Chapter 11: The Dealings of Demons
After the near noon escapade, Izuku decided to take a long nap. He only woke up when his body told him he hadn't eaten anything today, making him make a quick frozen dinner from the fridge. His mom was home by then, which she then showed him that he was on the news.
And as he ate, they both watched an interview on the television, the reporters talking to kids at the park playground he had saved. They were all saying how amazing he was, saying how Spider-Man stopped the runaway van. And as Izuku stared at the screen, Inko could only chuckle as she saw her son tear up at the words he was hearing.
She had had her doubts over the whole 'vigilante first, hero later' thing, but seeing this made her realize this truly was what Izuku wanted. She knew she couldn't fully support it, but she would do enough. His mother gave him a soft hug at this, saying she was proud of him as Izuku hugged back.
"Thanks mom." was all he said before finishing his meal.
An hour later, he checked his online class, refilled the web shooters and put his costume back on. Inko asked him if he could just hunt the tracker tomorrow, but he told her he thought it could be discovered by then. As such, he turned invisible, crawled out of his window and swung into the city.
Now, the tracker had a limited range, meaning he would have to swing through the city till he got a signal. As such, he zipped around the place for over an hour, the teen starting to think his new invention must have been found and destroyed, or it just didn't work.
But as it hit the two hour mark, his tracker let out a beep. Glancing down at it, he began to follow it, taking a few turns before turning the volume down on the tracker. And as he continued to swing, he found he was going to a nearby port, where a bunch of warehouses were at.
'Classic bad guy hiding spot.' he thought to himself as he landed on one of the warehouses before looking at the tracker again, 'Hmm...looks like its close.'
He ran on top a few of the warehouses, leaping over one after another before coming to a stop inbetween two of them. The tracker now no longer moving, he glanced down and saw the black van from before sitting there...along with three more black vans and a black colored semi truck.
'Seriously?! How many cars do these guys have?!' he thought before seeing there were also a bunch of motorcycles to the side, along with a few semis that were colored brown. 'Those aren't theirs...I think. Is this place someone else's?'
He fired a web line over to the warehouse, zipping to its roof and crawling down its side to a nearby window. And when he glanced inside, he went wide-eyed. It was the masked thugs from before, some with katanas, others with guns as they were having a staredown with a bunch of other thugs. These were dressed like bikers, though most have mutant heads, like tigers and sharks. Behind those thugs were piles of boxes and a few motorcycles, along with desks with a bunch of different equipment.
"Tombstone's gang..." he whispered before pressing his hand to the glass. He gave it a silent push, slowly opening it up to hear the conversation.
"Listen here!" one of the masked men yelled, Izuku surprised he could understand him. "We are claiming Musutafu as ours." He pointed his gun at one of Tombstone's men, "Tell Tombstone you will all leave town now, or we kill you all."
The gang members all just stared at the masked man, only to start laughing. It was an uproar of laughter, certain animal noises coming out as well as a tiger man pointed at the masked man, "Are you serious? Do you not know who our boss is?! He kills idiots like you for breakfast." He then pointed at himself, "And we'll do the same to you."
Izuku's eyes went back and forth at this, now seeing multiple masked men charge the familiar black and white energy in their hands as Tombstone's thugs pulled out syringes. 'No way...am I about to see a gang war happen here?!' That thought made his eyes shrink, 'Oh no...what do I do?! If they start fighting, they'll kill each other! But...is that good? I mean, they're all criminals and villains...'
He bit his lip at this, seeing both sides stand off as he felt time slow for himself, 'Shoot...what do I do here?! I was hoping to get here and maybe stealthily take them out, but...'
He took a deep breath at this and fully opened the window, ready to go inside before he stopped himself, 'Wait...am I just being stupid here? Maybe I should just call the heroes.' He blinked for a second, only to hear one of the thugs cock his gun, 'Then again, the closest hero is quite a ways away, and if they start fighting now, it'll be too late. Got no choice...but I shouldn't be dumb here.'
He then glanced around at the ceiling, only to see the dangling spotlights above the group. A bulb instantly appeared over his brain, the teen quickly ducking out of the warehouse. "There's an idea..." he whispered to himself as he hopped off the building. He slowly walked down the side of the warehouse, soon finding what he was looking for: A breaker panel.
"This should help." As he walked up to it, now seeing a big lock on it. He yanked it off, glad his super strength made it easy. He then opened the door and grinned at the sight. Nothing but wires and switches, the hero quickly flicking a few off.
The place went dark instantly, yells and screams now happening inside the warehouse. "That should stop their party for a bit." He then fired a web line and yanked himself back up to the roof. The teen opened a new window, now seeing Tombstone's gang turn on some lamps they had around while yelling at the masked thugs as they continued to summon that black and white energy, bare lights now beginning to light up the place. Seeing this, Izuku crawled up to the ceiling and landed on a small rafter. Pointing his wrists at the thugs, he knew what he had to go for first.
Thwip!
Webbing shot down and grabbed the thugs' guns, Izuku quickly yanking them away. The masked men began to yell at this, only for webbing to shoot down and grab their swords next. Seeing this, everyone looked up, now seeing a pitch-black ceiling, just barely able to see a dark green figure.
"Hi fellas! Mind if I join the party?!" Izuku exclaimed before electricity began to surge around his fist. 'Now, let's try my very first super move.' He leapt off the rafter, aiming himself right in the middle of Tombstone's gang and slammed his fist into the floor, "Venom Smash!"
BOOM!
Electricity blasted out of him, zapping over half of Tombstone's gang. The thugs were flung all over the place, crashing into piles of boxes. Izuku then looked up to see the masked men charging at him, Izuku's spider sense blaring at him, telling him that someone was charging at him from behind. He then leaped at the first masked thug that was about to reach him, only to grab the thug's shoulders and flipped over him. A shark man then collided with the masked man, Izuku charging another Venom attack as he landed and punched the next thug about to attack him. The thug flew across the place, colliding with two masked men.
And as he this happened, a bulky masked thug ran up to him, Izuku sighing at the sight. "I knew it. You're quadruplets." The thug then swung a fist at the vigilante, Izuku ducking as energy poured out of the thug's fist...which shot out and hit another Tombstone thug.
"Kill the spider! Kill him!" yelled another thug as two leapt at Izuku, only for the teen to slide under the bulky thug's legs. He then spun around, charging his right fist.
"Venom Punch!" He yelled as he slammed the bio-electric fist into the bulky thug's back, knocking him into the two thugs from before. As he did this, a tiger man leapt at him next, Izuku firing a blast of webs at his face, covering his eyes.
"Augh!" the tiger man yelped as he crashed next, Izuku then firing two web lines at the ceiling, yanking himself back up to the rafters.
"He's up there!" barked one of the masked men, only for a shot of webbing to hit his foot, Izuku yanking it. "Whoa!"
