Chapter 54: Too Many Trials, Too Many Tribulations
Himiko Toga stared at the woman beside her on the couch, Inko Midoriya. The mother was letting out long breaths, her face morphing back to its normal form as she tried to shrink into the couch. A few minutes ago, the one called Katsuki Bakugo had left. The teenager had never gotten inside the building, but it didn't really matter. The confrontation that had happened was all that needed to be done. As such, Himiko continued to stare at Inko, the girl slightly shivering as she watched Inko try to calm down.
And as another minute passed, Inko slowly said, "I know what you're going to say." Himiko flinched at the statement and tone, the woman letting out another long sigh before turning to the teen, "And you're not going to tell Izuku a thing. Got it?"
"But-" Himiko tried to say, only for Inko to turn to her with a large frown.
"Himiko...please." Inko took in a deep breath, slow exhaling a bit later, "Just...just don't. I know what you're thinking, and I know what you want to say...but don't." The woman closed her eyes, remembering her conversation over Bakugo with Nezu. She knew Himiko didn't understand, but Inko knew her son. She hated how much she knew her son when it came to Bakugo.
Himiko frowned back before her eyes glanced over to the front door. She let out a low hum at this, "I just don't get why that guy is important."
"He's beyond important to Izuku. In the worst way possible...but he is." Inko instantly replied while looking away, trying to hide the snarl on her face, "And despite how much I hate it, it's something we can't just immediately fix." She looked back at Himiko, seeing the frown staying on her face. Taking another breath, she added, "I know. And I'm really glad Izuku wasn't here. After all, if Izuku found out about the agreement I did with Nezu about Bakugo..."
Inko muttered off at that, making the teen bite her lip. Even now, Himiko couldn't believe someone so...explosive and rude could ruin such nice people like Izuku and Inko. Bakugo didn't seem like her parents, ones that manipulate and try to control every bit of your life. He just seemed like a...well, like a bully. And yet, with just one interaction, Himiko saw Inko show a side she never expected from the woman. The kindest person she had ever met looked like she was ready to kill. Something that she knew would ruin her life, yet the expression was there on Inko's face. Not only that, as Himiko remembered what Inko said to Nezu those three days ago and comparing it to what she had just saw...she still couldn't believe it.
And as another minute passed, she noticed that she had her knife in her hand again. She must have reflexively taken it out again. The girl began to fiddle with it in her fingers, only to turn and see Inko taking out her cellphone. The sight made her almost flinch before asking, "Who are you calling?"
"I'm calling Principal Nezu." Inko replied as she kept tapping the phone before putting it to her ear. A few seconds passed, only for the woman to say, "Hello sir. Sorry about the late call, but...let's just say we need to talk."
Meanwhile...
Izuku could feel himself wanting to backpedal as he stared at the trio in front of him. All three looked like trouble, something he knew all too well...but this felt different. His brain had already caught that this was a trap. Granted, not a great one since Izuku knew he could probably run away. Just leap onto the nearby semi, fire a webline...and swing away.
But as he stared at the trio, he felt a tingle down his spine. The hair on his neck stood up, the teen feeling a slight shiver, as if a cold chill struck his whole form. Before him was a trio that were all pouring out killing intent. They were here to kill him. Not only that, but they were also here to kill for a paycheck. After all, they said they were going to get paid if they killed him.
And as he collected his thoughts, Izuku knew only one thing. These men must somehow work for Hammerhead, who works for Kingpin. That thought alone made the teen's eyes narrow behind his mask, gritting his teeth as he straightened up and asked, "So...you three are the Enforcers?"
"That's right bug." The bowler hat man replied, "Name's Fancy Dan." He pointed to the two behind him, "That's Montana and Ox." Dan then spun the double-pointed spear before aiming it at the vigilante, "And you...are dead."
"Right." Izuku responded in a slightly snarky tone, mainly to help calm himself. 'Okay Izuku, think. These guys were waiting for you, which means they could have help coming. That could be bad.' Izuku thought as he gripped his hands into fists, 'But even if they are, they're still thugs working for Kingpin. That means I'll have to fight them eventually...'
Taking a deep breath, Izuku crouched slightly, his fists now sparking with electricity as he said, "Alright then. Let's dance."
Dan shined a grin at this, "Nice." And with a slight flex of his feet, the thug charged at the vigilante. Izuku almost flinched at the sight, Dan now instantly in front of the teen before thrusting his spear. Spider sense ringing out, Izuku quickly ducked under the attack, only to see a foot coming straight for his face.
Thwack!
"Oof!" Izuku grunted as he felt the foot smack his chin, the teen stumbling back as his spider sense kept ringing. Blinking at this, he then saw Dan thrust the spear again, Izuku sidestepping as the weapon came for the vigilante. And as this happened, Izuku fired a webline to his left, the webbing hitting the semi before yanking on it. Pulling himself away from the thug, his spider sense continued to yell at him as Izuku felt his vision fully return. There, he saw what looked like the end of a lasso about to go for his neck, making him backpedal just in time. "Whoa!"
"Ox! Get around the semi! Montana, with me!" Dan ordered as he charged at the teen again, Izuku responding by pointing both his wrists at the thug. Two globs of webbing came next, only for Dan to spin his spear in front of himself, smacking away both shots of webbing. He then sidestepped at this, Montana now appearing as his left arm turned into a lasso. The man gripped the rope with his right and twirled it once before slinging it at the wallcrawler.
'Uh-oh!' Izuku thought as he saw the lasso going for this head again. Spider sense still ringing, he reflexively fired a glob of webbing at the rope, smacking the lasso back. Montana responded by turning the rope back into his arm, getting rid of the webbing as Dan thrust his spear at Izuku again. However, spider sense took over the teen at this happened, Izuku quickly dancing around each attack. And as he dodged two more thrusts, his spider sense rang out again.
Danger!
Izuku could feel something go straight up his spine, making him turn around to see the one called Ox. The brute towered over the teen, and before Izuku could even respond, the man began to use his quirk. Ox was already a massive man, but his body began to grow, horns coming out of his head, his entire body growing a dark coat of fur, and his face changed to one of...well, an ox.
"Raaagh!" Ox roared as he thrust both his arms down at the teen, Izuku quickly sidestepping just as the attack came. What followed was a resounding CRACK! as Ox's fists hit pavement, chunks of gravel now flying off the pavement from the impact. The sight made Izuku want to gulp, only for his spider sense to ring out again. Glancing to the left, the end of a spear was now coming straight for the teen's head, Izuku ducking under it a split second later. This was followed by Izuku turning and pointing his wrist at Dan again, firing another glob of webbing.
But as the webbing came out, Dan instantly spun his spear, swatting the webbing away. Izuku then fired two more bits of web, only for both to be smacked away as well. Dan spun the spear one time before thrusting again, Izuku stumbling back as he tried to dodge. And as the spear just missed the teen's head, spider sense rang out just as a giant fist slammed into Izuku's side.
"Augh!" Izuku yelped as his body went flying, his form smacking the warehouse wall. He let out a grunt of pain at this, closing his eyes just as his spider sense started to ring out again. Opening his eyes, the teen saw Ox now charging at him horns first, the vigilante flinching before leaping upward. The teen did a small flip before landing on the warehouse's wall just as Ox slammed into the building. He could feel the impact from the charge, but he kept a firm grip on the wall until-
Danger!
A lasso's end grabbed the teen's hand, making him gasp as he felt the rope now tug on him. "Come down here, varmint!" Montana yelled as he started pulling. Feeling the tugging, Izuku just turned and grabbed the lasso, giving it a sharp yank. The pull made the stetson wearing thug almost fall over, yelping out as Izuku's tug made him stumble into Ox, "Whoa!"
"Hi-ya!" exclaimed another voice, Izuku's spider sense ringing out as he reflexively crawled to the left. A split-second later, Dan's spear slammed into the wall, Izuku gasping as he saw Dan leap up and grab the pole. With agility so fast that Izuku didn't know how to react, Dan leapt off the pole and planted a foot on the teen's face, kicking off him a second later as the blow knocked Izuku off the wall.
"Augh!" the teen yelped as he hit the ground, rolling for a second while Dan landed back on the pole before pulling it out and landing a moment later. And as this happened, Izuku scrambled to his feet, only to feel a shiver go down his spine.
Danger!
"Got you!" roared a rough, rusty voice. A second later, Izuku felt his whole form tense up as Ox appeared in front of him and grabbed the teen, quickly vicing him into a bear hug. "Now to crush you!"
"Yaugh!" Izuku cried as he felt Ox tighten the hug, the squeeze causing Izuku's pain receptors to fire on all cylinders. The bear hug's tension lessened a second later, only for Ox to squeeze again, making Izuku cry out, "Aaah!"
"That's it Ox! Wring him out till there's nothing left!" Montana exclaimed as his right hand turned into an even longer lasso. "And once you're done, let's lynch him!"
"Agreed." Dan added as he casually spun his spear on his right hand. "And then we'll skewer him for the boss."
"Rrrrgh..." Izuku moaned out as he felt the squeeze again for the third time. And as this happened, the teen's brain suddenly shifted as certain words came out. "Two problems with that."
"Oh? And what's that?" Dan chuckled as he spun the spear one more time.
"One, you should never kill a guy while you have bad breath. Ox here needs a breath mint." Izuku quipped out, making Ox growl as he squeezed again, "Rrrgh...and two-" Izuku's arms, which had been stuck in the hug, tensed up for a second before the teen straightened his hands up and grabbed Ox's arms with the ends of his fingers. "You're right where I want you. Venom Shock!"
Zap!
Before the trio could react, electricity pumped through Ox, making him scream out an "AAAAAHHHHH!" before letting the teen go. And as the other two saw this, Izuku surged lightning through his right arm and slammed it into Ox's stomach, more electricity pulsing through the thug. "RAUGH!"
"Night night, bull boy! Venom Uppercut!" Izuku yelled as his electrified fist slammed into Ox's chin, instantly knocking him off his feet. The giant hit the pavement a second later, only for webbing to cover him before any reaction could be made.
"OX!" the other two exclaimed before Dan charged at the teen, "You're gonna pay for that!"
"No, I think I'm done here." Izuku growled as he aimed his wrist at the man. "Time to web you mooks up!"
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Three strands of webbing shot out as Dan charged, the man swatting the first two away with his spear, only to duck under the third. He then began to thrust his spear at the vigilante, only to hear Montana yell, "Hey! Get it off!" Glancing back, he saw that the third glob of webbing had hit Montana's eyes, making him stumble around.
