Outside of U.A. High School, mobs of reporters yelled and hollered at the administration for answers.
It wasn't long since the camp disaster, where a student was kidnapped by the league of villains.
Said student was none other than Katsuki Bakugo.
Right now, the UA staff were in their conference room, discussing the events that happened.
Nezu, the principal, was watching the news along with his staff.
"So far, we have received no word from U.A. regarding the events of the summer camp, nor the kidnapping of Katsuki Bakugo. The public has been feeling betrayed by U.A. for letting a student be kidnapped. Right now-"
Nezu turned it off, not wishing to hear anymore.
He put down the remote and sighed.
"This isn't good."
He said, clearly exhausted.
"The media is slandering us. Katsuki was targeted because of his violent behavior. If he were to join the villains, our reputation would be crushed."
The rest of the staff froze at that, hoping that it wouldn't come to pass.
"This had to have been done by the traitor. How else could they have found the summer camp?"
Present Mic said, not cheerful like he usually is.
"No, it can't be possible. Can it?"
Midnight asked, not wanting to admit the possibility.
"We can't just say that. It would ruin the trust between the faculty!"
Snipe added.
Suddenly, All Might receives a phone call.
They all stop what they were doing to look at All Might.
"Excuse me."
He exited the room, seeing the name of his old friend Tsukauchi on the caller ID.
After the door closed behind him, the meeting continued.
"But something else greatly concerns me. Aizawa. You are certain that this 'Ra' character was from Sam's past?"
Nezu changed the topic.
Aizawa, who has been depressed for not only failing Bakugo but also Sam, nodded.
"Yes. Sam arrived before me and Vlad. Unharmed."
Vlad nodded in agreement.
"Suddenly, two gunshots were heard and the next thing we know, Sam is kneeling on the ground after he grunted in pain. He was shot."
The teachers were saddened by this. Sam was supposed to live a normal life. No heroics. No fighting. But fate keeps ruining his chance.
Aizawa sighed.
"After he got hit, we tried to render aid, but Suzuki didn't even acknowledge us. He kept staring into the forest. Not long after he called out into the forest for the shooter to come out. Suzuki knew they wouldn't kill him."
The teacher's eyes widened at that. How could he make such a gamble?
As if reading their mind, Aizawa spoke.
"He was certain that it was someone from his past that shot him, due to the wounds. The bullets weren't sprayed randomly. They were precise. Suzuki was certain they could have killed him."
The faculty gulped.
"H-How would he compare to snipe?"
Midnight hesitantly asked.
Aizawa looked at her, dead serious.
"Snipe is a good shot, but relies on his quirk. This was pure skill. I witnessed it myself. We tried to interfere, but Ra fired a warning shot at us. We saw it hit a tree near us. At first, we thought it was a lousy shot, and were confident we could incapacitate him. But I saw what really happened. He aimed precisely at the tree, because he knew behind the tree was a squirrel. He fired at it and the bullet went through the tree right into the squirrel."
Aizawa revealed.
The teacher gaped at that, especially Snipe.
"That's… how can that be possible?!? Handguns are strong but a bullet shouldn't be able to go through a thick tree!"
"Suzuki voiced his professional perspective. He said it was a Glock. Military grade. Customized."
Snipes eyes widened. He was a gun expert. Glocks were not uncommon. But a Glock capable of penetrating a tree had to have been modified. Along with armor piercing rounds, this gun had to be something used by militaries. This shooter was no average joe.
"So, Ra is a force to be reckoned with. Did he use a quirk?"
Nezu asked.
Aizawa and Vlad looked at each other and shook their heads.
"No… I never took my eyes off of him, he never activated a quirk. Everything I saw, was pure skill. Honestly, his reaction time and his instincts were on par with Suzuki, who could sense the killing intent of the villains at USJ before it even started."
Aizawa revealed.
Nezu closed his beady little eyes.
"I see… this is troubling. Anything else of note?"
"He spoke with a voice modulator. Also, he wore black combat gear. Vest loaded with magazines. Mask with a white symbol. And a patch… a white handprint.."
Nezu's eyes widened in shock and a trace of fear.
The teachers saw this and felt worried.
"Nezu? Do you know what that means?"
Aizawa asked, worried about Ra being apart of a big organization.
Nezu wasn't an expert in foreign affairs, but he did keep tabs on some of the most dangerous people and powers out there. One that caught his attention was a militia based in Africa. This militia was strong and never failed a job.
