Chapter 212 - 22-

Chapter 22: Trade

When Kendo had asked Izuku about the pro hero Recovery Girl, wanting to get an idea of what to expect. He described her, a top rated rescue heroine who had dedicated her professional skills to helping anyone she could. He also explained that her quirk was able to heal almost any wounds inflicted upon a person though he wasn't entirely sure of the method by which it worked. That of course led to one of his muttering sessions which only made Eri confused as to how he was talking so quickly. 

But by the time he left she felt assured that she had nothing to worry about, however she had to admit she might have built her up a little in her mind. So she wasn't expecting the small elderly woman in a hero costume arriving with Coach Yagi and a cane that was shaped like a syringe needle. 

Eri seemed just as surmised upon seeing an old person who was barely any taller than her. "People come in all different shapes and sizes dearie." She had told the girl after she asked why she was so little. 

As she was given a checkup, Itsuka commenced with a slightly modified training regiment with Todhinori in their dojo. By the halfway point of training, Recovery Girl came downstairs with Eri who now had a sucker in her mouth upon doing a very good job for her medical checkup. "Ngh! Heya Eri. Ngh! How was the checkup?" Itsuka asked between push ups as the girl walked over and watched her. 

"It was...ok…." She said, looking at her sucker. "She didn't poke me with anything….or cut…..she did bump my knee with a hammer thingy." She said with a pout, making Itsuka snort. "What are you doing?" She asked."

Itsuka paused in her 'up' position, "Working out." She answered with a smile in spite of the sweat on her brow. "And I'm glad to hear that." She said as she turned to Recovery Girl, "And thank you so much for coming on such short notice Ma'am." She said.

The old woman waved a hand with her kind smile, "Oh please sweetie, it's no problem whatsoever. When Toshinori explained to me what happened I was more than happy to come by." She said as Itsuka resumed her exercise. She gave Toshi a look, raising a brow at his apprentice's continued training. She could tell this one might be a headache later when she got into U.A. "As I finished telling your mother, she's a little light for her age, a proper diet should fix that, she has a vitamin D deficiency but some over the counter vitamins can fix that easily. And the wounds, while unpleasant for sure, are healing fine." She explained

Eri looked down a little at the mention of her wounds, but sucked on the candy to distract herself. Kendo herself frowned at that, but was relieved that Eri seemed healthy for the most part. Sliding into a sitting position, she gestured for Eri to sit in her lap which the little girl did, plopping between her legs which were spread out. Itsuka smiled and rubbed the top of her head, "That's good to hear. Does she have any allergies? Anything I need to watch out for?" She asked. They had been careful on what to feed Eri on account of that being a possibility.

"No, nothing of the sort." Recovery Girl shook her head. "All in all she's in good health, but if anything happens? Don't hesitate to reach out, your parents have my contact information." She said. She glanced over at Toshinori, "But given your company, I'm sure I'll see you soon." She said knowingly.

Itsuka blinked before sheepishly smiling, reminding herself that Recovery Girl was also one of the few people who knew about One For All. In fact, that made her realize something, "Actually….after my training with All Might is done, would it be ok if I had a checkup with you?" She asked.

Recovery Girl blinked, and then smiled, "Yagi I approve of this one. She's already thinking about this more than you did." She praised.

"Hey now-" Toshi tried to say.

"Yes Itsuka, I think a check up before and after your…..training, would be smart." She said knowingly. 

Itsuka smiled and nodded, while All Might's explanation of One for All had been passable, it hadn't exactly been comprehensive. And while she couldn't fault him for it, she also thought having an actual medical professional examine her was a pretty reasonable thing to do considering the exact nature of what they would be doing.

Toshinori rubbed the back of his head. "Er…..well I agree! Of course." Both Itsuka and Recovery Girl looked at him unimpressed, the blonde man forcing a smile, "W-Well at least young Eri is doing well!" He said, deciding to change the subject away from his lack of foresight.

Itsuka looked down at the girl who was focused on her sucker, she frowned a little bit at the little girl's expression. It wasn't sad, or bored, or blank, just…..unsure. It was something they all had noticed, Eri hadn't smiled for a single instance since they met her. And given what she had been through Kendo couldn't exactly blame her. But she was a child, she should be able to experience joy in her life…..but the monster who held her imprisoned had darkened her life to this point where she couldn't see the bright side of it.

Reaching down, her hand ran through the girl's white grey hair. Eri hummed in response to the kind touch. "Hey hon, wanna help me train?" She asked with a smile. Eri looked up at her curiously, Kendo slid back into a push up position, and with one hand patted her back. Eri tilted her head in curiosity before stepping forward and turning around to sit on her back. "Hup!" Itsuka dropped down, making Eri let out a 'eep', "Hup!" She pushed up with Eri on her back. 

The girl stared down at Itsuka in awe as she easily continued her exercise with her added weight. "Wow." She whispered in awe.

Kendo didn't get a smile from her out of it, but that little sound more than made up for it.

Kaina Tsutsumi had been confined to Tartarus for almost a decade now. There had been a sense of irony to it, a former pro heroine herself, Lady Nagant, being convicted and sent to prison? That alone was ironic enough, but being sent there for the Murder of the former HPSC president when her entire time working with them had been the liquidation of possible threats to hero society? That was the real kicker.

There hadn't been a trail of course, such a spectacle of that magnitude would bring far too many questions. Which she would willingly answer in her attempt to bring down the machine that had grounded her morals and dreams into a fine dust. But it had been brushed under the rug, officially she was retired and moved to an undisclosed location. 

That location being the superhuman prison known as Tartarus. Where no one knew she was.

So it had been a large red flag when she had been informed she had a visitor. Her gut reaction was to flat out reject the visitation, that of course could lead to nothing or insistence that she cooperate. Which would have earned her punishment in solitary confinement but given how it was just a smaller cell with no access to the books she read to pass the time? It would be annoying, but not the end of the world. However as she was about to speak up to reject, the situation solidified in her mind. No one officially knew she was here, other prisoners did but whatever correspondence that left the prison was closely monitored and any attempted word of her time here was easily intercepted. That meant this had to be someone who knew her situation...and still wanted to see her.

So it was mostly curiosity that brought her face to face with the man in the suit. Looking at him, Kaina's expression scrunched up in discomfort. It wasn't his looks, he wasn't unsightly by the standards that most would be judged by nowadays. But the way he presented himself, the slicked hair, everything in place, it was all too…..artifical. Like the essence of a snake she could look at him and feel the instant feeling of distrust. Curiosity now seemed like a poor excuse to take this visitation. "Ms Tsutsumi, thank you for taking the time to meet with me." he greeted, setting his briefcase on the table that stood between them. In lieu of the protective glass of the normal visitation room, they had a private room that allowed for actual face to face meetings, she wasn't left unchained of course. A pair of shackles that formed an X shape between her hands and feet was affixed to her before being directed here. 

She set her chained hands across her chest, giving him an unimpressed look, "It's not like I had much else going on."

The man scoffed, "No I suppose not." he replied before setting his own hands on the table clasped together, "I'm sure your wondering the reason for this visitation-"

"Your part of the Safety Comission." Kaina cut him off, her eyes boring into his. He didn't so much as flinch at the interruption. In fact, he nodded, which somehow made him even more disquieting. 

"I am. And I'm here to present you with an opportunity." he began.

Kaina's fingers clutched her sleeves, her purple eyes narrowing, "Is that what you call it now?" she bit out.

The man's expression remained neutral, "I'm not sugar coating anything. It's an opportunity." he insisted. 

"Bullshit." she replied with venom in her voice, her voice trying it's damnedest to not quiver as the memories of her time under their thumb reared their ugly head in her mind. "You call it whatever you want," she leaned forward on the table, "call it proactive protection, call it countermeasures, call it anything you want to yourself so you can sleep at night and pretend that you're not responsible. But to me, you call it what it fucking is. A hit." she snarled out before sitting back in her seat.

That made the man's lip twitch, and Kaina felt good about that. ".....regardless what you think, this is not like the former assignments you had." he explained before undoing the latch on his case and pulling out an assorted document. Laying it on the ground, he rotated it so it faced her. Her eyes flicked down at it for a half second, only for them to widen slightly and return as she processed what she saw. On the document was a picture of the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, one of their newest 'guests' here at Tartarus in mid combat with a young adult male half his size in a red and blue costume. "We are looking to quietly bring in a dangerous vigilante, and we're offering you the opportunity to be the one to do it, if you bring him in? He takes your place here." he explained.