"Venom Punch!" Izuku roared as he did a quick right jab at Dan's turned around form. But as the punch came, Dan easily side-stepped the blow. Izuku responded by thrusting a left punch at the thug, only for Dan to spin around it with ease before thrusting the spear at the teen's head.
Danger!
The teen reflexively ducked under the weapon, only to side-step next as Dan continued thrusting the spear at the vigilante. And as he did this, Izuku found himself backpedaling as he trusted his spider sense to guide him. One, two, three thrusts came next before the teen pointed his wrist at the thug, webbing coming out a second later. But as this happened, Dan just spun the spear again, swatting the liquid away with ease. Izuku then thrust another punch before Dan just raised a hand and smacked the punch away before ducking under a second jab from the teen. This was followed by another thrust of the spear, Izuku sidestepping it before a foot smacked his face, making the teen stumble back.
"HA!" Dan laughed as he spun his spear around himself before pointing it at the vigilante. "You're strong, but your punches are slow. You don't know how to fight, do you?"
Izuku didn't respond, instead just concentrating on regaining his footing before glaring at the man. His mind went over everything that was happening, his eyes glancing over to see that Montana had just ripped off the webbing. Staring back at Dan, Izuku bit his lip as his thoughts began to flow, 'I don't get it. Anything I try, he just easily dodges...but its not like Chameleon. He hasn't used his quirk, so it must be something with his body. A mutant-type quirk perhaps? He doesn't seem to be manipulating anything about his body.' As that last bit went through his head, Izuku went wide-eyed behind his mask, 'Wait...is that it?!'
And as Izuku mentally talked to himself, Dan charged as he thrust the spear again. But as this happened, the teen let his spider sense take over, causing him to tilt his head to the right just as the spear came for his face. Dodging the blow, Izuku responded with another quick jab, only for Dan to easily sidestep the punch. Izuku followed this by thrusting two more jabs, Dan just standing still as his body reflexively flexed left and right, dodging both attacks. This was met with another thrust of the spear, Izuku ducking under it before firing another bit of webbing at the thug's face, only for him to side-step the glob, evading it with ease.
But as this happened, Izuku backpedaled for a second, his eye glancing to the left to see Montana just standing there, lasso ready. It looked like he was waiting for an opening. With that in mind, Izuku stared back at Dan before speaking up, "You...your quirk is all about your reflexes, isn't it?"
Dan raised an eyebrow at this, spinning the spear in his right hand as he heard the question, only to chuckle. He shined a small grin next as he replied, "Not bad. Been a while since someone figured it out."
"So I'm right then?"
"You are." Dan laughed before pointing to his head, "My quirk enhances my reflexes. It almost lets me turn my body on auto-pilot." He pointed the spear at the teen again, "And that's why you'll never hit me!" And as those words hit Izuku's ears, the gears in the teen's brain began to shift. A hidden grin appeared in behind his mask, only for the vigilante to instantly disappear. "Huh?! What the-where'd he go?!"
"He can turn invisible, Dan!" Montana exclaimed, "Remember the file the boss gave us?!"
"Oh yeah. Well, he still can't hit me." Dan commented as he glanced around, "Just come on out, bug!"
But as he said that, Izuku just tiptoed around the man and wallcrawled up the warehouse's outer wall again. And as he did this, he reached into his hoodie and refilled his webshooters, the teen almost chuckling to himself, 'Why do I keep forgetting I can go invisible? Guess its cuz the guy's right. I still don't know how to fight well.' He glanced back down at the two thugs as they looked around, both yelling at the wind.
'If I can't hit him one-on-one, I'll just hit everything instead.' Izuku thought as he pointed his webshooters slightly upward, the teen's brain clicking before he turned visible again. Despite this, the two thugs didn't look up, making him smile as he mentally said, 'I've been wanting to try something like this.'
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
The teen began to spray his webbing, lightly tapping the shooters' triggers compared to the usual hard tapping he would do. He started to move his wrists left and right, quickly making a net of webbing that began to fall down on the two thugs. "Huh?!" was what both said before Montana was covered in webbing, instantly tying him up while Dan tried to swat it all away with his spear. And as he did this, Izuku pointed his wrists at the man.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Dan spun around as the webbing came for him, only to swat away one strand of sticky liquid as the other two grabbed his spear. And with a firm tug, Dan felt himself stumble, reflexively trying to maintain his balance...only to step on the previous net of webbing. His shoe now firmly stuck, he tripped and hit the sticky ground face first. "Mmph!" he muttered out, trying to move as more webbing now hit his back, Izuku making sure the man couldn't move.
Smiling at the result, Izuku turned to see Montana still trying to get off the webbing from before. Slightly laughing at the sight, he hopped down in front of the man just as he ripped the webbing off his face. "Hey there cowboy. Fancy meeting you here."
"You stinkin varmint! I'll-"
"Nope." Izuku chuckled as he tapped the thug's shoulder, electricity instantly surging through the man's body before he fell over, instantly losing consciousness. The teen glanced over to the other two, now seeing Dan still struggling under the webbing while Ox was still knocked out. Izuku fired some webbing over the thug just to keep him secure before shooting out a webline and yanking himself upward. Landing on a nearby rooftop a second later, the teen pulled out the phone Nezu had given to him as he stared at the sight he had just made.
