….
In the hideout, Bakugo started laughing.
"You see that, hand-face?" He grinned at Shigaraki with pure mockery. "There's no way I am joining the likes of you extras."
Shigaraki's hand twitched toward his neck, starting to scratch.
Todoroki, who had been silent and still throughout their captivity, allowed himself the smallest smile.
The warning wasn't for the reporters, but it was for them.
"My colleague, Blue Sun, currently resting."
Dabi was alive, recovering, and probably already planning something reckless to get them back.
The message was clear: hold on. Help was on the way.
….
In a secure conference room, the hero team assembled.
All Might, Gran Torino, Endeavor, Kamui Woods, Edgeshot, and Detective Tsukauchi reviewed the operation plan.
"We will be using three entry points." Tsukauchi explained, indicating the blueprint. "Edgeshot infiltrates through the ventilation system, Kamui Woods and Endeavor lead the assault through the main entrance, and All Might remains on standby to support the operation and coordinate the hostages' evacuation."
Endeavor's expression was complicated.
Anger, worry, and something that might have been guilt all fighting for dominance.
The revelations had shattered his public image that very morning.
Years of domestic abuse, training that crossed the line into torture, and the truth that his eldest son, Toya, was alive and operating as the hero Dabi had all been exposed for the world to see.
His PR team was in full damage control mode, and the HPSC was trying to suppress the articles.
But the internet was faster than any suppression effort.
….
In his hospital bed, Dabi clutched the TV remote so hard the plastic creaked.
On the television, the apology interview replayed as Aizawa struggled to keep his anger in check while Nezu answered with measured diplomacy, all under the shadow of accusations that U.A.'s students could one day become villains themselves.
The volume kept increasing as Dabi unconsciously pressed the button repeatedly, his knuckles white, jaw clenched.
"Boss. Boss. BOSS!" Stain stood beside the bed, along with Spinner.
Both looked concerned.
Dabi didn't respond, and just stared at the screen with fury and frustration radiating from every line of his body.
The door burst open: it was La Brava and Gentle Criminal rushed in.
"Hey! What's with the volume?! This is a hospital! The nurses and patients are cursing at us!"
Twice entered behind them, completely oblivious. "What kind of music is that? It's good! Should I dance? No wait, that's inappropriate! Or is it?!"
Stain finally just walked over and turned off the TV at the power switch.
"Aw, I was about to join in." Twice complained.
Everyone in the room sighed.
"Boss." Spinner said firmly, turning to face Dabi. "Please don't do anything reckless. The other heroes are handling the rescue. So please–"
"He's not going to listen." Stain cut in with a resigned sigh. "Look at him. The guy woke up fifteen minutes ago, and I can already tell he's planning to do something incredibly stupid."
They knew their boss too well. Injuries, doctor's orders, and the fact that his body was still recovering from fighting a literal giant were never going to stop him.
"If you're set on leaving." Spinner said with a shrug. "Do us a favor and beat us up first. We need visible injuries. It will give us an excuse when the lady boss asks what happened. Trust me, she's a lot scarier than you are."
Everyone flinched at the mention of 'lady boss'.
Rumi had been there until ten minutes ago, sitting beside Dabi's bed, holding his hand, trying not to cry.
Before leaving, she had given Stain and the others an unmistakable order: "Look after him, and don't let him do anything stupid. If you fail, I will break every last one of your legs."
Her tone had been perfectly polite, but her smile was terrifying.
Twice shuddered. "The lady is scary! But also really nice! But mostly scary!"
Dabi finally spoke, his voice rough from disuse. "Noted."
Everyone exchanged worried glances.
Because 'noted' wasn't "I will stay in bed and recover."
It was "I heard you, and I am going to ignore you anyway."
Dabi's eyes turned back to the dark TV screen, seeing not his reflection but the image of his brother and his student, restrained and surrounded by villains.
Even after fighting a giant, pushing beyond the limits of his body, and saving twenty-one students, it still hadn't been enough.
Now, however, he was awake, his condition improving, while the heroes finalized their plans to launch the rescue.
Whether they wanted his help or not, they were getting it.
Because those were his students and his responsibility.
And this time, nobody was getting left behind.
….
The apology press conference served multiple purposes beyond public relations.
Yes, it acknowledged the U.A.'s failure to protect students.
Yes, it attempted damage control for the institution's reputation.
But primarily, it was a diversion.
While media attention focused on the bowing administrators and accusatory questions, two strike teams moved into position across Kamino Ward.
The police had identified two locations - one warehouse suspected of Nomu production, one hideout where the League of Villains was holding the hostages.
All Might would lead the raid on the hideout.
