Disclaimer:
My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. This story uses plot elements and characters from them.
The Quirk War
By: RB3
Demonic Crisis Ch 6: Wing Commander
The Atma Foundation's demon hunters emerged from the airport and took in the sights of the nation of Otheon. It was quite different from what they were used to in Japan. The homes had a distinctly old-world aesthetic to them, as though the past had been brought to the present. Even here, poverty was present with the existence of Shanty Town beneath the bridge which connected the two parts of the capital together.
"So this is Otheon," remarked Izuku, clad in black leather pants and a white shirt as he looked over the city.
"Do you travel often, Izuku?" asked Melissa, who wore a pink summer dress, a wide brimmed white hat, and sunglasses as a disguise.
Izuku shook his head. "I've never been outside of Japan," replied Izuku.
"Neither have I," replied Kashiko, who was dressed in a black baseball cap and a baseball uniform.
"Our contact is suppose to meet us at the Otheon Side Hotel. Let's not keep him waiting," said Manami, who was dressed in a business suit.
The group travelled to the hotel, a towering structure of a dozen floors in the heart of the city. This area was the wealthy, most well-developed portion of the city, a tourist trap as people would call it. After stashing their belongings in their room, the demon hunters waited at the lobby, but their contact never showed up to meet them. After an hour of waiting, Izuku started to pace around the lobby.
"How long is this gonna take?" asked Izuku, checking his watch in frustration. "It's more than an hour past our meeting time!"
Kashiko closed her eyes and reached out with her sixth sense. She saw a vision of a young man biking through the alleys of the city of Otheon. Her psychic vision identified him as Rody Soul, a native of the city. As he sped down the alley, an Angel came upon him and immediately sent a beam of holy power at Rody. The attack missed, but its ensuing explosion had unseated him from his bike. As he got up, Rody looked back to see who was attacking him.
His pink bird, Pino, had charged at the Angel and rapidly pecked her face. Though doing no actual harm, the attack distracted the Angel long enough for Rody to get away. Pino got swatted aside by the Angel, who then quickly set upon his trail. "I just saw our contact. He's being attacked by an Angel!" warned Kashiko.
Melissa's eyes widened. "He is?" she asked.
"We have to go save him!" said Izuku, now alarmed that their contact was being threatened.
"I'll lead the way. Follow me!" said Kashiko.
The demon hunters ran out of the hotel, following Kashiko to where she had seen Rody escape the murderous Angel. Once they were within a block of the location in the vision, the demon hunters spotted the Angel above but elsewhere, raining down beams of holy power upon Rody. The demon hunters followed as the angel chased Rody to the riverside. Rody followed the river as he fled, taking cover under and behind the trees and bushes.
"Look! There he is!" cried Manami, pointing him out.
"Time to change. We'd better get out public view," said Melissa.
The group went into a nearby alley. A snap of the finger later, Manami's magic had enabled her to don her costume and become Queen. The others changed into their Avatar forms and rushed out to support Rody. As the Rakshasa, Altered Beast performed a leaping uppercut. The Angel got caught off guard as his Shadow Uppercut tore through her body. More angels had come to support the first's execution of Rody.
Metal Gear unloaded a hail of bullets at a Principality, shredding him in a single volley of fire. A Virtue unleashed a potent beam of holy power at Rody, who was fleeing down the river. Suddenly, the Kingdom of Hearts appeared around him and took the beam, dissipating it harmlessly. Queen appeared at the top of the keep and pointed at the Virtue. Every cannon and card soldier unloaded rounds at the Virtue until it fell from the sky, tattered and filled with holes.
A blast of darkness came from Plant Zombie and struck a Power. The angel had been destroyed in a single hit, vanishing as it broke into crimson motes. After clearing the angels, the demon hunters moved Rody to a heavily forested region of the river. "Thanks guys, whoever you might be," Rody told them.
"We're the Rising Sun Kids," introduced Queen. "We're looking for our roadie. Have you seen him?"
"Why yes! I'm your roadie. I'm supposed to show you around town," replied Rody.
