章 2314: 56
Chapter 56: Prey
A/N: Here we go again. Festival stuff, a visit from Eri, and a looming threat strikes again.
"I…"
Izuku was stumped. And surprised. And curious. And excited. And a whole slew of emotions that he couldn't quite process at the current moment. For the past hour he had listened to QA. For all the information that entailed; Izuku's willingness to force any semblance of truth from QA had brought upon an endless list of things he definitely needed to think about at a later date.
First was her admission to having arrived from another Earth, one widely different from his own. Powers arrived to the populace in the 80's — the 1980's. Centuries in his own past, and decades before quirks formed.
She had been a villain once. And then turned hero. Her world was unforgiving. A corrupt and brutal timeline had forever changed the events of her Earth. That Earth shaped her into what she was, influencing her problems with authority and trust.
There were other things of course; things that Izuku could tell QA was still uncomfortable speaking about. And he decided that he wouldn't push; at least not for now.
The discussion devolved from there. Just the talk of all the possibilities of this newfound information had Izuku reeling. So many thoughts shooting through his head all at one. So many, in fact, that Izuku didn't sense the presence nearing him before it was too late.
"Midoriya."
Izuku froze, the words in his mouth dying out. His (very verbal and loud) conversation with QA ended right then and there.
Izuku turned and found Todoroki. His usual blank expression was in place with the exception of questioning gaze obviously pointed straight at Izuku.
"Who are you talking to?" Todoroki asked.
"Gah! Ah! Todoroki!" Izuku straightened himself out. "It— It's not what it looks like!"
Todoroki tilted his head. "What is it supposed to look like?"
"I—" Izuku shook his head. "Nevermind. How much did you hear? Or, uh, how long were you there?"
Todoroki shrugged his shoulders. "Just a few seconds. First thing I heard was something about a behemoth or something."
If QA's laughing was any indication, she probably sensed Todoroki long before he was here. Izuku planned on getting back at her later.
"Oh." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "That's, um… Why are you here?"
"You are aware that you've been gone for over an hour?" Todoroki asked. "The others were getting a bit worried and asked me to check on you."
"Oh. Well, looks like I really got distracted then," Izuku leaned against the wall, trying to hide his slowly disappearing panic. "Uh, anything else?"
Todoroki nodded. "Another one of the reasons I was sent to find you, actually. Togata and that girl from the raid on the yakuza are here. They were looking for you."
"Eri's here?" Izuku's expression perked up, his thoughts of QA taking a temporary back seat. "Where?"
"They're watching the dancing crew practice right no—"
"Cool!" Izuku rushed past the ice and fire user. "Thanks Todoroki! Don't worry about the stage measurements! I'll get them to you guys later!"
Izuku spotted Togata and Eri in an instant. True to Todoroki's word, they stood a little ways away as the dance crew practiced for the upcoming performance.
"Het Eri!" Izuku exclaimed as he approached the duo. "How's it going?"
Eri's head turned towards Izuku's direction upon hearing his voice. A meek yelp came from the girl, and not long after she planted herself behind Togata, her face peeking around the taller boy's torso.
"Oh," Izuku muttered as he neared Togata. "Is she—"
"Don't speak another word, Midoriya!" Togata spoke with his ever-present smile. "Eri's just got some things she wants to talk to you about."
Togata looked back towards Eri, motioning her forward. "Come on Eri, just like we talked about."
It took a few moments, but Eri slowly removed herself from Togata and made her way to Izuku. She looked upwards, and Izuku saw the gulp that went down her throat.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, their gazes unwavering, until Eri spoke. "I'm… sorry." Just from those words, Eri started to shiver, her eyes starting to water up.
Izuku furrowed his brows before crouching down to meet Eri's level. "So— Sorry? What do you mean? You don't have anything to be sorry about, Eri."
"But I do!" Eri exclaimed. "I made you hurt! You were getting me away and I made you hurt really bad! They told me that you couldn't move! And, and—"
Izuku ruffled the girl's hair. "Hey, that… that wasn't your fault, you know. You didn't know how to properly regulate your quirk. If anything, it was Overhaul's fault, you know?"
