" Kirishima! Hey! Your name!" Kaminari was waving his phone before the red head. " Your hero name's in the news online! Wow! 'Newcomer Sidekick Red Riot Bursted onto the scene! From his first day, he takes responsibility for the citizens and fights a villain by himself.' That's what it says!"
" Seriously!" Kirishima was overwhelmed with joy and embarrassment at that.
" You're mentioned too, Seijin, but only as a new sidekick who helps with wrapping things up," Sero told the purple head.
" Well, it's not much but it's a start." Whisper shrugged and gave the boy a clap on the back.
"Tsuyu-chan, Uraraka and Sora, you're amazing! Your names are here!" Ashido flung her own phone at the three of them as they were discussing their work study.
" Let me see!" Sora said taking the phone from her and both girls looked over her shoulder to glimpse the headline.
"Let's see, 'New Sidekicks at Ryukyu Agency. Three there for a work study!'"
"Wow, that makes me happy! There it is!" Uraraka squealed.
"I wonder where they took the picture from..." Asked Asui." What do you think, Sora... chan..."
The two girls glanced back at her as teardrop rolled down on Ashido's phone. " Sora-chan... are you alright?"
" I'm fine... I'm fine, really," she said hastily rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand. " It just, makes me happy."
" Sora-chan..." Uraraka smiled as she gave her an encouraging pat. "... Well done, Sora-chan!"
" Mhm..." She couldn't find her tongue to speak. She only smiled and nodded, still with tears welling up in her eyes. Papa... Can you see it, Papa! I'm getting closer!...
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It took a while before they were contacted to attend their work study, but what seemed interesting was that the six who had work studies were being called all at the same time. A coincidence? Sora thought.
But as they went, they discovered they were going on the same train and to the same station. This is no coincidence. Sora and Yuu had a silent agreement. It was highlighted even further as they took the same route till they reached their destination, where they found the Big Three standing by the door.
As their seniors opened the door to the main hall, they were surprised to see a gathering of different heroes from all around Japan. " Even Aizawa is here." Pointed Whisper and Yuu nodded his head. He felt it too, that something big was brewing.
Yuu went with Kirishima and Amajiki to where Fat Gum was standing while Sora headed with the other two girls to talk with their teacher. Could this have anything to do with what Ryukyu told us about investigating Shie Hassaikai? She swallowed. She could feel her heart throbbing fast against her rib cage.
She informed Yuu of what she was told, and he seems to have linked the dots too. She learned from him that Shie Hassaikai was something like the Yakuza, they follow their own rules and move in the shadows. So far, they hadn't broken any major laws, but still, there were a lot of rumors about them doing shady business lately.
When Nighteye stepped up to the middle of the gathering, everyone went silent as they listened to him. " We will now have a conference to share what information we have acquired regarding what the organization, Shie Hassaikai, is planning."
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Buble Girl began the meeting by reading the report from her tablet. What they got was that Nighteye's agency had been on the tail of the Shie Hassaikai for a while now and Centipeder confirmed them contacting the League of Villains, Buble Girl pulled a picture to highlight that.
" 'HN'?" Uraraka asked having heard the word from Buble Girl.
" Hero Network." Hado turned to explain to them about it. Sora understood that it was more like a social media site only for the pros.
"Even if they're from UA, why are there kids here?" A tan man raised his eyes to scan them and Sora felt as though her body froze. Dealing with pros is hard. I've only seen them on screens. But to actually stand among them... By the look of it, Yuu wasn't any better than her.
" Listen up! Just because you're a pro doesn't mean you can easily look down on Yuu and the oth-" Yuu gagged Whisper and bowed his head apologetically at Rock Lock.
" That's right! Don't say that!" Fat jumped to his feet, knocking back his chair and flinging his arm at them."These three have super important information!"
" Us..?" Kirishima was taken aback, Amajiki on his other side dropped his head. " I can't take this..." Yuu however had a serious look on his face, he was dying to know about what Fat Gum had found out.
"Anyway, I think I'm meeting a lot of you for the first time, so I'm Fat Gum! Nice to meet you!"
"He's so round and cute...!" Chorused Sora, Uraraka and Asui. The man seemed pleased with what he heard for he gave them candies.