Webbing covered the thug next, tying him to the floor. Seeing this, one of the masked men yelled, "Flee! The Spider is taking all of us out! We must inform the master that this has failed!"
Izuku let out a gasp, "Whoa...did I just do all that? That was...awesome." He then looked back down at the warehouse, now seeing the masked thugs quickly race out of the building. He was about to give chase, only to spot one of the Tombstone's thugs grabbing a gun. He fired a web at this, yanking it out of his hand. "Hey! No killing on my watch!" Izuku then leapt down, now finding himself facing ten Tombstone thugs.
"You think you can take us?!" one of the gang members growled as they pulled out a syringe.
"Er...maybe? I mean, I've made most of this up to this point. Like, I just did the most awesome stuff I've ever done as Spider-Man right now and I have no idea how I did it. Heck, I still can't believe this is going so-"
Danger!
Izuku went wide-eyed at his spider sense yelling at him, making him stop his muttering storm and fire web lines up at the ceiling. But as he tried to yank himself upward, a masked thug leapt at him with a katana, swinging it as an energy wave shot out of it. "Yaugh!" Izuku screamed as the wave hit him, an explosion coming next, the blow making the teen go flying over the Tombstone thugs, throwing him across the warehouse before crashing into a pile of boxes.
"Whoa..." one of thugs commented as they watched this happen before turning back to see five remaining masked men. "Get them!"
The rest of Tombstone's gang charged at the masked men, a mighty clash soon happening as Izuku pulled his head out of the boxes. Rubbing his back next, he slowly got up with a groan, "Ouch...that stung." He glanced back up and saw the Tombstone gang pushed the masked men back, blinking at the sight before cricking his back for a second. "Okay...didn't exactly go as planned. Though to be fair, I think I did really well there..."
Izuku could feel the adrenaline leaving him as he flexed his back, pain still surging through him before firing a web line up to the rafters. Zipping himself up there, he looked back down and saw the Tombstone gang take out the last masked man, only for a gorilla man to stab himself with a thing of Trigger, letting out a roar. He then leapt up at him, Izuku going wide-eyed at this as the beast landed on the rafter and swung a punch at him. The teen backpedaled, dodging the first jab before a second fist slammed into the teen's stomach.
"Urk!" Izuku yelped as the blow knocked him off his feet, his body rocketing up before his back hit the ceiling. He felt the pain surge through his body before falling, his eyes closing for a second as his spider sense yelled at him, making him jerk his eyes back open. Izuku then stretched out his right arm, pulling it as he grabbed the rafter from before as he barely got a grip on the metal beam. He then glanced up to see the gorilla man running over to him, soon standing over the teen while pulling back a fist. And as the thug was about to hit him again, Izuku let go off the rafter, dodging the blow.
He fired a line of webbing next, yanking it as he swung himself over to another rafter. And as he landed on it, his spider sense rang out, glancing back to see the gorilla man leapt at him, only for Izuku to point his wrist at him and fired a blast of webbing. The webs hit the thug's eyes mid-jump, making him yelp as he then overshot over the rafter, hitting the warehouse's wall face first before falling and crashing into a pile of boxes. Izuku looked back at the thug as he slumped over, aiming his wrist at the pile before firing a giant net of webbing, covering the whole pile.
"Please don't get up." Izuku commented before looking back at the others in the room. He saw that there were only three members of the Tombstone gang still on their feet. Closing one of his eyes, he fired webbing at two, grabbing their feet and yanking them upward. They flipped over, heads hitting the floor before Izuku fired some more webbing, trapping them both to the ground.
Seeing this, the last thug gasped before glaring up at the rafters, "You won't surprise me Spider-Man! I'll kill you!" But as he yelled that, Izuku took a deep breath before turning invisible. He then swung across the warehouse before firing a web line upward, flipping over and silently letting himself down.
"You hear me?! You're dead! I'll-"
ZAP!
"Augh!" the thug yelped as Izuku tapped his shoulder, sending electricity through his system. He flopped over a second later before Izuku webbed him down to the floor.
Izuku then cricked his back, groaning in pain before pushing in his shoulder. Letting out a low moan, he let out a deep breath. "Urgh...that hurt." He then stared down at his hands, flexing them for a second. "It feels like I'm really getting the hang of this...but I still made a ton of mistakes. Guess that's part of being a worthless Deku." He looked back at the warehouse, now seeing the huge mess the fight had caused.
"I better call the police to clean this up." He pulled out his phone next, only to stop himself. "Wait...they could trace me." He glanced down at the thug he had just pinned to the floor and leaned down, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. "Here we go."
Tapping a few buttons, he put it to his ear as he spoke up, "Hello? I'd like to give an anonymous tip."
Izuku wasn't sure what time it was when he got home. All he knew was that he went into a situation that was way over his head, beat up more criminals than he could count and felt like he was about to die. And as he got home in the deep dark cloak of the night, quickly scurrying into bed, half his body still in costume, he let out a moan. "Guess I broke my promise to mom...I totally went too far today."
Sleep soon came after this, his eyes fully closed as he let out a long sigh.
Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa wanted to go home for the night. Again.
Letting out a long sigh, he drove out to the ports of the city, soon coming to a stop at a certain warehouse. About an hour ago, the police had gotten an anonymous tip. And by anonymous, it was totally a teenager trying to mask his voice, and Naomasa knew who it was. It was Spider-Man.
Knowing this meant it was probably a mess he was going to have to clean up, he asked for a full police van and some extra police cars, along with a pro hero, this time being Kamui Woods. The two soon arrived at the place, getting out of the vehicle and slowly walking into the warehouse.
Opening it up, they saw the power was still out and most of the thugs were still webbed to the floor or walls. Seeing this, he told one of the officers to go find the breaker as Kamui Woods used his quirk to gather up the criminals. And as the lights soon came on, Naomasa went wide-eyed along with several officers. Though some crates were destroyed, they knew what operation this was. It was full-on drug stash warehouse.
Loads of Trigger were in the boxes, the detective taking a deep breath at the sight before gesturing to one of the officers, "Call headquarters. We just got a lot of extra work to do here, and I want to keep as much as we can under wraps."
And as the officer nodded and ran back to the car, the detective shook his head, "Spider-Man...you're a real piece of work. If it got out a vigilante did all this, the commission would put a bounty on your head for sure."
Sighing again, he walked through the building and up to one of the desks, leaning over and finding a marked map of the city. "Tombstone, huh? Looks like he's doing drugs again, just like Fat Gum said." He glanced the paper over, "If the Inner Demons want this operation, it could lead to a full-on gang war."
The detective then grimaced at his next words, "And Spider-Man may have just forced it to happen sooner than either side expected."
Chapter 12: A Normal Day
Izuku hated his yesterday self. Despite his super slow healing factor, his body did not like getting hurt, and the blows he had taken were now making his body scream at him. Pain surged through him as he woke up, went to the bathroom, did his morning routine, everything. The pain wouldn't go away.
