UA Multiverse Peek
A Team of Heroic Thieves
Chapter 38
This will be pretty obvious for most. So, I'll skip most of the preamble and get right to writing the first chapter of this. Next chapter will be a bit different and a going back to a major point I've been skipping. Also, this might be put up on AO3 given all the glitches on this site. On with the show.
(No POV)
"This could be interesting. Did those silhouettes look familiar? Maybe," the teens say while waiting for the TV to start up again. Izuku though knows what is coming next. As does Ida and Nezu. With both as curious as Izuku about what else could happen, as the show begins.
The video starts with an image of the pyramids. A trio of shadowed characters were running across the rooftops and leaping to different locations. The lithest of the characters then appeared and was sliding down into the main lobby of the Cairo museum. The hooked cane in his hand illustrating some of who he was. But it was confirmed as he leapt down. The racoon thief: Sly Izuku Cooper. The young man looking around the museum as a title card above him names him "the thief".
"I knew it." Nezu says with a smile. A number of the other teens were interested in what the racoon and his allies would be up to. "I hope I get more of a chance to shine here." Sato says with excitement. "I doubt it. Your guy seemed like a chicken in the last video." Kaminari said while looking forward to seeing the "foxy" officer again. And wondering if there were other animal girls who'd be showing up.
The young man pulls out his binocumon and on the screen is his best friend, Tenya the turtle. The bespectacled turtle had a pith helmet on and what seemed to be armor atop his shell. "Breaker Alpha Foxtrot, this is the Wizard. Do you read me Sitting Duck?" he said with a somewhat nervous expression and a hushed whisper.
Ida smiles at seeing his other self and the apparent fact he was directing his allies. "Why is he wearing armor? He's already got that shell." Mina questioned between chuckling at the turtle's attempts at being a spy mission coordinator. "Maybe he's in the field?" Juzo postulated while looking at the screen.
Sly rolled his eyes before saying, "this is Peking Duck, I hear you Blizzard." Tenya face faults slightly and responds, in a slightly louder whisper, with, "no Sly, I'm the Wizard. And you're Sitting Duck!" But the racoon decides to mess with his friend again by saying, "I read you loud and clear Lizard."
A few light laughs were had at Sly's jokes at Tenya's expense. "He's not taking this seriously at all is he?" Awase said with a little laugh. "Why would someone as great and so full of themselves like a 1-A copy worry about guak!" Monoma started before getting knocked out once again. "Does he ever get tired of this? Probably not. It's about like Mineta and a few others being perverts," some in the audience say. Though not without some shouts of indignation.
"No I'm. Forget it, you're not taking this seriously." Tenya says exasperatedly. Sly gives him a smile before getting serious. "Yeah, I'm not. Look Tenya, I know it's your first time out in the field but you've gotta loosen up. If we're going get to those Clockwerk Parts then I need you on your toes. So, in plain talk, what's your status?"
Some chuckled at the turtle and racoon's interaction, but more were worried about what the thief said next. "The Clockwerk…. Parts?" All Might mumbled out. Nezu hummed before noting that it might have been something they missed at the end of the original Heroic Thief. "Perhaps… he is looking to make sure that Clockwerk's mechanical body couldn't be put to some nefarious use. Though that's a bit disturbing to think about," the rodent hero said while shivering at the implications.
Tenya nods before noting that he was in the basement. "I'm pretty sure I can rewire the service elevator if you can power it up from that security station." Izuku nods and tells Tenya to hang tough and he'll figure a way up.
And figure the way up he does. He notices a large drum beneath the whale skeleton and uses that to bounce him up atop the bones. Walking along them and then leaping to the balcony overlooking the lobby.
"Guess you are inside or in the field. But you seem to be just as nervous as when it's just me." Izuku said with a look to his bespectacled friend. Ida nodded quickly and said, "he's much smaller than I or any of you are. Let alone the fact he's a turtle, so he's not too fast." Tsuyu then states that turtle Tenya would probably be the first one to get killed if they got into trouble. Which made a few others sweat in worry and grunt at her bluntness.
With the power up, Tenya reports that he'd spliced what he needed to. Though not without getting a good shock first. Once the elevator is up, it shows that the turtle not only has armor, but a small crossbow and some other gadgets attached to a bandolier. The screen then cuts and gives him his title. Tenya, the brains.
