Hey folks! Welcome back to another chapter of "Through the Rough"! Last time we left off, Izuku and Rebecca found themselves chasing down Rody until the police showed, and then they were all attacked! And while they're laying low, it turns out both of them are now wanted for mass murder!
So what will they do to get around this situation? Let's find out!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"Hello?" Izuku's voice rang from Shoto's phone, "Hello? Todoroki?" he called out again, not getting a response.
"Guys, what's going on?" Rebecca's voice asked over the phone as well. Their words were falling on deaf ears as every person in the room was fixated on the broadcast about the pair supposed crimes. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user clenched his phone tightly before bringing it back up to his ear.
"Midoriya…" he began as sweat trickled down his face, "what did you and Bluegarden really do out there?" he asked seriously.
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked back, "Nothing!" he assured.
"It's the news…" Shoto pointed out to him, "They're saying you're both wanted as suspects for mass murder!" he exclaimed. Back at the riverbank, the One For All inheritor lightly gasped.
"No…" he uttered out, "That makes no sense…" he noted aloud, "What's going on?" he questioned, quite baffled by the situation.
"Do they have any evidence linking us to all that?!" Rebecca inquired in panic.
"Not that they've shown yet…" Homura's voice answered, "Rebecca, don't worry about things for now," she insisted of her friend, "You and Midoriya need to lay low until we can figure this all out on our end," she advised seriously.
"Yeah, make sure you turn off your phones, too," Shoto chimed in, "The police'll track you both with GPS if you use them," she pointed out.
"Got it," Rebecca replied, letting her boyfriend end the call, "Huh…" she sighed, turning to him, "Hey—" She stopped herself once she noticed the frustrated expression upon the freckled teen's face. Clearly, he was torn about suddenly being branded as a murderer. Just then, a gloved hand went onto his shoulder.
"Ah!" he yelped in surprise, turning to see that it was a recovered Rody, who also jumped.
"Don't do that!" he yelled, causing Izuku to sigh, "So you were able to get in touch with your friends?" he guessed. He then noticed the One For All inheritor fiddling with the back case of his smartphone. "Wait, what are you doing to your phone?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, "Did they say when they're gonna pick us up?" he inquired on, seeing the freckled teen take out the battery.
"Yeah… about that…" he started to reply in a grim tone. Back in the hotel, the members of the Otheon team continued to listen to the broadcast.
"Why would the police suddenly brand both Rebecca and Midoriya as terrorists?!" Homura inquired angrily, "They haven't caused any trouble!" she pointed out emphatically.
"Valkyrie, I understand your frustration," Endeavor said, "I'm also not convinced this report is told in truth," he admitted, "Clair, I'm heading down to the police station," he confirmed to the local hero, who blinked in surprise, "Keep an eye on my students for me," he requested of her.
"Uh, of course!" she stuttered in response.
"Midoriya…" Shoto uttered worriedly, while his girlfriend gave off a frustrated expression.
"Tch," Katsuki scoffed, "They'll be fine," he assured to their surprise, "Those damn idiots are too stubborn to get themselves caught…" he affirmed on.
"We should let HQ know the situation as soon as possible," Clair advised.
"And we should see if there's anything about today's events that tie into what's happening now," Burnin mentioned as she folded her arms over her chest. Everyone still in the room looked at the two pictures of the suspects, wondering just how they wound up in the situation they were in.
X
Things had been mostly quiet during the past 24 hours at the World Heroes' Association headquarters. But all of a sudden, an alarm blared in the command center. One of the operators gasped upon hearing the report he was receiving.
"I'm getting an emergency call from the Otheon Team!" he called out as he swiveled to the director and All Might, "Deku's been put on the wanted list!" he exclaimed, causing them to gasp in surprise.
"What did Young Midoriya do?!" the former pro hero questioned aloud out of shock.
JAPAN
"How could this have happened…?" Mezo asked from inside the standby hotel, being gathered with the pros and student heroes as they just learned of the news.
"I don't know, but according to this, they killed twelve civilians in Otheon…" Kyoka explained, sitting down and reading the details from the laptop in front of her.
"What kind of ridiculous lie is that?!" Eijiro yelled as he slammed his right hand against the table.
EGYPT
"But this intel comes from HQ…" Yu noted from the hotel briefing room she and the others were in.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Denki repeated as he ran out in front of her and Shinji, waving his arms frantically, "There's no way Midoriya would ever hurt anybody!" he exclaimed to his mentors, "Guys?!" he called out, hoping for some support.
"No, not a chance!" a helmetless Hanta agreed as he stepped forward, "This must be some kind of mistake…" he proclaimed.
"It's a false report!" Minoru suddenly exclaimed as he hopped up angrily, "No way Midoriya or Bluegarden would ever be killers!" he yelled on.
FRANCE
"I can't believe it…" Ochaco muttered out as she read the report of what was happening on a laptop she was seated in front of, being in the standby hotel of a rainy France, "No way that's true!" she exclaimed emphatically, "Deku fights to save people!" she pointed out, "Something else must be going on here!" she added as she stood up.
"Ribbit!" Tsuyu croaked in agreement, "I'm sure there's an explanation behind all this," she affirmed confidently.
"Mm-hmm!" Nejire agreed as she nodded.
"I wouldn't worry, everyone," Ryuko chimed in, getting their attentions. "Endeavor and the others are on it," she assured as she looked back at the broadcast on the TV beside them. The whole world was being informed of the freckled teen and his girlfriend, given the impression that they were supposedly criminals of the highest degree. Only time would tell if they'd be able to clear their names…
X
Both Izuku and Rebecca watched a police car drive by along a dirt road, concealed behind trees. After a few moments, they looked to each other and nodded, walking away sneakily. The latter glanced over to her boyfriend, seeing the expression of concern and frustration upon his face. Why wouldn't he be frustrated? He and his girlfriend just got branded as criminals. That, and…
"Tell me I'm still unconscious!" Rody yelled, having heard the story from the two about what was happening, "You're a pair of stone-cold murderers and they think I'm your accomplice?!" he inquired, pointing to them before gesturing to himself, "I thought you were supposed to be some kind of heroes!" he mentioned as he stomped up to them, "Explain yourselves!" he demanded of them. Izuku lowered his gaze.
"I don't know how we ended up like this…" he admitted sadly, "I can't wrap my head around all of it…" he mentioned, glancing off to the side in thought.
