Chapter 10
Tinkering
Have you ever heard of a meet cute? Say you're watching a movie or tv show, the main character is doing their thing, and then suddenly he bumps into someone else and they just pause for a second to stare at one another. The music changes to something romantic, letting us know that they're thinking something like, "Oh wow they're hot!" or something like that without saying it out loud. And then they start talking and you can feel that they have chemistry together or something, sorry for ruining every rom-com ever but when you're laid up in bed with a broken leg and the only thing on is the classic movie channel because the WiFi is garbage? You tend to notice more and more of these tropes.
I did not experience that when I met Izuku Midoriya. There was no music, no slow motion, no internal thought of me thinking this guy was hot (he was cute in a dorky way, still is) just a guy my age who looked like I just told him some tests he was worried about came back negative.
Later on, I asked him when he started having feelings for me and he confirmed it wasn't here either, which I was really glad for because some small part of me was worried that while I didn't see the love of my life, he knew from the start somehow.
And I'm actually glad for it, we both weren't in the right headspace for each other yet. I was laser focused on my training with One for All, and Izuku…..well we'll get to that when I reach the first sports festival.
So no, we didn't have a meet cute.
But I ended up meeting my future husband.
Today had been one interesting day for Itsuka, what started off as a fun excursion to the zoo with her friends had turned into…well a whole thing that nobody was sure about a hundred percent. All she knew was that one minute everything was normal, but then the next an announcement went on telling people to evacuate the zoo as a villain was attacking. She and Yui had gone to grab some snacks while Setsuna and her Sister continued their tour, and while she knew the smart thing to do was probably head towards the exit and try and call her after, the idea of abandoning her friend was repulsive.
So she charged into the chaos with Yui in tow. Finding Set and Sera and quickly making their escape, once they made a good amount of distance away from where Set saw the villain, they caught their breath. And that's when Itsuka noticed the camera on the ground, complete with a printed address and name, Izuku Midroiya. She probably could have left it for the police or the zoo, or whoever was in charge of lost items, but given that she was there, and knowing first hand how it felt to lose something in a public place she decided to be a good samaritan and return it.
After getting out of the zoo, seeing Setsuna off to home with Sera, and parting ways with Yui who gave her a hug, she looked up the address the camera had on her phone and made her way there. And now standing in front of her was a boy with wild green hair, equally green eyes that were wide with surprise, and a round face that had some freckles on his cheeks. He wore a pair of baggy pants and a hoodie that was a little big on him but otherwise he looked like a regular person…..plain was a word that came to mind but she shook it off.
And then his mother popped her head in, saw what she had in her hands, and invited her inside to have some tea. "I-I-I really c-c-c-can't thank you enough for bringing this back, Kendo." Izuku thanked nervously as he sat across from her in the chair at the dining room table.
The redhead smiled warmly and shrugged her shoulders, "It's no problem. I saw it on the ground and when I saw that you put an address on there I figured I might as well return it to you." she smiled. She could tell from the way his face lit up when he saw the camera that he had been worrying about it, and when he explained that his first job hinged on the photos he took that were on it, she understood the gravity of it being returned.
As Inko returned with a cup of tea for their guest, Izuku thickly swallowed. He was nervous for a couple reasons, for one thing he was talking to a girl again and this time without a mask on. Secondly the fact that his mother had invited her inside for tea and she was in his house now, which was even somehow more pulse pounding than the fact he was talking to her for some reason.
But the biggest thing that made him nervous was the fact that she was one of the first people he saved as Spider-Man and actually talked to! What if she recognized him!?
…ok, no, not that. He was jumping to conclusions, his costume covered him completely and even though it got a little scuffed up during his fight with Shocker, nothing was damaged enough that could clue her in on who was underneath the mask. Plus his mask also muffled his voice enough to be distinguishable from how he normally sounded.
"Thank you Ms. Midoriya." Kendo nodded graciously as she took the cup. "You really didn't need to invite me in."
Inko waved her off, "Nonsense, it's the least we could do for you going out of your way dear." she replied sweetly. Itsuka smiled warmly at the kindness shown to her, if she was being honest she sort of expected to drop off the camera and head home but a cup of tea after a stressful outing like the one she had sounded really nice.
Izuku nodded in agreement, "My mom's right, I really can't thank you enough. I still can't believe the strap broke on it." he lamented.
Inko sighed, "I'm not surprised, your father got that thing when it was new but that was over twenty years ago. I'm surprised it still works after all these years." she lamented. She turned to Ituska, "He's trying to get a part time job taking photographs for the news." she explained.
Itsuka blinked in surprise, "Really? What were you doing at the zoo that the news wanted?" she asked the young man curiously.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head, "It's kind of a long story, but I was actually taking photos of the guy that the villain was chasing around. I saw them go into the zoo and went after them trying to get a picture but…..well you know how that turned out." he said before letting out a nervous laugh. Inko rolled her eyes at the way her son downplayed something that made him convinced his life was over not more than ten minutes ago.
"I was just there with my friends hanging out when everything happened." Itsuka explained with a shrug of her shoulders before taking a sip of the tea. She hummed pleasantly at the taste, "Oh this is good, is this green tea?" she asked.
Inko nodded, "Yes but it's my own special blend. Some honey and a pinch of cinnamon." she informed her.
Itsuka smiled in approval before turning back to Izuku, "Anyway did you get any pictures of that Spider guy that showed up?" she asked. The green haired teen swallowed and shook his head, making the redhead hum, "Hmm, weirdly enough I think I ran into him like a month ago or something." she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Setsuna had told her and Yui about her savior, though the costume sounded wildly different from what she saw on the beach, though what were the odds of someone having a similar costume but the exact same quirk?
Inko raised a brow, "Spider guy?" she asked her son.
Crap. Crap. Crap! "I…..think I heard of him? He's been around recently, some vigilante or something?" he said, trying to make his voice not sound too strained from the way he asked it. He felt like he was walking a tightrope without any powers, and Itsuka might just push him off without even realizing it.
"Yeah, I was training with my coach a while back and some villain showed up. Spider-Man was there and he beat him, checked on us, and then just left." she said before shrugging nonchalantly. "My friend saw him, said he saved her from getting hurt and made sure she was ok before fighting the villain." she explained.
Izuku was trying not to sweat, he was glad to hear her friend was alright but he wasn't sure what exactly he could say! Well as long as he didn't pursue the conversation-
"Huh. You know I think that sounds like the same vigilante who my friend ran into." Inko mused.
MOM WHY!? Izuku internally screeched.
"She and her husband were coming home from a movie night and some mugger jumped them in the park," she explained. "She said he covered him in something that sounded like webbing and then ran off." she said absentmindedly. Kendo humming in surprise at the coincidence, Inko's expression turned sheepish, "Though….to be fair, he might have done that mugger more of a favor than he thought."
Itsuka smirked at the tone, "Is your friend a pro hero or something?" she asked, the idea of a pro being jumped by a mugger or some petty criminal who didn't recognize them out of costume wasn't something new, but it made her crack up a little every time.
"No. Worse." Inko replied simply.
Kendo saw the way the mother and son's expressions darkened with fear and decided not to inquire further. However Izuku suddenly sat up a little straighter as he realized something she said. "Wait, Kendo, you mentioned you were training when that villain attacked. What were you training for?" he asked.
The redhead smiled sheepishly, "Oh, that, I'm training to become a pro hero, the U.A. entrance exam is in nine months so I'm working on being ready for it then." she said with pride in her the corner of her eye she saw Inko react ever so slightly with a wince, however Izuku's eyes widened in excitement at her explanation.
"Really? That's so cool! I'm applying too, but…er….for general studies." he said, not as enthusiastically as he was about the hero course.
Itsuka noticed the lack of enthusiasm and responded by smiling, "Hey that's still impressive, all of U.A. 's programs are pretty freeform from what I understand. I have a friend who is an upperclassman there now and she told me that all the classes are pretty different from how normal schools approach education." she informed him positively. "Me and my friends are actually all applying for the hero course, one of them, Setsuna, is even a recommended student."
