Chapter 13
Unfinished Business
Pro Heroes typically work alone, large teams are hard to operate typically unless you know the others very well. But even then you don't need six pros to get a cat out of a tree, there's a joke there, but handling a problem alone can really suck. But it's part of the job, sometimes you're dealing with something that you can't wait for backup on, or it's something no one can really help you with. Sir Nighteye was one of those things for me, he wasn't a villain by any means and in retrospect I understand where he was coming from.
But in the moment, I was so uprooted by everything he told me, how small and unimportant he made me feel. How unworthy I felt. It sucked…..and it wasn't the first time.
Growing up in a dojo as a girl, you're not treated like everyone else. Even when I went to my mom's dojo, it was a 2-1 ratio of boys to girls. Most of the girls were there for some self defense lessons, a few wanted to actually learn a martial art, and that was the same for the boys but there were also a couple who wanted the power trip of being able to beat someone up.
There was this one time I got knocked on my ass by this guy, I wasn't pissed about it, it was a clean take down. I didn't get mad until I heard him chuckling, saying how 'Girls aren't good at anything outside the kitchen.'
The next time I got up, he was the one down. And he was not happy about it. It wasn't the first time, and it wasn't the last. Guys have this idea in their heads that girls are delicate, that we can't do anything on our own, that our place should be determined by them. And while I'd love to rant about why that patriarchal entitlement is bullshit, there's probably not enough room in this book to rant about it when I'm not a specialist on it. But in short, guys and girls are equal, got a problem with that? Get over it.
But the point is that's how Sir Nighteye made me feel, like he knocked me off my feet and I was down on the mat. And I didn't want to get back up…..that's the hard part of being alone. You have to be the one to pick yourself up all the time…..but thankfully I wasn't alone.
The worst part about having a terrible day is the morning of the next one. For a brief moment it's forgotten what's happened before but all comes back in a flash and the feeling of defeat returns with renewed vigor. Itsuka awoke to this and simply rolled over in bed, looking at the ritual clock on her bedside next to her phone. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet but it didn't really matter did it?
She had another two hours before she was scheduled to meet with All Might at the beach. Which sucked because she knew that they were going to have to discuss everything Nighteye said to her, and how right he was before deciding to part ways. she felt herself bristle at the thought before rolling over in bed to look up at her ceiling.
Sensing her owner's mood, Felicia cracked an eye open and upon seeing Hoth's sour look on Itsuka's face, rose up, trotted over beside her head, and laid down against it. Kendo smiled at the soft vibrations while her cat purred against her. Reaching a hand up she gave the feline a scratch behind the ears, "Love you too." she said before taking a large breath.
If was bad enough that Nighteye had taken her apart so easily. But…..she couldn't argue against him. It wasn't the fact that he was a pro, but the fact that….deep down…..she thought he was right. That All Might's time was wasted on her and there was someone who most definitely was better qualified.
What does she say to that? What can she say to that? Nothing.
She had come home yesterday after meeting Nighteye before her parents were home. So she decided to let out the piled up anger she had on the punching bag downstairs in the dojo. It had helped tire her out after a few hours, but overall it didn't do much to lift her spirits.
All Might had called her as well, but she couldn't find it in herself to answer. She knew what was coming but….she just didn't want to deal with it all in the same day.
Letting out the frustrated sigh, she gives her cat a little kiss on the cheek before rising up out of bed, swinging her legs over the side, and then draping the covers back over her cat so she was cozy. Walking to her dresser, she pulled out a pear of track pants and a pullover. She tugged the pair of shorts she wore to bed the night before down her legs. Kicking them off her feet, she heard them go into her hamper, and allowed herself to smile at the small victory.
Pulling the pants on, she kept her black tee shirt on and just put her pullover on overtop of it. Tying her hair into its usual ponytail, she left the house and out into the still dark morning, the sunrise barely lighting the sky on the horizon. She began walking, she didn't have a direction in mind, or a destination, but laying in bed just waiting for the inevitable would only frustrate her more. At least this way she could focus on something.
The summer months were turning to fall soon and the nippy morning air proved that. It would be a while before the leaves fell, but there was still months before the entrance exam. Well…..I can still get in. She thought to herself positively. She had always intended to get into U.A., and while her role as All Might'd successor would be over, at least her life as a hero would continue.
I guess…..on the bright side, I don't need to get up so early anymore…..can spend more time with Set, Sero, and Yui… she kicked a stone in her path down the road. Can finally put more hours in at F.E.A.S.T. too. I really need to thank Mr Li for keeping me. She thought.
And Izuku… we were supposed to meet up today and go over his ideas for my costume. She mused to herself as she turned along a railing. Looking up, she stopped and sighed, "Seriously?"
She had apparently followed her daily route back to the municipal beach. The memories of yesterday sprung forth, and as she turned to escape both the memory and location, a movement out the corner of her eye made her stop, moving down towards one of the benches was a familiar mop of green hair.
Kendo blinked.
Then she rubbed her eyes.
Was she dreaming all of this?
Walking around the wasteland of a beach, she came up behind the bench and got close enough to recognize the back of the teen's head. "Midroiya?" the young man jolted and turned to her in his seat on the bench, "I didn't know you-OH my god!" She yelped with a start when she saw his face. The young man's face had been beaten, he had cuts and bruises on his face, fresh ones by the looks of it. But more than that was the tired look his face had before being replaced by surprise at her appearance, having literally just crawled out of bed, though out of the both of them his state was easily the more concerning.
"K-Kendo! Oh-er….hi?" he replied.
She quickly walked around the bench and sat down beside him with concern, "What happened?! Your face…" she trailed off as Izuku looked away. She felt her anger rise as a possibility came to mind, "Did those assholes at your school do this?" she growled out in a dangerous tone. His head snapped back to her, and upon seeing the deadly sneer her face had he decided to spare the mostly innocent classmates he had and shook his head.
"N-N-No! I got….mugged last night." he admitted to her, the redhead's dark expression only softening somewhat when she heard the tone of defeat in his voice.
"Izuku you look like you got more than mugged." she replied, her eyes looking at the cut over his eye and then his split lip. She felt herself wince slightly, knowing first hand how much one of those stung.
He looked down between his legs, "I tried to fight back…..and it didn't go so well." he said, thinking back to how the Kingpin had beaten the tar out of him last night.
Kendo frowned at him, on the one hand she felt a slight bit of pride that he at least didn't roll over and fought back. But seeing him this hurt filled her with concern, "What did the police do?" she asked. His lips frowned and he didn't respond, "...Midroiya….you DID call the police right?" she asked with a slightly scolding tone.
He shook his head dismissively, "I didn't get a good look at them, and…..what's the point?" he asked.
Kendo blinked, out of all the reasons or justifications she expected she didn't imagine his response being something so…..defeatist. "What's the-Midoriya you can't think like that. I mean you can't just let him get away with it! You gotta stand up for yourself."
