Chapter 30: Izuku's Spider-Man Notes
Spider-Man Notebook 1: Quirk, Steps, and Quips
I'm writing this notebook as my first steps into becoming a hero. Thanks to a spider that bit me, I have been given a quirk, something I've wanted all my life. Its...incredible, as the quirk seems to be a mutant type, one that's completely changed my body. As such, I need to make notes all about this quirk and my journey to become a hero.
I am Izuku Midoriya, and these are the notes of my journey to become a hero.
Quirk: Spider
Type: Mutant
Notes: My quirk seems to be a kind of multi-faceted mutation. It has given me super strength, which I still need to test. At the moment, my pitiful equipment mainly shows that I should be able to lift a few tons, but it never feels like it. Then again, I just received this quirk, so it may still be adjusting to my body. Due to this, I'm going to split my notes in terms of all the quirk aspects. This will be the strength section, which I will update later when I have better equipment to test just how much I can lift.
Aspect 1: Strength
Notes: See Above
Aspect 2: Enhanced Reflexes
Notes: I have found my body is incredibly reactive. Its as if when I twitch, I can suddenly feel things around me. I believe this is a combination of enhanced reflexes and the radar ability I found in my studies. I found also that I can leap very high relativity easily and still keep my full balance when I land. Even trying to do basic balance acts are child's play now. I wonder what I would like if I took gymnastics now...
Edit: My radar is now called Spider-Sense, which I believe coordinates with my reflexes even more now that I've understood this aspect of the quirk better. (See aspect 4)
Aspect 3: Wall-climbing
Notes: My body can now latch onto walls, ceilings and just about any surface. Unsure if this the same for a slippery wall, but I seem to be able to stick to anything. I found that if I have enough momentum, I can even run up walls with ease. Its so cool! Its like I'm a living spider. Not only that, it doesn't seem to interfere with my clothing that much, now that I've started to get the hang of it. I'm hoping this means my future hero costume will be easy to make as to not have to be made around this aspect.
Aspect 4: Spider-Sense
Notes: I seem to have a cognitive like radar sense, one I have named Spider-Sense. As stated before, it seems to help with my reflexes, though its primary function seems to be a kind of warning system. This could be useful, as it means I can't be snuck up on.
Edit: Due to my recent fight with the Masked Men and Tombstone's gang outside of UA, I've realized I need to formulate an entire fighting style with Spider-Sense in mind. I believe its necessary, as it focuses all my reflexes thanks to the special awareness it gives me.
Aspect 5: Invisibility
Notes: Despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to get any data out of the spider that bit me. It seems to just be a husk. I wish I could get more, as it somehow not only gave me these spider-like abilities, but also invisibility. I looked up tons of spiders on the web and found nothing close to it. There were ones that could camouflage, but nothing akin to invisibility, or something close to it. Despite this, the invisibility seems to be almost perfect. It can camouflage my skin and clothes without affecting my eyesight. However, I've found I can only hold it for a tiny bit before it starts to hurt my head. I need more practice with it...
Aspect 6: Bio-electricity Venom Power
Notes: In my original investigation of my quirk, I found an energy signature within me. Turns out, its a bio-electricity ability. Like invisibility, its unnatural to spiders, but I'm not complaining. It seems to be some sort of charge I can do, though I can't seem to summon it except in bad moments, such as it ruining my support exam. Not my favorite power of this quirk so far...
Edit: I've found out how to summon it thanks to fighting some masked men at a bank. Current hypothesis: I felt like I was going to get killed by a big masked guy with an energy quirk. Either fear or adrenaline made him summon it. Perhaps a state of mind? Either way, I seem to be able to...feel the electricity now. (I don't know another way to describe it)
Second edit: I've found I can't combine both my invisibility and Venom Power. Unknown why, perhaps an incompatibility with both abilities at once in my body?
Steps to Being a Hero
In order for me to become a hero, I've decided to start as a vigilante. As such, I've looked up how vigilantes get accepted into the hero society, which seems to be very difficult. They are rarely trusted, and have to help a lot of heroes before being approved. That said, my life has always been a struggle since I'm a Deku, so I hope this idea works.
I will now be going over the steps for my path to become a hero by being a vigilante.
Step one: If possible, make sure web fluid is full before going into a fight. This is necessary due to making sure I have all advantages I can have in any fight I'm part of.
Edit: I need to make better web shooters as well. Possibly a reload system and ability to try other forms of webbing. Unfortunately, I don't have the money for that right now.
Step two: Make sure to smile and be positive. All Might says that being a hero is all about inspiring hope. Even if they can't see your smile under your mask, be positive. If necessary, make a persona for yourself to try and make others feel safe. Try quips as well and make people laugh.
Page on Quips:
"So...making a late night withdrawal?"
"This is a no pointy weapon zone."
"Are you twins/triplets, etc."
Future quip: "How about you come up here and fight me like a spider?"
(Need more info. And I need to read some joke books)
Step three: Until you're a hero, you need to make yourself known, even if its just leaving a calling card. That way, your name can get out and see if you can get the hero commission to sign you on.
Edit: I've recently made a full note, signing myself as 'The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!' (I think it rings out well. Mom thinks its a bit corny.)
Step four: Figure out your own fighting style. Observe heroes and fight villains to figure it out.
Edit: Going to make a separate notebook for this. It will include webbing formula, support item ideas and super moves as well.
Step five: (Pending)
Property of Izuku Midoriya, future hero
Spider-Man Notebook 2: Villains
I'm writing this notebook over all the villains I have fought as Spider-Man. These are my analytic notes, viewpoints and guesses on their quirks and other notes I believe are necessary. My first fight was with bank robbers, which all but one had mutant quirks, but I didn't get any names. As such, I'm going to try to find out names of enemies for all future notes.
