Chapter 35: Rescue's a Go!
"The Villains who attacked the camp clearly targeted Kodai for a reason," Todoroki said. "But we don't know what the League plans to do with her. That's why we have to go after her."
Ochako thought over Katsuki and Todoroki's plan: Have Yaomomo make them a second receiver, track down wherever Mustard is hiding, and hopefully rescue both Yui-chan and Aizawa-sensei. It was definitely a half-baked plan, and Iida wasn't hiding his frustration.
"HAVE THE TWO OF YOU LOST YOUR MINDS?!"
"Hey, calm down," Shoji said. "I'm upset, too. But we can't let our emotions get the best of us."
"Umm, we should leave this to All Might," Aoyama said.
Katsuki couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You guys…"
"Listen, we're all shocked that Kodai was taken from us, but we have to be rational," Tsu cut him off. "It doesn't matter how noble your intentions are. If you go out there, trying to fund the bad guys, knowing you're breaking the rules, then you're acting like Villains, not Heroes."
Everyone in the room was silent. Those who wanted to go and save their teacher and classmate were clearly in the minority, and while not everyone was against it to such an extreme as Iida, they were still split on what to do. They obviously didn't want to leave Aizawa-sensei and Kodai with the League of Villains, but they were all still teenagers? What could they do?
What could any of them do?
KNOCK-KNOCK!
Everyone turned around, to see the door opening up, and to their silent relief, it was just a doctor. "Sorry for interrupting you guys, but I need a moment alone with Uraraka."
"Sure," Sero said. "Let's bolt. I wanna see how the others are doing."
Ojiro nodded to that. "Good idea."
"Yeah, feel better soon, Uraraka," Mina said.
As the others cleared out, Katsuki stayed back and whispered into her ear, "We talked to Ponytail yesterday. If we're doing this, it's tonight. I know you've got some injuries, but I'm inviting you since I know she's your best friend. We'll meet in front of the hospital after dark."
And with that, the explosive blond was gone.
"Recovery Girl performed some healing in your arms while you were unconscious, so you should be able to move them around fiat well," the doctor said, as he removed Ochako's casts. "I took a close look at your charts; your past injuries were bad, but thankfully, they weren't anything more damaging than what you've experienced before. You're quite lucky."
Ochako understood what the doctor meant. Back during the Entrance Exam, she completely wrecked not just her arm, but also both her legs. The final round of the Sports Festival was also painful. Her fight against Muscular could have been a whole lot worse if All For One didn't intervene. Would she have even survived if the Quirk Thief didn't show up when he did?
"For now, focus on rehabilitation," the doctor said. "Use your arms a lot, even if it hurts, and we'll leave the rest to UA. I'll discharge you today so you can go home and take it easy, okay?"
"Right. Thanks for your help, doctor. I'm sorry for any trouble I caused."
"Recovery Girl's fed up with you, but I get the impression that's nothing new," the medic said, as he reached into his pocket and gave Ochako a note. "Also, don't forget, you did save someone."
Uraraka-san,
I'm sorry for being an asshole to you. Thank you for saving me, even though you just met me. Please, get better soon so I can thank you in person, okay?
– Kota Izumi
Ochako re-read the note she was given from the doctor a couple more times. She had to admit, she was mildly surprised to see she had received a letter from Kota, especially considering that it wasn't her that saved him, but rather Katsuki. Maybe he received a letter of his own?
Thoughts for later. Pocketing the note, she called up her home number on her cellphone, sending her directly to voicemail. Looks like her parents weren't home at the moment. While she could have probably called them on their personal phones, she had a feeling that talking to them right now… would distract her from what she was going to do later tonight.
"Hi, Mom, Dad. The hospital discharged me, but there's something I have to do, so I won't be home until tomorrow or so. The good news is that I can move my arms again, but my body feels run down and sluggish, though, even with all of the healing done on me. Look… I know things are bad for UA right now, and I know that you guys are worried about me, but… I'll be fine. I still want to be a Hero. I have to be. Just… know that whatever happens, I love you guys."
As Ochako ended the call, her heart didn't feel all that lighter. Walking out of her room, she planned to leave the hospital, when someone stopped her in the hallway. "Kendo?"
