At Any Cost (Part 1)

All Might's hand shook as he put his cellphone down on the table in his home. He could hear his own shaky breath. This was the second time a UA student had been abducted by the League of Villains. This time, there were no clear leads and no tracking devices to follow. The retired hero slowly walked over to the window and looked out at the night sky. Somehow, he felt like things were about to get a lot worse before they got better. Jason was truly on his own until he could be found.

Ms. Harper was in tears as she hugged Chris. She had rushed over as soon as she had been called. "Are you ok?!" Chris didn't answer. She already knew from the phone call. Jason was gone. Chris held his mother tightly. Shoto jumped out of the arriving police cruiser and sprinted to Chris. "Where is he?!" Chris looked at her, on the verge of tears. Shoto took a step back, in shock. She was now on the receiving end of the same pain that Jason had felt during her abduction. She fell against the wall, sliding down it until she was sitting on the ground. "...no…" Chris's phone rang. It took him a second to realize that it was ringing. He looked at his phone and immediately answered. "Momo?! Where are you?!" "Hey Chris. I'm in the hospital." "The hospital?! What happened?!" "I got attacked by a Nomu. I'm relatively fine, but Denki is getting looked at." "...you guys too…?" Momo was shook. "You got attacked too?" Chris sighed. "...everyone did… Kirishima is in emergency surgery, Shoto and Mina have minor injuries, and… and Jason has been captured…" Momo was silent for a long time before speaking. "Chris." "...yes…?" "We're getting him back. No matter what."

The following week, after the hospital had medically cleared everyone, Chris and Kirishima arrived in San Francisco. They entered the Fatgum Agency without saying a word. They knocked on Fatgum's open door. He had just finished a phone call. "Come in." Chris entered first. "I want to request a temporary transfer." Fagum was confused. "Transfer? To where?" "To whatever agency is trying to find Jason." Fatgum slightly smiled. "That's us." Chris narrowed his eyes. "...but I thought agencies can only take cases in their own city." "Not true at all. Typically we try to avoid cases in other cities just because of travel and local knowledge. However, Jason is one of ours. We are taking the lead on this." Kirishima pounded his fist into his own hand. "And then we take out every League of Villains member we find." Fatgum stood up. "Agreed. However, taking out the League isn't our top priority. Saving Jason must remain the focus of our efforts."

Momo and Mina sat down in front of Ryukyu's desk. This was the first time the three had been face to face since the Cosa Nostra Raid. "...are you two feeling alright?" The girls nodded. Ryukyu gave an approving nod before getting to the reason the two interns were called in. "So you two want to request a temporary transfer to the Fatgum Agency to assist with a missing person case. Why?" Momo sighed. "...the missing person is one of our good friends. We need to find him." Mina nodded. Ryukyu sighed, staring at the transfer paperwork. "I knew. I just wanted to hear it from you two." The pro hero signed off on the transfer paperwork. "I really hope you find him, because this world truly needs Endgame."

Shoto stormed into the Endeavor Agency. "Father!" Endeavor didn't look up from his computer. Shoto slammed her fists on his desk. "You rejected my transfer request?! Why?!" Endeavor still didn't look up from his work. "Because you are needed here." Shoto yelled as she began marching away. She stopped and turned back around. "I know you don't like him! I get it!" She stomped back to the desk. "But now you're going to let him die because of that?! You're going to punish me because of that?! How much more suffering do we have to endure because of your unfair bias, 'Number One Hero'?!" She had twisted his title in such a way to make it sound like an insult. Endeavor didn't bother responding as he continued clicking his mouse. Shoto was finally fed up and stormed around the desk to his side. "What on earth is so goddamn-" She stopped. Endeavor had a map of Santa Cruz pulled up with potential League of Villains hideouts marked and a circle around the city. The spot where Jason had been abducted was the epicenter of the circle. Shoto blinked a few times. Endeavor looked at her. "Jason was abducted here in Santa Cruz, where the League normally operates. Because of their normal headquarters being over an hour away from here, the Fatgum Agency will be moving into our building temporarily for the duration of the case, meaning the transfer paperwork would have been a waste of time." Endeavor stood up. "You're acting like a civilian, waiting for someone else to solve the problem for you." He began walking to the door. "As heroes, we are the only ones who can make a difference. You better start acting like a hero, or else Jason truly will be lost." Shoto was stunned as her father left. Then she slightly smiled.

The following week, the Fatgum Agency sat down with their two new temporary interns along with Endeavor and Shoto. The Number One Hero nodded to Fatgum. He nodded back. Momo took a look at the brief. Normally, Jason would be the one stepping up in a time of crisis. She picked up her papers and went to the front of the table. The pro heroes and fellow students all looked to her. She stared down at the paper. It was a simple plan to investigate possible hideouts, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. She put the paper back down. "Listen, we all know what is at stake here. Jason is gone and only we can help him." Chris and Shoto both looked at each other. They nodded in understanding before looking back at Momo. She had tears in her eyes. "We will save him from the League of Villains. We will prove that they cannot do whatever they like to us anymore. We will show everyone what happens when you attack one of our own."

Momo looked out at her friends, more serious than she has ever been in her life. "We will get Jason back. At any cost."