Villain 1: The Vulture
Rank: Unsure, possible C rank due to him being able to avoid heroes
Quirk: Possible Metal Wings Mutant quirk
Notes: A thief that was using his quirk to escape from heroes, which were bright green metal wings. When I landed on his back, I saw they were fully connected to this body, specifically his arms, making it a mutant quirk. He was my foray into aerial combat, though I didn't fight him as more in chase him. If I'm correct, I believe this to be a debut for the villain, as I later looked online and saw no reports on a flying villain of his description. Quite strange due to his age, as he looked old, probably at least in his sixties, which is an advanced age to be in villainy. Perhaps he has money troubles? Unknown why he's a villain.
Overall, I think it was a good experience for me. It helped me realize I still need to practice webswinging for future aerial fights.
Villain 2: Masked Men Demons
Rank: Unsure, as gangs of villains don't have normal rankings. Considering the robbery in my first encounter, at least D Rank
Quirk: Energy Quirk, shows black and white aura of some kind. Name unknown.
Notes: A group of bank robbers, they seem to all wear a distinct outfit and all have similar abilities. After the encounter at the bank, I looked up known groups of villains online and found nothing. No group operates with all the same quirks, at least in terms of stuff that's open to the public. (I really wish I had better access to villain data) They also all speak another language I can't understand, making it hard to understand motive except for just wanting money.
Their quirk seems to let them shoot energy from their hands. Particularly the big one I fought at the bank could fire out what was basically a giant black and white shockwave. Highly dangerous quirk to fight head on, I'll need to make sure I fight with evasion in mind if I encounter this kind of quirk again. Thankfully, this encounter allowed me to unlock the bio-electricity power that messed me up in the UA support exam. (See notebook 1 for further details)
Edit: I've had a second encounter with these masked men. It was on a semi, where I also encountered Ingenium. (So cool! I got his autograph!) It seems their quirk allows them to transfer the energy to other weapons, which they used on a katana.
Second edit: Another encounter with the masked men. (And Airjet! His outfit is so awesome!) This time they had a whip weapon that they used their energy quirk on. Highly dangerous, even more so than the katana.
Third edit: Yet another encounter with the masked men. Their motive seems to be making moves on turf the Tombstone gang own. Unknown why, as the masked men seem to only be robbing places.
Fourth edit: Had two more encounters with masked men. First was with Ryukyu, (Who was amazing looking! I've never seen a dragon up close!) but nothing new was learned. Same with second encounter, as they had a fight a few streets away from UA. Fight made me learn multiple things, in particular in how to use my spider sense more. (See notebook 1)
Fifth edit: I found out that these masked men are called Demons, and they work for Mister Li, who calls himself Mister Negative. Unknown why this is the case. (See Mister Negative entry)
Villain 3: Tombstone
Rank: A
Quirk: Unyielding Wall, mutant quirk. Gives individual an almost invulnerable body. Highly dangerous.
Notes: Had encounter with Tombstone's gang, which are a group of all animal mutant quirks. (And Fat Gum! He seemed to be really nice. I hope I didn't offend him when I ran off like that.) Putting the gang under Tombstone's file, as they all seem to be just under him as a collective. They all use something called Trigger, which I haven't been able to find information about. Need more information.
Edit: Seems Tombstone's gang is making and dealing this Trigger drug. The masked men seem to also want in on their turf, which caused me to encounter them at a warehouse.
Second edit: Masked men and the Tombstone gang had what I could only call a war on the streets of Musutafu. Both were fighting for an unknown reason. I still need more information.
Villain 4: Fishbowl-Head (Can't remember name of villain)
Rank: Unknown, suspect it to be at least a C due to dangerous nature of quirk
Quirk: Illusion quirk, seems to be able to project a full illusion in a room. Possibly created through gas? Unknown if that's the case.
Notes: Definitely the oddest encounter so far. Fishbowl-Head seems to be able to make full illusions that withstand Pro Heroes attacks. (I met Shishido due to this! The rumors on him are correct, he really does act like an animal! Then again, he's in the top three 'heroes that act like animals', including Hound Dog and Miruko.) He seems to just be a bank robber, which could possibly make him less dangerous. Also had the craziest outfit I've ever seen for a villain, though I'm still new to this.
Villain 5: Gentle Criminal
Rank: C
Quirk: Elasticity
Notes: Out of all the villains I've faced, this is the one I have the most information on. Unlike most villains, this one constantly tapes themselves and puts it on the internet. Gentle Criminal is a 'chivalrous thief' as he calls himself in his videos. His quirk is a super useful one, one that would make him a great hero. Its a shame he uses it to do stunts and criticizing corporations. I also lose my fight with him, which has made me realize I can't just hop into every fight instantly. This villain has helped teach me a good lesson...and a hurt back.
He also has a companion who is named La Brava, who videotapes him constantly according to the videos I've watched. I didn't see her do anything when I chased him, but the videos show him repeatedly get the best of other heroes. I believe Gentle Criminal must have some kind of trump card that allows him to get away. Perhaps she is the trump card? I need to encounter him again.
Villain 6: Scorpion
Rank: B
Quirk: Metal Tail, mutant Quirk
Notes: Possibly the most dangerous villain I've met so far, he seemed to be on a rampage while I was webswinging around. I was trying to find Gentle Criminal, only to encounter this villain. He seemed to be on some kind of rampage, but had gotten into a fight with Fourth Kind. (Such a cool hero! I still can't believe I helped him fight this villain.)
The villain's tail easily cut down my webbing, something I hadn't encountered before. Perhaps I need a better formula for my webbing. Is it not sticky enough? Or maybe I just can't afford better chemicals. Either way, I found in this fight that I need to understand my foes quickly through a fight and use my surroundings more. I can't be so reckless. After all, Fourth Kind did more than me. Shows I have a long way to go.
Edit: No longer the most dangerous villain I've faced so far.
