Capítulo 6: Chapter 6
A beam shot at Accelerator at light speed, but this time, he didn't move an inch. Barely a hair's breadth from him, the beam slammed into his vector shield and ricocheted straight up, tearing through the hilltop and into the sky.
"It took me a while to figure out what exactly you were blasting around," Accelerator said with a smug grin. "Compressed photon particles."
Eri didn't flinch. She made no expression, her eyes blank as she stared at Accelerator.
"The vectors of that magic stuff are a bit troublesome for me to understand and control," he bragged, "but photon vectors? No trouble at all."
With a flick of his wrist, a ball of light began to form in front of him. The very beam Eri had been firing was now being recreated effortlessly by Accelerator. At that moment, Asphalt and Velvet, with him hanging on her back, arrived just in time to see Accelerator harness the photon particles. He collected them, fused them together, and formed a ball of photon energy as large as himself. With a swift motion, he launched it skyward, obliterating the ceiling and piercing the clouds, revealing a clear, dark sky sprinkled with stars.
"Holy shit," Hayate whispered, sweat pouring down his face. "The council wanted me to fight that monster?"
Hamazura watched, eyes wide with awe and an insane smile spreading across his face. "I estimated he had a quirk stronger than most, but... I may have underestimated just how strong he is."
Eri, or rather the AI controlling her, showed no emotion as it stared at Accelerator. "Warning! The enemy has been identified to be stronger than originally estimated," it announced. The air shimmered and shook as a sudden chill fell over everyone. "Recalculating approach. Activating 4th Circle: Decimation Arcane. Commencing."
Accelerator stood still, wary, his eyes locked onto Eri. "Blondie," he called, grabbing Velvet's attention. "Tell me you have some idea on how to get the kid back… without hurting her," he added, his eyes narrowing.
Velvet hesitated, gritting her teeth. "I'm not sure," she said. "There were no records of anything like this ever happening to the previous libraries."
"Yes, there was," Asphalt spoke up with a grunt. "It was under the restricted section. I only got a brief glimpse of the info," he said, causing Velvet to look at him in surprise. "Whenever the previous libraries were forced into such a state… the only way to stop them was to destroy whatever they considered a threat."
Accelerator, his gaze never leaving Eri, hummed thoughtfully. "What they perceived as a threat."
"I need to make contact with her," he muttered, slightly turning his body. "Take cover, now!" he roared. The chill intensified, and the room began to freeze around them. Their breaths became visible as a light grew around Eri.
"What the hell?" Hayate exclaimed, looking around at the freezing room. "Is she trying to freeze us to death or something?" He regulated the blood in his body to keep warm.
"No," Hamazura whispered, with Hayate's hand on his shoulder, helping to regulate his blood as well. "She's harnessing temporal energy… drawing all the surrounding heat and making it colder. I don't even know how that's scientifically possible." Hamazura nervously watched as Eri's glowing body began to float higher and higher.
Accelerator pushed off the ground, determination etched on his face. He needed to make contact with her, and fast. He could already grasp how devastating an attack like that would be—it could obliterate the entire area and likely reach a good part of the city too.
"Time's running out," he thought, launching himself towards Eri with everything he had. The room continued to freeze, ice creeping along the walls and floor. The air grew colder by the second, and the breath of everyone present turned to mist. Accelerator's heart pounded as he shot forward, his mind racing through possible strategies.
Eri's glowing form hovered higher, the light around her intensifying. Accelerator could feel the immense energy she was gathering, a power that could unleash catastrophic destruction. He grit his teeth, pushing his body to its limits as he closed the distance between them. Just as he reached out, the air around him shimmered with raw energy.
'I could care less about those no-name wannabes walking around doing shit knows what,' Accelerator thought as he used wind vectors to fly towards Eri. 'But that kid... she cares too much about things like that… That kid...'
Eri doing her best to walk beside him flashed in his mind, her tiny hand gripping his pant leg as she sobbed, her eager face as she stuffed her mouth with a burger. '...that kid... doesn't deserve to live in that kind of hell...'