Izuku's eyes widened, "Woah really? I heard that's a hard program to be considered for, her quirk must really be strong."
"It's more versatile." she nodded, "But she still needs to study and work hard to get in." she said with a smirk as she thought of one of her best friends. AS she took another drink of her tea, she couldn't help but feel herself relax at both the tasty beverage and the warmth that the company provided, Inko reminded her of her own mom's softer side. And while she could tell that Izuku was somewhat awkward about this for some reason, he was polite and engaging.
Finishing her drink, she set the cup down on the table, "Thank you both again for the tea, but I really need to get going." she said, Inko and Izuku nodded in understanding and escorted her to the door. Saying their goodbyes and waving farewell, Izuku and his mom opened the door for her to leave. Izuku felt the tightness in his shoulders release as the door closed shut, she didn't seem to be any the wiser about his identity. And better yet she didn't seem to suspect him period. And she….she…..
HOLY WOAH I TALKED TO A GIRL! AGAIN! THE SAME ONE EVEN! He thought as a look of utter surprise and joy crossed his face.
"She was nice." Inko said with a smile upon seeing her son's face. "Now don't you have something to do?" she asked him.
He tilted his head, "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked.
"...Izuku why did that nice young lady come over here in the first place?" she asked him rhetorically.
He pursed his lips, "To return my camera-OH MY GOD THE PICTURES!" he shouted as he realized that he not only had what Hodo wanted, but he also needed to call her back right away because he had been screening her calls. Itsuka turned and blinked at the voice coming from the closed door before snickering to herself and continuing on her way home.
Hodo's story came out the day after next, however added to it was the eyewitness reports of the Lizard who attacked the landlord at his high rise apartment building. With that came a number of other details, such as the fact that the Lizard matched a description of one of the residents who was wrongfully evicted from the building, Toka Chume, a up and coming doctor who was now wanted by the police.
Izuku felt conflicted, on the one hand he understood why Toka was so enraged. But on the other his anger didn't justify vengeance on the landlord or putting other people in harm's way in his pursuit of it. He decided that if he came across Toka again, he'd try and reason with him before resorting to violence.
"Oh yeah, did you get any pictures of the fight with this Spider-Man vigilante?" Hodo asked him over the phone as Izuku swung over the streets in his Spider-Man costume while holding his phone up to his ear. He glanced over to the windows that reflected his appearance in them. Irony was something he was starting to appreciate more and more as time went on.
"Nope. Sorry, it didn't really cross my mind." He sheepishly replied, mainly due to the fact he didn't have a clue how he would have managed to get a picture of himself with the camera. He knew there was a timer function on the thing so maybe he could manage something, but taking pictures of himself performing heroic deeds seemed a little…..wrong to himself.
"Damn. Well next time then, don't get me wrong what you got is what I asked but don't be afraid to show some initiative. If you see something that you think is newsworthy? Snap a picture of it. Especially anything with heroes, villains, or vigilantes." she informed him. Izuku wished he could jolt this down in his notes really quickly but he hadn't figured out a way to do that while web swinging…..also his other hand was holding the phone to his ear. "Speaking of which, don't forget to drop by our office today to pick up your paycheck, just tell the front office you're here to collect and I'll come down and make introductions." she added.
Izuku swallowed but nodded, he was admittedly nervous, he had never gotten a job before, and while freelancing wasn't the same as signing on with them it was a step in that direction. Flinging himself off a webline, he somersaulted through the air before landing on the outcropping of a building in a crouch. "R-Right. Thanks again Ms-er, Hodo." he said, correcting himself before he could call her 'Ms' again.
"Don't sweat it kid. See you in a few hours." she said before hanging up, Izuku doing the same before reaching behind his shoulder and slipping his phone into his backpack.
Leaning forward with his arms on his knees, he looked down below him to the streets, he still had some time before he needed to go see Hodo at Shoowaysha Publishing. Wonder how much I'll make? Probably won't be much, but maybe I can get something if I start saving my money up? He thought as he leapt forward and dove off the ledge towards the earth below. I have been thinking of getting a few new All Might figures that came out recently. Hmmm, but do I have enough room for it? Oh! I could buy a new shelf! He thought as he flicked his wrist and shot out a webline to swing from.
As he swung through the city, thinking about what All Might Merch he could purchase, he felt the familiar faint sensation of his Spider Sense. Looking in the direction it indicated, he swung around the side of a building as his eyes scanned the ground below. Casting out another line, he almost swung past where his Spider Sense directed him, but held onto the web to swing back and land against the wall, holding onto the web as he looked down at the scene below.
It was the back parking entrance to what looked like a pawn shop for large deliveries, the garage door was rolled up and an unmarked van parked in front of the docking bay which dipped down into the ground. More built for a semi which would have enough room to maneuver in the large alley and drive out in two directions. At first Izuku almost dismissed it but when he saw five men exit the storage bay with masks on, he realized his Sixth Sense was right once again.
Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out his camera and snapped a picture of the scene, "I never heard of a pawn shop being robbed, but come to think of it? Kind of makes sense." he admitted before putting his camera away and pulling out his phone and dialed 1-1-0 for the police. However as he held it up to his ear, he blinked when all he heard was beeping, "What the-" he started before seeing that there was no service available.
"You know when I see Hodo, I gotta ask her if there's some cell service problem that people are having with my provider." he said before putting his phone away and sticking his bag to the wall with his webbing securely. Looking over the scene, he thought of something he wanted to try.
A minute later he was leaping off the wall, landing on the roof of the truck with a loud THUD and making the thieves pause what they were doing, including a pair who were moving what looked like to be a large TV into the back of the truck. "Hey guys, I'm gonna need to see a receipt for that." he greeted with confidence.
His hands raised in a split second, shooting a pair of webs at the hands of the men who were carrying the TV. "Gah! What the-"
"Hey stop, I'm still holding it!"
With those two occupied, the other three dropped what they had and scattered towards either exit to the alley, however one of them didn't look where they were running and found themself running into a large white net of webbing, "What the-! I'm stuck! Get me out of this crap!" he yelled as he tried to pull himself free.
Hmm, web traps are actually effective. Good to know, I have to keep that in mind. He thought as the other who fled stopped before he could join the same fate as his companion. Spider-Man felt the buzz of his spider sense again, this time he turned around and saw that the third man hadn't run to get away, but to climb up on top of the truck and charge him. Throwing his fist out, his arm extended straight towards the wall crawler, he easily dodged it and grabbed the extended limb with both hands before lifting the man up by his arm, "AHHH!" he yelped as Spider-Man easily held him aloft by his arm, putting him a good ten feet in the air above the truck.
"So is this how you got the door open? That's actually pretty clever! I mean most people have a spare key, but you guys don't look like you own the palace." he said as the man retracted himself back down, the vigilante letting go as he got to a foot above the ground, and fell onto the roof of the truck with a grunt. He tried to recover by throwing his other hand out at Spider-Man's head.
He merely titled his head out of the way, allowing it to sail past him and smash into the wall of the building behind the vigilante. The man let out a loud whine as he pulled his hand back and held his now bleeding knuckles tenderly. Izuku raised his hands and pressed his fingers to his palms, sprayed webbing across the man's chest and stuck him to the roof with his hands against his chest. "Alright now where's the third one?" he asked as he turned and looked around before the truck rumbled to life and took off!
"Guess I found him!" Spider-Man realized as he hands waved for balance as the truck accelerated around the corner and towards his large web he strung up. "Huh, you know I haven't tested this stuff to see if it can stop something like this before-" he started before the truck plowed into the substance. To his own surprise, the webbing held the truck in place…..for a moment, before the sides of walls that the web was anchored to pulled off from the walls!
"Crap!" Spider-Man yelped as the truck pulled into the road and sped down it.
"You moron, I'm up here! Slow down! Slow down!" the man pinned to the roof yelled as Spider-Man leaped forward on top of the truck's cab. Leaning over he looked inside the driver's side where the third and final robber leaned back in shock at his appearance.
"Didn't you hear your friend!? Stop the truck!" he demanded, pressing his hands against the glass. He didn't listen, in fact he did the exact opposite as he accelerated down the road. Izuku looked up from the window and his eyes widened as the man drove into a bike rack! The two wheelers flying up, some hitting Izuku much to his annoyance. "Ok then, don't say I didn't warn you!" he threatened as he pulled a fist back and drove it into the hood of the truck, smashing through the hood and engine easily, the metal crumbling beneath his fist.
The man jerked the wheel towards the road in a vain attempt to keep his acceleration, and not noticing he was heading for a red light just as the other lanes began to move. Spider-Man's eyes widened before he flung himself forward, grabbing the front of the truck with his hands and flipping himself around so his feet were against the front and shooting out large webs from both his hands to catch on whatever was nearby, in this case a storefront and a parked car.
Izuku felt the strain of both the weight of the truck and the inertia it carried strain against him, the driver's head slammed into the wheel and fell over unconscious from the whiplash while the truck slowed to a halt, while also slightly pulling the car out of it's parking space and making the storefront groan from the force of being pulled by something that heavy. Spider-Man let out a breath, stucking the tires in palace with his webbing, he climbed up the hood and looked inside the truck to see the driver slumped over with a bruise already forming on his forehead.
Webbing the window and doors closed, Spider-Man sighed at the results, it wasn't the most clean way to stop a crime but given the circumstances? The goods weren't stolen, nobody was hurt, and all the thieves were appre- "Oh crap the two back at the store!" he realized.
Back at the pawn shop's alley, the two men who had their hands webbed to the TV, carefully shuffled down the street, "This…..is the worst…..job….ever!" one of the bemoaned, their arms tired from being forced to carry the appliance due to his hand being webbed to it. And since it was on the underside they couldn't just set it down without having the TV crushing their hands.
"This is why you don't listen to Maru! He's an idiot! God my hand is sore." the other complained as they continued down the street, a few people pausing to watch the odd sight of the…not so daring daylight robbery.
THWIP!
The two stopped as their feet were now anchored in place, "Wha-what's-Oh you gotta be kidding me!" one complained as they looked down to see now each of their feet was stuck to the sidewalk right in front of the pawn shop they were robbing. Spider Man dropped down from the lamp post he had perched on when he caught them, his backpack over his shoulder. "You-You sonofvabitch! Do you know how heavy this thing is?!"
"Nope, but I bet it is." Spider-Man snorted, having a hard time trying to remain professional. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out his phone but frowned when he saw there was still no signal to be seen. "Dangit. Um…..so kind of awkward question, but do you guys have a phone I could borrow?"
That question caused both men to straighten up, which Spider-Man noticed, "N-Nope! No phones!" one denied while the other nodded.
"Look, if you let me use your phone I'll use my webs to take the weight off your shoulders. Deal?" he offered. One thing he had found over the past two months of his vigilante work was when he would leave criminals webbed up for the police, they would sometimes be in uncomfortable positions, pinned to the wall with your hand behind your back for instance.
"Deal." one said.
"Wha-Dude!?" the other complained.
"My arms are about to fall off! And that's not my quirk! You know what my quirk is? It's balloon fingers!" the other shot back before turning to Spider-Man. "My right coat pocket." he said. Izuku nodded before spinning a wide net beneath the TV to the front of the pawn shop, pulling it up tight and then attaching it to the pole of the post behind him. The two felt the weight lifted off their hands and fell to their knees as the vigilante strode forward and reached into the jacket, pulling out the cell phone.
His lenses suspiciously narrowed when he saw the screen had an app open, on it was an antenna symbol with a crossed out circle in front of it. It was pulsing with a timer on it that was counting down for three more minutes. Tapping the home button he saw it was the only application on the phone itself, "What is this?" he asked, holding the phone out to the pair and pointing at the application.
"It's nothing!" One denied.
"Just make your call dude." the other urged.
Izuku frowned beneath his mask, the fact they were so secretive about the phone, and the way they reacted to it…..
"Actually I'm gonna take this as evidence. But, I will do this" he said, before reaching forward and ripping the webbing off their hands and allowing them to let go of the TV, "Sorry about that, I needed to slow you guys down and I figured webbing you to a TV would do it." he said before encasing both of them in webbing from the waist down so they couldn't run a web line up and pulling down on it to yank himself up into the air.
"Huh…..that was actually nice of him." one said.
"Yeah…man I kind of feel like a douche now." the other lamented as his head bowed forward in shame.
Swinging out of sight of the thieves, Izuku landed on a roof flagpole and sat down. He waited until the timer ran out on the application, 'Session expired. Cell service will now resume.' it read.
What? Izuku questioned. His eyes widened, reaching into his bag he pulled out his phone and saw that he now had regular cell service. This thing was jamming my phone? How? He wondered as he put his phone back in his bag. Turning the thief's phone over in his hands, he then noticed something he missed before, there was no logo on it, no company brand that associated it with any smartphone developer that he knew. What the hell is going on here? Izuku questioned himself.
"What do you mean he took their phone?" The Rose asked through gritted teeth. The man in front of him was one of his lieutenants, a dark skinned man who wore a gray suit and black tie. Kazuma was one of the first people he ever employed and had earned his title, along with his fellow lieutenant Taka, who was busy overseas with an exchange. Given the urgent tone of the man's voice he allowed him inside where he disclosed that he had been contacted by one of the cells that was sent out to rob a pawn shop. Spider-Man had intervened, which while a small loss wasn't anything devastating, but him taking the man's phone? That raised an alarm in his head.
The man standing before him had bull horns sprouting from the sides of his head towards the ceiling, "He used his phone call to get in contact with me so I would see what I would do. However he was imperative to mention that Spider-Man confiscated the phone from him, and that he noticed something was off about it." he explained. Rose sneered as he clasped his hands together.
This vigilante had been nothing but a nuisance for them ever since he disrupted their operations. Their boss had decided that a hands off approach was the best way to deal with it, he wasn't looking for them and there hadn't been anything to indicate otherwise. But this hinted that he might be growing curious.
Personally he thought this was dangerous, the man in charge had cautioned him about people like this, they hid their faces so nothing could be exploited or used against them. And if they acted against him directly it would embolden him if they failed, and so far all their moves against him have failed. He let this information sink in, his mind putting the pieces together as a plan formed in his head. "Tell him to clamp down and shut up, I need to make a call." he said, dismissing his man who nodded and exited the office while the Rose pulled out his phone and dialed a number quickly.
It rang for a few moments before it picked up, "Yes?" his boss's voice answered, he could hear running water in the background.
"Sorry to disturb you, but I wanted you to know first. Our pest problem might have just escalated." he informed before giving him a summary of what he had just learned.
The man's voice on the other end was hard but not angry, "The phone can't be traced, any attempt causes a security program to erase all data from the phone. But the fact that he might suspect something now is dangerous." he said.
The Rose nodded, "I agree, however I was thinking, why not beat him at his own game?" he asked. "Tinkerer designed the network it's running on so he should be able to track it correct?" he asked.
The man hummed on the other end, "Yes. He would…summon our enforcers, once Tinkerer has the location of our pest, send them there to exterminate him." he said.
The Rose nodded, "Understood, consider it done." he replied before ending the call and sinking back into his chair.
His boss had chosen a hands off approach until now, and while he understood his reasoning the Rose himself thought it wasn't taking this threat seriously enough. It was one vigilante, not an entire hero agency after all…but as someone who wore a mask, who kept his identity hidden from them, it limited their information on him. The Rose knew this all too well, as someone who was forced to wear a purple mask to keep his own identity safe.