Eri sniffled. "But, but you still—"
"It's alright, really," Izuku said, trying his best to reassure her. "Besides, it's better that things went the way they did. I learned some stuff about… myself because of all of it. And let me tell you, I never would have learned those things if you didn't do what you did, so if anything I'm really happy about how things went!"
"I…" Eri rubbed her eye. "Really?"
Izuku smiled. "I promise."
"Now that's more like it!" Togata suddenly exclaimed. "See, what did I tell you Eri? I told you that he wouldn't be mad!"
Eri backed away with a smile, and Togata himself went ahead and ruffled her hair. "Now that you two have had your little talk, how about that tour I was promising you?"
"Yeah!" Eri exclaimed, joy evident in her voice.
"Great!" Togata turned towards Izuku. "How about joining us, Midoriya?"
Izuku nodded. "Sure."
The trio wandered UA's campus, coming across various classes in the middle of preparing for the upcoming festival. Whether it was 1-B's dragon prop, running into Setsuna and her fawning over Eri, or Mei and her ever-growing number of babies, there was an endless number of things that caught Eri's attention.
Eventually, Eri got a bit hungry, leading the trio to take a quick detour to the cafeteria for a bit of Lunch Rush's cooking.
"So, Midoriya." Togata leaned forward. "I learned something interesting when I visited Eri in the hospital."
"Oh?" Izuku asked, taking a sip from his cup of oolong tea.
Togata's head bobbed up and down. "Mhm! Mhm! Apparently, you and Eri met before the raid?"
"Yeah!" Eri said. "Izuku visited me with his bugs and he left them for Overhaul!"
Togata patted Eri on the head. "Thanks again, Eri. You like your lemonade?"
Eri vigorously shook her head and went back to sipping her drink.
Togata turned back towards Izuku. "Like she said. She told me the same thing a couple days ago. Not, I'm not saying that I'm curious how that happened... but I am a bit interested with how that came to be."
Izuku mulled over his options in his head before responding. "Well… Umm... I suppose that I could tell you. It's just uh… hmm… I—"
"It's nothing to worry about, Togata!" came a familiar voice.
Togata immediately turned towards its direction. "Principal Nezu! You're having a snack as well?" Togata asked, gesturing to the block of cheese in Nezu's paws.
"Yup! Principal duties and all! My workpile inevitably stirs hunger in me, you know."
Nezu chuckled. "Anyways, as for what Midoriya gets up to off campus outside of school hours, just know that everything he does has been passed through me. Anything I wouldn't want happening would be barred before it can even start."
"So you're saying that you actually did let Midoriya sneak off campus and possibly break the law with public quirk usage?"
"Of course not!" Nezu waved Togata off. "It was a police approved action. Besides, Midoriya's been allowed plenty of leeway between what he is and isn't allowed to do."
Togata blinked. "I think that I'm more confused than I was before this conversation even began."
Nezu laughed. "Like I said, nothing to worry about. But if you really must know, I can inform you personally at a later date in my office."
Izuku decided to interject at that point. "Ah, Nezu—"
"Anyways!" Nezu interrupted. "It seems that little Eri's been having a good time, yeah?"
Eri nodded in response.
"That's great! It's always a pleasure to see such a young mind experience joy for—" Nezu stopped mid sentence, his joyful demeanor from before disappearing. A large frown overtook his face.
"Oh dear." Nezu turned towards Izuku. "Midoriya, I do recommend answering that call. It's rather important and time sensitive." His face lit back with a small smile. "Oh, and it's nice to see that I'm rubbing off on you. Oolong, yeah?"
"Call?" Izuku asked. "What ca—"
A blaring ringtone suddenly erupted from Izuku's right pocket, right where his phone lay hidden. Just as Nezu had suggested, he immediately picked it up.
Izuku's eyes widened as the call went on. "Shi— oot!" Izuku exclaimed. He quickly turned to Togata and Eri. "Sorry Togata-senpai! I've got to go. Bye Eri! I'll see you later!"
"You know what would be cool?" Setsuna asked. She was currently dressed in her Lizardy costume, her body swaying from side to side. She, along with Izuku, were currently waiting outside the gates of UA.