"Hey, Uraraka…" the ginger-haired girl greeted her. "Can we talk?"
Katuski tapped his foot as he waited for Ocahako, or hell, anyone to show up outside the hospital. He and IcyHot had managed to convince Ponytail to make a new receiver, but she was still in no condition to come with them. Mustard's gas was still affecting her.
"I wonder what the others have decided…"
The blond looked over at Half-and-Half, before sighing. "No matter how much we could convince them to help us, at the end of the day, it's still their choice…"
There was a click from the front of the hospital door, and both teenagers looked up to see Ochako come out, alongside… Big Fist?! What the hell was she doing here?!
"Kendo… why are you here?" IcyHot asked.
"I heard what you guys are planning on doing, and I have some concerns," the orange-haired girl said. "You're going against the majority of your classmate's wishes to call this off."
That was a surprise for everyone present, Katsuki included. However, the bigger surprise came seconds later, when they all heard someone clear their throat behind them.
"Huh? Iida?!" Yet another surprise that caught them all off-guard.
"We're still just students, and UA is in a bad position as it is," the blue-haired teen said. "Anything we do will reflect on our school. So, I'm going to come with you."
"Well, we're not turning back," IcyHot said. "So, welcome aboard, I guess."
"Is that how the rest of you feel?" Kendo asked.
Ochako decided to be the one to speak for the others. "We refuse to turn back."
The ginger teenager nodded. "I see. Then let's get going."
Enji Todoroki walked into the building, and noticed that several other Pros had arrived before him. Gang Orca, Mount Lady, Best Jeanist, the Pussycats, and a few others.
"I take it that I'm the last one here?"
"Maybe," Mount Lady answered. "So, you were called here, too?"
The No. 2 Hero shook his head. "No, I volunteered. You?"
"Also volunteered," Mount Lady said. "They kidnapped my intern. Big mistake."
Mount Lady just went up a couple levels in Endeavor's opinion. He was also doing this for personal reasons, but his was more related to finding out what was happening with… Touya…
"Ah, good, you're all here," a familiar detective said, opening the door in front of the Pro Heroes. "This way please, the meeting's going to begin soon. All Might is waiting for you."
Because of course he is, Enji thought to himself, as he walked through the door.
In all honesty, Ochako should have known it might have happened.
After what had happened at I-Island, it was clear that the divide between 1-A and 1-B was tearing away. If she had to guess, it was probably Kaminari who told Kendo (and possibly the rest of her class) about their rescue mission. But Ochako honestly didn't think she'd join!
While Kendo might have seemed like a more chill person as compared to someone like Monoma, she was still a class rep, just like Iida. In hindsight, it would have made sense for her to be concerned with her sister class, even coming along with them to be safe.
But with that out of the way, the team to rescue Yui-chan and Aizawa-sensei was fully-assembled, composed of herself, Katsuki, Todoroki, Iida and Kendo, with some minor assistance from the still-bedridden Yaomomo, having provided them with a tracker.
Said tracker had led the five of them to Kamino Ward, a very-much adult district. Todoroki figured that, aside from it being weird that a bunch of teenagers would hang out there at such a late hour, there was a chance that any League members who might have noticed them would immediately recognize them. So, disguises for them to blend in were needed.
Finding a shop was easy enough. In terms of actual disguises, though…
"YO, FOOL!" Katsuki barked, trying to act as a delinquent. Given his cheap suit, sunglasses, and for some reason, goatee, he needed to play the part. "Watch' you lookin' at?!"
Todoroki and Kendo at least seemed decently dressed, even if the black wig on Todoroki didn't hide all of his hair, and whatever hair product Kendo used for hers was kinda ridiculous. But at least neither of them looked as ridiculous as Iida, with his overalls, bow tie, and mustache.
"I kinda dig this," Ochako said, as she inspected the leather jacket she was wearing. Normally, she wouldn't be wearing such an expensive thing, but Todorki was paying. Or, more accurately, the credit card he swiped from Endeavor was paying. "Everyone, our destination…"
"Right," Todoroki nodded. "It's this way –"
"Whoa, it's UA High!"