Shoowaysha Publishing's main building didn't really stick out as much as one would think despite it being the headquarters for a large percentage of news that people were exposed to. TV News, podcasts, online news, and even newspapers were published in the skyscraper. The lobby of the news magnet wasn't anything too extravagant, a man at the reception desk between the elevators had welcomed Izuku and put a call out to Hodo before asking him to wait on the cushioned bench. The newbie photographer's red shoe bounced against the floor in anticipation while he glanced over at the elevators.
He had been sure to get here early, changing into the nice set of clothes he packed in his bag along with his school clothes. A pair of black pants, a dress shirt, and probably the nicest, non All Might merch, non pun engraved, jacket that he had. His mom said that it would be fine but he wasn't sure, It's alright, they already accepted your photos, your just here to pick up a check, meet some people, and then go. No big deal! He tried to convince himself.
"Hey Izuku!" the green haired boy jumped and turned to the voice at the entrance, seeing Hodo walk into the lobby with another woman beside her, both of them having cups of what looked like coffee
The woman with her wore a more casual set of clothing, a olive green work shirt with beige cargo pants, along with a pair of work boots. The woman seemed to be around Hodo's age, but she was a little taller than the reporter, with pale skin and light blonde hair that was beneath a red and white baseball cap, curiously enough it had 'Hodo' in stylized font on the front of it.
Standing from his seat he bowed in greeting to her, "Ms-Er-Hodo! It's good to see you again. Sorry for not getting back to you with your photos right away." he apologized stiffly, recalling how he had been sidelined by Itsuka's appearance at his door.
The reporter shrugged, "It's fine Midoriya." she said with a fond tone of voice, she introduced herself to the woman beside her who was giving her a wry look, "This is Katsumi, she's one of our camera operators with the live news team." she introduced. "Katsumi, this is Hassashi's kid."
The woman raised a hand to Izuku which he politely shook, "Yeah I can see that, she showed me pictures of him and I can see the resemblance." she noted, causing Izuku's cheeks to flush slightly from the comparison. "She showed me your pictures, not bad for a first timer." she complimented as they walked with him towards the elevator. Entering the box, Katsumi hit the button for the twentieth floor, "The layout of this place is kind of wonky, our in house printing press is in the basement, we ship them out from our loading bays on this floor, the next five floors are general administration, accounting and human resources, stuff like that, the five after that are for our podcasts that we sponsor, the next five are where I'm usually at, live news coverage, and the top five are where you'll typically be going, that's for our paper and online news."
"Hey I'm the one who brought him here, I should be explaining this." Hodo said.
"Then why aren't you?" Katsumi replied with a smirk, earning an elbow to the side from her co-worker. Hodo replied with the most professional response, and flipped her off, "Charming." Katsumi said before turning to Izuku, "Anyway, we employ a couple of freelancers for photos and videos, you're free to send your stuff to other news outlets of course but we have a pretty good record when it comes to offering contracts to people."
The green haired vigilante nodded understandably as the elevator reached the 20th floor, walking out he was met with a large office space of cubicles where many people were hard at work. "You don't always have to come in to get your money, once you cash your check we'll simply direct deposit the funds into your account, but don't be afraid to stop by and ask around, or just hang out with your camera." Hodo explained as they turned down a hall, she looked forward and smirked, "Speaking of which, hey Taneo." She greeted the man standing outside an office door.
He was a tall, slender man who had wavy black hair that hung over one side of his face just above the glasses that he wore. What immediately drew Izuku's attention was one of his eyes was different from the other, while his right eye had a black pupil, his left one was white and slightly larger. "Hodo, nice to see you." he greeted before glazing at Izuku, "Who's the kid?"
"Your new competition." Hodo bragged, making the young man balk at her before looking between her and the man.
""I-I'm Izuku Midoriya sir, nice to meet you Mr. Tokuda! I-I-I'm not! I mean, I'm a….freelancer, but I'm not competing with you!" he quickly amended, causing the man belt out a laugh while Hodo gave him a look.
"It's fine, I'm Taneo Tokuda, photojournalist." he greeted the teen who felt himself let out a breath of relief. "I'm a freelancer as well, though I'm usually over at Juzo news." he explained as he reached into his beige blazer and pulled out a USB stick. "Speaking of which, I told Mai that I was gonna grab some B roll for her. You know where she is?" he asked Katsumi.
Katsumi shrugged, "Sure I gotta head that way anyhow." she turned to the reporter and their new freelancer, "Catch you later Hodo, Midoriya, nice to meet you." she said before tilting her head to the side, gesturing for Taneo to follow her. The man walked after her, giving the other two a friendly nod as they continued their tour of the building.
As they passed through the bullpen area again, Izuku noticed a large office door facing the corner of the building open up, a woman stepped out with someone following after her. "-see if we can't push that broadcast back, we need to do some last minute editing for the interviews." the woman said before stopping when she saw them. The woman was striking, her light blue skin tone contrasting against her light purple hair and dark purple eyes, she wore a dark purple dress beneath a short red jacket with a black fur trim to it. She looked over Izuku and the smile she gave him made him swallow at how….predatory it looked, "And who is this young man?" she asked.
Hodo raised a hand in greeting, "Kizuki, this is the freelancer I told you about, the guy who got those pics before the Lizard attack." she introduced.
The woman, Kizuki, smiled at the information, "Oh this is Hassashi's son! I knew you looked familiar, nice to meet you." she said before raising her hand, "Chitose Kizuki, Editor of Shoowaysha Publishing."
Izuku quickly grabbed her hand and gently shook it respectfully, "N-Nice to meet you ma'am, t-thank you so much for the opportunity." he said respectfully, stuttering under the gaze she had locked on him. It wasn't threatening, but he felt like her gaze was trying to peel him apart like one would an onion.
Thankfully, her gaze softened, "Oh he's a cute one." she said amusingly.
Midroiya's face turned red, "C-C-C-Cute!?" he squealed out. Hodo laid a hand against her head, she knew that the kid had some confidence issues but this was almost embarrassing for her. Izuku suddenly found his red shoes to be very interesting as his gaze was solely focused on them.
Kizuki giggled at the young man's reaction, she turned to Hodo with a less amused but still present smile, "When you're done here I need you to head out, we just heard about a thwarted robbery by that Spider vigilante." she said, making Izuku look up from his shoes.
"The one at the pawn shop?" he asked before he could stop himself.
Both women turned to him, Oh I have made error. "I uh…passed by there on my way here. I got some photos." he said as he reached into his backpack and pulled out his camera, turning it around and showing the pictures he had taken of the scene while the robbery was happening.
The smile Chitose had made the one she gave him before look like a friendly smirk, "You just earned your first bonus cutie." she said, ignoring how the aforementioned 'cutie' blushed at his apparent nickname.
When the Rose's Lieutenant had reached out to them, the Enforcers had answered the call readily. They had gathered at the old shop they had been instructed to, where the Tinkerer was awaiting them in the back. Mao, a man whose hands were made of iron with his fingers as elongated cylinders, He wore a western style cowboy hat like the ones seen on tv. Behind him were two men, Danji, a martial artist whose skill made him win every street fight he'd ever been in, and Ox, a man who towered at nine feet tall and three feet wide with arms thick as tree trunks.
The Tinkerer personally wasn't impressed with them, "What were you told?" he asked as he walked them through his workshop.
"I was told we got a pest problem and we're here to take care of it like usual." Mao replied as he glanced over at some of the equipment being worked on. His eyes fell onto a square shaped device that had some sort of projector on the one end of it. "We track this guy to where he lives, then we make an example." he said darkly.
The Tinkerer sighed but nodded nonetheless, "That's the simple answer, yes. But this is a delicate matter. It's no cop, or PI, it's a vigilante. We don't have any way to track down where he lives, until now." he said as he came to a stop at a workbench where a tablet was. Picking it up he turned to the trio and presented it to them. "The phones we hand out are on their own isolated network that piggybacks off of cell towers in the area. Normally this makes them untraceable but because I'm the one who designed the program-"
"Oh hell, get to the point man." Ox impatiently demanded.