"Good. We were worried that you might have been hurt by that angel," said Altered Beast.
"Nah, I'm fine, thanks to you guys," said Rody.
"Let me introduce ourselves," said Altered Beast, who proceeded to do just that for Rody.
"I'm Rody Soul. Pleased to make your acquaintance," replied Rody as he shook hands with Beast.
"Why were those angels attacking you?" asked Plant Zombie.
"Pino," replied Rody. "She's my Quirk. The angels wanted me to take Quirk-Killer, but I kept blowing it off. I didn't want to lose Pino. I guess that's what I get for refusing their poison." Rody started shaking his head at how fanatical and extreme the angels were to enforce the removal of Quirks.
Beast smiled. "You've got a nice Quirk. You shouldn't be forced to give it up," he remarked.
"Heh... If only the angels thought like you did," said Rody. "So, let's get down to business. I was supposed to show you around town, but I don't think now is the right time."
"Definitely not. We became wanted fugitives after that battle. The angels are sure to go on the hunt for us," said Plant Zombie.
"Do you have any family, Rody? It won't be long before the angels realize their agents failed to get you. They might stake out your home to find you," asked Serenoa.
Rody realizing that his siblings were unprotected had startled him. "Yeah, I have a younger brother and sister," said Rody.
"Do you know anywhere we can hide them?" asked Altered Beast.
"Yeah. There's an abandoned warehouse at the edge of Shanty Town. I'll show you there after we get my siblings," said Rody.
"Okay, lead the way Rody," said Altered Beast.
After a short trip following the river, the group reached Shanty Town without being spotted by any angels or agents of Humarise. While the demon hunters waited, hidden in various locations around the area, Rody rapped on the door to the trailer home where he and his family lived. "Big bro!" said Roro upon opening the door and seeing him there.
Rody smiled. "Hey! Listen, we have to get out of here fast. Hurry up and pack your things!" said Rody.
"Why? What's going on?" asked Lala in surprise from further within.
"There are bad people looking for me, for us. They might hurt you if we stay here. We have to hurry!" replied Rody.
Rody and his siblings pulled out bags and containers which they could use to pack their possessions. They tossed everything they could find from clothing to spare food and change, anything that would be of use as they went into hiding. After several minutes, they left the trailer home and joined with Queen behind another trailer. Rody led her and the others to an abandoned warehouse near an old wharf. This building used to store goods back when the old wharf still accepted ships. After the harbour got moved, the warehouse fell into disuse, but had yet to be demolished.
As the Werewolf, Altered Beast smashed open the planks barring the front door with a claw swipe. Once inside, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "We should be safe here for now. We should wait until nightfall before we leave," said Serenoa.
Several minutes later, Queen peered out of a set of boards which covered a broken window. "Psst! Look! The angels are at your trailer," warned Manami.
Rody looked out through the crack and saw three Powers and a Principality surround their now empty home. One of the Powers smashed the door open and went in, but found no one present inside. Unable to find Rody or his siblings, the angels left to continue the search elsewhere. Rody and Queen sank into the darkness of the warehouse to avoid letting the angels spot them through the cracks.
"Phew! That was a close one!" remarked Rody.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
As the sun sank beneath the horizon, it cast a crimson glow over the land. Darkness swept over the nation of Otheon with the moon and the stars coming out to light the blackness of night. It was during this time that Rody led the demon hunters out of the abandoned warehouse. The group traversed the city through empty alleys and side streets, making sure to avoid the eyes of the angels and the police.
Rody brought them to a chemical plant at the edge of town. Numerous silos stood in its grounds with metallic connections and tubes feeding them with newly manufactured chemicals. Altered Beast sniffed the air and received a sharp scent in return. "It reeks of blood here. We're definitely in the right place," said Altered Beast.
"Yep. This is where the angels and Humarise make Quirk-Killer. Say hello to Otheon Chemical," introduced Rody.