And as Inko saw this, she told him no on being Spider-Man today.
Izuku wanted to argue, only for Inko to drag him to FEAST. And as she did this, Izuku successfully got most of his costume under his clothes and put the rest in his backpack. His mother knew he had done this, but she also knew she couldn't make him not bring it.
As such, the two were now at FEAST, Izuku still feeling the pain in his back, though only slightly now. His mother surmised he might have a cracked rib or two, but Izuku told her he would be just fine. And as they got to FEAST, Gloria got Izuku to work instantly. A food delivery truck arrived just as Izuku got there, and he found himself helping unload it.
An hour or so later, he was helping in the kitchen, only for Martin Li to walk into to room. "Ah! Izuku and Mrs. Inko. Nice to see you both here again."
"Oh, hello Mister Li." Inko replied, "How are you today?"
"I'm fine. Say, if you don't mind, could I borrow Izuku for a second?"
Izuku and his mother exchanged a glance before the teen nodded, "Sure. W-w-what do you need?"
"It'd be better to show you. Follow me." Inko gave Izuku a quick nod before her son left, the teen following Li until they were outside. There, he saw pair of adults. One was a brown-haired lady with blush cheeks on her face while the other was a tall man with lighter brown hair and a small smile as his expression. "These are the Urarakas."
"Oh, um...h-h-hello." Izuku squeaked out, his form slightly shaking. "I'm I-I-Izuku Midoriya."
Li chuckled at this before leaning over to the two, "Don't worry, you're not scaring him. He does that with everyone." He whispered before turning back to Izuku, "Now, do you know why I'm introducing them to you?" Izuku shook his head, making Li smile, "Well, they're responsible for creating the second FEAST facility."
Izuku went wide-eyed, "Really?"
Li nodded back, "Oh yes. Its a bit aways from here, but their construction company is responsible in making it, and its actually already mostly done. However, they asked me if we have any volunteers that are more free than others."
"Oh..." Izuku slowly replied, only to point to himself, "Wait...you mean m-m-me?!"
Li laughed at this, "Of course! Why else would I introduce you? I know what you're thinking, you've only been with us for just a few days, but I have a feeling I know you well enough Izuku. Not only that, you're strong."
"You sure he is?" Mr. Uraraka asked as he gestured to Izuku.
"Oh yes. He's stronger than most of the guys we have here." Li responded, "Trust me on this."
"Huh. Okay." Mr. Uraraka hummed before looking Izuku over, "Say...how old are ya kid?"
"F-f-fifteen."
"Ah. My daughter's age."
"D-d-daughter?"
"Yup." He chuckled, "She's a student at UA right now, training to be a hero! She's a regular go-getter!"
'UA?! Oh wow...wonder if I could have been her classmate?' Izuku mentally shook his head, 'No! Stop thinking like that Izuku!'
"The expression you're giving says you want to go to UA too. Do you?" The man asked, making Izuku flinch.
He then glanced away, staring at the ground as he muttered out, "I...I can't. I uh...I'm quirkless."
Both Urarakas went wide-eyed at this, Mrs. Uraraka smacking her husband as she whispered, "Apologize to him!"
"Oh, uh...sorry. I um...didn't know." Mr. Uraraka stuttered out, Izuku then shaking his head.
"Its fine. W-w-what do you need me to do?"
The two parents shared a glance before Mr. Uraraka said, "Well, we're already started on the building, but Mister Li here has a bought a building nearby to set up as a storage facility for that FEAST building. However, we don't have the extra manpower to move the first round of supplies for the place. They're coming in later today and were wondering if we could get some extra help."
"Oh, okay. I can do that."
"Great!" Mr. Uraraka clapped his hands, "We're also going to have our daughter come over to help. Her quirk makes things super convenient."
'Her quirk? Wonder what it could be...'
A few hours later...
Izuku's back was no longer hurting. Instead, it was now constantly itchy, something that was somehow worse due to just how annoying it is. Despite this, he found he was able to keep himself from scratching as he was now wasting some time with Howard in FEAST. They were playing a round of chess, a few watching the game, as everyone found themselves unable to beat Izuku. Apparently, Izuku found he was quite good at the game despite never really playing till now. He knew it was something people played in school, but no one would play any game with a quirkless like him.
As such, even the old timers there that had been playing for years found themselves struggling against the teen. Granted, he lost his first two games, but both were close. After this, he found he could play very well against most there.
But as another game ended, Li walked up to the group. "Izuku!"
The teen spun around at this, "Yes Mister Li?"
"I'm about to go over there. You ready?"
"Sure." Izuku nodded and got up, the two soon leaving the place after Izuku told bye to his mom. They got into a small black car, Izuku getting in the passenger seat.
And as Li began to drive through the city, Martin Li turned to Izuku, "So, you doing okay today Izuku?"
The teen glanced over at him, "Um...I think I'm doing well."
Li nodded back, "Good. Do you like helping out at FEAST?"
"Uh, yeah! I um..." Izuku looked away at this, slightly blushing, "I...I really enjoy it."
Li chuckled at this, "I'm glad. And you said you want to be a hero, right? That's why you're doing this?"
"Yeah...I know a lot of heroes don't do charity anymore, but I..."
"You want to be different?" Li asked, Izuku slowly nodding. "That's good. I think you're doing a great thing, thinking that way."
"Thanks..." Izuku muttered out before turning to Li, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Li shrugged.
"Um...do you think someone like me could be a hero?"
"You mean, because you're quirkless?" Li instantly responded, Izuku flinching at his words. Li then shook his head at this, "I think you shouldn't have to ask that."
"I...shouldn't? What do you mean?"
"If you want to be a hero Izuku, then go be a hero." Li replied before looking back at the roads ahead of him. "I made FEAST despite others looking down on me, and I think you can do the same with being a hero."
Izuku just stared at him at that, unable to respond. He had never had someone tell him that. Memories of every day of school flooded his mind, every beating from Katsuki, telling him he couldn't be a hero. Every teacher yelling at him, saying he wasn't allowed to mutter about his notes on future heroic stuff. The explosions that would scar his body every day, blood and bruises as everyone laughed at him as he said he wanted to be a hero.
And yet, Mister Li said he could do it. And he did it so casually. No empty platitude, no half-way talking...just pure bluntness. Izuku's vision switched back to the road ahead, silence consuming him as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.
As he did this, Li just chuckled as he said, "That make you think?" Izuku slowly nodded, "I had a feeling it would. You still haven't helped yourself, have you?" Izuku shook his head, "I see...well, I think being at FEAST will help you get there. I've noticed your stutter is less."
"It...it is?" Izuku muttered.
"Yup. And I think its because you've been helping." He glanced back at the teen, "I gotta say, I'm glad you and your mom have been volunteering. It does more than you can possibly imagine."
"Oh...um...you're welcome." Izuku whispered, Li chuckling again.