"Same here…" Rebecca agreed.
"Oh, great…" Rody muttered, getting their attentions as they saw the lifeless expression upon his face, "It's all over…" he sighed as he stumbled back down the incline they were on, "Bye-bye life…" he mumbled as he fell onto his knees, "And here I thought I was already living at rock bottom…" he grumbled out, "What happens if I fall even lower? Is it even possible?" he wondered aloud sadly.
"Calm down, Rody," Connor's voice chimed in as he approached, "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gone and done your shady work, wrapping these poor young heroes up in it," he told him sternly.
"I told you it was just delivery stuff, old man!" the brunette-haired teen shouted as he lifting his head up, "This is all their fault! Those two dragged us into this mess!" he shouted towards the pair of young heros, with Pino angrily chirping in agreement, "So fix it!" he insisted, "That's what heroes do, right?!" he inferred with frustration. His bird flew over to the pair, still chirping angrily. Izuku glanced away ashamedly. Rebecca took a deep breath and sighed.
"The police fired on us without asking any questions and then we were attacked by a villain from the look of it," she recalled, "That tells me that whoever's behind doesn't care if we're dead or alive," she mentioned in explanation, "So I guess … they're not really after us," she assumed ultimately.
"Which could only mean…" Connor continued, looking over at Rody as he blinked in realization.
"Oh!" he yelped, picking up the case he had obtained, "They must want this!" he concluded as he held it up. Moments later, the three of them looked through the notebooks and documents of the case. After a little while, they had gone through seemingly everything.
"It's all this coding, mathematics, and science formulas from the look of it…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user listed off with her left hand upon her chin, "If there was someone who could help us figure out what it all means, we might have a clue as to why it's valuable to whoever wants it…" she pointed out to the others.
"But I don't get it…" Izuku admitted as he was crouched beside the emptied case, "There's nothing in here that looks incriminating from a first glance…" he noted.
"Well blow me down…" Connor muttered out, rubbing the back of his head, just as befuddled as the others. All of a sudden, Rody went ahead and hurriedly gathered everything that was in the case, throwing it all back in,
"Ah, wait!" the One For All inheritor yelped, "What are you doing?!" he exclaimed in question, watching with Rebecca and Connor as the brunette-haired young man slammed the case shut.
"Figure they're after this dumb case, right?" he assumed with a nervous smile as he held it up in his left hand by its handle, "That's perfect!" he exclaimed, patting the case, "We'll hand it over and this'll all be put to bed!" he decided, "It's simple as that!" he proclaimed, "Life'll just go back to normal," he finished confidently. The Cat Leaper Quirk user gave off an annoyed expression.
"You can't be serious…" she muttered out.
"No way. It can't be that easy," Izuku chimed in, causing Rody to start sweating as his eyes jolted back open, "If what's in here is so important, they probably wanna silence us even if we did turn it over," he pointed out seriously as the brunette-haired young man was paling from the thought, trembling a little.
"Aye, a good point…" Connor beside him agreed with a nod.
"Hey, don't say that!" Rody yelled as he dismissively waved his gloved right hand, "We're never gonna get anywhere if you're only thinking negative thoughts, buddies!" he pointed out, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "So new plan, let's destroy the case!" he suggested, "Then we just say, 'Whoops, it burned up'…" he paraphrased as an example. Again, Rebecca gave off an exasperated look of annoyance.
"That's not gonna fix our problems…" she noted bluntly, causing him to slouch his head down with a groan.
"New-new plan…" he said, "What if we contact the police?" he inquired of the trio in front of him.
"Huh?" Izuku uttered in confusion as he blinked, "And say what?" he asked curiously.
"If you want the case…" Rody began, holding it up proudly in his hands, "then give us a million euros pronto!" he exclaimed.
"That would make us real criminals!" Rebecca shouted in response, "Honestly, you can't expect things to go so easily…" she grumbled.
"Huh…" the One For All inheritor sighed, "We need to calm down," he advised of his companions as he stood up. At that same moment, the brunette-haired young man fell to his knees in a sad groan, evidently mortified by the fact that none of his ideas for the case would seemingly work.
"Are you sure we can't ditch it somewhere…?" he asked of the pair, "They won't really kill us, right?" he inquired on as the Cat Leaper Quirk user got onto her feet, "You're overthinking things…" he said. Izuku glanced off to the side in thought. From everything that happened in just the last hour, it was more than plausible to assume the worst about the police and the others that attacked.
"If this case is related to some sort of crime, then we can't give it to the bad guys," he pointed out, "We might accidentally be helping out real villains…" he mentioned.
"And from how the police acted with us, it sounds like giving it to them wouldn't be any better," Rebecca added in explanation.
"Don't get me involved with your hero sense of justice!" Rody shouted as he stood up, pointing accusingly at the pair.
"Rody, calm down," Connor insisted, putting a hand onto the brunette-haired young man's shoulder, "We should hear them out," he advised on.
"I'm afraid we're all in this together…" Izuku said, causing the pair before him and Rebecca to lightly gasp, "They wanted to kill us…" he noted, "If we don't know the reason why, then it's dangerous to act rashly," he mentioned on as the brunette-haired young man glanced off to the side, "Otherwise, we'll end up full of arrows… or worse…" he grimly added. There was a brief silence amidst the group as Rody glanced at the two young heroes skeptically.
"Okay, then whaddaya suggest instead?" he inquired. Before too long, the Cat Leaper Quirk user stepped forward after exchanging a nod with the One For All inheritor.
"…We run for it," she decided.
"…Huh?" Rody uttered, sounding almost flabbergasted by the proposition.
"No matter what the situation may be, we can't fight against the police," Izuku told him, "The people chasing us are Otheon officers," he pointed out additionally, "If we cross the border into the neighboring country of Klayd, then they shouldn't be able to follow us," he explained on, "Let's hurry and get outta here before we end up tracked," he insisted before starting to walk off alongside Rebecca.
"Wait, what about the arrow person?" Rody asked in concern, "The border's not gonna stop a villain…" he noted.
"If that happens, then I promise that we'll protect you from them," Izuku declared in response, turning to face him.
"Huh?" the brunette-haired young man uttered in confusion as he walked after the pair with Connor.
