Chapter 119: An Animal Rescue
To Kaminari, it seemed that just about everyone in his class was upping their game. Kirishima and Bakugo were out training together, as was Uraraka with Akatani. Not to mention, Yaoyorozu would disappear for hours and come back drenched in sweat, dirt, and occasionally blood. But it wasn't just everybody training more, no. A lot of his classmates were also getting a lot of new support equipment.
Hagakure got her Octo camo suit, Uraraka got her hammer, and Akatani was constantly getting all kinds of new crap. In the end, Kaminari ended up feeling like he was being left behind. Like everyone was rapidly moving forward, while he struggled along. Of course, that wouldn't do, so he decided to see about evening the odds. But as he walked toward the Support Lab's wide-open door, he couldn't help but feel the unmistakable air of dread surrounding the place.
He didn't understand why until he heard the commotion inside. It sounded like a factory, filled with power tools and metal banging together. Poking his head into the lab, he found two piles of inventions taller than he was sitting on the back walls of the room. All the while, a grime-covered Melissa and, if Kaminari remembered right, Mei continued to build more stuff. Aggressively, the two would bolt together some small trinket before tossing it onto their pile, and marking it down on the board.
It confused Kaminari briefly before he soon spotted Jiro standing in the room nearby.
"Uh… Did I come at a bad time?" Kaminari asked as he looked toward Jiro. With a tired look, Jiro shrugged back.
"Hell if I know," Jiro replied, before carefully motioning toward the inventors, "They've been like this for an hour."
"What started this?" Kaminari asked while slowly stepping into the room.
"I asked for some small speakers to give my quirk better range," Jiro replied, with Kaminari realizing what she wanted. It was the same sort of setup as her boots, a pair of speakers that gave her what was effectively a sonic weapon. Terrifyingly effective, Kaminari thought to himself.
"They both jumped at the chance, but… kinda started bickering over whose idea was better," Jiro explained, while Kaminari looked toward the inventors. Both had gotten to work on Jiro's gear by now, but they'd taken two different approaches. Hatsume was making a pair of small speakers. Both speakers would attach to Jiro like a wristwatch. Well… wrist gun would be a better way of putting it. As the speakers could likely "fire" when worn as well.
The back of the speakers also had small holes for her jacks to plug into. Melissa, meanwhile, was making a pair of biker gloves with a speaker system embedded in the palm. It was kind of like Iron Man's hand repulsors. Like Hatsume's design, they had a small plug-in area near the wrist for her jacks. Mere seconds later, Hatsume had finished her work and shot up from her spot in the lab.
Before she could pass them to Jiro, though, Hatsume spotted Kaminari standing around.
"Another customer!" Hatsume exclaimed, with Melissa quickly looking up from her tools. Seeing Kaminari, the girl began to work faster than before, not wanting Hatsume to get ahead.
"I'll be with you in a minute, Kaminari!" Melissa told him, while Hatsume glanced back at her.
"No, she won't!" Hatsume proclaimed, before grabbing a nearby notebook from a table, "What do you need?"
"W-well, I was hoping to give my quirk some better ranged capabilities," Kaminari hesitantly replied, while looking between each girl carefully. This might not have been the best idea. He didn't need to get involved with their competition… at least he thought it was a competition. Neither girl was treating the other with outright hostility, so this might have just been… some kind of game? Maybe? Kaminari wasn't sure.
"It kinda just shoots off everywhere," Kaminari explained further, watching as Hatsume took notes.
"Hmm… an intriguing problem-" Hatsume began to mutter, before Melissa shouted over her.
"One that I already have a solution for!" Rapidly, the blonde girl rushed by and passed Jiro her gloves before running back to her pile of inventions. Digging through the pile, Melissa soon dragged an odd gun-shaped device out.
"Introducing the XM32 Lightning Gun!" Melissa explained, holding out the rifle for Kaminari to see, "A three-pronged rifle, capable of shooting a bolt of electricity at any target you wish."
Truthfully, Kaminari didn't know what to make of it. He wasn't a gun guy, but the XM32 had the generic shape of a rifle. Maybe a Barrett. Instead of a regular barrel, there were the three prongs Melissa had mentioned. All were fashioned in a triangular formation. There was no magazine or chamber. It did have a pistol grip, though, along with a stock for better stability. It also had several Picatinny rails allowing for more attachments, like a scope or a bipod if needed.
"A few tweaks, and it can use your quirk as a power source," Melissa added, as Kaminari hesitantly grabbed the rifle. It weighed a few good pounds, but wasn't all too heavy. Kaminari was cautiously tempted to try it. But just then, Hatsume had come roaring back with her own invention.
"That's nothing compared to baby thirty two seventy five! My Sharpshooting gear!" Hatsume countered, holding up an odd device. It wasn't a rifle like the XM32, but instead a wrist-mounted device like Jiro's. It had a series of disks loaded into it, each one seemingly made of copper.
"It shoots pointer disks that will attract your electricity like a lightning bolt to a lightning rod!" Hatsume added, before passing the device to Kaminari. Not expecting it, Kaminari had to effectively juggle both the device and the rifle.
"Uh…" Kaminari muttered to himself, his gaze switching between the items. They both seemed well-made, but he didn't fully know what to choose.
"What's the range for the sharpshooting gear?" Kaminari asked, still clutching the devices.
"For the shooter, about fifty meters," Hatsume replied, causing Kaminari to pause. He… yeah, he didn't know how far that was. Like he knew it was a bit away, but it was hard to picture just how far it was. Not to mention, Hatsume had specified the shooter's range. She said that its disks were what attracted his electricity.
"...For the shooter?" Kaminari questioned, while Hatsume momentarily tensed.
"...The disks only attract lightning within a ten-meter radius," Hatsume replied, causing Melissa to grin smugly.
"My Lightning Gun has a range of three hundred and fifty meters," Melissa told Kaminari. He still didn't know how far that was, but it was a much bigger number than ten. Of course, Hatsume wasn't done fighting yet.
"My baby could let you hit multiple targets at once," Hatsume informed, unintentionally getting closer.
"Mine offers greater accuracy," Melissa argued, getting closer to Kaminari like Hatsume.
"Mine's more compact for close-quarters engagements!" Hatsume shouted, getting even closer.
"Mine's more customizable for different situations!" Melissa countered, both girls practically shouting into his face. And you know, there were many times Kaminari wished some pretty ladies would get in close to him. This was not one of those times! It was definitely a mistake to come in here!
"Which one will you take?" both girls questioned, as Kaminari looked between them and the inventions. He genuinely didn't know which one to choose. Both had advantages and disadvantages. But… then again, range kinda had a large role to play.
"The… Lightning gun?" Kaminari muttered, though he ended up sounding as if he was asking a question, more than making a final decision. It was good enough for Melissa, though.