Villain 7: Spinner (Lame name. I think it should The Lizard)
Rank: Unknown, possibly a C due to being able to rob a bank without getting caught
Quirk: Gecko Mutant quirk
Notes: A bank robber I encountered (Why do I keep fighting bank robbers?!) after investigating the bank on Rodia Street, which led me to the next bank he was going to rob. Out of all the foes I've fought, he seemed to be the most desperate, something I hadn't encountered before. Overall, he wasn't too much of a threat, but I also think I'm getting used to fighting people with swords. (Seriously, what is with all the swords?!)
I talked to him after the fight and he admitted he was just desperate for money. I hope the police go easy on him. That and I hope he listened to me...that sounds so odd to write. I never imagined I could give out advice. Especially from a Deku like me. I wonder if the mask is why people will listen to me as Spider-Man.
Villain 8: Stain
Rank: A
Quirk: A type of Blood Paralysis Quirk, Emitter Type
Notes: The most dangerous villain I've faced yet. A very experienced killer who specializes in knives and swords, which compliment his quirk perfectly. He also had the strongest killing intent I've ever encountered. A true killer, one that has killed many without batting an eye. Looking back at it, I'm not sure how I survived. He seemed to be a villain that was conflicted with society, as if obsessed with philosophy. I still don't fully understand what his motive was compared to all the other villains I've encountered, as it seems he was being a villain purely to get back at hero society. Why would someone do that? It seems odd, as I don't see why that would be the reason for him having such a murderous aura about him. Not only that, he said I was a true hero, but I'm furthest thing to being a hero right now. I can't even compare to the top thousand heroes, all of them can do ten times the job I can. Either way, I hope I never encounter him again. He was way too scary.
Edit: Now that I've had time to think about it, I wonder if I could have talked him out of it. I mean, his argument over hero society has a ton of flaws he was ignoring. Probably not though, especially if he believes his ideals so much he's willing to kill over them.
Villain 9: Mister Negative aka Martin Li aka Mister Li
Rank: Unknown. Probably at least B due to his quirk.
Quirk: A type of energy manipulation/transfer quirk, Emitter Type. May also be Transformation Type, as his body changed when using it. May be side-effect of quirk.
Notes: I just found out yesterday that Mister Li is the leader of the masked men. I'm just now getting to these notes, and...I'm not sure if I want to put down anything about Mister Li. I will put this section as pending for now.
Property of Izuku Midoriya, future hero
Chapter 32: Life Moves Forward (31 is a Q from original writer)
"You failed."
That was all Izuku heard as he stared at the masked man standing in front of him. The one before him had a blue demon mask he had seen plenty of times before. It was the one worn by the masked gang he had been fighting over and over. But this one felt different...as the masked man's suit wasn't black, but white.
And then it hit him.
"Mister Li?" Izuku whispered, only to see the masked man suddenly summon a sheathed katana in his hands. He pulled the blade out, a black and white aura pouring out of it. And then he took off his mask, showing his face. It was Martin Li.
"You failed." He repeated.
"Wait, I don't-"
"You failed." Li interrupted, only for the aura around the blade suddenly surged. "You could have saved me and you didn't."
"I..."
"You failed." Li repeated again before pulling back his blade, "And you'll always fail...because you'll never be a true hero."
"No!" Izuku yelled, "I mean, I know I'm not a hero yet, but I'm trying! I-"
"DIE!" Li roared before leaping, holding his blade up high before swinging it down.
"NO!" Izuku screamed as he yanked himself out of his bed, only to feel a crick of pain in his back. "Urgh!"
The teen fell back at this, his body slumping down into his bed. "Not...again..."
Izuku had never slept more than right now. He had been doing a cycle of sleeping and waking up for a few hours before crashing again since his fight with Li. He hadn't done anything as Spider-Man or Izuku really, as he just didn't feel like it. Though this was mainly because of the same nightmare. The one where Li told him he failed to save him, the teen remembering over and over how he had just decided to solve everything...only to just beat Li and leave him.
It was now two days since his fight with Li, now early morning as he blinked and stared at the ceiling, only to let out a long yawn. 'I guess I should get up.' he thought, his form slowly getting out of his bed. He glanced down at his hands, seeing them now fully healed before walking into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he walked over to the living room, now seeing his mother in the kitchen.
"Morning sleepyhead." Inko chuckled as she saw him walk over. "Did you enjoy your nap marathon?" Izuku showed her a small frown, making his mother sigh, "Nightmares?"
"Yeah." Izuku glanced away, "Sorry."
"Its fine." she replied, "Made breakfast for you."
The teen glanced back at her, only to see the plate in her hands, licking his lips for a second as the food's smell entered his nose. "Thanks." He weakly said as he took the plate and sat down at a nearby table. His mother stared at him, seeing the tired look on his face. She knew he wasn't really tired physically, but he was still mentally tired beyond belief.
Another prepared plate later, she sat down in front of him. She saw her son slowly eating some eggs, Inko sighing before asking, "Do you...want to talk about it?"
"I don't know." Izuku muttered out, "I...I..." He fiddled with his chopsticks, stirring the food, "I don't know."
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Inko replied as she ate a piece of food, "I will say this. I'm going to FEAST today, and I don't want you to come with me." Izuku glanced up at her at this, "I know. I don't have any work at the hospital today, so let me find out if anything has happened to FEAST now that you...fought Mister Li."
He felt the hesitation in her voice, but as he stared at his mother, he saw the fire in her eyes. A fire to help him. "Okay." Izuku responded as he stared eating again. "Do you want me to stop being Spider-Man for a while?"
Inko took a sip of water before replying, "I want to say no, but...do you want to stop?"
Izuku blinked at her, his mouth trying to morph into a frown, "Um..." He glanced back down at his food, "No. I don't wanna stop being Spider-Man."
Inko let out a giggle at that, Izuku slightly flinching as he looked back at her, "I know." She pointed her chopsticks at him, "You can still go vigilanting, on one condition." Izuku raised an eyebrow at this, only for her to add, "Fix your costume. I don't want you fighting in a ripped-up suit and getting even more injuries, even with your healing factor."