A chain link fence ran around Otheon Chemical, demarcating the limits of its property. Beyond the fence patrolled armed men clad in protective vests. When Serenoa scanned the area, she saw angels. Their physical forms were currently dispersed, but the moment the plant came under attack, they would reform to strike at the intruders. Queen also deployed card soldiers to look at the compound from other angles. They saw the plant's office building to the northwest, at the end of a road which passed through the southern checkpoint and ran west by the building's front.
It too had been the subject of regular patrols by security guards. "Security's pretty tight. There are angels dispersed all around the plant. If we go in now, we'll be swarmed," said Serenoa telepathically to her team.
"We're not here to attack the place quite yet. That will be for later. We're just here to scout," said Queen.
"The news said that the Humarise coup government had seized Otheon Chemical. They weren't kidding. I heard they hired a security company with links to the Shie Hassaikai yakuza group from Japan," said Rody.
Queen shook her head. "I'm not surprised they would use those guys," said Queen.
After scouting this site, the next one they looked at was the Humarise head branch. It was a mansion on the top of a forested plateau within the mountainous regions in central Otheon. It consisted of a northern main building with a wing on each of the east and west. The central courtyard had a circular fountain which sprayed arches of water inward to the centre. The grounds of the mansion had numerous men and women in red robes with white cloaks. These people were Humarise cultists, people who sought the eradication of Quirks, supporting the angels in that goal to avert the Quirk Singularity.
As the demon hunters stayed near the mansion, they could sense that reality itself was being distorted in the area around the building. "Please get this over with. I don't want to stay here longer than I have to," said Rody.
Beast became puzzled by this strange reaction of Rody's. "Are you okay, Rody?" asked Altered Beast.
Rody shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about it. Just get this over with as quickly as possible," replied Rody.
"Humarise cultists are everywhere, but it's not just them we have to worry about," reported Serenoa, detecting their presences patrolling the halls along with angels.
"You mean the angels?" asked Rody.
"That, but they've also set up a Domain there," replied Serenoa.
Rody was left puzzled at that new term. "What's that?" asked Rody.
"Domain. A pocket dimension created by demons as a home and trap for prey," replied Metal Gear.
"Think of it as a whole other world created by the angels," replied Serenoa.
Rody's jaw dropped. "They made an entire world inside the grounds of the mansion?" asked Rody.
"Yep! That's magic for you," replied Serenoa.
"The Domain presents a danger of defeat in detail via abductions. This unit recommends sending a separate force inside to suppress the demons within," suggested Metal Gear.
"Aye. If we walk in blind, we'll just get our brains eaten," agreed Plant Zombie.
"We'd better make sure the Immortal Stranger knows about this. Thanks for showing this to us, Rody," said Altered Beast.
The demon hunters continued to scout the mansion from multiple angles, getting a good idea of the security and general layout of the physical side of the compound. For the last site, the Foundation demon hunters scouted the parliament building of Otheon, where its politicians and ministers handled the operation of the nation. It too had numerous angels in the area. Their beings were dispersed over the site, waiting to reform and ambush any intruder who made his or her presence known. Fortunately, this site did not have any Domains attached to it and only required the capture of the physical side.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Meanwhile, All Might found himself in a meeting room within the towering skyscraper which held the World Heroes Association. It had a central screen separated into different parts with images of various heroes from around the world, including Japan. He saw many familiar faces, active pro heroes from Japan, many of them taking UA students on work-studies to gain experience in the field. The WHA had set up a task force with the goal of suppressing Humarise in the aftermath of waterworks poisonings via Quirk-Killer.
The WHA Director, a man in a white uniform with grey hair, acted as host for this teleconference. "The Otheon government has assigned us the task of overturning the coup Humarise had carried out in August. The government had been offered assistance, such as intelligence, by a man known as the Immortal Stranger, which the government accepted. The Stranger's information checked out and forms the cornerstone of this operation," began the WHA Director.
All Might's eyes widened. "What? The Immortal Stranger gave information to Otheon's government?" asked All Might.