"Good choice," Melissa commented, before turning around and cheering, "Point for Mel!"
Quickly, the blond ran off and marked another point on the board.
"You're still behind," Hatsume remarked, the inventor moving back to her side of the lab.
"Not after my heavy automatic railgun is finished," Melissa countered, the girl quickly grabbing a wrench.
"You slapped some magnetic rails onto an M2 Browning. That's an upgrade package, not a new baby. It doesn't count," Hatsume retorted, and grabbed a blow torch and welding mask.
"I built it from the bottom up. The back half looks like an M2, but it is an entirely different weapon," Melissa argued back, the two rapidly getting back to work. At the same time, Kaminari and Jiro watched on, neither saying a word for a while.
"...I am so confused," Kaminari muttered, as Jiro nodded in agreement next to him.
"Tell me about it," Jiro commented, as the clanging in the room slowly got louder. Hearing this, Jiro started to cover up her ears, as the two inventors picked up the pace of their work.
"They are really going at it," Jiro muttered, as she began to despise all the noise. Kaminari couldn't blame her for it, as even he began to find the room too loud.
"Magnetic climbing gloves and boots, beat that, Hatsume!" Melissa shouted over the noise before marking another point down.
"Easy! I've got a sprayable explosive gel!" Hatsume replied, and she also marked another point down. Of course, Kaminari didn't hear Hatsume speak.
"...I think we should go… preferably before something explodes," Jiro stated worriedly, causing Kaminari to look back at her, confused.
"Why would something explode-" Kaminari began to question, before he heard a loud boom. He felt a massive wave of heat rush from Hatsume's side of the lab. Smoke covered the room, and Kaminari suddenly found himself covered in soot.
"Whoops!" Hatsume called out, only to immediately get back to work.
"Kaminari," Jiro commented, the boy quickly nodding his head.
"Yep, leaving," Kaminari quickly replied.
The Third Building of the Ministry of Defense had always been something of an eyesore to Volkov. It was a boring, blocky building that sat next to a river. It didn't have the same appeal that the American Pentagon had, the odd striking shape the French Hexagone Balard possessed, or even just a tinge of color like Ukraine's Ministry of Defense building. To Volkov, it was boring.
And somehow, the interior didn't get any better, as he sat in a conference room, surrounded by his highest-ranking commanders. The Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff, the Commander-in-Chiefs of the Russian Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces, the Commanders of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Airborne Forces, and Special Operations Forces were all assembled.
Along with the commanders of Russia's five military districts, the admirals for Russia's five fleets, the heads of the FSB, GUSP, the SVR, GRU, and the FSO, for good measure. Currently, the Director of GRU, one Dmitri Balshov, was busy reading through a recent report. A report that all the men assembled found worrying.
"In conclusion, if the reports we are receiving are correct, the entire European Union could begin mass-producing military arms within six months," Balshov finished, as he placed the paper he was reading down. Across from him, a different intelligence director pulled the paper his way to read over it again.
"Six months?" one Lieutenant General asked, causing Balshov to nod.
"That is the worst-case scenario. Best case is a year," Balshov replied, and the rest of the room soon grumbled after the confirmation.
"Still, not a large window of time for us," an Admiral muttered, a few commanders humming in agreement. Quietly, Volkov thought the report over. If Europe started retooling factories in June, and bare minimum, it took them six months to rearm, then they'd be churning out weaponry by December.
"Striking now is our only option. If we give them any more time, then we risk launching ourselves into a quagmire," one general decided, causing another to scoff.
"They may be weakened, but that doesn't guarantee a quick victory," a different general protested, "Or are we forgetting the Wall of Steel in our path?"
That statement sent a grumble through the room. The Wall of Steel is what many of Russia's military officers had taken to referring to Eastern Europe. While the western half of NATO and the EU had grown weak, the East had always been wary of letting its military fall by the wayside. Several disastrous invasions of Ukraine had left the nation eternally distrustful of its neighbor, and as such, they'd turned themselves into a metaphorical porcupine, one bristling with weapons.
Poland had always been in a similar boat, being right next to both Belarus and Kaliningrad. The Showstopper's incident only added fuel to the fire, as now the MSF had gotten involved as well. So now, stretching from Finland through the Baltics, Poland, and into Ukraine, there were several well-prepared armies. For right now, they were likely the only thing that would hold the Russians back until the rest of the West got its industry to bear.
And though the Russian military had spent years improving, no one was actually sure if that would translate on the field. Their capabilities were theoretical until the war broke out. So, for all anyone knew, the Wall of Steel would be their doom. Of course, some men didn't care about that.
"So long as Polish blood stains the ground, that wall won't matter," one general proclaimed, a few others loudly agreeing with him.
"Yes, but getting stopped by them won't help things," a different general countered. And he made a good point, because it wasn't just equipment that was an issue. It was manpower.
"Minister Kozlov, what are our current enlistment numbers?" Volkov soon inquired, gaining the eye of everyone in the room. Igor Kozlov, the current Minister of Defense, looked surprised that he had been called up. But only for a moment, as he began digging into a stack of papers he brought with him.
"As of right now, we stand at two million ready personnel," Kozlov replied, while Volkov thought the number over. The MSF had three million active already, and possibly thousands more in reservists.
"How many can we call up total?" Volkov inquired, and Kozlov looked back into his notes.
"Taking into account the home front, along with industry issues… for a rough estimate, eleven million males," Kozlov replied, before quietly passing out the report he held, "I'm still working on how many women are eligible for service."
Slowly, everyone assembled had Kozlov's report in hand, and Volkov looked it over quietly. He did not like what he was seeing, but then again, this was to be expected.
"Hmm… the European Union and NATO combined have seventy million men available," one general muttered aloud. They were outnumbered seven to one.
"That's… not promising," a different general muttered, "Could we even the odds somehow?"
"Well, if we assume that the Chinese launch a war of their own in the coming year, and that we both find ourselves in mutually beneficial arrangements, that would bring up the total draftable male population to…" Kozlov began to explain, trailing off as he counted the numbers.
"Around one hundred and one million," Balshov stated, finding the number at the bottom of the report, "That's just with China on our side."
"Promising," one admiral commented, only for a general to grumble.
"It is also assuming we don't get involved with China's disputes. Which we most likely will," the general pointed out, causing everyone to murmur again.
"If we did, how bad would it be?" another admiral asked, causing Kozlov to pull out a calculator.
"The Chinese have been threatening India for a while, which would likely bring another one hundred and twenty-four million people to their side," Kozlov replied, while also pulling out a laptop from a briefcase. Switching it on, Volkov soon found the meeting was delving into hypotheticals. It started with the assumption that they'd get dragged into fighting India, but it rapidly exploded in scale.
If they got dragged into fighting India, then there was a chance that China, and thus Russia, would be fighting Nepal and Bhutan. However, they'd gain Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to their side. China wasn't just threatening India, though; they were threatening Korea, Japan, and Taiwan as well. This would likely include conflict with the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
Slowly, the numbers were counted up as theoretical plans were drawn. Some countries would join the war willingly, and others would have to be intimidated into joining their side. In the end, they concluded that if war broke out, Russia would have 274,840,733 possible troops from a total of sixty-seven nations on its side. The West would have 389,118,458, from eighty-four nations. They were still outnumbered, even with allies and nations forced to fight for them.
"The math is as clear as day, sir," one general spoke up, "This invasion just isn't possible."
A few other men murmured in disagreement, but Volkov stayed quiet for the moment. Who had said that, he wondered to himself. Looking over the people assembled, he found the general in question. A rather young-looking man, somewhere in his early thirties. A thin scar went from the bottom of his chin to his bottom lip. A Russian Aerospace Forces cap, meanwhile, covered a head of short, pale brown hair.
"Colonel General Lebedev, I am aware of the numbers," Volkov replied, before leaning forward in his chair. For a moment, he watched the general in his seat, waiting for the man to squirm under his gaze.
"I want you to keep drawing up battle plans," Volkov ordered, a few generals muttering something about getting right on it. General Lebedev, though, was not one of them.
"With all do respect, Mr. President, this war isn't a good idea," Lebedev argued, causing the room to go silent.
"Even ignoring manpower, their economies are practically triple the size of ours," Lebedev continued, while one general sputtered across from him.
"For now," the general retorted, "We all know hero society won't last for much longer."
"Neither will our economy if this war drags on into a meatgrinder, which it will," Lebedev rebuked, his gaze switching from Volkov to the general, and back.
"We can't go to war," Lebedev stated, the room again going silent. Carefully, Volkov clasped his hands together, while his eyes stared daggers at Lebedev. Everyone in the room nervously looked between Lebedev and Volkov, a sense of dread filling the room.
"General Lebedev," Volkov stated, "We will go to war."
"Sir…" Lebedev began to protest again, only for Volkov to hold up a hand.
"General Petrov, who was it that founded the Moscow Institute for Computer Technology?" Volkov asked, turning to a different man in the room.
"...You, sir," Petrov hesitantly answered, with Volkov slowly nodding.
"It was, wasn't it?" Volkov commented, "Just like how I funded the construction of this country's newer roads."
Volkov then turned back to Lebedev, examining the general carefully.
"It was my money that ensured Mother Russia's plumbing was brought to modern standards. It was my money that made medical care affordable and safe," Volkov continued, as he remembered all the money he poured into the economy. He built up houses, schools, fire departments, public parks, libraries, hospitals, and modern power grids. He'd used his influence to strongarm the oligarchs into giving workers higher wages, more time off, and healthcare to stop the country's brain drain.
He'd invested in building up Russia's technological sector, enabling larger semiconductor manufacturing. He'd curbed the country's corruption and shaped it into a weapon usable only by him. He'd dragged this country kicking and screaming into the modern era.
"Every corner of this worthless country was built off of my money," Volkov stated coldly, "I spent billions turning this joke of a nation into a capable power."
Because before he'd shown up, that's all this country was. A living joke to the world. Continually lagging behind while the world took steps forward day after day. It was Volkov who made them into something worthwhile. But this was not done out of national pride or a deep need to see his people's lives improve. No. The mistake leaders before him always made was treating their subjects like they were worthless.
If you want the men in the factory to work harder, then you give them incentives. Fear and endless required quotas got them nowhere. It's also why it was so difficult to make anything good in Russia. The better life promised by the West drained away whatever engineers or doctors Russia could train. So when the military suddenly needs a new tank program, they have no one capable of designing tanks.
Not to mention all the people who knew how to make the parts necessary, like, say, night vision optics, were also gone. Leaving them dependent on foreign imports for all their vehicles. It was a million tiny issues that made the entire country a joke. Hell, that was the reason the T-14 Armata took centuries to truly enter service. They had to tear the tank apart and rebuild it from the bottom up.
They had to give it a custom engine, they had to remove the hydraulic sealing hatches, they had to add optical cameras for the driver, backup sights for the gunner and commander, an internal access hatch for the turret, a faster model autoloader, replace the western made parts with domestic Russian ones, add better night vision and IR tracking systems, and fix the active protection system. Most importantly of all, they made it so the tank could actually reverse.
This country, and its military, were a joke in Volkov's eyes. This nation couldn't win a war without the proper infrastructure. So he built it. For twenty years, his money built up Russia.
"With the amount of money I've spent on building this place up, as far as I am concerned, this country, and all of its people, are mine. And I am to do with them, whatever I please," Volkov proclaimed, slowly placing his hands on the table in front of him. Only now did Lebedev look at Volkov nervously.
"So, if I say we're going to war," Volkov continued coldly, "Then we will go to fucking war."
The proclamation left Lebedev quiet, and Volkov mentally scoffed. It would seem the matter was decided-
"...Be that as it may, this does not solve our numbers crisis," Lebedev stated, quietly shocking Volkov. A few generals around the table began to murmur in surprise, while Volkov stared at Lebedev. Even now, the general continued to argue. Slowly, Volkov began to chuckle, confusing Lebedev. Good, Volkov thought to himself.
"You are persistent on this issue. Unwilling to bend when I'm wrong. For that, I give you full marks," Volkov told him calmly, "I don't want yes men filling my officer corps."
It was the mistake all dictators throughout history made over and over again. They valued loyalty over competence. In a dictatorship, the most likely usurpers were someone from the military. So most dictators put only those fiercely loyal to them in charge. Or they took the Nazi method, and had all their commanders fight against each other for the Führer's favor.
This kind of system never worked. When it came to the Nazi's, all their constant bickering made it so there was never a unified command structure. Each general or commander was constantly taking resources away from someone else, or wouldn't give those resources to areas where they were needed. The first method, though, led to highly unqualified men being put in charge of areas they had no experience in. If this war were to go Volkov's way, then he needed both the competent and the loyal. He needed men unafraid to tell him when something was a bad idea.
Lebedev, it would seem, would be in line for a promotion. But, for this one instance, Lebedev was wrong.
"However, General, I already have a solution to our problem," Volkov stated, before snapping his fingers. Quickly, a pair of aides began passing around a new set of documents.
"The day the Zhukov was unveiled, I did not show the world all of our latest programs," Volkov explained, while everyone opened the files they'd been given. Reading it over, Volkov saw Lebedev look up, confused.
"Project Steel… I've never heard of it," Lebedev muttered, with Volkov nodding.
"For good reason," Volkov replied, while other generals continued to read.