'This was a trap. Those guys were totally trying to kill me, which means that Hammerhead guy must see as a threat.' He tapped the phone's screen, soon making a call. 'Here's hoping Nezu can get someone here to arrest these guys tonight.'
A few minutes later...
A long yawn escaped Izuku's breath as he finished his call with Nezu. Turned out, the stoat was not in the best of moods, but was happy with Izuku's results. He had informed the teen that the ones called 'The Enforcers' were a team of villains that usually work for Hammerhead and other Kingpin minions, mainly doing what Nezu called 'the dirty jobs'. As such, he told the teen he would see if he can get someone over to arrest the trio, and then think of their next move since tonight's hunt led to a trap to kill the wallcrawler.
After this, the teen leapt off the building and fired a webline, soon swinging away. But as he did this, a figure stepped out of the alleyway below him, watching the vigilante webswing into the night.
"Seems to be another failure." the figure sighed before walking out of the darkened alleyway, revealing themselves to be a man in a white suit, wearing a purple mask. Behind him was a bald man in a full black suit with a lightning zig-zag pattern on it, electricity flowing off his face.
"I still don't see why you didn't let me go in there and fry him, Rose!" yelled the electric man.
"Patience Electro. And call me boss while we're working." Rose replied as they walked up to the three webbed up Enforcers. "Seems you all failed tonight."
"Mmph!" Dan muttered out, being the only one conscious. Rose responded by shaking his head before snapping his fingers. A second later, three vines shot out of the ground, cutting the webs around Dan. The thug let out a load of spit before standing up, wiping his face for a moment before glancing around, "Where is he?! I'm gonna skewer that bug!"
"He's gone." Rose chimed in, making Dan turn to him, grimacing at the sight as he just realized that Rose was the one that just released him.
"Oh...hey boss." Dan squeaked out, Rose snapping his fingers in response. Vines appeared around the thug, instantly cutting away the rest of the webbing. "Uh..."
"Be quiet." Rose growled as he pointed to Montana, "Wake your buddies up. Spider-Man called the police, and if you don't want to go to jail tonight, we're getting you all out of here now."
"G-g-got it boss!" Dan saluted for a second before running over to Montana.
And as this happened, Rose turned to Electro, "You're up next. Let me setup a trap and the bug is yours." Electro shined the biggest grin at this, chuckling at the notion before Rose glanced back at Dan, watching him wake up Montana. The sight made him shake his head, crossing his arms before whispering to himself, "And I still need to find that girl. Why do I get the feeling this is going to become more complicated soon?"
A group of six pairs of footsteps rang out in an alleyway at this, the one in front saying, "Come on." The other five followed the leader, the group taking turn after turn in the dark alleyways hidden in the night. And as they took another right, the thug at the start came to a stop at a faded red door on the side of what looked like a rundown building. Cracks, mold and rats infested the alleyway they were in, but the thug just shined a grin and pulled out a small key in his pocket.
"In here." He said as he opened the door, gesturing for the group to go inside. Seconds later, a light was turned on as all six zipped into the building and closed the door behind them. After getting their bearings for a second, the thug spoke up again, "Alright, everyone got the goods?"
"Yeah." "Got 'em." "Yup." were some of the responses as the thug walked into the middle of the room. It was a dimly lit area, complete with several empty shelves, a few tables and some old folding chairs.
"Good. We'll stash it here for tonight. Hammerhead wants this-"
WHAM!
The thug's voice came to a stop as the sound of the door they had just entered rang out, its frame slamming the wall it was connected to. They all spun around at this, only to see a blur zip into the room. "What the-" the leader thug tried to say, only to let out a yelp as he suddenly felt his back hit the floor, "Augh!"
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
The thug went wide-eyed as five loud piercing ringing noises hit his ears, making him close his eyes and thrust his hands to his head, trying to block out the sound. But as his hands covered his ears, he felt something push down on his face, making his eyes open up and see that it was a bottom of a boot now placed on his face. His pupils stared at it for a second before glancing up, now seeing the foot's owner.
It was a woman with long silver hair that was wearing a bodysuit of the same color. In her right hand was a pistol that had a thin trail of smoke coming out of its barrel. Not only that, the woman was also wearing a glare that made the thug squirm under her foot as she spoke up, "Listen up trash. I need information, so I'm giving you two options. Either you're going to tell me what I want to know, or you'll end up like your friends."
The thug blinked at her, only to slightly lean his head back, his whole body now truly feeling the cold hard floor under himself. And as he did this, his eyes went wider than they had ever been. For just a few feet away laid five bodies, all five wearing bullet holes in their heads.
"So...you gonna talk?" She chimed in, making him glance back up at her as her foot went slightly back, now pushing down on his chest as she pointed the smoking pistol right at his temple, "Or am I gonna waste this gun's last bullet on you?"
Chapter 55: The Moving of Pieces
Tink! Tink! Tink!
That was the sound of a fork tapping a plate as a silver-haired woman finished her breakfast. She was wearing a frown as she took a sip of some water next, the lady growling as she leaned back in her chair. "Spider-Man..." she whispered while crossing her arms, staring at a folder laying on the table. Inside was all the information the commission had given her on her target, and it was both a ton...and very little.