As Sora unwrapped hers and popped it into her mouth, she listened carefully to Nighteye's explanation. So basically they're trying to gather heroes who happened to deal with drugs Shie Hassaikai has been dealing around. She glanced back at her friend, the talk about his first work study job still repeating itself in her ears.
Fat proceeded to tell them about the incident and the odd drug they came across, although it was a relief to know Amajiki's Quirk was restored, the thought of some drug that disables one's Quirk sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn't imagine losing hers, not in the middle of work at least.
Although it may have sounded like a relief to them, their teacher had some other thoughts on the matter. Aizawa proceeded to explain more about his Quirk, that he can only freeze the genes of Quirks not damage them. But according to Fat, Amajiki's were damaged.
" If damaged, then there might be a chance your Quirk is gone for good, right?" Uraraka asked worriedly.
"Apparently that's their ultimate motive," said Sora." Imagine robbing every hero of their Quirks, that would be like Christmas for Villains."
" Ribbit... that's terrifying..."
" That's an awful thing to do!" Uraraka agreed.
" Is it though?" Sora looked back at her friend's calm face as he said that. Something was off, didn't he find the fact that his Quirk may be gone forever appalling as well?
But what was to come was even more terrifying and repulsive, for the rebounded bullet they managed to retrieve from the scene of Amajiki's incident, was found to contain human cells and blood.
So it was someone's Quirk. Yuu considered inwardly.
They had no proof whatsoever that Shie Hassaikai was the main provider of the bullet. But apparently, they made contact with one of the intermediaries who were selling the trigger drug one of the gangsters used. Well, that's enough proof to start investigating. Thought Sora. It was also her first time hearing that one of the giants they fought used a similar drug.
But that wasn't enough to convince the heroes. It wasn't until Nighteye brought a picture of Chisaki on the broad screen behind them that silence fell again and he elucidated that the young head of Shie Hassaikai's Quirk was Overhaul. A Quirk, as they understood, that enables one to break apart and reassemble any matter. Any... Sora gulped, beginning to see the bigger picture. Don't tell me he can put humans apart as well! That thought was beyond terrifying. It felt like listening to some ghost story from another world.
Sora glanced over at Midoriya and Togata, their auras were dark, perhaps the darkest in that meeting room. She was all too familiar with that aura as well. Guilt. She thought. And rage. Did they know something the rest of them didn't?
" Chisaki had a daughter named Eri." Nighteye's calm voice made her direct her attention back towards him. "There are no records or details about her birth, but when Mirio and Midoriya encountered her, she had a large number of bandages wrapped around her arms and legs."
Yuu's eyes widened as he covered his mouth, he seemed as if he was going to get sick any moment now. His own daughter! He couldn't believe it. He's tearing his own daughter apart for those bullets!
Sora could have sworn the room grew gloomier with that revelation. Is this really what superhuman society means?! She trembled from head to toe as she considered Gran Torino's words.
We need to move right away! Both thought. Midoriya and Togata seemed to share the same thoughts even if they were unspoken.
Their path was clear before them. They needed to save Eri. However, they were thwarted by the fact that they didn't know exactly where she was. A bunch of Shie Hassaikai's settlements appeared on a map behind Nighteye as if to underline that one obstacle.
So our only chance is to search these settlements one by one. Yuu craned his neck so to get a better look at the map.
Aizawa had a far better idea, it was using Nighteye's Quirk to look into the future of any of them. Of course, if they were set on finding their hideout and were to succeed in the future, it would be easy to tell. But Nighteye vehemently refused. "What if in that person's near future, death... just a merciless death was waiting?" Now thinking about it, Sora could tell where he was coming from. But if they were able to alternate the future, that wouldn't be a problem. Maybe it would be like a pleasant warning to avoid a tragedy.
But she wasn't ignorant of his reaction. It made her understand almost immediately. He tried. He tried and failed to change the future. She could tell. So they were left with the only choice of searching the Shie Hassaikai's layouts one after the other...