"If your bugs were shaped like dinosaurs. Just imagine that, little tiny dinosaurs swarming on our enemies like some sort of prehistoric army."
"Somehow I don't think that little tiny dinos would fare any better against The Nine," Izuku said. He was in his Dragonfly costume with the exception of his mask. His eyes were currently closed, with him taking deep breaths.
"Oh come on, Izuku!" Setsuna swatted his shoulder. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood before we enter what's inevitably going to be another bloodbath!"
Izuku shook his head. "Not another bloodbath. Edgeshot said that they were heading towards the docks in Osaka. There haven't been any workers there since the local shipping company shut down years ago and most of the business transferred over to Kobe."
"Okay, okay, fine. You got me there. It's just… fuck! So soon? It's barely been over a week!"
"That's kind of a good thing though," Izuku said, exhaling a breath of air. "If we catch them now we can prevent another massacre."
"Yeah… Wait, that's right!" Setsuna said. "You said Osaka, right? But that's hundreds of miles away! That means—"
"Yeah," Izuku muttered, his voice holding a small hint of disappointment. "We're waiting for him."
Izuku tilted his head in thought. "Which reminds me," he grabbed into his pack, " he doesn't know my face yet. Not that I really care, but… eh." Izuku placed his mask over his face.
And then as if he was summoned, a sudden crack and light signified the arrival of Traveler. However, much to Izuku's surprise, the man didn't immediately start smothering them with pictures of his daughter.
"Hey you two," Traveler said. His voice was eerily serious, quite unlike the usual upbeat joy he had always presented. "Ready?"
Izuku and Setsuna walked forwards by his side. "Yeah," they both said.
Traveler nodded. He placed a hand on both of them, one each for one of their shoulders. "I'll be separating you two right when we get there, placing you into your teams. So, anything you guys want to say to each other before we leave?"
Izuku and Setsuna turned to one another, meeting each others' eyes. Izuku was the first to speak.
"Good luck."
Setsuna nodded in return, a minute smirk forming on her lips. "Ditto. I'll see ya later, 'zuku."
"Alright then, you kids," Traveler said. "Hang on tight; it's going to be a bit bumpy since we're going with successive jumps."
Izuku equipped his gas mask and infrared goggles. Setsuna did the same.
"You two better live through this," Traveler suddenly said. "I've taken plenty of pictures of my daughter since the last time we met!"
Looks like your decision to finally share some info came at the nick of time, huh?
"It seems so. But remember, Izuku. Jack's like a rat, he can escape from your clutches or catch you by surprise just as easily. You need to stay vigilant."
I know, QA. Izuku took a breath. I'll try.
And with Traveler's signature crack of sound and flicker of light, they were gone.
There wasn't any time spent on briefing — just as Edgeshot had warned would happen the next time The Nine were spotted. What mattered was speed and efficiency, and so far all that had happened fed into that mentality. Besides, everything that Izuku needed to know was included in the text that came right after the call he had received.
Just as Traveler had said, Izuku was dropped off with his assigned location, Traveler leaving with Setsuna not a moment after. Like before, he was paired up with Reverb.
Their instructions were simple: the two of them would start off on the east side of the docks, making their way inwards as they searched and cleared all of the buildings until they reached the rendezvous point at the center of the docks. They were to remain vigilant and unnoticed, keeping themselves from engaging in combat and calling in for backup whenever one of The Nine were spotted.
Reverb and Izuku continued like this for a little over three minutes, Reverb spreading out her clones and Izuku sending out a swarm — both in small numbers to avoid notice.
And by the four minute mark, that was when Izuku's bugs picked up on something. Izuku immediately turned to Reverb and gestured for her to follow.
"This way!" Izuku whispered. "I found something."
"You did?" Reverb whispered back. "What is it?"
Izuku shook his head. "No time. Quick, it's just a couple buildings ahead." Izuku jogged ahed without another word.
"Midori— Dragonfly! You can't just— fuck." Reverb hurried her pace to catch up to her partner's slowly retreating back. By the time she reached him, he was already ascending the flight of stairs that led to the second floor of a warehouse.