Izuku nodded at this, "Sure." He then ate the last bit of the eggs before saying, "Though uh...I want to talk about it."
"About Mister Li?"
"Yeah." Izuku nodded again, "And uh...its a lot."
And with a steady breath, he began to tell her everything that had happened. He told her about how after investigating the hidden room in FEAST, he started his night of going through the masked men hideouts. This was followed by an encounter with Martin Li, the event almost killing the teen and scaring his mother. This was followed with him chasing Li, fighting him on the semi and after a bit, successfully knocking the villain out. And when he finished, Inko was silent. She just sat there, staring at him like a deer staring at headlights.
After a minute, she spoke up, "A demon? It looked like a demon was...in Mister Li?" Izuku slowly nodded back, Inko rapidly blinking at that as she leaned back in her chair, "I...I still can't imagine it. That kind man being a villain. But you said it looked like he was possessed?"
"I know. I don't get it either." Izuku replied, "It was like Mister Li's quirk changed him into another person. He was completely different, like he was an experienced killer and everything." Izuku put his hand over his face, rubbing it with a long sigh, "I...I still don't know how I beat him. It was just...so much."
Inko watched her son sit there, an expression of pain and confusion on his face. The sight made stare right into his eyes, only for a fierce glare to come into her eyes. "Izuku." Her son removed the hand off of his face, "I'm going to go to FEAST. Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't find out anything about you."
Izuku blinked at her, only to do a small nod, "Thank you."
His mother showed a small smile, "Of course. I'm here to help." She rose up with a plate in hand, "Finish your breakfast and then check your classes, okay?"
"Okay." Izuku nodded again before taking a sip of orange juice, "Um, mom?" She glanced back at him at this, "After I do my classes...can I go out as Spider-Man? I'll fix the costume first."
Inko chuckled at the question, shaking her head, "Sure sweetie. Just...don't go in over your head again, okay?"
"I won't." Izuku replied, "I'll...be as careful as I can."
"That's all I ask."
Naomasa had just finished a small nap when he got the news. He left his office the moment he heard, a few pieces of papers falling to the floor as he left, Sansa picking them up and putting them back on the desk. The detective took a deep breath as he walked up to a certain door, readying his quirk before grabbing the doorknob and turning it. A second later, he opened the door and glanced inside, now seeing Martin Li staring up at him while handcuffed to a bed.
"Martin Li?" the detective asked.
"That's...me." Li replied, Naomasa now seeing a look of both fear and confusion on his face. The sight made him almost hesitate, as he felt this was going to be a long talk. As such, he walked in and grabbed a chair that was in the corner of the room, putting it at the end of the bed.
"Hello, I'm Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa."
"Detective?" Li instantly responded, "Do you know why I'm cuffed up like this? And where am I?"
Naomasa raised an eyebrow at this, "You don't know why you're here?" The man shook his head in response, making Naomasa almost cringe. The detective knew he had to not show any flinching in these first few moments, but due to his quirk, Naomasa had a lot of experience observing faces. After all, once someone realizes you have a lie detector quirk, they'll do everything they can to dodge your questions, even if it is pointless. However, he knew just by the expression on Li's face and the shaking of the head was Li telling the truth.
Biting his lip at the response, Naomasa's mind went into overtime, thinking up the avenues he could use to get the answers he needed. And a second later, he quickly took a breath before speaking up, "Martin Li, and may I call you that?"
"Call me Mister Li." Li slowly replies, "Everyone...everyone calls me that."
"Alright, Mister Li. Anyways, you were arrested two nights ago."
"Arrested?!" Li gasped, his eyes going wide. Naomasa stared at his face, seeing the pupils shake and shiver as Li glanced down a second later. There was nothing but fear in that expression. Definitely not the reaction he was expecting.
"Yes." Naomasa said a few seconds later, "You see, you were found at the scene of a villain car chase. Specifically, we have witness reports from the hero team known as the Lurkers that you attacked them and illegally used your quirk to brainwash one of them for a short amount of time."
As those words entered Li's ears, the man shook in his bed. He continued to stare downward, his eyes drilling holes into his body. There was no response for a several seconds, only for Li to ask, "What...what did I do? Did I hurt them?"
'He's not denying it?' Naomasa thought before responding, "Technically, no. All you mainly did was use your quirk to brainwash the hero Kamui Woods, who then attacked his teammates." Naomasa glanced down at the notes in his hands, "According to our interview with him, he doesn't remember anything of the sort." He looked back up to the cuffed man, "Do you know why?"
Li didn't respond, his eyes still staring down at himself. Naomasa just blinked at the sight before glancing back at the papers, still seeing the quirk on Li's file. All it has is a name, no description. The detective then looked up at the cuffed man, "How does your quirk work, by the way? All our files just show it as something called 'Negative', but it has no description or details. Any comment on what that is?"
Li continued to stare downward, his mouth not even moving. The sight made Naomasa frown before trying to get up, only for Li to whisper out, "Its not a quirk."
"Excuse me?"
"Its...not a quirk." Li glanced back up at him, his eyes now showing nothing in them. They looked completely blank, as if the life had been sucked out of them. "Its a curse."
"A curse?"
"Yes."
Naomasa's quirk chimed in at this, making the detective tense up. 'Truth again.' Naomasa crossed his arms at this, "What do you mean?"
Martin stared at him for a second, as if his brain was rebooting as his lips smacked, trying to get any words out. And as this happened, he slowly spoke, "You said I was arrested, right?"
"Yes." Naomasa replied, nodding.
"I...I need a lawyer." Li responded as he turned his head away. "I...I won't say anything else till I get one."
Naomasa just stared at him at this, his quirk telling him that the man was still telling the truth. He hadn't told a single lie. 'Shoot.' he thought, 'Guess we have to do this the hard way.'