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All of them, UA students, sat down at a table in the hall, all silent. Sora didn't know whether it was the truth told at the meeting that caused the gloomy atmosphere around them, or if the was both Midoriya and Togata's frustration and guilt that seeped into them. Even Whisper was silent for the whole time, and that was telling them something.
Either way, Sora didn't feel like even looking up. That girl is alone, crying, and getting hurt... She couldn't ignore that thought. She felt the urge to do something, anything.
Yuu across from her sat with both hands crossed on the table. His mind seemed to be off somewhere else, not there, not between the grey walls. Maybe he was thinking of the dark dungeon the girl was kept in.
"If only I had taken her back then, even if I had to do it by force, right now, Eri-chan would be..." Midoriya's words seemed too heavy for them to bear. But the ones who were hurt the most were Midoriya and Togata.
" Deku-kun..."
" Midoriya-san..." Yuu looked back at that boy. " I understand your frustration, but you have to consider the fact that you were in no less danger yourself."
" Yuu is right." Sora tapped his shoulder gently to offer him condolences. " No one could have imagined what Chisaki would have done to you both back there."
The elevator stopped and from it stepped their homeroom teacher. " Is this a wake or something?"
"Ribbit, Sensei..."
" Oh, call me Eraser Head outside of school." He walked behind Sora and stopped right next to the green head." But man, I was going to recommend that your work studies be suspended today..."
"What?!" They all snapped. They didn't see why it should be. However, Aizawa already had a strong retort. The League of Villains, the one organization that was giving UA so much trouble and was putting class 1A specifically in danger, was involved after all. That would seem like a valid reason for their teacher.
But it was also a valid reason for Sora to go.
Aizawa took one glance down at Midoriya and rubbed his head tiredly. "But you know, Midoriya, you still haven't regained my trust," Sora recalled what the teacher told them on their first day at the dorms. " I'm sure that if I stop you now, you'll rush out again on your own."
He knelt by his side and looked into his bewildered green eyes."I'll watch you. If you're going to do this, do this properly, Midoriya." He held his fist to the boy's chest. " Got that, problem child?"
It seemed like Midoriya was struggling not to shed tears there. " I'll say this to give you some peace of mind. The hand you missed grabbing onto did not necessarily mean despair for Eri-chan." The man stood up. " Face forward."
Sora and Yuu looked at their teacher in admiration. The man seemed to grow even more in their eyes. " Sensei..." Yuu couldn't help but respect him even more. He could tell how much Aizawa cared for every one of them and he was reminded of the way he stood up for him back at his house.
" That said," Aizawa trailed. " Apart from the Big Three who are at least as strong as the pros, the rest of you probably won't have big parts to play. Asui, Uraraka, Shirogane, Kirishima, Seijin." His eyes fell on each and every one of them as though he was running an X-ray." You five aren't here of your own volition. What would you like to do?"
Isn't it obvious?
" Sen- I mean, Eraser Head!" Uraraka was the first to stand up. " After hearing that, I can't say I'm not going to help!"
"If you aren't going to say we can't do it," joined Asui." Then I would like to help!"
" As terrifying of a truth it might have been." Sora jumped to her feet too." But we ought to face it too. Even you can't protect us from danger forever, Eraser Head."
" If I can help that girl with my power, even a little, then I'll do it, Eraser Head!" Kirishima slammed both fists together.
"It's too late for us to turn our backs now, after hearing all of that." Yuu looked up at him, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
" Well said, Yuu!" Whisper patter him. " Eraser Head, those five were included by the pro heroes themselves. So give them a chance to show you just how much they have grown."
" I don't need to be shown," Aizawa retorted. "I know exactly just how long each and every one of you had come. And I will be keeping watch over you this time too."
" Sensei!" All of them chorused.
" It's Eraser." The man finally nodded. " It's fine as long as you understand. Our goal this time is only to rescue the girl, Eri-chan. We won't step in further than that." It didn't seem high that the League of Villains would be present there, but the pros weren't taking any chances. They, the first year, will be as much as kicked out of the mission if the League interfered.
"Roger!"
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Sora refused to ignore it, and so, on the first chance she found, which was the ride back home, she addressed the subject again.