The Tinkerer frowned at the outburst and instead focused on Mao, ignoring the large man, "In Any Case. This will track the phone he took. It's not pinpoint accurate though, this was a rush job so it'll get you within ten meters." he said before handing the tablet to the man with iron hands. The metal clicked against the case as he gripped it, he then handed it to Danji whose fingers allowed him to zoom out and see where he was located.
"Damn he's moving fast." the martial artist said, impressed by how much ground the dot on the map of Japan was covering.
Tinkerer turned his back to them, "Then I suggest you do the same. This is one pest we don't need to tolerate any longer." he said, his tone obviously dismissing the trio. Ox grumbled something under his breath but didn't put up a fight as their leader led them out of the workshop the same way they came in. Upon the door closing behind them, the Tinkerer, or rather Takumi when he wasn't using that alias that his employer had him be referred to in front of others, let out a long sigh of disappointment.
When he had been approached about this business opportunity, he had been skeptical about his own safety. After he was let go from the hero support company he had worked at for thirty odd years, and finding himself barely scraping by with his pension, an opportunity to make some real money was already alluring. But what really drove him to agree, was the opportunity to create, unrestricted and with no red tape.
Being a support item designer had its good days and bad days, like any profession, and while he wasn't happy with the living he had after his time at the company he didn't hate his time there either. But it was frustrating, the thousands of ideas he had in his head, and yet he was restricted to only make a hundred of them at a time due to budget, or usefulness, or the moral ethics of what they could be used for.
But with his new employer, the sky was the limit, a blank check on his funds, private work that he could do on his own to make cash on the side, and all he needed to do was build and modify whatever his boss told him to do on any occasion he wanted. And even that was few and far between, especially after the network was set up. It was easily his most proud creation, a wireless network that not only allowed for completely untraceable communication without anyone being aware of it, but also being able to sabotage other forms of communication to allow their agents to work without interference.
It was his crowning achievement, his employer's praise for his genius had been unexpected but more than welcome.
But that seemed to be all the respect he got, out of their little cabal it was clear that while his efforts and contributions were recognized by their organizer, his peers were too caught up in their own schemes to realize how important he was to their operation. The Fixer was their mole, a high ranking member in the district attorney's office who kept his ear to the ground and pulled strings so that they could be one step ahead of any official investigation.
But unlike most moles, the Fixer was professional, he only moved to manipulate when it was absolutely necessary, and until recently, that was few and far between. And while Takumi understood his value before, with the network in place his power was growing smaller and smaller.
The Rose on the other hand? If there was one person of their trio that the boss favored, it was him. In fact Takumi was convinced that if anything were to happen to their employer, he would be the one to take the reins, which honestly didn't concern him at all, as long as he could keep doing his work, and got a little appreciation? Then he'd work for whoever he could.
Grabbing the tools he needed off the desk, he turned his attention to the project that he'd been working on for the past two months. The Time Dilation Accelerator, a device that Reed Richards himself had developed in an attempt to make instant transportation a reality.
Approaching the device that was suspended by a clamp on his workbench, his attention turned to the prototype duplicate that he was creating himself. Looking at the original, his old eyes sharpened as they became green, the outer casing of the machine fading away as his quirk X-ray, allowed him to peer inside and observe the internal components without compromising the structure.
It would take time to replicate, but there was no rush.
The Tinkerer knew how important to the organization he was.
After giving both sets of photos, Izuku was presented with his first ever check, and while it wasn't an astronomical amount of yen, the fact that he had over 1,000 in his name now filled him with a strange amount of pride…..which was why he had held it between his hands while tears of joy gathered in the corners of his eyes when it was handed to him. A quick stop at the bank and a money deposit later, he had money to burn that wasn't from his allowance. So he decided to celebrate, "WWWWHOOOOHOOOOOO!" Spider-Man whooped as he zoomed down the street by his webline before lifting up into the air and flinging himself off.
Flipping through the air with his legs outstretched, he cast out another webline to the corner of a building and once more dipped down towards the street before launching himself skyward. Twirling through the air he cast out a web to his side that hit a pole which he spun around, the web pulling him in as it coiled around it until he was close enough to grab onto it, spinning around and holding onto it with one hand until he stopped with both feet against the metal.
I can't believe it, I got a job….kind of….sort of. He thought as he leaned against the pole and looked around. He had messaged his mom and told her that he deposited his check, and while he planned on being home on time, his mom had actually urged him to stay out and find something to spend his newfound money on that he wanted.
He decided that another swing around town wouldn't hurt, however things seemed quiet for the moment. He looked to his left out towards the water, the sun was just beginning to set but there was a few hours of light left, "Maybe I should drop by the collectable stores, see if that new All Might poster is out." he mused to himself as he looked down towards the street.
His lenses widened when he saw a familiar flicker of red amongst the people below.
"Kendo?" he asked himself upon seeing a familiar side ponytail. Down on the ground below, the young woman was carrying a pair of tires on her shoulders as she jogged down the side streets towards the water. Curiosity got the better of him and Izuku leapt from the pole and swung after her, landing atop a building that looked out to the beach, his lenses widened at what he saw.
Before him was Dagobah beach, the same dump he had tested his powers at two months ago, and the place he had defeated shocker at? Where there was once a huge swash of garbage covering the entire ground of the beach, now had a strip of bare sand squared off at the stairs that led down to the shoreline. "Holy…..I mean, she said that she was training here but this is…..wow." he said in amazement, watching as down below the ginger haired girl slowed her jog to an obviously tired walk towards a pickup truck where the skinny man he had seen before was waiting.
Upon reaching the vehicle, she pitched both the tires over the side and into the bed, as soon as they were off her shoulders, Kendo bent forward and caught herself on the side of the truck, taking some much needed time to catch her breath. "*HUFF*-*HUFF*-That, was awful." she breathed out as sweat slid down her face, dripping off her nose in chin while her chest expanded and decompressed.
All Might laid a hand on her shoulder, "You did great young Kendo, but I said you didn't need to make it perfectly squared off." he gently reminded her.
The hunched over woman turned her head slightly so she could see him and smiled wryly, "Well….you know me…..always going the extra….mile…" she breathed out before leaning more against the truck.
Today had been a bit harder than usual, while she had gotten her goal for today done fairly easily, Itsuka had energy to spare and suggested that she push herself a little harder. Admittedly in the back of her mind she was making up for the day she had taken off with Set and Yui, but if she could do it, why wouldn't she?
Probably because she felt like she was on the verge of collapsing right now was the answer.
"Well I think you've crossed that mile." All Might laughed, "We should call it for today." He decided, and Itsuka found no reason to argue with him. "I'll run this to the recycling center, I can give you a lift home on my way back." he offered.
Kendo shook her head, her breathing under control and her body able to stand upright now that she had a moment to recover, "It's fine coach, I can get back home on my own." she huffed out, still a little out of breath. Yagi smiled and nodded acceptingly at her before patting her shoulder and climbing into his truck, Kendo gave it a wave as it pulled away and drove in the direction of the recycling plant that she had taken some of the trash by hand to. Wiping the sweat from her brow she pulled at the rim of her zip up track jacket and began the walk towards home, glancing over at the beach she felt a swell of pride in her chest at her progress.
Next week would be two months since she started and she was making steady progress towards her goal.
"Uh, H-Hey, Kendo!" the redhead blinked at the voice and turned her head in its direction. Izuku Midroiya approached her from a few feet away with a slight wave and a nervous smile.
"Oh! Hey Midoriya!" she greeted in surprise as she returned the wave as he stopped in front of her. She hadn't seen the young man since she returned his camera a few days ago, "What are you doing here?" she inquired.
He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as his cheeks warmed, "I-I saw you carrying tires earlier and I was going to say hi, but then I saw you talking with that man and I didn't want to bother you two." he explained, wincing a little at how pathetic that probably sounded.
Kendo smiled at him, "Oh it's fine, I just didn't really expect to see you around here. But I guess your apartment isn't too far away from here." she mused aloud. Her eyes widened slightly as she thought of something, "Oh hey, did you get the job?" she asked. Izuku blinked in surprise that she even remembered him mentioning it, finding himself nodding before he could realize it and making Itsuka smile in triumph on his behalf, "That's great to hear!"
"Y-Yeah, it is." he agreed. Of course he probably wouldn't have gotten the job in the first place if she hadn't gone the extra mile and returned his camera to him…it had been so long since anyone really did something nice for him.
Kendo turned on her heels, "Well it was nice seeing you, I should get going though." she said, the desire to get a good meal along with a nice, long, bath sounds amazing right now.
"Er…..actually Kendo…" she paused mid stride and turned her head back to see him looking down, "Would you like to…I could…um…." Izuku began, unsure of how to phrase his offer properly momentarily. He looked up at her and saw her head tilt to the side inquisitively, "I just got paid for my pictures, and I wouldn't have gotten those without you…..can I buy you a snack as thanks?" he finally decided.
The ginger haired girl blinked at the unexpected offer, "Oh that's-Midoriya that's too kind really but I couldn't take your money like that, besides you and your mom invited me in for tea there's no reason-" she began, just as her stomach let out a audible noise that made Izuku look down at it in concern. When he looked back at her face, he saw it was blank before she straightened her posture and looked down. "...I wouldn't mind a bite actually." she amended shamefully at the noise she just made.
She led him down the road to where a noodle stand was set up beside an area where a number of benches were that gave an impressive view of the ocean. Izuku had the simple Miso Ramen while Ituska went for the Pork Ramen, the two both hummed in delight at the food they had been provided, "Oh wow this is amazing!" Izuku happily said before taking a bite of his food.
Itsuka nodded before swallowing her noodles, "Some days after training I'll stop by here and grab a bite to eat. They don't serve anything that messes up my diet so it's fine." she explained before grabbing the soft drink she ordered and taking a long sip through the straw of the cooling liquid.
Izuku meanwhile looked at her in awe, "Wow, you mentioned you were training to get into U.A. but it sounds a lot more intense then you let on." he said in amazement. "I saw what you were doing with the beach…..is that clean spot all thanks to you?" he asked.
The ginger haired girl nodded, "Yup, the goal is to have that section cleaned up in time for the entrance exam in nine months. But I also have to train outside of this." She said before bowing her head with a sheepish smile, "I also got work on the weekends occasionally but my boss has been super supportive." She added gratefully.
Izuku blinked at all that she had going on in her life, "That's…..a lot."
She snorted, "Yeah, it can be." she admitted as she stuck her chopsticks into the bowl and gathered her noodles around them. "But my friends and family help, they keep me grounded, keep an eye on me when I get too stressed out." she shrugged before taking a bite of her food.
Izuku however was looking at her with astonishment, while he was actively using his powers as Spider-Man, seeing what Kendo was going through to become a hero, the hard work that she was putting in? He couldn't help but feel…..ashamed.
He had gotten his powers, something he never thought he would ever have, but there hadn't been any work put into it. All he had done was let a spider bite him and the next day he could lift a car over his head, and meanwhile Kendo was putting in the work, day after day, to achieve her goal the right way.
"Your….really amazing Kendo." he said in awe.
Eyes widening, the ginger haired girl nearly choked at the compliment, forcing her food down her throat she coughed a little at the unexpected compliment, "W-What?" she coughed.
Eyes widening at what he just said, he quickly added, "I-I-I just meant that it's inspiring! You're working really hard to get into U.A…and….." he stuttered out before looking down bashfully, "I'm…...just studying." he finished lamely.
Kendo gave him a sympathetic smile, "Hey I need to study too, it's not like I'm getting in on physical stuff alone." she said before looking down at her hands. "And not to mention I gotta put some work into my actual quirk at some point down the line." she said.
Izuku's head perked up, "Um…..would it be ok to ask what your quirk is?" he gently asked, "You don't have to! I was just…I'm a big fan of quirks….is all." he finished with his cheeks turning red.
Kendo snorted at the flustered expression the young man had over something so trivial, "You may. And my quirk is….well I call it big fist." she said as he raised her hand, her fingers curling into a fist to emphasize her point. "I can grow my arms to be pretty big, not like Mt Lady size or anything, but big enough I can pick a person up with my hand." she explained with pride.
Turning back to Midoriya she blinked when she saw him scribbling down something into a notebook that he seemingly had appeared in his hands. Huh…..wait is his quirk note related? Like he makes notebooks? She wondered to herself.
"Is your quirk limited to your hands or can it affect any part of your body?" he asked excitedly, looking up to her with a brightness in his eyes that she hadn't seen before and a smile that gave her pause. It wasn't that he was putting up a facade before, but he looked…..more genuine now.
Blinking at the question she beamed at him proudly, "No actually, you're one of the only people to ever ask me that." she commended, lowering her hand back to the table. "I tried but it seems that my arms are the only thing affected. But I think it's for the best, when my hands are full size, it's a big adjustment to my equilibrium." she admitted.
It wasn't something that people considered when they saw her quirk, but if someone's body part was to rapidly inflate with mass, they would need to counterbalance it with their posture and the rest of their body so they didn't fall over. Thankfully after years of use, Kendo had no problem with it now, but when she first awakened her quirk, she had to re-learn her balance so that she wouldn't fall over when she tried to walk.
Izuku cupped his chin in thought, "Hmmm. Maybe that's why it's only your arms? I mean our bodies use our arms to maintain balance after all. So maybe the reason you can only expand your arms is because they're the part you have the most control over."
Kendo opened her mouth slightly and then closed it.
…..did…did he just find out why her quirk works the way it does?
While Itusuka's mind repaired itself from being blown by that little revelation, Izuku realized the shocked look she had on her face and stopped his muttering. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to creep you out!" He apologized as his face morphed into one of shame.
"What? Oh! No, no you didn't!" she raised her hand and shook it, "I'm just….really surprised I didn't think of that before." she admitted with a slightly embarrassed smile. As he calmed down from his fears, Itsuka noticed his more former demeanor return, she felt herself frown as she realized what it was.
He was guarded, almost like he was ready for her to take offense to anything he said, "I was just surprised is all, it's just….well you have a quirk your whole life, you kind of just accept it as it comes to you. You don't really wonder 'why' you know?" she reasoned with a soft smile.
The green haired young man nodded, "Y-Yeah, I can understand that." he replied, though in truth ever since he got his own powers he did nothing but question and prod at them.
Itsuka's lips curled into a smirk, "You know if you didn't land the photography job, I bet people would pay to have their quirks analyzed like that." she joked lightly, glancing down at his notebook.
Izuku smiled back, though it was more polite than genuine, "M-Maybe…..I'm kind of a nut when it comes to quirks." he admitted.
That made the redhead's brow raise, she glanced down at the notebook inquiringly, "Could I see what you wrote down?" she asked.
…..did someone just ask to see my hero notes? Izuku questioned himself as he nodded and slid the notebook forward absentmindedly while he tried to wrap his head about what just happened.
Kendo spun the notebook around as she took a sip of her drink, glancing across the notes, she took a second to appreciate the organization.
Quirk: Big Hands (Mutant type?)
Description: Allows Kendo to expand the size of her hands to be large enough to carry someone, average size of a regular person is about five feet four inches so palms should be around that length.
-Does Increased Size lead to more strength
-Limit on how long her hands can be large?
-Can they act defensively like shields if they are stronger?
Itsuka blinked at that last comment, most of her training had been centered around using her quirk offensively, it did make her strikes hit harder than when they were normal sized so naturally the idea was to use that to her advantage during a fight. However the idea of using them for defense hadn't occurred to her or her mother before!
"Ok wow you are…..really smart." Izuku chirped out a squeak in reply to the complaint that was dealt back to him, "I mean seriously you're really analytical, I bet your friends love asking you for advice on their quirks." she said as she pushed the notebook back across the table.
Which led to Izuku, in a moment of complete absentmindedness, asked, "What friends?"
"..."
"..."
"...you….don't have any friends?" Itsuka asked slowly.
Izuku blinked, replaying the conversation over in his head for a second, and then upon realizing what he had said, silently screamed at himself for such an obvious slip up on his part.
Thankfully, that was when his Spider Sense vibrated back through his head.
His breath hitched at the familiar tingle of danger, and darting over Itsuka's shoulder in the direction it led him to, he looked past the shocked expression she held as three men walked into the pavilion area. Itsuka saw his gaze drawn behind her so she turned her head back, when she saw the three men that Izuku saw, she grimaced, "Shit." she cursed.
He looked back to her in surprise, "You know them?" he asked, wondering why his Spider Sense was going off at some older men that he didn't assume Kendo would know.
The distastefulness on her face said that it wasn't through an amicable relationship, "Sort of, I know OF them." she said in a quiet tone, "They're called the Enforcers, they're a bunch of hired thugs." she informed him before looking back casually. "My dad, well, he used to be a police chief, and those guys get arrested all the time but they always find some way to weasel out of getting thrown in jail."
"What? How?" he asked.
Kendo shook her head, "I don't know, my dad…..well he had theories, thinking that they worked for someone who had the pull to get stuff like that done but he never found anything to prove it." she scoffed. She always hated the fact that some people got away with doing horrible things, and those three were great examples of those people. "What are they doing here though?"
Izuku frowned, watching as one of them, a man in a cowboy hat, looked down at a tablet in his hands. The man glanced around the area, Izuku looked away as his gaze passed over him and Kendo but he felt his sixth sense steadily buzzing in the back of his skull, Ok I'm in danger but why? I've never seen these guys before, as me or Spider-Man. So why am I in danger-
He stopped.
Oh.
Oh no!
The cell phone! He realized.
He still had the phone he took from the thieves in his bag! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course someone smart enough to make it would be smart enough to track it! He cursed himself, his hand balling into a fist on the table. There were a few dozen people scattered around, and since they weren't moving towards them that must mean that they couldn't track him down directly within a few feet. But the longer I stay here and the more people leave, the more they'll narrow it down, and if they notice me leaving and see the phone moving they'll realize I'm Spider-Man! He thought.
"Hey, are you ok?" Kendo asked upon noticing the distressed look he had.
Seeing his eyes darting between her and over her shoulder she realized that she must have worried him with the somewhat blunt way of telling him that there were some actual criminals not thirty feet away. Seeing his clenched hand on the table, she reached for it without thinking about it.
Upon feeling the soft hand over his, all fo Midroiya's attention turned to Itsuka who gave him a reassuring smile, "Hey don't worry, they won't do anything out in public."
The boy's head looked at her, then looked down at her hand atop of his, then back to her. Kendo followed the motion with a delay but her face turned a little red as his went atomic and quickly withdrew her hand from his. A GIRL JUST TOUCHED MY HAND! Izuku internally screamed before a wave of peace washed over him, It was so soft…..and warm…..
He shook those thoughts aside, Focus, she's right, they won't try anything until they find a way to get me alone…..wait. If they're tracking the phone, then I just need to ditch it. He thought. He could leave it here, but that ran the risk of someone else picking it up and taking it with them, and then they would become their target. And he couldn't just throw it as hard as he could into the distance; it'd be way too obvious, but maybe…maybe if he held onto it he could lure them away?
"Y-Yeah. That makes sense." he agreed, finally giving her a smile, but it wasn't all that convincing.
Kendo frowned as she looked over her shoulder, part of her wanted to message All Might and tell him about them but she knew that wouldn't solve anything. They weren't doing anything wrong, they were just out here for some reason, if they were doing something illegal then it'd be a different story. But seeing how comfortable it made Midoriya, as well as the fact it was kind of her fault for pointing it out, made her feel responsible in a way. Especially after noticing how much he was on his toes.
Looking at her empty bowl, she saw he was done with his meal as well, "Hey, how about we bail?" she asked, standing up from her seat and gathering the remains of their food onto the tray it came on.
Midoriya blinked back to her in surprise and quickly nodded, standing up as well and following Itsuka as they made their way out of the pavilion but giving the three men a wide berth. Ok this should work actually. Once I get far enough away, I'll ditch the phone. And I'll double back to see what they do. He planned as they broke the enforcer's line of sight by walking past the building on the pier.
Looking around he was relieved to see other people walking in the same direction they were, meaning they wouldn't be singled out on that tablet. "Sorry about freaking you out earlier." Itsuka frowned. Izuku's head turned to her as she slid her hands in her pockets, "I didn't mean to scare you when I pointed those guys out. I forget that sorta thing can be distressing." she lamented before glancing away bashfully.
Izuku took that opportunity to quickly reach into his bag and lob the phone up into the air, it arched upwards before landing on the roof above them as they passed by. "Oh-uh, it's fine, I just…didn't expect to run into anyone like that today." he replied, feeling guilty that she apparently blamed herself for something that really wasn't her fault.
He blinked as he realized something, "Uh, Kendo, how exactly did you know those guys in the first place?" he inquired.
"Oh!" she turned back to him, "Right, I guess I didn't mention that part. My dad used to be a police chief." she explained. "He retired a few years ago but, well, when your dad's a policeman you tend to follow stuff about crime." she joked lightly. She nodded back the way they came, "My dad was part of the team that tried to arrest them a few years back, but I remember seeing them walk out of the courthouse on TV. My dad was so pissed." she shook her head.
"I can imagine." Midroiya sympathized, but he felt himself smiling nonetheless, "But still, you must be proud of your dad." he said, noticing the admiration in Kendo's voice.
She smiled, "Hell yeah I am." she grinned, "He's the reason I want to be a pro hero." She watched as once again, a genuine smile bloomed across the freckled cheeks of the young man.
And after that comment about having no friends…she thinks she knew why. And she didn't like the conclusion she came to.
"So…..you know how you and your mom invited me in for tea?" She asked somewhat abruptly. Midoriya nodded as she scratched her cheek sheepishly, "Well…..my parents want to return the favor."
"Huh?" He squeaked out.
"Yeah that was pretty much my reaction." She shrugged, but smiled at him regardless. "I was actually going to deliver you guys a note to ask but since you're here….." she trailed off.
Izuku meanwhile had to take a moment to run that through again, the last time he had been invited over to someone else's house was probably back when he and Bakugo were friends…well, friendly. "I-I'll have to ask my mom, but I can't imagine she'll say no."
The ginger haired girl smiled, "Great! Oh, I guess you'll need my number. Hang on." she said, reaching into the back of her pants where her phone was as Izuku fumbled to retrieve his own as well, his hands shaking as he came to slowly accept he would now have a girl's number in his contacts!
This…..this is a good day. He thought, fighting his hardest to keep the tears of joy from escaping his eyes. The two exchanged numbers and with a wave goodbye, they went their separate ways, Itsuka going home after a long day of school and training, and Izuku to the nearest ramp that led underneath the pier where he would have the seclusion to change into his costume.
It had taken the Enforcers the better part of a half hour to scour the area for the phone, Izuku had watched from a distance around the corner of a building near the top floor as not to be seen by either them or anyone passing by. When they did finally find it, after the big guy gave a boost to one of the others, they seemed frustrated by their findings and went back to a parked car which he then followed. The fact that these guys were sent out the same day that I took the phone to begin with is worrying. He thought as he cast a webline out to swing on, he was a good six stories up from the ground where the car was making it's way through the city. But if I follow these guys then I might find out who made them in the first place.