The woman's hero name is Silver Sable, and she was not in a good mood. Granted, she was rarely in a good mood, but she had a feeling today was not going to go well. It began with what happened yesterday, as she had begun to search for the vigilante known as Spider-Man. She had started by going to his most recent crime scene, searching it over with cautious eyes before calling up the HPSC. The woman had realized it was a warehouse ran by the commission, meaning it was a place for dirty business for the organization she works for. That was normal in this day and age. Heck, it was normal before quirks, as there was no such thing as a 'clean organization'. At least, in the woman's mind as she called the commission.
It was here that she learned exactly what Spider-Man was after: Gun smugglers. A simple crime for a vigilante to go after. As such, she quickly began her work, spending all yesterday asking around in seedy pubs and back alleyways where all the scum hung out. After a few beatings questions, she found that the smugglers worked for the villain Hammerhead. This fact led her into following a small group that was stashing a few guns in a safehouse, which she instantly broke into and killed them all. Well, all but one, as she did need information.
And the information was not what she wanted, the woman hissing as she remembered what the thug had told her.
"I-I-I don't know why Hammerhead wants to move this stuff around, honest! He just said that he thinks someone might be moving in on his turf!"
What followed that was a bunch of crying, boohooing, the thug peeing his pants, and then the scum confessed that the only reason he was a criminal was because he didn't like manual labor. In other words, he was scum because he had nothing better to do. Typical.
(She did let him go though, mainly due to him making a bigger mess in his pants after she threatened him again. He swore to do better, and then ran off into night.)
As such, the woman was back to square one. And with a tiny hum, she pulled out a phone and tapped a few buttons. Three rings later, a voice picked up on the other end as Sable said, "It's me. I need some info on Hammerhead."
The tapping of knee-high black boots hitting the hospital floor continued to ring out as their wearer walked down a hallway. It was the Dragoon Hero Ryukyu, the woman showing a flat look on her face as she strided up to a door. Letting a small second pass, she grabbed the handle and twisted it, soon opening and walking inside. There, she saw a nurse standing over a bed, which currently had a small girl with a horn laying on it.
"How is she?" Ryukyu asked as she walked to the other side of the bed.
"She's...not great." the nurse replied as she stared at a pad, "She's still malnourished, but we were able to get some fluids in her."
"That's good." Ryukyu crossed her arms as she frowned at the sleeping girl, "Poor thing still won't wake up."
"Yes..." the nurse sighed as she put the pad down before shaking her head, "Poor girl."
Ryukyu didn't respond to that, just keeping her frown as she stared at the girl. She now remembered the phone call she had right before she entered the hospital. It was Sir Nighteye, calling about an update after he had identified a body near the scene where they had saved the girl. The next words continued to repeat in her head.
"The man found was one Martin Li, a villain that recently escaped police custody. There is nothing really on him except that he fought the hero team The Lurkers and Spider-Man, and that he is responsible for a villain group you have personally faced: The Inner Demons."
In terms of the situation, it was not the most basic case. Most villains in the present day had long lists of criminal activities, or were found to have volatile quirks. On rare occasions, they were found to have extensive criminal knowledge, but that was rare in the era of peace ushered in by All Might.
At least, that's what the public were told. Ryukyu knew better. The criminal scene had increased rapidly in the past few years, as if to challenge All Might's era of peace. That face alone was scary, as no matter how many new heroes appeared, the criminal underworld continued to expand and grow ten times as fast. At least, that's what it seemed like. That is, till Nighteye said something else:
"Though I have yet to use my quirk, and I know we agreed I would not use it on the girl, but I can't help but think about our encounter with The Rose the other day to be nothing short of manipulation. The yakuza were all basically dead except Overhaul before we could even act. That means the girl either didn't see anything, or Spider-Man interfered only with her. Either way, we need information from her."
Ryukyu let out another long sigh. 'Information...' she thought as she stared at the laying girl. 'He makes it sound so simple. The poor little girl is barely hanging on as is.'
The woman closed her eyes for a second, refocusing herself before reopening her eyes to see the girl in bed begin to twitch. The hero's eyes slightly grew at this, the woman gesturing to the nurse as she just about to leave the room. Seeing this, the nurse spun around and saw what the hero is motioning to. Walking back over to the bed, the two women switched their faces into big smiles.
"Hello there." the nurse said first as the girl's eyes began to flutter open.
"Mmm..." the little one replied, their mouth popping for a second before their eyes fully opened. There, she saw two kind smiling faces, at least, that's what most would describe it as. However, the girl didn't understand, and instead let out a screech before trying to sink into the bed. Tears began to form in her eyes as she yelled, "AAAAHHH!"
"Oh dear!" The nurse gasped before grabbing the girl's arms, only to feel a light tug. "Hold on there. Please don't cry!" But her words fell on deaf ears as the girl began to squirm, "No, please don't do that. You-"
Ryukyu chimed in by putting a hand on the girl's forehead, the motion making the girl turn to glance up at the woman. She saw the smile on her face again, tears slightly blocking her vision before Ryukyu leaned down and said, "Its okay. Don't cry. We're not here to hurt you."
She blinked at the sight, only for the girl to whisper out, "R-r-really?"
"Yes. I just want to help."
