[HPSC COMMAND CENTER – TOKYO]
The progress bar had been crawling forward for five agonizing hours.
FACIAL RECOGNITION SCAN: 98.3%... 98.7%... 99.2%...
Tsukauchi sat rigid in his chair, cold coffee forgotten at his elbow. Around him, the command center was filled with activity.
Half an hour ago, an alert had been sent in by Edgeshot.
The entire police force had been mobilised as a result. Officers monitoring feeds, coordinating hero movements, compiling tactical data.
In all of this, Tsukauchi's eye never left the progress bar.
99.8%...
99.9%...
SCAN COMPLETE
PROCESSING RESULTS...
The screen flickered before being populated by a cascade of data across multiple monitors.
Timestamps, locations, camera IDs, confidence ratings. Dozens of entries, each one a confirmed match against the composite sketch of Giran.
SUBJECT: GIRAN (ALIAS) - FACIAL RECOGNITION MATCHES
TOTAL HITS: 43
DATE RANGE: PAST 90 DAYS
PRIMARY LOCATION CLUSTER: KAMINO WARD, DISTRICT 4
"Sir?" An officer approached cautiously. "The results are in."
"Pull up the map overlay," Tsukauchi ordered.
The display shifted, showing Kamino Ward with red pins blooming across the screen—dozens of them, scattered across six square blocks. However, in all those, there were undoubtedly a few concentrated near one particular intersection.
Thirteen separate camera hits. All within two blocks of a single location.
"Cross-reference with Edgeshot's surveillance position,"
The map updated, adding a green pin marking where Edgeshot had reported the suspected hideout.
The red cluster surrounded it perfectly.
"Same location," the officer confirmed. "Edgeshot's surveillance target matches Giran's operational pattern. Confidence level: ninety-seven percent."
Fifth and Kirin Street.
Tsukauchi stared at the screen. After five days of raids yielding nothing but dead ends and minor arrests, they'd found them.
"Timeline analysis," he ordered. "Show me Giran's movement pattern."
The chronological data populated.
First sighting: 63 days ago - 11:47 PM - Corner store, two blocks from target
Second sighting: 61 days ago - 11:52 PM - Same location
Third sighting: 58 days ago - 12:03 AM - ATM camera, one block from target
"Last confirmed sighting?"
"Five days ago. 11:34 PM. Convenience store camera." The officer pulled up the image—a man in a brown coat, yellow-tinted glasses and a visible cigarette visible. "Facial recognition confidence: ninety-two percent."
Tsukauchi stood, pulling up his phone. "Get me a secure line to the HPSC Director. Now."
It connected within thirty seconds.
"Tsukauchi. Report."
"Ma'am, facial recognition scan complete. Results confirm the location Edgeshot reported. Multiple intelligence sources corroborate. We have the League of Villains' hideout."
A brief pause. "Confidence level?"
"Ninety-seven percent. Edgeshot's direct surveillance, and building location all align."
"Recommended action?"
"Immediate tactical mobilization. Full strike force."
"Authorized. Coordinate with Endeavor and assemble all available heroes within response range. I want a tactical plan on my desk within the hour."
"Yes, ma'am."
The line ended.
Tsukauchi turned to the command center. "All personnel, we are green-lit for tactical operation. Begin hero mobilization immediately. Pull every available asset within fifty kilometers. I want Endeavor here within the hour for operational briefing. Confirm surveillance teams are en route to Kamino Ward," Tsukauchi barked, pulling up a tactical map on the main screen. "I want eyes on every entrance and exit within three blocks of that building."
"Where is the information on that building?"
"Working on it sir."
"Work faster. Pull up everything we have. Ownership records. Original blueprints. Utility access. Sewer lines. I want to know every way in and out." Officers moved instantly—phones ringing, messages sent, data streaming.
Seeing this, Tsukauchi took out his phone and dialed a number.
__
Meanwhile, Manila
"Before we board," Yuta said, stopping at the base of the stairs. "Tell me what the plan is. Where are we going?"
Aizawa and All Might exchanged a glance.
"You're not going back to Japan," Aizawa said. "Not immediately."
Yuta's expression didn't change. "Then where?"
"Have you heard of I-Island?" All Might asked.
"I-Island?" Yuta turned his face away from the plane, brows furrowing in confusion. "What's that? Some kind of government black site?"
"It's a mobile research facility." Aizawa corrected.
"A floating city that moves through international waters. It houses the world's leading researchers and possesses a security grid that is ... quite literally .... on another level. Because it is a sovereign entity, the Japanese government or any government cannot simply interfere in its dealings. The League's reach doesn't extend to the middle of the Atlantic."
Yuta looked at the sleek, white HPSC jet, then back at his teachers. The confusion on his face morphed into a skepticism "So what, I'm being exiled? You're shipping me off to a laboratory in the ocean?"
"It's nothing like what you probably imagine." Aizawa handed a tablet over.
"It's dedicated to hero support technology and quirk research," he continued, showing Yuta pictures of a massive floating structure—sleek buildings rising from an artificial island, defensive systems visible even in the promotional photos. "Think of it as a floating city for scientists and engineers. One of the most secure locations in the world."
Yuta studied the images. A massive structure that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. "And you want to send us there."
"All of you," Aizawa corrected, settling into his seat. "You, your mother, your sister. Together."
"The facility is run by an old friend of mine. David Shield. He's one of the world's leading support equipment engineers. I've already contacted him, and he's agreed to host your family personally."
"For how long?" Yuta asked.
"As long as necessary," Aizawa said. "Until the League of Villains threat is neutralized and it's safe for you to return to Japan."
"Could be weeks or months. But you'd have everything you need there. Medical care for your mother's recovery. Quirk specialists who can help Eri learn control safely. Training facilities for you to continue your hero education."
Yuta looked thoughtful. "What about the League? You said you'd deal with them."
"We will," Aizawa replied. "But that could take time. The investigation is ongoing. When we find them, and we will, that matter will be quickly resolved."
"So we're going there now?" Yuta asked. "Directly?"
"That's the plan," All Might confirmed. "Your mother and sister will be transported there separately once we've confirmed everything is secure. They're currently at U.A. under protection. They will be moved withdrawing attention."
"The flight takes approximately eight hours," Aizawa added. "We'll arrive at I-Island by morning. You'll have time to settle in, meet David Shield, see the facilities. When your family arrives tomorrow afternoon, you'll all be together and safe."
"I see."
Yuta uttered. Everything was ... Fine. They truly had accounted for everything. Of course the only dilemma here was that he had zero information on I Island.
It wasn't in any of the four seasons of MHA he watched. Perhaps it was relevant sometimes after. He wasn't sure. However, for now he honestly had no other reason to refuse.
His and his family's ...
Vrrr-vrrr. Vrrr-vrrr.
The vibration of a phone interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh! Sorry, I'll get that." All Might reached into his pocket and pulled out a handset and answered.
"Tsukauchi?" All Might answered, moving a few steps away. "Yes, what is it? ...What? ...When did this happen?" words were traded on the other end. In an instant, All Might's paternal smile he'd been wearing for Yuta vanished instantly.
His muscle form posture straightening at what he heard.
"I see," All Might said, his voice dropping into a grave tone. "Tonight? Are you certain?... No, that... that is a significant complication."
He looked back at Yuta. "Listen to me, Naomasa. I cannot return immediately. I am currently... out of the country attending to an urgent matters... No, I understand the situation's importance, but... Yes... How long until the operation begins? ... Less than two hours?"
Aizawa's face grew serious. 'Don't tell me ...'
All Might was silent for a long moment, listening to the frantic report from the other end.
"I understand. If the window is closing, you have to make the call. I will get there as fast as the turbines allow. Keep me updated. The moment anything changes, I want to know immediately ... ."
The call ended. All Might clicked the phone shut and turned around.
"What happened?" Aizawa asked immediately. All Might's face was grim. "They found the League of Villains in Kamino ward. Tsukauchi just confirmed it. They're setting up a raid tonight." Silence followed. Yuta besides them was stunned. 'They've found Kamino?'
Yuta's head spun with a quick run if the timeline.
It was barely two weeks since Hosu. If he remembered right, the Hero Course should be preparing for final exams.
Summer camp was still a distance away.
That meant ... Kamino was happening early.
But ... If that's happening in Japan ... And All Might is here ... Then ...
'shit.'
__
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