Ida looks over his counterpart again and is intrigued by the equipment they were carrying. "Hang on a second…. Those look like grenades. Does this guy like to blow things up?" Bakugo noted while narrowing his eyes. And feeling a bit of excitement at what could come in the next parts of the story.
Tenya steps out and quickly makes his way over to a computer. Saying, "okay, okay. Let me at that security terminal…. The spotlights are offline….. there goes the laser security system. I'm working on the security gate." As he was saying and typing this, each of the functions, throughout the entire museum, were shut down.
Nezu nods before letting out a small whistle. "It seems your counterpart is an expert at disabling the enemy infrastructure and alerts. Not to mention an expert planner. It may not be in the same way, but I do believe you could learn from this." Ida shivered from the praise the administrator was giving and happily saluted and announced he would. Asking to borrow a notebook from Izuku to write matters down.
And as the gate was rising, Tenya smiled. "Presto, all clear." Sly nodded before complimenting Tenya's first time out in the field. "Oh this operation is far from complete. Now that the lasers and spotlights are offline, Riki should be moving into position for your rendezvous. I'll stay here and provide computer support while you go on ahead."
Sly nods and makes his way through the museum. Though he is worried after Tenya gives a…. rather terrible PA announcement to try and distract the handful of guards in the facility. But he shakes it off and gets to the balcony overlooking the garden of the museum.
"Though you might try to be better than him when it comes to speaking to others." Nezu says with a laugh at hearing the turtle's PA announcement. Ida nodded and wrote the advice down. But also acknowledged how he'd kept Sly focused on the task at hand and the bigger mission. "I have to wonder though; how dangerous could those parts be? They were dumped in a volcano after all." Bondo thought aloud with a tilt of his head.
"According to my information, the Clockwerk parts are being stored up there," Tenya explained while Sly panned to the location with his viewfinder. He continues with, "now to get access, you're going to have to meet up with Riki at the rendezvous point. Unfortunately, the route through the garden is filled with guards!"
Sly smirks before saying, "no problem. I'll just take the long way around." Turning his binocucom to a set of lines with flags stretching from the balcony and around to the rendezvous tower. "If memory serves, you need to leap, focus your mind, and spin to properly land on and run along ropes." Tenya says.
Mina bounces a bit while looking forward to any new super athletic and agile moves Sly could have. "It might just be the same stuff, but who knows? He could be trying to expand on his family's techniques," she guessed while sipping on her drink. Izuku thought about the matter and was interested in that thought as well. 'Though if he's anything like me he'll…. Stick to what he's learned and adapt it that way. Hmm…'
Izuku nods and does just that. Quickly moving along the ropes as pigeons fly off as he is going. Though he does stop once or twice and take an almost superhero pose like stance atop them. Once he's in the tower, he notes that Rikido wasn't there. "Riki must have gotten lost. Try pressing on ahead without him." Tenya says with a likely eye roll.
"To go where? That gate is in the way. Hm. Were there any other paths forward you saw? No there wasn't a rope or highline to connect that area. So he just has to wait?" the audience muses. Even the teachers were considering what the next move would be.
Unfortunately, Izuku can't due to the gate on the opposite side of the room. He then hears a noise above him. Smiling as he takes a step backwards. "THUNDER FLOP!" Riki announces as he belly flops/body splashes down through the skylight above. And breaks many things around and below him. The hippo now wearing a red mask over his face and ears, red gloves with some tassels on his hands, and a scarf flowing behind him as the final change. Still no pants under his blue shirt though.
A few spit takes are shot out while Sato has a big grin seeing his hippo counterpart crashing in like a hero. Right down to the mask being similar to how his hero mask covers much of his face. Kirishima though was a little upset that he had his signature color stolen, but still called hippo Riki manly for the epic entrance.
After bouncing up, Riki poses before Izuku. Saying, "greetings citizen. I hope you weren't harmed by my meteoropic entrance." Sly suppresses a slight chuckle before saying he'd kept a safe distance. "Good, good. The Thunder Flop knows neither friend nor foe. Only destruction."
The racoon moves past this by saying, "yeah can you channel some of that "raw energy" into the security gate?" And the hippo is happy to oblige. "Of course. It is nothing for The Riki!" And Riki gets to work, gripping tight onto the bottom of the gate, using his (short) legs to brace himself as he starts picking the heavy gate up. Eventually lifting it high above his head and giving Izuku the "all clear".