The rest sitting beside them were caught in their own thoughts or fiddling with their phones, trying to occupy their minds. She nudged closer to her friend and looked into his eyes. Yuu then put away his earphones. " Earlier, you said that losing one's Quirk wasn't as awful as it seems. Why would you say that?"
" Because for some, it might just be a blessing, to get rid of their Quirks."
" Huh?"
Yuu shifted so he was facing her. " There is nothing that controls Quirks Sora, nothing that guarantees their safety. Our Quirks may be alright but, out there and away from our eyes, some Quirks may seem like a bane to their owners. Imagine someone with a Quirk that kills with a touch of a finger, or someone with a Quirk that makes everyone they love hate them... Such Quirks could exist, and the lives of their owners could be hell itself. So if they had a way of totally erasing them, wouldn't that be better for them and everyone else? I'm not saying it's good to take someone's Quirk, but if it's an extreme case, this drug is a solution many researchers have been craving."
Sora looked down and hugged her backpack. " True... I didn't consider that possibility..."
That was right, out in the world were Quirks of all kinds and types, but that didn't mean they were always safe. Quirks were no blessings, they were no superpowers. In the origin, they were a mutation that could either help their owner or ruin them. They could be a nuisance, a curse better contained. Her eyes widened slightly... A curse...
She looked at her friend who had put back his earphones and was staring outside the window, seemingly deep in thought. Yuu's Quirk, something that he could never control, something that makes him unable to see the world everyone else does... A Quirk that keeps him awake at night, preventing him from ever resting as the rest of them do...
Could it be that you too...
She could never bring herself to ask him that question...
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For them, the ones who were involved in the great mission of saving Eri, the world seemed to move at a different pace compared to their classmates and friends. Sora couldn't help glancing back at her phone every now and then, awaiting the heroes' contact.
Time passed by so heavily and so slowly that Yuu could have sworn he was almost ready to graduate UA but still, no word came at all. While just living a life totally different from the carefree one the rest of their classmates back at the dorms had, unable to focus on their lessons, they kept praying the heroes would soon find Eri's whereabouts.
And it finally happened late on the night of the third day after the meeting. All six of them hurried down to the living room, their hair messed and their eyes half closed, to confirm with each other. It was finally time they moved.
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The building was that of the meeting. There, Nighteye was waiting for them with a cardboard of 'Gung-Ho! Pretty Yure 10!'. Neither of them understood what the box had to do with Nighteye finding that Eri was in their stronghold, where their head dwelled.
Nighteye explained that one of the Shie Hassaikai went and bought the very same toy the other day, but that didn't seem to convince those attending the least. " Anyway, why did you buy one, too?" Fat's question was in place.
But apparently, for Nighteye who had met the guy personally, his judgment was better. Sora couldn't care less about the details. All that mattered was that Nighteye found Eri. They knew what they ought to do from there.
All of the first years exchanged smiles of encouragement and confidence. They were going to save her no matter what. Togata especially was more than energetic for the action. " Well, at least he's back to normal. I can't make fun of him while he's down like that, it'd be no fun." Whisper snorted and Yuu ran his hand down his face in exasperation.
" Let's do our best, Yuu."
Yuu looked at Sora's red eyes and nodded. " For Eri-chan."
" For Eri-chan!" All of the U.A. students repeated.
" That's it, soldiers! Show them your war cry!"
" That was no cry, Whisper."
" Well, it's kind of an alternative isn't it."...
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By 8 am, they were united with the police who handed them documents on the most significant members of the Shie Hassaikai. " So the police are helping us?" Sora murmured.
"It's Yakuza we're up against. They surely have more underlings and lackeys waiting there to defend their headquarters." Yuu's eyes skimmed through the document quickly." So we need number on our side as well." He folded the paper and slid it into his pocket just as his three flames flared around him.
" You've already memorized it?" Uraraka asked in surprise and the boy shrugged.
"Sometimes I forget that you've got some good muscles in there." Whisper drummed his finger on the boy's head. " And probably the only good muscles you have."
" Pro's work is really hard," Sora said considering all that the pros had been doing so far. Investigating, getting the police to help, and preparing for the raid. " We're lucky to watch closely this time."
"Ah." Yuu agreed. A step closer to action is a step closer to his dream...