"Yes. He told them that the heroes would not be able to complete this operation without his assistance. The Otheon government agreed, seeing how nothing could harm the angels," replied the WHA Director. "That's a good segue into the targets for our mission. The Stranger wishes to assault the Otheon Chemical plant directly. His forces will also provide support to the Humarise HQ and parliament, with an emphasis on the Humarise HQ. We will focus more of our forces on parliament."
When All Might heard this, he realized that Melissa might be among those forces sent to assault the chemical plant or the Humarise HQ. This was his chance to get her away from the clutches of the Stranger. "Sir, if you don't mind, please put me on the team which will take the Humarise HQ," requested All Might.
"Very well," replied the WHA Director.
Within hours, the Foundation and WHA forces travelled to each location that needed to be retaken from Humarise and the angels. True to the Director's word, All Might had been assigned to lead the team which assaulted the Humarise HQ. As he travelled to the site via transport helicopter, he glanced at the other pro heroes seated and awaiting landing. Endeavour was there with his work-study students, Katsuki Bakugo and son Shoto Todoroki. The Body Mass Hero, Fatgum, was also there with his students, Tamaki Amajiki, Tetsutetsu, Itsuka Kendo, and Eijiro Kirishima.
All Might knew Melissa was well within reach. Based on the assignments, she would be at either Otheon Chemical, or the HQ. Once the battle concluded, that was his best chance to nab her and bring her back. Even now, All Might still had no idea how things had turned out like this. He wondered how Melissa got infected with Atma in the first place. No doubt Atma's spread and Hero Society's current troubles with the demons and angels were linked. Only the Foundation knew the full story and hopefully, All Might could get it from them once the heroes captured the group.
"Attention!" addressed a flight officer. "We're about to jump. Please get ready."
As the transport helicopter approached the site, the heroes could see that fighting had already started through the windows. Humarise's soldiers exchanged fire with what appeared to be spectral soldiers shrouded in flames of gold. No doubt they were Foundation forces. A second group of spectral soldiers stood guard further from the mansion around a clearing in the woods. They surrounded a canister which billowed a bright orange smoke which was visible even in the darkness of night from the sky.
The helicopter landed and the pro heroes started to exit. All Might approached the only ghostly soldier who was not standing guard, a contact. He too was shrouded in flames of gold which produced no noticeable heat. A ski mask covered the spirit's face, concealing his identity. "You must be Airborne," began All Might.
The soldier stood at attention and saluted. "Yes sir! It's great to have you on board, Mr. All Might! My soldiers have pinned Humarise inside their mansion. All you have to do is rush in and deliver the final blow," said Airborne.
All Might smiled as he gave a thumbs-up to Airborne. "Good work soldier! We'll handle it from here," assured All Might.
The pro heroes and their students raced towards the mansion with All Might taking point. As soon as they reached the courtyard, the Airborne unit ceased their fire. All Might closed the gap with a Humarise cultist. With a single quick punch, he had knocked the cultist out. Before the others realized it, he was upon a female cultist and had knocked her out. The pro heroes split at the lobby with Endeavour's team taking the east wing and Fatgum's team going west.
Fatgum took point as they travelled down that wing. The Humarise cultists shot at him, but his cushion-like fat absorbed their bullets and Emitter Quirk projectiles like a suit of impenetrable armour. Tetsu quickly went around him and activated his Quirk, encasing his body in steel which crackled with silver electricity. With enhanced speed, he charged down a male cultist and punched him down. A female one fired an assault rifle at him, but he quickly avoided and closed, knocking her out with a power-packed punch.
Itsuka enlarged her hand and grabbed a cultist trying to shoot Fatgum with an assault rifle. She quickly hurled the woman into another cultist, taking both out of the fight. Itsuka waded into another pack, slapping cultists left and right on the way in. Kirishima charged directly at a male cultist who hurled bolts of holy power at him. He blocked the hits, but quickly found them burning him to his very core, even through his Quirk.
"Aw crap!" gasped Kirishima as he was staggered by the searing pain.
Itsuka quickly slapped down that male cultist with her giant right hand. "What was that?" asked Fatgum.