Sato blushed at the silly blustering his counterpart put out, but the others were impressed by how strong he was in the moment. "Definitely more upper body strength than a few of us. Not just upper body, he's got a pretty decent base too. But why does he have the gut? I mean some old school strong men had more of that type of build. Muscles like All Might's and others were mostly the result of quirks compensating while they gave themselves a "heroic" build." (Yes I do believe this is the likely case. Most of the teens aren't that strong. Like the whole situation with the apprehension test makes no sense. Because Izuku should have been at least in the middle of his class. Even without using his quirk based on the tests involved.)
Once through, Riki pushes the gate up again and hurries through to the balcony where Sly is standing. Both noting the locked window where the Clockwerk parts were held. "Another barrier stands before you. Fear not! I shall bend it like the truth!" Riki says before stomping to knock a nearby statue into the air. And then threw it across the courtyard and through the metal bars blocking the window.
Aizawa groans before noting that, "rather unnecessary bit of destruction. And it likely alerted some of the guards. I don't think he's trying to get them caught, but that was a bad idea for stealth." Sato flinched and worried about what could happen next. "That might have been part of the plan though. Guess we'll just have to see." All Might says with a hum.
"Solid work Riki. You're really in the zone." Izuku compliments after seeing the effects. "My hulking frame is too much for that puny rope. You go on ahead and unlock the doors from the inside. I'll be waiting in the hallway to help you carry out the Clockwerk parts." Riki says while looking at the rope in question. Sly nods and heads to the next section.
"I still don't think there would be much left after the parts were dipped into lava." Bondo notes before eating some popcorn. Momo though considers a matter before saying, "but the bird fell into the volcano more than once. And he was living there for who knows how long. Maybe they could handle more of the heat?" That makes a few others consider the matter and question what other functions the robot bird could have.
Once there, Sly is shocked to see that the parts were gone. Something Tenya panics about as well. "We need to pull the plug on this operation right now!" Tenya says. And Izuku agrees. At least until someone special comes out of a faux sarcophagus on the wall. Carmalita Melissa Fox. But she isn't alone. Next to her is a pink, purple tigress in a tight top, tan shorts, wielding a whip, and wearing a burkini to cover her midnight locks of hair.
Kaminari and Mineta eye up not just Melissa's counterpart, but the new girl as well. With the latter imagining all the fun ways the tigress could use her whip. Melissa herself though is interested in what this officer version of her could do. 'They mentioned she could keep up with the sneaking moves of Deku's counterpart. Though her aim needs some work I guess.'
"Freeze Cooper!" Melissa announces while keeping her shock pistol trained on him. "Inspector Fox. As beautiful and unpredictable as ever." Sly flirts while covering up his surprise. "Whereas you crooks are sooo predictable. You always return to the scene of a crime."
Izuku and Melissa blush a bit at the flirting between their counterparts. Ochaco meanwhile had an eye twitching and wishing she could see more of her being with Izuku's counterparts. 'Then again, there was the whole thing with the hunters. Maybe that was enough? No!' she thought before snapping back to reality.
Sly gives her a teasing and still confused look before saying, "crime? I haven't stolen anything…. Yet." Carmalita though isn't buying it and asked who it was that stole the Clockwerk parts. Given he had motive.
When Izuku responded in surprise, the new figure postulates a different scenario. "It might not have been him Carmalita. The method of entry and guard casualties all point to this being a Klaww Gang job," the tigress says with a gesture of her whip. The racoon has a suspicious look on his face after hearing that before noticing his chance to get away.
A few laughs were had at Cooper's retort, but more were concerned about the fact the parts had already been stolen. "I mean Cooper has a motive, like the fox said. But why would anyone else want it?" Setsuna asked and tried to piece together what it could be used for.
The tigress's comment though, at least gives a probable antagonistic group. But again there was minimal motive for why they would commit the crime. "Maybe those parts have some functions that could help them?" Melissa surmised while being a bit surprised by the fox's short fuse.
Carmalita drops her aim at Sly before addressing the new face. "Constable Neyla Cammie, I allowed you to sit in on this stakeout as a favor to the Contessa. I really don't need any help." The tigress disagrees and tries to bring up the facts. Only for Carmalita to deny them and point to Sly Cooper being there again. "I'm just saying there are other criminals in the world than…"
As Neyla is saying this, Izuku is slipping around and away from the arguing women. But not sneaky enough for Melissa. "Sly Izuku Cooper! After him! You can't run forever!" she shouts after leaping after him and then chasing him in the hallway.
