"I see, you guys have really thought this through. Is everyone here?" Tenten looked around at Mina, Todoroki, Kirishima, Momo, and Midoriya.
Tokoyami came toward the group. Todoroki said, "Tokoyami, you wanted to help?"
He nodded, "I wanted to see if I could help Sasuke out again."
Mina smiled and pumped her fist, "Sasuke Retrieval squad has made a comeback!"
Tenten put a hand under her chin, "Sure, but do you have a better handle on your quirk at all in case of emergency? Last time you used it in the dark you instantly went crazy."
"As long as I keep my emotions in check I should be able to use it fine."
"Wait!" Everyone turned their head to see Iida, "Of all people... You guys should know better! Especially you two who criticized me for my rash actions... And like me, had to receive a special pardon in the end! Why are you about to commit the same blunder I did?! This is foolish!"
Mina raised a brow, "Uh Iida... What are you talking about?"
Iida gritted his teeth while looking at the ground, "We're still under protection... And UA is facing hard times as it is! Who do you think will have to take responsibility for your actions?! Having a pro around won't change anything!"
Tenten sauntered over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "No laws are going to be broken Iida, it's going to be a covert in-and-out mission. I'll make sure none of your classmates are ever seen."
Iida's brow furrowed, "Covert mission?"
Todoroki said, "Yeah, did you really think we were going in guns blazing? We aren't planning on breaking any laws."
Midoriya stated, "Yeah, I'm still not sure how things will go, but with the thought that we can still reach them... I can't just sit back and do nothing... I need to go save them!"
It was very brief, but Tenten thought she noticed Mina giving a rough side-eye to Midoriya.
Iida sighed, "There's no swaying you guys... Alright, in that case. Take me with you!"
Mina blinked, "You're coming? Really? Well, the more the merrier."
Tenten said, "You're the class president, right? Did you want to monitor them?"
He pressed up his glasses, "Exactly. I'm not underestimating your capabilities as a pro hero, but if I think things are going to devolve into a fight, then I will help pull out my fellow classmates in a hurry."
"I understand, well let's go. Momo, can I see the tracker?"
"Yes... Here..." Momo paused while extending her hand to Tenten, "Silver Tornado... Is this..."
Tenten gently grabbed the tracker and put a hand on her shoulder, "You guys will be safe. Besides, I'm ranked 15 on the hero chart, so I'm decently strong." She showed off a bicep and analyzed the tracker.
Mina bumped Iida's arm, "Watchman Iida, eh?"
"Exactly! I will be monitoring everyone!"
Tenten stated, "Alright, the tracker points specifically to Kamino ward. The trip will be a couple of hours though. I'll cover everyone's fee. Let's go."
Soon enough they were all riding on the train and Mina sat a little further away from everyone, looking out the window at the blur of buildings. Tenten plopped down across from her and rested her arm on the armrest as she rested her head on her hand. "You've been surprisingly cheery."
She turned to her, "Yeah, being negative won't help. Sasuke is totally fine. If they wanted to do something bad to him they probably would have done it already."
"Fair enough... Do you... Blame Midoriya?"
She rubbed the back of her head, "Wha- no! Why would I?"
Tenten raised a brow and Mina rubbed her hands down her thighs and looked away, "I don't want to... I know it's bad but... I just feel like Midoriya should have been able to save at least Sasuke... He told us he was gonna go catch up to Sasuke and Bakugo to protect them, and then... Well, you know."
"It's ok, I get the feeling. Sometimes it just can't be helped though. You'll get over it."
"... I guess."
Kirishima approached them, "Silver Tornado, so how strong are you anyway?"
"Uh... I could probably reach around rank 7 if I really started hustling. I'm just not that active since I work for Mr. Edgeshot."
While they talked, Mina was still in her own head, 'It can't be helped? Is that really true though? Maybe if I was faster then I could have done something...'
She shook her head, 'No! I can't think like that! They ambushed us and they're all stronger... But... If I had started taking my training seriously a lot younger like Sasuke, then maybe...'