Her eyes darted back up to him, "Bull." she said flat out.

"Not at all." he took out another document, this one she also glanced at but immediately regretted it when she saw the face of her younger self on it. It was her Public Safety Commission profile, "Currently you are listed as a Retired pro hero, no one knows your here and even if you speak of what we discuss here to anyone, no one would believe them, or you." he tapped her picture on the paper, "On file here, your a ghost, you do not exist, there a fake person documented in the cell you preside in, and it will remain that way until you either die in here or you take this chance." he reached over to the profile on the Spider-Man vigilante, "But if you bring him in alive, suddenly the story is that Lady Nagant-," Kina flinched ever so slightly at that name, "-was going about her day and saw her chance to bring justice once again, apprehending the Vigilante and bringing him in." he slid Spider-Man's profile over her's. "And now, there is no more ghost, there's him in here. And you out there."

Kaina looked down at the photo overlaid on her own, "...what's the catch?"

"Simple, if you run? If you try to go to anyone, tell them anything to the contrary about what this story is? Then you're done." he said with an unexpected dark voice. "You'll disappear again, your body will never be found until we find a plausible excuse. A drunk driving accident? Or maybe a break in gone wrong, you being so rusty with your skills, anyone could get the drop on you after all. Or maybe you take your own life, overcome with the guilt of killing the former Hero Public Safety Commission President, a fact that we'll share only after the note you made confesses it." he proposed coldly, each scenario making a chill go down Kaina's spine. But it wasn't needed, she already knew that the HSPC would go to any lengths to protect the image that the hero society presented to the populace, she knew all too well because ten years ago she was no different from the man in front of her, doing the dirty work so everyone else could live peaceful lives. 

And looking down at the photo of the vigilante....was this really the worst thing? Taking in a vigilante to make the HSPC look good?

No....no it wasn't…..far from it.

Spider-Man's one exposed eye widened as he made the connection as to who was on the other end of the scope that was most likely trained on him at this very moment, Lady Nagant. Noted to be the best long range fighter in Pro Hero History, with an impressive record of work with the Hero Public Safety Commission. 

Safe to say, if Izuku wasn't fighting for his life against a random Scorpion man? He'd be geeking out. 

Of course from three kilometers away Nagant didn't know that, her sights were focused on the green scaled villain who she witnessed attack the vigilante. Her crosshairs hovered over his shoulder and then his chest, he wasn't of any concern to her but she couldn't have him killing her target. The shot fired, the gunshot echoing across the sky, it'd reach the villain by the time it struck him in the chest. 

BLAM!!!

Or it would have if she didn't witness the vigilante tackle him out of the way of her shot!?!? 

"What the-?!" 

"-Fuck??!" Scorpion yelped as he was knocked off the building by the vigilante's tackle, his tail sailed out and caught onto the wall, their momentum abruptly ending and slamming them through the window and into the office space. Spider-Man leapt off as Scorpion crashed onto a long table whose occupants jumped up and screamed before scrambling for the door out! He looked up to see his target sticking to the ceiling above him. Spider-Man launched himself down as another shot soared though the office where his leg was a second ago. Instead of being hit, his leg and its twin slammed into the chest of the villain and broke the meeting table down into itself before springing off!

"Not sorry for saving your life!" he declared as he landed on the doorway above where the workers, Crap I was really hoping to get him out of her line of sight but with people in here they're in danger of him! Ok, I just need to keep his attention focused on m-

Scorpion's tail flung the end of the table into the vigilante and through the wall! Crashing through the office, Spider-Man landed against a pillar and threw the chunk of table off to the side, just in time to see Scorpion use his tail to push off the ground in a lunge through the hole in the wall towards him. His hands reached up, stuck to the pillar and flipping himself up onto it as the villain's fist embedded into the stone beneath him. "Missed me that time!" he taunted before dropping down onto Scorpions' back and leapt off, dodging the tail in midair before shooting a web to swing around the office as the workers ran for the stairs. "Sorry everyone, Um, look on the bright side! Short day at the office!" he called out, trying to put a positive spin on the situation. Alright that's it, keep talking, keep him focused on me and not on any innocent- Spider-Man thought before Scorpion ripped the pillar from the ground and ceiling and threw it at the crowd!

Izuku thought fast, leaping into the ground he raised his hands and shot a web from each into the end of the pillar, the lines going taught just as it was about to slam into one of the civilians who turned to see it! Pivoting on his foot, Spider-Man swung the projectile around in an arc, "Hey I think you dropped this!" He called out as he tore it into scorpion, the pillar shattering upon impact and sending him flying out the window!

His green tail shot out and extended across the room, wrapping around the vigilante and pulling him out the window with him! The pair of arachnid powered people fell through the air, Scorpion reeling him in as his claw extended out and cracked the teen across the face, "HA! Your fun! Most meatbags I get sent after don't put up a fight!" he growled out before the vigilante's knee slammed into his sternum, knocking him just far rough away to coil his other foot up and slam it into the villain! The tail around his neck loosened as the Scorpion was knocked across the way, and reached back and pierced the wall on the building on the opposite side of the street as Spider-Man used a webline to save himself in a similar manner. 

Izuku grimaced beneath his mask, his one eye showing his displeasure, with them being outside it meant that he was a prime target for-

His Spider Sense rang and he catapulted himself backwards as another purple bullet tore through the air. Three kilometers away, Lady Nagant gritted her teeth, "How the fuck does he keep doing that??" she growled as she reached up to her hair and tugged a few strands loose, her purple and pink hair forming a putty that she molded with one hand into another bullet. The scouter, a small translucent blue piece of smartglass that was hooked on her right ear, showed what she was seeing to the man who had sprung her. And his voice crackled to life in the radio earpiece she wore.

'This is….more complicated than we initially planned.' 

"Yeah, no shit." she said as her aim trailed over to the villain's head, but stopped. 

'What are you waiting for? Take the shot.' the man's cold voice said in her ear.

"...no, if I take the Spider out, then scales here will just kill him or take him before I have a chance to. But if I let him take the Spider down? Then I'll take him out, and scoop the vigilante AND him up." she explained. It was a tactic she used before when she teamed up with other pros, she'd provide long distance support while others would engage in close combat. In this sense, once one of them was taken down and the victor exhausted from the fight, she would take out the last one standing and

The man was quiet for a moment, '...take the shot when the chance presents itself.'

Back with Spider-Man, between the Sniper hero that he couldn't do anything about, and the deadly scorpion who very much seemed to be a match for him blow for blow? He was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. If it was just Lady Nagant I had to worry about, I'd just find somewhere out of her line of sight to hide in and change into my clothes, but with this Scorpion guy here willingly endangering lives? I can't just leave. He thought as he used his webs to pull him over towards the other building, Scorpion threw his tail out towards the oncoming vigilante, who in turn grabbed the sides of the tail's head with both his hands and hoisted himself over it and planted his feet on it and launched himself into Scorpion, punching him in the face as he did so. "Listen, I'm a Spider, you're a Scorpion, we're both arachnids, can't we get along? Hug it out-ACK!" Scorpion's elbow connected with the teen's jaw.

The tail was fast, swiping in wide arcs like it was it's own sentient limb that for any other person would be too much to handle on top of Scorpion's pincer's swinging as well, but with his Spider Sense warning him the vigilante was able to stay on the defensive, ducking under the claws and countering with a kick to Scorpion's leg, a tail swipe to counter only for Spider-Man to spin-flip over it and further up the side of the building they were on. 

The vigilante held a handstand with one hand while the other aimed at his opponent's feet, spraying a glob of webbing. When Scorpion attempted to move he stumbled, as he looked down to see why, Spider-Man sent out a pair of weblines to either side, pulled back on them and shot himself directly into the villain and tackled him off the side of the building and sent them down towards the street below! "I'm going to assume that if you can take a stone pillar to the face then you won't turn into a pancake when you hit the ground!" 

Scorpion's body landed on the sidewalk with Spider-Man atop of him, the impact shattering the concrete as Spider-Man leapt off and onto a lightpost, the villain groaning painfully as he rolled onto his side. "Please stay down…..one because you might have broken something and two because I really don't want to fight you." 

BLAM!!!

His sixth sense buzzed in his head, it wasn't as intense as the last time Nagant shot at him. Instead of the instinct to jump away, he instead tensed, which led to the street lamp he was perched upon being blasted apart at its neck with an armor pricing bullet.