"What is half the stuff in here? You're funding another helicopter program? And… wait… RBMP-1 Witch, T-17 Vampire, T-20 Demon… two of those are tank designations… this connects to our Sputnik program," Kozlov commented, the documents holding dozens more items. Slowly, everyone looked back toward Volkov, confused.
"Gentlemen, this program will be our key to winning the war," Volkov proclaimed, eliciting more murmurs from his staff.
"What is this program?" Kozlov inquired, as Volkov again clasped his hands together.
"Classified, I'm afraid," Volkov replied. It was a program only he and a select few knew about. Needless to say, it would more than turn the tide. What it was, Volkov wouldn't say, not until the time for its use came.
"Please, sit down," Nezu calmly stated, watching as the student in front of him nervously stared at the open chair across his desk. Ever since Fudaki Shigai had died, Nezu had been on the lookout for who would fill the vacant seat in class 1A. And at first, there had been a mountain of willing applicants. All the first-year Gen Ed courses had sixty students combined. Adding in some Support and Buisness course students who wanted to join the hero course brought it up to about a hundred students.
Now, going through all one hundred students was very busy work. Nezu had to conduct interviews, go over their current grades, and examine their quirk use. The Sports Festival was supposed to help with the last item. But then the massacre happened, and… a lot of students died. Of the sixty Gen Ed applicants, thirty died. Five Support Course and ten Buisness Course applicants died as well.
Once the massacre was over, half of the remaining applicants had been crippled and were deemed unfit to join the Hero Course. That would have left twenty-seven applicants… would have. When Nezu started up his interviews, about two-thirds of the remaining students had changed their minds. After the massacre, they didn't want to be heroes anymore, for good reason. Eight candidates remained, but Nezu was sure seven of them were going to withdraw from UA in a few days.
This left only one candidate, General Education's Class 1C student, Shinso Hitoshi. Warily, the purple-haired teen eyed the chair cautiously before he sat down. The student's breath was somewhat ragged, and Nezu was unsure if it was due to the nervousness of being interviewed or due to the… incident.
"Would you like some tea?" Nezu calmly offered, the rodent sipping away at a small cup, "I find it helps with meetings like these."
"N-no, thank you," Shinso hesitantly replied. More for me then, Nezu thought to himself, before setting his cup aside. With his paws, the principal held out an Idroid and switched it on. Rather quickly, Shinso's student file was pulled up, and Nezu looked it over.
"Now then, everything I've seen of your records suggests a capable, if poorly motivated student," Nezu commented, the rodent scrolling through the report. With his tiny beady eyes, he looked toward Shinso and tilted his head.
"Would you agree with my assessment?" Nezu inquired, with Shinso hesitantly thinking it over.
"...Sure," Shinso eventually replied, sounding unsure of his answer. Mentally, Nezu marked that down for later. Placing the Idroid on the table, Nezu carefully clasped his paws together.
"Tell me, Shinso, if we were to bring you into the hero course, what could be done to fix that?" Nezu asked calmly, "What motivates you personally?"
For a moment, Shinso said nothing. The teen quietly squirmed in his seat and could only look at Nezu guiltily. Nezu knew why; it was impossible not to know why.
"...Is… Is this interview necessary?" Shinso asked with a shuddered breath, "We both know I'm not fit to be a hero."
Regret filled his every word, and Nezu could only look at the student with pity.
"Their deaths were not your fault," Nezu told him, only for Shinso to shake his head. During the Festival, Shinso had used his quirk to brainwash a small handful of students. For the majority of the race, they carried him, like a king riding in a carriage. Up until they got to the minefield. He'd gotten there right as the shooting started. The first shell landed nearby, and before Shinso could release the students from his control, it detonated.
Shrapnel peppered the majority of them, and their bodies unwittingly shielded Shinso from the blast. Those who didn't die woke up screaming in agony, their bodies littered with bits of metal fragments.
"They were under my quirk's control," Shinso muttered, regretfully, the teen struggling to speak.
"You were following the rules of the event. There was nothing wrong with that," Nezu stated, hoping to comfort him, "No one could have known what was going to happen."
"If I wasn't controlling them, they could have run," Shinso rebuked, "They could have dove for cover. They… they could have survived."
Maybe they could have. But that was built on knowledge Shinso didn't have before. To everyone else, that day was just supposed to be a game. A time everyone could have some fun. No one, especially not a teenager, was expecting something so horrible to happen.
"They were right," Shinso muttered under his breath, the teen again shuddering. Quietly, Nezu took note of the action. He was going to need a psychiatrist, assuming he wasn't already seeing one. With a hidden sigh, Nezu picked his Idroid back up.
"...I believe that will be all for now," Nezu told him, "We'll call you if a decision is made."
Very quickly, Shinso had gotten up from the chair and practically booked it out of the room. Shaking his head, Nezu looked back up at the student's file. Like it or not, he was the only remaining applicant. Editing the file, he marked Shinso as pending transfer. If he wasn't fit for it, then he could still cancel the transfer. But Nezu hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"And you're perfectly safe?" David Shield asked worriedly, while slowly pacing around his office.
"Yes, Papa," Melissa replied on the other end, "I'm fine here."
It was little relief to him. Ever since the massacre, he couldn't help but worry about his daughter. He'd call every so often just to check up on her, and Melissa would always give him the same answers. She was fine, she was helping a lot of people, Uncle Might was taking care of her, UA's mercenaries were praising her inventions, so on, and so forth. Yet no matter how often he heard it, David couldn't help but worry.
He saw the massacre happen live on TV, all while he knew Melissa was somewhere in the crowd of people. It was terrifying to look back on. He hated the feeling of being entirely unsure of whether his daughter was ok. Occasionally, David would have to remind himself that the massacre was over and that she was fine.
"You sure you want to stay there? I can have a jet pick you up in an hour," David offered, the man eventually slumping into his office chair.
"I can't just leave," Melissa replied cautiously, "I've got… things to do. I've got people who need my inventions."
"I know, honey," David replied with a sigh. Spinning his chair around, David looked out a nearby window and watched the setting sun.
"I'm just… not comfortable with you being there," David told her, and he heard Melissa sigh on the other end.
"Papa…" Melissa muttered.
"Every day there's another attack in the news," David told her quickly, "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I know," Melissa replied tiredly. Tiredly, David sighed, as his left hand carefully rubbed his brow. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she was eighteen. In his mind, Melissa was still his inventive little girl. But legally, she could make her own choices now. If she wanted to stay in Japan, helping out UA, then, as much as David disliked it, he couldn't do anything about it. Not liking the dragging silence, a question soon came to David's mind.
"Will you be back for the Expo?" David asked optimistically. Melissa had always loved the I-Island Expo. She never missed a single one. And as she spoke, David could hear the excitement in her tone.