"You're a good kid with a good heart, Izuku. Don't ever lose that."
"T-t-thank you." Izuku stuttered out as they took a turn, only for his eyes to slightly widen. "Is that?"
"Yup." Li replied as they stared a mostly complete building in the distance. "That's the new FEAST location. Its almost done." He then turned the car slightly, going to a building across the street, "And here's the storing place I bought."
They soon parked, Izuku getting out as they saw two semis right by the building. At the backs of the vehicles was a brown haired girl in casual clothes that looked like a younger version of Mrs. Uraraka, complete with the face blush marks and everything, and was currently talking to a construction worker. The person then walked away before spun around, blinking at the two before she walked up to them.
"A black suit...are you Mister Li?"
"That's right!" Li nodded, "I'm guessing you're Ochako Uraraka?"
"That's me!" She shined a huge grin and did a thumbs up. "I'm here to help!"
"Good." Li responded before pointing at Izuku, "You already know me, so let me introduce you to my helper here, Izuku Midoriya."
"Hi there! Its nice to meet you!" Ochako said as she smiled at Izuku, the boy instantly freezing up. His face was pure red, his mouth mumbling out words that neither could hear. Izuku then glanced away, Ochako leaning up to Li and whispering, "My parents said he'd do something like that. Is he like that with everyone?"
"Oh yeah." Li whispered back, "Don't worry, he's really reliable though."
"Okay." Ochako replied before turning to the semi, which was full of boxes of canned food. "So, I was told to start unloading this thing. Is there somewhere specific you want them to be?"
"Not really. We just got the place, so just put it inside for now. We'll organize it all later."
"Got it." Ochako nodded before turning to Izuku, "Ready to get started?"
Izuku just slowly nodded, mumbling as he watched her spin around and walk over to one of the semis. Li then patted his shoulder, chuckling as he said, "I gotta go across the street and talk to the construction crew. Be back in a few, alright?"
"O-o-okay." Izuku stuttered out, Li nodding before walking away. The teen then looked back at Uraraka as she walked up a small ramp. 'Holy cow! I just talked to a girl!' He actually hadn't of course, but that was what was going on in his mind as he slowly made his way over to the semi. As he did this, he saw her tap a few boxes with her fingers, only to slide them out with ease. Izuku then saw the boxes begin to slowly float up, making him mutter out, "Whoa..."
"I know! Isn't that cool?" Ochako giggled.
"I-i-is t-t-that your q-q-quirk?"
"Yup! I call it Zero Gravity! It lets me make objects weightless by removing their gravity." She grabbed hold of the boxes with a grin, "Cool, huh?"
"Its amazing..." he slowly said, Ochako feeling a slight blush at the praise.
"Thank you! So, I'll start by taking these inside. How many do you think you can carry regularly? I got a feel on them and they're a bit heavy, but I can remove their weight to help you carry more."
"Oh um...I-I-I don't know." Izuku replied before turning to the stacks upon stacks of boxes. "Uh...l-l-let me see h-h-how many I can carry first."
"Okay. I'll take these in while you figure it out. After all, this is good practice for my quirk!" She then skipped away with a few boxes, Izuku watching her before letting out a long breath.
"Holy...I thought I was gonna die!" He gasped while holding his chest, "A girl my age actually talked to me..." He took a deep breath, "Okay Izuku, just...act natural." His brain came to a stop at that, unable to respond as he muttered out, "How do I do that?"
And as his brain just stalled out, one of its gears spun and yelled at him, telling him to get to work. He looked up at the semi and began to pull out boxes as his mind kept saying, 'Don't think about it! Just do what she asked Izuku!' He came to a stop at this, only to mentally facepalm, 'And don't think about her quirk! Don't analyze right now!'
He grabbed one box, then another, and another...only to soon be holding five boxes filled with canned goods with one hand. And as he reached for a sixth, Ochako walked out and gasped. "Oh my gosh! I didn't mean for you to grab that much!"
"Huh?" Izuku barely replied as he balanced the stack on one hand and grabbed a seventh box with the other.
"Wait, I'll remove their gravity-" she tried to say, only to see Izuku throw the seventh box up onto the stack, the object landing perfectly...and act like it was nothing. He then threw an eighth box, the objects now towering several feet over him, and yet he was somehow making them stay stable and balanced with one hand. Her jaw dropped at this, wide-eyed as she stared at the sight.
"D-d-did I grab too many?" Izuku asked as he looked up at the stack that was now over his head, "I did, d-d-didn't I? I-I-I won't be able to go through the door if its that high. Hang on." He put the stack down with ease, Ochako just staring at him as he reduced the stack to just five. "Y-y-you think that I can still g-g-get through with this many?"
"Um...yes?" Ochako slowly responded, only to shake her head, "But wait...my parents said you were quirkless."
Izuku blinked at her before slightly looking away, "I uh...I am."
"What?!" she yelped before pointing at him, "Then how did you do that?!"
"What do you mean?" Izuku replied, slightly surprised he wasn't stuttering.
"That! You carried all of those boxes like they were nothing!"
"B-b-but...aren't they light?"
"No!" she exclaimed, "No one can just do that! Y-y-you just lifted it all with one hand and did a balancing act! How?!"
Izuku tilted his head at this, only to glance back at the boxes as his brain caught up to the situation, 'Wait...did I do that with my quirk that I now have and somehow forgot I had?!' He mentally facepalmed at this, 'You moron! You worthless Deku! Why did you do that?!'
"Um...s-s-sorry." He stuttered out as he looked back at her, "I-I-I didn't mean to make you worry."
"Huh? No!" She began to wave her hands at this, "I wasn't worried! I was just...surprised, is all. I mean, I know they told me you were strong, but..." She hesitated as she said her next words, "Are you really quirkless?"
"Uh-huh." Izuku replied, nodding.
"Wow...guess people can be stronger than I thought." she responded while scratching the side of her head, "So uh...sorry for making that assumption. I'm sorry if it sounded like I insulted you. I didn't mean to."
Izuku shook his head at this. "Oh, y-y-you didn't insult me." He then glanced away as he stuttered out, "I-I-I'm used to it. N-n-no one believes in someone like me."
"Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" she squeaked, waving her hands again, "I'm so sorry!"
"Its fine. T-t-this is all I'm good for." Izuku muttered out before walking past her with the boxes, slowly striding into the building. She didn't respond, just watching him go inside while putting a hand to her mouth.
"Oh...I messed up, didn't I?" She then glanced down at her hands, letting out a long sigh before walking up to the boxes again. She began to touch them, only to clench up her fingers. "No. Don't run away. Fix it Ochako. You came here to help your parents and...practice your old methods for a day."
And as Izuku came back out, he saw her standing in front of the boxes. She had a determined stare on her face, making him almost flinch. 'Uh-oh. Did I insult her? Oh no, I messed up again, didn't I?'
But before he could start fully insulting himself again, she did a long bow, making him flinch this time as she yelled, "I'm so sorry!"