One thing Nezu was certain of was that the leader was someone who never revealed himself to the public. However, he did receive an unconfirmed source saying the leader has a quirk that would rival All Might.
Nezu felt shaken. If this was the Pale Hand that apparently might have had a leader capable of fighting All Might, then Japan might be in for a calamity.
"This… is not good at all."
Was all he could tell his staff, who were now gravely worried, seeing the uncertainty in Nezu's face.
Nezu shook his head. He needed to stay calm for now.
"That can be addressed later. Aizawa and Vlad, you two will join me for a press conference. We will have to address this eventually."
Both of them nodded, composing themselves.
With that, the meeting came to an end.
———
Sam was lying in bed.
After standing for a while, he started to feel tired and decided to get back in the bed. Also, his abdomen was bothering him.
He was watching the news. Every channel was the same outrage loop. All of it condemning U.A. and the heroes for the incident.
Sam was not going to say that U.A. didn't bear any fault in this. They had a duty to protect the students, but they failed.
However, the media keeps doing everything to slander them, when they should be doing what they can to help save Bakugo. The media should have the connections and resources to aid investigations. But that wouldn't give them money. They only like good stories, especially ones involving public outrage.
He clicked his tongue, not wanting to watch another moment of it.
He took a deep breath, the antiseptic smell stinging his nose a bit.
He thought a bit about what happened.
Not long after his kiss with Rumi, he received word of what happened. Apparently it was Bakugo the villains were there for.
He could already tell they wanted to recruit him, but Sam wasn't worried about that. He understood that Bakugo is a prideful little brat who wants to win the All Might way.
He was certain he wouldn't be a villain.
He could only hope for the best that he is recovered soon, because he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't torture him.
Sam had seen many horrific cases of hostages being tortured in Africa. The monsters would do horrendous things to their prisoners, mainly for fun and to send a message. He was worried they would do something similar to Bakugo.
He is snapped out of his thoughts by the door opening.
"Hey, I got us some food!"
It was none other than Rumi, who had a big smile on her face, carrying a bag of food.
Sam gave a light chuckle.
"Well, that's mighty kind of you."
She came in and sat next to him.
"You don't need to stay here too long. I'll be fine."
"I want to."
She replied, blushing lightly.
Sam also had a light blush.
They both just stared at each other for a bit before looking away.
After the kiss, the two of them have been really awkward. Both Rumi and Sam have been trying to act the same as always, but they couldn't forget that wonderful kiss they shared.
Sam sighed.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
Rumi's rabbit ears twitched.
She looked away, still a bit shy.
"Not really. Do you?"
Sam shook his head.
"What else is there to say? You like me and I like you."
Sam said as honestly as possible.
Rumi blushed again.
Sam chuckled.
"You're kinda cute when you act like a shy teenage girl who just had her first kiss."
Sam poked fun at her.
Her embarrassment deepened.
"Shut up!"
She yelled, glaring at him with a red face.
Sam just shook his head.
She rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject.
"You turned off the TV?"
"Yeah, it was just bullshit."
"Understandable. I hate those bastards."
Rumi was a hero and knew the media was nothing but parasites. However, she was curious about the missing Bakugo. So she turned it back on.
"Oh?"
He saw on the screen Nezu, Aizawa and Vlad. They were apologizing for Bakugo's kidnapping.
He rolled his eyes.
"It surprises me seeing Aizawa actually acting like a responsible adult. He usually just lays in his sleeping bag like a bum."
Rumi snorted at that.
However…
"Breaking news! A new villain has appeared in the Kamino district! A villain that already incapacitated many top heroes with ease!"
That caught both Sam's and Rumi's attention.
"A man in a black mask, who seems to have a quirk with black tentacles, has been able to defeat Best Jeanist and Mount Lady! He is currently standing with the rest of the league of villains behind him. He also has the missing student, Katsuki Bakugo! This has become a hostage situation!"
Sam's eyes widened.
"Jesus Christ! He beat Jeanist?!"
Rumi shouted, seeing the dreadful looking man.
However, Sam was only focusing on one part of the man. His hands.
It was brief, but he swore he saw holes in the hands of the man.
'No…'
*'I don't know much, but what I do know, he had holes in his hands. Like fuckin' Jesus!'*
'It couldn't be…'
Sam stared with absolute seriousness.
'Was he the one… who took Charles' quirk from him?'