The dull ground she stared at flashed back to the bright white light of Sasuke's hospital room when he was in a coma. She looked down at him and clenched her fist. She heard footsteps approaching and turned to her side to see an old man with two jagged lines going down his face. He held his cane with two hands and looked down at Sasuke.
"Uh, who are you? Sasuke's grandpa?"
The man chuckled, "No, dear. I'm from the hero commission. My name is Danzo."
"Oh, what would the government want with Sasuke?"
"The government doesn't want anything, I came here of my own volition."
"Oh..." Mina tensed up and held her hands close to her body.
"I know that Sasuke wasn't ambushed."
Her eyes went wide, "W-what? How do you know that?!"
"I have my ways... Don't worry, I don't plan on telling anyone..." He glanced at her, "You've been coming here nearly every day. You two seem quite close despite your weakness."
Her brow scrunched, "Excuse me, what?"
"You heard what I said. There's no reason to sugarcoat it. You were no match for that man, Deidara. Had you been stronger, he wouldn't have escaped."
Her mouth tensed and she turned to him, "Get off my back, old man! I'm 15! What am I supposed to do against an experienced villain?!"
He turned to her, "Don't make excuses girl. Had one of your classmates like Todoroki been there, do you think Deidara and Sasori would have gotten away?"
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She gritted her teeth and looked down. He continued and leaned in, "Admit it, Ashido. Your quirk counters his, and yet you still failed to defeat him. If you had trained like Sasuke, Todoroki, or even Midoriya, this would not have happened. Look at him…" She looked at Sasuke, and her eyes tensed. "The reason why Sasuke thought you needed to be protected in the first place was because of how weak you were at the Sports Festival. And not much has changed since then."
"... That's not..."
"It is true. Say it."
Her eyes quivered and got watery. She looked down, "You're right... I'm weak..."
He stood up straight again, "Good, although it is not as if you lack potential. Your foresight and execution are the reason why Sasuke is still alive right now."
She paused and wiped her eyes, "Uh... Thanks… I guess..."
They both stared at Sasuke, "You're not the only one at fault. This fool is also responsible for his fate right now. He still has a very big weakness. If he doesn't get over it, he will become a failure of an asset to Japan."
Mina glared at him, "Don't talk about Sasuke like that. He'll never be a failure!"
He looked down at her, "Do not lie to yourself, girl. You yourself once said that Sasuke would have won easily had he used his other quirk in a school test. This fool refuses to use a gift he was given. Do you know why that is?"
She blinked, played with the hair behind her ear, and averted her eyes, "How do you know all that?"
"That's irrelevant, answer the question."
She bit her lip, "Be-because he says it's not his quirk..."
"No, girl. You don't even believe your own answer. You know the reason why. It's because of his petty ego."
Mina froze up and he continued, "He's like Todoroki in that sense. Thinking they're somehow winning a mental battle over the target of their hatred by not using what they were gifted." He scoffed, "At least Todoroki had enough sense to use it before being put in a near-death state. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I mean... Yeah, but—"
He hit his cane on the floor, "There are no buts. Stop trying to be nice for a minute and tell me what you really think. Sasuke cannot hear you."
Mina's mouth stayed shut for a minute as her mind raced through everything that had happened since school started. The edge of her mouth tensed and she made eye contact with him, "It's extremely stupid. If he wants revenge, he should use everything he can. He should kill AFO with his own quirk he gave him if anything."
For a moment, Mina's shoulders felt lighter. Danzo smiled and turned to walk out the door. As he reached the door frame he turned around one last time, "You both have made stupid mistakes leading up to this point, but you both have potential, Mina Ashido. I might see you again, but for now... I'll leave you with a valuable life lesson. All the detriments and disadvantages in life... can be summed up to one's own incompetence."