A large beam of phasing light shot straight at Accelerator as he neared Eri, arms outstretched. He used every vector he could to control and maintain the wayward energy, even the unnatural energy he now estimated to be magic. Blood pooled inside his mouth and dripped down his nose and eyes. It felt like his mind was rejecting the information he was trying to process—no, his entire body was going against him. But he had no choice.
Gritting his teeth, a stubborn gleam flashed through his eyes as he let out an inhuman cry, "GRAAAAGHHHHH!"
From the back of his body, swirls of black typhoons sprouted, and his vector shield fell down, but a mad rush of power flooded his veins. Each wing twisted and turned, facing the energy he was pushing back with all his might before completely encasing it.
Asphalt, Velvet, Hayate, and Hamazura had made their way outside the base, watching the battle in awe. A large flash of light blinded them as the beam of light was swallowed by Accelerator's black wings and slowly disappeared into small puffs of light.
Without hesitation, Accelerator closed the distance between him and Eri and grabbed her by the shoulder. That one touch was enough. Accelerator immediately took control of the vectors of her bioelectricity and forced the AI consciousness to shut down, while awakening Eri from her comatose state. The glow surrounding her vanished almost completely, and the exhausted child fell limply from the sky before Accelerator caught her in time, landing safely with her in his arms.
"It's done," he said, watching Eri's peaceful face press against his chest. "It's over now, kid." Although his burst of power was new and unexpected, he had no intention of dwelling on it. He had his mind on other issues.
When Eri opened her eyes, she didn't know what she was expecting to see, but it most definitely wasn't the familiar, spotty, and dirty ceiling of Accelerator's bedroom. Sitting herself up in a hurry, she was even more shocked to see the familiar, disheveled room. "So, you're awake now," a familiar voice called out to her. Her head turned so fast she nearly fell over the edge of the bed in her rush.
"Oi! Watch it! If you get a concussion, I'm not doing shit about it, brat," Accelerator's brash voice spoke with no real malice in it. He sat himself on the edge of the bed right at Eri's feet. Eri stared at him with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe he was actually in front of her. Accelerator clicked his tongue. "What?" he asked, a slight hint of nervousness in his voice. 'My calculations were perfect,' he thought to himself. 'I didn't give the kid brain damage, right?'
Eri looked down at her hands before looking back at him, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. She didn't know what to say; she couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but she knew someone had attacked Asphalt and tried to take her. She had believed Accelerator was no longer there for her, that he had given her away himself. She thought he wouldn't come for her again after she had been so selfish, clinging to him and making a scene when he had already done so much for her. She had completely given up on any chance of being saved, but... she was. And the one who saved her was the same person who had first given her... the feeling she'd been so confused about... hope.
"Hi," she whimpered in a shaky, watery voice, her innocent eyes wide and full of emotion. It was all she could think of saying when the wave of emotions that hit her finally began to settle down.
Accelerator was quiet for a second, the sunlight that hit the room making it feel warm, a warmth he had no recollection of ever having felt. "Hi," he replied. "You came for me," she whispered, her voice breaking with emotion, as her hands trembled as she tightly clutched onto the sheets.
Accelerator hesitated for a moment, before grunting, "Of course, I did, a brat like you is bound to get into trouble one way or another if I'm not there watching".
Asphalt was sitting on the bed, his torso and left shoulder heavily bandaged, hunching his back and pouting, while Velvet simply chuckled at him. "You got no right calling me a kid when you got a look like that on your face," she laughed.
Asphalt just let out a pitiful sigh. "The boss isn't gonna leave this alone," he moaned with a whine. "I'm definitely getting a pay cut from this."
Velvet smiled a pitying smile. "There wasn't much we could do about it," she muttered softly but loud enough to be heard. Asphalt hummed in agreement as he adopted a more serious expression. His mind flashed to Accelerator's fight against the Library AI. Accelerator had demonstrated abilities far beyond what Asphalt had expected him to possess. In fact, he had also shown experience and quick thinking in his battle against the AI and even himself.
