POV [Hosu City, Japan]
At the top of discrete buildings tucked away from view, multiple large portals emerge like a crack in the sky, tearing through spacetime.
Hulking figures stretch their dense limbs out of the portal, each with their own uniquely grotesque shape.
Their brains are exposed but somehow don't drip blood down their bodies. Some expand their wings in a flurry of flaps, taking to the clouds across the night sky.
Behind them, Tomura Shigaraki steps out calmly, followed by Kurogiri and the Hero Killer.
Tomura looks up high, watching his Nomus fly with a satisfied grin before taking a deep breath of the crisp night air.
"Hosu is quite the city," He laughs, scratching the side of his neck lightly.
"It needs reformation," Stain spits bitterly, sullying the mood.
"Sacrificing the fake pros is only the first step." He continues, adjusting the strap of a dagger. "The title of 'Hero' should only be bestowed upon those who achieve great undertakings. There are too many fakes that only work for money."
Tomura eyes him from the side, watching as Stain jumps off the roof toward the streets below.
"The idiot only knows how to monologue." He grumbles, shaking his head angrily.
"Don't be so quick to judge him, Tomura." Kurogiri reprimands with the dignified nature his suit commands. "Stain's methods have produced many great results."
"And yet, we will never truly get along." Tomura concludes, gesturing to the remaining Nomu nearby.
"Nomu." Tomura commands. With the sound of his voice, the giant creatures snap their head toward him, a blank look holding just enough intelligence behind their eyes.
"Wreak havoc."
—
{Elsewhere}
In the quiet corner of an alleyway, a dark purple portal shifts into existence, allowing a small girl dressed in a high school outfit to step out.
Wary of the sudden noise, a rat scurries away from the portal, only making it a few paces before a sharp dagger pierces its heart and its limbs go limp.
"Hehe~" The girl giggles, wiping the blood away and gripping another knife in her offhand. "This is going to be so much fun!"
—
{City Center}
POV Iida
"Eat." I hear from behind me.
I turn to see Manual holding a large tray of food. He maneuvers his way around the table to sit across from me before carefully setting it down.
"You need the energy." He says, pointing toward the meal with an eager smile. "You can't keep burning yourself out like this."
"I'm not burning myself out, Manual." I let a hint of annoyance leak into my voice, but I still take a sip of the hot tea.
"You might not think that," Manual nods, "but trust me when I say you're going to sputter out sooner than later."
"I haven't seen as many kids work as hard as you do," he admits, "yet, even the few I helped knew when to take a break."
I can tell my mentor really means that, even if we've only be working for the week.
He's a nice man. I'm sure Tensei and him were good pals.
"I don't want to make you keep repeating yourself, Manual," I try to placate him, even though I know he's not really mad at me. "But there are some things I must do despite everything coming my way."
He gives me that pointed look again, as if he was trying to get past my words and strike where the irons hot.
Opening his mouth again, a sudden alarm blares through the agency, cutting his words short.
"Attention Heroes of Hosu City. A large number of unidentified creatures have begun attacking Hosu. The majority of them are located near the Shopping District in the south but calls have reported seeing them in various parts of the city."
"Attacks?!" Manual exclaims, jumping up from his seat and quickly pulling me along.
At the first bell of the announcement, all the heroes around us had begun running towards one of the exits of the building, amping up the reality of the situation.
"Citizens of Hosu City," The announcement continues to ring out through the intercom system of the city as Manual and I make it outside. "Please evacuate to the nearest Hero Agency. If you are unable to do so, find a secured building and take shelter."
The intercom pauses and I hear a shout from afar as a large chimera creature dives from the sky and lunges toward a young man running through the street toward us.
I ready myself to sprint forward but another hero makes it there before me and slamming his palms onto the floor, a large boulder launches at the creature, knocking it aside.
"And to the Heroes of Hosu—"
Manual urges me to follow him, glancing at the wreckage and chaos among us before pulling me toward the section of the city we monitored earlier.