"Alright." Naomasa said as he stood up, "I'll get that arranged."
He spun around at this, about to leave the room, only for another officer to open the door. Slightly flinching, he saw it was Gori, the gorilla-faced officer. "Hey."
"Hey Gori." Naomasa replied, "What's up?"
"Just came to tell you that the chief wanted you." He motioned with her head, "Are you done with your questioning?"
"No." Naomasa responded, "He uh...wants a lawyer. Won't respond without one."
"Got it. I'll help you get that setup."
"Thanks."
The two men left the room at this, Li glancing back to stare at the men vanishing from the area. He let out a long sigh, shaking his head a second later. "This is such a mess." He whispered to himself. "I can't believe this." He slumped back into the bed, a small groan escaping his lips. "Why? Why did this happen?"
And as he continued to mutter to himself, the room's door opened again. This time it was a female officer with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and a very angry look on her face. Martin turned to her, blinking at the sight, only for the woman to utter a single word. As the word hit his ears, he went wide-eyed, his face paling a second later.
"No...why are you here?!"
"You know why." She replied, "Now, either you do as I say, or-" She put her hand on the gun on her side with a large smirk now appearing on her face, "I'll let you use your imagination." She leaned down as the smirk got even bigger, "So...what do you want to choose?"
It took Izuku a bit longer than he expected to remake the gloves. He had been wanting to make a second costume, but hadn't really got much into it till today. As such, he spent a few hours making the gloves, leaving the house a bit after noon. This was followed by him invisibly leaving his place through the window and swinging into the city. But as he did this, the teen instantly found himself to be aimless. The first hour gave him nothing, just one purse snatcher he stopped mid-swing.
As such, he soon came to a stop and perched onto a small water tower as he pulled out a notebook, his mind going back to the past week, 'I guess I'm still far from being a hero. I mean, I almost didn't stop Mister Li...' That thought made him shake his head, 'No, can't think like that. I have to...I have to...'
The teen took a long deep breath as he closed his eyes, only to sigh a second later, 'What do I do? I mean, really? How do I do better?' His mind went back to Li again, the demon he saw inside the man. It made him shiver, his thoughts jumbling as he tried to think of something else. But then those words from his dream came back.
"You failed."
'I did fail.' he thought as he crossed his arms, his eyes still closed. He bit his lip at this, only for a new thought entered his head. 'I did fail...and maybe that's the point. If I'm gonna be a hero, I need to do more. And that includes...villains.'
He opened his eyes again, staring at his notebook. He flipped a few pages, seeing all the notes he had made on previous villain fights. And as he did this, he landed on the page on Spinner, the teen remembering that night...only for a bulb to ring out in his head. 'Maybe that's it. I...I should try to help the villains. Well, help reform them I mean.'
The teen sat in silence at this thought, only to smile under his mask. He nodded at this, "Yeah. That's what I should do. If I can reform a villain, I should."
That statement made him stare back at the pages, lazily glancing at it as he flipped through it. 'Hmm...I don't know where to start though.' The next page was more notes on the masked men, making him pause, 'Mister Li. Should I try to go for what he was after?' He flipped another page, now seeing it was notes on Tombstone, ones he had recorded from the stuff he had looked up online. 'Tombstone...Mister Li was after him, just like that Kingpin person.'
He put his hand to his chin at this, humming for a bit as he said to himself, "Should I go after him next? I mean, I don't think I could reform him. He's an A-Rank villain...but his gang is causing trouble. I mean, they make and sell drugs!" He glanced back down at his notes, only to nod, "I want to go for this Kingpin, as Mister Li was after him, but I don't really have many clues compared to Tombstone. The stuff I got from Mister's Li's...hidden room did say his gang is mainly in Musutafu, though he didn't have any other locations, just districts. I could try the one closest to me."
He then put his notebook back in his hoodie, 'Though I get the feeling I won't find anything on him until tonight. I've only fought that gang at night, except for that fight they had with Li's masked guys.' He then aimed his wrist at a nearby building and fired a web line. And as he leapt off before swinging away, the teen thought to himself, 'Let's go on patrol. I'll watch over the district Li had written down and...go from there.'
He fired another thing of webbing, swinging down a few blocks as he zipped through Musutafu. It wasn't long till more time passed, the vigilante going down just about every street he could as he slowly made his way around all the nooks and crannies of the city. As he did this, he found little crime, just a few muggers before hitting the four-hour mark. At this, he came to a stop again, checking his webbing and seeing he had plenty before going invisible and changed to get himself some food.
After a quick round of supper, the teen called his mom and told her he was going to stay out for the rest of the evening, only to then decide he would go to one of his favorite comic book stores. As he walked in, he found there wasn't many people inside, never the best sign for business, but Izuku also knew he hadn't kept up with the latest issues due to certain...vigilante shenanigans. As such, he found the latest two All Might issues, bought them and left the store with a smile on his face.
'At least I have this.' he thought as he sat down on a nearby bench, reading through the first issue. It showed All Might take on a giant villain, only to instantly beat it with one punch while saving several people from the fight. The story made Izuku chuckle, shaking his head. 'Man...if I could only be a hero like that. I can barely do a villain fight to just save one person.'
He flipped through a few more pages, soon closing it as he let out a small yawn. 'Maybe I should call it for the day. I mean, I've done a full patrol today and-'
His thoughts came to a stop as he put the comics into his backpack, only to glance up and see two men walk by across the street from where he was. He blinked at the sight, seeing that it was two mutant quirks, a weasel man and a snake man, and both were wearing what looked like hoodies...in the summer.
'Or not. That's suspicious looking...I think. I mean, those look like the kind of guys Tombstone would hire. Odd they would be out and about like that though. Then again, I've spent all day looking for trouble and found nothing. Figures it would appear while I'm just Izuku Midoriya.' The teen slowly got up, glancing around for a bit before quickly racing into a nearby alleyway. He turned invisible and climbed up the wall, soon reaching the roof as he changed into Spider-Man.
'Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe they're just pals...walking out in hoodies in summer. I mean, it is going to be evening soon, so maybe I'm being too judgmental.' He thought as he put on the mask before glancing back down to the street, only to find both men were now gone. 'That's not good.'
He fired a web line and swung across the street, landing on one of the roofs before running over and checking each alleyway in between. And as he did this, he saw the two men again, only to see both knock at a door in the alley. A second later, it opened and both quickly slipped in.
'Hmm...maybe I'm wrong.' he pondered as he stared at the door, only to check another side of the building and saw that the place was a bar...one the two went in the back way. That is, till the door opened again and several mutant quirk guys shuffled out of the building, these wearing biker jackets. 'Then again, maybe I'm actually lucky tonight.'
And as he began to follow them, he saw them go back into another alley, quickly zipping through the backstreets of the city, 'I think I am. Though knowing my luck, something crazy will happen to me while I'm following these guys.'
"Martin Li..." Nezu whispered as his paws typed away at a keyboard. His beady eyes shifted around at the screen, his nose twitching as he reached over for a cigarette a second later. Taking a small lighter and lighting it as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he exhaled some smoke as he glanced back at the screen.
On his computer was a full profile on Martin Li. The man was not what Nezu was expecting. His personal history was simple, a man that had inherited a family fortune and had used it to help the needy. There were several distinct charities he had invested in, and had created FEAST, a special project in an area that seemed to teem with villains in Japan. The goal was admirable, and Nezu had heard of FEAST and would have loved to help with something like that as a side project. Granted, Nezu found that his quirk wasn't on profile, just something called 'Negative' but had no details. That wasn't a red flag in this day and age though, as plenty of political and business individuals would only show a quirk name for their profile and nothing else.
As such, the viewpoint over the man was positive. Even in this day and age of heroism, philanthropy was rare. The act of being a hero was unfortunately marred by humanity at times, and the most selfish would be the ones that go into the business compared to some. Even Nezu had to admit that the recent crop that they were training at his school unfortunately had a few that seemed to be going down that path of selfishness and greed. But according to this profile, Martin Li had chosen the correct path, one to help others, even if he wasn't a hero.
However, that viewpoint had all but changed in his arrest two days ago. Now, the stoat was at his desk, trying to sift through the man's profile. He knew he was a key piece to figuring out the bigger puzzle he had now found himself addicted to: Spider-Man. Somehow, this teen vigilante had figured out everything about a gang that the police and heroes had almost nothing on. In fact, the past two days of investigation at the hideouts of the Inner Demons had revealed even less. Just stolen goods, cars and drugs. Granted, that was normal for criminal operations, but there has to be a plan, an overlaying structure to the greed.
That very thought made Nezu pause and lean back in his chair, taking another small smoke before putting the stick on the side of an ashtray. He rubbed his chin in thought as he pulled up a report that Naomasa had just sent. It was over the first interview with Martin Li he had successfully been able to do earlier today. The conversation showed a man that was beyond confused and frightened, but he also acted as if he knew that this was the worst that could happen...and it did. But he also said he had no recollection of what happened, which by all means, as his super negative employee Aizawa would say, is completely and utterly irrational.
But Nezu knew better. Anything involving the Spider-Man case was irrational by nature. That made him grin as he tapped a few more keys, only to hear a knock on his office door.
"Come in."
The door slowly creaked open, revealing Aizawa as he slowly trudged into the room. "You called? I need to grade some papers."
"I know." Nezu replied as he reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a small tea set. He placed a cup on the frame and asked, "Tea?"
"No thanks. I have coffee."
"I figured." Nezu chuckled as he spun around, staring a certain teapot that had been steaming for a few minutes. He took it off and poured himself a cup before taking a sip. "Ah. There we go." And as he glanced back up at Aizawa, he saw irritation in his eyes, the sight making him chuckle even more. "Don't be so impatient Aizawa. It's the little things that allow your brain to function better."
"Just get on with it." Aizawa moaned. "What do you want?"
Nezu poured a second cup at this as he replied, "I want you to investigate two locations for me undercover."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow at this, "I'm guessing this involves the Spider-Man case?" Nezu nodded back, "Alright...you'll have to give me a day or two. My students just got back, and there's a lot of work to do with them."
"Oh?" Nezu giggled, "Something good?"
"No. They're hopeless." Aizawa groaned, "Anyways, where am I going? Is it related to that Martin Li guy?"
Nezu took another sip, "It is. You're going to go volunteer at FEAST. Both locations." Nezu put the cup down and spun around his computer's monitor, "Preferably, I would like you to start with the second location. It just got done, so I can't help but think that couldn't be a coincidence with this."
"Figures. No coincidences exist in our job." Aizawa grumbled as he stared at the image of the building, "Anything I'm looking for?"
"Just the usual. Check to see if anyone Spider-Man's age hangs around there. Also, make sure to check any staff you think may be related to something...criminal or otherwise."
"Got it." Aizawa replied as he took out a coffee cup out of nowhere and began to leave the room.
"One more thing." Nezu chimed, making Aizawa look back at him. "Be extra careful to not reveal yourself. I believe this is not connected in any way, but the parents of one of your students was hired in the construction of the second FEAST facility. Its brand new, so the company may still be there."
"Got it. Which student is it?"
"Ochako Uraraka."
Aizawa took a small sip of coffee at that, "Her. She's one of like...eight in the class that actually fully tries. I'll make sure to not get caught."
"Excellent. Happy investigating Aizawa."
"Yeah yeah..." Aizawa sighed as he left the room, rubbing his face as he did so. "Ugh...I need a nap."
