C11: Bank Heist - First Blood, An Escape, A Discovery.
Aizawa was looking at Mastermind and Beast, gauging their real ages. He did not really believe the rumor circling the criminal world. However, to his horror, the two were teenagers just like the report, prompting him to be more serious in dealing with the two. The upcoming fight seemed an evitable with how the two were already in fighting stances. He knew All Might was on the streets below, waiting for him to send a signal through the earpiece to capture the two. But he hoped to get some words to the two before any fighting occurred.
"Why are two kids like you doing this vigilantism? "
Hearing that, a ready-to-lurch Beast was stopped by Mastermind by him putting a hand in front; he gave Aizawa a look before turning to his side and started discussing something with Beast. Aizawa could not make out what they were discussing, but their body language told him that they were waiting for something. Beast was pointing at the ground and shaking her head while Mastermind was tiredly nodding his head, clearly displeased with the whole ambush. The boy turned back to him, a distorted voice came out from his metallic mask and exposed Aizawa's teammate.
"Tell the one waiting beneath to come up here. He is strong, but not so discreet nor stealthy ... Eraser Head. "
"They even know my alias, someone did their homework. And Beast has enhanced senses, she even notices All Might down below... Impressive!"
Aizawa thought as he gave All Might the signal to come up. Nezu, tapped into the signal, could only laugh at the situation. The boy was good for his standards; he would be a perfect apprentice. A few seconds passed before Falling debris colliding with the asphalt could be heard below following an explosion, and a huge figure appeared next to Aizawa with a heavy "Thunk!" on the roof, his smile bright and wide. The imposing features of the newcomer drew the attention of everyone there.
The pair seeing the man could only tense up. His signature clothing. his bulging muscles and his blond 2-ears hair, All Might. With the pinnacle of strength and muscle power as their opponent, the two could only think about their retreat plans. Crossing out any upfront attacks, even getting out would be an issue as beside from All Might, they even got to face a professional capture hero Eraser Head. Ina could now confidently say that the man's ability was true. She could feel her power weakened due to his quirk and she was now less powerful than she would have wanted this night. Izuku seemed to notice the same thing as he brought out the heavy-duty weapons, the shoulder shooter and the traps, his eyes never left the opposite side, trailing after every movement.
"You kids should not be out this late doing this kind of thing. How about coming with us? "
All Might said, his smile never dropped. He was just saying that casually but Izuku and Ina could feel cool sweats forming on their backs and their hairs standing up straight. Maybe this had been the emotions most villains felt facing the man, fear and weakness in combination with awe. The man, the usual No.1 hero in the public's eyes, now stood there, challenging them as if they were villains. He was not the hero in this case, no, he was their reaper with his absolute power.
The silent standoff continued, leaving both sides anxious. Aizawa was afraid of this very situation happening, All Might's presence would scare the two into silent opposition. The cause of the situation seemed to realize the same thing and was about to say something mlre to disperse the tense atmosphere when a sound of something ripping apart the air reached his ears. Beast quickly raised her left hand to block an incoming something before ... BAM!. A dampened coiled structure made from hardened fibers of the two colors dull blue and vibrant pink pierced her palm and stuck there, a few drops of blood flown out from the wound and fell onto the ground in the shock of every one on that roof. Ina could feel her middle metacarpal and the connecting tissues missing, her left side muscles in the arms and hands starting to paralyze and she could feel her body doing its best to stop the effect. In just one second following the attack, Izuku rushed to the nearest railing , dragging Ina off the roof down the streets below and began their run in desperation.
"Fuck!"
Izuku and Ina thought as the two set off at full speed, the latter's power had recovered. Ina ripped the bullet out from the recovering hole, throwing the thing away. Her left side was useless, now she was limited to only a hand for upcoming combat if needed. She still needed more time for her body to neutralize the paralyzing effect. The adrenaline was taking over their body as the two ran at their full limits, blitzing across the empty streets and alleys while keeping watch at the surrounding taller buildings to dodge any follow-up strikes.
Aizawa and All Might were snapped out of their daze seeing Mastermind dragging Beast off the roof. They jumped down, hot on the pair's tails while on the lookout for the shooter. They were just as alarmed as their targets from this outside intervention.
" HSPC, you lots really do this type of thing huh..."
