He could feel his chest rising with each breath. He felt the wind whistling pass as his hood fluttered back, revealing a determined visage. As he rocketed towards the two assailants there were very few thoughts in Koichi's mind. When it came to saving someone his selflessness was immediate, one could even call it robotic.
Normally Koichi wouldn't have been so gung ho with choosing violence as his first option. That seemed more akin to something Knuckleduster would do, but in this case, he believed he had no choice.
The one on the right...could he have some sort of teleporting quirk? If he can transport himself as well I can't afford to let him near the hostage.
In his peripheral, the shorter of the pair could make out Koichi's speeding silhouette racing towards them.
«Comrade Shuku!»
His warning came just in time. The tall man barely managed to raise his guard to block the kick Koichi aimed at his head. The man soon realized that Koichi's leg hadn't truly made contact with his forearms. A glowing blue ring filled the thin gap of space between the two combatants.
Can't let him touch me either! Koichi thought.
The tall man, Shuku, felt a vibration from the glowing ring in front of him. Despite the motion of Koichi's kick coming to end the force of kick persisted—seemingly even multiplied. The man was sent flying back into the orange shipping container behind him, landing with a large metallic thud.
Koichi landed nimbly on the ground and set his sights on the shorter man. While remaining crouched, Koichi used his quirk to quickly close the distance between them.
«Hm. Yes, yes! Good instincts indeed!» the short man said mockingly.
While Koichi managed to get a glimpse of his companions quirk before the altercation started, the abilities of the short, pale man remained a mystery.
He's perceptive but he doesn't seem all that fast. With how easily he's carrying that hostage he must have some sort of strength quirk. If I save the hostage and get some distance I should be able to-
Koichi's strategizing is cut short as without warning the short man tossed the bound woman towards him. On instinct, Koichi slowed himself down to catch her but immediately he realizes his mistake.
«Good, good! Nice and slow now!»
In the brief moments where the hostage had blocked Koichi's vision, the short man had already closed the distance between them—he had somehow gotten faster. What's more is that his skin was no longer starkly pale but rather a reddish pink. Light wisps of steam rolled off his wrinkled, bald head, his widened eyes complimented by sickeningly malicious grin. By the time Koichi noticed his incoming attack there was barely any time to react.
Koichi turned his back to the old man, to shield the hostage from the coming strike. The blow was heavy, slamming into Koichi's side. Had the blow landed cleanly, he would have surely broken a rib.
Koichi skid across the ground, the hostage escaping his grasp as he collided with a shipping container.
«Ha ha! You reacted just as I thought you would, hero. Hm, thought I had the angle right on that one. I guess this little spat hasn't gotten my blood pumping after all.»
Koichi slowly rose to feet. As he stood up he could see the lanky man he had struck earlier slowly pry himself loose from the twisted remanence of the orange shipping container, blood dripping from his left arm.
«Ah! Comrade Shukuchi! It warms my heart to see you valiantly rise your feet!» the old man exclaimed.
«Shut up old man! We're on a time limit remember? Distract the kid so I can nab the girl and be done with this.»
For a moment Koichi gazed at the man's wounds. While incapacitating him was the intention, grievously wounding people, even villains, was something Koichi always avoided.
«Feeling remorseful are we?»
Shukuchi said mockingly.
«Don't sweat it, you've actually made my job a lot easier!»
Koichi quickly glanced towards the hostage. While still unconscious, she remained relatively unharmed despite a few bruises. Koichi dashed forwards, hoping to grab her and make a quick escape. He was a hair too late as red droplets began to spread out in front of him. In his periphery he could see the Shukuchi flailing his injured arm around, painting their surroundings with a crimson drizzle. In the next moment Shukuchi was in front of Koichi, sending his heel crashing down towards Koichi's face.