"I did and I got my ass handed to me." he coldly replied, taking Kendo aback by the tone. He held his hands over his face and through his messy hair, regret filling him for the snappy response he had given, "I'm sorry I just….I feel…" he trailed off as he looked down at the ground. "When I was kid….I had a friend." he began, laying his arms over his knees, "We were both big All Might fans, and we got along pretty well…but then his quirk came in and…..this distance began to grow between us." he explained.
Kendo's lips pressed together as he told the story, not liking where it was going from the way his eyes looked down at his shoes, "He has this amazing quirk, and everyone told him that he was fit to become a pro hero. And because of it….he saw me, someone who didn't have a quirk as…..useless." he said. Kendo's hand clenched into a fist but she didn't open her mouth, "One day, we were at the playground, and he's making fun of me. And then he sees my sand bucket with my name on it. If you read it differently….it means Deku….or Useless. So he's called me that ever since."
"M….Midoriya…."
He leaned back in his seat as he felt the words keep coming out, the bitter sting of defeat making his inner walls lower and let it all come out. "And I thought for the longest time that was all that I was….I couldn't be a hero, and that was all I wanted to be." he sighed. He thought back to when he finally stood up and told Bakugo he had enough, how free he felt. But it was now stained by his recent defeat, "But when I decided to try and do something different I thought that maybe I can finally….put it behind me. But last night I just…I was knocked down, with some new bully looking down on me. And there was nothing I could do to stop him." he closed his eyes tightly, "So I guess I'm still just Deku." he hissed out.
"Don't." Kendo's voice coldly said. He turned to her and felt himself freeze when he saw her, Kendo's face was hard but she had tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. Truth be told she was still raw from the events of yesterday but hearing Izuku's past? How someone who had never done anything wrong, never raised a voice to defend himself had been needlessly humiliated from a young age? For something so….so fucking stupid as that?! She couldn't help but the rush of anger and anguish, "Don't. EVER. Say that."
Izuku blinked as she raised a hand up and wiped some of her tears away, "That is-god I was pissed about it before but now I'm just-!" she shook her head furiously. "You're a good person, you didn't do anything wrong you just…are! And it's not right that you get tormented, you get called useless, it's bullshit!" She growled out.
The green haired boy blinked, glad that her anger wasn't directed at him. But still not sure what to say at the visceral reaction, her eyes focused on him, "Midoriya…you are not useless. And fuck anyone who says otherwise." She said defiantly. She reached up and wiped her tears away, it did little to hide how upset she was. "They are wrong, you hear me? I don't care what their quirk is, who they are, they are dead wrong. Don't ever think for a second that they're right, people like that? They're nothing but insecure fucking assholes who want to make themselves feel better by hurting someone else.
Izuku was, for lack of a better word, surprised, both at how upset his friend was on his behalf, and how much of an apparent pottymouth she was when she got upset. "I…it really means a lot that you care Kendo….thanks."
She finished cleaning her face up and gave him a pointed look, "Oi, none of that. Don't act like it's hard for someone to care about you." She said to him, causing him to gulp and nod. Her expression softened somewhat, but she was still visibly upset by what she had just learned, "Of course I care dummy, you're my friend, how would you feel if someone….." the words died in her throat, someone had done just that to her the other day. "I look out for my friends, if they mess with them? Then they mess with me, and you've been…..god messed with isn't even the right term." she shook her head.
The young man smiled at how concerned she was for him, while he hadn't meant to say all of that, it had felt…good to say all of it. "I…..Kendo I didn't mean to-"
She waved a hand as she gave him a weak smile, "It's fine…no one deserves to be treated like that." she said firmly before pointing at him, "Got it?" she asked.
He smiled, "Yes Ma'am." he agreed.
She finally smiled, a more genuine one, "Good." she said, raising a hand to wipe her eyes.
She honestly didn't expect to get so emotional, but when she thought of Midoriya being picked on. No, bullied for years on end for not having a quirk? How lonely that must have been? She couldn't deny the thought of him being so…..alone? This nice person who just wanted to be a hero, and help other people because it was right being punished for it? It broke her heart more than seeing him beaten up.
She couldn't help but feel protective of him, not out of pity for his lack of quirk but more because….it wasn't so much that he was a nice guy, but how earnestly good he was.
"Um….." she blinked out of her inner thoughts as Izuku hummed, "Not to change the subject, but what are you doing here this time Kendo? I thought your training was later?" he inquired.
She winced slightly before looking out to the piles of garbage that covered the shore of the beach in front of them. Well as long as we're sharing. She thought. "I….found out I might not be training with Mr. Yagi anymore." she breathed out, the lie rolling off her tongue easily.
"What?" he asked, shaking his head, "But, why?"
She leaned back against the hard plastic bench, "Turns out that…well, there's a lot more people who could use the training I've been getting. It's kind of wasted on me." she admitted, trying and failing to hide her disappointment.
It wasn't a flat out lie, in fact it was pretty close to what the truth was. But it didn't make saying it any better.
Izuku was silent for a moment, allowing himself to process what she had just said, "But…..that's not true." the redhead turned to him as he looked back to her, "Kendo this training hasn't been wasted on you I mean, look at everything you've already done!" he waved his hands out in a wide arc towards the beach to emphasize his point. She tried to dismiss it with a shake of her head, but he continued to hold his arms out until she looked.
The progress in her training over the last few months was evident, where at first the trash had completely covered the beach in it's entirety, now there laid a clean slab that was slowly but surely stretching out to meet the ocean itself. She couldn't help the swell of pride in her chest at the sight, "It's amazing, you've done this all by yourself without once using your quirk. This is all you Kendo." he told her, dropping his hands to his side tiredly.
She kept looking out to the progress she made, she had avoided looking at it out of fear that it would cause the disparity of yesterday to return. But instead, the proof of her hard work overcame that, "...yeah, your right." she said in a whisper.
Midoriya leaned back in his seat, "I came here because…..I felt like I was fighting an unwinnable battle…..but when I see this? I see the difference a single person can make. You did this Kendo…..don't let anyone else tell you differently." he said, turning his head to face her, "And…..um…..well I won't burn down a building for you. But…..your my friend too….so….I'll look you for you too." he said with a nervous blush adorning his cheeks as he mirrored her words back.
She looked at him, how despite the blush he had on his face and the wobbly smile that he gave her despite the cuts and bruises, his eyes looked into her's with a promise behind them.
She felt her heart skip.
Swallowing the sudden lump she discovered in her throat, all she could do was nod in acknowledgement of his word. The two sat in silence as Kendo internally recovered from the unexpected emotional attack, He is…..this boy is too sweet. She thought to herself before shaking her head. Here I am down about what some asshole says to get me to quit while he gets mugged and is-
Her brain halted, replayed that bit of their conversation in her mind….and then slowly turned to him.
"…Midoriya. You said you got mugged last night right?" He looked over at her curiously but nodded nonetheless, "…..and you went home after right?" she asked.
He was silent. But it spoke volumes.
"Midoriya." she repeated sternly.
The boy's head hunched forward, not meeting her eyes, "I didn't…..want my mom to see this so I left her a message that I was gonna be home late and leave early for work the next morning."