Rumi and Best Jeanist would handle the warehouse.
Simultaneous strikes, minimal warning, maximum force.
What the professional heroes didn't know was that six students were also converging on Kamino Ward, tracking a GPS signal that would lead them directly into the center of the operation.
….
The five UA students pressed themselves into the shadows behind a rusted shipping container. Midoriya, Kirishima, Iida, Koda, and Yaoyorozu wore cheap civilian disguises, their hearts hammering in the grimy labyrinth of Kamino Ward's industrial zone.
"This doesn't look right." Yaoyorozu whispered, checking her tracker. The green radar pulse blinked steadily. "The signal is definitely right here, but..."
"It's just a warehouse." Iida muttered, his glasses catching the faint glare of a streetlamp. "Not a base of operations or a hideout."
Suddenly, the heavy scuffle of boots echoed down the dark alleyway as two drunk laborers stumbled right toward their position.
Midoriya and Iida exchanged a sharp look and immediately intercepted them. "Ah, good evening!" Iida said, his arms executing stiff, robotic chops.
With polite but firm insistence, he guided them away. "We were just informed of a dangerous gas leak down this lane. You should leave immediately!"
Once the civilians scrambled back to the main street, Iida turned to the group. "Back entrance. We can observe the interior from a window without being seen."
They slipped around the perimeter of the building until they found a high, barred frame.
"Leave the vantage point to us." Kirishima muttered, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pair of complex, military-grade tactical lenses. "I managed to pick these up online before the training camp. Don't ask how much they cost, my allowance is completely dead for the next six months."
Harnessing their collective teamwork, Midoriya and Kirishima stood securely on Iida and Koda's shoulders to peer inside.
What they saw made their blood run cold.
Three massive glass cylinders filled with bubbling greenish liquid rose from the concrete floor.
Inside each tank was a Nomu at various grotesque stages of development.
Surrounded by high-tech lab equipment and medical supplies, it was instantly clear: this wasn't a hideout, but a factory.
"This is where they make the Nomus." Midoriya breathed, his voice trembling.
….
Miles away, in a dingy bar hidden in a completely different sector of Kamino Ward, Katsuki Bakugo was doing exactly what he did best: being absolutely insufferable to his captors.
Bound securely to a steel chair, he glared at Tomura Shigaraki with pure mockery. "So you've got a master, huh? Some hand-faced loser who can't even do his own dirty work needs someone to hold his hand? Pathetic."
Shigaraki's scratching intensified, his nails drawing blood from his neck. "Shut up..."
"Make me, extra!"
Beside him, Shoto Todoroki remained entirely silent.
His cold eyes were systematically analyzing their surroundings.
Mapping exit points, villain positions, and calculating the exact physical leverage needed to shatter his restraints.
Shigaraki hissed, his voice rising into a cracked snarl. "Mr. Compress. Knock him out before I–"
A sharp, cheerful knock at the front door cut through the tension.
"Pizza delivery!" called a voice from the street.
Everyone froze.
Then, the concrete wall violently detonated inward in a cataclysmic explosion of pulverized brick.
"I AM HERE!"
All Might tore through the dust cloud like a freight train.
Before the villains could move a finger, Kamui Woods' Lacquered Chain Prison erupted across the floorboards, tightly restraining Shigaraki, Magne, Spinner, and Compress in an instant.
Gran Torino bounced off the ceiling, delivering a pinpoint, crushing blow to keep the restrained villains pinned down before they could attempt to fight back or activate their quirks.
The 'pizza delivery man' shed his jacket to reveal the sharp silhouette of Edgeshot, his Foldabody quirk slipping through the locks of the back door to let the police flood in.
"Police! Nobody move!"
Outside, Endeavor coordinated the heavily armed perimeter with Naomasa Tsukauchi, locking down the entire block.
All Might approached the boys, his massive hands easily snapping their restraints. "I apologize formally." he said heavily. "For allowing you to be put in this situation and failing to protect you."
"Whatever." Bakugo muttered, shaking off the metal cuffs. "Just took you long enough."
Todoroki simply stood up and gave a grateful nod.
Before All Might could even voice his sudden wave of dread, the temperature in the dingy bar plummeted to an icy chill, instantly followed by a thick, suffocating stench of decay and ozone.
"Master…!" Shigaraki laughed, a ragged, maniacal sound that vibrated right through the floorboards. "They are here as you planned! Now it's time to swallow up this place!"
All Might's eyes widened, his heroic posture locking rigid as every survival instinct inside him screamed at once. "Gran Torino! Edgeshot! Get the boys back, NOW!"
.
….
[To be continued…]
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