"I think getting out of here is our best course of action," the One For All inheritor affirmed. Rody didn't seem too convinced. But compared to his suggestions earlier, these were a lot more sound, as much as he hated them…
"Okay, fine… I guess that plan makes as much sense as anything…" he muttered out while rubbing the back of his head, "I'll go to Klayd or wherever you think is best…" he decided, trudging after them.
"N-Now hold on a sec there!" Connor stammered as he scampered over, "I understand you two want to keep yourselves out of trouble and make certain we don't cause you any…" he pointed to the pair of heroes, "but why do we have to come along with you?" he inquired, "We weren't named as accomplices, were we?" he questioned on.
"No, but it's better not to take any chances, especially if the enemy saw your faces," Rebecca pointed out seriously, "First thing we need to do is get disguises for the time being," she advised, "Then we can worry about a transport," she mentioned.
"Uh, how are you gonna get disguises?" Rody asked, arching an eyebrow, "By now, I'm pretty sure your faces are all over Otheon as the so-called murderers…" he grumbled out. Both the One For All inheritor and the Cat Leaper Quirk user glanced to each other before back at him and Connor. The former blinked twice before he sighed with realization.
A while passed before the group found their way into a nearby town. As Izuku and Rebecca made sure to conceal themselves for the time being, Rody and Connor went ahead to a store, purchasing bundles of clothes and bags. While checking out with his items, they took notice of the news broadcast on the two student heroes. They didn't think either of them seemed like criminals, especially with how they were treating them. If they were, they'd likely be hostages by now. Rody shook off those thoughts with a shudder, hurrying back to meet with them alongside the portly man.
They quickly started to throw on their disguises, with Izuku donning a tan shirt underneath brown overalls and a fisherman's hat, Rody wearing a white, short-sleeved hoodie with navy blue cargo shorts, and Rebecca having a forest green vest over a white shirt with cargo pants. As she picked up the hat that was bought for her, she blinked in surprise.
"Hey…" she called out, getting the brunette-haired young man's attention, "you're sure this was the only hat you could find?" she muttered in question.
"Hey, I figured it'd be more comfortable for that second pair of ears you got…" Rody replied with a shrug, "Besides, beggars can't be choosers…" he remarked additionally as he smirked. The Cat Leaper Quirk user gave off an expression of annoyance, looking back at the hat. It was colorfully green with cartoonish cats plastered upon it, along with 'GANRIKI NEKO' written front and center.
'Well, I guess it works for the most part…' she muttered inwardly. The hat was a perfect fit once she put it on. Moments later, she walked along with the Connor and the two boys through the town, watching police cars pass by.
"You certainly turned this into a fine mess, Rody…" the portly man grumbled, "And here I was hoping to offer you, Roro, and Lala dinner tonight…" he mentioned.
"Can it, old man…" the brunette-haired boy grumbled, "It's the heroes' fault, not mine…" he muttered on.
"So you say…" Connor replied, letting out a sigh.
"Um, Mister?" Rebecca chimed in, getting his attention, "It's alright," she assured to his surprise, "We're putting a bit of a burden on you both…" she admitted sheepishly.
"Well, I suppose you have a point…" the portly man concurred, scratching his right cheek, "So you and your friend are heroes from out of the country, right?" he presumed.
"Yep," the Cat Leaper Quirk user replied, "We were brought from Japan," she said.
"Oh, that's a lovely country from what I've heard!" Connor pointed out, "I'd like to go there myself one day," he noted, "In fact, I'd like to go to any country outside of Otheon…" he admitted on.
"You've never been out of the country?" Izuku inquired upon overhearing.
"Not in a long time…" the portly man replied with a shake of his head, "Ever since my wife left me, I've stayed here like a little hermit…" he told his new companions.
"Hey, can you guys cut it out already?" Rody insisted in a whisper, "I thought we were trying to sneak out of the damn country…" he grumbled to the others' surprise. They relented from speaking further, continuing along after the brunette-haired boy. They headed through an alleyway before coming to its end, spotting a bus parked nearby at a stop. "Right, that bus'll get us to the border," Rody noted aloud, "And it'll be free if we hop on top…" he added with a smirk.
"Absolutely not!" Izuku refused vehemently as he put his right hand onto his companion's head and pushed it down slightly, "We have to pay if we ride!" he stated.
"We're wanted bad guys, remember?" Rody pointed out, shoving the One For All inheritor off of him, "It'll be over if somebody recognizes us…" he mentioned, about to run out. However, Rebecca grabbed him by the back of his hood and yanked him back. "Hey!" he yelped.
"Well, what if someone spots us on top of the bus?!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user shouted out in question, "That'll make it even worse!" she affirmed.
"Well, do you have any bright ideas?!" Rody inquired aloud.
"Afternoon, sir," Connor's voice greeted, getting the teens' attentions as they saw him standing at the open door to the bus, "I'll be taking four seats for me and the kids over there," he confirmed to the driver, showing him his right hand with four coins upon it.
"What the heck, old man?!" Rody yelled from afar in shock.
"Oh, there's also been a bit of a stir downtown as of late," the portly man pointed out, "I'm sure you've heard about those terrorists, right?" he inquired.
"Yeah, it's totally messed up…" the driver admitted in reply.
"Well, my son's girlfriend and his friend have both gotten mistaken for that evil pair," Connor told him to his surprise, "We had to deal with a couple rough police stops on the way here…" he mentioned.
"Oh, that must be rough…" the driver noted.
"We won't be causing you any trouble," Connor assured with a wave of his hand, "Could you please tell your passengers that, too?" he requested kindly.
"Of course!" the driver replied.
"Gah… that damn old man…!" Rody muttered aloud rubbing his head with his hands frantically.
"At least we don't have to ride on top…" Rebecca pointed out with a sheepish grin.
X
Back in the city, Enji had arrived at the Otheon Police Headquarters, hoping to get answers as to why Izuku and Rebecca were being treated as suspects. He entered the commissioner general's office. And immediately, Enji was quick to snap on him about the situation.
"That's nonsense!" the Hellflame Quirk user roared angrily as the fire around his body flared slightly, "What evidence is there to support that?!" he questioned on, "Explain everything you have on Deku and Aoneko, Commissioner General…" he demanded firmly.
"The case against Izuku Midoriya and Rebecca Bluegarden is still pending," the spectacled man seated in front of him responded with tented hands, "I'm afraid I can't discuss any of the finer details with you," he pointed out, "Especially considering you're their current boss and fellow countryman," he mentioned, turning his chair off to the side.
