"I want to die." Awase laid down. "I want to be buried in a nice metal casket." It was a mistake. Life was a mistake. Everywhere he went, every action he took, it was all one big mistake.
"It can't be that bad." Yanagi spoke up.
"You all don't get to speak!" He shouted. "Most of you have girlfriends or boyfriends to rest on!" Tetsutetsu and Kendo, Yanagi and Kodai, Shishida and Shoda. He really didn't expect the last one. "Even Shiozaki, Setsuna, and Kinoko have their weird crushes on three guys in 1-A!" Crushes that actually paid attention to them too!
"Much to my utter befuddlement. Finding a 1-A bastard attractive." Monoma muttered under his breath. Wrong reason to get angry pal. "Worse, I think it spread to Pony during the summer camp. She might have a crush on that electric user."
"Super brave! Even when he screams like a girl!"
"I know you all don't really agree with me much but are we really going to let them corrupt Pony of all people?!" Monoma shouted to the group.
"Yaoyoruzo's already dating Kaminari, so there's not much to worry about there." Setsuna just shrugged. "If we're talking about corruption, look at Ibara. She's been getting fantasies ever since Midnight's sex ed class." Everyone shivered. Why was it important to learn the history of strap-ons and lube?
"I admit to having thoughts, and instantly bathing myself in holy water as I try to purge said thoughts." Shiozaki responded. "So … so many thoughts … plague me these days …" Either her religion or her crush was gonna to crack her mentally eventually.
"Is there anyone else that has a secret random crush? Or are we just gonna keep playing by waiting and seeing?" Awase asked the group.
Kosei raised his hand weakly. "I find Asui cute … but she's way too intense, I think I'll just try to find someone else." Yeah, there seemed to be a dark aura around her whenever someone even mentioned romance. "Why don't we forget about it for now? How's the Work Study going? You're with a top ten with Tetsutetsu!"
"AWESOME! Crust is a manly man who's always manly with every step he takes! There's so much manliness in the air when we're together! We're going to reach the next level of manhoo-" Kendo placed a hand on his mouth.
"Please stop, there's only so much testosterone this room can take." The class president sighed. "Things have been pretty smooth for me and Rei. We get regular patrols and stop a mugging or two every once in a while, although Death Arms argues with Mt. Lady a lot."
"Wait, Death Arms is in the lurkers?" Kaibara asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought it was just Kamui Wood, Mt. Lady, and Edgeshot?"
"We asked, apparently he lost a bet with Mt.Lady, so she pretty much owns his soul." Rei shrugged. "The first thing we did when we got there was get a lecture about the dangers of gambling."
"When one gambles away their soul, all that is left is misfortune and despair that wracks at the hearts of those closest to them." Kuroiro received looks from everyone. "Gang Orca runs his agency like a mob, except the threats never actually mean anything."
"And we barely fight." Kamakiri was tapping his blade against the floor rapidly, like he desperately wanted to murder something. "I want to cut something so bad …"
"Kamakiri, what did I say about calming exercises!?" Kendo shouted.
"I don't need them! I'm calm all the time now!" Kendo took that as a sign to chop the mantis boy's head, and he fell to the ground Monoma style.
"So that's what it looks like from the outside." The copycat muttered. "I always assumed it was more graceful."
"There's no such thing as a graceful fall into unconsciousness." Rei responded.
"I mean I once saw a man's body unconsciously swoon onto his knees in a sliding grovel as he fell unconscious." Honenuki spoke. "Strangest Monday yet." That man's life was a mess.
==
Gran Torino saw the approaching cowlick, grinning as the boy walked in. "Well if it isn't Iruma Suzuki, or should I call you Kettei?" He asked the young boy.
"Oh, you were fighting with Bunny-sensei against All Forty One." That alone got a snicker.
"Yeah, not a surprise Toshi hasn't said what I look like." He held out his hand. "I'm his sensei, Gran Torino."
"Oh, nice to meet you sir." He bowed. "I'm sorry I didn't answer your request for an internship. I just found Miriko to be better." Oh right, the crazy bunny chick.
"Speaking of, she went to the bathroom a minute ago. Said if you're involved she's joining the operation." He could see Mirari's glasses twitch. How he managed to get an inanimate object to twitch is a mystery lost to time.