Kendo stared at him, and then without a word, raised her hand aloft with her fingers pointed out, and brought it chopping down on his head. "GURK!"
"You haven't slept since yesterday?!"
"I-er….no. No I haven't." He admitted.
She gave him a sharp look, "So you've been up for over twenty four hours….."
"...yes." he found that at this point lying wouldn't help.
She looked over him, the wounds on his face, the tiredness of his eyes and how emotionally drained he looked from unloading earlier. "You need to lay down." she left no room for arguments.
"I….ok. Yeah…on what?" he asked.
Kendo was about to suggest his bed, which would seem obvious, but truth be told he looked like he was already pretty exhausted, and if he went home like this his mother would definitely hear him come in. And while she didn't like it, she completely understood why he wanted to keep her in the dark about this. And while the bench wasn't uncomfortable she didn't think him laying down on it would be good for him, or his neck without something to…
Maybe it was the fact she had just had a bit of an emotional episode with Midoriya, or maybe it was that he found a way to help inspire her after a low point, or maybe it was that she was at a point where she just didn't care. She scooted herself over slightly so there was enough room, then patted her lap, "Here."
Izuku looked down at her lap, then up at her, then back down again, "…what?"
"Just…..lay down and nap here for a while. I don't start training for another two hours anyway." she shrugged, trying not to make it a big deal. Though the way Izuku's face had turned beat red and he was making some sort of noise that didn't entirely sound human. "Midoriya I'm wearing pants, it's not a big deal."
He shook his head, "I-I-Its fine! I c-c-can get home! I'll just sleep there! Where I'm meant to!" he stuttered. Kendo gave him an completely unimpressed look which showed how little she believed he would even make it home. So she raised her hand, grabbed him but the shoulder, and yanked him sideways, "EEP!" he yelped before he felt the side of his head lay against the fabric of her sweatpants.
Kendo snorted from the sound he made, "Midoriya, relax. I know your not gonna be weird about this, plus your really tired and….need…..to…." she trailed off. "...Midroiya?" she asked before leaning down for a closer look.
The boy was already asleep.
Kendo let out a slight guffaw, apparently he had been MUCH more exhausted then she had seen he was…either that or the act of a lap pillow had caused him to pass out. She could see that as a possibility as well…and now she had a young man….sleeping in her lap….at the crack of dawn….on the beach. I really didn't think this is how my day would start. She mused to herself, watching as Midroiya snoozed away. He was laying down on the cuts and bruises he had sustained, so she had a view of the undamaged side of his face.
His wild hair looked soft to the touch, and Kendo was very tempted to touch it to see how soft it actually was but nipped the idea, not wanting to disturb him from his slumber. It had been a while since…..
She felt an old sour feeling creep up in her chest and she immediately quashed the thought before it could form. No. It's in the past, move on girl…..besides, Midroiya isn't like that. She thought to herself, her eyes trailing over to his face where she focused on his freckles. She didn't know many people who had those…..in fact she didn't think she knew anyone outside of Midroiya who did. Inko didn't have them, maybe his father did?
She leaned back on the bench, her idle thoughts carrying her off as the rising sun peeked over the horizon, the warm sun creeping over the pair as Itsuka herself, with the comforting presence of Izuku and his head resting in her lap, also drifted off into the space between dreams and reality.
It was two hours later when Kendo's eyes opened, she blinked as the bright sun now higher in the sky shined down on her. Rubbing the sand out of her eyes she tilted her neck to the side until it let out a satisfying crack. She hadn't drifted off completely into sleep but resting her eyes had been what she needed, glancing down at Izuku in her lap, his position barely changed from when she drifted off. Alright, hate to do this to you Midoriya but you gotta get-
"YOUNG KENDO!"
Three things happened the second All Might's booming voice rushed towards the couple.
First, Itsuka shot up out of her seat with a yelp of surprise at her mentor's mighty voice.
Secondly, Izuku rolled off her lap and fell off the bench, and smacked face first into the concrete.
And third, Kendo's hand slapped across her mouth as she let out a gasp, acting as though she had accidently pushed her friend out of a tree. "Oh shit! Midoriya!"
The secret vigilante groaned, "Uuuhhhhhhggggg. Wha-? Why All Might push me?" he sleepily asked. Kendo, with a look of horror, turned to her mentor who thankfully saw that she wasn't alone and with a puff of steam, reverted back to his small form as Izuku lifted himself up off the ground, "What happened?" he asked.
Kendo let out a breath of relief before replying, "You uhh….rolled over and fell."
Rubbing the sore side of his face, he stood up and brushed the dirt and sand off himself before noticing they weren't alone. "O-Oh! Hello!" he greeted politely, "You must be Itsuka's coach. She's told me a lot about you sir."
All Might spared him a nod, but his focus was on Itsuka, she was more reserved, her arms folded across her chest with a wary look on her face. His lips thinned into something akin to a frown, but it wasn't directed at her. An awkward beat passed between the three, with Izuku looking between the mentor and student before clearing his throat, "Well….er…..I probably need to get going….Kendo?' She looked up at him, "Thanks for listening…..I really needed that." he smiled at her.
Seeing the familiar hopeful spark in his eyes return made her visibly relax, she nodded and he walked off towards home. Leaving her and All Might, the teacher and student waited until their guest was far enough away before speaking.
"All Might I-"
"Young Kendo if I-"
The two stopped, he shook his head, allowing her to speak first. Her hands slid to her hips, "Ok. So…yesterday was…..something else." she breathed out.
All Might sighed, "Young Kendo I am so sorry that happened, Nighteye has no right to confront you the way that he did." he said in a attempt to comfort his student. However the way her face tense up showed that didn't really do much of a good job, "I spoke with him and said that unless he's ready to accept my decision."
She took in a breath thorough her nose, well at least there wouldn't be another unwelcome confrontation. But that was hardly the problem, it didn't take back what he said. "Good….listen, All Might…was he telling the truth?" she asked. "Were you going to U.A. to find a successor before you met me?"
The blonde, skeletal man's lips pursed together, it was all the answer she needed. She turned away, "Young Kendo, please listen to me." he began. She spared him a glance, "While it's true that I intended to go to U.A. in search of someone who would be worthy of my power, I choose you. Nighteye…he has someone in mind who he thinks would be for the best. And when I told him that I made my decision, he didn't take the news very well." he lamented.
She scoffed, "Yeah, no shit." All Might could only nod in understanding at her frustration, she ran a hand over her face and into her hair, "Listen All Might I'm pissed that he said what he did." she turned to face him, her eyes staring into his hollowed out sockets, "But I'm also pissed that I only just found out through him." she told him. The symbol of peace's shoulders sagged slightly, but he didn't respond, "I didn't even know that anyone else knew about One for All. Hell I didn't even know that you had a sidekick, or that you had a plan before you met me." she listed off with a raised finger for each instance. Her eyes hardened, "So why didn't you tell me?"
All Might shifted in place, looking down at the ground for a brief moment before meeting her eyes, "To be honest, I didn't think that you knowing would do you any good." he explained.