"Tch!" Enji scoffed, stomping out of the office. He was evidently irritated that he hadn't gotten any information during the ordeal. The officers in the room with him led him out.
'Endeavor…' the commissioner general uttered inwardly, 'Japan's number one hero…' he grumbled through his thoughts, 'He's gravely afflicted with stage five…' he noted to himself. He then opened up one of his desk drawers, revealing a Quirk Doomsday Theory book inside of it. He placed his left hand atop it. 'For humanity's salvation…' he inwardly vowed. Back at the standby hotel, Homura hadn't been able to sit still, pacing back and forth in front of a nearby window. Shoto was seated at a table, enjoying a quick snack and some tea while reading through a report on a laptop. He glanced back at his girlfriend, seeing how skittish she was.
"Midoriya and Bluegarden will be fine," he assured, getting her attention as she stopped to look over at him, "Being worked up about them isn't going to help the situation," he pointed out.
"I know… but…" Homura started to say, "I just wish we knew more about the situation…" she admitted, "It feels as if there's so much we don't know," she noted in frustration.
"Yeah…" Shoto agreed. Though he didn't outwardly express it, he was frustrated as well about his friends being framed as criminals. Just then, the doors opened.
"Shoto! Valkyrie!" Clair called out as she jogged into the room with a folded piece of paper in her left hand, "I just got this report back from a detective friend of mine," she told them.
"What does it say?" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user asked, standing up from his seat.
"It appears the car you saw was attacked by a Quirk," the Otheon hero answered, recalling how Shoto had helped to put out the fire on the bridge from the car accident, "The strange thing is… the driver was a member of Humarise," Clair mentioned, causing both him and Homura to widen their eyes in shock.
"Wait, Humarise?!" the latter of the two exclaimed.
"Did he survive the accident?!" the former quickly questioned.
"He's comatose and in critical condition," Clair responded, "Police are standing watch outside his room in the ICU," she added.
"Hmm…" Shoto hummed in frustration, "So we can't interrogate him yet…" he realized as he turned away.
"There's one other thing, too," Clair pointed out to the pair of U.A. students, "It looks like the stolen jewelry was left scattered nearby the scene…" she noted, showing them a report with pictures taken in an alleyway, with scattered jewelry and an image of a suitcase.
"Huh? But why?" Shoto wondered aloud. He then felt his phone ping in his pocket, enticing him to pull it out. "It's a message from Midoriya," he said upon seeing the notification on the screen.
"What does he say?" Clair asked as she and Homura looked over his shoulders at the notification.
"'Keep eating lunch with strawberries and make sure you eat the dinner in the fridge, too'," Shoto read off, "Why is he telling me what to eat? This is odd…" he wondered aloud.
"Wait…" his girlfriend said, "Look at how the message is arranged…" she pointed out.
"This must be some kind of code," Clair concluded.
"Ah!" Shoto lightly gasped in realization, "Clever…" he said, looking at the first characters on each line of text, "K-L-A-Y-D…" he spelled out.
"What does this mean?" the Voyance Quirk user inquired after a moment, "Did he and Aoneko flee to the neighboring country of Klayd?" she assumed, looking over to the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user.
"If not yet, they must be heading there," he concluded as he narrowed his eyes, "Which means we're going, too," he decided, putting his phone away and walking off.
"Right!" Homura agreed, jogging after him.
"Alright then," Clair said, "I'll update Endeavor," she assured to the departing pair of students. The sliding doors to the room opened, with Katsuki about to enter. However, he was caught off guard as Shoto walked up to him.
"Bakugo, come with us," he requested, grabbing him by his right arm and dragging him off.
"Get your hands off me!" he yelled, while Homura grimaced somewhat. Moments later, they made their way outside the hotel. A few officers were lurking around the corner, eyeing the trio as they walked out into the streets. "It's about Deku, huh?" the Explosion Quirk user guessed.
"Yes," the Soul Blade Quirk user responded.
"We'll explain later," Shoto promised, glancing back to see the officers sneaking out from the alley they had been lurking in, "First, let's lose the police…" he advised.
"Don't order me around…" Katsuki growled back.
X
Inside the bus traveling along the road, Izuku pulled out the battery to his phone, stuffing it into his pocket. He knew that if he had to give some sort of message out to the others, it couldn't be explicit. Otherwise, he'd be jeopardizing both himself and the people he was in close contact with.
'I hope Todoroki and the others figure out my code…' he said to himself, 'What secret is hidden inside that case?' he wondered as his eyes narrowed.
"Huh…" Rebecca sighed, sitting next to him and getting his attention.
"Is… everything okay?" he asked quietly.
"Well…" she uttered out, wearing a sparkly pink face mask that had cartoonish cats and 'GANRIKI NEKO' written upon it, "it could be worse…" she grumbled out. Beside her, Izuku had a regular medical face mask. After deciding that they would take the bus to Klayd, they needed an extra form of disguise in order to better conceal their faces. Fortunately, Rody had gotten them masks. However, there was only one medical one. The other… wound up having to go to the Cat Leaper Quirk user.
"I… wouldn't have minded wearing that mask instead…" the One For All inheritor noted to her.
"No, no… it's fine…" she assured with another sigh, "If anyone asks, I'll just say I'm a big fan or whatever…" she muttered.
"We really shouldn't have gotten on like this…" Rody quietly pointed out nearby, getting their attentions. Fortunately, he didn't need to wear a mask since he wasn't pictured in the report broadcast. But he was still a little antsy about being on a mode of public transportation, especially with people who could've easily known about the situation at hand throughout the bus.
"Oh, hush now…" Connor mumbled, getting his attention.
"Somebody could've noticed if we were just on the roof, you know…" Izuku chimed in quietly, "We can't leave anything up to chance…" he insisted firmly.
"Hey, you two are the ones who dragged me and the old man into this!" Rody whispered back, "I want nothing to do with this stupid case…" he grumbled.
"Guys, knock it off…" Rebecca advised seriously.
"Ah, young ones…" an elderly woman seated across from them said, getting their attentions, "They bicker all the time, don't they?" she assumed.
"Oh, of course they do!" Connor immediately agreed, "My son's friend here insisted on coming along on this trip with us, so they're having a bit of a fight over it all," he noted on, "I say the more, the merrier!" he remarked further.
"Oh brother…" Rody groaned, palming his face with his right hand.
"And are you his girlfriend, I assume?" the elderly lady inquired of Rebecca, getting her attention as she squeaked in surprise, "I couldn't help but overhear what his father was saying earlier…" she mentioned, while Rody grimaced and blushed.
"Uh… yeah…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user replied, leaning up slightly against the brunette-haired young man, "I'm his girlfriend!" she affirmed with a nervous smile and laugh.
"Oh, you two are adorable!" the old woman remarked. Izuku glanced over, feeling a twinge of discomfort in his stomach. Connor couldn't help but notice his expression.
"Sorry, lad…" he apologized quietly, "But we may as well keep our cover rather than blowing it…" he advised seriously.
"Yeah, I know," the One For All inheritor agreed.
"You seemed to have packed quite the amount of luggage…" the elderly woman noted, "What's the occasion?" she inquired curiously.
"We're out for a fishing trip at our summer home," Connor answered quickly, "It's a regular occasion for us this time of year," he pointed out, "Normally, it's me, my son, and my wife going out onto the water," he mentioned, glancing down for a moment while smiling underneath his moustache, "Unfortunately, she… had to leave just before we started packing," he added in explanation, "Her new job's pretty tough on her…" he confirmed further.
"Well, I'm happy to see that you're doing your best to make your family happy, even with the troubles you must go through," the elderly woman remarked.
"Heh," the portly man chuckled, "It can be a lot…" he admitted, "You see, my wife and I tried to have another child a couple years back…" he recalled, causing some of the other passengers to perk up in surprise, "There were complications and… it didn't work out as planned…" he noted sadly with a sigh, "I know she's the most heartbroken about it, since it would've been her little girl, too," he affirmed on, "This may sound a bit off-handed, but I think it's why she doesn't come on our trips anymore…" he inferred, "Because her guilt over that overshadows her love for me and our son," he proclaimed on.
"Mister Connor…" Rebecca uttered out worriedly.
"Oh, but that's enough about our plans!" the portly man exclaimed with a laugh, "Why don't you tell us about what you're up to?" he suggested of the elderly woman. As the conversation continued, the Cat Leaper Quirk user turned to the brunette-haired boy sitting next to her.
"Is what he said about his wife true?" she asked quietly.
"Uh, sorta, I think…" Rody replied, while Pino poked out from his hood, "The old man said he had a wife for a long time, and they were gonna have a kid," he told her, "And then… she just left," he finished with a shrug.
"She… left?" Rebecca repeated in confusion.
"That's what he said," Rody confirmed, "To be honest, I still think it hurts the old man every now and again to talk about it," he mentioned, "He just puts on a brave face and stays positive in front of everybody," he pointed out further. The Cat Leaper Quirk user looked back over to the portly man, hearing him laugh without so much as a worry.
"A fishing trip does sound pretty lovely," another woman chimed in.
"And rare," a man dressed in a suit mentioned, "I can't remember the last time I saw a family going on a fishing trip…" he remembered, earning chuckles from some the riders.
"Are these kids good fishermen themselves?" the elderly woman asked of the trio of teens.
"Uh, not really when it comes to me…" Rebecca answered with a wave of her hands, "My boyfriend and his friend are really competitive when it comes to fishing, though…" she mentioned, causing Rody and Izuku to perk up.
"Uh… yeah!" the latter of the two boys stammered out, "We really love trying to see who can reel in the most," he told the other passengers.
'What is happening right now…?' Rody wondered inwardly.
"And what about you, young man?" the elderly woman asked, causing him to perk up.
"Oh, uh… well…" he stammered, "I know my way around a line or two…" he admitted as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "But… uh…" he tried to continue, sweating a little.
"He's great at scrounging up bait and cooking our catch for us," Connor finished for him, "If not for him, my wife would've been burning our catch every day," she pointed out, "Though that's not to say I'm any better!" she mentioned, sharing a laugh with more of the riders.
"Ahahaha…" Izuku managed to chuckle out, while Rody let off a little smile. Though they were just pretending, it was maybe a tad bit fun to play the parts. The brunette-haired young man reached into his hoodie, pulling out a locket he had. He popped it open to find a small of him and his siblings together, smiling widely as they were pressed up against each other while having pork chops for dinner. Pino flew just above them.
'Family, huh?' Rody uttered inwardly, sighing as he thought of how Roro and Lala were doing without him.
"Who are those two?" Rebecca asked curiously upon noticing the locket. Letting out a little gasp, the brunette-haired young man quickly closed the trinket, putting it away.
"Hey, mind your business…" he insisted in response, looking away.
"Uh, I'm supposed to be your girlfriend on this bus ride…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user retorted, only for him to let out a scoff, "Fine, whatever…" she grumbled, crossing her arms and exhaling a sigh. As Rody glanced off to the side, he noticed a bearded man looking at him skeptically. He immediately looked away with a grimace.
"What's your wife like anyway?" one woman inquired curiously.
"Oh, she's a firecracker, alright…" Connor answered, not noticing Rody starting to sweat a little, "When I first met her, I couldn't believe the kind of woman she was…" he admitted, "A beauty with a backbone and a heart of gold," he mentioned with a smile, "Oh, I wish she was coming with us," he confessed on, "She'd have loved what my boy would've cooked," he pointed out.
"Oh, that's so thoughtful!" another woman gushed, "I hope she knows just how much you love him and your son!" she added happily.
"I'm sure she does…" the portly man affirmed, smiling still. Meanwhile, Rody looked back toward where he had spotted the bearded man staring at him from the back of the bus. He got up from his seat and walked over.
"You folks said you're goin' fishin', right?" he inquired, causing Connor, Rebecca and Izuku to perk up as they looked over to see him grab onto the railing beside their brunette-haired companion, "Mind if I take a look at the rods?" he requested.
"Uh…" Rody uttered, "Well… there's a lot of stuff in here…" he noted, holding onto his bag protectively in his arms, "Clothes, supplies…" he listed off, "I don't really wanna go through the whole thing just to pull out some rods for ya…" he noted with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Come on…" the bearded man insisted, leaning closer, "It's just one quick look…" he pointed out.
"Excuse me, can you leave my son alone?" Connor requested firmly, "We're not going to show our fishing rods to a complete stranger," he affirmed, narrowing his eyes.
"Except there aren't any fishing rods, are there?" he guessed, causing him, Izuku, Rebecca and Rody to widen their eyes, "Now open it," he demanded, grabbing the bag.
"Ah, hey!" the brunette-haired young man yelped, trying to yank it back into his grasp.
"What in the world?" the suited man from earlier said, while other riders looked on curiously.
"Hey, let him go!" one woman shouted. The struggle between the bearded man and Rody continued. Ultimately, the former snatched the bag away. The latter tried to get up and grab it, only for the thief to put his left hand onto his face and shove him back down onto his seat hard. Onlookers gasped.
"Heh," the bearded man chuckled, "You brats made the wrong call messing with Humarise…" he remarked, starting to unzip the bag. All of a sudden though, Connor ran over and took hold of it. "Hey!" the bearded man yelped, tugging the bag against the portly man.
"I don't know what you think you're doing…!" he grunted out while gritting his teeth, trying to pull the bag back into his grasp, "But I won't hesitate to protect my son from you!" he declared proudly. The bearded man growled, kicking him in his left shin. He then smashed the bag against his foe's face, knocking him to the floor as he groaned with pain.
"Stupid old man…" he muttered out, about to unzip the case. Just then, a fist slammed into his throat, causing him to gasp for air. Everyone widened their eyes in shock. Dropping the bag and stumbling back, the man looked to see that it was Rebecca who had struck him. And her eyes were burning with anger.
"That's the last straw…" she remarked.
"You little…!" the man growled, lunging out at her. She went ahead and ducked under his right hook, followed by landing a straight punch to his stomach. He stumbled back, allowing her to run forward and kick him down onto the floor with a flip, getting back onto her feet. She then noticed two other men get up from their seats, with one having spiky brown hair, while the other was bald and bulky.
"Oh great…" she grumbled, adjusting her neck with a crick. She hopped to the side and leapt off of the window as some nearby women yelped in surprise, seeing her swing around a pole and kick the spiky-haired man into his partner. He shoved him aside, punching his left hand before lunging out at the Cat Leaper Quirk user. She ducked, letting him slam his fist against the metal pole.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he screamed in pain before getting punched multiple times in the face by Rebecca, causing his nose to start bleeding. His spiky-haired partner drew a switchblade, attempting to stab her from behind. However, it was suddenly knocked out of his hand by a pressurized blast of air.
"The hell?!" the spiky-haired man yelped, followed by taking a left hook to the head from Izuku as he stumbled back. Rebecca thought the battle aboard the bus was nearly over, only to be proven wrong as the bulky bald man grabbed her from behind, lifting her off of the floor as she flailed her legs. Meanwhile, the other two attackers were starting to get back up.
"Rebecca!" Izuku cried out, quickly going over and kicking down both men before they could go after his girlfriend again. That allowed for her to focus on her current opponent, as slammed the back of her head against him, causing his grip to loosen. She then followed by flipping back over him and kicking the spiky-haired man away, losing her hat in the process. Making a three-point landing, she looked up and exhaled a sigh.
"Get 'em!" the bearded man of the trio yelled commandingly as he and the others got back up. They rushed the Cat Leaper, who stood up and ran towards them. She ducked under the bald man's right hook, weaved to avoid getting slashed by the spiky-haired man's switchblade, and then went ahead and landed another ferocious punch straight to his gut, knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for air, Izuku landed several quick jabs to his body before punching him down to the floor again. "Damn you!" the bearded man yelled, attempting to stab him from behind with his knife.
"Izu, look out!" Rebecca screamed, alerting her boyfriend. It seemed as if he'd be too late to dodge an attack. However, the bearded man was suddenly struck upside the head by a cane, causing him to fall hard onto the floor. Both U.A. students blinked in surprise to see that it originated from the elderly woman they had been talking to.
"That'll teach you to cause trouble…" she grumbled out. Both him and his spiky-haired colleague were down. That left the bulky bald man as the last one. Both student heroes heard him growl.
"Please don't…" Rebecca pleaded with a shake of her head.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared, lunging out at her. With a deep sigh, she let her wing-like markings appear upon her ankles, speeding past to avoid him grabbing her. She followed by kicking him squarely the crotch from behind. He squeaked in pain as any man nearby winced. The Cat Leaper then grabbed him by the back of his head, slamming him against a pole to effectively knock him out. She breathed heavily as she looked back at the trio of hoodlums she and her boyfriend just dealt with, followed by looking to the rest of the bus passengers.
"Uh…" she uttered out, "We'll get off at the next stop…" she promised. To her surprise, she was met with applause from some of the women around.
"That was remarkable!" one complimented.
"Indeed!" the elderly one agreed, "No thug can outmatch a strong woman, it seems!" she remarked.
"Totally!" another woman concurred with a nod, "That was so brave of you to protect your boyfriend and his dad…" she pointed out.
"Oh… thank you…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user said in gratitude, looking over to Izuku and the others, "You guys okay?" she asked of them.
"Yeah…" her boyfriend replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He had basically reacted the moment he knew trouble was brewing. He could only hope that no one aboard the bus would've recognized him or his girlfriend.
"Th-That's my son's girlfriend for you!" Connor stammered out as he sat up upon the floor, letting out a few laughs, "She's a master martial artist!" he complimented, clapping his hands.
"Old man, seriously…" Rody grumbled out. He was actually left awed. He didn't think Rebecca was much of a fighter based on how he first saw her back in the city during their chase. But now, he saw that she was a force to be reckoned with. "Uh… thanks…" he said gratefully. He then heard cooing next to him, causing him to turn and see Pino peeking out from his hood. She was staring intently at the Cat Leaper Quirk as a blush was forming upon her cheeks. Grimacing in realization, Rody immediately pulled his hood down over her so that the ash blonde-haired girl wouldn't see. No one realized that there was a spectacled chubby man who was trembling near the back of the bus, holding up his phone as it had the news details about Izuku and Rebecca being mass murderers.
"Hm," a person at the back of the bus chuckled, standing up, "Not bad, sweetheart," he remarked, getting the attentions of the two student heroes along with those near them, "But those guys were just the appetizers…" he pointed out, sauntering over.
'Wait… I know this guy…' Rebecca realized inwardly, sweating a little.
"I wouldn't try anything if you're smart…" she warned, "You saw what happened to your friends, right?" she assumed, gesturing toward the downed men, "I really don't think you'll be any different…" she pointed out with a shake of her head.
"That so, huh?" the hoodlum questioned back as he smirked. He covered his right arm in a cone-shaped blade, much to the Cat Leaper Quirk user's surprise.
"Watch out!" Izuku screamed. His girlfriend was quick to duck from the man's blade, jumping back to avoid his swipes. He attempted to pierce her from above, doing so successfully. She winced, but then made her wing-like markings shine a bright blue. When she opened her eyes, she found her foe about to pierce her from above, as he hadn't landed his blow yet. She hopped back, causing him to run his blade through the floor. In doing so, he accidentally cut off a few tubes underneath the bus, making fluid spill out. Up front, the driver was hitting the brake, only for his vehicle to not slow down.
"The brakes are out!" he screamed, causing his passengers to gasp in fright.
"Aw crap…" Rody shuddered out. Izuku knew that he needed to do something. Even if he had to stay low with Rebecca for the time being, he couldn't just let innocent people die. He quickly reached into his girlfriend's bag, pulling out her Happy Blasters.
"Rebecca!" he yelled, getting her attention. He tossed the weapons toward her, allowing her to catch them as she then crossed them to block Swordkil's blade, making sparks fly.
"So much for cover…" Rody muttered. He then noticed Izuku taking out one of the emergency exit windows. "Hey, what the heck are you doing?!" he questioned frantically.
"I'm gonna try and slow this thing down!" the One For All inheritor responded, tossing his hat back over to him, "You protect the passengers!" he requested before jumping out.
"How?!" the brunette-haired young man asked aloud. He didn't get an answer as Izuku turned in midair to face the runaway bus. Black energy tendrils with a teal outline emerged from his arms.
"Blackwhip!" he exclaimed, having the tendrils shoot out and wrap around the bus. Clenching his teeth together, he pulled on it as hard as he could as he started getting dragged along the road. Thankfully, the road wasn't busy enough to warrant any immediate concern. But the bus was getting closer to a nearby town.
Back inside, Rebecca attempted to fire a few shots onto her foe, only for him to dodge and then swipe at her. Rody and Connor were frantically guiding people away from their fight, looking back every few seconds to see how the Cat Leaper Quirk user was doing. She was holding her own, but Swordkil was managing to nick her a couple of times. He seemed to be overpowering her as he was pushing her back, sneering in her face.
"How's this for a fight, sweetheart?!" he yelled out, "Maybe you'll think twice about messing with the big guns!" he remarked on. However, he blinked in surprise to see her activate her Overdrive, using her newly-formed tail to wrap around his arm and yank him down onto the floor in a yelp.
"Maybe you should think twice about messing with someone who knows your game, idiot," she retorted, kicking him into a window that cracked.
"Ergh…" he growled out as he stood up, rushing out at her. She grimaced, but then suddenly, he was hit upside the head by the case, falling unconscious onto the floor. She blinked in surprise, looking over to see a trembling Connor holding it in his arms.
"Uh… thanks, Mister Connor…" she breathed out in gratitude. He chuckled.
"Anything for my son's girlfriend…" he remarked back. A drop of sweat rolled down the Cat Leaper Quirk user's head as she transformed back to normal.
'I think we can drop the act now…' she noted inwardly. At that moment though, they both stumbled as the bus had gone over a speed bump, causing the passengers to yelp in surprise. Izuku grimaced.
'Come on, Blackwhip!' he pleaded to his power, having more energy tendrils latch onto the vehicle, 'Bring this thing to a stop!' he insisted inwardly. Inside, Rebecca looked out to see what the One For All inheritor was doing. She then blinked in realization.
"Turn the bus into an alley!" she yelled to the driver, "We should slow down!" she affirmed to him.
"O-Okay!" he stuttered, turning the wheel as quickly as he could. The bus swerved into an alley. Its walls closed in on it, causing it to slow down as sparks were flying out from its sides. Everyone inside held onto the poles and handles for dear life, hoping that they would be alright. Ultimately, the bus finally slowed down to a stop.
"Huh…" Rebecca sighed in relief, putting her blasters away, "Is everyone okay?" she asked of the other passengers.
"Y-Yes, thank you!" one woman stammered in gratitude.
"You were amazing back there…" another man pointed out as a compliment.
"Uh… how are we supposed to get out now?" the chubby man near the back of the bus asked. As if on cue, the back window of the bus was yanked off by the black tendrils coming from Izuku, who gently set it aside.
"This way, everyone," he beckoned, "One at a time, please," he requested politely. The chubby man paled, recognizing him as the other supposed murderer from the news report he had been reading.
"Huh…" Rody sighed after everyone exited the bus, "I told you we should've hopped on top…" he muttered quietly, getting Izuku and Rebecca's attentions.
"We didn't know there'd be thieves in the bus…" the former of the two student heroes pointed out as a retort, glancing back to see the four hoodlums they had tied up, "Could there have been a bounty out for us?" he wondered aloud.
"Probably…" his girlfriend replied, putting her left hand onto her chin.
"Yeah, it's definitely them…" a voice murmured from nearby them, causing her cat ears to stick up in alarm, "They were sitting with us on the bus…" the chubby man noted, sweating a little as he was on his phone, "Uh… we were heading the border of Klayd…" he pointed out, "But I'm not sure where—" All of a sudden, the phone was yanked out of his hand. "Ah, hey!" he yelped, seeing that it was the elderly woman from earlier.
"Please forgive my grandson," she apologized as she held the phone up to her ear, "He must've been seeing things like he always seems to do…" she pointed out, "There's been no criminal activity where we are at the moment," she affirmed, "Thank you," she said, ending the call afterward.
"Wh-What do you think you're doing, lady?!" the chubby man stammered, "Those two people are mass murderers!" he frantically noted as he pointed toward Izuku and Rebecca.
"Supposedly…" the elderly woman corrected, "Haven't you heard the phrase 'innocent until proven guilty'?" she inquired on, causing him to flinch a little.
"Yeah!" another woman agreed, "Why would they even bother saving us if they were really criminals on the run?!" she inquired aloud.
"Well… uh…" the chubby man stuttered, trying to come up with an explanation.
"Wait… you know who we are?!" Rebecca questioned emphatically as she approached. The elderly woman smiled.
"That report's been on the news all day, dearie," she pointed out, "But I can't imagine someone sticking their neck out the way you did today to protect us," she mentioned firmly.
"She's right," the suited man from earlier agreed, getting the attention of the Cat Leaper Quirk user, "I'd say that you and those boys you're with saved us today," he noted, "As far as I'm concerned, you're not what the news says you are," he said.
"Thank you so much," Connor responded politely as he bowed to them, "I promise we'll be out of your hair soon," he vowed.
"Um, yeah!" Rebecca assured, bowing as well, "Thanks, really…" she said.
"If the police show up, we'll tell them that we didn't see you," one woman assured, "I hope your names get cleared soon!" she added. From afar, Izuku sighed with relief. Already, the trip was proving to be difficult. But there was some sense of achievement from it. At least for the moment.
In the meantime, Rody opened the locket he had and exhaled. This was already a trying day for him. And he could only hope that his family was okay…
X
After leaving the scene and wandering around town in search of a place to spend the night, the fugitive trio found themselves on a grassy hill. Izuku and Rebecca had reclaimed their hats, being the ones looking around for signs of anywhere they could stay. Rody trudged after them, noticing a nearby telephone beside a building. As much as he wanted to avoid getting the student heroes in more trouble, he had more pressing things on his mind.
"You alright, Rody?" Connor asked, getting his attention. He let out a sigh after a moment.
"Hey uh…" he chimed in, getting their attentions, "you mind if I run and make a call real quick?" he requested, pointing towards the telephone.
"Oh, sure," the One For All inheritor responded as he turned to him, "They didn't have anything about you on TV, so you should be okay to show your face," he noted.
"Try to make it short though…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user insisted.
"Got it," their brunette-haired companion replied, jogging off. Connor watched him go.
"I should've known…" he mumbled out, getting the attentions of the student heroes.
"What is it?" Rebecca asked.
"Huh…" Connor sighed, "With what we're going through, I can only imagine how stressed and panicked he must be…" he pointed out to the pair of U.A. students, "We need to get to Klayd as soon as possible," he affirmed, "For both our sakes and his," he added seriously.
"Right," the freckled teen of the group agreed. At the phone booth, Rody held up the receiver to his ear as he dialed the number. It rang for a few moments before a sound of a click went off, causing him to perk up.
"Stanley here," the voice of the barkeep greeted.
"Yo, old man," the brunette-haired teen said.
"That you, Rody?" the barkeep guessed.
"Yeah, sorry to call you out of the blue…" he apologized in advance, putting his right hand up to his head, "But can you swing by my house and tell my little brother and little sister that I won't be home for a while?" he requested, knowing that they'd have to get by without him for hopefully not too long, "I'll pay you later, promise," he vowed assuredly.
"YOU IDIOT!" Stanley shouted into the receiver, making Rody wince. At the bar itself, his outburst caused some patrons and employees to look over at him skeptically, making him flinch, "I have no obligation to do you favors…" he grumbled into his phone, "And besides, I got a complaint saying the big delivery was never made…" he mentioned.
"Things went south…" the brunette-haired teen claimed in response.
"No excuses!" the barkeep shouted back through the receiver.
"It's not my fault!" Rody yelled.
"If you don't wanna die, then hurry up and deliver the goods! Got it?!" Stanley demanded, hanging up just a second later.
"…Huh…" Rody exhaled in defeat, "I don't have the goods…" he muttered out, "DAMMIT!" he yelled, slamming the receiver down onto its hook. Just as he did, Izuku, Rebecca and Connor had come over, taking notice of his slight outburst.
"Hey, is everything okay?" the former of the group asked.
"Heh…" the brunette-haired young man sarcastically chuckled, "Oh yeah. Life couldn't be any better…" he muttered out as he turned to face his companions, giving off a small grin. The One For All inheritor blinked in confusion, while the Cat Leaper Quirk user had a worried expression upon her face. She knew that Rody was faking his smile.
Elsewhere on a train, Katsuki, Shoto and Homura were gathered in a room together, dressed in casual outfits. As the group had collectively decided to go out in search of their comrades, they also were quick to exchange any and all information they gathered. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user was first to tell the group about his theory behind why Izuku and Rebecca were being targeted.
"Huh," Katsuki huffed, "So, you think that the cases got switched?" he assumed, crouched back against the wall.
"Yes," Shoto replied, "The jewelry store was robbed by a villain," he pointed out with his arms folded over his chest, "But Midoriya thinks there was some kind of mix-up in the street," he mentioned.
"So the one he and Rebecca have now used to belong to a Humarise member," Homura chimed in, "With no jewelry," she added, placing a hand onto her chin.
"And that's probably the reason the police are chasing them," Katsuki inferred as he stood up, "Morons…" he muttered out.
"Hmm…" Homura hummed, narrowing her eyes, "In the case of there being a mix-up, along with the fact that the jewelry was recovered," she started to note, "how come the police haven't cleared Midoriya and Rebecca by now?" she inquired curiously.
"Well, they're still fugitives for the moment…" her boyfriend pointed out in reply, "And if they're carrying something that belongs to a Humarise member, they probably think it's something really incriminating," he added as part of his explanation.
"But how did they even know the guy from the accident was a Humarise member in the first place?" the Soul Blade Quirk user questioned on.
"Yeah, that's a good point…" Shoto said as he narrowed his eyes.
"You guys think this whole thing with Humarise might be going deeper than we imagined?" Katsuki assumed.
"Possibly…" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user replied, "I'm guessing… whatever he's carrying around is important to them," he inferred, "Question is, why are the police mobilizing on such a large scale?" he wondered aloud.
"Unfortunately, the answer's clear as day…" Homura chimed in.
"Humarise members have infiltrated the police force…" Katsuki realized.
"Yeah…" Shoto confirmed, "And there's no telling when they'll make their allegiances known…" he pointed out additionally, "We have to be careful," he insisted as their train raced along the tracks.
"I'll do what I want…" the Explosion Quirk user grumbled out.
"Huh…" Homura sighed, wondering if her friends would be able to stay out of trouble.
END
And that wraps up another chapter of "Through the Rough"! Really glad to be three chapters down, and hopefully am gonna start going into more of Connor's backstory for the next few chapters.
Thanks for reading, everyone!