It was downright concerning, the fact that someone with such a powerful quirk managed to stay off the radar for such a long time. "Once we get back to base…," Asphalt started, staring at his hands, "we need to conduct a thorough investigation on the kid… both of them."
Velvet didn't say anything. She understood where Asphalt was coming from. The display of power Accelerator had demonstrated was terrifying, especially when she realized he could have easily finished their fight much quicker. But he had been interested in her powers. Throughout the entire battle, he was simply toying with her, trying to understand her fighting style and how her magic worked. Back then, he had no idea about magic, but he still managed to learn a good amount of how it worked without even knowing what it truly was. He used all he'd learned in his fight against Asphalt and managed to push Asphalt into a corner, where he had no choice but to reveal confidential details to keep Accelerator from continuing the fight, possibly getting caught by a witness, or worse, a hero.
Hayate and Hamazura disappeared right after Accelerator had defeated the Library AI, and Velvet and Asphalt were in no condition to chase them. Besides, it's not like they could arrest them even if they had caught them. Perhaps Kyoya Hamazura could have been imprisoned and then interrogated for his knowledge of how he used magic and seals without having any prior teachings of magic. Which would have linked Hayate to him and have him arrested for casually revealing the secrets of the magic society to an outsider, but even then, they were both working for the council's benefit. The ones that should be arrested were them. "Don't worry," Asphalt said, as if sensing her fear. "We work directly under Razoh. We were under no obligation to follow the council. We were acting as Razoh would have wanted us to, so the council won't have any right to try and imprison us."
"…Then… what are we gonna tell the council?" she asked. "About Eri?"
Asphalt closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "I wonder…"
Their conversation lingered in the air, the weight of their decisions pressing down on them like a heavy fog. Each word spoken seemed to carry more weight than the last, as they grappled with the consequences of their actions. It was a precarious situation, one that required careful consideration and planning.
Velvet couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle in the pit of her stomach. The council was not known for their leniency, especially when it came to matters of secrecy and security. If they were to disclose what had happened with Eri, it could have far-reaching implications, not just for them, but for the entire organization.
Asphalt's expression was grim as he pondered their next move. There were no easy answers, no simple solutions to their dilemma. They were caught between a rock and a hard place, forced to navigate treacherous waters with no clear direction.
But despite the uncertainty that loomed over them, Asphalt remained resolute. He was not one to back down from a challenge, especially when the stakes were this high. He would find a way to protect Eri, to ensure that she remained safe from harm, no matter the cost, after all, he'd failed to keep his promise once to a boy who clearly had little to no faith in adult or governing figures.
As they sat in silence, contemplating the path ahead, they both knew that the decisions they made in the coming days would shape the future in ways they could scarcely imagine. But for now, all they could do was wait, and hope that they had made the right choice.
"What!?" Velvet looked at Accelerator with nervous indignation.
Accelerator's face remained neutral as he leaned against the wall in his apartment room, Asphalt seated on a chair on his opposite side. Velvet had just finished using magic to heal any injuries on Eri and to ensure she was fine. "Asphalt, say something!" she demanded. "There's no way the council would ever allow something like this!"
Asphalt looked like he had something to say, but Accelerator beat him to it. "It doesn't matter what you or anyone you work for have to say," he said, a sense of finality in his tone that brought shivers up Velvet's spine. "The kid's staying with me. Anyone that's got shit to say about it can take it up with me." Accelerator had a murderous gleam in his eyes as he spoke. Velvet shrank back a bit, but bravely continued with her protest.
"Listen, I get that you're seriously strong and all, but... I don't think you understand," Accelerator was silent, his bangs covering the upper half of his face so she couldn't properly see his expression. "… what happened back then was just a tip, a graze, of the giant iceberg of problems that will follow you if you keep Eri by your side, and those problems won't just affect you but her as well."