"Bull. Shit." All Might blinked at the tone Kendo replied with, she was clearly unhappy with his answer, "All Might it doesn't matter if you think that knowing would be good or bad for me, the fact is I didn't know any of this." she replied sternly before crossing her arms over her chest. "You said it yourself, you chose me to be your pupil. You trusted me with One For All, the biggest secret in maybe the whole world, but you didn't tell me that not only your former sidekick knows about it, but that he had someone else in mind? Don't you think I have a right to know that?" she asked.
All Might bowed his head, and Itsuka felt that she had gotten her point across. Letting out a sigh, she relaxed by voicing her frustrations, "All Might, if I'm going to be your successor, then I need to know this." she told him with all the strength she could harness. She then pointed directly at him, "And you don't get to decide what is best for me to know and not to know, I NEED to know this if I'm inheriting One for All. Either I'm your successor, or I'm not."
She was talking to the Symbol of Peace, the number 1 hero in Japan, like he went behind her back and gossiped about her at school. Or at least that was the closest thing she could compare it to, either way she had to say these things. Not because of how it made her feel, not because it was reasonably fair, but also…it was about her pride. Shameful as it was to admit she felt like her personal pride had been attacked by not being informed about…anything.
Maybe it was childish, he was her teacher and she was supposed to respect and trust him, and he had given her no reason to doubt that he would. But still it had been his decision and it had affected her directly, because he didn't think it was important.
That was bullshit.
It was her life, her agency. He didn't determine that, she did.
"Young Kendo…you are absolutely right."
…ok not going to lie she didn't really expect that response from him. Which is why she let out maybe the most natural response, "Huh?" she quickly shook her head, "I mean…..yes. I know I am." she said, trying to recover but the small smile All Might had said that there was no need.
"I am sorry that I kept you in the dark about Nighteye and his opinion of One for All. And your right, you are my successor and should be treated as such. So from here on out, full transparency." he agreed, making the redheaded girl smile at the respect shown to her. "Aside from Nighteye, four other people know about one for all." He raised a hand to count them off on, "There's the Principal of U.A., one of the most well respected heroes in the community as well as someone whose intelligence is matched by the likes of Mr. Fantastic in America." He held up another finger, "My former mentor, Gran Torino. He was close friends with my master and taught her. When she…passed…..he took over as my teacher." he said. Kendo saw the way her mentor's face shifted at the mention of his own, but decided not to say anything now.
"Then there's Recovery Girl, the Nurse at U.A. who's been treating my condition, she's also an old friend and a medical expert." he continued, Itsuka being relieved that the person who was treating him knew what was going on. "And finally there's a close friend of mine, Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. We've been friends for a long time." he said fondly.
Kendo blinked, "...wait….Tsukauchi?" she asked, "Young guy? Clean shaven, wears a trench coat and fedora like an old school detective?" she asked.
All Might could only stare at her in disbelief as she described perfectly what his old friend wore regularly, "Y….yes? Wait, kendo how do you know him?" he asked.
"My dad used to be chief of police All Might, I spent plenty of time going to the NPA headquarters." she replied with a smirk. "Also he and some other guys come by my dad's place once in a while to play poker." she shrugged.
"Tsukaschi plays poker?!" All Might looked like he had been struck across the face, a deep betrayal such as this would do that to anyone. His shoulders slumped as his head dropped in sadness, "He….he told me he didn't know how to play when I asked him to teach me."
Kendo bit her lip to both suppress her smile, and to not mention that he had been coming by for years now. Letting the pro have a minute to recover from the revelation, he lifted his head and gave her a weak smile, "And that's everyone who knows, to be honest I might have forgotten to count Nighteye among them we had a disagreement a while ago and…..well…..it's just been awkward." he sheepishly admitted.
She scoffed, "Yeah I can understand that."
The inheritor felt herself relaxed, she had assumed that Nighteye was right about everything he said to her, mostly because objectively he might be right. But regardless, All Might did choose her, and like Midoriya said she was the one who had been putting the work in every day to work towards her goal, "So then….training today. I gotta make up for yesterday. So how about we get started?" she asked with an excited grin.
All Might smiled, buffing up into his mighty form in a puff of smoke, "Indeed Young Kendo! Let's get back to work!"
As Kendo made her way down to the beach, her mind drifted back to Midoriya, how he had encouraged her to continue despite having a really shitty day himself….she felt a warmth in her chest that was hardly noticeable….but it did help light the fire within her.
Having gotten home and having a proper sleep, along with a meal because he hadn't eaten anything since last night. Izuku spent the rest of the day brainstorming over his current task. The Kingpin. He knew virtually nothing about him outside of what he looked like, but even then there wasn't much to go on, regardless he compiled everything he had thought of in his notes to help him better visualize what he was up against.
The Kingpin of Crime
-Bald Middle aged male
-Penthouse looked like someone of great wealth lived there.
-His base of operations? Or a front?
-Educated
-Knowledge of Japanese law and Hero regulations
-Quirk?
-Strength based?
-Speed Based?
-Intelect?
-Not Japanese? Referred to Japan as 'your country'.
-If so speaks japanese fluently
His pencil tapped against the notebook on his desk, his eyes going voer what very little information he had. It wasn't for lack of trying, he replayed the events of last night in his head a dozen times and poured over everything he witnessed. It wasn't so much that he was missing anything, but that the Kingpin was meticulous with the lengths he had gone to in order to hide his identity. And all without wearing a mask or disguising himself.
There was also that camera in the room. So we were both being watched…..but I checked the news and he didn't publish it to the press….probably because it would give me his name. He thought as he cupped his chin. But then again does it really matter if I know who he is? If I keep going through his criminal empire I'll eventually get to him and the Tinkerer…..but the only way I met him is because he wanted me to. I walked right into the trap. He thought, pushing out of his desk and standing up before walking across his room.
While he wasn't sore or anything from sitting down, getting up and moving around sometimes helped him work through stuff like this. As much as he hated to admit it Kingpin was right about one thing, there was no evidence that connected him to any of the crimes committed. The phones were one thing but the fact that the police weren't aware of them told him that there was something going on.
But that was only one branch, what else could the Kingpin be connected to?
The green haired teen blinked in the center of his ceiling, "Waitaminute! Duh!" He said, bopping the side of his head. Looking up to his bedside, he shot a web to his phone and pulled it up to his hand. Sailing the number on his phone, he listened to it ring for a moment before the person on the other side picked up. "Hodo? Hwy, sorry to call out of the blue but are you busy right now?"
'Hey kid, not really I'm just double checking something for an upcoming political figure coming next month. What's up?' The reporter asked.
Izuku had to be careful how he approached this, "Well, did you get those photos I sent you the other day?" he asked.
'The Spidey ones? Yeah, I meant to say nice job getting in close for those action shots.' She complimented. Izuku felt a little swell of pride at the praise, but really he just had his camera zoomed in from a distance.
"Well something was kind of weird. I heard Spider-Man say something about something or someone called, the Kingpin. Have you heard about anything like that?" He asked curiously. It wasn't exactly a lie, if he had been there like Hodo thought he was then he would have heard…..himself…..ask that-yeah the less he tried to justify it the better.