The five of them immediately froze up, believing their cover to have been blown, before looking up to see their teachers on one of the giant screens, with the announcer saying, "Let's return to a short clip from the UA High School press conference that had just wrapped up…"
"Whoa, it's Vlad-sensei…" Kendo whispered.
"Along with Present Mic and the Principal," Iida added.
"We are here to apologize," Present Mic said. "A recent incident allowed harm to come to multiple first-year Heroes, and we staff were ill-prepared. We take responsibility for any trauma caused by our negligence; it's our duty to train Heroes, but to also protect Heroes-in-training."
All three of them bowed, with cameras flashing in their faces. Bakugou clicked his tongue. "This fucking is crazy, he sounds like all the life's been sucked out of him…"
"I'll take the first question," a reporter said out of the camera's view. "Since the beginning of the year, UA students have had five encounters with Villains, including the recent I-Island Incident. This time, there were students who were gravely injured. How did you explain this to their families, and what are some of the specific steps you're taking to ensure their safety?"
"We will increase patrols around the school grounds, and review security measures within the school," Nedzu said. "The safety of UA students is our main priority, make no mistake about it."
"Man, what are these dudes thinking?"
"They're gonna get those kids killed…"
"Increased patrols? Give me a break!"
"They should be ashamed…"
"What about the rest of us?"
All five of the teens could feel the mood changing in the air. The people were turning against Heroes, and if nothing was done about it, it was only going to get worse.
"You spoke about keeping the students safe, Present Mic, but according to our information, your colleague, Eraserhead, encouraged them to fight during the attack on the Training Camp, putting them in grave danger. Vlad King, you were there. What was the reasoning?"
Vlad King answered the reporter with, "We concluded that, because we didn't know the full situation, allowing them to use their Quirks would help avoid the worst possible outcome."
"And what would that outcome be? Do you think that multiple injured students, one kidnapped Hero and his student is a win for UA High?" the same journalist asked.
"I assure you, that things could have gone much more poorly."
"Most of the victims either suffered from Quirk overuse or were harmed by the gas attack, which we determined was the result of friendly fire from Mustard. Additionally, we are providing mental health to every student, though, at the moment, we do not see any serious signs of psychological trauma," Nedzu added on Vlad King's previous statement.
"So, you found a bright spot in this tragedy?"
"We're relieved that an entire class of burgeoning Heroes still has a future."
"Can you say the same thing about the abducted, Shouta Aizawa, better known as the Pro Hero, Eraserhead, and more importantly, to his student, Yui Kodai?" the reporter asked.
As the teachers flinched, he continued, "It has been reported that several of the Villain attacks, including the most recent one, were launched specifically to abduct her. Why exactly are the Villains so obsessed with her? Perhaps Eraserhead was merely a bonus, and Kodai was their main prize? How can you sit there and tell us that she still has a future?"
"While we do not know why the Villains kidnapped Kodai, we can assure you that Eraserhead will make sure nothing happens to her, I can guarantee you that much."
The journalist didn't seem impressed by Present Mic's answer. "That doesn't amount to real evidence, though. I didn't ask you how you feel, I asked you if you had concrete information."
"We are doing our best with the intel we have available," Nedzu said, looking both at the camera and the journalists straight in the eyes. "I have no doubt that the police will break this case very soon. We won't rest until both our missing student and teacher are returned to UA."
As the replay of the press conference continued, the five disguised teenagers continued down the crowded street, the voices from the screen getting weaker and weaker. None of them wanted to think about what those reporters had said; they still had a job to do.
The more they walked, the less people were around them, until after a half hour, they had made it to a section of the city that seemed to be completely lifeless, bar for them. A ghost town.
"Okay, this is the spot the tracker is broadcasting from," Kendo said, looking at a warehouse. "According to the tracking history, Mustard hasn't left this place for the past day, but that's all we know. One bad guy could be hiding here, but that could be it. They might have Kodai somewhere else. We're going into this operation completely blind for the most part."
"I don't like this…" Iida said. "None of us are good at sneaking around."
"Don't worry, we'll figure out something," Ochako said.