"Yeah," Melissa replied, only to slowly mutter, "Probably… maybe…I don't know- Hatsume put that down! No point stealing!"
"I would never! I don't take mediocre babies!" someone yelled on the other end, Melissa's microphone picking the noise up.
"You take that back!" Melissa shouted, before something loud happened in the background.
"Sorry, Papa, I've got to go," Melissa told him. It was such an abrupt change that David sat in his chair, shocked. Running his left hand through his hair, David tiredly sighed.
"It's fine," David replied, a somber smile forming on his face, "Love you, Melissa."
"Love you too," Melissa said, before she hung up the phone. With the room now quiet, David continued to stare out his office window. Hesitantly, he turned back around toward his computer. YouTube was brought up, with a Japanese news channel holding up a recent clip. He was watching it earlier, but paused halfway through the video. Hitting play, David watched the anchor tiredly read over his notes.
"In other news, the Ninth Circle struck again today. Reportedly, a group of fifty men attempted to destroy the Yokkaichi railway station," the anchor explained, "Armed with rocket launchers and a truck-mounted anti-aircraft gun, the men-"
The anchor seemed tired. Then again, everybody seemed tired. This man had a million new stories constantly coming in, and the majority of them were detailing another terrorist attack. David remembered Melissa talking about some of the heroes she'd run into at UA. They were all tired too. He could only imagine how Japan's civilians felt. Constantly hearing nothing but reports that the same villain group struck again for the sixtieth time.
David wasn't even there, but the entire situation felt… hopeless. Everybody was tired of it. That thought quietly lingered in his mind as David again paused the video. At the same time, a knocking came from his door. Looking up, David found his business partner, Samuel Abraham, walking into the room.
"Am I interrupting?" Sam asked as he carefully shut the door behind him.
"No, no, you're good, Sam," David replied, waving off his concern. Nodding, Sam slowly walked up toward a chair across from David and pulled it out. Sitting down, Sam leaned back and looked around the room.
"So… the EAF sent us another call," Sam began to say, causing David to groan.
"The answer is still no," David replied, Sam now leaning forward in his seat.
"Come on, Dave, this is the possibility of a lifetime!" Sam argued as David shook his head.
"I'm not joining the rest of the world's war mongering," David told him tiredly. He'd gotten messages from the US, Canada, the EAF, Australia, the UK, Korea, New Zealand, and a dozen other nations all requesting one thing: weapons. But I-Island doesn't make weapons. They're a hero industry giant; they make support gear and other fantastical goodies. And David wasn't blind to the writing on the wall.
Ever since the massacre, old rivalries between nation-states states kept flooding the news. China started threatening Japan, India, Korea, and Taiwan after the Ninth Circle attacked Shanghai. The US tells China to back off, to which China accuses them of supporting villains. At the same time, Russia was calling the West a haven for crime, what with the current scandal still being the looted armories.
David knew all of this was heading toward one thing: war. He wanted no part of it.
"It's not war mongering, it's…" Sam protested, "Villain… prevention."
David simply grumbled back tiredly.
"Look, they're not asking us to build guns so they can fight another country. They're doing this so they don't have their own militarized cult to deal with," Sam continued, while David rested his chin on his hand.
"I wasn't aware they had one," David muttered. Standing up from his desk, David slowly wandered around the room, his eyes continually going back to the window.
"With the way the world's going, I don't want I-Island to get involved in this kind of militarism," David told him. If war were to break out, and if I-Island were to give either side arms, then they'd be involved. If they were involved, then they ran the risk of being attacked. Or they'd be cut off from the outside world. I-Island had a robust array of vertical farms to keep them fed, along with water desalination plants to keep everyone hydrated.
But those systems were backed up with continual imports of other vital materials. They wouldn't hold out forever if war broke out. Not to mention, they still had the issue of the plan! With the rest of the world militarizing, it was less likely they'd send heroes to stop his fake villains, and more than likely they'd just bomb them! If that were to happen, then they'd never get the Quirk Amplification Device! Which would mean that All Might would… David didn't want to think about it.
In fact… an idea slowly began to form in his head. David wasn't sure how, but Sam knew what he was thinking.
"Hey, I don't like that look in your eye," Sam commented, as David looked at him calmly.
"What look?" David asked, with Sam groaning.
"It's the same look you got when you started thinking about the… plan," Sam muttered, before crossing his arms tiredly, "Don't tell me you're backing out?"
"No, no, I'm not," David told him. He couldn't back out. The world needed All Might, so this plan needed to happen. That said…
"But… this cult's got me thinking, is all," David continued, Sam then beginning to raise his brow.
"About?" Sam inquired suspiciously, as David paused for a split second.
"We should delay the Expo," David told him. For a few seconds, Sam just blinked, assuming his mind played a trick on him.
"Are you crazy?" Sam eventually demanded, while David held up his hands defensively.
"Hear me out," David said, only for Sam to keep speaking.
"Our entire plan hinges on the Expo," Sam reminded him, with David nodding in response.
"I know that," David replied, "This cult's just got me worried, is all."
Sam looked ready to scoff, so David pressed forward.
"I'm confident our security can handle them if needed, but… at the same time, I don't want to risk it," David explained. The cult did genuinely have him worried. When he first announced the Expo would continue as scheduled, that was before the cult proved it could strike outside Japan. Then they snuck into and attacked Shanghai. The cult had already managed to overwhelm UA of all places, a place chock full of heroes.
Even All Might was there. If the Ninth Circle could achieve that of all things, then the Expo might not be as safe as they think it is.
"At the same time, is a hostage situation here of all places, something the world needs right now?" David questioned, bringing up the second thing that bugged him. As he said, Japan already had an air of hopelessness surrounding the country. A hostage situation on one of the world's most heavily guarded locales would only add fuel to the fire. The world didn't need more hopelessness.
"It's not a real hostage situation," Sam argued back.
"You and I know that, but what about the rest of the world?" David retorted calmly, "Japan's already a chaotic mess. Do we really want to add fuel to that fire so damn soon?"
Quietly, Sam thought the prospect over. David didn't know exactly what convinced him, but Sam soon groaned and brought a hand to his brow.
"You have a point," Sam muttered, the man now slouching into his chair.
"Thank you," David told him, before explaining, "It won't be that long of a delay. A month at most. Say… August eighteenth."
"The vendors aren't going to like it," Sam told him, causing David to shrug.
"They'll just have to deal with it," David stated tiredly.
Quietly, Midoriya checked over his equipment one final time. Next to him, DD yawned and stretched, the dog slowly sitting up in its spot. Across from him, Uraraka tapped her foot on the ground, the action's noise being muffled by the helicopter. Muffled even more was Pequod's singing, the pilot trying to follow along as the speakers played Take On Me. With a final deep breath, Midoriya looked out the helicopter's window.
Outside was the familiar land of Nigeria. Below was the sprawling grasslands Midoriya had seen so often. It felt almost like a second home, as the teen took note of every detail. Most of the current area was sparse of trees, with some flat areas. However, a large array of low rolling hills covered the area as well. All of it, though, was filled with long, tall grass and differing vegetation. And while it was miles away, Midoriya could spot the town of Za-Ku-Na.
Rapidly, he found the helicopter begin to descend, as Pequod neared the landing zone. Without a second thought, Midoriya got up from his seat, to Uraraka's confusion. Walking up to the helicopter's door, Midoriya swiftly pulled it open. There he sat down, his legs dangling out of the helicopter. Midoriya practically blinked and found the helicopter coming to a quick stop.
"This is Pequod. I have arrived at LZ," Pequod stated into the radio, just as Midoriya hopped out of the helicopter. DD quickly rushed out behind him, and Uraraka trailed behind them. Once they were out, the helicopter began to rise again.
"Departing," Pequod said calmly, as Midoriya's radio crackled, "Be careful down there, kid."
Like that, the helicopter was gone. Standing in an open field, Midoriya took a slow breath as he surveyed the area. He couldn't see any rhinos yet, but then again, intel said they were a bit farther away. If they landed any closer, they risked scaring them off with the helicopter. Deciding to get to work, Midoriya pulled out his Idroid and brought up the map of the area. Memorizing some parts of it, he glanced up and turned toward Uraraka.
Part of him expected her to be looking over his shoulder. Instead, she was off to the side, staring out at the wilderness around them. For a few minutes, that's all she did, causing Midoriya to raise a brow.
"Uraraka?" he said, hoping to get her attention. Hearing her name, Uraraka turned back toward Midoriya.
"Sorry," she replied with a nervous chuckle, and motioned to the land surrounding them, "Just… never been outside Japan before."
She looked back at the rolling hills again, as a flock of birds soon darted by. A soft breeze swayed the grass around in front of them and rustled the few trees in the area.
"It's all so pretty," Uraraka commented, and Midoriya quietly agreed. It felt nice to be out here. Slowly, Midoriya stepped up next to her, the two just watching the grass sway in the wind. It was calming. As time eventually dragged on, both teens remembered they still had a mission to get on with. In an odd synch, they turned toward each other. Seeing each other so close made them both pause.
Midoriya's eyes met hers, and neither said a word. It felt… nice, just to be with her. Neither he nor Uraraka realized they'd been staring at each other, though. And when the call of a monkey snapped them back to reality, both teens began to blush. For a second, Uraraka sputtered as she tried to think up what to say. Eventually, she snapped her fingers and stepped back.
"N-no time to waste!" she exclaimed, with Midoriya rapidly nodding his head in agreement.
"R-right!" Midoriya said, a nervous smile on his face while he held out his Idroid, "S-so, the map… the map says the first one should be East of here… somewhere."
Following the hologram's topographical map, he could see that the rhinos were still very much spread out. And again, Midoriya wished Snake had given him driving lessons. He knew the MSF had a bunch of M151 jeeps they'd captured from the warlords. Just one of those would have made this mission much easier. He'd just have to bug Snake about it once they got home. But getting back on track, Midoriya soon pulled off his backpack.
Opening it up, he pulled out a small quadcopter drone and held it out.
"Vicky?" Midoriya called out, knowing the AI was listening.
"Already on it," Victoria replied, the drone's motors beginning to spin. Slowly, the drone took off and began flying East. At the same time, Uraraka kept looking over the map, the girl now frowning.
"That's… pretty far," Uraraka noted, with Midoriya nodding back.
"Yep…" Midoriya replied, unintentionally popping the p. With a shrug, he started walking forward, as Uraraka and DD followed next to him.
"Best get running then," Midoriya commented, eliciting a groan from Uraraka. Moving up to a quick jog, Midoriya glanced back at Uraraka and smiled.
"Just think of it like cardio!" Midoriya told her, while Uraraka rolled her eyes, a small smile beginning to form.
"But I hate cardio!" Uraraka jokingly replied, causing Midoriya to laugh. Running through the grass, Midoriya kept an eye out for anything. Overhead, he saw Victoria's drone soar by, becoming an ever smaller dot by the second. Finally coming up to the first spot, Midoriya slowed down to a stop. This new area was relatively calm. A small hill rested to the right of them, and it was covered in Brachystegia trees.
A few feet from the foot of the hill, meanwhile, was a small pond. And from this distance, Midoriya could swear he saw a large blob near the water.
"Have eyes on them, Vicky?" Midoriya asked, bringing his Idroid up again. Swiftly, Victoria's avatar appeared on the device, along with footage from the drone.
"Just two," Victoria replied, the AI soon pointing out the spots, "One's by the pond, taking a swim. The other is resting by some trees."
Quickly, the Idroid brought up footage of both. Humming to himself, Midoriya looked between his Idroid and the blob near the water. Seems that was Rhino One. Rhino two, meanwhile, was up the hill, as Victoria marked its location on his map. Next to him, Uraraka took note of the map.
"What are you thinking?" Uraraka asked, while glancing toward him. With a hand on his chin, Midoriya thought it over for a moment.
"Well… the rhino by the trees has the high ground. If we deal with him first, we'd have a better shot at the second guy," Midoriya commented, as he thought the prospect over. Rhino One was also in the water at the moment.
"Not to mention if we knock out the rhino swimming, we'd have to swim in and drag him out so he doesn't drown," Midoriya noted, his gaze now moving from his Idroid to Rhino One, "Best to wait for him to finish."
Next to him, Uraraka nodded, deciding to follow his lead. Swiftly, Midoriya put his Idroid away and began moving up the hill. At the same time, knowing Victoria was still listening to his radio, he said, "Vicky, you go survey the next spot."
Within seconds, the drone overhead began to move again, as Victoria began heading to the next location.
"Will do, I'll be back in a minute," Victoria replied, as the sound of the drone got quieter, "Have fun with your date!"
That last comment made Midoriya sputter. His face went red, and he quickly tried to act like everything was fine.
"You-" Midoriya began to mutter, before Victoria cut him off.
"Bye!" Victoria told him, and the radio then went quiet. It left Midoriya somewhat annoyed. Of course, none of this went by unnoticed.
"Midoriya?" Uraraka questioned, causing Midoriya to unintentionally yelp.
"S-sorry! Lost in thought!" Midoriya quickly told her, a nervous smile taking hold of his face. Uraraka didn't seem to believe him, though, as her brow slowly raised. She looked him up and down suspiciously before Midoriya cleared his throat.