Hodo laughed, 'Oh don't tell me that old rumor is back.' Izuku blinked but didn't interrupt, 'Ok so every couple years there's this rumor that goes around about some criminal enterprise that's being run by someone who calls himself The Kingpin of Crime.' She said with a dramatic flair.
"Really?" Izuku asked dryly, "Have you ever…..looked into it?" He asked.
He heard her sigh on the other end, 'I did once a few years ago. There was this string of fires happening in a neighborhood. Tenants said that their landlords were jacking up prices for insurance and they set the fires to get the payout while shorting the people who lived there.'
Izuku frowned, that was a horrible exploitation… sounded like something along what the Kingpin might do. "What happened?" He asked, dropping from the ceiling and into his chair to quickly write the notes down on the new information.
'A pro hero investigated and found no evidence of foul play.' She explained.
While Izuku wanted to dismiss it for that fact, the truth was with how extensive Kingpin's network was? He hated to entertain the thought alone but…..what if there were pros in his pocket? "Which pro investigated?"
'Mysterio.'
The knock at his door made him jump in his seat. "Izuku, I'm about to throw a load in the laundry, can you take your stuff out?" His mother asked.
Right, he had thrown his clothes he wore yesterday and all night in the laundry when he got home….including the spider suit! "Thanks Hodo I gotta go bye!" He quickly hung up and threw open the door to his room, starling his mom, "Right! Yea! Sorry I'll do that now!" He said before sprinting down the hall.
Inko looked after her son and shook her head, at least he wasn't as messy as his father was.
Closing the door to the laundry room behind him, he opened up the dryer and sighed when he saw the eyes of his mask staring back at him. Reed told him that the suit didn't need to be washed regularly like clothing but it just felt weird to wear something for days at a time without washing it.
He dropped it into the bottom of his hamper, he tossed the clothes Kendo found him in on top of it to keep it hidden.
Kendo….
His face burned as his hand covered his mouth, I can't believe I fell asleep on her lap…..god it was so nice…..He slapped himself in the face. Get a hold of yourself Midoriya! It's no big deal…no big deal that your friend…..who is a girl….who let my lay down in her lap…..her soft….soft lap. Hw buried his head into his clean clothes, Mysterio! Think of Mysterio! What do you know about him!? He's a pro hero, started six years ago and…that's everything.
That caused his head to rise up, that was everything he knew about the pro, and considering Izuku knew almost everything public about pro heroes he could find that said something. In fact he wasn't even sure if Mysterio had an agency, it wasn't unheard of, some pros like Miruko traveled across great distances and worked on the go. But she at least gave interviews from time to time, no one knew anything about Mysterio.
The general assumption is that's his appeal, he's a hero that could be anyone. No one has ever even seen his face. Izuku thought as he carried his clothes basket out of the laundry room. Some people thought the orb he had on his head wasn't a helmet but his head itself, it wouldn't be so out there as some people's quirks caused them to have alternate body parts. The pro hero Wash for example had a body like a washing machine to match his quirk, but they were very open about it and the challenges that brought.
Entering his room, Izuku approached his desk and opened his laptop, running a quick search on Mysterio, he found that there was no listed address for his hero agency. But no website associated with him in any official capacity. The closest thing were the public arrest records that were published by the Hero Public Safety Commission, all heroes logged their work meticulously or had someone at their agency do it on their behalf, every Pro hero needed to do this who had an agency, all the way down to their sidekicks and interns.
And six years ago he had his first recorded crime stopped, an accident on a bridge was prevented by him showing up. Izuku remembered it, a helicopter was going out of control and Mysterio brought it down for a safe landing with his quirk.
But…..that was it. No prior work as a sidekick, no internships through a hero school, nothing…
Technically speaking you didn't NEED to attend a hero school like U.A. to become a pro, there were options of course but having a background in education at a hero school was the best option as it fast tracked someone through the training needed to become a pro and not a sidekick. Typically it took years for someone to become a pro without an education from a hero school, there were exemptions to this obviously…but with this apparent connection to Kingpin…..
"Is Mysterio even a pro hero?" Izuku wondered aloud.
It was a few days later when Spider-Man was seen swinging through the city again, the vigilante swung off a webline as he watched the streets below for the car he had momentarily lost track of after seeing someone pull out of a parking space while it's owner yelled for help. This wasn't a getaway car like some he had stopped before, this actually belonged to someone and was being stolen, so he had to be a little more gentle than usual.
Swinging down low he launched himself off his web at a lower angle so he glided over the street and latched onto the back of the car before crawling on top of it as the driver looked out the side mirror, "What was that?" she asked before turning her head back to the road, only for a masked man to drop his head down in front of her with what looked like a bag of webbing slung over his shoulders.
"Pull over I think you ran over something! Oh, wait, sorry that was me." he cheekily greeted as the driver yelped and swerved to the left, away from the dividing line out of habit. "Now look I can probably get this thing to stop but I don't want to accidentally damage it somehow so how about you pull over and I'll web you to a fire hydrant instead of a wall. Much more comfortable." he offered. The girl behind the wheel sneered and jerked the wheel to the right, then the left, then HARD to the right to try and shake the vigilante off her prize.
It didn't work.
"Man if this is how you drive maybe you shouldn't be stealing cars to begin with." Spider-Man joked before his sixth sense blared in his head. Turning back he saw that ahead of them a garbage truck was backing out of a narrow alley with no way for the driver to see them coming and stop in time. "Crap!' he exclaimed before pulling himself back over to the rear of the car, latching his hand to the underside but being careful to stick to the frame of the car and nothing that was moving, he swung his body upright and planted his feet against the ground while shooting a webline back. "Careful! Careful! Careful! Careful!" he said to himself as he made sure the webbing was stretchy enough to not cause the car to suddenly stop. He saw that the girl inside wasn't wearing a seatbelt and didn't want her to go flying out the window.
The car's tires squealed and the ground under Spider-Man's feet shoved against the force of him standing against it, but the car slowed down from a brisk fifty miles an hour, to a leisurely five before stopping as the driver threw the car door open to make a break for it on foot, only for her hand to be webbed to the doorframe. "Nuh uh! Sorry, I could have given you the fire hydrant treatment but instead, you get stuck to the car door."
"Hey! Come on this isn't fair! You can't arrest me! You're not even a superhero!" she yelled at him.
"Ouch. But you're right, I can't. However, that will keep you here long enough for the cops to get here. And then THEY will arrest you." he corrected as he walked over to the car's open door, shut off the ignition and put it in park before leaping backwards into the air, off a lamp post and over the side of a building. Reaching the rooftop, he looked around and saw the perfect place to hide out, And now I wait…
The past few days for Izuku had been spent doing what he did best, study heroes. However, unlike the broad interest he had across the board he had narrowed all of focus onto a single pro hero, Mysterio. He had learned that Mysterio, while only active for less than a decade, had been making a name for themself as a pro hero. There were even some rumors that they would make it into the top ten next year, mostly due to his popularity that stemmed from his mysterious nature.