"Please protect our city."
—
[I-Island, Near Japan] Earlier
POV Renji
Melissa bids me goodbye as she walks back toward the elevators to meet with her father.
Meanwhile, I'm standing aimlessly in the lobby of the Central Tower, replaying the last hour in my head.
"'Insolent fool.'" I repeat, scratching the back of my head in irritation. "What does she know?"
Looking around at the passersby, I glance up. "What do you know?"
"Can hear everything on the island my ass…" I grumble and finally leave the building.
A part of me realizes that maybe insulting someone who can hear what I'm saying even when we're 40 floors apart isn't the best idea, but who cares if she can hear me. She could hear me the entire time I've been staying here. What an intrusion of privacy!
Still, I can't help but be impressed of her hold on the island. Now that I think about it, literally nothing gets past her, how is someone supposed to fend against that?!
Forcing my annoyance to fade, I start heading back toward the Globe, already drafting up plans for tomorrow.
But before I can finish my thought I'm rudely interrupted by a certain twin yelling my name.
"Renji!" Mike shouts again, as if I weren't already staring directly at him.
"How was your meeting with Ms. Feng?" He asks excitedly.
"…Thought provoking." I reply with a tilt of my head. "There's still a lot I have to learn."
Michael laughs at my words, swinging an arm around me with a smile. "Man, if you say that, just how much do I have to learn?"
"A lot more," I say dryly, shaking my head. "Hey, where's your brother?"
That gives him pause and his head darts around rapidly to make sure no one's attention is on us before leaning in.
"Don't tell him I told you this," Michael whispers, "but my little brother is on a date!"
"A 'date'? Like a date date?"
"Like a date date." He nods intently.
"Who's the lucky gal?"
"Don't you mean unlucky?"
The blank look I give him makes him settle down a notch. "You do realize you share the same face."
Michael bounces back and crosses his arms in a sharp X. "Nope, you're wrong there, Renji! Personality shines through the face and shapes it stronger than any physical attribute can."
"Hmm," My lips purse at the sudden ingenuity. "That might be the smartest thing you've said since I met you."
"Come on, don't be like that," Mike teases with another laugh.
A sudden thought strikes.
"So what about you and Melissa?" The unexpected question stops him in his tracks and I can't help but chuckle at his expression.
"What do you mean?" Mike replies nonchalantly. But I can tell he's just trying to play it cool.
"I don't mean much," I shrug and walk away laughing. "I just thought you'd look good together."
"…Huh?"
"Wait-wait-wait—!" Michael yells and runs to catch up to me. "Hold on, Renji! Do you really mean that?!"
I pretend to not hear him and keep walking, arriving quickly at the crosswalk with Michael trailing behind the whole time.
"Renji!" He shouts at me, disregarding the odd looks people around us are giving him. "Did she say anything about me?!"
All the while a smirk creeps up my face as the light flashes and we cross.
I open my lips to finally respond when a sudden tune rings out through the island, reverberating around us calmly with an important announcment.
"We will be docking at Japan in—5—minutes."
"Already?" I mutter, glancing at my phone.
A sharp slap to the back of my head forces my attention back to Michael. "So? Do you really think we'd look good together?" He asks again.
"Honestly, I think—"
*Ding* *Di—*
The blaringly uncomfortable sound forces my adrenaline to spike, halting any form of normality as I snap my Quirk awake while pulling out my phone to read the message.
My eyes scan the text and I dart in and out, adjusting my timing along the way to take out my phone in the real world and check on the alert's details.
The sight before me catches my throat.
—
ALERT: Large Scale Criminal Activity
Identified Criminals
—>Expand for more information
Location: Hosu City, Japan
Active Agencies:
—>Expand for more information
—
The alerts on my phone wouldn't be few and far between without any filters put in place. There's only so much I can handle at once.