Those words rang a bell in the girl's head. And as if the world shifted around her, the woman's kind smiling face turned into a certain green haired teen's face, the same smile on it as well. It then went back to Ryukyu, the girl blinking at the sight as she stopped squirming. The nurse let go at the same moment, only for the girl to ask the pro hero, "Who are you?"
"My name is Ryukyu." The hero's smile grew as she then asked, "What's your name?"
"E-E-Eri."
"That's a wonderful name." Ryukyu instantly replied.
"T-t-thank you."
Ryukyu giggled for a second before rubbing the girl's head, shifting her hand through the girl's long hair. "Its nice to meet you, Eri."
"It...its nice to m-m-meet you too." the girl responded before glancing over at the nurse. The nurse soon responded with their own greeting and name before Eri looked back at the pro hero. "Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital. We've been taking care of you after we found you on that rooftop."
"Rooftop?" Eri asked, Ryukyu nodding in response.
"That's right. And we've been trying to get you better ever since. How are you feeling?"
But those words fell off in the girl's head. It was as if Ryukyu wasn't there as she began to glance around, a frown beginning to show on her face before the nurse chimed in, "What's wrong?"
Eri responded by shifting her head left to right again. A few moments passed at this, only for her to glance up at the nurse and ask, "Where's Spider-Man?"
A thin trail of smoke touched a certain room's ceiling as a sighing voice talked into a cell phone. "Yes, young Midoriya. It seems the police found no one from your...fight last night." The voice's owner leaned back in a chair, letting out a puff of smoke before adding, "That can only mean that the Kingpin is already registering you as a threat. I honestly didn't think he would react, but it seems I was proven wrong. It's been a while since that last happened."
"I see. I'm sorry this is happening, Mister Nezu."
"It's no problem, young Midoriya. All this means is that I'll have to have you switch tactics." Nezu replied as he put a cigarette in a nearby ashtray. The stoat wore the most contemplative face he had worn in some time. He always tried to show a face of neutral expression when in public, but he was all alone in his office at the moment. As such, he put a paw to his chin as he began to say, "Tell me, how is your condition today, young Midoriya?"
"Well...I'm not one hundred percent, but I can go out as Spider-Man today if you need me too."
"If that's the case, we'll wait till tomorrow." Nezu instantly responded, only to add, "And before you say anything, this is part of my strategy. There is no need for a piece on the board to not work when it should."
"But-"
"Don't." Nezu reached into his pocket and pulled out a second cigarette, soon lighting it as he replied, "You see young Midoriya, in order to take down our foes, there are times where we must wait before striking. If the Kingpin did set up a trap for you like the Enforcers said, then we need to pace ourselves. Make sure we can still ruin his operations without falling into another trap."
There was a moment of silence on the other line, only for Izuku to speak up, "Okay. I understand. Sorry, I guess I was just being impatient."
Nezu shined a small grin at this, "Its fine young Midoriya. Now, before I go any further, I would like to inform you that the materials you ordered should get to you in a few days."
Izuku's voice perked up at that, "Great!"
"Heh heh..." Nezu chuckled while letting out a puff of smoke, "Now, onto other business. As I stated before, the ones you encountered were the Enforcers. They have a small rap sheet, just like Hammerhead, and are well known among the underground scene. They're rejected thugs that have hopped around multiple gangs until the Kingpin took over."
"Sounds like trouble. And you said they're C-Rank?"
"Correct."
"Okay. I'll add them to my notebook later."
Nezu chuckled again at this, remembering when Izuku had shown the stoat all the notes he took. It was so sad that a boy like him was born quirkless, which in turn let such a hidden gem be hidden away due to rampant quirkism. The stoat shook his head before saying, "Your notes aside, I need to do my daily work at UA today. As such, I will be texting you your next assignment shortly, which I will want you to do tomorrow night. Is that okay?"
"Sure. I don't mind taking a day off to rest. That fight with the Enforcers was a doozy."
"I'd imagine so. After all-" Nezu began to say, only to hear something.
Knock! Knock!
The stoat turned to his office door, only to see the frame open. Here, three individuals walked in. It was the three Pro Heroes Midnight, Present Mic and All Might, and all three were wearing giant frowns. The sight made Nezu want to sigh, as he had a feeling he knew where this was going. Taking a small breath, he spoke into the phone again, "It seems I'm about to have an early staff meeting today. I'll speak with you later."
"Understood. I hope you have a good meeting, sir." Izuku replied before a click went off in the stoat's phone, signifying the call was now done.
'You have no idea.' Nezu thought as he put the phone down and took a long, deep breath. He closed his eyes for just a second before reopening them and staring directly at the trio, "Considering your expressions, I suspect this isn't a social visit. What seems to be the issue?"
"Shouta." Midnight and Present Mic instantly responded while All Might said, "Aizawa."
The stoat wanted to let out the longest sigh at this, but kept his composure as he took out another cigarette and began to light it. A small puff escaped his mouth next as he then said, "Let me guess. You disapprove of his current teaching methods?"
"Its not teaching, and you know it." Midnight snapped, "For the past few days, he's been basically torturing those first years with constant combat and rescue exercises, some that third years would have trouble with if they had too repeatedly do it. He keeps telling us that its necessary for the first years so they can pass their finals, and we all know that's a load of bull. Shouta never goes that far, and we want to know why." The woman gestured to the other two pro heroes, "We all agreed that you had to be behind this, as Shouta's been acting strange the past two weeks or so, and you're always part of whatever he's been doing recently."
"Yeah." Present Mic added while crossing his arms, his usual smile now showing an extra large frown. "I've never seen him this angry. I mean, he can get mad, especially if he's fighting some really scummy villains...but nothing like this."
"I also agree." All Might chimed in, "I will admit, the Top Four have been helpful, especially the Osborn kid, but it's not enough with how Aizawa is acting. I know I am the least experienced teacher here, but even I can tell the man is going to far."
Nezu let out another puff of smoke, soon resting the stick on his nearby ashtray before smiling at the trio, "I figured it would come to this. If you're wondering what's going on, let's just say Aizawa does not approve of something I'm trying to do, and in response...well, let's just say I do agree that his reaction is going a slight tad too far."
"A slight?!" Midnight yelped, only for Nezu to flash his paw at her.
"Calm down. There's a reason why I'm letting this happen." Nezu shined a big grin at this, one that made the trio instantly shiver. The expression the stoat was now wearing was one they were all familiar with. It's his scheming face, and it always means trouble as Nezu added, "As for why, let's just say I'm teaching Aizawa a very important lesson. That being said, let me hear all your complaints and we'll figure out a better solution."
Izuku felt his back sink into his desk chair as he put his notebook away. He had just finished his entry on the Enforcers, which he had to admit was not much, but he felt there wasn't much to the villains in the first place. As such, he stood up and stretched, glancing over at the room's clock. It was still morning, and his mother had already left for the hospital for the day.
Spinning around, he exited his room, only to see Himiko Toga at the dinner table, the girl looking over some textbooks, alongside a laptop. It was Inko's, but the woman was letting the girl borrow it for her classes, as she still had to catch up on her homework. Seeing this, he slowly strided over to the table and sat down, Himiko glancing up at him.
"Hey Himiko. How's it going?"
"Bleh." Himiko replied while sticking her tongue out, making Izuku chuckle.
"Not good?"
"No." Himiko grumbled as she glanced back down at the textbooks. "I hate all of this."
"Well, its something you have to do. Sorry." Izuku added as he stared down at the textbook the girl was reading, "English, huh?"
"Yeah...I'm not good at it." Himiko sighed as she turned to the computer and typed a few words. "But I'll get it eventually."
"That's the spirit." Izuku shined a small grin at this before taking one of the books in hand, "Need me to help you?"
Himiko shook her head, "No." She then turned to him, "Besides, don't you have your own classes?"
"I've already done the next three weeks of homework."
"Tch. Showoff." Izuku chuckled again, only for Himiko to then ask, "So...are you going out as Spider-Man today?"
"Nope. Mister Nezu said I should rest today." The teen slumped back into the chair, "That and I actually don't know my next target yet. He said he'll back to me on that later."
Hearing this made the girl roll her eyes before glancing back at the textbooks as she muttered, "Typical hero. Only goes after what they want to go after and leaves the rest to rot."
"Hey! That's not true!" Izuku yelled, making the girl slightly jump at his voice's higher tone. She turned to him again with a slight glare, making the teen frown, "Come on Himiko, you know that's not fair. Mister Nezu is helping me become a hero, so I have to follow his orders."
"But aren't real heroes supposed to just go out and save people? If you want to be one, why aren't you doing that right now?"
"I can't go 100 percent all the time Himiko. I'm only human." Izuku replied while shrugging, only to see the frown on her face slightly grow. The teen knew that she didn't like heroes. On the day she confessed everything, she had told him that she had gone to both the heroes and police over her issues with her quirk and parents, only for both to reject her. This was followed by the assault, where the boy she attacked barely survived.
They hadn't really talked about that, as that was followed by Detective Naomasa interviewing her, getting her a court case, and a therapist. He knew she had started going, and was getting help...but it was this moment that reminded him of that day with Nezu. She showed that she still hated heroes, as they had all betrayed her, and she had to be saved by a vigilante.
But, Izuku had not been around her for the past few days. After all, the past two were scarred by the villains Grizzly and the Enforcers, and before that was the insane day where he tried to save Eri. That thought led to another, making him mentally facepalm, 'I forgot to ask Mister Nezu about Eri! Darn it!'
"You okay?"
"Huh?" Izuku blurted out, only to rapidly shake his head, "I'm fine. I uh...I was just lost in thought." He then crossed his arms before adding, "Say um...if you don't mind, could I ask you something?"
"If it distracts me from this homework, sure." Himiko muttered as she for a small container filled with blood, the girl taking a sip.
"Um...I know you hate heroes, but...well..." Izuku twiddled his thumbs for a second as he tried to form the right words, "Could you...you know, ever give them another chance?"
Himiko glared back at him, her eyes shifting into a cold stare before taking another sip of blood. She then leaned back in the chair, her fangs rubbing her lips as she replied, "Why should I? I mean, none of them listened and I had to have a vigilante save me. You saved me." She gestured to the teen, "Heck, I don't know why you want to be a hero! You do ten times more good things than a typical hero does." Her voice darkened at the word 'hero', only to see a mystified look on Izuku's face in response.
"What are you talking about?" Izuku instantly said, the girl now seeing something Inko had told her time and time again as Izuku's biggest problem. He couldn't take a compliment. She still didn't get how he couldn't, but he showed repeatedly that he couldn't as he added, "I barely do any good. Heck, I barely do a tenth of was a pro hero can do." The teen glanced away, "I mean, I failed last night, and I almost failed the night before. I still can't get anything right."
Himiko wanted to say: "You're joking, right?" but she knew that wouldn't work. Heck, even when she saw Nezu compliment the boy, a pro hero that Izuku obviously admired, he still showed that he didn't believe it. It was like looking in a mirror for the girl. She had been told all her life that she was a monster, that her quirk made her a villain. And it made her believe she was worthless, just like how Izuku was thinking right now.
But there was also an exception for her. After all, Izuku and Inko had appeared in her life. And with their words, with their actual compliments and kindness, she didn't think like that anymore. Well, she still felt those words in the back of her head, and she now that due to actually having blood to drink on a regular basis did help with her brain fog that usually affected her, but still. She needed that kindness, and they had given it to her.
Izuku though? She didn't know what he needed. He needed something, but she knew that she didn't know what it was. Instead, she just sat there, staring at the teen as he kept talking himself down. The girl knew that if she tried to interrupt him, he would just make excuses, so she continued to sit and stare.
That is, till a memory rang out in her head. It was something Inko had told Nezu before Izuku got home that night. It was about the agreement between the two over another person. The two had gone back and forth as Himiko watched, though her eyes were mainly on Aizawa, who continued to look more and more angry as they decided the fate of one of his students.
And then she remembered yesterday evening. The student had come directly to this house, a blonde teenager with what looked like a permanent scowl on his face. Anger, hatred and fire were in his eyes, and the boy was resonating something that worried Himiko. Made her worry for Inko as the woman faced the boy. There was killing intent oozing off the teenager, as if he was ready to kill the woman, all because she wasn't giving him the answers he wanted. He wanted Izuku, something that even now, she just couldn't understand. I mean, the boy didn't look like much, but according to Inko, he had done basically the same amount of damage to Izuku as her parents had done to her, if not more. That alone seemed crazy considering how the boy looked.
But still, why did that teenager, this Katsuki Bakugo, want Izuku so badly? How had he hurt Izuku so badly?
And though she remembered what Inko had told her, what the woman said to not do, to not mention or even remotely imply about meeting Bakugo...she opened her mouth and asked, "Hey Izuku, have you...have you ever been bullied?"
Izuku had still been putting himself down when those words left her mouth. The sentence hit his ears a second later, making him stiffen up for a second before slowly turning to the girl. And though he had tried so hard to kick this habit, he began to stutter out, "W-w-what d-d-did you just say?"
Himiko flinched at the response. In that moment, she knew she had messed up. She knew she wasn't supposed to say anything. But her mouth decided otherwise, though her brain tried to stop her as she fumbled her next few words, "Well uh...I um...you see..." She did a small gulp, "I just...you kinda reacted when I said that and I thought...you know...it reminded me of...me."
She tried to glance away, only to see a big frown appear on Izuku's face. The teen bit his lip at this, only to reply, "I uh...yeah. Let's just say, quirkless don't really get to have...you know, friends." He glanced away instead as he added, "Its just part of being quirkless."
'Don't say anything else! Change the subject! Change the subject!' Himiko's brain yelled, only for the girl to let out a small, "Oh."
"Yeah."
'Change it! Change it now!' Himiko's brain screamed, the girl trying to think of something else to say. However, the image of Bakugo continued to appear in her head, words forming around the boy in her mind. She opened her mouth again-
Bzzt!
"Hmm?" Izuku put his hand in his short's pocket and pulled out his phone, "Oh. Looks like Mister Nezu sent me the next target."
'Yes!' Himiko mentally cheered before asking, "What is it?"
"Some warehouse on Abtin Street..." Izuku commented as he read Nezu's text before switching to the gps on his phone and plugged in the address, "Wonder how far that is." A moment later, the teen let out one word, "Huh."
"Is it far?"
"No." Izuku shrugged as he put his phone away, "Webswinging will make it easy. I'll just probably need to leave right before evening tomorrow." He glanced back down at the textbooks, "Now, would you still like some help?"
Himiko flinched for a second before rapidly nodding, "Yes please!"
Later that day...
"Its time."
"Seriously?"
"Yes." The voice replied as the individual flicked a light switch, light now shining over the room. Both walked into the room at this, the first being the teen known as Phineas Mason, also known as the Tinkerer. The one behind her was another teen called Farrell, who was raising an eyebrow as he watched Mason walk up to a table in the room.
"So...what happened? You just told me a few days ago that we shouldn't go for the score."
"Simple. I found a better target." Mason responded as she turned on a computer, soon pulling up an image. It was a picture of a map and a building, "Its the perfect starting point. Not only will it let me get the ball rolling, but we'll finally have to stop relying on that stupid support lab of UA's."
"Really? But what about-"
"Just finished it." Mason chuckled before spinning around in a chair, "And that includes your equipment too. Granted, I'm still working on my other project, but if my calculations are correct, and they always are, are current stuff will be enough. Nothing will be able to catch us."
Farrell shined a huge grin at this, "Sweet. When we starting?"
Mason leaned back in her chair before resting both hands behind her head, "Tomorrow night."