Chapter 1387: 52
Police officers surrounded a bank as a detective came forward with a microphone. "Attention, this is the police! We have the building surrounded release the hostages and surrender!" In response to this a gout of flame was shot from the window.
"Is that bacon I smell? I must have roasted a whole pack of pigs. Listen here you oinkers. You've got half an hour to get me and my men a ride out of here. After that I start popping hostages, and just to make sure we understand each other." The gunman who had scales and twin horns coming from his forehead grabbed a woman nearby and pressed his gun to her head. "Let me demonstrate how serious I am." He said as he started to pull the trigger.
A white flash arced over the police line and slammed into the gunman's face. This quick moving object was the Rabbit Hero Miruko slamming her foot into the gunman's head. The scaled man went flying over the cash counter as the rest of his group turned to face the intruder. The gun flew from his hand out onto the street as his hostage scrambled out of the window. "You bitch!" Shouted one as he opened fire from his hand blasting purple rays of power at Miruko who dodged each one before leaping and landing on the man's shoulders only to flip and slam him into the ground. She looked up to find a gun pointed at her from a few feet away and heard the pop of gunfire.
Miruko got to her feet only for a shield of water to come in front of her. "Miruko that was too dangerous!" JForce shouted looking at the reckless hero as he slammed his elongated fist into one of the men slamming him against the wall. Miruko just smiled and hopped on top of Izuku's water shield.
"It's a hundred years too early for you to worry about me newbie." She said launching herself at one of the gunmen and executed a roundhouse kick knocking him to the ground as she stepped on him. In short fashion Izuku dispatched the last robber. He then began to attend to the hostages. "It's alright everyone you're safe." Izuku said kneeling down to the hostages and began tearing through their restraints.
"Oh thank god you two were here!" Shouted a man as he clutched his wife to his side.
"Thank you so much. We owe you our lives." His wife added and Izuku shook his head.
"You don't owe us anything. I'm just glad we were able to help." Izuku said moving to the next hostage.
Miruko looked at the kid and shook her head. She'd been working with him for two weeks now and he never ceased to impress her with his bedside manner. She doubted even Best Jeanist could pull off such an earnest face, and what made it even better was that every word Izuku spoke he meant. Miruko's ears flicked as she heard a click and felt the muzzle of a gun pressed against her back. "Move and I blow your cotton tail off." The lead robber spoke from behind Miruko having gotten up from being kicked across the bank.
"You sure you want to do this buddy?" Miruko asked smiling as the villain laughed.
"You think you can hit me before I blow a hole in you, I'd like to see you try bitch." He growled as Miruko spun hearing the gun go off as she slammed her foot into the side of his head brining him to the ground.
"Yeah I think I can." Miruko said.
"Miruko!" Izuku shouted rushing over to her as he saw the bloody hole in her costume. He placed his hands on it as he pulled her into a sitting position. She was kind of surprised that he was able to manhandle her so easily. She knew the kid was strong, but that just wasn't fair. "What were you doing I could have got him." Izuku said placing pressure on her wound. Miruko wouldn't admit it, but that kind of hurt. Instead she just played off Izuku's concern.
"I've gotten worse shots from the doctor. This is nothing besides what better opportunity was there to take that guy out? Villains always get over confident in situations like that." She said as a paramedic came over. Miruko waved him away. "I'm fine." She said trying to stand up, but Izuku held her in place.
"No you're not you need to have them look you over. Honestly you're way too reckless." Izuku said shaking his head as the paramedic advanced on the two. Miruko looked at Izuku for a moment before sighing and relaxing herself as the paramedic looked her over.
"Fine have it your way." She said as Izuku smiled and nodded.
"Thank you." He said sitting by her side as she was patched up. Once done Miruko and Izuku walked out of the bank just in time to see the criminals be carted off.
"I don't know if I should thank you or arrest you! What were you thinking just going in like that? You could have gotten that woman killed!" The detective said as Miruko shrugged.
"Look it was now or never. If I didn't go in he'd have shot and killed her. Would you have preferred I wait until after she was dead?" Miruko asked as the detective stepped back.
"…I guess not." He said and walked away. Izuku sighed. This was how his weeks with Miruko had been going so far. The woman was reckless to a ridiculous degree. Izuku had lost count of the insane things she'd done in her fights against villains. There had been that arsonist they'd stopped by Miruko diving straight through his fire to take him down and that was only after chasing him through a burning building. Then there was the fight club they broke up. Miruko kicked down the door and pretty much was swallowed in a mosh pit only to walk out later covered in bruises cuts, and a black eye, but she got their target and took down more than half the occupants of that warehouse.
It wasn't that Miruko wasn't a great hero. Izuku could plainly see how great she was, but she was too much of a thrill seeker in his opinion, at least that's what he thought at first, but he could see that she genuinely had a heroic spirit. It wasn't that Mirko only cared about the action in fact it was the opposite. She cared so little for the danger she put herself in it allowed her to the most extreme lengths to accomplish her mission.
It kind of scared Izuku seeing that level of dedication fervor. He wasn't sure if he had that in him to go that far but he wanted to. "You're in your head again." Miruko said punching him in the arm as they walked along. Izuku popped his head up and looked at her.
"Sorry just thinking." Izuku said as Miruko shrugged. "I'm used to it we've been together for about two weeks I've seen you go inside your head more times than I care to count." She said as they walked along and Izuku sighed.
"It's my Achilles heel or so I've been told." Izuku said looking around." Miruko shrugged.
"I suppose it could be but I think it's just more of an experience thing. You've had some experiences where your body moved faster than your mind. In our line of work that is an asset. Like with that hostage situation I had no idea what would happen when I kicked that guy in the face. He could have seen me coming and tried to shoot me which would probably be the best case scenario. Worst case scenario when I kicked him he tensed up and shot that girl which would have been my fault. I didn't have time to think of any of that the only thing I knew for sure was that he was going to shoot that girl if I didn't do anything and in the end that's all I needed to know." Miruko explained as Izuku looked at her and came to an understanding.
"I get it. Sometimes it's better to just act than think about it." He said as Miruko nodded.
"You'll get it. It just takes time, but you're on one hell of a learning curve. Rather than have UA's gentle curve you're pretty much climbing up a sheer cliff, and despite the odds you're making a pretty good headway. I wouldn't be surprised if you landed in the top twenty when the billboard rankings come up." Miruko said with a laugh as Izuku's eyes widened.
"I-I doubt that I mean thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not that big of a deal. I'd be lucky to land in the top fifty let alone the top twenty." Izuku said as Miruko frowned.
"You're not very honest. You should just admit you want the top spot. You just said you'd be lucky to be in the top fifty not you'd be happy. If you're aiming for the top then shout it out. Let everyone know it. Don't step back from your dream otherwise you'll regret it and that is something I refuse to do. I live my life like there is no tomorrow that way when my times up I know that I lived the best goddamn life I could." Miruko said as one of her ears flicked and she smiled. "Clocks started JForce." She said before leaping away from him.
Izuku summoned his "Snake Hood" as he blasted off in a burst of steam his rubber legs bouncing him across the building right next to Mirko. This was part of his training, but he was pretty sure this was just another game Miruko could play with him. She'd suddenly announce that the clock was running and then bolt off. Once he caught up it was his job to see exactly what kind of crime they were stopping and how best to stop it. It was Miruko's way of trying to break him out of his think and act.
Izuku's green eyes scanned the scene and instantly spotted the car chase in progress. It was a canary yellow Ferrari blazing down the street out pacing the cop cars by several miles. "I'll clear the roads of people Miruko the car's yours." Izuku said as he dashed forth bouncing across the street to move people out of the way as the car zoomed by with Miruko hot on its tail.
"Where the hell is Kurogiri it's been weeks!" Shouted Spinner looking around as if the absent Bartender would show up at his shouting.
"Oh no I bet he's cheating on us with another villain group! He'd never do that Kurogiri is faithful." Countered Twice as Dabi stood up and headed for the door.
"And where are you going?" Spinner asked Dabi who looked at the lizardman.
"Out." He said before disappearing through the doorway. In the corner Toga was flipping through her social media and getting angrier and angrier at what she was seeing.
"Izuku what are you doing?!" She hissed looking at a picture of Izuku and Miruko outside a bank having just thwarted a robbery/hostage situation. "Ugh I've had enough!" Toga shouted as she got up to leave as well. With no Kurogiri to stop her she was free to continue her stalking without interference. Twice looked at Spinner and shrugged.
"I've got nowhere to be. That's not true I have a date!" He shouted before lying on a desk. Spinner just shook his head.
"Why the hell did I join this group?" He asked. This wasn't the first time he'd asked himself that, but it was becoming a more and more potent question with no apparent answers in sight. First Tomura had disappeared to gain new power which Spinner grudgingly accepted, but now Kurogiri was gone as well. This was not something the smoke villain was known for. Kurogiri was as punctual as the sunrise. Being gone for a few days wasn't unheard of but he would always show up at most three days later, but it was going on three weeks with no sign or word from him. "Something's not right." Spinner said taking off his cloth mask and grabbing a hood before leaving the base. "And I'm going to find out what."
Miruko ran and leapt down the street steadily gaining on the speeding car. "Wow this is a real workout." She said with a grin as she gave a powerful leap and landed on the hood of the car causing it to swerve back and forth wildly.
"Oh fuck its Miruko!" Shouted the car thief a man with a horn on his nose and big bug eyes as his partner next to him slithered out of her seat and onto the roof of the car. The woman flicked her forked tongue as it was revealed her lower half was that of a snake.
"You know I've always wanted a piece of you Miruko. Every guy is like Miruko this, and Miruko that. Somebody needs to take you down a few notches." She hissed as the car started to slow. The snake woman thumped the roof of the car with her tail. "Don't you fucking dare slow down. After I beat this bitch I'm going to drag her ass across the asphalt. You won't be so pre-!" The snake woman narrowly received a kick to the face as Miruko smirked at her.
"You talk too much." Miruko said only to dodge a tail swipe at her legs. Miruko went to land on the snake woman but she opened her coils making her land hard on the roof before being wrapped in the snakes woman's coils. The snake grinned opening as she slammed Miruko onto the hood of the car causing yet another series of swerving. The snake woman wiped the blood from her nose as she looked down at Miruko with a savage grin.
"You might be right about that so instead of talking how about I just show you what I'll do to you!" She shouted wrapping further around Miruko and pressing the hero's head over the side of the speeding car. "First I'll scrape those stupid ears off your head." She hissed as Miruko struggled against her coils. Miruko's legs were her most powerful asset, but against these coils she was at a disadvantage. The wind was rushing past her face and the sound of the tires was roaring in her ears. Shit not now! She thought to herself as the barest tip of her ear brushed the asphalt and then she was suddenly jerked upright.
Miruko was thrown onto the hood of the car before looking up to see Izuku had the snake woman in a headlock. "Stop the car now!" Izuku shouted slamming his foot on the roof causing a deep indent as the driver squealed.
"Yes sir!" He replied before pulling over safely. Izuku brought the snake villain down from the roof of the car as the cops arrived placing handcuffs on both the thieves. Izuku wiped his forehead as he looked Miruko.
"I think we should call it a day, you've pushed yourself too hard. You should have been able to break her hold on you, but you couldn't so you must be feeling tired. I can handle things here so why don't you head back and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning bright and ear-." Miruko didn't look Izuku in the eye as he spoke instead just said her piece and left.
"Come see me when you're done." She said and then leapt away. Izuku looked after the bunny hero for a moment before shrugging and turning back to the police and the reporters who always seemed ready and willing to crawl out of the woodwork. Izuku sighed before facing them.
Gran Torino was carrying a bouquet of flowers as he walked into the cemetery. "Ugh even after passing on you two are still making me do all the work." He said with a sigh as he walked past the graves and stopped at All Might's grave before placing the first bouquet down and then sat down himself with a huff. "After a few weeks with your student I'm starting to wonder if you're not the lucky one." Gran Torino said with a chuckle.
"That's not funny." A cool voice said drawing Gran Torino's eye to them. In front of the grave stood Sir Nighteye.
"It's rude to come to a grave without bringing something you know." Gran Torino said to the younger hero as Nighteye adjusted his glasses.
"Not as rude as making jokes at the deceased's expense." He said as Gran Torino rolled his eyes.
"And Toshi said you have a sense of humor. Let's cut to the chase you've been calling me for weeks."
"And you've been ignoring me for weeks." Nighteye interrupted as Gran Torino scratched his beard.
"Because I know what you want to talk about, and I also know what I'm about to say is not what you want to hear, and honestly I don't care." Gran Torino said turning to face the much taller man.
"Why did you send Izuku Midoriya to Miruko? She is the absolute worst hero for him to be under. She's impulsive, reckless, and far too much of a thrill seeker. Her brand of heroism will have an even more negative impact on his growth." Gran Torino sighed and looked at Nighteye.
"I don't understand you sometimes Nighteye. We both know you hate that boy for what happened to Toshi and want him to fail, so why care about who teaches him. In fact you should be elated that he has in your opinion "terrible" teachers." Nighteye clenched his fist.
"Please don't make me out to be so selfish. I do hate him for what happened to All Might, but he still has One for All within him. That power is the last thing of All Might in this world. I will not have it be used incorrectly which is what will happen especially alongside Miruko." Gran Torino stood up and dusted himself off.
"Nighteye I did not send Izuku to Miruko. She came to him. I won't say I had no hand in it, and to be honest I also thought it was a bad idea for Izuku to train with Miruko. I was hoping he had a more refined sense of danger that would warn him away from her. That didn't happen so either his sense of danger needs to be honed and what place to do that than sitting next to a loose cannon like Miruko. Or he simply chose to ignore that sense of danger and went right on ahead which is his choice. I'm not Toshi I won't hold his hand every step of the way and if you really feel that strongly about it stop dragging your feet and bring the boy into your agency." Gran Torino said finally before heading to Noelle Silva's grave.
Nighteye looked after Gran Torino before looking to All Might's grave and placed a hand on it and sighed. "Why didn't you listen to me?" He asked the cold stone knowing he'd get no response.
Izuku looked at Miruko's door before knocking on it. "Umm Miruko I'm here." He said waiting for an answer and not getting one. "Miruko?" He said grabbing the door handle and pushing it open and hearing panting. Izuku rushed into the room and looked around. "MIRUKO!" Izuku shouted as he found the rabbit hero lying on the floor. "Miruko what's wrong?" He asked as he pulled her to him and felt an immense heat coming from her. "You're on fire." Izuku said pulling her to the bathroom and running cold water into the tub before biting his lip and pulling her costume off. He looked down at Miruko's Amazonian physique coated with sweat before lowering her into the ice cold water.
"The….heat." Miruko moaned as she panted feeling the cool water start to drop her body temp to the point she could think somewhat clearly.
"Don't worry Miruko I'll call an ambulance." He said before she grabbed hold of his arm.
"I don't need an ambulance I just need…you!" She huffed as Izuku's face went slack.
"Umm…what?" He asked confused.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone