick ass!"
"Not yet."
Wade looked up to see that Aizawa was standing to his left. "What are you doing here," he asked.
"I'm teaming up with the Nighteye Agency for this," he explained to the students. "Do you understand me? Remember what I said?"
Wade nodded. "Yeah, use my head," he said. "I wouldn't fail Eri."
"Good," said his teacher.
The detective leading the operation stepped forward and looked at all of the heroes.
"Now! Heroes!" he yelled. "Things could get violent quickly out there. If you encounter even a hint of suspicious behavior or resistance, call for help immediately! We're up against gangsters who've avoided capture until now. Each of you must carry out your respective assignments and stay sharp in there!"
He and his officers saluted them.
"We will commence the operation at 830 hours. Heroes, move out!"
8:30 AM
Wade stood in front of the pack. His Spidey Sense was invaluable to the operation's success. He was the first one to go up to the door and wait for any sign of trouble. Once it was all clear, he signaled for everyone to come over. Turning invisible, Wade leaped up to the gate's entrance and looked down into the courtyard. It was strangely quiet, with only a few thugs guarding it.
Wade reappeared, hanging down from the entrance's roof. "You're all clear," he told the detectives. "I'm going back up."
"Right," he said, turning back to the Heroes. "Once we read the warrant, then you're free to move! I'm counting on everyone to act swiftly."
Crawling back up his web line and onto the roof, Wade looked back into the HQ. Just then, his Spidey Senses kicked in, and his eyes widened as he reappeared.
"LOOK OUT!" Wade yelled, shooting his webs to grab the detective and the officers in front of the gate. Pulling them out of the way before—
SMASH!
—the doors were punched off their hinges by a large, tall, and very muscular villain. It came out of nowhere, just when the detective was about to ring the bell to be let in. Wade looked at the villain in complete shock, as did the heroes and police.
The Yakuza member wore a black tank top with a stand-by symbol. On his back was a metallic seat that he used to carry other Shie Hassaikai members. He also wore olive-drab jeans with an armor-looking belt, blue socks, and orange sneakers. He also had massive gauntlets and knuckle dusters on his fists. Like every other Shie Hassaikai member, a plague mask covered his face. In his case, it was black, with red lines, white eyes, and a golden detail around the neck. It also covered his whole head.
Shaking his head, Wade sent down the officers he'd saved. "Are you guys okay," he asked.
"Yeah," the detective said, ripping off the webs on his clothes. "Sticky."
Wade turned back to the villain, who said, "Whaddaya want? It's too early for visitors."
"Sorry, big fellow!" Wade said jokingly, getting the villain to look at him. "Heard you were selling the good shit, thought we might come and bust ya."
"That's good; I'm waking up a little," the villain, Rikiya Katsukame, said. Snorting a bit, he raised his right arm, which increased in muscle mass and grew larger.
"Ah, crap." Wade charged his electricity.
"Wade, no!" Ryukuyu yelled, hand on her mask. "I'll handle it!"
Katsukame swung his fist at Wade. "WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE HERE?!"
A large puff of smoke exploded behind him before a large clawed hand grabbed his arm, stopping him from hitting Wade, if he could, since Wade was ready to dodge him.
Looking up, Wade's eyes filled with wonder as he saw the full power of Ryukuyu's Quirk, Dragon. As the name suggested, the beautiful woman had turned herself into the mighty mythological creature from which her power's name came. Her body was a large, winged dragon with pale gray scales, although she still had the same skin tone, hair, and eyes. Her hero costume remained visible, bar her boots, and the claws that were on her face had transferred to her right hand.
"Listen to me!" she said in a deep, beastly voice to Wade and all the officers there. "We shouldn't split up too many of our forces yet. The Ryukuyu Agency will take care of this villain."
With her might strength, she swung Katsukame over and down on the road in front of the HQ hard. Slamming him into the ground with enough force to leave an imprint.
She looked at Wade. "The rest of you. Go!"
"You heard her!" Fatgum yelled, gesturing for all the heroes and riot police to storm the now-destroyed gate. "Everyone, move! C'mon!"
"Right!" Wade yelled, turning and jumping into the Shie Hassaikai's stronghold. Running ahead of the pack as everyone followed him inside. The guards in the garden were caught off guard by their sudden entry.
The detective pulled out his warrant and yelled, "This is the Heroes and the police! We have a warrant to search your premises on suspicion of the manufacture and sale of illegal drugs!"
"They've got a warrant!?" one thug exclaimed.
"Who cares?!" the other said, using his Quirk to take the leaves off a nearby bush and send them flying at the heroes like needles. "Kill them!"
Spider-Man dodged the leaf needles and shot a ball of webbing at the thug, hitting his arm and attaching it to his chest.
"What the fuck?!" said the thug before Wade's fist met his chin.
"One serving of bodily harm for you!" he quipped, then kicked another thug in the jaw. "And another one for you!"
As soon as that thug went down, the police and heroes battled with the remaining villains. Taking them down with ease.
"Well, that was…" Wade didn't even get to finish saying "Easy" when his senses flared again. He looked up and saw multiple windows on the second and third-floor opening.
From the windows, gunmen armed with assault rifles aimed down at the heroes and police.
"Get to cover!" Wade yelled, getting the attention of the cops and heroes.
The moment the firing started, everyone in the courtyard ran to cover. The riot police used their shields to deflect the bullets as they quickly got into an L formation, matching the layout of the buildings. However, it didn't stop some of their comrades from getting hit. Killing eight before the end of 5 seconds.
"I've got it!" yelled one of the heroes. Using his Quirk to form a doom of energy around himself and the others. Stopping the bullets when they hit its yellow field.