"Huh?!"
She leaned back up with a huge frown on her face, "I shouldn't have been like that. I was inconsiderate and I apologize."
"Wha..." Izuku barely said before shaking his head, "Y-y-you weren't inconsiderate! If anything, it was-"
"It wasn't you." she interrupted before presenting her hand to him, "Can we please start over?"
Izuku stared at her with wide eyes, his brain shutting down again. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. His mind was now blue screening, unable to comprehend anything. Someone apologized to him? That had never happened before. And just when it was about to get awkward, he looked down at the hand, and his reflexes took over before his brain could keep up. He quickly grabbed her hand, his face fully blushing. "Um...s-s-sure."
"Good." She shined a big grin at this, "I'm Ochako Uraraka. Its nice to meet you!"
"I-I-I...I'm I-I-Izuku M-M-Midoriya." He stuttered out, the girl giggling at this as his face became even redder.
"Alright Midoriya, let's get to work!"
"R-r-right, U-U-Uraraka!"
The two began to unload the semis at this, Ochako surprised at how fast Izuku was. While she found herself able to keep up with him in terms of walking speed, she had to repeatedly use her quirk for her lifting while he didn't need it at all, which slowed her down as he continued to unpack at a faster pace. A little over an hour passed when they were done, Ochako having to admit that Izuku did more than half. Yet despite this, he didn't seem remotely tired, which confused her even more.
And as they sat down after getting done, Ochako spoke up, "So...my parents said you're my age. Where do you go to school?"
"M-m-me? Um...I-I-I just do online classes."
"Oh? What do you want to be? What's your dream?"
"M-m-my dream is...is...I-I-I wanna be a hero." Izuku muttered out while glancing away.
Ochako blinked at this, tilting her head, "You do? Then why didn't you go to a hero school?"
"I...got rejected."
"Rejected?! With your kind of strength?!" she yelped, "I mean, I know you're quirkless, but there's no way they rejected you because of that! Heck, with that strength, even UA would have to take you! I know it would, and I go there! What, did you fail the regular exam or something?!"
"No...I-I-I failed the practical."
She went wide-eyed, "You...did? How?!"
'I can't just say I zapped myself!' Izuku mentally told himself before muttering out, "Um...I got hurt during it. Badly."
The girl felt her heart sink at that, slowly looking away as she said, "Oh. I'm so sorry."
"Its okay."
She glanced back at him as she then asked, "Do you...still want to be one?"
"More than anything." Izuku replied as he pulled his knees up to his feet, soon hugging his legs. He slowly turned to her, the girl able to see slight tears trying to form in his eyes as he asked, "Y-y-you go there, don't you?"
"UA? Yeah." Uraraka nodded before chuckling, "I honestly thought I wouldn't make it. The entrance exam was crazy with the whole army of robots that sent at us."
"D-d-did something happen to you in the exam?"
"A lot." Uraraka sighed, "My exam didn't exactly go well. I almost got crushed by one of the robots, but I got saved by one my classmates, Tsuyu. I'm so happy she was at my exam grounds. And then I like...got the lowest score possible to get in with a 35. If I hadn't took down one less robot, I would have failed."
"Oh. I-I-I'm s-s-sorry it was so tough for you."
The girl shook her head at that, "Eh, its fine. I'm just glad I made it in." She showed a big frown at this, "I'm sorry you didn't make it."
"Its f-f-fine." Izuku whispered before asking, "What's it like?"
"UA?" Izuku nodded back, the girl then putting a finger to her chin at that, "Well, if I'm totally honest, its...different. Like, think regular school, but random extreme stuff happening every now and then. Like, we'll have regular classes, but also have an hour for using our quirks, or how to help in disasters or some crazy obstacle course."
"Huh." Izuku responded, only to come to a stop at his own words. He had expected himself to say something like 'wow' or 'that sounds awesome', but he didn't. Instead, he just did a small one note response. His mind stalled at this as he thought, 'Wait...that's it? I do that and more as Spider-Man! I mean, I do online classes, and then do extreme stuff...like fighting criminals and car chases.'
He glanced away as his brain caught on, 'Holy cow! Is what I've been doing what they teach? Wait...does that mean I don't need a hero school?! I mean, I need it to get a hero's license...and that's it. Heck, an obstacle course sounds kinda boring now compared to web-swinging.'
"You okay?" She asked, causing him to cut his thoughts short as he looked back at her.
"I...s-s-sorry. Just uh...just wished I could have made it."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
Izuku shook his head at this, "Its f-f-fine." He took a deep breath, "I just...I-I-I don't know. I just...I just w-w-wanted to be a h-h-hero." He then turned to stare across the street, seeing the still being constructed FEAST center. "But, I think I'm at least doing a kind of hero work right now."
Ochako was surprised he didn't stutter there, only to raise an eyebrow at the statement, "What do you mean?"
"Charity." Izuku replied before glancing back at her, "I uh...I watched an interview of All Might and he s-s-said that most h-h-heroes don't do charity anymore. So, I-I-I found FEAST online and started v-v-volunteering. I um...I-I-I want to b-b-be a hero that does that."
"Charity, huh?" Ochako repeated before turning to stare at the FEAST center, "I never thought of it that way." She did a small nod before looking back at Izuku with a huge grin. "You're right!" Izuku flinched as her voice slightly raised, only for her to add, "In fact, you know what...when I can, I'm gonna go volunteer at FEAST too!"
"Huh? You...will?"
"You bet! Heck, I think I'll ask some of classmates while I'm at it. I know a few who would be down for it." She then got up and presented him a hand. He slowly took it and stood up as she said, "And as for your dream, don't give up!"
"W-w-what? B-b-but I already failed."
She shook her head, "I don't believe it. Go look up other hero schools. I'm betting there's somewhere you can do it. And if you don't want to do it now, its okay!" She patted his shoulder at this, making him flinch. "I know you can do it!"
"Oh...um...t-t-thanks." Izuku replied.
"No problem." She shined him a big grin and a thumbs up. "Now, let's go see what Mister Li wants us to do next!"
Izuku just nodded back at this, the girl walking off and across the street. The teen stared at the sight, his brain smoking at the interaction, 'She...she didn't make fun of me. Someone my age didn't...make fun of my dream.' He let out a mental sigh at that, 'Now I wish I made it to UA even more.'
A few seconds later, he walked over the street as well and met Uraraka's parents again, only to find out that that was all they needed to do today. However, Li had left a little earlier and had asked if the Urarakas could take Izuku back to FEAST, but he then told them he was okay and would just go home by taking the trains. Ochako then told him that she was happy to have met him, making him blush before muttering out he was glad to meet her as well before leaving in a full-on sprint.
Izuku never went to the train. Instead, he ran into an alleyway a few blocks down and turned invisible, quickly scaling the walls before reaching the rooftop. There he glanced around before quickly changing, glad he had kept his backpack with him. It wasn't long till he was Spider-Man, fully outfitted and web-slinging ready.