Nezu muttered hearing the report from Aizawa through the earpiece. He was hoping for a peaceful meeting but the organization had to stick their noses in his business this way and ruined the encounter. Now he could only call Naomasa to capture all the villains inside the bank, hoping that the fight would not turn too bloody or deadly.
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Nagant was spent after days of non-sleep information gathering. The time taken was mostly spent on crosschecking and finding information sources in the underworld, which was difficult considering her schedule. In the morning, she committed to her heroic duty: patrolling, saving civilians and upkeeping this image of absolution and righteous. Only at night could she focus on the mission. The villains were less prominent with their actions now due to the pair, leaving Lady Nagant grasping at any trail she could catch. Her effort paid up as that night, she captured someone who knew the right info.
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"I surrender!"
A reptile girl said, her arms raised high above her head. She was robbing some drunk office workers when a bullet grazed her scaly skin, leaving a cut now spewing blood. She weakly sat down, gasping from the near-death experience. She prayed that the hero who caught her would be lenient enough. Contrary to her prayer, a cold Lady Nagant arrived, her right-hand rifle pointing straight at the poor girl's head. The muzzle being beside her scared her shitless. From the emotionless look of the hero, she knew she got into one of the more serious and merciless hero.
"I need you to tell me everything you know Beast and Mastermind, now... Or else"
Not daring to hear the last clause, the girl began spewing out everything she could remember about the two. Hearing the same old information, Lady Nagant could only wipe her face in exhaustion but her expression changed when she heard a piece of info she did not expect.
"They will appe...appear an...anytime a big crime happenes. I learnt fro...from my fri...friends that the Color is preparing for a bank heist late at night this weekend. Maybe you... could th...them there."
""When is this heist exactly?"
"I am not s..sure, around We...Wednesay, Thursday and Friday. ""
"Now you can sleep."
"Uh..."
Lady Nagant fired a bullet dipped in the anesthesia solution into the girl's thigh. She could only mutter weakly before succumbing to the drug's embrace. With that being the only clue for her mission, Lady Nagant decided to take her gamble on the heist. She called a nearby hero to apprehend the girl before reporting the information to the Director, now she could only await orders. A few minute later, the Director ordered Lady Nagant to camp near the location all week to observe for any anomaly. The agent could only follow the order while sighing tiredly in her mind, wishing her target could just appear in front of her and stay still to receive her bullet. How true the latter part would be, Lady Nagant did not know.
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Night on an office building 2 km away from the bank
Lady Nagant was watching the enounter between her target and someone on the rooftop. Through her scope, she could see a skinny man with haggard face, blond hair and unfit clothing standing behind a long sportcar. Paying the man no mind, she turned the scope upward and continued her spying on the confrontation. It appeared Mastermind recognized the man oposite them and they were pointing out something. The man only nod his head and before she knew it, someone else had entered the fray.
"How ... All Might? Is UA interessted in them to?"
Keeping her questions to herself, Lady Nagant reported the situation to the Director and requested for support. Her superior angrily cursed the principal of the school before giving her the order to shoot before retreating. She must not let herself be discovered as that would ne gifting Nezu another card on the negotiation table. During that time, Beast and Mastermind were getting ready to run, she could tell from their body directions and antics. Stabilizing her aim, taking in deep breaths consistently and opening her eyes out as wide as possible, Nagant was ready to shoot. She could feel the entire world slowed down and darkened, leaving only her and her target. She was confident that the hit would land and Beast would be down in a few seconds later. Then the support she had requested would come and took the girl away. Then, she pulled the trigger, letting the bullet made from her hair twisted amidst the cool air, cutting through the wind to reach its destination, Beast's shoulder bone.
To her surprise, the girl managed to bring her left hand up and stopped the bullet barely with her left hand skin, bones and muscles. The other three was shook seeing their expression. Lady Nagant was preparing for another shot when Mastermind quickly brought Beast out of her sight, leaving her no opportunity to shoot more. The few times they appeared later, weaving between the buildings and trees, had always been with increased alertness, leaving no gaps for her to shoot. Beast was fast and responsive enough to sense her coming bullet and blocked it, but she was not tough enough to outright ignore the thing.
"Director, Beast blocked my bullet but she was injured in the progress. However, the girl does not seem to be affected by thee anesthesia. Request for support and permission to follow. "
A silent minute passed. The Director was calculating the best move in this situation and she had came to a conclusion.
"Just leave UA to do the capture. Come back. "
Lady Nagant could hear the suppressed frustration in her boss's order. The request for support had been denied. The sniper could do nothing else but to retreat. Knowing the history between the two side with Nezu and the Director at each other throats since the start of the Director as the head of the HSPC, Lady Nagant was surprised at how easy the retreat order had been given out. Nevertheless, her role was to follow order, not to question them, so she answered.
"Copy that."
Lady Nagant began her retreat down the mall roof through the emergency exit, her mind wandering around the failure of her mission.
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Now he was waiting in a stolen Toyota van, two blocks away from the bank, watching the installed TVs on the van to see if any news coverage of the bank heist was on. Switching to different news channels, he finally landed on his sister's broadcast station.
"Our station has received a report from an anonymous call providing the date of a possible bank heist in Musutafu. Our reporter has already arrived undercover at the scene and she has seen a lot of police officers and local heroes on the standby. Now we are switching to her side... "
A moment passed before a professional female voice could be heard.
"Hello everyone, here is Reina Mitsuko from the Musutafu Urban News. Here behind me..."
Seeing his sister a safe distance from the bank, Itadori sighed in relief. That girl really was known for her recklessness during news gathering to the point of gambling with death. Maybe a family had changed her, Itadori thought as he watched the unfolding bank heist. Keeping tab on the news, Itadori heard a strange noise of something landed from a fall near his van, but he paid no mind to the commotion outside. He was focused on the unfolding situation and his hand was ready with a G27 automatic pistol he had bought secretly from a friend in the black market.
"If they truly want to cut me off the share ... then I will give them a candy. They think I am weak, let them think that way, for I will get the money. "
Itadori thought, checking the pistol for any chance of jammed bullet or malfunction. His hand smoothly moved over the barrel, his eyes scanning the thing a millionth time. He was gambling his life tonight, and he wanted the highest odd to be on his side.
"All or nothing, all or nothing, all or nothing, ..."
He chanted to himself, boosting his confidence and his assurance about the plan. The trick his mother taught him really worked as he could feel his head becoming clearer. Words did have the power to improve one's morale, he now belatedly realized. It had been them that had given him the guts to commit the crimes he had done, it had been the same thing that allowed him to betray the crew he had joined from the start.
"Uh oh, it seems combat has occurred between the robbers and the heroes. They are ducking it out in the bank's reception area."
The captured footage brought him back from his trance. Seeing the boss fighting, he knew they had successfully opened the vault and were now approaching the van to make the first delivery. Viona, the new girl, could make those in her 2-meter sphere around her head became invisible and was responsible for getting the 5 others out of the bank unseen and into the vehicle. Suddenly, the obscure side of the car was hit with banging fists, the rhythm akin to pianos signaling the end. Itadori quickly unlocked the doors and saw 3 people throwing themselves inside. They brought with them 5 bags full of cash and an injured person. Bluey, a quirk user who could yap other people and recharge batteries, had his head bloody and his white hair now tainted with the liquid. He was unconscious from the blood loss, leaving a heaving Viona taking her breath before checking the man. Viona sat on the man's lap and started giving him first aid, her face a worry look for her boyfriend. Midori, the group hacker was injured from the security turrets, her arms punctured with holes. She decided to take a sleep as she collapsed onto the seat the farthest from him. Viona relayed the Akai's message.
"Boss says wait here for the others to come. They are taking care of the heroes. Do you have anything to hold back blood?"
Sensing that the opportunity had arrived, Itadori answered with a "Ye!" while turning around, pointing the G27 right at the girl's head. His breath calmed down while he was imagining the three in front of him as scarecrows on a field of rice paddy with their annoying straw heads.
"Just like shooting at the mountain in Okinawa, just like then..."
Itadori said to himself internally, to prepare for the end he would bring forth with his own two hands. The girl was giving her hands out awaiting a piece of cloth. What pointing her was a barrel and before she could utter any more remarks, he pulled the trigger. Viona's eyes widened as the bullet made contact with her forehead and pierced through her skull, leaving in its path clean entry and exit holes. The body fell on top of Bluey. The sound woke Midori up, her face blank, not understanding the situation. The quirkless weakling in front of her had betrayed the team, something she could not comprehend. Before she could regain her sense, Itadori aimed and took a shot through her nose bridge, ending her life in her disbelief.