"Yeah, we got them pinned!" one of the thugs in the building yelled right before Nejire's Wave Motion blasted him and the others next to him.
The Quirk blew up the side of the building as Nejire turned back to the heroes and cops. "Don't count us girls out just yet!" She yelled at them.
"We'll hold them down out here!" Centipeder said to Nighteye. "You get in there and find that girl!"
The hero with the force field-Quirk extended his hand to the door of the building, extending a tunnel for the dome to it.
"Alright, let's move in!" Detective yelled, leading the charge. "Get to the girl!"
The heroes and police quickly ran down into the tunnel.
"We've got this, don't we?!" Mirio asked Wade, determination burning in his eyes.
"Yeah, we do!" Wade exclaimed.
Jumping, he delivered a kick to the doors of the buildings, sending them off their sliders and flying them across the hallway. Wade landed on the floor in a crouch and took the lead down the hallway.
"Are we really following this kid—" Rock Lock was interrupted when Wade yelled back at him.
"Hey! You're not the one that's been up all night looking over the same video," Wade yelled back at the Pro before his HUD flashed, indicating that he was getting closer. "Nor a suit that tells you where to go."
Siding to a stop at the very same location where the flower vase was, Wade pushed the vase out of the way and started pressing the floorboards in the order he saw them being pushed in from the video, activating the door that led into the secret passageway.
"Can't this thing go any faster," he complained.
Just as it was open far enough to allow a person to walk through, three more yakuza thugs came rushing out.
"You heroes are dead—"
Wade uppercut him in the jaw and sent him up, hitting the roof. "I don't have time for this!" He yelled, grabbing the next one and throwing him at Kirishima, who clotheslined the guy with a hardened arm in the face. Wade grabbed the third thug, threw him across to the other wall, and trapped him under a blast of webbing.
"Chisaki has a lot of guys on his payroll," Wade said, descending into the underground with the others following behind him.
However, just as he was about to start running down the hallway to get to Eri, Wade's path was blocked by a wall.
"What the what," he asked in confusion as everyone stopped.
"It looks like a dead end!" the detective exclaimed.
Rock Lock snapped at Wade. "So much for your drone, Spider-Man!"
Wade growled and charged One for All into his fist. "I don't have time for this," he said. He started walking to the wall when Mirio stopped him.
"Hold on, let me take a look," he said, taking off his visors and walking up to the wall. Activating his Quirk, he phased through to look at the other side. Luckily for him and everyone else, his suit was able to phase with him due to it having strands of his hair sewn into it.
On the other side, he saw that the path continued, just like Wade's drone showed.
He pulled himself back and said, "This wall has blocked the hallway. Unfortunately, breaking through it's not going to be easy."
SMASH!
In Battle Focus, Wade smashed the wall apart with a single punch. Shocking Mirio and the other heroes.
"Hey, that didn't suck," Rock Lock said.
"I'll say," Fatgum exclaimed. "They beat me to the punch."
"Wall's gone," he said, jumping in through the hole and starting to run down it, with Mirio following behind. The other heroes and police followed in their steps.
"Man, I'm a little worried about Wade," Kirishima said as he ran alongside Tamaki and Fatgum. Both of them looked at him with confusion. "I knew that he was serious about this mission, but honestly, I kinda liked it when he was joking around."
With his enhanced speed, Wade ran further down the hallway ahead of the pack. He made turns left and right to get to Eri's room, but he finally reached it. Wade was finally where she'd been held for all these weeks, months, or even her whole life.
But it was left open. And standing outside of it, meters away from where you stood, was Chisaki and two other men. One of them had Eri in his arms. You were too late, Wade. Chisaki got her before you could reach her.
"Eri!" Wade called out to the little girl. The yakuza turned their heads towards Wade.
When she heard that voice, Eri's eyes widened. That voice. She knew that voice. It was a voice that gave her moments of comfort in times of extraordinary darkness and pain. A voice that linked to images of a smile so kind and gentle, giving her a sense of feeling that was so alien to Eri. A feeling of hope.
Looking, her red eyes locked with Spider-Man's, and she started trembling. "Wade…"
Wade breathed a sigh of relief. "That's right. It's me," he said.
"Hehehe, what's the matter, little hero," asked Mimic, the general manager of the Shie Hassaikai and one of Overhaul's most loyal henchmen. "Didn't get the girl?"
He was wearing a black suit that he possessed with his Quirk to disguise himself. Making himself look small in the black cloak, with short legs and arm-like protrusions, and a white plague mask that he wears as part of the Shie Hassaikai, sewn over where his face should be.
"You're pretty fast, aren't you," said Chisaki. "You shouldn't have been able to get here so fast. I'm impressed."
"I aim to please," Wade quipped, glaring at the man. "Gentlemen, I've come to do two things and two things only. Rescue a little girl and kick your ass. And I don't plan to do it in that order."
"You know, you've got a lot of nerves thinking you can make demands, boy," Mimic said, pointing at Wade. "Especially making THREATS AT US."
"I'm not in a good mood, little man," Wade said with a growl.
Chisaki closed his eyes and said, "Now that you know the situation, you've decided to finish what you started, eh, schoolboy?" He looked at Spider-Man critically. "You were all gung ho about saving her. But unfortunately for you, she didn't want to go with you."
Spider-Man's eyes closed. "She did it to protect me when I should've been the one doing the protecting," he said, opening his eyes. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do. This time, I'm not letting her go!"
Thus began an intense standoff as the man holding Eri spoke to his boss. This was Chronostasis, a fair-skinned man who hid his appearance, just like the other members of the Shie Hassaikai, by wearing a plague mask, black with gold trim, and circular glasses over his eyes. The most distinguishing part about him was his long white raincoat, with the hood kept permanently up.