He then leapt off the roof and began swinging, feeling the wind hit his face. 'Ahh...I missed this. And I'm no longer hurting or itching.' He thought to himself as he fired web after web, 'Still...can't believe what she told me. I mean, it sounds like I've been doing what UA would teach me...just without safety. Or the means to get a license. Guess there's a few more steps for me.'
And after a good twenty minutes of just swinging, he reached into his hoodie and pulled out his tracker. 'Last night, some of those masked goons got away. I wonder if my spider tracer is still on their car...' He glanced back up to fire another web line, 'Better check that warehouse first.'
It took about twenty minutes to get there, having to only change out web fluid once. But as he got close, his fears began to be realized as his tracker started to signal he was close. And as he turned invisible and landed on a nearby rooftop, he saw the warehouse was filled with yellow 'do not cross' tape...and the car he had put the tracer on was still there. They had fled in a different car.
'Figures. Just my luck. Better grab the tracer then. No need to make more if it can be reused.' He hopped off the roof and zipped over to the warehouse roof, only to slowly crawl down its wall. And while still invisible, he snagged the tracer off the car and swung away.
"Guess I'll just go patrolling then." He said to himself as started to go back to the center of Musutafu. And as a half hour passed, he found himself swinging down some familiar streets. He then passed by the original FEAST center, landing on a nearby roof as he looked down and saw his mother leaving the place.
'She must have stayed the whole time. Well, I'm glad she's enjoying helping out.' He thought, only to then see the full Uraraka family walking up and talking to her. 'They're here too? Must have had to do something with Mister Li-'
"AAAAH! THIEF!" Screamed a voice, making Izuku spin around and look down, now seeing a lady pointing at a man that was fleeing down a street with a purse in his hand. His legs had turned into wheels and was now speeding through the streets, hopping over cars.
'Great. Mom's gonna see me do this, isn't she? Here's hoping she doesn't chew me out too much.' He thought as he fired two web lines before slingshotting himself. He then transitioned into a web swing, quickly zipping up to the thug. "Hey! This is a no purse snatching zone!"
"Huh?!" the thief yelped before glancing back, only to see nothing.
"Up here." The thief looked up, only to see a swinging Spider-Man as he fired some webbing at the criminal's back.
"What the-whoa?!" the thief gasped as he was yanked off the ground, Izuku then grabbing the back of his shirt's collar. "Hey! Lemme go!"
"Really? You want me to do that up here?" the teen asked as he slowly began to turn around mid-swing. The thief looked down and paled at the height he was now at.
"Um...nevermind!"
"Good." Izuku replied as he swung back over to the lady, landing on a nearby building wall. He stood on it and dangled the thief over her, "Now give it back."
"Um...here." He muttered out as he dropped the purse, the lady catching it.
"Thank you!" She exclaimed.
"No prob." Izuku then spun the thief around, grabbing him by the front collar this time while still standing on the wall, "Now, what should I do with you? You're just a purse snatcher, but do you want to go to jail for just that?"
"Um...er...no?"
Izuku leaned up at this, his lens narrowing as he growled at the thug, "Then I'll give you one warning. You could use your quirk for a ton of other things that isn't stealing. Go home and rethink your life, alright?"
"Uh...okay." the thief squeaked out before Izuku walked down to ground level and let him go, the thug quickly running away. Shaking his head at the sight, he leapt onto a light pole before firing a web line, swinging away a second later.
And as he left, two individuals watched the scene more than anyone. One was Inko Midoriya, who was trying every way to hold back a long sigh as she whispered to herself, "That boy is going to be the end of me."
But the other was a certain Ochako Uraraka, the girl just staring at the sight. She had heard of the vigilante Spider-Man, as he had appeared on the news once or twice. But to see him easily make that thief give up, not even hesitating to swing in and shut down the situation while she had just heard the scream. The girl had just started moving toward where the thief was running away too, her parents yelling at her, only for Spider-Man to just come in and...fix it.
She could only blink at the fleeing vigilante, "Amazing..."
Chapter 13: The Trouble With A Viper's Fangs
UA was a relatively normal school today. Despite the usual crazy shenanigans of the heroics class, Ochako Uraraka found herself slightly bored of what they had been doing today. They had gone back to the USJ in the morning, doing a few rescue exercises before returning to the school for lunch. And as she sat down with her food, she just stared at tray before her.
"You okay, kero?" asked a certain student sitting across from her. Uraraka looked up at her, seeing it was Tsuyu Asui. "You seemed out of it today."
"I uh...I don't know." Uraraka replied as she began to eat some rice. "Sorry Tsu."
"No need to apologize, kero." Tsuyu responded, "I was just wondering why you were spaced out like that."
"Indeed!" another voice exclaimed, this one sitting next to Tsuyu. It was a Tenya Iida, a tall boy in glasses as he chopped the air with his arm. "I saw you seem off today, Uraraka! Is something wrong?"
"Oh! Is it a boy?" said another girl, this one sitting right beside Uraraka. She was a pink-skinned girl wearing a huge grin.
"No Mina." Uraraka deadpanned, giving her a low stare, "Nothing like that."
Mina Ashido leaned up to her face, her grin slightly widening, "I don't know about that. You seemed quick to say no."
Uraraka shook her head at this while a girl with long earlobes tapped Mina's shoulder, "Stop it, Mina. Its obviously not that. If she doesn't want to talk about it, don't bug her."
"Thanks Jiro." Uraraka said as the girl nodded back, only to take a deep breath as she then asked, "Say...this might be out of nowhere, but uh...what's your thoughts on vigilantes?"
Everyone turned to her at this, all showing mixed expressions. A boy with red spiky hair, who was sitting by Iida, spoke up at this, "Why do you ask?"
"Well...yesterday, I was helping my parents with a job they were doing when I saw the craziest thing. There was this guy that had this wheel quirk, and he stole someone's purse and before anyone could do anything, that new vigilante on the news, Spider-Man, just swooped in and stopped him." Everyone raised eyebrows at this as she continued, "It was amazing! He did it instantly, and he didn't do any damage or make a confusion. It was like watching a pro!"
"Huh. Sounds manly." the spiky haired kid replied, "Though uh...he is a vigilante, so that's not as manly."
"Agreed!" Iida declared while pushing up his glasses, "Vigilantes are criminals! They're basically villains!"
"But then why did he do it?" Uraraka instantly countered. "Like, after I saw that, I spent last night looking up online what Spider-Man's done and...he's done nothing but good. He's stopped two bank robberies, helped stop car chases and took down villains!"
"But what he's doing is illegal, kero." Tsuyu chimed in. "He's breaking the law, doing that without a license."
"Indeed!" Iida added, "No one has the right to go against the law, even if they're helping!"