Itadori pushed Viona's body aside and shot some headshots into Bluey despite the hole in his neck from the shot aimed at his girlfriend. The man was knocked out cold and went on to join Viona painlessly. They would be cursing at him, Itadori thought and chuckled at his self-depreciating joke. The two got what they deserved for messing with him, he thought while looking back at the two corpse in his van. Disposing the corpses would come late when he got to a less crowded area and destroy the car. Any evidence would be burned in the flame of gasoline and C4. He got the bomb ready beforehand at the location he had chosen, an empty parking lot. He dumped the money into his personal bags and turned on the 5 signal jammers on his side seat in fear of chipped bills revealing his position (he had politely raised the issue but was shut down by their hacker Midori, suggesting that he was doubting her skill and what he had received was a punch in the gut for saying out of line.)
Now, he returned to proper driving style, stepped on the gas pedal and got away from the scene driving normally. He was extra careful, even wiping off the blood on the seats behind him and pushing the bodies onto the floor to hide from outsiders looking in. The police, the hero and the crew were none the wiser of what happened in the car, only that they were fighting now. Only a rat somewhere looking at the unconnected signals on his computer in an office was laughing his ass off. The rat was contemplating whether or not he should inform Naomasa, the detective responsible for the case, but he decided not to as today had been a surprising day with his plans going astray with unexpected variables. He thought to himself while pouring a cup of expensive tea: "Let the escapee enjoys a few million yen. That is just a pitiful amount. "
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Looking back, Izuku could see only Eraser Head chasing him, no All Might in sight. He could guess the latter was on Ina's side, busy capturing the physically stronger one. Ina and Izuku had gone two different directions to ease the burden on one another 5 blocks before. Izuku was surprised with the man's stamina seeing Eraser Head following him even after he had run for 10 minutes nonstop. He even dodged all the traps Izuku had thrown at him on the way, weaving between sharp strings, dodging spike grenades thrown at the ground and flare shots coming from his shoulder cannon. Any attempts of cutting line of sight were thwarted by the man's scarf and his relentless pursuit continued without any stop. Without any technical means to end the chase, Izuku could only continue running, waiting for an opportunity.
Izuku could not outrun Erase Head as the man's speed was the same as his and the the sniper who had shot Ina before was still out there. The gunner could be sniping him and he did not have as durable of a body as Ina. Seeing that this game of tag was dragging on and the chaser could have called for more support, Izuku decided to all in. He jumped up onto a lamp post in front of him, leaped to a ramen sign protruding out of a building's wall before getting into an office building by kicking through a window, leaving glass shards for Eraser Head to deal with. The man quickly used his scarf as a makeshift rope to quickly scale the building before wrapping the scarf around his face and neck, leaving hands bare. He jumped through the hole and was meet with a bunch of office chairs and desks flung at him. Eraser Head calmly utilize his scarf as a whip to impart enough momentum to the pieces, pushing them aside.
In front of the path Izuku had chosen was up a closed office building to the roof. Nobody was inside as work time had ended hours ago, the perfect location for the finale. He sped up and gave all his might into his legs, his boosters on his back at full throttle. He had opened the exit door and threw in a few remaining lethal traps he had and now he was scaling the elevator shaft up to the roof after seeing the elevator at ground floor. He estimated that Eraser Head would followed through the exit door and went down, leaving the roof absent. As Izuku got to the top floor, wrenched open the elevator doors and kicked the roof doors wide open, a helipad welcomed him. He was gauging the round area at the edge when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Clever boy, the trick would work if you threw in some sounds. Now surrender."
Eraser Head said, climbing up the final steps before rushing outside. What welcomed the pro Hero was a Mastermind (Izuku) with his twin swords out, his stance ready for the man's arrival. The two looked at each other, observing and waiting for the other to strike first.
"Dual wielding 1 meter blades, seem skilled with the weapons. My quirk is not working, maybe the boy's quirk is not significant in his combat style or he is quirkless. His use of gadgets points toward the latter"
Aizawa judged, his eyes hidden behind the visor. The boy was remarkable, on the same level with some of the B-class heroes and still young enough to improve further. The man still remembered his mission, to test the boy and capture him for a talk if possible. He was waiting for the boy's first move, something only a capable fighter would allow in a street fight.
"Nimble, a good fighter, the scarf will be an issue for weapons usage and fists, but nothing else could be done. The taser is out of commission, the gun is too slow to get out and aim at this range. Swords it is then"
Izuku initiated the fight. A stab coming straight for Erase Head neck, he readied to pull back immediately if failed. Eraser Head turned his scarf sideway, catching the tip and deflected the strike, leading to Izuku's second stab from the right side while quickly pulling the handle of the first one. Izuku got into a rythym, the blade tips came and went like April raindrops onto Erase Head's scarf .The boy employed movement-restrict stabs to prevent Eraser Head from getting out of his focus. Aizawa continued to sidestep, dodged, rerouted Izuku's attacks, multiple friction marks left onto his specialily-made scarf. The man dared not to linger too long at one spot as the second sword could come at him and puncture hum. Eraser Head was slowly getting the hang of it though as the distance between the two was closing in, leaving Izuku to hasten
the stabbing pace. Izuku dared not to use any slash attacks as the gap would be too large and Eraser Head could yank his blades out of his clutched hands, leading to a bareknuckle fight. Seeing the dustance too close for his taste, Izuku immediately sweeped downward with the two swords , widening the distance again by forcing Aizawa to take a step back.
The process repeated several times after that, Izuku refused the incoming capture scarf, his body inching closer and closer to the edge of the helipad, he deliberately did so for the coming part of his plan. From on top of the edge looking outward to the city center, he could hear shockwaves breaking and crashing, cancelling each other out. The collapsed air following the waves had awakened many people to the commotion down on the streets and was telling him where Ina was. He was ready.
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" What a crazy talent!"
All Might thought to himself seeing the afterimages of Beast dodging his blows. He had carefully reduced the amount of stength in each of his puch but they were still fast and steong enough to wreck a house. The girl, he observed, could take on many of the top heroes currently. Her speed was matched only by some of the fastest of the pro Hero, her strength, he felt through her counterattacks, could put some of the heroes he knew to shame. She also had a good enough head to avoid crowded locations and meaningless civilians injuries.
" A good candidate for the future heroscape ..."
All Might thought while letting Ina guided him to the location she were aiming for. He noticed the way she pulled him with her to somewhere, but he was confident in his toughness.
"How about surrendering now?!"
All Might shouted to Beast in front of him, she seemed to ignore that statement as her focus had always entirely been on the man's puch. All Might felt quite bad doing this test of ability to payback Nezu's favor: punching a young girl was something a hero, and his sensei, could never do so easily. And here he was, throwing punches at Beast. All Might now was looking forward to the conclusion of his opponent's plan. For now, he could only keep up the pressure.
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Aizawa was horrified to see the boy so close to the edge, his body basically half way over the thing. Now the two were only 1.5 meters apart. Eraser Head readied his scarf to bring the boy closer when Izuku turned his head back at the man.
"You never expected me to do this, would you?"
The distorted question was the start signal. Izuku jumped down, his eyes watching intensely the scene below. Aiming at the boy's body, Aizawa threw his capture scarf in hope of catching him before he fell to his death. His heroic instinct, honed through countless mission, told him to do so. The boy threw one swords after another to neutralize the attempt. The scarf connected, but only two black swords could be brought back as the boy managed to wriggle his way out of the capture device. With gravity on his side, Izuku fell. Seeing that, Eraser Head dashed to the edge of the building and looked down. Izuku was falling, he was covering something in his core area. The hero could only see a large number of something in the boy's embrace. Izuku was ready to gamble. Adding all the spare points in more Health and Agility, he could feel his muscle becoming denser yet more flexible, more robust, his body hardened. Betting all in the luck-based skill he got from the System, Izuku initiated the dices thrown, the result immediately came out.
"A 9"
Izuku smiled before using the buffs for even more Health and Agility. With the added Agility, he used the surface of the building as the final stepping ground, boosting himself even faster toward the ground. He gambled on Ina's ability to play catch. His Health would ensure his survival albeit crippled, yea, but still alive.
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"Why did I decide to engage in combat with All Might of all people? "
Ina thought to herself as she was dodging All Might's punches. They were fast, strong and lethal, a single one, if connected fully in the head, could knocked her out cold so no mistake could be made. The girl, looking at how a touch of insanity mixed with curiosity, pride and cunning had forced her into this situation, could do nothing but shook her head at her past self. Izuku's plan was too high-risk but the surprise factor would pay off in the two's escaping this situation.
Maybe seeing All Might as her opponent had agitated her but now she was here, slowly getting to the arranged building.
She was careful with the routing, staying away from concentrated area. Maybe All Might had finally had enough of her counterattacks as he started ramping up the pace.That was an escalation the girl was not prepared for as now All Might saw her as a threat needed to be controlled and was trying his best to give her a blunt trauma, survivable but unwanted. Now Ina was dancing between the flurry of punches (she was sweating from all the incoming ones, so no kicks had been a blessing for her) from all direction. She could notice some of the techniques used amidst the storm. The familiarity allowed her to preemptively get out of their trajectory.
"Jab, hook, straight punch, turning elbow ..."
The skill was basic, just throwing punches that felt slightly connected but the sheer speed and strength of the one's doing the thing keep the rthythym overwhelmingly high. With milliseconds between each punch, Ina must use all her speed and sensing ability to get away from those rockets and send in a few counterattack, which in her disappointment leaving no noticeable injuries. Shockwaves from the punches passing March 1 shook her to the core but she had to endure the onslaught while maintaining her rhythm of guerilla warfare. She crouched, she twisted, she jumped back. She punched through his defense, she deflected to the sides, she kicked in the man's pillr-like legs. Ina could feel the weight of the punches getting to her. All Might followed her up close as if a willing particiant of a waltz, leaving no space for error. Their dance was decorated with side steps, intentional vehicles blocking, impacts and destruction. The music was the wind caused by their movement through the night air, the chorus was the sound of joints and muscles combining to fulfill the two's wishes.
She was pushing herself to her limits, doing moves that she thought had been impossible in such speed or situation. The dance was starting to get tiring for her as Ina's could feel her stamina depleting from both dealing the paralyzer and maintaining high-intensity combat. Who knew how long since the standoff had started but she did not have an answer to that question. However, she did know one single thing from this fight: it was enjoyable fighting against All Might. He did not underestimate his opponent, clearly understood his hero style and strived to be the pillar for an entire industry. All of the punches he had thrown at Ina, she knew the fact that they weren't 100%, maybe 20% to 30%, showed how benevolent and lenient he was. The ground crackled under his punches and Ina's counters, the surrounding windows had all shattered from the after effects of their conflict. The noises inside Ina's head had gone silent for a period of time now since the fight had begun. Now she solely focused on surviving this onslaught and getting away from this menace.
The pair danced across the roads, with Ina retreating oath toward the direction her intuition told her. The gathering of crowd seeing All Might was something she had to taken into consideration when choosing the retreat place. While engaging in the fight, something enter her sphere of recognition. The black armor was blocking the moonlight, her Izuku was falling down. The momentary gap allowed for a single punch from All Might to landed onto her blocking hands from the front, sending her colliding with the traffic light at the crossroad. The thing bent under the force but managed to remain standing. Ina could feel her lungs suddenly collapse from the impact, letting the air flew out. She was breathless for a moment but quickly got up before All Might could deliver another punch from the front, dodged only by lowering her center of gravity. The man overreached, leaving a gap enough for Ina to swim through like a fish inside water.
She sped up from that position and jumped, leaving a crater at her feet, her target the falling Izuku. She could see a number of smoke screens in his embrace, the time was just right: Izuku pulled the pins of all the smoke grenades, unleashing a thick artificial smog blinding anyone standing a meter away from one another. The momentum was difficult to redirect but nah, she would win. She caught the boy, bringing him closer to her chest to improve the mass distribution before landing, leaving two line of rubbles as her feet digged into the roads. Her legs almost buckled under the impact but she managed to stand straight and continue her strides. She was careful with the noise and only took off after turning a corner, getting away from the pair's sight.
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Aizawa and All Might were flabbergasted from the sudden smoke screen blinding the two. They absolutely were not expecting the events to turn this way. All Might quickly regained his position and swung his arm to clear the smoke. The sound of their targets getting further and further away. Their target had escaped, leaving behind a large number of cans. Now Aizawa saw the smoke grenades, he was perplexed, where had the smoke grenades come from? But the question could be for another time as now he had to report to Nezu.
" Did you track the two? "
Aizawa asked Nezu, the two were buying time for Nezu's drones to track Mastermind and Beast as they had recognized the two's ability and and were gauging them in terms of heroic qualities. Aizawa even put on Mastermind a small tracking decive courtesy of Nezu's manufacturing. Despite some damages to the infrastructure, all the construction they had damaged had been paid for by Nezu's deep wallet beforehand through insurances and some "gifts" for the owners. He could pay for the tests of promising talents. Mastermind and Beast had passed with flying colors. Their attention to the environment, their actions and abilities and their cooperation spelt perfect candidates for his program.
" Where are the two going now? "
All Might asked, hope filled his heart seeing talents blossoming doing rightous deeds ( his opinion on their methods was that they had been ...a bit overwhelming). Tracking the two down and guiding on the correct ways would be of utmost importance ad he could feel his limit approproaching since the injury with Toxic Chainsaw. Now he was still able to save everyone but what about the future when he was gone? Maybe he could even found a successor to his quirk from the pair. The matter would only move to that stage after the pair had been found. All Might was also wondering about the culprit behind the first shot that scared them away, but Nezu would take care of the villain, he was sure of that as the rat-bear chimera loved nurturing future generations of heroes.
" Nezu said the two of us could rest now. The matter of Beast and Mastermind will be dealt with tomorrow as the pair is running around the city in an erratic manner to cut any possible tail. We will pay them a visit tomorrow. "
" Fine, you can find me at this address here. It is my safehouse in this city. I have just rented the place yesterday. Goodbye Eraser Head! "
All Might exclaimed before jumping away, leaving a sole Aizawa on the street. The man was too tired after an intense night so now he would sleep the moment he thrownhis body onto a bed. The night ended like that, with a bank heist and two tests taken place, the former blaring the news and the latter in the dark.
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Ina finally dropped Izuku when they got back to their warehouse at the coastal park. She had run across the city multiple times for the last 2 hours to cut any traces. As she arrived, she finally noticed the cleaned up beach the two had been salvaging for useful items. She looked back at the whole vigilante deals leading to the stressful encounters with the two heroes this night. Her legs gave out on the tiled floor, urging Izuku to take out a cold spray and cut her legs piece out to apply the thing. Still in his armor, he was careful with the examination and the application, putting Ina on the patched sofa and observed her legs. He then took out a first aid kit to check her left hand. The hole had closed one half but Izuku still spent the effort covering Ina's left palm like a mummy after applying disinfection. Her palm was sweaty from all the prolonged activity, a sweet fragrance filled the place. Izuku paid no mind to the smell, finding it
" They will need rest, just stay here for a minute. You can nap here if you want. I will call you up 30 minutes later "
Izuku said before throwing a pair of shorts, an oversized T-shirt bought from the market and a towel on top of the glass tables in front of Ina
" You are sweating a lot, your pupils are still opened wide. Take a shower. You really stink!"
" You do know that is not a way to speak to an injured lady. "
" I know, but an injured lady would rest and not talking back at someone's care. "
Izuku shut Ina's attempt of lightening the mood. He was not in the emotion for a joke right now. Someone had noticed their movements, more than 2 factions as All Might and Eraser Head was suprised at the bullet. About the bullet, Izuku faced Ina and she stared nack at him.
" Ina, what was the bullet like? I need to know to do some research. "
" I am napping, wait for later, can you? "
Ina said, still staring at Izuku. Rolling his eyes at the Ina's childishness, Izuku would ask her later. He was feeling angry at the failure of his plan for the bank heist (he had took pride in doing the side gist since who knew when) and the dangerous situation the two of them had faced. He removed his armor, leaving the pieces on top of the engineering table between the many projects he had taken on. Feeling exhausted after the adrenaline had drained, Izuku plopped down next to a snoring Ina, surpised at the fast-asleep Ina. He could take a rest after the events of the day, he whispered to himself before closing his eyes.
.....
" Oi, wake up Izuku!"
The person opened his eyes, he was still tired. In front of him was a washed Ina in the clothes he had given her, her hair still wet from the bath. A spicy smell of curry was in the space, telling Izuku how hungry he had been. He was more worried about the time then the one in front of him or what dinner could be.
" How long did I sleep? "
" About an hour, now is 1:34 in the morning. I just let you sleep seeing how tired you was. I woke up a little earlier. Here, want some curry? I made some"
Handing Izuku a steaming bowl of pork curry, Ina sat on the sofa, a glass of protein powder mixed with lukewarm water in her hand. She turned on the TV, quickly switching the channels to that of a news station. She explained the bank heist and its result in short.
" The bank heist you planned for is a partial sucess. 4 members of the crew, including the boss, have been subdued, arrested and escorted to a local prison. The remaining 4 got away with around 3.6 million yen in stacks of 10000 yen notes. The investigation is still on its way to find the location of the stolen money. They said a suspicious van has been put on the suspect list and they are trying their best to track the thing down. In my opinion, Itadori has killed the remaining three and took the money. "
" Why do you say that?"
Izuku inquired, his face the same angry scowl.
" Aren't you the one who asked for a weapon supplier to sell the gun to the guy for a cheap price? And didn't you fake the monthly hospital bills to drive him to desperation, to push the final buttons of the man? "
Izuku could not help but gave Ina a few headpats. She was sneaky enough to examine his call history.
" Stop treating me as if I am dumb. Did you do the things you have done to let the heroes take care of the problematic villains? "
Izuku came clean.
"Yes, the leader Akai is known for his murder spree back in Sapporo before arriving here. Bluey has given a helping hand to many rape cases in Spain, selling the girl he managed to seduce to his circles. After fulfilling the pervert's needs, the girls are shocked and killed cleanly before being disposed off. Viona, Midori and Itadori are clean enough to be spared, but the matter is between the 3 of them. The remaining two are better sent to an asylum. No, i am not joking at the last one. He has dual personalities. So to sum it up, I am trying to prevent useless deaths. "
" You speaks with so much enthusiasm on your endeavour, then what about me? Are you staying close with me to observe me, to watch me then report me to the authority?"
Ina was serious, her eyes drained of the normal vibrant red hue, what left was lifeless red akin to that of a dying person's blood. She quickly climbed onto Izuku's lap, using her arms and nails to straighten his gazes to match her. Green met dull red, Izuku knew that he had stepped on a mine, his friend being so unnaturally angry and holding his head in such violent manner. He could feel the pressure above his ears and the scratches forming as her nails dig into his skin.
"So you are awaiting for me to fall from my grace, to watch my failure and then notify the heroes? You know my crimes, you have yours too. We have tried it, so be a honest boy and tell me, why do you feel the need to satisfy your ego by saving strangers? Haven't you claim that you do not care for unfamiliar people who have no connections with you? "
Ina asked and Izuku sweated. Cold and damp, it was the sensation he felt on his back. He was contemplating on what to say to calm down the friend in front of him. Seeing that Izuku was not answering immediately, Ina decided to push him tighter into the metaphorically corner even more.
"Answer me now, you have got no time to think. Speak... Or else"
She decided to tighten her grips, causing blood to drip from the boy's head. Izuku was forced to answer, his pace broken as his brain was thinking up the correct sentences to speak. But he was smart enough to start first with a reassurance.
"You do not need to worry about that, Ina. I am not going to betray you or doing anything along that kind of thought. And..."
"Explain yourself then, why are you developing this sympathy for other stranger when you are selfish, self-centered and only care for those you know? "
"That ... It's ...urgh..."
Izuku could only blabber out incoherent words, his eyes darting around inside their sockets as if seeking an answer. Knowing Ina's strength, Izuku never doubted that she could rip his head off with ease and hide the body. His life was on the line here so he was trying his best to express his feeling honestly.
" Sorry, ... It i... is just my sense of self-satisfaction. I enjoys seeing people getting the consequences from their action! The number of life saves is the side result! It..i...is not the main reason. "
" Then about me, are you going to throw me under the bus, sending me to Tartarus just to feel a sense of extreme euphoria of seeing a criminal getting their just result? "
Again the question underlining the whole conversation appeared, Izuku needed to answer correctly. He knew the answer deep within his heart but his reasoning was telling him to keep it hidden. He disagreed, leading to him blurting out
" N...No, that is not my plan. You are a strange case in my world view. I am actually fond of our time playing together and doing this vigilante business. "
Izuku took a deep breath to prepare himself.
" I am kind of an admirer of how confidence you are. I love the way your smile is brimming with life and joy during our hunts and ... "
Ina silenced the boy by putting her finger on his lips. She had removed one hand from his head to do just that. Izuku could feel his left side being free of the oppressive force.
" I appreciate how honest you have been with the last sentences, but I have to leave now, wait for me two days later!"
She got up from the position, their distance had been closer than she thought. He just sat there, his ears getting as red as her eyes. She quickly ran out of the warehouse, not forgetting a goodbye to the frozen boy on the sofa. She quickly ran back home, the cold air could not dampen the butterflies fluttering in her stomach and the wide smile on her face. She never felt such a good feeling before.