Sero had a spit take moment before remembering the girl from the Provisional License Exam. Bakugo and Todoroki meanwhile recognized her from their classes to hopefully get their provisional licenses. "So she get's to be an Interpol agent here?" Bakugo asked with a head tilt. But before more questions could be asked, the panic at Sly getting caught running away starts. With Melissa wincing as she sees the officer blasting a few exhibits.
"Oh geez! Wait up Sly!" Riki shouts while running in a panic behind his friend. As more and more shock bullets are fired by Carmalita. "Shake a leg Riki! It's time to go!" Sly calls out as they keep running and dodging shots. "Hey come back here Ringtail!" Melissa shouts as Tenya arrives. "This wasn't part of the plan!" Izuku smirks at that and says, "yeah well. This is where things get fun!"
"You are enjoying this far too much Midor- I mean Cooper!" Ida calls out while panicking alongside his counterpart. Sato agreed and was glad to see that his counterpart dropped the boasting and bravado. "Though panicked shouting and running isn't much better!" he says while feeling the phantom singe of the shots.
They keep running and dodging shots until they reach a hallway with a window overlooking the main throughfare. "This is getting a little hot. You guys go warm up the van. I'll keep Carmalita busy." Sly orders while keeping an eye on the officer. "You're all going to jail!" she announces while keeping her aim focused. "Pick me up at the rendezvous." Izuku says before running towards the window and breaking through it with Melissa's shots.
"Badass way to get away. Yeah, but it sucks for the guys who have to put that window back in. And it's not just him, it's kinda Melissa's fault too. Only because she can't seem to hit him a lot of the time. Maybe he's just lucky."
She takes off to a different area to get a better vantage point, breaking a window as well. "Stop thief!" she calls out while shooting. Izuku leaping up and across the highline wires over the road. As the police arrive on mass. Though they are broken up by the van screaming by and following the vehicle.
Upon seeing the super jumps her counterpart was making, Melissa was impressed. "Well that answers how I can keep up with a vil- I mean criminal who can run on ropes and land on points," she says and tries to slip past her near faux pas. Izuku flinches a bit at the near miss and focuses on what would happen next.
Izuku keeps running and jumping to avoid the attacks from the woman. Having to slide to a stop at one point as Carmalita aimed ahead of him. Singeing some of his fur in the process. But after running across another set of rooftops, Izuku is at the rendezvous and slides down to the van. Jumping in the back as shots keep flying. "I'll find you Cooper!" the fox officer roars from her perch as the van speeds away.
The boy grimaced at seeing the near miss and felt the same phantom shocks that Sato had felt earlier. And then let out a sigh of relief at seeing the racoon get away. "Now comes the new problem. Who are these new villains? And what are they after by using dead robot….. cyborg? Bird parts." Present Mic asks as the scene changes.
The scene then cuts to the van speeding away, and Carmalita busting through a fence to try and catch up. Slamming her fist on the ground as they keep getting away while Sly monologues in his mind. "Carmalita is just as angry as ever. She's really quite lovely when she's angry. And that Constable Neyla Camie. Was her reference to the Klaww Gang just a slip of the tongue? Or an intentional clue. Either way, it's our only lead on the missing Clockwerk parts."
Melissa blushes hearing those words from Cooper, and Izuku feels a bit annoyed with his counterpart. 'But it's not like I've ever seen her angry before. Nor any of the girls the same way really. Weird,' he thinks while watching. And then considering the info Camie's counterpart gave them before they got away.
An image of Clockwerk, the vicious owl foe that had haunted Sly's family is then shown. Still looking like a normal owl, at least until Izuku brings up more of the villain's history. "Clockwerk. He was consumed with jealousy for the Cooper clan's thieving reputation. Is it inappropriate to call him a monster? No not at all." Sly posits as the mechanical beast is then shown on screen. Eyes glowing and clearly screeching at an enemy.
Everyone shivers a bit at the light jump scare moments and remembering who the counterpart for the evil bird was. "That is a fitting term for him. In all senses of the word. Such hatred. For one person, one family….. one quirk and it's users." All Mights says progressively quieter. Izuku agrees and starts to consider a different factor to AFO being Clockwerk.
"What kind of person stays alive for hundreds of years with the express intention of wiping out a rival's family line?" Fire seemed to burn behind the bird as parts of his body were replaced by machinery. And Sly continued with, "imagine the hatred fueling that first decision to replace his mortal body, with soulless machinery. Ultimately, it did the trick Clockwerk lived on." As he is thinking this, a view of the robotic owl flew around the screen, the metal making an unnerving quiet screeching/squeaking noise as the wing flapped.