"I know. I just thought it was strange. I thought vigilantes were like violent rejected heroes or something. But he wasn't like that at all. According to everything reported on him, he just...well, he goes in and saves the day while making sure there's little to no damage."
"Weird." Jiro responded, "So like...he just does hero stuff without a license? Isn't that kinda like us in training?"
"I...guess?" Uraraka replied while crossing her arms, "Its just...when I looked him up online, a lot of people think he's our age."
"Really?!" Mina gasped before tilting her head, "But you said he took down that guy like a pro."
"I know!" Uraraka said as she ate a bit more rice, "Or maybe I don't know. I just thought it was strange. Like, if he's that talented, why isn't he a hero? It just...didn't make any sense. Sorry for bringing it up."
"Its fine, kero." Tsuyu finished before putting a finger to her chin, "Though, I wonder if we'll have a class on vigilantism. I could see Aizawa-sensei lecturing about it."
The others all paled at that, remembering his last lecture over recklessness after going to the USJ today. But as they continued to eat, Uraraka's thoughts went back to yesterday, her conversation with Izuku and then witnessing what she had seen. 'Spider-Man...I wonder, are you like Izuku? Did you get rejected too?'
Meanwhile...
'Okay...this is not what I was expecting to fight today.' Izuku thought to himself as he was now in a giant sandpit, complete with a massive snake. Granted, he knew something was wrong, but he honestly felt that his grip on reality wasn't exactly stable right now. It also didn't help that Pro Hero Shishido was there, growling and roaring as he tried to fight the snake.
But it was how this all started was what Izuku was thinking about as he fired a web line to the ceiling and swung himself up to a nearby wall. The wall was not what it was supposed to be, as it looked like it was made out of some old Aztec temple. And in the middle of the building, Shishido was clawing at the serpent, repeatedly slashing at it with his claws, but the beast wouldn't go down. In fact, it acted like Shishido was barely there.
Izuku stared at the situation, his mind going a mile a minute. 'Think Izuku, think! Why is this happening?! How did this happen?!'
Fifteen minutes ago...
"Ugh...that was the worst." Izuku whispered to himself as he fired a web line, swinging down a block. He had just spent the morning listening to his mom telling him that he had broken his promise. Again. She told him she knew she had to get used to him being reckless, but he knew better. He knew she would keep worrying for the rest of her days.
As such, he was now doing a day patrol, the teen feeling a yawn coming along as he found nothing. And as he did this, he swung down another street, only for the police scanner to go off.
"This is Musutafu police. We have a disturbance at Rishi Avenue, any hero present, please respond."
"Rishi Avenue...that's not too far." he muttered to himself as he took a left, firing a few more lines as he crossed three streets, and then took a right. And as he did this, he quickly saw what the disturbance was. It was a crowd of screaming people running out of a bank, the sight making Izuku sigh.
"Seriously?! Another bank robbery?! Is that all criminals do around here?!" He commented as he landed on the bank's roof before looking down at his shooters, "Not gonna mess this up again."
Exchanging the web cartridges, he turned invisible and fired a web line on the roof before leaping off and swinging into the bank's front doors. And as he swung in, he fired a web, yanking himself up to the ceiling. But as he landed on the ceiling and looked down, he went wide-eyed.
"What the heck?!" he said, not noticing his invisibility cutting off as he stared at the sight before him. Somehow, the inside of the bank, in particular its main floor, had turned into a giant sandpit that looked like it was inside an Aztec temple. "How did-what is this?!"
He saw several people were stuck in the sandpit, making him shake his head. "Figure it out later. I got people to save." He swung back down the to the front door, clinging above it as he pointed his wrists at the trapped people. "Everyone, over here!" The people all spun around, several gasping at the sight of the vigilante. "Hang on! I'm gonna get you all out of here!" The teen then fired several web lines, grabbing people and yanking them out. Several more screams followed this, the teen quickly throwing them through the front door. And as he was about to grab the last person, a loud noise rang out.
"RAWR!"
"Huh?" Izuku stuttered out, only for a pile of sand to fly out of the middle of the pit. And as this happened, a giant dark figure shot out, letting out another roar. The teen flinched at the sight, now seeing a massive snake. It looked like it couldn't fit in the building, as only part of its body was inside the sand pit. The last civilian screamed at the sight, making Izuku glance back at him before firing a web line. He gave it a good yank, flinging the person out of the building before firing webbing at the front door and pulling it, closing the door. And as he did this, he looked back at the snake, now seeing it glare at him.
"Uh...hi?" He squeaked out, his spider sense blaring as the snake tilted its head and lunged at the vigilante. "Whoa!" He yelped as he leapt off the wall, just dodging the snake as it hit the wall. The whole place rocked at this, Izuku swinging over to another wall before looking back at the monster, 'Okay Izuku, you need to think. How do you fight this...thing?! Maybe I can-'
THOOM!
The bank's front door flew off their handles, hitting the snake. But as the door hit it, they just bounced off, the snake not even flinching. And as this happened, a new roar rang out. Both Izuku and the snake looked down at the now broken entrance, revealing a certain Pro Hero.
"Shishido?" the teen muttered out as he then saw the hero roar before leaping at the snake.
"GAWR!" the lion man hero barked as he thrust his legs into the beast. The snake just shook at the blow, only for the hero to start slashing at the creature. But as he did this, the snake just glared down at him before opening its massive mouth.
"Watch out!" Izuku yelled, making the hero stop and look up.
"Spider-Man?!" he growled, only to turn to the snake, the beast now lunging at him. He then slammed his claws down into the sand, sand not scattering despite what he did before leaping back.
'What the-did he not get stuck? I thought he was in the sand pit.' Izuku thought before looking back at the snake, 'Don't think about it. That thing's gotta go!'
He clenched his fist, electricity now sparking around it. The vigilante fired a web line and yanked himself above the snake, pulling his fist back. "Venom Smash!" He yelled as he fell and slammed the fist into the back of the beast's neck. But as he did this, the blow shook the snake, only for the beast to spin around and flick its head, knocking Izuku off the monster.
"Augh!" he yelped as he fell into the sand. The snake then opened his mouth over the teen, only for Shishido to lunge at its back, slamming into it. The monster only slightly flinched at this, quickly spinning back around as he glared at the Pro Hero.
And as the snake tried to chomp him again, Izuku's head popped out of the sand. 'Okay...this is not what I was expecting to fight today.' Izuku thought as he fired a web line and yanked himself back onto the wall, 'Think Izuku, think! Why is this happening?! How did this happen?!'
He stared at the fight before him, watching Shishido quickly dodge another attack from the snake before glancing around the room. 'Wait a minute...that's it! I forgot what this building is supposed to be! Its a bank! That means a robbery must be happening while this...giant snake monster is here.'
He looked back down and saw Shishido hit the beast with another blow, which looked like it should have carved right into the monster's skin. However, it did nothing. 'Wait...is that thing even real? I mean, my spider sense did warn me, so...is it just real enough?' He glanced back down, seeing nothing but old rock walls covering the place. There were no desks, chairs, nothing. Just a sand pit, a giant snake...and the busted front door.