"I won't let that happen," he said without the slightest hint of hesitation in his voice. "I'll make sure of it." Velvet wanted to say so much more, but she was wary not to push too far.
"I guess we've got no choice," Asphalt said in a casual tone as he stood up with a huff. "Wait, what!?" Velvet looked at him in surprise. Asphalt looked at her with a lazy grin. "We already messed up, Vel," he said in a somber tone. "I can't force him to trust us again when we fucked up the first time." He gave Accelerator a knowing look. "And we can't deny his power... fighting him to take the girl by force will just cause more casualties."
Accelerator was silent, though his bangs covered his eyes, Asphalt could feel his red eyes focusing on him. Asphalt took a deep breath before closing his eyes and giving Accelerator a bow.
"I'm sorry," he said in a low and somber tone. "You knew little about me and yet you chose to trust the child to me… and I failed, heavily." Asphalt stood up straight as he faced Accelerator with a look of determination. "I know I'm asking for much but… please let us give you as much assistance as possible, not as enforcers of the magic world, but as followers of Razoh's teachings."
Accelerator was silent for a while, though he was still pissed about everything that happened, he couldn't exactly blame Asphalt either. Asphalt had indirectly done what he could to save Eri, going so far as to contact him. Accelerator closed his eyes for a second before opening them, grunting. "Do what you want, as long as it doesn't bother me, I don't care."
Asphalt gave Accelerator a cheeky smile, his wrinkles showing how much older he was but yet a strange sense of youth showing on his face.
Asphalt was quiet as Velvet stared at him questioningly. "Asphalt…" she looked at him worriedly. He looked up at her with a smile. "Don't worry, that boy's strong, and I have a feeling… that he's going to get even stronger as time passes on." His voice carried a tone of reassurance, though his expression held a hint of solemnity. It was clear that Asphalt had a deep respect for Accelerator's abilities, even if they had been adversaries in the recent events.
Velvet nodded slowly, taking in Asphalt's words. Despite the uncertainty of their situation, his confidence in Accelerator's strength provided a small glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. She trusted Asphalt's judgment, knowing that he had seen his fair share of challenges and obstacles throughout his career.
"SO. FUCKING. CUTE!!!!"
Accelerator winced as Saki started to squeal loudly, again. Right after Accelerator confirmed, both to his landlord and Eri herself, that she was going to be staying with him, Saki, graciously (please note the sarcasm) volunteered to accompany them in buying Eri some new clothes. Accelerator, having never really bothered much with buying his own clothes and just wore any second hands Saki had to offer, agreed. Biggest. Mistake. Of his Life!
Saki had dragged them to 7 different stores. SEVEN. FUCKING. STORES! To buy Eri the 'perfect clothes' for her. Accelerator was at the end of his wits; he would have just walked away… if it wasn't for Eri.
The little girl at first had been puzzled, and then nervously excited. It was clear she'd never done anything like this before, and at first did it with a sense of serious maturity, which after the 3rd store, turned into her humoring the adult acting like a child (Saki) but then after a while she started getting into it herself. Seeing the shopping expedition as more of an adventure than a chore, the little girl started to have fun.
Accelerator, sitting on a small sofa in the store, watched glumly as Eri awkwardly spun in a blue dress with long sleeves and a pearl white bow on the back, a bright glow on her face, though she still wasn't smiling, her face and body language expressed clear joy as she vibrated in happiness and excitement. Saki had her phone out and was rapidly taking pictures of her, a fool's smile on her face as she showered the timid child with compliments. Accelerator didn't know what it was, but something about the scene in front of him made him feel a sense of peace he'd only ever gotten when he was by himself. Alone, somewhere quiet, a place where no one could bother him… a place where no one could try to hurt him. But now, the shop had a fair few people in it, it was noisy enough that it would have usually given him a headache, but for some reason he couldn't focus on the noise.
Eri happily trotted off, in search of a new dress while Saki ran after her. Accelerator was still seated; he could feel them close by with his powers, so he watched over them from afar. A sense of peace washed over him. If moments like this could just last forever, he'd be eternally grateful. But that was wishful thinking in a world where wishes were about as good as people's trust in each other. Having a good relationship with Asphalt and Velvet would provide him with many opportunities to learn more about this world's anomaly, since magic didn't exist in his world of science.
Accelerator opened his eyes as he felt Eri come rushing up to him. In her hand was a sundress, blue with a daffodil pattern, and straps. She held it up eagerly, showing Accelerator the dress as best she could. "I picked it alone!" she said in a proud voice. Accelerator was quiet for a second before he let out a sigh. "Looks good, go buy it," he said in an indifferent tone, as he closed his eyes again. Eri's face brightened as she ran at full speed towards Saki, who had been quietly standing behind with a smile on her face as she watched them interact.
Let this peace last as long as possible, please.
Shouta Aizawa looked through the reports in his hand with a sigh. What the hell was going on in this city?
A recent report sent by Tsukauichi caught his eye, along with the local newspapers and TV stations. A beam of light shot out into the sky, literally piercing through the clouds and causing a mini shockwave throughout the city. Power like that was rare, rare to the point it was almost ridiculous in a world of quirks. The only person Aizawa could think of as having that kind of power would be All Might, but All Might couldn't shoot lasers or beams of light. And All Might was already confirmed to have been somewhere near Takoba Beach, Nezu never said why he was there though.
Letting out a sigh, Aizawa continued walking alongside Fat Gum, the BMI Hero. "Boy, am I excited," the BMI Hero cheered. He wasn't in his Fat Form, making his costume look too big on him. "The hospital we're going to is right next to the best Takoyaki stands in Shibuya, you gotta try some."
"I'll be sure to," Aizawa answered, not even remotely interested in trying to hide his disinterest. "Why exactly is this hospital important?" he asked, although he was given a brief explanation of why, he preferred to hear a more detailed version of the story. Fat Gum, from what he heard, was one of the leading Heroes in the investigation. "The beam of light was located to have come from an old, abandoned hotel…" Fat Gum had a serious expression on his face. "The team sent to investigate it found a sort of tunnel at the back of the hotel, leading directly to the inside of a hill." Aizawa's eyes widened. 'Clever, and original,' he thought. Fat Gum continued, "There wasn't much there we could find. The whole place had practically caved in on itself, and… there were signs of some sort of fight having taken place."
"An investigation carried out by the police questioned the locals… a good half of 'em admitted to having heard a lot of strange sounds, but thought it was a part of some sort of construction or something," Fat Gum's eyes narrowed. "We found out that the hotel belonged to a man named Kyoya Hamazura, he inherited it after his parents' deaths."
"I'm guessing there's something more about him that has you on edge," Aizawa added, to which Fat Gum grunted in reply. "The name Hamazura… it was present in an investigation a… friend of mine was a part of… one that led to his death." Aizawa looked at the younger man. It wasn't long since Fat Gum took to the field but he was still young, which meant his friend must have been even younger when he passed… a teen… just like him, and Aizawa could sympathize. Losing a friend in this line of work was always thought to be honorable, the best way to die. But in Aizawa's opinion, there was no good way to die. Especially not at such a young age.
"I'm sorry," Aizawa said in a low tone. There was no sympathy in his tone, just a sense of understanding that was well appreciated. Fat Gum let out a small smile. "There was no confirmation on how he died… there wasn't even a body to collect but… Kyoya Hamazura was a suspect to have been involved," he looked down at his hands before gripping them into fists. "I know it's wrong to bring personal feelings into a case that is completely unrelated- I just… I need to ask one question… and I think he's the only one who can give me an answer." Aizawa closed his eyes for a minute before opening them, a gleam of understanding in them. "It's illogical and dangerous to let your emotions control your actions," Fat Gum let out a small, sad smile, "but as long as you can keep your emotions from getting in the way of the current case… I have no need to report you," Aizawa finished, making Fat Gum slip him a smile of gratitude.
They continued their walk, the weight of the investigation and personal emotions heavy on their shoulders. But as Heroes, they had to push forward, no matter the obstacles in their way.
Nothing more was said as they reached the hospital doors.
The hospital was bustling with activity, patients and staff moving about, yet there was an underlying tension in the air that Aizawa couldn't ignore.
After a few minutes, a nurse with purple, floating hair hurried over to them, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Nurse Tanaka. How can I assist you today?" she asked, her tone professional but welcoming.
Aizawa glanced at Fat Gum, silently deferring to him to lead the conversation. Fat Gum nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to Nurse Tanaka. "Thank you for seeing us, Nurse Tanaka. We're Heroes investigating a recent incident related to an abandoned hotel nearby," he flashed her his Hero Liscence as he explained, his tone polite but direct. "We were hoping to speak with Doctor Hamazura, as we believe he may have information relevant to an ongoing investigation."
"I'm sorry?" the nurse looked confused, "how can you talk to Doctor Hamazura?", she asked. A question which the two heroes found extremely odd, "Pardon?", Fat Gum looked just as puzzled, "What exactly do you mean mam?". The nurse was silent before asking in confusion, "Are you not here about Doctor Hamazura's disappearance? It's been almost 26 hours now and no one has been able to contact him, we already told you".
"You told us what now?" Aizawa asked looking at her in surprise, "The report", she said in an 'obvious' tone as if that answered everything, "The hospital made a report regarding Doctor Hamazura's disappearance".
Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly. The situation was becoming more intriguing by the minute. "Do you have any idea where Doctor Hamazura might have gone?" he asked, his tone neutral but probing. Nurse Tanaka shook her head, a troubled expression crossing her features. "I'm afraid not. Doctor Hamazura was always dedicated to his work, but he could be quite private about his personal life," she explained. "We're all concerned about his well-being, especially considering recent events."
Aizawa nodded in understanding, his mind already racing with possibilities. Whatever had happened to Doctor Hamazura, it seemed to be connected to the mysterious incident at the abandoned hotel. But without more information, they were still grasping at straws.
"Thank you for your time, Nurse Tanaka. If you hear anything about Doctor Hamazura's whereabouts, please don't hesitate to contact us, and if you don't mind, might we take a look at your security feeds?" Fat Gum asked, offering her a reassuring smile.
Nurse Tanaka nodded, her expression grateful. "Of course, you're more than welcome to do so, I'll let you know if we hear anything," she promised before excusing herself to attend to her duties.
Aizawa and Fat Gum exchanged confused glances as Nurse Tanaka hurried away. The puzzle pieces weren't fitting together as neatly as they had hoped. Doctor Hamazura's sudden disappearance added another layer of complexity to an already murky situation.
"Missing, with no explanation?" Fat Gum muttered, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "That's... concerning."
Aizawa's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, if he's missing then why was there no mention of it on the report?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion. He quickly scanned the report in his hand, searching for any mention of Doctor Hamazura's disappearance. Finding none, he frowned deeply. How had they missed such a crucial detail?
Fat Gum nodded, his expression mirroring Aizawa's confusion. "The nurse mentioned reporting it, but we didn't hear squat about any missing doctor," he confirmed, his tone troubled. "And if the hospital staff doesn't know where he is..."
Aizawa's mind raced with possibilities. Doctor Hamazura's sudden absence raised more questions than answers. What had happened to him? And how was it connected to the incident at the abandoned hotel?
"We need to find out more about Doctor Hamazura's recent activities," Aizawa concluded, his tone resolute. "If he's involved in this in any way, we need to track him down."
Fat Gum nodded in agreement, determination flickering in his eyes. "Right. Let's gather as much information as we can from the hospital staff. Someone must have seen or heard something that could give us a lead."
As they rose from their seats, Aizawa couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach. Doctor Hamazura's disappearance was just the beginning of a much larger mystery, and he had a sinking feeling that they were only scratching the surface.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Safia_Sabry
Safia_Sabry Please comment and let me know what you think.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder