章節 50: Quirk erasing bullets
Nighteye nodded with gratitude, before asking
Bubble girl to continue. The conversation led to the topic of the hero network, and the formal plea for help they had posted from heroes across the country. Uraraka who sat a few seats down along the table had spoken up to ask about what the Hero Network was for when an agitated Rocklock sighed exasperatedly, drawing the attention in the room.
"May I just ask why there are kids here? Even if they are students of UA?" The Hero began irritably, frowning as he dropped his head into the palm of his hand, leaning on the table," If we keep stopping to talk about unnecessary things, we will never get to the end of this."
The heroes across the room fell silent at Rock lock's request, Uraraka awkwardly shifting back into her seat as Izuku, unable to see Urarakas' reaction frowned at the Pro Hero. It seemed as if, after a short while, Fatgum was the only hero who wanted to stand up for the students; looking as if he was about to retort when another hero across the room interrupted to add his thoughts.
"I'm going to have to agree with Rock lock on this one. Nighteye."
Izuku looked over to the new voice across the room, only to pause hesitantly as his eyes met with the hero who had been glaring at him before, the same hero who had worked towards capturing and imprisoning him over the course of the last year or so.
"More specifically why we're letting one of the students who were kidnapped by All for One and the League of Villains work on a case which involves them!" The hero folded his arms as he narrowed his eyes in disapproval, carefully avoiding Aizawas glare as he peered over to Izukus own as he gave his reasoning. "What use is it going to be to anyone when we decide to raid the place, and the League sweeps in and kidnaps him again?!"
And although Izuku could hear the hostility in the hero's voice directed at him, Izuku couldn't fault him for his doubts.
Some of the heroes around the room narrowed their eyes at the hero's words, while the rest fell into an awkward silence, Aizawa and Gran Torino turned to glare at the hero for his blunt and careless words as Izuku furrowed his brows in a grimace.
"…..I-I wouldn't let that happen again, and if I do I'll break myself out-" Izuku said anxiously as all eyes in the room fell onto him.
The hero scoffed, interrupting Izuku, clearly annoyed as he retorted.
"Like you did last time? And how did you manage to do that?'
The hostility coming from across the table left Izuku too shocked for words, his eyes wide with disbelief as the hero hinted at the details of his escape. It was clear from the beginning that the hero didn't like him, but surely they must realise the questions his words would bring?
On edge from his words, izuku didn't notice Aizawas' deepening frown, moments away from stepping in himself when Nighteye spoke up first.
"Enough, that's enough squabbling for today. We're pulling away from the topic of the meeting." His stern voice echoed across the room, glaring at the hero who had dared to ask Izuku those questions,
"You need to keep your personal grudges out of the meeting, or you will be asked to leave."
Sir Nighteyes cryptic threat, to those out of the know, hit a nerve with the hero who wisely decided to stay quiet sitting back into his chair with folded arms.
As the room settled, Nighteye cleared his throat.
"Continuing on, last week an investigation of what we believe is a compound linked to the Yakuza group was conducted, Bubblegirl and I were recording the activity entering and leaving the facility." He continued, leaning his head onto his connected hands under his chin, "During that time while patrolling my interns Togata and Midoriya happened to run into their leader himself, along with the young girl who identified herself by the name of Eri"
Mirio sighed deeply beside Izuku, lowering his head at the memories of the condition she had been in.
"When she first ran into us she had been covered in bandages, she looked terrified..."
A few gasps could be heard around the room as the state of the child was revealed, Izuku nodding solemnly in agreement to his upper classman's words.
Nighteye looked over to his interns before facing the rest of the group. "When investigations of the girl were conducted we, unfortunately, were not able to gather any more information on the girl. Eri, as far as we have found, does not legally exist."
The heroes shifted uncomfortably at the horrible situation Nighteyes words had shared, a few gasps filtering through the room as Izuku's internship mentor concluded his point. There was a child trapped and no one had known.
"With that in mind, we've reason to believe that the Shie Hassaikais' main source of income is from weaponized drugs." Nighteye pushed forward, the screen behind him finally switching to something new as he looked towards Fatgum, "That is why I've asked Fatgum and his interns to join us today, who also happens to have experience with this weaponized drug first hand."
Rock lock lifted his head of his hand, having given up pestering on Izuku's presence as he looked over to Fatgum with interest.
"So what kind of drug was it then, some kind of trigger?"
Fatgum rubbed the back of his head.
"That was what the first villain Kirishima here went against was using but afterwards, Amajiki here went against quite the opposite." Fatgum began as a serious frown formed on his face, looking over to his two interns beside him, "One of the villains had a gun with bullets, that when shot with, were able to destroy someone's quirk."
The hero looked down at Amajiki, gently pressing his hand atop his head as he encouraged the socially anxious boy to speak, as Izuku and the rest of the unsuspecting people around the table looked around in shock.
Amajiki, as comical as it looked, dropped his head with an embarrassed sigh.
"…..It took away my ability to use my quirk at all, but thankfully the effects wore off overnight." Amajiki began with a mumble, not giving anyone around the table eye contact, as he activated a few small squid tentacles on his fingers, "I can use my quirk fine now, but it was rather off-putting for a while..."
A bullet which could stop quirks.?
Nighteye nodded his head, looking over to Aizawa.
"We've brought Erasurehead in to explain in further detail."
Aizawa looked around the room dully.
"Unfortunately from what I can see, this drug works differently to how my quirk does." Aizawa began, folding his arms, "My quirk disables someone's quirk factor temporarily without damaging it. This drug, however, seems to target the quirk factor directly, damaging it enough to force it to stop working until it heals like a regular wound."
A drug that could damage quirk factors?
The conversation carried on without Izuku, as Nighteye continued on as Izuku was stuck in his thoughts. Caught up in his own problems and emotions, he couldn't get the possibilities out of his head.
"-and with the Bullet Kirishima saved, we did some further testing-"
Could that drug get rid of his quirk? The dreaded hunger he feared to feel again? If he just preserve One for All he could-
"-contains traces of human DNA."
All the thoughts and possibilities vanished as they came, deep inner horror surfacing at Fatgums words as Izuku was pulled from his thoughts, eyes sunken and hollow.
Human DNA? In the drug? Why would there be DNA in the drug unless-
The villain is so desperate to keep the kid with him.
The bloody scent that had drifted through Eri's bandages.
Was- was Overhaul using her body? Was it Eri's DNA?
The realisation washed over Izuku, slowly clamping his hand over his mouth in unnoticed horror as he discovered the true meaning behind what Nighteye was hinting at. Disgust raged as something other than normal food made Izuku sick to his stomach.
Oh no...
"So is there actually any evidence between these bullets Fatgums agency has found at this Overhaul gusThe oblivious hero who had verbally attacked Izuku early pestered, "It seems awfully like you're trying to push this on them without any concrete evidence.
Centipeder took control.
"We have evidence which shows that some of the suppliers of Tigger have recently come into contact with the Shie Hassaikai," Nighteyes sidekick began, clicking the screen forward to a trade map which the drugs followed, "Rykuyo and her team have also recently come into contact with some quirk enhances which have followed through the same supply chain."
"All the drugs in concern here have come from the same supply chain the Shie Hassaikai are part of, in one way or another. We're not sure if they are selling these bullets, or mass producing them, but we're almost certain that they are giving away samples in an attempt to gather more allies." Nighteye took over, Centipeder allowing him to continue freely, "In addition to that, Overhaul's quirk gives him abilities to break down matter. He also claimed that Eri was his daughter. Whether they are related or not, it's not too far-fetched to believe that he may have someone under him with similar abilities."
luku felt his heartbreak for the poor girl, as his suspicions were confirmed as true. The Shie Hassaikai were experimenting on her?
A morbid silence deafened the room, as each and every person was left horrified by the inhuman acts Chisaki was conducting.
"…Damn it... This would have been far easier if these two kids of yours Nighteye had grabbed her in the first place!" Rock lock uttered out a curse, as Izuku and Mirio felt a wave of guilt overcome them.
Nighteye lowered his head as he looked over to the hero, "I apologise, l'll take responsibility, I instructed neither of them to engage the enemy and they choose to follow through with my orders."
Rock lock sighed exasperatedly as he accepted
Nighteyes' response.
"So how are we going to find this girl now?"
Across the table, Rykuyo agreed, folding her arms as she peered at Nighteye with curiosity.
"I'm afraid im going to have to agree with Rock Locks' question, how do you intend to find her now?"
Nighteye pushed his glasses up as he addressed their question.
"Over the last few months of our investigation, we have located a number of different facilities linked to the Shie Hassaikai. In addition to that, i was able to use my quirk on a member who works in the compound we believe Eri is currently being held at, only a few miles from where my interns last saw her We've seen that the compound goes far underground, and we've learnt the route into the basement, however, I'm unsure of the extent the facility may go."
"How are we meant to find a child in a maze underground? We can't afford to spend time looking around each room for her!" Rock lock countered, "Your quirk may have seen what she was, but that doesn't mean she's going to be there when we go to rescue her. Chisaki saw her with heroes once before, he definitely isn't going to let her walk out so freely again."
"I agree, which is why I ask all of you here to keep an eye out on any possible movement at the compounds we've found across the country." Nighteye agreed, sitting back up as he unclasped his hands, "My quirk will give us the insight we need into the facility once used on someone working there, and once we have narrowed down her location, we have other means of pinpointing exactly where she is."
Nighteye looked over to Izuku meaningly as he paused, causing the poor boy to tense up in anticipation.
"Midoriya, having met the child himself, will be able to find Eri and Overhaul if necessary."
Looks of surprise hovered around Izuku as the heroes in the room placed their trust in Nighteyes decision, only Aizawa himself peering over to Nighteye in contemplation, not liking the connotations of where the conversation was hedded.
"With that in mind, we need to keep an eye on any changes which happen around the noted facilities, once we've ensured her location it won't take long to find her!" Nighteye began determinedly, "We will rescue Eri and force these bullets out of production."
Once the meeting was over, Izuku and the rest of the UA students went to one of the many empty rooms in the agency as the heroes finished up discussing the building they would each have to watch.
Izuku sat with his hands clenched into fists, silently worrying with a grimace hurting his face as the rest of the students obviously discussed the meeting, the internalised struggles Izuku was facing standing silent.
He honestly wasn't sure how to feel about it.
Nighteye was placing the whole operation's success to find her on his quirk! A quirk that, even though he wanted to improve and utilised it to the best of his abilities, still horrified him and left him feeling grossly uncomfortable after having it brought up in such a public situation; however underlying the hints were.
After Nighteye had mentioned using Midoriyas' quirk to save Eri, the questions about Nighteyes ow quirk came rolling into the conversation. Odd heroes from left and right of the room asked why he wouldn't use their own futures to see if the rescue mission was successful.
Nighteye had refused through and through, and in some ways, it seemed rather hypocritical to Izuku.
Putting Izuku in a position where he had to use his ghoul quirk, no matter how unharmful that one ability was compared to the rest, only to refuse to use his own quirk to see the outcome of the rescue operation.
Although in hindsight Izuku understood Nighteyes' reasoning, knowing that all of his foresighted predictions so far had come true, only for the man to look into All Mights' eyes to see his death in the near future. Yeah... That was something that even Izuku didn't think he could stomach seeing...
Limiting the use of his own quirk for the protection of others around him was the excuse that Nighteye had finally come up with, not far from the truth but lacking any details that someone would need to put two and two together.
Unluckily for Izuku, with the conversation he had with All Might the other week, it didn't take long to see how the vision was affecting Nighteye too.
Izuku let out a shaky sigh, slowly coming to terms with the rescue plan, as the elevator door on the other side of the room opened with a ping. Izuku and the others peered up to look at the new presence in the room, only to make eye contact with his own class sensei as Aizawa made his way across the room.
Uraraka, who had been busily talking to the rest of the people around the table, was the first to speak.
"Aizawa sensei! What are you doing here?" She said with a hint of surprise in her voice.
The tired hero sighed as he scratched the back of his head at Urarakas' choice of greeting.
"I just came up here to tell you all we need to be getting back to the UA campus soon. And please, Uraraka, call me Ereasurehead outside of school."
Uraraka quickly apologised, as the hero looked over to where Izuku was wearily seated before addressing his students dully.
"I'll be honest with you all. Before Nighteye announced he was planning on using Midoriyas quirk to save Eri, I'd been planning on pulling you all out of your internships."
A row of gasps could be heard as Izuku and his classmates looked up at their sensei with shock and surprise, Izukus' own eyes blown wide as his jaw dropped in mild horror.
Uraraka bounced up out of her seat as she leaned toward her teacher in dismay.
"What? But why!"
Aizawa gave his students a tired sigh, rubbing his eyes in the process.
"You heard what they said in the meeting, didn't you?" Aizawa began, lowering his hand as looked at his students with concern, "The league of villains is involved now, and you've all been through enough unfortunate situations for me to comfortably allow you to be so again.
Izuku watched as Aizawa looked over at him with hidden worry in his eyes.
"…..Especially for you Midoriya. I don't want to put you through that or let you near them again in good conscience. It's not fair on you or your sense of well being."
The look of concern and worry on Aizawa's face made Izuku lower his head in shame and embarrassment, the room falling silent as he clamped his eyes shut for a moment, and breathed a deep sigh of acceptance.
"N-no, it's fine... I want to help save Eri."
Somehow, it looked as if the worry got worse.
"I know I can trust you, Midoriya, I know you are more than capable on your own. It seems as if even Nighteye would agree with me on that, but if they ever go after you again I need you to run away. Get out as fast and quickly as you can!" Aizawa told him seriously, looking down at this student in a way that gave Izuku little options in arguing.
Izuku grimaced at Aizawa in shock and horror at the request, his mind now fully pulled away from the idea of the quirk cancelling drug. The rest of the group looked between the two with worry and shock, unsure of what to say.
"W-what? No! What about Eri!?"
Izuku's fists remained clenched, watching as Aizawa walked towards him to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.
The expression on Aizawa's face softened.
"There will be plenty of other heroes who will be there to rescue her, there's no chance of her getting left behind, but if push comes to shove, you need to stay away from the League. We don't know what their intentions still are for you, alright?" A grimace fell onto the hero's face, hesitating for only a moment,"…..I know you managed to escape last time, Midoriya, but there is no chance it would be as easy again. Do you understand..?"
As much as he hated to admit it, lzuku nodded his head understanding where his sensei was coming from.
"Yes sir."
With that, Aizawa looked up and back around at the rest of his students seated around the table, looking all as equally worried as each other.
"That goes for the rest of you as well," Aizawa continued, addressing the rest of his students sincerely, "You're still students, you still have your whole lives in front of you, so don't go in there believing you are expected to risk life and limb to rescue her."
The rest of the students watched Aizawa in subtle surprise, slowly lowering themselves back into their seats as their sensei lowered his voice as he spoke.
"There will always be other opportunities to rescue her, but you won't get another chance of being a hero."
The hidden connotations behind Aizawas words spoke loudly enough; there were no second chances for life. Aizawa was right. Izuku had been incredibly lucky escaping, with Bakugou in tow, from the clutches of the league of villains the first time. He knew they would never let him escape so easily again.
Aizawa let out a deep breath as he hummed in thought, slowly letting go of Izuku's shoulder as he stood up again.
"That being said, I know I won't be able to stop you all once you've started something. You're strong, all of you, and you've been through a lot together." Their sensei began, looking at them all with a tired smile warming his face, "More so for you too, Midoriya, so if you all want to go through with this, I'll be there and I'II help you in any way I can."
Surprise popped up onto his students' faces as Aizawa lowered his head into his capture scarf, Izuku himself looking towards his sense with comfort. Aizawa really did have a soft side, Izuku knew from experience, but this was probably the first time he'd seen it when he wasn't alone after crying about his own problems.
"We'll be there to help you too, Deku! We'll all be there to help rescue her!" Uraraka pipped in, clenching her fist with determination as Hado quickly agreed, both their cheerful personalities warming the sorrow in the room.
Aizawa looked between his students before continuing softly.
"I'll only say this once to you, just to give you even a little peace of mind." Aizawa began, "Just because you didn't save her before doesn't mean you didn't give her hope. Before you met her, no one had even known of her existence, but now we have ways of tracking her down until she is safe! These things take time, Midoriya, but we heroes will always be there to save those in need.
Izuku knew from experience his senseis' words were not just for show. He looked over to his friends as a small, wobbly smile replaced the grim look on his face as he rubbed away the tears which had once threatened to form, his sensei's words waNhing his heart.
"Yes Sir! We'll try our best!"
"So, what're your thoughts on the boy?"
The room was quiet, shaded by the sun falling on the opposite side of the building, as the pair of heroes stared off into the distance around the agency. Gran Torino stood beside Nighteyes side, looking over at the tall hero as Nighteye stood silent in thought.
"I was sceptical at first, but he's far different than I first imagined." Nighteye slowly began, contemplating his words before he continued," I didn't understand why he was given the freedom he has after the heinous crimes he committed, having to blindly trust his sense's words, but after meeting him I understand."
Gran Torino hummed in acknowledgement.
" I wasn't too different when i found out myself, although i had met him before his past was revealed, it was still a lot to take in." Gran Torino replied, "Admittedly, it didn't take too much convincing, after all the interrogations and alibis proving he wasn't working with the league. The shock has worn off, but I'm still coming to terms with it myself, god knows I'm not the only one."
Nighteye remained silent, deep in thought, wondering how All Might had come to terms with it himself as Gran Torino huffed out a small chuckle.
"Still, I feel like now it's out in the open, he's doing much better now. At least now I know the teenage angst I thought he was putting on during his internship has mostly gone, that must be one massive weight off his shoulders!"
Gran Torino's weak attempt of lightening the conversation had Nighteye resisting the urge to roll his eyes, now really wasn't the time or topic.
Ignoring the older heroes' words, Nighteye looked toward Gran Torino with an unimpressed look, raising an eyebrow.
"It was a bit of a gamble, wasn't it? Sending Midoriya my way with the powers he holds."
Gran Torino let out a chuffed laugh, ignoring Nighteyes' attempt of changing the topic as he shook his head.
"At least it seems as if it's paying off, especially if it gives you and All Might a chance to talk."
Nighteye glared at the older hero as he sighed irritatedly in response.
"You shouldn't be going around playing games like that, Torino." Nighteye began unamusingly, eyeing the hero before pausing, "…..But now I understand why you recommended him to me, their backstories may vary dramatically, but now I can seeWhy All Might chose him.
Gran Torino looked away from the city landscape as he smiled fondly at the hero, his thoughts wandering to their shared student.
"It seems as if your quirk can't predict everything perfectly after all."
Nighteye gave in and rolled his eyes at the agitating older man.
"Maybe this time, but I wouldn't push it..."
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