"I know! It must be the Luminance that Shiozaki told us about. Don't take those attacks head-on. Dodge them!" suggested Itsuka.
"Will you be okay, Kirishima?" asked Tetsu as he punched out a female cultist.
"Yeah. It's not too bad. I can handle it," replied Kirishima, wincing and focusing his thoughts despite the pain.
"Flect Turn's room is just ahead. If we take him down, it's our victory. Just watch out, I heard he's a skilled Luminance user," warned Fatgum.
Tetsu knocked out the last of the local cultists, allowing his team to continue on towards the leader. They burst through the door and came face-to-face with Flect Turn, the leader of Humarise. He was a man with radiant blue skin. He had a head of shaved hair, a moustache, and goatee of a darker blue shade. He was clad in the red robes of a Humarise cultist. "So, these unbelievers have come to steer our flock away from salvation," remarked Turn.
"You're not saving anyone. You're nothing but a lunatic and a murderer! It's time we tossed you behind bars," said Fatgum.
"God, please see fit to deliver me from these unbelievers," said Turn in prayer.
He then hurled blasts of Luminance at the group, who split up to avoid the attack. They exploded upon hitting the walls of the massive chamber, exploding in gold. Tetsu took the chance to close and try to punch him. Turn raised a barrier of gold, which Tetsu ended up hitting. The Real Steel ended up burning his own hand on it, recoiling in pain while trying to shake the sensation away. Turn fired a Luminance beam at him, which Tetsu avoided by quickly hopping away.
Rather than try to punch him directly, Itsuka grabbed several books from the shelves lining the walls. She hurled them at Turn, who was surprised, but still managed to dodge the first. Her second came quickly, but Turn quickly sidestepped it. He fired a Luminance beam at the wall, which deflected towards Itsuka. Fatgum moved into its way and took the hit. The attack burned quite severely, but he grit his teeth and weathered it through sheer force of will.
"Fatgum!" cried Kirishima.
"I'll manage. Keep up the pressure!" Fatgum told them.
Turn fired another beam at him, but Itsuka used her giant hand to move Fatgum to safety. Tetsu got to the cult leader's desk and lifted it overhead. He then hurled it as a makeshift projectile. Distracted by Itsuka and Fatgum, Turn got nailed in the back of the head. As he reeled forward, Kirishima slipped in close and punched him in the jaw. Turn suddenly recovered and struck back with a Luminance-filled punch. Kirishima went into a bookcase, shattering it and scattering books all over the ground. Despite the burning sensation, Kirishima successfully willed himself back onto his feet.
Amajiki created tentacles from his fingers with his Manifest Quirk, then used them to hurl fallen books at Turn. The cult leader quickly put up his barrier of Luminance to block them. With Turn distracted, Itsuka grabbed his chair and clubbed him from behind with it. The chair shattered as it made contact, but managed to stagger him. Tetsu quickly ran up and punched him in the chin. Turn flew into a bookcase and left an indentation into it and the wall, where he got stunned. Tetsu quickly followed and delivered several more body blows, then a finishing straight. Turn went through the wall and landed in the hallway on the other side.
He was unconscious as he lay in the middle of the rubble. "Great work everyone! We got Turn!" said Fatgum.
Meanwhile, All Might got embroiled in a battle with a pair of Powers, angels in red armour who wielded spears. They flew in close to impale him, but he weaved around their weapons and punched both in the face. The angels crashed to the ground and dispersed in motes of Magatsuhi. "All Might, we've secured Flect Turn," reported Fatgum. "Mop up the rest of Humarise's agents."
All Might smiled, as things were going well. "Roger! Good work!" replied All Might. Although delighted to hear that their target had been apprehended, Melissa was nowhere to be seen. "Melissa never showed up here. That must mean she is at Otheon Chemical," All Might thought to himself. "Endeavour, please respond," he requested through the radio.
"What is it, All Might?" asked Endeavour.
"Something's come up. I need to leave to take care of it. Please take over for me while I'm gone," said All Might.