"I thought I said respectable agencies only? And I take it she's only here because of the lead on the league, am I correct? " Wew, Mirai was pissed.
"If that's what you choose to believe." The dragon woman, Ryuko, smirked as she and her own little posse of students walked into the room.
"Iruma-kun, your outfit looks fluffy! Do you shampoo it? Do you have super sharp claws because you have to cut your nails? Is the jaw super sharp too? Are you gonna eat lots of stuff because we didn't pack lunch?" A blue haired girl older than most of the kids ran up to the kid.
"Thanks! I wash it regularly! I do, but it's mainly to run better! No, the mouth just looks like that because Mei loves wolves I guess. Wait, there's no lunch here?" Apparently he kept up with the questions just as importantly. "But we didn't eat anything beforehand! Why didn't you warn me?"
"I didn't feel the need to, sometimes heroes have to go days without food … unless you can't handle that." The spite was prevalent in this man. They really should have talked about this at some point.
"Jokes on you, I went two weeks without eating while trapped in a cave in! I can handle this no problem!" Everyone stared in internal horror. "What?"
"There's the bundle of headaches and protective instincts that I know and tease. Kit!" He was starting to see why Rumi was so protective of this brat.
"Oh, Rabbit-Sama, you're really here!" The kid greeted as the lady ruffled the kid's head furiously.
"I didn't know Miriko was a mother." Rock Lock muttered. "And I never knew the bitch was stupid enough to bring her own child into the business."
"What was that, you overgrown keychain?" She retorted. "I couldn't hear you over all the judgemental bias you have over bringing anyone under the age of thirty into this job."
"What's their deal?" The redhead that came with Fatgum asked.
"They dated for a year. Apparently it was a messy break up." The large hero explained. "There was this whole argument involving flowers."
"I TOLD YOU I WAS FUCKING ALERGIC!"
"YOU SAID 'I HAVE NO WEAKNESSES'!"
Iruma watched the back and forth between the two adults. "So does love just make people mean? I feel like every adult I know that likes someone has this immense amount of anger inside of them."
"No, It doesn't make you angry, it makes you dumb." He patted the kid on the back. Maybe this was why Toshi never had a relationship.
"I'm surrounded by imbeciles. I wanted a team-up. I asked for this." Mirai shook in anger. "If we can have a clear and sound head for a single minute.." He spoke even as the two pros kept arguing.
"MR BRAVE HAS ARRIVED!" Shouted another young lad, crashing through the window.
"... Why do I have to be the sane one? Just once can someone share my misery?" The pro pleaded.
"Looks like Iida has a new role model to look up to." The astronaut girl muttered with a giggle. It seemed that insanity was an issue that spanned across generations. Nana would be proud.
==
"And now, let's go over the basics." Mirio watched his superior speak up, turning on a projector. "The Shie Hassaikai are a Yakuza group. Thanks to being unnoticed and playing the long game by upholding classic 'honor tradition', numbers and powers have gone up compared to other groups. They've begun expanding their ranks by absorbing other Yakuza groups."
"So what are we looking at in terms of numbers?" Keisagiriman, a late arrival, asked him.
Gang Orca stood up as he pressed a button, the slide switching to his personal projection. This was basically done so they could answer questions when needed. "I've been tracking underground activity. Their numbers are close to triple digits, but not quite. In terms of notable quirks there's only a few real fighters, known as the Eight Bullets."
"Oh yeah, I've seen a few of these guys around before." Miriko commented, sitting across from Iruma. "They're unground cage fighters. Pretty impressive if I say so myself."
"The fact you are calling them impressive is an immediate red flag." Ryukyu grumbles. Well she isn't 'wrong' per say. "Anything you can give us to expect?"
"Rotating Arms that act like a bulldozer, crystal skin, stamina vampire that needs to touch … the rest i've got nothing for."
"That one creates egg shells, that one can steal shoes and socks, and that one is super hungry." His patrol partner added. "They chased me when I grabbed their suitcase."