For the few that do come through, one of the reasons why I would receive such an alert is in the title itself, 'Large Scale', and the other…
—
Tracker Name: Emi Watanabe
Heart Rate: Elevated | 162 bpm
Heart Rate Variability: LOW
Motion Sensors:
Sudden acceleration spike
Erratic movement pattern detected
Respiration Rate: Rapid | 32-35 breaths/min
Blood Oxygen: 94% trending downward
Skin Temperature: Elevated
Galvanic Skin Response: HIGH
Location: Hosu City, Japan
—>Expand for more information.
—
"Fuuuck." I run my hand through my hair and my thoughts race as the worst case scenarios begin playing in my mind. "What was I thinking?"
A quick shake of my head brings me back to focus. "There's only one thing to do." I mutter, already beginning the sprint toward the edge of the island. "I need to figure out what's going on."
My steps are rapid as I put everything into running across the great expanse that is I-Island. I know that I have all the time I need thanks to my abilities, but knowing Emi might be in trouble only makes me move faster.
The speed at which I can move is on full display as I sprint past the crowds of people. The closer I get to the primary exit, the more people I need to squeeze through. They all seem to have started moving after the announcement that we'd be docking soon.
Occasionally, I see a familiar face, not because I personally know them, but because I remember everyone I've seen.
The denser the crowd gets, the more maneuvers I have to pull out the back pocket to get past them. Sometimes that means vaulting over them like I've seen other Pros do, and other times it means taking a shortcut through some back alley.
The only other problem is the headache I get when I need to squeeze by some of the people with stronger Quirks.
If anything, the people are larger problems than the buildings themselves. At least I can break through windows.
The sight of the large gate looms above me like a choke point between safety and disaster, its metal ribs shining brightly under the waking moonlight.
Rushing past the barrier, I launch through the guards standing nearby and find myself at the end of a lifted bridge.
Peering past it, all I can see is open waters, a small speck of brimming light in the distance signifying our destination.
For a second, I falter, wondering if—
"Screw that! I don't have time for this!" The wind rushes past me as I leap over the edge, diving into deep, cold waters.
Pausing would cost too much.
—
POV Iida
Screeches echo far deeper into the city, south in direction but immense in magnitude. Following which a sudden shockwave blasts through the air, shattering both windows and swinging doors wide open, revealing hidden figures and huddling citizens.
The way the noise pulses is unsettling, like waves that shouldn't cascade through the air but does so anyway.
As I try to comprehend what just happened, a voice calls for me.
"Come help me over here!" Manual yells, attempting to lift up rubble from a young child.
I rush forward, the back of my calves bursting with flames as we work to push off the heavy piece of concrete.
"Go on, kid!"
The young boy crawls out from the wreckage, tears streaming down his face and snot running down his nose.
After dropping the concrete with an echoing thud, I kneel down.
"Go to Hosu City Office," I thrust my arm out like a guiding arrow, pointing toward the secured building only a block or so away. "You'll be safe there."
The kid looks at me with wide eyes, only giving the office a cursory glance. "What about Mommy?"
A deep rhythm resounds in my chest and a quick look around at the chaos fills me with worry as my words catch in my throat.
"She's already there, buddy." Manual cuts in with a gentle smile. "She's waiting for her big boy to get back to her."
Manual ignores the look I give him as the kid finally shifts his attention toward an officer guiding other children and survivors to safety.
"Are you sure?" The boy questions, much to my surprise.
Maybe he's not as gullible as I thought.
"Positive." Manual places a hand on his back and urges him forward.
He gives both Manual and me one last look before nodding resolutely, beginning the journey to follow the others.
I watch him catch up with the rest of the crowd and stand with a sigh. "Was that the right thing to do?" I ask.
"Does it matter?" Manual sighs with me. "He's safer now. That's what matters."
"Now come on," He yells, sprinting toward another injured individual. "We have more people to save."