"L-let's uh…let's go," Midoriya told her, motioning toward the hill hesitantly. Leading the way, Uraraka soon followed behind him. Reaching the top of the hill, Midoriya found the rhino Victoria had told him about. The animal was somewhat difficult to see, as some shrubbery blocked his full view. But the animal's shape was unmistakable. They were still a good few meters away, and Midoriya didn't want to get much closer.
Spotting some large, flat boulders, Midoriya motioned for Uraraka to follow him. Reaching the boulders, Midoriya stopped dead.
"Down, down," Midoriya stated, dropping down to the floor. Now prone, he crawled over the boulders, and Uraraka crawled up next to him. Carefully, he drew his Mk 13 and leveled the scope onto the rhino. Currently, the creature was lying on the ground, just seeming to relax in the shade.
"What now?" Uraraka whispered next to him.
"Well… do you want me to take this one, or do you want it?" Midoriya asked, Uraraka quickly looking back hesitantly.
"I… I mean…" Uraraka replied, slowly trailing off, unsure. Turning toward her, Midoriya watched as Uraraka's gaze moved around. Her eyes fell on his rifle, to the rhino, and back a few times. It was just tranquilizer ammo, and it wasn't even the kind with needles.
"I guess?" Uraraka said eventually, her response sounding more like a question. Cautiously, she reached behind her and grabbed the spare rifle Midoriya brought for her. Bringing it over, Midoriya set his rifle aside and scooched in closer to her. There, he reached out, motioning for Uraraka to give it to him. Slowly, she passed the rifle to him, and Midoriya began adjusting the scope.
Once it was set, he gave it back to Uraraka, who aimed the rifle… or at least tried to. She'd mimicked most of what Midoriya would do whenever he shot a gun. But the rifle's stock was placed too high up. Her eye was also right next to the scope. If she had fired the gun, it would have slammed into her face. Seeing this, Midoriya wasted no time mentally marking everything wrong.
"I'm just gonna fix your posture real quick," Midoriya commented, before reaching out and moving Uraraka's arm. In a few seconds, Midoriya had fixed everything, from her hold to the rifle's butt placement. With a momentary deep breath, Midoriya let Uraraka get a feel for how he'd set her up. At the same time, he couldn't help but get nostalgic seeing her struggle to handle the rifle.
It reminded him of when he snuck onto Snake's helicopter… oh, how embarrassing that memory was. But Midoriya couldn't help but look back at it fondly. In fact, the very first lesson Snake had given him came to Midoriya's mind.
"Now, rule number one of firearms, unless you're going to shoot something, keep your finger off the trigger," Midoriya told her, remembering the exact words Snake had said to him. Swiftly, Uraraka held her finger far from the trigger, hesitant to reach anywhere near it.
"Next, make sure the chamber is empty," Midoriya continued, and Uraraka cautiously looked over the gun. Confused, her eyes surveyed the weapon for a few seconds. Before Midoriya could help and motion toward the bolt, though, Uraraka managed to figure it out. Grabbing it, she lifted the bolt up and pulled back.
"Like this?" Uraraka asked, with Midoriya quickly nodding. The confirmation brought a cautious smile to her face. Seeing it was loaded, Uraraka closed the chamber.
"Good, I want you to look through the scope," Midoriya told her calmly, as Uraraka looked into the scope, "Can you see the reticle? It should be the lines in the scope."
"Uh… kinda… wait no, I see it," Uraraka replied warily, the girl then looking back at him. With a slow nod, Midoriya turned back toward the rhino. Everything was set.
"Using the reticle, carefully aim toward the rhino's body," Midoriya instructed, while Uraraka glanced at him, confused.
"Not the head?" Uraraka asked, causing Midoriya to shake his head.
"Center mass is the easiest target to hit. And you are new at this, so you're not yet ready for trick shots," Midoriya explained. Then again, that was assuming Uraraka kept training with guns. As much as Midoriya liked them, he didn't want to force their use onto Uraraka.
"...What if it's not knocked out?" Uraraka then questioned, snapping Midoriya out of his thoughts. Hearing her words, though, he slowly reached and grabbed the Bushmaster ACR slung to his side.
"That's why I have this," Midoriya told her, before lining up the rifle's M157 scope. As he did so, he could hear Uraraka breathe nervously. Unknowingly, Midoriya scooted closer while Uraraka tried to steel her nerves.
"Hey, it'll all be fine. Just breathe in, breathe out," Midoriya told her, "You're just pulling the trigger. You've done tougher stuff than that."
Slowly, Uraraka regained her confidence. With a quiet nod, she looked through the scope while slightly adjusting the rifle.
"Fire only on empty lungs," Midoriya then instructed, hearing Uraraka breathe in and out a few more times.
"Whenever you're ready," Midoriya stated. With a final deep breath, Uraraka pulled the trigger. In seconds, the round flew forward, soaring through the air. There it slammed into the rhino's side, the round's anesthetic slowly transmitting through the skin. Seeing that she made the shot, Uraraka's eyes widened in shock.
"I hit it!" she called out, a tinge of excitement in her tone, "Yes! I hit it!"
She laughed giddily, and Midoriya slowly joined her. Chuckling, he turned to face the rhino again. Uraraka rapidly did the same. Only to find the beast now getting up from its spot.
"W-wait, it's moving!" Uraraka exclaimed, as Midoriya calmly nodded next to her. Rapidly, the rhino turned to face them and seemed ready to charge. But before it could, Midoriya fired three rounds from his ACR. Two struck the rhino's head, and a third hit his upper back. The anesthetic, now working its magic, soon forced the rhino to the ground. Slumped on the floor, the creature passed out.
Standing up, Midoriya let go of his rifle, wrapping the sling back around him. With that done, he began rifling through his backpack and pulled out a fulton.
"Time for the hard part," Midoriya commented, while Uraraka stood up next to him. Turning toward her, Midoriya motioned to the rhino.
"Could you float it?" he asked calmly. Wordlessly, Uraraka nodded, and the two quickly walked up to the rhino. With a single touch from Uraraka, the rhino began to float into the air. The rhino, now being weightless, allowed Midoriya to begin hooking the fulton to the animal. Slowly, everything was almost ready, as Midoriya tightened one of the fulton's straps.
"Is the strap tight on your side?" Midoriya asked, before giving his strap one last good tug.
"My parents work construction," Uraraka replied, the girl pulling the strap on her side hard, "I'd be surprised if it wasn't."
Once it was secure, Uraraka poked her head over the floating rhino. Seeing Midoriya was done, Uraraka clasped her fingers together.
"Release," she muttered, and the rhino dropped to the ground. At the same time, Midoriya had the Fulton's balloon begin floating off into the air. With it went the rhino, as the animal got farther and farther from view. Watching the animal disappear, Uraraka smiled.