"Thanks to the tracking device, we know that there are two separate hideout locations," Tsukauchi said. "We know from our investigations where the kidnapped victims are located. We'll send the bulk of our forces there. Retrieving Kodai and Eraserhead are our top priority. At the same time, we'll gain control of the other hideout. This will cut off their paths of retreat…"
"Psst." As all the Heroes listened to what Tsukauchi had to say, Toshinori was bumped in the leg by his old teacher, Gran Torino. "If they're recruiting old men like me, then…"
"What are you suggesting? You're still Gran Torino." Toshinori whisper-laughed, before getting serious. "And with such staggering stakes at hand, we can be sure that he is involved."
Gran Torino nodded in understanding. "All For One…"
"...have the element of surprise; these Villains will not succeed!" Tsukauchi continued. "At the press conference earlier, we had Principal Nedzu act cluelessly. He feigned ignorance on camera as if we didn't have leads. They won't expect us to rush in on the very same day! IT'S TIME FOR OUR COUNTER-ATTACK! REMIND THE WORLD WHAT YOU CAN DO, HEROES!"
"""RIGHT!"""
It's go time, Toshinori thought to himself.
"This is so narrow…" Iida whispered. "I might get stuck…"
"Just keep moving," Todoroki said. "No one will see us from back here."
After doing some investigating, it was clear to the five of them that they couldn't just break in, even if the warehouse looked abandoned. Oh, sure, the weeds out at the front door indicated that no one had entered, but given that they had Kurogiri, it was pretty easy to see how the Villains were hiding in plain sight. In Katsuki's opinion, it screamed of a trap.
So, rather than doing the obvious and walking in through the front door, some recon was needed. Specifically, by going around the back, where there was a narrow alleyway between the two separate walls of the next-door buildings. Not wide enough for normal people to walk comfortably in, but easy enough for the five teenagers to squeeze through.
It wasn't exactly ideal, as the space was barely big enough for them to go through without touching the walls, but they doubted the Villains would think anyone would go through there.
"There!" Katsuki pointed upward. "We should be able to get a look through that window!"
"We'll be blind in the darkness," Todoroki pointed out.
"I brought a night-vision scope with me," the blond said, as he fished it out of his pockets. "I figured we might need one for what we're doing, and Shitty Hair loaned me his."
"Kirishima?" Ochako asked. "Aren't those models super-expensive?"
"Yeah, he told me to drop it," Katsuki said.
"Uraraka should serve as our scout," Todoroki said. "Bakugou?"
"No objections," the blond said. "Aight, use your Quirk on yourself."
Ochako nodded, as she took the night-vision scope and activated Zero Gravity on herself, floating up towards the window, stopping right where she needed to peer inside.
"Tell us what you see inside, quickly!" Iida whispered.
"Got it," Ochako grumbled, as she lifted the scope up to her eyes. "Okay, I see Mustard… he's with the Iceman duo, Punch Drunk and Larceny, and… oh my fucking God."
"What's wrong?" Kendo asked.
"Back left… in the corner… Nomus… lots of them…"
Shouta groaned as his eyes opened up, feeling the rope around his arms. Looking around, he saw he was strapped down to a chair, inside some classy-looking bar, surrounded by several members of the League of Villains, including Carmilla, Spinner, Tomura Shigaraki…
…and right in front of him, All For One, in all his masked glory.
After a few seconds, Eraserhead's memories came back to him in full-force, as he realized both how and in what kind of the situation he was now in. "Dammit," he sighed.
"Sensei?"
Aizawa looked to his right to see Kodai tied up beside him.
"Oh no…"
Of course they had grabbed Kodai. Before the Pro Hero had a chance to internally panic any further, his student tried to reassure him, saying, "Good news, it's just us."
"Given that you're still here, that doesn't fill me with confidence."
"What do you think will happen?" the black-haired girl asked.
"I don't know," Shouta answered honestly.
"Oh, I can give you an answer to that one, Eraserhead," the big boss of the League spoke up, still as menacing as ever. "Answer my questions, and you and your student will be let go."
"Just get to the point," the Erasure Hero growled. "What do you want?"
"I want to know why those Villains attacked your Training Camp."
"And what makes you think I know the answer to that?"
"Hmm… you're right." All For One placed his hand at the bottom of his mask. "Okay, new plan, I'm going to interrogate our other captive first. Just as soon as she wakes up."
Shouta raised an eyebrow. "Other captive?"
"She's one of the Villains that attacked the camp," All For One said, gesturing towards the white-haired woman tied up in a chair across from Shouta and Kodai. Shouta immediately recognized her as Zookeeper. "The others were either arrested, killed, or escaped."
Aizawa decided to fish around for more info. "Rather strange. I didn't think Villains would be interested in the actions of other Villains, especially when it comes to the detriment of Heroes."
Much to the Erasure Hero's mild surprise, All For One seemed to be caught off-guard by that comment. "Uhh… I'll be right back with you one that one. Ahem, please wake up."
Shouta stayed silent as he watched All For One turn towards Zookeeper and gently smack her on the face. The white-haired woman, though, seemed oddly unresponsive.
"Hm. Her eyes are open, but she seems… unresponsive? Is she brain dead?"
While the Quirk Thief was trying to figure out what was going on, Kodai decided to add in her two cents. "Is it the result of her Quirk? Or maybe she's under the influence of one?"
"Quirk…? Hmm… good call!" the masked Villain said, as he placed one of his hands on top of the white-haired woman tied up before him, before saying, "Overhaul."
Shouta wasn't sure what sort of sound came from what happened next, but the best way he could describe it was as a wet explosion of gore, as in an instant, the white-haired woman exploded into blood, before instantly being reassembled, without a single blemish.
"What the hell did I just see...?" Shouta whispered.
"I simply deconstructed her brain and then reconstructed it," All For One said.
Eraserhead had seen a lot of fucked-up things over the course of his career, but seeing a Villain casually say that they essentially killed and then revived their captive was easily in the top ten. He wasn't able to comment on it, however, as the white-haired woman began to stir.
Shouta wasn't sure if it was the fact she now realized she was surrounded by a bunch of dangerous criminals, or if whatever the hell All For One did to her brain was painful as hell, but when she came to, Zookeeper did what any reasonable person would do. She screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAA—"
All For One, in the meanwhile, seemed completely unfazed. "Excuse me, miss…?"
Zookeeper seemed to stop for a few seconds to look up at All For One, but only long enough for her to catch her breath, before she began to scream again. "AAA—"
"Can you not shut her up?" Shouta asked, the noise getting to him.
All For One nodded, as he said, "Remain calm."
The white-haired woman instantly complied, and stopped her flailing and screaming. Clearly, it was one of the many Quirks in his arsenal, Shouta figured. But… which one, exactly?
All For One, meanwhile, just gave Shouta a thumbs-up. "Done."
"Well… now what?" Tomura Shigaraki spoke up.
"Weren't you gonna ask why she attacked the camp?" Shouta asked.
"I was, but my connection to her brain is… hazy," the Quirk Thief said. "It's as if she has been brainwashed… and not with a Quirk. I'll have to use Overhaul on her mind again."
Much to the Erasure Hero's surprise, there was a lot less blood this time, as the Boogeyman of the Underworld meticulously tweaked the inside of the white-haired woman's head.
Everyone in the room watched with various degrees of disgust or curiosity, before All For One removed his hands from Zookeeper, and stood up. "Alright, that should do it."
"So, now she's gonna talk?" Spinner asked.
All For One cleared his throat, before saying, "You are now free. Do what you wish."
Within a matter of seconds, the white-haired woman's eyes opened up. She panicked, looking around the room, her face betraying her fear, but at least she wasn't screaming now.
Small mercies.
"What... the fuck?" Zookeeper hissed. "Where am I?!"
"Ah, hello there! Nice to meet you!" All For One said, trying not to sound menacing. "Congratulations, you are now free from your brainwashing! You're welcome."
"Brainwashing?! What the fuck is going on?!"
The masked Villain gave Zookeeper some context. "Well, you and your comrades decided to attack a bunch of UA students, so I have kidnapped you for answers. I want to know why."
"Actually, I'd like to know the answer to that, too," Shouta said from his seat.
"Excellent! We are all in agreement. Now then… Please start talking."
"Uuuhhhhh..." Zookeeper however, seemed genuinely confused. "What?"
"Alright, this is getting us nowhere. Time to pull out a new Quirk for the job," All For One said, as he once more placed his hand on Zookeeper's head. "I call this one Flashback."