Reverb hurried up the steps, reaching the top just as Izuku grabbed for and opened a door. "Dragonfly, we need to—" She cut herself off, a shiver racing its way down her back.
"What was that?" Reverb hissed, her voice low.
Izuku turned his gaze behind him, back towards Reverb. "You felt that too?"
Reverb nodded. "Yeah. It felt—" A loud crash cut her off.
The duo hurried inside and found themselves on a catwalk that overlooked the first floor below them. They quickly hid behind some stacked crates, peeking over the railing to survey the origin of the sound.
Just below them was Ricochet; an angry look filled his face and a large chunk of his left arm was completely missing. However, in an instant a portion of the floor below Ricochet disappeared. And, despite the extent of the damage, the missing chunk had disappeared and was replaced with newly mended flesh.
Suddenly, there was movement just across from Ricochet. Appearing from seemingly out of nowhere, a towering, completely black-shrouded figure appeared. The individual lacked any sort of features, and simply stood still after it had emerged.
However, that changed when another individual appeared from down a stray hallway.
"Kill him! Do it! Now!" Shigaraki demanded.
The black figure did as it commanded, shooting forward towards its target. It's steps left behind imprints in the ground, slightly decaying the floor with each step it took. Izuku didn't know why. But the longer he looked at the black figure, the more it looked familiar to him.
"Since when could Shigaraki do that?" Reverb whispered.
Izuku merely shrugged his shoulders.
Suddenly there was more movement down below. From behind Shigaraki appeared a bloody and panting Toga, rips and tears evident in her clothes. In her hands was a severed head — one whose eyes were definitely darting around. It also still had the capability to speak.
"Bossman, we need to get outta here! Right now!" The head spoke. If Izuku wasn't mistaken, it was Gerry — Bombastic — that the head belonged to.
"Yeah! We need to go!" Toga agreed. "They already got Mustard! He was diced to pieces by one of those drone things!"
"I'm not losing to these side characters!" Shigaraki yelled.
"Come on!" Toga pulled on his sleeve. "The others are already waiting at the entrance to the escape route we planned! We can get back at them later! Please!"
A scowl appeared on Shigaraki's face, but it soon fell. "Fine!" he snarled. He turned back towards the still ongoing fight between the black figure and Ricochet.
"You stay here and cover our retreat, you hear me!"
The three members of the League of Villains ran away, leaving the fight between the two giants to continue.
A deep, baritone laugh sounded off the walls not long after the League's escape. "Ah well, there's always next time, I suppose."
"Oh shit! What did I tell you!"
What the heck are you talking about?! I didn't hear you shouting out any warnings?! If anything, you should've noticed! You—
"Speaking of," Kentaro's voice cut in, still echoing amongst the walls, "it seems that we have guests! Kizu, Waypoint, if you will."
Suddenly, the crates that Izuku and Reverb were hiding behind suddenly disappeared, being replaced with the forms of Kizu and Waypoint themselves.
Before they could do anything, the duo found themselves vulnerable, a knife to Reverb's neck and a sword at Izuku's own.
"Now," Kentaro's voice continued, "you two wouldn't mind having a nice chat, would you? I'm sure that Ricochet and Shigaraki's attack dog would like to settle their differences in peace."
And then they were teleported away.
"Neither of you even noticed, did you?" asked Kentaro.
Reverb and Izuku were currently knelt before him, their arms restrained and legs bound.
Kentaro stood with a gentle smile on his face, complete with his top hat and cane. He was flanked on both sides by a single drone, and with Waypoint and Kizu on one side each.
"Notice what?" Reverb asked, deciding to speak.
"Oh, nothing," Kentaro said. "Just my subtle commands and such on the door; you know: Come watch the fight. You see, since your instructions were to merely watch and not to intervene until backup arrived, you didn't even hesitate. You went ahead and watched the fight, entering the warehouse that I previously prepared."
"I think that I'm going to have to go through Master/Stranger Protocols with you, Izuku."
"And you think that'll stop me?" Kentaro chuckled.
"What? Stop you? But neither of us said anything." Reverb said.
"Tsk tsk. We'll be having none of that." Kentaro gestured to the side. "Kizu, if you will?"