And as the teacher walked down the hallway, Nezu pulled out a phone. A second later, a call had gone through as he put it up to his ear, "Naomasa, it's me. Yes, I need the crime lab to investigate something for me. I've been looking at everything you've given me over the recent incident, and I want something that isn't usually looked at checked."
The detective then quietly responded, making the stoat chuckle, "Oh? They're going to check that tomorrow?" Nezu shined a small malicious grin at this, "If that's the case, I have an even better idea."
It turned out that the group Izuku was following ended up doing the one thing he didn't want them to do: Go to a bar and stay there for hours on end. The teen was a bit angry that he couldn't just use a tracer on one of them, mainly because none of them had vehicles right now.
As such, he waited on the next door's rooftop until evening, nighttime soon following with a bright full moon as he used most of that time to write down a few pages in his notebook, just a few quips and fighting ideas. That and he began to sketch a few ideas for other costumes. 'If only I had more materials...' he thought as he wrote out a small list, 'Shame I never got my hands on the support labs at UA. I couldn't imagine what I could make as Spider-Man there.'
He glanced up from his notes at this, only to see the bar door open and saw one the two thugs he originally started following now stagger out of the building. The second came out a few moments later, heaving into the alleyway before walking away, 'I...didn't need to see that.' Izuku mentally sighed as he put his notes away, only for the bar door to open again, 'There's the rest of them.' The teen's eyes squinted as he leaned over, now seeing the last one in the biker outfit come out with a metal suitcase in hand. 'There we go. I'd bet a hundred yen there's Trigger in there.'
The group began to talk for a minute, only to slowly walk out of the alleyway and across the street. Izuku fired a web and slung himself over the street, landing on another rooftop as he silently followed them. This was followed by a half an hour of a slow chase, staying just above them as the gang went through multiple back alleys and streets. It felt like forever for the teen, almost feeling slightly bored due to how slow the thugs were going.
And as an hour of following passed, Izuku found that the group were coming up to what looked like an abandoned warehouse at the edge of the city. There, he saw the gang walk up to what looked like more of their members. One of them was a mutant quirk that made a man have a cobra head, his tongue constantly out as the thug from before walked up and gave him the suitcase.
"Excellent." the snake man commented as he opened the case, "Thisss issss what we wantssss."
"We figured." one of the thugs replied, "You got the stuff?"
"Yessss." The snake man responded before snapping his fingers. The warehouse garage doors opened, revealing several motorcycles.
"Nice." another thug chuckled as they all walked up to the motorcycles, some hopping onto them while others began rubbing the vehicles' sides, admiring the work.
"Now hang on boysssss." the snake man said as he snapped his fingers again, more thugs appearing from inside the warehouse. "You brought the goodsssss, but you alsssso help ussss with the deal."
"Seriously?!" the first thug yelped, "We don't wanna mess with those guys!"
"Yeah! Those guys are just a bunch of old idiots, thinking they can just take turf because their old man had it in the past." another one added, "We brought you the stuff just like Tombstone wanted, and we just want to ride. That's all we want."
Izuku had swung over to the warehouse's roof, slowly crawling down as he kept himself hidden in the night's shadow as he listened to the conversation. As such, he began to piece together what was going on. 'So those guys I followed brought Trigger for motorcycles? I mean, some of them do look nice.' Izuku put a hand to his chin, 'So this was just a delivery, not some deal. Still...that snake guy says they have to make a deal with someone. Is it their buyers?'
The thugs from before got onto the motorcycles at this, Izuku responding by putting a tracer on his web shooter. Firing it, it hit the back of one of the motorcycles as they left, Izuku pulling out his tracker and seeing them now move. "Nice." he whispered as he put the device away before looking back at the snake man, "Now...who are they waiting for?"
And as if on cue, a bright light suddenly shined in the distance. Izuku's spider sense rang out, making him reflexively go invisible before crawling back up to the warehouse roof and turning visible again. As he did this, the light got closer till Izuku saw it was a car, which then drove up the warehouse. The car was colored a sleek black, four door, and came to a stop right in front of the gang. Its lights slightly dimmed at this, but were still on as all four doors opened and out came four guys dressed in suits.
Three had the typical thuggish looks you expect from criminals, though all four were not mutant quirks like the Tombstone gang. One of them had a cross scar on the side of his face, another had an elongated jaw, and a third had a mohawk and sunglasses despite it being night, obviously trying to compensate for something. But it was the fourth that intrigued Izuku, as this one had golden hair that went down to his neck, and wore a dark green suit with black pants with an orange tie. His hair covered one of his eyes, and he had a long black beak nosed mask on.
'Who are these guys? They don't look like Tombstone's gang. Are they the buyers?' Izuku thought as he then saw one of the four go to the car's trunk and open it, only to pull out another briefcase. 'Uh-oh. I'm betting that's a whole bunch of money.' He glanced down at his web shooters, checking them as he mentally noted, 'I better stop this drug deal before any of them get a chance to get away.'
He pointed his web shooters at the newcomers, ready to pull the triggers, only to see the one with golden hair take the briefcase and open it in front of Tombstone's thugs. The sight made Izuku come to a stop, as the briefcase didn't have money in it, but something too small for him to see. 'Huh? What's that?' he thought before watching golden hair close the briefcase.
"That the real deal?" The snake man asked, the golden hair man growling in response.
"I just showed it to you!" He barked while pointing at the snake man, "Now, show us the Trigger, and make it snappy. Our boss doesn't like messing with you freaks."
"What'd you just call us?!" Another thug growled, "I'll kill you!"
"Oh please, like you circus freaks can beat us. Listen here, you-"
And as both sides began to argue, Izuku tuned them out as he pointed his web shooters again. 'I better go ahead and hop in before they kill each other...' Izuku blinked at his own thoughts before he shook his head, 'That was...bleak. Don't think that way Izuku.'
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
"What the-" one of the thugs muttered as webbing struck the newcomers' feet. They all glanced down at this, only to hear something land, making them look back up and saw Spider-Man land between them and the Tombstone gang.
"Hi there!" Izuku exclaimed as electricity crackled around his hands. "Nice night for a drug deal, am I right? Too bad I'm here." He then grabbed two of them, zapping both as the thugs let out a yelp before flopping over.
"Its Spider-Man!" one of Tombstone's thugs yelled as he pointed at Izuku, the teen grabbing a third thug and zapping him as well, the bio-electricity then fading from the vigilante's hands.
"No, really?! Are you sure I'm not some other spider-themed vigilante?!" Izuku quipped as the golden-haired man thrust his hand at Izuku, the teen's spider sense buzzing as he leapt back, dodging the man. "Now, why don't we stop this drug deal right, okay?"
The Tombstone gang then charged at him, a weasel man getting to Izuku first as he swiped some claws at the teen. Izuku backpedaled at this, avoiding the first strike as tiger man ran up next, leaping at the vigilante next. The teen fired two web lines upward at this, pulling himself into the air, dodging the tiger man before landing behind the weasel one. And as this happened, the snake man thrust a Trigger needle into himself.
"Keep him disssstracted, boysssss." the snake man hissed as his body slightly contorted.
But as the snake man began to power up, the weasel man thrust his claws at Izuku again, the vigilante dodging it again before swinging a punch into the thug's face, knocking him off his feet. But as this blow hit, the tiger man slammed a fist into Izuku's stomach, making the teen cry out before Izuku countered with a thrusting kick at the tiger thug's own stomach.
And as the attack knocked the tiger man back, the golden-haired man from before opened the briefcase and pulled out a gun, Izuku's spider sense blaring at him. The teen turned to the man as he loaded the gun, only for webbing to cover his hands. "What the-" the thug tried to say before turning to see Izuku's foot coming for his face.
Thwack!
The man's head hit the back of their car, a loud clang ringing out before slumping over, the man instantly knocked out. Izuku then spun around at this, now seeing the snake man from before letting out a loud hiss. Spider sense screamed at Izuku as the snake man's clothes began to rip apart as he began to grow before charging at the teen. Izuku responded by firing a burst of webbing at the snake, webs covering the thug's face as he tackled the teen. He then tried to bite down on Izuku, only to find his fangs stuck in the webbing.
"Mmph?!" the snake man yelped, only to feel Izuku's knees slam into his stomach. "MMPH!"
"Get off me!" Izuku yelled as he kicked the snake man off, the thug hitting the pavement before rolling back onto his feet. The snake thug then put his hands into his mouth and ripped out the webbing, screaming as he did so.
"Raugh! I'm gonna kill you!" The snake man roared, only for more webbing to instantly hit his mouth again. "MMPH!"
"Yeah...no." Izuku deadpanned before charging a surge of electricity in his right fist. The snake man leapt at him again, only for Izuku to pull back his arm. "Venom Punch!" The electric fist slammed into the thug, knocking him flying across the lot. A second later, webbing covered his body, sticking him to the ground, taking him out of the fight.
Izuku glanced back at the warehouse, only to see no more thugs. "Looks like I'm done here." He pulled out his notebook at this, "Hmmm...guess I didn't come up with any good quips there. I do think I'm getting better with the snark part though." He closed the book and put it away as he glanced down at the two briefcases the gangs had brought. He opened the one the Tombstone gang had brought first, now seeing several vials of liquid. "Trigger..."
Izuku put his finger to his chin at this, 'Hmm...you know, I've never taken a sample of this stuff. I'm not a chemist expert, but I have experience in it. I mean, I made the web fluid...should I take a sample? Maybe it'll help me track more of it down.' He glanced back at the thugs, only to close the briefcase, 'No. I better not take these samples. When the police come here, they'll be suspicious of the briefcase being empty.'
He then walked over to the snake thug and rummaged his pockets, pulling out a syringe with several vials. 'Here we go.' The teen felt something else in the thug's pockets at this, soon pulling out a phone, 'This will help too.' He glanced back at the buyers at this, 'Now, let's see what the other briefcase had.'
And as he walked up to this case and opened it, his mask covered the confusion that now appeared on his face. 'Bullets?' He mentally asked as he saw a set of bullets inside the briefcase. He squinted his eyes at this, noticing the bullets weren't exactly made of metal. "What is this?" he whispered before reaching into his hoodie and pulled out his forensic kit, taking out a pair of tweezers. He picked up one of the bullets, twisting it as he closed one of his eyes, "Why would they be dealing bullets?"
He put the bullet back into the case before glancing over at the golden-haired man he had knocked out, remembering him pulling out a gun. "Better take one of these." he mumbled to himself as he put one of the bullets from the thug's gun in a small plastic bag.
He took out the thug's phone next, tapping it a bit as he called a certain phone number before putting it to his ear as he fired a webline, yanking himself to a building right by the warehouse. "Hello police? I'd like to call in an anonymous tip."
A few minutes ago, one rooftop over...
A fanged grin graced a certain girl's face as she stared ahead. In front of her was a vigilante on a warehouse's roof across the street. She watched as she slowly crawled down the warehouse's side, the girl pulling out a knife and licking it as she whispered, "There he is. Spider-Man."
The girl saw him watch the thugs below him, only to see the spider-themed vigilante fire a web on one of the motorcycles as the first few thugs rode away, making her raise an eyebrow. She then glanced back at the vigilante, only to see him pull out some kind of device before putting it away.
Then a new car drove up, only for her to see Spider-Man leap down and beat the group of thugs, firing volleys of webs and electricity crackling off his swinging fists. The sight made her blush, letting out a 'wow' as he knocked out one with a Venom Punch. And as he finished the fight, she saw him investigate the thugs and two briefcases before firing a web upward, yanking himself onto the rooftop she was on. Seeing this, she quickly hid behind a crate as he landed on the roof before taking out her knife again.
"Now, let's see why Stainy chose you..."