"Flashback?" Kodai asked in curiosity.
"My guess? He can see people's memories," Carmilla said.
Everyone remained silent as All For One kept his hand placed on the lady's head. Eventually, he let his hand off of her head, and he just stood there, silent. Just what did he see?
"Well?" Shigaraki asked… and one word came out of All For One's mouth.
"Eri."
Shouta's blood immediately became ice-cold. "What...?"
All For One turned around. "They were after Kodai."
"Wait…" While everyone else was gonna groan at the already-obvious information, it was actually Kodai herself that realized that they were missing the motive. "Why?"
"Because you know where she is," All For One said.
Shouta decided to not ask about Kodai just yet, instead, redirecting his vision back towards Zookeeper. "Wait a damn minute, how does she know about Eri?"
"Because of Overhaul."
"And who the hell is that?" Shouta asked.
No words came out of the Quirk Thief's mask.
"Well?!" Shouta barked, but he didn't get any answer. Instead, the masked Villain turned towards the door, as a familiar-looking Villain just walked in. Lady Nagant.
"Kaina, right on time. Take this civilian to Dabi and Kurogiri. Have them send her to the Okuto Island Aquarium. She used to work for Gang Orca before being abducted."
Nagant didn't even seem fazed. "Understood, boss."
"Now, Aoi-san, or should I call you Hana? Doesn't matter. Look, I'm letting you go. Just follow the nice purple-haired lady, and you can get your old life back."
Zookeeper, or… Hana… nodded. "Okay... just please don't explode me again…"
"Sure thing, now go," All For One said, as he waved her off. Bye-bye."
Shouta gave himself a mental reminder to track down this "Hana Aoi" when he could, as he watched the former Zookeeper exit the room, escorted out by Lady Nagant.
All For One then turned back towards Shouta, his tone now far more serious. "Eraserhead, I'm letting you and your student go, but I need you to do something. Something very important."
Shouta's eyes narrowed down at that. "What?"
"Get your daughter, your wife, too, but more importantly your daughter, and head for UA right away," the Quirk Thief said. "The rat's fortress should be enough to protect you."
"And why do you care?" the Underground Pro asked.
"Listen to me," All For One said, his voice desperate. "These Villains tracked down your student at the mall, I-Island, and forced their way into the camp to find out that information was contained within her brain. If they find out where Eri is, the end result would be catastrophic."
"What... kind of catastrophic are we talking about?" Kodai asked.
"The kind that —"
KNOCK, KNOCK!
"Hello? I got a pizza delivery."
Everyone was momentarily stunned by what had just cut off All For One, before Carmilla quickly asked, "Pizza Hut or Domino's?!" Spinner, meanwhile, eyed the door skeptically.
"Did one of us order something?" he asked.
It was then that All For One was hit with a horrible realization.
"Oh no…"
Author's Note: The big one is happening next time. Trust me on that.
It's now official, the good guys have learned about something that makes even All For One afraid. I added Kendo on the rescue team because she's gonna play a major part in some of the future chapters, and I want Class 1-B to be more visible than they are in canon. Also, a few more of the Pros have a personal stake in this (aside from just All Might and friends), and I like Zookeeper and I feel bad for her origin story (brainwashed by Curator), so I decided to give her a happy ending. Now, for the comments!
DevilJoker: A little spoiler, the original fight between All Might and your so-called "Deku For One" was gonna have the ending feature Katsuki pretty much freezing at the reveal, but due to some writing problems, I had to go with a different ending, one that you'll see when the next chapter comes out in two weeks. So, after the New Year.
Parceny: I'm glad that you enjoyed the previous chapter. And I'm sorry for the scarce Kacchako moments, but do not fret, I have already written a major scene that, while not exactly romantic, is still a lot more than you had in the previous chapter.
Searcheroftruth: Yeah, that pretty much sums up the current scenario. Overhaul is still alive, his original group has been split, and he's gonna be coming back for revenge. Thanks for explaining that to a comment that's been around for over a year.
And now, it's back to the regular old shilling…
I'm pretty sure as you all know now, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, /ErnaloreProf is the link.
If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules.
Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!
- Ernalore