There were entire forums online dedicated to uncovering his identity, even more then the ones that were trying to find out what All Might's quirk was. But like everything about him, it was a closely kept secret.
Which wasn't a surprise, each and every pro hero put a line between their personal life and their heroic career. Somewhere more open than others, such as Mt. Lady who wasn't afraid to talk about herself. Others kept their private lives secret from the public, wearing a costume that obscured what the person looked like was a surefire way to do that.
But the fact that Mysterio didn't have a single instance of work before his debut? It was odd, and after looking at a few of his biggest busts? Like a small-time robbery ring that had been collecting stolen goods and selling them overseas? Or a smuggling operation that was taking place off the coast of Japan? Most of his busts had either been crimes of opportunity he stopped on patrol, or a major bust that took down multiple suspects.
Almost like he had been tipped off.
Izuku didn't like it, suspecting a pro hero of being dirty was something that…..well it just didn't happen. He was raised to put his trust in pros, he loved heroes and if this was true then….
He shook his head, he couldn't be dragged down that rabbit hole. He needed to know if Mysterio was somehow involved with Kinglin and his schemes. If he was getting tipped off by him without knowing? That was one thing, but if this was something he was aware of then he needed to put a stop to him.
But he needed proof regardless, and that would be at his headquarters. Which wasn't listed….so the best way to find it was-
A sudden whoosh of purple smoke gathered in the sky, and like magic formed the shape of a person with a foggy globe as a head. Mysterio arrived, floating down from the air, Spider-Man peeked out from his hiding place, he had found a pattern to Mysterio's patrols, which honestly he couldn't take full credit for since there were people whose entire hobby was to do so. And he wasn't the only one, as a number of people in the area rushed over to greet him as he inspected the scene.
"It's him!" an excited fangirl squealed as a mother held her hand with an excited smile of her own.
A young man pumped his fists to himself, "I knew it! The post was right about him being around here today!"
An older guy pulled out his phone and started recording himself, "Hey guys, it's ya boy, Misyer E Sterious here."
….Izuku couldn't lie, that last one made him die on the inside a little.
Mysterio waved his hands out, causing a ring of smoke about waist height appear around the car, "Citizens I appreciate your admiration, but this is an active scene, allow me to do my work." they called out magnanimously before turning back to the car and the driver with their purple cape spinning around behind them. The driver tried again to get away, only for the webbing to hold them against the car door, "Hmm, seems like your not going anywhere. Nevertheless." the hero waved their hand and the smoke coiled around the thief's feet before fading away to reveal a pair of cuffs.
"Wha-why! Why would-I'm already trapped man!" she exclaimed, now unable to move her legs freely. Mysterio ignored her and summoned a trio of green orbs in midair that floated around the scene, lights emitting from them and scanning the environment.
"Can't be too safe. Now then, this car isn't registered to you, it's hotwired and according to a police broadband, this was just reported stolen." One of the orbs stopped above the web trapping her to the car. "...but they didn't mention a vigilante being involved." Mysterio hummed with interest.
As the sound of the police sirens grew closer, the crowd of fans parted to allow officers to move in. With them was an old man who was happy to see that his car was recovered unscathed. "Oh thank you, thank you so much mister Mysterio!" He said, bowing his head in gratitude to the pro hero.
The pro waved a hand, "It's nothing, now please, let the police process the vehicle. Once they have what they need it'll be returned to you." Mysterio informed him helpfully as one of the cops came over to get his statement.
Spider-Man watched from his hiding spot as the scene unfolded below. He didn't expect Mysterio to act any differently than any pro would, if he did then the tabloids would be all over it. But what he hadn't expected was the reaction from the public at his arrival, suddenly throwing a large cloud of doubt over his assumptions.
Maybe he was dead wrong and the story Hodo told him about was just as she said? Maybe this had nothing to do with the Kingpin and he was just stalking some actually good pro hero who played up the mystery motif.
It wouldn't be the first time a pro dedicated themselves to a theme, look at Midnight.
But regardless, Izuku couldn't shake the feeling of doubt. There was nothing known about Mysterio, no one knew if they were a man or woman, they never talked about themselves, it was just…..it was like him. He was hiding a secret from everyone, and it seemed like Mysterio was as well.
And so he waited, patiently watching until the scene was considered contained and the thief taken to a cruiser. Mysterio lifted up into the air and with a final wave to the crowd, disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. And to everyone below, that's what they saw, but from Izuku's perch he noticed something when the pro arrived.
There was a slight shimmering in the air, it was quick but without the overhead and the ground below making it more noticeable, he could follow it. watching as it went to a lower rooftop, Mysterio re-appeared with a shimmer of light around them and continued off, the cap flapping wildly as though….
"That's how he does it, he's using some support gear to fly in, turn invisible for a second, and then appear." He said to himself, shooting a web line out and swinging after the globe headed pro.
Itsuka was happy with herself, for one thing Nighteye had smartly decided not to reappear and try and dissuade her any further. Her cleanup of the beach was proceeding at a good pace with her training now including things like a few laps in the ocean to exercise her entire body as well as work on her endurance, and the results were beginning to show. She was easily in the best shape of her life. She wasn't bodybuilder sized now or anything, but she could feel the weights she's been dealing with getting easier and easier.
And it wasn't only in training either, she finally found a toolset for her bike that she had been looking for at an affordable price, she actually aced her math test, she even found a coffee mug that she liked for next to nothing. Overall her week was going great, to the point she wanted to spread the love so to speak.
"Aren't you already training? Why do you want to double up with us?" Setsuna asked her as they sat down at one of their regular restaurants. A noodle place a few blocks from school, it was a bit of a detour but the food was so worth it.
Sitting at the bar, Itsuka, Yui, and Setsuna lined up at the counter while the owner, an older man with a mustache, went to work on preparing their orders.
"Yeah but you also have the recommendation exam next month right? I want to make sure you're as prepared as you can be." she shrugged with a smile. Setsuna gave her a shark-like grin, which was pretty much how she normally did with how her teeth were. "Besides I'm really wanting to train with my quirk more now that my body has improved." she said, raising an arm and flexing it, her short sleeve shirt sleeve expanding around her bicep.
Yui hummed, "That makes sense, but will you be ok? You're on some strict program right?" she asked.
Kendo nodded, "I cleared it with my coach, he said I should be fine as long as I don't try and push myself too hard." The chief returned with a bowl for each of them and laid them before the three young ladies. Grabbing her chopsticks, Kendo hummed at the sight of her teriyaki noodles and took a sample.
Setsuna shrugged, "Alright, sounds good to me. Where are we doing this then?" she asked.
Kendo thought as she ate, it couldn't be the beach, for one thing there wasn't a ton of room for training with their quirks despite the work she's put in. Not to mention they could also accidentally mess up and get themselves hurt on some of the more dangerous pieces of trash there.
She swallowed her food, "The Dojo would work. Might need to get it cleared with my mom but I think I can swing it." Setsuna and Yui shared a look which Kendo noticed as she ate some more. "Wut?" She asked with her mouth full.
"Ken….the last time we trained at your dojo you kicked our asses." Setsuna reminded her.
"My ass was literally kicked across the room." Yui chimed in with her usual monotone, but accompanied with a vacant stare. "I had a footprint on my ass."
Kendo sweat dropped, "…..ok yeah I have no defense for that. Sorry."
"You are forgiven."
"Look I promise I won't get intense." Itsuka swore, which only caused her friends to look at one another without a hint of belief. "….alright fine, I promise I won't do hand to hand training with you guys." She conceited before pouting, "…even though you both suck at it and need it."
"You really need a sparring partner." Yui said bluntly.
Itsuka was about to roll her eyes, but the casual remark brought a thought to her head. She hadn't seen Izuku since their talk on the beach, she did message him to make sure he got some proper sleep upon getting home but outside of a few texts they hadn't really spoken. And given what he's been going through recently…maybe another lesson would help? At least that way he wouldn't be defenseless if someone else tried to mess with him.
"Maybe you're right." She murmured, she glanced over at her two friends, "Would you guys be ok if I asked someone else to join us?"
Yui shrugged but Set raised a brow in interest, "Who are you thinking of? Because Sero mentioned he's been trying to do something with his own quirk but he's been having issues."
Kendo tilted her head, "No but I'd be ok with him joining. I was actually thinking of Midoriya. That guy I told youuuuu-" she trailed off as soon as both her friends turned to her with renewed interest. "Never mind."
"Wha-oh come on Ken! Don't be like that." Setsuna said with a grin. "I wanna meet the guy who thawed your ice cold heart is all."
"Har, har." Kendo laughed dryly, "And for your information he….." she stopped herself, which both her friends noticed. "….he's had a rough time recently and I think maybe an outlet would be good for him."
She wasn't just going to tell them about Izuku's…..condition. Given how other people reacted to it, she could understand why he was so private about it. And spilling that secret to her friends was just wrong in her eyes, and not that she thought Yui or Set would treat him any differently but it was still a sensitive matter for him. She had to respect his privacy.
Yui nodded, "Alright, fair. Sorry Kendo."
She smiled at her stoic friend, "It's ok. He's…..well I guess you'll see what I mean. In fact let me make sure he's ok with it." she said, pulling out her phone.
Following someone who could fly was actually pretty easy, unlike the Vulture, Mysterio was not in any hurry to get back to his base of operations. So Spider-Man could keep track of him fairly easily. As he followed the pro through the city, Izuku's mind couldn't help but wander at what exactly his agency headquarters would be. He had figured that it was in the area he had mapped out when looking at his recorded arrests and incidents over the past few years, but nothing really matched a description of what a typical pro hero's agency would be.
Typically the more popular and higher ranked the pro, the larger their agency was to accommodate for it. Izuku knew for a fact that All Might's agency was based out of one of the largest office buildings in all of Japan, then again other heroes like Silkie would have theirs located or converted into somewhere that made sense for their quirk, such as by the beach or even on a ship.
So it came as an immense surprise that Mysterio's agency…was a warehouse…..
And not even a nice looking one, the gate was rusted shut and there was actual trash cluttering the closed off lot around the large building. But nonetheless from his perch atop a radio tower, Izuku watched as a section of the roof slid open and Mysterio lowered down inside before it closed behind him. "Huh….I know I shouldn't judge, I mean I don't even have an agency at all, but…this is kind of a dump." Izuku said to himself before shooting a web out and swinging onto the roof of the structure.
Crawling across the roof, he tensely made his way to where Mysterio entered from, readying himself to react to his Spider Sense if it so much as tingled. But thankfully as he reached the spot, there was nothing that alarmed his sixth sense. Inspecting the spot in the roof he could just make out the seam where the roof parted, sticking his hands to either side he pushed them apart easily and slid himself down into the warehouse, quickly catching himself in midair with a webline shooting up to the ceiling and hanging from it upside down.
Looking beneath him, Izuku couldn't believe his eyes, below him the ware was full of….electronics?
He couldn't think of a better way to describe it, there were machines of varying sizes and shapes, some were even part of some mannequin looking things. In fact there were even life sized models of Mysterio with arms, legs, and even heads not attached. Looking around, he could see an office on the far wall that had a light on as well as a shadow moving inside that he couldn't quite make out.
He slowly descended by his web, What is all of this? Is it…..support gear? Izuku questioned as he stopped just above a projector. Flipping off his webbing, he landed on the ground with a soft thud that thankfully didn't echo, creeping his way through the warehouse the vigilante looked over the gear that covered the place. I assumed that Mysterio used support gear with everything he can do, but…this much here would be worth more than a fortune! He thought in awe as he looked over at a horse that looked like it was from a merry-go-round.
In fact…this reminded him of something, the tech itself seemed familiar…..he wasn't an expert but this all seemed to be similar to what the Tinkerer worked on!
Reaching over his shoulder to the web bag he made, he tore it open and pulled out his camera. He made sure the flash was off before snapping some pictures of the room and the technology. Though if he was being honest he wasn't familiar enough with technology to know for sure, still it would be good to have something that could be considered evidence.
As he took a few snapshots, his turned around to the office to double check when something caught his eye. Over the last few days he had been doing extensive research into Mysterio, looking up every recorded arrest or heroic deed that he had done in the time he's been active. So he recognized the car that was parked in a corner that looked EXACTLY like the American car that he had stopped during his debut…..or how underneath a tarp was the bomb that he had stopped from going off at a convention last year.
That's when it clicked.
It was all fake.
Every major event he showed up at, every time people were put in danger and he swooped in out of nowhere to save the day? It was fake…..
Izuku felt his blood actually boil at that, how many people had he put in danger to state his own ego?! There was no doubt anymore, Mysterio had to be stopped, and thankfully he had all the evidence right here to do it! Reaching into his web bag for his phone, he pulled out out-
BRRRRING! BRRRING!
…and realized that he had completely forgotten to set his phone to vibrate. And across the room, the door to the office flew open as purple smoke poured out, "I should have known!" Mysterio bellowed as they exited the smoke, the orb on their head pulsating as they hovered off the ground. "When I saw your handiwork I figured that you might try and make a move against me Spider-Man, but not to be stupid enough to come into my own home." the fake hero said as Spider-Man threw his camera and phone into his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"Says the phony who just stages crimes for fame and glory! And if you're calling me stupid, why would you keep the stuff that could be clearly used as evidence against you all here?" he insulted as he lowered his stance. Mysterio flicked his wrist and his Spider Sense rang out in time for him to duck backwards as a silent bullet shot towards where his head was a second ago, rolling back onto his hands as bullets continued to shoot at him. Launching backwards he turned to the source of the gunfire and saw a handful of turrets, "Oh that's why." Spider-Man pulled himself towards the turrets, weaving through the projectiles before landing a hand on one and leaping away, ripping it off it's table before throwing it at another, and finishing the remaining two off by shooting them with webbing and pulling them apart as well.