'Its gotta be an illusion quirk! Though...its really powerful. If its that strong, maybe the one with the quirk is still around here somewhere.' He turned back to the fight, about to yell at Shishido, only to see the hero continue to attack the monster in a fit of rage. 'Eh, I better figure this one out by myself.'
He then turned invisible and crawled over to the wall opposite of the front door. He went down to floor level while staying on the wall, feeling around till he felt something. A doorknob.
'Here we go.' He slowly turned and opened it, slithering inside before closing it behind himself. As he did this, he found he was back in a modern setting, a basic office hallway. 'I was right. It is an illusion. Now, where's the-'
His thoughts came to a stop as he saw what he was looking for. The bank's safe, which was wide open. He quickly shot two webs and slingshotted himself over to the safe door, landing right in front of it. There, he saw a single person in what could only be described as the craziest outfit he had ever seen. It had a long purple cape, long green scaly jumpsuit and what looked like an upside-down fishbowl for a helmet.
The sight made his mind stutter, causing him to drop his invisibility. The masked man then turned to him, flinching at the sight as he stopped shoving money in a large duffel bag. "What the-Spider-Man?!"
"The one and only! Who are you? Fishbowl-Man?"
"Me?" The man replied, only to glance down at the money he was trying to steal before looking back at Spider-Man, "I am...Mysterio, the greatest illusionist in the world! Master of the Arcane Arts!"
Izuku just blinked at the name, only to let out a snort, "No, seriously. Who are you?" The teen then pointed at him, "You know, besides being a bank robber."
"I said, I am...Mysterio!" He exclaimed before dark green gas exploded out of him.
"What the-" Izuku flinched as the room was instantly filled, making him close his eyes for a second. And as he reopened them, he saw he was now in a pitch black void. "Huh?! How did-"
"You will do nothing, Spider-Man! For I, Mysterio, am taking all the money out of this bank! As for you, you will spend the rest of your days in this endless void! AHAHAHAHA!"
Izuku didn't know how to respond to that. He wanted to spit out a quip, but nothing came into mind. Instead, his mind just went into quirk nerd mode. 'Wow. So that's how he did that in the bank! Wait, he can do multiple illusions?! That's amazing!' He then mentally facepalmed before thinking, 'Focus Izuku! Think of a way out of this! I mean, you only felt a tiny bit of something was off with your spider sense in the bank earlier...'
And as he stood there, the villain finished stuffing the duffel bag before tiptoeing around the vigilante. As he did this, he watched Spider-Man just stand there, making him grin under his helmet. "Too easy." He whispered, only to feel a hand grab his shoulder. "Huh?"
"Found ya." Izuku chuckled before a surge of lightning went through his palm.
ZAP!
"Yaugh!" Mysterio yelped as electricity covered his body before falling face first into the bank floor. Seeing this, Izuku fired a glob of webbing, sticking him to the ground.
"Thank you, spider sense." Izuku whispered as he took out a card from his hoodie, "Haven't done this in a while."
The police had just arrived when the snake illusion in the bank suddenly dissipated. Shishido came to a stop at this, panting before letting out a bunch of roars. It took a minute before he went back to human speech, telling the officers that this monster was attacking the bank and Spider-Man was here. And as they ran into the back of the building, they found a certain villain webbed to the floor.
"What's that?" one officer asked as Shishido walked up and saw the card on the criminal's back.
"Grrr..." he growled as he picked up the card and read it, "Says 'I caught your bad guy. Be careful, he has a powerful illusion quirk. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.'"
"Seriously?" another officer remarked, "That guy's the villain?! Look at how he's dressed!"
"Eh, whatever. Let's just cuff him. Sides, the bank camera footage will probably tell us what happened."
But as Shishido ripped up the webbing, a sudden burst of gas came off the villain. "Whoa!" one of them yelled as the rest began coughing. Shishido kept swinging his paws around, trying to push the smoke away as Mysterio rose up. And as they this did, the villain grabbed his bag from before and bolted out of the room.
"Blasted Spider-Man!" Mysterio growled as he took a right, running to a back door of the bank. He slammed the door with his foot, only to come to a stop as he saw a line of cops all staring and pointing guns at the now opened door. "Aaah!" he yelped before he activated his quirk, another blast of smoke coming out of him. The officers all went wide-eyed at this before a few began firing, but it was too late.
The villain had cut a hard left and bolted away just in time, dodging the few bullets that were close by a split second. He then ducked into an alleyway as the smoke covered everything, gasping as he cut into a sprint. "That accursed vigilante! That is my first ever bungle! He will pay for beating me and ruining my performance!"
Izuku landed on a rooftop a few blocks away when he felt the adrenaline wear off. He let out a long sigh as he sat down and checked his web shooters. "Wow...did not expect that today. Guess there's villains of all types out there."
He then pulled out his notebook, flipping a few pages before getting to fighting styles. It was here he began to write, 'Let's see...I need to put my spider sense into my fighting style. Being able to sense danger and see through threats are really important. Granted, I don't think I'll be fighting giant snakes for a while, but there are other illusion quirks out there.'
He looked over what notes he had already made, ones over his fight with the Vulture, the masked men, the Tombstone gang, and now had something new to put in. 'Guess that's good for now. I've mainly had to fight crowds, so Venom Power will mainly be used in those scenarios. If it's one on one, I should hold back. I still don't know my full strength.'
He closed the notebook a bit later, making him sit back on the roof as he let out a sigh, now thinking back to today and yesterday, "Still...that was crazy. And according to Uraraka, they do like, lower key stuff at UA." He put a hand to his chin, "Do I want to go to UA? I mean, I'd be getting taught by All Might, but..." His eyes went wide at this, "Wait, I never asked her what its like to be taught by All Might!"
The teen facepalmed at this, "Augh! I'm such an idiot!" He slumped down at this, "Guess I'm still a worthless Deku."
After another few minutes of sulking, the teen leapt off the rooftop, swinging down the streets as his thoughts went back to today, 'I can't give up. I just...I just have to keep going. Though, I don't want to fight an illusion quirk again. Just let me fight something simple.'
And as he took a turn, firing another web line, he thought back to when he encountered Mysterio and said, "And no theatrics please. That was just...too much."
Meanwhile...
In a lone apartment, a certain gray-haired man stood above a smaller red-haired woman. Despite her size, she was an adult, and was currently rewiring a small gadget. "Ooookay. Got it." She spun around in her chair as she presented the device to the man, "Here we go, a new video camera and everything."
"It looks exquisite!" the man replied before lifting up a small teacup. "I love it! Well done!"
"Thank you Gentle!" she cheered, "I can't wait to try this out tomorrow!"
"Indeed! Tomorrow will be our greatest heist yet, La Brava!"