And the unsettling feelings grew as they all heard the machinery being attached to Clockwerk. Eventually replacing his entire body with metal. A metal monster that could fly semi-silently and was armed to the teeth if it came to a fight. "Still not sure how that guy, owl, thing is a thief. He's huge." Mineta questioned while scratching his head.
Sly's contemplations turn sadder as he remembers the death of his parents. And how he ended up in an orphanage. "It was there that I met my pals: Tenya, the brains of our outfit. And Rikido or Riki. The brawn. They turned out to be all the family I needed." Images are shown of the pair as they stood alongside Sly. Riki even seeming more confident as he apparently punched through a brick wall.
Sato smile and respected the hippo for the strength he'd gained over whatever length of time this was. Ida shared similar sentiments, but he and others had a different question. "Wonder how long they waited to do this?" Pony asked. Monoma had regained consciousness and noted that they likely didn't expect anything to go wrong. "They expected it all to, wait! For once I'm not going to make a snide comment," he said while holding up his hands to Itsuka.
She narrowed her eyes before letting him continue. He let out a strained breath before noting that they likely expected it to be over after the head was destroyed and body dumped in a volcano. "It probably was a few years before they thought about it. Or they noticed a report online about the matter. They likely didn't expect him to ever be a problem." After hearing the explanation, Itsuka nodded and stepped back. While Monoma wiped the sweat from his brow.
Izuku's thoughts continue with, "two years ago, I thought I finished it. How naïve to think that I could put an end to such hatred. And now he's back. In pieces sure, but the threat is still real. Does the Klaww Gang even realize what they've stolen?" Those thoughts coincide with the images of Izuku's fight with the evil owl at the top of a volcano. And then the view that even while the parts were in the volcano, one of Clockwerk's eyes opened. Show some part of him might still be alive.
All Might and Izuku both gripped their armrests and drinks at seeing the eye lighting up. Feeling the tension of what AFO could do and had done for almost two centuries. Melissa meanwhile was shocked with the others at the durability of the parts in question.
"Hm… if they could survive all of that. Maybe the Klaww Gang intends to use the alloys for some sort of weapon? Or as some other tool?" she says before considering more options and potential. Making a few of the teens think she was just a female version of Izuku.
"I don't know what's in my future. But I won't let it be a repeat of my past!" Izuku thinks to himself as his gang is highlighted in a spotlight image. And then the screen flashes to Clockwerk, his plans, and then his mechanical form. Before showing the title of Band of Thieves.
The students and teachers let out uneasy breaths at the way the video was going. But before they could process or question more, the TV had other plans. After the intense introduction for the new movie, the screen lit up for something else. Something goofier. The initial image is an opening shot of an old cartoon. Namely, two cartoon faces backdropped against a red and yellow background. The characters in question, being an infant toon and a cartoon rabbit with a shock of red and blonde hair above his eyes and a polka dotted bowtie.
The scene then shows that it is a Maroon Cartoon. With the characters of Baby Mineta Herman and Roger (Hizashi Yamada) Rabbit. And the toon name is "Something's Cooking. "Well that's an odd start to the next video." Ida comments. A few others meanwhile have a laugh at Mineta's expense given his character is a baby in whatever they will see next. Noting that it was just like his costume.
"It's not a diaper! It's supposed to be like a bowl for grapes!" the short teen defends while trying to figure out what he had to do with the next video. As did others who had no idea where this would go for their viewing.
So, I finally decided about who to make Neyla. Couldn't really go for Toga after the whole situation in canon. She's clearly more of a fighter than a manipulator. Even with her disguises. I blame the story a bit for that. Cammie though does have to manipulate if the way her quirk works is any indication. Plus it'll be good for later in the story.
Yeah, the next one will be a bit different. Namely that, as I said, it'll focus on other characters. Izuku is NOT the main character for this little story. Too many get into the rut like I did of only focusing on him. He's get's plenty of that in his main series. Let alone how many stories I've started. Including a new idea with Log Horizon and MHA I have, with Izuku teaming up with an interesting friend.
So I'm going to go a little bit different here. I mean the title for this fic is UA Multiverse. And it's something I try to do in my to my other stories. Like shifting more focus on other characters, original or modified from my own tales. Please review!