"... I'll try to work on how those make sense later." Nighteye twitched, before switching slides. "We've been investigating compounds all over, multiple heroes are being sent to specific areas. This team is going to be attacking it's main compound, an underground base." The man pointed to agency heads. "My agency along with Fatgums will infiltrate the facility along with the police. Ryuku's and Gang Orca's will stay on the surface to engage in those that will undoubtedly attempt to escape when the raid begins.
"We'll take all of them down no problem!" One mantis looking kid cackles with glee, only to be dope slapped by both his partner and his mentor.
"Remind me why we're letting kids be in this mess?" Rock Lock asked. "They're only gonna get in the way."
"I'm sorry …" Suneater curled into a ball in his seat. Damn it, fifth time this year.
"Don't start doubting them too soon! It's because of these kids that we know what the Yakuza are planning!" Fatgum stood up, pointing to the group of first years. "Not too long ago, we took out a gang of drug dealers that were armed with trigger and a new type of bullet that took away Suneater's quirk!"
Everyone froze at the idea. "Wha..Tamaki, are you okay!? Do you still.."
"My quirk returned after a few hours. See?" His best friends held up a cow hoof. That was a relief, and he knew what he had for breakfast. "The data showed that my Quirk Factor was damaged, slowly recovering on it's own."
"Oh, so like Aizawa-sensei messes with our Quirks, right?" Iruma asked the group.
"Not exactly." The first year teacher answered. "My quirk erasure targets the quirk cells in a body by basically cutting off communication." He saw the confusion in the boy's eyes and sighed. "Think of it like this. My quirk would make someone's tail fall asleep, and these bullets would cut off the tail all together."
"Exactly. After a quick check up, we found out that Tamkai's quirk genes were damaged, even if they healed after a while." Fatgum continued. "Luckily, thanks to Red Riot over here, we were able to secure a sample." Kirishima blushed at the praise.
"That brings me to what is likely the worst topic of today." Sir adjusted his glasses. Fuck, he only said something like that when things really got bad. "The leader known as Kai Chisaki, also known as Overhaul, has a registered quirk of the same name. It allows him to manipulate the matter of whatever he touched by disassembling and reassembling it within seconds."
"I … but …" Yaoyorozu looked like she was having an aneurysm. "How does something like that even come to be? The astronomical odds of someone getting a quirk like that. With so much dangerous potential …"
"Believe me, there are worse quirks than that." Gran Torino huffed. "I believe you all witnessed All For One's battle with All Might." Everyone grimaced. So many dangerous powers. It made the third year think about that old wise tale about quirks becoming too powerful one day.
"And then there's the matter of a girl known as Eri." Sir showed a picture of the white haired girl. "She was found by Lemillion and Kettei, but under my orders they did not engage, as Chisaki was there as well." Everyone's attention was on him and Iruma, although the boy ignored all the staring as his expression became furiously dark.
"Now thanks to the sample we received from the efforts of Red Riot, analysis on the quirk destroying drug yielded results … 90% of it is human blood, bones, and various other fluids." Fatgum clenched his fist."
"Human…blood.." Mirio connected the dots as the picture became quite clear.
"The girl known as Eri is likely being broken down and restored in order to make these bullets."
CRACK
The table broke in half, the cracks came from Iruma, glaring at the screen with hate. "... We left her to be tortured …" He…Mirio couldn't argue. That's exactly what happened. "She was in my arms…begging for help…" Iruma looked at his mentor like he wanted to tear him apart. "You…you said no….how long…how long has it been since then?"
"Three days." Sir spoke without remorse. "And while I give you permission to harm me, I want you to think. Against someone like that, without taking down every operation they had with all the resources they've gathered, and according to Gran Torino, a connection with the League, do you honestly think we could have just taken Eri then and there, kept her safe without any form of retaliation?" He made a point. Mirio didn't know if they could have taken on Chisaki then and there, and if he could have called for reinforcements that were already searching the city for Eri?
"That's enough." Aizawa and Miriko said at the same time. Iruma instantly lost his energy, turning to stare at them with bewilderment.
"What happened then doesn't matter, Kit. What happens now is we gear up with all of our resources and beat the shit out of the bastard that did this to her without any remorse. That's where your anger goes."
"Right…the best motivator in the world is spite." Kettei closed his fist. "I'm going to save her." The first year's hero name definitely fit him perfectly here. There was nothing but pure determination in those eyes.