Landing on the ground, Spider-Man's sixth sense barely warned him before a wave of force knocked him across the room, skidding across the floor he looked up to see a hovering mysterio with the palms of his hands glowing and facing him. A pulse of compressed air shot towards him tearing up the ground towards him before he launched himself away, "I don't understand why you'd even do this, there's no fame in being a vigilante. I mean even the heroes with the worse press agents don't get labeled as domestic terrorists like you are." he coly said.
Spider-Man swung around the air towards him with his feet raised, "Least I'm not a hack pretender!" he called out as hs swing his feet into Mysterio's chest-
And right through him?
He hit the ground in a roll, looking back he saw that mysterio was nowhere to be found?! "What the heck?" he yelped as he looked forward just in time to see a large axe swinging down towards him! Flipping over to the side, the axe slammed down into the ground with enough force to splinter the concrete floor! "Hey I just got a haircut thank you, I like how short it is already, not all of us can pull off the bald look!" Spider-Man called out as mysterio re-appeared with a swirl of purple smoke. Acting fast, Izuku aimed his wrists at him and shot a large net of webbing at the secret villain, only for the silk to once again go straight through him.
"Not too close eh? Well two can play that game." Mysterio playfully replied with a snap of their hand, causing the familiar green globes he used earlier to appear and fly towards Spider-Man.
Ok what are these things gonna do they're just scanning things right? Izuku wondered as one got close. His Spider Sense let him know to JUMP as soon as it got close enough and an explosion blew him up and into the ceiling, denting it before falling back to the ground with a now slightly singed costume, "Bombs, they're bombs, ow!" he cursed.
Looking up he saw three more of them flying at him, raising a hand he quickly shot a web at each of them, the impact causing them to explode prematurely. Picking himself up off the ground, Spider-Man scanned the area and saw another orb heading straight for him. He once again shot a precise web at it but it went through it just like mysterio! Ok what is-wait, It's his quirk! He's able to cast illusions! Izuku realized, Which means that's a distraction and the real threat-! His spider sense went down his spine and warned him just as another bast of air pressure hit where he was a second ago before swinging away and onto a pillar that held up the roof.
Ok my spider sense is telling me where the real danger is, so if I keep listening to that I'll be safe but where is mysterio? He felt his spine tingle and dro[ed from his perch as a set of knives embedded into the metal he was just clinging to. Pivoting off the pillar he twisted in midair and castout a web to swing from, Well I guess I know what all the support items are for now, they're part of his tricks! He thought as the animatronic horse he saw earlier suddenly galloped to life, turned towards him and leapt at him!
Instinctually he swiped his foot out, which ended up breaking the head off the robot horse, which proceeded to continue running upon landing until it smashed into the wall. "...ok I feel kind of bad about that one." he pointed out as he jumped off his web and slid across the ground. Mysterio appeared once more with the smoke, "Is this what you always do? Just put on a big show and pretend to be a hero?" he asked.
"Oh please, don't act so high and mighty." he snapped back as the smoke formed a crowd of people, some had signs that had his mask on them with a crossed out circle over it. Others had slogans like 'Squash the spider' or 'Menace', words he had seen tossed around at him both in real life and online. It made him flinch, "You mean to tell me it doesn't bother you? The jeers, the hatefulness online? Every critique of your work? You try and do something good but all they do is spew more hate, wouldn't you want it all to stop?" he asked as the crowd vanished and was instead replaced by new people.
Instead of signs of hate, there was his mask in the shape of a heart on people's chests, a little boy was playing with a toy plushie in his likeness, people were clapping at him with adoration in his eyes. Spider-Man looked at them, then turned to Mysterio, "And all it costs me is my morals huh? Think I'll pass."
"Morals don't do shit when you're nobody." Mysterio growled as his orb glowed red, lighting dramatically cracked across the purple smoke around him. The light illuminating the room…..and not projecting a shadow of mysterio.
The smoke…..it poured out from the office when his phone went off….and it has been filling the warehouse since then! Glancing out the corner of his lens, he saw that there was still someone in the office still. He looked directly at the illusion, "Hey if I wanted the fame, I wouldn't be wearing a mask." he said before throwing his arms forward and with a flick of his wrists, sent a pair of weblines straight into mysterio. When he felt them latch onto something solid, he pulled back on the webs and yanked a table back through the illusion and threw it towards the office window!
From inside, Mysterio turned to the shadow of his work desk coming towards the window! He ducked down just in time for it to crash through the glass and into the far wall. Looking over his ruined desk, he turned back to the large room, his glass helmet reflecting Spider-Man leaping at him with a fist cocked back, "Oh."
Spider-Man's fist shattered the glass and smashed into mysterio's real face, sending him flying into his overturned desk before slumping down against it, "oh…..that….ow…." he mumbled before webbing encased him to the desk.
Spider-Man dusted his hands off, "Huh…so that's what you look like. Kind of thought the helmet was your head. Glad i was wrong."
Spider-Man watched from his perch as the police arrived at Mysterio's agency. He had called the cops about uncovering some evidence to some open cases on Mysterio's phone before hanging up. When they arrived, he had been worried when he saw them escort Mysterio out without any sort of bindings…but when a number of S.W.A.T. vehicles pulled up with a man in a black suit leading them to slap handcuffs on Mysterio? He felt an immense sense of relief, he watched for a good solid hour as police pulled out piece after piece of evidence of his crimes, taking a few pictures for Hodo for good measure.
Sitting on the ledge of the rooftop, his mask pulled off to let himself breathe some fresh air, Izuku couldn't help but smile. "How's that for not being worth it Kingpin?" he asked smugly.
He let the silence in the air hang for a second before sighing, he couldn't imagine that this made everything suddenly right. He was still a vigilante, and no doubt people wouldn't believe that Mysterio was actually a fake hero until the proof came out at the trial…..but it was still a win. Maybe not a big one, but one nonetheless.
And all he needed to do was keep getting them, chip away at Kingpin's empire just like Kendo was doing to the beach…..
Kendo….
"Oh crap Kendo!" He exclaimed, reaching into the web bag for his phone, in all the excitement he had totally forgotten that she called him! Quickly as he could he re-dialed her number and held the phone to his ear, it rung a handful of times before it picked up, "Kendo, hey, sorry! I was….in the middle of something when you called." he sheepishly admitted.
"Oh hey Midoriya, no worries. Are you free now?" she asked.
He nodded, even though he couldn't see her, "Y-yeah, I'm free now."
"Well, me and some of my friends are getting a little training session scheduled for next week. And it got me wondering if you wanted to join. I mean…..our last lesson was kind of interrupted."
Izuku remembered their first lesson…..and felt himself blush, "R-R-Right! Y-Yeah I remember….it…..um, sure! I'd like to do that!"
"Great, I'll text you the details later. I'd talk more but I gotta study for this test coming up. Later." she said casually.
"Y-Yeah, b-bye…." he said before hanging up.
"...I JUST TALKED TO A GIRL ON THE PHONE!" he exclaimed loudly as it echoed across the rooftops.