"Sir, his friends will be here soon," he said. "We need to leave."
"I'm done trying to talk to this punk," Chisaki said. "Mimic, have fun."
"Right!" Mimic then stabbed himself in the neck with the syringe in his hand. "I'll make them all BLEED!"
Mimic yelled as his body contorted before he grew and broke out of his black suit. He revealed himself to be a tall and muscular man with visibly pointed facial features, including a spiked nose, a long, square-shaped chin, and a notably large mouth. He had relatively long, blond hair that was worn spiked up and a matching goatee.
He wore typical Yakuza clothing in the form of a dress shirt and pinstriped pants, also sporting suspenders.
"Trigger," Wade gasped as he stood ready to fight at the same time. Mirio and the others caught up. "Hold it!"
Wade shot his webbing to capture him, but not before Mimic stumbled onto a wall and phased into it.
"Dammit!"
"Allow me to make this clear," Chisaki said as he and Chronostasis turned around. "You're all going to die down here."
Suddenly, the floor under their feet came to life and moved under their feet. Taking all of them down the hall at great speeds.
"No!" Mirio yelled as he rushed over to Wade. "Eri!"
Suddenly, the entire hallway and infrastructure of the underground started to shake, then warp and bend like waves of a storm out at sea. It was incredibly unstable, with many being thrown off their feet.
"The hell's going on?!" Kirishima yelled as he tried balancing himself on the wall.
"Everything's twisting!" Wade yelled, getting down and placing his hands on the ground to stick to it. "What kind of Quirk is this?!
"It has to be Joi Irinaka's Mimicry!" The detective leading the police yelled. "Chisaki's Quirk can't do something like this! Irinaka's power can let him control objects as he would his own body."
Wade gritted his teeth under his mask as the hallways continued warping. That meant that Mimic morphed himself into the concrete of the halls and made this a living maze.
"Yeah, but it shouldn't be possible on this scale!" Rock Lock yelled. "He's not supposed to be able to control anything larger than a damn refrigerator!"
"Not unless he used Trigger!" Wade yelled. "Which he did!"
"That makes sense," Fatgum said. "I was ready for just about anything, but the whole building turning against us wasn't something I was expecting. Still, controlling something big must be wearing the guy out. Eraser Head! Can't you stop him?!"
Aizawa bumped into Fatgum's back and said, "I can't do anything without seeing his real body!"
As he tried to remain on his feet, Tamaki started to panic.
"With the passageway shifting and changing like this, they can create as many escape routes as they need to. We have to think quickly to get out of here," Tamaki said, trying to remain calm, and failed. His confidence broke down in the waving hallway. "No, it's no use. We're all gonna die down here!"
"Ah, come on!" Wade yelled, looking at him angrily. "Oh, man. Starting to feel sick."
"Don't get sick yet," Mirio said, placing a comforting hand on Tamaki's shoulder. Not even the instability of the hallway could shake his resolve. "And don't break down yet, Tamaki. Remember, you are the hero, Suneater. Be that hero!"
Mirio took everyone by surprise when he suddenly ran forward.
"Whoa, hey! What are you doing!?" Wade yelled.
"Speed is of the essence! I'll go on ahead," Mirio said, not stopping as a wall formed in front of him. He simply used his Quirk and phased through it.
Wade gritted his teeth under his mask and tried to get back up. "Dammit! Wait for me," he yelled before his senses buzzed again just as the hallway stopped and returned to normal. "Shit! Here comes another attack!"
The heroes and police braced themselves for an attack. However, it didn't come from anywhere but below. The floor completely disappeared into a black void.
Wade gasped and acted quickly. He shot a web-line at the ceiling, hanging upside down from it. But while he was safe, everyone else was still falling and disappearing into the darkness. And there lay the new dilemma for the young hero: either go down and help them out or go to Mirio and help him get to Eri.
What was one to do? To follow their heart or their head. Mirio could handle getting Eri, hero. He's one of the Big Three, a hero in the making, like you, Wade. But the others need you as well. Don't think the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. You don't want to feel like that but know it's true.
A hero was already on the way to save Eri. It's not you. It hurts, but the others will need you now.
"Dammit!" Wade said, diving down into the darkness.
Landing, Wade shielded his eyes when blinding lights turned on. The other heroes and cops were all around him. Together, they were in a large room with only one exit.
Rising to his feet, Wade looked around as everyone picked themselves up. "Where are we," he asked.
"Somewhere even farther from the target!" Rock Lock exclaimed. "Those guys are really screwing with us."
"Well, well, well," said a new voice. The heroes turned around and saw the person it was coming from: one of three members of the Yakuza. "Looks like we got ourselves some state-authorized thugs. It's that strange?"
That was Soramitsu Tabe, a slim man with circular eyes, who gave him an insane look. All of his face was visible underneath the ragged burlap sack mask that covered his entire head and was held by a rope knot around his neck. The mask had two openings from where Soramitsu's eyes were visible and a stitched smile. He also wore a purple dress shirt and grey pants.
With were two other thugs.
The one with the katana was Toya Setsuno, a tall, lean young man with light, almond-shaped eyes, their irises visibly small and prominent dark circles around them. His hair was chin-length and bright golden-blond, worn parted to his left to obscure his right eye. Toya had thin eyebrows that are usually pointed upwards; this, and the notable wideness of his eyes, give him a permanently crazed look.
He wore a dark green dress shirt with a light orange tie, dark pants, and a beak-shaped plague mask, which was worn by all of the Eight Bullets.
Finally, there was Yu Hojo, a tall, muscular man with shadowed eyes and a shaved head. He wore a dark dress shirt, the top few buttons left undone, plain pants, and black dress shoes. Yu's choice of mask was a simple medical mask that he wore over his mouth, unlike the signature beak-like mask worn by the rest of the Hassaikai.