He fell with the street lamp, hitting the ground and then having the post land on him, "Igh! Ok, point for her." He admitted as he pushed the post off of him. Facing the direction the shot came from, his spider sense rang again, this one more intense, he readied to jump when suddenly a burning pain shot up his spine from his back!

He wretched back in agony! His head turned to the side just enough to see Scorpion's tail plunging its stinger into his back!

Crap! Wasn't...warning me about Nagant! He realized as he fell forward onto the ground as he felt his muscle seize. He tried to push himself up, but his arms trembled against the strain of trying to push himself up. 

Scorpion cackled behind him as he got up, "Don't even bother….my poison is enough to stop an elephant. And you're no elephant." He said as he stood up and strode over to the vigilante, his foot swung forward and kicked Spider-Man in the side, knocking him out into the middle of the street. "God you are lucky that my old boss wants you alive. Otherwise I'd be snapping your neck." He growled out as he grabbed the vigilante by the scruff of his costume.

Nagant clicked her tongue as she watched the scene unfold in front of her through her scope. She was about to kneecap the Scorpion but with him holding up her target between them she couldn't risk the shot. 'Once you have a clean line of sight, take out the villain.' The voice in her ear said. 

Kaina froze, and then grit her teeth. "That wasn't what we agreed on."

'He's a villain.' The voice in her ear replied with ice cold indifference.

Her jaw clenched, she only agreed to this because they explicitly needed Spider-Man alive. But then this jackass had to show up. She had aimed for a non vital area of the chest she knew would stop him, just above the lung, it would bleed a lot and cause them to panic but wouldn't end them. 

But taking a moment to think? Of course they wanted him eliminated, for one it was another villain off the streets, but more than that. The HSPC needed to be the one to take the vigilante who humiliated them in, and it couldn't be because some villain was already attacking him, it wasn't good for their image. So he needed to disappear.

She was here, so was the one who was going to do it.

She cursed hardened beneath her breath, What do you expect Kaina, different person is holding the leash, but it's still a fucking leash. She reprimanded herself. She raised the scope and turned it slightly to the right so it would just miss Spider-Man's head and instead hit Scorpion right between the eyes. Her hand reached up to her hair. Twirled it around her finger and gave it a firm tug to yank the locks free before molding it into a particular shape and loading it into her open palm. 

She held her breath, and aimed.

The area around the construction site was closed off when the HSPC agents arrived. The police set up roadblocks at every intersection after being informed a dangerous villain had been apprehended by one of the Commission's agents. At the base of the construction site near the gate a large transport had been parked as agents, mostly men and women in suits, filed out and started up the skyscraper in progress. 

Kotaro was in the lead, flanked by a dozen other agents, half of whom wore tactical gear and wielded assault rifles, "Stay on guard, Nagant has subdued the target but the information we have suggests he may still try to resist." he informed the others as they rode a lift up to the uppermost floor.

The agents in tactical gear filed out first in formation to secure the immediate area, their rifles raised at the ready as they were trained to as Kotaro walked on ahead. Moving down the hall to the stairwell that led to the unfinished floors above, upon reaching the designated floor he turned the corner of the stairwell to find Lady Nagant standing in the room with Spider-Man on the ground, crumpled in defeat with the pro her's foot on his shoulder pinning him to the floor while her rifle extended out from her elbow at his head. 

Nagant observed him with a blank expression, the scouter that had been acting up fully transmitting now. "There. It's done." She told him coldly as she pushed the vigilante with her foot, his limp body rolling over with a groan. Kotaro saw the pair of heavy duty cuffs that he had provided for her were in place around the vigilante's hands and forearms. 

The armed guards fanned out with their weapons ready, inspecting the scene but with a visible relief to their movements. Kotaro simply walked over towards the vigilante and looked down at him with a cold expression. "Where did you shoot him?" he asked, noticing a lack of bullet holes in the vigilante.

Nagant tugged at her hair, the purple and pink epoxy forming in her hands as she shaped it into a square headed projectile, "Blunt rounds, they're non-lethal. Think of those beanbags that non-lethal shotguns use but shot at high velocity from a sniper rifle. He took one to the head, usually that's something I avoided...but he's tough." she admitted, recalling how she had seen the display of strength through the office window earlier. 

Kotaro hummed but didn't really pay much interest as he knelt down and forced the vigilante into a sitting position. Spider-Man sluggishly sat upright, his head bobbing but the HPSC agent paused, "What did you do to his suit?" he asked, noticing the lens of the one eye was now repaired. 

"Nothing....it…well….repaired itself." Laday Nagant explained, having seen the phenomenon for herself and finding it strangely...disturbing with the black, almost liquid like material slowly forming back over the exposed eye. 

Kotaro scoffed, "Well the Future Foundation where he made his first appearance did report a sort of smart suit being stolen. We thought the Shocker had taken it but I suppose we're wrong about that." he mused to himself. 

Nagant rolled her eyes then focused back on Kotaro, the scouter over her one eye reflecting him, "Whatever. Look, I held up my end of the bargain. What about yours...am I free, or are you going to toss me back into Tartatrus with him?" she asked coldly. 

The man gave her a skeptical expression, "I'm surprised you didn't voice that concern earlier." 

"Well I figured I'd better ask it now before I try and walk out of here and get shot in the back." she replied with an equal coldness. "Or would that be harder to cover up?"

The man scoffed, "Please, you aren't a saint in this. You're a killer."

"That's rich coming from the people who told me to kill people in order to keep the status quo." she spat out. She heard the guards raise their rifles but she didn't care, she wasn't going to stand here and take the hypocrisy. 

Kotaro stared her down, "What you did was for the greater good....until you took matters into your own hands with the president." he coldly said. Nagant only replied with silence. He turned his attention to the vigilante, kneeling down so he was eye to eye with him, "Now then, whose under that tacky mask?" he asked as he reached for and grabbed the top of the mask before pulling it up.

(Hours Ago)

TINK!

She jolted and turned her head to the sound of metal falling onto the roof beside her, a part shaped like a ball seemed to have fallen from the sign she was using as cover. She watched as it bounced and rolled across the ledge towards her, her heart calming down-

Only for her to blink when she saw it roll over to expose a glowing green smiley face. 

The small device exploded, a scream of metal and fire ringing out into Nagant's ears as she was blown back by the concussive grenade's force! Her hands raised up to her head, she wasn't burned, but she felt like her entire body just got into a low collision by the explosive force. 

'Na—ant! -o y— H-ar me?! Nag—-!' She heard the radio static and whined in her ear, opening her eyes to see the cracked scouter as something flew overhead towards where she was aiming.

With Scorpion, his tail wrapped securely around his target he turned in the direction of the explosion. "The hell was that?" He muttered, squinting his eyes he swore he saw some sort of drone or something before he felt the teen in his tail's grasp surge against him, made fin turn back around and sneer, "Oh for the love of god kid will you just stop?!"

He got his wish when a green blast of energy slammed into his chest and knocked him across the street, Spider-Man falling from the tail's grip to the pavement as the shadow of the 'drone' showed the rider pulling up to slow and then float down before hopping off.

Armored boots lugged across the street to the downed vigilante as the villain groaned from his spot on the ground. Spider-Man looked up, his one eye exposed and fighting off the toxin's effects. The shadow of an armored man stood over him, his helmet reaching back to a peak as glowing green lenses looked down at him, the head tilted to the side. "You're alive, that's good." The mechanized voice said before the Green and Purple armored man reached down and picked the vigilante up.

Scorpion venom, as far as Izuku was aware due to his education and study of quirks, wasn't deadly to humans mostly due to the difference in size between a typical sized arachnid and a human being. What might be surprising was that people who had quirks which gave them scorpion tails or a poison similar to that of a scorpion did not automatically cause it to be poisonous. This was due to the fact that since most scorpion venom in general wasn't deadly, toxic? Sure, hence his muscles seizing up upon being stung. 

However he wasn't dying, so when his green and purple colored savior arrived, hefted him up over his shoulder and hopped onto the gargoyle shaped glide he rode in on? He was awake for all of that, however given how he had just been in a three way tangle with two people who were trying to capture him, he was pretty sure this guy was going to make it a hat trick....until after flying for a good twenty minutes he pulled over to a seemingly random rooftop and hopped off with him still slung over the man's shoulder. 

And then brought over to an AC unit where he was gingerly set down against, "Alright, I'm no expert but the toxin that guy stabbed you with should be working it's way out of your system pretty well by now." he said as Spider-Man raised a hand to his foggy head and shook, he blinked a few times and winced at how sore and stiff he felt all over. 

"Ughhhh…..I feel like I just...wrestled a jellyfish? But I'm pretty sure it was fist fighting a Scorpion." he joked lightly.

The man in armor set his hands on his hips, "That it was....the fistfight I mean. I wasn't a jellyfish person." he added unsurely before cupping the back of his helmet, "I'm not going to lie this is not how I thought our first meeting would go." He admitted with a sheepish tone. 

Spider-Man looked up at him, "Um, you mean with you saving my life from a villain and a hero?" he asked.

"Well…..ok, maybe yes to one of those." the armored man admitted as the teen tried to lift himself up, "Woah there, cool your jets, you're still doused with scorpion venom. Honestly the fact you're awake and able to move to begin with is surprising given that guy's history." he gently urged as he pushed the vigilante back down with one hand.

Spider-Man winced slightly at the touch down back to the rooftop, "Ugh. You know him?"

The man leaned back, "Somewhat, his criminal records are mostly a laundry list of assault, battery, assassination, murder, manslaughter, and some other not-so-nice things." He listed off. "However, what's really interesting is Lady Nagant."

Spider-Man was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly realized something. "Um...you're not with her are you?" 

The man seemed taken aback, "Wha-what? No why on Earth would you-"

"I mean you're a pro hero right?" Spider-Man asked with a tilt of his head. Granted Izuku didn't recognize him, and he knew a great deal of pro heroes but he wasn't vain enough to say that he knew every single pro hero in the world…..most of them maybe…..

"...um…..well…." The armored back looked away, "I'm actually not."

"...oh." Spider-Man dumbly said. 

"...yeah….." the stranger awkwardly replied.

The two strangers kept their awkward positions for a beat, until Spider-Man coughed into his hand and looked up at him. "Well you saved my life back there, so….thank you." He said sincerely. The man was taken aback by the warmth of the voice but his posture relaxed, "But how did you know about Nagant? I only know because I recognized her quirk." He questioned.

The armored man's head dipped, "It's…..a little complicated."

"Well I'm still working that scorpion venom off." Spider-Man replied. 

The armored man crossed his arms over his chest with a 'chunk' noise. "….i have….access to what's going on at the Hero Public Safety Commission. I learned that yesterday one of their agents went to Tartarus with permission to pull out one of the assets who they had held there, Laday Nagant." He explained.

Spider-Man's head shot up as he let that information sink in, "I-wha…huh?!?" He squeaked as he shook his head. "That-that doesn't make any-Why was she in Tartarus that's for villains????" He asked as he tried again to stand up, only to make it halfway up this time.

The armored man raised a hand to steady him but stopped upon seeing the vigilante clinging to the wall for support. "On record…she's not there. But privately? It's because she assassinated the former Safety Commission President." 

Spider-Man nearly slid down the wall again, but kept himself up despite his surprise. He remembered that over a decade ago there had been some sort of incident with the Hero Public Safety Commission's President dying. Officially it had been natural causes but the fact that the president had been seen around the time of his death and was seemingly in good health had cast doubt on the claim. And when it was a closed casket funeral it only caused more rumors to swirl up. 

Reaching a hand up to cradle his head, he let THAT information be processed for a moment before saying anything. "....ok...that's...I just finished one big criminal conspiracy, and I was kinda hoping it'd be a minute before my next one." He admitted. 

The armored man shifted his weight, "Yeah, I can understand that." He sympathized. "I didn't find out about this until yesterday and...well let's just say I knew the HSPC was up to some stuff, but I didn't realize it was like this." 

Spider-Man looked up at him, "You sound like you think you're a conspiracy theorist."

"I know what it looks like when you point at the systems in place and say that they're not telling everyone the truth." He replied with an acknowledgement on his part. Spider-Man was quiet, "But Lady Nagant is out, and she might be the only person who can give me some answers I'm seeking." 

The vigilante nodded before lifting himself up from the wall, "Alright, how can I help?"

The armored man's head snapped up at him, and even though his eyes wouldn't emote, the way he stared at the vigilante in silence for a beat made it seem like he was staring at him in disbelief. "....you were JUST poisoned."

"...erm….yeah?" Spider-Man lamely replied.

The armored man stared at him, "…..and that doesn't concern you???" 

"I mean...kind of, sure. But it sounds like Lady Nagant might be involved in some big government conspiracy so…..that's honestly way more interesting than anything I got going on right now." The vigilante replied, his tone both matter of fact but also somewhat joking. The armored man's expression was blank, but his posture showed exasperation, "…..look, some villain taking a swipe at me for something I did? That tells me I'm doing something right, but if the government is sending a pro hero to capture me? And one who did something as bad as you claim? Then that's way more concerning then whatever reason that scorpion guy wanted me." 

The armored man tilted his head to the side before nodding in agreement, "Alright…..so it seems to me that the one person who might have some answers is Nagant herself…..so how about we get some?" He posed. 

Spider-Man stood and raised a hand, "Sounds good to me." He said before pressing his fingers to his palm. 

PFFT! 

The vigilante's eyes widened, lifting his other hand he tried to spin another web, only for the same thing to happen. "Oh come on I haven't used that much webbing." He grumbled in frustration while the armored ally tilted his head and let out an amused snort.

"Um…..you ok?" The masked man asked with amusement in his modulated tone. 

Spider-Man shook his hands and tried again, only getting another disappointing sound from his spinnerets. "I'm fine, I just…..I swear this never happens." He said, causing the new alley to slap a hand over his already covered mouth out of instinct as the vigilantes realized what he said, "I-er-mean my webbing! It can run out just…..only after I use a lot of it and…." He blinked before bonking himself on the forehead, "Oh duh! The scorpion venom! It must have affected my webshooters." 

The armored companion regained his composure enough to recognize that this wasn't ideal. "Er, well…..at least you're not dead?"

"Thank you, that's very encouraging." Spider-Man dryly replied. "It just means I can't use my webs for a while...meaning I'm going to be at a disadvantage with Nagant."

".....ok so I might have an idea for that...but you may not like it."

Recovery Girl's examination of Eri had resulted in a much better standing than Itsuka could have hoped. She didn't at all expect a clean bill of health, but a prescription for some vitamins was a small trade off for the little girl's health. After recording her data for a future check up they scheduled for in a few months, Eri was brought back upstairs by Itsuka's mom for some lunch and a nap while Itsuka continued her training. During which, All Might got a call from Detective Tsukauchi. 

It still amazes her at the sheer confidence that they both knew the detective, All Might because as children they grew up together with his sister and were close friends. And her because her father had taken notice of his work ethic when he was an officer and took a shine to him. She hadn't talked to Tsukauchi since last year when his sister Makoto came to visit from the states, so watching All Might converse with him on the phone out of the corner of her eye while she trained made her realize something. 

He had been keeping the whole secret of One For All and All Might for years now, and she never suspected a thing. And he no doubt knew that she was All Might's successor....then again given All Might's record she might need to confirm that first and foremost before saying anything. "-right, thank you Tsukauchi...no I don't think All Might will be making any statements about this, we want to keep this a private matter...mmmhhhhmmmm. Yes I think so as well....same to you my friend. Goodbye." Toshinori said before ending the call.

He turned to see Itsuka with her towel draped around her shoulders looking at him with a curious expression. He gave her bracing look, "Well I have good news and...not so good news. Not bad, just…..not good."

She smirked a little, "That sounds more like vague news coach."

The blonde trainer rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Er…..well…..yeah." He admitted. 

Itsuka smiled a little but her expression turned serious, "Ok, well…. give it to me straight." She decided. 

Toshibori sighed, but nodded in appreciation of her candor, "Well the good news is that I know who is investigating the case related to Eri, and I'm confident that they'll find who is responsible." He said, causing her to let out a sigh of relief at the news. "…..the complicated part is….its Nighteye." He added.

"...…oh." Itsuka grimaced.

"And...well he's been informed about Eri's whereabouts and wishes to interview the parties involved." He said, causing her frown to deepen. He raised a hand, "However! Despite how he conducted himself with you before, I know that Mirai wouldn't let his personal feelings cloud his judgement when it comes to this case. " He assured Itsuka.

Kendo frowned, she really didn't like the idea of Nighteye coming to her home. Let alone talking to her, Eri, or Izuku for that matter. Her parents also weren't something she was fond of….would he blab about One for All to her parents to make sure she wouldn't be considered to be All Might's successor? 

She crossed her arms as she considered these facts, and All Might could see the uncertainty that was growing. "Young Kendo, I can be present if you feel uncomfortable." He offered kindly. 

She looked up at him, relief flashing across her features before halting. And then becoming stony, what would it say about her as All Might's successor if she didn't want to confront Nighteye alone? That she didn't feel that she was confident with herself in a situation like this? And would it just be another shortcoming with Nighteye would use to point out against her? I can already imagine what he might say…..and he'd be right. She thought bitterly. 

".... All Might, you don't need to be here. I can handle this." She replied.

The blonde inheritor blinked in surprise, "…erm…..really?" He shook his head, "I mean, if you really don't want me there young Kendo then I won't argue but…..May I ask why?"

The redhead sighed as she adjusted her crossed arms, "Look All Might, I appreciate that you're willing to come to my defense here, but I can't expect you to fight my battles for me. That's just not how it works." she explained before placing her hand on her chest. "If I'm your successor, then that means I'm going to have to deal with Nighteye by myself. I can't just go crying to you to deal with him if I need to deal with him." she said firmly. She let out a breath, "Truthfully? I don't know if I really like him...we got off on a bad foot but the least I can do is try and offer him another chance."

All Might looked at her, ".....Young Kendo…..that is an incredibly mature choice of you." he smiled, "I'm very proud of you...and for what it's worth I think Nighteye will respect it as well."

"Well hopefully...when is he dropping by?" she asked.

All Might guided her towards the door leading up to her home, "Tomorrow evening, he's hoping to talk with Young Midoriya as well since he was the one who witnessed all of this." he explained. 

Itsuka sighed, "Great, so right after school then...I'll call him and tell him about it." she said.

Toshinori nodded before giving her sympathetic expression, "And how is young Eri handling the fact that you have school tomorrow?" he asked.

"Oh she's not thrilled about it." Itsuka bluntly replied with a soft smile, "And truth be told if it were up to me I would a hundred percent play hookie just to spend more time with her. But I don't think that's the best example to set." 

"HA!" All Might barked out a laugh before coughing, "Very astute of you Young Kendo."

The redhead smiled and shook her head, "Yeah, yeah....." her smile faded as they reached the stairwell door. All Might's expression became passive as he noticed his pupil's shift in mood. ".....she hasn't...she hasn't smiled...not once."

All Might frowned, ".....yes. I noticed that too."

"...it breaks my heart." Itsuka admitted.

All Might was quiet for a moment before his hand reached out and clamped on her shoulder, "If it didn't, then you wouldn't be my successor Itsuka." he told her. She looked at him and offered a small smile before going upstairs to her home.

Izuku has had some.....very questionable ideas in his short time as Spider-Man. He would be the first to admit that. But this one? This one was pretty stupid. Returning to the scene of the crime was not generally something he did unless there was a reason for it. Like when he was trying to track Mysterio to his base of operations. However, returning to where he had fought the villain while Nagant had been shooting at him? That was pretty stupid. 

Not to mention the venom that he had been injected with was messing with his webbing. 

So he wasn't as mobile as usual, but that was fine, he didn't need to swing across the city at high speeds...he just needed to get shot at again.

"This might be the stupidest thing I've done in a minute." Izuku said to himself, looking down at the street where he had been stabbed by the scorpion villain. 

The way his allay had explained it was simple enough, with Nagant wanting him alive that meant that she wouldn't shoot to kill. And given his reflexes he could probably survive long enough for him to triangulate where she was shooting from and take her out. 

On paper...it wasn't the worst idea. But crawling along the side of the building that overlooked the scene of the fight? Izuku was glad he had spider sense otherwise he'd be too paranoid to move. 

'Hey you're the one who agreed to this. Am I coming on clearly?' His armored companion's voice asked in his ear. The picotech had easily connected with the signal the armor put out so they could talk.

"Yeah, how's it looking from up there?" Spider-Man asked, leaping from the building with a flip and landing on the scaffolding of another. 

'I just checked her last sniper's nest. No sign of her there, I think when my pumpkin bomb went off it stunned her pretty good.' 

Spider-Man paused, "...pumpkin bomb?"

'….Y…..Yeah…..they're orange and the igniter light makes them look like they have little faces on them…..so…..yeah.'

"....thats an awesome name!" Spider-Man exclaimed, suddenly wishing he had his notebook on him. 

Not knowing that he was already in the crosshairs of Lady Nagant from a new position, this one hiding on the side of a building under construction, much closer to the initial site of the fight. This one only being a mile away and she being perched near the top floor of a high rise with the floor above her still under construction. Her rifle was laid across a pile of cement bags to steady her aim while her other hand was ready to quickly reload, compared to before she was more ready for how quick her target was. And as she watched her target through her scope, one thought came to her mind, "This is bait." she said aloud.

'I don't care if it is. Take the shot.' the voice in her ear said.

She frowned at the voice, after her unexpected interruption she had been told to relocate until she was given further instructions. To pass the time she had witnessed the Scorpion villain slink away into the shadows and the police arrive to take questions. It was something she had done back when she was a pro-hero, typically watching the police to make sure they did their jobs correctly, or correctly as the HSPC had deemed it to be, which was her secondary assignment on occasion. And that was when she saw Spider-Man hoping across rooftops, ".....no. Last time I shot at him…..he knew before I pulled the trigger somehow…..and if he dodges again then he'll just have my position." 

The voice was silent in her ear, her scouter was still cracked so they couldn't see what she could, her eyes scanned the skyline and narrowed at a shape she quickly got a beat on. "...hey, do you have anything on a pro hero who wears green and purple armor?" she asked. She heard the man sharply inhale and for the first time, Kaina felt like she had taken the nameless handler off guard with something. That was confirmed when he replied.

'What?' he coldly asked. 

"Well it looks like your Spider has a friend, in fact I think he's the same guy who bombed me, took out Scorpion, and fled with him earlier." she said, her crosshairs lining up with the moving target easily as her scope turned ever so slightly to take a lead on the target. "He has some fancy looking armor and some sort of...rideable drone." she noted, her brow rising in confusion when she saw the glider he was riding on. 

".....no. He's not one of ours…..but if he's aiding a vigilante then he's to be treated as one." the voice coldly said with a hint of aggravation. 

It was at that moment, the armored man's head turned and looked directly at her, "Shit." she cursed under her breath, she took aim at the glider and fired.

BANG!!! 

The bullet tore through the air and impacted the wing of the glider, causing its rider to lurch forward and grab onto the drone for support and to try and manually steer it as it began to drop in altitude. Nagant quickly loaded another bullet and turned to where Spider-Man had been, only to find the spot abandoned now. Her eyes scanned the surrounding buildings for any sign of the red and blue figure swinging between them but she saw no movement, she clicked her tongue and focused back on the flyer. Shit. I'll take care of him first and then relocate so the Spider can't find me. She thought.

She watched as the flyer fought to turn his glider and course correct towards her, she aimed at the other vigilante's chest, given how he was wearing months worst this might do is knock the wind out of him but-

"Excuse me, but do you have a license for that?" Her eyes widened as she turned on her heel to the voice as Spicer-Man lunged at her! 

Nagant swung her rifle fast and aimed, the barrel's end pointing at the vigilante's face. And for the briefest of moments, she imagined his brains splattering out the back of his head, and in that hesitation, the vigilante's hand grabbed the barrel and hoisted it up and away from him.

She shook her head, Stop it. She thought as she coiled a foot and kicked it into the vigilante's side as hard as she could. The strike was like hitting concrete for her, but it was enough to make the vigilante loosen his grip enough to retract her rifle into her arm, and then extend it back out into her target's torso!

Knocked back, Spider-Man rolled onto his hands and sprung up as the ground exploded with a close range buckshot she fired! "Man, that would be really cool if it wasn't aimed at me!" The red and blue man proclaimed as he grabbed the underside of an I beam and hoisted himself up and over Kaina. "Listen, I don't want to fight, I just want some answers!" 

'Nagant, I don't care if he's missing a limb when you bring him in, stop him!' The handler's voice said, making her grit her teeth in aggravation. 

She loaded her rifle, turned, and aimed at the wall crawler as he landed on an overhead perch and raised his hands. The show I'd disarmament caused the markswoman to falter….as a similar scene replayed in her mind where she gunned down another man who was trying to surrender. 

Spider-Man's one lease and one exposed eye looked into hers, the lens reflecting her visage back to her. "I know you were imprisoned...and why you were…..but I want to hear your side of it."

Kaina felt her blood go cold, 'Nagant. Shoot! Damnnnnntttttt~!' The voice in her ear fizzled out into static. The woman winced at the high pitched whine and pulled the scouts off before tossing it.

When it hit something metal, she turned. 

Surprised to see the armored man standing with his fist raised to get, and a section of his armor lifted up and a glowing light of green threateningly aimed at her. "I tracked you down when my suit picked up the radio signal going to this." The man said holding up her discarded scouter. Nagant gritted her teeth, her fight or flight instincts going to the former…....but looking back to Spider-Man she realized that her situation was completely pointless.

Her arm dropped, her rifle folding back into her arm as her head dropped in defeat. 

"…..fuck." She hissed out quietly. Spider-Man dropped from his perch and watched as she lifted her hand to her head and dug her nails into her scalp, "Fucking…..fuck!" she spat out angrily. 

"Um...." he started, glancing over at his ally, who seemed to be watching her with cold indifference. "This is….going to be a weird question…..but are you ok?" he asked the former pro hero. 

Her head snapped up and her eyes looked into his with a mixture of anger and desperation, ".....what?" she asked. She shook her head, "Are you joking right now?! Do I look ok???!" she yelled as she took a step forward. The armored man raised his arm but Spider-Man signaled him with his hand to halt even as she advanced towards him, "You stupid-you don't have any idea do you? What you've done?" she asked him. She shook her head, "Of course you don't...you don't see it."

Spider-Man looked back to her, "Just….tell us…..what is going on here?"

Her eyes looked into his exposed one...it reminded her of her own….when she was young.

"....it's fragile….you know." she said, glancing over and out to the city section she had been scoping out. She saw the vigilante tilt his head curiously, "You saw it…..how easily someone was able to manipulate the system…..to get their own way." she continued, the vigilante's body tensing slightly as he recalled the Kingpin's way of using the systems in place. "People are led to believe that with heroes, our way of life isn't something that can just be easily changed, that with all the hard work they put in that things can only be ok." she said with a deep rooted bitter tone. She turned her head back, her gaze focused down…..looking at her hands...her blood covered hands that only she knew about.

"....they came to me when I was young…..they saw potential in what my quirk offered. THey put me through school, special training, an internship, even got me a license early so I could be a pro hero as soon as possible." she recalled, thinking back to her childhood. ".....but then, they started asking me to do things….for the greater good…..take out this group who are known criminals but we don't have evidence of yet. Stop a criminal before they commit a crime....stop vigilantes from breaking the law." she listed off, each deed making her voice quiver more and more before she took a breath to steady itself. "All for upholding the status quo."

"But it's a lie…..the truth is that this hero society we have isn't indestructible…..and the people in charge of it are so scared of losing control of it that they'll do anything….have anything done to ensure it continues." she shakily said. She looked up at the vigilante…and Izuku saw more in her eyes…..he saw despair….he saw anguish…..and guilt. ".....one less vigilante is just a DROP, in the bucket of blood for what the Safety Commission has done to maintain order."

Izuku glanced over at his ally, the armored man's arm lowering as he spoke, "You were imprisoned the last ten years...why? If you're their attack dog, why would they just lock you up without telling anyone?" he asked.

Her head turned to him, her dead-eyed expression reflected back to her in the green helmet he wore, ".....I wanted to tip the damn bucket....and I just ended up with blood all over me instead." She looked back at the vigilante. "I was their assassin...working in the dark so that the heroes in the light could shine brighter. If I made it to a court? I'd say everything…..so it couldn't go to court."

Izuku's throat tightened up, he looked over at his ally, thinking back to what he said….how Nagant had apparently killed the former president of the Public Safety Commission. And if he understood what she was saying…..it was far from the worst she had done…..and all in the name of maintaining peace, "You...you killed people….for the HPSC. And they….they threw you away." was all he could say.

She let out a breath through her nose, "Yeah...I have." she admitted freely. She watched the way the vigilante's shoulders dropped, "Congratulations…you're one day older." she said with biting sarcasm. 

"Shut it." the armored man said, "Tell us everything, dates, names-"

"And what?" she asked him, giving him a critical look, "What will that even accomplish? I tell you every horrible thing I did, then what? You tell someone? They don't believe you. Or if they do, they get shut down, or disappear, and that's if you're lucky." she retorted before letting out a bitter laugh. "I mean hell…..it's what they're going to do to me." she said, knowing that with her mission failed this was now the only fate that awaited her.

The armored man glowered at her as he was about to take a step forward, demanding to know the answers he needed, Spider-Man beat him to it. 

"Do they know where you are right now?" he asked, Nagant looked at him and then turned her gaze to the scouter that the green man held.

"They were tracking me with that…..I'm guessing you're jamming that somehow?" she guessed. He nodded, "Well there you go, they told me if that goes outside of a mission area, or it's destroyed, HPSC agents will be here 

He held up the device, "Yeah, lucky for you."

Nagant opened her mouth to retort but stopped when she heard a shuffling sound, they both turned and were both stupefied to see Spider-Man…..pulling out a wallet? "Nine, ten…..eleven…..twelve." he turned to his armored friend, "Weird question but do you have any cash on you right now?" he asked.

"...um...no?" 

"Oh, ok then." The vigilante replied before pulling out a stack of Yen, "You're really lucky I got paid today, I usually don't keep this much on me." he said before walking over to Nagant. She blinked in confusion before he took her hand and put the money in it, "This should be enough to get you on a train to….well almost anywhere in Japan, I figure you can't go to an airport so-"

"What the fuck are you doing?" Nagant and the armored man asked at the same time.

Spider-Man looked between them, "I'm helping her." he replied simply as though that explained everything before handing her the money he had.

He couldn't see it, but the man in the green armor's jaw dropped while Nagant blinked at him. "......do you really expect me to start a whole new life with just…." she shifted through the money and counted it. "....twelve thousand yen?" he asked with every ounce of skepticism she could muster.

"....I mean.....you kinda give off a 'secret agent who can do anything with just a paperclip vibe' so.....kind of?" the vigilante sheepishly replied.

"......oh my god you brought down the Kingpin?" the former pro hero sighed to herself as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look…..this is a very nice gesture, really. But even if I ran as far as I could as fast as I could, they would eventually find me." she explained, "So unless you want to volunteer yourself to take my place, I am….." she trailed off as she looked up at him. Then looked over to the armored man with them…..who was currently jamming the only device that could transmit data to the HSPC. 

"......do you really want to help me?" she asked the vigilante.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "But on one condition, no one dies." he added with a stern tone.

"Wait, hold on-" the armored third interrupted, "-your just going to trust her?? She shot at you!" he asked as he gestured to Nagant, who met his gesture with a sharp look.

Spider-Man turned to him, "Look, I know that this isn't what you were….well, looking for. But she's a victim of the HSPC, and if she is in danger of being killed by them then I can't just sit around and do nothing." he replied firmly as his eyes focused with determination. "I'm sorry you can't use the answers you've got, but she needs help. Just like I did earlier, and you saved me. So I'm asking you to do the same with her....if not, I understand." 

The green armored man's eye looked at him, he looked down at the scouter he held in his hand. And then to Nagant, ".....what's the play?" he asked.

(Now)

Kotaro pulled on the mask...but it didn't move. "What the-" he tugged again, harder, but the fabric didn't come off. "Is….is his damn mask sticking to his face?"

Suddenly the vigilante looked up, "Hey hasn't anyone told you it's rude to take off someone's mask without their permission?" 

TINK!

An explosion of gas swept through the room as a pumpkin bomb exploded, Kotaro covered her mouth with his arm to block the smoke from being inhaled, hearing the other agents coughing he could see them turn on the lights of their rifles through the smoke. Spider-Man rolled back towards Kaina, tossing the power cuffs that had never been locked off easily, "So, good news for me, Scorpion's venom wore off! Bad news for you guys, my webs are back." he said before unleashing a large net of webbing across the room, aiming at the lights in the smoke in particular behind Kotaro who tried to step away only to walk onto webbing which trapped him in place.

When the smoke cleared with the wind blowing through the still under construction floor, the entire tactical team had been bound to the equipment, metal beams, makeshift walls, or each other, with webbing. And Spider-Man posed crouched in front of Kaina with his arms out and his fingers on the palms of his hands while Kaina's rifle extended out of her elbow and aimed at Kotaro.

"Y-you! What do you think you're doing?!" he barked at her, his composure finally cracking, "You stupid bitch! Did you listen to a single thing I said to you?! You're dead! You hear me??" he snarled at her as the vigilante stood up and aimed his webshooter at his mouth, only for Kaina to move past him towards the HPSC agent. 

Her rifle was up and aimed at the man's chest as she approached him, and for the first time since she met Kotaro, she saw a flash of fear in his eyes as the situation seemed to dawn on him. She couldn't lie, the look of fear on someone from the Commission's face made a part of her feel satisfied...but another disgusted….especially when she felt the eyes of the vigilante who decided to trust her with his well-being watching her.

She held up the round she had shown him before, the non-lethal Blunt Round, and loaded it into her hand before aiming it at him. "I listened to everything you said. In fact I did more than listen." she pointed at the scouter, "My new friend here has some nifty tech, was able to make it so this could record everything it sees and upload it to a secured server that I have access to. So everything you said? It's recorded. And ready to be sent to every news outlet and organization across the globe." she said, and to prove her point she tapped the device.

A small projection shined on the device's monitor that was over her eye, she leaned in close enough to show him the video recorded the entire conversation they just had. Including how he admitted that the HPSC had ordered killings. The look of horror that dawned on Kotaro's expression actually made her smirk.

"So here's my counter offer. I leave here, you don't look for me. I live my life, this doesn't see the light of day. And if I ever see any of your agents, and I can pick one out in a crowd, I won't fucking hesitate to ruin you and the HPSC." she threatened as Spider-Man walked up beside her, his gaze fell to the floor…..and he nodded in understanding before training his eyes on the wall crawler.

".....I'm going to ruin you, you stupid child." he threatened. 

Spider-Man's arms folded across his chests, "Now, now no need to name-calling. But you know, you're right, I am a child. And like a child, I'm going to be making a big mess for you to clean up when I find some way to expose you." 

His lenses narrowed, "But if I hear about the commission trying the same thing they didn't with Kaina here?" he asked before throwing his fist out into a metal I beam in bending it the other way, not breaking eye contact with the agent, "I will pay you a very, personal, visit." he threatened before turning away and walking away with Nagant.

Kotaro watched as they left, the anger never leaving his eyes as they left.

After swinging Kaina back to the building she had initially taken aim at him from, Spider-Man watched as a motion of green and purple swooped down at the base of the construction site and blew up the trucks that the agents took to get here. ".....I'm think blowing up the transport is kind of…..overkill…..and a little mean." he said.

Kaina gave him a look, "This, coming from the guy who I just saw threaten a man by punching a steel girder and bending it backwards?" she asked skeptically.

"First off that was more of a bluff if I'm being honest...and second, I wasn't really sure if it was gonna bend, I never really punched anything as hard as I can regularly." he admitted, looking down at his hand he used to make his point. He looked over to Kaina, ".....are you ok?" he asked.

The former pro hero took a long breath, "That's...a complicated question kid."

The wall crawler's head dipped a little, "Yeah…..I imagine so."

She let out the breath she was holding, "I feel.....numb...like I can't believe this actually worked and I'm ready for the other shoe to drop." she explained.

Izuku knew that feeling well, he had felt the same when he was first discovering his powers after a lifetime of not having any. ".....well, speaking from experience when you have a life changing moment like this? It's ok to just...recover for a bit, you don't need to do anything right this moment but…..let it wash over." he said knowingly.

The former pro smiled a little, "That…..sounds nice." she admitted but then frowned, ".....i don't think I deserve it though kid. What I did....the HPSC were hypocrites for locking me up…..but that doesn't just….."

Spider-Man turned to her, "I'm not saying it does." he interrupted, "You killed people...it's not simple, I know that. You were doing what you were led to believe was for the greater good. And you tried to get back control the only way you could see at the time." he said, having had plenty of time to think of this while Nagant and him waited for the HPSC to arrive at the scene. Nagant turned to him and was met with him staring at her, "I can't fault you for what you did....but I'll tell you this now, if you step out of line? If you kill again? I will take you down." 

Kaina stared at him for a long time before slowly nodding in understanding, "Alright…..that's fair." she agreed. And if she was honest…..a small part of her was relieved that she wasn't being let off the hook entirely. So it was a big surprise when she saw the vigilante pull out the money he attempted to give her earlier, "What's this?"

"It's for starting a new life....do something good with it. Getting a second chance is....you can't waste it." he said, his voice conveying he knew all too well what he was talking about. 

Kaina looked down at the yen, and then took it, ".....thank you." she said before turning around and walking to the stairwell access door. As she left, she looked back at the vigilante. And felt herself smile again....who would have thought a vigilante of all things would have the essence of a hero more than some pros she's met?

Minutes later, Spider-Man watched as the armored ally arrived, flying over on his glider and hovering in the air in front of the ledge he was perched on, "She gone?" he asked.

"Yeah...I told her that if she….backslides. I'll be there to bring her in." he explained.

The armored man crossed his arms, "I gotta admit…..I don't really know what to make of you." Spider-Man looked at him quizzically, "I mean, you find out the HPSC is corrupt, and the one person who can get you evidence to nail them you just…..let walk away because….." he trailed off, looking away. 

"She was a victim….in her own way. And yeah, she did some terrible things but she's going to live with that for the rest of her life." Spider-Man replied, "But I think she only did what she did because she was misled in wanting to help people…..hopefully now she can find a way to do that. Kinda like how you helped me today." causing his ally to turn his head to him in surprise.

He looked down at the glider he was riding, the wing that Nagant had hit was fine but he'd need to repair it. ".....I don't really know what I'm doing yet....I've been...I've been learning a lot recently. About the HPSC, about heroes, and villains, and what's going on in Japan. But I didn't think I could do anything...and then I saw you." he said looking up at the surprised vigilante, "Fighting the Kingpin of Crime, not a pro hero, just….some guy in a costume with a quirk. Standing up to someone who had been feeding off people's misery....so I decided to do something." he admitted, rubbing the back of his helm. "What I'm trying to say is...you inspired me…"

Izuku swore he felt tears gather in his eyes at the words but thankfully his mask didn't show it, "I…..thank you….that means a lot...and for what it's worth, I think your doing pretty good at being a hero…..er….vigilante." he corrected, making the armored man chuckle alongside Spider-Man. "So what's next for you then?" he asked.

The armored man put his hands on his hips, "Honestly I'm not sure...I want to go after the Commission but honestly I think this sends a pretty clear message." he said, looking back at the construction site where they could still make out the shapes of the trapped agents. "I think...maybe I should do what you do, try and help people more." he decided. "Up until now I've been keeping such a close eye on the commission I….haven't really helped anyone like today."

Spider-Man stood up, "Never too late to start." he replied jovially.

The armored man turned his head, "Yeah….guess not….see ya round Spider-Man." he said before turning the glider and flying off, the sun beginning to set on the horizon as he flew into the distance as Spider-Man leapt from the building and swung away through the city in the direction of his apartment.

He still felt a sharp pain in his back on occasion but it was nowhere near as bad as it was when Scorpion first pierced him. "Ngh, I'm going to go home, take a nice, long bath. And then watch hero videos until I fall asleep." he decided until his phone rang. "...could just not pick it up." he muttered to himself, swinging over to the side of a building and sticking to it before pulling his phone out. His mood immediately shifted when he saw it was Kendo's number. Pulling his mask up over his mouth, he answered, "H-hey Itsuka! How's it going?" he asked, cringing a little at how he stuttered.

"Izuku, hey, I'm good. Thanks, um, look I know this is kind of short notice but do you have any plans after school tomorrow?" she asked.

Izuku felt himself slide down the wall as his heartrate accelerated at the implications, "I-er-um-no! No, I'm totally free!" he replied in a slightly higher pitched voice. Was she really about to ask him out????

"Oh, good, see the pro hero investigating Eri's case is going to drop by tomorrow and, well you're the one who found her so he'll probably want to talk to you." she explained.

.....this is the first time in my entire life I'm LESS excited about the idea of meeting a pro hero than anything else. He realized, his….expectations somewhat dashed, but his interest however still stood strong. "Oh! Yeah, of course...um, how is Eri?" he asked.

He heard her sigh a little, "She's ok, she's with my mom watching a Disney movie...well, one that doesn't have any death or violence in it which is a surprising number of them." she joked slightly. Izuku chuckled at the observation, filing that away for a possible quip to use later. "But um....Izuku can I ask you something?" 

He blinked at her serious tone, "Y-Yeah, of course."

"Has...Eri ever smiled? I mean when you first found her, I get why she wouldn't in that situation but….afterword did she?" she asked.

Izuku paused and thought about it….and then frowned when he couldn't recall ever seeing the little girl smile. "Now that you mention it…..no….she didn't...has she…"

"No, she hasn't...I guess I shouldn't be surprised really. What she's been through…." she trailed off. 

Izuku turned and leaned his back against the wall, flinching at the stinging sensation but ignoring it. He had wanted to be just like All Might, saving people with a smile that reassured them that everything would be ok…..which he somewhat achieved through the bevy of quips and admittedly lame jokes he made while the mask was on. But what good was that…..what good was he if he couldn't get a little girl to smile after being through so much? What good was he if he couldn't show her that despite all the darkness the world held there was still light in it which held joy, that held love and life and safety? 

Useless…. He thought dourly. 

".....is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"Well...I think coming over to see her tomorrow will help. She was sad when you and your mom left, and I had to explain that you two couldn't just move into the dojo downstairs and live with us." she replied amusingly. It made Izuku smile, but only lifted his spirits a little.

The Scorpion had got away without a trace, the HPSC was more than likely still going after him and after the stunt he pulled, probably wouldn't be pulling any punches. But somehow, for some reason, the fact that he in a sense had failed to completely save Eri yet seemed a much bigger failure than either of those. And the worst part was there was nothing he could really do about any of it.

"...um…..Itsuka, I might….have an idea for something that might cheer Eri up…..but it's…..well it's kinda stupid." He said as a possible thought came to mind. 

"…stupid how?" she inquired.

 He told her.

"Ok that's….kinda stupid. I mean, it's very sweet of you but what are the odds you'll be able to pull it off?" She asked with a healthy dose of skepticism to his idea. "And I'm just going to add now, if you do something stupidly dangerous to try and pull this off, I WILL slug you when you come over here tomorrow." She threatened.

"Erm…..y-yes ma'am." He whimpered in understandable fear, imagining her growing her fist to maximum size to 'slug' him. "But…..will your dad be ok with it?"

"Well…..what he doesn't know right? Besides he's working late getting everything filed away for Eri. And my mom is actually going to visit yours, apparently she found some old recipes after making those Wheatcakes this morning." She explained before humming happily in memory of the sweet breakfast. 

"Ok...um….I'll let you know if I can get this going. See you tomorrow then." 

"See you then…..and Izuku?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a sweetheart for doing this." She said before hanging up.

"....hoooboy I…..I have it BAD."

Once Itsuka's mom left for Inko's, only she and Eri were left in the house. Thankfully with the promise of returning before her bedtime, Eri was content to sit with Itsuka and watch Lady and the Tramp, ironically the little girl watched the movie with rapt attention while Felicia was snuggly curled in her lap on the couch. And given how it'd been a while since she saw it, Itsuka joined her in watching, "Why is that doggy giving the other doggy spaghetti?" Eri asked as she pointed at the TV.

Ituska snorted but couldn't help but watch the scene on the screen unfold with a fond expression, "The Tramp is trying to be nice to her because he likes her." she said. Eri hummed in contemplation at the explanation as Itsuka felt her phone buzz with a message. Taking it out, she read the message, and her eyes bulged at what she read, "Oh holy sh-" she stopped herself, coughing into her hand when Eri turned to her questionably. "Erm, hey, Eri? Do you mind if we pause this really quick? There's….well, I have a little surprise to show you." 

The white haired girl tilted her head questionably, she had actually gotten a couple surprises lately that weren't bad like the ones she got before…..and it was Itsuka, so it must be a good one. She nodded, and Itsuka paused the movie, moved the cat off her lap (which the little furball let out a noise at being disturbed by but as soon as she was set down went back to purring) and led her downstairs and out the back door by the hand.

Reaching the back yard, Itsuka looked around briefly, their fenced in backyard wasn't really much, just about as much grass back here as half the length of the street but she still had enough fond memories out here from growing up. Turning to Eri, she knelt down to her eye level and smiled, "So, Eri, I think you're going to like this surprise, but I want you to keep this between you and me. Ok?" she asked.

"Huh? Why?" Eri asked.

Because I think I might get grounded for this. She thought to herself dryly. "Well...because I want this to be our little secret, ok?" she asked.

Eri seemed unsure, actually more confused than anything, but nodded. She then stood up, cleared her throat, and called out, "Ok, you can come out now." she said before a figure, perched atop her house leapt off and with a flip, landed gracefully on the ground in front of the pair. Eri jumped skittishly at the movement, but once she saw who it was, all nervousness, all traces of fear left her.

"Heya Eri, told ya I'd see you again." Spider-Man greeted her in a friendly voice. The little girl's eyes widened and her legs carried her forward until she slammed into the vigilante's chest, throwing her arms around him, "Woah! Ok, hugs." the masked teen laughed as he returned the embrace gently.

Eri held the hug for a few seconds before stepping back and looking at him, small tears in her eyes not of sorrow, but relief, "Y-Y-Your here..." she hiccuped, the corners of her mouth twitching as she felt as though a great burden had been lifted from her small shoulders. 

Spider-Man tilted his head, "Well of course I am, I promised we'd see each other again." he said.

And that's when it happened. Eri smiled, it was one that radiated nothing but pure, unadulterated joy. Her entire face, her entire being seemed to just….brighten from the act, like a dark cloud that had been latching onto her had finally been pulled off her. It made all the suffering, all the failures that Izuku had today more than worth it. He'd let Scorpion sting him a hundred times if it meant this child, this innocent life that had suffered so much would be granted such joy.

Itsuka watched the scene unfold with her own smile, her own heart feeling lighter upon seeing the little girl's beaming smile for the first time. Eri turned to her, "Kendo! Kendo it's Spidey! He's here!" she excitedly proclaimed, making the older girl laugh.

"I see that." she said as she folded her arms across her chest while Eri turned to the wall crawler again.

"How are you Eri?" he asked her patiently. Eri then went on a retelling of the events that he was all but well aware of, it didn't matter though, seeing her smiling? He'd gladly hear her talk about whatever her heart desired. 

"-and then I woke up this morning, and I got to meet Deku's mom, she's really nice like him. And she made us whet….wheatcakes?" she continued unsurely but only faltering her smile for a second. "And then Deku had to leave, which…was sad…but I got to spend all day with Kendo, and I helped her train by sitting on her back while she did push ups!" she continued excitedly.

Spider-Man chuckled, "Sounds like you had a good day….and more importantly that your happy here."

She nodded eagerly, "I am! It's…..it's nice here." she finished shyly, her smile damped slightly though her overall demeanor had shifted into a more positive one, "....oh, um….what did you do today Spidey?" she asked, remembering her manners.

Izuku thought back on the events of the day...…and decided that it was probably for the best if he kind of just fibbed. "Well I helped some people, stopped some bad people, and tried to do good. And I got to check in on a friend, so that was nice." he said knowingly, making Eri smile again. 

But it faltered when she realized he was 'checking in'. "So…..you can't stay?" she asked sadly.

He reached out and gently put his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Eri, but I can't. As much as I want to, I have responsibilities."

Eri's face scrunched up at the word, "Re….reponser….responsi….what's that?" she asked, Itsuka had to cover her mouth to stifle her titter at the little girl's attempt at a larger word. 

"It means that…..I have things that I have to do, because I can do them. Like….saving you from the bad man, I could help you so I did. And I gotta do that for everyone, because I can." he explained.

Eri's eyes blinked, "...woah." was her simple response. 

"Yeah. Pretty much, but I wanted to make sure that you were happy and healthy in your new home." he told her.

Eri turned back to Kendo, smiled at her, and then turned back to Spider-Man, "I am." she replied, and Itsuka felt like her chest might not contain her heart from the way it grew a size.

Must...contain…..cuteness! She thought, clutching her chest as Eri's back was to her like she was having a stroke of fluff. 

Izuku sympathized, "That's good...I can't promise I'll be around anytime soon Eri…..but I don't think you'll need me as long as you have this new family." he said.

Eri nodded, "mmmhhmmm! Deku and Kendo are the best."

That caused both teen's faces to turn red, Itsuka's brain short circuiting for a moment while Spider-Man forced himself to do everything in his power not to stutter, "Thats….good. Very. Good." he replied very robotically as he stood up. Eri walked over, and gave him one last hug, snapping him out of his momentary stun, his hand patted her head, careful to avoid her horn before stepping back, casting out a webline, and pulling himself into the sky. 

Itsuka, after taking a minute to calm down, led Eri back inside the house...and while that last comment made her heart skip a beat, it was worth it to have this little girl smiling again.