The car had put some distance between the occupants and where they found the phone, and even more concerning was how far away it was from the pawn shop that he had stopped the robbery at where he got it in the first place. He had a hundred questions running through his mind, how long had this been going on? How widespread was this? And was anyone else even aware of it?
Landing on the crest of a rooftop, he watched as the car below stopped at a red light, "And I guess the big question is who's behind all of this? There hasn't been any organized crime ever since All Might cracked down on them along with other pro heroes. And even then when criminals do organize it's nothing huge, but this….this could be pretty big." muttered out loud.
The car pulled away at the green light, and so did Spider-Man.
The car pulled into a parking deck, they exited a moment later and continued their journey on foot with Spider-Man doing the same, leaping across rooftops from above to keep track of them as they entered a small district with narrow alleys and a number of small shops.
They stopped at an electronics store, or more specifically the back entrance, Spider-Man watched as they entered through a reinforced door.
Inside the workshop, the Tinkerer was awaiting them and he wasn't pleased, "Care to tell me what happened?" He asked irritably.
Mao tossed the phone to the man who fumbled to catch it, "What happened is the bug must have made us because we found that he ditched that thing on a roof." He shot back defensively.
The tinker held up the phone, "And you didn't think that maybe that was part of his plan? Because guess what?!" He barked as he pointed to a video screen over at one of his work stations that showed an aerial view of the neighborhood, including a familiar rec and blue vigilante moving throughout it.
And that was when the door was knocked off its hinges and into the room with a crouched Spider-Man atop of it, "Excuse me I think I dropped my phone, have you guys seen it?" he asked as the Tinkerer ran off to hide behind one of his suspended machines while The enforcers approached the vigilante, Ox pushing the other two aside before charging at the would-be hero. Raising his hands over his head, he swung them down towards the teen just in time for him to spring up out of his reach, the man's hands slamming into and caving in the door.
Spicting to the ceiling, Spider-Man shot a webline down at the large man's foot and yanked, pulling him off balance and making him fall face first into the door. Dropping down, his feet landed on Ox's head, slamming it into the door. While he was focused on the large brawler however, Danji had closed the distance and with a running start, leapt towards the vigilante and kicked his foot out into his chest, sending the hero out the door he came.
His back hit the ground with a gunt, "Ugh! Ok, that was smart." he grunted as the martial artist continued out the door and once more leapt up with his fist raised up, Spider-Man rolled over as the fist came down, smashing into the ground and cracking it slightly. Rolling onto his hands and feet, Spider-Man launched himself at the other attacker, grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning over behind the man with his hands still holding him before throwing him over his shoulder and into the wall beside the broken down door as Moe exited.
He raised his hands, and the vigilante's eyes widened as the metallic hands he had pointed at him with the cylinder's ends pointed directly at him. His Spider Sense blared in his head and gave him just enough warning to leap back before he attacked.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Gunshots rang throughout the alleyway as he followed after the vigilante who shot a webline out to the workshop, pulling on it with his other hand he maneuvered himself off to the side. Mao fired after him, Spider-Man swung to a nearby wall and ran along it still holding onto his web before jumping off and using the momentum to swing himself, feet first, into the shooter.
Mao was sent flying back into Danji as the latter finally stood up, smashing both of them into the wall as Spider-Man landed on the ground, "Ok you bring a whole new meaning to the word 'firearm'...eh? Eh? Sorry, I'm coping, I've never been shot at before, I'm kinda jittery." the vigilante rambled, getting a little honest near the end.
The sound of heavy footsteps made him turn his head in time to see Ox's shoulder aimed at him before the collided, the larger man easily carrying the vigilante across the alley and crashing him into the wall where he pinned him with his forearm while cocking his other arm back before slamming his fist into the teen's face repeatedly, each impact cracking across Spider-Man's face and indenting the wall behind him.
Reeling his arm back he threw it forward, only for the red gloved hand to shoot up and catch the fist, "Your….strong…." Spider-Man grunted before lifting his feet up and slamming them into Ox's midsection, knocking him back and into the other two enforcers…..just as they helped each other up. "But I'm stronger than I look." Spider-Man added.
The trio, knocked over in front of the doorway he came through, began to pick themselves up. Looking on either side of them, an idea quickly formed in his mind from an idea he had been wanting to try. "Well no time like the present." he said before reaching both hands out and pressing his innermost fingers to his palms, two lines of web shot out from his wrist to either side of the doorway. Pulling his arms and shoulders back he felt the tension in the silk build up before he detached himself from the wall and shot himself directly at the three in a slingshot.
Mao looked up in time to see the vigilante's feet extended out towards them before slamming into him, Danji behind him, and Ox behind him. The three flew into the room as Spider-Man bounced off them with a flip, the trio of criminals crashing into various machinery, groaning out in defeat before they one by one slumped over, with Ox trying….and failing to sit up. "Huh. Note to self, slingshot idea works." the teen muttered to himself.
A clunking sound to his left made him turn with a fist ready, "D-Don't! Please!" an old man with glasses said as he raised his hands in fear. "I-I'm a prisoner! They locked me up here, made me work for them!" he cried out as he backed away from the costumed man. "I swear I didn't know what they were doing!"
Izuku's lenses widened and he immediately lowered his hands and held them up, "Hey, hey, sorry. I didn't-your not in trouble." he quickly rectified, shame filling him at scaring this innocent man half to death. Upon reflection kicking the door down probably wasn't the best way to handle this, but he didn't expect there to be anyone else here. "Is there anyone else here?" he asked upon realizing his mistake.
The old man adjusted his glasses, "N-No, not that I'm aware of." he said as he lowered his hand while the vigilante turned and looked around the room. The workshop he was in was the size of a large garage with multiple workbenches set up, each of them having some sort of work in progress on them. Spider-Man's head tilted to the side as the old man walked up to him.
"What sort of work did they have you-" his Spider Sense rang down his spine.
Suddenly, a shock of electricity lit up his body from the back as he felt two prongs pierce his costume and flesh. He let out a cry of pain as his muscles seized from the voltage pumping through him, his legs gave out beneath himself, falling forward he had nothing to catch himself on before hitting the ground. His body twitched as the old man put the custom taser back into his knapsack where the Time Dilation Accelerator was also securely tucked away.
He ran out the door of his workshop, pulling out his smartphone and typing in a code. Once he hit enter, a number of things happened at once.
Firstly, the air rang out with the sound of a large explosion from his workshop behind him. It wasn't a large one, one that would easily be dismissed as an electrical fire by any investigator. Secondly, like the other phones he designed, this sent out a signal that blocked all nearby calls to emergency numbers and pro hero hero agencies in the area, and with the closest agency being an hour away didn't matter anyway, but it was better to be safe than sorry. And third, his car that was parked down the street started up, pulled out of its parking spot and made a U turn in the road before driving towards him.
As the tinkerer climbed in his car and drove away, Spider-Man groaned as he picked himself up from the ground, "Uggh…..that…..hurt way more than I thought." he bemoaned at the residual pain. As he took another breath he felt his lunges cough it out, his blurry vision from the shock cleared, and he saw smoke and fire spreading through the workshop.
He thought he heard a loud noise over his ears ringing but he wasn't sure, his head turned to the three Enforcers that he had defeated.
Without a moment to hesitate, he picked himself up from the ground and rushed over to them, they had all crashed near one another thankfully. Looking towards the flames Midoriya grimaced under his mask before looking down, he could grab one of them under each arm but that meant leaving one back here while he got the others somewhere safe and the idea alone made him shake his head.
No. Don't leave anyone behind. Save everyone! He reprimanded himself, looking towards the door before realizing something. ….well I don't exactly need to carry them do I?
Outside the building, the Ox was thrown out the door and into the alley, followed by Moe, and Danji, each of them groaning painfully from hitting the pavement before Spider-Man rushed out of the smoking doorway. Taking a minute to take some breaths of clean air, he leapt up from the ground to the wall of the opposite building, crawling up the side he got a few stories up before he looked back at the now burning building.
He now had more questions than answers.