A sharp scream echoed within the halls of the warehouse. A knife had been impaled into Reverb's side, the stain of blood seeping into her costume. Kizu's hand then impacted over Reverb's head, knocking her unconscious.
"Heh. Not necessary, but much appreciated, Kizu." Kentaro turned towards Izuku.
"And alas, we are free to speak. Oh, and don't worry, Dragonfly. The wound isn't lethal. Kizu's firsts attacks never are. So your friend will live… Well, as long as the paramedics get here in time, that is."
Izuku called upon his swarm. He readied the bugs in his hair—
"Izuku remember—"
"Yes Izuku, remember that I can read you," Kentaro said. "Consider that, before you act right now."
Izuku narrowed his eyes. He stopped his swarm and had it lay in wait, just outside the warehouse. "I can kill you right now," Izuku said." "I have spiders—"
"You'll most definitely die before any of them can touch a hair on me," Kentaro countered. "If you haven't noticed, it's five versus one. You won't come out on top in this situation. The moment you do something I don't like, the drones kick in, Kizu guts you, and Waypoint teleports me out. Not even your out-of-control swarm would be able to touch me by that point."
Despite Kentaro's claims, Izuku began to struggle, attempting to wiggle his way out of his restraints.
"Hey. What did I say?" Kentaro approached Izuku, taking a hold of his mask and ripping it off. His gas mask and goggles clattered to the floor in a heap. Kentaro then seamlessly raised his cane, placing it under Izuku's chin and using it to lift his eyes to meet his.
"Now, you and your little army are going to wait," Kentaro said. "And you will stay calm, or I'll have Kizu finish your friend off," Kentaro gestured to the limp form of Reverb. "So listen, or you won't be able to hear what I want to tell you, alright?"
Izuku didn't respond, choosing to instead narrow his eyes at the villain.
Kentaro chuckled. "Alright. I like your nerves kid." Kentaro backed away a little. "Though I suppose part of your bravery is due to my lack of a reputation here. But hey, that just makes things more fun. Oh! And no funny business from you either, Weaver. Or the kid gets it."
"Jack…"
It was a small movement, one heavily practiced and seemingly natural to the man. A simple flick of the wrist and Kentaro's cane made a popping noise. A sleek blade revealed itself from the cane, and suddenly Izuku had a cut made into his cheek, one that reached all the way through his flesh.
"Agh!" Izuku's face twisted in pain, his wound beginning to bleed.
"Apologies. Old habits die hard, as they say." Kentaro used his coat to wipe away the small amount of blood that had graced his newly revealed sword. Not long after, he reached down to his discarded sheath and placed it back over the blade, leaving him again with a seemingly normal cane.
"And please," Kentaro continued, "call me Kentaro. It is who I am, after all. I may have been Jack in the past, but this is a new future for me. I'd like to keep it at that, for the sake of keeping things new."
"So, how 'bout it? Going to listen, you two?" Kentaro asked, slightly leaning on his cane.
Izuku took a breath and opened his mouth to speak. "Yo—"
"Don't worry about your backup interrupting us," Kentaro interrupted. "They won't be coming anytime soon. In fact, if I'm right…"
A loud roared sounded off in the distance.
"Ah, yes. Centaur's keeping the brunt of them busy. Ricochet too, if that Shigaraki fellow's gone far enough that his construct faded. The rest that aren't here are running interference."
"What do you want… Kentaro?"
"That's more like it!" Kentaro exclaimed. "Glad to see that you're learning, Weaver."
"Now," Kentaro leaned forward, "tell you what. I want to propose to you a challenge, Izuku. If you can deliver, I'll stop killing for a whole… let's say... six months."
"What makes you think that I'd agree to any deals made with you?" Izuku questioned.
"But you haven't even heard the details yet!" Kentaro exclaimed, spreading his arms wide. "Besides, if you don't I'll lead my group on a killing spree everyday of the next six months instead."
"You'll get caught at that rate,"' Izuku said.
"Perhaps," Kentaro nodded. "But at what cost? How many will die before The Nine as a whole are annihilated? And what prevents us from coming back stronger every time, as I'm sure Weaver has told you I do?"
Before Izuku could speak up, QA cut him off. "What are you even getting from this, Kentaro? Another challenge? The last one didn't go so well for you, if I recall."
"Ha! I for one, think that what I did with little Theo was a complete success. I'd only wished that I could have seen the end result. All that I was able to hear was that it was quite the apocalypse. Not much I can do in a loop but listen to the outside world and continue to feel pain. "
"So what? Something like that isn't going to happen again. The closest— No. What is subjecting this challenge onto Izuku going to do in the long run?"
"The long run, huh?" Kentaro snorted. "Nothing, actually. Or maybe something, depending on how things go."
Kentaro began to pace. "You see, I see something in your little host here, Weaver. I'm sure that Theo told you of that talk I had with him, right? Put that into context here. Izuku Midoriya: so full of potential keystones, and an individual with a wonderfully full slate. As you know, I like to see the results of my actions. And who knows what somebody with your powers can do if he were to truly fall, Weaver?"
"Fine!" Izuku suddenly shouted out. "What is it? I'll do it!"
"I want you to kill All Might."
Izuku's face froze in shock.
"He heh," Kentaro chuckled. "I'm kidding of course. Though that would be a nice little side project of mine. But no. What I want from you, little Izuku, is to find somebody."
"... Who?"
"Some upstart. He's taken to calling himself Nine," Kentaro scoffed. "So unoriginal. As I'm sure Weaver's told you, I pride myself in my work. I can't exactly do that if somebody's using the name for my group for their own things."
"So what?" Izuku asked slowly. "You want me to… kill him?"
"There we go, I knew that you were a smart one."
"Can't you do it yourself, though?" Izuku asked.
"Of course." Kentaro's tone was seething in confidence and glee at the same time. "That's not the point though. The question is, can you do it?"
Izuku gulped. "I… I'll…"
"Hmm?" Kentarp leaned forward, one of his hands cupping his ear. "What was that?"
Izuku sighed. "I'll see what I can do."
"Splendid! That's what I like to hear." Kentaro leaned forward and ruffled Izuku's hair, much to the boy's displeasure.
"And because I'm feeling generous, I'll let you know something juicy. You see, you saw how that puny League of Villains was here, awhile ago? Remember seeing them?"
Izuku nodded.
"Well, let's just say that they're connected to your target. It's the reason I came here, actually."
"Oh. Okay, um… thanks," Izuku stuttered. "Was there a reason you told me, or…?"
"Call it a gift to an old friend," Kentaro lifted his hand, pointing to his head. "One we share, and now acts as the one you hold in your head."
"The hell are you talking about? We're not friends, Jack."
"Watch it, I still have your host to my mercy, here."
QA didn't say anything back.
"Besides, I disagree!" Kentaro shouted. "Without all of your meddling, I'm not sure that I'd be where I am right now, living and breathing. Heck, I'm not sure how many other remnants from out Earth would be here either. And I have you to thank for that."
A gust of wind brushed into the room. Suddenly, beside Kentaro was Frisk. The speed villain's legs twitched from side to side as he let out a chuckle.
"Ah, what timing!" Kentaro said. "As you can see, a prime example, Weaver. Frisk here is just like his predecessor. Silent and twitchy, just like Chuckles; he even holds some of his old memories. Even now he's the only one of his kind that I've found. Well, aside from you and I, that is."
Frisk let out a rather loud laugh.
Kentaro smiled. "Thank you, Frisk." He turned back to face Izuku. "Well it looks like I'll be taking my leave. Waypoint, ready the others."
Waypoint nodded in response, a small cube coming from one of his pockets and beginning to glow.
However, before Waypoint's power activated, Kentaro spoke up.
"It's a shame that you aren't yet back up to full working order, Weaver. There'd be no doubt that you'd be able to take out me and the rest of my group," Kentaro emphasized his point by snapping his fingers, "just like that."
"Hey, how about this? When you finally figure out how to work with your passenger again, come see me. I'm sure that we'll have a wonderful time then."
And with that, he was gone.
A/N: And that's it for anything related with The Nine for a while! Of course, that means the Culture Festival is coming along. And thus the attack by the one and only Gentle! Seems that Izuku just can't catch a break.
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