Capítulo 2323: 65
Ch 65: Dispatch
A/N: And here we go with a new arc! Hope you all enjoy!
"Don't go spewing bullshit like that! Since when have we ever gotten along, bastard?!"
Bakugou's yells were like a parade with how loud they were, the noise reaching the ears of everyone present in the common room.
Even the distress of the news people was palpable, their faces scrunching up each time (which turned out to be the entire time) that Bakigou's voice rose.
"Bakugou sure is being quite lively over there, ain't he?" Ashido said, watching the ongoing interview with interest.
"As vulgar as usual however," Momo added.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they end up cutting him out completely," Izuku added as he scrolled through his phone.
Uraraka, who was watching the ongoing chaotic interview as well, turned her attention to Izuku.
"And what are you doing Midoriya-kun? You're not interested in the interview?"
"Pfft," Izuku responded, sparing a glance at Uraraka. "Should I be? It's nothing new with him, after all."
"I mean, I suppose." Uraraka took a peek over Izuku's shoulder, her face falling a bit. "Oh. Deika City?"
"Mhm," Izuku affirmed, continuing his research over the incident.
"Seriously man?" Kaminari questioned from off to the side. "What's with you? You're always looking up these disastrous and depressing— OW! Alright Jirou! Alright!"
"It's not that I'm looking specifically for depressing events, you know," Izuku said. "I'm looking at these things for a reason."
"The… Nine, I'm guessing?" Momo asked.
Izuku nodded his head. "Yeah. I just want to know their whereabouts, you know? They've been a bit quiet recently, but who knows if that's a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Are you saying that the Nine might have played some part in what happened in Deika City?" Kaminari asked.
Izuku shrugged. "No idea. And that's what I'm trying to figure out."
"It wasn't them. Or at least, I wouldn't think so. It was too quick, with too little bloodshed. Jack likes to prolong his visits, you know?"
And so what? How do you know Kentaro just didn't feel like spicing things up for once? Didn't you say something about him hating when things got boring to him? This could just be an extension of that.
"I'd place more weight on this being the League of Villains. A lot of people were missing, after all. I'd place disintegration as a viable reason as to why. It's not as if the current S9 have anyone capable of disappearing bodies — unless you count Waypoint, that is. And besides, the whole thing seems a bit... fishy. To me at least."
Fishy? What do you mean?
"You've seen the interviews. People seem a bit too… cheerful. Aside from that being another point towards the city probably not having been attacked by the Slaughterhouse Nine, it just seems staged. I mean, a whole city loses a rather large portion of its inhabitants overnight, and the only thing they can talk about it is loosening up restrictions on quirk usage? And not only that, but nobody is shifting the blame over to the heroes? Instead, they're praising the heroes? It's just off, is all."
That's… a good point, QA.
"What the hell did you just say, Half-n-half?!"
Izuku broke out his thoughts and looked over at the corner that the news crew had taken up. He caught a glance at both Todoroki and Bakugou, the former quiet as a mouse and the latter still growling out a storm.
"So loud," Izuku muttered.
He then continued scrolling, passing article by article of the Deika City incident. Each report read the same, with very few variation in between regarding the interviews.
Seems that you are onto something, QA. This requires a more thorough investigation. Maybe even a mention to the police or the Safety Commission. I'll have to contact them later. But for now… hold on. What's this?
Izuku scrolled down the page again. But this time, he fell upon an article not about Deika City at all, but something else entirely.
[Stain Strikes Again! Pro Hero Furgalow Discovered Deceased!]
Izuku opened up the news report and read through it, taking note of a few details here and there. By the time he finished it, Izuku came to discover a few new things about the enigma called Stain.
He was gathering followers. Not the ones that merely remained verbal in their threats against "unheroic heroes," but actual villains. Though, Izuku supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised by who said followers were, considering that he had fought them not too long ago.
"So, it looks like Gentle Criminal and La Brava have joined the ranks of Stain, hmm? It only makes sense, considering it was Spinner that bailed them out of the pummeling you were giving them."
Yeah… But why? Why exactly would Gentle and La Brava join Stain? They didn't exactly seem like ones with a grudge against society and the so-called plague of non-heroes.
"Gentle wanted attention, didn't he? Why else would he post his escapades all over the net? With Stain, he gets that for sure."
Izuku grimaced. I should have taken them out when I had the chance. Now they're out there aiding in the murder of heroes. Just great. Wonderful.
Izuku sighed. "Let's see to it that we run in to them again, eh?"
Ashido looked over. "What was that, Midoriya?"
Izuku groaned. "Nothing, nothing."
Izuku wasn't surprised when the interview came out on the local news the next day and it was broadcast without a hint of Bakugou in it. The resulting outburst that came from Bakugou when he realized he was cut out of the interview wasn't too much of a surprise either, though Izuku did find it to be a bit entertaining.
Though, that being said, what Izuku did get caught off guard with was what came next that day.
Of course, it wasn't the school's visitor that Izuku was surprised with. As per usual, he was well aware of the arrival of Mt. Lady the moment she stepped onto campus. She was accompanied by Midnight, and if that wasn't telling of something going on then Izuku wouldn't know what was.
His bugs followed the duo the entire way of their journey, watching as they made their way to the main building of the school. Their path eventually led them to the teacher's lounge, where they ended up picking up a rather grumpy and sleeping bag-bound Aizawa.
Once they were able to force the Eraser Hero to his feet, the newly formed trio exited the lounge and set off. Considering Aizawa's presence, Izuku wasn't surprised by the realization that the trio was heading right for the 1-A dorms.
Though, Izuku did do a double take when Mt. Lady stopped just outside the entrance of the dorms, detached one of her horns, and placed her ear against the doors.
Right beside Mt. Lady, Midnight's face morphed to let out an exasperated sigh. Further behind, the still sleeping bag-bound Aizawa seemed more resigned than anything.
Izuku formed a small swarm by Aizawa's head.
"Mt. Lady, eh?" the swarm muttered, just loud enough for Aizawa to hear. "What's up with that?"
Aizawa sent an unsurprised look at the swarm that had spontaneously manifested by his head.
"I'd rather explain it to you with the rest of the class, Midoriya," Aizawa said. "It prevents any unnecessary repetition that I'd end up having to go through."
"Shush!" whispered Mt. Lady, her ear still against the door and oblivious to what was happening behind here. "I'm waiting for the opportune moment to burst in!"
Midnight, on the other hand, did end up looking behind her. She eyed the forms of Aizawa and the small swarm in surprise. "Midori—"
The front entrance of the dorms slammed open, revealing the figures of the three pro heroes that Izuku had been watching just moments prior.
"Don't be so optimistic!"
Mt. Lady ended being her usual showboating self all the way through her small prepared speech. By the end of it all, Izuku found that he ended up agreeing to Mineta's claims of her being one of those "Showbiz heroes" she was speaking ill of.
Todoroki ended up being the first to take part in the so-called "media training" that Mt. Lady was holding.
Just as with his previous interview, Todoroki ended up being straightforward and honest — if a bit dense to Mt. Lady's metaphorical comments. He even ended up showcasing one of his moves, something of which the class ended up commenting about.
A small speech from Mt. Lady ended up coming into fruition as a result, highlighting the importance of a hero being held in a positive public light — their appearance, demeanor, and super moves playing a role into it.
From there on, the apprehension of the class died down, everybody mostly understanding what was wanted of them. The same process continued person after person; Mt. Lady would ask what they'd see in themselves as a hero, ask them to demonstrate one of their special moves, and then send them off with some sort of reassuring sentence or catchphrase.
Advertising our signature moves seems a bit foolish, don't you think?
"Oh, definitely. I don't think that we should do it."
We kind of have to. Everybody else did it. Maybe we can… talk about our bug clones? It's not like we don't advertise that move all the time, right?
"You want bug clones to be our — your — first impressions to the populace? They're useful and versatile, don't get me wrong, but they aren't exactly pleasant to look at, you know."
I'll… think of something?
"Hmm… I suppose that that would be alright. We do have other moves that neither the police nor the Safety Commission do know about, after all."
Izuku blinked. We do?
"Midoriya."
Izuku looked up. Mt. Lady was beckoning him towards the stage; it was his turn to go up and undergo his interview.
Izuku sighed, resigning himself to his fate.
"So, Dragonfly," Mt. Lady began. She shoved the microphone into Izuku's face, her head tilting at the action as a serene expression took over her face.
"How's it like defeating your first major villain all by yourself?" She took up a pose, one that drew more attention to her than Izuku himself. "After all, acting solo must have been a far cry from your usual actions under the command line of myself and the rest of my team, right?"
Oh, right. The Lurkers. Does that mean that I'm going to be working under Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady too now that the Lurkers are a thing?
"Umm…" Izuku thought the question over, trying to depict such a situation in his mind.
"It wasn't all too different, I suppose?" Izuku finally said. "I mean, something like fighting villains ends up being the same no matter the situation. The stakes are high, you need to worry about civilians getting into the crossfire, and the main thing that you should be focusing on is subduing the villain."
"Fundamentally, there wasn't anything this time around. The only thing I had to worry about was that I couldn't rely on backup coming in to save the day. But then again, that wouldn't be anything new for me, of course. After all, even before my internships I spent a lot of time—"
Izuku stopped himself from speaking any further, attempting to reorganize his thoughts into things that would be less incriminating to himself. After all, Mt. Lady probably wasn't in the know as Edgeshot was.
"Uh..." Izuku scratched his head.
Mt. Lady raised an eye in question. "Spent a lot of time doing what?"
"Training!" Izuku suddenly exclaimed, just right before letting out a nervous laugh. "My sensei, Kawabata-san — he taught me a whole bunch of fighting styles and such. It's how I know how to use my eskrima sticks and fight. He, uh, had me undergo a bunch of scenarios with his training since he knew how much I wanted to be a hero... Yeah, that."
"Oh my! Well, that was rather nice of him!" Mt. Lady cheered. "Just goes to show the fiery passion that individuals like you can have at such a young age. It's absolutely splendid!"
"Now," Mt. Lady inched ever closer, "would you like to demonstrate something to our viewers? Perhaps… one of your special moves?"
"Oh! Of course!" Izuku replied, willing his orders to the bugs around him. "Hold for a second, please? The thing I'm trying to do will take a bit more time than usual."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"I'm doing something special for you. Something visually pleasing that you'd be able to enjoy. It pays no real benefit in combat, though…"
A mass of bugs swarmed onto the stage. Rather than the usual variety that Izuku controlled, however, the swarm consisted of a very specific set of bugs.
Devoid of things like spiders or flies, the swarm instead held the likes of butterflies, beetles, and similar bugs.
They all converged together to form a singulr bug clone, one that glistened and shimmered in the afternoon light.
Rather than the usual amorphous, flowing black mass that it usually was, the clone was simply a myriad of colors dancing in the light.
The skittering legs and dark undersides of the bugs were hidden from view; each and every bug present played the role of showcasing the bright patterns on the backsides or wings.
As a result, the usual edge and unsettling look of the swarm clone was completely gone, replaced with something that even children wouldn't mind looking at, not ever realizing the mass would have been made of bugs without close inspection.
"Like I said," Izuku continued, "it's aesthetically pleasing to view."
Mt. Lady smiled, nodding her head along as she took in the creation that had come into existence in front of her. "Wonderful! It's beautiful, Dragonfly! Simply beautiful!" Her smile faltered, just a little. "Though, if I may, can I ask one thing?"
Izuku nodded. "Sure."
"Well, aren't the butterflies out of season? It's the middle of winter, not March. Where'd they come from?"
Ah, right.
There was a reason for that, of course. Izuku had been breeding his bugs day in and day out, all in preparation for their use in combat. He would prioritize bugs that actually had combative use — like spiders and wasps — but he ended up getting carried away and repopulating all his bugs.
It was a pretty easy thing to do, considering that he could override their instincts and have them breed even if it wasn't the right season for them to be doing so. And if he ended up getting carried away and making too many bugs, well, that's what the forest near UA was for, right?
"Uh… maybe?"
Mt. Lady raised another eye in question, but didn't push any further than that.
"Well, alrighty! And parting words for the audience then, Dragonfly?"
"Oh! Um… Remember citizens: As long as you're within my range, I'll always be watching! You have no need to fear danger, for my bugs can see all!"
Mt. Lady grimaced. "Yeah, no. You're going to have to work on that, Midoriya. But other than that, you did fine!"
Mt. Lady turned to the class at large. "In fact, except for one minor outlier—"
"What is that supposed to mean, huh?!"
—you all did just wonderful! Seems I have nothing to worry about! In fact, I— Wait wait! I wasn't finished!"
Midnight appeared on stage, nudging Mt. Lady off and away from the spotlight.
The dejected Mt. Lady scuttled of stage in defeat, realizing she didn't actually have any power against the official staff.
Once that was over, Midnight dusted off her hands and went to face the class. "Phew! Now that that's over, I have an announcement to make!"
The class suddenly settled, quieting themselves down in accordance to Midnight's presence.
"Now, for the past few months, all of you have been assigned under a hero agency in some shape or form. Whether they be the result of the Sports Festival or apprenticeships assigned by the school, you've all experienced real combat out in the field."
"That being said, the school has come to a decision to rework our interning system in direct regard to… recent events."
Does she mean Deika City? Or the overall whole of the League, Stain, and the Nine popping up?
"As such, the school is going to be handling the specific details to many of your internships from this point on. We'll be reassigning some of you to other heroes, for one such example."
"Midnight-sensei!" Iida's hand shot into the air. "How are the factors of the reassignment being decided upon?"
"A good question, as per usual Iida," Midnight replied. "For the most part, those of you who had accepted an internship as a direct result of the Sports Festival have nothing to worry about — that is, unless the hero in question has been deemed… unsatisfactory. How that's being determined, I'm not at liberty to say."
"On the other hand, for those of you who didn't receive any offers from the festival and were assigned an agency to intern under by the school, it's likely that your internship sponsor will change."
"Midnight!" Kirishima exclaimed. "What's the reason for this change exactly?"
"I'm not at liberty to say. Apologies."
"Of course! No problem!"
Another hand raised — this one Iida's again. "And when will this change begin, sensei?"
"Effective at the beginning of next year, when the main brunt of the internships kick up again." Midnight nodded.
"Now, any more questions?" Midnight asked, scanning the crowd. When nobody spoke out, she clapped her hands together.
"Alright! Good job today, everyone! I'll just be delegating you back under Aizawa's watch for now, but don't forget what you all practiced today! The media will be a huge part of your lives as heroes after all."
"Though, all things considered, I don't believe that I have too much to worry about in that aspect. Well, for all but a couple of you at the very least. Some of you still need a little work in the area."
"Hold on a second! You're including me in that sentence, aren't you?!"
A/N: Start of a new arc! Stay tuned next time for a… not so seasonally appropriate chapter.
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