"These guys are obviously ready for a fight," Fatgum said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see how long petty criminals can last against the strength of a pro!"
Tamaki, however, stopped his mentor by holding out his arm in front of him.
"The pros should save their strength for when we reach the target," he said, his mind remembering what Mirio told him a long time ago. The only reason his friend was able to do his best was that Tamaki inspired him.
"He's right," Wade said. "They're just trying to slow us down."
"And that's why I need to stay behind," Tamaki said, sweating a little. "I can handle them myself."
This shocked the others, with Kirishima saying, "You don't have to. We'll work together!"
"Please, everyone, stay," Setsuno said. "I'll kill you all."
Some of the officers pointed their guns at him before the detective halted them. "We can't use our guns on him," he said. "It's up to the pros."
"You've done your homework. Oh, well. That just means I'm free to let loose!" he shouted, charging at the officer.
"Think again!" Aizawa yelled at him and activated his powers.
Whatever power the guy had was erased, and he was forced to stop in his tracks. "My Quirk!"
Wade's webbing shot out as a line that grabbed the blade of the katana. With a hard yank, he pulled it out of Setsuno's hand and caught it. "You know, I've always wanted one of these. But this just feels fake," he said in a taunting voice. "Did you get this from a cereal box over something?" Wade then threw it away.
Hojo then pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Wade. "Your friend is an inferior version of Eri," he said.
Wade's eyebrow raised. An inferior version?
"Our job is to slow you down, and we still have weapons and fists to do just that," Hojo said, only for his gun to get pulled out of his hand by Wade's web-line.
He caught it in his hand, dropped the magazine, and ejected the bullet into the chamber.
"At least you still got fists," he said with a smug smirk under his mask.
The police pulled out their guns again. "Surrender now!"
However, before the fighting could start, Tamaki quickly used his Quirk to turn his right fingers into large octopus tentacles. He promptly grabbed the villains while listing off their Quirks.
"Toya Setsuno. Quirk: Larceny. Yu Hojo: Crystallize. Soramitsu Tabe: Food," he said, pulling his arm back to swing them. "I read all about these guys in the briefing."
With all his strength, Suneater threw the Yakuza members into a far-off corner, out of the way of the only exit.
"I can take these three on," he said with a newfound sense of determination, the likes of which have never been see by his friends and allies. "We eat tons of Takoyaki at the Fat Agency, so Octopus has become one of my specialties."
"Hold on, Suneater!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"It's not smart for all of us to fight them," Tamaki said, turning his other hand into a claw. At the same time, the three thugs, still trapped in his tentacles' grip, started standing back up. "They want to stall as many heroes here as possible. Let's just give them one. You'll need all your powers, especially Eraser Head's, for later! You'll need to be operating at 100% to get through the hallways!
"Fatgum! I know this is something I can do on my own," he declared with determination.
Fatgum nodded. "Let's go!" he said, turning to leave.
"What a minute!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"Through that door!"
Setsuno saw them trying to leave. "Hey, wait, where're you going?" he asked. He was about to use his Quirk if it wasn't for Aizawa looking at him. "Not again!"
"Amajiki," Aisawa said. "You need to move fast! Beat them before they can fight back."
He and the others ran to the exit. Spider-Man stayed back for a second before turning to leave.
However, he was stopped when Tamaki said, "Before you go…" he slammed the villains back into the wall. "You have to take care of Mirio! He's definitely going to try too hard. So please, keep him safe."
Wade smiled under his mask. "I will!"
The police slammed open the doors, and the heroes followed them out. Running down the hallways as fast as they can. In Spider-Man's case, he slowed down to keep pace.
"Wait, that's it! We're gonna leave him alone back there," Kirishima asked. "What're you thinking?"
"He's from your agency, so I left the decision to you," Rock Lock said. "But are you sure he can handle them? Seems kinda risky."
Fatgum responded by saying, "I have faith in him. He's stronger than he believes himself to be!"
The response silences the critics.
"His only weakness is his self-confidence. The pressure to do things perfectly sometimes leaves him feeling crushed. Breaking his spirit. And yet, he rose to become one of the Big Three of UA. So I trusted him when he said he could take on those thugs on his own. If he believes in himself, I believe in him!"
"Yeah, but still," Kirishima said, still running alongside Wade. "I'm really worried about him."
Fatgum deadpanned. Even after his big speech, the first year still didn't think Amajiki could handle himself. Perhaps one moment of confidence doesn't mean much if they haven't seen him do anything to back it up.
"At the very least, trust him!" Spider-Man said, knowing that it didn't take much to change his friend's mind. "Come on, dude! I thought you were a real man!"
"YEAH!" Kirishima yelled, now completely confident in Amajiki's abilities. "He'll handle it, no problem! All we can do now is have faith in him!"
"That's right!" Spider-Man said, facing back in the direction he was running. "We can't afford to waste time. Not when Suneater bought us that time!"
The team continued down the hallway towards the direction Chisaki took Eri and where Mirio chased after them. However, as they ran, Wade started to notice something odd. Mimic wasn't trying to stop them. Did the Trigger wear off?
"You're sensing it too?" Aizawa asked, coming to run beside him.
"You mean how things are going way too easy, yeah," Wade said.
"I'd expect him to throw as many obstacles as possible in our way," Aizawa said. "If he's not, maybe that means his awareness and control don't extend through the entire place. He could also be dedicating his focus to the police squad above."
"So there's a limit to how much of the building he can keep tabs on," asked Rock Lock.
"It's just a theory, but maybe rather than having been assimilated into it, he's moving around inside the walls to monitor what's going on."
"So when he does take control of an area, his body would be nearby," Wade guestimated.
"If he pokes an actual eye or an ear out to keep track of us, that'll be all it takes," Aizawa said. "I just need to see him."
Wade's senses kicked in again. But it wasn't him that was being attacked.
"Eraser Head!"
A sudden giant hand of stone formed out of the wall to the hero's left and pushed against his side. It happened so fast Wade's reflexes couldn't stop it in time. At the same time, a hole was formed in the wall the hand was pushing him towards.
Mimic wanted to knock him out of the fight before Aizawa could even get eyes on him.
Wade was about to rush in when both Kirishima and Fatgum beat him to the punch. The larger hero pushed Aizawa out of the way just in time before he and the redhead were shoved into the hole.
"Kirishima!" Wade yelled.
"Be careful, Fatgum!" Aizawa yelled as the two were sent into the tunnel.
Nighteye turned to the others and said, "We can't stop now! If we do, then Mirio will be all alone to fight Chisaki."
Wade didn't like it, but he was right. Kirishima and Fatgum could handle themselves. He had to stay focused. Spider-Man helped Aizawa stand up before leaving.
"Hurry!" Nighteye yelled, still running as fast as he could. "We need to catch up to Mirip fast!"
However, that's when the walls and floor started moving again.
"Crap! Not again!" Wade yelled as the walls moved in on all sides.
"They're closing in, fast!" the detective yelled.
"He's trying to crush us," Aizawa said.
"We'll be flattened like damn pancakes!" yelled Rock Lock.
Nighteye tried to remain standing and said, "Rock Lock, do something!"
"Stop giving orders! This is all your fault," he yelled back. "Listenin' to you is what got us into his mess!"
"Will you shut the hell up and just do as the guy said?!" Wade yelled, having reached the patience with the man.
Rock Lock gritted his teeth in frustration and placed his hand on the wall. "Fine! This oughta do it! Deadbolt!"
Performing a 180° spin with his hand, Rock Lock unleashed the ultimate move of his Lock Down ability. Alone, it allowed him to immobilize any nonliving thing he touched, stopping it in a fixed location in space. Deadbolt allowed him to secure his immediate area down in a point of space.
"There," he said as the hallway stopped moving. "It ain't going anywhere." He then ran down the hallway and performed the same move. "Come on, let's go! It's narrow, but deal with it! My Deadbolt is strong, but it can only hold so many spots. And I'm already hitting my limits."
Wade sighed in relief before his senses went off again. He turned around and saw a wall of deformed concrete coming at him and everyone.
Spider-Man activated Battle Focus. "Oh no, you don't!" he yelled, rocketing towards the wall. With a single kick, Wade smashed it to pieces. He stopped himself by shooting a web-line at the ground and used it like an anchor.
"Where's that little shit watching us from," he asked, looking around.
"We're not any progress here!" Rock Lock yelled, prompting Wade to look back.
Another wall was coming at them from the front.
"He just keeps cornering us!"
"When we keep smashing through!" Wade launched himself at the incoming wall and destroyed it. "That Trigger's gonna let up eventually!"
This wasn't the time to be slowed down. Not when his girlfriend, Tsuyu, Nejiri, Ryukuyu, and the other officers and heroes were fighting outside to stop the Yakuze from interfering. And then there was Kirishima, Fatgum, and Amajiki. They were all fighting for their lives now so that he and the rest could get this far.
"And when it does, I'm gonna beat you!" Wade yelled, smashing to pieces a pillar of concrete that was launched at him with his fist.
He then gasped.
The concrete wall retreated down the hallway. The room then became much wider than before.
"What's going on," Wade asked.
"What do you think they're planning this time," one officer said.
Spider-Man was about to respond when his senses kicked in and alerted him of something massive coming.
"Watch out!" he yelled before a wall came down in front of him and Aizawa. One of many walls that formed out of the ceiling and floor, dividing the team into smaller forces.
As the dust settled and Wade and Aizawa were able to see, they saw that they were all alone in the small space.
"Thanks for the heads up," Eraser Head said. Together, they stood back to back. "Why would they bother separating us now, though?"
Wade sucked in a deep breath. "HEY! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"
"Yes!" said the voice of one of the police officers, coming from the wall in front of Wade. "We're fine!"
"You guys okay on that side," yelled Rock Lock from the wall to Wade's right.
"We're good!" Wade yelled back. "Well, at least we can all hear each other. But if they're splitting us up instead of just killing us now, something must be coming."
"You're right, Wade Walker," Sir Nighteye said from the wall behind Wade and in front of Aizawa. "Stay alert! They have a plan, so be prepared for anything!"
Wade cracked his knuckles and approached one of the walls. It was the one Rock Lock was behind.
"Alright, let's get the guy," he said, not too thrilled to have to help Pro-Hero out.
"Lockdown!"
"Huh?" Wade looked at the wall in confusion. That was Rock Lock's voice. It was calling out one of his moves. "Rock Lock, what's going on in there?!"
"You're with the League, aren't ya!?" he said.
Wade's heart stopped. The League of Villains was here? No, this was the worst-case scenario. The one thing that Aizawa wanted to keep him away from. Now they were here, and one was attacking Rock Lock.
He could worry about being pulled off the team later. Right now, the hero needed saving.
"Hang on!" Wade charged up his Battle Focus. With a swift kick, Wade destroyed the wall and created a hole.
On the other side, there were two Rock Locks. One was kneeling next to the other, who was bleeding. The other looked at Spider-Man and Eraser Head with a startled look.
"Hey, this imposter clone just appeared out of nowhere and attacked me! Be careful!" he exclaimed.
Aizawa quickly ran over to the body on the ground. The wound was obviously from a knife.
"Walker, are you alright," Rock Lock asked as Wade approached him.
"I'm fine," Wade said, finding it a bit weird how the jerk was suddenly so concerned about him. Something wasn't right.
Aizawa sensed it, too. Something was clearly wrong! The knife wound and the presence of an imposter could only mean one thing.
Nighteye believed that the Hassaikai weren't working with the League.
"So, let's say we get you back to the others," Wade said, looking at Rock Lock with his mask's eyes narrowing. "Himiko Toga."
Wade's spidey sense alerted him before Rock Lock pulled out a knife.
"We were wrong!" Aizawa yelled and used his Erasure on the imposter.
Just like in the Hero Licensing Exam, Toga's disguise melted off her like goo, revealing her naked body as she launched herself at Wade. Her knife was raised over her head, and she had a great big blushing grin on her creepy face.
Wade grabbed her by the wrist. With his superior strength, he held Toga at bay. "Ha, got it on the first try," he said with a grin under his mask. "Figured it was you."
"Really?!" Toga exclaimed with glee in her voice. "You really recognized me, your darling?! And you remembered me! Ha, ha!"
"I remembered how creepy you were," Wade said, still holding her back. "And I also remembered that neat little party trick from last time! Back at the Licensing Exam when you were turned into Camie. Knives and being butt-ass naked when you use your powers are your specialty."
Toga giggled and jumped up out of the goo collecting at her feet. She then wrapped her bare legs around his waist. "I'm so happy you knew it was me! You have no idea how happy I am to see you again, Wade!" she yelled, trying to pull Wade closer to stab him. "Come here, let's get closer, Wade!"
Suddenly, Aizawa's scarf wrapped around her, and Toga was pulled off his student. "This as far as you go!" he yelled.
Angry that the man pulled her away from her beloved, Toga grabbed the scarf. With some ninja-level athleticism, the blonde girl used her momentum and pushed down on the scarf, flipping her body over Aizawa.
The teacher yelled in pain when the crazy girl's knife dug into the back of his left shoulder.
Drawing his own knife, Aizawa slashed at Toga, but she kicked off his back and flipped. Dropping her knife.
Toga landed on the ground a few feet away before a wall came down and cut her off from the two heroes.
Now safe, Wade rushed over and blashed both Aizawa and Rock Lock's stab wounds with a patch of webbing. This wasn't some random encounter; it was a coordinated attack. The League and the yakuza were working together. If that's why they separated them, then it meant that it was the League's turn to step up.
"That should stop the bleeding," Wade said. "You still good?"
"I'm fine," Aizawa said. "Focus on helping Rock Lock and get the other knife! I heard that Toga's Quirk uses blood somehow."
"Right," Wade said, shooting a thin web-line at the handle of the bloodied knife and yanking it over to him.
Handing it to Aizawa, he ran back into the previous space he and Aizawa were trapped in and smashed a hole through the wall. The one Nighteye, the detective, and the police with they were behind.
"We got wounded over here!" he yelled, pointing to Aizawa and Rock Lock.
The police passed by to assist as Nighteye approached. "What happened? Was it Irinaka?" he asked.
"No, it was Toga from the League of Villains," he said.
Nighteye looked paler than he did before. "Are you sure?"
"There's only one girl I know that can creep me out that much," Wade said, looking troubled at the situation.
The League and Hassaikai joining forces seemed like an impossible outcome after they murdered Magne. Plus, Shigaraki doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd want to submit to anyone.
"Super pumped to be here!"
The two heroes and the police turned around to see two individuals. Twice, doing a pose, and another one of the Chisaki's elite Eight Bullets.
Kendo Rappa was a huge mountain of a man with long, light brown hair. His face was hidden beneath the plague mask given to him by the Shie Hassaikai. He donned a tattered T-shirt and dark pants covered by a light blue tunic and decorated with two belts. Rappa also sported gloves, which covered his hands and wrists with several leather straps and his knuckles with metal.
"Spidey, hey! Good to see you again!" Twice said.
Wade crossed his arms. "Hey, Twice. You look, well," he said, as the others looked at the Spider-Man in shock. Was he really bantering with a villain?
"Man, I didn't expect you to be here and with some suits," Twice said, pointing at Nighteye. "You look like a freakin' desk jockey. Don't underestimate the yakuza, jackass!"
"Dude, come on, that's my boss," Wade said. "And you're not going anywhere! So just give up before we have to get ugly."
"Like your mom!" Twice yelled, pointing at him. "Let's rumble! Get him, Big Bro Rappa!"
Rappa charged at the two heroes. Wade was about to go on the attack when Nighteye, pushing his glasses up his nose with his right middle finger, moved in front of the young hero. Putting himself in the direct line of Rappa's barrage of punches.
However, instead of having a fist knock his block off, he got down on one hand and kicked Rappa's legs out. His fist grazed his suit and ripped it, exposing his six-pack.
"You grazed my body," he said, the light of the room reflecting off his glasses. "Impressive."
Nighteye then threw three small objects at Rappa. The moment they hit the giant man, he was sent flying back past Twice and smashed against the wall, much to Twice's complete and total shock. He slowly turned his head to see the damage to his copy of the yakuza member.
"Dude, what do you throw at him," Wade asked.
"These high-density personal seals. They are my support items," he said, opening his left hand to reveal two more seals. If you were to look at them, they looked like ordinary stamps but with no way to use ink. "Each weighs about five kilograms. "Quite fitting, aren't they?"
"They get my stamp of approval," said Wade, getting a groan from a policeman. "Oh, come on! That was funny! But why didn't you let me take the guy head-on?"
"I made a prediction and acted accordingly. I didn't think that the infamous League of Villains would stoop to joining forces with mere yakuza," he said, watching as Twice's doppelganger melted away.
"He melted," said Twice. "These mobsters are useless!"
"And you're next!" Wade said and charged at the villain. Sending an electric fist at his face.
Twice saw it coming and leaned his head to the right. Dodging the punch, but Wade's knuckles ripped the left side of his mask. Revealing the blonde hair and a large scar splitting his forehead.
"Aw, you little bastard!" Twice yelled, before Wade punched him in the stomach, sending him flying back into the wall of the hallway he and his doppelganger came from.
Wade threw a web bomb at the villain, watching as it covered everything except for Twice's neck and head. He walked up to Twice to finish capturing him when a wall of concrete came down on the hole he came through. Cutting him off from the other heroes.
"Walker!" Nighteye called out from the other side.
"I'm alright, Sir," Wade said. He then turned back to Twice and started approaching him.
"What the hell are you doing, ya yakuza thug?!" Twice yelled, looking up at the ceiling with a crazed look in his grey-blue eyes with no eyebrows. "You trapped the spider in here with me! What happened to helpin' each other out? At least kill him so that way we can take him to Shigaraki! Feral couldn't do it, so why not us?!"
So, the League was responsible for hiring Feral. "Now, you and I are gonna have a nice long…"
Wade gasped when he saw what was happening to the villain. It was like watching two people, two souls fighting over control of one body. Their voices were the same, and the words came from the same mouth. One was in a lot of pain and trying to hold back as much as he could from letting his other half take over. The other loved the pain and wanted more.
"This is bad. You tore my mask. It hurts so much! No, no, I can't do this! My head is splitting!"
"Aw, yeah!"
"I'm gonna tear apart!"
"Aw, you'll be fine!"
"I can't move! I need to fix this mask, before I split in two!"
Wade gently turned the villain's head and covered the exposed parts with webbing, making sure not a single hair or skin was exposed. His left eye was covered up, but it was enough for Wade, so long as the villain was okay.
"It's not much, but I hope this helps you," he said, stepping back. "You okay now?"
"Spidey?" A tear was seen coming out of Twice's right eye. Wade nodded…
…only to grab Toga's hand when she tried to stab his head.
Spider-Man quickly jumped back from the villainess and stood ready to fight her. Toga smiled at him in crazed delight, wanting to stab him.
"Toga?" Twice's groaning voice said as he started calming down.
Toga looked at her friend before looking back at her darling Wade. Her desire to see his blood conflicted with Toga's desire to make sure Jin was okay. Wade saw this and lowered his stance slightly. Allowing Toga to go to Twice.
"Did it work," she asked in a sweet voice. Very, very different from how Wade heard her talk. "You feel whole again, don't you? Now that you're all covered up again." Toga pouted and crossed her arms. "We're working so hard to help these gangsters. But they're kinda useless, huh?" The way she was talking to Twice was like she'd forgotten all about Wade's existence. Or the fact that Mimic was still in the room all around them. Hearing everything they were saying to each other.
"Marry me! You're the devil," Twice said. As sweet as it was to watch, Wade knew they were still off their rockers.
Toga cupped his face. "I know you've still gotta be hurting. You feel the most responsibility for Big Sis Mag's death, and it's getting you down," she said. "But you gotta be a good bad guy and power through so we can do what we came here to do, okay?"
"Wife-y?"
"It's gotta be rough in your head, Jin. So sad."
"But if this whole team-up fails now," Toga said, looking up at the ceiling with murderous glee, "we wouldn't get our reward."
A good bad guy? What did that even mean? Wade pondered this as he watched the two villains, his sworn enemies from the League of Villains, treat each other with more love and compassion than they treated him. It was heartwarming—in a sick and twisted way. At that moment, they weren't murderers. They were just people.
Spider-Man sighed and walked up to them. They saw him out of the corner of their eyes and turned to him. Then, he did something he never would have imagined doing.
Wade talked to his villains.
"I hear about what happened to Magne. I'm so sorry," he said. "But why would you want to work with the very same people that killed her?"
Toga blushed brightly and hid her mouth behind her hands. "Wade wants to talk to me!" she gushed.
"We'll never talk! But I will!" Twice said before talking to Wade in a rare instance of seriousness. "It was all Shigaraki's idea. He said that it had great potential. Mr. Grabby, the Grabbing Villain (Wade was going to save that one for later.), made a deal with the Hassaikai and made us honorary yakuza members!"
Twice gritted his teeth in his mouth. "I thought it was a bad joke. That I find hilarious!"
"Is there an off switch you've got?"
"Only an on switch!"
Toga spoke next, and she wasn't acting like the creepy school guy anymore, either. "None of us liked it. Not after he killed Big Sis Mag and took Mr. Compress' arm," said the girl, pouting.
"And it's all my fault," said Twice. "I brought him to meet Shigaraki! We may be villains, but we're humans, too, man."
"As were all your victims," Wade said, silencing the two villains. There was a slight moment of silence as Spider-Man said, "If you didn't like what the League was making you do? Why still come here? You could have just left it."
Toga sighed and skipped over to Wade. "Oh, my big darling spider. It must be so easy to make those kind of choices. It's like what Shigaraki said: We choose our path, while you choose the way of the hero. We don't get to have a choice for the path we take. The League is a place where I feel at home, especially when everyone abandoned me. So afraid were they of my Quirk. Seeing me as a freak. In the League, I found a place I could call home. I joined them because of Mr. Stainy. To make the world a place where I can do whatever I want and live freely."
"How many bodies will it take to make that world," Wade asked, watching as Toga started to twirl.
"Until we've achieved that goal. Where we're not treated like freaks, and our powers are seen as gifts. It'd be such a bummer to get distracted from my goal," she said, smiling at Wade as she pressed the knife against the white spider on his chest. The symbol of hope that would challenge the League at every turn they take against Wade and the world. "I want to cut the yakuza, but following them allows us to further our goals."
Wade's frown deepened. She turned to the League of Villains because she was isolated.
"Now I understand," Spider-Man said, brushing away her knife. "So Shigaraki sent you here to take down the Hassaikai from the inside."
"We don't know every detail about his plan," Twice said, "but all that matters is that he believed in us."
Wade looked at the two villains for a moment. He sighed and said, "We all have a choice. And our choices are what will determine who we become." Wade looked to Toga and held out his hand. "Either of you got a phone?"
[Play Music: MW2 soundtrack "Enemy of my enemy is my friend"]
This confused both Toga and Twice, with the latter saying, "I do! You can't have it! The password is 1234."
"Call your boss. I want to talk to him."
This definitely surprised the girl in front of him. However, wondering what her darling hand was in store, she pulled out her flip phone—the one the Hassaikai didn't tap—and pressed on the only contact. "Hey, boss. Someone what's to talk to you," she said before handing it over to Wade.
"Shigaraki, this is your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," he said cheerfully.
From the other side of the wall, Nighteye yelled out, "Wade, what are you doing!?" Having listened to the conversation, he now believed the young man had lost his mind.
"Your friends told me about your little plan to bring down the yakuza from the inside. My, the boys, a large group of heroes, and the police are all here to do the same thing. Tell them to help us out with this one, and I'll take care of the rest."
Shigaraki did not answer.
"I know you can hear me, Shigaraki. You and I both know you won't last a week if Chisaki leaves this place."
"...And neither will you."
"Shigaraki," Wade said, grinning. He then walked to the wall and leaned on it. Making sure that the heroes and police heard him. "Have you ever heard the old saying, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"
"Walker, one day, you're going to find that cuts both ways. Toga, Twice, time to cut our losses. And Walker, I'll see you in hell."
"Looking forward to it. I'll make sure you and All for One are bunkmates in Tartarus," Wade said, ending the call and tossing the phone back to Toga. He then hit the wall two times. "I recommend that you all hang on!"
"Walker, just what in the world are you thinking," asked Nighteye.
"My job," Wade said. "Last time I checked, that was to save Eri. Not to arrest the League. You guys can try to arrest them, but I'm going to go ahead and meet up with Mirio." He then turned to the two villains.
"So…what do you got," Toga asked.
"What I do best," Wade said, grinning under his mask. Spider-Man then looked to the ceiling. "You hear that, little man?! Your leader was so stupid that he was fooled by these two! No wonder the yakuza are dying out." He could feel the hateful glare on him already. Wade turned to Toga and Twice. "I gave you two a head start. Keep his attention on you and help out the heroes if you can!"
Turning back towards the hallway, Wade activated Battle Focus and sped off as fast as his super-powered legs would allow. He disappeared with his camouflage activating just before Mimic went berserk. They would end up helping the heroes out. Without Wade's strength, Twice summoned another clone of Rappa to smash the wall where Mimic was hiding. Allowing Aizawa to hit him with his Erasure and Nighteye to hit him with a seal. The two villains would then disappear, never being caught by police.
Time was running out for the Heroes of Tomorrow. They had to finish this fight now.
AN: And there you go! The next chapter of Heroes of Tomorrow and the beginning half of the raid on Shie Hassaikai. Focusing solely on Wade as cutting to the other fights would have been pointless as they play out the same as in the manga. Everything else was a blast to write, and while there were some moments when I got writer's block, I was able to break through and make this chapter the best that I could.
The first part of the chapter changed from the manga, where Wade and his friends were actively involved in the search for the yakuza with their agencies. I wanted Wade to have an active role in the search for Eri, frustrating him with how hard it was to find her and how long it was taking to save her. Plus, it allowed me to have him use the Spyder drone.
Heh, get it? Spy? Spider?
I'm not sure how long it actually takes to get a warrant. Still, the extra time it took for it to come after Wade located Eri was also done to fit in that one moment from the cafeteria and foreshadow Wade's anxiety attack. All of it builds up until Wade has his The Spider Within moment. I love that short film. If you haven't seen it, then go and watch it. It's amazing.
Wade was not messing around on this mission, even as multiple gunmen started raining bullets on the heroes and police, something inspired by the first mission in Spider-Man PS4. And he was ready to fight Chisaki if it wasn't for Mimic.
By far my favorite part of this chapter is the interaction between Wade, Toga, and Twice. Just like how a Spider-Man should be, and even like the Flash, I wanted Wade to start seeing the villains that he's fighting not as pure evil right off the bat but as people damaged by circumstances and injustices brought upon them by the society they live in. Now, of course, this doesn't erase all of the horrible things they did, but it allows Wade to come to a better understanding of why villains become villains.
Understanding this will lead to his desire for change, not through some idiotic idea like a violent revolution (to the person who wanted me to do this, you know who you are) that involves killing everyone and becoming like Megatron or Magneto. But like Optimus, through peaceful ways and understanding. Every hero worth their salt needs to strive to be the kind of hero Optimus Prime is.
The idea of that Modern Warfare 2 moment was kind of a last-minute thing, as I didn't really know how to get Wade away from the two villains once he was alone in the same room with them and get him to Mirio. However, I think it shows some level of trust he had for Toga and Twice and how differently he thinks of things compared to the other heroes. Both the League and the heroes have the same enemy, so why not help each other out for just one moment? Allowing them to further their goals.
That's really all I have to say for today. I hope you all enjoyed the story, and I hope to see you all again.