Mina's mind returned back to the train. And her brow furrowed, 'I didn't mean that... That grumpy old guy pressured me into saying that. I hope I don't see him again... has he been spying on us? Whatever, why am I even thinking about this right now? We just gotta save them... Hope no one messes up this time.'
As the group rode to their mission, the top 5 heroes followed Tsukauchi, "This is quite the distinguished line-up, it's too bad Crow couldn't be here. Well then... Let's get this strategy meeting started."
Inside the villain bar, both teens sat in silence until Bakugo broke it, "Hey, when we break out of here, can you still use your quirk, or am I gonna have to do all the work?"
"I can still use my quirk. It's based on imagination, so my broken ribs won't stop me from using it..."
"Hm, good, just follow my lead then... Dickhead."
Sasuke thought, 'I hate to admit it... But Bakugo might be right about me being useless... If that Shigaraki guy gets close to me I'm done for; no amount of armor will change that... If only I could fix my own ribs somehow.'
A black mist surrounded the bar, and in a moment the League Of Villains was in the room. Shigaraki sat at the bar and looked between the two teens, "Let's get down to business, wannabe hero, Katsuki Bakugo. Won't you join me?"
Bakugo glared and smiled, "You can take your offer and go to hell."
At this time, TVs everywhere turned on the news for the UA interview. "We will now air a segment of UA High School's apology press conference, which took place earlier tonight." Aizawa looked the most well-kempt he had in his entire life.
Sasuke said, "Don't bother asking me either, it's not happening."
Shigaraki kicked him in the stomach, making Sasuke cough up spit, and curl over. "Oh don't worry, I wasn't planning on asking you. You're here 'cause..." Shigaraki's eyes darted to Bakugo before going back to Sasuke." Well, that's a surprise." He put a hand over Sasuke's arm and cracked some of the clothes as he leaned into his ear, "When everything is done, I'm turning you into a pile of dust for what you did back at USJ. That was a nasty blow you helped Midoriya land on me ya know. Maybe I'll return the favor later."
Sasuke shivered and sweated from his words and hot breath. He glared back, trying not to show any emotion. Shigaraki turned his attention back to the interview on the TV.
Sasuke thought, 'This is bad, they were only interested in Bakugo from the start. He wouldn't even tell me whatever this surprise is... Damnit... I'm living on borrowed time right now. I'm gonna have to bet on Bakugo. There's no telling when the pros might find this place.' Sasuke's heart rate increased and he closed his eyes.
'Bakugo glanced over at Sasuke, 'What the hell did that crusty retard tell him? Never seen him look that way before.'
Shigaraki spread his arms wide and looked back at Bakugo, "Why're they criticizing the heroes, huh? Their only crime was doing too little too late! It's their job to protect people, but anyone can slip up every now and then, right? Why are people expecting them to be perfect? Heroes today sure have it rough, don't you think, Bakugo? The minute that protecting people started becoming a paycheck, heroes stopped being heroes. This is what Stain has taught us!—"
Bakugo felt a yawn building up in his throat. 'What is this bozo yapping about? No one cares. Everyone besides the lizard freak looks spaced out... Whatever, anyway, they mainly did all this for me.' He smiled, 'They clearly see value in me, so I shouldn't have to worry about them trying to hurt me too badly. Can't say the same about Sasuke though, he's gonna have to stick close once we're out of these bindings... How the hell am I gonna get out though?'
"— Dabi, untie him."
"He'll go wild for sure."
"It's okay, we gotta treat him like an equal. We're scouting him after all. Before he throws a tantrum, he should know he can't win."
Sasuke sized up everyone in the room. 'That's good, he's free at least. If he finds some way to free me, then we gotta deal with seven of them. The Spinner and the guy with big lips shouldn't be an issue. I haven't seen what Toga or Twice can do, but they don't look that imposing; I can't underestimate them though. Compress is a master at stealth, but he might be compensating for a lack of head-to-head fighting ability. Dabi has an aura about him. I can tell he's strong, but we're in an enclosed space surrounded by his allies, so I doubt he'll use his quirk. Lastly, there's Shigaraki. Nothing has changed about his threat level, he's the worst. He mentioned something about a surprise, but for all I know he could kill me whenever he wants if I act up... Gonna have to stick close to Bakugo.'
Bakugo was untied by Twice and cracked his neck. His expression was unreadable and he stayed still. Shigaraki chuckled, "See? He's not an idiot. He knows he can't win. Listen here, Bakugo. We've all been ostracized by hero society in one way or another. We've seen how your classmates and people interact with you. They're intimidated by your potential and attitude. All just because it doesn't fit in with their preconceived notions of what a good hero is. Even the teachers mock you. Remember what Present Mic said about you at the Sports Festival? Calling you Lord Woman Bomber?"
Twice burst out laughing for a moment before straightening back up, "There's nothing funny about a joke like that!"
Bakugo put his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah yeah I remember."
Shigaraki continued, "And not just that. You were supposed to win, but this guy right here stopped you!" He pointed at Sasuke and Bakugo made eye contact with him, both sharing blank stares.
Shigaraki kept going, "He embarrassed you in front of thousands of people. Don't you think you deserve some revenge? Don't you want a rematch? You can take all your anger out of him now and beat him." Shigaraki stood behind Bakugo and pointed at Sasuke.
Bakugo walked toward Sasuke with a smirk, "Yeah, you're right."
In the press conference room, a reporter stepped up with a notebook. "Mr. Eraserhead, you claim it's for the student's safety, but in the middle of it all, you urged the students themselves to fight. What were your intentions at that point?"
"We had no way of knowing the full grasp of the situation, so I made that decision to avoid the worst-case scenario."
"Worst-case scenario? How else would you describe a situation where 26 were injured and two were captured?"
Aizawa stared the man in the eye, "At that moment. The worst case I envisioned was the deaths of my students."
The reporter fell silent and Nezu picked up where Aizawa left off, "The gas responsible for most of the harm came from a villain with a quirk that had a soporific effect. Kendo and Tetsutetsu's quick thinking is responsible for minimizing the damage. All the students have received psychological evaluations and none seem to have suffered any emotional trauma."
The reporter picked his mic back up, "Is that supposed to be the silver lining?"
"We believe the worst has been avoided as long as the students still have their futures."
"Can you say the same about young Bakugo and Sasuke who were abducted? For Bakugo, he went far in the sports festival and struggled against a powerful villain in the sludge incident. His impressive record implies the makings of a tough hero, yet... He showed a poor attitude during the award ceremony, and it was discovered he completely destroyed one of the lounge rooms after his loss. As for Sasuke, his parents were killed when he was a small child. And he's been reported throughout his school life for having a darker personality along with vengeful tendencies. What if it was these very qualities that made these students targets? What if a skilled manipulator gets to them and sends them down the path of evil? Can you provide proof that these boys still have a future?"
Vlad King eyed Aizawa as he tensed his brow. Aizawa bowed, "Any lapse in their behavior is my failing. Still..." Aizawa made eye contact, "They act the way they do because of just how strong their convictions and ideals are. More than anyone, Bakugo pursues the title of top hero with everything he's got. As for Sasuke, there isn't a villainous bone inside or outside of him. Everything Sasuke does is an expression of his overwhelming intensity to end villainy, more so than any hero out there. If the villains have mistaken their traits for weakness, then their thought process is indeed superficial."
Many of the other reporters sitting started taking notes and talking among themselves. The reporter standing sweated, "That doesn't sound like proof or anything. Their emotions aside, do you have any concrete counter-strategy?"
Nezu replied, "We're hardly approaching this passively. Currently, I'm cooperating with the police on this operation. Make no mistake, we will retrieve the students who were taken from us."
Both Sasuke and Bakugo smiled. Bakugo thought, 'Good ol' UA, thanks for standing up for me.'
Sasuke thought, 'Thank you, Aizawa-sensei. Now it's time for Bakugo to end this act.'