"One down," Uraraka commented, with Midoriya nodding. Walking back toward the rocks, he watched as Uraraka grabbed her rifle. As she did this, Midoriya began drawing his Mk 13 again.
"I'll take the shot this time," Midoriya then told her, the girl sighing in relief. Now walking again, Uraraka led the charge this time. Surveying the area, Uraraka spotted a low, flat area on the hill. It overlooked the pond and didn't have much in the way of dangers.
"Is here good?" Uraraka asked, as she glanced toward Midoriya.
"Perfect," Midoriya replied, the teen again dropping to the floor. Carefully, Uraraka lay down next to him. Setting up his rifle, Midoriya's eye started looking through the scope.
"Alright now…" Midoriya muttered as he looked down at the pong. Slowly, he searched the area for the rhino. By now, it should have left the pond, and seeing as it was no longer there, it had. So Midoriya watched the land surrounding the pond, the barrel of his rifle following him. For a solid minute, he searched for the rhino. Yet the longer he searched, the more anxious Midoriya got.
Humming to himself, Uraraka soon heard his worry.
"...Is something wrong?" Uraraka cautiously asked, as Midoriya kept looking.
"...I've lost it," Midoriya replied, as Uraraka's expression turned to one of shock.
"What?" Uraraka questioned, while Midoriya set his rifle down.
"It's not by the pond anymore," Midoriya explained calmly, "It's gone."
Somehow, this three-thousand-pound animal had just disappeared. It didn't make sense to Midoriya. But the animal was just gone! Missing without a trace. It was annoying, but they could deal with this. After all, this was why Midoriya brought DD with him. The dog's sense of smell would allow them to find the animal soon. So with that thought, Midoriya grumbled and stood back up.
Uraraka swiftly followed him, while he slung his rifle back over his shoulder. To the surprise of both of them, though, DD began to growl. Looking down at the dog, they found DD staring off toward the grass next to them. Rapidly, the dog started barking, alerting both of them. Looking up, Midoriya found their missing rhino. For an unknown reason, it had wandered behind them.
Of course, it wasn't wandering anymore. No. Slowly, Midoriya went pale, as the three-thousand-pound rhino began running straight toward them.
"Crap!" he yelled out, quickly backpedaling with Uraraka. He moved to grab his ACR from its sling, only to stop. The rhino was already far too close for his liking. He tried to shoot now, and it would still slam into him. No matter how accurate a shot he was. So without a second thought, he did the only thing he could think of. He shoved Uraraka out of the way. Unintentionally, she had dragged DD with her to momentary safety.
Watching her fall back, Midoriya rapidly drew a flashbang from his waist. If it went off close enough, it would hopefully disorient the animal. Mentally, he prepared himself for the possibility of being skewered, and pulled the pin from his flashbang. Tossing it forward, everything went bright white for a moment, and Midoriya could only hear ringing. He'd shut his eyes before the flashbang went off, but at this distance, he'd seen the light through his eyelids. Slowly, Midoriya's hearing came back to him, and he heard the animal release a grunting roar and felt the dirt get tossed up around him. The rhino continued to groan, but it sounded... panicked?
Opening his eyes, Midoriya found the rhino was no longer standing in front of him. It was floating. Struggling to dodge the rhino's horn, Uraraka kept the rhino floating in the air. Having been further from the flashbang than Midoriya, she managed to recover quickly. And the moment she saw the rhino was disoriented, she rushed forward to ensure it couldn't do anything else.
"Uraraka!" Midoriya yelled out, shocked, just as she ducked under the rhino's horn. The animal jerked about wildly, and its horn soon clipped Uraraka's backpack, tearing a hole into it.
"A l-little help here!" Uraraka called out anxiously.
"R-right! Don't move!" Midoriya told her and rapidly grabbed his rifle. With one shot, he knocked the animal out, allowing Uraraka to step backwards. Wordlessly, the two glanced at each other as Uraraka wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Phew," she muttered, as the two turned back to the rhino. There, Midoriya pulled out another Fulton, and the two hooked it to the rhino. Just like the first, Uraraka switched off her quirk, and the Fulton's balloon dragged the rhino into the sky.
"Two down," Midoriya muttered, as he looked up at the sky. For a solid minute, neither teen said a word. Instead, they both fell back onto the ground, tired and stared up at the sky.
"...Having fun yet?" Midoriya cautiously asked, as Uraraka grumbled next to him.
"Somewhat," Uraraka replied tiredly, "Not every day I get to wrestle a rhino."
True. Wonder how Kirishima would react to that news, Midoriya thought to himself. At the same time, he heard a faint snicker come from Uraraka. Confused, he turned his head toward hers.
"So, not a… horn-ible day," Uraraka joked, finishing her previous words. She continued to snicker to herself, and Midoriya couldn't help but do the same.
"That was terrible," Midoriya told her, while his laughter said otherwise.
"I thought it was the bomb. A real stick of rhino-mite," Uraraka joked again, continuing to snicker.
"I'm missing the, point, of these jokes," Midoriya joked back, the two smiling as they continued to laugh.
"I'm just trying to horn my skills," Uraraka replied. For a few more minutes, the two just laughed. Unknowingly, they got closer and closer. They both only realized it when Midoriya moved his left hand. It bristled against Uraraka's, and the two momentarily froze. Glancing toward each other, green eyes met brown again. Not a word was said as the two stared. And unlike before, they didn't blush. They didn't sputter or freak out.
And Midoriya didn't know what to think of it. She… She was perfect, in every way Midoriya could think of. Uraraka had the true heart of a hero. She was always pushing herself further, all to help her family. She cared about someone she knew so little about… was this just a crush? He didn't have any other way to define it. But… what should he do?
The idea of telling her came to his mind, but… what if she didn't feel the same? He didn't want to risk the friendship they already had. He just… he didn't know. And it scared him. The only thing that so much as drowned out this fear was the familiar whirring of a drone. Knowing what Victoria would do if she saw this, Midoriya quickly sat up, to Uraraka's surprise.
"Alrighty, Midoriya, can you hear me?" Victoria asked over the radio. Standing up with a grunt, Midoriya nodded his head, even though the AI couldn't see him yet… at least he hoped she couldn't see him yet. He didn't know how good the drone's camera was.
"Yeah, Vicky, I can hear you," Midoriya replied, while Uraraka stood up next to him.
"Great! Found another rhino. I'm sending you the coordinates now," Victoria told him. Pulling out his Idroid, Midoriya found a new marker set on his map. Carefully, he showed the Idroid to Uraraka, who took a deep breath.
"Up for more cardio?" Midoriya inquired, watching as Uraraka slowly smiled cheekily.
"Sure. Just make sure you can keep up!" Uraraka replied, before breaking out into a sprint. Shocked for a second, Midoriya slowly laughed and chased right after her.