"You're leaving when we're about to finish up this operation? What's so important that it can't wait?" asked Endeavour, audibly upset to hear that.
"It's a personal matter. Please take care of things while I'm away," said All Might.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
As the attack on the Humarise HQ got underway, Foundation agents converged on the Otheon Chemical plant. Among the Foundation's forces were the demon hunters, spying on the site from behind a set of bushes. "There it is. We move once the aerial demons engage the angels," said Serenoa.
As if on cue, a squadron of Rocs and Legions moved towards the plant from the south. The angels began to appear in masses of pixelated light and many flew off to intercept the Foundation's demons. They met in the middle, where one of the Principalities unleashed blasts of holy power. The Legions scattered and one breathed violet smoke in return. Its Principality target ascended to clearer air. The Legion continued spraying until the angel inadvertently inhaled some of it. His vision started to blur as he became woozy. He fired at the Legion, but his accuracy was impaired and his attack accidentally struck a Power and staggered him.
"What are you doing?" the irate Power asked.
Though many of the angels left to intercept the Foundation's demons, several still remained behind to guard the plant. Serenoa locked onto one Power and brought down lightning. The bolt tore through his body and killed him instantly. Next, she targeted one of the human guards at the front gate. The lightning strike triggered agonizing convulsions within the man until he could take no more and collapsed. The other guard was stunned, but could not do anything else before another bolt struck him down.
With the gate unguarded, Altered Beast raced ahead as the Werewolf and turned right to come upon the silos of chemicals. The smell of blood was strongest in this area, where the Law faction stored the completed Quirk-Killer. A pair of tanker trucks were nearby, waiting to be loaded with Quirk-Killer. Beast smelled danger above and saw a Virtue flying towards his position. The angel fired holy beams, but other than the ground being wracked by explosions, Beast remained unharmed.
The Virtue continued the onslaught with blasts of air, forcing Beast to dodge and evade. Beast leapt away from another windy blast, then transformed into the Garuda and took to the sky. He evaded incoming holy blasts, then fired airy flechettes. The Virtue nullified them with no action on his part and came through unharmed. Beast decided to change tactics and sharply ascended high into the air. He suddenly turned back equally sharply and dove towards the Virtue at hypersonic speeds. He snatched the angel in his talons and steered him into the ground fatally.
Below, Metal Gear had crested the wall. As she walked into the Otheon Chemical grounds, she spotted a Power flying low to the ground. "Target acquired. Commencing termination," said Metal Gear.
She fired a hail of bullets at the Power, who was forced to cower behind his shield to survive. Seeing that bullets were not working, she sprayed a cloud of magnesium. Exposed to the air, the magnesium quickly burst into a bright flame. The angel recoiled in agony as the flames seared his flesh. He quickly banked back, blowing a gust of wind which pushed back the magnesium fire. Metal Gear followed by firing orbs of metal. Despite the Power evading them at first, she changed their trajectory to strike the angel and knock him out of the sky. He crashed to the ground, where he burst into motes of Magatsuhi.
Metal Gear met Altered Beast at the silos with the other demon hunters soon following. "Airborne, hurry up and get those trucks loaded and moved," said Serenoa through telepathy.
"Roger! I'm heading to the silos now," he replied likewise.
Airborne's clones ran towards the silos while others went for a nearby control station. Airborne's clones used copied keys to start the two tanker trucks and positioned them in bays near the silos, then another two clones connected tubes to them for filling with Quirk-Killer. The clones at the control station pressed a switch. Quirk-Killer sloshed through the tubes as it entered the trucks.
Once filled, Airborne's clones simply drove them out of Otheon Chemical, where they vanished into a Domain entrance a few metres down the road. "Good work! Now, I will destroy the rest of the Quirk-Killer," said Serenoa. She called for a bolt of lightning to descend from the sky and strike the Quirk-Killer. The electricity arced throughout the foul red liquid, destroying kilolitre after kilolitre until nothing remained.
As Metal Gear watched the activity, a familiar face approached. "Melissa! I am here!" cried the incoming hero, who rapidly approached Otheon Chemical through the air. It was All Might!
He grabbed Metal Gear and carried her out of the area. "Stop him!" cried Queen as she gave chase.
"Melissa, I'm taking you back. You'll tell me everything I want to know!" said All Might.
Despite their attempts to chase him, All Might proved too fast for them and the gap only increased. All Might made a giant leap to escape Otheon Chemical, only to look back and see Altered Beast Garuda hot on his trail. Beast gained a sudden burst of speed and crashed into All Might's back. The sudden impact staggered him and caused his grip to loosen. "Negative, Uncle Might. This unit will not go with you any further," declared Metal Gear.
She melted her own body and flowed out of All Might's grasp. "NO!" he cried in frustration, unable to brake as his momentum carried him further from Otheon Chemical.
Altered Beast fired airy flechettes at him, forcing him to cover himself in defence. Metal Gear continued to flow away, then reformed once a safe distance away. She flew towards the road in the same direction in which Airborne drove the tanker trucks. She too vanished into the hidden Domain, eluding capture by All Might. At the same time, Altered Beast continued to pelt All Might with flechettes. The Symbol of Peace was unable to retaliate as his momentum carried him further away from the plant. Even as he landed a distance away, Beast whipped up a tornado to trap him, then carry him further from the plant.
"Shit!" cursed All Might. His plan to catch Melissa had failed. With her gone, and her allies now alert to his presence, this chance was forfeit. Rather than try again, he decided to leap away and wait until a new opportunity presented itself.
Some time later, the Foundation's demon hunters gathered at their Domain in Mustafar Park for a debriefing about the battle in Otheon. "Let me start by saying good work at Otheon Chemical. Thanks to your efforts, we managed to secure the plant along with samples of Quirk-Killer for study. With it, Dr. Shield might be able to develop an antidote," said Abel. "The heroes have retaken parliament and the Humarise HQ and have arrested Flect Turn."
"I must say, that is a relief to hear. With an antidote, no one would have to fear their dreams being shattered by losing their Quirk. Becoming a celebrated pro hero is still available to them," said Danjuro with a smile.
"Uncle Might was there. He tried to take me away," reported Melissa meekly.
"So I heard. Now that you're working with us, All Might is keen on bringing you back. I know it's painful, but you'll have to avoid him, at least until this whole affair is settled," said Atsuro.
"Fortunately, All Might's little stunt didn't disrupt our operations too much. I also want to present to you our newest member," said Abel.
Rody emerged from a door in the side of the arena. Perched on his shoulder was a pink bird with blue markings which resembled Pino, but larger like a bird of prey, and spectral like a spirit. "Rody!" said Izuku.
"Hey guys! Looks like I'm the newest member of your club," remarked Rody with a smile. "I needed money, so the Stranger offer me a job, which I took. So this is what you all look like as human beings."
"Is that Pino?" asked Melissa upon seeing the pink bird.
"Yep! The Stranger was kind enough to give us an 'upgrade' if you will. Pino is all grown up now, right Pino?" asked Rody.
"Yeah!" chirped Pino.
Melissa's eyes widened. "She can talk!" said Melissa.
Rody smiled. "Another perk of the upgrade," said Rody.
"Let me explain. I gave Rody the Standing Persona, 'Wing Commander.' It is a force-element Standing Persona which manifests bird spirits. Pino is one of them, a kind of phoenix to be exact. It also lets him control flesh and blood birds too," said Abel. "He will be fighting with us under the code name, 'Maverick.'"
"So that means you'll be working in the field with us?" asked Izuku.
"Occasionally," replied Rody. "I'm more of a background kinda guy. Violence isn't my thing, but I'm still learning how to fight, in case I get caught in a scrap. Man, you guys deal with some pretty rough things out there. I'm glad I'm getting lessons."
Izuku smiled at the fact that Rody was now a Foundation member. "It's great to have you on board, Rody!" said Izuku.
END OF CHAPTER