"We're gonna save her!" Uravity shouted. "Did you forget everyone else here?"
"I'm down for kicking an abusive father in the face." Froppy growled.
"This is the unmanliest Man I've ever met. He doesn't even deserve to be called a man!" Red Riot joined in. "I'm charging in there, tearing off his manhood and shoving it down his throat!"
"I'll let you guys do that, I'm gonna beat up the bastards that would support such a man." Sugarman raised his hands and clenched them.
"Finally, a full on raid! Perfect for my blades to shine their brightest!" Shouted Jack Ripper.
"Silence." Aizawa activated his quirk, and shut everyone up. "First years, head into the other room. I'll talk with all of you when the meeting is over."
Everyone looked like they wanted to argue, Kettie especially. "It's going to be alright." Lemillion placed his hand on his partner's shoulder. "Eri is going to be saved no matter what happens today. That is my promise to you, Kettie."
==
Kuriro sat awkwardly, the mood was far too tense for comfort. He'd take anything at this point. "So are your blades as sharp as mine?" Fuck it, he'd take it.
"Do you have any hobbies that don't involve fighting?" Sato asked rhetorically.
"Yoga and Bug Catching." …He honestly was more surprised on that last one.
"I had to catch bugs a lot when I first started living in the woods." Suzuki spoke, but he kept his head down. "It was the only source of meat I had. I was alone, no one around to ask for help. After eating mealworms for a day I hunted my first mouse. It was surprisingly sweet."
They all stared at him in silence. "...We worry so, so, so much about you, Iruma." Uraraka was the first to speak.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" He muttered. It was very obvious why. "Honestly I'm more worried about Mirio right now. He's stuck in there with the jerk." He grumbled. "Why do we have to do all this planning and stuff? We should just jump in and save them. It's not like you guys had a big plan when you did the same, right?" Oh yeah, the vigilante thing.
"Yeah, we didn't, and that almost got us killed." Yaoyoruzo sighed. "It wasn't a decision we took lightly. We had just the faintest idea of what we were up against, and it was honestly by sheer luck and whatever deity Shiozaki believes in that we got out as smoothly as we did, which was not at all."
"But we aren't being heroes right now." He muttered. "We're just sitting here while she's hurting."
"How are you more impatient than Bakugo right now?" Kirishima asked incredulously. "We'll save her, we're just preparing an army to make sure they don't get away."
"Iruma..I know that this isn't something we can easily do. Believe me." Asui looked like she was stopping herself from crying. "Not coming to help rescue you was the hardest decision I've ever made in my life, and it still haunts me knowing you were getting hurt while I was at home, watching All Might's final fight from a tv set." She wiped her face. "I hear you wake up at night. You haven't slept well since you moved into the dorms."
"It's just a dumb dream about ghosts that keeps coming back."
"Is one of those ghosts All For One?" Uraraka asked.
"Yeah, but he has hair. And he keeps either calling me brother or taunting me that heroism is dumb."
Kurorio blinked. "I thought Kinoko was the only one that did drugs." Technically it was the rare time her mushrooms acted as hallucinogens, but same difference in the end.
"The point I was trying to make is that you're not alone in how you feel." Uraraka continued. "We've felt it, the pros out there feel it, I bet even Bunny-sesnsei has felt it before."
"... Fine, I'll wait." The boy grumbled. "But I'm not gonna like it."
"That's the manly spirit!" Kirishima patted him on the back. Aizawa finally walked to them. "Hey Aizawa-sensei, how did it go?"
"The raid is set for tomorrow to keep the element of surprise. Rest up, you won't get it during the fight." He started, before looking softer. "This is the last chance anyone has to back out now. Your first years, you shouldn't be risking your lives." Kurorio saw a strange touch of empathy in those eyes … he lost someone didn't he?
"Yes, we are … but at this point, that's not an excuse we can fall back on." Yaoyoruzo stood up. "We've experienced so much we shouldn't have during the very first week of school. We've learned to move forward, to adapt, to change. We're all stronger for it, and we can't afford to waste that strength."
"Besides, none of us feel like leaving a little girl alone in that monster's hands. That's a line you don't cross, ever." Asui scowled.
"We came this far already, we'll finish the work study to the end." Uraraka agreed. "We'll tear down this organization if it's the last thing we do."
"The fact that it could be the last thing you do is exactly why I told you this was an out." Aizawa deadpanned, as the girl faltered a bit. "Frankly, none of you have gained back my trust for the Kamino incident, and I have half a mind to pull you out right now."
"Aizawa-sensei, you're a great teacher, but don't say something so dumb." Suzuki looked his teacher right in the eyes. "I've asked for help for most of my life and never got it. I don't care what people say, I'm not going to let Eri go through that a second longer. I'm going to save her, no matter what."
"... Fine." He nodded. "Then all I ask is that you don't die. That goes for everyone." The man walked away. "It wouldn't be rational to die so young."
"Like Iruma always says: Death is stupid." Sato and the rest of 1-A bowed to their teacher.
"I feel like I joined the wrong class." Yeah, these crazies fit Kamakiri far better than theirs did.
==
"Ha, finally got my license!" The blond, Bakugo, shouted. "Now I can blow up fuckers just like any other hero." Well there were a number of steps to the process but yes, that was essentially the fact at hand.
"It's nice to see a student with such fierce determination! It's a pleasure to work with you in the future!" A kid bowed hard enough that his head went into the ground. Was he okay?
"Can I have you two's numbers? I know we're not supposed to date but you're totes cute." A girl asked his son for a phone number … he didn't know how to feel about that one in all honesty.
"How is it that Dodger's crazy follows us even when he's not here?" Bakugo asked Shoto.
"You noticed that too? I was starting to think I was the only one." His son responded. "You think it's a form of contagion or some form of a curse, like my bone breaking?" His son had a curse?
"Since when are you a conspiracy nut?"
"I just link together the only possible conclusions. Before it happened I still thought Iruma was All Might's secret love child." HE WASN'T? Then where was the connection? "So are you going to join a work study?"
"Only when Jeanist comes out of his shitty break. There's something I need to say to his face. Unless a higher offer comes, I'm staying put."
"So that either means it's the lazy hero hawks or …" Shoto blinks, looking at him. "Speak of the devil, hey Endeavor, come to watch your protege?" That's all he's been to Enji for the past few years … hasn't he? A protege, not a son.
He recalled the words that All Might told him as they watched the student's progress. He was just handed the role of number one instead of earning it. He was the top pro, but not the symbol of peace. The world was watching his every move, judging him, comparing him to All Might, how much he wasn't like him.
'Honestly, I'm not sure what to say. I strove to be a symbol, a light that could provide comfort even in the darkest of times. In my efforts, I ignored kindness, shunned away loved ones and friends, believing I could handle it all on my own.'
He didn't even try to be the top hero, he just wanted to be someone people could look up to. Someone people could feel safety from. Was that it? Just make people happy to be alive? He'd been obsessed with strength and obliterated his family in the means of gathering this much power.
"Is he alright, he's been standing there for the last three minutes staring off into space?"
"I don't know? I'm half tempted to draw a mustache on him and half tempted to call nine one one." Damn it, he must've looked like an idiot staring off into space.
"Shoto…I'm proud of your progress." He slowly said. "You've grown a lot, as a person." The fact he was talking to the explosive classmate was proof enough.
"Anything else you wanted to say?" The boy responded, barely looking him in the eye.
"I just wanted you to know I'm going to grow too." He didn't know how, but he would find a way. "I'll try to be a father that can make you proud."
"... I'll be watching then." With that the boy walked off, ignoring him. Honestly, it was more he was expecting to be given.
"Wow, so cool." The girl looked off at him. "So is he single or …" The girl asked the explosion user.
"Yep, he's all yours for the taking. He loves the attention you give him." Bakugo snorted. "If he says otherwise, he's lying." Alright, barring this boy from his agency it was.
"Endeavor …" He turned to the man with the bleeding skull. "YOU'RE THE WORST HERO I'VE EVER MET BUT I CAN SEE YOU'RE TRYING TO BE BETTER! DON'T SLAP AWAY PEOPLE WHO WANT YOUR AUTOGRAPH AND MAYBE PEOPLE WILL LIKE YOU!" The kid ran off.