On instinct, Koichi reached his hand to the ground, activating his quirk. A familiar glow and hum was followed by a vectorial force that pulled Koichi to the side, avoiding the strike. In the same motion, Koichi pivoted around sending his opposite foot crashing into Shukuchi's chest. At the point of impact another blue ring shimmered as the villain was sent flying into the air.
«Ooh! What a counter! Now this'll get my blood pumping!» the old man said gleefully as he bizarrely jogged in place.
Recovering quickly from the blow, Shukuchi righted himself in the air.
«Then if your joints aren't hurting, tag in old man!» Shukuchi exclaimed.
With his quirk, Shukuchi displaced himself yet again, this time a large piece of sheet metal took his place.
He managed to get blood on the containers too?! Koichi dispiritingly thought.
The old man, now sporting an even redder hue leaped into the air grabbing the sheet metal. In a fluid motion, he sent it hurling towards Koichi at frightening speed. Koichi barely managed to pull himself out of harm's way. But where he had expected a loud crash to follow, there was only an unnerving silence.
«Miss me?»
Koichi panned around to see Shukuchi in place of the metal sheet, thrusting a knife at his neck. Reflexively, Koichi managed to create a repulsion field with his quirk to divert the strike. The blade drew a shallow cut on the side of Koichi's neck and ripped through parts of his hood. In a breath, Shukuchi had displaced himself again, vanishing from Koichi's view.
«It's not good to get distracted, lad! This wasn't supposed to be a fair fight!»
the old man shouted from Koichi's blind spot.
Koichi tried to react, but it is too late. The old man, now a haunting crimson visage, began unloading a flurry of blows upon him. For the first few, his body shielded against them on instinct, but they kept coming. Each blow grew heavier than the last until Koichi's defenses were utterly crushed. It felt as if cannonballs were being launched at point-blank range right into his body.
With one final blow, the old man sent Koichi crashing into another pile of freight containers. In between the pangs of pain, Koichi could hear the growing restlessness of the workers in the distance as the noise of the battle drew their attention.
«Wrap it up old man. Once my blood dries up our ticket out of here is gone.» Shukuchi said, annoyed, the unconscious hostage now draped over his shoulder.
«Right you are comrade Shuku.»
The old man approached Koichi who laid motionless in the warped, metallic wreckage.
«I recognize that look in your eye. I've had it once myself in my youth..»
The old man leaned down, making eye contact through Koichi's broken visor. He sported a sadden expression that contrasted his demonic complexion.
«The real strength of your quirk scares you doesn't it? Your first strike could have blown comrade Shuku's arms off if you willed it. A power that grants you such superb might and agility but somehow still binds you in chains...»
The old man reached his hand to his face. His thumb touched his forehead whilst his index finger pointed skyward.
«But such are the contradictions of our world. Order without order..»
The old man ceased the gesture and rose to his feet, his skin changing to a lighter red. Koichi watched helplessly as he raised one of his legs.
«Freedom through liberation!»
The old man unleashed a devastating kick. Koichi was sent flying through the shipyard, ripping through several depots of containers before ultimately slamming into the side of an anchored freight ship. Without the reflexive use of his quirk to dampen the impact, this bout of unconsciousness that swept over him may have been one he'd never awaken from.
...
Shukuchi approached the old man from behind, the two staring at the carnage the quiet shipyard had become.
«Is that how liberationists recruit? I don't think punting someone into a ship makes them want join you.»
The old man chuckled.
«Inadequacy can breed change, comrade. Whether or not he sides with our cause is irrelevant. I only mean to break his chains.»
A scowl grew across Shukuchi's face.
«This isn't my 'cause'. Once I clear my debt with the Yotsubashis I want nothing to do with you sickos.»
The old man turned to face Shukuchi, placing a firm grip on the young man's bleeding forearm. A faux smile adorned his wrinkled face.
«Broaden your horizons, comrade! The world is a much bigger and vile place than you or that hero think it is.»
The pair vanished as the harbor ambience became filled with panicked screams and the sounds of approaching police sirens.